The Rune Stone

Escape

When Nicholas reached the center of the town, he was greeted by the sight of the biggest tree he had ever seen. It's roots were deep and it's crown vast and sprawling. It seemed almost impossible to exist. The elven abodes and shops were different here too. Older and more tribal looking with rough old wood covered by moss, no glass windows, just round holes and only one room to each building by the looks of it. The rogue instantly felt different here, even more different than before. But at the same time he could tell something was also wrong, a disturbance in the order of things. As if someone threw a rock in a calm lake, creating ripples through the water. It did not take long to find the source of this disturbance either, it was hard not to in fact. Atop one of the branches of the tree, at the base of the trunk, where one of the biggest, and oldest hutts were located, the mage could be seen, clutching something in his left hand while keeping the elven guards at bay with a flame ready to be flung from his right. Nicholas was dumb-struck. He could not understanst what was hapenning. Kralich caught sight of him before allowing the flame to spit forwards. In a mix of red and blue flame the guards caught of fire, letting out pained yells as the fire caught unto they embroided armor. They all dropped their spears and started rolling on the ground, but the fire wouldn't go out no matter how much they did. Then the sizzling started as the flames got to their flesh, searing it at fist, the charring it as it clinged on with uncanny magics attached to it. It was a horrible sound combined with an even more disgusting smell that must have lasted for what felt like an eternity for Nicholas who could not take his eyes away from it all. The ease with which the mage did it both worried and angered him who spoke first as he approached. "What the f**k ! Why ?! Why did you kill them ?! What the hell did you do, you bastard ?" The mage kept a dark, focused gaze, he was clearly strained, spent. "No time now. What we are doing is far more important than any of these people. They don't understand. They don't want to. I tried being nice. It didn't work. I need you focused Nicholas Hook. I need you to help." Nicholas frowned even deeper. "f**k that, friend. You burned people alive ! How the f**k can you justify that ?!" Kralich looked behind him briefly, as more guards were quickly approaching and an alarm began to rang across the city. " Please Nicholas. It will all be explained in due time. I need you to trust me. This is for all of us. For the whole bloody continent. Get the others, meet me at the Neck in one week from now. Do as I say, I beg of you. I promise I will be there and explain the reality of our quest to you then." Nicholas looked hard into the eyes of the mage, he could not pierce them, but saw no lie within. After a brief pause, as he saw the guards approaching, he simply nodded and darted off into an alley. Looking behind before he fully dissapeared, he saw another fire-ball being prepared...

Nick was sprinting as fast as his legs would take him towards the other side of the side, towards the tavern. On his mad dash, he couldn't help but notice that the once busy streets were now empty and devoid of any kind of life. The sole exception to this rule being the elven guards and, perhaps most terrifying of all, a party of spell-breakers. Clad in silver armor with blue capes, they moved as one, with clear purpose in their step towards the center of town, towards Kralich Darkmane. 'Good luck you old fart, I did gamble on you, don't make me lose' thought Nicholas before resuming his sprint. As he got closer to the tavern, he stopped to get composed, making sure the place was not watched. He saw no movement and thus approached. At the door, he was ushered in by Varonno who sat watching the windows all this time. "What in seven hells happened out there ? The bells started calling and everyone darted off the streets. All the guards moved in-wards." Nicholas, who was still catching his breath, began speaking. "It's the bloody mage, I don't know what he did to anger them so much, but I do know he took something from them and killed a hand-full of them for trying to take it back." as those words were spoken, Varonno's gaze darkened before Nicholas resumed. "He begged me... well, us, to trust him, that this is biggered than all of us, bigger than the whole continent. Wanted us to meet him at the Neck in a week." With that he went to sit down at a table, clearly spent. "Do you trust him ? Do you think he is telling the truth ?" asked Torstein after pondering the words spoken. "I don't know... He burned three people alive Torn. I saw him. No remorse. But... When I looked into his eyes he seemed genuine. Focused, even, he truly believed in what he was doing, that it was right. And trust me. I saw a lot of lying men in my life." answered Nicholas. Tornstein simply nodded, patting his beard down and up. Varonno who had resmued looking out the window, now turned again. "They are coming. Ten of them, armed with swords by the looks of it, and a spell-breaker. Too many to fight just us. What do we do ? Nicholas ? You saw him. What do we do ?" The rogue's eyes widened. "I... Uh. We need to find out more... We should hear him out. All of us." he answered as he got up and darted towards the barman who watched all this unfurl. Nicholas pressed an entire pouch to him. "You saw nothing. We left through the back as soon as I got here, minutes ago. Maybe if they are fast enough they can catch up, eh ? Seems we were going south." he said, not taking his hands off the pouch until he was done talking. The bar-keep eyed him up and down before opening the pouch and giving him a nod.

With that, the three men ran up the wooden stairs, into their respective rooms, to quickly pack up little their had and don their weapons. No sooner did they get to their rooms, than the door opened and footsteps could be heard coming in. Heavy, armored amd numerous. They could not hear the exchange that took place downstairs between them and bar keep, nor did they try too much to listen in on it, as soon as they were packed they met back on the hallway and convined to wait out their leave. Only that did not come. As the talks downstairs became more heated, and after a fist being slammed unto a table, a number of steps could now be heard coming up the stairs, towards them. As if instictually, Varonno nudged the other two as he moved into his room, the last on the hallway. "We will have to jump through the window. There's a tree to the side of the building, right next to my window, if we can make it, we should be good." Nicholas nodded but Torstein frowned. "I am old, boy. Do I look like I could make a jump like that ?" "It's either that or fighting our way through a squad of guards. And that ain't no honorable end old man." answered Varonno who had already opened the pane and was on the window still. Torstein grumbled something before nodding to them to continue. Both Varonno and Nicholas managed to get down deftly and quickly. Varonno instantly sprinted to the right of the building, towards the stables to set his friend, Shadow, free. Luckly for him, nobody bothered to check the stables yet, after he untied the wolf and was preparing to get to the horses, a loud snap and then a thud could be heard from behind the tavern. Loud enough for everyone around to hear it. One horse will do, thought the ranger, and with that, him and Shadow made their way to the back once again, only to find the burly barbarian and a handfull of branches on the ground. Torstein was spitting angry curses at everything and everyone around him, clutching his leg which appeared to be broken now, from the fall. "Help me get him on the horse ! They are gonna be all over us." said Varonno towards Nicholas who wasted no time as the footsteps inside began making their way outside in a hastened fashion. As soon as the angry Torstein was up on the horse,still clutching at his leg with one hand, while the other was fastened around the reigns of the animal, the guards were upon them, an entire squad slowly approaching, weapons drawn.

"Halt ! You are hereby wanted for questioning by the elven court of Ewrorin ! You are suspected of aiding a rogue mage in the assassination of one of our elders ! Come peacefully or we will use force !" spoke the guard captain in a commanding tone as the rest of his men started surrounding the three while the spell-breaker seemed to be eyeing each and one of them, holding a pendant of a flaming sun his his right hand, outstretched forwards. Sensing for magic within any of them. Varonno simply slapped the horse on the back to make him dart forwards before the encirclement could be completed. The sprinting horse prompted two of the guards to back off slightly, just enough for the other two and Shadow to make their way through. The guards began spriting after them in an organized fashion with the captain yelling from behind. "THE FORESTS ARE OUR ALLY OUTSIDERS,  THEY WILL BE YOUR DEATH IF YOU GO ANY FURTHER, STOP NOW AND FACE JUSTICE FOR YOUR ACTIONS !" he warned as the party sprinted towards the main gate. Luckly for them, they were making good head-way as they, unlike the guards, had no plate armor on to slow them down. Even so, the elven sentries, their captain and even the spell-breaker were way faster than it would be normal with the ammount of equipment they had doned on, for a human anyway.

Much to the group's dismay however, they arrived just as the gate was getting closed by a rope mechanism at the top of the wall walk way. "We are not gonna make it ! It's gonna close behind me !" bellowed Torstein who was ahead of them all. "Yes we are, trust me!" quipped Nick who stopped to take his bow out and nock an arrow. The rogue took a moment, breathing in and zoning everyone else out of his mind, as everything else darkened around him he saw only the gate and its mechanism. He held his breath as he aimed the shot from his new bow. He figured to himself, if this arrow was to hit, from this bow, then that must mean he was on the right path. The path the bow-maker put him him. Tensed to the most of his capabily, he let the arrow loose. It flew through the air in perfect form, straight and true. Nicholas knew it would hit before it even did so and began sprinting again. The gate then stopped ajar, letting just enough room for the to squeeze past and away into the forest outside the walls.

Despite the amazing shot he pulled out, neither Nicholas, nor his companions could shake the threath and warning of the elven guard about the forest they were in. It felt uneasy when they were not wanted men in the region, but now... That feeling became a lot more oppresive as they were heading deeper in.