-----Raven nods at Sol suggestion. He readies his bow and then continues to follow their tracks.
-----"If only I had known we would be tracking ass-licking thieves today." Sarah says. "I could have memorized better spells for the occasion. Good job tracking, Raven! I knew you could do it! Let's go!" Sarah follows Raven on the trail.
-----Rinda climbs into her saddle and also follows everyone riding faster to catch up with Raven. At Sol's urging, she occasionally glances skyward watching for a particular black bird.
-----The party continues southward through the seemingly endless trees. Over the next few hours, the pace is a bit slowed but Raven keeps track of the trail he is following. It is obvious that the tracks have been from time to time covered over but with each occurrence the ranger quickly finds the way again. Raven's wolf dashes beside the horses always alert and vigilant of his master when he reacts.
-----Finally, with the noonday sun still hidden behind thick clouds, the party stops to rest a bit before continuing on. They dismount in a wide field of scrub vegetation with more trees meeting them in the distance.
-----Raven gets off his horse and stretches his legs. Raven bends down to pay attention to the wolf and says to the group, "Why did they do it? They knew we'd come after them." Raven looks at Sarah and Sol, "When we find them, what do we do? Do we attack first or talk with 'em to find out why they did it." Raven shrugs, "We should decide now, that way we won't hesitate and give them the advantage."
-----Sol regards Raven blankly for a moment before replying, "Why? I have no idea. I've given up trying t'understand them. If it just leads t'this, then t'hell with them." Frowning darkly, the Gorian delves deeper into the issue, "You know me Raven, I prefer t'make my decisions at th' last moment. But in this case, as far as they're concerned, they can explain themselves after we've taken them under heel. Not only have they stolen from th' local knight, they've stolen from us...betrayed us. So if some blood need be shed t'get their submission, so be it."
-----Raven grimly nods, "Okay then, we knock 'em out fast then. We'll chat when they are face down in the mud. Sounds good to me."
-----Raven starts to head back to his horse so they can continue the hunt.
-----"I agree." Sarah says. "We've seen how bloodthirsty they are, they'll try every trick they know to cut us down. In fact we are probably heading right into an ambush. Which we'll just have to fight our way out of if the need arises. Let's talk about what we'll do if we meet them." Sarah pauses. "Obviously things get messed up in combat but just so you guys know, I think we should take Seth down first. He's their only wizard as far as I know, and once he's out of the picture there's no one to counter my magic left. I plan on casting a huge web spell to trap their fighters, and then blasting Seth with everything I've got. Wait for me to cast the web until you guys charge. It will be easier that way."
-----Sol shakes his head slightly at Sarah's planning, "Sarah, take Seth down first. We can't afford him using his magic on us while you try to spell their warriors. There are enough o' us t'effectively counter the mercenaries, so deal with th' minstrel foremost." He looks around at everyone before adding, "Just be prepared for anything with this lot. We know they prefer t'fight in an underhanded fashion, so as has been said, keep an eye out for an ambush. Though truth be told, I don't think they'd go t'this length just t'try and take us down. They'll try an' head south...only stopping t'deal with us if their hand is forced." Like Raven, Sol also heads over to his horse.
-----Raven gets on his horse and then says, "Rinda and I can use our bows on Seth as Sarah traps the rest. Kinda' hard to cast a spell with an arrow in your gut." Raven frowns, "I hate to shoot first and ask questions later, but Seth could really hurt us if we give him the chance."
-----Sarah nods at Raven. "There ya go!" She says to Sol. "They'll keep Seth busy while I trap all I can, and then I'll concentrate my missiles on Seth while the rest of you fight the warriors." Sarah pauses and looks around. "You know, another thing we need to consider is this: Normally when we fight I stick in the back and you guys charge forward and bash everything. That probably won't work this time because those thieves will be sneaking around everywhere just dying for a chance to backstab the weakest one, um, that being me. So I think we need to stick together as much as possible for this one." Sarah pauses to see if anyone else has anything to say.
-----Raven nods and then continues to follow the tracks.
-----"Don't worry about that Sarah. That was taken care a while ago." Sol looks meaningfully at Romney and Abram.
-----Four hours later it is late afternoon. The clouds still have not broken and everyone continues to ride on following Raven's lead ever southward.