The Journal of Khazak, Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Aerisday,  Leus 30th, 4623

It has been a tense week since my...revealing hunting outing with Vakesh. The tension has not been with Vakesh himself, but with others in the camp. Several people have been voicing their displeasure at the way I now treat Vakesh - as well as a few other changes I have started to make.

I have not been overly affectionate with the man, but I have made my intentions and feelings for Vakesh clear. I also have put a stop to anyone being rude to him, or needlessly cruel to any of the other Ragebloods in camp for that matter.  Vakesh has been appreciative, but I am not actually sure if I am really helping or not.

I cannot always be around, and I am sure there are still plenty of things going on behind my back. But more concerning than that, I have heard rumors that I am being called weak, or that this is about favoritism, but I truly do not care. Doing anything else, or even nothing at all, simply feels wrong.

I made a point to speak to the other Rageblood “owners,” in an attempt to improve their own captive’s circumstances, and was pleased to find that almost all of them had already come to some sort of accord. They were not as close as Vakesh or I, nor were any emotions involved other than a perhaps reluctant friendship, but it was something. I suppose it was bound to happen, spending so much time together in close quarters with someone in your care.

Of the few that seemed on less friendly terms, one was planning on releasing their captive in the next few weeks, and it did not take much to convince the others to start considering the same. Though their captivity is technically indefinite, typically once their captor has felt they have served enough time for their offenses, a prisoner is released back to their own tribe. It is rare for this type of “partnership” to last more than a few seasons. Rare, but not unheard of.

Knowing this, I visited the tents of Bazgon Firecaller. Bazgon is an older man and a savage former warrior of the tribe. He was forced to retire after sustaining serious injuries in battle - the loss of his left leg from the knee down. He is also the owner of his own slave, Yilkat, whom he “acquired” not long before that final fateful battle. Since then, Bazgon has been fitted with a modified walking stick that he can hold in the crook of his arm, but I had always assumed the reason Bazgon kept him around was for the now-needed extra assistance. And I witnessed firsthand that Yilkat did help him, to dress, to stand, but I also saw a warmth there. Not just camradere, or friendship, but...

They spoke of how things were when they first met, Bazgon defeating Yilkat after the two ran into each other in the forest, each on a scouting trip. Bazgon was the pride of our wartribe back then, and was thought to be next in line for warchief. After his defeat, Yilkat felt nothing but disdain for his new captor, while Bazgon only felt cocky at such a victory - and then only bitteress after it was all ripped away only weeks later, in that bloody final battle. He certainly did not seem bitter anymore as the two joked about his ability to hobble on one leg to their small dining table.  It was nice to see that a relationship like that was even possible. That it might be possible elsewhere.

Sadly, I do not think that speaking to those two, as well as the others in camp, has done anything to quell the dissidents that are beginning to question my leadership. Though a few have voiced their concerns directly, most have pretended like nothing is the matter, even though I inevitably find out from someone else what was said behind my back. Worse still, Riktal seems to be at the center of much of this, inciting many of the others to speak against me. I truly do not understand what has gotten into my friend, but I feel I may have to do something soon before this conflict between us turns into something much worse.

Astraday,  Virgus 3rd, 4623

Something is wrong. I awoke in the middle of the night to find myself alone in my bed, the first time that has happened for at least a week. He was not in his cot either, and after waiting a moment to see if he had just gotten up to use relieve himself, I threw on some pants and left my tent to look for him.

I could not find him anywhere, though I did find a nervous looking Tress. The second I saw that the man could not meet my eyes, I knew something was wrong. It did not take much interrogating to get him to tell me everything - that in a feat of drunken bravado, Riktal convinced the others to make a night time raid on a Rageblood camp - and he pressured Vakesh into joining and guiding them there.

I do not know what would possess him to agree to something like that, or that the others would have chosen to do something so stupid. Judging by the empty mugs near the campfire, I can only assume they must have had a lot to drink. It doesn’t matter now. Tress and the others I’ve gathered are ready to go after them. I hope we catch them before it is too late.

Solisday,  Virgus 4th, 4623

We did not catch them in time. Yet I am writing this entry from my own bed, with Vakesh asleep beside me. To say the last few hours have been trying would be an understatement.

Last night, I traveled through the forest as fast as I could with the group of four I had assembled. I did not initially know where we were going, but thankfully the first group was easy enough to track, getting sloppy in their drunken stupor. Still, it was the middle of the night, and even with all of us being able to see in the dark, it was difficult navigating quickly.

As we apparently drew closer to the camp, we ran into a panicked Yurga, who had sobered up enough to realize that what they were doing was a bad idea. He had even attempted to convince the others to abandon their cause, to no avail. And now he was running back to our camp to warn us.

Not quite trusting him with a weapon, but thinking he may be able to get us to the others faster, I had Yurga guide us back the way he came. When we finally approached the camp, I heard what sounded like shouting, and fearing we were already too late, took off towards the camp. I could hear several of the others behind me, but my only concern at that moment was finding Vakesh.

But of course, I was too late. We managed to enter their camp unaccosted, most people still asleep in their tents, or too groggy to notice that we were not of their clan, and followed the glow of a lit fire to the source of the commotion. There, near a campfire that seemed to be at the camp’s center, were Riktal, Vakesh and the others. And surrounding them were the Ragebloods, including their tribal leader - Mojpat Gorecrash.

I had no idea that Vakesh would be bringing them to the main Rageblood camp. The man, though obviously just woken up, was furious to see this group of invaders before him. Then he saw the rest of us come upon both groups as well, directing a glare towards me that alerts Vakesh and the others to our presence as well. The look of shock and guilt that crossed Vakesh’s face was almost enough to abate my anger. Almost.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Mojpat shouted at the assembled groups, with more Ragebloods starting to wake up and join us.

“Do you need me to r’peate myself?” Riktal slurred, reaching for his word. “I’m here to challenge you!”

“They are drunk and stupid,” I called out, drawing everyone's attention. “This was all a mistake, please, release them and we will leave.”

“Release them?” Mojpat started with a growl. “You would invade my camp in the middle of the night? And you would use my own brother to do it?!”

“Brother?” I had no idea what he was talking about.

“I assumed you and the others were dead,” he ground out after locking eyes with Vakesh. “You should be. To think that would actually allow yourself to become one of their dogs?” He spat on the ground in disgust, causing Vakesh to flinch.

“You planned this,” I growled out at Vakesh, having had what I thought was a sudden realization. “You knew I would come after you, and you led us right into your brother's arms.”

“No, I swear!” Vakesh finally spoke aloud - to me and not his brother. “I didn’t plan any of this!”

“Enough talking!” Riktal shouted before reaching for his axe and charging at Mojpat.

Seeing that we were out of options, myself and the others were forced to draw our own weapons, a battle breaking out right there next to the Rageblood campfire. For now we were evenly matched, but I feared that would not be the case for very long.

As I clashed swords with the Ragebloods, I did my best to watch as Ritkal fought Mojpat, while Vakesh... It was like he was frozen in place, unsure of which side to help. And then Riktal fell.

I did not plan on losing my best friend last night. I did not expect us to be so at odds beforehand, or that some of the last things we would ever say to each other would be so hateful. I am sorry, Riktal. I did not just lose a friend, I lost a brother. And so all I could see was red.

With a roar, I quickly dispatched the man I was fighting with a quick strike to the stomach, charging at Mojpat in a rage. The man easily countered my sword with his own, a sneer on his lips as we clashed. Though I could still hear the others around me, my whole world was focused solely on the man in front of me, and the rage I felt towards him.

“Please at least tell me you were the one to take down my brother,” Mojpat commented offhand between blows. “This is at least a challenge.”

“I will show you a challenge! I roared as I went back in for more.

“I supposed I really should not be that surprised,” he continued to talk as if we were walking through a grassy field and not locked in mortal combat. “He was always a runt.”

I did not have a response for that. It was odd enough the way he was speaking about his own family, but I did not know why he was specifically telling it to me either. Did he know about the two of us? Had Vakesh been feeding him information somehow? None of this made sense.

“The only reason I sent him out in that scouting party was to give him a chance to finally prove he was worth a damn,” he continues to insult. "I should have known better.”

“You are supposed to be this tribe’s leader?” I scoffed in surprise, deflecting his next attack but falling back. “This is how you view your people? Your family?”

“The only thing I need to worry about now is what to do with him after I kill you.” He held his sword aloft, ready to bring it down and strike when suddenly, he froze, the weapon dropping from his hand as his eyes opened in shock. “What--”

He crumpled to the ground, revealing Vakesh standing behind him, a bloody dagger in his hand. He stared at his brother as blood began to pool around him on the forest floor, and then back up at me, a mixture of confusion, worry, and guilt on his face. As the others began to realize what had happened, the fighting around us came to a stop, several of them rushing towards their fallen leaders as the rest of us began to step back. Before I or anyone else could say anything, Vakesh came to his senses and rushed to me.

“We have to go, now,” he pleaded, taking me by the wrist and looking towards the others before tugging me away from the camp’s center, and eventually out of the camp entirely

We ran as fast as we could, unsure whether or not we would be pursued. Our group, which combined would have numbered ten, had dwindled to only six, with Cragor, Hultu, and Rena falling alongside Riktal. I did not bother to keep track of the Ragebloods that fell, but even if we took out twice as many, this still would not feel like a victory.

As we rushed back towards our camp, my mind reeled with the possibilities of how the Ragebloods would respond. Their first concern would be saving their leader, if that was even possible... There was a lot of blood. Knowing personally the kind of upheaval that surrounds a new tribal leader being chosen, I also would not be surprised if the infighting for who would take over next had already started. It is unlikely Mojpat had already designated a successor.

We reached camp in the early hours of the morning, several of our brethren already starting to wake up themselves. They watched us with confusion as we reentered the camp, bruised, battered, and grim. I sent those with injuries to the healer’s tent, bringing Vakesh back to ours so that I could begin figuring out what to do next.

The first thing I did was confront Vakesh, ask him why he did not tell me he was the brother of the Rageblood chief. He explained his reasoning as best he could. For one, he saw no reason to be forthcoming, given that until this week we could barely stand each other. I could not entirely fault him for that.

Then there was the fact that he wasn’t sure how I would react. What if I no longer felt like I could trust him? What if I tried to use him for information on the Ragebloods’ movements or combat styles? I had to admit, I very well may have been tempted to do just that.  It was fairly sound reasoning...and pointed out that I wished he had used the same reasoning when he decided to bring Riktal and the others there behind my back.

I was correct in thinking that Riktal had pressured him into helping his group. The reason he agreed is he thought that if he could prove his worth to my best friend, he would be able to prove himself to me, and the rest of the tribe, and cement his place at my side. He was apologetic, and was even prepared to accept me banishing him from our tribe, knowing that after what he did to his brother, he would have nowhere to turn.

But I hadn’t planned that at all. I was hurt, and angry, no, furious, that several Proudhunters died today because of drunken bravado, but Vakesh wasn’t all to blame. I know Riktal had a hand in manipulating this. I just wish the man was still here so I could yell at him myself.

Another thing I took notice of was the fact that Vakesh was still very much in shock. The man had just killed his own brother, there is no way he couldn't be. I do not think he realized it, but he was still shaking, his skin looking pale and clammy. And so, rather than focusing on my anger towards him, or his future punishment, I put him to bed and grabbed my journal. He has been sleeping peacefully for a short while now.

I’ve made a list of the fallen, so that I may speak with their next of kin immediately. I expect even more anger than I have seen the past few days under these circumstances, but I will have to hope my people will listen to reason. I also need to start preparing for a potential retaliation by the Ragebloods. It may even be time to move the camp again.

I have no idea what the future is going to hold. I do not know if the events of last night will lead to more fighting or even a war, nor do I know that my tribe will continue to want me to lead them through it. But no matter what, I will be doing it with Vakesh by my side. That I can promise.