To Them These Streets Belong

[Nasir]

The heat in the small smithing room was sweltering; beads of sweat were running from Nasir's mangy mane of red hair, down his face and dripping off his beard. The heat poured off of the molten iron as he poured the material into the cast, and the energy was trapped in the small room by the poor ventilation, making Nasir feel like a loaf of bread in an oven. He swiped at his face, wiping the sweat from his eyes with the back of his arm and continued to work.

Nasir had no problem with battling the heat though, he was beginning to get used to the hazards of the job. It was easier to deal with now that he knew what to expect from the job. Not only that, but this job was a special honor, as the Lance-General Laroque himself had ordered this ornamental axe. What an honor it was for Nasir, not even a master smith yet to be able to craft a weapon for such an influential officer. He would have to remember to thank Porter for entrusting him with this order and allowing him to use it as his final test.

He grabbed the smithy hammer and began to shape the axe, sparks flying lighting the room each time the hammer hit. His muscles reverberated each time his blows struck true, and he was beginning to grow tired and sore. Not that he would allow himself to admit however; he was not going to rest until this axe was perfect and fit to give to even a nobleman.

- - -

About an hour later Nasir stood holding the finished product, a masterfully crafted ornamental axe with sapphires worked into the hilt and the pommel. He proudly presented the weapon to Porter, who had returned to the shop to check on his progress, thoroughly enjoying the look of pride painted on his master's face.

"Masterful work my boy!" Ported boomed, his hoarse voice full of approval. "Such a shame that such a beautiful work of art must be given up as tribute to that Ilian scum, but it can't be helped," he said with a shrug. Then he firmly clasped his hand on Nasir's sweaty shoulder and said, "Nasir my boy, I have now taught you everything I know. This will conclude your apprenticeship. You will make a smith some day boy, you might even surpass me someday," he proclaimed with a hearty chuckle.

Nasir's hazel eyes lit up with gratitude; such honest praise from Porter was rare. "Thank you master Porter, you are too kind!" he said as a smile lit its way across his clammy face.

"Not at all my dear boy! Nothing but the gods' honest truth it is. Now run along and get washed up. I won't have anyone but the artist presenting this masterpiece!"

Nasir nodded and ran off to do as he was instructed. The outside air was rejuvenating and refreshing as he left the smithy and felt the early afternoon breeze blow into his face. He trotted over to the trough of water that Porter kept on the side of his building, and dunked his head into the cool water. The soothing feel of the water on his weary skin was exactly what he needed, and he wiped the muck away from his face with his hand. He shook his hair dry, not unlike a lion on the plains, and he went back inside to fetch the weapon.

[Nasir]

The streets of Linz were crowded with travelers, weaving through the town perusing the various merchant's wares. Many of the town's shops had tents out, taking advantage of the good weather to showcase their wares. The air was filled with the smell of fresh fruits and baked goods, and with the sounds of cheerful chatter and laughter. Children were running around the legs of the adults, playing games of tag and racing each other through the crowd, much to the begrudging chagrin of their parents.

Nasir casually observed the crowd mingling, a seemingly unshakable good mood hovered like a warm bubble around him. The kind praise from Porter echoed in his mind, and thoughts of his own smithy and a house for his future wife and children. Suddenly it seemed much less like a foolish dream and now was more of a guaranteed eventuality. The day's events had him feeling smug, and it felt good to be surrounded by such frivolity and mirth.

As he lazily worked his way towards the Linz city keep, he saw amidst the crowd that had gathered outside the town tavern the dainty figure of the object of his desire: Aleyna, the blonde-haired beautiful daughter of the innkeep.

Nasir had been infatuated with Aleyna for several years now, ever since her family had moved to Linz a few months before his sixteenth birthday. She was so beautiful, with flawless alabaster skin and bright blue eyes the size of the moon. Nasir had been instantly smitten with her from the moment he had first laid eyes on her. He had never worked up the nerve to talk to her, mostly because he no job to support any efforts to court her, but she had nonetheless inspired him to seek out an apprenticeship with Porter, and the fantasy of starting a family with her someday had inspired him and kept him strong when the apprenticeship had been difficult and distressing.

The string of good fortune Nasir had been experiencing lately made him bold, and he decided that today would be as good a day as any to begin courting her. Taking a deep breath to gather his courage, he purposefully made his way through the crowds towards her. He was ten feet away from her and about to address her when five Ilian soldiers, making their rounds through the city perhaps, reached the tavern laughing and acting rowdy amongst themselves. The leader of the group was a tall and stocky man that towered over everyone but Nasir, and he was loudly cracking jokes about the town to his comrades behind him.

"Well we're a long ways from Ilia aren't we boys? What a strange place this is," he stated with a sarcastic disdain clear in his voice. "Makes me dreadfully miss the halls of Mother Ilia." he gave a theatrical sigh as he said this. Then he noticed Aleyna and a look of surprise and delight reached his face. "My my! What have we here? What is your name my delicate little flower?"

Aleyna looked at the Ilian soldier, a sort of uneasy look in her eyes and said shakily, "My name is Al..Aleyna my lord."

"Ah Aleyna, what a beauteous sight you are! Perhaps the day won't be such a loss after all, eh boys?" he said laughing as he turned to his fellow soldiers to absorb their approving laughter. Then he turned back to Aleyna and said, "Now come with me my pet, back to the keep."

Aleyna shook her head nervously and responded, "I...I'd rather...I"

The Ilian soldier laughed at her anxiety with a disgusting look in his eye. "Alas one cannot ask for both good looks and brains. Come with me pet, that wasn't a request." And as he said this he firmly grabbed her wrist with his hand and began to yank her towards the castle.

Several emotions fought their way to Nasir's brain at once: jealousy, rage, disgust, shock... What kind of man treats a lady like this? He scanned the crowd to discern the crowd's reaction. The faces of everyone showed an obvious concern, but a reluctant complacency. What could they do in the presence of those who controlled their lands. The crowd's reaction enraged him, and still feeling emboldened by his recent good fortune he decided he would intervene.

"Unhand her you ruffian! What kind of way is that to treat a lady?!? It's evident she does not desire your company, now let her go!"

The Ilian was taken aback by this, shocked that any commoner would have the nerve or stupidity to openly challenge a soldier of the Ilian Empire. When his eyes found Nasir and he realized that it was a mere blacksmith that was challenging him he sneered and said reproachfully, "You blacksmith, would do well to learn your place. You filthy Bern dog."

A wave of fury and helplessness washed over Nasir, and he couldn't believe someone would act so barbarically in front of a whole city. He had to do something to help Aleyna, but what could he do...

That was when he felt the weight of the freshly made ornamental axe in hands, and he abruptly remembered he was carrying it with him. He didn't so much think, but instinctively reacted and as the Ilian turned to once again drag Aleyna towards the keep, Nasir gripped the handle tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force he gripped it with, and lifted the high above his shoulder and with a forceful jerk brought it crashing down onto the Ilian soldier's neck. The blow cracked his neck and broke the skin of his neck, killing him instantly as blood began to spew out profusely from the open wound, his body crumpled from the blow and fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.

[Nasir]

The four soldiers accompanying the now dead Ilian were caught completely off-guard, and turned to try and figure out what on earth was going on behind them. They stared slack-jawed trying to process the information their eyes were trying to give their brain. Nasir didn't wait for them to catch up however, and he carried his momentum through the first swing and swung his feet around into another sweeping blow, striking the closest soldier to him square in the chest and sending him reeling backwards.

That snapped the other three Ilians out of their stupor, and they hurriedly reached for their sword hilts, trying to draw their blades before he could catch any of the rest of them off-guard. One of them was too slow however, as Nasir brought his axe swinging upwards in a fevered uppercut, striking the soldier right under the chin and flipping him backwards.

The two soldiers still on their feet were not going to be caught unawares, and they both swiped at Nasir with their blades, one going high the other aiming at his legs. Nasir managed to twist the hilt around to meet and parry the high blow but the other blade slashed his calf, throwing him off of his balance and sending a searing pain through his leg. The other took advantage of this opening and shouldered him, causing Nasir to fall to the ground.

As he hit the ground, he heard Aleyna shout, "Please stop fighting!"

When she said this the Ilian closest to her snarled, "Shut up you wench!" and accompanied this with a swipe of his blade. It rang true and slashed open a gaping wound in Aleyna's chest, and she yelped like a wounded dog and crashed to the dirt.

Pure, unfiltered, hard-boiled rage. That was all that Nasir felt, rage was pumping through his veins, it filled his mind, it flooded his vision, and it rang through his ears. Nothing but pure, unadulterated rage. With an inhuman scream of rage, he leaped to his feet and viciously slashed at the murderer's ribs, feeling a sick joy as he felt them crack under the force of his axe. Rage helped him ignore the pain, and fueled his muscles as he brought the axe around his body at unnatural speed, and brought it crashing down on the other soldier in the blink of an eye.

The blow clanked off of the soldier's helm, but knocked him to his knees. Fueled by sadistic pleasure, he slashed again and again, eyes blinded by tears as he landed blow after blow. Each time hoping the next blow would save Aleyna from the fatal blow. Each time hoping to disfigure the victim past the point of being recognizably human. From the corner of his peripheral vision, he saw the first Ilian had returned to his feet and was charging him with his blade. Reaching deep inside him he turned, and with the last of his swiped the man's sword away with his axe, sending it flying from the Ilian's hands, and swung the axe back around, severing the man's head from his shoulders.

And then it was over. With the last of the Ilian patrol dead he collapsed to his knees and, overcome with sorrow, burst into tears. Sobbing he cursed the name of Ilia and shouted towards the sky. That was when he heard a cough Aleyna, and felt her hand reach out for him. She looked up at his face and kissed her hand and caressed his cheek and weakly, with her last breath uttered, "Thank....you..." and then her hand fell from his face and the light of life fled from her eyes, and she was gone.

[Nasir]

Kneeling in the streets in a pool of blood stemming from the six corpses Nasir began to tremble, the adrenaline leaving his body left him with a weak feeling in his stomach. Tears welled in the corner of his eyes and he looked at the bodies laying on the ground, now dead from his handiwork. I couldn't save her, and now my dream is-

His thoughts were interrupted when a hefty man in about his forties emerged from the crowd and bellowed, "Are you crazy? What were you thinking?"

Nasir didn't even have the energy to look up at the man, and instead continued to shake and fight back tears. Timidly he replied, "I had to do something! Some...Somebody had to do something! They were going to...going to do terrible things to her!"

The hefty man grabbed Nasir by the shoulders and yanked him to his feet, and tightening his grip shook him vigorously out of his stupor. Nasir met the man's gaze, and felt a cold fear strike his spine when he saw the intense look of concern and fear in the man's eyes. "Yes and now my daughter is dead!" he said, gesturing to Aleyna's lifeless body. A fierce pang of guilt hit Nasir; this was certainly not how he imagined meeting Aleyna's father. He felt like an utter failure.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," Nasir stammered, "I thought I could save her."

Aleyna's father shook his head in disbelief, a few tears of his own beginning to form. "You don't even understand what you've done do you? This goes far beyond the loss of my daughter, much as I will mourn her so. Do you not even recognize that soldier that you killed?" As shouted this he pointed to the first man that Nasir had killed, and Nasir couldn't help but notice that the crowd filling the streets, which had earlier been carefree and jubilant, was now apprehensively murmuring to themselves.

"Who is he? I don't believe I've ever seen him before."

"That...is Lance-General Laroque."

Nasir's blood went cold and his mind began to race trying to cope with this realization. How could that be? Why would the Lance-General be combing the streets for no reason? And more importantly... how could Nasir, a mere smith's apprentice, manage to best an Ilian Lance-General and his four bodyguards in armed combat? He had no military training, it didn't make any sense.

But eventually he realized that the man was telling the truth; he recognized the decorative armor and wider pauldrons of an Ilian General. Sweat began to drip from his hair, whether it was from the added stress or the fight he had just been involved in he wasn't sure.

Aleyna's father continued to speak, "General Laroque was the man in charge of our city. When the guard changes and they learn what has happened here...who knows what will happen? They will impose martial law, they could kill us all and burn our houses! You've brought this upon all of us because you didn't think before you acted!" and he pointed accusingly at Nasir as he said this.

Nasir's eyes darted from the crowds of nervous people in the street back to the pile of corpses strewn on the ground and back again. His mind began to combine the two pictures, and forced him to imagine all these innocent citizens of Linz, women, children and fathers just going about their daily lives suddenly cut down and reduced to the pile of gore at his feet. All as repayment for his actions.

"No! I will not allow that to happen!" he shouted, the pain and sorrow evident in his voice. "This is our chance to make a stand here! No longer will we allow these pompous Ilian noblemen to treat us Bern people like animals! It's time for all of us to rise as one and put a stop to injustices like this!"

"What are you suggesting we do?" Aleyna's father asked, the slightest hint of hope creeping onto his face and onto the faces of the people in the crowd.

"Let us take up arms! Fetch as many weapons and able-bodied men as we can and we shall storm the keep!"

The man scoffed at Nasir's foolish idealism. "What good do you expect a bunch of merchants and farmhands to be able to do against Ilian soldiers? We'll get ourselves slaughtered!"

Nasir shook his head and said, "If we continue to allow them to treat us like this things will only get worse for us. They will not be expecting an attack, so if we plan it right we can catch them off-guard. This is our land, let us take it back from these Ilian scum and return to its rightful owners!" He raised his fist in the air and shouted, "FOR BERN!" The crowed cheered a huzzah in approval, and a buzzing feeling of confidence spread through the crowd like wildfire.

Aleyna's father eyed Nasir with skepticism and then shrugged, giving a look of curious admiration. "Very well then boy, what is your plan?"

[Nasir]

An anxious twenty minutes had passed, in which Nasir and a few others has fervently brainstormed a plan that given a little luck just might work. Nasir had also taken the time to wash the blood off of his hands and face, and to clean the blood from the surface of the ceremonial axe. He now held it once again in his hands like a gift that he must be careful not to damage. He was walking up the cobbled path that lead to the portcullis leading into Linz Keep accompanied by Porter, Aleyna's father Tomas, and two other rather bulky men from the carpentry store next to Porter's smith.

They had all changed their clothes and were now wearing almost regal attire, provided to them by the town clothier, and they now looked appropriate for an audience with a noble. Nasir carried the ceremonial axe that he had made for the Lance-General, and Porter had raided his stocks and found four ornamental-looking swords which the other men now carried strapped around their waists. As they neared the gate, two Ilian soldiers turned from their disinterested guard duty to turn and face the group.

The more senior of the two eyed the group over, more out of duty than any actual curiosity. He cleared his throat then declared, "Halt! Who goes there? What is your business in Castle Linz?"

Nasir bowed in feinted respect, and then replied in the best subservient voice he could muster, "My good sir we come bearing a gift for the Viceroy himself. An ornamental axe, hand-crafted for him by myself and Master Porter here. Two of the finest smiths in all of Bern if you'll be excusing my arrogance good sir."

The guard for a brief moment eyed the axe with a longing gaze of hungry jealousy, but quickly shrugged it off and then nodded to his partner, signalling him to let them through. The younger guard pulled a lever down and the portcullis began to slowly rise up. When it had reached its apex, the senior guard waved a hand gesturing for the group to follow him, and he began to lead them toward the front doors of the keep. As they walked, Nasir took a moment to glance up at the foreboding stone facade of Castle Linz. It was typical of Bern architecture, with large looming towers and a massive twenty foot arch over the towering mahogany front doors. It was a frightening sight to behold.

The guard grabbed the bronze handles and swung the massive double doors opening, revealing the grand entrance hall with its regal lavender carpet lining the center of the grand hall. Diamond encrusted chandeliers hung from the distant ceiling and oil portraits of the former king of Bern were hung on the walls, a rather ironic sight given the castle's current tenets. Perhaps they were still there as a reminder of Ilia's triumph over Bern in the previous war, Nasir couldn't quite tell. Guards dotted the rug in pairs all the way through the entrance hall; Nasir counted twenty that he could see. He silently prayed that the diversion would work, or else this could wind up being a much shorter mission than originally planned.

The group walked down the hallway, past several doors on either side of the hall leading off to other areas of the castle. The guards watched them with a look of utter disinterest but nonetheless coiled and prepared to spring should something turn amiss. At the other end of the fifty foot long entrance hall waited another pair of massive double doors, a guard stationed on each door. When they arrived at the doors the group's escort nodded and the door guards swung the doors open and waved the group through.

On the other side was the throne room, another violet rug ran from the doorway up to the majestic platform on which the throne sat. On either side of the throne, two bronze three pronged candle holders stood burning lilac scented candles. The throne itself was a beautiful work of art, gold-encrusted with lion heads for arms and talons for feet. The maroon seat itself looked overstuffed and divinely comfortable, and it pained Porter to have to look up and see an Ilian man seated on the throne that should belong to a Bernese nobleman.

The room was small, only about thirty feet wide and long, but another five guards stood on either side of the throne. When they had noticed the new arrivals the guard closest to the nobleman's right side addressed the senior guard still escorting them by saying, "Friedrich, what business do these men have with the Viceroy?"

"They come bearing a gift for him," was Friedrich's relpy.

At the mention of this, the viceroy, who was an aging man with a hawkish nose and that mild inbred look that some of the lower nobles seemed to have, seemed to perk up a hungry gleam in his slate grey eyes. Licking his lips greedily and rubbing his fingers together, he nodded and said, "Well very well then. Come forth my good men, show me what you have brought your Viceroy. Friedrich, you're dismissed! Return to your post. Come on now, let me see my gift," he said flapping his hands eagerly.

Nasir gave another bow, this one with even more mock humility and servility, and then proclaimed, "Viceroy, my lord. In an effort to show our appreciation for your fair and just treatment of us citizens of Linz, master Porter and I have created for you a work of art. This ornamental and sapphire encrusted axe. It is time-honored Bern tradition to offer such decorative weaponry to our most respected leaders and generals, as a symbol of the destructive power and wisdom that they posses. It is the greatest honor we can bestow upon one such as you."

An avaricious and self-righteous smirk made its way to the wrinkled and pock-marked face of the Viceroy. "Indeed, such an axe is a fitting tribute for one such as me. Come forward, you can present the axe to me."

"Very well milor-"

Nasir's voice was cut off by the reentry of Friedrich, who had ran back into the throne room, clearly distressed. He shouted out to the Viceroy, "Forgive me Viceroy Farquhar for intruding, but it's the citizens! They're rioting in the streets, they've somehow acquired weapons and seem to have murdered Lance-General Laroque. A full-fledged battle might break out if we're not careful!"

Alarm and disgust made their way to the Viceroy's face, and he scratched at his grey goatee uneasily trying to figure out how to proceed. "We cannot allow these riffraff to upset the delicate balance of order. Take all of your men out to the city and put down this rebellion. We will have order in this city."

Friedrich nodded earnestly and ran off to do as instructed. The Viceroy eased back into his chair, trying to shake off this new issue. Returning his gaze to Nasir he said, "Sorry about that, you were about to show me the axe...?"

Nasir and the others walked cautiously down the room towards the thrown, Nasir counting out the seconds in his head. One...two...three...four...five... When he thought he had given the men in the entrance hall enough time to leave for the riot outside the keep he gave a mischievous grin to the Viceroy, and in a sneering tone he said, "Perhaps you'd like to see it in action milord?" And before any of the Ilians could figure out what Nasir meant by that he swung the axe around in a quick jerk, landing a striking blow in the side of the Viceroy's guard captain's face, sending him reeling to the ground.

[Nasir]

With Nasir's verbal cue spoken Porter, Tomas and the two men from the carpentry store drew their ceremonial blades and launched themselves at the Ilian guards. Porter launched a powerful kick to the guard on the Viceroy's immediate left, and with the man caught off-balance in one fluid movement brought his ruby encrusted falchion down on his shoulder. The bones cracked and in another swing he brought the blade back up and slashed the man's face, rending the man unconscious.

At the same instant Tomas had charged the farthest right guard, ramming the Ilian with his burly shoulder sending him sprawling to the floor. Using the advantage, he flipped the blade over and brought it down into the soft spot of his armor piercing his side. The two carpentry workers had simultaneously launched themselves onto two other guards, slashing out with their blades and incapacitating two more soldiers. Nasir meanwhile had carried his momentum through the first swing and brought his axe crashing down on the helm of the man next to his first victim. Dumbfounded the Ilian tried to shake off the shock from the blow but Nasir came right back, thrusting the pommel of his axe into the man's face. The blow broke his nose and sent the man crashing to the floor, where Nasir took one more swipe, decapitating the fallen soldier.

Cowering in his throne, the Viceroy shrieked in a high-pitched scream, "Seize them you incompetent fools!" The four remaining guards took grip of their weapons and prepared for combat. The soldier next to Tomas' victim raised his lance and jabbed at Tomas with it. Reflexively Tomas went to block it with his elbow, but missed as the lance struck true through his upper bicep. The momentum of the blow and Tomas' reaction however, brought Tomas flying around, his blade waving through the air found the Ilian's neck, in a stroke of good fortune.

The brawnier of the two carpentry workers raised his sword and charged the closest guard to him. Taking advantage of the man's lack of combat training, the guard lashed out at him with his lance, piercing the man in the chest. The lance got stuck however, and while he was trying to remove it, Nasir took advantage and swung out with a furious blow slashing the man's arms from their sockets.

Meanwhile, another guard drew his blade and took a fevered swing at Porter. The smith saw it coming however, and brought his blade up to meet it. Porter then used his momentum to try and land a overhead swing, but the Ilian parried the blow. The two traded swiped for a while, Porter keeping the Ilian's attention while the other carpenter sneaked up behind the guard. Porter took one more aggressive swing at the guard, which took all of the Ilian's strength to block, and then the carpenter grabbed the soldier's neck from behind and took the carpentry he kept in a sheath on his ankle and slit the man's throat.

The last guard left alive panicked, and dropping his lance he turned to run away. The carpenter grabbed a hammer from his toolbelt and threw it at the retreating soldier. The hammer clanged against the back of his head, and the carpenter ran over to finish him off.

Now the viceroy was wildly flailing and fidgeting, as if he was trying to find some sort of escape route through the cushions of the throne. Sputtering he said, "My...my good men. Please have...have m...mercy."

Nasir spat in disgust at the suggestion, and instead grabbed the Viceroy by the cuff of his shirt and demanded, "The south wall guard tower! Lead me to it. NOW!" And he held the blade of the axe against the man's neck for motivation.

The Viceroy licked his lips compulsively, and stuttering he stood from the throne, arms raised and weakly whispered, "Of course...of course! This way gentleman," and with Nasir's axe firmly resting on his neck, he led the group towards the stairwell that would lead them to the guard tower.

- - -

Moments later atop the wall and the walkway that led between guardtowers, amidst the corpses of the archers that the group had recently slaughtered, Nasir walked the Viceroy over to the edge of the wall, and looking out towards the city and the Ilians struggling to put down the city's rebellion he gathered his breath and prepared to speak.

Then gathering his newfound hatred for these people, he took a deep breath before booming, "SOLDIERS OF ILIA! HEED MY WORDS! FOR TOO LONG HAVE YOUR PEOPLE SUBJUGATED THE GOOD AND INNOCENT CITIZENS OF BERN! NO LONGER SHALL THE GOOD MEN AND WOMAN OF THIS GREAT NATION HAVE TO BOW TO YOUR FEET. FROM THIS MOMENT ALL ILIANS, AND ALL OTHERS WHO TRY TO TRAMPLE THESE PEOPLE UNDER THEIR BOOTS SHALL MEET THE SAME FATE AS THIS MAN!" As he spoke this last line, he grabbed the Viceroy by the back of his scalp, and sliced his head from his neck in one vicious blow. He then shouted, "FOR BERN!!!" and then kicked the now-lifeless body of the Viceroy in the back, sending the headless corpse falling from the wall of the castle, still holding the lifeless and presenting to the wide-eyed Ilians.

[Abel Caritas]

Abel stood back and watched as events unfolded. He was torn between his orders and his heart. But as soon as the man was beheaded his heart won.

Making his way through the crowd, Abel flipped his hood off, revealing his green hair. The hood was attached to a cloak covering his light leather armor and Bernese uniform.

"Hey, you up there," he called out to the speaker. "I understand your want to free your homeland, but why do you slay unarmed innocens? Do youbwant to affirm the Illian assumptins that your brutes?"

Abel saw a stunned guard draw his sword in the corner of his eye. The guards slashed at a little boy but found his blade blocked by Abel's. "Don't."

The guard gave a grunt and turned his blade on Abel. Abel ducked and then swung at the mans legs, but was promptly blocked. The Ilian faked right and swiped left, hoping to catch Abel off guard. But he found that last thing that he ever was going to feel was Abel's blade cutting across his chest.

Chaos erupted around Abel as people steamed and ran corniche lives or stood and faught the other Illians. The battle for Linz had begun.

OoC: Didn't know how to wrap it up so I did what anyone does, make it sound epic.

[Nasir]

As the battle started to heat up a green haired swordsman called out to Nasir and said, "Hey, you up there! I understand your want to free your homeland, but why do you slay unarmed innocents? Do you want to affirm the Illian assumptions that you're brutes"

Nasir called out in response, "This man is far from innocent, he has turned a blind eye to the suffering of my people and now he has paid the price for it. But if you are here to help, it is welcome. I fight so that the many innocents who live here can live in peace, without fear of foreign oppression."

And with that Nasir turned and ran back to the guardtower, sprinting down the stairs and back out the main hall. Bursting through the double doors and back into the open late afternoon air, he caught sight of an Ilian guard overpowering a young boy who was fighting with one of the swords Porter had supplied everyone with. Nasir charged full-speed, heart pounding he sprinted down the cobbled path back into the city. As he approached the Ilian who was about to land the finishing blow on the boy, he took a hearty swing at the Ilian aiming for his ribcage.

The Ilian twisted his blade and parried the blow, swinging the sword down in a sweeping arc aiming for Nasir's shoulder. He blocked the blade with his axe, and brought his pommel up and into the man's stomach, throwing him backwards. Continuing with his momentum he swung the axe back around attempting a horizontal swing at his opponent's waist. The man managed to block the blow, but the effort sent his sword flying from his hands. As he scrambled to retrieve it, Nasir brought a blow down on the small of the man's back, an audible crack rang out as the blow hit. The man crumpled to the ground, and Nasir ran up to finish him off, cracking his neck while he laid in the dirt. When he stood up to dust himself off, Nasir saw in the distance an Ilian archer who was taking aim on him and about to fire.

OoC: possibly setting you up for your next post here if you want Abel.

[Abel Caritas]

Abel scanned the chaos before him, trying to find any other assailants. By this time the young speaker had addressed him and made his way down from the wall. Abel still didn't know what to make of the axman.

As Abel turned in the direction of the man, the mans ax felled a man. It was then that he noticed the archer stringing his bow. Before Abel could act the arrow was speeding through the air, heading for Narsir.

Without a thought for his personal safety, Abel ran at Narsir. With a thud Abel tacked Narsir and felt the impact of the arrow with his armor. They hit the ground with the sound of clanking metal.

"Are you ok?" Abel asked Narsir as he helped him up. He saw the end of the arrow sticking out of his leather shoulder protecter. Yet he felt little pain in his arm.

OoC: Hope you don't mind, I'll only be able to get on two-three times a week.

[Abel Caritas]

Abel helped Nasir to his feet and then looked at his own wounded shoulder. The arrow was imbedded in his shoulder strap; had the archer not been in a hurry, Abel’s shoulder would have been out of commission. But fortunately the arrow had stopped millimeters from his skin, just bruising him.

“Well, that was close,” he said, pulling it out. By now the Ilians had begun to regroup into formation. “You go ahead and help your people; I’ll call in the cavalry.” After he finished he dashed off into the crowd.

Abel began searching for the few men that he had brought with him. He dashed around a corner and ran straight into an enemy soldier. They had a quick bout, and then Abel made his way to the inn he had been staying at. And there stood his men.

“We’ve everyone?” Abel asked quickly. “Where’s Eric?”

“We’re not sure sir,” Damian, the next in command said. “He went off somewhere.”

“Well that can’t be helped,” Abel said, keeping his calm. He pressed away his fears. He’s made it this far, I’m sure he’s fine. “Alright, the baddies are this way.”

They made off in the direction Abel had come from, cutting down any enemies that crossed their path. As they rushed to Nasir’s aid Abel thought: Where are you Eric?

[Nasir]

The green-haired man knocked Nasir to the ground just in time, as the arrow clanked off of the swordsman's shoulder guard falling harmlessly to the ground. He helped Nasir to his feet and asked if he was okay, to which Nasir nodded in response. The newcomer shook the dirt off his pants and ran off to fetch his companions to come and help the effort. Nasir was thrilled at the idea of reinforcements and felt a new rush of determination flood through his veins. Invigorated he leaped out at the nearest Ilian with an enthusiastic slash of his axe, sending the man flying from his feet.

Taking a quick scan of the battlefield Nasir was pleased to notice that the confrontation seemed to be drawing nearer a successful conclusion. There were only about fifteen Ilians still conscious and fighting, and the crowd seemed encouraged by their progress. A movement in the corner of his field of vision drew his attention, and as Nasir turned his head to the right he saw and Ilian knight, a captain from the look of his armor, charging full speed sword raised towards him. He set his feet preparing for impact readying to shift his weight into the charging foe. When the Ilian was close enough he lunged into the captain's chest with his shoulder, grabbing the man's upper arm and using his momentum lifting him up off his feet and launching him over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground. He then grabbed his axe and brought it down with a sickly thud. Nasir wiped the sweat dripping down from his brow, and with a devilish smirk ran back to the thick of the fight.

- - -

An hour passed, and after the fight had concluded and all the bodies were removed from the streets and gathered into a pile near the center of town where they were burned, the important members of the townsfolk had gathered at Tomas's Tavern for a town meeting. The events that had just unfolded this past afternoon would hold major political implications and they would need to discuss which direction the town should move in. Nasir stood next to Tomas at the head of the room, and scanned the various oak tables in the bar, the blood from the battle still clung to his deep auburn mane. A pang of sorrow hit his gut each time he realized how many people from this good town were no longer with them. The losses had been fairly severe, about two hundred souls lost, but the battle had been a victory, and there were still enough men to defend the city. They weren't trained soldiers, but that was a problem for another day.

Nasir's gaze fell to Tomas's side, and the blood-soaked bandage that covered his stump that had once been his right arm. He cleared his throat and addressed the group saying, "We have lost so much... but seek to gain far more. Once again the people of Bern are free, and we shall not rest until all of our brothers and sisters are free from Ilia's chains. We will restore our country and return it to its rightful owners."

One of the surviving carpenters rose his hand and asked aloud, "Now that we've retaken our city, how do we proceed? What is our next course of action?"

Tomas answered this question for Nasir, "We must take some time to lick our wounds and recover. We should fortify the town and begin training our men for the fight to come."

Nasir nodded introspectively, "That will require someone with adequate military knowledge, but I suppose any experience with a blade is good experience. Porter, gather all the blades and weapons you have in your store and make a stockpile here at the tavern. When you've finished that, return to the smithy and commence making as many weapons as fast as you can. Tomas, you gather every able-bodied man you can find from Linz and conscript him to join the Bern Liberation Army. Once conscripted, have them report to the Castle barracks and await orders." Tomas and Porter nodded respectfully and ran off to prepare the city. Nasir dismissed the rest of the group and himself left the tavern, returning to the night air of the streets of Linz. He turned back to look at the front of the tavern, and his eyes traveled to gaze down at the corpse of his beloved Aleyna, which had been delicately leaned up against the Tavern wall while the meeting took place. He gathered her up in his arms, the fact that this would be the only time she would be in his arms not escaping him, and carried her body to the hillside outside of town. Under the shade of an oak tree he began to dig out a hole in the ground and when it was deep enough placed her body in the grave. When the hole had been filled back in, he carved into the trunk of the tree Here lies Aleyna, noble daughter of Bern. May the Maker grant her rest, and may we never forget her. A tear welled in his eye for a brief moment, and he turned his gaze to the setting sun, mind lost in his own thoughts.

[Kelvin H. Calderon]

Kelvin had ridden for several hours through the Bern country-side, past small villages and Ilian patrols, none of them too interested with a Caelin knight roaming the roads. The sun was nearing the horizon and Kelvin still had no idea what it was he was searching for. He figured he'd have to find a village soon so Kashmir could rest for the night, but he wasn't ready to quit. He kept up that pace and passed another patrol or two. He realized that each patrol he had seen was a different group of soldiers. Has something happened, Kelvin thought, Or is Ilia just paranoid? Regardless, it was beginning to get dark and Kelvin was just about to give up and make camp, when he spotted something odd in the distance. Smoke. That can't be good, Kelvin thought, and urged Kashmir forward. He drew nearer and began to make out a village in the distance. Not too far from the village was a hill with a sizable oak tree. Kelvin thought he spotted someone there and angled the horse in that direction. When he grew close enough that the man could see him, Kelvin yanked on the reins. Kashmir reared up on his hind legs, and Kelvin turned his body toward the man, his armor catching the setting sun behind him

[Nasir]

While Nasir was lost in his thoughts a rider appeared on the horizon, clad in green armor and riding atop a majestic black horse. Nasir ignored it at first, until he realized that the rider was approaching the oak tree under which Nasir was taking shelter, and he tensed up preparing himself for the numerous possibilities that could be upon him. The rider waited until he was about a stone's throw away from him and then yanked back on the reins, bringing the horse to a whinnying halt. The sun glinted off the man's armor, distorting Nasir's vision. He rose a hand to block the light, and addressed the man, "Greetings traveler, what brings one such as you to the fine city of Linz?"

[Kelvin H. Calderon]

"Greetings, stranger," Kelvin responded to the man. "My name is Sir Kelvin Calderon, knight of Caelin. I was traveling these parts when I saw smoke on the horizon and rushed to see what the trouble was. There's been increased patrols in these parts, so naturally I was worried some sort of trouble had broken out in these parts." Kelvin dismounted his horse and began up the hill towards the man, lance still in hand. "Do you think you could enlighten me upon the situation in Linz?"

[Nasir]

Nasir scratched at his beard nervously, searching the man's eyes trying to get a sense of the knight's character. This would not be an easy question to answer. "Well met Ser Kelvin, I am Nasir. As for your question, we had a minor conflict that broke out in our streets a few hours past. But all is resolved now, and you will be able to find solace here if you seek it." Nasir prayed that this man wasn't some sort Ilian lackey gathering intel on the situation, this was hardly the time for another confrontation.