The departure from the Palace was a bittersweet event. While the Kingdom looked on with hope, they also looked on with trepidation at the days to come, without their magnificent hero to guide and protect them.

The Twenty-One began their journey north in silence, only broken by the thump of boot heels and cracking twigs. It would be three long days before they reached the border out of the Kingdom, and then the incredibly long journey north to find the Orb of Karoth, their only information being that it was hidden within a Vale of Shadows somewhere in the place where Winter never dies.

Near the end of the first day, Dragonsbane called a halt. He knelt on the dusty dirt road, examining a set of tracks.

"Light boot tread, many. Here, scrapings, probably weapons. Be on your guard, men, there's barbarians nearby. The tracks are fresh, only a few hours old."

Aeron gripped Peacebringer, loosening it in his sheath, and glanced around. The barbarians were woodcrafty when they wanted to be.

Kadis gripped his warhammer at Aeron's warning, bringing it down from his shoulder, gripping near the head with his left hand. The other guards glanced around nervously, gripping their weapons.

"Come, we must keep moving, men." Aeron's voice betrayed no nervousness, only a steady confidence.

The group pressed on, silenced by an overwhelming anxiety and a deep sense of forboding.

"Come, we must keep moving, men."

And women....Kaleah thought silently. The silence was killing her but she continued to follow quietly in line. From her view in the middle of the march she could see only the top of their commander's body. She wondered when he would call the next halt. She hope it would be for a rest. Her gaze turned back to her surroundings and she scolded herself for be distracted.
She moved her hand to the hilt of the sword and firmly rested it there.

Then a rustling in the brush near the group made a few of the men stop and unsheathe their blades. She followed suit, but kept moving with the line. When a rabbit burst from the grass the soldiers seemed to let out a breathe they had been keeping in. They replaced her swords in their sheathes and she wondered if anyone could blame them for their jumpy tendencies. They're mission was of great importance and failure would probably mean the failure of all. For if this group, let by the greatest knight of all the realm, could not bring back its prize, then who could?

She shook the distractions away once again and tried to keep pace.

Curudir withdrew one of his swords. "He's right. There is evil afoot here." He stated. "Can you not hear the whispering in the trees? We're being followed." He looked out at the trees, which appeared to be shaking consistently, but not from animals or the wind. He then addressed Aeron. "Our only options are to flee or fight."

Cursing under his breath, Nish made his way towards the front of the line. Until now he had kept his distance, partly because of the lord's atitude, but mostly because he was sick of priests trying to convert him. Unfourtantely surviving an attack would be far more likely if he had a war hero to hide behind.

The day was long and nervous, but the night was even worse. Dragonsbane called a halt. "Nish, get a fire going. Coldtower, you've got first watch, I'll take second. Addersley, you've got cooking duty. Coldtower, keep your eyes open, I can still smell those Barbarians. "

Kadis nodded. He wouldn't have been sleeping anyway, the weariness of the road was far outweighed by his anxiety of the unseen enemies in the forests. He pulled an oilcloth out of his pack and began nervously polishing the head of his hammer.

Thanar sat on a nearby stump, warhammer slung over his back. He reached for the familiar weight around his waist, the book chained there so he would never forget the words of his god and the laws of his people. He rested the book in one hand and began leafing through it, before settling on one part of the scriptures particularly appropriate for this time: a litany of protection.

"Yea, even as our enemies beset us from every side, we shall stand in Rhillor's light, comforted by his warmth, and resolute as we are guarded with his divine flame. From the assaults of the heretics and unbelievers shall he shield the faithful, and..."

The litany continued for some time, and Thanar continued reading, content to read all night, but ready to bring his warhammer into play should anything require it.

Oh great Nish thought, like having to get a fire started wasn't bad enough, now he had to stay in earshot of a ranting inquistor. Figuring he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, he went over his gear, sharpening and stitching where required.

"Oh shut up." Curudir muttered under his breath. The overzealous sermon given by Thanar could give the Barbarians reason to attack. Faith in some higher power isn't going to save us from our enemies, strength and action is. he thought. He had his bow at the ready, waiting for the barbarians to strike.

The night went on in silence, only occasionally broken by quiet whispers or a sword rasping across a whetstone, as the resting Guards huddled around their pitifully small fire, huddling for protection from the cold wilderness. Eventually, the overpowering pressure of weariness outweighed their fear. The midnight hour passed, and Dragonsbane arose.

"Coldtower, get some sleep."

Kadis nodded and went to lay down by the fire, still half-gripping his warhammer. Dragonsbane sat, his sword laying naked across his legs. The quiet movement hadn't stopped. Pale figures could sometimes be seen running through the trees, visible for a moment, vanished the next.

The night wore on, and the fire burned low.

As Aeron relieved the watchman, Thanar concluded his reading of the scriptures. Closing the book and returning the book to the clip on his belt, he murmured a few orisons, unslung his warhammer and sat down next to the stump. Leaning heavily against the stump, he rested his hand on the bronzed skull chained to his belt. He breathed a quiet sigh and set the warhammer against his side as he began to doze off.

Kaleah had laid her blanket out on the outskirts of their camp. She placed her small travel buddle under her head. Sleeping in her breast plate was uncomfortable as hell, but she didn't dare take it off. She listened to Thanar as he read out loud. She had heard the scriptures so many times, but never tired of it. After he finished she silently prayed for Rhillor to bless them all. She closed her eyes and listened to the fire spit and crackle. As Kaleah drifted into slumber she pulled the blanket's length over her and began to dream.

Aeron ran the oilcloth over Peacebringer another time, then held it up before the moonlight, idly marveling at the perfect shine of the blade, the incredibly sharp edge. He twisted it slightly, then rolled to the side as an axe whistled through the air where he'd been an instant before.

"Arayans! We are under attack!"

The pale figures that had been moving around the camp since they had halted emerged. At least thirty barbarians, clad in hides and piecemeal armor, carrying axes and clubs and hammers, stepped forward. Their apparent leader, a massive man holding a greatsword, stepped closer, looking down on the smaller Knight.

Then the Barbarians charged.

Algren's sleep was interrupted, he had been resting his eyes since they made a halt. He was young and brave, a few shadows in the trees wouldn't disturb his sleep, but at the voice of alarm a shiver ran through his spine, his reflexes came into place and he was ready to fight. He opened his eyes just in time, he rolled over to avoid the barbarian axe headed to his skull and with a lightning move he buried his dagger into the barbarian right thigh, but it wasn't enough... a bloodlust roar came from the barbarian mouth and the axe was once again in the air.He tried to reach for his sword, but it was not there, he wanted to sleep comfortably, he was careless, inexperienced...

"I'm doomed" he thought, just then...

Curudir shot a barbarian charging at him right between the eyes with his bow, then pulled out his swords to keep off another nearby barbarian, and dodge most of his attacks before stabbing him in the chest. "For Araya!" He shouted, slashing another barbarian to death.

Woken by the roars of barbarians, time appeared to freeze for a moment. Instinct made Nish look for someone to tandem with, but his top choices, Aeron and Curudir where in whirling death mode, and their meatshieldnes where outweighted by the chance of them removing his limbs. And with Thanar and Kadis too far off that left Algren and Kaleah.

One look at Algren provided Nish with the only good news so far. Unarmed and desperate, it seemed like the barbarians would remove the competiton from his part of the market. Ironicaly this meant that after avoiding contact with the priesthood for the entire trip, his life would depend on a priestess.

A sarcastic grinn apeared on his face. With blue-ish blades, a tune on his lips, and a voice that could ruin milk, he danced the only dance he knew towards Kaleah.

just then... Algren realized his quiver was lying right beside him, he rapidly took an arrow with his left hand and at the same time, he grabed the dagger still buried in the barbarian thigh with his free hand and made a twist to the right. An instant roar came from the barbarian lips and his offensive movement stopped, but Algren didn't. With a quick body turn to the left he pulled the dagger from the barbarians thigh while standing up. While still turning he came face to face with the barbarian, "this is it" he thought. He buried the arrow on his left hand into the barbarians neck, and finishing the turn his dagger found its way to the barbarians heart. He then kicked the barbarian on the chest while pulling his dagger out of the motionless body. The barbarian was lying at his feet... dead, he contemplated the body for a split second, "My first kill as an Arayan guard" he thought. But it was not time for thinking, it was time for action. He grabbed his sword which was lying on the ground a few feet away, when he saw him... A two meter tall pure muscle barbarian, no doubt the leader, was not far from lord Aeron. The brute let out a terrifying roar and what seemed like 30 barbarians appeared threw the shadows behind him. They were undoubtely outnumbered...

No sooner had she closed them when she opened her eyes to meet the gaze of a towering barbarian bruit with a club raised over head. Kaleah was thankful she had slept in her gear just then. Time appeared to slow as she palmed the dirt and kicked her legs off the ground to gather enough momentum to bring her legs over her head. She twisted on one of her arms, which were now supporting her entire body's weight, just in time to turn and see her attacker's club hit the pack in which her head had just been resting. Time then returned to its normal state and she fell off her hands landing on her backside.

The barbarians eyes bulged as his target nimbly moved out of his club's bath. He chuckled as he watched Kaleah rise from the dirt and unsheathe a long sword. She gazed back without flinching. She was glad to hear the laughter, for she had heard it several times before in similar circumstances. That's right... I'm just a women...no threat to you... Then time slowed once again...

He stopped giggling and moved towards her. He swung his enormous weapon with his truck sized arms down on her with envious force. Kaleah side stepped, spinning towards him rather than away. As she spun her blade struck his massive belly. The poor bruit fell face forward on to his own arms and club. She raised her sword with both hands and thrust it into his neck severing the spine.

As she removed it from the barbarian's back, the length of it now covered in crimson, the footsteps of another raider caused her to turn and barely meet the blade of his axe with her sword. She had moved just in time and her sword met the axe at the point were the head met handle. She forced the blade from his hand, but she was not paying attention to his other. He raised a second axe from his left side. It sped with incredible speed towards Kaleah's gut.

Her eyes stayed focused as she dropped to her knees and bent towards the ground letting the axe swing over, missing the top of her forehead. Just as the blade missed its target, she swung her own sword and took the raider's legs out from under him.

She stood only to meet two more barbarians. After what they had just witnessed, they both hesitated to make the first move. They would not be careless. Kaleah stood with her blade at full length pointed at the two. Feeling a little confident she charged first and met to the left with her blade and kicked the other one in the stomach. He fell back and didn't rise just then. He watched as Kaleah's fluid movements mesmerized him. He stood after composing himself and moved to help his comrade.

She met them both then, the sound of her quick breathes silenced by the loud clanks of weapon meeting weapon. Then she felt herself beginning to tire under the relentless attacks of the two barbarians. But her will went farther than theirs, at least she prayed that it did as the fight continued.

Time and place lost its meaning, there where no thoughts, only moves and counter moves, actions and reactions. The sounds of sinews snapping, people screaming, poison fizzling, metall ringing and cries of pain was barley noticed by Nish. There was only him and his destination, everything else was either obstracles to eliminate or objects to ignore. His blades lashed out to incapacitate, not out of cruelty but for simplicity, leaving several to an agonizing death by poison. Several axes strafed him, not afecting his dance and therefore unoticed.

With his destination threatened, Nish moved in to help, not knowing or caring why, she was his goal, and he trusted his conciousness to have a reason. Moving his blades in a circular patern he felt the barbarians sinews snapp, leaving them wrigling on the ground. Adjusting his dance to support her attacks, he brought himself to conciusness long enough to see the hopelessness of the situation before setling back to instinct mode.

With no chance of escape, he trusted his instincts to keep him in one piece. If they didn't, his chance of being stitched together would be far greater if he kept the healer alive.....

With the cold feel of his sword once again in his right hand Algren felt the adrenaline rushing to his head. He looked around and saw Kaleah and Nish surrounded by barbarians, they were fighting bravely, but the odds were against them.

He started heading in their direction, but three ill tempered brutes got in the way. One of them started a crazy run towards him, shouting like there was no tomorrow. A tiwsted grin made its way to Algrens face, his sword changed hands, as he waited for the right moment. His right hand moved slowly to his belt, it stopped when his fingers touched the grip of his dagger. Suddenly with a quick movement of his hand, the weapon was drawn from its resting place, and it was cutting the air. Then for a split second there was silence, no more shouts. The barbarian was lying on the ground now, blood rushing out of his neck like an unstoppable stream. The two brutes left looked at their companion, now convulsing on the ground, till the movement stopped. They exchanged a quick look and with a hatred roar they both charged.

Once more the death dance began, Algren new the steps to perfection, but two on one was a disadvantage. His atackers kept attacking relentlessly and he started to feel the effort of keeping them at bay...

A feral roar rips from Thanar's throat as he charges into the fray, quickly being confronted by a hulking behemoth of a man wielding a beautifully carved wooden club. Not hesitating for a moment, Thanar threw his whole weight into an arcing overhead blow, which the man easily parried. However, the barbarian did not consider that his weapon was made of wood, and a grimace of fear came across his face as he looked at the massive crack that had split his weapon nearly in two. He began to backpedal before his nose was broken by the hilt of Thanar's warhammer, knocking him unconscious. Thanar waded deeper in to the melee, focusing on a target only long enough to move them out of his way as he moved towards his spiritual charge, the Knight Dragonsbane. He only managed a few steps before a crude stone blade glanced off of his armor. The wielder, a wiry, rat-like man, looked slightly disconcerted at this before pulling his backup weapon- a fine steel dagger of Ayaran make. He was too quick for Thanar to stop, and the dagger plunged through the chainmail and deep into his left shoulder. With a shout of pain and rage, Thanar let his warhammer slacken, and with his free right hand, grabbed the man by the throat. Now weaponless, he began to scrabble against the mailed hand that held him fast. Thanar began to choke the life out of the man, and as the barbarian lost consciousness, Thanar gave his neck a vicious twist and threw him at the nearest barbarian before continuing on.

Kaleah fought for her life as the barbarian's attacks met hers. Just when she thought she could take no more, a blade struck her across arm as she twisted to thrust her saber into a beast beside her. The pain stuck something in her, a kind a madness. She pulled her saber free letting the stuck pig crumble in a slump and turned on the one who hit her. The wild look in her eyes sent a bit of fear into the brute causing him to hesitate, giving the mad priestess her chance to turn the tide.

Kaleah swung her blade across the stunned barbarian's throat. Blood erupted from the wound and he fell to his knees. She turned, now free of foes for the moment, and rushed to aid Nish with his enemies.

Curudir spotted who looked like the leader, or at least a high-ranking Barbarian, and immediately picked up one of the torches set up around the camp, and threw it at him like it was a knife. It set his fur armour on fire, and caused him to flail wildly through the camp. He then flipped his sword at the hilt, and stabbed another barbarian from behind. "WE WILL TRIUMPH!" He shouted.

Aeron was like a storm of silver and steel as he moved through the battle, Barbarians clutching severed limbs and opened bellies at his passage. "Rally, to me! Men of Araya, ral--" A thump interrupted him. The Knight glanced down at his chest, where a few inches of wood and feather protruded. He stumbled backwards and fell at the base of a tall elm.

Lacking the grace of his counterparts, Thanar rushed through the battlefield. As he saw Dragonsbane fall, his speed seemed to increase tenfold. Charging full tilt, bashing barbarians out of his way as he hurried towards the fallen Knight, a prayer on his lips and rage in his heart. The barbarians began to clear out of his way as he neared Aeron, and he took a wide stance in front of his charge, panting heavily as blood began leaking out of his pierced shoulder. "SIR AERON NEEDS A PHYSICIAN- AND SOMEONE TAKE CARE OF THAT DAMN ARCHER!" Thanar took another swing at the encroaching semicircle of barbarians that had formed around the tree - a few leapt back, out of reach, while a few on his other side advanced a few steps. He began to hum a battlehymn as he watched the group warily, but the tense standoff continued. Luckily for him, it would be a bloody hard shot for that archer to shoot him through the wall of men.

Thanar's cry for aid rang over all the noise of the battle. Kaleah quickened her movements on impulse. She was needed and the barbarian she was currently engaged with was no longer of importance. She faked an opening, the brute fell for it. When he moved forward to strike she moved aside just in time to let the blade miss disemboweling her. She put her free hand on his wrist holding the axe and brought her sword down on his arm, slicing it clean off. He crumpled to the dirt, screaming and holding his new bloody stump.

Kaleah sprinted to her pack with her healing supplies only to be cut of by another of the Neanderthals. She kept running full force, hoping to intimidate him, her blade raised above her head. He held position as she came at him. Just when she swung her sword thinking she would down him before the stupid oaf would even react, she was hit. His club met her side sending her flying back.

The air from her lungs burst free, leaving her on her backside gasping. Kaleah's sword dropped from her reach and landed several inches away. She laid there reeling from the blast and when she finally caught her breath, she was staring up into her foes eyes.

"Opening, opening, opening, gods I'll become your most devout servant if you just give me an opening." Nish was getting desperate, despite the efectivness of fighting with Kaleah, and the amount of barbarians killed by others, they where still loosing. He wanted to flee, but had seen no oppening, and he didn't fancy his chances of breaking trough on his own. So he stuck with Kaleah, cuting those ocupied with her, redirecting blows to her armor, and jaming weapons to give her the coup de grace.

Catching an axe headed for his neck, he redirected it towards Kaleah's plate, releasing the axe from his scimitars, he could only watch as the barbarian used his momentum to drive the axe into the side of his gut. He had just removed the barbarian's grin before he pain jolted him into conciousness. His wound burned worse than anything he had felt before. Was he dying? And where had Kaleah gone? Tying some rags around his wound, he hoped it would keep everything inside at least untill someone could take a look at it, or someone killed him.

Seeing his only chance of surviving lying in front of a rather pissed barbarian, Nish rushed towards the barbarian. His legs wouldn't have any of that however, and he fell face first while his blades where sent flying towards the barbarian. His sight went hazy as he saw one blade embed itself in the barbarians spine. Then everything went black.

Things were not going well for Algren. He was doing his best to avoid the attacks from the two barbarians when he heard Thanar's shout.

It destracted him for a moment and a barbarian axe made its way to his left shoulder, the armor couldn't resist the strain and the blade made its way to Algrens flesh. The pain should have been great, the cut went from the shoulder to the elbow, but in the battle frenzy Algren barely noticed he was wounded. All he saw was his opponent giving him an opening, and his sword find its way inmediately to it..., as the barbarian fell to never get up again. One foe left, and he had to be quick, Thanar's tone of voice demand it.

One on one the brute was to slow for him, and in a mater of seconds Algren's sword found the barbarians neck, it was over. He looked up and saw kaleah and Nish lying on the ground, but he couldn't help them now. He had a more pressing matter to attend..., "Now, where's that archer...", just then a sharp pain made its way to his left shoulder. There was already a nasty cut in it, and now there was also an arrow resting deep inside. Algren's sight went black as he fell backwards to the ground... the sounds of battle seemed far away now...

Kaleah rolled to the side as the barbarian fell to the ground. A scimitar was protruding from his back. Thank Rhillor for comrades. She looked for Nish, expecting to see him remove his saber from the dead barbarian, but instead she found him on the ground a few feet away. There were no barbarians nearby. It seemed they were all fighting to get past Thanar.

Her side ached as she pulled herself up and moved to Nish. His chest was slowly rising and falling, but he didn't respond as she spoke to him.

"Nish, open your eyes. Speak if you can hear me! Please..."

Blood was soaking through a makeshift bandage around his gut. She applied pressure on wound as she unwrapped it to take a look. Luckily it appeared that none of his organs had been stuck. She pulled her pack closer, digging through its contents.

The wound would have to be sutured, but for now a poultice would have to do. She laid out the wet herb wrap over the wound and carefully wrapped a clean bandage around it. It was difficult to move him without causing him pain, but he didn't seem to react. She finished and she had done it quickly and as efficiently as possible. Took off her cloak and laid it over him, then turned to find Algren nearby laying with an arrow in his shoulder.

As she sprinted in his direction an arrow flew past striking a soldier in the back of the neck. She looked and found its source gazing back at her, already removing another arrow from his quiver. Kaleah ran at him. She wasn't going to let him notch the arrow. He watched her come and just as he put the fletching to the string, her fist hit him square in the jaw and the arrow dropped to the ground. She slapped the bow from his hands and he retaliated by striking her in the temple.

Kaleah didn't allow it to phase her. She pulled out the small knife on her waist that was usually meant to cut bandages and thrust it into his gut. He fell into a fetal position and held his stomach. With the archer taken care of she turned to face the on going battle.

It wasn't a pretty sight. Bodies lie everywhere. Thanar was fighting back the barbarians along with a few other soldiers and she could not see Aeron past the wall of combatants. There was nothing she could do for their lord at the moment, except wait for his guards to finish off the last of the attackers. Instead she ran to Algren's side to see if he was still alive. She knelt beside him to check his vitals.

Curudir searched the battlefield for Aeron, only to find him seriously injured and laying on the ground.

Curudir wrapped a cloth bandage around Aeron's wound and began to push down on it, trying to slow the bleeding. "Come on, don't you die on us, we need you." He said, doing everything he could to keep Aeron alive. "You've been through worse than this, you can survive, I know you can."

A jolt of pain brought Nish barley into consiousness. Someone was moving him and doing something to his wound. He tried to open his eyes, but they stubornly refused to move. The rest of his body didnt feel like moving either, apearing quite happy with being incapacitated. Gritting his imaginary teeth, he stoped his rather inneficent strugle.

Kaleah listened for it and found him breathing, yet very shallow. His arm had been cut from elbow to shoulder. Nasty. The arrow had made its way through entirely so she didn't have to worry about the barbed head damaging him any further, although the shaft wouldn't feel any better. She pulled him by his uninjured shoulder and rested him against her own chest. She pulled out a pair of medical clippers and placed them gently around the shaft at the base of the head. She clipped it clean off. He jerked a bit in her arms but didn't wake.

Kaleah held him with one arm while she dug inside her bag and laid out the bandages and the poultices. She removed a long thick leather cord and forced it between his teeth. She did not want him biting off his tongue. She took in a long breath as she grasped the shaft. She pulled the cord in his mouth's ends with the arm she was holding him with so it would not fall out. Kaleah prayed softly.

Then she pulled hard, withdrawing the arrow completely.

Only faint sounds of battle were reaching Algren's ears, when he felt someone near him. He tried to open his eyes, but such an effort seemed imposible. Even if it was an enemy, there was nothing he could do. He felt a hand grabbing his right shoulder and he felt an immediate relief sensation. He didn't need to open his eyes to know who was holding him, he somehow knew Kaleah was going to save him.

With the relief came a little pain, she was doing something to his wounded shoulder. She was being careful and diligent, he knew that, and the pain was nothing he couldn't bare so all he had to do was wait. Soon she finished the treatment on his shoulder, or so he thought, suddenly his tongue felt the taste of leather and before he knew what was going on, a sharp pain brought him back to consciousness.

He opened his eyes and saw her, she had the remnant of a bloody arrow in her hand. While he was gasping for air to recover from the shock he looked at his wounded shoulder. The sight didn't comfort him at all, it looked nasty, bloody bandages and there was blood coming out, though the pain was not that bad. Still confused, like in a dream, he tried to get up, but his sight went blurry... All he could do was lay down on his back and fall into darkness once again...