While the group is at the spring talking about what to do regarding the four horsemen.
“The last time someone wanted me specifically, rather than The Crimson Calling as a whole, was Creepy Doll and the undead wanting my key. Before that was Barra because of my memory of giving the eyes to Lady Sofia.” Alexis gives a nervous shrug.
“With the eyes retrieved, the key seems to be the most likely culprit. Any other ideas?”
“It could be so many different groups. What is clear to me is that whoever they are, they want you. They are willing to kill us to get to you.
If I had a guess as to their next move.. it would be to capture one of us. If they do not capture you Alexis, then they use us as bait to force you into talking with them.
If we are to finish what we are out here to do, kill the giant, then we must deal with these men.
I suggest we take what we know and us it to our advantage to talk on our terms.”
“I’m rather certain it was the ArruNorroth that wanted the key, not the undead…
Telosh shakes his head,
“‘Red is right, speculation won’t help us much and we can’t go back to the Fort without the giant’s head. We need to deal with this issue in order to be able to focus on killing the giant.”
“I say we pincer them at our camp, Gus and I quietly from one direction, and you two,” he nods to Alexis and Ethelred, “From the other. If they’re not there, we go looking for their horses on the road.”
As Telosh says “pincer” he gestures with his hands, suggesting the group split up and approach the camp from two different directions.
Alexis looks perplexed at Telosh and then speaks with a somewhat comical inflection, “we appear to have heard two very different things from our dear friend Red. You heard a call to rush headlong, and I heard ‘find a flaw’. How delightfully enticing.”
Alexis goes back to his regular voice, “it’s pretty late in the day, and it will take us a while to head back. Assuming they have to eat and drink we have a few options. The idea of stealing their horses is alluring, but probably not wise. We now know first hand how the rarity of water in this part of the woods. We can set a trap here. Or we can set up close to the road (across the road even) with a view down the road and see if, and when, they leave the forest to go get water.”
“We failed with Barra because we rushed in. We should have taken our time; done our research.We defeated the Arru-Noroth’s vile spawn because we knew the land. We knew the enemy.”
“Red, you make a good point about capturing one of you. And because of that, we need to be careful about splitting up. But we’re going to have to split up in these woods.” Alexis strokes his stubbly chin, thinking, while he looks between his companions and the spring.
Telosh looks very amused and a little confused, he looks at Ethelred quizzically, and shrugs.
“I was simply following up on ‘Reds suggestion that we talk to them from a position of strength… but, to your suggestion of setting a trap here and hoping they get thirsty, I doubt their water skins are as empty as ours were…
Telosh looks around.
“Nevertheless, if we are going to stay here, we certainly should set up a ambush.”