Evacuation

[Kade Underbough]

This quest comes from the Corone Rangers mission board. Closed to Vramii.

Kade sat down on the plush grass of Radasanthia’s barony, making sure to cross his legs and lean against one of the few trees in the area in order to get comfortable. He let his rusty sword lay next to him, along with his bow and quiver, glad to be rid of the load for a short break. All around him, soldiers were stretching, chatting amongst themselves, or simply lying down to let their weary muscles rest. A few hundred soldiers sighed in relief when they were allowed the five minute break between marches. Still a few miles away, the Comb Mountains were starting to appear on the horizon. Hardly larger than hills when up close, the young bandit was surprised that he could already spot them. The knowledge that they were so close made his heart sink, as he thought about their mission.

Only a few miles away, at the foot of the mountain range, was the town of Evenhand. It was a haven and a post for the rebellious Corone Rangers, and a longtime bastion of the Ranger’s defense. The Empire’s past failings in taking the small town had only angered the government. Now Kade and his current allies were headed toward Evenhand with orders to do whatever they deemed necessary to take the town. Knowing the nature of some of his comrades, blood would undoubtedly be spilled.

He wasn’t one of those violent natured men. His reason for being in the Empire’s army was a rare one. Foolish enough to break into Radasanth’s prison to save his brother, he was quickly caught. Now, with the Empire always needing fresh troops to supply the civil war, he was more of a prisoner than a soldier. With his brother, Ramis, in the same position somewhere else, escape could not be considered an option.

“Hey Kade! Ready fer it?” Jared, one of the young conscript’s only true friends in the army, sat down next to him. Much older than most of the men in the army, Kade suspected that his companion relied a bit on some sort of combative magic to stay alive.

“For Evenhand? I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, but I wouldn’t necessarily call that ready, you know? I just don’t know ‘bout this. I mean, are we killing civilians and whatnot? Or just Rangers?” Killing anyone at all would make him unhappy, but the young man at least had some experience with killing an armed foe. His mind quickly reflected on his first kill and how it had made him feel like a murderer, regardless of it having been in self defense.

“Well, them townsfolk of Evenhand have joined the Rangers caused fer the most part, so I’d assume that if they put up some sort of resistance, we’ll have no choice. I doubt we’re gonna have to do much fighting though. My guess is the townsfolk will just surrender and accept the Empire’s rule for the time being, albeit grudgingly. Nah, you won’t have to do much killin’, cept a few angry Rangers, I’m sure.” He clapped his hand over Kade’s shoulder before moving on to talk to some other soldiers.

Kade gave him a false grin of acceptance until Jared was gone. He was beginning to feel like the Empire was truly his side of the war, but still had his doubts. It seemed as though good men fought for the Empire as well as alongside the Rangers. He struggled to make peace with the idea that he may need to kill good men for the sake of other good men. For the youth, it was a confusing notion that he had never had to deal with.

[Vramii]

The old mattress creaked suddenly as the druid sat stark upright. A cold bead of sweat trickled halfway down his brow before he reached up and wiped it away. Vramii's chest heaved as he sucked in large panicked breaths. His head raced even then from the nightmare which he had just escaped. He sighed, pleased with his realization that he was back to consciousness. The horrifying last image of that reverie still burned in his mind as if it would be imprinted forever into his thoughts.

"I could use a walk," Vramii thought, running his hand through his mid-length brown hair and massaging his head to relieve his troubled mind. He pushed himself off the worn mattress and onto his feet. Donning his leather garments and coat, he walked out the door of the inn, taking up his staff from its resting place beside the exit.

Outside, the night was coming to an end as the first signs of light crept slowly up from the east and the darkness was showing signs of fading. To the west, just outside of the town’s limits, the Comb Mountains could be seen stretching toward the sky. Although not the largest mountain range, the peaks loomed over the town, promising their protection.

Vramii walked briskly down a narrow alley, between two rows of taverns and other various general shops, toward the eastern reach of Evenhand, opposite the fatherly mountains. As he walked, he considered leaving before the general public arose and escaping the hurried antics of the townspeople. He did not wish to be disturbed or accosted by merchants or beggars. The druid continued on his way toward the western end of the town, thinking: “Yes, I believe it is time for me to depart.” He turned at the end of the alley and the wooden palisade was in plain view. The gate was drawn shut for the night. He would either have to wait another hour or so to leave, but to evade the people soon to awake he would have to scale the wall and sneak out. Not looking forward to the busy, troubling populous, he decided to make his escape.

Clang. the silence of the night was broken. The druid's head darted to the side, his narrow eyes honed in as his ears pinpointed the source of the sound. Clang. Again it sounded. Up in the bird’s nest atop the wall, a large, brass bell swayed as a figure stood next to it, poised for another strike. Vramii looked around, worried that he was the cause of the commotion. He ducked back into a nearby niche. Several rangers sprinted toward the bell tower. The scout atop it shouted down once. Vramii could not make out what he said. He quickly took stride until he was within earshot.

"Militia! Militia gathered a few miles out!" The young man shouted, desperately trying to relay his message. A few of the rangers scrambled away, dashing to inform the rest of their company what the young scout had seen.

“The Empire…” Vramii cursed under his breath. He was in Evenhand specifically because of his aversion for corrupt governments and their armies. “I’m not about to become one of their slaves,” Vramii thought as he took flight after the rangers. “And damn if I’m going to let that happen to the people here who have given me refuge.”

[Kade Underbough]

His musings on the possibility that killing men could be done out of morality was eventually ended by the barking command of a high ranking officer near the front of the armed force. More shouts from those lesser officers scattered throughout the makeshift camp spread the word all the way toward the back of the site, where Kade had hoped he might remain for a little while longer. His legs ached from endless marching, his right thigh feeling raw from his scabbard that rubbed against his thinly layered pants with every step. He was no soldier. He wasn’t even a man, by the typical standards of age, experience, or facial hair.

His own captain, Lionel, gave the youth a stern look, allowing him the chance to get up without reprimand. It was the closest thing to respect he had yet to receive from the battle-hardened leader. Naturally, as a mere thief and conscript in the Empire’s army, he didn’t deserve much more respect. He supposed that the longer he survived his missions in the war, the more likely his captain would eventually come to look at him with some feeling of camaraderie. Kade took the moment of silence to stand up quickly and ready his small number of belongings for another march. Lionel nodded, possibly out of approval, before continuing through the rest of his division of men.

The shuffling of feet and endless clanking of armor and weaponry stirred the otherwise silent night. As they began their concluding march to Evenhand, the dew from the untamed grassland slopped over Kade’s boots as though he were walking in a land of mud. The dampness of the Niema River Valley had a far reach, and he had accepted wet feet several days earlier as something he would have to deal with. The pickled skin of his toes and heels felt as raw as his thigh, and he dreaded what they might look like if he took of the cheap pair of boots that offered him very little protection. He was no soldier. Not even his clothes fit in with the rest of the men around him, sporting little more than worn clothing made of mixed cloth and inexpensive leather.

Most of the men marched with their own personal belongings, but some traveled with honorary banners declaring the small army as a loyal member of the Corone Empire. Others carried torches to light the way for the couple hundred soldiers. Jared seemed to take his own liberties whenever they marched, frolicking from comrade to pal to aquaintance. Kade would watch in awe and amusement as some officers would open their mouths, stop, and simply roll their eyes. Jared, the old veteran, commanded more respect than the young brigand would have thought possible of a lesser foot soldier.

To the east, morning was beginning to make itself known, spraying the sky with ever lighter pigments of orange and yellow. With the brightening sky, Evenhand sprang closer with every passing minute. Kade wondered at the sleeping town, wondered if it would be caught completely unaware of the coming assault. He found himself wishing he were further back in the rows of soldiers, hoping that he wouldn’t have to deal any undeserving death to the townsfolk. His hand trembled as he tried to keep a firm grip on his bow and beads of nervous sweat trickled down his neck.