Yggdrasil sipped his ale quietly in the rowdy tavern. Even with the cloth over his eyes, he could still see and sense every movement in the room. The less than elegant barkeep, the hardened soldiers that had no doubt been fighting for centuries, the young barmaids flirting with the freshest recruits of the Icchorian clan armies...he sighed deeply. He sensed an oncoming violence. His long, nearly blue, hair was braided down his back, ending in a thick golden loop that matched his golden armor. Setting his drink down he swept some of his loose hair back.
“Hey barkeep, our beastly brothers over there are about to have a duel.” Yggdrasil flicked his head towards a dark corner of the small, crowded building, where two Icchorians were growling at each other in heated tones.
“Hey, no fighting in my bar! Take it outside, you savages!” The barkeep shouted at the two offenders. They growled at each other again, this time softly, and sat back down. “Thanks, Seer.”
“Don’t mention it.” He finished his mug of ale and slid it across the cracked wooden counter. “Another.” He slapped two coins in front of the barkeep.
“This one’s on the house, friend Seer, for helping me stop that brawl. I can’t afford any more repairs to my business. The last of our brothers that went out of control caused me to shut down for two months. Spare wood’s hard to come by these days, seeing as it’s all being used for catapults and war chariots and battering rams.” He poured Yggdrasil another mug of ale and placed it in front of him.
“Yes, that’s quite true. I think...” But before Yggdrasil could finish his thought, the door of the tavern flew open with such force that all activity stopped.
A short, dark-haired figure clad in green and gold stormed heavily through the middle of the tables and chairs and right up to Yggdrasil, who continued to sip his ale. His brown hair fell in layers about his face, framing it in a youthful way that was offset by the anger on his face.
“You! You’re the Seer from the East, are you not?”
“Depends on who’s asking. There are a lot of Seers in the East. If you ask around, you’ll probably find some from the North, South, and West, too.” He took a drink, not turning to look at the stranger.
“I don’t have time for games.” The green-cloaked Icchorian grabbed the mug from Yggdrasil’s hands and threw it on the ground, splattering the surrounding patrons with the brown liquid.
“Look, friend, that was my one free drink of the night, and I really don’t appreciate you taking it away from me. I suggest you pay the nice barkeep for the mess you’ve created.” Yggdrasil turned to him, finally. He looked him up and down, sensing the stranger’s height, his anger, and his aura. “Now, to answer your question, yes. I am a Seer, and I am from the East. The name’s Yggdrasil, but my friends call me Drasil. If the rest of our discussion is going to consist of you resorting to unnecessary violence, then perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere.”
“Was it you who sunk the flagship of Francisco the Elder’s armada?”
“Me, sink a ship? Surely you think too highly of a lowly Seer. I can tell you what will happen to you exactly three weeks from this very moment, but a sinker of ships I am not.”
“You don’t fool me, Seer. I know it was you. I was set to join Lord Francisco and lead his armada against the human’s naval forces across the great ocean to the west. But some drunkard, good-for-nothing street-performing fire dancer got too close to the flagship and burned it clean to the ground. Eyewitness accounts say it was a Seer dressed in blue. I have tracked you these hundreds of miles to get my personal revenge. It was my lifelong dream to sail with Lord Francisco and his armada in attack against the humans, and you’ve just ruined that.”
“To be fair, all Seers wear blue.”
The stranger closed his eyes and immediately pulled out a deadly looking blade that was ornately decorated in family crests- identifying the stranger as a pure-blood. But Yggdrasil was ready, leaping from the barstool and back-flipping to an empty corner of the tavern.
Before the barkeep could tell them to take the fight outside, they did. The stranger chased the Seer throughout the village, upsetting market vendors, families out for casual moonlight strolls, and children playing games on the cobblestone streets. Yggdrasil was laughing all the while, and the stranger kept hot on his trail. He led the man out of the village walls and into the sprawling, mountainous landscape. He finally turned to fight the stranger, running at him with his sharp, golden clawed gauntlets, when a flash of white and red leapt between him and his attacker, knocking them both to the ground. In another second, a sharp brown cord was squeezing his hands together, the end of an unseen whip. He could sense the two new Icchorians, Northern-born, orphaned sisters of the late Elder Dicion. The older sister had tackled the stranger to the ground and had in a chokehold, threatening him at knife-point that she’d kill him if he didn’t control his anger and return to his mind that he had so clearly left behind. Begrudgingly, the stranger did so, sheathing his weapon. Minutes later, the whip retracted to its owner, and his hands were free.
“And just what makes you think that you can interfere in a personal fight?” The green stranger crossed his arms and glared at the newcomers.
Layrion scowled. “I am tired of seeing Icchorians fighting against one another. We are not each other’s enemy.”
Yggdrasil rose and cracked his neck. “Now that’s a Northern Elder if I ever saw one,” he said lightly, bowing to Layrion. “I believe that proper introductions always start with names. I’ll go first. My name’s Yggdrasil, but Drasil for short if you prefer. I’m a Seer, which I’m sure you’ve noticed. I’m also a fire-dancer.”
“Which is the exact reason that I’m hunting this clown. He’s cost me at least a six-month delay on going to naval battle against the humans.” Rune growled. “I knew it was you.”
“Which, of course, I’m deeply sorry for. However, in all the time we’ve known each other...”
“...Twenty minutes,” the stranger snapped back.
Ammy snorted gently, and Layrion elbowed her ribs.
“...I’ve never gotten your name,” Yggdrasil finished.
The stranger huffed. “Fine. I’m Rune Eindride. I’m an Elder of the ancient Clan of Eindride, descendant of Einar.”
Yggdrasil clapped his hands. “Wonderful! Now that I finally know your name, the lovely ladies can tell us theirs.”
“Now you just wait a minute. I’m not interested in hearing anyone else’s backstory. The only thing I’m interested in is you paying for the flagship that you burned down.”
“I can assure you that I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“That’s not my point!”
Layrion rubbed her temples, growing weary of the needless bickering. “Enough! Look. My name is Layrion. I’m from the Clan of the late Elder Dicion in the North. This is my sister Ammy, a Scholar.”
“So you’re not an Elder?” Rune raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I mean...Not officially. Ever since Akil raised us I have yet to become the Head of my Family...”
“Pause there for a moment Layrion. You were raised by Lord Akil? As in...the Lord Akil?” Yggdrasil asked, mouth slightly ajar.
“Yeah, the Mighty Lord of the South Fortress.” Ammy chimed in, her voice containing the smallest amount of a sigh. “It’s a long story.”
“Well, good news, I have a lot of time. And I love stories.” Yggdrasil flashed a grin, which made Ammy laugh and blush a little.
“Well, I, on the other hand, do not have a lot of time. And neither do you. You’re coming with me back to the coast to rebuild Elder Francisco’s flagship.”
“Has it occurred to you in the now thirty minutes that we’ve known each other that I’m blind? I literally cannot see the hand in front of my face.” Yggdrasil held up three fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up? Two, Eight? I’ll never know. So unless Elder Francisco teaches a class on how to build ships if you’re blind, you’re going to have to find a new carpenter.”
Rune rolled his eyes and looked at Layrion and Ammy. “I am going to kill this man. Do you need him?”
Yggdrasil nodded. “That’s what my mother always said. She never did though.”
Layrion waved her hands in frustration. “Look, I need you two to stop arguing like children for five minutes. I know we’ve just met, but my sister and I, for reasons we’d rather keep to ourselves, have just recently left Lord Akil’s fortress. We are determined to put an end to this war by any means necessary. So unless you plan on joining us, Lord Yggdrasil, we’d really like to be going on our way.”
The Seer gasped in excitement. “Join you? I thought you’d never ask. I would be more than honored to serve under such a beautiful Icchorian as you, Lady Layrion. I may not look like much, but a Seer in your party definitely has its advantages. I’ve also been told that I’m easy on the eyes. No pun intended.”
Ammy burst out laughing and was in tears by the end of her fit. “I like this one, he has no filter to his words. Oh, but...but we can’t leave out poor Lord Rune, can we?” She wiped her eyes and moved closer to him. “What do you say, Lord Rune? We could use a strong fighter like you. And you said it yourself; it’ll be at least six months before you can go sail with your fleet of ships. Surely you can spare some time to help our cause here on land?”
Rune sighed. He couldn’t place his finger on it, but something about Ammy fascinated him. Her aura was strong and pure, and her kindness made his rough exterior crack ever so slightly. “I guess...I guess a little battle would keep me in practice for when I go join Elder Francisco. Although I doubt you can end this war in just six months.”
Yggdrasil was practically dancing. “Oh, the world is a strange and beautiful place. In just forty minutes, I’ve met three new friends and am about to embark on new and unknown adventures!”
“Would you stop keeping time! You’re not an hourglass.” Rune rubbed his forehead. What had he just gotten himself mixed into?
“Excuse me, I work very hard to keep this figure. I’m slightly offended.” Yggdrasil feigned hurt feelings and Ammy laughed again. As the four new comrades started to walk back towards the town, Yggdrasil adopted a hushed tone and whispered to Layrion. “I cannot see everything, but I can see this: you and your sister are very special. I believe that you will accomplish great things. You have already defied Fate once, simply by existing. I will follow you to the end of my days to make your dreams a reality.”
Layrion was taken aback by this man's foresight and knowledge of her life. The sudden dedication lent truth to his words. If he foresaw great things for them that caused him to dedicate his life not even knowing her for a day, who was she to deny that?
And so the four Icchorians from different clans and parts of the world found one common thread—they wished to see an end to the war and a purpose in their life. What had the Icchorians been created for? Was the Originator merely bored when he formed this plane of existence? Rune and Layrion, though they didn’t like to admit it, both sought an answer to that question. Rune’s six months came and went and still he stuck with the sisters of the Northern
clan, fighting alongside them. Yggdrasil and Layrion quickly became close confidantes, and shared many stories and secrets between them. Ammy’s strange affection for the fiery Rune grew daily, and soon, she was the only person that he ever really listened to. In all this, Layrion's mind would constantly wander back to their caretaker, Akil. Had he been angry at their disappearance? Did he sent out search parties to bring back the wayward sisters, or had he left them to their own fate? Did he think of her at all? Often she would have these thoughts, unfamiliar and familiar to her all at once. It unnerved her but she never spoke her concerns, instead letting them slip to the back of her mind.
They travel steadily to the west, tracking behind the large battles that took place between Humans and Icchorians. Often they would stumble upon small skirmishes, and would easily overwhelm the Human forces that remained. They never stayed with their Icchorian brethren, preferring the smaller company of four while they traveled.
It was in between these battle that Layrion stoked the fire that had been burning idly for hours. Rune was still away on his self-determined mission in a settlement one hundred miles west of the camp. Ammy rested soundly in the tent, her first watch of the evening having come to a close. She yawned and scratched her hair absent-mindedly.
A rock hit the back of her armor.
She was up in an instant, a cold look of fire in her eyes, crouched into a practiced battle- stance, her right hand holding a dagger and her left ready to draw a second if necessary. She had not sensed a strange presence in the night. “It is not wise what you have done, human,” she hissed into the dim light. “You cannot possibly think that you will win. I don’t wish to hurt you if I don’t have to. Turn back now.” The fire reflected in her gold armor—it flickered and danced upon her slim shape.
A deep, rolling laugh followed her threat, followed by another rock, this one lighter. She listened to the wind as it hit her, and realized that it was coming from above. With hesitation she glanced skyward, and realized that Yggdrasil, perched like a crow scouring for the next dead animal, was her enemy this time. The charred tree mere feet from her had been a determining factor in making camp, and he had immediately taken to it like a fish to water.
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