<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> Part 5! -LurkingWolf ___ While Nathan made for the keep to speak to the commander, Balrog and Vic made for the barracks to store their things. Neither of them made for the baths just yet, as they wished to first be certain that the subject of the vision did not require immediate attention. Once everything had found a place, the two made their way to the barracks’ common room. Victor sat without question at one of the empty tables. Balrog went to see about some provisions first, but he had soon returned, bearing a large flagon in either hand.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “It’s not as good as the Mule, but what is?” the man commented, giving an encouraging smile. He placed both vessels on the table, pushing one to victor’s side of the table. The young man could easily smell that his patrol partner had brought some of the darkest liquor available.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Victor, head held in the palm of one hand, caught the sliding container and held it briefly before him before pushing it back. “I really do appreciate the thought, Balrog, but I feel that I need my wits about me for the present,” he said, voice quiet and pensive.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Balrog sighed and took the returned flagon, sliding his already-empty ale to the side. “How are you holding up?” he asked, taking a gulp of the hard liquor. The boy had a point about the need for a clear head, but he would not have to worry about that for three or four more pints.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The boy shook his head slowly, taking his time before he answered. “To be honest, Balrog, I’m scared out of my mind,” he replied at last. His voice shook uncertainly as he looked at the man across the table.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The disguised lutin nodded in understanding. “I cannot say that I completely understand, but plague is a frightening concept in any context. At least we’re safe here for the moment.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “That isn’t what frightens me,” Vic said seriously. “What about my mother and father? My sister? They’re all in the Keep’s walls. Balrog, my sister is only three years old, if she catches the plague…”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Balrog slapped the table with his open palm, stopping the boy’s speech and drawing more than a few unamused glares from around the room. “Stop,” he ordered in a voice that permitted no question. “This is the Keep we’re talking about. Healer Coe and his assistants are the most competent group of medics that I have ever encountered. If any place in the world would be capable of defeating the plague at all, it would be the Keep.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I realize that, but there has never been a nation that defeated the plague. It is not an enemy that you can fortify against, nor one whose plans you can understand and thwart. It is a cold, merciless, pitiless killer. The healers can be the best in the world, and men will still die in a plague.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The older man frowned, taking another gulp of his drink to give himself time to think. “It is true, plague is not a rational enemy. That does not mean that dedicated men cannot control it if they make an effort.” He tapped the table with one finger a few times to draw Vic’s attention. “I cannot lie; the next few weeks will be dangerous, but panic is precisely the reaction that we need to avoid. Panic would send the plague to the rest of the Midlands in the arms of men who believe that they are saving their families. Panic allows men to run to the north, telling all of our enemies that the Keep is weakened. Panic is as much the enemy as is the plague.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Victor nodded. “I understand. Still, what if I could have been there? What if I could be there with my family to help and comfort them?”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Balrog shook his head. “I hear that the quarantine has been in effect since early in the afternoon yesterday. Even if we had returned to the Keep as intended, we would simply have seen the flag ourselves, and we would have been forced to take shelter somewhere, even if perhaps not here. Our change of plans had no effect on whether or not we were within the walls.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The young man conceded the point, but was still not satisfied. “Whether or not I could have made it, I still wish that I could be there.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “As much as I hate to say it, you might have done more harm than good within the walls,” Balrog noted. “You are neither a healer nor a mage, so your role in aiding the Keep would have been negligible at best. You would have been just one more avenue that the plague could have used to get to your family at the worst. Also, knowing you, you probably would have fought to stay on your feet for several hours after being affected yourself. It would not have been worth the dangers.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Victor finally admitted that Balrog was right, but the concern on his face was still clear to see. The older man gave a supportive smile.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Don’t worry; give it a few days, a few weeks perhaps, and this will be just a passing memory. You will be with your family, and the joy of reunion will be all the greater for the peril of the days between.” He gave a self-satisfied smile before taking one last gulp to finish his tankard. “In the meantime, we may have need of your javelins and your sword before we get to that far end. Our skills will undoubtedly be put to use in an effort to contain the panic we spoke of previously.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Vic nodded with a noticeable increase in confidence. “As long as they give me enough time to rest before our next venture, that is certainly an effort in which I can be of assistance.” He shifted in his chair to sit up a little straighter. “In the end I suppose you are correct; I am far better suited to this role than I would have been to any role inside the Keep.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Balrog smiled. “There, that’s much closer to the irrational degree of confidence I expect from you!”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Victor managed to laugh briefly at that. “I think you meant that as a compliment, so thank you. I did learn from the best, after all.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Balrog waved his hand vaingloriously and dipped his head as a sort of mocking bow as though he had been given some great recognition. “What better thing to do with my life than to pass on my flaws to the next generation?” he asked. The young man before him chuckled again, but his eyes quickly turned to the side as his mind ventured into the darker reaches of thought once more.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Are you certain that you wouldn’t like at least a pint of ale?” he asked, trying to turn Victor’s attention away from those thoughts.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “You may drink mine, thank you,” the boy replied. Looking up, he continued, “Actually, it seems that we may both be needed.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Turning to follow Vic’s gaze, Balrog saw Nathan approaching their table quickly. 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