Joseph's Night Ride Gone Bad

[Rattrap]

Joseph hustled out of the meetinghouse, tossing himself onto the Governor�s horse that he had just chased halfway through Myrken Wood not more than fifteen minutes ago. He gave the steed a light kick, and they were on their way, riding off into the night. He sought out either of the guards he'd sent on their search, or the Gaol.

Tonight's meeting was interrupted with Alexi and Councilor Altias entering the building either in hysteria or blood. The cause, apparently - the boy Phlynn. While the woman accused him of evil, violence, murder and the other spoke protection on his behalf, both came up with one noun that made Joseph uneasy - vampire. It was this in mind that he had sent the first guard searching. Then they spoke 'tavern', and he sent the other to search for the boy in 'the' tavern.

Unfortunately, 'the' was never specified. The guards had the daunting task of essentially searching every tavern in Myrken Wood. That's why Joseph was making such a hasty exit from the building. Alexi had let slip that she had come from the Broken Dagger - that's where the boy Phlynn would be.

The Governor had ordered his arrest, pending an investigation. Joseph wasn't about to try to apprehend the boy himself; it wasn't his place. A brief visit to the Gaol would allow the dispatchment of a couple of guards - it couldn't possibly take any more - to take the boy into custody. That's what Joseph had planned, anyway. But it wasn't meant to be, if only for the simple fact the farmer never made it to the Gaol.

The horse was particularly unruly; something had spooked it while it waited outside the meetinghouse, creating the cause for Joseph to search for it in the first place. He didn't give that fact much thought, but perhaps he ought to have.

The hooves pounded the cobblestone street with a rhythmic beat. A shadow flickered over the wall of the building off to the right - Joseph glanced all too late to notice the figure scrambling seemingly towards him on the wall, promptly leaping across the cobblestone road. It didn't appear to have any malicious intent after the jump; it would have jumped at him instead of in front of him. It continued its scrambling off onto the building opposite the original. However, the horse didn't think the creature's intents were so benign.

It reared up, of course, and off went Joseph. It had happened fast enough that he was left without time to try and twist to a better falling position - his head cracked against one of the cobblestones and whatever lights there were went out.

The horse was left to wander as it felt like, despite its commitment to take Gad home the same night.

[Rattrap]

The two guards whom Joseph had sent out searching had eventually found each other, much to their comfort, and continued the search with the added information that the boy was in a tavern. They were vigilant in their search, even if it was clearly hours later. Three taverns down; a good number to go. The two were heading to the Gaol to find two that might replace them, so they could sleep. Guards needed sleep too.

They found something a little more interesting...or, perhaps alarming? On their way to the Gaol. That was the slumped body of Joseph O'Cynen, laying in the middle of the street. Upon recognition, the two guards quickly sprang into action, checking for signs of life and the like. The man was quite alive, and at their prodding, pulse-feeling and the like, he started to stir.

Eventually, he came to, and the two men helped the councilor to his feet. It wasn't easy, what with O'Cynen's size, but the guards didn't get their position for nothing. Once standing, features furrowed with pain along with a hand tenderly rubbing the back of his head, he told the pair where the boy was last seen. The Broken Dagger. They insisted that he go to the infirmary; he insisted they go to the tavern right away.

Violent headaches didn't make one prone to winning arguments, and Joseph was ushered off towards the Edificium by one of the guards, while the other continued his trek to the Gaol, where he could find a pair of guards that would pick up their search, with a night's rest backing them. Rings were clearly distinguishably under the eyes of either the two original guards, but they stayed to their task until someone else could resume it.