Rangertale, Ch.3: The Castle Marenoc
#3 of Rangertale
Rumelis and Tull pursue their foe Tull into Castle Marenoc. Will they find anything relating to the Blades of Eulas before Tull?
Rangertale Ch. 3
The Castle Marenoc
Castle Marenoc was deep in the Fell Wood, and though the maps' directions were at times uncertain Mels could easily find the direction needed. It was an ability Rumelis did not have, and he supposed more training in the field would have honed it. They were a couple hours travel from the castle proper, and were stopping for a brief break when they found something that seemed odd- a pack was hanging from a tree nearby. Mels did not take notice, but Rumelis wondered about the reasoning behind its placement. He asked Mels why it was left there, and why she ignored it.
"Simple. It's a trap for the greedy. I've faced Tull before, he wants to slow us down." There was a small pause as they continued their speedy hike until Mels spoke up again. "By the way, if you carry those swords, why do you not kill with them? You subdued all of your foes in that last fight." Another pause. "You know, you'll have to face killing someone eventually. You're no soldier, but you're in my protection. I expect you to fight and kill."
Rumelis had tried not to think too much about his first real battle. He attributed his survival to luck and some training, as well as Mels, but that was it. Still, despite Mels' disapproval of his disabling foes rather that killing them, he could feel something changing. For once, he was not a despicable blueblood, but now someone with some small modicum of skill- not much of an improvement, but perhaps a start. He doubted Mels would ever see him as a warrior, but he did hope that they could at least be on amicable terms.
After some time, the towers of Castle Marenoc loomed over the trees of the Fell Wood. A rough dirt trail swerved towards the castle, more defined than the forest trails behind them- a hint of wear and tear from a kingdom long since fallen. The gates had fallen into disrepair, but the castle walls now left an opening into the keep within. The Rangers walked into the keep proper, noting the large wooden gate that led into the depths of the keep was open.
An obvious tripwire or two lay just inside the grand hall of the keep. Close inspection revealed both that the tripwires were new and that they were quickly linked to crude alarm bells. It appeared that besides these few traps Tull had no time to create anything more deadly. Rumelis and Mels passed through the decrepit halls quickly, not here to admire the ancient engravings and art that adorned the walls and furniture of the keep. The deeper the Rangers went into the keep, the less specific the maps were, but again as the maps became less and less clear, Mels was able to find the correct path time and time again. Rumelis suspected that behind her history she had visited this ruin before, perhaps searching for the same blades.
After a while the moss and dirt grew more and more pervasive, the engravings more worn, the dust and spiderwebs more prevalent. Finally, they came upon a great hall that seemed much grander than any others before it. Unlike the older, less well-kept halls of the keep, this shrine seemed amazingly well-kept for its age. Unlike all of the old rooms before this one, precious metals were still engraved against the walls.
Here too was Tull, who had been waiting for the two Rangers. In his hand was but a shard of a Blade of Eulas, yet still it gleamed with the luster of blackened steel, the likes of which had not been forged since the last Metal Age passed. From atop the shrine he leapt down to the floor below and faced the two Rangers.
"I trust your journey was safe, Arlen Rangers? It would be horrible if you had some accidents along the way, though from your haste I can tell my old traps did nothing to hinder you. I did not expect them too, considering Mels' skills, so I suppose it was a test of memory, rather than skill."
Mels nocked an arrow onto her bow, aiming for Tull, who leapt gracefully towards Mels and hit the arrow upwards, breaking it in half. He then pushed past Rumelis, who only had time to take a useless swing in Tull's direction. It appeared that, for now, Tull was beyond the two Ranger's grasps. Rumelis remained optimistic, however.
"He will wait for us. He seems to have enough of an ego to do so; he couldn't stand_not_ being chased. Let's look around, there may be something important here that he overlooked in his escape."
After a detailed search of the shrine, Rumelis' suspicion struck true, as Mels discovered something that gave Rumelis' hunch validity. It was a shard of black steel, stronger that any other metal, sharpened with an edge that would not falter even after seasons of use. It was a fist-sized shard, yet it was still priceless even without its full blade. Kings rose and fell with and for this metal, armies clashed, nations fell to ruin.
They had a shard.
Now the race was on their terms, though Mels asserted that it was still important to stop Tull from getting any more of the lost metal. The maps were useless now, they had only shown Castle Marenoc, so it was time to head into civilization, to the nation-states of the mountains that hoarded and fought over this black steel. Here Rumelis was more useful, as Mels only knew the location of some of the mountain towns.
"I have connections with the leaders there from House Ironclaw. I know many a strong Canine from the mountain towns, and I am sure with our skills together we can retrieve the rest of the Blades of Eulas and fight Tull."
Mels, for once, seemed confident in him, though this was fleeting. "Let's go, then, blueblood. We'll see if your skills hold up, and if your optimism is well-founded."
"Onwards, then, to the mountain towns."
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.
Character development! What a concept! I'm sure the 10 or so people who ever read this will see this development from a mile away, but this was never meant to be a groundbreaking story. It's mostly just practice.
TL;DR EDITION
Rumelis and Mels chase Tull into Castle Marenoc. Tull sets some weak traps for them, and waits for them. He has found a shard of a Blade of Eulas, but after searching Mels and Rumelis have one as well. The two rangers now head to the Mountain Towns in search of more shards.
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.