The sounds of battle clamoured through the camp and reached Zalia’s ears as left the building in a hurry. Faian, her advisor and the two Commanders all rushed past Zalia and her team towards the sounds of battle as other groups of soldiers in various states of armament rushed past in different directions, some towards the battle and others yet towards racks of weapons or armour. Zalia and her team started moving towards the sound of battle as well, wanting to see what was happening, though she thought they should stay hidden if possible.
“An attack by the king's army?” Zalia asked.
“Seems the most likely scenario,” Indis said.
“Should we get involved?” Ember asked.
The woman obviously didn't like standing around when she could be off helping to heal others. Zalia felt uneasy as well as they hadn’t decided on either side yet, despite the compelling nature of Faian’s story.
“No, not in this one. We defend and heal only, from either side,” Indis said.
Zalia nodded in agreement and patted the restless Boreal gently. They moved through the rows of buildings and tents towards the sounds of battle, a fire now visible as it raged in one corner of the camp. They finally got close enough to see what was happening and got their first proper piece of proof that supported the Generals story. There was a hole in the defensive wall that looked like someone had set off an explosion. It was suddenly obvious to Zalia that such defenses were much less useful when faced with the power of a high rank soldier. Rushing through the gap were soldiers in armour, most of it looking like it was in need of a lot of care. Some pieces of armour were rusted, some dented and many had scratches and other marks. What struck Zalia the most as she observed the soldiers and what gave some solid proof to Faian’s story was the soldiers eyes. Within the soldiers eyes was a crazed madness that Zalia could only describe as otherworldly. It was almost as if there was a corrupt fire burning deep behind the soldiers eyes, distorting their perception and driving them into a rage. They didn't fight as a well organised unit of an army but rather rushed in, attacking whoever first caught their eye. There were no tactics to the attack, it was more like an assault by mindless animals.
Zalia turned to Indis and saw that the woman had noticed all the small details that she had.
“Could be a ploy by the rebels to support their story,” Indis pointed out.
Zalia sighed, she was quite sick of humans and their politicking. She wished to be back in the wilds once more where everything was as it seemed, the hunting of an animal turned to a ruthless fight for survival. It was a harsh way of life but it was at least honest and forthright.
“I suppose you are right. Do we fight now? I’m still not quite convinced,” Zalia asked.
“No, not yet,” Indis said.
They watched from a distance with unease, Zalia trying to focus her healing at a distance on anyone who went down but did not die. The soldiers of the rebel army were quickly organising but the initial attack of the supposed king’s men had punched quite far into the camp, the fire now raging further in as soldiers fought and died in the heat. Zalia watched with unease as soldiers fought and died, unsure about their decision to not join this fight. Some of the crazed soldiers ran straight through patches of burning fire and attacked the quickly forming blocks of rebel soldiers even as their clothes caught ablaze, not caring about the fire that consumed their bodies as they fought. Smoke and ash filled the air, clogging their throats and eyes as the relentless onslaught continued.
Zalia and her team had to retreat further back when one of the crazed soldiers saw them and sprinted their direction. Despite their attempts to push the man back and retreat, they ended up having to kill him, Zen smashing his head in with the large mace he wielded. The man had been Iron rank as well but simply attacked with thoughtless rage, no skill or tactic behind the sword work. The tide of the battle finally turned when the two Commanders arrived with fresh and properly armoured and armed soldiers, forming a shield wall and pushing back the attackers. Before long, the battle was over and General Faian approached them on the edges of the battle zone.
“Apologies for the outburst earlier, I did not mean to lay blame for the assault at your feet,” Faian said.
“It was unfortunate timing, no apology needed,” Indis said, diplomatic as ever.
“Oh it's not the first time they have attacked and I know it will not be the last,” Faian said.
Hearing the words, Zalia did notice that there were signs of battle if one looked closely enough. A patch of ash that could have been an extinguished campfire but could also be a burnt down tent, a section or two of wall that looked newer than the rest. She also noticed that Ember was looking apprehensively towards where the battle had been. She caught the woman's eye and nodded. Ember ran off towards the battle, checking bodies and injured, helping where she could.
“She is our healer,” Zalia said, at Faian’s questioning expression.
The General seemed to accept that explanation and spoke once more,
“You see now why we rebel. The false king would have us all made into those mindless beasts,” Faian said, a hint of well contained venom in her voice.
“I do,” Indis said with a nod.
“You keep calling him a false king. Do you think it is no longer the man you knew?” Zalia asked.
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“I… I don't really know. I simply cannot piece together the man I knew raised by the king I served with the man who would order something such as this,” Faian said, gesturing to the battlefield.
Zalia actually felt a little bad for the woman. She had obviously been loyal to the previous king and the people of her kingdom but was now forced to fight them and even kill some of them. Those that she killed very well might have been loyal and disciplined soldiers, now turned into these mindless brutes.
“We still need to talk amongst ourselves about what we will do,” Indis said.
“Of course, Eztari will take you. I must help clean up here before anything else anyways,” Faian said, turning away as she watched the scene before her.
Eztari came forwards, the man appearing as if from nowhere.
“If you’ll kindly follow me,” he said.
“One minute,” Zalia said.
She went over to the battlefield where Ember was still healing the injured.
“Come, we need to talk. They will take over,” Zalia said, gesturing to an arriving group of healers.
Ember nodded and they returned to the group, looking to Eztari. He led them to one of the stone buildings, letting them in and telling them, “if you need anything you need only ask.”
They entered the building and sat on the chairs around the small central table. The room was very similar to the one the General had occupied, most likely they switched which buildings they held meetings in just as a safety measure.
“So?” Ember asked.
“I think we should trust them,” Zalia said.
“You are too quick with your trust once again Zalia,” Indis said.
Zalia frowned but internally acknowledged the truth in the woman's words.
“What do you think we should do moving forwards then?” she asked.
“I think we should see if we can arrange talking with another of the generals in the army. As far as I know they don't have any particular leaders, just a bunch of military people revolting against the kingdom. We will hear the story from at least one other and see if any cracks in the narrative crop up. If not, then we can begin to trust their story,” Indis said.
“And what do we do if we decide to trust them? Do we go back to Endelbyrn and inform Hidey? I’m feeling quite lost on how to move forward here,” Zalia said.
“Me too, I feel way out of my depth,” Zen said, speaking for the first time in quite a while.
“We decide together,” Indis said.
“I don't see the path forwards,” Zen replied.
“We all came to join the Morning’s shade for one reason or the other but I think the one thing that does bring us all together is that we all strive to help others in one way or another. I search for a way, any way, to bring my family from the brink of ruin. You Zalia, despite how much you say you detest people, have a caring heart and I know you would sacrifice for others if it came to it. Ember don't think I haven't noticed how often you go travelling from the city, how the people of Bur treated you like one of them. I know you go and heal the people of Endaria for no other reason than the good of your heart. Zen, despite how often you say stupid things I know there is good in your heart too. This is how we figure out the path forwards,” Indis monologued.
“I think I see what you’re saying,” Zalia said.
“I don’t,” Zen grumbled.
“It's simple. If we end up accepting that the king really is responsible for the rituals, the elementals, the crazed and mindless soldiers then we do whatever we can to stop him. We do this for the good of the people and that is that. We simply have to make a decision and stick to it. I don't think we should go back to Endelbyrn with it, if time is as short as Faian seems to think. No, a woman as intelligent as her must have some plan to act soon and we should help with that, assuming we agree with their story in the end,” Indis explained.
“Alright, sounds like a plan then,” Zalia said.
She was a little relieved that it had been so easily sorted for the near future at least. She had been feeling a bit lost in all the complexity of the situation and was glad for Indis’ expertise and mind in figuring out their next move.
“I think I can agree to that.,” Ember said.
“Well alright, let's go inform Faian shall we?” Indis said.
They left the room and found Eztari nearby, the man making no comment and leading them back towards where the General was without preamble. They told the General of their decision and the woman agreed to allow them to meet another of the army's Generals, though they would have to organise for them to travel or for the General to travel here. Indis wanted to speak to Faian for some more time about specifics and Zalia trusted her to deal with it and moved away, taking Boreal down off her shoulders. The feline was getting quite large and was probably going to be too big to rest on her shoulders like that anymore. She walked through the camp with Boreal at her side, trying to listen to the soldiers' conversations as she passed. She wanted to get a sense of the general mood of the camp, were these people confident in their cause? Were they unsure of their actions being for the greater good? Were these good people, ones worth working with to help provide a better future for the lands around. She wasn't quite sure yet, Indis’ comment about her being too trusting had thrown her off once more.
As she walked she did think about the easy trust she often gave people. For some reason she believed people when they showed her who they were on the surface. She trusted that who they were at face value was real and genuine and not some form of trick to gain her trust. It might be a flaw she had but it was also not something she wanted to lose, the faith that humanity could be better, despite how many frustrations she had with people in general.
She poured over the story Faian had told them, considering each word but she just couldn't believe any of it was some form of lie or trick to gain their cooperation. The woman truly did strike Zalia as genuine. It was probably good Indis was here, her read on people was not always the best.
As she listened to the soldiers' conversations and looked at their general mood and posture she came to the conclusion that they most likely did believe in the cause they were fighting for. Mostly she felt there was some sadness or anger at the recent attack, a sense of hopelessness in the situation they were in but there was also an undercurrent of resolve to everything they did, to their posture and dedication to each task they performed. She might have been imagining all of that, as she thought she wasn't the best at reading people's thoughts and emotions but she decided to trust herself anyways.
She started making her way back to where Indis was, having made the decision that she wanted to help the people here in their goals, that she did believe the king had some large role in everything and needed to be stopped. Maybe she wasn't the person for the job but she would do what she could to help the people of Endaria.