The same day as Sigra and her men made camp in the west.
Buaros and his warriors and some of the warriors of Lynsk, traveled east. It has been a day since the battle with the mountain trolls and their eventual retreat.
They were instructed by Endal to head south and follow the river currents and eventually regroup with the rest, but Buaros wanted to continue heading west and return back to the Kenaskan capital.
However Endal is the representative of Lynsk, should they abandon him and Queen Norda finds out that they had left him behind, she would undoubtedly take it as an insult and sever his head from his body and slaughter every family member of his tribe.
Buaros and his tribe fought against Queen Norda, but was defeated and forced to become a vassal to the newly made kingdom. Queen Norda had taken his wife and his three children to her home as a guest, but Buaros is not so naive as to believe that and knows that she has simply taken them as hostage so that he would do her bidding.
Buaros hated his present situation but for the sake of his family he must abide to her will, for now. Him and the rest of the group headed toward south, their progress only hindered by the warriors of Lynsk as it is their first time in these woods and not used to traversing through rough terrain, Buaros and his men know these forest well, as they sometimes hunt in these parts, or to find potential slaves in the past that were unfortunate enough to cross their path.
Sometimes they often feel like lap dogs, forced to do by someone they despise, but they were defeated and so must abide to the wishes of the victor. They were once respected and feared as one of the greatest tribes who prospered through the trading of slaves.
Now they were forced to set free their own slaves that they believe they have rightfully taken, according to the old laws. Now they have been reduced into nothing but obedient dogs who keeps a tight leash by Queen Norda.
Some of the tribal members quietly expressed their displeasure at their own tribal chief, for the defeat they have suffered and servitude to another great tribe. Buaros have already noticed that some of his people have given him dagger like eyes behind his back, but none were foolish enough to challenge him, for Buaros is still indeed a great warrior.
If someone is to openly challenge him, Buaros would simply snap their neck and feed him to his saber horn.
His tribe, Snow fang, is still one of the most feared even when they are reluctantly serving Queen Norda. If she wants someone either tracked or hunted down, or to simply intimidate someone into to do her bidding, they are the ones she sends, and they are good at what they do, even if they are reluctant to being ordered around by her.
Buaros rose to his position as tribal chief of his tribe, when his father died at the battle of the frozen cliffs, when Queen Norda's right hand man beheaded his father and threw his remains from the cliff. When the battle was over and the queen offered them servitude or extermination, some would even argue there were no choices at all, but they simply kept their opinions to themselves, or only be said when and where it would not reach the queen's ears.
There are other tribes that share the same resentment but there are those who have their support for the queen, much of the great tribes have lost their former strength, and Queen Norda had empowered those who once opposed them.
To oppose her now and her loyalist would see it as an opportunity to be finally rid of the once rival tribes, and the Snow fang tribe has many enemies for they once made slaves of some the families of the other tribes.
The Snow fang tribe only exist because Queen Norda finds them useful. Most of the other great tribes had fallen from grace, but there are few who fell the least, and these were the ones who willingly bent their knee without even fighting Queen Norda.
Buaros thinks of them as spineless cowards, but even before, he did not see them as friends to begin with. But there was one great tribe he did not expect to bend so easily, the Storm eyes tribe.
They were a tribe of warrior shamans, who were so feared in the battlefield so much, that lesser tribes, upon merely seeing their presence, would flee from battle. Their bone armor and iron maces and their shamanistic storm magic would devastate the battlefield, leaving nothing but broken corpses and ruin to their foes. Even the fearsome Snow Fang warriors would think twice before facing them.
And then there is the enigmatic Pale sisters, a tribe that are dominated by women, they too use magic, but none are too sure of what kind. Some say they whisper in the ears of men with promises of riches and glory, some says they bewitch the men to sleep with them only for those same men to never be seen again. No one has truly seen them in battle, but the tribes who had tried to tame these mysterious women had been completely destroyed by unknown circumstances. These alluring whisperers had made Buaros extremely cautious about them, for the intent of warriors are easy to understand, but the Pale sisters are anything but warriors.
Buaros and his warriors would've made it to the river by now, however the warriors of Lynsk has made their journey to a crawl.
He has already considered leaving them and going on ahead, but should Endal suspect that something ill has happened to his men while under Buaros watch, he may no longer be interested in Queen Norda's invitation, and if the queen were to find out he has failed and it was his actions that made it so, she has many ways of making an example out of him.
One of his men growled as he looked as the Lynskin warriors with disapproval. "It is better to simply leave them and make our way to the boy." The saber horn raider who rode beside Buaros said. "Believe me, it was already in my mind to do so. But if that boy suspect something ill has happened to his men, he may make our mission more difficult than it already is." Buaros said to him. The boy they were referring to was Endal.
"Pah! What is so special with that boy that the Hiarsa witch is so interested about?" The raider asked spitefully. Hiarsa is a word given to women who's mothers profession were about giving pleasure to men. "Whatever it is, it is none of our business. Let us simply get the boy to her keep and be done with it." Said Buaros. "And be silent with how you call the queen, there are those who would whisper unwanted rumors. And if those rumors were to somehow reach her ears, you would not live to see the next winter." Said buaros, warning his subordinate about the possible consequences of speaking ill of the queen.
"And that boy is not to be underestimated, I had seen his eyes. I can tell that he is no mere boy who still suckles his mother's teat. He has this fearsome look, one that would not hesitate to kill anyone he deems a threat to him." Said Buaros. The first time he saw Endal in his home was when he just woke up, despite still being heavily injured at the time, he was willing to fight with tooth and nail against Buaros. That is the kind of warrior, that even if he were to be victorious, he would lose a limb or two.
Despite the dense forests covering the skies, Buaros can tell that the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. "We will make camp here, and continue tomorrow." Said Buaros ordering his men and the Lynskin warriors to settle for the night.
Just as they have finished preparing their camp, the sun has finally settled, making way for the night.
Many of them were exhausted, especially the warriors of Lynsk, who had to traverse the rough terrain on foot. None of the warriors of Lynsk trusted the Snow fang riders and so made their own campfire and gave distance from the others. The riders did not take it as an offense, rather they actually preferred it that way, for they still disapprove their supposed guests. Viewing them inferior, doing so in silence however.
One of the riders looked at one of the Lynskin warriors, a young boy, no older than eighteen it seemed. He looked at him with such malicious eyes but the young boy does not notice it. Licking his lips with some sort of twisted anticipation.
"What are you looking at Moren?" Asked the rider beside him as he noticed him staring at the Lynskin warriors. "Nothing... Simply pondering about our friends." Moren replied with a malicious grin.
The warrior looked at the man Moren was staring at and noticed the young boy. "...You sick bastard. Leave the boy alone, Buaros strictly warned us not to harm any of them, do you intend to be skinned alive by him?." The rider said, warning Moren. "When was the last time you had the pleasure of touching such a soft looking skin before?" Moren playfully asked his fellow warrior. "There will be plenty of young boys for you to torment when we get back to the capital. Right now, do not touch any of them or you will answer to Buaros." The fellow rider said, warning him again. "Fine, fine... I will not harm the boy, you have my word." Moren sarcastically told to his fellow warrior.
As the night grew older, and the moon is at it's highest. Many of the men had quickly fallen asleep, and their saber horns slept beside their masters, while two others keeps watch, one of them is Moren, who volunteered to keep watch, and a young boy, who had simply had trouble sleeping because of the battle with the mountain trolls earlier.
Moren approached the boy and offering him a warm drink. "Having trouble falling asleep?" Asked Moren. "Uh-um... Yes. Just things on my mind." The boy responded hesitantly as he grabbed the offered drink. "I guess it was because of our earlier battle with those giant monsters?" Moren asked with a calming expression on his face. The boy took a sip of the warm drink. "Um..Yes it just that... i never thought there was such monsters in the forests." Said the boy, as he pondered that there were some sort of odd taste with the drink. "Never expected it either." Replied Moren. "You've never seen those things before?" The boy asked as he continued to take small sips from the drink. "No, Never. I have heard there were some giant monsters living on the nearby mountain, I did not expected that it would come down here." Moren admittedly replied, he too was wondering as to why those giant trolls decided to go down from their mountain.
"...You think they'll be safe?" The boy asked. "They?" Moren questioned. "Endal and the lady that came with us." "Oh them... I hope so, probably. They seemed capable warriors, I am sure they will be fine." Moren replied, assuring the boy.
The boy felt some kind of encouragement from Moren's answer, and took a large gulp of the drink. "What is in this anyway? It taste odd." The boy asked, as he wiped the small bubbles forming above his lips. "It's ale." Moren answered. "Ale? what is ale?" The boy asked. "You don't know what ale is?" Moren asked, slightly amused. "No." The boy firmly answered. "Haha, well let us simply say that it makes you feel good and makes you forget your problems." Said Moren, as he let out a playful laugh.
The boy kept drinking, as the taste of alcohol seems to pleasantly numbs his feelings, making it feel good. "Haha! Then let us drink together, this is the way to manhood!" Said Moren, as he wrapped his arm around the boys neck, and took a drink with an extra water bladder of ale from his waist. The two continued to have various conversations for hours as the ale also continued to numb their feelings.
Soon enough they were both drunk. The boy had developed Hiccoughs, his eyes barely able to concentrate at anything, and his body felt so light and numb that every time he tries to stand, he stumbles onto his knees. Moren was also noticeably drunk, flailing and singing incoherently with the ale still on his hand.
The boy was about to fall asleep, until Moren suddenly unsheathes his axe from his hip with an alerted expression looking at the dark distance. The boy also immediately grabbed his sword from the ground and raised his weapon pointing at the direction where Moren was looking, but as his body and mind was severely affected by the ale, he could hardly keep his hands raised and his vision so blurred that he can't see what Moren is pointing at.
"Did you see that?" Moren asked as he still keeps his axe raised mid stance. The boy tries to wipe the blurry vision from his eyes but to no avail. "No....What is it? I can barely see..." Said the boy as he squinted harder to concentrate.
"There. Do you see it?" Moren pointed his face still flushed by the ale, but his balance was more stable. The boy tried harder to see the dark blankness that Moren was pointing at but his blurred vision was of no help. "No... I don't see it at all...Maybe it's just a deer." Said the boy. "Stay here, I'll go and make sure." Said Moren as he walked towards the dark. "Wait! shouldn't we wake the others?" Asked the boy, but Moren had already disappeared into the blank darkness.
The boy wanted to wake the others, but he feared that to wake them and only finds that it was just some wild animal, the warriors would scold him. The boy waited for a seconds, then minutes, then more minutes. Moren had not come back and the boy started to worry something may have happened.
He wanted to wake the others but decided to go find Moren alone instead, he grabbed a piece of burning wood from the campfire and made way to the direction where Moren went.
He continued to walk, looking backwards to see that the light of the campfire was still visible to him. He looked forward again, continuing his search for Moren. He kept walking deeper into the woods, he looks back again to make sure the light of the campfire was still visible, his vision was still blurry but he still could see a slight glint of light at the distance from where the campfire was.
As he looked in front of him again, he accidentally stumbled upon a branch, making him fall to his knees, the burning wood that was in his hand fell on the snow, putting out the fire. His also dropped his sword. The boy frantically tried to find his weapon, but his surrounding was so dark he couldn't see anything.
As he tries to search his weapon, he heard a sound that sounded like footsteps, whether this was Moren or a wild of some kind or a monster, he was unsure. He wanted to call for help but thought that his plea for help would only attract whatever it was that was approaching him. He tried to run only to notice that he sprained his ankle.
As he randomly brushed the snow on the ground he touched a branch of a tree, grabbing it and intended it to use a weapon, the footsteps seemed to approach louder, he swung the branch at the direction where the sound was approaching.
The boy missed the figure, and the figure grabbed his arm. "Hey! You're going to hurt someone swinging that thing around." The dark figure said. The boy realizes by the voice that it was Moren. "Moren... You scared me...I thought it was a monster that was approaching me." Said the boy, as he took deep breaths.
"Try calling who it is first before swinging something at it." Said Moren sarcastically. "Yes... I suppose you're right... So did you find what you were looking for?" Said the boy, while taking deep breaths. "...Sort of, it was just a deer." Moren said.
The boy moved his feet and Moren noticed the boys ankle, as he was still holding the boy by his wrist. "Your ankle, did something happen to it?" Said Moren as he glanced at the foot. "Yes... I uh... I just sprained it a little that's all." Answered the boy. "I see..." Moren said silently.
An awkward silence, filled the area between the two. "Uh...well let's go back to camp, don't worry, i will treat it right away." Said the boy, however Moren did not let go of his wrist and only seemed to have gotten tighter. "Moren...What's wrong?" Asked the boy, however Moren did not speak.
The boy couldn't see Moren's face clearly as he was still under the influence of the ale, and the darkness of the forests had simply worsened his vision. Moren's expression was that of silent lust, looking at the boy the same way a hungry wolf looks at a rabbit.
The silence made the boy uneasy "Moren, I will be fine...You need to let my hand go." Said the boy as he try to gently nudge Moren's hand from his wrist. Moren started to touch the boy on his leg, as if caressing him, this made the boy even more uneasy and tried to pry Moren's hand from his wrist.
"Let go...Moren, Let go!" As the boy began to shout. He began to desperately flail his body. Moren then grabbed both his arms, he then violently tries to grab the boy's body.
The boy became so alarmed that he kicked Moren on the stomach, releasing his arms from his grip. He immediately limped towards to where the camp was, only for him to trip by something hard, he crawled on knees towards the light.
Moren suddenly grabbed him from behind pinning him down on his chest, the boy tried to escape but his body was quite frail compared to Moren's.
Moren sniffed his necked lustfully and began to undress the boy's pants. The boy desperately tries to escape, flailing like a madman, and every time the boy manages to get him off of him, Moren simply pins him down again. "Stop struggling! you're making this harder for the both us!" Moren aggressively said near to his ear. The boy began to cry and scream for help as he continued to flail about, but no one seems to be able to hear him.
When the worst seems to be inevitable, someone grabbed Moren by the neck from behind and lifted him up in the air. As the boy turned around from the ground, he saw a tall man holding Moren up in the air by the neck. It was hard to tell who it was as it is so dark, that the boy could barely see the whites of the man's eyes.
"I warned you...to not harm them, and you openly defied me...Again! I will not stand for it any longer." The shadowy figure said. Moren tried to pry the hand that was wrapped around his neck, while his legs flailed madly.
The shadowy figure suddenly bent his head in a unnatural way, the snap so loud that it sounded like snapping wood, Moren's body immediately stopped moving. As the shadowy figure still held the lifeless body of Moren, he walked towards the boy. "Stand up boy." The figure ordered.
The boy immediately stood up and wore his pants properly, the figure was close enough to see for the boy to know who it is. It was the leader of the riders, Buaros.
One of the men told about Moren to Buaros, that he had some twisted interest with the boy. Buaros had no interest with the boy or anyone of the warriors of Lynsk in particular, and he couldn't really care about them.
However, He could not let anyone jeopardize his mission or else he'll be the one who will face the consequences. Moren was already a liability to Buaros, openly questioning his orders or defying it outright, but tolerated it despite his annoyance, for Moren was still an able fighter, useful in battle. What Buaros hated more than Incompetent subordinates are the ones who defies him.
This was the last straw to Buaros, for he had strictly told his men not to harm the men of Lynsk during their travel to the capital, for he understood Queen Norda's instructions to be hospitable to the ones she invites to her court, should she hears how badly Buaros or any of his men under his command have treated them, she will relieve her wrath upon his family.
However this situation was rather ideal for Buaros in some way, for he has finally gotten rid of an annoyance and gained some trust with one of the men of Lynsk.
"...Thank you...Thank you so much!" Said the boy, who was overjoyed to be saved from what he thought would be the nightmarish night that he would be violated.
Buaros simply walked past him, not responding to the boy's gratitude, with Moren's body still held to his hand. The boy followed Buaros back to the camp but kept relative distance between him and Buaros.
When they reached the camp, the others were still asleep but there was one who was still awake, the warrior who warned Moren. It seemed that he was awaiting their return, when he saw Buaros and the boy following behind him, and Buaros's hand still tightly gripping Moren's neck.
Buaros threw the body just at the side of the camp, which woke up both the other warriors including those of Lynsk, the saber horns also woke up snarling. When they saw the lifeless body of Moren, they were understandably confused and on guard about was currently happening.
"Moren had openly defied me, and so i have enacted punishment. Let this be a warning to those who wish to do the same." Said Buaros, the warning directed at his own men, however it was also directed at the Lynskin warriors if they had any kind of ill intention against him at all.
The saber horns approached the lifeless body, one of these was Moren's mount, it snarled at the others to try keep them away from its former master, but the largest of them snapped a roar and the saber horn that tried to guard it's dead master's body moved aside. this was Buaros mount.
The saber horns began rip and devour the body, eventually even Moren's saber horn started feasting upon it's former master.
"Go back to your slumber, and remember my warning...That includes you boy." Said Buaros to his warriors and the men of Lynsk, including the young boy he had saved.
Although the recent incident had left them confused and horrified, they eventually went back to sleep, even the young boy eventually fell asleep, either because of exhaustion or because of the alcohol that still affected him. No doubt the young boy would remember the horrifying event of the night for the rest of his life, he is nevertheless thankful it did get to the worst result.
The man who warned Moren took his place at keeping watch for the night, while Buaros went to sleep.
Time passes by with relative peace for the rest of night.