1

Elwin was in a sombre mood, both a strange reflection of the weather and the general feelings of his group of friends both old and new. For the last seven days it poured rain almost every single day. In fact, the entire trip from Imperial Camp Crossing had been miserable. Coming from a farming background such as Elwin did, he of course understood that this was the rainy season, so it did not come as much of a surprise. When the rain stopped, the crops would be planted. He was starting to doubt his decision to sell the farm and go out adventuring. It would be nice to finally be dry for a change! He thought.

At first, he felt that maybe they should not have been so hasty. They could have waited until summer had started and the weather would have been warmer and dry, but would it have mattered at all? After what took place inside that cave, he began to feel like Rith and Anna might be a little too young to handle the reality of adventuring life. Not to mention the fact that they all lacked combat experience, which the battle with the goblin horde had made brutally apparent to him. And then there was the female ogre and children that Selby and Tram had brutally slaughtered. That still was not sitting well with Elwin’s moral judgement, but they had sworn not to tell Rith or Anna. Not even a month on the road and they were already keeping secrets from each other. Elwin did not see that as a very good omen.

Still, he hoped that this was not all adding up to some greater unforeseen disaster in the future. That was the thought that was really itching at back of his mind. What if they were not as prepared as they should be? He wondered. What if they were not hardened enough to do what had to be done? And then there was the problem of coin. The little bit they had left would not sustain them for very long. They would run out the rest of their gold in Verant City, if not sooner. At least they had warning that Verant City would be expensive, but that knowledge was not going to help much if they had no cash at all after a few days in the capital. Elwin knew they would need to find work as soon as possible. He did not want to resort to begging in the streets and his moral compass was not going to let him steal to survive. If Verant City was that rough, he would rather move on to someplace else where they could find work. Still, Elwin thought that if they joined one of the guilds, then they should be able to find work without much trouble. Fingers crossed, of course.

At night when alone he was secretly praying to the Fire Lord for guidance, or the Grand Architect, Sister Moons or any other God that might listen to him. He was not even sure if the Gods were real or not. Sometimes it seemed like things happened for a reason and sometimes things felt completely random. The map that he found, that seemed like fate. Was that the Gods aiding him? And what about his family all dying from the plague while he and his brother were fine? Was that the hand of the Fire Lord guiding them from another realm? He had no answers to any of these questions. He knew that Anna and Rith were believers in the Fire Lord, but Emerson did not talk about it ever his whole family was on the fence about whether to believe or not. And Selby? He seemed as indifferent as Emerson was. Elwin’s felt that if the supernatural was all around them and magic was a real thing, having witnessed it firsthand he knew it was, then the Gods must be real and their power must be real. So how much did they real interfere in the everyday lives of mortals? More questions that he had no answers for.

A light drizzle sprayed the companions as they passed an old, battered sign that read Kal-Ra Shire. Elwin had been studying his map and he knew this meant that they were only thirty miles from Golden Meadows. Just over a full march. It would take the whole day to get there and the rain that poured down that morning made them tired and discouraged. If this was a taste of a life of adventure they had dreamed of, then it was a bitter flavour indeed.

So that day Elwin’s latest ambition was to find an inn at Golden Meadows, something real warm and cosy. A place that maybe served up a hardy stew or roast pork and chicken? He hoped. For the companions, such a place would be paradise. They had heard that Golden Meadows was supposed to be a small city, so he figured there must be inns all over town. He thought that maybe they could get out of the rain for a while and even warm their bones by a hearth. At the very least that might improve the bad mood that everyone seemed to be in. Elwin prayed for their bad luck to change.

Of course, the weather was not quite as bad as Elwin felt it had been. Some days it would only rain for an hour or two. The sunshine would come out to dry them off as they walked along the pathway of crushed stone. There were no towns along the roadside, although it did weave threw a few small villages and hamlets. The road itself was well maintained considering its length spanned hundreds of miles. It was a well-worn path as the frequent encounters with fellow travellers attested.

At night the group would set up the tents (they had three of them now) around a small campfire just off from the road. They would take turns on watch hoping to avoid another kobold incident. Luckily, they never encountered anything more dangerous that the odd racoon snooping around for food. Anna had been known to feed the occasional squirrel or chipmunk when it was her turn on watch. One night she took down a deer with the bow. It had wandered in too close and Anna was an excellent shot. They ate venison for days after that.

During the evening Selby would spend hours drilling the group in various combat techniques, stances and moves. They found out that he was almost twenty-five and he had been adventuring since he was Elwin and Emerson’s age. He had some basic military training even though he had never fought in any war, not even the more recent civil war. Sometimes he would tell them common legends that he knew, other times they merely sat around the campfire and discussed the latest news that fellow travelers would tell them. There was plenty of bonding time on the road. The six friends were forming a tight fellowship. However, Selby had been quite distance for the most part. Elwin attributed to the lost of Levka, a sting that he was also dealing with. Levka was the only woman he had even kissed. She had been beautiful in her own way and Elwin had been completely intrigue by her. Her death came so suddenly and shockingly that it had caught them all off guard. They were left wonder just what exactly happened that night.

Elwin also worried a little when they got closer to Golden Meadows. This was the furthest any of them had been from home. The experience was as frightening as it was exhilarating. His heart pounded at the thought of seeing Verant City in all its power and glory. He looked around at his fellow companions. Their long faces showed signs of the same depression that he had been feeling that week.

Elwin wanted to do something to lighten the mood a little. They were nearing Golden Meadows and he was excited because it was the largest town that they will see before reaching Verant City.

Suddenly Elwin drew out his long sword and raised it high over head proclaiming. “When I get to Verant, I want to see a chariot race in the forum! What do you people want to see?”

“I want to see a gladiator fight in the arena!” Emerson said. He had a wick smile, like he knew what Elwin was up to. He drew his sword and they started sparring like they did when they were children. It was a game they both use to play.

“Come on guys, we don’t have time for this!” Anna whined between the loud ringing of their swords. She looked tired and annoyed.

The rain came to an end. Elwin broke away from Emerson and walked up to Anna. “You ran away from home so you could join us on the greatest adventure of our lives! Now you look like were going to the gallows! What do you want to see when we get to the city?”

“Right now? I’ll settle for the Imperial Bathhouse!” She replied. Using her imagination, she continued. “I can picture it now, white gleaming marble, golden taps, servants that scrub your back, women who clear your nails and wash your hair. I want this mop completely braided! And all of it for the price of a few silver coins! Now that is paradise!”

“Well, to each their own, I guess!” Emerson said as he rolled his eyes. “Who can think of Bathhouses when there’s a coliseum waiting for us?”

Elwin pointed to Selby. “There must be something you want to do when you get there,” he said to him.

Selby sighed and then gave a little smile. “Well, I guess I would like to do a bit of gambling. I have a couple of gladiators that I follow now and then.”

“What about me?” Rith piped in.

“Alright, let’s hear it,” Elwin said.

“I want to see the Imperial Palace,” Rith finally said a little while later. “Even the Grand Bazaar would do. The spices I could find there will be incredible! I am tired of flavourless stews and flat tasting soups. There will be food from across Gaia there.”

Elwin laughed. “Some hardened adventurer you are!”

The companions all laughed together and continued to walk down the road again. Their spirits had been lifted a little as the sky cleared up. The dark clouds were banished once more, blue sky began to open and the light shone down upon them.

Finally, Elwin thought. Maybe things were beginning to turn around.

2

The five adventurers walked down the road together with a little more spring in their step, while the rest of the day slipped by uneventfully. They passed a few wagons hauling goods bound for Verant, but no one was willing to give them a lift to Golden Meadows. They took no rest or break choosing to move along as quickly as possible. They decided earlier that day that they would take a little detour and see the Verant River, which was only a mile or two to the east of Golden Meadows, according to Elwin’s map. It added only an extra hour to their journey, but it would be an incredible sight to see for anyone who was a true Verantian.

It took some fumbling around, but just south of Golden Meadows they stumbled upon a trail off the main road that went down to the river’s edge. They feasted their eyes on the famous river for the first time in their lives and were amazed. The river was well over a thousand miles long, but at this point it was already very wide across, almost half a mile. It meandered threw a deep valley with cliff like walls on both sides. They did not expect this. The companions pictured it approachable, with a low bank where they could refill their canteens. Yet this site was still magical in its own way. The rolling hills on the other side were flush with greenish-blue hues from the dense forest. No one lived down here near the river, it was unspoiled land. The party finally rested, taking an hour for lunch in the mid-afternoon sun. They relaxed beneath a large oak tree taking it all in. They watched a merchant cargo ship drift lazily down the river filled with goods. When it disappeared around the bend, they turned their backs on the magnificent river, heading for the town.

3

According to the story that fellow travelers had told them, Golden Meadows had once been a bustling merchant city, but recently things had changed for the worst. It was only a couple of days walk from Verant City and it stood at a crossroads for the Verant Imperial River Road, which followed the river all the way south to Sea Side and the Militar Territory Road the companions had just been traveling on. A day’s travel north of here was the Old War Line, the border between the old Verant and Dev-Ka Kingdoms. It was lined with old, ruined castles and fortified towns. Historically speaking, Golden Meadows was a rallying and staging point for various armies over the last five hundred years. It was perfectly located for shipping supplies and soldiers in and out of Verant City to the north. The town had seen many battles over the last few hundred of year and the town had shifted from side to side more times than most people could remember. Each time Golden Meadows had been changed in some small way.

As the companions approached, they were both surprised and shaken by what they saw. The outlying fields that surrounded the town were scattered with various tents. There were a multitude of people camping outside the city walls. Mostly they were men, labours really, who were brought in to help with the reconstruction. It was obvious that the town was in dire need of help. The tall stone walls of Golden Meadows had been breached in many places. One section even had cannon ball holes punched threw it at random spots. The main castle’s once mighty spire was completely collapsed. This would have been where the Consul (the man who ran the province) would had lived, but most likely it was uninhabited now. It showed other damage as well on the south side, the red clay tiled roof of the castle was completely shattered, scorched in many places.

There were many people milling about outside the walls. The gated entrance to the city was wide open. The thick hardwood doors were badly damaged, as if a giant had kicked them in. Dried tar covered the ground in front of the gate.

A year earlier, a fierce conflict had taken place here. Now with little funds to speak of, the reconstruction was crawling along, haphazardly at best.

Once inside the city walls, they could see that many building were either damaged, reduced to rubble or burned completely to the foundation. Many of Golden Meadows’ citizens had been left poor, begging for food or gold. They passed many mothers who huddling their children close begging for food, money or any other mercy they could receive. There were old men with missing limps, holding signs that asked for anything that could be spared.

Elwin shuttered at the sight of these broken people. This was war, this was what it left behind. Rith averted his eyes as he tried to avoid their gazes. The idea of being in the same situation terrified both of them.

Emerson wondered why they were left to beg. With all the reconstruction going on there must have been some work?

Anna recoiled at the horror of it all, covering her mouth in disbelieve. This was Verant, the richest and most powerful empire in the known world. “How could these people be left to live like this?” She said under her breath, but Selby had heard her speak.

“They opposed the new emperor,” Selby replied simply. “Now they suffer the consequences.”

It made Anna shiver inside.

After searching around a bit, asking a few questions, they found a tavern.

4

“Hail barkeep!” Elwin said as the group walked into the tavern. The barkeep was burly man who wore an apron and stood behind the counter absently polishing a glass mug. The wooden sign on the front of the ancient veranda read, Black Stag Inn and had a picture of two black stags wrestling as humans would. “My friends and I were wondering if you had any rooms to rent tonight? We have the coin.”

“I’m sorry lad, we’re full right now. I’ve got nothing available for ya’ll,” The barkeeper said eyeing them up suspiciously. There were other people in the tavern who had been talking, but suddenly the room went silent. Elwin did not have to look around to know that all eyes were upon him and his companions.

“No rooms, eh? That’s fine we’ll take our business else where,” Emerson replied hoping to put some pressure on the barkeep.

The place was not empty, but Elwin doubted that there were no rooms available. It had been a long week and they all really wanted to sleep under a roof that night.

The barkeeper gave a deep belly laugh and even some of the patrons joined in. The sound made Elwin’s skin crawl. “There is no where else to go! We are all there is in Golden Meadows and we got no room for ye, but we do have plenty of food if you’re looking for a good hot meal I can provide that at least.”

They really wanted a place to stay, but a good hot meal was also a top priority, so they all agreed to stay and at the very least and eat before trying to find somewhere else.

“This is a big town, I’m sure there is another place,” Emerson reasoned once they all had a seat and a steaming bowl of mutton stew before them. It was flat and flavourless, but at least it was filling.

“I don’t know,” Selby said shaking his head. His dark curls shrouded his expression. He closely guarded his mug of ale. He pulled his dark green cloak around him tightly like armour. “I think the barkeeper might be right. From was I heard the emperor and his army pounded this place with cannon and stone. They held it hostage for three months before the people here broke. You saw the folk on the way in. Nobody gives a shit about this place.”

“You think all the other inns were destroyed?” Elwin asked. “You don’t think we could find another tavern around here?”

Selby said. “It’s possible we could, but what kind of reception do you think we would get? These people don’t exactly seem like the friendly sort.”

Indeed, even as Selby said it Elwin knew it was true. Half the tables were full, but the people were mostly older men and they looked worn out. They talked little to each other eating and drinking mostly in silence. If anyone looked their way at all, it seemed to be with a look of reservation. There was a thick feeling in the air that something bad might happen at any moment.

It was not long after they started eating that people started to stream into the place. As late afternoon turned to evening, labourers and fellow travelers started to fill the place until there was standing room only at the bar. There was a strange energy in the common room that night. The group ate finished their food and drank their ale with little conversation.

There was a bit of excitement that a bard would be preforming on a small stage off in the corner that evening. Elwin was curious to see him. He always liked hearing the tales and songs.

Elwin decided to ask Selby a few adventuring type questions to pass the time while they thought about what they might do next. They discovered earlier on the road that Selby was a ranger which was really nothing more than a special form of adventurer. Part warriors and part rogue, they had a love of outdoors and usually shunned the towns, cities or most of civilization for that matter. Selby confessed to them that he usually camped just outside of towns rather than in them, so it did not matter to him if they got a room or not. He was more comfortable sleeping by a fire under the stars when the weather was good or in a tent when it turned bad. He knew little about politics. However, he did have lots of advice on adventuring.

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“This empire is filled with abandoned and little used places. The Old War Line alone is filled the ruined castles and forts. Some have been abandoned for centuries or more and are inhabited by all kinds of creatures. Juniper Hills was just a taste of what’s really out there,” Selby told them.

“Have you explored many?” Elwin asked.

“Sure, I’ve been inside a few of them, but they can be very dangerous. Some have goblin hordes and orc tribes living in them. Sometimes there are stranger unknown creatures waiting for prey. Every ruin is different,” Selby commented.

“What do you know of ancient ruins?” Emerson questioned. As usual, he and Elwin exchanged knowing glances. It was Elwin’s map that they were both thinking of. They longed for any kind of solution to the puzzle.

“Not much really. I’ve never explored anything more than five hundred years old,” Selby said with a shrug. “I know you’re thinking about that map, but like I said, I can’t help you.” Selby could not recognize the writing or the location. He questioned if it was even a place in the Verant Empire. Gaia was a vast world. For all they knew the location could be near Karnak or in Heathlon.

Elwin knew they were headed in the right direction at least. If they could find anyone who could translate it, he thought. It would be in Verant City surely.

“This town, I know there was a siege, but I don’t understand the details. What exactly happened here?” Anna asked.

“I take it you haven’t heard the details?” Selby said with surprise. Most people knew what had happened here. In the last few months, it had become common knowledge around the empire. He was stunned that she was completely unaware. The others looked bored. They had already heard rumours when they had lunch with Emerson’s family.

Selby just laughed and shook his head in amazement. “Well, I guess you don’t hear much about the civil war out in the farming communities. Well, Golden Meadows was the town where Empress Evangeline rallied her forces again the new Emperor Xander II. That was about a year ago now. The Empress’ forces were several thousand strong, mostly Red Dragon Army loyalist, but they were overwhelmed by the five thousand troops, the cannons and the siege engines that were brought to bear on this place. First, they lay siege to the town hoping to simply wait them out, but after three months the town hadn’t surrendered. Once the emperor decided to bring the walls down, the city fell in less than two days.”

“That’s why the castle in the center is destroyed,” Emerson added. To Selby he said. “My older brother and father both fought in the war on the emperor’s side.”

“Precisely,” Selby continued. “Evangeline was held up in the castle. The Earl of this shire was one of her supporters. I think he was a cousin of hers or something like that. But once the walls fell, they were forced to surrender. Both were captured. Three months later, the Empress was executed, her youngest son disavowed any claim to the thrown and the rest is history,” Selby finished his mug. He looked around, but the serving wenches were all busy. The crowd was drunken and getting rowdy. They had their hand full just trying to get the drinks out fast enough while trying to avoid the odd pinch or slap on the buttock.

“I think we need another pitcher,” Elwin said looking at his own empty mug.

“I’ll get it!” Emerson said getting up from the table. “It’s my turn to buy a round anyway,” Emerson got up and disappeared into the boisterous crowd.

“When we get to Verant City why don’t you join the adventurer’s guild? We could work together?” Elwin enquired.

“I don’t know. I’m not big on making long term plans,” Selby said and he was right of course. As a ranger, he was impulsive. Rangers rarely planned their lives out, preferring to just let things happen naturally. As for a guild, well rangers usually avoided the government as much as possible. Selby had no use for their taxes, laws, rules or regulations. “Besides, after what happened… I’m just not feeling it right now. Maybe when we get to Verant City I’ll think a little differently, but right now I don’t know if I have the stomach for it.”

Over by the bar Elwin thought he heard a bit of a commotion.

5

Auldric Hearthstone took the small stage with much trepidation. It appeared to be a tough crowd. Maybe the toughest he even preformed for. Over the last two months he had worked in almost every inn and tavern surrounding the capital city before making his way south playing in some places just for a dinner and a roof over his head. It was getting ridiculous, and he seriously started to doubt his choice of profession. Maybe he should have been an adventurer, but he was alone. He could have been a professional soldier if he had enough of a stomach for it, but he already had trouble sleeping at night. He had the skills to be a burglar or a pickpocket. What was left for him? He also had the skills to make musical instruments, passed down from his parents, but he would need a shop, specialized tools and the money needed for the supplies before he could even sell his first lute or harp. He was running out of options. He was drinking too much now, wandering the countryside and sleeping too little. He lacked real purpose and it was wearing him down until almost none of his original self, the self before the war, was left.

This is what ran through his mind when he took the worn-out stool on the small stage in a bustling bar in a broken-down city known ironically as Golden Meadows. He tucked in his guitar under his arm and began to play. He started off with a few tavern drinking songs and the crowd seemed to be with him. But as he progressed through his repertoire the songs got darker and sadder. Maybe it was just his own brooding temperament that he was in, but he was losing the crowd and he did not care. He paid no heed to the tension that was building as he started in on a few songs that seemed to sound too patriot it for this crowd’s taste. The reaction was not good.

6

Emerson did not like Golden Meadows one bit. The place had been giving him the creeps ever since they entered the main gates. To him the town looked like a devastated wasteland, a place broken by the emperor and then quickly discarded and forgotten about. The government shunned this place and it was obvious that no money for the reconstruction had ended up here. Emerson figured that the house of Thaine was probably paying for what little construction had been done. The Thaine family was once a powerful ruling family, but now it had been stripped of all its authority and status. The former Empress, Evangeline had been from that family and the new Emperor wanted to make sure that the house would never rise to prominence again. Golden Meadows was not just the Thaine stronghold, it was their ancestral homeland and the emperor was not going to lift a finger to help this shattered land.

Emerson was also wary of the place because it seemed somewhat lawless. They had not seen a single town guard since they had arrived in Golden Meadows. There was no army or garrison around and no one seemed sure who was in charge anymore.

Was there even an Earl here? He wondered. The last one had been executed shortly after being captured. Was there no one else appointed? What about the provincial consul? He doubted there was even a mayor. Emerson also did not like that makeshift shanty town that linger outside the town walls. Places like that were hotbeds of thievery, anger and violence. It gave him a sick feeling to see the huger eyes staring out from canvas tents. Personally, he would have stayed clear of this place completely, but the others had insisted they would find some sort of lodgings here. Emerson had his doubts about that.

The condition the town was in was also disturbing. Much of the center of town, where the Black Stag Inn just happened to be located, was destroyed. Most buildings had collapsed or burned. A few had been rebuilt or at least some work had been started, but walking down the main avenue they still found themselves walking around piles of rubble; splinted wood, spilled bricks and cracked concrete and signs of fire everywhere.

Along the main road they were hassled by merchants who would sell anything they could scrounge from the surrounding debris. Most things were just garbage that no one wanted.

At one point they were accosted by a middle-aged woman who tried to sell them her daughter. The woman stank of firth and fear. Her unkempt hair stood out like hay. Beneath a face streaked with soot, her eyes held an almost evil sparkle to them. “Please kind sirs!” The woman pleaded grabbing Elwin by his arm. Emerson nearly drew his sword, thinking she might be a thief. But then she said. “Please, I beg! You can have my daughter for fifty gold! Too much? How about forty then! She’s a hard worker and she’ll listen to you, I swear it! You won’t have to beat her or anything! She’ll do as she told, mark my words! She’ll even warm your bed if that what ye like!”

The daughter was a scrawny little thing with limbs like twigs. Emerson guessed her age to be no more than twelve at the most. She looked defeated. Her eyes were deep black hollows and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. Her mother clutched her arm, pulling at her roughly. “Ye will do as you’re told and no complaining ye little bitch!” The mother growled at her.

They both looked emaciated and Emerson figured they had not eaten in days.

“Ah, no thanks,” Elwin said to the woman and stepped pass her completely embarrassed by the experience.

Emerson saw Anna expression and thought she looked like she wanted to buy the girl, if for no other reason than to get her away from this horrible woman who calls herself mother.

The group began to move on, but the wretched woman was not going to let it go that easily.

“Fuck you all then! Maybe you prefer young boys instead! Oh, I see now. You’ve got your own whore already!” The woman yelled and then laughed when Anna turned to glower at her.

Anna’s face went scarlet. “How dare you, you miserable woman!”

The woman cackled some more. “That’s right children! If you forks are looking for trouble you came to the right place! We don’t praise the emperor in these parts!”

Emerson had not realised at the time, but the cloak he wore was given to him by his older brother. The clasp that held it firmly around his neck bore the seal of the emperor, to which the woman had been referring.

7

Emerson got a new pitcher of ale from the bar of the Black Stag Inn. The bard on the tiny stage was good, very good. Better than the ones that would come by Salome Hollow, but the man was starting to irritate the crowd. There was a lot of drinking and many people were already drunk. Looking around, he found himself surrounded by house of Thaine loyalists. In his mind he was already thinking five moves ahead, just as father had taught him. Combat readiness is what Emery had called it, so that’s what Emerson called it. On the outside he was calm and expressionless, on the inside he knew exactly where the exits were who was around them, how many windows the place had. He knew where all the people carrying weapons openly were situated. He knew who was paying attention to him and who did not care. He marked everyone who might have a weapon hidden. Anything that flashed like steel caught his eye. In his mind, move by move plotted out, he had already killed three of them. He hoped that he could defuse the situation.

“I say fuck the emperor!” A brawny looking man proclaimed. Emerson knew that the comment was directed at him, but he held his tongue. The man continued. “If I could get close enough to him, I’d stab him in the heart myself.”

Emerson laid down his silver coins and took the pitcher in hand. When he turned around, he was face-to-face with three large men who were blocking his way.

“Excuse me,” he said in his politest tone and a false smile.

“My friend here, doesn’t like that!” Said a gnarled looking man with a missing eye. He stood next to the brawny one. The third man in the group was a behemoth easily stood six and a half feet tall, maybe more. The grizzled man pointed at the emperor’s seal on Emerson’s cloak. “We don’t like empirical loyalist here boy!”

“Sorry to hear it,” Emerson said trying to remain calm. Inside his course of action was already plotted.

“If you’re smart, you and your friends will leave while you can still walk!” The man squawked. His friends all laughed along with him.

“We’ll take it into consideration,” Emerson said in his most diplomatic tone. Beneath the words he was seething with anger. He looked over the behemoth. The man was huge but compared to that ogre, he was still smaller. What did the crazy woman say? He thought. If you’re looking for trouble, you’ve come to the right place!

“You’ll leave now!” The gnarled man demanded. The man’s face contorted into an evil grin and then he made the mistake of spitting in Emerson’s face. Emerson could have hit the gnarled man that spat at him, but he figured the man would go down easy enough if he was next. He felt the behemoth was simply too tall, almost out of Emerson’s reach. So instead, he decided to split the difference and go after the brawny man.

With a speed that can only be mustered by someone drilled repeatedly in military techniques, Emerson smashed the brawny man in the head with the pitcher of ale so hard he nearly sprained his hand.

The man hit the floor like a bag of rocks, blood and ale spilling everywhere. His friends shouted in anger and that was when all the chaos broke loose. Emerson was already ducking before the tall man could complete his roundhouse swing. Emerson drove the handle of the pitcher, still in his grip, right into the man’s kidney.

There was shrill scream from Anna and there was scuffle at the stage and the bard was thrown roughly to the ground. Emerson quickly realized that he was in his first bar fight! He had heard tall tales of them, but had never been in one, until now. He smiled to himself. This was going to be fun!

8

“Ah, by the Gods!” Elwin swore under his breath.

It was completely instinctual. Elwin did not even know he was doing it until it was done. From the corner of his eye, he saw movement and reached out. His fingers tipped a flying mug of ale, deflecting it way from Anna’s face. She screamed. He looked to Selby and Tram, but they were already on their feet. And just like that a bar brawl broke out.

Elwin watched from across the room as the big man tried to swing at Emerson, he sidestepped and landed a blow across the man’s kidneys. Emerson was then struck from behind and fell to the floor completely winded. Chairs were tossed aside, and tables screeched as they went skidding across the floor.

Anna found a place to get out of the way against the wall. Selby gave Elwin a hard look. He grabbed a nearby chair. He stepped up and over the table wading into the melee with the chair swinging wildly. Elwin leaped up. He saw the bard thrown to the floor, grabbing the man who did it a flung him backwards over the stage.

Emerson lay on the floor in a heap like a rag doll. He struggled for breath.

What ensued was a full barroom brawl fuelled by alcohol and adrenaline. Chairs and tables smashed, punches and kicks were thrown. The two-dozen people in the common room went into a chaotic frenzy. Elwin punched his way through people. Elwin was roughly grabbed from behind. He tried to break free when suddenly his assailant was punch right out by the bard. They looked at each other.

“We gotta get out of here,” the bard said to him.

“Agreed, but not without my brother,” he replied. But he had lost sight of him in the chaos. “Rith!” He shouted.

Anna crawled along the walls toward the door. Rith protected himself with a chair and kept out of the way. Selby, Tram, the bard and Elwin fought together covering each other’s back as they fought their way across the room to the bar.

“Emerson! Are you alright?” Elwin rushed to his side kneeling down before him. He was clearly in distress as he looked his friend over carefully. He noticed the Barkeeper run past them and out the front door. Elwin was sure he was going to find some sort of law or at the very least some sober soldiers.

“Yeah, I’ll be alright,” Emerson coughed. He fought to regain his breath. “I just had the wind knocked out of me is all.”

“I think we should get out of here! I think the barkeeper ran to find the law!” Elwin stated. “Can you walk?”

“Let’s go!” Was all that Emerson said in response. He looked past Elwin his eyes widening in fear. “Elwin, behind you!”

Elwin turned quickly to see the big man standing behind him, fists at the ready.

9

Rith saw his brother in trouble and reacted without thinking. Clutching a chair in his hands, he slammed the massive man in the back with it. The chair splinted into a thousand pieces that flew everywhere. The behemoth staggered momentarily, but it had not been enough to bring him down. The man turned on Rith. With a swing so fast, it seemed like a fantastic blur to anyone who saw it. The man pounded Rith in the stomach so hard that Rith flew back threw the air and into an overturned table.

“Rith! No!” He heard Anna’s voice cut through the din of the battle.

Rith was sure that he felt his ribs crack when he took the blow to the stomach. They had made a sickening sound. He could not breathe or speak. His mind reeled from the pain. He became dizzy. This behemoth, this warrior was easily twice his size. The huge man reached into his leather tunic and drew a dagger. Rith’s blood went cold. Time seemed crawl. This is crazy! It’s a barroom fight, a fist fight! He screamed in his head, but the words simply would not come out of his mouth, nor would it have done any good if they had.

The glint of steel shone in the firelight and suddenly everyone was drawing weapons. Everyone who did not have the heart to continue, ran for the door escaping into the night air.

Suddenly the huge warrior staggered back. He reached down to his lower leg where an arrow had struck deep, the tip coming out the other side.

Rith did not have much time to think, nor could he think clearly with all the pain clouding his thoughts. He had some room to move now. He reached behind his head and felt around until he could feel the head of the war hammer sticking up from the backpack that he was still wearing. Quickly drawing it out, the warrior came to his senses and lunged forward at him. Rith held the war hammer out bracing it against the table. The sharpened point on the top of the hammer slid into the warrior’s throat. There was a sickening crunch noise as the point reached the spine. Blood spurted like a fountain, spraying the wooden floor. The behemoth staggered back clutching his throat. The war hammer slipped from Rith’s hands and fell to the ground with a deep thud. The spectacle distracted everyone in the room. The fight was over. The house of Thaine loyalists fled the tavern. The warrior fell to his knees clutching his neck. He made a sick gargling noise, his eyes rolled back and he fell back dead. His blank eyes stared up at the beams that crisscrossed the ceiling.

10

“Rith, No!” Elwin heard Anna scream. He looked over and saw her draw an arrow into her bow. She fired striking the behemoth in the leg. The big man staggered backwards a step, but it was obviously not enough to stop him.

When Elwin saw the glint of steel in the firelight, he shouted. “Ah, by the Gods!”

In an instant he and Selby had their swords in hand. That was the end of the fight. There was some incoherent screaming and then everyone began to flee the building. A fist fight was one thing, but most people did not have a stomach for real murder that evening.

“He watched as Rith stabbed the behemoth threw the throat. He ran to his brother’s side. “Rith! Rith! Are you alright? Are you able to walk?” He said frantically.

“We have to get out of this place!” Elwin shouted to the others. Suddenly everyone including the bard was at Elwin’s side.

“I think… It’s my ribs… Might be broken…!” His breath came in rough gasps. But the pain was too great and in moments he passed out.

11

Emerson had finally gotten to his feet and shouted. “The guards will be here soon! If we don’t move now were going to have more trouble!”

He looked out the door uneasily, but there were no guards yet.

Elwin nodded to him. Emerson was sure that Rith was hurt badly.

“Let go now!” Elwin commanded. He and Selby each took one of Rith’s arms and slung his limp body between them. They rushed him out to the door.

Emerson went over and examined the body of the big man. He looked for anything of value. The others were already leaving.

“Come on!” Anna shouted to Emerson as she followed quickly behind them.

Emerson did not have much time, but he managed to give the body a quick look. He found twenty gold coins and a few of silver and copper in small pouch. The weapons were like his, but the dagger was superior craftsmanship to anyone else’s in the party. He took it. He was running out of time, but he saw a ring that looked valuable. It was gold and encrusted with red jewels. He pried it off the finger stuffing it into his pocket before joining the group outside.

“Don’t wait, run!” Emerson shouted as he cleared the veranda stairs in a single bound landing on the dirt below. They had hesitated in front of the inn waiting for him.

“What in oblivion were you doing!” Anna scolded.

“Just trust me, you’ll thank me later!” Emerson replied. “Now let’s get the fuck out of here!”

Tram had the foresight to grab the pony. In a short burst, it could run fairly fast even with its burden. They ran as fast as they could. They fumbled wildly along various streets leading to the north gate. Wide open and unmanned they left the town behind a few minutes later.

As they moved as fast as they could, heavy clouds cover the moons making everyone nervous of stones, roots or other dangers. Several times someone was nearly pitched head long into a tree.

Despite the darkness, they found a clearing where they could catch their breath not too far up the road. The Verant River Road had hundreds of little places just off to the side where a person could camp or rest during a long journey. It was a rather large clearing, but no one else appeared to be around. There were a couple of large, rounded rocks near the center of the clearing. The group seized the chance to rest.

Emerson nursed his left hand, but otherwise seemed unharmed. There was blood on his knuckles which glistened with a black sheen in the vague clouded moonlight. “That brawl was crazy!” He proclaimed. “I think I broke some idiot’s nose with the pitcher!”

“Were lucky we didn’t get stopped by the town militia!” Selby pointed out.

Rith looked pale and was still out cold. Elwin looked very worried.

“Rith needs help!” Elwin said as panic crept into his voice. “We need a healer!”

“I know a druid who lives nearby!” The bard spoke up. “I can take you there. She might be able to heal him!”

“Lead the way, kind sir!” Selby said to him.

They made their way off into the darkness following the bard’s lead.