An Easy Mission Rarely Ever Is (Dravite)

by **Lian Windrunner** on September 18th, 2015, 6:14 pm

17th Day of Fall, 515 AV
9th Bell, morning
Endrykas

The interview had been a grueling one, but fair for all of that. It was hard to be certain, but Lian thought it was going well. He had been asked all sorts of questions. "Why did he want to join the Watch?" "What skills did he have to offer?" "Why should they hire him?" "What weaknesses did he have?" "Was he willing to work to overcome them?" "Who was he?" "Had anyone in his family served in the Watch before him?" "Was his Ankal prepared to recommend him to their service?" Those were only a few of the questions Aris asked Lian.

Lian answered all of the questions to the best of his ability. As the interview slowly winded down, Lian was cautiously hopeful that he would be permitted to join the Watch. Dravite was there with him. As his ankal, he would be the one to vouch for him when the time came. Lian was grateful for his friend's presence. Just having him present during the interview helped to bolster his confidence when it started to fail a few times during the endless series of questions. It was hard not to glance at the man now, trying to get a feel for whether Dravite had thought the interview had gone well, too. But he resisted the urge. Lian didn't want to seem as though he was dependent on his friend and ankal. Especially when it wasn't true.

Aris seemed to study Lian carefully, judging his posture, and body language as well as his words. Lian returned the gaze evenly, hiding his nervous anticipation as best he could. He was confident in himself and his abilities, and content within his own skin. It was these qualities that he tried to convey silently to the person who would determine whether he was fit to join the Watch or not. Finally, the much awaited question came.

"Can you vouch for this man, Dravite Blackwater?".
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by **Dravite** on September 18th, 2015, 10:34 pm

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Aris was calculating, observant, and above all else, right; he knew exactly what he was looking for in a Watchman or woman, and as it was his job to prepare and select the new recruits, seldom did he take on someone who wasn't prepared for the task. He sat in his chair like a jaded king, tired of settling squabbles over this or that; he had seen too many die, would Lian just be another lamb to the slaughter? His eyes were unnerving and the way he drummed his fingers against the wooden arm of the chair seemed to slow time itself. Aris looked concerned about Lian's answers regarding family and shot a look at the man behind him that said just as much; the look that was returned to him, however, was one of confidence, 'it's under control,' Dravite's glance would silently reply.

"Well, you know him better than I, Blackwater; what say you?"

The horse lord stood in his black leather pants and sleeveless tabard, the white arms of his tunic folded back to sit just below the elbows, the laces of his riding boots stitched up tightly; his belt adorned with a vast collection of tools and weapons that went with him to work every day. Around the man's neck sat a heavy weave of silver metal, a torc with the head of a lion fashioned on either end; something he only wore for special occasions. His fingers too, were decorated with silver, and the matted mane that usually hung down past his shoulders was pulled back with a finely pleated leather strap.

"I say that there are few in this world I would trust with my life, and even fewer with those of my people; Lian is one of these men, intelligent, forward-thinking, and well versed in the arts of his choosing."
Aris sat up in his chair slowly, he had worked with Dravite going on three seasons now and had never seen the man speak so highly of someone, nor so much, "he does seem to be all of those things," Aris agreed with a nod, "but when a man is thrown into the fire he often forgets himself."
"Or learns who he truly is," Dravite countered; sometimes being thrown into the deep end taught a person to swim.
For the first time this morning, Aris smiled, "indeed; Lian Windrunner, welcome to The Watch."
Dravite closed a hand over Lian's right shoulder, "Ra'athi, brother," he smiled, offering a reassuring squeeze before his hand fell at his hip again.
"Unfortunately there won't be any fires today," Aris smirked, "just a routine walk of the city; I'm sure this will give Blackwater and Bearheels here some time to better acquaint you with the ins and outs of The Watch," Aris looked at Lain as he spoke, "off you go, I have three more hopefuls to grill," he winked.

Lace Bearheels was a young woman in her mid-twenties with two children and a husband that worked as a weapon smith in the Emerald district. She had long mousy coloured hair with piercing blue eyes and a little button nose that seemed to make her instantly likeable, or perhaps it was that flawless smile.

"Welcome to The Watch, Windrunner; don't worry about Aris," she said outside of the tent, "I've been working with him for seven summers now and he is ten times nicer now than he was back then."
Dravite laughed, "oh yeah, the guy just gets nicer as the seasons turn over."
Lace smiled before hitching her dagger behind the black of her leather belt, stark against the green of her tabard, "shall we start where all the trouble is?"
"We can't be everywhere at once," Dravite teased.
Lace laughed, "then to the markets we go! Come on newbie!"
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by **Lian Windrunner** on October 9th, 2015, 6:32 pm

"Lian Windrunner, welcome to The Watch."

Lian couldn't help it. He grinned happily as he thanked Aris for accepting him. Being a member of the Watch meant a great deal to him, and he was very grateful that he was being given this chance.

"Thank you. I'll work hard to prove that I am worthy of this honor." he said sincerely.

"Ra'athi, brother."

Lian's grin widened as he turned to his friend. Words alone could not convey the joy in his heart at this moment. So he didn't even try, His hands gestured rapidly in his excitement, making the signs for "very sincere gratitude," "chance not wasted," and "friend/brother."

His first mission was to be a "routine walk in the park." Lian liked the idea of an easy first mission. It would give him a chance to see how things worked in the Watch. It would also give him the chance to get to know some of the people he would be working with. Dravite, he knew, of course. But the woman with him was a complete stranger. Lian liked to know the people he was working with. Especially if he was going to be putting his life in their hands as he no doubt would many times as a member of the Watch.

The woman was introduced as Lace Bearheels, and she made a comment about Aris being nicer than he had been seven seasons ago when she first joined. Dravite seemed to think this was amusing. Lian decided that he would take their word on it, and leave it at that. Then it was time to get going.

"Shall we start where all the trouble is?"
"We can't be everywhere at once,"

Lian's first thought that "all the trouble" would be where the foreign trade caravans were gathered, but Lace suggested the markets. He grinned when she called him a newbie, and nodded. As he followed Lace and Dravite out, he felt a thrill of excitement rush through him at the thought of his first mission as a member of the Watch..
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by **Dravite** on October 11th, 2015, 12:47 am

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The marketplace was busier than a beehive in spring, with a mix of people foreign and Drykas, gathered around the different stalls bartering and advertising their wares. The good thing about being a member of The Watch was that there was no uniform, at any given time one could be standing near any number of members, on or off duty; not that a man or woman of The Watch was ever really off duty. They had eyes everywhere within the city and that was the key behind the city of tent's success and inner peace; that and a healthy dose of prejudice when it came to outsiders.

As the years went on, it was getting harder to tell one of the natives from the people from afar, though the peeking lines of windmarks often made this easier, and a sharpness to the eyes of traditional bloodlines and Drykas. The language was helpful too, though outsiders had been known to master aspects of it, they never quite managed to present it with quite the same lustre; lazy mouths, the Drykas had come to call it. Pavi was an active language which required a rather active mouth for the letter sounds and vowels were a lot different to that of common; when the Drykas spoke it was quick and precise, almost like a song.

Lace didn't say anything, but the look she gave Dravite told the man that she thought they should split up to cover more ground. At a glance she could see two other veterans of The Watch wandering back and forth pretending to take an interest in this or that and she didn't want to make it seem as if they were sticking together as that usually put people on edge, not because of anything The Watch might do, but because a heavy presence usually meant there was trouble afoot. After all, it wasn't difficult to spot a member of The Watch as they were all paid quite well and liked to dress in the colours of their clans; a secret show of strength and pride.
"I'll take the newbie," she grinned and veered off with Lian to help teach him the ropes.

"You must be vigilant," Lace explained to Lian in a whisper, threading her arm through his to make it seem as if they were just a couple out on a stroll, "we've had trouble with pickpockets lately, and surprisingly enough, most of them have been actual Drykas."

Dravite wandered towards one of the street ends and put his back to the butchers stall; he quite liked the smell and there was always plenty of shade to be found near any form of food stalls, a way of keeping it cool and fresher for longer. Half a chime passed before a large brute of a man bumped into his shoulder and Dravite glanced up to see that it was Trail. He smiled instantly and his limbs visibly relaxed, "what are you doing here?" Dravite grinned, "you're meant to leave the boring jobs to us."
Trail was wearing a big smile, the same Dravite had witness in the summer after the wedding celebrations were through and Trail could relax knowing his daughter would be cared for, "twelve more days," Trail told him, clapping Dravite on the shoulder with a heavy hand.
"Twelve more days?" The horse lord inquired, a little confused.
"I just handed in my notice; twelve days of easy street work before I am officially retired," he beamed.
Dravite smirked, "you won't last two bells before you race back and beg for your old job; I know you," he winked, "you can't sit still for long."
"Oh I plan to work," Trail assured him, "I want to pick up where my father left off and bring his weapon crafting business back to life, and on top of that, I can still offer lessons to the public in order to draw in a bit of spending money."
"To blow at the taverns," Dravite jested.
"No, my boy; to spoil my grandchildren with."
"They're already rotten."
Both men laughed, "You’ve made me very happy," Trail admitted.
Dravite didn't inquire as to why, putting it down to the older man still being excited about his daughter, "good, you're far easier to like with that smile."

Just then a high pitched scream broke the peace and people ran like scared mice, scarpering out of the busy marketplace as if they had all seen a ghost. The only people who ran towards the trouble were the men and women of The Watch.

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by **Dravite** on October 11th, 2015, 12:48 am

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"Most of the trouble is usually found around the stores that provide something everyone needs as not all of us can afford, food, clothes, weapons," Lace started going over the mental list she had prepared earlier; it seemed like Aris, she too was used to inducting new recruits.

As she droned on, a large man with long black hair and arms the size of a heavy yearlings hindquarters, pushed a man back from his stall, "not for you!" He growled, towering over the people that stood near, by at least a foot. The tattoos on his face were not of the Drykas culture, and his piercing yellow eyes assured onlookers of that.
"This is my last payment!" The lean, much shorter Drykas man argued, "I want my weapon!"

Lace dashed ahead from Lian's side, fighting her way through the crowd to find out what the problem was. She separated the young Drykas man from the stall owner, giving the foreigner some space and told them both to settle down, "what's the problem?" She asked.
"I've been paying this ape since mid-spring," the smaller man argued, "today is my last payment on my father's old bastard sword, Terron here told me he would be able to mend the hilt for me by summer's end, it's now fall and I want my weapon returned!" He waved the signs anger, betrayal, hurt.
The yellowed eyed Terron scoffed, "and this maggot told me he would have his last payment in by summer sixty or agreed that I could keep the sword."
"Liar!" The Drykas hissed, "I couldn't pay him during the summer because he wasn't in the city; this whole business is a scam to rob us hard working men of our heirlooms and other valuables!"
"Calm down," Lace frowned, "we will sort this out and everyone will go home happy today."
Terron smirked at the little man, invoking him, "horse scum, you can't even fight for yourself; you get your dog women to do it for you."
Lace took offence to that but remained calm, "what will it take to get the sword back?" She asked.
"You really want the sword?" Terron offered.
"Yes please," Lace smiled, thinking she had won this round.
"Here, catch," Terron spoke and threw the sword over the counter at the young woman.

As Lace reached out to catch the sword, not expecting the giant to toss it over so easily; Terron grabbed a second sword from behind the counter of his shop and swung it through the air, removing the woman's head in one clean sweep. Another woman who had been standing quite near at the time, looked down at the blood on her apron and screamed loud enough to chase the birds from the pitched tops of the tents which littered the marketplace.

Terron jumped over the counter of his stall and swung at the lean Drykas man who had been arguing with him, who only just managed to leap out of the way in time. He crawled backwards on his hands as people fled the area, leaving him to his fate; all except the men and women of The Watch. One was knocked aside with a half swing that cut into her shoulder, rendering the arm limp and useless. She lay on the ground in agony, crying out the name of her gods. Dravite was there moments later, closing his hands under her arms to drag her back from the scene while Trail confronted the yellow eyed foreigner, raising his heavy Bec de Corbin to swing at the giant.

"Lian!" Dravite called, looking around for his friend desperately, wanting to make sure he was all right, "hold your hand over the wound," he encouraged the girl he had managed to get clear of the fighting."
"Don't leave me!" She cried frantically.
Dravite growled and pulled off his leather tabard quickly to slip out of his shirt and ball it up so that the woman could hold it against her ruined shoulder, slowing the blood loss, "you're going to be all right! I need to help!" He told her before spotting Lian near Lace's headless body.

"Get a weapon!" He growled at his friend, pointing to the weapon stall; neither of them had come expecting a fight today and both stood ill prepared. Dravite had a dagger on his belt, but would need more than that to help take down the angry weapon smith. He made a mad dash for the stall, hoping Lian hadn't slipped into too much of a stupor to find some sense.

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by **Lian Windrunner** on October 11th, 2015, 3:58 pm

The market was chaotically busy, but that was to be expected. Drykas and foreigners alike went about their business, as traders and craftspeople called out to the crowds to sell their wares. People haggled in both pavi, and Common as the tried to get they best price that they could for whatever they wanted to buy. Lian found that he could understand some of the heated haggling in Common, but for the most part, the speakers were talking too quickly for Lian to follow.

He wondered if he should make an effort to improve his grasp of the unpleasant language now that he was a member of the Watch. He hated the idea because he hated the language. But he did have to admit that being able to speak Common better would be an advantage. It would allow him to understand what the foreigners were saying more easily, which would in turn allow him to keep a better eye on them. When a foreigner had ill intentions, their body language often gave them away to the perceptive Drykas. Unlike most foreigners, Drykas were trained to read body language from a very young age. And someone who was adept in reading the subtle nuances of a foreigner's body language could pick up far more about their emotional state and motives than the foreigner would ever guess. Even so, having a firm grasp of Common would be of considerable help as well.

It was decided that the three should split up. The decision didn't surprise Lian. In fact, he thought it was a good idea, even though he didn't feel it was his place to say anything since this was his first mission. But by splitting up, they could cover more ground more quickly. It was also less likely that a Watch presence would be noticed if they split up than there would be if they traveled in a group. Although there wasn't any one sure sign that someone was a member of the Watch, there were plenty of small clues that someone could see. Watch members got paid a lot, so their clothes tended to be of better quality than those of many others. Lian had noticed that there was a tendency for members of the Watch to dress in their Clan colors when he was a child. Being a member of the Watch was a great honor, and it was one that brought pride and honor to one's Clan as well as one's self. So anyone who was wearing Clan colors and had clothes that were of high quality was quite possibly a member of the Watch. Over the years, Lian had also noticed that Watch members were usually better fed, and as a result, healthier looking than most. This was because they could afford to buy plenty to eat if they did not have the time to hunt, or the good fortune of having a successful hunt. And there were other ways as well. Lian looked around, and saw some Drykas who looked as though they might be Watch members. But Lian couldn't be certain. They moved with a certain confidence that he was used to seeing in members of the Watch, and their clothes were of good quality. But while both of those things were clues that they might be in the Watch, they could also be very successful hunters.

Then the three of them split up, and Lace was the one who decided to take Lian under her wing. Lian was startled when she threaded her arm through his without warning, but he quickly guessed the reason for such an action. They had split up in order to not draw attention to themselves. This was more of the same. Walking like this would suggest to others that they were friends, or even a couple.

Lian was soon distracted from his thoughts by Lace's words. The need to be vigilant was a given. They were patrolling in order to look for trouble. If he were to walk around daydreaming, or lost in thought, a crime could happen right in front of him, and he might not see it. But learning about the trouble with pickpockets did come as a surprise to Lian. That they were Drykas instead of foreigners was even more of a surprise. Lian almost asked Lace if she was sure that many of the criminals were Drykas, but he held his silence for now. Instead, he nodded, letting Lace know that he understood what she was trying to teach him. His quick gesture of "thanks" was to show her that he appreciated the lesson.

Learning that most of the pickpockets tended to work around stores that provided necessities rather than high priced luxuries was something that Lian had not known before she had told him. But after giving the matter a few ticks of thought, Lian realized that it made perfect sense that that would be the case. In a society where people migrated with the seasons, it wouldn't make sense to try to steal something that wasn't absolutely necessary when they were going to have to find a way to carry it when it came time to move on. If they couldn't afford what they were trying to steal, chances were that they had no means to transport it either.

Raised voices caught Lian's attention, and he saw one of the foreign traders refuse to give a young Drykas man the sword he wanted. When Lace approached the pair, Lian followed, ready to help in whatever way he could. His eyes darkened with anger at the foreigner's insult towards both the Drykas man, and Lace, but he didn't respond to it. If she could remain calm in the face of such an insult, then so could he. Especially when it wasn't even aimed at him. There was no reason to make matters worse than they already were.

Lian was inclined to believe the young Drykas man over the foreigner, but this was his first mission, and he didn't want to overstep himself. So he watched closely as Lace tried to handle the disturbance. He was ready to offer a hand if need be, but he was content to let Lace take the lead so he could observe and learn what he could.

"You really want the sword?"
"Yes please,"
"Here, catch,"

Instead of simply handing the sword over, the giant of a man threw the huge sword over the counter with ease. From the way Lace moved to catch the sword, it was obvious to Lian that she hadn't expected the foreigner to be able to handle the sword so easily. Neither had he. The sword was huge. Lian didn't think he would be able to lift it with such ease, never find tossing it like that.

Lian was prepared to scold the foreigner for throwing the sword at Lace. Swords were weapons, not toys. Someone could get hurt if they were treated as such. Lian trusted that his fellow Watch member would be able to catch the sword. But a civilian probably wouldn't be able to do the same. Especially if caught off guard like that. But he never got the chance to scold the man.

Without warning, the foreigner grabbed another sword from behind the counter of his shop, and attacked Lace while she was focused on the sword she was trying to catch. Occupied as she was, Lian knew that she couldn't have been expecting an attack like that. Lian shouted a warning, but it came too late. Far too late. The attacker took Lace's head off with seeming ease.

Someone screamed. The foreigner lunged over the counter and attacked the man who had been demanding his sword mere chimes before. But the young Drykas man managed to leap out of the way of the attack, but he went sprawling, and desperately scrambled back further on his hands. Drykas and foreigner alike fled the area, leaving the man to his fate. A few people ran towards the foreigner, including the ones Lian had noticed earlier.

Everything was moving too quickly. Lace was dead. Chaos reigned as people panicked, and fled. Members of the Watch converged on the area, attacking the foreigner. One, a woman was cut down, taking a serious injury to her arm. Lian struggled to take in the situation, and respond. He was a member of the Watch. He had to do something! He had to stop the foreigner from attacking anyone else!

What could he do, though? How could he fight without a weapon? He hadn't brought his bow with him for the interview earlier, and he would be worse than useless if he tried to fight the armed foreigner without a weapon. Even if he had his bow, it would be useless now. If he tried to fire it in this crowd, someone was likely to get in the way as they tried to escape. Lian's mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do.

"Lian!"

Someone was calling his name. Lian came back to himself as he looked for the source of that familiar voice. It was Dravite, and he was showing a girl how to help the woman that the foreigner had cut down. Trail was there too, attacking the foreigner with a Bec de Corbin. Lian's eyes met Dravite's briefly.

"Get a weapon!"

Get a weapon. Right. That made perfect sense. He needed a weapon if he wanted to be of any use in bringing down the armed foreigner, and he was standing beside a weapon shop. Why hadn't he thought of that sooner? Lian bolted for the weapon shop to grab a weapon. As he did so, he vowed to himself that if he lived through this, he was going to learn another weapon. One that he could keep with him at all times. He never wanted to be caught unprepared like this again..
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by **Lian Windrunner** on October 17th, 2015, 5:48 am

As Lian looked around, his first thought was that there were a lot of weapons. Then he blinked, startled by the thought.

I'm in a weapons shop. Of course there are a lot of weapons! If this is a sign of how coherent I am right now, then I'm in trouble. he berated himself.

It was hard to think. And the image of poor Lace's head flying off of her body was very vivid as it kept repeating itself over and over again in his mind. Lian shook his head, forcing the shock and disbelief that threatened to overwhelm him to the back of his mind so he could concentrate on the task at hand. He needed a weapon. And there were plenty available for the taking.

Lian looked around again. Time was of the essence, but he needed a weapon he could actually use rather than one that would only do more harm than good. He saw a display of bows. There were long bows, the short bow that he himself used, cross bows, and composite short bows. Lian eyed the composite short bow with interest. It looked to be a bow of good quality, and Lian wanted to buy one at some point. Bows were also the weapon he knew. Short bows were, at least. But he had already realized that a bow would be useless in the panicking crowd. So with some reluctance, he dismissed the bows, and continued his search.

There were a variety of swords, and spears to choose from. Lian ignored the swords completely. He didn't know the first thing about how to use them, beyond the most obvious; point the sharp end at the enemy. But he did remember hearing once that it could take years to truly master the sword. He didn't have years. In his hands, a sword would likely be more of a danger to himself and his allies than to the foreign merchant. Especially when the man had demonstrated considerable skill with the sword himself.

The spears were of more interest to Lian. He was used to a ranged weapon, and the spear would keep his enemy at a bit of a distance. But he didn't know how to wield a spear any more than he knew how to wield a sword. And as with the bows, the crowds would probably get in the way. So those were eliminated as a possibility as well. As were the daggers that Lian saw. He didn't know any more about using a dagger than he did a sword. What he did know was that he was up against someone who was skilled with a sword. Lian wasn't about to trust his non existent skill with a dagger to allow him to get close enough to use it against the man without getting himself killed in the process.

Finally, he saw a display of bec de corbins. Lian didn't know how to use one of those any more than he knew how to use the other weapons. But Dravite had one, and he had seen his friend use it to good effect against the bear they had killed together. It was shorter than a spear, but long enough to give him some range.

Having made his decision, Lian grabbed one of the bec de corbins, only to drop it when it was far heavier than he had expected. He hastily picked it up off of the floor. This time, he used two hands to carry it as he left the weapons shop at a run. The weapon smith hadn't gotten far. Lian rushed him, raising his weapon up as he did so. The muscles in his arms burned with the effort, and he knew he would feel it in the morning. When the bec de corbin was resting against his shoulder, he swung it down, throwing his weight into the swing. His intention was that the metal spike that vaguely resembled a beak would be driven into the man's flesh by the force of the attack.

What really happened was that the man saw the obvious blow coming, and dodged out of the way easily. Lian was too committed to the attack to change direction, so the "beak" of the weapon crashed into the ground where the man had been standing mere ticks before. The shock of the impact jolted through his arms. But Lian didn't let his failure stop him. His next attack came much lower, and horizontally. His aim was to knock the man off of his feet. And it worked. The weapon smith was caught off guard by a swing at his legs. He dodged the attack, but he misjudged where he was going, and crashed into a fleeing Drykas man, sending them both to the ground..
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by **Dravite** on October 20th, 2015, 7:30 pm

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Dravite couldn't understand what was taking Lian so long, a man he had vouched for that morning; was it shock? He had not seen the woman lose her head to the swift lashing of the merchant's sword, but he was quick to assume that this was what had slowed his friend's reaction time significantly. The watchman shot across the street like an arrow before leaping over the counter of the weapons store. Dravite too reached for a Bec de Corbin, putting the weapon to good use as a woman rushed at him with a dagger.

She had come from a tent at the back of the stall and when Dravite caught sight of her he was quick to react, catching her with raised boot to her gut before thumping her in the face with the head of his weapon. Blood gushed from her nose and her scream made the tiny hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. The horse lord had never attacked a woman with a weapon before, but in their culture, the women could be just as strong as the men sometimes. All the same, a pang of guilt twisted his gut but as she lashed out at his legs blindly, he was forced to finish what he had started, parrying out of the way of her attack before raising the heavy weapon above his shoulder to swing down on her at full force.

The sound of her scull cracking would haunt him for the rest of the season, but the death would escape his thoughts in the next few moments as he turned to find that Lian was wrestling the merchant to the ground, or perhaps they had both fallen? Dravite looked around for Trail who was there in a flash, taking the inexperienced watchman by the arm to drag him back out of swinging range of Torren's sword before the merchant returned to his senses.
"On your feet!" Trail bellowed, using what little strength he had left to see to it that Lian was safe before he returned to face the giant.

Torren wore a wicked smile, whipping his hair back out of his face as he got to his feet and spun his sword skilfully at the handle as if to say 'bring it on, cowards'. He stepped forward, lifting his sword skyward as a spear whizzed by his head, causing him to lunge backwards in order to see where the weapon had come from.

Dravite took up a second spear and hurled it through the air, confident that he would be able to land a strike from this distance. Torren dodged the second spear with ease and made to attack Trail again as Dravite was forced to return to the collection of spears and pick out another that wasn't in pieces for polishing or a change of parts. It was then Torren made his move, attacking Trail with a high swing he seemed to predict the Drykas man would block before opening his belly with a dagger he wielded with a swiftness Dravite had never seen; now he knew why the man was in this line of work and how he had managed to survive this long all while ripping good, honest folk off.

As Trail went to his knees, time seemed to stand still and Dravite couldn't be sure that he wasn't the one who agonising cry was being ripped from his very core. He launched a spear through the air that caught Torren in the side, piercing the soft flesh to pass through and impale the man's leg as his body bowed backwards and his balance was stripped from his limbs leaving Lian time enough to deal a finishing blow.

Dravite could not recall a time in his life that he had run so fast as the moment he went to Trail's side, hand hovering above the man's open midsection as uncertainty took hold; the sight set before him was uncomfortably unnerving to see. The horse lord pressed his hand to the man's belly, as if attempting to hold the flesh together; apply pressure his basic medical awareness told him but this seemed to cause Trail unspeakable discomfort. Trail took the man by the arm and pulled him forwards to whisper something in his ear. Dravite's face contorted in horror as he listened and watched hopelessly as his wife's father and his good friend slowly passed.
"Look after... Look aft--," the dying man stuttered.
"I will," Dravite promised him, clutching a fistful of the man's dark hair, his other hand still fixed firmly against the man’s busted gut.

A lazy breeze lifted the thin wisps of hair from the watchman's sweaty brow and Dravite bowed to press his temple to that of his mentor, "the god is here," he spoke gently, "he has come to take his honoured follower, to run with his wild children across the golden plain."
Trail closed his eyes, his chest heaving as his last breath was stolen from his lips with his final words, "Zulrav watch over mine..."

When all was done and the world was still, Dravite sat back on his knees and slowly took his hand away from the warm, twisted guts of his fellow watchman. His cheeks were wet with tears and his right arm bloody all the way up to the elbow. No one seemed to utter a word as people began to crowd round and see that the slaughter was done. The woman with the wounded arm broke the silence, crying out in pain and as he looked over to see if anyone was near to help, he caught a glimpse of Bayon rushing from the scene towards the River Flower. Snake, Dravite thought, watching him go with pure malice before he got to his feet to check that Lian was all right and go and help tend to the woman he had dragged to safety when the fighting had broken out.

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by **Lian Windrunner** on October 21st, 2015, 5:27 pm

Lian wrestled with the unfamiliar weapon, wanting to take the weapon smith out before he could do any more harm. He knew that his best opportunity to do so was while the man was down, and Lian didn't hesitate to take advantage of it. But he had no real idea of what he was doing with the bec de corbin. His bow was a two handed weapon too, but that was the only similarity between the two weapons. None of the skill he'd learned in wielding his bow could help him now.

The weight of the bec de corbin was considerable, far more than that of his bow. And while Lian was no weakling, he was unused to swinging around that much weight. That didn't stop him from trying. He raised the weapon up, and prepared to strike the man on the ground near his feet. Unfortunately, he was so focused on trying to use a weapon he had never trained with to react in time when the enemy flailed in his attempt to regain his feet. The man's leg connected with his own, sending a shock of impact through the limb. It was enough to knock Lian off balance, and he might have fallen had Trail not suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and yanked him back.

Trail's swift action had quite possibly saved his life, because had he fallen, it was anyone's guess whether he would have managed to regain his feet before the foreigner did. And if he hadn't...Lian had no illusions that he would have survived. As it was, he was recovering his balance when the older man issued his command, and turned back to face the giant of a man. Lian wanted to help, but he knew he would only be a hindrance to the man he was quickly coming to see as a friend. If he had had his bow in hand, it might have been different. At this range, it was unlikely anyone would have time to get between his arrow and its target. And his aim would have been true. But trying to use a weapon he had never handled himself, and had only seen in action a few times was a very different story. With the bec de corbin in hand, he was as much a threat to his allies as he was the foreign weapon smith, and he knew it. So he hesitated.

It was the wrong decision. Lian watched in horror as the foreigner swung high with his sword, and while Trail blocked that attack, attacked a second time with his dagger. This attack struck home, opening Trail's belly with a speed Lian had never seen before. The older man fell to his knees. A spear flew past him, coming from the same direction two others had earlier. This one impaled the foreigner's side, passing through his body to pierce his leg, too. The giant of a man bowed backwards.

Lace's sudden death had stunned Lian temporarily. Death was no stranger to him. He had seen it in many forms throughout his life. He had watched both of his siblings die of illness, helpless to save them, or even to ease their suffering. As a hunter, he had dealt it to his prey countless times, and heard stories of the many forms of death that awaited the unwary hunter. But he had never seen someone killed before. And it was that difference that had paralyzed him.

But this was different. Where Lace's death had stunned him, this new attack galvanized him into action. Whether it was because he knew Trail better than the woman he had just met earlier today, or whether seeing one person killed in front of him already had numbed him to further shock, he didn't know. Perhaps it didn't matter.

Rage and determination were what fueled Lian now. The rage was directed equally at the foreigner for his actions, and at himself for hesitating. The determination was split equally as well; both to kill the man that had caused so much grief, and to never hesitate again. With a vow to never be caught without a weapon he could use again, Lian rushed the fallen giant. It was an obvious attack, but injured as the foreigner was, there was no escape. Lian barely felt the weight of the bec de corbin as he raised it to strike, driven by rage as he was. Then he swung down with all of his strength. The "beak" of the weapon impaled the man's chest with a sickening sound. The man screamed once as he died. His eyes were frozen wide open, filled with terror, and agony. Lian turned away without a backward glance.

Lian found his friend beside Trail, promising him something to the dying man. He stood back respectfully, giving his friend the space he needed. Lian knew that something great had been lost today, and Dravite had known Trail far better than he had. For him, the pain of the older man's death must be as great as the agony he had felt at the deaths of his siblings. Lian wished he could help, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing could help with the pain of loss but time. Lots of time.

"the god is here," he spoke gently, "he has come to take his honoured follower, to run with his wild children across the golden plain."

Lian bowed his head in grief, and respect. He couldn't help but think that he had played a part in the older man's death. Why had he hesitated? If he hadn't, would he have been able to make a difference? Would Trail still have been injured if he had given the foreigner something else to think about?

As Lian watched, Trail's eyes closed, his chest heaving as he uttered his final words.

"Zulrav watch over mine..."

"Zulrav watch over the fallen." he murmured softly.

Lian wondered if he would ever find Trail's spirit in the Web. If he did, he would have to offer his apologies to the man that might have been a friend some day. But for now, there were the living to tend to. Dravite wasn't okay, but when Lian searched his friend with his eyes for signs of injury, he could find none. When he saw that Dravite was trying to make sure he was okay too, he nodded, hoping to reassure his friend on that much at least. Then he went with his friend to see what he could do to help..
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by **Shakune** on November 24th, 2015, 10:30 am

Graded!

Lian :

Dravite :

Easy first patrol my arse!! You lulled me into a false sense of security there, but I really enjoyed this thread. Very exciting! RIP Trail and Lace :'(