A Knight of Ardonia

Strange happenings...

Kelious: "People of Ataraxia, I mean you no harm." he said in a loud, yet deep tone. What looked like a song, but empty lay on the stone bricks beside him, his veins now a pulsating black.

Random Ardoni: "And what's to say that you won't attack us?!"

There was a slight uproar from the various Ardoni in the crowd, drawing the attention of more.

Kelious: "I am one of you, am I not?"

Another Ardoni: "An Ardoni for sure, but the markings of dark bring bad omen!"

More Ardoni: "Yeah! Why should we believe you?!"

Based on his expressions, I can tell he was hiding many things to possibly say, which would make his situation worse. But one let slip.

Kelious: "Because if I wanted to kill you, I would've already done so."

The crowd went silent, some grabbing the handles of their blades.

Kelious: "I do not wish to fight. I wish to leave. And if I cannot leave peacefully, then so be it."

Some stepped back, while others grew faces of displeasure.

Hubris: "Everybody stand down. We are already at war, we do not need anymore enemies but only allies." He said, sheathing his weapon.

While I was hesitant, I sheathed my spear back into its place on my back. Most of the other Ardoni that had gathered followed in their lead. Apart from one that pulled the tension on his bow to fully ready. Kelious kicked the pommel of his poleaxe which was on the ground, which pulled it into his hands and held it tightly.

Kelious: "I'm not a violent Ardoni. But if we've got to fight, you're gonna die, you understand?"

He hesitated for a second, but that caused his grip to loosen on the drawstring, firing the loaded arrow towards his leg, which Kelious deflected with his poleaxe at the ground and stared up menacingly. The Ardoni began stepping backwards, making his paces faster with each step, eventually running away.

Within seconds, Kelious had begun to bolt away from the scene. I was about to give chase, but Hubris held his arm in front of me.

Hubris: "He hurt nobody, leave him be."

And with that, he turned away, walking back to where I assume was his home. I stood around the area for a time, examining the altar which had now shrunk back down to its "original" form. Something tells me that there's much more to the Songs than we have been led to believe...

I tracked the same path as Kelious, watching him patiently as he moved further away from Ataraxia. After some time, I was pleased and assured that he wasn't returning, and made my way back to Ataraxia just in time for the sun to rise. As usual, not everybody respected me, purely for being a half-breed, in which I received foul looks and spit. Nothing unusual of the sort. The main reason why nobody picked fights is because they knew I would win. Sleep deprived Falgon went back to the mill, and after an earful from the head lumberjack about an untidy chopping pile, I went back to work silently.

Many hours later, I finished stacking the ever growing pile of wood, which with winter coming, would soon disappear. I then pulled my axe out, and began hacking away at much smaller logs for kindling, the stuff you use to start a fire. As the pile grew, I stretched my back and went over to pull a set of crates over which I loaded all my kindling into, before setting them to the side. I sat down upon one of the boxes, and began eating the lunch I had prepared. Some bread, an apple and a cookie. Mmmmmm.... Foooood....

After chomping down on what I considered a fair meal, myself and another colleague went up to the large cutting mill itself and rumbled a log down the rails and onto the pulley system. Forcing the blade into drive with the iron lever, the water wheel began speeding up and drove the saw blade up and down. Using another pulley, I drew the winding gear forwards, in turn pulling the log further along with a set of claws which pushed it through the blade at even intervals. After the first strip was done, we pulled it back and began the process over again until the log was done. Digging my steel wood claw into the next log, myself and Dexter pulled it onto the reset system and began the process again. Once the blade was moving, I began holding the gears together, when I saw a set of dark blue eyes staring at me from behind the large cobblestone wall which was taller than any Ardoni.