Chapter 13: Purpose

Zack

16 Years ago

Year: 857

Zack left the barracks early in the morning. The warm sunlight hit his face and helped dispel the grogginess he felt. He fastened his new broadsword that was given to him by one of the men in the barracks. It was polished, razor-sharp, and - most importantly - the correct size for him. He was now able to wield a sword properly without treating it like a war mace. As he stepped out onto the site, he saw a few of the men up already and working throughout the camp. Some of the tradesmen were already tanning skin and hammering planks. Two boys were even sparring on the training grounds. The fort felt different at this time in the morning. It was a feeling of calmness he never felt but he invited the feeling rather than dismissing it. He stood there for a moment and absorbed the feeling, the feeling of waking up and not fearing beatings. Zack strode to the well to fill his waterskin. He decided to wake up this early to speak with Matthew. He debated all night whether he should tell him he used to work for bandits or not. Whether he wouldn't care or if he would exile him immediately seeing as the goal of the Blue Swords was to eliminate all bandit factions, but seeing as he had opened up and allowed him to join the Blue Swords. He felt it only natural to expose this part of himself. He trusted Matthew - Despite only knowing him a few days - but he felt like he wouldn't be shot down for telling him this, or at the very least he wouldn't be killed on the spot. Zack approached the wooden door on the first floor. The door shut behind him with a slight creak. The fort was completely constructed from old stone that resembled the cobblestone used for roads within the town. Although the slabs of stone used were much larger to support the structure of the fort. The stone was supported by wooden beams that ran up the walls. The wood had seen better days but held strong. Some planks were obviously more recently constructed than others, most likely installed by the tradesman. The fort was large and the ceiling extended up high. Barrels of grain and water were held within a wooden scaffold most likely used for storage. The fort had no windows and instead was lit by torches that ran along the cold stone wall. Zack caught two soldiers passing by and took the taller ones arm to stop them.

“Have you seen Matthew?” Zack asked two soldiers wearing similar tunics with pieces of armor strut around their person.

“He’ll be up in his map room probably,” Said one of the soldiers.

“Yeah, he’s always up there staring at those blasted things.” Said the second soldier, his voice being far more hoarse than the first. The first soldier gave Zack directions and told him to take the stairs on the right when he entered, before returning to their patrol and walking past Zack. The arm-banded man quickly took their advice and made his way up the stairs. He began to feel his nerves creep as he reached the second floor. Matthew had a certain presence to him. He hadn't seen him fight but from what he had seen of him before, It was easy to assume he was good at everything. It feels like that might have even been the truth. Damn, what the hell do I even start by saying? How would he even approach this? Should he just open the door and proclaim he used to work for bandits, subtly be damned? His nervousness indicated he would probably end up dragging it out and never end up getting to the point. Maybe even confuse Matthew and get the wrong idea from him. Damn it all…just get it done. Zack reached the end of the hallway and found a wooden door. From the directions he was given, this matched the description the guys gave him of where Matthews's quarters should be in the fort. He had rehearsed what he was going to say prior but decided to throw all that away as he stood behind the door. He knocked on the planks of the door and waited for a response.

“Enter!” He heard, muffled behind the door. He was thankful Matthew was at least up at this time, lest he have to wake him as well as dump this news on him. He opened the door slowly and crept into the room. It was quite well ornamented. A window brought in light and a single candle stood lit on the desk Matthew sat at. The walls were lined with thick books and papers, with a bed that sat in the corner. It still amazed Zack how well-red Matthew was.

“Good to see you Zack, What brings you to me?” He spoke, still sitting at his desk writing away at a map with pen and ink. Zack exhaled deeply.

“I…use to work for bandits, Matthew” Damn…that came out far more horribly than I thought This caught Matthews's attention, He turned from his desk to face Zack and cocked an eyebrow.

“Ah, so you've come to take my head have you?” He said with serious and narrowed eyes. Zack had a moment of alarm rise within him for that moment of panic. Matthews's facade quickly broke and laughed it off.

“Sorry, Sorry you should have seen your face.” Zack relaxed slightly but gave him a deadpan look. As if he wasn't pleased with being fooled like this. “In all seriousness, you seem to have been holding that in?” He asked if not entirely sure of himself.

“I was, I hesitated on telling you as…well…the men here might take negatively to the guys,” Zack said with his head to the ground and struggling to make eye contact, His mind was only able to think about the future repercussions of telling him this.

“I don't see why they would” Said Matthew as he stood up. “I imagine it wasn't of your own will to work for bandits, was it?”

“No…I was a slave since I was a child.”

“I see,” Matthew said with sympathy on his face. “Listen, I don't know what happened to you during that time, I could only imagine how your life has been, but that doesn't mean you can't start fresh,” he said with an air of positivity in his voice.

“What do you mean,” Zak asked not fully understanding his statement

“Don't let the stigma of working under bandits taint the rest of your life, Zack. Don't let it manipulate new goals you make for yourself. It will only eat away at you” Zack grunted

“I’m sorry but that's harder than you make it out to be”

“I know,” He said putting a hand on his shoulder “Don't worry, No man here will resent you for what happened to you. That's in the past, your new life is with us, Zack.” Zack wasn't quite able to accept it all being the past so quickly, He still didn't fully understand what Matthew was trying to say, but it didn't matter, He was grateful, grateful Matthew was still willing to accept him despite his past.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“In fact, This might be a good thing you've brought this to me,” He said perking up and quickly retreating back to his desk and searching through the cabinets.

“What do you mean” Said Zack as he slowly approached the desk to stand behind Matthew.

“Well, you spent a lot of time in The Weeping Crucible. Am I right?” Matthew said turning back to him.

“I wish I hadn't but yes?”

“Well, admittedly the Blue Swords have not. It's a no-mans-land of bandit factions and going in blind would be a bad idea. Truth be told we have only surveyed the edges.” He admitted slightly embarrassed.

“Ok?” Zack said to Matthew, hoping he would cut to the point.

“So you will have knowledge of the camps and where they are situated, What the geography looks like around them” Zack’s face lightened as he realized what Matthew was getting at.

“Well not every faction but yeah the one I worked under I still remember what they looked like and sort of where they were”

“That's good enough Zack, with this info we could really make a dent into bandits factions, Here,” He said moving aside and letting Zack have a better look at the map of The Weeping Crucible. “I bought this off a vendor in the city. Not for a cheap price either. It doesn't list many bandit camps but its the best view of the land. Do you think you could map out the camps?” Zack looked over the map, It took him a second to read it and learn how the artist marked certain details but It all slowly came back to him. A weird sense of nostalgia flooded over him as remembered certain land masses and hills. Well no… nostalgia wasn't the right word. Matthew would probably know the right word.

“Yeah, I think I can. It might take me a bit but I remember a good deal of what they looked like, I spent my whole life in that area.” He said beginning to perk up and match Matthew's enthusiasm

“Excellent, We can begin to form battle tactics and strategy based on the surrounding hills,” Matthew said pointing towards the hills listed on the map’s legend.

“I should be able to recall the number of troops in each camp as well” The two looked over the map and discussed it with childlike excitement.

“Hey, Matthew” Zack asked as he sat in one of Matthew's chairs in the corner of the room during the break they took from mapping out their tactics. “Is it true all of this is to reform the Atlus empire” Matthew smiled at the words and relaxed back in his chair by his desk. Taking a sip of water as he did so.

“That’s right”

“Why?” Asked Zack, He had too many whys to ask about the whole idea and simply shortened it down to one word

“Well that's certainly a broad question but simply. I need to” Matthew said lowering his tone

“You need to?”

“I have to Zack, I have to change the way this empire works. Magicless can't go on this world simply being used as slaves or workhorses. It just gives the ruling power to do as they wish, Laws be damned if they get killed during work or not” The two sat silent for a moment. “My parents…were magicless. They were both slaves, both worked in the fields from what I was told. I never got to meet them as my birth was a secret, you know. Magicless aren't allowed to birth and that” Zack nodded and listened diligently “Of course with the Atlus empire there was no limit to how they could treat slaves, if they take one or two many beatings and keeling over, dying right there and then…so be it, there will be plenty more slaves to fill the roles.” The room grew quiet as Matthew's unfiltered past ran through the echoing room.

“So you want revenge against them” Guessed Zack.

“I did, Honestly Zack, I believed in taking over the empire with my own army and stringing each one of them up their intestines.” The room grew dark and the smile faded from Matthews's face “Making sure each family was facing each other, Ensuring that each child's parents were beaten slowly, beaten within an inch of their life right in front of them, Let the sorrow and feelings they couldn't even begin to process run right through them. Then…be done with the lot a be rid of them.” Zack grew stiff and a chill ran through his spine. “But then…where would I stop, it would be hypocritical of me to only eliminate the Atlus empire. I would have to die too, seeing as I was somehow born with magic while my parents were not. So would any people born with magic outside of Atlus if I wanted to stay true to my word.” He exhaled deeply “The world is not that simple…was the realization I came to. If I was truly going to fix the problems of slavery and discrimination to magicless. It would be through changing the system. Not tearing it down and raining hellfire on the ones who took my loved ones away. Blaming a whole group of people for the misdoings of a few individuals would be foolish. So no, I wouldn't call it revenge. I would call it my purpose in life” Zack sat speechless, scared, and in awe at the openness Matthew presented to him. He never expected such darkness to lie beneath the man he saw in front of him.

“Sorry Zack I realized I've talked an awful lot, I really am rambling now aren't” He leaned forward towards Zack, not seeming to acknowledge how horrible his thoughts were when spoken aloud. “What about you? Do you share my goal, the goal of reforging the Atlus Empire?” Zack sat quietly for a moment, Unsure if he should be honest with Matthew and fearing his response if he did. But after what Matthew just told him…How could he not be honest with Matthew?

“I don’t” Matthew's facial expression didn't change and he continued to listen to what Zack had to say. “I don't share the same goal because…I have no reason to. My only goal was to get back at those who mistreated me, the bandits who used me as a slave. That was the reason I joined. I still want to help you rid of the bandits that swarm The Weeping Crucible…but I don't know if I can follow you to change a kingdom. Maybe you don’t want to hear this but, I don't care about reforging a kingdom.” They sat in silence for a moment before Matthew rose and poured some water into his goblet from his waterskin.

“Well soldier, that's enough for me.” Zack looked up at him with a confused expression “I admit it does pain me to hear you don't share the ambitions as I do, it really does. Truth be told I've taken a liken to you, so it hurts to hear. Still, If I can't change your mind then that's fine. So long as you follow me into battle until the Blue Swords is a name known throughout all Atlus for its reputation of eliminating the bandits. So that one day we will have enough influence to join and change the empire. Then that’s all that matters to me. I won't force my own purpose on you.” Zack stood up and placed a hand on his arm firmly.

“For my own goal and as thanks for rescuing me. I will follow you until that point, where the bandits fear even being called that.” The two looked at each other with firm, determined looks. As if they both shared the same sensation of their bond strengthening. Zack began to leave shortly after, as he made for the door. Matthew called out to him.

“Zack, do know you what your goal will be after you defeat the bandits?” Zack stood at the door for a few moments and gave it some thought, admittedly he didn't. His future after he achieved his goal was completely blank. “I don’t need an answer now but I would like to know at some point. So that when we do part ways I know you won't be aimless in life.” Zack nodded, not fully turning but making sure he could still see Matthew in the corner of his eye, then left, closing the door behind him.