Sachihiro

I'm slumped on a bench on the infirmary area waiting for Om, Asger and Caden to return from the healers. My only injuries need stitching and that's something ma can do when we get to the longhouse. Caden wonders out first, followed closely by Om.

We sit and drink our water fresh from the well at Hill Town, [mcha-ahhh]. Water that revitalizes energy, clears the mind and tastes so good it has become the most important thing in the past seven days. Barrels of it transferred to Paradisum from the Norse capital. This city of Paradisum now serves as the front, bottlenecking all the invaders from getting further into the Tundra onto our towns and villages.

We've been fighting for seven days almost none stop. Fighting the Sandorians for two days and the freshly arrived dwarves for a further five days. Our numbers are slowly being ground down into nothing. Our superior fighting prowess being made ineffective by their shield walls reinforcing stone magics.

No one says a word, the mounting gloom of our situation clearly evident without a need for discussion.

These armies have been slowly grinding us back while losing few warriors themselves. The most effective fighters against them are the hammer wielders, yet not one wields an artifact hammer amongst the tribes. An oversight our smiths are quickly trying to make up for, rather we use up all our ore than we lose our homelands. Asger returns with an arm across his midsection, pale from bloodless and slightly slumped to protect his torso, definitely looking worse for wear.

"No fae healing?" I ask as we get up and go. The ambience in the infirmary building is too full of pain, sickness and death.The aura a mixture of sour and bitter that offers my senses.

Asger nods slowly before taking a sip of the water we pass him.

"I let them put my guts back together with magic and nothing else. The rest was done the old fashioned way of sinew and thread."

Om grunts as we walk to the long-house between the Norse district and the Viking district. A giant of a long-house two stories high a story deep and very long and wide is our destination. With lots of wooden pillars in between and numerous cooking fires and sleeping areas scattered about we're all looking forward to. Rest in a safe place.

It doesn't take us long to get there but we are immediately diverted by Freya, Asger's little sister to the bath house. She's not so little anymore though. We soak and scrub the grim from ourselves, I can't believe how dirty we make the water, i didn't know we were this grimmy.

[Sigh], I just want to sleep.

We're leasantly surprised by the arrival of Tabita and Om's intended mate bringing trays of food.

We feast upon everything we can possibly get into our bodies. Freya stitches my wounds after fusing over her brother. I'm so tired... [sigh]. Even my zanpakutō is quiet, experiencing the fatigue I project into it to curb it's endless enthusiasm for fighting.

Interestingly enough not once have I entered the Rage since my fight with Victor what seems a lifetime ago. I know it's there and I can feel that I can grasp it if I reach for it. But even when I take grave injuries it doesn't come without being called upon, a change I'm both worried about and thankful for.

Worried because the berserker rage has always been how we stay alive even after grave injuries. If ever I became incapacitated in a fight I may not be able to call upon it and save myself. Thankful, because after that fight with Victor I'm no longer sure what I'm capable of. My Rage has changed, it is different now, more primal and raw like an exposed nerve.

My last conversation with Dee rings in my head. Of how his cold Rage causes him not to care about anyone. Not to care about his family or allies. That worries me, I like caring for my family and anything that makes me removed from that love is suspect.

"Thank you," Om says passing the empty trays. There are also other men and women soaking in the now rust coloured waters of the baths.

Some of the minor healers are here, checking on head injuries or anything else the tribal warriors considered too minor to go to the infirmary for. Injuries like a few missing fingers, cuts that don't separate tendons or cleave organs, things like cracked bones. Minor things like that we shrug off but the healers consider important.

We eventually find our way to the long-house and I let sleep take me as I fall into my furs.

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I wake on what I assume is still the same day to Asriel sitting not far smoking a pipe. I groan as the brightness sting my eyes. My body is rested but I feel groggy still, my mind clouded.

I look around and notice I'm otherwise alone in my accommodations, in fact, I'm not sure where everyone else slept for that matter. I had assumed we would all take our sleeping cots and furs in the long-house. Ready at a moments notice to be called upon when the fighting to continues.

I stretch, flinching as my body reminds me why that's a bad idea. I'm stiff all over, even my hands are tender and stiff.

'I'm tired," I say to Asriel who seems to be preoccupied with his own thoughts. His eyes always give him away when he's thinking far.

"You should be, there aren't enough of you to stem the tide you know. Eventually they will get into the Tundra, especially now that the Maori kingdom has joined forces with them and the elven ambassador has left the city without a word."

I groan at all his declarations and their implications. "Are you sure about the Maori?" How many more people do we have to fight before this shit ends?

Of course he's sure. He wouldn't have said it if he wasn't but I have to hold out hope, even a delusional hope sometimes.

He nods once and continues smoking and looking into the distance. The silence is comfortable between us as we digest our own thoughts. I appropriate him coming to see me but I also know what his presence signifies.

"You're leaving today," I say without preamble, not sure why I'm getting emotional over it.

"Yes. I brought you your rings and took out the loot you never checked from the battle with the fae." He drops a box at my feet from the ring.

"What is it?" I ask, curious and my attention slightly diverted despite myself. Loot is loot after all, and some of the finds from the fae have been very useful for other people.

"It's an alchemy set."

"Oh", I say deflating slightly. Though I know such things are useful I have no particular interest in alchemy.

Asriel's grin slowly spreads upon his face. "It's an enchanted alchemy set. Very valuable, very useful. I know you have no particular use for it now but don't sell it or trade it away just yet. Give it away as a gift to someone you value highly someday."

I nod, taking his advice seriously. It may be useless to me, but if its enchanted it is definitely priceless to someone.

"There was also a tent, a fire starter, a low-frequency whistle, a book I can't interpret and a pair of enchanted boots. I left them all at Divina's house. I just wanted you to see this before I put it away again." He says dispersing the box back into the ring before he tosses the grey non-descript ring to me.

"How long before the vampire messenger gets back to the Hito Valleys?" I ask.

As soon as I had defeated Victor an agreement was finalized and two of the Brave set off to deliver it to their people. I had sent a note to Mira and one to Kuyoki with them. Explaining how I could no longer bring them home with me as I wasn't sure I would still have a home here in a few years.

"Without us slowing them down they will probably be there and back within a month," Asriel says, I nod in understanding.

"I have written you a map." He says passing me a rolled paper. I open it carefully and notice the size of it as it just keeps rolling. Then the detail he put into it as I gaze upon the lands of the world.

"It's beautiful," I say running a hand over it. The paper is laminated with aqua leaf cuticles to prevent water damage and help reduce tearing. "It must have taken you a while, the amount of detail here is extraordinary," I say before bowing my head to him. "Thank you, my friend."

"None of that now." He says cooly, his cheeks red from embarrassment. I grin at his awkwardness, I'm definitely his first friend.

"This here is where I directed the first batch of tribesmen that wanted to learn from the Conclave. I haven't marked it but I want you to see it.

"At this size, I could only include half of your continent, the few islands I know off and copied from other maps, the Undine Islands and less than a quarter of Pangaea. But everything that's here should be accurate, I had a look at one of the fae maps before having this laminated. Now you will have no excuse not to come find me. Though I'm not sure where I will be," he nods and stands straight. "I'm off then."

I stand and we clasp forearms before embracing in a hug.

"Thanks for everything," I say and we part ways not knowing whether or not we will ever meet again.