As it became clear the situation in the farmhouse, with the mob reforming out front and Nethrida’s sister Annedyl, not clearly under the control of Mans, calling the shots, the company beat a hasty retreat through the kitchen door.
Eduwiges rolled her eyes and pointed at Ryn, “Help Neth, and get out this fecking door! You too Addie, they are beginning to close in again, Lif, cmon!'
Finally, Lif pulled Edu after them, and the entire group sprinted up over the Post road and into the sparse inland forest to take cover....while from somewhere in the distance, Nik’s voice could be heard taunting the mob pursuing him. “FASTER YOU SLUG MUNCHERS..MY GRAND-MAMA RUN FASTER THAN YOU FORE I ATE HER!!!! RUN FASTER OR I PASS WIND AT YA AGAIN!”
---
The night passed in flight, as just with dawn breaking the group reached the ruins of an ancient watchtower, roofless and shattered but still somewhat serviceable as a hideaway. It’s best features were that it gave reasonable cover and a commanding view of all approaches to it. From the state of the interior, local travelers and hunters had been making use of it for generations.
Settling with his back to one rough stone wall, Septimal Caine leaned out and looked down in the direction of the village and nodded to himself..."If they are following, they are nowhere close...odds are they are still debating if they want to rush the front door, even though the back is wide open and we've been gone a couple hours now.”
Finchley ran a hand through her hair and glanced over to Caine. "... I'm sorry I whacked into you back there, sir…but Lif threw me." She glanced down towards Linhir herself and bit her bottom lip. "Where's Nik?"
Caine raised an eyebrow. “Nik?”
Finch nodded. “A…well…a friend. I guess. He travels with Xandilif, sort of. He was the one shouting and waggling his...well....providing that distraction that left the back way out open.”
As Caine and Finchley spoke, Addiela helped Lif to gently guide the unconcious Ynna down to a comfortable resting position and once that was done, she fell back against the wall. As she worked to calm herself, her eyes stayed fixed down upon the older woman, a look of concern still in her expression as she internally hoped they hadn’t brought a pathway for Mans with them. After all, she would like to assume Nethrida’s mother wouldn't have tried to stab her without that monster in control. Plus, there were the vile words she muttered to her… "Your father....is spending eternity in torment thanks to your meddling." she said. That could only have been Mans, and he knew the nerves to hit…too well for Addie’s comfort.
The Banshee watched Addie, her eyes almost sympathetic. Then she set to work, opening a pouch and taking a coil of thin cord out, rapidly tying Ynna at the knees and wrists. Then she reached out and pulled Addie's new cloak off her back and tossed it unceremoniously over the old woman’s head, just in case.
Rising from her work, Lif glanced at Finchley and Caine. "King Nik? Odds are he has that bunch still chasing their own tails while he sits in a tree and watches em, shouting nasty things about their mothers. He survived years in Seregost right under Sweet Lara’s nose, a bunch of liquored up hoopleheads with pitchforks ain’t gonna give him much trouble.”
Finchley nodded, somewhat relieved, then looked back out at the sunrise sadly, wishing she had thought to bring food as they ran through the kitchen. Noting the remains of the window she was looking through, now just the stone frame, she recalled nearly the first thing Xandilif had said to her. “But your world is about ta get messed with. You know that right? This ain't gonna be like opening no window to the wide world. The wide world is kickin' in your fecking window and dragging ya out by the ears” the elf had said, and Finchley had never felt that as acutely as she did now, when everything seemed wrong and every choice seemed bad.
Finchley looked towards Lif, though it didn’t seem like she was looking directly at her face. More towards the almost comically massive sword on her back. She remained silent for the time being but it was clear that she was thinking intensely about something.
Nethrida looked around as well, or seemed like it. With the adrenaline running out her illness and fatigue were quickly catching up to her and she began to slouch over, breathing heavily. Ryn dropped her sword and sat next to her, helping to support her.
Eduwiges had her bow out with three arrows in her right hand and scanned the trail they had come up but also saw no one following, at least not yet. She looked at Neth worriedly. 'I do not want to kill any of your townfolk, but neither will I allow any of us to be harmed by their foolishness.' She removed her cloak and covered both Nethrida and Ryn, then pulled out her flask of miruvor and took a sip.
Xandilif looked at Addie and Edu and kicked the remains of an old, often used firepit, automatically falling into a commanding voice. “Get a fire started, I need to talk to the Monk…”
Eduwiges gave Neth a sip of the healing elvish liquor then wordlessly gathered wood, placing it together as ordered for a fire. She then looked at Addie expectantly.
Nethrida took a sip of the Miruvor when offered "Thanks..." She murmured with a rather empty tone before simply slumping down on the ground, laying flat on her back and staring up into the sky, shivering a little bit. The fever that had set into her after swimming to rescue Ane had not left, and she coughed softly.
Addiela did not like being ordered around, least of all by Xandilif the Banshee and under normal circumstances she would have protested to a fire giving away their location; however, she knew that Mans likely was well aware of exactly where they were and was just biding his time. Still, her eyes narrowed at Lif for a moment but she managed to push herself up, using a bit of flint to start a small fire in the kindling that Eduwiges had gathered.
Caine still leaned back against one of the walls, keeping an eye on the approach. "Well, not that I mind hiding away in a romantically crumbling tower with five beautiful women and an insane elf...but what in the name of Numenor's Fall was THAT?'
When the company remained sullenly silent at the question, the knight of the Vanguard shrugged and glanced around the tower, noting Nethrida’s condition. "Alright, the local girl and her sidekick seem to be down for the count....we aren’t going to be getting much further then this thanks to the daylight and our overall condition, so we either need to fortify this place or hope that we don’t get spotted anytime soon....and I still have no idea who we are even facing.”
Finchley took her gaze away from Lif and nodded to Caine. "I don't think anything will stop 'em but it can't hurt to try. I know nothin' bout any fortifyin'. But tell me what to do and I'll do it."
Nethrida's breathing slowly but surely calmed down somewhat but she continued to shiver. Managing little glances at Ryn, her head resting in her lap, she muttered something about being vaguely alright, simply cold. Ryn looked down at Neth worriedly "Don't speak... Just rest... I've got you.".
Addiela tended the fire, which under her gaze seemed to glow a darker and darker crimson. Her eyes widened at this, hoping that the others didn’t notice. She sighed and finished the task before looking to Caine. "As for what you face…we are facing a fell spirit, one that has been plaguing the ones you call Bark and Bite for a long time now."
Xandilif nodded softly. "Yeah....well...this fell spirit is a servant of the enemy that has been alive for a stupid amount of time, in different hosts, doing different things, has one of the old dwarven rings. Sindya, Ring of Artiface. We know him as Mans. Now he seems to be living inside Nethrida's sister and making her kill people. Also now there seems to be a new wrinkle. Never seen the bastard jump hosts and then go back like he did with the old woman....not sure where that came from. Maybe he just took her over, but who knows. As for our short term options, Mans is trying like hell to get us to kill somebody so we turn the whole town against us. So we can hightail it out of here, and leave Nethrida's sister to burn or risk doing something stupid to try to force him out...but I ain’t never seen him leave a host alive before.'
Caine nodded gravely. “Knowing you, Warchild, none of this seems surprising. So I am hoping that your sister is off working on another part of all this and is going to come in like salvation with a squad of fully armed knights at her back....'
Xandilif shook her head. "No, she is off at home taking baths with Calidis the Blackbird and pining after the hamster...probably sighing a lot and refusing to wear clothing...”
Caine sighed..."I was afraid you'd say something like that'
Finchley bit her lip and sat down by the fire for a moment, holding her head in her hands as she looked into the flames. "... CAN we force him out? First time I ever saw Mans was in the Thirsty Seer. I only know what I've heard from you all and what I saw. Is there actually a way to force him out and bring Ane back?"
Nethrida took a deep breath. "There... Has to be..." she muttered and shifted her position a little. "In... The Seer... His spirit did not... Possess Addie.... When Finch and Hawke were... Protecting her... Even though it could've... Easily gone past the two..."
Addiela stood, the morning light growing stronger. "It is indeed concerning. Before he had to take a life to inhabit a host, but that is no longer the case it seems; it's good news for Ynna and Ane, but bad news for all of us. We were all prey before, but... we're even more vulnerable now and I'm afraid... we could be used against each other. There must be something he did to them.." Her eyes turn to look Ynna over again.
Neth tried to rise then gave up. “We…we have to save them…somehow.
Carneryn stroked Neth’s hair for a long moment. "Shh you adorable idiot..." she turned to look at the others "What even /is/ Mans? Certainly not an average spirit."
Xandilif glanced into the fire, staring for a moment....still watching the fire as she talked. "Yeah, he is learning new tricks...first time I ran into the little shitball was about 150 years back. When we kicked the crap out of his Dourhand host, well, we didn’t know it was a host. We assumed then he was dead....but from what Rian says she thinks he has had many forms over the years. I had always assumed he was just my personal pain in the ass...now it looks like he has gotten around more, and has it in for all of you as well....I....well....I'm sorry about that.'
Eduwiges walked over to the window, watching the horizon. She had her bow back in hand, the conversation making her nervous. “Like I said before, I do not wish to kill anyone but I will take Ane out to get to Mans if it means protecting any of you from harm. Let's hope you can think of something Addie.'
“After Kheledul, I thought he was dead and gone...otherwise I would never have...well...I’d have done things different.” Xandilif pulled a bottle of grog from her gear and took a long sip.
Eduwiges stared, 'What Lif? What could you have done?'
Xandilif just shrugged at Edu's question...whispering as she looked at the fire.
Caine nodded slowly, taking it all in...finally looking back at Addie. "They say he tried to possess you in the White City but failed...now you should have been dead when that old woman nearly ripped your gut open....why you, and why does he keep failing?'
Finchley looked to Caine and furrowed her brows. "That is a good point. I still don't understand why he stopped back at the Seer. If what Neth says is true anyway. Maybe he was scared of Hawk?"
Nethrida closed her eyes and frowned. She remained quiet for a moment, before pursing her lips. "It might've been Hawke, doesn’t he have a history... with Mans...? More so than most of us anyway, excluding Lif and Xan...?"
Carneryn just looked confused and annoyed looking at Lif. "Are you telling us that you /could/ have ended this thing? Why wouldn't you?" she asked harshly.
Addiela was still looking at Caine after his question, She had known she would most likely have to face Caine with this matter sooner or later, in fact she was surprised at how well it had been covered up in that he hadn’t already known of her and the incident. She sighed and looked down to Ynna, letting the conversation stay in the direction Finch had taken it; however, her countenance wore her mask of shame once more. That is until Ryn turned the blame to Lif. Addie's eyes snapped over to the red-headed woman. "He was gone, Ryn.. banished and in a prison of sorts within a morgul blade until... until I set him free." She looked to Caine. "With a ritual at the Thirsty Seer."
Xandilif looked at Addie."He'd a been out one way or another, you were just the lucky winner....and I imagine he did much the same to you that he did to old Ynna over there. Before she actually tried to stab you, she was fixing to turn Neth over to the mob, right then and there.” She glanced at Ryn dismissively. "As for what I could have done, or didn’t do, that is none of your fecking business Scarface.”
Caine nodded softly...still focused on Addie. "But what about now...that knife looked like it was going to be your end, until that pouch blocked it. What did you have in there, Mithril?'
Addie reached into her torn satchel and pulled out intertwined heart carving that stopped the blow. "Xanderian must have slipped it in there before we all departed from Rivendell....I wonder why...."
Xandilif tilted her head. "That's harpwood....it ain’t like she was using more than a kitchen knife but it should have gone through that....
Finchley looked around. "Somethin' made him give up back at the Thirsty Seer. If we could just get him to give up again."
Nethrida groaned a bit, keeping her eyes shut to rest, and to recall the events better. "Well... Lif did something with SilverWand... And we obviously wouldn’t let him just take Addie... Teamwork? Friendship...? Something he understands not...?"
Caine glanced down towards the road, drawing one long knife. “We have company…”
Eduwiges moved to where she was partially covered by the window frame and took aim with her bow at the older man slowly ascending the hill, clearly searching. “That…isn’t that the funny little mayor? Morden or….”
Nethrida cut her off. “Ordan, Mayor Ordan. As long as he is alone, lets see what he has to say.”
Reluctantly Eduwiges lowered her bow just as Xandilif rose to stand in front of Finchley. “If he is all by his lonesome..” said the elf, “…then something has changed, and likely not for the good.“
---
On the Island of Tol Lochul, Xanderian the Monk of Osgilliath looked away from the flaming brazier beside the map table and returned her gaze to Calidis as she lounged in the Chamber of Stars. “Things have gone badly in Linhir, we must fly to the others….Xandilif asks for your aid. Mans has returned. We must leave at once even without word from Gwaelion.” With that the huntress moved to the armoire to dress hurriedly.
Cal rose unquestioningly from her studies, her face even paler than normal at the thought of facing the ring Sindya, and nodding she moved to gather her own equipment.
