Ari returned to the location he recalled Ruenr setting camp at, leaving shortly after Jess’s father returned with warmer clothes, supplies, and rations. No one stopped him on his way out the village, but he did catch Adeline’s gaze on him as he neared the gate. She seemed to look at him with a pitying expression on her face, but changed it to a judgmental glance when she noticed Ari looking her way.
Ari wasted no time setting the camp up, and he was able to get things comfortable within the hour of his arrival. He pulled a bit more than he normally did out of his storage considering he wasn’t sure how long he would be here. It took around four hours to hike up from the village to his little nook along the cliffside, and he sat out attempting to enjoy the calm of it.
Taking this time to focus on the druidic lore he read of both his own and Ruenr’s people, he attempted to reach into nature and connect with his surroundings. He closed his eyes and attempted to meditate on the concept of the natural world, and his place in it. Ari’s people focused on the way they survived in the desert, and how the oases brought life while the desert and sandstorms shielded them from danger. Ruenr’s people focused on the ecosystem of the marshlands and forests surrounding their homes, and the various animals and plants that contributed to both their success and failure living there. Ari found a connection with something else, he truly enjoyed his life as a shepherd so instead he focused on his connection with nature as the part of a herd or the leader of a flock. He meditated on this for hours until night fell, and when he opened his eyes he could see the distant lights of the small village.
As he started to get up to leave, he disturbed the flock of crows he hadn’t noticed. They were surrounding him and some of them had even perched on his body but he felt what little connection they had broken as he stood up after his meditation. ‘Looks like I am getting close. I should mention this to Ruenr and see what he says when he returns.’ After setting up and checking his already placed signal and alarm traps, he made his way to the nook to look out at the sky and the rolling hills before him as he ate dinner. Right as he sat down he noticed how much brighter the lights of the village had grown. ‘Brighter than last night, I wonder-’ His thoughts cut off as he jumped to his feet. He realized that the village was on fire in certain parts.
He started to get ready to head down when Ruenr’s voice cut him off.
“Do you think you can make it before the raiders manage to run off with whatever they need?”
“No but I should be able to track the raiders and wait until they make camp.”
“Why help them.”
“No one deserves to be enslaved.”
Ruenr simply nodded, then grabbed Ari and through the young man over his large shoulder. Ruenr took off down the mountain at a blinding sprint. What took Ari over four hours during the daylight at an above average hiking pace and almost six or seven at night, Ruenr was able to accomplish in barely ten minutes. When they got close enough Ruenr crouched low and dropped Ari onto the ground, who tried not to throw up while getting his body under control.
“About five well armed soldiers, fifteen with spears or short swords, another ten with bows and crossbows. A few of the villagers and farmers have joined the side of the raiders, after helping sneak them into the walled village.”
Ari gaped up at him for a moment.
“My eyes are good. Nose is good too, obviously.”
Ari shook his head and came to his feet, he summoned his quarterstaff and some of the tougher clothes he received from Andre Sr/Gregor and Jess’s father.
“Most of the villagers have already been rounded up and brought into the tavern, but the village headman’s hut is made of treated clay and brick so it can’t be burned or broken into as easily. The few that haven’t been caught are there. I will only kill those you can’t reach in time to stop from killing or harming the villagers, any you fight yourself you need to be ready for. You can handle maybe two of the lesser fighters at a time, but don’t engage one of the well equipped raiders. You can’t beat them.”
Ari went to dash off, but Ruenr grabbed his arm.
“There are less guarding the Tavern, one well armed soldier and a handful of the normal men with weapons. A lot of the others are breaking into houses or out attempting to gather those who fled. Either go there and attempt to distract them until I arrive or go take care of the singles or doubles patrolling.”
Ari nodded, and dashed off towards the village with the tavern as his destination. He ran across a man forcing himself onto an older woman, and without preamble slammed the metal tipped butt of the quarterstaff into his temple. He dropped to the ground and started seizing up. The woman seemed glassy eyed, but Ari quickly pulled her towards one of the already searched buildings and told her to remain put. He looked around the small house and found the corpses of two men who must have tried to fight to defend her.
Ari stepped back outside just as an archer was stepping off the thoroughfare and into the alley between houses where the dead raider lay. He started to yell out, but Ari threw his staff like a javelin and slammed into the man's open mouth. The man's teeth cracked and shattered, and he began choking on them as he fell to his knees. He was still making too much noise, mostly moans and grunts of pain, so Ari approached and stomped on his head until he went silent. He stepped over the two corpses and looked around the corner towards the tavern on the main road. There was mostly the sound of flames, as this side of the village had a few buildings on fire, but he could overhear screaming and crying from that direction along with men's laughs and shouts.
He doubled back to the woman who he had saved, but stopped short when he returned. She seemed to have crawled over to the two dead men, presumably her husband and son, and ended her own life with a knife one of the dead men used for defense. Ari was shocked, but quickly returned to focus on the living. He considered it unfortunate, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about her when he made his way to the tavern. He dashed across the street, and slowly stalked the little allies between the few houses in this area of the village. He came across an open building, and saw a few men digging through the inside of it. Ari decided to take them out before moving on, so he approached the closest from behind. He pulled a dagger from his storage, replacing his staff and lowered himself as he slinked up behind the man.
Stolen story; please report.
Ari brought the knife to the left side of the man's neck, and quickly severed as much as he could. The man turned around and put a hand over the wound, then looked back at his bloody hand as he slowly fell to his knees. He didn’t utter a word but his eyes spoke volumes, transitioning from shock to fear and then to nothing. Ari stepped over him as the man farther in called out. Ari summoned a second dagger to his other hand, and threw both into the man's back as hard as he could before quickly summoning his quarterstaff again. The man made a pained gasping and wheezing sound, and started to turn around. By the time he could see Ari, the young man was swinging the quarterstaff into the man's neck- crushing his windpipe.
Ari figured the man would die soon, and left him to suffer as he exited the house. He slowly made his way through the remainder of this side of the village, when he reached the tavern’s back entrance. He snuck his way through the kitchen area, only coming across a single guard that he choked to death from behind with a bowstring summoned to his hands. He stepped over the purple man, but stopped to push a dagger into his neck just in case. He peeked through the kitchen door and saw that the tavern was filled primarily with women and younger boys. He clearly recognized Adeline and Jess as well as the beaten and bloody form of Andre Jr.
As he was planning his entrance, the guard he had sent into a seizure busted through the doors.
“I got hit with something, the woman got me and killed herself.”
Ari sighed, he decided that he needs to make sure the man is dead next time. ‘How lucky to survive a hit that hard and then wake up from the seizure. Or unlucky I guess because this time I’ll probably have to beat him more before he’s gone.’ Ari slid out the door and behind the bar, nearly slipping in the slick blood of Jess’s dad’s limp form. ‘What a shame he was a nice guy, albeit strange.’ He made to step over him but a hand grabbed him. Ari looked down to see the man’s eyes open despite the massive gash in his throat down to the bone. He shook his head left and right but Ari peered over the bar, seeing that it was down to just the well armed man, two others, and the one he struck earlier. He gave the man a signal for three, and then motioned one finger and mimed putting on a helmet. The man nodded, then made the same helmet motion before pointing to himself.
Ari launched over the bar, summoning and throwing a dagger into the back of the man who was facing the well armed man. To Ari’s side a revenant of shadow with crimson eyes rose and dispersed into a black mist similar to what Ruenr used. He reappeared in the form of a much younger and fitter version of himself, and grabbed the short spear from the man Ari launched the dagger at. He focused on the other man, and stepped forward to engage him after resummoning his quarterstaff.
The would-be bandit thrust his spear forward aimed at Ari’s chest, Ari spun the quarterstaff easily deflecting it. The young man stepped in and spun the quarterstaff the opposite direction and crushed his collarbone. The bandit stepped back and tried to ready another thrust but his arm wasn’t following his instructions. Ari seized the moment and thrust his quarterstaff into the injured bandit's throat, then quickly spun it and swung it into the side of his neck hard enough that it broke, looking elongated as he fell to the ground. Ari felt something behind him and dropped to the ground as one of the armored men swung a longsword over where his head was. Ari rolled away and came up on his feet. The armored man had a lackey with him that was slowly angling to arrive on his left side, but Ari was focusing on the longsword the man in armor held.
“Pretty boy. Drop the staff and you can live.”
Ari chuckled and changed his footing slowly inching away to try and get into a position that benefited him.
“No thanks. If you drop the longsword, I won’t let you live, but I’ll kill you quickly instead of stomping your head in like the dog you are.”
The man simply grinned, and lunged forward, his longsword overhead and coming down in a slash. At the same time, his minder jabbed his short spear forward barely in time with the longsword swing. Ari crouched while stepping slightly back and braced the staff with his left forearm, then he spun it where the butt near the ground knocked into the oncoming spear thrust. Using the momentum he brought the staff overhead to block the sword swing, only to react too late as the man transitioned from swinging the blade to kicking him in the chest. Ari was close to the wall, so he staggered after slamming, unable to react in time to the spear thrust coming back for his hip again. He screamed and unsummoned the quarterstaff replacing it with a small baggie. He threw the baggie at the face of the armed man before he could react, which exploded into a cloud of choking pepper and fungal spores he’d gathered on the journey so far.
Ari then turned to the spearman, and summoned a dagger to his hand that he threw directly into the bandits chest. The bandit took the hit, but readied himself to thrust again when he was struck from behind by Adeline with a gnarled and short wooden club. As the man fell to the ground, Ari pulled a vial from his storage and drank it quickly before returning it. The light and feeling passed through him as a familiar hulking form stepped in.
“The rest are dead. This time I think you passed, but just barely. That vial was expensive and counted against you. Let’s go.”
Ari nodded and made to follow Ruenr, but the undying man stopped them.
“Young man I need you to promise to keep what happened-”
“A secret” spoke Ruenr as he revealed his face from under the hood “Yes yes we shall but we have to go. Trouble is on the way, you should also make yourself scarce spirit.”
Ari quickly exited the tavern just in time to see a disturbance in the air in front of the two of them, Ruenr paused and prepared a battle stance but the myriad of light transitioned into the slowly forming elf wearing clothes similar to Sir Vandron. He appeared somehow younger, but Ari wasn’t sure exactly how he figured this out. The man had a more refined air to him, with a loud confidence that was more quiet on the older elf. He slowly hovered in place before speaking aloud, presumably to Ruenr.
“Beastfolk in my Empire? Tata, I find it particularly reprehensible you chose to act where I was conducting one of my experiments. Well no worries, prepare to die.”
The man raised his staff only for Ruenr to jump into the air and grab him, he pulled him to the ground and threw him to the North. As the mage sailed through the sky, flipping and turning until he was out of sight, Ruenr spoke up.
“We go now. Come back later if you're curious.”
Ari nodded, and was more prepared this time when Ruenr hoisted the young man up and began sprinting along as he pounded the earth heading towards the mountains slightly South of the village. Ari was carried like this for almost an hour, before he finally slowed down and released Ari. Ruenr was looking around and sniffing the air rapidly.
“This isn’t good. Should have taken our chances with the mage. Be ready again.”