TFW - The Fallen World

From here


Two weeks and with much angst, Mordaunt and the three went through the closest portal within the provincial boundaries of Airis-Ivis. Out they would come and find themselves in a very thickly wooded area. Mordaunt's head would rise toward the sky and he could barely see the sunlight peeking through the tops of the trees and his eyes squinted for he had not seen such light in the sky in all is years, or at least all his reborn years.

He knelt down and looked to the ground, his hand reaching out to touch the forest floor. "The ground is cold and wet, it must have rained recently." The other three seemingly had similar problems with their eyesight, though in fact much more than Mordaunt. Mordaunt's dreams of other places, other times were a help to him now.

"Not as cold as back home, but I imagine it can get a mite nippy. Pull out your leathers with wool from your traveling packs. You will need them." Mordaunt was already taking his own satchel off to switch out of his cloak to a much more environmental friendly suit of clothing. He had been born in the dark and cold, but with the sun above, and the weather still nippy and watching the trees sway a bit with the breeze, he would not take any chances of becoming ill and having to remain away from Solania and his child for even longer than he already had to be.

After the changing of clothing the four undertook, not being proprietous as they had all served on at least one battlefield together... then packing their other clothing back up, they would begin to trudge southward, away from the direction north according to the sunlight's rays, to see what they could find... To see if Akil seeming worried about what was on the other side... was superstitious or foundated.

They had not seen a single person in the area as they searched it. The area seemed to be devoid of life except for the foliage and the wilds. Mordaunt did not like the idea of this, though there was at least animal chatter up through the point they made it to a small clearing and the sun had finally set, only the rays left behind giving off a faint light in the distanc to the west.

"General." One of the females whispered as they were all watching around them and the house came into view. And Mordaunt's eyes looked in her direction she would nod her head toward the house where they saw the woman standing silently staring at the tops of the trees towards the portal they had walked out of.

Mordaunt motioned them to stop, and they would lower there to watch what the woman did.

"She is very pale General. She's also very thin. I wonder how long it has been since she's eaten?" Another, one with a small amount of healer's training stated and questioned.

"I don't know. She's skittish though, she's heard and spotted us." Mordaunt made comment as he watched Alexandria move to behind the post. "Whatever is wrong in this area, we need to figure it out... Where we came from has been open for 5 years or more now, and I know there is one in Deshu as well. It would not be wrong to say that each of the Province's has one. If they all lead here, than this area has to have seen a great deal of turmoil. Let's be very careful about approaching anyone on this side."

Mordant would move to a stand and begin walking forward. The women would follow suit as they were supposed to belong to him. Their weapons were well hidden, where as Mordaunt made sure that his sword was seen, though he looked like a merchant, just one that could handle just about anything thrown a him. He would finally come to a stop with the others about 50 feet from where Alexandria was standing and look up at her. His voice was gentle and kind, something he hoped would not be a pitfall for him. "Milady... Where is the nearest township, so we may restock?" Keep it to business and perhaps they would find a way to gain information out of her that was useful.

Alexandria's dark eyes watched as the quad moved forward. She spoke nothing as they neared her, and she didn't move from behind the post only changing which side her head was on, placing her hands on the post and seemingly curling to it as if it would protect her from them.

As the question came to her ears, she would look around as if paranoid and speak softly, letting the gentle breeze carry her words to their ears.


"It is about a night's walk south of here, but I am afraid it is as empty as mia famiglia's home Signore."


The strangest accent perhaps to their ears. Though she spoke in the same common tongue as they, there were a few words that could be easily deciphered, she did not sound like any of them, and perhaps not like those from around here.

"Mia famiglia left before I could get here from the ship... I did nae know they were leaving... Were there any in the trees besides yourself?"

Alexandria was good in many situations. Coming upon strangers it was good to read how they were and with this one looking to be a merchant with three female servants, she would see how he would react to her looking for her family after being sent here. She would judge his intentions, their intentions by the way they moved. She had fed in previous nights, but not this one, it was too close to the falling sun for her to feed before the darkness completely settled in. But the thirst had yet to make itself known to her as she watched and judged if any of them would be a suitable meal, or come under her control as suitable companions as she searched for Dane's errant childe.

Strange speech indeed, but it was understandable to the foursome, at least most of it. Mordaunt would raise a brow, at the fact that the woman admitted being alone. He was not sure of the customs of the land, but he could not imagine a woman traveling alone at night, or staying alone in a broken down domicile would be a wise thing.


"We have seen no others since entering the wood. You are alone, out here so far from a township?"


The women were watching and while women rose to power, and could be on their own, it was seldom such would occur and very seldom a woman would be left unattended in the Marakai.


"Have you food with you? Wood for a fire to cook it?"


Something about this woman was a bit off, though he was not getting the feeling from his sword warded against fallen and demon alike that this woman was either of those.


"She seems a bit dazed, sir."


Mordaunt would nod to the healer brought to his ears.


"How long has it been since you have had a warm meal? Have you been injured? Have you supplies to keep you warm?"


Mordaunt would start to move closer, ever so slowly, testing the waters of her skittishness. But he could not imagine, according to her own words, how she would survive out here on her own with nothing but the clothing on her back, which did not seem all that warm to begin with, as they had already donned another layer.

"I have food and blankets. I only just arrived this morning. Mia familia could not have left too long ago. I shall go looking for them in the morning."


Oh she was not one to travel with others that weren't vampires. To allow them to see what she was would be too lethal, at least to them, but even perhaps herself.


She watched as the male drew closer, and made herself seem a bit more skittish all the while aloof at the same time. She shied back and tucked her head slightly, before she moved inside the doorway and grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her.


She would follow them perhaps, should they go toward the township, but she would not travel directly with them. Their smell was enough to make her desire to feed, and with a group this small, she would need to be very careful in her feeding. And she had already noted one was a healer, which made this twice as hard, for she didn't know what the healer knew of other creatures.

Mordaunt stopped the moment Alexandria shied away and stepped inside. His lips pursed for a few moments until he came back out wrapped in a blanket that would match more the night air and keeping warm from the dampness. He looked to his subordinates then back to her. With a nod he would say quietly,


"I will leave word with the town ahead about you. I do not think it is entirely safe for you to be here alone with the cottage in such a state, but I will not disrespect you at the same time."


He was truly not aware of the customs here, but then again, were they all to different from the Marakai. He would learn how close and distant the customs were as he trodded through the plane. He would make a militant motion for the other females to move southward as he would turn as well.


"Be careful madam."


With those three words he would move in unison with his party and head toward the village she said to be near. He would stop before they entered the treeline again and look over his shoulder. His eyes would meet hers and a slim smile prevailed over his lips.

"My given name is Mordaunt. You will know if I sent someone to you by that name alone."


Did he know he had just come across a vampire? Perhaps some part of him did, somewhere deep within the recesses of his memory as his prior life. Had there been Vampires back then... most certainly for there were wars that dated back before the time of his first life. So the quad would move deeper within the Welsh forest and head toward the patch of civilization that Alexandria had directed them toward.

Mordaunt and the female soldiers he had brought with him moved off from the cabin and toward the direction Alexandria had given them. There was something off about the woman, but Mordaunt had no knowledge of what it could be but it would serve as an itch in the back of his mind for now to be watchful.


They would trod at a careful but quick pace through the forest, heading toward civilization from what Alexandria had said, even if it was abandoned. They could find shelter there after the brisk, near jog, to eat and rest for a few hours, at least until the dawn.

But Mordaunt wouldn't make it to the village Alexandria spoke of... not right away. About half way there... Something caught his senses, something familiar. He motioned the women to a halt and would lower himself behind the brush, and the women would do the same.

To Walls of Stone, Hearts of Steel

Alexandria would wait a bit before she would take off in the direction she had sent Mordaunt and his company in. She would follow quietly, keeping them at distant sight so that she wouldn't lose him. He and they did not move as merchants would. No, that looked more like the militia within the Marileus. They were spaced out to cover the most area for proteciton of the group, but a little far apart for humans with a vampire tracking them.

She would slow her pace a bit as her father, Lucian, came into her mind and left her with a mental thrashing.

She would have to make up the distance between them and catch up with them.


To Walls of Stone, Hearts of Steel

End Thread