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Post by Vhagar on Mar 16, 2014 12:42:14 GMT -5
"Don't know. Could go anywhere," one of the men said. "They go where they like. I don't know if they plan things much. They's ruffians, mostly. Used to be Faith Militant, o'course, but now that's gone they just take what they want from the people."
The woman didn't say a word.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 16, 2014 15:45:27 GMT -5
The woman was young and reasonably attractive until she started to crying. ""Please, m'lady. I went with one of Matrim's men. He gave me some coins. I was hungry. He said he'd come back for me, one day. He said...he said some of them might go to Saltpans to get the rich merchants."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 16, 2014 16:47:20 GMT -5
She scans their faces but the people seem frightened enough that it's highly unlikely any of them are lying to her.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 16, 2014 19:36:29 GMT -5
There were no overt signs of the outlaws, certainly none Vira could see from the sky. But after a while they reached a village. It was small and somewhat dingy-looking, with cowed peasants and not much livestock. But in the distance Vira saw a group of four men who looked to be better dressed than the peasants, and armed as well. They were big, muscular men and had the look of ruffians.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 17, 2014 16:42:28 GMT -5
The ruffians drew their swords. "What's it to you?" One man shouted, bolder than his companions. "We do as we please, wench."
Axell burst out laughing at the foolishness of the man. The four men huddled together, a feeble force against the dragon.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 17, 2014 17:30:35 GMT -5
The man cowered. Tears streamed down his face and he dropped his sword as he fell to his knees. "Please, don't kill me. Matrim is...he's...he helps us live. We are better than peasants grubbing in the dirt nwo." He glanced wildly at the pile of bones taht was all that remained of his companions. "It's not so far from here."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 17, 2014 18:38:23 GMT -5
They headed onwards. Vira realised they were going in the direction of Lord Harroway's town. But after a while, when they were marching through some undergrowth, the prisoner, his mule and the man guarding him were suddenly swallowed up by the earth. Axell just managed to avoid being swept down with them as they fell into a man made pit. The prisoner yelled in pain, his guard falling on top of him. Axell swore very loudly. "Vira, get over here! Bloody bastard's outfoxed us!"
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 17, 2014 20:16:28 GMT -5
A man went to throw a rope down to the trapped man but he was injured and couldn't get out. Axell said to Vira "We could send a man down and then have the dragon pull them both up."
Vira couldn't see any men hidden in the trees but it was likely that this was a way to warn off enemies as they neared the hideout. Perhaps even a way to catch travellers in order to rob them later.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 17, 2014 21:08:58 GMT -5
But the prisoner knelt on the ground, sobbing. All the defiance had gone out of him long since.
"I can't walk. I've broken my ankle. I forgot the pit was here. I came a different route, and I never had men forcing me onwards, nor no dragon bitch neither."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 17, 2014 21:28:53 GMT -5
They flew on a while and then spotted a cave before their landbound companions couldn't see yet. "There," the man said, pointing. "In the cave."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 18, 2014 11:31:21 GMT -5
The man whimpered in her grasp.
"Um...um...A score, I think. But we had a couple of new lads come in. But then you killed a few. We thought of getting more men but Matrim says it's easier if there's not so many. But they all have swords and axes and some have bows. And there's two men on sentry all the time."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 18, 2014 15:24:05 GMT -5
As Aegarys blasts the cave with fire, men begin to flee, a couple screaming in pain, with their clothes, hair and skin alight. Vira counts fourteen men in total. If the man was right about there being roughly a score, this means the others either burned to death, or have escaped her fire.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 18, 2014 16:53:06 GMT -5
"he's not here, he's not here!" The man squealed. "I think the flames got him. Or else he went out the back way."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 18, 2014 19:50:25 GMT -5
"'m not going back in that cave to be burned alive," one man cried.
Axell and his men were busy rounding up the bandits and taking their weapons. Nobody seemed in a hurry to re-enter the cave though.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 7:10:59 GMT -5
A couple of the bandits hurried into the cave. But Axell held the others back with a word to his men.
"My dear, we had best not let all of them run into that cave. If there's truly a back way, they might escape. Perhaps you should go with them, see they do as they're told. Get the dragon watch the entrance while you look around inside."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 10:56:16 GMT -5
"As you wish. bastard won't come out for the asking. He knows he's a dead man, so he has nothing to lose by defying us." He started towards the cave but looked back at her. "Want me to bring him out alive if I can? It's all the same to me."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 14:01:01 GMT -5
"I'll do my best."
Axell drew his sword and entered the cave. Vira could hear the sounds of combat, the clash of blades, yells of pain. It seemed a long time before Axell came out, spattered with blood.
"There's dead men in there, including those two rogues I sent in ahead of me. The fools grabbed swords from the armoury and turned on me. There's a good stash of blades, bows and axes, armour and other things besides. But no sign of Matrim. One of the men swore with his dying breath that Matrim wasn't among the dead. It's as they said, though. There's a back way out, which comes out further upriver. Matrim's fled and abandoned his men to their fate. I couldn't see him, though. He must have fled while I had to deal with those two rogues."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 14:38:12 GMT -5
"Could check the other side of the hill," Axell suggested. "He must have got out while you were watching the entrance. Men like that, well, they have their methods, I expect. There's some woods in this area. He might have headed towards them. That's what I'd do."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 14:56:24 GMT -5
All Vira could see were some peasants going about their business. But, as Axell had promised, the woods were up ahead. Unfortunately for her, she had no idea what Matrim even looking like.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 15:12:32 GMT -5
Vira had to fly low over the woods in order to see between the foliage. At first nothing happened but then she felt rather than saw an arrow whiz through the air and embed itself in the dragon's hide.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 15:24:10 GMT -5
The next time an arrow flew through the air she saw which tree rustled, though the archer seemed to be well hidden, particularly at the height she was at now.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 16:14:03 GMT -5
As expected, the trees were set alight. When Vira pauses in her attack on the trees, she seems a man in green clothing and a heavy leather jerkin running away. He carries a bow and arrow and has a sword at his hip.
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 17:59:39 GMT -5
Matrim made no attempt to surrender. Like all desperate men, he knew there was no real chance of him being allowed to live. He turned and drew his sword.
"So they finally sent a dragon, did they? Too scared to send men alone? Typical Targaryens, nothing without their dragons. Well, I can fight a wench as well as a man. Let's settle this properly, with swords, wench. A dragon is for cowards."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 18:24:44 GMT -5
The man screamed as he burned. He kicked in the shallows, until the flames burned in. "Please...don't burn me."
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Post by Vhagar on Mar 19, 2014 18:58:25 GMT -5
His scream was loud and piercing. The blood loss was considerable as well. Unsurprisingly, Matrim fainted..
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all alone and also really bored 
Hopefully going to kickstart the festival too