Fate - First Reply Butchery[Dreadlords]

[Edric]

Aina O Ka La - 17 Months Before Present Day

Crimson waters lapped against the beach, bodies washing ashore mixed among the driftwood. Sand was dyed a deep red, the baking sun cooking the corpses which lay scattered upon the dunes. Edric watched the sight, crouched down and arms resting on his knees. His sword lay over his thighs, it's steel slick with the same blood that now stained the sights in front of him.

There was a hollowness to his eyes, a stare which seemed to peer beyond anything directly in front of him.

"You did good, Edric."​

It was the voice of Dreadlord Mareou that snapped him out of the thousand yard stare. His hand coming down on the young Initiates shoulder, fingers pressing ever so gently in a reassuring grasp. Edric stared for a moment more, then glanced up at the older man. He was of the second, not the most powerful, but certainly stronger than most.

He had been assigned to lead this mission, and had been the first one on the beach. Edric had never met the man before all of this, but there was a...certainty to him that he found oddly comforting. Even among all of this.

"Both of you did."​

His voice was calm, quiet.

To Edric's ears it sounded strange. He had never once yelled at them. Never one screamed save for in the midst of battle. It was such an odd reflection of who the man was. The patience that he had shown, and the utter massacre he had conducted upon the sands. Edric closed his eyes, a flash of blood and a scream echoing in his mind.

"There's more to come, are you ready?"​

Edric swallowed. "Of course."

The Initiate said, slowly standing. His sword swiped over the leg of his trousers, wiping the blood clean and letting crimson tarnish the cotton. He glanced one last time at the decimation on the beach, and then turned. There was much left to do.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Her braid was caked in blood, already drying and hardening on her violet tresses. Everleigh watched with mild interest as her last enemy choked. Their lips were blue, blood gurgling in their open mouths as they stared up at the sky. Watching the dying’s eyes glaze over was a common sight. Suddenly, Everleigh wondered what the back of someone’s eye looked like.

Was there a lot of blood? Where did the vessels and nerves connect? How did the inside feel? Fleshy like the inside of one’s mouth or soft like innards? The man was dying anyways and so Everleigh knelt down, her thumb and index finger wedging beneath the eyelids. The man was too paralyzed to speak, probably couldn’t even feel the pain as Everleigh smooshed his eye just enough so with one vigorous pull, it was out of the socket. Her fingers had squished it like a overripe grape. Viscous, bloody juices ran down her thin gloves. She tossed the eyeball away, opening the man’s gouged out eye socket with her fingers, and sighed.

It wasn’t that interesting. Not the way it was when pulling off someone’s nail or cutting off their picky finger.

The poison eater stood up as she was addressed, tilting her head slightly at the compliment. Was it not expected of them to kill efficiently? Also, was it not “you did well” instead of “you did good”? Everleigh looked at her twin scimitar blades, covered in her poison but now dripping crimson. She matched Edric in the fact that she wiped her blades clean on her clothes as well.

As she went to follow Dreadlord Mareou, her eyes glowed gold. Saliva was gathering in her mouth, hoping that their next challenge would be more exciting. As she silently walked two steps behind Edric, she began licking her blades, coating them in a toxin that rendered many in a pain they could never imagine.

 

[Edric]

Edric didn't even notice Evie behind him, still lost in thought as he stepped after the second level Dreadlord.

There was no questioning what they were doing here of course, what they had already done. The men on the beach had deserved what they got. Fugitives from Vel Anir. Corsairs that had taken their ship and gone rogue. Their deaths had been too slow for what they should have been.

It never even crossed his mind that they might have been justified in running.

"The town is on the other side of the bay. I want the two of you to approach from the east and get to the center of town."​

Mareou, from what Edric could tell, was nothing less than professional. On the beach he had been quick and utterly merciless. His magic had wreaked havoc on their foes, but he'd never once used it to make someone suffer, nor prolong their death.

A strange thing from a Dreadlord.

"I'll take the west and make sure most eyes are on me."​

He glanced back at the two Initiates.

"Edric, take point and cover Everleigh. Everleigh, poison the well."​

This town, from what he understood, was a small one. Only a thousand or so residents. An island community whose only crime had been taking in traitors to Vel Anir.

Soon they would all be dead.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh looked over to where the town would be, eyes roaming over the general area as they would go to the east while the Dreadlord headed west. It was a smart move, even if they were initiates, they could easily handle their own as Mareou decimated those in the west. Considering how the fight moments before had gone, Everleigh assumed it wouldn’t take long for him to make his way to the center of town.

When her name was mentioned, her gaze went back to what was before her which was the back of Edric and Dreadlord Mareou.

“Yessir,” Everleigh said resolutely, her face neutral. Those not at the academy may have balked at the idea of poisoning a whole town’s water supply. Everyone would be killed— the elderly, the women and children. Many would moan ‘the poor children!’ As if they weren’t a threat. But they were. They could seek revenge for their parent’s death, start up a small, mutinous army and vow to exercise justice.

Killing them all would be best. This was justice.

Everleigh’s eyes went over to follow along the bay, already thinking of the best way to accomplish her task. She’d need a lot of herself to poison a well. The water would dilute it. Blood or piss would be the best vessels. Perhaps both would be needed. Either way, the poison eater was sure she’d create the perfect concoction for the job.

 

[Edric]

Edric nodded, his head as they crested over the ridge-line. There wasn't any sense in arguing, and Edric wouldn't want to. This was the matter of course, what happened to people who stood as enemies of Vel Anir. He had witnessed it half a dozen times.

The thought of trying to change it didn't even occur to him.

"Alright. Don't get yourselves killed."​

It was a abrupt and terse goodbye, but then again one wouldn't expect anything else from a Dreadlord. Edric nodded his head, turning away from the other man and glancing towards Everleigh. He shrugged his shoulders, and then headed along the eastern path.

He had never worked with the poison puff before, but he knew her magic well.

More than a few times the Proctors had used one of her concoctions on him. It was never a pleasant experience. Edric doubted that she even knew. He himself had only come to learn it when Proctor Renou had slipped up in the midst of one of her threats.

Edric held no ill-will towards Everleigh, it wasn't like she'd chosen to poison him.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh nodded her head as Dreadlord Mareou went off to the west, leaving her and Edric to tackle the east. With the dreadlord behind them, Everleigh took her place alongside Edric instead of behind him. Even if he was the Academy’s number one initiate, she felt to be his equal. After all, she had high marks as well… even if she missed class time quite often.

She had yet to ever spar with him directly, mostly because she hardly got caught breaking rules and didn’t need to be punished like some of the others. But she hoped for the day, a day to to spar with him, both of them pushing each other closer and closer to death. After all, it was only fun if their losses were equal in gravity to each other.

“Want to play a game?” Everleigh pulled out a coin, glancing at Edric, a wolfish grin slowly appearing on her fair features to mar them. “Heads or tails will determine a gamble of your or my choice.” She offered, her voice eager at the possibility that she might be able to trick Edric into cutting off a pinky finger she could add to her collection.

 

[Edric]

Edric glanced over towards Everleigh. "What?"

Confusion flickered through his voice.

The idea of gambling on a mission was utterly foreign to Edric. He wasn't here to play games. He wasn't here to try and win something. Edric was here to do as he was told. To cut every throat the Dreadlord ordered him to, and to end all life on this island.

More than that? More than that he didn't care.

"What in the fuck are you talking about?" He asked, tilting his head. "We're not here to play games."

Edric told Everleigh, dragging his eyes away from her and setting it back on the path ahead.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh pouted. How lame. No fun. Or maybe he knew that the coin she pulled out would always land on heads? She had been on a noticeable winning streak around the academy. Perhaps she should lose a game to purposely give the students that false sense of hope? Then she could try again with Edric. See if she could procure that pinky finger.

“I’d expect nothing less of the Academy’s Golden Boy,” Everleigh returned, her voice chimed as if she were about to giggle. “Too bad a proctor isn’t here. I’m sure they’d want you to punish me.” The glee was still in her voice. She placed her trick coin back in her pouch. She said nothing else, the implications were there. She was itching for excitement. But poisoning a town’s water supply? It sounded simple. Easy. Mundane. But she would do as told. Anything for high marks.

 

[Edric]

Edric glanced at Everleigh once more.

For a brief moment he couldn't help but wonder if she had known about her poisons being used on him after all. The way she spoke, the eagerness to her tone. It reminded him of some of the others. Liliana in particular, though Trix was a close second.

"I'm sure you can get all the punishment you want back at the Academy." Edric said with a grunt.

His head shook.

"Or do you want me to just throw you off the nearest cliff?" Not that it was really an option. She needed to poison the town's water supply first, but it would have been a lie to say it wasn't tempting.

One less Initiate meant one less person he'd potentially have to fight in the end.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

“Punishment is only fun if you can escape it.” Everleigh murmured, mostly to herself. High stakes. The proctors knew all sort of cruelties, and underneath Everleigh’s linen layers, her body revealed such things. She couldn’t remember what it felt like to have the sun’s heat beat down on the skin of exposed arms.

“You wouldn’t be able to throw me off a cliff, if you got near me… I’d show you exactly what I can do. You shouldn’t take the risk, Edric, I’m a fate worse than death itself.” Not a threat but a promise. Especially since Everleigh felt like he was looking down on her.

Really her words should have conveyed the fact that she had no idea what her toxins were used for. All that was required of her after she survived being exposed to a new toxin was to recreate it. Recreate it in a multitude of different ways. Make it deadlier. Stronger.

Really, the proctors didn’t understand the extent of what she could do. Her ideas. Her memory. Her versatility. No, her magick wasn’t outwardly flashy. But it was deadly and it was through her intellect that it was dangerous. Her magick would have been wasted on someone with a low creative and calculating caliber.

 

[Edric]

He frowned for a moment, wondering if the girl had thought he was insulting her. It wasn't out of the question, Edric had a reputation for being a bit of an ass. Even the students that liked him tended to think so, not that they were at all wrong.

In this case though, Everleigh was entirely wrong. Edric didn't look down on her, not where her capabilities were concerned. He was probably one of the few students the Academy he could well understand what Everleigh's magic could do.

"Believe me." Edric said as he stopped for a second, looking Everleigh up and down. "I'm well aware of what you can do."

The words were Cryptic, and as soon as he said them Edric began to walk down the path once more.

There was work to be done after all.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh didn’t stop moving when Edric paused. She was going to disregard his words, but his tone changed that. He sounded so sure.

She faltered in finishing her step, as if she had just realized she was about to step off of a cliff, her fingers twitching. That pause spoke volumes. As did the breath she sucked in through her teeth, holding back the questions. Because of her blunder, Everleigh tilted her chin up a bit, her back perfectly straight; and resumed to walk in that scarily balanced way. Even in this terrain her footsteps were whisper-quiet.

To the poison eater, there was no way he could know what she could do. Unless he had experienced some after effects? Or heard stories? Then he only knew a minimal amount. Because after all, how could he still be alive and healthy and the strongest in the academy if he was exposed to poisons that had brought Everleigh to the brink of death many times?

There was a part of her that wanted to show off, to show that she shouldn’t be trifled with. Like a blue ringed octopus, yes, she was small and physically didn’t look threatening (minus the violet hair and eyes), but she made sure to pack a punch each and every time.

 

[Edric]

Edric watched Everleigh half stumble for a moment, his lips quirking into a brief smile.

His stride caught up with hers almost immediately after.

The final test was just a few months away, a year and perhaps a little more. Most students graduated at the age of eighteen, though some got to take the test a year early. Edric intending on being one of those, if nothing crazy happened back home anyway.

He was sure, from what he knew of Everleigh, that she could very well join him in that crop of students along with Noel and Vance. The tower was a challenge, a one on one battle with another one of the students. Whoever survived walked away as a Dreadlord.

Edric intended on claiming that title.

His shoulders squared as they began to descend into the valley, the village coming into view. It was a simple thing, ringed in a wooden wall and appearing as many back home did. It would take them another hour or so to descend to it, but already Edric began to map out their path in his head.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

The silence between them was a comfort to Everleigh, her gaze straight ahead. Focus. Even if there was a swarm of questions, Everleigh had learned early on that one wouldn’t be given an answer just because they asked. At least, the proctors never received questions kindly, even if it was to clarify something. It was best then to only think about the task at hand.

When the village appeared, it helped the dreadlord initiate to really focus. Sure there was time before they would arrive at the village, judging by the distance at least, but time was precious. Preparations would have to be made. Or some semblance of them.

After all, once inside the walls, Everleigh was prepared to be adaptable. She knew she didn’t have to assume that Edric would be the same way. There was a uniformity among them, perhaps not all were of the same material, but each intiate was molded into a similar shape. Her dull eyes glanced over to Edric, taking in his profile, her head tilted towards him just a bit.

He was massive. Her gimlet gaze faced completely forward. Well, better to have him than someone smaller than her, Everleigh thought in her head. Along with a minor thought of how easy it would be for him to throw her off a cliff if she wasn’t careful.

 

[Edric]

As Edric peered into the village below a plan began to come together in his head.

Strategy was the one thing he was actually good at, the piece of book learning he'd always enjoyed the most. Dreadlords weren't commanders or Generals, at least they weren't expected to be, but he'd always liked it. "Do you need to do anything special for your poison?"

Edric asked, unsure.

"Prepare it in any way, I mean." The faster they could get in and out of the village the better. If they ran into trouble there was no doubt in his mind that the two of them could hold their own, but it was better that they remained undetected.

He wasn't sure why, but the briefing had been careful to point out that this mission was supposed to be one of stealth, or as close to it as possible. The Proctors, nor the Dreadlord, had been particularly forthcoming with information. They never were.

All Edric knew was there were to be no witnesses, and he would make sure of that.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh breathed out a soft hmm as she considered Edric’s question. She had been debating what was best to get the largest volume of poison into the well. She had two options: the two she didn’t really enjoy showing off. First, they were gross options. Secondly, it was a great surprise in tricking an opponent.

And one day, Edric could very well be her opponent.

But Everleigh wasn’t a one trick pony, even if he knew about these, it wouldn’t doom her. Everleigh would make sure of it.

“Ah, actually,” Everleigh pulled out the small water skin issued to her before they had departed on this mission. She frowned for a moment, mind rushing through many scenarios. “I have decided on the best poison, but water will naturally dilute it no matter how concentrated the dosage is. I’m going to need a decent amount.” She explained as she opened her water skin.

The last thing she wanted was for Edric to think she was thirsty because she was soft; she was drinking this water purely just for the mission.

“I think in about fifteen minutes I’ll be ready to fill this up.” Everleigh wouldn’t explain exactly how she would fill it up just yet, he would see soon enough. Lips pursing together momentarily as she glanced in Edric’s direction, something clicking in place. So he wasn’t aware of where her toxins came from, or at least not completely. She turned her back slightly to him as she chugged the water, emptying the water skin.

“I could be wrong, but I think,” Everleigh didn’t know why she was speaking up, “they want it to seem like an accident. Like a plague disposed of them. A freak accident.”

 

[Edric]

For a moment he glanced back at his companion, casting a curious eye on Everleigh. Trying to study and figure out ones opponents was an intricate part of being an Initiate. Everyone around you could eventually become an opponent, and it was important to understand all they could do. That was of course also conversely why one did their best to hide everything they could.

It was a game that Edric was no stranger to, but also one he'd never much played into. Arrogance was the reason why, a habit that not even the Proctors had been able to break him out of.

When she mentioned what the Proctors desired Edric dipped his head in a nod. It made sense given the orders they had received. He doubted that the Proctors would be happy if they were seen.

Edric shrugged. "An act of god for defying Vel Anir."

He chuckled.

Such things had been stamped out back home centuries ago. Religion, gods, all taught as little more than superstition and nonsense. Edric had heard whole nations disagreed, but well, he'd never known anything different.

"They want us to be ghosts, so we'll be ghosts." Edric said with another quick glance at Everleigh.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

“For the superstitious, I’m sure it’s frightening.” Everleigh agreed. She shrugged, piecing together more why she was here. They could have placed Trix or even the wonderful Ignatius on this mission. But she could already see why they wouldn’t. For Iggy, he stuck out like a sore thumb. For Trix, the poison was limited. Anyone who worked at an apothecary could figure out it was purposely poisoned. Everleigh alone had the ability to create what she wanted.

And she could make it seem like a wave of the Flux had caught this poor town. Of course, she’d needed to revise a bit. Everyone knew the Flux killed in a week, and she was sure they didn’t have that. But the outward symptoms— engorged bellies, small lesions, fever— could be caused by a myriad of things. Meanwhile, with a raging fever, the town would be extra thirsty. The more they drank, the sicker they would get. And the killing toxin would cause organ failure. Most likely they would die in their sleep tonight or the next one. The children or elderly wouldn’t be able to last until nightfall.

“Ah, like the children tale’s of the ghosts who bring death?” Everleigh asked, tilting her head up to the sky. “It might be the only way to explain how hundreds died in less than two days. They’ll chalk it up to fate.” Everleigh wrinkled her nose at that word, hating what it implied.

“Do you believe in fate, Edric?”

 

[Edric]

Edric was still watching the village below as he waited for Everleigh to be ready with whatever it was she had to do for her poisons. He didn't mind the wait. Half of what the Academy had taught him was patience, the other half...well it was the same as everyone else.

"No." He said with a shake of his head.

The idea of fate, of destiny or any such nonsense had been beaten out of him a long time ago. Once upon a time he might have bought into, might have thought that something would change on the whim of some grand cosmic plan, but not anymore. "The only hand that guides my life."

He commented.

"Belong to Proctors." A chuckle escaped him, his head shaking ruefully.

To most Initiates at the Academy, there was no greater force than their teachers. Their word was more powerful than law. A lesson quickly learned.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh tilted her head a bit, understanding the words but disagreeing with them. Not because she didn’t believe there to be truth in them but because of the fact that really, having your life guided by another is technically the same as fate.

“Interesting. If you’re traveling on your own and see a storm forming on the path you’re heading towards, you have three obvious options: go around the storm, go through it, or turn back and try again. If all three gave you the same outcome: reaching your destination, some would say that’s fate. You were always supposed to arrive.” Everleigh turned her back to Edric and took a few steps away from him.

“Please don’t look,” she said looking over her shoulder, looking rather sheepish. “You may not see me as a lady, but I think I still deserve privacy to relieve myself.” She paused, turning her head forward and then shrugged. “Or I suppose you can watch if you’re the perverted type.” With that being said, she pulled everything from her waist down as she went into a low, wide squat. The water skin was open and her eyes began to glow gold.

It didn’t take long, no more than half a minute and the water skin was full. Everleigh tightened it so nothing would escape and then stood up, pulling her pants and everything else back up to her waist. She secured a few things, such as hidden pouches, and then reattached the waterskin.

“Alright, fearless leader, all set.” She chimed, turning around to face Edric. If he had been watching, she didn’t want to know, so she made sure she gave him enough time to turn his back towards her.

 

[Edric]

"If I'm traveling in a storm I might just choose to stay put and weather it." The young Dreadlord commented quietly. It was really the only answer that he could have to such a statement. He wasn't exactly known for his stake in philosophy.

The thing he was known for at the Academy was winning. On the sparring ground he could go blow for blow with the best of their class, and more often than not come out on top. That was what his focus had always been; fighting. Everything else? Well he left that to the others.

Edric most definitely did not look.

In fact, he seemed to to his best to entirely ignore the situation going on behind him.

Although it did offer an introspective into how Everleigh manufactured at least some of her poisons. Not that Edric really wanted to think about that either. His stomach churned for a moment, and he simply waited until she spoke again.

He waited a moment more, a solid beat just in case, and then turned around. "Good."

Edric told her as he stood.

"Let's get going then." He said with a glance to her. "Serve these people their fate."

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh looked over at Edric with a sense of pity flickering briefly in her eyes. There weren’t many students she could have a philosophical discussion with, about her thoughts. Truth be told, Everleigh spent a lot of time in her room, on the verge of life or death. They stopped putting her in the infirmary long ago when they realized that during her healing process, and being in and out of sleep, Everleigh had very little control of her magic.

So in this limbo that she experienced often, many thoughts came to her. Fate was a consistent one, a subject she was still unsure of. After all, there had been so many times that she thought she would surely die this time. Not many understood that feeling, at least, not many still living. There had been times when she asked others about it, using the example of the storm, and the answers were all the same: go through the storm. Her answer would have been the same, in all fairness to her fellow initiates, but she couldn’t help but think how that answer was from the Academy itself.

“Everyone says that. About going through the storm.” She clarified, softly, more so to herself as she began to walk forward again. “Makes you wonder if when the puppet looks up and sees the strings, are they still a puppet?” Everleigh most definitely was. And she didn’t mind it. Not really. After all, in the academy, there was lots of fun to be had. She glanced at Edric, wondering what he would turn out to be.

“But that’s enough chitchat, after all, fate is what the living discuss and right now, we’re ghosts bringing the most unfortunate sort of malady.” A most humble brag if there ever was one.

 

[Edric]

It was a good question, but Edric wasn't going to be the one to answer it.

In fact, he remained silent the rest of the way.

He had always preferred it that way, quiet. Right now all of his companions on these missions were still potential competitors. One day he might very well find himself facing off against Everleigh on the Tower. What was the point in having a conversation with her?

Any bonds formed now would only make it harder later.

It was only when they reached the outskirt trees around the village that Edric spoke up. "Alright."

He said quietly, pointing towards the palisade wall ahead of them.

"I'll go over first, then call when its safe to follow." Edric was under no illusion, Everleigh was the more important one in this situation. Without her there wouldn't be much of a chance of success in any of this.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh was side by side with Edric, matching his quiet. Besides, the closer they got, the less she wanted to speak. She had been looking straight ahead, and that only stopped when Edric spoke to her.

She nodded her head, dull violet gaze following Edric’s finger before looking back at him. Another nod and she gestured with her hands bird call. From this point onward, until they were out of the village, Everleigh didn’t plan on speaking. Villages like this one, to her knowledge, often had thin walls, hawk-eye grandmas, a gaggle of gossipers, and that one weird kid who would be in the wrong place at the wrong time to only witness everything.

Not speaking further of what the duo was setting out to do only helped to eliminate anyone overhearing anything and getting suspicious. It was just a good precaution to take, and one Everleigh wouldn’t let up on.

After all, why else would the Academy teach so many hand signs and signals to the students if it wasn’t expected of them to communicate as silently as possible?

 

[Edric]

Edric nodded, and then dashed forward.

He moved faster than most at the Academy, it was only a few that could keep up with him. His magic pulled at the reserve of life pooled within him, and using that his muscles enhanced themselves. Within just a short few breaths he closed the gap between the underbrush and the wall of the village.

That same pool of magic pushed him, and then he leaped up and over the wall. With a quiet thud he landed on the other side, gaze flickering around him almost immediately.

When he saw no one, Edric assumed that the Dreadlord's distraction had worked. A smile briefly flickered over his lips, and then he turned around and pulled himself up over the top of the wall. He waved to Everleigh, then waited there so he could catch her and pull her over the wall if necessary.

Best to get her over faster.