Post by Sevirris on Apr 17, 2021 20:00:24 GMT
Sheverta shivered, under the relentless barrage of cold mountain winds, which she and her company were sorely undergeared to deal with. They had expected this to be a raid, in the hot or at the very least temperate southland climate, but at the current rate basically everything that could have gone wrong has done so and they had no option other than to push forward up the perillous mountain passes. As they passed into an alcove, which shielded them from the wind to an extent Sheverta regarded the people that followed her. Desperate survivors, exhausted, cold and starving, yet there was something else, in their eyes. A primal fear of the unknown, of things that really lurked, in the dark corners of the world, of unnatural monsters that should not be and yet plagued their final memories of the crew and ship they had lost all the same. She smiles reassuringly toward them and says "I see some caves ahead. We shall find shelter there, until the storm lets up and rest a little." As they made camp for the night and made a moderate flame strong enough to warm them, at least a little, while dividing the last carefully rationed supplies one of the other Corsairs speaks up. "At this rate we're going to completely run out of food, in two days, my lady. Unless we find some game soon..." At this point Sheverta cuts him off "Then we are going to die, but we are close... i can feel it in my bones. The hour of our vengeance draws near and it shall be bloody." After that exchange she divides the watches and tries to find, at least some uneasy rest.
In the morning three did not make it through the night succumbing to the cold a faint smile, on their face. Sheverta grimaced remembering the saying that hypothermie is a happy death and looked outside. The weather had cleared and the sky was blue, but the sun was still young, int eh east and she knew that the next night would be much colder should the sky remain so. And with that pleasant thought she ate her last few bits of stale waybread and jerky, whilst drinking some melted snow, before commanding the others to break the camp and get ready to move again. After a few more hours of grueling climb they started noticing corpses. Humans, Dwarves and other scattered about the mountain path, as they neared a pass. At first they were scattered here and there, but the farther the company climbed the denser they were. Some ancient and fully taken by time, while others preserved in ice... Until it reached a point the corpses basically paved the way unnerving the hardy Druchii more than they already were. They were used to sights of battlefields and slaughter, but this was something else these were armies of warriors slaughtered, on the very same spot and they were following the same footsteps, in hopes of fulfilling their one last fool's errand.
When the company finally reached the mountain pass they rejoiced, as they saw the gates of the dwarf hold they were seeking, yet that did not last long, as beyond the piles of snow they saw the gate open, with a single slight scantly dressed pale figure standing, in the middle of it. Sheverta herself moved forward, with a renewed sense of purpose despite all the signs making her instincts scream against it. Seeing her advance the other corsairs readied their swords,a s tehy moved forward, until they all could make the figure out to be a female human. Her sharp angular features, cold cruel crimson eyes, athletic and pleasing figure made even the proud Druchii pause, as she stood there still watching their approach unflinchingly, as if trying to make up her mind. The already unnerved corsairs were looking about nervously, shaking in their boots expecting an ambus from the piles or beyond them. When tehy got about two hundred feet from the entrance there was a moment of complete silence, even serene some could say. That was when the woman moved her arm and the ground beneath their very feet rumbled to try and stab them, decrepit skeletal arms, with broken rusty blades emerging from the snow some finding their marks others not. In the surprise Sheverta looked away from the woman for but a moment to see how her followers were performing, but when she turned back the woman suddenly stood in front of her and struck Sheverta, in the left side sending her good 15 feet tumblind and reeling from the thunderous blow. As Sheverta tried to stand up she felt a deep piercing pain, in her chest, as it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. She saw the woman approaching gleefully watching Sheverta's struggle to get up, but when she was nearly up the woman increased her pace to deliver another thundering blow, yet Sheverta was ready this time and swung preemptively or so she thought, because the woman not only avoided her blow, but grabbed the blade yanking it with such force it dislocated Sheverta's shoulder and smashed down on Sheverta's sword arm so hard it exposed the broken shattered bone. Sheverta wanted to scream in pain, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was gargling and blood to the woman's amusement. Who then stomped on Sheverta's leg, as she tried to crawl and finally turning her over to see Sheverta's face contorted, in her final moments. Sheverta knew there was no returning, for some time, but as she was face to face, with death herself she couldn't help but reminisce about the road that took her there, where did she go wrong? She resolved to one last act of defiance, as the cruel creature loomed over her, grasped her concealed dagger, when the woman wound up her arm to finish Sheverta off she uses the last ounces of her strenght to thrust the dagger toward the woman's heart. Sheverta feels terrible pain, in her chest, yet soon she feels her body grow numb, as she feels her own blood pool around her. She thinks she hears a terrible inhuman scream, as her sight fades into darkness.
Suddenly Sheverta's eyes snap open,a s she inhales sharply, as she sits up, in her bed. Putting a hand over her chest, where heart is she feels nothing out of place and quickly regains her barings looking around the room to find Yui, her favored slave of Nipponese origin cowering, in a corner of the bedroom, who realises her mistress has calmed down and asks "Was that one of your nightmares, mistress?" to which Sheverta only nods and motions Yui over to help her change, while asking "So what time is it?" Yui walking over, with a new dress replies "Early morning, perhaps two hours before dawn." to which Sheverta approvingly nods and after she is, in her day dress she tells Yui "Go back to sleep. I shall go on a walk, upon the city's outskirts. I'm sure i shall receive an audience any day now." shortly before she leaves the tower, which has been given to her by Lord Ulralys. One of the advantages of living within a repurposed guard tower is a quick access to the outside of the city's wall. Carefully counting the guards patrolling the walls, on the way down she slinks out the postern and makes her way toward a forest not too far, while the guards are not watching. Rejoicing, in the intense smells of spring and the dew of early morning mist, before vanishing within the wood's shadows, which are still long and dark.
In the morning three did not make it through the night succumbing to the cold a faint smile, on their face. Sheverta grimaced remembering the saying that hypothermie is a happy death and looked outside. The weather had cleared and the sky was blue, but the sun was still young, int eh east and she knew that the next night would be much colder should the sky remain so. And with that pleasant thought she ate her last few bits of stale waybread and jerky, whilst drinking some melted snow, before commanding the others to break the camp and get ready to move again. After a few more hours of grueling climb they started noticing corpses. Humans, Dwarves and other scattered about the mountain path, as they neared a pass. At first they were scattered here and there, but the farther the company climbed the denser they were. Some ancient and fully taken by time, while others preserved in ice... Until it reached a point the corpses basically paved the way unnerving the hardy Druchii more than they already were. They were used to sights of battlefields and slaughter, but this was something else these were armies of warriors slaughtered, on the very same spot and they were following the same footsteps, in hopes of fulfilling their one last fool's errand.
When the company finally reached the mountain pass they rejoiced, as they saw the gates of the dwarf hold they were seeking, yet that did not last long, as beyond the piles of snow they saw the gate open, with a single slight scantly dressed pale figure standing, in the middle of it. Sheverta herself moved forward, with a renewed sense of purpose despite all the signs making her instincts scream against it. Seeing her advance the other corsairs readied their swords,a s tehy moved forward, until they all could make the figure out to be a female human. Her sharp angular features, cold cruel crimson eyes, athletic and pleasing figure made even the proud Druchii pause, as she stood there still watching their approach unflinchingly, as if trying to make up her mind. The already unnerved corsairs were looking about nervously, shaking in their boots expecting an ambus from the piles or beyond them. When tehy got about two hundred feet from the entrance there was a moment of complete silence, even serene some could say. That was when the woman moved her arm and the ground beneath their very feet rumbled to try and stab them, decrepit skeletal arms, with broken rusty blades emerging from the snow some finding their marks others not. In the surprise Sheverta looked away from the woman for but a moment to see how her followers were performing, but when she turned back the woman suddenly stood in front of her and struck Sheverta, in the left side sending her good 15 feet tumblind and reeling from the thunderous blow. As Sheverta tried to stand up she felt a deep piercing pain, in her chest, as it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. She saw the woman approaching gleefully watching Sheverta's struggle to get up, but when she was nearly up the woman increased her pace to deliver another thundering blow, yet Sheverta was ready this time and swung preemptively or so she thought, because the woman not only avoided her blow, but grabbed the blade yanking it with such force it dislocated Sheverta's shoulder and smashed down on Sheverta's sword arm so hard it exposed the broken shattered bone. Sheverta wanted to scream in pain, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was gargling and blood to the woman's amusement. Who then stomped on Sheverta's leg, as she tried to crawl and finally turning her over to see Sheverta's face contorted, in her final moments. Sheverta knew there was no returning, for some time, but as she was face to face, with death herself she couldn't help but reminisce about the road that took her there, where did she go wrong? She resolved to one last act of defiance, as the cruel creature loomed over her, grasped her concealed dagger, when the woman wound up her arm to finish Sheverta off she uses the last ounces of her strenght to thrust the dagger toward the woman's heart. Sheverta feels terrible pain, in her chest, yet soon she feels her body grow numb, as she feels her own blood pool around her. She thinks she hears a terrible inhuman scream, as her sight fades into darkness.
Suddenly Sheverta's eyes snap open,a s she inhales sharply, as she sits up, in her bed. Putting a hand over her chest, where heart is she feels nothing out of place and quickly regains her barings looking around the room to find Yui, her favored slave of Nipponese origin cowering, in a corner of the bedroom, who realises her mistress has calmed down and asks "Was that one of your nightmares, mistress?" to which Sheverta only nods and motions Yui over to help her change, while asking "So what time is it?" Yui walking over, with a new dress replies "Early morning, perhaps two hours before dawn." to which Sheverta approvingly nods and after she is, in her day dress she tells Yui "Go back to sleep. I shall go on a walk, upon the city's outskirts. I'm sure i shall receive an audience any day now." shortly before she leaves the tower, which has been given to her by Lord Ulralys. One of the advantages of living within a repurposed guard tower is a quick access to the outside of the city's wall. Carefully counting the guards patrolling the walls, on the way down she slinks out the postern and makes her way toward a forest not too far, while the guards are not watching. Rejoicing, in the intense smells of spring and the dew of early morning mist, before vanishing within the wood's shadows, which are still long and dark.