Unloading a pack of items with the lable "Ren" onto a carriage. Ren wiped his forehead of sweat.
"Squire, have you finished packing?" A knight came up, dropping his own pack.
"Ah, yes sir!" Ren saluted, putting his right hand on the right side of his forehead.
"Ah, thanks for answering." The knight scratched his neck, a little embarrassed from Rens energetic response.
It took a few while before all of the soldiers finished packing. The Knight Commander, Harvey, made his way towards the front. While the Blood Knight stayed at the back.
"Prepare for travel, Onwards!" The army began its march. Towards their homeland.
Milo was beside Ren, they had been places near the back on orders of the Commander.
They were travelling with the more Veteran Knights.
Their eyes held a hardened look, their armor lost of color, shrouded with marks past battles. An aura of experience surrounded them.
'Just what you would expect from people that survived whta others could not.' Milo stared in awe at these knights. Simply sitting with them gave him an insight to the burdens of his people.
Ren however, ignored these. He was bored out of his mind, having to travel with these old dudes wasnt making the journey any better.
"Milo, how much longer do we have to travel before reaching our home." Ren began to whisper to Milo.
Milo looked at Ren, sighing.
"Ren, I am no professional Cartographer. How should I know of the distance needed before reaching Ironhold."
"Just say you dont know, you sound like an old root." Ren looked with slight mock.
"Ren..." Milos brow twitched, somehow, being called old by an idiot irked more than he originaly thought.
"Quiet down, squires." A tired tone escaped one of the veteran knights.
Milo respectfully kept his voice. Ren however...
"Let us talk, its so boring here!" Ren complained loudly, not hiding a single bit of his opinion.
Milo immediately smacked Rens head down, while bowing his own head towards the man.
"Forgive his rudeness, hes just an uneducated squire, please forgive him!" Milo felt his stomach churn. As the carriage felt colder than usual.
"sigh, youngsters these days have too much energy and no respect. Leave it be Dalles." The knight next to Dalles said.
"This is precisely why I shouldnt leave it be! This squire needs to be taught a lesson." Dalles didnt show an evil face.
It simply showed an irritated and disappointed one.
"Lets go Mr. Knight! I'll cleave you in half." Ren said with vigor.
Milo was massaging his face. 'What did I do to deserve this... Forget it, I know well on the reason.'
"The first stop kid, I'll duel you." Dalles unsheathed his sword and began to sharpen his blade.
Ren looked onto Dalles, his eyes held a calm look. His mind began to overwrite the Knight he just challanged.
Words began to cover the Knight. Suggestion possible outcomes.
Markings showed onto Dalles arms that read, Formed well for heavy attacks, left arm is slightly weaker than the other arm. He mostly relies on Slashing motions, possible end to the fight with a parry and thrust.
Much more information covered Dalles with each passing second.
Milo was once more torn between helping his fellow squire or letting him pay for his actions.
'Hes doing that stare thing of his again.'
The carriaged stopped as it was getting late, they began to set up their camp.
The sun began to set, the camp being lit by the dancing fire of the campfire.
Dallas approached Ren, the crunching of the grass was heard by all the knights surrounding.
"Is that the Squire that challanged The Slasher?" A knight cutting fire wood asked to another carrying the wood.
"Ay, that fool has a death wish."
"May the fight end swiftly."
Dallas unsheathed his sword, pointing the blade towards Rens back.
"Unsheath your blade Squire, your lesson begins now."
Ren remained unfazed, as he turned to face Dallas with a face null of worry.
"Mr. Knight is quite eager to rattle his old bones."
"Stop the nonsensial talk and draw your flimsy blade."
The knights surrounding watched in amusement at the display.
"Always easily taunted, Dalles give the boy a break." Laughed one of Dalles companions.
He payed no heed to the murmurs of the crowd.
The Squire had stood up, he walked towards a forest clearing. Dallas followed after as he had his sword ready.
After reaching a plane area, Ren launched a surprise attack.
Dallas scoffed, redirecting Rens momentum back towards him.
"A party trick for an opening move? Your quite the clown." Ren readied his Sword stance.
Dalles began to hack at Rens sword relentlessly, giving Ren no time to think but block.
With a swift move, Dalles managed to slip through Rens guard and strike Rens chestplate.
"Pathetic guard, try harder Squire!" Dalles began another attack.
Ren this time, lunged forward to stop Dalles momentum. Dalles attempted a cleaving slash, that Ren deflected leaving Dalles open.
Target Opened:
Head
Torso
Legs
With a split second decision, he thrust the sword towards Dalles Torso.
Dalles twisted his body, too quick to catch.
"Predictable." He kicked Ren with a swift frontal. Ren recoiled from the sheer weight of the attack.
Advancing forward, he continued his onslaught of slashes.
Milo stared in stunned silence at the display of skill performed by the Knight Dalles.
"Such swift strikes! How could Ren be so foolish to challenge him." Milo began to grow in worry at his companion.
A knight noticed the worry of Milo. With a smirk, he struck a conversation.
"Is that your friend fighting the slasher?"
"The slasher... What has the honorable knight done to achieve such a name?"
Looking at Milo, The Knight wore a smirk on his face as he shrugged.
"Honorable? Dont make me laugh, hes the last person to leave his enemy with an 'honorable' death."
Milo looked onto the duel, his worry did not lessen in the slightest, and had infact grown much higher.
Ren continued to weave through the redirected attacks of Dalles. Trying his best to minimize his encounters with Dalles.
Dalles did not miss out on the opportunity, he lunged forward with hidden steps. His sword ready to strike through Rens torso.
'His movements are meant to carve, such a strike would be death for me.' Ren using his whole body, performed a donkey role to the side.
Milo looked baffled by the display, the knights werent any better with their faces.
Dalles body twitched, he looked into the Squires eyes with a scrunched up expression. His mouth puffing up.
"Bahaha! Hath a squire no shame?" The rest of the knights began to laugh at the display.
Ignoring these remarls, Ren dashed up from his kneeled position, his sword positioned to cut Dalles's leg.
Clang!
The sword struck at Dalles Right Leg armor. The knights grew shock at the first hit coming from the squire of all. Milo had his mouth agaped at the sight.
A shadowey figure hiding behind the forest was amused at the display.
"Dont you feel embarrassed letting a Squire get first hit?" Ren said with a grin of a fox.
A few, moments, later
Dalles, was infact, embarrassed at the display he showed. So he decided to not hold back and beat up Ren.
Milo was treating the many cuts and bruises Ren endured.
"Why cant you keep your thoughts to yourself for just, one day." Milo was annoyed, he was rooting for Ren at first but kept smart and not tell his thoughts at the smug Ren.
"Who cares! I hit the knight."
"Through sheer luck! Do not get cocky."
Ren mumbled words that Milo could not hear, though he guessed it was most probably another hard headed comment.
"Theres Cooked Meat outside, come when your ready." Milo exited the tent, leaving Ren all alone with his thoughts.
'That fight was a real kick.' He began his usual thought process after a fight. Analyzing it to its fullest and making up scenarios for better movement.
It was a habit of his that he had grown from repeated process.
"That fight was mildly amusing." A voice filled with amusement was heard, not that you could hear it since his voice was too gruff.
Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with the Knight that disrespected the commander.
"Oh, its you, the Red Knight." Rolling his eyes at the figure in front of him, Ren did not hide his dislike for the knight.
With a sigh, Horith began to speak.
"Quite the disdain I hear from your tone. Might I ask why."
Ren shrugged, his face with scrunched up into a glare.
"Its not fun being disrespected now is it? Why dont you go ahead and apoligize to my commander."
The Knight didnt bother, hes met these types of people before. One thing was certain, he'd need to force respect into him.
"Your fight couldve been won, too bad you didnt have a clue on better ways to strike."
"No sh*t, im just a lowly squire. How could I have access to advance stuff." Was it not obvious to this knight of the struggles of squire. Rens patience grew short.
"Watch your tone, Squire. You have no need to curse at me." The knight looked at him with an oddly calm stance.
"Respect is earned, not given. Why should I respect you, leech." The air grew colder. Not of the night winds but of a creeping chill.
Ren began to release cold sweat, his body slightly trembled at the knight infront of him.
"Respect, is given to those that could make you bleed without a sweat. Look at you, my intent already made you sweat and gasp for air." The cold air had vanished, and Ren could breath once more.
"Tsk."
The Knight sighed at Rens disdain.
'I seem to have failed in forming a positive rapport, I should keep on trying for the next few days.'
"Get better soon, I wish to speak with you on another time." He left after saying this. Ren stared at the tents entrance. Trying to figure out why the knight had approached him.
After a few minutes of useless thoughts, he came out to the campfire to dine in.
The Knights who saw Ren come out started grinning.
"Its The Brave, Haha!"
"Nice fight kid, your good for someone young."
"Me next! Me next! Haha!"
"Nice going kid, I respect the effort."
"Not bad, newbie."
He simply nodded and said a few thank yous to all that commented on his fight. Frankly, he was starving and would rather eat than talk right now.
Munching on meat, he quickly downed a dozen pieces.
It was noisy, the campfire was filled with cheers and yells. Some about fighting, others about their exploits. Some quietly eating meat, others making plans on buying full body armor for themselves.
In the end, they kept the atmosphere light, a contrast to the surrounding darkness from the forest.
'So sleepy' The fatigue caught up to Ren. His body slumped, his stomach full. Standing up, he headed back to his tent.
Inside he laid down, yawning.
"Goodnight world," he closed his eyes. Dosing off to sleep-
*WHY R E S T ? ? ?*
"What the hell!" Rens body jolted up. Kicking the covers off his feet as he looked around. Nothing was here, but something spoke to him.
His tent remained quiet.
Silent...
Cold, the night was colder. Colder than any winter Ren had lived through.