Atulon's Pass (Full)(Started!)

[Yorgmiester]

"Don't do it, boy."

Yan swiveled around to find Cossan standing behind him, a grim and stolid statue amidst the driving wind and snow. The brutish old man was still wearing his bloody and battered armor, as if he had just left the battle nigh several minutes ago. His right hand rested on the pommel of his axe, as usual, and under his left arm rested his helmet. His dark and arrow-torn cloak flapped in the wind behind him, completing the look of an ancient and hardened warrior.

"Don't go after her. S' not worth it." His eyes were grave and his tone flat. His gaze stayed fixed on the younger man, despite the stinging snowflakes which peppered his leathery face and eyelids.

~~​

"You're finally awake..." Seiben muttered as he noticed Orson stirring. "Looks like they pricked you too, eh?" He offered the man a pained grin over the rim of his bowl, then went back to gingerly sipping his soup.

"Y'know..." he started to say, then stopped as Aryana suddenly ran passed their fire, barreling through the trees without looking where she was going. One hand was covering her face, and he was pretty sure he heard a light sob. He opened his mouth slightly as she passed, as if to say something, but decided against it, simply watching her with a concerned look as she disappeared back into the conifers.

"I wonder..." Seben began, turning back to Orson and the fire. "I wonder if... huh." He stayed quiet after that, sipping lightly on his soup and staring at the flames.

~~​

It was purely a matter of chance that Io had set up tent near the villager Emma, and purely a matter of chance that she was assigned second watch shift, so that she would be by her own fire when Felon joined his apparent lover.

The fact that Otlina was also tented around that fire, however, was plain old bad luck.

"By the gods!" Otlina whispered, for what seemed like the hundredth time, her ears pricked to the any sounds that might coming out of the nearby tent and her lips curled into a childish grin. They had both clearly seen Felon enter the villager's tent; what was happening now was all up to Otlina's wild imagination and a few indiscernible ruffling noises.

"Cut that out!" Io hissed, shooting a warning glare at the flighty young woman. "It's none of our business, so stop listening in!" She genuinely hated Otlina's attitude towards romance and her constant prying into other's affairs. She was like a buck-starved young schoolgirl; it was hard to believe she was so fierce a combatant on the battlefield.

"You're an incredible bore, Io. Do you know that?" Otlina moved back to the fire, crossing her legs and looking deridingly at the older woman. "Love is exciting... why can I not be excited about it? You make it seem like something dark and bad!"

Io grunted and poked the fire with her prodding stick, saying nothing.

"Well, I-" Otlina was about to say, when Aryana suddenly and blindly stumbled into their campsite, sobbing and covering her face with her hands. Otlina immediately leapt to her feet, catching the running girl in her arms.

"By the gods, Aryana, what's wrong?"

~~​

 

[Shapsters]

"Its all my fault!" Aryana cried, not paying attention to who had grabbed onto her she tried to pull away, not wanting to be around anyone at the moment she twisted her body and flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to escape. However with a combination of her being flustered and extremely tired it was no trouble for Otlina to hold on to her, "I had to kiss him and now Krin is dead! I should have been there for him but instead I was away from the battle foolishly kissing Yan!"

Aryana slumped out of Otlina's arms and fell to her knees, she began heavily sobbing and crying out incoherently. Sure you could make out a word here and there such as 'shame' or 'guilt' but it was mostly gibberish. It was certainly a sight from someone who didn't know what was going on, and definitely not conduct that should be practised by a trained soldier but Aryana didn't care.

 

[The Hairminator]

Yan waited a few moments before he opened his mouth.

"I.. I wasn't going to." his eyes slowly worked their way from Cossan's face to the spot where Aryana had disappeared behind some trees, a few moments earlier. "If she doesn't want me around, I won't force myself unto her."

At the end of the sentence, Yan started to snivel, but he shook his head, and went to pick up the firewood he had dropped before.

 

[Sporky111]

Straining to look up, Orson chuckled a bit upon seeing Seiben. "Yes, the perks of a life of service."

At that moment it dawned on him that it was night. "Wait, how long have I been-" he started to ask, but was cut off as Aryana dashed through. He frowned a bit, but as long as it wasn't his business he wouldn't pry into it.

"Anyway, how long have I been out Seiben?"

 

[Yorgmiester]

Sebien finished a long drought of soup and then wiped his mouth, a look a satisfaction briefly appearing on his otherwise pained face. He gingerly propped himself up on one elbow and shifted around a bit in order to get into a better position for conversation.

"About six hours, I'd say. Not sure exactly how long it's been since the battle..." he glanced at Doctor Iemben for confirmation.

"Yes." the doctor replied. "About six hours. You were in pretty bad shape, but luckily it wasn't anything me and my wife couldn't handle." He smiled warmly, wisely concealing from the wounded soldier how hard it had actually been to repair his injuries, and how many times they had nearly abandoned him for dead. His survival was still very much in question.

"You should have some soup!" Iemben said quickly, glancing at Beni and motioning for her to dish up another bowl. She gladly obliged, and as the warm broth was being poured into the earthenware bowl and handed to Orson the doctor stood up and darted off to his tent, a forgotten something-or-other apparently just springing to his mind.

~~​

The rough scraping of rustic metal against new wood, the scent of sap and pine needles mixing pleasantly with the earthy smell of sweat and worn leather, the pulsing heat and flickering warm light of a fire... All of these things were wonderful to Lera, special experiences to be cherished. It didn't matter what had transpired mere hours before on a gruesome killing feild mere miles away; she would enjoy these small things and let her spirit be lifted.

Lera smiled softly to herself as the final sliver of wood fell neatly from her new arrow, gliding gently to the ground to join the little pile of shavings already gathered there in the firelight.

She was sitting around the Fletcher's Fire, an old tradition among travelling groups throughout the Empire. It's purpose, basically, was to provide an organized place where arrows could be made while in camp. Anyone who knew the art of crafting those elegant projectiles would gather there and work their trade, providing the group of hunters, or soldiers, or marksman with a new supply should the need arise. Very useful, from both a tactical standpoint and for the morale of the hunters and archers.

To Lera's left sat an elderly gentleman who was apparently a Master Fletcher; his aged yet strong and nimble hands would likely prove indispensable in the coming days. To her right sat Ricof, who oddly enough knew quite a bit about fletching, though he did not use arrows himself. Across the fire from them were a number of Shilas' hunters, along with a few of the villagers who knew a little of the craft.

She let out a heavy sigh and looked over her shoulder as her quiet reverie was broken once more by a rowdy hurrah! from the neighboring fire; Drunkard's Alley. It had no official name, of course, but that was the one she had mentally dubbed to it. It was there that Griger Lucas and his lackeys had set up camp, and everyone knew it. They had evidently smuggled even more liquor than originally predicted, and were taking to it with great gusto.

"Noisy pack of inbreds." Lera muttered under her breath, returning to her fletching. That bunch was beginning to worry her, and she felt the growing need to go tell someone about her concerns. Somebody had to shut them up.

With a sudden nod of determination, Lera set down her arrows and rose from her seat, trotting off through the trees to find Rinus.

~~​

Otlina glanced at Io with a worried expression, then knelt down to comfort Aryana, holding her tightly and whispering some words of encouragement, trying to calm the hysterical woman. The display was sure to draw attention to them if Aryana didn't quiet down, and this wasn't the image the soldiers wanted.

"No, no, no... Arrie it's not your fault!" she whispered. "You've gotta listen to me, ok? There was nothing you could do."

"Don't lie to her just to make her feel better." Io said quietly but harshly from her seat by the fire, glaring at the two girls. Otlina glared back, but said nothing, as she knew Io was partially right. Tugging Aryana closer, she continued to softly comfort the girl, even as a few tears began to form in her own eyes.

~~​

"Don't cry, boy..." Cossan muttered to himself, his eyes boring into the back of Yan's head as the younger soldier turned away. Pulling his feet out of the snow, he rubbed his hands together, warming them against the bitter snow, and then began to trudge forwards, slowly but deliberately. Just when it looked as though he would pass Yan and continue on into the camp, he stopped.

Cossan's burly fist came abruptly and sharply, hammering into the side of Yan's face and sending the unprepared man sprawling into the snow, firewood scattered around him.

 

[The Hairminator]

The blow came without warning, yet Yan had anticipated, even hoped for something like this to happen. As he fell over in the snow, he felt relief, if anything. Yan was disoriented from the blow, but he managed to bring himself to his knees.

"Finish what you started! Mess me up! You know you want to. Why not bring Rinus and the others, and let them all have a go at me, huh?" Yan said with a pained voice.

"You know, it was all me. All my fault. Don't blame her for it."

 

[Nukey]

Dasin's body leaned up against the stump of a tree, it's bark partially and the soft wood beneath it covered in frost, a balance that was dreadfully uncomfortable but it no way could be helped. He, although he lacked interest at first, focused on Yan, Aryana, and the group that surrounded, growing ever louder by the moment. It was the best entertainment at the camp, as sad as that sounded, there was simply nothing else to do besides actual work, but was simply too much responsibility for him to bear, not to mention far too boring. Yet even he, void of the empathy others possessed, found it shockingly depressing, and only continued to watch out of interest of what could happen next.

Then it happened.

The hand of Cossan rose, swiftly and violently, and stroke Yan, his form collapsing to the ground.

Oh fuck this, I'm stepping in!

Dasin glanced to his left and then to his right, reaching for something he could fight with, but wouldn't kill anyone. He noticed a branch roughly the size of a man's arm a few meters from his person, and promptly grabbed it, satisfied with his find. A fair deal of the ice that had accumulated on his form fell as he stood upright, the rest shaking off with each step towards Cossan, the makeshift weapon clenched tightly in his hands.

"Hey Cossan!" He shouted, now only a few steps away from being in striking range. "Why don't ya just piss off, eh? I think it'll save you some trouble, not to mention a few head injuries!"

 

[Sporky111]

Orson sat up with a groan, then gathered the blanket around himself and took the soup with a muttered "thank you". As he sipped the broth he finally noticed the ghostly pallor of his skin. He was fairly pale on most days, but now his skin looked like that of a corpse. I must look like the walking dead.

At that point, Ochrem stepped into the circle. He had already worn a path through the snow between the fire his and another family was huddled in, and this one. His eyes lit up when he saw Orson up.

"Thank the heavens you're awake. I feared you would not return to us."

"Grandfather, I wish you wouldn't see me like this."

"No no, don't be so proud." Ochrem stiffly set himself down on the ground, facing Orson. "You know, it was a wound like that that forced me to retire." His eyes darkened for a moment as he thought of his grandson being taken from duty in a way no soldier wanted to: too crippled to fight. "But, you're much younger than I was. You should heal and be back up eventually."

Orson looked away, into the fire as 'retirement' was mentioned. He wasn't ready to quit this job, fighting with his team was what he loved to do.

"Yeah, I'll heal up soon enough." he said, not sounding like he believed the words at all.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Felon was already in a sour mood when he walked to the fletching fire to think. As he ran the knife over the shaft of wood to form the arrow his thoughts here elsewhere. He thought about what had happened, what could have happened, was it worth the potential consequences? It was if he could feel the eyes of his wife and child upon him as he pondered this and it bothered him. He felt restricted by their memories and he wanted to be free from it.

His thoughts were interuppted by the drunken roars of laughter coming from the camp nearby. Evidently, more liquor was being drunk and it brought Felon's anger to the breaking point. He continued to fletch but the yells kept breaking his concentration. It was after breaking his second arrow in a row that he got up and marched towards the drunken louts, "Party's over," he said , kicking over one of the barrels of ale, "How dare you sit here drunk off of liquor whose space it took up, could've been used to stock more food for everyone, instead your selfish wants could cause death around the camp."

Felon was simply getting into his stride, as he walked up to the ringleader and looked him right in the eye, "And you are the worst of them, you fucking coward," Felon rarely cursed so everyone in that area knew how angry he was.

 

[Shapsters]

Aryana's body trembled in Otlina's arms as she dry heaved, the tears had stopped but her body hadn't fully recovered from the heavy sobbing that had recently taken place. There was no point crying over what happened, crying certainly wouldn't bring Krin back nor would it change the way she felt for Yan. What Aryana needed to do was take responsibility for her actions, she needed to be what a real soldier should be, admit to her mistakes and be the person that the vulnerable towns people can look to so they can remain strong.

With a heavy inhale and a shaky exhale she stood up, thanking Otlina and Io she wiped the tears off her face and composed herself. Her eyes were puffy, her cheeks wet and red and a look of sudden determination was on her face, setting off toward the heart of the camp with the intent to find Rinus and take sole responsibility for what happened to her fellow soldier.

 

[Yorgmiester]

Cossan flung his foot into Yan's side, the toe of his boot catching Yan's ribs and sending him back to the ground. He lunged forward, grabbing Yan by the collar and easily lifting the taller solider up and out of the snow.

Fire and lightning and death were in Cossan's eyes, his teeth bared in a furious snarl. His primeval expression of rage glared at Yan from a mere inch away, their two faces nearly touching amidst the wind and snow. Heat and sweat stung their eyes, the frantic pace of Cossan's breath beating against Yan's skin.

The old soldier's mouth opened, and then shut. His teeth ground together, his fists clenched and pumped the fabric of his comrade's vestment. His face grew red, the veins in his forehead springing up like the ridges of the mountains.

A roar of frustration and anger, and then Cossan threw Yan to the ground, forcefully flinging him aside as if to rid himself of a deadly pain. Spinning around, he stormed away towards camp, glaring vehemently at the newcomer as he passed.

~~​

Felon's intrusion was not taken well. The inebriated men all around him rose to their feet, loudly proclaiming their indignation. Anger smoldered in fuzzy eyes, fists tightened around broken bottles, and thoughts turned from celebration to violence.

Griger was overly confident that night; his boys were with him, everyone was fine, the battle had been won and plenty of alcohol was coursing through his system. His eyes looked through a lens of beer-induced invincibility and perceived the soldier standing before him as nothing more than a very annoying party-crasher, to be handled with as much vigor and delight as possible.

Leaping to his feet with a wild grin of anticipation plastered across his face, the big lumberjack hurled his fist at Felon's head.

 

[The Hairminator]

Yan kept still, his face remaining in the snow as Cossan had left him. Then he began to laugh. And spit. He tasted blood, and there were at least one tooth less in his mouth now than there had been a minute ago. His head was spinning, but somehow it all felt good. Better, at least.

He managed to get on his feet, and now acknowledged Dasin's presence for the first time. "You know? The worst part is that I actually deserved it. In fact, I deserve a lot more than that." He muttered both to new soldier and himself. Awaiting no reaction, he unsteadily started to pick up the pieces of firewood yet again.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Felon went to roll around the swing, but some of the blow still caught him and he sank into the snow, his cut on his cheek reopened. He stood up shakily to dodge another wild swing by the drunk man. He kneed the man in his stomach and swung a hook into the brute's face. His sore muscles from the battle didn't seem to bother him when he had the adrenaline pouring through his blood. He wasn't near as large as the men that were beginning to surround him, but he did have speed and a burning anger beyond what such drunken louts could even hope to feel. He clenched his fist tightly, feeling the warm blood trickle down his cheek.

 

[Yorgmiester]

Rinus looked up sharply at Lera as she burst into the light of the fire where he sat. The captain was just finishing his meal, wiping his mouth and pondering what to do about Yan and Aryana.

"What is it?" he asked gruffly as he stood, seeing the impending declaration in her eyes. At that moment Aryana appeared as well, also looking as though she had something important to say. Rinus gave her a knowing nod, motioning for her to wait, then gulped down the last of his water to wash the food from his mouth and turned to Lera.

"Griger Lucas and his band of ruffians are becoming a nuisance." Lera responded curtly, placing her hands on her hips. Just then there came a yell through the trees, followed quickly by more yelling and the growing sounds of a brawl.

"I see." The captain loosened his sword in it's sheath and nodded to the two women, then set off at a brisk walk towards the offending fire.

~~~​

Griger howled in pain as Felon's fist connected with his already broken nose. He swung wildly, missed, and staggered to the side, grabbing one of his henchman by the collar and throwing him at the soldier.

The others were getting the idea now. They crowded around Felon in an disorderly fashion, yelling and cursing at him, grabbing at his arms and legs. One latched onto his left arm and tried to pull him to the ground, while another came at him from behind with a large stick in hand. A dozen different sets of fists lunged at him from different directions, trying to hit him anywhere they could.

~~~​

Doctor Iemben sat in the door to his tent, wiping his brow and staring nervously around at the trees and darkness. Despite all of the people nearby he did not feel safe, and despite the warm fire and food he did not feel comfortable. He was immensity distraught, in fact, though he would no let anyone see it. This trip was taxing on him already; he had never had to perform such extensive surgeries before, nor deal with the sight of men cleaved nearly in half by cruel iron blades. War and survival were not his areas of experience.

Iemben quickly reached into his pack and brought out a small flask of whiskey, took a few gulps to calm his nerves, then stuffed it away again. Wiping his brow once again with a rag, he adjusted his spectacles and took several deep breaths, letting the cool mountain air slow his restless mind.

Once he was certain that he was once again in control of his faculties, the doctor returned to the fire, looking as calm and collected as ever, if not a trifle pale. He offered a concerned glance at the loud noises coming through the trees, then turned to his wife.

"Start warming some more water, Beni. Looks like we'll have our work cut out for us tonight."

 

[Shapsters]

"They've become more than just a nuisance sir, a full blown fight has broken out." Aryana informed Rinus, having gotten a glance at the now escalating fight as she headed over to talk to her superior. Knowing now was not the time for her to talk to Rinus about taking responsibility for her friends death she gripped her sword and followed along side Rinus, "Felon apparently got tired of their noise and angry about the fact they smuggled booze. Can't say as though I blame him though sir, the nerve of those men to take up valuable storage space with booze, it shocks me how brutish they are. I don't doubt it'll have escalated into a full blown brawl by the time we get there."

 

[Lost In The Void]

Felon felt every punch, even with the adreniline through his veins, every hit felt like a fresh wave of pain. His eye had swollen shut, his lip was broken open and he stood wheezing at the rest of the men, "Thats real manly of you Griger, throw your men at him, have the odds stuck against him. Its good you fight admirally and honourably," Felon bowed mockingly, though barely able to keep on his feet, "C'mon Griger, just you and me in the circle, lets settle this like men."

 

[Yorgmiester]

Griger snarled at Felon, ignoring the soldier's challenge. The inebriated men all around latched onto Felon's arms and legs, holding him back and pinning him against their heaving chests. Their laughter covered his face in hot, stinking air, thick with the stench of liquor and blood. Ale mixed with rancid spit covered him as they flocked, the yells and protests of the other villagers going unheeded.

Griger leered over Felon, his grimace of pain now replaced with an evil grin. The brutes all around him egged him on, chanting and cheering as he approached. Drawing back his fist, he plunged it into Felon's gut once, twice, three times.

The fourth blow never came. A gauntleted hand clamped onto Griger's wrist and wrenched it backwards. Then he was on the ground, a pommel strike planted solidly against his cranium.

"That is enough!" Rinus bellowed, sheathing his sword and stepping into the ring. Aryana and Io stood by his left side, Cossan and Silas by his right. Lera stood behind them, and from the other side of the crowd came Ravius and Ricof. Lucas' men hesitated for a moment, then backed off, releasing Felon. Griger himself slowly rose from the dirt, clutching his head and glaring angrily at Rinus.

"This cannot continue, Lucas." the captain stated. "I warned you, and you did not listen."

The ruffian leader's eyes widened as he recalled Rinus' threat. Leaping to his feet, he glared even more intensely, shifting his gaze from soldier to soldier. He suddenly seemed desperate, like a cornered animal.

"It was his fault!" Griger yelled, pointing one heavy finger at Felon. The men all around him muttered their agreements. "He barged into our campite and attacked me!"

Most of the camp had heard the ruckus now, and a crowd of worried villagers were gathering nearby, observing the growing tension with no small amount of fear.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Felon fell to the ground as the other men released him. He coughed up a bit of blood and lay there in the snow, unable and unwilling to move. He gasped for breath as it had been so easily taken from him a minute ago. He heard the villagers murmuring about themselves, saying little and doing even less. Only Rinus's intervention had saved him from an even worse beating than he had already gotten.

Now Rinus has threatening his assailant, to exile, a certain death. Felon was torn between what to do. On one hand, he resented the man greatly, he was selfish, greedy and a huge drunk who only cared about he and his men. On the other hand, he was part of the village he had sworn to protect. He struggled to his feet and looked at Rinus, "I'll take the blame for instigating the fight, if it will keep this man from exile," he heard the villagers gasping, but he didn't care, "We need all the help we can get, instead I ask that he alcohol be spilt across the snow and left here, as it serves no purpose in a race for survival."

 

[Shionarco]

Elliara and Weiss had been sitting together, watching the entire fight from the moment it broke out. While most people would be angry about this Weiss was nothing more than dissapointed in Griger, he couldn't believe how one of the people that him and his fellow soldiers just recently fought to protect could turn against them like that. After Griger claimed that it was all Felon's fault Weiss, followed by his sister started over towards them.

Once Felon declared that he would take the blame for the entire fight Weiss while not entirely meaning to spoke in a rather loud voice to Felon, "Why must you take the blame for this man? It is obviously not your fault."

~~~

After Weiss yelled Elliara speaking in a wise yet sweet like tone that she had not used since she arrived "Hush now brother, he is right." Elliara walked over to Felon rather gracefully and gently took him up under the arm. "Having someone exiled will just weaken the group as a whole."

She knew that how she was acting would probably confuse everyone after how she had acted earlier, but she genuinely believed that her and everyone else would be better of sticking together as a group. While she would like to see Griger exiled and eventually dead, her survival was more important to her than her hate for the man.

 

[Yorgmiester]

Lera shot Weiss a reprimanding look, and a few of Griger's men began to grumble, shuffling back and forth and staring angrily at the Lusian guard. "You wasn't ere'!" one of them said in a loud voice, glaring at Weiss defensively. "What d'you know!" The other goons quickly shut him up with warning glances, despite the fact that they clearly shared the sentiment.

"The wench is right." Griger stated, though his look was distasteful as he watched Elliara help Felon up off the ground. "You need all the strong men you have."

"Very well." Rinus spoke slowly, eying the brother and sister with slight concern. The two were going to cause trouble, even if he didn't mean to.

"Weiss and Cossan, dispose of this ale. Felon, go see the doctor, and then we will discuss your punishment. And you!" he pointed a finger at Griger. "You and your 'minions' will be carrying a double load tomorrow, as part of your new jobs as strong men." He then turned to leave, motioning for Aryana to follow him.

"Go find Yan and wait at the eastern edge of camp." he told her quietly but sternly, once the two were an appropriate distance from prying ears. Without another word Rinus headed off in the direction of the doctor's fire, his shoulders looking even heavier than normal.