Chapter Text
There’s a legend in Lucis. The locals talk of an Immortal, a shadow, who roams the land. A man on a horse who can disappear between trees and rolls through towns like a storm cloud overhead. Some say he’s a spirit, some say he’s a hero, others say that he’s unable to die and bound to wander the land, a demon, an omen, that wherever he goes violence is sure to follow. Or so the legend goes.
The issue with crossing the open plains, no firewood. Plenty of shit though! It’s gross, but it’s free and abundant and burns good and fire is fire. Cor threw another piece on the fire. He sighed and knelt next to the creek, scrubbed his hands off before splashing his face. He debated if freeing himself of the layer of dust and sweat clinging to his skin was worth braving the freezing water. Forge snorted next to him and nudged him hard on the shoulder. Cor turned to give the horse a withering look. Forge just snorted loudly directly into his face. Cor grunted and shoved the horse’s nose out of his face but still rose to his feet and began the process of removing their tack.
They’d left town late the night before, he wanted to put as much distance between him and their last job as he could. Cor made it a point to not stick around long after finishing a job. He gets his money, checks the post office, and moves on. Next job. Next town. Don’t linger. It’s been a while since he called somewhere ‘home’. For nearly a year it had just been him and Forge. If he lingered too long in one place he ran the risk of being recognized by those paying close enough attention.
Cor shucked off the worn leather coat and gave it a hearty shake. The resulting cloud of dust left a grey-brown haze in the firelight. He pulled off his hat and unbuckled his chaps and gave those a shake too. Everything is covered in dirt, he doesn’t even remember what color this shirt had been when he found it. He resolves to give things a cursory rinse tomorrow. They had a few days before he’d wanted to be back in Hammerhead and he’d rather not have to ride through a desert in the same dusty underwear.
Forge sighed contently as his saddle was pulled off and set down by the fire. The black stallion wandered along the river, grazing on sparse patches of grass while Cor worked on setting up camp. Exhaustion was beginning to settle deep in his bones as he sprinkled tobacco into a rolling paper. He whistled for Forge and began settling in for the night. The sky was clear overhead as he smoked and began to drift off watching the stars, trying not to follow trails of old memories of camping out under the night sky. The ache of grief in his chest is still as raw as the day it all fell apart.
The next day Cor found himself, once again, covered in dirt. The quick wash he’d done that morning undone almost immediately. A strong breeze had been swirling flurries of dust and dirt around them for hours. The bandana around his neck pulled up over his nose and mouth. Forge looked more grey than black at this point, the fine dust sticking to his sweat damp coat. Cor grunted, pulled his hat forward, and tucked his head down as wind rushed around them once more.
He pulled out his old pocket watch and looked up to gauge how much daylight they had left when something caught his attention in his periphery. A herd of anak were running, full speed, past them. What was strange was the coeurl well ahead of the herd with no sign of turning back. The wind continued to gust around them, at this point having picked up consistently into a gale. Suddenly, there was a loud crack of thunder somewhere far behind them. Forge immediately went on high alert, head raised, ears straight up and flipped to listen behind him. Dark clouds rolled across the sky and the smell of ozone filled the air. His stomach dropped and Cor slowly turned to look behind them into the wind.
Fuck.
Fuck.
“ Fuck!”
Cor kicked his spurs hard into Forge’s sides. Then they were running. Cor could barely see the faint outline of Longwythe Outpost in the distance. They had to make it or get swallowed by the storm racing toward them. Wind blasted sand into their faces, Cor could hardly keep his eyes open. He kicked against the horse’s flanks again and drove them forward. Forge was breathing hard with effort, eyes wild, legs extending to eat up as much of the land under them as possible.
Cor hazarded a glance back. A wall of dust rose up behind them, stretching from earth to sky. It moved with a speed only something supernatural could produce. His shout of frustration was swallowed up in the roar of the wind. Someone had pissed off a god and now they were going to have to pay the price. The outpost was close, he could clearly see the windmill and top of the stables on the horizon. There was sand licking at Forge’s back legs as they hurtled over scrub brush and dodged debris. They flew past a trail marker, ‘Longwythe - One Mile’. A wild bellow shook the ground and lighting struck behind them, cracking through the mile marker, leaving nothing more than charred smoking pieces.
The first buildings passed in a blur. Cor pulled the reins hard to the right in the direction of the stables. They came skidding down the alley between the stables and inn. Forge began to slow his pace as Cor shifted around on his back. He didn't wait for Forge to stop before he swung down off the saddle. He hit the ground running, reins still in hand, headed for the entrance of the stables. Cor slammed to a stop at the door and reached for the handle, he hauled the door open and-
“Out of the way!”
A horse came barreling out, a rider clinging to its side. Cor yanked back hard on Forge’s reins to get the horse out of the way. The rider hauled themself up into the saddle as they flew past. They were dressed in all black, an ornate silver helm masked all but their eyes. He stared after the lone rider as they went flying down the dirt path. They let out a loud whoop as they turned the corner and rode straight out into the approaching storm.
Forge let out a distressed snort and threw his head. Cor came back to himself, pulling the horse inside and slamming the door. The roar of the storm was on them, all around them. The barn was full of the sounds of frightened animals as wind rattled debris against the metal roof and wooden sides. There was another loud bellow through the cracking of lighting and thunder overhead. Cor pulled Forge close to him in a corner. The two were still both breathing heavy from their flight into town. He stroked along the white blaze on his face and did his best to ease the anxious animal. All they could do was hunker down, wait it out, and hope that the town was left standing at the end of it.
“ Cor…”
“...help…”
There was screaming at the end of the hall. Flames licked at him as he fought his way towards the door at the end. The hallway seemed to stretch longer and longer, keeping the door just out of reach. He could hear someone screaming, someone laughing, someone sobbing. The flames crawled up the hallway walls around him and ate away at the ceiling above him. Tears streamed from his eyes as smoke choked his senses. The door was so close but still just out of reach, always just out of reach. It swung open, Cor cried out and surged forward. Someone reached for him through the door but just before Cor could grasp the outstretched hand the floor beneath him gave out and he was falling into black.
Cor jolted awake. His heart was pounding and he was coated in a thin layer of sweat. Forge looked over in concern, the horse sniffed at him and gave him a light nudge on the shoulder. “I’m fine.” He muttered as he gave Forge’s big nose a pat and pushed the horse out of his way to sit up. Forge was not convinced and snorted at him to make sure he knew.
At some point he had fallen asleep huddled in the corner. The excitement of their flight from the storm compounding the exhaustion already present. It was hard to tell exactly how much time had passed. He extricated himself from the pile of hay he had dozed off in, swatting away Forge as the horse nibbled at the hay stuck in his hair. It was dark in the barn but he could see daylight peeking in through cracks in the walls. He untacked Forge and made sure he had food and water before collecting his things. He slung his sword and rifle over his back and the saddle bags over his shoulder made for the door.
It was early morning, Cor realized, when he hauled the stable door open. He blinked at the sudden brightness. There was scattered debris all around the town. Across from the stable a tailor shop’s windows had been shattered, the saloon doors were hanging by a single hinge each, and folks’ washing littered the street. A handful of townsfolk had already started their cleaning and repairs from the storm. The sky was clear blue and cloudless overhead, no hint there of the absolute terror that occurred yesterday.
‘ Cute’ He thinks. He readjusts the bags, and heads for the inn next door. The door is carefully leaned against the wall, another casualty of the storm. Inside, the innkeep and an older gentleman talked over their mugs of coffee. Cor walked through the open doorframe and up to the counter.
“...are bad news, I'm telling you. They always bring dark omens with them. Strange folk around more and more.”
“What kind of crazy bastard rides into a storm like that.”
“Someone with a death wish…”
Cor cleared his throat and the two men turned to eye him.
“Howdy partner, what can I help you with?” Said the innkeeper as he made his way over.
“I need a room.” Cor set his bags on the counter. “Do you know who I could talk to about work around here?”
“Up the stairs, third door on the right. You can get water for washin out back.” The innkeeper handed him a key. “You’ll wanna talk to the farrier. He’ll most likely be at the smith’s, ask for David, he’s always got odd jobs for folks.”
“Thanks.” Cor took the keys. He could feel the innkeeper’s eyes follow him as he made his way toward the stairs before the man returned to his conversation from before, their voices more hushed than before.
“Welp he never came back last night. No sign of him.”
“Good riddance, that’s what I say.”
Cor dumped his coat and the saddlebags unceremoniously onto the floor and collapsed on the bed. He felt like he could sleep for days. He had to keep moving though, he was wasting time. Get some money, feed the horse, get out of there. That’s it. Maybe drink himself to sleep tonight if he had the chance. Cor heaved a heavy sigh. The opportunity to wash up somewhere other than a freezing body of water was too tempting to pass up so he hauled himself out of the bed and back out into the world to fetch some water.
Once he’d cleaned up and had set his, once again, fresh clothes to dry, he headed out into town in search of David. He drew more than a few curious looks. The sword, gifted to him by Regis when he’d become Marshal of the Crownsguard, tended to turn heads but, other than Forge, it was the only thing he had left from his king and refused to part with it. The rifle on the other hand, part of a payment for a bounty he’d collected, kept any unwanted attention from becoming an unwanted interaction, and to Cor most interactions were unwanted.
He found a man behind the smith’s shop hammering a shoe onto a massive draft horse’s foot. A dog lifted his head from the back door and barked a greeting. “I’m looking for David? Man at the inn said he’d have work. I’m just passing through though, nothing long term.”
“Might have some work, depends who’s askin-” David looked up and dropped the large foot. “Marshal!”
Cor immediately moved to reach for the revolver under his coat. It had been a while since he’d been referred to by that title. “Do I know you?”
“It’s been a while, doubt you’d remember. David Auburnbrie” David pulled his glove off and held out his hand.
“Ezma’s boy? It has been a long time.” Cor said, shaking the man's hand. David had been just an apprentice under the blacksmith when Cor had been through Longwythe with Regis years ago.
“I don’t have much work befittin’ a man of your talents. Just a couple minor hunts, fetching some supplies… well actually, there is something you might be able to help me out with.”
“What do you need?”
“We lost a hunter a few weeks back. He’d been headed to Longwythe Peak. Horse came back a few days after he’d left with no rider. It’d be nice to be able to give the family some closure." Cor hummed in agreement. The men agreed on a price, a reasonable cash amount and David would put some fresh shoes on Forge before they left for Hammerhead. Cor let David get back to his shoeing and made his way back to the inn to get everything ready to head back out in the morning.
A few hours later, Cor was finishing up in the stables with Forge. The horse had been in desperate need of a groom after their ride through the desert. He’d just turned Forge out into the paddock, where the horse had immediately rolled in the dirt. “Ah great, thanks…” He deadpanned from where he was leaning against the paddock fence exchanging glares with the animal.
He’d just finished rolling up a cigarette when he heard loud voices coming from inside the stable. Cor turned, lit cigarette in mouth. Forge wandered over behind him, both of them cautiously watching the door of the barn as it slammed open. The stable owner stomped away towards the saloon muttering to himself. Cor and Forge glanced at each other. Another man emerged from the barn door a few moments later carrying a saddle and halter and some saddle bags. As he walked up to the gate a light grey mare, covered with black spots, gave a soft whinny and trotted across the paddock toward the gate as the new man approached. Cor observed from his spot on the fence as the man called out a greeting to his horse and pressed their foreheads together. His dark hair was shaved on the sides, and Cor couldn’t help staring a little when he noticed the beads and braids in his hair. A Galahdian.
The Galahdian man opened the gate, threw a halter over the grey mare's head and led her out of the paddock. He set the saddle and packs on her back, tightened the girth, and in one swift motion swung himself up onto her back. He seemed to sense he was being watched and looked up from where he settled on the horse’s back. He caught Cor’s eyes. The two men held each other’s gaze for a moment. Cor dipped his head in greeting, smoke curling out of his mouth he exhaled. The man gave him a sly smirk. Then he turned and trotted off down the road. Cor watched him ride away while he finished smoking and absentmindedly scratched the underside of Forge’s head while he tried to go back to thinking over what else needed to be taken care of before tomorrow morning.