Meanwhile…

“Halt!”

The 300 man army stopped as one, every individual standing as still as a statue. Urging my horse forward, I approached the pathetic wooden palisade this village had built.

“Open your gates, and allow the Peace Corp entry! Failure to comply will be considered treason, and you will be put to the sword!”

After a moment, the gates were pushed open by some of the villagers.

“Forward march!” I ordered, entering the small village.

“Who is the leader of this place?” I demanded to know once I had reached the center of the village. The disgusting odor of unwashed peasants and farm animals washed over me, and I resisted the urge to burn this filthy place to the ground. From the throng of villagers, a man stepped forward. His soot covered arms and large hammer suggested he was a blacksmith.

“You there. Are you the village head?”

“I s'pose so?” he said, scratching his head.

“It matters not. We are here to quash the bandit group known as the Blood Brigade. Turn over all relevant information, and perhaps you shall be rewarded.” The Blood Brigade had been troubling this area for years, destroying and robbing villages left and right. I was given the “honor” of dispatching them, but I considered it more a punishment. What kind of honor sent you out into the middle of nowhere to kill some pesky bandits? The faster I could finish the better.

“Uh, my lord,” the blacksmith asked, “Are the Blood Brigade the bandits that wear red armor?”

Rolling my eyes, I responded, “Obviously. That’s why they call themselves the Blood Brigade.”

“Well um, I’m not sure how to say this…” the blacksmith said hesitantly, as if trying to find the right words.

“Spit it out already you damned imbecile!”

“They were all killed,” he blurted out.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

It took me a moment to register his words. “What?” I asked him incredulously. Impossible. The Blood Brigade was over 200 strong, and had been rampaging unchecked. How would they suddenly die now?

Nodding emphatically, the blacksmith said, “It’s true sir. I swear to ya, there must’ve been 250 of them. Ask anyone else here, they’ll back me up.”

“You,” I said, pointing at one of the village women, “Is this true?”

“Yes me lord, it’s true all right. We were almost killed, the whole lot of us.”

“So what killed them then?”

“That’s the strange thing my lord. Believe it or not, it was an army of golems,” the blacksmith answered.

Golems? Golems?!?!?

1 hour later…

The villagers had told me the whole story. An army of gray golems had burst from the trees, killing all in their path. They were led by a giant golem, who used a mace and shield to dispatch many of the bandits. I had suspected they were lying, until they showed me the mace and shield, apparently left there after the golem had taken one of their own. It was still stained with dried blood. I asked where the bodies were, but they told me the golems had taken them for some strange reason. After this revelation, I called a meeting with the two captains under my command. A tent was quickly set up for privacy, and I unfurled a map of the area on a small table.

“All the villagers gave the same story. An army of golems killed all the bandits, and even managed to kill a fire mage that directed them.”

“What type of golems were they, sir? Earth or wood perhaps?” one of my commanders asked.

Shaking my head, I responded, “That's the strangest part. They were metal golems.”

Both captains stared at me. “Damn it. That presents a big problem. We could be dealing with a powerful metal or life mage here,” one of them said.

“No, I highly doubt one mage could command all those golems. Sir, how many golems fought in the battle?” the other asked me.

“The villagers estimated around 50.”

“Hmmm,” the captain pondered while he absentmindedly chewed on his mustache. “Even a powerful metal mage could only command 10 golems at most. There is a possibility that there is a rogue coven in the area.”

The words sent a shiver down my spine. Covens were a gathering of mages, and although most covens were sanctioned by the Empire, there were a few that did not wish to follow the strict regulations that kept them under control. These were known as rogue covens, and were a big issue.

“But there hasn’t been a metal mage powerful enough to create 10 golems in the last 50 years,” the other captain argued. “Honestly, I think there’s a rogue life mage in these parts.” I nodded in agreement. Life mages were able to bless inanimate objects with life, which were also known as golems. They were dangerous due to the fact that they could quickly accumulate a large army of golems, and were therefore immediately separated from their parents and sent to serve in the army once they were found.

“Either way,” I said, “It’s an issue.”

“Do we report back to Ocaephis?” the captain with the mustache asked, referring to the city we were dispatched from.

“Yes, we have to inform the Governor. He’ll decide how to take it from there. In the meantime, send out 30 scouts. Have them comb the surrounding area and find this coven or mage.”

“And the village sir?”

“Interrogate them. We need every detail we can get about these golems. No need to be too gentle.”

“Very well sir. I will relay the orders,” the captain said before leaving the tent.

“And you,” I said, addressing the other captain, “have someone bring me a bottle of wine.”

“Yes sir.”

Once he had left, I sat on the table and rubbed the corners of my eyes. Today had been exhausting…