[Closed] Consigned to Oblivion

[Numia]

Mithryn Outpost 42nd of Spring

The morning sun hung low over the eastern hills, casting a bronze shimmer over the Mithryn Outpost despite the early morning azure above. Numia watched farmers as they pilfered about, rushing to and fro as those who rose with the dawn to get ready for a day in the fields. She sat atop her dog-mount Banter, a tough-looking breed with golden fur and brown splotches who stood silent and vigilant, moving just enough to keep agitation at bay. Sitting next to her horse and sharpening her blade on a stone was Jyness, the light dim enough to show the riddle of sparks.

The two of them had been here since the day prior, and it had been relatively quiet as far as guarding duty went. There wasn’t much to do here, outside the gatehouse. It was monotonous, boring, and most importantly practically eternal from the point of view of a young Pycon such as Numia. The Pycon untangled the reins from the horn on her seat and gave them a polite crack to signal Banter to get moving. She carefully led him over to Jyness, desperately looking for a reprieve in the morning monotony. “Whoa, Banter…” Numia called to get the dog to cease movement when she was close enough.

Numia spoke over the clattering sound of rock to steel, “how much longer must we guard this spot? I hunger to linger no longer with nothing to do except keep my wits about me.” Jyness suddenly stopped grinding her stone, and then there was a pause for a few seconds. Then, she set her stone back to the blade. Numia didn’t need words to know what her patron meant. She knew she was stuck here until there was either a problem they needed to take care of, or someone came to relieve them of their shift.

Numia reached for the fiddle strapped to her back with the intent to use it as her solution to the problem - suddenly faint sounds reached Numia’s ears. At first she thought it was the sound of a rake on gravel, but then she realized it was distraught sniffling of a human. She breathed heavily, gulping wads of air. The Pycon bard pinpointed the source of the sound before she was even visible, turning around the corner of a building. “Jyness, that lady…” Numia spoke, alerting her patron. Jyness craned her neck over the back of her horse and gazed over the beast’s fur. Then, she leaned forward and sheathed her blade, stowing away the sharpening stone. Numia followed Jyness on her dog to see how she would handle the situation because she had little experience with sad humans. Numia was still very concerned for the lady, but remained silent.

“Is there something amiss?” Jyness asked. The lady was barely dressed, she looked as if she had just gotten out of bed as she was wearing a night gown. She was older, potentially in her late thirties with disheveled hair and sunken eyes. She gazed at the ground, slowly rising to meet Jyness’ gaze. Numia heard the approach of hooves from behind, alerted to the presence of more members of the order.

“My children, I put them to bed y-yonder night and woke up this morning, they were gone, n-nobody has seen them. Their father is gone, the flood ... I’m worried they have been.. they’ve been…” The lady struggled with the last words. She was obviously distraught, fearing the worst.

[Alexander Faircroft]

A difficult conversation was always a difficult conversation. Regardless of who it was with or what it was about. Often times those factors made it even harder. In all honest though sometimes a difficult conversation was what was needed just to smack things onto a sharp contrast. Still though atop the stallion he rose the black coat and fell with each tread of the hoof. Alex’s own eyes remained shut. As he simply let the horse lead him on. He was out on a patrol. Now days he was oft allowed to patrol alone. Having been given the clear from his patron and shown such diligence and hard work.

That alongside his attitude to always do the right thing pushed him fast and far. Even to the point of some relative freedom. Still, even then he couldn’t help but feel trapped and confined by a cage around him. Though in the distance he heard a voice. Or rather several. All female and one on the edge of breaking. Clad in steel and blades Alex ushered the horse forwards. His eyes snapped open, almost like an ill omen. The darkened rusted slightly and dented armour atop a black horse like messenger of bleak news. Green orbs the only real bright feature amongst the whole presence.

His words however were a stark contrast to the image he presented. A light of hope as opposed to the Darkness of despair.
“Don’t worry Ma’am. I’ll find the children. Could you possibly let me know in which direction they headed off? Or rather since you didn’t see them leave, where they’d be likely to go?” Alex held the aura and presence of a full knight. Despite being only that of a squire. For it was the attitude and not the rank which made the knight. At least that was how he’d been taught by his patron. Turning atop his horse, Alex spotted the other two. A Pycon he’d ever met before and judging by the crossed swords atop her collar a sergeant knight he knew not of.

“Excuse me Sera. I did not mean to interrupt. I just simply cannot sit idly by when there are people in danger. Be them children or otherwise.” His eyes swung from the Sergeant to the pycon. Patron and Squire. Despite his rank as a squire he spoke calmly and frankly, almost like he was trying to show that he could lead. He could take charge of a situation to another knight of some rank. “If you’ll permit me I’d like to interject myself into the search for the missing children. Provided you allow it Sera?”

Shortly after asking if he could help did he speak out his name. “I Also apologize for the lack if canter I first afforded you. My name is Alexander Faircroft. Squire to Ser Sebastian Greyheart Sergeant knight of the white company first wing of the silver Quadron.” As much as Alex held himself up like a knight it was blindingly apparent he wasn’t as such he wasn’t going to try and pass himself as one. Now all he had to do was wait for a reply from the distraught woman and he could get a move on with assisting the situation.

[Numia]

The grieving mother looked up as a hush went through the trio while the sullen knight in tarnished armor descended from atop his horse, Numia craning her neck around to see him. Jyness took a step back and swayed her hips to expand the social circle, noticing that this one was not a knight for he did not bear the mark of one and nor did he have the Gnosis of Sylir. Numia was transfixed by the gungho sound of clanking metal and boots that sent up clouds of dust with each step on the yellow horse urine-stained gravel.

The eyes of polished malachite were the biggest visual part of him, but they weren’t open initially as if he was trying to be more aware of his other senses by keeping them closed. Everything else was hidden away in black garb and a metal cage adorned with a personal armory. Numia from her height could not tell if the boy was a squire or a knight, but as he strode through the group and placated the lady in a fashion that Numia could not. Therefore, the Pycon thought highly of him as a kind man.

When Alexander spoke, the lady brought a finger up to her hand and moved it through a brunette locke, twirling it around and around with one finger as she looked away nervously. Then, she looked forward and sniveled, the snot gurgling through her face. She spoke with a calm and sullen tone now, eager to impart information that might lead to the return of her sons. “They were in bed when I shuttered for the night, I woke up this morning and the door was unlatched, they were gone. I asked my neighbors including the drunkard who’d been up all night but none of them had heard or seen anything. They’re good boys, they’ve never gotten into trouble like this before.” She took a moment to breathe, putting a hand on her chest. “They wanted to be squires after their father died, maybe you could check the garrison?”

Jyness fell silent and let the theatrics pass, a resolute gaze upon her face as she looked between the two. The squire started asking the lady questions, Jyness was more of the in-the-books-monster-slaying knight but she could tell he had a knack for it. It was best to let someone with the talent carry the situation on their shoulders when danger was afoot. She glanced towards the commons with a suspecting gaze, narrowing her eyes. She mumbled quietly under her breath so as not to alert the mother of her pessimistic views, possibly so that only Numia could hear. “I don’t like the sound of this. Those boys were either taken or they ran off.”

It was at this point Alex turned his attention to Jyness and asked permission to handle the case. “Very well, squire. I will defer this matter to you, and Numia shall accompany you.” Numia fidgeted at the news, happy she had a chance to help but inwardly cautious due to what her patron had mentioned in private. Jyness turned to the lady, who looked between everyone. “Do not worry, the Pycon has certain abilities which may prove useful in finding your sons wherever they may be. May I have your name, please?”

“Thank-you, Sera. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart, all of you.” She curtsied. “My name is Gecka.”

Jyness politely smiled at the squire’s apology, but her raised eyebrows confirmed that she was holding back a quip so as not to upset the lady. Numia was surprised to hear he was a squire, she thought for certain that he was a knight, only to end up realizing that she still had much to learn. Jyness spoke again, “carry on with it you two, check the home first and then the garrison. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, I shall keep watch in case they turn up here. Gecka, please lead them to your house.”

Numia’s voiced boomed despite her small size. “We shall not waste any more time. Let us go onward, Alexander, Gecka!” Her voice fell to a more quiet tune, “and yes, you too Banter.” Gecka began to lead the way into the common district, Numia following on her riding dog steed. She glanced all about, head swiveling this way and that looking for odd sights and sounds. Numia turned to Alexander. “I suppose we don’t need introductions anymore, but know that I can hear a lot better than most. I’ll keep my ears open for the sound of children.” Numia quieted down, cleansing her mind of her rampant thoughts so she could better listen to the nearby buildings.

Jyness stood watch at the gate as she was ordered, alone with her suspicions. Gecka walked with the quickened, nervous pace of someone with everything to lose. Banter seemed to heel at Alexander’s side despite the novice rider’s direction to keep a bit of distance.

[Alexander Faircroft]

In bed for the night when she shut the house up. When she woke in the morning her door was unlatched. Something there doesn’t quite piece together. He didn’t speak any further for the moment allowing her to continue on with her explanation. Even just watching her he could see both fear and hesitation in her. Keeping that information to himself he heard under the breath of the Sergeant Knight the same thing that had crossed his mind. A conclusion that both had attained, but Alex could be pretty sure both hoped that it was more the first option that they simply wandered off to go and play. But given the fact that the door was unlatched it could and quite possibly was the second of the two.

The Garrison and judging from The Knight’s glance the commons was also a possibility. Though the Knight was clearly in charge she’d given Alex the space and lead whilst she held onto the duties. Alex gave her a small nod accompanying a salute. Gecka. Alex turned his eyes to look down at her again. A spark of resolve flashing in his eyes. “Don’t worry about formalities too much. Were as it stands now against the clock. The longer we delay the more chance there is that something bad happens. Hope on.” Alex wheeled the horse to the side and allowed Gecka to climb on the back. Home then garrison.

Before he could speak out about Numia Keeping up with him a voice that did not seem to suit a Pycon at least from his experience tumbled out. Or rather erupted from the small clay figure. Words about moving as they were wasting time. Alex simply nodded and as she spoke about hearing better than most he finally let his words flow. “Do so Numia. It’ll be a good back up. Just in case.” Alex had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Though as they drew close Alex atop the horse and Numia atop her dog, Gecka pointed out her cottage amongst the litter of the others. Wheeling his horse’s gallop into a sudden halt He let her down first before wheeling off of the horse himself.

Stepping up to the cottage Alex instinctually put his left hand on his sword. His thumb rubbing the hilt lightly as he began to look around. The latch to her door looked heavy. Much so.
“Gecka, how old are the children?” Alex asked with a small apprehension.
“Seven and Nine.” Her words fearful but even. Like she was settling into the fact that there were two members of the order actively looking for her children for her. Alex let out a small sigh. The Latch could possibly have been lifted by a nine or a seven year old. With a slow exhale he glanced around the area. Stepping into the ground something hit him. Or rather he hit it. A small crunch beneath his foot. Looking down he picked up between his mailed and gloved fingers what appeared to be a fragment of glass. Strange… And it didn’t bode well.

Stepping into the cottage Alex made a bee line for the children’s rooms. Glancing around eh spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Or at least what he assumed to be ordinary. Why would there be glass outside when there isn’t any breakages? Alex stood still for a moment, looking around with a much closer eye. Then he caught it. A single thing that could have been easily missed. Crouching down he ran his gloved hand over it before bringing the brown substance to his nose. Damp earth. Oh this wasn’t going to end well.

“Gecka. You wait here, I and Numia are off to the garrison. I’ve an idea of what may have gone on here.” Alex spoke with less of a tone of a commander but more a reassuring voice. Like he was trying to rekindle some calm within her and strengthen the hope that her boys would be alright. As he spoke he wheeled himself back around re-mounting his horse. “Numia. Garison. On the double.” A tone of command and leadership, but not misplaced. it was the trail of urgency in his voice that gave away he wasn't being mean but trying to elicit a response then and there. With the racing of their mounts, once they were out of earshot of Gecka, Alex turned to Numia and spoke.
“Keep heading towards the Garrison. We’re not going to stop there, were heading outside the outpost. There was mud in the room where the boys were sleeping. They didn’t leave of their own volition, they were taken.” Alex pushed his heels into the flanks of the horse urging him to race faster. Even hunkering down to try and build up speed. He wasn’t about to let this happen without a fight.

[Numia]

Numia reined in Banter so he wouldn’t be so close to the horse as the three of them briskly made their way to Gecka’s cottage, honing her focus on each home they passed. It was difficult due to the movement and focusing on controlling Banter, but she couldn’t hear any crying or suspicious sounds coming from anywhere. When they arrived, Numia commanded Banter to lay flat “down!” and when he did Numia hopped off and listened to the home. Hearing nothing of importance, she proceeded towards the door but Alexander was already way ahead of her, and he had found his first piece of evidence. She had no sooner stepped through the threshold when Alex had questioned the witness and bolted off to the children’s room. Numia knew she would have found it given her low profile if she had been in the house first, but this wasn’t a competition. He seemed to be handling this with haste, something she only knew was of utmost importance. Numia peered around just in case he had missed anything, but there was nothing that she could see or hear. She didn't say anything to the mother, not wanting to upset her.

Numia retreated out of the cottage the moment she heard Alex pick something up off the floor and leave the room. Right on time, she thought, climbing atop Banter and taking hold of the reins just after Alex barked that she was headed to the garrison in an authoritative tone. Shortly afterward he also spoke ominously of what he presumed to be the case, and the Pycon’s facial features hardened into something more fierce and appropriate. So, Alex knew they were taken from the evidence he gathered? Numia knew she wouldn’t have been that quick in the deduction process, but perhaps he was just very experienced. In any case, the family was very lucky to have someone like Alexander looking out for them.

Numia angled her voice so that only Alex could hear, at just the right pitch and tone. “I just hope we aren’t too late.”

It had been potentially hours since the children were abducted. For whatever purpose, an infinite number of things could have happened to them. Numia’s mind swarmed with possibilities. Haywire undead father? No … corrupt knigh- squire? Couldn’t be. Dishonorable human citizen or foreigner? Likely, probably… a monster? Unlikely, but it could … no. Numia shivered and froze for the briefest of moments at that lost possibility, but she calmed herself and shrugged them off. She manipulated the reins so that Banter would begin to walk, and as Alex climbed into his own saddle she was already leaning forward and directing Banter towards the garrison.

As they ran, Numia inspected more cottages, but, again, she couldn’t hear anything suspicious. Her mind was glued to what her patron had said, and Sera Jyness had seen a lot of things. She wouldn’t be a sergeant knight if she didn’t have the experience. Her mind had already sent her flashes of the monster she had encountered in the Winter, something that scarred her and left her mind in tatters, as if corrupting who she was. It was truly gut-wrenching, Numia felt a little sick and began to genuinely fear they wouldn’t like what they found. Banter could only run so fast with Numia on his back limiting his potential due to her level of skill, she was already going as fast as she could but Alexander had already galloped ahead of her. Her fiddle bounced and pounded against her back as she leaned enough to keep control without falling off her mount. “Alex, call me crazy but we should be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.”

[Alexander Faircroft]

Hoped they weren’t too late. He looked over at her briefly letting the horse lead his path for a moment. He didn’t have the exact location but he had an idea. A strong idea. If someone was going to steal kids. Then it was a clear instance that they’d be outside the range of the Knights as fast as possible. Or at least hidden from them. Alex and Numia raced outside of the outpost and stopped just shy of the tree line of the forest. Alex unhooked himself from the saddle and stepped out into the treeline. As Numia pulled up behind him she spoke about a bad feeling.

Sadly she wasn’t the only one. “Yeah… I don’t know exactly where the kids are. I need you to use your ears to listen for them. But were going to have to split up and search this area. They’re definitely out here.” Recalling his own past Alex had had instances of doing things which were not something he ever wanted to do again. One of them had been in Sunberth and sneaking into somewhere to retrieve and sell off something. The eventual sell had been outside the city in the forests. Here he felt something similar. And in his stomach he felt a heavy, heavy dread.

“Numia. Be careful. I’m not sure what or who took the kids… But odds are they’re dangerous in some regard.” Alex gave her a sharp but clear look. Telling her to be safe. And with that he stalked off into the treeline. His blade drawn, the pattern of the steel glinting softly in the light before he descended into darkness.
Priskil, Yahal and Sylir. Guide me. Please. I want to protect those kids. And this time I know what I have to do. As he thought to himself he realized with the steel he wore he couldn’t exactly sneak well. Nor remain well hidden for any glance of light that clipped his steel illuminated him like a torch in a cave.

He ducked down as low as his armour would allow the sword in his hand held along his arm to minimalize it getting in the way. He walked slowly carefully. Even with his eyes open and his ears active he could hear… Nothing. Silence. Not even bird song. Which meant they were in the right area. Alex whispered his breaths, though against the soft scrapes of the steel it did little to mask him. If nothing it was something. I hope were not too late.

[Numia]

Numia rode Banter right up to the tree line, Alex already in the progress of dismounting. “Down.” Numia said, and Banter obeyed. She jumped off, letting her knees bend with the weight of her hitting the ground before she leaned forward and ran to Alex, telling Banter to “Stay!”. Alexander informed her that he didn’t know exactly where there were, but he had a hunch they would be in the forest on the outskirts of Mithryn. She hoped he was right, but at the same time she hoped that she was not right. The noble squire then informed Numia to be careful, and she heard the long, drawn out skid of metal on a scabbard as Alexander drew his sword. The sound of steel was uncanny, she knew the squire would need a good weapon if he was going to win against this potentially impossible threat. Her mind raced quickly, about what she should do. “Alexander, I’ll signal with my fiddle if I see something. Don’t let them get the upper hand on you, yell if you find tracks!”

With that, Alex disappeared into the brush. Numia drew her fiddle, stretched her clay hood over her head, and took one last look at Banter and Alex’s steed before her mind lofted up to the gods. Rhaus, Priskil, guide the both of us. Priskil, we need hope now more than ever. Help us bring the human spawn back unscathed. May their chaos be audible to my ears so that I may live to tell the tale! Then, she dove into the brush, snatching a leaf from a bush as she ran. Numia concentrated, trying to clear her mind and visualize her cloak as the leaf she held, willing her djed to flow into the destination she wanted to change, imagining the crease of the leaf running down it with the veiny green texture. She wasn’t after a good transformation, just something to help with the camouflage and keep her safe and undetected.

She made her way through the brush, finding a rabbit trail which she followed. Her magic slowly, over the next chime shifted much of her cloak into the rough coloration of a leaf. She could feel her natural clay skin cloak stretching into shape. It was a terrible, rushed transformation that sent a tingle up her spine in defiance, and the texture was more of a blobby mess on the very surface than anything. With her transformation finished, she maintained it at the back of her mind as she ran and ran, listening, looking for signs of movement and past movement. She could barely see in this mess, but she tried as hard as she could to remember where she was and where she was going.

Chimes passed. She realized that she could hear Alexander moving in the brush still, far away, but aside from that it was deathly quiet. The birds weren’t singing, even the trees seemed to have lost their wind-granted voice. Eventually that too dimmed away, and she was alone. Running, trekking, her feet plopping through the mud like pins from her weight. She tried not to make so much noise and keep her balance during rough terrain, but it was difficult to keep moving quickly while doing those two things at once she found. She was practically a mouse compared to the noise Alex made, at least.

Numia lost her footing, landing on her knee spike in the mud. She jumped back to her feet and kept going, still feeding djed to her Morphing like an hourglass running on the droplets of her soul, still listening, still searching. The Pycon avoided brushing leaves when she could, wary of the noise they would make. Then, she stopped. If she had a heart, it would be racing.

She heard … something. Whatever it was, it was a hideous sound. It was like a symphony of grating rocks and fog horns, it was loud. It made her freeze, it made her shudder. Flashes ran through her mind again like a burning field. She tried to move her arms, but they wouldn’t work. She was too scared. Then, she thought to Priskil and Rhaus. Neither of them would like cowards, she thought. That was enough to give her strength to pull the fiddle from her back and hold it tightly to her chest. And then, taking a deep breath, she plucked her fiddle from the straps and set it to the instrument and let rip the loudest musical note she had ever played in her existence up until now.

ZREEEEEEOOOOOP! Then, it was as if she was stepped on. A deafening scream echoed through the woods, burning into her mind like daggers. When it was over, there was sound everywhere. She couldn’t concentrate on her transformation anymore, and the green subsided from her cloak. The bushes sounded as if they were rustling with footsteps. Surrounded, surrounded! There are so many! She tried not to panic, she really did. But her mind was on fire, and her senses were being overwhelmed. The Pycon let slip another note, this time more panicked. Then another.

ZREEOOO!

Zreeooo!

Gods, Alex better hear this. Another wail assaulted her, she couldn’t even see it, but it was angry and thundered loudly. It wasn’t happy, and it wanted her to know. She felt something pop in the back of her mind, and just like that the burning sensation sent her into a daze and she fell over. The last thing she saw was the brush moving in front of her, and her vision filled with a black void. Her mind collapsed into vivid hallucinations of sounds, chaotic ones that had no melody. It was like a dream, but her mind wouldn’t come to that conclusion. To her, it was very real, lost in a sea of frightful sounds with no escape. An auditory prison with no instrument to play and no voice to fight back against the onslaught. A hell not even Rhaus himself could imagine.

[Alexander Faircroft]

Silence. Deafening silence. The only sound the occasional rustle of leaves and the soft clink of his plate as he moved. His fingers flexed against the grip of his blade. His eyes darting back and forth his ears open. He was ready to move at a moment’s notice. He’d heard briefly from Numia that she’d play her instrument when she was in trouble. He’d heard nothing yet. And then the sound of a string. Loud and rippling almost like it was right next to his ear. Before he could even take a step to move and help though he heard something ear piercing. A cream which seemed to engulf his form from every direction.

He froze his ears ringing with pain and his eyes shut trying to cope. He could barely hold it together, and then the strings rang out more frequently. Alex struggled through the pain wincing and in the same motion slipping a dagger free from his bracer. Running in the direction of where he heard her instrument he saw a figure moving through the bushes. He hucked the dagger with pace. The blade digging into a tree not too far from the creature. The creature wheeled around looking for the source of the onslaught.

“Oi, Ugly! Pick on someone your own size!” Bravery, or foolishness. Courage or idiocy. Alex would never figure this moment out. But what he did realize was, he had to act. He had to do something lest the now slightly shifted and moved to look at him. An older man slightly rotund but with a look of fury in his eyes. Alex stabbed his blade into the ground and drew his bow. Notching an arrow he launched. The arrow flew mostly true but veered off enough to take the form in the shoulder instead of the central mass like he’d intended. Damnit. Priskil, Yahal, Sylir, grant me protection here. I really need it. Before he could even move to slip the bow back over his shoulder the form was rushing him down. A smear of blood across its face.

Something in the glint of red snapped inside Alex. And again instead of the timid, reserved and controlled man he presented. The fury of one who’d failed rushed forth. The violent anger of oen who had failed too many times to count. Alex tossed his bow to the side drawing his blade from the earth and with his shielded hand brought it up to block a strike from the beast. Or what he assumed was a strike. But no the creature reeled back and within a second it screamed. The sound was unlike anything he’d ever heard. No he’d heard this sound before and if his thoughts were correct he’d hear it again. The sound of a mother losing her child.

As much as the sound hurt and the pain within him reeled. He snarled. A look of raw unkindled fury on his features. “Petching MONSTER!” He took the length of his blade and dragged it down across the chest of the beast. Slicing through clothing, flesh, muscle and right down to the bones of the ribcage. Furious. He was beyond furious. Though a sound rang out from the wound. Light like the sound of vibrating glass. Alex whilst slightly distracted took a scream again this one he felt. The sheer pressure of the noise aimed at him as enough to send him stumbling back even with his shield in front of him. Like he’d just taken a hammer to the midsection. He coughed lightly from the sheer force.

He didn’t attack me, he didn’t even swing… It’s the voice…it’s gotta be! Alex shook his head again bracing for another impact but no it seemed as if the monster wanted to end him. He was drinking down air in order to scream again. Alex was having none of it. Before the monster could react Alex took the opportunity to follow up, driving the point of his shield into the creatures wind pipe whilst it drank down a breath. It didn’t crush it, but he could feel it give way and stifle the voice. Only then did Alex realize that he was shaking, wobbling back and forth. His vision was starting to shake.

“Numia! Any day would be helpful!” He called out unsure where the Pycon was. If she had been hurt by this thing too he’d tear it to shreds. Piece by piece. Joint by joint. He’d unleash all of the brutality that he’d seen. All the anger and fury he held. This would be a surrogate for the real source. In reaction to his swing at the creature it swiped at Alex’s torso with its good arm. The hand catching against the steel as it tried to recover its neck and scream again.

[Numia]

The void that consumed Numia began to fade after Alex crammed in the monster’s wind-pipe. The broiling chaos and sounds still possess her wholly, but she could see, she could move herself. Railing against the chaos in her mind, Numia noticed she was still clutching to her instrument and her bow, clinging to the only two possessions of hers that she truly cared for. It was this attachment that made her muster up the courage to rise and slowly get up on her two feet again. Numia knew what she had to do now, she knew how to defeat this vile creature. If she could just hang on for a little bit longer and plow through the chaos! She shakily raised her bow and upon her instrument, she played a single note on all strings at once. It was loud, drawn out, but the instant she played it she was filled with a soothing calm and the chaos instantly subsided. Not wanting it to end, she kept playing, keeping the note going without pause. Numia glanced over, she could see Alex and a rotund man with a huge jaw fighting in hand-to-hand combat atop the brush like giants scrapping for their very lives.

The beast opened its jaw to scream, finally recovering enough to make noise, but Numia had heard the tone of its voice. Numia knew instinctively, as her god-given gift, what note she should play. She played her note louder, with a slight curve and only on three strings. This time her note was simultaneously canceling out the chaos and bringing calm to it. As the sound washed over the strange monster-man, things began to happen. He grew weak, staggering back. His wound widened to allow entry for the Bard’s music. She began to walk toward it as she played her music, and she was sure it was all Alex could hear at this point in time. Not a single word from that monster would reach his ears, she would be sure of that.

Numia advanced, playing her music with quick and sharp strokes again and again as the beast turned around and tried to run. However, at this time its legs wobbled and gave out. From what she could tell, Alex was too weak to give chase so this was fortunate on her part although she now stood in his shadow between the two. The beast screamed and screamed in death through it’s child blood-soaked face, but Numia anticipated each devilish wail and met it with a single note. She began to resonate with it, and the chaos she could hear from within the beast was beginning to calm. It was dying, she knew, cuts opened up and it began to bleed the very symphony of its victims through every orifice in its body. Through and through, Numia would destroy this abomination with her own music.

Numia played faster and faster, latching onto that note. She had learned it well, and it worked for her as much as she worked for it. The beast bubbled and sizzled, and a foul burnt-smelling odor filled the air. Numia took a breath, and she knew it was time. She drew out one final stroke of music at the monster, and it boiled away into the air until nothing was left but the dried husk of human skin.

Her arms went slack, feeling the weight of her instrument despite her strength. She looked around, her senses coming back to her from a war of sound that they had fought and somehow won. The scream of a child filled the air, wailing and crying with a tone that struck her heart more than the wailer ever could. Numia stared blankly at the corpse in front of her, the dried husk of every noise that sought to do the world harm diced by her soothing music, even if to Alex’s ears it was only a collection of odd sounds rather than an entertaining song, if Alex still had ear drums that could hear after listening to the wail of a creature like that. In the climax of this moment, a song rattled through her mind. Her mouth opened, and she sung them as best she could.

“These are the monsters that mar my soul.

They make me fail to lift away,

The madness that consumes my core

Oh the monsters that mar my soul,

I abhor what they’ve done with me

Where have you gone with my soul?

I wish it hadn’t grown so old,

In your grasp it withers I’m told

Please, monsters, go away.”

The crying of the child she could not see stopped, but as her wits came about her she realized something might be amiss. She turned, to the squire. “A-alex?”

[Alexander Faircroft]

Through some form of monstrosity this beast was still standing despite the gaping wound and the strike to it’s throat. Clearly not human he was gearing up for a hard fight. A long and drawn out battle that could have just as easily spelt out the end for both himself and the beast… But that was not the case. His ears rung like a bell. Like he’d been standing beneath a mighty church bell as the clapper had run against it. So loud was the ringing and the pain in his head that the only sound there was the ringing. He slumped back and caught his weight on one foot. His vision starting to blur as he thought it would be the end for him.

Then the creature stopped. The beast recoiled and roiled in writing pain and Alex couldn’t quite tell. He wondered if it was a ploy, a wild attempt to attack him and Alex was having none of it. As each wave of Numias music hit, unbeknownst to Alex he struck out again. And again. And again. Tearing open deep gashes and wounds within the beasts flesh. Literally cutting it into mulched chunks. And be the end when a fried out clump of dead and foul smelling flesh lay against the ground. Spatters of bejewelled crimson beads lining both the ground and the bark. Alex slumped. The adrenaline in his system that had been holding hip up finally failed. He stabbed the tip of his sword into the ground.

Bracing himself against it, less a bright sword of silver steel and now a crimson lined tracer of death. He felt his hands tighten around the blade as his knee sank into the mud. His eyes had seen another sight they could never let fade from them. He shut his vision tightly as he glanced to the side. Catching his eyes on Numia he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t hear. But he couldn’t forget the sound. His eyes spoke of more than just what had happened as he looked at the Pycon. The spoke of a weight and a burden beyond his years. A failure from before that held his mind tightly. The rage subsided and the pain was all that was left. Both actual and spiritual.

Wiping the crimson from his blade against the grass he sheathed the sword. His teeth grit as he picked himself up from the ground. His body in pain from the concussive force. He stepped over to the source. Of the pain which now wracked him. His hand pressed into the shoulder of the younger boy. A light grip. He tried to comfort the lad without words. Just an understanding of what he’d felt. Instead of moving over to gather the body of the kid he instead took a knee and turned the kid around. He spotted wounds on the boy that was there. Scratched and teeth marks on the kids arms. He’d fought till the end. In what he hoped was his usual light voice he finally spoke.
“He died protecting you. Grow up strong and honour his memory.” His words he hoped were light and soft enough to carry the weight of his meaning. Perhaps they were as he could feel the kids shaking increase as he tried to get the last out of him. Alex just turned to face Numia. A look that just said take him back first.

Alex finally let the kid go for a moment allowing himself some time to step over to the body. It was worse than he’d assumed. He’d just thought some clever jackass had wandered into the outpost and stolen the kids to sell on. He didn’t expect this. Nothing like this… The poor kid. His chest had been completely hollowed out. Even with eyes still looking up in horror and fear Alex reached down slowly to close the kids eyes. The look of frozen horror more than he could take.
No matter how hard I try. No matter how fast I am. No matter how smart. It’s never enough! Alex hoped that Numia had already taken the other kid away as Alex scanned the small clearing finding a blanket which the kid had possibly been abducted in and wrapped the body up in it. Before carrying it to his horse. And beginning the slow trot back to the outpost. Despite the ringing only one thing was replaying over and over on his mind. And he hadn’t even heard it yet.