The Great Ride
The Desperate Journey to find the monks of ages and discover the truth of the prophecy.
Not quite the youngest of the band that had now assembled on this qwest, Aeryck still wondered at his in experience. Of course, he had seen more than a few battles, but then he had settled in to the life of a bureaucrat. The recent attempt on his life while working to make Nazgorn a better region to live in for Tarans had changed his mind a bit, to say the least.
"I'm sure that the day will come when I take my chair beside the clerks again, but that day is not today. Today I ride for the glory of Tara, for my family in Andurus, for every troop leader and citizen in this glorious realm."
Today, not quite the youngest in a company of brave men, Aeryck began the journey to find out who he would really become in this life, and with five men by his side whom he would surely call brothers before it was over...
"Norland, huh? I've always wanted to go north to see the mountains."
It hasn't been long since the group embarked on their quest. All riding along down the path in the silence of the night, everyone was ahead of Aethelmaer. Owls hooting in the distance, the feint rustle of the trees. All of a sudden, Aethelmaer starts to see a strange dark form coming closer.
"Guys I see something off in the distance."
Tadhg replies, "I don't see anything, lets keep moving."
"You must be seeing things, cause there's nothing there," exclaims Xiahou.
The group rides on, Aethelmaer's blue eyes widen just as they come up to the form. Then disappears into thin air. Blaine speaks something to Aethelmaer, who was riding just ahead of him. When no answer came, he looked back and to his surprise, and the rest of the group, he was nowhere to be found.
Blaine glanced over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the darkness quickly. His brow furrowed deeply and he began to shiver a little as a chill ran through him.
"Aethelmar? Where are you?"
He waited a few seconds for a response, then put two fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly. The raven that had alighted on his shoulder earlier swooped out of the shadows, perching on his outstretched arm. Blaine closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
"Sir Tadhg, Xiahou, Sir Aeryck, SilentKnight, I cannot find Sir Aethelmar. Can any of you see him?"
Silentknight rode along, pondering what it would be like to return to the northern mountains. He had been there once before a long time ago, but it was not an experience he spoke of. Suddenly the hairs stiffened on the back of his neck, something here did not feel right. Slowly he scanned the woods to the right, then he heard the sharp whistle from behind. He noted the absence of Aethelmar just as the question rang out.
“I cannot find Sir Aethelmar. Can any of you see him?”
Riding back towards Sir Blaine, SilentKnight addresses the warriors, one hand on his long sword.
“Something is not right here friends, prepare yourselves.”
The air began to stir as the group gathered close, and the bright moon disappeared behind dark clouds.
“Xiahou, you know the shadows better the most. What do you see?”
Tadhg rode along obsessed with his own thoughts.Suddenly a call came ut from behind him.
"Sir Tadhg, Xiahou, Sir Aeryck, SilentKnight, I cannot find Sir Aethelmar. Can any of you see him?" shouted blaine
Tadhg wheeled around from the front of the party to Blaine.He hopped down from his horse and scanned th ground.
"I dont understand.The tracks just stop.Its as if he has been swallowed by the earth."
All of a sudden his horse grew frightened.It was trying to break away from Tadhg's grip.
"Whoa Whoa" he called as he got the horse under control.He mounted again.From his back he drew the war-axe.His weapon of choice.
"Stand ready my friends" he said as he scanned the forest around him.
Aeryck, hand on hilt, moved forward a few steps from the group now looking for their comrade. His time as a bureaucrat taught him well to survey each situation before implementing a course of action to improve it.
So he watched closely. Each man was on edge. Each of these new brothers of his now stared off into the woods, looking for the impending danger - the evil that they could feel around them. The air surrounding the party seemed to get thicker. It may have been in Aeryck's imagination (the air always thickens for him before important things happen), but you could have cut the very air with a blade.
'If our brother's tracks just stop,' he thought to himself, 'then why are they looking off into the woods? Surely, the ground didn't swallow him up either.' Just then Aeryck's eyes slowly panned in the only direction that he could think to look that no one else was looking in.
"HEY!!! Look up!!!"
Tadhg heard the shout go up from Aeryk.He stared at the canopy of trees above him.Maybe it was the wind but he felt as if the branches had something in them.His attention was rippe away from the trees by the howling of wolves.
"They are close.Closer than wolves ought to be to men"
He looked around him and saw red eyes staring at the group from the depths of the forest.
"Gather in a circle dont get split up" he shouted to the group
Then they came.A half again as large as the wolves around Foda.They charged them.Tadhg counted almost 5 times as many wolves came at them as there was in the party.Tadhg cleaved the head from one with a furious swing of his axe.He saw another dropped by an arrow. The rest stopped and circled them.They advanced slowly on the party.....
SilentKnight exhales deeply, his sword at the ready.
“Well, at least we can see them now.”
One of the beasts snaps forward and SileKnight drops it with a swift thrust just below the neck, spilling the ground with black blood.
“Careful men, we must move as one. Bezerkers will only get us killed tonight.”
Tadhg felt his heart thumping against his chest.Only three were down.At least 30 wolves advanced on the five men.They advanced as if they had planned their assault.Their red eyes were open and did not blink.Tadhg looked at the fallen wolves
"Look!" he shouted pointing at the wolves.
They seemed to dissolve into the ground.He inhaled deeply.He looked at the semi-circle advancing on the group.In the crowd of wolves stood a monster.He was at least 2 and a half times the size of a normal wolf.He was nearly the size of a horse.He was pitch black and was baring his monstrous fangs at the group.It seemed to him it was ordering the wolves.It was out of arrow range.It sat back while the other wolves advanced.Another wolf fell to an arrow.Then they were upon them......
Blaine's brow had already broken into a cold sweat as the wolves advanced on the party, and his bow had come up with an arrow notched in one swift motion. He found his lead hand to be shaking too much for a precise shot, though, which, in turn made him more nervous.
Calm yourself, Blaine. You've done this many times on the battlefield against men in armour, and at least twice that in the forests hunting since you were young. Aim for the heart, take a deep breath...
One of Blaine's arrows flew through the crowd of oncoming wolves to pierce one through the heart as it circled. As the animal fell, Blaine's resolve grew, and he nocked another arrow. Soon three of the wolves had fallen to his arrows - but now the animals were getting closer. As one of them leaped up at Blaine, seeking to dismount the rider, he kicked at it with the heel of his boot, drawing another arrow rapidly and letting fly right between the animal's eyes. As the beast recoiled, it managed to pull Blaine from his saddle. Landing hard on the earth, Blaine was dazed just long enough to find himself set upon by the wolf, the arrow still lodged in its head as it thrashed at him, trying to get a hold on his neck for the kill. Blaine struggled to hold the wolf away by the shoulders with both hands, trying to ignore the beast's claws shredding at his leather armour.
"Help!"
Tadhg chopped down on a wolf bearing own on him.They were pressed strongly.Tadhg heard blaines cry of help and turned.A wolf was on top of him trying to rip at his jugular.Tadhg hefted his war-axe and threw it through the air.It struck the wolf in the side and it broke its spine.Tadhg galloped to Blaine and stuck out his arm.
"Take my hand,Quick".he said to Blaine
As Tadhg raced to Blaine’s aid, a gap emerged in the small formation. SilentKnight swung his horse sideways to cover the whole. Time almost stood still as SilentKnight and his ride executed a move with such grace it seemed they were one being. He swiftly slid his body down the side of the horse while staying mounted, his sword severing the heads of two wolves. At the same time his horse kicked two others squarely in the head, crashing them into the oncoming Wolves and slowing their approach. Sliding back to the top of his mount, SilentKnight spun his horse, crushing three wolves. He looked up in time to see the largeest of the beast pointing others in his direction, the obvious weak point.
“We must kill the large one! They will be lost without him.’ Silentknight yelled over the roar of wolves and men, he sword slicing yet another foul beast.
xiahou leaps down off his horse as the wolves continue to pour in on the warriors, he knew there was more damage to be done from the ground. no sooner do his feet touch the ground than a wolf leaps at his back, he hears SilentKnight shout out to him and steps to the side, the wolf snapping madly as it flies past narrowly catching his arm as xiahou swings his blade into its side, stopping its heartbeat before it even hits the floor.
many had fallen already but their numbers where begining to overwhelm. xiahou shouts to SilentKnight as the men continue to cut down the hoards of beasts.
"ha seems i owe you one already! you were right though, the shadows are not right. it may be good fortune that we can see these but i am more concerned at what is still lurking in there"
xiahou lifts his sword to point at the forest but has to quickly bring his sword back down as a wolf goes for his leg. a thought crosses his mind, maybe he should have brought armour on this quest, usually it just slowed him down and made to much noise(by which he meant it actually made noise as he moved), but right now he wouldnt say no if some was offered.
suddenly the wolves moved away from the group, encircling them once again. this gave the men a short time to breath but what these beasts were waiting for was unclear.
"everyone back to back now!!" xiahou shouts, and begins to back slowly towards the others.
the large monster that had been watching began to slowly pace the circle of wolves, glaring at each of the men with eyes that seemed to burn.
Tadhg dragged Blaine upright.
"Come on lets go" he said as he ripped his axe from the steaming carcass of the wolf that nearly had blaine
They ran towards Xiahou,Aeryck and Silentknight who were standing back to back waiting for the wolves.They reached them just as the wolves charged.This time the giant black wolf hopped on to a tree and along a bough. The wolves pressed them hard.They cut all around them.Tadhg struck one on the temple with the pole of his axe.simultaneously swinging around and almost chopping one in half.His axe became stuck in the carcass of the animal.Tadhg struggled to get it out. While he was distracted the giant wolf jumped from the tree and landed on Tadhg.The wolf bit towards his neck.Tadhg parried him twice.Just then another huge form smashed into the wolf.They both went down struggling.After a struggle the second form got on top and bit down with the final blow. The wolves seemed to falter.They ran around in confusion.Soon they sprinted into the woods and were gone as quickly as they had come. Tadhg looked around to see if everyone was alright.
