Aftermath 75.

Somewhere Else...

Zubutai the barbarian hordesman yawns once again, and wonders how long he's been here. He figures it's probably a while, though not knowing how time exactly works here, he might of been here just a few moments.
But what he does know, is that he's dead. That's for certain. As he's died a number of times previously. And eventually he always ends up here. On a beach, which he's been told looks exactly like a beach along the coast of the Southlands. In the lands Farque do be exact. South of where the Winter Palace is located.
The hordes outrider from the southern tundra, who most recently was the cavalry commander Darid Parsen.
Gets up off the sand, and making sure not to look back behind him. As he knows looking in that direction, all he'll see is a white light and pain. He makes his way down to the water's edge.
The barbarian hordesman from the southern tundra is even more careful not to touch the water.
And he leans out over it, and sees that the light breaking surf is almost like a mirror. He looks at himself, and lifts an eyebrow in surprise. For this is the first time he's ever done this in his many deaths.
And he finds that he still looks like he exactly did when he first died over a dozen years ago during a war, one winter in the southern kingdom of Melaurn.
He wasn't expecting that. As he thought he might of aged during each successive life he's lived. Apparently not.
"Makes sense i guess" Zubutai the barbarian hordesman murmurs to himself, the outrider from the pony archers horde then silently adds, of course I'd still look like i did when i first died.
Zubutai Timaginson slightly shakes his head, then he turns around, and keeping his eyes down, and looking only at the white sand beneath his feet, he makes his way back up the beach.
And gets back to where he was sitting before. The barbarian hordesman from the southern tundra sits down, facing the water once more. And continues to wait.
As he waits, Zubutai the son of Timagin thinks of some of the lives he's lived. From the dwarf Harfstac the very first person he came back as. To Darid Parsen the most recent person he's lived as. And many in between.
He's been a woman and a spellcaster. An experience he'll never forget. And something he never wants to experience again. Being Kail Ariss the sorceress was trying to say the least.
Being a woman was difficult enough. But being a practitioner of magic was a hell of a lot worse.
In the many lives he's lived, that was by far the most demanding and difficult one to deal with.
Meanwhile his life as Riley Hait the mercenary ranger was probably the best.
Probably due to the fact that was the life he was in the longest apart from his own.
He was Riley Hait for more than eight years. And during that life he'd often go for long stretches of time, forgetting that he was actually Zubutai Timaginson.
Which might not be the best in the long run. But was actually a pleasant experience to endure.
He actually didn't mind not remembering that he was a really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra. And instead was a human ranger brought up by elven warders in the principality of Envadarlen.
And he was more than a little annoyed that he was killed during the battle of castle Lé Dic in the kingdom of Druvic just over fifteen months ago.
Though he soon got used to being Darid Parsen, who was a foot soldier in the army of lady Linara Lé Dic.
As he sits here on the beach in the after life, specifically the death realm.
Zubutai the barbarian hordesman wonders who'll he come back as this time.
Though as he looks up and down the beach, then out to the ocean. The hordes outrider from the southern tundra wonders if he'll return to life in another body at all.
As it feels like he's been waiting for an eternity as he sits here. Wondering if and when the one who rules this realm will show up and get him.
The outrider from the pony archers horde yawns again as he continues to wait on the sunny and warm beach here in the after life.
Zubutai the son of Timagin lies down, and closes his eyes, and enjoys the warmth of the sun upon him.
The barbarian hordesman from the southern tundra doesn't know how long it is before he's dozing.
He also doesn't know how long it is before he hears something that wakes him up.
The outrider from the pony archers horde sits up, and looks away to his right along the beach.
And in the distance he spots something. It's ethereal to say the least. Not truly with form.
Whatever it is, it's rather large. And as Zubutai Timaginson watches it, he sees it starting to form.
And one moment it's see through as it heads in this direction. The next moment it's solid. And the barbarian hordesman recognises what it is.
It's one of the wardogs of Farque, one of the undead ones. And by the size of it, it's either Hammer, Anvil or Axe. As they're the largest of any of the wardogs from the lands Farque.
Axe, Zubutai the son of Timagin wryly thinks to himself as the massive undead wardog runs up to him softly barking, before running around him, kicking up sand all over the barbarian hordesman from the southern tundra.
Even in this realm, the hordes outrider keeps his hands to himself, away from the massive animal. For even though Zubutai is dead, even he knows he can still be destroyed by someone or something like the undead wardog.
Who growls at the hordes barbarian, which sounds like an admonishment, or a telling off, to the ear of Zubutai the son of Timagin.
Then Axe barks at the outrider from the pony archers horde, wagging his stubby tail as he does so.
Then kicking up sand, the massive black canine, turns and runs back in the direction he came from.
Zubutai Timaginson looks that way, and sees two children running this way, running straight at the massive undead dog. Who suddenly stops right infront of them just when the barbarian hordesman thought it was going to barrel into them.
Then Axe heads back this way along the beach, chased by the two children, who are obviously twins, around the age of four.
Two more figures appear on the beach in that direction. A tall striking looking woman. And an even taller man.
And though Zubutai the son of Timagin has only seen the man a few times not wearing his full suit of blue, black armour. The hordes outrider instantly recognises him.
The barbarian hordesman quickly looks to the left down the beach. Not looking at lord Farque and his family.
Even when out of the corner of his eye, he spots Axe on the sand, rolling around with the two giggling children clambering all over him.
Zubutai Timaginson doesn't look their way. He continues to look away to his left down the beach, out at the ocean in that direction.
The hordes outrider from the southern tundra doesn't know how long he looks in that direction. But eventually he hears a throat being cleared.
He looks to his right, and finds lord Farque, once again resplendent in his full suit of armour instead of the clothing Zubutai saw him in earlier.
The lord of the death realm is standing there by himself. While the undead wardog Axe is further up the beach. Sitting there, looking in this direction. Watching his master, and the barbarian hordesman.
"So" says lord Farque, who holds out a gauntleted hand, which Zubutai the son of Timagin takes "You died again" adds the heavily armoured deathlord as he helps the hordes outrider to stand.
"Yeah, which was annoying" says Zubutai the barbarian hordesman who doesn't know exactly how he died, so he figured he was killed by way of magic.
Which it turns out to be, for the lord and ruler of the lands Farque tells him "You were killed by the mage amongst those lot you and the others were fighting" the undead warlord then adds "By all accounts you were blown to bits".
Lord Farque, who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin by the people of his lands then says in a sour tone "Which is a bit unfortunate, as you can no longer return to that body".
The lord of the death realm gestures for Zubutai the son of Timagin to walk with him, and head up the beach to where Axe the undead wardog is sitting, waiting for them.
As they walk along the beach, and as the outrider from the southern tundra keeps his eyes forward, not looking away too the side at the white light that's in that direction.
He grunts as he suspected that would be the situation he found himself in. Unable to return into the body of Darid Parsen who he was in previously.
"Plenty of bodies laying around in the village we were in" says the barbarian hordesman who continues with "Suppose i could return in one of them".
"You could" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque who is known as Des'tier to elven kind "But unfortunately we're not there" adds the heavily armoured deathlord.
"We're not?" says Zubutai Timaginson who then adds "I mean the others aren't?" followed by "Where are they?".
"Further south on the plains" says the undead warlord as the two of them along with Axe walk along the beach.
"Hell, when did i die?" asks the outrider from the pony archers horde "Yesterday morning" says lord Farque, who then tells the barbarian hordesman "I only found the others a short time ago myself" followed by "And now I'm here".
The heavily armoured deathlord who is looking around as they walk, mutters "There it bloody is". Then he reaches out and puts a gauntleted hand upon the left shoulder of the hordes outrider, who starts to fade away.
Zubutai Timaginson doesn't know how long it's been, but he finds they're walking along a path amongst some woods. It's familiar to him, as he's come this way often.
"To that temple on that island in that little lake again?" asks the barbarian hordesman who never remembers any of this once he's returned to the world of living. But he remembers it all, once he's here in the death realm.
"We are" says Draugadrottin as they make their way up the dirt path followed by the undead wardog Axe.
Then once they're at the top of a rise, they can see down through the trees. The small lake and tall temple like building out on an island.
They head down to it, and they go to cross the natural causeway to get to the small island sticking out of the lake.
"Is it always this way, and with that fellow?" asks Zubutai the son of Timagin "No it doesn't have to be" says the undead warlord, who then explains "There's other ways to return, but he's the most, shall we say the easiest to get along with".
"He looks like Shur Kee" murmurs the hordes outrider as he recalls the person they're about to meet "You mean Shur Kee looks like him" dryly says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
The barbarian hordesman grunts at that, then when they get onto the small island, lord Farque tells the hordes outrider "I could return you straight back through the light without seeing whatever body you'd end up in if you want me to".
"No thanks" hastily says Zubutai Timaginson who points to the tower like temple and adds "This way will do".
Inside the temple of the Jade Warrior Bru Li, they stand upon the raised section of the floor, looking out the open front doors, into the world of the living.
"To the left" says lord Farque to the Jade Warrior who sits upon the raised platform opposite the open doors of his temple.
The view outside the front doors slightly changes, and Zubutai the barbarian hordesman slightly frowns as he sees the others in the group, near a krean scoutship, somewhere on the Kaldel Plains in the world of the living.
"Who's that?" asks the hordes outrider gesturing to what looks like a small body wrapped in a cloak.
"The goblin Teabagger" replies Draugadrottin, Zubutai the son of Timagin looks sharply at the lord of the death realm and says in a rather panicked tone "No fucking way".
The barbarian hordesman from the southern tundra then mutters "I'd rather stay here forever".
"Relax" dryly says the undead warlord as the view continues to move to the left, until it stops to where Mira Reinholt the mage and Helbe the elven thief are standing, chatting to one another.
On the ground at the feet of the two spellcasters who are members of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, lies another body.
"That's that plainsman who led those wreckers" murmurs Zubutai the son of Timagin, the heavily armoured deathlord nods his full helmed head, then says "Arvelle".
Definitely take that over the goblin, the outrider from the pony archers horde thinks to himself, then he silently adds, hmmm maybe i can grow that hair out, don't really like that shaved head look.
"Him?" asks Zubutai Timaginson "Him" says the lord of the death realm, the barbarian hordesman nods then waits as he knows he'll soon return to the world of the living as the plainsman Arvelle.
The hordes outrider doesn't know how long he waits, as it feels like an eternity, so he asks the undead warlord "Er what are we waiting for?".
"For either one of those fucking idiots to kill that plainsman" dryly says lord Farque who then adds "He's not dead yet" the heavily armoured deathlord continues with "Like i said, i just got there, and i just got here".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque points further beyond where the mage Reinholt and prince Helbenthril Raendril are standing.
And in the distance, a couple hundred yards away on the plains, Zubutai the son of Timagin spots lord Farque along with the wardog Axe lying on the ground, next to them is the heavily armoured deathlord's sword, which is point first in the ground.
"Oh" says the hordes outrider who then silently adds, hell by the tundra gods, time definitely does work differently here.
Then looking back at the two spellcasters who are members of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, the barbarian hordesman sees Helbe the elven prince point at the illegal wrecker on the ground, Arvelle the plainsman.
"About fucking time" mutters lord Farque, who then reaches out and places a gauntleted hand upon the left shoulder of Zubutai Timaginson and sends him back to the world of the living . . . . . .