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Unforgiving lands - Now in hiatus - Details at last post
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<blockquote data-quote="Cerulean_Wings" data-source="post: 3964191" data-attributes="member: 55060"><p>Chapter 2 </p><p></p><p><strong>Knight and Bodyguard</strong></p><p></p><p>“You don't talk much, do you?” Vincent inquired as he hoisted his traveling pack on his back in order to start another day of walking from where they set camp. </p><p></p><p>Gilliam only nodded in response, proving Vincent's comment right in doing so. He was almost finished packing his belongings into a weathered old backpack.</p><p></p><p>“But it's better if you do talk, wouldn't you agree?” he pressed, seeing that he had to force a verbal answer out of his traveling companion and bodyguard. “It makes the walking treks go faster, and it's not as dull when there's conversation”.</p><p></p><p>“You can't force me to talk to you, Vincent” Gilliam said at length, checking that his weapons and armor were in the right places. “It wasn't in the contract”.</p><p></p><p>It was a sunny summer day, in the middle of pretty grasslands, but Vincent Ender somehow felt coldness emanating out of Gilliam. “But there wasn't a rule that said that you couldn't talk, yes?” he pointed out, looking to the northeast, the general direction in which they were heading, towards the Rainbow River, then back at Gilliam.</p><p></p><p>With a deep sigh of absolute resignation, Gilliam stood up from his crouching stance and hoisted his own traveling pack over his shoulders. “Alright, master Vincent, what would you prefer to converse about this fine day, as we travel towards the home of a hermit, carrying a message of great importance?” he asked with fake reverence, his facial features more than obvious signs of frustration. </p><p></p><p>Frowning only for a moment, Vincent nodded and started to lead the duo northeast “Well, for instance, I barely know about you, only that you're performing 'body-guard jobs' as your main occupation, risking your life so that others may travel safely, or at least relatively so. My House paid a good amount of gold for your services, Gilliam, but I don't like to see my House's employees as... mere servants”.</p><p></p><p>“If that would please you, then I don't see the harm in it” Gilliam took a couple of quick steps to catch up with Vincent, who had already walked twenty feet or so while he was talking. Still, Vincent was wearing full-plate, while Gilliam sported a battered but solid chain shirt, which granted him more mobility and posed less of an encumbrance.</p><p></p><p>“What do you want to know?”.</p><p></p><p>“As much as you're willing to tell me” came the quick reply, accompanied with a smile, now that they were walking side by side.</p><p></p><p>“Fair enough”. </p><p></p><p>Gilliam spent half a minute considering where to begin his tale, and when he felt satisfied with his choice he began talking in a casual way, not putting much emotion into the words.</p><p></p><p>“My father was a human, my mother was a human, and after they married I was born, as a human”.</p><p></p><p>“Imagine that, two humans giving birth to a human baby!” Vincent joked, not realizing he had interrupted the tale he had demanded for at the very start.</p><p></p><p>“I was merely clarifying my blood-line” Gilliam said in a strained fashion. “Some folks I've met thought I was of elven descent, if only on one side of my family”</p><p></p><p>Vincent hastily cleared his throat. “Sorry, please continue” . </p><p></p><p>“Anyway, I joined the Battle Forged, the guard at the city of Capris, at the age of seventeen-”</p><p></p><p>“That's surely an early age to join the city guard” Vincent commented with a low whistle, sounding impressed.</p><p></p><p>Gilliam ignored the second interruption and went on “I trained with the best, got my fair share of combat, and reached the point in which I could have beaten anyone in the local garrison. The most dangerous missions were always delegated to me by default, and I always took them, completing them with great efficiency”.</p><p></p><p>This time, Vincent didn't interrupt, as he was listening to the story with rapt interest. After all, not everyone has the chance in life to hear the life-story of a city guard veteran!</p><p></p><p>“I was given the rank of Captain, had my own group of soldiers to command, and I could've made it to Sergeant if I had wanted to. But I wanted to keep it simple, and guiding my own group of ten Battle Forged seemed like the perfect job for me. Once I was given the mission to look for a dagger-wielding assassin throughout the entire city” he looked at Vincent in the eye and added “Capris isn't as big as your city, Seawall, mind you, but the place had easily over five thousand people living in it. Finding this murderer was the equivalent of catching a needle in a haystack”. </p><p></p><p>There was a pause, and Vincent took the chance to ask “How did you find him, then?”.</p><p></p><p>For the first time in the entire trip, the three days that they had traveled together, Gilliam smiled, if only for a brief time. “We knew through our sources that the assassin was a proud man, and so we set up a trap for him: we hosted a tournament for all swordsmen to participate in, but we restricted the weapons to small blades only”.</p><p></p><p>“The weapons the assassin was proficient with!” Vincent cried out as he snapped his fingers, catching on.</p><p></p><p>“That's exactly right” the bodyguard praised with his index finger pointing at his companion. “By the end of the tournament, there was only one who could possibly outmatch the rest of the participants. We got a hold of him on the spot, and shortly afterwards we managed to make him confess for his atrocities”.</p><p></p><p>There was a vague hint of pride in Gilliam's words, but then again, it could've been Vincent's imagination playing tricks on him.</p><p></p><p>Eying the twin bastard swords sheathed in scabbards at Gilliam's waist, Vincent inquired “You have two, in case you lose the other?”.</p><p></p><p>“No, I wield the two at the same time”. Since he wasn't looking at Vincent, Gilliam didn't notice the man's eyes go wide with awe: few people decided to train in wielding the exotic bastard sword one-handed... even fewer would choose to master wielding two in each hand!</p><p></p><p>“How long did it take you to learn how to use them like that?”.</p><p></p><p>Gilliam considered the question for a moment. “All of my life” .</p><p></p><p>There was another pause, and Vincent felt forced to press on.</p><p></p><p>“What happened next? What other important tasks were you given?”.</p><p></p><p>“Nothing. I deserted the Battle Forged shortly afterwards” was the indifferent response that Gilliam gave. Vincent almost stopped walking after hearing the turning of events “Y-you jest! Surely you wouldn't leave after-”.</p><p></p><p>Gilliam cut him off before he could formulate the inevitable question “Personal matters, none of your business”. </p><p></p><p>An uneasy silence fell upon the two, just then, and for a several minutes the only sound that could be heard was the clanking of Vincent's armor as he walked.</p><p></p><p>“What about you?”.</p><p></p><p>“M-me?” stuttered Vincent.</p><p></p><p>“Yes. You, your past, your story” Gilliam added, sounding as if he was asking this for the other's sake than for his own curiosity.</p><p></p><p>Vincent smiled as he began to unfold the events of his own past with great pride “As you know, I was born as the son of an elven noble couple, both of House Kashtar” he tapped the symbol of the House that was engraved in the chest area of his plate armor, a silver helm on a blue field, almost subconsciously. “I was raised with the ideals of my House: honor, loyalty and courage. I was trained since I was little in defending myself and others with weapons, but also studied subjects such as history and politics, both of which I find very profound and helpful. The deals of the Noble Houses do get complicated more often than not”.</p><p></p><p>“Tell me about it” Gilliam whispered.</p><p></p><p>“I became a squire only three years ago, and it's been quite the challenge for me, in more than one way”. </p><p></p><p>Vincent glanced at Gilliam, who nodded in comprehension “Indeed, it will take time getting used to it. Speaking of which, how long have you been wearing that full-plate armor for?”.</p><p></p><p>“All my life – as a squire” Vincent replied, sounding quite happy with himself despite the small accomplishment.</p><p></p><p>“What of your spear? Isn't that the signature weapon of House Kashtar?”.</p><p></p><p>The noble-born elf nodded and patted the shaft of his weapon placed on his back diagonally “Correct. Every member of the House receives intensive training with these type of weapons, for the most part. I admit that it was hard to train with it and the armor at the beginning, but I intend to plow through these hardships and to strive forward! One day, I'll become a full-fledged knight of House Kashtar, and I will make my family proud. Unfortunately, I don't have any grand tales to talk about, like you, since I've only been in this position for a short period of time”.</p><p></p><p>“I take it you'd do anything to please your family, your House, to make them proud of you?”.</p><p></p><p>The elf in heavy armor blinked twice before replying hesitantly “Well, yes, that's what I would like to do”.</p><p></p><p>“And what if they ask you to do something you don't want to do?” Gilliam pressed on, his tone starting to switch from casual to deadly serious.</p><p></p><p>“I-I don't know what you mean, anything they would ask of me-”.</p><p></p><p>“Even if they ask you to kill a loved one?”.</p><p></p><p>Vincent came to an abrupt halt, as if he had been slapped on the face, and turned to face Gilliam directly “Neither my House or my family would do such a thing! How could you suggest something like that!” he shouted, outraged.</p><p></p><p>“My question stands, Vincent: what if they do?” he asked patiently, standing on the spot and folding his arms as he awaited for a response.</p><p></p><p>“Then-I-I would-my family... House Kashtar...” Vincent tried to say something, but the dilemma that Gilliam hit him with had clearly caught him unawares.</p><p></p><p>“Think about it” Gilliam said right before he resumed the walk.</p><p></p><p>Vincent tried to come up with a clear cut answer on the spot, he really did, but as much as he tried, he couldn't fathom what he would do in a situation like the one Gilliam presented.</p><p></p><p>“Are you going to keep going, or what? I can't defend you if you lag behind me” Gilliam called from a couple of feet ahead.</p><p></p><p>That brought him back to the present, and so the warrior of House Kashtar resumed his trip as well. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that the question he was asked had once been asked to Gilliam as well. And whatever choice Gilliam made, it had to be the one that forced him to leave the Battle Forged. </p><p></p><p>Vincent sincerily hoped to never have to make the same choice that Gilliam was forced to do.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cerulean_Wings, post: 3964191, member: 55060"] Chapter 2 [B]Knight and Bodyguard[/B] “You don't talk much, do you?” Vincent inquired as he hoisted his traveling pack on his back in order to start another day of walking from where they set camp. Gilliam only nodded in response, proving Vincent's comment right in doing so. He was almost finished packing his belongings into a weathered old backpack. “But it's better if you do talk, wouldn't you agree?” he pressed, seeing that he had to force a verbal answer out of his traveling companion and bodyguard. “It makes the walking treks go faster, and it's not as dull when there's conversation”. “You can't force me to talk to you, Vincent” Gilliam said at length, checking that his weapons and armor were in the right places. “It wasn't in the contract”. It was a sunny summer day, in the middle of pretty grasslands, but Vincent Ender somehow felt coldness emanating out of Gilliam. “But there wasn't a rule that said that you couldn't talk, yes?” he pointed out, looking to the northeast, the general direction in which they were heading, towards the Rainbow River, then back at Gilliam. With a deep sigh of absolute resignation, Gilliam stood up from his crouching stance and hoisted his own traveling pack over his shoulders. “Alright, master Vincent, what would you prefer to converse about this fine day, as we travel towards the home of a hermit, carrying a message of great importance?” he asked with fake reverence, his facial features more than obvious signs of frustration. Frowning only for a moment, Vincent nodded and started to lead the duo northeast “Well, for instance, I barely know about you, only that you're performing 'body-guard jobs' as your main occupation, risking your life so that others may travel safely, or at least relatively so. My House paid a good amount of gold for your services, Gilliam, but I don't like to see my House's employees as... mere servants”. “If that would please you, then I don't see the harm in it” Gilliam took a couple of quick steps to catch up with Vincent, who had already walked twenty feet or so while he was talking. Still, Vincent was wearing full-plate, while Gilliam sported a battered but solid chain shirt, which granted him more mobility and posed less of an encumbrance. “What do you want to know?”. “As much as you're willing to tell me” came the quick reply, accompanied with a smile, now that they were walking side by side. “Fair enough”. Gilliam spent half a minute considering where to begin his tale, and when he felt satisfied with his choice he began talking in a casual way, not putting much emotion into the words. “My father was a human, my mother was a human, and after they married I was born, as a human”. “Imagine that, two humans giving birth to a human baby!” Vincent joked, not realizing he had interrupted the tale he had demanded for at the very start. “I was merely clarifying my blood-line” Gilliam said in a strained fashion. “Some folks I've met thought I was of elven descent, if only on one side of my family” Vincent hastily cleared his throat. “Sorry, please continue” . “Anyway, I joined the Battle Forged, the guard at the city of Capris, at the age of seventeen-” “That's surely an early age to join the city guard” Vincent commented with a low whistle, sounding impressed. Gilliam ignored the second interruption and went on “I trained with the best, got my fair share of combat, and reached the point in which I could have beaten anyone in the local garrison. The most dangerous missions were always delegated to me by default, and I always took them, completing them with great efficiency”. This time, Vincent didn't interrupt, as he was listening to the story with rapt interest. After all, not everyone has the chance in life to hear the life-story of a city guard veteran! “I was given the rank of Captain, had my own group of soldiers to command, and I could've made it to Sergeant if I had wanted to. But I wanted to keep it simple, and guiding my own group of ten Battle Forged seemed like the perfect job for me. Once I was given the mission to look for a dagger-wielding assassin throughout the entire city” he looked at Vincent in the eye and added “Capris isn't as big as your city, Seawall, mind you, but the place had easily over five thousand people living in it. Finding this murderer was the equivalent of catching a needle in a haystack”. There was a pause, and Vincent took the chance to ask “How did you find him, then?”. For the first time in the entire trip, the three days that they had traveled together, Gilliam smiled, if only for a brief time. “We knew through our sources that the assassin was a proud man, and so we set up a trap for him: we hosted a tournament for all swordsmen to participate in, but we restricted the weapons to small blades only”. “The weapons the assassin was proficient with!” Vincent cried out as he snapped his fingers, catching on. “That's exactly right” the bodyguard praised with his index finger pointing at his companion. “By the end of the tournament, there was only one who could possibly outmatch the rest of the participants. We got a hold of him on the spot, and shortly afterwards we managed to make him confess for his atrocities”. There was a vague hint of pride in Gilliam's words, but then again, it could've been Vincent's imagination playing tricks on him. Eying the twin bastard swords sheathed in scabbards at Gilliam's waist, Vincent inquired “You have two, in case you lose the other?”. “No, I wield the two at the same time”. Since he wasn't looking at Vincent, Gilliam didn't notice the man's eyes go wide with awe: few people decided to train in wielding the exotic bastard sword one-handed... even fewer would choose to master wielding two in each hand! “How long did it take you to learn how to use them like that?”. Gilliam considered the question for a moment. “All of my life” . There was another pause, and Vincent felt forced to press on. “What happened next? What other important tasks were you given?”. “Nothing. I deserted the Battle Forged shortly afterwards” was the indifferent response that Gilliam gave. Vincent almost stopped walking after hearing the turning of events “Y-you jest! Surely you wouldn't leave after-”. Gilliam cut him off before he could formulate the inevitable question “Personal matters, none of your business”. An uneasy silence fell upon the two, just then, and for a several minutes the only sound that could be heard was the clanking of Vincent's armor as he walked. “What about you?”. “M-me?” stuttered Vincent. “Yes. You, your past, your story” Gilliam added, sounding as if he was asking this for the other's sake than for his own curiosity. Vincent smiled as he began to unfold the events of his own past with great pride “As you know, I was born as the son of an elven noble couple, both of House Kashtar” he tapped the symbol of the House that was engraved in the chest area of his plate armor, a silver helm on a blue field, almost subconsciously. “I was raised with the ideals of my House: honor, loyalty and courage. I was trained since I was little in defending myself and others with weapons, but also studied subjects such as history and politics, both of which I find very profound and helpful. The deals of the Noble Houses do get complicated more often than not”. “Tell me about it” Gilliam whispered. “I became a squire only three years ago, and it's been quite the challenge for me, in more than one way”. Vincent glanced at Gilliam, who nodded in comprehension “Indeed, it will take time getting used to it. Speaking of which, how long have you been wearing that full-plate armor for?”. “All my life – as a squire” Vincent replied, sounding quite happy with himself despite the small accomplishment. “What of your spear? Isn't that the signature weapon of House Kashtar?”. The noble-born elf nodded and patted the shaft of his weapon placed on his back diagonally “Correct. Every member of the House receives intensive training with these type of weapons, for the most part. I admit that it was hard to train with it and the armor at the beginning, but I intend to plow through these hardships and to strive forward! One day, I'll become a full-fledged knight of House Kashtar, and I will make my family proud. Unfortunately, I don't have any grand tales to talk about, like you, since I've only been in this position for a short period of time”. “I take it you'd do anything to please your family, your House, to make them proud of you?”. The elf in heavy armor blinked twice before replying hesitantly “Well, yes, that's what I would like to do”. “And what if they ask you to do something you don't want to do?” Gilliam pressed on, his tone starting to switch from casual to deadly serious. “I-I don't know what you mean, anything they would ask of me-”. “Even if they ask you to kill a loved one?”. Vincent came to an abrupt halt, as if he had been slapped on the face, and turned to face Gilliam directly “Neither my House or my family would do such a thing! How could you suggest something like that!” he shouted, outraged. “My question stands, Vincent: what if they do?” he asked patiently, standing on the spot and folding his arms as he awaited for a response. “Then-I-I would-my family... House Kashtar...” Vincent tried to say something, but the dilemma that Gilliam hit him with had clearly caught him unawares. “Think about it” Gilliam said right before he resumed the walk. Vincent tried to come up with a clear cut answer on the spot, he really did, but as much as he tried, he couldn't fathom what he would do in a situation like the one Gilliam presented. “Are you going to keep going, or what? I can't defend you if you lag behind me” Gilliam called from a couple of feet ahead. That brought him back to the present, and so the warrior of House Kashtar resumed his trip as well. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that the question he was asked had once been asked to Gilliam as well. And whatever choice Gilliam made, it had to be the one that forced him to leave the Battle Forged. Vincent sincerily hoped to never have to make the same choice that Gilliam was forced to do. [/QUOTE]
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