Private Tales End of the Line

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana watched the ungangly man clamber up into the saddle with as much grace as a hog on ice. Her expression was bemused, but she smiled once he was situated.

"West. I haven't a more specific destination in mind, unfortunately." She explained, nudging her elk forward to continue on down the road. The bandit was left to his own devices, tied up in the middle of the road. It bothered her to leave someone at the mercy of the forest, but she understood that he was a criminal and had attacked a traveler with ill intent. Not everyone warranted saving, it would seem.

"What about you? Were you headed somewhere in particular before you were ambushed?" She asked curiously.

While Kasim had already made up his mind about the stranger, she remained open-minded and tried be optimistic. She had to believe that the mainlanders weren't as brutal as the naga.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim kept himself quiet, though he listened acutely to everything the man said. Many people often gave themselves away with one wrong word. The more they spoke, the better it was.

Listening was often a better skill to have than speaking, though his father had always insisted Kasim train both. It was part of nobility he supposed. He wondered if Aviana had gone through the same training. She knew how to fight fairly well, though there was a bit of...naivety to her still.

That much was obvious.

Perhaps the Isles were a little less harsh than Vel Anir. Within his homeland even the noble women were raised to be killers. It was better that way, his father had always said.

Kasim wasn't entirely sure about that, but he'd visited many royal courts where a Princess was as defenseless as a fly. That had never really sat well with him either.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Like Kasim, Kjaran had put the thought of the bandit behind him. He'd have happily cut his throat and left him for the wolves. The mercenary's worldview was quite simple, anyone who attacked him was fair game. "Where was I headed?" he mused, "West". He got his horse moving awkwardly, tugging along the second by the halter he'd improvised.

"There's always trade for me like me back west. I might sign on with a free company, maybe try my hand at bouncing for a tavern, whatever the wind blows me". He jerked his head at Kasim. "And you bard? Going to wow the peasants with tales from further east?".

He began to whistle tunelessly to himself before a thought came to him, "Just make sure to say I've no grey hairs when you mention me".

 

[Aviana Sabel]

A faint smirk played across Aviana's features and she twisted around in her saddle to look at Kasim. "Are mainlanders fond of the wind then? You all seem quite content to follow along wherever it takes you." She could see the appeal, but her peoope had always used the sea in idiomatic expressions.

The peaceful calm had fallen back over the forest once more. Bird cries eventually began to pierce through the silence that had settled around them. She glanced upwards, watching the beams of sunlight filtering through the leaves of the tall trees. It was still unsettling to not smell the salt in the air from the ocean breeze, or to hear the steady crash of the waves against the rocky cliffs. The silence was almost unsettling.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Peasants? No." While it was true that Kasim worked the common rooms of Inn's ever now and again his crowd was usually...better dressed.

Even among the rich Jester's were a rare thing to be found, good ones even rarer. Most of them were employed as Court Bards or something of the sort, staying in one place and simply doing their job as best as they could without ever pushing the envelope too far.

Kasim preferred to be on the move.

That was mostly because of his own personal issues rather than any other reason, but that was information the sell-sword really didn't need to know. The last thing Kasim wanted was for this man to go running to Vel Anir.

"Nobles mostly." He mused. "Kings sometimes."

He shrugged. "Even an Emperor once."

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

The private joke flew over head. "The wind always brings news, both fair and foul. Either way, it's a change". He shifted his weight in the saddle, he knew he was going to be aching in the morning. "Bloody horses, give me my own two feet any day". Horses were a means to an end for him, at least it saved him having to carry his pack.

He listened with interest to the bard's words. "I fought a king once" he declared, "Well against one. Doubt we came within a mile of the bastard though. "Did they pay you well at least?". Kjaran's questions didn't appear to be motivated by anything beyond curiousity. "And now you're back on the road, brawling with bandits and escorting ladies. You'll be able to write a song about yourself".

 

[Aviana Sabel]

A soft sigh slipped between Aviana's lips as Kasim breezed past her remark, and she slowed Erodin so that she was riding a little bit behind the two men. She reached down and fished through one of her saddlebags, finding the satchel that she'd carried with her from Minaris. Opening it was out of the question while so close to the men, but she could feel the warmth and solidness of her cargo nestled away inside the bag. Reassured that it hadn't been lost in the chaos, she tucked the satchel back into the saddlebag and clipped it shut.

She was used to men talking over her. It was common in the court, and she'd hated it there too. From what she had seen so far, that was a commonality between the mainlanders and Sheketh. A woman always had to work twice as hard to earn the respect of her peers, that was something her mother had instilled in her at a young age.

For now, she decided to let the matter slide. It allowed her to focus on her surroundings without having to actively participate in the conversation as it unfolded. If Kasim was distracted with talking with Kjaran, he would pester her with more questions about her. The mercenary seemed quite content to oblige any questions that might arise.

The elk seemed to be just as fascinated by the landscape as she was -- stopping to sniff at various plants, flinching when he heard an unusual sound. Aviana would murmur quietly under her breath to the beast, nudging him along with her heels so that they kept up with the horses.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim wondered which king this man had fought against. He doubted it was anyone within the Western reaches. There were few Kings left in Liadain and fewer ones that could field an army.

He decided not to ask. ”No self respecting bard writes songs about himself.”

The Jester told the mercenary, glancing over at Aviana who seemed slightly dejected. He frowned for just a moment but decided to ignore it. She was the one that had invited the sword swinging psychopath into their little party. It was now his job to make sure the man didnt kill him, them. He supposed he would make sure she was safe too.

After all she was the reason they were on this road anyway.

”Its rather self indulgent.” Kasim explained. ”Besides, there are better and far more interesting subjects.”

He glanced at the girl again. ”Right Aviana?”

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

"Better and interesting? Aye I've noticed ye tend to stick to tales of beautiful maidens, legendary heroes, and fearsome beasts. You never seem to hear tales about Bran the farmer or Keira the seamstress" though Kjaran sounded like he could understand that why. "I've not tried many verses myself. What are your ones about then?"

He awkwardly turned in his saddle to look at Aviana. "Is there one about you then? A half-elven maid with a shield and sword? They'd like that in the taverns alright". He groaned and gave his horse a tap on the side, "You think they'd have figure out how to make these bloody things more comfortable". Kjaran was not a horseman, an achievement for him was not falling off.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She squinted at Kasim as he suddenly turned the conversation back to her. A slight blush colored her cheeks and she shifted her weight in the saddle. "I don't know about more interesting..." She murmured a little awkwardly.

"Any stories about me? Oh... none that I know of. Though Mr. Areth here seems convinced that there will be." She explained to Kjaran with a small shake her head and a faint smile. It was obvious that she thought the notion to be a little absurd, but she wasn't offended.

The mercenary wasn't quite seated in his saddle correctly, the stirrups were pulled too short and she could tell that the saddle itself was too small for him. With a click of her tongue, she sent Erodin into a trot so that they could come up beside Kjaran and his horse. Once alongside them, she leaned over and started to fiddle with the strap on one of Kjaran's stirrups. It slipped further down, allowing the man to better extend his leg and get more comfortable. "How does that feel? I can lengthen the other one, as well, if it's better."

 

[Kasim Areth]

”I've not had the pleasure of hearing that one.” Kasim commented quietly as they slowed down for a second.

The Jester rolled his shoulders as they did so, moving the blade upon his back just slightly and adjusting the weight. He hadn't carried a sword for quite some time, and along with his pack the weapon felt almost strange to him. Nothing to complain about, just a shift in how he had to carry himself.

A yawn escaped his throat as he waited for Aviana to fix the man's saddle.

Briefly he wondered just how long the sell sword would stay with them. It wasnt like he or the girl would be coughing up any coin to stick it out through the spine, and many men would be wear of traveling that particular passage anyway. He shifted again in his saddle impatiently, noting the woods seemed to have gone quiet.

Odd.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran was suspicious but altering the stirrups did seem to help. "It is better" he admitted, "Thank you" he said after a moment. He let the half-elf fix the second one, sitting him better on the saddle than he had been before.

He noticed the jester had gone quiet and he stopped too. The woods were very quiet, devoid of even the usual sounds of birdsong or chirping. He frowned, one hand dropping onto the hilt of his sword. His eyes squinted into the undergrowth, before turning back to look at the other two, raising his eyebrow.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Once she had finished adjusting the stirrups for Kjaran, Aviana straightened herself in the saddle. She hadn't noticed the sudden quiet that had fallen over the forest, but she did recognize that both men were tense. Uncertain as to what the silence meant, she gripped the reins a little more tightly and kept Erodin close to the other two.

She glanced between Kasim and Kjaran, canting her head a little to the side. "What is it?" She asked, keeping her voice quiet.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim frowned, slowly looking around the forest.

He was far from a warrior or soldier, but his father had always made sure he was well trained. Some of that training had slipped away from him over the years, but most of it had managed to stick. One of the lessons he had learned was to respect silence. It was a great way of telling that something was about to happen, a way to tell that a predator was on the loose.

His fingers tightened on the reigns of his horse. ”We should move.”

Kasim said quietly.

He had no idea what was going on, but alarm bells were beginning to ring inside of his head. Something felt off, and although there was no real way to tell just what it was he knew that he didnt really want to stick around to find out. His lips thinned and he motioned to Aviana to get going.

”Sell sword.” Kasim had quite honestly forgotten his name. ”Take the front?”

He was the only one of them wearing armor.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran didn't answer immediately, keeping his ears and eyes open for something, anything, whatever scrap of information he could glean. He grunted in agreement with Kasim's statement, looking back at the half-elf and motioning to her sword. He didn't correct the bard's comment on his name, just trotting his horse in front of them to take the lead.

He ensured his helmet was secure and partially drew his sword from the scabbard. The horse's hooves sounded abnormally loud in the suddenly quiet forest. He tapped his coat for reassurance, something was wrong but he didn't know what. They could all sense it.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana's frown only deepened as the sellsword moved forward to take up his position. She reached out to rest her hand on the hilt of her sword that was still tucked away inside its sheath. Her eyes peered through the trees, trying to see anything out of the ordinary, but everything here was foreign to her, it was almost impossible to tell what was normal and what wasn't.

Erodin was positioned to ride alongside Kasim's horse, keeping pace with it, though he stood a few hands taller than the farm horse.

"More bandits?" She murmured quietly to her companion.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Don't think so." Kasim said with a frown.

The forest would not have gone silent with simply more bandits skulking around. It was an effect of a predator being nearby, something that even the animals feared. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"Something worse." He continued quietly. "Could be a bear."

For some reason Kasim doubted that, but he didn't want to make Aviana nervous. "Probably nothing to wo-"

Just as the Jester was about to finish his sentence a piercing loud shriek echoed throughout the forest. The sound was loud enough that Kasim immediately snapped his hands up from his reigns and over his ears.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

The screech came out of nowhere. Kjaran narrowly managed to keep his seat on the horse as it reeled up, the other pulling on its halter. "Crom's balls!" he swore, gripping onto the reins. It was loud and piercing, his whole head ringing from it.

"What was that?" he hissed back at the other two. His free hand was keeping a tight hold of his sword. He'd not drawn it because fighting on horseback was liable to have Kjaran hack off either his arm or his horse's head. Whatever the sound was, it was close.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana flinched at the sound and grabbed at the pommel of her saddle as Erodin partially rose up onto his hind legs, startled by the horrendous shriek. "Minaris' breath, what kind of demon bears do you people have on the mainland?!" She gasped, grabbing at the reins with one hand to steady the dancing elk beneath her.

Her sword was drawn, held steady in the hand that wasn't grappling with the reins. She stayed outwardly calm, however, and the beast soon settled as his master held him steady.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim slowly reached up and grabbed the hilt of the sword he had taken from the bandit. For some reason he doubted that the weapon would do much of anything against whatever was out there, but it was more a security blanket than something to actually protect him.

"We need to move." He told the other two.

Whatever was beyond those woods had the advantage right now. It could see them...or sense them, and they had no idea what or where it was. Best to try and get a better vantage point at the very least before whatever it was came and cut their throats with a swipe of it's claws.

"Find a clearing." Kasim urged. "Go!"

There were a few legends of beasts that screeched like that.

Wyverns, Banshees, even Harpies but Kasim had never seen any of them. It was a guess at best.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

The road suddenly seemed a lot smaller than it had a moment before. The trees pressing in around them seemed almost suffocating, each one potentially hiding a threat. Even the light of the sun couldn't rid them of the feeling.

It was the bard who recovered first. Kjaran had to agree that this time discretion might be the better part of valour. He spurred his horse forward, doing his best to keep pace with the more adept bard and graceful half-breed. Another loud shriek sounded, this time closer.

Kjaran clung to his horse, praying they'd find a clearing before he tumbled off.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana released her hold on the reins, giving Erodin his head to leap forward. His long legs carrying them both down the road at a break neck pace. She didn't know what to expect, or where it could come from. The unknown only bred more fear as the trio bolted away from the bone-chilling shrieks.

There was a dark thought in the back of her mind, that she hoped the creature making that noise found the bandit they'd left behind first. It was shameful that she would hope for something that heartless, but it was there nevertheless.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sound as she let the elk carry her through the forest, chasing after both the men.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The Horse galloped forward, but Kasim was paying more attention to the sides of the forest. He could feel something, a pulse, though just how he felt it he had no idea.

It was probably just his mind playing tricks on him, complete paranoia digging it's claws in and screaming. Another screech rang from inside the trees, then another, and then another. They echoed into one another, colliding and thrashing like waves. The Jester braced himself, drawing the sword from his back.

He waited, watched.

When nothing came from the forest confusion dawned on his face, his head turning back towards the sell-sword who was still leading the small party.

Then he saw it, the winged creature suddenly breaking from the forest. A woman with wings as arms, sharp talons protruding from her feet; a harpy.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

This time Kjaran couldn't control his horse from reeling. The harpy's charge unnerved his mount too much and the mercenary was thrown, landing awkwardly on the ground. Her face bestial, the harpy swooped over them with another avian shriek. The piercing sound went right through his skull.

He rolled onto his feet, drawing his sword in one smooth motion. He turned trying to keep an eye on the beast, both hands gripping his sword. "Come beast!" he challenged, giving his own roar in defiance.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

This was the first time that Aviana had seen a harpy, though she was so overwhelmed with adrenaline and fear that she couldn't focus on the details of the creature. Her grip tightened on her sword in her hand, while the other kept hold of the saddle to avoid falling off her mount. Then she saw the mercenary fall to the ground as his mount threw him in a panic.

She grabbed at the reins, yanking Erodin's head around so that the beast turned back down the road. His hooves slid and skittered across the surface of the road before he gained enough traction to charge forward. The elk bellowed back at the harpy as she swooped over head towards Kjaran, shrieking.

She was still a few seconds away from the fallen mercenary, but he was at least on his feet and had a weapon in hand. She hoped that he would be able to defend himself until she reached him.

"Her wings! Ground her!"