Sunrise washed over The Silver Dragon, everyone dragging themselves upright. Silver and Asriel shared a room, as did Sera and Jordan; the latter of which had to drag my sick-feeling self out of the room I resided in. Don’t even remember making it back- surprised I wasn’t slaughtered or stolen from in the streets. My gods, that liquid amber went down easy, cinnamon fire and ambrosia… Packing up quickly, we shared a mostly-silent breakfast in the tavern downstairs. There was no point in trying to talk them out of this madness; all I can do now, is ensure they’re not injured badly, or worse… Once we got outside, Thorin was waiting- map in tow, pointing us toward our destination- and the inevitable suffering that lay ahead…
-
The first few hours' travel to Highdell was mostly silent. Everyone was unsure of what to say- they'd only known each other a matter of days. In Thorin’s case, with the exception of Silver, hours. All these five had anything to go on was a note, one only Violet seen. Why had they agreed to come, anyways? Virtual strangers, readily following on a whim- with a high possibility of death… Still, as they trudged on, the six were lost in various thoughts. Everything from curiosity to what the future held, to the mystery of the hin’s coldness.
Passing by a divide in the road, Violet- who had been leading- came to a stop. She walked off the road, dropping to one knee beside the tree they passed just a day prior. Bloodstains, from the priest so violently killed, remained behind. Alongside the grave they dug for him. She plucked some nearby flowers, and laid them to rest against the makeshift headstone. Alongside this, a dagger wrapped with a violet ribbon staked into the ground. Nobody deserves a fate such as that...
"Miss- what are ye doing? Don't cha know that's temporary?"
"My name... is Violet. You damn well know that, from talking to Ivy. And I'm aware, thank you. I want to leave a mark of passing. A priest had been violently killed here; we buried him yesterday. Tributes are comforts for the living, not the dead." She got to her feet, fixing him with a glare.
"If I might ask, what happened?"
"...The Blood Angel Of Karameikos slaughtered him."
"'The Blood Angel Of Karameikos'? Who the hell is that?"
"I'm curious, who was affected by this that you knew? And does he have anything to do with what this is all about?" All eyes whipped to Jordan, who studied Violet intently. The hin sighed gently, turning to face the motley group eyeing her with curiosity. Gentle breezes picked up, making her hair flutter just a little bit.
"He's... infamous in this area. Very much a sadistic soul, likes to torment and play with his victims. I… Someone very close to me had unfortunately crossed paths with this person. These days, I try not to think about it. As to the other question… I have no idea." Marching past them all, it was clear she didn't want to elaborate, so nobody else asked.
-
Twilight descended, all of us mentally drained- each individual independently deciding we were in need of a place to rest. Luckily, most of us knew of a coach-house and inn coming up; so there we would stop at for the night. Come nightfall, it was found... or at least, the embers that remained. A quick search turned up no bodies, no traces. Watches were quickly assigned. Sera and Jordan took first watch, though very little of prominence happened- so they told Thorin and I, at the shift change. Sera spent their time up in the rafters, while Jordan remained near the glowing fire. Thorin came to replace Jordan, who quickly fell asleep. Sera crawled down, replaced by myself up above. Mice scattered, silence descended, it looked to be a sleepy night... until the voices came. Crawling to the window, twelve men milled about outside- suddenly joined by a thirteenth. Were-mouse hidden among the ranks… my body gave an involuntary shiver. Thankfully, they left without incident- not realizing the six of us were inside, mere feet away. I must remember to let Asriel and Silver know- and to remain as stealthy as they can.
-
The remaining night went without incident, leading to an uneventful morning, thank the gods. Just as we were breaking for the night, a twist came to us in the form of the pair of genasi. The two of them were going to do a bit of hunting- and would be an hour or so behind, with promises to catch up by day’s end. Reluctant, the pair were permitted to head off- which they promptly did. Day two of travel gave way to rougher terrains, roads winding downwards. Quickly, the main party began the descent into the beautiful valley- soon, Highdell was in sight in the distance. Coming up to a divided road, the scent of smoke in the air gave them pause.
"Think we should check that out?" Silver's voice cut the silence.
"Yes. Fire is never... a good sign. And... we're close."
"I also believe so. Never know who'll you'll run into, right?"
"...Why not." With that, the four turned east, heading toward what appeared to be some smaller farms. One in particular, the first one, was the cause of the smoky scent. Four men in heavy black robes, bearing a strange symbol, were assaulting the farmhouse with fire. Accompanying the group, a pair of dogs- unlike anything ever seen. Composed of metal, glowing as the fires of Hell itself...
Combats were never easy to recall- so they were difficult to record in detail. They all moved so fast- magic weaving its way through the world, blades and bullets slicing the air. In Thorin's case, the hammer carving a path through pure blunt force. Seconds to minutes settled disputes- timing is of great importance in these sorts of affairs. But when the dust settled, when all was said and done... It was those strange metal dogs, and black-clad men, who had fallen. The fires were rapidly put out- and only then, did those inside come out. A woman, and two younger men.
"You've managed to stop them." Her voice was sharp, yet laced with wariness.
"We did, my Lady. And the fires are put out." Violet stepped forward, regarding the mistress of the residence. She was middle-aged- raven haired, eyes a light brown. Tanned skin, well-worn. Somewhat curvy, yet rather beautiful. Her sons inherited their good looks from her. The woman regarded the Hin, and smiled. She'd always liked the Good Folk- never had an unpleasant experience with them yet. Being addressed as a Lady also helped warmed her to them.
"I thank you all, for your kindness. Allow me to introduce myself- I am Illyana. These are my sons, Elias and Joshua." At their names, each nodded their heads. Though very similar in physical nature, Joshua acted a little more shy, where Elias' smile was more like a grin. Violet looked between them- knowing what was going on, but having to keep up appearances.
"If I may ask, my Lady- who are these men? What happened here?"
"You don't know?" At the shakes of their heads, she sighed. "These bastards have taken over Highdell. Iron Ring, they are- damn them all for it. Two months they've been here, and things worsen by the day. 'Tis a terrible thing."
"Who controls them?" Steel edge to the question, one that missed by all.
"That I know not, I'm afraid. But I know of two people who could help- Reithann, she resides in the Sacred Grove. Not too far off. Dar lives in Albridge- bit farther off. You need to take the other road, but it's not difficult." Illyana came down the steps, assessing the damage. It would take a few days for the three of them to repair everything- it was written all over her face.
Thankfully, Asriel thought the same- and stepped close to Illyana, with a gentle smile. "Is there... anything we can do... my Lady? To help?"
Illyana looked him over, curiosity on her face. How strange- a man and a goat, all in one. She thought him the second strangest thing she'd ever seen. The silver-scaled lizard man among them being the first. However, something about his sincere expression... Illyana found rather enamoured with him. Even if the language was a bit rusty, his kindness came through in his tone and mannerisms. Her sharp expression softened, a warm smile gracing her. "Right. The charred wood will need repair to start. Poor vegetables need tending, too. The equipment might require repairs."
"We can help, with all that, my Lady... if you wish." That smile of his turning to a grin, at the faint flush of her face. Illyana nodded, and her smile grew. She'd not been referred to as a 'Lady' before; Illyana found pleasure in such.
Soon enough, the farm was alive with the sounds of activity. Thorin, with Elias' help, began improving the equipment not in use. Joshua, Asriel and Silver began repairs. Replacing burnt wood, fixing broken boards. Illyana and Violet tended the vegetables, saving what they could and discarding the rest. Later, while Illyana prepared dinner for everyone, Violet supervised the repairs. Dinner itself was an animated affair, most everyone talking around the table- a rather lively event, thanks in large part to the celebratory tone. As nightfall settled in, everyone was busy. Asriel told stories to entertain, while Thorin and Silver tended everyone's weapons. Violet taught Elias and Joshua a little about reading and writing. Just after twilight, Sera and Jordan finally arrived. Before anyone could ask, Jordan spoke up.
"Hey everyone, sorry we fell behind. We were covering the back after the hunt, ended up tangled with some black-robed guys. What'd we miss?"
"More of the same here- four... what were they called?"
"Iron Ring slavers, Silver."
"What she said. Them and their strange mechanical hell hounds. Once they were dealt with, we chose to remain here and help. Had dinner, and here we are."
"Cool! Any happen to be left over? Our hunting didn't go that well."
"These friends of yours?" Illyana's voice filtered in- suddenly wary.
Thorin nodded. "Aye. Those are Sera and Jordan- they were watching our backs, literally. Good folk, you can trust them."
"Alright. I'll get some leftovers." Soon, they were served- though Sera mostly opted to liquefy theirs, since they were incapable of eating. A quiet word to the mistress from Violet, though, and Illyana decided not to inquire directly. Or at all, really- it was the polite thing to do.
-
Damn them… I had been afraid of this. But I knew; I just knew that’s what we were in for… He’s here. Which is going to make this very terrible, indeed. Why did they choose to come with me? Someone is going to get badly hurt, or killed. Worse, all of us might end up captured, and I… I can’t let these five end up with that fate- I’d rather kill them, were it to come to that. None of them realize, just what kind of the force the Iron Ring is. Nor the peril that lies ahead. Come the morrow, we’re off to the Sacred Grove then Albridge- where Illyana guided us to go. Hopefully the others sleep well tonight… Who knows when they’ll get another chance?