First Encounter

Markys meets Serrash

 

"I don't like the way this looks" Markys says to his men. The snow whipped past the azure guard as they patrolled the edges of the frost moors. "I never like this part of my duty" one of the men replied as he wiped the snow from his helmet visors. The fog was so thick that the men could barely see in front of them."Wait, wait do u hear that?" Markys asked out loud. All the men stopped and listened for a minute. To them it seemed like forever, and then they heard it. A low moan, with an inhuman bass to it filled the air. The azure guard gripped their swords as fear filled their hearts. Every man from Abertingel knows of the horrible monsters of the frost moors that travel to Abertingel in the dark of night. The hair on the back of their neck stood on end as the moans got louder and seemed to join others. Other voices joined the first, and an unholy chorus begun reverberated though the Frost Moors. The soldiers began to shuffle uneasily. "Hey, now pull it together. Stay next to me and we will make it through this" Markys yelled trying to calm himself as much as them. He had patrolled the frost moors more than once but for the most part it had been uneventful. His father let him take a few men on a patrol of his own to let him get the feel of leading a group. Markys slowly slid his sword out of his sheath, and peered into the fog trying to at least get a glimpse of the creatures. “Damn this fog” a soldier began," it is so thick that I can’t-“ a clawed, bony hand shot through the fog, and clamped over the soldiers throat. As the fog gave way, they got a glimpse of the creatures. They were skeletons, probably ancestors of the Abertingel people. Their bones shone with a dark blue hue that could match the colors of glaciers. Their rusty swords and bony claws clashed against azure shields and swords. Markys smote the one in front of him and looked to see if he could help his men. One to the right of him fell back wounded by a nasty cut to his chest. Markys leaped beside him. "Bust him" Markys yelled as he swung his great sword and took off one of the skeletons arm. The soldier with renewed vigor leaped at the skeleton, which had wounded him, and with a grout shout cut off the skeletons head. Soon the undead was picked apart by the Azure Guard as the initial shock wore off and they fell into their formations. When the last undead fell Markys looked over his men to see how they fared. Markys counted many wounded, and five of his men lay dead in the snow. ”Dad isn’t going to like this" Markys thought out loud.

His men took a short break to look at their wounds and prepare to carry their dead, when a noise made them pause. "No, please not now" Markys murmured as moans could be heard again. "We have to go now" Markys yelled out as he picked up his swords and shield. As his men picked themselves up, and started to walk back towards Abertingel dread gripped their hearts as hands and swords shot out of the ground ahead of them. Zombies in Azure guard regalia rose from the ground. Half clawed away faces peered angrily at Markys and his men.

"What should we do?" one soldier asked Markys.

"They are blocking our way back home, and I’m not sure we can beat them now. I will follow whatever you decide Markys." a veteran of the Azure guard replied.

Knowing their lives rested in his hands made Markys unsure of what to do. "Let’s pull back and try to find our way around them" Markys said with a firm and more confident voice than he felt. As they ran back deeper into the frost moors, they heard the zombies traveling behind them. The Azure Guard ran as fast as they could, easily leaving their undead chaser behind, but their adrenaline began to wear off. Markys soon stopped his run and the soldiers stopped also. "What’s wrong Markys?" a soldier asked. "I am tired of running and I know you all are to. We can either fight them now, or wait until we are too tired to move. I say we make them suffer, and get back home. Who is with me?” Markys yelled. Markys pulled his longer sword from its scabbard, and thrust it into the air."For Abertingel!" his men yelled with renewed strength. Markys barked orders to get his men into formation. The zombies threw themselves at the Azure guard with great force. Unholy moans and blood gurgling screams filled the air as swords and hammers connected to flesh and bones. No matter the wounds the Azure guard put on their zombie counterparts the zombies would not fall. Markys parried a blow from one zombie, and before he could counter attack another zombie rushed him. He was slowly separated from his men fighting 3 zombies at once. His sword and shield worked furiously back and forth. Suddenly a shuriken flew past his face and dug itself into the face of a zombie to Markys's right, and it slumped over in the snow. Markys unsure of what was going on felt relief, and press the attack on the zombies in front of him. One of the zombie’s sword past his defenses, but before it could find its mark a dagger suddenly took its throat. Markys didn't notice as he focused on the zombie before him and drove his sword into his gut. As he looked up to see what happened to the other zombie he noticed at tall hooded figure at about 6 feet cleaning his dagger. He wore a big heavy black and purple cloak lined with silver. "Come on lets finish them" the figure spoke to Markys in common. He spoke with an accent that Markys didn't recognize. He voice sounded melodic and yet had a cutting edge to it. The hooded figure dashed back into the fray. He noticed that the stranger’s footsteps were so light they barely left an imprint in the snow. He also noticed that he didn't see him until just then. "Who is or what is he?" Markys asked himself. Not wanting to be left behind Markys ran behind him. The figure dashed by a zombie. The zombie swung his blade at him; before the blade reached him the figure threw himself into a running roll and popped up behind the zombie. "Bust him" Markys yelled as his blade sunk into the zombie. As his blade dug inside the zombie, the stranger’s dagger stuck into its ribs and it fell away. The stranger worked his way in and out of the combats.His dagger flashed as he stabbed zombies in the back, positioning himself always behind his opponents; the figure seemed to dance between zombie strikes. "What is he?" Markys asked as he noticed him in the battle. Markys kept an eye out during the battle for the stranger, and could have sworn that he could vanish whenever he chose. The battle shifted in Markys's favor and soon the battle was over.

"Thank you" Markys said to the hooded figure with his hand outstretched. The hooded figure just peered at him through his hood, and made no movement to show that he would shake Markys hand. "You are welcome, but you should return to your home now" the tall figure replied as he cleaned his dagger and stuck it somewhere in his cloak. "We are but its weird to find an ally out here on the moors"Markys said while still holding his hand out towards the figure. "It was only by coincidence, i was passing through." the figure replied as he took Markys hand in a shake. Markys immediately noticed the ebony dark hand that took his. "Whats your name stranger and can we see the face of our ally?" Markys asked him.”I’m Serrash of the underdark” he replied. He took off his hood, and Markys and his men stood in awe. Serrash’s squinted his amber eyes from the sunlight’s stinging rays, his ebony skin shone in the sun, his cropped white hair stood in spikes, and silver earrings shaped like a cross with the top of it forming a loop, hung from his ears.

"It’s a drow elf hurry and kill him before he does some foul magic" a soldier yelled as he grabbed his sword.

"Wait, stop this man saved your life." Markys yelled at the man as he stood between Serrash and the man. Many of the soldiers hesitated as they looked upon the drow.

"So now you chase off the monster that saved you?” Serrash asked the soldier. Serrash smiled, but Markys could see pain in those cold eyes.

“No one will chase after you. I give you my word” Markys told him.

"Hey, soldier what is your name?" he asked Markys.

"Im Markys Mckellen, a trainee trying to become one of the Azure Guard" he replied.

"Well take care Markys, may we might meet again with friendlier company" Serrash said as darkness suddenly surrounded them. Men shouted in alarm and stumbled around the darkness in completely blinded. When the darkness dissipated Serrash was nowhere to be seen. "I can't say I am sad to see him leave" a soldier commented. Markys didn't answer but instead tried to see if he could catch a glimpse of the weird drow. "Serrash Lido huh" Markys thought to himself as he and his men marched their way back home. "Dad is going to have a hard time making sense of this report." Markys thought to himself as his home came into view not knowing that many eyes within the frost moors followed them....