The sky was clear that night, as Malik Asante pressed onward into the desolate Land of Solitude. The moon cast an ethereal glow over the eight soldiers, the commander leading the way. Over their shoulders, they bore their guns as they scanned the landscape.

Silence enveloped the group as they weaved through the barren landscape, the only sound being the rhythmic thud of horse hooves against the hardened earth. Two horses followed Asante, on them were George and Lawrence. Behind them were two more horses. Kastor and Leonard shared a horse while Erick and Hagen rode the other. Behind all of them was Henry, who watched with a vigilant eye the movements of the foreign George.

On each of the horses were two satchels that housed varying materials for venturing through the landscape. Sleeping bags, lanterns, and other camping supplies found themselves on the horses of Erick, Henry, and Hagen, while more important materials like food and drink sat upon Asante’s horse.

“Hey Malik,” George rode his horse next to Asante’s, matching his pace. “You got any booze on ya? My head’s achin’ like a bitch.”

“I think that’s a problem with your habits, George,” Asante said scratching his unshaven chin. “I’m surprised you made it this far.”

“You’ve gotta have somethin’! I’m dyin’ out here!”

“I hardly believe you’re dying. If you wish for alcohol so much, you should have brought some with you. I never said you couldn’t.”

George looked at Asante through the moonlit night. He slowed his pace to return to his spot next to Lawrence, who continued to remain silent. The two exchanged glances, Lawrence giving George a long hard stare.

“What’re you lookin’ at!”

Lawrence sighed and looked forward. He reached into his coat pocket and revealed a small metal flask. Popping the cap open, he took a short drink from the flask before extending it to George. George’s face lit up. He grabbed the flask and quickly thrust it upwards as he took two large gulps from the mysterious flask before spitting out the contents.

“What the hell! This isn’t booze! This is water!”

Lawrence chuckled before being tossed the flask once more. He returned it to his coat before returning to silence.

As George sat back in his horse, continuing to plead for alcohol, the two horses behind him stared in awe. Hagen did his best to hold in his hysterical laughter while Henry grew a face of disapproval.

“What the hell is this?!” Henry exclaimed quietly. “Asante couldn’t have grabbed a more unfit crew. First, he grabs a bunch of kids who’ve never seen the lines of a battlefield and then he gets a drunkard who doesn’t know his left from his right!”

“Now, Henry,” Hagen said, turning around. “We don’t know if George could be a huge asset for us! It’s not nice to assume one’s ability based on mere habits.”

“Yeah, but this doesn’t seem like a habit,” Erick responded, keeping his eyes in front of him. “It’s more of a liability. I mean, what happens if we enter combat? Mr. Freeman might be great at combat, but what if he isn’t? Hell, we don’t even know if Eldric is great in combat. He might be dead for all we know! We’ve only seen him in real battle once, even if it was a simulation.”

“The Captain seemed to be confident that Eldric was alive,” Leonard commented quietly. “I think it’s best we hold onto that.”

“Nobody cares what you think, Rietveld,” Henry quipped.

“Even so, it worries me,” Kastor noted, ignoring Henry’s retort. “The guy doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination if that’s what he’s like outside of battle.”

“The crazies outside of battle stay crazy inside it,” Erick stated, looking around his shoulder at Hagen, who chuckled. “Regardless, let’s wait until we see him in combat before making any rash judgments.”

“Okay, Mr. Righteous,” Henry scoffed. “While you’re waiting, I’ll be making assessments of my own. So far, it’s not looking good for Mr. Alcoholic over there.”

* * *

After hours of traveling across the desolate landscape, Asante suddenly stopped his horse, causing the rest to halt in response. Asante turned to face the rest of the group and held a finger to his lips. He then pointed to his eyes and gestured out into the darkness.

The group looked around them, hoping to figure out what it was that Asante referred to. Just then, Leonard gasped before his mouth was covered by Kastor’s hand. Holding back his breath, he pointed out into the darkness with a shaky hand.

Kastor looked out into the moonlit night, squinting his eyes. He then saw what Leonard saw. Glowing amber eyes lit up in the darkness as they slowly approached the group. Another pair joined them, and soon another. Soon, more than ten pairs of glowing eyes approached the group before stopping.

“Stalkers,” George said in a soft tone.

“What, now?!” Henry whispered.

“Stalkers. They don’t do well with loud noises, but if we keep our tone to a light mum, they shouldn’t do anything. If anything, they’ll watch for us to make a mistake or a sudden movement. We’re tightly packed so they think of us as a large foreign object. Should we refuse to falter from this formation, they won’t attack us. They only attack if they know they can win.”

“How many do you see, Freeman?” Asante asked.

“Eleven, no, twelve. No alpha either. This is a stray pack. They’ll circle us before realizing we’re a big foe, then they’ll leave.”

“Your advice?”

“Stay put, stay quiet. If an alpha shows up, we fire. The town shouldn’t be much farther, if we feel the need to retreat, we book it for there.”

“We’re taking advice from the drunkard now?!” Henry whispered angrily. “Now I’ve seen it all, next you’re gonna tell me we’re putting Rietveld in charge!”

Asante glared at Henry. “Keep your mouth shut if you know what’s good for you. We may have the upper hand right now, but if the stalkers realize we’re not one big animal, they’ll strike and they’ll have the upper hand.”

“Will our guns work?” Erick asked.

“Yes,” George replied, “but aim for the head. They’ll be able to recover quickly if you shoot in the arm or chest. They’ve got three hearts, but one brain, take your pick at which is easier.”

Erick gripped his rifle which sat on his back. The eyes, which had been sitting still for minutes began moving again. They smoothly entered the group’s view as they began to circle them. Everyone gripped their guns except for Leonard, who was half passed out.

Hagen tapped Erick’s shoulder. “If they attack, let me drive the horse.”

“What?”

“You’ll be the turret, I’ll be the tank.” Hagen gave Erick a smile and a thumbs-up and looked back out to the stalkers.

The creatures circled the group for what felt like days before stopping in position. Each one put itself the same distance away from one another after they stood there for another few minutes, two of the stalkers exited the circle.

“What’re they doing?” Kastor questioned.

George looked at the animals’ movements and grew a worried look on his face. “I seriously hope they aren’t doing what I think they’re doing.”

Asante shot his head around. “What the hell does that mean?”

“If I’m right, and I do mean it, I hope I’m not, they’re getting the alpha.”

Henry shook Hagen’s shoulder. “What the fuck does that mean? The alpha.”

“It means their leader is coming, and we’re in for a fight. Erick, switch positions.”

Erick nodded and the two slowly moved to each other’s spot on the horse. In the place where the two stalkers exited the circle, a new, larger creature entered. It bore fangs that extended past its jaw, and its tail was split down the middle into two distinct tails. The black coat on its fur bore the same dark tone as the others, but its movements were made with much more precision.

“There it is,” George said. “That’s the alpha. Kill it, and the rest go away.”

“Then let’s get that son of a bitch!” Henry shouted, jumping up on his horse.

With Henry’s declaration, the stalkers immediately pounced at the group. Hagen followed by whipping his horse into action, sprinting away from the group, a few stalkers tailing him.

Kastor and Leonard noticed their movements and followed suit. “Leonard! Grab your gun and start shooting the hell outta those things!” Leonard, with a shaky hand, grabbed his pistol out of his holster and aimed it at the stalker which followed directly behind them. He then saw another stalker to the left of them and switched his aim towards the other creature. Noticing the creature from behind, he quickly redirected his aim once more to his original target.

“For the love of Ein shoot one of them!” Kastor exclaimed, directing his horse to circle back to the group. He quickly reached for his own pistol and began shooting at the stalker next to them without aiming, hitting it in the chest.

“Nice, Kastor!” Leonard exclaimed.

“Did you not listen to a word Mr. Freeman said? We need to hit them in the head!”

“Oh, right.” Leonard aimed his gun once more at the stalker behind them, and with a shaky hand pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the gun, and with incredible accuracy struck the animal in the head, knocking it to the ground.

“I got one? I got one!” Leonard exclaimed.

“That’s great, Leonard, but we still have one more on us!” Kastor shouted in response before the creature in question pounced onto the horse, gripping the back legs of it with its incredible claws. The horse squealed, raising onto its hind legs and knocking Kastor and Leonard to the ground.

Kastor quickly rose to his feet. He ran over to Leonard and helped him up before watching his horse sprint off into the darkness. The stalker which had gripped onto it fell to the ground before picking itself up. It glared at Kastor and Leonard before pouncing once again before being quickly knocked to the ground.

“Got ‘em!”

Kastor and Leonard whipped around to see Erick wipe his gun as Hagen pulled their horse in front of them.

“Was that you, Erick?” Kastor asked.

“Yeah, I can’t believe it either,” Erick chuckled. “When Hagen proposed this strategy to me, I thought he was insane. But it seems to have worked well for us. He drives, I shoot.”

“What about the stalkers that followed you?” Leonard asked.

“Dead as dead can be!” Hagen laughed as he shook Erick’s shoulder. “They’re not as fast as me, so Newborn easily took care of them!” He grabbed the two satchels off the back of his horse and tossed them to Kastor. “Take those, we’ll recuperate after the battle. You can hold your own, yes?”

Kastor and Leonard nodded as they watched Hagen take his horse into the fray of battle.

“They’ll be fine, right?” Erick asked Hagen.

“Not sure, I sure gave Kastor a lot to watch over.”

The two circled the central battle area, where Hagen stopped the horse and jumped off. “I’m going in, you good here?”

Erick nodded as he aimed his gun at the large cluster of people and animals. The alpha was still alive, targeting Asante who held him off with a combination of swordplay and gunplay. Henry continued to shoot from his horse, spraying bullets in every direction. George and Lawrence were off their horses, standing back to back as they shot down several creatures.

“You’ve got a good gun, Stone,” George shouted to no reply. A stalker pounced at him, causing him to jump to the side and dodge its large claws. Lawrence quickly whipped around and shot it dead in the face. “I’m gonna help Malik,” George said as Lawrence nodded.

“Help Malik?!” Henry exclaimed with zeal. “What about the rest of us?! Damn drunkard fighting like he’s ten beers deep!”

“Don’t focus on him, Kistler!” Hagen entered the fray by smacking down a pouncing stalker about to strike Henry. Henry quickly noticed it, aimed, and fired at its skull, rendering it dead. “You have to keep an eye on your surroundings. Don’t focus on the others. They’ll do what they can.”

“I know that!” Henry exclaimed as another stalker was shot down by Erick. “You need to stay out of my way.”

“I’ll stay out of your way, but you want George to help you? Seems like you really respect the guy!” Hagen laughed as he ran to the other side of the cluster leaving an angry Henry in his dust.

Off to the side, Asante and George were in a standoff with the alpha stalker. The stalker paced back and forth as Asante gripped a sword in his right hand and a pistol in his left. George held his shotgun with both of his hands as he took a step backwards.

“On my signal,” Asante said.

“The usual?”

“Correct.”

George nodded as he entered a ready stance. The two waited for a movement from their opponent, which came almost as soon as they’d hoped. The creature lunged and Asante immediately dodged to the right.

Asante’s movements were a symphony of precision. His sword slashed through the air aiming towards the beast’s neck. The blade clashed as it connected with its target, singing a tune of death that rang through the air. The alpha squealed in agony but recollected itself as it slashed away Asante causing him to lose his grip on the sword, his pistol shooting at the creature’s large paw to knock it away, eliciting another large cry in pain.

George rang his attack next, aiming his shotgun at the head of the beast and echoing a deafening blast from his barrel. With a swift motion, the beast swung its head out of the way causing the shrapnel to hit him in the chest. The stalker recoiled under the force of the shock, its large form momentarily staggered. Not taking his gaze away from the beast, George quickly pulled his gun back and reloaded it with his steady hands.

Noticing the creature’s recoil, Asante lunged forward to grab his sword, lifting it from the animal’s neck. He jumped to the side and struck again, this time aimed at the stalker’s flank. The blade carved a crimson arc, slicing through the thick fur of the beast. The creature’s pained roars echoed through the quiet night. Its attacks grew frenzied, as it realized that its life was soon over.

“It’s done,” Asante said pulling his pistol to the beasts skull. With no hesitation, he fired his pistol, its shot ringing throughout the desolation. The beast fell to the ground, its large body covered in scars.

George rose from his knees, dusting himself off. He turned around to see that the rest of the stalkers had either fled or were slain in the conflict. The battle was over.

“You were supposed to anticipate the beast’s movement, Freeman,” Asante stated as he stood beside George. “Instead you hit it in its chest, which could have just as easily hit me if I wasn’t an expert at evading your ridiculous firing.”

“I wouldn’t have had to aim for such a seizing creature if you hadn’t gotten your damn blade stuck in it. If you hadn’t it would’ve been a clear shot!”

“Shouldn’t you have prepared for these things? You should’ve warned me beforehand!”

“Like I can remember every single thing about every fucking beast and insect I’ve come across. You’re the master analyzer, I’m surprised you haven’t read anything on it in your millions of hours of free time!”

“What was that?! If I hear one more thing out of you, it’s straight back to the R.L.D with you! Don’t forget who’s saving who here.”

The two bickered some more as Kastor and Leonard joined the others. They explained how they lost their horse and, in turn, their supplies. Asante noticed and stopped arguing with George, entering the circle with the rest of them. Erick rode his horse, which was largely unharmed, back to the group, and thus everyone was together once more.

“So, what now?” Erick asked the group.

“If my memory serves right, we should be close to our first stop.” Asante hopped to his horse. “Everyone to their horses.”

“But, Sir, Kastor and I lost ours,” Leonard said with a worried look.

Asante sighed. “Must I direct everything to you? We have three riders without anyone else. Pick one and join them. If you don’t want to pick, you get Kistler.” Asante reached into his satchel and pulled out a map, which he began to study.

Kastor put his hand on Leonard’s shoulder. “You go with Mr. Freeman, I’ll take Mr. Stone. I doubt Henry will want anyone on his back.”

After Leonard and Kastor joined their new horses, the group was off once more. Riding in the same formation as they’d been previously, though Henry taking the spot previously held by Kastor and Leonard.

* * *

It wasn’t an hour before the group noticed buildings off in the distance. A town stood within the desolation. It’s black buildings standing in the horizon as a beacon of civilization.

“A town?!” Kastor exclaimed. “I thought there was no life out here!”

“There isn’t, Mr. Gregor. This is but a relic of what once stood as a town.”

“You mean people lived out in the Land of Solitude?” Leonard asked.

“Sure, people still do. But not like this, not anymore.” George grew a solemn look on his face. “What we see before us is the site of the empire’s most tragic story.”

“The hell do you mean by that?” Henry barked. “The most tragic story? Don’t even get me started. What the hell did the Rietvelds do to this place?”

George did not respond.

“Mr. Alcoholic? You gonna tell me or what?”

“If anyone is to tell the story,” George said in a serious tone, “it should be Malik, not myself. I don’t have the courage to tell such a tragedy.”

Henry sat back in his horse. The group continued to ride in silence, eventually reaching the town. The sign above the entrance was charred, its words blackened and removed.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“A town of no name,” Hagen commented. “A town most wanted, or most needed, to be forgotten.”

Asante stopped his horse, jumping off and tying it to one of the beams of a house that had certainly seen better days. The rest of the group did the same, tying their horses to other beams.

Looking around, the houses, though standing, weren’t in any good condition. Where once stood roads now stood crumbled stone scattered across the ground.

“What the hell is this place?” Henry asked. “This place looks like its been abandoned for a hundred years!”

“It has been. You’re in the old imperial village of Clerud. It once stood as the easternmost city or town in the Einrich Empire.”

“So, what happened to it?” Erick asked.

George shook his head and looked to Asante. Asante, exchanging glances with George, looked away as if in denial.

“We will split up,” Asante said, ignoring Erick’s question, “look for any signs that Eldric had passed through here. If we don’t see anything, we pass through. Understood?”

The group looked at one another in confusion before nodding in agreement.

* * *

Asante assigned the groups, creating three of them to scout out the town. Kastor and Leonard would search the western side of the town, which they were already in. George, Erick, and Lawrence would search the central square and the surrounding area, while Henry, Hagen, and Asante would search the eastern part of the town. The groups all split up and began their search. Before leaving, Hagen whispered into George’s ear before giving him a thumbs-up and running off.

Kastor watched as the others left to go to their positions as he clapped his hands and turned to Leonard. “Shall we?”

The two walked down the dilapidated road and over burnt down houses before stopping to search the debris.

“Why’s everything burnt down? Or, I guess, why is only some of it burnt down?” Leonard questioned as he sifted through the rubble.

“I don’t know, it seems to just—stop.” Kastor turned behind him to see a line of standing buildings with signs of charring on the walls. “Whatever happened here, it couldn’t have been good.”

“I wonder what George meant, that this is the biggest tragedy that the empire has ever faced. Why’d he say it like it was still going on?”

Kastor paused for a moment. “I’m sure he just misspoke. Whatever it is that happened here certainly isn’t going on now.”

Leonard pulled aside more debris and noticed a half-charred piece of paper. “Kastor, can you read this?”

Kastor stood and walked to where Leonard held the piece of paper. He looked at the lettering, which seemed familiar but at the same time very distant. “I can’t, you think it’s a nomadic language?”

“Nomadic?”

“Yeah, old folk. Before there was civilization, nomads roamed the continent. I’m pretty sure there’s still tons of them way out east in the Republic.”

“You think this town was a town of nomads?”

“Beats me, the empire doesn’t have any. How should I know what a nomad town looks like.”

“If this was a nomad town, why would it be destroyed? There doesn’t seem to be any reason.”

Kastor scratched his chin. “I wonder. You should hold onto that paper, Leonard. Mr. Freeman might know something about it.”

“Why would Mr. Freeman know?”

Kastor looked off to the center of the town. “Mr. Freeman seems to know a little more than he lets on with this town. He clearly knows what happened, but it seems to be more than just that. Just my intuition anyways.”

“What makes you think that.”

Kastor looked back down at Leonard. “Intuition, I told you. It doesn’t work with logic. Now, do you mind telling me why it is you couldn’t pick a target back there? You made us lose our horse!”

Leonard quickly darted his head to the ground. “I- I don’t know. I didn’t want you to be hurt, but I didn’t want it to hurt me either. I’m sorry, I should’ve shot before I did. I didn’t want to miss- I’m sorry.”

Kastor sighed and crouched to be at Leonard’s level. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know why Asante brought you here. Frankly, the only reason you were on our squad to begin with in the simulation was because Eldric somehow knew we’d be put against Kistler with you there. You had a use. Now I don’t have the same strategic prowess as Eldric, so frankly I can’t tell you what he was thinking, but find your place. Right now, all things considered, you’re being a burden to the group. You lost us a horse, and frankly I don’t want to see what else you mess up. Maybe Kistler was right, that’s all I gotta say.” Kastor got up and stretched his arms. “It doesn’t look like we’re gonna get anything out of a few burned down houses, that scrap should be enough to prove we searched. Let’s try to find Mr. Freeman and Erick.”

Leonard rose to his feet in silence and followed Kastor into the town still standing. The roads were thin as dilapidated houses lined the edges of the footpath. Doors were nonexistent and the windows were empty. Eventually, the two reached the central square where the path opened up to a circular path surrounding what once was a fountain. Around them were buildings that appeared to be old shops, inns, and the like. To the north was a chapel, where Lawrence was smoking a cigarette out front.

The two walked up to him and asked about George and Erick. Lawrence nodded his head towards the inside of the chapel, ushering them to the inside of the tall stone building. Inside, pews were knocked over, and in the back corner a large collection of stones were cast about. A large wooden trapdoor lay opened, leading to a dark tunnel underground.

Kastor went first and entered the dark tunnel, leading to a long hallway with an ajar door at the end. Leonard followed behind closely as the two approached the door, hearing light conversation between two people.

“It’s Erick,” Kastor told Leonard.

The two of them knocked on the door before entering the room, where books lined the walls. George was running his fingers through the books as Erick sat himself at the desk in the center of the room, reading a leatherbound book.

“An underground library,” Leonard commented, startling George.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” George said, jumping back. “I thought you were supposed to check the western town?”

“We did,” Kastor said, grabbing Leonard’s arm. “We found this paper and wondered if it was nomadic writing.”

“Nomadic writing?” George looked at the two of them before bursting out into laughter. “Nomadic- You really thought-” he said between breaths. When he finally composed himself, he spoke once again. “Take a look at these books, is that your handwriting you seek?”

Kastor walked to one of the bookshelves and pulled out a book. It was a large leatherbound book with gold writing on the front that looked very similar to the charred page. Opening the book, he found pages upon pages, each holding a drawn image as well, with the same writing as the handwritten page Leonard held.

“See what I mean? That language isn’t nomadic, it’s Old Eincrestian. Before the First Alcrestian War, that was the language of the world. Afterwards, only a few places spoke it, but it was soon faded out for the Eincrestian language we know today. Point is, this civilization was very much civilized. In other words, not nomadic.”

Leonard walked over to George and handed him the page. “Can you read Old Eincrestian, Mr. Freeman?”

George took the page. “I can read you this page if you’d like. Lucky I learned the language back in school.” He glanced at the page, reading its handwritten writing before looking up from the paper.

Erick looked up from his book and turned to George. “What’s it say, George?”

George did not speak. Balls of tears entered his eyes as he handed Leonard back the page. He quickly wiped away the water before speaking once again. “I can’t tell you what it says,” he said with cracks in his voice.

Kastor and Erick exchanged glances. “What happened here, Mr. Freeman? This isn’t a natural disaster that came through here, someone or something did something to this town. I know you said that the Captain had to tell us, but I feel that his words wouldn’t be as genuine as yours. What happened here?”

George looked around the room. Erick stood from the chair and moved it to George, prompting him to sit. “Alright,” he said quietly, “I’ll tell you. But when you return to Einrich, not a word about this story gets told to another soul, understand?”

* * *

Asante quickly glance around each and every house, hoping to find a trace of life anywhere. He then noticed a house on a street corner which looked to be promising and began to make headway to it. When he reached the door, he was stopped by Henry who stuck his hand out to block the entrance.

“What’re you doing, Kistler?”

“What am I doing? I’m listening to the words of George Freeman. He said you would say what happened here, and I expect to know. I don’t get the heebie-jeebies often, so why do I feel so uneasy here. What the hell happened?”

Asante turned around and saw Hagen staring into his eyes. “I don’t have the answers you seek, nor am I at any liberty to say. Even if I did have something to say, I wouldn’t say it without everyone here, only as a common courtesy.”

“That’s no problem, I don’t mind hearing the story twice if it’s that good. So tell me. What the hell happened here?”

“You best tell him, Captain.” Hagen said in a serious tone. “If you’re waiting for a moment to tell everyone at once, what then? What if you avoid the topic then?”

Asante scoffed. “I doubt I’d hardly miss that opportunity.”

“Well, George probably has you covered in that regard. Why don’t you tell Kistler? I feel he should find out alone and away from others, being a son of one of the three great houses after all.”

“If you want him to know so badly, why don’t you tell him? I am hardly in that position.”

“Oh, I don’t know the story, not entirely that is. Even so, I’m not curious to learn the whole thing. I see it as in the past, something to move on from. Kistler, on the other hand, would feel different should he find out. That I can be certain of.”

“If it’s in the past, there’s no need to recite dead memories.”

“This is not one of those moments. I am hardly as impacted by the effects of the tragedy as Mr. Kistler over there.”

Asante turned to Henry, his hand still blocking the entrance. “You want to know badly?”

“I need to know,” Henry stated.

Asante stared into Henry’s eyes for a moment before sighing and pushing his arm aside. “Fine, I’ll tell you inside. Let’s find a place to sit, this is a long story.”

Henry followed Asante inside, Hagen close behind him. The house was well constructed, its walls still intact. Stairs that led upwards sat in the corner, and half-broken pieces of furniture were strewn about the ground. Henry sat against the wall, Asante sitting across the room from him. The door was dislocated from its hinges, and water dripped from the ceiling.

“Clerud was once a thriving town,” Asante began. “Population low, around two-hundred. Everyone knew everyone. Traders often came through the town to offer goods from Reinbose, the northern states, and beyond. It was a nice town, from what I’ve heard.

“The town was founded well before the First Alcrestian War, and survived all the way through it. After the First War, it became the easternmost settlement in the empire. It was powerful for that. Many politicians saw it as a political piece. The citizens wanted to be no such piece. They wanted complete peace throughout the continent as many republican citizens came through the town. You used to be able to see republic settlements from Clerud. Records exist of this town all the way until 425, five years before the Second War. I’m sure records did at one point exist of the town from 425 until its destruction in 430, but they’ve since been destroyed as well.”

“Its destruction?” Henry questioned.

“Correct. On April 4th, 430, in the dead of night, the town was completely destroyed by hired mercenaries. They came from the east, and ravaged through the town. They killed men, women, children, animals, whatever life they had encountered didn’t survive. Of course, hired mercenaries are evil as well, raping the women before killing them and setting fire to the western portion of the town as they made headway for Heldenstadt. Nobody survived that night.”

“Why the hell did Reinbose do such a thing? Why did Rietveld-”

“It wasn’t Rietveld, Henry.” Hagen said with a concerned look on his face.

“Then who the hell did it?” Henry rose to his feet. “Who the hell hired those evil men? Was it a third nation?” Nobody responded to him. “Who did it?!” Henry slammed his fist against the wall.

Asante mumbled.

“What’s that?!” Henry screamed. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the dead silence of this town!”

“We did.” Asante said in a low tone.

“I’m sorry?!” Henry screamed once more.

“WE DID!” Asante shouted as he stood up. “We did. We hired the Pale Rider Mercenaries to use republic weapons and destroy the town of Clerud. That was then used as a reason to declare war, and that started the Second Alcrestian War.”

Henry lost his balance. He slammed against the wall and slid down to sit.

“After the war,” Asante continued, sitting down as well. “When the Treaty of Oneseo was signed in 435, the empire made a large request in the condition: that if the Land of Solitude were to be made, neither country would acknowledge the existence nor tragedy of Clerud. The town would be removed from all maps, and the reason for the war beginning would fall on each individual nation to create.”

“Einrich chose to use the same reasoning they always had, minus Clerud’s existence,” Hagen noted. “Reinbose invaded us first, so we had to retaliate. I’m sure that’s what you were taught.”

“But, why?” Henry said in a defeated tone. “Why did we use an innocent town as the reason for beginning a war?”

“We needed to show Reinbose who the true superpower of Alcrest was, that’s all there was too it.” Asante said calmly. “I’m, of course, not in the mind of the chancellor nor emperor who made the decision at the time, but most of us who do know the tragedy tend to stay quiet in solidarity of the lives lost. I’m sure you can understand.”

Henry stood in silence. “I’m going to continue the search.” Without another word, Henry exited the building.

Hagen and Asante stood at the same time. The two exchanged glances before Asante stepped towards the stairs.

“You stay in silence in solidarity, which means you’ve learned from the tragedy, yes? I’m not sure what you hope to gain from retrieving Eldric, though I have a good idea. If it is anything like what I think it is, then staying silent in solidarity will look like just an excuse to the world. I hope you’re not going down the same route as those terrible people did one hundred years ago.”

Asante looked at Hagen. “I don’t have time to be lectured by mere children who’ve seen less than a day on the battlefield. I hope you can learn to keep your mouth shut.”

* * *

“I can’t believe it,” Erick said in disbelief. “A town with a rich history dating back centuries, gone in an instant.”

“Yes, but even worse the effort to erase that history with a mere signed paper,” George noted, now holding the paper Leonard found. “I found out about the tragedy through my time with the higher-ups of the nation, learning what really happened behind it. All I could do was hold back my anger, and my frustration. The truth was right in front of me, but I couldn’t do anything. It had already happened and had I not been so stupid I could have prevented it.”

Kastor patted the old man on the back. “Don’t feel so down about yourself, the town was gone before any of us were even born.”

George nodded. “You’re right. You know, another rumor that floated around for a bit was that a few of the Men of Gordon were survivors from the Clerud tragedy, crazy how everything comes around full circle, right?”

Slapping his knees, George stood from the chair, returning it to its previous spot at the desk. He ushered the others to exit the small library, following suit after giving the room one last look around.

On the surface, Kastor, Erick, and Leonard exited to the central square where Lawrence was finishing up his smoke. George covered the trapdoor, now closed, with the debris he found earlier and returned to the group.

“Let’s find Asante and the others, I’m sure they’re finishing up their investigation soon.”

* * *

George, leading the others, found Henry standing outside one of the buildings in the eastern section of the town.

“They’re upstairs,” Henry said with a disgruntled attitude, they found something.”

Kastor, Erick, Leonard, and Lawrence entered the building quickly before George and made their way upstairs. George stopped by the front door and put his hand on Henry’s shoulder.

“Did he tell you?”

Henry turned away from George. “Hell if I know.”

George nodded and entered the building. The inside was worn down, but sturdy. The walls, while intact, were falling apart, and the ceiling dripped with water. Heading up the wooden stairs, George stood in awe at the sheer number of weapons that lay about the second level. A workbench stood in the corner as gun parts and ammo were strewn about it. A makeshift bed stood in front of him and did not look in the slightest bit comfortable. On the second level stood the three who entered the building earlier as well as Asante and Hagen who stood by the workbench.

“Looks like someone was here,” Hagen noted with a smile, “was it Eldric?”

“There’s no way all this could have been Eldric,” Asante replied quickly. “It wouldn’t be out of the question for him to have met whoever is responsible for this, however.”

“So Eldric’s got a guide to the Land of Solitude, great.” Leonard threw his hands in the air. “He’ll be in Reinbose in no time if we don’t step on it.”

“Which we will,” Asante said. “If Eldric does have a guide, that guide would have taken him to a settlement, and would no doubt take him to Greenwood before any other republican city. If we find one of them, we can use their network to our advantage.”

“So we head out once more?” Kastor asked.

“We have no choice. If Eldric does have a Guide, our best bet is to make it to Greenwood faster than them.”

“Let’s get going then,” Erick said with haste, looking out the window.

Asante nodded. “We’ll rest and do as we need for the next hour. We will then leave. Any complaints?”

No one responded.

Asante nodded and walked downstairs and exited the building, Stone following closely behind. The room remained quiet as Erick paced over to the workbench and began tinkering with the items on it.

“Hey George,” the silence was ended with the calm voice of Hagen. “I heard you found an underground library. Mind showing me where that is?” George looked at Hagen with a blank stare before nodding. The two made their way down the stairs on their way out of the building. Before leaving, Hagen turned around and looked up the stairs at Kastor and Leonard. “Oh, you two might want to look for Henry before we have to go. I can’t imagine he wants to spend the night in this dump.” With a wave, he followed George out of the building and down the street.

Kastor and Leonard looked at each other, then looked over at Erick.

“You go on without me,” he said, not turning away from the workbench. “I’m sure whatever Henry needs to hear will be fine with just the two of you there.”

“Why would we need to talk to Henry?” Leonard asked.

Kastor sighed. “You don’t get it, do you?” He turned and began down the stairs, Leonard soon following after.

The search for Henry didn’t last that long, only needing to turn down a few side roads. Leonard was the first to find Henry, calling out to Kastor when he’d found him. He was standing on the balcony of the second floor of the remains of what used to be a watchtower. The two entered the watchtower and climbed to meet Henry on the second floor.

“Hey, we’re leaving in an hour or so,” Kastor called out. “Asante gave the word and so we’re following it.”

Henry did not reply.

The balcony overlooked the inner part of the city. From atop, the entire destruction of the city could be seen. Not a single house stood firm against the winds of time and the destruction from a century ago. Kastor and Leonard stepped to the edge of the balcony, where the remnants of a sturdy fence failed to do its once endless duty. Leonard sat over the edge, his feet dangling, while Kastor remained standing, positioning himself to Henry’s right.

“Why-” Henry spoke in a quiet, almost unintelligible tone.

Kastor looked at Henry, who continued to glance over the destroyed town.

“Why did you join the military? For what reason?” Henry asked.

Kastor did not reply. He instead turned to the town. The view of a village once beaming with life, now extinguished.

“I thought-” Henry began, still in a quiet voice as if talking to no one. “I thought we were a noble cause. That my father was noble. That my family was noble. That it was my duty. My duty to my country. A country more noble than any other. A country which gave me a life I not only enjoyed but that I deserved.” He gave a small smile as he looked at his feet. “What is this then? Why do I see such destruction?” He ran his hand through his hair. “I joined the military- I joined it to become a part of that noble cause. To go to the front lines. To fight for what I believed was right. To destroy Reinbose, to destroy the evil in our world. I had been told it was my duty, my dream in life, to fight for this nation. My father said so, my brothers said so, everyone had told me.” He turned to Kastor. “Tell me then! What is it that we are fighting for!”

Kastor looked at Henry. His face was filled with distraught and worry. His eyes looked for an answer. They darted across Kastor’s entire face. Leonard did not say a word.

“I don’t know,” Kastor said in a melancholic tone. “I don’t know what we’re fighting for. I don’t know Einrich’s goal. Hell, chances are that what we see in front of us—this village—is but the tip of the iceberg. Einrich is probably hiding more things from us than we could possibly imagine. Secrets that your father, or Asante, or anyone who’s ever held a position of power might never tell us. Look, I’m not like you. I don’t come from a noble family. I don’t even know what the smell of wealth is. I joined because my family needed me to. I joined because the money I get from my time here can help pay for my parents, my siblings, and my grandparents. That might seem completely different than fighting for some noble cause, but we’ve all got our reasons for being here, and even if the nation that we end up fighting for isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, then we still have our goals and our families to fight for.”

“He told me my family planned for this,” Henry said. “That my family, a century ago, helped prepare for the destruction of the village of Clerud. The murder, the rape, the kidnapping, the complete annihilation of this village. We were a noble family then as we are now. We sought revenge upon the Rietvelds and their nation, but we didn’t have a valid reason for war. My ancestor, my father’s grandfather, he created the idea for the destruction of this town. He called it a ‘negligible asset’. Is-” He paused. “Is this what we’re doing in the north?”

Leonard stood. “I don’t know if I’m phrasing this right, but no family is without their past. As someone who’s been, you know, attacked for my last name and my ancestor, I can understand you when you say that your family isn’t what you want it to be. I’m right there-”

“Shut up Rietveld,” Henry barked. “The last thing I want is to be lectured and comforted by the likes of you. Being below human and a traitor is nothing compared to the slaughter of innocent lives. Your words hold no meaning, Rietveld. You are and always will be a stain on this world. You talk about understanding me, but it's just a facade. You can never wash away the sins of your name. A Rietveld will always be a blight, no matter how hard you pretend otherwise. Your existence reeks. I'd rather be a traitor with a purpose than carry the burden of your cursed legacy. Don't think for a second that your words or apologies mean a damn thing. In the end, you're just a stain on this world, and nothing you do will ever change-”

Kastor’s hand slammed itself across Henry’s thick jawbone, causing spit to exit from his mouth.

“How conceited do you have to be?!” Kastor yelled. “We are trying to help goddamn it! For once, I thought you’d be able to see that you and Leonard and me and Erick and Hagen and anyone else aren’t that different as we seem. That we could actually unite and do what we need to do for the sake of others. That you could finally shut the fuck up about Leonard being ‘below human’ and some other shit like that. For all I care, you can stay in Clerud as long as you want! Maybe head back to Einrich! Or are you too depressed to do that?! Well obviously not if you can still assault Leonard for his family!”

“Kastor, please, I’m fine.” Leonard grabbed Kastor’s shoulder but was quickly tossed away.

“I’m trying to help, Henry, I really am. I’ve known you for how long? Not even half a year? Frankly, I couldn’t give two damns if you accidentally got left here and had to fend for yourself. That’s how little I actually care. Even still, we’re a team. You, me, Leonard, and the others. We’re here for what reason? To get Stanley. We’re not in the nation with nobles and commoners and families and enemies and friends anymore. It’s us, the Land of Solitude, and the sweat on our backs, can’t you see that? Someday you’re going to have to learn that we’re not going to put up with the way you’ve been acting forever, got it?” Kastor paced over to the ladder he and Leonard used to reach the balcony. “Come on, Leonard, let’s get going.”

Leonard followed Kastor’s command and walked over to the ladder, Henry’s eyes following him the whole time. Before he reached the ladder, he turned to face Henry. “My family scarred Einrich in a bad way. We did something I doubt can never be undone, and I recognize that. I’m trying my best to move on from that, and to do what I can to repay my debts.”

Henry looked at him and didn’t say a word.

“That’s my answer, why I joined.”

* * *

The remainder of the hour passed with little discussion. After the hour passed, as previously commanded by Asante, the group met up at the mysterious house and then travelled to the edge of the village. Henry was not among those present.

“I thought you talked to him,” Hagen whispered to Kastor.

“We did, but he’s still stubborn in his superiority.”

Hagen sighed. “I hope to believe that he will be here, but right now, not even I know what he is thinking.”

Asante stopped the group and turned to make sure everyone was in attendance. “Is Kistler not continuing with us?”

Kastor shrugged. “Leonard and I did what we could.”

Asante nodded. “Very well. We shall head due east for the Republic of Reinbose as previously planned. Unlike Clerud, there should be no stops other than for light rest and recouping. Do we all understand. We will rest during the night briefly and travel during the day quickly.”

Everyone nodded.

“Very good. Let us be off then.”

The group jumped to their horses and giving one more chance for Henry to join them, looked back onto the destroyed village. Nothing but the desolate wind could be heard, giving the group the answer they didn’t want to hear.

“Right then,” Asante yelled triumphantly. “To Reinbose!”