Runes to my Memory - The Path to become a Runemaster

[sunday12321]

((This is Frederich’s [AKA Demitrius] training to be a Runemaster. As a Tarantino fan, I, too, divide it into chapters. Each Chapter will be posted separately. This Storyline is not open for outside interference via the forums, but other players will be a major part of it. If you want to be among the randomers Fred will meet along the way, just say so via the ingame mail to Alysa or, of course, Frederich. side note: The grammar and spelling were done by Word 2010, to a US dictionary. Apologies.))

Chapter One: Burning the Bridge.

Spoiler:

Frederich pinched his nose as Elyssa continued to tell Brianna about her opinion of him.
He sighed as he watched Brianna play with the golden ring he gave her, and frowned as she left it on the table. She stood up, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
“Good luck.” She whispered.
The trio departed, each to their own way. Frederich walked to the Deeprun Tram, playing with the ring.
It was only a short trip to Baradin Bay, and from there, he took the ship to Northrend.

Northrend... The Land of the Human Ancestors... Where the first runes in history were used...
Frederich was sitting aboard the deck of the ship for long, until they finally arrived. And already, the signs of the long haul are seen on him. His hair, without the casual treatment, returns to its natural gray color, and it grew.
He stepped off the ship, and went down to the Valgarde inn, and bought a skin of water, going to sip from it on the balcony.

“Northrend…” He spoke quietly to himself.
He pulled out the ring, looking at it. He pulled off his necklaces, laying them on the table.
A copper lace, with four fangs, and several, different colored strands of hair; a copper lace with a piece of wood, a fang, and a strand of blue hair; a golden ring with a jade stone.

He looked at the items and frowned. He then shook his head; “It’s time to let the past go.” He took them all, and took an empty bottle, tucking them all there. He went to the shoreline, filling the bottle with water from the sea, closing the bottle, and then throwing it to the heart of the waters.

He turned and walked back to the inn, and picked up his walking cane, and duffle bag.

Moments later, he looked over Valgarde from the overpass. He sighed, and pulled up his hood, leaving for the first day of his travels.

It was breaking dawn when he departed, and he decided to stop near a crossroad, and set up a campfire for some breakfast. He set up the campfire, and began brewing coffee in a steel pot, holding it by a wooden handle. While the coffee was brewing, he pulled out a small brown leather notebook, and began writing in it.

“Day One, Morning.

I’ve decided to make notes of my journey every time I stop. I will stop three times a day, for Breakfast, Lunch, and sleep. I hope my rations will be sufficient, and if not, well, I guess I’m in trouble.
If I won’t find a mentor here, I will return to Stormwind, and from there we will see where I go.
I left many things and people behind, but this quest is important. I would rather die trying, then quit in the middle.”

He closes the notepad as the sound of some water overflowing the boiling pot, landing in the fire. He curses, filling a cup with his coffee, and sips from it. He sighs, muttering to himself; “Come on, stars… Don’t fail me now…”

He finishes drinking his coffee, and decides to overlook his maps, as suddenly, a horse came galloping by, blowing some dust to his way. He coughs, and pulls off his hood.
He shakes the dust from his map, sighing, looking at it. The sound of hooves was heard again, only now it was a slow trot. Suddenly, they stopped, as it seems the horse has stayed in place. A call of a young woman is heard… The voice is familiar to the wanderer.

“Hey stranger!” She called.
He furrows his brows; "Hail." He says calmly. He pulls up his walking cane, standing up.
“Oi, you livin’ out here?” She asked, as he approached to her.
“Nay, wandering.” He responded in his calm, deep voice.
“Wandering? Well, I’ll be wandering too, if I don’t find my way to Vengeance Landing. Can you tell me which way it is?”
He furrowed his brows; “That’s a Forsaken base.”
“Forsaken! Damn.” She says, muttering incoherently.
“Have we met before, nomad?” he asked, narrowing his one eye.
“Eh, I don’t think so. Only know a couple of people in this whole region. Neither of them I’ve seen for weeks.”
“I’ve landed a few days ago. I am not a local, obviously.”
“Are there any other Alliance outposts around here, then?”
“Valgarde. And Westguard.”
“Oi, that’s a familiar name. Hmm…”
“Came from the Grizzly, didn’t you?”
“Actually, been riding from the Tourney. Glad you told me about Vengeance, though. That would’ve been a headache.”
“You’re welcome.”
They stand quietly, for a few moments, as he stares at her.
“Your voice sounds familiar… It can’t be… Breadsmith?” she breaks the silence.
He nods slowly; “Only one among the living.”
Suddenly, the rider drops from the horse, and practically slams him with a hug.
About to hug her, she slides back, and slaps him violently.
He glares at her with a raised brow; “What was that for?!” he said, as he rubbed the hit area.
“You sent me off with that monster, Demitrius!”
“Yes, I know, and I’m sorry. I should’ve seen the signs earlier.” He sighs, pointing to his eyepatch; “How do you think I got this?”
“I don’t know?”
“She works for the Fel-Sworn now. And the b***h thought it would be a fun idea to take my eye.”
“I know… I had some run-ins. Now I’m on the run myself.”
“You were there? As in, their sanctum?”
“Yes. I’ve seen things, Fred… I’m afraid their ringleader will come after me with Alysa.”
“Alywien had her name changed?”
“Yeah, Bisen gave her a new name for capturing a Paladin to kill. I’m next. I know it.”
He ran a hand through his beard.
“Tell me everything since she became your teacher.”
“Well, I learned about my craft, made some deals with demons, and ran away from Alysa. Basically. I then took up a guise as a tailor, and been on the run since then.”
“The real name is Frederich. What Alywien, I mean Alysa, told you about me was most probably a lie.”
“See, I thought you two were buds.”
“Business is Business. And I don’t give out my real name for business.”
She coughs, eyes watering a bit as she smiles; “Mhmm. So you were honest with me the whole time?”
He nods; “I don’t lie to friends.”
She held him in a hug again; “I’m sorry Fred…”
He hugged her back, sighing; “It’s alright; important thing is that no one innocent died yet.”
She rest her head against his chest; “What should I do, Fred…?”
He sighed; “I don’t know, Valda… It’s all too complicated these days… I myself came here for answers…”
She wiped her face, moving away; “I think I’ll be safe if I’ll stay in the cities… I can take a boat from Westguard, right?”
He shook his head; “They got people in the cities. You’ll be found… And that Paladin lives. I’ve met him. Alysa can find you if she wants to. You know she’s practically as stoppable as death is. Your best bet is to be ready for it.”
She sighs; “Damn…”
“I can’t offer you to stay with me. I don’t have rations for it. I am not leaving Northrend until I find a Runemaster. One willing to teach me. Even if it is the last thing I do. I’d rather die from hunger on my ancestor’s lands, rather than die at the tainted hands of the Legion.”
“No no… I won’t put that on you, Fred… I already messed ‘us’ up, Don’t want demons—Yeah…” she says, interrupted by his last sentence.
“I think I can pick up a job here in Northrend, train on the side.”
“Be careful. Dalaran isn’t too fond of Dark Arts since Kel’Thuzad.”
“I wouldn’t go there… Maybe an outpost. Or the Tournament grounds… Maybe you could come visit me sometime… Relive some memories.”
He sighed, looking at her with an eye full of sorrow; “You shouldn’t have asked my help…”
She got on her horse again.
“I live on a fine line, Fred… Too bad I’m always dangling from it.”
“Be careful out there, kid. Would be a shame digging you up from a grave.”
“I doubt there’s a grave deep enough to protect me from them. I ride to Westguard, farewell, Breadsmith!”
He nods, pulling up his hood. “You never saw me. And I never saw you.”
He turns to the fire as she rides off, sighing at the dying ambers. The sun rose already. He looked at his map, and tucked it into his satchel, walking down the road after kicking dirt over the ashes.

[sunday12321]

((The New chapter is here! Also, I apologize if my /spoiler tag is bothering anyone. It is simply easier for me to organise it that way, because each chapter is along 2-3 pages long. Thank you for reading!))

Chapter Two: From Dusk till Dawn

Spoiler:

The sun was setting in the Fjord, it has been a couple of days already, and the Nomad set his camp in the southern border of the frozen passage to the Grizzly Hills. His green robes may have given him cover in the Fjord, but he knows that once he reaches the passage, he’s an open mark. But he could not afford a new robe. So he decided to wait until dusk, where the visibility is low, and hopefully, by the time he reaches more enemy camps, the sun will rise.

He stood up, as the sun was no longer seen, and began walking.
Step by step, the cold air began to fill his lungs, and by the end of the first hour, he was shivering.
After another two hours, he dropped to his knees, and began a coughing fit. He then lies on his back on the wooden bridge, and knew it was time to set up camp.
It took him a good hour to start the fire and set up his warm soup. He was mixing the soup, as he opened his journal.

“Day 9, Night.
The passing through the mountains seems to be taking a heavy toll on me, I don’t know how long have I been walking, but to me it feels like days… My rations seem to have dwindled, and I hope I would make it to town before they run dry. I have yet to find a Runemaster. May the stars guide me well.”
He ate his soup, and picked up his staff, he shook some snow off his robes, and moved on.
Step by step he walked through the snow, seconds became minutes, Minutes became hours.
It felt so cold that it seemed time itself has frozen solid.
His breath was heavy, with each time he breathes; he fills his lungs with cold air.
His eyes were heavy, and so were his limbs.
“No,” he mutters to himself “I can’t fall asleep here…”
He continued to push, step by step.
The warmth of the campfire is long behind him.
He walked on, not noticing the spots of green.
He walked on, not noticing the change of light.
He walked on, not noticing he is no longer moving.

Frederich von Breadsmith was lying in the snow, in a fetal position, shaking.
Eyes closed. Oblivion.

The snow crunches in the distance. Foot, foot, stick. Foot, foot, stick.
A small hooded figure comes to the fallen Human. The pace increasing as he runs forward.
Foot, foot, foot, foot. Stop.
Frederich is poked with the cane.
“Oi, wake up, Laddy.”

He does not respond.
The Dwarf checks for pulse, sensing that it is rather frail.
With surprising strength, the man is lifted, carried by the mysterious Dwarf.
“I am a dwarf and I am… Unable to think of words…”
He took a mushroom, and placed it under Fred’s head, lying him down on a flat stone.
He looks at Fred, shaking his head with disapproval, he then kneels, as he begins to move healing energy into the unconscious body.

Frederich wakes, first with just a grunt.
The Dwarf went to a tree, jumping at incredible height, grabbing some branches.
Fred awakes slowly.
The Dwarf fires up a campfire as Fred awakens, he looks at him, grunting; “What happened?..” He says in a frail voice.
“Don’t ask me, lad. I’m not the one who passed out in the snow.”
“That’s a familiar voice…”
“I would imagine so” he says with a smile.
“Stoneshatter…?”
“Aye, it’s me, lad.” He nods.
He smiles “Boy. Am I glad to see you… I thought I was done for…”
“What were you doing out here in the snow?”
“It’s the only safe passage.”
“You could’ve went around the mountains. Less snow.”
“Yeah, more spiders and vrykul.”
“Hrmm… Good point… I guess it’s good I was wandering around then, eh?”
“Actually… I’ve been hoping to see a Runemaster along the way.”
“Runemaster? What are you talking about?”
“I need a teacher.”
“Well… I guess I could help you… Got nothing better to do…”
“Sounds good.” He says, sitting up.
He looked around before focusing back on Fred.
“First I’ll need to… I don’t know… Open my mind to it, I guess.”
“Aye. I’ll guide you.”
“When do we start?”
“Well… Find osme food. I imagine you could eat some of those mushrooms… In two days, north from here, meet me. Not far from me.”
“Where?”
“Until then, I must go to the tundra for some good meat.”
“Well, not the Tundra, but near the land of the Dragons.”
“Where?” he asks again.
“DO what you want, but in two days, I expect you to be waiting near the Loch, a couple of yards from here. And put out that fire, will you?”
He stands, nodding; “Very well. In two days, then.”
“And bring some alcohol. I might get thirsty.”
“Will do.”
“Remember. When you’re training with me, you’ll be starting slow, and learning the basics before anything.”
“Of course.”
“Good, because I don’t want you to expect your first rune in one day.”
“Naturally.”
“Good. Now put out that fire.”

And thus, the two departed, each to their own.
Frederich to his survival in the Hills, and Oynas Stoneshatter for his quest after meat.

[sunday12321]

((I am killing off Demi's training Based upon both IC and OOC decisions))

Chapter Three: Sweet Slumber

Frederich is seen sitting at his table, writing several letters.
After a few, he take off a clean slate, writing;
"Dear Oynas. Despite the fact we never really begun, I don't feel ready to be one with the runes. It is far too great for a man of my age. I have returned to the Mainland to settle down. Enough is enough on my side.

-Fred"
He whistles for his hawk to deliver the message; "One last trip, Avius.. One last Trip."