Jack awoke to a small beam of sunlight peaking through the deciduous canopy high above his head, just a tiny ray blinding him. Once the spots had been rubbed from his eyes, he noticed a man sitting on his haunches near the smouldering camp fire. Jack was struck with fear by this man, this unknown warrior that had made himself at home.
"You captured a Laoch. That is impressive," The man spoke slowly in a Scandinavian accent. Jack thought Norwegian maybe, with short and choppy sentences. "You should probably give him back. You do not want a quarrel with the Magnons," he said calmly. "His people will not be happy if they learn of this."
"Who are you?" Jack asked in a hushed tone. The stranger had spoken softly enough as not to wake the others. "Should I be afraid of you?" he asked in uncertainty. The man was of an athletic build and armed with a single handed axe and longsword. He had a calm demeanor about him at the moment, but also seemed poised, always ready and watching.
"It is not my place to tell you what to fear," the stranger answered plainly. "We know nothing of each other. Who is to say who to fear?" This man seemed crafty and playful in a dangerous way.
"Can you tell me where we are?" Jack ventured to ask this warrior the question that Fedelmid had been unable to answer so far.
"We call it the Void. It is the land between friend and foe." Jack did not think this man could be any more vague.
"Which one are you?" Jack really hoped he would not say foe. This man had the air of being far too formidable for Jack. He seemed experienced and confident from the way he held himself. He didn't look like or smell nearly as terrible as the Thoseans, however. "You do not appear to be one of the Thoseans." Jack decided talking in plain American English would not suit well with these peoples for now. He had to try to sound more formal.
"I am not of the Thoseans," The man spoke and lightly stroked his midnight black beard, his eyes curious and observant of the men and lady around him. "I am of the Cynerics, a people of crafting and story." The Cyneric slowly drew his axe and sword, and handed them to Jack for inspection. "These are of my own hand," he announced with a proud smirk, his green eyes gleaming. If there was one thing the Cyneric people loved more than fighting, it was working with their hands.
"These are beautiful," Jack commented, turning the axe in his hand and admiring the carving work of the wooden handle. The longsword was light and sharp as a razor, the blade etching and engraving was breathtaking. "Are your people close by?" Jack asked in an unsure tone. He knew nothing of the Cynerics. He was curious and also worried about the safety of his friends.
"Why would one ask such a thing?" The Cyneric asked, leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knee, his chin cupped in his rough hand.
"I need to know if my friends are safe here," Jack answered honestly. The man would know if he were being lied to, Jack felt. "There are not many of us, and we are not prepared for serious danger, I'm afraid."
The Cyneric's eyes lit up and he beamed a powerful smile showing surprisingly white teeth. "You are safe, my young friend." His eyes darted to Kim as she stirred and slowly sat up, her hands wiping away the lingering sleep. "You have my protection as long as you choose to stay, friend." The Cyneric stuck his arm out, and Jack reached for his hand. The Cyneric reached past Grayson's hand and grasped his forearm with an iron grip. Jack reciprocated, the rock hard muscles of his forearm was astonishing to the much smaller young man. "I will come see that you are well each morning until our friend Fedelmid is well." The Cyneric smiled towards the still sleeping giant that held his greatsword so close to his person. The two knew each other, apparently.
"Who are you?" Kim asked in interest and no fear of this stranger. "You aren't like Fedelmid or the Thoseans," Kim repeated Jack's first observation. If Jack was alive and calm around this mysterious man, why shouldn't she be?
"My name is not important to you yet. That you know I am your friend, that is important, however." The Cyneric smiled once again at the young lady. "It was a pleasure meeting new friends, but I am afraid I am needed at home. Be well." Without another word, the mysterious man rose to his feet and disappeared toward the road with purposeful strides.
"Who the Hell was that?" Kim couldn't help but ask. She wished she would have been there since the Cyneric's first arrival. Something about the man caught her interest and imagination.
"I don't know, but he left his sword and axe. The blade has a word engraved on both sides, but I can't read it. It's in some kind of runic form," Jack noted, again looking over the sword.
"Did he mean for you to keep them?" she asked, eyeing the weaponry in her friend's hands.
"Morning." Milton's voice grabbed the pair's attention, jump starting them both in such an odd place. "What happened?" Milton took note of the questioning faces of his comrades. "Where'd you get those?" He pointed to Jack's new pieces.
"We had an unexpected visitor this morning," Kim told him, not sure how else to put it. "He claimed to be our friend, but he wouldn't even give his name." She shrugged her shoulders.
"He said he was 'of the Cynerics'. He said they're really good at making stuff. He made these himself." Jack held up the sword and axe. "He just left them here with me. I don't know if he meant to our not, but I don't see how he could have just left these behind."
"Maybe they're a token of this guy's friendship." Milton offered, no other idea coming to his mind. "It'd be nice if we could practice our forms, but we don't need anyone losing limbs."
"We can stick fight like little kids," Jack chuckled to himself.
"Not bad, Jack." Kim stood up and found a good, thick stick about four feet in length, bending it to test its strength. Seeing she couldn't snap it over her knee, she decided it was good enough and began the search for more like it. Soon she had all the practice sticks they could want. They would have to fight a three way battle, seeing as Jerry still slept like a log. They couldn't figure how he could continue to sleep even through the din of their stick battle.
Without as much as a sound, Jerry finally woke and immediately joined the fight, going straight for Jack who had a considerable attack going, raining down blow after blow against Milton. Kim rose swiftly from the log she had been resting on and leapt straight for Milton who had attempted to flank Jack. Team training had began.
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Fedelmid had broke his fever and felt better than he had in the three days he'd been down. He now rested with his back to the tree he had slept under and kept a watchful eye on the sparring newcomers. "Curly haired one, straighten your back," he advised. Jerry had the strength of a bear but the stance of an old lady. "Aye, that is the style now!" Fedelmid commended once Jerry had righted himself. "Lass, too straight. Bend at the knee for balance. I could topple you with a breath." He coached the four with amusement and pride as they soaked in his every word. "Aye, you have it now. Young master, advance with one arm and defend with the other, do not swing wild."
Jack nodded and did as advised. Jack found he took quite naturally to stick fighting, preferring to dual wield like he had been training himself to do. He couldn't pass down advice from someone like Fedelmid, though. He began to wonder how he'd do with real blades, but he feared that that time would come too soon. He also wished Fedelmid would get better already and teach them how to really fight. He could see it in Fedelmid's eyes that he too, wanted that.
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"I've been waiting a while to ask you guys this because it seems really weird, but…" Jerry trailed off awkwardly one day, "are you guys real, or am I just tripping right now? None of this makes sense. We're all from separate parts of the country and we just ended up here in God only knows where? There has to be an explanation to all of this."
"Oh thank God I'm not crazy!" Kim shouted in relief. "Wait, but if that's the case for all of us, aren't we crazy though, or are we all in some kind of weird coma?" Kim was now confused as ever. "Milton, anything?" Milton was the theorist and deep mind of the group. Jack was more of a natural practicalist and simple reasoner.
"Well, if there was a third wall to break, we broke it and we're still here. I always heard if you broke the third wall you were supposed to wake up…" Milton began experimentally pinching himself before Jerry wound up and slapped the back of his head, causing stars to flood his vision. "Nope, we're all still here."
"You people are not real, yet you are here?" Fedelmid asked as he rose to his feet and tested his land legs now that his strength returned. "This is my reality yet the deception of your minds. You are then the deception to those figures in your dreams?" Fedelmid tried to grasp the concept and understand, but none of them quite could. "I am not real, but here I have been for years, and seen people die as mortal men? What of the world is true and what is false?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out, Fedelmid. Is this real or are we in some kind of weird, connected dream somehow? We just want to know how we got here," Jack tried to explain.
Fedelmid scratched his head, his fingers digging deep through his long and untamed hair. "I shall ponder this later and bring it to the attention of the Elder Tree," Fedelmid offered.
"The Elder Tree?" Jerry tilted his head to the side in wonder. "What's a tree going to help?"
"The Elder Tree is a tree of great renown and power, medicinally and mystically," Milton answered in hesitation. He remembered reading about it, but wasn't sure if they were one in the same in this strange world.
"That is correct, young Milton," Fedelmid confirmed, astounded that he had the answer. "The berries and leaves give us insight to the knowledge God, when eaten." The Magnon were proving to be an interesting people to the small group.
Fedelmid raised his arm and waved it back and forth slowly. "Soon we can travel, friends. In three days time, I would say." The group was more than happy to hear this news. There was much to see in this new world, though much of it frightened them, just how much of it was unknown.
"How long do you expect the journey to your home is?" Jack asked curiously, a little saddened by the idea of leaving the little camp that had become his home. "Is it a dangerous road?"
"Aye, it is a long road. A dangerous road as well. We have much of the Void to traverse. We will be safe once we reach the Fields of Cynerheld," Fedelmid explained as he gripped his greatsword. "Be warned that my people, the Magnons, are great in stature. They all wield weapons such as this sword and great axes, spears taller than ourselves and shields half our we can be intimidating and brutish, you need not fear us."
"To the home of Fedelmid it is." Jack looked to the others in case there was any disagreement. He had become somewhat of a group leader for their little team. They were more of a democracy than anything, but he was their spokesman, more or less. Four years of JROTC leadership training put him in a natural seat for it. "What do we do for the next three days?" Jack was a good snap decision maker and a day by day planner. Planning ahead seems to be more along the lines of Milton's place.
"I feel like that's a great question," Jerry threw in. "Do we just keep doing what we're doing?"
"That seems like a fair idea to me," the friendly Cyneric said as he emerged from the tree line. "Until Fedelmid is ready to go, it is best if you keep about this business. He is your guide and if anything should happen along the way, you wouldn't make it far if he were to in some way parish."
"That's pretty dark," Jack scoffed. "What brings you by today, Cyn?" Jack used his nickname for their frequent visitor, since his true identity was still unknown.
"I like to ensure the good health of my friends, young Jack," Cyn smiled lightly, not showing his teeth. "I have decided I will accompany you on your journey. We are passing through my homeland, so why not come along?" He shrugged and stood from his log. "If there are no objections, I should like to stay here with you people until we are ready to travel." Cyn clapped his hands together and looked around at the five people with hopefulness brimming in his emerald green eyes.
"Are you just here to be here, or do you have some agenda that we should know about?" Jack crossed his arms over his growing chest, the training they had been up to was strenuous and physically developing. The light smirk on his face said he liked the idea, but he liked to play around like Cyn did.
"I hoped to teach you people of this land… our land. There are things you should know about the people here, the culture, the history, what happens here," Cyn said as he took his seat back on his favorite log. "This land is dangerous, and it is important to have friends if you are to survive."
"Hell yeah. You can say that again," Kim gave her consent for Cyn to stay with a deep nod, an expression to say as if they could turn that down. "Teach away and do your native thing."
"I like her," Cyn pointed to the outspoken girl. "She speaks oddly, but she does it well."
"Speak for yourself, man," Kim smirked confidently as she fingered the string of her bow.
"That too, I must instruct you with," Cyn pointed to the bow on Kim's lap. "Using a bow to war is different than using a bow to hunt. Fedelmid has been instructing you well, but having a teacher that can teach you from his feet is important." This comment drew a growl from the large warrior that was currently on his feet, leaning against a great Oak. "No offense, Fedelmid." Cyn turned to him and bowed, recognising the other man's station among the Magnons.
"Can we stop playing with sticks? I feel like we can move up to legit blades now," Jerry threw in as he threw little pebbles at Milton, who was deeply engrossed in the details of his map.
"Dude, grow up. Can't you see I'm working here?" Milton mean mugged Jerry, frantically erasing the misplaced pencil marks from his ever improving map.
"Do something about it," Jerry challenged, standing to his feet with a cocky grin.
"Jerry, quit being a dick. You're not impressing anybody," Jack tried to diffuse the muscular Latino. Jerry was generally a good man, but he could be a bully. Jack felt it was his place to shut him up. He was the only one that could best Jerry in singles sparring. "I will kick your ass in front of everyone," Jack wasn't bluffing. Jack didn't back down when Jerry stood toe to toe with him, staring down into his eyes that showed no fear.
Jerry turned around quickly when he felt something slap his knee. A headless arrow lay on the ground directly behind him. He looked over to see Kim smiling widely, obviously pleased with herself for the cheap shot. Jerry rolled his eyes and sat back down after she had mouthed "pew pew". Cyn and Fedelmid couldn't help but chuckle to themselves at the small group.
"Enough, enough." Cyn stood up slowly and gracefully. He didn't look like a man that could do anything gracefully. He wasn't a beast of a man by any means, but he sure didn't seem like a dancer.
"Grayson, we should go out just a little bit, map out the journey a little. We won't go too far, I just want to peak and make notes of what's around." Lawrence understood they had a guide, but he was a fan of adventure and to be honest, he just hated sitting around. He'd take all the surveying time he could, and he wanted to come up with as many worse case scenario plans as he could.
"Yeah, my ass is getting sore from all this sitting," Jack agreed, standing up and stretching. He bent over long enough to grab the axe and longsword before righting himself again and hooking his sword belt around him, which he had also taken from a perished Thosean.
"Kim, it is not polite to stare at your friend when he is unaware." Cyn smirked knowing full well that he had just made things extremely awkward for her.
"You're a son of a bitch, you know that?" Kim stared down the still smirking man. "I won't apologise," Kim pointedly told Jack.
"What makes you think I'd want you to?" Jack smirked back before turning to leave with Milton.
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"Do you actually like her?" Milton found himself asking from a rock he had perched himself on, detailing every piece of geography he found necessary, doing his best to freehand a topographic map.
"Kim?" Jack tried to play dumb. He wasn't a fan of gossip or talking about people, much less when he was involved in it himself. "She's cool. She's good with a bow, has a twisted sense of humor like me and loves puns," Jack shrugged, not wanting to spend too much time on the subject.
"Oh come on man, don't play that game with me. I know better. You steal glances, you're the first one she talks to when she wakes up and the last before she goes to sleep. There's no shame in it," Milton shrugged innocently.
"I haven't known her long enough to make a real decision yet, man." Jack wasn't feeling this conversation, because he wasn't too sure he really knew either. He knew that he could like her easily enough if he only let himself. He wasn't sure it was such a good idea. Even in reality he wasn't a fan of getting attached to people. He was a closed book when it came to his emotions, he tried not to recognize them for himself. It only ever lead to more of his own heartache. Jack Brewer was a loner and he knew it.
"She's totally hot though, you can admit that, right?" Milton tried to pry. Jack was a single young man with eyes and a pulse. Of course he thought she was hot, she was breathtaking. He wasn't going to give Milton the satisfaction of knowing that he had that opinion of their friend.
"Yeah Jack, I'm totally hot, right?" Speak of the temptress herself. Jack was definitely glad he hadn't answered, because Kim was just joining them, parting the last massive shrub that separated her from the resting point.
"Ooh, that's a little awkward, isn't it, Milton?" Jack crossed his arms and smirked at his friend.
"So I don't get to hear the final verdict?" Kim pouted in Jack's direction. "I'm dying to find out if I'm hot enough for you," she smirked at Jack's obvious hesitation to produce any kind of an answer. She realized something bigger was happening than her game of embarrassing the guy who seemed to always have it together, because said man was completely frozen in place, his eyes and ears trained on something. "Jack, what is it?" Kim whispered, reaching for the bow that had a home on her back.
"I don't know, but I'd get down," Jack answered just as quietly, lowering himself into the tall grass and slinking to the edge of the woods closest to them. "More Thoseans, I think," he based off the terrible smell that now wreaked havoc on their nostrils. His guess was confirmed when a small band of twenty or so of the same fur clothed and unwashed barbarians slowly made their way down a very close by game path.
"They're heading towards our camp. We need to get there first and warn the others," Milton suggested, his voice the quietest he could make it. "There's no chance we can take them."
"Definitely. Let's get the hell out of here," Jack confirmed, slowly slinking back and raising to a crouched position, motioning for the others to follow him as they made their way back home.
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The three made their way back in record time, all of them hunched over and out of breath by the time they arrived. "Heads up, guys," Jack barely got out, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"What happened, run into a giant?" Cyn smirked, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Wait, you guys have those here?" Jerry asked, completely terrified.
"Thoseans, about twenty of them," Kim informed them as she stood back to her full height of 5'2". "They're coming this way, along an old game trail. Should we clear out?" Kim had doubts of six on twenty going over too well for them.
Cyn looked over thoughtfully to Fedelmid, who had stood up himself and moved his mammoth shoulders back and forth. "What do you think?" Cyn had a pretty good idea on what the great Magnon's answer would be.
Cyn had his answer when the beast of a man removed the greatsword from his back and gave it a few test swings, a smile gracing his bearded face once he felt satisfied. "I have never met a group of warriors that could not best twenty Thoseans," Fedelmid chuckled deep in his chest. "I have faith in our companions, as long as they keep their heads."
"Wait, so we're going to fight this out?" Jerry asked. For the second time he looked genuinely worried. "Are you sure that's a great idea?"
"Do not fear, young one. We will all be just fine as long as you do as told and remember what you have learned so far." Fedelmid smiled at him and clasped a hand over Jerry's muscled shoulder. "Have faith in the Gods."
"Kim, you would do best to make your way up one of those trees. Height is going to be your best friend with that bow," Cyn directed, pointing to a nearby maple that seemed like a good choice. "The rest of us will form a battle line here," he directed with his sword. "Jerry, you on one end. Fedelmid, serve as our other line anchor." Fedelmid already understood his assignment before the order was given, but he understood, too, that this was a lesson as much as anything else.
The small band of Thoseans were now in view of the small battle line, with Cyn in the center, his wooden shield with his house's marks raised in his left hand and his single handed longsword in his right. They were hard to miss, and the Thoseans had been drawn by the campfire smoke in the first place. The Thosean rabble seemed to be less interested in tactics than Cyn and Fedelmid. With no plan at all, the warriors charged while the five friends held their ground, and Kim had taken her first life by way of an arrow in the lung. The small fight had officially begun.
"Let them come to us. Hold this line!" Cyn barked, pushing his shield forward and Milton followed suit with his own shield. Jack stood firm with both feet planted and knees slightly bent, his sword held in a defensive position while his ax was raised to strike. Jerry and Fedelmid stood with high guards for sweeping blocks and strikes. The line was prepared to take a small charge while Kim continued her steady rain of arrows from the tree behind the line, felling any that appeared to have bows. In another moment, the four young warriors would see just how much they learned.
The Thoseans were at a full sprint, only a mere five staying back to attempt to dislodge Kim from her perch. The remaining ten had reached the line of the five men on the ground. These ten stood no chance against the seasoned Fedelmid and Cynric, along with their three understudies that were picking up the art of war rather quickly.
Fedelmid skewered the first Thosean, his greatsword having far more reach than the shoddy broadsword that his adversary carried. The second Thosean had made it past Fedelmid's strike zone. Fedelmid was a physical fighter, not afraid to use his powerful body as a weapon itself. He shoulder blocked the Thosean to the forest floor and decapitated him, giving him no chance to get back to his feat.
Milton did not fare so well. He parried the first Thosean's overhand strike, and raised his shield in the face of a spear jab from his second man. The strikes and blows continued to berate Milton, causing him to slowly slide back from his place on the line.
Kim had her hands full with trying to win her own fight against the Thosean archers. Her tree gave her benefit of cover and elevation, but she still wouldn't call one on five fair.
Jack went on the offensive, lunging at his two Thoseans with both arms outstretched, knocking them both to the ground. In two quick motions, he plunged his sword through the heart of one and cut the windpipe of the second with his ax. Without orders, Jack broke the line and went the short distance to where Milton's shield was the only thing keeping him from death.
Jack slashed the soft flesh from the back of both their knees, causing them both to fall to the ground with cries of pain. This was the window Milton needed to rise back to his knees and drive his sword home through one of their midsections. Jack had made the other's face unrecognizable with three blows from his ax.
Two of Kim's adversaries remained and ran when the surviving two of the charge retreated as well, leaving the scrappers alone. "Holy shit," Kim breathed, her eyes surveying the small battlefield that was once their humble camp.
The Cyneric kept his weapons drawn when the others had sheathed theirs. "What are you doing?" Jerry asked while the Cyneric prodded a body.
"Cyn!" Kim shouted as one of the peripheral Thoseans crawled to his feet and made a dash for the Cyneric who had his back turned. Kim released the arrow she had knocked, sending it between his third and fourth ribs.
"That is what, curly haired one," the Cynric pointed his sword in Jerry's general direction. "Kim, well placed," he bowed low with a grin on his face, happy to have not fallen to a cheap shot like Fedelmid had so recently.
Jerry scanned the perimeter and his shoulders sunk. "Where the hell are we going to camp now?"
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Two big chappies in one night, I know. I had this written as an original story back from September, but as I read it, I realized I had been writing it as the Wasabis the entire time. The other chapters will not be uploaded as quickly as these two, unfortunately. Please review!