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Kaya Tetsu · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 800

Eleena had her sword out again and was fighting the thrall. Which was easier in some ways that the Ghol. With the Thrall you just hacked them to pieces until they stopped moving. But now there were soulless with their poisoned spears. She saw Ten Motion rush to their aid. She hadn't been hit yet, lucky her. She'd have a chance to feel that pain before the end of the war, perhaps before the end of the battle.

The souless were approaching now. Eleena saw the nearest few before Ten Motion did, he was busy healing her comrades. She darted between the javelin and the Journeymen, only just bringing her sword up in time. Horrible timing as a few straggling Ghol were now approaching quickly. She darted forward a few steps to meet them. Two fell to the fir'bolg, one to her sword, but before she could dispatch the fourth, a javelin grazed her shoulder, causing her to drop her weapon. The pain was almost immediate and she stumbled backwards as the Ghol approached. She reached for her bow, blinded by pain, but she'd done it so many times before in her few close calls in the woods that she already knew how to get it to clear. She did not need to see for that, nor did she need to see the Ghol approaching her. She drew her bow, as she fell on one knee and loosed four bolts point blank into the Ghol before she finally submitting to the pain.

Armaius · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:34 am Post subject:

Oleg glanced around the battlefield. Most of the enemy was nearly dead - and a good part of their side was almost gone. But it was clear that they were going to win. He spied one of the last remaining troops - a soulless - and casually pulled out his last grenade.

He threw it. The blast struck, hit. There was a loud explosion and the Souless was no more.
_________________
A path taken is paths forsaken.
-Old Altion proverb

Iroh · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:44 am Post subject:

Ten Motion had one root left. He shook his head and healed one of the new conscripts, he'd lost his hand to a Thrall swinging at him from behind.

He went over to the girl and heaved her to her feet. He pulled out a flask of some ale and dumped it on her wound, the added stinging no doubt earning him a bitter look through the tears. He'd have to do this for several of the new recruits. The wounds infected with this toxin did not heal without cleaning.

"Do not worry," he said to her. "It is not fatal, just painful." He left her to go to the next three or four suffering a similar fate.

Out of their approximately fifty warriors, they now had around twenty-one. Six fir'Bolg, three Dwarves, and twelve soldiers. And of course himself.

Ten Motion Leaping Skull covered his nose once all things were taken care of. He could never stand the smell of death once nothing else distracted him from it. Or the heat. Even in a blizzard, battles were always hot. He stuck his shovel in the bloody mud. He'd have to get more mandrake roots soon, too. But in the meantime, he thought it best for everyone to get their bearings.

Armaius · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:47 am Post subject:

Oleg observed the battlefield, strewn corpses and smoking ruins. Blood tainted streams, and ground. The survivors were already gathering together, huddling as they always did.

Years of battlefield experience had made him impassive to the effects of the battle. He had seen horrors in his life - as terrible as this was, it was nothing to what he had seen. He checked his supplies, he would need to make more bombs and traps - he would need to concot the explosive chemicals again.
_________________
A path taken is paths forsaken.
-Old Altion proverb

Kaya Tetsu · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 800

Eleena stood shakily. Her wounded arm burned like no tomorrow but the rest of the pain was already dying down. She took as a few breaths before looking around at the battlefield that surrounded her. They'd lost more than half their men. She slung her bow and found her sword, placing it back in its position at her hip.

She stumbled up the hill to where the fir'bolg had been shooting down upon the battlefield. She could see the full extent of the damage, as she looked out into the horizon. she wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. Triumph? they'd lost more than half their men. She partially disgusted by the scene and smell before her,but there were other feelings there are well., ones she was not as familiar with.

Mostly, as she looked out onto the battlefield she could see where men lay dead. Men older and more experience than herself. Why then, had she lived and they not? That was perhaps what bothered her most. While most of her fellow conscripts had perished and even these hardened veterans had fallen at the hands of the enemy she had lived to tell the tale with nothing, but a mere scratch.

The girl closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, before heading back down to help back down at camp. For now, she decided, she would keep herself busy. When the work ran out, that would be the time for thoughts such as these,but not until then.

Iroh · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:18 am Post subject:

Ten Motion pointed toward the bodies and told the men to pile them. They would burn them or blow them up or something. They couldn't give these men a proper burial. They'd come back as Thrall later, if so.

He left those to that bloody business and went to a stream, finding some mandrake for his supply. He'd have to get them to move forward. They were just a small company, a unit apart the main force. If he could get them to the vanguard of the Legion, they could move on to their next objective without worry about these small ambushes.

Kaya Tetsu · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 800

Eleena helped pile all the bodies up, ready to be burned so they would become thrall later. When that work was all done, what remained of their unit crowded the fire for a mid-day meal. She looked around to see how many of the conscripts had survived the battle,not many it seemed. She sighed, she'd somehow ended up sitting next Ten Motion. She said nothing to him, however, she didn't exactly want to play buddy buddy right now.

Iroh · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:31 am Post subject:

He ate the old bread and hard rind of cheese he managed to get, but almost immediately after he had them pick up what they could and go due south. The Dwarves led the way, the fir'Bolg following with soldier escorts close behind.

Ten Motion walked close to the girl conscript. "You were lucky," he said flatly. "There are far worse things in this war than to be scratched by one of the Soulless."

Kaya Tetsu · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 800

"I know... and I'm sure I'll see some of those things before this is all over..." she said, without looking at him.

Eleena wasn't exactly sure what to say.

Iroh · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:38 am Post subject:

"Inevitably," he replied stonily. "Have you ever seen Madrigal before?" he questioned. "That is where we are headed. It's almost over," his voice was rather distant in those last words.

If they lost here, they were all dead. If they won, something would have had to have changed.

Kaya Tetsu · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 800

"I haven't been to Madrigal since my father left to join the military," she said.

She did not particularly want to reminisce right now.

"I'm sure it has changed a lot in the years since my last visit."

Eleena noticed his distant comment about it being over soon,but decided not to say anything.

Iroh · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:44 am Post subject:

He shook himself ever so slightly. Then he extended a hand toward her.

"I am Ten Motion Leaping Skull. If we are to be shedding blood together, I suppose we might know each others' names."

It was only reasonable, really. He hadn't known those recruits that died today. He also felt oddly displeased about not knowing that Oin had been dead for so long, and then for Ini to die so soon after telling him. It was almost enough to read as an omen.

Kaya Tetsu · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 800

Eleena almost laughed.

"What kind of a name is that?" She asked.

She did not want to offend him, but it truth she was happy that there was at least something to talk her mind of things.

Iroh · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:53 am Post subject:

He cocked an eyebrow and almost shook his head sadly.

"You Westlanders are almost barbarians. Do they even tell tales of the hero Connacht and the Empire of the Cath Bruig in these regions?"

It was truly disappointing to learn that she had not heard one story that involved a Heron Guard in all her youth. Back east of the Cloudspine, back when there had been lands fit for living in, traveling entertainers and storytellers ensured that the children of the Empire learned tales of the great heroes, of Connacht, Ravanna, Damas, Myrdred, those who ended the Wind Age and defeated Moagim. They learned of the Myrkridia, monsters too terrible for the imagination. And they learned about the Heron Guard.

Truly, a land where no child idly dreamed of becoming a great hero? Where they did not dream of earning the right to enter the ranks of the finest fighting force in the world?

Alas, he reminded himself. We have been gone for over two decades now. And you are over a thousand miles from where the Empire once was.

Kaya Tetsu · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 800

Eleena should her head.

"I don't know about anyone else, but my father was never one for telling stories...sorry..."