Runaway dragon – Chapter 9

Out of nowhere, the variables are altering. Whilst the trio had swapped to another inn in order to lie low and predict their opponents’ movements, things out on the streets had not stayed homogeneous with their earlier perception of it. Increased volumes of guards have started patrolling varied streets, the number of outsiders allowed inside has decreased drastically, and the central plaza is being surveilled extensively, with people being limited only to certain parts of the market. What that could be about, they weren’t quite sure to begin with, but Osvij offered to take a look and sound out the populace to get a better clue on what they’d have to deal with. In the meantime, Eyren and Nivra snuck off and found themselves at a secondary tavern somewhere in the eastern sector, in order to get settled and stall for the agent’s judgment.

Once he meets up with the pair, Osvij carries a better hopeful expression than earlier. Not one that Eyren would judge as super enthusiastic, but determined of a fashion, like he knows something that could be of use. They get seated along the beds in their quarters at that point and Osvij converses in a lower tone with them, to not overly expose them to any presumable neighbors.
“I believe I have a way out for us.”

With Eyren’s right eyebrow arching and Nivra’s gaze widening, they seem either bemused or overwhelmed, even if Eyren might admit to a healthy dose of skepticism.
“Seriously?”, wonders Nivra. “What, is it happening right away, or…?”

“No, not this second or anything, but within a couple of days. Have either of you picked up on the trial that is being arranged?”

“Uh, yeah, of course.”

“Mm, I got word of it when I initially entered”, goes Eyren. “Something about a lieutenant from the troops of Jingtanya, right? Which sounded odd to me, since that region of Shaim Xil isn’t precisely known for its martial prowess…”

Osvij gestures accedingly at the northerner.
“Needless to say, your concern checks with mine. The denizens around Jingtanya are foremost recognizable for their rice farmers, not warring with anyone. However, that the zone itself would be responsible is only partially accurate. There was a…change of leadership, recently, you see.”

“What, their lord perished or something?”

“In a manner of speaking – he was killed. Jingtanya was assaulted from within by…well, to me, an unknown individual, but likely someone who sprung from the outside. This person had hired a great deal of mercenaries to do their dirty work and essentially occupied the entire region, bringing in taxes from the locals and making threats to the outside. This has supposedly included numerous ambushes and raids on Kambaresa through the forenamed mercs, which the Lord of the Talon surmises is a form of display of what the newfangled leadership is capable of. This merc lieutenant who was captured by the city guards is in fact an Ahterilonan soldier, which makes me question who the Jingtanyan lord is…”

“Hmm. Could it be someone with power ambitions from the east, then? I’ve caught onto matching struggles between native rulers and external go-getters who try to secure power both in the north and in other places of Ngoyamen. There’s even a form of conflict ongoing somewhere in Rhasgolmah, if the rumors are true…”, she says, bringing up the province in between Ngoyamen and Ahterilio.

“Well, whichever is accurate there, this is not equally vital as how we capitalize on it. My point is that this could be the grandest outlook we’ll get to slip out of the city. Not only will the trial have increased internal watchmen activity, but it will likely instigate fairly great commotion, meaning we could worm through the masses and out of the gates. And if the legal session evolves as I suspect, then an execution will follow with even higher heightened enthrallment of the population, which conceivably will delegate us a secondary option for escape…”

“You’re not off, I guess, but…wouldn’t Nivra’s hunters be watching us amid this? In fact, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be sitting and just holding out by the gates still.”

“A reasonable assumption, but a surmountable one in the end…I think.”

“…you think?”

“There are only three of us, plus your raptor. It will be tricky to go entirely unseen, no doubt, but getting us past them shouldn’t be an enormous issue if we act wisely. What we have to keep in mind is that these gates will be monitored by the local guard force on orders by the Lord of the Talon, who surely will not be inclined to witness any violence erupting throughout his trial, meaning the main number of our opponents will not be extremely keen on leaping in to take a shot. This is not to imply these trackers won’t have a stab at it anyway, but it should if nothing else diminish the exposure of our exit.
Furthermore, we have the affair of these people not being allies to consider. Given that Nivra’s confinement presumably will only grant one reward, the assorted candidates aren’t up to sharing the ultimate prize and therefore it’s best that a minimal volume of people are featured in the attempt. I imagine it’s within the realm of possibility that they’ll feud over control of her too, which conveys that we might play them out against each other.”

Scratching her cheek, Eyren’s gaze has sailed downwards, but she doesn’t behave dissatisfied with the conclusion.
“Huh…figure you could be right. I mean, sellswords aren’t exactly notorious for their willingness to share…”

“Heh, they certainly are not, albeit I would discount them as our premier complication.”

“You don’t believe they’ll jump us?”

“Maybe, but if I were to speculate, then once we attempt leaving, it should be the Xilan force who moves in ahead of them. It is this consideration we must maneuver and make the Kambaresan host take notice of, to drag them into a confrontation.”

“What should we do if they harness Nivra’s bounty against us, then? Could be that the locals try to arrest her and we’ll be finished anyway.”

Osvij shakes his head.
“I should think not. Sure, it may be that the Xilans mention it, but that is not inherently a drawback for us – the Kambaresans will at that stage in all likelihood demand to seize her, and the Xilans should protest, on account of that they saw her the earliest. Inevitably, a conflict would ensue and we get a gap in their defenses.”

Eyren exhales and crosses her arms, peering down at the floor.
“…loath to admit, but you do seem to have deliberated on this from multiple angles.”

Nivra has been heeding their debate and presently smiles at Eyren.
“Finally respecting that he knows what he’s up to, huh?”

“Well…that his mind is multi-angled, at minimum.”

Osvij dips his head with a smile decorating his visage, which she plausibly would characterize as ‘self-satisfied’.
“Your approval and ‘sort of’ flattery is ever appreciated, pranti Eyren.”

“Tsk. Don’t let it get to your head”, she half-jokes. “Anyway, I have a reflection to inject into your escape formula: if I judge that it’s getting urgent when we get to those gates, I’m going to act as misdirection.”

Osvij gains a rather absorbed face when she asserts this, whereas Nivra’s visage drips with greater levels of anxiousness.
“Misdirection? Are you saying you’ll…”

“Stay behind, yes. Or draw them elsewhere, in either event. Not being stupid or thoughtless here, and I can face the fact that it’ll be intensely perilous to go at them alone, but my trick won’t be to stick around and fight. Only suggesting that I could redirect them away from you two, in order to buy you fair space to outrun them.”

“But…wouldn’t you simply make yourself a serious target for them to take out? Granting that they chase after you…not being rude or anything, but you wouldn’t stand a chance against that many.”

“Heh, I realize this and like I insisted, dueling with them isn’t my point. I just have less to sweat over regarding people hunting me, since I don’t doubt I can lose them in the end. Plus it wouldn’t bother me if I’d have to trade blows with a couple of mercs. I could manage that, hands down.”

“But…”, Nivra commences, but somehow lets it sink in here that she isn’t really capable of bringing Eyren over even if she could concoct a better argument, which she under these circumstances can’t.

“But would it really serve against these distinct pursuers?”, wonders Osvij. “It is Nivra they’ll be scrounging for, not you. In the event you ride off alone, they might go combing elsewhere.”

“Hmm”, Eyren radiates and nods ponderously. “So they would…but that can be negated as well; to a point anyhow. I assume we’re renting a mount for you, Osvij, and in the same process, we could procure a cloak for me too, which preferably pairs with Nivra’s. She could start off riding on Razz’s back, but once we locate a glade or a cluster of boulders or something beyond the gates, she swaps her seat onto yours and then I get my cloak on. We pack off from the spot simultaneously, but maneuver in counter directions. Not sure that’ll score precisely the payoff we’re after, but…it’ll cause pretty major disorientation, and that’s the most we can hope for.”