On the Run I
Breakfast spent with the family allowed Rickter to realize something he needed, which was the fact they were still stuck within Kalzasi at this point. Not that he brought it up right away, as he appreciated the distraction his pack had with chatting among friends. At least, good people to be sure. Given how far the Barnell clan had gone to give them a hand, the wolf nearly felt compelled to brave the Midden alone if not for their sake. But no. He knew they wouldn't agree to let him go, not that he even really wanted to either.
After having breakfast together, the youngest and second oldest brother took plates back toward the kitchens of the inn. During that time the wolf and his friends finished their preparations, and began to prepare for the long and difficult road ahead of them. "So... what's the plan?" The rogue inquired with a dull look, clearly ready to zip them out of here; were it the obvious solution to their cause.
"We can't warp out of here without raising an alarm... and, we can't risk the twins with going through the Midden or Warrens." The wolf clarified as he leaned against the windowpane, keeping a foot distance away from the glass with a careful peer into the street below. "Patrols are likely everywhere, so leaving from the harbor isn't likely either. Only boils down to what we prefer to do more..."
"Which is?" Telion inquired as she gently rocked Kendric into a nap, her expression filled with grave concern.
"If we're to leave at the same time, rather than wait for the lockdown to lift, then we're pressed to either warp out of here... or risk the Midden in one alternative or another. Slipping out of here is nigh impossible at the moment, and I'm almost certain we could very well walk into a trap because of it. Regardless... I think we should try Traversing our way out of here."
"Great. That mean you've an idea?" The rogue inquired with a curious wag of her eyebrow, the wolf indecisively leaning into a yes-no nod before Elinora's voice pulled his attention.
"You are aware that they will likely trace your aether, correct?" To that the wolf did confidently nod to, having suspect that there'd be something that even a Semblance user could follow. If they wanted to clear out of here, it had to be quick and precise, with the fastest reactive plan in motion.
"I've finally had time to think, at least a bit, and so far I'm suspicious about our chances. I've seen how skilled the elites that serve the Queen can be, if they're able to leave a room without a trace of their presence, then they're no threats to be taken lightly."
"So, would they really send these guys after you?" Patrick inquired warily, now that he'd thrown in his lot with the pack.
"I don't know who they'd send. Or how quickly they'd be prepared to for that matter. Which is why I've at least two predictions to react to, if we're faced with a situation where they send out hunters at all." The wolf admitted glumly as he felt like he was grasping at straws here, having no real tactical knowledge against his own home's defenses. Not that he had reason to before, but if hindsight weren't a bitch... "There is one moment I can recall, where I discovered I could mask a part of my presence through just meditating." Right away Telion looked at him stunned, having not realized he'd retained at least one memory spent with Talon.
"But how?" She inquired as she and Hannah eyed him curiously, the Barnell pack clearly lost in regard to what they meant. "I thought that..."
Rickter pressed a gentle smile toward her then, her trailing silence an echo of what he already knew to expect. "I'm not sure. At the time I was only testing out my perception with magic, that's when I realized I could actually generate an aura of negation magic."
"Goodness, quite the proficient Negator then!" The innkeeper commended with a hint of surprise in her tone.
"If I can mask our aetherial presence using that aura, Telion, then I think we have a chance of slipping through in a way that buys us time. However," the wolf's faint smile crumbled as he looked back down through the window, "should that proceed to fail us then I've only one other alternative... one that cannot be avoided either way, and has to be ready to be improvised the moment shit goes south."
"Understood." the healer remarked as Hannah stood up from the mattress she sat on, her arms folded as she watched the wolf with a vested interest. Patrick still remained in his chair with his arms folded atop the back of it. "What do you think we should do?"
"Miss Nora," the wolf peered to her as the auburn-haired woman postured up a little, "do you have any obligations to stay here when we leave? Because rest assured they will trace us here, so you'll want to prepare to leave right away."
"I'll have the boys pack straight away," Burton nodded as he rose from where he sat to move out of the room, "go on ahead and explain the rest of your plan, Rickter."
"Hannah, when we leave this room we need to do it quick and in a flash. Any chance you can manage that?"
"It'd be like threading a needle in a pond, big guy, but I'm sure I could manage it."
"I've passed on Traversion to Patrick as well, and he knows enough to lend a hand if you need it Hannah."
"True, but I have a feeling Ricky here is gonna have his backup plans for us too." The bartender remarked with an expecting look to the wolf, which Rickter acknowledged with a brief nod after a moment.
"It's a bit tricky, but, when we port from the room to where she sends us, our aetheric presence should be masked during the transfer. Bearing in mind that I don't know how they'll react, I've one other solution in mind. Making sure Telion and Hannah carry the twins, I'll leave in their possession an excessively charged anchor. One that'll refract the light around them and keep their physical presence camouflaged."
"Whoa!" Patrick remarked surprise filled the group in the room.
"You can do that?" The wolf nearly smiled at the wonder in her tone, the healer clearly never considering the idea herself before.
"It's a risk. This would be the first time I've ever tried it, and if it did work, well, that's when the reactive part of our plan comes in."
"You mean who runs with the kids, and who gets to be the bait here." The wolf nodded to Hannah agreeably, finally moving from the wall to stand closer with the group.
"I can draw them away as a wolf, if I burn off enough aether and create an alternate trail, then they'll likely tail me as you all get away."
"Absolutely not!" Telion objected immediately, having remembered their promise to try and remain close together.
"You and I both know you don't have the stomach to leave a trial alone Rickter. You still get a case motion sickness when you Blink for crying out loud."
"Okay, okay, so quick question!" The Atinoran interjected with a lift of his finger, "has anybody ever ridden him before?"
The pack looked to him with different expressions, Telion and Rickter varying levels of confusion, while Hannah was quick to smirk when she thought of her best remark. "I have a few times." Elinora couldn't help but chuckle as Rickter blushed immediately, Telion herself giggling at his reaction and Patrick's; as he looked a little dazed and needed a moment to process how that came out so badly.
"As, a... you know... I meant ridden as a... dog... or whatever."
"It's his Beast form, dear." The giggling mother did her best to refrain from snorting a couple times, Telion merely sighing almost in her motherly tone, while Rickter himself eyed Patrick a little suspiciously.
"I've never given anyone a ride as a wolf, no, is there a particular reason as to why this is important?"
"Well, if Hannah preferred to, or me, one of us could hitch a ride you and do the skipping around for you. You'd just have to worry about running those feet into the ground."
"And trust their aim." Hannah remarked with a lean toward Rickter, pointing a finger at Patrick as though he were an object for a moment. "Not a bad idea for a numbskull."
"Are you going to be okay? Going through that much effort with Traversion?" The wolf looked from the rogue and, clearly, her masculine counterpart and into the eyes of his beloved.
"I'll just have to endure. The better the trail, the further they're gone from you." It had come down to who wanted to be the one who rode on his back, as Hannah and Patrick both felt confident that they'd be able to handle it.
"You'd be better off whisking Telion away anyways if shit does go down, that means you'd have it easier with getting her to the forest."
"...Alright fine," she groaned in near defiance, "don't screw this up, Patty."
"Well, no pressure then." The Atinoran deflected as the boys returned into the bedroom, Elinora quick to rise from her chair to fill them in with what she'd learned. Once they understood the urgency of their situation, and their mother made it clear what they were to do, everyone moved to begin prepping for the plan in motion, since time was certainly of the essence now. And as everyone braced for their coming roles in this plan, the wolf himself started to prepare the first part that played a crucial role in this endeavor.
Glade 3rd, 122nd Year
After having breakfast together, the youngest and second oldest brother took plates back toward the kitchens of the inn. During that time the wolf and his friends finished their preparations, and began to prepare for the long and difficult road ahead of them. "So... what's the plan?" The rogue inquired with a dull look, clearly ready to zip them out of here; were it the obvious solution to their cause.
"We can't warp out of here without raising an alarm... and, we can't risk the twins with going through the Midden or Warrens." The wolf clarified as he leaned against the windowpane, keeping a foot distance away from the glass with a careful peer into the street below. "Patrols are likely everywhere, so leaving from the harbor isn't likely either. Only boils down to what we prefer to do more..."
"Which is?" Telion inquired as she gently rocked Kendric into a nap, her expression filled with grave concern.
"If we're to leave at the same time, rather than wait for the lockdown to lift, then we're pressed to either warp out of here... or risk the Midden in one alternative or another. Slipping out of here is nigh impossible at the moment, and I'm almost certain we could very well walk into a trap because of it. Regardless... I think we should try Traversing our way out of here."
"Great. That mean you've an idea?" The rogue inquired with a curious wag of her eyebrow, the wolf indecisively leaning into a yes-no nod before Elinora's voice pulled his attention.
"You are aware that they will likely trace your aether, correct?" To that the wolf did confidently nod to, having suspect that there'd be something that even a Semblance user could follow. If they wanted to clear out of here, it had to be quick and precise, with the fastest reactive plan in motion.
"I've finally had time to think, at least a bit, and so far I'm suspicious about our chances. I've seen how skilled the elites that serve the Queen can be, if they're able to leave a room without a trace of their presence, then they're no threats to be taken lightly."
"So, would they really send these guys after you?" Patrick inquired warily, now that he'd thrown in his lot with the pack.
"I don't know who they'd send. Or how quickly they'd be prepared to for that matter. Which is why I've at least two predictions to react to, if we're faced with a situation where they send out hunters at all." The wolf admitted glumly as he felt like he was grasping at straws here, having no real tactical knowledge against his own home's defenses. Not that he had reason to before, but if hindsight weren't a bitch... "There is one moment I can recall, where I discovered I could mask a part of my presence through just meditating." Right away Telion looked at him stunned, having not realized he'd retained at least one memory spent with Talon.
"But how?" She inquired as she and Hannah eyed him curiously, the Barnell pack clearly lost in regard to what they meant. "I thought that..."
Rickter pressed a gentle smile toward her then, her trailing silence an echo of what he already knew to expect. "I'm not sure. At the time I was only testing out my perception with magic, that's when I realized I could actually generate an aura of negation magic."
"Goodness, quite the proficient Negator then!" The innkeeper commended with a hint of surprise in her tone.
"If I can mask our aetherial presence using that aura, Telion, then I think we have a chance of slipping through in a way that buys us time. However," the wolf's faint smile crumbled as he looked back down through the window, "should that proceed to fail us then I've only one other alternative... one that cannot be avoided either way, and has to be ready to be improvised the moment shit goes south."
"Understood." the healer remarked as Hannah stood up from the mattress she sat on, her arms folded as she watched the wolf with a vested interest. Patrick still remained in his chair with his arms folded atop the back of it. "What do you think we should do?"
"Miss Nora," the wolf peered to her as the auburn-haired woman postured up a little, "do you have any obligations to stay here when we leave? Because rest assured they will trace us here, so you'll want to prepare to leave right away."
"I'll have the boys pack straight away," Burton nodded as he rose from where he sat to move out of the room, "go on ahead and explain the rest of your plan, Rickter."
"Hannah, when we leave this room we need to do it quick and in a flash. Any chance you can manage that?"
"It'd be like threading a needle in a pond, big guy, but I'm sure I could manage it."
"I've passed on Traversion to Patrick as well, and he knows enough to lend a hand if you need it Hannah."
"True, but I have a feeling Ricky here is gonna have his backup plans for us too." The bartender remarked with an expecting look to the wolf, which Rickter acknowledged with a brief nod after a moment.
"It's a bit tricky, but, when we port from the room to where she sends us, our aetheric presence should be masked during the transfer. Bearing in mind that I don't know how they'll react, I've one other solution in mind. Making sure Telion and Hannah carry the twins, I'll leave in their possession an excessively charged anchor. One that'll refract the light around them and keep their physical presence camouflaged."
"Whoa!" Patrick remarked surprise filled the group in the room.
"You can do that?" The wolf nearly smiled at the wonder in her tone, the healer clearly never considering the idea herself before.
"It's a risk. This would be the first time I've ever tried it, and if it did work, well, that's when the reactive part of our plan comes in."
"You mean who runs with the kids, and who gets to be the bait here." The wolf nodded to Hannah agreeably, finally moving from the wall to stand closer with the group.
"I can draw them away as a wolf, if I burn off enough aether and create an alternate trail, then they'll likely tail me as you all get away."
"Absolutely not!" Telion objected immediately, having remembered their promise to try and remain close together.
"You and I both know you don't have the stomach to leave a trial alone Rickter. You still get a case motion sickness when you Blink for crying out loud."
"Okay, okay, so quick question!" The Atinoran interjected with a lift of his finger, "has anybody ever ridden him before?"
The pack looked to him with different expressions, Telion and Rickter varying levels of confusion, while Hannah was quick to smirk when she thought of her best remark. "I have a few times." Elinora couldn't help but chuckle as Rickter blushed immediately, Telion herself giggling at his reaction and Patrick's; as he looked a little dazed and needed a moment to process how that came out so badly.
"As, a... you know... I meant ridden as a... dog... or whatever."
"It's his Beast form, dear." The giggling mother did her best to refrain from snorting a couple times, Telion merely sighing almost in her motherly tone, while Rickter himself eyed Patrick a little suspiciously.
"I've never given anyone a ride as a wolf, no, is there a particular reason as to why this is important?"
"Well, if Hannah preferred to, or me, one of us could hitch a ride you and do the skipping around for you. You'd just have to worry about running those feet into the ground."
"And trust their aim." Hannah remarked with a lean toward Rickter, pointing a finger at Patrick as though he were an object for a moment. "Not a bad idea for a numbskull."
"Are you going to be okay? Going through that much effort with Traversion?" The wolf looked from the rogue and, clearly, her masculine counterpart and into the eyes of his beloved.
"I'll just have to endure. The better the trail, the further they're gone from you." It had come down to who wanted to be the one who rode on his back, as Hannah and Patrick both felt confident that they'd be able to handle it.
"You'd be better off whisking Telion away anyways if shit does go down, that means you'd have it easier with getting her to the forest."
"...Alright fine," she groaned in near defiance, "don't screw this up, Patty."
"Well, no pressure then." The Atinoran deflected as the boys returned into the bedroom, Elinora quick to rise from her chair to fill them in with what she'd learned. Once they understood the urgency of their situation, and their mother made it clear what they were to do, everyone moved to begin prepping for the plan in motion, since time was certainly of the essence now. And as everyone braced for their coming roles in this plan, the wolf himself started to prepare the first part that played a crucial role in this endeavor.
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"
