A farmer's son

[The Bazote's]

Come let’s ride together through all kind of weather
To hunt the screams that haunt in dreams
And end we will

.....

Ciji~Kiri Bazote

[The Bazote's]

First adventure, soon revenge.

Under cover of the night and a mass camouflage spell they had moved out for this mission. “Scout out Varana movements and defenses and report any weakness you find”. The order they were trained for and that was given to them numerous of times. Off they went, the five of them lightly packed and carrying no insignias or other marks that could identify them as Dasarian. Dressed like the common man or criminal, whatever you prefer, they were part of this unit that gathered information about enemy positions and movements before the main force would move in. Intervene in enemy plans if the opportunity presented itself. Little did they know that this mission would not go as planned this time.

“Go” Diarmuid whispered form behind at the same time he touched Ciji on the shoulder. Left and right from him lay the twins Heinrich and Fredriech behind some light cover, crossbows at the ready in case a visitor would appear at an unexpected moment. Seeing that his friends would cover him Ciji dashed to the other side of the road quickly seeking the cover of the nearby bushes.

The end of the night came close and the sun would rise over the horizon within the hour. The spell that allowed them to enter enemy territory unseen was no longer. It had rained all night and droplets were still falling from the leaves in the puddles below. The forest floor was soggy, humidity high and their clothing damp. Movement in this outfit through the mud and the sound it created added additional problems of its own. Luckily the mist in between the trees limited visibility to approximately thirty meters maximum and dampened the sound of footsteps a little. Anyway far from the ideal conditions when reconnoitering into enemy territory.

Two years earlier.

“Hé ….. Ciji help me with this tent will you!”. Na~hanni had set up the tent numerous times by himself but this time things didn’t go as planned. It was raining slightly and the wind had gotten hold on the cloth and handling that alone under these conditions didn’t really work. Ciji put the chest he had gotten from the cart on the ground and headed into his direction. “Run will you ..… can’t hold it any longer!” Na~hanni shouted again. After a short dash Ciji grabbed hold of the ropes dangling on one of the poles and fixed it tightly on a nearby tree. Then took one of the other ropes and copied the procedure. “This should fix it for a while brother. Long enough for us to get this tent up”.

The tent they had hired for the country fair gave room to a number of people. In wintertime it provided the two brothers the possibility to earn a little extra income for the farm. A table stood at one end of the tent and allowed them to perform their tricks there. Nothing really serious though the usual card and disappearance tricks involving various people from the audience but serious enough for people to open their wallets and see the show.

It was on this evening, Ciji headed home alone after his days work when a stranger followed in his footsteps. The cloak the man was wearing hung over his broad shoulders covering the rest of his body and head. Because the sun setting it was impossible to see any facial features but with the tone he spoke it was clear that he didn’t have bad intentions in mind. Ciji recognized his clothing and he remembered him from the performance that day when this stranger had joined the audience in their tent.

Without the usual introductions a pleasant conversation developed nonetheless. Various day-to-day issues passed until this man changed the subject. “I have enjoyed your performance today sir and noticed you possess certain skills with your hands.” Ciji wondered what this man was getting to while he thought back to the long evenings his brother and he had practiced and perfected their tricks. It was quit unusual for two farmer boys to be performing with such a skill however the situation at the farm had forced them to it. Performing their tricks on family gatherings had turned into the special event on those evenings. Actually it was their father the motivated them in performing for a wider audience and so it came to be that they started joining the country fairs some three years ago.

“Ever considered combining these skills with the handling of a weapon or delicate contraptions? I have a proposition for you. For what I have in mind these skills are what we require and with training …..”. The stranger was quiet for a moment in order to let the information sink in Ciji’s mind. “The proposal I have for you will bring some new adventure into your life. You get to see the world and getting paid for it as a bonus”. Several minutes past as the stranger described the romantic side of the military to him.

“And you will find revenge on the people who have killed your brother Ciji………”.

Astonished by this remark Ciji almost stumbled and the words he spoke came out in slow motion “But …. the murderers of my brother ..... were never found ...... What?”. A sudden mood change made him feel uncomfortable around this stranger. How could he know about his brother, his name? Why was this stranger really here? What’s the truth of all these stories and what did he want from him ..... kill him to?

Taking a few steps back away from the stranger Ciji fumbled for his knife only finding it is no longer there. “Then it will be my bare hand against this stranger” the thought flashed through his mind as his fist already flew with all of his might into the direction of the stranger trying to hit him on the face somewhere under this cloak. But the stranger was already crouched and throwing his weight against Ciji’s mid section. At the same time a pair of strong arms pulled his legs from under him and both of them went down. Barely able to break his fall he couldn’t stand up against the weight of the stranger upon him. Pinned by the elbow on one shoulder and a hand on the other Ciji couldn’t force himself free. All the time the cloak and the hood had covered the stranger not exposing a single hint of his stature or race.

Meanwhile the other arm had came from under the cover of the cloak, the hand holding a knife. Ciji’s closed his eyes and shouted a few indescribable words as the knife came down with force. It landed in the ground several inches from his head. Opening his eyes again he noticed it was his knife which was skillfully taken from him. Ciji responded in laughter both caused by his nervousness and fear of the moment.

With the man on top of him and the cloak almost covering the two of them Ciji noticed something about the cloak. Several pieces of plating were attached on the inside of it hiding the fact that the cloak also served a purpose as a piece of armor.

Releasing his grip the stranger stood up and held out his hand “With a little training maybe we can turn you into something good”. Brushing the strangers hand aside Ciji helped himself to his feet only to be met with a chuckle from the stranger.

As both men removed the mud from their clothing the stranger spoke with a reassuring voice “My dear Ciji please relax, I mean you no harm. Come closer as the information I’m about to share is not known to many. It will not do good to the people of Daris if they knew about what is out here in the fields all those years”. The tone in the strangers voice softened to a whisper. “My people have investigated this murder on your brother and found the mutilations your brother had sustained were the works of Varana units spying on the Dasarian defenses”.

The discussion lingered on for some time and before Ciji reached the farm he had made his decision. At first it seemed an adventure but it had turned into revenge rather quickly. Revenge on Varana, the ones he now held responsible for the death of his brother. Being recruited in the army for basic training he now had to pack and prepare himself for the day he would leave his family behind.

.....

[Holly]

((This is really splendid.))

[DM Agony]

((This is great stuff, I mean it, great stuff.))

[Harper]

((Very nice))

[The Bazote's]

( )

..... Fellowship and ‘one’ found its place

It has been eighteen months since I left the farm. Soon after basic training I was separated from the other foot soldiers and joined with four other individuals. Together we spend the rest of the days training, at first to hone our individual skills but as time progressed more and more time was allocated to training our combined skills.

Today we gathered at the chiefs meeting room, the five of us, we would set out once more and finish our training. This final trial would take us through the wilderness areas that separate Dasar from Daris. Our order? To travel undetected, live of the land, circumvent the hostilities we encounter and return to the camp within a week’s time. We learned that this trial has proven to be the test to see if the teams were ready for the frontlines and beyond. Some teams never returned yet others were able to haul themselves back onto the main road leading to safety. Apparently unfit for the tasks ahead.

Outside the coachman sat on the box of the cart, overlooking the encampment to see if his ‘guests’ were already approaching. The Lucid Dream was out the previous night and the temperature this morning was below freezing point. A cloak loosely covered his shoulders to guard him against the cold, a hood covering his head from the crispy morning air. The reigns led from two muscular stallions, the kind the army uses as its working horses, to his left hand. In the other he held the whip as it rested on his right knee.

Lightly packed they set out for the cart that would take them along the Dasar to Daris road. Not a word was exchanged when the group got up into the cart and looked for a place to seat themselves. The tension was on their faces and had kept them occupied ever since they left the meeting room. The coachman spurred the horses. The trail had begun.

Diarmuid, the leader of the team, sat with his back against the box, the coachman towering above him. The veteran amongst us had already extensive experience with the ferociousness of battle and the influence a unit, however small, could have on it. As a leader his subtle directions and robust orders managed to melt us individuals into a working machine. All these months he worked as a real mechanic molding each piece with great care so that each one would fit perfectly into the other, each one knew what to expect from the other and each one knew what to give to the other to, in the end, fulfill the objective the machine was set out to do. In his actions he was a little bit of everything adjusting to the situation that was at hand. It made him the generalist of the team.

Opposite to Ciji the twins Heinrich and Fredriech seated themselves. These two men act as you would expect from twins, fooling around with the minds of others by taking on the identity of the other brother. After all these months they spend together Ciji would still have trouble separating the one from the other were it not that Heinrich was left-handed while Fredriech bore his weapon in his right. Some four years ago the army had offered them a roof over their heads, descent food and the adventure away from the slumps of Dasar. In these years they received the extensive training of the dance, the waltz of death is what they often referred to. The skill with the katana made them stand out from the rest of the team and it was already apparent from the start that they would be the protectors of the team.

The last one was Jaffan, a strange fellow, an offworlder. One day he came to Daris by boat, stumbled into the Redboot barracks and immediately volunteered for army duty. Hours he spend talking about his path being laid out by the moon, his destiny to be found her in Dasaria, to aid the populace in need. Nobody really paid attention to his musings but he rested in his fate. His prayers often motivated us for the tasks ahead, strengthen us if that was required and his skills in healing soon made him the cleric of the team.

Ciji was the last. He took the task of being the eyes and ears of the team. At the point of the group he would scout for signals of enemy activity in the terrain. Clearing any trap they would encounter, placing them if being followed.

After several hours up the road they crossed the point where light is in shadow, the wind picked up and on the horizon a violent storm was approaching rapidly into their direction. Soon the wind and the rain flogged the crops that had just reached its maturity. While the canvas fitted over the cart covered the group the coachman just sat there enduring the elements. His cloak was covering him from the worst of it. With the monotonous tone of the rain falling on the canvas combined with the steady rocking of the cart it didn’t take long for the members to fall asleep. After several minutes Ciji entered his dream world.

~ The black night mounts his warhorse ~ Sets out for the hunt again ~ His black coat on the horses back ~ Trailing down, down along the flanks ~ Drawing the reaper of souls his horse is spurred ~ Mortals they fall on his whim ~ No one will be spared, no one ~ Feel his breath breathing along your neck ~ His hands gliding over the hairs on your body ~ Your time will end ~ Your time will come ~ Floating closer, pulling the chain ~

After an hour or so the rain stopped and the wind blew several holes in the clouds above. The sunrays were able to find their way down and the warmth radiating from them blended with the fresh air below. The coachman rose to his feet stretching his legs to rid them of the cramp that had build up during the journey. His hand reaches for his belt, the cloak slightly fluttering on his shoulders as a random gust blew under the canvas. And while the smell of lavender passed along the nostrils of the passengers the coachman started playing an inspiring tune on his flute. Hitting the high notes and the low ones and every other note in between it woke up his passengers with renewed energy.

As the gates of Dasar drew closer and the first part of the journey would end Diarmuid took a knife from the scabbard under his coat and started carving a ring around his pink. The wound was just deep enough for some blood to appear. In silence the others drew their knives and cut a band around their pinks. When all were done Diarmuid held it out, the others curled theirs around it and each of them briefly stared deep in the eyes of the others, one by one. A drop of their blood fell on the floor of the cart and all spoke the words.

Blood we shared, one we are, remember we will.

Jaffan continued in his usual monotonous tone.

The moon will light our paths

It's shadow our protector

The owl to see in darkness

When the ritual ended they all took some of the dirt lying about in the cart rubbing it into the wound to be certain that any scar left would be as visible as a ring around ones finger.

….

[Mad Season]

((Fine, fine work. Thank you.))

[Ramblinwomble]

((a very nice read, more please ))

[The Bazote's]

.... In dreams one with pain

Here I am covered from view by leafs that surround me, far away from a life as a farmer. Why oh why, what is it that made me join this army. They never told me it would be like this, joints acing from the cold, the rain soaked clothes taking away the comfort they usually give to the body. Sleep, I wish I had any. "Pay attention ... do pay attention" Ciji talked softly himself reminding him that he is still out there in an hostile environment.

With Ciji safe on the other side of the road Diarmuid was the next one to take a chance. He got up from his hiding place and slowly moved forward till he was crouched between the twin brothers. Scanning the road left and right to reassure him of the fact that no one was on it before he would cross. Surely and steadily he got up to his feet and when he was almost fully erect a buzzing sound broke the silence, the buzzing sound of enchanted arrows closing in on his location.

The first arrow hit Diarmuid between the eyes before he even had time to blink an eye. The impact made him fall straight backward landing between the bushes and his eyes facing upwards to the thunderclouds above. The poison on the arrows dissolved immediately in his blood and his vital functions stopped operating even before he hit the ground.

Nevertheless Jaffan was quickly by his side. His lips were already moving and praying to his God to augment his healing skills when a second folly of arrows made its way to their location. The first arrow hit, penetrating his left hand. With his other hand Jaffan grabbed the arrow but he didn't have time to pull it free. A second arrow hit him in the right shoulder making him pivot on his feet and exposing his abdomen to the other arrows that were on the way. The third one hit him high in the thigh and the fourth one straight in his belly. Jaffan too went down while foam was forming around his mouth. Little twitches of his body and he too became quiet.

When the first folly of arrows hit Ciji recognized the direction from where they came. The attackers were slightly left from him, the mist covering their position. He got up, drew his blade and ran towards the unknown. From the mist he saw some silhouettes appearing in between a patch of trees, they were arming their bows a second time. With Ciji several meters away from them they let go of the strings. Arrows were flying over Ciji's head toward the rest of the group. One more step and the silhouettes changed into figures. Dressed in black, to match their facial color, four drow stood there chuckling at the man that was approaching them through the bushes with great speed and finesse.

A loud bang rang through the area and Ciji was blasted a bid to the side. A blunt object hit him in the shoulder breaking the bone in his upper arm. Although wounded and unbalanced by the explosion Ciji took another step when his feet were pulled away from under him. His legs were jerked up high and he ended up upside down dangling on a rope. Both his legs felt numb and one arm dangled uncontrolled while the other arm tried to reach the ground failing in the attempt.

Through his eyes he could still see that the twins who had followed him and were now battling another group of four drow. Apparently the second folly had not found them.

They danced, hand in hand, shoulder against shoulder and back against back depending on the maneuver they were planning to perform. Changing position with speed and with such a grace it surprised the assailants. Moving backward and forward pulling the other near or pushing the other a bid away they danced in perfect harmony with each other and with their blades. One blade deflected the attacks that came in their direction while the other blade replied in unison. Their feet following the patterns of the box or the shape of a square while their blades were following complex movement masterfully coordinated with the sliding movements of their feet and bodies.

Already a heap of flesh was at their feet while the head that once attached to it lay several feet away. The puddle of blood was still growing as more blood was oozing from the main artery. This warning sign forced the three remaining drow into a careful approach of the two brothers. Hissing hard the drow moved around them hoping to unbalance the two brothers and to find an opening through which they could strike. But chances were slim and when a strike was placed in their direction it would either hit a blade or the air that was around the brothers.

With a subtle twist in the wrist Heinrich signaled Fredriech that one drow had come within striking range. Fredriech acknowledged with a small shrug against his brothers shoulder. With this signal Fredriech changed his balance slightly while holding on to the hand of his brother. Now on his left leg his right leg was free to move in a semicircle and, with the rest of his body, he ended next to his brother. Meanwhile the momentum of the move and the coordination with his brother made his blade strike the drow's sword arm just above the wrist seperating it from his arm. The drows sword was still in mid air when Heinrich was able to pierce his blade towards the now defenseless drow. Probably unaware of what had happened the drow fell backwards to the ground as Heinrich retracted his blade. Now it was up to Heinrich to shift his weight and perform the same maneuver his brother just undertook so that again both brothers ended back to back and facing the two remaining drow.

Meanwhile the archers had fired their third volley and one arrow managed to hit one of the brothers in the arm while the other was hit in the leg, the poison on it working its way through their bodies. Slowly but steadily the two remaining drow were able to find holes in the defenses and the two brothers were slowly driven to an open area. The minor wounds on the arms and legs took their toll and once in the open area the brothers knew they would become easy targets for the archers fourth volley. There was little they could do to shift the tide.

All the time Ciji watched form his upside down position as the fight between the brothers and the drow developed itself. Beside his shoulder there were several puncture wounds in his abdomen and more blood started to find it way down. Ciji had to narrow his eyes in order for it not to get clogged by the blood that was running down. With his eyes almost closed vision became a blur and his hearing senses had to compensate for the loss of it. A disturbance in the brushes caught his attention.

As the fourth folly took to the air the disturbance turned into footsteps running through the mud, the foliage was in disarray as he heard a sword cleave the flesh of one of the drow archers. A cracking of a bow as another drow tried to deflect a sword with it, soon followed by a thud as its body hit the dirt. Through the turmoil of the fighting Ciji heard voices whispering and more footsteps passing him, moving into the direction of the two brothers.

"To the left Jesu.......

Ciji fainted away into unconsciousness.

His brothers not there, unknown what has become of them. He was now alone with the darkness around him and pain, pain would keep him company, the unbearable pain that lives in his dreams.


.....