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[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Yildun clung to the horse with one arm, the other holding onto the large swaths of clothing that had served as bandaging. A soaked, red spot around his stomach showed the spot where his wound was sustained. He was in great pain, but he was one of the lucky ones. A small portion of his escort was taken out by the surprise attack from Koridians, and Yildun had in fact sustained his wound from some lucky scout. But the Koridians, they were not what had reduced the relatively large group to only a couple of armed guards and himself. Oh sure, the small band of Koridians were tough, forcing the Calatian guard into a hard defense. However, something had turned the battle over on itself.

~ - ~ * ~ - ~

Yildun cried out in pain as one of the Koridians managed to gouge him with the tip of a spear. One of his escorts saw this, and unceremoniously pushed him away from the melee. Yildun clutched the wound as the surrounding cloth began to turn red. Just as he tore off a loose bit of cloth from his tunic to adsorb more of the mess, a spear jammed into into the wood of the ruined wagon he had begun to lean against. Yildun's eyes quickly traced from the spearhead, which had landed only a few scant inches from his face, down the pole to the Koridian assailant. It was there that Yildun also noticed he was barely lucky to be alive - one of the Calatian guards had just managed to deflect the pole away, and managed to take out the assailant.

Yildun looked around, trying to figure out the chances and odds of this fight. The Koridians seemed to have stumbled upon them with surprise, but despite that managed to fight with a zealous strength. The Calatian escort was putting up a good fight, but...

A howl sounded through the air, and deep feeling of presentiment settled into Yildun. He had remembered hearing rumors before going through this particular stretch of territory. He remembered hearing hushed words of a terrible monster.

Both sides seemed to share this dreaded feeling. They stopped for a few moments before turning back to fighting one another. It was only a few moments after that when something erupted from the brush, blazing along the edge of the melee. Two metallic flashes sliced through the air, cutting at several Calatians and Koridians, and the terrible thing disappeared behind the brush. It was here that the fighting between the two sides truly stopped. They looked at the injured and dying bodies of their friends and enemies, growing fearful of the thing that did this.

The terrible thing emerged from the brush again, the two metallic flashes shimmering through the air, gouging through the many soldiers that stood in its path. It stopped itself after taking out more of the unwary fighters. Turning around, the thing had allowed itself to be revealed.

What would have been an ordinary wolf was made unnatural. The gray-white fur had an almost metallic sheen to it. Red and blue markings hung around its lupine face. A red, almost ribbon-like length of cloth was tied about its neck. Two ends of the cloth that would have otherwise just fluttered in the breeze seemed to float in the air, tied to the pommels of a short sword and a longsword. The beast rushed forward with a growl, the swords that hovered over its back lashed out to slash at the few remaining soldiers.

As those precious few hit the ground, Yildun tried getting up and running away, but the pain from the wound was too much to handle beyond moving a few feet. The movement he made seemed to attract the beast's attention, and as the last man fell, it stalked over to Yildun. Yildun turned to see the beast approaching him, fearful for his life as the thing closed in on him.

Yilduin covered his eyes, hoping that whatever the beast did, it would do so swiftly.

Yildun waited for it to come.

The pain, the sound, every sensation that would come from being torn apart by the merciless beast.

Nothing happened.

He reluctantly and slowly opened his eyes, as though he were afraid that he had already suffered his terrible imagined fate, and that the only thing keeping the pain away was that he could not witness it. But with his eyes open, he could see that the beast was not rending his body into pieces. In fact, it did not even bare its canines. It simply stared.

Yildun could not tear his eyes away from those of the wolf. They looked like twin, blue orbs of cold, contemplative fury. It knew the fear, the absolute terror it instilled in Yildun.

A long, drawn out rumble vibrated from the wolf's throat before it turned and walked back into the wilderness. One of the swords on its back lashed out at a nearby Calatian who, in his last moments, tried to strike at the beast.

~ - ~ * ~ - ~

Yildun wished he had paid more attention those stories he had heard of this area, and had taken the long route to the port.

It had been several days since that encounter, and they were thankfully quite close to reaching a Calatian settlement. Everyone was bandaged up and lucky to be alive, and getting the chance to stop was exactly what they needed. They would need to rest, get supplies, and definitely some more people for the escort. They would not be able to afford staying still for long though. As one of Calatia's few diplomats, and especially in this time with their leader gone, Yildun had to reach the boat to the other continents and forge an alliance with the nations there quickly.

As the few Calatians continued on their way, a metallic shimmer followed behind them...

(OOC: Note, all characters except the wolf were NPCs)

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 18 October 2009 - 11:38 AM.

[Crimson Lego]

Boz Burnham---KILLED IN ACTION.

Santi Munez---KILLED IN ACTION.

Harold vanBerg---KILLED IN ACTION.

The list on the paper went on as on as the dwarf continued etching names in with his feather quill. About 5 more names were written on the list, some familiar, some perfect strangers to the writer. Rolling up the scroll, he put it away in his shoulder bag and continued trudging after his fellow Calatians.

It had been almost 2 weeks since he and Catt had returned from their trip to hijack a Koridaian supply carriage. The results of the mission? No weapons returned save for their own and one of Chikara’s ‘tyke bombs’ brought into Snowpeak Ruins under the guise of a young girl named Allie, 4 Calatians and 1 neutral senior brought from the caravans of the Packmaster. One Calatian had died in their attempt to take over the convoy, something the dwarf would regret for the rest of his life.

On the topic of life and death, he found himself traveling back 2 years to the battle at Olimandias. At the time, the second-in-command officer of the Dorm Forces, Steel Samurai, had ordered him to get past as much of the Alliance troops flooding into the city as possible and escape. Afterwards, the dwarf had always thought he had done a good job of the task. But now that he thought about it, he could have saved more than just 5-700 people. If I hadn’t been so intent on escaping the city, there could have been at least 300 more survivors that weren’t massacred by Khuffie’s troops and Chikara’s madness.

The latter had led him away from the possibility of serving under a ruthless ‘goddess’ and drawn him into the other side, the side that would start by defying Chikara’s new order and establishing a ferocious resistance. Spending much time traveling through the mountains, they finally founded the Kingdom of Calatia.

But not everything can last forever. Nobody had known what had happened to Selena; the last the people back at Snowpeak knew was that she had gone on a raiding party while soldiers identified as Steel Samurai, Perseus Ransom and another high ranking Koridaian attempted to take down a major supply route that was used by Calatia. Another missing in action, then….and she cannot be replaced by any mere person; no one can.

“General Crimson, sir?” said a voice. Startled out of his thoughts, the dwarf turned to the source of the voice, a new recruit called Asael (Uh-soil) Bielski they had picked up on a patrol through the mountains. Apparently, he had been a former Koridaian and non-immigrant, but had protested against Chikara once he learned of her history and the former dorms. “Yes?”

“Do you have any idea what that…thing was we ran into?” asked Asael.

Thinking quickly, the dwarf shook his head. “I’m sorry Asael, but I have no clue. But don’t let that disturb you; I’m sure it’s lost our scent by now.”

Nodding, the Calatian recruit jogged up quickly to talk to one of his friends. Slighting smiling at the sight of friendship, the dwarf thought back to the wolf they had seen before, having a suspicion of what it was.

He was sure he had seen the wolf on the trek to Olimandias, when it transformed into a man at the sight of a lagging pirate. After an intense conversation, the skin changer had dragged the FF member along for a short amount of time and then dropping him on the ground. Shame I can’t remember his name. Definitely Fortress though, by the looks of that soldier he was picking on.

Pushing thoughts of the past out of his mind and focusing on the present and their mission, Leo picked up the pace as he realized he was falling behind with all the thinking and pondering. Jogging up to the head of the group, the dwarf came walking alongside the diplomat assigned to this mission. Up ahead, he could see the faint outlines of a small village, and a few inhabitants as well.

“Yildun, right?” he asked.

Edited by Leo Crimson, 21 October 2009 - 09:16 PM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Yildun kept trying to think of what he would do for this mission as the diplomat he was intended to be. However, his distressed thoughts kept going back to that moment of the brink of death, trying to think of why he was spared. After seeing that beast's face so close, the fearsome image had been burned into his eyes. He tried so much to distract himself, reciting greetings in his head, mentally going through what little he knew of the countries abroad. However, the visage would not budge from his thoughts.

Yildun eventually tried thinking back to the various practice sessions he had done, when a relatively friendly memory presented itself. Yes, he remembered being a helped by a young woman to better his word craft. Hina, he remembered her name being. Apparently, she was someone of importance before the current times, before the dorms of today.

Hina was pleasant enough, and had helped Yildun for the few months he had to wait, though she seemed to enjoy verbally torturing him when he seemed to step outside of some invisible social line. It was kind of hard to take Hina seriously though, since no matter how important she claimed to be in the past, she had the dress and position of a common hunter. Not that she personally did not look bad. In fact, Yildun had invited her to join Calatia's diplomatic corp, to spend more time with her. He was rebuffed though, and was told that she was looking for someone else.

A man whom she fondly referred to as the Wolf Warrior.

Yildun's mind froze as he began to contemplate the bizarre possibility that had occurred to him.

“Yildun, right?” a questioned voiced out to him.

Yildun snapped out of his thoughts, turning to the dwarf who asked the question.

“Ah, yes. Do you need something?” he answered, trying to keep both his voice and psyche balanced.

(ooc: remember, Yildun is intended for NPC use, so feel free to use him.)

[Crimson Lego]

ooc: Oh, ok. I thought he was one of your characters or something.

Frowning slightly, Leo noticed the diplomat had responded “Ah, yes. Do you need something?” in a rather quicker voice than normal. Something’s got him scared; probably that wolf guy. Deciding not to push it, he continued on. “No, I’m fine for now. I’m just wondering whether you’re feeling okay to keep going; we’re almost at the village now.”

Yildun nodded his head. “I should be good, Master Dwarf, but thank you for asking.”

Nodding in response, the dwarf turned away and trudged towards the front of the group. Personally, he wasn’t sure himself if he was ready to fight on like this. Too many deaths had occurred already, and risking their lives to travel over the ocean seemed rather…risky. Yes that was the word.

Whatever; this comes from higher up, I can’t do anything about it, he grimaced. The small Calatian group was now passing through several trees and through forests. The place was damp with moisture in the air, and the small road was mostly made of dirt. After a while, they found themselves near the settlement, which was also surrounded by dry plains. Lots of grain were found in these fields, which Leo assumed was used to feed the people living here.

What remained of the original group now found themselves on the outskirts of a small village; about three-quarters of the size of Alsvard. The town seemed deserted, with most of its people inside the houses. A large beacon stood in the middle of the town, used for communicating with others. Approaching, Leo noticed that the metal pot used to ignite the oil was extinguished. I guess they had some trouble here earlier. Then he realized something was wrong with the situation. The beacon was fresh with embers and the stench of smoke, while the oil in the pot was almost completely dry. Somebody doesn’t want us to know they’re here then.

Hearing movement behind him, Leo spun around, drawing a knife as he did and preparing to throw it. He froze at the sight of a horse in red dressings. Koridai, he thought, sheathing his dagger. Glancing around, the dwarf noticed the remaining troops were entering the square now, also bewildered at the lack of villagers. Hefting his axe, Leo moved silently through the streets, listening for any fighting or struggles of some kind. 5 men accompanied him on the search.

Hearing glass shatter inside an inn, he tried to pick through one of the windows, but found them too tall. Instead, he gestured to two other Calatians to prepare to break in, while another went around the building to secure the back exit. Readying his axe and pulling out his knife, the dwarf listened in on the conversation, while one of the others peeked through a crack in a boarded up window.

A man seemed to be pleading with the Koridaians. “L-look, I should be able to get some of it by next week. Just give me more time.”

A harsh, rough voice replied, but answered first with a punch. “My friends and I don’t have time for that! Give us all you weapons now, or you know what will happen!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but all I’ve got is the dwarf sword there I borrowed from a foreign traveler. I sold all my other-“

“Where are the rest of the men in this place? Surely, it’s not just you and your three stooges,” sneered the Koridaian.

“Out on a hunting expedition. They borrowed swords from these 3 because some of the others ran out,” babbled the man quickly.

“Shut up!” roared the Koridaian, delivering what appeared to be a loud slap. Unable to take any more of this, Leo gave the signal to smash down the door.

Crash! The dwarf leapt in as splinters of wood flew in all directions, swinging his axe about. Reaching the Koridaian leader and jumping onto a table to make up for the height difference, he watched as the startled man released his prisoner, grabbed his spear and turned it around to face his opponent. Moving quickly, Leo thrust the knife into the man’s chest, then leaping back. As the man fell to his knees, groaning with pain, he turned and saw the 5 remaining Koridaians drawing their weapons. “Attack!” roared the dwarf, running forward. The man that was being interrogated leapt up, grabbed the dwarf sword on the wall he appeared to have been talking about and leapt in to help the other Calatians.

ooc: Should be a good opportunity for others to come in...I hope.

[Khallos]

The damned escort was late. Unfortunately so was he. Arriving a few hours previously Khallos had watched from a tree the movements of Koridaian troops in and about the town, but no apparent sign of any locals. Any struggle that occurred happened some time previously and now he could nothing but watch and wait and hoped that the Diplomat and Escort would turn up to provide some distraction and to even the numbers.

Oh he could sneak in at night time and start taking out individuals, but it would an ill disciplined bunch of Koridaians indeed if he was able to kill them all in one night...and once dawn came he’d stand little chance against a trained squad.

Catching sudden movement at the edge of the village, Khallos’ spirits lifted at the sight of the battered blue livery of Calatia’s army. They had clearly taken casualties so he watched them enter the settlement without acting. After all getting caught up in a fight which would kill him and the diplomat would be folly. Some might call it cowardice, Khallos called it cunning; it had certainly worked keeping him alive during the siege of Olimandias. Sure he’d fail his mission, but dying in vain was not his plan for today nor tomorrow. Glad that he’d let his bear wander through the woods behind him, he snuck forward towards the edge of the treeline easing his blade in his scabbard.

After a half minute of undignified crawling through mud, he sidled up to a building on the outskirts seconds before the calaphonic sound of armoured warrior smashing through wood. Ah well, looks like Calatia has the element of surprise, might as well pull of some heroics. I mean it’d do no harm to his rep.

Swallowing down a battlecry, Khallos charged with what was reasonable stealth through the streets towards the sounds of fighting.

Ooc: Sorry about the delay and thanks for waiting, hopefully I’ll keep my writing up to some sort of standard of decency after years of never writing. So I'm just warming up; direct with as much bile as necessary.

[Crimson Lego]

Thing were not going too well for the mountaineers. At least, not for the ones in the inn.

Though they had been able to fell the Koridaian leader, Leo and his men now faced 5 more foes that had been resting upstairs after the crusaders took over the town. Burdened down with fatigue and weariness, the dwarf tried to stay awake by pushing all his strength into blocking the blows by his enemies. Only 3 Calatians and the innkeeper remained in the inn fighting 7 Koridaians, whom were now gaining the upper ground of the floor. We need a distraction before we all die in this fight, thought Leo. Finally managing kicking over his foe, he delivered a final smash with his axe before taking a quick look around. Seeing bottles of alcohol lining a cabinet on the back wall and a torch beside it, the dwarf began to smile.

Leaping towards the drinks, he laid his axe on the table and grabbed 2 heavy bottles of wine. Turning, he hurtled them towards the Koridaians, whom cried in shock as they found themselves drenched in alcohol. Grabbing the torch in his left hand and retrieving his axe with the other, Leo climbed onto the counter. “Drop your weapons now or we all die!” he shouted. All actions stopped at the sight of the torch, most of the eyes in the building flickering from the fire to the alcohol-drenched soldiers. Obviously, the imperials had no idea that Calatians usually did not bluff in dire events, so one of the soldiers charged forward, his spear at the ready. Moving quickly, the dwarf dodged his thrust, then swung the torch and lit the man on fire.

Screaming around, the Koridaian rolled around on the floor to try and extinguish the flames, while his comrades gave up the fighting and began helping out. One of them ran to the back to grab a bucket of water; he never made it, as the innkeeper savagely cut off his arm. The chaos gave the remaining Calatians the chance to escape, and after a moment of hesitation, Leo followed.

After they exited the inn, the sound of a horn echoed from the inn and around the village. Cursing, Leo knew they must have agreed on an emergency plan in case intruders came upon. I should have realized this. Now gallops of horses and shouts were becoming louder as the Koridaians stationed around the town in various buildings came to the call. Those Calatians that remained behind from the fight at the inn now found themselves surrounded, and began desperately fighting for their lives. And we’re right in the middle too. Turning onto another street, Leo found a man running down the street. He stopped. So did 2 of his personal company, the Rade, whom also notched their bows and aimed at the stranger. The innkeeper still held his sword, but was unsure of what to do.

“Who are you, and what business do you have here?” demanded Leo, his axe at the ready. He knew the other Calatians and Yildun needed his help right now, but he couldn’t let an outsider walk around undetected under his nose.

Edited by Leo Crimson, 16 November 2009 - 08:25 PM.

[Khallos]

“Hold your fire!”

Khallos gulped and spun as a red-clad spearman lunged at his side, deflecting the spear towards the ground while he ran down the soldier.

“Formalities can come later but I’m here for your diplomat and I want him. Alive.”

Seeing the bows get drawn back further as Khallos warily approached the Calatian troops.

“Orders from Princess Rhiannon, she herself personally wrote the message. No uniform due to trying to keep a low profile where possible. Need I explain myself further?”

Flinching as an arrow loosed by one of the Dwarf’s archers slammed into the chest of a charging Koridaian rider who wheeled out of an alley only a few yards behind Khallos, he grinned as the knight toppled from his panicked horse.

“Well I take that as the best welcome I may get before I introduce myself after this mess. If you can keep me and the diplomat alive, I’ll go where you command.”

Neatly turning Khallos quickly slashed the injured knight across the throat, sending him back his ‘God’. Then took in the sight of the now smoking inn, and caught the screams and cries of desperate men on the wind. Battle always gave him that feeling of nostalgia...shame about the smell.

“Lead my good Dwarf, lead on”

[Crimson Lego]

Nodding, Leo rushed off after his men, but paused beside the newcomer. “Funny thing: I’m not wearing a uniform either,” he added quietly, grinning. Most of his clothing, like the hauberk, leather gloves and boots were okay, but the dwarf’s superiors had not been too happy about the green cloak. I can be…convincing though. Without another word, he ran off towards the town square.

The situation was bad for the Calatian troops. The remainder of the group had been split up, and were now retreating and hiding throughout the village. 3 corpses lay on the ground, their bodies covered with wounds from swords and weapons. Yildun was nowhere to be in sight. Cursing himself, Leo turned to the newcomer. “I need to find Yildun, and fast. If we don’t have somebody who can negotiate alliances, we don’t have a chance to finish the mission.” Rushing off, the dwarf prepared to strike down an unsuspecting Koridaian, but found his attention diverted by a loud roar.

A massive brown bear charged into the town, crashing straight into a Koridaian and sending him crashing in a Calatian soldier. Standing on its hind legs, it began swiping at every person in its vicinity. Both sides were now diverted into defending themselves and continuing the battle at the same time. Leo changed his path and headed for the bear. He knew that the Snowpeak cavalry used bears as mounts sometimes, but this one was definitely wild. Looks like I could use one right now. Grabbing a rope nearby, the dwarf leapt onto its back.

Immediately, the beast began roaring and charging forward, trying to fling the foreigner of it. Holding on it, Leo managed to throw the rope into the bear’s jaw, and held both ends of it tightly. Leaning back, he gripped it rightly as the bear went left and right and back and forth. When it finally stopped near the edge of the town, the dwarf used all of his strength and pulled the rope up. Rearing up and roaring, but now tamed, the bear set down on all 4 paws again. Chuckling, the dwarf tried to think of a name. Zus…I’ll name you Zus. Turning around, he rode back towards the scene of the battle. Riding directly into the crowd, Leo swung his axe down, striking a Koridaian dead in the chest. I hope the other guy finds Yildun fast before we all die. Rejoining the battle, Leo hoped for everybody's sake as he decapitated a man that the village hunting expedition would return soon.

Ooc: Don’t worry, it’s not your bear Khallos.

Edited by Leo Crimson, 09 November 2009 - 05:26 PM.

[Khallos]

Khallos grinned at the Dwarf’s officerial nonchalance. You didn’t get far in life by wearing a uniform uniform. Besides Calatia for all its slight sanity defects common amongst both the upper echelons and the gruntiest of grunts, managed to be not overly Draconian.

Seeing the Dwarf rush forward with his unit, Khallos span round and covered the rear of the soldiers, drawing a throwing axe. His disciplined stance didn’t last too long as the sound of a roaring animal made him spin around in concern. A bear, and thankfully not his. Well, from the damage it was doing he wouldn’t be too ashamed of it, injured Calatians aside. However the beast needed to die, even if its presence had certainly shocked the ‘civilized’ Koridaians backwards. Spinning away from the beast at the sound of hooves from behind, he tossed the axe at the horseman, slicing open the top of the horse’s skull and embedding it in the rider’s shoulder.

He grimaced, as he liked horses impractical as they were on the rough snowy slopes of home. Twisting as the bear truly started to bellow, Khallos saw the Dwarf was some how had got on top of it and now was trying to seize control of the monster; and after a moment of indignant fury it then ran out of sight with Dwarf on top heading away from the town.

Khallos wished the dwarf well, as he couldn’t risk sending aid to a potentially lost cause. The Diplomat. The Diplomat was the key.

“Fellow Calatians commiserations on my promotion, you now follow my orders until a higher authority reclaims command!”

“First and foremost I order you to survive, get into that building and provide me and the rest of the escort with covering fire. Barman, you be their spotter! A man of your courage would do well in the Kingdom’s army. So do not die!”

Khallos, strode forward to the melee, and put his faith in the skill of Calatian archery. Pulling an injured soldier back he caught the finishing blow of an attacking Crusader with his shield. No expression could be read behind the emotionless steel face of the knight’s great helm, but cold, hard fury was felt in each of the warrior’s attacks. Slamming the knight back with his shield Khallos, caught him on the knee causing him to stagger and then a blue flighted arrow glanced off the Crusader’s helmet knocking him to the floor. Jumping the blade swung at his feet, Khallos rammed his sword through the downed man’s visor as the bear returned with Leo clearly in control.

The combat then swung firmly in Calatia’s favour as the Dwarf sliced a soldier down and sent a red-tabard’s head flying.

Khallos rushed away from the fight and scaled the side of a shop front to see if he could spot anyone diplomatic looking from the balcony.

Ooc: Sorry about the delay, my Dad’s birthday has been my first real day off.

[Crimson Lego]

OOC: No problem.

Watching as the undercover Calatian bellowed orders to the remaining Calatians to ascend to a building and provide defensive fire, Leo continued riding around the square while watching the man attack. Impressed by his well-coordinated moves, the dwarf was startled back to his senses by an arrow that suddenly whizzed past his head.

Shit, cursed Leo as he rode back towards the square. Narrowly missing a Calatian and the fallen Koridaian horseman, he saw the stranger climbing up the walls of a store. Let’s get that diplomat quickly.

---------------------------------------------

While chaos reigned in the village, Yildun had fled back to the store near to the one that the stranger was unknowingly climbing. Taking refuge upstairs with 2 others, he crouched behind a cabinet as his comrades secured the exits of the building. Steel bars were enough to bar the doors and keep them immobile.

“I think the fighting’s gone on to the square and other parts of town,” said one of the Calatians, peering through some wooden boards. Oddly, the storekeeper had chosen to board up his upstairs windows, probably to prevent burglary.

“Nah, they’ll come back to plunder this place,” replied the other. “That is, if we lose this fight,” he added. “With Mr Khallos here though, we should be able to win.”

Suddenly, two massive sounds like thunder echoed from below. Frozen, Yildun crept out from his hiding spot and moved to the edge of the balcony. Raised voices could now be heard. “Why won’t this damn door open?!” roared a man.

“Use the windows,” replied another. A second later, the sound of glass shattering occurred, and from Yildun could see, five Koridaians climbed in.

“You better make sure the sarge doesn’t see us here,” warned the second man. He held a long spear with a red flag attached to it. “He won’t be happy if we finds out-“

“Shut up!” snapped the first one, who seemed to be the leader of the small group and a corporal as well. The other three had entered the storeroom of the sotre, and were bringing out goods, drinks, and bags of cash. These will come in useful for bribing citizens, thought the leader as he took them. Once they had gathered as much as possible, the corporal glanced upstairs. “We should see if there’s anything good to take up here.”

“Come on Roy, we’ve got to leave the man something,” protested one of the soldiers, who was lugging a sack of gold on the ground. “Let’s just get out of here.”

“Wait! Let me see what’s up here,” repeated Roy in a frustrated tonehe walked casually up the stairs. A moment later, his body came crashing down the stairs, two arrows embedded in his skull.

Now put on full alert, the second man grabbed 2 bottles of wine and hurled them onto the stairs. “Light it,” he ordered before exiting. Grabbing a torch, he lit the floor before running out.

Now truly trapped, Yildun became screaming for his life. “Help, get us out of here!” Instead of following suit, the other 2 Calatians dropped their bows and attempted to pry open the boards.

“They’re nailed down like steel!” yelled one.

“Try to use your axe and break through!” Nodding, the first Calatian picked up his battleaxe and began hammering away at the wood. Little chips began coming off at a time, but he hoped it would be enough. At least enough for somebody to get here and save us, he grimaced.

------------------------------------

Riding around the town picking off Koridaian stragglers and looking for the diplomat, Leo found himself right in front of 4 Koridaians lugging goods with them. He stopped in his tracks. So did they. Frozen, the 4 men readied their weapons and moved forward. Leaping the off, the dwarf watched as the bear, now unrestrained, charged forward at its prey. Having never fought off a beast like this, they feebly attempted to beat it back, 3 of them running off after a few moments of slicing and thrusting.

Grimacing, Leo noticed that the building was on fire and shouts were coming from above. That’s Yildun!, he thought as he recognized one of the voices. Running around to the other side, he could hear the thunk sound of an axe trying to break wood. This is great; I can’t even climb up. Dwarves were notorious for not being agile; though he had been trained differently, Leo knew he was not that good; his training had been mainly staying on the ground. Just then, he noticed the Calatian stranger at another building.

“Buddy, they’re over here!” called out the dwarf. “See if you can free them from upstairs before that whole place goes up!”

[Khallos]

Khallos caught his breath as he swung over onto the cover of the balcony and took a glance at the fight below. It honestly looked like it could go anyway, with a trickling of both red and blue soldiers coming in from the side streets irregularly.

“No sign of Yildun though”, he muttered.
“Where is that diplomat!?”

He noticed the Dwarf down below dismount the bear as it slammed into 4 Koridaians who had clearly been looting. Damned thieves, they could at least wait until the Imperial forces were triumphant before doing so, any Calatian under his command would be walk away with a few broken bones if they were lucky when caught looting during combat.

The yells of doomed men came from the top floor of a store 2 buildings along, Khallos ignored them and hoped they were Koridaians. Suddenly the Dwarf’s gruff voice carried to him across the sounds of steel on steel.

“Buddy, they’re over here! See if you can free them from upstairs before that whole place goes up!”

Khallos signalled the now concerned looking Dwarf from his viewpoint, smoke billowed from the shop front and the Dwarf didn’t look like much of a climber. Not that Khallos would like to see who could scale a mountain first, he knew that height didn’t count for much some times.

Preparing himself, Khallos jumped and roughly landed on the porch of the next shop, sliding off the tiles before grabbing the side of the roofing and dragging himself up. Winded, he clambered to his feet and landed altogether more gracefully on the balcony of the store. Pulling out his throwing axes, he regretted not bringing his warhammer that he left with his bear.

“Damn this! Dwarf, your axe and quick, mine are far too light to even dent the boarding!”

The stout figure appeared to grin as he threw up his axe to Khallos, who caught it and staggered backwards under the weight.

“Grah, how do you even fight with this thing!?”

“Coordinate our swings!” Khallos screamed at the Calatians inside.

Must not fail the mission, Khallos thought as he hacked at the boarded windows alternatively to the soldiers inside.

[Crimson Lego]

Seeing as his friend was having some trouble with the weapon, Leo leapt back onto his bear and began riding off. “Use your whole body to swing it!” he shouted. “It’ll give you more balance and striking power.” With that, he rode off back to the fight while the Calatian attempted to break out of the burning store.

As the bear roared and charged back to the battle, the dwarf now felt rather…vulnerable without a weapon. All he had now were a few throwing knives and a plastic container of beer that had, surprisingly, not shattered yet. So what do I do now?, he thought. The answer came in a scream to the west. Pulling the reigns, he charged down the pavement and towards the sound. A few moments later, he found himself beside the innkeeper.

The man was a sorry sight. From what Leo could see, his body had been pierced with a Koridaian arrow, the shaft lying on the ground, and 2 Calatians were trying in vain to bind up the wounds and stop the bleeding. Sighing, the dwarf leapt off, grabbed some dressings and began helping. “How long since the attack?” he asked.

“At least 10 minutes,” replied one, whom was pulling out the dressings. “I’m not too sure if he can make it.”

Nodding gravely, Leo noticed the sword in its sheath by the man’s side. “Sir, while these people tend to you, may I borrow your sword to fight with?”

The man nodded weakly, trying to speak at the same time. “If I don’t make it, it’s yours,” he gasped. “For saving me from those bastards in my inn.” Nodding, Leo nodded in response and mounted his bear. Riding off, the dwarf prayed that the man would be able to live.

Arriving back at the village square, Leo found it all in chaos. A few more Calatian stragglers that had disappeared in the journey seemed to have found their way here, and were attempting to aid their fellow soldiers. However, the Koridaian men had gained higher ground, nearly encircling their enemies. Charging towards the fray, the dwarf suddenly found himself knocked off the bear with a club; it merely went straight on, ripping Koridaian soldiers apart as it went. Praying that it would survive the battle, Leo found himself face to face with a swordsman.

It had been a long time since he had used a blade; axes and hammers were the preferred equipment for dwarves. However, his training had consisted mostly of speed and stealth rather than strength. Maybe I'll be able to use this against him, he thought, snatching up a shield as he moved backwards slowly.

The Koridaian man lunged forward, thrusting his sword towards the dwarf. Parrying it with his shield, Leo retaliated by slashing forward. The battle continued on for about a minute in this fashion until the Koridaians gained the advantage and kicked his opponent back. Landing hard in the ground and losing his shield in the process, the dwarf watched in terror as his opponent leapt forward. In desperation, he thrust his weapon forward with his eyes closed.

The pain never came.

Opening up, Leo was amazed to see his enemy's blade inches from his heart, while his own was impaled in the man's chest. Groaning and passing away, Leo pushed the body off him with much effort and climbed up. Wiping his blade on the Koridaian's clothing, the dwarf felt a sense of grimness and satisfaction. Now I will fight. Retrieving the shield, Leo sprinted back to the store, where the fire had almost consumed the entire building. Running to the front door, he smashed it down with his shield and entered.

It was a hellish sight. The entire floor was nearly covered in flames except for behind the counter; the counter itself had just begun burning. Upwards, the fire was slowly climbing the stairs towards Yildun and the other Calatians. Realizing that the others might not get out in time, the dwarf leapt over the flames and the counter. As he made to stop on the other side, Leo stumbled and his arm brushed the edge of the fire.

Yelling in shock, he managed to quickly extinguish the fire by rubbing his arm on the floor. Rushing to the kitchen, the dwarf quickly examined the injuries. Minor burn wounds...nothing serious. At least, that was what he hoped.

Pushing his own problems out of his mind, Leo looked around the kitchen for any possible uses to put out the flames. His eyes immediately fell upon a sink in the corner, and even better, a large bucket inside. Smiling, he rushed over, turned the tap and waited for it to fill with cold water. Once it was full, Leo lifted the bucket, grunting, and moved back outside.

Summoning all of his strength, Leo managed to hurl the bucket over the counter and right onto the stairs. The liquid spilled out and quickly extinguished most of the flames on the stairs and the area around the bottom. That's not going to hold long, thought the dwarf as he grabbed his weapons and rushed out of the inn.

Heading to the wall where the Calatian agent was positioned, Leo charged back to the main square when he heard the neighing of horses. Almost frustrated beyond possibility, he turned and was extremely astonished at the sight he saw.

At least a dozen cavalrymen were charging into the square, slicing and crashing into the remnants of the Koridaian troops. Behind them, the original Calatain mountaineers became encouraged, and began helping driving their enemies back. Smiling, Leo ran forward to help, uttering a battle cry.

“For Snowpeak!”

[JRPomazon]

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Could have been any place in Calatia, any place at all to pick up supplies for the others and he had to pick the one place THAT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE!

Lucas always ended up with lousy luck, then again the same could have been said for anyone who lived through the past two years. It wasn't so clear how this whole mess got started, but it was best to keep a low profile anyway. He only had a short about of time to get what he needed and go. His gray cloak made him stick out like a sore thumb, despite the fact that he wore a hood over his face. Those were the rules though, go in and out and don't get id'd by anyone. Especially Koridai.

He happened to watching the events unfold from a safe distance, it seemed that Calatia was doing well for itself. Good for them, he didn't care too much for Koridai. Looking at the mess the two had made, it seems that looting was the best option for getting supplies. Heh, should of brought that thief Russo along. This would have been right up his alley.

Edited by JRPomazon, 20 November 2009 - 01:22 AM.

[Crimson Lego]

Cutting down one of the 9 remaining Koridaians, Leo thrust his blade into the ground and dropped his shield. Sighing in relief, he watched as 4 of the remaining men surrendered and were easily wrestled to the ground by the Calatian inhabitants; the others split up to hide in the town. Elsewhere, the women and children of the village laughed and cried for the victory, while the men of the expedition rushed towards the burning building with buckets of water.

Glancing around, Leo noticed a figure in the distance. Oddly, this one did not seem to be a member of either domain. A foreigner? Possibly a member of Koridai sent to spy on them? A stray of the former Alliance? The possibilities extended into infinity, but Leo knew there was only one way to find out. Grabbing his sword and shield, he reminded one more thing to do after this was all over.

Get the other Calatian to give him back his axe.

Running off towards the figure, the dwarf silent approached the man from the side; he seemed to be concentrating on the village. Leo deliberately stepped on a twig, which made the man jump slightly in the air. Turning his attention to the dwarf, he tried to regain face. “CanI help you?” he asked feebly. Calatia, hmm?

“Yes you can, my good sir,” replied Leo, who gripping his weapon tightly. “On what grounds are you in this village?”

“I’m sorry Master Dwarf, but that is none of your business. I’ve come here by my own will and won’t serve anybody else.” The man made as though to move on, but felt the cold steel pressed against his back. Uh-oh, he thought, wishing he had his knife in his hand right now.

“Listen to me, and listen very carefully,” snarled the dwarf, now losing his patience. “You are trespassing on territory of Calatia and Lady Selena. When this is all over,” he said, gesturing to the ending battle, “I will personally bring you to Snowpeak, and drag you through the halls to the feet of our leader. And I assure you, we punish members of Koridai very seriously.” With that, Leo stepped back and watched as the man turned around slowly. “Is that it?”

“That’s all. Now it’s your choice,” replied Leo simply. “But let me warn you: my men are very dedicated to this nation. Especially Bobby over there,” he added, gesturing at a well-built man; he was casually beating a Koridaian with his bare hands. “He will not hesitate to shoot or kill any man that I order, and neither will the men of my personal company: the Baker Team.”

Sighing in resignation, the man drew his knife but made no movement to use it against Leo. “I’ll go with you…for now. But if we come out of this alive, I expect to be well paid with cash, good, supplies, and anything that Calatia can offer for a poor foreigner.”

“That depends on your attitude for this trip,” replied the dwarf as he gestured to the village. “Let’s get going, then. And keep your mouth shut while you’re at it; I don’t like hearing people talk when it’s unnecessary.”

As they jogged towards the square, the man stopped in mid-step. “I forgot to ask, Master Dwarf. What’s your name?”

“General Crimson. And you?”

“Lucas. Call me Lucas.” Nodding in acknowledgment, Leo made sure that the man would be held in check by any means. The last thing we need is a loose foreigner wrecking up our mission. Sighing, the dwarf hoped he would at least be able to prevent a fiasco like the last mission with the supply carriage, Catt, the Packmaster, and Allie the tyke bomb. I'll need to look at a map soon before we head off to Komitaa.

[Khallos]

Pulling out Yildun and his guards through the window Khallos caught his breath in the smoke filled air best he could and gazed down at the now concluding fight. The townspeople were looking as happy as it’s possible to look after your home is brutally attacked and the Calatian soldiers were mopping up any survivors, although some still foolishly fought instead of surrendering.

Even as he spoke soldiers ran to put out the blaze in the store from below, while one the guards brought a rope he found coiled up on the now rapidly disintegrating top floor. Tying it on the balcony Khallos grabbed the axe then lowered himself with more hand burning speed than he would have liked and then made sure the Ambassador and his two men got down without too much trouble.

Grabbing Yildun a bit too roughly for his rank, Khallos gave him word or few in his ear.

“Look, I’m here to guard you, and guard you I will. I understand complications can occur but if you even dare think of dying or I will hunt you down in Nilfheim myself. And trust me I intend to die fighting, so don’t cock up my afterlife. Check your hiding place has a bloody escape route next time.”

Suddenly pulling back, Khallos realised that some degree of courtesy was required,

“Oh and I am Khallos if you haven’t realised, an honour to serve you sir. If you don’t mind Ambassador I would like to speak to a certain Dwarf.”

“I am Ambassador Yildun, and if you expect me to fight well with this wound you can think again. If you support me, I certainly will gladly speak to General Crimson.”

Grinning, Khallos replied “A true Ambassador. Why I could barely tell you’re angry, and your request seems more than reasonable.”

Staggering towards the Dwarf with the injured ambassador leaning on him and guards following behind, he saluted the Dwarf and presented his axe to him, eyeing up the likewise un-uniformed stranger.

“Khallos, sir. I don’t believe we’ve truly met before.”

[JRPomazon]

Lucas was in a position he didn't expect. Great, not only did he wind up getting seen, but now he wound up teaming up with Calatia. What was this deal with "ambassadors" and "guarding"? Some sort of territorial expansion diplomacy or maybe they're just tired of smashing in the skulls of those religious zealots. It seemed that his return to the others would have to be put on hold, at least he had a good reason. He tugged on the hood of his cloak, making sure it covered his face. He didn't care all that much for Calatia, but if it meant hurting the empire then Lucas would deal.

"Shouldn't we skip the pleasantries, at least for now? We should make haste to Komitaa, the fact that the empire has attacked means that they want to get the ambassador out of the way. I have a suspicion that if we don't get there soon, the empire will beat us to the shores."

He didn't want to be rude, especially since he was currently at the mercy of an easily angered dwarf and his merry crew of vikings.

[Crimson Lego]

OOC: I'm going to do some minor control of Khallos' character to keep this up to pace.

At last, Yildun, the other 2 Calatians, and Khallos finally broke open one of the main boards. Using the head of the axe to pull apart the others, the 3 of them exited the burning building and began gasping for air. Finally, the diplomat turned to the other 3. “Thank you for saving me; I'll repay this someday.”

Descending from the balcony, the 4 of them headed back to the center of the village while others used buckets to put out the flames. Yildun noticed several women and children exiting their homes, relieved at the sight of their fellow villagers safe and the Koridaians tied up. Good to see that peace has returned. Seeing the dwarf and another unknown person in the distance, Yildun began walking that way.

-------------------------------

Stroking his beard as he watched the battle begin to end and the Koridaians surrendering, Leo thought about the man's suggestion. “That is exactly what we're planning on, Master Lucas, but we have a few problems,” he replied. “First, our diplomat, Yildun, is stuck in a burning store that way,” said the dwarf, gesturing at the burning structure. “After we get him out, I assure you we will do our best to get to Komitaa before the empire's men do.”

Climbing onto his bear, which had finally stopped raging around and smashing apart houses, Leo gripped the reigns tightly in his hands and turned to Lucas. “Come on, let's get going.” Moving off, the dwarf and the man headed for the square.

While about half a dozen Calatians went off to help extinguish the store, Leo turned to the remaining troops. “Fellow Calatians! After we have restored order to this settlement, we will be heading south for the main port. From there, we will travel to the continent of Komitaa to fulfill our mission.” Pausing, the dwarf gazed at the village hunters. “Any additional arms will be appreciated; Baker Team, fall in.” Getting off, he and his team moved off to talk on the outskirts of the settlement.

Moving off a bit with his personal company, Leo addressed them quietly. “As I have personally fought with each and every one of you, I have a request to make.” Looking at Bobby, the dwarf continued quietly. “Keep an eye on the cloaked man; make sure he doesn't mess around or send messages of any kind.” As they nodded in acknowledgment, Leo could see the diplomat coming over. “That's my cue.”

Shaking hands with the man, Leo spoke in relief. “I'm glad to see you made it out alive, Master Yildun. Without you, this whole mission would be a catastrophe.” Taking back his axe from Khallos, the dwarf turned to see 2 Calatian medics walking over; they shook their heads. Sighing, Leo sheathed the sword and attached it to his belt. I'll return it to his grave after I'm done.

Regaining his composure, the dwarf spoke one last order. “Let's clean up here; get those Koridaians bound tight, and we'll start digging.” Wordlessly, the vikings moved off to honour their fallen. Turning to Lucas, Leo spoke quietly.

“Looks like you got your wish, my friend. Ambassador Yildun is safe and sound, and we should be good to go in a few hours or so. In that time, you can tell me where you came from, and how in the name of Khuffie you got here without getting ripped apart by us or Koridai.”

[JRPomazon]

"Well . . . I don't want to be rude sir, but being seen isn't something that I like to happen. I usually have better luck at this mind you."

Lucas laughed nervously, his social skills far from polished.

"S-so yeah. And gray is a nice neutral color, so I can blend in with the outdoors a lot better. It's quite helpful."

Leo looked upon Lucas with suspicion, and rightly so. It's not like some half baked excuses as to how he managed to get here would actually convince him that he got here by NORMAL means.

"Look, it really doesn't matter too much how got here so let's just forget about the whole mess."

With that, Lucas walked away from the dwarf briskly. Did he come off as a suspicious back-stabber? Sure he did, he was wearing a hood and didn't have great social skills. ANYONE WITH A BRAIN WOULD FIND THIS ODD. But there was no need to give too many details as to his arrival. He was alone with his thoughts. The reason he came was a simple scavenging mission for supplies and a hastily return back to the others. Did those guys know that this would happen? And if so, WHY ME!?

[Khallos]

OOC: Doing [img]http://forums.legendsalliance.com/public/ALOT.png[/img] of work at the moment so don't expect particularly active replies, and it's fine about minor control of my character.

Khallos turned to the diplomat,

"Sir, my mount and personal belongings are hidden just outside of town, with your permission I'd like to retrieve them."

Acknowledging Yildun's nod, Khallos set out for the edge of town, but then suddenly turned after 20 feet.

"If I could as well sir, I'd like to help honour the dead. They need a proper burial and I'm still fresh, you should be safe sir once our men get you inside somewhere better protected"

"As you wish Khallos, as you wish" said the Ambassador, as he then struggled off to some medics and Calatian officers.


------------


Khallos had not done much grunt's work for some time, but it set his mind at ease and gave him something to think on. Besides it was a good way of bonding with soldiers who thought you sometimes little more than a stuck up fool. Mind, Calatia was much better than Koridai, everyone suffered as one in the freezing wastes...not that the Knights of Koridai had it oh so much better, but food was scarce in Snowpeak. And the winds could chill a man to the bone within minutes if unprepared.

Throwing up another clod of dirt out of the deepening grave, Khallos hoped he wouldn't be digging any more and any time soon.

[Crimson Lego]

Still watching Lucas suspiciously but deciding to let it pass for now, Leo turned his attention to the burning village. The flames in the store Yildun had been trapped in were finally extinguished, though black smoke still rose from the half-destroyed ruins. The surviving Koridaians were being led out by a trio of Calatians towards the forest. Probably to be executed or something, thought the dwarf. Sighing, Leo began walking down towards the square, his bear following him. Of course, he could stop the executions, but the general wanted to see these men brought to justice.

Changing course and heading for the trees, Leo found the 7 Koridaians being lined up and Calatian archers standing back and notching their bows. Once they were all blindfolded, the remainder of the Vikings and waited for the archers to shoot. That was when the dwarf intervened.

“Hold it!” shouted Leo, thrusting an arm forward. Surprised, the Calatians tightened their grip on the arrow shafts but did not shoot. Walking up to each and every one of them, Leo pushed their weapons down until they were pointed or touching the soil of the ground. Turning to the man in charge, the dwarf's look easily asked for an explanation. “What's going on here?”

Angrily, the corporal made to raise his bow and fire, but Leo pointed his sword at him without hesitation. “Don't try that again; I'm not having these people executed.”

“Sir, they killed the innkeeper, more than one of these villagers and almost half of our men too!” spat the soldier. “They deserve to die.”

“Corporal, they are prisoners of war,” the dwarf reminded, lowering his blade. “You know as well as I they need to be sent to the nearest settlement, or here, and held until we win the war.”

At that, the Calatian snorted. “What if they break out? Then we have a massacre too!” he yelled, stepping up to Leo and punching him.

Slightly staggering backwards, Leo found it almost painless; but that was the last straw. The last thing he needed was a rebellious soldier disobeying orders or rules of war in enemy territory. Snapping up a rifle, he raised it and aimed it at the soldier's face. “You better watch your mouth, soldier!” he snarled, his finger brushing the trigger. Grumbling but deciding not to say anymore, the soldier moved off, muttering curses to himself. Sighing, the general lowered the gun and turned to the remaining archers. “Bind these guys up,” he ordered, gesturing at the Koridaians. “I'll send a message to Snowpeak and have somebody pick them up in a few days or so.”

Leaving as they carried out his orders, Leo headed back on his original course to the square. Glad to see much of the burying was done, he approached the diplomat, whom was conversing with a few of the other soldiers.

Seeing him arriving, Ambassador Yildun clapped a few times. “Good to have you here Leo! I've got something to show you.” Trying his best to smile, the dwarf sat down beside Yildun, whom was reading a map of the world. After making a few marks on Komitaa, he handed the map over. “This has been my first job off Verden, so I was wondering if you knew anything about these two nations.”

Studying the map carefully, Leo felt a bell ring in his head. Vildmark and Virrat? Where have I heard that before? Then he remembered; it had been on an unexpected journey over 2 years ago after the treaty was signed between the dorms.

You are not from Vildmark or Viraat! You are another of those filthy, godless foreigners! Like them!

After reading ancient legends and myths, he had finally figured out the true nature of the priestess in the Talons, her followers, what Chikara really was, and where they were now headed on a diplomatic mission.

Rolling up the map, Leo spoke to the small group in front of him, but quietly. “Allow me to tell you a story.” Pausing as he relieved the events of those days in his head, the dwarf then continued. “Right after the Treaty was signed by Selena, Steel, and the Lost Woods diplomats, 2 warriors, each from a different dorm, found themselves in unknown territory on Norrendir. After talking to a seer, they found themselves traveling into a natural structure known as the Eagle's Talons.

Entering, they encountered 3 knights of the Hall of Heroes, each of them driven mad by some force. Venturing even deeper, they encountered a mad priestess and several strange demonic creatures transformed by a dark power. The power of Lazu.” Taking a drink of water, Leo continued with his story. “As you may have guessed, I was one of those warriors. The other was Jordan of the Whirlwind Spear.

Working together, the two of us defeated the priestess, with the help of the one of the knights that had regained his sanity, and freed the land from the dark influence of Lazu. After reading ancient legends and relieving that journey and the attack of Olimandias, I am guessing a similar situation occurred in the Alliance capital that changed Chikara into the madwoman she is now.”

Getting up, Leo concluded his talk. “I'm just saying that you should all be on your guard; evil powers will always lurk behind you.” Walking off, the dwarf knew that not many of them would make it back with intact minds...or under their own influence.

Approaching Khallos, Leo clapped the man on the back. “Well done back there. We'll be heading out soon after we finish burying the dead. Do you need anything?”

[JRPomazon]

Lucas was struck with awe as he overheard the story. Eagle's Talons? Seer? It could only be one man the dwarf general spoke of.

"This dwarf met master Tiresias?" he thought to himself.

A few months ago, the old seer told Lucas along with the others some of his stories, the tale of the Eagle's Talons being in the mix. When questioned why they were to hear these stories, the old man replied that it was important to know the past before proceeding into the future.

"Unbelievable, he was one of the heroes in his stories." He thought, smiling behind the shroud of his hood.

The vikings seemed less troublesome now, it seemed that they had a good idea of the true threat to the world. The deity of chaos, Lazu. With this common ground, talking should become more manageable. Despite the neutrality he practiced when it came to matters between the Kingdom and the Empire, seeing the general's attitude towards all this gave him a bit of hope that perhaps one side could be trusted. But still, knowing of Tiresias' existence had to be reported as soon as he returned to the others. This seemed that it was going to be some time. He missed the rendezvous with his companions by now, so he was stuck until they found him. But with the man whose sight can see the past and future, it wouldn't be too hard.

[Khallos]

Flinching slightly at the touch of his hand, Khallos turned around and it was the Dwarf.

"Me? I should be fine sir, but I'm more than glad that you didn't have the prisoners shot, not only for the sake of digging their graves."

Making eye contact with Leo, Khallos warily contemplated a question.

"The men sir. We lost many today and I think they are still hungry for revenge, you may have done the honourable thing but those Reds are a liability. Frankly sir, I know you may well be a merciful leader but I don't take insubordination well. He struck you and if we're not careful I can see a mutiny brewing. We don't have the backing of a 'divine' being to unite us and we're tired, hungry and bloodied."

"My tactical prowess is limited I won't lie about it, I can't coordinate a battle. My prowess on the battlefield however is rarely matched, and my rank a martial one. It's why I'm here to keep our Ambassador alive. I am also here as a representative of Snowpeak High Command and I will use my powers to dispense discipline to our troops if need be. Unruly soldiers are a risk to Yildun, and I will keep him alive."

Leo's expression changed little but Khallos could feel his eyes lose some warmth.

"Sir"

Khallos turned and made for his steed, he needed to take on extra supplies but the village didn't have much left in it as it was. Time to ration the rations. He sighed as he mounted up and hoped that the compassion of one Dwarf would not lead to the death of his own men. He'd watch the Corporal for now, but as it was undermining the General's orders publically would exacerbate the situation.

[Crimson Lego]

Watching Khallos go off for an unknown reason, Leo thought about what the man had said about the rebellious corporal. Snowpeak had been right in sending him on this mission; he would definitely be useful in tough situations. He was definitely right about me being merciful. In a way. On journeys, the dwarf would try to keep as many of his men alive, but he also did not like disobeying orders or talking back. Normally, Leo would have had done something about it, like having him detained, or execute him on the spot. But desperate times called for desperate measures, like extreme violence and barbarism.

It also meant breaking protocol and allowing possible mutineers to remain within the ranks.

As the Calatians had finally finished with the burying of the dead, Leo gathered them around for a short meeting before departing; Lucas was standing somewhere in the middle of the group, while the rebellious corporal was trying to hide in the back. Won’t get him anywhere; he’ll need at least a few days to plot a mutiny. By the time he had finished, the dwarf could have him easily shot. But for now, he would see what the soldier would do in the future. Clearing his throat, Leo addressed the Vikings.

“Good job here,” he started quietly, gazing around. “Now that we’ve clean up here, we’re on our way to the southern port. From there, we’ll charter a ship or 2 to bring us to Komitaa. Those that know the true nature of the 2 nations should pass on the knowledge, as it will save us all.” Sheathing his blade and handing the rifle to his aide, Leo shouldered his axe. “Baker Team, stay with me and keep your guard up. The rest of you, divide into 3 equal platoons; Khallos, you lead one. Lucas, you take the other.” Leo knew it was risky to let a foreigner take control of some troops, but the other option was to let Corporal Jenkins take the position, and the General was not ready to do that since the incident.

“No questions? Let’s get going, men. We've got a long trip ahead us” Clambering onto his bear, the dwarf then nodded to Yildun. “Lead the way, Ambassador; our lives are now in your hands.”

Reinforced by 15 men from the village’s expeditionary and dividing up into their units, the Calatians began heading south towards the coast to head off for their journey.

[JRPomazon]

"Excuse me? Come again? You can't possibly be-"

Oh, the dwarf was serious. Quite serious. Not only did he have to deal with the social anxieties, now he was in charge of a group of vikings. Lucas turned around to see his motley crew of belligerent brutes, each of them with the glares of disapproval and suspicion.

"Oh man, you've got to be kidding me."

Lucas cleared his throat, preparing to address his men.

"A-all right everyone, let's mo-"

"What's with the hood? Got warts all over your face?" Cried out one of the vikings.

"Yeah! What are you hiding!?" Cried another.

"TAKE IT OFF YA BASTARD!"

They began to chant "Take it off, take it off", not doing much for Lucas' lack of self confidence.

"Fine!" he shouted, flipping his hood over in a fit of rage. His face was gentle, a young man no older than 18. His hair was a dirty blonde, messy and tossed because of wearing a hood and his eyes a dull blue. The men looked on in awe.

"He's just a kid?!"

"We got to listen to a greenhorn who hasn't even grown his hair out yet?"

Things were getting bad to worse.

[Crimson Lego]

Chuckling at the sight of the Calatian unit bullying their newfound leader, Leo was astonished to see that Lucas hardly qualified as an adult either. Smiling, the dwarf faced forward and rode on. Most young men had extremely good imaginations, and though it could be disastrous in some cases, it would also be a good use for their journey. Maybe he can find a way to bring down the empire as well, he thought. If they did manage to secure a treaty of some kind, maybe that could happen.

Soon leaving the village far behind them, the expedition began traveling south through forests and fields. While the village hunters helped with pulling up some food to carry on the trip, Leo was busy watching the surrounding trees. Normally, he would have just put the thought of another Koridaian raid on a settlement out of his mind, but the recent attack was different. What are the odds that a Koridaian battalion consisting of about the same number of men we started out with arrives in a completely isolated settlement in the middle of Calatian territory? Even if the Empire had wanted to send a random raid, they would have sent more soldiers.

This would only mean one thing: a double agent in their ranks.

Gazing around at the faces of his men, Leo decided to go for trial and error and see if he would end up with any suspects. The members of the Baker Team were almost certainly exempt from this; Leo had trained them for long enough that he knew them almost as brothers. The dwarf’s next thought was Corporal Jenkins, whom was looking sour faced at the back of Lucas’ company; no ordinary fighter would defy a superior and insist on killing PoW’s. Perhaps…? Leo shook his head; if Jenkins was a double agent, he wouldn’t have done that. It was probably out of stress and anger at Koridai.

The food supply was finally replenished, and the expedition was able to move on. Putting his axe away, Leo next glanced at Lucas. This could be the man. The man had given out nothing about his origins or purpose here; he had also seemed reluctant to show his face until pressure made it so. Maybe he just didn’t want to show them he was that young, pondered the dwarf. I wouldn’t.

After a few more glances and crossing out the names mentally, Leo finally found himself at the man named Khallos. He’s almost as suspicious as Lucas, too. Of course, he had claimed to have been sent undercover to protect Ambassador Yildun; a pretty easy thing to get away with. But looking again, the general had a feeling Khallos was the kind of person you could trust your life with; definitely not a double agent. If he had wanted to sabotage the mission, he could have let Yildun to die inside the store, and nobody would be any wiser.

Growing tired, Leo cast on his hood to protect his eyes from the sun and lowered it; he slowly dozed off into a sleep riding on his bear. In a few hours, they would be nearing the port, where the expedition would board a ship taking them to the central continent of Komitaa.

-------------------------------

Trudging angrily behind his fellow soldiers and Lucas, Harold Jenkins found himself at the rear of his unit. He was completely furious with the general at this point; he hated him for several reasons: putting a complete stranger at the reigns of a company, giving the enemy his mercy and ‘putting them away’, and being 4’7. Why would Snowpeak even let a dwarf lead a mission?! Wanting to scream out to the skies, Jenkins calmed down and tried to think logically. If he wanted to overthrow Crimson, he would need some help from fellow friends or close associates. Glancing around, he smiled in satisfaction; many of the men on this mission were acquaintances.

The next thing was trying to persuade them to bring down the general. Should it be done violently or diplomatically? Smirking at the irony of the latter option, Jenkins decided to put that part aside for now, while he drummed up recruits. Maybe that newcomer could be useful, he thought, looking at the Calatian without a uniform. For now, he would lay low until the time was right....

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Blue eyes watched a representative of snow and ice.

Blue eyes watched as a desperate few tried to find sanctuary.

Blue eyes watched as two sides fought a ferocious battle.

Blue eyes watched as a young man of gray was inducted into an army of snow and ice.

Blue eyes watched as a battle was barely won from within flames.

Blue eyes watched as hurried victors began to run to another place.

Blue eyes watched a representative of snow and ice.

[JRPomazon]

Lucas and his band were silent as they trudged through the snow and ice to the harbor. He didn't think he'd go so far, marching through like this.

Marching, there was something nostalgic about it. He hadn't done any proper marching in a long time, back when he was a recruit for the Lost Woods. They would march and leap through the forests, part of training regiments and what not. Those days were . . . where was all this coming from? He hadn't thought about the past like this for a while now. It was a little painful to remember what Verden was like before all this happened.

A tingle, hairs on the back of his neck rising. Was he being watched? He turned behind him, of course people were watching him. Hell, every single viking here had their axe at arms distance in case Lucas did anything and he was certain by how they looked at him that they wanted him to try. He just had to keep telling himself, at least it's not Koridai.

From how fast they were traveling as a group, it shouldn't be too much longer to the shore . . . right?

[Khallos]

Khallos marched with the men he was now commanding with his bear idly walking behind. He thought the situation interesting, himself commanding a platoon of men and the other stranger doing likewise. Neither of us hold any position of command. But I think the Dwarf judged us well...and neither of us are in particular control of our soldiers' actions. Less of a platoon of loyal soldiers, more like a guard for a prisoner. Still he was here and he knew how to lead as well as keep an eye on Yildun who was travelling at the centre of the column with most of the non-combatants, standard bearers and other officers.

"You there, lad!" Khallos called out at a soldier in his platoon, "name and rank!?"

"Private Walker," the suddenly nervous looking soldier answered. Khallos realised his soldiers had been oddly quiet even for disciplined soldiers on the march. Perhaps some of the have seen me or heard of me before. He grinned at the thought.

"Well looks like you may not be living up to your name this evening. I need someone to take the bear hunting, it needs to eat and I can't afford to feed it using our supplies alone. Besides if it kills more than it needs to eat, Platoon B'll be eating fresh meat tonight."

From behind him the platoon gave a ragged cheer at the thought of potential game. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach has almost never been truer.

Walker still looked nervous, in fact even more so. "Sir, but how do I control...what is the bear's name sir?"

"Name? I don't name anymore, I've lost too many to war, climate and disease. You name something and you might just get attached. I'm an infantryman at heart anyway, this old thing is just for getting about quickly."

"But if you really want to give it a name, go ahead soldier. Oh and once you've strapped yourself in and I tell it to go hunt it'll do the rest." Khallos lowered his voice. "I'd also like you to do some scouting while you're about, it's dangerous work but if you show potential I might be able to give a little boost to the career of a man of your ability. Koridai never let's its guard down, do not lower yours." returning to his normal loud voice Khallos ordered, "and make sure you bring me that bear back, they aren't cheap and certainly worth more than you. Meet me at just before sunset and whatever you do when you do go, don't get yourself killed!"

Walker rushed back to his rank. Grinning, Khallos began to slowly walk up and down the platoon saying a few words and speaking to most of his troops while the day wore on.

-----------------------

Private Walker had just ridden off on the bear and Khallos watched the General Leo, the stranger Lucas, the usurper Jenkins and of course the Ambassador Yildun.


What a fine mess this may just become.

[Crimson Lego]

Waking up from his doze, Leo unconsciously snapped from drowsiness to immediate attention to his surroundings. Almost all of the Calatians, including those in the general's Baker Company, were now literally dragging their feet behind them and nearly grumbling with pain. Good thing the port is pretty close by., thought the dwarf. Looking up, Leo could see the ocean in the distance, along with what seemed to be a distant ship. “We’re almost there!” he shouted. The men cheered weakly at the thought of rest and food. I don’t blame them either, thought Leo, feeling his stomach rumble.

The 30 man strong expedition had finally reached the southern coastal port. Filled with many shops, it was obvious they were stocked in seafood and sailing supplies. Finally getting out of the forests, the dwarf turned to the men. “Well done, Vikings!” he said. “All of you should find an inn or somewhere to rest for a bit; you’ve certainly earned it. Meanwhile, I’m going to go charter us a ship or 2.” As the men dispersed, Leo was left with the Baker Team, Ambassador Yildun, and a few others. “Let’s get going then.”

Heading down one of the streets, Leo gripped his axe tightly in one hand. Perhaps he was a bit paranoid, but why did it seem like they were being watched? Sure, the sun was shining bright, but he kept thinking he saw figures in the shadows of the buildings, leaping back as they drew near. Probably just the attack earlier, the dwarf thought. Approaching the docks, he saw more than a few ships anchored out there, some of them still bearing the banners of the Forsaken Fortress.

Grimacing, Leo opened up the door of the ship management, but then stopped and looked at his men. “Mellish, you stay out here and keep this door shut. Messner and Jurgensen, go down two blocks in either direction on this street,” he said, pointing to the street perpendicular to the building. “Make sure there aren’t any troublemakers coming here.” By his tone, the 2 men knew he meant ‘damn crusaders’. Nodding, the dwarf entered the building, followed by Yildun and the rest of the Baker Team.

It seemed like a combination of 3 different types of businesses inside the building. ON the left side from the door were several sailing and fishing objects like harpoons and fishing rods. On the right side were several casings of seafood, tended to by men in aprons. At the far back of the room stood another man at the counter, who was absentmindedly doodling on a paper.

As the group approached the counter, the man suddenly realized that he had customers. Clearing his throat, he put aside the pencil and tried to look as professional as possible. “Good day, gentlemen. How may I help you?” he asked politely. However, his eyes widened slightly at the several weapons inside his shop now.

Standing forward, the ambassdor bowed slightly. “My name is Yildun; my friends and I come from Snowpeak. We would like to charter a ship that would be able to carry 30 people across the Eastern Ocean and can, um, defend itself. That is, a decent number of cannons and weapons. In a long and short of it, your best ship.”

Reaching for his records, the man immediately began flipping through pages and looking for a suitable ship.”Many of my cruisers have been sent out for fishing jobs in case they are attacked in any way; therefore, I can only offer a medium sized Fortress ship. Would you like to rent or buy?”

Yildun was now helpless, as nobody had brought any cash. Sighing, Leo took charge. “Sir, I don't like to be rude to fellow citizens, but we need this ship now. We're setting sail for the continent of Komitaa.”

By his tone, the shopkeeper knew better than not to ask. “If you return, what I will get back?” he demanded.

The dwarf shrugged, hefting his axe. “I'll tell the officials at the capital about your good deeds.” Nodding weakly, the man handed over the paper, which Yildun immediately signed. “Have a nice trip” said the man.

Giving him a thumbs-up, Leo and the others exited the building; he noticed that some of the other employees inside the building were looking at them oddly. Shrugging it off, he slammed the door shut behind him. “Well, we've got that part underway. We'll get going soon, but let's see if we can pick up some more supplies first. Someone should also head to the ship to check it out and make sure that guy didn't rip us off.” Dismissing them, the general turned and headed for a weapons store. He wasn't sure if the negotiations were going to be peaceful, so it was best to be prepared.

[JRPomazon]

Lucas was by the ship, looking off at the ocean. His men had disbanded from him, he wasn't much of a leader after all. The world suddenly bigger, looking at all that water in one place. He threw his hood over his head once again, the chilled wind coming from the waves blew strongly across his face.

"Day dreaming kiddo?"

A familiar voice? Here? A new arrival by other gray cloak. From the sound of things, an older woman. The hood on her head covered her face.

"Is that you Vale?" Lucas asked, surprised to see another comrade.

"You have any idea what you've been doing? You were just supposed to loot around a little and come back! If we didn't have the seer with us I never would have found you! What are you doing this far out?"

"I know, I know. I got seen and then things got more complicated-"

"Lucas, I really don't care how you managed to get yourself into this fine kettle of fish. I'm here to take you back, Kalm and the others will probably be back by now." She interrupted, he voice hushed to not attract attention.

"W-wait a second Vale, I don't think I should leave now. These guys aren't so bad after all, they're trying to make an alliance with a foreign nation. I think helping them out is the right thing to do?"

"Right thing to do?" she asked.

"We have no more reason to help Calatia than we do Koridai! We stand apart for a reason, tell me you haven't forgot why-"

"Look, I know! But we got nothing against Calatia and Koridai is the common enemy here!" Lucas contested.

"And if things turn out well, I'll be getting paid in return so no worries!"

"Hmph." Vale muttered.

"Fine. Just remember where your true allies are Lucas. Don't get swept up in some fairy tale."

Vale turned around and left, leaving Lucas to himself. He knew that this wasn't going to be forever, just help them out a little and get the supplies. It seemed like an even trade. Soon after Vale's departure, others began to arrive at the ship.

"Is it time to ge- err- go?" he said, stumbling on his words.