Aresan Clan pt 38

Alles was not a man who lied easily, and he suspected that a lie was suited to this occasion. He made no outward sign that he was in thought, as his face remained motionless and his body was frozen in his poised position. He remained in this position for so long that his own soldiers started to look at him with confusion. Finally he opened his mouth and shouted back, “He is a survivor. He is a witness. He saw a town destroyed. We want him for what he has seen.”

Erek-Monte didn’t seem to quite understand Alles’ words, and he quietly conferred with the men next to him, and between them, they were able to decipher it. Finally Erek-Monte replied, “Like criminal you use him. I see. Like criminal. My mind say you lie.”

“He is the child of our enemies,” Alles replied, “A child of the Fourth Order. He is still a prisoner.”

Erek-Monte again quietly conferred with his men, before he shouted, “You our man kill. Your soldier,” Erek-Monte said, pointing to Sorn, “He kill. You give boy as trade for our man kill.”

“No,” Alles shouted immediately. Erek-Monte didn’t need to confer to understand Alles this time. He shouted in reply, “We kill every you.”

Alles grinned broadly when Erek-Monte said this and shouted forcefully, “Try it! Go ahead and try! We’ll cut you down. You’ll see what it’s like to chip away at a wall of hardened soldiers.”

Alles was not a man who lied easily, and he suspected that a lie was suited to this occasion. He made no outward sign that he was in thought, as his face remained motionless and his body was frozen in his poised position. He remained in this position for so long that his own soldiers started to look at him with confusion. Finally he opened his mouth and shouted back, “He is a survivor. He is a witness. He saw a town destroyed. We want him for what he has seen.”

Erek-Monte didn’t seem to quite understand Alles’ words, and he quietly conferred with the men next to him, and between them, they were able to decipher it. Finally Erek-Monte replied, “Like criminal you use him. I see. Like criminal. My mind say you lie.”

“He is the child of our enemies,” Alles replied, “A child of the Fourth Order. He is still a prisoner.”

Erek-Monte again quietly conferred with his men, before he shouted, “You our man kill. Your soldier,” Erek-Monte said, pointing to Sorn, “He kill. You give boy as trade for our man kill.”

“No,” Alles shouted immediately. Erek-Monte didn’t need to confer to understand Alles this time. He shouted in reply, “We kill every you.”

Alles grinned broadly when Erek-Monte said this and shouted forcefully, “Try it! Go ahead and try! We’ll cut you down. You’ll see what it’s like to chip away at a wall of hardened soldiers.”

Erek-Monte didn’t bother trying to understand Alles. He looked at his men and shouted at them in his own language. They split into three equal groups. One group of four immediately sprinted to Erek-Monte’s left and one sprinted to the right, disappearing into the trees.

“They’re trying to flank,” Alles shouted, “Encircle the palanquin. Keep the non-soldiers behind the soldiers.”

The soldiers at the end of the line began to back up until their line wrapped all the way around the palanquin with the staff of attendants within the circle, up against the palanquin at the center.

Erek-Monte shouted “attack!” in his own language as Erek-Monte’s line was reforming. He hoped to catch the soldiers off-guard in the middle of this change. The groups attacked simultaneously in a coordinated three-prong attack. They rushed at the line, hurling their bodies at the soldiers shoulder-first before the soldiers could repel them with their swords.

Erek-Monte shouted at them in his own language as he ran beside them, “I just want the boy. We get him, we go.”

Alles’ soldiers tried to put their sword points into the raiders, but found that Erek-Monte’s men were slippery, always managing to slip away from their grasp, and move out of the way of their thrust. Even Alles, who wrangled with Erek-Monte himself, struggled to touch his sword to his opponent. Erek-Monte’s men were armed with several daggers, but they kept their weapons sheathed, trying to push their way through, and it was all Alles’ men could do to prevent Erek-Monte’s men from slipping through the line and reaching the palanquin.

This bloodless battle abruptly burst through into violence, when one of Erek-Monte’s men, Jesep-Sante slipped by Annsi and, pushing through two attendants, put his hand to the door and opened it. Annsi was unhesitant, when she pushed the tip of her sword through his back. The sharp metal slid into his body, as blood leaked out onto the surface of the blade.

A momentary chaos unfolded as Erek-Monte pushed through the scoop his fallen soldier off the ground and rush from the camp. In the confusion, Sorn’s life was also taken. A young soldier named Dylan-Nantes, who recognized Sorn as the one who’d killed Erek-Trent, drew his stone dagger from his arm and thrust it into Sorn’s side just below the rib cage, pushing violently upward and twisting it to open wide the wound. Then he removed the blade and slashed across the neck to assure that he was finished.

Dylan-Nantes then fled with the rest of his companions, wiping off his bloodied blade and then resheathing it as he ran. Blood dripped from the tip of Annsi’s blade too, which she still held in ready. After watching Erek-Monte’s soldiers disappear, she wiped it off on the ground and sheathed it, immediately turning to the palanquin and looking inside to check if Samuel was alright.

Some of Alles’ soldiers started to run after the fleeing raiders, but Alles shouted at them, “Stop! This is enough! It’s over!”

Jyorg objected, “But they killed Lee and now Sorn. We can’t let that stand.”

Alles replied “We can and we will. This is not part of our mission. And you will follow orders. Now we bury Sorn, we pack up and we march.”

<-- Go to Part 37         Go to Part 39 -->

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

Alles was not a man who lied easily, and he suspected that a lie was suited to this occasion. He made no outward sign that he was in thought, as his face remained motionless and his body was frozen in his poised position. He remained in this position for so long that his own soldiers started to look at him with confusion. Finally he opened his mouth and shouted back, “He is a survivor. He is a witness. He saw a town destroyed. We want him for what he has seen.”

Erek-Monte didn’t seem to quite understand Alles’ words, and he quietly conferred with the men next to him, and between them, they were able to decipher it. Finally Erek-Monte replied, “Like criminal you use him. I see. Like criminal. My mind say you lie.”

“He is the child of our enemies,” Alles replied, “A child of the Fourth Order. He is still a prisoner.”

Erek-Monte again quietly conferred with his men, before he shouted, “You our man kill. Your soldier,” Erek-Monte said, pointing to Sorn, “He kill. You give boy as trade for our man kill.”

“No,” Alles shouted immediately. Erek-Monte didn’t need to confer to understand Alles this time. He shouted in reply, “We kill every you.”

Alles grinned broadly when Erek-Monte said this and shouted forcefully, “Try it! Go ahead and try! We’ll cut you down. You’ll see what it’s like to chip away at a wall of hardened soldiers.”

Alles was not a man who lied easily, and he suspected that a lie was suited to this occasion. He made no outward sign that he was in thought, as his face remained motionless and his body was frozen in his poised position. He remained in this position for so long that his own soldiers started to look at him with confusion. Finally he opened his mouth and shouted back, “He is a survivor. He is a witness. He saw a town destroyed. We want him for what he has seen.”

Erek-Monte didn’t seem to quite understand Alles’ words, and he quietly conferred with the men next to him, and between them, they were able to decipher it. Finally Erek-Monte replied, “Like criminal you use him. I see. Like criminal. My mind say you lie.”

“He is the child of our enemies,” Alles replied, “A child of the Fourth Order. He is still a prisoner.”

Erek-Monte again quietly conferred with his men, before he shouted, “You our man kill. Your soldier,” Erek-Monte said, pointing to Sorn, “He kill. You give boy as trade for our man kill.”

“No,” Alles shouted immediately. Erek-Monte didn’t need to confer to understand Alles this time. He shouted in reply, “We kill every you.”

Alles grinned broadly when Erek-Monte said this and shouted forcefully, “Try it! Go ahead and try! We’ll cut you down. You’ll see what it’s like to chip away at a wall of hardened soldiers.”

Erek-Monte didn’t bother trying to understand Alles. He looked at his men and shouted at them in his own language. They split into three equal groups. One group of four immediately sprinted to Erek-Monte’s left and one sprinted to the right, disappearing into the trees.

“They’re trying to flank,” Alles shouted, “Encircle the palanquin. Keep the non-soldiers behind the soldiers.”

The soldiers at the end of the line began to back up until their line wrapped all the way around the palanquin with the staff of attendants within the circle, up against the palanquin at the center.

Erek-Monte shouted “attack!” in his own language as Erek-Monte’s line was reforming. He hoped to catch the soldiers off-guard in the middle of this change. The groups attacked simultaneously in a coordinated three-prong attack. They rushed at the line, hurling their bodies at the soldiers shoulder-first before the soldiers could repel them with their swords.

Erek-Monte shouted at them in his own language as he ran beside them, “I just want the boy. We get him, we go.”

Alles’ soldiers tried to put their sword points into the raiders, but found that Erek-Monte’s men were slippery, always managing to slip away from their grasp, and move out of the way of their thrust. Even Alles, who wrangled with Erek-Monte himself, struggled to touch his sword to his opponent. Erek-Monte’s men were armed with several daggers, but they kept their weapons sheathed, trying to push their way through, and it was all Alles’ men could do to prevent Erek-Monte’s men from slipping through the line and reaching the palanquin.

This bloodless battle abruptly burst through into violence, when one of Erek-Monte’s men, Jesep-Sante slipped by Annsi and, pushing through two attendants, put his hand to the door and opened it. Annsi was unhesitant, when she pushed the tip of her sword through his back. The sharp metal slid into his body, as blood leaked out onto the surface of the blade.

A momentary chaos unfolded as Erek-Monte pushed through the scoop his fallen soldier off the ground and rush from the camp. In the confusion, Sorn’s life was also taken. A young soldier named Dylan-Nantes, who recognized Sorn as the one who’d killed Erek-Trent, drew his stone dagger from his arm and thrust it into Sorn’s side just below the rib cage, pushing violently upward and twisting it to open wide the wound. Then he removed the blade and slashed across the neck to assure that he was finished.

Dylan-Nantes then fled with the rest of his companions, wiping off his bloodied blade and then resheathing it as he ran. Blood dripped from the tip of Annsi’s blade too, which she still held in ready. After watching Erek-Monte’s soldiers disappear, she wiped it off on the ground and sheathed it, immediately turning to the palanquin and looking inside to check if Samuel was alright.

Some of Alles’ soldiers started to run after the fleeing raiders, but Alles shouted at them, “Stop! This is enough! It’s over!”

Jyorg objected, “But they killed Lee and now Sorn. We can’t let that stand.”

Alles replied “We can and we will. This is not part of our mission. And you will follow orders. Now we bury Sorn, we pack up and we march.”

<-- Go to Part 37         Go to Part 39 -->

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

Aresan Clan pt 38