The day ended simply, quietly, as so many have ended before. Dane was guiding the last of the straggling sheep into the pen, and the sunset caught his gaze.
The sky was a sea of crimson and orange struggling against the oppressive black of the night. It stirred within Dane strange foreign thoughts of blood and battle, flames and death.
It was powerful
It was terrible
He winced
Suddenly the flames of the sky focused into a single blazing point, and the point in turn coalesced into the silhouette of an armored man slowly limping on the horizon. Dane continued to warily observe the stranger's approach as he finished herding the sheep
The Armored Man moved steadily despite the limp, with his right arm cradled awkwardly in his left. His short cropped hair was blonde, the same shade as Dane's older brother Sarin.
His mind wondered to Sarin as he watched the stranger approach, entranced now. Sarin, who had always been perfect in the eyes of his father and the gods. The envy of all the other lads, and the secret hope of all the lasses. He had left right after planting finished last spring. Clerics of Illmater had come to bless the fields and offer protection against the banites, and, when they left, Sarin left with them.
The man fell then, snatching Dane back from his memories, and, when the man didn't rise, Dane set off for him at a jog. As he neared however the man began to look more and more familiar. Despite the blazing platemail, and the blood and grime covering his face Dane could tell beyond a doubt; It was Sarin.
Full of panic now, Dane sprinted the last few yards. "Sarin, Brother, what has happened!?"
Sarin, looking pale, and gaunt stirred, "Dane, oh thank The Broken One. You must help me. I must tell them! It's a trap!" His eyes were feverish, and his skin burned to the touch. He faded out of consciousness. Desperate and confused Dane lifted his brother into his arms. His own flame red hair reflecting the burning sunset as it fell in a mess over his face, Dane cradled his brother gently in his arms and marched back to the farm house.
As he reached the house his father, Serge, tall and strong, with graying blonde hair to match Sarin's, opened the door, and, with a started cry, noticed Dane's burden. " Sarin! Dear Gods Dane what has happened?"
" I, I don't know father! I saw him approaching across the field, but he collapsed near the old oak. When I reached him he was delirious and rambling of some trap."
"Gods his arm...get him to the back room Dane!"
They rushed through the house to a back room, past Dane's mother and two younger siblings, and placed Sarin on a bed carefully removing his armor and searching for wounds. The house smelled of smoke and stew, but the metallic odor of blood coming from Sarin was strongest of all. His arm had been broken above the elbow, and the bone protruded through, and he had a poorly bandaged wound on his left side and thigh.
"Wha happened?" His younger sister Kyla blurted?
"Is et Sarin?" That from Benji
"Oh Gods it is" Dane's mother Myriam began to weep. " Serge What is going on!"
"Gods Myraim! Calm yourself and get Kyla and Benji into the kitchen! Dane Watch Sarin!" With that his farther flew out of the room, and his mother and the two younger children followed, leaving Dane alone with the stench of blood.
After a few moments the noise of sheep bleating could be heard outside, and was abruptly silenced. Sarin jerked awake. "They're here." He struggled to his feet. "Dane take my sword. I'll not be using it with this arm." Dane grabbed the sword, belt and all, and stumbled after his brother into the main room.
"You must leave now!" Serge, dressed in a set of old, faded padded armor with an aged wooden shield and a notched short sword was standing toe to toe with Dane's older brother as Sarin pleaded with him.
"I'll not leave this farm now, not after everything!" Serge retorted.
"You don't understand father. You cannot stop these monsters with steel!" Sarin pleaded again, and as his sentence finished a dark vapor began to seep under the door and through the front windows. "All of you run now! I'm begging you!" With that Sarin began to pray and a bright light surrounded him as he placed himself between the vapor and his family.
The family stood in stunned silence as the vapor attacked the light like a viper striking it's prey, until suddenly a few tendrils began to break through. " They're too strong! Run!" Sarin fell to his knees.
With clear agony in his voice Serge shouted to the rest of the family, " Now! out the back!" and they fled as the tendrils reached for them from behind.
They fled into the darkness and the fields. Serge with his short sword drawn, Dane awkwardly carrying his brother's sheathed sword and Myriam guiding the two younger children. They continued their frantic scurry until, at the edge of the fence line, Kyla screamed.
Dane turned just in time to see Benji knock Kyla out of the way of the swinging remnants of a broken long sword in the hands of a decaying skeleton. Benji cried out himself, but then Serge sprang into action.
He and the Skeleton exchanged a few quick blows until it lurched with an unbalanced strike, splintering Serge's shield.
Serge responded with an overhead swing that glanced off the skeletons left side, shearing it's arm off at the shoulder joint.
Then the world froze for Dane as, unfazed by the loss of it's arm, the skeleton thrust it's jagged hilt up under Serge's ribs. He blinked for a moment confused, and then he crumpled to the ground, dead.
"NO!" Dane howled in rage as he drew his brothers sword and, with a powerful two handed strike, cleaved the skeleton from shoulder to hip.
As the skeleton fell unmoving, Dane dropped the blade and looked at the scene, His mother and Kyla fruitlessly trying to rouse father, and Benji staring back at the farm in horror, his left arm bleeding and his sleeve slashed.
He moved to Benji to check to injury and, as he laid his hands upon the shallow gash, it mended itself before his eyes. Confused, but grateful, Dane noticed Benji's horrified gaze.
He looked back at the house to see dark flames leaping over it consuming the building and the light from the stars and moon in equal measure. Where a normal flame would fight the darkness of the night, this one fed it and reinforced the darkness.
With one last look of terror and revulsion, Dane bent to retrieve his brothers blade, lifted Kyla in in his left arm and simply stated in a numb voice. " Father is gone. It's all gone. We must leave"
The sky was a sea of crimson and orange struggling against the oppressive black of the night. It stirred within Dane strange foreign thoughts of blood and battle, flames and death.
It was powerful
It was terrible
He winced
Suddenly the flames of the sky focused into a single blazing point, and the point in turn coalesced into the silhouette of an armored man slowly limping on the horizon. Dane continued to warily observe the stranger's approach as he finished herding the sheep
The Armored Man moved steadily despite the limp, with his right arm cradled awkwardly in his left. His short cropped hair was blonde, the same shade as Dane's older brother Sarin.
His mind wondered to Sarin as he watched the stranger approach, entranced now. Sarin, who had always been perfect in the eyes of his father and the gods. The envy of all the other lads, and the secret hope of all the lasses. He had left right after planting finished last spring. Clerics of Illmater had come to bless the fields and offer protection against the banites, and, when they left, Sarin left with them.
The man fell then, snatching Dane back from his memories, and, when the man didn't rise, Dane set off for him at a jog. As he neared however the man began to look more and more familiar. Despite the blazing platemail, and the blood and grime covering his face Dane could tell beyond a doubt; It was Sarin.
Full of panic now, Dane sprinted the last few yards. "Sarin, Brother, what has happened!?"
Sarin, looking pale, and gaunt stirred, "Dane, oh thank The Broken One. You must help me. I must tell them! It's a trap!" His eyes were feverish, and his skin burned to the touch. He faded out of consciousness. Desperate and confused Dane lifted his brother into his arms. His own flame red hair reflecting the burning sunset as it fell in a mess over his face, Dane cradled his brother gently in his arms and marched back to the farm house.
As he reached the house his father, Serge, tall and strong, with graying blonde hair to match Sarin's, opened the door, and, with a started cry, noticed Dane's burden. " Sarin! Dear Gods Dane what has happened?"
" I, I don't know father! I saw him approaching across the field, but he collapsed near the old oak. When I reached him he was delirious and rambling of some trap."
"Gods his arm...get him to the back room Dane!"
They rushed through the house to a back room, past Dane's mother and two younger siblings, and placed Sarin on a bed carefully removing his armor and searching for wounds. The house smelled of smoke and stew, but the metallic odor of blood coming from Sarin was strongest of all. His arm had been broken above the elbow, and the bone protruded through, and he had a poorly bandaged wound on his left side and thigh.
"Wha happened?" His younger sister Kyla blurted?
"Is et Sarin?" That from Benji
"Oh Gods it is" Dane's mother Myriam began to weep. " Serge What is going on!"
"Gods Myraim! Calm yourself and get Kyla and Benji into the kitchen! Dane Watch Sarin!" With that his farther flew out of the room, and his mother and the two younger children followed, leaving Dane alone with the stench of blood.
After a few moments the noise of sheep bleating could be heard outside, and was abruptly silenced. Sarin jerked awake. "They're here." He struggled to his feet. "Dane take my sword. I'll not be using it with this arm." Dane grabbed the sword, belt and all, and stumbled after his brother into the main room.
"You must leave now!" Serge, dressed in a set of old, faded padded armor with an aged wooden shield and a notched short sword was standing toe to toe with Dane's older brother as Sarin pleaded with him.
"I'll not leave this farm now, not after everything!" Serge retorted.
"You don't understand father. You cannot stop these monsters with steel!" Sarin pleaded again, and as his sentence finished a dark vapor began to seep under the door and through the front windows. "All of you run now! I'm begging you!" With that Sarin began to pray and a bright light surrounded him as he placed himself between the vapor and his family.
The family stood in stunned silence as the vapor attacked the light like a viper striking it's prey, until suddenly a few tendrils began to break through. " They're too strong! Run!" Sarin fell to his knees.
With clear agony in his voice Serge shouted to the rest of the family, " Now! out the back!" and they fled as the tendrils reached for them from behind.
They fled into the darkness and the fields. Serge with his short sword drawn, Dane awkwardly carrying his brother's sheathed sword and Myriam guiding the two younger children. They continued their frantic scurry until, at the edge of the fence line, Kyla screamed.
Dane turned just in time to see Benji knock Kyla out of the way of the swinging remnants of a broken long sword in the hands of a decaying skeleton. Benji cried out himself, but then Serge sprang into action.
He and the Skeleton exchanged a few quick blows until it lurched with an unbalanced strike, splintering Serge's shield.
Serge responded with an overhead swing that glanced off the skeletons left side, shearing it's arm off at the shoulder joint.
Then the world froze for Dane as, unfazed by the loss of it's arm, the skeleton thrust it's jagged hilt up under Serge's ribs. He blinked for a moment confused, and then he crumpled to the ground, dead.
"NO!" Dane howled in rage as he drew his brothers sword and, with a powerful two handed strike, cleaved the skeleton from shoulder to hip.
As the skeleton fell unmoving, Dane dropped the blade and looked at the scene, His mother and Kyla fruitlessly trying to rouse father, and Benji staring back at the farm in horror, his left arm bleeding and his sleeve slashed.
He moved to Benji to check to injury and, as he laid his hands upon the shallow gash, it mended itself before his eyes. Confused, but grateful, Dane noticed Benji's horrified gaze.
He looked back at the house to see dark flames leaping over it consuming the building and the light from the stars and moon in equal measure. Where a normal flame would fight the darkness of the night, this one fed it and reinforced the darkness.
With one last look of terror and revulsion, Dane bent to retrieve his brothers blade, lifted Kyla in in his left arm and simply stated in a numb voice. " Father is gone. It's all gone. We must leave"
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