A Long-Overdue Return

[dainul]

Derwent's return to the village is as uneventful as could be reasonably hoped, and before too long, he arrives back home. He is quite close to the perimeter of the village when a previously unseen man emerges from a hidden spot behind a bank, a bow ready in his hands. "The smart thing to do now would be to turn around, walk away and suffer a bit of memory loss. Are you smart?" A slightly rustling to Derwent's right betrays another man who also has a bow ready, though his is not yet pointed at Derwent.

[spsblue]

" Easy, I'm not here to hurt anyone. I used to live around here. My name is Derwent. " <Reassuring Aura>

<Derwent>

[dainul]

The man doing the talking eyes Derwnet suspiciously. "Way I here it, those who used to live here got on the wrong side of a hopeslayer. You don't look dead to me."

[spsblue]

" And you don't look dead either, which is a relief after being stuck in Gweria the other side of the Undead army for almost half a year. "

He sighs.

" Do you know what happened? and how long ago? "

<Derwent>

[dainul]

"Can't say I do, wasn't here. And that was supposed to have been a year and half ago, or more. Where have you been the rest of the time?"

[spsblue]

" I was at the village a year ago, then my onturo and I set towards the Hartlands. It took us a while due to the Avian-Rodera war being in the way. "

[dainul]

"A year ago, eh? And what was going on then?" The man's speech slows as he takes the airs of a guard interrogating a suspect, looking for the lie. By impressions, he might even think he's being cunning.

[spsblue]

" May I have your name first, then I'll answer the question. "

<Derwent>

[dainul]

The man looks puzzled for a moment. "No. Answer the question." He makes a show of readying his bow, drawing the string back half-way and bringing it up to aim at Derwent.

[spsblue]

"My onturo and I were visiting a friend of ours who lives to the East."

[dainul]

The man looks distictly unimpressed by the answer. "Walk away. Now."

[spsblue]

Derwent walks away until he is out of sight. Then he circles around to a hunting / firewood collecting path that he knows. Hoping that the two guards are unaware of this path he cautiously makes his way along this path.

[dainul]

As he approaches the village again, Derwent is stopped in his tracks by an arrow shooting out of the undergrowth and grazing across his arm. Turning, he sees the second man from earlier approaching him. "Nice try. Not good enough." He's knocked another arrow and has drawn it pointing at Derwent.

[spsblue]

Derwent shrugs.
"It was worth a try, and I did follow your instruction."

"Any chance that I see what has happened to the village? Under guard of course. My onturo may have returned here. So I don't want to leave without knowing what happened."

[dainul]

The man smiles ruefully. "Well, considering I've been ordered to bring you in, alive and preferably conscious, I imagine we can work out something. Walk. And I hope for your sake you haven't stolen that name."