Chapter Six
"And WHY do you want to kill me because of that?!?" shouted Akakios, struggling to his feet. The woman took a step back, raised her bow, and tightened her grasp on the arrow once more.
"Careful," was all she said, the very tip of the arrow wavering slightly due to the stress it was under.
"Would you please explain to me what's wrong with paladins?" Akakios asked, looking defiantly into her eyes. Once again, he could have had his eyes closed tightly shut for all the difference she would notice.
"Nothing's wrong with paladins," replied the rogue, shrugging. "I should shoot you for lying about being one." This one surprised Akakios.
"And why do you think I've lied about that?"
"Because I've met a few of them, and they're not supposed to be cowards! A fully trained paladin would never run from a fight like..."
"I never said I was fully trained," snapped Akakios. "If you must know, I'm..."
"Then what are you doing out here?" sighed the woman, loosing patience with the conversation.
"Look, I already told you, I was with...,"
"I heard you before, but why would they pull someone out of boot camp, which I still don't believe, and send him on something as important as demon infestation?" Now this one Akakios had trouble with. He couldn't tell her the honest reason why they did this, and in point of fact, it seemed odd to him as well. Surely any trained paladin would be able to pick up on a demon strong hold just as well as he. He decided to go with the closest thing to the truth he could provide.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Captain Calrisen was just explaining it to me when we were attacked." At this the rogues eyes widened slightly, and just barely, her arrow lowered.
"Calrisen? He was with you?" Akakios nodded. "And now he's... he's..." Akakios nodded again. The rogue suddenly regained her grasp anew, as a flare filled her eyes. "I don't believe it!"
"You want to see his body?" asked Akakios.
*****
Jennifer rolled over in bed, unable to sleep. She felt torn by the discussion she had with Akakios right before he left. After all the work she had done on the mask, stitching the leather, treating it to look like real skin, fitting it with the clay pieces used to transform Akakios' facial structure to a human visage, all he had done was thank her numerous times. It felt like he wasn't interested in her at all.
But then, right before he was called to leave, he had taken her by the hand, and told her he wanted to explain his true emotions, despite the fact he wasn't sure what they were. Before he could get any further though, he was dragged by his leather ear to the waypoint and forced through. She didn't know what those emotions were herself, and was frustrated by it. Did he know why she had made the mask and was going to "let's be friends" her? Was he going to admit to some warm emotion concerning her? But if he was, why hadn't he hugged her, or in some way expressed himself outside of the last minute?
She threw her pillow at the wall, which she regretted because then she had to get out of bed to retrieve it. As she marched back to bed, she sulkily decided that if he wasn't going to be upfront with her, she wasn't going to bother with him.
*****
The rogue seemed to ponder Akakios' offer. She lowered her bow, then looked into the dark sky, as a light rain began to play against her face. She looked back at him.
"No, it's to late to do that now. We head out first thing in the morning."
"Fine," Akakios replied. "Where do we stay until then?"
"Follow me," replied the rogue, and she began walking off into the night. Akakios followed her, occasionally stopping when she did and watching her pick off a few beasts to far off for him to see. Eventually they came to what Akakios first believed to be a junk pile.
"What happened here?" asked Akakios, looking at the rag tag assembly off wagons, tents, and live stock. The rogue guiding the demon turned and looked around.
"Nothing, yet. Why?"
"It looks like a war zone," replied Akakios, observing the crude structures.
"Probably because that's exactly what it is, dolt," replied the rogue. "We had to set up this encampment on very short notice, essentially built around the waypoint we used to escape the onslaught."
"What onslaught?"
"You must be the most uninformed paladin I've ever met."
"I'm beginning to agree," grumbled Akakios. The rogue turned and called out to another rogue.
"Kashya! Have we sent out word to the paladins yet?"
"We haven't been able to contact them about what's happened," snapped the woman identified as Kashya. "Last we heard, they're sending out a team to check out the Monastery, supposed to be there by tomorrow. Won't they be surprised!"
The rogue that Akakios had been following was now silent. She turned to Akakios and said, "You can sleep on the ground for tonight, you'll be somewhat safe. I'm going to update Kashya on what you've told me. In the morning, we're going to want answers."
"Fair enough," replied the demon. The rogue nodded curtly and turned away. "Hey," called out Akakios, "What's your name?"
"Flavie," the rogue tossed over her shoulder.
"I'm Akakios," the demon replied, then wondered off to find a place to rest. Deciding that sleeping next to one of the larger wagons would provide protection from the elements more than anything else available to him would, he laid down next to the first one he found. He wondered how he was going to be able to get any sleep with only the grass as his mattress, however he was unconsciousness before he could give the issue a second thought.
*****
Jennifer sat moodily stirring her porridge, not eating it. She hated herself for doing this; she was over reacting and she knew it. Finally she pushed the bowl away from her and stood up, surprising her friends. She ignored their questions as she walked over to Akakios' table. She was determined to get to the bottom of things.
Enric and Roswell were already deep in conversation when she arrived. Enric noticed her first. "Jenn, did you hear about Morgan?" he asked, cutting her off before she could say anything.
"I was wondering if you knew...What, huh, Morgan?" she asked, clearly confused.
"First thing this morning, he went up to the elders and accused Alvis of harassing him," informed Roswell. "And claimed that he'd been acting completely out of line since he got back from Kurast.
"Right," picked up Enric. "Now get this: Morgan's on trial for insubordination!"
Jennifer frowned, this didn't compute. "Wait, what did he do to get on trial? I thought he went through the proper channels for lodging a complaint?"
"He did," replied Roswell. "Then Alvis got furious and demanded his arrest. I don't know if it's true, but I heard that Alvis is pushing for execution."
-----
A toast to reviews,
Which are always good news!
For it tells me that yee,
Want more of this story to see,
And otherwise Akakios gets the noose.
"And WHY do you want to kill me because of that?!?" shouted Akakios, struggling to his feet. The woman took a step back, raised her bow, and tightened her grasp on the arrow once more.
"Careful," was all she said, the very tip of the arrow wavering slightly due to the stress it was under.
"Would you please explain to me what's wrong with paladins?" Akakios asked, looking defiantly into her eyes. Once again, he could have had his eyes closed tightly shut for all the difference she would notice.
"Nothing's wrong with paladins," replied the rogue, shrugging. "I should shoot you for lying about being one." This one surprised Akakios.
"And why do you think I've lied about that?"
"Because I've met a few of them, and they're not supposed to be cowards! A fully trained paladin would never run from a fight like..."
"I never said I was fully trained," snapped Akakios. "If you must know, I'm..."
"Then what are you doing out here?" sighed the woman, loosing patience with the conversation.
"Look, I already told you, I was with...,"
"I heard you before, but why would they pull someone out of boot camp, which I still don't believe, and send him on something as important as demon infestation?" Now this one Akakios had trouble with. He couldn't tell her the honest reason why they did this, and in point of fact, it seemed odd to him as well. Surely any trained paladin would be able to pick up on a demon strong hold just as well as he. He decided to go with the closest thing to the truth he could provide.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Captain Calrisen was just explaining it to me when we were attacked." At this the rogues eyes widened slightly, and just barely, her arrow lowered.
"Calrisen? He was with you?" Akakios nodded. "And now he's... he's..." Akakios nodded again. The rogue suddenly regained her grasp anew, as a flare filled her eyes. "I don't believe it!"
"You want to see his body?" asked Akakios.
*****
Jennifer rolled over in bed, unable to sleep. She felt torn by the discussion she had with Akakios right before he left. After all the work she had done on the mask, stitching the leather, treating it to look like real skin, fitting it with the clay pieces used to transform Akakios' facial structure to a human visage, all he had done was thank her numerous times. It felt like he wasn't interested in her at all.
But then, right before he was called to leave, he had taken her by the hand, and told her he wanted to explain his true emotions, despite the fact he wasn't sure what they were. Before he could get any further though, he was dragged by his leather ear to the waypoint and forced through. She didn't know what those emotions were herself, and was frustrated by it. Did he know why she had made the mask and was going to "let's be friends" her? Was he going to admit to some warm emotion concerning her? But if he was, why hadn't he hugged her, or in some way expressed himself outside of the last minute?
She threw her pillow at the wall, which she regretted because then she had to get out of bed to retrieve it. As she marched back to bed, she sulkily decided that if he wasn't going to be upfront with her, she wasn't going to bother with him.
*****
The rogue seemed to ponder Akakios' offer. She lowered her bow, then looked into the dark sky, as a light rain began to play against her face. She looked back at him.
"No, it's to late to do that now. We head out first thing in the morning."
"Fine," Akakios replied. "Where do we stay until then?"
"Follow me," replied the rogue, and she began walking off into the night. Akakios followed her, occasionally stopping when she did and watching her pick off a few beasts to far off for him to see. Eventually they came to what Akakios first believed to be a junk pile.
"What happened here?" asked Akakios, looking at the rag tag assembly off wagons, tents, and live stock. The rogue guiding the demon turned and looked around.
"Nothing, yet. Why?"
"It looks like a war zone," replied Akakios, observing the crude structures.
"Probably because that's exactly what it is, dolt," replied the rogue. "We had to set up this encampment on very short notice, essentially built around the waypoint we used to escape the onslaught."
"What onslaught?"
"You must be the most uninformed paladin I've ever met."
"I'm beginning to agree," grumbled Akakios. The rogue turned and called out to another rogue.
"Kashya! Have we sent out word to the paladins yet?"
"We haven't been able to contact them about what's happened," snapped the woman identified as Kashya. "Last we heard, they're sending out a team to check out the Monastery, supposed to be there by tomorrow. Won't they be surprised!"
The rogue that Akakios had been following was now silent. She turned to Akakios and said, "You can sleep on the ground for tonight, you'll be somewhat safe. I'm going to update Kashya on what you've told me. In the morning, we're going to want answers."
"Fair enough," replied the demon. The rogue nodded curtly and turned away. "Hey," called out Akakios, "What's your name?"
"Flavie," the rogue tossed over her shoulder.
"I'm Akakios," the demon replied, then wondered off to find a place to rest. Deciding that sleeping next to one of the larger wagons would provide protection from the elements more than anything else available to him would, he laid down next to the first one he found. He wondered how he was going to be able to get any sleep with only the grass as his mattress, however he was unconsciousness before he could give the issue a second thought.
*****
Jennifer sat moodily stirring her porridge, not eating it. She hated herself for doing this; she was over reacting and she knew it. Finally she pushed the bowl away from her and stood up, surprising her friends. She ignored their questions as she walked over to Akakios' table. She was determined to get to the bottom of things.
Enric and Roswell were already deep in conversation when she arrived. Enric noticed her first. "Jenn, did you hear about Morgan?" he asked, cutting her off before she could say anything.
"I was wondering if you knew...What, huh, Morgan?" she asked, clearly confused.
"First thing this morning, he went up to the elders and accused Alvis of harassing him," informed Roswell. "And claimed that he'd been acting completely out of line since he got back from Kurast.
"Right," picked up Enric. "Now get this: Morgan's on trial for insubordination!"
Jennifer frowned, this didn't compute. "Wait, what did he do to get on trial? I thought he went through the proper channels for lodging a complaint?"
"He did," replied Roswell. "Then Alvis got furious and demanded his arrest. I don't know if it's true, but I heard that Alvis is pushing for execution."
-----
A toast to reviews,
Which are always good news!
For it tells me that yee,
Want more of this story to see,
And otherwise Akakios gets the noose.