Chapter 4.2: The Dim Journey to Orlane

Guilbert draws the oxen to a stop and climbs down with Reynald; together they find and fetch the bodies of the bandits.

Dell is able to retrieve the one arrow that lodged in a tree toward the end of the fight; the others are lost in the dark forest or lodged too deeply in flesh and bone to extract intact.

Two of the bodies are badly burnt. The other two have sweat-reeking leather armor that could be patched and repaired by a tanner. None of them have been mutilated with tattoos or scars, nor do they bear any jewelry. Between the four of them, they did have an assortment of money: 93 cubs and 6 seals. Each had a slightly curved short sword with a single edge (scimitars), each of which has clearly seen a lot of use in fights and also for cutting brush. They each had light crossbows, but one of them was broken when the dead bandit fell on it. So there are three light crossbows, and a collection of quarrels (bolts) for the crossbows. Crossbows bolts are too small to use with a bow, and they hit with such force that they are destroyed on impact with anything harder than a bale of hay. So none of the bolts they used are retrievable except for the one that Antonius extracted from Amnestria's back. In addition to that one, there are 34 bolts that had not been used. Their boots are terrible, even more worn than those of Berthold's servants. Clearly none of them is a cobbler, nor have they bought new equipment for a long time. The wizard notes that they have no reading material, nor do they have packs or other gear, which suggests that a camp or hideout must be nearby.

It is less than half an hour since the party left their campsite. Sora follows Dell as he leads the way back to the trail leading north to the homestead, Grallaria the owl riding on his shoulder.

Making a pile of the weapons next to the bodies, the others consider how to dispose of the bodies and how to break swords. "We do have the wagon," Reynald points out after making a few failed attempts to bend and snap a blade. "We don't have to leave any of this stuff."

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Amnestria (9/9)
Antonius (10/10)
Berthold (9/11)
Dell (9/9)
Grallaria
Kazzak (12/12)
Sora (8/12)
Guilbert
Olyena (stable, 0 HP)
Reynald

As Antonius is busy starting the Jasidin rites (it's complicated by the fact that he has to clear a space in the forest large enough to draw the circle), the two Dungeon Busters finish covering the 120 paces to the edge of the farm. Grallaria flaps off of Dell's shoulder and flies silently around the Jarl farm. She sees no other people (and disappointingly no rodents, either). Sora stops at the edge of the farm, still within the shadow of the trees, listening intently. She hears nothing and sees no movement. Dell sneaks ahead into the farm like a ghost. There is a barn - the doors are open - a farmhouse with closed door, a garden on the other side, and fields beyond that. A great fire pit stands in between the barn and the house, with the blackened remains of a pig on a spit, mostly bones.

Having finished giving orders to his servants, Berthold marches after the two heroes who are exploring the farm. It takes a bit of searching, but soon enough he finds the path and clatters along toward the farm, his heavy armor jingling with every step. Sora and Dell can hear the unmistakable sound of the Baronet's approach; they know Berthold is coming, and that they've got perhaps a minute before he catches up to them.