Dragonstone

[KitiaraBrightblade]

Elaith had almost laughed at the stupidity of the guards. A sleep spell? Please. A cutthroat always knew a little magic, and had potions to counteract such things. The sleep spell was stronger than Elaith's power to fight with spells, and Elaith realized as much as soon as he felt the effects almost overpowering him immediately.

He would have to act quickly,or be immobilized by the sleep spell. He took a fast sip from the flask at his waist. He knew his target would find a way around the spell, as would the other man in the room that was after Elaith's target.

Yes, he had noticed the man in the red jacket almost immediately, but had brushed him away as a cutthroat for another target. He had almost missed the fact that the man was after the same target as him,something he berrated himself deeply for. But this man in the red jacket wasn't a cutthroat. Elaith couldn't tell what he was exactly.

As he thought about this, Elaith realized that this sleep spell was more powerful than he had ever come across. So the guards were stronger now. Good to know. This would be a problem if he had to fight the guards. He faking unconsciousness, hoping he would not be noticed.

[RaistlinMajere]

[Kit, hope you don't mind that I knock him out anyway. there are mages in the room and I hope to move on with the plot. ]

The knights fanned out among the unconscious, depositing the inert bodies in the waiting caravans outside. They had little trouble with this lot, save for a dark-clad assassin that was really less asleep than he appeared and that troublesome follower of the Dark Order, but the Empire's mages put them in line after a struggle that had steam pouring from the captain's ears.

At last the caravan was moving with minimal attention from ordinary passerbys. It exited the city by the east gate, rolling down a well-traveled road to Len Flarkan - Eastern Fang, the supreme fortress of the Holy Ascendancy.

-------

True to form, Knyn woke from his ill-fated slumber with a monumental headache and a back stiff from lying on a cold stone floor. He caught himself before uttering a groan, instead attuning his senses to his surroundings. Clanging of chains. Steady drip of water. Someone puking out his insides not far away. He surreptitiously eased one eye open and confirmed his suspicions.

His cell was occupied by two - him and another darkly clad figure that had the looks of a seasoned killer. His gaze shifted to the torchlit cell opposite his, alighting upon the Dark Order's necromancer and another dark-skinned young woman he didn't recognize but assumed had been in the tavern.

The cutthroat was still unconscious, so Knyn seized the liberty to drop his hand to a pouch at his belt. The document he'd bargained from Horsh was still present. He pulled at a silver chain around his neck to confirm his second item of value. Third item of value - his enchanted greatsword, Mortality - was nowhere to be found. He quietly cursed.

[Ember]

"Where is he?"

Zhalbenaz asked impatiently with his fingers twirling in excitement as he believed that he could feast once more. Malcar grinned widely and nodded towards the caravans that were just about to leave with the prisoners.

"Our little hunt was spoiled by a group of knights and mages because of some unknown reason, but we can always pick a new pr"

"NO!" Zhalbenaz hissed loudly like a child that had seen a certain toy and wanted it. I want him, one does not abandon his prey for another

Malcar sighed and gazed at the direction of the caravan, but perhaps he could solve two problems at once. He could deliver Zhalbenaz this necromancer and the other prisoners by following the caravans, but also he could get away from the hungry demon. Malcar chuckled quietly, obviously pleased that everything might work out better after all.

"Very well, if it is the necromancer you want then you shall have him and as an extra you can have the rest of the prisoners along with him. I must now depart and follow the caravans as where you can move to the country side where you can terrorize farmers for the time being.

You know the cave where we first met, take refuge there and wait until I send word for you to follow me. I`ll have them trapped and prepare a royal feast for you"

He explained and partially commanded Zhalbenaz before turning around on his heels. The hungry demon seemed satisfied, but also impatiently angered by the fact that he would have to wait for the necromancer. Malcar ran down the alley as the caravans departed and waited for a suitable distance to grow before following the caravan. He couldn`t risk bringing Zhalbenaz with him as he would have been detected easily and besides Malcar wanted to work alone all tough the more powerful demon could have proven helpful. So Malcar disappeared into the night, after the caravans.

[Meldawen]

Jada found herself returning to consciousness by degrees. It was a strange sensation, or mix of them. First she was aware of the fact that her throat and lips were excruciatingly dry - an unfortunate side effect of drinking large amounts of watered-down ale and then being rendered unconscious. Then a cold stone floor seemed to materialize underneath her inert form, and finally Jada blinked blearily and was confronted with the sight of iron bars and an extremely sturdy stone cell.

Bother.

This sentiment was multiplied threefold when Jada clawed herself into a sitting position and experienced a wave of nausea which promptly emptied the contents of her stomach onto the floor. She wiped her mouth weakly with a sleeve. Her cap was gone and dark hair spilled unrestrained over her shoulders, marking her indubitably as the female she'd wished to avoid being identified as. It would have been far simpler to cut it, but tribal magic prohibited this. Jada was firmly convinced that to cut her hair would be to surrender her limited magic, and this she was not prepared to do.

Further examination of her surroundings did not improve her temper in the slightest. Three men, two black-clad and one white. The one over in the cell across the aisle was awake, but frankly Jada didn't care.

[KitiaraBrightblade]

(Yeah, no problem Raist, edited my post to make a little more sense.)

Elaith came to, cursing the guards who had overpowered him. It had been an almost embarassing scene, that. As one of the guards bent to pick him up, Elaith had attacked him and was pretty sure (his memory was a bit fuzzy) the man lost his hand. His target had also fought the guards, but the Empires mages had taken both of them down. What would Thorn say? Elaith felt his ears burning at the thought of Thorn finding out and mocking him.

Elaith realized he was in a cell. Perfect. How could his day get any better than it already was? He grimaced as he sat up slowly, taking notice of the other man that shared his cell. A lean man, almost definitely a swordsman. In the cell across, he saw his target and a girl, a very beautiful one, who was promptly vomiting.

Was this young woman in the tavern? Elaith wondered. He was sure he would have noticed one so beautiful immediately. Elaith shook himself mentally. What was he doing? He should be focusing on taking out his target and getting out of here, not on some girl. Elaith turned his gaze to his cellmate. Elaith would need him to get out of here.

And where was the other man, the one who was also trying to kill his target? Had he managed to evade the guards? If so, he was a more dangerous enemy than he had imagined.

[Ven]

[good one raist, not putting Zealan in the same cell as those who wish to kill him and also putting him with the girl... although she IS vomiting.]

Zealan lingered between awake and asleep. This was uncomfortable. Why was this chair so uncomfortable? He was pretty sure he would have gotten rid of all furniture that is not comfortable by his standards at home.

But it didn't seem like home.
If he wasn't home, then where the hell is he?

Zealan's eyes fluttered open, and he grasped about him for his staff. It wasn't anywhere in sight.

If Zealan had not his dignity to preserve, he would have cursed.

Then it dawned on him that he was in a cell.

His first thought - My Robes!
Second thought- How dare they?
Third thought- pretty girl over there, if not in ideal condition right now.

Zealan looked the girl over, she'll do.

He'd missed his appointment with Elyssa most likely anyway.

She can make up for the occasion. Zealan asked, in a persuasive voice, "What's your name, my lady?"

[Meldawen]

"None of your business," snapped Jada, nailing him with a practically murderous stare. "Go boil your head."

Normally she was not quite so direct, but several factors combined - namely the fact that she was in a cell, her stomach was heaving dangerously, and her disguise was irretrievably shattered into pieces - made her a force to be reckoned with. Jada hauled herself into a position faintly resembling a sitting one in the nearest corner and reflected upon the fact that the entire male gender were idiots.

[KitiaraBrightblade]

Elaith was keeping a close eye on his target when he woke up. His target looked up, and made several funny faces, (which Elaith was greatly amused by). Surely his target was outraged over his precious white robes getting dirty. His target then shifted his eyes to the woman.

Elaith shifted quickly, but did not move otherwise. Elaith vowed that if his target touched the girl, the target would die a slow painful death as opposed to the quick death he had planned for him. The target grinned at the young woman in a cocky smile, and said something to her in what he must have thought to be a pleasant voice.

Elaith smiled slightly as the girl shot him down immediately. Elaith glanced to his cellmate (who was awfully quiet), and adressed his target for the first time.

'Leave her alone. It was bad enough luck she was in the tavern when she was, don't make her realize how bad her luck really is because she was put in a cell with a pompous, self-centered necromancer.' Elaith said with a laugh. 'I really apologize, miss, and I wish your luck be better in the future.'

[Ember]

"You there!" The young, probably new knight roared as he spotted an oddly clothed man walking away from him in the hallway.

"What is it my lord?"

The man asked as he turned to gaze at the knight, his stomach ached and a small grin rose to his face. He drew his hood tighter over his head and stepped slightly back as the knight approached him. The knight stopped before him and eyed the brown robed man from head to toe.

"You were about to enter a prohibited area, no one except the guards and higher ups can enter the cells. What is your business here and why the robes?"

Malcar was kept himself calm and continued the submitting attitude, but still kept his pride not to mention overdoing it would just lead to suspicions.

"I am a... monk or I was until as of late"

"As of late?"

As an answer Malcar pulled his robe sleeve up, his skin was red and brown around his wrist. The knight stepped back in horror and gazed at Malcar in confusion.

"Gods forbid, what is that?!"

"A disease my lord, people usually stay away from me because of this and that was why I was forced to leave the abbey as I was a threat to my fellow monks. Not that I wanted to be, but this must be a punishment for some sin..."

"Why are you here with that?" The knight asked partially shaken by the horror yet there was a certain degree of suspicion in his voice.

"Oh? I was allowed to take refuge here as a servant, taking care of the cells and rarely important prisoners are let close to me..."

The knight calmed down as Malcar let his sleeve drop and young man seemed to turn his attention to another thing to get his thoughts away from the sight.

"Well if you indeed are going to the cells you might as well bring the prisoners some food that I was ordered to deliver them"

The knight said looking around for anyone that could have heard them. Then the knight went to another room nearby and brought some mixed food with him then giving them to Malcar.

"Do not speak of this"

"I have no reason to my lord"

Malcar said with a smirk before starting to descend the stairs to the cells, after he disappeared from the knights view he pulled his sleeve up and gazed at the mark that began to suddenly shrink, then completely disappearing into the skin. Malcar made it to the cell block and slowly walked up to the cells, he gazed inside and smiled as he had found them. The lot of them were gathered and Malcar gazed at a bench behind him, he drew it near the cell bars before sitting on it. He picked up a piece of bread and handed it between the bars.

"I am offering food so I suggest you take it because you will need your strength..."

He said and gazed at them all as he offered the bread between the bars.

[Meldawen]

"Oh, believe me, so do I," Jada returned, expression not changing in the least. But she surveyed Elaith a moment with a detached sort of interest that waxed and waned in the space of approximately three seconds, and then her gaze darted to this new arrival.

The thought of eating, which he seemed to be proposing, made her stomach turn and threaten to spill the rest of its contents. "I'll look out for my own strength," she shot at him, and leaned back against the wall. Again. Males were imbeciles, the lot of them. The courtesy of the one across the hall was a rare exception.

[Ember]

"Hmh too bad"

Malcar pondered out loud and pulled the bread away from their reach not giving it to the rest of them, he took a bite out of it and threw the rest away. The persistent female wouldn`t have to complain too long when he would get them to `safety`, into the belly of the beast yet first he had to get them out of the whole place. Malcar gazed around and leaned closer to the bars.

"If it is not food that the missy wants then the rest won`t get it, but if my first offer does not interest then I perhaps my second proposition will catch your attention. I can help you get out of this place, if you want to..."

He said as he placed his hand around the bar, a flame ignited in his hand and the bar began glowing.

[RaistlinMajere]

During this entire exchange Knyn had been leaning against the bars of his cell, pointedly ignoring the pangs of conscience that nagged him at the most inconvenient times. He'd gotten the lot of them into this, and if what he knew of the Empire's brutality proved veritable, none of them would exit here alive. He recalled his own quest and how he only understood the sliver necessary to keep him alive. The silver chain around his neck was of tantamount importance, he knew.

Thus his eyes flickered at the robed man's proposal. The man was the magic-user from the tavern. How had he come to be here? And more importantly, why did he even care? Knyn shot glances at his impromptu cellmates, searching for any signs of recognition. He saw none. Ulterior motive it was, then.

"Forgive me if trust is not my forte," he pointed out dryly, shifting his gaze from the glowing bar to the magic-user himself.

[Ember]

"I am not seeking to gain your trust at the moment or to persuade you in anyway, I am only offering a helping hand. You can either take it..."

He said and pressed his fingers against the hot bar to no effect, but released it after smoke began to rise yet his face didn`t scream of pain at any point. He blew air against his hand and smirked.

"Or leave it and so I will leave you to the mercy of the empire, a simple choice that has nothing to do with anyone`s current allegiance or trust."

[RaistlinMajere]

Knyn shot a glance at his cellmate, then at the priest and young woman in the cell across from his. Ugh, why not? It wasn't as though he had anything to lose. Any escape was better than the imminent death that awaited him here. At length he nodded and gestured for the man to go ahead with whatever magic-users did. He desperately hoped the magic-user had something resembling a plan, for the prisoners' fates would be all the worse if caught.

[Ember]

Malcar chuckled as Knyn nodded agreeably to the proposition that at the moment seem the small ray of light they needed to escape this hell hole. Malcar stood up and placed his hand against the lock, he quietly inspected it and then concentrated. The fire light again and the lock began heating up until it glowed burning red, then Malcar reached into the depths of his robes. A powerful mace strike smashed the lock and the cell bar door swung open, Malcar nodded towards the stairway he came from as an order for them to follow. He took few steps forward, but stopped and turned to look at them.

"I will go first, there is a knight guarding the hallway and I can spring on him with ease. After I have disabled him you can come up and from there on we move as a group yet if they have any of your equipment then get it."

He said before going to the stairway and starting to make his way up, the knight gazed at him as he entered, but turned to look at him with his eye brown raised as Malcar approached. The only answer that Malcar offered was a big smirk and then the mace strike to the knights stomach that emptied his lungs out of breath. Then the bloodied mace rose once more and finished the job by falling down on the knights neck. Malcar gazed towards the stairway waiting for the others to follow.