The wind rushes over my face as I leave the house, the little chase after Edward didn't last long, he's simply idling near the base of the stairs, though he's since left his gloves and such behind on the steps. He's waiting expectantly for me, it seems, already stripped to his shirts and pants, I guess that's my que. I shiver as I slip off of my coat, the hair on my neck already standing up from the chill, god I wish it was warmer, is it a cooler climate near the sea or something? It'd make some sense. I throw it onto the grass as I reach the bottom of my stairs, tossing my gloves atop it as I stretch and crack my bones into place, not really holding back the small cooing from myself as I do so. God that feels amazing. Edward looks overly focused, his intense stare seems like he's dedicating himself to studying my body and stance, that's kind of worrying.
"Hey Edward, are you feeling alright? I didn't say anything that made you upset did I?" I ask him softly, my ears drooping as I frown, did I actually do something? He doesn't reply quickly, taking his time to sigh and roll his neck around, I assume it's just in preparation.
"No, you haven't done anything. It's hard to explain, can we talk later?" He replies in an almost begging tone, has his eyes always looked so dull, so full of worry? I feel my throat clench and stomach twist, but I do give him a nod in return. I know he likes to spar, and he uses it as a way to bond, but there's something else behind this one. The burn of curiosity, I want to pry into it now, but if he says he'll talk about it later, we'll talk about it then, I'll remind his dumb ass about it too. I look upwards, giving a small wave to the audience of Kathrin and Eric, he at least seems to be okaying the little impromptu spar session here, and Kathrin's nudging next to the man, her eyes squinted and a smile on her face as he runs his hand up the back of her head and assumedly behind her ears, she seems rather content, though I see unease behind her eyes. Right, sparring, lets get back to that Zeke. I take in deep breaths as I bring up my hands in a boxing position, left hand in front with my legs spread for stability, keep yourself bobbing Zeke. Edward shifts into a more relaxed form, though he holds his hands out in a prepared manner. I think it's been a while since we've sparred, but we also haven't done much fighting, so it should be similar to the last time, right?
Predictably, Edward rushes himself forward, though it feels so much slower than how I remember. He brings his right hand into a jab, this seems like a repeat of the last time we sparred. I shift my shoulder into the jab to catch the blow, but he pulls back at the last second and turns the jab into a solid slug towards my face. I blink in surprise and grunt, gritting my teeth through the sharp pain as his fist solidly connects with my cheek, stepping backwards and away from him. Alright, can't get tripped up like that again, while I can take a beating I don't think I should be doing for the hell of it. I quickly crack my knuckles, meeting Edwards little grin with my own, this is a fight! I feel my blood pump itself faster as excitement floods my veins, I stride towards the man, my hands almost trembling with the rush while I slug my own fist towards his chest. He throws his arms to defend from the swing, though I can hear him hiss as it connects anyways, I bring my left arm into the fray and swing myself with the punch, landing it into his ribs with a solid thwack. I pull myself away from the close combat though, it's a little bit safer than trying to immediately all in on him, he won't fall for it nor would it work to begin with, at least not at the current moment.
"You actually got me with that slip up, you little sneak you!" I shout the compliment to the man as my grin widens, wiping away the sweat from my head and spit from my mouth, the stench of the early morning dew filling the air as we breathe that little bit heavier.
"You got a good swing, I should've expected the follow up." He replies, a proud smile on his face that fills my heart with some warmth, a friendly cooperative warmth, it drives away the otherwise chilly morning. The pleasantries are over though, he rushes himself forward with a savage and quick hook towards my chest, I hop myself backwards to avoid it, blocking the blur of his other fist with a hand to redirect it upwards and away from me, driving my spare fist into the mans armpit and kicking him away. He stumbles and hisses in pain, flicking his arm back and forth, that hit must've got him good. He tries to move himself backwards and away from the fight, I assume to recover the feeling in his arm and to stabilise himself, but I close the gap into the man, a swift feint from a swing into another boot to the stomach forcing him to bend over in pain, clutching at his stomach. Now this is a good chance, a good chance indeed. I quickly slink myself behind Edward, a grin on my face as I wrap my arms around his waist in bear hug, grunting aloud while I lift him into the air, holding him steadily before swinging him backwards as I drive his back onto the ground behind us, the solid thunk of his back and the groan of pain from him fills me with a strange pride in my chest. I hop myself to my feet and swing my arms into the air, giving a cheer to the sky as my cheeks hurt from the strain of my smile
"Get fucked Edward! Knew I'd get you with that sometime!" I cheer and jokingly mock the man, giving the audience a small an overly dramatic bow, Eric clapping with a small smirk on his face while Kathrin looks more concerned over anything, she's too much of a bloody sweet girl, a good brawl is good for the soul dammit! Edwards small groan captures my attention, I move myself over to him, his face is contorted in pain and eyes squeezed shut, stuck between groaning and wheezing for air. I wince and offer a hand down to him, the man's going to be feeling that for a bit isn't he? He finally flickers his eyes open and winces himself, raising his hand and clasping it in mine. I pull him up slowly, hanging around him to stabilise his body, just in case. He seems disorientated and hurt, but I think he'll be fine, hopefully his pride isn't too hurt. He shakes his head before clutching at it, but he quickly rightens himself upwards, flinching as he does so, I don't think his back's very happy with the abuse.
"I can't actually believe that worked this time around, I fully expected you to drop myself on you again." He winces as he jokes around, I can't help but feel worried for him, frowning as my ears droop once more, I gently wrap an arm around his shoulder.
"Are you going to be okay? I can carry you to the Templars if you need them to help you out." I propose to the man. He slowly shrugs himself off of the dirt, and brushes my arm off of him and waving his hand dismissively, though he does shoot me a small smile.
"I've been through worse, thanks for the offer though. But hey, you got me with that, I admit defeat to thee." He announces it dramatically, taking an equally dramatic bow and hissing in pain as he does so. I snicker, he kind of deserved that, but I do feel a smidge of worry anyways.
"If you're completely sure, don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it though Eddy. I can take a beating, but you're just a human." I tease the man and nudge at him with an elbow before making my way towards my clothes, quickily throwing them on. The fire of the fight within my chest is subdued by the differing blanket warmth of the cloak, god bless Anna for making this, I don't think I could stand this chill without it. It's strange though, while I don't mind sparring sometimes, something just seemed off about it this time, the overly intense staring and the stiffness in his voice, eaugh, hopefully he does talk about it later. I'll pry it out of him at that point. I wince and rub a thumb over my cheek, he got a pretty damn good hit on me there, it might end up bruising later. I twist and look over Edward, who's already thrown on his clothes, his face wincing in pain as he forces himself to stretch.
"So Eddy, are we going now then?" I ask him as I approach, the creeping feeling of regret seeping up my back as I look over his slightly ragged body and hissing breaths. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"
Edward looks a little bit miffed, his mouth twisting to the side as his cheeks creases from it, he continues to wave his hand dismissively.
"Listen, Zeke, I'm going to be fine. I know my limits and how much punishment I can take, I'm going to be bruised up and stiff for a bit but I'll make it. Stop worrying, okay?" He replies in a chiding tone, his hand reaching up and ruffling at my hair. I feel taken aback, staring at him as confusing brews in my chest while he snickers smugly, the little bastard. I roll my eyes and give him another knock with my elbow, whatever he says then.
"Hey Eric, Kathrin, we'll be back later okay?" I look up and call out to them, apparently catching the keidran by surprise with how she jumps, what's up with her?
"Of course, the door will always be open to you two, just don't get into too much trouble." Eric replies in his formal tone, looking down on us with a smirk before returning inside. Kathrin looks down to us herself with a worried look on her face, biting her lip before following him, that's a bit of a strange reaction, I guess she really isn't one for combat. Edward for his credit seems to be used to his sores, already in that upright stance of his with an air of proud professionalism, I hope I didn't knock that around too much. When did he grab his sword? Was it under his clothes or something, did I just not notice it? Edward seems to notice my staring as we walk down the hill, raising his eyebrow.
"Did you not bring yours?" He questions, I shrug as I march alongside him.
"I left it in my room, why do you have yours?" I retort back to him, raising my own eyebrow in return.
"Why wouldn't I have mine? It's best to be prepared for anything that may arise, after all." He spouts proudly, I roll my eyes and give him yet another nudge with my elbow. The smell of the sea hovers over my nose as we approach closer to the town, it feels as if we've been walking down this hill for ages, but I think we're just walking slowly, it's nice to walk casually with a friend after all.
"We're just going into town, it's not like I use the thing anyways."
"It's best to have and not need than to need and not have, Zeke. Also, not using it is a waste of a good blade."
"When'd you get so philosophical, I thought you're just a guardsman? I'm aware that it's a good sword, I just dislike the thought of having to use it on anyone."
"Was I the exception then, Fuzz?"
"I'll have you know that cemented our friendship and was a key goddamn factor in it too, thank you very much. Seriously though Edward, I've had a walk around here last night, as long as we don't get jumped by Lucy we'll be fine."
"You walked around alone at night? You ran into Lucy?"
"Long story, Lucy scares me. Where are we going anyways?"
"I just want to check out some armour and such I saw yesterday, though I didn't look too deeply into it at the time, it might be nice to bring you around to check it out too. I'm not sure if you know the quality of a weapon, or piece of armour, so it could be a good idea to teach you about it beforehand." That piques my attention and brings me out of our extended back and forth, if only momentarily. I expected him to be walking around for a store, but I didn't expect it to be for weapons or armour. Then again, maybe I should've seen it coming, he seems to enjoy the more practical parts of life after all and that's what gear would fall under.
"What about your guards outfit? Isn't it a uniform?" I ask him as we pass by uncaring or busy citizens, apologising to one as I brush my shoulder over theirs. Edward coughs into a hand awkwardly, an almost embarrassed look crossing his face.
"Well… Technically we're not allowed to alter, adjust or switch armour, it is the human standard as approved by the King, but Uncle doesn't particularly hold that little rule to a high degree, as long as it's for our own defence and benefit." He admits, a hand rubbing the side of his neck as he side eyes the people passing us, as if examining them for their reaction. No one around us seems to mind, or to care, the mutterings of the crowd surrounding us. I exhale a faux gasp, fingers covering my lips.
"Gasp! My little Edward, a man so loyal to his calling as a guard, bends the law? How scandalous." I snicker cheekily as he huffs in an aggravated manner.
"Uncle allows it, he's my boss, therefore I allow myself." He mutters under his breath with another huff, the little frown on his face isn't a genuinely saddened one thankfully, just a flustered one. I snicker louder this time, giving him a one armed hug, squeezing around his shoulder.
"Hey, I'm not judging, if it's allowed and it'll help you then you should be taking advantage of it. That said, you're using the stock standard stuff I've seen around plenty, what's up with that if your Uncle allows it." I continue to prod and pry at him, his face only becoming more confused looking, god this is enjoyable. He takes a deep sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"I didn't think it was required, I never left Dartwood too much and it's a typically quiet town, at least given its proximity to keidran space. Most complications are from the citizens itself rather than outside forces too, and it's not like many of them are combat trained to begin with. The other guards are also rather laid back, even when training or sparring." He finally finishes explaining, I'm surprised he managed to do that in a single breath. So, it was mostly just him not feeling that he needed it then, huh? That does explain his wanting to do it, at least in part, though it definitely doesn't explain his urgency this morning.
"So that's why you wanted to spar so much then, you wanted an opponent that actually cared enough to fight back?" I continue to pick at Edward, my lips twitching upwards as he nods, I called it.
"That's.. Definitely a part of it anyways, I promised you that I'd tell you about this morning later and I will, just after we look around, okay? I just need some time." He almost sounds pleading with the way he says that, his eyes looking at mine, beseeching in a way that his voice hides. I feel my heart twinge, by the gods, now I just feel bad for prying into his personal life, even if he willingly answered.
"Hey, don't sweat it Edward, we're friends right? Friends get each other, as curious as I am, I don't want to force yourself to do it." I give him a smile as I speak to him softly, maintaining eye contact while I give his shoulder an affirming squeeze, as well as nod to finish it up. He takes a deep breath, and as he exhales I can almost see the stress leave his body. How long has he bottled that up? That's not healthy, I would know.
"I know, I know." He doesn't speak beyond that, focusing his sight and march on the walk towards wherever we're going, I assume it's to a stall of some kind, but a proper blacksmith wouldn't be too out of the question. I move alongside him, how long have we been walking? I actually have no idea where we are, I've been too focused on ribbing with him. What side of the town are we even in? The smell of the sea still reigns, so we're likely near the docks, as well as sea meat, though that is a far from pleasant stench, I feel my nose wrinkle, that's kind of gross actually, eaugh. Are we passing a food market area of some kind? The murmuring of the crowd is no different from before, nor are the houses different in size. Have the houses always been so towering, the crowd so close? Has the buzzing and clicking in my mind been so loud and deafening? Calm down Zeke, calm down, just follow Edward. He knows where we're going and what he's doing.
I swallow down whatever feeling's in my throat and focus on Edward and I, just stay by him and relax. I'm thankful that there isn't anything else that wants to surprise me at the moment, with how jittery my senses are, I don't think that'd end well. The tremor in my hands slows and crawls to a stop as I let out a final stress relieving sigh, I abhor cities and crowds, at least Edward's indirectly helping with it. I miss the night, everyone's gone off somewhere and they don't walk around nearly lined shoulder to shoulder.
"Alright, we're here." Edwards' voice brings me out of my thoughts and back to reality, shaking my head and mind, the shop itself is rather interesting, like an open . The fires of a now dim lit furnace of some kind spews the smouldering ends of smoke from its mouth in the back ends of the store, a worn anvil with a hammer placed on top of it, both covered by a poorly constructed roof being barely held up by wooden pillars. The walls of the stall are lined with shoddily made shelves, various weapon and armour pieces strewn about on them, although there are tables laid in front of them with even more bits of equipment. There isn't much to see, to be truthful, the man I assume to be the shop owner and blacksmith has his back turned to us. His angry sounding grumbling is something that I can't catch very well, but I can feel the general tone of it.
"Hey Smithy, what happened here?" Edward asks as he steps forward, his tone a curious and concerned one as he catches the mans' attention. He turns around, his glowering and wrinkled face is smothered with soot and blackened ash, as is the front of his apron, eyes squinting as he looks over Edward. He lets out an aggravated sigh as he flicks away a toothpick from his scowling mouth, balding head shining in the morning sun. Hey, I think he's the only man I've seen that actually reaches my height, with the exception of Zen I think, I hope he and his brother's doing well.
"Bloody hell, didn't think you'd actually show up today kid. The shitty Templars around here, pricks they are, thought it'd be a fantastic idea to confiscate my equipment. Apparently I've been accused of arming the keidran mutts that've been ruining their convoys. Not my fault they're bloody inept and lost their shit." His voice booms in a baritone deepness, his greying beard trembling as he speaks, a barely contained wrath hidden behind his deep brown eyes. Edward looks confused, and concerned.
"What? While Templars are independent of local guards, they still both fall under order of the King, if there's an order to confiscate equipment from a potential supplier for the enemy the local guard would've heard about it too, and I would've likely have heard about it too. There's clearly some miss understanding here, are they coming back? I can try my best to talk them straight." Edward replies to the disgruntled blacksmith. Woo! Go Edward, sounding all professional and commanding and shit, proud of ya.
"They'll be back to take the rest of my equipment, the little rodents, I'd beat the scamps skulls into the dirt if they weren't Templars, pricks got their hand in everything including my damned business and I wanna make sure I have something after this," The smithy continues to grumble his gravelly voice, crossing his arms as he looks over to me. "Your friend gonna help out, too? The hell are you meant to be? You ain't one of them keidran are you?"
"Of course, whatever they're up to, I'm sure we can sort it out. It's a shame we met under these circumstances though Sir. I'm a basitin though, small differences between keidran and I, but it's a common misconception." I respond to the man, I try to keep a positive tone when talking to him, he's clearly upset about all of this, and for good reason.
"Ya sound like an uptight priss, but I ain't gonna complain if you deal with them." I feel my face contort as I lean away from the man, surprise jolting through my nerves at his response, I've never been insulted for saying 'sir' before, the fuck? I glare at Edward as he snickers, he doesn't bother to attempt to cover it up, instead shooting me a smug little grin, the prick.
"Worry not Smithy, we'll get this sorted out. Just stay calm and leave it to us." Edward affirms the man, who scoffs and waves his stocky arm dismissively.
"I prefer actions rather than words, kid, I'll leave it to you." His voice is a rumbling one as he moves himself back to the stores' furnace, ignoring the smog emanating from it and tending to whatever he's doing. I huff and lean over to Edward,
"This guy's a bit of a prick, what's up with the Templar stuff though?" I ask him, who simply shrugs.
"Like I said, I don't have an idea, but I'd like to imagine we can talk through it. I really wish you brought your damned sword, maybe the smithy would let you use one that he has laying around." I roll my eyes, of course he'd bring up my god damn sword.
"Listen, Eddy boy, it'll be perfectly fine," I reassure the man as I pat his shoulder, calling out to the smithy. "Hey Smithy man, do you mind if I use one of your swords? I don't have mine on me."
"I guess I'll allow it if you're too much of a shmuck to remember to bring your goddamned sword. If you break it you buy it though, kid." Is his immediate irritated reply, his booming voice carrying out the violent and wrathful undertone, given his size, I don't think that's just a threat.
"See? Nice and easy." I say with a smile as I look over his wares, picking out a plain long sword and giving it a few test swings. Very plain, very balanced, but very dull, I already miss my own, but this'll have to make due. I sigh and run a hand through my hair as I take a seat on the table, don't touch anything Zeke, hopefully there's a more peaceful solution to this mess. Edward rolls his eyes and takes a seat next to me on the table, creaking under our combined weight, Edward's fat confirmed. Neither of us speak, just waiting for the Templars to come back, will they come back? I hope that if they do, they're willing to talk this out. The march of a twin matching armour set catches my eye in the distance, nudging Edward and pointing a digit in their direction.
"Psst, are they the Templars?" I ask him, though it's a redundant question. I can see the insignia on their chest, the little Templar ball thing, just like the one I've worn before, at least in memories. Both of their armour is plain but solid looking steel despite that, maybe I shouldn't use my memories of wearing my own homebrewed version of Templar armour from way back when as a reference point isn't exactly the best idea, they'd be a lot of differences after all. Their faces are masked by helmets, so I can't really expect to identify them, there's no real defining feature on any of their armour pieces at all, is that normal for Templars? Edward doesn't reply, though he squints and keeps his eye on them, only rising as they approach us.
"Remove yourself from this, Guardsman, this is Templar business." The one on the right speaks up in a monotone manner, his voice hard and unwavering. They both stop in front of us, the only on the left remaining unspeaking.
"Listen, I'm not sure what's going on here, but clearly there's some misunderstanding here." Edward replies to the man, his arms crossed but tone level and cool headed.
"There is none, we've received reports of the blacksmith here assisting the enemy, and we take traitors seriously. Now remove yourself." He drones on, ignoring Edwards attempts of civility. Edwards mouth gapes into one of shock as a surprised and confused expression covers his face.
"What? Is this some sort of joke? If there were such a serious accusation towards someone, the guard itself would give the person due process for an investigation to occur, the Captain would be involved, there would be an order to these things! Dartwoods current and previous Captain taught us all those things, it's a Kings law gods dammit." Edwards' tone is a pleading and worried one, his arms animated moving around as he speaks. I haven't seen him so riled up like this, and standing by his side I can see his face becoming more and more distressed by the second.
"This traitor is Templar business, and is of no concern to a simple guardsman, any attempt to further impede us will be seen as a traitorous act." His words echo in my mind as I hear them unsheathe their swords, running itself around my skull even as I try to shake myself back into focus. I recall saying something very close to that myself, to that poor guardsman, at least in the memory, the shoe's on the other foot it seems. I don't think we're going to be solving this peacefully, not at all. I hear Edward gritting his teeth as he draws his sword in return.
"Gods dammit, you aren't Templars are you? You serve under the Kings' laws, not over it! Whatever thoughts you two have are not in the best interest of the people!" I've never heard Edward speak with such proud determination, his form is prepared but solid as he holds his sword with his point towards their chest. I take in deep breaths as I step alongside Edward, holding the borrowed blade loosely towards the ground, prepared to bring it upwards to defend myself at least.
"Zeke, stay near me and we can work through this together, please stay safe." I hear Edward hiss in a distraught voice into my ear as he leans over before returning to attention. I scoff and nudge him with an elbow.
"C'mon Eddy, I got this, it'll be fine" I reply to him in a relaxed tone, exhaling a breath I've been holding too long, still side eyeing Edward.
"Zeke I'm serious, be caref-" Edwards cut off as he's forced to block a downwards swing, cursing under his breath, oh fuck they're not just gonna wait for us to be ready are they?
I yelp as I roll out of the way from a downward swing, the tip of the sword digging into the dirt. Despite being so close to Edward, the man ignores him, yanking his sword from the ground and running towards me, his lips snarling as he continues his strikes. I barely make it to my feet before having to jump away from his blade making contact, at least in his fervour I can drag him away from his friend, and from Edward. Each attack is one with minimal finesse, swinging it with as much body weight and force into it as possible. The crowds screaming and other noises takes me out of the fight for a brief moment, ears ringing from the noise, but I move out of the way of another attack, using his momentum to sweep my leg into his. The contact throws him off balance, not that there was much to begin with given how brutish his style is, falling to the ground with a loud thud and grunt.
"Do you have a problem with me specifically or something? It's kind of embarrassing to see you throw yourself around like that, I don't want to hurt you but you'll hurt yourself first." I shout down to the man, partially mocking him and partially questioning him as I move away from his prone form. His only response is a feral growling as he makes his way to his feet, holding his sword in two hands and charging at me once again, shouting a cry as he brings it down once again. I sigh and move myself out of the way with a quick step, his sword plunging itself into the damp dirt once again. Are these really Templars? I'd have thought they'd be better than whoever this is, going from a fun spar with Edward to this shameful display is so… Dull, where's the fire for the thrill of the fight in my chest? If he can't ignite that, then this fight really is worthless.
"By the gods dude, I have no idea what's up your ass, but you really need to stop." I keep talking to him, this time in a more playful and teasing tone, but his small scream as he yanks his sword from the ground likely means that he didn't appreciate it as much as I do. He goes for a swing at my neck, blocking it with the flat of my blade and deflecting it upwards, bringing myself into his personal space and smashing my forehead into his jaw, a crack filling the air as well as his yelp of pain as he stumbles backwards, a gloved hand clutching at it. I don't slacken on the advance, bringing the hilt of my sword onto his helmet, the steel of the pommel hitting him with a loud clang. The metal of his helmet cracks and dents as he falls to the ground, shit, did I hit him too hard?
"Listen, I really don't want to fight, and you can't get close to landing a hit on me, just put the sword down and it'll all be fine," I offer the man, I plead to him as I hold up my free hands to him, "Trust me, I don't mean any harm here, whatever you're doing with the blacksmith just isn't right, you can still fix this!"
The Templar struggles to his feet, shaking and trembling from disorientation I'd imagine, his hot and heavy breath is visible in the morning dew. I can feel his glare into my face even through his helmet, a stream of blood dripping down from his covered forehead, my own blood runs cold. Shit, I hit him way too hard.. He clenches his jaw and grits his teeth, forcing his back straight and puffing out his chest, pointing the tip of his sword towards my chest. His arms tremor, as does the rest of his armour, it's like he can barely stand still.
"You're hurt too, come on, we don't have to do this!"
"You are a stain, to the Templars and the Guards and to humanity, go fuck yourself." His voice is shockingly young, tremoring with genuine rage and anger, it's almost like he's straining himself to speak. I blink and frown as I face the Templar, did I do anything to this man in the past? His wrathful vehemence and isolation is a good indication of that, gods, now I feel terrible.
"I don't know who you are, but it's likely you know who I am, I don't know how I've done you harm, but please please believe me. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry for whatever I did, I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to hurt anyone! Please, I just wa-'' A scream of angst cuts off my little speech, grunting as I catch another downward swing with my sword, his face contorts into a crazed expression, marred with a wrathful zealousness. I feel my heart sink, I can't talk this man down, can I? Shit. A pain to my stomach brings me back to attention, backing away from the savage man, he just booted me in the gut, that's fucking rude! Jesus Christ, you're in a fight Zeke, stop your stupid near bloodless solemn vow and defend yourself, he's not going to listen to words, not at the moment anyways.
"There's no convincing you, just for the record, I tried to stop this." I don't think my words reach the man, but I speak for myself in a determined voice, raising my sword. He screams once again, another wild swing going wide as I move out of the way. I purse my lips as I drive the tip of my blade into an unprotected part of his leg, grimacing as he screams in pain, driving it deeper and deeper. I only pull away when he recuperates himself, another swing going wide from my small dash. I keep my mouth shut as I close the gap between us, a palm striking his jaw upwards, his helmet flying off of his head with the motion. He squeals as his back hits the ground, his blood dripping down his face. I drop my sword and grab the mans' helmet, hopping atop of his prone form, digging my knees into the joints of his elbow, pinning him to the ground. His guttural growls don't relent as I hover my face above him, a cruel grin on my face as he lays his head onto the dirt, his unfocused and wild green eyes glaring daggers into my own, sweat and blood dripping down his face. I grip his helmet in two hands, clenching my hands around the cool steel as I lift it to the sky, a fierce determination flashing in his eyes as I bring the helmet into the dirt next to him, dirt flying and covering the side of his flinching face. I take in shuddering breaths through the snarl in my throat, leaning down to the man.
"Listen here, you mother fucker, I'm trying real fucking hard not to ground your face into paste. You've lost, just give up, please." I whisper in a low and deep voice to the man, turning shrill as I basically beg to the man at the end, a shaking arm resting on the top of his helmet to help it stand. I look pleadingly into the man, his eyes slowly losing its vigor and battle lust, replaced with a resigned and saddened look. He remains silent, the back of his skull thudding against the dirt, his own breaths shuddering and wheezing. His eyes look up to the morning sky, a grimace on his face. A sorrow pushes itself deep into my chest, sighing as I relax on top of him, sitting on his chest with my arms limp by my side.
"Who are you, Templar? I don't know you, I don't even know myself, whatever I've done is very likely inexcusable, and I wish I could turn the clock back to change it for what it's worth." I say to the man, he doesn't respond, he barely reacts, just staring into the sky with a dejected gaze.
"Were you the one outside that Mayors' room, the one outside that Dukes' manor? Or are you some other person I don't recall?" I question the man interrogatively, cursing under my breath as his face remains impassive, please just tell me what I've done, please let me help in some way. The clearing is silent, scarce of people, not even a crowd to spectate the little fight, the stench of blood and sweat permeates the air as my numb hands clench and unclench, rushing to get some feeling and blood back into the limbs. I nearly lost myself there, I nearly did, but I brought it back! At least, I feel like I did. The Templar here seems to be unwavering in his silence, there's not much I can do about it beyond praying he doesn't get up.
I could make him unable to move, but.. I don't think that'll sit right with me, not anymore. I didn't expect to run into someone from my past like this, at least, not in this way, was this whole schtick a set up? A bulb goes off in my head as I scramble off of the Templar, shit, I forgot about Edward!
"Alright Templar Sir, please just, lay there, don't make it harder on yourself, you're gonna be in pain but you'll be okay, understand? Just don't push yourself." I advise the laid out man, sighing in frustration as he does the exact opposite of what I just suggested, stumbling to his feet and managing to scrape together enough balance to stay upright, his sweat and blood drenched hair sticking to itself and his face.
"Are you serious? Please, just lay down and wait for a cleric or something, you're gonna hurt yourself," The determined and stupid man neglects my suggestions, instead chanting something underneath his breath. Oh yeah, Templars can use magic can't they? "Dude, whatever self sacrificial thoughts you have really isn't a good sign, pleas-"
He throws his hands forward, a bolt of light smashing itself into my chest. My throat constricts as a numbing sensation runs itself through my veins, holding my hands to my chest as I gasp for non-existent air, choking on spit before bringing my hands to my throat and clawing at it, where's the air, why can't I breathe? What's going on? I look up to the Templar with watering eyes, his face is marred with confusion and surprise. The world greys and edges fade, everything blurring into each other as I feel myself limply fall to the ground, I can barely feel my face as I hit the dirt, dull thudding of something filling my ears as the world turns from its unnatural grey into a descent into an inky dark.
So dark, so cold, I'm so tired.
I wasn't careful enough there, sorry, Edward..