Hedge Knight

Helbram looked at Sophia with a confused expression, “What do you speak of?”

The Maiden’s frown cut deeper, “I know the Sword spoke to you… I could feel it, a slight disturbance to its Aether,” she looked to the ground, “but I know not what was said…”

He looked around the street, and felt some relief when he found it to be empty, “I see… that would explain why you asked if it spoke to me.”

His companions looked at him with surprise, which did not surprise him. The frown on Jahora’s face, however, did.

He ignored it for now and looked back to Sophia, meeting her eyes with a steady gaze, “It did speak to me, yes,” he sighed, “the voice of a man, calm, but with the undertones of ringing steel, correct?”

The Maiden nodded.

“He spoke of my potential, of how out of all that had laid their hands upon it, mine was the greatest he had ever seen,” he felt a rush in his chest as he recounted it, silencing it by clenching his teeth, “I apologize for my dishonesty, truly, but if you were looking as to whether it claimed I was chosen, then it did not.”

Sophia appeared surprised by this, “It didn’t? Then… then perhaps there is more than one chosen.”

“Pardon?” Elly said, “Did you not tell Marcus and Marjorie that they were chosen?”

Sophia sighed, “I did… but I must admit that such revelations caught me off guard, and that I could only cast judgment on what was seen by my own eyes,” she bowed, “My apologies for that, I blame my own inexperience with such matters.”

She locked eyes with Helbram again, “Beyond those two however, you were the only one where the Sword displayed such unusual behavior.”

Helbram shrugged, “I possess little in the way of Ether or Aether, perhaps that was the cause in some way.”

The Maiden cast her eyes downwards, searching, “Perhaps, and you did pull the Sword. You are certain that it showed no reaction, correct?”

Helbram nodded, “Correct. That is the truth this time, I swear it,” he turned around and started to walk towards The Salty Breeze, “but you have much more things to consider beyond the lies of a man such as I. My apologies again.”

He felt the eyes of Sophia and his companions on his back. It felt piercing, and he had the urge to scratch his back as their gazes dug deeper.

“Pay it no mind,” Sophia finally said, “I wish you all a pleasant day.”

He heard her walk away from the group, but his companions did not follow behind him as he approached the tavern’s doors. He placed a hand on the doorway and looked back at them.

“We should talk inside, we’ve already said too much out in the open for my liking,” he told them before walking through the door.

As he passed through the doors, he was greeted by the sight of Mary wiping down the bar. She looked up at his entrance, greeting him with a welcoming smile.

“Welcome back! Bad luck I presume?”

Helbram chuckled, “I am afraid so,” he grinned, “but I have kept my promise, have I not?”

She grinned back at him, “That you have,” she peered past him, “You didn’t spot my brother while there, did you?”

Helbram scratched his head, “I did, stood next to him, in fact.”

“Oh, then where is he?”

The armored man clapped his hands together and walked towards the tavernkeep, “It appears that he has been chosen by the Sword.”

Mary’s wiping stopped and she scoffed, “I may be young, sir, but I’m no child to fall for such pranks.”

The others finally made it through the door, keeping silent as Helbram continued his conversation with Mary.

The large man scratched his head, “Tis no jest, the Sword has indeed responded to his efforts.”

Mary walked in front of the bar and sat down, a numb look on her face, “My brother was chosen? That bullheaded boy?” she rubbed her temples and groaned, “Why does he do this to me? Now I’ve got to worry about him doing something really daft.”

Helbram grimaced, “I’m afraid there is another complication beyond that.”

She closed her eyes, but leaned her head towards him, “Tell me,” she said with a sigh.

“He was not the only one chosen.”

Her eyes snapped open, “There were more?!”

He nodded, “Yes, it was quite the shock to everyone,” he motioned to the door, “He should still be at the shrine, most likely discussing things with the Maiden,” his eyes fell upon Mary and gave her  a soft smile, “I imagine that he’ll need his sister there for him.”

Mary stood up and undid her apron, “Aye, he will,” she paused for a moment, “I’ve no place to request this of you, but could you keep an eye on the tavern for me?”

Helbram pulled a chair from one of the tables near the bar, “Certainly. Now go to him.”

Mary gave him a grateful smile and walked out the door, giving the others a polite bow before she stepped out completely. Helbram regarded his party as the tavernkeep left. They all stared at him with looks that were mostly inquisitive, except for Jahora, who again wore a frown on her face.

Helbram motioned to the table, “Well, better to take a seat so we can discuss things.”

Leaf shrugged and walked across the tavern to take a seat next to him, “I’m not about to tell you off for lying like I was your mother, but I do think that hiding details about say…” he made an uncertain gesture, “a Sword telling you that you possess great potential is a fairly important bit of information.”

Helbram scratched his head, “Yes I realize that now… consider the lie more of an impulse rather than anything planned.”

“A rather convincing impulse,” Elly said as she sat down, “Had the Maiden not revealed the deception I would have never figured it out. Though I suppose that it would explain why you were in such haste to leave,” her eyebrows raised, “You don’t think its reaction to you was the cause for the blade to start slipping from the tree?”

Helbram drummed his fingers against the table, “It is possible, but I am telling the truth when I say it did not call me its chosen wielder.”

“From what I can tell, it did not explicitly state it to Majorie or Marcus either,” the scholar pointed out, “It was only for a moment, but when you touched the Sword the tree it was embedded into also appeared to freeze, something that did not happen when the other two pulled at it,” she pulled out her notebook and jotted down a quick note, “Mayhaps you triggered something…”

Helbram grunted and shook his head “Regardless, I didn’t want to get mixed up in any conflicts concerning it. I can only hope that the Maiden keeps quiet about me and lets those two sort it out.”

He looked back at the door, noting their usually jovial Thaumaturge had not joined them yet, and stood near the entrance of the bar, still eying him “Jahora?”

She regarded him for a moment longer, eyes searching his expression but not meeting his eyes, “Had Sophia not confronted you, would you have told us?” there was a weight to her voice that Helbram was not used to.

She met his gaze then. There was a firm look to her face, but he did not give her the discourtesy of looking away. He kept his eyes on hers, “No, I would have kept silent.”

It was slight, but Helbram could see a sad look to Jahora’s eyes, “Why? Are we not worth the truth?”

Helbram held a hand up, “Hold on, it is not that.”

“Well it certainly seems like that,” Leaf interjected, “I had faith that maybe you were waiting to tell us when no one was around, but to hear you’d keep it to yourself… well it riles me up something fierce, especially with all that we’ve been through.”

Elly crossed her arms and leaned back on her seat, “I must say that I agree. Though I may not have fought with you all against the bandits, I would think that our adventures within Azator’s trap created a bond between us,” she closed her eyes and let out a sigh, “With that in mind, however, I do believe that we owe it to you to explain your reasoning.”

Jahora had already made her way to the table as Elly spoke, taking a seat next to Helbram as she looked upon with scrutiny, but staying silent.

Helbram nodded solemnly and put his hands together, “All my life I have been told that I possess no talent, no potential, and all my life I have only proven that to be true,” he snorted, “You all have seen this… my inability to harness any sort of Ether or Aether,” he looked at Jahora with a sad smile, ‘know why this is. To tell me that I possess great potential…more than any of the others,” there was a slight growl to his voice, “it felt as if I was being mocked,” he closed his eyes and took in a breath, “Twas that anger that make me keep silent on the matter, to ignore the empty words so that they may not find their way through my mind, tempting me with promises I know not to be true,” he looked to all of the group, “I am sorry, truly. You all deserve better than that.”

Leaf looked at him for a moment, then leaned back in his seat, “Don’t do it again and we’ll be square.

Elly nodded, “Yes I think that is fair. In return, of course, we shall be forthcoming should any sentient objects deign to speak to us in the future.”

Helbram snorted, “That would be appreciated, do not fall into my habit of keepings things mum out of impulse.”

Jahora pouted for a moment, “Indeed, I would think that such trust is warranted at this point.”

Helbram winced, “I understand, it shall not happen again.”

The Mage eyed him skeptically, “You promise?”

The taller man smiled at her, “I promise. Consider me properly admonished.”

She smiled brightly, “Then let us keep it at that. Though prepare yourself for a proper tongue lashing should you forget to honor that.”

Helbram laughed, “Of that I have no doubt,” he stood up, “but, for now I intend to honor Mary’s request,” he walked over to the bar and leaned against it, “are we still intending to stay in town for a few days?”

They all nodded.

“Might as well see what the town has to offer,” Elly said, “I still need a day to peruse the town’s bookshop for anything interesting, and I must admit the Sword and its shrine does have me intrigued.”

Helbram pressed his lips thin at that, “Yes well I’d rather not be involved with the Sword any further at this time,” he looked at the hand that grasped the sword, “to have something like that speak with such sweet words… it wasn’t natural.”

Leaf clicked his teeth, “I agree, honestly I’d rather have not grabbed the damned thing.”

Jahora rested her head against the table, “True, its promises were so vague that I’m not quite sure what to do with them…”

Elly read over her notebook again, “Yes… if i were to recognize a pattern it seems as it if it was telling us what we wanted to hear,” she looked at Leaf and Helbram, “Rather, what parts of us wanted to hear.”

Jahora regarded Helbram with a curious look, “What would you do if what the Sword speaks is true?”

Helbram looked at her with an exasperated smile, “Wonder what in Gods’ name I have been doing all this time.”

It was evening by the time that Mary returned to The Salty Breeze. She brought Marcus in tow, who, by the time he arrived, appeared to be in a dazed state that Helbram could only attribute to the young man having his head stuck in the clouds. His twin, on the other hand, held a more grounded expression that was a mix of apprehension and worry as she guided her brother in.

Even more surprising were the people that followed after them. Marjorie and her group arrived not too long after the twins, and before Mary could say much to Helbram and the others she found herself serving the influx of guests that funneled into the Tavern, the place that not only held the notable Hawk of Dunwich, but also two who has been chosen by the Sword.

In comparison to his sister, Marcus stood towards the center of the Tavern, a crowd gathered around him in raptured interest.

“There I stood, hand on the Sword, it’s Aether reaching out towards me,”  Marcus clenched his fist with an excitement that trembled his fist, “again it told me of my potential, and I felt that this day would be different,” he took in a breath, “I pulled with all my might, and the Sword responded.”

Helbram snorted when he saw Mary roll her eyes at her brother’s dramatic tone.

“Not all the way though,” a man from the crowd said.

Marucs coughed, “Not all the way, yes, but it did respond, and that only means that it will respond to me in the future.”

“Or me,” Marjorie said in a coy tone, “one might think that you forgot that another pulled the Sword this day,” she wore a smile on her face, the kind that did not reach her eyes.

Helbram grimaced and sat back in his chair, “Something tells me that she’s not one to share the spotlight, humble statements from before notwithstanding.”

Leaf scoffed, “That’s for sure, though I admit I would be quite grated to be treated like a nonfactor in matters such as this.”

Helbram sipped his ale, grunting in approval to its smooth, yet tart taste, “Fair, hopefully neithers’ ego gets in the way in the future.”

Leaf chuckled, “We know that’s all but a certainty,” he looked at Marcus with pity, “and we all know who would win when it comes to a head.”

Helbram sighed, “Yes… you said that her Core was the size of a fist correct?”

Leaf nodded, “Aye, the largest I’ve seen.”

Helbram tapped his head “Hmmm, that would mean she is still a Journeyman, but one of the Third Level, close to an Expert.”

“How strong would that make her?”

“Well, strong enough to take down a Manticore that is for certain, but with Journeyman there is always the expectation that they are just as vulnerable as anyone else. It is those that are Experts and beyond that display some of the more extravagant feats that you hear of Awoken.”

“What of Vol’kesh? He was only a Journeyman.”

“He was also a Quetali, who, by their own nature, are far stronger and more resilient than most,” Helbram explained, “Consider them starting a few rungs up the ladder when it comes to judging such things. 

Leaf sipped his own ale, savoring the taste as well, “I see, regardless the lad stands no chance if the decision came down to crossed swords.”

Helbram gave a solemn nod, “That is indeed true.”

As they spoke, Mary walked by and put a plate of bread and butter on their table. The mild haze of steam emanating from the bread indicated that it was freshly baked.

“There we are,” The tavernkeep said, “Apologies that it took so long.”

Both men raised their hands in reassurance, “Pay it no mind,” Helbram said, “I suspect that you didn’t expect such a crowd to arrive today.”

Mary gave an exasperated sigh, “Not at all. It would be much easier if someone were to help out around here,” she shot a glance to her brother, who still stood at the center of the crowd with a wide smile. The sight brought a slight one to Mary as she saw it, “But I’ll let him indulge himself for now. I wouldn’t be much of a good sister if I berated him in front of so many people, now would I?”

“Oh, so you will in private will you?” Helbram asked.

“Most certainly!” she said in a chipper tone, “I said I was a good sister, not a great one.”

Both men laughed at that.

“I pity him already,” Leaf said with a grin.

Mary smirked and looked towards the staircase, “I’ll take some bread to your friends soon.”

“Take your time, those two are quite understanding of your situation,” Helbram said.

With a grateful bow, the young tavernkeep returned to behind the counter, skirting around the crowd that had grown more dense now that Majorie had stood at the center of them. Helbram looked to Marcus, noting that the young man was looking at her with adoration rather than envy, and in that moment he could not help but feel pity for the hopeful look in the man’s eyes.

“I suppose I could tell you all how it felt to hold the Sword,” Marjorie said in a casual tone. Helbram could feel that it was too even, practiced, to not have been something that she was coming up with on the spot.

She drew her blade, the quick motion causing some of the audience to lean back out of instinct. Helbram noted that it was thinner than his own, but not quite reaching the level of a rapier. The Hawk of Dunwich held it in a salute position, tapping the flat of the blade against her head, “It felt right, more at home in this hand than the blade I wield before you all now. I felt the touch of its power, its Aether pulse through me,” Helbram felt a snap ring through the air, originating from the woman as she spoke. A sheath of red Ether wrapped around the blade, and Helbram could see no trace of effort on Marjorie’s face as she did this. This display of power caused all, including Marcus, to lean in. Geren and Holden, who stood off to her side, nodded along in affirmation to the action, sharing the same smirk that tugged at The Hawk’s lips.

“It was a glorious feeling, the kind that made me feel as if I could tackle any challenge with the slightest of ease. It felt right… perfect.”

Helbram crossed his arms and leaned back, noting the desire that slipped through her rehearsed tone.

Leaf took a sip of ale, loud enough to draw looks of irritation from the back of the crowd, to which the lithe man responded with a shrug. When they turned back around, Leaf leaned in towards Helbram.

“Looks like not getting involved was the correct choice,” he muttered as he grabbed and buttered a piece of bread.

“Yes,” Helbram said as he mimicked his friend’s actions, “God’s help Marcus in dealing with such ambition.”

The two men enjoyed their bread, taking in the slight saltiness to the butter and the pillowy texture of the inside the loaf.

“The guard was right,” Leaf said as he took another bite, “If the bread is this good I can’t imagine what a full meal tastes like.”

“Indeed, hopefully the crowd dies down enough tomorrow to experience such things,” He picked up another slice, “but more importantly, I am curious about something else.”

Leaf looked at him with confusion, bringing his mug to his lips.

He spread butter over his slice of bread, and kept his tone low but casual, “About someone’s ‘long and storied line’.”

Leaf coughed up his sip of ale and cleared his throat. Helbram waited for his friend to compose himself, but Leaf stayed silent.

“You do not need to tell me anything if you do not want to,” Helbram said, “It would be quite hypocritical of me to berate you for keeping secrets.”

Leaf scratched his head, “I wouldn’t call it a secret.. More a revelation I didn’t ask for.”

Helbram nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“My father… my parents are not of my blood,” Leaf said in a soft tone, “I’ve known ever since I was a child,” he scoffed, “It was not hard to tell with their ears so rounded compared to mine… it was my father who found me, abandoned in the forest on a pile of leaves,” he grinned at that, “My namesake.”

Helbram snorted, “Yes, your father indeed has a shite naming sense.”

Leaf laughed, “That he does, but I’ve grown fond of the name, and even if I was not of their blood I could not have asked for a better family. I could have gone my entire life not knowing who I was truly related to, and a godsdamned sword of all things tells me that my blood possess a long history to it,” he leaned back with a sigh, “I’m not curious, but I am bothered.”

Helbram rubbed his chin, “If we were to look at this in a broad, sweeping sense, we could say all blood is ‘long and storied’, given enough time,” he smirked, “Twould be far stranger if the Sword told you that you were the first of your line,” he swept his hands open, “just birthed from the Aether right onto a pile of leaves.”

Leaf laughed, which Helbram joined him in.

“Gods, now that would be interesting,” Leaf said as he calmed down, “I’m sure my Mother would agree. Always called me her little whirlwind, coming and going with the breeze.”

“Now that I can imagine. You were quite the handful then?”

“Oh many handfuls,” he smirked, “Still am, just a bit more controlled.”

Helbram grunted in agreement, and they sat in silence for a moment as the crowd continued to be captivated by Majorie, and to a lesser degree Marcus. Helbram spoke up first.

“If you ever do get curious, you know you can always reach out to us for help,” he said, “tis a bit strange to say this after my own deception, but I mean it, and you know the others would as well.”

Leaf closed his eyes, “I know, but for now I’d rather not dwell on it,” he opened them and took a swig of his ale, “I’d rather spend my life just seeing the world, my blood be damned.”

Helbram raised his drink to Leaf, “That, I can agree with.”

Leaf grinned and tapped his kettle against his.

By the time the crowd died down, it was well into the night. Helbram stood down in the Tavern until the mass of people thinned while Leaf turned in early. He wasn’t sure why he did, but when he saw Majorie leave with her entourage of people he finally decided to make his way up the stairs, bidding a good night to Mary and Marcus, with the latter chattering away too much to pay him much mind. Mary gave him a polite bow, however, which he appreciated.

He made his way to the room, feeling drowsiness steadily creeping over him in preparation for sleep. By the time he opened his door, he was tired enough that he almost tripped over the armor he removed earlier that day, skirting around it to land with a thud against his mattress. Leaf remained still on his own bed, his breathing almost silent as his chest rose and fell. Helbram kicked his boots and socks off before slipping under his blanket, feeling sleep overtake him the moment that he closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he found himself standing in the void, its blackness enveloping all around him. He stood in his armor, his sword in his hand but his shield absent. 

“Here, again?” he said with confusion. It had been quite some time since he’d last had the dream. He remembered the last time occurring after his victory over Vol’kesh, and he’d thought they’d stopped entirely since then.

Yet, here he stood.

He looked around, expecting the formation of the faceless figure from before to materialize, but when no one came, he could only continue with his confusion.

Helbram turned around, looked at the void to see if anyone, anything was approaching, and as he looked around his eyes eventually stopped at the sight of a large object that appeared. There was no sound, no effect of its apparition. One moment it wasn’t there, and the next it was. It was a large cube of gray stone standing at least a story high. Across its surface were many scratches, gouches, holes, dents that bit into its make, damage that could have only been done by various weapons of different strength. He knew this stone, knew its history.

And the sight of it only made him feel helpless.

Author's Note: Back to our normal length here, but I feel like it was pretty productive. I think what I wanted this chapter to really hammer home was that this team is one that will talk things out and will remain even tempered with each other. I didn't want them to be a group that gets mired in drama, but rather filled with reasonable people that are understanding and as a result can address their issues in mature and productive ways rather than stretching out any conflicts with prolonged drama. Let me know if you enjoy this kind of interaction, and how believable I made it seem!

Till next time everyone, have yourselves a wonderful day! :)