What a beautiful day and nothing to do besides ruining it with bloody murder.
I had my hand pressed on his lips, blood splurting out warm and sticky between my fingers with his desperate gurgles, as I turned the knife in his neck to be sure. He had left the group to do his business. No man should go out like this, with his pants around his ankles. And yet here we were. The sense of honor fades quickly on the battlefield.
[Wyldling Warrior defeated! Reward: 9 EP]
I wiped my hand on the moss of the rock behind which this Wyldling had gone to do his thing, and looked over to the group that was fixing up their campsite. Evening was approaching with quick strides and the small group I had followed had decided to not attempt the treacherous descent to the Shipwreck Bay, another term I had coined, in the twilight or darkness.
While I plucked the blood-soaked Dragonamber amulet off his neck and collected the Shard of Essence, I glanced around the rock over to the group. They were busy stoking the fire, rolling out their hides and bedrolls, and were talking with subdued voices. One of them always had an eye on the sky, where the flying critters would come from.
These creatures, those that hunted in daylight at least, had not been much of an issue for me. Between [Favorite Terrain: Mountain] and Zero looking out for me, I had avoided the worst of the danger. I had killed a few of the smaller ones, for meager amounts of EP, but once I had been attacked by one of the large flying reptiles, easily big enough for a couple of riders, and had only evaded the sharp talons, it swung at me in its fly-by attack, by diving off the rock I was on and slamming on to the rock ten feet below. Once again Zero had assured that I would not slip further.
These Wyldlings here had learned similar lessons. Never camp on open ground. Always have something to dive behind somewhere around you. They had nestled between two boulders and had thus ample protection from above. Made my grisly work easier, though.
Kara had not done a thing. She just sat there, silent, and stared at the fire in stoic contemplation. She did not talk to her guards, she did not move a finger to help them. I could not quite tell if this was the defiant posturing of a prisoner or the mannerisms of a superior. Maybe they respected that she was the sister of Barak Bloodbraid enough to give her command or at least the courtesy of not having to do the menial tasks.
I knew one word in the language of the Wyldlings, the first word everyone learns in a new language. Cogar had taught me well: "Shit!“ I yelled with a muted and deep voice. I tried not to sound too desperate, I wanted only one of them to come looking. But It sounded fake even to my ears. Acting was not in my repertoire of skills, it seemed.
And instead of luring one of them out to come looking for his friend, all three grabbed their weapons and looked around a little bit more alert than I would have liked to. Kara did not move, though, but did raise her head and frowned. The warriors spoke a few words in their language and moved out.
My ambush was sloppy because I had not much room to maneuver, but I came out of the shadows and swung my sword as hard as I could. I did not sever the head of the Wyldling, not quite, but a second bloody grin opened up on his neck, his head falling back over his shoulders, still hanging on a sliver of flesh and skin. Blood spurted up in a fountain, spraying wildly as the body fell. I heard the sound of metal clashing as Zero dropped down from his perch on the rock. [Chain Lash] into [Fetter], followed up by [Constrict]. The Wyldling went down screaming for help, struggling against the barbed chain that tightened its grip ever so slightly, when the air left the lungs of his victim. Soon the screams were gasps and gurgles.
There was just one Wyldling left with a look on his face like a hare in a trap.
"For the Bulwark.“ I invoked the nickname of my father and raised my sword.
----------------------------------------
"You look like a beast.“ Kara said as I sat down on the other side of the fire, after having thrown the bodies over the edge for the scavengers to feast on. I looked down at me. Kara was right. I was blood-soaked. Dirty. My clothes were torn, my cloak a tattered mess. The Broken Lands were many things, but clean and rich in water they were not. I had lived on the water my victims carried with them, and the one morning of rain we had in the last couple of days.
"I feel like one, too.“ I said, piercing the meat of one of the gliding rodents on a stick. I had fought that thing yesterday. Its sharp front teeth had pierced my [Stonehide] so effortlessly, it might as well be paper. One scar more in my collection.
"They know about you. They call you the Ghost of the Mountain. Some of them saw you killing a group on the other side of the chasm.“
I winced, but only a little bit. I very vividly remembered a talk I have had with the Wanderer. He had urged me not to become a monster in the stories of the Wyldlings. To not seek revenge. This sounded very much like the opposite. But I had my reasons and those were pure.
I looked at Kara long and hard. "What are you doing?“ I finally asked her.
She shrugged. "The same as you, I suppose. Trying to get my revenge.“
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"Why would you say that?“
"Because you are a human. And I am a Wyldling of the Snake Clan. And in case you have forgotten, you insufferable oaf of a man, I am a [Shaman]. And a damn good one. And the Song of the Wyld has a few verses about you, one more confusing than the other.“
"I seek no revenge.“
Her giant eyes searched my face for the truth, buried under the blood and dirt. Finally, she shrugged. "I don't care. The Snake Clan has born me into this world and protected me from it. But not from itself. Turn your crusade against Tonja, Dio, and the poor souls there and I will haunt you for the rest of your days, though.“
Now, I usually reacted to aggression like any other sensible noble would, who had been lost in violence and the wild for months without a friendly face to talk to in miles, but the day had seen murder aplenty and my thirst for blood, or even fighting, was quenched. I shrugged. "I mean them no harm, believe it or not. Although you should rethink your impression of the Mad King. I just have two quests, both of which happen to be entwined with the fate of the Snake Clan here and Bloodbraid himself.“
Kara nodded, then spat in the fire. "Fucking Bloodbraid. Did you know he truly dyes his ridiculous braid with the blood of his enemies? He stinks like a slaughter stone.“
"What is a slaughter stone?“
"The stone you slaughter animals on?“
"Ah, right.“
Silence.
"What now?“ She asked.
"Now you tell me your plan, I think.“
"Or what?"
"You betrayed my trust once, Kara. I will not be tricked twice.“
She raised her hands in innocence. "You are a feisty one. You might as well don‘t trust me, for I would not let a murderous ghost such as you out of my sight either. Besides, you ruined my plan already. The warriors would have escorted me right to Barak.“
"Then what?“
"Then I would have killed him.“
"That was your plan?“
She crossed her arms defensively. "You have a better one?“
"Yes. Hunt the Snake Clan until I have enough amulets to bring the Bear Clan.“
Kara snorted. "The Bear Clan? Their warriors and hunters joined the Snake Clan even before I left for the Wyld. What is left of them are sheep ready for the slaughter. They have lost their [Shamans] as well and there is only a young boy under the care of Tonja, that came from their ranks. And he will need to train for years.“
"I am of the Bear Clan, technically, and you have not met their [Fire Keeper]. They are fighting for weeks now, day and night. And I do not doubt for a second that my brother will lead them to safety. They are no sheep anymore. Bears they are, every last one of them. The Snake Clan has grown fat and lazy on the success of their leaders and their magic.“
"And yet I have not heard how you plan to overcome said leaders and said magic.“ Kara spat.
Again I fell silent. I truly did have no idea. Would Cogar be able to face Barak and walk away the victor? I doubted it. I had seen the walls of Ravenrock fall under Barak's magic and could see the Chosen of Bear fall just as easily. But it did not really matter. The Bear Clan needed safety. And safety was here, where the Wyld would protect them from the creatures of darkness. If I got the amulets, I could bring them here. Not all the way, but behind the frontier of the Mad King at least. Maybe even the Broken Lands. Until Barak would decide to take the field and flush us out. The Mad King was a wildcard. Perhaps as dangerous as Barak or more. It would not do settling in his forest. Barak had to go, somehow.
"I have no plan to do that. I have maybe half a plan to get rid of him.“ That plan was to wait until he boarded a ship and alert Bones of his departure so that the Scarlet Tide could take care of my enemy for me, once Barak's ship had left the safety of the Shattered Sea. Pretty slim chances, to be fair. The sea was huge and I could easily imagine Barak slipping through a blockade of pirate ships. Come to think of it...when and where had the Wyldlings learned to sail a ship?
"Half a plan is not enough to beat the Bloodbraid.“ Kara said, looking at the flames again.
"Half a plan is better than to walk into his arms and beg for assisted suicide.“
"You know nothing. I am better than him.“
"You have obviously no idea what he can do. You are younger, not ready to even be a [Shaman], and you lack the powers of darkness Barak can use to, listen carefully, topple fucking castle walls!“
"What do you care?“ She said defiantly, but she hid dejection with her bravado and it was plain to see if you had the eye to look for it.
"I don‘t. Kill yourself if that is what you wish to do. I owe you nothing but a grudge for betraying my trust and belonging to the wrong clan.“
We spend awkward minutes in silence, while the darkness of the night fell over us, each with their own thoughts. The blaming and reassuring that no one would care about the death of the other was over, apparently. Finding solutions was next.
"What can a [Shaman] do? How do I fight him?“ I finally asked.
"You? Jump him with that giant sword of yours and hope you are faster than him. I will not tell you our secrets. Some things are obvious, though. For one, Barak is hailed the mightiest [Shaman] to ever come out of the Wyld with his sanity intact. I doubt that very much. Sanity was never his strong suit. That means one of two things: Either he has mastered the Song of the Wyld to a degree that outclasses every known legend and hero of the Wyldlings...or he cheats.“ Kara pulled a Dragonamber amulet out of her shirt. "Feels like cheating to me.“
"How...? You got one yourself, didn‘t you?“ I asked.
"Of course. Can‘t murder your brother if you are raving mad now, could you?“ Her eyes glazed over as she remembered killing a clanmate. She shook her head as if to clear it. "So he cheats, like the manipulative, lying bastard he is. He cannot see fate in the currents of the song. He will not know that you are coming. He will know that something is killing his people in the floating mountains. But he knows not what fate you carry.“
"And what fate is that?“
She shook the amulet at me, with a look declaring me an idiot. "I can‘t see either, you oaf. But what I saw when I met you at the Mad King was enough for me. Shut up.“ She put the amulet away. "[Shamans] interact with spirits of nature and forces of the Wyld. Throw in some darkness and you can expect him to fight you with the help of corrupted spirits and whatever powers his dark patron grants him. I am convinced he fell under the spell of the Dragon of Darkness. Sounds just like him. And he is pretty good with a spear.“
Corrupted spirits were supposed to be strong enough to topple the eternal walls of Ravenrock? I had my problems wrapping my head around that. I even had only a fuzzy idea of what a spirit actually was supposed to be. But she had warned me that she would not betray the secrets of her craft, so there was that.
"I can beat him.“ I said and meant it. "With enough preparation and at the right moment. I know it.“
"So do I.“ She answered. "So do I.“
The night was quiet after this.