The Red Bull's Final Charge

[erictafoya 2302]

THE RED BULL’S FINAL CHARGE

10th of Tov and Yermey, 351 E.S.

 

The landscape of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska

 

 

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It was a quiet and peaceful day in Karosgrad. As Ser Ivan and his cousin, Lord Viktor Kortrevich prepared for a hunt. Ivan seemed to be in good spirits despite what would come. For a while, he had terrors of his own end and he knew that it was coming soon but today would be a good day. Before departing from the city, Ser Ivan would say his farewells to a woman who he considered as his own daughter-in-law, Luisa Barclay, as she was the wife of his student and surrogate son, Ser Ruben ‘The Butler’. “Return home safely, ja?”, asked Luisa. Ivan replied by giving a reassuring smile and saying “Don’t you worry, I’ll be back home soon.” That would be the last time Ivan entered Karosgrad alive…

 

Now properly equipped, the two cousins set off on their hunt. Despite Ivan being disowned decades prior by the very man he was with, Ivan still viewed him as family. As they climbed the hilly forest they saw the peaceful and beautiful wilderness of Hanseti. Birds chirped and the sound of goats in the nearby farms could be heard in the distance. As the two conversed, it was clear that there was no bad blood between the two cousins.

 

 

Eventually, the pair stumbled upon two wild deer by the riverbank. Ivan proceeded to slowly sneak towards the doe pairing. With past experience in hunting stag, elk, and the like, Ser Ivan would easily immobilize one deer after puncturing its rump with an arrow. On the other hand, Viktor was not so lucky as the second deer managed to escape after a missed shot. After dealing the final blow to the first deer, Ser Ivan and Lord Viktor made their descent to the fresh kill. However, as they moved closer, a flock of birds seemed to be startled as they flew past. It was almost as if it was a warning to the pair however, Ser Ivan assumed that it was caused by the wailing deer. 

 

Ser Ivan began removing his arrows from the rump of the deer, gently doing so to prevent the hide from being damaged. As the arrow was pulled out, a cracking sound in the brush caught the pair's attention. Behind them and on the hillside in front of them were a group of men wearing unidentifiable masks. Two brandished bows whereas the other two wielded blades.

 

While being surprised by the unidentified bandits, Ser Ivan remained calm and composed. As to prevent his cousin’s identity as a noble lord from being revealed, he instead pointed their attention to himself as a Haeseni Knight. As the leader of the grouping spoke to the pair, Ivan and Viktor began to converse to each other in Nauvmarian dialect.“I don’t trust them, cozaer. If they attack, run okay?”, said Ser Ivan. “Neither do I, do you recognize their masks?” asked Viktor. Ser Ivan simply shook his head side-to-side in response, the calm exchanges between the cousins and the masked men continued on.

 

Eventually, the group of men grew exhausted from these conversations and they eventually asked the cousins to lay down their weapons and surrender themselves for ransom. Ser Ivan would never let himself be captured and he also did not want to risk his cousin’s identity to be revealed. The group gave the cousins time to think about their next move. As time passed by, the two cousins argued in their native language about what their next decision would be. Viktor pleaded for Ivan to run with him, though Ivan knew that his body was no longer as young as it once was. After a constant back and forth between the pair, Viktor ultimately obliged Ivan’s wishes. 

 

Ser Ivan, known as ‘The Red Bull’, would make a stand against the bandits so that his cousin could escape by the riverside. After giving the signal to run, Ser Ivan drew his longbow and aimed for one of the archers. Despite the downpour of rain and winding gusts of wind, he hit the mark right on the mask, taking down the archer. 

 

Enraged, the leader ‘Flost’, charged towards Ser Ivan. At this point, Ser Ivan had used up a significant amount of his energy. Through many decades of war and injuries, Ser Ivan’s body had finally caught up to him. Still, Ser Ivan remembered his own oath to the Brotherhood and refused to surrender. As he brawled with Flost, he continued to use the rest of his voice to recite his oath. Despite the injury he sustained, Ser Ivan continued to both brawl and shout at the man. 

 

The Red Bull had been unleashed for a final time. Before the rest could overtake him, his cousin returned with the HRA, and Lord Manfred Barclay led the charge. Ser Ivan noticed this as soon as he recited the words “Through in this valley, I find my brothers.” However, this short distraction would lead a sword to be pointed at his throat, causing Ser Ivan to be held hostage. However, never showing an ounce of fear, Ser Ivan continued reciting his oath. As he looked towards his comrades, he felt a sense of bliss and tranquility.

 

 The memories of his oldest comrades started to return to him. In the distance, he saw them; his role model Ser Marcus, his close confidant Ionian Mackenson, his best friend Bjornolf Stjorn, and his grandfather and idol Ser Nikolaus were there. In addition, the faces of his son and mother saw appearance beyond the fogged landscape. In his mind, he knew that this would likely be his last stand.

 

He would not allow for his story to end without giving a proper fight. As negotiations between Flost and Manfred began, Ser Ivan decided to take it upon himself to slam his left mechanical arm to the leg of his captor, immobilizing him for a second. His arm’s glass tubing would crack and shatter, which caused unstoppable internal bleeding to occur. As Ser Ivan shouted for a final time “I… shall… not… FALTER”, the sword pierced his neck, bringing the Old Knight to his knees. As the group of soldiers slowly closed into Flost, Ser Ivan’s body was kept on his knees before finally falling over only after Flost perished. And thus concludes the story of Ser Ivan ‘The Red Bull.’

 

 

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REST IN PEACE

 

Ser Ivan Robert Kortrevich

‘The Red Bull’

( 1738 - 1798)

[Sarven 1691]

*Marcus offers a solemn salute from the seven skies, ready to welcome the fallen battle brother* "Too soon... my dear friend..."

[MikoMonster 1393]

Dame Primrose Kortrevich welcomes her third-born son into the Seven Skies with open arms, glad to have another one of her children back again. Together, they watch over the remnants of their broken family, scattered across the far reaches of Almaris.

 

[rep2k 2477]

With a warmth around his heart, Bjornolf welcomes his best friend and brother with wide arms. "Ivan, old bull, come here! It's been a long time since our last sighting, from now on we're here for each other. Your time is not over yet.."

 

On that day, the priest spent a very ordinary day, full of obligations and work. After a parade that took place in the capital, Alfred and his friend, the holy knight Theophilos, decided to walk around the walls, admiring the nature that surrounds them. However, the noise nearby disturbed them, so they decided to go and investigate the situation.

And they had something to see, in fact. Many faces known to them were in sight, also with the same or a relatively small number of unknown and dangerous faces, and what was worst - Ser Ivan with a knife around his throat. They had no choice but to take the sword in their hands and go down the valley to help at least a little. There the priest saw his knight friend quite calm and composed, although he was in a life-threatening situation. Minutes passed by, and the moment the candle in Ivan went off - uttering the last words of the oath, he managed to push away the already attacked enemy, but in the end, without any major help. At that moment, Ivan's life ticked its last lap. Both were killed that day, but what hurt Alfred the most was that no one had a chance to try to save Ivan's life.

"Rest with God, honorable knight." Alfred said, saying a short prayer for the salvation of John's soul. This moment will remain etched in Alfred's memory, because it was the day when, after a long time, he saw another death from another of his dearest people and brothers.

 

They spent a lot of time together, learning together how to handle a sword and a bow, but again, they didn’t have that kind of family connection. Nikolaus, best known as Niko, did not take the news of his father Ivan's death well. He stumbled into the house where he lived in Karosgrad, cursing the day he left his family to learn other things and educate himself, leaving his loved ones behind. With tears in his eyes, he hugged his son tightly, addressing him in a shaky and sad way:

"Igor..go never act like me..go never leave your family, because you never know what can happen to them, if you are not there for them and with them .. "

Nikolaus said to his son, letting him out of his arms to go to the balcony of the house. Ivan, although not a perfect father, will still remain in his heart and, in a way, only with the best memories.

Edited December 14, 2020 by repl1ca

[Wolfey34 243]

After the battle Fyodor Erhdhart sat alone in his home once again, carrion bottle at his lips "Another comrade falls" he'd mutter into his glass "At least they can keep each other company until I see them again." he'd subconsciously rub his right eye, where Ser Ivan had hit him long ago "Good men always die so soon."

[Limo_man 403]

*Upon hearing the news of his mentor's passing, Hildebrand frowns as a small sum of tears stream down his face at a slow and serene pace. "Zhou vere supposed to stay vith me until zy became a knight..." His sorrowful speech then paused for a moment, in order for him to wipe the tears from his beady eyes; while also keep from having more flood out of his already shaken figure. After his tears had subsided, and he had sat down onto his cot, Hildebrand - then - continued his speech to his former teacher that sat somewhere above him in the Seven Skies* "No matter...zy vill make zhou proud even vhile zhou are up zhere in zhe skies. Zy vill become a knight for zhou...Ser Ivan." The boy then took a glance, across the room, at the long sword that Ser Ivan had given him at the very start of their training together. Once Hildebrand felt he had gone through enough memories of their...intense trainings, he layed down into the comforting grasps of the covers and blankets that began to lull him off into a dazed and tired state.* "Zhou never did take it  easy on me or zhourself. Rest now...zhou have earned it. Zhere is no reason to fraught over any burdens or hardships zhat zhou once bore or carried alone since now, all of zhose vho carry zhour legacy on vill take it from here. As vill zy." Hildebrand's eyes, while letting out a slight exasperated chuckle, shut as he'd make an attempt at sleeping after Ser Ivan's death.

[HurferDurfer1 2584]

Mr Rat pens a short letter to those of the Kortrevich family and it would state. "Good ******* riddence."

[GMRO 5245]

Boris var Ruthern made a sign of Lorraine upon hearing the news of the death of his friend and mentor. He'd mutter to himself as he glanced up to the skies above. "Ivan, spasiba for all vyr work. Vy were a strange man at times, and at other times a hard one. Vy had a good heart nevertheless, and always wanted others to not suffer the same horror that you did with Georg. I hope you two find peace once again as a family."

[Demented_Delila 1118]

"Don't you worry, I'll be back home soon."

 

Luisa watched the cold wind blow on the boughs of the fir trees beyond that outer gate, biding her father-in-law good bye. She , in that moment, did not expect this to be the last time she would speak to him. She left, with Rosalind at heel, the whole city in a minor uproar about some sort of wolfish creature that seemed too unnatural in her mind. Yet, she thought Ivan would be coming home. She believed it. He was too stubborn to die without goodbyes... surely?

 

The news would've broke her when Manfred approached her, asking for a private conversation, away from her now five year old daughter Marie, were she not knowing of Ivan's death soon to come. It ached the way broken bones ached when it rained, deeply within her chest. Her first thought flickered to her will, given to her many years prior to then, just in case. 

 

Telling Angelika was harder then she thought it'd be, to tell the woman who loved a man for so many years that her husband was dead, when already her son was gone too. She told Angelika in the Bascilla, sat with her there in that back pew, staring up at the ceiling and counting seconds that ticked by before the woman spoke her denial and grief. The older woman was praying when she left.

 

It was time to tell her own husband of his father's passing, albeit heroic feat, it would hurt all the same. Marie, too, would need to be explained to as best as one could explain death to a five year old. Her little voice broke her heart when the question came from her lips... "Does he not want to see me anymore?" They cried as a family for a time after that, before innocent, big brown eyes closed and went to sleep, too tired by her grief to stay awake much longer.  When she went to lay to sleep at last that night, she stared up at the ceiling, hands folded over her stomach. Ruben laid beside her, and whether or not her husband heard her solemn words didn't bother her at all. 

 

"You said you'd come back home. Niet the home you were supposed to leave for yet..."

 

 

[GhostSHTR 1002]

Stefan Otto Ludovar would stare at the missive that had been sent to him. “ Just like that the only man who care for me as a friend is dead.” The Scfyling War veteran would stand up inhaling before looking out his window” They have forgotten my heroism and sacrifice. They will neit for long”