Blessed be to the gods. The guards did not end their lives!

Praise be! Sure, it wasn't as if they could, but still...

The guards did yell for them to “stay put and don’t move a finger!” though,

Neither of the boys had reason to disagree.

Far too long passed before someone attended to them. Meanwhile, the guards gave not so much an inch from their spears. He sweated. Perhaps he had been too hasty in announcing their fates as 'living' and had mispronounced their fates? If so, then it meant death was on the horizon.

Finally, the boys heard footsteps.

Creak, creak, creak. The floor made sound for every step down.

A part of him hoped the stairs would snap. Only if the person meant them harm. He guessed, though, they would not know if the person was a friend or foe. Though, while waiting for them, he wondered if they had stumbled into a circus. Why else would the guards arrest them after rescuing them? He thanked the heavens for the guards lacking the foresight to strip them of their weapons.

From the stairs emerged a man in armors similar to those worn by the riders who saved them. Was it their captain, he wondered?

“Boys, my name is Colonel Winters. I will make myself brief: explain yourselves and your intention here in Thundervale during this precocious time of ours.”

He wanted to speak first, but Jiehong beat him to it. Jie said, “We are Ranger-Knights of a newly risen order of holy warriors! With powers and weapons granted to us by ancient Wardens, we now dedicate ourselves to helping freedom-loving countrymen in repelling the enemy invasion. We are here to offer help in your resistance efforts.”

Colonel Winters appeared at first interested in their claims of comradeship, then annoyed. He asked them, “What sort of super-warriors needs rescue?”

“We are new at it,” Jiehong replied with less enthusiasm. “Only got our power yesterday. We’re still new to the whole ‘fighting for our lives’ thing.”

Zan chimed in as well to reinforce his brother's statement.

The colonel said, “Fair enough, I ‘suppose. Many people of modest means are learning how to defend themselves the hard way. Clearly, you two are not golems or automotron agents. But the golems are not our only enemy in this war, boys, so I cannot release you yet. A subordinate will ask you more questions. Cooperate with her and answer truthfully, and you might just get out of here soon.”

With those words, the colonel left, back up the creaking stairs. He reflected on the encounter: What the heck does he mean? Not their only enemy?!

Coming down the stairs a moment after the colonel left was a well-dressed woman in a colorful army uniform.

The guards holding them into the corner by spearpoint remained and just as friendly as ever.

“Welcome to our fair city,” the woman said. “But enough pleasantries. Are you or are you not, rebel agents?”

Seeing Jiehong’s reaction and hearing his grunting, he could tell Jiehong failed to find the accusation amusing. Though he couldn’t imagine why they would be at all suspicious as ‘potential rebel agents,’ until the woman spelled it out for them bluntly: “We do not see too many ‘strangers from faraway lands,’ in our little neck of the woods.”

Realizing what the woman was implying, he shouted, “Lay off! He’s not like that at all! His family came from the Sunstar Principality as a goodwill move — he’s helping us! Helping the Kingship integrate into the new world, even helping us by fighting, here and now and—” but the woman cut him off and said, “I only had to ask! It’s my job. I can tell by your reaction you’re not an enemy agent. Neither if your friend. Also, your dress is totally inconsistent with how rebels dress. This is mostly a formality, honestly.”

Jiehong muttered something under his breath but repeated it louder and said, “You could have led with that…”

“I could have!” the woman replied. “But then I wouldn’t have been able to fuss over your purposes here. Speaking of which, what is your purpose?”

“As we told the colonel,” He replied calmly. “We are warriors of light of a new martial order. Well, a revived order. We initiated ourselves only yesterday, so we are still new at this whole hero-deal. We came here to help you guys' fight.”

“I understand. Really, I do. Thank you, boys…” the woman asked them several more questions, but none of the questions were sensitive questions by nature. Only questions which might have been an issue to a genuine rebel agent… whatever that even was.

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An hour traversed itself before the woman told the guards to lower their spears. He sighed relief, though it might have been nerves.

“Thank you for cooperating with us,” the woman told them.

“Not a problem,” Jiehong replied. “War time. Requires everyone to be more cautious.”

“Very,” he said, picking up the conversational cue for his own rationale. He wanted to ask the woman a question before they left. “Ma’am? What are these rebels? I have never left my home village until yesterday. I know nothing about the wider world of this country I’ve called home. What do you mean, ‘rebels'?”

He hoped the woman did not think he was fishing for information in an illicit sort of way. He was genuinely curious. Luckily for him, the woman smiled and told him, “I can tell. You boys might dress outlandishly, but your faces don’t lie — you’re country boys! Simple people. Rebels are people who hate our king and want to see him deposed. Meaning, killed. It is up to people like you and me, king-worshiping folk, to oppose them at every turn, making sure they can’t spread their mind poison to the general population. Rebels have used the invasion as a pretext for launching their own operation. Supposedly, they’re seizing towns all over!”

Zan spoke some kind words for the king. He didn’t understand any of what the woman said, but he knew he had to praise the king, or else. So, he did exactly that and said, “We can’t have that at all! And after all the king has done for us!” Obviously, he did not know what the king had done, either for or against them as subjects, but he knew this was what the woman wanted to hear.

Nodding along vigorously, the woman stamped some papers and told them to report to the third floor if they wanted to help break the siege. Saying they wanted to get some air first, she directed them outside and told them to head up to the third floor whenever they were ready.

Outside and away from unusual eyes, he and Jiehong slouched against the guardhouse in an alleyway.

Jiehong faced him on the opposite end slouching against the building across from the guardhouse. Jie said, “Thanks for defending me in there. I didn’t think I would have to explain myself…”

“You’ve lived your whole life in our little village. I think you’re right in my little boat of ignorance. We’re in this together, Jie,” he replied.

“I thought I knew more about the world. Maybe I didn’t listen hard enough…”

“It’ll come in time. I don’t know what anyone here is talking about. But you don’t see me complaining,” his response came with more bitterness than he intended. In his defense, he thought Jiehong needlessly placed himself on too high a pedestal.

Considering, Jiehong looked tired, moreso, perhaps, then even he. “You’ve never had reason to be knowledgeable. I do! I’ve had an education. A basic one, but an education. I feel like a fool. I should’ve asked my parents more about the world before I left.”

Ignoring the fact his brother essentially called him stupid, Zan took the high road and said, “What do you mean, ‘left’? It’s not like you’re a bachelor on the prowl striking out and building their own nest. Crying out loud, bro. We can literally go back to the community and your family anytime we want. And we'll be back again soon enough, besides...”

“I’m just saying… I should’ve done more.”

After a while of enjoying the evening air, not having to worry about lurking golems, Zan said, “We both should have done more. We can’t change the past, though. We only have the future.” Pointing his thumb at the guardhouse, Zan continued. “A future which for us starts by getting going to the third floor of this wonderful organization which recently held us against our will.”

(BONUS CHAPTER)

Chapter 21.5

Once more, we must take our leave of Zan and Jiehong. We remove ourselves from their presence, difficult as it is at their time and hour and return to a man we have met before. A man who always seems close to our heroes. The Imperial engineer Rictus Dawson.

He is with his masters. The strange ‘High-Born’ folk who speak in hip codes.

Our pullback resulted in us coming far outside of town. Thundervale is in the distance but none too close. The imperial engineer has on him a pair of binoculars. He watched the whole battle closely with his clients.

Watching as the youths entered the town, escorted by the newly arrived riders, our engineer puts away his long-distance lens and addressing his clients…

“Milords,” the imperial engineer Rictus Dawson said. “The target has entered the town. Orders?”

Silence. The clients do not give the engineer much to go on.

Hisses, chirps, tongue-clicks, and the seldom used glib word. The odd body motions his clients threw into the communicative pot weren’t helping.

Rictus stood staring at his clients uncomprehendingly. Did they really expect him to understand them? What was the point? Surely, they knew he could not understand them.

“Sirs. As I have said before, I cannot understand you when you talk to me like this. Please use the standard tongue. If this is a joke to you, please leave me out of this unusual humor,” Rictus told his masters, politely.

Among his clients who were harassing him, they continued their unusual glib. Not that it mattered to him, frankly, as it simply meant he could ignore them now in peace, without the un-nerve of wondering if they expected him to understand.

Rictus returned his attention to the town.

The sun was setting.

The setting of the sun heralded dwindled automotron efficiency. Whether the enemy had discovered such a weakness yet was unknown.

Approaching Rictus was the lead client. The individual who had normal talking capabilities but rarely used it unless he was talking with Rictus. “Hail, engineer. What do you see?”

“Nothing, my sir. The sun is setting. Our target has entered the town… as I have told you a moment ago,” Rictus replied.

“Yes. I remember. Continue to keep a vigil. My associates and I are going to scout the area. We shouldn’t be long.”

Rictus nodded and returned to his duties. He wasn’t too happy at this job as of late as he hadn’t yet actually encountered a situation which his skills and training would be helpful — specifically, engineering! So far, his labor had all been irrelevant. Mostly scouting duties: keep track of those kids, head to this town, talk to that rebel… although a question formed in the engineer’s mind, of how — exactly — these clients of his knew about the complexity of the local field amid an invasion, he kept this question to himself. The eccentric High-Borns behaved in a way which served their dementia. He would not get drawn into their orbit of madness.

With binoculars in hand, he resumed his vigil.

As ordered.

He would look across at the town until the targets left.