Ryzar's slim fingers gently tighten the knot of the bandage wound
around Reylorna's head.

Reylorna moves slowly, checking the wound on her head with a light
touch. "Thank you Ryzar, excellent work. I really feel better."

Then Ryzar squats back on his heels -- frowning -- as he ponders
Dharak's question.

"While time IS of the essence...", Ryzar ponders aloud, "And we ARE
already heavily burdened with a wounded Kylar and the body of
Jaldaric...not to mention having to ride herd on the prisoners we
have..." Ryzar looks up -- from Duplar to Dharak, and finally to
Reylorna, "I am of the mind that the passengers of such a flying craft
may be more knowledgeable than the prisoners we have. I am also
thinking that the craft didn't come down as hard as it could have, and
that it's passengers may yet live. It would be a dangerous risk to
take, going to inspect the craft. But I believe that it could also be
of great value to do so."

Ryzar stands, and replaces his backpack upon his shoulders, then
clasps a hand around the hilt of his sheathed short sword, and bows
his head before Reylorna.

"Of course, I am at your command, Mistress, and shall follow your
wisdom on this." the young Borderer says, somberly.

Turning to the rest of the group Reylorna offers, "I think that the
cat-thing pilot would be a danger loose and a worthwhile prisoner. In
addition I don't think we can ignore the opportunity that the smoke
plume represents. We came to find out what we could and this is most
likely related to the functioning mirror that we discovered." 

She can't conceal her own eagerness to learn more about the ancient
devices even though it is clear she tries.

"Then that is what shall be done, my Lady." Ryzar says with a knod,
settling his pack on his shoulders, and moving to recover Jaldaric's
body from where he'd left it.

"We'd best move quickly, before those we had prisoner can get back to
their masters." the slight young man says, before once again hefting
Jaldarics body up onto his shoulders.

"It will be easy to find the crash site -- we just walk towards the
column of smoke. If I might suggest....Dharak, you take the lead and I
shall follow behind you. My Lady, you and Master Duplar follow behind
me, and our two new companions can bring up the rear with Kylar."
Ryzar turns to face the two strange newcommers.

Dharak frowns. "Which is it brother? Investigate the crash site, or
track down the escapee? If the latter, then, you're the tracker. Don't
you think you'd do a better job of tracking if you weren't carrying
our friend? And perhaps it would be difficult to track him with the
whole group tromping along behind you. Perhaps you and I could try to
find him, while the rest of the party checks the crash? Just a
suggestion."

"No, I meant let's catch the cat thing first, then look at the crash",
Reylorna replies, "I feel that anyone who is going to bring more of
the enemy down upon us needs to be captured and held for information".

Ryzar looks from Dharak to Reylorna, and back. "In my years as a
Borderer in the Northern Mountains, many times I have tracked patrols
of the Hounds of Alizon, as well as the sleek mountain cats found in
those ranges." Ryzar says, "I tell you now -- if that cat-man-beast
has even half the speed and agility of a mountain cat, then going
after him is pointless; for he will already be back at the tunnel
entrance by now. That flying craft did not chase us far from the
tunnel entrance, my friends. I fully believe that the prisoner that
escaped is already back underground. If we went back, after him, we
would just walk back into their search parties.

"Our best bet to avoid capture is to maintain our lead time. We can
try to get to the crashed vehicle, and then get away from it with
whatever we may learn, before the rescuers do -- or we can just head
straight away for the nearest village, and remain even further ahead
of our enemies. I will track down the escaped cat-thing, if that is
your command, Mistress Reylorna. But I truly believe that to be a most
dangerous course of action. Even heading to the crash is chancy -- but
I believe the rewards to be gained there are worth the risk."

She nods her head slowly. "I must admit as in many things, I am not
experienced enough to know the risks for hunting the cat thing. So
given your assessment, our best course of action is to proceed to the
crash site. I still would like to take more away from this than the
knowledge that we have destroyed a functioning part of our past." Her
voice holds just a bit of bitter sentiment.


Ryzar turns to Hank and Roy.

"Forgive me, friends, for ignoring you until now. As you know, we've
all been a little busy staying alive." The young man says with a grin,
"I am called Ryzar -- as you may have heard. Ryzar of Lormt. That's in
northern Estcarp. In the eastern foothills...?" Ryzar asks with a tone
of hopeful inquiry.

Hank's finally on turf he can run on- greeting those from different
cultures: "Hello, Ryzar- I'm Hank Jenkins. From the state of Michigan,
in the United States of America Former U.S. Peace Corps, Engineer..."

Tries out the unfamiliar words: " 'Lorrmpt.' in 'Estcarp'. I'm new
here- never been to either. Once we get your friends to a hospital, or
something, tell me more?"

"Greetings, Hank Jenkins", Ryzar replies, "May the Eternal Flame
always Warm you, and Light your Way." Ryzar responds, with a solemn
nod. Then, looking at Hank with a sudden brightness to his dark,
doe-like eyes, he asks, "Did you say you are from the...
the...Yeh-Knighted States of Merika? Why, that is the Fabled Land from
which Estcarp's greatest hero -- Lord Simon Tregarth -- is supposed to
have come from! Can it be so?"

Hank looks sort of amazed. "Um... Yes! Here..."  

He fishes out his wallet, with a free hand...) "Licenses, ID, money,
photos... go on, take a look..."

He nods at Roy "I'd bet a shiny quarter Roy's American, too. It's a
big country, though- we only just met, here..." Please, tell me more
about Simon Tregarth- can we meet him?"

Ryzar looke over the proferred papers, but makes no attempt to handle
them.

Respecting what he can only assume to be local custom, Hank displays
the contents of his wallet at a pace that allows Ryzar to see, then
pockets it again.

"Incredible..." Ryzar says abstractedly, then turns his head to look
at the second newcomer, "Is that true, friend Roy? Are you also a
Merikan?"

"Sadly, Lord Simon Tregarth disappeared many years ago." Ryzar answers
Hank, "Along with the Witch that was his Wife. It has been rumored
that they dabbled with powers of the Old Ones -- for Lady Tregarth was
amoung the most powerful of Estcarp's Witches. That was many years ago
-- back when their children were small. Now the children of Simon
Tregarth are as old as I -- I have even met them! Well, met them in
passing, anyway, for they were raised in Lormt, as was I."

"So much to learn...", Hank says. 

"So, people like us- new visitors, from places like America- aren't
common here, I gather?" and "Not to put too fine a point on it,
Ryzar... I take your friendship as offered... but what's to happen to
us? If I heard right, it wasn't a plan that brought us here, and we
can't go back the way we came. You  gave us weapons. It would be
insane to arm prisoners, so we can't be captives...So..." he loses
steam... what now?"

Question finished, he has a look of chagrin that he couldn't finish
the query any better... 


[Continue any conversation before the party reach the crash site here]
--
Tim Hall
Weblog: http://www.kalyr.com/weblog
Photos: http://kalyr.fotopic.net/