In an expensive hotel in Martira Bay

[alhoon]

After Melinda offers Dadrag some wine, Willy scratches his head.

"I know what most people working for your... partner can tell you. He is a ruthless scam. He betrays, he cheats, he manipulates and blackmails as much as he can get away with. So far he had very few misteps; he is very successful in this kind of game.
Some people believe he is not above assassination if someone becomes much of a thorn for him. Lord Carbin probably has become such a thorn since you work for Serd now. An honest job for sure"
Willy chuckles. A look at Dadrag's no-nonsense, hard face makes him shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"OK, poor joke that. Anyway Serd always covers his tracks. You'll be hard pressed to find more on him than he will have of you. And I don't mean only you with your... considerable past, I mean anyone he deals with."

"You can do better than that Willy. The man has to have some weakness, something that could be used to at least buy me some time in need."
Willy smiled again. "Recently some people, just acquintances of course! Old Willy never works with this kind of ..."

"Give it a rest Willy, I know you for ten years. I know what kind of people you work with. Go on"
"Bad mood today, isn't it? Anyway, some people told me that he is a magic user. I have heard that from more than one reliable sources. Serd being Serd, he uses magic to either spy on his rivals or coerce them to do his will or both. With a little acting, you could persuade him that you know or guess which of his clients have been persuaded by more than Serd's arguments."

"So he is a mage... That explains some things. Anything else?"
"I'll keep you informed if I find something Dadrag."
"I know you will" Dadrag started to stand.
"Oh, and know that I do this because I like you more than this noble. Serd could easily make Satcer get off my back if not disappear entirely for information about this meeting Dadrag."
Dadrag just quirked an eyebrow.
"You said you have retired! Don't give me threatening looks!" Willy said obviously shaken.
"Who's threatening you and your house Willy? Certainly not an friend from the past. " Dadrag said.
"You'll understand if I don't invite you for dinner, right Dadrag?" Willy said regaining his composure.
"I can't stay either way Willy. I have to attend Carbin's funeral. Perhaps someone is taking steps against the lesser nobles. Perhaps the death of Carbin was only the beginning."
They both laughed at that.

[alhoon]

EDIT: I was mistaken here... I thought that Phantom Steed was illusion[shadow] while it is conjuration. The spell is safe.

The next day, a bit out of Serd's Manor

Draxton look to Dadrag and to the empty road ahead and behind them. "Dadrag, I'm to tell you a secret. I'm a wizard."
Dadrag quirked his head as in a mild surprise.
"It will be inconvient for us both for this to become common knowledge as many people will believe I use magic to convince them or for every mischief they believe a wizard can pull." Serd took a face as if offended even by the thought of it. He knew Dadrag would puzzle that out soon, if not already but he has traded the secret of Lord Carbin's identity for him and kept the secret of the murder so he felt safe.
"Magic is not as frowned upon in here as in other lands Draxton" Dadrag said.
Good, Serd thought. He hasn't figured that he was a mage.
"Not that much, that's true but better be on the safe side and also people are envious of my success and will think that I based it on magic" While it was magic and talent! Many spellcasters thought that magic was the ultimate solution and within few months have been found floating dead on a river.
"Now give me some room. It will take about a quarter of an hour to half an hour to conjure our steeds"
"We will ride on magic horses?"
"Exactly. Pulled out of the mists if you want"
"That doesn't sound very safe Draxton"
"It isn't very safe Dadrag. Perhaps we will have to fight an undead spirit before the day ends" Draxton smiled.
"WHAT? ! ? You'll conjure spirits of the dead to carry us?" Dadrag looked at him with eyes bulging. Darkonese and their fear for undead! Bah!
"Dadrag, I'll not conjure spirits of the dead. Don't act as an ignorant peasant. I'll mold Mist and shadow with a spell. But sometimes, only sometimes, something follows from the mists after the spell ends. An undead shadow. Do you know about them?"
Dadrag made a disgusted sound "Shadows. They hate light and the living almost as much. They have no might of their own so they rob the living of theirs. Still nothing I can't deal with. Proceed if you must."

Draxton smiled. Dadrag was skilled assassin and also he seemed jaded. He was persuaded with far less difficulty to fight undead that may bump from a spell than Draxton thought initially. At first he has thought that Dadrag may demand they ride normal horses. Perhaps it would be easier to convince him fight undead that he thought too. Time will show.

[VAN]

Dadrag goes two steps back as the steeds appear. He cannot believe what he is up to do. Ride an undead horse, with which later will probably need to fight! It’s insane. But Dadrag was never a coward and he always likes new experiences. After all the steeds seem normal horses, despite they are made from gray mist. The mercenary gets another moment to look the horses; he doesn’t want to admit that he prefers to see Draxton mount first in order to see how he actually does it.

Draxton smiles and mounts his steed.

“It’s easy, like mounting a normal horse.”

Dadrag shrugs and carefully mounts too. He rides a bit alone and realizes that it was indeed like riding a normal horse. He turns to Draxton and says:

“I’m ready.”

[alhoon]

"Good for you." Draxton just said. "Listen now, the horses are completely harmless. That is good, but do not think they can fight if we end up against danger. They are more than twice as fast as normal horses and make no noise. I can't do anything about that, but when we have to pass through a settlement, I'll cast a spell on our horses to make them at least appear normal, and we will ride at a normal pace. The noise will be a problem but we have to make-do then. Now, let's not waste more time. The horses will remain for about 6 and a half more hours. "
Draxton turned his horse toward the road.
"Not from there Draxton, we go the other way"
"What? We are going to Darkon Dadrag"
"There is a little used path and even less known. We used to call it ... the smugglers pass. It is faster, but perhaps a bit more dangerous. However we will pass a few miles away from most of the settlements and we won't have to stop there."
"Smugglers pass you said." Draxton smiled. "Well, you are the wilderness man! Lead on."

[VAN]

Dadrag looks Draxton directly to his eyes.

“Now you will finally see the skills you hired me for, Draxton, because as you have heard I’m retired now. I’m only a ranger.”

[alhoon]

Draxton just nodded.

[alhoon]

January 6th, Nova Vaasa Near the Southern Borders with Darkon.:

The Smugglers Pass had indeed passed around most settlements and was hidden within forests and behind hills. Draxton thought that perhaps some agents could use this to strike and "disappear" occasionaly. Used to much and the authorities will start asking where the highway men or assassins fled and they would find out.
While it was a considerably longer ride, they didn't have to stop that often in villages and hamlets. For normal horses the ride would have been half a day longer. For them it was a full day shorter. A pity Dadrag didn't know (or didn't share the information) of other such little known paths that smugglers, highway men and other ruffians used.

Also Draxton was able to dispatch both the shadows that have creeped out of his spells in their journey without any delibarating effects.
Shadows... If he could just trap one somewhere for enough time to command it. It could use it to spy Il Aluk itself... not to mention spying Lord Arasaim and his other rivals.

The fathers probably weren't blind to the power of necromancy. They were probably afraid of something so powerful and so out of their grasp.

[VAN]

Dadrag looks Draxton dispatch the two shadows without problem, so he relaxes a bit and sheathes his sword.

“It’s really interesting riding these horses of yours Draxton. They are really fast. So, I think tomorrow we will be to Darkon. Now, we can go to rest in a village which is 1-2 hours from here on foot or we can rest here and sleep with watches. So?”

[alhoon]

"Why to sleep in the Mud Dadrag when we can rest in a village? Lead the way my friend."

[VAN]

Dadrag smiles.

"I'm glad you prefer that. I was afraid you were tired after all this riding. Come."

[VAN]

After the sunset, while walking to a path in a small wood, suddenly Dadrag stops and looks carefully a broken bough. With serious face dugs and examines the ground under the tree. Then he turns to Draxton and says in low voice and in Richmulotese:

“Someone passed very recently from here. I bet there is an ambush after the next turn, where there are plenty of bushes and trees near the path. I’ll go first to check and if necessary clear the path. Get ready but don’t stop walking, maybe they have heard us already, so if anybody appears they will attack. If they stop you, bargain in order to bye me some time.”

With that Dadrag puts a headband on his head and disappears in the wood.

[VAN]

Dadrag walks silent as a cat in the wood getting cover from every tree or bush, he doesn’t want to be detected from the thieves. Soon he manages to discern a man hidden in a bush near the path and another one on a tree. From his experience the ex-assassin is sure that there would be at least one or two thieves hidden at the other side of the path. So decides to move fast, he doesn’t know where Draxton was and when the thieves would attack.

Studying their position, Dadrag notices that the man on the tree looks only the path and he doesn’t pay attention at his companion at the ground. A smile appears at mercenary’s face.

“Never focus only at the path, always keep an eye at the surroundings. Amateurs.” Says to himself.

Dadrag moves closer trying to make less noise possible. The attack is immediate and very precise. A dagger cuts the man’s throat while a second one pierces his chest. The ranger holds the body, preventing it from the fall and hides it in the bush. Looking the man on the tree understands that he hasn’t understood anything. Another smile at Dadrag’s face he had an idea.

[VAN]

He swifts the ring on his left hand and gets the appearance of the man he has just killed. Then, he moves silently out of the bush and waves a bit at his companion. The man on the tree looks at him but he doesn’t move, he only motions to him to go back to his position. Dadrag waves again and points a certain point of the path. The man looks there and sees nothing. So, motions to him to go back. Dadrag insists though.

“What is it Caesar?” Whispers the man.
“Come here, danger.” Whispers Dadrag by his turn.
“Go back. Joe will give us the sign.”
“Come. Danger.”

The man decides to climb down and goes towards the ranger. At the same time Dadrag goes a bit deeper in the wood in order to be more difficult for the other thieves at the other side of the path to see what is happening.

“So, what have you seen Caesar?” Says the man nervously.

Instead of an answer Dadrag stabs him twice at the chest. The man tries to yell and get his sword, but the mercenary’s second attack cuts his throat anticipating him.

“Now the other side” Says Dadrag to himself.

[alhoon]

Cloacked in invisibility, Draxton tries to understand what the assassin has found. Strange. He moves a bit towards the direction Dadrag went but he still sees nothing. Then he barely heards a muffled cry from ahead.
So it seems these smuggler and cut-throat paths have their own danger. He could see the reason. Why to risk attacking a caravan while you could way-laid your antagonists and steal their loot? He smiles at that thought.
Dadrag's mind also moves ahead. Tonight he would visit this place again. He would raise his first undead minion. at last! Only an experiment for the time, he would destroy the zombie afterwards but excitement he hadn't felt for a long time welled in the old man.

[VAN]

Dadrag cautiously crosses the path, hides behind a tree and looks around. With the help of his headband is able to discern 3 more bandits. One is behind a big tree, the other up to the tree and the third one hidden in the bushes.

Dadrag decides to attack the bandit in the bushes first. Always with the appearance of the first bandit he has killed, approaches without making any noise. The bandit has neither the time to turn before the assassin taps his mouth and stabs him twice at the chest. Unfortunately for the assassin the bandit while dying kicks the one bush which moves a bit. Dadrag remains frozen at his place knowing that probably the other thieves have noticed the move. A whisper from the tree’s direction confirms his thought.

“Carlos, are you ok”

Dadrag gets his original appearence. Then, he gets his bow and armed it, being ready to attack if a bandit comes closer to check.

“Carlos?”

The voice seems to come from closer now. Dadrag doesn’t spare even a second, two arrows are directed to the bandit, but only one of them gets him at the left foot. The bandit swears and unsheathes his rapier, while yells:

“It’s a trap, attack.”