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Everything around them was in a state of destruction. Smoke, fire, rubble, and blood were all encompassing. The acrid smoke burned Akra’s nose and soured her mouth. The smell of death was as thick as a blanket.
Akra and her friends had just barely managed to escape the ambush they had mistakenly been led into by their newly found goblin companion. It hadn’t been her fault, she hadn’t known there was an ambush waiting. She had begged them earnestly for help in saving her village from the onslaught of barbarians that sought to pillage, steal, and destroy. How devastating it must be for her to not only have her village plundered, but to now have nearly led those who were willing to save it into their own deaths. No one blamed her.
But now an even greater threat had presented itself to the group. The bandits had been driven off from the village, but as far as Akra was concerned, the enemy had never been more near. Much to the dismay of the group, the Inquisition had been there to finish the battle alongside them.Their force was impressive and battle-hardened, clearly experienced when it came to fighting their enemies. What the Inquisition members didn’t know was that they had not defeated all of their enemies, in fact they had fought beside them and saved them from death. Akra would make sure they lived to regret that.
Unfortunately, now was not the time. The group’s survival relied on keeping that fact a secret for surely if the Inquisition knew there were heretics among them, they wouldn’t hesitate to finish them off. In their current state, it wouldn’t take much.
Akra wasn’t sure what most of the others thought of the Inquisition. She knew her own views of course, and knew those of Eric, but that was it. They had not been together for very long at this point anyway, so questions of allegiance to the Inquisition had not yet been discussed. Now was not the time to discover those views either.
The leader of the Inquisition force approached them, after having had a few moments to catch his breath. The human man was adorned in red and gold painted plate armor, intricately decorated with embossments on the pauldrons displaying the cross and flames of his organization. He wore a sash across his chest, displaying various pins and patches, no doubt a decorated warrior and leader. His head was shaved bald but he had an impressive white mustache which looked well-groomed even for someone who had just seen battle. He walked with an air about him, holding each stride just a bit too long which made it look performative. Clearly, he was posturing, although he was no taller than Eric and definitely shorter than Akra.
Akra did all she could to keep the sneer from her face.
“Greetings, warriors,” the man started, sharing a deceitfully friendly smile on his lips. “My name is Lieutenant Willem, Fourth Company of the Grand Army of the Inquisition,” he says with a sense of bravado, giving a short and courteous bow towards them. He doesn’t fail to show manners, Akra notes as she eyes the man with fire still in her veins from rage. This was a man who wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see a branded heretic die a painful death. Akra knew they must tread with caution and treat this man as a snake ready to strike. They could not be lulled into comfort by his friendly smile or his gentile manners.
“Friendly greetings,” Eric started, keeping his tone friendly and light. “Lieutenant Willem, it’s our pleasure to meet you. And might I say, we’re in your debt for the assistance your warriors have provided.” It was good that Eric was the one to speak up, he was by far the most adept at deception of the group, and being a fellow human helped to foster trust and comradery. Eric offered a hand out to Willem, who accepted it in a mutual shake. Eric kept his features friendly, the smile on his lips never betraying the deep sense of danger that they were all in.
“Oh don’t be absurd! That was just a small bit of fun!” Willem replied with a boisterous laugh. “It was about time the lads had a scrap. They’ve been three days without anything to sink their metal into. Any longer and I’d worry they’d get soft!”
Sure, it was all just a game to him.
“Well we’re glad you came along when you did,” Eric replied.
“I don’t believe we’ve met before, sir. Can I have your name?” Willem asked Eric, giving an inquisitive look.
“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure. My name is Eric, these are my companions Dog and Akra. I’m afraid they’re not much for conversation normally. Hard to get a word out of either of them at times,” he replied in a level tone, hopeful that an explanation of muteness would be sufficient to quell the curiosity. The last thing they needed was an off-handed reply from either of them, let alone for Akra to open her mouth and say anything at all. It was better if they both remained silent. To their credit, both Dog and Akra were dressed in little more than rags from their extensive travels. It wasn’t difficult to believe that they were just stupid grunts who followed orders.
The Inquisition would not hesitate to eliminate them if they knew who they were and the values they were harboring.
“Eric, so good to meet you and your companions,” he began, having a look over the other two in the party. First he looked over Dog, then Akra. At her, Akra could see his brow furrow a bit. Something in his eyes changed.
The air got heavier.
The silence became oppressive.
When his eyes met Akra’s, she held his gaze. She could feel her heart start to beat quicker, her breaths coming in faster, more shallow intervals. She felt the slightest of shakes hit her chest and arms.
Don’t do it, don’t do anything stupid. You need to stay alive to dismantle them. Killing one man won’t bring justice to mother. Stay alive, just stay silent!
Oh, but how badly she wanted to reach out and strangle him, or cleave him in half with her halberd, or beat him into the ground with her fists, or -
She blinked, coming out of her imagination when Eric stepped half-way in front of her, putting himself between her and Willem with a light and friendly smile still on his face. He was having to put all his effort into keeping the situation from escalating.
She hadn’t realized that her fists had been clenching so tightly that her nails were breaking the skin of her palms and that she had ever so slightly curled her lips.
“I’m so sorry about her,” Eric started with a nervous tone to his voice, holding up his palms towards Willem. “She just got out of battle and doesn’t know how to turn it off very well. You know how barbarians are, especially dragonborn. This one is hard to control sometimes.”
She didn’t care what he said, she knew he was just playing the game to keep them alive. To his credit, he was playing it well. Willem’s expression seemed to change a bit from predatory to one of pity.
To complete the act, Eric turned slightly towards Akra, putting his hand up onto her shoulder. “Remember what we talked about before? Breathe in and out slowly, it will pass,” he said to her in a soft tone, making sure that it was loud enough for Willem to hear. She briefly made eye contact with Eric, looking down with an expression that conveyed her anger and frustration. Through all of this, she remained silent, but gave an exaggerated deep breath to help satisfy their audience.
“Have you considered keeping it on a leash? Or perhaps a muzzle?” Willem suggested to Eric. “I’ve had to cage my barbarians after battle before, damn things won’t calm down after tasting blood.”
Eric turned back towards Willem as Akra stiffened behind him. She wasn’t used to being spoken about like she wasn’t present. It made her fingers itch for the staff of her halberd. “Ha! I have tried that, and sad to say she chewed right through it!” Eric exclaimed
“Ah! Then might I suggest a whipping, in my experience that has been the true method of taming beastly barbarians and bringing them to heel,” Willem suggests with a laugh and a smile.
“Perhaps it would be better if we were just on our way. We all could use some time to unwind. I'm sure that you understand,” Eric starts. “Once again, we thank you for your help earlier and hope that your future travels are safe.” Eric reached out a hand to Willem, who returned the gesture and shook it.
“Before you go, if you would satisfy my curiosity in return for finishing that scuffle earlier,” Willem began, not letting go of Eric's hand.
They could all feel the air around them change. Gone was the light, friendly feeling that Willem had put forth. It was replaced by something dark, something heavy, something that lacked any of the comradery that he had tried to lull them into. His eyes changed, but the smile never left his lips.
“Of what house is that dragonborn?”
There it was, the snake in the grass that Akra had known was there and ready to strike. She and Eric had tried so hard to predict where it would strike and evade it that they had failed to avoid its coils.
Eric played his part to perfection, raising an eyebrow and keeping eye contact with Willem. “House? As in a noble house?” he asked, continuing to hold onto Willem's hand.
“Yes, noble house. You see, I've done this for a long time Eric, hunting and killing heretics. A particular hunt comes to mind, from many years ago, in which two unknown type dragonborn escaped our capture. An adult and a child. I was but a young soldier, but I remember carrying on a search for them for days. Never did find them,” he let go of Eric's hand as he recanted the memory to them.
He was there! He helped put mother to death! Akra’s mind was alight with fury, so much so that her body began to buzz with an oncoming rage. Her vision began to darken around the edges and her fingers twitched in nervous anticipation. Fuck everything and everyone, this cretin needed to die! How unfair was it that he still breathes the air and my mother doesn't? All for the crime of helping others! He deserves death, worse than death!
At her side, Dog took her hand in both of his, looking up at her with a scared expression on his little face. His eyes were wide, looking up at her like he was looking for comfort. Or maybe he was afraid of her? Akra couldn't tell, but it was enough to bring her back to reality. No, I have to stay calm, not for my own sake but for them. I may be able to kill Willem, but we would all be killed by his forces. I can't sacrifice them for my suicidal mission. Mother would never want me to drag innocents into death for her sake.
Eric again, played his part to perfection, acting surprised and sympathetic to Willem’s story. “Tale as old as time, huh? The lowly soldiers always do the work while the generals sip wine and bask in other's success. But no, this dragonborn has no noble house. She is but a mindless brute, good for brutalizing goblins and not much else. Certainly not any role of nobility or leadership such as yourself,” he flattered Willem just enough to lessen the tension. Willem seemed like a man who would respond favorably to that, given his flashy appearance.
“I actually doubt she could keep herself fed and clothed, I found her in a tavern being used as security wearing nothing but rags. I needed someone of her stature for my own work, so I purchased her from the tavern keeper.” Akra had to hand it to Eric, he was a talented word-smith. He spun these stories like they were true history.
Eric and Akra both watched Willem intently to see if he believed the story. It was a heavy few seconds. They were all tense, quiet, scared even. Their lives hinged on Willem’s decision, for surely if he doesn't believe the story, he and his forces will kill them immediately.
Eric spoke up before giving Willem any more opportunity to question them, keeping his body language loose and calm. “Come, you too, best we keep moving,” he started, looking back at Akra and Dog. “Again, it was a pleasure to meet you, Willem. Farewell,” he said with a small tip of his hat.
Without waiting for a response, Eric began to walk past Willem. Dog looked up at Akra and tugged gently at her hand in Eric's direction.
Leaving him alive today doesn't mean it's over, it means that you live to fight another day, your friends live to fight another day. Bite your tongue, follow along, and live, she thought to herself with a sense of frustration. It pained her to pass up an opportunity to not only kill an inquisition member, but one that had participated in her mother's capture! Oh, how she wished for revenge, how satisfying it would be to tie up one more loose end.
Against every desire in her being, she took one step forward, then another, and another, until she was walking forward at Dog's guidance.
The tension grew with every step that Akra got closer to Willem though. Soon they were less than a foot apart, standing shoulder to shoulder. It would have been so easy to close the distance, reach out, and grapple him into submission.
“Hmm,” Willem started as Akra got closer. “At least we got one of them. Guess we’ll never know what happened to the other two,” he said with a sharp malice in his voice and a wicked smile on his lips. His smile and his tone of voice suggested that he knew, or at least suspected, that he was indeed looking at one of the dragonborn that had escaped execution all those years ago.
A deep rumbling growl, nearly silent in nature, emanated from Akra’s chest. Her lip curled ever so slightly, baring her sharp, dragon-like teeth. Her eyes were locked onto his, sharp and intense. Willem's smile only widened, intensifying in its wickedness. If he hadn't known before, he did now.
Akra’s demeanor changed, righting herself up straight in a way that changed from that of a disheveled barbarian to a distinguished, noble leader. At her full height, she was more than a foot taller than Willem, and larger in body and stature. She kept her head up, but turned her gaze down onto him.
“How fortunate we all are to know that you and your comrades are out here protecting us from evil,” she said in a smooth, chilling purr.
She saw the look on his face, the way his eyes moved to look at her but his body remained in place. A revelation was washing over him, one that he momentarily didn't know how to respond to. It was akin to seeing a ghost of the past.
She knew she had won, and the feeling was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted.
A smirk graced her lips and a small puff of air through her nose. “Do take care, Willem. You never know when the next heretic will surface.”
Another tug at her hand from Dog, and though she didn’t want to, Akra kept stepping forward, following Dog and Eric away from the village and towards the beaten path. She couldn't wipe the full-blown smile from her lips now, though Willem couldn't see it.
Willem was left standing in place, hand coming up to smooth his mustache in thought. “Mindless indeed…” he muttered under his breath, turning back just in time to watch the trio exit the village.