Morning came gray and lifeless, and smoke from last night still lingered in the air. From the edge of the village, a lone caravan approached slowly. The priest the villagers had summoned the day before rode solemnly, his robes fluttering in the chill breeze. Cedric's eyes narrowed, a quiet tension settling over him.
A thin man with intense eyes, of average height, with an unreadable face, appeared. He was greeted respectfully by the villagers, and Cedric's team followed the rhythm. He was informed about the situation, his eyes and body steady, mouth closed as he looked over the burned bodies while the village chief explained the horrors.
He proceeded to perform a ritual, dripping his religious brush into a silver bowl filled with water, sprinkling it on the deceased and started howling cryptic words for hours. Everyone watched through it at the end, believing it helped somehow, excluding Cedric and Selara.
After the ritual was done, people dispersed. Cedric went up to the priest, "Greetings, High Priest, I am Cedric Alvyren, my father Rodric Alvyren, a Knight-Captain, and I myself a Captain."
The priest nodded, plain expression, "Nice to meet you, Captain Cedric Alvyren. How may I help you?"
Cedric gives a light smile, "I have heard such phenomena like this one have been occurring frequently; people say it points towards something impending, as written in the Holy Book."
The priest turns his head forward dismissively. "Maybe, but it's none of your business; you are a soldier, you obey orders, not ask questions."
Cedric clears his throat, and his smile widens. "Well I don't ask as a soldier but as a man of faith, isn't it your responsibility to interpret the Holy Book to the people, including me?" The priest ignored and climbed back to his car, as the villagers bowed down saying their goodbyes and thanks, the priest looked at Cedric one last time and glanced past him.
Cedric looks visibly tensed, he spits on the ground and calls for his team, "Selara! Orlen! Torric! We are moving out!
They ride back through the uneven road, the wind cold and the ground vibrating from the thumping of their horses. The trade route in sight, merchants called out their prices, stacks of crates and barrels lined the cobbled streets, and travelers hurried between inns and stables. Horses clopped on the stones, carts creaked under heavy loads, and the smell of roasted meat mingled with hay and the smoke.
As they approach the gate where the bulk of the soldiers are located, a harmless-looking young man with a perm calls out to them, his voice shaky and brows wrinkled, "Where have you guys been!! I was scared for you guys, Orlen just ran off with you guys like he saw the devil, I couldn't even sleep"
Torric "hush down Draviz", Selera "ironic how you are the one scared", Orlen sighs eyebrows raised "there were some problems up in the village we had to deal with". Draviz "huh!! Orlen you looked like you saw a ghost last night, now you are acting like nothing happened"
Cedric, with a steady voice, "We have dealt with it, forget about it. Either way you have anything to report to me on?"
Draviz "Ohhh Yeahh we are supposed to team up with .. umm, you know .. Wilaric.. to eliminate the bandits up north."
Cedric pushes his tongue through the inner sides of his teeth, making a hissing sound "Tskk.. Wilaric huh? What is General Rolith thinking? Why did he pair me with that prick?"
Selara hand-folded. "I guess he wants the most promising young captains to work together for the sake of the entire military. And I think you are more of a "prick" than him."
Cedric "Huh? So now you are taking his side? I always knew you had something for him. Why don't you join him?"
Selara's eyes furrowed, grabs her arm, "Cedric, what happened there with the priest? Your mood has been off ever since we met him."
Cedric looks away. "Prepare to move out, we will be heading soon!! Cavalry with me! Orlen, you and your squad, too, Silgard! Move with the infantry, and Draviz moves with the remaining units. Silgard nods, Draviz "Yes, sir, as you say", Orlen "aye, sir".
After preparation was done, they moved towards the north on the mountain. The full army moved, the hooves of the horses, the March of the infantry, creating visible tension in the atmosphere. The people looked with curiosity, the little kids waving as the army marched through.
In the distance, an army could be seen, similar in size, waiting at the foot of the mountain. As they approached, tension rose in the atmosphere. Onlookers looking at the sight of the military might in awe, a boy excitedly shouts, "I will join you guys soon, just wait for me to grow up." his father, with a bow in his back, holding a hunted game in his hand, joins in, "Kill those bandits for Good, God be with you."
A young man (19) with chainmail, 6 '0 in height, short straight hair, defined features with a cold gaze, his hand folded, looks over at the onlookers and shows his palm with a slight smile.
As Cedric and his army arrive, they notice the difference between their armors, weapons, and the overall appearance of the army in front. Orlen whispered, "One of the best-equipped units in the entire kingdom, dazzling in front of us, what a sight, maybe greet them nicely, Cedric." Cedric narrowed eyes with flared nostrils, "Huh! What a joke, it's all daddy's money."
Orlen "Uhh, what about you?" Heat rising through Cedric's cheeks, "What do you mean, what about me?". Orlen "uhh nothing".
The young man Wilaric, speaks up, "It seems like you guys aren't in a good mood, anyways we don't need any unnecessary trouble here. Let's get to the plan."
Cedric's eyes narrow, lips tight, "hmpfhh, and who decided we will follow your plan?" Selara whispers Cedric's name to make him aware of his words.
Wilaric, shrugging his hands, says, "There you go again, Cedric. I know you have this weird inferiority complex around me, but listen." Cedric shakes his head, his lips flaring. "Tskkk, inferiority complex you say ?? Look around, none of your men likes you."
Wilaric continues, "They don't have to, they just have to follow my orders, anyways, like I was saying, we have intel about the bandits' whereabouts, they are likely situated at the back of the mountain southeast, they have around 200 men, poorly equipped. If we flank them from both sides at the same time, we will get out unscathed."
A man in his mid-30s (Volian) full beard and braided hair, with a scar on his left eyes, speaks up with a commanding voice "That's right, we just have to attack simultaneously from both sides, it's not much of an order, more of a common sense"
Selara speaks up, "He is right, Cedric. It is the most logical plan." Cedric raises his eyebrows, looks away dismissively, "Ahh whatever.r"
As they dismount from their horses and move uphill on the steep mountain, densely forested, the mosquitoes buzzing, birds
Chirping and owls howling, as they climb the mountain, it gets colder, snow can be seen on the top of trees and on the ground. Frostbite hits them, their hands freezing, a few trembling.
Wilaric's team, fully prepared for the cold winter, moved swiftly; they departed from the general direction to the other side.
Cedric and his team continued moving; Orlen and his scout team were ahead. As they got closer to the back of the mountain, the wind shifted, and an uneasy feeling struck Cedric. Draviz looked worried as usual, his brow wrinkling. "This is bad. What if the rebels detect our movements? They just have to release some arrows and drop some stones to destroy our rank."
Selara, her voice heavy, "That's true, we will basically be immobilized."
Cedric furrowed his eyes, a cautious look. "Maybe, but we have Orlen, he will warn us before that happens."
"What's taking the scout team so long to report back?" Selara says. Cedric visibly tensed "Don't worry, keep faith in Orlen".
The narrow trail widened into a small clearing pressed against the slope, where roots tangled with exposed stone. At the end of the right corner, the path got narrow again, leading up. Just then, Orlen and his team dragged a man down, his eyes pierced by an arrow that went through his head, sticking out, with multiple shots in his chest and abdomen. Orlen hurried quickly down, breathing heavily. "They are up ahead waiting to ambush us, we can't go up!! They have archers, lots of them."
Cedric's jaw tightened, voice sharp, " Come up here, everyone, back to the rock." The south team quickly came under the cover and placed the deceased. Just as Cedric peeked out from the edge, an arrow fshh right beside his ear. He jolted back immediately. "We can't move forward, their archers are stationed up."