"All the more reason to shake them so we can get the jump on them instead of the other way around." Mike led them up the path into the trees, walking briskly enough that they soon had enough distance from their followers to be out of sight. "There, that thicket looks like enough cover. Let's hide there and see what this is all about."
(I guess we should probably discuss these henchmen dudes and figure out exactly what they're gonna do. Idk if you had a plan for them? I can see where Torres might ask them to follow Tanrial to give her a dire warning or maybe some kind of message from Torres himself? Or perhaps a fight to test their skill and resolve. Just throwing out ideas here, if you had something in mind already that's totally fine XD)
(Just checking in to see if you're doing okay? I haven't heard from you in a little while (no pressure though of course))
(Sorry, had a busy couple days and will be busy the rest of the weekend, ooft, who knew I had a social life, not me. To answer your previous question about the story line, we could tie the whole thing in with Ryker somehow? Like, maybe Torres used to work for him or something and knows his plans and gives them a warning?)
(No sweat, glad it's not bad news or anything ^^ And that could work! I actually had some plans for Torres in the future, so developing his role in the story could be a good idea. I'm not sure if he'll be a good guy or a bad guy though…maybe sort of a chaotic neutral XD I'm actually not supposed to be online rn since today's part of my day-without-internet experiment, but that sounds good to me and I'll be glad to get back into it when we're both ready!)
(chaotic neutral = me in my friend group. Sounds like a good idea. I'll be busy tomorrow so I won't be able to reply but I've got Monday off so I should be able to reply story wise then :))
(Haha nice XDD I'll see you after the weekend then! ^^)
(nervous laughter So uh, sorry, um, school was crazy but I promise I'll be more active, hopefully. Except Thursday as I have a drama excursion…)
"Let's just hope there's a good explanation." Tanrial muttered, quickly climbing into the mess of undergrowth for cover. The men seemed to have gained ground quickly, and they weren't too far off as muffled voice could just be heard.
(no worries! Take all the time you need ^^)
Bernon just barely managed to quietly tumble into hiding before the strangers rounded the corner. Mike watched them pass with narrowed eyes, listening carefully to see if their discussion would shed light on their intentions.
"Where'd they go?" A dark brown haired man asked, glancing around the trees somewhat nervously.
"For the last time, I dunno. But if we don't find them Torres will 'ave our heads in," The other, a blonde, replied, clearly slightly annoyed by the other, "That whole Ryker business has him in a frenzy recently, I'll be glad when he's finally over it, if he ever is."
(btw is it all right if they have a handwritten message from Torres also? I just had an idea for that >.<)
Mike listened carefully, still unsure what the two men were planning. Bernon glanced at Tanrial. What do we do? Think we should confront them, or try to hide until they're gone?
(Ooft, sure thing)
Tanrial shrugged a shoulder, Maybe wait a little longer. See what else they have to say.
The two men were quiet for a moment before the blonde spoke, “You still have the note, right? Because if you’ve lost it again I’ll-“
“Woah! Calm down, I still have it,” He patted a pocket on his jacket, “I learnt from my previous mistake.”
(ty!)
A note? Brernon tilted his head. Wonder if it's for us…?
Mike tensed up as if he'd come to a decision and glanced at Tanrial, motioning for them to step into the open.
(spud bud… hehe)
Tanrial narrowed her eyes at him then nodded a little, making a move to stand. Once the three were out in the open, the two men finally spotted them.
"Found them!"
"Well aren't you an observant one today…."
(lol XD )
Mike kept his hand free where he could reach his knife, but didn't draw it yet. "I'll get to the point," he said. "What do you guys want with us? I take it Torres sent you?"
(pterodactyl noises)
The blonde guy nodded and took a small step closer, eyeing him carefully, "He did. He has a message for you three."
The other pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, out stretching his hand for them to take it.
"A message?" Bernon took the note with a frown. "Is that really all? We were….kind of expecting you guys to attack us or something."
"He didn't mean to sound so disappointed when he said that," Mike added drily. "We’re totally fine with it if you don't want to fight."
"Fight? No, no we don't want to fight, I've done enough of that already," The blonde shrugged, "We just wanted to deliver that note to you guys."
"Okay….." Mike glanced at the others. "If that's all, I guess we'll be on our way now. Bernon, you can read the note once we're on our way a bit." He nodded at the two men. "Thanks, I guess."
(School open night = the day where you’re allowed to sit on senior floor with Lots of Easter eggs…)
“No problem!” The brown gave them a two fingered a salute before turning away.
“You’re welcome, but please be safe. Or, even safer then you’re already being. These woods are no longer safe for anybody to be traveling through.” The blonde sighed and then followed his companion.
(Wow, sounds….fun??)
"No kidding," Mike muttered under his breath, watching them go with a furrowed brow.
Bernon nudged him and turned to head the other way. "Come on, let's just go. I'll read the note aloud while we walk."
Mike nodded and they started up the path. Bernon studied the note for a minute, then started to read.
To Tanrial Yngreen and Company,
I understand you may be confused by your experiences this afternoon, so I shall attempt to explain with suitable clarity and brevity. Den Ys is a lovely little town with a bright future, and is something of a hobby of mine as well. You may have gathered that the map-maker and the mayor of Den Ys are one-and-the-same. The villagers, however, are not aware of this. (I'll admit I don't have a legitimate reason to keep up this charade at the moment, but it is entertaining.)
Now, as part of my efforts to create a reliable industry for Den Ys, I forged a trade alliance with my neighbor, Mr. Maxwell Ryker. It is a bit unfortunate that your group shut him down, but at the same time….well, he was not the most savory character, was he? Perhaps his absence will encourage more people to settle here in the long run.
On that note, I would like to warn you: Mr. Ryker is not a man who gives up easily. Currently I am trying to monitor his movements, and my guess is that he will attempt to get revenge on you at some point. To finish up this message, I'd like to say that I'm aware of your planned journey to the coast and have taken an interest–I would like to help you. If you are ever in dire need of someone's help, show them the seal at the end of this letter and they will provide assistance. All I ask in return is that you find Mr. Roger Bartal once you reach the West Coast. He's a good friend of mine (and may have forgotten that he owes me a fair amount of money, so please remind him). He'll help you if he can.
Best regards,
Zachary Torres
(It kinda was, yeah)
Tanrial raised a brow, scratching at the back of her neck, "Well that's… interesting yet… I don't even know anymore. I mean, yeah, I'm glad he cleared a few things up but why would you fool an entire town into thinking your…" She sighed, jumping over a rock.
"I've met his type," Mike growled. "I'll bet he's one of the stupidly rich eccentrics who used to own property somewhere around here. Sounds like he's still rich enough to call an entire village a 'pet project'–and self-absorbed enough to mess with other people for his own amusement. I don't trust him, whether he's offering to help or not."
Bernon reread the letter silently, frowning. "What I don't understand is how he knows so much about us. Have we accidentally befriend a spy? If so, who? And if not…..well….how else could he know about our plans?"
“That means somebody at the meeting is working for him, right? I mean, most people have gone now so really it has to be anybody from the village, Polla and that included.”
"If there is a spy," Mike said, "It's either a villager or one of Ryker's people. This Torres guy seems like someone who likes to be way ahead of the game….it makes sense to me that he'd put a spy in Ryker's base just on principle. And if this spy is one of his kids–"
"No, that doesn't make any sense," Bernon argued. "The kids were too loyal to go against Ryker like that, and anyway most of them were never allowed aboveground. I think it's much more likely that the spy was one of the scientists or guards, who then managed to escape after we attacked them. Or disguised himself and came back to the lake with us, I guess."
Mike thought about it with a deep frown for a few minutes. "What about Rick? I hate to cast doubt on him since he seems like a good man….but he kinda showed up out of nowhere, and he admitted himself that he'll accept any well-paying job, so he can't have very high morals. Plus he's been gone quite a bit lately….he claims he's visiting Fear and Snatch, but he could be reporting our plans to Torres instead…"
Bernon glanced worriedly at Tanrial. "I don't know….what do you think, Tanrial?"
Tanrial scratched at the back of her head, frowning slightly, "Well, I don't think we should rule out Rick, he could have been visiting Torres instead of Fear… I highly doubt the kids are spies, too. Like you said, Bernon, the kids are way too loyal to Ryker to spy."
"Right. Or they were, anyway. I doubt they have much loyalty to him anymore after yesterday." Bernon sighed and glanced at the sky above the trees. Then he frowned and looked again. "That's weird."
"What?" Mike glanced at him.
"The clouds," Bernon said, pointing.
Through a gap in the branches, it was possible to see what he was talking about. Up until now, the sky had been a smooth, reluctant greyish-blue. But ahead of them, a veritable wall of dark clouds loomed up, sweeping off in a great curve on either side and towering incredibly high. All was still, as if the clouds had been frozen in place, but lightning flashed silently in the depths.
"Soooo, I know magic and stuff is like, common now but….. that is not normal, is it? I'm right, aren't I?"
Bernon's face crinkled up in confusion. "It's not this common anywhere else I've been, that's for sure. What are we gonna do?"
Mike looked like he hated the idea, but said it anyway. "If we want to get back to Polla's village, we have to head for that….storm, or whatever it is. Let's just keep our heads down and try not to linger, and maybe nothing bad will happen. Not to us specifically, at least."
"And you know this, how?" Tanrial raised a brow, "Every time you say 'Maybe nothing bad will happen' something bad happens, have you ever watched a horror movie?"
"I don't even know what a horror movie is," Mike replied with a shrug. "Look, I'm not saying I'm certain of anything, but I do know that the sooner we get back to the lake, the better. If you have a way to increase our odds of survival, I'd be glad to hear it. Either way, the only road back is the one we're on now, and I really don't want to get lost on top of everything else. Fair enough?"
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