《Candor: The Forgotten House》
Information Sheet (updated Oct. 8th, 2017)
Character Sheet
Places:
Kundar Mountains ¨C A rugged mountain range that separates the Northern Territories from the Southern Kingdoms
Northern Territories ¨C A largely undeveloped expanse of land of unexplored wilderness, vast plains, and city-states north of the Kundar Mountains where races other than humans are rumored to live.
Southern Kingdoms ¨C Area south of the Kundar Mountains ruled by developed human nations.
Eldoran Empire ¨C A powerful nation within the Southern Kingdoms that holds expansionist policies that plan on conquering the continent with military superiority.
Eldora ¨C Capital of Eldoran Empire
Vioiva ¨C Southern vassal state of Eldoran Empire
Disia ¨C Eastern vassal state of Eldoran Empire
Lerith Kingdom ¨C Kingdom west of Eldoran Empire
Viendor Kingdom ¨C Kingdom to southwest of Eldoran Empire
Alegan Kingdom ¨C A small kingdom that bordered the Kundar Mountains recently conquered by the Eldoran Empire
City of Blockley ¨C Once a small port on the Opal River of the Alegan Kingdom it is now the northernmost city of the Eldoran Empire.
Opal River ¨C River that flows from west to east south of the Kundar Mountains that flows into the Misty Sea
Anderan Plains ¨C Vast open plains and grasslands located north of the Kundar Mountains and South of the Northern Expanse. It is home to a number of city-states such as Freeport, Penrith, and Elkia. (Often shortened to the plains, great-plains, grasslands).
Freeport ¨C A large city in the vast open plains of the Northern Territories. It began as a trading port along the Crystal River when gold and silver was discovered. When the mines ran dry they became one of the greatest exporters of food due to the relative fertility of the crystal river floodplains, but because of drought and constant raids by the warring tribes of the Northern expanse the city has seen an influx of refugees and a decreased economic stability resulting in its decline.
Crystal River ¨C Major River in the Northern Territories that flows from west to east with a number of cities located along its shores.
Northern Expanse ¨C A large plateau of relatively infertile lands and home to the Northern warring tribes.
Elkia ¨C Once only a city-state it has continued to conquer other cities states in becoming a major power in the only recognized human kingdom in the Northern Territories. Contains a savanna where warbeasts are native and marshlands that are home to ogres as well as the relatively unexplored Bilst Forest.
Canrit ¨C Easternmost city recently conquered by Elkia.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Penrith ¨C Allied city of Freeport approximately 300 miles east of the Bertsch Forest. They provide military aid to Freeport when asked but only at a steep price.
Bertsch Forest ¨C Small forest located 100 miles east of Freeport where the Crystal River splits. It is often foggy due to the moisture from the Crystal River with little wildlife and currently no inhabitants.
Great Northern Forest ¨C Northernmost forest of the Northern Expanse. Bordering the Birac Mountains it is the only known place where Giants exist.
Zualf Forest ¨C Forest of Elves, Fae, and many other races
Corinth Alliance ¨C Alliance of City-states to the northeast of Freeport whose power is said to rival Elkia
Asmuth ¨C Southwestern most city of the Corinth Alliance approximately 500 miles northeast of Freeport.
Bilst Forest ¨C Large forest west of Elkia mostly unexplored. It connects to a great savanna in the south where warbeasts roam freely and marshlands in the north that are home to ogre tribes.
Birac Mountains- A large mountain range approximately 700 miles north of Freeport that is prone to earth shakes.
Misty Sea ¨C Sea to the East of the Eldoran Empire and Kundar Mountains. The sea is perpetually covered with thick fog and contains many small rocky islands which have sunk countless ships making passage from the Southern Kingdoms to the Northern Territories nearly impossible.
Serpent Bay ¨C Remote bay to the west of the Eldoran Empire and north of the Lerith Kingdom
People:
House Candor ¨C Once one of the 6 great noble houses of the Eldoran Empire, they were purged by the imperial family and labeled traitors.
Jayce Candor ¨C Fourth son of the main Candor family. He is a full elemental mage with affinities of 8th rank in both earth and water magic, 4th rank in air, and 2nd rank in fire. After being saved by his uncle he fled the Eldoran Empire and traveled to Freeport in the Northern Territories.
Lady Eleanor ¨C Head of the Ashlan family, one of the 100 wealthiest families of Freeport. She meets Jayce after he accepts her job request posted in the mercenary guild looking for a mage for her daughter¡¯s wedding.
Gerald ¨C Head Butler of the Ashlan house and trusted servant of Lady Eleanor.
Lady Grace ¨C Youngest daughter of Lady Eleanor married to Lord Alan Weston. Forced to marry Lord Weston at the age of 16 she show¡¯s a deep interest in magic and often wonders how her life would be different if she was a mage.
Lord Alan Weston ¨C One of 9 members of the Freeport Council. He is an idealist deeply loyal to Freeport and is willing to do anything to maintain its sovereignty. Due to a rule of the council, he marries Lady Grace in hopes of producing an heir.
Randall ¨C Retainer of Lord Weston in charge of scouting enemy forces for Freeport. Often called ¡°Shadow Walker¡± due to his unique ability that allows him to travel through shadows.
Freeport Council ¨C Made up of the heads of the 9 most powerful families of Freeport who effectively rule the city.
General Mason ¨C A General of the Elkian army. Tasked with conquering the city of Freeport.
Warring tribes (Northsmen) ¨C Often referred to as barbarians, they are primarily nomadic people or live in small villages inhabiting the Northern Expanse. Due to the lack of fertile ground and colder climate of the Northern Expanse, they raid the villages of the plains for food in the fall.
Kharel ¨C A tribal chief of the northern warring tribes (Northsmen/barbarians). Unlike other Northsmen Kharel sees Elkia as an enemy they are unable to defeat and seeks to avoid confrontation with them. He finds the behavior of many of his fellow Northsmen despicable and wishes to distance himself from them.
Magic:
Elemental Mage ¨C Mages that are able to manipulate the elements of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire directly using mana.
Arcane Mage ¨C Mages with ample mana supplies but are unable to directly interact with it. They rely on mental images known as spells and often use triggers such as chants to manifest those spells into reality.
Mystic Mage ¨C Broad label given to mages who do not follow Elemental or Arcane magic. Similar to arcane mages in that they are unable to directly manipulate mana and instead rely on spells and chants but primarily focus on but are not limited to magic that manipulates living or dead entities.
Ranked Magic ¨C A system ranked from 1-10 which approximately gauges the strength of a mage and their abilities.
Map of The World! (Updated Oct. 24th, 2017)
So I decided to make a map of the world so far which was kind of fun, but I wasted way too much time figuring out how I wanted to do it. The Southern Kingdoms are not filled out as of yet because we haven''t really spoken much about them outside of the Intermission, but I will be adding it as we go along and I''ll update the map as needed. I''ll also try to improve upon things such as layout, clutter, and anything else I think of along the way. Let me know what you think about it!Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Prologue
From a young age we were told the Northern Territories were a vast expanse of lifeless grasslands and barren forests. It was a dangerous land where humans could not survive, we were taught to never travel there. I remember this being one of the first things I was told during my primary education. However, my mother had told me otherwise. That was of course when she still spoke to me.
My mother often spoke of fantastic creatures like ogres, elves, trolls, and giants. She told me long ago they lived together with humans in the Southern Kingdoms. And despite our differences, we lived with each other in relative peace. However,withtime they slowly left, leaving only humans behind.
She was an excellent storyteller. The tales she could weave would keep me entertained for hours and would fill my head with fantasies that kept me awake late into the night. Using magic she would act out the scenes in her stories in such a graceful manner that it wasn¡¯t uncommon for me to get dizzy from the excitement. Those nights spent listening to my mother¡¯s stories were some of the happiest of my life. But they would not last.
As I grew so did the distance between my mother and me. At the time I did not realize why. What had I done to cause my mother to shun me the way she did? I didn¡¯t know then, but by the time I realized it was because of my father it was too late to repair our relationship.
When my talent as a full elementalist with major affinities in earth and water magic was discovered my father hired the finest instructors within the capital. He filled my days with physical and magical training. But I grew quicker than anyone had expected and the dark, putrid jealousy hidden deep within him came out.
My father wanted a mage and was he excited when he got one, it¡¯s the only reason why he married my mother. But he did not want one that was more talented than he was. He allowed his insecurities to control him and behind closed doors he became abusive to my mother, his second wife, blaming her for bearing a child like me.
Every day my talent and skill in magic grew, and every day his abuseofmymother escalated. Over time my mother came to resent me, she wanted nothing to do with me, even refusing to see me. She saw me as the reason for her suffering, maybe if I disappeared she wouldn¡¯t have to experience such abuse. It was painful not understanding why my mother abandoned me. I don¡¯t blame her though. My mother was a very prideful woman, and to be humiliated every day like she was would break anyone¡¯s spirit.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
A rare 9th ranked water mage by the time she was 20 years old. My mother was a physically powerful woman who fell under the control of a physically weak but politically powerful man. The helplessness she felt from being both powerful and powerless destroyed her over time. And my father took great delight it breaking powerful women.
He was an inferior mage whose primary affinity was fire. By the time I was 11 I had surpassed him as a 5th ranked mage, and by 16 I was 8th ranked in both earth and water. I was even more talented than my mother. Normally someone with lesser talent like my father would be unable to marry a mage as powerful as my mother. However, because of his status as the head of the Candor family, anything was possible.
It¡¯s hard to look back and thinkof the pain my mother was in. I wish I could go back and stop the suffering. Perhaps then she would have continued to tell me those amazing stories. But I was just a child. I did not fully understand what was happening to my mother. And she was not the only one who feared my father.
When my mother spoke about the Northern Territories her eyes would sparkle as if she were reliving a memory. It may have seemed foolish, but I chose to believe my mother¡¯s stories were more than just tales to entertain a child. Her stories convinced me.
Everything I have become, everything I have done, and everything I will one day leave behind has roots in her stories. The emperor made me become what I am today. But her stories showed me which path to take after that night.
As if it were happening right now, when I close my eyes I can feel the heat from the flames. I still hear the screams that came from within the housewhere I once lived. And I can feel the fear and absolute shock that swallowed me as I watched helplessly. It is something that will never leave me. It is a moment that has haunted my dreams ever since.
For the emperor, that night was a huge success. For me, it was a night I was barely able to escape. That night he set into motion a series of events that would affect the entire continent. He razed everything I ever knew to the ground and set the world on fire.
On that night the emperor erased my family¡¯s name, house Candor from the annals of history. The Empire declared war; I did not wish for it, they brought it to me by laying the body of my mother at my feet. I will make the emperor look back and think of that night the way I do. I will ruin the plans he has spent his every waking moment on. I will take away everything he holds dear to him like he did to me. And I will bring back the forgotten house.
Chapter 1: Escape
The forest has become so thick it¡¯s nearly impossible to run through anymore. I don¡¯t think anyoneis following me, but I can¡¯t be sure. Why is this happening? This doesn¡¯t make any sense. Who would dare attack us?
I¡¯ve been running for so long that the scorching flames are nothing more than an orange glow in the night sky. I can barely breathe, but I can¡¯t stop now. I don¡¯t know who was able to do this, but to attack our house, to be able to defeat our guardsand my mother, these are not people I can defeat.
I don¡¯t want to believe it, and if I didn¡¯t see it with my own eyes, if I didn¡¯t feel the heat on my skin, I probably wouldn''t. My house, my family, everyone I care about, they¡¯re gone. Everything is gone. My uncle risked his life to save me, even given me a pouch of gold he had, and what have I done?
I¡¯m a coward. Here I am running while my family isbeing murdered. But what can I do? I¡¯m just one person. There¡¯s no way I could have stopped this. I need to leave. But where to? Where should I go? I don¡¯t know anyone. Should I go to the city? But what if the people who did this track me there?
No, I need to think. I need to figure out who did this and why they did. I can¡¯t just run blindly. But I can¡¯t stay hidden in the woods forever. Think Jayce, where can I go? There¡¯s a lake to the north where I practice water magic, but which way is north? I can¡¯t see the stars with this damn cloudy sky and this forest is making it too difficult to follow a straight line.
Calm down. I need to calm down. I¡¯m panicking and it¡¯s causing me to lose direction. I look behind me and there is no one there. Not that I can see through this forest well anyways. I listen for any noises of broken branches or voices but I don¡¯t hear anything. It¡¯s difficult to hear over my heavy breathing, but I don¡¯t believe anyone is coming.
Is there no one following me? That can¡¯t be possible. Unless they were only after my father. But why would they burn down my house with everyone in it? They wouldn¡¯t wait until night when we were asleep if they didn¡¯t mean to kill us all. This might be a good place to rest and calm down, to gather my thoughts.
I try burrowing into the ground behind a large falling tree to make a shelter, but the tree roots make it very difficult to make a large enough hole. It¡¯s tight, but it will have to do for now. If I can make it through the night I will be able to figure out which way is north when the sun rises.
Now that I can catch my breath I¡¯m able to think a little clearer. Who were those people? That fire mage was using rank nine magic at least. Someone like him would be a high-ranking officer in the military, but the only one I know of is from the Kelburn family, and they are our allies.
This is bad. If it really was someone from the Kelburn family then that means our allies have turned on us. Us, one of the founding families of the Empire, that¡¯s borderline treason. Could it be? Is this a coup? Are the Kelburn¡¯s trying to overthrow the imperial family?
That can¡¯t be. At least I hope that¡¯s not true. The imperial family is strong. Their power is almost at the level of the six founding families combined. But if it is not a coup I can only think it''s an order from the emperor himself. With spies everywhere there¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t know of an attack. Even if he didn¡¯t order it, at the very least he allowed it to happen.
My father has made many enemies. I¡¯ve seen him arguing with officials and merchants alike, there are even rumors of him killing people who displeased him. Being forced to live in the guest house with my mother I never witnessed it, but from the way he treated my mother, I know he has a bad temper.
Then what about my eldest brother in the capital? If it was an order from the emperor then he will surely be killed as well. That means fleeing to the capital is impossible.
¡°You see anything over there?¡±
¡°Naw, if he went this way I won¡¯t be able to find him in this dark.¡±
Damnit, so there were people following after all. If I spread my mana out I might be able to feel their movement on the soil, but it won¡¯t be easy with all of these roots. Should I fight them? If they¡¯re fire mages I¡¯ll be at a disadvantage in this forest. I don¡¯t want others to come looking for them either if they don¡¯t make it back.
¡°We oughtn¡¯t to keep Colonel Oswald waiting. You know how ornery he can get.¡±
¡°Well, what is you gonna tell him then? We just up and lost him in the woods? Colonel ain¡¯t the type to let a man go for making mistakes.¡±
Oughtn¡¯t? What dialect is that? Could they be from Viovia? Ever since it became a vassal state they¡¯ve had to send their mages to the military. But more importantly, who is this Colonel Oswald? I can¡¯t remember any Oswald¡¯s, especially one with a ninth-ranked mage. If the military is attacking us then it must be an order from the emperor.
¡°Come on, we¡¯re going back. I ain¡¯t running through this forest any longer.¡±
¡°Alright, but you¡¯re gonna be the one who tells the colonel why we ain¡¯t killed him.¡±
¡°Who said colonel needs to know. We¡¯ll just tell him we burnt him up in the forest. He¡¯s just a stupid kid anyways, he¡¯ll be lucky if he makes it out alive.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, well, I¡¯ll leave the ¡®splaining to you. I get nervous whenever I¡¯m around the colonel.¡±
They didn¡¯t come this way. If they did, they would definitely see the pile of dirt. I was lucky. I needtoputmorethoughtintotheplacesIhide from now on. If they weren¡¯t so careless I would have had to fight my way out of here.
This is a serious problem. If it was the military that did this then I have no choice but to flee. But still, where canIgo? West is the Lerith and Viendor Kingdoms, but those aren¡¯t good options. I overheard myfather saying the Empire would be attacking them next. Escaping to one of those will just be buying time. I might be able to hide for a while, but the moment I use magic I¡¯ll be found out.
Could I stay in the forest? I doubt they would keep searching for me here, especially if those two say they killed me. But living in the woods¡ what kind of life is that? No, I can¡¯t do that. I¡¯d rather die than live alone in a forest. The only thing left, the only thing left is the Northern Territories.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
A vast expanse of grasslands, high steppes, unexplored forests, and large city-states. At least that¡¯s what the legends say. Could I make it there though? How far is the Northern Expanse? It has to be at least 800 miles from here, possibly further.
I would need to cross the Kundar Mountains as well. Rugged snow-capped mountains with no navigable passes through them. Everyone says people enter the mountains, but none of them make it out. But where do the legends come from if no one ever makes it back?
My mother said those are just lies to stop people from trying to leave, perhaps there is some truth to both stories. I¡¯m not really sure, but if it is true and the Northern Territories isn¡¯t just a barren wasteland, it sounds like a good place to disappear.
***
Escaping north through the empire was extremely difficult. The journey was long, and I was forced to avoid towns and villages. I traveled close to the rail but far enough away so as to not be spotted. There were times when I thought for sure I would be captured, but it¡¯s not as though I¡¯m well known and the military should believe me to be dead.
The entire trip my feet have been covered in painful blisters and sores. It¡¯s some of the worst pain I have ever felt. The shoes I¡¯m wearing are nearly falling apart and provide almost no protection. At night I have to clean my wounds with warm water then soak them in cold water to relieve the pain and reduce the swelling.
Staring at Blockley, I keep questioning my decision to stop here. ButI need supplies to cross the Kundar Mountains. I¡¯ve hardly eaten during the past month and the clothes I have are hardly sufficient for such a trip. It¡¯s a risk, but it¡¯s one I think I have no choice but to take.
Blockley was once part of the Alegan Kingdom, but after the empire defeated them it became the northernmost city of the empire. It¡¯s hard to believe it was nothing more than a small town on the Opal River at one time.
After being taken over, Blockley changed from a small town to a small city. There areeven buildings as high as four stories. Like any other city they take over, the empire connected it to the rail system and a large number of citizens poured in. With such low-interest loans for people starting a business or buying land it¡¯s no wonder there was such a large rush.Ourfamilyshouldhavealargeamountoflandhere,oratleastwedid.
The empire also constructed a large fortress capable of housing tens of thousands of soldiers to the west on the river. There is a shipyard as well where the empire is building massive warships. I¡¯m not sure what they could be for though. To the east is the Misty Sea and to the West is Serpent Bay.
The Misty Sea is always shrouded in fog with many large and small islands. It¡¯s said to be impossible to traverse and many ships that have tried were never seen again. Serpent Bay is said to be almost the same. Perhaps the empire found a path through? I really hope not.
The city entrance is impressive. It¡¯s not common to see walls like this in the empire. Walls are pretty useless against mages so normally a city will surrender if the army protecting it falls. This is a problem though. The wall was definitely built by an earth mage. I''d like to tunnel under it,but if thereisanearth mage here I¡¯ll be noticed. I don¡¯t think I have much choice.
¡°State your name and the reason for entry into Blockley.¡±
¡°MynameisArne Lassen. I heard it was easy to buy land here and start a farm.¡±
I give the guards thenameofoneofmyservants and the only reason I could think of at the moment. The guards look well trained. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re part of the military, but they may be.
¡°A farm? Aren¡¯t you a bit young boy? It won''t be easy for you to get a loan.¡±
¡°I¡¯m 16 sir, old enough to hold land by law and I have money from my family. If I need any more I¡¯m willing to work to save up.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ what do you think Jannik?¡±
¡°He¡¯s just another country rat hoping to make a living. Just let him in.¡±
¡°Well, I guess if Jannik says it¡¯s alright. Entry is one silver.¡±
¡°Ah just let him go. Look at him. He looks like he hasn¡¯t eaten in weeks. You know how to write boy?¡±
¡°I can sign my name but not too much else.¡±
I lie and tell him I can¡¯t write. I¡¯m not sure what level of education farmers have. The empire does have compulsory education for children, but I believe that¡¯s only in the cities.
¡°That¡¯s good enough. Just sign your name here and head over to the city clerk¡¯s office. It¡¯s the big stone building with the yellow flag down this main road.¡±
¡°You might want to clean yourself up a bit though. You smell awful and maybe get a new set of clothes.¡±
I thank the guards and walk into the city of Blockley. My heart is racing but I¡¯m in and they didn¡¯t seem to recognize me. I¡¯m starting to wonder if I needed to travel the way I did. If I went by rail it would have only taken two days instead of a month.
No, this was the right choice. I just need to buy enough supplies for the trip across the mountains and hopefully leave this nightmare. Up ahead appears to be a general store. I should be able to purchase most of what I need there.
I walk in, and I''m instantly struck by the strong scent of leather. There are all types of leather boots and clothing. Is leather popular here?
¡°Can I help you with something?¡±
I can tell she¡¯s not too happy to see me. She doesn¡¯t look much older than me. Blonde hair, which was more common in Alegan than the empire, maybe she¡¯s a native? This store is pretty large though, I think they have most of what I need.
¡°Yes, I need some supplies. Dry rations, clothing, blankets, boots, and a few other things.¡±
¡°A trapper? Well, we get a lot of trappers, so we probably have almost everything you need. Dry rations are in the back, so you¡¯ll need to tell me how much you need and pay up front. We don¡¯t lend on credit, is that gonna be a problem.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯ll also need a bag to carry the supplies.¡±
¡°What kind of bag do you need? We have leather bags, and we got bags of holding. They¡¯re in the back also, and they¡¯re pretty expensive.¡±
Bags of holding? How do they have them all the way up here? The only place I¡¯ve ever heard of thembeingsold was in the capital.
¡°You really have bags of holding? How much are they?¡±
¡°Yup, there was a mage that used to live in the military fort. He knew how to make them and sold them to the farmers and trappers here. Well, he¡¯s not here anymore so I only have three left. The price is five gold.¡±
Five gold coins. I only have 8 gold in the pouch my uncle gave me. But if she really does have a bag of holding I have to buy it.
¡°I¡¯ll take one. Also, I¡¯ll need two months-worth of dry rations. I¡¯ll pick out the other supplies myself.¡±
Bags of holding use runic magic. I don¡¯t really understand it myself but it¡¯s powerful. Mages spend their entire lives studying runic magic and very few have the ability to use it. As an elementalist myself I never bothered trying to learn it.
Looking through the clothing I ended up with three sets and also bought two pair of boots and a few blankets. Together with the two months of dry rations and the bag of holding the total was seven gold and six silver coins.
The bag of holding isn¡¯t very large, with just these supplies it¡¯s almost full. Thankfully I can build a shelter and cookware using earth magic and don¡¯t need to store water, otherwise, I would have needed another bag.
I paid a fisherman two silver coins and he ferried me across the river leaving me with only two silver coins in my pouch. Hopefully, I won¡¯t need money for the rest of my trip. Thispineforestmarkstheborderoftheempire.
The legends say 10 days journey north of the Kundar Mountains is a large city called Freeport. It should take almost a month to cross the mountains. Spanning from the Serpent Bay to the Misty Sea, the mountains are a barrier between our civilizations.
The Candor family of the Eldoran Empire is gone. There¡¯s nothing left for me here. To my ancestors, I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s no honor in dying. Right now, I just want to escape.
Chapter 2: Onward to Freeport
At the base of the southern slopes of the Kundar Mountains there was a dense pine forest where creatures both large and small lived. With ample rain year round, moderate temperatures, and an abundance of food, the forest was one of the most ecologically diverse areas of Alcana.
However, if the pine forest below was a haven for life, then the mountains above were a desolate hell. The cold windy climate and lack of topsoil made it almost impossible for vegetation to grow. Outside of a few birds and hardy grasses the Kundar Mountains were devoid of life.
Judging the best path up would be to follow a tributary Jayce quickly found himself forced to travel through narrow slot canyons and navigate around sheer cliff faces and waterfalls. The trip was far more time consuming than he had anticipated and at times he needed to use magic to avoid wasting days on end trying to find a way through.
There was no easy way to cross. By the time he reached the end of the tributary Jayce was so high up it was difficult to breathe. He had been prepared for the cold, but he was not prepared for the strong winds and the thinner air as he went further up. Forced to take breaks often he was relieved when he finally found a path down that allowed him to avoid the snowy zones ahead.
Sleep was difficult. Although he was able to make rock shelters with ease the cold of the mountains continuously seeped in. Eventually he found by using fire magic to heat large stones he could stuff them into his blankets to stay warm. However, sleeping with stones was not the same as the soft bed he was used to sleeping on.
And even though he knew the chance of being attacked by predators was small, Jayce remained on guard throughout the whole trip through the mountains. The howling wind not only sucked away his body heat but it also kept him on edge by creating sounds that caused him to think he was being followed or stalked.
Constantly cold, tired, and feeling depleted from his continual use of magic Jayce came to respect the legends of how impassable the mountains were. At times the only reason he was able to stay alive was because of his affinity with earth. Without the ability to create tunnels, build rock shelters, or create stairs he realized there would be no way to cross for him. Even with his use of magic he had almost fallen off cliff faces and nearly froze to death at night.
It was as if the mountains did not want him to leave. When he had finally begun his descent down new challenges arose. The cold wind had turned warmer, the air had turned drier, and the rocks had turned brittle and crumbled easily under his feet.
The brittle stone caused Jayce to slip and fall many times leaving scratches and bruises all over his body. It was a journey that had tested him to his physical and mental limits and one in which he would not have completed if it were not for his magical talents.
Crossing the Kundar Mountains was more difficult than he had anticipated. His confidence in himself had waned greatly and it wasn¡¯t until he descended from the mountains that he began to feel at ease. His mother was right. The other side of the Kundar Mountains wasn¡¯t toxic land that was dangerous even to set foot on.
No, the other side of the mountains was exactly how his mother described it. Gold and green grasslands for as far as the eye could see. It was a beautiful sight, one he wished he could share with his mother. The Anderan Plains or the mad plains as they were also known, Jayce had finally made it to the Northern Territories.
***
I don¡¯t think I can describe these plains in any other way than calling them unbelievably vast. I¡¯ve already been walking for 6 days but I haven¡¯t seen anything. Could the Northern Territories really be this barren? It¡¯s like no matter which way I look it¡¯s just a sea of green and golden knee-high grass.
The days are hot and dry with hardly a cloud in the sky, but the nights are cold and damp in complete contrast, it¡¯s odd to say the least. I must say though, the night sky is amazingly bright; the stars fill the sky as if a box of jewels has been dumped on it and the moon lights up the dewy grass creating a translucent glow on everything it touches. This glow is almost unnatural.
I have never seen a sky so brilliant. Could it be this dry weather? It¡¯s easy to see the possibility of never escaping this grassland. Perhaps some people get lost in the beauty of this night sky and refuse to leave. Maybe that would be for the best, I can lose my way in the stars and just disappear.
It seems like the longer I¡¯m here the more I question what I want to do. My whole life every decision has been made for me. There was always a plan, and I¡¯ve never strayed from that plan. But what should I do now? Other than staying alive I¡¯m not sure.
Sleeping is getting more and more difficult. Why do I see their faces every time I close my eyes? I¡¯m tired of their questions. What do they want from me? What would they have me do? Do they want me to avenge them somehow? I¡¯m just one person. Do they want me to rush to my death as well? The dead should remain dead. If they are not going to help then I wish they would leave me alone.
And I¡¯m tired of these attacks. What are they? It¡¯s like I need to keep my mind occupied at all times or my chest tightens and my arms grow numb. It becomes difficult to breathe, I start to sweat, and feel dizzy. I have no idea what it is, I¡¯ve never heard of anything like this happening to people. Are these plains really toxic?Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Or could this be guilt? But why should I feel guilty? I¡¯m not the one who killed them. I don¡¯t understand this, but maybe this is guilt. Is it because I know I could have done more? But wouldn¡¯t that have just lead to my own death as well? What¡¯s the point in that?
***
These days are just blending together. I think its day 9 or rather night nine. With the moon and the night sky being so bright it¡¯s easy to traverse these relatively flat grasslands. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m able to sleep anyways. At least I¡¯m able to keep my mind busy like this.
It also looks like it is getting drier the further I walk. I hope it doesn¡¯t continue this way. These dust storms are a real pain to walk through. Having to build a shelter and just waiting them out, honestly, I think I would rather be back in the thick grass than this patchy hay.
I¡¯m not used to being by myself; it is quite lonely out here. I keep trying to yell but nothing is coming out. It¡¯s like there¡¯s something there, tugging at me, trying to burst out from within, but it¡¯s blocked somehow. Like I buried it too deep and now no matter how hard it tries it can never escape. I¡¯ve never felt this way before. It¡¯s scary.
And am I even able to grasp time anymore? It feels like I''ve been walking forever, but at the same time, it''s as if no time has passed at all. Why is that? I¡¯m trapped inside my head with nothing but my thoughts and the rest of the world is flying by at a speed I¡¯m unable to judge. Did I make a mistake coming here? It¡¯s like I''m losing my mind.
I can''t take it anymore, I need to relieve this anger, this fear, and this frustration. Maybe if I can just release some of it on this damn ground I¡¯ll feel better. I¡¯ll just shoot boulders off into the distance until I feel better. This endless flat ground, I¡¯ll make a landmark no one will be able to miss.
***
How stupid. As if punishing the ground could somehow fix everything. All I''ve done is left a crater surrounded by large boulders. I don¡¯t feel any better. This is a great way to attack an oncoming infantry though. Ah, if only this didn''t happen. I''d probably have many opportunities to distinguish myself in the Empires army. I definitely would have gained my own titles and land.
Looking up at the moon is almost looking at the sun. It¡¯s so bright it¡¯s almost like its daytime and it¡¯s like it¡¯s here to shine a light for me alone. As if I¡¯m the only person in the world so there¡¯s no need for it to shine anywhere else, could I be the only one here in the Northern Territories? How does the moon feel? Does it ever feel like it¡¯s all alone as well?
I think if I can leave this place things will get better. I really hope so. I can feel myself sinking further and further down into a pit that I¡¯ll never be able to escape. Is this what happens to people who leave the Empire? Does this place really drive them mad because of some toxicity?
The ground seems a bit traveled here. Is it a path? Or a game trail maybe? No wait, is it a road? It¡¯s not quite like the roads I''m used to in the Empire, but without a doubt, this is a road. Could this be a road to Freeport? At this point, does it really matter? Roads mean civilization and as long as I follow this I should end up in a town or village at the very least.
I only know that Freeport is to the north, and this road seems to be going roughly in that direction. Maybe it''s just the hope of finding a way to leave, but for the first time since I''ve come here, I feel like I can sleep. Yes, I think I think I''ll try laying here for a while.
***
I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s already been another 4 days on this road. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve ever felt more relieved, but to set my eyes on what I¡¯m pretty sure is Freeport, finally I can get out of this grassy nightmare. It''s still a fair distance away but it looks massive. Maybe it is on the scale of the capital. But really 10 days? Did others really make it here in 10 days? Did I wander around and waste that much time in this grassland?
I can¡¯t believe that wagon. It had been so long all I wanted to do was to speak with them. I didn¡¯t expect them to speed up the closer I got. Perhaps I shouldn''t be surprised though. The back of the wagon seemed to be filled with young women. Did they think I was dangerous? That''s possible, after all, I am a lone traveler and a wagon full of young women would probably look like an easy target.
But those women all seemed to be dressed in rags, their hair looked pretty matted as well, and their dejected faces were covered in dirt. Were they peasants or farmers maybe? No, probably not. They¡¯re most likely slaves of some sort. Well, it¡¯s not like there weren¡¯t slaves in the Empire, though normally it was looked down upon and few people owned slaves.
Most slaves in the Empire were criminals or soldiers of opposing armies so they were mostly men who were used for physical labor. I guess there were some exceptions though, but there were laws that to an extent gave them some rights. How well were they really enforced though? I¡¯m not really sure. Selling women into the sex trade was forbidden, but everyone knew the brothels were filled with mostly sex slaves.
I probably shouldn¡¯t expect there to be laws that offer protections for slaves here. From what my mother said there are no real kingdoms in the Northern Territories. Laws most likely vary by region and city, so things such as slavery are probably very common.
And it doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll be able to make it to the city by nightfall. It would have been nice if I was able to get a ride on that wagon. It¡¯s probably best if I camp out tonight and enter the city early in the morning. I only hope that when I wake up the city will still be there. How terrible would it be if this is just a dream?
Sleeping on the road like before is probably not safe though. If other wagons come through here I don¡¯t know what kind of people I may come across. I can probably defend myself but I don¡¯t know what the laws are like here and I¡¯d rather not draw any attention to myself right now.
Maybe it¡¯s for the best to walk a short distance from the road before making a place to rest. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s kind of funny in a way, this whole time I¡¯ve been hoping to meet up with another person, but now I¡¯m making sure to hide from them.
What a difficult journey it has been up to this point. Sneaking through the Empire, hoping to not be found by anyone, hiking through the treacherous Kundar Mountains that I severely underestimated, and then wandering these empty grasslands that can make anyone go mad. All told it has taken me almost 3 months to get here.
Constantly on edge and alone with only my thoughts, this has probably been the longest 3 months of my life. I''m physically exhausted, but even more so I feel mentally exhausted. For now, I''ll just try to get some rest. I really need to rest. Hopefully tomorrow I can begin fresh and put this nightmare behind me.
Chapter 3: Those Who Dont Work Dont Eat
Crown molding lined with gold trim outlined the ceiling highlighting the wealth of the room''s owner. Though a bit flashy, the interior decorations weren''t gaudy to the point where they could be considered tacky, but instead, they were rather fitting for a member of the aristocracy.
On either side of the dark mahogany table were two ivory colored sofas where the two men sat across from each other with concerned looks on their faces.
¡°Randall, are you certain they¡¯re on the move?¡±
"Yes Lord Weston, it has been confirmed by our scouts near the Elkin border. Approximately 30,000 infantrymen, 5,000 armored riders, 1,000 warbeasts, and over 100 ogres pulling catapults and other armaments. To date, this is the largest mobilization of forces we''ve seen from them."
¡°This number is more than double nearly triple the normal forces they send. This pointless back and forth was always meant as a way for them to drain our wealth and to cull their excess numbers. Why would they send such a large force this time? Has the drought caused their food supplies to run so low? Or is it possible¡¡±
Lord Weston began to stroke his short beard in contemplation. Though he was still young his dark beard was showing signs of graying, similar to how a dogs muzzle would gray before the rest of his fur. The action caused Randall¡¯s palms to grow sweaty. It was because he knew what his lord would ask next.
However, there was just no way to cover such a vast area. Even with twice as many resources at their disposal, they wouldn''t be able to cover even half of the region. It was simply an impossible task even for the best of scouts.
¡°Randall, has there been any movement from the north?¡±
"Forgive me Lord; we are unable to say for sure at this time. I wish to request more advanced scouts to scan the northern borders, currently, we are only capable of covering 20 percent of the border with the Northern Expanse."
The look of Lord Weston¡¯s face abruptly changed from a look of worry to a look of disapproval. The Northern Expanse was an enormous plateau that rose nearly 3,000 feet above the Anderan Plains. It was a harsh environment with very little fertile ground for growing food which led to fierce competition.
The warring tribes would ransack villages in the fall, like locusts taking whatever they could before returning. The number of villages continued to decrease as people fled towards Freeport for safety. Many of these people were simple farmers and were not capable of coping with life in a city.
With the current drought crop yields were already miserably low and the increase in population was causing a significant strain. The government was already forced to subsidize wheat in fear that the rising prices would cause a revolt
If this continued, food shortages were almost a certainty. And with no buffer villages between themselves and the Northern Expanse, it was only a matter of time before Freeport would be attacked. Under normal circumstances, Freeport could withstand a prolonged siege, but with things as they stood, Lord Weston was not so sure.
¡°I see¡, at this time I can¡¯t make any guarantees but I will speak with the rest of the council tomorrow. We cannot afford to remain in the dark of a possible battle so I don¡¯t think there will be a problem with gaining more resources for scouting. The question is how to defend against a siege of this size.¡±
¡°Milord, should we ask our allies to the east to send aid?¡±
¡°We may have no other choice, though I¡¯d rather not. We may be allies but everything comes with a price, and right now I don¡¯t think we can afford it.¡±
Both men seemed to clench their fists after that statement was made. Their allies were allies in name only. If they had to rely on them they would charge Freeport a massive sum while claiming it to be fair as the expenditures of war were expensive. Though what they said wasn¡¯t totally unreasonable it still left a bitter taste in their mouths.
¡°Either way we¡¯ll know more tomorrow, I will call for you after I have a better idea of what the council will do. Thank you for your service, you may return.¡±
And with a slight bow of his head, Randall began walking to the door but then vanished before Lord Weston''s eyes.
¡°No matter how many times I see it, it¡¯s always impressive.¡±
Randall had served the Weston family for the past 15 years. Originally part of the special units section of the military he left after his mandatory enlistment was up in search of a more lucrative and rewarding career.
¡°Now what to do about those decrepit geezers of the council, convincing them of anything is always a hassle. And though no one wants to bring it up, culling our own population in a war might be the best way to avoid mass starvation¡±
***
Light peeked through the air vents in my simple shelter signifying the end of the night and the beginning of a new day. The air was crisp but not uncomfortably so, and for the first time in a while, I heard birds chirping all around me. I can feel a change in myself already.
After taking down my shelter, eating some of my rations, and washing my face I walked back to the road and after about an hour I saw there was already a line forming to enter the city. I hadn¡¯t seen many people last night, I wonder if they camped outside like me, or is there another road they came from that I don¡¯t know of?
Either way, the city is quite impressive from the outside. It''s completely surrounded by a wall roughly 30 or 40 feet tall with archer towers spread out every 50 feet or so. Also, quite eye-catching is what I believe to be trebuchets. This really is a different society. Where I would expect to see cannons in the Empire there are trebuchets.
There are two large drawbridges separated by about 25 feet expanding over a rather deep moat giving the impression that it is impossible to invade. Though that probably only holds true for conventional soldiers, it doesn¡¯t quite hold up against a mage.
Mages were considered a state resource in the Empire and as such most would be forced to serve the imperial army unless there were specific circumstances, such as being the heir to a noble household. Of course, there were exceptions. And generally one needed to be at least a rank 3 mage to be considered fit for service.
Is it possible that they have some system capable of protecting against mage warfare? Perhaps they have their own powerful mages to combat this. Or are mages just not as common in the Northern Territories? The Empire was constantly looking to increase the number of mages they had.
To put it in a nice way, the Empire was more than willing to help mages find other mages to marry and have children. To put it bluntly, though it was a breeding factory, even between two mages the chances of giving birth to another mage was less than 1 out of 10.
The only family I can say I was truly close to was my Uncle. He probably pitied me, perhaps he felt as though we were kindred souls. As a man whose talents greatly surpassed my father but was unable to inherit the household because of birthright he probably saw me in a similar light to my less talented siblings.
I wonder how mages are treated here. What type of work do they perform? I should think carefully about how I choose to employ myself. I haven¡¯t given it much thought, but I will need to gain employment somehow. As the saying goes, those who don¡¯t work don¡¯t eat.
While reminiscing my turn had finally come to enter. I haven¡¯t seen the guards collecting any money or even checking for ID¡¯s which is a relief. In the Empire, one would need some form of identification or travel documentation to enter the cities, and normally there would be some type of entry tax levied.
This was said to be to cover the expenses of infrastructure. And while it''s true the Imperial rail and road systems were quite expensive most of the money fell into the hands of the nobles. It was quite the profitable money-making scheme. So I''m a bit surprised it hasn''t been implemented here as well.
Two stations with four guards on each side of each drawbridge, so there are a total of 16 guards manning the entrance into the city. Though I¡¯m not an expert I wonder if that¡¯s enough. There were somewhere around 100 people this morning trying to enter. Wouldn¡¯t it be easy to infiltrate such a large group with skilled warriors?
Perhaps I don''t understand it well enough. Even if a small group attacked eventually they would be overtaken by the city guards, and on such open plains, it would be easy to see a large force advancing. But wouldn''t it be easy to slowly infiltrate the city with such lax security?
***
The ease of entering Freeport really is amazing. It was just a quick check of what I was carrying and a few questions of what my purpose for coming to Freeport was. I simply answered ¡°I¡¯m looking for work¡± and that seemed to satisfy the guard.
He even recommended the mercenary guild and the noted that the military is always in need of new recruits. Though I was training to enter the military, that was for the Empire, not knowing the politics of the Northern Territories I¡¯d rather not join the military unless it was absolutely necessary.
Freeport is indeed very impressive. The streets are quite wide and fairly clean, also most buildings seem to be made of stone and several stories high. There are several shops along the way with most looking like clothing and general stores. Perhaps there are certain districts? It¡¯s quite possible.
My first stop is the mercenary guild. From what I recall of mercenaries in the Empire they seemed like battle junkies or in some cases bandits. But that may just be the prejudice from my family that is engrained within me.
The guild was pretty easy to recognize, a large stone building with a shield and two broadswords across it that hung over the large red door. This may be a good place to earn a decent amount of money while also traveling and learning a bit about the Northern Territories. For merchants traveling between cities is probably dangerous, considering everything there should be a good amount of work.
After entering I needed a moment for my eyes to adjust as it was quite a bit dimmer inside. Taking a quick scan of the area I noticed there is a bar to the left that seems popular despite it being morning. Do they serve food perhaps? No, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re just drinking.
There are also a number of tables and couches spread throughout the large lobby as well as several reception desks. To the far right is a large board filled with flyers and even further back there are two other desks with a sign above that says ¡°New Recruits¡±.
Making my way to the back I tried my best to not interact with anyone. My potential colleagues don''t exactly look friendly; in fact, there is an unhealthy amount of posturing by them. Is this some type of intimidation tactic used against new recruits? For now, I''ll head to the recruitment desk and hold off on the introductions.
Only one of the desks is currently open and there are two people ahead of me. Behind the counter is a well put together middle-aged woman wearing a blue dress with her hair up in a bun. Though I wouldn''t say she was particularly attractive she had a charming smile as she greeted each recruit and diligently carried out her duties.
Ah seems like the person in front of me is a mage. The receptionist seemed to perk up a bit after hearing that but it looks like I won¡¯t be an anomaly here. It would have been a bit difficult if mages were treated the same as in the Empire.
Though a bit rude I couldn¡¯t help but listen in to their conversation. Before I walk up and announce I¡¯m a mage I¡¯d like to know how they are treated here. He seems to be an elemental mage like me and his primary affinity was fire with a secondary in air. Quite a potent combination if used properly. But it also depends on his rank as well.
Listening closely the receptionist didn¡¯t ask him any questions about rank. Come to think of it do they scale magic the same as in the Empire? She told him quite a few mercenary groups would be interested in him. She recommended a few and let him know they would interview him then stamped a card and handed it to him as proof of membership with the guild.
While thinking about how relaxed they seemed about joining the guild, not even bothering to ask what rank they were or testing their abilities my turn had finally come.
¡°Hello and welcome to the mercenary guild. Please tell me your name, age, abilities, and the type of work you are interested in so we can properly fit you into our system.¡±
¡°Ah yes, my name is Jayce I¡¯m 16 years old, a mage with affinities primarily in earth and water. I¡¯m mainly interested in escort work if possible.¡±
Once again hearing I was a mage the receptionist sat up with a smile.
"My, my, two mages in one day, and even two in a row, this is quite rare. Well, Jayce I will tell you the same as the young man before you. Mages are generally in pretty high demand so I don''t believe you will have trouble finding work. As an earth mage it is common to find work in construction, however, escort work is also a good fit. As you have an affinity for water you may find work on the river escorting traders as well. The pay is good but can be quite taxing and dangerous as well."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Oh, I didn''t realize there was work such as that. You said it is dangerous but why would that be? Are there pirates to be worried about?"
"Well there are a few known pirate networks, but normally they are not that hard to deal with. The main problem is usually traveling between cities and to the sea. Between cities taxes can be pretty high and conflicts are very common. And travel to the North Sea can be very dangerous due to weather conditions and sea beasts. Also, travel to the sea can be quite long with most trips lasting anywhere between 6 months to a year."
Sea beasts, what the hell kind of sea beasts are there that can cause trade to be so dangerous? I''ve heard of tales before but they always seemed to be so farfetched I never paid them any mind. Actually, I''m more surprised to hear of sea routes. One of the issues with trading between the Empire and the Northern Territories was travel by sea.
Attempts were made to travel by sea but they had all failed. The weather is quite chaotic and there seems to be a permanent fog that never dissipates. Captains often complained of malfunctions in their navigation equipment and ships were known to wreck on reefs and underground rock formations in shallow water.
To be honest I''m quite interested in traveling via sea, but for now, I think I''ll stick with escort duties between cities until I get a little better acquainted with the people and how the system of city-states work. Also, I''ve never been on such a long trip on a boat, truthfully I¡¯m not sure if I could stand to be trapped on a vessel for so long.
¡°For now I think I¡¯ll look for escort duties. Can you please tell me which groups would fit my skills best and how I join them?¡±
With a gentle smile and a nod she grabbed a list with several groups on it and asked if I could read. After affirming I could she circled the groups she recommended for escort duties and also explained the rules of the guild, payment, and commissions.
Following that she reminded me I would also need to interview with the group before joining and recommended searching the solo mission¡¯s board first before handing me a card with my name, age, and the word mage stamped on it.
After thanking her I walked over to the solo mission¡¯s board she pointed to and began searching through the various listings. As expected most of these jobs are bodyguard duty. They seem to mainly be for merchants, perhaps looking for guards within the city as they travel with money or expensive merchandise.
Most are pretty low paying, 2 or 3 silver coins per day. Well I''m not sure exactly what the prices are for most things but it seems rather low to me, can people truly survive on such meager wages? Protecting someone at the expense of your life should pay a bit more, shouldn''t it?
After searching for about 15 minutes I finally found one that looked a bit more promising. Pay was 1 gold coin per day with a duration of 4 days. It also stated accommodations would be provided, and the requirement was one had to be a mage. There was nothing else though, no description of the work or contact information so I brought it up to one of the desks where an older gentleman explained that it was guard duty for a wedding.
Originally the request was for 2 mages but was lowered nobody fit the requirements of the job. Maybe 1 gold coin per day is too low for mages. Interviews were being held today and tomorrow for the position. He gave me the address and directions to what appeared to be one of the wealthier sections of the city. Well, the pay is higher than most jobs so I suppose it would be.
***
It took nearly 2 hours to make it to the address I was given. There was a large privacy wall with a gate and a fairly large mansion behind it. In front of the gate was a booth with 2 guards currently standing watch who look completely disinterested in anything going on around them. It¡¯s probably a boring job so I can kind of understand why. Guess I¡¯ll introduce myself.
"Hello, my name is Jayce I''m from the mercenary guild to fulfill the request put in from this address."
¡°Ah another one, well show me your card and the request so I can verify what you just said.¡±
After handing him my card and the guild request he read it over then looked at me and raised his eyebrow.
¡°It says here you¡¯re a mage with earth and water affinities and are only 16 is this true?
"Yes, I turned 16 not too long ago and my two primary affinities are as listed, however, I have minor affinities in air and fire as well."
¡°Hmmm¡, well if what you said is true then you might pass the madams test. Darrell, escort our young friend Mr. Jayce here to the guest house and inform the madam someone has come from the mercenary guild to fulfill her request.¡±
After what seemed like an awkward salute Darrell brought me to a steel door next to the gate and ushered me forward. As we were walking I couldn''t help but be impressed by the size of this man. I myself am not that small. At 6 feet and around 190 lbs., I''m larger than most, especially for my age. But Darrell is at least a head taller than me with a massive frame showing his years of training. Noticing me look at him Darrell turned to me and began speaking in a very deep voice.
¡°You seem quite young to be a mage. The madam is very busy with preparations so I hope you are not just wasting her time. She will probably want to test your abilities so be prepared for that.¡±
"It should be no problem. Despite my age, I''m quite adept in magic and have been training since I was a child. I am sure I will be able to pass your madams test."
Well, I''m an 8th ranked mage after all so I should be able to handle any guard duties required of me. I''m not sure exactly what this test of hers is but it shouldn''t be something I''m unable to handle. Looking around as we walk I can''t help but think of my old life. The well-manicured gardens, dozens of servants scurrying to and fro luxurious buildings was a sight I was used to seeing.
I suppose I never paid much attention to the servants of our house or their duties, it¡¯s quite different looking at things from the other side. Thinking that he tells me to have a seat inside of a fairly luxurious guest house informing me the madam will call for me.
After about 30 minutes a young maid called for me and guided me to a receiving room where there is a woman who looks to be in her 40¡¯s though it is difficult to tell. She had black hair that fell just past her shoulders with pink lips, pale skin, and large brown eyes. While wearing a long low cut dress that is well fitting, one could say she looked quite seductive.
However, raised in a noble household I was used to being around beautiful women and made sure not to stare. On her right stood a well-dressed butler who appeared to be in his 60¡¯s with silver hair and a well-trimmed beard, and on her left stood the maid who had called for me.
¡°Hmm¡, how interesting, Mr. Jayce is it? I¡¯ve been told you¡¯re only 16, that¡¯s quite young. I¡¯m a little concerned with whether or not you are a capable mage so I will have you perform a few tests for me. If your work is satisfactory you will begin today, understood?¡±
¡°Yes ma¡¯am, I am ready whenever you are.¡±
¡°Very well, Gerard let¡¯s head to the side garden to test Mr. Jayce¡¯s skills.¡±
Led by the impeccably dressed butler we arrived at a wide garden filled with hundreds of white chairs facing a large intricately designed gazebo with a two-tiered slate roof. All along the perimeter of the chairs are baskets that will most likely to be filled with flower arrangements, and large stone blocks that looked out of place.
There is also an area to the left that appears to be set up for a reception inside of a large glass building. With the number of tables, it looks as though it could easily fit up to 300 people inside comfortably.
¡°Mr. Jayce, I¡¯m told you are an earth mage, this is quite convenient for me as we were having a hard time deciding whether or not to set the flower arrangements on pillars. Gerard hand Mr. Jayce the sketch of the pillar we wish to have.¡±
The sketch of the pillar shows that it is approximately 3 feet high and looks quite similar to a column from Senate building in the Empire. The only difference would be the 3 spiral bands in the form of steps that twist around the column. Also, the top of the pillar opens up as if it were a flower in bloom with a flat top. It''s somewhat complicated but it''s not something I can''t-do, but may take a bit of time. That''s not really what concerns me though.
¡°Um¡, I¡¯m a little confused by the nature of the work. I was told by the guild that this would be a bodyguard position for a wedding with a duration of 4 days.¡±
In an overly dramatic fashion, the madam of the house covered her mouth as though she was shocked while Gerard had a slight grin on his face.
¡°Oh dear, it seems those monkeys at the guild can¡¯t even take down a simple request. No Mr. Jayce, we do not require a guard as we have many guards at our disposal for this event. No, we requested a mage for certain tasks in helping to set up and to also help entertain guests.¡±
Ha, a performer then? Like some street magician who entertains children by making figurines and fountains of water? This, this is quite humiliating. I never thought I would even think of performing tricks for people like a monkey in a suit.
But the pay is certainly better than the other jobs I¡¯ve seen posted, and right now I¡¯m not in much of a position to demand anything. I need to learn to cast away my pride. I¡¯m Jayce the mercenary now who does odd jobs like this to earn money. But really, this just hurts.
After quickly grasping the situation I just sighed and accepted the job. I could just turn around and leave, but what other jobs were available that paid as well? I need a place to stay and they¡¯re offering one. Maybe the mercenary groups provide housing.
"I see, very well then. There appear to be 36 stone blocks, so is it safe to assume you wish for 36 identical pillars? And when do you need these to be completed?"
¡°Yes that is correct, 36 identical pillars and we would like for them to be completed by tomorrow evening. But first show us if you are capable of creating a pillar that matches the sketch.¡±
That smug look on her face really bothers me. I wonder if I was like that at one time. I don''t think I was. I lived in a noble household, but with no chance at an inheritance, I was practically a commoner as I would not be granted a title or land.
Being shunned and distanced from the rest of the family I don¡¯t remember ever having an air of superiority, but perhaps others would disagree. I was never trained in the ways of noble society either as it would be considered a waste.
After studying the details of the sketch for roughly 5 minutes I raise the first block into the air and begin to break it down. The simplest way to make the pillar will be to break the block into grains of sand, shape the main column, harden, and then add the small details before completely re-solidifying it. It¡¯s a bit mana intensive but I¡¯ve always commanded a large mana pool so I¡¯m not too worried.
It took nearly 20 minutes of molding and reshaping the pillar until I was finally able to complete it. Using hardening I believe the pillar may be even stronger than the original block. And though it took a bit of time I think subsequent pillars should be quicker as this was the first time I¡¯ve made something such as this.
¡°What do you think Gerard? Has Mr. Jayce¡¯s pillar passed?¡±
The butler circled around the pillar while carefully scrutinizing every small detail and then pushed it to the ground to test if it would break.
¡°His technique is lacking, but I do believe this pillar is satisfactory madam.¡±
Is my technique lacking? Is he an earth mage with experience in sculpting? If so why am I here? And if not then how can he criticize my technique? Does the pillar pass or not, that''s all he needed to say.
"Hmm¡, well if Gerard believes they will do then that is good enough. Very well Mr. Jayce you are hired. However we will need to fit you for different clothes, you could use a haircut and a bath as well. Gerard, I''ll leave these tasks to you. Give Mr. Jayce a room in the servant''s quarters, he will begin working tomorrow. Now as there is still much to be done I shall take my leave."
"Yes, madam leave it to me."
And after a slight bow to his departing madam, Gerard stood still for a moment before sighing and turning to me. ?Judging by the way he is looking me up and down he doesn''t seem pleased, more like upset he has been given the task of dealing with me.
¡°As you heard you will be staying in the servant¡¯s quarters. There is a servant¡¯s bathhouse, make sure you use it. You will also need a haircut and be fitted for proper attire. Follow me.¡±
I realize I look like a mercenary, but I did believe this was a guard position, not clown work. I don''t believe I look particularly filthy either as I''ve been keeping myself clean with water magic. My hair could probably use a trim though.
Following behind Gerard for about 15 minutes we arrived at a rather unappealing and long building that was tucked behind a row of tall hedges. It¡¯s obvious the servant¡¯s quarters are meant to be hidden. Then again I don¡¯t recall seeing the servant¡¯s quarters where I lived either.
Thinking back I wonder how well were our servants treated. Did they live in old buildings tucked away like this one? I had always assumed there were servant¡¯s quarters within the main house. There were a lot of things I didn¡¯t care about so I never paid attention to it.
There were many guest houses on our property growing up. The guest house that my mother and I were relegated to was quite large with many empty rooms, perhaps as large as most nobles mansions. We still had servants as well, but I don¡¯t recall ever seeing where they lived.
They would need to be close in case there was a need for them to come. Though the hours were somewhat set servants didn¡¯t really have time off. At any time one could be expected to be called for some miscellaneous task suited for their station. It would make sense to have them stay within some of the empty rooms in the house.
Lost in my thoughts I seemed to have forgotten about Gerard. Not one to hide his displeasure he snapped his fingers in my face to bring me back to attention and pushed me through the doorway into the old building.
The air inside is quite stale. Well, that shouldn''t be surprising in a building with no windows. It seems more like a death trap than living quarters. We walked to the center of the building where he opened the door on the right. It was a simple room, a bed in the corner with a dresser on the side. It''s more than enough and I''m looking forward to finally sleeping on a bed.
I get the feeling this room is empty because it is the least safe. There are two doors in the building, one on each side. This room is the furthest from both of them. If there is a fire or any other problem the person in this room would be least likely to survive. I can''t help but chuckle at that.
¡°Ask the other servants about the cafeteria. Dinner is served at 7 pm unless special events are occurring. Tomorrow morning at 8 am come to the guest house to be fitted for clothing, that is all.¡±
He seems quite happy to finally be rid of me. It''s a bit early but maybe I''ll walk over to the bathhouse. All the servants are probably busy with their work and sitting in a closed room is not good for me in my current state. Part of me just wants to start making the pillars, but who knows what they''ll say if I do, I''m sure Gerard will say something along the lines of ¡®to not even be able to follow simple instructions'' and ¡®you are not even worthy of working for our madam''. Yeah, let''s head to the bathhouse.
***
Gerard hated being away from his madam. He had strong feelings towards her, but not the kind of feelings a man would have for a woman, no they were more like how a father feels towards his daughter. It was only natural; he had served the family for most of his life and watched as she grew up.
He had a strong distrust of anyone he felt was not properly vetted and due to a few bad experiences with the mercenary guild before he loathed the thought of having someone from the guild working for his Madam. But there was nothing to be done. Mages were not easy to come by, and on such short notice, the only place they could look to was the mercenary guild.
They had already interviewed several others before Jayce but none of them were capable of completing the task they needed to be done. Having Jayce appear before them today was a bit of a blessing so he should be happy, but he just couldn''t trust someone from the guild.
¡°Ah Gerard you¡¯re back, I trust you¡¯ve shown Mr. Jayce to the servants quarters then? Tell me what do you think of him?¡±
"Yes, Lady Eleanor I have provided him with a room and all the necessities he will need. As for my thoughts¡, well he seems capable of completing his tasks so there is that."
¡°Is that all? Hmmm¡., I feel we were quite fortunate in finding him. He fits exactly what we need and it didn¡¯t look like he had any difficulties in building the pillar. What do you think of his magic abilities? He seems quite strong for his age no?¡±
"Yes, he does, which is what worries me even more. Someone such as him most assuredly would be well known but I have never heard of him. I have sent 2 guards to the guild in an attempt to find out his background, but the guild is so relaxed with their recruiting I doubt we''ll find anything out from them."
"True, it is not likely they would have any information on his origin. Do you think he is a spy of some sort? It''s hard to say for certain but I don''t get that feeling from him. Interesting, I have a feeling he will be quite popular in the coming days. Very well, inform me of anything you hear Gerard and continue to keep a watchful eye. We cannot afford any mistakes; the future of our family is counting on this marriage."
¡°Yes Madam, leave this to me and please get some rest.¡±
Still, how unexpected. A mage as powerful as that at his age, to completely deconstruct a block pillar of that size and shape it without seeming tired at all, he may be someone worth hiring.
Chapter 4: The White Wedding (pt 1)
The council is made up of the 9 most powerful family heads of Freeport. Every major decision including mobilization of the military, trade deals, laws and regulations, and future planning is decided by the 9 people currently in this room. It would be fair to say that the fate of Freeport rests on our shoulders.
¡°Weston, we¡¯ve all read your summary of the yearly war with Elkia but it seems you believe that outside of the increase in numbers that they may be colluding with the barbarians from the Northern Expanse yet you have no proof of that. What makes you so certain of this?¡±
Isaac Wolfe, the only one who refers to me as Weston and not as Alan. Despite being a member of the council for nearly 5 years he still looks down on me as if I¡¯m a child. Isaac is the head of the very wealthy Wolfe family and he is usually only concerned with matters of finance, in particular only when it affects him and his holdings.
The Wolfe family controls nearly 30% of the trade in Freeport, including the very profitable slave trade, making him the wealthiest man in the city. He looks at problems from a profit and loss point of view. Whenever there¡¯s the possibility of a loss he adamantly votes against it.
Because of this we rarely see eye to eye. Whenever I push for reforms to help improve the city or fix issues in the penal code if it has potential to cost him money he goes against me.
¡°If you read further you will see that I am only speculating at the possibility of an alliance with the north. It is difficult to tell at this point due to the lack of capable scouts patrolling the northern borders. However, with the Fall raids surely beginning shortly and no villages between us and the Expanse, I believe it is very likely the warrior tribes of the north will strike Freeport. There may not necessarily be an alliance, but Elkia may have anticipated the raids and have decided to mobilize a large number of troops. As such I am requesting additional scouts from the families to check the northern border for movement.¡±
¡°Though providing additional scouts for reconnaissance is not too much of an expense is it really possible to cover the northern borders? We¡¯ve always maintained a perimeter of 50 miles for intelligence work. Why do you feel the need to move further out?¡±
Lando Witton, everyone knows he¡¯s in Isaac''s pocket yet he is still allowed to remain on the council. A yes man who¡¯s only role is to support Isaacs¡¯s proposals. With these two voting lock step with one another, it is difficult to ever get anything to pass. It¡¯s true that we cannot possibly cover the entire Expanse, but that doesn¡¯t mean we should not cover as much ground as possible.
¡°The tribes of the Northern Expanse use powerful warhorses that are capable of running at twice the speed of a normal horse for three times as long. At 50 miles away, the warrior tribes can be upon the city in roughly an hour. There would be no way to prepare for an assault such as that.¡±
¡°This may be true but what use are their war horses against our walls? They are just a pack of wild barbarians who raid weak villages unable to protect themselves. We have nothing to fear from them.¡±
The longest-serving member of the council Esra Lennart finally said his piece. As the oldest member, his voice holds quite a bit of weight. Those unsure of which way they want to vote generally side with him. I guess they believe his decisions can be trusted due to his long years on the council. What a joke. His old way of thinking is one of the reasons it¡¯s so difficult to pass new reform.
¡°Exactly Weston, so what if they ride fast horses? How can a bunch of unorganized bar¡¡±
¡°DON¡¯T ASSUME THINGS WILL ALWAYS BE THE SAME! You call them barbarians unable to break through our walls, but what is to stop them from disrupting trade along the river? And with an Elkin army that is 3 times the size we¡¯ve ever faced, it is possible for them to breach our walls. What will you do if that happens and those barbarians make their way in? We¡¯ve all seen what they do to the villages they raid, is that what you want to happen here?¡±
I may have gone a bit overboard, but it¡¯s hard to stay in control of your emotions when everyone ignores your warnings.
¡°I agree with Alan. We do not know enough about the situation and we cannot be caught unaware. I second his proposal to add more scouts to the northern borders.¡±
Constance Courtland or CeeCee as she likes to be called, even though she¡¯s almost twice my age at 50 years old she acts much younger and can be somewhat playful. However, she in no way slacks on her responsibilities and is one of my biggest allies on this council.
¡°Very well, the proposal has been seconded and with the authority vested in me as chair of the council I Burton Mansfield call for a vote.¡±
What a pretentious way to call for a vote. He loves to take every opportunity he can to remind everyone that he is the chair.
¡°Then all those in favor of sending more scouts to the borders raise your hands, all those opposed keep your hands down.¡±
Of course, Isaac and Lando are not in favor of allocating resources on what may not be profitable. Esra is not a surprise either, but I¡¯m a bit surprised to see the chair has voted no as well. However, the vote is 5-4 in favor of sending reinforcements; at least some people are able to see the dangers lurking beyond our walls.
¡°Very well, the motion passes with a 5-4 vote, now that it has passed let us discuss how many scouts to allocate and where to send them. Alan since this is your proposal let¡¯s have you discuss the number and the location of the scouts.¡±
Ha, although I knew this would happen if the vote passed I don¡¯t see this ending quickly. Thinking about it is causing my head to ache.
********
The bathhouse kind of reminds me of the military barracks I¡¯ve seen. There is a separate area for bathing that contains several smaller stalls and an area for relieving yourself. I chose a stall in the far right corner where there was a decent sized tub with a pump next to it. It looks like you pump the water in manually. I guess there aren¡¯t any pressure systems here, pumping enough water looks like a lot of work, I think I¡¯ll just fill it myself.
Even still, is there no way to heat the water? I checked the pumped water and its freezing. Does everyone here take cold baths? That can¡¯t be, right? I¡¯ll need to ask when I see one of the servants; thankfully heating water for me is pretty easy.
I kind of feel stupid now though. Why hadn¡¯t I made an earth tub and filled it with water while I was traveling? I could have made a shelter with a tub every night and enjoyed it. I probably wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind, but thinking about it now is a bit¡, well I¡¯ll know for next time.
There¡¯s nothing like soaking in a hot bath. I can feel my tension drifting away, almost as if everything is fine and there is nothing to worry about. I guess little things like this are taking for granted. I miss the bath in my home. The pressure system was guaranteed to remove any filth accumulated during the day and in the large bath I was able to sprawl out in completely.
I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been razed to the ground like the rest of my childhood. It¡¯s funny the things I long for, they¡¯re not wealth or land, but instead, they¡¯re warm baths and hot meals. And what I would give to see my mother one last time.
I never hated my mother; though I can¡¯t say she felt the same way towards me, I loved her. What child doesn¡¯t love their mother? I wish I could tell her that. That I could tell her the reason I worked so hard was to be as strong as her.
But she¡¯s gone now. I¡¯ll never have a chance to tell her how I feel, what I really thought of her. She deserved better than becoming some second wife to a man who never loved her but only cared about her power. She was a powerful mage who deserved to be free. Instead, she was caged like a small animal, it was only natural her will would be broken.
I guess that¡¯s why she didn¡¯t fight back. As 9th rank water mage, perhaps she would not have been able to win, but she could definitely defend herself and could have escaped. I can only bring myself to believe that she saw death as a form of release and wanted nothing more than to perish that night.
Damn the house Candor! How many other lives have they ruined? How many shackles did they place on talented people? Using their resources to oppress and take advantage of countless people. As a Candor myself I should not be thinking this, but it¡¯s not like I would have stayed Candor forever. Eventually, I would have to take a different name if I was granted a title of nobility, so why should I feel any loyalty to the house that ruined my mother¡¯s life?
It looks like I¡¯ve been in here for a while now. It¡¯s gotten a bit darker so it must be getting late. And the water I¡¯m sitting in is filthy. I wish they had showers; It¡¯s hard to feel clean when sitting in filthy water. I¡¯ll just rinse myself off instead.
The servants will probably be returning soon. Usually, people bond over food right? It will be interesting to see how servants live, what they think about their work, are they happy? How do they get along with the masters of the house? And definitely, what they think of Gerard, something about him really bothers me.
I can¡¯t believe it but I¡¯m a bit nervous to meet them. Because of the last few months I almost feel like I¡¯ve forgotten how to interact with people. Should I try putting on a smile and appear happy? Maybe I should just try to remain professional and keep a straight face, we¡¯ll be working with each other after all. Whatever the case, I should just walk over and play it by ear.
Now that I think about it the scenery here isn¡¯t bad. It was certainly designed to hide the servant¡¯s quarters but in a way, that¡¯s what¡¯s nice about it. I¡¯m sure the servant¡¯s tire of seeing the mansion or the grounds the work on. They can be free of that here.
¡°Hey, are you new?¡±
Turning around there is a short woman with auburn hair who looks to be similar in age to me wearing a plain brown dress with a white bonnet and white apron around her waist. Is she a housekeeper perhaps? Or maybe she¡¯s a maid of some sort.
¡°I¡¯m here for the wedding so I¡¯m only here temporarily. Gerard brought me here and gave me a room to stay in for the time being. My name is Jayce, and you would be?¡±
¡°The head butler did huh? Well if he brought you here there¡¯s nothing to be done. Dinner will be ready soon. Since no one knew you were here you¡¯d probably do best to head over early or else there might not be much left for you.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
And with that, she just turned and walked away. Wait, isn¡¯t it rude to not tell someone your name after they¡¯ve told you theirs? Especially considering we¡¯ll be working together, probably, at the very least we¡¯ll be seeing each other for the next 4 days. No maybe because I¡¯m here temporarily she doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s worth remembering my name.
I should probably heed her warning then and go over to the building that looks to be the cafeteria. I¡¯ve been eating primarily dry rations for a few months now. It¡¯s good enough to keep you alive, but that¡¯s pretty much the extent of it.
It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had a hot meal that the aroma is almost causing me to drool. I could have tried hunting or made some type of stew with what I had but it was easier to just eat the dry rations as they were so I didn¡¯t bother.
Impressive, this cafeteria is pretty large, and there are already people lining up with trays. I see, so this is what they call a buffet then. How novel, and what a wonderful idea. Only a minimal number of servants are required and everyone is able to get their meals in an orderly fashion.
I wonder who serves the servants. Maybe there is a rotation of some sort. Anyways, I had better line up. The tray looks like it¡¯s made of steel, they probably receive quite a bit of abuse so I suppose that¡¯s only natural.
¡°New guy huh, the names Rylen I help maintain the east garden, how about you?¡±
Rylen huh? Quite the big fellow, you can tell he¡¯s worked outside for a long time due to his deep tan and sun-bleached hair. He¡¯s about my height but he¡¯s built like a brick, probably from years of physical labor.
¡°Ah my names Jayce, I¡¯ll be helping out with the wedding for the next four days, nice to meet you.¡±
¡°Oh, so you¡¯re only here temporarily then? There are a few temporary workers here for the wedding it seems. Everyone has been running around crazy setting it up. Well, it was pretty short notice so that¡¯s to be expected.¡±
¡°Really, I haven¡¯t been told much outside of the work I¡¯ll be doing so I don¡¯t know very much. Who is it that is getting married?¡±
¡°Apparently some important person on the council will be marrying the young miss. I¡¯m not certain of all the details but from what I understand his fianc¨¦ passed due to the fever and because of some strange rule he needs to marry before he turns 27 or else he¡¯ll need to step down from his place on the council. Something about future heirs, so they needed to set this up quickly.¡±
¡°True, it does seem like a lot of work still needs to be done with such a short amount of time.¡±
Well not that I¡¯ve been to any weddings nor do I know the details involved in planning one, but the wedding is being held here in four days and it looks like there is still a decent amount of work that needs to be completed. Completing the pillars should be no problem, and they wanted them finished by tomorrow afternoon so they must have something else planned for me. Well, as long as their paying me it¡¯s fine.
¡°Mmm¡ looks like it¡¯s chili with black bread tonight, oh there¡¯s stew as well. Better eat up new guy, we don¡¯t get chili too often and the stew is always great, better get some fast before everyone else gets here.¡±
The stew was delicious just as Rylen said. I don¡¯t know if it was just being able to eat something hot for the first time in so long or if it really was that good but it was some of the best soup I¡¯ve ever eaten. The chili was a bit spicy but it went well with the hard black bread, well as long as you soaked the bread long enough to make it edible.
According to Rylen, there are two meals served, breakfast and dinner with breakfast being at 6am. Apparently, most people only eat half of their breakfast in the morning and take the rest with them for their afternoon meal.
Well, I can¡¯t forget to be at the guest house at 8am tomorrow, but I¡¯d like to get started on the pillars as well so I¡¯ll try to eat quickly. Finishing 36 pillars by tomorrow afternoon shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but I don¡¯t want to risk not completing them. If they were ordinary pillars it wouldn¡¯t take long at all, but with all of those little details it will take some time.
It should be fine though, I¡¯m a bit worried about what they¡¯ll have me do after the pillars are complete. I didn¡¯t think to ask when I was talking with the lady of the house, but what will I do during the other 2 days? Ah well, it doesn¡¯t matter, let¡¯s worry about tomorrow¡¯s problems tomorrow. For now I¡¯m looking forward to sleeping on a bed for the first time in a while.
********
¡°Honestly what a pain. They didn¡¯t even allot half of the scouts I requested. How can a group of relatively intelligent people be so foolish? I¡¯m sorry Randall, but the council has only allowed for 20 scouts to be added to the northern border at this time.¡±
¡°This number is quite low milord. Of course we will do our best with any additional scouts we are provided, but this will be very difficult. As you know we are in need of more scouts to keep track of Elkia¡¯s movements as well. Though we have a pretty good grasp of their capabilities we cannot be completely certain as there are large gaps in the areas we can patrol.¡±
¡°I understand, but it is all they are willing to give. Seeing how scouts always work in pairs I was thinking about hiring mercenaries to partner with the scouts or having 20 members of the military partner with them. What are your thoughts on this?¡±
¡°I would prefer it be men from the military milord. Though there are many capable people in the mercenary guild we can¡¯t be completely certain of where their loyalties lie. Not to say they are necessarily traitors, but I don¡¯t think many would be willing to risk their lives to send a message.¡±
This is the hard truth of mercenaries. Though they are paid for a job most would be unwilling to die to protect Freeport. Mercenaries generally don¡¯t hold loyalty to any city.
¡°Well, I don¡¯t think pulling 20 infantrymen will be too difficult. I¡¯ll leave their choosing and placement to you. Where do you plan to send them?¡±
¡°I think it would be best to send at least 5 groups to the Elkin border and the others to the north. The warring tribes are a threat, but Elkia¡¯s army should be better organized and has the better chance of breaching our walls.¡±
¡°Fair enough, then let¡¯s do that for now. Let¡¯s just hope our suspicions are wrong, for all of Freeport¡¯s sake.¡±
¡°Yes, let¡¯s hope so. Also, forgive me milord, but will you be available in the coming days in case I need to meet with you? With your wedding in 4 days you must be busy.¡±
¡°There is that too. Well, it should be fine, the Ashlan''s are taking care of most of it. I told them they didn¡¯t need to go too far but it looks like they¡¯ve invited over 300 guests. On such short notice I¡¯m surprised they are able to make all the preparations needed. It was already fortunate enough to find someone of the hundred families who were of marrying age and not engaged.¡±
¡°I see, that is a stroke of good luck milord.¡±
¡°What a stupid rule, what does it matter if I¡¯m married or not. Should I die before leaving an heir or before they are old enough my brother will take my place anyways. Whatever, I¡¯ll fulfill my duty, get married, and make a child as quickly as possible. Anyways Randall, come tomorrow at 10am, the scouts should be here and you can brief them on the situation. I¡¯ll write a letter requesting 20 troops from General Kurtis, hand it to him tomorrow and partner the scouts with suitable men. You¡¯re dismissed.¡±
¡°Yes milord, then until tomorrow morning please excuse me.¡±
Marriage huh? How did it end up like this? I should be marrying Annette, the Annette I loved. The Annette I was engaged to for 3 years. Because of an illness, an illness of all things, I¡¯ve lost the woman I loved. If gods really do exist then they certainly enjoy playing cruel tricks on people. And I don¡¯t even have time to mourn her passing because of this stupid rule and the upcoming war. If you are watching somewhere Annette, please forgive me.
********
Though it¡¯s early the weather is already very warm, perhaps the river makes it more humid because of the fog that forms at night. Last night I found it rather difficult to sleep. Although I was on a bed I think I became used to lying on the hard ground so sinking into a much softer bed felt unnatural.
I also felt uneasy the entire night, I¡¯m not sure if it was the new environment or the something else. I¡¯m starting to get accustomed to the images of my family in my head, so I don¡¯t believe it was that, but something felt off.
The breakfast was pretty hearty though. There was last night¡¯s chili as well as eggs, sausage, and bread, I didn¡¯t bother packing anything for later as I was feeling pretty full. I have about 1 ? hours before I need to arrive at the guest house, so I should be able to get about 8 pillars done in that time.
Still what a boring job. This must be what construction work is like. That¡¯s what most earth mages are used for in the Empire, I wonder how much they are paid, it can¡¯t be enough.
Ten minutes, it took about 10 minutes to finish each pillar leaving roughly 10 minutes to arrive at the guest house. I¡¯m a bit sweaty now but hopefully that won¡¯t matter. I¡¯m sure Gerard will be happy to see me. Oh, there he is, I should greet him and try to make a good impression.
¡°Good morning Gerard, quite warm today isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Mr. Jayce, though it is a bit warm for the season it¡¯s not so abnormally so that you should be sweating the way you are. Were you doing some type of exercise this morning?¡±
¡°Ah no, actually I was building pillars. I¡¯d like to finish them as quickly as possible. I¡¯m sure you would like to inspect them first before so I¡¯d like to have them ready by the afternoon.¡±
¡°Quite diligent of you, well it is important to have those finished. We will need to place the pots on them tomorrow with the flowers arrangements so there is little room for error. You should be on the way to be fitted correct? You should hurry then, the tailor is not a patient man.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be on my way then.
That smile of his couldn¡¯t be any faker. Well, I did try to be cordial, it¡¯s not easy pretending to be happy. I know exactly how it feels, but really I don¡¯t know what I did to make him upset.
********
¡°Lady Eleanor, you are up quite early this morning. I trust you¡¯ve already eaten then correct?¡±
¡°Good morning Gerard, yes there is much to be done today so it was necessary to wake a bit earlier than normal. Have the centerpieces for the tables arrived yet Gerard?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry madam but they have not. They should be arriving this morning though so it should not cause any delays.¡±
¡°Is that so? Well, I guess it won¡¯t be a problem as long as there are no mistakes. And what of the flower arrangements for the trellises? When shall they arrive?¡±
¡°Yes, they should be completed by this evening and placed in the trellises tomorrow afternoon as long as it is not too warm, otherwise we will need to add them the day of the wedding.¡±
¡°Keep me informed if there are any issues. And how about the pillars, will Mr. Jayce be able to complete them on time.¡±
¡°It appears so madam. He was working on them this morning and believes he will have them completed this afternoon for us to inspect.¡±
¡°Good, there are other things we can have him do as well. Then, Gerard, I¡¯ll leave you to your tasks.¡±
********
I received a little surprise at the fitting, apparently I¡¯ve grown 2 inches and must have lost a bit of weight. Afterwards I was able to complete the pillars on time as well and Gerard had nothing to say about it, but I could tell Lady Eleanor seemed pleased. Pleased enough to task me with creating a reflecting pool that wraps around the gazebo for the bride and groom with a walking path up to it as well as a few statues.
It¡¯s not difficult work, but it¡¯s very detailed which requires a lot of focus. I try to think of it as mental training to pass how boring the work is. Otherwise, this job isn¡¯t too bad. The food isn¡¯t bad and the room is sufficient. It¡¯s nothing like my old life but it¡¯s probably better than military barracks. I don¡¯t really have any expenses either so I¡¯m able to save the money I¡¯m earning from this job instead of spending on food and shelter.
Tomorrow is the wedding everyone has been working on. I haven¡¯t met the bride even once. I was told she is undergoing intense training before the ceremony and the groom is a man named Lord Weston. Marrying into the Weston household is apparently quite the blessing, that¡¯s the reason for the additional preparation.
I was beginning to think maybe I was being underpaid until I was told the currency ratios which differ from the Empire. Copper and silver are relatively abundant here in the Northern Territories while gold is rarer. Every silver coin is worth 20 copper coins and every gold coin is worth 20 silver coins. In the Empire it¡¯s a 10 to 1 exchange for copper to silver and from silver to gold. If it wasn¡¯t for the dangers and difficulties it would probably be worth it to trade currency.
Still having a mage on duty must seem pretty convenient to them. I don¡¯t have anything to do early tomorrow, but I¡¯m supposed to report to the guest house at 10 am in my suit. The ceremony is at 2 but I will need to help with any final preparations and as Lady Eleanor says ¡°keep the guests and children entertained¡±.
Seems like I¡¯m a sideshow attraction. When she told me I would be entertaining children I felt the last bit of pride I had shatter and let out a small chuckle. I¡¯m certain this woman enjoys breaking people¡¯s spirits. Who knows, maybe she doesn¡¯t even realize she¡¯s doing it.
That¡¯s fine though, tomorrow I¡¯ll make little figurines for children so that I earn my pay. I wonder what magic will be most entertaining. I rarely state it but I can use wind magic to the 4th rank and fire magic of 2nd rank. It¡¯s hardly worth mentioning compared to my primary affinities. Fire seems a bit dangerous though.
Tomorrow it¡¯s over. I think I¡¯ll find a place to stay and then join a mercenary group. Tonight though I¡¯m going to sleep early to prepare myself
Chapter 5: The White Wedding (pt 2)
¡°Lady Grace please, your mother has ordered us to make sure you go to sleep early tonight. Tomorrow will be a big affair, you will need to wake early and the day will be long, not to mention the night. You will need all of your energy.¡±
Nagging hags, everyone wishes for this wedding to happen but me. Over the last week I¡¯ve been through hellish training on how to be a proper wife and most embarrassingly how to please my husband. I haven¡¯t met the man but I¡¯ve been told he is handsome and of noble bearing.
I knew one day I would need to marry, and as a member of the Ashlan house it would be impossible to marry for love, but it happened so suddenly. I¡¯ve been told the reason I haven¡¯t been able to meet Lord Weston is that he is extremely busy as a member of the council. But doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯ll be too busy for me once we¡¯re married as well?
I¡¯ve never envied my parent¡¯s marriage. Theirs was a marriage to tie two households together and is a loveless marriage. My mother is actually the head of the Ashlan family and my father married in. He¡¯s rarely home and has several mistresses and children.
It never seemed to bother my mother though. With 3 children herself I don¡¯t think she wants anymore. My older sister has already been married for 3 years now and my younger brother who is 12 will inherit the household. As the in-between child there were never many pressures on me, but now that I am marrying into one of the most powerful families in Freeport the pressure is crushing.
I think what scares me the most is his age. He is 10 years older than me. It¡¯s normal for a man to be older than his wife, but 10 years¡, there is such a big difference. He¡¯ll probably look at me as though I¡¯m just a silly little girl. And up until a week ago I was.
What will we even talk about? Will he even treat me like a wife? I¡¯m told his fianc¨¦ died recently due to the fever. How can he get married so soon after? Is he some cold man who doesn¡¯t care about who he marries, does he have no feelings of love?
These uncertainties make me want to escape in the night and never return. But I will fulfill my duties as a daughter of the house Ashlan should.
¡°Yes, yes Nanna, could you not allow me just a little longer? It is my last night before being married, my last night in this room, my last night alone. I wish to gaze out my window at the stars one last time before being taken to another where my nights will be spent pleasing my husband.¡±
¡°Oh sweetie, don¡¯t say it like that. Marriage is a blessing as are children. I hear Lord Weston is a very kind man, you have nothing to fear. Come now child, let¡¯s wash the tears from your face and get you ready for bed.¡±
One last night to myself. How did my sister feel? And what of my mother? Were they nervous? Excited? Did they have dreams of what their marriage would be like? Or were they like me? Afraid of the next day hoping their last night alone would never end.
********
Another hot start to the day, it looks like the string of sunny warm weather will continue. According to the other servants, it¡¯s warmer than usual for this time of year so I¡¯ve become pretty popular with my ability to make ice. I plan on using that to impress my audience of children.
For the most part, everyone is in their place. The guests began arriving roughly an hour ago and I¡¯m told the groom arrived early this morning. I¡¯m finding it hard to mingle and entertain but it appears someone has let the children know that I am a mage as a group of roughly a dozen is coming up to me.
¡°Is it true that you are a magician?¡±
Magician? Like the type that does card tricks and makes birds disappear? Grin and bear it, grin and bear it.
¡°Actually I am an elemental mage, not a magician. I can control earth and water, would you like me to show you?¡±
¡°Awwwwee, they told us you could do magic tricks. I wanted to see if you could make Alice disappear. If you can¡¯t even do that then why are you even here?¡±
¡°Shut up Glen! I¡¯m gonna tell momma you said that!¡±
Ha, Ha-ha, just keep smiling Jayce, time for your secret weapon.
¡°How about an Ice statue!¡±
[A huge gush of water erupted from my hand completely soaking Alice and Glen, the look on their terrified faces was priceless as I slowly solidified the water around them encasing them in a frozen tomb.]
¡°Here Alice, how about an ice swan for you, and for Glen, you look like a strong boy, I know, how about an ice sword. Now go run off and play somewhere else.¡±
Making ice figurines is actually very easy and the children really seem to enjoy it. Swans, swords, horses, kittens, and various other requests. Even the adults started coming to me asking for ice for their drinks. One rather unattractive woman even had me make an icicle that she placed in her bosom to cool down.
¡°Mr. Jayce you look quite lively today. I hear you¡¯ve been providing ice for our guests and have even made small figurines for the children, well in this weather it is no surprise really.¡±
¡°Lady Eleanor, you look lovely. Have you come for ice as well?¡±
¡°Mmm¡ actually I have. This heat is very difficult to bear and after talking with so many people I¡¯m feeling a bit faint. How about some ice cold water Mr. Jayce.¡±
I think this is the first time I¡¯ve seen her without Gerard, she seems a little more human, and it¡¯s clear that she is exhausted. Though I don¡¯t know the details I¡¯m sure it¡¯s stressful to put together a wedding in less than a week. Thinking this I produced a glass made of ice and filled it with water then wrapped it with a napkin so she doesn¡¯t freeze her hands.
There is still about an hour until the ceremony but she doesn¡¯t look like she is going to make it. Her breath is haggard and she seems a little wobbly. Who could blame her though? In this heat even I feel uncomfortable despite playing with ice through most of it. Using a little bit of wind magic I made a slight breeze to help cool her down.
¡°Lady Eleanor are you ok? Do you need to rest for a while?¡±
¡°Ah if only I could Mr. Jayce, I just need to cool down for a bit, I will be going to my daughter¡¯s side shortly, I just thought a cold drink would help and wanted to have a little chat.¡±
¡°A little chat? Why would you like to chat with me?¡±
¡°Say Mr. Jayce, who are you really?¡±
Realizing I don¡¯t know how to answer she swirled the water in her glass before continuing.
¡°A 16-year-old full Elementalist with considerable talent in both earth and water magic travels to Freeport and on the same day joins the mercenary guild and takes a position as an entertainer at a wedding, wouldn¡¯t anyone find that odd? Tell me Mr. Jayce, who are you?¡±
¡°If you fear that I am a spy of some type or I intend to cause you or your family harm then you are mistaken Lady Eleanor. However, if you do not believe me I will happily leave after you have paid me for the work I have done.¡±
I¡¯m not sure what she is implying but I have no intention of telling her who I am.
¡°Oh dear, no need to get defensive Mr. Jayce. I¡¯m just interested in you that¡¯s all. Mages are rare after all, though we put the request in with the guild we were not very optimistic, and those that came before you were all rather disappointing. Well I won¡¯t pry into your past if you are unwilling to share, but after the meal tonight I would like to talk with you, just you and I. What do you say, please entertain a grieving mother forced to give her daughter away.¡±
Grieving mother huh, the pout on her face hardly matches her age and she is hardly a grieving mother, but it would be a lie to say it wasn¡¯t quite becoming. Though I¡¯m uncertain of what she is after, I¡¯m also a little interested.
¡°Certainly Lady Eleanor, I would be happy to.¡±
¡°Well, then Mr. Jayce I look forward to it. Thank you again for the cold water, I shall return to my daughter¡¯s side now, please do continue to entertain our guests.¡±
As she walks away I can¡¯t help but watch the way her hips sway from side to side and her elegant demeanor. There is something strangely attractive about her, almost bewitching as if she¡¯s somehow found a way to charm me.
********
¡°Mother you¡¯ve returned, do you feel better?¡±
¡°Yes dear, I just went to check on everyone then spoke with the mage and had a cold drink, nothing to worry about.¡±
Mage? I didn¡¯t know there was a mage for the party. I would have liked to have met them. I have only seen magic once before, a wind mage I believe. He was an interesting gentleman who did many tricks with paper birds.
¡°Really, I didn¡¯t know you hired a mage mother. What type of mage are they? Do they know any tricks? I would have liked to see them.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ Mr. Jayce, he¡¯s actually a remarkable fellow, he¡¯s the same age as you, and I wouldn¡¯t say he knows tricks necessarily but he has been very helpful. He has built the pillars for the ceremony and created numerous statues as well as a reflecting pool. Right now he is entertaining the guests with ice magic and keeping everyone cool. I believe he is making ice sculptures for the children.¡±
Oh, that sounds interesting. Ice is very hard to get this time of year so it would have been a treat to have some. Hopefully I will be able to receive ice during the dinner. And my age? The wind mage I met was an older man I guess I assumed most people who used magic were older.
¡°Mother, how does this Mr. Jayce compare to the wind mage we saw before?¡±
¡°Wind mage? Oh my hahaha, no dear he was just a simple magician. Sure he could perform simple tricks with magic but he was not truly a mage. No, Mr. Jayce is much stronger than that magician. He is a full Elementalist as well so he can use wind and fire magic too.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°A full Elementalist? What is the difference between a mage and magician? They both use magic right?¡±
¡°While it¡¯s true both use magic it is the scale of their magic that differentiates them. A magician can wield simple magic and is able to perform tricks for entertainment purposes, but a mage is capable of using powerful magic that can be used for many things. Strong mages can change the outcome of wars while magicians can make paper fly. And a full Elementalist is an elemental mage who can perform magic in earth, wind, fire, and water. Mr. Jayce can use all four of those magic¡¯s, however, he seems to be most adept in earth and water magic. There¡¯s no comparison dear.¡±
Oh, how is it that we were able to hire such a powerful person to entertain at my wedding then? Someone capable of changing the outcome of wars is making ice sculptures for children? And is he really only 16? I¡¯d like to meet this mage.
¡°Do you think I will be able to meet him mother?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t see why not, I planned to introduce him to Lord Weston as well. Now come, its time, we can¡¯t leave our guests and Lord Weston to wait in this heat.¡±
It¡¯s the last thing I wanted to hear. The night has passed, the morning has gone, and the time of my marriage has finally come. Grace Ashlan shall be no more, instead, Grace Weston shall take her place on this day.
********
As she stepped out onto the aisle it was clear to anyone she was nervous. Her dress was as white as snow to signify purity. Her father walked up to her placing his arm within hers and guided her up the aisle covered in pink flower petals. It was the first time I saw her father, despite the big smile on his face as though it was the happiest day of his life I had not heard many good things about him.
When they crossed the bridge over the reflecting pool her father slowly raised the veil the husband was taken aback and there were murmurs throughout the crowd of guests seated to witness the event. Simply calling her beautiful would be a grave injustice.
Her skin was pale as if it had never seen the light but not in an unhealthy way. Her pink lips accentuated her tiny face highlighted by her strawberry blonde hair and bright green eyes. She was petite. Though not undeveloped she did not have the same curves as her mother. But what was most apparent was she was young.
She can¡¯t possibly be any older than me, in fact she looks younger. Her husband although not old looks like he is close to 30 years old. It¡¯s a noticeable difference. In the Empire, it wasn¡¯t common to see marriages between two people with large discrepancies in age.
Most people would wed between 18-20 years of age, though it was different within the nobility. There, old men would often take mistresses or second wives who were much younger, but first wives would always be within a year or two of each other. From what I understand this is his first wife, but perhaps it is not so uncommon here.
When her veil was lifted it was clear to see she had been crying. I overheard some people saying how she was so happy she couldn¡¯t hold her tears back. I¡¯m not so sure, forced to marry someone twice your age, would anyone be happy about that?
It¡¯s not my place to judge though, I¡¯m here to entertain and am currently watching the line of people that has formed to greet the bride and groom. There are only a few people left, and I¡¯ve been providing a breeze so no one would pass out from the heat, but it must be an exhausting task greeting so many people.
¡°Mr. Jayce how nice of you to provide a cool breeze for everyone.¡±
¡°Lady Eleanor, you look much better, I trust everything has been to your approval.¡±
¡°It¡¯s as though a great pressure has been removed from me Mr. Jayce.¡±
That smile of hers is truly charming. The more I look at her the more struck I am by her beauty. I¡¯m sure she feels relieved everything went as well as it has. After this everyone¡¯s lives will go back to normal. There is still the dinner, but now that the ceremony is over there¡¯s really no more stress.
¡°That¡¯s good to hear, certainly you have worked hard to have everything turn out so well.¡±
¡°Yes, well it was definitely a rush but we managed somehow. Mr. Jayce please come with me, my daughter is interested in meeting a mage and I would like to introduce you to Lord Weston. He is a very powerful man with many connections.¡±
What? Why would she want to introduce me to them? Unless, unless I¡¯m to perform some trick, well they are the main guests so I suppose that makes sense.
¡°Don¡¯t look so serious Mr. Jayce I¡¯m just going to introduce you, what you discuss afterward will be between you three now come.¡±
Lord Weston, from what I understand he is the closest to nobility that there is in this city. He should have a pretty high standing so I¡¯m not sure why she would bring a servant to meet him. Unless she¡¯s looking to introduce me for employment. If it¡¯s to build city blocks I will kindly decline.
¡°Lord Weston you look absolutely dashing in your suit, it is a joyous moment when a parent is able to wed her child to such an outstanding figure.¡±
Wow, she¡¯s really playing into this. I understand the importance of marrying up but isn¡¯t this a little excessive. But then again he looks like he¡¯s enjoying it, so maybe he¡¯s that type.
¡°Lady Eleanor, thank you, and you look beautiful as always. Thank you for setting up such a wonderful ceremony, everything is incredible, but I would expect nothing less from the house Ashlan.¡±
¡°You praise me too much. Lord Weston I would like to introduce you to Mr. Jayce. Mr. Jayce is a mage who we recently employed to help us with preparations for the wedding.¡±
¡°Oh a mage you say, and so young at that. Tell me Mr. Jayce what type of magic do you practice.¡±
¡°Yes milord, I am an Elementalist who is most adept in earth and water magic but I do have minor affinities in both wind and fire as well. As an example¡¡±
Conjuring up two spheres of water I created ice glasses and filled them with cold water to hand to them.
¡°Milord, Milady, as you have been greeting guests for so long I am sure you must be thirsty, please enjoy.¡±
The bride seems thoroughly impressed while Lord Weston not so much so, well making a little water and ice isn¡¯t really that impressive, but I¡¯ll add a little breeze to cool them off as too.
¡°Mm¡ this is refreshing, tell me Mr. Jayce how old are you and what else can you do?¡±
¡°I am 16 and I¡¯m sorry but what do you mean milord?¡±
¡°Oh, you are pretty young. Well, what range of power are you capable of? What rank do you possess?¡±
So they do understand ranked magic. Why wasn¡¯t I asked at the guild then? Are they really that loose of an organization?
¡°Yes out of the 10 ranks I am an 8th ranked mage in earth, 8th ranked mage in water, 4th ranked mage in wind, and 2nd ranked mage in fire.¡±
¡°What!? Did you say 8th ranked? Are you telling the truth?¡±
I can¡¯t say it doesn¡¯t feel good to be recognized for my talents. Making icicles has been pretty demoralizing so this has made up for it somewhat.
¡°Oh, is 8th ranked very high Lord Weston?¡±
¡°Ah, Lady Eleanor I apologize for my outburst. Well 8th rank, how to describe it. An 8th rank mage could be considered a strategic mage, or a trump card if you will. An 8th rank mage, I think it would be difficult to find more than 10 8th rank mages in all of the Northern Territories. So back to my question Mr. Jayce, is what you said true?¡±
Ah, I see, so powerful mages are quite rare here. Well, 8th rank was considered high ranked even in the Empire, but there are a number of 8th ranked mages or higher. But of course the Empire has a magic education system and a bit of a breeding program that would be impossible to implement here.
¡°Yes Milord what I have said is true, I am capable of 8th ranked magic in both earth and water.¡±
¡°Oh my, so Mr. Jayce is even more talented than I had expected. We were really fortunate to have you work for us.
¡°Yes Lady Eleanor it would appear so. Mr. Jayce would you mind coming to speak with me tomorrow? There are a few things I would like to discuss with you but right now is not the right time.¡±
¡°Of course Milord, I look forward to it.¡±
¡°Yes Lord Weston, I will make sure to have someone bring Mr. Jayce to your home tomorrow afternoon, will 3 be ok?¡±
¡°Lady Eleanor 3 would be perfect.¡±
¡°Then Mr. Jayce let us plan for that, then if you would be so kind, can you please escort me to my table? Let¡¯s give the newlyweds some time alone.¡±
¡°Yes of course Lady Eleanor, milord, milady¡±
********
After leaving Lord Weston the rest of the reception was pretty quiet. Lady Eleanor sat with her husband and I provided ice for the rest of the guests while continuing to entertain children. There were a few dances and slowly the guests began to leave after the bride and groom left to their new lives together.
Lady Eleanor¡¯s husband looked especially happy while talking with the guests and Lord Weston. It looks like he took advantage of the opportunity to make many lucrative deals and contacts. Seeing him weasel around from table to table was difficult to watch. I haven¡¯t spoken to him but my first impression of him is not great.
It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve entered the main house. Gerard appears to be leading me to a study to meet with Lady Eleanor. He hasn¡¯t said a single word to me the whole time but there is an air of hostility about him. I take it he doesn¡¯t approve of my meeting with the lady of the house.
¡°Lady Eleanor, I have brought Mr. Jayce.¡±
¡°Thank you Gerard, please leave us as I¡¯d like to speak to Mr. Jayce in private. Mr. Jayce please take a seat over there.¡±
The room isn¡¯t very large, a sofa, two chairs, a table, and a few bookshelves. It¡¯s probably only used for small meetings between individuals or for a quiet escape. Politely excusing myself I take a seat on the sofa that she pointed to.
¡°No need to be so tense Mr. Jayce, it¡¯s just the two of us here. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering why I asked to meet with you, well really it¡¯s like I said, I¡¯m interested in you, but it doesn¡¯t seem like you wish to talk about your background so let me ask you, what are your plans while you¡¯re in Freeport?¡±
¡°I intend to join a mercenary group who provides escort missions and travel. I haven¡¯t given much thought to anything else.¡±
¡°I see, well at your age I suppose most boys wish to travel the world. Slay monsters and capture the hearts of young maidens, but doesn¡¯t that seem a bit childish Mr. Jayce? You don¡¯t seem like a child to me, so what are you running from?¡±
That question, I can feel my chest tighten when she asked it. Is it possible she knows who I am? But how could she? I¡¯ve just arrived, there¡¯s no way information of me could have traveled to the isolated Northern Territories, at the very least not this quickly. So it shouldn¡¯t be that, what¡¯s this woman up to?
¡°Interesting, well I really am interested in who you really are but I can¡¯t force you. Let¡¯s change the topic then, what do you think of Lord Weston?¡±
¡°Um¡ I¡¯m not really sure. I was a little surprised he understood the difference between mages, but otherwise I have no opinion on him.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ well Lord Weston would probably be pretty knowledgeable in that area. I¡¯m told he has a minor affinity in water.¡±
Ah, so that explains his lack of surprise when everyone else seemed amazed. It would make sense that he understands the differences in ranked magic if he¡¯s been tested before.
¡°As a member of the council, he also has access to the highest levels of information. It should be considered our families fortune to have my daughter marry him. Still, I can¡¯t find it in me to like the man.¡±
Unsure of why she would be telling me this I can only sit quietly while she continues.
¡°Lord Weston is an important man, and some see him as a revolutionary of sorts, but he¡¯s little more than an idealist. He believes his proposals will lead Freeport to a glorious new future sure to prosper above all other free cities. But what power does he have to enforce these rules? Freeport was founded as a trade city and at its core it still is. His laws do not have the ability to change people who are not loyal to Freeport. Besides, we may be running out of time.¡±
¡°Lady Eleanor, what do you mean by running out of time?¡±
Her eyes widened and a bewitching smile covered her face as if she had just struck upon something. She turned her head to the side and raised her hand in a fashion as if she was a conductor for an orchestra before turning back to me. It was a strange gesture.
¡°I recognized your accent the first time we spoke Mr. Jayce. When I was young a man visited our house and told us stories of the great southern domain filled with large and powerful kingdoms with expert mages and vast militaries. His accent was the same as yours. Tell me Mr. Jayce, how much do you know about Freeport and the Northern Territories?¡±
My accent? Ha, I never thought something so simple would give me away.
¡°Freeport is a large and powerful city-state amongst many city-states throughout the vast north.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ you have come here even though you know so little. What do you know of Elkia or the Northern Expanse?¡±
¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t heard of them.¡±
¡°Well, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know much about them if you¡¯ve only just arrived. Freeport is just one city Mr. Jayce, and it is a dying city. Elkia holds true power, they¡¯ve already taken control of 5 other cities, and Freeport is next. In the coming weeks Elkia will launch their yearly attacks designed to weaken us, but there are rumors that this year will be different. ¡°
I¡¯ve only ever heard of city-states of the Northern Territories, warfare is not very surprising, but I am a bit surprised to hear of 5 cities being conquered. Doesn¡¯t that make Elkia a kingdom?
¡°Soon the gates of Freeport will close and the siege will begin. Mercenaries will be pulled into the conflict as well. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be compensated if the city survives. But anyone known as a mage will be relied upon heavily. I introduced you to Lord Weston two reasons. I want you to find out the details of the war from Lord Weston before it¡¯s too late.¡±
¡°And what is the second reason?¡±
¡°I want you to refuse whatever offer he makes you and instead..."
Chapter 6: And the Red Honeymoon (pt 1)
¡°I want you to refuse whatever offer he makes you and instead..., instead, work for me.¡±
Work for her? I have no interest in building reflecting pools or entertaining guests with ice cold drinks.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, can you please repeat that Lady Eleanor?¡±
¡°I wish for you to work for me Mr. Jayce. Oh, but don¡¯t misunderstand, I will not have you entertaining guests, I wish to hire you to keep me safe.¡±
¡°So you mean like a bodyguard then?¡±
¡°Well, you can think of it that way. Like I said Mr. Jayce, war is coming to Freeport and I¡¯m not so sure Freeport can win this time. It is possible Freeport will fall and many will be forced to flee or face execution. It¡¯s only natural that I would take precautions against that, don¡¯t you think?¡±
War huh? I figured wars would be common in the Northern Territories but I hadn¡¯t expected the Freeport of legends to be caught up in it. And I definitely did not expect the possibility of Freeport falling.
¡°This is a difficult decision to make Lady Eleanor. I know very little about Elkia or any other cities. I came to Freeport because it was the one place I knew of, but what if Elkia is actually a better place to live than Freeport?¡±
¡°I understand Mr. Jayce; though my opinion may be a little biased I do not believe you would enjoy living in Elkia. Elkia is an absolute monarchy with a massive military. But why do you think their military is so large? It¡¯s simple really; all men are conscripted into the military, which would include you of course. As a young man of considerable talent, Elkia would stop at nothing to obtain you. Do you wish to be conscripted into the Elkian army Mr. Jayce?¡±
Conscription into a foreign military is the last thing I want; though mages were an exception even the Empire did not force their citizens to serve in the military. The Empire conquered other nations but they had very strict regulations regarding the conduct of the military.
Crimes such as rape and the slaughter of citizens were a capital offense, of course it still happened, but if caught you risked your life. It was one of the few things strictly enforced as the nobles would use these crimes as a way to turn public opinion against the imperial army.
But I doubt the Elkian military has the same set of regulations or oversight. Would I be party to a military that rapes and kills women and children? It¡¯s very possible.
¡°This is a bit sudden, and I need to think about it a little more before making a decision, can I give you my answer tomorrow instead?¡±
¡°Certainly Mr. Jayce, there are many things to consider after all. I wouldn¡¯t expect you to rush into a decision like this with your limited knowledge. For now is there anything else you would like to ask?¡±
Right now I¡¯m not sure whether I should ask her or gather information on my own. As she said she has a biased view, so any information will I receive from her may not be truly accurate. Even if what she is saying is true I don¡¯t want her view on things to influence my decision.
¡°No, right now I don¡¯t have any other questions.¡±
¡°Is that so¡ well, that is what I wished to discuss with you tonight, please think carefully about it. Since there is nothing else I think I will get some rest as it has been a very long and exhausting day. Gerard will show you to your room. Goodnight Mr. Jayce.¡±
After bidding Lady Eleanor goodnight Gerard brought me to a guest room within the main house. The room is much larger than the servant rooms with a very large bed and even a private bath. It looks like tonight I will have much to think about.
********
The room is large with a four post bed and a fireplace. Opposite the door is an entire wall of windows. The light is dim but bright enough to see everything clearly. Holding my hand he brought me to the bed that only had a light blanket covering it, most likely because of the heat.
The bed is firm unlike my bed and there are few pillows. It¡¯s not comfortable at all. How can someone possibly sleep like this?
¡°Sorry, I normally sleep with the drapes open, let me close them.¡±
I hadn¡¯t really thought of it, I would often spend hours looking out my window at night, but I understand the reason for closing them.
¡°You looked beautiful in your dress today. Not to say you¡¯re not beautiful without the dress of course¡±
The tension between us is so thick you can almost see it. I know what is about to happen but it would be a lie to say I¡¯m not afraid. We¡¯re married now though, and this is a wife¡¯s duty; it is her job to provide children for her husband. I understand that, it¡¯s just, it¡¯s all too sudden.
¡°Thank you Lord Weston.¡±
¡°Please call me Alan, we¡¯re married now so there is no need for formalities between us.¡±
Even though he says that, as ten years my senior he¡¯s more like an uncle than a husband.
¡°Then, thank you Alan, you looked very handsome today as well.¡±
¡°It was a beautiful ceremony; your family must have put a lot of effort into it. Even going out of the way to hire a mage, it must have been very expensive.¡±
Ah, Jayce I believe was his name. I didn¡¯t have a chance to talk to him after all. I wanted to ask him more about magic and was hoping to see more, but it would have been a bit inappropriate to do so.
¡°Yes, I believe you spoke to him about ranked magic, is it really that rare?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ it¡¯s difficult to explain but ranked magic is just a way to scale how powerful a mage is. Elementalist''s are able to directly affect the elements around us, unlike arcane mages who rely on spells, but you can still rank them on the scope and scale of the magic they produce. Someone of the 8th rank is very powerful. If utilized properly a mage of the 8th rank is easily equal to 5,000 normal soldiers, perhaps more.¡±
So it turns out he really is powerful. I have no aptitude for magic, no one in my family does, but if I did what would I be doing? And why would he be working for my mother?
¡°Oh, that¡¯s impressive then.¡±
I can feel myself sweating, not because of the heat but because of how nervous I feel now that he has just sat next to me on the bed. I can feel his gaze on me almost like it¡¯s burning into me. It¡¯s not a look of lust, but I can tell what he¡¯s thinking. As much as I¡¯ve prepared myself mentally, I¡¯m still not ready.
¡°Grace, I know this is hard for you. It¡¯s difficult for me as well. I was engaged to a woman I loved very deeply, so I¡¯m sure you can imagine how I feel. However, I need an heir to continue on as a member of the council. There is no easy way to do this, but please undress and lay down on the bed.¡±
My body can¡¯t stop shaking, I don¡¯t want this. I don¡¯t want my body to be seen by this man. I don¡¯t want to be touched by him. Why does nobody care what I want? No, I can¡¯t think like that. I¡¯m a woman, it¡¯s only natural to get married and have children.
¡°Can you, can you please turn off the lights?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
After putting the light out in the lantern I do my best to take the dress off but in the end he helped me unbutton the back. As he did he slid his hand slowly down from my shoulder to my waist before pulling my dress all the way down.
Lying down I can only hope it¡¯s over quickly. I¡¯ve closed my eyes but the tears are still spilling out. I can feel him on top of me; His body rubbing against mine while groping me with his hands. I¡¯ve never felt so embarrassed before.
My body is locking as if frozen in place and I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s trying to comfort me but it¡¯s not helping that he¡¯s forcibly opening my legs.
Sliding his hand behind my shoulders he pulled me up into his chest and, I can, I can feel him, it hurts! Gods it hurts! The tearing feeling burns and the pressure inside of me, it¡¯s so uncomfortable. Please, please...
********
I was up all night thinking about what to do. If what Lady Eleanor said is true then I¡¯ve found myself in a difficult situation. I don¡¯t want to get caught in a war, but my knowledge of the Northern Territories is very limited.
I just wanted to escape the Empire. I didn¡¯t have time to research anything further then what I already knew. Maybe taking the job here right away wasn¡¯t the smartest thing to do. I should have gathered information first, at the very least I should have tried to get a map, but then again I had no money either.
If the nearest city is too far away I may end up swept up in a battle even if I try to leave. I can only curse my stupidity. I know too little about the various powers and alliances as well. And what good does it do if I leave one war-torn city only to go to another?
If Lady Eleanor is telling the truth then it¡¯s hard to say whether or not her proposal is a good move on my part. In an open field battle against non-mages, I would be practically invincible. But in a city, well I would be very limited in what I could do. Though I¡¯m confident I can protect myself, I don¡¯t know if I can protect a group of people also.
If Freeport is overrun then it is probably in both of our best interests to flee, but I¡¯m not sure where we could flee to. Leaving the city would also be very difficult. It¡¯s possible to build a tunnel exiting the city, but even I have my limits.
The tunnel would at the very least need to be a couple of miles long. That¡¯s assuming there are no advanced scouts patrolling the area; I doubt we would be that lucky. But assuming we are lucky the tunnel would still need to be pretty wide. I can¡¯t see Lady Eleanor walking 100 miles or possibly more to the nearest city.
And there would need to be supplies, so probably a wagon of some sort would be needed. But then again what are my other options? If the city falls I would face conscription or possibly death. If we tunnel out far enough I may be able to defend us in the open. But I can only do that for so long. If they send waves of attacks I¡¯d no doubt fall due to exhaustion.
Could I tunnel far enough to escape them? Maybe if it was only me that would be viable, but with a group of people, I don¡¯t think I can.
Is it better to meet the enemy head-on instead? If I meet them on the battlefield I would be able to dwindle down their forces significantly. This might be the best option truthfully. Even if I don¡¯t completely defeat them if I can bring their numbers down and make it so they are unable to enter the city that would be a victory.
For now I think I¡¯ll go back to the guild and see what information I can find. I also received 10 gold coins from Lady Eleanor. Though it should have only been 4 she told me to think of it as a bonus and future investment. I think I¡¯ll check some shops as well. My meeting with Lord Weston is at 3 so I have plenty of time.
********
The heat and the wedding preparations have left me thoroughly exhausted. After giving birth to my son my body hasn¡¯t been the same. I tire easily now, often feel nauseous, and sometimes even my vision turns blurry. Some days it¡¯s so bad I have a hard time leaving my room, so this week has been particularly hard.
I¡¯ve been told it happens sometimes when women are pregnant but it should go away in time. It¡¯s been 12 years though so I don¡¯t think it will be getting better.
Ah, my Grace is married now. I¡¯ve failed her as a mother. Grace has always been my favorite child, it may be unfair to her sister and brother but it¡¯s true. She reminds me so much of a younger me. But I¡¯ve failed her.
I haven¡¯t had the energy to properly raise her, no, that¡¯s not right. I shouldn¡¯t use my disease as an excuse, I wasn¡¯t there for her, and worst of all I forced her to marry that man.
But what else could I do? A member of the council has the power to destroy our family. And though it wasn¡¯t said outright it was implied that if I didn¡¯t agree with the marriage things would become difficult for us.
Any way you look at it I sold my daughter. I always hoped she would be able to fall in love and marry unlike me. I can only hope she can find love in her marriage.
Much of that depends on this war though. I don¡¯t see Freeport escaping this time. The council would like to keep it quiet but it¡¯s no secret that food stores are low. Every year Elkia sends forces explicitly to weaken us over time.
The influx of refugees from the smaller villages to the north dwindles our supplies even further. And now that Elkia has captured Canrit they can focus all of their attention on us. It¡¯s only a matter of time.
Was it a mistake to marry my daughter off then after all? If Freeport falls what power would the council have over our family anymore? That damn foolish husband of mine! The constant pressure he exerted, I just gave in in the end.
Since my disease began he¡¯s been slowly taking more and more power from me. It¡¯s a good thing because I no longer have the energy to manage the household, but it¡¯s a bad thing as well because of how foolish he is.
¡°Lady Eleanor, may I enter?¡±
Gerard, he¡¯s been with our family for as long as I can remember and is the one person I can truly trust. In some ways he¡¯s more of a father than my father ever was.
¡°Yes Gerard I¡¯m just resting you can come in.¡±
I¡¯ve told him to call me Eleanor when we¡¯re alone but he refuses to. Something along the lines of professional pride and it would set a bad precedent should anyone notice.
¡°Lady Eleanor I¡¯ve brought your breakfast as well as tea, I hope you were able to rest well last night.¡±
¡°Thank you Gerard, yes I was so tired I simply collapsed and did not stir until just a little while ago.¡±
¡°That is good to hear, now that the wedding is over you should be able to rest more¡±
¡°There is still work to be done, but nothing as intense. By the way Gerard how is Mr. Jayce?¡±
¡°Yes, as expected he left early this morning. Most likely he went to the guild to notify them of the completion of his job and to gather information.¡±
Well, he¡¯d be a fool if he didn¡¯t at least do that much. It¡¯s strange to think he took this job with so little information. But then again he may have needed the money; I also need to remember he is only 16 after all.
¡°It should be fine; I haven¡¯t told him any lies. Canrit is the nearest city and now that it is under Elkian rule the nearest city is almost 300 miles away. Though I can¡¯t be sure I believe now that Elkia can focus on us they will begin attacking our neighbors in a similar fashion.¡±
¡°This may be a bit impertinent of me, but should Freeport fall, where would we go if even our neighbors are being attacked as well?¡±
¡°Our best bet is to seek refuge in the Corinth Alliance. The closest city would be Asmuth, roughly 500 miles to the northeast, but they are the only ones with the power to match Elkia. It would be a 10-15 day ride from here.¡±
¡°Are you even able to do that at this time in your health?¡±
¡°What choice is there Gerard? It¡¯s hard to say for sure whether we can escape anyways. Elkia will certainly try to block escape from the city and the river will be no exception.¡±
The situation really is dire. The council must know this as well, but there has been no movement on their part. Just what are they thinking?
¡°Is that why you insist on hiring that mage?¡±
¡°Indeed that is why I wish to employ Mr. Jayce. With his power I believe we may stand a chance at escaping. Are you still opposed to it Gerard?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not in favor of it. He is a mercenary, they only care about themselves. I do not believe for one moment that he would be willing to endanger himself for our sakes.¡±
That¡¯s true, but I don¡¯t need someone who is absolutely devoted to our sakes. I need someone who is in a similar situation as us. He should be looking to escape Freeport as well. All we need to do is lead him in the direction we wish to go. If he is as powerful as I think he is then he should probably not have a problem taking care of anyone on the way.
It may seem heartless but other than Gerard I do not plan on bringing my servants with me, it¡¯s just not very feasible. To maximize our chances we will need to travel as a small group. Even if there are only a few of us it will be difficult.
¡°It is true that he is a mercenary Gerard, but I think he is our best hope at this time.¡±
********
Other than being able to buy a map I was able to confirm at the guild mercenaries would be participating in the upcoming battle. Most of them are actually excited about it.
Apparently the council pays participating mercenaries well, so almost all of them join voluntarily. But in the past mercenaries were conscripted if the battle was more intense than anticipated.
There¡¯s no information on the size of the force Elkia will be sending but there are also rumors that the tribes from the Northern Expanse, a large plateau to the north, might also attack. But there is no sense of tension at all. As if everyone believes the city walls can never fall, so it¡¯s just easy money.
Or maybe they think there¡¯s no reason to worry, that the members of the council will take care of any problems that arise. It¡¯s a stupid way to go about things. No city is unconquerable and no leader is infallible.
I can only hope Lord Weston has some type of realistic plan. It would be nice to get concrete information as well. The council must have an idea of the forces Elkia is sending. Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t heard anything in the guild or from Lady Eleanor about Freeport¡¯s military.
If they are relying on the help of mercenaries I¡¯m not very optimistic about our chances. The Empire only used mercenaries when they needed to perform some type of dirty job they didn¡¯t want to be directly affiliated with.
Ha, escape one life and death situation only to find myself in another? What a joke. Well Lord Weston, let¡¯s hear what you have to say.
Chapter 7: And the Red Honeymoon (pt 2)
It¡¯s pretty much what I expected it to be. Lord Weston¡¯s estate is much larger than Lady Eleanor¡¯s. The perimeter is well fortified with a formidable wall and a large number of guards.
After informing the guards of my appointment I was handed over to a maid who led me to a small waiting room. I wonder if guests at my old house were shuttled from person to person, one room to another.
¡°Mr. Jayce my apologies I¡¯ve left you waiting.¡±
¡°Lord Weston, no not at all I¡¯ve only been here for a couple of minutes.¡±
¡°Come, let us go to my study there are a number of things I wish to discuss with you.¡±
The house is tastefully decorated with a number of very large windows. The house is well lit, but doesn¡¯t make this easy to spy on anyone in the house? Or maybe he¡¯s not worried about that.
¡°Here we are, please have a seat, I¡¯ll ask one of the maids to bring some refreshments.¡±
The room isn¡¯t too large, just a couple of sofas with a table in-between them, a large desk and chair, books that line the wall to the left, and a rather large fireplace. How cold are winters here? Probably colder than the capital in the Empire, it¡¯s been so hot I haven¡¯t thought about it but winter is only a few months away.
¡°Then Mr. Jayce, I¡¯m not much for dancing around and I¡¯m sure you have your own questions, so let¡¯s dispense with the formalities and get to the crux of what I asked you here for, is that ok?¡±
¡°Yes, that works for me.¡±
¡°Good, then I¡¯ll be blunt, Freeport is in a very dangerous situation. War is on our doorsteps Mr. Jayce and I would like you to help out. Of course I won¡¯t ask you to work for free, no you will be compensated quite well.¡±
Well, this was expected more or less.
¡°Lord Weston, before I commit to anything I would like to ask a few questions.¡±
¡°Please go ahead.¡±
¡°Right, you say war is on the way but Freeport is a large city with few neighbors, who is it that is attacking and what are their numbers?¡±
¡°As of right now we only have a general estimate, but it is somewhere between 30-40 thousand Elkian troops which include foot soldiers, armored beasts, warbeasts, and ogres. They will most likely be traveling with siege equipment. Of course there may be more, we¡¯re not able to keep watch of the entire border with our current manpower. There is also the possibility of attack from the Northern Expanse war tribes. We are looking for clues now but I believe it is very likely.¡±
What the hell!? Ogres? Like ogres from the fairy tales? And what are warbeasts? I¡¯ve never heard of warbeasts, there¡¯s just too much I do not know about the Northern Territories.
¡°I see, and what of mages? Do you have any information on mages?¡±
¡°That¡¯s difficult to know. There is a possibility that the Elkian military has mages, but we¡¯ve never encountered them before and we haven¡¯t received any reports of strong mages in their ranks. We¡¯ve always assumed Elkia sends its armies as a way to thin their numbers due to food shortages but with the fall of Canrit, it appears as though they are continuing on a path of conquest. As far as the war tribes from the north, most likely they will not have any mages. Little is known about them but they are mostly nomadic warrior tribes. They normally raid and pillage villages in the fall for food and supplies.¡±
So little information to go on, from what Lady Eleanor said Elkia has been attacking in small waves for a few years. Shouldn¡¯t they have put together a better information network at least? Is the council really this incompetent?
¡°And what of Freeport¡¯s military?¡±
¡°Freeport¡¯s military is 25 thousand strong but they are not dedicated solely to protecting the wall, they are also tasked with internal policing and law enforcement. Effectively, at any time we have 10 thousand soldiers guarding our walls.¡±
Not having a dedicated police force and instead relying on the military, what city would do this? Freeport is large, very large in fact. I would almost say it rivals the capital of the Empire in size which has nearly 1.5 million people. The number of effective soldiers is way too small.
But even still, with no mages and an army of 10 thousand, it may be possible to hold the walls for a long time. The moat makes it difficult for enemies to get close. With the drawbridge raised archers should be able to pick off enemies who get too close.
There are also trebuchets, and for those who do get close there are murder holes, there may be other things I¡¯m missing as well. The problem is how long they can hold out and for how long is Elkia willing to lay siege to Freeport.
There are no other cities nearby. With no way of cutting off Elkia¡¯s supply lines if they choose to they can lay siege indefinitely. With such a large population supplies will run out quickly in the city which will lead to internal strife. The city will collapse in on itself even if Elkia doesn¡¯t attack. They just need to make sure no one can leave or enter the city.
¡°Lord Weston, are there any other forces you can call on? In the case of a prolonged siege are there any forces that can help break the siege?¡±
¡°Well¡ we do have allies to the east, most likely they will be able to send 20 thousand men, mostly foot soldiers as well.¡±
Insanity, this is bordering on insanity. No, this is suicide, it¡¯s as if the leaders of this city wish to commit suicide. Armies arriving from both the west and north, no possibility of fleeing to the south as there¡¯s nothing there, and the ally to the east if the map is correct is nearly 300 miles away.
Even if I had the power to wipe out 40 thousand men myself, which even without mages is not realistic, but assuming I could, Elkia will still be sending more forces. Right now I can¡¯t see any path towards victory, it¡¯s more likely a question of how much time we can buy.
Is it possible, could it be that this is what the council intended? There¡¯s no way the leaders of such a large city couldn¡¯t have connected the points and come to the same conclusion I have. No, the only way this makes sense is if they intended to cede Freeport to Elkia. They didn¡¯t fail to plan, they just planned to lose.
Lord Weston has to realize this right? Why do I get the feeling he¡¯s in the dark on it? Should I tell him? But how do you tell one of the leaders of the city that you suspect the other leaders of the city of treachery? What a predicament I¡¯ve found myself in.
¡°Lord Weston, I¡¯m a little worried about the numbers you¡¯ve told me. I¡¯m concerned with the city being sieged for a prolonged period of time. If Elkia chooses to they will be unchallenged in supplying their army, do you have a way to cut the supply route from Elkia to their military?¡±
¡°A prolonged siege is worrisome, but Elkia wages war on two fronts. I do not believe they will expend the resources for a long drawn out siege. Although it will be costly to us to request help from our Allies, I think with them, combined with our own forces will be enough to force Elkia back as long as we can whittle their numbers down, that is where you would come in Mr. Jayce.¡±
Is this man actually an idiot? No, maybe he¡¯s just not adept in warfare. I¡¯m not an expert either but some things just seem like common sense.
¡°How long do you think it will take for the Elkian army to arrive? Assuming the northern tribe''s attack as well, when do you believe they will arrive? And how long will it take to receive help from our allies?¡±
¡°Our advanced scouts give us a time frame of 3 weeks to a month before Elkian troops can arrive if they begin moving, and roughly the same time frame on the northern tribes. If we sent a message to our allies it would arrive within 3 days via the river. They would then mobilize and travel here after they agreed upon terms.¡±
I¡¯m surprised he can say that with a straight face. Well, let¡¯s assume 3 days from today the message arrives and best case scenario they agree to the terms Freeport is offering the same day and are ready to move out the next day. Twenty thousand armed soldiers on unpaved roads could probably at best travel 10-15 miles a day. With a distance of approximately 300 miles, if everything went perfectly it would take roughly a month from today for reinforcements to reach. Reinforcements that are nearly half the known enemies¡¯ numbers, their numbers wouldn¡¯t be enough anyway.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
¡°Lord Weston, if I agreed to help would you send a message to our allies today?¡±
¡°An official request will need to be drafted and signed by the members of the council, I do not possess the authority to decide on my own. We meet again tomorrow afternoon and whether or not you agree to help I will ask that the rest of the council approve a request for aid.¡±
So with the enemy only 3 weeks away they haven¡¯t decided on a course of action. If members of the council are looking to give in to Elkian control of Freeport then the request for aid will most likely not be approved. But even if it was it¡¯s still a month or more until reinforcements can arrive.
However, if I was leading the Elkian forces I would have anticipated that, no they probably have spies relaying exactly what is happening. If it was me I would have sent a secondary force with the intentions of meeting the reinforcements. And if I take into consideration what Lady Eleanor told me, Elkia most definitely will be attacking our ally. It¡¯s simple, reinforcements are not coming, Freeport is on its own, and without a doubt, it will fall.
¡°I think I understand Lord Weston. I apologize but I can¡¯t make a decision right away as this is a lot to think about. Is it possible to meet again tomorrow? Preferably after the decision is made by the council.¡±
¡°Yes it is a lot to take in, that sounds good Mr. Jayce, how about tomorrow evening at 6?¡±
¡°Tomorrow at 6 will work perfectly. Thank you again Lord Weston, I am sure you are busy so I won¡¯t keep you from your work any longer, I will return with my decision tomorrow.¡±
********
¡°So it looks like things are even worse than I thought. Well Mr. Jayce, now that you have a better grasp of the situation what do you think of my proposal?¡±
Ah, shouldn¡¯t I just leave on my own? My chances of survival would be much higher. I have a map now so I have a general idea of which way to go. But then I¡¯d be alone again. Do I want that? I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m attached to anyone here, but it feels better than being alone. At the very least for the sake of my sanity, I don¡¯t want to wander the grasslands alone again.
Currently we¡¯re in a small room below the study in the main house. It would be safe to call this a little bunker. Lady Eleanor said it¡¯s to avoid shadow walkers. I¡¯ve never heard of them but according to her they are able to travel within shadows and are very capable spies.
¡°Lady Eleanor, I¡¯ll be honest with you, the chances of us escaping safely are very small. The south is uninhabitable, the east will most likely be under attack as well, and the north is a big unknown, most likely currently being raided by the northern tribes.¡±
¡°So tell me Mr. Jayce, what do you plan to do? Give up? If I do nothing I will most likely become the play toy for soldiers until they tire of me or I die, but maybe if I¡¯m lucky I¡¯ll be executed. Do you plan to give up and join the Elkian army? Maybe join in the fun?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, I just mean to inform you escaping is not going to be very easy.¡±
Well, she didn¡¯t seem to take that very well. I may have come off a bit pessimistic, but honestly I don¡¯t see a good way out of this.
¡°Mr. Jayce I am very serious. I do not wish to die with this city. I did not think escaping would be easy, and the chances may be small, but they are still better than zero. I wish to hire you in helping me and my family escape. This shouldn¡¯t be a problem as we both want the same thing and I am willing to pay you very well.¡±
It¡¯s true that we both want to escape. But how many people can I possibly bring with me?
¡°It¡¯s not a matter of money Lady Eleanor, let me ask you how many people do you intend on bringing in your party, and are you able to travel to Asmuth, it¡¯s roughly 500 miles away?¡±
¡°I wish to bring my children, Gerard, and though he is a fool, my husband. My eldest daughter is married and has a young son of her own. She will most likely request I bring her husband as well, and though I do not like the man, my Grace is married to him so it would be best if you can save Lord Weston as well. As you surmised traveling that distance will be difficult for me, so we will need to bring a wagon.¡±
So 9 people and a wagon. An above ground escape is impossible, the only option is to tunnel. But it will need to be large enough for a wagon to pass. A long tunnel has many problems as well. I can stabilize the tunnel by hardening it, but there is always the chance of collapse.
Air circulation is crucial and will become more difficult the longer the tunnel becomes. I¡¯ve never been part of a tunneling team, but I know simple vents won¡¯t be enough. Using air magic I can probably draw in fresh air from the surface through vents, but that will be more and more taxing as the tunnel grows in size.
There is the issue of the river as well. The river is 1/2 a mile wide but I¡¯m unsure of the depth. I¡¯ll need to tunnel underneath the river. The tunnel can¡¯t be too steep though because of the wagon, so I¡¯ll need to tunnel alongside the river for a while until we reach a safe enough depth. And while we¡¯re under the river I¡¯ll have no way of creating vents and drawing in air.
The more I think about it the more difficult it becomes. Supplies will be an issue as well. I can create water so that¡¯s not a problem, but I cannot hold enough food for everyone plus at least one mule for an extended journey in my bag.
¡°Lady Eleanor, do you have a bag of holding?¡±
¡°Bag of holding, no I don¡¯t believe so, what is that?¡±
¡°Basically it is a bag where the interior is larger than the exterior.¡±
¡°No I¡¯ve never heard of it, I can have Gerard look into it, but if something that convenient were available I would probably have heard of it.¡±
Probably not. Bags of holding are expensive even in the Empire. They rely on inscription magic which I have no talent for. You need to imbue the inscription with mana to open and close it as well. Magic doesn¡¯t seem to be widespread here and such a technical form of magic probably doesn¡¯t exist at all here.
¡°I think the only way we can escape is tunneling out. But that is not going to be easy. There are a lot of issues with it, but I can¡¯t think of anything else. We¡¯re going to need a lot of supplies and the journey will be long.¡±
¡°How long do you think Mr. Jayce?¡±
¡°I think the bare minimum we will need is 3 months of dry rations for everyone including the horse or mule you intend to pull the wagon, the smaller the wagon the better. Tunneling is going to take a long time, I think because of the size of the tunnel I can probably tunnel 4-5 miles a day. The sooner I get started the better.¡±
¡°That would be for the best, but I don¡¯t think you will be able to spend as much time as you¡¯d like Mr. Jayce.¡±
¡°What do you mean Lady Eleanor?¡±
¡°From now on you will be watched. Lord Weston will have his spies watching your movements, and will most likely force you to help in some way.¡±
That¡¯s true, if I was him and was bent on following this destructive path I would keep tabs on anyone I could use.
¡°So what do you suggest?¡±
¡°I think you should offer to help him for the time being with his plans. He¡¯ll most likely want you to build traps or something along those lines. It will take a little while for us to gather the supplies, while doing that why not humor him during the day and make preparations on the tunnel at night?¡±
Work all day and night? You know there¡¯s a limit to what I can do in one day. Lord Weston is a problem though. In all honesty it would probably be wiser to just get rid of him if he becomes an obstacle. But can I do that?
I¡¯ve never killed anyone before. Entering the military I knew I would need to kill, but there is a difference between killing on and off the battlefield. No, it¡¯s too early for that. For now maybe I should humor him.
¡°Alright, I am meeting with him tomorrow evening so I¡¯ll see what he plans to do. For now Lady Eleanor can please gather the supplies we will need for the coming months. I will build a bunker that will serve as the beginning of our tunnel for the supplies to be stored in. We¡¯ll also need to plan our route carefully.¡±
There¡¯s so much to do, and very little time to accomplish everything. We need to move secretively as well. I don¡¯t like it, but I don¡¯t know what else to do at this point other than escaping on my own.
********
¡°You¡¯ve come to my house so does that mean you¡¯ve gotten word from the scouts Randall?¡±
¡°Yes Milord, unfortunately, it is as we feared. At least 10 thousand warriors have been spotted near the northern border.¡±
So the fall raids are soon to begin. With no buffer villages we¡¯re the only option. They¡¯re sure to find their way here eventually. We may need to close the gates sooner than we anticipated.
¡°And what of the Elkian forces? Have they begun to move?¡±
¡°There is no movement towards our direction on their end Milord, however, more troops and supplies continue to amass. An additional 5 thousand soldiers arrived 2 days ago with nearly 50 more wagons of supplies and additional catapults.¡±
¡°Randall, is it possible that Elkia seeks to conquer Freeport in this year¡¯s war?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure Milord. They have provided their army with a large number of supplies, at the very least they seem to be preparing for a long battle.¡±
Requesting 20 thousand troops from our allies may not be enough. What Mr. Jayce said makes sense, and the possibility of Elkia staging a takeover is there. But I don¡¯t want to believe that¡¯s true. I¡¯ve always known it¡¯s just a matter of time if we don¡¯t form a strong military. But we¡¯ve always relied on the strength of our walls and the mercenaries.
Freeport has stood tall for over 500 years, will it really fall under our watch? I don¡¯t want to accept it, but it¡¯s a distinct possibility.
¡°What do you think about what I told you? A rank 8 earth and water mage, I think he can play a critical part in the coming war.¡±
¡°It¡¯s as you have said Milord. If we can take advantage of him and use him appropriately we could strike a fearsome blow to our enemies. But will he cooperate?¡±
¡°He¡¯ll cooperate, he¡¯ll have no choice. We don¡¯t even need to force him. If he¡¯s smart he¡¯ll realize there is no escaping war, it¡¯s better to be proactive and work with us than hiding in a shell and hoping everything passes over. I¡¯ll need you to have someone keep watch of his movements though.¡±
¡°Understood Milord, I will put a tail on him to follow his movements.¡±
It¡¯s not as if he has a place to escape to anyways. And he may be powerful but he is still a kid, be it wealth, women, or fame I¡¯ll find some way to entice him tomorrow after meeting with the council.
¡°Very good Randall that will be all for now. I have a few more things to take care of and then I need to attend to my new wife. I still have an obligation to the council to produce an heir.¡±
A child huh? Come to think of it Grace is the same age as that boy. I find myself fighting with old men and relying on children. Save the city and make a baby. Even if we succeed I wonder if I¡¯m just delaying the inevitable. Maybe it¡¯s better to give in after all.
Chapter 8: And the Red Honeymoon (pt 3)
¡°And what of the Northsmen? What are their numbers?¡±
¡°Their chief has agreed to our proposal. Fifty wagons of food, 20 more wagons of bows and armor, and 20 empty wagons to be used for transport of women and other spoils collected in Freeport. Their numbers total 12 thousand and they have agreed to our terms of 10 thousand men allowed to enter the city for 2 days to pillage.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ we gained their assistance for less than I thought, excellent.¡±
¡°General, if I may, is it alright to allow them to pillage the city freely for 2 days?¡±
¡°Freeport is a large city Colonel. After the walls fall there will still be a resistance to fight. The amount they will be able to strip and destroy is trivial in the end. What is most important is the chaos and panic they spread. This is meant to be a clean occupation by us. After the Northsmen have their fun we¡¯ll clean up and establish ourselves.¡±
Well, how clean it will be is hard to say. There is bound to be some amount of rape and looting, it¡¯s hard to completely prevent it. But we should be able to control most of the men. It will be too difficult to control Freeport if we sow the seeds of resentment too deep.
¡°We¡¯ll continue with the plan as is, 200 ogres and 15 thousand men armed with catapults, ballistae, battering ram, and the other equipment will meet with our new allies in the north. Has the shadow walker agreed to our terms then?¡±
¡°Yes General, he has already given us the locations of the scouts and provided false information of our numbers and location to the council. However, he has raised a matter that will require our attention.¡±
¡°What is it Colonel, speak freely.¡±
¡°Yes, it appears they were able to acquire the help of an 8th ranked elemental mage.¡±
An 8th ranked mage huh? We expected mages to be mixed in with the mercenaries but from our intelligence, most are lower than 4th ranked. Their numbers should be equal to or less than ours. Mercenaries can usually be reasoned with, as long as what we offer is better than what they are getting it¡¯s easy to turn them.
¡°Elemental mage, what elements?¡±
¡°He¡¯s an earth and water mage.¡±
¡°Earth and water, hmmm¡ it looks like we¡¯re finally going to need to rely on that man and his brother. Send for them to come at once after we finish here. And what of Penrith? Has Freeport¡¯s council sent for aid?¡±
¡°Yes General, they¡¯ve agreed to request 25 thousand soldiers from Penrith. However, our spies have informed us Penrith will at most be able to send 20 thousand.¡±
¡°No, we¡¯ll plan for 25 thousand, we can¡¯t afford any mistakes there. One thousand warbeasts and 2 thousand armored riders. It would be best if Penrith sends 25 thousand; that would strike a major blow to their forces. Are we certain they will travel on the southern side of the river?¡±
¡°Yes General, Crystal River splits here at the Bertsch forest and doesn¡¯t re-join for another 70 miles. Following the northern path means a detour around the forest. The southern route is the straightest. We¡¯ll be able to station our troops at this ferry port before the split and use the cover of the forest to conceal our numbers.¡±
********
¡°The safest path forward is crossing at the ferry point before the split in the river, do you agree Lady Eleanor?¡±
¡°Yes Gerard it is as you say, we should be able to cross the river there and travel to Asmuth were we will meet our contacts.¡±
After discussing the route with Lady Eleanor and Gerard we¡¯ve decided to scrap the plan of tunneling under the river. It¡¯s too dangerous and there are too many unknowns. Instead, we will tunnel east along the river for a length of 20 miles then travel to a ferry point and cross the river from there.
It¡¯s still a long tunnel, but far shorter than our other options. We also won¡¯t need to tunnel as deep, so we should be able to save a lot of time and it will be easier to ventilate as well.
¡°Still, why is the ferry point not marked on this map? The split in the river is there, and the forest too, but no ferry labeled.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a very basic map Mr. Jayce, the ferry point is just a small port.¡±
I¡¯m starting to get used to the lack of information here. The map I purchased isn¡¯t very detailed, it looks like most information is spread word of mouth. I¡¯ve filled in a few places from my discussions with Gerard and Lady Eleanor, but it¡¯s still pretty basic.
¡°Ok, for now I¡¯ll continue to tunnel east. Because of my work with Lord Weston I think I¡¯ll only be able to progress 1/2 a mile to a mile each day. If we go by the established timeline of 1 month we will probably be able to reach 20 miles. By then our allies should have arrived or will be very close, the likelihood of facing off against Elkian troops is low. Then it will be around 80 miles to the ferry point. So once we leave here it will be 4 or 5 days.¡±
¡°Lady Eleanor, should we not attempt to flee as soon as possible? Instead of having Mr. Jayce work with Lord Weston wouldn¡¯t it be better to just have him focus on the tunnel?¡±
¡°It would be Gerard, but unfortunately Lord Weston will not flee the city until he is certain it will fall. Though I wouldn¡¯t mind leaving him he is my daughters'' husband and he does hold some value. As a member of the council he has many more contacts than I do in Asmuth. We will be limited in what we can carry with us, those contacts will be important.¡±
It¡¯s been decided we will bring 3 wagons with 6 horses. Because the tunnel will be shorter it will be possible, but there is still a limit to what we can bring. Lady Eleanor has been having Gerard sell non-essential assets to free up funds, but we are keeping everyone else in the dark to avoid information leaks, so most of the coin we travel with will be from her.
I¡¯ll need to continue this farce with Lord Weston for the time being. It¡¯s true we would be safer if we left before the city is under attack, but there is no way to convince Lord Weston to leave.
¡°Right then, Lady Eleanor, Gerard, I will be purchasing the things I will need today. This evening I will be meeting with Lord Weston to solidify our plans, and after I will meet with you again.¡±
¡°Very well Mr. Jayce, Gerard let¡¯s discuss the acquisition of supplies and the sale of our minor interests.¡±
Lady Eleanor will be purchasing supplies for the group but I intend on purchasing my own as well. I¡¯m also looking to purchase armor and a few other things like a short sword. Plate armor seems to be uncommon here but I should be able to purchase a breast and back plate, gauntlets, pauldron¡¯s, and a helmet.
I also plan to purchase a gambeson jacket. Normally mages in the Empire don¡¯t fight on the frontlines so the armor we wear is pretty light, but I won¡¯t have the option of attacking from the rear so I¡¯ll need to equip myself well.
I¡¯ve agreed to 1 thousand gold coins from Lady Eleanor and 1,500 from Lord Weston. It¡¯s a sizeable sum that would allow me to live very well for a good amount of time. With the advance, I currently have 300 gold coins on my person, more than enough to purchase anything I will need.
Should I buy a bow too? I¡¯m not proficient in the bow but I¡¯ve used them before. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. If I run out of mana I won¡¯t have any method of striking from a distance. Hmm¡ so much I¡¯ve never thought of. Having guidance from a veteran would be really valuable right now, but I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone here.
********
I ended up going to Madam Leah¡¯s dress shop for a gambeson long jacket. It was the place Gerard recommended to me. He had a gambeson jacket from there and it is also the place where Lady Grace¡¯s wedding dress was made.
It was 4 gold coins including the arming cap and will be ready in 3 days. It seems a little expensive for linen, but perhaps it¡¯s higher quality than normal gambeson. Hopefully it¡¯s not because it¡¯s more stylish. She assured me it would be able to stop an arrow from a war bow though.
I wasn¡¯t able to find pauldron¡¯s or a breast and back plate that fit so I¡¯m having them made which will also be ready in 3 days as well, but I was able to find leather gauntlets with plate and scale mail covering them and a barbute helmet with a vertical opening and horizontal gap for the eyes.
Along with the short sword, longbow and 3 quivers of arrows, it totaled an additional 9 gold coins. All that¡¯s left is the rations, clothes, and a few other supplies. I¡¯ll wait until I pick up my armor to buy those things. Right now I have to speak with Lord Weston on the cities defense.
I¡¯m a bit early but I ended up wandering to Lord Weston¡¯s estate while in thought.
¡°Mr. Jayce what brings you here?¡±
¡°Lady Grace, we haven¡¯t seen each other since the wedding, I¡¯m actually here to meet with your husband. How have you been?¡±
Uwah, that¡¯s quite the frown. Are things not going well between the two of them? She looks a bit pale and there are dark circles around her eyes. Well, it¡¯s a big change and I¡¯m sure things are complicated with the age difference. It¡¯s almost like if I married Lady Eleanor.
Well then again Lady Eleanor is, something is different about that woman. She¡¯s more than twice my age but looks like she¡¯s in her early 20¡¯s. Honestly when I¡¯m alone with her I can¡¯t help but feel nervous, I think she knows it too. Anyways, I should probably avoid talking about it.
¡°Yes, things are a bit different, and it¡¯s taken some time to adjust but I¡¯m doing well. And how have you been? We didn¡¯t get a chance to talk at the wedding but I had wanted to ask you a few things related to magic.¡±
¡°Oh, what kind of questions? If I can answer I will be happy to.¡±
¡°You said you are meeting with Lord Weston so I don¡¯t want to keep you, but will you have time later?¡±
¡°Actually I¡¯m about 30 minutes early, so now would be a good time for me if that is alright with you.¡±
¡°Then Mr. Jayce allow me to take you up on that offer, please let¡¯s sit.¡±
The same bright eyes she had at the wedding. I remember when I first started learning how to use my abilities. I was so excited each time I could barely control myself. She gives me the same feeling. An uncontrollable desire to learn it.
¡°So Lady Grace, what would you like to talk about?¡±
¡°I would like to ask you about arcane magic. Lord Weston told me a little about elemental magic, but he didn¡¯t know much about arcane magic other than you needed to remember chants and spells.¡±
¡°Arcane magic huh¡ well, it¡¯s not exactly like that. First, any person with an adequate mana supply within their body is a potential mage and there are three main classifications for mages that I know of, elemental, arcane, and mystic mages. Elemental mages are able to freely connect to their mana and use it to manipulate the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire. Arcane and mystic mages, however, are unable to connect to and use their mana without a mental cue of some variety.¡±
Dragging this stuff up brings back some fun memories. I wonder if this is how my magic teacher felt.
¡°A cue often comes in the form of a chant, but it doesn¡¯t need to, it¡¯s just convenient and easy to remember. For example, a common fire spell would be a fireball. The arcane mage must visualize the transfer of their mana into the formation of a fireball. It is a mental image but must be much clearer than a memory. Once an arcane mage has burned that image into their mind they will assign it a cue or a chant to call it up and use it such as saying [Fireball] to cast the spell.¡±
¡°Oh, so arcane mages are very limited then aren¡¯t they?¡±
¡°Well yes and no. It takes a long time to memorize spells, and there is a limit to the number of spells someone can remember. But arcane magic can be very powerful. The limit of its power is solely in the imagination of the spell caster and the size of their mana pool. Also some arcane mages are able to call forth spells without relying on cues leading to incredibly fast cast times.¡±
¡°I see, so there are advantages and disadvantages to either type of magic. Then another question, is it possible for an elemental mage to perform arcane magic?¡±
¡°Every elemental mage has the ability to become an arcane mage, but most would never do so. It takes a long time to learn arcane magic, it requires a good memory and takes a lot of practice. Most powerful arcane mages are much older because of this, of course there are always exceptionally talented people, but they are not the norm.¡±
¡°And what of you Mr. Jayce? Have you ever thought to practice arcane magic?¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
¡°Most elemental mages try to learn arcane magic at some point or another, but there are 4 arcane spells that almost all elemental mages will learn. They are spark, water drop, air ball, and stone. Elemental mages can manipulate the elements and use their mana to replicate them as well, but they cannot create an element from nothing. To do that you need arcane magic.¡±
¡°Then Mr. Jayce, if an arcane mage is unable to feel their mana freely how do people find out they are able to become an arcane mage?¡±
¡°Well there are ways to test for it, but perhaps the ¡°
¡°Ah, Mr. Jayce I apologize I have left you waiting.¡±
¡°No Lord Weston not at all, I was a bit early and Lady Grace was kind enough to entertain me with polite conversation.¡±
¡°Is that so, well then Grace thank you for entertaining Mr. Jayce while I was busy, but we have much to talk about so I will be taking him to my study.¡±
Hmm¡ it looks like things are a bit awkward between these two. I suppose that¡¯s how arranged marriages are though. Gerard said they had not even met each other before the wedding. To force two people together and expect things to be perfect would be impossible.¡±
¡°Then Mr. Jayce, I¡¯m sorry for troubling you and apologize for keeping you from your appointment with Lord Weston, please enjoy the rest of your day.¡±
¡°No, no it was no trouble at all ah, Lady Grace, to answer your question, the easiest way to find out if someone has talent in arcane or mystic magic is to learn to cast spark. It is the easiest of arcane spells, if you can, you can become a mage. Then, Lady Grace, I will go with Lord Weston now, good day.¡±
This hall is as bright as ever. I feel sorry for the maids, so many windows to clean, you can have a team of maids just for the windows in this place alone.
¡°Then Mr. Jayce, I¡¯d like you to meet Randall, he is the leader of our intelligence unit that provides the details of our enemies movements.¡±
¡°Mr. Jayce it is a pleasure to work with you.¡±
¡°Likewise Mr. Randall.¡±
¡°Alright, Randall let¡¯s discuss Elkia¡¯s numbers, equipment, and paths of attack.¡±
¡°Yes Lord Weston, currently 250 miles to the west, Elkia has stationed 40 thousand troops. Most of them are foot soldiers but there are also ogres, warbeasts, and armored riders. They are traveling with catapults and other siege equipment and they look like they are planning for a longer campaign. The northern tribe''s number 10 thousand that we can see and are scattered in groups of 1,000 approximately 400 miles north. They look to be searching for any villages, but we expect them to eventually continue south until they reach Freeport.¡±
¡°And what is Elkia¡¯s most likely path forward Randall?¡±
¡°With an army that size they will probably have no choice other than to travel along this road. It is about 2 miles from the river and follows alongside all the way to Freeport.¡±
¡°Mr. Randall, what is the possibility of them traveling on the north side of the river? Will they split their forces?¡±
¡°Travelling on the northern side of the river would be difficult Mr. Jayce, there are no roads and they would face raids from the northern warriors. All of our intelligence points to no alliance between Elkia and the north. We think they are watching the tribes and timing their attack to coincide with each other.¡±
¡°So Mr. Jayce, we are thinking of using your skills to create a series of obstacles as a way to funnel them into this region.¡±
¡°And what is this region Lord Weston?¡±
¡°This Mr. Jayce is where you will set up many underground tunnels that will be connected to the river. When the Elkian army is in place we want you to collapse those tunnels and allow the river to flood in.¡±
I see, so they¡¯re planning to make a kill zone by drowning as many Elkian troops as possible. That¡¯s a large area though. I¡¯d have to create a large number of crisscrossing tunnels allowing for enough stability so the surface doesn¡¯t collapse prematurely.
It doesn¡¯t seem like a bad plan if we are able to guide them there. But it won¡¯t be easy. I¡¯m essentially creating a giant pit and filling it with water to drown an army. The surface needs to remain strong enough to hold the weight of the army but weak enough to collapse all at once.
Then there are the obstacles that guide them into that area. The more tightly packed we get them the easier it will be. But it¡¯s all flatlands, what can we make? Large hills would be unnatural, small slow rising hills that are not very tall may not look too out of place though. I think sand will be the easiest obstacle to make.
Lord Weston seems really excited about this plan, and as long as his reports are correct it¡¯s probably doable. I don¡¯t think this will save Freeport in the long run, but if it works it will buy it a lot of time and force Elkia to rethink their strategy.
¡°Ok Lord Weston, I¡¯ll need to survey this area and get a better idea of landscape before I can plan what type of obstacles to build. I think it¡¯s possible though. Will someone be able to guide me there tomorrow?¡±
¡°Certainly, however it will need to be a multi-day trip so perhaps it¡¯s best to wait a day to gather any supplies you will need.¡±
That¡¯s true, the area they want to use is 20 miles west of here, and I¡¯ll probably need to begin the obstacles another 20-30 miles from that point. It would be best to do this in all one trip otherwise too much time will be wasted on travel.
¡°Hmm¡ In that case how about we meet 4 days from now. There are a few things I will need to do first and it would probably be best to do everything at once, does that work for you Lord Weston, Mr. Randall?¡±
¡°Yes, that sounds good Mr. Jayce, I look forward to working with you on what will become a massive defeat for Elkia.¡±
********
¡°So do you think it will work Mr. Jayce?¡±
¡°I think it can work Lady Eleanor, but it will not be very easy, and I will probably need 2-3 weeks to finish it, so it will be a very tight schedule.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a problem for us no? You won¡¯t be able to complete the tunnel on time if you are gone for so long.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why I intend to work on it exclusively for these next three days. I will need a few things though. Namely I¡¯ll need a horse, several days¡¯ worth of supplies, lanterns, and someone to collect my gambeson jacket and armor.¡±
We can¡¯t rely only on Lord Weston¡¯s plan, there is no guarantee Elkia will travel down the same path they always have.
¡°That¡¯s not a problem Mr. Jayce. Just relay whatever you need to Gerard and he¡¯ll prepare everything and have it ready for you first thing in the morning. Then let¡¯s plan to meet again before you leave with Lord Weston. By the way Mr. Jayce, have you seen my daughter Grace during your time there?¡±
¡°Just once briefly.¡±
¡°She¡¯s asked me to visit her tomorrow so I¡¯m thinking about preparing a few things for her. How does she seem?¡±
¡°Well we didn¡¯t interact for long, she just asked me some questions about magic before my meeting with Lord Weston.¡±
¡°Is that so, well if she was asking you about magic then she should be doing fine, alright, then in three days we¡¯ll talk. Goodnight Mr. Jayce.¡±
I wouldn¡¯t exactly say things are fine, but I guess she¡¯ll have more insight into it than me.
¡°Goodnight Lady Eleanor.¡±
********
After that I asked Gerard for the supplies I needed and began working intensely on building the tunnel east.
There are two entrances into the tunnel. The first is a direct route from Lady Eleanor¡¯s private bunker, and the other is from the Bunker I¡¯ve built that holds our supplies. A 50ft x 50ft x 8ft room 10 feet below the surface that connects to the horse stables via a ramp.
The tunnel itself is approximately 10 feet wide and 10 feet high with 2 air vents every 50 feet. I¡¯m hoping this will be enough for air flow. I¡¯ll need to pull air down from the surface as we travel to keep the tunnel well ventilated.
Roughly every mile I made a small latrine and at approximately the halfway point in the tunnel I opened up a larger space and made 10 beds. Travelling through the tunnel with a group of people will be slow and we may need to stay for an extended period of time if things are not safe.
The tunnel ends by climbing up a gradual ramp back to the surface but I left the exit still 3 feet below the ground. The likelihood of it being found is very small, but a hole in the plains is probably easily spotted from a distance.
After working exhaustingly on the tunnel I rode the horse back the entire way and met with Lady Eleanor and Gerard in the morning after taking a hot bath.
Gerard was able to pick up my jacket and armor and they fit perfectly. The jacket is brown and very thick. Though I didn¡¯t ask for it, it has a hood as well and extends down all the way to my knees. It buckles in the front and despite being thick it is not overly stiff. The breast and back plate fit well even over the gambeson and can be adjusted using leather straps and the pauldron¡¯s don¡¯t feel restricting at all.
Gerard believes they will have gathered all of the supplies they need in the next week and plans to store them along with the 3 wagons in the bunker. I only expect to be gone for 2-3 weeks but there are no guarantees so we settled on a contingency plan.
If I am unable to make it back for whatever reason and there is fighting within the city they will hide in the bunker for up to 2 days unless it is unsafe before attempting to flee through the tunnel.
The amount of air is limited and without me pulling in fresh air they will need to move quickly. They will also need to bring equipment to break through the other side of the tunnel. Its 3 feet but I didn¡¯t harden the exit so the rock isn¡¯t very strong and should be easy enough to break through.
After finalizing our plans I traveled to Lord Weston¡¯s where 5 carriages were waiting with 10 guards. The operation is meant to be quiet with few knowing about it but it¡¯s impossible to have me travel by myself.
The guards serve two purposes. They serve as a protective unit that will search for and eliminate enemy scouts while I¡¯m building the obstacles. And when I¡¯m done they will be stationed further west and given the responsibility of signaling when the Elkian army is 3 days away from the flood pit I will be building.
The first day here I slept most of the way. I didn¡¯t sleep much while building the tunnel and for the most part everything looks the same. Along the river are some shrubs and other bushes but otherwise it¡¯s all flat grasslands.
According to Lady Eleanor the further west you go the more trees you will see until you reach a massive forest with many types of wild beasts. The southern part of the forest borders a great savanna where warbeasts live naturally and the northern forest is dominated with marshlands populated with ogre tribes.
She¡¯s unsure of what is on the other side of the forest though. According to her, the forest is so dangerous few dare to enter and even fewer make it out. It reminds me of the tales we were told in the Empire of the Northern Territories. So much uncertainty and so many unknown places.
Starting from 25 miles from the southern shore of the river I began by creating large gentle rolling hills. They¡¯re not very high but they cause the land to slope unevenly. The river leads directly to Freeport, so it is unlikely they would travel this far south but we decided to start wide as a precaution.
As I moved further east I tapered the hills gradually and began producing large areas of sand. The sand is not very deep and patches of grass can still be seen coming out of it, but a large army would never consider traveling through it if there is a more suitable path.
It took one and a half weeks to make my way to the flood point. This will be the most difficult part of the plan. The pit will need to be nearly 30 feet deep, 1 mile long, and 1 mile wide. It¡¯s an enormous pitfall and I need to finish it in 1 week.
********
Something¡¯s strange. Our scouts haven¡¯t returned and it¡¯s been nearly 2 hours, they should have returned an hour ago. The Bertsch forest is known as the silent forest. It¡¯s one of the few forests in the great grasslands but there is hardly any life in it.
It¡¯s an eerie place that is shrouded in fog most of the time. I¡¯ve passed by on this route dozens of times and every time it leaves me with a sense of unease. Something about that forests feels unnatural.
¡°Colonel Pike, do you have any word of our scouts yet?¡±
¡°General Oswyn, sir we still have no information on the scouts and the second team hasn¡¯t returned yet either.¡±
What to do? I can¡¯t advance my men without knowing what¡¯s ahead of us. I may have no other choice than to send a small team forward.
¡°Colonel I want you to assemble a¡±
What is that? This rumbling, could it be a tremor? No, this isn¡¯t a tremor this is
¡°Everyone spear wall! Get your spears up! Colonel get those men into formation and get a proper spear wall up. Archers on the ready, everyone prepare for battle! Send word to the rear guard, ready the ballista¡¯s!¡±
What the hell is going on!? There should be no armies here, we¡¯re still 100 miles away from Freeport. Other than a small ferry point about 5 miles ahead there is nothing but grassland and forest. Have we been set up?
¡°Warbeasts! General they¡¯re warbeasts!¡±
Warbeasts!? Here? Only Elkia commands warbeasts, could it be Freeport has already fallen? Then what of the request for aid? Was the request fake?
¡°General it¡¯s warbeasts we need to retreat!¡±
Retreat where you idiot!? We¡¯re surrounded by grasslands and blocked from the forest by the river.
¡°Shut up you fool! Stop causing a panic, give me numbers, how many warbeasts?¡±
¡°At least, at least 1 thousand warbeasts plus armored riders behind them.¡±
One thousand warbeasts. A warbeast can be up to 6 feet tall, 15 feet long, and almost 5 thousand pounds. With tusks up to 5 feet long that curve outward from their mouth, a horn up to 3 feet long extending from its nose, and skin that cannot be penetrated by arrows a single warbeast is able to wipe out a platoon with ease. Who would send 1000 warbeasts to the middle of the plains?
To that many warbeasts a spear wall won¡¯t even slow them down. Shit, what is with this, does Elkia mean to attack Penrith?
¡°Pigeon, get a pigeon out with a message to Penrith telling them we¡¯ve been ambushed by Elkian warbeasts at the Bertsch forest! Men get your spears up and prepare to fight to the death!¡±
The closer they get the more unsteady the ground becomes. The tremors from the ground alone make it difficult to stand and the thought of being run over and trampled has caused some of the men to flee blindly. Our best chance at survival is the spear wall, and even with a perfect spear wall there is still virtually no chance at survival.
With the spear wall being so unsteady, even collapsed in some places our chances are now zero. To think, 18 thousand well-trained men of the Penrith army would panic to this extent. But even I am fighting the urge to run, no, I don¡¯t think I could run even if I wanted to.
Arrows from war bows bounce off of them as if it was a child throwing a stone. We never expected to face combat here so the ballistae are traveling on the wagon train.
¡°Everyone brace yourself, UUGGGHH!¡±
Damnit, Damnit, Damnit! How are we supposed to fight against this!
¡°HELP ME!¡±, ¡°AAAAGGHHHH!¡±, ¡°SAVE ME!¡±, ¡°RUN, EVERYONE RUN!¡±, ¡°TO THE RIVER!¡±
This isn¡¯t a battlefield, this is a killing field. The plains have been painted red with Penrith blood and dotted with the mutilated corpses of the men I have commanded. My left arm is broken, so are many of my ribs, and I can¡¯t move my legs at all.
The wailing is becoming quieter and the trembling of the earth has softened but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because I¡¯m dying or if they battle is over. How could this have happened? We received a request for aid just two weeks ago, is it possible that Freeport has already Fallen?
I always hear stories of people seeing their loved ones pass by their eyes before they die. But I never married, have no children, and lived in an orphanage until I was old enough to join the military. The closest thing I have to loved ones are the brothel girls.
I wonder what everyone else is seeing right now. Do they have wives? Maybe they have children they¡¯re leaving behind. I¡¯ve never tried to grow close to any of my men. I never saw the point in it and never felt the bond between men who have fought together so I wouldn¡¯t know.
¡°Major this one looks like their leader.¡±
¡°Good, do you have the message?¡±
¡°Yes Major here.¡±
What are they talking about? Elkian scum what message.
¡°Ambush, 1 thousand warbeasts, Bertsch forest. Looks like our hawks are faster than your pigeons. Where are my manners? Major Tiller, commander of the 42nd armored mounts. And you would be¡ well, I guess that doesn¡¯t really matter. Captain send a message to the General, Penrith army destroyed, less than 20 thousand.¡±
¡°Yes sir, and what of the survivors?¡±
¡°Survivors? I don¡¯t see any survivors do you Captain? The river, the forest, the plains, I see no survivors.¡±
¡°Understood, I¡¯ll send the message, clean up, and sure up the supplies. And what of this one?¡±
¡°Leave this one to me, I¡¯d like to have a nice long chat with the general of Penrith. Don¡¯t worry general, I just have a few questions, that¡¯s all¡¡±
********
¡°A death pit to be flooded with river water, is that right?¡±
¡°Yes sir, that is what the shadow walker said.¡±
¡°Well, ordinarily that wouldn¡¯t be too bad of a plan. So I will give them credit, at least they¡¯re making an attempt. Have we heard from Major Tiller yet?¡±
¡°Not yet sir, but the Penrith army should have reached them by now so we should hear from him in the next few days.¡±
¡°Very good, and when will the ships arrive?¡±
¡°The ships are scheduled to arrive here in 4 days, from then it will be 3 days to Freeport.¡±
¡°And what of our northern forces?¡±
¡°Colonel Dyer has sent word that his men are in position and will arrive on schedule.¡±
¡°Digging a pit huh?¡±
¡°General?¡±
¡°Colonel, I don¡¯t want our mage friend to feel left out. Send a platoon of armored riders and the younger brother to go talk with this mage. An 8th ranked mage will be a very nice addition to our forces.¡±
¡°And what if he refuses General?¡±
¡°Is there any need for me to answer that?¡±
¡°I apologize sir.¡±
¡°Good, then that will be all Colonel.¡±
Just seven more days. I hope those weasels on the council have prepared a welcoming party.
Chapter 9: The Battle For Freeport (pt 1)
Creating this pit has been both challenging and exhausting. The soil here is very loose and moist unlike the soil in the tunnel. In some places there is so much moisture it turns into a thick mud forcing me to build additional tunnels going south just to relieve some of the moisture and pressure.
Most soil can be compacted and hardened but there is no way to do that with water. Removing the water relieved a lot of the pressure under the surface, but it also caused the surface to become very unstable. Too unstable to hold any substantial weight.
To keep the surface stable I needed to build large arches and compress the surface almost to the point of crystallization. Right now the surface soil is only 4 feet thick and the wall holding back the river is 2 feet of highly compressed rock.
The pit is absolutely massive and will take a good amount of time to fill. Even after the surface rock crumbles it will still be over 30 feet deep. Without a powerful earth or water mage there will be no escape.
Which brings me to question, am I really ok with this? This pit if it works the way Lord Weston hopes it does will potentially lead to the deaths of up to 40 thousand people. Forty thousand people with families of their own wiped away only remaining in the memories of their loved ones.
This is war so I know it¡¯s me or them. But most of these people have been forced to serve in this army, they have no choice in this, it¡¯s either fight for Elkia or die. Some of them might even be younger than me.
In the Empire, soldiers are always told that we are just following orders and the one responsible is the commanding officer. It¡¯s a way to ease the guilt felt by taking another man¡¯s life. In this case, would that make Lord Weston responsible for their deaths?
Can I accept that reasoning, to wash my hands of their deaths will I place the responsibility on Lord Weston? To him it¡¯s obvious. Freeport is his home, his family line goes back generations and he¡¯s willing to do anything to preserve it.
It¡¯s not the same for me though. I have no real ties there. Sure I like Lady Eleanor, and by taking up her request I knowingly accepted I may need to kill people, but at the same time I might have needed to kill just to escape with my own life, so it didn¡¯t really change much. But this is different.
I never intended to stay in Freeport and grow roots anyways. And I¡¯m still not sure if fighting Elkia is the right thing. A strong kingdom might be a good thing for this area. Freeport is stuck 100 years in the past and is run by a council that is either incompetent or treacherous, perhaps both.
Progress can be bloody at times, it¡¯s the harsh reality of the world. The Empires borders are bathed in blood, but every country the Empire has conquered has prospered after they have submitted to imperial rule.
Laws are standardized and a systematic education system has been implemented. It¡¯s estimated that over 70 percent of the Empire¡¯s population can read and write. This is an effort to foster the growth of astounding individuals to strengthen the Empire. In most countries only merchants and nobles are literate.
Though I haven¡¯t interacted with many people here in Freeport, judging by the fact that I don¡¯t see many words and most shop signs are just pictures I¡¯m certain the literacy rate is not very high. So it comes back to the question of should I really collapse this pit when the Elkian army arrives? I¡¯m not so sure anymore.
Used to kill for the Empire, used to kill for Lord Weston, used to protect and kill for Lady Eleanor. Is that really all mages will ever be? Am I destined to be a tool used for killing no matter where I go? No one forced me to become a mercenary, does that mean even I think I¡¯m only good for war?
My pride as a mage, does that even matter? Was making ice figures really that bad? I had food to eat, a place to sleep, and was surrounded by people who seemed happy. It¡¯s not bad at all, so why did I feel so unfulfilled while doing it?
Is it because of how I brought up? ¡®A true mage is one who uses his powers to attack the enemies of the Empire.¡¯ Isn¡¯t that just a way to indoctrinate the masses? When did I accept that line of reasoning? The longer I think about it the more I struggle. Is it better to just stop thinking about it then?
********
Freeport has 3 main bridges that cross the Crystal River on the north side. Because of the canal and the moat that diverts the flow of the river the bridges are only 500 feet long. We would like to take control of 2 out of the 3 bridges and prevent escape from the third.
Our combined forces along with the Northsmen number nearly 25 thousand but they will not be much help during the siege. They have no formal training, they¡¯re called warrior tribes but they¡¯re more similar to bandits than anything else.
The plan is to use most of them to block the escape of people from the third bridge and the river shore with only about 2 thousand bolstering our numbers. After we enter though we intend to let them attack and pillage serving to further foster resentment of the Northsmen in the people''s mind and to spread panic.
Somehow we¡¯re supposed to then force them out of the city while making ourselves look like the protectors of the people. I¡¯m not sure how they plan to convince the masses we¡¯re the good guys, but that¡¯s not something I need to worry about.
The boom tower is ready to be raised 10 miles east of Freeport and ballistae have already been stationed along the shoreline with 20 boats prepared to detain or kill anyone who attempts to escape down the river. But even if they get past our men the ferry point 100 miles east has been captured by us as well cutting off all routes of escape.
Our forces to the east should have split into two groups as well. I¡¯m not too familiar with the details but the plan was to block the southern exit. Escaping south would be suicide, but I think they¡¯re worried escapees making a wide loop to Penrith.
The biggest obstacle we face will be the drawbridges. The drawbridges we are attacking are both 30 feet long. We have two 40 foot long platforms made of Daneron oak from the Bilst Forest to span the gap.
Ogres will be used to push the platforms in place and then press the battering rams. Their skin is very thick and with the minimum armor we have provided it will be difficult to take them down with arrows.
Each man has been given a shield and trained in creating a wall against arrows, but we still expect heavy losses in capturing the gatehouses. Hopefully we can keep our ogre losses minimal. Capturing and taming Ogres is difficult and expensive, losing even one is a considerable loss to the military so it shows just how important the capture of Freeport is.
¡°Colonel Dyer sir, reporting on the status of the Generals forces. The assault is to take place tomorrow. All operatives within the city are in place and will begin to attack before dawn.¡±
It would be good if our forces that have infiltrated the city were able to lower the drawbridge. But their main objective is to raise the gate of the canal so our ships can enter. If they are unable to raise the gate, towers will need to be erected and the loss of life will be much higher.
However, as long as the Freeport council follows through on their promises we should be able to limit losses. The General has siege equipment as well as that mage so I doubt there will be any problems.
¡°Good, what news is there of Freeport¡¯s forces along the wall?¡±
¡°Currently they have not prepared for a large-scale invasion, it appears our control of information has produced favorable results.¡±
Well, hopefully this doesn¡¯t turn into a long battle. If everything goes the way it should, by tomorrow afternoon at the latest we should be within Freeport¡¯s walls. If not we could be facing a drawn-out siege, and possibly two enemies instead of one.
¡°As we have discussed 500 men will stay behind with the rest breaking into 2 teams. Tonight is a new moon, all of our work has been for this, and we march tonight. I want everything in place before dawn.¡±
********
¡°Wow, this is really very impressive. To think he actually hollowed out this whole region. Well captain, have you finished up the guards?¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
¡°Yes sir, there were only 10 of them and they were still sleeping.¡±
There¡¯s a limit to how unprepared an army can be. Nearly dawn and they¡¯re all asleep. The whole area has become weak, these cities hide behind their walls and their citizens live life without knowing the brutality of war. Their soldiers are soft and lack the discipline a military should have.
They have no idea what is coming for them. If they did they would probably welcome us with open arms, maybe even sing praises to us in the streets. Keeping people weak and ignorant of reality is a failure of leadership and all of these cities should be purged of their incompetent rulers.
And these soldiers, they can¡¯t even protect themselves, how can they protect a city? Well it makes things easier on us, it¡¯s less loss on our part and things are able to progress quicker, but still, I can¡¯t say killing these weaklings makes me happy.
Now, what should I do about my little friend? I need to get his attention but I don¡¯t want to cause this place to collapse. What was he thinking when he built this? If this thing collapses won¡¯t it cause the river to run dry?
¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s so fragile that it will collapse with just this, so let¡¯s give him a little shake shall we? [Tremor]¡±
********
As he cast the spell [Tremor] a small ripple on the surface spread out in all directions. Though it wasn¡¯t enough to collapse the roof of the pit it was enough to startle Jayce and force him to come up from underground to investigate.
¡°Hello, you must be the Freeport mage I¡¯ve been told about, hopefully I didn¡¯t wake you. Do you mind taking a break from your project so we can have a chat?¡±
Jayce focused his eyes in the direction of the voice and in the dim light he was able to make out roughly 50 armored men on warhorses. The voice came from a young man wearing light armor and no helmet who was about 10 feet in front of the others and about 50 feet from Jayce.
¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°Oh, how rude of me, my name is Philip Osborne, I am a mage working with the Elkian army. And what should I call you?¡±
The name Osborne was known widely as a powerful military family throughout the Empire which confused Jayce even more. Though he couldn¡¯t be certain if it was a coincidence or if he really was one of the Osborne¡¯s from the Empire Jayce felt this man was dangerous.
¡°The name is Jayce, so can you tell me why you are here Mr. Osborne.¡±
¡°Just Jayce, nothing else? I guess names don¡¯t really matter so that¡¯s fine. Well Jayce, actually I¡¯m here to admire your work and to make you an offer of course. How about joining the Elkian army?¡±
¡°Is it really an offer? What if I refuse.¡±
¡°I¡¯m a peaceful man Jayce and I would really prefer it if we don¡¯t have to resort to violence. What do you say? As a mage you¡¯d have a lot of freedom in the Elkian army. They definitely wouldn¡¯t have you out here digging ditches with only 10 guards while everyone else watches in fear.¡±
¡°Regarding the 10 guards you spoke of, I don¡¯t see them, do you know where they are Mr. Osborne.¡±
¡°About that, you see they were a bit of a problem so these men had no choice and were forced to take care of them.¡±
Though he knew the guards were most likely dead, hearing Osborne say it so nonchalantly made Jayce¡¯s anger rise up, but he fought to quell it until he was able to figure out the best way to deal with Osborne and his troops.
¡°Is that so, unfortunately Mr. Osborne I have a bit of a problem, there are a few people I¡¯d like to keep safe in Freeport and I¡¯d rather avoid military service right now.¡±
¡°You say you want to avoid military service yet here you are serving in the Freeport military, what¡¯s the difference? And just give me the names of the people you are looking to save, I can guarantee their safety.¡±
Jayce couldn¡¯t refute what he said. Despite his attempts at convincing himself otherwise, he knew he was working directly on the Freeport militaries behalf. He had originally hoped to take jobs as a mercenary that didn¡¯t involve war, but now he might as well be a high paid soldier.
¡°Then tell me, do you have the authority to make that offer, are you in charge of the Elkian forces? And where is the rest of your army?¡±
¡°No I¡¯m not in charge, but I know the man who is, and if that is the price of your allegiance then they will have no problems. And as for our army, well its busy conquering Freeport right now, ah, I guess you were too busy underground though.¡±
Osborne¡¯s words caused an ugly expression to form on Jayce¡¯s face. He had no way to tell if someone was lying, but while he was underground he hadn¡¯t noticed any movements, still he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that the Elkian army had traveled down the northern side of the river either.
¡°Oh you look confused, let me help you. We traveled by boat. Looks like you did all that work for nothing.¡±
Currently 20 miles from Freeport there was no way to visually confirm what Osborne had said. A war horse could cover that distance in an hour which was roughly how long it would take Jayce if he traveled by propelling himself through the river.
¡°Really, then you wouldn¡¯t mind allowing me to verify what you said would you?¡±
Osborne¡¯s normally smiling carefree attitude changed and a frown appeared on his face. It was clear to him the back and forth was pointless.
¡°Ah, this is getting tiring. You can believe what I¡¯ve told you or not, it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯ve tried my patience enough, make a choice.¡±
¡°Sorry then, I¡¯m going to have to decline your offer, so what now?¡±
¡°That¡¯s a shame, I didn¡¯t want to kill you, so don¡¯t blame me for this. How about moving over there, there is no point in involving these soldiers in our battle.¡±
Osborne pointed to an area of sandy grass about 1 mile to the south of their present location. As the one who made the sandy area and an earth mage it wasn¡¯t a bad place and the conditions would probably favor him, but after thinking about it for a moment Jayce thought staying by the river was a better option.
¡°Those are men of the Elkian military here to ensure I join, they¡¯re also responsible for the death of my guards, no they are already involved. I think this is the perfect place for us to battle.¡±
Slamming his foot down onto the ground caused the whole hollowed out region to shake and forced 3 carriage sized boulders over 40 feet into the air. Jayce raised his hand to the sky and clenched his fist causing the boulders to shatter into hundreds of foot-long fragments that were hardened to the point of crystallization.
¡°Shit you bastard [Rock Wall]¡±
A large rock wall enveloped Osborne but it was not wide enough to cover the armored soldiers. With a flick of Jayce¡¯s wrist the projectiles rained down causing a hellish scene as they shred through the soldiers'' armor as if it was paper.
¡°Sorry Mr. Osborne, but if what you said is true I cannot afford to linger here.¡±
¡°You cocky shit, you really think you¡¯re leaving here alive? [Fireball], [Wind Blade], [Rock Cannon]¡±
Jayce wrapped himself in stone then ice but even though Osborne¡¯s attacks were basic spells they were stronger than he expected. The large stone shot at him was able to penetrate his rock armor after fireball and wind blade had damaged it causing him to stumble back and nearly fall.
¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Elkian military had someone capable of casting 3 spells sequentially like you just did.¡±
Jayce launched multiple ice spears towards Osborne forming a cage around him then exploding in all directions. Casting a [Wind Barrier] Osborne was able to block most of the ice shards; however, a few small pieces were able to make it through cutting him.
Continuing to attack Jayce shot two large boulders at Osborne but he was once again able to block them with a rock wall. Fighting at a distance with a mage of similar strength was a battle of attrition.
Though confident in his mana pool Jayce did not have a lot of battle experience other than sparring. If he continued in a long drawn out battle with someone who was more experienced he would likely lose. In that case, though it was risky, there was only one thing he could think of to end it quickly.
********
¡°General, the gate is still in place, do we continue to wait?¡±
If the gate is still in place it means our men have failed. Even if they are still fighting, a long fight for control of the gate will not favor them as reinforcements will surely appear.
¡°No, we don¡¯t have time for that. For now we¡¯ll assume the mission to clear the canal is a failure. Have the men begin setting the towers, we need to get over the wall, also have the mage come to me.¡±
¡°Yes sir.¡±
The reason we put so much effort into spreading disinformation, coercing the council, and infiltrating the city was to catch Freeport with their pants down. If they were able to organize, the siege might even last for months and the cost of life would be extraordinary.
I¡¯m confident we would still win, but I don¡¯t plan on sitting on this boat or these windy plains until winter comes. There is also the issue of the Northsmen, if Colonel Dyer is unable to gain entry without our assistance it¡¯s uncertain what they will do.
¡°Mr. Osborne, I was hoping to have you take out those two towers, are you able to do it?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t, but I believe you know why I¡¯m not supposed to act unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary right?¡±
A mage like him has the power to change the course of a war, if he wanted to take down a wall like this it would be no problem. Unfortunately I am under direct orders not to call for him or his brother to help unless it is related to magic or an emergency. Who he is and why he¡¯s treated with such favor, I don¡¯t know.
¡°Yes I understand, however those two towers pose a significant obstacle for us, by removing them we will be able to lower our casualties substantially.¡±
¡°Soldiers die General, which is a fact of war is it not?¡±
¡°This is true, but it is my job to take Freeport with the least cost of life possible.¡±
¡°Well it would be bad if too many died. It would make controlling the city more difficult, but I don¡¯t think taking down those two towers is going to help as much as you think it will.¡±
¡°Our men on the inside have failed and the longer we wait the more fortified this area will become. Those towers give Freeport a strategic vantage point and line of attack. Taking control of them was crucial, but that mission has failed so it¡¯s best to take them down.¡°
¡°Is it possible your men timed the attack incorrectly? It¡¯s your decision ultimately. If you really want me to shoot down those towers I will but I shouldn¡¯t be interfering in situations such as this¡±
Could there have been a communication error on when the attack would occur? I can¡¯t rule it out as unlikely as it may seem. But even if they timed it incorrectly it doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re here now and we need to press the attack forward.
¡°Then Mr. Osborne, if you would please take out those two towers.¡±
¡°Very well General, but after this you should rely only on conventional warfare.¡±
Conventional warfare is it? City walls, longbows, catapults, and trebuchets, they¡¯ll all become things of the past according to our new king. Things of the past, relics told about in tales, is that really all this is? This conventional warfare is all I know, a thing of the past, is that what I have become?
Chapter 10: The Battle For Freeport (pt 2)
The smoke rising from the east confirmed Philip Osborne¡¯s claims that Freeport was under attack. Jayce didn¡¯t know how they could have been so wrong in their planning but seeing the smoke it no longer mattered. He needed to get back and fast.
¡°Ah it¡¯s beautiful isn¡¯t it? It shouldn¡¯t be long now before Freeport falls. It¡¯s too bad about those people you wanted to keep safe. You really should have accepted my offer, such a shame [Tempest]¡±
A violent downburst of air erupted from the sky scouring the plains and creating a grating dust storm that traveled directly towards Jayce. Unsure of whether or not a secondary spell would be released in his direction he burrowed into the ground.
Now that he was sure their plan had failed there was no reason to hold back. When planning out the pit Lord Weston determined it would take between 1 and 2 days to fill if the flow of the river was to be fully diverted to it.
This would affect every city and village for almost 2 thousand miles downstream of Freeport and could be potentially disastrous in some places. Lord Weston knew this, but he was still willing to do it if it meant saving Freeport.
The pit would no longer be able to save Freeport, but it still had its uses. Namely, it was still able to strike a powerful blow to the Elkian military that had traveled down the Crystal River by boat. But also it could help buy Jayce the time he needed.
********
The sun is just peeking through my windows and the alarm is in full concert which could only mean one thing, we were under attack. But by who? There was still no movement from Elkia, could it be the warring tribes of the north? According to Randall the tribes did not appear to be heading in our direction at this time.
Our coverage of the area is quite porous though. With such a large area to cover it¡¯s possible a group could attack without being seen. But should they really sound the alarm for the northern tribes?
¡°Lord Weston, I apologize but we have a report from General Kurtis.¡±
¡°Hand it over.¡±
General Kurtis rarely writes his own messages, normally he dictates what is to be written, but it¡¯s sealed with the General¡¯s seal so it should be reliable.
The western canal gate is under Elkian attack. Their forces have traveled by boat and their current numbers are unknown. An explosion occurred in the western towers. Right now the situation is under control. Will update when further details become relevant.
Did Elkia send support by boats? Randall didn¡¯t say anything about this. But boats are able to travel quickly, so is it possible they were hidden or were they close and our scouts weren¡¯t able to message us in time? No, that shouldn¡¯t be right; this report doesn¡¯t say enough, I¡¯ll learn more once we meet.
And what of Jayce and our plan? If they came by boat then the pit would have no effect. Could they have figured out what we were doing, is Jayce still alive? If the enemy is here attacking with any numbers it¡¯s unlikely he is still alive. Damnit! We haven¡¯t activated even half of the mercenaries yet.
¡°Lord Weston, I hear bells, are we under attack?¡±
¡°Grace, right now everything is unclear. Why don¡¯t you go back to your room? I will need to meet with the council at once.¡±
¡°I would like to return to my mother¡¯s.¡±
This girl, I allowed her to have her own room because she said the bed was too uncomfortable to sleep on under the condition that she doesn¡¯t protest me entering at night. But all she does now is lock herself inside, only coming out when I call for her because of guests.
The only time she has spoken to me is to ask for a magic tutor as if those are readily available here in Freeport. Well, I did put in a request with the mercenary guild, as difficult as she may seem I do not want to make her miserable. But I don¡¯t see how I can ever grow to love her.
¡°Grace the safest place in Freeport right now is here in this house in your room. Please, I am very busy and cannot be bothered with this right now.¡±
I don¡¯t need her to love me though. I just need her to bear me a child. I guess that only matters if we survive this crisis. If we were to fall I wonder if it would be for the best to just send her back to her family.
Elkia usually kills the former leaders and their families of the cities they take over. As a member of the council should we lose I would be sentenced to death and so would she.
¡°Grace, I apologize, I should not have lost my temper. We can discuss this more this evening. If I think it is safest for you to go to your family then I will arrange for it.¡±
¡°Thank you Lord Weston.¡±
That may be the first smile she¡¯s shown me in weeks. Alright, by now I¡¯m sure the rest of the council has become aware of the situation. We need to meet with General Kurtis and figure out a way to handle our current problem.
********
¡°I apologize for waking you Lady Eleanor; however the siege bells have signaled that we are under attack.¡±
¡°No that¡¯s fine, I was just lying here anyways, what do you know so far?¡±
¡°Unfortunately not very much at this point, I have ordered two guards to investigate and have placed the rest around the perimeter of the property. If I may, I suggest you remain within your study for the time being madam.¡±
Over the last 3 weeks we¡¯ve been stocking our storage room with all the supplies we believe we¡¯ll need. The attack is a little earlier than we expected, but we are already prepared to leave. The issue is now gathering everyone here.
Grace should be coming shortly. I told her to come here when the battle begins, and that she will be safer with us. Hopefully, Lord Weston is smart and doesn¡¯t abandon reason for some failed attempt at glory. He¡¯ll be useful to us in Asmuth, but I will not risk my life to save him.
We also told my eldest daughter Belle to come with her husband and child, her husband is smitten with her so she shouldn¡¯t have a problem convincing him. As for my fool of a husband, I haven¡¯t seen the man in 2 days.
Most likely he¡¯s with that woman again, or perhaps he¡¯s wasted away another night at that brothel some of his merchant friends frequent. Thankfully he didn¡¯t take our son with him this time. Now there is just one more unaccounted for.
¡°And what of Mr. Jayce Gerard, has he returned yet?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry Lady Eleanor; we still have no word on his return.¡±
I have no doubts that he will make it back safely. I don¡¯t like it but the fact is our survival depends on him. We might be able to make it out of the tunnel without his help, but traveling to Asmuth will come with its own problems as well.
¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m sure he will be back before we need to leave. For now we need to gather everyone here. We will continue with the plan we decided on with Mr. Jayce before he left.¡±
We¡¯ve decided to bring two guards with us for additional security. It¡¯s not much but they are well trained and may be useful in the event Mr. Jayce is incapacitated in some way. They haven¡¯t been informed but when checking into their backgrounds we found neither of them has family of any kind. The perfect type able to leave without needing much notice.
¡°Then Lady Eleanor, should I send someone to look for Sir Ellis?¡±
¡°No, my husband will find his way back before things get too dangerous, of that I¡¯m sure. Make certain my son remains close though Gerard.¡±
¡°Yes, of course, Lady Eleanor.¡±
¡°Then I will be going to my study to rest. I feel a little unwell so please send some water and something light to eat Gerard.¡±
Is it finally time to leave? It¡¯s almost hard to believe. Everything our family has built will soon be gone. Once Elkia takes control they¡¯ll strip the families of their wealth and control to appease the masses. The people will welcome them with open arms.
The land of my ancestors. I wonder, will they applaud my efforts at ensuring the survival of the family, or will they berate me for losing the lands they built their legacies on. Hopefully I will not find out for a very long time.
********
¡°Archers aim for the Ogres! Do not worry about the men for now. Ballista¡¯s I want you taking out their catapults!¡±
Shit, where did these bastards come from! There was no warning of attack on our bridges. We¡¯re but 100 men against this army.
¡°Captain it¡¯s a message from the General.¡±
¡°Well, what does it say!?¡±
¡°Sir, currently the General is en route to the western canal gate that is under attack. There are hostile forces located within the city, they are unsure of when reinforcements will be able to come.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
What the hell is going on? We¡¯re being attacked from the west also, is this really Elkia? And what is with that message?
¡°Is that all it says? Are there no other details at all?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry sir that¡¯s all it says.¡±
Damnit! We were told we¡¯d be facing the barbarians from the north, not Elkia and they were still hundreds of miles off! We¡¯ve focused our men based on the intelligence reports we received from the council. Who told them we would only face barbarians! And why did the General only leave 100 men here!
¡°Make ready the lime pots! When those bastards start crossing our bridges I want their lungs to burst and their eyes to explode from the pain!¡±
If we don¡¯t get reinforcements I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll be able to hold out for. With ogres included it¡¯s only a matter of time before they break through our walls. We don¡¯t have enough men to hold them.
¡°Start boiling the pots and get those blockades up! Lt. send a request to the guild for as many men as they can send. When they burst through our gates I want them to beg for the comforts of hell.¡±
Damn Elkian scum, I¡¯m not even surprised that they¡¯ve allied with the northern barbarians. They¡¯re all just a bunch of bandits and rapists. Moving from one city to the next just taking whatever they want and destroying everything else.
********
¡°Major we need to take out those towers and embrasures. Have the trebuchet and the mangonels launch the pitch pots. Let¡¯s get those drawbridges and that entire wall covered in flames.¡±
Hopefully the smoke from the pitch should hinder their lines of sight and ease the torrent of arrows and bolts they¡¯re raining down towards my men.
¡°Do we have any word from the General?¡±
¡°Sir, the gate to the canal is still down. The General plans on continuing the attack and has begun the erection of the siege towers.¡±
¡°And what of our men inside of the city?¡±
¡°No word from them sir.¡±
Did they fail then? We never pinned our hopes on them completely but raising the gate was important and it was something they should have been able to accomplish. But even if they failed we should have heard from them at least. It doesn¡¯t change what we need to do here though.
¡°Then is our boom tower up? Have there been any attempts to flee through the eastern canal?¡±
¡°The boom tower is in place sir but there are no reports of escapees at this time.¡±
¡°Major get those orders out, if the gate hasn¡¯t been lifted then the General will be looking at a more difficult battle than we planned for. We need to take these two gatehouses as quickly as possible, worst case we may need to make our way to the General.¡±
********
¡°Lady CeeCee you sure are in a good mood.¡±
¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be Burton? Everything is going as planned; well there are a few hiccups on the western wall. They weren¡¯t able to raise the gate but they were able to diminish the opposition General Mason will face greatly, it won¡¯t be long before the northern bridges are taken, and Penrith¡¯s military was completely wiped out, yes so far everything has gone in our favor wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±
¡°Well that¡¯s true, that mage was a bit of a surprise though, thankfully we were able to get him tied up building a pit or he could have become a real pain. Honestly where did Alan find him?¡±
¡°Apparently he was performing party tricks at Alan¡¯s wedding. The thought of us almost failing because of a wedding entertainer is almost laughable don¡¯t you agree?¡±
¡°Alan, Alan, what to do with him now. It¡¯s not that I dislike the man but he¡¯s incapable of seeing the bigger picture. The days of self-governing cities are over. What do you think we should do Lady CeeCee?¡±
¡°Leave Alan to me, I¡¯ll convince him somehow, and if I¡¯m unable to then we¡¯ll need to restrain him and wait for the General to make a decision.¡±
What a shame, his father was a lot more fun, and easier to manipulate. Such a passionate man unlike Alan. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that we were both to be heads of our families we probably would have married instead of staying secret lovers.
I want to protect Alan for his father¡¯s sake. I wanted to help him along, support him on the council, and then eventually bring him to our side to ensure his safety. Sadly things don¡¯t always work out the way we plan; I thought I would have more time.
Or maybe, did I just move too slow? Supporting his ideas were all just a pretense to gain his trust. His ideas weren¡¯t necessarily bad, they just weren¡¯t very practical and not worth implementing. Once Elkia takes over they will put their own system into place.
Ever since I was a child Freeport has been on the decline. The mines to the north have long since dried up, and the northern barbarians have crippled our means of food production. Freeport has nothing left to export; soon we won¡¯t even be able to feed our own citizens. Elkia coming isn¡¯t us being conquered, it¡¯s us being saved. Unfortunately most people don¡¯t see it that way, people like Alan.
¡°Hmm¡ then we¡¯ll do as you suggest. The rest of the council should be here shortly. And what of General Kurtis? ¡±
¡°Isaac has taken care of him; there should be nothing to worry about there.¡±
¡°That¡¯s unfortunate, it¡¯s a shame General Kurtis was unable to be reasoned with.¡±
¡°I thought the offer was very generous, sadly he was unwilling to become a member of the Elkian military. I believe Isaac said the general''s words were ¡°I was born a Freeport citizen and I want to die as a Freeport citizen¡±, his words were foolish, but in the end he got want he wanted.¡±
¡°It would appear so¡, was it the shadow walker?
¡°I didn¡¯t ask, but I assume it was.¡±
The shadow walker; poor Alan, it¡¯s a lesson in not trusting your retainers too much that you had to learn the hard way. For most people loyalty has a price, a noble status and wealth in the Kingdom of Elkia is not something one can easily pass up.
¡°Hmm¡ well then, Lady CeeCee the others should be arriving shortly, we should prepare as well. Let¡¯s just hope Alan can be reasoned with.¡±
¡°Yes, hopefully¡¡±
Ah, Alan, I would hate to see you turned into a scapegoat and made an example of. You¡¯re a married man now; surely you must realize it¡¯s not just your life that hangs on your decision.
********
Five thousand men on each side of the river marched forward with siege towers towards the wall. What should have been the most heavily fortified section of the wall had barely half the numbers it should have defending it.
The Elkian soldiers who had infiltrated Freeport in the months before the invasion had attacked late at night hoping to raise the gate the moment their General appeared triumphantly. Unfortunately they were unable to completely defeat the guards on duty quietly and the main force of the Freeport military arrived.
The Elkian soldiers were ruthless, but ultimately they were defeated in a large battle that the majority of the population never even heard due to the relative distance of the western canal gate from most homes and businesses.
The destruction of their towers caused morale to drop in the soldiers, but despite this none of them thought they would lose. That was because no invading army had ever been able to breach their walls. To the veteran soldiers tasked with guarding the gate, this had become a yearly event.
Though their numbers were greater than normal, and they had traveled by boat instead of land, it was still the Elkian military they had become accustomed to fighting every fall. The skirmish would last for a month, maybe even two months. But soon Elkia would return home as they always did and things would settle down once again. At least that is how things had always played out up until now.
For most mercenaries of Freeport, more than half of their yearly wages came during the battles with Elkia. Those who distinguished themselves during battle would get bonuses based on their merits. It was a considerable portion of the military¡¯s budget that motivated battle starved mercenaries.
¡°General, it¡¯s a message from Isaac Wolfe.¡±
¡°Go ahead read it.¡±
Unfurling the small message carried by pigeon the soldier began to read
¡°Fierce battle at western gate. Major Freeport losses. Elkian infiltrators captured. Unable to open gate¡±
¡°Hmm¡ so it seems the Freeport military still has a little bit of fight in them after all. I had hoped the council would have handled this, but I¡¯ll find out what went wrong once we meet.¡±
The men chosen to infiltrate the city were not an elite unit; they were mostly newly conscripted soldiers so to the General losing them was inconsequential. What bothered him though was why there were so many soldiers guarding the wall the night before they were set to invade. It was something the council should have taken care of.
¡°General, what are your orders sir?¡±
¡°For now we continue as planned. We will continue to bombard the wall and weaken their defenses. Unfortunately we will need to rely on men scaling the towers to open the gate. The rest are to standby in the boats until we enter the city.¡±
Boulders weighing up to 200lbs loaded by Ogres onto Elkian catapults slammed against the city wall creating cracks and causing the walls to tremble, with Freeport answering back by taking aim at their towers and boats with pots of flammable plant resins.
Occasionally a fireball or an ice lance would launch towards the Elkian forces from atop the wall along the walkway. These were the rank 3 and 4 mages from the mercenary guild who joined in the battle. Elkia had a small number of mages of this level as well, but rank 3 or 4 magic was not enough to damage large walls so they were mainly used in open field battles.
War, the type of war the General knew well was in full swing. This was conventional warfare. Battles with high mortality rates and gruesome injuries. Many soldiers who fought for the first time in these conditions would be plagued by nightmares and terrors for weeks to come.
Sitting in his covered boat the General did not notice at first, but around him the earth had begun to tremble as if a massive explosion had occurred. The sounds of shouting men fell silent and the boat began to rock side to side in a gentle fashion.
¡°General Sir! Reporting what appears to be an earth shake sir!¡±
¡°An earth shake? Here in Freeport? I¡¯ve never heard of an earth shake happening in the plains, let me see.¡±
The written history of the Northern Territories was short in comparison to the southern kingdoms, but in 500 years there had never been a report of an earth shake in the vast plains. At the very least the General had never heard of one.
When he went to the surface of the boat looking around he saw many of the men were cowering on the ground while the covering their heads as Ogres rampaged, slamming their fists on the ground. The tight formations of professional soldiers were gone and in its place was chaos.
¡°What is going on? An earth shake, at this time? Is this an act of the gods?¡±
While the General was in thought the men standing guard over Freeport were equally terrified. Most had never even heard of an earth shake, they begged the gods and asked for forgiveness. They asked the gods to spare their lives as they confessed every sin they could remember.
¡°TO THE SHORE! Colonel get everyone to the shore now! This isn¡¯t an earth shake, he¡¯s collapsed the pit. Get to the shore now before the river runs dry!¡±
********
Below the surface of the massive hollowed out pit knelt a young man in a gambeson jacket and metal plate armor. With his left arm on his thigh and his right hand pressed to the ground his face was scrunched as if he were in pain, but if one could see it, all around him he was amassing mana into a large sphere just beneath his feet.
To collapse the entire pit and force the river to flow into it would require a massive shockwave. One larger than Jayce had ever produced before in his life. And once he released the shockwave he would need to flee as quickly as possible or else he could be forced to battle his way out.
This shockwave would buy time for Freeport, but Jayce still needed to deal with Osborne, and he was certain he now had a way. Taking a deep breath one last time Jayce pressed his hand as hard as he could into the ground and forced the mana to explode out along the bottom of the pit in all directions.
The waves rippled through the ground causing the pillars that were holding up the surface to buckle and then crumble into pieces and crash onto the bottom of the pit. Everything within a half-mile radius of Jayce was violently shaken and the ripples spread out for many more miles.
The hardened wall holding back the river shattered and the water flooded into the pit before the surface could fully collapse causing a violent wind to erupt out through any cracks it could find.
Jayce encased himself in stone and created a pillar beneath his feet that brought him to the surface where he saw the ground all around him fracturing and collapsing into an ever-expanding lake formed by the river.
Osborne stood by the edge of the pit grinding his teeth in fury. He knew what was going to happen now that the pit had collapsed, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. All he could do now is kill the person who did it and hope his brother didn¡¯t punish him too severely.
Osborne was close to 1000 feet from his current position. He would need to get closer, but that wouldn¡¯t be easy. Though no one was around, and Osborne would not be able to hear him, Jayce still quietly muttered.
¡°Then Mr. Osborne, what do you plan to do?¡±
Chapter 11: The Battle For Freeport (pt 3)
From grown men to children, throughout Freeport people panicked as the ground rumbled beneath their feet. To them, if the ground they walked was no longer safe then was there anything that could be considered safe? For many there could only be one explanation; the gods had come to punish them for their sins.
By the time the waves struck Freeport the tremors were not strong enough to knock down buildings, however, many people fled to the streets in fear. The torrent of people clambering over one another caused an unfortunate number to be trampled upon.
The merchants setting up their stalls could only watch helplessly as their wares were crushed underfoot by the mobs of waling people and frightened horses that had escaped the control of their owners.
The alarm bells signifying an attack was occurring that were previously ringing were now a distant memory. The city was in a state of chaos.
********
Who would ever believe an earth shake would occur in Freeport. Judging by the sounds outside people have no idea what is happening. Another reason for a stronger education system. Maybe if we weren¡¯t at war this would be the perfect time to bring it up.
¡°An earth shake? Burton, I don¡¯t recall any recordings of earth shakes in Freeport do you?¡±
¡°No Lady CeeCee I do not remember reading anything regarding earth shakes here. Thankfully this doesn¡¯t appear to be very strong though. It should pass soon enough.¡±
¡°Is that so, I¡¯ve never been in one before. Alan dear you¡¯ve made it, come take a seat, it should be safe in this room.¡±
¡°Lady CeeCee yes I arrived just a moment ago, just before the shaking began.¡±
¡°Yes, this is quite odd indeed. Alan the others should be arriving soon, I¡¯m glad you were able to make it with no issues.¡±
¡°Thank you Burton, I know we should wait for the rest of the council but have you also received a message from General Kurtis?¡±
¡°Yes, we both did. It appears there has been an attack on the western canal gate; however as of right now the situation appears to be under control.¡±
It looks like they received the same message as me, then I guess we won¡¯t learn much from this meeting until either General Kurtis arrives or we receive a new message.
¡°Then do either of you know whether or not General Kurtis will be appearing before us?¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything other than what was written in the message I received this morning, what about you Burton?¡±
¡°No, I haven¡¯t either. What about your retainer Alan? The one who can shadow walk, does he have any news to share?¡±
¡°Sorry Burton, I haven¡¯t heard from Randall for a few days now. If it is indeed an Elkian attack I fear he may have been captured while he was investigating.¡±
While the likelihood of Randall being captured is small because of his abilities I cannot think of any other reason for him to not appear with relevant information regarding this attack. I hate to believe it, but I may need to prepare for the fact that Randall is dead.
¡°That would be quite unfortunate. Should a man of his caliber fall to Elkia it would be a major loss to Freeport¡¯s strength.¡±
¡°Randall would never betray his people Burton.¡±
¡°I never implied he would, I¡¯m just saying he is very important and Elkia would most likely do whatever they can to get their hands on him. Speaking on that topic, what of the mage we have employed, I believe our plan should have been able to prevent this sort of an attack.¡±
¡°Unfortunately the last I heard he was still creating the trap we had devised. I am not sure of anything else at this¡¡±
Wait, this earth shake, could it possibly be because of him? Collapsing the pit could be done with an earth shake. Could this earth shake be because of that? Is he powerful enough to create an earth shake? He might be, no he probably could. But if that¡¯s the case who is attacking our western canal? The northern tribes? No that is unlikely; they would have no way of entering.
Then did Elkia send an advanced force ahead, perhaps traveling down a different path than we had anticipated? Ah, I still don¡¯t know enough, if Randall were here I would be able to piece this together, but at the very least I¡¯m certain Mr. Jayce is the cause of this earth shake and he has collapsed the pit.
¡°Alan, you seemed to trail off all of a sudden, is something wrong?¡±
¡°No Lady CeeCee I was just thinking, sorry, but I believe the earth shake was made from the mage we hired. I think he collapsed the pit.¡±
¡°Is, is that so? Do you think that will be a problem Burton?¡±
¡°Hmm¡, the General is a well-educated man in command of a disciplined army, so I don¡¯t believe there will be any issues. And if there are he should be able to hand them. No, I think it will be fine.¡±
Well educated? I wouldn¡¯t consider General Kurtis well educated, perhaps more so than the normal citizen but I¡¯ve always felt he is a bit lacking in that area. And disciplined is hardly how I would describe our army. Perhaps these people should leave the comforts of their daily lives more often and examine some of the things they preside over.
¡°Isaac, Lando, Esra you¡¯ve made it, good we can begin now. Alan, please take a seat.¡±
¡°Burton I¡¯m a little confused, what about the others? Are we starting before they come?¡±
¡°About that Alan, the others won¡¯t be able to make it, please sit down, there is much to discuss.¡±
********
¡°Lady Eleanor, shall we make an exit to the garden?¡±
¡°No Gerard that shouldn¡¯t be necessary, this is only a minor earth shake, it should be over soon. Still to think an earth shake happening here, how odd.¡±
I wonder what could have caused this here in the plains. In Asmuth, where earth shakes are not so rare they say they come from the Birac Mountains. Those mountains are nearly 700 miles away though. Could one have reached this far?
¡°My apologies, I forget you¡¯ve experienced earth shakes before.¡±
¡°Yes, I think I was 12 or maybe 13 when I experienced one in Asmuth. I believe it was not much stronger than this one, oh how na?ve I was then, thinking monsters in the ground were trying to escape. Thinking about it now, I can¡¯t help but laugh at myself. Though I still don¡¯t understand what they are, ah there you see it¡¯s over. Check on the staff Gerard, I am sure there are many confused people right now.¡±
¡°Yes Lady Eleanor.¡±
Well it¡¯s to be expected. Only people who have traveled out of the plains or those educated on it would know of earth shakes. Most people here have never ventured more than 50 miles of Freeport. Even those that have would have normally stopped at Penrith or Canrit, neither of those places would experience earth shakes either.
Hopefully it did not affect our tunnel. Mr. Jayce did say the tunnel walls were solidified so it should be fine, but it would be a very big problem if the tunnel has collapsed. I¡¯m sure if it did he would be able to repair it, but it would definitely require a large amount of time and if it was spotted would make things very difficult for us.
Shall I have Gerard take a look? If the tunnel was found it would lead directly back to here. Perhaps we should have built false tunnels to misdirect any potential attackers. I hadn¡¯t thought of it at the time but it would probably have been a good idea. No, maybe Mr. Jayce has another way of dealing with them?
So troubling. Unfortunately we do not know enough about why the alarm was signaled. If it¡¯s Elkia then Lord Weston¡¯s plan has failed and Mr. Jayce should be on his way back. But if it¡¯s the warring tribes then we will need to consider whether to flee or wait.
What a mess. Sadly these are the issues one finds themselves in when they don¡¯t have a large enough information network. My father was a charismatic man with many contacts and sources. I was never able to build relationships in the same way he was and though my husband knows many people most of them are low-level merchants with very little influence or power.
I can only blame my lack of initiative. Then again I wasn¡¯t meant to inherit the family household. I wasn¡¯t groomed and educated in these things as my late brother was. Well that¡¯s just an excuse really; I¡¯ve had ample time and opportunities.
Was I too complacent? Or was I just apathetic to the whole thing? I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter now; still it would be nice to know what our situation is. When I make it to Asmuth it¡¯s imperative I make the right contacts, being in the dark is quite frightening. Well then Mr. Jayce, how long do you intend to make us wait?
********
¡°It appears my brother has failed General, I apologize. Maybe I should go have a look. Though I¡¯m sure he will be here soon. My brother can be a little relaxed at times but he will not lose to some Freeport mage.¡±
¡°No, there is no need Mr. Osborne, your spell to freeze this part of the river has helped us greatly.¡±
Magic really is something else. To think he was able to cast a spell that froze this entire section of the river. Trapped in mud or trapped in ice, why¡¯d that bastard even get the chance to collapse that pit?
¡°So what will you do then? Will you remain on the boats or leave? This block of ice will take a very long time to melt, but once the river starts to flow again I will need to thaw it or there will be a massive flood.¡±
We can¡¯t wait in the boats until that pit fills. We have no idea how long that will take. But the canal gate is the only major entryway into the city unless we march a mile to the south. The problem is our equipment. Unless¡
¡°Mr. Osborne, does this ice extend past the canal gate?¡±
¡°Yes, it extends approximately 50 feet past that gate General.¡±
Hmm¡, this may actually have worked out in our favor.
¡°Mr. Osborne let me ask you, what is the likelihood of the Elemental mage sending a rush of water in our direction?¡±
¡°Well I can¡¯t say for certain that he wouldn¡¯t, but I don¡¯t believe he would. He shouldn¡¯t know we¡¯ve blocked this area with ice so sending a rush of water towards the city would cause massive flooding and a large number of casualties. I think the chances are low.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
¡°I see, and then just in case, if he did would you be able to prevent it?¡±
¡°Depending on the scale I could probably block it in some way. If it is too difficult to freeze I could probably direct it away from the gate temporarily.¡±
¡°Then as this pertains to magic can I rely on your help if that were to happen?¡±
¡°That is true, yes that shouldn¡¯t be a problem then General.¡±
Yes, there may be a way to turn this situation into a golden opportunity. If we can attack the gate directly using the ogres we may be able to destroy it and march across the ice into the city. We¡¯ll need to hit the wall hard though to disrupt those archers.
¡°Colonel, let¡¯s start unloading these boats. Keep the minimum number of men in them to keep them functioning but the rest I want onshore and information. I want all catapults out and attacking that wall. And get these damn ogres under control. We¡¯re marching on that gate.¡±
It¡¯s certainly not how we planned it; magic really can make a mess of things. Is this what the king meant by conventional warfare becoming a thing of the past? Are there other mages like Mr. Osborne within Elkia I do not know of?
If that is the case, what is the point in having massive armies, or city walls? An absolute power that the normal man cannot hope to defeat. Is that what magic is?
********
A large lake was slowly starting to form from the gushing waters of the Crystal River. Jayce continued to stare at Philip from his pillar within the lake waiting for his next move, but neither of them wanted to be the first to strike.
¡°You¡¯re not from the Northern Territories are you Jayce?¡±
¡°Does it matter where I¡¯m from?¡±
¡°No, I guess you¡¯re right it doesn¡¯t matter, but I just can¡¯t understand why you¡¯re trying to protect a city you¡¯re clearly not from.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve told you already, there are people I wish to protect there. Tell me Philip Osborne, why has the Empire sent you to the Northern Territories?¡±
And awkward smile etched across Philips'' face confirming Jayce¡¯s suspicions.
¡°So you know about my family huh? Then you must be from the Empire as well, a deserter maybe? No you¡¯re a bit too young for service I believe, but still a mage such as yourself, the Empire would not allow you to leave so easily. Who are you Jayce? If you¡¯re a citizen of the Empire shouldn¡¯t you be working with us?¡±
Jayce could not understand why an Osborne of the Empire was here. It was true, the Empire would never allow a mage to leave their service easily, but that didn¡¯t really apply to his situation. But the same could be said about the Osborne¡¯s. He also did not think the extremely nationalistic Osborne¡¯s would ever abandon their posts in the Empire, so why were they here?
¡°Answer my question first, why has the Empire sent you here?¡±
¡°Truthfully I¡¯ve given away too much already; I think it¡¯s about time we, shit! [Rock Wall]¡±
Before Philip had finished talking 5 round stones approximately 2 feet in diameter raced towards him. Philip cast a [Rock Wall] to block the incoming stone balls but the moment they struck the wall they exploded sending him flying backward and tumbling on the ground.
The stones Jayce sent flying to Philip were actually filled with water that had been heated beyond the normal boiling point. The water, being unable to expand became highly pressurized that exploded out with scalding hot water and steam the moment it made contact with Philips wall.
¡°AAAAAHHH you bast.., what did, what did you do to me!? [Air Burst]¡±
Writhing in pain due to the burns inflicted by the steaming water Philip cast a burst of air to explode out in all directions. Jayce was too far to strike, but it stopped him from getting any closer allowing Philip to regain his senses.
Fighting against another mage 1 on 1 was rare in the Empire. As state resources, any injuries or loss of mages was considered a blow to the strength of the nation. Though Philip had been educated in mage combat almost all of his experience was in large open battlefields.
Although he had a cursory knowledge of elemental magic that told him Jayce had used some form of thermokinesis, he had never heard of superheating water to make it explode. He could only curse himself for not knowing enough about elemental magic.
With Philip injured and on the defensive Jayce quickly left his stone pillar and created a large disk of ice to stand on as he propelled himself through the water. It was the perfect opportunity to get closer. Philip could do nothing but continuously cast defensive spells as Jayce tried to overwhelm him with a barrage of ice spears.
¡°You traitorous son of a whore! [Mana Shield]¡±
A glowing green field of energy wrapped itself around Philip as the ice spears continued to rain down on him. Jayce was almost close enough to attempt what he had planned when the world suddenly turned white.
¡°[Mana Burst]!¡±
The force of the explosion blew Jayce 50 feet back into the shallow lake he had created. He had never experienced anything like it. A shockwave of energy exploded out in a brilliant white light blowing back anything within 100 feet.
The cold water shook him back to his senses. His ears were ringing and for a moment he had forgotten what he was doing. After realizing what had happened he immediately wrapped himself in a thick stone cocoon.
The shockwave from that spell had rattled his mind and made breathing laborious; he nearly vomited as he thought about what to do next. He was out of time. Continuing to battle like this would be too difficult.
Sinking back down into the ground Jayce began tunneling directly towards Philip. He could not get close to him above ground, so he would try below. As long as he could get within 25 feet of him he would do it.
Thermokinesis; most only think it applies to liquids. Such as changing water to ice, but the truth is it applies to all elements, the limiting factor was mana supply. Jayce had tried this before, that¡¯s why he knew how close he needed to be. It would be a massive expenditure that would leave him nearly completely depleted for at least half a day.
When he was certain he was beneath Philip he began to channel his mana into the rocks in front of him. As his mana drained he felt a headache accosting him growing even more painful. The ground began to heat up filling the tunnel with steamy air as the water boiled off.
Philip could sense something was wrong but he wasn¡¯t sure what it was. He cast one of his most powerful spells and had seen Jayce flying backward, there was no way he wasn¡¯t injured, but he did not want to risk walking into a trap with so little mana left so he remained where he was.
It was the safe choice, but it was also a mistake. By the time he felt the rumbling beneath his feet it was already too late. A column of molten rock erupted from the ground completely engulfing him. He did not have enough mana left to cast [Mana Burst] or [Air Burst] all he could do was cast [Mana Shield] and hope he would be able to hang on.
But as his mana shield began fading he knew there was no hope he would survive. He was out of mana, had made too many mistakes, and he had taken his opponent too lightly. There would be no chance to learn from his mistakes. It was a lesson he had paid for with his life.
For the glory of the Empire, from the moment he took his first steps those words were spoken to him. It was a never-ending mantra reminding him of his duty to serve. It was the mantra his family lived and died by.
Perhaps he was in too much shock, but as streams of molten rock leaked through his shield burning his flesh, Philip did not make a sound. For the glory of the Empire! It continued to ring in his head. Everyone will someday die, but the Empire, the Empire will live forever!
Gain fame and become immortal! What a lie; Philip opened his eyes one last time before the shield completely collapsed. Everything he had been told was a lie. Today he would die on the plains of the Northern Territories. If there was one thing Philip had learned while he was here it was this. There is no glory in death.
********
After the earth shake struck, the northern Elkian forces were quick to regroup under the leadership of Colonel Dyer. Using nearly all of their combustible supplies the colonel ordered the wall to be completely covered and lit on fire.
The scene on the northern wall was a fiery hell. The massive amounts of thick viscous resins and pitch that covered the wall, embrasures, and towers currently on fire forced the guards to abandon the wall-walk behind the parapet leaving the wall and the bridge unprotected.
Without the rain of arrows firing out towards them, the ogres were able to easily bring forward the wooden platforms used to cover the gap left due to raising the drawbridge. While behind them the enormous battering rams were wheeled forward.
Each battering ram was a massive log nearly 30 feet in length that had been sharpened on one end and capped with steel. They were hung by a chain to a covered triangular frame on wheels that was pushed by four ogres.
Despite the heat from the flames, the ogres pushed on as though it did not affect them at all. They brought the ram flush to the drawbridge before pulling the massive log back and slamming it forward with all their might.
The drawbridge shook from the force of the blows and pieces of wood began to splinter off. Unable to man the walls due to the fire, the guards who would normally be attacking by dumping boiling water, tar, or boulders down the murder holes were no longer present.
Instead they stood behind the barricades, the last line of defense they would be able to put up, they could do nothing but wait until the city they grew up in and swore to protect was breached. Today every man present knew it would be their last.
Reinforcements had not arrived and there were less than 80 men remaining between the two gates. Despite this however not a single man had fled. This was their home. Many of them had families and loved ones here. If they were not willing to fight for their loved ones forget being called soldiers, could they even be called men?
Everyone here knew the fate of those taken by the barbarians. Males who were not killed while fighting would suffer castration and enslavement. Most would not survive the brutal procedure, and of those that did less than half would make the journey to the Northern Expanse where they would be used as combat partners and entertainment until they were killed.
The women would become the prizes of war. Some would not survive the initial series of assaults, but those who did could only be said to be alive in body. The barbarians did not capture women to make children with. This was because of the belief that the blood of the peoples of the plains was weak and making children with them would weaken the tribe.
Women who became pregnant were either killed or had their child forcibly aborted. To the barbarians of the Northern Expanse, the people of the plains were only good for one thing. It was entertainment. Once they lost their value there was no reason to keep them alive.
These men of Freeport were all that stood between the citizens and the hell that awaited them should they be captured. They were scared, scared at the prospect of losing their own lives, but no man here was willing to face their ancestors as a coward who fled from battle.
The rhythmic pounding on the other side of the drawbridge thundered in the guard''s hearts. With each strike both the drawbridge and their legs grew weaker, death awaited them beyond the drawbridge, and with every strike it drew nearer.
Their morale was low, perhaps a motivating speech by their leader would help, however their captain was now dead and the newly promoted lieutenant was in charge. There would be no motivating speech; the situation could not get much worse.
¡°Archers ready your bows and nock your arrows! The enemy has brought the fight to us; let¡¯s take as many of them with us as we can!¡±
Despite his best efforts, no one could take solace in the lieutenants'' words. They would fulfill their duty, and they would die doing it. But whether they killed one or a dozen, in the end, they would still die, Freeport would be invaded, and their families still attacked. No matter how they looked at it, it was a pointless death.
As the wood from the drawbridge began to finally split the archers raised their bows and marked their target while the rest of the men pulled their shields tightly into formation while readying their pikes, creating what most would consider an intimidating wall.
With pikes of 15 feet long it was a defensive strategy that kept the enemy at a distance and allowed the archers to loose arrow after arrow upon the enemy. Although it was weak to attacks from behind, it was a great formation in defending their gates.
One last strike and it was over. The battering ram exploded through the drawbridge and a gaping hole was created. A loud inhuman roar erupted just outside of the walls. So terrifying was the sound that some of the guards dropped their pikes.
¡°Men, tonight we shall sit at the table of our ancestors with our heads held high. Whether they be humans, ogres, or some other foul beast captured by the Elkian¡¯s and barbarians, no matter what comes through that hole to attack us we will face it head-on. Archers draw! The moment any head pokes through that hole we will put an arrow in it!¡±
With his best attempt at emulating his captain out of the way all the lieutenant could do now was ready himself for the battle ahead. Begging the gods for a miracle, pleading with the ancestors to give them strength and keep them safe. The lieutenant knew better, these were just things people did to make themselves feel better. But today, for the first time in his life, the lieutenant looked to the sky and sincerely began to pray.
********
If I walk quickly I should be able to make it to Freeport within 7 or 8 hours. If I hadn¡¯t been so impulsive I would be able to use one of the warhorses the riders had. There¡¯s no point in thinking about it now. But with this headache I don¡¯t think I can make it.
If I had enough mana I could close off the flow of the water into the pit and travel down the river, but that¡¯s not an option any longer. There¡¯s no way around it, I can either begin walking back now or wait until my mana replenishes.
My body feels wrecked. It¡¯s finally happened, I¡¯ve finally killed someone. I thought I would feel worse, perhaps remorseful in some way. Maybe it just hasn¡¯t hit me yet, but I¡¯ve finally killed with my own hands. A platoon of soldiers and a fellow mage. A mage of the Empire at that.
He said he is here with his brother which is very worrisome. I don¡¯t think his brother will be satisfied with a, ¡°I had no choice, it was either me or him¡±. No, unfortunately I have made enemies with a very powerful and unreasonable family.
It¡¯s just impossible. Am I really going to be fleeing from these people, from the Empire for the rest of my life? Is this perhaps some curse placed on me by my ancestors for running away and refusing to fight? How else can it be explained?
The Northern Territories are meant to be a wild land where the southern kingdoms are unable to reside. Throughout history it was only written about in legends, no kingdom has ever crossed the Kundar Mountains. Yet today, as I stand, seeking refuge from the Empire in the Northern Territories, the Empire has begun to do the impossible.
It¡¯s hard to accept, but my fight with Philip Osborne shows the reality of it. Right now I am in fabled lands caught in a war instigated by the very Empire I¡¯m fleeing from. Ah this is so tiring. I¡¯m sorry Lady Eleanor; you¡¯re going to need to hold on for just a little longer. I need to rest for now.
Chapter 12: The Battle For Freeport (pt 4)
Despite resting for a while my head still hurts and I feel a little dizzy. I haven¡¯t been able to eat or drink anything either because of nausea I¡¯m feeling. If it wasn¡¯t for that large plume of smoke in the direction of Freeport I¡¯d probably wait until this passes before heading off.
I¡¯ve regained some of my mana but it¡¯s not enough. Guess I don¡¯t have a choice, for the time being, I¡¯ll need to walk. As long as there are no other problems I should arrive sometime before dark. Lady Eleanor has her own guards and the bunker even if they enter the city, so for the time being, it should be ok.
Will Freeport still be Freeport by tonight though? Capturing a city should probably take a decent amount of time using the equipment they use. Classical references said before mages and cannons were made use of taking a walled city could take months. Is that the same here?
I wonder what affect ogres and warbeasts have in conquering cities. Lady Eleanor¡¯s description of warbeasts almost seems unreal. She made it sound like they could run straight through the walls of the city. If beasts like that were available why would they bother with siege weapons?
In fairytales, ogres were large viscous demi-humans who were incredibly powerful and almost impossible to kill with hand-held weapons. If that¡¯s true then they would be a very troublesome opponent. I still can¡¯t come to grips with the existence of ogres or other races besides humans.
Legends speak of many different races living in the Northern Territories. After this is over I should look into how true those legends are. Some of the legends say there are races that are friends of humanity, but there are also those who treat humans as food like livestock.
I should really try to learn a few arcane spells as well. I have hardly any talent for it though. I think my main problem is how I connect with my mana. I¡¯ve always connected with it like it was a different sense. It¡¯s how I¡¯ve been taught and it¡¯s what feels natural to me. It¡¯s almost like using the mana to form a spell, but arcanists form the spell then fill it with mana right?
Hmm¡, so maybe it¡¯s the order that causes me problems. I think my tutor once said something about that. I really should have paid closer attention to those lessons. Thinking back I really only cared about using magic and not studying it. I was a foolish child. Now that I¡¯m in the Northern Territories it will be difficult to find a tutor on arcane magic.
Well had I stayed in the Empire it wouldn¡¯t have mattered too much. As a mage, your job was to get strong as quickly as possible so you could be of use to the Empire. Most mages don¡¯t have the luxury of mastering two systems of magic. Especially when one of the systems requires large amounts of rote memorization.
From the Empire¡¯s standpoint, they¡¯d rather have more elemental mages. We require less training so we can begin producing results quicker. But from an academic standpoint arcane would probably be the way to go wouldn¡¯t it? After all arcane spells can become very complicated.
Mages have always been military resources. There are no pure schools which focus solely on the study of magic that I know of. What was it like in other countries though? If someone was allowed to simply study magic just for the sake of studying it what would become of it?
When I leave Freeport I should put more thought into it. That mana burst spell and mana shield spell were really impressive. I could probably replicate them with water, maybe even earth, but neither of those elements would hold out like his shield did.
Could I possibly manipulate my mana outside of my body without the aid of an element? Or perhaps I can use air instead. Infuse air with mana and somehow solidify it. But can air be solidified? I¡¯ve never heard of it before, but it might be worth investigating.
That burst of mana was really incredible though. Such a massive amount of mana exploding out; I was helpless against it and got extremely lucky. I wouldn¡¯t exactly call it a fully offensive spell though. It was more defensive than anything else. If I wasn¡¯t trying to get close to him it wouldn¡¯t have been very effective.
But It reminds me of the rumor of those mana bombs the head of the Osborne family is said to be able to produce. He is one of 3 rank 10 mages in the Empire. Being able to forcibly explode mana is supposedly a rank 9 spell but it requires an enormous amount of mana so virtually no one is able to do it.
From what I remember if enough mana is compacted into a small enough area it will explode. It¡¯s a devastating spell that can potentially destroy a small city. Not all of it actually explodes either. Most of it remains as condensed chunks of mana that spread rapidly in all directions.
Any normal person and mages rank 4 and below will succumb to mana sickness from the mana chunks, and many of those people end up dying. It¡¯s one of the reasons the Osborne family is so powerful.
I remember overhearing my father complaining about the Emperor marrying off his sister to the head of the Osborne family in an attempt to keep a leash on them. He said he¡¯s an abusive man with a terrible temper and he hates having to deal with him.
One can hardly blame the emperor though. A powerful weapon you can¡¯t control is more of a curse than a blessing. How would I handle it if I was the Emperor? Would I try to buy him off using my sister as well? Do what¡¯s best for your country by sacrificing your sister, or do what¡¯s best for your sister¡¯s well-being. What a difficult situation.
Then again the Emperor must be faced with difficult issues all the time, and it was my father who said it. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if the man wanted her for himself and was upset because he didn¡¯t get her. Who knows, but it¡¯s rare for royalty or nobles to marry for love anyways.
This is almost like when I came to Freeport for the first time. Walking through the grass while my mind wanders all over the place. Hopefully, I¡¯m able to make it back in time. Otherwise I became an enemy of the Osborne¡¯s for no reason.
Well, Candor¡¯s are considered traitors now right? So maybe we¡¯re already enemies, still, I¡¯m sure killing one of them isn¡¯t a step in the right direction. This has turned into a complete mess. It¡¯s almost laughable really.
And this damn grass. I¡¯m sick of grass. I hope the trip to Asmuth isn¡¯t weeks of grass as well. At this point, I¡¯d rather travel for weeks underground than look at this grass any longer. I really hope this was worth it.
********
¡°Lady CeeCee what is the meaning of this!?¡±
¡°Weston please calm yourself. Why don¡¯t you sit back down before you do anything rash.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t tell me to calm down Isaac, I¡¯d expect this from you, but everyone else here as well? You¡¯d sell out your people for profit? Have you all gone mad!¡±
What are they thinking!? Do they realize how many people will die because of them in this war? This is an absolute betrayal of their duty to protect the citizens of Freeport.
¡°Enough Alan! You haven¡¯t even let us finish and you¡¯re already acting out like a child. Let Lady CeeCee finish what she was saying before you rush to judgment.¡±
¡°Finish what exactly Burton? You¡¯ve made it clear that you¡¯ve sided with Elkia and have essentially handed over the city to them. What more do you want to say?¡±
¡°Have you thought about why we would do that Alan? Every one of us here is the head of a family who can trace their roots back to the founding of Freeport. Have you asked why we would do that? Or did you just assume it¡¯s because we are looking to fill our coffers with Elkian gold?¡±
¡°What do you mean Lady CeeCee?¡±
¡°Elkia is not an enemy we can defeat Alan. Freeport is in decline, soon we will not even be able to produce enough food for the people of this city. Everyone on the council knows this including you.¡±
¡°That¡¯s because of this damn drought and the warring tribes. We can restructure trade agreements and pass new...¡±
¡°Alan stop. Freeport¡¯s decline has been going on for much longer than the length of this drought. The city is dying. We have nothing to trade anymore. And even if we did who would we trade with? Our largest trade partner is Penrith, and Elkia is eyeing them as well. If we continue on this course Freeport will collapse in on itself.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t have to be the case! And even if it was it would still be better than becoming slaves to Elkia! At least the people would be able to decide their own fates. ¡±
¡°And where would the people go Alan? The Corinth Alliance? Penrith? How will so many people travel such great distances? Do you think a mass migration will escape the eyes of the barbarians? Even if they didn¡¯t need to worry about the barbarians or bandits how would they travel for such a length of time without enough food? Most people in this city would starve.¡±
Even if what she says is true why the ruse? Why are we fighting this fake war? I cannot accept this.
¡°Then why are our guards fighting and dying right now if you intend to hand this city over anyways? Why the pointless death of our military?¡±
¡°It¡¯s because of people like you Weston!¡±
¡°What do you mean by people like me Isaac?¡±
¡°People that can¡¯t come to terms with the reality of the situation. General Kurtis commanded the military and he refused Elkia¡¯s offers to him. Even now his men are fiercely loyal and would rather die than become part of Elkia. So this is the result. A pointless war where our men will die and lose. It is because they are stubborn fools that are unable to see the bigger picture, and that is exactly what you are!¡±
¡°Then what becomes of the people once Elkia takes over? What of the women and children who will lose their husbands and fathers at the hands of the Elkian military?¡±
¡°They¡¯ll become Elkian citizens and receive aid of course.¡±
¡°A piece of paper will not make the people of Freeport Elkian citizens! It will not make families forget the deaths of their loved ones. Our citizens have always been able to come and go as they please, they will not accept the tyrannical rule of the Elkian monarch and military.¡±
¡°What you said is true. We expect there will be some pushback to Elkian rule. There will be revolts, rebels, and an increase in crime for some time.¡±
¡°And what do you and your new Elkian leaders plan to do about that?¡±
¡°The same thing Elkia does in every city it conquers, they appeal to the people by raising the standards of living. New construction, repair of any damages, exemption of taxes for an extended period of time. And they¡¯ll stamp out any rebellions with their massive military.¡±
¡°And they¡¯ll conscript our young men and force them to fight will they not?¡±
¡°It is true that a portion of the young men will be conscripted, but the majority of them will spend their service time right here in Freeport. It will not be that different from our current guards.¡±
¡°You will let them rape our women and conscript our sons, and you all agree to this?¡±
¡°Weston where do you hear these things? Yes, it¡¯s true a portion of the population will be conscripted, there is no way around it, but that does not mean all men will be. And sadly I cannot say there will be no crimes committed by the military, however, rumors do not always match reality. There would be no reason for large portions of their armies to hunt women down to rape them, we have dozens upon dozens of brothels within this city.
¡°Dozens of brothels? Are you admitting the reason for the increase in female sex slaves in this city is because of this? Have you been preparing sex slaves so you could welcome Elkia with open arms and turn a profit you bastard!¡±
¡°You arrogant self-righteous prick! You act as though I go and raid villages to steal women. Those girls were going to be sold into slavery no matter what! At least in my brothels they¡¯re properly cared for, that¡¯s more than can be said for others.¡±
¡°Sold into slavery no matter what? You buffoon! Would slavers go capturing as many girls as they have if you weren¡¯t buying them en masse? Some of them are just little girls, have you no shame? Do you not fear the wrath of your ancestors? Or has the Wolfe family always been a sick bunch who enjoys the torture of little girls!?¡±
¡°Hold your tongue Weston. Insult me if you will, but do not bring up my ancestors or so help me I will place you in my brothels as well as a treat for those with special tastes.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
¡°So you are threatening me now Isaac?
¡°Yes, Weston, I am threatening you.¡±
¡°Isaac that¡¯s enough. Alan, we have made many preparations for the Elkian military. Some of them you may not agree with, some of them most of us don¡¯t agree with, but they were necessary to ensure the safety of our own people. It is regretful but some of the choices we¡¯ve made we are not proud of. We have an obligation to the whole of Freeport, and as tragic as their fate may be, we cannot allow our emotions and morals overrule what is logically the best way forward.¡±
¡°Is that really how you feel Esra? That we should ignore our morality and sacrifice the few for the sake of the many? Is that how all of you feel?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right Alan, that is how we feel. We have an opportunity to save our city from destruction by becoming a part of Elkia. Do not believe for one minute that we have not sacrificed for this as well.¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯ve sacrificed have you? And what have you sacrificed Esra? And you Lady CeeCee and Burton, what have you sacrificed? How about you Isaac, surely you¡¯ve sacrificed as well then right? And Lando, you¡¯re very quiet, it must be because you have sacrificed the most is that why?¡±
¡°So childish. What do you think happens to the leaders of the cities Elkia has conquered Weston? Do you think they enjoy a carefree life for the rest of their days? We will no longer be leaders here Weston. Our wealth will be stripped and used to pay for the military expenses and construction projects meant to appease the public. We will be lucky if we are able to keep our ancestral homes.¡±
¡°It would make sense that you believe sacrificing your wealth is the same as sacrificing your life Isaac, but I¡¯d expect more from the rest of you.¡±
¡°Lady CeeCee I¡¯m done with this fool. If he wishes to commit suicide then let him hold his head high enough for it to be met with Elkian steel. I have many things to see to before the arrival of General Mason, Lando let¡¯s go.¡±
Who is General Mason? Is he the leader of the Elkian military. So Isaac plans to greet him like a dog does his master then? If the people knew of the council¡¯s treachery they would surely revolt.
¡°Alan please don¡¯t make this difficult for me. I was close to your father, and have always been a friend to you. Believe me when I tell you that this has been in the works for years, even before you became a member of the council. Your father even helped in some of the planning.¡±
¡°Do not bring my father into this Lady CeeCee. I know about your disgraceful relationship with my father and how much it hurt my mother. You may have been close, but I absolutely refuse to believe he would ever sell out his own people, not even for a temptress such as yourself.¡±
¡°Alan watch your tone! There is a limit to how rude you can be!¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine Burton, If that is how Alan chooses to see me then I shall say no more. Although it pains me to say this, I will leave the decision to you.¡±
¡°Very well. Alan, we have tried reasoning with you, but it appears as though it was a waste of our time. For now, you will be placed in our custody until General Mason can decide your fate. Randall, please apprehend him.¡±
Randall? What he¡¯s here? Is he part of this as well? That¡¯s impossible! Randall has been loyal to my family for years!
¡°Lord Weston I apologize, please come with me.¡±
¡°Randall, is this some kind of a joke? Have you gone mad!? You would betray me and my family? What are they promising you!?¡±
¡°Randall please take him to the military prison in the western barracks.¡±
¡°Understood Lady CeeCee.¡±
¡°Randall you traitor! Burton, Esra, Lady CeeCee! I swear on my ancestors I will make you pay for your treachery! Let go of me you¡, what did you¡, pay¡ you¡¯ll pay¡¡±
********
I can hardly say I¡¯m surprised by the outcome. Maybe I was a little hopeful though. So the Weston family line will end with Alan after all.
¡°Lady CeeCee are you really ok with this? You know what this means don¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Yes, it is not at all what I had hoped for, but it is Alan¡¯s choice Burton. If time permits I will try to talk to him again once he calms down. But right now he is too worked up. In the end, it will be up to the General to decide. But he will probably deem Alan to be a threat capable of organizing an uprising.¡±
It would have been best if it were just the two of us. Having Isaac with us was a mistake. Alan has always disliked him, but of all the people on the council, Isaac is losing the most. Isaac easily could have taken his wealth and left. But instead, nearly 90 percent of his fortune will be taken and used towards Elkian public programs offered to the citizens.
It is also the main reason we are able to remove taxes from merchants and citizens for the next 2 years. Isaac isn¡¯t even retaining the family head position. After Elkia successfully implements its new system of governance Isaac will be handing over his position to his son. Not having Isaac appear in this meeting was simply not possible.
It¡¯s true some of the things we have done are despicable. No one can say their hands are clean. Perhaps there were other ways to handle it, better ways, but this was how it was agreed upon and it is too late to change what we have done.
¡°Such a shame really, then what will happen with his family? He¡¯s recently married to the Ashton girl.¡±
¡°Leave it to the general to decide Burton, Lady CeeCee I wouldn¡¯t bother any further, it is only a waste of your time and you still have your own household to take care of.¡±
¡°We all have much to do with our own houses Esra. Well, I¡¯ll still visit him sometime after things calm down, I¡¯d hate for it to end this way. Then Burton, Esra, I will be taking my leave. Take care until we meet again.¡±
It¡¯s best to ready ourselves for the storm to come. We¡¯ll most likely be busy meeting with General Mason over the next few days. Sorry Alan, but you may need to stay put for a while. Maybe we can still salvage this situation.
********
Who would have ever imagined the battle would play out like this. Ogre¡¯s on-ice attacking the steel canal gate. Am I the only one who finds this all too comical? Taking Freeport can be considered to be a great military feat. It is a great honor the king has given me, but how will others view it after reading our reports?
I want to laugh at the thought of it, and if I wasn¡¯t the commanding officer giving the orders I probably would. Well, either way, we should be entering the city shortly. These steel gates are not much of a match for ogres. They were meant to prevent ships from entering, no one could predict something like this.
Which brings into question how we are going to defend this and other cities from future attacks? If we face an assault against a powerful mage how will we stop them from entering the city with their armies? I hope the king has some idea of how to deal with it.
¡°Colonel ready the troops. When that gate is finally ripped off I want a platoon of ogres and 4 regiments rushing in to secure this wall. It looks like our boats will be in place for the time being so we¡¯ll be marching in after it is secure.¡±
¡°Yes sir!¡±
It will take a little longer but even with the delay we shouldn¡¯t have a problem capturing the council house by nightfall. Tonight and tomorrow the raids will occur from the Northsmen. We need to secure the walls and make sure they hold up their end of the deal or we¡¯ll be forced to fight them in the city.
I feel sorry for the people they capture, but they¡¯re a necessary evil that will help us rule this city in relative peace. A lot of innocent people are going to die in the next couple of days. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not for no reason.
¡°General, a report from Colonel Dyer.¡±
¡°Go ahead and read it.¡±
¡°Yes sir, he says they have successfully taken the northern bridges. Ogres have taken down the drawbridges and they have let a small force of the Northsmen enter to clean up the remaining resistance. He wants to know if we need his assistance.¡±
His assistance huh? Does the Colonel think I¡¯m unable to take the gate without him? Then again our last report didn¡¯t exactly paint the most glorious of pictures. That sure was quick though. Were the northern defenses even worse than we thought they would be?
¡°Has he said anything about escape via river?¡±
¡°No, but in his previous message he said the boom tower was up and he had men stationed ready to intercept any who try to escape.¡±
Well the canal and river should be dry now, it would just be an escape through the mud. He¡¯s a thorough man so there really shouldn¡¯t be any problems. Still, we don¡¯t want people escaping. We need to keep the details of our battle as quiet as possible.
¡°Alright, tell him we will not need his assistance and he is not to enter the city. Instead, continue allowing the Northsmen trickle in slowly to wreak havoc. Don¡¯t let anyone escape. Unless there is an issue we will not contact him again until tonight.¡±
The people in the city must be extremely confused right now. First attack bells, then an earth shake, and now the river has run dry. It¡¯s become a storm of chaos that the Northsmen will flourish in. It¡¯s one we need to take advantage of as well. If we can calm the masses quickly it will go a long way towards peacefully ruling this city. We need to get the supplies in quickly though.
This river stunt will slow it down a bit, but, hopefully we¡¯ll be able to repair any damage and supply aid to the people quickly. We¡¯ll need to leave Mr. Osborne here with the boats to wait for his brother and for the river.
And let¡¯s just hope his brother is the one to return. He¡¯s confident in his brother¡¯s ability, but there is no such thing as a guaranteed victory. If his brother doesn¡¯t return I hope he¡¯s not the type to take out his anger on others. I¡¯m not confident any of us can handle him.
¡°General the ogres have taken out the gate and our men have begun entering the city. We should have control of the wall shortly.¡±
¡°Good work. I¡¯ll go talk with the mage and then we¡¯ll begin our march to victory. Tonight Freeport will officially become an Elkian territory.¡±
********
¡°Yes Colonel, we are to remain outside of the city walls and continue allowing the Northsmen entry.¡±
What a cruel fate some of these people will face. I understand the reasoning but I can¡¯t say I like it. The details of this are to remain secret but there is no way that will happen. Sooner or later the truth of what we¡¯ve done will leak. That resentment they¡¯ll feel will definitely help pockets of resistance recruit members that will be almost impossible to root out.
¡°Alright, tell the chief we¡¯ll allow 500 of his men into the city every hour for the next 8 hours and then the rest of them can enter. We don¡¯t want all of them to rush in at once. They¡¯ll be able to spread out a bit more but hopefully it will limit the physical damage.¡±
The General estimates close to 50 to 75 thousand people will be captured or slaughtered by the Northsmen in the next day. It¡¯s truly a staggering number. The northern section of the city holds the majority of the refugees that have already fled their homes once relying on the safety the walls and military of Freeport could provide.
Most of the wealthier families live on the southern side of the canal, though we expect there to be some attacks on the larger families generally they have their own private guards. The Northsmen will most likely target the less guarded households.
It is true that culling the city¡¯s population will help when it comes to supplies this winter, but I can¡¯t help but feel nauseous at the thought of what¡¯s to come. I don¡¯t like dealing with the Northsmen at all. Most communication with the chief I leave to the major.
It¡¯s the way they look at us that bothers me the most. As if they are superior to us in some way. It is true that on a one on one basis they are better warriors. Most men stand over 6 and a half feet tall. They are bigger, stronger, and faster.
But what is so great about that? If you ask me they are slightly more intelligent than ogres but not quite as strong. They lack any semblance of civility and if they were part of Elkia they would be used as nothing more than front-line fighters.
It¡¯s only a matter of time before we come into a major conflict with them. Their way of life will surely end in the future and they¡¯ll be forced to submit to Elkia or perish. For now we¡¯re buying them off. But Elkia will not always deal so kindly with them.
¡°Colonel the chief says he understands and agrees to what you have proposed.¡±
¡°Very well, inform our men at the boom tower to prepare for an exodus. The river may be dry but there are bound to be some who are willing to brave the mud to avoid the raids. Also we expect the river will begin flowing again within the next day or two.¡±
I can only hope the Northsmen agree to our deal and the gods take mercy on the people of Freeport.
********
¡°Lady Eleanor, our guards have informed us it¡¯s the barbarians. They have breached the northern wall and have begun raiding the city. I recommend we retreat to the bunker immediately.¡±
The barbarians? How were they able to breach our walls? This doesn¡¯t make any sense.
¡°Gerard what of my family?¡±
¡°Lady Annabelle has arrived with her husband and child already and your son has gone to greet them. As for sir Ellis and Lady Grace¡, we have not been able to locate sir Ellis and Lady Grace is still in Lord Weston¡¯s estate.¡±
So Belle has arrived safely then, but that husband of mine, there¡¯s no doubt in my mind he¡¯s at the brothels.
¡°What of Lord Weston?¡±
¡°There is no word of him, he was last seen meeting with members of the council this morning, however, the council has already dispersed but Lord Weston was not seen leaving.¡±
Could he still be in the council house? But for what purpose? Or is it possible he left through an unknown route? That doesn¡¯t make any sense at all though unless he was planning on going to meet with the military.
¡°Gerard where are the barbarians right now?¡±
¡°Currently they are still in the northern sections of the city but are spreading out as more pour in. At this rate, they may be able to make it south of the canal within the next few hours.¡±
This is bad. Has our army fallen to such a state that they are unable to even slow the barbarians down?
¡°Send a message to Grace, with or without Lord Weston I want her on a carriage immediately. Have the rest of my family join me in the bunker along with our two guards. We do not want to take any risks.¡±
¡°Understood Lady Eleanor I will send for them immediately.¡±
This is too fast. Don¡¯t tell me all of our planning has still led to a rushed escape. I can only hope Mr. Jayce can make it here before things get too out of hand.
********
¡°Lady Grace I am sorry but we are unable to allow you to leave. We are under specific orders to keep you here at all costs from Lord Weston. It is for your own protection.¡±
¡°Lord Weston has no right to prevent me from visiting my family! If you will not prepare a carriage for me then I will walk to my family¡¯s estate.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry Lady Grace but that is not possible. We are currently at war and the barbarians have already entered the city. It is simply not safe right now. You will be safe as long as you remain here.¡±
¡°If they have already entered the city that means they have broken through our walls, how will you defend against a force capable of breaking through our city¡¯s walls?¡±
¡°Our guards are some of the most highly trained and loyal guards in all of Freeport. The barbarians will not break through our defenses so easily. They are scavengers who attack the weak. And at the very least our defenses are much stronger than the defenses of your house. Please rest assured, Lord Weston would not risk your safety.¡±
This is not good. I knew I should have left this morning. Mother told me they had a way to escape the city, but if I am unable to make it to them I will be trapped here. When Lord Weston arrives I must convince him to leave no matter what.
********
Unreal, is that ice? It¡¯s still a bit far but I am certain that is ice. Could they really have frozen such an enormous part of the river? That section must easily be 2 miles long. There is no way the mage who did this is below rank 8. They may be even more powerful. Is it the other Osborne then?
There is a lot of smoke coming from inside of the city, which means the army has already made it through Freeport¡¯s walls. Lady Eleanor should be fine as long as they have stuck to the plan. This attack was earlier than expected though, so hopefully her family was able to make it.
The city entrances should be closed, and I will need to be careful of scouts. It¡¯s not going to be easy to enter the city at all. My mana has recovered sufficiently to tunnel underneath, but the problem is the mage that froze the river.
If he is an elemental mage with an affinity in earth then he may be able to detect my presence if I move underground and get too close. It will probably be safer if I go around and enter from the south. It will take longer, but after the battle with Philip, I don¡¯t believe I have the strength to take on another mage.
And that¡¯s only assuming I could win at full strength. He may be an opponent I am unable to compete against. This makes escaping towards Asmuth before they take full control of the city even more important. There is no way I can protect a group in an open battle against a mage of similar or greater strength.
So digging that pit was nothing but a waste of time in the end. I still don¡¯t think it was a bad plan based on the information we had, but what a colossal mistake that was. There¡¯s not much left for me to do other than escape. It looks like it¡¯s too late for anything else, Freeport has fallen.
Chapter 13: Enter the Northsmen
The warriors of the warring tribes were merciless in their attacks as the spread out rapidly through the streets of Freeport. Young and old, men, women, and children, none were spared their brutality.
Their chief had informed them before that they would have only one day to collect as much as they could, a considerable source of consternation amongst the warriors. However, even an hour in a city the size of Freeport would net them the same amount of resources they could collect by completely wiping out a typical village.
To most of these men, the Fall raids gave rise to an opportunity they would rarely have. In the Northern Expanse, resources were fiercely fought over. Powerful men offered protection and resources that a weaker man would not be able to provide.
Few women were willing to have children with males they perceived as weak and unable to provide for them and their potential children. As such most powerful men in the Northern Expanse took more than one wife.
This led to a large number of young single frustrated men. For them, the only chance they would have to lay with a woman was when they raided the plains in the fall. It was a way for them to take out their pent-up frustration, their anger, and their jealousy. Many of the women captured during the raids would not survive the assaults.
However, there were some exceptions. Some women would be captured as well as children to be offered as servants to the leaders of the few villages. But the life expectancy of these women was less than a few months and the boys who survived castration rarely made it to adulthood. Many would agree that death was a most favorable outcome after meeting with the northern warring tribes.
The people of Freeport fled in all directions and hid in any crack or crevice they could find hoping to escape the eyes of the northern warriors. As they waited and prayed to their ancestors for the warriors to pass they were left wondering how were these horsemen able to breach the city walls, and where were the guards who were sworn to protect the people.
********
I think the General has underestimated the carnage these Northsmen will be able to carry out. Even standing outside of the city walls I can hear the cries for mercy and death from the Freeport citizens. At this rate, I wonder if there will even be a city left by the time we enter.
The empty carriages are beginning to fill and there are lines of bloodied women and children being dragged against their will. When their men began raping the women and castrating the boys I nearly vomited and told the chief to no longer do it in our presence. Thankfully he agreed to my request.
Of all of them, he seems like he is not the least bit interested in the raids his men are performing. As if he does not want to be here at all. But it¡¯s hard to figure out what he is thinking. Perhaps he is just indifferent to the whole thing.
It¡¯s absolutely disgusting. They¡¯re savages, the entire lot of them. But right now I¡¯m wondering if I am any better. Do I even have the right to judge them, or even anyone now? I have the power to end it, but I choose not to. Instead, I¡¯m hiding behind the shield of following the orders of a superior officer.
I can see some of my men are having a hard time holding back. The mental scars of this will probably never leave. I¡¯m not sure how the General plans on cleaning this mess up. If I saw my family ripped apart like this I¡¯m not sure whether I would want to fight or just die. How will the people of Freeport react?
Tomorrow the General will begin his sweep northward pushing them out of the city. Unfortunately, we must remain here and witness this the entire time. If they refuse to leave the city we will be tasked with taking care of the Northsmen who have remained outside as well as pin those in the city between our men and the Generals.
In a way, I hope they refuse to comply with the agreement we have made. I know it will cost the lives of many men, but I think it would be worth it. I just hope I am never in a situation where I need to work with these monsters again.
********
The Northsmen riders have spread much quicker than we anticipated. Though they are still focused on the north side of the canal some of them are beginning to trickle to the south. It looks like we will need to send forces to guard the estates of the council members.
The northern sky is orange from all of the fires they¡¯ve set. Thankfully most buildings in Freeport are stone. The fires should be relatively contained, however, the inside of those buildings will most likely be destroyed. The costs of repairing this city are going to be enormous. But this was determined to be the best way to subjugate the people of Freeport by the King''s chief strategist. I have no choice but to follow through with their plan.
At this point, I¡¯m not sure what is worse, the screaming of the people or the laughing of the Northsmen. Even from this distance we can hear them. It¡¯s incredible, but I should not expect anything else from people who live like animals.
The Northsmen claim they are the descendants of the Northern Giants which haven¡¯t been seen in nearly 400 years. Some say they are nothing more than the abandoned children of giants and humans. I¡¯m not sure which is right, or if either one is right, but no one can deny their size or strength.
It is not just their larger than average height. Each man weighs nearly double what a normal man does.
¡°General¡ I¡¡±
¡°Go ahead major, speak freely.¡±
¡°With your permission, General, some of the men are a bit, well they¡¯re feeling a bit antsy.¡±
Well, who can blame them really? Even I¡¯m feeling agitated. I¡¯m not a heartless man. War is filled with tragedy, even my own men are not above it, but this is just beyond words. These are citizens with no combat training. Many of them have lived their entire lives not knowing any violence. Now that they are entering the southern half of the city it may only get worse.
¡°Major we will need to protect the 9 estates of the council. I want 200 men sent to each as well as 5 ogres.¡±
There are 4 bridges that cross the canal and connect the more densely populated northern part of the city to the southern part. Most of the wealthiest families live in the southeastern quadrant of the city so it might be wise to block off the two easternmost bridges.
It somewhat goes against the agreement we made of allowing free reign but that represents a large amount of the cities wealth and we cannot afford to let the Northsmen plunder it. They¡¯ll still be able to enter the southern districts but we should be able to steer them towards the western half and limit their numbers.
¡°We¡¯ll also be taking control of these two bridges as well. Fifty men and 10 ogres to each of them. If any Northsmen attempt to cross these bridges I want them sent back.¡±
The canal is nothing more than a deep mud pit right now so I don¡¯t believe any of them will try to cross it. Tomorrow morning we¡¯ll push any of them that have made it south back to the northern half and slowly make our way to the northern wall.
Focusing them towards the west will also help keep them in areas where our numbers are greatest making it easier tomorrow. I¡¯d like to secure of as much of the southern districts as possible before sunrise, but occupying a city of this size is a slow process.
Not having the canal has really slowed our progress while the Northsmen are able to advance quicker than we thought. We knew the night would be bad, but it has turned into a nightmare.
********
¡°Mother why have we not left yet? The barbarians are raiding the city, shouldn¡¯t we escape while they are busy attacking?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already told you Belle, we are waiting on your sister, Lord Weston, and Mr. Jayce. Be patient. This bunker is safe so we shall remain here for now.¡±
¡°How can you be certain Grace will even make it? If she is not here already she was probably captured and the same goes for that mage. Is this wishful thinking worth risking our lives?¡±
¡°Belle we will remain here until I say otherwise and that is final.¡±
I can¡¯t blame her for being frightened but honestly, I told her we would wait for up to a day if need be but she is more than willing to abandon her sister. Even if they were never close that¡¯s just too much.
¡°Gerard excellent you are back, what news do you bring?¡±
¡°My apologies Lady Eleanor but there is still no word of Lady Grace¡¯s arrival. The majority of the barbarians appear to still be on the other side of the canal, however¡¡±
¡°Gerard it¡¯s ok to tell us.¡±
¡°Well as of right now it is very unpleasant outside. It looks like there are a number of fires to the north and the sounds are very disturbing.¡±
The look on Gerard¡¯s face says it all. I don¡¯t even want to imagine the horrors those beasts are capable of.
¡°See mother this is exactly why we should be leaving now! If we wait around for too long they may make it here and possibly find this bunker!¡±
¡°And where would you have us go Belle? If the barbarians were to find this room they would surely track us down through the tunnel. Not that I doubt our guard''s skills but I do not believe they will be able to hold out against a hoard of those animals.¡±
Without Mr. Jayce our chances of survival do increase the sooner we leave, that¡¯s the truth. And part of me wants to follow Belle¡¯s suggestion, but the other part wants to continue with the plan we have already made. If not why did we make the plan?
What if Grace arrives but we are no longer here? If that happened she would be sitting out in the open unprotected. It that were the case she would be better off if she remained in Lord Weston¡¯s estate. As for Mr. Jayce, we do not need to worry about Mr. Jayce, he will be fine on his own. If anything he would probably be safer on his own.
I do not believe he would go back on our deal though. The situation has changed and the wise thing would be to update our plan, but we should still be well hidden here. Finding the entry into the bunker will not be very easy.
It really would have been best if we made false tunnels to throw potential attackers off. Unfortunately, we just didn¡¯t have enough time. We were just barely able to complete what we have. Mr. Jayce has the ability to close off the tunnel from the bunker once we enter, but if the barbarians were to enter as it is we would easily be captured.
Right now I¡¯m counting on the entrance to our bunker not being discovered any time soon. If it was the Elkian military they would probably be more thorough, but the barbarians will be too busy looting to search for secret entrances through the stables. There is the entrance through the study as well but that is very well hidden.
Perhaps this makes me a terrible person, but they will also be busy with the servants and guards. No, there is no perhaps, this does make me a terrible person. But if I must sacrifice my servants to save myself and my family I will.
¡°My apologies Lady Eleanor, but I believe what my wife has suggested is the best course of action. The earlier we leave the likely we are to come into contact with those vicious beasts.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
¡°Escape through the tunnel is only one part of the plan Sir Thomas. We will still need to travel a great distance to make it to Asmuth. Our chances of survival will be much higher with Mr. Jayce. In addition, I will not abandon my daughter when there is still a chance that she is on her way. The likelihood of those barbarians finding us is very low.¡±
¡°Lady Eleanor, this mage is the boy you hired for Grace¡¯s wedding is he not? Are you certain he is even coming? He was hired to protect us yet he is not here, why is that? Why are you risking everything betting on this mage?¡±
¡°Yes Mr. Jayce is the mage from Grace¡¯s wedding, he was working with Lord Weston to stop the advance of the Elkian army. As for your other question, he is the one who created this tunnel we shall use to escape. Without him, there would be no escape Sir Thomas.¡±
¡°I doubt he built this tunnel out of the kindness of his heart, the escape tunnel was something you paid for. He just so happened to be a mage so instead of using a shovel he used magic. And if he was working with Lord Weston, wouldn¡¯t he already be with him and Lady Grace? If that is the case and he is as powerful as you claim, why have they not yet arrived?¡±
¡°I do not know all the details Sir Thomas but I do know that the plan involved Mr. Jayce leaving the city for some time. This attack happened sooner than expected, that is the reason he is not with us now. However, now that fighting has begun in the city Mr. Jayce will be heading back here as we planned.¡±
¡°Are we not facing the barbarians though mother? If he is fighting the Elkian army how could he possibly make it back to lead us through the tunnel to escape?¡±
¡°The situation is still too unclear, so until we learn more I would rather not leave the relative safety of our bunker only to find ourselves in an even worse situation.¡±
This is getting tiring, and I can hardly refute their concerns. Maybe I¡¯m the one being irrational. But I do not have enough information to make an informed decision. The barbarians must have had help, but who is helping them? Was it Elkia? Did they attack from the north as well?
¡°Gerard, have there been any sightings of Elkian troops to the north, do we know if they attacked the northern gates as well?¡±
¡°My apologies Lady Eleanor, as of right now there have been no sightings of Elkian soldiers within the city from the information I have been able to gather. It is unclear if Elkia has attacked from the north.¡±
Everything we¡¯ve been told has said Elkia is attacking from the west. It¡¯s possible our information was wrong though. Or it could be inside help that allowed them to enter. There are just too many unknowns at this point.
If Elkia did attack from the north though why would they allow the barbarians to run rampant through the city. Does Elkia intend to completely destroy Freeport? That can¡¯t possibly be right. They may regard our people as worthless, but even on the decline Freeport has a lot of wealth that I¡¯m sure they would not be willing to hand over so easily.
If Elkia really is siding with the barbarians what is the purpose? Is it to make use of their strength? Elkia shouldn¡¯t need it. Then is it fear? Could they be using the barbarians as a way to terrify us into submission?
If that were true could it be that Elkia has been making use of the barbarians by having them raid smaller villages and towns? I can¡¯t say for certain, but why does it feel like that is possibly what is happening?
********
The command of the raiding parties is considered a great honor to our people, but I do not see an honor in slaughtering the weak. One of the 18 major tribal leaders is selected each year to lead the Fall raids. This year that role has been awarded to me by the High Father.
I despise the Fall raids, but they are a necessary way of life because of the rapid population growth due to farming. Some, such as myself, believe we should discontinue the Fall raids and instead let the spirits decide what is to become of our people.
Our crops do not produce enough food to sustain us all. It is the spirits telling us we have grown too numerous. Almost all of the men here are low-quality single men, and in my opinion, it would be best if most of them were unable to make it back. However, it looks like there will be very few casualties on this trip.
The men of this city have provided very little resistance. One can look at this trip as both successful and unsuccessful at the same time.
¡°Chief Kharel, the city is fat and weak, we have spread through almost half of the city so far and have captured many.¡±
¡°Mmm¡, what you have said is true. But why have the men captured so many to take back with us? We do not have the ability to take care of them and it only takes away from the number of resources we can bring.¡±
¡°Chief, the men wish to enjoy themselves on their way home, we have only been allowed 1 day which is not enough to satisfy their appetite.¡±
If they do not collect enough food they will surely starve this winter. While nothing would please me more, it will most likely lead to an increase in crimes within our own villages.
¡°Get control of these men, if they worry only about pleasuring themselves they will die when there is no food to maintain them. We need food and supplies, these carriages are not meant to transport people.¡±
Hopefully I will not be forced to intervene. I¡¯d rather avoid interacting with them as much as possible. What proud warrior race? They¡¯re nothing but scavengers who rely on the weak to survive now. But who knows how much longer that will last for.
Most villages and towns that were easy to raid have been destroyed or the people have fled. Our only options now are to attack walled cities. This could be considered a good thing as we will lower our numbers, however, the problem is this Elkia.
This Elkia has been conquering towns and cities and uniting them into one. They are a powerful enemy that we cannot hope to defeat. I fear that if my people begin to raid Elkian territory it will only be a matter of time before these Elkian¡¯s decide to march their powerful armies into our homelands.
I have seen the beasts they command. They call them warbeasts from the south. On flat open lands they are nearly undefeatable. If they were to attack us we would be forced back to the forests we once fled from when we were not more than the bastard children of giants born of human slaves.
There is no way to defeat the giants. If we were forced into the forests I believe it would be the end of our kind. Even though the giant¡¯s numbers are low they are even more formidable than ogres. We are only able to survive because they normally stay in their forests and do not venture into the steppes. That is not always true though. I¡¯ve heard stories of rogue giant¡¯s destroying entire tribes.
It would be for the best if we could reach some agreement of sorts with these Elkian¡¯s. We do not have much to offer though other than our numbers. Their next planned conquest is very far away. It would be difficult for us to travel such a great distance, but we may have no choice.
I have made attempts at dialogue with the one they call Colonel but he seems wary of me. I¡¯m not sure I can blame him though. These men I have with me act more like beasts than men. Even I am disturbed at their behavior. Making any deals with them will be impossible now that he looks at me in the same way.
So far the Elkian¡¯s seem content with buying us off. It would cost much more if they were forced to battle us right now, but things will change. With no cities between us and them and no large cities in our homeland, I do not believe they will attack us anytime soon. But what will happen once they conquer the rest of these cities? I don¡¯t believe they will stop their expansion.
Now that I have seen their strength I know we cannot win. Individually the people of the plains are weak, but together they are too strong for us. Their weapons, their beasts, and their strategies are not forces we can face. My people live day to day and do not think ahead like the people of the plains.
We must think carefully about how we will interact with our Elkian neighbors from now on. The wisest course would be to end these raids. It will cause many internal issues, and the weakest amongst us will surely die off. But that is a natural way, it is the way of our ancestors, and I think it is the way we must go back to if we wish to survive.
********
If it wasn¡¯t for the noises I would think the city was deserted. Even at night there would at least be lights in shops and other buildings but tonight the only light comes from the glow of fire towards the north. It¡¯s almost impossible to see anything, it¡¯s as if I was still underground.
I wanted to avoid a confrontation so I ended up tunneling to the southeast before turning back north to enter the city. It took a little bit longer but thankfully making a tunnel that is only large enough for myself does not require a lot of time or effort.
I could probably tunnel the rest of the way but I only have a general idea of the direction Lady Eleanor¡¯s home is. If it¡¯s a general direction then I have no problems, but going to a very specific place is not easy when you¡¯re underground.
Right now it¡¯s so dark it¡¯s difficult to be spotted so albeit a little less safe, it¡¯s quickest to travel above ground. I haven¡¯t seen any Elkian soldiers. Granted it¡¯s dark, but I would think they would have torchbearers as they comb through the city. Or I would at least hear soldiers marching.
The only thing I hear now though is the occasional scream and call for help. Unfortunately they are getting louder and becoming more frequent. Could it be from the Elkian army? I wouldn¡¯t think so, but maybe I¡¯m being optimistic.
If Elkia plans to conquer this city and rule over it, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to terrorize its people. Doing something like that would make it almost impossible to control resentment. It¡¯s hard to make out but it almost sounds like horses running as well.
Elkia has some form of an armored cavalry, but this sounds too disorganized. If I had to guess it would be the warring tribes. It looks like I¡¯ll know soon enough though. There¡¯s definitely at least 2 of them heading in my direction.
¡°These look like shops, I thought you said you heard people this way.¡±
¡°I did, maybe they¡¯re hiding here because they thought we wouldn¡¯t attack this place.¡±
¡°Why would someone hide in a shop stupid. Of course we would attack the shops. Why did I bother listening to you? We should go that way. We can come back to the shops after we¡¯ve had some fun.¡±
Ah of course. It¡¯s hard to tell exactly but it looks like the direction he wants to go in would bring him towards Lady Eleanor¡¯s eventually. It would be bad if others follow him and end up going in that direction.
But who are these people? They must be from the warring tribes, but they¡¯re enormous. Possibly the biggest men I¡¯ve ever seen. I don¡¯t think Lady Eleanor¡¯s guards will be able to stop them. Especially if more show up.
What to do? Should I follow them and see where they are going? If there is a small group of them it may be better to find them and take care of all of them now. But at the same time I don¡¯t want to wander around aimlessly with them either.
I have no intentions of trying to save everyone I come across, it¡¯s just not possible. But I should try to help out people if I can, even if it¡¯s only to feel good about myself.
¡°Um¡, are you looking for people?¡±
¡°Who¡¯s there? Show yourself boy.¡±
¡°See I told you I heard people over here.¡±
¡°Ah shut up. It¡¯s just one boy, I¡¯m looking for women you fool, if you want to play with him then enjoy yourself.¡±
¡°Ah no, I¡¯m looking for women also, I have no interests in boys. Hey you, where are the others?¡±
¡°Sorry but I¡¯m the only one here. Can you guys tell me are you alone or are there others nearby?¡±
¡°A waste of time, you should just kill him so we can move on.¡±
It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re very organized. Are they just running through the city looking for people? Or could it be that they left the group they were in to loot for themselves? I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to learn much from these two either way.
¡°I think you should stop right there. I have a couple of simple questions I need answers to. First how many of you are there and second where is your group located?¡±
¡°You¡¯re quite brave, the first person who hasn¡¯t run away screaming the moment they saw us, but I¡¯m done with you it¡¯s time for-¡°
¡°You, what did you do to him? How did a weak plainsman make him¡¡±
Why? Why did I just kill him? It was as if, I didn¡¯t even think about it. Why did I launch a rock at his head?
¡°He was coming towards me, so I just¡¡±
¡°You¡¯re a witch? Only women are witches, we kill witches you-¡°
¡°STAY BACK! Stay back or I¡¯ll kill you as well!¡±
I killed those men earlier too. Why didn¡¯t it bother me until now?
¡°Answer my questions? How many more of you are there, and where is your group?¡±
¡°Shut up witch! You will die like the rest- Aarrgh¡°
¡°DAMNIT! Why didn¡¯t you just answer my question!¡±
Damnit, Damnit! What is going on? I didn¡¯t feel like this earlier. Was it the circumstance? Is that what it is?
Earlier I was attacked, it was a strong enemy, and I had no choice but to defend myself. But this time I didn¡¯t really need to confront them. It could have been avoided. Is that why?
But this is a good thing, right? These men were looking for women, and they were ready to kill me as well. If I let them go they would have gone on to kill countless innocent people, no they probably already have. But wasn¡¯t I planning to find out where their group was so I could attack them?
This is war, this is war, this is war. That¡¯s right, this is war. People die in war. Good people die, bad people die, soldiers, civilians, men, women, and children. Calm down, I need to think. If I¡¯m worried about killing people why am I even here still? What am I trying to do here?
Is it because of my agreement? The gold isn¡¯t really that important, then am I really that close to Lady Eleanor? I don¡¯t think I am. But why do I feel like I need to protect her and her family? Am I trying to make up for failing to help my family that night? Am I really willing to continue killing for Lady Eleanor? I don¡¯t understand it.
For some reason, I want to protect them. But if I don¡¯t make it in time the same thing will happen to¡ her. Does she remind me of her? Does Lady Eleanor remind me of my mother? Is that why I¡¯m willing to kill for her? But why does she remind me of my mother? They¡¯re almost complete opposites.
My mother was an extremely powerful woman who held no power in our family. Lady Eleanor holds all the power in her family but is an extremely weak woman. My mother had the power to protect herself. I¡¯m certain if she wanted to she could have escaped. But she wanted to die. Lady Eleanor has no way of protecting herself, there is no way she can escape on her own. But she wants to live.
Is it the contrast between the two that makes me think of her? Is that why I feel like I need to protect her? I¡¯m not the reason for my family¡¯s death, but I do feel guilty for how things happened. I probably could have escaped on my own, my uncle did not have to die saving me.
Am I trying to make up for the past by saving Lady Eleanor? Is it because I wish my mother would have wanted to live like Lady Eleanor? Am I using Lady Eleanor to fill in for my loss? That¡¯s not possible. But is it a bad thing if she did? What¡¯s wrong with me right now, what am I thinking?
I shouldn¡¯t be worrying about this right now. Now¡¯s not the time for this. I¡¯ve decided on what I need to do, I¡¯m almost at her house, for now, I should focus on escaping with her and her family. I can think about these things some other time.
Lady Eleanor¡¯s estate is about 20 minutes from here and the screams are getting louder and more frequent. I cannot waste any more time. How could Elkia allow something like this to happen? The survivors of this will never forget the pain of tonight.
It seems like the stories of Lady Eleanor and Lord Weston are true. Even if the Elkian soldiers are not the ones committing these acts, they are still allowing them to happen to the very people they intend to rule. Refusing to accept that offer was the wise thing to do. It¡¯s time to leave.
Chapter 14: Enemies and Saviors
It¡¯s not as loud as it was earlier. I¡¯m not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. The screams were getting closer but that seems to have stopped completely. Are the barbarians trying to keep quiet now that they have entered Lord Weston¡¯s estate?
Although he said we would discuss my traveling to stay with my mother this evening there is still no word from Lord Weston. Council proceedings never last this long and considering there are barbarians currently running through the city if he had gone to the wall then most likely this is...
Well it¡¯s pointless to speculate on what may or may not have happened. But one thing is certain and that is something has gone terribly wrong. This giant pit they were making does not appear to have worked, the walls have not even held for a single day, and the possibility of escaping with my mother is gone.
It looks like every one of the plans they have made has failed, and seemingly all within one day. Every fall there is an attack by Elkia on Freeport. Mother says they do this to slowly weaken us until they can conquer us. It looks like they have finally reached their goal.
In all of Freeport¡¯s history, no foreign army has breached its walls until tonight. I have never before tonight wished that I could have been born in a different time. People say that there are struggles to be found in every generation. Only the strongest of societies are able to face those struggles and prosper.
I wonder if the same people who say things like that are sitting on a window sill looking out thinking the same things as I am now. Or do they really still believe that nonsense even as the barbarians bear down on them intent on making the remaining moments of their lives worse than any nightmare they can dream up.
There was always the possibility, but am I really going to have to do this? Am I even able to take my own life? It seems so easy, but can I really do it when the time comes? When a barbarian comes through that door will I be able to stab this dagger into my chest? I don¡¯t want to die. But I also refuse to become the plaything monsters.
This weakness, why are some of us so weak while others are so strong?
¡°Lady Grace my apologies but there is a guard here that says he has a message for you and it is important that you hear it.¡±
¡°Is it news of the barbarians? Have they arrived?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry he didn¡¯t say, but I do not believe it is the barbarians.¡±
¡°Is that so¡, let him in.¡±
If it¡¯s not the barbarians then perhaps Lord Weston has somehow made it back.
¡°Lady Grace forgive my intrusion, but there are Elkian soldiers at the gate.¡±
Why does the guard seem overly excited? And is that it? Is there nothing else? Shouldn¡¯t guards just give the details as quickly as possible? Why is he being so polite at a time like this?
¡°Have they stated why they are here?¡±
¡°My apologies, they wish to speak with the master of the house.¡±
They wish to speak with Lord Weston? Why would they want to talk with him? Aren¡¯t they here to conquer us? He is a member of the council so do they maybe intend on subjugating him and the rest of the members? Or does that mean¡
¡°Did you tell them Lord Weston is currently not present?
¡°We did Lady Grace, we informed them you are presently the master of the house then they asked to speak with you.¡±
Me? Why would they want to speak with me? Mother said Elkia kills the leaders of conquered cities. Perhaps they believe I¡¯ll try to escape and do not want to chase after me. But how would I escape now? It would have been for the best if they said I was not here either, but now they know I am!
¡°Why would you give them my name!? Now that they know I am here it will be impossible for me to escape!¡±
¡°Forgive me but I do not believe they are here to capture anyone. They pushed the barbarians back and with their forces they could easily take control of the estate if they wanted.¡±
They¡¯re able to force the barbarians back? Why would they request a meeting with me then? Can¡¯t they just enter and do as they wish?
¡°What do you think I should do?¡±
¡°I believe you should meet with their leader Lady Grace and see what they want. Of course, we will be right here beside you and make sure no harm comes to you.¡±
He looks sincere but would he really risk his life for a girl who just started living here and has had no interaction with him? But at this point what choice do I have. There is no place I can escape to and If Elkian soldiers are here that means we have lost. At the very least I would like to come out of this alive and preferably not as a comfort woman.
It¡¯s possible they wish to capture me to be publicly tried. We¡¯ve only been married for a little less than a month, but they¡¯ll still view me as a member of a ruling family. Maybe they plan on staging an execution of the council members and their families after they complete their take over. But what choice do I have at this point? They¡¯ve already informed them I¡¯m here.
¡°Then bring their leader to the receiving room. I will meet with him there.¡±
Forced to marry, forced to produce an heir, forced to entertain guests, and now forced to speak with enemy soldiers. Since becoming engaged to Lord Weston my life has not been at all like anything I had dreamed of.
If I was born heir to my house would things be different? Marriage would still most likely be arranged, but I would not be at the mercy of my husband, and most certainly I would not be in this position.
¡°Lady Grace, this is Lieutenant Reed, he is the commanding officer of the Elkian soldiers standing outside of our gates.¡±
I almost imagined he would look like some animal. Lord Weston described them as savages who are only good for raping and pillaging the people of the lands they conquer. But seeing him he does not look much different than any of the guards here at Lord Weston¡¯s estate.
¡°Hello, I am Grace Weston, my husband Lord Weston is currently not present, in his stead is there anything I can help you with Lieutenant Reed?¡±
Ugh, I am no good at dealing with these situations. What should I do if he demands we open the gates and tend to his soldiers?
¡°Lady Grace, thank you for granting me an audience. The guards did inform us of Lord Weston¡¯s absence which is unfortunate but that does not change our orders. By order of Major General Mason, we are to protect this estate from the attacks and raids of the Northsmen who have breached the city walls and are terrorizing the people of Freeport.¡±
Protect us from the barbarians? Why would they do that? Lord Weston said the Elkian army was working with the barbarians to conquer Freeport. Was he wrong? Lord Weston does not seem like the type of person that would make such a big mistake.
¡°Forgive me Lieutenant Reed but I am a little confused. Is Elkia not here to conquer Freeport?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry Lady Grace, I am only a lieutenant and am not involved in high-level decisions. I just receive orders and carry them out, so I am unable to give an answer to your question. I have only been told to protect this estate from the Northsmen at all costs.¡±
So he has most likely been ordered not to speak about it. Something seems off about this. Perhaps they wish to take this estate for themselves and are worried the barbarians will destroy it before they can claim it.
Lord Weston¡¯s guards look much better trained than the guards of my home, but I don¡¯t think they can repel the barbarians who were able to breach the walls of the city. I do not like the idea of receiving help from our enemies.
Should I instead ask if he is able to spare some soldiers to help guard my mother¡¯s estate? If Jayce has failed his mission I think it will be very difficult for them to escape. But then again if they go there and they are able to stop my mother from leaving I will be the reason their plan failed. No, it¡¯s probably better to not ask for them to guard my mother. I¡¯ll just have to hope they were able to escape safely.
Our guard does not appear to want to fight with the Elkian soldiers so it appears he is pushing for me to accept. But what if Lord Weston arrives? What if he arrives and it turns out his estate was captured because of my orders¡
No, this is Lord Weston¡¯s fault to begin with. He should not have left for an entire day without leaving a message or instructions of any kind. I don¡¯t know if it is the right thing or not but I do not want to die today, and there is still a chance at survival if I accept their assistance.
¡°Forgive me I was lost in thought.¡±
¡°Not at all, please take your time.¡±
¡°Very well Lieutenant Reed, we will be relying on your strength to keep us safe against the barbarians. I thank you on behalf of everyone here at the Weston estate for your bravery.¡±
Sorry mother, but it doesn¡¯t look like I will be escaping with you after all.
********
Thankfully it doesn¡¯t look like any warriors or soldiers have made it here, but for how long will that last? The screams coming from the north are terrible and it¡¯s probably taking everything the guards have just to stand here. Sneaking past them was remarkably easy. Most of them are shaking so hard I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they ran from the sounds.
Should I try to assist them? The men who are attacking don¡¯t pose much of a threat to me in an open area like this. No what am I thinking, why does my mind keep wandering like this? That would be foolish. The two men I saw were carrying an axe and what looked like a halberd.
Defeating them from a distance is no problem, but there may be some armed with bows or other ranged weapons. And who knows what directions they may be coming from. I¡¯d rather not test my luck or my armor in this dark.
Besides I¡¯m only here because I agreed to protect Lady Eleanor, I do not know these people. If a group of warriors found their way into our tunnel while I was out here then all of this would have been for nothing and I would have been better off escaping to Asmuth or Penrith or anywhere else on my own.
It¡¯s unfortunate, but I will not be able to help Lady Eleanor¡¯s guards. Up against the warriors I saw, without help this might as well be a death sentence, but I have no choice. It¡¯s sad but there¡¯s no way I can save everyone.
I haven¡¯t been able to spend much time getting to know many servants here, but those that I¡¯ve interacted with are good people. I¡¯m actually surprised Lady Eleanor didn¡¯t suggest bringing a few. She has Gerard but what about the rest of her family? I wonder how they are going to manage.
Lady Grace doesn¡¯t look like someone who can take care of herself very well. I can probably assume the same of her sister. Will Gerard be forced to take care of all three of them? Does Lady Eleanor expect their husbands will take care of them? Lord Weston doesn¡¯t strike me as the type.
This will be a long trip though. I¡¯m sure it will be tough for them at first, but after a while they will adjust. They won¡¯t be alone either so I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll need to worry about going mad in these grass plains. It¡¯s strange how this all turned out.
After escaping I wanted to travel the Northern Territories, see the different city-states, maybe even come to know the different races I¡¯ve heard of, but I didn¡¯t want it to happen like this. It¡¯s true that I signed up to be a mercenary, but I thought I would be protecting caravans traveling from city to city. Instead, I¡¯m protecting a group of refugees from an invading army while trying to escape myself.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Will we even be safe in Asmuth? How long before Elkia attacks there as well? It almost feels like the entire world is at war and there is nowhere to escape it. Should I bother avoiding it then? It doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯ll be able to unless I¡¯m able to escape to a place where no one lives.
¡°Mr. Jayce! Mr. Jayce! You¡¯re here. Do you know what is going on outside!? We haven¡¯t seen Lady Eleanor all day and all Gerard has told us is that we are under attack. What should we do!?¡±
I believe she¡¯s the head maid. I haven¡¯t really spoken with her, only seeing her in passing, but why is she running around so frantically making so much noise?
¡°It¡¯s the northern warriors. They¡¯re raiding the city right now, you should find someplace safe to hide.¡±
¡°The barbarians? How did they, no they can¡¯t be here, we¡¯re surrounded by walls, there¡¯s no way they can be here, you must be wrong Mr. Jayce, please tell me¡, where should I, where do you think I should go? Mr. Jayce where should I go? Please help me!¡±
¡°Calm down! You need to hide in a place you don¡¯t think will be found very easily. Maybe someplace only you know about. Hide there and do not come out until the guards say it is safe. They are protecting the estate so it should be fine.¡±
¡°Will the guards really be able to stop them?¡±
Sadly they won¡¯t. Not that I can tell her that though.
¡°Yes, hiding is just a precaution, now go, find a good place and stay put.¡±
¡°Thank you, Thank you Mr. Jayce. May the gods watch over us and keep us safe.¡±
The gods huh? I¡¯m beginning to question the existence of the gods more and more. At the very least if they do exist they are not worthy of our praise. Everything good and everything bad is somehow attributed to the kindness or anger of the gods. If that were true we would be better off if they just left us alone.
What was it that my father used to say? I think it was something like ¡°People die. Innocent people, good people, young people, rich and poor, it¡¯s the one thing that is absolute. Everyone who is born will one day die and that day is determined by the gods. Men have no power over it so there is no need to worry about it.¡±
I wonder where the idea of such powerful beings that determine the life and death of every living thing came from? Doesn¡¯t that make everything we do pointless? If our death is determined by some all-powerful beings then why do any of us struggle to survive?
Actually, why am I thinking about this? My father was a fool. He only spoke of the gods when he was using them to condone his actions. I suppose it was the gods who destroyed our family and not the emperor. I shouldn¡¯t worry about these things. Right now I should worry about what is going on in here.
It appears as if there are people missing and 2 guards we hadn¡¯t spoken about previously. Looks like Lady Grace and Lord Weston are not around. Did they change who would be going? Maybe I should say something.
¡°Lady Eleanor you¡¯re here, does that mean everyone is ready to go?¡±
¡°Ah, Mr. Jayce you startled us. We were beginning to wonder if you would make it in time.¡±
¡°I apologize, things did not work out the way we had planned them.¡±
¡°Yes it would appear so, we¡¯ve been left in the dark all day only knowing that the barbarians have attacked. Can you please inform us on what you know so far?¡±
¡°Ah where to begin, a lot has happened, well first It looks like the information that Lord Weston was given was incorrect. Elkia traveled by boat down the river. They also have powerful mages, one may even be more powerful than me. I ended up battling his younger brother and had it not been for lucky circumstances I may have lost. I had to walk back here and tunnel my way into the city.¡±
Perhaps I should have washed myself off quickly before entering. It doesn¡¯t look like Gerard is very happy with my appearance. I probably smell awful as well.
¡°For Lord Weston to have wrong information¡ Is it possible he has betrayed us? He should have been receiving his information from that shadow walker, there is no way he would have made a mistake such as that.¡±
If Lord Weston betrayed us then that would be a problem. Thankfully we never told him about this tunnel, but if he kept a close eye on Lady Eleanor then he would have seen she was buying a lot of supplies and gathering funds.
¡°I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t spoken with him directly since I left a few weeks ago, only by message. Is he the type to do such a thing though? He seemed very optimistic about the pit and potentially eliminating the Elkian army.¡±
In fact, he seemed quite excited about it.
¡°I don¡¯t believe he is the type, but the only explanation is either Lord Weston or the shadow walker. There is no way the information would be that off. What do you think Gerard?¡±
¡°It is as you say Lady Eleanor, someone had to have spread false information.¡±
If it¡¯s Randall then that will really cause a nightmare situation for us. I still have no idea how he travels between shadows, and with his ability he could be in this room right now and none of us would even know it.
¡°And what of the Elkian troops and the barbarians Mr. Jayce? Have you seen any within the city?¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t seen any Elkian forces, but I do know they are here, I¡¯m just not sure where. And unfortunately I met two northern warriors shortly after entering the city. They appeared to be looting but before I could get any information from them they attacked me.¡±
¡°If the Elkian army is here within the city that would explain how the barbarians were able to enter. So it really does look like Elkia has sided with the barbarians after all. But why would they allow them to loot and pillage so freely? Surely Elkia plans to rule this city. Unless¡, is Elkia making use of them to lower our numbers? Or could it be something else?¡±
I don¡¯t know what Elkia is thinking. That¡¯s not really my problem though. Right now it would be best if we figured out what we were going to do.
¡°Lady Eleanor, I do not see Lady Grace, Lord Weston, or your husband here, is there a reason for that?¡±
¡°Unfortunately we do not know where my husband is Mr. Jayce, I assume if we searched hard enough we would find him in the brothel district. Lord Weston was last seen entering the council hall this morning, but he was not seen leaving. And we received a message from my daughter earlier in the day informing us that Lord Weston had ordered her to stay inside of the house until he returns. He even had his staff make sure she could not leave. But it is unknown how long that will last.¡±
What a headache. I know Lady Eleanor wanted to save her husband but of everyone here he has always been the lowest priority. But Lady Grace and Lord Weston, why would Lord Weston order Lady Grace to remain in their home? Could he have really betrayed the city? But why?
¡°Mr. Jayce what are you thinking?¡±
¡°Gerard, Lady Eleanor, the city is completely overrun by warriors. It¡¯s not even safe for me to travel on the streets right now. Unless Lady Grace has an army capable of dealing with them there is no way she could possibly travel here right now.¡±
¡°Then are you able to tunnel to Lord Weston¡¯s estate from here and guide them back?¡±
¡°I¡¯m really not sure. The ground under the city is very moist so it takes a very long time and a lot of mana to tunnel through. It would be very dangerous if I create a tunnel that can be followed back here, especially if there is a mage who can sense mana usage.¡±
I could probably do it now, but there is no way I¡¯m willing to leave myself vulnerable to attack from that other mage. Lord Weston, Lady Grace, I¡¯m sorry but you should have made it here.
¡°Is that, is that so¡ then my Grace will-¡°
¡°Mr. Jayce is most likely very tired, why don¡¯t we discuss this more after he has had a chance to collect himself.¡±
¡°Yes Gerard, you¡¯re right, let us do that. For now, should we remain here until you have rested?¡±
¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to seal the entrances for now. As long as I vent the room we should be safe in here tonight.¡±
¡°Then Mr. Jayce let us continue this tomorrow.¡±
¡°Yes Lady Eleanor it is late, I have prepared your bed for you over here, let us continue this when we are better rested.¡±
Ah, the first real bed I have seen in nearly a month. I didn¡¯t realize how tired I was until I saw it. It¡¯s a welcome sight, one that I plan to take advantage of after I clean myself off. In all of Freeport, I may be the only one able to sleep tonight.
********
¡°Colonel Dyer sir, it is a message from the General.¡±
A message from the General means they have successfully taken the council house. From here they should be securing the southern gates as well as the western and eastern barracks then moving north.
¡°Read the letter major.¡±
¡°Yes sir, Council Hall captured. Protective forces sent to council member estates. Recalled 1000 from east. Purge begins upon meeting north.¡±
So the General has decided. There¡¯s no point in having so many soldiers guard such a small port. Especially now that the water has stopped flowing. It seems like all the prayers to my ancestors have not been in vain.
¡°Major tomorrow morning at dawn if the river is still not flowing I want you to ride to our men stationed at the boon. I will leave you with instructions that you are to follow exactly, do you understand?¡±
¡°Yes sir.¡±
¡°Good, I will call for you after I have finished, you are dismissed.¡±
It¡¯s a shame about tonight. It¡¯s disgusting but there¡¯s nothing we can do but grit our teeth. I sure do hope they¡¯re enjoying themselves.
********
I¡¯m not sure how she is doing it but Lady Eleanor has found a way to manipulate me. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I don¡¯t detect any movement of mana when near her I would suspect her of some type of mystic spells. Well I only agreed to look after what we saw this morning. I have no real intentions of risking capture to save Lady Grace.
Lady Eleanor¡¯s estate hadn¡¯t been attacked at all last night. Her guards had not even seen a single warrior. It makes no sense. The only thing I can think of is maybe they were told to avoid this area. But why would they? Unless maybe Elkia wants it to remain intact for some reason.
I agreed to look but tunneling under the city became too much work. Just like the area near Lady Eleanor¡¯s much of the soil underground has turned into pressurized mud that is extremely difficult to burrow through. Thankfully I stuck my head out to figure out which way I was going or else I would not have noticed.
The roads are absolutely empty. There are no people, no soldiers, and no warriors in sight. It¡¯s almost like no one lives here at all. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any damage in this area either. It¡¯s almost like everyone floated into the air and disappeared. Something is very strange.
Lady Eleanor believes Lord Weston may have betrayed Freeport and fed us false information to prevent me from interfering with the Elkian army. If that is true then they may have a mage in their ranks that can control people. Mystic magic was not very common in the Empire and it¡¯s almost impossible to tell what its limits are.
There are stories of mystic mages being able to control entire armies of animals and use magic to increase crop yields or cause them to wither. There are even stories of mages that control the dead, though the thought of that is just creepy.
There is the possibility that Lord Weston was lied to as well. But that would mean Randall was the one who gave us false information. The question is what does he have to gain from that? Could Elkia have offered Randall something so valuable he was willing to betray Lord Weston for it? Or has he always worked for Elkia? Someone with his talents will certainly be made use of by any military.
It¡¯s also possible that they were just wrong. I had the impression that maybe Lord Weston and Randall were competent people surrounded by incompetent leaders, but I could have been wrong. I¡¯m glad we never shared anything with him about our escape tunnel, it was just too risky. There was no way to know who we could trust so we left everyone in the dark.
Of course because of that none of them knew it was safer at Lady Eleanor¡¯s than anywhere else. I can¡¯t deny that Lord Weston¡¯s estate is like a small fortress itself, so maybe Lord Weston believed there was no safer place in Freeport. With the number of guards he has at his disposal I don¡¯t believe a small group of warriors would pose much of a problem.
However¡, this is a whole different problem completely. What in the world are those things!? Gray skin with no hair, they must be 8 or 9 feet tall. Are they ogres? That¡¯s exactly what Lady Eleanor said ogres look like. Why would ogres, no wait, if there are ogres here that means, Elkian soldiers. There are Elkian soldiers here as well.
And his guards are mixed within their ranks. Damnit! If Lord Weston¡¯s personal guards and Elkian soldiers are guarding his estate together then what else could this mean? Lord Weston has to be working together with Elkia.
I need to get out of here. Sorry Lady Eleanor but there is no way to get Lady Grace right now. We have an even bigger problem. If she hasn¡¯t told Lord Weston of our plan to escape yet then she will surely tell them soon. Damnit! Is everything going to go wrong for us? If they are not ready to leave immediately after I arrive I will be leaving by myself.
********
The sun is high now and it looks like almost all of our people have been pushed out of the city. We were able to fill all of the carriages with food and other supplies, but I am not happy about the number of slaves they have captured.
Almost 3 thousand women and children have been bound and are being pulled behind the carriages. Most of them will not make it back to our homelands. This may leave the longest trail of bodies any man has ever seen.
My tribe will need to prepare after this. The look on the faces of the Elkian soldiers makes it clear that they will not allow our peoples savage ways to continue. But how can we fight against such beasts and weapons capable of taking down powerful walls of stone?
The Elkian¡¯s refuse to trade for these weapons and none of the men I have brought with me can figure out how they work. With enough of them, an entire village would be reduced to nothing in a few hours. These are weapons that no man can stand against.
With the cold winds almost upon us, there is not much we will be able to do for now. But with a large amount of food from this raid the number of attacks between tribes should be low. We will need to take advantage of that time to create a plan for survival.
It would be best if I was able to separate my tribe from the other tribes. We may suffer at first, but I think it will be the best course for us. We must learn to plan ahead like the peoples of the plains, but we will never be able to do that if we rely on the fall raids forever.
¡°Chief, the one named Colonel wishes to speak with you, should I let him come over?¡±
The leader of this group, he avoids me most of the time, why does he come now?
¡°Send him here.¡±
It must be to make sure we leave like we said we would. I have no intentions of breaking our agreements. It is hard to say the same for the others though. I may be leading this year¡¯s raids but each man is most loyal to their own tribe.
¡°Chief Kharel it appears as if your men have been able to completely fill the carriages we have agreed upon.¡±
¡°It is as you say Colonel, I see the rest of your men have arrived at the city gates. We will leave once the men we sent to guard the river arrive.¡±
¡°Oh is that so? But I¡¯m not sure those men are going to be able to make it Chief.¡±
¡°What do you mean by that Colonel? I have not heard of any battles near the river.¡±
Of all the men who came with me, the ones I sent to the river were probably the only ones who had any value. Most of them were archers and were useful during hunts.
¡°Your men have taken a large number of women and children as slaves as well. It looks like they had quite a bit of fun didn¡¯t they.¡±
So it is because of the slaves then is it? It displeases me as well, but this was something their leader agreed to and it is the only way to keep these men under control.
¡°Is there something you want to say colonel?¡±
¡°Yes, there is a lot that I want to say, but instead I will read to you a message from General Mason.¡±
¡°We thank you for your role in subjugating the people of Freeport. Without your acts of brutality, it would have been very difficult to march through the city as peacefully as we did. However, our agreement has now come to an end. By order of his royal majesty King Ramah Witner first king of Elkia, the Northsmen of the Expanse no longer have a place in our world. You have ravaged the land and destroyed all that live on it, for this we hereby sentence you and all of your men to death.¡±
¡°Goodbye chief.¡±
Chapter 15: The Binding Lines Between Them
¡°Mr. Osborne, forgive my intrusion but as you requested I am here to report that there is a small stream beginning to flow towards us.¡±
So this pit has finally filled has it? For it to take an entire day to fill, I¡¯m really quite impressed by the scale of it. It¡¯s hard to believe a mage capable of that was living here in the Northern Territories. It¡¯s too bad he chose to oppose us.
¡°Commander, is there any word on my brother yet?¡±
¡°I apologize Mr. Osborne, but your brother has not been seen since he departed.¡±
¡°Is that so¡¡±
Odd. My brother should have finished his battle with that mage yesterday so why has he not arrived? It is approximately 20 miles from here to that pit, so even if he walked he should have made it back by now. It¡¯s possible the battle was a bit more intense than expected and he decided to rest, it¡¯s also possible that lazy attitude of his is acting up and he¡¯s decided to hold off on coming back for now.
¡°Commander send a platoon to my brother¡¯s location. I want to know why he is taking so long to return after dispatching with that mage.¡±
Hopefully, he will not be found intoxicated with drink over such a small victory.
¡°We should probably send a medical unit as well. It¡¯s possible that some of the men stationed with my brother were injured. After you have finished with that have the remaining men load any equipment on the boats and report to me when they have finished, you¡¯re dismissed.¡±
Now that the river is flowing again I¡¯ll need to do a little work to earn my pay. From city to city this is perhaps the most effort I have been forced to expend. Not that I should complain. These battles have all been terribly boring so it¡¯s a good change of pace.
But really the Northern Territories do not hold even a fraction of the appeal the Empire does. Just two more years, two more years and I can finally leave this desolate worthless land filled with wastrels and demi-humans. Hurry back dear brother, if I am forced to converse any longer with these simpletons on my own I may find myself trapped in madness unable to escape.
********
Between the Northern Expanse and the Kundar Mountains, the plains acted like a great well trapping the cold air that descended down from the higher ground at night in the winter. The overcast sky and the cool air was a sign that chills of winter were not far away.
Because of the raids livestock was very limited and with winter drawing near most large game would migrate west towards the more temperate savannas. The people of the plains would have no choice but to rely on their harvests.
However, this year¡¯s harvest was not particularly good, even before the battle with Elkia and the Northsmen, rations had been discussed. The drought had been severe and the increased population load was just too difficult to overcome. If the winter was long then there would definitely be a rise in starvation.
Though a large number of people had lost their lives to the Northsmen raids, their numbers would be easily made up for by Elkian soldiers. To feed and house such an army that counted ogres and warbeasts amongst their numbers made Isaac Wolfe¡¯s headache.
He had stockpiled massive amounts of grains such as wheat and barley and stored enormous containers filled with dried, cured, and salted fish and meats. Despite spending a large portion of his wealth he was still not sure if it would be enough to last the winter.
This was the cost of his freedom. To secure their lives as well as their family lines, members of the council would need to provide provisions, housing, and pay for the Elkian soldiers who would occupy Freeport until spring.
Looked at from the outside anyone would mistake the actions of these council members as selfish attempts to buy their safety. And while this was true to an extent, each member was genuinely concerned with the outcome of both Freeport and its people.
The world was rarely black and white and Isaac was not a heartless man. No matter how hard members of the council tried, no matter how much they were willing to sacrifice, the simple truth was there were going to be deaths. A massive amount of deaths.
¡°Lando, you look tired. Did everything go well last night?¡±
¡°Ah Isaac, yes, it was difficult but no barbarians were able to make it through the blockade to the grains house. The cured meats were also kept safe with the help of Elkian soldiers on my estate.¡±
¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Despite limiting their movement and their numbers they were still able to do this much damage. The loss we¡¯ve seen went well beyond what we had envisioned. Truly a tragedy.¡±
¡°Yes, so many deaths, do you still think we did the right thing Isaac?¡±
¡°It¡¯s too late to question ourselves that now isn¡¯t it? Well, the number of dead has exceeded our initial estimates but it still pales in comparison to the numbers who would have died of starvation and the barbarians as they migrated out of the city. What we have done is a terrible thing, we may have done it with the best of intentions but there is no way to wash away this stain. Even so, I would rather carry this mark then watch as the people slowly starve in our streets.¡±
¡°This burden is heavier than I thought it would be Isaac. I did not expect the barbarians to be so brutal. I¡¯ve only ever read the reports, choosing to leave the investigations to others. But hearing those screams and seeing this carnage. It really beggars belief that such beasts are allowed to roam the same lands as humans. How can the gods let such atrocities go unpunished?¡±
¡°You do not carry this burden alone Lando, remember that. The sins here fall upon all of us, and in my heart, I believe we shall one day be judged and punished for them. Even still I would make the same decision every time. But take heart in one thing old friend. The gods may favor the barbarians, allowing them to rampage through the plains without consequence, but General Mason does not.¡±
¡°Isaac what are you saying? Has General Mason chosen to act?¡±
¡°It is true. Last night the barbarians proved what we already knew. They are beasts, worthless animals that have no long-term value to any civilized nation. Last night the barbarians terrorized and murdered future citizens of the Elkian Kingdom. It¡¯s only right that Elkia makes an example of them and send a warning. No attacks on Elkian soil will go unpunished, and no attackers will be allowed to live.¡±
********
¡°Goodbye chief.¡±
As the colonel spoke those words with a grin Chief Kharel felt a sharp stab that traveled through his spine. Though the word¡¯s ¡°Goodbye chief¡± could be taken as a cordial gesture of goodbye, something told the chief the Colonels'' words were merely a pretense to something far more nefarious.
Despite his physical superiority, Chief Kharel would not dare attack Colonel Dyer first. He knew very well that their chances of defeating the Elkian army were practically zero. Chief Kharel was not like many of his kind. If he could find a way to resolve the problems between his men and Elkia peacefully he would choose that option instead of waging war.
¡°Colonel, we have agreed to your terms and will be leaving shortly. It does not look like you came to see us off, so why have you come?¡±
¡°What you¡¯ve said is true Chief. You and your men have agreed to our terms and they have indeed left the city with little to no fighting between us, for that you have my thanks.¡±
¡°Then is there a problem Colonel?¡±
¡°No Chief, no problem at all. You see actually I¡¯m so happy I¡¯m having a hard time containing my excitement.¡±
¡°Excitement? What do you mean by this Col-¡±
¡°Strike!¡±
Before the chief could react a massive mace slammed through the wagon to his left landing on his shoulder and causing him to tumble back on the ground before rolling to a stop almost 30 feet away.
With his vision impaired from the carriage cover, the chief did not see the ogre that had been ordered to stand beside the wagon and attack the chief when commanded to. With a hulking frame nearly 9 feet tall the ogre was a powerful beast capable of ripping a horse apart with its bare hands.
However, though not as strong as an ogre, Chief Kharel was considered powerful even amongst the most elite of the Northsmen. And standing over 7 feet tall and weighing almost 2 and a half times more than a normal man it was easy to see the giant blood that flowed through his veins.
One on one against an ogre most Northsmen would stand less than a 40% chance of victory. But with what he lacked in size and strength the chief more than made up for in skill. He had fought against ogres before and won. To a large extent, a single ogre was not an opponent that would cause fear in the chief. However, after standing back up and looking towards the east what he saw almost made his legs buckle.
A cloud of dust had formed and was headed directly towards them. The ground began to tremble and there was no doubt in his mind over what was causing the dust to rise up. Warbeasts. Though he could not tell how many there were, the chief knew it was a number they could not hope to stand against. His only chance at surviving this battle would be to retreat back north as quickly as possible.
To retreat. Just thinking about it causes a sense of shame to well up into the chief¡¯s heart. Warriors of the expanse were taught to never retreat from a battle. It was a sign of great weakness and cowardice. To die on the battlefield was considered a great honor that would ensure your place alongside the gods in the sea of jewels.
But to retreat in the face of battle, one¡¯s name would be forgotten from memory for all time and they would be forced to walk the planet, unable to reunite with their families and loved ones for eternity. To the Northsmen this eternal life was a fate worse than any other punishment conceivable.
This was what they were taught from the time they could walk. Ingrained in every aspect of their lives most would never think to even question it. And this was the cause of the shame Chief Kharel was now feeling.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Honor, pride, glory for the gods. Chief Kharel did not believe in any of it. If he had no choice but to fight to the death than he would, but if there was the chance for survival he would choose survival every time and live to fight again.
To live and continue to fight, this was just common sense to Chief Kharel. There was no way to survive an attack against warbeasts. To fight knowing you will die without even attempting to survive, as far as he was concerned it would be better off if he ended his own life.
With a plan beginning to form in his mind the chief reached behind his back and pulled out a massive steel blade that looked like a mixture of a battle axe and sword (Khopesh). His preferred weapon, the sword would normally be used in conjunction with a large shield, however, because he was caught by surprise Chief Kharel did not have his shield.
¡°Spread out! Attack!¡±
The Northsmen were confused by their commander¡¯s orders at first, but when many saw the incoming dust cloud they quickly rushed to their horses and spread out in all directions, colliding with Elkian soldiers and captured slaves as they did.
A clash between Elkian warbeasts and Northsmen mounted on powerful war horses. Each man knew they stood no chance against a warbeast, however, despite that fact and the ability of war horses to outrun warbeasts, not a single man would dare flee.
Colonel Dyer slowly walked back in the direction of his own tent carefully observing the forming battle lines. Ogres, warbeasts, and men facing off against the warring tribes of the north. Today would be a bloody battle of annihilation.
A battle that would not end until every member of the warring tribes was dead. Although he was certain of his victory, he also knew the cost of life on his side would be enormous. Each ogre and warbeast represented a significant investment. This battle would be the costliest of his life.
¡°Colonel what should we do with the women and children?¡±
Thousands of women and children stood in line with vacant expressions. Any humanity they once held was stripped from them the moment they met the Northsmen.
¡°Kill them.¡±
¡°Sir?¡±
¡°You heard me Major. The ability to deny collusion with the Northern barbarians is paramount to our successful occupation of Freeport. We will place the blame fully on these animals and march into the city as heroes. We cannot risk having the truth of our collaboration spread through the masses.¡±
¡°But women and children¡¡±
¡°Look at them Major, take a good look at them and tell me do you see people who wish to live? The women have been raped and the remaining boys castrated. Their minds are already amongst the dead with their bodies are sure to follow. For them to die by our hands is an act of kindness that would not be shown to them otherwise.¡±
¡°Sir, that might be true¡ but I worry about the impacts it may have on the men.¡±
¡°Then use ogres or warbeasts major. I¡¯ll leave it to your discretion but I want it done properly.¡±
¡°I, I understand sir, I¡¯ll take care of it immediately.¡±
¡°Good, I¡¯ll be returning to camp to prepare, dismissed.¡±
As the colonel and major separated, Chief Kharel resumed his battle with the ogre that had attacked him. To a normal man an ogres skin was almost an impenetrable armor, but to Chief Kharel it offered only slightly more resistance than the flesh of a normal man. Using his agility and speed he took advantage of the ogre¡¯s clumsy movements leaving deep gashes across his midsection and limbs.
The outcome of this match was clear to all that were present. To Chief Kharel victory against this ogre was never a question, however, this ogre was not his only opponent. Charging in his direction were 4 more ogres and several dozen men armed with pikes nearly 20 feet long.
No matter how confident he was in his abilities he was not delusional enough to believe he could defeat this number of foes single-handed. With his men spread out and distracted by the incoming warbeasts and ogres Chief Kharel would commit the most shameful act of his life. He would retreat.
After killing the ogre in front of him Chief Kharel sprinted to his mount and galloped away from the warbeasts in a westward direction. He would not stay to battle the warbeasts, but in his escape he would take the heads of as many Elkian soldiers as possible.
As Chief Kharel charged west the Northsmen prepared themselves one last time. For most of them, their greed and lust had been satiated the day before, one could say they would never be more ready to die and face their ancestors.
The previously smiling faces filled with laughter could no longer be found amongst the Northsmen. Their wild mannerisms from moments ago were now controlled as each of them equipped themselves with their weapons of choice including halberds, spears, swords, and axes.
No words were spoken. None were needed. Raised on the battlefields of the Northern Expanse any fears they may have felt were suppressed by their natural desires to fight. With one last check of their equipment the de facto leaders led the charge and with a loud battle cry impossible to confuse with a humans voice. The Northsmen charged forward towards their newest enemies.
Slamming into Elkian soldiers and spear walls the Northsmen would attempt to create chaos and blur the battlefield by making it difficult for the Elkian troops to force them into direct contact with the warbeasts. They would drag down as many enemies as possible.
With no fear of death they attacked ferociously and recklessly in all directions. Like an unstoppable storm they surged through the heart of the Elkian formations bringing a whirlwind of blood and gore. In physical prowess and aggressive savagery the Elkian soldiers were clearly outmatched.
But the momentum of this charge could only bring the Northsmen so far. Outnumbered nearly 5 to 1 the Elkian soldiers were like an untiring sea whose waves beat against the rocky cliffs until they crumbled. Under the unrelenting attacks leaving small wounds and gashes the Northsmen¡¯s forward charge slowly turned into a crawl before halting completely.
The ground below their feet had long since turned to a red mud trapping soldiers and warriors alike as ogres rampaged through in a frenzy created by the blood mist they took in each time they breathed.
As the warbeasts drew nearer the chaos only intensified as none wished to be trampled beneath their massive feet or impaled by their sword-like tusks. The Elkian soldiers retreated and the Northsmen gave chase striking down as many as they could until finally, they arrived.
Ripping through the mass of bodies, the warbeasts stampeded through the crowd swinging their heads side to side in an attempt to sweep up as many fleeing bodies as possible. Their attacks were indiscriminate causing both soldiers and warriors to fall.
However, unlike the soldiers of Penrith, the warriors of the north attacked the beasts relentlessly, even bringing some of them to the ground by focusing on weighing down their heads and attacking their legs. Using power that far surpassed a normal man they were able to take advantage and slice through the softer underbellies of the beasts mortally wounding dozens of the monsters.
The foul stench of death soaked into the soil where it would likely remain for years to come. Despite the intense dislike he held for what he viewed as lower quality males they were still his people and watching the scene play out in front of him Chief Kharel couldn¡¯t help but feel his stomach turn.
As he watched he could only think that perhaps this was divine justice brought upon his people by the gods as they were slaughtered in the same manner they had slaughtered the people of Freeport the night before.
Elkia had struck earlier than he anticipated. War between Elkia and the Expanse was on the horizon. He hated to admit it but it was not a war they could win. If his people were going to survive they would need help. But with no ties to any powers capable of taking on Elkia, who would he be able to turn to?
********
The stillness of the city tells me just how shocking the aftermath of last night must be. Those grieving their losses have become silent instead, perhaps deluding themselves into believing this is just a bad dream.
The depraved noises only ended when the rhythmic sounds of the collective march of Elkian soldiers neared. No lives were lost in the staged battle between forces in our streets. Many may already know the truth, but it¡¯s hard to question your saviors and better to hide your doubts than risk execution.
¡°A few must perish so the majority can live.¡± This council I once served on who was sworn to protect the people could dare spout words such as those with no difficulty. But who determines who should live and who should die?
At the very least they were able to control their impulses to select who can live and who must die. Passing on the urge to deify themselves they instead left that to fate and the barbarians of the north. But how dare they call themselves more civilized than any of the beasts they criticize?
So many people lost their lives last night. None of them had to. If we were unable to support our population would it not have been better to give the people a chance at survival? Let them leave to Penrith, the Corinth Alliance, The Federation of Coastal States, or even Elkia itself. But to decide unilaterally that these people do not deserve the chance to live¡, they¡¯re worse than the barbarians.
¡°Alan, I¡¯ve brought you something to eat.¡±
¡°Lady CeeCee, surely you did not only come to bring food. You haven¡¯t come to free me from this cell by chance have you? Or have you instead come to deride my decision once more?¡±
Of all the people who could visit me, behind Randall she is the person I least want to see. My greatest ally on the council was actually a well-concealed dagger that was poised to strike out at a moment¡¯s notice. How foolish I must have appeared to her.
¡°I am not here to free you, to mock you, or to attempt to change your mind Alan. The General has already made his decision and there is nothing any of us can do about it. You may think my reasons are disingenuous, but I really just wanted to see you one last time. You look, you remind me of him so ¨C¡°
¡°Don¡¯t you dare bring up my father to me! You think because you whored yourself to him you held some special place in his heart? Don¡¯t make me laugh!¡±
Has she no shame!? To show her face for such a reason.
¡°Think what you may Alan, but your father and I loved each other from the time we were young. That never changed, even after his death. Had we not been the heads of our prospective houses we would have been wed. I know when I pass your father will be there waiting for me.¡±
¡°You speak nonsense. My father will never welcome you into his heart after what you have done. For your crimes the gods will punish you for eternity. You will never unite with your ancestors.¡±
¡°What we have done will undoubtedly be looked at as reprehensible to the majority of people. But they will never know how difficult it was for us to reach this decision nor will they know how horrific the alternatives were. No matter how many times I explain it to you, you will never accept it, so I will no longer try, but know that this plan you despise so much was fully accepted by the father you look so highly upon.¡±
¡°Why are you really here Lady CeeCee? Have you only come to tell me your nonsensical tales of love between you and my father? If so please do me one last kindness and leave me to my final moments in peace.¡±
¡°No, I came here for myself. Did you know you had an older sister Alan?¡±
What is she talking about now? More lies to play with me? To toy with me and make me suffer?
¡°There¡¯s no need to look at me like that. It¡¯s true. You had an older sister.¡±
¡°Why should I believe you? You¡¯ve done nothing but lie to me. And in my situation why does it matter now?
¡°You know women are pregnant for almost 10 months Alan. Ten long months carrying life within you. And to me, those were the 10 happiest months of my life. She was born with her eyes wide open as if she could not wait to see the world. They were the brightest green eyes I had ever seen. All the happiness I had stored for that one moment finally burst out. Mine and your father¡¯s first child. We both cried at how beautiful and precious she was. But life is not always so kind Alan. As the tears flowed down our faces we began to realize, we were the only ones who had cried.¡±
¡°Liar! My father never said anything to me about this, you may have slept with him but he would never have a child with you!¡±
¡°I rocked her in my arms for two days. Crying, singing, pretending to nurse her. My sweet Alexa, my beautiful baby girl, the one thing that will forever link your father and me together. Your older sister that you never met.¡±
¡°Why tell me this? Why tell me of a sister I had before I am going to die? Is there a reason for it?¡±
¡°A reason huh¡? Perhaps, but it¡¯s a selfish reason. Most people do not know this Alan but I never did have another child. My marriage was only for appearances after all. My son is not really my son. He was adopted shortly after Alexa passed and given the place of my heir so I could remain on the council. With your father I had Alexa, and although you are not my blood, I have always looked upon you as though you were my own. Even now I still want to protect you. You do not know how much it pains me to outlive another child.¡±
¡°Please stop, I don¡¯t want to hear any more.¡±
¡°I do not blame you for hating me Alan. But there is no one who hates me more than myself. Perhaps I¡¯m only telling you this in hopes I will feel better, but when you see your sister, when you see my Alexa, please tell her that her mother is sorry she was not able to be there for her as she grew up. Tell her she has always been in my heart, and tell her, tell her I will be coming to see her soon. Goodbye Alan.¡±
¡°Wait! Lady CeeCee wait! Get back here damnit! You don¡¯t just get to say goodbye after that!¡±
Why is she telling me this as if it matters? Damn that selfish-! And my father! How could he hide this from me? From my mother? Why? Why would you tell me now? You should have told me sooner or never at all. To tell me this now, I don¡¯t want this. Don¡¯t tell me this.
Why are they doing this to me? Why is everyone doing this? Father, when I see you again, will you betray me as well? Is it not enough already, haven¡¯t they already won? I¡¯m sorry Grace. I should have told you to go with your mother, better yet I should not have married you.
Now because of me¡, when we see each other again, when we meet once more on the other side, please Grace, please forgive me. If you can, please forgive me for killing you.
Chapter 16: A Last Meal to Those We Love
Walking back along the empty roads from Lord Weston¡¯s estate to Lady Eleanor¡¯s left me with a less than comfortable feeling. I couldn¡¯t sense anyone but I had the feeling I was being watched. It may have just been me overthinking things but it had me on edge the entire way back.
My biggest worry right now is Randall. If Randall is working with Elkia it¡¯s possible he already knows our escape plans. I have no way of detecting him so he could be standing within my own shadow and I wouldn¡¯t even know it. The only thing keeping me somewhat optimistic is the feeling that we¡¯re not very high on the list of Elkian priorities.
In taking over the whole of Freeport, Elkia will undoubtedly be forced to spread their soldiers thin. The Ashton family is considered one of the 100 families, but it¡¯s just that, one family. Expending so much effort on just one family that is not very powerful in the grand scheme of things would be a tremendous waste of manpower.
Of course, if they know I¡¯m still alive then our spot on the priority list may be much higher, but I¡¯m hoping that if we leave quick enough we will be able to avoid a large number of pursuers. Even if they know we are traveling in the tunnel they should not be able to enter without the help of the Osborne mage. But this is both a good thing and a bad thing.
Though the requirement of a mage to enter the tunnel will help buy us a little time, it almost guarantees that mage will be the one sent to us. And with Randall¡¯s guidance, that tunnel could easily become a death trap. Right now I don¡¯t know very much at all about the mage other than he is very strong. And depending on what abilities he has, escaping through the tunnel could be suicide.
If he is an elemental mage I can at least assume he has a high water affinity due to the freezing of the river, so filling the tunnel with water would be very easy. If he has affinities in air or fire as well he would be able to suffocate us or burn us alive in the tunnel, and if he has an earth affinity he could collapse the tunnel or heat the rock to a molten state.
Even if I am able to match him we would still most likely need to escape out of the tunnel. Of course, if he is an arcane mage then it¡¯s almost impossible to predict how he would attack. It would all depend on what he is skilled in and his mana capacity. No matter what, because of the probability of Randall betraying us and sending our location to Elkia the tunnel has become a danger.
It seems like none of our plans have worked the way we had hoped. How simpleminded I was in planning this tunnel, it¡¯s almost laughable. Is this really the best I could come up with? If we didn¡¯t have to worry about that mage it would probably be fine, but I never considered a secondary plan for escape, even now I can¡¯t think of anything.
Any above ground movements are bound to be spotted so there is no possibility of escape there. Once the river begins to flow normally we could possibly sneak out by boat. I can manipulate the water and travel much quicker. But there is no way the canal is not being well guarded so we¡¯d need to leave the city first and then make it to the river putting us at risk of being spotted. And since we¡¯re going to Asmuth a boat will not be very helpful for any length of time.
No matter how much I think about it I can¡¯t come up with anything better. Maybe creating a distraction of some sort could help, but what type of distraction would work? It would need to be big and it would need to be something that is not easily seen through quickly.
But anything I think of that can gain us enough time would put innocent people in danger. I don¡¯t want to become the type of person who can kill innocent people for a reason like causing a distraction. At the very least I¡¯m certain I can escape. But again that would come at the sacrifice of Lady Eleanor¡¯s group.
Is it even wise to travel with Lady Eleanor¡¯s group anymore? They¡¯ll probably be looking for me once they figure out they¡¯ve failed. If I¡¯m not with Lady Eleanor then even if they are found out they probably won¡¯t be killed. But a battle between myself and another mage, it would probably be impossible for me to fight and protect at the same time.
This really goes back to me killing Philip Osborne. Killing him removed a strong enemy from potential future conflicts. But it also created a blood feud between me and his brother. I don¡¯t know what I could have done differently though. It was him or me, anyone would defend themselves. But I doubt hearing that would make his brother happy.
Right now I don¡¯t know what the best thing to do is and unfortunately I don¡¯t think anyone is capable of giving me any advice. The sooner we leave the better our chances will be. It would be for the best if Elkia does not know the results of the battle between Philip and me yet. Once they know though, Philips brother will surely be after my head.
They¡¯ll probably find their way here first. What will happen to the people of the estate? The guards of Lady Eleanor¡¯s estate seemed confused to the point of leaving. With no word from Gerard or Lady Eleanor on what they should do in case of Elkian intrusion, it looks like they¡¯d be willing to just allow them entry to the estate. Well, it¡¯s not like they could really do anything to stop them.
The housekeepers and other servants are equally if not more panicked than the guards. I¡¯ve done my best to calm everyone, telling them Lady Eleanor is sick and they should just continue as though it was a normal day, but I have little to no authority here and telling people not to worry about anything when we were clearly under attack earlier is a little disingenuous.
Still, it¡¯s not like I can just come out and say, we¡¯re escaping the city because it¡¯s not safe for us. Unfortunately, we can¡¯t save everyone. I still don¡¯t think it will be too bad for them though. The Empire never mistreated people they intended to take as citizens, so as long as they do not fight the new people in charge I don¡¯t think their lives will change all that much.
Now that we¡¯re about to leave I¡¯m starting to worry about silly things like how it¡¯s much cooler this evening than it has been. My jacket keeps me warm but the parts of my body that are uncovered can feel the sting of the frosty air. Underground the air temperature stays pretty constant, but I¡¯m beginning to worry about our trip to Asmuth.
If we¡¯re able to leave without incident we¡¯ll still need to travel almost 500 miles. Because we''re traveling by wagon depending on the roads this could take us more than a month. I know nothing about the climate here in the Northern Territories, but if it¡¯s getting this cold already than how cold will it be as we travel to the northeast?
I¡¯ve packed some blankets but I just hope they¡¯re enough. If I had more room in my bag I¡¯d probably try to take as much as I can from the mansion itself but it¡¯s just not possible. Taking one last look I¡¯m sure Lady Eleanor is suffering inside at losing everything her family ever worked for.
She probably took it all for granted just like I did. I wonder what happens to estates that no longer have an owner. The Candor estate was probably seized by the Empire. But what do they do with it after that? It could have been given to a member of the Emperors family, or perhaps one of those ministers my father would complain about.
What was it he said again? ¡°The ministers were lowborn wretches that did not deserve to be in positions of power.¡± I think he had a problem with people he felt were inferior to him holding power that even exceeded his own within the imperial court. I understand what the Emperor was thinking though.
The Emperor was wise in making use of talented individuals and stripping power from the nobles little by little. It was also a great way to showcase how well his programs such as the education system worked. By placing smart people who went through his schools in positions of power and giving them the tools to become successful the Emperor was making a statement of ¡°fall in line or I¡¯ll replace you with someone else.¡±
How would that work with Elkia? There are no nobles in Freeport, just the overly wealthy and the poor. The council would be the closest thing to nobility here, but what will become of them? And what of Asmuth? Lady Eleanor did not speak of nobility but said they had officials that were selected by the people in certain regions as representatives for them.
That seems terribly inefficient to me though. And having people select their leaders¡ I¡¯m not really sure if that is a good thing or bad thing. If it¡¯s broken up by region then you¡¯ll have representatives for poor people and representatives for wealthy people. Different people from different regions will want different things. So how does anything ever get done?
Surely there is no way to give everyone what they want so they probably have to compromise somehow. Which means no one gets what they want. People are pretty selfish, so how much are they ever really able to compromise on? No matter how I think about it, it seems inefficient. I really think it¡¯s better to have one ruler who has talented subordinates.
I should be able to find out more about it on the way there and see it in action once I arrive. Hopefully, they¡¯re not as incompetent as the council was here in Freeport. If they are then I don¡¯t hold out much in the way of hope for them. Even if they are part of an alliance.
So it¡¯s going to take us about 8 to 10 hours to make it through this tunnel. Leaving now will get us to the exit sometime in the middle of the night. But then we¡¯ll need to travel another 80 miles to the Ferry. That will take us an additional 1-2 days depending.
I would have liked to scout the route a bit more beforehand but there just wasn¡¯t enough time. Thinking about the time it takes makes me want to try tunneling under the river. But then the thought of that mage attacking makes me want to avoid the tunnel altogether.
Well, it¡¯s time to tell Lady Eleanor we¡¯ll be leaving without Lady Grace or Lord Weston. She probably isn¡¯t going to take it well but we need to leave now, waiting any longer will be like waiting for a death sentence and even though I like Lady Eleanor, I¡¯m not willing to give up my life for anyone.
********
¡°General, Colonel Dyer reports an absolute defeat of the Northsmen.¡±
¡°Absolute defeat huh... What about our losses major? What are our numbers?¡±
¡°Sadly they¡¯re quite high General. Preliminary estimates are over 12 thousand men, 300 ogres, and 50 warbeasts dead or injured. sir.¡±
Truly an army of warriors. To kill ogres and warbeasts as well as my men like they did¡ any army would want them amongst their ranks.
¡°And what of the Northsmen?¡±
¡°Thanks to the warbeasts we were able to completely crush them.¡±
Well, it¡¯s what we had hoped for. Killing that many will help in the future. No one is sure how many warriors there are in the Northern Expanse, but this has to be a major loss.
¡°However, there was a problem sir¡±
¡°Oh, what is it?¡±
¡°Apparently their leader escaped sir. Colonel Dyer has sent a pursuit force but it is getting dark now and the war horses the Northsmen use are far superior to our own. Keeping pace with him has become very difficult.¡±
Hmm¡ ideally we would not let him escape but overall I don¡¯t believe it will cause too many problems. If anything, him fleeing will probably cause problems for himself. If I remember correctly Northsmen who flee the battlefield are greatly looked down upon, and in some cases, they can be considered traitors who are put to death.
It¡¯s possible he escaped death at our hands only to face it by the hands of his own people.
¡°Send a message to the Colonel, continue pursuit for no more than 1 additional day. We don¡¯t have the resources to send a group of people to track a single warrior for an extended time.¡±
Now then, I need to speak with that mage next and finish securing the wall. Tomorrow we¡¯ll begin aiding the people with supplies and try to get an accurate body count as well as begin repairs. I¡¯ll need to meet with the council to formally announce Freeport as a part of the Kingdom of Elkia. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day.
********
Mother still seems distraught but thankfully after some convincing on the part of this Jayce and myself, she agreed to leave. I don¡¯t know if Grace is being held captive or not but for all of us to risk our lives would be beyond silly.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Grace is mother¡¯s favorite. We all know that. That doesn¡¯t really bother me much as she never truly showed favoritism to any of us, but she becomes irrational at times when it involves her. Personally I agree with Jayce. Whether she is a captive or not I do not believe any harm will come to her.
Being married to Lord Weston is sure to grant her some privileges that none of us would have. At the very least she can be a useful tool to Elkia in controlling this city. It¡¯s clear a lot of thought went into how to conquer Freeport so I doubt they would harm Grace for no reason.
If they put so much thought into conquering the city in less than a day then surely they thought of how to control the people. They¡¯ll probably try to transition the city into their government slowly to avoid revolts and what better way than to make use of the council?
Either way I¡¯m just glad we are finally leaving. Although I¡¯m happy to be on the move I can¡¯t say I¡¯m enjoying traveling through a tunnel. The cold damp air does not feel very comfortable and I¡¯m terrified that this tunnel will collapse at any time. Jayce continues to reassure us there is nothing to worry about, but how can anyone truly believe that when it¡¯s pretty obvious he does not believe that?
I¡¯m sure for him it¡¯s not a problem. Even if there is a collapse he¡¯ll be able to escape, but for us, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be so fortunate. For now he¡¯s helping us, but the moment we become too much of a burden I¡¯m certain he will abandon us. I don¡¯t blame him for it. It¡¯s exactly what I would do if I was in his situation.
We¡¯re not his family so there is no reason for him to die for us. As long as we all understand that then there is no problem, but unfortunately my mother seems to be willing to trust her life to him. I don¡¯t know very much about magic but it would not surprise me if this magician somehow charmed my mother using magic.
¡°I think we should rest here for a while, is that alright with you Mr. Jayce?¡±
¡°Yeah that¡¯s fine, is an hour long enough?¡±
¡°That should be enough.¡±
It¡¯s strange seeing Gerard act respectfully to anyone other than my mother. Not that he is disrespectful to people overall, but he is normally a bit more abrasive. Mother must have said something to him about this Jayce. We¡¯re all relying on him so I understand it to an extent, but she is a bit more kind than I would expect.
From what I have found out he is actually a mercenary who happened to take a job my mother had requested. Why she would look to the mercenary guild for an entertainer makes no sense to me, but my mother has always done things differently. But other than his job as a mercenary I was unable to find anything else out. Maybe it¡¯s best to just get it from the source.
¡°So Jayce, what made you become a mercenary?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ well, I was new in Freeport and I thought maybe it would be a good way to earn money and possibly travel as well.¡±
¡°Oh really? You¡¯re quite young to be traveling as a mercenary on your own, aren¡¯t you? Where are your parents?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m particularly young, there were other people signing up at the guild who were just as young as I am, perhaps even younger. And as for my parents, well I¡¯d rather not discuss my family.¡±
So he doesn¡¯t want to talk about his family huh? Did he perhaps run away from home? He seems somewhat educated so he should not have come from a bad family. Could it be they are dead? He didn¡¯t seem upset when I asked about his parents so were they not close?
¡°Is that so? Then tell me, where are you from Jayce?¡±
¡°Belle I think that is enough. You¡¯re clearly making Mr. Jayce uncomfortable with your questions.¡±
There she goes again protecting him for no reason. As if he were a child that requires the help of an adult at all times.
¡°Oh I¡¯m just curious about Jayce that¡¯s all. I mean, such a young mage happens to appear in our house, wouldn¡¯t anyone be interested?¡±
¡°I hired him for your sister¡¯s wedding, after that, I hired him to help us escape. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±
Why is mother protecting him? I don¡¯t understand her reasoning. Does she know something but is unwilling to share it with the rest of us.
¡°I don¡¯t mean any offense please forgive me Jayce¡±
¡°No it¡¯s ok, I¡¯m not offended, but I really do not wish to talk about my family. But you seem to be worried Lady Annabelle, is there something other than my family, in particular, that is worrying you? Maybe I can help put your mind at ease.¡±
Put my mind at ease huh? I¡¯m not sure if he is able to do that, at least not with the situation we are in.
¡°It just bothers me that we know nothing about you, I¡¯m not accusing you of anything, but how do we know that you are not leading us to the Elkian army instead of helping us flee the city?¡±
Well, I don¡¯t really think that is the case, there¡¯d be easier ways to do that if he wanted to, but really should we be trusting someone implicitly that we know nothing about? That seems dangerous to me.
¡°I¡¯m not sure how I can convince you, but I really have no relationship with Elkia. I wanted to escape as well because I didn¡¯t want to be a part of their military, but now that I killed one of their mages as well as a platoon of armored riders the Elkian military will probably be looking to kill me instead of looking to have me join. And is there really a need to do this to capture you? I could have just closed off the tunnel and trapped everyone in the bunker.¡±
So he¡¯s wanted by Elkia? Isn¡¯t that bad for us? If what he said is true then he probably wouldn¡¯t walk us into a trap, but he¡¯d be more likely to use us as a decoy to escape. Then will he even protect us at all?
¡°Very true Belle, now I think you¡¯ve asked enough. Mr. Jayce I believe you said you would like to vent out the tunnel once again, please do not allow us to keep you.¡±
¡°Yes, then Lady Eleanor, Lady Annabelle please excuse me.¡±
Hmm¡, it looks like my mother really is trying to protect him for some reason. Is it because of what his secret is? Could there be some ulterior motive of hers? Or is it because he¡¯s Grace¡¯s age that she looks at him like he¡¯s a child who needs her protection?
Mother has always been protective of children so that may not be too far-fetched. If he has grown on her then it¡¯s certainly possible. But someone powerful enough to build this tunnel and build a pit with the intentions of slaughtering thousands, is that really someone you would treat as a child?
¡°Belle, you may be curious, or maybe you¡¯re up to something else, but I am telling you, do not bother Mr. Jayce and do not interfere with him any further. Right now he is our only hope at leaving this disaster. Do you understand me?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Say it again Belle, and this time mean it.¡±
¡°Yes Mother, I will no longer interfere with Jayce.¡±
¡°Good, then Gerard can you please bring me to lie down. I¡¯m feeling a bit dizzy from this low light and stuffy air.¡±
¡°Yes, Lady Eleanor.¡±
Thankfully we should be exiting the tunnel within 4 or 5 more hours. But being underground so long is clearly not good for mother¡¯s illness. For now I¡¯ll keep my distance. I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter what his background is as long as he does what he said he would. But unlike mother, I will not so easily trust someone I know nothing about.
********
Unlike the night before there were no screams for help, no cries of sorrow, and no maniacal laughter racing through the city. Enveloped in the darkness that surrounded the city, tonight, on this nearly moonless night, all of Freeport was silent.
As he looked out the small window in his cell, the lone prisoner of the western barracks thought back to the events leading up to this moment and how foolish he had been. The signs were always there, but he had been blinded by his own pride. His arrogance was his downfall.
Convinced that he would be the one to save Freeport from the disaster on the horizon Lord Weston ignored the obvious in the pursuit of his own statue. To be immortalized as the savior of the city. To him, it was only natural that a man of his talents would be treated as such.
At least that is what he believed. As a Weston, it was what he deserved. But he never thought that his fellow members were not only complacent in the fall of Freeport, they were the ones driving it. He had to admit that giving enough time if left alone Freeport would fall, but it would have been years from now by his estimates, perhaps even a decade or more. And that was only if nothing was done to prevent it.
Alan Weston had ideas, plans, a full pathway to recovery and he knew once he was able to implement his plans things would turn for the better. But he never had the chance. It wasn¡¯t that the council treated him like a kid or thought his plans were foolish, in fact, he was now more certain than ever that his plans would have worked and that is why they were rejected. The council worked hard to force Freeport to fail.
Perhaps that was what was most painful to Alan. Freeport would fail but he was now more certain than ever that he had the solution to all the cities ailments. He was like a doctor that was not allowed to cure the ill but instead forced to sit idly by as his patients died.
¡°Who¡¯s there!? Show yourself!¡±
The sound of the outer cell doors slamming startled Lord Weston back to the reality of his station. The last person to visit him had been Lady CeeCee earlier in the day and part of him was hoping she came back. He had been emotional and confused earlier but now that he had calmed down his head was filled with questions that only she would be able to answer.
¡°Relax Alan it¡¯s just me.¡±
¡°Lando? What are you doing here? Did you perhaps come to laugh at my misfortunes one last time?¡±
He had never liked Lando. His dislike for him wasn¡¯t as deep as his hatred for Isaac Wolfe, but Lando was a close second. As far as he was concerned Lando was just a yes man who had been bought and paid for by Isaac. He was a man of low morals and stood for nothing. Men like him should never be in a position of power over others. Alan despised him for it.
¡°Nothing of the sort Alan, nothing of the sort. Trust me, I do not want to be here either, but we just couldn¡¯t allow you to go through what they have planned.¡±
Not once did Lando look in Lord Weston¡¯s direction. It was clear he was troubled by the reason he was here. Like he was ashamed by his actions and did not wish for Lord Weston to see his face. The look of someone who knows they are guilty of a crime and feels they deserve to be punished.
¡°What are you talking about Lando? What have you all planned?¡±
¡°Here Alan, before that I have something for you from Lady CeeCee. She made it herself apparently. I didn¡¯t even know Lady CeeCee could cook but she said it was your father¡¯s favorite dish.¡±
¡°Chicken pot pie¡¡±
Slumping down and almost falling to his knees Lord Weston¡¯s eyes began to glisten as a flood of warm memories filled his head.
¡°Oh, so you know about it then?¡±
How could he not know, it was his favorite food as well. His father loved chicken pot pie. He would eat it at least 3 or 4 times a week and had shared it with Alan all the way up until his death. After his father died he had asked the maids to make him chicken pot pie on numerous occasions, but it was never the same.
¡°She said she used to make this for your father all the time and you would probably enjoy it as well.¡±
Taking the tin from Lando¡¯s hand Alan removed the cover and the aroma carried by the steam slammed into his nostrils causing him to stumble backward. This was it, this was the same aroma he remembered growing up. This food that he shared with his father on so many occasions. It had been years but he finally had it in front of him once more.
How many nights had he sat down to listen to his father¡¯s stories while eating this very same chicken pot pie? Debating the correct way to solve the city¡¯s economic problems in the study while sharing one of these pies. Or just sitting in peace and silence admiring his father as many young boys do.
The food in front of him was not its components and it¡¯s flavor, the food in front of him was like a pathway to the past back to the man he admired the most. He never thought he would taste that wondrous chicken pot pie that had brought about so many happy memories shared with his father.
The tears streamed down his face and with every bite another memory would flash through his mind. This was a bliss he had not felt in a very long time. But within the bliss was also a sense of sorrow. There was a longing to go back to those days, and sadness for what he had done, for the things he had said.
¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry Lady CeeCee. I was such a child, I didn¡¯t know anything for your suffering. You were in so much pain for all these years and I said those things. Lando¡±
¡°Yes Alan?¡±
¡°Lando, can you do me a favor?¡±
¡°Just ask Alan, if it¡¯s within my power I will make sure of it.¡±
Lando¡¯s words rang resolutely in Lord Weston¡¯s ears. For the first time, he felt as though there was a connection between Lando and himself, and he knew he could trust his request to him.
¡°Lando, please tell Lady CeeCee I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry for the way I treated her. For the things I said, and for not noticing her suffering even though I knew of her relationship with my father. What I have done is horrible, and I want her to know I am ashamed of myself for it. When she finally travels to the other side I hope she can reunite with my father and spend eternity together. She has my blessing as long as I can enjoy some of her chicken pot pies on occasion. Can you do that for me Lando?¡±
Lando reached his hand into the cell firmly clasping Lord Weston¡¯s before pulling him close and looking him directly into his eyes.
¡°I¡¯ll make sure she hears your words Alan, every word of it, I promise you this.¡±
¡°Good, good. We¡¯ve had our differences Lando, but for some reason, I can¡¯t bring myself to hate you anymore. Haha, I must be exhausted from everything, I¡¯ve been so tense but maybe the food has helped me relax, I haven¡¯t eaten so much in such a long time, I feel really content for some reason, really content. It¡¯s late Lando, and I haven¡¯t slept in such a long time. Thank you for the food, but please excuse me, I think I¡¯m going to lay down for a bit. Goodnight Lando.¡±
¡°Yes, goodbye Alan, until we see each other again.¡±
As Lord Alan Weston lay down on his straw mattress for the final time, Lando felt his heartache for the way things had progressed. No one wanted things to be this way. Of course they all wanted things to go well, for everyone to come out of this happily. But life did not always have happy endings for everyone.
After looking behind one last time Lando stepped outside of the barrack cells into the central corridor and stared into the corner.
¡°Did you hear?¡±
After what seemed like a lifetime the shadows began distorting until two figures walked out. A stoic faced Randall who¡¯s true emotions betrayed the way he looked and a sobbing Lady CeeCee whose appearance was hardly befitting a lady of her stature.
¡°Yes, yes we heard everything.¡±
Barely able to speak Lady CeeCee fought through the tears to confirm she had heard Lord Weston¡¯s final words. They were words she had never hoped to hear even if she lived 1000 more lifetimes. To have the blessing to be with the one man she truly loved, she could never have asked for such a thing. Such a thing had escaped her, her entire life.
¡°Do you really need to do this Lady CeeCee? There is still so much to do, so much we could use your help with.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry Lando, but this is how it has to be. I have faith that you, Esra, Isaac, and Burton will bring our city, our home back to the glory it once knew. You do not need my help. And besides, I have kept him waiting for too long already.¡±
¡°I see. Though none of us agree with you on that, we have all agreed that it was your decision, and we will not oppose you if that is really what you want.¡±
¡°It is Lando, it really is.¡±
Fighting back tears of his own Lando took out an envelope and passed it to Lady CeeCee.
¡°I understand, then Lady CeeCee, thank you for everything. Each of us has written a letter to express our gratitude and our final words. Please read them.¡±
¡°I will Lando, I promise. Give my thanks to everyone, I will miss you all. But remember this is not a goodbye, we will all see each other again Lando. Sir Randall, then if you will, please bring me back, I do not wish to keep him waiting any longer.¡±
¡°Of course Lady CeeCee.¡±
¡°Then Lando, until we meet again.¡±
And in the same way that they had appeared, they disappeared once more back into the shadows. The next day the whole of the city would come to learn that Constance Courtland, known to most as Lady CeeCee, a flirtatious woman whose actions betrayed her age and Lord Alan Weston, a proud man who struggled to the end to keep Freeport independent had both left this world to once more be reunited with their ancestors and all those they loved.
Intermission
The large round room lacked the elaborate details found in most rooms of the imperial palace. There were no artistic works hung on the walls, no tapestries of great battles and glorious victories of the past, no, there were no intricate decorations within this room at all. To describe it bluntly it was plain.
The furnishings were simple, in the back of the room was a large chestnut colored desk with a high back red padded chair where the emperor would be seated while looking down at the semicircular table capable of seating up to 12 people.
This was the room the Emperor designed for meetings with his most trusted advisors, ministers, and generals. It was a plain room with one purpose in mind, efficiency. For someone as busy as the Emperor, it was important to make use of every bit of time he had and he felt that sitting in a room filled with exquisite works of arts would be a distraction.
Today the emperor was meeting with his ministers of finance, rail, and war. To the ever-expanding empire, these three men were exceptionally important and held a huge amount of power. After the emperor, they were perhaps the three most powerful men in the Empire.
¡°On the topic of the war-balloons, Mr. Corrington what is our status?¡±
¡°Yes your majesty. Currently, testing of the war-balloons is on schedule. We believe within a month we will have a completed prototype that will be ready for production.¡±
¡°It says in your report that the top speed tested is 7 miles per hour and a fire mage of the 6th rank is able to power the balloon at a height of 500 feet for 5 hours. Why is the speed so slow? This only gives us an effective range of 35 miles at top speed if two mages are used to control the balloon.¡±
Sensing the emperor was displeased with their results thus far, the minister of war, Spencer Corrington squirmed uncomfortably and felt his body heat up. Thankfully they had already been working to solve the current limitations of the war balloons and had begun working on a newer design that made use of new technology.
¡°Our limiting factor right now is the fabric used to make the balloon. We are in the process of developing sturdier fabrics of similar weight that will allow us to travel at twice the speed. A second prototype is making use of collapsible frames and a newly designed propeller system that uses wind mages which will allow the balloons to travel at 3 to 4 times the current speed. This will drive the cost up a little more and require more human resources, but it is still within the allotted budget.¡±
¡°Focus your resources on the propeller-driven balloons. The project is meant to create a weapon capable of traveling large distances in a relatively short period of time that can attack and deliver supplies from our depots to ongoing battles. The range and speed of the other prototype is worthless to us.¡±
¡°Understood your majesty.¡±
Relieved there would be no punishments Mr. Corrington sat back down and began writing notes on a pad he had brought with him. His orders were simple but Mr. Corrington was an extremely busy man due to the wars on many fronts. He could not afford to forget a message from the emperor because he became too busy.
¡°Then Mr. Chandler summarize your report on the expansion of the rail into Acora.¡±
Emmitt Chandler, an orphan of war educated in the imperial school system, his talents were recognized early on and over many years of dedicated work he finally caught the eye of the emperor and was granted the position of Minister of Rail.
The Empire¡¯s rail system was extensive and was growing even more so with each passing day. Many would attribute the rails ability to travel rapidly with an enormous amount of supplies and soldiers as one of the most important reasons for the Empire¡¯s success. Given the position of Minister of Rail was a major honor, but it was an honor with tremendous pressure to be successful.
¡°Your majesty, our current expansion into Acora is ahead of schedule. With the increase in funding we were able to hire additional workers capable of clearing a path through the Camn Forest and the rail to Lido is nearly complete. We are certain in less than one month it will be operational.¡±
¡°Good, have you found a suitable pass through the Kundar Mountains yet?¡±
¡°Our cartographers have identified a possible pass. It will require the work of many earth mages, but we hope to have it fully mapped out before winter. If it is indeed possible we plan to begin construction of the rail system in the coming spring depending on funding.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°Hmm¡ about that, Mr. Harmon you were tasked with the liquidation of the Candor holdings. What is your progress and how much has it netted so far?¡±
Jacob Harmon, son of a very successful and wealthy merchant had handled large amounts of money from the time he was young. The Harmon¡¯s, using their vast wealth would often loan money to many influential nobles and members of the government. If the noble was unable to pay then they would owe the Harmon¡¯s a favor.
Using this to skirt the edges of bribery laws Harmon¡¯s power and a number of connections continued to grow. Despite this, the emperor still decided to make Jacob Harmon his minister of finance. Though it was true his character was somewhat questionable, no one could deny his talents, and his family¡¯s coercion had proven very valuable on a number of occasions.
¡°Your majesty, the main Candor estate has been subdivided into 8 parcels and sold separately. As most of the land was undeveloped the majority of the 237 million crescents came from the 2 properties with houses on them. There are 7 other properties that are currently being sold expected to total an additional 200 million crescents and bank holdings totaled 142 million crescents. We are still calculating the sum total of their business holdings but they are roughly estimated at 400 million crescents bringing the total to just under 1 billion crescents.¡±
¡°The Candor¡¯s were quite wealthy, well that is to be expected. And what of the survivors?¡±
¡°Most of the main house members have already faced execution, with the rest being imprisoned or sold. The minor branch families have been dissolved and their assets seized, we are uncertain at this time of their value though, when I have more details I will provide them, your majesty. There are some that fled, however, generous bounties have already been placed on them making it exceedingly difficult for them to travel.¡±
¡°Mr. Corrington you look like you wish to say something, go ahead speak.¡±
¡°Your majesty, I¡¯m just worried about retaliation from the other families. They¡¯re sure to feel threatened now that one of their fellow nobles has been purged.¡±
This was a very real possibility and one the emperor had weighed carefully before his decision. There were many powerful individuals and families that were loyal to the nobles. Currying favor with a noble could lead to great financial gain. The Empire could not afford a civil war with the nobles, but the emperor was certain that the Empire needed to change and he had come too far to let a few families stop his plans.
¡°This nation cannot progress when 6 families hold onto nearly 50 percent of the wealth. Candor was the most powerful of the families; this was meant as a message to the others. Expansion is expensive; the nobles wish to reap the benefits but are not willing to invest their own capital. The war bonds were a failure because of this, so we were left with no choice. If the other families continue to hoard their resources they will meet a similar fate, that is all. The time of noble rule is coming to an end.¡±
¡°I understand your majesty; I¡¯m simply worried the other families may revolt.¡±
¡°That is why we have passed legislation banning private militaries greater than 200 and made it mandatory for mages to serve in the military. Mr. Harmon is working on a new set of regulations concerning investments and forced expenditures to drain their financial resources is that correct?¡±
¡°Yes your majesty, you will receive the draft from my office by the end of this week.¡±
¡°Good, though the possibility of revolt exists we will continue to chip away at the nobles power to prevent it. Then, Mr. Harmon, I want you to take a portion of the funds we received from the Candor house and allot them to Mr. Chandler to be used towards the development of a Kundar pass rail system. The Northern Territories are an untapped well which we look to exploit as soon as possible.¡±
¡°Understood your majesty, we will plan a budget together.¡±
¡°Very well, if that is all I have a meeting with General Maddock regarding the rebels in Alegan in 30 minutes. You are dismissed.¡±
After bowing to the emperor and exiting the room each man let out a sigh of relief. No one wanted to disappoint the emperor in fear of losing their own heads. This emperor was different from emperors of the past.
While the previous emperor saw the rail system as a convenient mode of transport that would help in trade and travel, the current emperor saw it as a tool to be used for complete Eldorran dominance of the Southern Kingdoms and beyond.
During his rule, he continued to pass decrees that were designed to limit the power of anyone who could possibly oppose him. No emperor in the history of the Empire had ever held as much power. But while the nobles despised him, the people loved him.
There were many policies under the emperor that guaranteed equality between social classes and provided a chance for the downtrodden to rise up. The education system which had once only accepted the wealthiest of citizens was now available to everyone, including compulsory education that taught citizens how to read and write as well as the basics of mathematics.
The nobles were vehemently against such policies that elevated the status of low born citizens. But the emperor believed there was much to be gained by educating the population and he had been greatly rewarded with an influx of new ideas and technologies.
The emperor would make use of any talented individual no matter their background or family history to accomplish his dreams. Closing in at 60 years of age, the emperor would not accept any delays. But as years passed he realized uniting the entire continent before he died would most likely be impossible. Thankfully his eldest son shared the same dreams as him.
Chapter 17: Fleeing Has Become Too Normal
As though she were drowning she swung her arms desperately trying to hold herself up. However, like a stone that sinks in water, she fell to the ground unable to support her weight any longer. Her world, her everything, what little hope she held onto had escaped her the moment she heard those words.
¡°Maid, help Lady Grace to her room. We will look for her again after she has had some time to calm down.¡±
Bowing slightly to the men who had just delivered the news, the head maid fought back tears as she along with another servant helped lift Lady Grace to her feet to guide her back to her room. Despair and fear from uncertainty hung heavy in the air as they disappeared from view.
¡°Then General Mason, what shall we do with her. Although he is no longer alive his family still holds a number of businesses and ties throughout the city.¡±
The Weston house was extremely influential, though the assets could be stripped and used towards improving and repairing the city it would be very wasteful to lose that power.
¡°Isaac, is there anyone capable of running the household now that Lord Weston is no longer alive? Does he have any family or an heir of some sort?¡±
¡°General Mason, Weston left no heir, however, he has a younger brother who should be able to take over and lead the family. He is young and inexperienced but I believe with the right guidance he will be competent in what we need him to do.¡±
General Mason stroked his chin in contemplation. As long as there was someone to take control then it was fine, especially if it was a person they could manipulate and use. The question that bothered him, however, was how to deal with Lady Grace.
¡°And what of Lord Weston¡¯s widow? What is standard practice in Freeport? I believe the Elkian law regarding this is that if there is a brother who is unwed then he has the obligation of marrying his brother¡¯s wife. But if he is already married he can take her as a mistress but must financially support her no matter what.¡±
¡°Although we do not carry that law it is often practiced through tradition. I believe Weston¡¯s brother is unwed and I think it would be for the best in her case as she is quite young and unable to take care of herself. She was only married to Weston for approximately a month. We¡¯ve haven¡¯t contacted her family, but they would probably be willing to take her back as well.¡±
This was the best possible outcome. But before the general could pass judgment on the matter he was interrupted.
¡°That won¡¯t be necessary General. I have taken an interest in her and will take responsibility.¡±
It was an unexpected voice and an equally unexpected declaration.
¡°Mr. Osborne, if you truly are interested I will not prevent it, however, I did not take you as the type to take in a widow, may I ask why you are so interested in her? I doubt it is as simple as you being taken by her beauty.¡±
Though he didn¡¯t like the idea, the general would not interfere with Mr. Osborne if that is really what he wanted. He had been told before that as long as it would not cause any serious problems to accommodate the mage to the best of his abilities. He held no feelings for the girl, and though he did not approve of such things, even if the mage just wanted to use her for some fun as long as he did not cause any serious mental or physical trauma she could still be sent back to the brother.
¡°It¡¯s not as you are probably thinking General. It¡¯s very simple; she has the potential to use magic. I did not notice it at first but when she collapsed to the ground she was unable to control it and released a decent amount of mana, an aura if you will. However, it is not a typical aura. I believe she may be able to control mystic magic, but what type I am unsure. I¡¯d like to find out what hidden potential she may have.¡±
Magic, it was not something the general could understand. If she really could perform magic then it could possibly be very important to the new military Elkia was trying to create. She could end up being an important piece to be used; it was something he could not refuse.
¡°Hmm¡ I have a question Mr. Osborne, how long does it take to develop a mage?¡±
¡°In truth, it takes many years General. However, if she has talent she should be able to use 1 or 2 simple spells within a year. But, depending on the type of mage she becomes those one or two spells could be very useful.¡±
¡°I understand, then I will leave it to you Mr. Osborne, do as you see fit.¡±
There were many spells that could be extremely powerful in the mystic arts despite not being high rank and wielded by a powerful mage. Even if Lady Grace only had average talent depending on the magic she could use she could be very powerful.
¡°Then General, I also want to know, have you heard anything on my brother¡¯s killer yet?¡±
Though he spoke in a calm tone his body betrayed his desire to hold his true feelings in. Osborne clenched his fists and his body trembled after asking General Mason that question. After learning his brother had died it took everything the general could think of to prevent him from destroying the city.
¡°Right now Mr. Osborne we have no information. We have sent men to scour the city as well as scouts and a large number of men in every direction leading out from the city. I apologize, however, the moment I hear anything I will inform you of it and provide you with any resources you ask for.¡±
That was a lie. Two days ago a message was received that the forces General Mason had stationed to the east of Freeport had been attacked by a mage. General Mason sent men to investigate and was informed almost all of the warbeasts and nearly three-quarters of his men had been killed.
Reports of the battle spoke of tremendous damage to the land and no signs of the mage and the small party he was leading. He was certain the mage had crossed the river but was not sure whether he moved north towards Asmuth or had attempted to travel around the Bertsch Forest to avoid additional forces as they traveled towards Penrith.
Sending two groups of men he had hoped to find information quickly but he had still not heard anything. Even if he did though he did not plan on sharing that information immediately; this mage was strong enough to create a massive lake, cause an earth shake, and kill Mr. Osborne¡¯s younger brother. He could not risk a massacre to his own men and lose Mr. Osborne because of revenge. Though he sympathized with Osborne he simply could not afford it.
¡°I want to be clear General, any information, no matter how small I want to hear it immediately. Some second class mage was somehow able to kill my brother. I will not let him off so easily.¡±
¡°I understand Mr. Osborne, I will let you know immediately the moment I hear anything.¡±
The general understood he could not keep it a secret forever, however, if he was able to buy enough time he could hopefully minimize any further losses to his troops. To lose so many warbeasts from one person was a huge loss.
Allowing someone capable of such destruction to escape went against everything conventional wisdom told him. However, this was not a conventional case and it was best to regroup right now and learn about this powerful enemy before falling into another massive trap.
He would not allow such a foe escape so lightly either, but he had no choice but to accept that in the grand scheme of things even if they were able to capture this mage they would do so with heavy losses. Such a thing would put them at a huge disadvantage should Penrith attack when they were weakened.
The Elkian military was not a bottomless pit of resources. The amount he could be given was finite, and it was his job as commander to make sure those resources were used to their utmost potential. Though it pained him, sadly revenge would have to wait for a more opportune moment.
********
It looks like the Elkian¡¯s have stopped their pursuit. Had it gone on much longer my horse would not have been able to continue. The Elkian¡¯s have made me into a traitor to my people. My tribe may not see me that way, but if I return the other tribes will and we would be destroyed.
For now, there is no way I can return. I never thought that one day I would become one of the disgraced. I must find a way to send a message. If I can warn my brother of the Elkian¡¯s then he can at least prepare. We cannot hope to defeat them as we are, but perhaps we can find a way to survive until we have the strength to take them on.
There is a great city to the northeast. They say it is even mightier than Freeport. To think such a thing could possibly exist¡ the people of the plains truly are amazing. There were rumors of a village of disgraced to the east of that city. In the past, there were scouting groups that attempted to locate it in hopes of washing away their sins but the village was never found.
If it exists it is the only place I can think of that may be able to send a message to my tribe. But with no food, water, or supplies¡ such a journey will be difficult. I do not know this area very well. My horse can probably graze upon the grasses, but I do not know of any water sources.
If I continue to ride him he can probably make it 2 days without water at best. Perhaps he will last 4 days if I do not. I have never witnessed it but it is said my people can go for 7 days without water and months without food. It is a difficult choice.
Riding will cover the most ground, but if I can find a road walking may be the best choice as the increase in time may increase my chances of meeting a traveler or merchants. For now, we must rest. I will ride him to the nearest road and then walk.
I do not know how far this city is, if there are towns before it and if there are how hostile they are to my kind. I hope we will be able to find water along the way, but should my horse die before then I may need to drink from its body and eat its flesh.
The horse is a sacred gift given to us by the goddess. Although we are allowed to eat of its flesh in cases of starvation I hope it will not come to that. To end up in such a state. It is beyond shameful. Someday I hope to return this shame back to Elkia 100 times.
No, it is not only a hope. Before I die I will make sure to end the life of this Colonel Dyer with my own hands. Despite my dislike of the men I was charged with they were still my people. To come to an agreement and convince them of the benefits of siding with the Elkian¡¯s was very difficult. However, they agreed to my plans and trusted me.
For the Elkian¡¯s to go back on their agreement¡ It is beyond shameful. We will prepare for them; I will make sure of it. For now, though I know the goddess will protect my people, she always has.
********
This wind combined with the light rain makes it extremely uncomfortable to travel across these plains. Just one month ago the skies were cloudless and the temperatures were so high it made it difficult to breathe. This change in the weather is remarkable.
Even from a week ago the difference in temperature is pretty outstanding. The day we fought the Elkian troops it was sunny and mild, a far cry from the weather today. I had to expend quite a bit of mana to build that ice bridge because of the warmth.
Thinking about that now I can¡¯t help but shake my head at my foolishness. Why hadn¡¯t I thought of building an ice bridge to cross in the first place? We could have avoided alerting the Elkian forces of our presence and would not have to worry about being followed because of the message they were able to send.
I was so grateful that there were no problems with the tunnel I had completely let my guard down. Because of that before we could make it to the ferry, we faced off against those warbeasts and a large number of armored riders. Thankfully we were in the open and far enough away that I was able to attack from a distance.
Those warbeasts were incredibly difficult to deal with. A normal rock projectile was enough to kill or severely injure an armored soldier, but I needed to create hardened rock spears to kill the warbeasts. And they were fearless. Even as their numbers dwindled, even if they were injured, they did not stop.
I had to slam my hand down and cause waves and large ripples to form on the ground to slow them down or else some of them may have made it to us. If such beasts were present in the Empire they would probably be equipped with significant armor and would be a very powerful force in open field battles.
It¡¯s a good thing none of these forces have any experience in mage warfare. The confusion caused when I attack is what makes battles like these go much quicker and makes them less dangerous for me. With the right weaponry, tactics, and armor, battling against those creatures would be very troublesome.
It¡¯s a shame those warriors did not have much of value on them. The only things we took were 4 warhorses, a little bit of gold, a few sets of armor that were pretty much undamaged, some rations, and a few weapons that were worth taking.
What I really wanted though was information but the soldiers were trained well and would not talk. I¡¯m not an expert on torture though so perhaps if I was a bit more creative they may have said something. But they probably did not know much anyways. It didn¡¯t look like there were any high ranking individuals amongst them.
After dealing with the Elkian forces we made haste in our escape across the ice bridge I had made and pushed our horses to their utmost limits in hopes of avoiding any further surprises. But we do not have a guide or anyone experienced with this route so we¡¯re forced to rely on Lady Eleanor¡¯s previous experience.
According to her we should be roughly 15-20 days away. It¡¯s hard to get a better estimate because she only remembers a few details from her trips to Asmuth when she was young and she traveled directly from Freeport to Asmuth instead of the route we¡¯re traveling.
The other problem is the lack of identifying landmarks. It was the same problem I had when traveling to Freeport. It¡¯s easy to get lost in a sea of grass where everything looks the same. But according to Lady Eleanor, we¡¯ll know we are getting close to Asmuth once we begin traveling through slightly hilly terrain where trees appear as well as small ponds and lakes.
It¡¯s a dull trip but far better than when I was alone. I don¡¯t have the attacks at night that caused such pain in my chest that I had before when traveling and I don¡¯t have the feeling of just wanting everything to end. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s just being able to talk with others, or maybe just knowing I¡¯m not the only person around. It¡¯s a bit more reassuring when you are with people you know.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
I¡¯ve learned quite a bit from my talks with Lady Eleanor in the evenings. She only leaves her carriage to warm herself by the fire and talk with me for a while before returning. She doesn¡¯t have the strongest body so it¡¯s for the best that she does not linger outside for long anyways.
The more she tells me about Asmuth the more excited I become. As a major city of the Corinth Alliance it is a very large center for trade and because of this there are many exotic goods and more interestingly there are even other races. Though not as numerous as humans they can still be found.
According to her the most common race other than humans would be Halflings. Called as such because they are about half the size of a normal person, but on occasion, even magical beings called Fae and even Elves can be seen though they are more common in the northern cities of the alliance.
To think that there are such things as magical beings and Elves, it¡¯s almost hard to believe. It¡¯s easy to see how anyone who left the Southern Kingdoms would become enamored with such a place and never want to return home.
According to Lady Eleanor hundreds of years ago, slavery was legal in the Corinth Alliance. Although slavery was not limited by race or skin color there are some in the Fae and Halfling communities that hold resentment towards other races. So it is something to watch for.
Apparently, the Elves did not have much interaction with the Corinth Alliance until after slavery was abolished so they never faced enslavement and as such, they do not hold any grudges against the other races. Lady Eleanor said they normally only leave their forest homes to trade for goods that are easier to obtain in the cities of the Alliance.
But the fact that slavery is illegal in the Alliance is very impressive itself. Even in the Empire, though most people are not in favor of it, slavery is still legal. And there are no other races in the Southern Kingdoms, just humans enslaving other humans.
Lady Eleanor thinks it¡¯s because of the way the government works. She said, for the most part, the government allows for free trade between cities and races and it does not interfere much with businesses. So as long as people are able to earn enough money to support themselves they generally do not bother others.
I still think their government is inefficient, but maybe my inexperience limits my way of thinking about these things. There are many things I do not know. The Empire had a superior education system, but it was limited by the knowledge the teachers possessed. Not to mention the Empire only taught its people what it felt was necessary.
Normally you only learned practical skills in schools. How to read, write, basic mathematics, these were skills that would help in day to day life, but it was not information one would gain just in the pursuit of knowledge. I wonder what things there are to learn in the Alliance.
Is it possible I have finally found something I am excited about? I still haven¡¯t thought very much about what I want to do, or really what I am capable of doing. I do not think I want to spend my life going from one battle to the next. What does a person do with the knowledge they gain? Am I even capable of learning such things? I¡¯m not sure, but wouldn¡¯t it be interesting to learn magic from the Fae?
What types of magic do they know? Are they Elementalist¡¯s? Or do they practice mystic magic? Unfortunately, Lady Eleanor is unsure of such things. It¡¯s understandable though, she has no aptitude in magic and in Freeport, it does not look like many people other than mercenaries make use of it.
With such limited knowledge and weak mages most likely incapable of providing a good education it is no wonder magic is so limited here. But maybe things are different in the Alliance. Maybe in the Alliance magic is more readily accepted and taught.
We still have quite a distance to go, and sadly it looks like we will not be able to make it there without coming into contact with anyone else. He looks like a northern warrior; however, I only see one which does not make a lot of sense.
Why would only one warrior be here in such a barren area? Should I speak with him? To a normal person he would probably be a foe they could not defeat, but from a distance, he should not pose a threat to me. Perhaps it would be best if I go see what he wants.
********
¡°Lady Eleanor, there appears to be one of the northern warriors up ahead. He looks like he is waiting for us to arrive. I¡¯m going to go up and see what he wants, please have everyone remain here.¡±
A barbarian? Here? Why would a barbarian appear here so far away from any villages or cities? Have they decided to raid small caravans now as well?
¡°Mr. Jayce I am not sure that is wise. The barbarians are very dangerous, I fear even you may be in danger if you go to close.¡±
¡°I understand, but we need to confront him either way. I will keep a safe distance and if he looks like he is going to attack I will not take the risk and attack first.¡±
As a mage he will probably be ok, but we are relying on him. I do not want to seem selfish, but I have not gone through all that I have, even abandoning my daughter to survive just to fall victim to a barbarian on the road. It doesn¡¯t seem like he will listen to me though either way.
¡°If you are confident then I will say no more, please be careful Mr. Jayce.¡±
The northern barbarians are an unnatural race that has come into existence from the crossbreeding of giants and humans. If it weren¡¯t for their violent temperaments they would probably be very compatible with human societies and possibly benefit humans as well.
Giants and humans are not the same race, but if the races are close enough they are able to reproduce. However, those children of different races are always sterile. They are not able to have children of their own, and that is why there are no half-breed races. However, the northern barbarians are an exception to that rule; they are the only known half-breed race.
They are also able to have non-sterile children with humans. Such children have occurred in the past but because of their customs, they are normally killed at birth or not allowed to be born. The ones that survived to adulthood were all remarkable people who went on to have many tales told of their exploits.
But such a violent race should not exist in my opinion. My father said the reason for their violence was because of the two types of blood within them struggling for superiority. The strength of giants raged against the weakness of humans, and the civility of humans fought against the savagery of giants.
From what he told me the more powerful a barbarian was the more in control of his bloodlines he was. Weaker barbarians were dominated by their giant savagery while stronger barbarians were dominated by their human civility.
It was in complete opposite of what one would expect. How true it was I¡¯m not sure, but one could see that the powerful barbarians who controlled the masses could at least be reasoned with on occasion.
There is an old legend about giants. It is said that giants are the children of the gods that at one time walked amongst us. They are a special existence amongst all that live in the world and because of that their blood is special. They are said to be extremely intelligent but brutal as well.
It is also said there are no female giants, only male. They took female humans as lovers because of our similar likeness and had children. The giants wished to spread their race but with no females it was not possible. So they had hoped to create a race similar to theirs that they could breed with, but to their surprise they could not breed with their offspring.
The story goes that the giants saw their offspring as failures, as a deep shame, so they attempted to completely annihilate them. They failed in that attempt and instead the half-breeds multiplied. The giants named them Nephilim. Any found within the great northern forests were to be destroyed.
The barbarians called themselves Northsmen and escaped the forests to occupy the Northern Expanse plateau. Well, of course, these are all just rumors, tales passed by word of mouth through many generations, so how much truth there is to them is unknown. Real giants have not been seen for many hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years.
The Northern Expanse was once occupied by humans but the barbarians have completely wiped them out. Now any humans that enter the expanse are mercilessly slaughtered. To get to the homes of the giants in the forests you would need to go through the Expanse. But currently, there¡¯s just no way to make it there to find out if giants even really exist.
I do not agree with keeping such a disaster alive even if Mr. Jayce is capable of defeating him. Although he does not appear to be one of the savage barbarians he is still a danger to us. It¡¯s impossible to tell whether or not he views humans as bugs to be crushed. For now, however, against my better judgment, I will not force Mr. Jayce to end his life, but I will not let down my guard and trust there will be nothing to worry about.
¡°Why are you standing in the road blocking our path?¡±
Oh, he¡¯s walking closer, what does he want? Is the barbarian not going to answer Mr. Jayce? We cannot allow him to get too close. From a distance Mr. Jayce will definitely have the advantage, but can that be said in close combat. Not likely, if he is too close even Mr. Jayce will probably fall.
¡°That¡¯s close enough! I¡¯ll ask only one more time, why are you blocking our path?¡±
¡°I am not able to yell. My throat is too dry. I have no water. If I do not get water soon my horse will die and I will die. I came to ask for water and food.¡±
No water? The River is close to 4 days ride from here so there probably isn¡¯t much in the way of water anywhere close, however, it¡¯s raining right now is it not? It¡¯s not a heavy rain though, and it is soaking into the ground without creating puddles, but eventually it will. Still, maybe he hasn¡¯t had water for a while.
¡°Are you really here to ask, or have you come to take our water by force?¡±
¡°I am asking, but if I must I will take water in order to survive.¡±
That was a bit of a silly question Mr. Jayce. If it meant survival then anyone would attack with all their might.
¡°And if we give you water, what will you do then? Will you allow us to leave afterward or will you attack us?¡±
¡°I will not attack you. I need water to survive; that is all.¡±
If that is all he needs then it would not be a problem as long as he does not follow us or cause us any other problems. We have a number of barrels of water, water skins, and plenty of food rations. And if need be Mr. Jayce is able to make water, so losing a couple of barrels should not pose any issues to us.
If he really does not intend to kill this barbarian then it would be for the best to just provide him with a couple of barrels of water and a small bag of rations. To linger here any longer may be dangerous so it would be best for us to leave quickly.
¡°Gerard, please prepare two barrels of water, 3 waterskins, and a satchel of rations for the barbarian and ask Mr. Jayce to give them to him so we can be on our way.¡±
¡°Lady Eleanor, is that really the wisest course of action? The words of barbarians are worth next to nothing, should Mr. Jayce not just get rid of him?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure why Mr. Jayce has decided to negotiate with the barbarian Gerard. However, that is what he has chosen to do. Neither you nor I have the power to deal with the barbarian or force Mr. Jayce to do what we want. For now we will accept this, but of course we must remain vigilant.¡±
¡°Understood, I will do as you say Lady Eleanor.¡±
If this buys us peace then the cheap price will be worth it. But still, a lone barbarian here does not make very much sense. Barbarians never travel alone, could he be a scout? I know too little about them to say for sure whether he could be or not.
Don¡¯t scouts normally carry pigeons or hawks for messages? Do the barbarians not do this? Well then again, do they even have a written language? I really cannot think of a single redeeming quality to their race that would stop anyone from completely destroying them.
They would be excellent in manual labor if they could be controlled. They would probably even make great soldiers if they could be trained. But sadly they are a race that thrives on carnage and absolute destruction. It¡¯s unfortunate the Giants were unable to clean up their mistake.
Oh, it really does look like the barbarian is not going to attack right now. I¡¯m surprised. This barbarian has accepted the supplies and is leaving towards the east. Why would he go east? Could there be other barbarians hiding in the Bertsch Forest? Though I do not know what they would be doing there it is a very good possibility.
This really is a foolish thing to do. But really none of this makes sense. If there were other barbarians they would not wait to launch a sneak attack against us. If it wasn¡¯t for Mr. Jayce even this one barbarian would be more than enough to finish us off, and I doubt this barbarian knows Mr. Jayce is a mage.
It is possible that he really is one of those barbarians father told me of. One that is capable of being reasoned with and is civil enough to not attack everyone they see. Still, I¡¯d rather not chance our survival on that possibility.
¡°Mr. Jayce, what was the result of your conversation with the barbarian? He has left but did he say anything?¡±
¡°No, Lady Eleanor, all he did is nod his head slightly before taking the supplies and leaving. Do you think I should have tried to get more information from him? I just wanted him to leave so I didn¡¯t bother.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not really sure. It may have been for the best though. Barbarians despise us so I do not believe you would get much information from him. It would be best if we do not see him again. However, the fact he¡¯s traveling east worries me slightly. We must be on our guard Mr. Jayce.¡±
¡°I understand Lady Eleanor. Then let¡¯s continue, the further away we are the better.¡±
At least on this we agree. I will not feel safe until we have entered Asmuth. Reestablishing ourselves will not be easy though. We have brought with us a substantial amount of wealth, but there are many very wealthy people in Asmuth, our success will come down to contacts.
This is where Lord Weston would have been useful. Even having my husband would help. I simply do not have the strength any longer to lead what is left of our family. My son is talented but he is too young. As for Belle and her husband¡, her husband may be of some use and Belle should be able to properly entertain important guests.
And with Mr. Jayce, I don¡¯t see how he would be able to help in areas of business and politics. He is not family either. Once we are in Asmuth he may decide to continue on his path of being a mercenary. It would be the most probable course of action as he has already stated his intentions in traveling.
To be able to travel¡ This would probably be the best age for someone to do something such as that, especially someone who does not have any responsibilities and most likely does not have any family. From his demeanor and overall lack of confidence, I believe he may have lost his family to a tragedy and is unsure of what to do right now.
He is probably running away from everything and is not sure of whom he is anymore. I am certain he is from the Southern Kingdoms but from what part I do not know. Our contact with the Southern Kingdoms is very limited so there is not much I know about it.
To be able to keep him linked to us would be the best way forward. However, we have nothing to offer him. I would consider adopting him into my family if I thought he would accept it. But why would he be willing to do such a thing? It would only bring disadvantages to him.
If I knew beforehand of Lord Weston¡¯s treachery I would have never married Grace to him. She would have been an excellent way to tie Mr. Jayce to our family. Though we would not have met Mr. Jayce if not for Grace¡¯s wedding. It shames me to think of my Grace as just a tool to increase the strength of our family but that is how these things work.
It¡¯s the reality of our world. Marriage is nothing more than a political tool. Even poorer families use marriage to strengthen themselves. Were it not for the current situation marrying Grace to Lord Weston would have been truly a blessing on our house.
My poor Grace. It is my fault she is in the position she is in. Trapped within the walls of Freeport. I can only ask that my ancestors watch over her and Lord Weston treats her as a husband should treat his wife. I am a terrible mother. To ruin her daughter¡¯s life just for a little bit of power.
Did I not hate my father for forcing me into a marriage? I have done exactly the same to her as my father did to me. At least Belle held some feelings for her husband before they were wed. But to force Grace to marry a man much older than her without even meeting him.
I really am a terrible mother. I can do nothing but apologize for what I have done, but it will not remove the hatred she surely feels for me. My dearest Grace, I hope someday we can meet again and you can forgive me. Until then, please continue to be the Grace I love.
********
To find out my husband killed himself¡ What am I supposed to do now? It is not as though I loved the man, but how will I be able to support myself? What will I do now? My mother is most likely gone, and now¡, what do I do?
Will I be forced to marry someone else now? Or will I be forced out? If I am forced out and my family has left so I have rights to my family¡¯s estate? Am I now the heir of the Ashlan household? It would be for the best if that is the case.
I do not wish to remarry. Who would take a widow anyways? At most I would just become someone¡¯s mistress. Is that truly the life I will be forced to live? If that is the case perhaps it would be best to end my life as well. How could he do such a thing? To end his own life, did he know no shame?
To leave behind a wife, and, even though I don¡¯t think so, what if I was pregnant? Is he really such a man? But what if I am pregnant? What would I do with a child now that I am a widow? Would any man even be willing to marry me if I were pregnant? I doubt they would, to take in a used woman¡ no man would do that.
Should I drink the black water then? To do such a thing, it¡¯s not something I could do then face my ancestors. But do I have any other choices right now? If only I had my mother for guidance. Would she know what to do? What would she do in my situation?
Drinking the black water may be a bit rash though. It should not be taken so lightly. I still do not know anything. If I were to drink it before knowing anything then it would be saying I was willing to kill the baby in me no matter what. What kind of woman would do such a thing? If it ever got out I would be looked at like I was a monster.
I should wait; nothing good can come from rushing things. For now I¡¯ll wait until my mind is less muddy. Yes, I¡¯ll wait until after my meeting with this Mr. Osborne. Why would he want to meet with me though? No one has said anything other than he wants to meet with me. I hope this is not to propose some type of political marriage to prop someone up as head of the Weston household.
For something like that¡, I have no desire to live through something like that. I will not be treated like that again. No, I won¡¯t allow it. If Lord Weston can be such a shameful man then I will be a shameful woman and end my life. But I will wait for now, tomorrow night. Tomorrow night I will know, tomorrow I will decide. Do I drink the black water, do I live, do I die? Yes, Mr. Osborne, you will decide for me, tomorrow night I will know, tomorrow night.
Chapter 18: Future Victories Begin With Todays Preparations
Twelve cities built on the basis of individual freedom and the escape from tyrannical oppression. Twelve cities united for mutual gain and prosperity. Twelve cities founded by 12 men who journeyed to the Northern Territories after escaping persecution from the south.
These twelve cities would come to be known as the Corinth Alliance and this was their foundation myth. It was a foundation myth designed to elicit a deep sense of pride in its people. It was a foundation myth that was able to unite people of different origins and different races who shared the same goals. To live a safe and prosperous life where they were treated as equals and free of cruel and abusive laws, taxes, and leaders.
Each day citizens of the Alliance struggled to make their foundation myth a reality. And for many, the Alliance was an ideal society. However, no government is without flaws. No society is free of those who seek to take advantage of others. And no civilization is free of corruption.
How much of the foundation myth is just a myth is unknown. But the foundation of the Alliance by 12 men is widely regarded as truth. It is said that each founder held a different belief on how governments should punish specific crimes, what services the government should provide, and how much tax citizens should pay.
Unable to reconcile their differences each would go on to create their very own systems of governance. However, one thing they agreed upon was the creation of a central government that linked the 12 cities together and controlled basic services and establishments central to each. The central government would be limited in power and located in a capital city separate from the 12 cities. Despite being called an alliance, Corinth became the first federation established on the continent of Alcana.
Today the capital city of Arbela is a large and prosperous city that is home to the parliament, the supreme judiciary, and the military chiefs. With each city sending members or representatives of their government to Arbela, almost every major decision regarding the Alliance was decided here. And today the highest officials of the Alliance, the 12 chancellors of Corinth were meeting to discuss the impending war with Elkia.
***
The room was small and dim with only a large round table and twelve chairs within. With no windows, even during the day the room was as dark as night. Several lanterns had been lit but almost as if the shadows fed upon the light the lanterns struggled to brighten the room.
The musty smell from the lack of airflow was as thick as the solemn attitudes of the 12 men present. The current situation was not good and they each knew a decisive and thorough plan was needed, however, most of them did not want to speak up. Like many of their other meetings much of the discussion would be dominated by the 3 most powerful chancellors of the Alliance.
The chancellor of Carthos, Aris Hovan, was a large heavyset middle aged man with graying hair and a thick husky voice. Carthos was built on the coast of the bearing strait and as such he was most concerned with an attack by sea.
¡°So the most likely route will be by sea after all. Theo, do we have a time frame of when they are expected to attack?¡±
Carthos was vulnerable to attacks from the north but building a fortress to guard against northern attacks was a costly expenditure and would require additional soldiers to arm and maintain it. There had never been a legitimate threat from the north so the chancellors of Carthos before Aris had always given the establishment of the fortress low priority.
¡°Right now we estimate the Alliance will face an Elkian assault somewhere between 2 to 5 years from now. That is a broad range but it is because it is dependent on how long Penrith can hold out.¡±
¡°Then should we send aid to Penrith?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think that would be in our best interests. Sending aid to Penrith will only buy us a little more time but the financial and human cost would be very high. Now that Elkia has control of Freeport as well it will be impossible for Penrith to hold out. I think we would do better to invest into our own defenses.¡±
The exchange between the chancellor of Asmuth, Theo Engel, and Aris was a little unexpected. Penrith represented the largest trade partner for Asmuth outside of the Alliance. If Penrith were to fall the financial consequences would affect the Asmuth economy greater than any other.
¡°Have we figured out who is backing Elkia yet Theo?¡±
¡°Willard, It looks very likely that they are being backed by the Eldoran Empire.¡±
Credited with many of the most profitable trade deals within the Alliance, Willard Faulk, chancellor of Luencia for nearly 20 years knew better than most the benefits of avoiding war and creating trade deals instead. If Elkia was indeed backed by the Eldoran Empire then a long drawn out expensive war could be expected.
¡°The Eldoran Empire¡ what a difficult situation that puts us in. Can we confirm this? The Southern Kingdoms have never bothered with the Northern Territories, why would they start now?¡±
The Alliance had known of the potential threat and existence of the Southern Kingdoms for many years. It was a problem every leader of the Alliance knew would arise one day, but because of the viability of travel between the north and south, the previous leaders had never planned for a large-scale invasion.
¡°It is true that the Southern Kingdoms have never been a major threat to us, but that has been because of the difficulty in traveling here. However, it looks like the Empire has developed a system of travel that can move great distances very quickly while carrying far larger loads than a standard caravan. It also looks like they have found a way to get this system through the Kundar Mountains. Our spies have told us the construction of this system may even begin as early as this coming spring.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Theo had a large network of spies in every major city of the Northern Territories and a few trusted men in the Southern Kingdoms. It was expensive and dangerous work but Theo had always been of the mind that information was the key to success and the more he had the more successful he would be. However, his spies were not infallible. Even he was surprised by the new tactics Elkia had used, and he had no knowledge of the Elkian warships before their attack on Freeport.
¡°Such a system¡ Why would they use it to attack the Territories? Surely they must know trade would be more profitable than war.¡±
War was expensive, especially a war of conquest. Although defending a nation was not quite as costly it still represented a massive financial burden that none of the chancellors wanted to have anything to do with.
¡°It looks like they have adopted an expansionist view Willard. They wish to unite the continent and rule it under the leadership of their emperor no matter the cost.¡±
¡°Pft, unite, what a joke, more like enslave. They conquer other lands pretending to be the savior of the people then indoctrinate them with propaganda under the guise of education. What is their true goal of conquering the nations of Alcana?¡±
¡°Their reasons hardly matter now do they Aris? They¡¯ve set their eyes on the Territories and that means we will be dragged into their war. We¡¯ve been sheltered from the violence of the Southern Kingdoms because of the difficulty to move in masse through the Misty Sea and Serpent bay, but if they really have found a way through the Kundar Mountains they are sure to usher in an age of destruction. We must prepare.¡±
¡°I agree with Theo, we cannot wait for the enemy to land on our doorsteps before we prepare. But are we sure of which direction the attacks will come from? Do we know anything on the allegiances of the Trade Cities? My Luencia stands no chance of holding off an attack from the Trade Cities.¡±
On the western coast of Alcana to the north of Elkia were the powerful and wealthy Trade Cities that were rich in both mineral and metal deposits. They were the dominant power of the sea and a strong trade partner the Alliance relied on for much of their coal and building materials.
¡°As you know Willard, contact with the Trade Cities will be very limited now that winter is closing in and the North Sea has begun icing over. Communication with the Trade Cities will be very difficult until the ice melts in the spring. We will need to rely on messengers, but due to the obstacles we face because of the Expanse receiving accurate information will be very slow. What do you think Aris?¡±
¡°I think we should assume we will face attacks from the north. Even if the Trade Cities have not sided with Elkia as of now, they share a border with them and winter is the perfect time for Elkia to attack.¡±
¡°The Trade Cities are strong. I have often seen the power of their troops and ships in Luencia. I do not believe Elkia with its mostly ground-based strength will be able to take control of the Trade Cities from the small land border they share. I think an agreement being made would be more likely.¡±
¡°That may have been true at one time Willard, but with support from the Empire I doubt they would be able to hold on. Reports from Freeport show that Elkia has acquired a large number of ships. It was one of the reasons why they were able to infiltrate Freeport so easily.¡±
¡°Then it is best to assume an attack by sea from both the north and the south. We will need to increase military spending to strengthen our defenses and pay for additional forces.¡±
¡°The costs will not be trivial Aris. Have we decided on whether or not we will try selling war bonds? If not we will need to potentially raise taxes to cover the costs.¡±
¡°For now I think we should see how successful the war bond program is before considering raising taxes Willard. Raising taxes should be the last resort. We don¡¯t want to deal with widespread discontent in the people right now.¡±
¡°Discontent should be the least of their worries. Of course no one wants their taxes to go up, but they will probably like it even less if they are forced to become Elkian citizens!¡±
¡°We all know how fickle people can be Aris, but we may not have a choice here.¡±
¡°To be able to make decisions without fear of losing your position because of angering the populace, in this way I envy monarchies.¡±
A point in which each of the chancellors could agree with. Chancellors held power only because the people gave it to them. However, a change in the people could become a change in the leadership. It was a thin line and each of them knew the power they held could be lost in the next selection of chancellors.
¡°Ah that would be nice, but the problem with monarchies is they sacrifice prosperity for authority.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s not worry about things we have no control over. We must also be concerned with the southwestern wall. Elkia will probably deploy a large force to attack our land border.¡±
From the Zualf Forest to the Bearing strait was the mighty wall that protected the Alliance from land invasions for nearly 300 years. A symbol of absolute might, it took thousands of workers nearly 70 years to build the nearly 600-mile long wall made from materials mined from deep within the Birac Mountains.
¡°Would they really send a distraction force Theo? The chance of Elkia penetrating the wall is extremely small, but with a large enough force, the possibility is there. Would they be willing to split their forces though?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think distraction force would be correct Aris. The Elkian military is massive and it grows with each city they conquer. There is a limit to the number of forces they can send by sea. It¡¯s very possible they will look to attack our wall as well.¡±
¡°So that means we will need to deploy more forces to the wall. With such a large area, are we going to need to conscript?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t believe we will need to force people into war Aris. We should be able to increase our numbers by enticing the half-bloods with increased benefits and citizenship.¡±
Sharing a border with the Zualf forest, many children of mixed blood between humans, Halflings, and elves lived within the borders of the Alliance. Because of social stigma¡¯s, many of them were orphaned by their parents and the question arose of whether they belonged to the Alliance or the Forest. For most half-bloods, the only hope of citizenship lay with service to the military.
¡°Willard, If the Trade Cities have turned we will need to find resources in other places. I think we should contact Naefir and open up discussions on mining rights in the Birac Mountains again.¡±
¡°I agree Theo. We will also need their strength in defending the northern borders as well. Let¡¯s prepare a delegation. It would be good if we can build a fortress along the coast where the forest and the mountains meet. This would go a long way in securing our northern borders.¡±
¡°The Fae have always been against military fortifications on their lands Willard. For now let¡¯s leave the strategic planning to the generals.¡±
¡°Then we will need to take this for a vote. Let¡¯s set up a meeting with the generals for tomorrow, we will need to present a proper proposal before the full house in one week. Let¡¯s end it here today. There is much to prepare for and very little time in which to do it.¡±
Chapter 19: The Most Beautiful Flowers Grow in The Darkest Places
Asmuth, or as it had come to be known ¡°The City of Walls¡±, was a city of extremes. There was extreme wealth and opulence, but there was also extreme poverty. This was not because the rich were preying on the poor. Instead, it was a result of the policies that governed the city.
Asmuth offered three forms of business permits to its citizens, class one, two and class three licenses. Class three licenses were the most commonly issued permits in the city and were limited to small shops and stands. The permits restricted business owners by only allowing local services and goods to be sold. As long as a citizen had the initial startup funds, getting a class three license was not hard.
A class two license was required for any business that imported goods from other cities. Citizens who wished to procure a class two license needed to prove they had lived in Asmuth for at least five years and get approval by the Business Administration Department.
Class one licenses were the most difficult to procure and allowed the holder to form large business groups. In order to get a class one license a citizen would need to be a landowner within the city of Asmuth for at least five years. Because property within the city was so expensive, most citizens were forced to rent. As a result, class one licenses were normally only obtainable by wealthy families.
Using the connections her family had built over time, Lady Eleanor was able to gain citizenship for everyone in her party. She was able to purchase a modest estate in a wealthy neighborhood. And after bribing a few local officials, she procured a class one business license.
Although she was able to bring a large amount of wealth with her, it would not last forever, so she decided to purchase a small trading company. The trading company primarily dealt with coal, ores, and minerals but did a small amount of trade in produce as well.
The company had the potential to be quite profitable, but due to poor management it had lost a number of trade deals. Lady Eleanor placed her son-in-law in charge and within just a few weeks he had signed a large contract with a coal provider. The contract was for three years and had the potential to net over 50 thousand gold coins profit.
She also decided to create a small company that provided loans for small businesses and placed Gerard as the head of the company. Although this required an additional license, it was not difficult to obtain. Many people wanted to start a business, but most lacked the funds to do so.
When Lady Eleanor saw that there were so few options for loans she immediately decided to invest there. Within the first week they had approved six proposals. By the end of the third week they had handed out 28 small loans. In total, a little less than three-thousand gold coins were lent out in less than a month.
With Gerard and her son-in-law handling the day to day issues of the companies, Lady Eleanor was able to focus on the larger issues. This also gave her more time to focus on her health. However, there was one person she was worried about, and that was Jayce.
Jayce had come to her from the mercenary guild originally and had already spoken of his desire to travel. She did not want to hinder him, but she also did not want to lose her ties to him. Asmuth did not have a mercenary¡¯s guild, and Jayce was having a hard time deciding what he wanted to do. Speaking with Gerard on the topic they had come up with a plan.
***
¡°Jayce please enter, I would like to discuss something with you.¡±
Throughout the several months of interacting with each other Lady Eleanor no longer spoke to Jayce formally. She had begun referring to him as Jayce instead of Mr. Jayce.
¡°Lady Eleanor, your office is becoming quite cluttered. Your businesses must be doing well.¡±
Looking around at the log books and stacks of papers Lady Eleanor let out a small sigh and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
¡°Yes, it¡¯s becoming a bit messy in here. Even though I am not involved in the minor details I still find myself surrounded by paper. I had hoped Belle would be able to help but the girl has no talent in that area or any area to be honest. I really do need to find a competent secretary soon. Interested Jayce?¡±
¡°Ah no, Haha, I don¡¯t believe I would be very good keeping track of papers and staring at numbers all day.¡±
Looking at the squirming boy in front of her Lady Eleanor couldn¡¯t help but be amused. Did he really think I wanted to hire him as a secretary?
¡°I was just joking, of course, Jayce. However, I do have a job I would like you to take. I understand you have been having difficulties finding work, is that correct?¡±
¡°Yes, unfortunately there is no mercenary guild here and I¡¯m not much of a businessman. I¡¯m not really sure there is much for me here. What type of job did you have in mind Lady Eleanor?¡±
Jayce had a large amount of money he had received for helping Lady Eleanor and Lord Weston. If he was frugal, he could possibly live the rest of his life without working. He could travel as much as he wanted to if he wished for it. But doing nothing felt wrong to him, he needed a sense of purpose, and he was unable to find it in Asmuth.
¡°I am looking to start a security company Jayce. Crime in the Corinth Alliance is lower than most of the Territories, but it still exists. I wish to start a company that provides protection for traveling merchants. With your strength I do not believe you will have any issues, and it will give you an opportunity to travel as well. What do you say?¡±
This was the plan Lady Eleanor had come up with after speaking with Gerard. They would not force Jayce to sign any contracts; he would be able to choose which jobs he wanted to take, and they were willing to operate at a loss if necessary. She would not admit it to Gerard, but she had grown fond of Jayce during the time she had spent with him.
It was not something she could explain well. It was not the same fondness she felt towards her son, but perhaps if she had to describe it, it would be similar to how an aunt looks at a nephew. Originally Jayce was just a powerful person that offered protection, but now she no longer looked at him like a tool or an employee. He had grown on her, and she wanted to help him in any way possible.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
¡°So it would almost be the same as mercenary work would it not?¡±
¡°Yes, the work will be essentially the same. However, as a private business, we will be able to set our own terms during negotiations so there will be a little more freedom for you.¡±
¡°Will the missions be mandatory?¡±
¡°No, you will choose what jobs you wish to take. You¡¯ll have complete control over pricing, and you can choose who will work for you.¡±
It was a tempting offer. Originally this was the type of work he had hoped for when he joined the mercenary guild. If he was able to choose which jobs to take and maintained his freedom, then it would be ideal. Although he held reservations of leading a group as he had no experience he would rather lead than follow. There was one thing though he was very uncomfortable with.
¡°Then in a way I will be creating my own mercenary group. But I have no experience running a business. I wouldn¡¯t know what to charge or how to create contracts. I also don¡¯t want to end up losing money for the business.¡±
¡°For now I will help out with certain aspects until you are more comfortable. In the future we will hire someone to handle these things for you and allow you to focus on the work itself. What do you say Jayce? The work should be very fitting for you.¡±
¡°Then can I tentatively accept?¡±
The question had surprised Lady Eleanor and caused her to uncharacteristically chuckle.
¡°Jayce, you can leave at any time. No one is forcing you.¡±
Though he had built a fairly close relationship with Lady Eleanor, he was still a bit wary of accepting the job she was offering. It was hard to believe she would not want him to sign some form of agreement binding him to the company. But if he really did not need to sign a contract, there would be little reason for him to refuse any further.
¡°Is that so? Then if that is the case, please allow me to accept this offer, Lady Eleanor.¡±
¡°Good, I think you will come to enjoy the work Jayce. We actually have an opportunity coming up that I believe you will be very interested in.¡±
¡°Oh? What would that be?¡±
¡°Have you heard of Naefir Jayce?¡±
¡°Yes, it¡¯s the Fae capital. It is one of the places I would like to visit.¡±
¡°Well, it looks like the Alliance has signed an agreement with the Fae which gives mining rights in certain areas of the Birac Mountains. A limited number of permits will be issued, and it looks like our coal provider will be traveling to Naefir to obtain one. He is planning to leave in two weeks and is looking to hire guards for protection. What do you think about setting up a meeting with him for tomorrow?¡±
The thought of visiting the Fae almost caused Jayce¡¯s eyes to fall out. He had seen a few Halflings and even a few half-elves during his time in Asmuth. However, he had not seen a full-blooded elf or any of the more exotic races. He wanted to visit the Zualf Forest, but crossing into the forest without permission was prohibited and for an unlucky few the trespass had resulted in death.
The coal provider would certainly know this and must have obtained permission to travel. It was an opportunity he did not want to miss.
¡°That sounds like a good idea Lady Eleanor, I would like that.¡±
¡°Good, then after tomorrow¡¯s meeting if you decide to take the job you should probably begin recruiting personnel. We¡¯ll know more after tomorrow¡¯s meeting, but you will probably need more than just a few members. It would be best if we can learn a bit about their backgrounds before they are hired, but that may be difficult. There are still a few things to discuss, but how about you join me for lunch? It seems like it has been ages since my entire afternoon has been clear.¡±
With his acceptance, Lady Eleanor¡¯s mood brightened considerably and the nausea she had been feeling earlier had gone away. There were still things she wished to discuss with Jayce, but for now, she was happy he would not be leaving anytime soon.
***
A city of walls. It¡¯s what Asmuth is. We¡¯re told it was built that way to make invasions difficult. But everyone can see the truth. The closer you are to the center the wealthier you are. Most halves like us will never leave the outer wall for as long as we live in Asmuth.
How many times have I looked towards the central spire and dreamed of what it would be like to live in the inner circle? I doubt a day has gone by where I haven¡¯t ever since learning about the differences. I think it¡¯s hitting me now more than ever.
I wish I could go back to being 16 again. I miss my little sisters at the orphanage and that little room that was home for 17 years.
¡°Lily come on, hurry up! There¡¯s a full-blood here that said he¡¯s looking for people that can do magic. I told him about you, and he wants to meet you!¡±
A full-blood? Why would he bother coming here to look for a magic user? It¡¯s true that there are half-bloods that can use magic, but most of us who can use magic are forced to join the military. It¡¯s probably where I¡¯m going as well. He must know halves need work permits to enter other sections of the city right?
¡°What kind of work did he say it was for Darren? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s another one of those old perverts.¡±
If it¡¯s another one of those sicko¡¯s I¡¯d rather not know about it. Why is it that the only people who care about my talents are the military and people with sick fantasies?
¡°No, he said he runs some kind of security company that protects merchants, and he wants to hire people that can use magic. Come on, hurry up before he loses interest in you!¡±
¡°A security company? What¡¯s that?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t really know, but he said he¡¯s going to Naefir. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to go there?¡±
Naefir!? What half Fae wouldn¡¯t want to travel to Naefir? I heard in Naefir halves do not need to join the military to become citizens. But to go to Naefir you need special permissions. If I went, would I be able to find my father?
I don¡¯t know anything about him other than he''s an Elf. But they say that elves can sense blood bonds, so would I be able to find him that way? Or could he find me? Would he even want to find me?
¡°Darren let¡¯s go, bring me there.¡±
If he really is going to Naefir, then I must go. I can¡¯t stay here using my gift for people and receiving payment in soup or bread. Most full-bloods don¡¯t want halves touching them so it¡¯s hard to use my gift on them to earn money. My only other options are the brothels or the military. Neither of which are appealing.
I don¡¯t know if I can protect anyone, but maybe I can convince him to hire Darren as well. As a Northsmen mix, Darren is strong. Stronger than anyone I know. He would be perfect for that type of job.
¡°That¡¯s him, let me do the talking all right?¡±
What? He doesn''t look any older than us. And is he really a full-blood human? He¡¯s tall, even taller than me, which is pretty rare for full-blood human males. And his eyes¡ I¡¯ve never seen golden colored eyes before.
¡°This is Lily, the one I told you about earlier. She can use healing magic.¡±
¡°Lily, that''s an interesting name, where have I heard that name before?¡±
Ah, my stupid name. It¡¯s just a name given to me at the orphanage. If it wasn''t for the fact that everyone calls me that I would change it.
¡°She was named after those weeds that grow around the dumps and in ditches. It¡¯s because she¡¯s tall and skinny with orange hair and freckles just like the flowers.¡±
Did Darren really just tell him I was named after a weed!?
¡°That¡¯s where I¡¯ve heard it. Now I remember, Orange Day Lilies. That¡¯s the name of those pretty flowers everywhere, the name is very fitting. So, is it true that you can use mystic magic? Can you really heal people?¡±
Golden eyes, golden eyes. I¡¯ve heard something about golden eyes before, but what was it? I can''t remember, but I think it has something to do with magic. Is he a mage?
¡°Hey, what are you spacing out for? Answer him.¡±
¡°Huh? Ah, sorry, I mean yes I can use healing magic on people.¡±
¡°To be able to find a mage who can use healing magic, what a stroke of luck. Lily, my name is Jayce and I would like to hire you. What do you say? Are you willing to work for me?"
Chapter 20: A New Team and a First Mission
I think I¡¯m advancing in earth magic. I¡¯m not rank nine yet, but I feel my connection with earth magic growing stronger every day. It¡¯s much easier to manipulate the ground and it doesn¡¯t require as much mana either. After this mission I¡¯ll need to take some time to focus on training my abilities.
That won¡¯t be for another two or three weeks though. This mission should only be a month long, but I¡¯m not so certain. I¡¯m glad Lady Eleanor handled the contracts and negotiations. One-hundred gold coins base pay with additional charges depending on circumstances and time over the allotted period. I probably would have just accepted what I thought was a fair price.
We¡¯re a small group, only six of us together, so one-hundred gold coins is a decent amount of money. Twenty goes to me with fifty going to the others to be split. The leftover money was used to pay for equipment, supplies, and some was held to pay for future training.
Unfortunately, a large amount had to be spent on horses, basic equipment, food, and travel supplies. Our members were pretty ill equipped so there was a decent amount of startup costs. Lady Eleanor included all of the details in the one-year contract she made the other members sign.
I thought they would have a problem with it but they all signed the contract excitedly. I guess ten gold coins is about how much a person can make in a year. For a half-blood though even earning two or three gold coins in a year would be rare.
Once we get back I¡¯ll need to recruit more, but the scale of this mission didn¡¯t require any more than the number we have and there wasn¡¯t time to recruit any further. We needed time just to train the half-bloods on riding a horse.
¡°Boss are you up?¡±
¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be out in a moment.¡±
¡°Alright, breakfast is ready. You¡¯d better hurry before it¡¯s all eaten up.¡±
I don¡¯t understand Darren sometimes. I told him to call me Jayce, but he continues calling me boss. Guess he wants to stay professional, or maybe he¡¯s doing it just to mess with me. He¡¯s pretty interesting though. As a Northsmen mix he¡¯s enormous, at least four or five inches taller than me. He always has a grumpy look on his face that makes him look older than he really is. Almost looks like a war-hardened soldier but his personality is completely opposite. He¡¯s more like a big kid than a warrior.
His carefree attitude makes him easy to be around. If it wasn¡¯t for how big his frame was you probably wouldn¡¯t be able to tell he¡¯s not fully human. Northsmen-Human mixes have less of a stigma than other mixes. Apparently a long time ago the Alliance tried to mix humans and the Northsmen together to create better soldiers. They were able to do it because unlike other half-bloods, Northsmen-Human mixes aren¡¯t sterile.
Breakfast is the only meal I¡¯m able to enjoy now. Eating meals with our client became so stressful I decided to make breakfast a group meeting meal. We¡¯re supposed to discuss anything about the trip, talk about the day ahead, and bond with one another now that we¡¯re a team. But really it¡¯s just to escape our client.
The problem is how much he talks about money. Every meal he tells me how much the food costs or how much the drinks cost. It¡¯s gotten to the point to where every time I eat around him I feel like I¡¯m eating a sack of coins. But maybe that¡¯s how merchants are, everything is money to them.
The food has seen a real improvement since we left the cooking to Lily and Mira. Both of them are excellent cooks but Mira is really talented. She had been a maid and a cook for many years at a wealthy estate so she has the experience. When I asked why she left the job though it turned very uncomfortable.
I guess something bad had happened. She looked down and didn¡¯t really want to answer so I let it be. She¡¯s a rare Halfling-Elf mixture, so she¡¯s slightly shorter than a normal woman. She has short wavy auburn hair with light brown eyes and a petite frame. I wouldn¡¯t say she¡¯s pretty, maybe cute would be a good word, but I¡¯m more interested in her talent with mana. She¡¯s able to manipulate mana directly, but not in the same way as an Elementalist. I guess it would be classified as mystic magic, but I¡¯m not sure how you would rank it.
She¡¯s able to infuse mana into anything and make it explode. I thought it was similar at first to making a boulder or ice explode, but actually she''s making the mana explode itself. It''s very similar to the magic of the head of the Osborne family. Her magic is extremely powerful and if she wasn¡¯t limited by her small mana pool she could probably take down a fortress on her own.
She was always taught to be afraid of her power so she doesn¡¯t have much experience with it, for now, I¡¯m having her use a bow. The arrows don¡¯t require a lot of mana, and those explosive projectiles should be great in keeping dangers at a distance. She¡¯s still learning so she¡¯s not great with the bow, but if she keeps practicing I think she¡¯ll get there and her mana pool might increase as well.
¡°Good morning Mira, Lily, where are the others? Are they still sleeping?¡±
¡°Yes, Darren said he was going to wake them.¡±
That bastard. He made it sound like everyone was up and eating already.
¡°Is that so? Food smells really good, what did you make today?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just some of the leftover stew from last night with some of the sausage jerky added. Darren wanted to hunt for hare but I stopped him.¡±
Why did Lily stop him? Maybe she was worried about him making us late. Lily and Darren are almost like a brother and sister with Lily being the older sister. She has that mothering type personality that older siblings get. She grew up in an orphanage so maybe she had to take care of younger children as she grew older.
She¡¯s almost as tall as I am with fiery orange-red hair that goes slightly past her shoulders and freckles. Her bright green eyes remind me of emeralds, and it¡¯s hard for me to not notice her athletic body. I think it¡¯s cute how she¡¯s always tucking her ears under her hair. Though I''m guessing the reason she does it is because she''s embarrassed or ashamed of them.
I couldn¡¯t believe my luck finding someone skilled in healing magic. In the Empire she would be an extremely important person. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she was a half, she probably would be doing pretty well here as well. I guess her only option other than working for me was becoming a combat medic, which meant 20 years of service to the military.
With the ability to heal open wounds, minor fractures, and small internal injuries Lily is probably close to a sixth-ranked healer. But I¡¯m certain in time she¡¯ll be able to do even more. I think she¡¯s only a year older than me so she has plenty of time to improve.
She¡¯s also surprisingly fast and strong. I guess her athletic frame isn¡¯t just for looks.
¡°Hey Jayce, you¡¯re up early. I thought the boss was supposed to sleep in a little.¡±
¡°Well, I have Darren to thank for that.¡±
¡°That guy, cackling about like he¡¯s some sort of rooster. Morning ladies, ah what a beautiful sight. Such beauties making food for me, if only one of you had woken me instead of that beast.¡±
Caleb, the only person with any type of mercenary experience. A full-blooded human like myself, after he left the military he became a mercenary and eventually settled in the alliance doing odd jobs. A bit shorter than me and stockier with a thick beard, his bald head and the rest of his body is littered with scars from battles. He¡¯s a bit flirty but not to the point of going overboard.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
He doesn¡¯t have any remarkable talents or skills but I brought him on for his experience. I¡¯ve never led a group before and honestly, I¡¯m not very confident in my abilities in that regard. Thankfully he¡¯s able to cover for some of the areas I need to work on.
¡°Lily, Mira, don¡¯t pay any attention to him. All those battles he¡¯s always talking about rattled his brain something awful. It¡¯s amazing he¡¯s able to walk and talk at the same time. Morning Jayce, it looks like there¡¯s bad weather on the horizon.¡±
Sophie Acklin, a fire mage. She was also in the military, but I don¡¯t believe she ever served with Caleb. You wouldn¡¯t be able to tell though with the way they banter back and forth. Her long dark near black hair and pasty white skin almost give her a sickly look but she¡¯s shockingly full of energy. Another full-blooded human like myself, after she left the military she got married but her husband died before they had any children.
We met by accident after she had threatened to burn down the house of some love rival. Once I found out she was a fire mage and was facing possible jail time due to a debt, I paid it off and had her join. She has a bit of a temper and she likes to drink, but a seventh-ranked fire mage, there¡¯s no way I could pass up on the opportunity to have her join.
¡°Ah shut up you old hag, maybe if you didn¡¯t look like a soulless doll I¡¯d show you some attention too.¡±
¡°Old? I¡¯m the same age as you, you frumpy dope. Going around harassing young girls as if they¡¯d be interested in someone whose face looks like a piece of tattered leather, Jayce, why do you keep him around?¡±
Ah, what a headache. It can be amusing at times, but it¡¯s just too early for it right now.
¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s just eat in peace before discussing our plans for the day. We still need to make it to the forest before it gets dark.¡±
And I¡¯ll need to meet with our client. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s still sleeping but his scout and personal guards should be awake by now. It¡¯s awkward working with a second team, but apparently he doesn¡¯t go anywhere without them. Well, it relieves us of night watch at least. Alright, let¡¯s just try to enjoy this stew without thinking about anything else.
***
Ice pellets and ice cold rain are making this trip extremely difficult. Looks like Sophie was right when she warned me of bad weather this morning. It¡¯s a shame the road we¡¯re on isn¡¯t like the roads throughout the rest of the Alliance.
This isn¡¯t much more than a well-traveled trail, unlike the wide roads between towns and cities and it¡¯s getting hard to follow now that ice is building up and coating everything.
¡°Boss it¡¯s getting hard to see more than 200 feet in front of us. Shouldn¡¯t we stop for today?¡±
¡°No, we keep going. We shouldn¡¯t be too far from the forest. If we need to we¡¯ll just follow the Aelen River up.¡±
Who knows how bad this storm will get. The wind isn¡¯t blowing too hard right now but that could change. I don¡¯t want to be caught in a windstorm on these open plains. If we get stuck out here I''ll have to make a rock shelter for all of us and I''d rather not have to do that.
Besides, the scout said we weren¡¯t far off. I really want to make it to the forest before nightfall.
¡°I¡¯m going to check on our client, for now we¡¯ll continue following Caleb.¡±
Caleb is the only one other than our client¡¯s scout who has been to the Zualf forest. He came on a similar mission years ago to protect someone looking to make a business deal. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t able to enter the forest, so his knowledge of the matter ends there. Although he did tell me a few interesting rumors about Naefir.
¡°Mr. Burton, I¡¯ve told my men to continue on, does your scout know how much further it is until we reach the forest?¡±
¡°Jayce come in come in, the weather is terrible and I can barely hear you. Dennis, take Jayce¡¯s horse and let him in.¡±
Aldo Burton, one of the wealthiest merchants in Asmuth, also one of the cheapest. He could have hired an army if he wanted to but he apparently set a small budget for this trip. I¡¯m told he was worried about spending too much on an endeavor that may turn unprofitable. Well, he¡¯s cheap with some things, but the inside of this carriage he certainly spent a fortune on and he has no problem spending money on food.
¡°That¡¯s better, then Jayce, what were you saying?¡±
¡°Yes, I was wondering if your scout knew how much longer it would be until we reached the forest. The storm is making it difficult to see and if it gets much worse we may need to stop.¡±
¡°No worries no worries, I just spoke to Ollie and he said we¡¯re nearly there. Once we arrive we¡¯ll be checked by the Elves and they¡¯ll escort us the rest of the way to Naefir. The storm shouldn¡¯t be a bother to us once we enter the forest.¡±
Hopefully so. If I¡¯m having a hard time keeping warm I¡¯m sure the others are doing even worse.
¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I don¡¯t want anyone falling ill due to the cold.¡±
¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Jayce, have you ever tried dried swamp Draveggs?¡±
¡°Swamp Draveggs? I¡¯ve never heard of them, what are they?¡±
¡°Here you need to try it. They cost 11 gold coins a pound but they¡¯re worth it, go ahead, taste it."
It almost looks like sausage jerky, the smell is quite a bit different though, almost a bit rancid. Anything that smells like that can¡¯t be good, but he seems pretty enthusiastic about it so I guess I should.
¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll try one.¡±
Hmm¡ it¡¯s a bit chewy, and bitter as well, actually it¡¯s really bitter. I can¡¯t say it¡¯s very good, but it¡¯s not really bad either. Maybe it¡¯s something you begin to enjoy as you eat it more often. Or could it be it¡¯s supposed to be used in a soup or something?
¡°So how is it?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not bad, I can¡¯t really think of anything I¡¯ve ever had that is similar. So what are they?¡±
¡°They¡¯re a type of leech that lives in the marshlands of Elkia. Yeah, these little things can get over a foot long and love ogre blood. They¡¯ll suck a man dry though. Real difficult to get your hands on these treats. Yep, that¡¯s why they cost so much.¡±
Ugh, I should have known better. Anything that smells that bad can¡¯t be good. That smile on his face tells me he knew I wouldn¡¯t eat it if I knew what it was. Oh, we¡¯ve stopped. Is the storm getting too bad to continue?
¡°Sir, we¡¯ve arrived. There is a small delegation of Elves who wish to search us. Should I allow them?¡±
¡°What? Of course, of course, they don¡¯t just let anyone in. Send them over here as well, I have to give them my referral from Asmuth.¡±
¡°Then Mr. Burton, please excuse me. I need to return to my duties.¡±
I should greet the Elves, but before that, I need to rinse this leech off of my tongue.
***
Zualf Forest is unlike anything I could have imagined. The trees are probably twice as tall as any other tree I¡¯ve ever seen before, and it¡¯s as if the storm raging on the plains doesn¡¯t affect the forest at all. It¡¯s almost like it is a different world. Outside of the forest it was cold and icy, but inside it is warm and humid.
There are so many plants and creatures I never knew existed. Colorful birds that mimic the noises around us and large insects buzzing about. In the trees there are small red furred creatures with long tails they use to wrap around branches as they scurry from fruit to fruit storing them in their mouth.
What should be a dark forest due to the canopy blocking light from the sun is actually a brilliant world lit up by glowing spheres that are attached to the trees hundreds of feet above the ground.
¡°They are Ruhmballah fruits, and they are the reason why the forest is so bright and warm.¡±
¡°Fruits? Those glowing spheres are fruit? Do they really grow on these trees? Then does that mean they grow and die?¡±
¡°A Ruhmballah fruit takes 5 years to become ripe before giving off the heat and light that it does. It will shine for 6 months before the seed drops and the fruit is reabsorbed back into the Ruhmballah tree.¡±
Our guides are the first pure-blooded Elves I¡¯ve ever seen, and they are exactly how the rumors describe them. They¡¯re nearly as tall as the Northsmen at close to seven feet but they¡¯re much thinner. Their thin frames don''t take away from their strength though. Nearly twice as strong as a normal human, Elven warriors cannot be taken lightly. The broadswords on their backs are probably at least three times as heavy as a normal sword.
All of them have fair skin and long pointed ears but each of them has a completely different hair color! Their leader has dark red hair with pinpoint silver eyes. He hasn¡¯t said much, mostly giving directions in a language I cannot understand to the other elves.
The one answering my questions, Farfyr, has hair that is so gray it¡¯s almost white with golden colored eyes similar to mine. It looks like he¡¯s the only one able to speak human tongue so he has been explaining everything to us as we walk.
The other two have just been watching us. One has bright blond hair with extremely light blue eyes, and the other has black hair with green eyes that almost glow. Each one is so different you would almost think they¡¯re from different species.
So far we haven¡¯t seen any other type of Fae, but I¡¯m told there are fairies that can fly and pygmy people that build homes in the ground. Perhaps when we enter the capital we will be able to see them.
¡°Farfyr, when will we be able to meet with the king?¡±
¡°When we arrive, it will be two days after that Mr. Burton.¡±
¡°Two days huh, not too bad. We¡¯ll be able to get a look at the city then right?¡±
¡°You will have an escort to bring you to view many places. We have arranged for a tour for all of you Mr. Burton.¡±
A tour huh? So basically we¡¯ll be allowed to see the places they want us to see. That¡¯s fine I guess. Our main goal is to escort Mr. Burton safely, so a tour of the city is just extra.
¡°Well, that sounds fun. Hopefully there are some good places to eat on the tour, what do you think Jayce? I hear Naefir has some pretty exotic foods. Oh, it looks like we¡¯re coming up to the gates, they really are just as big as the tales say.¡±
The gates of Naefir. They safeguard the only road that leads to the capital city from outside of the forest and are said to be protected by-
¡°Two undead beasts¡¡±
¡°Yes, Iolas and Alinar. The undead shadowcats who guard our gates. You have heard of them before Mr. Jayce?¡±
Necromancy, well, that¡¯s interesting.
Update/Note
Sorry for not updating very often. I have been busy with real-life obligations and had another seizure. So I¡¯ve been seeing doctors and all the fun that goes with it. But there is another reason for why I have not been posting as much. It has to do with editing and rewriting earlier chapters.
Everything I have posted so far is a first draft. This is my first story of any length and normally I write down what I am thinking before the thought leaves. The intention was always to go back and edit the story at a later date. The reason for this is because I intend on publishing an eBook eventually.
I have taken some of the criticism of the story, which I asked for, and some of it is very good. I¡¯d like to address the POV changes and some of the inconsistencies with that. The main reason for it is I was trying to decide on how I wanted the story to be told, so I experimented with a few styles.
I have finally decided on the style I want and will be going through the rewrite and future chapters in that manner. The story will essentially be told in the first person narrator voice when looking at the world through Jayce¡¯s eyes. At first this style seemed a little awkward to me, but it gives a bit of freedom with some of the things I want to do.
For the other characters within the story, the world will be seen in the third person limited voice. This will make things a little bit less intimate, but it makes it easier and more consistent when dealing with a large cast of characters. It is also great for adding more details into the world, which I am doing in the rewrite. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
As for the overall theme of the book. This is meant to be a 3-part saga following Jayce and his struggles during a very hectic time in the world. Right now we are only in the introductory part. Jayce is not on some quest for adventure where he goes diving into dungeons for great wealth, nor is he searching for earth shaking beauties while making every man jealous.
Sometimes the story may seem a little bloated, and that is because it is in some parts. It is a draft. Some things will be edited out and somethings will be added in the rewrite. I would rather have additional material to edit out than not write something because it may not seem very relevant or necessary to the story.
Right now he is trying to survive and decide what he wants to do with his life. I think fantasy stories, especially Japanese and Chinese novels, create these extremely unrealistic teenagers that know everything. Somehow they become experts in all topics while playing video games.
I know it is a fantasy story, and things do not need to be realistic, but I would like to create a somewhat more realistic character. How good I am at doing this in the rewrite will be up to the readers. There is probably more to rant/update on but I will leave it here. I hope to finish rewriting the next chapter using this new style today and will post it tomorrow.
Also, I created a twitter account a little while ago to keep things updated on any stories I write. Not everything I work on is posted to RRL so I may comment on there about it. I actually made my first tweet not long ago. I¡¯m not going to be using that to spew political beliefs or anything like that, it¡¯s just for writing updates and thoughts based around writing.
For anyone who is interested in following me my twitter handle is:
SEBSagas
https://twitter.com/SEBSagas
As always, thank you for reading and following my story. I appreciate all of the comments and your thoughts.
Chapter 21: The Zualf Forest
In front of me stands two undead shadowcats. They are the first shadowcats I have ever seen. Also the first undead creatures I have ever seen. Undead creatures were only supposed to exist in the tales told to scare children, but like many other things in the Northern Territories, those childhood stories are a reality.
Standing over ten feet tall they may be one of the largest creatures I have ever seen. Their bones, a dull gray, were impossibly thick and looked more metallic than any bones I have ever set my eyes upon. Their heads were disproportionately large and filled with two rows of teeth that almost looked like the curved swords of the Lerith Kingdom. I¡¯ve never seen a creature with two rows of teeth. And the claws on their feet¡ their claws look like the sickles farmers use to bag grass for their livestock.
However, the oddest feature of the shadowcats are their tails. Clubbed tails capable of pummeling anything within its range. They are an animal that is said to no longer exist, but had once roamed the Northern Expanse and the Anderan Plains. At least that is what Lady Eleanor had told me before we left. How their bodies came to be here in the Zualf Forest I do not know, but necromancy, yet another story from my childhood has come true. I¡¯m beginning to think perhaps all the tales I was told may have some truth to them. I want to ask Farfyr more but maybe it¡¯s best to wait until we settle for the night.
¡°Iolas and Alinar, they have kept watch over our gates for almost 500 years. Come, as long as you are with us they will not harm you.¡±
My team looks more afraid than Mr. Burton, which isn¡¯t very professional, so I give Caleb a glance with my eyes and he¡¯s able to pull everyone back into focus. As amazing as everything is we are still being paid to protect someone. I¡¯d like to leave a good impression in hopes of building a bit of a reputation as reliable guards.
After the gates opened and we walked through we were treated to even further wondrous sights. This forest is almost like a fantasyland, the likes of which I could not even imagine. The path forward is wide, almost as wide as the roads of the Empire, but the sky is still blocked from view.
Despite being cleared for travel instead of an opening above the trees the canopy formed a long archway over the road. If it wasn¡¯t for the glowing fruit hanging from the trees lighting the way it would be quite eerie. The flowers along the road glimmer like the grass of the plains on those bright moonlit nights, but unlike the grass, it is not water causing the sparkling colors, it is the flowers themselves. They change from orange to pink and then to blue in brilliant flashes.
¡°They are Xianthos. They were planted by the Pygmies. They are a form of warning to travelers. As long as light from the Xianthos shine, the path to Naefir is safe.¡±
¡°I''ve heard of the Pygmies before. We don¡¯t have any in the Alliance but I am very interested in them. With their size they might be excellent workers in the mines. I¡¯d like to hire some if possible.¡±
¡°That is not up to me Mr. Burton. Our King will decide. I do not know if Fae will work for you. But a word of warning. Any abuses towards Fae will be severely punished. Keep that in mind.¡±
¡°Of course of course. I would never abuse any workers under me. If I ran that type of business, I wouldn¡¯t be in business for long.¡±
Somehow I doubt that. His pay to us was generous enough, but I think it had more to do with tough negotiations between him and Lady Eleanor than anything else. I¡¯m sure he wanted to keep good relations with the largest distributor of his products in Asmuth so a few extra gold coins were worth it.
I notice Lily and Mira look uncomfortable. They keep squirming, and their eyes keep darting from side to side so I head over to them, no longer paying attention to the conversation between Caleb and Farfyr.
¡°Lily, is something wrong?¡±
She jumped nearly ten feet back from me raising her arms up to her chest as if I was some kind of wild beast that came to attack her.
¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±
¡°No, sorry, I didn¡¯t realize it was you.¡±
¡°Are you alright? You and Mira look like something is bothering you.¡±
Mira¡¯s eyes keep darting between the Elves and the forest. Is there something hiding in the trees that¡¯s worrying her? I don¡¯t hear or see anything and the Elves don¡¯t look particularly bothered, is she afraid of the forest?
¡°I, I¡¯m not sure. Since I entered the forest, it¡¯s like all of my senses are under attack. I can hear better than before. Stuff that looked blurry from far away is clear now. Smells are so strong I can almost taste them and the air, I can feel the air on my skin, it¡¯s heavy and hurts.¡±
¡°It is probably her Elven Blood. It is awakening.¡±
¡°Farfyr, do you know what is happening to her?¡±
¡°Yes, it is the forest. The plants make a powder we breathe. The powder affects all Fae.¡±
¡°Does the powder affect humans as well?¡±
¡°No, it does not. They are only half Fae. It will not affect them as much. They will be used to it in two or three days.¡±
¡°Is it permanent?¡±
¡°What is permanent? If you mean will they stay that way then no. It is only in the forest. When they leave, they will go back to normal.¡±
A powder that affects Fae but not humans. Lady Eleanor didn¡¯t say anything about this so maybe it is not well known. But it makes all of their senses better, it''s a shame that it doesn¡¯t work on humans. Is it possible to collect some of this powder? It would be good to have a member of our team with better senses. I doubt they would allow us to collect a bag full though, but maybe they sell it in the capital.
***
After spending the night in the forest, or at least what I believe was night, we woke early to continue to Naefir. Farfyr answered most of our questions to the best of his ability, but the other Elves kept their distance. Their leader set up a small perimeter and the Elves kept watch at night. Other than Darren almost wandering off while following Wisps, the night was pretty uneventful.
I had many questions about the shadowcats and necromancy. The story says that almost 500 years ago a merchant arrived with two shadowcat kittens as gifts to the king. They were raised as family pets until they died 30 years later. They were to have their bodies preserved but a forest sprite offered to bring them back from the dead, it was decided they would guard the gates of Naefir for all time. How true any of this is nobody really knows as they are just legends and tales, but it is an interesting story. I¡¯m sure it is one my mother would have loved to hear.
¡°Farfyr, is it going to get much warmer? It¡¯s almost winter but it¡¯s hotter than a summer¡¯s day under the baking sun.¡±
The heat coming up from the ground is starting to make it pretty uncomfortable. The Elves look fine, but everyone in our group is already wearing the bare minimum. Farfyr told us it would get warmer before we made it to the city. Apparently, this whole area is littered with vents that give off warm air from below.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
¡°We are almost in Naefir Mr. Burton. The air will cool soon.¡±
That¡¯s a relief. If it gets any warmer I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to make it. I look over at Caleb and he¡¯s hardly wearing anything at all. It almost looks like Sophie wants to say something to him judging by the look of disgust on her face, but maybe she¡¯s too hot to bother starting a fight with him.
We haven¡¯t seen anyone else. Even though this is the largest road to the capital Farfyr said it is not often traveled as most Fae travel through the forest instead. Talking with Farfyr about the types of Fae has become exhausting. There are so many different types I can¡¯t keep track of them. One thing he has been very adamant about though, do not speak to anyone unless he is around.
Not all Fae are friendly to humans. This especially goes for Harpies. I made sure to remind Darren and Caleb this morning, especially Caleb. It seems like Harpies like to seduce men, sleep with them, and then eat them. A pretty terrible way to die, though Caleb joked it was the best way he could think of.
Up ahead in front of us the road has become a bit foggy and the once sparkling Xianthos have gone dim. I walk over to Mr. Burton and stand in front of him just in case anything comes towards us and call for my team to surround us. The temperature is beginning to cool rapidly, if Farfyr can be trusted we should be getting close to Naefir, but something feels off.
It didn¡¯t take long before the Elves hurried around us and began pushing us forward. The leader is barking orders in their language that is leaving us confused.
¡°Past the fog, it is Naefir. We must hurry. There is a Kludde behind us.¡±
Running forward I yell back and ask Farfyr what a Kludde is.
¡°It is a large dog. They attack travelers. They are very difficult to kill. We will be safe past the fog.¡±
Looking back I see a massive black dog surrounded by a strange blue glow following after us. Much larger than a bear, larger than a horse as well, it dug into the road as it ran towards us with monstrous claws that looked like they belonged to a giant cat. I feel stupid for running away from this thing and I¡¯d like to build a rock wall or hit it, but I¡¯m not sure if there are any consequences to damaging the road or anything else. Everyone keeps telling me to be careful and don¡¯t cause any problems while in the forest.
I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll make it past the fog in time, but before I can do anything one of the Elves turned around and drew his sword from his back. The swords these Elves carry are massive, and with a slash downwards he hit the beast just below its shoulder, nearly cleaving its leg in two and forcing it back momentarily.
¡°Farfyr can I kill that thing!?¡±
¡°Yes. It has attacked us. We are here to keep you safe. But if you can kill it, then kill it.¡±
Without waiting any longer I create an ice spear and throw it directly into the chest of the giant beast that has ambushed us. I manipulate the ice reshaping it into spikes that explode out from its body before completely enveloping it. Even after all of that, just before the ice wrapped around its head, the creature continued growling while staring at me.
The black blood from the Kludde looked almost like tar on the road and dyed the clear ice. This forest is filled with strange creatures, and my heart is racing. Other than Darren no one else on my team looked like they were willing to battle this thing. We¡¯ll need to work on that after this job is done.
After everyone calmed down Farfyr asked me to bury the Kludde almost 20 feet deep. He was not sure if it was still alive or not and did not want to take the risk of it attacking other travelers. The Elf who drew his sword and attacked before me thanked me in his language. I walked back over to Mr. Burton who oddly enough seemed pretty calm.
¡°What a shame what a shame. I bet that thing would be worth a lot of money to the right person.¡±
Well, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have expected much else from him. Up ahead the sky is getting brighter and it looks as though we are leaving the forest. It¡¯s still a bit warmer than it should be, I think we¡¯re still on some type of thermal vent. When I buried the Kludde there was a lot of steam rising up. Still, it is quite a bit cooler than just a little while ago.
A little bit of ice mixed with rain is starting to fall on our heads but when it touches the ground it melts instantly. Up in front of us are a number of houses and there even appear to be a few taller buildings. There are also a few Elves and Halflings walking about. And if I¡¯m not mistaken, that looks like a pretty large castle in the distance.
¡°Welcome to Naefir.¡±
***
Most of the Disgraced were Northsmen who left battle, refusing to fight to the death. To the warring tribes of the Northern Expanse, the only punishment for this act of cowardice was death. With nowhere left to turn, many left the Expanse to live life on the plains, where eventually they would create their own village.
Over time the village grew to almost one-thousand Northsmen, half-bloods, and humans living behind the walls of the Alliance. The great border wall of the Alliance was the reason they were never found by the scouting parties sent from the Expanse. The Alliance had strict laws regarding entry of Northsmen. A group of three or less could enter as long as they could pay the fee, but any more than three in a group would be considered a threat. The Alliance also set a limit of 10 Northsmen per week at each of their gates.
The village was built with strong houses of wood and stone and there were small areas of commerce and trade. Craftsmen such as carpenters and blacksmiths could be found as well as general shops that sold clothing and food. It was much like the villages found throughout most of the Anderan Plains, only it was built by the Northsmen with the help of humans.
¡°The people do not listen to the disgraced Chief Kharel. What good could come from sending messages?¡±
Unlike the tribes of the Expanse, the village was not ruled by the strongest member, nor was it ruled by one person, but instead it was led by many. It was a council of elders that governed the village.
¡°The people of the plains will attack our tribes. We cannot defeat them. They are many and we are few. They have weapons that can bring down great walls. They have ogres. And they have great beasts that can run through men like horses through brush. They will kill every one of our people if we do not send a warning.¡±
¡°The people of the plains are strong, this we all know Chief Kharel. If they really do attack, then the Expanse will fall. This is also true. But the people will not listen. We have sent messages before. The only reply we have gotten from the people is violence. They will not listen to you now chief, you are disgraced, just like us.¡±
Chief Kharel was well aware of the response forces sent by the tribes of the Expanse. If messengers were sent, the messengers would be attacked. When pigeons were sent, the warriors would track the pigeons back in hopes to kill whoever sent them. To the Northsmen, the Disgraced were not allowed to live in this world. If they were willing to betray their own people on the battlefield, then how could their words be trusted?
¡°Then should I let our people die? Should I let them be destroyed? How could I allow such a thing to happen?¡±
Although they were considered traitors by their people, many of The Disgraced had family and loved ones they were forced to leave behind. Their people could be barbaric, but they did not wish for them to be slaughtered.
The elders shuffled in their seats, turning to one another and whispering before the head of the council changed position to face the chief and spoke.
¡°Chief Kharel, please wait outside while we discuss what to do.¡±
The council of elders was made up of thirteen former warriors and chiefs who had left for similar reasons as Chief Kharel. Each of them was advanced in age with gray hair and feeble bodies. Feeble bodies the likes of which would never be seen in the tribes of the Expanse.
To the warriors of the Expanse, dying of old age would cast great shame upon your bloodline. Chief Kharel had never seen fellow Northsmen that were so gray and weak. Having lived through 28 winters himself, the chief was still in the prime of his life, but the men of the council reminded him of the old women in his village who look after children and cooked meals.
The Disgraced lived like the people of the plains. Comfortable and safe behind the walls and within the houses they had built. They had become similar to the people of the plains, civilized with new customs. It was what Chief Kharel had wanted for the people living in his village. If his people could live to be this old and pass the knowledge gained through years he was certain they could grow strong like the people of the plains.
To build a village of wood and stone, where food was grown and not stolen. Houses built by the hands of his people, it is what the chief had desired for many years. Now he stood in a village exactly like that, and he could not help but think that it did not feel right.
The men of the village were not warriors; they had lost the fighting instinct within them. The village was strong, but the people within it were not.
¡°Chief Kharel, the council has made a decision, you can come back in.¡±
It did not take long for an agreement to be reached. A council of Disgraced. Of old men who betrayed the values of the warrior. Chief Kharel stared blankly at the young man, he thought of how fitting it was that the ones hunted and condemned to death by the tribes now held power over them. He could only hope for a positive decision in his favor.
Chapter 22: Preparations
The air had turned cold and dry, and the heavy atmosphere was slowly lifting. Thoughts of drought and hunger no longer filled the minds of the people. On the mend, the city had been rebuilt, some would argue even better than before, and the signs of the battle that took place not long ago were nowhere to be seen.
The council that had ruled over the city for hundreds of years was dissolved, and a new form of military rule was enforced for the immediate future. Travel from the city had been banned, and the general mood of the city was not very optimistic.
But delivery of food and supplies filled their stomachs and changed their minds. Few could say they were worse off than they were before. Save the criminal scourge who were removed by the military, and those who lost loved ones most could say their lives had even improved.
Directing the people¡¯s anger towards the incompetence of the council and the cruelty of the Northsmen, support for the Elkian army had continued to rise. Paid implants into the populace helped to spread positive propaganda, and many of the single or orphaned young men now joined the military willingly after they were promised a chance at revenge.
The invaders were welcomed as saviors, and the atrocities of the recent past were slowly being forgotten as the facts were being rewritten. Everything had gone as planned, and positive reports of the cities capture were sent to leaders who expected nothing other than good news.
Positive reports, less one detail. After reading the response from his less than excited father, Osbourne had to now prepare for his father¡¯s arrival. Knowing eventually the information would spread, he decided it best to not hide the news of his brother¡¯s passing at the hands of an unknown mage.
And as he thought, his father had blamed him. This loss was unforgivable. He had been charged with the safety of his younger brother, but a mage powerful enough to take on his brother and win was completely unforeseen. And the fact that he had not captured his brother¡¯s killer enraged his father even more.
General Mason had to have come across evidence of his whereabouts, he was certain of it. But he continued to say there was no word of him. The only information he could get on his own was from the shadowwalker who believed the mage would have fled to the Alliance.
The Alliance, it was a place right now he was told not to go to. He was not to settle his vendetta at the expense of their plans, so all he could do was take out his frustration on the people around him. On the people, he held under his control.
The person within the dimly lit room was hardly recognizable as the young woman from just months before. The young woman he had taken under him. She had become his little project. A pet project he could let loose his frustrations on. He had not touched her intimately and made sure no one else had either, but he did not spare her the rod.
***
¡°Concentrate, can you be any more worthless? Must I explain it to you every time?¡±
For nearly two months she lived in darkness. She had not seen the light of day; she did not know the state of Freeport, and she had not even stepped outside of her isolation chamber once in the past two months. Her living conditions were filthy, like those of a farm animal, even Osbourne found the smell difficult to bear as he watched her move her body in practiced motions.
Whap!
The rod slammed down on the scarred skin of her back, leaving a thin trail of blood. She did not even flinch. Punishment of this level no longer affected her.
¡°I will have you perform this properly before you die. Do it again.¡±
The mana flowed from her core, through her arms, and condensed within her hands. The pressure built until the flesh began to tear at her fingertips, she struggled to hold it in. Her body trembled from the pain and she clenched her jaw so tightly her gums began to bleed.
Whap!
It had become too much for her to bear. Her arms fell to her sides, the mana dispersed back throughout her body and tears pooled in her eyes, but she made not a single sound.
¡°Do it again.¡±
Without any objections, she raised her arms once more and began focusing the mana within her body. Her once strawberry-blonde hair had been chopped short like a young boys and was so filthy it had turned a dark brown. Her sparkling green eyes had faded dull, sunken deep within their sockets, and her soft pink lips were now painfully cracked from the cold, dry, winter¡¯s air.
The stunningly beautiful Lady Grace had lost all the charm of the young woman she once was. Dressed in rags and covered in filth, she looked more like a beggar in an alley than a lady of one of the most prosperous houses in Freeport. She was worn down and broken, like a doll that had been discarded by its owner.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Whap!
The rod came down once again as she failed to complete his instructions. Many of her days were spent like this, but she knew it would end soon. His haggard breathing had shown the abuse he dished out had more a physical toll on him than he could handle.
His poor physical shape and his overweight body prevented him from spending much time physically assaulting her. Perhaps most mages lacked a certain physical fitness or endurance required for most things. Instead, relying on their magic to perform the needed tasks of daily life. Of this she was unsure.
¡°You¡¯re doing it wrong! Disgusting, just lay in your corner and think of your mistakes. We¡¯re finished here today. Guards, there will be no food for her tonight.¡±
She walked to the pile of straw she now called a bed and laid down. She would not protest, she knew it would do no good. Instead, she just stared blankly at the cold wall in her cell. She would show no emotion; she knew he wanted her to suffer, not just physically, but emotionally. She had decided she would not allow him the pleasure of knowing of her suffering.
She was not always locked in this cell. After Lord Weston¡¯s estate was occupied by Osbourne she was still allowed to walk anywhere within the walls of the estate. But when the training began, the areas in which she was allowed became smaller and smaller, and the light training became harsh until it no longer resembled training, but punishment and abuse instead. In her desperation, she attempted to take her life.
She tried hanging herself using rope she obtained from the gardener. But she was unable to tie a proper noose, the loop she tied did not tighten and instead tore the skin below her jaw when she slipped out. The attempt ended with her gaining a scar at the top of her neck and being confined to a cell under the orders of Osbourne, where she was put under constant surveillance.
Osbourne would not allow her to die. He would beat her if she protested, he would beat her if she failed, and he would beat her even when she followed his orders. Slowly, a shell formed over her exterior, the only way she could escape the mental and physical abuse she was forced to weather.
Osbourne had her perform many tests and had determined she held a minor affinity in air. But she had poor control of her mana and was barely able to manipulate it like a typical elementalist. It was difficult for her to sense it at all. However, he found she had talent in something even rarer, and more interesting.
She had the rare ability to bend light, it was an ability that if trained properly, would allow the caster to create illusions. It was an ability Osbourne was very interested in exploiting. Not an all-powerful magic, but if used properly it had many uses. Unfortunately, her control was severely lacking and complex illusions were something she could not manage.
This harsh training was intended to teach her control. To be able to move mana within her body freely without causing damage. She was unable to fight back, so for now, she would endure. She would endure until the time came that she could bend the light well enough to trick the guards.
She continued to stare blankly at the wall, Osbourne had left, and she waited until the door had been locked behind him before she released a small grin. It was a small grin of satisfaction that she was careful to hide. She had no choice; she would have to endure. She would endure until the time was right, and she was more certain than ever, that time was coming very soon.
***
Standing atop the western wall, General Mason looked down at the fleet of ships under his command. Everything had progressed according to plan with Freeport falling completely under Elkian rule despite small pockets of resistance in the beginning.
Progress had exceeded his expectations, and the general was in an excellent mood. Soon they would be moving out once again. He still had a few issues to handle, particularly with the mage Osbourne. He had received word that his father, a high-ranking general of their ally in the south, would be arriving shortly. But even that was not enough to bring down his good spirits.
¡°Colonel Dyer, what¡¯s our status?¡±
¡°30,000 men sir and 500 ogres ready to move and meet with our armored riders and warbeasts stationed in the Bertsch Forest.¡±
The last major city located on the Crystal River, Penrith, would soon face the massive invasionary force of the Elkian military. Once the city fell, Elkia would control nearly the entirety of the river and much of the Anderan Plains with only small, relatively isolated cities remaining.
It was decided that soldiers of Freeport would not take place in the invasion due to the close ties between the two cities. Concerned the soldiers would be unwilling to fight an ally, they would stay and continue in the rebuilding of the city. When they had been trained properly, and up to Elkian standards, they would use their animosity from the attacks and direct it towards the Northern Expanse.
Penrith had already seen major losses, their strength had diminished greatly. Elkia would strike while Penrith was still reeling from their injuries and licking their wounds. It was a plan he had proposed and one the king had approved of.
¡°Good, let the men know; we leave tomorrow at first light. You¡¯re dismissed.¡±
Ahead of schedule. They would not have been able to accomplish the full subjugation of Freeport without the help of the Northsmen. But they would be unable to use them and create a villain out of them this time. The people of Penrith were prosperous, they were loyal to their city, and without the aid of the ruling class, a prolonged fight was expected.
There would be many losses in this upcoming battle. And taking full control of the city would take much longer. The king¡¯s response to the general was a deadline, a deadline of one year. In one year¡¯s time, the general was to obtain complete control of the Anderan Plains.
The Northern Expanse would be dealt with after that. Additional ground troops would be sent after Penrith. In one year their army would spread through the plains, and their ships would control the Crystal River delta on the Misty Sea.
Their southern ally found a route, beginning in the spring construction would begin, and by next harvest, they would appear with the full might of their military and advanced weaponry. General Mason would march to the border wall of the Corinth Alliance, and the newly formed navy would sail to the coasts. The attack on the Alliance would begin.
Within two years of this day, it was expected that the entirety of the continent of Alcana would be united. The General could then retire a hero to his people. Perhaps he could finally settle down and start a family. Nothing could possibly bring down his mood, or so he thought.
Note
Sorry for not adding anything. My father injured himself while in the woods so I had to fly cross country. He slipped and landed on his back on some rocks. He''s unable to take care of himself and he''s had a couple of surgeries so I''ve been taking care of him. The other thing is the lack of internet. I forgot how strange it is to live in the woods without internet. The nearest town with a Starbucks or anyplace with Wi-Fi is almost 40 minutes away, other than that there isn''t much. It wasn''t a big deal when I was young, but now it''s brutal. My sister should be taking over for me in the end of December, and then most likely my father will be moving in with her at the beginning of next year.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Sorry for the late notice, but even connecting on my phone is difficult as cell service is pretty limited out here. Hope everyone is well and enjoys the upcoming holidays. I''ll start posting again once I get back to civilization.