The Cost of Freedom (Soren)

[Zane Felix]

Timestamp: 2nd Day of Spring, Year 510
Location: A few miles out of Sylrias.
Tag: Soren Alderos

How long have we been out here, Soren?

Zane gritted his teeth, dragging his friend along because the other man appeared to have passed out. The dirt that scuffed his boots kicked up like fog and the hot rain that splashed against Zane's head felt like fire.

He vaguely remembered how they had beaten Soren within an inch of his life. He barely got his friend out alive. Barely kept him that way, and even then he wasn't sure how.

They had come far from home, and they could never go back now. How they had seen it all coming was disastrous. Soren's logic and Zane's brutality just hadn't been enough to fend off a situation that had seen them publicly humiliated and cast out off Konti Isle.

What was worse was that Soren had been in a coma for most of the trip. Zane was afraid the kid would never wake up. And he was feeling tired himself...

So when Zane fell over, gasping for air and just barely keeping himself on all fours, Soren rolled off his back and onto the ground with a thud. Zane looked over at his best friend with a hardened gaze that showed he was quite worried.

Come on, kid... wake up...

He punched the ground angrily. Frustrated that he had little power. Fate was dangling this in front of him, ironic as it was that he often cursed that same destiny and denounced it.

Zane placed his hand on Soren's shoulder and shook the other man once, then twice, then gave a powerful sigh.

I'm gonna be so pissed off if you were just sleeping.

[Soren Alderos]

Soren really had been beaten to within an inch of his life. Were he conscious, every small jostle might have meant yet more pain still, such were the bruises.

From the time even before they had been cast out, the young Human had been like this. Yet now the weight of unconsciousness started to lift. There was a distant sound... A voice? Yes, maybe that was it... Unintelligible, but present.

A crack of light reached his dilated pupils as he struggled to open his eyes. Memory came flooding back. He and Zane had been plying their usual trade when the Konti caught them. The last thing he remembered was that they had started using those bloody Suvai...

His eyes opened a bit further, and his gaze snapped to Felix, the man's last words making sense in spite of his battered state. A smirk tried to creep its way across his face, and his lips moved as though trying to speak, but no sound came out. He had no strength yet, and he felt so tired...

[Zane Felix]

Zane had managed to acquire some basic healing for Soren's poisoning from a kind man along the road, because the Suvai's more brutal nature would have eaten the man alive otherwise. The older and much gruffer Zane had little tolerance for what they'd done to his friend, and were he not already in detainment while they brutalized Soren, he would have smashed all their faces in.

It was deplorable, the way they completely ignored his defenselessness. Damned Konti. Every single one of them was a harlot and scum in Zane's mind. And he knew Soren thought the same. Only right now, he wished he could ask the man how he was. His best friend was right next to him, and Zane was playing the odds on whether he would need to find a new partner or this guy would open his eyes in the next season.

And then, Zane saw it.

Oh gods... you're awake, Soren. You're awake!

He stood up happily, throwing his head back and giving a bestial bellow of triumph.

Those dirty slime couldn't keep us down, buddy! We're the undeniable champion duo!

He jumped up and down excitedly, trying to focus on not accidentally harming Soren. He turned slowly after he'd expended enough energy to calm himself, then knelt beside the frail human form of Soren.

C'mon buddy, speak to me. We've come a long way from Mura... from what I've heard tell, we're coming up on Sylrias, probably the biggest city in this country. What do ya think of that? Huh?!

[Soren Alderos]

Soren blinked slowly, too wrecked to even think about railing against the Konti right now. He almost couldn't open his eyes again, but he managed it. Somehow.

They were nearing Syliras, huh? That was the place with the Knights, right? The young man had heard so much about it from the rare travelers through Mura. He wasn't certain if the place sounded like a high world or a low world. On the one hand, it was a population hub to many people. More people meant anonymity. On the other hand, the Knights of Syliras ruled the city, and he'd heard they were zealots for "order". They would not take kindly to the likes of Soren and Zane.

He managed noise this time when he spoke. It was faint, and Zane would have to strain to hear, but he eventually spoke in a faint, yet light-hearted voice, with one corner of his mouth twisted into something between a smirk and a grimace. "Sounds... like we... petched up..."

He closed his eyes, and one might have thought he had slipped back into a near-comatose state until he sighed weakly and spoke again. "Syliras... Don't know... Might... be fine..."

[Zane Felix]

That's life, buddy. People do the wrong thing sometimes. All that matters is that we...

Taking Soren's shoulder in his hand, he yanks the restful man up to a standing position forcibly, making sure to yank him just right so that his muscles went sore and the blood starting flowing right. If that didn't wake him right up, nothing would.

...get back up!

He shoves Soren as the man is just barely to his feet, expecting him to find his footing and balance quickly. After all, if Zane could bounce right back, so could Soren... right?

And hey, sure I know its supposed to be a real "lawful" place and all that... just means no one'll be suspecting anyone of trying to pull anything right under the nose of so-called "Authority."

Zane seemed pretty adamant, despite the fact he had heard some pretty terrible things about the laws in Sylrias. He wasn't sure about any of them, but if half of the things he had been told were fact and not fiction...

He cringed a little. Zane wasn't used to being even a little afraid of a challenge; getting past Sylrian Knights seemed more like a death wish to him. Still, such things just meant that the stakes were higher.

It meant that dinner had to be a little bit more worth it.

With a large grin, Zane spun around and looked over at the disoriented Soren and crossed his arms, nodding affirmatively.

Sylrias ain't ready for our routine!

All the times Zane assured himself that didn't make it sit right with him any more than it did. He still wanted another way of life. Eventually he'd suck it up and learn a trade... maybe. Right now, all that really mattered was making a life for him and Soren. They were in it together, and that was how it had always been. The ends justified the means.

And Zane waited for Soren's reply patiently...

[Soren Alderos]

Unfortunately, Soren was not made of the same sturdy stuff Zane was. It was the reason Zane was the center of attention for most of their stunts. Soren worked better from the shadows, and possessed a frail countenance to boot.

As such, when Zane hauled him to his feet, the battered and nigh-broken Human made a valiant effort to stand, but the forward momentum of Zane's pull left him stumbling. He overcompensated, and fell back again.

He lay on his back like a slug, the bruises across his body punishing him for the movement, but he chuckled meagerly in spite of himself. Zane's zeal was infectious. It was why he was the grand-stander. Things worked better that way.

Still, the other man's jostling did wake him up a bit. The flares of pain played a part, too. When Soren spoke, he did so with a grimace. Yet it did sound a bit stronger. "I still can't stand... You might have to carry me the rest of the way there."

[Zane Felix]

Carry you!? Where's that get-up-and-go attitude? You had it going there for like... half a second.

Zane rolled his eyes slightly. He couldn't get how the younger man didn't see the simplicity of "giving it your all." Then again, Soren was the quiet type. And he had better, quicker fingers that didn't leave much of a trail. It was how he liberated so many purses from drunks and unsuspecting bar patrons alike.

And why Zane was the front man. He liked the thrill a lot more than Soren did. And he figured he enjoyed the pain more, too. He had gotten a better sense of empathy over time than Soren had ever displayed- while the younger man was content to be more refined and sly, Zane was always up front with people. Even when he was getting them into the fighting spirit, he was connecting with them on a level that Soren couldn't manage.

Empathy was Zane's real gift. Even though he didn't necessarily like people, he understood why they went through what they did. If he had his way, Zane would change that world into something better, something with a brighter future, something that didn't have to fester with the taint of corrupt and evil people.

But the world wasn't like that. Zane was a common con man. He didn't have the capacity to make a difference. Sure, he helped the little people here and there when he could afford it, even on occasion going without food for a while or, while Soren had been out, using his share of the money to keep the man stable.

One day, though, Zane vowed he would do something big. He'd stop messing with bar junkies and start making a name for himself. At least... that was what he hoped would happen. For now...

Yeah. Sure. No problem, Soren.

He bent down and scooped the smaller man up, using his strength to put the weight of the smaller being over his shoulder and his endurance to pace himself. The sweat beaded on Zane's brow, and he used both hands to steady Soren as he walked, but anyone could see plainly how the wear was doing on him. All he needed was a drink, though. It was so hot... so bloody hot...

[Soren Alderos]

Soren helped the other man pick him up as best as he could - though that was very little, at best. He was still weak. So weak.

The con artist gritted his teeth in self-hatred. He had always been that scrawny boy in need of protection, and Zane had suffered for it. The quick fingers, the smooth talking... None of it mattered. It was as though the old teenager was cursed with a frail body. His only saving grace was a rather keen mind. Otherwise he slipped around, unwanted and unnoticed. But that was fine, too. It let him sneak into places he wasn't welcome, coming and going without a trace. He was well suited for it. But that didn't mean he liked it.

They didn't enjoy this life - neither of them did. Someday, somehow, they'd escape all this. But that would be then. Now was now.

And right now, he was hurt, and Zane was tired. The man's ragged breathing did not escape his notice. They hadn't gone very far before Soren spoke up again. "Zane... Find some shade... We'll rest... See if we can't... find something to drink... After that... we'll think of something."