In camp, after the stone shepherd and the stone sheep, a natural snow storm brewing, Rask catches Alexis attention.
“That creature in the stone carvings back there, you talked about the gems it had seeming similar to ours. But it’s not Sagi? Not the six-armed creature right? But it had horns?”
“Gus felt like there was something special there too…”
Rask looks over at Gus.
“Horns, not antlers.. What do you think it was?” Rask asks Alexis
Rask’s prayers have become more fervent and more frequent since leaving Mount Llanos. They settle into a more familiar rhythm as the days pass. Prayers to Raiden upon waking. Quiet, muttered prayers when relieving himself, near a tree or bush or some sort whenever possible. Before eating. Before his excercises. While he exercises.
His exercises are precise, focused on powerful moves, and more and more deadly strikes as the group gets closer to the keep.
More prayers after his exercises. Prayers before sleeping. Prayers while cleaning his equipment.
Rask cleans himself and his equipment thoroughly when he can. Snow, ice cold water, warmed water, mosses and small boughs all get used to scrub the warrior, his arms, armor and clothing. He sharpens his blades and trims his hair and beard. His hair and nails he burns or buries with a prayer to Raiden to protect him and let those parts of him feed the trees and plats of the land. He mutters prayers over his waste water and preferentially pours it out near small trees and shrubs.
He prays with Ca’armine, Gustav and Alexis whenever possible and appropriate, always inviting Ethelred to join them.
With the group Rask talks a bit about tactics, staying focused on “Sassy” and “Bandy”, but needing to protect each other. His idle one-on-one conversations with Ethelred revolve around spell craft, rune and tattoo-magic, and the concentration required to cast spells during battles. With Alexis he prays to Raiden and explores the same ideas and gently hints at inquiries related to warrens and divine and arcane magic. With Ca’armine, it is prayer, Raiden, and the use of miracles in battle. Rask doesn’t really understand much of what they share about magic, but he tries.
Throughout it all, when Rask utters his own prayer, or leads prayers, he repeats:
Praise Raiden, The Great Protector,
Raiden Shields us from our Foes,
I stand before You, weak and vulnerable.
Raiden shield us all from the blows.
Praise Raiden, Raised by Anashar,
Blessed with Glory, Resolute and Strong
I wield my sword to help humanity
As we make our way along.
The Light of Raiden shine upon Us,
As it shines upon me and all of Aegir
Let it shine on me, and through me,
Let the Light purge the taint of my soul.
Some man the wall. We keep the watch behind it.
We find the rot before it shows.
We begin with ourselves.
What we find, we pull up by the root.
We remember what is worth saving.
We do not bend. We do not break. We hold.
Praise Raiden, The Great Protector,
Raiden Shields us from our Foes,
We stand before Him, made strong by Raiden.
None to save them from our blows.
Praise Raiden, Raised by Anashar,
Blessed with Glory Resolute and Strong
I wield my sword to help the Humanity
Blessed by Raiden, Resolute and Strong
In the morning, under the hip bone of a giant creature, Rask absentmindedly addresses the whole group:
”Where and when -ever we are is where Raiden wants us, no doubt…”
“I think there are… is? Not really more than one timeline. You all know more about magic and crow-know-mancy than me, but it seems like as little as possible has changed since we saw the Dragon in Nodden Tor compared to before we used all four keys.”
He looks towards Alexis briefly,
”You’ve talked about threads weaving themselves together around Frostbite Pass… you said you saw… various versions of Hadonis and Alikimo… What if those are POSSIBLE versions not different versions?”
”’Our’ Hadonis… he saw the tear twice? He’s different from everyone else you’ve looked at, that way…”
“Somehow Time or The Dragon compensates…”
“or something…”
”No matter. We are here. Now. To stop Sasherak and Bandesing.”
During a short break while walking north after the first storm, and burning the dead Nal’cir, but before the frozen waterfall and Savvah, Rask addresses the group. He asks several questions that have clearly been on his mind while walking. His words tumble out, his pauses are brief as he looks at his companions, mostly to Alexis and Ca’armine for their thoughts, but Ethelred and Gustav too.
”We’re headed to Frostbite Pass, and it seems Bandy hasn’t fully gotten Sassy to return, right?
“What is our number one priority? To kill Bandy? Stop Sassy from returning? Eliminate the Dark Hand? Break its power?”
“Do we let Bandy get away if it means we can destroy what is left of Sassy and capture another Tear?”
“Do I protect Ca’armine at all costs? Including letting Sassy return? How do we protect our Tear?” He looks mostly at Alexis for these questions.
“If we get jumped and Bandy is there, who do I focus on? Deadly intent or subdual?”
After a few days of working on Gus’s leather armor and before Ca’armine’s ritual, Rask changes the subject from armor design on Ethelred:
“Red, I was wondering… I noticed you pay close attention when other people cast spells and it seems like you can tell what kind of spell they are casting without using magic of your own? Can you teach me how to do that? It seems like our enemies use spells often, it seems like it would be helpful for me to learn some of their tells.”
Rask holds Ca’armine’s shoulder when the priest of Raiden wakes him for his watch on the platform.
Rask looks into Ca’armine’s eyes and speaks queitly, “A moment please.”
After a few minutes Rask nods, his thoughts Gathered.
“Ca’armine, what we have… won’t they come to us?”
Rask shivers a bit, and focuses and quietly prays to Raiden to shield his mind
“If Sassy can sense it he will come for it however he can, right? That probably means Bandy…”
“We are don’t need to target them, they have targeted us right? Didn’t Alexis say he could tell Varisimuss was scrying on him, probably from the Pool near Greyfax? Or at least, in that direction. ” Rask nods East and continues speaking,
“There are others who will seek it also, or will when they learn of it.” He turns towards Ca’armine.
“We need to be ready for them to come to us.” Rask says grimly.
Rask looks North, towards the mountains in the darkness to the North and asks,
“Instead of attacking Bandy on his home turf, perhaps we should set a location that is to our advantage?”
On the small platform at the end of Rask’s watch, he wakes Alexis, who has the next watch. Rask shares his watch observations with Alexis and then pauses, looks at Alexis with a bit of penitence and speaks quietly so as not to wake the others:
“Alexis, you bade me to focus on protecting Ca’armine and Ethelred and I agreed. After the camp the White Stag led us to, I was focused on protecting you, when you freed us from the call of that accursed inn, it was clear to me that I had been led astray…”
Rask hangs his head a bit, pauses, and then continues.
“The White Stag pool, then the Inn, then Zrithak in my dreams the other night… I am worried that my mind is weak, I have been working to strengthen my will, but I am worried it may not be enough…”
Rask’s concern hangs in the air, an unspoken request for aid lingers between the two men.
The morning after Alexis has shared the mantra and symbol of the Inner Watch, Rask wakes with renewed focus. He recites his daily prayer to Raiden and adds the mantra of the Inner Watch at the end.
His exercises are efficient, powerful, precise. His physical and mental existence aligned like never before.
When he is done, he catches Alexis and Ca’armine’s attention and approaches them.
“Brothers, ‘in the spirit of ‘We begin with ourselves,’ I have had an insight I would like to share with you. My path has been driven by a need for vengence for Thater, recently I have been focused on Shasharak, I believe in part because of my anger at being Dominated by his shadow in the round room of lightning. Even without the Black Blade, I have a weakness for anger and rage. I pray to Raiden that my anger be righteous and not pull me from my Path. I share this recognition of my weakness and ask you aid my in guarding against it. Thank you for all your guidance and support, up to and after this moment.”
Rask bows his head and offers a prayer of gratitude to Raiden.
Rask approaches Alexis in the evening, near the end of the two weeks of focusing, training, and regrouping.
“Alexis, if I may, the Inner Watch? You’ve spoken a few times about it, and every time it… stands out?”
Rask is a bit unsure of himself.
“I don’t… I don’t listen for it, but it catches my attention almost is as if I were. It seems that you have learned more about it since you first brought it up, would you be willing to share what you have learned?”
Rask seems almost called to learn more about the Inner Watch from Alexis.
A few days after Alexis mentions the refugees in Thater and Barrick of Gahnil, Rask speaks up over the evening meal.
“Thater was my childhood. It is gone. The Worn Stone Tavern is burned down, there is no place for the songs of Kark Bergthison to ring out and capture the heart and mind. No tap of the barrel for Heward Jordand to pull from to give to his thirsty customers. The Cobalt Forge is cold and empty.”
“Even if somehow things have changed, because of our journey and the Tear, and Thater is not destroyed, that is not my path. If it is safe to look in on the refugees in the crystal ball, that would be nice, but I am too far gone from Thater, too many battles,”
He pauses.
“Too many strange travels. Thater is not my home. The path forward is clear. I too am no Barrick of Gahnil, it is not my task to gather the refugees of Thater and comfort them. Nor is rebuilding Thater my path. My work is far more grim. I am resolute. Raiden will guide us. You are my brothers. Whatever comes, I will not waver. “
Rask is determined, focused, perhaps a bit more hopeful than he has been since meeting the Crimson Calling. He is sharing where he stands. Not convincing himself, nor trying to convince anyone else. Stating facts.
“Praise Raiden. We will stop these enemies of humanity together. Sasherak, Bandesing, whoever it may be.”
Rask takes a bite the remainder of his food, and looks to his companions to see if they have any questions or comments.