KOTR EP. 1

Ryde took a long hard look at Esker,

"You know Esker, you can call me just Rydelus or Ryde."

He then turned to the dwarf,

"Lion, we are goin nowhere tonight, rest is what we need. As Rydelus shifted through his bag for a blanket and pillow, laying it on the soft ground. His body ached and burned from the earlier battle. He needed to heal.

Ryde had a hundred things racing through his mind, each as important as the next. He sorted through them, collecting a mental catalog of events and items he needed to conquer Arkose again.

But no general can lead without a higher view of the battlefield, a commanding moving pedestal from which to survey the field. He needed a trusty mount, one that would be fearless in battle and death.

He needed Arjax!

Esker awoke the next morning to a golden sun shining brightly in his face. He immediately held his hand up to block the temporary blindness the strong rays brought with him as he opened his eyes. The fire had died in the night and the pig was devoured (mostly by the dwarf). Esker chose not to partake in the strange smelling drink the dwarf had been guzzling down as though he just escaped a desert and had not had a thing to drink in 3 days.

Ryde and Lion were still asleep and Daeden was contently passed out in his tree which he had grown accustomed to in the short duration the camp had been set up. Esker was very surprised to see that nothing had approached them ion the night. In the swamp he would have surely been attacked several times in his slumber. It was kind of nice. 'I could get used to this' he thought.

He was thirsty now, but he was sure Ryde could get them some water. What concerned him most now was where they would go next. What would Ryde have planned for the rag tag group he had assembled? And could three people and an angry demon really stop an empire?

They would have to he figured, if he would ever kill the arbiter for forcing his brother's death then he would have to see Rydelus' plans through to the end.

He waited patiently for his two new friends to wake. He stood at the edge of the camp now, stretching in the warm sun as it greeted the day with an unseeable smile. The fields before him were dancing. They swayed in a synchronized pattern that resembled only the cranes in the swamp. The way they moved was mesmerizing. The air smelled of pollen and he enjoyed it.

The village in the distance was quiet now. They're celebration had died down and they all went to sleep comfortably in their homes, completely unafraid of the fact that they might not wake up the next day.

OOC: Perhaps your village should come under attack by some barbarians later in the day? We get to fight more and defend the village. This would happen after we got Arjax and visited the temple.

Lion awoke hungover, hungry, and still a bit drunk. He laughed as he jumped up quickly, but fell back down just as quick due to his still intoxicated state. He layed there thinking for a moment, when should he tell the other about his problem with Archer. "Soon that mans blood shall be dripping from Pain as if it was a fountain" Lion said softly. He was a bit thirsty so he poured himself the last of the ale and walked up to the mage standing at the edge of the camp. "So, any idea where we might be off to today?" Lion said as he held up the mug offering the mage some drink.

Rydelus slept on hard, his wounds still mending from the fight. He had awoken from his slumber a few times during the night, gasping for air as his ribs and left arm started to mend back together, an excruciating process that not even his magic could numb the pain. Rydelus would need at least a half days rest before moving on. This disheartened Ryde, he was not as nimble and young as he once was, brushing off such injuries with ease. Now at such an age, injuries not only took longer to heal; they hurt more, and registered a bigger toll on his body. Ryde had still not come to cope with his increasing age, his heart and soul and mind burned with a curious youthful energy that his body could no longer keep up with. Ryde sighed as he fell back into a deep sleep both angry, and cheerful, at the same time...

"I do apologize for your wounds Ryde. If we are forced to engage in battle again I can use my magics to suppress your pain. This is only temporary of course." He said still gazing at the sun, watching its rays roll over the fields.

The dwarf stumbled up next to him and held out some of the ale that he had been guzzling down the night before. It still smelled awful, but Esker decided to take a sip anyways. He lifted the mug to his lips and the bitter taste hit his tongue, causing him to immediately spit it to the dirt. Esker let out a long groan and looked to the dwarf "How can you drink this crap!?"

"sure, at first the taste might be a tad bitter, but i find the end result, rewarding" Lion smiled. Lion gathered his things and sat down at the fire waiting for the teams next move. He hoped it was towards a fight, he was up for one. Lion laughed at the thought of breaking someones bones, esp one of Archer's men.

Rydelus and Archer stood across from each other in the middle of a large Colosseum. A large crowd of all types of people stood from their seats, this was the main event. Archer and Ryde had their short swords in their hands, each never took their eyes of each other as they circled the other. Ryde's armor was a little too heavy for him, he thought, it restricted his movement a tad, while Archer was fully clothed in leather armor, making him much more agile. Before Ryde could even begin removing his armor, Archer rushed at him from the side. Ryde had not expected this, and dodged clumsily, rolling to his side as a wide arc from Archer's blade flew over Ryde's head. Ryde landed crouched, and sprung from that form at Archer. Ryde sailed through the air at Archer, Ryde had his sword pointed straight at Archer's heart, when Archer side stepped and brought a fierce elbow upon Ryde's back. Ryde, with the air knocked out of him, instantly log rolled away, as a sword pierced the ground where he just was. Ryde stood up hurriedly, but before he knew it, Archer was directly in front of him. Archer sliced horizontally with great might, it connected with Ryde's armor and split it, revealing Ryde's midsection, and before Ryde could block the next blow, Archer sunk the sword deep into Ryde's sword arm, his left arm. Ryde's mouth opened in shock,

"I can not go out this!" Ryde yelled in his mind, Ryde instantly dropped the sword in his left hand, and with his right arm, reach at his side for his dagger, swiftly bringing it around to slam it into the chest of Archer. Archer was still one step ahead of Ryde. Ryde could do nothing to stop what was happening before him. Archer blocked the dagger easily, knocking it to the floor, as he reared his sword back and slammed it directly into Ryde's Heart.

Rydelus awoke with a start gasping, grabbing hold of his heart.. He turned to his side as he heaved up his remaining food from last night. He forgot the horrible dreams that came with healing magic. He heaved a bit more, his stomach was running on empty now. Ryde felt his right arm and ribs, looking for pain or damage, and found none, Ryde was completely healed, and with the excepting of vomiting, felt ten years younger.
Ryde got up easily, his bones did not ache at all.

He looked around for his traveling companions, and saw them next to each other at the edge of the camp. Rydelus looked to the roasted pig, and saw that the dwarf had not eaten it all, grabbing a small piece he walked over to the men.

Standing beside them, the view was spectacular, the fields stretched on forever, colliding peacefully with the green mountains, almost blending each other.

"We move now, get your things ready, our journey starts today"

Esker shrugged and laughed a little, something he was not accustomed to, and patted the dwarf on the shoulder.

It did not take long for the group to pack up the camp and get ready for any journey that Ryde had planned. Esker, for the first time in his life felt as though he was part of something. He felt as though he finally had a prupose beyond revenge.

He looked to Ryde, holding back a small smile and said "Where to old man?"

Lion gathered himself for a moment then took off with the group. He wondered where we were heading but didnt want to annoy Ryde by asking him another question, but he did it anyways to stress the importance of the question. He had never done Lion wrong before, but he just didnt know where they were heading and it bothered Lion. He wanted answers, now. "Aye wait a minute lad's, Ryde man. Where are we going? and why if you dont mind me asking too. I dont mean to seem rude or anything as i would fight beside a man with good honor as you seem to have, just a dwarf gets curious sometimes as to where hes heading and for what reason. Get my drift mate?" Lion said to Ryde.

Ryde had to grin as the dwarf asked fickle questions, he could tell that the dwarf did not want to offend him.

"Lion, we are traveling to a close temple, I left my mount in their hands." Ryde smiled.
"Its only half a days travel, and then we will reach Talc City in one day."

Ryde had set this plan long before he met his two comrades, there was room for error as much as there was fro improvement, Ryde liked to make plans that were flexible, able to over come and obstacle.

Ryde's watched his feet move in the ground, before looking up to see the looming green mountains. They were almost there.

It was hot, and there were little trees to take cover beneath. This made the walk to Rye's temple unbearable. They travelled for a good time without talking. Eventually the silence got the better of him and Esker had to ask "So why is it that we have to take down this Arkose king exactly? What terrible things has he done?" Esker said with a somewhat harsh tone.

From what Esker had seen so far of the Arkose kingdom, which they apparently were in, it was calm and peaceful. It did not seem like this Arkose king was so evil. The Abiter was far worse than any mortal. He was a demon, literally, and he used his power for his own sick and twisted pleasure. The demon had for hundreds of years been gathering small children, destroying their homes and killing their families, then putting them through a life of constant trials where the penalty for failure was death, in which case they became food for the Arbiter himself. The fiend was relentless and had a hunger that was never fully satisfied, and his food was souls. The Arbiter would do anything to gorge himself on the souls of mortals and no one was an exception. Esker was sure that Zealots would soon pursue him and his new companions eventually to punish Esker for his failure to kill Ryde. The Zealot who brought him in would be well rewarded with whatever sick pleasures he/she desired.

Lion was done with the unbearable heat, sweat poured down the dwarfs face. "Dear god i need some ale" Lion said as his dry lips puckered at the thought. Lion brought his third and last emergency flask to his lips (as he had already downed the first two), the liquor ran down his mouth like a flash flood in the desert. He inhaled as he put the flask away and whistled as loud as he can. His ears rang as the whistle cut through the air, but the slight sound of hoofs could be heard in the distance over his whistle. A small ram appeared in behind the group. "SIR RAMSALOT!" Lion yelled as the rams' tongue ran across his helm. "what? you thought i was going to walk the whole way! BLASPHEMY! HAHA!" Lion mounted the ram and it bucked its hoofs in the air as it slowly trotted foward.