83rd of Winter, AV 413
Night had descended upon Sunberth. The last bell to ring through the night had fallen silent, the quiet of the city was both a warning to prey and an invitation to predators. Darkness always brought out the scum of the city and in this place it meant half of its people. The moon broke free from the crumpled clouds, it's fair light bringing only the slightest slice of hope to Sunberth's downtrodden. Outside a warehouse, three men stood, each one different from the next and each dealing with winter's wrath in their own way. The youngest looked like he hadn't been a man for long, he had short, dirty raven black hair, dark thick eyebrow, deep brown eyes that looked strangely hollow and pathetic attempt at facial hair on his chin, he had his hands tucked into his armpits as his thin woollen clothes fluttered in the icy breeze. Next to him stood grizzled old man, with a head of long white hair, a furrowed pair of bushy eyebrows and a thick goatee on his chin he looked suspiciously similar to a Billy goat. He breathed deeply into cupped, red raw hands to bring them warmth as he leant against a vicious looking spear, his padded armour bringing him more protection against the weather than Sunberth's undesirables. Finally near them stood a broad figure, clad in coat with leather armour beneath it he had chosen to stand stoically against the wind, the shield strapped to his arm offering him little protection against it as continued to howl throughout the courtyard.
"Poor mutt" The goat known as Bill Tanners rasped as he prodded a dark, limp corpse that lay sprawled out on the cobbled stone "Y'had no choice though, too many of these feral things stalking about nowadays."
Garret merely nodded as he listened to the old man's words, he liked the bloke, a man who reaches a ripe old age in Sunberth has to be respected but he still felt no great loss when he had to put the beast down. The beast had wandered up to them friendly enough, it's long brown tail wagging quite happily as he closed in but Garret had never been a dog lover and when the dog turned on him it didn't help his view. With its jaw wide open, revealing a set of lethal yellow teeth, just read to clamp down on Garret's arm. Fortunately sharp claws and pointed teeth have little effect against a slab of thick, hard wood so as the mutt leaped it bounced uselessly against Garret's wooden shield.
As soon as the dog's paws had landed against the cold, cobbled stone it had prepared to lunge once more, reluctant to let such a large meal go on such an empty stomach. But the beast was too slow, soon afterwards it found its spine crushed. Snapped in pieces by a heavy morning star, the dog twitched erratically on the floor, whimpering softly to itself as it began to bathe in a pool of its own crimson blood before Bill had jabbed his spear into its throat, giving the poor creature the gift of mercy.
"Least it doesn't have to put up with this fucking cold anymore" The boy complained, shaking like a leaf in the wind. The boy had been more of a pain in the arse then last time they had met, instead of chatting away incessantly about how happy he was, he decided to moan about how miserable his life was, and lecture the old mercenary, and his even older comrade about the truth of the world as if they hadn't learnt it decades before. The reason for the boy's sour mood had become apparent quickly as their watch had started.
"She left me, she left me and took what little money we had" He had announced to the others they gave a rat's hairy arse about his problems.
"Of course she did you moron" Bill had retorted, speaking the obvious truth that Garret couldn't bring himself to announce "You brought her to this shithole, under the delusion that you would both be happy. She's properly shagged half of Sunberth by now, and will see more silver in a week than you'll see in a season." He finished before sharing a short, cruel and rare laugh with Garret as the boy frowned at them both, having expected sympathy rather than a berating.
"I guess that is another thing you didn't expect boy" Bill said to him, his curt tone implying what he thought of the boy "It does get cold in Sunberth, or did you think the name meant that it would be sunny as well?" He asked rhetorically "Well either way, you best warm yourself up or at least pretend to not look so cold, you'll be the first to have your throat cut otherwise."
"What do you mean?" The boy demanded, his voice quivered ever so slightly and his deep, brown eyes widened.
"You do realize what's inside, and why we are out here? We are the warning for the real guards inside, the ones clad in real steel and wielding sharpened swords, we are paid to die first and with any luck they kill you first and give us enough to time to sound the alarm" he explained with grin.
The boy opened his mouth to reply but Garret cut in before him "That blade still a virgin?"
"Huh?"
"Has it seen blood?"
"N-No... No it hasn't"
Garret spat on the ground, leaving a thick clump of phlegm to melt through the dirty snow as he tried to take his mind of the cold. Winter always had a way of silencing the chaos of Sunberth, but that made it all the more dangerous. While the commoners spoke in hushed voices, huddled together around any fire they could cobble together it left the most dangerous unchecked, and untested in the street."Let's hope you're a fast learner then boy, it'll see some before this night is done."
Night had descended upon Sunberth. The last bell to ring through the night had fallen silent, the quiet of the city was both a warning to prey and an invitation to predators. Darkness always brought out the scum of the city and in this place it meant half of its people. The moon broke free from the crumpled clouds, it's fair light bringing only the slightest slice of hope to Sunberth's downtrodden. Outside a warehouse, three men stood, each one different from the next and each dealing with winter's wrath in their own way. The youngest looked like he hadn't been a man for long, he had short, dirty raven black hair, dark thick eyebrow, deep brown eyes that looked strangely hollow and pathetic attempt at facial hair on his chin, he had his hands tucked into his armpits as his thin woollen clothes fluttered in the icy breeze. Next to him stood grizzled old man, with a head of long white hair, a furrowed pair of bushy eyebrows and a thick goatee on his chin he looked suspiciously similar to a Billy goat. He breathed deeply into cupped, red raw hands to bring them warmth as he leant against a vicious looking spear, his padded armour bringing him more protection against the weather than Sunberth's undesirables. Finally near them stood a broad figure, clad in coat with leather armour beneath it he had chosen to stand stoically against the wind, the shield strapped to his arm offering him little protection against it as continued to howl throughout the courtyard.
"Poor mutt" The goat known as Bill Tanners rasped as he prodded a dark, limp corpse that lay sprawled out on the cobbled stone "Y'had no choice though, too many of these feral things stalking about nowadays."
Garret merely nodded as he listened to the old man's words, he liked the bloke, a man who reaches a ripe old age in Sunberth has to be respected but he still felt no great loss when he had to put the beast down. The beast had wandered up to them friendly enough, it's long brown tail wagging quite happily as he closed in but Garret had never been a dog lover and when the dog turned on him it didn't help his view. With its jaw wide open, revealing a set of lethal yellow teeth, just read to clamp down on Garret's arm. Fortunately sharp claws and pointed teeth have little effect against a slab of thick, hard wood so as the mutt leaped it bounced uselessly against Garret's wooden shield.
As soon as the dog's paws had landed against the cold, cobbled stone it had prepared to lunge once more, reluctant to let such a large meal go on such an empty stomach. But the beast was too slow, soon afterwards it found its spine crushed. Snapped in pieces by a heavy morning star, the dog twitched erratically on the floor, whimpering softly to itself as it began to bathe in a pool of its own crimson blood before Bill had jabbed his spear into its throat, giving the poor creature the gift of mercy.
"Least it doesn't have to put up with this fucking cold anymore" The boy complained, shaking like a leaf in the wind. The boy had been more of a pain in the arse then last time they had met, instead of chatting away incessantly about how happy he was, he decided to moan about how miserable his life was, and lecture the old mercenary, and his even older comrade about the truth of the world as if they hadn't learnt it decades before. The reason for the boy's sour mood had become apparent quickly as their watch had started.
"She left me, she left me and took what little money we had" He had announced to the others they gave a rat's hairy arse about his problems.
"Of course she did you moron" Bill had retorted, speaking the obvious truth that Garret couldn't bring himself to announce "You brought her to this shithole, under the delusion that you would both be happy. She's properly shagged half of Sunberth by now, and will see more silver in a week than you'll see in a season." He finished before sharing a short, cruel and rare laugh with Garret as the boy frowned at them both, having expected sympathy rather than a berating.
"I guess that is another thing you didn't expect boy" Bill said to him, his curt tone implying what he thought of the boy "It does get cold in Sunberth, or did you think the name meant that it would be sunny as well?" He asked rhetorically "Well either way, you best warm yourself up or at least pretend to not look so cold, you'll be the first to have your throat cut otherwise."
"What do you mean?" The boy demanded, his voice quivered ever so slightly and his deep, brown eyes widened.
"You do realize what's inside, and why we are out here? We are the warning for the real guards inside, the ones clad in real steel and wielding sharpened swords, we are paid to die first and with any luck they kill you first and give us enough to time to sound the alarm" he explained with grin.
The boy opened his mouth to reply but Garret cut in before him "That blade still a virgin?"
"Huh?"
"Has it seen blood?"
"N-No... No it hasn't"
Garret spat on the ground, leaving a thick clump of phlegm to melt through the dirty snow as he tried to take his mind of the cold. Winter always had a way of silencing the chaos of Sunberth, but that made it all the more dangerous. While the commoners spoke in hushed voices, huddled together around any fire they could cobble together it left the most dangerous unchecked, and untested in the street."Let's hope you're a fast learner then boy, it'll see some before this night is done."
