The Blight Beckons (Repost) An SG RP- Gareth

[Quibby]

The world around Tren seemed to be washed out, as if all the color had gone from it. As glad as he was that his tormenters seemed to have left him at Four Kings, Tren couldn't help but feel that perhaps the short time he had wielded saidin had indeed proven to be too much. Come to think of it, the first man began following me around shortly after I started at the Black Tower...

 

Tren's reminiscing didn't help him find where he was, he knew, but what else could he do. All that he knew was that he was alone in the Borderlands somewhere. And that left a lot of room for being lost. The stars didn't help; the stars twinkled mockingly at him, shining like saidin, and, like saidin they were far out of his reach. The trees danced around him in an unfelt breeze, tormenting him, mocking him. All of nature seemed to laugh at him now.

 

In a mad rage, Tren pulled a burning piece of wood from his campfire, hurling it into the dark forest around him, where it landed in a small creek. Tren didn't notice. In his eyes, the forest around him burst into flames, the trees and grass screaming in agony. An owl begged for mercy before it was swallowed in the flame. Then, as suddenly as it began, the fire ceased to be. Tren found himself laughing hysterically at the forest around him for no real reason as sanity once again settled upon him. With a heavy sigh, Tren fell back against the grass, staring again at the sky.

 

The sound of somebody moving through the brush roused Tren from his depressed stupor. He stood quickly, drawing the rusted stiletto at his belt, and called out, "Do the trees move again, or is there someone out there?"

 

-Tren

 

 

His fate was spinning out of control, why was he out here really, what had drove him to wander the past few weeks. Nothing had happened, other people would wander after a great tradegy had occured in their family or to a friend, but Gareth just had the urge to wander. The boarderlands were a bad place to wander for one like him. The sword that ZIO had given him had drawn many stares in the towns that he had been to, as well as his jet black warhorse. After awhile he resorted to wraping his sword when he went into town, in order to cover the heron. But he would only go to town if neccesary. He spent most of his time in the woods, searching for only the Dark Lord knew what. Much had happened to him, so much so that he was now wandering the countrside for no apparent reason.

 

The sun had set awhile ago but it was not the first time Gareth had moved long past the sun setting. A crackle caught his attention. "A fire out here, must be another traveler, my sword is not wraped but out here it doesnt really matter, I can kill them if they bother me, but lets see who it is." Gareth thought to himself. Dismounting from his horse Gareth hit the ground silently, tieing his horse off he slid silently through the woods towards the fire. The woods were thick he he could barely see the fire, but it was obvious in these dark woods. He was no more than a ghost, sliding through the underbrush until he was near the edge of the treeline, he could see a single man around a campfire. He was alone and his face told of great thought, he was alone so Gareth retrieved his horse and was walking back towards the man when a flaming log flew towards him and landed in the creak where Gareth was standing. "that wasnt very nice" Gareth said to himself with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

 

Gareth intentionaly made noise as he walked towards the fire, he didnt want to startle the poor lad. The boy called out to him from the safetry of the fire, and Gareth responded in answer. "My name is Gareth and I am a traveler as you are." the last was said as he emerged from the trees pulling along Shadow his horse. The warmth from the fire was comforting, it had been several days since Gareth had had a fire to sleep near and he was glad to find one. The boy had a small stiletto drawn, a look and a hurmph was all it earned him, Gareth turned and tied Shadow to a tree near some grass. "I hope you dont mind me intruding on your fire but it has been days since I had a fire in front of me. Would you mind teribbly if I joined you. My name is Gareth by the way, what brings you all the way out here to the middle of nowhere." Gareth gave the boy a little smile to ease him, but made sure that he was turned so that the boy could see the heron on his sword hilt. Gareth sat down on the ground and watched the boy.

 

-Gareth

 

 

Tren only relaxed slightly as the man emerged from the forest, calling out, "My name is Gareth and I am a traveler as you are." The snort that the man gave upon getting a good look at him could have meant anything. The man continued, "I hope you don't mind me intruding on your fire, but it has been days since I had a fire in front of me." Tren shrugged. As far as he was concerned, one more person present meant one less tree to talk to. "Would you mind terribly if I joined you?"

 

Tren shrugged, then gestured to a spot on the ground across from where he had been seated. "What brings you all the way out here to the middle of nowhere?" Tren didn't answer right away, but instead watched the man for a moment as he seated himself, taking great care to make sure that he saw the bird on his sword hilt. Something at the back of his mind told Tren that the bird meant something. His face twisted slightly into something resembling a smile before he finally sat down, paranoia subdued for the moment

 

"What am I doing out here? Quite simple, really. I'm lost. When I arrived in the area, I was assured that I was within a day's ride of the nearest city. I've been riding for three days now, trying to find this city." On a whim, Tren decided to try the sign that the old man in Four Kings had shown him, the one that would identify himself to other Friends of the Dark. As he gestured subtly, the paranoia returned.

 

Tilting his head slightly, Tren asked the newcomer, "Are you real? Many have found my campfire on previous nights; none of them lived, though. They attacked, I attacked, they vanished. How do I know that you are real?"

 

-Tren

 

 

The sign of the Dark was very noticable, Gareth was actually suprised, that was a rarity. Gareth was the type to expect the worst, but at least he was with a fellow Darkfriend, he found it funny in his own way, he was in the middle of nowhere and he not only found another person but an allie. Gareth laughed at the mans question, "I am as real as you are my boy." Davik said.

 

Davik grabed his small pack and pulled out a skin of water and some dried beef he had. He had not eaten much over the past day or two. It was the perfect opportunity to do so. Davik motioned some of the jerky to the boy "You know some people consider it rude to not introduce themselves" with the said Gareth wove the sign of the Dark deftly like he had done it a million times and was only second nature to him.

 

-Gareth

 

 

Gareth offered Tren some dried beef, which he turned down as graciously as he could. He then called him down on his manners. "You know, some people consider it rude not to introduce themselves," he said as his hand moved the same way that he had just moved his own.

 

Tren noticed, but didn't say anything about it. Instead he replied, "My apologies. At times, I tend to forget myself... in more ways than one. But that's no matter, nor is it an excuse. My name is Tren Reaver."

 

Well aren't we just the mannerly one. Tren thought he heard a voice address him. A voice that he'd never heard before, a voice that had a distinctively evil tone to it. To try to avoid thinking about it, he asked Gareth, "What brings you to the middle of nowhere? Just a random wanderer?

 

-Tren

 

 

"I dont really know if you can believe that, I just got the urge to wander one day, and I have been in the woods since, few people have bothered me and those that have, didnt live to regret it." Gareth said offhandedly. "I shall ask the same of you, what would one so young be doing wandering this close to the Blight, Trollocs dont distinguish between us and followers of the Light. So why would you risk yourself, are you searching for something?" Gareth inquired.

 

-Gareth

 

 

One so young... The words would have stung if Tren had cared anymore. "I've heard it said that youth ends the moment you realize that you're going to die. If that's true, then youth lays behind me by two years, and I've been dying slowly ever since." Tren took a deep breath to calm himself. And then another. He hated remembering the shock, the pain. The emptiness. "I was once a channeler, a wielder of saidin. Once."

 

Tren gave that a moment to sink in before continuing, his eyes focused on the flames in the campfire. "I do seek something; I seek the Blight. I swore myself to the Shadow because the Light betrayed me and left me to die a slow, painful death." The flames shifted to form figures dancing the dance of battle, men fighting and dying. "I hope that the Shadow can give me the means to extract vengeance. Or the means to end this torment." The battle shifted suddenly to a skeletal hand reaching for Tren's throat. With a shout of fear, Tren threw himself away from the fire. As he did, the illusion faded, leaving only the fire.

 

Hesitantly, Tren returned to his spot before adding, "I think that the taint may have gotten to me more than most. It may be vengeance, it may be madness. I risk myself because I don't care anymore. I want death."

 

-Tren

 

 

Gareth Listened to Trens story intently, he had decided that he had wandered enough and that it was time to stop wandering. Gareth had been gone so long he would need allies.The fact that the boy had once been able to channel was shocking but he couldnt anymore. Personally Gareth had never held any love for weilders of the Power, they were too upity, thought they knew everything. At one point in his story Tren fell backward as if he was escaping something, aparently he was already a little mad, but he could be useful.

 

"Death is pointless, you can serve the DarkLord in death but you are more usefull alive. There are many things you can do, you think channelers will win wars. A knife in the night can kill anyone even our Dreadlords, they need people like us to defend them, fight and lead the wars, they are powerful yes but not invinciblle. We the nonchanneling Darkfriends are the true power of the Dark Lord. Even the Chosen are powerless without us to follow them and do their bidding. they may guide the blade but we ARE the Blade. If you truly seek death then just slit your throat but if you want to live, serve our Great Lord and learn to be the sword then tomorow we shall begin our journey back to civilization and I shall teach you. You will live and die well, in battle not as a coward running from your fears."

 

-Gareth

 

 

"Fears... Fears have nothing to do with it. Nonetheless, there is sense to what you say, more sense than I've heard in quite some time. I think I will accompany you, though." Tren's voice did not stop carrying its sense of world-weariness. His eyes sank back into the fire. "If for nothing else," he added, "to regain my bearings."

 

There was silence in the small camp for a little bit, broken only by the breeze through the trees and by the crickets in the grass. Tren allowed his mind to wander, hoping to regather his thoughts. All that stopped when he remembered what the man had displayed so prominently when he had first arrived. "Master Gareth, when you arrived, you made a point of displaying that sword of yours. Is the heron on it's hilt there by right, or did you get the weapon as a gift?"

 

-Tren

[Gareth]

Gareth nodded at the boys reason for coming, everyone had their reasons for what they did. The silence was reasuring it let Gareth ponder on his own reasons for traveling.

 

He was tired exahsted and hurt. The fighting had been fierce even though they had won the battle, it was a slaughter really, Gareth was not pleased with himself. "To many people died here today" he said to his second in command as they over looked the ruined city and took stock of the carnage. Smoke rose from everywhere the fires were rampant, the stench of death was strong, the hole that had formed when the wall fell was covered in dead. "Too many lost to the power and the Trollocs", he said the last with disgust. "We needed their numbers but they were a little overzelous in their feedings I should not have had to intervene." Gareth said remembering his confrontation with the Trolloc leader. He looked back over his remaining force, the last of the Soldiers, "take them home let them rest, I will call soon enough, something feels wrong" with a sharp salute to his Second Gareth kicked his horse to a gallop. Just before he reached the tree line a great rumbling nearly shook him from his horse. He looked back and the city that had stood in ruins was now gone.

 

Gareth was brought out of his revalry by Trens voice "Master Gareth, when you arrived, you made a point of displaying that sword of yours. Is the heron on it's hilt there by right, or did you get the weapon as a gift?" He didnt really know how to answer, the story was long but he would try the short version. "Well it was both in fact it was a gift from a man named ZIO who was tainted and touched by the DarkOne himself. He is the only man I have ever known that could use a myrddraal sword. He is gone now but the reason for the gift was for my service. You may have heard of the fall of Chachin, I lead my Lord Rahvins human forces in battle the sword was a gift before hand. The reason I displayed it was I didnt know you, but most that know the signifigance of the heron would step warry and those that dont know of the bird dont matter. Get some sleep we ride tomorrow."

[Quibby]

The sword had walked a strange road to arrive where it had, by the story that Gareth told. Tren didn't question it any further, but he was slightly incredulous as to the veracity of it. No man would give up a heron-mark blade willingly, even if he would wield one of the Eyeless swords. The thought was only half-hearted, though, as his mind drifted to questions of his future.

 

Where do I go from here? he thought as he settled himself in the grass. Those who had discovered him had sent him north to the Blight, but Gareth, by his comments about the dangers, was probably not heading in that direction. The man carried himself as a soldier would, a great advantage in a fight and not much to comment on in the Borderlands. He also seemed kind enough.

 

Kindness?! Kindness is but an illusion. This man does not know what may throw you into insanity. If you really care to repay his 'kindness,' leave him. The dark voice spoke with hatred and cynicism, but Tren could see truth to what it said. "Am I really so far gone already?" The question hung in the air unanswered, and Tren left it there. Rolling onto his other side, Tren closed his eyes and slipped into a sleep riddled with dreams brought on by madness. And the dark presence waited.