Chapter VIII
David woke with the sound of footsteps creaking outside his door. The morning light was shining gently through his window, indicating that it was time for him to wake up and head downstairs to meet the others.
He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs where he found the rest of the group already sitting around a table quietly pouring over the maps while nibbling on a sizeable portion of eggs and bacon.
David took a seat next to Erin who smiled warmly when she noticed he had joined them.
“It’s about time, sleepy head!” she teased.
David shrugged, “I had a hard time falling asleep last night with the drunken idiots downstairs. I thought I was never going to get some rest.”
“Yeah, I heard them too. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything. We just started going over the maps and trying to chart which course is best for us to take now that we’re in unfamiliar territory.” she replied.
David listened as Tyrius, Reingard, and Holzer discussed which route they thought was best for them to travel while the Innkeeper brought him a hot plate of eggs and bacon, which he hungrily devoured.
He looked around the empty room, wondering how often the seats and tables around him were actually used. He assumed the inn was built back when the town was more popular, and people were coming and going more frequently than they did now.
He started to wonder to himself what would have caused the trade to stop flowing between Ravenfell and the Southern Kingdom when Tyrius slapped his hands on the table, startling him out of his thoughts.
“If you think you know best, then so be it!” he shouted at Holzer, standing up and walking towards the counter. He quickly pulled out a handful of coins from within a pouch he had been holding and slapped them on the counter for the Innkeeper.
“This should cover us for the two meals and the rooms overnight. Thank you for your hospitality.” he said to the man before storming back upstairs to gather his belongings.
“What was that all about?” asked David after sharing a similar look of confusion with Erin.
“Tyrius seems to think we should keep to the hills and away from the towns on our trek north around the mountains, but Holzer and I think the best way to travel is by road. It’s an easier route and would give us periodic breaks where we could have a hot meal and a warm bed in the towns along the way.” said Reingard.
“Why does Tyrius think we should keep away from the towns?” asked David, confused by the logic. Towns held food and supplies, things they would need for their journey. Thinking of sleeping in the wild for weeks on end did not seem very appealing to him, although he knew at some point they would reach the areas beyond civilization, he just wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon after leaving Ravenfell.
“He doesn’t like the welcome we got last night with those men. He seems to think something is amiss in the Southern Kingdom and that it could put our mission in jeopardy.” said Holzer.
“I can see his point,” said Erin, thinking it over. “I’ll go talk to him” she said finally before getting up and heading upstairs.
David watched Erin as she walked to the stairs and disappeared. As he was turning back to his companions, his eyes focused on the Innkeeper and noticed he was acting rather strange – more than he had been the night before.
The old man was holding the coins in his hand, inspecting them closely, before his expression changed from curiosity to disgust. He then threw the coins on the ground and stormed out of the building without a word or explanation.
Thinking it strange, he decided to tell Holzer and Reingard, who both agreed it was time to gather their things and get started on the road north. It would be another long day ahead of them, but at least they had the fresh, cool air and shining sun to look forward to, something infinitely better than the damp, stale air and eternal darkness of the tunnels they had trekked through the days before.
As they gathered their belongings and started towards the door, they could hear a commotion just outside the inn. It sounded like a crowd of people shouting and screaming and it was getting closer with each passing moment.
When they opened the door to exit the building, they discovered the source of the noise. A crowd of at least a hundred people, all villagers it appeared, were standing around screaming and yelling at them as they exited.
David didn’t understand what they were yelling about, but Reingard and Holzer quickly filled him in.
“I think they know we’re Northerners” said Reingard, hearing some of the insults being thrown their way.
“So? Why does that make them so upset?” asked David, still not understanding.
“Not everyone took the defeat very well in the battle of the Northern Pass,” explained Holzer. “Many blame the King for the struggles they’ve had to deal with, what with the crumbling of the kingdom after their king died in battle. His death left a power vacuum within the kingdom, leaving many various factions fighting for control of the land. It was a mess for a while, at least that’s what I heard from some of the merchants who used to come through the Southern Tunnel back when it was still operational.”
The company tried to press through the thronging crowd, but they were pushed back and prevented from moving forward.
“You ain’t going nowhere!” yelled one man with a scowl.
“You’re gonna get it!” yelled another, his face distorted in rage.
“Let us pass, we are just on our way out!” yelled Tyrius over the crowd.
Suddenly, the crowd towards the back started to clear and part and the yelling and screaming began dying down, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.
David could see a group of men making their way through the crowd, and suddenly his gut started to warn him something was wrong.
He pulled on Erin’s shirt to get her attention, “Erin, I think something is wrong. We need to get out of here fast.” he said, alarmed.
“I know, I have a bad feeling too” she replied.
The men finally reached their way to the edge of the crowd and made their way into the opening, stopping just before Tyrius who stood in front of the others protectively.
It was the same man from the night before, along with his friends, only this time, he brought several others with him. Their posse now consisted of fifteen men, each equipped with a short sword in a scabbard on their hips and a mean scowl on their faces. They looked at Tyrius and the others with disgust and anger before their leader finally spoke.
“I knew I didn’t like you bunch the second I saw you last night in the Inn” he said. “And now I know why. You’re outsiders from the North. I saw your coin – there ain’t nobody from here that carries filthy northern money like that.”
David could see the Innkeeper slowly wriggle his way to the front of the crowd and stand just behind the posse.
“Is that a problem?” asked Tyrius calmly.
“You’re darn right it’s a problem!” said the ringleader. “Your kind’s been banned from ever coming to our lands again, yet here you are, defying our laws like a bunch of criminals. Now you’ve left us no choice but to take you in to see the leader. He’ll decide what to do with you” he said, smiling threateningly.
“You will do no such thing,” said Tyrius forcefully. “Not if you know what’s best for you and your men.” he said, placing his other hand on his staff and resting it in front of him.
“What, you’re gonna whack me with that stick of yours?” said the man, mockingly. “Well, hate to break it to you, but we have more than just sticks and have you outnumbered.” he said, before drawing his sword and pointing it at Tyrius. His band of men quickly followed suit, to which David and Erin drew their swords while Holzer and Reingard quickly grabbed their axes off their backs.
They each stood their grounds, prepared to fight their way out if necessary.
The crowd began screaming and yelling, urging on the fight that was about to break loose before them.
“Get ‘em!” they heard someone shout f
rom the crowd.
“You have the nerve to stand up to the Guild, old man? So be it!” said the ringleader. Emboldened by the support of the townsfolk and their superior numbers, he quickly lunged at Tyrius, who swiftly deflected the attack and spun around, smacking the leader in the back of his head with his staff, knocking him to the ground.
The others quickly jumped into action when the rest of the Guild rushed into the attack.
The crowd dispersed in a panic at the sudden outbreak, screaming and running towards their homes, giving them full reign of the city streets to branch out and take on their aggressors.
David quickly rushed toward his nearest opponent who unleashed a powerful overhead swing towards David’s head. David quickly side-stepped and shoved his shoulder hard into his opponent, knocking him over and giving David the opportunity to take on another man who had been running his way in an attempt to outnumber him.
The man tried swinging his sword wildly at David, but David was too quick, and easily dodged the attacks before parrying and counter attacking with equal ferocity and far more precision. The man was overwhelmed, and David was able to dispatch him with ease, sending him scrambling away with the other man he had knocked over.
David looked over to check on the others, and saw Erin had already taken down two men and was working on another, while Reingard and Holzer were actively chasing down a group of men who had apparently underestimated their opponent’s ferocity and instead, decided to turn tail and run.
Tyrius was taking on the leader and had already knocked out several others in his wake, swinging his staff around with the skill and grace of a practiced warrior, landing powerful blows to the man’s body before swiftly sweeping him off his feet and pinning him to the ground.
The fight was over in a matter of minutes.
“You’re going to regret this, old man!” said the man, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“I would think it wise for you and your men to leave here at once and let us go in peace. I cannot promise you that next time, should you attack us again, you will leave in such good condition” said Tyrius, threateningly.
He lifted the pressure of his staff from the man’s chest and the man quickly scrambled to his feet and took off down the street after the rest of his men.
Reingard and Holzer were coming back and passed him on their way up the street towards David and the others, huge grins on both of their faces.
“Did you see those guys run?” asked Reingard, clearly enjoying the victory a little too much.
Everyone chuckled in spite of the dangerous encounter they had just survived before Tyrius brought them back to the task at hand.
“Now do you see why I was so adamant about us traveling away from the towns?” he asked, to which Reingard and Holzer both nodded, conceding to Tyrius’ suggested route.
With them all finally in agreement and eager to get as far away from the town as possible, they set off into the countryside and rolling foothills of the mountains, traveling Northeast along their base.
They hiked for the remainder of the day before deciding to set up camp for the night as the sky began to darken with the setting sun.
Holzer went out to hunt for some food while the others prepared a small fire for light and warmth to get them through the night.
With the threat of the Guild still fresh on his mind, Tyrius decided it best to set up some traps and alarms in the event they had any intruders in the night, and set about his work, mumbling here and there as he circled the campsite just outside of the ring of light from the fire.
Erin and David prepared their bedrolls and listened to Reingard tell them tales of his youth, where he and Holzer had first met Rex and had determined right from the start that they would cause nothing but trouble together.
He told them of the time they had gotten into his father’s stash of ale and had discovered the joys - and potency - of his home brew before rambling around through the town aimlessly looking for young women to court.
Unfortunately for them, the ladies laughed them to scorn when they pointed out they had all pissed themselves and didn’t know it.
It was the last time they had decided to drink his father’s home brew, deciding it was far too strong for their liking.
When Reingard had finished his story and they all had their fair share of gut-wrenching laughter, Tyrius had already finished his alarms and began explaining that it would produce a loud whistle if anyone were to step through the boundaries, giving them ample time to react to the threat at hand.
In addition to the warning, he had established a barrier that would conceal their camp from view from any unfriendly prying eyes, making their location extremely difficult to find for anyone with the wrong intentions. One would have to be a very keen tracker to follow their footsteps into their camp in the dark of the night.
Shortly after Tyrius sat down, Holzer came back carrying a limp hare in each hand and began quickly preparing the catch for roasting over the fire.
While their food cooked, they sat and talked about the strange behavior of the townsfolk and the members of the Guild attacking them earlier that morning.
“I knew there was some hostility towards the Northern Kingdom after the South fell back in the war, but I never would have guessed that hostility would have endured this long or have grown into such hatred like that” said Holzer, recalling the look in the villager’s eyes.
“The Southern Kingdom had fallen over two decades ago. One would think that it would have recovered by now.” said Erin, agreeing with Holzer.
“I suspect that there is more to it than meets the eye,” said Tyrius, “This Guild has me wondering what kind of government would allow such a band of thugs to enact curfews on their own people. And who exactly was this leader they were going to bring us to anyway?” he asked.
“Who knows,” said Reingard, “What I do know is that Innkeeper was fine until he found out where we were from, and that he was scared of those men the night before, but the next morning in the streets, his fear of them seemed to disappear and be replaced by his hatred for us.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, recalling the Innkeeper’s strange behavior over the course of the night, and following morning.
“I would bet that it was him that went and told the Guild where we were from. I saw him run out of the building looking very angry after Tyrius handed him the coin for our meals and rooms” said David.
“That explains a lot,” said Tyrius, “and why they didn’t attack us the night before. They didn’t know we were from the Northern Kingdom yet. They must have just assumed we were from another village and weren’t aware of the curfew.” he said.
“Do you think we’ve seen the last of those guys?” asked David, hopeful but uncertain.
“Something tells me that it’s unlikely. But if we can keep to the hills and remain hidden like Tyrius suggested, we may be able to get enough distance between us and them that they give up and don’t bother pursuing us.” said Reingard.
“I hope you’re right…” said David, looking into the fire. “I have a feeling this Guild is a bigger operation than just a handful of inexperienced men. If they get riled up, I’m afraid of what might come our way.”
With that, everyone nodded and became lost in their own thoughts and worries until the food was finally ready. They each had their fair share of roasted meat before calling it a night. Tyrius, as usual, elected for the first watch, to which the others happily agreed, eager to get some rest while their bellies were full.
Chapter IX
Jakob Zander was in his mid-twenties with dark skin and jet-black hair that was perpetually dusty and disheveled. His skin was covered in scars from years of tribal combat that earned him the right to lead the northern Guild that overlooked the region spanning from Ashmire, down the rolling foothills to the South, and ending at the coastal city of Brineport.
He was kneeled before the commander of the Southern Wolf Guard, a wolf of incredible strength and st
ature, even for their kind. His name was Bloodvayne.
The Wolf Guard had fled from the Northern Kingdom after the War of the Mystics had ended ushering in the dawn of the Second Age. They eventually found their way to the Southern Kingdom where they watched from the Lowlands as the kingdom slowly unraveled under the brutal dictatorship of the King, Germone Krauss. They sat back watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
After the fall of King Krauss in the Battle of the Northern Pass against King Lionel Eldergate I of the Northern Kingdom, the Wolf Guard seized their opportunity to fill the power vacuum and took control of the Southern Kingdom with relative ease. The various tribes quickly fell under their control – those who resisted were slaughtered and eaten in front of their brethren, a strong reminder of what would happen if anyone else decided to resist.
In place of the former government, the Wolf Guard set up a caste system with their kind being at the top of the hierarchy and the former citizens making up the bottom – most being forced into slavery and manual labor, with only a select few making their way into a position of influence – mostly the business owners who ran the fisheries, shipyard, and mines, and some of the more talented armorers and other specialists of various useful occupations.
They separated the kingdom into four regions, each area covered one of the four cardinal directions: North, South, East, and West – with the Wolf Guard being in control of the overall operation of each region and their militia-like overlords.
These overlords became known as the Guild – a tribal-like military that controlled the population through fear tactics and bribery. The Guild mostly consisted of orphans that were handpicked off the streets by the Wolves and trained and manipulated into doing their dirty work.
They had no loyalty to the people, as they had been abandoned by their own kind, forced to live off the streets while begging and sometimes being chased away and beaten by local business owners for stealing from their stores.
David Bishop and the Mystic of Creation Page 6