One of the sitting elves asked over the table. “What did they say?” His question straightened the back of entire group.
The brunet pointed at the office entrance he just walked out. “They told us to find another route.”
Upon hearing that, the group’s anticipation crashed down through the roof. Their sigh of protest was on full display. They had expected some of it. After all, the news was frank about the aggressiveness of the new demon beasts. They were just hoping it would decelerate soon enough.
“Extra cost... here it comes” One guy slammed his face onto the table.
“I will talk with Gemma. She may give us some leeway.”
“Good luck!”
After his friend was gone, they saw the government staff made haste to the city square. She stuck a new announcement on the glass board before closing it. Soon, a small crowd gathered.
The closest one to the board decided to check out. A couple of minutes later, he returned with quickened feet.
“What’s going on?”
“Rael is on red flag. Travel through Rael is suspended indefinitely-”
“What!?”
“…and Eldorval is on yellow.”
As the news settled down, the group instantly turned toward the mayor hall. What they were looking for was on the roof, a yellow flag. Checking other buildings in the vicinity, all government buildings were also flying yellow flags.
“Yellow.” It’s all yellow.
The city was put in emergency state. On yellow, civilian activities are to be lessened and orderly evacuation is in place. When it kicks to red, every elf is to drop whatever they were doing and vacant the area immediately. Thing has turned for the worse.
The elves immediately got off their seat. They were not the only ones on the move. Each party upon getting the news was in their own commotion. Senior members offered their advises and pressed their less experienced companions to take thing seriously. Every elf acted their part to hasten their departure. From the outlook, order was still in control but even the most clueless elf recognised the change of pace.
On the eastern battlement, lookouts examined their surroundings with greater scrutiny. Their number was doubled, but the sound of talking was not as often as usual. Veterans that went through these sensitive times knew not to be lax, while the first timers were in a mixture of anticipation and dread.
Tyron, one of the senior guardsmen, noticed movement in his field of vision. Due to the distance, it was like a single pixel was moving in a still photo. Giving time, that pixel grew large enough for Tyron to identify.
“A convoy! Mitch. Report to the Commander!”
As the junior ran off to fulfill his duty, Tyron informed the other guardsmen. This should be the one they were expecting. However, before the gate can be opened, securing the area is important. It’s the procedure to ensure no hostile was nearby.
Twenty minutes later, the convoy was in the process of entering. Spotting a small group of officers afar, the most decorative soldier from the convoy got off her horse. Still in full helmet, she beelined toward the group. Her promptness attracted the other party’s attention. The soldier formed a fist to her heart. “Support Commander Sapphiran Richmoore, 2nd Protector.”
The other four men saluted her in turn. The leading officer replied. “Commander Ferrick Tezmacant. Commanding all Protector units.” He gestured toward the man behind. “This is my aide, Support Commander Nillias Tezmacant.”
“Commander Richmoore.” Nillias made a small bow.
“Commander Tezmacant.” Sapphiran greeted him back.
Lastly, Ferrick introduced the two taskmasters. They took turn saluting her with a clear “Commander”, while Sapphiran acknowledged with a more silent reply.
Among the three ranks, Taskmaster is the lowest. Each taskmaster commands a task force of 200 to 300 in average. The commander may delegate more people to them to complete their task, should the need arise.
Onto the next level is Support Commander. A Support Commander is allowed no more than 2000 in their permanent command. They may be given more to command during battle if the army is lacking officers of their rank or higher.
For Commander, their permanent army can be no more than 8000. As with Taskmaster and Support Commander, they may be temporarily assigned more soldiers if the brass found them capable.
The highest rank man got to the point. “Commander, is there anything noticeable to report?”
“No, sir.”
“Continue with your duty, commander.” He turned to the taskmasters. “You two, assist Commander Sapphiran with the arrangement.”
“As you order.”
“Sapphiran, report back to me after you done.”
“Yes, commander.”
“Dismiss.”
As laid out by the high command, reinforcement for Eldorval includes the 1st Protector from the Heart, the 2nd and 4th from other cities. Supply would trickle into the city through the eastern side. The 3rd and 6th would assist Rael in evacuation according to the latest order. After completing their mission, they would join the other units at Eldorval. The plan for the Protector is solely defending Eldorval and the 2nd Protector was the first on scene per scheduled. Being bolstered by two hundred soldiers should be a good sight except it wasn’t.
Let digress for a bit. Elves, at least among the many cities in this continent, do not have a national-level enemy for thousands of years. Thus, each city only has guards for local security. Major cities like Heart of the Jaguar amassed enough guards and reserves to project their umbrella to the entire region. It’s this surplus that’s organised into army for regional or national missions like pacifying major demon beast threats or spirit animals.
When an army is formed this way, a name will be assigned to signify their purpose. Usually, it is Pacifier or Subjugator. Depending on the region, it may become Northern Pacifier or something like that. Each army is divided into subunits. Protector has Protector 1, Protector 2, and so on.
Odd number denotes the main forces. Even number represents support units who are not expected to encounter the enemy. For example, the 2nd Protector under Support Commander Sapphiran is the logistics unit. That being said, not every support commander commands an “even” unit. Meanwhile, units end with “5” and “0” are reserved for Commander-led units such as Ferrick’s two hundred guardsmen in Eldorval which was named 5th Protector.
Back to the matter, the official military presence in Eldorval was doubled with the 2nd Protector. However, as mentioned above, they aren’t the main fighting force. They are to support the 5th and the upcoming 1st from the Heart. The 2nd would never see action during this campaign unless they have to fight to get out of harm way.
Their situation wasn’t improved, but thing surely got better for their enemy. Scouts and hired adventurers were discovering more of those Brus (shortened form of Amber Brute, temporary name for the demon beasts) with each passing day. The beasts currently numbered in two thousand. Should they decide to attack before the 1st arrives, it would be very messy.
Nevertheless, even if they did attack, Ferrick wouldn’t be too worried. In term of ability, the 2nd isn’t much weaker than his guardsmen. The brass just thought they weren’t ripe, that’s why they hold the backline role. If push comes to shove, they could be fielded although the casualty wouldn’t be pretty. The adventurers and beast hunters might still be around when that happened. Moreover, this city is built a fortress. They would not fall, not by mere beasts.
Ferrick’s mind was on something else. The Protector was the only army for this entire incident. This is unusual. Many things crawled out of that forest. The mayor called for a pacification. They moved in, killed off anything in several hundred meters, burnt down the place. Repeating multiple times and thing died down for decades. Since the elves didn’t dare to go too deep nor did they have the resources and personnel to do so, this method became the standard.
Ferrick was certain the higher-ups aren’t planning to give ground to the Brus. He knew those guys too well. Thus, making only one army is too strange. Moreover, his task was just protecting the city. He was expected to just hole up in the city till everything clears out. According to traditional protocol, this should be phase one, minimising the damage. Phase two would be containing the issue. Then they would mop thing up. If so, several more Commanders should have been appointed for encirclement and extermination.
There must be a reason. They must be planning something. Ferrick had no way of solving this mystery, but he knew something else. The number of hostiles is vast, and their appearance has many problems. The beasts are weak. However, two thousand literally appeared out of nowhere. Being close to the Lost Forest, reconnaissance isn’t something he neglected. Then where did they come from? This is an enigma.
If he, the middle management realised this, then so did the top. The governors and the older commanders, they wouldn’t like this. They don’t like thing they don’t know or don’t understand. It makes them felt threatened. When those old folks felt unsafe, their reaction would be proportionally radical. They were planning something big, of that he was certain.
Sunlight was dying on the woodland canopy. Soon, the diurnal would give place to nocturnal lives.
Three days have passed since they last saw the centaurs. Clarinet was unsure what happened, but for the first time there was a crack between the twins. They need alone time to resolve their issue, but their nature denies such necessity. She wanted to put up a few words but couldn’t get them to open up.
Randal is her only hope. He is in their circle. He knew at least what happened, but the boy was having his own hurdle. Normally, he would keep an eye for the twins as per his secret mission. Lately, he didn’t even look at them.
She stared at the ingredients for tonight dinner with heavy heart. How exactly is she supposed to do this without being intrusive? If there is a big fallout or if this prolongs, perhaps she would have the reason to step in. Even so she didn’t wish for that to happen.
Eighteen. Nineteen…
Twenty four. Twenty five…
Thirty…
…
Altan…
…
Why?
Randal’s sword strike became more forceful than the last.
…
Why did she have to do it?
The whooshing sound turned louder.
…
Why?
Rather than practicing the sword, his strikes were more about crowding out his own monologue.
…
Why am I so powerless?
His sword came to a stop after slicing down half a hand deep into the leaf-filled land.
Reversing his grip, Randal stabbed the ground. Using his sword as a supporting stick, the boy came down to his knees. Grinding fingers against the hilt, a painful expression reddened his face.
Ren had been nice enough to let him on what they knew.
The young boy trembled in frustration.
…
…
…
An unknown footstep alerted him. Randal hastily swiped off his tears. Surprise painted him.
The concerned Gowen was first to speak. “You are still thinking about Altan, aren’t you?” Not waiting for the answer, he continued. “You can tell us… anything.” Their look told they were here for him.
They were here… not days ago… but now, and Randal could understand why. He recalled the twins’ unusual interaction. Ren did all the talking, while Gowen was looking away. Strictly speaking, that was how they delegate their task but… they did look troubled.
Randal felt so utterly stupid. Locking himself in his sorrow, Randal had forgot the two most important persons in his life. He should have been with them during their trouble, not the other way around. He blurted out. “Was there anything wrong with you two?”
They jolted a bit, not preparing for that question. “We-” “We-” Wrestling the air from Ren’s windpipe, Gowen took control. “Yeah. We were, in a bit of argument-” “Gowen!” “But we’re done with it.”
“Sorry!”
“Eh! Why?” “…!”
“I should have checked on you guys, but I didn’t.”
“You have your stuffs going on too.”
“Even so…”
Somehow, Ren picked up on Randal’s thinking. “Is it because we are your summoners?”
It’s the true. His being was made to be their servant. He was content with such role, and yet everything they have ever done for him was beyond what he could hope for. He could never see them any less, but…
“Is it true, Ran?” Gowen changed his tune. “It was just servant’s duty to you?”
Wait! That’s not what I mean. “No! I care about you guys, but not just because you created me or because of the instruction I was born with.” Randal looked down. “You guys are important people to me. I don’t want to see you guys sad.”
Without warning, Randal was squeezed between the twins’ head.
“Sorry, Ran. I shouldn’t have said it.”
“It’s ok. I should have said it better.”
“About Altan. Are you truly fine?”
Randal made an acceptance nod. “I am just a kid. But even as an adult, I still couldn’t do anything. A guy runs away with his princess is just a fairy tale.” Yeah, it’s just a fairy tale, a story for children. Then something flared up within him. “That’s it! Fairy tale. I can become a knight or a hero! I just need to train real hard and become stronger. Then I can help Altan. I will fight for her so that she wouldn’t need to fight!”
At that time, the only one thing ran through the twins’ head was “he is still as stubborn”. However, neither of the twins found it within them to explain it to Randal. Letting it slip away, Ren concluded. “I see that we’re thinking the same.”
They were just kids. Weak and powerless. The world out there requires strength. It’s strength that allows people to change the world as they see fit.
Clarinet eyed the lump of earth at the horizon. “Climbing that mountain and you will see Reihil.”
“Teach, what is Reihil like?”
Clarinet thought for a second. “To make it short, it’s a safe and peaceful city.”
Ren puzzled. Safe? There haven’t been war or major unrest for a long time. The only danger comes from spirit animals and demon beasts. Does that mean there is no spirit animal and demon beasts near the city? “Teacher. You mean like Balvich?”
“Balvich is safe, but spirit animals do pass through its forest. Reihil though is completely safe. There haven’t been incident with spirit animals and demon beasts for thousands of years.” Clarinet popped a question. “Do you know why?”
Ren reckoned. It should be, “geography?”
Clarinet nodded. “Reihil are built on mount Reihil. It is isolated from the rest of the world by mountains on all sides. There is only one entrance from the east which we are using. Malicious force like demon beasts can’t enter the city, and ancient spirit animals are friendly to our people.”
“Teacher, is there any reason why the book says it’s a city of elders?”
City of elders? Seriously? “I think I know who wrote that.” Whispered, Clarinet. “Reihil is a self-sufficient city, and the residents don’t have preference for variety of goods like other cities. Adding the fact that it’s difficult to move up the mountain, merchants don’t find much business there despite the population in the tens of thousands. And, well, you can call it a stagnant place. Nothing happens there, which young people like a certain someone don’t find it very interesting. They prefer things, adventurous.
On the other hand, being a natural fortress makes it perfect for our elders who just want a safe place for their family or want to seclude themselves.”
With this, the twins had the general idea of who they would meet in Reihil.
Randal tilted his head. “That is boring?”
Gowen caught on. “You don’t think so?”
“You remember two years ago? We weren’t allowed to go further than the city wall. The other kids said they were so bored not being allowed in the woods. All because of the wolves. So, wouldn’t being safe better? You get to go anywhere you want.”
After a bit of thinking, most passengers sharing their wagon nodded mentally in agreement.
“I see.” “Hmm.”
The wagon abruptly came to a stop. Some of the curious elves headed out looking for answer.
“What do you think happened?”
“I am not sure.” “Me neither.”
“Could that be demon beasts, teach?”
“I don’t think so.”
Few minutes later, the same elves returned. They called out to their pals with excitement. “You’re not going to believe this! It’s master Kul’rak!”
“Really?”
“It’s rare of him to go outside Reihil.”
“But why did we stop?” Asked, another elf.
“Oh! I forgot. It seems Master Kul’rak broke his axle, so they were helping him fix it.”
“Teach, who is this person, Kul’rak?”
Clarinet smiled gently. “Do you want to go see him?”
“We could?”
“You guys will come looking for him in the future, so there is no harm seeing him now.”
Her comment made them curious. “What does he do?”
Clarinet didn’t answer. “Let’s go!”
The boys saw a crowd of ten or fifteen people surrounding a large wagon. If the one they were riding is the medium size, this one must be the extra-large, around one and a half the width of a typical wagon. As they got closer, voice of people talking became audible.
“…It’s not as bad as it looks. I give it half an hour.” Said, one of the elves under the wagon.
Clarinet poked the boys’ shoulder. Her eyes glanced at the smaller crowd standing watch on the side.
The twins were taken aback. No way!
On their way here, Clarinet did tell them. “You wouldn’t mistake him for anyone else.” Truth be told, they didn’t expect him to stick out like a sore thumb. Sitting on some sort of cart to the far back of the crowd, a wrinkled blue geezer watched in silence. His silver-pattern black coat revealed only his hands and from the neck up. His skin was venous and aged. His white thin hair was tied into a small bun. Towering over the other elves and without the pointy ears, obviously he is not elven.
Randal’s eyes were wide opened. “A giant?”
Gowen disagreed. “Don’t think so.” Ren added. “Can’t be.” Giants don’t have that skin colour, nor do they have tusks.
The encyclopedia mentions races of giant folks, and the twins could recall almost everything they read including the various sketches. This “giant” didn’t fit the details.
“If you have already given up, I will tell the answer. He is an ogre.”
“Ogre?”
“Ogre!?” In contrast to Randal’s surprise, Ren and Gowen’s reaction was more of a protest. Understandably, the ogres in the books aren’t look like that from the proportion of arms to the weird tusks. This ogre also got six tusks instead of two.
“He was born this way.”
At her explanation, the twins turned back to the ogre. If his strange appearance was due to deformation, it would explain his disproportionately short and thin legs. In their last life, their dwarven friends had told them about mutation and variation within a species during one of their drinks. It didn’t cross their mind since their past ogre race has high selection factors. Children deemed unfit by their parents would be left to fend for themselves. None of those could live to adulthood since the primary criterion for selection is being weak. The twins and other multi-headed ogres were not abandoned despite their peculiar form because they could still hunt and take care of themselves. This ogre, however, wouldn’t be able to walk since birth. By the rule of their old world, he would be left to die. How he could live to this age is beyond their common sense.
“Does he have family, teach?”
“No, but he does have caregivers.” Clarinet cocked her chin at the elves standing by the ogre’s cart. Spending a moment to contemplate, she finally got the implication behind the boys’ question and added. “His family abandoned him since birth. I will save his story for later.”
If that’s true, his story must be a miraculous one. However, more importantly, what is an ogre doing here in an elven city? Not being prejudiced since they too were ogre just a life ago, but ogres of this world aren’t seen kindly by the elves. Plunderers, slaughterers, livestock snatchers, and savages… Descriptive nouns for the ogres are very unforgiving, at least in that book. Reading deeper into the narration, the ogres were more like pests than a sentient species. Then, there is only one thing left. “Teacher. What does he do?” From other’s reaction, he was quite the celebrity. The caravan even stopped midway to help him with his wagon. There should be a reason.
“He is a swordsmith.”
“He makes sword?” Randal pointed his finger in disbelief.
“Yup! Many great warriors, soldiers, adventurers, and the likes would love to have their own swords from him. He could make one for you someday.”
Randal glowed up, but his glow faded just as quickly as it appeared. If Randal was elven, everyone could see his ears drooped. “With that many great people waiting, my turn won’t come.”
Clarinet patted his head. “Don’t think so lowly of you. One day, he will make you a first-class sword.”
“You think so?”
Clarinet nodded with a smile. Teacher knew best.
Pressing his palms together, Kul’rak gratefully lowered his head to the caravan’s people. “My gratitude for your great help.” His caregivers too softened their look and gave a slow nod.
Gowen whispered to his brother. “You see that, right?”
“Yeah.”
That way of thanking originates from the Naga Empire. This empire owns the northern coastline and the Naga archipelago further up north. That region used to be home to the Kangona ogre. Could he be a Kangonan? Kangona ogres once got into conflict with the Naga Empire which resulted in the destruction of nearly all Kangonan settlements. What is the connection between a Kangona ogre and the elves of the Naga? For someone that couldn’t walk, he is very far from his ancestral land.
