Ready, Steady, Lock and Load

[Padraig]

17th of Zi'da, 716

"If we're going to use this thing to fire off any poison bolts, or any bolts at all," Padraig said to Faith, while holding the crossbow he'd brought with them on the campaign. "then we're going to need to learn to use it better than either of us can at present." Her, better than him he suspected, since she'd told him she'd handled a bow once before. But him? Not at all.

He'd purchased the thing following a previous campaign, one arranged by the Immortals themselves. But his experience with it was limited to handling the bolts themselves. And altering some of them. While they walked, trying to find a place away from the camp, away from innocent bystanders, he added, "I've brought along a few of the bolts I refashioned. But instead of poison, the hollow points are filled with plain oil so that we can test how aerodynamic they are, compared to ordinary ones."

He'd done the math. He'd compared the weight and the balance. There seemed to be no difference at all. And the beauty of the things, was that once they were seated in a target, they'd release the fast acting poison through their tip, straight into the bloodstream, rushing off towards the vital organs.

Still, it would do no good if neither of them could hit the side of a barn with a bow, no matter how steady their hand. Less good, were they to inadvertently strike one of their own allies in the process. "See a likely location where we can try it out?" he wondered. And chances were, no matter if they worked the thing out or not, it would be useful, were they to meet anyone with more skill and experience with a bow than themselves. In order to work, the bolt needed to find it's mark. Gone astray, it was wasted effort, and a wasted dose of poison.

[Kylar]

Kylar patrolled the camp, having been given leave from Malcolm's side and letting Crimson rest in the tent. This whole endeavour would be a lot for her, and he made it his primary job to make sure she stayed safe and happy. He wasn't about to let her get hurt. For now, though, he would work on his training. Crossbow practice, for now, would be best. After all, he could do with the practice, and his aim might be the one thing that guaranteed him and Crimson a safe trip home during this whole adventure.

After some time, he saw Faith again - perhaps by some miracle it would seem. He was wanting to train, and who better to train with than the girl that had helped him do so before? But with that idea came a problem - a human man. He seemed friendly with Faith, that wasn't the issue whatsoever. The issue was that Kylar had not a single clue as to who he was. He looked friendly enough, and Faith didn't seem to be uncomfortable with him. In fact, everything about him seemed welcoming in the situation. But something about Kylar felt alien to this situation. He barely knew Faith, and maybe he didn't like the idea of being the outsider?
To Kylar, the two seemed close, and he didn't want to interrupt that. But then again, him and Faith had got along well, and he did want to talk again and catch up - tell her that he'd been practicing his fist fighting. Maybe they wouldn't mind. Surely he wasn't interrupting too much? As a matter of fact, the man was holding a crossbow in his hand. Perhaps Kylar was about to be taught a thing or two, should he approach the two. The question now was if he did.

After he realized he had been staring, he decided he now had to approach. He walked towards the two, fully equipped with his armor and weapons. A dagger up his sleeve, concealed, and a stiletto by his side. That and the crossbow on his back and he was set.
"Sorry, I hope I'm not being a bother" he said when there was an opening. He then smiled politely at the two, turning his attention to Faith. "I saw you and thought I would come over, it's good to see you again. How goes the crossbow training?"

Kylar then looked to Padraig and gave a sincere, if not small, smile. He nodded his head respectfully, but offered no more than that. This was a military camp, and he had no idea of who this man was, the most he should do was bow his head gently - in case he was with a superior. Kylar stood about 6'5 feet, lumbering over the two. In the human man's defense, he was nowhere near as towered over as Faith was.
"The name is Kylar, Kylar Fulthar. I'm a Skyrider working under Ser Malcolm and Lady Elyna. Pleasure to meet you."

[Faith Augustin]

"And tell me, if you would", she asked, a quirk of mischief on her face "Is that oil from our spelunking kit? The one you tried not to smirk over me buying? Just because no one has fallen down a well yet, you know. It doesn't mean they won't." She glanced up at him and smiled, her eyes watching him with care and amusement in about equal proportion "Oil is sensible but something which weighed the same and didn't explode into a splatty mess on impact might have been better, you know. That way, we would have a chance of the bolts we use being reused." There was a logic there which was born of one simple thing "You just have to think of it from the point of view of the person doing the cleaning, and that is the first thought."

She was quite unaware of the Lotharro staring at them, though, but she turned as she heard someone approaching. When she recognised him, her expression was immediately a welcoming smile and, without really thinking about it, she dropped a curtsy. "Kylar. It is a pleasure to see you again", she had mentioned the intense (and tall) Lotharro chap she had met previously and here he was. "Crossbow training goes slowly. This is Padraig. Padraig, this is Kylar, I told you about him? He taught me crossbow previously."

She raised her gaze to Kylar, which was what she always had to do anyhow and she explained "We were just about to try and get some practice ourselves. It would be great to try and work together. We have some unusual bolts that... well, Padraig?" She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He was going to be much better at explaining this than her.

[Padraig]

"It might be." Oil from her spelunking kit, that he'd poured into the hollow points, he meant, and he said it dryly, but with the slightest of grins. Padraig still maintained that it wasn't foresight that had caused her to buy the spelunking kit, but a whim born upon the fact that she suddenly had money of her own to spend. He'd never said it though. The purchase gave her pleasure, after all.

"Water was the only available alternative, and while might have accounted for weight and balance, it wouldn't have worked. Consistency," he explained. Oil was the closest approximation to the consistency of the poison he'd devised before they'd left home.

It was impossible to miss the towering man who was watching them. Though focused on Faith as he'd been, he hadn't noticed as quickly as he might have otherwise. Probably not a good habit to develop out here, distraction. Observation would be a better one, considering the dangerous trials ahead. But when the man came over and introduced himself, Padraig concluded that this must be the man she'd told him about before. He smiled and extended his hand. Actually it was nice to meet a friend of Faith's, a male friend, that didn't hate him on sight. Strangely, or not so, he was starting to develop a complex.

"Good to meet you Kylar. Faith's told me a little about you. She's right. I purchased this crossbow sometime back, but haven't learned to use it. However," he added, referring to Faith's prompting. "I've altered a few of the bolts, equipped them with hollow tips that can contain and deliver a lethal dose of poison to an opponent, upon seating itself in the target. For all the good it would do me, since I haven't fired it a single time since I got it," he admitted easily.

Why imply otherwise, after all? Either he'd fire the bolts if they became necessary, with no experience at all, and be lucky to come anywhere near his target. He and Faith would learn. Or they'd rely on someone much more skilled than themselves to do it.

[Kylar]

Kylar smiled to Padraig as Faith introduced them. He had no idea who this man was, or what he meant to Faith, nor was it his business for that fact. Nevertheless, the fact he was mentioned was a good thing - or so he hoped. It could be their code word for 'He's the man that tried to punch a crossbow target'. His mood had lightened though, since seeing so many people he knew and finding out that Crimson was there with him. As the man put out his hand, Kylar hesitated for a split trill. Then, he smiled and shook the man's hand politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Padraig. So...interesting bolts?" he asked curiously. As the man described the bolts he was using, Kylar's interest heightened greatly. He knew so little of poison, but the idea would work well - he hoped. He pondered the kind of enemies he could use it against. Once Padraig had finished speaking, he shared his ideas.
"Well, as interesting as I find the idea, I have a few queries" he shared. "A crossbow bolt, when used right, should deal the killing blow anyway. They have enough power to shatter bones, rupture organs and other things. Against a person, it won't be anything near as effective as you might hope - in my opinion" he frowned. But he shook his head.
"But...say a bigger, stronger prey? I'm thinking something...big. Very big. That's when this would shine, in my opinion. I might be wrong, and there's no doubt it would guarantee the kill on people. But why waste it on something you can kill with ease anyway?" he said. When he spoke of something bigger, he had the beast in mind. He didn't know what it was, but if this was his chance to kill it then he'd take it. After all, he saw what it could do, he'd want to put that thing down quickly - no matter the cost.

The way he spoke of killing disturbed most people, and he sincerely hoped it wasn't the same with these two. He wasn't doing it to sound like he enjoyed it, as a matter of fact he didn't. But the truth of it was, they needed facts. After some thinking, he shrugged.
"I can teach you and train with you, if you'd like. I can also test the bolts out for you if that's what you're in need of. Give me the word and I'll make it happen" he said, drawing his crossbow and smiling from the corner of his mouth.

[Faith Augustin]

Kylar and Padraig shook hands and Faith looked between the two of them and she sighed, in an obviously over exaggerated manner "I'm going to get a crick in my neck talking to you two. I might need to invest in some high heel shoes. Or stilts" She frowned though, when Kylar spoke of the use of the bolts and what they might be used for, and what they shouldn't be needed for.

"We weren't thinking of people, we were looking at fighting the beast which attacked Rynmere last season. I was there." She glanced at Kylar and smiled, but it was a slight movement with lips which were pressed together. "I was involved in the earlier part of this." Padraig knew just how personal this was to her; the mistreatment that she had both experienced (which didn't bother her) and seen (which very much did) gave this significance. However, she looked at Kylar, because she was explaining to him, as he didn't know. "I was there when the Qe'dreki force were at their strongest, and now, we have to finish it lest it happens again. I understand that. I am no soldier, but I will give you food that fills you so that you can fight the Qe'dreki. But these are about the beast. I know someone who fought it, we both know him, and his description is of something that needs more than the mundane to kill it" She shrugged slightly and looked at Padraig as to whether he wanted to let Kylar test the bolts or not. At best, she'd helped in mundane parts, they were very much his invention and it was up to him.

And once that was decided, they could get on with some practice. "When we trained before, Kylar and I, he showed me how to load it, and aim. It has a kick to it and I landed on the floor", she explained to Padraig with a smile. "While you two sort out the unusual bolts, I'll get the targets set up" So that, once they were ready to go, they were ready to go.

[Padraig]

"There's no question you're right," Padraig admitted when Kylar voiced his concerns regarding the poisoned bolts. "They'd be wasted on an ordinary opponent, and would make no real difference, so far as piercing the strongest armor. But as Faith says," he added, referring to her explanation. "It's a different sort of target we had in mind."

"From what she's told me, when wounded, the beast is able to recover quite quickly because it's blood clots at an unnatural rate. Coagulation. There's a counter to that, in a substance known as garrotte vine sap. It has its medicinal properties, but in this case I've combined it with a poison, a toxin really. Ghost mushroom. Combined, with an inert oil to stabilize them, the hope is that the anti-coagulant properties of the vine sap will prevent the blood from clotting, and in fact rush the poison through the blood stream, and shut down the respiratory system. Not something I'd want to run afoul of myself, so the bolts would need to be fired by a better marksman than me."

It was an understatement and more. He'd handled the bolts plenty in order to get the balance, weight, aerodynamics and trajectory just right. He'd tested and retested the poisons on rats, in appropriately small doses, to insure the stuff was truly lethal. But the bow? Hardly at all.

"Then you're ahead of me already," he added, looking to Faith with a grin when she told him about her previous experience with a bow. Then back to Kylar. "I've got three doses of the stuff and wouldn't like to waste it. But I've used oil for now instead, making sure the consistency and weight is the same. The points are hollow, crafted from thin metal, the seams are flush, and the oil shouldn't seep out before impact, when the force of the impact should release it."

So to train or to test the bolts? He wouldn't mind a bit of both. "I could certainly use a lesson if you don't mind?" he asked, while Faith set up the targets. "I've brought ordinary bolts as well. And though I've tested the poison itself, the bolts could use some testing of their own." He'd be more than happy for the other man to fire the things off, and Padraig handed him one of them to look at and handle. Accuracy would be all important after all.

[Kylar]

Kylar's eyes shone with discomfort when the beast was mentioned. "Just the prey I had in mind. I didn't see it first hand, but I went away recently with Ser Malcolm. I can't say I've been the same since" he said, voice fading as he spoke. His hand went to his chest where he had a now-faint scar.
"If you believe these bolts can do it, I want in. I'll get whatever resource you need. Hell, I'll devote every nel I have to it. If it means me, my wife and every citizen of Rynmere can sleep knowing they're safe from that...thing."

Kylar realized how heated it was making him and paused, stopping himself. He took a breath. The creature had never killed the people he loved, but that didn't matter. He devoted his life, risked it everyday to saving the people of Rynmere - and yet they were all still in danger because of the beast. It sent a shiver down his spine.
"I can understand, not wanting to waste it. Using fakes is worth it, save the materials. Either way, I'll teach you. I ask no payment, either. It's clear we're in this for the same reason - the right one at that. All I ask in return for this training is partnership and devotion. If we plan on ever using these on the beast, I want you two at my side when we do. I don't want to work for nothing. I have no doubt of your answer, but I want your oath" he said, outstretching his hand to Padraig.

When Faith came back, Kylar would offer her the same. "The two of you want to slay the beast, and I want to as well. All I ask is your alliance. I know we barely know one another, and should you decline my offer I will in no way take that as you backing down - and of course I'll still teach you both. I would just rather fight the beast with allies, especially two who seem to know what they're doing whereas I have no idea."

[Faith Augustin]

She put the targets up, making sure that they were correctly placed and so on. She made sure that they were far enough apart, also, to ensure that accidents were minimised. It wasn't through any tactical reason, per se, just that Faith was used to thinking about how to make things effective and useful, usually for the people who would be using them, but now for all of them. So, when she was content that she had done that job and done it appropriately, she made her way back. There seemed to be some sort of exchange of importance going on between the two of them and so Faith stayed back until that was done.

When they had spoken, and the results of Kylar's extended hand to Padraig was evident, she stepped back towards them and smiled, looking between the two of them but not asking. Kylar spoke to her, then and he was most intense in what he said. She looked at him and her silver eyes watched him with a calm expression. "I am here because of the Warden and Captain Burhan. I owe them both more than I can say. Alliances are easily spoken, but I will not lie. If you serve them, then we are already allies and if you do not then no words spoken here will make a difference. I believe, for what it is worth, that you do what you do with a clear heart and for all the right reasons. So, as long as you are what you claim to be, I would say that we are already allies, wouldn't you?" She smiled at Kylar and then at Padraig "And I really wouldn't be laying any claims that we know what we're doing. Only that we are doing our best. Also it is worth to point out that if Malcolm or Lady Elyna... the Warden or Captain Burhan, if they told me that we were not hunting the beast, or that our plan was to capture it? They have earned my trust enough that I would obey."

She asked, then, what the plan was, and when they said that Kylar was going to test the bolts, Faith noddded and moved to go and sit on a log nearby. She shrugged off her cloak, folded it and sat down on it, not wanting to get soaked through. The cold didn't seem to bother her in the slightest, although she wore a thick jumper and a thick woollen skirt over high warm boots. As Padraig and Kylar tested the bolts, Faith sat and concentrated on the Lotharro chap.

"Blessed Famula, grant me the focus, the sight and the wisdom to see the truth. To know the heart and see the soul in this man", she whispered her prayer, her left hand moving to the delicate black tattoo which adorned her right wrist. She focused for the bits that they were working, watching them and seeing the Lotharro. She frowned in concentration and she tried, really tried. Then, she realised what she was doing and she breathed in, repeated her prayer to Famula and relaxed, welcoming the will of the Immortal and her place as a vessel for that. Her eyes fell out of focus and then, with a gasp, she saw a face. One that she knew and Faith smiled, delight lighting her face. It was good to be in a world where there was love, she considered. As soon as she saw it, the face of the woman who she had stood next to just the trial before, it was gone because Faith's concentration snapped as soon as she realised that she had succeeded. But she could not hide her delight, both at it working and at the results

Once they were done, she made her back over. The jumper that she wore hid, of course, the brands on her arms, but the one on her neck was apparent, as was the tattoo on her wrist. But Kylar had already seen the brand and, if he thought her behaviour strange for a slave, then he said nothing and neither did she. She looked between the two and gave a smile that was just on the edge of being teasing. "Are we ready to practice now?"

Mod Note

In this post Faith is using the ability "Know The Master" from her Zuuda Blessing. It is the final ability in "Favored" and allows the following:

► Show Spoiler

A Zuuda with this ability can see the lines of service that bind an individual. A powerful ability, the Zuuda must observe someone, concentrate on them, and use this ability. Know the Master will bring the face or the sigil of who or what the individual serves in their heart. Often a Zuuda never has to ask who someone works for, they can see the truth of their service and devotion within their soul. If the individual only serves themselves or serves nothing in particular, this ability only imparts a cold sense of emptiness.

I'm using it for the first time here and have received permission from Kylar to use it on him which (I hope!) he will confirm in his next post. Obviously (in case I forget or don't post this for review) I'd appreciate knowledges in it, if it's appropriate to gain them in the Reviewer's opinion.

[Padraig]

"The bolts themselves aren't costly," Padraig said, when Kylar offered to help with the costs. "They're ordinary crossbow bolts, and I've only altered the tips. The poisons, that's where the cost is. But I've brought more metal and the tools, in order to shape more tips, should it be necessary."

It might be. Which was the primary reason he wanted to test the things here and now. If they were to fire them at a target like the best, chances were, they weren't going to be getting the bolts back. Only a madman would try it. But shot at targets by a skilled marksman, he could reclaim the things and see how the tips held up after impact. He suspected they'd be bent out of shape and he'd need to make new ones. He had the materials to do it. the important thing was that the contents were released at the tip, inside the target rather than splattered about.

But an oath? He'd never sworn an oath to anyone. At least, not the sort this man was speaking of. Still, he smiled a little in response. "I've come for her," he said, gesturing towards Faith who was just returning from setting the targets. "She's come for the warden and the captain, so by association, so have I. We're all here for the same reason, ultimately," he added. A reference to the camp full of others. "It ought make us all allies." He hoped so at least, and hoped there were no traitors or as bad, hotheads in the lot. It was enough to face a formidable foe, without worrying about a loose cannon at your back.

If not those, some of them present might well become trusted friends, present company included, before, during and after. And when Faith returned, she seemed to agree. So, they were read then and reserving the ordinary bolts for his lesson, he handed one of the altered ones to their very tall new friend to fire as he pleased. He'd hand him another, if he was ready, and afterwards would retrieve the bolts from the target to see how the tips had held up, and if they'd released their contents in the correct direction. They would, no doubt. As for their condition, he'd ultimately conclude that it would best to shape new tips out of fresh metal before the next use.

His own bow, he kept ready for a lesson in using it. He hadn't handled it much before, but it seemed a fairly simple design. Padraig suspected then that it wasn't readying the weapon that was the tricky part, but the aiming and firing of it.