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Petra flushes crimson as Kail puts his cloak around her and begins to sob more heavily. She couldn't help it--it was always the same. Once she'd started crying, the nicer people were to her, the more it made her cry. Kail's kindness simply overwhelmed her.

Wiping at her eyes, Petra manages to speak. "You're so... so comforting. Thank you for being... so nice to me." Her body trembles with emotion as she sits near him, his arm holding his cape around her and she begins to get a hold on her emotions. Sitting there, watching the moon with Kail, Petra felt truly protected for the first time during the ordeal, and as she leaned on him, she felt herself drifting into a truly restful sleep.

Vincent, the only one truly asleep at the moment, was haunted by nightmares. The sword wasn't happy with him, he knew. It had wanted blood and had lost a battle of wills with its master. Still, he was capable in the extreme, and the sword was willing to protect him a little while...at least until could once and for all gain control of him.

Vincent woke in a cold sweat, visions of death swirling through his half-asleep mind. The sword had shown him something interesting indeed. Vincent moved to Kail and the just-asleep Petra.

"Get up, there are bandits near!" He whispered harshly. He pointed a mailed finger in the direction of the approaching figures, "I'll get to Luc."

Walking quickly without trying to tip off the bandits, Vincent moved toward the seemingly unaware Luc. "Luc," He called softly, then whispering as he got closer informed Luc on the situation.

((It sucks. I got put on quarters for 24 hours because of some stomach flu thing. Plus the doctors found out I have an abnormally high blood pressure; so now I have testing in the morning around 5:00 am for the next five days. I'm not going to get any sleep. crying ...At least I can post more!))

((Feh. Push ups...rather do complete muscle failure, HOO-AH!!! blaugh ))

"Well, Kail? I'm ready for anything you want to do." Vincent, though beleagured, looks more than ready for the fight. Even the sword is showing its eagerness for the fight, as its eyes smolder with hunger and rage.

Woken with a shock, Petra trembles as she is thrust from the momentary peace in sleep she found--to another encounter with the bloodthirsty bandits. Head turning, she counts at least six of them, and the sorcerer claims there are more. Always more, she thinks frantically, there will be more and more until we're too worn down to fight back!

She tries to calm herself as she feels panic threaten. The routine of the situation is becoming so familiar to her: despondent exhaustion punctuated painfully with blinding fear. Why can't they just leave us alone!? She has to bite her tongue to keep from shrieking it out loud, but she is too aware of the delicate situation to dare risk upsetting it.

The Sorceror affects an air of selfless sacrifice, as if the next words wound him with each syllable. "My dear Master Kail, reason is what I offer you. Why suffer further injury, when a simple trade can easily justify an amicable exchange of pleasantries on both parts? It is certain that you will sustain grievous injuries if you choose the barbarous course of resistance. And though the notion is appalling, someone may even die, a truly tragic event. Why not consider offering the simple tribute of a single wagon and it's contents? A fitting reward for us, and an honorable means to buy passage unmolested through the remainder of our Lord's Pass. If you would carefully consider the options, you would surely realize the alternatives are far less pleasant. What say you, most honored Merchant? Will you relinquish your goods to protect the lives of your hirelings?"

Master Morty jumps a bit at being addressed; seeming uncertain at the manner of the question. "Well, see here you scallywag, It's no secret that I value these men and women far more than I value any of you scum. I hired these brave adventurer's to see me and my goods safely to the other side of this valley, and so far they honored their side of the bargain with every step. But, seeing them constantly injured, and my boys getting picked on at every turn, well, it's starting to wear on me a bit." Turning to Kail, Vincent, Petra, and Luc, Master Morty speaks directly to them. "I'm truly sorry, I never expected things would get this bad. If you want to buy them off, well, I'll support your decision, and not fault you for it. But, truth be told, until this journey's reached it's end, your the ones calling the shots, not me. So it's your decision; do we pay them off and make for safety, or not?"

"I said I like words but you need not coat them with so much sugar. Besides your words hold little wait at the moment now matter how high flouted they sound. What guarantee do I have you will hold your side of the bargain." Kail did not believe them. They were bandits after all. They had killed too many of the Bandits' companions to let them just peacefully walk out of there. It just seemed too easy. But then his thoughts happened upon Petra. The poor sweet girl had been drug into all this against her will. He could possibly end this now and put an end to her mental anguish. Still Kail couldn't bring himself to trust the offer. Not after all they had gone through. "I said I like words but you need not coat them with so much sugar. Besides your words hold little wait at the moment now matter how high flouted they sound. What guarantee do I have you will hold your side of the bargain."

As the sorcerer speaks, Luc translates his bandeese into english. Lie, lie, bluff, deciet, BS, Lie, I'm a loser, I want to kill you after I take the wagon, lie, lie, BS. Etc.