[Flashback]Veterans and Hunters

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden moved more slowly now, his eyes studying the earth and the tracks more intently. For every other track he would find, he crouch down, lightly brushing away debris to study the track itself more intently. The shape, how the impression was pushed into the ground for signs of the typical heal-toe walk that most humans practically instinctively walked with. He checked for treads in the imprints themselves, comparing them to the memory of the ones he had recently seen back at camp. Moss that grew on the rocks seemed to be undisturbed, hinting that they had avoided stepping along such places where animals normally just blundered through. “Indeed. Not your average bandit.” Jaeden commented in a soft tone. “They certainly wish to avoid being found.” Jaeden then looked to a small leaf that hung lightly along a small bush, broken from it’s stem not to long ago. He plucked it off completely, waving it under his nose for a moment before handing it up to Vargas. “There’s a faint smell of sweat, most likely from one of the men who were carrying the bodies.” Jaeden said as he continued to move forward. His slow pace, and climbing the trees continued on for what seemed like bells, noting that, while he could follow a trail, he was by no means an expert in the skill yet. He stopped then, just for a moment as his gaze traveled back and forth along the ground, a slight frown crossing his features as his hands fell to his waist and he remained silent for a moment. “The trail went cold, give me a moment.” Jaeden muttered as he studied the area for a long moment. His gaze then fell to a small bush that rested near the trail. Crouching beside it, he began studying the leaves and twigs that stretched out from the bush’s base. “Oh, okay. They doubled back.” Jaeden motioned Vargas with his hand for a moment, as he held up a couple of branches that had broken, only just slightly. “Notice how the broken area leads the way the trail was going? It means when the foliage likely snagged their clothing, they were stepping backwards, instead of the break moving the direction the trail leads.” Jaeden said standing up slightly as he began searching the sides of the trail, particularly where thick forest vegetation was available for them to carefully wade through, covering where they had stepped off at. “Here we are.” Jaeden then commented, peering over a thick cropping of low riding shrubs, his hand reaching into it as he pulled out a sliver of cloth that looked like it could have come from a pair of pants. “They stepped through here, one of them likely snagged their pants pulling their foot out. There’s also a couple of drops of blood along the leaves. Whatever they wrapped the bodies in, looks as though what blood was left in them is beginning to seep through. I have that problem sometimes when dragging a the spoils of a hunt back to my camp.” Jaeden then paused as he crossed through the bushes, searching around once again before picking up the trail. The sun was soon beginning to approach that dusk hour, leaving that just slight pale glow of light in the surrounding forest as Jaeden once again took to the trees. His eyes squinted slightly as he spotted in the distance the slight haze of smoke rising from a camp fire. Jaeden then looked to the skies for a moment, trying to determine just how much sun light they had left before he raised his index and middle finger to his mouth, licking them. They were held out idly, his eyes closing then for a moment as he gauged the direction of the wind, determining whether they would be down wind of the camp or not. Finally Jaeden descended the tree, landing softly next to Vargas before brushing his hands clean of any debris that he may have picked up from the tree. “I spotted the signs of a camp fire up ahead, close to six hundred or so paces south, by southwest of here.” Jaeden said as he pulled his water skin clean from his side, pouring a little over his hands as he began to scrub them clean, doing the same with his face next. “You’ll likely be able to get about another hundred paces closer, hundred and fifty at the most before they’d be able to hear you in your armor.” Jaeden then began kicking at the ground lightly, tearing up the foliage beneath his feet. He handed the branches and leaves he had collected a little while ago to Vargas. “Start slipping them any openings along my back if you could, I need them for camouflage?” Jaeden requested as he began pouring more water from his water skin into the torn up earth at his feet, saturating it densely. Jaeden then grabbed a couple handfuls of mud, rubbing it into his face and exposed skin along his body, darkening himself even further. “I’m going to move ahead and see if I can determine whether or not this camp is the one I’m looking for.” Jaeden then informed Vargas as he began taking the foliage that was left and lining the front of his body with, particularly around his neck and chest. “If you do move forward, keep it in a strait line so I can find you again and let you know what I discovered.”

[Harlequill]

Vargas paid close attention to the tips that Jaeden was giving him. One would never know whether or not such information might come in handy for the future. For a man, and a horse, wearing such heavy armor the knight sure knew how to stay out of the way. One of the skills learned by working in squads, a man found out early on in his career not to interrupt a professional while he's working. When Jaeden came down from the tree Vargas slipped off his horse and took the foliage he was offered. Looking carefully over the younger man's back he secured the leaves and twigs wherever he could. By the time the two of them had finished Jaeden looked more like a muddy bush than a hunter. "You sure you aren't looking for a steady job? I'd wager with a bit of training up you'd pass me in rank within fifteen years." A small smile curled his face as he moved back to mount his horse. "I'll wait for you here. I would not want to get in the way, or end up veering off in this bush. If you get into any trouble, blow this." Reaching into his pack he produced a small horn, one which looked as though it could be hidden upon his person rather easily. "If you're alive and i'm not there yet, blow until you're dead or I arrive."

[Jaeden Kincade]

“Heh, nah. I tend to wander around too much to make a good knight. Really, I do.” Jaeden replied softly to Vargas as he made a few finishing touches with the foliage that was attached to his front. “If the Knights can find me in the wild though, I’d be willing to do a bit of freelance work though.” Jaeden grasped the horn as it was offered to him, giving a slow nod to Vargas as he strapped it to his waist near his water skin. “Sounds simple enough, let’s hope I won’t need to use it.” Jaeden then remarked as he spied in the direction of the camp. “Two foes is difficult enough, four would be impossible for me.” Jaeden then closed his eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths as he pulled a couple of leaves from a nearby bush, tossing them into the air to take a last moment check for wind direction. “Wish me luck then.” Jaeden said as he began moving towards the camp, shifting his movements a little to the east so he would ensure he wouldn’t be downwind of the camp itself. With the combination of the mud and foliage he slipped along his body, and the fact that he washed himself a little before doing so, his own smell of sweat would be reduced, but it wouldn’t be outright eliminated, and his scent would reach camp before any sound or sight of him would. As Jaeden drew closer to the camp, now moving more directly towards it, his body crouched down low, and his movements became even slowly. He would pause in his step, dropping his body to the same level as the foliage that surrounded him when he heard something that didn’t sit right with him. His eyes studied the area for that moment, his body remaining still until he felt safe enough to move once again. His own gaze would drop to the ground as his own foot began to fall to take a step. Foliage and loose dry twigs are leaves were brushed lightly aside with the tip of his boot before he would plant his foot along the ground, bringing his weight along it, making sure nothing would snap or crunch under the weight of his step. Even closer still Jaeden drew towards the camp, now a mere two hundred paces away. Caution was running high on his mind now as he only seemed to take a step forward every half chime, his eyes searching the area between steps for signs of movement, or to peer what he could from the camp itself if it was visible. When he was close enough to finally view the camp in it’s entireties, he would find his spot to spy among a thick cropping of foliage itself, instead of behind a tree, where most would expect someone to hide behind.

[Harlequill]

"Good luck boy." As he moved closer he could hear snatches of conversation and the crackling of a fire. Before he could even see the camp he could gather that at least two men were gambling with dice, and one other was trying to get some sleep. The clink of cups shaking and spilling ivory cubes onto the dirt rang through the otherwise silent wilderness. Peeking through the foliage provided proof for this belief. The men within the camp were prepared for attack. Two stood guard with their back to the fire and their eyes alert for danger. None of them wore armor heavier than boiled leather, but the way that they carried themselves confirmed the presence of skilled warriors. Two more sat next to the fire with cups in their hands. Rather than drinking from them they rattled dice within them and tossed against each other. Silver mizas were the current bet, and every so often the shining pieces changed hands. Though the guards were quite alert, it was clear that the gamblers would be momentarily surprised by any attack unless the guards were able to give them advanced warning. A fifth man lay with clothes on with a blanket pulled up around his chest. Every so often he grumbled at the gamblers in an attempt to quiet their racket. He was likely the leader, and the unique tread of his boots was visible with the firlight dancing over one foot as it poked from under the blanket. Those were the boots worn by the man who had not carried a body, and who had gutted the bodies. The greatest complication to their plans was a ring of sharpened stakes which encircled the camp. They had been cut from tree limbs, sharpened by hand, and buried perhaps halfway in the earth with points facing outward. Though there were only five men it was unlikely that Vargas would be able to get his horse into their camp. That tilted the odds significantly against the pair, unless Jaeden could find some way to lure them from the camp. Three bodies were shrouded in blood and mudstained cloth, stacked like firewood inside the stakes. Unless there was another man on patrol then these five were the only members of the gang. One to watch the camp, three to carry the bodies, and one to run the operation.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden’s eyes narrowed for a moment as he observed the camp. There were more than the tracks led to believe, and they both knew it a was likely. Five was a better count than Jaeden’s worst case scenario of eight. Still, the defenses they put up negated any chance of both him and Vargas launching an attack on them. Vargas’ horse would likely be skewered by the pikes they had buried into the ground, despite is boarding. Two men were on watch as well, which would make sneaking into the camp difficult. They would have to be lured out. The question was how. Rather than deciding it for the both of them, Jaeden opted to do what he had originally planned. So with the same care as he approached the camp, Jaeden began to back away, making the slow trek back. Night was finally creeping over the lands by the time Jaeden reached Vargas, making just enough noise so that Vargas could hear his approach, but not startle him into drawing his sword and accidentally cutting off Jaeden’s head. Jaeden took a moment to take a slow drink from his water skin as he took a lean along the tree. “Damn, doing all that crouching can make your legs soar.” Jaeden commented idly before slipping his water skin back into place. “Well, it’s definitely them. The bodies were there, wrapped and stacked like some petching stock pile.” “Five men in all. Two men standing watch, two are currently rolling bones, and the fifth, who I take for their leader, trying to get some sleep.” Jaeden began explaining as he took a lean along the tree nearby. “They aren’t heavily armored, leather of some sorts like mine, but they carry themselves as experienced combatants.” Jaeden then slid his hands over the boarding armor of Vargas’ horse, wrapping his knuckles along is surface lightly a couple of times. “The real problem lies in their defensive set up of the camp. They’ve set up dead fall pikes around the entire camp.” Jaeden then mentioned, looking back to Vargas. “You won’t be able to charge your horse through there without seriously injuring him at the very least. They’ll have to be lured out first. At least a couple of them to thin the heard, so to speak. Man, I would love to have a heard of bison or something to send stampeding through there right about now.” “I could smart mouth and taunt, but considering their actions so far, I don’t think they’d fall for that and move from camp.” Jaeden then said, flicking his fingers slightly as flakes of dried mud were sent flying from his fingertips. “If we knew why they were collecting the bodies, then we could certainly use that to draw them out.” Jaeden then looked to any packs or saddle bags Vargas had. “You happen to bring any oil or flammable liquids with you?” Jaeden then asked. “If not, I’m open to ideas you may have.”

[Harlequill]

"I don't like the sound of that," Vargas grimly responded to the news of their defenses. A knight could even the odds quite a bit while mounted, but when on his feet he was just another soldier with a sword. I've no ideas on why they need the bodies, but I do have some oil. Two pints worth, two and a half if you empty my lantern." Turning toward his horse Vargas unhooked a bundle from the side of his saddle and unwrapped a lantern. From another location within his gear he produced two pints of oil. Setting all of them on the ground he crouched and looked up at Jaeden. Reaching out toward the dirt with a gauntleted finger he said, "Alright boy. Tell me you saw once more, and tell your idea." As Jaeden described the area he would draw it in detail, editing out anything that did not fit as Jaeden helped him piece together their situation. Vargas may have several ideas of his own, but he was open to any suggestions of the hunter before he presented them. Sometimes the untrained mind would forego suggesting an excellent plan, merely because the older and more experienced warrior had suggested something else.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden rubbed his chin slightly as flakes of mud fell to the ground. He looked around at what they had, and what they didn’t, then thought about what they faced. A slow exhale was then released as he looked back up to Vargas. “Well, there are five men, the four I could see in plain view where already armed with swords from what I could see, the two not rolling dice carried themselves well enough that it’s obvious they either know how to handle their weapons, or are extremely good at bluffing.” Jaeden explained as he began trailing his finger through the mud drawing out a lame layout of what he saw for Vargas. “The one trying to sleep, seemed to be the leader, at least I think. He seemed smartest of the bunch considering he was actually trying to get some sleep rather than wasting time with games. The tread along his boot matched those of the one back at the mock camp, likely the one who cut out the organs on the bodies. He was covered though, so I couldn‘t see any real equipment he might use as far as weapons go, or the type of armor her wore.” Jaeden marked each spot along the draw out he made in the mud, pointing to it when referring to a particular element of the camp so it would stay a little more fresh in Vargas’ mind as well as give him opportunity to somewhat visualize it himself. “The bodies are piled together here, far enough from the fire that there isn’t risk of them drying out or catching fire as well as having any smells from becoming overpowering , but close enough to prevent scavengers from roaming in to gnaw on.” Jaeden continues as he marked the bodies location along his draw up before pointing to the circle that covered it all. “The real problem with it all is the deadfall pikes they have set up around the whole camp. Like I said, they’re high enough that your horse won’t be able to jump them, and thick enough that he wouldn’t be able to simply charge through them without laming in the least. Further more, the encircled camp is small enough that even if you did manage to get the horse in there unharmed, there won’t be enough room for you to maneuver him around and fully utilize the advantage of mounted combat.” Jaeden once again fell silent, rubbing away flakes of mud once again as he thought. “Well, the way I see it, and jump in anytime with some ideas of your own, we have a couple of options. None of them are great, but they are options.” Jaeden then said as he looked up to Vargas once again. “The only way to have a more than ugly chance of winning is when they’re not in a defensive camp like they are now. They have to be out in the open, especially if you plan to charge them on your horse.” Jaeden said he brought his hands together, interlacing his fingers. “I’d likely be killed and added to the body pile if I just went in there acting like the idiot who didn’t know what they were walking into, so that’s out. As well, their training likely would keep them in camp and on higher alert if I just made my presence known with taunts and insults, trying to incite them into chasing me, so that’s out too. Likely the same with you acting as bait or distraction.” Jaeden then slowly held his hands out. “So what does that leave us with? The fight or flight option that they may have for one.” Jaeden then said, lowering himself to a seat along the ground. “I don’t want to try and burn them out of their camp with the oil. Since there’s been no rain for a short time, nor does it look like there will be one in the next day, the forest is a little dried up, and I’m not willing to risk a forest fire and enraging Caiyha over these guys. However, if we set up a good number of torches along the ground, especially in a formation and at a certain distance, then they may think that knights or a large number of opposition is approaching, and flee. However, the drawback to this is that they may wait to see if they’re actually approaching, and not actually run at all when they see the torch lights not getting any closer.” Jaeden then held up two fingers. “The second option is that we wait for them to break camp. We already know the general direction their heading based on their tracks so far and it’s obvious that with what they’re doing in camp right now they haven’t reached their final destination yet. We can likely move ahead and set up an ambush of our own.” Jaeden then suggested as he lowered his and again. “Two of them are wasting time playing dice instead of sleeping, and it’s not likely the two on guard now will be on guard all night. Even if they are, any way you look at it, two of them will be sleep deprived, sluggish in their movement by the following day. We’ll lose the element of being covered by night time, but right now with their pike defenses, that’s not a extremely viable solution anyhow. I could even possibly set up a few traps for them to trip along the way to if we wait for them to move on from camp to wherever it is they’re heading.”

[Harlequill]

Vargas listened to Jaeden's report as he would the report of any scout, and he was beginning to weigh the young man's opinion more heavily than he normally did a stranger. This hunter knew his stuff. Though his techniques could be polished by a few more years of experience, and his skills were not those of a seasoned veteran, he clearly had more potential than most other men his age. Whatever the gods had in store for Jaeden, Vargas was sure that the young man would go on to do great things. That is, if they didn't get skewered by these body-snatching bandits. "I think that taking our best guess at which direction they are headed is the only viable choice. If I'd brought even a few men with me, or if Markus were here, then I think we could take them here and now. As you have pointed out, we lack either of those things. We should make sure that our path swings widely out around their camp, we do not want to risk them hearing me out in the darkness. If they become suspicious they may cross their trail several more times before continuing on their journey." Vargas peered up at the branches thoughtfully. "Keeping in mind their sluggishness, we will also have the benefit of surprise. That is, if we manage to pull off the ambush without alerting them. I believe the biggest reason to proceed with that plan is the help of my mount. If I can manage even one charge with the lance we will even the odds considerably. Men have trouble holding morale with a heavy horse galloping toward them." The veteran had very little else to add, so he trailed off and stared into the darkness. It was if he was trying to see their camp through the gloom and weigh the odds of their success in the morning. His hand moved to loosen his sword in its sheath, as his horse pawed the ground once. Then he came back to himself and looked to Jaeden. "Lead on boy. We'll do it your way."

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden just gave a nod, pushing himself off the ground. “Alright then. We should have about seven bells before sun rise.” Jaeden commented, looking up to the sky for a moment. “We’ll figure on them setting out during that time. I’ll spend two hours setting a couple of traps for them to hopefully walk into. If they set one of them off, a resounding scream should let us know what direction they’ll be coming from and allow us a little time to make any last moment movement to ambush location. Lend me one of your daggers though, so I can avoid using my cooking knife. Because, you know, that’s what I use to prepare food with and all?” Jaeden then just turned right from the direction of the camp and began walking, remaining silent, though Vargas could likely hear him mumbling out a count if he listened closely. A few moments had passed before he suddenly turned left, and began walking once again, this time moving further. If Vargas were to count the number of steps Jaeden took, he would discover it was double the number of paces he had mentioned in distance to the camp where they originally were at during the scouting. Finally, Jaeden took another turn, walking in strait lines and making quarter turns every time he changed direction. He knew the wild lands well enough that he could have simply circled around to the other side of the camp, but in the dark, and with the sensitivities to sound issue at the moment, he felt it safer just making sure he knew where they would be ending up. The whole trip took about a quarter of a bells time, give or take a few chimes when they paused in order to not stir the wild life, forcing them to echo out calls of warning through out the forest. Jaeden remained silent as he spied around the area for a short time, inspecting the terrain. He finally looked to Vargas, pulling the rope free from where he had it slung at his shoulder. “Alright, if you wanted to scout for potential ambush spots, I’ll begin setting up some traps?” Jaeden then suggested.

[Harlequill]

Vargas gave Jaeden a crisp salute, for good luck, and with a grin he rode into the darkness in search of an ambush spot. Now that combat loomed on the horizon he seemed to be in spirits which were entirely too high for this situation. In truth it had just been too long since he was in the thick of the action. The chance to test his skills in combat once again seemed to outweight the customary tension and fear which nestled in the gut before a fight. As Jaeden worked toward placing his traps the forest was quiet. Moonlight was sprinkled on the forest floor, broken by the leaves above him. There was very little wind, and at this time of night the only noises were those of the occasional owl or bat snatching something up in the darkness. While working toward his ends the hunter heard a rustle among the leaves to his right. Something was coming toward him. Before the tension could mount a brown and white blur flashed through the night and came to a stop in front of him. A little forest rabbit, nose twitching nervously and eyes gazing up at him, came to a stop directly in front of him. It sat there for only a few shakes of its little tail before bounding off into the bushes.