{"id":2231,"date":"2015-06-21T14:09:56","date_gmt":"2015-06-21T04:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/?p=2231"},"modified":"2015-06-21T18:41:25","modified_gmt":"2015-06-21T08:41:25","slug":"banestorm-journeys-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/?p=2231","title":{"rendered":"Banestorm: Journey’s End"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"bs-tredroy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

THE inn was crowded.<\/p>\n

Gabriel stepped through the entranceway, his entire body tense and his eyes alert. He felt naked without his armor, but it would have drawn far too many eyes; the rapier at his side was bad enough, even though more than a handful of those in the vicinity were also armed. There were too many potential threats here – by his count, there were no less than fifteen men present who knew their way around a battlefield, three of whom were at least as good as Radskyrta had been before his untimely demise – and he wanted to avoid a fight, at least for the moment. That had been, after all, one of the reasons this place had been chosen.<\/p>\n

The innkeeper\u2019s eyes widened with panicked recognition as Gabriel strode slowly across the common room, though that was understandable. Not long ago, after all, the man had witnessed that near disaster with the fool in the street. Gabriel idly wondered what had come of the man, then decided he did not care. If he was wise, the man was still running.<\/p>\n

He found Auqui exactly where he expected him to be. The boy – no. That wasn\u2019t right. He was a man now and Gabriel needed to keep that in mind. Auqui was seated in one of the corner tables, his back to the wall. Such a location provided an excellent view of the door though drawing a sword from that position would be difficult. Not impossible, but certainly difficult. He too was armed, though like Gabriel, he wore no armor. There were no indications of his new allegiances, but then, he would not wish to advertise it here, would he?.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am surprised you came alone,\u201d Auqui said by way of greeting. He had resorted to his native language, but that was no surprise either given the nature of their conversation. His eyes flickered across the crowds, then settled back on Gabriel. \u201cThe sai you bore is new.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs is your beard,\u201d Gabriel replied flatly. \u201cI did not come here to reminisce. Speak your piece.\u201d He did not bother addressing Auqui\u2019s presumption that he was alone and recognized the instant his former apprentice recognized this fact. Auqui\u2019s eyes narrowed very slightly and darted once more.<\/p>\n

He listened silently as his former apprentice told his story and how he grew to learn about Zabka\u2019s deceit. The tale about the goblin child being Christ reborn made Gabriel frown, but he said nothing. Finally, the boy fell silent and they sat quietly for a long moment. Gabriel considered – nothing his former student had told him excused some of what had happened. Kira was still dead, after all, and he knew that he would never be able to forgive him for that.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d Auqui said softly. \u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI walk away,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cYou do the same. Neither of us seeks the other out.\u201d He offered a cold smile that did not touch his eyes. \u201cShould our paths cross again,\u201d he said simply, \u201cit will end in bloodshed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn adequate arrangement,\u201d Auqui replied. \u201cI cannot speak for the other Templars – some of them will always see you as an enemy. And, of course, the Order of Talos will come for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they find me, I will greet them will steel.\u201d He rose – Auqui did the same, his eyes as wary as Gabriel felt – and two men seated at the far end of the common room tensed. Gabriel would have smiled again, but instead, he tipped his head very slightly to his former student and turned away.<\/p>\n

He was two streets away before he began to relax even a tiny bit. Retrieving Cometes from the inn where he\u2019d secured him took no time at all – the stableboy looked dumbfounded at his reappearance, even though he\u2019d told the lad that it was only for an hour or so – and he reconfirmed that everything was in place by touch. That was necessary thanks to the illusion wrought over the horse\u2019s back that concealed the saddle and bags from sight; thankfully, Gestlin had not asked why <\/i>it was needed, but then, the wizard had been too eager to rejoin the others in their celebration of Wallace\u2019s rescue to really question much.<\/p>\n

Before he had taken more than three steps from the stable, Merasi\u00ebl fell into step alongside him. Like him, she wore a hood that mostly concealed her features – something of a necessity in this city it seemed – but the soft rain that fell from the sky was an exceptional excuse. Also like him, she appeared dressed for travel, but then, he could not think of a time when she was not. More than even him, the elven woman always seemed ready to drop everything and vanish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were four outside the meeting place,\u201d she said softly in her native tongue. \u201cNone followed.\u201d Gabriel started to frown at that, then gave her a questioning look. \u201cI did not harm any of them,\u201d Merasi\u00ebl stated, her tone bordering on defensive. \u201cThey watched you leave and then rejoined the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Gabriel mused under his breath. \u201cI suppose that is something.\u201d His eyes flicked to her again. \u201cThank you for your assistance,\u201d he said. She shrugged indifferently.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have the look of someone setting out on a trip,\u201d she commented instead. \u201cDo you not intend to accompany the others to Caithness?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf ever I set foot in that country again,\u201d Gabriel replied flatly, \u201cit will be too soon.\u201d His tone drew her eyes and he shrugged almost exactly like she had moments earlier. \u201cThere is nothing for me there but bitter memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe others?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou heard them today,\u201d he said. \u201cRainald cannot wait to get back to his wife and children. Mendel misses his monastery. Magnifico \u2026 truly, I do not know what he thinks. And Dane \u2026 Dane will do whatever Wallace tells him to.\u201d In truth, Gabriel had already said his goodbyes to them, though most would not realize it until long after he left.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere will you go?\u201d My, she was full of questions today. It was a pleasant change – usually, he was the one pestering her.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouth, I think.\u201d Gabriel smirked. \u201cSomeplace free of Templars and missing lords and demons pretending to be archangels. Somewhere \u2026 peaceful, I think.\u201d To his surprise and utter delight, Merasi\u00ebl gave him one of her very rare smiles. Admittedly brief, but present nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut not too <\/i>peaceful,\u201d she said. Gabriel laughed out loud.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know me too well,\u201d he remarked. They walked in silence for another moment. \u201cThere is a place for you, if you wish it,\u201d Gabriel said abruptly. That drew her eyes. \u201cCaithness does not interest you either, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does not,\u201d Merasi\u00ebl replied after a moment of consideration. \u201cSouth, you say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the coast of Cardiel, at least.\u201d Gabriel smirked again. \u201cThen \u2026 who knows? Araterre perhaps? Or some far distant land that no one has seen in a thousand years. Perhaps the very edge of the world.\u201d He shrugged. \u201cA place that has never heard of a Templar would be ideal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will need a fast horse of my own,\u201d Merasi\u00ebl pointed out. A flicker of something that looked suspiciously like mischief appeared in her eyes. \u201cSurely in a city filled with knights and Templars, we can find something appropriate, yes?\u201d Her expression hardened slightly. \u201cOr slavers.\u201d Gabriel could hear the unstated hatred and wondered at it for a moment. He pushed his curiosity aside – there would be time later to make inquiries – and instead nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cRuining a slaver by stealing his prize stallion bothers me not in the least,\u201d he remarked wryly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a \u2026 Lord Drogan in this city,\u201d Merasi\u00ebl said abruptly. \u201cOr so I have heard.\u201d She was a better than expected liar, but Gabriel could see her eagerness to pay this lord a visit. By the sharpness of her expression, he doubted the man would survive should their paths cross.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then,\u201d Gabriel said with another smile. \u201cLet\u2019s go pay him a visit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three hours later, they departed Cardiel on horseback, leaving behind eleven dead men, including one lordling, thirty-six freed slaves, and a single burning house.<\/p>\n

It was a good start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE inn was crowded. Gabriel stepped through the entranceway, his entire body tense and his eyes alert. He felt naked without his armor, but it would have drawn far too many eyes; the rapier at his side was bad enough, even though more than a handful of those in the vicinity were also armed. There […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,20],"tags":[29],"class_list":["post-2231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-banestorm","category-bs_pcs","tag-gabery"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2231"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2239,"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231\/revisions\/2239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.olympusrpg.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}