The Road from Nowhere

[Seheren]

Ezra curled forward, his back and neck cramping painfully. The wagon jostled down the uneven path as its wooden wheels dredged through the thick mud. With each rock they hit, a bolt of pain shot through his body. But for all the discomfort, the cramps, the sharp pain with each breath... For the torrents of rain chilling him to the bone. Ezra truly felt nothing. For what is anything against the vision of your all powerful God, smote across the side of a Mountain. The feeling as you smell the charred remains, as they continue to smolder.. Watching as your life, your home, and your people are slaughtered. Beaten, devoured, and burned... What was anything to that?

The Wagon ambled along for countless hours, Ezra so consumed by his inner turmoil he hardly noticed that they had stopped. His eyes found their way to the sky, as they had time and again since. They scanned the pitch, the impermeable veil of night that had fallen while he wallowed in his debilitating despair. What was a Dusk Scale, with no God and no Tribe, he thought. What was he.. Staring at his hands he could only laugh. At first it was a soft rumbling, but as the sudden madness took a deeper hold it rose louder, and louder still. He rose, and he bellowed a roar, a belting note burst from his powerful lungs that could surely be felt by the strangers that surrounded the fire. Strangers who had dropped their plates and their cups, turning to face the Giant man. More then one with steel in his hands..


It was almost as if it was all a dream, He could feel nothing, hear nothing as the two mercenaries charged.. Steel in hand they came. The smaller of the two was quick. He darted forward looking to wound the Giant warrior quickly, but instead of dodging, Ezra stepped into the man's path. He grabbed the man's wrist with one giant hand and snapped it backward, forcing the blade to the ground. In the same motion he grabbed the front of the man's chain haubrek and vaulted him at the second. The Human missile catching his friend mid-stride and sending the pair sprawling to the dirt. Ezra howled again and turned his gaze back to the fire, but the rage left him as he saw the woman and child crying. Their backs against the Wagon's wheel as they sobbed and pleaded. Ezra turned in full, the breath taken from his chest. He dropped to his knees and he sobbed....

[Seheren]

Time after that seemed to come and go like the ebb and flow of a great river. After the two men untangled themselves they made straight for the sobbing giant. Cautious, and rightfully so, they kept their distance. They circled the Barbarian as the rest of the small group of guards threw on bits of armor and grabbed their steel.

For all their caution, Ezra remained docile. As they came to bind his hands he held them out, and at once he almost recognized a look of pity from one of the men. The spectacle drew on as the rest of the small caravan watched as the guard led him to a sturdy oak in a nearby copse, chaining him to it.

It was there that Ezra sat, dazed and broken. He watched as the veil of night gave way to dawn. He watched as the world awakened before him, and in some dark corner of his mind a glimmer of hope arose. He continued to watch as the Guard readied, and the merchants and travelers broke fast. Ezra could feel the eyes as each nervous person glanced at the bound lunatic. But it was not these whom concerned him most as two of the Guard approached.

". . .Beast! What if he goes off again..." One of the men said, he was the smaller of the two, but he looked strong. He had a few days growth on his cheeks, though the hair did little to cover two bright scars. His face had shrewish features, Ezra thought. "He could've killed Holder an' Jimmy." He heard the man continue. Much of the conversation lost to Ezra's ears. He could see the other man's lips move in response, but his was a quiet voice. Ezra couldn't make out the words..

"Fine." The smaller of the two barked as he turned and strode away, giving one last angry glare at the bound Barbarian as he left. Ezra watched him as he strode off, only turning his gaze away as the other approached and tapped his bare foot with his boot. "Are you that Broken?" He spoke. His voice was soft, but only in volume. It begged to be heard, and Ezra caught himself leaning forward.

"Just kill me.." Ezra croaked, lifting his head back to look up into the branches. He sat expectantly, expecting a blade at his throat or at least a threat. Though, all he met was silence. The man stood over him for what seemed forever.

"You're strong." The man said, pausing for a moment as he knelt to look Ezra in the eyes. "I don't know why, or much care, what happened." he continued, lifting the rags of Ezra's tunic to see the purple and green bruise that dominated his left side. "You're freakish strong, and I can use that. If--" He paused, accentuating the emphasis with a tap to the chest "You can pull it together."

Ezra watched the man blankly as he spoke, and watched as he rose again in front of him. "My name is Jarrul." The man said down to Ezra, a hard look in his eyes. "Can I trust you out of these chains?" Jarrul asked, tapping the binds keeping Ezra to the tree. It was all he could do to nod, his words failing him.

"Good." Jarrul said. "Get up, and we'll see if you can use a blade as well as you can wield a man as a weapon.."