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Assassin's Pledge: Revolution

Orktusk

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a part of Assassin's Pledge: Revolution, by KumoriRyuu.

The Village of Orktusk

KumoriRyuu holds sovereignty over Orktusk, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

268 readers have been here.

Setting

A farming village near the border of Cre' Est and Veilbrand
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Orktusk

The Village of Orktusk

Minimap

Orktusk is a part of Veilbrand.


Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kyero
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Orktusk Village, Veilbrand

The Following Evening...



As the sun descended beyond the horizon cloaking the land in darkness, Kyero skidded to a halt through the slick grass as he observed the faint flickering of lantern and candle lights ahead.

... There should be a lot more of them. He thought.

Pulling his bandanna down over his eyes, he once again leaned on his walking stick and resumed his limp. Using the stick, he felt out the difference between the grassy plains around him and the dirt road ahead. It was harder than it looked, and he found himself subtly altering direction frequently before he heard the sounds of feet skittering about just up ahead. The tip of his stick hit something hard, and he lifted it up and felt it was the wall of a building.

He made it.

Feeling along the wall, he found a gap and walked past it into the heart of the village. And as he broke free of the small alley created between the two buildings beside him, the sounds of human voices were soft and sparse. A far cry from the last time he was here. Kyero continued walking, eventually feeling the stick hit something small, but hard. The stick skipped as he tried to move it around the object, and Kyero lost his balance and fell forward onto his right knee and elbow trying to catch himself.

"RRGH! Blast it!" He growled.

"Oh!" Came a soft voice to his left.

The pitter patter of soft sandal-like footwear smacked the unforgiving cobblestone ground, and a pair of gentle hands came to rest on his shoulder and forearm.

"Hoi, stranger. Are you all right?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Of course. Here."

Helping him to his feet, she brushed him off and gave him back his stick which had fallen from his hand during the tumble.

"Are you looking for a place to rest for the night, by chance? We don't have much in the way of accommodations at present, but-"

"Not exactly. I came to see a friend."

"O-oh... Um... Where did your friend live?"

Kyero turned his head towards her slightly.

"His name is Drake. Mercenary. Have you-"

"I don't think he wants to see anyone right now, good stranger. I'm... I'm very sorry."

"Why? What happened to him?"

"He-... Um... It's not what's ha-no. No. Something did happen to him. But it's not for me to say. So um... If you want to talk to him, he's staying at what's left of the inn just up the road this way-" she said, gently turning his body to face the direction she intended him to go. "Just walk straight and the steps to the inn will be just on your left side before long. I pray you have luck reaching him." She said, slowly walking away.

Kyero took a breath and limped in the direction she pointed him. And sure enough a set of steps hit his stick on the left side. Feeling them out, he walked up one step at a time and entered the establishment.

"Inkeep." He called quietly.

"Hoi, stranger. We don't have any rooms left."

"I'm here to see Drake."

"Oh. He's upstairs. Second door from the end on the left. But he's not taking visitors, so good luck."

Kyero was shown the stairs and assisted in reaching the top by a room attendant, whom he thanked before making his way to the door in question.

"Drake. Are you in there?" He called.

Heavy footsteps slowly approached the door, and a click was heard as the lock was released and the door opened revealing the shadow of a towering figure. A moment of silence passed, and a large hand wrapped around Kyero's left arm and gently pulled him inside. The door was closed softly, and the lock reset.

"Why are you here, Kyero?" Drake asked, taking a seat on a chair which creaked under the weight of his impressive muscular bulk.

"I came to check in on you." Kyero replied, removing the bandanna as his glowing red eyes opened and blinked several times adjusting to the light.

"Well you couldn't have come at a worse time." He said, his voice dropping slightly.

"I heard about the attack. What happened, exactly?"

"You're the assassin, Kyero. You can figure it out, can't you?"

"... I only know that something happened. The merchant who told me was very vague on details."

Drake's eyes welled up as he looked Kyero in the eyes.

"A rumor. It was just a rumor." He began, the first tear falling from the corner of his left eye. "But that was all Egruus felt he needed. He sent his forces here and-..." Drake covered his mouth, fighting hard to breathe and continue speaking through his sobbed gasps. "Orktusk was half burned to the ground."

Kyero's eyes widened slightly as he stood up a bit straighter as Drake covered his eyes.

"The rumor was that the Revolution passed through the area. That's all it was. But that was enough for Egruus to order his men to burn all the crop fields, the barns, and the village itself. On top of that, his men took the liberty to attack the populace at the same time. Men, women, children, the elderly. They spared nobody. The things they did to some of them, Kyero..."

Kyero's skin lost some of its color as he swallowed a lump in his throat. His fists clenched at his sides and his eyes began glowing brighter.

"... Drake... Why are you alone?" He asked quietly.

Drake hunched forward in his chair and buried his face in both his hands. Kyero remained still as stone and waited patiently for Drake to find his voice, which he did a few minutes later after emptying his eyes of tears.

"Beth's dead, Kyero." He finally managed. "And do you know what she was doing?... She was trying to save a group of children trapped in the school house up the road as it was burning down. And I watched it happen. I was running to help her and-... And-..." He had to fight once again to brace himself against the reality of his own words, sobbing and gasping in an effort to keep his voice. "It was like slow motion. One moment she looked at me and smiled with hope, and the next... The side of her head exploded."

Kyero's left fist clamped down producing an audible crunch as his fingernails tore through the flesh of his palm allowing blood to seep between his tightly clenched fingers. His eyes grew brighter still, lighting the room just as well as any lantern could, and a black aura slowly began to appear around his feet as his body began radiating heat. Feeling the heat against his hands, Drake looked down and immediately was on his feet putting his hands on Kyero's shoulders to shake him.

"Kyero! Hey! Get a grip! It's over! Just... Just drop it!" He pleaded.

Kyero's eyes snapped to his, and Drake swallowed a lump in his throat as the glow began to dim and the aura slowly vanished. But the glow in Kyero's eyes remained as bright as ever as Drake took a seat once more.

"She was dead before she hit the ground, Kyero. She didn't suffer."

Kyero's head turned almost robotically in Drake's direction.

"But you are suffering."

"Of course I am. Our wedding was only three weeks away." Drake shook his head and wiped the tears from his face. "She was just trying to be a good person. And those pigs shot her in the head just for fun. The one who did it was laughing as he started reloading the rifle."

"Tell me he no longer breathes."

Drake looked up at Kyero grimly, and Kyero closed his eyes slowly with a nod as he walked over and placed his hand on Drake's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, my friend... I liked Beth."

"She liked you too, oddly enough. I'll still never understand why." Drake chuckled.

Kyero chuckled with him, and Drake slowly stood up as the two embraced one another for a moment. Upon parting, Drake sat down again and took a deep breath.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Kyero."

"If I felt I had any right to give you advice on what you could do, I'd gladly do so. I'm sorry."

Drake shook his head.

"No, no. It's fine. I was just thinking out loud."

Kyero looked towards the window and observed the reflection of his eyes against the glass, and immediately closed them and lowered his bandanna. His jaw set as he heard the faint sounds of a woman crying outside. Obviously another victim who lost something important in the attack.

"Good luck, my friend. I wish you well."

"Where are you going?"

Kyero made it to the door and gripped the door knob.

"Egruus just made this personal... And I intend to ensure that he receives a visit by the wings of death, which has long been overdue."

Drake rose from his chair and walked over as Kyero tried unsuccessfully to open the door. Drake released the lock, and the door opened on Kyero's next try. Kyero sharply turned his head in Drake's direction, and Drake chuckled at him.

"You sure about this, Kyero?"

"Have I ever been uncertain once my mind was made up?"

"I guess not." Drake laughed, clapping his shoulder. "Maybe you should join the Revolution, eh? Certainly they could use a man with your skills."

Kyero slowly looked ahead, and smirked.

"I suppose there's no harm in at least giving them a helping hand from the shadows."

"Yeah. I gu-wait. I was joking, Kyero."

"I'm not." Kyero said with a smile as he closed the door behind him.