medieval fantasy (wargh X eldar)

“I’m afraid I didn’t have time to ask the men chasing me why they were so desperate to catch me. You could have asked more questions when you took the contract” his tone was light but it was clear that their ignorance was annoying him. He was the type of person that hated mysteries couldn’t stand waiting around for the pieces of the puzzle to come to him, It was one of the reasons he was at the front line scouting out the area ahead of Theodores army so he was the first to get any important information. Stopping outside the hut he indicated the door “ladies first” he kept his voice quite not sure that the hut was empty, he gave a moments thought to food but pushed that aide it could wait for a while, in his mad dash to escape he had left his small back pack of supplies back near Fredircs army.

He shook his head “I banged up my ankle, we will share the watch, you can have first watch though of course. He unbuckled his sword and quiver also reaching down and releasing the knife sheathed at his thigh, he sat down on the hay laying the sword and quiver near by. The bow he unstrung and lay it down next to the sword and quiver his knife he kept sheathed but in his hand “wake me a little after midnight and then tomorrow we can see about getting something to eat. Unless you have a better idea?” the inside of the hut was dim and poorly kept it was clear that it was inhabited infrequently he thought to himself that he probably would have preferred a barn to this place.

In the morning Seth woke to the light spilling through the cracks in the huts walls and roof sitting up Seth scanned the small room. Moving his ankle slightly he winced his ankle had stiffened over night so he set to work on it moving his ankle around and around loosening it. in the end it hurt more than it had when he woke up but he knew in the end it would heal better this way. Reaching into his shirt he pulled out his map again this time laying it out on the floor, it was covered with small scribbled pictures or words notes he had added to it while out scouting, they would need to move before long. Seth hoped he could rest for the rest of the day then move on tonight the darkness concealing him tracing his finger along his ideal path he stopped at a little maker for a cave the word shallow scribbled next to it.

Seth shook his head “the plan, the plan…. Well I was thinking rest up today, you should get some sleep, then tonight it’s a short walk to here” he pointed on the map to the cave “there theirs a screen of trees hiding the entrance from the road, the caves only shallow so we shouldn’t have to worry about scaly visitors. It’s far enough we shouldn’t be over heard from the road and it should be simple to keep watch on the road, it’s a pretty major rout so you never know what we might see.” He smiled “better yet we can set some snares and get some fresh meat. Just small game from the tracks I saw on my way in.” Seth moved his hand and brushed his unstrung bow “it should be safe enough for a day or two and then I will be able to move on without dificulty.”

Seth nodded getting to his feet, his ankle protested so he eased the weight off of it then started getting his equipment set, his quiver hung from the back of his belt hidden by his cloak his sword strapped to his hip and his knife strapped back to his thigh. He nodded to the door “I was hoping to use the cover of night, I’m not at my most stealthy having to hop everywhere, but if you don’t think the hut will serve as a decent hide for the day then there is no help for it.” Seth hobbled to the door, his ankle was defiantly better but he still had an obvious limp and if they had to travel much further than the cave he had shown on the map all the good that resting it had done would be ruined.

Seth took the lead making good time given his limp, any progress towards the boarder was fine by him. Seth made his way around the town giving it a wide berth the nearest figures out and about in the early morning were some farmers blurred figures in the distance. Seth couldn’t tell if they were looking in Seth and Siofras directions but then all they would see were two people walking through the countryside nothing to unusual. What’s more he had no reason to suspect that he was being watched for in this area yet. Siofra was probably expected to be long gone by now that an assassins usually style when things got rough they often bailed at least for a while letting things clear off before trying again.

Seth shook his head “there are no farm houses near by.” Nodding his head further down the road he indicated a corps of trees “that’s the start there, we should reach the edge in an hour or two the cave just an hour or so after that” he looked at his ankle shaking his head. “I will have to slow down the minute we hit the forest.” Swiveling his ankle around he winced it wasn’t as bad as yesterday but the stress of traveling hadn’t done him any good. “We will have to set some snares as we walk in, and tomorrow we can search for some edible vegetation tomorrow morning, we shouldn’t starve in the few days we will be there” standing Seth stretched “lets get a move on. And while we walk perhaps you should tell me about yourself”

Seth shook his head “that tells me nothing that I hadn’t already guessed” walking through the forest he stopped to look at tracks “the game here’s bigger than I thought, a small deer should be more than enough, we can smoke some and cook the rest fresh.” Moving on he smiled “we might get a bit sick of the fare but we shouldn’t go hungry anytime sure, and a day or twos rest and my ankle should be fine to travel.”

The next time he stopped was at the mouth of a cave “home sweet home, at least till I heal up” looking at Siofra Seth shrugged “what I was looking for when I asked you about your self was a little more along the lines of history. I was born into a family of farmers, sickness took my parents when I was still young I don’t even remember their faces… It will sound horrible but its probably the best thing that ever happened to me, I was taken in as a orphan the duke who ruled the fief gave shelter food and lessons to the orphans.”

Moving into the cave he shook his head “what a hole, its going to be a cold night. Anyway! Years later after coming to the orphanage I joined the scouts, and became rather well known as scouts go until the king himself drew me into this little adventure of his, myself and almost 20 other scouts, don’t think I’m anything special. My point was, I was lucky because all I ever would have been if my parents lived would be a farmer, and without them I have traveled all over the place seen and done things most could scarcely imagine. Still I do find myself wishing I had my parents”

“Of course it’s better but still you cant blame me for wishing for a little variety” standing Seth stretched before leaning against the wall “I spend most of my time involved in the darker aspects of humanity, weather that’s hunting down criminals or scouting out possible paths for an army. I have seen some truly disgusting things.” Seth shrugged “also I have seen my fair share of crimes against elves or half and halves” Seth looked out of the mouth of the cave “we consider elves as less than human, when half elf half humans born it shatters that illusion, for both party’s I imagine. You prove that humans and elves aren’t so different At least physically.”

Shaking his head Seth ran his hand along the rune-covered surface of the bow, “I spent a few weeks with a traveling clan, they taught me a lot and gave me my bow. I never worked out why though, they usually ran any humans that came near them off, unless they wanted something from them of course.” Shaking his head again Seth moved away from the wall wincing as his ankle took his weight “I am going to watch the road, if anyone comes for us it will be from there. Sleep lightly you should hear anyone who comes near the cave, its one of the reasons I marked this cave on my map. Besides I want to see who’s out on the roads today.” With that he started heading for the cave mouth once at the edge of the forest he would sit and rest his ankle for a while.

Seth walked to the edge of the forest barely making a sound even with his sore ankle once at the edge of the forest he walked around edge of the forest looking for any sign of some one having passed recently finding none. Seth moved to a well covered spot just in from the tree line where he still had a decent view of the road and settled down to wait.

An hour or so later when it was truly dark, Seth heard galloping hooves a few minutes later he saw ten horses race by armed soldiers riding the beasts “the hunt is still on” Seth murmured to himself as he moved his foot to keep his ankle stiffening a few more hours and it would be time to trade the watches. A few minutes after the horses had passed out of hearing seth stood and made his rounds again checking the woods for any sign of life.

Seth stepped out of the darkness “I saw some horsemen pass almost defiantly Fredric’s men they must be searching for us. Why would they be hunting us so thoroughly though!” he shook his head lifting the weight off his ankle he flexed it for about the millionth time that day “I think it’s your watch now” yawning he said “I could use the rest. My ankle is getting better a little rest and I will be ready to go.”

Seth stepped out of the darkness of the cave mouth “what’s all the shouting about?” he asked clearly making an attempt at humour, his eyes ranged over the ground behind her in his hand was his bow strung an arrow knocked to the string. He could hear the hooves as they trampled the forests undergrowth Seth imagined he could even hear the jangling of armour and blades. “how many? What kind of armour? Plate or chain?” he had an arrow or two that could punch through plate mail, chain mail was easier to punch through his bow was powerful enough but there was always the chance that the chainmail would turn one of his arrows. It might be better if they simply melted into the forests and they could watch the men maybe glean some information from them.