Desert Storm(PM for entry)

[Samuali]

Samuali stopped and stepped into the desert. He had walked almost a mile to find a clear place where the desert, his home, began. Not long after he walked over a few sand dunes a vulture that was circling swooped down and knocked Samuali over. Scraps hopped over and affectionately nuzzled him. “Good to see you to, Scraps. Now come on, lets go home.” With Scraps Samuali continued his journey across the ever shifting sands.

Samuali came over the last dune blocking the view of his home town and slid down. Samuali came to a hero’s welcome, people mobbed him, asking about his travels and welcoming him home. His parents practically broke down in tears to see him safe and sound. But something seemed off. Someone seemed to be missing, but he could not tell who. After a little while he asked one question that froze everyone. “Where is the elder?” The people avoided his gaze. “Well?” Samuali asked with his voice raising, angry at himself for not being there to know why. Finally his father answered him. “He was taken by a group of new raiders, along with anoughter leader from another village’s.. we tried to resist them but they were too strong. They took the leaders hostage and demand ransom of food and water for their safety.” Samuali clenched his fists “Where?” A villager meekly responded, “at the old sand castle, they made it their fort. But they are too strong, you can't do it by yourself.” Samuali looked back with a slight hint of a grin. “But i don't need to go alone, that is something that i changed in my travels.”

Samuali walked to the top of one of the tallest dunes. He finished giving Scraps a series of notes, all reading: “This is a call to all able fighters. Bandits have plagued my home for too long. If you are worthy of saving others, nod to the vulture and follow him. You will be rewarded for your troubles. Samuali.” With those notes Scraps flew off to find aid. Samuali stood tall, and he could feel a sandstorm brewing, and Samuali was waiting.

[Dietrich Landrik]

Making their way southwards, the trio of mercenaries were caught in the open sun. It felt like their armor was burning, whatever they kept wearing. Otherwise it was draped on their pack to let their skin breathe a bit more. Even in the grueling heat, the three kept their composure and marched onward without complaint. Step after step, the leather in their boots creaked as they sifted through the loose sand. A steady, yet small breeze flew through the air, carrying the sand when they kicked it up with every step.

Cresting a sand dune, Landrik got a good eye on the terrain all around them. However it was Berg who was the one soaking in most of the information. He grumbled a bit, catching his breath from climbing the sand dune. He was very well sweating through his shirt, the armor on his pack clanging together. "We've headed too far West. If I'm right, if we head on down that'a way, it'll take us straight there." he grunted, the heat getting to him. He held his hand out, constantly checking up at where the sun was in the sky and back to his hand, making small corrections. "Yep. Over there." he said quietly, affirming himself.

The blonde swordsman sighed, taking a moment to pause and clear his head. He pulled out a red handkerchief and wiped his brow and taking account of everyone's status. They were being steadily beaten down by the heat, but they were fine enough. Equipment was holding together, but they would need to do some routine maintenance once they reached a town and could get away from all the sand. Shaking his canteen around a little bit, he was still good on water for the time being. "How's y'all's water holdin' up?" he asked before taking a sip. His eyes closed, his attention was immediately gathered when a shadow darted across his suntanned face. Opening his eyes he spotted a vulture circling ahead, which made him groan. "Grrrhhh... alright, which one'a ya is dying on me?"

The thick archer followed Landrik's idea of getting some water in while they had a temporary stop. His satisfied sigh reaffirmed the blonde man of his good status. "I'm doin' alright." he responded shortly, as he was still affirming his position with the sun. Fuchs on the other hand, didn't take any time to bring up his canteen. His eyes were focused on the vulture in a mix of a studious and awe-filled gaze. Bringing his halberd forth, he rested it on his back behind his neck, allowing the axe-head to branch out to his right. The vulture swooped down and perched on the weapon, Fuchs' calm nature not rising any sort of tension from the animal.

"Oh great. We're not even halfway there and you decide to give up on life already. Alas, poor Fuchs. I knew him well." Landrik joked monotonously typically how Fuchs did. Fuchs looked carefully at the vulture and extended his polearm out to Berg. "On its leg. A message." he calmly said, holding the bird steady yet also moving around as if nothing special were going on. "Does it say for you to lose some weight you fatty?" he joked in the same monotonous tone Landrik was trying to imitate just earlier.

Berg unraveled it with no trouble and started to read it. "Ha, Ha... Very funny, Fuchs. It's actually a job offer looking for mercenaries. The note looks new too. Just says we have to follow the vulture. Thoughts?" he passed the small note to Landrik and he looked it over for himself. It seemed to check out for all he could care. Besides, if the settlement were close, it'd allow them the small bit of free time they were looking for before trekking even more miles towards the sea. He let it sit, thinking of the risks involved.

"You know, we could really use the money. We're good on supplies, so if we don't get results within a half-day we can just set course towards the sea again." he proposed openly, resting his left hand on the hilt of his sword. With his other hand he returned the note to Berg. "I suggest retying the note to the vulture in case it spots another group per chance. That way we can move on without having to worry about it later if it turns out to be a wild goose - erm... vulture chase."

As the stout man was retying the note to the leg, he sighed. "I would say yes purely on the fact I could lose some weight, but then I'd be letting Fuchs gloat in his cheap victory. How about this: I'm only coming with you in the plan for us to leave Fuchsie in the desert by himself, alone, and purely suicidal until the burning sun and the freezing nights with no human warmth drives his soul into the abyss." he chuckled. Landrik crossed his arms and pouted. "So you're saying you wouldn't come with me just because I'm handsome?" the mercenary smirked.

"Oh no, I would. It's just icing on the cake is all." Let's go on and leave before he gets second thoughts and chases after us." he laughed, sending the vulture back into the sky. "We're burning daylight, let's get a move on!" he yelled, making his way down the embankment.

[Samuali]

Samuali stood in on his dune and watched it slowly change before him, moving like a slow sandy wave. He kept to the top of it, or close anyway, and waited for the sight of Scraps coming back. The sandstorm had started to form and little bits of dust were being carried around now, and Samuali worried if his pet could find him. But he had no reason to worry, and soon the vulture reappeared over a dune, flying lower than usual to get out of the high winds above it. As it approached him it picked a little altitude up and circled around him a few times before coming down and roosting on Samuali's outstretched arm. He checked to see it the note was still there and it was, but the knot was tied differently than how he had tied it so Scraps had found someone.

He pulled out a piece of meat and gave it to the vulture who then took it and started to eat it. The winds were getting to get stronger and soon it would be too strong for Scraps to fly for much longer He sent him off one last time. He then looked at the dune which Scraps had came over and waited for whoever was coming to appear. He would not be that hard to spot from that distance by the person coming. He just hoped that they was going to friendly. He brushed some sand off himself.

[Liror]

*Sigh* "This heat is god awful." Liror said wiping sweat from his forehead,"when are we almost there you blasted bird?!" he shouted up to the vulture.

He noticed a figure far off into the dunes and waved signaling he was friendly.

when he reached the figure he greeted him with a blank expression "Hello, my name i Liror I think you understand why i'm here, and I assume you Samuali who sent the bird? If so it would be my pleasure to accompany you to take care of these bandits." Liror said with a bow.

[Samuali]

Samuali returned the bow to the boy. He looked about his age. "Yes, i would guess you are here to help with the bandits. But i don't see a weapon with you. Are you a healer perhaps?" He almost did not want to bring a boy this young with him, especially that he was unarmed in combat. But he was much like him when he set out himself, not too long ago.

The thought was interrupted his Scraps again appeared over the dunes, visibly being blown around a little by the wind. It circled around him in the sky a few times before swooping down onto Samuali's arm. He feed it again and took the note away from its leg, pocketing it. "Good work Scraps. Go home for now, i will see you later." He sent the bird air born again and it flew in the opposite direction on which it came, returning to its nest. Samuali look for the last of his forming group.

[Dietrich Landrik]

Once more it was Berg who first spotted two men standing in the distance and the same vulture circling overhead the two of them. There was a light dust storm, but nothing to worry about just yet. At this point, Landrik and Fuchs were just following the tubby fellow because of his good eyes. Reaching the duo, the three men signaled from a distance that they were there for the job. Interesting how the folk out here could communicate in such an effective manner.

Landrik now taking the lead, he approached just as the vulture took off. "Ahoy. I take it you're Samuali? My name's Dietrich Landrik. This here is Colton Berg and his name is Alwin Fuchs." he introduced himself and his comrades, first motioning towards the large man with an even larger beard who carried a bow and then pointing towards a slender man carrying a bardiche. They nodded as they greeted the two men. The three instinctively took in water from their canteens in an almost military-like fashion without thinking anything of it.

[Liror]

"Hello Dietrich and hello to your companions as well, my name is Liror and I am also here for the bandit problem if you haven't already figured that out."

"And Samuali if there are no more people we should be expecting perhaps it is time we make our leave? This heat is going to be the end of me." Liror said taking a drink of water from a canteen.

"The sooner we get rid of these bandits, the better."

[Samuali]

Samuali addressed Dietrich and his group first. "Yes a am Samuali, and it is an honor to met you and company." Samuali annualized this group of mercenaries and their pose and the way they drank suggested that they had training and experience under there belt, which would be needed in the task to come. He took a note on how hot the others looked and the amount of water they were drinking. Unlike him who was comfortable and drank his water more efficiently and less often. He liked this well diverse group and gave a nod and waved to them to follow him. "Yes, lets get moving before the wind picks up too much more."

Samuali lead the group on their hike through the desert as the sand storm started to form. It was picking up power and slightly dulling the sun and limiting visibility. The sand was not too bothersome, yet. After a bite of a hike he lead the group to down wind side of a hill. Getting closer a cliff became visible on the side of the hill and at the base was a door. He opened the door reveling a large cave with lighting and containing a clear water oasis in the middle of it. He ushered everyone in then closed the door behind the group. After getting a drink from the water he addressed the group.

"I am going to take this time to brief you and let you rest for a little while and refill your water. We will be assaulting a abandoned fort not to far from here. Out main objective is to rescue two village's elders. However if the chance presents itself we will be eliminating the bandits as well. But our main mission is to get the Elders safely. Now, do you have any questions?" He was speaking a little differently than he usually did, acting like some of his previous employers. But it was a strong formal tone and it was apposite for the situation.

[Liror]

"Two actually, my first question is how do we plan on rescuing the elders with brute force or do we sneak them out?" "My second question is what do these bandits even want with the elders are they being held for ransom or some other reason?" Liror asked running many possibility through his mind.

Liror was very unsure of there success on this mission since they will most likely be outnumbered which is a strong disadvantage for such a small group.

[Dietrich Landrik]

Landrik, Berg, and Fuchs all set their packs down and went to refilling all their stores of water right away - no questions asked. This was also the first time any of them had properly been in a cave like this before. Berg and Fuchs took a little stroll to look around, but not too far away. Landrik stood over by the two boys and listened in. On the mention of brute force or stealth, the man smirked. "Either way, we can hold our own. We may not be cut-purses, but we do know how to lay low and strike when necessary."

The other question that the robed boy asked, he didn't pay much mind to. It wasn't much about why he had to fulfill his mission, it was how and what the end goal was. Everything else was flexible. "My only questions are: Do you have a map of the layout of this fort? How many men do you think there are? If you don't know, is it worth it to do reconnaissance? Also, what do the two Elders look like? I'm surprised you weren't able to recruit more from the villages these Elders came from." he said suspiciously. His mind was always thinking steps ahead, but he never let it detract from the game plan in a negative way. Information was power in a raid.

[Samuali]

Samuali listened to the questions and took his own information and composed it together to answer all the questions. He decided that his best choice was to give what information he did have along with the recent history with the bandits.

"Well i guess i should tell what i know about the bandits. From as far as we can tell they seem to be pirates the were being drove inland for some reason. Then seemed to have found the old fort and made it their base before harassing local villages. They then kidnapped two villages leaders and have been holding them hostage, but alive, for payment of food and water. We know that there are at least eight that come and collect the payment for keeping the elders alive. If we could take their leverage away, then they are most likely not going to be able to survive in the desert. Or perhaps we could make sure they are found by the vultures."

Samuali took a moment to open the door and check on the sandstorm's progress. It was dependently a sandstorm now but not quite ready yet. He crossed the cave to get another drink before continuing. "My villages unlike most of the outside world do not have armed forces at the ready, nor is there a need for them. We don't have many bandits and it is hard enough to survive without a war. There was simply no one strong and armed enough to fight this new threat. And the elders will be the only old men their, unless one of you has aged very very well."

He gave a small smile as he got up and started looking around for something to draw with in the sand. Not finding any sticks in sight he settled with a small but long rock. He returned and started to draw a rough over view of the four sided fort that had a wall and two gates into the fort and one gate into the hold. He pointed out a few key points.

"While i don't have a map i have been there quite a few times and know my way around, as well as somethings a map could not tell you. I believe that the elders will be held here, in the sub levels. We will enter through the front gate, and we can get into the keep here. Other than that i am not sure what else to show." When he was pointing to where to get to the keep, rather than at the marked gate he actually pointed at one of the sides. To him it made sense, but the others might have been confused. "Our main goal is to use the sandstorm as cover and get in and get the elders without alerting the whole base. But it would be in the best interest to remove any threats we can."


Samauli had given out a lot of information and he sat back and waited for any input or more questions that could rise from his group.

[Liror]

Liror said nothing and neither did anyone else "It seems there are no more questions hopefully we can be on our way if everything is prepared." Liror stated, Liror started gathering his stuff for the journey into the bandits den. Liror had confidence in his group, they had the strength and knowledge to defeat these enemies plus they had a fairly large group capable of defeating these enemies.

As the group set out the wind was picking up signaling they needed to hurry otherwise they would be trapped in a sand storm which could set them back quite a bit. Liror was not sure if they would be able to make it to the bandits location in time or if this storm would let up before they rescued the elders. "How far away are we from the bandits might I ask?"

[Dietrich Landrik]

Landrik silently paid attention to everything Samuali was saying and his eyes traced over the crude map with his eyes. Painting a picture in his mind, he knew he wouldn't have a chance to see the compound with any sort of effectiveness before they were upon it. He'd have to be excellently reactionary and flexible once they approached and made their way in.

Speaking of their only way in, it was the front gate which would be guarded if only lightly. It seemed they didn't have much to worry about - especially in a storm so it really was a small chance they'd have a full complement of guards on watch. If they were lucky, there wouldn't be anyone at all, but he also doubted that as well. Thinking of making their way in, he looked to Berg who was chatting with Fuchs and pulled his knife. They certainly had ranged weapons if they needed to perform over-watch, but with the strong winds they'd be almost useless. Perhaps inside the fort where the walls would block the wind they'd have better opportunities to use them. Regardless, he was ready to use his throwing knife in a tight spot even if he preferred to use it as a back-up weapon.

All this while his mind drifted on the tactics of the infiltration while he missed what the robed man was speaking of. Pushing it from his mind, he noticed that in general he was eager to start moving. "We should start moving if that storm is to cover us. I think we're all ready here." he noted, snapping his fingers to catch the attention of his comrades. He then signaled over his head with his hand for them to regroup with him. "Y'all good to go?" he asked the two with a smile, crossing his arms.

"As good as it gets, Landrik. Just say the word." Berg piped up, walking over with his bow resting on his shoulder and his other hand disappeared in his beard, scratching his chin. Fuchs was ready as well, but still was pretty locked onto the cave around them, drinking in the sights.

[Samuali]

Samuali looked over his small group, they claimed to be ready. He stood up and checked the blowing sand outside. It was still raging and enough time had passed for it to do its job. He walked back and gathered the last of his things before speaking to his group. "The fort is not too far away, however, once we get out there you have to stay near me. Visibility is going to be very poor." With this warning he walked over to the water and dipped a cloth into it. He then tied the wet cloth around his head so his nose and mouth were covered by it, making a small filter against the blowing sand. He headed over to the door and opened, ushering the group when they were ready out into the sandstorm.

---

The short distance they had to progress was to Samuali uneventful, but slow. He knew it was going to be a big storm but this was one of the worst he had been out in, limiting visibility to a very short field, the desert storm was just about par with the that sandstorm the buried him in. While it brought back difficult memories it also promised for his plan to work. He had made sure that no member strayed too far and soon the outline of the fort was visible. He directed the group to get close to the wall as they came to the front outside wall and gate. Hugging the edge as much as possible he brought his team inside the wall and along the side of the fort for a little rather than continuing strait to the gate into the hold.

After getting about half way around he stopped the them and waved them in close so he could speak over the wind without letting it carry his voice. "Ok, this is where we are going in. Your going to follow me up that sand and in a window." He pointed to the keep's wall and gave them a few seconds to get ready and charged up the almost invisible sand pile that had been building against the wall from the sandstorm. Having little extra weight and a lance for support he managed to get up there without too much difficulty, but anyone with heavy armor or such might have difficulty. Coming up to the wall an empty window became clear and was a few feet above the sand pile. Samuali jumped up and pulled himself in before reaching to help anyone else in that might need it.

Once everyone was in he brought them into a different room that did not have sand blowing around it and took off his sand coated mask and spoke in a quite voice to prevent echo. "Alright, does anyone need to rest or are we ready to get this done?" He took a guess that most people were not used to the sandstorms and high winds and wanted to make sure they were ready for anything before they started their mission.

[Dietrich Landrik]

Traveling through the sandstorm was incredibly uncomfortable for the three. They figured they were used to the desert until the desert jumped up at them. As they approached the fort they would've nearly stumbled right into it if it weren't for the expert navigational skill from Samuali. Up and over, Berg needed an extra helping hand to get inside, but given a moment's rest from the flying sand, the three did what they could to shake out most of the sand that fell in their gear and clothing. It was at this time Landrik was glad he didn't wear dice-shaker boots.

The trio a little more confident in their fighting effectiveness, they signaled to their employer that they were absolutely ready to go. They had already taken defensive positions in the room. Landrik pulled off the covered window he was next to and crouched down next to Sam. He drew his sword and poured the grains of sand out of the sheath. The idea of sand now was almost too much for him to handle as he thought of having to take time to clean everything out. In a whisper, he retorted to the boy. "Ready. Just point us in a direction and we can take them out." Dietrich smiled out of pride. He knew he could count on his comrades.

Just then there was a knock on the door. A man's voice muffled was heard as he called through the closed door. "Antonio? You in there?" Berg slowly backed away from the door and notched an arrow. Fuchs crouched in front of the door as to where it would open and pointed his bardiche upwards, ready to strike. If he were to enter, the man wouldn't have a chance.