Fable - Ask The Tide Turns[Historical]

[Rhea]

900 years? Rhea was tired at the very thought of living 900 years - serving - for 900 years. Because that would be her destiny if she lived that long. The crown. Serving the Kingdom. It already wore on her now and the crown only hovered above her head. She'd been crowned in a sense but it was more of a pageantry thing, the true power and weight she would not feel until her father died and then she would bear it alone. 900 years of that sounded..

"Fuuuuuuuuuck, that," Rhea commented and flopped onto her bed roll, taking a bite of some of the jerky she had managed to snag from the elven supplies before they left. "I couldn't put up with Gideon's ugly face that long, I'd end up throwing myself off a cliff," she joked to lighten the mood.

"Oi!" the Dreadlord snarled and threw a rolled up piece of parchment at her head which she avoided with lethal grace, giving him a smirk in return.

 

[Clarissa Vansire]

"Gideon's face would certainly make a one-thousand year lifespan miserable," she said in a light tone.

The lifespan, the physiology, the lifestyle, all of it made them clearly distinct and different from her. But for Clarissa she'd never taken as many lives as she had in the initial job. Taking Ealin, the tower that the elves called An-Tyr, had resulted in hundreds of elves slain.

She'd told herself it meant nothing. It was retribution, justice, for what had happened to them.

But actually taking those lives? She'd personally killed a dozen of the creatures herself. But it was the final one, the one who begged and pleaded, that made her reconsider whether these elves were all too different from Anirians.

But, no, Leoric had been right. "After a few centuries you probably dismiss anything that would make you like us." That was the truth. After a century or so they became nothing more than beasts. Killing them was no worse than slaughtering cattle.

"Early morning tomorrow." Claire pulled her sleeping bed's cover over herself, not able to sleep but wanting to ignore the piece of her conscious that kept nagging at her.

 

[Leoric Virak]

Leoric nodded along with his companions, and then with Claire pulled herself into the covers of her sleeping bag he followed suit.

Unlike her he had no qualms about the task at hand.

The elves had burned nearly a dozen cities, had almost torn Vel Anir itself down. There was no forgiveness that he could offer them, no pity that would abstain them of the fate that they had set for themselves. Leoric was sure of that. He knew it to his core.

Gideon took first watch, and in the middle of the night he awoke Leoric to take the second. By the time the Virak Dreadlord woke Rhea, night was still looming over them. A hand gently grasped the Princesses' shoulder. "Rhea."

He said softly.

"They're watching us." Leoric said as she awoke, careful to motion her to stay quiet. "In the treetops."

There was no alarm in his voice, just a simple assurance that he was right.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea covered a yawn with her hand as she sat up and gave a small nod she understood. There was no disbelief or mistrust that would befall their descendants in the centuries to come; they were a brotherhood and if Leo said it was so it was so. That he didn't sound concerned made her believe that for the moment they were not a threat either though that was not to say they wouldn't be soon.

She didn't reach for her blade but she made sure it was close.

"How many?" Rhea asked as quietly as possible as she stood up, continuing on as if she really was just getting ready to take the next watch.

 

[Clarissa Vansire]

Clarissa had found herself in the midst of one of the most wondrous dreams. Hoards of servers were coming up to her and offering her versions of the cheap street food Frederick and herself grew up on. All of it accented with faux prim and proper Central Anirian accents. All the while a sommelier recommended various high end wines that didn't exist outside of her dreamscape.

It was incredibly reminiscent to the life the Vansires had before the war. The life her grandmother had regaled her about in countless tales.

As Rhea asked Leoric for clarification on the number of elves watching she simply let loose a snore while fully encapsulated in her dreamscape.

 

[Leoric Virak]

"Four, maybe five." It was hard to tell with all the trees around them.

He hadn't spotted them of course, but subtle wards and touches of his own magic had been enough of a warning. For now the Elves were simply watchful. It was likely they had felt the terror of the Falwood, the shaking of the trees.

None of them could know the real danger he and the others posed.

His head briefly turned towards Clarissa as she let out an earth shaking snore, a smile touching his lips for a brief moment. "Do we want to kill them?"

Leoric asked.

"We were told to draw eyes." He pointed out, almost immediately contradicting his question. "They're certainly watching, but I'm not sure having them at our backs is a good idea exactly."

 

[Rhea]

"No," Rhea shook her head and put another log on the fire to keep away the chill of the night, then settled herself down before it with her large unwieldy looking blade laying across her lap. In the firelight the many fractured colours made it look as though the thing were made of glass. From her satchel she pulled out a half finished wood carving and a file.

"Let them watch," she sounded as calm as she looked as she began to smooth the edges of the small sculpture. "The more they report back we're a threat the more forces they'll send. The great the chance we give the others. Go, get some sleep. I'll tell Clarissa when it's her shift."

 

[Clarissa Vansire]

The dreams continued until eventually the sound of a log hitting the fire and whispers called her out of her sleep.

"Spooky." That was her only response as she was filled in on the watchers.

She scanned the tree-line to see if she could spot any of the moving figures and as she struggled to clearly identify any she briefly considered using her magic to disable one of her eyes to get a better look at how many of the knife-ears were watching them.

Thinking better of it she instead leaned her back against a tree and wiped the drowsiness from her vision. "Think they know about the first tower?" It could be that the elves simply were watching them because they believed them to be trespassers, or, it could've been something more sinister.

 

[Leoric Virak]

Leoric nodded in agreement.

It was no skin off his bones if Rhea wanted to spend the night being watched by a gaggle of elves. He doubted they even realized what was happening. Curiosity had likely taken hold, and at the end of the day the Princess was right.

This was why they were here, to draw eyes.

By the time Clarissa was awoken, Leoric was sleeping in the confines of his bedroll. Comfortably tucked beneath a blanket and laying as though he were a corpse. Oddly enough, his eyes seemed to remain open even as he slept.

Staring ahead in a great unknown.

The elves, for their own part, did not seem to trouble the four humans. Instead they continued to stick to the tops of the trees, watching in silence. It was as though they were not quite sure what to do with the Dreadlords. The natural patience of their people inclining them to simply sit and wait. A habit which would be their undoing.

 

[Rhea]

"Sssh.." Rhea hissed and in the specific hand talk developed by the Anirians for times such as this Rhea continued.

I don't think so, but best not to make assumptions. She glanced towards Leo who was laying like some kind of fucking vampire and shook her head.

"That's fucking creepy, isn't it?" she pointed at his open eyes despite the soft sounds of sleep coming from his mouth. She contemplated putting a sheet over his face but it was Clarissa who would have to deal with open-eye-mcgee until the sunrose. Shaking her head she hunkered back down into her bedroll.

Just act normal, wake us in a few hours and we'll be off, fluffing up the bundle of clothes she used as a pillow Rhea soon settled down and fell back into a quiet slumber.

 

[Clarissa Vansire]

Clarissa gave a nod and motioned back. Got it. I'll take watch, sleep well.

"It's really, really, fucking creepy." Claire had gotten a single look at Leo's dead eyes and made the decision that while she wouldn't throw a sheet over his face she would be positioning herself in a spot that allowed her to get a three-hundred and sixty degree view of the campsite without seeing that endless stare.

It was quiet after that, nothing but a crackling fire and the sounds of insects. A few times she'd catch a branch rustle as one of the elves stalking them adjusted but throughout the night their watchers never took any action against the small group of Dreadlords.

As the rays of sunlight began to break across the horizon she took a reprieve of her watch and used the smoldering embers of their campfire to cook some of the meat they'd brought with them. Getting an early start would be important.

Plus, she figured her companions awaking to the smell of food was as good an alarm clock as any.

 

[Leoric Virak]

Leoric's eyes flickered to the side as he caught the scent of cooking meat. For a brief moment he lay there, looking at the tree tops. He saw nothing but greens and the shifting of winds, but that meant little. The Elves were good at hiding.

"That smells good." The Dreadlord finally said as he pulled himself up from his bed roll. Eyes blinking rapidly as he dried them and glanced over towards Clarissa.

Gideon apparently was already awake, chewing on some of the food that the other Dreadlord had begun cooking. He seemed better than he had the day before, though that wasn't too surprising given the amount of alcohol the man had drunk days before.

Our friends still around? Leoric's fingers flickered towards Clarissa.

No doubt they still were, but he wanted to make sure. "We should get there today, probably around sun down."

The Dreadlord remarked.

 

[Rhea]

"Maybe we can catch something a bit nicer to eat," Rhea said with a yawn, having woken to the smell of sausages and Leo's last words. She stretched and sat up, rubbing at her eyes which were already fixed with obvious hunger on the fried foods. A lot of walking made a woman hungry and their meal last night had been a sad soldiers affair. "For our evening meal that is, this looks fucking delicious," she announced and flung the furs from her to grab her plate and some of the food just coming off the pan. Out of her bag she dug some of the elven bread she had managed to secure before the stores were completely looted and began carving big slices for everyone to mop up the fat with.

"My mother used to get so annoyed when I snuck down to the kitchens to do this when I was a kid," she continued as though the quick conversation by hand was not happening. If the elves thought them all noble humans they might dismiss them even more.

 

[Clarissa Vansire]

"That bread was a stroke of brilliance." A second bite of the stuff followed as she discretely signaled back in the Dreadlord sign language. Yes, though I think they changed shifts.

There had been a flurry of activity around an hour prior to the sun cresting, she assumed it had just been a changing of the guard.

Picking up on Rhea's attention she nodded along. Technically the trio of them had all been nobility even if her upbringing was a tad less fanciful, especially in her early childhood. "Yes, the au pair constantly nagged that I would regret my eating habits in my teenage years," she took the last of the sausages off the pan and doled them out, "though I'm certainly not regretting this meal."

Getting to their destination by sun down would be ideal. She had a feeling they'd need to dispatch the elves spying on them as they neared the tower, lest they have enemies at their backs.

 

[Leoric Virak]

"Fackin' prissy li-" Before Gideon could finish his sentence Gideon noticed the way that Leoric was looking at him.

"Ah." He said clearing his throat. "Love me a bit of sausage."

The other Dreadlord said, interrupting himself and continuing the charade that was being played around the morning meal. Though House Urr, which Gideon had come from, was of the Great Houses it was no secret how they raised their children.

Notoriously harsh, Urr did not recognize anyone born to their name until they proved themselves. It was an incredibly brutal, and outright violent family from what Leoric understood. Gideon had survived not because of his size, but because the Dreadlords had taken him. Quietly, he himself would admit he wouldn't have lived long when comparing himself to his siblings.

Good, the more they switch the less they understand. Leoric signed back, and then spoke.

"Our cook was always happy to make extra." The Dreadlord said. "We used to bribe the maids to bring us what he made."

He shared with a smile, then looked at his allies. "We should head off soon."

 

[Rhea]

Rhea nodded in agreement and the small group soon fell into a companionable silence as they finished their meal, with the odd little comment here or there about some seemingly random or pointless thing. When they were done like all good soldiers they doused the flames of the fire and covered the ashes with fresh soil then packed up their things and set off, leaving barely a trace behind them. If the elves had not been watching to begin with they certainly would have had a hard time tracking the Dreadlords.

I think they heard what you did to the trees.

Rhea's hands flashed as they walked through the almost arrow straight path. The same sense of terror did not grip the forest today but it still lingered and only the bravest of birds chirped up above.

 

[Clarissa Vansire]

What did you do to the trees anyway?

Clarissa had managed to hold off the curiosity throughout the previous afternoon, the entirety of the night, and through breakfast. But now with her pack hanging from her shoulders and a solid day's march ahead of them while being stalked by elves in the tree tops she felt more entitled to some sort of answer.

In fact, while she would never blame Leo, she was coming to a similar conclusion as Rhea. That perhaps their new friends were the result of his magic.

 

[Leoric Virak]

As they walked alongside one another Leoric kept up the ruse of conversation. Speaking with Gideon about the latest fights in the great games and whether or not the Luin Lions would overcome the Cirak Cockatrices in the next match of Anir-Ball.

A sport that obviously all of them knew all the details about.

Yet as they spoke his own fingers flickered. I read a theory, by Magus Vormir.

Before the founding of the Dreadlords, Vel Anir had had those who could wield magic of course. Though their number had been far fewer, and most had been more scholars than soldiers. Magus Vormir was one of those who had in fact been both, though he'd sacrificed himself close to the end of the first war.

He thought the Falwood was alive in some way, connected. That it could feel and sense things. It was likely that they had both at least heard of the theory, of course. So I made it feel pain.

It was then that his companions might notice the branches of trees seemed to bend away from Leoric.

 

[Rhea]

Fucking creepy, Rhea gestured to Clarissa with the touches of tone that made it jokey, though there was a slight jar to the way her hands moved. Leo's answer the other day about what his magic involved was no comfort now in explaining what exactly he'd done to the forest to make it scream. Could he do that to any one of them? She found her power calling for her to make something that might shield her from that kind of magic, which was a ridiculous notion.

Dreadlords would never kill one another. They were a brotherhood.

Whatever you did, I think the Elves are connected to the Forest. They either felt what you did, or they heard something made them scared. They might have their suspicions about what we are.

 

[Clarissa Vansire]

Clarissa had spent just as much time as the rest of them at the academy and while she couldn't recall the theory purely from the name Magus Vormir once Leoric explained it she remembered the precise lesson like it was yesterday.

Though she wondered if that lesson meant more to the Virak scion considering he'd actually put it to practical use.

Very. Fucking. Creepy. she discretely signaled back to Rhea. Sure, all of them had magic that would be deemed strange to regular people. Even at the academy several other students believed that Claire's magic incapacitating parts of her own body was unusual. But, there truly was something about Leoric's magic that caused a chill to creep up her spine.

She nodded along with what Rhea had suggested. Not ideal. The longer they held the truth of the Dreadlords, that humans had manifested magical abilities that rivaled some of the elves, the bigger the tactical advantage they'd have.

The fact they had spies following them, that the elves potentially knew that humanity had produced battlemages, wasn't great.

 

[Leoric Virak]

Not entirely ideal, he agreed, though perhaps inevitable.

If he hadn't done what he had, the forest would have continued to lead them in circles. Leoric did not regret his actions, though he knew exactly what the two women were saying. There was a timer on this escapade now, especially with he spies still watching.

Eventually the Elves would understand what was happening, of course, that was half the purpose of this mission, but the sooner they realized the better they would be able to defend themselves. We should kill them.

He offered the other three.

After the tower it won't matter. Leoric continued to communicate. But if you're right and this is the second batch watching us, they could give us away.

At least to those at the tower. Kill this lot, by the time they figure out what happened to them the tower will be ours.

The mission would be accomplished at least. The elves would turn their focus, and the army could march deeper into the forest.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea frowned as she mulled over Leo's plan. If this was the second batch then they were already discovered, though what the first batch would report back to their Commanders she had no idea. A group of human soldiers passing through, perhaps. Maybe they were following them to see if it was they who had caused the forest to scream with such agony. Since they'd been watched none of them had used magic. If they killed them without magic then if they were discovered, there was little to connect the crimes on paper.

The elves knew any Anirian would kill any elf it saw.

Without magic, if we're going to do it. The longer Dreadlords are a secret the better for us, the more surprise we have.

 

[Clarissa Vansire]

No magic?

It took her a second to understand the logic of what had just been communicated. They had a much better shot of killing all of the elves if they deployed their full arsenal right here and now. But Rhea was probably right, if they refrained from using their arcane talents then it mattered little if one of their stalkers slipped away and reported back.

They'd just be humans invading their homes once more.

If anything a sudden attack without warning, without magic, might cause the elves to underestimate the sophistication of what the Anirians were planning. Alright. No magic. How are we doing this?

They needed a plan, they needed to execute this attack perfectly to minimize the risk of someone getting injured or the elves posing a true threat and forcing someone to use magic to save their life.

Unfortunately, no such plan would be made as Gideon Urr's patience had apparently run out.

"Let's get this party going." Gideon drew a throwing axe and chucked it over his shoulder at an elven ranger he'd been eyeing for the past several moments. It buried itself into the knife-ear's scalp and his body fell into the forest bed with a loud thud.

Then one of his companions sounded a high-pitched whistle and chaos ensued.

 

[Leoric Virak]

Leoric nodded his head, about to say something else when Gideon suddenly turned and chucked his throwing axe into the canopy. There was a loud thunk, and a lithe elven form fell to the ground with a sudden loud thud.

A curse escaped the scion of Virak's lips, though even he had to admit it was a good throw.

Arrows came down almost in an instant. The elves sending down a rain of thorns onto the humans, likely hoping that they wouldn't have to dirty their hands. Leoric spun around almost immediately, darting towards one of the nearby boulders as quills struck the ground near his feet.

He took in a sharp breath, calling to the Well.

A thin trickle of it's power flowed through him, strengthening muscle and bone as he whirled out from the boulder. Sword flickered into his hand, and within seconds he was darting forward. Weaving through arrows until he reached the first of their foes.

The elf quickly moved, tossing his bow and drawing two long knives from the side of his belt. Anirian steel met Elven metal with a cascade of sparks, surprise flickering over the knife-ears as he marveled at Leoric's speed.

"Wait we-"​

Vile words were cut off before they could ever be whispered, Leoric suddenly shifting. His blade darting away from the elven knives before striking once more. The swiftness of the blade finding the Dreadlord's foe by surprise as it first caught his thigh, and then pierced through his stomach.

 

[Rhea]

"For fuck's sake Gid-" Rhea wrenched the shield off her back that looked as though it were a circle of beautiful stained glass. That glass began to expand turning the shield from an easy to carry boss into a shield large enough to hide her entire form behind. She brought it up and slanted it to provide protection to both herself and Clarissa, who just happened to be the closest person to her when the arrows began to pour down. Leo was already a blur of movement rushing towards the elves who had jumped down from the treetops to engage them hand to hand.

Rhea glanced a peak up at those still firing arrows.

With a grimace she glanced to her friend.

"With me," on her nod she moved them over to the shelter of one of the large trees and then let her shield retract. "I'm going up," she explained, glancing up at the tree and plotting her route. "Make sure no-one tries to follow me," with that she put the shield on her back and then jumped, catching a hold of the lowest branch and heaving herself up into the tree tops.