Rangertale, Ch.5: Uricht, Part II
#5 of Rangertale
The Town of Uricht is in trouble, and Tull is at the heart of it. Rumelis and Mels battle for two more shards of the Blades of Eulas, desperately trying to stay ahead in the race to find them.
Rangertale Ch.5
The Town of Uricht- Part II
Fire had sprung out all around, and it was spreading rather quickly through the inn. It was likely that the fire had been set in the inn itself, for as Rumelis and Mels left the inn proper they could see it had not spread too far yet. Mercenaries prowled the streets, some breaking into homes to take what they could before fire consumed it all. They were met by well-armored guards, who substituted less experience with teamwork and training to subdue much of the mercenary threat.
Rumelis and Mels focused on moving towards the Great Hall, worried that Tull would already be moving towards the shard. They moved quickly, ignoring the shouts and steel around them until they reached the Hall, surrounded by mercenaries and hastily constructed barriers of furniture. It seemed they would be forced to fight. As Rumelis moved forwards with Mels shooting arrows into the fortifications, some beleaguered troops moved out of the Hall to aid the two Rangers in their fight. Soon, though, they backed off, if only to give the mercenaries a chance to escape with their lives- a chance the few mercenaries that were left alive took.
With the mercenaries no longer a threat Rumelis and Mels moved into the Hall proper, stumbling onto a great battle. Tull leapt gracefully about the throne room, dodging blows, though oddly not returning many blows himself. The King and military officers were in a tight circle near the throne itself when Rumelis and Mels entered the room.
Tull expressed no surprise at the arrival of the two Rangers, likely due to his planning for such an appearance. Tull seemed glad to see them. "Ah, my true quarry! Glad to see you here. Now, let us have a proper duel." Here he turned to the King. "Stay out of this, King of Uricht, or regicide will be the least of your nation's problems. Now, Rangers, let us begin!"
Rumelis drew his sabre, Mels her bow, and Tull charged forwards towards them. Rather than attack, he simply vaulted over Rumelis, moving to attack him from behind. Mels dropped her bow at that, running forwards and kicking Tull down before he could swing. Rumelis turned and swung at Tull as he fell, but Tull managed to twist out of the way with unnatural grace, hitting the ground on all fours and then lunging towards Mels, knocking the wind out of her. He moved out towards the edge of the throne room as Mels recovered, rolling forwards while nocking an arrow on her bow and then kneeling to aim.
She fired several shots as Tull ran, though none hit their marks. Rumelis, unable to keep pace with Tull's run, moved to intercept him ahead of his run, swinging with the pommel of the sabre for a slightly faster if less accurate strike. The swing, though delayed, found its mark, more by luck than by skill, and Tull fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious.
Before Rumelis could take his pack and hopefully locate the shard of the Blade of Eulas that Tull had, he was awake again. "Thank you for the battle. I will give you this victory, but next time do not expect luck to save you." With that, Tull kicked Rumelis in the stomach, pushed past Mels, and ran out of the Hall. For now, it seemed the battle was over.
After the fires had been dealt with outside, the King called for the two Rangers to visit him. He wished to entrust to their care two shards of the Blades of Eulas. According to him, they were from two different Blades. He also identified the shard the two Rangers already held as from the same blade as one of the shards he had given them, the 3rd Blade. The group planned where their next destination would be, again taking into consideration that wherever they went Tull was likely to follow.
After some deliberation, the King decided that they were to visit another mountain town, Lichten, then move towards the Samnic States, a loose confederacy owned mostly by rich Vulpine merchants. It was rumored that the largest of the States had found a shard of the 3rd Blade of Eulas, something that the King of Uricht had planned to use as a reason for war with the Samnic States. With the military power freed, the King planned instead to try to unify the loose mountain towns under his banner, something not likely to succeed. Rumelis and Mels left Uricht the next morning, having prepared in their week of waiting before Tull's attack.
And so, after so much noise, fire, and battle, Rumelis and Mels found themselves once again in the silent trees, moving by the silent townsfolk. This time, silence was a relief.
THE CAST SO FAR
Rumelis
Black-furred Ursan with blue, deep eyes. Has a dark brown marking running from his nose to about halfway down his back. He is a duelist, slightly muscular but not amazingly fit. A member of the noble House Ironclaw, he has decided to join the Arlen Rangers to fight for his country. Naïve but brave, he is slowly learning how to live as a Ranger. He is glad that Mels accepts him more than she did originally.
Mels
A white-furred Ursan with amber eyes. No extra markings. She is strong, and agile, and bears scars from some battles. She prefers the classic Ranger knife and bow in combat. She dislikes nobles, refers to them as bluebloods, and distrusts them for reasons not quite yet explained. Strong and individual, but over time she is seeing more value in Rumelis' skills. She despises Tull and seems to have fought him before.
Tull
Ashen grey-furred Lupine, longtime foe of Mels. Heavily scarred and well armored and armed. Not much known of his personality, though he seeks the Blades of Eulas seemingly for personal power. A wily foe and fierce fighter, his grace is as unmatched as his ego. He loves the thrill of competition for power, and high stakes.
AUTHOR NOTES
Opinions? Suggestions? Typos? Tell me, please. I am by no means a professional writer, and even they make mistakes every now and again.
Battle scenes are fun! I know this was kind of a shorter chapter (at least I think), but it's really just a wrap up of the previous one, and a transition to the next ones. Oh yeah, and I forgot to do THE CAST SO FAR last chapter, so here it is again, though I think I'll just omit it unless character development occurs later.
Massive thanks to OpalOcelot for reading and commenting! Thanks!
TL;DR EDITION
The city of Uricht is set ablaze by Tull and his men. After a confrontation, Tull decides to retreat, allowing Rumelis and Mels to get the two shards of the Blades of Eulas that were in Uricht. They plan out their next moves.
Wondering why I call Tull a Lupine, Rumelis an Ursan, etc.? Read the note at the end of the 1st chapter, it explains my reasoning.