Hadoume
Even dismissing the charges against Geirolf, the concept of handing the sly man a blade held no favors in Ender's mind. It was clear the man was cunning, befitting of his untold fate as those of the same mind took great interest in him after he became the Wolf of the Valley. The free will they all carried made the prospects of arming the man a bit less predictable and favorable. The likes of that smile he carried was all too familiar.
"I've nothing more to spare," he stated. "Judging by what you displayed back in the escape I would say your hands are just as effective."
It looked like rain was coming. The further north and east they traveled, the more lush the terrain became. Dusty red mud, dry and cracked slowly faded away under green grass and the sun tucked away behind trees and dense clouds. This was a sign they were getting closer to the border. Sabletyn and Thol had more forgiving terrain due to the rains that would swipe in from the Curve. The Merchant Road would lead them right into the military fort, as it was a checkpoint to attempt to reduce the amount of smuggling in and out of Ecksoh.
The sun was setting behind the dark clouds making it far darker than normal at this time in the evening. But it also allowed the heat to dim significantly in the drier atmosphere. The lack of humidity was apparent, and the land thirsted for the threat of rain.
As they neared Hadoume, it would become more and more apparent that the gates were strangely closed. It was unusual for the constantly manned base to be closed, and far more unusual not to see soldiers at their posts along the walls. Ender stood up in the back of Maes's cart, eyes narrowing as he studied the stony facade they approached.
"Keep going," he said to Maes. "But keep an eye out. All of you."
There were splotches of woodland here and there among the soft hills and vast fields. It gave the fort a decent vantage point placed well enough away from blind spots to see something coming in time to react. But there were no signs of infiltration or attack. It was as if they had decided to close their doors and abandon the fort.
"Stay at the cart," Ender suggested as he hopped out the back. "I'll check inside and see about getting the gates open."
He ran along the road and reached the iron gates, peering around through the bars as best he could to try and see inside. The particular angle in which the gated portion was placed made it somewhat difficult to see all the way in, but what he could make out he could see nothing. No one walking about. No one at their posts. Ender turned back as the cart approached, head shaking before he pointed towards the wall keeping his dialog at a minimum.
Using his magic would have been far easier than scaling a wall with very little in the way of footholds. He had to use the corner between the arch of the gate and the jut of the wall parallel to the road to shimmy up using his back and legs for traction. A weak point perhaps, but had the fort been manned Ender would have been stopped just as soon as he tried. But he crested the wall and slipped onto the upper level cautiously, yet still found no one even in clever hiding.
Assuming such things would have been a fool's thought, and so Ender disappeared from view for quite some time leaving the others at Maes's cart. The minutes passed until finally the gate groaned and clanked as it slowly raised high enough to let the cart through.
"There's no one here," Ender said as he came back into view, and waved them in. "No one alive, anyway. But there's plenty of stock we can take for the road. Not like they'll need it."
The smell within Hadoume carried the unmistakable stench of decay emanating from the strewn bodies across the fort's yard in what looked to be a visceral carnage. The bodies were indescribable from another as parts and innards were haphazardly littered and muddied together in splotchy patches where flies converged.
"There's a room with a door that doesn't have any dead near it. We could probably stay there the night. I wouldn't give the horse hay, but there might be some grain in the barrel next to the stalls."
Ender pointed towards the open faced stable that lined one of the walls. From what could be seen inside, the horses had shared the same fate as the soldiers and littered the hay in the stalls.
"We'll need to keep watch in the night," he continued. "So, raise of hand who wants to take first watch with me."
@Red Thunder @Shizuochan @Bears @CloudyBlueDay
The Village of Soper
Soper was a small village often prey to turf wars as the Northfold Gang tended to favor the area due to being so close to roads often traveled by merchants. Every now and again they would find momentary peace as either another gang would sweep through and kick them out or an army patrol would do the honors. The small village found themselves in an interlude, but one that had oddly come without discourse. The Northfold Gang had mysteriously disappeared.
It left the villagers on edge and wary of strangers. The sight of an Aegis and his squire seemed to put some at ease as they shared smiles to the newcomers, welcoming them with a bit more warmth upon recognition of association to esteemed individuals. Lady Saren Dynagra would find herself at the brunt of curious stares from the common folk that occupied the village. Someone as upscale as she was hardly a common sight for them, and it raised unspoken questions that would likely be kept to themselves.
The tavern and inn was the largest establishment on the road that comprised Soper. The fog, if it was coming, would not be seen on the westward dusty road as the night settled in. It wouldn't hurt to warn the villagers of a potential threat, as it was always better to be safe than sorry.
"Belhund," Alexander addressed as he stepped outside. "Take Zahar and go around to the houses and tell the villagers to stay inside and shut their doors and windows until morning. They might not like it considering it's still a bit warm to close them, but make sure they understand it's for their own safety from the fog. And if any have pixiewick tell them that's not enough either. I don't know if the fog will come this way, but I don't want to gamble. I'll stay with the others while they get rooms and settle in. If we're not downstairs, search for us upstairs when you're through."
Since this was a small town, it was likely that a good portion of the villagers were in the tavern along with travelers headed elsewhere for Festivallas. It would make her duty more quick, to be sure.
The inside of the small tavern was poorly lit by candlelight and the fire in the hearth no one desired to sit near. There were meager decorations for Festivallas, as best a small village could muster, and only about a dozen or so patrons who nervously looked between the two women and the Aegis that entered.
From behind the bar scooted a younger lady with raven hair that looked a bit dirty in the firelight. She bowed awkwardly, likely having never needed to perform the act in her life, and addressed them in a drawl often found within the lower class.
"You'll be lookin' for a room, I ken," she said. "We've got one more room left for the ladies. Give them some privacy. Ahm. And we should have some beds open in the hostel."
"That will-"
Marnia would find herself suddenly grabbed by a bloody man, his eyes wide as if in shock. Whether the blood was his or not had yet to be known, but his grip on the squire was not one of malice but of fear. Syllables puttered incoherently from his lips like a baby learning to speak in a bumbling fashion. He was shaken by something that was enough to render him incapable of explaining.
And then it was as if Marnia had never existed. He let go of her with a wistful, glazed expression and pushed through the door into the tavern and inn. The blood that covered him was not entirely fresh, the crimson painting his arms like gloves up to the tattered shoulders of his torn shirt. No one in the tavern immediately went to his aid, for in the dim lighting he almost looked like a lethargic patron looking to drink the night away.
"Hayden?" the young woman addressed as she looked at the man. His state registered as more light laid an orange glow on his form catching the off putting color spattered about his form. "Oh my god, Hayden!"
Excusing herself from the newcomers without formality, she rushed to help the man to a seat, calling out to someone in the kitchen for water as she checked Hayden for any injuries. He sat on the chair with a vacant expression staring out at nothing as a small crowd gathered. A middle aged woman emerged from the kitchen with a basin of water and a rag, a gasp pulling into her lungs at the sight of the man.
"That's what you get for running with those Northfold!" the woman said. "Oh, Betta, where is he hurt? You need your kit?"
Betta, the younger woman, pulled up Hayden's shirt and felt along his body for what could have caused so much blood. The amount would have rendered a man unconscious surely, which only confirmed Betta's suspicions as she wet the rag in the water.
"He ain't been hurt, Danielle," she said. "This ain't his blood. Give us some space, will you?"
As the people dispersed, albeit still within earshot, Alexander caught the attention of the kitchen lady addressed as Danielle. She was a taller woman and a bit heavier set with cheeks that bunched up in her warm smile.
"Apologies for the dramatics," she said to the trio. "Did Betta attend to you?"
"She did," Alexander said, "but I am mostly curious about the man. Perhaps my squire and I can be of assistance."
Danielle shrugged almost apathetically, but her expression turned solemn. "He joined the Northfold Gang. No telling what that boy has had to do. They recruit a lot of our younger, more impressionable men when they come of age. Make them feel like that life is something good. He doesn't look good. His mother's been worried sick. Was convinced he was taken by...well…
Eudicia. I guess she couldn't come to terms with his poor life decisions and had to make up a fantasy."
@Doctor Jax @Elle Joyner @rissa @Starlighter
