Continued from here —
Right after he was released, Kaiell hastily started on his way back to the last battle sight, with Brinira tagging along. Jon, who’d fallen down the small cliff leading into the lake, was either still lying there, dead or alive... or off somewhere else by now. If it meant that Jon still had more than enough strength to live, Kaiell hoped for the latter. But besides making his way across the waters as fast as he could, and then later jogging without stopping on the dry ground afterwards – that was all he could do, was hope.
The trip across the lake by boat had been considerably short – almost two hours. But for Kaiell, it had felt like a small eternity. He’d passed a bit of the time by explaining to Bri exactly how he’d had even stumbled upon them, as well as reminding her about his assumed-dead brother, whom he had had the luck to come across in Trestlebridge.
However, when the two of them reached the edge of the lake, there was no time for such talk – only continuous jogging. Eventually, they made it near the last place of battle, only to find two travelers of some sort – one familiar (to Kaiell), the other a stranger – not too far off. Bri and Kaiell told them to depart the woods and be careful because of the recent threats, before continuing on their way to the place where Jon had fallen. When they reached the bottom of the rockface, Jon was gone, but in his place was blood soaking the ground, the water of the lake almost right up against it. And so, with the combination of Bri’s quick tracking skills and the blood leaving a trail, they made great speed in the direction Jon had gone. And to Kaiell’s surprise and half-joy, it was not long before they actually found him, sitting up against a tree with his legs out straight, and head down low.
“This the one?” Brinira asked as the two of them reached the man on the ground.
Kaiell slowed his walk as he carefully came closer to him. “…Yes. Yes, this is the one,” he said quietly, sinking to the ground as he inspected the pale-grey face of his brother. With closed eyes, the black-clad man sat slouched and motionless against the tree, his body showing many wounds and blood marks, half of them covered and at least partially treated. Most likely done so by himself.
Bri stood there behind and to the right of Kaiell with her arms folded. “The question is... is he alive?”
Not risking to get too close, Kaiell sat there, looking for a sign of life. To his relief, it was soon confirmed that he was alive, though only barely so. The man was faintly breathing still, just noticeably. “He’s still alive,” Kaiell said, the relief showing in his voice, just slightly.
“Then we should get him to a healer.”
Kaiell glanced up to Bri before he started searching a fairly small bag attached to his side. "Yes, though, we need to do what we can here fir–" Kaiell stood up and started backwards as Jon suddenly opened his eyes, reaching behind his back immediately after.
Brinira drew her sword as he began to move. Stepping in towards him, she pointed outwards.
Kaiell dashed to the left, noticing a small dagger on the ground next to and behind the man, and just as soon jumping in to kick it from the man's grasp. He succeeded, but only because the hooded man's movement was considerably slow.
The weak, sick looking man then locked his eyes with Bri's as her sword pointed straight towards him, and he again became motionless. Beyond the look of paleness, there was a certain something in his face, specifically his eyes. Something just barely noticeable as uncanny or unnatural. And the longer you looked, the stranger it became.
Kaiell moved to take the dagger from the ground where he'd kicked it, watching the man and Bri as he did so.
“Do I kill him or do you desire to speak to this worm?” Brinira bit out.
Kaiell stared at Brinira, almost sharply. “Do you not remember who he is?” he snapped after a short pause.
“A servant of the enemy,” she responded, keeping the point of her blade fixed on Jon. “Now talk.”
Jon slowly turned his gaze to Kaiell as he spoke, his arms down on the ground, and his expression mostly blank as nothing came from his mouth besides light, silent breathes.
Kaiell kept his gaze on Bri a moment longer, “Perhaps I never told you everything...”
“This is not the time or place for explanation,” she replied quickly. “If you truly intend to heal him, you need to make effort now so we can transport him.”
Kaiell turned his icy-blue gaze back to Jon, a moment later coming closer and kneeling down on the ground again, peering into his brother’s eyes.
The hooded man stared back silently and expressionless. At least at first, that is. After a time, a look of slight confusion and surprise began to shape his face, his dark eyes now giving the faintest hint of a brighter color.
“Jon?” Kaiell called out to him.
Through now fading clouds of shadow, the weary, sickly looking man turned his gaze about him, towards Bri, towards the trees and sky, then back to Kaiell. “Wha’...keh, Kaiell?” he mumbled quietly, “Where–”
Bri withdrew or sword, folding her arms again. “Hate to break up the reunion, but I don't feel like getting ambushed again.”
Kaiell glanced at the woman before peering into his bag as he moved closer to Jon to further inspect his wounds. “Which is why we're leaving now,” he said back firmly. He continued to search his bag and inspect Jon’s injuries for several long moments before grimacing to himself and closing the bag again. “Forget it. We head back to that island. There are skilled healers there, no?" he inquired hastily.
“Aye, but the trip is nearly two hours by water.”
Stepping closer to Jon, Kaiell suddenly leaned and reached down to carefully pick up his unable brother. “Well it beats those at Archet. Come on, lets hurry... we’ll do what we can on the boat, that way we’ll save time.” Getting a good holding position, the bearded man started on his way at a surprisingly quick pace.
Not long later, the three of them just about reached the edge of the thick forest, the lakefront only a little further off. Kaiell glanced down at Jon as he continued on, the man still releasing short, light breaths as he looked back at Kaiell, his eyes only slightly open. “Lost too much blood...” the black-clad man muttered.
“It's going to be alright, brother. We'll get you healed,” Kaiell said back, the confidence in his voice like an ancient, weakened stone wall, ready to crumble and fall from a great enough force.
“They have elves,” Bri commented. “Higher elves.”
“Yes, it’ll be alright.”
As they came closer to the edge of the lake and the clearing of trees, Kaiell glanced down once more towards his brother as he carried him. Though, this time something was slightly different in the man’s eyes. Kaiell slowed down, “Jon?” he called. His brother stared outwards, eyes still only half-open but unmoving as he made no response. No quiet, weak response this time. Furrowing his brows, Kaiell came to a sudden stop. He then turned and walked to the nearest tree, soon falling slowly to his knees as he carefully laid Jon up against it, the body feeling even more limp than before. “Jon?” he called again – helplessly. For the pale-faced man remained absolutely still, his eyes staring into nothing as his head dipped down low.
“Damnit, lay him out flat, he needs to be resuscitated,” Brinira growled, standing beside Kaiell.
And Kaiell did just that. With the combination of the weariness from his recent journeys finally catching up to him, and the weight of the situation, Kaiell’s swirling mind left him slightly slower and duller than he usually was. Raising a hand to check for a pulse, Kaiell’s frown only deepened. A few moments passed before Kaiell slowly lowered his arm, a look of emptiness in his eyes, his expression carved from stone. “No... No,” he mumbled quietly between deep, heavy breaths as he slowly shook his head.
Brinira climbed to the fallen man's side, slamming her fist on his chest a few times. But all that came of it was oozing blood as a result of her compressions. She shook her head slowly, “He’s gone.”
Kaiell just continued to stay there silently, kneeling on the cold, wet ground as he stared at the now lifeless body, realizing it was all over.
Brinira gradually stood up, peering back towards the lake. Smoke was rising from the far distance, as well as a low glow in the sky. This was odd, it seemed to be coming from Draugmir which was always completely hidden from the eyes of those at the edge of the great lake.
After several minutes of utter silence, two figures approached from the east, a sizeable group of men not far behind them. Brinira stared off to the horizon... a faint snowfall was beginning to fall from the grey-white sky. She then turned to see Alestair and Lomiphell as they came closer. This was unexpected.
“See? Told you I could find them again,” Alestair said to Lomi.
“Very well, you found them,” the woman responded, gritting her teeth as she held back from a snarky comment. She then recognized the dead man from the attack. She nodded her head slightly in approval of his fate.
Alestair stopped as he reached them, looking towards Kaiell and the dead man next to him. “What’s eating you Kaiell my boy?” he decided to say.
Kaiell had barely even heard the two as they’d approached. And when the question was posed to him, he made no answer other than putting a hand to his face in front of his eyes. He did not turn to look, but only stayed there motionless, sitting with a slouched back, his head down low.
“Ah yes, someone you knew,” Alestair then said, waiting a moment before turning around to face the scouting party that had now caught up behind him. “Assist this man in burying his comrade... Your services will be best suited in this escort.”
It was then when Kaiell decided to stand up, doing so slowly. Two seconds later, he crouched back down as he began to carefully pick up his brother’s limp form in his arms once more. Afterwards, he finally turned around to face Alestair, his eyes red from tears, not to mention a lack of sleep. Besides this, his expression was like a cracked stone – his voice much the same. “I’ll bury him myself,” the bearded man stated, a certain gravity in his deep voice.
“Very well… then they shall await you by the boats, they'll see to it that you are returned to the island. I understand that the Ranger will return, but I am unsure if you desire to join her.”
Lomiphell tilted a brow. “You would assign some of our men to a funeral for the enemy when we're running out of time?”
Kaiell looked to the island, then to Brinira. “I go my own way,” he said at last, turning to face the west as he started in that direction.
Alestair followed Kaiell with his eyes. Bri did so as well, frowning slightly as she shook her head. “Remember your duty...” she said before turning and walking elsewhere.
Kaiell hesitated, turning a little to look at Brinira before she left.
Duty.
Kaiell had thought she’d realized by now... but apparently not. He’d tried telling her years ago, but he now knew that he’d not been clear enough. He had no such duty like hers.
Keeping Jon’s head from limply sagging backwards, Kaiell continued onwards as the snow grew thicker around him, soon to cover the ground in a thin layer of brilliant pure-white.
“Time is irrelevant young one,” Alestair replied evenly to Lomi. “You never have enough.”
