Cold mist swirled around a large pile of smoking rubble, the skeleton of a school. Nothing worse than a historic landmark being torn apart by a single man, reduced to waste in a matter of hours. Even the moon seemed dull and saddened, her rays barely touched the group of armored and armed men standing around a bound prisoner through the smoke.

Without any witnesses, the words spoken by the arsonist would be considered lightly. His only witness had perished to the hungry flames. Yet, this poised man seemed unconcerned about the situation, averting his gaze in a respectful submission.

"Commander, we found the lord mage," a strong voice spoke up from the building.

Jale's attention shifted from his prisoner, looking over towards the large stout male. His arms cradled a smoldering skull, flesh melted and barely clinging to the bone. No one deserved to burn to death, especially not a well loved lord.

With a careful grip, he took the skull and looked into the vacant eye sockets. "Lord Levitt Malin, I offer my guidance, respect, apology, and thanks. A life lost in this manner is preventable, but we shall celebrate his deeds. Guides be with you on your journey, may you find your promised land."

His gentle prayer filled the thick air, each guard dipped their heads in silence. It weighed on him, but he couldn't let it show, instead the tall commander straightened his jacket and took care to hold the remains against his chest.

Though his group contained rather tall men, Jale stood above them all. His height added a command to his figure even if he didn't give it any thought.

After a moment of silence, the male with long red hair in the center of the circle looked up. He appeared distressed, a touch upset perhaps, his green eyes shining with emotion.

"I didn't mean it. He was dead when I found him..."

The way this man spoke stabbed the commander with conflicted doubt. It sounded so sincere, but he knew enough about this creature to know it had to be lies.

"I'm sure you found him dead, there's no reason someone of your... Attention-seeking ways may start a fire to gather attention," Jale said, glaring down at the man.

"It wasn't my fault! I can't always control it! How do you even know I'm the one who started it?"

Before the commander could respond, a sharp horse cry bought the attention of the group. A single equine beast burst through the smoky mist, its green eyes piercing across the veil. Behind it, rolled a wagon, built with sturdy dull grey wood and bright silver metal.

Wooden grinding against stone could be heard under the strong hoofbeats as the vehicle rolled up to the tall man. Atop the front sat a woman, short and lean, with blonde long hair.

"Jale, your wagon as requested," she said.

He gave an acknowledging nod, leaning down to grab the prisoner's metal bindings. As he did, a hiss slid through his teeth.

"I know because only a monster would be out at this hour."

Jale pulled the other male up, forcing him to stand with a single arm. The prisoner was light despite his wide shoulders. His men fell onto a wall, lining both sides of a path to the cell attached to the cart.

The woman watched with curious eyes, relaxing the reins to give the beast a moment to stretch. "What did he do this time?"

He glanced at her, guiding the ginger man down the path. "Arson, murder, destruction of a landmark, treason to a lord... More once we reach Selude and they judge him I'm sure."

A snort came from his prisoner. "I'll claim all those, but I did not kill Levitt!"

"Save your breath. You'll probably want it when you're screaming your soul out." Jale countered, pushing him into the step.

Luckily, the guy didn't resist. Just stepped into the metal cage and found the bench without another word. His long red hair shrouded his pale body like a cloak, only adding to the caution from the guards.

The commander found his way to the front while the stout male locked and secured the cell. He approached the horse, laying a hand on the large black beast’s flank. Normal for stallions, this one had a bright green streak in his mane, matching his hooves. Their way of saying they're healthy.

"Will he be alone the whole way? Or do you want us to get him a friend?" he asked.

The female tilted her head back and forth thoughtfully. "Sire's a strong boy, raised on a raw meat and grazing diet, sadly this has made him more aggressive than our cooked meat raised steeds. Personally, I would say he should go alone, but it'll make it slower since your men can't ride."

He nodded. "I see. Well, sir, the strong ones are always wild aren't they?"

Though the tall man spoke fondly to the animal, he remained stern and steady. At least the horse couldn't speak back.

"Commander, we're ready when you are. The mayor has sent supplies to the Center, as well as a message to the King." A man interrupted his thoughts.

He patted the beast and turned to his men. "We will cycle through sitting on the back, I don't want any of you fine soldiers corrupted by his foul trickery. Sah, James, you two can start. The rest of you, flank the wagon and be mindful of the horse's range."

After commanding his men, he climbed up next to the woman, who turned away a touch at the skull that remained in his arm.

"Jale, sir, do you want a traveler to join you?"

Jale pondered the question, did he need someone to drive the vehicle? Those men have such rough hands, he'd hate to watch this fine creature suffer at the end of a whip.

Finally, he shook his head. "No, it's alright. I can drive, and less numbers mean less a threat to the trolls."

She hummed a doubtful agreement and urged the horse on. "Well sir, if you think fifteen men and a warlock would be less intimidating than that plus a harmless traveler... I suppose you know the trolls best."

They had stopped by the Center, a large elegantly decorated building at the very center of the city. It was the oldest building in the town, and the town was the second established for the Kingdom of Seludance. Exchanging the woman for supplies, and making sure Levitt's remains would reach his family before heading off.

Through the dark they traveled, hoping to get ahead of an oncoming storm. Once a solid hour on the road had passed, Jale decided to stop, knowing good and well how dangerous night in the wetlands was. Trolls weren't the only threat, plenty of animals wouldn't mind a feast of human flesh.

Thankful the night brought no trouble, the commander awoke to a meal being cooked. Smelled meaty and oddly sweet. He could tell by the sugary hints underlying the near salty scent it was a deer. The marsh deer were known for their natural sugar levels that brought their meat a seasoned taste even when plain.

He sat up from the ground, bringing his sight up to speed to match his other senses. Prisoner escorts were never fun he hated taking criminals to Selude, but his job demanded it. Honestly, it wasn't the traveling, constant guarded state, or even the sleeping on the ground that bothered him. It would always be the way his prisoners were often dangerous that unnerved him.

Often they carried mages that try every spell imaginable to escape. Maegik scares him enough to keep him paranoid around mages, a warlock threatened to make his fear visible.

Shaking his concern off, he brought his frame up onto his feet, checking the surrounding landscape. Faded tones met his gaze, thirsty plants begged for a drink. What is supposed to be sticky mud had been hardened into solid ground, which cracked and crumbled. The drought made the dangerous land even more hostile as everything here wanted moisture, even if it was blood.

He had memories of the land being lush and green, with the plants giving a blue tint and the dark brown mud tempting young folk to see how deep it was. With the promise of a storm, these memories attempted to come back.

"Commander, should we give the prisoner any food?"

Jale turned to the man who asked him the question, Sah. He stood half a foot shorter than the commander, and his skin lay four shades paler. Pretty average male human, with his brown hair and brown eyes.

With a soft sigh, he moved his blue gaze to the wagon where the red-haired man lay curled up on the floor in a rather peaceful looking slumber.

"We'll give him food at our next stop. Make sure Sire there is fed, raw only." He answered, heading towards the wagon.

Along the way, the tall man had grabbed a single mug and filled it with clean water. Reaching the cell, he banged the sturdy container against the metal.

"Get up. This is your only chance for a drink before nightfall. And in this heat, I suggest you take this offer."

The prisoner squirmed at the abrupt awakening, coming to his senses concerningly fast. He stood and lunged for the drink quick enough to force the commander to step back.

Jale narrowed his eyes at the smaller man, before handing him the mug. "Try anything and we'll feed you to Sire out there. Or the trolls."

The pale man nodded, taking in the clear liquid with haste. Though hesitant, he returned the container to the commander. He watched the prisoner retreat to the far side of the cage, stretching his back in a small curve before finding the seat.

Odd, he seems content in there. Very odd. He silently commented before returning to the small campfire. Shaking these thoughts off, the tall man worked on cleaning up the small camp, helping his men roll up the leather from their breakfast.

Once everything was packed away, James worked on passing out portions of the venison to each of the guards. Jale nearly passed up the food but knew he had to eat, despite his impressive height and strong body he didn't take that much care of it. He accepted the meat and joined the others on a nearby log.

"Commander, I think the horse needs more water," the brunette man said.

He let his gaze fall onto the stallion standing nearby, the creature had his head lower than normal and seemed to be interested in the plants around him. All wildlife know how to get water from the fauna, even with the drought. But, the domesticated beasts have never needed to learn this talent, and the man knew this.

"There's not enough water in this bog... The Guides must hate us," the commander said with a sigh. "Let me take him to the watering hole, he'll get as much as he needs there before we leave."

One of the other men chuckled around his bite of food. A blonde man with blue eyes and a scar across his right cheek. "Sir, are you sure that's a good idea?"

An amused smile grew on his face, and he nodded. "Of course, it'll be fine, and good for him. Dehydration will always kill you before hunger."

"But what about the trolls?" Sah asked.

"What about them? A troll would never endanger a beast as fine as a horse." Jale patted the man on the shoulder before standing up from his seat. "Besides, Sire could easily defend us."

The men sparked up a conversation about trolls as the tall man walked away. His clear blue eyes circled in their sockets, humans were all the same. Dangerous creatures driven by power and greed, their need to expand has pushed the trolls to the ends of the marshland which has made the border tense.

He never wants to harm a troll or anyone for that matter, but his job required defending his kingdom by any means necessary. His hands worked the rope holding the black horse free, patting the beast on the shoulder. Horses were powerful and just as deadly as a predator if you can't handle them.

Sire's heavy body followed him along the small game path with dull but sure steps. It wouldn't take them all that long to get to the water, it would just require a good bit of fighting the brush and climbing a small incline.

"Sire, what do you think about the drought? I think it's terrible, actually, concerning. We used to get rain often, nearly every other day it would seem. Now the land is dry, the water is scarce and it seems everything has gained a thirst for blood to make up for the lack of moisture. You weren't even alive when the water was here."

The commander spoke to the creature as if it was another person, it had always been easier to speak to animals to him. Sometimes he swore they could understand him. He laughed softly at the thought the horse cared and pushed through a group of green bushes. The lush green leaves were closer to a teal color and the branches reached out with soft yellow tones. Enough proof that water was near.

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Sire pulled his head away, attempting to pull the lead from the man's hands. With a shrug, the tall man let go of the rope, aware the beast just wanted a soothing drink. Sure enough, the black mass pushed past him and stepped into the shallow pool, lowering his large head to take in the warm liquid.

"Drink as much as you need, we need your strength."

With his words said, he decided to kneel next to the edge and scoop some of the spring water to his face to inspect it. It was clear and rather clean for the muddy floor it sat on. He let the liquid drain from his hands before cupping them to collect more, with his new makeshift cup, he brought the water to his lips and slid the refreshment down his throat.

Natural water energized him, buzzed around inside him like bees. That and the liquid reminded him how thirsty he had been. Another handful was delivered to his mouth, the taste crisp despite being warmed by the sun, rich and earthy.

"Must be my mother's side that makes it so appealing... oh well, you done yet good sir?" he asked his steed.

The stallion lifted his head and nickered a deep bellow. His bright green eyes shone behind his black bangs, and the green stripe in his mane seemed to grow more vibrant.

Jale chuckled, holding a hand out. "I'll take that as a yes, come then, we should head out before we lose much more daylight."

Sire brought his frame over, allowing the man to take the rope. Along with the mane, the horse's hooves glistened with healthy statements. This brought a smile to his guide's face.

It felt good knowing the creature felt better, even if he couldn't voice it, he knew he had been grateful. All animals are born with natural maegikal abilities, and most of them have the energy displayed on their body to attract mates. Humans are rarely born with this same talent, and thus they have no visible marks or patterns.

He would be lying if he said he hadn't been curious about witches and warlocks, the natural mages. Did they have a mark like the animals? The maekgik races do, why wouldn't they?

The commander's thoughts would die down as he got closer to the camp. He could hear the chatter and laughter coming from his men and felt relieved their spirits were high.

"Commander, we're ready to move. Is Sire good now?" James asked, breaking away from a conversation.

He nodded. "Yes, he should be good for a few hours. We'll take a break at the river on the edge of the forest, which should only take about five hours to reach."

His second in command nodded and turned to relay the message while Jale brought the horse to the wagon. With some snaps and grunts, he hooked the heavy wooden harness to the beast. Then connected the metal chains to the vehicle before giving him a comforting pat.

"Carry us far."

The tall man took a moment to inspect the wheels, large round grey wooden rims fitted against light silver metal rungs. They seemed to be in good shape, which was relieving.

"Alright, we move. Sah, I want you up front with me, James I refuse to let you ride in the back today. Lucas, Derik you two can start the cycle." His commands silenced the group with ease, power but a form of calmness tangled his tone.

A few of the men gave verbal acknowledgments and the others nodded. Once in position, Jale urged his steed on and the cart rolled forward.

They hadn't made it far down the road before the prisoner spoke up, not uncommon for someone facing his fate. Usually, they begged to be freed into the unforgiving lands or even to be killed before facing their torture. But this one was different, he didn't do any of that, instead, the man asked a question.

"Think the Divinities will end the drought soon?"

Silence hung in the air, the guards not rewarding him with a conversation.

Unphased, the ginger tried again. "They can't keep rain away forever, right? Unless they want this to become a desert, but that seems unlikely, the forest isn't as bad."

Still, no one responded, but the words made the commander think. This man had a point, unfortunately.

The sting of the air got worse as they traveled with the rambles, but not in a normal sense. Jale felt chills spreading over his body, and he reacted by glancing around.

"Shut up."

The warlock seemed hurt. "Excuse me, can I not spend my last week trying to share my opinions and thoughts?"

He slowed the horse and stood from the bench. "Be quiet."

When his group noticed where his attention had strayed, they turned and formed a circle around the wagon, which finally silenced the prisoner. Stale air and quiet winds, trolls had to have been close.

The Guided race only moved with aid of the spirits, hunting when the conditions were favorable. And these conditions were very favorable.

"We're not in city limits anymore men. Don't let your guard down until we reach the woods," he said, caution weaving his words.

The guard fell back into form, only now they had the two in the back facing away from the cage and the ones on the side grabbed their shields. With a silent prayer, he commanded the horse to move again.

"What would the trolls want with incapables such as yourselves," the warlock muttered.

He had enough, sighing and breaking down to respond. "We are fifteen guardsmen from the military. We are a threat, even when carrying a disgrace to punishment. An open target is fair game and they will take the opportunity to reduce our strength."

That shut him up, probably because the threat of trolls scared any reasonable man. Either way, peace, and quiet was appreciated.

As the sun set, the group found themselves not out of the wetlands yet, which concerned Jale. They should've been out by now, but Sire had been drained of energy sooner than he should've been. Having to stop three separate times for water, even his men had worn themselves down.

Setbacks or not, the wellbeing of those in his presence would always come first. They had stopped along a riverbed, the water trail only a stream in the center of the wide bed. Concerning but not surprising with the lack of water in the land.

Dusk settled on the horizon, giving haste to the humans while they settled into a camp. A fire was built and water was purified, unnecessary seeing as the river ran over gravel and sand. One of the cleanest rivers in the marsh.

"Commander, where should we leave Sire? There's no vegetation close enough to keep an eye on him," Derik, the blond man, said.

He brought his gaze to the surroundings, spotting lots of rocks. But the blonde man was right, the horse wouldn't be comfortable out on the bed.

"Well, let's put him over here, I trust he can defend himself. That and-..."

"Yeah yeah, trolls don't harm horses. You've said it enough times, sir."

Jale handed the man the long rope and gave him a single pat, or rather push, on the back. "Go tie him up."

With that taken care of, only one thing remained before they could rest. Food. The tall man brought himself to the wagon, removing the meat from earlier, raw and wrapped. He knew it remained fresh, the leather protected it from the air and heat, even if it had dried.

Skills such as open flame cooking came with the job, often being out for weeks hunting for criminals or dangerous trolls. Even if he liked it, Jale could only stand the plain meals for so long.

The commander unwrapped the sliced meat and skewered the chunks with sharp rods to let them cook. Once set, he grabbed a mug and filled it with the water, knowing the prisoner needed the water as much as his own men.

A clink sounded from the tap he gave the bars, alerting the warlock to his offer.

"Well, commander, I thought I was a disgrace." The guy spoke the title with a mocking tone.

Emotionless, he still held the cup through the bars. "Disgrace or not, they want you alive. You don't deserve the release of death."

His prisoner crossed his pale arms, the green eyes narrowing. "You can't make me drink."

Jale stared into the other's eyes, a harsh glare that promised harm or worse. "Actually I can. But, considering the setbacks we've had, we may need the food for the horse."

"Would still be better than the elves. But, I doubt even they could break me worse than I've done myself."

A single sigh of defeat fell from the caged male, and he took the drink.

He took a step away, turning his head to add. "You'll be given food tonight as well. Know this isn't a requirement, you can survive the trip to the King without food."

The commander found feeding the prisoners made them more tolerable during travel. That and oftentimes they could spare a portion anyway, why waste the meat of an animal that needed to be taken to survive? No waste also led to better karma with the trolls.

Sitting along the edge of the fire pit, the tall man rotated the food and let his body relax in his position. A day spent on the wooden wagon hurt his back more than he'd care to admit.

A figure sat next to him, the brunette. "Sir, I think we'll make better time once we cross into the rainforest. The drought hasn't reached far into it, right?"

He hummed thoughtfully and gave a shrug. "It hadn't been very far in when I passed through a few months ago, but with each new moon face it becomes drier."

James sighed and averted his gaze towards the wagon. "Jale, why do you feed the scum?"

Six years and he only now wants to ask? He thought while a hand ran through his black hair. How could he answer this without sounding like a Divined touched?

"The main reason is to make them less agitated on the road. Hunger tends to lead them to be paranoid and much more aggressive. That, and less waste."

The guard nodded. "I suppose that makes sense."

Jale took one of the rods, checking the food stabbed to the end. "Besides, might as well make their final days of reasonable comfort better."

His companion laughed while the tall man stood, shaking his head.

He knew the man wouldn't understand his point of view, these humans were trained to be barbaric. Excusing himself with a wave, he brought the venison to the cage.

"I'll trade you."

His prisoner stood at the far end of the cell, the mug lay on the floor on its side. A good look at the male told him the pale man had been frightened of something. This led him to look behind him into the dark distant brush.

"Food in your belly will help whatever you're seeing. I promise."

But the warlock didn't budge. "You don't see that?"

Jale wouldn't give a second glance, he knew this man, in particular, had a history of Insanity filled moments, hallucinations had to be common.

"No. Eat."

Green eyes darted to the food being offered but fixated back to the spot of an unseen danger.

The commander moved his long legs back, backing up from the cage. "Fine. I'll offer you some in the morning before we leave."

With that, he bit into the portion and returned to the fire. Savory meaty flavors filled his senses, all while the sweet sugar hints tickled the underside of his tongue. At least it wasn't as bland as boar or fish.

The men had gathered to eat, but a subtle headcount showed they were a man short. Though anyone would shrug it off with a reasonable solution as to where the person was, he became unnerved.

"Where's Sah?" he asked the guards.

James had been the first to respond. "I assumed he had gone to relieve himself, sir."

Though most likely the case, Jale couldn't help worry. "Alone?"

"Most of us have been busy setting up camp, commander," Derik spoke next.

A rattle from the cell stole his attention. The warlock seemed distressed, and the commander almost shrugged it off. Until the guy cried out.

"How can you not see that! Look! Please just look, there's something out there!"

The commander turned his frame towards the vegetation line, wondering now if it had been crazed hallucinations or not. Even from a mad man, fear is a sign of danger.

Unsheathing his sword, he waved a few of his men to follow. No harm in checking. They crept their way past the wagon, across the gravel ground with eyes watching for any sign of movement. Without the signs of Guided air, he doubted it would be trolls, but plenty of animals were beyond dangerous. Boars could rip you apart with their tusks alone, throw in their ability to grow armor and become near impenetrable and they were a nightmare to kill. Pumas are one of the worst things out here, invisible cats that have mastered stealth.

The Quiet Wetlands had gotten its name for a reason, sound doesn't travel well through the marsh, and you would be a fool to underestimate it.

Derik stopped moving and checked upwards towards the treetops that overhang the bank, but he shrugged a light gesture to him upon spotting nothing.

He held his long thin sword out and pushed a bush aside. Sitting behind the cover was a ghostly-looking bird, it had a broken wing and stared up at the men with fearful eyes.

"Hah!" the blonde man exclaimed. "It's just a bird!"

Jale glared at the bird with distrust, it was not just a bird. His men could see it, and he knew what it was by the way it seemed transparent and fake. With a quick movement, he sliced his blade through the animal.

His pale metal passed through the creature and left it unharmed.

"No. It's an ambush."

Quickly as they could, the group rushed back to their camp. His men seemed concerned at the way they approached, readying themselves for a fight, but he feared it was too late. More of the guards were missing, there had only been eight of them standing there. Plus the two he took, that made eleven.

"Form a circle, do not leave the circle," the tall man ordered, turning his attention to the cage. "If the prisoner escapes, shoot him."

The illusionary decoy made the experienced soldier assume it would be wolves, their hunting numbers only made worse with their knack for making illusions. Smart enough to know how to distract most prey, including humans, and pick them off one by one. While there were worse ways to go, being eaten alive wasn't a good one.

"Sir, I think the warlock could be useful."

"James, don't make me laugh. We are not letting him out."

His second in command frowned a bit. "I'm being serious, mages are powerful enough to fend off a lot, imagine what a warlock could do!"

He turned to the man, now appearing to tower over him. "He stays in that cage. If he ends up dying in there, so be it."

The group grew tense, the air bitter and concerning. No amount of experience made being ambushed in the dark easy, and nothing helped ease the tension of the power contest.

"You know, I agree with James. Sir."

Although he knew the men only wanted to survive, he disliked the idea of how quick they were to suggest getting help from a murdering crazed demon. "I don't care."

A breeze tore through the brush, ripping through the open riverbed with a light whistle. Some of the guards shivered at the cool wind, but Jale remained still. No telling what was waiting for the opportune moment to strike humanoid or animal, anything would be dangerous.

Light grunts and whispers came from the distance, alerting the commander to the possibility of trolls. He brought his frame down a bit, ready to lunge should he need to. The group followed his lead, though he knew they were still thinking of freeing the prisoner.

Thud. Something landed beside his feet, a medium-sized red rock. With another thump and a wince, James fell to the ground to grasp his shoulder. Shields were raised to provide cover from the onslaught of stone rain, with one of the men pulling the brown-haired male into the center of the circle.

"May the Guides help your blades find their path."

Jale spotted the deformed shapes of vaguely solid figures moving across the gravel, of course, they would hide themselves during a fight. But he knew his men couldn't fight against someone invisible to them, even if he could see the figures just barely. Bowing his head in the defeat that rose inside him, the commander dropped his sword.

"Commander?"

"We cannot fight them, lay down your arms. Don't give them a reason to kill us," he said.

One of the faint shapes moved to stand in front of the tall man, which caused him to look down at it. The figure seemed to raise something over its head. A few phrases had been muttered by his group while they put away the weapons, but he remained focused on the shape, awaiting whatever it wanted with him.

A pain split across his skull, stars lit up in his vision as he had no time to react before collapsing to the ground. Darkness overtaking his senses with almost relieving haste, confirming the ambush had not wanted to kill them.