War Against the Wild (open)

[Nyris]

(I'm waiting patiently to be approved to be able to jump into this all head first. Unfortunately, my desire to roleplay is outweighing my patience. So I'm going to throw this in here for anyone to join up on and feel free to PM with questions. Once I am approved if someone wants to continue doing this in a more adult setting we can certainly do so. I hope you enjoy.)


For centuries man has made a career of war and practiced it with ruthless intensity in the name of justice or for conquest and power. In between wars were small periods of what one would call peace. All that really was was a recollection of assets, recruitment, and preparation for the next one. In recent times it had been war after bloody war between two neighboring kingdoms of great power. Both considered being of equal strength and value which was why the two went at it head to head so often.

Nyris knew war all too well. He was also incredibly familiar with what he was looking at since he experienced it almost every single night. A reminder of when things took a turn for the worse and the real enemy showed itself. A time when for the first time man may actually band together against a common enemy. Being of the Order of Knights granted him no shortage of work and experience. Very few men knew the arcane arts and even fewer practiced the arcane and the physical talents of war. Despite having no real political allegiance to any kingdom of the known world he always found himself on one side or the other. Gold spoke volumes.

He took a deep breath and looked out over the view in front of him which was the aftermath of a day-long battle, pure carnage. The Kingdom of Rhydin and Turkon had been campaigning against one another, again, for months now. Bodies were littered everywhere from both sides all suffering death in some form or another. Whether by the blade, the arrow or from a load from a war machine the end result was all the same. This scene Nyris had seen many times and it wasn’t this particular view that troubled him.

As expected the ground began to rumble in a way that no one had experienced before. Nyris stood safely outside his pavilion but the fear was the same even though he’s been through this over and over. Those things came out of the ground like they had been there the entire time. Currently, there was no name for them other than the Wild. Insectoid like creatures something like a beetle but stood on two legs, with four arms and mandibles capable of consuming a man’s leg in seconds. They began feasting on everyone. The death screams of war Nyris had become accustomed to over his lifetime but hearing someone getting eaten alive was something he could barely stomach.

There were so many of them crawling over the battlefield feasting on every downed soldier that it looked like the ground itself was crawling. Panic filled the camp instantly as men began to pack up their things to retreat further back or just left their things where they were. The commotion called a stir in the insect horde and their attention turned from the battlefield to the very camp Nyris was in. The largest army of cavalry knights charging a camp couldn’t compare in noise volume and terror. The camp broke and every man was for himself.

Nyris woke in a cold sweat with his four-foot war sword in hand. It was pitch black inside his tent but he heard his squire stir and draw his weapon as well. There was silence between the two as Nyris’ chest heaved like he had been battling all day long. He remembered very clearly the fear, the loss of hope, seeing others eaten right around him and the desperation of the situation. The very sound of it made his bones shake. It had been ten months since barely surviving that day thanks to the incredible efforts of his most loved warhorse. Nyris was convinced that Goose was the only reason why he was still able to take a breath. Thoughts of his beloved horse went to the moment he heard when those things overran his horse.
   
He shivered deeply again as he covered the ground between his straw bed and the entrance of his tent. Outside he was greeted by the light of the full moon and smoldering embers of the large campsite. All he heard were the snores of tired soldiers and his visibility barely reached beyond the edge of the camp. The hairs on the back of his neck stood and his body coursed with adrenaline from the dream because it was just so damn real to him.
   
Since that horrific day, Nyris had been traveling across the Kingdom of Rhydin to bring back as many men to Rhydin Fortress as possible. Both kingdoms forgot about one another and huddled within their own boundaries to try and survive what had happened. Attacks were happening everywhere in areas less populated. Theories, stories, and legends were shared daily about how the Wild was retaking their land from man. Scholars and historians read and reread the old text to find any indication of these creatures. Nothing of insect-like humanoids but of creatures more fierce and gruesome. Many believed that this was just the beginning.

Nyris walked the paths between all the tents and sleeping men barefoot with his sword tip hanging low to the ground beside him. He kept telling himself he was safe and that there was nothing out there but he couldn’t convince himself that. He was shirtless and only wore simple cloth pants that hung loosely from his waist. His long, black hair lay messily over his shoulders and his icy blue eyes looked everywhere once, twice and three times just to make sure it was clear. The camp housed several hundred men and took Nyris nearly an hour to cover the entire thing - not just the perimeter but every pathway every nook and cranny of the camp. No man moved or woke as he passed by he essentially made no noise as he moved through camp.

Once he was satisfied there was nothing in the camp he braved beyond it to where the scouts should be. This took another hour as they were placed all around the camp at various places to be able to warn them of any potential threat. Every single scout reported nothing and he was elated to find out that none of them were asleep on their shift. This group he had spent the most amount of time with and he provided his own level of training and security to make sure that every single man made it back home safely.

By the time Nyris returned to the camp he guessed there weren’t many hours left before first light and he was exhausted. Mentally more than physically from having the same dream every night and doing exactly the same thing he did each time he woke up. Vincent, Nyris’ squire, was there to meet him with water and a towel.

“Anythin’ cap’?” The young boy asked quietly while Nyris drained the water from the cup handed to him and then patted his face, neck, and body dry. They both stood at the south entrance to the camp where most of the wagons and animals were.

“I can’t keep living like this and I am not the captain.” Nyris returned the empty cup and towel to Vincent with his thanks. There was an official commander of the small army by the name of Sir Marcus Hystad. Nyris was enlisted to provide support to the men and do what he could to ensure their safety. A Knight and well respected in his own right, these were not his men, at the end of the day he was no more than a hired mercenary. Just a very dangerous and effective one - against men - he was unsure of the Wild.

[Nyris]

At the first sign of light, Nyris awoke in his bed and immediately pinched the bridge of his nose and question his career decision. It was Vincent rustling around to get his things ready for the day that woke him but he always made it a point to not get angry at the boy for doing his job. Sometimes though, he could just do it a little better. Hell, he could take a day off every now and again for all he cared.

“Cap’n, Sir Marcus requested you as soon as you are able.” The young boy was laying out clothes for the day. Nyris had made it clear that he would be as casually dressed this entire trip and left all of his finer, court appropriate ware behind. This had him in a simple linen shirt dyed purple with black trousers that were sown in and outlined in gold silk. Despite the simplicity, the way the clothing was tailored and crafted it was still worth a pretty gold coin.

With a grunt of protest Nyris by sheer force of will got himself out of bed and stood in the middle of his tent to allow Vincent to dress him. This was his quiet time in the morning because once he left his tent he would be busy all day making securing safe travels for this small army. Unless spoken to, Vincent knew to remain quiet, and allow Nyris the time to think and formulate his day in the small amount of time it took him to get dressed. The days he was wearing armor it took Vincent a lot longer but this was quick and easy. Before leaving the tent the last thing he put on his was his Order of Knights belt and war sword. Unlike many who were well-rehearsed in court etiquette, there was never a time Nyris didn’t have his war sword on him.

Outside his tent, Nyris was greeted with the sound of men working. It struck him odd that he saw soldiers digging trenches and putting up walls. He was under the impression that they would be leaving after breakfast to get to the next checkpoint. They were scheduled to be back at the fortress in less than ten days. He scratched the growing stubble on his cheek and wondered what had changed. As he made his way towards the commander’s tent there were men at the pell with various weapons and even more posts being put up. As he got further and further into the camp it looked more like a camp preparing for war not retreat.

The opening to the tent was held aside by a guard as Nyris passed through the threshold.  Inside he was greeted with a cup of wine by a servant girl, who bowed before leaving, and the sight of servants hustling around at the commands of a man almost too tall for his own tent. Sir Marcus Hughes was one of the tallest men in the Kingdom and was nicknames ‘The Oak’ for it. Marcus hated that nickname which made it stick with the soldiers even more. The man, just over seven feet, was shouting orders while two squires worked laces and buckles to get the man armored. Both of them had stools so that they could work on Marcus’ upper body.  He was massive, not only in height but in overall size. This man clearly was built for war with thick, corded muscle and even scars on his face to turn anyone away. Even Nyris had to reaffirm himself when Marcus looked at him.

“New orders.” Marcus shrugged the squires off of him once his chest plate was buckled in and moved powerfully towards the table. He slid over a rolled parchment for Nyris to take a look at. Once Nyris finished reading the report he tossed it back onto the table and stared directly back at Sir Marcus.

“Look I don’ like’t either mate. Word came in giants are on tha loose between us and our rendezvous.” Marcus shrugged inside his harness - a testament to his raw strength to lift that much steel with his shoulders. “We dig in and wait for things to clear.” Marcus slid one more piece of paper across the table towards Nyris and remained silent while the Knight looked it over.

Every part of Nyris wanted to leave the tent, pack up his things and take off with his horses. The anxiety began to build up inside of him. Images of what he had already seen were recreated in his mind but reflected their current position and the still alive soldiers outside the tent.  In seconds he envisioned everyone’s demise. In one gulp Nyris downed the wine and placed the cup down on the table. His hand had been shaking and he wished not to outwardly show his fear.

“The men are putting up a perimeter and we’re leaving some nasty tra-.” Marcus was cut off when Nyris slammed a fist onto the table. Everyone within the tent fell silent and stopped moving.

“We are not facing humans Marcus!” Nyris boomed and his own terror betrayed him. If listening, the entire camp could have heard Nyris’ outburst. “They came from underneath us last time. How do you intend to keep something out that’s already below you?!” Nyris was full-on yelling like he was the commander lashing out at a subordinate in frustration. Truthfully Nyris wanted to reach across the table and pull Marcus to him face to face.

Marcus merely stood to his full height and crossed his arms. The man was so large that he was accustomed to showing off his size to get people to cooperate with him. The very last thing he needed inside his camp was division.  While it was true he had never seen or come up against the Wild before he had no intention of dying inside this camp. The standoff lasted for several, long seconds as the two waged war through stares.

“Have anoth’r cup o’ wine Nyris and take a walk.” Marcus waved a hand at one of his servants and turned his back to the Knight signaling his end of the conversation. He went to work sifting through papers and making sure that everything he wanted to be done to get the camp ready was being done.

The same female servant that served him the first time returned with a fresh cup of wine and offered it to Nyris. This time her eyes were down and the cup shook in her hand much like Nyris’ did just moments ago. It was the visual of her fear that made Nyris snap out of it. He took the wine and looked at the back of Sir Marcus realizing his error. This wasn’t the first time he let his emotions get the best of him. However, he took the command and stepped out of the tent back into the first light of day with more than a few sideways glances in his direction.

Nyris paced furiously up and down the trench lines, inspecting walls and checking armor, anything to get his mind off of what may or may not happen. Out beyond the camp walls was nothing but flatland filled with wild grass in some places as high as a man’s knee. The treeline was nearly three hundred yards away in any direction. To calm himself Nyris stood outside the camp and stared into the trees. Everything around him was so peaceful - men digging in camp, early morning birds chirping and the sound of leaves shifting in the breeze that cooled his face. What really could go wrong on such a beautiful morning?