The Open Road

The unspoken kindness of the stranger reached her more than words could have ever. It didn't matter if anyone told her that she should simply move on or get over it. To keep marching forward. Never look back. It diminished the humanity of being able to feel whatever she felt, how she felt it, to grieve and mourn the losses, in anger, or sadness, and eventually accept them in her own time. But it was mainly missing having someone to talk to about all of those things. The worldly advice of her father, the warmth acceptance of her mother, and her older brothers, who always reminded her not to take herself or anyone else too seriously. The rangers had welcomed her after clan rivalry and violence took the lives of her family, and taught her the value of camaraderie, and discipline. Years as a slave had brought an awareness and instilled in her the importance of chasing after true personal freedom. Living life as a mercenary came with challenges she had never anticipated. In spite of all the pain and grief, there had been many valuable lessons along the way, and she had always become stronger because of it. Bad things happened to everyone, all the time, not just to good people, but to the bad ones, too. Of course, sometimes one would do whatever one had to do, even if it was difficult or dangerous. But in order for that to happen, the Grey Wolf first had to become the catalyst she wanted to see in the world. "Thank you," Tala said, long after the bread and water had disappeared. "I don't know what came over me." 

"Aye, fair enough," Tala smiled. There was something funny in the way that Allahad spoke, not just in his accent, but she was still able to follow. His words were so casual, yet incredibly wise, and it was the fact that he was so completely at ease that helped Tala find her own way back to her usual calm and stoic demeanor. Tala closed her eyes and started from the beginning. To when she took the job from the merchant to protect him, and the caravan. She described the trip to the best of her ability but it had been mostly uneventful up until the attack, when the highwayman came, and the caravaners ran. The fighting had been a frenzied blurr of attacks as she scrambled to protect them. But the trap had been well set. The men, she did not care that much for, but it was the women, and children. The loss of the innocent that got to her, although she was just beginning to realize how she had felt about it then. With all her might, she had fought, but there had been many of them, and only one of her. The only thing that was left alive was the horse, so she took it, feeling that she might be able to go after them in her rage, but got lost. "That was when I spotted your fire. I feel quite foolish for not tracking them better. I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. No doubt they are long gone, selling the wares at the nearest black market. Or, maybe..." Tala trailed off with the train of thought, and a realization dawned in her eyes. "I wasn't lost for long. The sun set quickly after the attack. 'Could be they set up camp in these same woods!"

"I'm going to do what I do best," she said rather seriously. The more Tala thought about it the more she realized that it wasn't very likely that those men would receive justice from the law. "They seemed as though they have been doing this for a long time. Those people deserve justice. Those men aren't very likely to get it. And they probably know it. They must think they own this road. They must think they've gotten away with that they've done. Let them think that. They will never see us coming. That is... if you decided to help me." 

"Two can do much against many," Tala smiled for what felt like the first time in a long time. It felt good to feel challenged in a way that reminded her of her ranger days. "When I was a Ranger, a long time ago, missions would be carried out in a one-to-two man team, with the former being far more common during shortages. But no matter. We'll track them. They'll most likely be found around a campfire like this one. Once found, we'll stay upwind, and out of sight. Do you have a bow? We can do without but it would be of great benefit to us, since it would easily help us pick them out. What are your skills?" If he was traveling all alone, he must have had a few under his belt. Hopefully, he could fight. 

"Aye, that'll do," Tala said as she took in the quiver of javelins. "Pity anyone at the other end of those." She hadn't known too many javelin wielders, but the ones that she did were quite fierce. This was a man to be reckoned with. Tala silently thanked the stars for turning the tide in her favor for once. She on her feet at that point, making her way to the horse she had taken, undoing the reigns from where he was tied with Allahad's own. "Tracking them may prove to be difficult, but not impossible. So long as we're able to draw them out before dawn, we should be fine."

Tala squinted into the darkness as they rode through the woods, but saw no lights like the one Allahad described. She would mention nothing about it to him. Clearly the man had a secret, but that was none of her business. All that Tala needed to know about him was that he was helping her. That was all. They headed in the general direction that had been pointed out as he led the way. It wasn't long before Tala was able to make out their tracks, partially because they had a tree-marking system for finding their way in and out of the forest, which made things easy. She gestured for Allahad to stop, and they left their horses behind as they worked out a plan. The sky had turned from a deep blue to a dark purple. The break of dawn would be upon them, soon. They whispered to each other in the darkness as they watched the bandit campfire. "I'll take out the nightwatchman."

Criminals never put their best on guard duty. But it was Allahad that made her think that perhaps that was far too merciful. Tala believed that killing them in their sleep would have been the fastest and simplest way to take them out. But she thought she might enjoy watching the fear in their eyes with what he suggested, in the same way in which they had struck fear in the eyes of their victims before showing them no mercy. Yes...

"Aye," she muttered, mentally thanking him before taking off.

Tala moved through the shadows with practiced ease, careful not to alert the enemy of her presence with an accidental misstep. The man was where she figured, patrolling the outskirts of the camp. Along the edge of the woods, he stared into the darkness, as though it might help him see better the longer he stared. But he was only a man. Lurking in the shadow of the tents, she moved like a wolf on the prowl. Just as he turned his back, Tala quickly crept up to sneak in between the encamp. Turning the corner with swift precision, the woman grabbed the man around the mouth to keep him from yelling. She pulled his head back, dragging the dagger across his exposed neck, and carefully laid him on the ground where he would gently choke on his blood.

Already counting to half of what Allahad had suggested, there was no time to waste. Tala rushed to the campfire and grabbed a burning log from it. "Oi, you," a voice snapped, "turn around." She turned to find a half-dressed man armed with a crossbow. "You're that bitch from before!" He cried out, biting the silence of the night. The crossbow fired with a click.

Tala drew her sword in time to slice the arrow from the air. She hurled the flaming piece of wood, adrenaline rushing in her veins. It landed on his face, taking him back into the tent with it, the burning embers causing the flammable material to set ablaze. The agonizing cries that came from within the burning structure carried. She hurried for another log. Time was surely ticking now. The tents burned one by one as she ran along, and held it out. By the sounds of confusion as they called out, the men were beginning to awaken.

Two men stumbled out of a tent ahead of her. Tala cut them open with a single swing as she ran past. She had dropped the log at that point, seeing no reason to continue, as all the men had left their tents. Some were trying to put out the fires. Others were more focused on the perpetrator. Three more unprotected men brandishing steel charged. She merely watched the bloodbath as javelins intervened to wipe them out mercilessly. An arrow shaved her cheek as she attempted to evade a shooter, heart leaping in her chest. She reached for something to grab, trying to restore her balance, but found only air. She barely managed to roll into the fall. Tala shot forward using the momentum, intending to impale the man that almost got her, but another that had been set on fire ran into him, sending them both into a flaming frenzy.

Tala cut down two more men that had the nerve to step up against her. Some men were still trying to douse the flames, but most had given up by that point. They must have realized that there was no real threat of the fire spreading into the woods, seeing as the night was as calm as the sleep of a soul that was blessed or cursed, as it was in that instance. For something wicked stirred the air that night, as well. Es every single hair on her body began to stand on their end, and she felt sick to her stomach. Even as they continued their assault, there was unnerving laughter coming from the men that were left. The serpentine steel of her father's greatsword vibrated with eager vitality.

"TALA, DOWN!" Allahad's voice snapped her out of it. Heart flying in her chest, she dropped. Just as, eldritch energy crackled where she once stood, where several of his men once stood. They, too, were now on the ground with her. The only difference was that there was still a warm life in her cheeks. Wide blue eyes slowly searched for the one responsible. They landed on a robed figure with his arm stretched out towards her. The men were roaring now, giving up the fight as they cheered on their ally or her newfound foe. In spite of the sinking feeling in her, Tala forced herself back on shaky feet, baring clenched teeth. Her body trembled in fear as well as the desire to destroy the source of her utter discomfort.