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 Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 10:10 am
Having Tzeitel so close to him made Raiden’s face flush again. Maybe he was just coming down with some sort of fever from traveling? Or heat exhaustion…the constant cool breeze of the day moved around them as if laughing at the thought of the young male. “Seriously.” Muttering under his breath Raiden stopped as the smells of food drifted closer. It really didn’t smell the most appetizing, but if it was the only place here then that was where they needed to go to find the others.
Walking along a sudden blur ran past them and without thinking the centaur grabbed ahold of Tzeitel and moved her out of the way of the runners. “Hey!” He yelled before looking down at the female he had clasped in his arms without thinking. Staring suddenly at her face his gaze softened thoughtfully. “Are….are you okay?” He held onto her a bit longer than necessary before forcing himself to quickly let go and stepped back, “Anyways…we’re here.”
The tavern was large and old...a relic of a structure which once had been strong and vibrant. It was weird how he could see the wear on the wooden structure, yet see how sturdy the work of the place was. Whatever was ailing the area had not always been there it appeared.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 12:36 pm
Khalidah's hand tensed on the hilt of her sword, a frown marring the smile that had been there only seconds before. As giddy as she was to have Aaron's arm around her, the feeling was mixed with caution. "Are you saying that you aren't decent?" Khali responded, stepping away from Aaron and up to the buck. "What's going on around here, old man? Even the blind could see that something has these people spooked."
Even now in her older age Khali couldn't seem to back down, and watch for traps until they were upon her. As she looked about, she saw some larger, burlier taurs moving in to the bucks sides. She hoped they were here to support him as friends, but a hinky feeling told her it was more than that.
"My friend and I are travelling knights; defending the the people, and smiting the wicked." Best not to mention the back up, just in case. "If your village has reached hard times due to...unforeseen circumstances, we would be glad to aid you."
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 1:18 pm
Gasping as the blurs passed by, Tzeitel suddenly found herself pulled against Raiden's side. Raiden's warm, firm, comforting side... Looking up at him, she blinked in surprise at the strange, but wonderfully warming, expression on his face. "I.. yeah. I'm okay," she said softly as he practically leapt away, an unexpected faint pink rising to her cheeks. "..Thank you."
As the tavern was indicated, her ears twitched back. She could see the same as Raiden, and wondered how grand the tavern must have looked when it had been strong and bright. Lifting her chin, determined to look braver than she felt, she walked up to the rotting building and pulled open the heavy door, which gave with a high groan of rusting hinges. The inside was dim with thick air and candle light, making Tzeitel pause and look back at Raiden. ...She would wait for him.
The old buck grinned with crooked and gaped teeth at Khali. "I ain't sayin' that. Jus' that hard times kin make even decent folk desperate fer reprieve." He glanced around at the fellows joining him. "Ain't often we get visitors anymore. ..Good lookin' folks like yerselves draws attention ya might not like~" His pale eyes traveled along Khali's strong figure and landed on her sword with raised brows. "Ya two obviously ain't from 'round here."
Aaron pressed his lips together, his own smile forgotten as well. As the conversation went on, he stepped to follow after Khali, and placed a hand on her horse back protectively.
The buck smirked widely, adjusting his glasses again. "Smiting the wicked, you say?" He looked at his comrades and snorted. "Looks like we got some knights, want to come save the day fer this village." He looked back at the centaurs and scowled. "Good luck wi' that, brave knights. Ain't nobody kin save this useless hole."
Aaron shook his head and looked around at the gathering crew. "What do you mean? What is it causing the conditions around here?" Maybe one of the others would give a straighter answer than the buck was providing. ..Hopefully Tzeitel and Raiden were avoiding such a crew.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 9:11 pm
H“Good.” Raiden replied suddenly looking somber before watching her walk towards the tavern. He wanted to move and make certain that she wasn’t going inside alone but a tug on his pack made the centaur stop. Who was? Surprised the male looked down at the small child from earlier. “Yes?” His gaze full of curiosity darkened as the girl whispered something to him. Without hesitation Raiden reached out for Tzeitel’s hand and tugged her gently out of the doorway, “Change of plans.”
The girl with relief quickly looked around before running back down the alleyway. Not wanting to waste time Raiden kept Tzeitel’s hand wrapped in his own. Not that the comforting feeling of having such a delicate hand in his played any part to why he kept holding on, but it was also worry and protectiveness that made him move. “We need to find Khali and Aaron.” They hadn’t been in the tavern so where were they? All he knew was that the girl had been persistent in chasing after them to warn him.
”Whatever you do. Don’t go inside there! Keep moving and stay away from the baddies.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 9:33 pm
Not good, not good. They needed to get out of here, fast! Khali was afraid to look back to Aaron on the off chance the buck lunged, so instead stood her ground, comforted by Aaron's hand on her back.
"Pretty lil' thing like you shouldn't be carryin' no sword." One of the others, a bald centaur, looked at both Khali and her weapon with wild eyes. "An' no decent man'd let her." He turned those same eyes on Aaron.
A few of the group let out chuckles, and started to bring out various weapons; though, the overlying theme was capture. She spotted more than one weighted net, a whip, a couple clubs...
"Smiting the wicked don't pay much, does it, boss?" A wolf snapped, holding his club high, his eyes darting between the buck and the pair. "Ain't had no rain fer mon'ts, ye know? Towns all dried up; gotta get some money some where, might as well be off yer hides! Get'm, boys!"
Khalidah unsheathed her sword and block the first of the clubs attacks, throwing in a kick when she could. She defended as best she could, trying to stay as close to Aaron as possible, but it was too much. No matter how skilled the swordsman, no being alive could have withstood the mob. She slashed and parried, ducked and dodged, taking kicks and hits to her body that would have sent her sprawling in her youth.
She let out a roar and ran all out at the centaur who'd attacked her, only to have another slam into her, knocking her off her feet and only the ground. Khali thrust her sword into his chest, but before he fell he landed one swift kick to her head, knocking her out cold. When he could stand no longer he fell beside her, the sword sticking out from the wound in his chest.
"Get'r up fast! Put 'r on the cart, no, quick, quick, watch her head!" The bald centaur ordered, looking everywhere and nowhere at once. "FOR PETE'S SAKE, GET HIM TOO, YOU DOLTS!"
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 10:02 pm
Waiting for Raiden, Tzeitel went back to peering into the dark tavern. A few eyes glittered in the faint light, and low, rumbling voices reached her ears. It smelled even worse now... She looked back as she heard Raiden coming, and was reaching for his hand instinctively even as he was reaching for her. "Why? What did she say?" Right then, she heard the noise, and the yelling... "No!" Forgetting herself, she tugged hard on Raiden's arm as her hooves dug into the ground to bolt for the frightening sounds. What was happening to them?!
Aaron's hand tapped at Khali's back, wanting her to back up a bit from the group. His other hand went to the hilt of his own blade, eyes narrowing slightly. "She can handle that sword well enough to have it," he said as a warning.
He yanked out his blade when the wolf spoke up, and grit his teeth. This wasn't going to be good...
And it definitely wasn't. He met each attack equally, switching between using his fists and hooves, which he was more used to, and the short sword. He didn't realize the space had grown between him and Khali until a sharp pain dug into his side where she was supposed to be standing. He reached back and grabbed his attacker's throat, tossing the wolftaur to the side easily before yanking the spike out of his flank. "Khali!" he called, looking around for her while still fighting the onslaught.
The bald centaur's yell caught his attention, and that's when he saw Khali being loaded onto the cart. "Khali! No!" His fist flew out, sending whoever was in front of him tumbling backward. He couldn't see who was there anymore. He had to get Khali off that cart! He was supposed to be protecting her! He charged forward, knocking down everyone in his way. He managed to get a hand on the cart, and a hand on Khali's arm. Then he felt something around his neck...
Seeing that they might be about to lose their chance, the old buck finally acted. He pulled out a lasso, and swung it expertly at the furious centaur. "Hold 'im tight, boys!" He shouted, watching the younger, stronger men grab the rope and yank. He grinned as the big centaur flew backward and was overwhelmed by the group. By the time they got him onto the cart, he was unconscious as well, the lasso turned noose having done its job. "Now that ya'll let them make so much racket, we need ta git goin'! Now! They might have some other goodie goods wit dem somewheres." He took his rope back, and vanished back into his house as the cart rolled off.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 10:14 pm
Well they found the "baddies". Raiden's grip on Tzeitel's hand tightened in anger as he watched the cart rolling away. For a split second he was confused as to why he felt so angry suddenly, but now it all made sense. Dropping his hold on Tzeitel Raiden had to hold himself back from yelling. Because once he stepped over to one of the bodies Raiden mercilessly wrenched his sister's blade from one's chest. "Dammit." The curse escaped him violently as he wiped the blood on the dry grass.
His sister and Aaron.
What the hell was going on here?
His gaze was hard as he became suddenly determined to find out. "Tzeitel." He looked over at his companion and it was hard to keep the anger out of his voice. Not towards her, but towards those who had just assaulted their friends. "You might not want to follow me right now. If you do stay back." The little girl had told him to stay away from the tavern right? Not another moment of hesitation was lost as he turned his back on the mess and holding his sister's sword still head back down the path.
If he didn't find out about this mess then there would be hell to pay. No one bothered his sister save for him. And if any dared to even think of laying a finger on her or even Aaron...they would regret it. That thought in mind the young centaur threw open the tavern doors with a bang. "Where the hell did they take them?" Grabbing a random wolftaur he shoved him up against the dirty wall. He wasn't about to waste any time. Not when he had no idea where they could be taking them.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 10:25 pm
The crying is what woke Khali. She could hear the soul-piercing wail from her farthest nightmares, and through the fog of pain in her head she managed to roll onto her knees. "Wha..?" Before she could stand the ground suddenly shook, and she fell, slamming back down onto the floor of...a cart? Definitely a covered cart, since the sun was blocked out.
When she rose for the second time she could feel the manacles around her legs, arms and even neck. In some way, shape, or form she was connected to the poor sods around her....including Aaron! Seeing how beat up he was brought the situation to the forefront of her mind. With a curse, she reached for her sword..."Wha- What the hell?!"
"SHUT YER YAPS BACK THERE, OR I'LL BE SHUTTIN' EM FOR YA."
Khali frowned, and went over the facts. They were in a cart, speeding down some road, and she couldn't see a damn thing because of the coverings. There were other taurs with them, even a little kitten could couldn't stop her tears. Should she wake Aaron, or....?
She gave a sharp pull on the chains, tugging with all of her might on the ones connecting her hands. In a rage she snapped and tugged, slamming them this way and that in the air with enough curses to make a sailor blush. The next time her captor yelled at her, she yelled back, and was rewarded with a gag tied around her mouth. Did it stop her from trying? Not in the least.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 10:40 pm
As the situation slowly sunk in, Tzeitel's arms rose to hug herself. Khali... Aaron... There were dead taur on the ground... There was blood... They'd been in trouble before, but they were usually all together, too. What if...
Her head snapped over at Raiden's voice, and she gave a little nod as he headed back toward the tavern. She needed an extra moment before following. She had banished the fear from her expression, once more keeping her head held high. She would be of no help if she let herself fall apart. So, she followed after Raiden, and hung back in the doorway as he requested.
The wolftaur that had been grabbed yelped in surprise, staring wide-eyed at Raiden. It took a couple seconds for him to realize what this stranger was asking about. They were about to make some money then! "Hey, I-I didn't take anyone!" he sputtered, looking around the tavern for assistance.
With all the banging and hollering, Aaron was bound to stir. He inhaled deeply, but the motion made his throat hurt and his head throb. What the..? He raised a hand to his head, and was surprised to find both coming at him, shackled together. What was..? Khali! Where was she? ..Where was he? He sat up quickly, which only made his head spin and the shackle around his neck pull. Another groan, and he looked over at those around him with one eye, the other stinging from something that had gotten into it.
"Khali!" Relief eased his whole body of whatever pain her was feeling when he saw her sitting up and still fighting with all her energy. He looked at his own shackles and gave them experimental tugs. They were strong chains but maybe... He looked around at his fellow captives, all looking sad and helpless. His childhood came back to him in a rush. He growled, and maneuvered his chained limbs as best as he could to stand. Now in a crouch, he beat his hoof against the chain hard. Like hell he was going to stay chained up like a- like a- slave!!
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 10:52 pm
That change in his expression from surprise to realization only served to increase the centaur’s anger. Like his parentage the desert rage was brewing within. “I don’t care if you were the one to take them or not-“ He spoke slowly each syllable coming out harsh from his gritted teeth. “But if you don’t tell me what the hell is going on with this messed up village, I will take you somewhere.” He grinned wickedly, all manners lost. “And it won’t be pleasant.”
It was taking all of his restraint to stop from trashing the whole place. As much as he wanted to just go on a blind rampage of the tavern and the whole cursed village the centaur had to keep pacing himself. Khali and Aaron needed them, not a blind monster. Still it was rather enjoyable to watch the wolftaur squirm as he pressed the blade against the taur’s throat, “See this? It belongs to my sister. I found bodies and none of them belonged to her or my other companion. That’s a problem.” He paused pressing in just a bit closer, “See? A blacksmith, especially one turned hero, never leaves their weapon behind willingly. So why the hell was she being taken away from her sword, hmm?”
Rational thoughts stared to register as the town’s conditions came into mind. Dammit this place was just being used too. Whoever it was that took his sister would not be a part of this tacky place. Would figure. “Do me a favor then? Let me know who the bastards are that took my sister so I can give her her sword back.” His gaze despite the anger was pleading, “Do that and I won’t kill you and I may even solve this problem of gangs which seem to be kidnapping your town’s visitors.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 11:21 pm
"Aaron!" Khali gave up on her chains, and moved around as much as she could to be closer to him. He didn't look too bad off; certainly not as bad as he could have.
"I wouldn't bother, with those chains," an older cat sighed, shifting around so that the kitten could coil up against her. She stroked the child's cheek, pulling her as close in an embrace as she could. "They're magic; you'll not break them that way."
"So, what, you want us just to give up? Look, I've been kicking and screaming since birth, and I'm not going to stop now." She rose a pointed finger at the cattaur, her gaze stern and determined. When the older woman just rolled her eyes, she snorted, and sat back into her hole. "Aaron, just stop, you're just wasting energy at this point. Save it for later." When they stopped, she planned on coming at the first b*****d she saw like a wildcat. For now, she turned to the group, her voice no more than an agitated murmur, "Where are we headed?"
"Fogsden," A centaur responded. "It's a slavers port, in the south. We'll be sold off and shipped out before the month's out. I heard 'em talkin' bout it when they brought you lot in."
Khalidah groaned and put her face in her hands. Perfect, just perfect! What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't save herself, much less Aaron or the others! Think, think, think.... She only hoped Raiden was raising hell for them. He had quite the temper on him, and for once, she kind of hoped Tzeitel was helping him raid the whole town. Every shop, stall, man, woman; they sold her out! She'd seen those faces from the windows! They could have helped, but they didn't, the ratfink sons of-
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 11:37 pm
Watching Raiden work, Tzeitel felt the tension all go to her stomach. ..Well, at least she wasn't feeling the hunger pangs anymore. She took a moment to get a look around at the others in the tavern. They looked ragged and worn... trapped. She wouldn't let her expression change, though she started thinking along the same lines as Raiden. This town was in trouble... These poor folk.
The wolf wiggled in clear discomfort. The guy's sister... And what about the woman in the doorway? He looked around at those nearby, recieved a few nods, and exhaled slowly. He was sweating bullets as he looked around before lowering his voice. "Look... It's the slavers. They've taken over everything here..." He gulped and shook his head. "I'm sorry... they don't tell us were they take those they choose. They're very secretive. All I know is that those chosen are put in a covered wagon that heads south." He gulped again. "Please... don't tell them we told you. They'll take our families if we don't do as they say... Look what they've already done."
Aaron gave the chains a few more hits just out of frustration. He-hated-this-he-hated-this-he-hated-this.... Still, he found a little comfort from Khali moving closer, and still being the spitfire she always was. "How-" he broke into a cough as his throat adjusted to speech. The shackle wasn't helping relieve the pain that the suffocating rope had caused.
He took in a slower breath when he was done. "How long have we been traveling? Rai-" he paused to cough again, "Raiden and Tzeitel would probably have heard the fight. They'll be looking for us soon, if not already."
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Relaxing his hold on the wolftaur Raiden took a step back, “Not so hard to say was it?” His gaze softened as understanding dawned on him. So this was basically a stopping point for slavers? Dry amusement rose in his chest. Well that wasn’t going to last any much longer. “Don’t worry. The slavers won’t find out.” Because he was going to slaughter every last one of them who had touched his friends and made this poor town suffer. If he was lenient maybe he would just maim them until they learned the errors of their ways.
Gaze hardening again he looked over at Tzeitel, “Ready to go?” They had no time to waste…but first. Looking down at the wolftaur the young male smiled wickedly, “Give me some help and we’ll see about helping this place out by doing some pest control.” Not much later Raiden was trotting along the path south and out of town with a different pack on his back. He had a plan, and hopefully it would go better than the chaos of just going in with swords raised. After all…despite his rage at this situation the centaur couldn’t help but to look at Tzeitel from the corner of his gaze. The last thing he wanted to do was to lose her too.
Especially now that she was his 'mate' and a very delicate one at that. The thought of their disguises amused him faintly. Despite the dire situation who would have thought that they would have to sneak into a slave operation like this?
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 8:30 pm
Khali's determined anger started to fade into concern at seeing just how fervently Aaron was trying to break his bonds. And then he coughed. Had they done something to him, when she had been unconscious? She couldn't see, not in this dark, with the manacle around his throat. It was a stretch, but she placed her arm on his shoulder, craning her head to get a better look at his face. "Take it easy. We're going to get out of this," which translated into 'I would rather die that let you become a slave'. She gave a wry grin, "They'll be coming after us soon, anyway. Those two make even harpies look slow."
She settled in against him, cuddling as close to him as she could given the circumstances. "How bad is it? Your throat, I mean?"
"I can heal it for you," the older cattaur shifting, leaning forward as far as she could in her chains. "I've done it for everyone else, so might as well. Ain't good for bad stuff, but if it's the same noose as was around the girl then I can ease the brusing." The kitten shivered, her hand going to her throat in memory. "'Sides, gonna be a long enough trip as it is. Shouldn't have to suffer through it."
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:05 pm
Walking alongside Raiden, Tzeitel had her hands clasped tightly together. They were about to sneak into a big slave coven... If they failed... If they didn't get there in time... If, if, if... In order to keep her mind from going to far, she stepped closer to Raiden and clung to his arm, using his warmth and presence as support.
"So... run this plan by me again.." She was pretending to be Raiden's mate... She was in search of a serving girl... How was she going to get through this?! She needed the confidence of the young man she clutched so desperately.
Aaron flinched under Khali's comforting touch. He didn't deserve it... Still, as she cuddled against him, he let his cheek drop to rest against her head, partially to let her feel him nod in understanding, and partially for the comfort of the contact.
His brow knit as his throat was questioned, and he shook his head. "It's fin-" Of course, another cough betrayed him. Huffing softly, he lifted a hand to scrape the gunk from his eye to focus on something other than his throat. Felt like it was from a cut on his forehead. "Just a bit sore.."
His ears twitched as the nearby cattaur spoke up, and he hesitated a moment. She was right though. Easing at least some of the ache would help. Maybe stop the coughing. "Thank you," he said softly, scooting toward to hands he could only faintly see in the dim light. "Khali.. You were unconscious. Are you hurt at all?"
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