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<blockquote data-quote="havenstone" data-source="post: 4712537" data-attributes="member: 61094"><p><strong>Everything Falls Apart</strong></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">THE NEXT AFTERNOON</span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">, a cheerful Atrix invites Carwyn along to his regular sparring match with <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4701793-post45.html" target="_blank">Lucian</a>. Carwyn, never averse to watching attractive men hit each other with sticks, accepts at once. They head out to a remote field at the edge of the Guardwatch valley, just out of sight of the main camp. The sky is heavily overcast, but Atrix is pretty sure the main rain will hold off until after they’ve had a good practice.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Chatting to each other, neither Atrix nor Carwyn notice the men shadowing them through the long grass. Only when they arrive at the empty practice ground does the hair rise on the back of Atrix’s neck – and he barely has time to draw his saber and dagger before a tall, pale figure strides over the brow of the rise. “Atrix d’Loriad,” <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4330843-post5.html" target="_blank">Shect</a> greets him coldly.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Run, Carwyn!” Atrix breathes, and Carwyn sprints away, dodging and tumbling past the four swordsmen who have sprung up from the grass around them. She takes a wound in her side, but it hardly slows her down as she dashes back toward the camp.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Let her go!” Shect calls to his men, who return to their circle around Atrix. The livid scars on the Swordsmark's cheeks crease as he smiles. “It’s been a long chase, boy, but it was always going to end like this. Did you really think you could throw me off by orchestrating your death?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“That had nothing to do with you, actually,” Atrix says, keeping his voice casual. “Why do you need all these men, Swordsmark? Afraid to take me on yourself?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“If I were here to kill you, I would have come alone,” Shect states emotionlessly. “You and your friends have started down the road to Scarth, boy. There are two ways that road can end for you. I can see the same potential in you that the traitor Kemeras saw. With the training you’ll get in Scarth Tower, you could rise to be my equal with a sword. But we can not allow any who are not of the Tower to carry our secrets. So. Either you come with us willingly, or we take you against your will... or you can die here, with what little training you got from Kemeras.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Atrix pauses thoughtfully, then says, “No, I think I’ll just kill you instead,” as his sword flickers toward Shect’s throat. Shect ducks away, his own blades flying up to block Atrix’s, and their duel is on.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">RUNNING FASTER THAN</span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"> she has in her life, Carwyn reaches the camp and discovers Ontaya, who was riding out to a practice bout with her squires. Carwyn screams, “Shect!” and points frantically back the way she’s come. Ontaya nods without speaking and spurs Dorma into a gallop. Several tents away, Darren also hears Carwyn’s voice and runs over to where Cannedun has just finished re-shoeing a horse. “I need to borrow this,” he says urgently. Leaping onto the horse, trying not to betray his wobbling inexperience as a rider, he charges off in the direction of the alarm cry.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Meanwhile, Nina and Agerain are returning from a ride through the grasslands, and see from a distance Dorma racing westward. Agerain peers at the dust cloud, intrigued. “Isn’t that Ontaya of the d’Orbis?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Nina pauses for as long as he plausibly can before saying, “No – no, it’s just one of the d’Orbis knights.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“You’re blind, Anseron,” Agerain says with savage good cheer. “Don’t you recognize that grand white plow-horse of hers? Let’s see where she’s off to in such a hurry.” Nina protests, desperate to keep Agerain away from his friends, but the young d’Aramant ignores him and charges after Ontaya.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Back at the practice field, Atrix is fighting defensively but losing ground. He has managed to graze Shect a few times, but the scar-faced Enforcer of Scarth is hitting back with ease and precision, clearly intending to bleed Atrix to the point of collapse. In desperation, Atrix lunges in and succeeds in stabbing Shect between the ribs. He over-extends himself, however, and the pale swordmaster counters with a devastatingly powerful blow that breaks Atrix’s sword. An ashen-faced Atrix fails to parry Shect’s next attack, which drops him to his knees, barely clinging to consciousness.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“It’s over, boy,” the Swordsmark growls. “Don’t make us kill you.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Atrix spends his last strength lurching forward, thrusting his parrying dagger into Shect’s gut, and springing the hidden prongs. An enraged, agonized Shect runs his sword into Atrix’s heart. The young d’Loriad slides limply to the ground.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">A MINUTE LATER</span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">, Shect and his men hear the rumble of Dorma’s approaching hooves. The swordsmen nervously turn toward the source of the sound, while Shect begins sprinting toward his own horse, tethered behind the rise. Ontaya thunders into view, recognizes the fleeing Swordsmark, and grimly spurs Dorma into direct pursuit. Howling, Shect attempts to dodge the oncoming warhorse and strike out at her rider, but his wounds have slowed him down too much, and Dorma tramples the Enforcer of Scarth into the mud.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Agerain and Nina ride into the vale seconds afterward and are attacked by Shect’s desperate henchmen. The d’Aramants make quick work of them, with Darren riding into view just in time to brain the last escaping swordsman with his club. Agerain canters up to the body of the dead mercenary in the middle of the melee and gives it a quick glance – then looks again, confusion and realization warring on his face. “Wha... Atrix? Atrix d’Loriad?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Darren’s face collapses as he recognizes his fallen friend; from a distance, he can’t tell whether Atrix is dead or just unconscious. Fifty yards away, Ontaya looks up in shock from her inspection of Shect’s broken body. All the little details surrounding <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4517926-post41.html" target="_blank">Atrix’s duel in Lynar</a> that have been troubling her now fall into place. Anger bubbles up inside Ontaya at the thought that most of her friends helped to manipulate her into a situation where she unknowingly gave false witness. Glowering, she leaps back into Dorma’s saddle. Nina sees this and desperately calls, “Agerain, there might be more of them – let’s get back and report this.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Still ignoring Nina, Agerain jumps down to the ground, teeth bared. “This... this d’Loriad cretin <em>faked his death</em>? To humiliate my Family?” Cursing, he draws his sword and vehemently, repeatedly stabs Atrix’s corpse. Nina can feel the whole web of deception starting to unravel around them. Ontaya angrily spurs Dorma back toward the field, prepared to seize Agerain and denounce him before their Families for desecrating the body of a Senalline noble.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Unfortunately, Darren has also been riding in, hoping to save Atrix, and he’s horrified to see Agerain snuff out whatever life might have remained in his friend. Overwhelmed by grief, the dwarrow-trained tinker gallops in and smashes his club into Agerain’s skull. It is, of course, a high crime for a commoner to assault a member of the Five Families in this fashion. Agerain’s head snaps forward and he slumps to the ground. Believing he’s killed the young d’Aramant, Darren gallops away.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Nina leaps from the saddle, his horror already turning to resignation as he mentally flips through all the possible outcomes from this catastrophe. He can think of almost none that don’t involve Darren being executed, serious consequences for everyone involved in Atrix’s ‘death,’ and a high likelihood of his own exposure. Checking Agerain’s pulse, he finds him still alive. With only a second to decide, Nina goes for what he sees as the sole remaining possibility of keeping the whole sordid story from coming out. Coolly, deliberately, he slits Agerain’s throat. With his friend’s lifeblood covering his hands, he remounts and bolts off in the opposite direction to Darren. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Ontaya reins Dorma in sharply, aghast at having just witnessed her two fleeing friends inexcusably commit treason and murder. “Ain blast you both, I can’t lie about this!” she roars after them. “I won’t lie for you!” They vanish over the horizon. Still stunned, Ontaya dismounts and confirms that Agerain is dead. After a moment’s consideration, she leaves both Agerain and Atrix where they have fallen. Then she dully mounts Dorma and rides back to camp, returning just before the evening cordon goes up, to report the debacle.</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="havenstone, post: 4712537, member: 61094"] [b]Everything Falls Apart[/b] [B][FONT=Verdana]THE NEXT AFTERNOON[/FONT][/B][FONT=Verdana], a cheerful Atrix invites Carwyn along to his regular sparring match with [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4701793-post45.html"]Lucian[/URL]. Carwyn, never averse to watching attractive men hit each other with sticks, accepts at once. They head out to a remote field at the edge of the Guardwatch valley, just out of sight of the main camp. The sky is heavily overcast, but Atrix is pretty sure the main rain will hold off until after they’ve had a good practice.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Chatting to each other, neither Atrix nor Carwyn notice the men shadowing them through the long grass. Only when they arrive at the empty practice ground does the hair rise on the back of Atrix’s neck – and he barely has time to draw his saber and dagger before a tall, pale figure strides over the brow of the rise. “Atrix d’Loriad,” [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4330843-post5.html"]Shect[/URL] greets him coldly.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Run, Carwyn!” Atrix breathes, and Carwyn sprints away, dodging and tumbling past the four swordsmen who have sprung up from the grass around them. She takes a wound in her side, but it hardly slows her down as she dashes back toward the camp.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Let her go!” Shect calls to his men, who return to their circle around Atrix. The livid scars on the Swordsmark's cheeks crease as he smiles. “It’s been a long chase, boy, but it was always going to end like this. Did you really think you could throw me off by orchestrating your death?”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“That had nothing to do with you, actually,” Atrix says, keeping his voice casual. “Why do you need all these men, Swordsmark? Afraid to take me on yourself?”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“If I were here to kill you, I would have come alone,” Shect states emotionlessly. “You and your friends have started down the road to Scarth, boy. There are two ways that road can end for you. I can see the same potential in you that the traitor Kemeras saw. With the training you’ll get in Scarth Tower, you could rise to be my equal with a sword. But we can not allow any who are not of the Tower to carry our secrets. So. Either you come with us willingly, or we take you against your will... or you can die here, with what little training you got from Kemeras.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Atrix pauses thoughtfully, then says, “No, I think I’ll just kill you instead,” as his sword flickers toward Shect’s throat. Shect ducks away, his own blades flying up to block Atrix’s, and their duel is on.[/FONT] [B][FONT=Verdana]RUNNING FASTER THAN[/FONT][/B][FONT=Verdana] she has in her life, Carwyn reaches the camp and discovers Ontaya, who was riding out to a practice bout with her squires. Carwyn screams, “Shect!” and points frantically back the way she’s come. Ontaya nods without speaking and spurs Dorma into a gallop. Several tents away, Darren also hears Carwyn’s voice and runs over to where Cannedun has just finished re-shoeing a horse. “I need to borrow this,” he says urgently. Leaping onto the horse, trying not to betray his wobbling inexperience as a rider, he charges off in the direction of the alarm cry.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Meanwhile, Nina and Agerain are returning from a ride through the grasslands, and see from a distance Dorma racing westward. Agerain peers at the dust cloud, intrigued. “Isn’t that Ontaya of the d’Orbis?”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Nina pauses for as long as he plausibly can before saying, “No – no, it’s just one of the d’Orbis knights.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“You’re blind, Anseron,” Agerain says with savage good cheer. “Don’t you recognize that grand white plow-horse of hers? Let’s see where she’s off to in such a hurry.” Nina protests, desperate to keep Agerain away from his friends, but the young d’Aramant ignores him and charges after Ontaya.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Back at the practice field, Atrix is fighting defensively but losing ground. He has managed to graze Shect a few times, but the scar-faced Enforcer of Scarth is hitting back with ease and precision, clearly intending to bleed Atrix to the point of collapse. In desperation, Atrix lunges in and succeeds in stabbing Shect between the ribs. He over-extends himself, however, and the pale swordmaster counters with a devastatingly powerful blow that breaks Atrix’s sword. An ashen-faced Atrix fails to parry Shect’s next attack, which drops him to his knees, barely clinging to consciousness.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“It’s over, boy,” the Swordsmark growls. “Don’t make us kill you.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Atrix spends his last strength lurching forward, thrusting his parrying dagger into Shect’s gut, and springing the hidden prongs. An enraged, agonized Shect runs his sword into Atrix’s heart. The young d’Loriad slides limply to the ground.[/FONT] [B][FONT=Verdana]A MINUTE LATER[/FONT][/B][FONT=Verdana], Shect and his men hear the rumble of Dorma’s approaching hooves. The swordsmen nervously turn toward the source of the sound, while Shect begins sprinting toward his own horse, tethered behind the rise. Ontaya thunders into view, recognizes the fleeing Swordsmark, and grimly spurs Dorma into direct pursuit. Howling, Shect attempts to dodge the oncoming warhorse and strike out at her rider, but his wounds have slowed him down too much, and Dorma tramples the Enforcer of Scarth into the mud.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Agerain and Nina ride into the vale seconds afterward and are attacked by Shect’s desperate henchmen. The d’Aramants make quick work of them, with Darren riding into view just in time to brain the last escaping swordsman with his club. Agerain canters up to the body of the dead mercenary in the middle of the melee and gives it a quick glance – then looks again, confusion and realization warring on his face. “Wha... Atrix? Atrix d’Loriad?”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Darren’s face collapses as he recognizes his fallen friend; from a distance, he can’t tell whether Atrix is dead or just unconscious. Fifty yards away, Ontaya looks up in shock from her inspection of Shect’s broken body. All the little details surrounding [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4517926-post41.html"]Atrix’s duel in Lynar[/URL] that have been troubling her now fall into place. Anger bubbles up inside Ontaya at the thought that most of her friends helped to manipulate her into a situation where she unknowingly gave false witness. Glowering, she leaps back into Dorma’s saddle. Nina sees this and desperately calls, “Agerain, there might be more of them – let’s get back and report this.”[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Still ignoring Nina, Agerain jumps down to the ground, teeth bared. “This... this d’Loriad cretin [I]faked his death[/I]? To humiliate my Family?” Cursing, he draws his sword and vehemently, repeatedly stabs Atrix’s corpse. Nina can feel the whole web of deception starting to unravel around them. Ontaya angrily spurs Dorma back toward the field, prepared to seize Agerain and denounce him before their Families for desecrating the body of a Senalline noble.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Unfortunately, Darren has also been riding in, hoping to save Atrix, and he’s horrified to see Agerain snuff out whatever life might have remained in his friend. Overwhelmed by grief, the dwarrow-trained tinker gallops in and smashes his club into Agerain’s skull. It is, of course, a high crime for a commoner to assault a member of the Five Families in this fashion. Agerain’s head snaps forward and he slumps to the ground. Believing he’s killed the young d’Aramant, Darren gallops away.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Nina leaps from the saddle, his horror already turning to resignation as he mentally flips through all the possible outcomes from this catastrophe. He can think of almost none that don’t involve Darren being executed, serious consequences for everyone involved in Atrix’s ‘death,’ and a high likelihood of his own exposure. Checking Agerain’s pulse, he finds him still alive. With only a second to decide, Nina goes for what he sees as the sole remaining possibility of keeping the whole sordid story from coming out. Coolly, deliberately, he slits Agerain’s throat. With his friend’s lifeblood covering his hands, he remounts and bolts off in the opposite direction to Darren. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Ontaya reins Dorma in sharply, aghast at having just witnessed her two fleeing friends inexcusably commit treason and murder. “Ain blast you both, I can’t lie about this!” she roars after them. “I won’t lie for you!” They vanish over the horizon. Still stunned, Ontaya dismounts and confirms that Agerain is dead. After a moment’s consideration, she leaves both Agerain and Atrix where they have fallen. Then she dully mounts Dorma and rides back to camp, returning just before the evening cordon goes up, to report the debacle.[/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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