In the morning before departing from the camp where the barghest battle occurred, Rask does his usual set of sword exercises, including the new flat-of-the-blade less lethal techniques. Rask starts with a plain longsword, and before he can do anything else, he tosses the plain longsword into the woods with abandon and starts his exercises with the Black Blade.
While riding away from the Spider of Illceros’ ruins and bridge, Rask approaches Alexis and Ca’armine.
“When was last time we heard from Balls Wrecked? Back in Ghanil, right? It seems the demon’s interest in us vanished as we approached the First Gate? He only works in crowded places?
A bit after their conversation about dwarves and mountains, Rask perks up suddenly, looks around and approached Alexis.
“Alexis, do you remember the song Grimsby Thorne was signing when we first met him? The Cycle of Neef? Neef was the squire right? But Igvar, his master, was a holy crusader of Raiden and founded Fellsbee… right? There was something about a wizard too…”
Rask approaches Alexis in moment where the others are busy.
”Alexis, have you ever heard of Raiden being named a Storm God?”
Rask looks around warily, “My connection to Aegir is lost here, and it has been difficult…”
He gestured at the tattoos on his chest and back. Clearly a saddened and a bit lost.
“I have a vague… memory? “My… grandmother? Referring to Raiden as the Storm God…”
Rask’s brown furrows… Alexis gets the sense that’s not quite right, and that Rask is hoping for help understanding…
After the creepy blue goblin-wolf things are driven off and everything settles back down, Rask mutters in his bedroll to himself:
“taste like blood and steel…”
…
“War… man.. abomination spirt… pester you?
…
War… sh… what… the dwarveson ThuBalDor fell?
…
“Knock knock… gifts… How many souls… the blade is full? war …man?”
…
Later… sleepily…
“…ak the Endless… wh.. talk.. with… soul’s in the blade…”
Rask follows Alexis direction and keeps his distance from Drinos as much as possible throughout the journey. When not marching on the opposite side of the wagon from Drinos, Rask keeps himself busy with camp chores, helping Gus and Ca’armine hunt and gather when needed, and tending to the group’s horses. He prays with Ca’armine to Raiden whenever he can, and listens closely when anyone in the group talks about the gods.
Rask puts very little of his kit on the wagon most days. He typically wears his armor at all times as far as anyone notices. Those close to him can hear him singing Raiden-themed songs, sometimes to a marching cadence.
Rask stays up on watch for much of most nights. Over the first week or so he pushes his sleep schedule to the point of exhaustion and naps a bit in the cart one day before finally sleeping a bit each night.
Rask starts focusing on the last watch, early in the morning. He still sleeps for some portion of most nights, and avoids sleeping in the daytime again. Occasionally he sleeps thought most of the night.
In the wee hours of the morning, always after he is certain Drinos is sleeping, Rask removes and services his armor, and works through his full set of sword forms using the red blade, he does a set and then starts over, this time slightly modifying each strike to turn the blade just so to not do deadly damage. Somewhere near Earamos, he switches to carrying and using his black blade for these exercises, wrapping the red blade.
Rask still manages to make a point to be kind to Sally-Crow and he helps Gus train her as needed. Rask follows Gus’s lead and copies and reinforces and rules for tricks Gus works to train Sally on.
One evening after dinner, after a full 15 days have passed since the group arrives, Rask looks at Ethelred and inquires:
“He- Mastercraftsman, would it be possible for you to make a me fine wooden sword, like a practice sword, perhaps out of a dense wood like ironwood, that I could wield as it were mine own Blade?
Rask unconsciously nods at the bundle tucked in against his bedroll, where it has lain except when so recently examined by Ca’armine, Blessed Priest of Raiden.
“Should we find the right wood of course, and perhaps wrapped in leather like the cudgels Brother Blade has been using.”
While the Crimson Calling is aboard the Gilded Zephyr, Alexis approaches Rask.
“Having slipped free of the Shadow Blades, what is their next move? How long will they wait in Sutheron? How will they try to pick up our trail? Obviously, we didn’t know the resources they have in Sutheron that they might be able to call upon, but let’s assume the resources are minimal when it comes to tracking us; I want to know what the Blades will do on their own.”
After a few days a routine develops, in the mornings, Rask trains with whomever will join him. After sword and bow practice, he swims with Red.
In afternoons Ca’armine prays to Raiden, Gus does Gus things, and Red and Alexis study.
Rask assists with camp chores in the afternoons and often continues to practice his sword forms, never using his Black Blade, and working diligently to advance with the flat of the blade and on pommel-strikes.
One afternoon, about five days into their stay on the banks of the Llanos River, Rask approaches before dinner as Ca’armine is concluding his afternoon prayer, he waits patiently for the right moment and then addresses the holy man,
“Brother, Can you teach me some prayers so that I might join you on occasion? I know a little from Service in the chapels at various Forts, but would like to learn more, and learn more stories of Raiden if you would be willing to share?”