Lightstar Family/Xarnelf/Roleplay 90
Mission Improbable III
Apelen
The Duke of Idapur grinned darkly as he went over his latest mind-boggling plan. It reminded him quite a bit of that battle in Taop, so long ago, when he had requested Armando to lead his cavalry in a wild, up-front skirmish formation at the walls in the hopes of drawing enemy fire. At the time, it seemed like a good idea--though it did not quite work out as planned--but this coming battle would hopefully be different.
The old bastard had a trick up his sleeve, which would either work to give them an amazing advantage, or it would fail miserably. In either case, the three of them were not going to stick around long enough to care which outcome presented itself that night.
With a sparkle in his eye, he turned in his seat and gazed back over his shoulder at the cumbersome ballista-on-wheels, which was being dragged by a handful of his cavalrymen. Xarnelf chuckled and wished Tharion was here to lead the charge with him...
Hatdhes
"M'lord! The crank is jammed up! I need more time to fix it!"
"You have until I reach the walls, so hurry it up, soldier!"
Xarnelf turned to see Kenshue's men advancing slowly in a line toward the walls and then shook his head in disappointment. Some miscommunication must have occurred, but it was too late now to remedy the situation. Thus, the duke raised his walking stick and then dropped it to point at the walls of Hatdhes, calling out simply, "Go!"
As he and his line of cavalrymen pulled up abreast of the infantry, the hero expected Kenshue or his captain to sound their charge, but nothing happened. They continued to advance in a slow, albeit orderly formation. Growling in frustration, but seeing no way to communicate across the field to them that they should pick up the pace--and having no way to slow his own momentum-gaining charge, Xarnelf turned his attention forwards.
They would be the first at the walls, apparently, so he hoped that the ballista would fire off a heavy bolt at the doors to open the way for him. He arrived within the enemy's range, and still there was no missile. This battle was definitely not proceeding as planned. With no other choice but to halt his advance, Xarnelf called out, "Break and taunt!" and his command was relayed by a series of horn notes.
He had prepared for this possibility and thus had trained his men accordingly. They now performed admirably some fifty yards away from the walls, as everyone slowed their charge to a swift stop, turned their horses about face, and then stood up in their stirrups to shake their armored backsides at the enemy staring in surprise from atop the walls.
That produced exactly the hoped-for response: the gate was promptly opened, and the Duke of Hatdhes himself led his infantry out in indignation. Grinning widely, Xarnelf signaled for a new charge towards this most accessible of targets, and his men quickly turned themselves around to get ready. Meanwhile, Kenshue's infantry were still taking their time, so they arrived at the cavalry's previous position when the cavalry crashed against the enemy.
Neglecting to draw his blade, the hero put himself directly in line with Dohmer, who seemed none too happy, and then waited for the last moment to... pull out the magnificent walking stick gifted to him by Tharion? The sight of the totally unexpected item must have given the Soliferite duke quite a shock, for his defenses were not in place when Xarnelf struck. With the walking stick. Over and over like a mace, or perhaps a morning star.
Dohmer fell back wounded, though surely his pride hurt more than the physical blows, and then the Aenilic infantry finally arrived to bolster the hero's line. The enemy withdrew within the walls, and the archers began loosing their volleys in earnest now.
Xarnelf nodded to Kenshue, reminding him to call his own retreat once the cavalry were safely away. As the Duke of Idapur rushed back towards Adaria's line, he glared menacingly at the ballista attendants, who still had not fixed the contraption.
Escape
He tunneled north and was spotted. Then, he tried south the next day to the same results. Undeterred, the hero attempted west the following day, but guards saw him just as he was leaving. East proved to be the same. They seemed to have heard of his near-legendary ability to escape from prisons in the past and literally surrounded the place with sentries to capture him again if he tried anything funny.
There was only one direction left to go. Thus, on the fourth night, Xarnelf dug upwards and sneaked over the top of all the posted guards, who were busy staring at the ground for a new hole to appear. The duke almost slipped and fell over the wall in the dark when he was just a few steps from complete escape.
He was getting too old for this stuff...
Home
Meanwhile, back in Idapur, Xarnelf relaxed in a hot bath and awaited word from Tharion regarding Zonasa's stance. It had been a rough journey back home from prison, and he wished that circumstances had permitted him to meet up with his cousin, but he had no choice; not only was he uncertain of the girl's current position, but patrols had also been sent out to scour the surrounding regions for the escaped prisoner.
The hero had decided to rest for merely half a day's time before setting out again. Come nightfall, he would lead the newest batch of Crimson Rain trainees on a swift march. With luck, it would be a daring and successful rescue mission. Xarnelf merely prayed that Adaria would be resourceful enough to survive and evade the enemy forces until he arrived.
Although his gut instinct told him to just rush off to rescue Adaria from the enemy's clutches, Xarnelf respected Tharion too much to simply ignore his friend's words. He drew some minor comfort with the knowledge that the girl could probably sneak across into the safety of Zonasan territory, if she could only find a clear way through the enemy patrols. Alas, the hero's recent, grievous mistakes had landed him in a rough position, and he continued to berate himself for not having moved to Idaol sooner.
If he had successfully avoided battle and made the journey, Xarnelf believed, the situation would be most different. Now there was nothing he could do but wait for a new window of opportunity. And, if one did not present itself soon, well... The Duke of Idapur would simply have to bash one open.
