Glancing back towards Thornstaff and Kalishan, Ryjah noticed that they were done arguing and probably waiting for her. "I have to go. Thank you so much! " She told the Faerie Dragon, rising to her feet and staring towards them.
The creature merely looked amused and flicked her tail. "Good Luck! You'll need it around that one."
"Which one? " Ryjah called back with a grin.
The Faerie Dragon appeared to reconsider then said. "Both."
Ryjah laughed again as the Faerie Dragon flew away in a streak of silver.
Thornstaff was annoyed and cross, standing with his arms folded while Kalishan stood beside him with a smug grin. Ryjah wondered how he had managed to convince Thornstaff as it was clear who had won the argument. "He's coming with us?"
Thornstaff gave a terse nod. "He's riding the horse and staying quiet. You are riding with me."
Ryjah nodded back. As Kalishan fetched his horse, she told Thornstaff what the Faerie Dragon had told her, earning a faint smirk at the bards expense before he transformed into a graceful chestnut brown horse. She waited for the horse to bend down, then, intertwining her fingers in his mane, she swung herself up onto his back and locked her knees around his sides. She had a feeling that Thornstaff was going to go fast and she was right. As soon as Kalishan pulled up beside them he took off, ignoring Kalishans shout of surprise.
She didn't have the leisure to enjoy it though since she needed all her concentration to stay on the horse, but luckily it was a short ride since Thornstaff knew all the shortcuts and the Garredhen Valley path wasn't very far. Thornstaff stopped a few meters from the path where they could hear the fighting which had already started but those sounds were drowned out a few moments later as Master Kalishan pulled up, singing at the top of his lungs. Thornstaff bent down so that Ryjah could get off, as soon as she was clear he reverted back to himself. "Master Kalishan. What is the meaning of this racket you are making? Do you or do you not know the meaning of quiet? I thought that you had said that you would be so quiet that I wouldn't even know that you were here."
Kalishan cut off abruptly "I was composing my next song, Elf. It cannot be done quietly "
"Then compose it somewhere else." Thornstaff hissed leaving the bard behind to move to a better vantage point so that he could see what was going on on the path below.
Ryjah joined him, summoning vines to wrap around the bards ankles and trip him up to keep him from following as he tried to do. Thornstaff didn't notice and she smirked when she realized that the caravan that the cultists had decided to attack was a Dwarf caravan and the Dwarves were not happy about it. Happiness aside, they held their ground easily and were shouting battle cry's as they took down the would-be bandits. Ryjah doubted that that would stop Thornstaff from joining the fight. Sure enough, he strung his bow and started down but he held out an arm to stop her when she tried to follow.
"You aren't needed in this fight. You would only get in the way." He must have seen her hurt expression because he leaned in closer and added in a voice barely above a whisper "And I need you to keep him out of my way. Got it?"
She nodded unable to keep a wry grin from surfacing considering what she had already done, though she was still disappointed. She watched Thornstaff skid down the sharp incline then halt about halfway down and begin to shoot into the fray. The Dwarves took this as a cue to charge. The battle escalated very quickly and several of the cultist bandits were already laying dead on the ground. the Dwarves remedying any of the wounded to dead in short order. As Thornstaff left to collect his arrows and speak to the Dwarf leader, Ryjah reluctantly returned to the bard.
The bard was swearing profusely. "That's right, girlie, leave the bard behind as you go to watch the fight."
Ryjah scowled. "You were to watch, not to interfere and there wasn't much to do anyway. It's a dwarf caravan, they can handle themselves."
Kalishan sneered at her as he staggered on the vines, still swearing "And how am I supposed to record any of this when your accursed plants are fastening my feet to the ground? Did your master put you up to this?" He added, straightening.
Ryjah felt a tinge of foreboding as she watched the scheming bard that she was convinced was up to no good then moved away to keep an eye out for Thornstaff's return. Not too long after, she saw Thornstaff nod to the dwarf leader and make his way back. She quickly dispelled the vines from the bard who was still struggling to free himself without success. Kalishan fell to his hands and knees then scrambled back up to his feet just as Thornstaff returned. The druid raised an eyebrow as Kalishan exploded with rage.
"You vile cretin! You said that you would take me to the fight! How am I supposed to finish my song about the defeat of the Cult of the Blackest Night now? I saw none of it! Now I can only get a secondhand account and that will never do! I am known across the land for my songs and none of them were written using SECONDHAND ACCOUNTS! It is a very delicate work and--"
Thornstaff seemed to be surprised and interrupted "I didn't stop you from seeing the fight. All you had to do was follow." There was a fair bit of scorn in his voice as he said it.
"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW WHEN YOUR APPRENTICE MAGICKED VINES ALL OVER MY LEGS SO THAT I COULDN'T MOVE!" Kalishan bellowed. "Then she went gallivanting after you herself only coming back to exchange insults with me!"
"Ryjah." Thornstaff sighed, looking at her sternly for confirmation.
"Yes, Master Thornstaff." Ryjah glanced at the ground uncertain whether or not he was upset. He had said to keep the bard out of the way.
Thornstaffs voice was tight as he asked "Why?"
"You said to keep him out of the way." she muttered.
"Of the fight, girl!" Thornstaff said in exasperation then turned to Kalishan and said stiffly "I apologize for my apprentice, Master Kalishan." Ryjah winced, she knew how much the Elf hated apologizing.
The bard seemed to have calmed down somewhat, at the very least he wasn't shouting anymore. "I demand satisfaction, Master Druid." Thornstaff stiffened further at the the insult. After being introduced merely using a persons class like that was a sign of severe disrespect implying that the speaker was above whoever they were speaking to, much in the way that a master was above their apprentice.
"My name is Thornstaff, Kalishan, what kind of satisfaction do you have in mind?" Thornstaff hissed.
Kalishans attitude changed in the blink of an eye from furious and demanding to excited. Ryjah blinked at the sudden change. "There's an old temple that was enchanted by a long dead wizard whose name I have not yet discovered. The temple appears and disappears according to a pattern which I have decrypted though much effort on my part." He paused noticing a faint look of disbelief or annoyance that crossed over Thornstaffs face. "Other people have found the temple but have never returned."
"Wonderful. You know how to find some old temple. What does it have to do with your satisfaction? I'm not in the mood for your games." Thornstaff snapped.
"You must take me there and help me retrieve the lost pipe."
"A pipe? You say that no one has ever returned from this place and you expect me to risk my apprentices life for a pipe?"
"I demand satisfaction, Druid." Kalishan growled. "If you refuse to do this then I will ruin both your reputation and that of your apprentice."
"I don't respond well to blackmail. ... Master Bard."
As the argument continued, Ryjah found herself wanting to help the bard find the pipe even though it did sound ridiculous. The idea of an adventure excited her and if that was all it took to make the bard happy then why not? "Master Thornstaff, If I may-" she began.
"No, Ryjah, you may most certainly not! You have caused me enough trouble for one day!" Thornstaff snapped, glaring at her.
Ryjah deflated and nodded, backing herself against a tree and sitting down to wait out the argument.
The creature merely looked amused and flicked her tail. "Good Luck! You'll need it around that one."
"Which one? " Ryjah called back with a grin.
The Faerie Dragon appeared to reconsider then said. "Both."
Ryjah laughed again as the Faerie Dragon flew away in a streak of silver.
Thornstaff was annoyed and cross, standing with his arms folded while Kalishan stood beside him with a smug grin. Ryjah wondered how he had managed to convince Thornstaff as it was clear who had won the argument. "He's coming with us?"
Thornstaff gave a terse nod. "He's riding the horse and staying quiet. You are riding with me."
Ryjah nodded back. As Kalishan fetched his horse, she told Thornstaff what the Faerie Dragon had told her, earning a faint smirk at the bards expense before he transformed into a graceful chestnut brown horse. She waited for the horse to bend down, then, intertwining her fingers in his mane, she swung herself up onto his back and locked her knees around his sides. She had a feeling that Thornstaff was going to go fast and she was right. As soon as Kalishan pulled up beside them he took off, ignoring Kalishans shout of surprise.
She didn't have the leisure to enjoy it though since she needed all her concentration to stay on the horse, but luckily it was a short ride since Thornstaff knew all the shortcuts and the Garredhen Valley path wasn't very far. Thornstaff stopped a few meters from the path where they could hear the fighting which had already started but those sounds were drowned out a few moments later as Master Kalishan pulled up, singing at the top of his lungs. Thornstaff bent down so that Ryjah could get off, as soon as she was clear he reverted back to himself. "Master Kalishan. What is the meaning of this racket you are making? Do you or do you not know the meaning of quiet? I thought that you had said that you would be so quiet that I wouldn't even know that you were here."
Kalishan cut off abruptly "I was composing my next song, Elf. It cannot be done quietly "
"Then compose it somewhere else." Thornstaff hissed leaving the bard behind to move to a better vantage point so that he could see what was going on on the path below.
Ryjah joined him, summoning vines to wrap around the bards ankles and trip him up to keep him from following as he tried to do. Thornstaff didn't notice and she smirked when she realized that the caravan that the cultists had decided to attack was a Dwarf caravan and the Dwarves were not happy about it. Happiness aside, they held their ground easily and were shouting battle cry's as they took down the would-be bandits. Ryjah doubted that that would stop Thornstaff from joining the fight. Sure enough, he strung his bow and started down but he held out an arm to stop her when she tried to follow.
"You aren't needed in this fight. You would only get in the way." He must have seen her hurt expression because he leaned in closer and added in a voice barely above a whisper "And I need you to keep him out of my way. Got it?"
She nodded unable to keep a wry grin from surfacing considering what she had already done, though she was still disappointed. She watched Thornstaff skid down the sharp incline then halt about halfway down and begin to shoot into the fray. The Dwarves took this as a cue to charge. The battle escalated very quickly and several of the cultist bandits were already laying dead on the ground. the Dwarves remedying any of the wounded to dead in short order. As Thornstaff left to collect his arrows and speak to the Dwarf leader, Ryjah reluctantly returned to the bard.
The bard was swearing profusely. "That's right, girlie, leave the bard behind as you go to watch the fight."
Ryjah scowled. "You were to watch, not to interfere and there wasn't much to do anyway. It's a dwarf caravan, they can handle themselves."
Kalishan sneered at her as he staggered on the vines, still swearing "And how am I supposed to record any of this when your accursed plants are fastening my feet to the ground? Did your master put you up to this?" He added, straightening.
Ryjah felt a tinge of foreboding as she watched the scheming bard that she was convinced was up to no good then moved away to keep an eye out for Thornstaff's return. Not too long after, she saw Thornstaff nod to the dwarf leader and make his way back. She quickly dispelled the vines from the bard who was still struggling to free himself without success. Kalishan fell to his hands and knees then scrambled back up to his feet just as Thornstaff returned. The druid raised an eyebrow as Kalishan exploded with rage.
"You vile cretin! You said that you would take me to the fight! How am I supposed to finish my song about the defeat of the Cult of the Blackest Night now? I saw none of it! Now I can only get a secondhand account and that will never do! I am known across the land for my songs and none of them were written using SECONDHAND ACCOUNTS! It is a very delicate work and--"
Thornstaff seemed to be surprised and interrupted "I didn't stop you from seeing the fight. All you had to do was follow." There was a fair bit of scorn in his voice as he said it.
"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW WHEN YOUR APPRENTICE MAGICKED VINES ALL OVER MY LEGS SO THAT I COULDN'T MOVE!" Kalishan bellowed. "Then she went gallivanting after you herself only coming back to exchange insults with me!"
"Ryjah." Thornstaff sighed, looking at her sternly for confirmation.
"Yes, Master Thornstaff." Ryjah glanced at the ground uncertain whether or not he was upset. He had said to keep the bard out of the way.
Thornstaffs voice was tight as he asked "Why?"
"You said to keep him out of the way." she muttered.
"Of the fight, girl!" Thornstaff said in exasperation then turned to Kalishan and said stiffly "I apologize for my apprentice, Master Kalishan." Ryjah winced, she knew how much the Elf hated apologizing.
The bard seemed to have calmed down somewhat, at the very least he wasn't shouting anymore. "I demand satisfaction, Master Druid." Thornstaff stiffened further at the the insult. After being introduced merely using a persons class like that was a sign of severe disrespect implying that the speaker was above whoever they were speaking to, much in the way that a master was above their apprentice.
"My name is Thornstaff, Kalishan, what kind of satisfaction do you have in mind?" Thornstaff hissed.
Kalishans attitude changed in the blink of an eye from furious and demanding to excited. Ryjah blinked at the sudden change. "There's an old temple that was enchanted by a long dead wizard whose name I have not yet discovered. The temple appears and disappears according to a pattern which I have decrypted though much effort on my part." He paused noticing a faint look of disbelief or annoyance that crossed over Thornstaffs face. "Other people have found the temple but have never returned."
"Wonderful. You know how to find some old temple. What does it have to do with your satisfaction? I'm not in the mood for your games." Thornstaff snapped.
"You must take me there and help me retrieve the lost pipe."
"A pipe? You say that no one has ever returned from this place and you expect me to risk my apprentices life for a pipe?"
"I demand satisfaction, Druid." Kalishan growled. "If you refuse to do this then I will ruin both your reputation and that of your apprentice."
"I don't respond well to blackmail. ... Master Bard."
As the argument continued, Ryjah found herself wanting to help the bard find the pipe even though it did sound ridiculous. The idea of an adventure excited her and if that was all it took to make the bard happy then why not? "Master Thornstaff, If I may-" she began.
"No, Ryjah, you may most certainly not! You have caused me enough trouble for one day!" Thornstaff snapped, glaring at her.
Ryjah deflated and nodded, backing herself against a tree and sitting down to wait out the argument.
