Thunder Rolls

[Dista]

The long thunderous roars echo through the trees as the web-like veins of lighting split the night’s sky. The winds howl fiercely disturbing anything and everything in its path; trees continue to fall to the ground like colossal statues crumbling to the earth. At the hands of the Gods on this unearthly eve a young man lay unconscious in a small bush, a tree pinning his leg to the ground. The young man’s face buried under his tattered cloak, lay unmoving and seemingly undisturbed in all the night’s events.

To the young man’s right about eight paces in the direction opposite of the nearest town lay another man, also pinned underneath an enormous falling tree. This second man was bearded and held a small green hatchet in his one free hand; the pain he must be in from the entire left side of his upper body being wedged beneath a tree weighing at least ten times his own size did not seem to even phase this man as he hacked away at the wooden obstacle on top of him. The sounds of the storm made it nearly impossible to hear even the faintest sound of the hatchet he swung time and time again.

The storm surged onward into the night as neither man had moved come sunrise. The sun brought with it the sounds of birds singing and many other animals scurrying out of their hiding places they occupied the night before. The two men still lay motionless on the forest floor. Suddenly another man wearing what seemed to be very dirty, faded and torn clothing rode towards the two helpless men at top speed, as if he had been searching for them moving at a quick pace although he showed no signs of panic.

The robed man dismounted his steed and immediately pulled a rope free from his waistband. He securely fastened the rope to his steed and the other end to the bearded man’s tree; he grabbed the hatchet from the man’s hands and said a very subtle (almost inaudible) what seemed to be a prayer and began thrusting the dull green blade down into the tree. After many swings and some time he busted the trunk in two uneven pieces. He gave his steed a nod of what seemed to be some kind of certainty and grabbed onto the rope himself. Together the man and his steed removed the tree from the bearded mans side at once.

The bearded man coughed some blood and reached for his shoulder the instant he was released from under the weight of the trunk. His eyes remained closed. The robed man now shredded his robe from his back and his armour shone in the morning’s bright sun. He laid the robe on near his horse on the stretch of dampened grass, he then took hold of the bearded man’s feet and dragged him back across the grass and laid him on top of his robe. He turned towards the other man still pinned beneath a tree and began the same necessary steps of removing the tree.
Almost an hour had passed when both men that endured the night’s storm were laying face-up on tattered rags and the damp morning grass. The armoured man attended his horse and then grabbed a couple of glass bottles from his pouch; he brought these bottles to the two injured men and poured one bottle in each of the men’s mouth’s forcing them to swallow the entire contents.

The armoured man turned his back on them and returned to the logs he had just cut; he began to tie together some of the logs to make what resembled some sort of sled. He then lined the top of the logs with some old rags and then placed the two other men side-by-side on top of the logs. He reused the rope, fastened the sled very tightly to his steed and began walking along-side it in the direction he had just come from a couple hours earlier.
The three men and the steed emerged from the trees and continued on towards one of the town houses. The house they were approaching looked dark and unoccupied; they entered through the back door where the armoured man dragged the other two into the house and tied his steed up outside the door. After starting a fire, boiling a pot of water, and removing his armour to its rightful stand, he walked towards his study where he sat and unrolled an old stained sheet of parchment which read:

Dearest Rincoe Elbrum,

My dear friend it has certainly been a long while since we have last spoken. I have been awaiting the news of your return for months now, and I would say a visit is rather long overdue. I’ll bring my best bottle from the cellar to celebrate! From our cabin it is a few days journey and it is a dangerous one as well, Evangelis and I shall be departing at sunrise two days prior to you receiving this and we shall arrive the next evening one hour before sunset.

Signed, Distavirous Brom.

[Dista]

*A Few Days Later*

Inside of the small cabin the three men sit around the fire; Rincoe a co-owner of the home sat in his refurbished throne, Distavirous Brom the elder lumberjack and carpenter sat on a chair to his right hand side with his son the Adept Tailor Evangelis to his right sitting on the lone stool.

Distavirous: Once again, we cannot thank you enough Rincoe, for you have certainly saved our lives from that treacherous storm.

Rincoe: My pleasure, and any hour that strikes danger for either of you send me a bird and I will not hesitate to come to your aid. Distavirous you are like a father to me, and Evangelis you are like my brother to say the least.

Evangelis: A Fine brother indeed, we thank you greatly for your hospitality, however we better not overstay our visit, what do you say father?

Distavirous: I cannot agree with you more young Evangelis. *coughs* We mustn’t be out of work for much longer indeed our reservations at the Inn should still be confirmed. Since we are in Britain, please feel free to drop by whenever you feel the need Rincoe.

Evangelis: Yes for sure, drop by and keep us informed about anything you hear, we are grateful to have you Rincoe, If ever you need a favour please just ask and it will be yours.

Rincoe: Thank you both, Evangelis and Distavirous. We will talk soon enough I have many stories to follow and many people to catch up with as well. What do you say you send me a bird once your room is in place huh? I shall drop by with the most expensive bottle of ale I can find!

Distavirous: Very well, we will see you soon! *shakes Rincoe’s hand and rides off to the East coughing as rides away*

Evangelis: Thanks again Rincoe! See you around town. *waves*

Rincoe: Farewell Evan. *waves his sturdy hand in the air*

Rincoe lowered his hand to his side, stepped back through the front door and locked it with a swift jab of his dagger using it as a deadbolt. He rushed to his study and sat at once; with no disturbances he began to read through all the postings and letter’s he could still make out. The tampered, the weathered, the battered, and the torn, Rincoe read through everything he could make any sense of.