Not long after they departed from the broken wall.
Facing the men in front was a thick mound of bushes, as they pushed past the branches pulling on them from either side, almost warning them not to go any further.
The trudging of feet and shuffling of armour filled the icy air, fighting against the land they walked upon.
The battle of sabatons versus nature: the rain-soaked earth and decomposing leaves of all sizes were mixed into the mud below.
Someone at the far back opened up, cutting through the gloomy atmosphere.
Uill: It feels like I'm walking through a never-ending river of shit! (shaking his foot) Damn... I can still taste it!(swirling his tongue around his mouth, trying to gather all the tainted saliva before spitting it out.)
Mud flicked at the back of the legs of Carl and Robert, both men continuing forward, not acknowledging or even berating the man behind them.
Uill spat out the nasty taste in his mouth, but it still lingered on.
Before another gripe could come from the lips of the disgruntled guard, a strong growl came from the front of the pack of men walking in pairs.
Vayreban: The only shit here is the dribble coming out of your mouth. Now be quiet!
Vayreban walked alongside Alvin at the front. Robert and Carl are behind them in the middle. Uill and Yurn are at the rear, at the ass end of things.
Even as the Lord was fighting against the bushes, the little spikes on the brown branches tugged on the red cloak, snagging the thick material and leaving behind a trail of thin strands.
The gloomy atmosphere grew even darker.
Uill: What stick is up his ass? (lightly muttering and looking to the man at his side.)
The man next to Uill tapped him on the arm, shaking his head from left to right and speaking in a calm whisper.
Yurn: The only things that should be open are your eyes and ears. (Placing a single finger on his lips.)
A stillness befell the group as they continued to walk on, hearing the sounds of twigs being snapped back and the sludge of mud below once more.
Eventually the pull and tugs of the bushes subsided; they were now in an open area. Free from the hands of the bushes. They entered the domain of the forest, for only bare trees were in sight.
In front of them stood a small stone totem, erected from the ground. I stood alone in the flickers of daylight that made their way through the dense branches above.
Resembling the form of a small child playing guard, with its arms to its sides, tapering up from the earth to an oval at the top.
Small carvings of rudimentary beasts were present on the surface, etched into the soft and polished marble-like form; this was the work of a gifted stone mason.
From a distance, its tiny shape could fool someone into thinking it was a child in the forest.
An order broke out from the front with a fist rising up.
The feet of the men slowed down and then came to a stop. The lord turned to the man at his side.
Vayreban: You will be taking points from here on, Alvin. Cara would have certainly followed her here. Can you find its tracks?
Alvin: Winter isn't fully here yet, so, if we are lucky, it should be the only one. (The man bent down, looking at something on the forest floor.) I might have something here.
A muttering came from the side of Carl and Robert.
Once again the lord began to growl.
Vayreban: Uill, is it? I know it's not Yurn talking, for once; for he even knows when to keep it shut. (Flowing his eyes over Yurn, then to Uill.)
The muttering stopped, and a sheepish voice came from the left of the men.
Uill: Yes, my lord. (gulping down the spit in his dry mouth and the taste with it.) Please forgive me. (nervous voice.)
Yurn didn't retort to the constant jabs at him, but Carl, Robert, and Alvin in particular scowled on the inside at their lord. The now-kneeling man stood up and slipped something into his pocket.
Vayreban: Alvin, please enlighten him on what we might encounter ahead... Make it concise.
The gruff-looking man didn't grin like he would have done before; the jab that was taken at Yurn irked him.
Nonetheless, this wasn't a time for arguments; he turned to Uill and began to explain the dangers ahead.
Alvin: Very well (folding his arms). Ahead of us will be the coming wintery domain of the Cara. In short, they are beasts; not even I would want to face one alone. They are cunning and extremely hostile; their claws are sharp; even your armour (tapping his knuckle against the Veralium steel on his chest) is nothing but an annoyance to them. Also, do you hear that?
The young man didn't answer right away.
Uill: Hear what? I don't understand.
Alvin: That missing sound is that of the living; it's nowhere to be found, except here. When they move from the north and head south in the winter, everything else moves away, except us. So, we become their primary food source, or worse, they feed on their own kind. Hungry men are unpredictable; a hungry cara is a downright monster. We (pointing to the three guards by Uill) have seen the aftermath of attacks on carriages. (Alvin moved to the smooth rock that stood in their way.) (Putting his hand on the totem.) Be lucky that little Tomey here helps ward off any beasts. Besides dragons, wyverns, grovers, rock snails, and the most dangerous of them all, my wife!
A loud cough came from Yurn, and muffled sniggers came from Carl and Robert. Once again, the lord didn't acknowledge his banter.
Yurn: Getting off topic, aren't we? Jokes aside. (Turning to Uill) When they feast, their prey is still alive. Cara have qualms about eating the dead and rotting, they think twice on a warm meal. (looking to the ground.) Have you ever found a cave full of half-eaten people who only wished for death? I have become the granter of those wishes at times, to men, women, and children. A scratch from a cara isn't a death sentence for an adult. For a young man, it is fifty-fifty (his eyes passed over the lord), but to a child, it is a child... (shaking his head lightly from left to right several times).
The Lord turned away.
Robert and Carl chimed in to break the eeriness and the brooding manner of Yurn, who was now looking down in thought.
Carl: Don't mistake them for simple beasts; we have all suffered, in one way or another. Without these tomes, the manor and Droll would have been overrun. We thin their numbers at the start of winter, when they are few and far between, as soon as winter graces us with its wrath, its best to stay locked up, from the cold and the beasts.
Robert: All of us but the young one here... (looking at Uill.) Don't get us wrong, kid. (shaking his feet and splattering the mud onto Uill.) At the manor, we like to dick around, but out here, it gets people killed, so keep it shut when in duos, understand? No hard feelings, just hard truths.
Everyone turned to Uill; everyone but the lord's eyes were looking at him.
Uill: I am sorry. (putting his head down.)
A hand shot up in a stopping motion from Alvin to all the men.
Robert and Carl moved behind the young man and put their hands on his shoulders, with Carl to his left and Robert to his right.
Alvin: Don't sweat it; we are all running on empty. Just listen to us and keep your eyes and ears open. Remember your training, and if you do swing your sword, make sure it is at the cara and not at me. Maybe at Carl; he needs a haircut.
A middle finger shot up at Alvin.
The man recapped the lessons instilled in them all from their lives as former adventurers.
The folly of youth and inexperience was present in Uill's eyes; the guard's life is all he has ever known.
-Wrapping up the lesson of words.
Alvin: I wouldn't have put your name forward unless I trusted you, so chin up. I doubt we will find anything; it might have moved on already. Cara are sporadic in their hunting patterns; keep vigilant nonetheless.
a voice cut between Alvin and Uill.
Vayreban: That hunting pattern was my daughter (looking at Alvin). Bestiary lesson over with? Lessons learned. (looking at Uill) Good! Traps shut, eyes and ears open. If you see something, call it out; whistle once if you aren't sure.
As he talked and moved at the same time, the large stature of the lord was now standing by the small-looking totem. Placing his large hand wrapped in black armour that broke through the veil of his red cloak, the totem began to glow a bright yellow, bathing the lord in its glow.
Vayreban: "Watch over us and guide us in the dark; let us find what we seek as we start, our lord of light. Var rem!"
One by one, the men repeated the same actions and words that came from their lord, like a mantra: Carl, then Robert. Uill repeated the prayer three times before Alvin pushed him away in a playful manner.
Alvin: Yeah, yeah, the Lord of Light heard you the first time. Uill. Don't hog Tomey to yourself; it's my turn...
All but two spoke the same song of prayer. Alvin's attempt at a prayer was muddled and broken, more words of spite than prayer, mocking the Lord of Light, but it still glowed for him. He patted it on the head.
Alvin: Thanks Tomey!
The totem grew brighter, then faded.
The last man, the man known as Yurn, didn't utter a single word or comfort the totem with his hand. He walked on, catching up to the group ahead. He was lost in thought; the memory of the caves came back to him and they left, like the light from their eyes.
As Yurn walked ahead, behind him a slight yellow glow appeared, then faded.
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Back at the manor, a light flickered to life.
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