Exhaustion

[dainul]

Somewhere in the woodlands at the southern end of pathway, a lightly armoured warrior trudges through the trees. As the light begins to fade, he finds a low-branched tree to shelter under and sits down against it. After a few moments, he raises his arms and removes his helmet, revealing a human head.

Reith had been wandering the woods for several days now, and even stretching them as thinly as he's able, his meagre supplies had run out yesterday. By the time he'd emerged from the cave, Weyoun was little more than a flicker of movement in the distance, and the other one, Buzzy? Breezy? had simply vanished. He'd ditched his chain mail on the second day of wandering, and now the heaviest thing he carried was the large two-handed sword he couldn't put down. At least he'd managed to find water, though he had an annoying feeling that it had been the same stream three times. Woodcraft never had been his thing.

[spsblue]

A crack of wood from further up the hillside alerts Reith to the presense of others in the area, and from the Silver-Grey Archway on their uniform and their pointed ears it is quickly apparent that it is an elvish patrol. They don't seem to have spotted him however, and are making a relatively fast if audible progress through the shrubbery and bushes to somewhere off Reith's left-hand-side.

[dainul]

Elves? Don't tell me I'm in the damned Heartlands? Reith moves as little as possible as he very slowly draws the two-handed word and lays it flat amidst the undergrowth. The enchantments within won't allow him to let go, but at least it's less likely to be seen there. He then places his helmet back on his head with equal slowness, rests his right hand on his axe and waits, hoping that the tree will provide sufficient cover that the elves will continue to not notice him. In his current state, he'd not be able to fight them long, even with the sword's enchantment.

[spsblue]

The elves do indeed pass him by, and with a muttered curse their leader orders them onward. "We'll find that bitch yet, boys. Keep searching."

Minutes later they pass out of sight and hearing range.

[dainul]

Bitch... so that's neither me, Weyoun or Buzzer... well, probably. Reith waits for several minutes more before he lifts the sword just high enough to lay it across his lap and removes his helmet again.

[spsblue]

<Faintly - a female sigh of relief can be heard from amongst a small pile of boulders a couple of trees behinds Reith.>

[dainul]

Reith turns his head at the sound, but it was too quiet, too brief for him to be sure. Still, not comfortable with the sensation that someone might be lurking behind him, after a further minute or so, Reith stands, bent under the branches, and laboriously moves around to face the rocks, before sitting down again.

[spsblue]

It is just after Reith has sat himself back down again when one of the topmost rocks shivers and reveals itself to be, not a rock, but a petite human woman dressed in peasant robes. Her brown and grey tabard is unwashed and partly torn, but the first thing that is noticable is that leaning against her shoulder there is a two-handed sword that rival's Reith's own in size.

She stares at him, waiting for a hint as to what kind of move he'll make, only one hand on the sword - at the moment.

[dainul]

Reith doesn't move immediately, but looks the woman up and down. "Nice trick," he says, by way of introduction. "Where are we?"

[spsblue]

"On the North-Western foothills of the Morne Mountain, and a good ways south from the frontlines - so what brings a warrior like yourself this far South?"

[dainul]

Mourne Mountain? Where was that? South of the front-lines... "So we are in the Heartlands then?" Reith frowns, and mutters under his breath "Damned vampires," before returning his attention to the woman.

"I've been dead. Didn't think to ask where the light I was stepping into would spit me out." Then, remembering he'd not given his name, "I'm Reith, son of Tyrald."

[spsblue]

The woman looks askance at him during the first half of his explanation, then seems to come to the conclusion that he's not being serious when he says he's been dead.

"Yeah, well, don't do it again. It isn't healthy. "

"More seriously, I'm L'riam You are indeed in the Heartlands, Reith, further South than most of us seem to go, even before Erathill's return."

[dainul]

Reith decides not to take offence at her remarks, it is a pretty far fetched story after all. "Yeah, I heard something about him coming back. Kicking him down the well wasn't enough to kill the bastard, apparently." Then, more thoughtfully, "Though he turned up in the Hopewastes, so which one's real?"

"And I'll try not to, 'least not for a while. Hopefully I won't end up fighting a demi-god or whatever that bugger Judd was again any time soon. Don't suppose you know how long ago it was the Serke Kemi war peaked? When Aquilla and Kallist and that lot went over to stab demons for them. Wouldn't mind knowing how long I've been out for."

[spsblue]

"Not entirely sure. I've been conscious of least a year and a half passing since then - but I lost almost a year in addition to that when the mists of Eremine overwelmed the Heartlands."

[dainul]

"So, around two and a half years." He files away mention of the mists for later questions as more pressing matters clamour again for his attention. "You wouldn't happen to know somewhere I could get something to eat around here would you?"