Fable - Ask The Tides of Fate

[Ruvsá]

Ruvsá stomach growled as she lowered her arm and looked at Estrid with a sigh.

"If Sindric wants to be a martyr, let him," she muttered, scowling as she sat up, cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders. "Our plan will still work. He's given us a distraction, so maybe you won't need to do the fog. And we'll just send a flaming load from one of the trebuchets at the end to ignite the ship and maybe take out some of Menalus' fleet at the same time."

She swung her legs off the side of the cot and stood, stretching before she began to strap her armor back on.

"How long ago did he leave?" she asked Estrid, then glanced down at Kol. "How are you feeling?"

 

[Kol]

Kol wasn not entirely sure if he had ever been more attracted to Ruvsa than when she stated that Sindric should simply be left for dead.

The comment, and intent, was deeper than that of course, but it hardly mattered to him. If the Northman wanted to throw away his life, then he would gladly let him. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the will of the Gods, and so it would happen.

"Ready." The Sorcerer said as he pulled himself up.

There was just the briefest moment, a single second where he felt a spike of pain from where the wound in his side had been.

Yet it disappeared as quickly as it had come. A simple reminder, that was all. As long as the price was paid it would not matter. "Get everyone ready, the plan is still on."

He told the two women.

"Estrid, listen to Ruvsa." The Nordwiir seemed to balk slightly, but after just a brief second nodded. "We won't need a trebuchet for Sindric's ship."

The Sorcerer said plainly.

 

[Ruvsá]

As Kol stood, Ruvsá's gaze traveled over his torso, lingering on the now scarred patch of skin. He seemed to have been healed as he slept, thankfully. Hopefully the cost had not been too high.

Then she forced her gaze away, resolving to make Arthix pay for ruining her plans with Kol the other night, and turned to Estrid.

"Sindric was supposed to gather a dozen of his best swimmers for me, to take the siege machines. Do you know if he has?"

Hopefully he had. But after the show the other night, Ruvsá could rally people herself. It was why she'd done it.

Then she frowned. "How long were we sleeping?"

 

[Kol]

"You've been asleep a day or so, perhaps more. We thought it best we left you undisturbed."​

The 'us' in that was likely the twins, the others would not have cared much.

"He did. They're waiting at the docks, though most everyone is in chaos after he left."​

Kol stretched his neck slightly, frowning for a moment as he considered the news. His head spun with half a dozen different plans, his lips thinning as he glanced over towards Ruvsa. There was an odd look in his eye, and then he turned back to Estrid.

The girl seemed calm as could be, and from the way she looked at Kol it was clear she had all the faith in the world in him.

"Estrid, get Saemund and find Sindric's right hand; Jakyll." Kol said with a frown. "They'll take charge of things here, together. Saemund knows what to do, and Jakyll has the trust of everyone else."

He looked back towards the twin. "The rest of us will take those gathered and head over the river?"

Kol's words were near a question, another glance offered towards Ruvsa.

 

[Ruvsá]

The way Estrid looked at Kol was nearly like a girl gazing at her god, but Ruvsá just quietly shook her head and pushed the thought aside. Idolizing someone like that could get you killed, and while Ruvsá didn't really know Estrid, she knew Kol, and she knew that the girl dying was a distinct possibility if his gods asked it of him.

And of course, she'd agreed to be the one to do the act if necessary, when they'd finished making plans with Sindric.

"Estrid, get Saemund and find Sindric's right hand; Jakyll." Kol said with a frown. "They'll take charge of things here, together. Saemund knows what to do, and Jakyll has the trust of everyone else."

He looked back towards the twin. "The rest of us will take those gathered and head over the river?"

Ruvsá nodded. "If Sindric's already sailed, then our window of opportunity is narrowing quickly. Let's get to the docks."

 

[Kol]

Nordwiir did not salute. They did not have any orderly structure or army like most other societies. For them things were simple, the strongest ruled. Right now that was Kol, for Estrid and her sister that would always be Kol.

So as he gave his commands the young woman only nodded.

She turned on her heel and swept out of the tent without a single word. Kol stared after her for a moment, knowing she would be at the docks as soon as she could be. "Alright."

The Sorcerer said as he offered Ruvsa his hand.

"Let's get going then." There was no need to waste any time, and before long the two of them were dressed and heading off through the center of the town.

Activity was already rushing everywhere, horns sounding, men and women both rushing to their posts. It was a chaos, but more controlled than it had any right to be. Before long Ruvsa and Kol arrived at the docks, there a single longship readied.

Already upon it were half a dozen northmen, and with them stood the Nordwiir.

Arthix lingered at the edge of the pier, scowling as the two approached. Kol glanced at him briefly, not offering a greeting as he simply stalked passed the massive man.

 

[Ruvsá]

Ruvsá clung to Kol's hand as they made for the docks, tugging him aside for a moment before they reached the crowd and planting a quick kiss on his lips. "Be careful," she admonished. "Even if you are my way home right now... I truly don't want to see you hurt, if it can be helped."

Then she let go of his hand, and strode toward the gathered crowd, returning Arthix's scowl with a dark grin. Dare to try anything, and I'll rip your throat out, her eyes said.

Ruvsá jumped up onto one of the dock piles, and let out a sharp whistle. When the crowd's attention was on her, she spoke.

"I need a dozen of you to help me take out the siege weapons. Some of you will have to know how to operate them. We're going to sabotage several, and hijack some of the others."

The crowd began to murmur, and she nodded satisfactorily when several of the northmen--male and female alike--began to gather near her, and she turned her attention to them. "I'll shift into my Svalen--my bear form--for the swim," she told them. "Whatever is on my body when I shift will be available when I shift back, so I can carry almost anything. Weapons, things to start fires, food. Some of you might be manning the siege machines for several hours."

 

[Kol]

There were a few nods from the men that had stepped forward, most of them quickly stripping from themselves whatever they didn't want to get wet. Most chose to carry their weapons and light armors with them, but gave Ruvsa fire starters and things that did not belong within the salt of the sea.

Kol did not move, but instead let others quickly organize themselves around the Nordenfiir.

None of the other Nordwiir moved either, apparently confident in their abilities to transport what they had on them. A fact that held no great surprise given their demeanor. Bjorn did pull away from the others however, stepping towards The Sorcerer.

"Keep your butchery quiet, Bjorn." Kol said preemptively as the man came up towards him.

The man smiled, raising his hands and shaking his head as though he had no idea what Kol was talking about. "I don't care for our enemy, no one will, but we need silence for this."

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of ruining this plan for my own...fulfillment."​

Kol drew his eyes away from Ruvsa, glancing at the other man. "Good. Lest your will fail you."

The Sorcerer let the words hang in the air, then wandered through the crowd towards Ruvsa.

 

[Ruvsá]

Ruvsá found herself tucking fire starters and other miscellany into every pocket that she had. There were thankfully very few archers among the group, so she ended up with only a couple of bows to hook over her shoulders.

From the corner of her eye, she watched as the Nordwiir she recalled Kol naming as Bjorn stepped over and spoke with him for a few minutes, and recalled that Kol had told her to keep a distance from that particular Nordwiir as much as possible.

She was just tucking the last of the odds and ends away when Kol headed back toward her.

"I think we're ready," she said, looking over the gathered throng.

 

[Kol]

"Good." He said with a nod.

For a brief moment he turned, surveying the bay just ahead of them. To the left, in the distance, he could see the ship that Sindric had taken towards Menalus' fleet. It's sails swept with wind, steadily crawling forward and rushing towards the horizon.

He frowned for a brief moment, then turned back towards Ruvsa. "Then lets go."

The Sorcerer said quietly.

"We don't have much time." And the swim would be a hard one. He motioned towards the Nordwiir, all of them moving towards the water. Arthix was the last to shift away from his post on the Pier, but even he began to rush forward. "Let us take the shore first."

He told Ruvsa. "You follow after with the others."

Kol spoke as the two of them walked towards the end of the pier.

 

[Ruvsá]

"Don't scare all the fish away," Ruvsá snorted as Kol motioned the Nordwiir forward. "I haven't had breakfast yet."

She walked beside him down the pier, and began to shift into her Svalen. One moment she was a woman standing next to him, and the next she was a black bear leaning forward to gently land on all four paws. The pier shuddered slightly under the shifting weight of her form but didn't give.

"See you on the other side," Ruvsá murmured in her rougher bear voice. She twisted her head over and stuck her nose against his face, snorting in his ear softly. Then she licked his cheek and pulled away, teasing laughter sparkling in her eyes.

She watched silently as the Nordwiir dove into the choppy waters, sitting back on her haunches and gesturing her group forward with a paw. She kept her eyes on the far shore.

"We go on my mark," she said when they were gathered around.

When she finally saw the first of the Nordwiir emerge on the far shore, she called out, "Ready!"

The northmen's quiet chattering among themselves began to quiet. Ruvsá waited to see when all the Nordwiir were on shore. It would take some time for them to swim over behind them, and while she wanted to give Kol and the others enough time to secure the shore, they also didn't want to wait too long and allow those manning the siege machines time to defend themselves.

 

[Kol]

Kol perked an eyebrow as Ruvsa in her massive bear formed lapped a tongue across his cheek. It was like having a wet sponge thrown into his face. A hand came up to wipe some of the slobber away from his cheek, head shaking. He took a breath, and then bounded into the water.

It was inhuman how quickly the Nordwiir moved, how fast they made it across the canal between the island and the mainland.

As soon as they jumped from the pier, the five northerners seemed to disappear entirely within the waters. They moved quickly, swimming within the waves and cloaking themselves in the tides. Before long the first of them crawled out of the sea and onto the shore.

It was Arthix who came up first.

His form was that of the strange mange riddled wolf on two legs, slowly stalking up on the beach and heading towards the first crest of rock that stood as a bulwark of defense. His blackened flesh seemed to mimic the night around him, and as the other Nordwiir ascended the beach he was already among the Orc's above.

Estrid and Elwin came next, creeping up onto the beach and moving quickly after Arthix onto his flank. The massive skinwolf dug into the first of their foes, tearing out a lone orc's throat as the twins fell upon the creatures companion.

Next came Bjorn. The man seemed untouched by the waters, and seemed to meld into the shadow itself. One moment he was upon the beach, and the next he too stood upon the barricades. One of the Orcs seemed shocked to find the man in front of them, and then opened his mouth in a muted scream as the Nordwiir quite literally bit into his throat and through it. A sickening crunch echoing a moment later as his flesh was literally ripped from his bones.

Last came Kol.

He strode onto the beach with all the confidence of a King. His right hand clutched the odd curved Rune Knife, his left hung open as he walked in the path of his fellow. By the time he reached the barricade the other Nordwiir had slaughtered near a dozen Orcs, each one going before they could alert the other.

 

[Ruvsá]

"Go!" Ruvsá called as Kol emerged on the far shore, and she dove into the water. She heard the muted splashes of her group of fighters, but she quickly outpaced them and dove deeper, hoping for a fish to cross her path.

There was no such luck until she was close to the far shore and felt something brush frantically against her whiskers. She managed to twist around and snap it up in her jaws, and a few moments later she dragged the fish to shore and crushed it between her teeth.

The northmen were a few minutes behind her, and when they emerged from the water they found her licking blood off her maw. She shifted back a moment later, and began handing back everything she'd carried over. They were quick and silent, and when they finished, Ruvsá looked ahead to see how far the Nordwiir had gotten.

 

[Kol]

Kol and the others lingered over the cest of the barricade, waiting for the northman.

Arthix still clung to his transformation, crouching low to the ground. His maw was covered in blood, and gore, claws equally crimson. Besides him squatted Estrid and Elwin, the twins clutching their axes as they waited for Kol to give the word to continue. Bjorn was nowhere to be seen, though The Sorcerer hardly seemed concerned.

He waited for Ruvsa and the others to catch up, motioning her with a quick wave towards the barricade. ”There’s a trench down that way.”

Kol said as the Nordenfiir approached, his hand quickly jerking down towards the hill below.

As Ruvsa reached the top of the barricade she would see the breath of the Orc army for the first time. Hundreds upon hundreds of fires lit the plains. Her eyes would spot thousands of milling bodies slowly shifting within the dark.

At the edge of the army stood the trebuchet, thirteen of them. A few of the flames flickered around the great siege engines, though far fewer than sat in the core of the army. Just as they had supposed, just as they had planned.

 

[Ruvsá]

Ruvsá nodded as Kol pointed out the barricade, then waved a hand behind her to signal the others to stay low. As she surveyed the army, she made no obvious reaction to the sheer numbers present, though her mouth tightened just slightly as she took a deep breath.

"Why does Menalus feel the need to send reinforcements?" she wondered aloud, quietly. "There are more than enough here to completely wipe this settlement from existence."

Her gaze shifted to the siege engines between them and the troops. They were... surprisingly quiet. A part of her wondered if it could be a trap, but she hoped that the men she had to take them were smarter and stronger than any ambush might be.

 

[Kol]

Kol stopped as Ruvsa made her observation.

His boots clicked against the rocky outcropping that the fortifications had been built into, lips thinning for a moment. Wheels turned in his head, and then suddenly something struck him.

The Sorcerer had fought Menalus' forces before, raided his city, even took them on in a pitched battle. Yet not once had he faced Menalus himself. The Great Fire Giant did not tread from his fortress himself, he had not in near a thousand years if rumor was true.

It was not he who conducted his campaigns, but his son's.

"Rivalry." He said, lips thinning for a moment as he glanced over in the direction of the harbor. He could not yet see the ships there, would not be able to from here, but it made sense. "Two son's, fighting for the credit of dislodging the northmen's ax."

It made sense, it also didn't help them. Even if the two armies clashed there would be more than enough to crush the town. It also meant something else. "We'll have to be careful, one of his son's is already here."

 

[Ruvsá]

"You mean all of this is just a pissing contest and we're the tree?" Ruvsá snarled and huffed.

A simmering rage was present in her eyes, but she took a deep breath and brought her focus back. "We need to make absolutely sure that Sindric's ship takes out as many as possible from the approaching forces. But we need some to survive to distract these." She waved her hand vaguely at the already gathered forces.

If they could make this son think that the other one, and not the northmen, who sabotaged the siege weapons, they maybe they could be turned further against each other and distracted.

Ruvsá gestured for the others who'd come across with her. "We'll move on my mark," she told them. "Kill any who see your faces and recognize you as northmen."

She looked back to Kol. "Are you ready?"

 

[Kol]

Kol shrugged. "I would have put it more eloquently, but yes."

He wasn't entirely sure what the politics between the brothers was. Some hated one another almost as much as they hated their father, others supposedly worked together. He had never quite made it to Molthal itself, and even if he had there was doubt he would have made it far.

A frown touched his features.

"Sindric would have been better off just sending them all away." He commented. Back in the tent Kol had never agreed or disagreed with Ruvsa on the subject of retreat, simply pointed out the fac tof these people. Now that they were here, it was clear what he believed. "What a waste."

He frowned for a brief moment, then turned back to Ruvsa. "Ready."

The odd rune knife appeared within his hand, flashing together from the abyss itself.

 

[Ruvsá]

"You, more eloquent?" Ruvsá couldn't help but chuckle, but she agreed with his assessment, and sighed. "What a waste indeed."

As Kol's knife materialized in his hand, Ruvsá drew her own, and stepped over to the group she would lead.

"We pit Menalus' sons against each other," she told them quietly.

She looked back at Kol and gave him a small smile. "See you later," she said quietly, and then signaled her group to head out, leading them around the plain, as close to the trench as possible, trying to stay in the shadows and hidden by the smoke.

When they were within sight of the trebuchets, and at the last bit of cover, she hesitated one more moment to make sure of their positioning. With quiet gestures and signals, she assigned fighters to different positions, and then at last gave the signal.

They charged.

 

[Kol]

Kol didn't rush forward with the others, he never did.

The Sorcerer could hold his own in any fight, especially with the power of the Dark Gods in his wake, but there was no need to run in like a brute. That was what he had the other Nordwiir for, that was why he used his kin so often.

As the others charged forward into combat, ran towards the trebuchet's and into the wake of slaughter the Sorcerer stayed behind. The Rune knife flickered in his hand, blade carving gently into his thigh. His skin spilled crimson, and then healed in an instant.

Then cool took a breath.

A flicker of something rushed through the air. It seemed to linger there, a shimmering haze that extended outward from the Sorcerer like a bubble. The air itself thickening around them as suddenly everything within the dome was more silent.

The Screams of dying orcs could not be heard. The sound of blades digging into flesh did not echo out. The crack of bones made no sound.

 

[Ruvsá]

Silence was good. It meant that there were no alarms raised as Ruvsá and the others snuck through the guards and sliced throats. Nothing was heard as they took the trebuchets, sabotaged the ones nearest the troop, and worked to redirect the remaining few toward the newly arriving troops.

But silence also meant Ruvsá had to rely only on her sense of smell to tell if someone was sneaking up behind her, and she could give no warning to others if they were not looking in her direction.

It was exhausting to be without a sense.

Once the trebuchets were secured, Ruvsá turned back to watch for Kol. Hopefully Sindric's suicide mission would make a dent in the approaching forces, but regardless the real fight still lay before them.

On his signal, they would begin the assault.

 

[Kol]

Kol stood on the small ridge besides the trebuchet. A frown pulled at his lips as he looked at the Siegeweapon, his features grim. The Dark Gods whispered in his head, calling to him, telling him of what was about to happen.

He could see it all already.

The haze within the air had fallen away, sound once again carrying. He looked to Ruvsa, who was simply waiting for a signal. The other Nordwiir were arrayed around the remaining Northmen. Estrid and Elwin split apart in the crowd. "Do it."

A loud racket clattered, the trebuchet screamed, and then turned itself over as the massive flaming boulder arched out towards the sea. As it flew Kol stepped towards Ruvsa.

"Do you remember what I said?" The Sorcerer asked. "On the shore."

The flaming stones grew closer and closer to the fleet, the ships attempting to move.. "About doing something you might not like?"

 

[Ruvsá]

Sound returned, and Ruvsá gave a sigh of relief.

The trebuchets now under control, and the flaming boulder flying through the sky, Ruvsá stepped toward Kol as she saw him approach.

She nodded. "I remember," she said quietly. "Who?"

 

[Kol]

"Don't worry." The Sorcerer reached out.

His hand came down on Ruvsa's shoulder. Fingers softly grasped at her skin. It might have been taken as a gesture of comfort, a soft hand to ensure her that everything would be okay, but it was more than that. More than that innocent touch.

It was to hold her in place for what came next. "Kill the Northmen."

The words were quiet, almost too silent for anyone else to hear, but the reaction around them told a different story.

Almost as soon as the Sorcerer spoke the other Nordwiir sprang instantly into action. Blades were drawn over throats, claws raked against flesh, swords impaled hearts. It happened so quickly, so instantly, that the blood spilled onto the ground almost before he finished speaking.

It seemed so pointless, so senseless.

Then the Dark Gods cried.

The sounds of their voices echoed out form Kol, resounding and carrying through the air as their rapture entered even the ears of those around him.

In the distance the balls of flame seemed to grow, expand. The sacrifice of those that had been slain feeding their power. Explosions ruptured out, the bolts of three trebuchet turning into thirty as they tore into the fleet. Biting at ships, sails, and everything they found.

 

[Ruvsá]

Ruvsá frowned for a moment as his hand settled on her shoulder, then sucked in a breath as Kol gave the command. Part of her wanted to scream out a warning. They were good men. Good soldiers, up against forces on three sides that they hadn't anticipated. And Ruvsá hoped, at the least, that it meant the northmen back in the town were safe.

Another part of her--the part the dark gods had touched, altered, in exchange for healing her hands--snarled, furious at being restrained from the slaughter. She tried to wrest herself free, but Kol's grip was strong, his fingers digging into the sensitive part of her shoulder near her collarbone, the only part left exposed by her armor.

She turned her eyes away from the fight, and back to the sky as the fleet was assaulted, destroyed as far as Ruvsá could tell.

But there were still the ground troops, and now the trebuchets were unmanned completely.

"What next?" she asked wearily.