Open Reforging an Empire

[arctic73]

"You look tired Recruit Regulus! There's a healer waiting for you at the gates of Whiterun! It could all be over right now! No more pain! No more running! No more General Psyrakon!" Simus shouted these things as he ran by Regulus. All that sounds real good, he thought. Damn morals.

Reg sighed and breathed quicker as he picked up his pace. They were passing through Riverwood, a small village Reg had been to before. He'd come through on a scouting mission for the Stormcloaks, and earlier when he was searching for help for his father. He'd taken jobs for funds and medical information.

Thinking of the Stormcloaks reminded him of what he was doing. Reg saw Garrick far ahead of him, and when he looked back saw Raylen steadily catching up. He also saw a woman he did not know who didn't seem to be moving too well. And of course Simus running circles around all of them. One big happy family, Reg thought. Not far now to the Stone.

 

[Linamina]

(OOC: I'm going to do separate posts for Simus and Alice for the sake of neatness and avoiding tl:dr reactions. Also, Lina, if Eilene is half-vampire, why isn't that in her character card? Oh, and we're not at the stone yet but you could just edit your post saying she got tired halfway there.)

((I've dealt with one too many meta gamers that like to make their characters recognize a vampire at first glance from what a character card reads. At least, in past RPs I've been in. Guess I got used to leaving out the more secretive stuff. Sorry.))

Eilene huffed at Simus the C.O, Smelling him take the lead. Nothing like an old man that can run ahead of you with ease to batter at already damaged prides. In Eilene's case anyway. At this point she just wanted to get it done and over with and stayed at her current pace to stop furthering her own burden, doing her best to block out any possible friendly insults thrown at her. No wonder she never became a soldier, she didn't nearly have the confidence for a life under command. She preferred to go her own way.

"So why am I here?" she asked herself for a split second only to throw the thought aside. She was here to help fight Ulfric. Nothing more or less. If she had to endure a soldiers training regimen, so be it.

 

[Gunnbjorn]

Arillious smiled, and walked out without a word. The pajamas were a little too much, especially when Alice was trying to talk like an officer.

He ran down the stairs, swung open the front door and quickly closed it behind him. The adrenaline already starting up. Panting like a wolf on the hunt, he sprinted through Whiterun, through the gates, past the guards, down the hill toward the stable and past the meadery. He predicted the pace the group was running and made sure he was doubling it. His head or eyes didn't wander this time, his thoughts wer e silent, and his mind was clear.

Arillious' remarkable pace was always consistent. This drill was unnecessary for him, just like it was when he was in bootcamp. Arillious had grown into the person he was going to be forever when he was 16, when his father thought he could no longer train or teach him anything new and when he enlisted him into the Legion. Being in boot camp wasn't about his officers turning him into a soldier, his father already did. To him, it was about impressing everybody, and making a name for himself. It was about making it all look like a game when his drill instructors tried to get under his skin. It was about showing off, and making sure that he became somebody of benefit, and not some expendable soldier.

"What the hell Peleus?! What do you think your doing running out of line? You trying to show off or something!? Get the hell down and do some push-ups 'till I get tired!" Was somewhat of a regular saying the drill instructors said whenever he ran too far from the squad.

"Sir yes sir!" He always yelled before dropping down and pumping out his 'punishment.' He never cared.

"Is trying to look better than everyone else worth all these push-ups recruit?" Was what his last drill instructor asked him.

Smiling, Arillious responded, "Yes Sir! I love push-ups Sir!" as he would pump out his umpteenth push-up.

The kick to the side and the in-his-face screaming from his drill instructor was the result of such mockery, but Arillious would never mind being remembered for that. He would graduate early a week after that incident.

Arillious, still at a sprint, took a sharp right, headed down the road that was shadowed by Bleak Falls Barrow, towards Riverwood. He knew he was getting close.

He heard the yelling of a familiar voice up the road, and he immediately turned up the heat. He pushed so hard it was starting to hurt. The pain resulted in some low growling, and his eyes bulging open, he saw the group now. Simus was running at the head... Backwards.

"HARDER! HARDER!" Was all his mind was telling him to do, for some odd reason, in this situation, his minds voice sounded exactly like his fathers.

He pushed, and pushed more. "HARDER!" He passed the group, he noticed Raylen was already here. "Quite impressive" he thought, the man was legit. He could learn some leadership skills from the man, who held himself like a high ranking Legion Soldier.

He got up to the front of the pack, and got right in the front, next to the backwards-running Simus. He slowed his pace drastically, to the same as the groups, the work it took to gain back such ground was tough. He didn't say anything, he just tried to regain some breathing. After running at such a fast pace to catch up, the pace the group was running felt like he was walking.

 

[Alexstrasza]

Alex kept up her pace, strong strides and long arms. Even though small stature would kill any other woman, she stayed strong on the grueling upwards climb. This was easy as cake for her but some of the other might struggle. She looked out the corner of her eye to see the dunmer woman straying behind. Feeling a pang of guilt, she slowed her pace greatly till she was trailing behind the others and came up to the dunmer.

"I can carry you the rest of the way if you want."

Alex smiled softly at her. Carrying her wouldn't be that hard, all Alex had to do was shift the weight around on her feet and she would be able to carry her just as fast as she was before.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Simus was surprisingly fit for a man his age. As he yelled, he was indeed beating the squad up the hill in heavy armor, and it took focus for Nachael to stifle a chuckle at the glaring fact that this 54 year old general was in better shape that most of the squad. The general was barking discipline at the squad piece by piece, pushing everyone according to their level of aptitude. He taunted Regulus and his tortured breathing with the prospect of the healers back in Whiterun, then ran up to Nachael and Garrick, who were running at a similar pace.

"Let's go Nachae! You're not in the desert anymore! Don't drag your feet like you're running on sand! Quit screwin' around and pick up the pace!"

Nachael thought that if anything, he was running too lightly for the dirt, as if on sand, but Simus was his commanding officer. "Remember, outer discipline," He thought to himself.

"Sir, yes sir!"

He felt the same adrenaline as when he had been training with his friend and mentor, that prominent vampire hunter whose name he would not speak aloud or in his mind, who had pushed him to new heights, regarding what he was capable of. His legs pumped harder and faster, the balls of his feet precisely touching the ground where he willed them to, the muscles in his legs pushing his body forward up the road. He moved ahead of the pack, and ran no longer on sand or soil, but on air.

 

[Dabiene Caristiana]

(OOC: Sorry, alerts didn't warn me lol. Guess Ill have to physically go into this thread and look now)

She finally lulled off to sleep after the young impatient boy got down to the first floor to get some tea for the other woman. Oh yes, she could hear very well. 'Having the hearing of a wolf pays off...' But it was also very rude in her opinion. So she tried to shut it out.

However, it was a few minutes afterword that the sleeping form of the Breton woman started to moan silently, her hands clenched and unclenched. She was starting to sweat.

Dabiene walked into the market to buy some produce. Marie was sick and as such, had to care for her beloved maid. After helping the girl from a rough start in life, the young girl begged to serve her. Dabiene urged the woman to live her life for herself, and it was indeed fit for her to come to her when needed, but not to serve someone for years on end without the day to day ongoings of living a 'normal' life. Marie insisted though, and Dabiene let her stay, although she wasn't exactly a happy camper about it. Not that she didn't like the girl, she just didn't like the idea of survitude for years on end and not living your life. WHILE you are young. "You only live once hun." She told her.

She still stayed.

And so now she was sick and the market was having a sale. Walking up to one of the stalls she started to pick out her needed items and paying for them. Upon returning to the Manor she saw a cloaked figure in the shadows. Reaching into her clean and expensive robes she grabbed her Ebony dagger tightly incase there was any trouble.

Dabiene stopped and was dead still as the figure approached. "Psssst. Pssst! Woman! Here! I have some important business to discuss. But not now. Come with me. The High Man's vultures be watching." It was a Khajiit man from the sound of it. Still clutching the dagger she followed the man into a secluded dark alleyway. The man moved a barrel to review a trap door. Opening them he motioned her inside. "You first." Narrowing her eyes she gave her best authoritarian voice. "I followed you here, I might as well continue. Go." The man hesitated then went in.

She followed him down into what appeared to be an old cellar. Turning to him she whispered. "Normally I don't go onto the premises of people property, but something tells me this is urgent." She looked at him, the dagger and the groceries clutched in her hands. "Yes, I bring news my lady. I beg pardon, but I couldn't help but over hearing your... Disagreements with a few of Ulfric's croons." Holding her head up high she said hottily, "Yes? And? Get to the point. I hate talking about that vulgar man. He's been pestering me for days and--" She stopped abruptly, then in a flash pulled out her dagger and held it to his throat. "Who are you? What's your name? And if this is some damnable sham to find evidence to undermine Ulfric will he can drag me to Oblivion if he wants! You can tell him that too! I'll never work with him! Never!" The Khajiit raised his arms in alarm and instantly protested, "No miss! Please! Let the khajiit talk. I mean no harm! Khajiit promises you." Taking a deep gratified breath as she backed off he continued, "My name is Jo'Rak. And Jo'Rak heard of a resistance. I will not say where but..." He took her hand that she sheathed the dagger with and shook her hand. "I bid you good luck on your travels." He climbed out of cellar back into the city outside. There was a note left in her hand and she made no move to release it and look at it. Instead she switched her hands holding the groceries. Her right hand now holding it along with the note, she moved her fingers as she walked out of the cellar and dropped the note in the bag.

As she continued home she noticed soldiers, The Elite Guards known as The Chosen were approaching. Picking up the pace she took the note and slipped it into the front of her robes, hoping that she wouldn't be strip searched later. As she got to her destination she left the groceries at the door and knocked franticly. Turning on her heel she left.

She started to speed walk down the lane, approaching the market area and soon out of the city. However, the Guards had other ideas. She was hastilly grabbed and shoved around to face a heavily scarred man. "Now... Where are you going my sweet?" Glaring at him then sending jolts of electricity she replied, "Out of this city of pitiful men!" She bolted down the cobblestone street and neared the gate. Hearing footsteps directly behind her she glanced back and saw a man swinging a blade down upon her. She screamed.

Dabiene bolted upright and clutched her chest. She remembered the heartless snide remarks about the poor girl Marie, and how she was going to regret working for her. She shuddered, not wanting to know exactly what he meant. Uncovering herself with the sheet she put her feet on the floor and tried to stand. She wobbled a bit then steadied. Taking a deep breath, she decided to have some tea.

Navigating the house wasn't hard, as it wasn't too large and soon found the kitchen area. The Breton set about fixing the drink all the while humming to herself. Her stomach started to hurt violently and she remembered she hadn't eaten in days. Rummaging around some more and finding a loaf of bread, some apples and a bit of carrots she sat down and began to eat after the tea was done. Dabiene stared off into space with a blank yet sorrowful look on her face as she ate. The woman knew the men were no harm. They would have killed her otherwise and ask questions later if they were Stormcloaks.

Continuing to eat and sip her tea then swallowing she abruptly said to herself, "I'll pay the owner later." As if to reassure herself. She had 500 septums on her. The mage set about to eating while drinking her tea again trying to block out all thoughts.

 

[UnLonged]

(OOC: Ssssufferin sssuccotasshh! I better make it a habit to check on this thread every hour as the magnificent 'alerts' tab is playing a keep away from its function, and its winning.)


Garrick was quite pleased at the exercise; the running made him feel free of worries as he tread with the winds, his troubles carried by it. On the outside however, he kept a facade of indifference and a look that made him seem to just want the drill to be over.

He was quite surprised at Alex's appearance, considering the distance from the center of Whiterun to the distance the rest of the squad covered. As he look at Alex, Garrick noticed a shaky figure at the corner of his eye, it was the dunmer Eilene. Every step she take seemed to drain a bit of her very soul, the heavy load she carries evident on her face despite the fact that she is just running in a pace just like the rest of them. Garrick wanted to encourage the woman but Raylen beat him to it. His words seemed to enervate her as her pace became more steady.

The commanding officer Simus barked at Regulus with offers of relief but the young nord paid it no mind as he continued to run. Simus continued his insulting remarks at the squad as they pass through Riverwood. Garrick's brain messed with him a little as he hallucinated for a second; a vision of he, his brother and father working at the lumber mill, and his mother calling out to them for lunch. Time slowed down significantly as he witnessed it, as if Akatosh is allowing him to bask in the moment of bliss. Garrick smiled a bit as he exit the illusion and enter back to the reality of steep climbs and rocky roads.

After a few moments, Arillious suddenly appeared before the group, huffing and puffing. His incredible feat astounded Garrick, but not as much as Simus' did. The man was wearing steel-clad armor and still beating everyone else to the punch, running around like a spry kid that just ate a large platter of sweetrolls.

Garrick continued to run as the road to the Guardian Stones are right in front of him, the curves of the road familiar to his sight as it would be for anyone who lived in Skyrim. Garrick continued to run in a steady pace, keeping in mind to not use all of his stamina so there is still enough for the run back to Whiterun, a feat he intends to excel at mostly.

 

[Simus]

Alice took a fow more sips of tea after Arillious practically flew out of the house. The hot liquid and the pleasent aroma calmed her down and her exhaustion soon overcame her pride. She got back under the covers and fell into a deep sleep. After about twenty minutes however, her mind started to wander in dark places...

The noonday sun was impossible to see through the cloud cover and thick snow. Its light could only backlight the clouds to create a dull grey day. Alice's invisibility spell wore off just as she took cover behind a rock to avoid the incoming magefire. The escape from Bruma had been easy, but the Thalmor had been waiting in the Jerrall Mountains and had now chased them up their snowy slopes. Simus and Alice's brother Stephen were laying down covering fire to let the others regroup behind a rock formation. Titus, Alice's twin brother, had his battleaxe ready and their mother Amy had just taken cover behind the rocks while carrying their little Cilla. A battlefield was no place for a nine year old girl but such was the way of war it seemed. After giving Cilla a soothing hug and positioning her between her father and two brothers, Amy ran down next to Alice bow notched and ready.

"How many?" She called to Alice?

"At least a dozen." Alice called back. "I'm not sure. The snow's too heavy."

"Damn." Amy said. "We've got our work cut out for us then. Remember: aim low, shoot at something you can hit. Don't let their numbers scare you."

"I'm scared mama." Alice said. "I don't think I can do this. What happens if they charge us?"

"Then your dad and I'll be there to give 'em hell." Amy said, putting her bow down and grabbing hold of her daughter. She wiped the snow off her cloaked shoulders and spoke kindly but seriously. "Listen to me Alice, these Thalmor are the enimy and will not hesitate to kill you. It's either them or us baby. Look at me: you can do this. I believe in you."

"Okay." Alice said, terrified but putting her trust in her mother. She took a deep breath, readied an arrow and pulled with all her might, ready to shoot.

"That's it." Amy said, "Pick your target, line up your shot, that's it. You've got him in your sights. Fire."

Alice let fly and the arrow whizzed through the air, punching right through a Thalmor soldier's helmet before exploding in a plume of splinters and fire. Despite the horrific damage it caused to three Thalmor in addition to the primary target, it was a spectacular sight. Amy fired her own arrow, achieving similar results. The two women used the oppertunity to fall back towards the rest of their family.

"Holy plops!" Titus shouted "Mom! Alice! That was awesome! Did you see those brains fly!?"

"Shut it Titus!" Simus shouted. "Mind your sister." Cilla had a death grip around his waist and had her head buried in his chest. They were all scared but she was terrified. She was just a child and wasn't ready for this. They had to get out or the Thalmor would kill them all. As he was cuddling his youngest daughter, he saw his wife was thinking the same thing.

"Speak your mind Amy." He said.

"Listen up guys." Amy said in her best mom-with-a-plan voice. "We can't hold off these Thalmor alone. Dad and I are going to charge their line and give you all time to escape. Keep heading north and don’t stop till you get to Falkreath Hold! You’ll know you’re there by all the pine trees. Head for town and stay together!”

“We’re not going to just abandon you!” Alice said. All of her siblings nodded in agreement.

“This isn’t up for discussion!” Simus said. “If anything happens to me or your mother, you all follow her orders and run like hell! You’re our children, we cannot lose you!”

“Dad’s right.” Stephen said. “We’re gonna make these bastards pay, but not today. We’ve got to stay alive until we have the advantage.”

Amy and Simus gathered their children and hugged them all for what may be the last time.

“Whatever happens today, remember that we love all of you.” Amy said. “That will never change.” She readied her blades sword and shield and donned her helmet.

“Stay alive, no matter what.” Simus said, activating his flame cloak and unsheathing his ebony swords. The thalmor were nearly upon them, but all was ready.

The two parents charged the elves, issuing a battlcry that hadn’t been used in years and revealing sides of themselves their children had never seen before. Two elves died instantly as Simus and Amy used their momentum to run their targets through. Simus began hacking furiously at a soldier’s shield, taking more and more of the young mer’s strength with every blow. Amy knocked another soldier down with her shield, crushed him under the weight of her blades armor and began bashing a mage into submission. Her shield was red with his face’s blood after the fifth bash and he dropped his sword, dazed and barely standing. She took her katana and cleanly separated his head from its shoulders. Despite the duo’s best efforts, the Thalmor kept coming and both warriors were old and out of practice. Elves were a lot harder to kill when you had four kids and weren’t eighteen anymore. A mace to the head dazed Simus enough to where he staggered away from Amy’s back and that gave a mage the opportunity to shoot a fireball at her. She ducked in time to avoid the scorching missile but lost her helmet in the process. A large elf wielding a spear took the opportunity to charge her, enraged at the obstinance of this old human woman and the pure mer blood her wretched family had spilt. Amy raised her shield to block his charge but it did no good. The spear punched right through the shield and penetrated her chest plate. Amy fell on her back, bleeding and struggling. Simus let out a roar of rage and threw his right sword into the mer’s skull but pinned her to the ground with his body on top of her. Two more Thalmor distracted Simus and that gave the rest the opportunity to pull their dead comrade off and stab his killer like a pin cusion. Amy couldn’t hide her screams as the blades pierced her skin and stole her life away, and her children couldn’t look away form the horror of watching their mother die.

“GOOOOOOO!” Were her last words and her children fled. All but Alice. The slow was too thick and the confusion was too great for her brothers and sister to notice. None of them saw Alice rush forward and charge the enemy.

“GET! OFF! MY! MOTHER!” Alice screamed at the Thalmor. She hacked wildly at the nearest soldier while lacing her words with the strongest fear spell she had ever conjured. The Thalmor panicked and fell back for a few precious second: enough time for Simus to recover and lead them away. Alice knelt over her mother’s bleeding corpse and funneled every bit of healing magic she had into it. It didn’t work and the more desperate Alice became the less effective her spells got. She soon ran out of magika but kept trying in vain to cast more.

“Mama, wake up!” Alice yelled through tears. “MAMA! MAMA!”

Her brothers and sister heard this and ran back. They picked her up and started dragging her away. They had to get out of here and they couldn’t lose Alice: not after what they had just seen.

“NOOOOO!” Alice screamed “WE CAN’T JUST LEAVE HER! MAMA! MAAAAAMA!”

Alice was trapped in her own nightmare, unaware that her screams for her mother had become corporeal. Her screams echoed through the house for over fifteen seconds before they woke her up. She woke with a final scream and several deep breaths.

It had happened again. After two years this damnable memory still haunted her and this time there was a stranger in her home to hear the screams she had surely produced. This embarrassment and shame combined with the residual sadness caused Alice to sit up in bed and cover her face as she sobbed.

 

[Dabiene Caristiana]

(OOC: now you did it Simus, Dabiene is now in mama mode )

She had finished eating the food but was still quietly sipping the tea. The fire had been rekindled, although with some struggle with putting the wood on due to her strength being sapped. She had taken off her cloak to reveal an expensive robe. Most likely the last one she had if Marie and her property were taken. Or in Maries case, killed. She prayed to the Divines she was ok.

Finishing her tea she got up and went over to the sink with her dirty dishes, cleaning them as she did so. No, she wasn't going to just liter someone's house with their own dirty dishes when they weren't the ones who dirtied them. Besides, it was the least she could do. As she finished up she heard moaning from above but thought nothing of it. The young woman upstairs was probably tired due to the magic she used.

Straightening the chairs and cleaning the table, she went off while grabbing her cloak and started to head to her own part of the house to maybe get some reading done. If she found a book she hadn't already read. Just as the woman set her cloak on the side table by the bed, she heard a shrill scream. Dabienes back went ram rod straight at first, then sped walked toward the others bedroom. The door was closed, and the screaming soon stopped. Not knowing what to do she listened closely and she could hear frantic sobbing. The older Breton woman couldn't just barge in, could she? It wouldn't be polite but from what she could tell from the sounds coming on the other side of the door, that this wasn't good. Not at all. If the woman was suffering from maybe a nightmare or a relapse it could affect her. How long she had been having those nightmares she obviously hadn't a clue. Dabiene herself suffered nightmares for years and only the blood of a werewolf kept her energy up and going without killing herself of being sleep deprived.

As the sobs continued the Breton couldn't take it anymore. She quietly opened the door, walked in, then closed the door behind her. Calmly walking over next to the bed, Dabiene sat down on the edge and looked at the woman who showed her the memories. 'I wonder if some of those memories are the ones keeping her awake.' As gently as she could without scaring her, Dabiene put her legs on the bed all the while carefully pulling the young lady in her arms.

In a soothing voice while stroking her hair she simply told her, "There is no need to be ashamed hun. As a matter a fact from what you showed me, I'm damned proud of you. And your father is too."

(OOC: I know, I know, little out of character. First she sounds like an Aristocrat snob sort of, and now she sounds like an over protective mother that says 'hun' instead of 'honey'. Told you she has two sides. Comes with being a female werewolf with never having any children. Plus, it's in her nature. End of rant/explanation)

 

[Simus]

(OOC: No, it was sweet. Alice is about eighteen, so she's not quite done growing up yet. Plus she took her mother's death really, REALLY hard. Much more so than her siblings, and Simus can only do so much as a father. Alice doesn't really have a consistent mother figure in her life and that's the result of a lot of emotional baggage that she can't deal with since she's basically Ulfric's poster girl and is expected to act that way all the time.)

 

[Simus]

Outside, Alice's expression changed little from Dabiene's enterance, but inside she was extriemly grateful that someone was here to hold her. This wasn't the first time she'd had this dream and her father and little sister always had extraordinary kindness and patience with her, but she always felt like a burdan. The both said time and time again that she didn't owe them a thing, that that's what family was for, but she still felt bad about it.

As Dabiene took her into her arms, Alice buried her face into her chest and sobbed into it. She didn't care how rude it was to cry in a stranger's arms: this woman had entered of her own accord and the only reason she would do so was to comfort her. She held onto Dabine for a while, letting everything out and Dabiene's warm embrace helping Alice along. She knew from experience that it was more healing to cry with someone than to cry alone. Both of her parents were there for her at one time or another and it always helped, but sometimes Alice's stubborn pride still got in the way.

After a few minutes, she started to quiet down. Her mind became quiet enough to where it could function again and after a few deep breaths Alice became relatively calm. She was still sad, but no longer spilling over with tears. She laid her head against Dabiene's chest and enjoyed her warm embrace, returning in kind and feeling safer for it.

"You're very kind." Alice said hoarsly, tears still trickling down her face every once in a while. "You remind me of another very kind woman who took care of me back in Cyrodiil after I was found. She was the half-bosmer I showed you and she's like a big sister to me. And yes, my father is proud of me. Honestly he's my best friend. He's getting old though. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. What would I tell my sister? How could I take care of her? I don't know if I have the strength to lead this rebellion like he does. I'm so sorry I showed you all of that. I couldn't think of any other way to calm you down and someone could have easily been killed if I had done nothing."

Alice smiled as Dabiene stroked her hair.

"I think you should know something." She said, still hoarse. "When our minds touched, the transfer went both ways. I saw your memories just as you saw mine and I've got to say you've shown incredible courage Dabiene. That young woman you were living with back in...Windhelm was it? She might not be lost. My father's got a lot of clout in that city. Maybe we can help you find her. What's her name by the way? If you don't mind me asking."

 

[Simus]

(OOC: Please pardon the triple post, but I wanted to make a quickie for Simus lest you guys be hanging.)

Simus led the squad past Riverwood and up to the hill where the Guardian Stones were. He hadn't gotten much time to exercise lately so this really felt good. Simus had always loved to run, and it had kept him strong as he aged. Most of the healers he saw were amazed at the shape he was in and when they asked him about he he wouls simply say that there's no such thing as an ex-legionnaire. You may be out, but you never lose the attitude. Now he was back in his element, back in bootcamp, and he was beating kids half his age to boot!

They soon reached the hill and Simus turned to his squad

"One mile to the stone!" Simus shouted. "Get to the hill as fast as you can, then wait for the others! Peleus! Five spetims says I beat your ass up this hill!"

Simus took off at a dead sprint, focusing all his energy on getting to the stone first. He was feeling good today.

 

[Gunnbjorn]

Before Simus even finished his little bet Arillious had kicked it into high gear, the hill wasn't the steepest he had ever climbed, but it should be a worthy challenge.

Passing Simus, he ascended. His legs like that of a powerful dwemer machine. He felt the slight burn from the excessive sprinting start to seep into his legs as he took each of his long strides. But the pain was always easily excused. Arillious was tall for an Imperial, so he was always at an advantage, but Simus has proven himself as a runner, he has taken good care of himself, and that is why he is beating almost everyone right now. Almost.

 

[Simus]

Arillious passed Simus with the force of a galloping buck. He was amazed at how much stamina the boy had: It's no wonder why he excelled in the Legion or why he had lived this long. Simus was using everything he had to catch up to him but Arillious was able to keep an even five feet ahead of him, perfectly matching his speed. The stones were in sight, only a hundred feet left to go. Both men barreled up the hill at what must have seemed to the others a neck and neck race but it was cleaer to Simus that he wasn't going to win this: he was in better shape than when he was twenty but Arillious had youth and a slight height advantage on his side. Mere seconds before Simus smashed into the stone Arillious had placed a hand on it, panting, covered in sweat and with a look of euphoria. He had beat Simus fair and square and he had to respect that.

After touching the stone himself, Simus let out a hearty laugh of exhileration. He didn't really care that he had lost, that was the best run he had in years.

"Well soldier, looks like you beat me." Simus said, giving Arillious a congradulatory handshake. "Must be nice being eighteen and made of muscle. I ate hills like this for breakfast back in basic when I was your age. Guess I've gotten old and fat."

Simus paused to catch his breath.

"I tell ya, it's a good thing Alice wasn't here today. She's a better runner than I am, twice as good as you. She can't sprint like you can but she can go for miles without rest."

After Arillious' response (as in at the end of your next post) Simus clapped at the squad down below, giving them shouts of encouragement and urging them the last few yards to their destination.

 

[Gunnbjorn]

Arillious beat Simus by seconds, with a face of disbelief, the old man kept up, and that's something to be respected.

He took the handshake Simus gave and listened as he told of how he excelled in running back in the day, when he himself was in basic.

Then he went on about Alice, "I tell ya, it's a good thing Alice wasn't here today. She's a better runner than I am, twice as good as you. She can't sprint like you can but she can go for miles without rest."

Arillious wasn't surprised at this. Alice was the best Scout in the Reach when he first met her, and probably has kept the title ever since.

He gave out a quick laugh before responding, "Hell, I'm not happy Alice isn't here to beat me in a race. I'm happy she isn't here to witness me just barely beating a man double my age."

His heartbeat was still trying to calm down after the running.

"She should be okay, she seemed completely fine when I left her, she just needs rest."

Arillious then watched with Simus as the others made their way up the hill to the stone. They were halfway finished.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

"One mile to the stone!" Simus shouted. "Get to the hill as fast as you can, then wait for the others! Peleus! Five spetims says I beat your ass up this hill!"

As soon as Simus barked out his order/bet, he and Arillious flipped into overdrive. The rest had little chance to catch the two, but Nachael would take what he could get, and he could get third. Pushing harder and harder and feeling his stamina renewing in his blood, Nachael powered up the hill as fast as possible, pulling past Garrick, who ran next to him, and the rest of the squad behind him. He smiled slightly at the fact that he was running so fast, when he already thought he was running near his potential, and felt the unbridled joy that comes with beating a record. Simus and Arillious touched the Warrior Stone seconds apart from each other, followed shortly by Nachael.

Impressed at the fitness of the two men, Nachael joked, "I'm not sure which of you I've got to set as a high bar for physical fitness, the young Legionnaire who was first to the Stone, or the man at least twice his age who was only a few seconds behind?" Looking at the Warrior Stone, then at Simus and Arillious, he took his chance to ask, "What exactly is the Warrior Stone? What does it do?"

 

[JBar2531]

Titus was a far behind the group, lightly jogging. He heard Simus screaming so Titus started sprinting as fast as he could towards the stone and saw Simus, Arillious and Nachael at the stone in the distance.
"Damn, im slow." Titus muttered.
He thought back to the incedent that just happened, when the woman Dabiene showed up. He stuck to the back of the group not participating in the action. Titus finally arived at the stone and stopped to catch his breath, expecting to get chewed out for his lack of effort.

 

[Gunnbjorn]

"It is said that those blessed by the Warrior Stone begin to excel in battle, even without any training. It is as if the natural talent of fighting is bestowed into you." Arillious said, answering Nachael's question.

He continued to watch as the rest made their way to the stone. Some people looked to have tried their hardest, some seemed to lag, but it was not his right to get in anybodies face about, he didn't care, honestly. It was for their benefit. If your not already physically fit and have the endurance to constantly run and fight, then you will surely die. This little squad is the key piece to taking down Ulfric, and in just about any situation it wouldn't be surprising if they were outnumbered by a large margin. So in this case, anybody not putting in the effort either already knows that they are physically ready for the battles ahead, or are they are just being fools and not taking this movement seriously. It will be easy to find out who those people are as we do more and more drills for training.

 

[arctic73]

Regulus forgot all the scenery around him, instead putting all his energy into a final burst of speed to tackle the hill before the Stone. He saw Simus and others already there, talking. I can get up there too, Reg thought. With this thought, he focused on scaling the hill.
With a look of relief, he made it to the top and touched the Warrior Stone just as Arillious was explaining what it was. Panting heavily, Reg asked, "How is that possible? A stone making you a fighter? Of course I'm familiar with magic and potions, but you're making this rock's effect sound permanent."

 

[Gunnbjorn]

"It's just what I have heard." Replied Arillious, "A person blessed by the Warriors Stone turns into a good Warrior - without any knowledge or training. It's like being given talent." He repeated.

Everybody in the squad seemed to have made their way up to the stone. Arillious, with his hand still on the stone, waited for Simus' order to continue. The run to the Warrior stone may have fatigued some of the squad, the run back will show who is weak and who needs improvement.