Chapter 191: Chapter 177 – In the Nick of Time

"The many Jarldoms of the east treat each other as enemies and allies as it suited them at the moment. They were a mixed people, and amongst them, lines were drawn not amongst races, but amongst allegiance.

 

Skirmishes between Jarldoms were the norm, and while open warfare was rarer, it happened from time to time. Usually multiple Jarldoms would gang on another that they all neighbor, and beat on them until the war ended… one way or another." - Goran Vidarsh, Historian from the Jarlsdom of Gulski, circa 418 VA.

Near a Village by the north-eastern border

Istria Jarldom

South-eastern Ur-Teros

6th day of the 4th week, 1st month of the year 179 VA.

 

It had taken Aideen over two months to make her way from Flokisvet, in the Kriggaris Jarldom located in the north, towards the Istria Jarldom to the south. She had traveled what was literally the shortest route possible, a straight line no sane person would have taken on foot, much less alone.

 

The route had her pass through some bare forests, a couple hills, and mostly through wilderness rather than the official roads. Even so, it shaved off at least a month of her travel time, since she took a far less circuitous route.

 

Despite how she relied only on her own two feet, her lack of need for rest allowed her to cross the distance at a far speedier pace than most expected. It was late in the first month of the next year when Aideen covertly crossed the border between Istria and one of its neighbors, through an uninhabited forest.

 

She had not liked what she witnessed along the way.

 

Aideen entered Istria from its north-eastern border, and had passed the territory of two neighboring Jarldoms along her way. Beruslav to the north had not appeared to do more than prepare itself in case the upcoming war to their south spilled to their territory, but the same could not be said for the Jarldom of Lonsveg, to the north and east of Istria.

 

All over Lonsveg, she had noticed people answering the call to arms. Healthy young men and women bringing their weapons to the Jarl's call. They were still in the process of gathering when she passed by, but the war seemed imminent, probably only a month or two away from breaking out.

 

Rumors and hearsay from the taverns she frequented told her that supposedly the Jarl of Lonsveg had allied with the Jarl of Napris, which was to its south, to take down the Jarldom of Istria "a peg or two". Supposedly the jarl of Beruslav had agreed to remain neutral in the matter.

 

Aideen had only crossed the border for an hour or so when she saw a small village from afar. The village had seemed to be on fire, clearly too late for anyone's help. She shook her head sadly as she avoided the village, and crossed the forest towards the southwest instead.

 

After another half an hour of travel, Aideen vaguely heard human noises from afar. Laughter, mixed with the screams of children. She quickly made her way towards where she heard the noise, and quickly spotted the source.

 

Five humans on horseback were chasing after what appeared to be a young couple who were running on foot, while carrying their two young children, a toddler and an infant, in their hands.

 

The riders chased all too leisurely, their horses at a comfortable trot, as they laughed and from time to time threw a projectile at the escaping couple. The woman had both the children in her arms and was slow, so the man - a half-orc - shielded her with his body instead.

 

By the time Aideen got a good look at the situation, the man's back was full of bruises, and at least half a dozen knives protruded from his flesh, along with red welts from what looked like whiplashes. He was struggling to keep walking, his body always interposed between the riders and the woman and children.

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Aideen had not needed to see more, nor get another read on the situation. She made her way towards the couple even as one of the riders lashed with a bullwhip, aimed towards the woman's back.

 

The half-orcish man had turned around and noticed it, and took the hit across his face. The painful lash skinned part of his face, and one of his eyes burst under its cruel ministrations.

 

One of the riders had apparently grown bored of their game, as he unhooked a throwing axe from his belt and hurled it towards the woman. The man once again intercepted it with his body. The axe bit deep into the muscles of his chest, and he collapsed with a raspy cough that included some blood.

 

Another threw a dagger which struck the woman's calf. The woman yelped, yet she desperately turned as she fell so that she fell on her back, with her children cushioned from the fall by her own body.

 

The riders laughed as one of them led his horse forward at a slow trot while he unlimbered his spear, pointed downward. He was clearly about to dispose of the small family, their fun already had and their value thus depleted.

 

He had just pulled over besides the man, and raised his spear high, about to deliver the finishing blow to the dying half-orcish man who eyed him with hatred and resentment in his eyes, when he was most rudely interrupted.

 

By a thrown black metal halberd that soared through the air from the woods beside, which struck the flabbergasted man straight through the throat with enough force to dismount him off his surprised horse.

 

Aideen ignored the angry yells from the other four riders as she ran out from the forest and yanked her weapon out from the fallen rider's throat in passing. She only spared a moment to quickly touch the man and send a quick burst of healing magic through him to sustain his life, before she turned to face the other riders, who were by now galloping towards her in anger.

 

The first woman, also with a spear, rode ahead of the rest, and Aideen deftly sidestepped her thrust. She swung her weapon so that the blade of her weapon hooked the woman's throat, and pulled. The woman fell off her horse, her head separated from her body.

 

Aideen quickly flicked out the second set of blades from the other end of her weapon, and separated it into its three-sectioned form as the next two riders, a man and a woman, came at her with raised axe and sword.

 

With a graceful twirl, she avoided the man's sword, while the middle of her staves blocked the woman's axe. The bladed sections of her weapon on the other hand, caught the woman by the gut and disemboweled her. The man had his throat half severed, and both quickly collapsed off their horses, dead or dying.

 

The last of the riders, another woman, turned and fled at the sight. Aideen refused to let her go however, and took the first woman's fallen spear. She hefted the spear like a javelin, and hurled it after the fleeing woman.

 

Aideen was used to hurling her own weapon, which weighed over ten times the spear, and her throw ended up leaning high as a result. It caught the fleeing woman at the back of her head, killing her instantly as she slumped atop her still running horse. Aideen had actually aimed for her center of mass.

 

With the riders finished, she quickly walked to the fallen, dying man. The man still drew breath, thanks to her passing burst of healing, so she quickly set to work, as she carefully removed the projectiles in his flesh one by one, while sealing the wounds at the same time.

 

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