Private Tales A Fallen Knight

[Finn]

Giving him a silent nod, she grabbed two huge bags of hide with leather straps, offering one to Talus. Hopefully breaking weight wasn’t above his station as a knight. Or above his injuries.

She shouldered the other.

“I think town was just through these trees?” Finn pointed and began walking. She didn’t question where the money was from. Or how he got it. Maybe growing up in the streets taught her just to accept what was given. Or taken.

 

[Talus]

He grabbed the straps, frowning slightly and wondering if his injuries would even allow him to carry any weight at all.

After a moment of adjustment he figured he could, though it wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the worlds. He quickly fell after her, moving in step behind Finn as they wandered through the woods and towards the town.

"You can pretend I'm your simple brother." He told Finn.

There was no sound of jest in his tone.

"Don't need people asking too many questions." He knew what he looked like. It was easier to buy he was a simpleton than a Knight of Vel Anir.

 

[Finn]

Sandy brows rose.

Simple brother?

"At least we share a similar hair color," the aeronaut-scientist mused to herself. She was perhaps a little jealous that he chose a role where he didn't have to talk as much. She hated talking - especially to stranger. A disgruntled huff left the edge of her nose.

"Have you played this role before?" The girl pressed through some bushes as it opened up into a small, dirt road. Smoke curled up above the tree-line just head.

 

[Talus]

"No." He said plainly.

Undercover work was not something he was extremely good at, but he was trying to get better. His newfound Mentor had instructed him in the fact that such things were important, more so than most would have guessed.

Especially for Dreadlords. "But it won't be too hard."

Unbuckling his belt he pulled his sword free from his waist and quickly rigged it up so that it would sit on his back. It was a position that would denote inexperience with a blade.

"Just find the supplies we need." He assured her. "Then we'll get out."

With his left hand he offered her half a dozen Golden coins.

 

[Finn]

“Thank you,” Finn couldn't help but ogle the money. It was clear she wasn’t used to seeing or having a lot. She may be socially awkward but not so much to leave out a thanks.

Fingers brushed against his hand as she quickly scooped up the coins and pocketed them. For a moment, he might feel a sudden absentees in his magic. Finn was still learning her power and she didn't always have control over it.

The dirt road quickly journey breaker the small village. And it wasn’t much. One tavern. One shop. And a few houses. Folks fave them a suspicious glance as they came in. It was clear they didn’t get many travelers this time of year.

 

[Talus]

He glanced at her in an odd curiosity, frowning for a brief moment and staring. The young man hesitated a brief moment.

Then, Talus took on a look of...well absolute nothing.

His eyes set forward, his gaze mellowed, and one hand was stuffed into his pocket as he tried to look as though he had absolutely nothing going through his mind.

It was the same look that he showed during practice, the same demeanor when he did not want to catch the attention of any Proctors. It was not that he looked stupid, just...as though there was absolutely nothing on his mind at all.

In his peripheral vision he could see the villagers.

He watched them as they watched him and Finn. All of them walked faster, all of them wanted desperately to avoid the strangers. Something was wrong here.

 

[Finn]

The scared movement of the people weren't lost on Finn. A part of her wanted to scurry back to the airship. Tell Talus to forget it and she would just keep heading the way the wind blew her. But the weight of the gold in her pocket and that handshake kept her on course.

Thin lips pressed thinner still. Heels turned them toward the tavern. They'd start there.

Palms pushed open an old, heavy oak door and the traveling pair stepped inside the low-lit tavern.

 

[Talus]

Talus kept a watchful eye on everything, everyone.

It was not difficult to do. The Tavern was not as full as one might expect for what time of day it was, and that was what he'd expected. Most everyone was quiet as well, slowly sipping their drink and staring off into the void.

One conversation was going on, though as Finn and Talus stepped inside it quickly died. Suspicious stares greeted them, a dozen set of eyes slowly tracking the two strangers as they crossed the tavern towards the man behind the bar.

Something was wrong.

His fingers tightened slightly in his pocket.

 

[Finn]

The man behind the bar was an elf - a mountain elf. He had rugged features and scars across his forehead. Rugged but Finn had a hard time telling how old he was because like all elves, his skin seemed timeless. The elf had amber eyes and dragged them up and down herself and Talus.

Finn pushed a single gold coin on the bartop.

"We're in search of supplies. Couple yards of fabric. Rope. We can pay or trade. Know anyone that can help us?"

 

[Talus]

Mountain Elf. He'd never seen their like before. They carried many of the same features as their cousins, but there was something all around more...complete about them.

More human perhaps. The man behind the counter looked at Finn, then looked at Talus. His eyes narrowed in suspicion for a moment, then he picked up the coin and inspected it closely. His eyes flickered between the two of them.

"Anirian Coinage? Pretty far from there."​

A chuckle.

"The store will have what you need, though you could probably buy the whole damn thing with just one of these."​

The man laughed and then reached behind his counter, fishing out a sack of coins and plucking a few dozen silvers free. His voice dropped as he spoke quietly to the two young ones, his eyes glancing around the room at some of the patrons.

"I'm an honest man, but some here aren't. Careful with that money."​

He pushed the silver coins over the counter.

 

[Finn]

What was the look the mountain elf gave Talus? Finn stared between the two quietly. She hesitated but did end up reaching for the pile of silver coins. She offered half to Talus. Better not to have one person have it all in case something happened to one of them.

"Thank you," fingertips brushed against the elf's and a momentary look of surprise crossed the man's face. He studied the girl with a fonder look of curiosity. But he held his tongue.

A pair of golden eyes in the dark shadows of a room peered at them closer as Finn nudged Talus toward the door.

 

[Talus]

Talus took the coins in hand, stuffing them in his pocket as though they might as well have been a few rocks. He knew that money was more precious than that, but the persona he was playing didn't. He thought that important.

Especially given the lessons Sierra had taught him.

As soon as they passed out of the tavern and into the street Talus leaned towards Finn slightly. His voice was kept low. "There's something odd going on here."

His fingers tightened in his pocket as he said the words.

The Apprentice wished he could have pin-pointed what was wrong, but it all seemed so...strangely ordinary.

 

[Finn]

She nodded to Talus, not taking her eyes off their surroundings. As she walked by some of the huts, they seemed to flicker. Change. It caused her enough to pause and squint.

Strange.

Was she just seeing things?

"Does anything look strange to you?" She asked as the flicker went away as she walked away. With a swivel of her head, she looked around again. The shop was up ahead on the right. There were a few dwarfs in front.

 

[Talus]

"All of it." His fingers tightened slightly and he had to stop himself from reaching for the blade on his back.

Walking around here with a drawn sword would very likely make everyone attack them, and he was in no mood for another fight. Nor was he capable of one.

Even a peasant could knock him over at this point.

"Let's just get what we need and get out." Talus said quickly. "This place makes me nervous."

 

[Finn]

It wasn't just her. It almost made her relieved. Almost.

Pushing open the door to the shop, the little inventor lead the way. A dwarf looked at them from the counter as they approached. Eyes narrowed like glistening coal.

"I need to buy quite a bit of cloth and rope. I have money to pay for it." The small man grunted and motioned to the back wall.

"What I've got's in stock. That's all I got. You two best get it and get out. Folk don't take kindly to strangers round here."

Finn held back a no shit remark. Giving Talus another silent look, she turned to the back wall. It wasn't much but it might be just enough to get them somewhere else and headed in the right direction to get better supplies.

"Help me?" She looked to Talus as she went to tug down and stack up the cloth.

 

[Talus]

Talus did just that.

He was supposed to be playing the simple brother, so a question like that might as well have been a command. Without a question or anything else he took three steps across the room and grabbed what Finn needed.

His muscles flexed slightly, probably doing more work than anyone his age should have been able to do, but he gathered the supplies Finn indicated and quickly bundled them up in what appeared to be an odd sort of pack.

"There." He said as he slung the things over his back.

Almost as soon as he did there was an odd sort of shift. The walls around them seemed to flicker, appearing burnt and broken before returning to their ordinary form.

Talus took an involuntary step back."What the fuck?"

 

[Finn]

Finn's bright blue eyes widened. She'd seen it too. Sandy brows scrunched up. Gaze flickered between Talus and back to the shop-keep.

There was something in his eyes. They seemed more hollow. Absent and intense a the same time.

"Um, how much?"

"Two silvers," the man hissed. Finn quickly fished out the coins and tossed them to clatter on the counter. She didn't need to tell Talus they should go. She backed up to the door only to exit the shop and see the townspeople clustered around them. All staring with that same gaze. One came up to her side and bumped into her. As he did, the glamour dropped and she saw a skeleton covered in half-rotting flesh, a slack-jawed expression.

She screamed.

 

[Talus]

The speed at which Talus drew his sword was truly impressive.

It took less then a heartbeat for the blade to leave it's scabbard and connect with the rotting pile of walking flesh. The Blade sliced through bare ragged cloth before the crack of bone could be heard, the once man splintering into a hundred pieces and falling to the ground in pieces.

Almost as soon as Talus struck the other villagers around them seemed to transform. Their features became decrepit and broken, their visages twisting and shifting to be that of half complete humans. Some of them held flesh, others did not.

"Run." The way Talus said the word was almost too calm, but his free hand came up and shoved Finn to the only open gap within the crowd.

What the hell was going on here?

The thought raced through his mind as he stepped forward, the shambling crowd suddenly breaking out into a sprint after them.

 

[Finn]

The gangly limbed girl stumbled forward. Head swiveled as she did her best to dodge and run.

“We can’t lead them to the ship,” she puffed. She’d have no time to make the repairs with the mob so close. They’d have to hide somewhere. Stall. Figure out a way that lasted long enough to lose these ghouls.

Or stop them?

Dead fingers curled around her shirt and she swatted them aside. Again. The creatures showed their true selves around Finn. She wondered if Talus was beginning to notice.

“There!” She pointed to a set of stairs that lead to a rooftop of one of the few buildings on the square.

 

[Talus]

Talus did not notice, though he did not make a connection.

There was no way for him to know of Finn's unique magic, and in that moment he was mostly concerned with making sure that they actually managed to survive. His gaze dropped to where she pointed her fingers, and quickly he turned on his heel.

His blade swept low, cutting another one of the creatures.

This time brackish black blood splattered onto the blade, a hiss sounding as it scoured the steel and marked it slightly. Talus swept himself forward, pushing Finn up the stairs of the odd alleyway and kicking an kiosk that sat near by.

The rotted wood fell in on itself collapsing in front of the entrance of the stairs as Finn and Talus climbed onto the roof.

 

[Finn]

The inventor scrambled up to the roof. Blue eyes darted around the edges. There wasn't really anywhere for them to go. Maybe they could make the jump to the next building.

Maybe.

"You're good with the sword," she commented, trying to buy herself time. To think of something. "What the feck is going on?!" How had those ghouls spoken so well? And now they were trying to get up to them. Why?

"This doesn't make sense," she muttered. "Maybe there's a necromancer around."

 

[Talus]

He breathed in deeply, his lungs burning as his wounds from just a day before sent lances of pain. "Not as good as I usually am."

Talus commented as he inspected the etching on his blade. Most of the blood had slicked off while they ran, though clear lines ran where it had touched the steel of the sword. A frown touched his lips and he glanced at Finn.

"I don't think so." He said quietly. "This doesn't feel like necromancy."

He'd seen that before. This was...different. "They seemed to...flicker...like they weren't exactly undead."

Necromancers did not usually hide their thralls like that.

 

[Finn]

"I wouldn't want to be against you if that's not as good as you usually are," the girl commented, giving the boy a sideways glance. She walked to the edge and peered down.

"I dunno. I don't know much about magic or the basics I...," voice trailed off not quite willing to share what she could do yet.

The masses seemed to be losing interest to where they'd gone. Strange. Some were pulling away.

"A witch cursed these people maybe?" Finn scratched at the tattoo along her neck thoughtfully.

 

[Talus]

A witch seemed slightly more likely, though he still doubted it. Lips thinned for a brief moment and he glanced towards the sun.

It was mid day now, and he suspected that they did not want to be in this town when night fell. With these sorts of things it was always better to not be around during the dark. If only because you couldn't see anything coming.

"Maybe." He said quietly.

His head shook for a second, and then he glanced towards Finn and her pack. "Do you have any chalk?"

It seemed like something she would carry.

 

[Finn]

She nodded and slipped her pack off her shoulders, plopping it down on the rooftop.

Digging into the bottom, she brought something out and offered it to Talus. "It's not chalk. A charcoal stick. Will that work?" She was curious now. What was he planning to do?

Down below there was some pushing against their barrier.

"You can't escape," a voice called up that made Finn feel colder than the air around them.