The Leviathan Arrives (Two Blades..cont)

[Envin]

Aragorn smiled at Ash, and quickly set off into a brisk pace.

"We must hire a boat under our true names very, very quickly, ere that rapscallion goes blabbing our names all over town. Then we should ride to Gurherdir's fortress."

[Faron]

"There's something that should be understood before we set off," Ash said. "Idrial, you're not, 'sticking your neck out for us.' It was your choice to come with us, we were the ones that got you off the pirate ship, and we're quite capable of surviving on our own, being two of the foremost warriors in Middle-earth. Now then, what were you saying about a ship?" Ash added the last part when he turned to Aragorn.

[Envin]

"Methinks that we should hire a ship, and disguise ourselves not, that way our descriptions will be known hiring a ship away from Umbar, in case he decides to go blabbing about our presence here."

[Vilik]

Vilik had followed Marcus and the others since the Leviathan docked. He kept himself hidden plainly in the crowd, lingering back a ways from the group as he watched curiously the transaction of gold take place between Marcus and another of the men. When the the group parted ways Vilik watched the two men and lady for a few moments before tuning back to trail Marcus.

[Envin]

Aragorn and Ash, with Idrial in tow, continuing her squawks about being useful to the party, made quick time to a nearby wharf where one might rent small boats. There, they uncovered their heads and were seen in their true guises, and many an eye glanced at them askance. Unwilling to give their true names, they had concocted a plan. When the man at the wharf, from whom they were to hire a boat, asked to what name he might put it down, Idrial blundered "Arag-" just in time to be strategically kicked by Ash, who, truth be told, did not mind this bit part in the least. Aragorn gave the man his Thorongil name, and the three loaded themselves into the boat, setting their prow to the north; their departure was seen by many, many watchful eyes.

But as evening was coming on, they were soon lost to sight, and rounding a small headland they came aground on a shoal but little distance from the mainland, and they waded ahore, though not ere Aragorn and Ash had knocked several sizable holes in the boat with their swords. The evidence sank, and they were loose in Haradwaith. They camped that night after a journey of some distance - nearly seven leagues of walking, and kept chose to keep the watch in turns. Lots did they draw for the first, with the unsurprising upshot being that Idrial accused Ash of giving her the shorter straw a'purpose, and Aragorn sighing as he dutifully calmed them and took the watch himself.

[Faron]

"...give her the short staw on purpose? Why would I do that? If it were up to me, she wouldn't even be allowed a watch, being as she is the most untrustworthy of our group. However, Aragorn has to come up with his high-minded ideals of equal-sharing. Well, whatever," Ash muttered to himself as he surveyed the camp, taking note of its nearby assets.

[Marcus]

Marcus led Gurherdir to the place Aragorn had met with his spies and paid him the gold pieces. Marcus noted to the King that he should look into the men that occupied the scanty inner city dwelling. He then went to looking for any sign of Aragorn and his companions. At the docks he talked to several fisherman and got the story that the group had casted off some time in the night, but one old man who had been fishing that night recanted a tale of seeing a shady group of people wading to shore from a shoal. Marcus turned to Gurherdir, "You hear the tales, no? Aragorn was here, disguised and using an alias. The men this old man saw wading to shore are no doubt them." He then headed off in the direction the old man had pointed them.

[Vilik]

Vilik continued on Marcus' trail, though his traveling with the King of Harad would complicate things a bit for him. He wondered to himself what bussiness the King could possibly have with Marcus, and moreso just how much the he was getting paid. Vilik figured for now it would be best to let Marcus play, his revenge would come soon enough.

[Gurherdir]

Gurherdir called forth ten Haradrim guards from what seemed like nowhere and they approached the camp where Aragorn was. The ten guards formed a circle around the camp, still standing around ten feet from their target, and hidden behind rocks. "You may leave now," Gurherdir said quietly to Marcus.

[Marcus]

Marcus nodded and then dissapeared into the woods, he decided, though, that he might like to wittness the fate of the King of Gondor and his elf friend. He made his way quietly back, and stood some distance off behind a tree, watching what the Harradrim would do, thinking to himself he may even join in if a fight broke out.

[Envin]

Aragorn was no stooge, and his honed senses of secrecy and evasion had warned him of the coming men ere they were far away. He sniffed the air and smelled the rank armpits of the Haradrim, not at all complimented by those of Gurherdir and Marcus to boot. With a quick dig from his boot, Aragorn had wakened both Ash and Idrial, and kept them silent, and snatching what brush they could find they made hasty impressions of their bodies wrapped in their blankets upon the sand. Then they quickly sprinted several hundred yards to an outcropping of rock that marred the desert, the Dundedan in Aragorn taking care that their footmarks would not be readable.

[Marcus]

Marcus watched from his hiding place intently as the Harradrim surrounded the sleeping trio, he snickered under his breath. "'At Aragron and cocky elf boy 'ill be gettin it now" He smiled anticipating the oncomming fight, a smug look on his face at how easily they had been surrounded. But as the Harradrim neared the three, Marcus caught a flash out of the corner of his eye, and then another.... and another. It seemed some piece of metal on Aragorn or Ash's garment, a buckle or perhaps a sword hilt gave their position away as the burning Harradrim sun shone down bright and reflected off of it. He turned and squinted his eyes at the outcrop of rocks the flashes came from, and as a another flash came Marcus spied a bit of movement as if someone crept beind one rock to another. He jumped up from his hidding place and shouted, to the obvious suprise of the Harradrim, and yelled out, pointing to the rocks. "Avast! 'ere 'em scoundrels be hidding!"

[Gurherdir]

"I thought I told that man to leave," Gurherdir growled and raised his left and, giving a hand signal to a Haradrim archer. The archer fired one arrow at the loud-mouthed pirate to silence him, and then he and the three other archers aimed their bows on the Elvish Lord and the King of Men. Six Haradrim melee guards charged out from behind the rocks towards their targets, drawing their curved blades. Gurherdir, now with his mithril claws placed once more on his hands, leaped upon a large rock, and howled up into the sky.

[Envin]

{I think it's still nighttime, right? Otherwise, the three would already be on their way. So there's no way that the sun could have glinted off them, if it's night, that is...}

[Marcus]

{Could be dawn}