Battle Heat
High above the mast of the Ruin Ship stood a solitary figure. The wind howled and sleet drenched his furs but he did not budge. His instincts honed to something elusive on the wind. He deepened his brow in concentration but failed to understand what his instincts already knew. One thing was for sure. It could only be trouble.
Opening his eyes, the boy of 18 circlings lifted his facemask. He needed to see the world without the amber hue of the lenses. Darkness covered everything but the world was still bright to his eyes. It was even brighter still as he trusted his instincts to show him what his eyes could not. Some where to the south trouble was brewing. He simply knew this.
"Corin! You have to report to the Shield Mother!" yelled a voice from the deck.
Looking down towards the deck, he spied a cadet calling for him. He had heard he message and grunted his disappointment. In all directions as far as the eye could see, everything appeared normal. There would be nothing to report about except for what his instincts told him. Taking one last look down the southern pass, he finally tore his gaze from it and fluidly made his way down the mast. In a matter of seconds, he was on the deck facing the cadet who had called him.
"Salama wants a report of the area. I'll take over the watch," said a familiar voice from behind the facemask.
Corin nodded. He brushed by the girl fully intent on walking by in silence but something in his gut made him stop.
"Breg," Corin said placing the name to the familiar voice.
"Yes?" Breg replied casually as if she expected the boy to know who she was even under the mask.
He hesitated slightly before going on "Look to the southern pass. I feel something will start there. We need to be watchful,"
"The southern pass? What would possibly happen down that unused road?" Breg asked.
"Nothing I hope," Corin said casually then before he went into the ship, he turned to call back over his shoulder "Remember the southern pass."
"Alright! Get going, Salama's not the most patient person I know," Breg retorted before climbing up the first rung of the mast.
Feeling slightly stupid and annoyed, Corin made his way back down the twisting narrow hallways towards the Shield Mother's office. It was never really a question as to what he felt was right. It was the fact that he seemed slow and almost stupid when he tried to convince people that something was going on. Ever since he was a child, he had the sixth sense for danger. It proved useful in his training but it was also very annoying when he was berated or treated like an imbecile when he said bad things would happen.
Growing up as an orphan and knowing nothing but his own strength, Corin was never really a people person unlike some of the cadets around the Ruin Ship. He had always kept to himself and kept a firm vow never to rely on others. A sad existence but a necessity on the ice and, unfortunately, within the walls of the ship too. He could never find the exception to this necessity and he thought he would never need to. Being the object of ridicule for most of his life was probably the onset of such behaviour.
Reaching the doors to Salama's office, he knocked stiffly and waited for a reply.
"Enter," said a harsh voice beyond the door.
Upon entering the warm room, Corin suddenly realised how wet his furs were. As he removed his hood and facemask, he felt water trickle down his neck and dampen his collar. He cursed silently at the slight annoyance. When he went back to outside, his neck would freeze something fierce. Corin refocused on the situation at hand, he could worry about freezing later. Clapping his knuckles in salute, he waited for the expected order for his report.
"Report," Salama ordered not even bothering to look at him.
"Yes Shield Mother. I have seen no signs of trouble in any direction from the crows nest. I saw several hunting groups leave the ship and return with their quarry within the hours I was stationed there until I came here to make my report," Corin said stiffly.
"You saw nothing unusual?" Salama asked dismissively.
"No Shield Mother I saw nothing," Corin answered.
Salama grunted and waved a hand "You have a resting period before you take the crows nest again. Dismissed,"
Corin saluted half heartedly and left silently. Resting period? Who could rest with the gnawing feeling of something big about to happen. Corin absently rubbed the back of his wet neck wondering if he should use his free hours to roam the southern pass himself. He would not go far into the pass but he wanted to ease his anxiety.
"Okay let's go," he said to himself making his way to the hull entrance.
As the boy reached the heavy fur draped side entrance, he saluted a guard who nodded to him in answer. Corin knew the guard to be Rytra Spear Sage. The only Shield Maiden to use a spear with such killing proficiency that she took out a whole pack of perwals by herself. She was also one of very few friends he trusted and admired.
"Going to the southern pass?" Rytra asked.
"Yes. How did you know?" Corin asked masking his surprise.
"Scouts have reported a stranger coming from that direction. You had crows nest duty. So did you see the stranger?" Rytra asked.
"No…" Corin admitted "I didn't see anything but I did feel something elusive on the wind coming from the south," Corin said freely not fearing ridicule.
Rytra was the only person who trusted the young cadet's instincts.
"I see. Be careful then. Strangers don't always bring good news to wayward cadets," Rytra teased as she smiled and twitched her head for him to get going.
Corin smiled in turn at the jest before pulling his facemask down and lifting his hood. Snow filled the air and the winds were favourable. Corin started down the icy path southward. His teethed boots crunched through the snow methodically until he reached the pass. Corin looked around at the dark and barren pass through the amber lenses of his mask. He searched for signs of any foreign tracks and signs of recent disturbances in any snowdrifts. When he came up with nothing he pressed on further down the pass. He was beginning to doubt his danger sense when he spied movement beyond a rocky outcrop.
Corin slid his sais from his boots slowly to avoid any sound that might give him away. Turning them so that the blades faced towards him, he slowly approached the outcrop and decided that a surprise attack would be best. Bracing for an ambush, Corin let a steady and silent breath go before he leapt fluidly over the rocky mound and twirled his sais menacingly. Pointy blades forward, Corin looked at his victim in surprised dread. It was nothing but a hunting pack disguised with furs.
Corin looked around for its owner and narrowly ducked a vicious blow from an axe that would have beheaded him. Standing before him was a huge hulk of a man holding a very sharp double-sided axe. With a forked and braided beard and long white shaggy hair, Corin understood with no doubt that he was a thane. Judging from what Rytra had said earlier, he must have been the stranger seen on the pass as well. Corin watched the man cautiously as he rolled away, putting a safe distance between them. The man was old but looked very powerfully built. He held his axe in both hands and roared a battle taunt. Corin shoved a sai back into his boot and flicked out a hidden knife from his sleeve in answer.
Aiming for the thane's heart, Corin hurled his knife with deadly accuracy. Unperturbed by the speed of the knife, the thane caught it with the flat of his axe with practiced speed and grace that scared Corin. To move a heavy axe with that speed proved to Corin that he was indeed very strong and skilled. Suddenly the boy cadet felt that he had picked the wrong fight.
Not stopping for the descent of his axe, the thane spun and flicked the axe in front of him before burying it in the ice with a startling roar. Corin didn't even see his own knife fly at him. Instinct took over and he rolled his right shoulder before his knife was buried in it. Staggering back a few steps, he felt the rush of warm blood flow under his furs. Pain flew through him and the shock of being stabbed slowed his reaction to the thane's counter attack. Corin dropped to his knees deliberately as he heard the whistle of the vicious axe blow by where his head just was.
Having no time to contemplate how the thane had covered the distance between them so quickly, Corin insanely rolled towards the thane and unsheathed his other sai. He sliced what he knew was flesh as he rolled by and painfully rose to one knee to watch the thane howl in pain. Corin just realised that he had stabbed the thane in the thigh. He had not slashed the thane as he originally intended to do so with he sai but this was better anyway.
The thane, now furious, pulled the sai out with a gut wrenching roar and tossed it aside. Axe held low in one hand, the thane held up his other hand and started to run at Corin. Corin watched in fear as the angry thane charged at him but was surprised once again to see that he had stopped in mid stride.
Corin wondered why but then he heard something. Voices…no…wild battle calls. The battle cries were coming from all directions. Ambush! Corin stood up quickly and looked around wildly for the first attacker. The thane was also looking around for a body to hack at with his axe.
"Count yourself lucky that your friends are here to save you child but know that it will take more than a group of traitors and outcasts to kill me!" roared the thane.
Corin couldn't believe what he was hearing. The thane thought that he was part of this ambush! Before he could retort, Corin turned to see an enemy launch himself at him. Corin spun quickly and slashed the enemy's throat open in mid air. Blood splattered and sprayed to stain the white snow red. The enemy fell hard and shook in a death throe as the ice started to become crimson where he lay.
"They're not my friends," Corin said turning to see a shocked thane.
Wide eyed in shock, Corin saw an enemy creeping up behind the thane. Although not on friendly terms with the hulking man, Corin ripped the knife from his shoulder and hurled it. He didn't know why he did it but the knife flew dangerously close to the thane's face before it buried itself in the enemy behind him. Catching on quickly, the thane put two and two together and nodded his thanks to the boy before he kicked up Corin's missing sai towards him.
Corin caught it easily despite the gushing wound in his shoulder. Suddenly the battle cries came to a stop and Corin watched as he and his new ally were surrounded. Corin took a quick head count and saw at least ten enemies. Shuffling closer towards the thane, they stood back to back, facing the enemy and waiting for the first strike.
They didn't have to wait long as three enemies rushed the thane. Corin rolled under the thane's back swing as the axe was buried in the stomach of the first enemy. The thane grunted and dragged the dead enemy into the other two and hammered them with insane strength into the ice. Corin watched in awe but suddenly felt empowered to fight just like the thane. Corin felt his fear crumble away. These enemies were outcasts and traitors! It was time to show them the true meaning of the law and order.
Corin leapt out from under the thane's constantly swinging axe and flew at the nearest enemy. He leapt at an archer, slashed, and buried his sais into the poor unsuspecting victim. Hot with battle rage, he felt almost euphoric. Two of the enemies rushed him and knocked him off his feet. His mask fell off on impact. Quick to act, Corin rolled, leapt off a rock wall and countered the attack. He buried his sais in their bodies and had to leave his weapons where they were when a hidden archer launched three arrows at him from behind a snowdrift.
Corin dodged the first arrow by sheer luck but wasn't lucky enough to avoid the last two. The second arrow gazed him but the last one hit its mark. The boy felt the searing pain lance through his side. He fell to one knee as he ripped it out. New pain flourished in his side as the arrowhead caught and tore away flesh. His pain suddenly turned to regret as he watched the thane pulled down by several of the enemies. They crowded him as if a pack of wild animals would crowd its huge prey.
Corin ran to his aid but had to stop when the hidden archer shot more arrows towards him. Feeling the despair and hopelessness mixing inside him, he flushed suddenly to a shade of red. His blood boiled and he wanted nothing more than to spill blood. Something snapped inside of him and he was filling with blind berserker rage! Corin marched towards the thane as he took down enemies barring his way. He punched and kicked with more power than he thought he had. Twisting heads and snapping limbs, Corin made a devastating path towards the thane who was desperately kicking and flinging off enemies. The thane had dropped his axe in an attempt to hold his enemies at bay. Corin saw it as he marched towards the rabble.
He picked it up the axe with one hand and felt the power of destruction in his hand. The archer fired arrow after arrow at Corin in a vain attempt to stop him from helping his ally. He all but missed every shot as Corin lifted up a body and shielded himself with it. Corin finally reached the thane and started to hack with blind fury. When there was no one left that was able to stand, he dropped the axe and picked up an enemy nursing a lost arm. He picked him up, held him up with two hands, and lifted him clear off the ground. He roared in fury and heard the victim in his hands whimper.
The archer fired and Corin used the man he was holding to shield himself. He held the man in front of him as he marched towards the archer. Having spent his quiver, the archer came out from hiding and unsheathed two long knives. Corin tossed the pin-cushioned shield aside and faced the archer wit nothing but his hands. The archer thrust a knife at Corin just as he held a hand out to grab the enemy. The knife went straight through Corin's hand. Corin let out a roar of pain and was able to desist long enough to catch the second knife as it was aimed at his neck.
Corin grabbed the enemy's knife hand and pulled him close before he delivered a skull crushing head butt that knocked the enemy off his feet. The blade was pulled from his hand as the archer fell to the ground. Corin turned to see the devastation he had caused and was suddenly held in place. His feet no longer moved. The blind rage was subsiding as if being drained away.
Pain started to seep in. His blood soaked his furs. His vision was blurring. Staggering towards the thane who was standing in the midst of the carnage, Corin held back a loose fist as if he still wanted to fight. He threw it with what energy he had left and succumbed to a painful fall to the ice. Fast and heavy footfalls echoed in the distance as his blood pumped loudly in his ears. The butt of a spear buried itself in the ground as ice chips sprayed his face.
"Hold on Corin! Hold on!" echoed a distant voice.
A flash of a familiar face was all that he remembered before he passed out.