Fate - First Reply The Fate of Us All

[Edric]

Edric let out a loud grown.

"Kress I'm getting tired of this shit." The Initiate said, running a hand through his hair and lamenting the care he had to take within this place.

He was a blunt instrument. A hammer.

Best served sent into a slaughter. A fight. A situation like this? He felt as though he were being stymied and pulled back at every corner. If it weren't for Ral he probably would have already slaughtered half the city. It would have been easier.

A long breath flowed into his lungs. "Alright."

He acquiesced quietly. "Alright. I'll head over there tonight."

Once Ralene was finished with the safeguard she was forging for him.

"Approach her like you say, and then..." He shrugged his shoulders, knowing that they could only hope for the best. If this girl really was Elspeth Sirl it was half of what they could hope for. If she wasn't? Well they'd be sitting right where they had been when they first arrived.

 

[Samantha Black]

If Ralene was smug it was only because Edric was a predictable sort, though she didn't let her expression linger. As much as she enjoyed needling her fellow initiates, this really wasn't the time. The smith set to work with selecting the necessary materials to start the amulet. The need to remind him the precarious position they sat in was fleeting. He knew it as well as she did, even if he would have preferred to ignore the matter entirely.

That he finally gave in to the necessary precautions and strategy took a small weight off her shoulders. Every day she woke up prepared for Edric to snap and every day she was pleasantly surprised that he'd managed not to. Perhaps he was ... what was the word? Maturing.

"This will take me an hour or two," she warned before taking a deep breath and getting to work.


The forge roared and the sounds of hammer and chisel on metal echoed well into the evening hours. Not at all unusual, considering she'd spend the last two nights making horseshoes and nails to accommodate the rather large collection of cavalry horses in need. By the time she emerged back into the house the sun had well disappeared and both moons hung in the evening sky. It was a clear night, which gave her pause before she crossed the threshold to look out to the roadway beyond the smithy.

It would be difficult to move unseen tonight through Wissburg. They'd have to take care.

"If I never have to hammer another horseshoe or nail again..." she muttered. Ralene wasn't normally one to complain about anything, but the tedious and repetitive nature of farrier work was starting to get to her as much as the strategy and care was on Ed. "It's a near exact copy of my own protection mark," holding out her hand toward him, she opened her fingers to reveal the iron amulet resting in her palm with a black braided leather necklace coiled beneath, "I know mine works when it needs to, but I've never forged a runic spell like this onto an amulet before."

 

[Edric]

Edric stared down at the amulet.

A year ago taking something like this from Ralene would have spelt death. Any such offering would be met with suspicion, careful notice. In the old days he would have assumed that the amulet had some sort of fail safe. Some trigger that would render him only a step above a corpse.

Initiates had not helped one another before the Revolution. Not really.

But now a year had passed, and things had changed.

Slowly Edric reached out, plucking the medallion from Ralene's palm. Lips thinned a she stared at the sliver of Iron, his face an unreadable mask. "We'll see if it works."

He said, thumb tracing over the soft lines.

"Thank you." Edric didn't know what would come next. What this medallion would have to do, but he was ready. Whatever might come.

 

[Samantha Black]

The hesitation was entirely warranted. Ralene had created some dastardly weapons in the forge and used them to put down her fellow initiates with great effectiveness. Yet her thoughts tracked a similar pattern as Edric's - the revolution had indeed changed things. Perhaps as the last class to really grow up under the old regime, they would struggle to find the meaning of true friendship.

But they were kin, in a way. Bound by the blood of slaughter and torture. They didn't need to kill each other anymore, so helping to bolster one another's weaknesses was the best they could do. Ralene's hand remained open and waiting, as patiently as ever, for Ed to come to terms with the fact that he was getting help from someone who would have killed him at any given opportunity just a year ago.

The weight of the amulet leaving her palm seemed heavier after that silent exchange and Ral's gaze shifted slightly under the new weight of words she'd never heard out of his mouth before. Thank you. Her expression remained unchanged but a faint ease to her posture loosened the structure of her broad shoulders, "You're welcome."

A beat, "Mm," Ral fished something else out of her smithing apron and tossed it casually to him, the look on her face having returned to a faint smirk, "I'm a woman of my word."

A hardened iron coil is what he found - made from a horseshoe nail.

"There's your wedding ring, we match." Her smirk grew as she held up her own, "I'm going to clean up, then we can head out."

 

[Edric]

Edric draped the medallion over his neck, deciding that there was probably no time like the present to start wearing the thing.

Throughout his lifetime many different magics had warped both his mind and flesh. Proctors, other students, even a few 'enemies' had done their best to tear him apart in every way. Some he had resisted. Some he torn him apart. But some...

Some he could hardly remember.

When he tried there were flickers. His own hands tearing into his flesh. A blade held in palm stabbing through his heart.

Flickers and memories of death and mutilation wrought by someone who had warped his mind. His fingers couldn't help but turn over the medallion between them as he remembered those times. He remembered how angry he'd felt. The rage as he'd lost all control.

He wondered if something like this would make him even more dangerous.

Thoughts were immediately snapped away as Ralene pulled out another project. A small smile touching his lips as she casually tossed him a small band of iron. His hand launched into the air, catching the ring and rolling it to his fingertips.

A chuckle escaped his lips. "Suppose it's about time you made an honest man out of me."

Edric jested as he slipped the band onto his finger.

 

[Samantha Black]

He wouldn't feel any significant change upon donning the amulet, but he might notice an intangible weight lift from his mind like a fog clearing under the rays of the morning sun.

"Pretty sure you were already honest," Ral remarked over her shoulder as she began stripping layers of her smithing wardrobe and laying them neatly over a chair by the table, "but I'll take the credit anyway."

She quickly washed the soot and sweat from her face, arms, and hands and pulled on her more casual attire. Though she still smelled of hot iron and a hard day's work, there were few in this town that smelled any better. Fuck, she couldn't wait to return to the academy and spend an afternoon soaking in the bath hall. It seemed less and less likely she'd get a good bath before everything went to hell here in Wissburg.

Her ring was the last item to adorn and then they were out the door and off to the tavern. They had a usual spot now - a small table off to the side just short of the bar. It gave them a clean and quick exit and a good view of the entire tavern, plus a window to see outside. The girl wasn't visible when they first sat down, so Ral did the next best thing and ordered food and drink because like hell was she going to go hungry after the day she just put in.

She was halfway through her turkey leg and flagon of ale when the red head reappeared from the back kitchen behind the bar with a tray of clean mugs. Ral nudged Ed's boot with her own and nodded her head toward the bar, "Bread and cheese," she said over a big bite of turkey, "your pregnant wife is hungry."

 

[Edric]

Edric's eyebrows raised comically. "Pregnant?! My Lord Anirius what wondrous news!"

The words were a whispered shout, not loud enough for anyone but Ralene to actually hear. His expression remained stoically blank, clearly marking the best for what it was. They had of course talked about this plan, but that didn't mean he couldn't joke.

"Wish you would have told me sooner." Edric said as he stood from the table. "Wouldn't have let you do all that heavy work at the Forge."

Before she could offer a proper retort Edric swept over and across the room.

His eyes flickered over those inside, watching the tables carefully. The girl at finished placing the last of her mugs on the tables, and Edric managed to catch her just as she was returning to the bar. "Excuse me."

He interrupted with as much kindness in his voice as he could muster.

"Could I bother you for a moment?" Edric asked, doing his best to look as though he were in need.

 

[Samantha Black]

Edric's eyebrows were the only ones to shoot up. Ralene about lost her own in her hairline. She paused, mid-chew, and blinked at him as he made his show of response. Thank fucking god she had as much control over her expression as she did. The urge to burst out laughing pushed at her ribs so hard it nearly hurt. In the end she had to look away from him and bury her face in her mug and hide her snort of derision.

The waitress looked over at Edric with a blink and a small but warm smile, "Of course," she replied while gathering more mugs to fill, "did you need a refill on your drink? Abbott's just fetching a fresh barrel of ale and will be in shortly."

 

[Edric]

Edric shook his head.

He tried to keep his face that mask of kindness, a task that he found more difficult than most. The girl in front of him had something familiar to her tone of voice, just another one of those slight things that made him sure he was right. "No No, not ale."

The Initiate said.

"My wife is uhh...well she's pregnant and rather hungry. So some bred and cheese if you could." His voice shifted slightly, as if his next question was fielded a bit more awkwardly. "And...well, this might a bit forward."

He said quietly. "But we're new in town, and my wife is...well there's not a lot of folk our age to speak to."

A hand came up, scratching the back of his head. "I was...I was hoping you might be interested in making a new friend."

 

[Samantha Black]

"Oh," she replied gently, eyes traveling to glance at his wife and widening slightly as he leaned closer. It was not fear that colored her deep blue eyes, but slight confusion until he managed to get his point across. It was true, there were not many younger folks their age around Wissburg. The town had become very isolated, and not just because it was rather far away from any other major hub or city. The Guard had locked down the gates and the town itself had been subdivided into sectors that, for the normal civilian, were now off-limits.

"I see," she frowned, eyes dropping to the tray in her hands before once again glancing at Ralene, "How wonderful for you both. Of course, I will ..." the girl gently cleared her throat and straightened her posture to look at Edric again, "I will be glad to fetch you cheese and bread once I've served these drinks."

Backing away from Edric and around a table, she set off to finish her rounds.

Ral tipped an eyebrow up at him, "Bit flighty," she remarked as she set down the cleaned turkey leg bone and washed her last bite down with a healthy swig of ale, "can't really blame her though. Not in this place."

 

[Edric]

As Edric returned to the table he let out a grunt.

For a brief moment he wondered if it was even possible to use up all the nice in your body. "No, can't."

He agreed with a nod of his head.

Perhaps it had not been the best idea to let him approach her first either. He stood a head above most people in this room, and he was built like a man who could rip skin from muscle. Despite his best efforts, perhaps he'd simply not acted...vulnerable enough.

"Plan B, I guess." Edric said with a shrug. "We do know where she lives."

Every failure. Every misstep he was getting closer to just wiping this city off the face of the fucking map.

 

[Samantha Black]

"Mm," Ralene conceded to the fact that they just might have to do it his way, though she had large concerns that unwelcomed guests would backfire terribly. Her gaze idly watched the girl as she moved through the tavern. Hadn't paid her much mind the first they met, but now that they had their suspicions she was beginning to think Edric's instincts were right.

The waitress moved about with a sense of grace uncommon within the common people. Seemed to speak well and school her face even better. She was far too pretty to be commoner, even if she lacked the accoutrements one would expect of a noble house's daughter - no jewelry, no makeup, nothing fine about her garments other than their fit. She narrowed her gaze, shifting it away just as the waitress turned to head back to the bar and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Alright, if we're going to do it your way at least let me lead in. She's probably scared of you," an easy half-grin fixed on her face as she leaned forward onto her elbows, "but I have to admit you're cute when you're being nice."

 

[Edric]

Edric glanced over towards Ralene. "I'm always nice."

It was a statement that most, no, all of the other Initiates would have laughed at.

Edric's task in the days of old had been as an arm of punishment. He had beaten most of his peers half to death, had toiled way on the fields of blood in the Academy. That past echoed in him even now, a year after things had changed.

He knew that it would likely always be that way. At least in many of the minds of his peers. On the best of days Edric was a difficult friend, on the worst? Only a few had learned that lesson.

Despite that though. Edric had always offered his own kindness. Even if realizing it was all but impossible it.

"You go in first." He agreed with a grunt. "But if we confirm who she is and she refuses to go."

His eyes flickered to the girl. "I'm gagging her and carrying her out of this fucking place. I don't care who her Daddy is."

The words were said in a low whisper.

 

[Samantha Black]

"I'm always nice."

A smirk of knowing. Ralene didn't laugh at those words, but instead gave a small nod, "I know."

His comments following the brief moment of silence in between though? She snorted in mirth, planting her face into one hand to muffle her bated laughter.

"Here you are," the waitress returned, gently depositing a wrapped package on the table and leaning to place a hand on Ralene's shoulder and spoke low so as not to draw any undue attention, "my congratulations to you, Miss. Anirius smiles upon you both."

Ralene lofted a brow and raised her head from her palm with a glance to the hand on her shoulder, "Oh ... yes, I suppose he does. We've been wanting a child and it seems it took coming here to make it happen. Funny how that works."

"If Anirius has a sense of humor I am not sure, but I imagine the Bishop could give an entire sermon about that. Have you told him yet?"

"The Arch Bishop?" Ralene then glanced to Edric with a frown tugging at her lips, "No. Not yet. I only just told my husband." She seemed unsure and then leaned closer to the girl, "Is that ... something you do here? Tell the Arch Bishop first? I didn't realize..."

"No, of course your husband should know first," the waitress smiled softly and gave her shoulder a light squeeze, "Why don't you both visit me later tonight at my house. The older woman I inherited it from left behind some things that might be helpful for you in the coming months. It's the house thrice beyond the butcher's stand, east side."

A blink from the Initiate and she lifted her hand to grip at the smaller, delicate one on her shoulder, "Thank you, so much. That really means a lot to us. We're just so unsure of everything."

"My pleasure, Miss. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some hungry patrons waiting for their supper."

Ralene watched her go before turning a smug look to Edric and batting her eyebrows at him, "Well, there goes your plan."

 

[Edric]

Edric frowned through most of the conversation, though particularly when it came to the topic of telling the arch-bishop.

There was something about the very notion that set his teeth on edge, and Ralene wasn't even actually pregnant! His expression flickered back to something more pleasant everytime the girl looked at him, but it was clear that something was troubling him.

When the waitress stepped away, and his plan was squashed, his shoulders only rolled. "Easier this way, I guess."

He wasn't entirely convinced about that just yet.

"Come on, have the rest of you're food." Edric remarked with a gentle nudge. "You're eating for two after all."

The smirk flickered over his face.

It was not a short while later that the two found themselves traversing the street the girl had told them about. The walk was not a long one from where they had been staying, though as they wandered Edric found himself clinging to the edge of paranoia.

There was something about this damned city that set his teeth on edge. They still had no idea what they'd be doing at the barracks, and a dozen other mysteries were floating in the air that they still had no answers too.

Least tonight they'd figure out one thing. "Think that's it."

Edric said, pointing to the house.

 

[Samantha Black]

Though talented in many skills, Ralene was not hard pressed to put away food when the opportunity presented itself. Unlike Ed, who could restore his energy just by stealing it from others, Ral had to depend on the old-school method of fueling up before a perceived threat of mission. After putting a dent in the bread and cheese, finishing off her plate and flagon, Ral wrapped up the remaining in the cheese cloth and stowed it in her bag.

But not before finding a small, hand-written note just under the loaf of bread.

Don't tell anyone.

She eyed the note, crumpled it tightly, and shoved it to the bottom of her bag.


"Mm," Ral grunted, glancing at the house and then at the setting sun, "looks right..." but her gaze didn't linger on the house or the candlelight through the windows. They were surveying the road with faint curiosity, "there's no patrol in this area. That doesn't make any sense." It wasn't a main road, but it did lead straight to one of the secondary gates.

Frowning, she lead the way up the steps of the house and knocked on the door.

The waitress arrived promptly, as if she'd been waiting for them, and carefully slivered open the door to get a look, "Good evening, so glad you both came. Please, come in." She stepped back and opened the door fully.

"I hope Orin wasn't too forward about ... making friends, we didn't mean to be rude about anything," Ral remarked as she stepped in.

"Oh no, not at all. Far from rude," the redhead smiled and lead her into a small kitchen area where a teapot sat at the center, "would you like some tea?"

"I'm not much for tea," Ral replied before shifting a faint smirk Ed's way, "but Orin loves it, don't you dear?"

"Ah, well," said the waitress, "I could get you milk, or perhaps just water? I'm afraid it's no good to drink with a babe in the belly."

"Is it not?" Ral blinked in surprise at her as she took a seat at the table.

"Oh no," started the redhead gravely, "it's-" and then seemed to catch herself, "it's what my mother told me. Drink makes the babe touched in the mind."

 

[Edric]

Edric let a half-hearted smile flicker over his face. "Love it."

In actual fact the Initiate couldn't have even really said what 'tea' was. He was pretty sure that it was just leaves boiled in some water, and failed to see how anything like that could be worth drinking. Yet commenting on that fact hardly seemed like it would help the flow of conversation.

Not that he was much help in that regard anyway.

Ralene and the Waitress bandied back and forth for a few seconds. Talking about a pregnancy that was most certainly not real. Least he fucking hoped so. The Revolution had done wonders for lessening the punishments they received, but he was sure something like that would still get both of them in hot water.

His eyes wandered across the room as the two women spoke.

He looked, searched for anything that might give a clue

Patience began to slowly slip away moment by moment. He steeled himself, biting his tongue and letting Ralene do the talking. Knowing that if he said anything else he would probably just bark out the fact of who she was and end the whole conversation there.

She was the reason they were in this shithole, and he was eager to get it done.

 

[Samantha Black]

"Touched in the mind?"
"You know ... odd. Special."

Ralene wasn't entirely sure she understood - she'd had very little exposure to such people, which wasn't unusual in the slightest even for an Academy Initiate. While she did immediately wonder if that's what Chasmine's issue was, she decided to play along and nodded, "I see... well I guess I better start drinking more water."

The girl smiled, pouring out a mug of tea for herself and then one for Orin, "I've some herbs and roots you can have that will help with the nausea and morning sickness."

The Initiate's blue eyes grew wide, "Sickness? You make it sound like this thing is going to kill me."

"I don't mean to make it sound so. Pregnancy is a wonderful gift for us women, but some find it more challenging than others. I think you'll find it a blessing once you're past the first few months, since those tend to be the worst of the wear," she hesitated as she handed Orin his mug and looked between the two, "you found my note?"

Ralene connected her gaze with Edric's briefly and nodded, "We haven't told anyone else yet. Can I ask why?"

The waitress seemed to steel herself and lowered her voice, "Have you noticed anything odd about this place?"

"A few things," Ralene replied slowly, eyes narrowing, "but we just sort of thought it was part of the whole Wissburg deal. ...we came here expecting a place called Vel Luin-"

"You musn't speak that name here," the waitress intoned suddenly, "and you mustn't tell anyone about your expectant child. Have you noticed there are no children to be seen in town? None at all. The church takes them and they're never seen again. In fact it's best you both find a way out of here as soon as you can. You really musn't stay, for the sake of your unborn child."

Ralene straightened her posture, "Does the name Aludra mean anything to you?"

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Elspeth Sirl visibly froze where she stood and swallowed, hard.

Though her heart had leapt at the name and begun racing so hard she could nearly feel it hammering in her temples, she held her collected composure and ever so gently cleared her throat.

"Yes," she said carefully, "Aludra is a close companion of my family."

A pause, Elsi set her mug of tea back down on the table, "Who are you and how do you know that name?"

 

[Edric]

A man could really only take so much. The conversation carried on. The talk continued, and every second that went on frayed Edric's nerves more and more. Fingers curled slightly, drawing over his thigh. Patience thinning, thinning, thinning and...

He didn't expect the truth.

Every ounce of him had thought she would lie. Had thought an excuse or denunciation would slip from her tongue. Yet the truth came.

A sense of relief washed over him. A breath drawing into his chest as he realiozed that finally they had at least achieved a step forward in this fucking town. Edric briefly glanced towards his companion, offering a small muted smile.

"We're Dreadlords." Not quite yet, but close enough.

He stood up from his chair. "You're Elspeth Sirl."

Edric was done with the deceptions. The lies. The moment she had recognized the name. The second she admitted to it had been a mark. It was enough for him, alongside what he had seen the night before. "We're here to get you out."

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Eyes widening at the young man who stood from his chair, Elspeth felt that he seemed entirely much more intimidating here in her home than he did at the tavern. She wanted to step back and give herself some much needed safety of distance, but the words that tumbled from his mouth stopped her entirely.

"Dreadlords?" she looked from him to the other young woman and back. The pair of them seemed quite young to be Dreadlords ... perhaps they were freshly graduated? But it wasn't yet time for that - she was certain. Her brother had not even graduated and they very much looked to be the right age for his class.

But she digressed, she'd allowed her thoughts to wander and the penetrating stare she was getting from Edric wasn't helping.

"So you've found me," she breathed quietly, giving him a side-eye, "so easily it seems."

"We had the advantage that were looking for you," Ralene spoke up from where she sat, looking far too pleased with herself, "I don't think anyone in this town realized you were here."

"I suspect my circumstances would be much different if they had..." she admitted with a short, wary nod, "but you see what's going on here, do you not?"

"There's a whole lot going on here," Ralene replied, "and I doubt we've even seen half of it. We're not here to find out what's happening in Wissburg, we're here to bring you home."

"But these people here are innocent. The townspeople they killed when they took over were innocent. We cannot just ...leave them?" lips drawn thin, Elsi looked between them, her voice low and wavering on the urgency of the predicament this town found itself in, "They need help - the people in this church are murderous and crazed."

 

[Edric]

Edric didn't have any real argument there.

Wissburg was all kinds of fucked, and a part of him wanted to stay and fix every little bit of it that he could. But that wasn't the mission. They were here to save Elspeth Sirl, get her back to her family and the Republic that were waiting for her. "Doesn't matter."

He said as simple fact.

"This place is fucked to seven hells." They had killed a dozen Dreadlords. Somehow managed to hang them from a tree.

It was a mystery that Edric was still puzzling over, but it wasn't why they had come here. Wasn't why the Academy had sent them.

"Respectfully." Though his tone of voice offered no such thing. "Like my companion said, we only have one job."

Nothing else much mattered. "The rest of his mess? That's for the Guard."

The Republic, whoever the fuck else wanted to handle it. Those little mysteries were still biting at him, eating at his very core. He wanted to know what the priests were doing. Wanted to know the odd tumble of Wissburg, but...that wasn't why they were here.

"We're here to bring you home." His tone left little argument.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

"So that's it then?" Elspeth replied in kind with a tone as level with disappointment as Edric's was with his facts, "I get saved because of my last name and to hell with everyone else?"

"Listen-" Ralene tried to interject calmly but was cut off.

"They're recruiting from every nearby village and town outside of Vel Anir proper," Elsi pointed a hand toward the front windows of her home, currently shuttered by curtains, her voice just a hiss above a whisper, "This corruption isn't going to end here, it's already spreading and they're killing anyone that tries to stop them."

"We know," Ral's expression went dark, "there's a tree just outside of town decorated with Dreadlord corpses."

"What are you talking about?" Elspeth blinked at her, "There weren't any Dreadlords in Vel Luin when I arrived. I got here a week before this group showed up and forcefully took over. The only people to fight back were the local guard and some farmers. The poor old woman who owned this house refused to attend the church services so they-" she blinked and bit at her lip, turning to look away at the sting of tears in her eyes, "there was nothing I could do to help her. They would have killed me, too."

 

[Edric]

Edric flickered his gaze over towards Ralene for a moment.

Was it possible that those hanging from the tree weren't actually Dreadlord's? It was a possibility that in truth he'd never even considered. The idea that anyone would invite such ire was...ludicrous. But a coat draped on a corpse served as identifier enough.

A false flag that would scare most soldiers.

Lips thinned for a brief moment, fingers tightening, and then slowly it shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

Edric said stiffly.

"You're alive, and you're going to keep on living." Those who had died were not Elspeth Sirl. They were not who Ralene and Edric had been sent to find. "We're here to get you out."

He reminded her. "The Guard can deal with Wissburg and their Bishop."

As much as he would have liked to, Edric knew that wasn't their deal here.

"Pack what you want." He declared. "We're getting out of this fucking shit show of a town."

Even if he had to carve his way out.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

The discontentment with the situation unfurling around her clearly showed on her face. Brows furrowed, Elspeth looked between the two for a drawn out moment, "And if I refuse?"

She watched the young Dreadlord woman's smirk grow wider and felt her stomach grow unsettled with the amount of teeth showing as it split into a broad grin. There wasn't any way she could fend them off of her - the man looked like he used fully-grown horses for weights in his workouts and the woman wasn't far behind. How did the pair of them even manage to get into the city without blowing their cover?

Ralene at least made a passable blacksmith, but come on - who in their right mind would think Edric was just a butcher's boy?

"Then he's probably going to knock you out and toss you over his shoulder," Ralene replied cooly, "but we'd like to avoid you returning home concussed. It would look bad on our mission report."

Wouldn't be the first time things had come to that, she thought to herself. She crossed her arms at her front and glared accusingly at nothing for a moment before glancing warily over at Edric, "There's no need for such barbarity. I'll go, but I want some kind of assurance that Wissburg's people will get the help they need."