---

Artemis had spent the evening finding other accommodations and studying the town a bit more so that he may make a hasty exit come morning. He had secured a room from an older woman who lived alone, having lost her husband and two sons to a fever that swept through several years ago. She was a normal woman but definitely attractive in her youth. By all rights, she could have secured herself a position in a noble's home, but this woman was with some sense of honor. She had married a merchant and when he had passed, she took his business upon herself and ran a respectable shop. He couldn't find most of what he was looking for from her, buying only travel rations and water, she did direct him to the nearest alchemist and arbelistmeister.

When morning did come, he awoke to a jarring knock on the door. His first thought was a customer had come to buy provisions, but the knocking wasn't that of a commoner. He wondered if it was the guard coming to arrest him for his assault in The Retired Sword. He overheard the man talking to the woman, who opened the door with much venom on her lips for such a disruption. He quickly explained his intrusion at such an early of a time and bid her apologies as he handed her a letter. He quickly departed, scurrying down the road. Artemis would later realize this guard was sent to fetch the group of men and women who came to the assistance of Galloway. The woman handed him the letter and in return, he gave her several gold coins to compensate for the inconvenience. His pack was already prepared and on his shoulders, his armor concealed under the poncho when he bid her a good day and set off to find the things he required.

---

His business conducted in Galloway, he turned his attention to the letter. He glanced at it once before and gave the request some thought. All it said was to meet at the south gate but the insignia on the wax was that of the township of Galloway. This was no ordinary request, he soon realized, when the front gates came into view. There were more armed guards here, each with a slight nervousness to their stance. He wasn't surprised, of course. The guard must have been doubled, if not tripled, in light of what has happened. There were men and women toiling away at the stonework, using buckets of water to wash away the coagulated blood that began to crust under the morning sun. The smell, thankfully, was abated due to the hasty removal of the bodies but the lingering stench of iron in the blood remained. He could still see the remnants of shit and piss. Intestines and brain matter that sprayed across the courtyard not several hours before.

He saw the horror on the faces of many of the guards as they began their patrols, glances sideways as the gore that was being hurriedly cleared. Many of these men have never seen combat. They have never seen how fear can make a man vacate his bodily fluids or how much carnage forty-five inches of steel can cause. He has seen that look on many faces in the past. Young men told that they rode for glory and honor only to find the absolute worst of humanity. There was nothing honorable about drowning in your own blood, an arrow piercing a lung, or the gutteral screams of men dying as limbs were severed. It took a certain kind of mind to compartmentalise such things, and he has seen his fair share of men look to the bottle for some recompense from their nightmares.

Taking the view in one last time, he turned and headed toward the south gate where the letter instructed him. The people of Galloway seemed like decent folk. They were hard working and cared for each other, provided you weren't an elf. Of course, racism could not be cured with steel. It could only be cured with time. Hearts and minds, as he was taught years ago, was sometimes quicker than any bolt or poison. Perhaps one day they will see that the demon they fear so much isn't their Elven counterparts, but the neighbor they learned to trust. The demon hides in plain view.

The demon hides in plain view.

An old saying seared into his mind ages past. Old memories clung to him like cobwebs, and he shook them off just as quickly as the southern gate came into view. Looking around, he seemed to be the first to arrive. The guards here were also on high alert, but the gate was open. A guard walked in front of him, placing his hand out, "Halt. It is dangerous to leave the city walls." Artemis brandished the letter he was given and the guard examined it. "I see. You're the first to arrive. Wait here." The watchman then hurried off to fetch someone or another.

Artemis didn't like this. He felt too exposed. He hoped this wasn't a waste of his time.

"What do you think?" Balian asked Leon, who was still draped in the chain mail shirt he'd worn in battle. The guard looked at his old friend with a smirk, examining the blood stained cloth wrapped around the head of one of the beasts as it lay by his feet, tied knotted at the top. He picked up one of the horns that rested on the table, they'd probably sell for something on the side.

"All I know." Leon hesitated, "These could pocket some coin!" He laughed and gestured for Balian to take the other. The ranger smiled, he couldn't help it around his friends' antics, always looking to fill his pocket, it wasn't a desire they shared. Balian took a closer look at the horn that his friend grasped before picking up the one off the table, it was a mystery to him what kind of use these would have and he himself wouldn't have any. "Keep it." Leon's tone had changed, he still held onto the horn but his arm rested on the table his free hand reaching for the tankard in front of him. He was drunk, this was for certain and he'd began to ramble on about coin and nonsense until the conversation swung to the topic of the morning. "Tomorrow, we head out." Leon swayed but he was thinking more coherently it seemed.

As Leon stood, Balian lurched backwards in his seat, hands splayed to catch the table as it moved. His attention taken as the hand of his host took his shoulder, "Tomorrow, then. Feel free to sleep here." By the time Leon had finished the sentence he was already half way up the stairs. The ranger looked down his tankard and finished it before standing himself, he hadn't been consuming it at as fast a pace as his old friend but was still under it's effects. Gathering his belongings he took one last look at the bundle on the ground before leaving the house, heading up the street to go back to the inn. He would see Leon in the morning.

---

Balian fixed his cloak as the weight and provisions he would carry hanged on his back, bunching the material up awkwardly. Once fixed he left the inn, the streets were no less busy but the atmosphere had completely changed around town. While the people's faith in the men-at-arms positioned in and around the town had been bolstered, none had believed the rumors of raiders this far south, it would lead one to wonder about the hamlets and smaller settlements scattered around nearby that it could take a day or days to get messages to. New rumors and scare rhetoric began to arise about how this was bigger than it seemed, there were people so taken by it was all they could talk about which came across more like preaching.

Up the street, Leon was walking alongside a horse held tight by the reigns, the beasts head in one of the packs that hanged from its saddle. The ranger jogged up beside him, swerving others carrying buckets or traversing the streets in the morning until he reached his friend who almost hadn't heard him coming up behind him. "Today, then." He teased, Leon stared at him blankly, a squint in his eye as if he suffered from a headache and the light made it worse. Balian laughed, quietly and tapped his friend on the shoulder who seemed to lurch forward slightly under his own weight.

As the pair came within sight of the gates Balian noticed one of the other men from last night who'd been around for the fighting and seemingly agreed to come along. They approached, Leon pulling the head from the satchel still wrapped in cloth before sticking it back in the satchel. This was mostly for the sight of the guard who nodded and greeted them, the ranger gestured to the fellow adventurer with a hand movement as he approached. "You're a good shot with that." He spoke, referring to the crossbow before coming to a halt standing next to the stranger, Leon was stood over talking to one of the men-at-arms on watch. "How come he gets a horse?" He teased, looking over Artemis before staring up the street to see if any of the others were coming.

Evaline, covered in rain, mud and blood, now kicked out of her home began collecting her things around her when she heard a commotion from within the tavern. The distinct sound of a mans head being slammed into a post, and grunts of pain springing to life. Evaline glanced over her shoulder towards the wooden door which at this point had closed. A few men walked by, pondering entering the tavern for an ale when the high pitched shrieks of a man in pain echoed off this buildings interior, they quickly turned and ran in the opposite direction. Finally a man shouted from deeper in the tavern. "Fucking Elf lover." The words struck Evaline like a bolt of lightening."This was because of me?" She thought to herself her eyes looking expectantly at the door which now flung open as a man swiftly exited. He glanced down at her momentarely as he moved past her. This moment was just enough for her to catch his pale eyes and facial features where it was apparent he had been the new traveller in the tavern the night before and also one who had helped in the battle against the beastmen.Evaline opened her mouth to help her find words but by this moment the gentleman had already turned and walked in down the opposite alley to the one she was sitting.

All of this happened in moments as Evaline began to stand slowly outside the tavern. Her cloak was heavy with dirt and grime, her face swollen under bruises that sculpted her cheekbones. Her hair was matted and tangled and her ears were cold after long being held secure under her green scarf. She felt the drops of rain catch her eyelashes then drip down the sides of her reddened cheeks. Evaline closed her eyes took one deep inhale, and then exhaled slowly and calmly. "Time to begin again." She told herself under her breath. She attached her items to her belt and back then pulled her hood over her head. With a few steps her shadow was no longer under the lamp that hung over the door of the tavern. She turned, faced it's door from the shadows as three men stumbled out two carried one between their shoulders who was seemingly hurt or unconscious, his feet dragged in the mud behind him. With the sound of the door swinging closed behind them she bowed and said, "Thank you for your temporary sanctuary."

Evaline turned on her heal and began walking. She had no destination in mind but keeping a brisk pace did her some good. She felt her life coming back to her, the good and the bad in the masters home, the good and the bad in the tavern. She did not regret any of it, the amount she had learned from both she knew she would carry for the rest of her days.

The image in Evaline's mind as her feet carried her was of a shaded hunters shake near the edge of the wood that wasn't often used. She had discovered it once by mistake when foraging the wood for herbs. It was well hidden behind a wall of pine and brush she knew she would not be disturbed there, provided no one was hunting at the moment which she gathered they would not be considering the current events.

Evaline turned slightly on her heal and headed towards the edge of the village on the east side. The rain had stopped and the smell in the air was no longer foul, as though the rain was called upon to help reduce the evidence of the attack on the village. She loved the smell of the air after the rain as though it was a clean beginning for the next day. She made a game of skipping over puddles as she reached to woods edge. It was dark now, the light of the moon dropped beams that peaked through the tree canopy above her. She followed familiar paths and landmarks, easily unnoticed if not for her consistent venturing into the shallow beginnings of the wood. The wall of pine became apparent and she began to proceed cautiously as she didn't want to intrude on someone if they were using the cabin for their own purposes.

Evaline held her breath as she approached the wooden door and pressed her ear up gently to it. "No sounds" She thought to herself. She listened for a moment more then exhaled in relief. She slipped her hand onto the door latch and pulled it open. The door itself did not hang straight on it's hinges. It didn't quite fit where it was meant to and looked as though it was more then worse for well. Evaline stepped in as the sound of her boots on the wooden floor echoed throughout the small space. Her hands felt the wood table next to the door for the lantern she had seen there the last time she visited. She felt the dust over her fingers then finally, the base of the metal lantern. She ran her long slender fingers up the cold glass until they reached the handle on the top. With her other hand she found the means of lighting it sitting next to it, also covered in dust. She took both items out into the moonlight and ignited the lantern.

A warm light illuminated the room revealing its contents. The room was no larger then a food storage closet with two beds attached to the wall on the left side, a large wooden table along the right side, it was stained in various animal's blood from many hunting trips. Beneath it was a pile of chopped wood and between them was a fire pit in the floor. The only window in the room was above the table where dried herbs hung all around it.

Evaline placed the lamp on the table once again and began stoking a fire in the pit. It was small at first and then quickly filled the room with warmth. She then sat on the edge of the bed closest to the ground and took off her boots. Mud caked the bottom of them making them heavy, with them held high so as to not drip too much more on the floor, she stepped around her footprints and placed the boots just outside the cabin door. She then took off her cloak and hung it on one of the beams holding the roof in place so the fire would dry it throughout the night. Afterwards, she began taking her items off one by one and laying them out on the table to take an inventory until all she had on was a white slip that came midway down her thighs and revealed her shoulders, her skin showed signs of faint scars from burns, cuts and lashes. Her long red hair hung low towards the fire, the warmth on her skin felt comfortable and relaxing. The smell of burning timber was soothing and refreshing

She looked at all the things she laid out on the table and began going through them in her mind. The first thing she glanced at was her coin purse. She had a bit saved up so it was heavier then you would expect at first glance. Her dagger, an 8 inch blade with about 5 inches of hilt. The hilt and sheath were carved from the bones of a bear and and eagle head was carved into the hilts edge. The blade itself bore the masters house symbol, a circle with a bear head in the center and two arrows crossed over top of it. Next to it was her chest of healing herbs. The chest was brown and simply crafted. It's hinges were copper and it did not require a key but instead stayed closed with a nob that twisted. A small travel sized cooking pot lay next to it, it was made of iron but was not too heavy to lug around. A small leather pouch with flint inside lay next to that and finally her tightly secured bedroll. There was a rope the went through the center of it which she used to adjust it and fasten it to her back.

She thought of anything else she may need. "Perhaps a small lantern I can attach to my belt would be useful." She thought to herself. "Or a small satchel to carry provisions in and a canteen for water" Her eyes began to grow heavy as her feet carried her to the lowest bed. The crackling of the fire quickly put her to sleep in all her exhaustion.



Evalines eyes opened quickly that morning. A long exhale escaped her lightly parted lips as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. The fire was now going out but it had served it's purpose in drying her clothes and keeping her warm. She bent over the side of the bed with her elbows on her knees and slipped her hand behind her neck to feel her scar with her fingertips. This had become a habit when she woke from a nightmare, it was a reminder to her of what she had yet to do.

Her eyes found the window where dawn had barely crept up over the horizon. Her stomach turned with hunger as she steadied her legs into standing upright again. One by one she placed her clothes back over her skin covering the memories that it revealed until her cloak finally rested on her shoulders again. She slipped on her boots, left a few coins on the table and made her way towards the wood. With the hour or so she had before the market opened she began hunting for herbs in the area. She picked a few here and there. This one was good for aching muscles, that one was good to sooth burns, this one for head pains and that to mix with water and rub on dry skin. By this point her chest was very full and her stomach screamed for sustenance. Off to the market she strolled.

It was crowded with people and gossip. Tales of the battle were already beginning, some where realistic and with each step deeper into the market she strolled they began to get a little more fictional, "There were thousands of beastmen and only twenty guards." She heard one exclaim loudly. "I heard there were only a few small beastmen and just ten guards." She heard another shouting, "Oh yeah, I bet the whole thing is a lie to get us to pay more taxes, well I'm not paying." came a reply. Mutters from every end of the market could be heard. She glanced along the dealers tables until she found a small lamp for sale. "I'll take that one please." She said with a smile pulling out a few coins to pay for it. The dealer gave it to her kindly then saw her ears under the hood of her cloak after the trade and spat to the side in disgust. "Excuse me, it'll cost more then that. Elf." He muttered. She sighed then pulled out a few more coins and dropped them on the table before continuing on.

Evaline walked deeper along the stalls until she found a cross the shoulder satchel big enough to carry some provisions and game should she need it. It was a deep dark cherry red leather, and had designs etched into it. The stitching was very well done, it seemed secure, as though it would take a little bit of abuse before giving into breaking. Next to it was a canteen that attached to a belt with a leather strap over the top that could easily be opened allowing her to freely detach the canteen from its place and replace it without much trouble. "May I have those please?" She asked the shop keeper, giving him a kind and polite smile. The shop keeper glanced up for a second the grunted. "Prices are on the tags." She looked at the tags then began counting her coins. She removed the tags from the satchel and canteen then placed them on the counter in front of the keeper where she placed a stack of coins on top of them.

She ran her fingers in her coin purse and counted to herself. "I should have enough for a bit of food left." She thought to herself. She made her way to her final stall where she purchased some apples, two loaves of bread, a mound of cheese wrapped in clothe, a small salt container and two bottles of milk. Evaline pulled out almost the remainder of her coins and handed them over the the dealer. With all of the items in her new satchel she began making her way out of the village when she saw a little boy of about eight years old, tired looking and dirty hunched over a little girl who was perhaps a year or two younger then he was. Everyone else seemed to be ignoring them. She made her way towards them when she noticed the little girl had shallow breathes with closed eyes.

Evaline quickly went towards them where she heard the faint whimpers of the boy. Tear streaks drew lines on his dirty face. "She won't wake up miss." He pouted, looking at Evaline with sorrowful eyes. She looked at the boy and spoke calmly. "May I see her?" Her voice was gentle and kind. The boy nodded and sniffed then stepped to the side as Evaline put the little girls tiny hand into her own and she began singing an incantation. It almost sounded like a soothing lullaby. The girls pulse was slow as Evaline continued.

Keeping on hand on the little girls, she took a bottle of milk out of her satchel and opened it. The little boys eyes grew with the site of food but he waited patiently and quickly let his worried eyes shift from the little girl to Evaline. She continued her incantation, the pulse of the little girl began to increase slowly and her warmth began to grow just a little bit. Evaline opened her chest of herbs and pulled out a few, placing them in the milk where she recapped it and shook it gently. She placed the milk to the little girls lips and whispered. "Just a sip. You will feel better with just a sip." She gently brushed the little girls checks and when the child opened her tiny mouth and drank a little bit of milk. "Thats it, just a little more." Evaline said encouragingly. The girls pulse began to quicken until it reached normal rate when her pale eyes finally opened.

Evaline put the bottle aside and helped the little girl up into a seated position. The girl was still a little dazed and the boy choking said, "Thank you miss. She's my sister miss, Papa said, keep her safe, and I've tried to miss, honest I try." He began whimpering again, hugging his sister who had now had some of her strength restored. Evaline smiled at them both and kissed each of them on the forehead. She opened her satchel, pulled out a loaf of bread and two apples and gave them to the little boy. She then felt in her coin purse for the last few coins and put them in the pocket of the boy. "You take care of her now." She told him "Can you do that?" The boy nodded, his eyes bright. She began to rise when the boy dropped everything and hugged her, tightly, his musky hair touching Evalines face.

As she rose she felt a tap on her shoulder where she whipped around quickly to find it was a guard. "You are Miss Elaine, are you not?" He asked her sternly. "I am, sir." She responded quickly, thinking the tavern owner and Adriana called on the guards with a tall tale. "This is for you Maddam." He said handing her a letter with instructions to meet at the south gate. "Though why they are summoning your kind I will never know." He mumbled as he walked away. Evaline was now anxious and jittery until her stomach reminded her she had yet to eat. She began walking to the south gate, reaching a hand into her satchel bag, tearing off a piece of bread and grabbing an apple as she did so. The food dropped to her empty stomach and relieved it of some of its pain.

"I wonder what this is about." She thought to herself as she began to near the gate. There were three men already standing there as though waiting for something. Leon, the man she recognized from the Tavern and the man he dined with the night before who had also participated in the battle of the beastmen. To his right standing a little further back was that man again. The traveller from the tavern the night before. With the sight of him she flushed lightly but curtly gave him a slight bow of her head where she mouthed Thank you. Evaline exhaled gently then turned her attention back over to the Leon and his cohort, her letter clutched in her hands. "E..Excuse me." She said shyly towards them. She held up her letter. "Did either of you have this sent to me?" She asked almost hesitatingly. She flinched her face a little, waiting for some backlash as she knew they must have been aware of her heritage.

--------------
Edit: Amendments to the original post are in grey.

---

It was a few hours after battle, Ulfrikson had helped out a few of the guards carrying their mates, dead and alive, to clear the area of the massacre. The stench of death was heavy, mixed with piss and shit. It was always an intense smell which had even Bjørn’s nose wrinkled. But besides the scent being heavy, the mood was too. There was fear amongst them, which was understandable. They didn’t understand how this could’ve happened. How a group of beastmen had traveled so close to town, even managing to climb over the walls and ambush them. This small of a group had already done so much damage to them.

Bjørn washed the dried blood off of his hands before leaning against the wooden barrel, looking over the remaining mess of battle. By now most of the bodies had been carried away. Bjōrn knew that soon enough here’d be a pillar of greasy, grey smoke from when they’d start burning the dead. Seeing how this raiding party had taken so many of them already, it wouldn’t be the last pillar of smoke they’d see.

There were more.

There were always more.

Inspecting his hands to see if most of the blood had washed off, Bjørn decided it was time for him to hit the stables, where he slept during his stay in town. He paused in his work to look up at the lavender wash of the dawn sky. He didn’t mind sleeping during the day, he just hadn’t expected this much time to have passed already. Mist was slowly forming in the streets, clinging to the air as it gave this eerie feeling to the town, only fed by the scent of death carried with it.

With a soft sigh, Ulfrikson started heading down the street, returning ‘home’. His axe and knife were put back in their holsters, and the remains of his shield put on his back.

As he walked he passed a man, absolutely pissed, and wondered how many people would be left in the dark about what had happened that night. This man certainly didn’t know. And even if he had seen it in this state, he would’ve forgotten all about it by the end of it. Would they be truthful about the beastmen, or would they choose to bend the truth about what happened? What was the right thing to do?

Normally he’d find himself in the same state as this man. Drunk. Pissed. Three sheets to the wind. But not tonight, though he wished he had gotten at least a little more tipsy so he wouldn't notice how sore his back felt from being hit by one of those monstrosities.

He wasn’t scared of them, though. - No. Honestly, he was looking forward to meeting them again. They were strong opponents. A challenge. But he did feel concerned about them coming back to Galloway.



As he came upon the stables, a guard was already waiting for him with something in his hand. Bjørn felt himself growing a little cautious, his fists tensing as he slowly approached, wondering what this man wanted of him. 

“Are you Bjørn Ulfrikson?”

“Aye, I am.”

The guard, also a little careful around the barbarian, slowly approached with a letter extended to him. Bjørn took it from his hand and took another moment to observe the guard before him, eying him cautiously. He didn’t trust him. He didn’t trust people who knew where to find him and were waiting for him. Especially guards. 

He then opened the letter and started to scan the paper in his hands. Literal minutes passed of Ulfrikson ‘reading’ the letter. The guard was starting to get impatient with him, lightly tapping his feet and occasionally sighing as to try and get Bjørn to hurry. It didn’t help though, for the brute took all the time he needed to observe the scribbles in ink.

He then looked up and handed the letter back. “I can’t read.” And it was a fact. He had just tried to see if he could figure out what was being said, but he had absolutely no idea what the letter was about. He pushed himself passed the guard to get to the stables, the guard being rather quiet at that time. He was obviously baffled by the fact that this man, Bjørn, had been staring at the paper while he had been waiting there, unable to read, but taking between 5 to 10 minutes to just look at paper.

With a sigh, the guard decided to just read the letter out loud so Ulfrikson knew what had been written.

”And what does that mean?” Bjørn asked, looking over his shoulder to eye the - now slightly annoyed - guard. ”You’re being summoned to the south gate.” the guard replied.

There was a moment of silence. 

”Why?

”For fuck s- .. Please just go, I’m just doing what I’m being told. And I was told to deliver this letter to you so you can go to the bloody gate and everyone is pleased, alright? So, please, just go to the south gate. I’m sure they’ll pay you.” the guard snapped at him, his knuckles turning white with how hard his fists were tightened.

Bjørn just stared at him for a moment longer before he let out a deep, almost rumbling, sigh. It was curiosity which got the best of him. He wanted to know why exactly he was being summoned. So he gathered his things, the guard was obviously relieved, and strapped them to himself. It wasn’t much, mostly food and a flask of ale.



Soon the barbarian arrived at the gate, his pace slowing a bit to see who was ahead and whether or not to trust them. He recognised the few who had fought the beasts yesterday. A man he had seen at the inn from time to time. A ranger of some sorts. Another ranger? And the woman from the inn who possessed magic. He trusted them enough to approach. He showed them, but mostly Leon, the crumpled letter.

“I can’t read.”

He stuffed the letter back in one of the leather pouches around his waist and then continued to look around. He really wasn’t sure what was going on and he didn’t like it. He didn’t trust being summoned. Maybe they knew too much and had to be killed as to keep the peace. He’d kill them all would they decided to turn on him, or them.

---

@Heap241@SmileyJaws@Mesonyx@XenoCyanide

---

After the battle concluded Aelrath sheathed his swords and began to make his way back into town. As he reached the edge of the scene of the battle he found his way blocked off by a group of about 10 men. "Can I help you?" A large man with a scar crossing his face stepped forward. "Yeah get the hell out of our town, demon." "Get out of my way before I start acting like one." As he said this Aelrath's eyes seemed to have a bloody light escaping them. The man stumbled back when confronted by his gaze shock evident on his face. "Get him! He is only one, he can't beat us all." As he said this the men charged Aelrath. 'Idiots, not a single one of them has any decent training.' As the first man came within reach swinging his fist Aelrath caught his hand, twisted and broke his arm the bone protruding slightly from his forearm. One of the men punched Aelrath in the back only to end up with a bloody fist, Aelrath's armor wasn't just for show. "Ruvenel Caladram" Aelrath cast a spell that caused thunder and lighting to stun his opponents, he slipped away not wanting to waste his time on a few bigots.

Heading into town he headed back to the forge he had been using earlier. The shop had an extra room and the owner was more than willing to let him rent it for the night. He washed his armor and shined his blades before going to sleep. He woke up early the next morning and bought some basic supplies from nearby shops. When a shopkeeper noticed his ears he would start muttering random elvish words so they would be too intimidated to rip him off. As he was walking back towards the blacksmith's he was stopped by a guard who handed him a note summoning him to the south gate. As he arrived at the south gate he noticed he was not the only one who had received a summons all those who had stood out in the battle last night were there. "I suppose none of you know the reason we are here," he said removing his hood, he wanted to see their reactions to his elvishness so he could get that out of the way. "My name is Aelrath by the way."