Arundal Panic at the Court House

Finding her boss has already been taken to be executed Spriga races against the clock to rescue him.

Spriga heads for the courtyard at top speed, hoping those two unrealiable foxes would follow her.

The streets of Arundal are semi deserted. Small towns were always looking for something to do and a good old fashioned hanging was about as exciting as it gets. Today though Arundal is in for a real treat. The hastily constructed gallows have been replaced with a much simpler, if not cruder means of eliminating enemies of hte state. Next to the court house a large crowd has gathered around a chopping block. A burly badger in a dark black mask stands there sharpening an ax. He takes a swing towards the chopping block. The fat monitor lizard gulps at the sight. There are in total 12 Woodlander guards in the area, four of which stand behind the lizard.

Spriga does not hesitate to try to blend in with the crowd to get close to the gallows. While she does, she readies something she made a few days ago, darts and a blowpipe.

Mayor Edwin stands on the steps of the court house so he can see eye to eye with the lizard. He wears a purple cloth cape around his shoulders. He smiles at Siro's terrified expression. "Look on the bright side Siro," he whispers into his ear, "My advisers said it would be too grizzly to have you drawn and quartered." He signals for the execution to begin. The four guards, hares and otters, begin to drag the beast unwillingly forward towards the chopping block.

A figure stands near the gallows, her mercenaries nearby. It is a squirrel with vibrant red fur, wearing leaves in her hair and a simple but elegant blue dress. He looks up at Siro, "And don't ask what I would have done with you."

The great big monitor lizard looks like he is about to cry. He doesn't catch sight of two vixen walking through the crowd. "Elena, you go help Spriga with her plan. I'll see what I can do to get up on the court house." Xia says, trying very hard to keep her cross bow hidden in the crowd of beasts. The court house has always been out side of town by a little ways. It's mostly an open area surrounded by trees to the west, and a rotten wooden fence separating beasts from a deadly fall into the valley to the north east. Other than the castle ruins half a mile away the only building is the court house itself.

Spriga fills the darts with the extract of Vermosia's Footsteps, a rare mushroom her ancestors would have used in ritual practice. Today, she loads the hallucinogenic substance into a dart.

She puts the pipe to her mouth, and when she thinks nobeast is looking at her, she fires on the badger.

The badger slaps at his neck. And shakes his head. Siro is force to his knees as the town crier lists off each of his crimes from rackateering to theft to smuggling to assault from a large scroll. Tears are streaming down the lizards cheeks. "P-please! I don't wanna die!" He whines. At the end of hte reading though Edwin raises his hand and gives the signal. The badger raises his ax and...pauses. He hangs there for a moment. Shaking his head, then rubbing his eyes. The crowd begins to talk among themselves as something is clearly, clearly wrong.

The firey squirrel goes to the execution block and tried to lift the axe, while Spriga told Xia, "Now, get Siro!"

Xia didn't have time to make it to the court house...but here is just as good as any. She takes aim right as the Badger goes crazy, waving his paws and ax infront of him at imaginary spots. THe guards surrounding Siro leap into action. One being sent flying off the stage by a stray paw. ELena leaps into action. The plump white furred vixen dashes forward onto the stage. A hare turns to the vixen and makes movement to stop her, only to collapse from an arrow to the knee. THe crowd falls into panic. Beasts scream, beasts panic, and while probibly bad in the long run for now it make sit harder for the other guards to rush in and stop the smugglers.

Spriga fills her dart gun with belladona juice filled darts, six in total, and shoots them at several guards. This should fell them quickly while she got up on stage and untied Siro.

Xia dropping her newly found cross bow Xia draws a small dagger at her back. She had to leave her choice weapon behind in a safe place to carry the cross bow. She stands ready among the panicing beasts, ready to defend them all against guards. Elena takes a simular stance to their rear facing the courthouse. Guards limp about and fall flat on their faces a few seconds after being hit with poison. "You...Spriga! You came to save me!" The monitor lizard shouts as his paws are untied. He yelps and ducks his head under the swing of the confused badger who is still attacking wildly.

There was one calm beast in the crowd. The firey red squirrel, who takes her staff and charges Spriga, knocking her to the ground, "We do this my way. Guards, arrest all of them. Tie them to posts."

Siro chuckles as he takes a swing at the squirrel with his claws, "Over my dead body lass!" Elena rolls her eyes as she prepairs to do battle with a pair of guards. "I think that is the general point Siro. Xia can you-" The loud call of "Busy!" Is heard from beyond the stage along with the sounds of combat.

Spriga gets up and scurries away from that squirrel, who is doing her darndest to hit Siro with her staff. She tries to load her blowpipe but can't find her darts for some reason...

"Can we get out of here?" Xia shouts over the din of panicking beasts. Some poor guard gets stapped in the arm and makes it clear his disspleasure by screaming about it. Siro tries to cover his head yelling "ow ow ow!" each time he is struck." Elena kicks a mouse between the legs and slashes an otter across the chest with a knife. "Yes! Lets!"

Spriga runs for it, telling Siro, "follow me out."

"Hey! Wait for me!" Elena cries as she dashes off the stage behind Siro. He trips once off the stage landing on his face, but not until after pushing the crazed badger at the crazed squirrel guard captian. Getting to his feet the lizard is shocked to see Xia waving them on while standing on top of an otter, hare, and mouse. All three are unconcious, or at least he thinks unconcious. "Will you three get a move on! I don't plan on dieing here today!"

the squirrel falls over in a heap, allowing Siro his chance to escape.

Working their way through the crowd proves easier than expected. Trying to not stand out in a crowd of panicing beasts is another story...Siro doesn't exactly blend in. "I hope you got an exit stratigy stoat, else this will be the shortest rescue in the history of rescues."

Spriga points down a side street, "That way, behind the pickle barrels."

"Go! I'll try and give them the slip!" Xia shouts as she turns the opposite direction as the two other fugatives follow the orders and jump into the alley behind the pickles. Siro watches as guards run bye following the brown furred warrior vixen.

Spriga tells Siro, "Keep running, I'll be there in a moment." she kicks the pickle barrels in the way of the angry guards and then follows Siro.

The first guard, a shrew in leather armor made from something other than bark leather makes a startled cry as he is hit with a barrol full of pickles. "There they are! Ge-" Cries a hare as he slips under a barrol and face plants it on the pave ment. Siro seems perfectly fine with leaving the beast behind to save them. "We need a hiding spot. Fast." Elena says as she dashes out of the alley way, leading them across the street to another alleyway. If they make it to the markets they could break into a shop and wait for an opportunity to escape. Or if they continue up north they will eventually reach potters road and the woodland area...

Spriga heads toward the market areas, "Come on, I have an idea." She showed little signs of tiring.

With adrenalin pumping through their veins the heavy set smugglers of the party are not showing signs of tiring...yet. It's questionable how long it will last though. Heading down the hill into the market area's Elena is slightly dismayed to find the area rather deserted. After all everyone was at the execution. There are guards at the gate dressed in different layers of armor and weapons. Not yet hearing about the commotion by the courthouse they look rather calm, bored even. The only exit out of town is through them...or deadly drop over the side of the cliff side to the south. The brightly colored shops look closed for various reason, mostly due to the execution again. A few beasts though mingle along side the river that cuts through the market place.

Spriga runs along and heads for the river, saying, "Is there a boat or a way to cushion our fall?" she then moves over to the guards and distracts them with a few empty darts to the feet.

"Ha! Yeah, uh, no. Remember that water fall we went through to get to the lizard ruins below the city? That's where this river flows out to." The vixen points to the river's edge that simply falls away from the hill side into oblivion. The guards meanwhile are certainly distracted. The feeling of darts entering their foot paws is NOT pleasant.

Spriga tells Xia, "Find a crowbar. We are breaking into this bakery." She turns to see The firey squirrel leading her mercinaries down the street even as they spoke.

The vixen cracks her knuckles. "I can do one better. Give me one second to pick the lock." Elena takes the lead, heading over to the empty bakery, a wooden building painted white with red rims around the windows and door. She heads into the alley between them and begins working on the window. If this doesn't work there is a cliff side at the end of the alley, a drop to certain death. Thankfully, the vixen works fast when her life is on the line. The window comes open. "Ininininininin!" She yelps.

Spriga dives in, telling Siro, "You next. I still have five more darts, but I'm out of everything but pergative and belladone."

The big monitor lizard must look comical from the outside, crawling in through a tiny window, getting stuck once around his bulky frame, then once more around his even meatier stomach. Finally he is pulled through to safety. In her haste Elena shuts the door on his tail, opens it to pull the tail in, then shuts it again.

Spriga is inside, casing a small slat she has opened in the window with her remaining darts, full of 'Fizzic' in bloodstream form, he last batch of abundant chemicals. She says to the foxes, "Get in!"

"I'm in! I'm in!" Elena whispers in panic. "Don't worry about Xia, she can take care of herself. I think." The white furred vixen shrugs, trying to peer out the window as guards run amok outside. "Xia knows where to go if we get seperated at least. Hrsk is out in the woods at the camp site. It's a good meeting place as any at least. If we don't make it back to camp she will just head for the lizard ruins.

The very red squirrel in the blue dress bellowed, "As I am Senree Bluefeather, I am not going to let these criminals go without a good chase first. Find them at all costs!"

The fox leans her back against the wall. "So...fearless leader. What are we going to do now?" THe monitor lizard looks at Elena and asks, "Why are you asking me? This is /your/ rescue! Not mine!" Elena growls for the monitor to be quiet. "I was asking Spriga. This was all her idea." The fox reaches up and snags a pastry off a near by shelf and begins to eat it.

Spriga fires her last darts at Senree's guards, then ducks down, "We lay low and wait until she gives up."

Elena nods, taking another pastry. "Sounds like a plan." At the very least the vixen won't starve. "How...how can you be eating at a time like this?" Siro says in near panic. He was nearly beheaded, who knows what they will do to him now? Elena shrugs again, "What? I'm a nervous eater? So sue me!"

Meanwhile, the darts of purgative hit Senree's mercenary guards that are too close to the bakery.

A large hare yelps as the dart takes him in the upper leg. He turns looking for the source. Then his vision begins to blur. He stumbles about, clutching his stomach and falls to his knees coughing up what he had for lunch at his employers feet. Lovely thing, poisonous darts... Elena and Siro are both hushed by the stoat. Elena just eats another pasty, chuckling at the site of the hare. Siro just curls into a ball rocking back and forth slowly, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."

Senree dismisses her guards and starts to light a torch, "I shall do it myself."

The vixen looks about the shop. It's a simple bakery shop. Nothing too fancy. Wooden floors with an oak counter. The smell of baked goods is strong and the shelves set up around the walls are lined with pastries that did not get sold this morning. There is however, one small problem with the place. Only one exit. Besides the windows of course people would be crazy to put a back door here that leads off a cliff. "Looks like Miss Squirrelly is braking off by herself. It will be easier to avoid her now...unless we wait for total darkness..."

To be continued!