What Lies North
“Ser, the hellcats did not return, should we prepare the defenses?”
Relhan rocked forward in his chair, the wood creaking as he pushed himself up, “Not quite yet, allow me to assess the threat.” His words were cold, hanging dead in the air with the frost that came from his lips. He was a tall man, most Thrunes were, his skin was pale white with a sickly green undertone within his veins, his eyes black spheres that never gave up where exactly he was looking.
The winter nights were cold now, bitter cold, the fortress could no longer keep up with the demand for wood resorting to burning the corpses of the fallen. Last week I had to burn Typhus and David, now that we don’t have the hellcats the cold will be even harder to fight. The cats were large, bigger than a horse, and wreathed in fire similar to that of a hellhound, but they were tougher. I had seen one take a ballista and keep going. The fact that whatever is out there took out not only one, but two hellcats is something that should make any man piss himself.
I turned and walked back out to the fortress yard, leaving the dreariness of Ser Relhan’s throne room behind, as well as its warmth; the damned bastard would never give us the chance to sleep in here, he just keeps all of the warmth to himself.
The bitter cold hits me as I pass outside, metal armor is damnable in the winter. I look over the balcony and see my men huddled close, warming themselves over a sleeping hellhound. “Gentlemen,” I call down, “it’s time to serve our lord, we will leave within the hour.”
They were good men, but they hadn’t been here long. Frankfurt was drafted in Daval and shipped through Fargen, received some training there but was mostly toyed with by the orcs, he hasn’t seen true combat yet. Davin was from Hartan, he despised the cold more than the rest of us, grew up on a naval vessel, born at sea to a kitchen wench and all. Lastly there was Jess, she was one of the few females in the fortress, but she knew how to keep the men at bay, castrate one and the rest keep their distance.
In a disgruntled unison they pulled together a, “Yes Captain!” and started to pack their things, packed on additional furs and donned their plate.
“Finally, a chance to do something other than freeze to death sitting still.” Frankfurt started, “We really haven’t had the chance to kill anything yet.”
“No Frankfurt, you got to kill those rats for supper the other day.” Jess said amusingly.
“Tasted like shit as well,” Davin joked.
I walked over to them, “Fall in boys and girls, we are following the hellcats’ footsteps, Ser Relhan is coming with so don’t do anything stupid.”
A loud voice cut over the rabble of the yard, “Yes, best not disappoint or you will be reassigned to dog food.” He stood on the balcony dressed in his black armor, the jagged spikes painful to look at, they always have sent shivers down my spine. The eyes of my squad seemed sympathetic to my own feelings.
I looked up to him, “We stand awaiting your command Ser Relhan, although a few moments to gather additional supplies would help.”
“No Capitan Adstrum, I do believe any water we take will freeze, and we shall kill to eat on our venture, pack a blanket and that is all, the rest shall weigh us down.”
“Of course, Ser,” I turned to my subordinates, “You heard him, blankets then bust.”
They did as ordered, knowing full well what happened to those who didn’t follow the orders of Ser Relhan. After gathering their gear, we headed through the main gate with Ser Relhan and two Hellknights. The Hellknights had long spears and black spiked armor, theirs wasn’t crude like Relhan’s, it was intricate and refined, a uniform to be respected.
We made camp that night in a cave, Davin and one of the Hellknights slaughtered a wolf, it was enough to feed us, however Relhan insisted that Jess and Frankfurt not eat as they did not secure the kill. I could hear their stomachs howling in the night, almost loud enough to attract more wolves, although I don’t know which would eat the other.
Morning came and I woke to warmth, the Hellknights were burning Frankfurt. “The cold get him?” One of the Hellknights nodded, “Damn, guess he never will get to kill anything bigger than a rat.”
“Probably wouldn’t have happened if he had something to eat last night.” Davin interjected.
“Do you have an issue with my orders soldier?” The vorpal words cut the air, Relhan stood looking down upon Davin.
“No... no Ser, I was just wishing he was a more competent hunter.”
“Ah,” Relhan’s face creeped to a grin, one in the middle of sinister and genuine, “well don’t worry, he will be plenty warm in Asmodeus’s care.”
“Of course, Ser.”
Jess wasn’t satisfied, “Why could we not eat the wolf Ser? Yourself and the capitan ate, but why not us?”
Relhan did not drop his smile, “That is because you are worthless, if I wanted soldiers that couldn’t hunt for themselves, I would request troops from Ser Velt’s army. You are disgusting, vile, and frankly a waste of oxygen, at least your friend had the general decency to stop wasting that. So, why are you still here?”
“To... to...”
I stepped in before anything else was said, “Jess you are here to die, same as myself, same as Davin, we are all here to die for New Cheliax and that is that. You serve your country.”
“Yes, Capitan.”
We found one of the hellcats, its skeletal body reduced to broken bones and singed stone. One of the Hellknights crouched next to the bones, “Damned be Asmodeus, the thing has been ripped apart, look at the trees, there are bones impaling the trunk twenty feet high, that side is torched as well.”
Relhan looked unimpressed, “Excellent work Hellknight, can you find which way it went?”
“Not sure Ser….” The Hellknight’s torso slid off of his legs as a blue scythlike talon jumped up from under the stone and embedded itself in the ground.
“Alsatius!” The other Hellknight yelled, this was the first time I learned the Hellknight’s name, but there were bigger issues now.
“Davin, Jess, on me, bows out!” The creature pulled itself out revealing two buglike eyes, green and void of thought. “Arrows now!” It was large, standing as high as the trees, its legs too numerous to count its body segmented like a worm but covered in chitinous plates.
The remaining Hellknight readied his spear and stood in front of us preparing to join his comrade speaking the Hellknight words, “Society shall not survive mercy, we shall not show mercy, and we shall…”
The beast struck again before we were able to fire knocking the Hellknight into a rock, blood pouring from his mouth. “Asmodeus burn your souls I SAID FIRE!” Davin loosed his arrow but missed, Jess struck it hard. The arrow sunk in and orange blood oozed out the arrow igniting from the blood’s warmth. “I didn’t mean to burn us now.”
Davin turned and ran, Ser Relhan stepped closer and held out his arm as if to catch him, Davin struck the inside of Relhan’s arm with his chest and stopped instantly. Relhan lifted his arm up and jostled the boy off covering the snow in his blood. “You may continue.” Relhan’s spiked armor had pierced the boy’s lungs and he lied there flopping like a beached fish.
“I don’t feel like hellfire today, Jess,” I drew my sword, “but I never got a present I liked either.” I charged the beast pulling my bastard sword to deflect a talon and slashing its mid-section, hot blood sprayed in my face the steel melting as it passed through the body leaving me with a dagger.
A yell from behind, “We… shall know no FEAR!” The Hellknight was back on his feet helmet off eyes red with blood and rage. He took the pike and thrust up into the beast striking something vital. The beast hissed and the Hellknight reeled back and screamed as the blood poured onto and inside of his armor.
“Jess fire again!” The arrow loosed and reflected off of the monster’s armor.
It looked at her, at the Hellknight at its feet unconscious, and then back to her opening its maw, I couldn’t look her in the eye. She stared at me while being burned alive by the molten liquid that came from the beast’s mouth. I fell to my knees defeated, looking up at the monster its molten saliva dripping onto my face burning a scar into it.
BANG, the monster’s eye deflated and the beast fell dead, the Hellknight had pulled his pistol and finished the beast slipping back into unconsciousness.
“Excellent work Capitan!” Relhan called, “You felled the creature with prowess, using all of the resources you had available, what are soldiers other than bodies to die anyway.”
“Of course, Ser, I would hate for you to do more than necessary.” I crouched next to the Hellknight and poured a blue liquid into his mouth his wounds sealing; he came to with tears in his eyes. “We did it.”
Relhan rocked forward in his chair, the wood creaking as he pushed himself up, “Not quite yet, allow me to assess the threat.” His words were cold, hanging dead in the air with the frost that came from his lips. He was a tall man, most Thrunes were, his skin was pale white with a sickly green undertone within his veins, his eyes black spheres that never gave up where exactly he was looking.
The winter nights were cold now, bitter cold, the fortress could no longer keep up with the demand for wood resorting to burning the corpses of the fallen. Last week I had to burn Typhus and David, now that we don’t have the hellcats the cold will be even harder to fight. The cats were large, bigger than a horse, and wreathed in fire similar to that of a hellhound, but they were tougher. I had seen one take a ballista and keep going. The fact that whatever is out there took out not only one, but two hellcats is something that should make any man piss himself.
I turned and walked back out to the fortress yard, leaving the dreariness of Ser Relhan’s throne room behind, as well as its warmth; the damned bastard would never give us the chance to sleep in here, he just keeps all of the warmth to himself.
The bitter cold hits me as I pass outside, metal armor is damnable in the winter. I look over the balcony and see my men huddled close, warming themselves over a sleeping hellhound. “Gentlemen,” I call down, “it’s time to serve our lord, we will leave within the hour.”
They were good men, but they hadn’t been here long. Frankfurt was drafted in Daval and shipped through Fargen, received some training there but was mostly toyed with by the orcs, he hasn’t seen true combat yet. Davin was from Hartan, he despised the cold more than the rest of us, grew up on a naval vessel, born at sea to a kitchen wench and all. Lastly there was Jess, she was one of the few females in the fortress, but she knew how to keep the men at bay, castrate one and the rest keep their distance.
In a disgruntled unison they pulled together a, “Yes Captain!” and started to pack their things, packed on additional furs and donned their plate.
“Finally, a chance to do something other than freeze to death sitting still.” Frankfurt started, “We really haven’t had the chance to kill anything yet.”
“No Frankfurt, you got to kill those rats for supper the other day.” Jess said amusingly.
“Tasted like shit as well,” Davin joked.
I walked over to them, “Fall in boys and girls, we are following the hellcats’ footsteps, Ser Relhan is coming with so don’t do anything stupid.”
A loud voice cut over the rabble of the yard, “Yes, best not disappoint or you will be reassigned to dog food.” He stood on the balcony dressed in his black armor, the jagged spikes painful to look at, they always have sent shivers down my spine. The eyes of my squad seemed sympathetic to my own feelings.
I looked up to him, “We stand awaiting your command Ser Relhan, although a few moments to gather additional supplies would help.”
“No Capitan Adstrum, I do believe any water we take will freeze, and we shall kill to eat on our venture, pack a blanket and that is all, the rest shall weigh us down.”
“Of course, Ser,” I turned to my subordinates, “You heard him, blankets then bust.”
They did as ordered, knowing full well what happened to those who didn’t follow the orders of Ser Relhan. After gathering their gear, we headed through the main gate with Ser Relhan and two Hellknights. The Hellknights had long spears and black spiked armor, theirs wasn’t crude like Relhan’s, it was intricate and refined, a uniform to be respected.
We made camp that night in a cave, Davin and one of the Hellknights slaughtered a wolf, it was enough to feed us, however Relhan insisted that Jess and Frankfurt not eat as they did not secure the kill. I could hear their stomachs howling in the night, almost loud enough to attract more wolves, although I don’t know which would eat the other.
Morning came and I woke to warmth, the Hellknights were burning Frankfurt. “The cold get him?” One of the Hellknights nodded, “Damn, guess he never will get to kill anything bigger than a rat.”
“Probably wouldn’t have happened if he had something to eat last night.” Davin interjected.
“Do you have an issue with my orders soldier?” The vorpal words cut the air, Relhan stood looking down upon Davin.
“No... no Ser, I was just wishing he was a more competent hunter.”
“Ah,” Relhan’s face creeped to a grin, one in the middle of sinister and genuine, “well don’t worry, he will be plenty warm in Asmodeus’s care.”
“Of course, Ser.”
Jess wasn’t satisfied, “Why could we not eat the wolf Ser? Yourself and the capitan ate, but why not us?”
Relhan did not drop his smile, “That is because you are worthless, if I wanted soldiers that couldn’t hunt for themselves, I would request troops from Ser Velt’s army. You are disgusting, vile, and frankly a waste of oxygen, at least your friend had the general decency to stop wasting that. So, why are you still here?”
“To... to...”
I stepped in before anything else was said, “Jess you are here to die, same as myself, same as Davin, we are all here to die for New Cheliax and that is that. You serve your country.”
“Yes, Capitan.”
We found one of the hellcats, its skeletal body reduced to broken bones and singed stone. One of the Hellknights crouched next to the bones, “Damned be Asmodeus, the thing has been ripped apart, look at the trees, there are bones impaling the trunk twenty feet high, that side is torched as well.”
Relhan looked unimpressed, “Excellent work Hellknight, can you find which way it went?”
“Not sure Ser….” The Hellknight’s torso slid off of his legs as a blue scythlike talon jumped up from under the stone and embedded itself in the ground.
“Alsatius!” The other Hellknight yelled, this was the first time I learned the Hellknight’s name, but there were bigger issues now.
“Davin, Jess, on me, bows out!” The creature pulled itself out revealing two buglike eyes, green and void of thought. “Arrows now!” It was large, standing as high as the trees, its legs too numerous to count its body segmented like a worm but covered in chitinous plates.
The remaining Hellknight readied his spear and stood in front of us preparing to join his comrade speaking the Hellknight words, “Society shall not survive mercy, we shall not show mercy, and we shall…”
The beast struck again before we were able to fire knocking the Hellknight into a rock, blood pouring from his mouth. “Asmodeus burn your souls I SAID FIRE!” Davin loosed his arrow but missed, Jess struck it hard. The arrow sunk in and orange blood oozed out the arrow igniting from the blood’s warmth. “I didn’t mean to burn us now.”
Davin turned and ran, Ser Relhan stepped closer and held out his arm as if to catch him, Davin struck the inside of Relhan’s arm with his chest and stopped instantly. Relhan lifted his arm up and jostled the boy off covering the snow in his blood. “You may continue.” Relhan’s spiked armor had pierced the boy’s lungs and he lied there flopping like a beached fish.
“I don’t feel like hellfire today, Jess,” I drew my sword, “but I never got a present I liked either.” I charged the beast pulling my bastard sword to deflect a talon and slashing its mid-section, hot blood sprayed in my face the steel melting as it passed through the body leaving me with a dagger.
A yell from behind, “We… shall know no FEAR!” The Hellknight was back on his feet helmet off eyes red with blood and rage. He took the pike and thrust up into the beast striking something vital. The beast hissed and the Hellknight reeled back and screamed as the blood poured onto and inside of his armor.
“Jess fire again!” The arrow loosed and reflected off of the monster’s armor.
It looked at her, at the Hellknight at its feet unconscious, and then back to her opening its maw, I couldn’t look her in the eye. She stared at me while being burned alive by the molten liquid that came from the beast’s mouth. I fell to my knees defeated, looking up at the monster its molten saliva dripping onto my face burning a scar into it.
BANG, the monster’s eye deflated and the beast fell dead, the Hellknight had pulled his pistol and finished the beast slipping back into unconsciousness.
“Excellent work Capitan!” Relhan called, “You felled the creature with prowess, using all of the resources you had available, what are soldiers other than bodies to die anyway.”
“Of course, Ser, I would hate for you to do more than necessary.” I crouched next to the Hellknight and poured a blue liquid into his mouth his wounds sealing; he came to with tears in his eyes. “We did it.”
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