Saladin

Early Dark Age - Perm, Old Russia

He breathed in deep, inhaling the rather pleasant scent that accompanied burning wood. His eyes fluttered open, and his eyes darted to the young flame.

"Ah. You're awake." A familiar voice remarked.

"Hmmmm." Saladin groaned, sitting up slowly. "Yeah." His eyes followed along the rocky ceiling of the cave to the entrance.

All he saw was black. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Three in the morning." Radegast answered. He was idly poking the fire with a half burnt stick. "I think."

"Do you even know, Radegast?" Saladin shook his head, swinging his legs off the ledge he'd been sleeping on.

"No." He shrugged. "Perun woke me up before she left. Never said anything about the time."

Great.

"Just you?" Saladin's eyes went to where he'd last seen Perun the night before. Her bedroll was empty, the blanket turned over. "This is our same Perun, right?"

"Well…" Radegast paused. "It was Jolder's turn to watch last. How else were you going to get your beauty sleep?"

"Hmph…" Saladin sat down across from his friend, next to the fire. "Fair enough."

He glanced over at the sleeping form of Jolder, dirty blonde hair covering her eyes, and drool hanging out of her mouth. "Snrrrk."

Saladin couldn't resist cracking a grin, looking back at Radegast. "Where did Perun go? She didn't go off to hunt by herself, did she?"

Radegast shook his head. "If she did, she never mentioned it to me." He paused, seemingly thinking back to the moment. "Though she did seem half-asleep herself."

"Hmmm." Saladin grumbled. "She probably couldn't stand Jolder's snoring."

"Snrrrrrrk!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Radegast poked the fire again, tossing in a batch of twigs. "You're no light sleeper yourself."

Saladin thumbed back at Jolder. "I sound like that?"

"Snrrrrrrrrk!"

"Nah, yours is raspier." His friend answered. "Deeper too. Jolder is more consistent, though."

"Snr-" Jolder's mouth shut on its own as her eyes cracked open. "Hmmm?" she moaned, sitting up slowly. "What… are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing." They both said. Good timing.

Jolder blinked a few times, still drowsy. "Where's Perun?"

"Out." Radegast answered.

"Why?"

"She couldn't stand your snoring."

Jolder wrapped her cloaking around her arms, bundling herself. "Well…" She yawned. "That's rude."

Saladin shook his head, catching a sly smile from Radegast. "How was your sleep?" He glanced back at Jolder.

"It was fine, but-" SNAP!

The sound of a branch snapping outside was all it took for Saladin to jump to his feet instantly. He reached for his gun on his ledge, and within a few seconds was by the entrance to the cave.

Jolder followed close behind, and Radegast was perched on the other side, his gun held tightly in his hands.

SNAP!

He held up three fingers, counting down slowly from three.

Three.

Two.

One.

They jumped out of the cave. "FIRE!" Radegast yelled.

The calm, serene setting of the forest had been quickly overtaken by the rushing, overpowering sound of gunfire. Blasted directly to where they had heard the branch snapping come from.

Chips, pieces of wood, stone and dirt flew everywhere in a hailstorm, but they kept firing.

"STOP"

A shriek rang throughout their shared comms. It was so loud that Saladin stopped firing to clutch his ears.

The spraying of bullets ceased immediately. It was quickly followed by, "WOULD YOU KINDLY NOT RIDDLE ME WITH HOLES?!"

Saladin let go of his ears, sure that he didn't have tinnitus.

Radegast stepped forward, gun lowered. "Perun?"

"YES IT'S ME!" Their friend screamed out from the darkness of the forest.

"Why didn't you let us know you were coming back in?" Jolder asked, patting her ear, too. "We wouldn't have shot at you otherwise."

No answer came back from the trees.

Radegast shook his head. "You've got a real set of lungs, alright. You destroyed Saladin's ears."

"I thought you guys went back to sleep, ok!" Perun's voice answered. "Sorry, Saladin!"

He waved his hand, rubbing his forehead. Got a nice headache coming on, too.

"If it makes you guys feel any better, I brought back some breakfast."

Perun set down the large elk from her back onto the stone floor. Immediately, she withdrew her knife from her belt.

"What's with you stepping on those branches, too?" Radegast sat back down in his previous spot. "I thought you were quieter than that."

Saladin went back to his spot by the fire as well, this time accompanied by Jolder who sat down next to him.

"Kind of difficult to avoid when you've got 700 pounds of elk on your back," Perun replied sharply, squatting down by the elk's corpse.

Radegast's sly smile returned, and Saladin wondered if his friend had a death wish. "I just can't believe you didn't watch where you were going."

"Shut up, Radegast." The hawkish woman replied, Saladin clearly saw her pale cheeks dusted lightly with pink. She's embarrassed.

"Must be a blonde thing."

Perun stood up, pointing her rather sharp knife towards Radegast. "If you don't shut up, I'll-"

"What?" Radegast's expression morphed so perfectly into innocence. "I'm just making observations here. Right, Saladin?"

Oh no. All eyes fell on him then, and he was confronted with two choices. He sighed. At least we'll die together.

"Exactly." He agreed. "Crazy stuff, you stepping on those branches, Perun."

Perun growled, turning back to the elk. She sunk her knife into it rather violently.

"We could have shot you, Perun." Jolder added, though she was clearly struggling to hold in her laughter. "It's just so unlike you."

"Assholes…" The blonde began cutting open the elk like she was painting. In a way she is, some of the blood splattered onto the cave wall. "I would've been fine. You three are lousy shots, anyways."

"Dunno," Radegast shrugged. "Your reflexes are getting slower…"

Jolder nodded along, feeling more confident with this venture. "It only takes one."

"Exactly!" Radegast snapped his fingers. "Completely different person."

"Out of character, really." Saladin added.

"ALRIGHT! I GET IT!" Perun stood back up now, her large hunting knife drenched in blood. "PERUN ACCIDENTALLY STEPPED ON A STICK! HOW FUNNY! HAHAHA!"

As she laughed, Saladin immediately regretted his decision. She looks like a maniac…

He saw that warm smile on Radegast's face, signaling that, in some way, the bearded man felt fulfilled at that particular moment.

"Jeez, Perun. You stepped on a stick… it's not the end of the world, you know." Jolder coughed into her hand.

The blonde pointed her knife at Jolder now. "At least I don't snore like a bear, back from a party!"

The other woman gently lay a hand on her chest, mouth agape.

Saladin figured this was probably the best time to step in. "Alright, alright. Fun's over." He announced. Perun was just about to open her mouth, but he interrupted her beforehand. "Perun, thank you for waking up early, and going out of your way to get us all breakfast."

The blonde simply held her knife pointed at Saladin, mouth open, but no words came out. "Uh… Thanks, Saladin." She smiled. "I mean, you're welcome."

She turned back to the elk, completely caught off guard from her next tirade.

Jolder turned to him then. "Do I really snore that loud?"

"Told you." Radegast shrugged, the grin on his face would forever be etched into Saladin's memory.

Saladin was curious though. "Perun, why did you leave the cave this morning?"

"Breakfast." She answered. "That, and I couldn't stand Jolder's snoring."

"Wow…" Their friend deflated just a little bit next to Saladin. He patted her on the back.

Finally, Perun removed the hide from the carcass expertly, rolling it up and setting it aside. Then, he cringed slightly.

He wasn't ready for the smell.

"Any changes in the plan?" Saladin inquired, wanting to focus away from the stench of dead elk.

Radegast sat forward slowly. "Perun and I discussed it last night. No." He paused, his nostrils flaring at the new smell. "Break at dawn, gain more ground. We'll be hiking up the mountain."

"What?" Jolder paled. "Why the mountain? What's wrong with the forest?"

Perun, still cutting away. "Because the Lightbearers' trail leads up the mountain." she answered for Radegast. "If we went through the forest, they'll be gone by the time we get to the other side."

"But there's got to be some… other way, right?" she glanced at Saladin. "Right?"

Saladin shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Always wanted to climb a mountain."

"How far behind them are we?" Radegast asked.

The blood covered blonde answered. "Half a day, maybe less." She glanced back at him. "We've got the element of surprise, too."

"That we do." Radegast agreed. "In case they catch us off-guard, however, I want you all to scatter. Lose them, and we'll regroup in the old church in Perm." He poked the fire with his stick. "I don't want anyone here playing the lone wolf. Understood?"

"Understood." They all voiced.

They had broken at dawn, it had been an hour since. Saladin could still taste the elk on his tongue, and sorely wished for more.

It was a beautiful day outside. The mountain air was crisp, the sun making it's usual journey across the sky, and Saladin stood on the hilly mountainside, snow up to his knees.

He inhaled the smell of pine for a good few seconds, and glanced back at the view of the valley below. Snow covered trees dominated the landscape, though he did spot a stream-

"Agh!"

Saladin thanked himself for not being scared of heights. Glancing back at Jolder, at least not like her.

She was tense, almost trembling visibly. Jolder latched onto a tree, which gave Saladin cause to chuckle. "Heh,"

Her head swiveled so fast that she might've been an owl, scorn and embarrassment written all over her face. "This isn't funny, you know!"

Saladin was standing much closer to the edge than she was, and he doubted she could see much of the pitfall from her spot just a few dozen feet away.

"It's a wonderful view. Beautiful." He remarked, his hand covering the valley.

"Why don't you take a picture, then?" Jolder snarked, her grip around the tree choking the life out of it. Probably.

Saladin nodded. "Great idea, Jolder! Do you have a camera?"

"..." Nothing. Jolder's face contorted to that of a scowl. "Whatever!"

"Do you require a picture, sir?" A voice entered his head, sounding prim and proper in its tonality with a robotic hiss.

"Why not, Isirah." Saladin nodded. His Ghost appeared in front of him then, facing the valley. In a matter of seconds, his Ghost had taken a handful of pictures and promptly disappeared.

"Thank you, Isirah."

"Of course, sir. I have them if you ever wish to view them."

Saladin turned back to Jolder, finding that she was now attached to the next tree in line. She'll be fine. He looked up, smiling as he spotted a small patch of flat ground. Seeing nothing beyond it, plateau perhaps.

"That cave was so warm and toasty…" She stumbled into the snow. "Why don't we find another one of those?"

"Jolder, it's only been an hour."

She huffed. "I know!" Making her way over to him. "Maybe climbing a mountain calls for a little break though."

Saladin climbed a bit further, reaching the flat dirt. Sure enough, he saw Radegast standing before another line of trees, arms crossed. He's been there for some time. "Radegast is waiting for us."

"Did Perun get lost or something?" Jolder asked, hesitantly climbing a few feet behind him.

He shrugged. "Maybe he lost her." Saladin pulled himself up top, starting to walk towards Radegast. "Don't look down."

"Not funny!"

Radegast was only standing a stone's throw away, Saladin crossed the snowy glade in under a minute.

The other man grinned at his arrival. "Arguing like a married couple, I see?

"Uh…" Saladin was lost for words.

"What's the matter, Saladin? No glib remark? No pithy comeback?"

Son of a bitch. He opened his mouth, a retort ready to roll off his tongue.

"What… are… you two… talking about?" Jolder huffed behind him, shuffling to his side right then.

Radegast beamed. "Oh, nothing. How was the hike?"

"Oh my…" Jolder began. "Dreadful. I almost fell off the cliff, twice!" She paused, frowning. "Wait, where's Perun?"

The other man still grinned, a stark contrast to Saladin's bitter expression. Your time is coming. "She picked up their trail inside the forest." He thumbed at the treeline behind him. "That was ten minutes ago. Perun should be back any moment now."

"Did they run off?" Saladin asked. "Do they know we're here?"

Radegast shrugged. "Doubtful, but you never know." He cast a sideways glance at Jolder. "Maybe they heard you screaming across the mountain range."

"Hey!"

"I certainly could." Saladin agreed.

Jolder looked at him, completely betrayed.

"You know, if they heard her, then Perun could as well." Radegast remarked. "Sharp as a tack that one. Can hear a snake a mile away."

"I prefer the sound of rushing water."

All three jolted where they were standing, within a second they had weapons in their hands. They turned to find Perun standing behind them.

"Maybe you guys have a point when it comes to my entrances." She pursed her lips, quickly waving her hand. "Anyways, they broke camp recently, but they left behind their supplies."

"Where did they go?" Saladin inquired.

Perun nudged her head to the right. "North. A bit further down the mountain. We aren't far behind them, though."

"Let's head to the campsite, then." Radegast decided. "We'll follow the trail from there."

Saladin nodded in agreement. They all turned to the forest and marched inside. He and Jolder flanked from behind while Radegast and Perun led the way.

The snow was far less intrusive on their movement, being almost a foot shorter. Still, their vision was obstructed by trees and pine needles.

It wasn't long before they came upon the campsite. Rough-hewn packs, lazily placed bedrolls, and even the ring of stones around the fire left much to be desired.

"Not terribly neat." Perun pointed out, and Saladin found himself agreeing with her assessment. The embers were still quite warm, like it had stopped being fueled recently. "They left suddenly."

Their gear was left lying around, which lent further credence to Perun's hypothesis. "Why?" Saladin asked her. "If they knew we're here, they might've planned an ambush, or have actually taken their things. What made them leave their equipment behind?"

She shrugged. "I have a few theories. Nothing solid yet."

Radegast looked down the trail that had been left behind. "Maybe we'll find out sooner than we thought. Let's go."

Radegast and Perun were scanning ahead once again, and every now and again, he could hear them chatting about something or the other. Jolder was walking along next to him.

"Is my snoring really that annoying?"

He glanced at her, both confused and a bit bewildered. "No. It's not the end of the world if you snore loudly, Jolder."

"It keeps coming up, so maybe there's a problem with it."

Saladin sighed. "You drool when you snore."

"I do?"

"Yeah, but it's… I don't know…" he paused, trying to find the right word. "Adorable."

Jolder beamed, pink dusted her cheeks. "Thank you…" She trailed off.

Probably expected me to continue ribbing her. "You're welcome," he replied, marching on.

Then. "See, you don't have to be an asshole all the time."

He rolled his eyes. "You were practically screaming. You woke up the animals in hibernation with those lungs of yours."

"Well maybe if you hadn't reminded me of the cliff every five seconds!" She started back up again.

He stopped, grabbing her shoulder in a tight grip. "You know I wouldn't have let you fall."

She gave him a long look in return. She smiled, eyes crinkling. "Yeah… I know."

They stayed there for what seemed like hours. Finally, realization hit Saladin like a train. We do argue like a married couple.

He gave way to a burst of chuckles as the dots connected in his brain. Jolder frowned at his sudden reaction. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

"No." Saladin shook his head as he recovered. "Just something Radegast said earlier."

Her expression morphed into relief, which was then proceeded by her downward gaze at the ground.

Now it was his turn to ask. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier." She cast a sheepish glance up at his eyes. "I was terrified and I took it out on you. That's not right."

His grip loosened itself on her arm. "You were scared half to death, Jolder. It's fine."

Still, she had those big brown puppy dog eyes of hers on full display. Saladin smirked.

"I suppose next time we go hiking, I'll have to carry you up the mountain."

She threw her head back in a fit of giggles right then, completely forgetting her earlier mood. "No more mountains, please!" She relented then, calming somewhat. "How would you carry me?"

"Simple. Piggyback."

Jolder burst out into more laughter, flashing her pearly white teeth. "That would be so-"

"Lovebirds!" Perun nearly popped his ears as she spoke over the comms channel. "We've got a situation down here. Head down the trail, get here fast!"

Saladin broke his smile. "What's the situation?"

"Lightless settlement. Get here now!"

"Shit." He looked at Jolder. "Let's go!"

"About 784 metres down the trail, sir." Arthur's voice temporarily filled his head.

"Thank you." He mumbled as he sped up his pace.

It took them about fifteen minutes until they finally found Perun and Radegast crouching behind a fallen tree, overlooking a small valley several dozen feet below them. Sure enough, there were many makeshift homes and huts arranged in a settlement.

"What's the situation?" Jolder asked, squatting next to Perun, opposite of Saladin and Radegast.

Radegast glanced back at her. "Four Lightbearers, and forty-something civilians."

"Shit."

"Yeah, pretty much." Radegast agreed, casting his gaze back at the settlement below. "The original plan is scrapped, time to improvise."

"What are they doing?" Saladin asked Perun. She squinted down her scope.

"One is standing guard. The other three are herding the Lightless outside." She answered, moving away from her scope. "What's the plan?"

Radegast looked at her. "Perun, stay up here. Pick them off on my signal." To Jolder, "Keep the Lightless out of harm's way. This could get messy real fast."

"Me?" Saladin raised an eyebrow.

His friend looked at him then, "You and I are heading down there."

"Why?" he asked further. "What are we doing?"

Radegast smiled. "Have you ever wanted to be a con artist?"

"So let me get this straight…" Saladin trailed off, leaning up against the tree.

They had left Perun on the overlook, and Jolder had gone to the other side of the village near the lightless. Now, he and Radegast were standing hidden by an opening into the clearing.

"You're going to run away from me, acting as if you are one of the villagers running from a Lightbearer?" He reiterated.

Radegast snapped his fingers. "Exactly." He smiled. "You're such a good listener, Saladin. No wonder Jolder likes you."

"Stop it." Bastard is trying to butter me up. "Are you serious? The lightless are a group of forty, wouldn't they be tight-knit? They certainly won't fall for that."

"We're not playing the con on them, though." Radegast pointed out. "They'll be too scared to finger me as an imposter, and you looking mean will draw the rest of the Lightbearers outside."

Saladin tried to wrap his head around it again. "I can't believe you're trying to hustle Warlords."

"We, Saladin. We're going to hustle some Warlords." Radegast corrected him. "I know you've got your doubts, but trust me. Those people's lives depend on it."

He sighed heavily. "Fine. Only for you, Radegast."

"That's the spirit." Radegast grinned, setting down his pack on the forest floor. He cracked his neck and looked back at Saladin. "You ready?"

"Yeah…" Saladin felt sparks dancing lightly along his arms, within seconds he was consumed by volts and forks of lightning. "Let's do this."

"Jolder? Perun? Are you two ready?"

"Good to go." Jolder answered.

"Good luck." Perun snorted over the comms channel.

Radegast counted down. "Three. Two. One." He started running away from Saladin, "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!" He screamed.

Laying it on a little thick… Saladin shook his head, leaving his friend a few seconds head start before stomping after him. The ground shook with each step he took, his own personal storm swirling in a tight radius around him.

Saladin followed his friend into the clearing, and he had to stop himself from smiling as his friend pulled out all of the stops. Waving his arms about, the look of absolute terror. "HELP! THIS CRAZY MAN IS CHASING ME!"

It worked. Seriously? The Risen on guard let Radegast speed by and into the crowd of Lightless, while he tossed his gun to the side and summoned his own light.

DING!

A flaming hammer appeared in his hands, and Saladin skidded to a halt.

"Don't come any further." The flames from the hammer now seeped all over Risen's body. "This place is now our turf. Leave now, and you'll keep your Ghost and your life."

Like clockwork, the other three Lightbearers launched out of the makeshift homes. One strode up to the flaming man. "Hal! What the-" his eyes landed on Saladin then. "Who the fuck is this?"

"He chased one of the peasants back here, he-"

"The fuck are you on about?" their-seemed-to-be-leader asked. "The old man said all were accounted for."

Shit.

Saladin quickly judged the distance between the Lightbearers and the civilians, and he sprinted dead ahead to the group of Risen in front of him.

"Scatter!" Their leader yelled as Saladin neared. He jumped up into the air and raised his fists, charging them with Arc Light.

Their leader and the other two got out of the way, but the flaming man was stubborn. He threw his flaming hammer directly at Saladin before jetting out of the way.

The bolt of the fire hit him in the side, scorching his flesh. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself from screaming as he continued his descent.

The flaming man was not fast enough, being caught up in the large burst of forks and bolts, his Solar Light snuffed out by Lightning. His body disintegrated into dust.

Saladin could not hold back the pain. As soon as the Warlord had perished, he ceased his Arc Light and fell to the forest floor, matting the white snow red with blood. "AGH!"

The dancing of sparks, flames, screams, and the cracking of trees could be heard in the background, and all Saladin could focus on was his charred flesh.

"I've got you, Saladin." A faint blue flash briefly filled his vision. Soon, the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies filled his nostrils, his side healed instantly by the beam emitted from his Ghost.

Saladin stood up immediately, going over his surroundings, and ready to go again.

One of the buildings was on fire, though Saladin doubted it was occupied. The flaming man's Ghost had been shattered into pieces across from him, and the people were being covered by Jolder.

He witnessed Radegast with his Void Shield, bashing another one of the Warlords into a nearby tree. Snap. A sickening crunch could be heard. As their Ghost appeared, Radegast was fast to snatch it in the air and crush it with his bare hands.

"Where are the other two?" Saladin ran over to him.

"One disappeared into the forest, Perun is after him now. She shot down the other one and his Ghost." Radegast answered, his shield dissipating. "You took that hammer to the chest. Are you alright?"

Saladin nodded hesitantly, still remembering the excruciating pain. "Now I am."

"Good. We still need to-" he stopped when Perun re-entered the clearing. "What happened?"

Perun did not look happy.

She strode up to them, the most annoyed Saladin had ever seen her. "He got away."

"How?" Saladin was surprised. Perun of all people was given the slip…

"He was fast, and he didn't leave any tracks behind." The blonde forced out of herself. "He must've flown in the air or something…"

Radegast shrugged. "I doubt he'll be coming back, though. It would be suicide if he did." he glanced back at the cluster of lightless. "Good work today, let's get these people settled. I could do with a nap.

Saladin smiled. "I think we all could."