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He’d heard once that death was supposed to be cold and empty. Jude however hadn’t expected such a literal meaning to saying. Of course the chill he felt wasn’t the chill of the reaper at all, it was the cold air of the mountains cascading mercilessly over his already clammy flesh, and the emptiness that raked him, well that was something different. A mixture of blood loss and self-loathing contributed to that feeling.

“Don’t know if you’ll die from it or not…tch.” He muttered softly.

He could still taste the iron of the dried blood that stained his teeth. He didn’t like the taste at all, but then again if he’d been dead he wouldn’t have been bothered by such a minor annoyance. He’d expected it honestly, to die at the point of the rapier she had held. Not a sweet death, not a hero’s death, But an honest one. Yet he’d been denied that freedom too. And without that release from his sins all he found himself left with was the nothingness.
His miserable life was still his own, to unclean to pass into Cherga’s embrace. All because of a girl, one he’d allowed himself to become so smitten with. He had coerced her, befriended her and in the end of it all felt affection toward her that he had not once known in his lifetime. If he had simply stuck his plan of abduction at this very moment he might have been a wealthy man, and if he hadn’t become rich he certainly would be less reminiscent of a stuck pig. But after all his careful planning and self-deliberation something in him had gone soft. Even the mere thought of causing her harm had put a knot of cold fire in his chest, a pain that seized him and refused to let him go.
For that reason, at the pivotal moment he had chosen truth over his lies, knowing full well that no matter what he said he would end up breaking her heart. The Rapier wound that left his stomach numb was trivial compared to the pain he’d caused. He deserved the wound that much was certain.

“If you live, consider changing your life….” He said softly into the dry winds.

It had been one of the last things she had said to him. She had been crying and those tears had crumbled the wall around his heart even after having received vengeance from her blade. She had kissed him, and he could recall a brief moment of sweetness that lingered even still, vying for its place amongst his bitter memories. And he had said to her while he laid bleeding and slipping into blackness.

If I live I’ll make this up to you one day…promise.

Painfully, Jude wrenched himself from his resting place on the ground pulling against the stickiness of his let blood that covered the ground where he had laid. It seemed he was fated to survive this encounter. But he had lost the only friend he had known in a very long life of necessary solicitude. It was a loss that drained away his willpower at its merest remembrance. He had promised her that he would make up for his deception if he were somehow to survive. But at that moment he knew only doubt.

An old saying came to his mind from an old obscure language of an old obscure people
Talucas ta Talucas, Saras ta Saras
Evil is Evil, Good isGood.

Rainia walked away slowly from the man she had thought her friend, her only friend. The tears left visible tracks down down her face a she ran back to Trollsbane. In her mind all she could see was his body laying there totally still.

"Please don't die." She repeated that under her breath until someone she didn't know invited her in to the ruined tavern.

Nervously she stepped through the ruined wall, but she couldn't take her eyes from the hills where he may have already died, until one of the strangers noticed her shaking and asked her if she was alright. She took a deep breath and wipes her eyes before turning to them and launching into the story.

He lost track of time while resting in the shadows of the cave. It had taken a great deal of effort to get himself off the small plateau where he had been impaled, and that effort had left him fatigued to the point of motionlessness. How long he had slept in the darkness of the cavern he was unsure. But upon his next wakening he knew only two things, The dull pain of a healing wound and a hunger that seemed to have the power to banish even thoughts of pain from his mind.

Finding food had been less difficult then he imagined. His wound was miraculous in nature, he had been run clean through but from what he could tell, the steel shaft had not struck anything particularly vital. There was still pain however; intense pain when he was forced to bend in the middle, and doing so even once had caused him to begin bleeding again. He had been more or less forced into gathering fruit, for he was to slow and to weak still to capture any animal. After gathering the fruit he’d spent the remainder of that day hunting about for herbs used to stave off the possibility of infection. It had been luck that he had been able to gather all that he’d needed. It seemed that he was destined to survive after all.

After having eaten his fill that first day he could remember, Jude had a chance to reflect once more on the events that had brought him to this place. It had only taken a few moments for the hollowness in his heart to reaffirm itself. With his belly full his mind had the freedom to wander. Most of all he found himself with a strong desire to see her again. At the same time his common sense rebuked the notion, and his internalized revulsion toward himself seconded his mental betrayal.

This day was no different then the one before it. He gathered food, tended his wound and then slept and when he’d awakened he’d ached in both body and soul. But the pains of his body were fading with each passing hour, his inner turmoil however hounded him as strongly as it had that day when his delimma had begun. He was not very far from Trollsbane, he could see it’s walled expansive in the distance when he ventured outside. He stared at the walls sometimes for hours wondering if it was at all possible to return to that place.

It wasn’t impossible of course, No one really knew of what had transpired on the mountain flat, he would be treated as he always had been. He could also acquire better food and fresh bandages if he chose to go. What kept him back was the thought of seeing Rainia again. If he met her what could he possibly say to her? Had he somehow changed into a better man in his days lingering in the caverns? He doubted it honestly, and because of his doubts he had not chosen to go back any sooner then this moment. Today he needed to venture into the city, just long enough to get what he needed and return to the wilds.

It was likely to be some time before he had the resolve to live along-side anyone again.

Julius Rothman awoke with a start as the first traces of sunlight hit his unshaven face. It had been a long time since he had been up this early, in fact years. It was a custom for him to stay up late and sleep through the early morning. Of course there had to be a reason for this early awakening, when he heard the words that Colin spoke to him, his heart was pierced with worry. Julius was a rich man, he supposed, and now that his daughter was on this isle, bandits and enemies of his could use her against him.

Although Colin did not give Julius the name of this man, he intended to find out and perhaps set an example of what he would do to a man that even attempted to touch his daughter. She hated him, her own father, he understood this but did not care. She was his daughter and it was his duty to take care of her. He would not send her back to the mainland because of a few goons wishing to hurt her and cause harm to him.

Within minutes he was fully awake and off to Trolls Bane. He had many contacts within the isle, but the situation before him would be hard to unravel. The only thing he knew of certainty was that his daughter was attacked and a attempted kidnapping took place. His daughter was new to the isle and was upset after the incident went down. A girl who would barely get close enough for her father to hug her, who ever did it must have been a close friend.

He thought of the possible people that could have done this in his mind. None of real importance to the matter. All of Julius's enemies would be able to kidnap her with ease, a simple blade to the throat and a rope would do the trick. With only one man that knew what happened and a daughter that more or less would not tell her father anything, Julius was at a standstill.

He kicked open his depot shaking his head..