Unforgiving lands - Now in hiatus - Details at last post

[Cerulean_Wings]

Wahoo! I got the internetz! *ahem* Alright, it's dial up, but it's better than nothing

Here's the next chapter! I hope the cliffhanger keeps you anxious for more story hour goodness!

Chapter 19

Escape

“I don’t like this plan, Gil” Vincent was telling the mercenary as they crawled through the narrow tunnel that Kahleen had dug for them. It had taken the shape shifting woman the better part of an hour to dig the tunnel twice, so that the four others could actually move into it. In her badger shape, she had made her way parallel to the canyon’s wall, and after a while turned it to the right, so as to make an exit hole to the valley.

Right ahead of Vincent was Gilliam, and the mercenary was covered in dirt from top to bottom, and had had his fair share of smacking his head on the low ceiling of the tunnel. “It’s the only one we have, I’m afraid” he replied as he moved, one step at a time.

“I don’t like it either, boss” said Gon’s voice from behind the squire. “I think that there’s this chance that Mr. Giant will see us, and consequently murder us”. Regardless of the distance between each other, it wasn’t hard making out the words, for the sounds echoed in the tunnel.

“It’s either that or starving to death in the cave, Gon” Darius replied dryly from behind the wily soldier. “Do you want to go back to the cave?”

Gon chuckled at this. “Not at all, my dear Broken blade, not at all! I suppose we can use your body as an efficient shield, if it comes to battling the giant once more”.

“And you know what I think?” Darius asked, sounding annoyed. “I think we should use you as a decoy. It wouldn’t hurt to lose you in the process, if you ask me”.

“Have you forgotten who healed everyone’s wounds, including your own, Broken blade?” Gon easily retorted. Darius had no comeback for that, and remained silent, scowling at the bent shape ahead of him.

“When will those two ever stop?” Gilliam wondered in a low voice, finding it hard to concentrate in moving through the tight space as he listened to their antics. Kahleen’s badger-body was ahead, waiting for him, and resuming her movement once the mercenary got close enough. How he envied having her ability to adapt to different circumstances!

They had been crawling for what seemed like an eternity, with only more rocks and stones ahead of them as they moved inch by inch. But eventually the passage bent to the right, and everyone prepared for the inevitability of emerging into the valley and potentially confronting the giant a second time.

“Remember, we do not engage the giant if it comes to that. We’ll make a run to another hideout, if need be, or to Wellspring itself, should we be close enough” Gilliam said to everyone right before the bent.

Kahleen had shifted back to her usual self, and was ahead of him. “I don’t have much spiritual energy left for more than three spells, but Gon can manipulate the wand to heal you, should you be injured in the escape”.

No one felt like pointing out that to be struck by the giant would mean an almost certain death blow, and thus the prospect of healing didn’t give them any reassurance. But the five were facing this challenge with grim determination, and all nodded in unison when asked if they were ready.

Gilliam emerged to the outside right after Kahleen, and was surprised to be greeted by a starry sky from above. He had lost track of time, back in the prison-cave, but he hadn’t expected it to be so late in the day. Vincent’s clanking movement from behind brought him back to his senses, and the mercenary began to look around for hulking humanoid shapes.

Meanwhile, Vincent was getting up from the ground, groaning due to the pain of his sore muscles from all the crawling in the heavy armor. Gon emerged right after him, quickly followed by Darius. Both soldiers glanced at each other warily for a moment, and began to observe their surroundings afterwards without saying a word.

“Unless this one is a nocturnal giant, I’m assuming it’ll be asleep” Vincent commented. Gon nodded and crouched to analyze the ground for tracks. “I hope we can say the same for its pet, that mean bear that almost killed me” the man added. His voice was even, but it was obvious that he didn’t have any positive feelings towards that dire bear in the least.

Gilliam asked Kahleen to keep watch in the direction that they had seen the giant, the opposite way to the city of Wellspring, while he faced the way to their destination, considering the situation. Their choices and resources were limited, but he still felt like there was something more they could do about the matter. Or maybe he was hoping that that was the case.

“Alright, let’s get moving, we can’t afford to waste another second out here in the open, midnight or not” he said to the rest. Without a word, everyone complied and followed him near the valley’s wall, heading towards Wellspring.

They walked at first, fearful of disturbing the giant or something else in the valley. Kahleen had Blood Moon out at the ready, and the four warriors each had their weapons in hand as well. Eventually, after two hours or so, they dared to trot lightly, now that they had kept a fair distance from the cave and the tunnel. Under the starlight, they were but shadows moving through the valley to the eye of a daylight being.

But for the eyes of creatures that had an innate darkvision, the five were as obvious as thieves trying to sneak in the middle of a desert at noon. Too late did they realize this, unfortunately.

An enormous rock descended rapidly from above the valley’s wall, and it took Gon’s honed reflexes to yell out just in time, jumping out of the way and making the others imitate him. The rock collided with the solid earth in a massive explosion, a deafening sound that lasted more than one second. It was in that second that the five got up from their prone postures and began a mad run, their destination a city they hoped was less than an hour away.

“How in the Hells did he know we were here?!” Darius shouted as he ran, perplexed. By all rights they had been cautious in their escape, and the giant couldn’t possibly have been spying on them all the time. Still, present evidence seemed to suggest the opposite.

“It doesn’t matter! Save your breath and keep running!” Gilliam replied, sheathing his bastard swords as he did, since he couldn’t use them to fight back. Apparently, the giant was up on the canyon’s edge, right on top of them, the perfect position to bombard them with boulders the size of a horse.

Yet another large stone fell upon the group, and this one nearly smashed on top of Kahleen, but the shaman sidestepped, only getting clipped on the shoulder, without halting her momentum.

At first, they thought as if they could run for the whole night, with the adrenaline pumping through their veins in a steady flow, giving them energy to keep moving ahead. The giant managed to keep their pace, throwing more rocks occasionally, but since it had to run and attack at the same time, its aim was off the target all the time. But as the minutes went by, even the sturdy Gilliam began to feel winded. The fact that they hadn’t spotted city lights by then didn’t do much to bolster their hopes of finding a safe refuge. And the more tired they felt, the easier it would be for the giant’s rocks to finally collapse on top of one of them, burying the victim.

When Gon heard an even louder impact right behind him, even more powerful than the ones from the falling rocks, he couldn’t help but spend an extra second to look over his shoulder.

The giant was there, looming over them, war axe in hand, somehow keeping his running speed after sliding and jumping from the canyon’s wall all the way down to the valley. Gon had known fear from the monster’s pet, but the sensation that overwhelmed him now, preventing him from even screaming in horror, was a hundred times worse than that.

Lifting the massive weapon with two meaty hands, the giant prepared to cleave Gon in two.

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

Another chapter done! I really didn't expect to have the energy for one today, but since it took practically an hour to write it and proof-read it, I don't see why not post it

I'll be updating the Rogue's Gallery shortly, as our dear characters have gone through many recent hardships, getting a well earned level up in the process

Chapter 20

Stone against stone

Gon jumped forward, using the momentum from the long run to propel himself just as the giant’s axe came down diagonally after him, seeking to separate his torso from his waist. The roguish soldier twisted his body in mid-air, just as he felt the axe’s fine edge begin to cut his leather armor on his back, and thus turned the deadly slash into a long, thin cut. The wound hurt very much, nonetheless.

Landing was even trickier, for he had changed his posture and footing while jumping, but his credit, Gon was able to return to solid ground without tripping or losing his burst of speed. The giant was still right on his heels, however, and Gon had to abandon his position at the back of the group by speeding up. That left Vincent as the nearest target for the monster’s deadly reach.

“Sorry Vincent, but you’ve got steel between your body and its weapon!” Gon apologized as he dashed forwards, reaching Gilliam at the front of the group in a matter of seconds. The squire acknowledged this with a nod, but there was little he could do, since their only hope was to reach another safe haven.

Darius, a few feet behind Gilliam and Gon, turned his head, and seemed to slow down for just an instant. Gilliam caught this change and yelled “Damn it, Darius, don’t you even think of stalling it! You’ll only grant us a few seconds, at best!”. This seemed to change the soldier’s mind, and he cursed under his breath before accelerating his march once again.

For the next minute of their desperate run, the four ahead of Vincent heard the sound of an axe splitting and chopping the ground almost non-stop as the giant attempted to cut the squire down with abandon. Fortunately for Vincent, the giant wasn’t in a mood for finesse, and thus all his attacks had missed, if narrowly, so far.

“You killed Stone Crusher!” the rampaging monster bellowed at one point in-between swings. Vincent had to side-step to avoid the next one, which predictably split the ground as if it was made of butter. “And now you killed my other pet, Mauler!” the monster continued with even more ire. “You will pay in blood!”

Gon looked over his shoulder, his face a mask of confusion. “Now look here, mister, we may have killed that land shark of yours, but we most certainly didn’t kill-“ he was saying, but got interrupted by the giant’s next angry shout.
“LIES!”

The giant swung at Vincent’s moving form yet again, his luck at striking the elf down even lower, for he attacked in a blind rage. “All lies! My bear is dead because of you, just like the man told me!”.

“Man?” Gilliam mouthed, losing his focus on the run for just a moment. In the back of his mind, he thought he had an idea of who it could be, but he had no time to ponder its significance, with an angry brute chasing after them.

“Gilliam” called the voice of Kahleen, sounding awfully tired. “I don’t think I can run much more than this”. Gilliam glanced back at the shaman, and she looked on the verge of collapse. He knew that Kahleen hadn’t trained her endurance like the rest, but he had hoped she would last more than this.

“Just a bit further, Kahleen” Darius said in Gilliam’s stead, right besides the woman. “If need be, I’ll carry you over my shoulders!” he said with determination, although his claim was a bit exaggerated. His breastplate wasn’t allowing him for much movement, and its extra layers of metal were a curse more than a boon at times like these.

His words seemed to bolster the shaman’s resolve, though, and she kept going without another word. For how long, nobody knew, and they hoped it would be for long enough to reach the city in the valley. The map they had indicated they were close, very close, to Wellspring, but the exact distance was impossible to determine. While Kahleen might very well be the first to fall from exhaustion, the rest wouldn’t take long to follow.

Darius spotted a natural bridge ahead, connecting one wall to the other at the very top of the canyon, and dearly wished he could somehow drop the entire thing on top of their pursuer. An idea sparked in his head, then, and turned his face to Kahleen.

“Can you use your magic to drop that bridge of stone?” he asked. The shaman looked up to where the soldier was referring to. “I’m afraid not, Darius. It’s too far away for my powers to reach it” she explained, leaving Darius disillusioned, lamenting his idea wouldn’t help.

They were passing right under the stone bridge moments later, when they heard a cry from above, drawing their attention upwards, not sure what to expect next. The giant cried in pain as a large rock that had been thrown from the bridge’s edge fell on his head.

“Damnation, more giants!” Gilliam cursed.

“But these ones have bad aim, boss!” Gon pointed out, seeing how the giant had a nasty bruise on its shoulder where the rock had hit. That wasn’t stopping it, clearly, but it had given the group a few seconds of distance between it.

Within another second, more rocks descended at the same time, and they were all aimed for the lumbering humanoid, striking the giantmore often than not, its massive frame an easy target for the rock-throwers above.

Vincent was the only one looking thoughtful at this turn of events, and glanced back at the bridge once they had passed it, trying to discern the figures on top of the stone. The squire’s eyes widened in surprise as he made out the shapes of their helpers with the aid of his low light vision.

“Good Gods,” he gasped, “it’s the Mountaineers!”. The only one who didn’t react positively to this was Darius, for the soldier had never been to the Gray Spears, and thus wouldn’t know what Vincent was referring to.

By now, the giant was being bombarded by an avalanche of stones of different sizes, all of them bigger than a chair, some even as large as a horse. This prevented the giant from running after the five, as he attempted to block the incoming projectiles with its big arms, throwing back some of them when he had the chance. Its aim was off, however, as launching the stones up towards the bridge was hard, even for someone as strong as the giant.

Seeing that the chase was over, for now, the group stopped for a brief rest to regain their breath. Vincent collapsed on the ground with a loud clank, joined by Darius and Kahleen a second later. Only Gon and Gilliam had the strength left to remain standing, and the former used the break to ask the latter to examine his wound on his back.

“It’s not that bad” Gilliam informed Gon. “But we’ll have to take care of it soon, lest it gets infected”. Gon nodded and lowered his armor back to cover his back, readjusting the straps afterwards.

Gilliam looked back to see the giant still attempting to bring the bridge down, even after realizing how futile it was to attempt throwing rocks at it from down below. The monster yelled angrily, its body covered in bruises and thick blood everywhere, and after another exchange of heavy stones finally decided to retreat, running back the way it came.

There were cheers and hoots of victory, then, on top of the stone bridge, and while no one down in the valley could see very well in the distance, it was easy to tell by the sounds of movement that their saviors had started to go somewhere else.

The five watched the giant’s dark form get smaller and smaller as it went away, and they would’ve cheered as well had they not been dead tired. Darius had somehow managed to obtain a sitting position, looking no less tired than the rest.

“What’s a Mountaineer?” he asked in-between heavy intakes of air. Vincent pointed with one finger at the valley’s wall from his prone posture on the ground. Darius looked that way, but failed to see anything of importance.

“You’ll see soon enough, once they get down here” Gilliam responded, looking in the same direction as Darius. The soldier frowned and turned to face him. “They’re going to climb all the way down, in the middle of the night?”.

Gilliam only smiled and nodded, taking long breaths as he waited. Darius couldn’t see in the dark, but he heard voices and sounds of something climbing down the wall. Within minutes, a quintet of mounted figures approached them, two of them dwarves, and the other three humans. They were all dressed in the same outfit, gray leathers covered by dark green clothes, carrying bows on their backs, along with axes on their belts.

Much to Darius’ surprise, they were riding lizards that were not as tall as horses, but certainly longer than them. They had approached them in a diamond formation, and the leader of the five, a crusty old dwarf, laughed loudly after reaching the group.

“Ho ho! Lookie here, my men! We’ve got five fine folks coming from the west, all exhausted from that mean giant chasin’ ‘em”. The dwarf’s humor wasn’t appreciated as much due to their current condition, but Gilliam smiled back at the comment nonetheless.

“Mountaineer Graybeard, if my memory doesn’t fail me” the mercenary greeted. The dwarf nodded back and saluted him formally. “That be me, lad, the one an’ only” he replied more seriously. “Are ye folks a’ight?”.

The sight of three out of five knocked out cold on the ground should’ve been answer enough for him, but Gilliam indulged Mountaineer Graybeard nonetheless. “Apart from exhaustion and a rough wound for Gon, here, not much else” he explained, turning around to gesture at Gon. Somehow, the man wasn’t standing anymore, but instead was laying on the ground face-down, as if he had collapsed from tiredness.

“I’m alright, I simply tripped on a rock” Gon said as he began to get up, his face practically unrecognizable from all the dirt that was over it. Gilliam frowned, but said nothing. One of the Mountaineers broke from their formation to get closer to the prone forms of Kahleen, Darius and Vincent. “Can you folks move?” asked the human on top of the lizard. The replies came in the form of groans and grunts, and the rider dismounted in order to carry one of them onto his mount.

Mountaineer Graybeard nodded in agreement, offering Gilliam a hand to mount his lizard with him. “Let’s go, lad. Ye’ll tell me the whole tale once we get to Wellspring”. The mercenary took it without a word, sitting himself right behind the dwarf.

Darius had just been placed on top of a lizard as well, looking confused. “So, you are, what, Wellspring’s scouts?” he inquired to the rider who was controlling the lizard he was on.

“More like Wellspring’s guard, lad” the leading dwarf responded with wink.

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

Here's the next chapter... but before that, I'd like to explain the condition I'm in, if in a geeky fashion: I rolled a freakin' 1 in my Fort save against this cold. Really, one would think that with my godly Fort save I never fail the save, but alas, once upon a year it happens. I didn't go to work, mainly because I'd spread the germs to the seniors there. Hopefully I can return tomorrow.

Oh, well, who cares about my disease, you want some story hour goodness, don'tcha? Yes, yes you do

Chapter 21

Wellspring

Darius woke up in a haze. His muscles felt as sore as humanly possible, and it was a conscious effort to open his eyes to see where he was. The sensation of moving back and forth should’ve been a big enough hint for the soldier to realize he was mounting a giant lizard along with a dwarven rider. His head was lying against the back of the dwarf, and he moved it a bit to test his neck’s muscles.

“What the…”

Looking at his right arm, Darius realized that he no longer had his fine steel shield strapped on to it. It must have fell on the way as they ran from the giant. While he lamented losing the piece of protection, it wasn’t that big of a loss, he figured. Darius craned his neck up, or tried to, as a bright blinding light made him wince and cover his sight with an arm.

“Sun’s up, lad!” the dwarf rider announced, unnecessarily. “But we’ll make it to Wellspring long before noon, don’tcha worry”.

Darius grunted in response as he adjusted his eyes to the sun’s light in order to look around and get his bearings. He spied the other four mounts around him, each with two riders.

The soldier from Seawall heard his name from the side, and turned his head to face the speaker. Vincent was there, to his left, resting his body on the human rider that was with him, somehow managing to avoid crushing the man with his heavy armor.

“Sleep well?” the squire teased with a tired smile. Darius would’ve laughed, had his rib muscles felt better at the time. “Same as you, Vince” he replied with a wink.

A notion crossed Darius’ mind then, and he frowned momentarily, thinking.

“How did you know of the Mountaineers, if you’ve never been to Wellspring?” Darius inquired. Vincent’s answer came several seconds later, for the tired squire yawned loudly before words could come out of his mouth. “I didn’t know of them from previous experience, but from my history lessons with House Kashtar”.

With that curiosity settled, Darius went back to resting his head on the dwarf in front of him, who didn’t object, attempting to drift back into unconsciousness. He failed miserably. His muscles were very sore, but his body was refilled with energy after the night’s sleep, uncomfortable as it had been.

“Cheer up, Broken blade!” said a very annoying and somehow energetic voice behind him. “You’ll have me to entertain you for the trip!” Gon promised, and Darius had not doubt that the man meant every word of it. Now, what Gon defined as ‘entertainment’ Darius often perceived as ‘excruciating torture through speech’.

Suddenly, the notion of knocking himself senseless with the hilt of his own sword didn’t seem that undesirable.

---oOo---

As the Mountaineer had promised Darius, they reached Wellspring in an hour, well before noon. The town was placed right in the center of the valley, where the canyon’s walls assumed a circular shape and expanded, allowing for ten kilometers or so of space for the town to live in.

Wellspring had a defensive perimeter which consisted of sturdy stone walls, each tall enough to even force a giant to bring them down in order to get past them. Mountaineers were positioned on their large lizards on top of the wall, their mount’s sticky feet allowing them to walk over them without problems. The guards never rested, not while on their shift; while attacks to the town were rare, only one raid of savage monsters or animals could prove disastrous.

The town consisted of approximately eight thousand inhabitants, and the population shifted constantly with the incoming merchant caravans, which settled in the town for many months, and the departure of the younger folk, always eager to explore the rest of the world. Everyone lived in two-store houses, for the most part, and the town’s buildings were organized in a circle, meaning that the most important buildings, such as the temples and the mayor’s house were placed near the center.

“Just like I remembered it” Kahleen commented to no one in particular when they had reached the gates. The mountaineers guarding the entrance didn’t have to ask for anything out of the group, for they were riding with their comrades. With no more than a salute, the quintet of lizards was allowed passage inside.

Inside, the roads were of dirt, just like outside the town, and the only one surprised by this was Darius, who had never read or heard of Wellspring. The soldier knew better than to even ask about the matter, and remained quiet as their riders took them deeper and deeper into the town.

“We’ll be takin’ ye to tha’ Wellspring Inn, so tha’ ye may rest and eat well” Mountaineer Graybeard assured them from his leading position. Those words were music to the ears of the five weary fellows.

And so they did. The rides weren’t as fast as horses, but they saved some time in their brief trek to the inn. After dismounting, Gilliam shared a couple of words with Mountaineer Graybeard before saluting him and returning to the group. The leading guard nodded grimly and took off with the other four.

“What were you telling him?” Vincent inquired after the mercenary walked back to them, right by the door to the Wellspring Inn. Gilliam gestured towards the entrance and whispered, “Let’s talk about it inside”. Without another word, he opened the door and went in. The rest did the same, save for Kahleen and Gon, as the woman placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place.

The shaman observed the man’s face with scrutiny, for he was wearing a red handkerchief over his mouth, like a bandit. “Why do you wear that cloth?” she asked, curious. He had cleaned the dirt from his face with the cloth, and had kept it on his face.

“I’m sick, is all” Gon replied in a voice that did sound ill, shrugging. “I don’t want to pass it on to you or the others, lady” he added with a wink. “Come; let us delve into the inn with the rest”. Kahleen didn't say anything, and they both entered the building.

From the outside, the Wellspring Inn didn’t look like anything else than a large three store house, shaped like an “L”. However, the inside was very well furnished: not exuberantly so to the point of golden chandeliers and diamond vases, but very well decorated nonetheless. The windows must have been designed to contain noise from within, for upon entering the building one couldn’t help but notice the dramatic and spontaneous increase of sound. People weren’t acting rowdy or violently, but merely laughing, singing and dancing in a very loud fashion.

It didn’t get any friendlier than this when it came to mountain inns!

Kahleen spotted the other three first, who were sitting near a window in a long rectangular table. Privacy wasn’t difficult to obtain, since the place wasn’t crammed with visitors, and the noise in the area permitted anyone to share their secrets without inconveniences.

Everyone had taken a seat, after Kahleen and Gon joined them, and the four were waiting on Gilliam, who was busy looking through the window. At what, no one really knew.

Vincent cleared his throat, drawing the mercenary’s attention. Gilliam looked distracted and blinked once before recalling why in the Hells they were all seating around him, waiting for him to say something.

“I was telling the Mountaineer captain to keep an eye for suspicious folk, that’s all” he explained in a casual tone. His look indicated that there was more than that involved. Darius noticed this and leaned forward in order to talk in a lower voice. “You think someone is after us, even here, away from Seawall?” the soldier asked.

Gilliam shook his head, looking away, pretending he didn’t hear anything. “No” he responded. “I know there’s someone trying to kill us, but through others”. Gon snapped his fingers, as if struck by an idea, and Vincent looked at him expectantly.

“I think I know who you refer to, boss” the wily man said, just as a barmaid approached their table. Gilliam waved her away rather rudely, rejecting her offer of drinks. Gon shifted his eyes, making sure no one was close to enough to overhear his words. Satisfied, he whispered “Ignus”.

Vincent, Darius and Kahleen stared blankly at him, clearly not understanding what he just said. “Ignus, the wizard” Gon insisted, looking at them as if they had faulty memories. “Back at the warehouse” he added, seeing that the name hadn’t sparked anything. That got their attention, generating frowns from the others.

“It makes sense” Darius observed, rubbing his chin as he looked down at the table. “The giant mentioned that a man informed him that we killed its bear, back when he was chasing us”.

“But we didn’t perform the deed; and it would take magical powers to allow Ignus to follow us through the mountain pass, unseen and unheard, in order to reach the giant and convince him of what we supposedly did” the shaman stated, and Gilliam’s nod indicated he had thought the very same thing.

“You didn’t ask for drinks from the barmaid because they could be poisoned” Gon stated in a dead serious tone. Vincent’s mouth fell open, aghast, but no sound came from it. Darius glanced conspicuously at the barmaid, as If attempting to spy a poisoned dagger hidden in her clothes.

“When being followed by wolves, the sheep must be cautious” Kahleen said wisely. Gilliam got up from his seat and headed for the bar, where the human barkeep was currently polishing an empty cup of glass, as barkeeps are usually found doing.

“How many rooms have you got for five people, good sir?” the mercenary asked as he leaned on the wooden surface separating him from the other man. The barkeep looked up, his hands wiping the glass on their own accord. “None, I’m afraid. You’ll have to make do with two rooms, one for three, one for two” he responded.

“Damnation” Gilliam cursed. “What was that?” the barkeep inquired, unsure if he heard correctly. Gilliam waved a hand to brush away the word. “Nevermind that. Two rooms will do. How much is it?” he asked while digging his hand through his satchel placed by belt. Or at least he wanted to, for there was no satchel there.

The barkeep informed it would be two silver coins for each person, but Gilliam wasn’t listening; he looked around, trying to determine if the satchel had fallen to the ground. Alas, it wasn’t to be found around.

“A thief took it” said a voice behind Gilliam. He turned to see Gon, leaning casually against the bar. In his upraised hand he was holding a satchel, one identical to Gilliam’s. The red haired man jingled the small container, making the coins within clatter. It seemed fuller than before.

Gon tossed it to Gilliam without a word, and thanks to his bandit-mask Gilliam couldn’t see his face. “As I said, a thief took it, and I got it back for you” Gon announced proudly. “No need to thank me, boss”.

Gilliam was about to reply when he heard the barkeep knock on the wood in-between them, drawing his attention. “Are you going to pay, or what?” he asked with a frown. The mercenary opened the satchel of coins, and his eyes widened when he spotted platinum coins within, replacing the silver ones he originally had. Without thinking, he dropped a platinum one on the bar, and the barkeep’s eyes widened to the size of the coin.

“Keep the change, good sir” Gon called with a wink, turning around to walk back to the table. Gilliam was left there, staring at the cunning soldier, wondering if he would soon be hearing stories of a wealthy merchant who got his money stolen in broad daylight. Cursing under his breath, Gilliam decided he would need to have a talk with the man when he had the chance.

How in the Hell’s Gon had found the time to get that money, only the Gods knew.

 

[Megapurrr]

I hope that you get better! So that you can write the next one...

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

I hope that you get better! So that you can write the next one...

Thanks for the encouraging words, Megapurr, I do hope I feel better soon

That being said, as long as I don't feel worse, I should be able to write up the next one...

In other news, the Rogue's Gallery has been updated once more

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

So I'm still sick, which means I don't get to go to work. On the flipside, I have enough energy/creative juice to write up yet another update. You lose some, you win some, or so the saying goes.

So here ya go, next chapter, with a cliffhanger included as a bonus. Man, I love writing those! Now I understand why Lazybones does so many...


Chapter 22

The game of life

The group ate a quick meal in the inn after Kahleen (and not surprisingly, Gon) had assured the rest that the food wasn’t poisoned. Vincent had voiced his opinion regarding the level of caution they were taking, but Gilliam wouldn’t have any of it, and dismissed his suggestions to lower their guard. Afterwards, they went for the rooms upstairs, and since they didn’t plan to change clothes there, Kahleen was allowed in the room with Gon and Vincent at the same time. Gilliam admitted they could use some extra sleeping hours, but the mercenary was hell bent in leaving Wellspring before the next day.

“We can’t linger here too long; the wizard, Ignus, will probably send something or someone else to hunt us down, whatever his motives” he had told the others.

They slept with their doors locked, one of the room inhabitants awake while the others rested. This didn’t last for long, only until the late afternoon when everyone got together in Gilliam’s room to discuss what they would do.

Five minutes later everyone was outside the Wellspring Inn, each of the companions walking in a different direction. Well, all save for Gon and Darius, the pair of soldiers remained impassive by the inn’s entrance, watching the three others walk away to perform the tasks they had distributed.

“What are we supposed to do, if you three are taking care of the food and equipment?” Darius called after them from where he was standing at.

Gilliam turned his head to reply as he walked. “I don’t know; go do something fun together. You have an hour, so use it wisely”. And with that, he kept moving away, leaving Gon and Darius in the same dilemma. Both men looked at each other warily, like beasts do when observing the opposing alpha male in the herd. Gon’s face was still masked by the handkerchief, but his expression was all too clear in his gaze.

“So” Gon began in a flat tone.

“So” his counterpart repeated, shifting uneasy as he glanced around, looking for an excuse to get the Hell out of there.

Gon sighed in annoyance and did the same thing; but alas, there wasn’t anything or anyone around to avoid the blond soldier. Darius raised an eyebrow at this, not really expecting that reaction from the usually cheerful man, and began walking away without a word.

Much to Darius’ displeasure, the red-haired soldier followed him, with his hands deep in his pockets of his leather trousers. “Do you have to follow me around all the time?” Darius protested.

“There’s no one else to talk to, so I might as well” the other soldier replied, his tone far from sounding joking or mocking, as it usually was. Gon kicked a stone lying near him far away as he got closer to Darius.

They walked in silence, side by side, encountering several Mountaineers on the way who seemed keen in patrolling the area, along with several town folk who greeted them warmly. Their walk lead to the very center of the town. Four buildings were there: the mayor’s house, the one temple of Berethor, the Mountaineer’s barracks, and a large abandoned building, which probably served as a guild house in the past. It was the late afternoon, with the twilight fast approaching, and not a soul was near the two soldiers of the Honor Guard at the time.

“Where’s everybody?” Darius wondered out loud, coming to a stop by the stone fence surrounding the mayor’s house, which was almost as tall as him. Gon did likewise, folding his arms and taking a look around, but didn’t respond to the question.

Several silent moments passed by, as neither man opted to strike up some talk.

“Let me make it clear to you, Broken blade” Gon said at length, drawing Darius’ attention. “I. Don’t. Like. You” he declared, saying every word slowly, separate from the rest.

“The feeling is mutual, Gon” Darius responded dryly, although he was surprised by this revelation. “I can’t say I enjoy your presence, with all your senseless talk and overly cheerful jokes directed at me. At my expense, no less”.

“And I can’t stand your ‘I’m better than you, and so I act serious and important’ attitude, Broken blade. Makes me want to slice your throat open” the roguish soldier retorted, his tone equaling the intention of his words. This shocked Darius, who couldn’t hide his startled expression at first.

Then they spent several seconds in a silent stare, but eventually Darius sighed and looked away. “Why do you say things like ‘let’s end this little game of ours’ when it comes to battling our foes?” he asked.

Gon’s frown disappeared and he shrugged. “Life’s a game, Broken blade” he explained in a more casual tone. “You lose, you die; you win, your opponent dies. Easy as that”.

“You know, I never really understood why you are the way you are: annoying, energetic, overtly cheerful, and so on” Darius commented off-hand. “Maybe if we knew more about each other we wouldn’t be at odds constantly”.

Gon’s laugh filled the silent streets of the town’s center briefly. “Really now!” he said at length after his laugh was over. “Is this what you people do? Travel to places, kill anything that stands in your way, then chat amongst each other about your personal history in between the killing?”. He laughed once more, apparently finding humor in this.

“Would you rather talk about it while doing the killing?” Darius retorted. Gon shook his head as Darius said the words, his face showing pure amusement. “You are funny, Broken blade, very funny; I’ll grant you that much”. The blond soldier didn’t know if to take this as an insult or praise, and remained silent.

“My past is my own, and I have no need to share it with anyone”. Gon glanced at Darius before adding, “Especially with you, an uptight-good-for-nothing-soldier”.

This drew a scowl from Darius, who turned to fully face the man, clearly angered by this. He didn’t get to say a word in return, however, as Gon knocked him down with a flying tackle, taking Darius completely by surprise as he was taken to the ground in a heap.

“What in the Hells is wrong with you?” Darius shouted from his now prone position as he tried to push Gon away. The other soldier didn’t need any pushing, apparently, and he got up in a blink. In the span of a second, Gon had his light crossbow in hand, aiming high towards the abandoned guild house across the street.

“You can thank me later for saving your life, Broken blade” Gon said as he pressed the trigger and allowed the bolt to fly through the air in direction of the building’s window. Darius saw that there was a darkened figure in there who got hit by the bolt squarely in the chest, but this didn’t disable it.

Still sitting on the ground, Darius looked back at the spot where he had been leaning against the stone fence, and only then did the notice the arrow that had been shot at him, stuck against the fence. There was a shout from somewhere, probably from within the guild house, and Darius didn’t waste another moment, coming to a standing position and drawing his long sword, trying to discern the location of other enemies.

The guild house’s door spontaneously opened wide in order to allow two rabid-looking dogs charge towards Darius. They cleared the forty feet of distance between them and their prey quickly, jumping at the end with their jaws wide open. But the soldier had been waiting for such an attack, and he dispatched the first jumping canine with one slash of his sword by using all of his enhanced strength in the strike. The other dog managed to bite him in the arm after the attack, but the wound wasn’t very severe due to his armor’s protection.

Instead of trying to shake the dog loose from his arm, Darius let go of the sword with his injured arm, opting to plunge the blade directly into the animal’s chest with his remaining sword arm. The dog yelped, releasing Darius’ limb before collapsing to the ground, dead.

Darius looked to the side, about to ask Gon to give him cover with the crossbow, when he realized that the soldier wasn’t there. Desperate, Darius shifted to a more defensive stance, lest he get attacked again by surprise, all the while looking around for a place where to hide. The fence behind him would do the trick, but he wouldn’t be able to retaliate from there. A twang alerted him of another attack, but it wasn’t directed at him. The arrow zipped over Darius and struck the mayor’s wall. Judging by the footsteps behind the fence, it had to be where Gon was standing a moment ago.

“I’ll distract the archer, get inside the building!” Gon whispered as high as he could from behind the stone fence, his voice accompanied by the sounds of a crossbow being reloaded. Darius nodded in acknowledgement before making a beeline for the guild house. Out of instinct, he drew out his short spear after sheathing the long sword in its scabbard. He didn’t know what to expect one inside the place, but the spear’s potential to be thrown added flexibility to his attack maneuvers.

Darius had almost made it to the opened door, and was almost forgetting about the dog’s bite when searing pain erupted on his right shoulder. He didn’t have to take a close look to understand he had been shot from above with an arrow, so he braced himself, ignoring the recent wound as he entered the guild house. There was still some semblance of natural light outside, but the interior of the place seemed to be anathema to it.

Taking a cautious step forward, rather than charging in while yelling out his full name, Darius held tightly to his short spear, every muscle in his body tense. He could only hear movement above, on the second floor, but then again, he was dealing with people trying to kill him, and stealth was one of their many allies. Upon crossing the threshold, the soldier could smell “old” in the large and spacious dark room. He spied fallen chairs and tables around the corners, along with a book case that was still standing up in good condition. Directly across from the door was a wooden staircase going up.

Darius took another step inside, as he didn’t see any threats in the vicinity. That was precisely when the door closed shut behind him, and several crossbows clicked at the same time, all aimed at one target: his heart.

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

Stop!

Update time!

*breaks off into dancing a la Mc Hammer*

A'ight, so I've been sick. I've recovered. I've also discovered that by blinking a lot while using the PC I can prevent my eyes from hurting. Jubilation. Which means... more updates!

Here's the update you've all been waiting for. Sorry for keeping the cliffhanger for so long, I didn't intend to do so originally

If any of you faithful readers have any criticism regarding how I deal with battle scenes, please let me know. If there's something I could change, add, removed, or whatever, it'd be nice to hear it to consider it


Chapter 23

At the wrong place at the wrong time

Darius ducked, narrowly avoiding all three bolts shot at him. He heard one zip past his ear, the other over his head, ruffling his hair, and the last one glancing off his magical breastplate. In the second that it took for this to happen, several thoughts raced through the soldier’s mind.

Why in the Hells did I get in here? Why didn’t I go to the Mountaineers and request their help? Oh, no, of course I didn’t: I accepted to get in here, all by myself, while Gon protected me with his crossbow. So much for that, I’ve an arrow stuck in my shoulder anyway.

Hearing the tell-tale sound of crossbows being reloaded nearby, Darius had to act fast. He guided himself by sound, since everything was as dark as it could be, and ran over to the right, where a pair of tables served as a barricade for the person behind.

Wait, why did Gon tell me to go into the building all by myself? The bastard! He has sent me to my death. If I survive this, he’s a dead, dead man.

Darius shook those thoughts away in order to better focus in the battle at hand. He was outmatched three-to-one, that much he knew, and being distracted while it happened didn’t really even those odds. Instead of trying to jump over the barricade, Darius brought his spear back with two hands to gain momentum as he reached the tables. With a mighty thrust, the spear pierced the wood and the person that was hidden behind at the same time, making a brochette of table and man.

The spear’s victim grunted in pain as the weapon’s tip went through his leg, but the man was tough enough to push it away, getting up in a blink as he drew a slender rapier with one hand, making an elegant flourish with it. Darius tried to follow the weapon’s quick movements before realizing he was allowing it to distract him.

Two simultaneous clicks heralded two bolts from the other humanoids, and both found its mark, since Darius was giving them his back and was currently engaged in melee. The soldier held back a cry of pain, feeling the projectiles pierce his armor. The wounds didn’t feel deep, but every little thing was adding to the earlier wounds he already had received.

The man in front of him, his face covered by a scarf, finished the flourish-which was an elaborate feint-by stabbing Darius in the arm. Or at least, he tried to, for the soldier had switched stances, from an all-out tactic to a more defensive one, and deflected the rapier with his spear shaft.

“Feran, will you hurry up and restrain him!” yelled one of the crossbow wielders from behind, and Darius hoped that this Feran wasn’t a fourth assailant in the room. Without hesitating, Darius counter attacked with the spear in a violent two handed thrust, impaling the man with the rapier in the stomach, bringing him down to the ground as he clutched the mortal wound. As the man went down, Darius heard some strange words being said by the staircase.

And then there was the oddest feeling he had ever felt: it was as if his muscles, bones and nerves ceased to respond to his command, almost like they were going to sleep. And no matter how much insistence Darius put into waking them, they didn’t react.

He was frozen in place by some strange power.

“He’s held!” cried a voice from the stairs, likely the source of Darius’ paralysis. “Get him while the spell lasts!”. The two other men didn’t need any prodding, and they rushed over to Darius, rapiers in hand. One prodded the soldier in the arm with the sword as if to test his reaction, and he was satisfied at seeing that there wasn’t even so much as a grunt in reply.

A slender figure dressed in simple leather cloth walked over to where Darius stood. “Quick now, bind him; the spell won’t last long” he instructed swiftly. The other two were about to take out some ropes for the task when one stopped short as he peered at Darius more closely.

“Now wait a second, here…” he said while observing Darius’ face more closely. “Ain’t he supposed to be red-haired? This fella’ here is blond”. His accomplices looked at each other, then at the immobilized soldier.

“Now that you mention it,” the wizard reflected, rubbing his chin as he contemplated Darius more closely, “he doesn’t even look like him. At all”. The remaining man scratched his head, confused. “But he has to be! Look, dressed as a soldier of the Honor Guard and everythin’! If he ain’t Gon, then who is?”.

Darius’ mood had switched from desperate, as he was helpless against his foes, to perplexed, when they discussed how he looked, and finally to anger, as he found out that son of a whore named Gon had been the intended target all along and he, Darius, had been sent in his stead.

With a sudden shout that turned into a war cry, Darius swung his spear horizontally, smacking the three men and pushing them away from him. It seemed to him that powerful emotions allowed people to triumph over magic, and in his current state, Darius’ anger could’ve beaten most spellcasters through sheer force of will.

The moment of surprise wouldn’t last more than an instant, Darius realized, and he dropped the spear in order to draw his sword from his scabbard. The metallic ring of steel leaving its sheath rang in the dark room, filling Darius’ foes with sudden dread. The enraged soldier began a wide diagonal cut from right to left, and the man on the far right wasn’t ready for it. Blood spurted from the vicious wound that formed after the blade’s edge slashed him in the chest, and the man began to collapse to the floor.

But Darius wasn’t done just then. He continued the movement with the sword held in two hands, displacing it to the left in order to cut his companion as well. This other man was better prepared, and he jumped back in order to avoid the fate of his companion. The man lifted his rapier just as the mage begun to conjure magic through elaborate finger movements and words of power.

Darius dashed forward in order to interrupt the mage’s casting, but the other warrior stepped in-between the two, his rapier a blur as it moved in quick circles before it came to a sudden stop, puncturing Darius in the wrist, loosening his grip on the sword. A kick from the man finished what the rapier had started, and the fine longsword flew from Darius’ grasp to land on the ground several feet away.

The bite wound from the dog; the arrow in his shoulder; the crossbow bolts in his back. All those individual injuries were, by themselves, nothing to worry about. Combined, they proved lethal to Darius. The mage finished his casting with his arms extended in front of him, palms forward, as electricity emerged from his fingertips and combined into the shape of an orb. In a blink, the electric orb flew from the mage’s hands and collided into Darius, not only ignoring his breastplate, but also using it as a conduit to deal further damage as it electrocuted the man.

Seriously shaken and filled with uncontrollable spasms, Darius couldn’t hope to stay on his feet for long. He gritted his teeth, trying to steady himself, but to no avail. Through the sparks that flew in the air in front of him, the weakened solider saw the man with the rapier take careful aim, right before slashing at his throat.

A crossbow bolt collided against the rapier’s blade, deflecting it, and saving Darius’ life. Both wizard and warrior looked over behind Darius, and what they saw wasn’t good at all.

“May I join in the fun, gentlemen? This is a game that I intend to finish, once and for all” Gon said from the doorway, his crossbow in one hand, now empty of a quarrel. The roguish soldier dropped it and ran into the room, drawing his longsword in the way.

“And so you’re back, Gon: back to pay for your crimes against our guild!” cried the wizard, his arms already moving in order to conjure yet more magical energy. The man with the rapier stepped in front of him to block the incoming Gon, stabbing at him with the weapon when he got close enough.

But Gon wasn’t there anymore. The soldier had gracefully dropped to the ground in a roll, going right under the man’s blade, passing him by in an instant and standing up right in front of the mage, who wasn’t nearly finished with his casting. Gon’s sword flashed, and the mage’s right arm was coated in red due to the wound that had appeared there. In great pain as he was, the mage couldn’t complete the spell, and he paled, seeing that Gon wasn’t slowing down or looking like the merciful type of man.

“Game over for you, Faren” announced the red-haired man as he raised the longsword in the air for a final strike. His attention shifted from the mage to the hot burning pain in his thigh, which was caused by a rapier being inserted there. Seeing his chance, Faren fled from the scene, going around the combatants and rushing out the door, blood streaming out from his arm.

“Oh, you want to play as well?” Gon asked, his grimace hidden with the handkerchief covering his face. Whirling around, he slashed at the man behind him, and the other took a hit in the shoulder as he tried to avoid it.

Darius just stood there, looking like a dead tree that was about to topple over as soon as a slight wind reached him. “Sheesh, Broken blade, at least try to pretend you’re not near death. You look horrifying” Gon chastised him as he deflected an incoming rapier thrust. He returned the attack in kind with his sword, descending the blade from above, but his opponent was very experience, and saw it coming. A well timed side step allowed him to avoid getting cleaved in twain.

The two remaining warriors were then absorbed in the dance with death, each striking, parrying and dodging the other’s attack. For an onlooker, it might have seemed as if they were evenly matched, but to the experienced fighter the result was obvious. The man confronting Gon was rapidly tiring, and Gon not only noticed, but counted on this.

Gon’s longsword came from below, like an uppercut, but the move was slow and badly aimed, which the man blocked with a downwards parry. His attention focused on the blade below, he didn’t see Gon’s punch coming right after his nose, smashing it solidly and leaving it flat against his face.

Dazed, the last foe couldn’t possibly prevent Gon’s blade from being driven into his chest to the cross guard, ending him. With a mighty pull, the sword was free from the corpse, and Gon walked over to Darius, who still remained standing a foot away, staring at the floor.

“That’s twice in the same day I’ve saved your life. But, oh well, I suppose I’ll let the second one pass, since you went in all by yourself and whatnot” Gon said as he patted Darius in the arm reassuringly.

Darius response was to descend to the floor, face first, without making another sound than a grunt of pain upon landing. Gon was about to make a witty remark about Darius’ way of lying down, but a cry from outside distracted him. The rogue remembered then that Faren, the mage, had managed to escape.

Upon reaching the outside of the building, Gon looked around, and in short term he spotted the bloodied mage lying on the ground right by the temple’s entrance. An older looking human in cerulean robes was kneeling besides him in the process of chanting a prayer to Berethor.

“Don’t let him move, good priest!” Gon called as he ran towards him. “That mage has attempted to-“ he was saying, but his voice left him upon recognizing the priest that was healing Faren. The man finished the prayer and turned his head to look at Gon, barely ten feet away.

“Ah, acolyte Gon” the priest said with a dry tone. “How good to see you after so many years”.

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

Heeeeeeeey! I bet you didn't see this coming, huh? An update in two consecutive days?

I have more energy and time than before, and thus there will be more frequent updates. Let us rejoice. I'm taking my time to write each chapter at a slower pace, rather than rushing scenes and leaving stuff unfinished or vague.

Let's see how it works. Or rather, you tell me if it works, how about that?


Chapter 24

Unforgotten deeds

Vincent kept running beside Mountaineer Graybeard’s lizard mount and was beginning to find it difficult to breathe after merely sixty feet of such exercise. The old dwarf had offered to give the squire a ride, but he had refused and now he was paying the price of putting his pride ahead of his bodily limitations; his heavy armor didn’t allow for much running.

“How far ‘till the center of the town?” Vincent asked the Mountaineer as they went. They had heard reports from several villagers of a fight going on in the abandoned guild house by the center of Wellspring, and it had taken a mere minute for the Mountaineer’s to get organized for the investigation. In the waning day, as the twilight enveloped the town in partial, Vincent could spot at least fifteen other lizard riders moving in the same direction in groups of four and five.

“Not much, lad” the Mountaineer replied in a serious tone. By the looks of it, Wellspring didn’t have many dangerous confrontations going in within its walls, and thus the call from several townspeople drove the guards to exterminate whatever potential trouble had risen. Or at least that’s what Vincent figured.

To the elf’s eyes, even without the help of the torches carried by the Mountaineers, it was easy to tell what was going on in the scene ahead. There was a robed man talking to another in leather armor by the temple stairs, while a third lay down on the floor nearby, his hands bound by ropes. Vincent felt his throat constrict a bit, seeing that this involved a member of his group, Gon, who was talking to the priest.

Many things happened at once after the whole Mountaineer troupe reached the very center of the town. A squad of four dismounted their lizards in order to rush into the supposedly abandoned guild house. Another group of five guards moved over to the temple’s entrance in order to converse with the priest and Gon. The third squad started patrolling the perimeter of the area, not stopping even for concerned citizens that approached every now and then to inquire what the matter was.

Vincent didn’t know where to go, and so he stayed in between the mayor’s house and the guild house until he could find a task to assist with. He couldn’t spot Gilliam, Kahleen or Darius anywhere, and hoped that they would be there soon.

“We need a healer!”.

Coming from the guild house were two Mountaineers, and in their arms they carried an unconscious armored man whose blond hair looked like spikes, as if he had been electrocuted.

“Darius!” Vincent cried, surprised and worried to see the soldier there of all places, and very much wounded to boot. He had practically reached them when he realized what the Mountaineers carrying his friend had asked for. “Are you a healer, lad?” one of the pair inquired with some suspicion, as Vincent looked more like the fighting type.

Vincent stopped dead in his tracks and stood there awkwardly. “W-well, no, but he-“ he began to say, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and stopped. It was Kahleen. The shaman nodded to the two men carrying Darius and they placed him down on the ground face up without a word. Chanting softly and moving her hands, Kahleen summoned an amber glow that moved from her onto Darius’ body, healing some of his wounds in the span of a second.

Darius opened his eyes and practically attempted to jump up as if to defend himself. When he saw the guards, Kahleen and Vincent, he relaxed, slumping back on the floor, exhaling a deep breath. “Rest” was all that the shaman instructed him.

Seeing that there wasn’t much to be done with the soldier of Seawall, Vincent nodded to himself and headed towards the temple. He heard the other guards drag a pair of bodies from the guild house as he left.

Mountaineer Graybeard and four others were conversing with the priest, and Gon stood there mutely a couple of feet away, a forlorn look on his face.

“Gon” Vincent called, as his first impulse was to talk to his companion. “What happened? Who is that bloodied man lying on the ground?” he asked. The usually cheerful man merely shook his head and sighed as a response. Since it looked like he wasn’t going to be talking much at the time, Vincent didn’t press the issue and turned to the conversing priest and guard.

“I’m telling you, Mountaineer Graybeard, that this man isn’t who you are looking for” the priest was insisting, his hands moving about emphatically in Gon’s direction as he did.

The dwarf snorted in return. “Ye jest, Han! I know ye’re nice to people an’ all, but this be too much; ye can’t just allow this man, this felon, to walk away without paying for what he did all those years ago!”. Wagging a finger in front of his face, Graybeard added, “That ain’t justice”.

Rolling his eyes, as if it was too obvious for him, the priest sighed. “Didn’t you hear my words, just now? By Berethor, if I’m saying this isn’t him, then it isn’t him! I have a long memory, Mountaineer Graybeard, and I most certainly would recognize one of my own order if he were to stand close to me”.

Both dwarf and human stared at each other in silence, and after what seemed like an eternity the dwarf nodded, almost reluctantly, and began to move away. One barked order sent the Mountaineers close to him to start patrolling the area.

Once the dwarf was out of ear shot, the priest appeared more relaxed. He was about to say something to Gon when he noticed Vincent, who had stood there listening intently. “What is it, young man?” the priest asked in a soft voice. He was over fifty years old, but clearly below seventy. Maybe somewhere in between, Vincent judged.

“Ah, yes, of course” the squire replied, not having expected the man’s attention so soon. “I am Vincent Ender, squire of House Kashtar, and my group and I have traveled from Seawall in a mission of importance to my House. This man-“ he gestured towards Gon with one gauntleted hand, “-is one member of the group, and thus I feel compelled to ask how he’s involved in this conflict that occurred here”.

A small smile formed on the priest’s face. “House Kashtar, you say? You have my blessings, young squire; the House of Honor is more than an ally to the church of the God of Clarity. My name is Hantel Raft, although people call me Han more often than not” the man said in greeting. His face turned more serious when he was about to embark on the next topic.

“There was a fight in the guild house involving members of a criminal group that has been pestering our fair town for ages” he explained, looking at the bound unconscious man that lay on the floor nearby.

“This one is Faren, one of the mages of the group. The town guard had had suspicions about his shady deals for a long time, but until now they didn’t have enough evidence to do anything about it. When they attacked Gon, and his friend, the blond soldier, they pretty much gave themselves over”.

“The blond one would be Darius, good priest” Vincent clarified for him.

“I see. In any case, the thieves were involved in many illegal transactions of items in Wellspring, which obviously caused its own fair share of troubles for all of us as we tried to prevent this from happening. Alas, the group won’t be fully weeded out, but your friend’s efforts certainly have caused improvements in the long run”. Hantel looked at Gon for a moment, as if to see if the man had heard his words of praise.

Vincent glanced at the red-haired soldier as well. “Why did the group target him and Darius, though? And what were you saying earlier on about a member of your church, priest Hantel?”.

“Years ago, what seems like decades, there was a very loyal acolyte of Berethor living here in the temple with the rest of the order” Hantel explained, taking his time to pronounce each word with care. “The man was quite energetic, and people couldn’t help but feel more cheerful as well, contagious as his mood was. The temple needed funds for its projects, and needless to say Wellspring didn’t-and still doesn’t- have spare coin for even that. This acolyte, he… he struck deals with the group of rogues, in order to obtain this money for the temple”.

The squire looked blankly at the priest as he digested the information. After a moment, his expression turned to one of disbelief. “Surely you can’t be saying that-“ he said slowly, looking from Hantel to Gon and back to the aged priest, not willing to state out loud what he had just understood.

“I’m afraid so” Hantel replied with a grave nod. “Gon was the acolyte that I’m speaking about. He left right after he and I had a-ahem-discussion with regards to his dealings with the shadowy group”. One glance at the soldier said it all, for he was pointedly looking away, arms folded across his chest.

To say that Vincent was flabbergasted would have been an understatement. “I-I would never have known…” he mumbled. “I’m sure he kept the secret safe, like he always did with any other secrets of his” the priest said with a knowing tone.

Vincent was about to approach Gon when he heard a voice behind him calling his name.

“Vince! There you are!”.

It was Gilliam. The squire’s bodyguard approached at a light trot, looking relieved to see him in one piece. “Thanks goodness you’re here. I would’ve killed myself if you were one of the several bodies found in the guild house!” the man exclaimed. Just then, he noticed the awkward silence that his words generated. The mercenary offered a hand to the priest, and they exchanged greetings swiftly.

“What have I missed?” the mercenary inquired. Vincent patted him on the shoulder and moved him in the opposite direction of Gon. “Here, let me tell you what I just heard…” the elf said as they walked away.

This left Hantel and Gon by themselves at the steps of the church.

“Would you mind helping me carry Faren inside, acolyte?” Hantel bade Gon in a soft voice as he bent down to lift the mage’s body off the ground. Gon seemed startled by this request, but the soldier accepted wordlessly after a second.

Together, they started to carry the unconscious man inside the temple.

“Just like old times, yes?” Hantel inquired.

Gon did his best to look uninterested. “It will never be like old times, Seer Raft”.

 

[Cerulean_Wings]

Third update in a row! Come on, CW, you can do this!

Nothing much to say. Here you go, read away


Chapter 25

Spiritual guidance

The night sky shone beautifully, illuminating the town and its inhabitants from above with the assistance of the moon. Five people, each mounted on a lizard, were making the final preparations to depart. The discovery of members of that shadowy group had lead to a deeper investigation, and the Mountaineer’s didn’t need any help with the matter; not that Gilliam would’ve permitted anyone from the group to intervene, as they were still wary of staying in one place for too long. After gathering the necessary provisions for the next trek of the journey, the quintet got together by the town’s eastern exit.

Not long ago Gilliam had taken Gon to the side in order to have a stern talk with him. The firm scolding took five minutes, in which the mercenary explained in no uncertain terms how he despised subterfuge, robbery and deceit, even if it all was for the sake of the group.

Darius’ wounds were taken care of with the help of Kahleen and Hantel; their combined healing powers erasing all traces of the injuries save for grayish scars that would remain in his body as proof of his hardships. Gon was hurt as well, if only slightly, but the he had refused any treatment offered by either priest or shaman for reasons that were his own.

“That’s all of us” Gilliam concluded after performing a quick head count. The mercenary was slightly nervous at the idea of riding a lizard, instead of a typical horse, but the Mountaineers had reassured him time and time again that the reptiles were perfectly tame and they would actually respond better in tense moments than a horse. “How do you make these things move?” he wondered out loud, glancing at the lizard’s head from the saddle, as if expecting it to reply.

The mounts had been granted to them as a gesture of appreciation from Mountaineer Graybeard, partly for the help with finding the rogue group in town, and partly for the gravity of the group’s mission.

“Hold, estimated travelers” came a familiar voice from behind. It was Hantel, walking swiftly towards the group. He wasn’t wearing his priestly garments; instead, the old man carried an old suit of chain mail, which didn’t look like he had used in ages, on top of normal clothes. To permit his increased walking speed, Hantel used a long wooden staff as a support with his left hand.

While Gon looked away, Kahleen glanced at the priest quizzically. “What brings you to us before our departure, Seer Raft?” she inquired. The priest stopped near the five and craned his neck to better face the shaman. “Why, to pass the blessings and wisdom of the Pure One onto you, brave folks” he replied in an equally serene tone.

“A blessing for our journey?” Vincent asked, sounding slightly suspicious. Hantel nodded. “Indeed. I believe you will need all the help you can muster for your task”.

“You’re coming with us, aren’t you?” Gilliam said with a knowing half-smile on his face. Hantel’s eyes glinted with what could’ve been mischief, and the old human nodded slowly.

“No objections, I hope”.

Gilliam looked at the others, only if to measure their reactions. The only one clearly not looking very enthused with the priest’s offer was Gon, obviously, but Gilliam didn’t pay any heed to that, as he understood the nature of the soldier’s discontent.

“You may join us, Seer Raft. Your divine magic is more than welcome in this group” the mercenary informed him.

“Please, call me Hantel, or Han” the priest replied graciously. He looked at the five, clearly expecting something, and it was Kahleen who extended her hand from her saddle to help Hantel climb up on her mount. If the lizard found the added weight an annoyance, it didn’t show it.

“You’re pretty well equipped for a follower of Berethor, whom I understood to be a peaceful deity” Vincent remarked. Hantel shrugged helplessly. “I’m afraid that conflicts aren’t always possible to avoid, squire Vincent, and thus I must protect myself in case it comes to blows”.

The squire seemed satisfied and nodded in understanding. This left the matter of actually getting their exotic mounts to move. Five pair of eyes were focused on the one woman in the group, hoping she would provide a magic word to control the lizards.

Instead of doing just that, Kahleen gave a slight tug of the reins and her mount commenced to move forward. Gilliam, Darius and Vincent stared blankly as the worldly wisdom of the shaman hadn’t been imparted on them.

Gon imitated Kahleen, and his mount followed his command as well. After a few seconds the trance broke, and the other three did as well, not wanting to remain behind.

“That’s it?” Gilliam mouthed in disbelief.

Vincent shook his head, no less surprised, while Darius remained rather somber. After the battle in the guild house, the soldier had remained quieter than he usually was. No one had inquired as to why that was; it was Gilliam who had hinted that he knew why this was happening.

“Hantel Raft” Vincent said to Gilliam in a low tone as they guided their mounts to where the others were heading, “I believe he’s here to do more than to grant us his assistance”. Gilliam looked at him, impressed, and nodded for him to go on.

“He’s here for Gon, too” the squire said. “He wishes to set him back in the path he abandoned”.

“So do I”.

There was a moment of silence as Vincent considered the unexpected answer from his bodyguard. “You want to change Gon as well?” he inquired, sounding surprised.

But Gilliam shook his head in denial. “No, not Gon” he corrected. The mercenary tilted his head towards Darius. “Him. I wish to set him in the path that I had abandoned”.

“A knight’s path” Vincent stated rather than asked. This made Gilliam’s eyebrow rise. “You know then that I wasn’t really part of the Battle Forged?” the mercenary asked.

“I realized it on my own, with all the inspiring things you’ve been saying since I’ve met you. Especially what you said to him, back in the cave” Vincent responded in an even voice that didn’t sound accusing. This seemed to relieve Gilliam a little bit.

“What knightly order were you part of, Gil?” Vincent asked suddenly.

Gilliam turned his head to face the valley ahead of them once more. “We should better hurry and get ahead of the rest, Vince; it’d be foolish to allow the less protected members of the group to remain unprotected at the front” he replied in a business-like tone right before instructing his mount to speed up.

Vincent followed suit, and didn’t say another word on the matter. Some things took time, he figured. The thought was rather refreshing.

Ahead, the valley extended for what seemed like an eternity of barren rock. At the end was the next step of the journey towards the Frostfell Mountains, the Spirit Wood. And the only one with possible insight of that place was Kahleen.

 

[Ethelin]

No battle, just as much entertainment

Even though in this last post there wasn't any battle, or anything really exciting, it still was interesting and captivating. I find it amazing how you managed to capture me, and probably other readers, into you're realistic fantasy (if that makes any sense at all).