Cacoethes' Works

 Chapter Twelve: Revelations WHEN NILHIN RETURNED to the dormitory to prepare for the beginning of his lessons, he found that his trunk was turned over, and his bed was both a mess and sopping wet. He didn’t want to think of why that was, but he flipped his trunk over. It was empty. His trunk carried his uniforms, and his most precious possession. He looked around the room, at the other boys and men that were standing and observing his reaction. Kveda stepped up.  “We heard that foxes scent mark things,” Kveda said. “We were just trying to tell you that this isn’t your place.” Nilhin didn’t care about their dramatics.  “Where’s the book that was in my trunk?” he asked, remaining polite but no less demanding that someone who wanted their most valued treasure. Kveda motioned to the wet bed, and Nilhin pushed the mushy blankets aside to see that the rest of his clothes as well as his book were all covered in the same liquid -- more urine by the acrid smell of it. He didn’t c...

 Chapter Eleven: Legend of Xiu Ming (Part One) THERE ARE TWO ways that Xiu Ming is rumored to have been born. The first is through deceit. His father was tricked into procreating with a fearsome she-devil disguised as a beautiful woman, but the other is that his father, a scholar, was a helpful man that was out one night carrying dozens of scrolls in his arms. He came across a group of hunters trying to find a pelt to sell, and they had cornered a magnificent, large fox -- perfect to make a luxurious pelt from. Surely her skin would sell for quite a large sum, but she was too beautiful and innocent a creature to die for human greed. From a distance, Xiu Ming’s father, Xiu Bei, threw his scrolls at the offenders, making wild sounds like ghosts and monsters to spook them away.  Of course, they ran after some time, and Xiu Bei had to gather his priceless scrolls he had just flung around. The fox he saved, however, was so large because it wasn’t a normal fox at all. She was a fox ...

 Chapter Ten: Solving the Olgar Mystery THE SECOND TIME the behemoth moose-rider graces Nilhin with his presence is at the banquet for their successful night hunts, almost a week later. That huge man, as Nilhin had come to learn, was Hvit Forin, the clan leader. Said man was only twenty years old, and had been the clan leader for quite some time due to his father’s untimely demise. Nilhin was sitting at the high table with the other four members of the Orikani subunit, and he was sitting furthest from the clan leader, since Kveda had decided he deserved that privilege, having killed the squirrel beast. Nilhin hadn’t even bothered to fight with him. Ever since that night, that hunger, that had finally been sated, was slowly returning, and Nilhin was starting to crave fulfilment again, only he didn’t know how to get it himself. He needed someone to give it to him, it seemed, like his mother or the squirrel beast.  “So you killed the squirrel beast?” Hvit Forin asked. Kveda nodde...

 Chapter Nine: Beast or Beast AS GRONJAS HAD said, there was a wild hunt scheduled for his subunit, the Orikani, in a western town. The forest around it had been terrorised by a squirrel beast that had apparently ravaged their supply of grain for the upcoming winter. Nilhin had yet to experience the winters of Krokstad, but from the rumors and the way people spoke of it, the winters there grew very harsh and very cold. He departed with his subunit, carrying his sword strapped to his back. It almost dragged the ground due to its impressive length, but it was actually less heavy when he could support it with his entire body.  He followed at the back, because he wasn’t wanted near the others, nor did the new captain, Ogar, want him anywhere near them. They got to the town, and headed into the forest around it, just waiting to be hunted. The beast didn’t approach them at all during the day no matter what they did. “We’ll set up camp here,” Ogar commanded, motioning to a relatively...

 Chapter Eight: The Hvit Library DURING THEIR FIRST day of official lessons, they were instructed to wield weighted swords made of wood. Nilhin struggled to lift his, but even as his body denied him, he struggled to hold his sword up and learn all the movements. Every thrust of the sword, and slash, made him grow light headed as his muscles, what little he had, struggled to keep up with the endurance needed to properly wield them. It wasn’t his fault that he was malnourished, especially because his mother had done her best to provide for him. He was somewhat better than the other children who lived at the brothel in his youth, however. His miracle could only last so much, it seemed, and he was much weaker than all the others.  Gronjas was there for a moment, watching them. He looked straight into Nilhin’s eyes as he struggled, and nodded, giving him the encouragement to continue despite the whispered heckling of Ogar and Kveda.  Lessons continued in a similar fashion for ...

 Chapter Seven: Getting To Storkott WHEN NILHIN ARRIVED at Storkott, he was greeted by tall walls that surrounded the entire clan’s territory. The walls made of brick and stone were impossible to see over, and reached as tall as some of the old trees nearby. Nilhin had spotted them from kilometers away, and they only grew more enormous as he approached. There were guards standing at the top of the walls, and a large portcullis kept him and the other people outside of the large entrance into the Hvit Fortress. Nilhin joined the group standing near the wall, although they were all much more well put together than Nilhin. Well groomed with amenities that Nilhin didn’t have access to. There were only about twelve people waiting to be let in, not including Nilhin.  “Who are you?” one of the men asked, looking down at Nilhin, who was much shorter than even the shortest person there, not including him.  “This one is Nilhin,” he introduced, bowing down. “What should I call you?”...