Alex heads out on patrol with two other squires getting as feeling for the surrounding wilds. And then something goes wrong.
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Stretching northward along the coastline of the Suvan Sea, the Cobalt Mountains are the home of the Bronze Wood, numerous ruins, and creatures both strange and fantastical.
The day was cold. Very cold. The sky was clear for the first time in days. And Alex could actually see syna’s light streaming down from the crystal blue heavens. The flash of the light against the pure white of the snows was almost blinding. He pressed his eyes tight shut, cracking them open only a small glance to look out over the fields. The snows had stopped in recent days. The events of the fifty-third still fresh in the cities mind and the substantial loss of life. Alex had been sent out on patrol. Joining him this time was a much similarly aged squire. A one Cameron Tamson. A younger man much like Alex himself even if he was a solid three years older. Yet still a squire much like Alex. Giving him a shred of hope that he was at least still in the running to become a knight he just needed to show his true potential. And Will Salpes. Both of them had been assigned to a patrol of the outskirts of Syliras along with Alex himself. The three of them had borrowed horses from the stables and were to take them out into the nearby edges of the forests surrounding Syliras.
“I fail to see the exact point of this.” Cameron piped up complaining about his situation. “I’d much rather be in the city at the rearing stallion getting better acquainted with some of the dancers.” A small wry grin crossed his face as Will spoke up. “Get your mind off of the women for a short while you bumbling idiot.” Will as Alex had discovered had a rather short temper when it came to dealing with Cameron. Turned out it was Alex’s job to figure out a way to get the pair of them to co-operate, and even get them to work together. So far that was going swimmingly…They’d already covered about five miles of their patrol route. Having delved into the snow-capped forest. He grounds barely coated in snows but the trees were woven together so tightly that it was hard to see. The long branches interweaving together and blotting the suns light from reaching the ground. The horses slowed to a small trot through the tree lines. “Will could you light a torch?” Alex asked quietly keeping his eyes around him. And almost begrudgingly Will pulled out a torch as they ventured through the trees. The shreds of sky visible taking on a deep scarlet hue. As syna had begun to set on the horizon. The minuites crawled by as they continued their patrol, and the scarlets in the sky had begun to fade to violets and then deep blues. Night was fast falling upon them and little be known to them. They had found themselves a little lost with the lack of the light. And unfortunately with the lack of even leth’s pale and pallid glow they were completely in the dark.
The soft falls of horseshoes on the stone laced dirt track echoed and rang throughout the forests. Sure they were on a set path but that path had gotten twisted and they had gotten lost. “Please don’t tell me were lost…I have a date tonight!” Cameron whined and complained as will simply laid into him. “Would you focus, if you spent even half the time on your training as you did on chasing skirts you’d of been a knight two years ago!” The pair of them erupted into a large rabble and row of words but Alex kept his ears open sifting through the sounds. And he couldn’t shake this bad feeling that sat in his gut. Eventually piping up with a much harder edge to his voice he roared at them as best he could with the fragility of his voice. “Both of you shut up…I’ve got a feeling were not alone.” As Alex finished screaming at them. They quieted down and it became glaringly obvious. Alex was right. All three of them could feel eyes prying on their forms. Peering at them through the darkness. But not one of them could get a pin point on them.
Last edited by Alexander Faircroft on January 21st, 2016, 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
The torchlight illuminated the surrounding area as the trio slowly proceeded along the path, the dirt track the only thing guiding them. The winds blew and the air shifted slowly. And then all motion stopped as the night seemed to close in on them. Alex drew his sword instinctively. Cameron and will did the same. All three simply stopped feeling the eyes digging into them. The torch light flickered as Alex caught the shadow of a form running across the corner of his eye.
“This is all your fault.” Wills voice broke the silence. “If you hadn’t been complaining so much we could have done the patrol and been back in town before night fall but look at this mess you’ve dropped us in now!”
“My fault!?” Cameron blurted out in retort as will erupted at him. “Who was it who was supposed to guide us on the path huh? If you didn’t stop every ten seconds to yell at me, we could have just been done before night fall!” Alex’s patience grew thin listening to the two squabbling like children. Alex had let this go on for too long. Turning to shout at the pair of them. Mustering the volume of his voice to a point where it actually shocked them both.
“Quiet!” Was all he managed before a flash of shadow leapt from the darkness and knocked him off of his horse.
The two Leapt from their horses and rushed over to Alex, who was bracing his sword in both hands using it to keep the tan skinned human at bay. Rocks embedded into his skin. And then a loud noise hissed from the trees. A high pitched screech bellowed out from the yukman trying to bite at Alex’s face. Barely managing to hold him off and using all of his strength to push the foul land-spawn back was then aided by a swift swing of Cameron’s sword. Taking the beasts head off in one swing. Blood sprayed from the stump coating Alex’s face as he tossed the body to one side. The acrid smell of blood having filled his nose he scrambled to stand up shooting blood out of one of his nostrils and wiping his face clean with his gauntlet.
“Yukmen.” Alex lifted his sword and readied himself as Will spoke. “They’re far more vicious and with the rebuilding effort were the first patrol in days to come out this way…And where there’s one Yukman there’s often more.” Even Cameron hauled his blade up all three of them now standing together back to back to back.in a small circle as the high pitched screams echoed through the forest. Then they began to emerge from the tree line. One…three…five…seven…In the end there were seven Yukmen now emerging from the forest. Each one producing a loud wailing screech. Holding a moment they all smiled, a twisted creepy grin, less a smile and more of a sneeringly creepy grin. Holding a moment they rushed the three of them Alex swung into the darkness the torch burning itself down in Will’s hand. The only available source of light as such Will protected it as best he could. This wasn’t battle this was survival. And this was the first time Alex began to feel true fear.
I could die…I could really die. No…Gods no! His hand holding the shield reached up gripping the loop again and then a boiling rage over came him. Weeks, and weeks of anger came bursting forth in a torrent of unprecedented rage that one wouldn’t expect from a man of such meek seeming nature as him. He gripped his sword with both hands and as the first yukman leapt at him he planted his feet and swung. His sword tearing through flesh, muscle, sinew and then bone. With a loud grunt he cleft the yukman in two across the midsection spilling a spray of crimson across the white snows. He screamed out in anger. NO! No way am I dying this day…I’ve still to see the bastard who murdered my mother to his grave…I’m not stopping until I finish that!
“Will, Cameron.” Alex roared out his light tone shifting to one of pure anger. “Stay in this formation. If they get close enough kill em in one stroke.” He sounded like a completely different man. Swinging his blade through another yukman burying the blade down to the shoulder in his quarry as Cameron and Will slew a target each. Their swords biting deep into the yukman flesh. Still in the low flickering torchlight they only got the briefest glance at the quarries before them. What they didn’t know was looming in the trees just out of the light.
Last edited by Alexander Faircroft on January 21st, 2016, 6:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Another leap and clang of steel against bone and flesh. Alex was just about holding his ground as Cameron and will tore through yukmen at pace. The viciousness of them something intense and unnerving. Fresh born yukmen probably. Hungry, blood thirsty and very dangerous. Or so Alex though until the ranks of them began to thin. And they began to fade back into the darkness. They were learning.
“Alex, Will…Looks like they’re backing off!” Alex smirked and felt a small twinge of triumph in his soul. Will and Alex began to glance off at each other again swapping jibing blows. Alex however couldn’t help feel that something wasn’t quite right still. The only light source they had was in wills hands. A little too light on the illumination. Alex swung his eyes around the area not sure what was out there but not dropping his guard nor his stance yet. His shield still raised and crossed against his chest. Alex peered into the darkness and after a second or two of waiting something ran by his field of vision.
“Yeah we beat them back!” Cameron shouted into the darkness. Even will seemed to cheer a little more between them arguing with each other. And then cam e the sound of heavy foot falls. Not one but several. They hadn’t fled they’d regrouped.
“Guys raise your shield were not done here yet!” Alex took a firm stance, just in time as a swift moving blackness skimmed the air narrowly avoiding his face my millimetres. Instinctively he closed his eyes from the rush of air snapping them back open to see a larger than usual yukman standing there a huge sword clutched in his hands. And a mad grin on his face. He creamed out in a loud and frenzied tone as Cameron and Will turned to see what had happened. Only to be set upon by yukmen wielding clubs.
They’d been surrounded again. And this time these seemed like older and more experienced yukmen not the fresh spawn-lings they’d fought before. Alex drew the short straw of fate it seemed. As Cameron and will dealt with two smaller armed yukmen Alex had this big beast to deal with. Still smaller than Alex in height but in sheer mass of muscle and frenzied rage Alex was outclassed. His fingers flexed on the blade as the great sword came swinging past him again. Alex couldn’t dodge the blow as if he did it’d hit Cameron behind him. So instead he took a hard strike to his shield arm feeling the vibration of the impact all the way to his shoulder. He took a stab at the beast. Aiming for its heart. He was still unsure with the blade however and it veered off north slicing through the creatures shoulder. The large yukman screamed out in pain jagged rocks shifting in the shallow torchlight as the blade flashed through the air again whirling around and slamming into Alex’s side. Knocking him to one knee from the sheer force of the blow. He gasped if he hadn’t had the plate he’d probably have been cut in half but instead he was heavily winded and felt something in his chest crack lightly. Coughing he glanced up just in time to raise his shield and block with both ahnds an overhead slam from the yukman trying to decapitate him. Dropping him to one knee from the force even using both hands to brace against the wild and powerful strikes.
Alex felt his back slam into the ground now from the impact of another strike coming at him from below. Slamming hard into the dirt as the sword came over head at him again and again. Blow after blow landing against his shielded arm, trying to crack his defences like a battering ram at the gates of a citadel. The continuous pounding on his arm began to strain. He scrambled for his sword which had fallen just out of range. And then it hit him! He slipped his arm to his back drawing his dagger and jamming it in the yukman’s knee sending it cascading onto its back as its weight shifted with the lack of stable footing. Scrabbling away from the reach of the sword Alex picked up his own blade and drove it through the yukman’s chest. Panting and groaning as he could feel his ribs aching and his arm pulsing with pain. He heaved heavily knowing full well he wasn’t much use.
Behind him Will and Cameron were fighting off four yukmen, before Alex had even dealt one hit to the great sword wielding one Will had finished off both of his and Cameron was dispatching the last of his. Panting all three of them through it better to just get out of there. Alex sheathed his blade and caught sight of the glinting great sword…Picking it up he, leapt atop his horse. He didn’t want to leave anything for these yukmen to use and learn how to get better with. Ushering it to just go and go, he loked behind to Will and Cameron close behind the low torchlight now less important as in the distance they caught sight of the city. Digging their heels into the flanks of their horses why ushered them on urging them with great speed. C’mon faster. Faster! Pleas just a little faster.
He crouched down gripping the reigns lightly with his left hand the arm still furiously pulsing with pain. His chest heaved and rocked with the searing burn in his right hand side. Not aided by the weight of the blade he now carried with him. He just pushed on pressing through the darkened forest. Urging the horse on. Eventually he and the other two hit the edge of the city dismounting their horses at speed they raced off to find Alex’s patron. Someone they knew and they knew where he would most likely be.
Alex Burst through the doors of his patron’s office getting a semi shocked look from his patron. “Alex I thought you were supposed to be on patrol? You look awful what happened. All three of you.” Ser Greyheart managed to sputter out before Alex slammed the great sword on the table in front of him. “Ser Greyheart…Whilst out on patrol we encountered a swarm of yukmen…Myself, Will and Cameron fought off about eleven of them between us. We barely managed to get out alive.” Alex could now feel the pain in his chest and arm taking over him as he dropped onto one knee. And groaned. Ser Greyheart then pointed at the other two. “Both of you go get a healer!” The pair looked at him and nodded before dashing off. Grey heart looped one of ale’s arms around his shoulder and walked him off behind them to the healers.
Lore: Wil and Cameron: Fellow Squires Yukmen: Never Just One Tactics: Back-to-Back Tactics: Knowing the Difference between Retreating and Regrouping Yukmen: Freshling and Matures
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Ah, finally, I get to see Alex in combat again! Very nice, overall. I liked how you distinguished between FRESH Yukmen and the older, more "experienced" variety, but using a GREATSWORD is a little beyond them, for future reference. Where would he have GOTTEN IT, anyway?!
Speaking of which, all that chaos and bloodshed and the horses weren't so much as scratched... AND they didn't bolt? Little details like that aren't CRUCIAL, but remembering them wouldn't hurt in the future.
Still, this was a fine story and a good way to end my night. And Alex was a natural leader, mate.
Oh, and please make sure you go back and edit your post in the Request Thread to reflect the fact this one is now done and dusted. PM me with any questions and later 'tater!
