Eliza walked up the old cobbled road that led towards the outpost in the middle of the group, Kolgit had been merciful and had allowed her to keep both the gag out of her mouth and her hands untied.
Now that she was closer, Eliza saw that the outpost was pretty new, all things considered. Everywhere Eliza looked, Prisoners were in the process of digging a ditch that ran the length of the small wooden palisade that encircled the outpost.
The prisoners all wore a uniform that consisted of a baggy, dark grey roughspun tunic and breeches. Amongst the prisoners were several races, the most prominent being Humans, followed by Orcs and Elves. Many looked up as the group approached, and Eliza felt no few amount of eyes pass over her.
Prisoners continued to stare until a whip cracked, and the prisoners immediately set about working once again. Eliza glanced towards the source of the sound to see one of many armored guards who walked about the working prisoners, overseeing the work.
Eliza glanced at the working prisoners sidelong before she walked through the palisade's open door.
On the other side, Eliza did a quick scan of the camp. Immediately the first thing she saw was a small plaza that split into three paths. A variety of recently constructed wooden buildings lined the path to the right. The path went up a hill and ended at a larger wooden structure that served as the outpost's administrative center.
The middle path was where the old cobbled stone path continued, and it went through a large outdoor eating area, which consisted of log seats around empty fire pits. Beyond that, the path continued to a large stone gate, built into the side of the mountain, in disrepair. The gate was of Dwarven design and looked centuries old, at least.
The left path led down into a valley with a stream that ran through it. Tents filled the valley, surrounded by prisoners going about their duties. Beyond the tents, Eliza saw an open field where many prisoners trained with weapons.
“Ser Ocatavius, if you would come with me.” One of the guards spoke, drawing Eliza’s attention. He was talking to the red-haired magician, who acknowledged the guard with a nod before following him down the right path toward the large wooden building—leaving Eliza and the rest of the group in the small plaza with a group of guards serving as a welcoming party. A couple of guards set up a table with two crates, one smaller than the other, and a chair behind it.
A clean-shaven elf with long, luxurious blonde hair stood waiting in the forefront of the waiting guards. He stood about 6 ½ feet tall and was dressed in flamboyantly fancy steel plate armor.
Beside him stood a man of average height dressed in fancy steel plate; however, his armor was noticeably less striking than the elves'. He had shoulder-length brown hair complemented with thin, wiry glasses. He held a wooden board that held a small stack of papers on it in his left hand, and he had a quill in his right.
The plate-armored elf stepped forward and clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. His face opened up into a bright smile, showcasing perfectly lined up and purely white teeth.
“Welcome to Grimhold! All you guards who came with the new prisoners are dismissed; thank you for your hard work!” his cheery voice boomed. The guards from the caravan saluted the Elf and then began to disperse. The prisoners were left awkwardly standing around in a group.
Unperturbed, the Elf continued, “ I am Gary, and I will be your commanding officer from this moment forward. Welcome to Kaldria's great expeditionary army.”
His statement was met with more silent stares
“Line up!” he said brightly.
Nobody moved other than a lone prisoner who ran forward and fell onto his knees in front of Gary.
‘P-p-please, sir, there must’ve been some mistake. I shouldn’t be here!” the man pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
Gary looked down at the sniveling man for a movement before responding with a gentle smile, “ what's your name?” he asked
“G-G-Gale sir,” The prisoner stuttered, with a bit of hope coming into his voice.
Gary looked at the spectacled man who looked over the paper he had. A moment later, he spoke, “Gale Lether, Convicted of multiple counts of treason and perjury, Sir.” The man responded in a steady voice devoid of emotion.
Eliza watched Gary look away, nodding to himself before looking down at Gale. He gave Gale a warm, reassuring smile before drawing his sword and beheading Gale in one clean movement. Eliza barely had time to blink before Gale’s head hit the floor. Blood splattered onto Gary’s still smiling face.
A chill ran down Eliza’s spine as Gary turned to look at the rest of the prisoners with his blood-speckled smiling face. Gale's body slumped to the ground.
“ I don’t think you all fully understand your situation. The court has, by law, decreed you all worthy of the death sentence. In their misguided, may I add, mercy, you have been provided a chance to redeem yourselves by serving in the army. Either join our fight against the demonic threat we are facing, or die. Anybody who wants that second option may step forward now.”
Nobody moved.
“Then, I’ll repeat myself, and this will be the last time I do, Line. Up.” Gary said, a dangerous gleam in his bright green eyes.
Everyone, Eliza included, quickly lined up.
“Good. “ Gary continued, “You are aware of the threat we are facing. You were attacked by the Demonic beasts just a bit ago. Grimhold and the surrounding area are infested with these beasts, and we have been tasked with eliminating the demon threat and securing Grimhold for the kingdom. Recently a leader has risen among them coordinating their attacks, making them all the more dangerous.
Several people in the line shuffled nervously at his statement. Uncoordinated, the Demons were trouble enough. Everyone knew of the stories, of the devastation that Demons cause when they gather under a leader.
“The king has been merciful to you, the scum of society. He has decreed that should you perform well at this task, you will be freed from your current status. Eventually, you may even be able to regain your civilian status.” He had come to stand in front of Eliza at this point . He looked her in the eye, “or receive civilian status.” He said before moving on.
“The fight is a dangerous one, and the threat of grimhold is genuine but should you fight honorably and survive. You’ll walk out free. But until such happens. You are still criminals. You’ll be stationed in the tents with the other prisoners. You are not to leave that area unless commanded to do so. Now, Urick will begin processing you into the camp. When your name is called, you are to step forward. Am I understood?” he asked as he walked to stand in front of the group
Everyone, motivated by the fear of what he would do if they didn’t respond, answered with a clear yes, sir.
“Good, Urick, you may begin,” he said, standing still, eyeing the group.
Urick walked to the nearest table and called out a name before sitting in the chair. Everyone waited nervously as, one by one, they were called up to the table. Each person answered a couple of questions before Ulric pulled out a piece of paper inscribed with a magical symbol. After placing it on their hand, he would chant something, and the symbol would burn itself onto the individual.
This painful process brought several of the larger and older, new prisoners to their knees. After they were branded, they were freed from their shackles, given new clothes, and led off by a guard towards the tent area. Finally, Ulric called Eliza's name.
Eliza walked up to the table, carefully stepping around Gale’s dead body in the plaza's center.
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“You are Eliza, I presume?” Ulric asked nonchalantly as he looked over her record.
Eliza nodded, “yes sir.” as she stood at attention with her hands linked behind her back.
“Your age?” he asked
“14”
“What is a little girl from the empire doing here in Kaldria?” he asked as he looked up from the paper.
“Running away, Sir," Eliza responded.
“ You have been found guilty of murdering three men and assaulting the two guards who showed up. Is this what is considered ‘running away’ in the Silverian Empire? He said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
“For self-defense, it is,” Eliza answered. “Sir.” She added after a moment.
Ulric continued to look at her, sizing her up before finally he sighed and looked down at his paper.
Before he could say anything else, Eliza interrupted him,” A question if I may, Sir.”
“Ask it,” Urick responded while he wrote a few things down on the paper.
“That I could earn citizenship?” she asked.
“Why would a Silverian want citizenship in Kaldria? Surely you know that you wouldn’t be warmly received." He asked as he finished filling out the paper.
“Because I’m running away," Eliza said.
“... I see, the answer is yes; any other questions?”
Eliza shook her head, “ No, Sir.”
“Alright, please hold out your right hand,” he said as he out a small piece of paper inscribed with the same symbol that the rest of the prisoners had received
Tentatively she put her hand forward, and he grabbed her by the wrist and put the paper over it. Next, he closed his eyes and started chanting.
Almost immediately as he finished his chant, the paper burned, and Eliza gasped as she felt a searing pain flare up in her hand. Her vision went white, and her knees almost buckled from the sudden burst of pain. The only thing that kept her standing was her catching herself with her other hand on the side of the table. She couldn’t help but glare at Ulric, who was nonchalantly writing on another piece of paper.
“What in the world is this for?” She hissed through tightly clenched teeth. The pain slowly began to die down.
“A couple of rules you should know, There is to be no infighting amongst the prisoner outside of training spars, A prisoner cannot harm a guard under any circumstances, and finally, intentionally disobeying an order or attempting to escape are forbidden. Should you break any of these rules, the mark will activate, causing you extreme pain, and it will notify all the nearby guards of your location.”
“I understand,” Eliza said through the pain as she started to move towards the guard near the crates, but a voice stopped her.
“One last thing before you gather your uniform, Personal possessions such as jewelry are not permitted,” Gary said from Eliza’s side.
Eliza carefully turned to look at Gary with a wary look.
He gave her a bright smile and indicated towards her pendant with a look.
Eliza’s immediately grasped her pendant protectively and glared at him, “ This is the last thing that I have from my parents.”
“The rules are the rules. This is an order; remove your pendant.” Gary said calmly, meeting her glare.
Eliza didn’t move, “In your dreams,” she snarled. Gary calmly waited, and after a few moments, Eliza felt a growing tingling in her arm. Knowing it was coming, Eliza braced herself for the pain. But no amount of bracing could prepare her for what happened.
Suddenly it felt like a searing flame was burning across her entire body. Eliza tried to suck in a breath, but no air would come; The strength left her legs, and she collapsed to the ground. Through it all, she kept a firm grasp on the pendant.
Once on the ground, Eliza curled up protectively around the amulet as another wave of agony, more intense than the last, crashed over her. Lack of oxygen caused her vision to dim, and Eliza felt like she was on the verge of passing out.
It was in this state that she felt someone lift the chain of the pendant and pull it over her head. Using the last ounces of her strength, she tried to hold onto the pendant, but it was no use. Her fingers slackened, and she felt the pendant slide out of her grasp.
Almost immediately, the agony receded, and she sucked in a lungful of air. Eliza tried to push herself up, but her shaky arms gave out, causing her to crash back onto the ground again.
“What do you know, one of my dreams came true today. I know you have a lot of pride, I expected as much from a Silverian, but surely you realize how futile this is.” Gary said, holding her pendant up by the chain so he could look at the pendant itself. The pendant was a miniature curved blade, Modeled after her father’s and mother’s swords’.
Eliza once again tried to push herself up. This time succeeding in pushing herself to her hands and knees, “ Give it back.” She growled, looking at Gary with a gaze of hatred. Putting a shaky foot forward, she managed to stand up barely, but only because she used the table as a support.
“Tut, tut, I would’ve thought you had learned something from that experience just now.” Gary said as he began to twirl the pendant around on a finger, further incensing Eliza, “ if you're so determined, why don’t you come here and take it yourself? That is if you even can,” Gary said tauntingly with a smile.
Gritting her teeth, Eliza stepped forward and raised a fist to punch Gary but halfway through the movement, a memory of the pain she felt flashed across her mind, and her body froze mid-punch. Internally she yelled, even screamed at herself to move, but it was no avail. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. Eventually, her raised fist slowly fell to her side—a new type of pain blossoming in her heart.
A sneer spread across Gary’s face, “It seems you can be taught something after all,” he said as he turned around and started to walk away. Looking at the nearest guard, he said, “Get her uniform and get her with her assigned squad. They will be going into Grimhold this afternoon.” Gary then walked away, continuing to carelessly twirl her pendant around his finger, a little bounce in his step.
The guard saluted and pulled a couple of black uniforms out of the smaller crate, out of the box. He unchained Eliza’s feet and then began to drag her by the arm towards the tents. On shaky legs, she followed; she felt the eyes of many people boring into her as they moved. They went down the hill, and the guard took her through the valley to a small, nondescript tent.
“This is where you will be staying with your other unit members. You and your squad will be given your next mission this evening, so it is recommended that you get rest before then.” Before Eliza could say anything, he placed her uniform into her hands and was gone. She was left standing in front of the tent.
Eliza took a long shaky breath to calm herself before pushing her way through the tent's front flap.
Inside there were four beds situated in each of the four corners of the tent. Beside each of the beds, there was a small wooden chest. At the back of the tent, there was a cordoned-off area behind a couple of curtains.
In the tent, she found three other people, two boys and a girl. All dressed in the black uniform she had been given. There were four beds, and only the bed to her right was unoccupied.
Immediately to her left was a small red-headed Elf girl that looked younger than Eliza.
Her hair was long, coming down nearly to her mid back, and she had a pale, freckled complexion; she was the first to speak.
“Heyo!” She exclaimed enthusiastically, waving one of her arms. In her other hand, she was holding a small object weaved out of grass, its purpose unknown," My name is Leah! How about you?”
Eliza looked sidelong at the elf girl, a little caught off by the friendliness and enthusiasm. She slowly went to the unoccupied bed on shaky legs and sat down. The bed was stiff, and the blankets felt rough under Eliza’s fingertips.
“Eliza,” She said curtly, responding to the Elf girl's question. She picked up the shirt of the uniform she had been given and sighed; It was obviously too big for her. Frustrated, she opened the small chest beside her bed and threw the uniform in. She sat back on the bed, dreading that she would already need to go to the administrative office to request a new uniform.
“I like your name! I've never seen someone that looked like you. Are you from the empire?” Leah asked as she returned to weaving the thing she was holding.
A sigh escaped Eliza’s lips, her head drooped a little, and she keenly felt the absence of her pendant.
“I’m sorry, she can be lacking in tact sometimes; please don’t hold it against her.” One of the boys said, walking over, lightly ruffling Leah's hair. He was also a redhead elf who looked much older than Leah but was still pretty young. He had enough similar features to Leah that they appeared to be related, if not siblings.
He looked over at Eliza and gave her a kind smile.
“Hey! I told you to not touch my hair, Leo!” Leah yelled, indignantly pushing his hand away.
“As you heard, my name is Leo; nice to meet you, Eliza. I was designated as the leader of our merry little band." Something about him was off-putting to Eliza, He appeared to be looking at Eliza, but his gaze was blank, almost as if he was looking right through her.
“Whatever,” Eliza said, feeling both exhausted and emotionally drained, she laid down on the bed and covered her eyes with one of her arms, and an awkward silence fell over the tent.
“Hey, Demitrus, are you gonna introduce yourself?” Leah asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
Eliza slightly turned her head to get a look at this Demitrus. He had a wiry build and looked to be about 15 years old. Through his messy, ash-grey hair, Eliza could see his clear blue eyes focusing on his hand as his fingers traced something in the air. Out of everyone in the tent, Eliza’s gut told her he was the most dangerous.
Without even looking away from what he was doing, he said smoothly, “She looks like she had a long day so far; let her rest. We can introduce ourselves later at lunch.”
The tent once again fell silent which Eliza was thankful for. She turned on her side, facing away from everybody in the tent. Curling her body up, she brought a fist up to her chest where the pendant was supposed to be. A tear escaped from the corner of her left eye; never before had she felt so alone.