{"sf1_id":894418,"sf2_id":null,"title":"A Tale of Ashen Wings - Chapter 2: Untimely Deaths","author":"Andre Valias","words":2712,"posted_at":"2015-08-04T12:59:00.000Z","tags":["Dark","Death","Dragon","Dragonian","Fantasy","Fighting","Magic","Male","Medieval","Nords","blood","brutality","elves","execution","fatality"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/894418-a-tale-of-ashen-wings-chapter-2-untimely-deaths","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/894418","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=894418\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"The crowd cheered and started to hurl verbal insults at the\nstone stage. Akalgan looked around at the common folk whom had forgotten all\nabout him being a foreigner, as they became lost in the excitement that came with witnessing a public\nexecution. He then cast his gaze back upon the Nords who stood helpless in\nthe face of death, as the executioner unfolded his arms and cracked his hands\nin anticipation. He had no weapon of execution on his person, however, and this\nbewildered Akalgan. Does he mean to strangle them with his bare hands? He wondered.\n\nThe Ordinators nodded to each other, before unchaining the\nfirst Nord and hauling him over the front of the dais and before the crowd.\nThose closest to the dais pointed and jeered the loudest insults. \n\"Drunken northerner!\"\nAkalgan heard once. \n\"Piss-drinking scum!\"\nAkalgan heard another time. But the Nord ignored the insults, and instead\nlooked outward over the crowds. Akalgan followed the unfortunate man's gaze,\nbut only found more people behind him. Then there was a loud sparking and\ncrackling sound. Akalgan looked back up to the dais, and the Nord's eyes were\nnow closed. \nSuddenly, his chest exploded spontaneously. A vicious\nfireball tore through him and then evaporated instantly. Flayed insides sprayed\nover the jeering onlookers that were up close and personal to the dais. Some of\nthem winced and screamed in surprise. Even Akalgan flinched at the sheer\nbrutality of the execution. \n\"I see now...\" He\nmuttered. The executioner held his hands to his sides for a moment while he\nsurveyed his work. The magical energy faded in the pause and Akalgan frowned\nin disgust. That is just overdoing it. He silently remarked. The Nord\nwas still barely alive when he fell to his knees with the gaping hole in his\ntorso. \nThe executioner then stepped forward, brought his hand up to\nthe sky, and as he did a column of fire leapt up from the floor and engulfed\nthe Nord. Akalgan and those closest could feel the raw heat the pillar\ngenerated. The pillar was so bright that Akalgan followed the consensus of\npeople in shielding his eyes with a hand. So intense were the flames that\nnobody, not even Akalgan, could see the poor Nord being encased in fire. The\nexecutioner finally brought his hand down and the pillar dissipated. Akalgan\nand the rest of the people lowered their hands upon seeing it was over.\nUnsurprisingly, there was nothing left of the Nord, spare bare ashes, to bury.\nThe slight breath of wind ultimately blew the dust away from the dais, and the\ncrowd cheered. \n\"Praan ko drem.\" Akalgan muttered in prayer for the poor soul. \n\"For Skrijaheim!\" A\nvoice shouted from close-by. Before Akalgan had a chance to draw his attention\nto the voice, an arrow flew through the air and struck the unarmoured\nexecutioner square in the chest. People exclaimed in shock and surprise as they\nmoved away from a group three Nords who wore simple traveling garbs and yet\nwere armed to the teeth with weapons. One of them, a woman, had her bow ready\nand next arrow nocked. \n\"How dare you--Guards!\nSeize them!\" The grandmaster bellowed. The common folk made way for the\nguards who were quickly advancing on the three attackers. \nAkalgan then saw amidst the panic two more Nords, dressed\njust like their comrades, rush up the dais and, with a furious roar, they took\ndown both the Ordinators that guarded the prisoners. The grandmaster turned his\nback to the crowd to face the attackers when he was struck in the side by\nanother arrow from the Nord archer in the crowd. With a grunt, he collapsed to\nthe floor and clutched his side in pain. The executioner got to his knees as\nthe Nords cut down the Ordinators with vicious swings of their axes. Before the\nexecutioner could turn around to cast a spell, the first of the two Nords\nhurled his axe at the Dark Elf. The axe landed its mark. It cleaved the\nexecutioner's mask in two and subsequently split his skull. \nThere was panic in the grounds. Akalgan stood out of the way of\nthe frenzy as the people formed a clear radius around the attackers. The alarm\nbells were ringing from the towers as the guards swiftly leapt into the circle\nand surrounded the three Nords. The archer's companions brandished their swords\nand held their shields aloft. They were grossly outmatched, but Akalgan could\ntell what they intended to do. The Nords upon the dais quickly shattered the\nchains of their brethren and gave them spare weapons. The first Nord then\nretrieved his weapon from the dead executioner, and spared a glance at the\ngrandmaster. Sendalas glared back defiantly, but did nothing as he clutched his\nwound. The Nords then nodded to each other and got off the dais quickly.\nSendalas glowered and then yanked the arrow from his side with a scowl. \nThe other three Nords fought off the guards with such\nferocity that made up for their few numbers. Akalgan watched from amongst the\nmasses with intrigue and apprehension as the Nords bravely fought against\ninsurmountable odds. Joined by their other two companions and now-freed\nbrethren, the group charged against the guards and broke through them like\nsickle through chafe. The people behind the guards scrambled out of the way of\nthe Nords as they began to flee the chaos. \nThere was a loud boom like the roar of thunder, as a silver\nlightning bolt shot through the air and struck one of the Nords down. With a\ncry, the bolt sent him sprawling to the ground with a scorched back from the\nlightning's impact. The grandmaster smirked from the dais, and brought his hand\nback to pressing his injury. The Nords immediately stopped in a moment of fear,\nand they scrambled around their fallen brother. Akalgan's brow furrowed at the\nsight. Why would you not keep running? Is he important...? He wondered.\nThe hesitation of the Nords to leave their brother behind cost them their\nchance to escape freely. They were quickly engaged once more by guards and now\nOrdinators as well. \nThe Nords scrambled around their fallen brother and readied\ntheir weapons once more for battle. Akalgan followed some of the people over to\nwatch the fight. The Nord archer still wielded her bow, and nocked arrow after\narrow as she landed shot after shot amongst her companions who fought off the\nguards. They were certainly not going down without a fight, as they killed and\nwounded the first few guards that engaged them. Blood splattered across the\ncobblestone and guards began to crawl away from the fighting, wounded by either\nan arrow or the glance of a sword. Akalgan cringed at the fight and how it was\ngoing for both sides.\nFinally, the Nords were bested. In a sudden swift stroke,\nthe Ordinators leapt in amongst the guards and brought out their blades. One\nquickly dodged the swing of a battleaxe and cut down the Nord warrior with a\nflawless flick of his blade, while another blocked a sword blow with his shield\nand then finished his foe off by separating his head from his body. \n\"Malkir! Jorik!\" The\nNord archer cried out to her fallen companions. She then bared her gritted\nteeth like an angered wolf. \"Ashlander\nscum!\" The Nord archer cursed as she stepped backwards and fired another\nshot at the Ordinators. The shot struck the first Ordinator in the shoulder and\nsent him sprawling to the ground for a moment, while his comrade charged\nforward with shield raised. The other two Nordic companions joined their\ncomrade and stopped the Ordinator from reaching her. The Ordinator jumped back\nas soon as he saw the two come at him, and then signaled to the other guards\nbehind him. The guards leapt into the fray and overwhelmed the two Nords with\nsudden force. \"Holgir! Bren!\" The\narcher cried out helplessly. But the Nords had no chance as they were knocked\nover by shields and then finished off with a merciful stabbing through the\nchest each. \nAkalgan could now see the fear in the Nords' eyes, as though\nthey immediately realized how hopeless their fight had become. He watched as\nthe Nord archer cast aside her bow and drew her sword. She stood by her\nbrethren stubbornly, even as the Ordinator marched towards her with his\nnow-recovered companion joining him. She cried out as she lunged towards the\nweakened one. She nimbly avoided a sword blow from the unwounded Ordinator and\ngrappled with his wounded comrade. She knocked the sword out of his hand and\nheld him by the neck like a shield as she tried to pull him back with her\nNordic strength. The other Ordinator simply watched. \n\"Arnigge, look out!\" One\nof the Nords shouted out, but it was too late. Before the archer could turn her\nhead, a guard had stepped in and swiftly cut her throat. Blood gushed from her\nneck as she weakly released the Ordinator she had hoped to hold captive. \nTheir rescuers were now dead, felled by hesitation and\ngreater numbers. The Ordinator's wounded comrade was taken off to the side with the\nother incapacitated casualties. The guards followed closely in company of the Ordinator. Akalgan\nwatched, eager to see what the Nords would do next now that their hopes of\nescape had been dashed. Surprisingly, they shouted in defiance and leapt at the\nOrdinator. However, swords fell only upon shield and a parrying flick, as the\nOrdinator disarmed one Nord and killed the other in a swift stroke. He kicked\nthe other Nord down and then held his sword to the throat of the last Nord\nbefore he could raise his own weapon. \n\"Drop your weapon and\nkneel.\" He commanded, whilst the guards seized the disarmed Nord. The Nord\nat sword-point hesitated and then scowled.\n\"Never--!\" He\nshouted as he whacked the sword away with his own and then attempted to cut\ndown the Ordinator with over swing. However, once more, blade clattered upon\nonly shield, and the Ordinator followed up by impaling the Nord upon his sword.\nThe last Nord weakly dropped his sword as he fell limp upon the Ordinator's\nblade. The Ordinator finally lowered his blade and kicked the mortally wounded\nNord off of it. He then finished him off with a merciful stab to the heart. He\nthen glanced to the fallen Nord who the guards seized and hauled back over to\nthe dais along with his disarmed brother. \nThe people looked onward, joined by the rest of the citizens\nwho had heard the commotion and came to witness what was happening. Akalgan,\ntoo, watched as the last two Nords were brought before the grandmaster once\nmore upon the dais. He looked more than displeased with all the bloodshed they\nhad evidently caused. The fallen Nord from before had just regained\nconsciousness to see the grandmaster Sendalas staring back at him. \n\"Severin Sendalas,\nyou snake...\" The fallen Nord who spoke was red-haired, almost as crimson as\nthe blood that now pooled on the streets from the fighting. He stared back at\nSendalas with tired hazel eyes. \n\"You and your\nfather's filthy Redcloaks have wrought only chaos here for me and my people.\" Sendalas\ngrowled back. \"Now tell me, Ulric\nRedcloak... How much will your father pay for your safety and possible return?\" He\nasked. \nAkalgan then realised why the Nords had stopped before, and\nparticularly why he was the one struck by lightning. Severin must have realised\nthat they were here to rescue Ulric, son of Sven Redcloak the Godhammer, and\nthat it only made sense to strike down the objective. Clever and ruthless... Akalgan thought, though he felt ashamed\nof complimenting the Dark Elf even in his head. Ulric spat on Severin's boots\nand glared back at him. \n\"Your head on a\nspike.\" He responded simply. Severin looked annoyed with the impudence\nUlric displayed be spitting on his boots, but then smirked at the response. \n\"Then I see no reason\nto keep you alive then. Neither of you are of value to me.\" He noted as he\nglanced between Ulric and his Nord brother. \n\"What are you waiting\nfor then?\" Ulric asked exasperatedly. \"FINISH\nUS!\" He bellowed. The parade grounds were silent as Severin returned\nUlric's intense gaze, but only for that quiet moment.\n\"Guards! Bring me the\nOrdinator who killed the last Nord.\" Severin ordered sharply. The guards\nobeyed and signalled for the Ordinator. He promptly stepped up to the dais and\njoined the grandmaster. \n\"My lord.\" He\naddressed as he obediently kneeled. Severin nodded.\n\"What is your name,\nOrdinator?\" He asked. \n\"Veratus, my lord.\" The\nOrdinator answered. Severin took note.\n\"Then stand,\nVeratus.\" He ordered, and Veratus did as he was commanded. \"You rightfully have the honour of promptly\nputting these two fools out of their misery.\" Severin explained. \"With my blessing, of course.\" He\nquickly added. Veratus looked at his lord for a moment, then back at the two\nNords. Ulric looked unphased, while his Nord brother had his head cast down in\nhopelessness. Akalgan and the rest of the city watched silently as Veratus\nunsheathed his sword once more. He stepped towards Ulric's companion, and\npaused for a moment with his sword in both hands pointing toward the heavens.\n\"For the Tribunal.\" Veratus\nuttered. He then aimed for the heart and plunged his sword straight through the\nNord's chest. He cried out in pain as the life drained from his body, and when\nit was over for him, Veratus pulled his blade clean from the Nord whose body\nfell limp upon the stone. Akalgan glanced about him and expected cheers, but\nthe people were shockingly quiet. He then looked back at Veratus as he stepped\ntowards Ulric. \nVeratus once more held his sword in both hands pointing\ntoward the heavens, but Ulric spat on his boots.\n\"Spare me your\nTribunal nonsense, and send me to Sovngarde!\" He shouted. Veratus looked to\nSeverin for a moment. The grandmaster then raised his hand.\n\"Hold, Veratus. I've\nchanged my mind.\" Severin began. Veratus paused for that moment, ready to\nsheath his sword at the thought that his lord had decided to be merciful.\nHowever, Severin had no intention of the sort. \"I'll send this rat back to his father--\" he spoke as he stepped\nforward and briskly took the sword from Veratus. \"-- In pieces!\" Severin then brought the sword aloft and viciously\ncut across with a cold look in his eyes. He decapitated Ulric in a sudden\nmovement that drew gasps from the crowd. Veratus did not seem shocked, but he\ndid appear to pity Ulric as his head smacked upon the stone and rolled down the\nsteps of the dais to the ground below. Akalgan also stared at the head with\npity as people shied away from it. \nUlric's body collapsed lifeless upon the stone before\nSeverin, and he smirked. \n\"Good riddance.\" He\nmuttered. He then looked to Veratus. \"Gather\nthe guards and clean up this mess, and prepare the fallen for their families.\" Severin\nordered of the Ordinator. \"Oh, and\nretrieve Ulric's head for me. Sven can have him back.\" He added as Veratus\nbowed his head in acknowledgement, before assuming his commands. The guards\nthen started herding the citizens out of the parade grounds and back to their\ndaily life. Akalgan stared at Severin as he departed from the dais and headed\ntowards the citadel, accompanied by two guards to help him with his injury.\nAkalgan then glanced back to the mess the Nords had wrought, both of the guards\nand themselves, then finally spared one more look upon Ulric's head. Even in\ndeath, his tired hazel eyes stared defiantly towards the skies. It looked like\nthe perfect material for a bard to write a song, and Akalgan had no doubt that\nthere were many of them in the audience. He sighed.\n\"Praan ko drem.\" He whispered once more in prayer for the Nords'\nsouls, before he followed the rest of the people and left the parade grounds.\nHe headed back to his tavern of residence, eager to get over the events of the\nmorning. It isn't too early to drink, is it? Akalgan wondered to\nhimself. 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