[Flashback]Veterans and Hunters

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a slow nod as Vargas road off. With a quick exhale, he soon began looking around the terrain, his mind slowly working towards what he might make for the traveling bandit’s to encounter. He took a quick account of the area, judging which terrain would offer the least resistance to walk for men carrying bodies. It would be likely they would still be trying to cover their tracks, but for the beginning lengths of their journey, they will likely go strait path, looking to make good time before trying to throw off any in pursuit So Jaeden went with simplicity for his first trap, as he began to collect a large number of short sticks. With one of the daggers Vargas had left behind, Jaeden began to sharpen the both ends of each of the sticks. The points he put on them weren’t painstakingly labored over as the points were no sharper that one would find on a stake for anchoring tent posts. In the end, with their intended purpose, and the lack of heavy armor the bandits wore, they didn’t need to be fine points either. Jaeden finally knelt to the ground and one by one, he plunged the stakes into the ground as the wooden spikes lined the ground, concealed by the thick foliage, in a teen square foot area. Jaeden then took a long length of the rope he had, cutting it free before finally stringing a trip cord across the path in front of the spikes themselves. With any hope, one of the bandits carrying the bodies would trip, falling into the spikes. His own weight, and possible the weight of the body that burdened him would be more that sufficient to plunge the spikes through his armor and into his body. Jaeden looked over the area once again, making last moment adjustments to the foliage to conceal the trap even more. Jaeden then moved along, not bothering to mark the area with any indicator to where the trap was. Vargas and him wouldn’t be in the area for the ambush to need the reminder in the long run, and he would just simply need to search carefully for it if they made it out of the whole ordeal alive when he wanted to retrieve his rope, and take down the trap prevent further injury to stray roamers of the forest. Once again, Jaeden began searching looking back in the direction of the camp every now and then, for a suitable place to set up his next trap. Jaeden finally settled on an open spacing between two trees with the ground running slightly uphill, giving the trees a higher leverage when approaching them. The grass was tall and the tree’s thick. He searched then for a short time, until coming across a maple tree. Climbing up a short distance, Jaeden slid out the wood man’s axe from under his belt. Subtle swings were taken as he began cutting off one of the thick, long limbs to the tree. He was far enough away that the distance wouldn’t likely carry back to the bandit’s camp, especially with the sounds of rattling dice and gambling going on from two of them. Stripping the limb of it’s extra branches, Jaeden kept of few of the thicker ones for use in the trap itself, shaving off all of it’s leaves and twigs. The limb itself stretched to a length of seven feet, with it being close to six inches thick at it’s base, so overall it wasn’t a huge struggle to carry back to the area he intended it’s use. He soon sat down near the tree, looking over the area for a moment as he began taking some of the branches he had cut away from the limb, and sharpening fine points to the end of them. Reaching into his pocket, Jaeden pulled out a length of twine he normally used for snaring animals. He then began fixing the sharpened sticks tightly to the end of the limb. If this trap was triggered and successful, it would mean sacrificing his snare, but in the end it would be a small sacrifice and he could always find some wild vine in the forest to use as a substitute until he replaced it. Jaeden then moved to cut down a shorter, thick limb from a nearby tree this time, this one only about two feet in length and three inches thick. He used the axe to put a dull point along one of the ends before slowly walking over to the tree. The thick stake was then painstakingly hammered into ground using the back head of his axe. Jaeden took his time with this, laying a folded piece of cloth over the top of the stake to deaden the noise such activities would make even further. Jaeden then dragged the limb over towards the tree, slipping it between the tree itself and the thick stake he had hammered into the ground, so that the base of the limb itself would be braced along the tree, and bend back against the thick stake itself. The front end of the limb itself extended out to the center of the spacing between the tree’s themselves, the several spikes at it’s end pointing strait out towards anyone passing between the trees. Several more sticks were then gathered, two which formed a slight “y” shape as the branch split off into two separate paths. Jaeden walked a small distance to the side of the tree the trap had been set along. With sharpened ends, Jaeden plunged the two “Y” shaped branches into the ground next to each other, with the split of the branches facing downward. Another strait wooden spike with a groove cut into it’s center was driven into the ground five inches behind them. inches. Jaeden then walked further up, stopping just a few feet ahead of the two trees. He then knelt to the ground, plunging another stake into the ground, the top of the stake curving slightly, the curve itself facing away from the tree. Pulling out more of his rope, Jaeden then moved back towards the long limb, tying one end around the limb itself, just below where the spikes along it ended about one third of the way down the limb itself. He began unraveling the rope as he walked back to the stake he had just planted, slipping the rope along it, just under the curve. More length was then ran before he set it down, the end falling a few feet short of the three stakes he had first plunged into the earth. He gave a quick exhale, sitting himself down as he grabbed three more sticks. One of them he left untouched, simply laying it in front of the two “Y” shaped stakes. The second was laid between the space between the strait stake and two “Y” shaped stakes, it’s length just slightly longer than the two, it’s ends cut into a steeple edge. The remaining length of Jaeden’s rope was tied to this stick and left laying there. Before moving on to the third stick, Jaeden ran the remaining length of his rope strait across the path that lead in between the trees, anchoring the other end down and taking up any slack. The total length only ran about fifteen feet, and would be well concealed by the tall grasses in the area, making the trip wire which now rested a mere foot in front of the trees. Jaeden then walked back over to the grouping of spikes he had set up on the other side as he began to cut a groove near the top of the final stick, the shortest of all three of them being only three inches long. He picked up the end of the rope that was tied to the large limb and tied it to the other end of the stick, looking up to the limb for a moment as he gave a slow exhale. The rope then went taught, the muscles along Jaeden’s arms bulged slightly, as he began to pull the rope back towards the set up of branches a few feet away. The long limb slowly began to bend back, curving along it’s brace as Jaeden got into a low crouch, approaching the spike set up along the ground. The fibers in the limb whined slightly, being bent to the stretching point, but the flexibility of maple wood prevented it from suddenly snapping as it was bent back almost by ninety degrees. Jaeden reached out with his one hand, keeping his grip firm along the rope with the other, as he grabbed the stick that rested along the ground just below the “Y” shaped spikes. He pulled it upward until it nestled under the curves of those particular branches before pulling the rope even further, hooking the stick that was tied off to the long limb over the top of the nestled branch. He then grabbed the branch that was tied off to the trip line, pulling it upward slightly until the steeple ends of that stick locked into the grooves cut into back spike, and the stick that the long limb was tied off to. Tension from the long limb along locked the whole set up into place, tension that wouldn’t be released until someone tripped the rope to the trap itself. Jaeden fell to a seated position, giving a slow exhale. His ears twitched slightly, hearing the beats of hooves and the jingle of armor approaching. Looking up, he noticed Vargas riding past the trap, slowing to a stop as Jaeden motioned to him, pointing out the lengths of rope. “Has it been two bells already?” Jaeden inquired idly as he looked to Vargas. His eyes then looked over the trap. “I’ve got a spiked whip trap set up, anchored by a toggle set up for the trip wire. If one of them is hit by it, they should die or at the very least be taken out of the fight completely. These things can kill bears.” Jaeden then slowly stood up, brushing his hands off along his pants. “Give me another couple of chimes to grab some plants to conceal the spike whip itself and we’ll head to what you may have found.” Jaeden then said as he began gathering foliage from the surrounding area to conceal the bulk of the trap itself, as well as some to slip along the other side, so it didn’t look like just one side was suspiciously abundant with the plant growth.

[Harlequill]

Vargas eyed the complicated contraption dubiously. "Tough way for a man to die." He wasn't sure how he felt about laying these traps, but they were outnumbered. They needed to even the odds. If this was the only way to do it then he would have to swallow his objections for now. These men were murderers and body snatchers, he had nothing to feel guilty about. The darkness had done nothing to dim the warmth of summer. As Jaeden finished his preparations and set out toward the ambush location with Vargas, their surroundings seemed to ooze heat and unpleasant insects. Fortunately it had not rained lately, so it was a dry heat and the insects were not as plentiful as they were after a summer rain. Even the old Knight had been able to approximate a fairly straight line. His previous paths were relatively easy to follow without bending down, for Jaeden at least. That horse of his cleared a wide path of vegetation each time it moved through an area. Hopefully the traps would be enough to keep their enemy from noticing the recent marks of horse. "I checked the area as best I could. If they keep going in the same direction, and choose the easier paths, then they will come over a bridge which is only a little bit further. Once they start to move, on foot with bodies to carry, I figure we'll have between two and three bells before they get there. The only alternative is to ford the stream somewhere else. Given how steep the banks are they are unlikely to waste the effort just to avoid the bridge. I suppose it depends on how suspicious they are once they get through your traps." With Jaeden's knowledge of the wilderness and Vargas' horse they moved more quickly than the average traveler would through the dense brush and trees. One bell later they found themselves approaching an old but well preserved wooden bridge, spanning a narrow but steep chasm which had been dug by a narro stream. The sound of running water was rather pleasant, and it felt cooler here than it had during their walk.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a nod as his foot worked over the ground, checking the footing. Sweat ran down his brow from the line of his bangs, the clear liquid slightly beginning to clean away the mud that still lined his face slightly as droplets of murky sweat dropped down from his chin and brow. “I’ll trust your judgment, you’d have more experience in battle tactics than I would in the long run.” Jaeden commented as he looked to the sky for a moment. “Let’s figure on two bells before them getting here. That should leave us a total of nearly before they arrive. We should use that time to sleep.” “It should be about five bells before sunrise which is likely when I’ll wake.” Jaeden said as he began moving down towards the stream. “I never seem to be able to sleep through the rising light of the sun in the long run. Did you want to sleep in another bell or did you want me to wake you when I do?” Jaeden the slowly crouched down to the waters at his feet, dipping his hands into it as he began washing away the dried dirt still clinging to his skin. “With any luck, my traps will be successful and we’ll only be facing three, instead of five.” Jaeden said with an almost hopeful tone in his voice. His hands then cupped, bringing up the pooled clear water to his face as he began scrubbing away the mud he had spread over his face there. A couple of splashes rinsed away the dingy streaks of muddy water that streaked down his skin before he dipped his head entirely into the water for a short moment, cooling his head. “And if the bodies are still important at that point, the three remaining will each be carrying one, leaving them open for an initial attack during the ambush.” Jaeden then pulled his water skin free from it’s place at his waist. Uncorking the top, he dipped it down into the waters, slowly filling it. “You have an idea how you want to signal the start?” Jaeden then asked, looking up to Vargas. “I’m assuming you’ll want to make a charge on horseback.”

[Harlequill]

"Sleep is a good idea. If I'm not already awake, wake me when you greet the dawn. I'll need some help getting my armor on in the morning, if you don't mind. I can do it myself, but it takes awhile these days." He smirked and moved over the bridge to the opposite side of the stream. After dismounting he began to prepare them a cold meal from his saddlebags, overly cautious about using fire at this point. Some hard biscuits were produced, as was some jerky. Though he offered Jaeden some of the biscuits he let the younger man enjoy the taste of the meat they had cooked earlier. "A full meal might be pushing it, but after the work your put in on those traps I imagine a snack would set well. I forgot how hot this armor can get in the summer." Between bites the knight removed bits of his armor one at a time. It was clear that years of habit had given Vargas a certain routine in regards to camping for the night. Once his armor was off he removed the barding and the saddle from his horse. He attached a feedbag, a horse of this caliber required more than grazing to satisfy its needs for energy. As it munched away happily he took out a brush and went over his mount with the soft bristles. Once satisfied with the state of the horses' coat he examined its hooves and ran his hands over its legs. This task completed, he sat next to his armor and went to work. As he sat down on the dirt he examined his shield for dents or scratches before setting it aside and drawing his sword. Resting it over his lap he peered at the edge and the surface of the blade. A few careful applications of oil and it was ready to return to the sheath, he had not seen any combat since last resting and so the edge was undamaged. He took care to examine every strap, buckle, and inch of metal on his platemail. While a layperson often believed the armor of the knight to be rather simple, it was incredibly complex to fit and maintain properly. With his repair kit he polished away a few scratches on the surface of the pauldrons and chest plate. As with his sword there was little actual wear since his previous examination. "Have you ever ambushed a man? I don't mean to question your skills, I remember you mentioning previous combat, but I know that planning the deaths of five men is a little different than killing one as he's coming at you." Though he apologized Vargas still kept an eye on Jaeden as he polished his armor. He didn't know much about the hunter, and he wanted to make sure that Jaeden was comfortable with the actions that were necessary here.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slowly raised his hand, shaking his head slowly. “Thanks, but I’m still doing pretty good after all that meat from when I wondered into your camp. Besides, you’ll want those rations for your ride him. We’re over a days ride away from Syliras after all.” Jaeden replied, slowly pulling off the foliage that had strapped around his body. Subtle tosses sent them flying towards the ground head of them. Jaeden’s routine for camping out under the stars was a little less complex in the long run as he simply took a moment to beat the grasses to scare away any snakes and then did a simple examination for irritable insects and poisonous plant life. He then just did a quick graze for random rocks or unearthed roots that would stick into his back before settling into a comfortable place for sleep. Jaeden simply shook his head slightly. “Haven’t had the opportunity to ambush men. Most of the time, if I run into trouble, it’s coincidental. Wrong place, wrong time sort of thing.” Jaeden explained as he began leaning back, slipping his hands behind his head. “I’ve ambushed some animals though. However, if you have a particular plan, I’m open for listening.”

[Harlequill]

"We won't need a complicated plan, really. I wager the odds of five of them making it to this bridge are very slim. With the benefit of surprise, and the added difficulties of their burden, it will be quick and bloody. There's a chance one or both of us could be injured, but its more likely that we'll butcher them before they get a chance to clear their hands of corpses. If we surprise them. As he spoke he rolled another smoke and lifted it to his lips. Licking it, and rolling it around with his mouth for a moment, he looked at Jaeden. "I'll need to find a good spot to lay low before I go to sleep, but the only real question is if you're alright with this. When the blood starts flying and men start screaming, its a lot harder to finish it when you know you're shooting fish in a barrel. At least, that's been my experience. Markus would say it has to do with the ethics of combat." Without lighting the smoke he let it hang from the corner of his mouth, and went back to polishing his armor.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden’s eyes slowly gazed up to what little of the sky he could see through the forest canopy above. Silent as he listened to Vargas’ words. He finally just let out a slow exhale escape his lips before stifling a yawn. “Vargas, my parents and sister were tossed into our burning home while they were still alive when I was six, all while I was about two hundred paces away, hiding behind a small hill. I wandered for weeks after, dodging slavers and wild animals. I was taken in by my Mentor, Olevar, and raised in the Wild Lands for sixteen years, and have been on my own now for another two now.” Jaeden said as he looked over to Vargas. “I’ve lived from day to day, confronted with slavers and brigands. With hunting down animals for food in a place were most of them would make me the meal.”

He then looked back up to the sky. Falling silent for another moment. “I don’t tend to like violence, but when the time comes, you won’t find any hesitation on my part. Individuals such as those who would kill people and steal the bodies? They deserve no hesitation, especially when it comes to the difference between it being either them or me dying. I know they won’t hesitate. So, yeah, I’ll be okay with it.” Jaeden continued before looking up the sky as a light cloud passed overhead, glowing by the moon’s light. “Ah, the clouds are just as nice sometimes during the night as they are during the day. Don’t you think?”

It wouldn’t be long before Jaeden’s eyes began to get heavy. His practice of falling to sleep even while in uncomfortable sleeping spots tested well enough that it would only take him a few short moments to fall asleep when he began trying. “Make sure you step light if you move somewhere else to sleep.” Jaeden muttered to Vargas as he turned slightly. “The brush is tall in this area.”

[Harlequill]

Vargas looked up at the sky, nodding with a solemn expression on his face. "The clouds truly are beautiful, I agree. See you in the morning boy." As Jaeden drifted off to sleep Vargas stood, collecting only his sword, and stepped carefully into the brush. He would spend the time left before he slept locating a good angle of attack for he and his horse to lay in wait. Mounting a charge in the forest was a difficult proposition. Factor in the time delay between any signal given by Jaeden and the arrival of Vargas, and picking a suitable hiding spot became even more difficult. Fortunately the trail leading away from the bridge straightened out for a good ten yards before it began to wind among the trees. This meant that once he did arrive on the scene, he would have time to build up the proper momentum for a charge. When the old man returned to camp he sat on the ground and watched Jaeden sleep. It was a wonder he had never had a son of his own. Looking over the younger man he saw an opportunity lost. This train of thought was not enough to keep him awake, and soon his chin was lolling against his chest and his eyes were slipping shut. He fell asleep on the opposite side of the camp. The first bell of the night passed uneventfully. As was observed earlier the sky remained calm. Stifling heat was less noticeable when a man was wrapped in the comforting embrace of sleep, though it may have colored their dreams with images of sweating and exertion. Clouds began to gather. Though it would be clear in daylight that they held no rain, they obscured much of the meager light offered by the moon. In the darkness a creature stirred. Placing one paw in front of the other with extreme care, it began to creep toward the sleeping figures. Not a sound was made that could be detected by sleeping ears as it belly crawled toward the helpless men. Vargas' horse snorted softly, pawing at the dirt with an ironshod hoof. It smelled meat, and it would not be deterred. For several days the creature had gone without food. Predators often suffered these little dryspells, for not every hunt could be a success. As it slunk between the two men it felt the primal surge of victory, though it did not possess a mind keen enough to actually comprehend the concept. Silence was broken by the noise of a man's anguished screaming. Pawprints could be heard stamping on the dirt as a bobcat fled into the woods with a scrap of meat from Jaeden's pack. As the men awoke they had gotten only a single bell's rest. That left four until dawn. Their prey must have begun traveling only shortly after they had. From the sound of things, they had already reached the second trap. Whoever had been struck by it had received a crippling glancing blow. His screams of pain and horror continued to echo through the darkened woods. They went silent abruptly. It had not been the wound which killed him.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden’s eyes shot open as he sat up, his hand quickly reaching for the hilt of his sword at the echoing yell in the distance. Stars danced in his still clearing vision as he spotted a bob cat fleeing from their camp, a piece of meat hanging from it’s mouth. “Great.” Jaeden muttered under his breath as he looked over towards Vargas for a moment. They dying echo of the man’s scream in the distance alerted Jaeden that their time for sleep was then over and in a light whisper he said to Vargas, “Well, they certainly don’t waste time.”

Jaeden quickly stood up, slapping the side of his face a couple of times to chase away any drowsiness that linger in his head, fogging his thoughts. He slowly held out his hand to Vargas, offering him aid to his feet if he needed before grabbing his sword and unsheathing it. “If they’re within earshot, we don’t have time to put your armor back on.” Jaeden commented in a quiet tone as his eyes quickly looked down to the bridge for a moment. “I trust you have a spot you’re going to charge from?”

Jaeden then pointed his sword towards the bridge. “I’ll take position under the bridge. When they’ve crossed it, I’ll let out a bird call to let you know. They’ll likely be distracted by the sound for a short moment which will allow you time to start your charge at them.” Jaeden explained quietly, speaking and thinking quickly. “When their attentions turn to the sounds of your charge, that’s when I’ll come up from behind. We won’t have them surrounded, but at least we’ll be forcing them to face a two front battle. Hopefully I can take one of them down before you even reach us.”

Jaeden then waited for any further comments or ideas that Vargas had himself on the matter. When their quick planning was concluded, he slowly began making his way towards the bridge, slowly climbing down along the side hill of the stream as his feet dipped into the cooled waters. He then came to rest just short of of the shore on his side of the bridge and began to breath more slowly, quietly. His heart was already beating a little quicker and he took a slow, deep breath to calm himself. It likely wouldn’t be long. He just hoped that their foes suffered from the same amount of fatigue from lack of sleep as they did, and that both him and Vargas would make it out of this confrontation alive.

[Harlequill]

Vargas took the little time they had to strap on his breastplate. While he had to admit that there just was not time to get into his full plate, he could not see himself going into combat completely unarmored. As an after thought he strapped on his arm-guards. More precious moments were lost as he saddled his horse and climbed up into place with his sword on his waist, and a shield and lance in his hands. "Watch your back boy, and hope they aren't watching theirs." With a push of his heels the horse was off. There wasn't enough time for any complicated last exchanges before combat. As quickly as that the old knight was gone, and the only thing that would call him back was a bird in Jaeden's mouth. The heat seemed even more stifling than it had been on their journey. It could be adrenaline, or it could be heat from the coming morning. When he found himself down in the water it was cooler, and less difficult to maintain focus. At first. Tiny things, slippery things, were disturbed by his feet in the water. When he came to a stop just short of the shore he felt something wriggling around with him in there. Whatever it was, it was not large enough to cause him any physical harm. At least as far as he knew. Concentrating was an entirely different matter. Four men came into view. One of them held a torch, in the center of the group. One warrior walked out in front, and two men dragged four corpses in the back on a wide litter. Their hands were completely full with the mess. Either they had spotted Jaeden's first trap or they had merely missed it by a few paces, but the second trap had claimed the life of a foe. His blood was still fresh, and it left a wide trail behind them. It was up to Jaeden how long he wanted to wait before letting out the call. The men could probably cross the bridge in the time that it took for Vargas to arrive, unless they paused to listen to the strange sound. If he timed it right he may be able to have all of them on the bridge. It came down to which side of caution he would rather err on.