Avery's childhood was filled with sadness and isolation. His father was a paranoid man, never trusting anyone. All Avery knew of the man was that he was harsh and unloving after his mother's death. Avery was 5 years old when the incident happened. She had caught the eye of a young noble and after many refusals to the young lord's manor and the eventual refusal to be wedded, the noble killed her in a fit of rage. His father, overcome with grief, had then snuck into the noble's quarters one night and slit his throat.
It had taken many near-death experiences while evading the noble's family for years before his father finally found peace. He had taken them all over Seabo, never staying at any one place for too long. It all ended when Avery, at 14 years old, witnessed his father's death when a group of bandits attacked in the middle of the night. They were unable to secure proper shelter that day and were forced to sleep outside the safety of a city or village.
He would have died alongside his father if a passing battalion of soldiers, on their way home, hadn't protected him. The Lieutenant Colonel that protected him at that time was none other than Nicole's father, Marcus Cassius Dor. He was known to many in the northern lands as Thunder-fist Dor, the immovable. But to Avery, he was a symbol of light in the darkness. A beacon of hope and all that was righteous. It was Avery's first time seeing one of the Kingdom's heroes in person and he couldn't help but admire the man.
Avery was taken in by Marcus and raised as a foster son alongside his daughter. Avery had developed a deep appreciation for the man and even tailored his dreams to follow in his footsteps. He was the father Avery never had. Avery's happiness only lasted a few years when he realized that those around him didn't share his feelings. They were selfish and envious of the attention Avery was gaining and looked down on him for his poor background. This never stopped Marcus from being partial towards Avery despite his status.
It wasn't until Avery fell in love with Nicole, that the bond between foster father and son was finally broken. This was further instigated by the envious people around Marcus who constantly fed him lies and notified him whenever Avery was near Nicole. From that moment on, Avery knew his days around Nicole were numbered. He was surprised when Nicole fought against her family for the man she loved, threatening to kill herself if they refused to accept him. Her father loved her too much to see her heart ache. He grudgingly accepted the union and silenced all nay sayers. However, when Nicole told him of her dream to travel all of Seabo he tried everything in his power to stop her from her journey but was powerless in front of the girl.
Every time Avery remembered the events leading to her death he found it difficult to forgive himself. Without Khal in his life, he didn't know how he would manage. He was happy to finally find someone else he could share his burdens with. He had been struggling with the knowledge of his origin as well as his broken heart. The pressure to hide and risk being a coward in his son's eyes were already instilled in him from his father. Now, after 8 years, his heart had finally started mending thanks to his goofy son and his antics.
Earlier today, Khal had informed him that he had awakened his Spirit Arts. He was shocked and happy at the same time by the revelation. In the larger scheme of things, he knew the boy's talent would be seen as just above average but he knew better. Spirit Arts couldn't be awakened until 10 years old at the earliest yet his son had already accomplished it. Now that his Vulcan heritage was awaked before 10, he stood a great chance to create a miracle never before seen in the world. With a talent like that, his son would be unparalleled in Valeria.
Avery made his way to the infirmary on the left side of the village. He planned to visit Jankins, the teen guard that was injured not too long ago. He had heard that the boy was finally awake and would be discharged soon enough. Thank God the boy could manipulate world energy or his injuries would have taken months to fully heal. The sole cleric in the town had charged Lord Tommel at least 3 gold to help Jankins to recover.
Usually, non-combatant Elementums were those without any talent for combat. Most of them preferred to spend their time as court officials, acquiring the protection from the crown for those who would kill them for their abilities. Clerics, however, were special water Elementums capable of using their element to heal wounds. Although they were non-combatants, they were highly sought after individuals in many towns or even in the Knighthood.
"Ahhh, so you're still alive boy'" he joked as he came into Jankins room. "Barely," smiled Jankins as he slowly raised up from the bed. " The cleric said you've made a speedy recovery, no doubt due to all the food you've been eating for nearly 2 weeks." Avery respected the boy for his bravery and mental fortitude when they were surrounded. Not many his age would have done the same "The reason I came to see you is-" "I know, it's about keeping my mouth shut about your abilities," responded the boy nonchalantly. Avery was stunned at the forwardness of the boy. It was his first real interaction with the boy since he hadn't spoken to any of the guards besides Brian on the trip to the Market. "Don't worry, you're strong enough to prevent me from saying anything, who would even believe a soldier spewing nonsense about a farmer with your abilities," Jankins said as he got dressed while sitting in bed.
"Well, that's good to know," Avery responded, awkwardly as he fidgeted with his collar. "Well then, is there anything you would like to request of me?" Avery didn't know what the boy would ask for, but he didn't want to owe anything and he definitely won't kill others to keep his secret like his father did. "You saved my life out there, consider us even. But if I remember correctly you also have a son, if you want me to keep his secret as well I'll only do it if you teach me how to use Spirit Arts" bargained Jankins as he smiled at his victory.
Avery didn't know whether to laugh at himself or congratulate the boy on his blackmailing skills. "Fine, we'll begin training after you recover from your injuries".
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Khal had just taken a sizable portion of the roast pork and baked bread. He began greedily ripping into the meat and breaking the bread. Halfway into his meal, he heard footsteps down the corridor. He quickly grabbed the remaining food and darted outside, into the Barracks. He knew that Gary would never let him off the hook. He headed to the farm to meet up with Bill with his stolen goods. The farmlands were nearby to the barracks just opposite to the stables. He had to pass adjacent to the barracks on his way there. He was still slowly chowing down on his food when he passed Sergeant Michael's office.
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Sergeant Michael was speaking with Bryce at that time when Khal overheard, "Prepare 10 men and get ready for your mission Bryce, this recon needs to be done swiftly. It'll take the Viscount 2 days minimum to get here so you have until then to get in and out. Those Burgans are up to something, I can feel it. That fat fuck of a Baron refused to help so we're on our own. Let's find the enemy's location and give Viscount Milon more incentive to slaughter those Burgans."
Khal was surprised by this revelation. He knew that them being here could only mean others had also come. How they got here, he didn't know but he also didn't care. The day when he saw the blood and exhausted state of his father he knew it must have taken his father everything to get back to the manor in one piece. The empty look on his father's face whenever he thought he was alone had only registered to Khal as his fault. Had he not been the reason for his own mother's death then things would have been fine. He knew he had to prove to his father and himself that his life was worth it. He had felt helpless and angry at himself for being too weak to seek retribution. Now, he had gained some power and confidence to at least kill some of them.
He had practiced his skills every day with the goal of avenging his father's honor. He knew his father was a proud man. How terrible had it been to know his proud father was chased like a stray dog through the forest and down Saddleback Road. Just thinking about it made him angry. He stayed outside the Sergeant's room just long enough to know the time the recon unit would be leaving the village. He then walked back to the armory, thinking about the necessary preparations he would need to make before heading out. If it's just a recon mission then how dangerous could it be? All he had to do was kill the one called Tal that nearly ended his father's life.
Khal snuck into the armory besides the barrack in search of proper gear for his self-invited recon mission. He needed real metal, wooden weapons were only good for training and his cladding hadn't made any improvement since he started training. He couldn't afford to watch enemy combatants break his weapons like sticks the way Bryce had done it. He looked around the room, lifting sword after sword from the heap until he saw a short sword that was just right for him. It was the sharpest of the used weapons and no one would miss it. The sheath was a simple brown with no decorations. He grabbed it and a nearby dagger before turning his attention to the walls. On the walls of the small armory were leather cuirass, pauldrons, and helmets of all shapes and sizes. Khal grinned as he took one of each and adjusted it to fit.
He left the armory soon after and crept through the farmlands with his father packhorse which he 'borrowed' from the stables. He headed south of the manor towards the southern gate. The southern gate was packed with Knights who were busy fortifying the defenses. Nobody bothered to check who was exiting the village since leaving at this time would mean certain death. Khal walked until he exited the village.
The first thing Khal noticed as he exited the village was how barren the land was. He could feel the bad omen radiating the area. He looked around some more and there was a river close by and what looked like a bridge over the horizon. From his geography classes, he knew that the river was called the Tiger River and the bridge was most likely Braxton Bridge which connected Gontu to Talawa. He could only assume the Burgans sent men to the bridge to ambush anyone who attempted to notify the rest of the Kingdom.
Khal kept close to the walls of the village as he climbed on the horse and circled back towards the northern gate. By the time it took him to arrive at the northern gate, he could see Bryce's men in the distance headed towards the road. He kept low and waited until they were a considerable distance away before shadowing them as they proceeded to Saddleback Road.
Saddleback Road was the only route north from Black Barony. The Burgan soldiers that were patrolling this area, therefore, didn't need to stay too close to the barony. They could stay within the forest, monitoring Saddleback Road for any large army who could expose their plan while also staying hidden from prying eyes. Bryce's small unit was nearly invisible to the Burgans as they made their way towards the forest.
It wasn't until around 5 pm when Khal finally stopped the horse. Bryce's unit had just entered the forest, parallel to Saddleback Road, as they combed the area for the Burgan's campsite. Khal tied his horse to the nearest tree before walking towards the forest on foot. He made sure to keep his eyes out for sticks or any branches that would make too much noise and alert the others. He couldn't help being scraped by the needles on the trees and the shrubbery around him. He felt the coarse twigs and the larger sticks that cracked under his feet as he attempted to maneuver through the bushes.
He didn't know what Bryce would say if he saw him but that didn't matter. Surely a Knight like Bryce could understand that a man was nothing without his honor and his father's honor was at stake. He was only 400 meters from Bryce's unit when he heard 2 distinct voices. He followed the voices quietly, keeping low and hiding behind the various trees until the voices got loud enough. He peered through the bushes and saw 2 men in green hoods crouched behind the bushes seemingly stalking someone.
"Ser Tal said that the Baron would be sending a probing unit, I never expected them to be so stupid, hehehe'" the buck tooth soldier said to the other as they closed in on Bryce's unit. They were supposed to get into position with their bows then snipe the leader, sending the entire unit into disarray. It was a textbook attack from the Burgans who were experts in hit and run tactics.
Khal panicked when he saw the enemy. His head became clouded with fear as he tried to figure out what he should do. He resisted the urge to alert Bryce knowing that being so deep in enemy's territory would only cause more harm than good. Calming himself down, he thought about his best course of action. He decided to distract the men and dispose of them before warning Bryce of the trap. Although he had never killed before he knew it was something he had to do if he wanted to be a Knight. He was never one to overindulge himself in his feelings. He would do what he must and worry about what he felt later. Yea, later I'll deal with it.
He steadied himself and slowly withdrew his sword. He tried his best to breath slowly and reduce his nervousness. His sword was shaking uncontrollably and he needed to hold it with his 2 hands just to get a steady grip. You can do this Khal, you can do this, he thought to himself. He crouched and proceeded slowly as the buck tooth soldier pulled an arrow from his quiver. Khal picked up a loose rock from the ground and took a deep breath before throwing it in the grass closer to the men. "What was that?" The bucktooth soldier asked. "Go check, we cannot afford to fail, Ser Tal would scuttle us," he ended before turning to face Bryce's unit again.
Khal watched as the soldier moved in the direction of the sound. He waited till the man was out of range before embedding himself in wind and rushing over with his maximum speed. He extended his sword arm to stab the man in his heart. Unexpectedly, the soldier dodged at the last second, only to be grazed on his shoulder instead. "Urggg!" Seeing the man still alive, Khal panicked a little before following up with a kick the chest. His foot connected flat in the chest of the soldier causing him to fall to the ground. Before he could even get up, Khal pounced on him, stabbing the man between his eyes, killing him instantly. Before Khal could even process what he had just done, the other soldier, hearing the noise, rushed back just in time to see his companion's final moment.