Max heaved from within the wagon as the group made their way overland once more, dusk approaching as they came across the small fortress which was once home to the Order of the Thousand Hunts. The aura within the village had changed, not quite as dark as it was previously, though no doubt still not quite as lively as it once was previously.
Jonn stared at the walls of the order, the walls he once called home. He was but a boy when he was been adopted into the order. His eyes gazed across the fields he had worked, the walls he used to walk across, and his mind wandered back to the buildings he once trekked through. His mouth salivated as he thought about the apple trees within the order's walls.
Soldiers approached the group, though upon seeing the Hope and her Rays, they relaxed, though their suspicion changed to caution and reverence. Adam allowed the Hope to deal with the soldiers, who left them be after a few moments of conversation.
"It doesn't look like as though they fought," Adam said over breakfast. "Did they leave voluntarily?"
"Their Grand Commander remained within East Port at the time," Jaygak said. "Even if he returned, he could clash with King Merryweather, but the might of the order could not be compared to the army the King leads.”
“What if all three orders came together?”
“Only two orders remained within Floria. The Massacre of Rock Hill led to the demise of the Order of the Cherry Blades. If the three orders joined together, it would have proved difficult for the army, but the King aimed his entire force against the nearest order, using the might of South Port’s army, as well as units from South Fort, since the King did not need to worry of his southern border.”
“Why’s that?”
“The King raised his blade in rebellion after refusing to invade Aswadasad,” Jaygak said, sipping her soup, feeling the fire against her lips and her throat. “The Shen of Aswadasad is too busy with his own civil war to focus his attention to his western border.”
“Oh, right…” Adam cut into his cheese, placing it between the small bit of flat bread Korin had baked. “How strong is the order anyway?”
“The order possesses many great warriors, with hundreds of Experts, dozens of Masters, many Grandmasters, and now a Paragon,” Jaygak informed. “Large enough to prove a threat to the land if they wished to turn their blade against it. They would be unable to take a town or city, even the smaller towns, but they could make it difficult for those in Petal Grove to travel to South Port.”
“I am still a little surprised by how this land has formed,” Adam admitted. “I’m more used to villages and towns being much smaller, well, I mean, not quite, but basically. However, usually towns and cities aren’t that far away from one another, and there are hundreds of villages all around the towns.”
“It was that way many years ago, but it was too dangerous. The wandering undead, the bandits and warlords of the time, the various beast waves, they were too much for small villages and towns to handle. It has been contained now, but that is only because of how large the towns have become. Once, a town meant a population of tens of thousands, but now if one is not at least one hundred thousand, it is not considered a town.”
“Is there a town with a population of one hundred thousand?” Adam asked. He was certain they hadn’t passed through any town that small yet.
“In the north there are many.”
“Oh, right. I heard that the north’s entire population barely reached the population of South Port.”
“Their population is much smaller, but they are a hardy people. There are many adventuring parties which have formed in the land, but still, two tenths are still from the north. Their culture has formed around the defence of the land from various threats. Even the beast waves in the south cannot compare to the waves in the north.”
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“Yeah, I noticed we’ve come across quite a few group of northerners who are all pretty strong.”
“The south believes wraiths to be myths, whereas within the north, wraiths are hunted by the best of the best to gain recognition. In East Port, Stone Sword gained the title of Marshal for placing within the tournament. In the north, it is when one slays a wraith in single combat that one gains the title of Marshal.”
“How many Marshals are there?”
“Outside of North Aldland, that we call the south, there is one per town and city, typically. There is also a Marshal for each region, like that of Lord Benjamin, Marshal of the East. In the north, there are as many as who have slain wraiths in single combat. The number is above ten at most times, and sometimes reach a hundred.”
Adam narrowed his eyes. He noted the way Jaygak was speaking. It wasn’t quite as casual as it was before. ‘…’
“It’s the ordah,” Rose said.
“They says they’re all gone,” Tulip replied.
“Ordahs don’t go, they’re probably fightin’ monstahs.”
“Yeah, figh’in’ monstahs.”
Jack stared at the order from the small camp, slowly sipping his bowl. He had only seen the two orders in his life, all within the span of a couple of weeks, just like all the other children. His heart pounding wildly in his chest as he stared out towards it, daydreaming what it would be like to be a member of an order, and the rest he could gain for being a great warrior.
Lucy remained awkwardly silent. She could still feel the pressure of the attention from the nearby Hope and Rays. ‘I’m going to age a thousand years over this year…’ She sighed. Her entire body itched, wanting to cause trouble, but she couldn’t do that, not when everyone was still on edge from the civil war which had broken a kingdom which had stood strong for millennia.
When morning came, Vonda approached Adam. “We should leave a gift to the villagers and the soldiers stationed here.”
“A gift?”
“It would be best to spread good will to the village and the soldiers, especially if you are to pass through here often towards South Port, the capital of a new kingdom.”
“Right… what do you think would be good for a gift?”
“Many silver coins.”
“Not gold?”
“Silver is easier to use, and still carries much value.”
“Good point. I’m not sure how much silver I have, but I’ll ask around to collect as many as I can. What about for the soldiers?”
“Gold is often considered better than steel for the soldiers.”
Adam smiled. “Well, that’s easy.”
Adam left a gift of a few gold, as well as a hundred silver for the villagers, and another fifty gold for the soldiers, though they hadn’t spent the time within the village walls.
“Often, groups camp outside the walls to avoid paying tax, though there is still some protection provided from camping beside a town or village,” Vonda informed. “We should not allow them to believe we have taken advantage of them, or resentment might grow.”
“Even though they asked us to remain outside?”
“If they ask us to remain outside and we still hand over silver, some may view that as us acquiescing, but most will view us as respecting their rules, and will provide good will for the next time we pass through.”
“Alright, fair,” Adam said.
“It is especially noteworthy since you are travelling with a Hope and many Rays.”
“Hopefully we’ll still be travelling with one Ray going forward,” Adam said, raising his brows towards her, flashing a smile.
“We shall see.”
“Don’t be so coy, Ray Vonda,” Adam replied, chuckling.
The group continued along their way, and with the Hope and Rays leading the way, each upon their magical steeds, they found little trouble. They followed along the river and road, eventually marching up the hills, before they finally came to Petal Grove.
‘The journey is going too smoothly…’ Adam thought, unsure of how he should feel. He glanced towards the Hope and Rays, before letting out a soft sigh. ‘I guess that’s just how it should be.’
The days in Petal Grove passed by uneventfully too, though Adam noted the Hope went missing for a few hours, though he made no mention towards it. The less he knew about their affairs, the better he felt.
Adam glanced towards Sir Landon. They were being pulled along in their own carriage, as one might have expected, though Adam felt odd about the situation.
‘Why’s he so quiet?’ Adam thought. ‘I keep forgetting he’s with us.’
The group continued their journey along, following the dangerous road towards the minor fort, before they continued to the next order, which was in a similar position as the previous order, the order having been expelled, the soldiers taking over it.
‘It feels too weird that everything’s going smoothly.’
During the next evening, upon the hills, the group felt a shaking.
‘Ah, there we go,’ Adam thought, donning his shield, his heart relaxing. ‘Let’s get it over with.’ He glanced around, watching as the children were ushered into the towers, the farmers and porters having stripped out of much of their armour, though they grabbed their weapons and shields.
“Rick, Remy, you guys should-,”
Health: 91 -> 69