The rest of the trip passes quietly, Shova trading Kiersten off at one point and the sidhe falling into an exhausted doze.

"We all got our reasons." Chago agrees before accepting that same silence to plot and plan. And, once Genny wakes up again, to doze himself for a while. He may be trusting this new pair, but they aren't used to the kind of things he and Genny are. Until they have some more experience, he's not trusting them to watch his back while he sleeps if he has an option.

Just as full dark is on them the wagon comes to a halt at the little inn. Well...okay, it's an inn made up of about six buildings, so not so little. Good smells rise from the doorway along with rowdy laughter. Shova creeps out of the wagon, helping Kiersten down from the driver's seat and gathering their gear.

Genny stretches out some of the kinks, rotating her bad hip enough to know she can stand on it without embarrassing consequences. She then gets out as well. "I freakin' miss some 'f my gear. Definitely gonna get the boys to bring replacements."

And Chago, the cad, is the last to get down. If Genny needed help, she'd have gone slower. He takes a moment to look around and then to gather his things for the cantrips to come. "Be sure to tell them then. And be sure they bring the court crap we got. When the Baron leads the next official act himself, I wanna make the right impression."

He pauses then to stretch and leaps down from the wagon. "Sweetcheeks. Stay outta sight of anyone but us as much as you can. Stay with one of us though. Shova. Get some grub for everyone, and check on the new mounts if you do't need her to do it. We ain't staying long." With that, the cap moves toward the road they were just on first, then todo a quick circuit of the area to look for trouble.

Genny shakes her head, nodding towards Shova and Kiersten. "Let the lovebirds deal wit' the horses an' stay low. I'll deal with supplies." Not that she has any obvious coins on her person, wearing little more than a halter and loin cloth, but that's never stopped her before. Without asking permission she makes her way to the inn itself, managing to make the limp of her hip look less injured and more sultry.

Shova blinks and then takes Kiersten's hand in one hand and the reigns of the horses in the other, leading them deeper into the complex.

For Chago's part things seem really quiet. There's noise from the inn when the door opens and then again silence. Well...what most people would take as silence. For Chago there's a feel to the air...something coming.

Chago's only answer to Genny is a brief nod. If her hip is feeling good enough to do it, he's not going to argue. Instead he makes his checks and then stops at that feeling. His eye all but closes as he focuses on sounds, hardly breathing as he does. Inside the inn noises. Checked and then ignored. Soft footfalls in perfect time to goat hooves and mixed with horses. That's the FNGs and the livestock. More animals stirring. The stables.

Each sound is analyzed and filed away as the redcap uses the patience of their origins to pick out just what it is and how close.

For one not accustom to being hunted and doing the hunting the noises would be...nothing. They don't stand out except in the way that they don't stand out. Whispers in the shadows, the fall of eight legs on steeds ridden by those who are almost as much shade as flesh.

Chago listens a moment longer, orienting on the sounds and then slow crouches, scooping up dirt in his hands to quickly rub on the new clothing he's been given, staining them earthy tones in rather random smears. Camouflage. It's not perfect, but it's quick and easy and better than bright and clean colors in the night. Yet again, the squat fellow reminds himself to learn don’t-look-here someday as he stalks toward the sounds with all the stealth he can muster, circling to approach from behind and check for a rearguard for the problem before he confronts it.

It's very hard at first to tell what is going on. Though there's something there in the night, and then several somethings. Large spiders with saddles on them and four creepers riding. They group together whispering their dark whispers. Fortunately, Chago has good ears and picks up bits and pieces.

"Yes...she is here..."

"Must retrieve before the border is crossed..."

"Many directions to the center."

While he can't tell her much from where he is, Chago sends a tiny flicker of glamour as he tugs on the ring from Genny's horn that he wears so she can feel a tug on her horn from the one she still wears to get her attention.

From there, he finds a place to hide and watch, waiting still. Four on one is bad odds. Four possibily poisonous mounts added to that is just bad. Job one is to try and pick off at least one of them from stealth, if at all possible.

The mounts are hobbled together in one place, the riders together slightly apart. The spiders click absently at each other, much like horses might.

A responding tug catches his ring. Three little tugs...something being put in action elsewhere.

The riders converse a little longer before they separate, one moving towards the inn, apparently going to get more information so they can act.

Chago's lips curl into a grin and he rubs his hands together and then sends another trickle of glamour flowing as he mimes untying the spider's hobbles. He'll leave the one that's going to the inn to the warned satyr that he last saw inside. She's sharp enough not to get in too much trouble when she knows trouble is coming, after all.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Then he crouches and picks up a pair of rocks. The first is lobbed well past the group to draw some attention before he baseballs the second into the spiders and immediately drops flat to the ground to hopefully be overlooked.

The spiders rear, though not with as much panic as horses might. It's enough, however, for them to realize that they aren't tied anymore. Not tied is a good thing for these beasts who are just smart enough to take advantage of it. They take off, headed right for the inn. There's folks worth eating in there! Chago, is ignored, even if they could sense him easier prey is desired.

Poor inn. There's a lot more important folks than generic inn customers right now. The redcap stays down for a three count, then rises slowly to look for the three sluagh that didn't go scouting. With luck, two of them are following spiders. Maybe even all three. As long as the beasts are a distraction, it's all good. Of course, even if all three are still there, it's time. The odds are as good as they'll get. Until he's noticed, he's slipping forward in a stealthy creep, then it's time to bellow and charge, but not until.

The perfect scenario would be getting close enough for a cheap shot before the bellow, of course.

One of them is after the spiders, but the other two are immediately looking for...well...they don't know it's Chago, but they know it's someone. The spiders weren't released on accident, they're smart enough to know that much. The pair split up, going opposite ways and trying to circle around, scanning for him.

Couldn't ask for better. Moving as quickly as he can and still keep quiet, Chago moves for the one going more toward the stabling so he can get closer to Kiersten and Shova while he heads for the first kill. No battle cry this time. No roar. This time, it's time to remind folks that redcaps have always been the thing in the dark that eats the unwary. Once he gets close enough, he'll rush and bite, looking for a quick kill.

This little Barony really and truly should have brought in some redcaps at some point just so they knew what to expect. It's one thing to read about them, to hear stories...it's a different thing to have them actually trying to eat you. The sluagh are the elite forces of the Baron, but scattered and fighting alone puts them at a disadvantage. The bite catches the creeper solidly in the in the shoulder and he shrieks and writhes.

Shriek. Not good. Chago rips and his fists clench, driving rapid blows into the figure as his teeth pull and tear in effort to kill the sluagh before help can arrive. It's fast and dirty and there's nothing fair about the assault. It's brutality at it's best. As soon as he hears another returning, he twist to face it, dragging the body he's tearing at into the path of any weapon fire.

If the sluagh had seen Chago coming he would have stood a chance. He really would have...however...he doesn't last for more than that shriek.

His friend does hear it and comes rushing, firing from a small wrist crossbow. The barbs are cruely twisted and glisten with poison. Fortunately, they hit the corpse.

One more bite and the corpse becomes headless, then the body is flung at the second, with the redcap charging behind the body. He grins wildly, displaying bloody jaws and teeth as he clsoes wiht his next prey. "Meat." he snarls, to add to the fearsome impression as he charges.

Okay, so the Sluagh are elite...that doesn't mean they never turn from danger. And in this case aren't ready to wet themselves publically, at least this one. He darts to the side, turning and trying to get another set of shots off. These guys are supposed to grab people from behind and carry them off. Not get run at by freaking redcaps.

Charging hard, Chago twists and then bellows as one of the darts find flesh. It's not much, but toxins mean bad things, even in small doses sometimes. Still, he lunges in, twisting to rake one Gauntlet over as much of the sluagh as he can make contact with. At least that's the goal, ripping and rending.

The poison burns as it gets into his system, followed by bliss and a nice sleepy feeling. For his weight and the way his blood is moving it's not enough to knock him out, but it slows him down. Luck, bad for one and good for the other steps in as the poor sluagh stumbles right into the Gauntlet...which eats him in the way they are prone to do. Crunch, smack, glup, yuck.

Chago presses the hungry Gauntlet to the sluagh and lets it feast until the thing stops struggling, then rips it free and starts toward Kiersten and Shova's last place. He goes at a heavy pace too, shaking his head and slapping himself a couple of times to try and shake off some of the toxic haze. Once again, he stops bellowing, but he's not trying to avoid being heard as he runs

The shaking helps, but it's pretty obvious that it's going to take a while to completely clear his system. It's designed to act quickly to stun and then linger in order to give the sluagh time to transport prisoners.

There's screaming coming from the outskirts of the inn now as the spiders reach it, unable to be completely stopped by the singular handler. They haven't attacked the main building, but some little boggan couple isn't baby making anymore, instead becoming spider chow.

The screaming brings Kiersten and Shova out of the stable. Shova is leading a pair of thickly built shaggy creatures that look to be at least half yak and all bad attitude. He's keeping Kiersten between him and the beasts, watching as they go.

From the main inn there's commotion too...though this seems to be laughter and something much more bawdy.

Chago sweeps his gaze across the area and then rushes toward Kiersten and Shova, staggering as he fights the toxins. His head keeps turning to try and find any of the other creepers as he closes in and reaches for the sidhe. "Toxins. Can you do anything?" He shakes his head again and looks around more as he tries to keep his mind running even as close to clear as it is.

Kiersten's eyes widen and she catches his hand, very careful of his gauntlets. She has an idea what they can do and besides they're really bloody and gross at the moment. "I think so." She closes both hands over his, and starts mumbling in something which sounds a lot like Latin...or something similar. The power flows, again not as powerful as Genny can call, or an adept healer, but she can delay and it does feel much better. "We bought a cart too. Around the other side of the buildings."

Chago gives another headshake and grins. "Thanks. Good enough. I don't think I'm gonna fall on my ass before we get outta here. Stay close to me. There's two more of them and four spiders. We need to get Genny and get moving, without getting eaten. I don't wanna mess with the spiders since they're making a good distraction." And eating folks, but that's beside the point.

That's the moment when someone comes flying out of the inn...well...flying through the window actually. For those sensitive to such things, namely Shova and Chago, the music that flows out is obvious in its power and intent. The satyr power of pan, but somehow twisted to bring out not only Passions, but Dark Passions. Shova whistles under his breath, squeezing Kiersten's hand tight. "Let's get the cart...I think she has it well in hand and we shouldn't listen."

On the flip side, as Shova is being all protective, Chago is grinning and rolls his neck and shoulders. "I wanna find the other mulas." He growls out, tone going from protective to angry. "I don't like being hunted. He's had two chances. I don't want anything but his spiders going back from this." As he speaks, the descriptives are well laden with Spanish expletives, far more than usual. Someone doesn't to resist his dark side often.

Shova frowns again, giving a little shudder and flipping his tail before tugging the new mounts towards the back. "We'll wait for you there then. Kiersten doesn't need to hear this and honestly nor do I...makes things hard." and he bustles her off in a hurry.