Rask moans in in his sleep…
“No… not Gus…”
“…Ca’armine…”
Sad moans shift to flat mutterings…
“… exis… join the horde… sword…”
“… ‘thelred is the weakest…”
“Two swords… the only real threat…”
“.. ‘us… at a distance…”
And finally, grim determination.
“Break the bow… cut Red down… then the Priests…”
Rask approaches Alexis as the group prepares to follow the hobgoblins tracks into the grasslands.
“Boss, I’m not going to be able to use a sword, given what happened to Ca’armine this morning…”
Rask pauses, and looks apologetically at the priest, then the Ethelred and Gustav.
“I think Zrithak has… influence over my sword arm… I’m pretty sure he was one of the escaped chained creatures connected to that crypt in Sutheron, and somehow his soul is… more aware? stronger? than the others trapped in… my sword.”
“I’m concerned simply destroying the sword will free the all the souls trapped there, including Zrithak. My preference would be to force him out of my body and back into the sword somehow and eventually to turn the sword over to the Hoodites.”
“In the meantime, I’m afraid I need to fight with just my hands, and perhaps a bow.”
The group has stopped for lunch after they’ve left the First Gate (but before they encounter Illceros’ Spiders).
Alexis addresses Gustav and Ca’armine. “I’m not sure about you Raiden boys, but these western lands have gotten me thinking more about…” Alexis puts his arms out “the bigger things.”
“You both chose to give up Dauntless” Alexis holds up an apologetic hand to Ca’armine “even though you weren’t fully aware of what that meant” Alexis says to only Ca’armine.
“With some time and space, how are you feeling about the ‘Collegium’ holding such a powerful artifact in your cause?”
Alexis looks between Gustav and Ca’armine.
After a particularly active afternoon of training with the fighters Ethelred submits himself to Gustav for some bandaging. While watching the ranger work a phrase from the scrolls pass through Red’s mind.
“Gustav, what do you think about when you are healing people? Does the skill you have flow out of you like water? Are you a river or an ocean of healing?”
Red, for the first time, seems genuinely interested in the healing arts.
The day after Alexis talked with/to Ethelred about Lady Alba, Alexis approaches Gustav after his morning “ritual”.
“Gus. I’ve been thinking that we haven’t really talked about the first Sally. You conducted a great ceremony on the mountain, and I’m sure she was touched.”
“And it seems like you might still be grieving her loss. For such a strong love for Sally, you have always strongly rejected any suggestions to get a new mule to love.”
“And you still seem very unhappy with Sally” Alexis nods towards Sally in a near tree, “who has proven loyal and seems to just want you to love and accept her.”
“Do you need some time for grieving before we go? I need you unburdened while we seek out Bandesing’s operations.”
Alexis awaits Gustav’s response.
On a lovely sunny day, late in the early afternoon, after a fine day of exercises Rask addresses Alexis and the group as a whole.
Rask’s exercises of late have including live blade sparring with Ca’armine and Gus, the two of them taking turns wearing Red’s armor. Rask working to burn non-lethal longsword-strikes into his muscle and bone through repetition. Along the way he offers many suggestions to his Brothers-In-Raiden in the art of fighting defensively, his expertise in combat as evident as the Power of Aegir is represented and channeled by the tattoos on his chest and back. Rask wears little but the shield ring and boots, but he is maddeningly difficult to land a strike on. When he does get hit or cut he shrugs and fights on, accepting first aid at the end of the skirmish, and only after he opponent has been looked to.
Sitting in the midst of camp, clean, content, and sun-soaked, Rask speaks clearly and catches Alexis attention, and looks at Ca’armine as well.
“My Liege, our target, what do we really know about about them and their Band-Leader?
“Did they really steal away the Empress from her wedding?”
“Their slithering and spinning pets, and their truffle-hounds, we have met, and we seek their farrier now?”
Rask is clearly still paranoid not naming their enemies. In addition, the group may have noticed that he has been trying hard not use any of their names since they left the sewers.
Gus and Ca’armine he calls “Brother” or Brother Arrow an Brother Blade when he needs to specify, he calls Alexis “My Liege,” or “Boss.” Ethelred is too busy studying for Rask to talk to often, Rask usually address him as “Friend,” but Rask has been testing out a few nicknames, “Book” and “Ak’lyte,” “Hedgey,” but nothing has stuck yet.
Inside the confines of the Mithril Lord’s estate, not long after after Gus brings up feeling uncomfortable in Sutheron, Rask asks in Gus’s direction but to everyone:
“What’s Aegier-Aegier, yah know Aegier-city like? Does it smell like a battle, a brothel, a well-used latrine, a garbage dump, and fish harvest… all at once, but worse, too?”
He wrinkles his nose, and pauses for a moment.
“Are there Temples to Raiden there?” He asks disbelief.
His eyes widen, his mind realing, he look more seriously at Gus and Ca’armine. Raiden is a god of battle and protection, and… Aegir…
Gustav gets up the morning after going through Malkar’s crucible. He got plenty of sleep, but looks exhausted by anxiety. The large gleaming crow keeps poking at Gustav’s side since it hasn’t eaten yet and is hungry. Gustav ignores the crow and mindlessly throws some hard tack pieces and a bit of leftovers from Mavon’s dinner the night before on the ground. The crow quickly plops down to the ground and eats the kernels of food.
Gustav sees Ethelred is up and inventorying his remaining equipment.
“Ethelred, Do you like being in the city? I am getting confused.
There are so many people, so many factions all in such a small area. Gangs, Guilds, Collegiums, Temples, Stores, Taverns, Stalls, Houses, Barracks, Briggs, Jails, Mansions, Palaces. Then there are Thieves, Priests, Scholars, Brigands, Mercenaries, Soldiers, Dogs, Rats, Cats, Barkeeps, Torturers, Executioners, Nobles, Mongers, Engineers, Mages and Morticians. And we have met and dealt with many of these just in the last few days.
Sure, I meet these people and factions over time out across Aegir, but it takes years and many miles of travel. Most days out in the real Aegir are just travel, eating, talking to your team, sharpening weapons, shaving coins. Every once in a while meeting another group of travelers. And then repeat the next day.
I wonder if Sutheron was created by evil magical forces as a way to enslave a large amount of people to keep them busy arguing and fighting against each other. There are small groups helping each other, but usually created in opposition to another group. Gangs created to protect their neighborhood eventually take to stealing, blackmail and the “protection” racket in their own neighborhood. Before Aegir took over Sutheron and before Aedelfried and the Red Cloaks took over, was Sutheron a wonderful place where everyone helped each other? I doubt it. I suppose that is a question for Alexis.
I feel lost in Sutheron. I will stay and help as long as Alexis needs. But this place is well outside my heart. What do you think about Sutheron now? I know you are interested in becoming a member of the Collegium as there are many gifts of knowledge of materials for pit fighting they can give you. But what about after? Are you getting used to the city, do you like staying here? The rat is good I guess.
Perhaps this is just a reaction to Malkar’s Torture and I am feeling down today. Ignore me if I am talking nonsense. But I do miss Aegir.”
Alexis is staying up on his watch with the smell of smoke still coming into the mansion of the Crimson Calling. He has spent the time on his watch so far pacing to try and stay ahead of the memories from his time with Malkar.
During his pacing Alexis checks on Gustav, and notices Sally as well. Alexis is able to forget about himself as he remembers what Sally went through.
Alexis squats next to Gustav and speaks to Sally “we both went through a lot today, didn’t we, although I might have come out with fewer scars than you, huh?” Alexis smiles faintly at Sally and reaches out to pet her.
Alexis gets up and walks away coming back a few minutes later with some morsels for Sally. After feeding Sally Alexis asks “I’m going to keep walking around, did you want to join me?” Alexis extends his hand for Sally to hop on.