All Shall Fade

[Ellesar]

"There's a few unburned homes..." Rica said softly, looking around. "Not too many around us though..."

 

[Locket]

"Thom? Thom, you need to wake up now." Unable to wake her brother, Mary removed his hat and began to pat his cheek, hoping the gentle tapping would wake him. Beside her, Ruber whined and tried to lick the dried blood from his master's forehead. "No, Ruber, not now. Sit. Sit, boy." The attack had ceased, the field around the hut empty except for the sole orc battling with the arrogant horseman. So Mary remained next to Ruber, her brother in her arms, watching the duel in front of her. More specifically, watching the strange rider. It was hard to tell, since she was watching him from the ground, but he seemed to be of average height. The oddest thing was his outfit. His armor and clothing completely covered him from head to foot, a dancing suit of armor shrouded in a sheet. The effect was slightly startling, slightly impressive, and, to Mary's angry mind, slightly ridiculous.

 

[Paladin Dave]

((Actually, the armor's on over the clothing))

Burn had had enough of this pointless duel. The Orc was, surprisingly enough, a good enough swordsman that coupled with the distance between them, he couldn't land a hit on the beast! Growling under his breath, Burn moved his left foot out of the stirrup, slowly bringing it up as he wriggled his right foot most of the way out. Suddenly, without warning, he leapt from his mount, clashing swords with the Orc and swinging his shield around to clip it in the side of the head as he fell upon it.

The Orc roared in pain from the hard blow to the head, and the armor and muscle weighing it down wasn't helping either. It tried to fight back, but Burn had already gotten up to his knees, beaten his sword away with his own, and was about to make the Orc's last sight that of him raising his shield over his head to bring it down.

Burn smashed the edge of his shield down on the Orc's face, shattering a few bones and temporarily blinding the monster, leaving it in a world of confusion and pain as Burn stapled it to the ground with his sword. It's yelling and groaning ended quickly, and Burn slowly stood up and ripped his weapon from the body. Beckoning for his mount to follow, Burn staggered over to Thom and Mary, sword still drawn and bloody.

"There... NOW I may help..." he grunted, his voice seeming to have lost much of its strength after the long battle. "I hope you didn't mind me stopping to drive off those Orcs who surely would have finished the job on your dear Brother. Now... Let me help, or I shall go seek out others who are in need of me here."

 

[Locket]

((Now, if you want him to see Thom's interesting face and be a tad shocked, you're allowed ))

"Thank you." One of the most powerful gifts a woman can command is the ability to lace one simple, gracious word with all the sarcasm ever created in the known world. Mary had full control of such a gift. When the man had started to lumber over, she quickly placed Thom's hat on his head, tilting it to cover one side of his face. "His forehead is already beginning to swell and bleed, and he hasn't woken up yet." As the horseman neared, Ruber remembered his duties and rose with a vicious bark. Not near my masters, you horse-smelling masked villain, he said. "Ruber! Sit! Stay!"

 

[Paladin Dave]

"I am afraid I have no medicinal equipment here, save for cloth for bandages." Burn replied regretfully, ignoring the dog. Full brigandine armor tended to boost one's courage around dogs, no matter how fierce. "If you don't have anything else, use some of my spare clothing to elevate his head. If he has taken too heavy a blow, all we can do is wait for him to awaken. There really is nothing I can do, save stop the bleeding."

 

[Locket]

((Placing this here one more time in case you need it http://christianforums.com/t5980592-thom-and-mary.html ))

Thankfully, they need not wait long. Thom began to stir. Mary loosened her hold, and let him stretch and move. "Thom, are you alright?" Still a little dizzy, Thom didn't answer. Instead, he slowly sat up, the hat falling to the ground as he did so. His one eye, the undamaged one, blinked slowly as he struggled to clear the haze, and his right hand rose to his forehead only to draw back sticky with blood.

"What happened? Mary, are you alright?"

 

[Paladin Dave]

Burn raised an eyebrow behind his helmet, but otherwise made no sign of surprise at Thom's condition. He could see the wounds weren't new, so little could be done about it. Besides... Burn had seen a LOT stranger and grotesque things. While he would never wish his plight on someone else, Burn envied Thom's appearance. The burns on his face were so mild compared to what had happened to Burn.

"Are you unharmed, aside from that bump to the head?" he asked as he began to take off his pack and search for a bandage roll. "I can bind that wound and any others you might have sustained. Please, try not to move around too much. Stay seated."

 

[cyberwing]

Isi was managing to maneuver around the bodies well until one hand latched onto her ankle. Isi screamed and fell backward scrambling away from the hand that had grabbed her.

 

[Locket]

Burn raised an eyebrow behind his helmet, but otherwise made no sign of surprise at Thom's condition. He could see the wounds weren't new, so little could be done about it. Besides... Burn had seen a LOT stranger and grotesque things. While he would never wish his plight on someone else, Burn envied Thom's appearance. The burns on his face were so mild compared to what had happened to Burn.

"Are you unharmed, aside from that bump to the head?" he asked as he began to take off his pack and search for a bandage roll. "I can bind that wound and any others you might have sustained. Please, try not to move around too much. Stay seated."

((Awwww, there goes my joke. Thom's joke. Whatever. I'll just have to spring it on the next unsuspecting character))

"I-I think so." Thom waved aside the bandages. "No, really, it's nothing." Judging things with one eye is a little harder than others might realize. Depth perception is thrown to the wind, simple things like shadows and orient are off-kilter, so Thom's view of the stranger was a little more hard-won than his sister. His burnt eye lay still, dead, and forgotten in its sealed socket while the other dashed all around, taking in every detail it could gather about this new being. The boy pushed himself to his feet. The sudden height made his head swim and as the shock of blond hair fell over his face, he looked almost normal until he lifted his left hand to the side of his head. His hand was bent with different fingers to different degrees but all fused together like a duck's foot. No fingernails or cuticles, not even the unique swirls on the end, just one melted mass with barely recognizable appendages.

From the ground, Mary warily watched the stranger's reaction, surprised that there was not more of it and then reminded herself that his armor would have hidden most of it. She was protective, though that word may be understating her state of mind a little. No living being, especially not a hard-headed arrogant horseman, would ever be allowed to ridicule Thom. As her brother swayed, she leaped to her feet and grabbed his elbow. "Slowly, slowly now."

But Thom's eye was on the horseman. "What happened? Is anyone still alive?"

 

[Paladin Dave]

"Many, thanks to our endeavors." Burn replied, kneeling down to clean off his sword in the grass. "I wish you would let me treat the wound, but I suppose there are more out here who are in need of our aid. May I have your names? I may need your help in the rest of the village."

 

[Locket]

Thom could see Mary's back was still up, so he laid a calming hand on her arm. "I am Thom, son of Thurbald, and this is my sister Mary." It didn't seem enough, to just give their names, but what else could he say? "And you are, sir?"

 

[Paladin Dave]

The rider was silent for a moment, as if contemplating his answer, but he responded. "Burn Argamand. At your service. I'd tell you who I am son of, but I am afraid I have no name to give you." he replied, turning and walking towards the heart of the village. Thom, son of Thurbald, and Mary, daughter of Thurbald, please come with me, if you feel yourselves able to help. There are surely more wounded to treat, and more grieving to console."

 

[Locket]

The pair hesitated, unsure of their reception in a town that had thus far treated Thom with pitying disdain. But what else can we do but help? Thom was the first to move, bending to retrieve his hat and then stepping after their new acquaintance. "We will do what we can, but I must confess I am lacking in both areas. Despite living with my sister, I am no good with tears nor do I have the healing touch." A light self-derision floated in on the last bit, for it was quite obvious that a man scarred over half his body could have no talent for healing.

Mollified but still slightly prickly, Mary raised her skirts to hurry after them. "I don't know what sort of a reception we will receive here either. This town is not wholly embracing of outsiders nor those who are... different. Ruber, come!"

 

[Paladin Dave]

In regards to Mary's worries about reception, Burn simply looked over his shoulder pauldron and studied her for a moment, raising his eyebrow behind his helmet. "...So I've seen. I've had a bad experience already, despite the number of Orcs I slew. But a helping hand is usually well received, by my experience."

 

[Locket]

As they reached the crest of the hill, both Mary and Thom stopped and gasped. Chaos stretched through the entire village. Blood hovered in the air, mingling with the smoke that poured from still active fires. Mary covered her mouth with her hand while Thom simply stared. These people may not have been the friendliest, but they were home, neighbors who deep down truly were good at heart.
"What could do such a thing?" Thom whispered. To his left was a body of one of the creatures. Gingerly, he pushed it over and crouched to stare at the hideous face. "What are these things, these monsters? Why would they attack us?"

 

[Paladin Dave]

"Because. They are ORCS." Burn growled, hatefully stomping in the skull of a fallen Orc. He remembered killing that one... if only he had time to desecrate every body like this. "The wretched creatures aren't common, but they're easily the most evil thing in this world. ... It is not that I care more about killing than I do about helping others... but let us say I've a special place in my heart for Orcs, and I hate them with all of it."

 

[Ellesar]

Isi was managing to maneuver around the bodies well until one hand latched onto her ankle. Isi screamed and fell backward scrambling away from the hand that had grabbed her.

"Isi?" Rica asked, turning to look at the other woman. "Are you alright?" She didn't see the hand that had grabbed her ankle, and hoped that everything was alright.

 

[cyberwing]

"Grabbed me..." Isi panted fearfully. "...someone grabbed my ankle!"

 

[Locket]

"Because. They are ORCS." Burn growled, hatefully stomping in the skull of a fallen Orc. He remembered killing that one... if only he had time to desecrate every body like this. "The wretched creatures aren't common, but they're easily the most evil thing in this world. ... It is not that I care more about killing than I do about helping others... but let us say I've a special place in my heart for Orcs, and I hate them with all of it."

"Orcs." Mary and Thom whispered the word, eyes round. Both knelt, eying the thing sprawled across the ground, its face twisted into a grotesque sneer even in death. "It's been so long... I thought they were myths." Thom admitted quietly. Into their heads flooded all the tales the had been told. Morgoth and Sauron, the Great March upon Mordor, the War of the Ring, Helm's Deep, Uruk-hai, Mines of Moria... Death. Chaos. Blood. Grief.

"But... but why us?" Mary asked, no longer defiant. "We have done nothing. Our village isn't even very large or important."

 

[Paladin Dave]

"They do not care." Burn growled, plunging his sword into the heart of an Orc that was still twitching, just to be sure. "That which is alive must die. That which is woman must be raped. That which stands tall must be burnt or smashed down, and that which can't be broken must be claimed for their own. That which has flesh must be eaten, and that which has blood must be bled white. That which is weak must be exploited. Such is the way of the Orc. If anything, your village's size is what drew them. They expected an easy victory."