Aresan Clan pt 2

Elden gave Alles a hand to lead him. They moved a step forward and Alles bumped a shoulder on a post. They took another step, and Alles nearly tripped on the bottom stair. He felt the soft of a fur under his feet as they climbed a stairway. After a few steps, the man stopped.

Elden moved Alles’ hand forward to touch the hand of the boy, which was resting on an armrest. Alles clung tenderly and tightly to the hand of the young boy, which weakly gripped his in return. Alles then carefully moved his other hand forward until he touched the head of the boy. The boy’s hair was thick, dusty, disheveled and knotted.

As Alles heard the sound of Elden retreating a few steps back, he said quietly to the boy, “I want to take you out of here. Do you want to leave?” The boy was silent, but for many long moments Alles waited for him to respond.

“Well, even if you’re not going to respond, you better get ready anyways,” Alles whispered, “Because we’re going to leave.”

Then in one quick motion, with one hand still on the head of the boy, to gauge the boy’s position, Alles swept off his cloak and completely covered the boy inside of it, so that the boy’s face was submerged beneath it and the cloak covered him on all sides. Alles opened his eyes and raised his hand in a rapid wave towards the hills behind the boy. He then turned to look finally on the kindly voice, who now stared at him with wide, surprised eyes. Elden was tall and pale with a certain intensity in his eyes. Alles grabbed him and pushed him off of the pedestal with a strong, effortless shove. Elden fell down across the path of furs that led towards the throne, knocking over one of the standing posts that formed a circle around the pedestal. Each standing post was crowned with a small torch that poured black smoke skyward in thick dissipating strings. Just outside the circle a long table filled with food, flanked by the two cooking fires, stood between him and the frozen faces of the townsfolk, now looking at the exposed leather sheath hanging at his side and the bold brawn of the warrior on the pedestal besides their veiled child.

The first person to run towards Alles was a man named Lipmon, a short, skinny man with thin hair and an under-nourished hollow in his cheeks. Alles quickly unsheathed a thin, metal sword and slashed a gash across the chest and arms of the short, pallid figure in one seamless move. Elden quickly pulled himself up off the ground and shouted for the men to attack Alles as his debilitating shock suddenly transformed into rage. Several men lunged forward, shabbily dressed and equally as thin-armed and thin-chested as Lipmon. Alles thrust cleanly through the belly of the fastest, kicking him away and then turned, scooping up the child.

Alles leapt from the pedestal and ran toward the hills holding the child gingerly in his strong arms while the tail of his cloak trailed behind as he ran. Alles moved toward a just now appearing band of soldiers—Lee, Sorn, Annsi, Solis, Orick, Rock, Imann and others—who ran at full speed towards the town. He shouted at them, “Wipe the town out! Kill all of them! I want no witnesses!” As he passed through them, they launched a volley of spears, which sprung as a cloud in the air and fell heavy on their targets, only a few spears landing in the dirt without being bloodied. Alles stopped to watch them fall upon the frightened townsfolk, who scrambled in a bleating disarray. The town’s unarmed foregaurd was swept aside with thrusts of red. The glowing crowns of fire were snatched from their pedestals and thrown onto the thatched grass roofs of the small wooden hovels.

Alles announced to them, “We must make it look like the town burned to the ground, and leave only dust behind. If the Fourth Order should ever discover we attacked one of their towns and kidnapped one of its citizens, the retaliation would be severe.”

<-- Go to Part 1         Go to Part 3 -->

You can see what's been written so far collected here.

Elden gave Alles a hand to lead him. They moved a step forward and Alles bumped a shoulder on a post. They took another step, and Alles nearly tripped on the bottom stair. He felt the soft of a fur under his feet as they climbed a stairway. After a few steps, the man stopped.

Elden moved Alles’ hand forward to touch the hand of the boy, which was resting on an armrest. Alles clung tenderly and tightly to the hand of the young boy, which weakly gripped his in return. Alles then carefully moved his other hand forward until he touched the head of the boy. The boy’s hair was thick, dusty, disheveled and knotted.

As Alles heard the sound of Elden retreating a few steps back, he said quietly to the boy, “I want to take you out of here. Do you want to leave?” The boy was silent, but for many long moments Alles waited for him to respond.

“Well, even if you’re not going to respond, you better get ready anyways,” Alles whispered, “Because we’re going to leave.”

Then in one quick motion, with one hand still on the head of the boy, to gauge the boy’s position, Alles swept off his cloak and completely covered the boy inside of it, so that the boy’s face was submerged beneath it and the cloak covered him on all sides. Alles opened his eyes and raised his hand in a rapid wave towards the hills behind the boy. He then turned to look finally on the kindly voice, who now stared at him with wide, surprised eyes. Elden was tall and pale with a certain intensity in his eyes. Alles grabbed him and pushed him off of the pedestal with a strong, effortless shove. Elden fell down across the path of furs that led towards the throne, knocking over one of the standing posts that formed a circle around the pedestal. Each standing post was crowned with a small torch that poured black smoke skyward in thick dissipating strings. Just outside the circle a long table filled with food, flanked by the two cooking fires, stood between him and the frozen faces of the townsfolk, now looking at the exposed leather sheath hanging at his side and the bold brawn of the warrior on the pedestal besides their veiled child.

The first person to run towards Alles was a man named Lipmon, a short, skinny man with thin hair and an under-nourished hollow in his cheeks. Alles quickly unsheathed a thin, metal sword and slashed a gash across the chest and arms of the short, pallid figure in one seamless move. Elden quickly pulled himself up off the ground and shouted for the men to attack Alles as his debilitating shock suddenly transformed into rage. Several men lunged forward, shabbily dressed and equally as thin-armed and thin-chested as Lipmon. Alles thrust cleanly through the belly of the fastest, kicking him away and then turned, scooping up the child.

Alles leapt from the pedestal and ran toward the hills holding the child gingerly in his strong arms while the tail of his cloak trailed behind as he ran. Alles moved toward a just now appearing band of soldiers—Lee, Sorn, Annsi, Solis, Orick, Rock, Imann and others—who ran at full speed towards the town. He shouted at them, “Wipe the town out! Kill all of them! I want no witnesses!” As he passed through them, they launched a volley of spears, which sprung as a cloud in the air and fell heavy on their targets, only a few spears landing in the dirt without being bloodied. Alles stopped to watch them fall upon the frightened townsfolk, who scrambled in a bleating disarray. The town’s unarmed foregaurd was swept aside with thrusts of red. The glowing crowns of fire were snatched from their pedestals and thrown onto the thatched grass roofs of the small wooden hovels.

Alles announced to them, “We must make it look like the town burned to the ground, and leave only dust behind. If the Fourth Order should ever discover we attacked one of their towns and kidnapped one of its citizens, the retaliation would be severe.”

<-- Go to Part 1         Go to Part 3 -->

You can see what's been written so far collected here.

Aresan Clan pt 2