Bloodlines
Act II Chapter IV
"You're an interesting man Luc, your body tells tales of your experiences." Alekith says while walking with him, leading them down a hallway in the estate.
"You're asking about the fingers, aren't you?" Lucifen replies, straight to the point."
"And Lida tells me of a scar on your chest that doesn't look very good. Why don't you tell me about yourself? How did you get those ruins?"
Lucifen sighs as he is led out of the house, the sun nearing the horizon as they face the open field with a single road leading down into the unknown. "Well, lost the fingers to my Mercenary Company, I've done... questionable things. Even to myself." he replies as the sudden though of his identity crisis crawls back into memory.
"Questionable things? Am I to worry for hiring you?"
"N-no! This happened winters ago, it's all sorted out." he says with a sigh. "Look, I feel vulnerable just telling you all about myself." Lucifen states honestly, socializing wasn't always his skill.
Alekith gives him a glance. "Well, why don't we trade answer for answer?" He suggests as the top of a wooden structure begins to build from their walking. A few feet more and Lucifen recognizes it as a stable.
"Alright, I'll play that game. Lida seems very strange, who is she?" He asks bluntly.
"Lida... Yes she can be considered strange. Not so long ago she had a son, strong and healthy child." Alekith tells as they get closer to the stable, a few horses can be seen inside. "Long story told short, the child died but her affection didn't. She treats us all like children because of her loss."
"Oh... That was a bit of a heavier answer than I was expecting."
"Well, that's the kind of stories you hear around here, It's normal."
Lucifen glances at Alekith, studying his straight and almost emotionless face as they reach the stable. "That's normal? Bree isn't the happiest place to live in but you can just say that's normal? What kind of place is this?"
Alekith ignores his comment on his sympathy. "It's my turn now." He says as he points Lucifen to a horse while getting to his own. "Know how to ride?"
"Yes, I know."
"Good, now my question-"
"That was your question. My turn." Luc says with a deviant smile separating his cheeks.
"I... Well if this is how you play..." Alekith says bitterly he leads the horse he's on out of the stable, with Lucifen following.
"What kind of place is this?"
Alekith takes a moment to breath as they depart the stable and continue to follow the road, leading them towards the setting sun as the fields seem endless. "Tâdcelon might have been a nice place to live, but my introduction to the town was bitter."
Alekith continues his story.
"We we're looking for work, opportunity. Our lives before that day we're of no purpose. We heard stories of trouble in the south. Rohan had it's problems, but none of Haradrim. We had no obligation to leave, we had nice lives. But we agreed to not stand by as others suffer."
Lucifen watched the sun set as he creates mental images for the story, intrigued.
"We originally planned on heading further down south, only to stop at Tâdcelon for a few days. We found the town near empty, houses abandoned and eyes of judgment. Rathel was... curious of the place, and of what events could've transpired. After one day in the Inn, he returned with Amarion, the lord of the city."
"I wasn't sure of how much effort he went to find him, but Amarion was more than desperate to see us after Rathel talked to him. He offered our services as sellswords once he learned of the reason we visited."
"Haradrim far to the south, but still enough of a threat for Tâdcelon to take action. Due to the threat they held, chaos sprouted in many men above that border. Bandits and raiders took their tole on Tâdcelon and other villages around the area. To them, threat was an oppurturnity."
"My... our skills from our training back in Rohan took notice and quickly, I was promoted to warden. Our company of sellswords and town's militia rivaled any threat and soon, we had achieved the goal of our job. But all good things come to an end..."
After a long silence, Lucifen gazes at him and eventually asks. "And then what?"
"And then it's my turn to ask a question, that was too long of an answer for me to be denied answers." Alekith turns to face him, a gentle smirk on his lips emerge.
Lucifen smiles back. "Only fair I suppose... What do you want to know?"
The two spoke for many hours as the sun set and the stars conjured in the sky, learning of each other as they rode to Tâdcelon. Alekith learned much of Lucifen's past in the Bloody Dawn, but Lucifen was denied any answers as long and detailed as the story.
