IV.

The morning came about and both the warriors of the town and the convey from the south were gathered around the front of the Lodge when Aotrys finally made it. The convey was being loaded with provisions, clothing and any weapons can the carts could carry. The town itself was fairly self-sufficient with everyone contributing to the whole and having a individual for every trade such as carpentry and blacksmithing.

The convey of southernly men consisted of six men plus the six from their band of warriors, there was only five guards that came with the convey which was odd for a small convey travelling all this way. The southern men all had darker skin than the people of their village and their clothes were given much care, often looking like they were made from gold and blue silk.  

The convey was of five carts with two steads for each, the men sat in the first two carts while the supplies sat in the last one. After giving a speech to the warriors to stay behind, the convey was off for their adventure towards the south. The warriors who stayed behind were tasked with protecting the village and keeping everything in tact while the six were away, this thought was heavy on Brokenbjorns thoughts, but he knew the other men wouldn’t lead him astray.

Brakqen, Markus, Aotrys and two southern guards sat in the third cart as the convoy trotted along the snowy road. Markus was scribbling on a large, leather bound book that he carried with him often. Being one of the few from house Squid: Markus was a scribe and spent most of his days reading or writing in books. He gained his mark when he managed to outsmart a bear using traps and sent a log down snapping the bear’s neck, gaining his trophy was easy. By this time Brakqen was becoming bored and took the opportunity to bug his friend.

“So what are you writing there squid boy, another tale of romance and bravery?” asked Brakqen.

Markus looked up from his writing for a moment then continued scribbling in his book as he replied,

“I’m not sure about romance, but definitely seems to be bravery.”

“What are you talking about, what’s the story of?” interrupted Aotrys.

“Its about us! Someone has to keep track of our adventure in case we all manage to get ourselves killed.” Said Markus.

The three warriors gave a burst of laughter to this comment. Markus, as slim and sleek black hair as he was, was very smart and loyal to his comrades. Brakqen turned his attention to the two other guards in the cart.

“So what’s your lots story eh? Why’d you sign up to come all the way out here to the winter wasteland?”

One of the warriors bearing the clothes of blue to represent the seas of his land removed his fur hat to reveal a nasty, blackened scar across his face. The bottom half of his teeth were exposed due to the large gash across his face and perhaps was once a fair looking fellow if not for the horrendous injury.

The other guard removed his fur hat too and revealed severe frost bite across his neck and cheek. The three warriors were no strangers to injuries, but it was a wonder to them what had been the cause of these injuries across the guard’s face.

The guard with the gash across his face spoke;

“When our cities were attacked, no matter how many men fought back it was never enough to defeat the beasts’ numbers.”

“What are these beasts you speak of, where did they come from?” Aotrys asked.

“We have not a clue,” The guardsmen replied “all we know is that they do not come from our world and bring a terrible frost with them, a frost that kills most and poisons others.”

“That is what has developed on your neck I’m guessing?” Asked Markus of House Squid.

The man with the frost bite on his neck, which was revealed to be signs of poisoning, was a younger man and bore a rough voice from the development of the poison.

“It is true, the poison spreads through my body more everyday until one day it will consume my soul like the others” spoke the young guardsmen, “but not until I get back to my lands and die fighting against the beasts.”

“Until then we need to get there, which will be no easy fret.” Spoke the other guardsmen.

“What are your names, warriors?” Asked the guardsmen with the gash across his face.

“I am Aotrys of House BearClaw, the first of my house and second in command of our band of Brothers.” Said Aotrys.

“And I am Zoran and I bear no house like your people, but I hail from the land of Sand and Sea.”

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Zoran of Sand and Sea, I am Markus of House Squid and my friend here is Brakqen of House Sparrow, our archer.” Replied Markus.

Zoran asked another question for the warriors, “How do you get your titles, like House BearClaw? An odd name I must confess.”
Aotrys being a humble man decided not to speak for himself and let Markus, the one proficient in languages, speak for him.

“Aotrys was the first of our band to kill two bears during the ritual of gaining the mark, a symbol of honor and bravery that only the strongest men in our village can gain. Aotrys, by completing a task that no others ever have managed to gain the honor of creating his own household to call himself by.”

“So your households represent you? What does House Squid represent, Markus?” asked Zoran.

Most of the people in the village thought oddly of Markus and his family of House Squid who were known as oddities and those who studied languages and arts compared to battle strategy that most others studied.

“Well Squids are known for their ink, and being proficient in arts and languages the Household of mine became associated with Squids.”

Zoran gave a brief smile to this, finding humor in associating one’s self with a squid.

“And House Sparrow? A pleasant name one would saw, what do you associate yourself with?” asked Zoran again.

“Sparrows are rare and beautiful creatures, swift and gentle at the same moment. Both of which are qualities of an archer,” said Brakqen “what about your comrade here, how about he introduces himself?”

Zoran spoke for his comrade:

“He would, but the poison is stripping him all of his memories until he one day won’t even remember his King.”

The warriors who considered themselves unstoppable were beginning to develop a fear within themselves that would eventually grow larger and they begin to see more of the destruction that these beasts could cause.

All they knew about the beasts was that they can from another world in large numbers and not even the skilled forces of those who hail from the lands of Sand and Sea could be able to stop them.

Aotrys knew that his band of warriors were unmatched and well-known across the lands for their strength against the elements and the creatures who live in the woods, creatures that would easily kill anyone else. Even with proof of his strength in the form of the mark that all his band carries, Aotrys still felt a drop of fear developing in his soul. Few legends speak of these beasts clearly enough to trust its tales, but this evil has been here before and their ancestors barely fended them off.

Next Chapter: Chapter 5