LogFAQs > #883967337

Alura smiled at him. It was a knowing smile. Her eyes seemed to twinkle.
"Opinion is based on experience. Your experience has taught you to fear the Gods."
"That's because you have only seen something that makes you afraid."
The woman looked away, then. "But, Ser Hayes, you need not fear Death."
"Such an outlook is only based on the fragile comprehension of a mortal."
She looked back at him. There was something very odd about this woman.

Did she... know...? What he had seen...?

After sailing for some time they arrived at the southern side of the Wild Stretch.
It was difficult to land a ship here but they were able to find a suitable enough mooring.
Rowboats were able to take them a bit further up the river.
But these soon turned into wetlands and it became difficult and dangerous to move through a swamp.

"Elementals could be lurking around here, and I cannot guarantee they would be friendly,"
Alura explained to the group. "Not to mention whatever monsters might sleep beneath the swamp."
"It is better if we leave the boats here and avoid it entirely."

Prince Winchester, on her advice, turned toward the soldiers and sailors.
"Alright. I'll be sending you and... you. Your boats will go back to the coast."
"Take the ship back to Dunley and contact the garrison there."
"You should be able to use it to transport some forces back to Lighthouse. Reinforcements."

Dalamar looked to the Prince. "Um, why didn't we got to Dunley to begin with?"

Winchester shook his head. "No, that wouldn't do. That is too small a prize."
"There are men in Dunley who would be willing to fight for me, but..."
"The borders at Redgard and Kennessis are heavily disputed areas."

"If we're looking for resistance forces, those would be the places to look,"
Hayes noted, catching on. He also felt the need to participate in the conversation.
"And what of their fighting strength? Will it be worth going all this way just to find them?"

"Forgive me, Ser Hayes," Winchester told him. The prince looked very dashing in that moment.
He climbed onto his horse. Something about his demeanor was very flippant but somehow inspiring.
"I am not the kind of Prince that the people deserve. I am a gambling man."
"Dunley would be safer, but I'm making the risky bet of riding to Kennessis."

"We won't know till we get there," was his answer to Hayes question.

Aside from the two boats that left, they brought nine boats worth of reinforcements with them.
It was a small force that could potentially turn the tides in a close battle as long as the numbers weren't too large.
Winchester and Alura Badaura were not entirely familiar with these jungles.
It was not likely that many would be except for those who lived this deep in them.
However they did have an understanding of the geography of their country.
For that reason it was theoretically possible for those two to lead the group back to Kennessis.
Dalamar seemed fine with this course of action, surprisingly.
Apparently he had a bit of an adventurous spirit as well and he was curious.
He'd never seen anything like the Wild Stretch before and wanted to experience it for himself.
Although he was sad about having to leave his Ion Disruptor back on the ship.
Lugging it through the jungle was simply not practical.

Hayes and Y, then, were left feeling like tag alongs.
Their duty was to protect Prince Winchester, but they had no idea how to do such a thing.
Did he even need protection? And if so, could he be protected from whatever came?
Were they capable of it? These were difficult questions.
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~* The <Stars> Protect Me ~*
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