Freedom Pt. 02: Blood

Bodies in the streets, piled high in an ashen crop field, or strung on doorframes. Talos recognized the symptoms of a simple pillage job, but wondered how it was simply possible in this remote region of Isbrygga. Tales of Isbryggan raiders had subsided in the past five years, and he wondered with what reasons a northerner would attack their own kin in the first place. He stepped past a grieving widow and child, the woman holding the hand of a corpse who had belonged to one living only this morning. He paid them no mind.

Talos ambled through the village in a trance, his mind harkening back to a time that he could have authorized the very same of his own men. He could almost hear himself barking the orders, commanding the Blood Moons to rape and annihiliate the wood elves of Tardia fifteen years ago...

~~

The forests of central Tardia were an elf's paradise. Temperate, beautiful, and impossibly remote, the natural kingdom stretched on for dozens miles before the trees met the extensive coastline of Tardia. Not many humans other than hunters, bandits, or lost travelers would dare step foot here, a simple voyage over sea a far better prospect than braving the winding, single-track trails through the massive forests.

And yet, here Talos was. He was man with eighteen years, commanding a squadron of armored men to assault the small elven abode. He held a shield aloft -- a rare event for the mercenary captain -- within a shield wall of sixty Moons, trudging through the mud towards an encampment of a couple dozen tents. Before them, a row of skilled bowmen shot arrow after arrow into their ranks, most shots glancing off of their steel shields. Some of his men fell around him, clutching knees or feet; these were acceptable losses to their captain. Expected, even.

"An extra silver's in it for any man who brings me a pointed ear!"

Cheers erupted from the men beside him, encouraging each other to shed exotic blood for another coin. The shield wall held. They trudged through the mud. An arrow whizzed past Talos' head, an event which wasn't as particularly frightening as it once was.

"Rape these elven cunts! For the Blood Moon rises!" Talos roared.

That was the cue; the mercenaries broke ranks, running the final forty feet up the muddy hillock to glory or grave. Talos slashed through the first elf he encountered, his bastard sword cutting straight through the bowman's idiotic furred armor. He sliced through another, only but a young girl with a stick.

"Burn them out!" he cried, slashing at a elven boy who held a tiny, worthless bow in his hands. All elves were conscripts in the Tardian Interregnum, and none were too young to show any mercy. Talos hated the elves for their communal nature, despised them for their feigned superiority. He would slay them all if given the chance.

His men swept through the camp like locusts over a field of grain, only stopping to collect the pointed ears of those fallen. It would have even felt like victory, had they not done the same thrice this very day...

~~

"Talos."

Talos spun on his heel, surprised to hear his name. Sigismund had a sword aloft, yet held a sullen look shared between old friends.

"You okay?" Sigismund asked. Talos gave a half-smile, and even nodded after a moment. Sigismund knew him too well to know it to be true.

"Who did this, Sigi?"

He wasn't sure why it needed to be asked. Any marauding army would have done the same. Hells, you could probably collect twenty men at the nearest tavern and tell them there's a bit of coin in it.

"Silvia's asking around. She seems to know a bit of Isbryggan," Sigismund answered gruffly. The veteran stepped toward his former captain, sheathing his sword as if in a show of peace.

"Ah, good. That's good." Sigismund stepped closer, placing a mailed glove to lower Talos' sword, Dawnbringer. Talos only then realized he still had his sword out, and sheathed it. He wondered how long he had been wandering.

"What are you thinking, Talos?" Sigismund asked gravely with an almost imperceptible shrug. He knew Talos would have a plan within the minute, and had come looking for him for that very reason.

Talos scanned over the small port of the town, noticing the several husks of fishing boats bobbing in the icy waves, noting the fact there were no ocean-going vessels at the docks at all. Talos listened to the shrill cries of destitute peasantry filling the air around him, and found his plan in his sympathy of those voices.

How many times had Sigismund pulled him back from the edge now, after seventeen years? It had to be just as many times, Talos figured. He was glad to have him at his side.

"Let's get everyone together."

--

It was but mid-afternoon, yet five humans and an elf huddled closely around an ironic, decently-sized fire. Ironic, only because they could have walked forty paces to their right and used the burning shell of a building for warmth. But that just felt crass, so they built the damned fire.

The party had agreed without question to help the people of Villjord, a remarkable thing really. No member of the gathering was of a purely virtuous nature -- although Silvia came close -- yet, their hearts were weighed down by the gruesome sights around them. Talos had known why he found it to be the correct choice of action, but did not tell the others. He explained the plan to all present.

"So Silvia and Vex will remain here to tend to the wounded, Markus will stay with them as protection. Cass, Sigi, you two will come with me to warn the Jarlinna of the attack. We won't have a boat to sail there, so we'll need to head there on foot. Which will take..."

"About a week, Talos," Silvia answered immediately.

"Right, right. A week. Who knows, we might get lucky and arrive sooner. We also have working farcasters now, so we'll stay in touch every night, or more often than that if needed. Vex, can you show Cass how the stone works?"

"I got it, Talos," Casiama hastily replied. "It vibrates, I push magic into it to accept the connection."

Talos nodded, an unexpected smile forming on his lips at the sight of the elf's confidence. Gods, was she pretty.

"Okay. We'll head back here immediately after we've warned Villjord of the attack. Cass, go ahead and give them their tents and whatever supplies we can spare from storage. We're leaving in fifteen." Talos sighed, wondering if he'd forgotten anything. Surely someone would have spoken up, right?

"An' what happens if the fuckers that did this come back?" Ah, yes.

"Judge the situation, Markus. That's why you're staying here. If its too much for you to handle, I want you to run. The old only get old if they're lucky, boring, or a coward. And you lose too much coin at bones to be lucky." Markus grinned, having heard the words from him before.

Talos stood still and quiet for another minute to ensure there were no other thoughts from the party. He turned away silently a moment later, mentally preparing himself for the journey. Casiama stalked up from behind without him hearing her steps.

"Talos..."

He turned towards the princess's soft voice, a still hand placed on her chest. "Aren't you forgetting about something?" she asked with a small voice. "Did I not just tell you we would be headed straight to Catriona?"

Talos shrugged his shoulders, then opened his palms as if displaying the ruined town. "Cass, that was before all of this. Do you really think I'll do nothing about it? Just walk away and leave them to their fates?" She shook her head meekly with a pout.

"No, but... can't you tell one of them to do it?" she asked thinly, glancing over her shoulder. "Another week in the wrong direction..."

Talos stepped towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Casiama's ears drooped calmly to his touch, and she smiled when their eyes met. "Casiama, I can't ask another to do something if I could do it in their place. You know me. These people need our help, especially Silvia's, and if there are raiders prowling about the Jarlinna needs to know of it so she can reinforce the other towns. I promise, you; I'm not running. It's the right thing to do."

Casiama swayed gently in his grip, then leaned into him while placing her hands on his chest. She nodded once, then let her head rest on his shoulder.

"I love you, Cass," Talos said after a half-minute of silence.

Casiama kissed him on the neck, then sighed happily. "You're my everything, Talos..."