Fate - First Reply Captured

[Edric]

Easter Cortos - Alesa - Army Camp

Edric spat blood onto the floor. His head lulled back and forth, mind in half a daze.

He felt fingers bury in his hair, scrunch closed, and then rip his gaze upwards. The swelling in his eyes made it almost impossible to see, but he didn't need his vision to know the Orc was standing in front of him still. The man had been beating him for nearly two hours now, his knuckles almost as bloody as Edric's face. The Initiate opened his mouth to speak, but all that left his lips was nonsensical blubbering.

"You can bring all this to an end, boy."​

The orc's voice was like a rumbling mountain, an avalanche that tumbled ever onward.

Edric wasn't entirely convinced that he was all orc, but every time he'd asked if his mother had been a troll the only answer had been another solid punch to the face. It seemed his heritage wasn't something the man was willing to talk about.

He took a wheezing breath, trying to draw air through his shattered nose.

"Where are the others? We know you didn't come alone."​

Another breath flowed into his lungs, the Orc's face nearing his own as the man still clutched his hair. Edric's eyes tried desperately to focus, to see the man that was standing only inches away. Lips thinned for a moment, as much as they could in their swollen pucker. His head shook, millimeters of movement with the tight grasp in his hair. "I-I don..."

Fuck this shit hurt.

"You hit like a little girl." The comment was immediately met with another strike to his stomach, blood spewing from his lips and casting onto the ground in front of him.

His mind seemed to reel, head pounding, broken bones aching. His wrists had rubbed raw against the restraints, his entire body screaming in protest at being bound to the chair. The Orc let go of his hair, head drooping down almost immediately as his muscles gave out.

"Suit yourself, boy. We'll just string you up outside the camp. That will catch a few eyes."​

 

[Henk]

It was chilly, especially for a sunny day so close to the coast. Henk was never a fan of the cold, and the thick coat he wrapped himself in was a testament to that. Still, the cold hardly distracted him from the unsettling sinking feeling of his stomach. The longer he waited for Edric's return, the more certain he was that his plan hadn't gone well.

A two-man team of Dreadlord Initiates wasn't a conventional group to send on what was a glorified scouting mission to begin with, but Edric had seemed even less pleased when he'd been informed that Henk would be his partner. For his part, Henk understood the trepidation; He had a reputation for being 'soft' as the old Proctors would often say. Being gentle at heart was far from a desirable trait in a Dreadlord.

Even so, it had been determined that Henk's level-headedness would be a suitable offset for Edric's confidence and brashness. Still, Henk was less than confrontational, and he allowed Edric to call the shots as they'd arrived at their assignment.

Several initiates had gone missing in Cortos over the last several months, and the patience of Vel Anir was beginning to grow very thin. Edric was considered quite prodigious, and despite Henk's kind soul, his combat marks were also quite high. As such, the two of them had been assigned to scout a small camp that had been located near Alesa, determine if it had any correlation with the disappearances and if so, wipe it out.

Edric had insisted on sweeping around behind the camp while Henk stood guard and watched for activity. Henk thought it unwise to split up, but his protests fell on deaf ears. Edric had left to sweep around, and was too report back to Henk to discuss the next step of the operation. He hadn't returned, however, and it had been several hours. It was with a sigh that Henk realized his options were either abandon both the mission and his fellow initiate or go in after him under the assumption he'd been taken by surprise.

There was no question. Henk had to go in if he was to claim to be a Dreadlord. How was he supposed to sneak into a camp that was presumably full of hostiles, though? There was obviously the option of flinging down hellfire from his vantage point atop the hill overlooking the camp, but he risked killing Edric as well. No, he would need to be creative, though on such a cold day, he didn't look forward to what needed to be done.

Quickly, Henk would disrobe, sliding his arm sleeves and coat off before shedding the rest of his clothing until the young man was as bare as a newborn. The chilly air bit at his skin, making him grimace as he tightly wrapped his arms around himself, the pores of his skin beginning to emit a bright glow. Focus, he needed to focus on the sunlight bearing down on his flesh, on bending it, allowing it to pass through him as though he were nothing. It felt excruciating, and blood dripped from Henk's lower lip as he bit down on it to stop from shouting.

His pain was not for nothing, however. When it ceased, he had successfully manipulated the light around him to render him nearly invisible to the un-enhanced eye. In truth, it was more of a camouflage, the light bouncing off of him to reflect his surroundings. Quickly, the shrouded Initiate rushed towards the camp, spotting several groups of Orcs already roaming about the perimeter for activity. Slowing his footsteps, Henk easily slipped in, darting between tents the odd few pop-up buildings hastily constructed with spare wood that would barely hold up under a storm.

"You hit like a little girl."

Henk's head swiveled to a large tent to his left. That was definitely Edric's voice. Quickly he hurried to the tent, reaching out and parting the flap just enough to see the massive Orc pulling on Edric's hair. He felt the rage flare within him, the camouflage on his skin fading as he witnesses his peer being abused. When the orc turns around, a thick, meaty punch with the heat of a furnace collides with his face, charring his flesh and sending him to the ground.

No time to wait and see if he's still conscious, Henk quickly moves his hands to Edric's bindings and burns them off. "I told you that was a bad idea."

Edric

 

[Edric]

"Bad Idea?" Edric echoed as he pulled his hands free from behind his back. Fingers almost immediately rubbed at his wrists, a grimace dashing his expression as the pain lanced through his skin. "This was all part of the plan."

That was a complete and utter lie of course.

He'd not planned to get captured, but it worked out in his favor. The Orc had had many questions, and within those queries Edric had found some of the answers he and Henk had been looking for. Lips thinned for a brief moment as he pushed himself up, his legs swaying for just a moment. "I know where the others are."

The Initiate explained, taking a few pained steps towards the unconscious orc. His hand laid upon the man's shoulder, fingers digging in.

A second later his skin began to pale, his flesh tightening against his skeleton. The entirety of his form seemed to tighten and shrink. His life grew thin, and Edric's wounds began to heal. Broken bones set, rent fresh knit together, and swollen eyes slowly regained their vision.

"There's a castle, north of here...I think." Edric explained. "I think that's where they're sending everyone."

Not just Initiates either, but noble sons and daughters. Street kids. Anyone that had even a touch of magic.

 

[Henk]

"Is that a fact?" Henk said sarcastically as he stepped back after freeing Edric. "If that was the case, don't you think it would have been wiser to tell me as much so you wouldn't be beaten for nearly two hours? Would have saved me some trouble, certainly." He supposed it was water under the bridge. He was safe and that was what mattered. The initiate ripped at the cloth that hung from the roof of the tent, wrapping it around his waist.

It was when he noticed Edric lumbering towards the unconscious orc that Henk opened his mouth to object, but he knew as his classmate dug his fingers tightly into the green flesh of the beast that there was no point. This is what they were, and fighting their nature would only prove detrimental. Still, Henk averted his eyes as Edric healed himself while taking the life of the orc.

"A castle? Not exactly subtle. If it's that large, you'd think we'd have been looking into that, rather than a small camp. There was no mention of a residence in the briefing..." Something felt off about this, and Henk's intuition rarely betrayed him. Carefully treading to the tent's mouth, he peeked outside, speaking back to Edric in a hushed tone.

"Getting out of here is going to be a lot trickier than getting in. I still don't have a headcount for outside, but there are at least a dozen. I can't make us both invisible. Not within a reasonable amount of time anyways." Henk's specialty, light shifting magic, was often dismissed as a parlor trick, but when properly harnessed it could be extremely useful, and incredibly dangerous. Edric tended to poke fun at him for it, but Henk paid it no mind.

"I have one idea, but it's brazen and reckless at the very best. What about you?"

Edric

 

[Edric]

"Fair point." Edric contended, shrugging his shoulders and deciding it was probably better just to let the lie go. Both of them already knew the truth, and arguing would hardly benefit either of them. Particularly when he was right about them still being stuck in the middle of this damned camp.

With quick steps he went to the corner of the tent, retrieving his things and quickly strapping them back into place.

His head tilted in a nod as Henk spoke of the obvious oddities. It really was strange that they had been sent to this camp and not whatever castle he'd heard the man speak about. There was something they were missing, a piece of this puzzle they had been sent into. He didn't like it, mostly because the whole thing made him feel like an idiot. "Maybe there's a reason they left it out."

Edric said with a grimace.

"Maybe someone was thinking two Initiates wouldn't get this far." The briefing had been given to them by a Captain of the Anirian Guard. Bellmen had been his name, and he'd been none too pleasant in giving his orders.

His head shook. They could reason this out later, preferably on the way to that damned castle.

As he pulled his belt tight Edric turned on his heel, glancing at Henk with a smirk.

"I love brazen and reckless." The Initiate said. "It's what I do."

His own idea was just to cut their way out. Surely the other Initiate had a better thought.

 

[Henk]

Henk certainly wasn't going to belabor his point. Especially when they had much more to worry about now. Closing the flap of the tent and pulling his head back inside, the young man sighed as he listened to Edric offer his own theories as he retrieved his gear. It was true that the Captain had been unusually terse with them, but Henk wasn't sure Bellmen would risk being stamped with the responsibility of the loss of two prominent Initiates. He'd be punished quite severely if anyone suspected him.

Then again, Henk had always been far too trusting, too willing to see the good in people. He couldn't discount Edric's suggestion. "Evidently they would be quite wrong." He stated simply. Still, he didn't feel like fighting a horde of angry orcs on the way out of this camp. The odds of them doing so without injury were quite minimal.

Edric's healing powers were as impressive as ever, but he doubted that the warrior-blooded Initiate was one-hundred percent after that beating even after sucking the orc's energy dry. "If this is indeed the work of an agent against the Dreadlords, it's possible we may not be the first sent into this trap. We must hurry. Do you have a knife? I need to cut a small hole in the side of the tent, just enough to fit my fist through."

They would still have to fight, but a distraction would tip the scales in their favor. Something big enough to confuse their enemy, send them into a panic. Henk had just the thing.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric shrugged. "Who knows, half the things we're involved in are all games."

The very idea of 'an agent against the Dreadlords' seemed somewhat...not silly, but conspiratorial. Edric was well aware that he himself had suggested the option, but when Henk said it out loud he couldn't help but feel it odd.

They technically were Dreadlords, but...he still had trouble wrapping his head around that fact.

Odd, considering the demeanor he carried himself in.

"Of course I do." Edric said as he pulled the blade from his belt. The knife flipped in his hand, and then with one smooth motion he cut a hole through the canvas

"So what's the plan?" The Initiate asked. "You make a second sun and I kill everyone while they can't see?"

He was well aware of that little trick.

 

[Henk]

"I disagree." Henk replied as Edric set about quickly fashioning a hole as Henk requested. He of course had his own knife, but his gear had been left on the hilltop. "Half the things we're involved in are life-and-death situations poorly disguised as games." Fighting for your life was much less terrifying when it was presented as sport, after all.

Henk approached the small gap in the canvas of the tent. Perfect, this would be just right. He only hoped to cause enough of a stir to give them an easy escape.

Edric's suggestion of a blinding flash of light to blind their enemies was not an unsound one and a strategy that he'd seen Henk use before. Still, for some reason, he turned his head and laughed lightly at Edric once his hand was through the hole, his arm beginning to glow a brilliant orange hue.

"I suppose you must be rubbing off on me, Edric. My idea is a bit more... direct."

The walls of the tent would ripple with a small burst of wind as Henk focused the light through his arm into a highly concentrated beam, aiming at another tent across from the hole. As he'd hoped, the light was powerful and hot enough to set the canvas ablaze, quickly engulfing the large tent in flames. Henk would sweep the beam back and forth, setting fire to even more of the camp until the Orcs were scrambling to try and control it.

Pulling his arm back in, he dispelled the light and offered Edric a smirk.

"Now, we leave. After you."

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric's magic had never been the most flashy, at least not until the bodies began to drop.

The way that Henk and some of the others threw around their magics made him practically jealous. It showy, flashy, but most importantly effective. No one could argue with setting an entire camp on fire, though the Initiate was sure that Henk would pay for that later.

Magic always had a price after all, whether it be stamina or something else.

His own gift cost him only the lives of others, a tax that he had long since written off. At least that was what he told others. "How gentlemanly."

Edric remarked with a smirk.

"Must get you all the girls back home." The knife slipped through the small cut in the tent, severing more of the cloth and creating an exit for them into the chaos.

As soon as they moved out into the tent the chaos that Henk had created was entirely apparent. Fires raged upon canvas and people, orcs rushed around screaming, men fetching buckets of water as the inferno grew. Slowly Edric looked back. "Well done."

Credit where credit was due.

Without another word the Initiate bounded forward, heading towards the edge of camp.

 

[Henk]

Henk hated this, the screams and shouts from the victims of his magic. It was like looking back into the past, remembering all the people who'd screamed and ran from him in the streets of Vel Anir, when he'd been nothing more than a child struggling to understand the extent of his capabilities. Henk knew he was doing the right thing, that this had to happen for them to escape.

But it made him sick to his stomach, and come tomorrow he'd probably be suffering as a result of using this much power. While Henk could control the light, bend it to his will, but that was with a tremendous expediture of his own strength; the stress that it put on his body, the heat of the light itself... Henk felt it all, burning him from the inside. To show that though, would be weakness. There was no place for weakness among the Dreadlords.

Oh, he wished he could simply write off the lives he'd taken as easily as Edric did. That was why he envied Edric so; He had the heart of a warrior, of a killer. Henk didn't want this path, but it was the only one laid before him.

As the light stopped, Henk dropped to one knee, chest heaving as he sought to catch his breath, to hold in the pain coursing through him with every gasp. "Yeah..." He coughed up at Edric. "I'm the star student, don't you know? They all want me." A little sarcastic smile adorned his scarred face as he struggled to his feet and followed Edric through the burning camp. He still ached all over, but there was little time to recover.

A few orcs did notice them fleeing, but between the raging fire and a few escapees, the priority was clearly on the former. They encountered little resistance, and what little they did, a few orcs unarmored and unprepared, was quickly dispatched by Edric's might.

Henk took the lead, guiding them out the east side of the camp and up the hill where he'd left his belongings, just out of sight of the camp. He couldn't see the castle from here, but the smoke billowing from the camp muddled the whole area in terms of visibility. Henk collapsed into the grass, fighting to catch his breath as a thick sheen of sweat shone on his exposed back.

"That was too close..."

 

[Edric]

Edric wiped blood off the odd curved blade he had taken from the Orc camp, using the rag of a torn shirt he had taken from the last man he had slain on their way out. His eyes inspected the blade approvingly, a tight smile flickering on his features.

Henk collapsed just besides him, his voice barely loud enough for the Initiate to hear.

Gaze flickered down to his companion. For a moment he simply remained silent, and then slowly he crouched down besides him. His free hand patted gently on Henk's shoulder, a wide smile touching his face. "You did great, Torchy."

The nickname was clearly mocking, recounting a thousand other times that Edric had used it, but the sentiment was genuine.

"It may not have been the best way, but we know our next step." He didn't blame Henk for being tired, not in the least. He knew that among his peers he was unique. His magic did not train him, did not take away, it only gave.

The others had to suffer the effects of their stamina. They could only do so much before having to stop. Edric had the benefit of simply...not. As long as there was life around him he could keep fighting, keep killing. That was what made him so valuable, and so very dangerous. "Lets get a bit more distance, yeah?"

He said, looking down at his companion.

"Then we'll wait until nightfall." He told Henk. "You can rest up."

It was likely as close to appreciation Edric would ever show.

 

[Henk]

Henk could feel his insides still smoldering with the heat he'd generated, but at the patting of Edric's hand and the most genuine compliment he'd ever received from him, he let out a soft groan and reached for the pile he'd left his clothes and gear in, forcing himself to dress and to his feet. "You want to raid that castle, don't you? With just the two of us?" Stupid question, it was Edric, of course he did.

"The smart thing to do would be to head back to Vel Anir and report what we've learned, hopefully they send us back with a few extra hands." There was an unmistakable gravel to his voice now, as if he had some sort of could. Still, he couldn't help but crack a smile as he eyed Edric. "But I suppose the Dreadlord thing to do would be to not give them a chance to get away, to strike while the iron is hot, as they say."

Henk finished dressing, wrapping the strange, heavy fabric sleeves around his arms and hands and fastening them with the buckles located on the edges. He'd love rest, but he knew that he was on borrowed time before the after-effects of conjuring fire with his magic hit him hard. He had maybe a few hours before he began losing strength; he'd torched himself pretty thoroughly.

"I agree, let's get up to a better vantage point, see what we're dealing with before we strike. No splitting up this time, preferably." Henk began walking further up the hillside, the heat of the blaze below still beating their skin from afar. "With any luck, they'll send some men from the castle to help with the fire, assuming the two are as related as we think. That'll make them lesser in number. Of course, luck isn't something we're known for."

Of course, they had no idea how far this Castle was. Only that it was north. Henk hadn't seen it in the distance before, and even if he would be able to now, the smoke from the fire was filling the air with a suffocating fog, far too thick for Henk to pierce. "If we don't find this place before night, we might need to re-evaluate our plan of action."
Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric nodded, waiting for the other Initiate to dress himself so that they could get underway.

The smog around them was starting to choke out the air, the fires below growing as flames caught on more tents and nearby trees. No doubt the fires would eventually be put out, but they had done enough damage to sow the seeds of Chaos. Perhaps it would even help them at the castle, as Henk had suggested.

As soon as Henk was ready the two of them began to walk, trudging up the ridge and quickly cutting towards the north.

It was about as general of a direction as one could really ask for, but Edric figured that following the narrow road would eventually lead them to any nearby structure. Even if it had once been abandoned, one didn't simply build a castle with no way of getting to it.

Most of the walk was quiet, though surprisingly it was Edric that broke the silence first. "So what are you going to do after graduation?"

Edric asked, musing quietly as he picked up a small pebble from the road, bouncing it in his palm.

 

[Henk]

Henk wasn't used to small talk with the other initiates as it was. Small talk with Edric seemed like the most foreign of them all. Somehow though, the setting of smoke clogging the air over their heads. the faint red glow and the heat beating against their skin seemed like the perfect setting for an afternoon chat with Edric. How strange.

"I... I haven't even gotten that far." Henk had never wanted to be a Dreadlord, but the company that it brought, healthy or otherwise, had kept him sane for so long that he could sparsely imagine life after this. Being on his own again, without the presence of those who had become his family... it was a terrifying thought. "This is all I've ever known. I wouldn't know what to do out on my own."

It was a humbling admission, and perhaps an unwise one given who he was speaking to, but the question Edric presented had caught him with his guard down. "What about you? You always seem so hyper-focused on your progress, but once you reach your goal, what happens next?" It was the same dilemma he had, presented to Edric. What came after this? Was it anything of real substance?

The narrow dirt path they walked seemed to snake left and right in trivial patterns as if they followed the path of an animal rather than a road to their end goal, but Henk could feel it approaching now, the presence of something on the horizon. He could hear distant shouts, the clamber of hooves against the ground echoing through the air. Henk looked back at Edric, silently asking if he'd heard it too before rushing into a sprint, to the top of the next hill.

The Castle was massive, looming over the both of them like some ancient titan of stone locked away by the gods in the before times. How hadn't they seen this on their approach? Even the banners hung so carefully on the tops of long towers that scraped the clouds billowed noisily in the wind, bright cerulean in color and adorned with a strange symbol that Henk couldn't place.

There seemed several ways into the walled structure, but the main entryway appeared to be a large metal gate in the front, a gate which was open and pouring with warriors on horseback towards the camp. There were many, but Henk wasn't so naive to think they would leave such a massive place undefended. There would be a fight were they to try and take this castle for Vel Anir.

Henk clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, eyeing the different gates and entryways on all sides of the castle. It almost seemed reckless how many entry points he could spot. A trap? Were they so clever? turning to Edric, he tilted his head. "I'd say it's your turn. Do you have any ideas?"

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric glanced over towards Henk as he gave the answer to his question.

It was a strange, almost foreign thought that the other boy didn't know what he wanted. A year ago Edric would have been able to counter, say something smart, quick, even biting, but now? Now he was just as lost as Henk was.

That fact was something he hadn't really been able, hadn't really wanted to admit. There was a quiet insecurity about it. A lie that no one really wanted to speak. Things had changed after the Revolution, more than any of them had wanted to talk about.

"Henk." Edric said quietly. "I think we might be more similar than you might think."

He did not meant it as an insult, a cruelty.

Just a simple fact.

Edric didn't know what he wanted. Didn't know where he would go next. All of it had fallen apart when the Republic had come. Every plan. Every desire. All of it simply wisped away the moment that they had taken over Vel Anir. He had known what he wanted once, but now?

Now he worried for his shattered family.

That wasn't something he would tell Henk of course, not now, maybe not ever.

After he spoke Edric fell silent for the longest time. It wasn't a harsh or a cruel quiet, not a punishment for his companion. Rather he reflected, thought about it all, considered where life had gone and lead him until now. Then finally the castle game into view.

The structure rose over them, towering and reaching into the skies. Edric glanced to Henk. "I say we rest."

The Dreadlord said simply.

"Take the night." It was the smart thing to do. "And figure out how the fuck we get in there."

 

[Henk]

The odd silence between them after Henk offered his answer wasn't lost on him, and he didn't blame Edric for being of a similar mindset, although it was somewhat surprising to hear he hadn't come up with a cryptic talk-around for it yet.

Much had changed since the Revolution. For all of them. Some for the better, some not so much. Henk knew that Edric had thrived under the old rule, but at the same time... Henk stubbornly refused to believe there wasn't some semblance of humanity within Edric, that he wasn't a bad person at his core. He'd seen it in flashes.

So it wasn't expected that he would tell him anything more than the few words he offered in reply. For his admission to Henk was in fact the most trust Edric had ever shown in Henk, and the nod Henk offered in return an acknowledgement. They did not agree on many things, but they were in similar situations. They were partners, regardless.

When they had embarked on this mission, Henk had worried about the pairing. Now he felt a renewed sense of trust in Edric, so while he had objected to taking the night to rest before, at Edric's second suggestion of it he relented, relaxing his shoulders.

"I admit I'm not used to you being the one making cautious choices, but I suppose you're right. Under-protected or not, they'll be on high alert after hearing of our escape. It is best to lie low, if even for a short while."

They hadn't brought much in the way of supplies, but then they were trained to hide out on the lam, and the night was far from a cold one. Henk veered off and lowered himself onto the ground a short distance from the path, behind a sparse patch of trees. Only now did he stop trying to conceal how utterly exhausted he was.

"Suppose we should rest in cycles while one keeps lookout in case they start getting curious? If so, I'm afraid I'll need to be selfish and go first. That fire... really drained me..." Henk admitted, looking up at Edric.

Edric

 

[Edric]

As they passed into the clearing Edric sat himself down. His gaze flickered over towards Henk, listening intently as he spoke.

A short few hours ago he had been tied to a chair, tortured, beaten, half turned into a pulp. Henk had pulled him from that situation, dragged him free. Though Edric fully believed that he would have escaped on his own given enough time. "Get some rest."

The Initiate said simply.

"I'll keep watch for a few hours." He assured his companion. "I took enough to stay awake."

Even if it was for a few hours.

Before long he would need another victim, another person to draw life away from. Edric didn't put it in so many words, but Henk had been around him long enough that he wouldn't need it. They both knew that he could technically keep going forever.

He only needed fuel for the fire. "Get some rest."

Edric told his companion.

 

[Henk]

Henk was still wary of sleeping; It was entirely possible he would wake up unable to move, and then he would be far less useful to their assignment than he would be simply tired. Even so it was clear this wasn't up for a debate. Edric had made up his mind, and now seemed oddly beholden to Henk sleeping.

Henk didn't know if it was some sort of grateful gesture or concern for his well-being, but he deemed it unwise to try and prod at the swirling maelstrom of thoughts that seemed to be brewing in Edric's mind. He wasn't exactly the type to talk about his feelings, and he doubted that would be changing just because he'd pulled off that rescue.

"Fine. Don't overdo it. Wake me when you need to switch."

Edric would do as he damn well pleased and Henk knew it, but he still gave the demand as he lay in the grass, tucking an arm under his head as a pillow and letting a yawn escape him. Despite his own insistence, he was extremely exhausted. The warm air, and the breeze blowing it against his body, caused him to doze off rather quickly. The heat that seemed to surround Henk wherever he walked grew faint.

He only hoped Edric was there when he awoke. Otherwise this was going to be an even longer mission than he could ever have anticipated.

Edric

 

[Edric]

The thought of abandoning Henk and simply doing this on his own did flicker through his mind.

If it were the old days he might have done it. Wrapped up this mission on his own and simply presented his findings without his companion. It would have gotten him some acclaim, spread his name around, but...nowadays?

Now he would just be punished for it. It was easier to just stay there, to wait for Henk to rest, and then to complete this mission together.

Besides, the other apprentice had proven himself useful already. Even Edric couldn't argue that fact. Much as he might have liked to on another day.

So the young Initiate simply did as he had told Henk. He stayed awake, burning the life that he had stolen to keep his eyes open. Unsurprisingly, the night was uneventful. No hunters came for them, no soldiers found them. Only peace lurked within the small clearing they had chosen to rest in.

Edric took the time to form a plan, watching the Keep below carefully.

It was two hours before dawn that Henk would feel the gentle nudge of Edric's foot on his back. "Wake up, Henk."

He said quietly. "Time to do some killing."

 

[Henk]

Henk felt like death.

It had been what he was afraid of; setting that fire had taken its toll on him, and the ache of his muscles had been building in his sleep. As Edric's foot nudged him back to consciousness, that pain washed over him in waves. He stretched, his every muscle tightening in protest. "God damn it all,.." He hissed through clenched teeth.

He could feel the beginnings of the day against his skin, young sunlight that hadn't yet breached the horizon warmed him. good, at least he wasn't totally numb. Maybe he had some more left in the tank after all.

Henk rolled to his back and sat up, groggily looking up at Edric. "I should have known you'd try to play tough guy and stay up the whole night." He muttered through the pain shooting up his spine, a visible wince breaking his usually stoic expression. "Suppose I should consider myself lucky you didn't go ahead without me though..."

Henk wouldn't have been shocked, nonetheless, he was glad Edric was still here. This was complicated enough as it was. Getting to his feet was a rough ordeal, but once he was up straight, he was able to hide any of the agony he was in.

"I miss anything entertaining down there?" The initiate asked, meandering over to look down at the castle with a curious eye. Didn't seem too active, but looks could be very much deceiving. "Moreover, have you decided on a plan of attack that suits your liking? I'm assuming from your wake-up call it doesn't involve sneaking in and out undetected."

It was Edric. Of course not.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric only offered the other Initiate a brief flicker of a smile.

Unlike many of the others, he didn't need much sleep or rest. The small tug of life that constantly stream into him was enough to keep him going for days at a time. At least if he managed it well enough. There were times where even he could over do it.

Luckily that hadn't been needed just yet. So it had been the better choice to let Henk sleep, particularly with the amount of his own magic he'd used the day before. "Nothing entertaining."

Edric admitted.

"But patterns." He had never been the Initiate to study the most, but he had always enjoyed tactics. The warplans, battles, and those classes which had focused on the strategy of it all. "There's a pattern to how they move along the wall."

At least there had been all night. "The Southwest corner, passed the moat has the least guards."

Edric explained.

"Only three men." He glanced back towards the Castle. "We kill them quick, then get inside."

From there they would have to wing it.

 

[Henk]

Nothing entertaining.

Henk believed him, because if something entertaining had happened, Edric wouldn't be up here, he'd be down there involving himself with it. What mattered was that they still had an opening; they hadn't been spotted and whoever was in command of the looming structure either hadn't thought to redouble his defenses or was smart enough to lay a trap.

Henk wasn't entirely sure which option he preferred, to be honest.

"Stands to reason there'd be a pattern. With a wall that large, they'd need to follow a predetermined patrol route to cover as much as possible at all times, but there's always a hole..."

And sure enough, Edric had found that hole. The southwest corner only had three men? It still wasn't a foolproof plan, and things could easily go wrong, but both of them were trained to handle stacked odds. The downside was that they had no intel on what awaited them within the structure; it hadn't been a part of their initial mission.

"No, wait..."

Henk turned to look at Edric, a look of apprehension in his features. "We kill them and it won't be long before the rest of the patrol either sees them or notices they're gone. Then the whole place will be on high alert and we'll be in deep shit. No, we need to go around them, not through them."

Pausing for a moment, Henk flexed and relaxed the muscles in his hands a few times. He wasn't sure how much juice he had left, but it should certainly be enough to get them in. Well, he hoped.

"We'll get close, and then I'll blind them for a few moments. We'll have to move fast, but we might be able to get in without them realizing we were ever there, especially if they're wearing metal armor. Come on, lead the way."

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric frowned for a brief moment, listening to Henk's edit of his plan.

He was not eager to leave the men alive. Three guards now meant three guards less if something went wrong. Killing was fast, and though it might create a problem later, it might also solve another one. He shook his head, but eventually decided to follow the other Initiates plan.

"Alright." He agreed. "We'll do it your way."

Edric would never admit it, but he knew that his last 'plan' hadn't exactly gone the best. Perhaps a little bit of input was warranted here.

The two Initiates quickly made their way down the steep incline and towards the wall. As they approached Edric pulled free one of the grappling hooks in his back, unwinding the rope as he pressed himself against the stone.

Then he waited.

A minute passed, then a few more. Eventually the torch light above passed, the rotation of the guards kicking in and their window opening. He threw the hook up quickly with surprisingly little clatter, then motioned for Henk to climb.

He had to go first for the plan to work.

 

[Henk]

Under any other circumstances, Henk would have yielded to Edric's usual leadership role. Henk's ideas were usually taken into account by his peers, but rarely was he considered a shot caller. The ordeal of yesterday had somewhat inspired him into insistence today, however. Edric had gotten his chance to do it his way, now Henk wanted his shot.

The initiate moved quickly down to the towering stone wall, arms already glimmering with heat as he built up light beneath his palms. He would need to act as quickly as the light itself if this were to go smoothly. Edric showcased some excellent aim as he threw the hook up to latch onto the wall. Clean and quiet.

Without a second thought, Henk began to scale the wall, doing his best to keep his boots from scraping against the stone and making any noise that would alert the passing guards. It was easier said than done; more than once he felt his feet struggling not to slip because of his unwillingness to put too much weight on them.

Still, one or two close calls aside he made it to the ledge without incident, letting one hand grip the top of the wall while he let the light begin to glow from his other. Feeling Edric begin climbing as well, he made his move, hoisting himself onto the wall at the same time he swung his hand forward and fired a blinding flash at the guards before they even knew what was happening. The metal helmets they wore only made it worse, reflecting his light and sending it even further than Henk intended; he wouldn't be shocked if every guard on the wall was having momentary vision loss. This was their chance.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric saw the quick burst of light flicker out on top of the wall. His muscles straining as he continued to drag himself hand over hand over the rope. As Henk moved, the other Initiate began to quicken his pace. With quick winding grabs he pulled himself up, catching his fingers on the edge of the parapet.

Quickly he dragged himself up.

Head turned to the right, seeing one of the guards clutching at his eyes. The man was cursing, letting out more than a few yelps as he tried to figure out what the hell had happened to his eyes. Edric shook his head, but did as Henk had said.

Quickly he moved over the wall, motioning to his fellow Initiate.

Then with one quick leap he bounded down the other side.

As he did so he pulled the grappling hook from the parapet, dragging the rope away from behind him as he went tumbling into the courtyard below. He landed with a muted thud, catching himself hard on the other side and grunting. "Quickly."

He motioned to Henk.

"The Keep." Whatever the hell was going on here, they'd found it more in there.