Burying a Stranger (closed RP please PM)

[Gabriel]

A bitter cold mixture of snow and freezing rain fell over the heads of the small crowd gathered in the cemetery just beyond the outskirts of Firenze. A rather strange assortment of characters had gathered to say goodbye to the man who was dressed in all white (a northern funeral tradition) A man whose face was much more worn and weary than a man of his age had a right to be, the signs of stress and constant sickness clear in the the dark bags under his eyes and the deep heavy wrinkles. He looked as a man who had simply lost the stamina to go on living.

There was a seemingly random mix of attendees, men representing every corner of Elibe, including one man whose eyes seemed vaguely reptilian. There was a large bulky tribesman with a flowing jet black ponytail and a thick beard. There was a tall, pale elegant looking blond man garbed in luxurious silk lavender robes who seemed to be the most distraught member of the group. Also present was the man's son, Gabriel, a younger darker haired version of the deceased who seemed to be forcing his appearance of sorrow. He appeared far more uncomfortable than sad, and an outsider would have guessed that he was the only one there who didn't belong. Gabriel wanted nothing more than for the ceremony to be over so he could get out of the freezing cold rain. He couldn't help but feel strangely irritated that all of these strangers had known his father better than he had. When the priest Father Riccan had finished blessing the body and finished the Sacred Prayer, the group of mourners approached the de man's body to say their final farewells, Gabriel turned his back to his father for the last time and headed back toward the village. A familiar voice called out to him, "Gabriel! May I speak with you a moment?"

[Gabriel]

Gabriel turned to face the speaker. It was Father Riccan who had called out to him, the man who had basically raised and looked after Gabriel when his father used to be away from home for weeks at a time on different contracts. "What is it Father Riccan?"

"I'm sorry for your loss my boy. Godric... your father he was a good man," he said with genuine empathy.

"Thank you Father. I wish I could feel the loss that I know I should, but I can't help but feel hollow saying goodbye to this man. Of all the people gathered here to say goodbye to my father, I am by far the one who knew him least. To me that is even more sad than the fact that he is gone."

"You know your father loved you very much. The only reason he was away so frequently was so he could make enough money to be able to make sure you were taken care of."

Gabriel sighed deeply with a shade of regret, "I know, and I do appreciate all of the sacrifices he made for me. I just wish we could have had a normal life together. That I could have learned from him what it meant to be a man, instead of piecing it together for myself from lessons with you and from my experiences with the Renvall Crew. I mean after mom died he was the only real family I had left, and I just can't help but feel like...I don't know, like seeing me was just too painful for him after mom was gone."

Riccan nodded, caring eyes radiating warm compassion, "Godric was never the same after Llayna died, she meant so much to him that when she passed she took a bit of his soul with her. But he loved you all the same, he held you in higher regard than anything else in this world."

"Well I just wish I could've have seen that first hand while I still had family in this world."

"For what it's worth Gabriel, I've always considered you a part of my family. You're like a nephew to me."

Gabriel crack a small smile, and looked as though some of the grimness of the situation was lifted off of his shoulders. "And I suppose you've always been like an uncle to me, and for that you have my undying gratitude. I suppose something is better than nothing."

Father Riccan held out his arms in a welcoming gesture, and the two men embraced. Gabriel smiled and said, "Thank you Father, for all that you have done, I feel slightly better now. I'm going to take a little walk around the city, to clear my head. I'll see you later." And with that, Gabriel turned away and trudged off in the rain and snow back towards the village gates.

[Gabriel]

Gabriel's cheeks were beginning to get numb, as the wind had picked up whipping icy blasts of snow and sleet in his face as he trudged on through the muddy slush lining the roads of Firenze. The streets were essentially empty, he was the only one foolhardy enough to be out soul-searching in weather like this. Gabriel paced through the winding streets of the small city, his thoughts wandering back to the last time he had seen his father alive.

- - -

The rain had been falling hard on the slate roof of Gabriel and Godric's house. A large rainstorm had been stuck in the Drakir mountains for several weeks now, which had caused mild flooding in the foothills. What little farmlands mountain towns like Firenze had to support them had been practically washed from the face of the land, driving food prices up through the roof. This had forced Gabriel to beg the Blades of Firenze, the mercenary band he had been squiring for, to let him come out on mission with them. The group was reluctant as it was still uncharacteristically early for a squire to join their full-fledged ranks, but given the circumstance they allowed it on a temporary basis. After all, this mission was just to protect a small merchant village during their spring festival. It was the perfect mission for a green recruit to wet his whistle.

As Gabriel packed his things in preparation for the trip, interactions between he and his father had become exceedingly frosty. The few attempts Gabriel made at small talk were met with cross grunts and one word answers. When Gabriel was packed and ready to go he turned toward the door and began to leave. He turned his head back to face his sedentary father laying sprawled out in a chair by the window, and said with a sigh, "I will be back in one week's time father."

Godric took a few deep hacking coughs to clear his throat and then said, "Wait Gabriel. There's something I've been meaning to say to you boy..." He coughed a few more times and took a pause to take a sip of his ale.

Gabriel turned around intrigued, his father never talked like this. The two were practically strangers with the same blood. Was he going to apologize for always having to be so far away? Was he going to say that he loved him? That he was proud of who he was becoming? He hung onto the silence, eager and curious to hear what his father would say.

"If you pass through the city of Santa Ruz can you bring me home one of their sweet cream pastries? It's been ages since I've had one of those treats."

Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes, a deep pang of hurt and regret rocked his chest. His whole life, he and his father had never been close, yet every now and then he would get his hopes up that it would all change and that they would have a normal father-son relationship. But every time he got his hopes up, his father would dash them by treating him more like an employee than family. "I will see what I can do Pa," Gabriel said with a stony tone. And with that he left his house and walked out into the pouring rain, pulling his cloak up around his face, and marched out to meet his companions.

- - -

Gabriel had wandered obliviously back to the Blades of Firenze's base of operations, and found a brass hilted iron sword in his hands. He was taking out his frustrations by taking broad strokes at the edges with a whetstone, sharping the blade to a lethal killing barb. This was how Gabriel commonly liked to ease his stress, it gave him a simple task to complete with easy to obtain results, and it put all of the rest of his troubles into perspective for him. He was so focused on honing down his weapon that he almost didn't notice when a young woman came sprinting into the shack. She came to a halt before him, taking deep heaving breaths trying to catch her breath enough to speak. Gabriel's eyes darted up to look at her, his body tensing and the blood running cold through his veins. The fight or flight reflexes in his brain were whirring into action, and Gabriel was ready for anything. But this was just a girl, barely old enough to be called a woman, and she wasn't armed. She had platinum blond hair and a beautiful complexion, a face that looked more like an angel's work of art than a human's face. She was dressed in commoner's robes, simple cloths made of wool and cotton, a look that seemed plainly out of place on her body as though a queen's robes would be far more fitting for her. After what seemed like an eon of her standing there gasping and Gabriel's eyes trained on her, prepared for anything, she finally said in an urgent voice, "Please sir, you have to help me!"

[Gabriel]

Gabriel took a second to scan the woman over, a look of genuine peril was painted over every corner of her face. She took a second's glance behind her as if she was being pursued. "What is it? Is someone after you?"

"Please sir," the lady said earnestly, "The townsfolk say this is the closest mercenary guild, I would hire you as a bodyguard if you would take the work."

Gabriel continued sharpening the sword as he said with a sigh, "I'm afraid you just missed the Blades, they're out on assignment. I am only but a squire, and certainly not fit for hire from one such as yourself."

The blonde haired maiden shook her head fervently, "No I insist that you shall do nicely. You must take the job."

"Like I said," Gabriel reiterated, thinly veiling his irritation, "I am but a squire. The Blades would be furious with me if they were to find out that I was stealing their contracts from within their very halls."

Now it was the lady's turn to look frustrated, as she coiled up in annoyance and said, "What is the matter? Do you know how to hold that sword of yours?"

Gabriel looked down at the blade, as though he was unsure if it was what she was talking about. "Yes, I know how to hold it."

"And are you able to swing it? Preferably at sweaty, muscly, unpleasant vagabonds?"

"Yes I can swing the blade, what is your-"

"Then you will serve my purposes, now will you take my money or not? I need a bodyguard to take me to Arcadia to meet a man."

She pulled out a coin purse which had to have at least a couple hundred golden coins in it, and Gabriel stared longingly at it. That money could easily buy the new start that he had been dreaming about, but he knew exactly the kind of reaction that would get him from the Blades' members. He didn't have long to consider her offer however before a familiar voice called out to him from behind the woman's back, "Oh good, Gabriel! It looks like you have done our work for us!"

[Gabriel]

Gabriel looked up from the coinpurse to see Cassius, leader of the Blades of Firenze, and his three compatriots Lionel, Noah, and Owen. Each man had a drawn iron blade, and they slowly advanced into the armory eyes lusting for action. "What's going on here Cassius?" Gabriel asked, gripping the hilt of the sword a little firmer.

"We've got a new contract my friend, one you've helped us secure. An Eldrian nobleman is paying us a small fortune to silence this girl, you've just made us wealthier than your craziest dreams."

Gabriel took a few steps towards the slowly advancing mercenaries, and toward the girl whose eyes were darting frantically between Gabriel and the other men. "What do you mean Cassius? The Blades of Firenze is a mercenary group, we don't take assassination contracts!"

The other men smiled a most devious and insidious smirk as they continued approaching, swords still drawn. "Oh Gabriel, you idealistic oaf. With the money we'll make from this contract we'll have enough to buy a small town, and we'll want for nothing for years to come. Surely one girl's life is worth that, wouldn't you say?"

Gabriel reached out and grabbed the girl's hand, and she let a small shriek as he pulled her behind him. He raised his sword and pointed it in Cassius's face. "I used to look up to you Cassius. I thought you were a warrior with principles. A man who walked the noble path. If this is the path that you wish to choose than I shall follow in your footsteps no longer. You're not taking the girl. You shall come no closer!"

Cassius looked at Gabriel for a moment as though he had sprouted three heads, and then turned to his allies as if to confirm if they were seeing the same thing as he. Then he overcame the shock and began to laugh, a deep booming chuckle that Lionel, Noah and Owen quickly joined him in. This time it was Owen's turn to speak, "Is he serious boss? Is he out of his 'ead?"

Cassius shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know my friend. Surely Gabriel you must see you are out-manned, and out-classed. Now let's be civilized about this, and give us the girl and maybe we'll let you walk out of here alive." And with that Gabriel took a deep lunging step and swung his sword in a sweeping arc, aiming for Cassius's head.

[Gabriel]

Cassius managed to lift his blade at precisely the right moment, meeting Gabriel's sword and parrying his blow with a loud clank of iron meeting iron. Gabriel used the momentum of the impact to swing his drive leg around at a furious pace and landed an impressive roundhouse kick right in Noah's stomach, sending him careening into a pile of practice swords, sending his actual sword flying from his grasp. Cassius fought off the initial shock from the attack and lifted his sword back above his head and brought it crashing down in a counterattack.

Gabriel quickly brought his sword around to match the blow and then answered with a strike of his own. Cassius tried to block again, but was too slow to bring his blade around and Gabriel struck his wrist, knocking off the armor guard and breaking some of the skin. Before he could make another strike at Cassius, Lionel came charging full speed and lunged with his sword aiming for Gabriel's side.

Gabriel sidestepped the lunge and then used Lionel's momentum against him, grabbing his wrist and shoving him into a pile of boxes. He straightened himself up just in time to turn back around and meet the incoming slash from Cassius's blade with his own sword. He used the reverberation from the strike to swing his blade around and caught Owen by surprise, planting his sword between two of his ribs with a load shiiiink, then swiftly withdrawing it back and taking a guarded stance. Owen crumpled to the floor, his hands clutching the gaping wound trying in vain to hold back the blood.

Enraged, Cassius swung his sword low, aiming for Gabriel's knees. Gabriel managed to leap over the strike, and when he landed he swung the sword back around in another hasty counter. Cassius effortlessly met the blow with his sword and then countered with his own that Gabriel managed to meet. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Lionel and Noah slowly encircling him, sizing up their angle and slowly boxing out Gabriel's only escape. Then he heard a shrill whistle and the girl shout out, "Hey boys!" And when Noah turned to look to see what the shouting was about, his face turned into the full brunt of a tent pole being swung by the girl as fast as she could muster.

A dull crack echoed through the room as Noah's face collapsed, and his body fell like a rag doll bouncing off the floor, unconscious at least. Gabriel took advantage of the confusion and swung at Lionel, stiking a fatal blow at his back. Cassius turned and took another swing, and Gabriel flipped his sword and took a swing instead at Cassius's hand. He knocked the sword clean from his attacker's hand, and turned to take the final blow, felling the last of his opponents. He then fell to his knees gasping for breath, and looked up to the girl who he had just risked his life to save. He sincerely hoped she was worth the trouble.

[Gabriel]

"I think" he said gasping for breath, clutching at the cramps in his side, "that I've earned an explanation."

The girl nodded knowingly, running her fingers nervously through her hair. She spoke, quietly at first, "My name is Natasha. And you stranger have my eternal gratitude for saving my life. These men...if you can truly call them men, have been pursuing me for about a week now. They were hired by a mysterious scoundrel named Hans, the most recent in a small line of hired goons he's tried to have capture me. I don't know what he wants with me, but I do know he'll do anything to get it. Please sir, you must take me south to Arcadia, to meet a man they call Ser Rickon the Wanderer. Only with his help can I set things right."

Gabriel leaned back on his heels and took a long pensive look at Natasha, trying to determine if he believed her story. She looked ghostly pale, not unlike his dead father had looked an hour before though admittedly just a touch more lively. He couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't being completely forthcoming with him, but his gut told him that the parts she was sharing were true and that she genuinely needed his help. It was the kind of request that his pride and sense of chivalry would refuse to let him ignore. An amused smirk cracked through his lips as he stood up off the ground and dusted off his pants and held out his hand. "The name is Gabriel, and if we're going to be heading for Arcadia then I'm going to need your help packing some supplies. We're going to need to hurry if we want to head out before sunset."

Natasha's face beamed in a brilliant smile, "I don't know why, but I knew I had picked the right man for the job! Let's go!" And with that the two of them began hurriedly making preparations to leave.

- - -

As Gabriel and Natasha set out down the main cobbled road out of Firenze, from the shadows of the forests just off the side of the road an enigmatic old man in a dark black cloak watched their progress with great intrigue. The man cursed softly to himself, "It appears that the rumored pragmatism of Firenzian mercenaries was nothing but pure myth. Ah well, no matter." And with that he closed his eyes and reached out with his being, with all of his soul stretching out and grasping out for the magical power. Then his mind grasped the mystical force, like little fingers grabbing the corner of a tablecloth, and he began to pull with his will, uttering the words of incantation.

"PATER MORBIS! AB INFERIS REDUCERET PUGNENT VETERES MILITES MIHI!"

The ground rumbled and shook around the man, and nine sinkholes began to appear in a star pattern around him. From the crumbling dirt sprung the grasping arms of nine skeleton arms. They each pulled themselves further from the cold and soggy earth and revealed each to have a body made entirely of skeleton, blood red eyes gleaming like two eggs of solid fire inside of their lifeless sockets. They turned to the man, waiting for instructions. He pointed to Gabriel and Natasha and said simply, "Bring me their corpses!"

[Gabriel]

The rain and snow had stopped and the sun was just beginning to set as Gabriel and Natasha departed, bags packed with survival rations some hunting gear and a little bit of dried jerky and biscuits. They set out with an upbeat and eager pace on the main southern road out of Firenze, a road which several miles south from them would converge into one of the major Central trading routes and from there it would be a straight shot back to Arcadia. Gabriel said, "If we make good time and make good use of the sunlight we should be there in four days time. That is, assuming we don't get ambushed by bandits or...whatever else is lurking out here." Gabriel wasn't sure why, but he was getting that nagging feeling that someone or something was watching them.

The sky lit up bright red with shades of lavender and violet as the sun made its final arc towards the horizon. The wind brought more cold air with it down the mountains, and Natasha began to shudder. It was clear from her skin complexion that she was not native to these Northern Mountains, and was probably going to start freezing Gabriel thought, so he took off the traveling cloak that he was wearing and offered it to her. "It's not much," he said concern in his voice, "But this cloak is maiden with some furs of local bears and it should due to cut through some of this bitter wind's bite. I think you might need its comfort more than I."

"Thank you," replied Natasha. "You are most noble good sir."

Gabriel chuckled softly, "Please just call me Gabriel milady. And I am anything but noble, I promise you that."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. You are a far nobler sort than any I have ever met. And if I am to call you Gabriel than you must call me Natasha."

"Very well Natasha, if you insist." There was a moment of comfortable silence with just the slightest hint of apprehensive tension between the two. Natasha was about to start chatting again, but Gabriel raised his hand to stop her. "Do you hear that?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Natasha took a second to listen but all she could hear was dead silence. "No," she said confused, "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," whispered Gabriel, his eyes searching the bushes and forestry off the sides of the path. "Not a single bird, not a solitary cricket, nor the distant howl of even one lone wolf. Something is afoul and whatever it is has the critters spooked. That cannot bode well for us."

As he spoke those words, the silence was pierced like the hull of a broadsided vessel by the loud low-pitched moaning of several far off creatures. They were two far away to make out clearly in the light, so Gabriel squinted and stared hard into the distance, trying to make out what was approaching. As the creatures got closer he could see that there were at least five, maybe more, humanoid skeleton beasts with glowing red eyes trotting towards them with blades drawn high. They fanned out to reveal four more of the beasts, each holding deadly looking bows. Gabriel's stomach lurched into his stomach for a fraction of a second before his brain sent a unified message to the rest of his body, that quickly found its way to his tongue. "RUN!" he screamed, and gave Natasha a light prod in the right direction and took off running behind her.