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The enigmatic iron lord alone stands against the howling winds, his black robes lashing out violently against the frigid darkness like wreaths from a lost nightmare.

Not even the fierce well of scarlet light, which by far was the largest well Shaxx had ever witnessed conjured by a single warlock, illuminated the darkness that was Felwinter.

It was as if the heart of the storm manifested to greet and bow before the pure unadulterated darkness that had come to stand vigil over the weary fortress, the many furious LED lights pierced the snowy onslaught like the thousand glowing eyes of a seething ahamkara.

Slush slowly congratulates around the exo's boots, the fur encapsulating the nape of his robes hung sodden and wet with melted snow...it was like the heavens were crying on the void walker.

Shaxx sat stationed beside a wall, sheltered from the snow, it was much worse then he had anticipated, the world a frigid blanket of foggy white, his heart wept for any poor refugees unfortunate enough to be caught out in the white mass.

A storm that could no doubt freeze a reckless risen was a guaranteed death sentence to the lightless, they would protect those within these walls but out there, beneath the mask of frost, the unfortunate and helpless were dying, slow..painful deaths..

He would do what he could for those in his care, yet even that was taxing his body was strained, his light momentarily spent but no doubt returning with time.

It was not but a few hours ago the warlord was forced to face a terrifying truth, despite his previously stubborn resolve in the face of the iron lords, in truth he would not have been able to handle this alone...

When snow started to fall in earnest Shaxx didn't request aid of the warlock, and Felwinter in turn had all but vanished, it didn't take him time to deduce that maybe this iron lord Felwinter had given up and returned to his ironclad buddies, Shaxx didn't have time to wonder nor care.

But as the dark age weather rapidly descended further, and the keep was quickly thrown into the midst of the savage storm, it stretched on hours beyond the warlord's expectations

Exhaustion settled in as his light began to sputter, burning out like a flickering candle running out of fuel, fuel that was the keep's only lifeline, it became clear to the warlord that he alone would not be able to stand and guard with his light alone.

They would need an alternative...

It was precisely then as the warlord swallowed that impending dread, crawling its way up his spine, and started running over failsafes in his mind, a way to preserve the keep, none of which involved the missing warlock.

Then said warlock decided to show, from where he was hiding the warlord would never know, only that he descended from somewhere above the warlord.

"What are you doing here?!" Shaxx snapped, hating the strain in his own voice, as he stared defiantly at the shorter iron lord, did he intend to try to fight him, Now that he thought Shaxx was weakened?

It would be a sore mistake if the iron lord did, but instead the warlock stopped beside the warlord staring out into the storm, no weapons or manifested light in sight.

"I told you, your people won't survive this, I'm here to help ensure that they do.'' The iron lord spoke with a reassuring tilt of his metal helmet, but also as if it was obvious and the warlord should have expected aid from the iron lords.

As if trust grew on trees and one could find their way to the golden age by following breadcrumbs, as if any risen would offer their aid without substantial compensation in sight.

Whatever it was he sought it wasn't clear to Shaxx, there was no bargain, no plea, just an assessment and an offer, an offer to aid those not directly in the iron lord's way, Shaxx found himself wondering if this oath breaker would offer such aid had the warlord not been there..

The answer in his mind surprised even himself...

Felwinter wasn't wearing the iron tree adorned armor he had challenged him insistently throughout the week in, instead he wore a much sleeker cloak, void of harsh bulky metal and its cold metallic bite, instead a. Elegant black robe, adorned with intricate silver lining, its cuffs and cowl adorned with thick black fur.

Shaxx was distantly surprised at the drastic difference the lack of armor provided, the man was considerably much lankier then he had previously thought, which was very surprising for an exo.

Without his armor the warlord could see the bright LED lights adorning the exo's wrists and throat, some even illuminating faintly through his robe, they were almost mesmerizing.

Shaxx found himself keenly curious as to how many more the exo hid behind his robes and helmet.

The thought came from left field and surprised even the warlord, the fact that he found the capricious exo a little appealing, at least from what he'd seen of the resilient man, was an outlandish thought train at a time such as this, and fruitless as he fully intended to kick the warlock out as soon as his "pack of dogs" came back to retrieve their lost goods.

Instead he focused on the iron lord as he came to stand beside him, snow already catching on shoulders and fur ruff.

"The storm will push on through till dawn, and maybe even then, I will lead for now, go inside warm yourself and rest, I fear this will be long night"

It was all the warning Shaxx got before Felwinter stepped a foot back, bringing a flaming sword down into the stony floor as a well of scarlet fire erupted to life around them.

It's color was not one the warlord had ever seen in a well previously but the pulse of energy, it surged through him like a shockwave of a trimmer, it slipped into his light despite not being his own, feeding it and sparking it to life and for a moment the warlord felt as the iron lord did.

Peace, Calm, and Resolve...and want.

Quickly he stepped out of the rift, afraid of weighing down the warlock's light, instead he ignored the Exo's dismissal and sat to the side to rest and study the peculiar iron lord.

Noting that, despite his companion's forlorn warning of the storms delayed
Departing, Shaxx was positive his people would make it through the harsh bitter night.

Hours passed and the warlord and iron lord switched twice, only once did both stop to rest at the same time, it was a brief reprieve, one of Shaxx's people brought them both a warm hearty meal, and two mugs of hot ale, insisting both man ate before returning to work.

"I appreciate the gesture but your gratitude is unnecessary, and we really shouldn't, the storm Is-"

Felwinter immediately begin to decline the offer but Shaxx took the meals, cutting the Exo off before he could send the elderly women away

"We'll take them, Thank you" He dipped his head gratefully, the women beamed up at him as she handed over the stone mugs, there was no table but they made do with a turned over barrel, placing both bowls alongside mugs.

Shaxx walked her back to her small cottage, along the way asking about how her family fared and if they had enough blankets to keep out the cold.

When he was done catching up, he hurried back to their post, there he found Felwinter standing in the same spot he left the Exo, helmet tilted up towards the sky, gazing out into the foggy night.

"Star gazing are we?" Shaxx asked as a way of announcing his presence, his words half in jest, but to the war lord's surprise Felwinter actually startled at the sound of his voice.

It was only for a brief second but the iron lord caught it, the way his peculiar ram like mask whipped around to face him, his shoulders rigid and stiff, Shaxx could almost see the void radiating under his robes before he schooled his posture into something closer to indifference, he reminded Shaxx of a raven, clever, resilient yet skittish and paranoid.

"You spook easily warlock, what is it that unnerves you? The dergs
Freezing to death or the warlords cowering from the snow? Be at ease non will bother us tonight"

"Nothing, I was simply thinking" Felwinter replied incredulously, while his posture didn't show it Shaxx could easily hear the Exo's ire clearly in the tone of his voice and immediately found it amusing.

"Well, you can think as you eat, Come, you are capable of digestion are you not?" Shaxx inquired tilting his helmet curiously as he pulled out two storage crates to use as makeshift chairs, settling the stone bowls and ale down one the barrel.

"I can '' Felwinter replied, still lingering beside the dead rift, without replying Shaxx gestured to the crate across from him, claiming a crate for himself.

He made a mental note to himself to thank the kind old lady again come dawn, the food was steaming hot, having been carefully stored in stonewear to ward off the bite of the below zero weather.

The sound of the exo settling down on the makeshift chair dragged his attention from the kind gift to the warlock now sitting across from him, he sat poised with his arms crossed, gloved hands tightly clasped against his slender arms in a somewhat defensive manner.

"Are you cold..?" Shaxx found himself asking, taking the opportunity to sate his curiosity, Exos were still considered exotic in the dark age, even amongst the risen, there were so few that were exos and even less was known about the race.

"Are you not? I even have most of my temperature receptors turned off..."

"You can do that? Just turn off feeling?, that's..quite interesting.. does it work with pain as well, is that why you fail to flinch as I deal a killing blow..?"

The titan asked immediately, his mind thinking back to their latest spar, he had torn the Exo's leg clean off his body before crushing his opponent's neck within a single fist, and while his body twitched and sparked, the machine never flinched, only stared back defiantly with a dying challenge in his smoldering optics.

His question earned him a sharp look, yet he couldn't for the world decipher what it meant, but when the Exo answered it was with a thinly veiled scowl in the man's voice.

"Trust me, it's not as efficient as one would like to think it is.." The words lingered, heavy in the empty night, The warlord tilted his helmet intrigued, there was a story to be told, but to Shaxx's dismay the Exo simply shook his head.

"Let us eat, and return to our post"

But once the titan's interest was piqued, it simmered and flared like the burning of an ember feasting on dry kindling, and he couldn't help but wonder about the Exo even as he sat across from him.

silence, apparent in his unwillingness to converse further, but the war lord finally decided he would pry anyways, the ex warlord had come to his territory with the bold agenda to sway his co-operation and alliance into the palms of the Iron lords like a sheep mindlessly follows a shepherd.

He did not even try to hide his goal, he was nothing if not persistent, and his confidences lasted long after the titan pummeled his metal body into the ground countless times.

He had heard countless stories of the warlord Felwinter, first fleeting but soon they grew as did the man's infamy, he assumed his killing spree would come to an end once he caught wind he had joined the ranks of the iron lords, yet even then the stories just morphed in nature.

The tenacious man had an affinity for death and a dream accompanied by a ruthless resolve to dispatch anything that didn't align with this vision, why or what lead him to this path was a secret to the titan but he quickly recognized something differed from the risen compared to other warlords..he just couldn't pin what.

"What do you fight for exactly?" Shaxx asked curiously, knowing the practiced replay he would get, the moment the Exo set down his now empty bowl.

"The Iron Lor-" but the warlord cuts him off, impatiently elaborating on his question.

" No, I mean you as an individual, why did you join them? What do you gain from all this? Surely you were well off on your own?" Shaxx asks as he stands, reaching to collect the empty bowl from the Exo, who surrenders the stone bowl to him the moment he reaches out his palm, safely placing them out of the way for retrieval come dawn.

"Do all warlords lack manners? Or is that your own unique talent? I'd like to hope I wasn't as uncultured a warlord as you..." Felwinter inquired, cold steel in his even voice, as he turned to walk back to their post.

"Don't divert, I didn't ask about your prudish stance on social blunders, I inquired about what motivates you to take the path you have.." Shaxx snorted, the titan was surprised that he found any amusement at all from the Exo's agitated quip.

"I joined them because they needed me, just as I need them, there is much to be gained from joining our ranks, it won't be a boonless endeavor...Do you wish to start or should I take the lead?" Felwinter asked as he stared up at the illuminated clouds, thick white stains against the sky, they were no more interesting then the damned snow they dropped, what intrigued his optics to stare so bewitchedly to the heavens was a mystery to The warlord.

Shaxx noted, the Exo had keenly realigned himself with the wolves despite the warlord's obvious attempts at trying to separate and question his motives as an individual.

"And what could a warlord possibly gain from sacrificing his territory, and people to the jaws of those wolves?" Shaxx bites out, he did little to hide his contempt nor skepticism, he had seen what happened to territories under fire, the waste of innocent lives caught in the crossfire between wolf and warlord.

Really it didn't matter the title in the end people were still dying for these forces ideals, What right did the iron lords have to decide what is for the greater good? Many people would be better off without any of them!

Shaxx wanted little part in that hog's wash, nor did he plan on subjecting his charges to it either.

Still, the standoffish Warlock was better company than his average warlord guest, Shaxx had to admit, silently wondering if he should tell the peculiar Exo that he's outlived them all.

"Funny, I never needed to ask myself that" Felwinter quipped as Shaxx came to stand beside him, for a second the warlord thought he would brush him off again, but to his surprise the Exo continued unknowingly saving himself from the warlord's scathing comment.

"Safety, a place to rest without worry of a knife my back, or a gun to my head, hope I guess, they plan to pave the way to a brighter tomorrow, a tomorrow where risen and lightless alike can prosper like back in the golden age, where we don't have to live in fear or be preyed upon even if we are weak. It won't be perfect but it's enough to sacrifice such a trivial title" the Exo announced confidently and he summoned another scarlet well of light.

There was a moment of silence as the warlord braced himself against the wave of energy passing through him, the heat against his helmet reminded Shaxx of just how cold it was really getting, he could practically feel his scarred cheeks thawing as he studied the warlock beside him.

"You sound afraid, are the Iron lords so frightening that you would cowered so easily? Surely you realize you could have stood a chance against them with the tally of deaths you carry under your arm...?" Shaxx scowled, he did not understand.

"I do not fear the Iron lords, nor do I seek to dispatch my comrades, I am no warrior but I still consider myself capable enough in combat to hold my own against warlords and iron lords alike if needed." Felwinter corrected him, he seemed impervious to goading the titan could not get a rise out of the Exo..were they all like this..?

"You say this and yet, you've done it, it's no secret you've felled allies within your ranks Felwinter, tell me, was it an accident? Or did you not engage your fellow iron lord with the intent to off his ghost? at least with us warlords we know we can't trust each other..but you..what are you playing at?" His scathing words roll over the Exo like drops of rain of freshly polishes armor,

"Those who died their final deaths at my hands either broke the iron decree or hid behind it like cowards, our goal is to ensure the safety to resen and civilians alike, that won't be possible with our wolves running astray."

"...Are all Exos as confounding as you, Iron lord?"

"My name is Felwinter, Iron lord is merely a title, one you might very well carry when you finally see reason"

"You put too much faith in the gullible. No I'd never carry such a tacky title, nor join your ridiculous paw patrol."

Shaxx sniffed, the frigid air biting at his nose, yet beside him Felwinter still seemed calm, almost nonchalant which irritated the titan even more as curiosity gnawed at him.

"However I am ceaselessly intrigued by whatever makes you so confident that you could have sway in this decision, or is your cocky disposition something even your comrades have to suffer with iron lord?"

"You mistake my knowledge of the inevitable for cockiness, look at your situation Lord Shaxx, the outcome isn't hard to deduce, your fists can't fix your problems forever, nor will they shield your people from what's to come, what is one warlord's life weighed against a thousand lightless? Surely you realize a king without a kingdom is little more than a lonely egotistical man, no higher than the gravestones he treads over. You will see reason I only know not when..." The Exo intoned with calm intensity, steam bellowed from the vents within the peculiar ram skull as he tilted his head to gaze at the warlord.

"I am no king and this is no kingdom-"

"it won't matter what title you give it because soon it'll be your people's tomb and little more, no epoxy will keep the warlords or iron lords out, nor will it spare the innocents from the clash we will no doubt incite...However if your truly hard pressed about it, surly no one will be left to contend with whatever title you choose for this place."

Felwinter sniffed, the snide remark coaxes Shaxx to wonder if it would be that counter productive to knock the warlock's damn head off again...