[Warrick] Mountain Men

[Vivian Shiryu]

SURPRISE

Vivian rose from her crouch a bit, her stiff legs protesting at the movement. She had been hiding with Seira, Serial, and their animals in a building a good distance away from the tower Zvezdana had been imprisoned in virtually the whole day. She hadn't been inclined to travel with that disloyal cur Blackwood and his soldiers, not after he had imprisoned their Queen. Granted, his actions had saved lives when she had transformed into the beast, but she wasn't about to tell him that. But her decision to delay had let these knights sneak up on them unaware, and now the two were pinned by their decision to honor the dead. A noble choice, but she would have been happier if they had left already. As it was, she was stiff and sore from hiding in the building all day long.

Rising up a bit more, she gestured for the kids to stay down and looked over the window edge. It looked like they were wrapping up now. At the least, they were eating. But then they started moving around again and Vivian scowled before crouching down again. "I think they're going to search the buildings after all. If they come in here, you two stay calm and let me handle things. I won't let anything happen to you." she said, smiling as she spoke. "After all, I defeated a demon." she said with a cocky grin. The official story she had given to the rest of the Qe'Dreki was that the Beast had killed and consumed Zvezdana and that Vivian had killed the Beast itself that night, exploiting its weakness to water. It was utter garbage of course. Vivian's noteworthy accomplishment was solely limited to surviving a fight with the Beast. She hadn't even been able to prevent her friend, her Queen, from leaving in a near-suicidal state. She planned to leave Rynmere with Seira soon, where they would find her Queen. She knew where Zvezdana was going to go, they just had to get there themselves. But first they had to get past this lot and that could prove tricky.

[Seira Shiryu]

Seira sat tensely under the window, her injured leg stretched out in front of her. She hated feeling so vulnerable. Why hadn't that soldier just left her alone? She guessed he'd been trying to do the right thing, and "save" her...but she hadn't needed saving. And the result was this; injured, and utterly helpless to defend herself if the people outside came in looking for them.

Seri alternated between glaring out the window while peeking around the side so she wouldn't be seen, and hovering over Seira anxiously. She felt as helpless as her sister did, though the reason behind her feelings was different. She hated seeing Seira in pain. Seeing her so badly injured when they were in danger was a thousand times worse. No...even more than that.

Vivian's words were soothing, but Seira was still afraid. She trusted Vivian to keep them safe from whoever was out there. But with her right knee unable to support her weight...how were they supposed to leave this place? She could walk if Seri helped her, but it was very slow going. Slow...and very painful. Seira had few illusions that she would be able to walk for breaks at a time until they got to...wherever they were going to go. That didn't stop her from smiling weakly at Vivian, and nodding, though.

"We know you won't." Seira said simply.

Seri glanced over at Vivian, and nodded as well. The older woman's plan was a good one. It was the only real plan they had. Taerin barked sharply in alarm, a high pitched, frightened sound. She could smell a large predator near by, and was terrified of it. Meiryu, and Ryu were equally terrified, but they remained silent, huddling near the twins for safety.

Seira's eyes widened, and she bit back the urge to scold the small dog. Talking wouldn't help matters now. If whoever the people were outside heard Taerin, perhaps they would think she was just a stray out in the wilderness somewhere. As long as the rest of them stayed silent, that was. Seira and Seri exchanged frightened glances before turning to Vivian, looking for signs of what they should do next.

[Malcolm]

Rafael leaned in to speak and Malcolm acknowledged the words with a nod. He didn't believe the carnage left behind had been done by Qe’dreki or made by any man, rather the beast Aeon had spoken about. Rafael, however, was right, a fire that big may attract the wrong people, and there were plenty of those up here in the mountains. Something saw the warden fall quiet, a distant sound one might hear in the city rather than the Burning Mountains. “Did anyone else hear that?”
Benjamin looked up from his meal, he had been eating in the same godless manner as Rafael had. “What did you hear?”
“I thought I heard barking,” Malcolm twisted on the chair to look beyond the door, and sure enough Kylar’s lion sat with stiff ears, looking across the field in the direction of the distant buildings. Malcolm stood up, abandoning his food and fastened his weapon’s belt around his middle once more. It was decorated with short, sharp throwing knives and his longsword. He looked around the table at all of the faces staring back at him and started giving orders. “Bows, shields, weapons. No one stays behind. There aren't many of us so we are going to spread out in case they have archers. We don't want to become target practice for the mountain men,” he took up his shield and headed for the door.

Malcolm had followed the river’s edge to the far buildings. He had gone with Kylar and Rafael, but kept an eye on the other small groups of three. Once they had reached the stone houses, he waited for everyone to regroup and listened again for the barking he had heard. It wasn't long before the high pitched noise sounded again, and with the sky turning dark, Benjamin led the way to the nearby building the bark had come from.
Two of the knights stood bent over their torches, trying to spur them to life with flint. As soon as they caught, the doorway was kicked open when turning the handle proved useless, and a torch was thrown into the darkness, lighting up the room. Malcolm gave silent orders for half of them to remain outside and surround the building, and took the second torch in his left hand, while holding his longsword in the right.
Inside the house, things were tense, and when a dog jumped out at them and lowered its head and belly to the floor submissively while it's tail wagged, everyone seemed to visibly relaxed. Malcolm remained on guard, and moved through the building in the direction the dog had come from, quick to discover the trio, a woman hiding with two girls who barely looked old enough to be in their teens. Having never laid eyes on the noblewoman before, Malcolm did not recognise Vivian, and so, lowered his sword. “We are knights of the Iron Hand,” he told them, do any of you need medical aid?”

[Rafael Warrick]

115th Vhalar, 716

Rafael failed to hear whatever sound Malcolm had heard and didn’t think too much of it. Some distant wild animal, who cared? It wasn’t until his mentor started barking orders that Rafael stopped to eat, and even then, he was sluggish to respond. His limbs were still stiff and cold from the many bells of hard labor, as he rose from the table and gathered his gear.

By the time they reached the old, brick-and-mortar buildings he’d gotten a stomach ache from running so soon after having downed a meal. A quick glance around proved that he wasn't the only one clutching his stomach. Truly, he didn’t know what all the fuss was about. It was just a stray dog, perhaps once belonging to one of the dead men…Not a particularly good reason to storm a tower with fifteen armed men as though the Kingdom depended on it.

When two of the knights started fidgeting with torches, he could no longer contain himself. “Really?” he rolled his eyes skyward. “You want to kick in the door for a dog-?“

With a loud crash, the door was kicked from its hinges. Rafael puffed his cheeks and only barely managed to avoid rolling his eyes again. All of this was completely unnecessary! He wondered if something in the food had gotten to Malcolm’s mind. “He’s gone mental,” he mouthed quietly towards Kylar, hoping that the mercenary would agree that Malcolm was over reacting.

As he slouched after the whole sorry lot of them, Rafael joined up at Malcolm’s right inside the building with his sword still in its sheath. There was no danger to be seen anywhere, and so he didn’t see the need to have his sword out.

By the time they stepped into the last room, Rafael realized Malcolm had been right all along. It hurt, but it didn’t hurt quite as much as seeing his cousin. At once, he came to a hold and remained completely frozen for three whole trills before he resorted to pretending to tighten his boots. “Survivors I imagine?” His heart was drumming so loudly in his ears that he barely recognized his own voice. “Smart of you to,” he glanced up at Vivian, “remain hidden, and quiet.”

He quickly found a wall to lean against for support as his mind kicked into overdrive. On the one hand, he was sworn and duty-bound to give up his rebellious cousin to the King. But who might say what fate would befall her if he did? And had he not boasted towards Elyna that he could never betray his family like she had betrayed her Uncle? His eyes found the two girls and remained trained upon them until, when he was quite certain no one was looking his way, he briefly raised his index finger to his lips, signaling the youths to keep their lips sealed. He could only hope they would understand.

[Vivian Shiryu]

Vivian knew she didn't have long to come up with a plan before they got to the building, so all she did was draw her rapier and wait. She hoped it wouldn't come to a fight, but she figured she should be prepared for it. When they burst into the door and the leader introduced himself, Vivian wasn't initially inclined to answer, but then her cousin Rafael walked into the room and...didn't tell who she was. Interesting. Maybe there was someone else in the family who cared to stand up to some degree.

"Yes, survivors. Wasn't expecting to see the Iron Hand out here, really. I thought seeing the bandits out here would be more likely." she said, before gesturing to Seira. "My daughter needs medical care for her leg." she said, relaxing slightly, though she did look at Seira as she spoke. She'd never called Seira that before, but it actually felt kind of right to her. She'd have to ask them how they felt about that later, but for now she hoped they caught that she wasn't inclined to give up her name.

Sheathing her rapier, she smiled at the commander, trying to act natural. "My name's Kate Ej'Ufnaj. My girls and I had been inland to visit a friend, we were trying to get through the mountains a shortcut. Wound up here and there was this...thing, just...eating people." she said, trying to act as if she hadn't gotten a good look at the beast. She really hoped she sounded convincing, but she glumly suspected that they wouldn't buy it. "We hid here, but my daughter injured herself and we've been trying to let it heal up before leaving." she said, before a thought occurred to her. "Um...so, why are you here? Are you after that beast or something else?"

[Kylar]

One moment Kylar was peaceful for the first time in a while, then Malcolm said he heard a barking, then everyone was up and shouting orders of the sorts. The stress in the room rose drastically, but the stress in Kylar was unbearable. He felt like he was going to snap any second now, emotion building up. Not one moment was peaceful here, and he was just waiting for the second they were attacked. As they got up and followed their orders, Kylar took to Malcolm's side and followed along the river - Hunter following behind.
Eventually, they walked inside the building. As they did, Kylar stopped to load his crossbow. He put his foot on it and pulled the string back until it clicked, then loaded the bolt in. From the tip, he could see it was a bolt made for flesh - just the kind he hoped he would need. He kept it raised at all times, his finger twitchy but stable enough to not unintentionally shoot Malcolm in the head. Just as a precaution though, he made sure his crossbow was away from anyone he didn't want to shoot.
The door kicked down, and he waited patiently, his hand ready to flick to the trigger if he needed to. As Rafael mouthed the words to him, Kylar gave him a look of fear - one that showed that he was far from comfortable with the situation. After all, he'd seen more today than he had in the rest of his life added together. Hunter nuzzled gently against him, and then entered by his side.
When the dog appeared, he almost shot it, but avoided doing so as he got some control and steadied his breath. Hunter, however, kept calm when he realized the dog was non-hostile. But he realized how tense he was when he had to physically stop himself from holding the trigger in. He walked into the room until eventually, he saw the two 'survivors' people were talking about. He might be paranoid, but he didn't trust it at all. The way they were armed, and in this random tower - it all seemed too coincidental. And what about the dog? None of it added up in Kylar's head, be it unstable or not. Not just that, but he didn't think that this woman talking to Malcolm was entirely safe. Then, to make his point stronger, Hunter snarled gently at the girls. That was the final point for Kylar. Carefully, and slowly, he raised his crossbow to be ready to fire should any of the three make a sudden move in Kylar's direction. When Hunter saw this, the lion stood in front of Kylar and the others in his group, it's side facing the three girls in the room - snarling and ready to pounce. "Sir, I don't like this. Hunter doesn't react like that often, not unless there's a reason to be afraid. What would you have me do, sir?"

[Seira Shiryu]

When the door was kicked open, Seira tensed even further, bracing herself for whatever came. Seri moved into a protective stance. They both knew that Seira wasn't going to be able to do anything if they were attacked, and Seri was determined to protect her sister. But...they weren't attacked. Men bearing weapons entered the room, but they didn't seem to be inclined to attack...yet, at least.

Taerin...was clearly not a guard dog. She was good at doing tricks to please an audience, but judging by the way she immediately began begging for attention, she simply didn't have it in her to threaten anyone. Seira couldn't help but be glad for that fact. Had the small dog actually attacked one of these men, she would almost certainly be dead right now. As it was, Taerin approached the first man who had entered the room, and wound herself around his leg a few times hoping for treats. Then she ran back towards Seira, who scooped her up, and held her protectively in her lap.

The man asked if any of them needed medical aid, and said they were with the Iron Hand. Before getting trapped in Lowtown, that would have been a lot more reassuring to Seira. She didn't trust people farther than she could throw them. But she been taught repeatedly in school that the Iron Hand were there to protect the people of Rynmere. She trusted the idea of the Iron Hand more than the people themselves. People could hurt you just because they felt like it...even if they were in the Iron Hand. But the people in the Iron Hand were paid to protect the citizens of Rynmere; if they didn't do that, or got caught doing something wrong, they wouldn't get paid. So it was less likely that a member of that group would hurt you than someone else.

Trust aside, Seira hated being vulnerable. She hated admitting that she was vulnerable almost as much. It was obvious that she was injured...or would be the moment she tried to get up. But that didn't mean that it was easy for her to admit it. Seri eyed the man warily, wondering if Seira was going to say something, or if she should. Fortunately, the matter was taken out of their hands. Vivian told the man that her "daughter" needed help.

Both girls stared at Vivian in wide eyed amazement at her words. The older woman had taken them in, sure...but did she really think of them as her own children? That was...that was...Seira didn't know what to make of it. Or if she could trust it when as soon as the words had been spoken, she realized that she wanted that more than anything else in the world. For she and Seri to be part of a real family again; one where they weren't the only ones who cared if they lived or died.

From Seri's reaction, she didn't know quite what to make of it either. Her twin's too still form, wide eyes, and slightly cocked head told Seira that she was struggling to take everything in, and make some kind of sense of it.

"It's my knee...and my arm." Seira offered softly.

Only then did she realize that one of the other men seemed to know Vivian...though he was pretending not to. What did that mean? Did Vivian know him, too? Who was he? Why was he pretending not to know Vivian? And...why was he telling them to be quiet. Should she not have said anything about her injuries after all? Or was he telling them to be quiet about Vivian...and if so...why?

Vivian herself seemed not to trust these people. She introduced herself as "Kate Ej'Ufnaj." Did that mean that she and Seri should make up names for themselves, too? She hoped not. After the shock she'd just had over Vivian calling her "her daughter," her mind was reeling to the point that she'd never be able to remember a fake name. It had been a pleasant feeling, but a shock all the same. Perhaps, she could just say nothing for now, and let Vivian take over? It seemed obvious that she had some kind of plan. Anything she said now might make things worse.

And when another man entered the room, bringing a lion with him, Seira's throat went so dry with fear that she didn't think she could say anything, anyway. All she and Seri could do was stare at the giant snarling creature standing between them, and the only way out of the building with huge, wide eyes. Taerin began barking madly, and it was all Seira could do to keep hold of her. From the corner behind them could be heard a terrified hissing sound.

[Malcolm]

“Get the lion out of here,” Malcolm ordered.
He had a soft spot for children, but it hadn't thrown off his awareness, something here didn't quite add up. Malcolm had tipped his head to hear Kylar out, but he didn't want the others to suspect anything before he had a chance to process all of the information. Everyone knew there was only one way through the Burning Mountains, and that was via Hunter’s Pass. Treacherous as it was, it didn't lead up to Jorick’s Keep, situated a lot further west of their current location, a journey much more difficult than he believed any ordinary civilian could manage, especially with two children, one of which appeared to be injured.
The stranger had not expected to see members of the Iron Hand up here? What a peculiar thing to say, Malcolm thought, unless of course the trio had been trying to avoid the Iron Hand. Perhaps he was just overthinking things, but the first thing the Iron Hand taught all knights, or rather, squires in training, was that they must always divide and conquer. Malcolm could just about forgive Rafael for speaking so, suggestively, but the stranger’s admission, or story had been too eagerly parted, and Malcolm believed that was to make sure everyone was on the same page, including the two children.
Malcolm went to the door. “Kylar I want you to search the other buildings with Benjamin and Kathryn. You three go that way,” he pointed, commanding another trio after them before calling Ronald over. “Ronald will you come in here and have a look at this little girl's leg?”
Ronald hurried over into the house and followed in the direction of Malcolm’s raised hand. He hung up a torch in one of the iron keeps on the wall, and knelt down, introducing himself to Seira with a warm smile. “I'm Ronald,” he told her, “I'm going to wrap that knee for yours if you don't mind. If you could hold your leg straight for me, that would be good.”
Are you after the beast or something? The words went around and around in the warden’s head, and he couldn't help but feel this stranger was trying to throw him off the trail. What did it matter if she had been married to one of the Qe’dreki? They had been left behind, something that was no fault of their own, he was sure, but why lie to a knight? He remained near the door, guarding it as it were.
Ronald continued his work. He was young, about mid-twenties, and had long, dark brown hair, and blue eyes. He was very good with children, perhaps more so than even Kathryn might have been. “Would you like my cloak?” The knight took off his shield and set it aside before untying his cape. It was a deep, forest green colour, the ends wet with melted snow. “There you go,” he smiled again after wrapping it around the twins, “that will keep you warm until we are on the road again.”
It was then Ronald looked across at Vivian, recognition clear on his face, brow raised with mild surprise. “Vivian Warrick,” he lay his arm across his knee and sat back on his right foot. “What are you doing all the way up here?”

A noise outside had seen Malcolm leave his post, and venture towards another building. “You two with me,” he waved to a pair of knights, making sure another two remained outside the original building where they had discovered the civilians. In the distance, Malcolm could see someone on the ground with two other knights standing over him. He ran towards the scene and helped them pull the knight in behind a building. He had been shot in the shoulder with a bolt that had gone right through and left the young man gasping. The pair that had followed him over went into the house to make sure it was clear.
Malcolm balled up his sash and held it hard against the man’s chest. “Where are Benjamin and Kylar?” What happened?”
“The bolt came from over there!” one of them pointed to a two story building a few houses away. “I returned fire, I think I hit the man, but there are more in that building. The captain is in the building beside it with Kathryn and Kylar!”
“Hold this down against his shoulder,” he instructed. “You run back to Ronald and get the bandages. Pack the wound on both sides and wrap it as tightly as you can. You need to stem the bleeding until we are out of danger and can deal with it more appropriately. Try to take him inside!”
The knight agreed and rushed towards the first house where Ronald and two of the remaining knights had been left, while the second man took over from Malcolm, holding the sash against the wound. “I can take it from here,” he said.
Malcolm got to his feet and looked towards the far building before making a dash for it. He heard a bolt strike the stone behind him and swerved to take cover behind another building, following it around the edge to see if he could spot Benjamin’s group. “Ben!” Malcolm called, and when no reply came, he edged forwards. “Ben stay down!” the warden shouted, he couldn't see Kylar’s lion anywhere either, and hoped they had taken cover.
After a short pause to catch his breath, Malcolm took a few steps backwards and dashed towards the building he had been told Benjamin was in, another two bolts sent past him as he went. Sword drawn, he entered the building and felt his heart rate spike, one of the knights had been injured, but he couldn't see which in the dim light.
“Warden!” Kathryn called, “quickly, help me stop the bleeding!”
Relief came in the sound of Benjamin’s voice, the fair haired man stood near a window with his crossbow loaded. “I'll pick them off, Malcolm, you just help Kylar! They look like men from Faction VII, but I think we have them outnumbered!”
Malcolm made sure the door was closed behind him, it didn't give them much light to work with, but they had just enough to see when Benjamin wasn't taking up the width of the window. “Kylar, stay awake,” he ordered, all too aware of the effects blood loss and shock could cause.

[Sintih]

The shifts changed about half a break later as new people took over the watch and Sin was allowed to move back into the camp, where the cold was less and the smell of burning wood and food was hinted at in the air. He made his way over to the two tent camp he shared with Heran's unit. As he walked he noticed that there was an upbeat hustle and bustle about, the knights and squires moving around with supplies and tools. Probably some sort of wager going on somewhere. Maybe an argument had turned into a fight, he'd expect nothing less from this band of knights.

Sin was surprised to hear he was wrong. Filip was the only one near the fire when he returned, keeping it going and making sure the meat they had hunted didn't get burned in the process. "A bird came in with orders to return to Andaris. Seems like this campaign is over." Sin couldn't help but feel disappointment that his first campaign hadn't given him a chance to shine. But the fact that it was done did put a nice notch on his proverbial belt. His first campaign was gone and done and they would return home to the comfortable warmth of Andaris city. Damn the burning mountains.

Max returned soon after as well, bringing his own addition to the news. "Seems we'll be leaving at first light. The Warden will be returning to Andaris on his own strength and time." Max said as he joined them around the fire, warming his hands. "I guess your first campaign is finished, 'young Jacadon'." Sin ignored the comment and sat in silence while the meat cooked above the fire. He hadn't realized it because of his constant shivering in the cold during his watch but the smell of the cooking meat caused his stomach to inform him that he was very hungry.

A squire Sin didn't know ran up to their little camp. "Message for Steward Dreim. His presence is requested by Captain Coats." Max turned his head towards the larger of the two tents and shouted Heran's name. First, there was no reaction but then the front of the tent was pulled aside and Heran's bearded face pushed out. The squire repeated his message to Heran while remaining exactly where he was. There came a string of grumbling and cursing from the tent before Heran finally emerged, dressed in full armor, cloak wrapped around his person. "Sin, with me." He simply said as he pulled the Eidisi away from the fire and the food before the youth could respond.

Following the squire and Heran, Sin wondered why Heran had pulled him with him. He was neither ranked nor experienced enough to warrant him going with Heran to see the commander in charge of their camp. But as Heran's temporary squire, he had very little choice in the matter and he wouldn't complain about being given a chance. Their short trip ended with the squire checking if Captain Coats was ready to receive them and then holding the front of the tent aside for them to enter. Captain Coats used the Warden's large officer tent as his office while the Warden wasn't around but apparently, refused to sleep in it.

"Sir." Heran was quick on the salute when he entered and Sin followed suit, although a trill later because he hesitated, unsure whether he should follow suit or remain quiet and invisible in the background. "Squire Rathaan, my squire and flagman." Sin remained quiet as Heran introduced him. Coats nodded and got straight to the point. "I'm sure you aware that we will be moving out tomorrow morning. I would like to ask you and your men to remain here until the Warden returns. You only need to look after their mounts until their return in two to three trials. Once the Warden has returned, you will accompany him back to Andaris." Sintih couldn't believe his ears. Everyone was going home but they had to continue freezing their asses off here for that idiot Warden up in the mountains? "Yes, Sir." Heran saluted as Sin stared at the back of the man's head, trying to understand around what point in time Heran had lost his mind. "Good. You will be provided with supplies for four trials for you and your men. You can hunt or forage anything else you need. Speak with the quartermaster, he's already been informed of this. Dismissed."

Once out of ear shot from the tent, Sin burst out. "Why did you say yes so quickly? And why your unit?" Sin still couldn't believe it. Just when he thought his first campaign and this horrible cold were over, he learned that he was stuck here for another three trials, babysitting horses and then that idiot Warden. "Orders are orders, Sintih. You should know that by now." Heran cut him off before he could continue whining about it. They reached their little campsite where everyone had gathered to the delicious smell of cooked meat. As direct as ever, Heran explained their orders and they all accepted it like proper knights, unlike Sin had. The young Eidisi ate his food in silence, angry and ashamed that he had questioned his friend over something so dumb as military orders.

[Rafael Warrick]

115th Vhalar, 716

Just when he'd breathed a sigh of relief after Malcolm had left the room, Ronald messed everything up. For the second time that day, his mind reeled. He didn't feel like he could stomach many more of these nasty surprises. Fortunately, Ronald was the only knight left in the room, his two companions were just downstairs. There was no doubt in his mind that he and Vivian could overpower Ronald and surprise the two others below, but after that, it would get very tricky indeed.

Instead he sent an icy stare at the adolescent knight and willed his voice to be calm and confident. "You're mistaken," he said simply. "I think I'd recognize my own cousin, or know if she had two daughters. Besides, my cousin is far prettier, no offense Kate." He shook his head and attempted to switch subject as he knelt besides Ronald, "need help with that?" He pointed at the girl's leg and flashed a wink at her, in case she hadn't yet understood that he was trying to help.