Game thread - It begins...

"They'll see us coming if I carry a flaming brand, man," Arden says quietly over his shoulder towards the unarmored priest. But he knows the newcomer is right -- they've been at the fire and their eyes will be unaccustomed to the dark for several minutes yet. One of them, though, can step damned lightly, and might be able to get into a better position to see what's going on. The loyalist's voice lowers as he continues.

"Aaxi, can you go ahead, quietly? We'll bring a light forward, away from your position, to see what we can see... but it would be good to have you watching from the shadows."

Suddenly, Phineas turned around to look behind him. His eyes searched the darkness in the direction almost opposite that which Ax, Arden, and Rose had gone. He didn't see anything, but he was sure that he'd heard a sound coming from a nearby copse of trees. Cognizant of the fact that his new companions would be out of whispering distance soon if they weren't already, he glanced back over his shoulder and called out in as loud of a whisper as he could manage, "Psst! Hey! Guys? It's over there now!"

With no response immediately forthcoming, he assumed that they were too far away to hear him and was fearful that something might come rushing toward him while he wasn't looking away. So, he abandoned his effort to get their attention and moved to the other side of the fire, but stayed close to it. He looked back out into the night for a moment, listening, then he raised his shield and banged his mace against it twice.

"Who's there? Show yourself!", he called out in as confidently as he could manage.

With as tired and nervous as he was, though, his voice cracked after the first syllable and he ended up sounding anything but menacing. He swallowed hard but stood his ground as his eyes continued to search the night for the source of the noise. Every few seconds he snuck a furtive look back over his shoulder in the direction his companions had gone, but he couldn't see anything past the light from the fire. He told himself that it was probably just a small animal searching the underbrush for insects, and prayed to Justitia that he was right. He didn't lower his mace or his shield, though.

Aaxi picked his way carefully and quietly along the route he chose as he approached the sounds, his weapon ready, his senses in tune, expecting something from the shadows to emerge at any moment.

Rose spends around when she hears the priest's voice ring out into the night. What in the world is he doing!? She tries to get Arden's attention. He must have heard Phineas as well. She gets close enough so she can whisper. "Should I check on him?" The party seemed to be splitting into smaller and smaller parts by the second. She doesn't want any harm to befall the priest, but she doesn't know if further splitting the party is is a good idea.

Arden swears beneath his breath as the moment they set off on a course, once again the winds change and the leaves that are his companions swirl and scatter. Phineas looks panicked and Rose concerned, so the bearded man turns back after uttering lowly into the darkness, "Keep watch, Aaxi, we're returning to the fire to check on Phineas." To Tamblyn, he adds, "Come on, Rose. Eyes sharp, let's find out what what's troubling the priest."

Phineas almost collapsed with relief when Arnd stepped out of the darkness.

"No, we didn't see anything. We heard something, though. Over there," he said and pointed in the direction Arden, Rose, and Aax had gone. "The others went looking for whatever it was."

With Arnd back to keep a lookout, Phineas sat down and quickly pulled his boots back on, wincing as he did so. "Horse sign, you said? One pile, or several?"

Rose nods her head and does her best to quietly follow Arden back to the camp.

"Why did you two split up?" Arden asks as he emerges from the dark, a bit incredulous, but his voice still hushed. Without even waiting for an answer, he points, first to where they last heard the rustling, then to where the sounds of a fight have just ceased.

"I might be wrong, but I think there's an animal of some kind there, and Swaneke ran afoul of your horsemen yonder. We need to help him. No sense in hiding now." Taking a torch from his pack, the man lights it at the fire and set off for the recent sounds of battle.

"Rose, get yourself a torch and come on, double-time. Arnd, stay with our tenderfoot priest. Protect the camp."

And with that, that man was gone, heading for where he'd last heard the sounds, and also where he'd last seen Aaxi.

Phineas bristled at the insult from Arden, but he didn't say anything. It wasn't the first time he'd had to deal with that particular brand of arrogance. He had no intention of sitting this one out, though. It was one thing to leave your campfire behind to investigate strange noises in the darkness when you weren't sure what was making them. It was another matter entirely when it was clear that it was other people who were making the noise. So, he stoically finished pulling back on his boots, his padded shirt, and finally his chain mail.

"You can stay or come along as you like," he told Arnd. "But I'm going to see what that ruckus is all about."

So, he started off in the direction of the fighting. He was a couple of minutes behind everyone else, true, but at least now, apart from being tired, if need be he was ready to fight.

Rose should have been expecting it, but still cannot believe the utter unreliability of Arnd and Swaneke. You would think they would at least take things seriously when their lives are on the line.

She wastes no time questioning Arden's order. Rose drops to a knee and pulls a torch out of her backpack. She sheaves her sword and lights the torch in the campfire. For now, she will follow keep her shield in her left hand and the torch in her right. It isn't ideal, but she wants to put defense first at a time like this that is filled with so much uncertainty. If push comes to shove, she can always drop the torch and pull out her sword.

Satisfied that she is ready, Rose hurries to catch up with Arden.

Aaaxi stands still, listening, looking into the darkness, waiting for the others to join him.

Arden's jaw is as tight as his grip on his sword as the footsteps in the darkness ahead come closer. Phineas and Arnd have now joined he and Rose, the camp is unguarded behind them, and the halfling is still somewhere out in the dark. Hopefully Aaxi will know enough to flank around if the footfalls belong to brigands or other hostiles. The dark-haired man glances at Arnd and admonishes him when he makes to hide. "Get out here, boy, and ready your weapon. We'll drop you at the next farm we happen upon, you can hire on as a hand. Tonight, you're a soldier. Act like one."

Raising his torch high, Arden then calls into the darkness. "Who's there? Come forward into the light and speak your name!"

When Phineas and Arnd caught up with the group, Phineas fell in on Arden's left, putting his back to the torch as he had done with the campfire earlier. He clearly felt more confident wearing his chain mail and boots. He held his shield and mace up and at the ready, in spite of his weariness, as he watched and listened for whoever was out there to show themselves.