Eroket was growing tired. The young ermine had been walking for the
better part of the day, trying to keep pace with the older, more athletic
Talrid, at the head of their company.
"By Hell's..." Ero growled to himself, golden amber eyes narrowing, "How much longer until we reach the rendezvous?"
Talrid's scarred features didn't turn to the young ermine; the golden ferret's voice was even, not showing the traces of his fatigue. The commanders spoke quietly, not wanting the rest of the Calpathion mercenaries to overhear their conversation. Talrid was adorned in his uniform, marking him as the ranking officer, his amethyst eyes displaying none of the warmth from merely two days, seeming poised for battle.
Eroket was, by contrast, in his favored loose, black tunic and his dour expression gave the impression of a sullen child. He despised the inactivity of the march as they headed to the spot Kalis had picked for them, near a town but far away enough as to be noticeable by any prying eyes. Kalis, Sarhein and Kallan were expected to catch up shortly thereafter and Deran and Jald's companies not long after that.
Talrid's ears twitched and he raised a paw, halting the march. "Stop...some beast is out there..."
Eroket's dagger was withdrawn in a moment, "Who is it?"
Talrid shook his head, "Can't tell who it is...could be anybeast from a woodlander to a robin..."
"Or somebeast is spying on us..." Ero's red tipped tail twitched, his crimson paws twirled the long dagger skillfully. "You want them brought in? Taken out?"
Talrid shook his head, "I don't want them killed, Nightblade...Company, hold positions...Eroket, get moving. You're taking a captive."
Eroket smiled dangerously, showing his sharp teeth, the ermine's talon like claws tightened over the leather bound hilt of the Calpathion dagger. "Aye..."
Eroket was gone in seconds, darting into the shadows of the trees, his sharp ears picking up the barest sound of a beast breathing heavily.
Eroket kept his breathing shallow as possible, moved so his back was to the tree, ears twitching slightly.
Footfalls were heard, the sounds drawing closet...the breathing of the creature implied that it had traveled a far distance without rest.
A curious sound followed, Eroket thought he heard the seductive jingle...like that of steel or gold coins...
The beast had nearly passed the tree Ero's back was to when the ermine struck, arm reaching out to encircle his opponent's neck, dagger aiming to press against the beast's windpipe.
Eroket was certainly in for a surprise...
Scarcely had his arm reached for his opponent then the beast's elbow connected with his gut, deprived of wind, Eroket could do nothing as the beast's arm struck him in the face, knocking him to his back. The ermine reached for his dropped dagger only to find a booted footpaw slamming down on his wrist and the point of a long rapier at his neck.
Eroket's amber eyes raised, searching the face of the beast. A ferret, clad in a long green cloak, his clothing designed for camouflage against the wilderness, dark fur and dark eyed, Ero recognized his instantly, a single word passing his lips: "Kallan?"
Kallan the Storm...master fighter and scout of the Calpathions, master of the fencing rapier and with a tempestuous personality that suited his title perfectly.
"Eroket?" The voice growled harshly, Kallan's eyes glowering at the younger ermine. "What the hell were you just doing?"
Eroket growled, Kallan wasn't keen on removing either his paw or his blade from their places on Eroket's body as the ermine responded, "Talrid heard you...I went to see if you were friend or foe...could you get off me, please?"
The rapier and boot removed themselves after a moment's hesitation, Eroket snatched his dagger, cleaning it quickly as possible and returning it to his belt, pushing himself to his feet with his paws. "Thanks for the help..." He muttered sullenly.
"Shut up." Kallan growled at him, the ferret wiping a paw across his brow to clear the sweat. "I've been looking for you guys for a while...met up with Kalis?"
Eroket shook his head. "Not yet...we got a note detailing us to head to the rendezvous point and wait for the others..."
Kallan almost smiled. "Good...I've been running all day, lookin' for you all...I could use a break..."
Eroket's amber eyes noted Kallen's paw pressed against the left side of his cloak, almost protectively. "Got an injury?"
Kallan shook his head. "No, I'm fine...my ribs just hurt from all the running...anyways, where's Talrid?"
Eroket nodded, "I'll take you to him...by the way, how're Sarhein and the old man?"
"Speak of Kalis Deiran with respect, whelp..." Kallan snarled. His dark eyes narrowing harshly on the young ermine as he replied, "Kalis was fine when I saw 'im last...now, get me to Talrid..."
Biting back a rather colorful curse at the ferret scout, Eroket turned so Kallan couldn't see the intense irritation building on his features, "Yessir..."
Eroket led Kallan to the main group, Kallan and Talrid nodding respectfully to one another as the three commanders moved away from the troops, Talrid flashing them a 'wait here' sign.
"Hathrin..." Kallan replied coolly to the Southern ferret.
"Kallan the Storm," Repeated Talrid with a slightly nod, face expressionless he gave Eroket a slight glare that left the ermine baffled to Talrid's anger.
Kallan gave a slightly smile and sheathed his rapier. "How far away are we from our destination?"
"A day's march...Give or take," was Talrid's response.
Kallan's tempestuous personality made him difficult to adore but he was no Jald, Eroket noted. Kallan's slight capacity for mood swings was somewhat irritating, however.
"What's the news then, Kallan?"
Kallan replied calmly, "Death Watch...Visla's got some new battle plan...one of my men got information on it...Their forces are massing for an attack on some woodlander settlement...
Talrid frowned. "Who's paying them?"
Kallan shrugged, "Just the thing...nobeast hired them for this job..."
Eroket cut in, "Why would the Death Watch take any job without being paid?"
Kallan shrugged a second time, "Your guess is as good as mine, Eroket...Visla could finally have grown a backbone to carry out those delusions of his..."
Eroker sneered, "You mean the Death Watch becoming rulers of the land? Visla's a mad man, you know that as well as I do, you two..."
Talrid hesitated, "You weren't here for the Splintering, Eroket...you don't know what he was like before that..."
"No, and I don't care...I want Visla, Talrid...I don't give a damn about the reasons, I don't care what he was then, I care about now...I care he had my parents killed and me and me and my siblings sold into slavery. That's all I care about."
"Things are never that simple, Eroket..."
"Then why are we here, Talrid Hathrin?"
Talrid bit his lip. "We're mercenaries...we're fighting a war with other mercenaries...that was once unheard of...our heads may never know, our heads may never know...but the heart knows, Eroket...it always does."
"Spare me the philosophy, damn it!" Eroket snarled vehemently, amber eyes blazing. "You're keeping something from me, Talrid..."
Kallan exchanged glances with Talrid slightly. "You should tell him..."
Talrid hesitated slightly before sighing and nodding. "You're right...Eroket, when I joined the Calpathions, Visla and Kalis were joint leaders. You'd never have recognized Visla then...he was...very different."
"On a mission to assassinate a warlord, Visla was captured and held for four months...when Kalis broke him out, Visla was changed...bitter and crueler...he took pleasure in killing his enemies, he even drew their deaths out when he could."
"On accident, Visla killed the daughter of a local lord during a bar brawl...her father paid Kalis to find and kill his daughter's killer...Kalis confronted Visla about the murder and Visla acted like it was nothing...he told Kalis that a thousand deaths didn't matter, that so long as they came out on top...this at the Western Coast at the time, you must understand that..."
"Two officers were present at the time...myself and an ermine commander loyal under Visla who had fought with Kalis and his father in the north. Visla and Kalis came to blows; Visla's commander gave me the scar you see across my face when we dueled..."
"All out war was imminent...half the Calpathions with Visla, the other half with Kalis...Visla ordered his officer to kill Kalis so the Calpathions would have no choice but to swear loyalty to him...the officer refused."
"Visla attacked him, the ermine and Visla fought and I never saw anybeast as good with a sword, he was a match for Jald Nightson himself...Visla didn't stand a chance...Visla pulled a knife and stabbed the ermine in the leg, would have killed him there if the ermine hadn't grabbed a torch nearby and thrust the flames into Visla's face."
"Visla survived somehow...he ran from the room...his loyalists vanished shortly thereafter...the ermine commander told Kalis that he could no longer fight with the Calpathions...he settled in a nearby village...Visla resurfaced about ten years later...he'd been building up strength and fame...the war began and we were losing...he had two brilliant new commanders; Taren de-Droka and Geras Irinan..."
Eroket raised a paw, cutting Talrid off. "The ermine commander...Tell me his name."
He already knew the answer...but he needed to hear it spoken...Needed to hear it confirmed.
"His village sheltered the Calpathions...they paid the price...Visla had it burned, killed many, sold more into slavery. The ermine was one of the dead. His name, Eroket...was Aleran."
"Aleran Nightblade..."
Eroket nodded, kept his features stony, trying not to cry out, tried not to curse Kalis for keeping the truth from him for so long..."I see...my father always did have a limp...he never told me, my sister or my brother why..."
Talrid bit his lip, "Ero, there's more."
"I don't want to hear it!" Eroket snapped suddenly. "I don't want to know, ok?"
Kallan was leaning by a tree, looking almost sympathetic, Talrid nodded. "Alright, Ero...should we get going?"
Eroket nodded. "Yeah...you should know something, Talrid...war should never be personal, should be fought between soldiers. This war is personal for me now, Talrid. I have reason to kill Visla, Taren and Geras for what they've done and I plan to kill them, very much so...I'm a mercenary and I kill for money...I'll kill a bandit for a gold coin, I'll kill a warlord for a bag of steel, but bear this all in mind on the subject of Visla and his Death Watch...I'd happily kill them for free..."
"Now," Eroket nodded. "We have ground to be covered...let's go."
"By Hell's..." Ero growled to himself, golden amber eyes narrowing, "How much longer until we reach the rendezvous?"
Talrid's scarred features didn't turn to the young ermine; the golden ferret's voice was even, not showing the traces of his fatigue. The commanders spoke quietly, not wanting the rest of the Calpathion mercenaries to overhear their conversation. Talrid was adorned in his uniform, marking him as the ranking officer, his amethyst eyes displaying none of the warmth from merely two days, seeming poised for battle.
Eroket was, by contrast, in his favored loose, black tunic and his dour expression gave the impression of a sullen child. He despised the inactivity of the march as they headed to the spot Kalis had picked for them, near a town but far away enough as to be noticeable by any prying eyes. Kalis, Sarhein and Kallan were expected to catch up shortly thereafter and Deran and Jald's companies not long after that.
Talrid's ears twitched and he raised a paw, halting the march. "Stop...some beast is out there..."
Eroket's dagger was withdrawn in a moment, "Who is it?"
Talrid shook his head, "Can't tell who it is...could be anybeast from a woodlander to a robin..."
"Or somebeast is spying on us..." Ero's red tipped tail twitched, his crimson paws twirled the long dagger skillfully. "You want them brought in? Taken out?"
Talrid shook his head, "I don't want them killed, Nightblade...Company, hold positions...Eroket, get moving. You're taking a captive."
Eroket smiled dangerously, showing his sharp teeth, the ermine's talon like claws tightened over the leather bound hilt of the Calpathion dagger. "Aye..."
Eroket was gone in seconds, darting into the shadows of the trees, his sharp ears picking up the barest sound of a beast breathing heavily.
Eroket kept his breathing shallow as possible, moved so his back was to the tree, ears twitching slightly.
Footfalls were heard, the sounds drawing closet...the breathing of the creature implied that it had traveled a far distance without rest.
A curious sound followed, Eroket thought he heard the seductive jingle...like that of steel or gold coins...
The beast had nearly passed the tree Ero's back was to when the ermine struck, arm reaching out to encircle his opponent's neck, dagger aiming to press against the beast's windpipe.
Eroket was certainly in for a surprise...
Scarcely had his arm reached for his opponent then the beast's elbow connected with his gut, deprived of wind, Eroket could do nothing as the beast's arm struck him in the face, knocking him to his back. The ermine reached for his dropped dagger only to find a booted footpaw slamming down on his wrist and the point of a long rapier at his neck.
Eroket's amber eyes raised, searching the face of the beast. A ferret, clad in a long green cloak, his clothing designed for camouflage against the wilderness, dark fur and dark eyed, Ero recognized his instantly, a single word passing his lips: "Kallan?"
Kallan the Storm...master fighter and scout of the Calpathions, master of the fencing rapier and with a tempestuous personality that suited his title perfectly.
"Eroket?" The voice growled harshly, Kallan's eyes glowering at the younger ermine. "What the hell were you just doing?"
Eroket growled, Kallan wasn't keen on removing either his paw or his blade from their places on Eroket's body as the ermine responded, "Talrid heard you...I went to see if you were friend or foe...could you get off me, please?"
The rapier and boot removed themselves after a moment's hesitation, Eroket snatched his dagger, cleaning it quickly as possible and returning it to his belt, pushing himself to his feet with his paws. "Thanks for the help..." He muttered sullenly.
"Shut up." Kallan growled at him, the ferret wiping a paw across his brow to clear the sweat. "I've been looking for you guys for a while...met up with Kalis?"
Eroket shook his head. "Not yet...we got a note detailing us to head to the rendezvous point and wait for the others..."
Kallan almost smiled. "Good...I've been running all day, lookin' for you all...I could use a break..."
Eroket's amber eyes noted Kallen's paw pressed against the left side of his cloak, almost protectively. "Got an injury?"
Kallan shook his head. "No, I'm fine...my ribs just hurt from all the running...anyways, where's Talrid?"
Eroket nodded, "I'll take you to him...by the way, how're Sarhein and the old man?"
"Speak of Kalis Deiran with respect, whelp..." Kallan snarled. His dark eyes narrowing harshly on the young ermine as he replied, "Kalis was fine when I saw 'im last...now, get me to Talrid..."
Biting back a rather colorful curse at the ferret scout, Eroket turned so Kallan couldn't see the intense irritation building on his features, "Yessir..."
Eroket led Kallan to the main group, Kallan and Talrid nodding respectfully to one another as the three commanders moved away from the troops, Talrid flashing them a 'wait here' sign.
"Hathrin..." Kallan replied coolly to the Southern ferret.
"Kallan the Storm," Repeated Talrid with a slightly nod, face expressionless he gave Eroket a slight glare that left the ermine baffled to Talrid's anger.
Kallan gave a slightly smile and sheathed his rapier. "How far away are we from our destination?"
"A day's march...Give or take," was Talrid's response.
Kallan's tempestuous personality made him difficult to adore but he was no Jald, Eroket noted. Kallan's slight capacity for mood swings was somewhat irritating, however.
"What's the news then, Kallan?"
Kallan replied calmly, "Death Watch...Visla's got some new battle plan...one of my men got information on it...Their forces are massing for an attack on some woodlander settlement...
Talrid frowned. "Who's paying them?"
Kallan shrugged, "Just the thing...nobeast hired them for this job..."
Eroket cut in, "Why would the Death Watch take any job without being paid?"
Kallan shrugged a second time, "Your guess is as good as mine, Eroket...Visla could finally have grown a backbone to carry out those delusions of his..."
Eroker sneered, "You mean the Death Watch becoming rulers of the land? Visla's a mad man, you know that as well as I do, you two..."
Talrid hesitated, "You weren't here for the Splintering, Eroket...you don't know what he was like before that..."
"No, and I don't care...I want Visla, Talrid...I don't give a damn about the reasons, I don't care what he was then, I care about now...I care he had my parents killed and me and me and my siblings sold into slavery. That's all I care about."
"Things are never that simple, Eroket..."
"Then why are we here, Talrid Hathrin?"
Talrid bit his lip. "We're mercenaries...we're fighting a war with other mercenaries...that was once unheard of...our heads may never know, our heads may never know...but the heart knows, Eroket...it always does."
"Spare me the philosophy, damn it!" Eroket snarled vehemently, amber eyes blazing. "You're keeping something from me, Talrid..."
Kallan exchanged glances with Talrid slightly. "You should tell him..."
Talrid hesitated slightly before sighing and nodding. "You're right...Eroket, when I joined the Calpathions, Visla and Kalis were joint leaders. You'd never have recognized Visla then...he was...very different."
"On a mission to assassinate a warlord, Visla was captured and held for four months...when Kalis broke him out, Visla was changed...bitter and crueler...he took pleasure in killing his enemies, he even drew their deaths out when he could."
"On accident, Visla killed the daughter of a local lord during a bar brawl...her father paid Kalis to find and kill his daughter's killer...Kalis confronted Visla about the murder and Visla acted like it was nothing...he told Kalis that a thousand deaths didn't matter, that so long as they came out on top...this at the Western Coast at the time, you must understand that..."
"Two officers were present at the time...myself and an ermine commander loyal under Visla who had fought with Kalis and his father in the north. Visla and Kalis came to blows; Visla's commander gave me the scar you see across my face when we dueled..."
"All out war was imminent...half the Calpathions with Visla, the other half with Kalis...Visla ordered his officer to kill Kalis so the Calpathions would have no choice but to swear loyalty to him...the officer refused."
"Visla attacked him, the ermine and Visla fought and I never saw anybeast as good with a sword, he was a match for Jald Nightson himself...Visla didn't stand a chance...Visla pulled a knife and stabbed the ermine in the leg, would have killed him there if the ermine hadn't grabbed a torch nearby and thrust the flames into Visla's face."
"Visla survived somehow...he ran from the room...his loyalists vanished shortly thereafter...the ermine commander told Kalis that he could no longer fight with the Calpathions...he settled in a nearby village...Visla resurfaced about ten years later...he'd been building up strength and fame...the war began and we were losing...he had two brilliant new commanders; Taren de-Droka and Geras Irinan..."
Eroket raised a paw, cutting Talrid off. "The ermine commander...Tell me his name."
He already knew the answer...but he needed to hear it spoken...Needed to hear it confirmed.
"His village sheltered the Calpathions...they paid the price...Visla had it burned, killed many, sold more into slavery. The ermine was one of the dead. His name, Eroket...was Aleran."
"Aleran Nightblade..."
Eroket nodded, kept his features stony, trying not to cry out, tried not to curse Kalis for keeping the truth from him for so long..."I see...my father always did have a limp...he never told me, my sister or my brother why..."
Talrid bit his lip, "Ero, there's more."
"I don't want to hear it!" Eroket snapped suddenly. "I don't want to know, ok?"
Kallan was leaning by a tree, looking almost sympathetic, Talrid nodded. "Alright, Ero...should we get going?"
Eroket nodded. "Yeah...you should know something, Talrid...war should never be personal, should be fought between soldiers. This war is personal for me now, Talrid. I have reason to kill Visla, Taren and Geras for what they've done and I plan to kill them, very much so...I'm a mercenary and I kill for money...I'll kill a bandit for a gold coin, I'll kill a warlord for a bag of steel, but bear this all in mind on the subject of Visla and his Death Watch...I'd happily kill them for free..."
"Now," Eroket nodded. "We have ground to be covered...let's go."