Bringing Down the House

[Eddrick Brodon]

Bringing Down the House

4 Zi'Da, arc 716

Eddrick snugged the scarf of his Kufiyeh around his neck, acknowledging the evidence that he'd become an official denizen of the Hotlands. He recalled how he'd truly feared that the heat was going to leave him stroked and mummified on the sands that first arc. Now, in the cold cycle extremes of Zi'da, he was genuinely adorned in two layers of white silks, on top of his leather, to stay comfortable.

He heard his hawk, 'Arrow', screeching on the wind, and the dozen men he had with him automatically began checks of gear and weapons. He smiled with reminiscence of the glorious sound of his bird. It brought back his predicament following the ill-fated entry of his band into the growing contention between the empire of the Raskalarn and the standing army of Nashaki the cycle before, and the bizarre turn of events he'd had to survive.

It had gone wrong, and he'd been captured; a promise of torture to spice up an untimely death. But he hadn't been caged in the prison wagon unarmed. No conventional weapon for him though. He'd been armed with a bone from a mystic site within the shimmering heat of the desert. He'd managed to egg one of guards into breaking it, and its ensuing "curse" had gone into effect, raising the dead for an hundred miles around.

Technically, they were supposed to go after the one who broke the bone. But they were also quite prepared to defend themselves against any that attacked or hindered them. Given the number who had died in the battle he'd been captured at, it stood to reason that having them rise again in the midst of that same battle zone would bring an immediate panicked response from the horrified living.

This set on end the whole notion of who exactly was the target of these undead now. But this confusion did not extend to the dozens that tracked down, cornered and crashed his prison wagon, miles away. Eddrick had not been present to see the slaughter of the guards at the hands of unforgiving cadavers that were not as fast as the living, but were devoid of the need for rest, sleep, food or water.

Eddrick had had to come up with some resourceful means of surviving in a crashed prison wagon against several dozen animated corpses, some bloody and fresh, some ghastly with rot, some nothing more than bones. He really did not care to relive that episode, but he could not deny the tearful sense of relief as he heard Arrow's cries come over the dunes, heralding his rescue by surviving member of his band.

Not only did they rescue him, but he was surprised to find himself elevated to chieftain of the outfit. Apparently, the survivors had not been terribly grateful to their original leader, Talon, for leading them into the fiasco. And even though Eddrick's strategies at the site of the battle had not been any great success either, that too had been held against Talon, as it was felt Eddrick had been thrust into a no-win position and had ultimately prevailed with his timely use of the mystic enchantment of the cursed bone.

When the dead started rising, his group, superstitious to a man, had engaged none of them, and had instead fled the battle, leaving the Imperial forces to deal with the horror. They'd been sharing jokes ever since about how Eddrick had brought the opposing forces together against a common enemy for that short while. In grim jest, some had taken to calling him 'Eddrick the Peacemaker'. The bars of the prison wagon had actually served him well as he pillaged loot, and water skins from the moving bodies that placed no priority on the items hanging from their animated dead bodies as they crawled over all sides of the wagon in vain attempts to reach him.

So, not only had he lived through the ordeal, he'd been celebrated among his men for the hundreds of nels' worth of gear he'd gathered together for his men to loot from the undead as they crushed them. He'd likewise been cheered as a man of resourceful cunning for his timing with the bone, which had saved his men from both the aggressive Imperial invaders and the lying Nashaki troops, that had not honored the amnesty they'd promised for joining the war on their side.

Once again, they'd slipped free of betrayer and invader alike, gained a boon of swag, and lived to tell. In gratitude, they'd raised the man who'd engineered this to the new position of leader. Talon still lived, but he'd been reduced to a position of 'Adviser'. It did not hurt that Eddrick had a genuinely startling tale of grim survival to boast of over bed and bonfire alike.

Now, however, the present was where his focus needed to be. There was treachery and retribution on the winds this trial, and he intended to savor them both. Arrow zigged and zagged a telling pattern across the sky as he approached their position. Eddrick knew that the caravan they awaited would know by his bird's action that their ambush was in place. The very fact that they took no new course to evade them was all the confirmation Eddrick needed. This caravan did not want to evade them. The trap he'd been warned of was in place, as were his safeguards. This was going to be fun.

[Eddrick Brodon]

Brodon turned to the dozen raiders mounted nearby. He stood upon the back of his poko mount, making use of the impromptu raised speech platform, "Men, today we learn if our partnership is as trustworthy as it appears. I know that we take a chance going into this. But these men are businessmen and rivals. There is far more money and satisfaction in what we offer than there is in the one-time bounties they could collect by betraying their word."

He slapped the bow lashed to his saddle, "Plus, there is the cost of hiring more men to replace the dozen or more we would take with us!" The men cheered and punched their own palms enthusiastically. Eddrick was not finished with his motivation though, "And they would know that our brothers-in-arms will then have a special blood grudge that will cost them heavily for arcs! Would WE not destroy those that betrayed our brothers?! Would we EVER feel that our retribution would be satisfied?!"

There was a roar of answers to both questions, punctuated by the song of pulled blades and slammed shields. Eddrick let a brief cheer run its course before raising his hand for silence, "Remember that the scourge of betrayal works for US as well this time. We are not alone in this. We shown our influence by what we have revealed already. We've shown our impact! We've shown our knowledge! We've shown our cunning! We've shown our resolve! AND NOW, WE WILL SHOW OUR MIGHT!"

He needed no further command as he dropped into the saddle and smacked two batons loudly together near the antennae of his poko. The giant insect lurched forward, followed by the horse-mounted men of his squad. The horsemen, being a bit faster than the poko, took it upon themselves to prevent their passing of their leader. This was done by spreading into a wide, two-rank front, seven-wide, with Eddrick in the middle; and then returning to twin files behind him.

This served a dual purpose. It not only served to do honor to their leader, but it also established a trademark look to their trail, which could then be switched out and back from for misinformation purposes. When they wanted clear credit for an incident, they left no doubt by their trail; when they wanted uncertainty and confusion, they left only the standard straight, twin lines of hoof prints. Many riders, commercial, personal and military, used pokos in the Hotlands area. So the mere presence of a single poko's tracks was inconclusive where evidence was required.

In terrain where trails could be so easily left and falsified, it was not uncommon to see such forgeries. But most people had a good intuition of when the raiders were truly denying that such a trail was not truly theirs. Only well-disciplined horsemen could maintained such straight tracks when in such close quarters with pokos. The mounts of the Rhakrii Raiders had been raised around pokos for generations, and had the instinctive shyness towards them long since bred out. And while it was likely that a trained cavalry had such discipline in their mounts, they rarely felt inclined to resort to trickery just to bring undue credit or blame to bandits. Honor was at stake, and the bandits respected this.

But this was no military they approached now. Three wagons, with a half-dozen man escort, now cut across the dunes, heading north to Nashaki, still a trial or more away. Normally, in this sandy terrain, the raiders would bury themselves in the sand in a random pattern, with slips of reed for breathing. On a signal from a watcher with a horn, they would pull a rope, levering it around a secure post, to trip the leading animals on the front wagon. Then they would rise from the sand like avenging spirits of past clashes and eliminate the guards, save for those who surrendered quickly.

It was, of course, part of the facade that a mere half dozen men would ride as protection for three wagons. As it was part of the playing-along tactic to appear willing to attempt such a raid with only a dozen men. It was all part of the appearance of overconfidence, which would be so very conducive to betrayal. And this time, the overconfidence was played to an even greater degree. There was no hidden ambush even set to begin with. Eddrick simply rode to the center of the low path serving as road-for-the-trial.

"Good trial gentlemen," Eddrick hailed them, as the half-dozen men rode to the front, to see twice their number. Both sides had bows raised in readiness. "Now now, good sirs. We do you the courtesy of allowing you to surrender unharmed. This has all been arranged some time ago. Simply lower your weapons, and we will do the same. Your Caravan master is well aware of what tribute is to be delivered this trial. Let's not complicate things."

[Adrienna]

The sway of the caravan as it made its way over the sand damn nearly lulled her to sleep. The only thing that kept her alert was not the monotonous shapes of the dunes or the occasional chatter of the men that she could barely understand. It was the strange calm that was settled over the procession. They were to protect the goods, but only a few men checked the horizons from time to time. She stayed alerted, one hand always casually laid near her axe. She has not been with Kalid'hi's guards for long but it was an easy coin to earn. As a new member, they tend to put her on the less important jobs. As demeaning as that felt, it was a job she needed to earn the nel. Necessity did not stop her from being arrogant though and many ascribed it to her clear Eidisi blood.
Then a subconscious whisper of danger tickled her spine when Adrienna felt the breeze against her skin that brought forth very faith thudding of something that sounded like...
"An ambush." Adrienna uttered in Lorien, her hand seizing the shaft of her axe pulling it free. There was a certain delight in the freedom of movement she could enjoy without the layers of clothing for warmth. Unlike her temporary companions, Adrienna did not feel the need to wear her coat. Of course, these miserable beings were too weak to withstand a wisp of cold air without keeling over with illness.
"Stop. Stop!" There came the heal of her hand digging into the rider's arm, as she held onto the side of the waggon to stand up in her place. By that time, she could see the group of bandit rushing to meet them and even from afar it was safe to say that they had more man. Her fingers tightened around the handle of her weapon in response. She could feel her blood bubbly in anticipation. In Avriel terms, Adrienna was still an adolescent, thanks to her Eidisi blood the whole process was delayed. As such, she was always quick to act then, perhaps, think.
"How many?" The rider asked from down with the reigns, craning his neck for a better view.
"Many." And the bandits came to a stop openly in the middle of the road, not attacking as she thought they might. There in the middle stood a man who appeared to be their leader. Her eyes narrowed in his direction. From her life in the jungle, she has learnt one thing about packs of dogs. If she were to strike the alpha, the pack would scatter or at least be thrown into a chaos for long enough to gain an advantage. But then, the alpha was also the strongest amongst them.
She paid little attention to the words that he was saying. Common was not her strongest suit, nor did she needed it to cleave her way through those that stood against her. Standing tall and ready on the waggon, Adrienna waited for that one sign of offence and she'd be down in the sand, making sure the goods were not damaged, that her pay was not cut as a consequence. Humans be damned, but no one was touching her profit.

[Eddrick Brodon]

The behavior of the young merchant dandy that emerged from the lead wagon, the one most richly adorned, would announce the predicted intent. If he was going to keep his word, he would never have brought his new bride along, for this would have been a business meeting, not a battle. He would not have wanted her to know that he was in collusion with bandits, one he had appeared to have beaten up on a street in Nashaki. Especially since it had all been a show to impress her into believing him to be a man of fighting prowess, knowing she would then surely speak glowingly of his bravery to her father.

In exchange for that painful bit of theater, the merchant had agreed to betray information on his rivals' schedules for easy planning of ambushes. They would both gain, Eddrick would have knowledge to make surer plans that would reduce the likelihood of error; and the merchant, Kalid'hi, would see his rivals plundered relentlessly while got off unscathed, save for a few heists of little true loss, done only to reduce suspicion of this very collusion with Eddrick's band.

But no, it came as no real surprise that Kalid'hi emerged with a facade of surprised outrage, accompanied by his new wife. The young fop had undoubtedly decided that it was some kind of offense to his entitled status to have dealings of any kind with an "uncultered dog" like Eddrick, and chose instead to gain renown among his fellows by eliminating this bandit.

"Who dares?" Kalid'hi sneered theatrically, hugging his lovely bride to his side. He had the decency to do a double-take, and let his expression display surprised recognition at meeting Eddrick a second time. "You!...So, the rumors are true. The dog I humbled in the streets of Nashaki has now taken to thievery upon the dunes! Well, this time I will not grant you the mercy I extended last time."

Eddrick held no hostility toward the pretty young woman that snugged into her "heroic" husband's side to once again see him slap down a brute with such richly-deserved justice. She knew no better. But she soon would. Then even if her opinion of Eddrick did not change, she would at least see what a conniving coward and weakling her admittedly well-spoken husband was.

His smile grew as Kalid'hi offered his opening salvo. The very fact that he was speaking so brazenly, when he appeared to be facing twice his number of combatants confirmed what Eddrick had suspected. It was time to offer the fellow the dramatic set-up for the revelation of what he surely considered his "master strategy".

Eddrick chuckled loudly enough for Kalid'hi and his bride, Chanutti, to hear, and gave them a look of confidence as he taunted, "Well, well. I seem to have missed something, your hero-ship. For it seems to me as if you have far too few men to back up your big words." He held up his hand in mockery of diplomacy, "But I understand, you have a bride to impress and you've let your need to show off your balls get you in trouble. Not an uncommon occurrence for a young man."

He made as if considering something, then spoke again, "I'll tell you what, you all just climb into that last wagon, and we'll let you leave unharmed, you and your six guards. We'll take the rest. Surely showing her your willingness to part with mere "goods", to save her lovely neck will impress her more quickly than bleeding to death with an arrow in your throat." There were several raider bowman holding readied weapons to carry out Eddrick's end of this proposal.

Eddrick knew that he could not yet begin speaking of that earlier encounter, where Kalid'hi had offered him payment to let him beat Eddrick up to impress his bride-to-be. Kalid'hi would surely order him shot before he could finish, so Chanutti would never know the truth of that "beating", thinking that the trap he had waiting would prevent his own death from retaliation. No, it would be a second round of Kalid'hi's bluster, followed by his "grand stroke" of tactical genius.

He did not disappoint, "No, I'll tell YOU what. You will surrender your weapons, and your men will have the luxury of watching you hung in the streets, while they enjoy a long term of leisure in our prison for banditry. They will not die, and they may yet have time to find honest means of living after their release, twenty or thirty arcs from now."

Eddrick allowed himself to look genuinely puzzled, went through the visual motions of counting his twelve men, against Kalid'hi's six, and shrugged. "Okay, I'll bite...Why should I take you up on such a...generous offer, when I have double your men?"

Kalid'hi smiled viciously and lifted a bell, "I was hoping you'd ask, dog." He struck it three times and the following wagons suddenly erupted with mercenaries. In mere ticks, Eddrick's men now faced three times their number, all with either bows, crossbows or swords and shields.

[Adrienna]

Adrienna watched the situation unfold before her. With nothing else to do, she tried and decipher what the two men were talking about. There was little she could grasp. After all, words were often secondary. Generally, people spoke truths with their bodies that could contradict their words. From what Adrienna could gauge from the men's body language and even the tone of their voices, they were clearly engaged in some form of piss contest. Both firmly planted with squared shoulders tried to impress the other, be quicker to force the other to reveal who would falter first and show cowardice. Her employer was the one with pride at stake, that much she could tell as his wife sought refuge next to his side. From seeing how society worked, when there was a woman involved, all the more someone's wife, men turned to right roosters ruffling their feathers.
Threats buzzed through the air. Bleeding, death and arrow were just a few words she could pick up on that helped her reach such a conclusion. She grew a little restive. If only they would just drop the stagecraft and sort this like men. Or better yet...
Perplexed, Adrienna nearly swung her axe at one of the men who rushed past the sides of the caravan, expecting an attack from behind. Hired mercenaries rushed out of their hiding, swarming like bees attracted to a particularly rich source of pollen. Yet, these men rushed forward on Kalid'hi's command. A frown settled on her brow as she looked from body to body, face to face. Even the man sat next to her looked confused for a fraction of a trill.
Despite the puzzlement, one thing was clear to Adrienna. They were not transporting any goods, to begin with. Or at least, not many that needed this large number of guards, unless her employer was more insecure and paranoid than she initially thought. Or foolish enough, trying to impress his wife which was even worse. The more she thought about it, the harder her expression grew and her grip on her weapon tightened. She began drawing conclusions that did not please her at all. She did not know what kind of history these two men had, whether they have disliked each other for deeper reasons than simple general animosity towards bandits. Yet, one thing was for sure. Her employer appeared way too comfortable and confident when faced with threat so clear. If they were transporting men instead of goods, then at least part of this must have been planned. The simple fact that she knew nothing of this hypothetical plan vexed her slightly.
"You knew this?" She shot a suspicious look at the rider the harsher accents of Lorien colouring her words dangerously. Eyes that appeared blind were rather piercing in that moment. However, he just shook his head. Whether it was to say no or to avoid confrontation did not concern her. He could not offer her a believable response anyway. After all, Adrienna's discontent laid with her employer. Getting off the waggon, she was not to stride straight to Kalid'hi and demand explanation. No. She would carefully make her way among these men as they stood ready to attack. At least now, they had better chances at taking out the bandits. That was for sure.

"Lorien"
"Common"

[/style2]

[Eddrick Brodon]

Kalid'hi's grin started to slowly wane as nearly a full bit passed with no change in Eddrick's confident pose. Nor did his men ever lower their weapons from their targeting of the fancy merchant. Eddrick had already noted the livery of Korieji's company on their leather. He stretched and scratched his head. "Is that it?" he asked calmly, gesturing to the mercenaries. "That's your reason for me to surrender? These men? These man wearing the logos of the house whose recent caravan's schedule you offered to me in exchange for letting y-..."

As he expected, Kalid'hi heard the beginnings of an account of what had really happened during their encounter in Nashaki and interrupted loudly, "Enough! Kill him! I will hear no more of these lies!" He pointed furiously at Eddrick, following up with a sweeping gesture that indicated all the men. A couple of his own men raised bows, but were shocked to suddenly find several of the mercenaries turning to target them now instead of the bandits.

Kalid'hi blanched slightly, his mouth agape. He regathered his fury and again issued commands to have Eddrick immediately slain, only to find the mercenaries refusing, or going so far as to draw weapons on any of his personal guards that attempted to follow his instructions. As the situation began to become clear to him, he slumped back in his seat, his new wife begging to understand what was happening.

He shushed her and turned to glare at the the gathered mercenaries, "What is the meaning of this? Why do you refuse to obey your master? Surely this dog has not offered you more nel. I will double my original offer then! Kill him!"

Eddrick cut him short with steadily growing laughter. He paced in front of the horses, shaking his head. "Oh Kalid'hi. You're only making things worse. What good is a moderate bonus when it is offset by loss of your job and disgrace as a coward and a traitor. I realize that YOU are one such, and have nothing to lose for it. But then, you're a rich pampered softie, and they, on the other hand, have to earn their livelihood."

Eddrick smiled warmly in the face of Kalid'hi's glare. "Now where was I when I was so rudely interrupted? Oh yes, The livery on their armor...that of Korieji, your rival. The one you gave me information on, so I could intercept and plunder it. You remember surely, that first time we met? When you asked me to let you beat me up to impress your girlfriend there?" he indicated Chanutti, who looked shocked and confused. She started to ask her husband something, but he shushed her more forcefully this time, insisting that the entire account was a pack of lies.

Eddrick scowled in response to this, "You pig. Don't treat her like that. You're the liar here. You gave me Korieji's next caravan, but I had a feeling you'd sell me out. So I went to Korieji and we agreed that he would claim to have had the caravan raided. And then he announced his willingness to hire out his men to any that would seek me out...You couldn't resist, could you. You knew I'd be looking to meet you here to get the next caravan schedule, and you thought you'd just shut me up and claim the glory."

Kalid'hi took the cue to beg his woman for forgiveness for his brutish behavior. But he blamed it on his stress over hearing these absurd lies, insisting that they were all fabrications of this cunning bandit's mind. Chanutti did not look entirely convinced. "Well, husband, why then do your men not follow your instructions? Why do they let these 'cunning bandits' live? They are completely outnumbered. Explain this to me, husband, I want to believe you..." tears of confusion stood in her eyes; tears undecided between outrage towards Eddrick, and loathing of her husband.

Eddrick's voice was now void of mockery. It was all business. "Yes, Kalid'hi. Explain it. Explain that you're not their 'master', Korieji is; and they are following his instructions." Then inspiration struck him, "Or better yet, you claim I'm lying? I'll give you a chance to prove it." He smiled wickedly, "You beat me pretty handily in Nashaki. You should be able to do so again, don't you think? Here..." Eddrick sneered, holding his ball and chain out towards Kalid'hi, handle first, "I'll even give you my weapon."

[Adrienna]

The closer she got, the more she heard and understood. Some looked at her with raised eyebrows in wonder, but no one has tried to stop her yet. Why would they? Even though they were not wearing the same insignia as was last minute added to her own leather armour, there must have been some deal made between the traders' houses. But, it was not until Kalid'hi gave out the command that pieces of the puzzle began to click.
Adrienna was no way near a loyal soldier. She was not a soldier, to begin with, and her loyalty laid with her alone. Even more so, her sense was telling her that something was up. So as the order was given, she made a fake attempt to prove herself right. It was a half arsed try - just a few quicker steps, her axe only slightly raised to confirm her theory. In an immediate response, there were two man half bearing their swords at her, blocking her way.
It was an ambush after all, just not the usual one that could be expected. Partially looking daggers at the two daring fools, she certainly had a bone to pick with her employer. Not only he clearly planned to trick someone else behind everybody's back (well, mostly hers), but he appeared to be enough of an idiot to get double crossed. All the more, her intrigue was piqued by the man who indeed deceived Kalid'hi. The chief bandit was now distinctly confident for a reason.
Dismissing the two traitors or nuisances in front of her, Adrienna once again shifted her attention towards the man sat atop a bug. With a snap of fingers he had the upper hand, even more so, he appeared to be challenging her ex-employer to some sort of duel. Yes, Adrienna sure was not sticking around in this dumb job once this odd situation would get sorted. Weighing her own axe in her hand, she heard a sword next to her being fully drawn.
"I would not, girl." One of Korieji's man said with a mixture of warning and what sounded like mockery. Even his hues almost dared her to have a swing at him and senses be lost, in that moment she would have done so with unprecedented pleasure, teaching the twit a lesson. Grimacing at him as if she just encounter a demented child, she bothered with him no more. Undoubtedly, he misinterpreted her action as if she was to rush to Kalid'hi's rescue when she was instead quietly contemplating, knowing her disadvantageous position and seeing no benefit in being the hero. One part of her wanted to see the trader knocked down, bloodied face glueing particles of sand to the skin and into the suffered wounds anyway. The other part of her wanted that to be done by her own hand.

"Lorien"
"Common"

[/style2]

[Eddrick Brodon]

The merchant pointed to one of his personal guards, demanding that he fight Eddrick in his place. Eddrick closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh like a parent growing weary of a child's complaining. Several of Korieji's men took steps to intercede on the few that actually looked as if they might respond to Kalid'hi's order.

"Cowards!" the young trader shouted. "I'll see you all whipped!" he stood in the seat, quivering with anger. His new bride beside him shared the angry look, but her anger was born of a different cause.

"You will do no such thing, husband!" she said the word with loathing. "I curse you for your lies, you dog." she snapped in fury at him, then spun in her seat to face Eddrick, "And I curse you for your part as well, bandit! Your falsehoods and mock defeat gave me to believe in this...man. And now I find him to be a weakling and a liar."

She turned back to her husband with tears of betrayal starting in her eyes. "Well?...Go down there and fight him! Show me that you have at least a shred of manhood beneath that perfumed exterior! I would like to know once and for all what I am stuck with!"

Kalid'hi could take no more, regardless of the truth of it. Hey roared some incoherent oath and back-handed the woman, who fell over the back of the buckboard into the bed of the wagon. The beige entirety of the Hotlands desert turned a shade of red in Eddrick's eyes, and a blood-hum in his ears drowned out the sound of his own scream as he charged the wagon, leaping to grab Kalid'hi by his leggings, his weight pulling the young dandy over the front of the same buckboard as Eddrick fell to the sand.

Eddrick was on his feet in an instant, red-faced and grabbing Kalid'hi by his silks, dragging him away from the nervous horses. His voice was a combination of manic laughter and growling. "No no you little snake! We owe that noble woman some truth! And I owe you the beating you paid me for, to let you disgrace her." he shoved Kald'hi away from him and shouted back over his shoulder to Chanutti, who was now rearing her bloodied face over the buckboard to watch.

"I am truly sorry, your grace! Let this be my apology!" his eyes blazed angrily as he punched straight through Kalid'hi's feeble attempt to parry. And it only took that one punch to set up the staggered fop for unblocked punch after unblocked punch, his every untrained attempt seeming to leave him open elsewhere, to be exploited by Eddrick's fury.

Ribs, chin, stomach, cheek...lift...hold...stomach, stomach, stomach, cheek...kick, kick, roll, stomp, lift, knee to the face, straddle, punch, punch, punch. Eddrick found himself too tired to punch again. Silence reigned as everyone pondered what would be next. Eddrick heaved himself off the unconscious mess, and staggered to his own feet. He dropped to his knees in front of the woman, as much from exhaustion as humility. He steepled his hands in contrition before the shocked woman.

"I beg your forgiveness, lady. I can not fully undo what I have done. But I can give what chance I may have had for a redirection of my life to give you a possibility of redirecting yours. As a married woman whose husband has died, you might stand to inherit, and gain a better man next time. What hatred you may feel for me, either because of my initial deception, or for what I am about to do, I suggest you embrace. For if any were to believe that I did this by your will, you could be accused of collusion with bandits, and all would be lost."

He rose again, and walked over to Kalid'hi's stirring form, knife held with grim purpose. "But nothing can be gained while he still lives..." Chanutti seemed to suddenly realize what was about to occur and called out in alarm for him to grant mercy. Eddrick told himself it was only a ruse, to present herself as having no part of it, should any present decide to turn witness against her.

He stood over the dazed, groaning form of Kalid'hi, "What I do here will place you all in a position of dependence upon each other. Korieji's men will surely back up their own stories. But you soldiers of this worm...Do you trust your new matron to treat fairly with you? I have no idea what history any of you may have with her or her house, or his." he sneered, pointing at the body beneath him with his knife.

"I only know I owe this to her...and to myself. I have stood accused of killing a Qi'oran diplomat from Nashaki for several arcs now. I did not do it, but I had no proof, and was a convenient fall guy for the crime. For this reason, I fled Athart to become the bandit you see now. I had always hoped to prove my innocence. I fought on Nashaki's side against Korlasir, to gain a promised amnesty. It was withheld. I now rescind all hope of returning to my previous life. If any of you feel the same, I invite you to join our ranks." He waited to see if there would be any reaction, possibly unaware of the hidden knife Kalid'hi now pulled free of his boot.

[Adrienna]

Adrienna stood motionless in the ever-still air of Idalos's desert. Unfazed by the violence against the woman or the following battering of her employer, she watched with indifference. Blood dropped on the sand that absorbed it with quenching thirst. The moist from the droplets evaporating as soon as they hit the ground. The tinge of the crimson shades turned dark, almost black, so stark placed on the golden glitter of the sand. Whoever the chief of these bandits was, Adrienna recognised a certain standing of the man. He was unquestionably the alpha and perhaps there was a reason for it beyond the potential hints on smarts and the open demonstration of strength. Both of which fell short of impressing Adrienna, but instead left a taste of caution on her tongue as she swallowed to calm her own boiling blood at the sight of it all. Adrenaline along with the heat of the trial caused perspiration to tickle her back. Perhaps, she would have taken the man more seriously if he did not the apparent taste for lengthy speeches which never led anywhere in her experience. Unless one was trying to appear more intelligent, masking the dullness of mind with an abundance of words.
Trust a matron... No, no woman was to be placed above Adrienna. No one ever treated her with fairness either. The word itself alien in concept and the language spoken that it passed her notice as easily as an obnoxious fly. It was the lack of attention she had for his words because of the language used that Adrienna caught a dangerous glint from the corner of her eye. If it were further away than an arm swing, Adrienna would most likely have failed to see the blade soaking in the sunshine, the murderous intent of the soldier unsuccessfully hidden in his expression. If she could recognize anything, it was bloodlust so clear on the man's face at that moment. Would she make a move to stop a stranger from avenging a weakling? Should she? She saw the shift in his posture, the distribution of weight from one foot to another, the way one sank a little deeper into the sand, eroding the grains along the sides. Something about the whole image that she was quietly observing irritated her. It was the stupidity of the idea of the Kalid'hi's soldier. Did he really think that he could just charge forth through the barrier of enemies without getting cut down by the second step? Annoyance itched underneath her skin. Her fidgety nature at the face of a fight pressing against her very being. Her human thought struggled for a moment as an unpredictable surge of wildness rushed through her body. The curse of delayed adolescence.
"Idiot." Adrienna growled to herself in Lorien. One thing she found worse than someone trying to surpass her, was someone else acting clearly dumb. Which was almost anyone. Planting herself in the shifting sand, her fingers tightened around the handle of her weapon issuing forth the sounds of leather being stretched. Her form cut out an alarming shape against the canvas of bodies, throwing the few men around her on an edge as they saw the blade of her axe cut through the air with an ominous whistle of hunger. Confusion licked at the thoughts of those around her when the squelching sound of cut flesh and crackling of splintered if not shattered bone filled the air around them.
Swords were barren pointed at her at the ready as her cold eyes looked at the soldier thrown into shock, watching his arm dangle on a thin piece of flesh, skin and armour. The knife fell into the sand sharp point first as if it needed to finish its purpose and stab something nonetheless. A smirk of disdain jewelled her features as she watched the upward cut of the wound. This was not intended to be her grand entrance. Although, she'd bask in the responses to her action in a moment. Adrienna just still fell prey to her own uncontrollable impulses and this poor man just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Not that it mattered much to Adrienna who released a huff of satisfaction.
Her eyes looked over Korieji's men with next to no emotion apart from disapproval for being stared at. She wished for more horror in those startled gazes, less menace in their stances. The man who was to face the creeping sensation of death was blabbering next to her, having fallen to his knees, trying to save himself.
"I no know what said." She then spoke, averting her gaze from the pawns in the bigger game. She looked directly at Eddrick with confidence nestled firmly in her features. She understood his position.
"You." A word uttered sharply with a nudge of a chin towards him that spoke of doubts. "What good you to I?" Even if she were aware of his whole recruiting speech, she would have still asked. What benefits were there for her in associating with someone? The blood dripping off the edge of her weapon appeared to be counting down the trills.

"Lorien"
"Common"

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[Eddrick Brodon]

The true distracting intent of the guard's sacrifice occurred to Eddrick even as Kalid'hi whipped his own knife up towards the femoral artery that would have left Eddrick to bleed out in mere bits. It was only the merchant's dizzy grunt of exertion that saved him. Eddrick spun on one leg to take the blade against the outer side of his thigh instead. He continued the spin to bring the other knee back around against the side of Kald'hi's head.

Eddrick ignored the deep but non-arterial leg wound to slam his foot down on the wrist, sending the knife skittering across the sand. He crouched before the merchant with a hiss, "I might have spared you, you snake! Your wife beseeched me for mercy. I think I will grant her mercy instead! The mercy of ending her betrothal to a worm like you."

There was a fleshy 'thunk', and Kalid'hi's eyes bugged with the last word. He gurgled incoherently as his hands found the hilt of the knife jutting from beneath his jaw, as if he could not believe it was there. Eddrick scowled at him as he slowly started to sag into the puddle of his blood that was draining into the sand. Eddrick then turned to ask the man if he still felt his sacrifice had been worth his arm, and possibly his life. He motioned with a tilt of his head and one of the raiders came to apply a tourniquet to the guard's ruined arm.

The woman standing near him threw words at Eddrick in what seemed a challenging tone. He waited until the bleeding arm was tied off to respond. His own leg wound was irrelevant; it would heal on its own. He looked over at her, "Foolish or not, I would not see loyalty go unrewarded. Your common is not good, do you know another?" there was a pause as one of Korieji's men came up to inform him that he thought he'd heard her speak in the avriel tongue.

He decided to do her the honor of conversing in that tongue. He would then be the one speaking clumsily, but it would be the first demonstration of the respect to be found among the Rhakriis. "What good doing with I? Answer is being yourself. Most are no ask of it. Them already be know what choice they are want making. I give offer of yourself. Free of Nashaki law where Nashaki is not. Free of men looking down at you for life not chosen, but stuck with. Things you had not any say for. Rhakriis not care what came before. You Rhakrii now, you equal. There still is being command, chain of rank, earn your way up. But no being a wall against one man more than other."

He reverted back to common, fearing he was undoing his own measure of respect with his butchery of the language. "We take what we want. Let them stop us, if they can. We know no law but our own. There is no need for unwarranted cruelty. But lessons that need to be taught to our enemies or rivals will not be taught softly. I respect loyalty..." he gestured to the man with the tourniquet, being loaded onto the wagon with Chanutti. "And I punish treachery." he pointed to the dead body of Kalid'hi.

"We make enemies, and we respect them. But we offer no mercy to them. The trial that they catch up to me, I will die with no begging. I will know that I have earned it many times over. But in the meantime, I mean to make a name for myself; a name for all of us; a name that lesser men fear, and stronger men will wish to be a part of." He thought he caught a roll of the eyes, and he laughed.

"Tired of speeches, eh? Alright, I can understand that. All I can tell you is that there are are seasons of plunder and seasons of rationing. We hold much in reserve against such times. You will be expected to do so as well. but there will always be enough to satisfy. And...We have water! in our stronghold. A natural spring. Horses, Pokos, a forge! Meat, wine, and all the luxuries that fools try to drive across the sands without thought to the needs and wants of those they would deny. So, it is let the best man win. They would deny us these things? We mean to defy them, to deny them! Every day is a contest of wits, prowess and celebration!"

He stopped then, and waited to see what other details any prospects would ask about.