As the sun peeked over the corn tassels, a gentle breeze rustled the grass, signaling another ordinary day in the quaint farm town of Starch, where Ariah and Elias Silver called home. With harvesting season on the horizon, anticipation filled the air as the townsfolk prepared for their beloved festival—a time of music, dance, and culinary delights.
Starch operated not under the governance of a leader, but through the collaborative efforts of its residents, a bustling community where individuals exchanged goods and services freely. Among them was Dusty, the seasoned blacksmith who tended to the town's weaponry and tools, earning his reputation as a stalwart pillar of society. Then there was the Paine family, led by the venerable Ivan "Old Man" Paine, overseeing the agricultural endeavors that sustained the village. And of course, the affluent Auken family, renowned traders whose ventures brought prosperity to Starch, in turn enriching the entire community.
Now as for the Silvers, Adrian and Joy Silver were drafted into the war. To their own demise, they used to reside in Fairstad, which meant that King Artos gave himself permission to force civilians to fight for him, or they died. To this day, it is a mystery if Adrian and Joy are alive, luckily for their children however, they were well taken care of in their new home of Starch.
But amidst the tranquility, distant screams shattered the serenity. Clad in dark attire, Ariah and Elias hastened towards Dusty's shop, drawn by the urgent commotion echoing from the northern outskirts of town. Initially dismissed as the mischievous antics of the Paine boys, the severity of the situation soon became apparent as they joined the throngs of concerned townsfolk.
Their arrival at Dusty's coincided with his urgent summons—Starch was under threat of attack. Hastily donning their lightweight armor, Ariah armed herself with a half-length battlestaff, a relic of Elven craftsmanship, while Elias, skilled in the art of stealth, readied himself for the impending confrontation.
As they scanned the horizon, the ominous glow of torches illuminated the advancing horde, numbering in the hundreds. Elias's intuition hinted at a different intent behind their approach, noting their attire and the billowing smoke emanating from Dockton. A sense of foreboding gripped the trio as they braced for what lay ahead.
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The crowd drew closer, sweat dripping from the fearful civilians who were inappropriately wielding weapons that they have never used. "Ariah, hold onto this horn and stay beside me. Elias, I want you next to me, we shall ride up just a little ways, no more than a kilometer to see what the problem is. You better blow that horn when I give you the signal and our townsfolk will come running in to help us." Dusty said.
The three strapped some saddles to the horses that were idle next to the shop, they hopped on and off they went. "Please be careful Dusty" and "sound us off so we can help '' could be heard from the town folk as Dusty, Ariah, and Elias rode off towards the oncoming crowd. A few minutes had passed and they reached their limit of distance and waited.
"So the smoke that's coming from Dockton is a bit worrying, and didn't Mr. Auken say he was leaving to go there a few days ago? I hope he is okay, I'm really worried.'' said Ariah.
Dusty's eyes lit up, leading the group of men was Mr. Auken himself. Stunned and shocked, Dusty said "We must go get him, he doesn't look too shabby from here". They quickly made their way to the crowd, the yelling, screams and heat of the many torches grew stronger as they approached.
"DUSTY, WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING, ORCS RAIDED DOCKTON AND SOME OF THEM WENT AS FAR TO EVEN CONTINUE CHASING US. THEY KIDNAPPED THE WOMEN AND KILLED MOST OF THE CHILDREN. WE MUST GO!" Mr. Auken yelled.
"Orcs...." whispered Dusty.
"What are our directions sir?" asked Ariah.
Dusty seemed to be distraught and couldn't think straight. For a minute, Elias would repeat the same question a couple times to the old man and decide he would give up.
"Everybody, get to Starch and please do not trample anybody. Elias and I will protect those in the back from any of the orcs, you must keep running!" Ariah yelled while she got off of her horse.
Elias surprisingly had an evil like smirk, it was not from the fact that innocent lives were being taken and ruined, but it was because he remembers the scar on his mothers face. His parents were on an expedition to the north-eastern portion of Saintsland called Star Forest, when the Orc tribe of Vexa had a surprise ambush.
Luckily with the strength of numbers and power of mystical magic on the Silver's side, they managed to defeat them and finish out their mission. Elias remembered this and couldn't ever forgive the orcs, he has little understanding of the Celestial War, but he knows that they will kill him if he doesn't kill them first, that alone was enough for him.