“When was the last time you spoke with Nadia?” I asked him after settling in one of the chairs.
Risco stared at me across the table for a few moments before answering. His body language was still tense, was his reaction related to the bodies in the farms? He grunted and leaned back in his chair, tension flowing out of his posture.
“About a month ago one of the army messengers came through with a letter addressed to me, using a name only a few people left alive know about. It was to be delivered to a place that hasn’t existed in ten years. Nadia always had a habit of being cryptic, it served her well in her role.” He said in a soft voice, he was staring off into the distance now.
“I knew it was her when I read the letter. We served together in the first for many years before I retired out here. She warned me, us really, about what was happening in Etes. That the King had changed, of his new cruelty and disregard for the citizens of Eter. She asked me to share it with the few retired army members that lived out here near the town and the next few towns over.”
“The letter spoke of the Norx Emperor and his war against his people and how Nadia feared the King was following his lead. She...she asked us to rise up and rebel, go to war against the country we had served. I wasn’t sure how much of it to believe at first, the King had always been known as a kind, benevolent man. The news of the Norx emperor was confirmed first when the world quest came through.”
“If she was telling the truth about that, was everything else true? Word must have spread back to Etes of the contents of the letter and what it said. The Kingsworn arrived just a week ago. They questioned everyone and brutally murdered anyone who admitted to reading the letter or spreading its message. We...we were hidden in one of the outlying farms, word coming from Esteview that the same thing had happened there.”
“When we came back into the town after the Kingsworn left it was in chaos. They murdered almost half the population of Gleice. A town like this can’t survive when it loses such a drastic amount of its people. We brought everyone in from the outlying farms, consolidating the people of the two towns for safety.”
“Your arrival comes at a bad time, son. Tensions are high right now, if another beast wave attacks or the Kingsworn return I don’t think Gleice will survive it. Now it's your turn to tell your story and tell it true. I’ve been honest with you, I expect the same.” He finished his recounting and leaned back in his chair.
I studied the man for a moment, deciding how much to share. He had no love for the Kingsworn, that was clear by his tone. He seemed to hold Nadia in esteem, what he said of her surely matched what I knew. Before he could grow suspicious of my silence I took a deep breath and began.
“I lived in a new town formed after the initialization of the framework. We were not subjects of Eter and we had refugees from a town called Burch that had chosen to settle with us. They were lead by a man the King considered a threat so he sent an advance unit of the first army to force the town to align with Eter and bring that man to Etes.” I carefully said and took a few breaths before continuing.
“Nadia was part of that advanced army unit. They suffered a defeat attempting to coerce the town by force and she was sent back to Etes to report. The King heard her report and sent her back out to communicate demands to the town. I was traveling with her back to Etes with her...when she renounced her citizenship. It left her crippled with only a few health points, she has been unconscious for two days. Before she did it she told me to bring her here to you and leave her with you if she had not recovered.” I finished.
He rocked back in his chair as he considered my words. He stood up and began to pace around the room, I left my hands on the table in full view and tried to remain calm. I needed him to accept my story without asking for more details. After what felt like an hour of pacing he turned back to me.
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“That sounds utterly ridiculous for so many reasons. The first army was defeated by a fledgling town? Nadia herself was sent with a demand letter rather than one of the diplomats? She renounced the country she has served for her entire adult life? How much of that is the truth?” He listed off his doubts as he stared at me.
“All of it that involves Nadia. I would prefer to leave my story to myself. I can take you to where Nadia is if you want, then we can part ways. My only request is that you let me stay in town long enough to visit the apothecary.” I answered him, deciding to err on the side of caution regarding my identity.
“Not a lot of good it’ll do you. Raimus was one of the most outspoken after the letter, he was one of the first they killed. I would like to go see her. It will be me and the three men out there, we all knew Nadia and we are all involved in this mess.” He snorted and shook his head sadly.
I was about to tell him that I still wanted a chance to explore it before I left and after we retrieved Nadia. When I felt a strange sensation from my bond with Van. I couldn’t decipher the feeling, the distance may have been too far for us to communicate. Remembering what Arthur said about my eyes when I used See What I See, I warned Risco.
“I am going to use one of my skills to communicate with my companion. He is the one guarding Nadia, I will let him know that we are coming. You may notice my eyes go white, it can be a strange sight I have been told. We will need a cart to carry Nadia back with us all the way back to the Inn, it's a few miles from here to our campsite.” I told him.
“I’ll go arrange for a cart.” He started to go back out the door and stopped, turning to face me. “Last chance to change your story, once I tell these men that Nadia is alive and close by, expectations are set. We are all on the edge here, it wouldn’t take much to push us all over.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.
I triggered See What I See and waited for the strange sensations to settle before opening my eyes to see out of Van’s. The ape was up in one of the trees near the edge of the forest. He was looking towards the town, following the road with his eyes. There were soldiers moving quickly down the road towards the forest, at least half a dozen, riding horses and equipped for battle.
“Get Nadia and hide in the trees! Don’t let anyone see you and don’t try to fight on your own. I’m coming for you!” I expressed to the ape. I didn’t actually speak when using the skill, it was significantly easier to express my thoughts to Van when I used it. Van grunted and agreed, quickly climbing down to get Nadia.
I ended the skill and triggered it again on Marci this time. She was circling high in the air over the town of Gleice. It surprised her when I popped inside her head and she shrieked at the sudden sensation. I waited a moment for her to calm before we turned and moved towards the forest, following the road. There was a dusty cloud about halfway down in that direction. As Marci flew towards the dust cloud I realized it was actually two. There were soldiers going towards Van in the forest, but twice as many coming towards Gleice.
The skill ended suddenly as I reached my time allotment for the day. I needed to consider using more skill points in it to extend the time that it would last in the future. I bolted up from my chair and threw open the door to find Risco and the three men, plus the rest of the Inn’s occupants staring at me.
“Soldiers! A dozen soldiers in black armor on horseback riding for the town.” I shouted out to everyone. I looked at Risco and lowered my voice before speaking again. “There are at least six men moving on my companions' position in the forest and a dozen coming towards us. They are near the farmhouses, they will be here soon.”
He grunted and turned to his three friends. “Get ready boys, we made a promise that if those bastards came back here they would all be put to the sword. It’s time we make good on that promise.” He exchanged a nod with the lead one and turned and walked back to my side. “Can your companion hide with Nadia? Is she in danger right now? We have to deal with the threat to the town first.” He said.
“She will be safe, he will take care of her” I said and hoped it was true. The men and women of the town were in a frenzy of activity as they prepared for the soldiers. I saw a few of the men wearing old but well cared for army issued armor. Swords, spears and bows filled the hands of those who were willing to fight.
Congratulations! You have encountered a survival event! The town of Gleice is being approached by the Kingsworn! The survivors of Gleice have vowed death upon the Kingsworn! Rewards available based on contribution!