Chapter 10 “Wake up, wake up! The big day’s finally here! Get yourselves dressed and report to the Winter Gate for roll call!”

The Initiates bolted out of their beds with the speed of lightning. Victor rubbed his eyes, and threw himself on the floor. The quarters were lively with the sounds of people cheering and laughing with one another as they changed into their adventurer’s attire. The great day had come at last, and not a moment too soon as far as Victor as concerned. I wonder what my mother would about all this.

After changing his clothes, Victor slung his sword and the supply bag he had prepared in advance over his back, and left the stale quarters behind him. The main door was fully open when he came out of the stairwell. He and his fellow guild members marched through the door one by one in a steady rhythm. Unbeknownst to him, William had quietly shuffled behind him, now with a crossbow slung over his back in the place of his regular bow.

Clouds shrouded the skies over Ravens Hill. The sounds of commerce behind the timber framed houses could vaguely be heard over the guild members marching in the streets. The North Gate, also known as the Winter Gate by some locals, was a short walk removed from the guild headquarters. Victor glanced over his back. He finally spotted William stepping along behind, trying his best to conceal his nerves. Their eyes met; both laughed and greeted each other.

The portcullis of the Winter Gate had already been raised when they arrived. The town guards wished them well on their journey in broken Lokahnic. They were imperial recruits; the imperials had agreed to take over civil defense duties for the duration of the expedition, as had been the case for all other expeditions the Civil Defense had gone on.

Victor and William passed through the Winter Gate. The road turned from pavement to coarse dirt, rolling onwards into the plains north of the city. The guildmaster waited in front of a half completed formation with his arms crossed. A cool breeze rustled the grass, as the two Initiates lined up.. Victor stood on the far right next to the wide dirt road, with William next to him on his left.

The Ravens Hill Plain lay wide open before him. Green fields and colorful meadows sprawled from the city hill to the treeline in the distance, the dirt road crisscrossing through every step of the way. Flocks of sheep grazed lazily away at the grass, their shepherd standing astute besides them, and birds darted through the sky in search for insects to dine upon. Victor smiled to himself. Already this expedition has been worth it.

As he admired the sight, a man wearing a dark blue robe and hood walked past. A startled Victor turned his sight to him, and watched him line up next to the guildmaster. A purple pattern with a gold trim ran through the middle of the man’s robes, and a hammer symbol was pinned to his chest. His young face scanned the crowd, as the last guild members joined the formation.

The guildmaster skimmed through roll call. Everyone was present, as had been expected. No one knew what the punishment for not joining the expedition was, and no one wanted to be the first to find out. “Alright, before we leave, I want everyone to meet Roderick.” The young mage put his hand up, and smiled lightly. “As you know, I said that a junior wizard would come along with us. Roderick is that wizard. Please, for the sake of human decency and good relations with our imperial friends, don’t be too harsh on him. Understood?”

“UNDERSTOOD, SIR!”

“Good to see that’s settled.”

Victor raised an eyebrow. The guildmaster’s demeanor was far more pleasant than usual. Either he tried to make himself look good to his guest, or potential repercussions hung over his head, keeping his grumpy self at bay. “Now then, Roderick. Do you wish to introduce yourself to my men?”

The wizard fluffed up his purple collar. “It’s my pleasure to, Jonathan. Greetings to you, members of the Ravens Hill Civil Defense. My name is Roderick, Junior Arcanist of the Imperial Wizard Corps, and I will be coming along with your expedition. I wish us all the best of luck on this journey.”

The guild members stared lifelessly at Roderick. The veterans nodded at him in acceptance, the others kept their acknowledgement of him at mere tolerance. Victor didn’t bother to do even that. Why are we bringing this man with us? Does he need something from us? ...Do we have to take him with us?

“Okay, listen up men! I want the Veterans in the front and back, the Initiates in the middle, and the Members in between! Hurry up, form on the road!” the guildmaster shouted. Without fail, the guild members did as he commanded in the span of a minute. Victor and William stood next to each other near the middle. The guildmaster and Roderick walked in a straight line to the front of the formation. “Alright men, forwards!”

In an instant, the column marched out over the dirt road winding across the plains. As they did, the cloud layer darkening the skies dispersed. The warm rays of the sun beamed the plains yellow. The plains rolled as far as the eye could see on both sides of the column. To the west, the estates surrounding the Fogbound Lake lay on the horizon. To the east, across a giant meadow of red, purple, blue and white intersecting one another, a few small farmsteads stood by the treeline.

Gusts flowed visibly in waves across the grass and meadows towards the column, interrupting any small talk that took place as the wind flew into people’s ears. Most paused their conversations; the treeline drew closer with every footstep, and they knew the dense forests would greatly weaken the wind’s strength. With all talk suppressed for the moment, the column marched onwards to the sound of their own boots, and the constant squalls assaulting the plains.

Ten minutes after leaving, the column crossed the treeline into the Nightsilk Forest. It carried that name for a reason: The woods were infamous for its dense trees that blocked out almost all light, and them being the home of the Dragonspider, named after the pattern resembling scales covering their hides.

The small talk fired up again as the darkness grew thicker with every step forwards. It wasn’t possible to see beyond a few trees into the woods. Victor squinted his eyes a few times, but to no avail. Then, a halt order was shouted from the front of the column. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.

Victor groaned. “Ugh, has no one considered bringing a few torches along?” he mumbled under his breath, and then turned to his companion. “Hey Will, do you…Will? What’s happening?”

“I don’t know. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all,” William said. That was a massive understatement: his whole body shivered, his legs in particular were ready to take off out of the woods at any moment.

Victor shook his head, and held William’s shoulders with both hands. “Will, you’re not fooling anyone. Stop being so scared. We’re with more than a hundred against a little dark, what is there to be afraid of?”

“Well, there is, um,” William paused, and bit his lip. “Eric told me of these massive spiders lurking in these forests, and we can’t see them.”

“Again, we’re with many. If we can’t handle a few forest animals, then this expedition wouldn’t have been a thing to begin with,” Victor said. A strange sound became louder as they spoke. The woods before them were now basked in blue light.

“What’s that noise, Vic?”

“I don’t know, Will.“ Victor stood on the tips of his toes, trying to get a better view of the front of the column. A bright blue orb had risen into the air, emanating sharp light into the surrounding area. Victor sank back to his feet. “Oh, looks like it’s that wizard’s doing. He’s casting… whatever that is supposed to be.”

Then, the orb exploded into a blinding flash. The guild members shielded their eyes. When the blast of light passed, they peeked through their fingers to see the forest covered in a bright blue hue. Now one could see deep into the thick forest. Tall black flowers rose up in miniature clearings, and colonies of mushrooms gathered around the trees. To their right, a Dragonspider skulked around its webbed nest, hunting for small prey.

“Look, on your right.” Victor said, stretching an arm out over William’s shoulder.

William shivered. “T-that’s one of those-”

“Yes, that’s a spider alright. But see how docile it is?” said Victor. The Dragonspider skulked on, continuing its hunt for small animals to feast upon. “It probably had been next to us this whole time, yet nothing happened, did it?”

“N-no, nothing happened.”

Victor’s lips curled slightly upwards. “See? We’re going to be fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Forwards!” commanded a veteran at the front. The guild members unanimously obeyed him, as they had done before, and marched on. His feet crunching in the dirt, William observed the orblit forest with amazement beaming from his face.

“Wow, I didn’t know wizards could do this,” William said.

Victor snorted, and reached for the leather canteen attached to his belt. “Well, turns out that bringing a wizard with us was the right idea.” He opened the canteen, and took a sip.

William gave Victor a puzzled stare. “What makes you say that, Vic?”

“Say what?”

“Well, it sounded like you didn’t like this wizard at all until now.”

Victor took a breath through his teeth. “Can we discuss this quietly? I don’t want the guildmaster to hear about it,” he whispered.

“Sure,” William said with a timid nod.

“Right. I wasn’t interested in the slightest by this wizard, that’s true. I still don’t really agree with it, to be honest. First off, our goal is to raid a bandit hideout, or something like that, correct?” Victor said. William nodded. “Right, we’re raiding some run down slum in the middle of the woods crawling with highwaymen. Yet we’re bringing a frail wizard wearing a flimsy robe with us, why? If just one of those guys charges at him with a dagger, or one runaway arrow flies right at him, he’s as good as dead.”

William shrugged, and bit his cheek. “I don’t think it will be that bad. We can protect him from that sort of thing, can’t we? There’s enough of us for that, right?”

“Well yeah, but still. There’s always that risk that it will. Besides, what’s the guildmaster’s excuse going to be should it happen? I don’t think a simple sorry will cut it.”

“That’s true, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think the guildmaster knows that it won’t be pretty if he dies, so I think he’ll be cautious.”

The leaves overhead rustled in the wind. Victor softly groaned, and lifted his canteen up to his lips again. “Anyway, what’s your second reason?” William asked.

Victor wiped his lips dry, and stashed the canteen back in the slot on his belt. “He’s an imperial,” he said.

“Uhh...is that everything?” William replied dumbfounded.

Victor threw his hands in the air. “What more is there to say? I don’t like having someone who isn’t one of us running around. Hasn’t the guild done everything expected of us by ourselves just fine? Why do we need someone else now?”

“Is… that really an issue? A few extra hands couldn’t hurt too much.”

“That, well yeah, that’s true and all, but… nevermind.” Victor scrambled to come up with a response. William attempted to get a word in, but was stopped by Victor holding his hand up. “There’s something else about him being an imperial.”

“Which is?”

“What if he’s not here to help us... but to watch us? I have this feeling that there’s more to this than meets my eyes.”

“What makes you say that?”

Victor sighed. “It’s just the suddenness of it all. Why we’re taking someone else with us when we were just fine before by ourselves.”

William shook his head. “I think you’re being paranoid. I don’t think they would have a freshman wizard spy for them, those don’t seem like good candidates for that. Besides, the only people they spy on are those dragon rebel groups, not people like us,” he said.

“I guess you’re right. I don’t know, though. I really don’t,” Victor said.

“Hey, do you want some water?” William held his canteen up to Victor’s face.

“Yes, I could use some right now...” Victor said belatedly, and grabbed the canteen from William’s hand. He took a small sip before handing it back. He still had plenty of his own water left, and it would be rude to drink up most of William’s reserve.

The trek continued onwards. Large stretches of dense, blue-tinted forests passed, and left behind with them was any spectre of danger.Victor enjoyed himself; even William was soothed by the forest. There was beauty to be found here in the calming darkness of the woods. Dragonspiders lurked about hunting critters through clearings and vegetation, indifferent to the men marching nearby. Nature’s magnificence stood proud on display here.

Alas, the splendor of nature had to end eventually. Long after the sense of time was lost. the column reached a giant barren clearing in the woods. Another halt order was shouted from the front. The sun had already passed its zenith. Unease crawled up Victor’s spine. The clearing was quiet, too quiet as a matter of a fact.

“Everybody, sit amongst those of your rank! It’s lunchtime!” shouted a Veteran, as the back of the column passed the treeline.

Victor sighed in disappointment. He wanted to have Eric to talk to again, as he hadn’t done so for quite some time. But, rules were rules, and to cross them was to cross the guild master. He dropped himself down on a patch of empty dirt by the edge of the clearing, where he rested his back against a small dirt wall. William followed his lead. He tossed his sword and supplies next to him, and peeked over his shoulder. Behind the wall was a ditch. This place looks man made. Not a chance that nature did this. Victor’s spine reacted again. Why does this place seem so-

“Ey look, it’s dumb and dumber!” Victor was brought out of his thoughts by roars of laughter. His head shot back forwards. A rowdy group stood some meters removed from them, their arms outstretched at him and William. “You two bound together? Or is there some ‘positive energy’ between you two?” The group roared in laughter once more, and walked off.

Victor’s blood boiled as it blasted through his veins. His face and breathing reddened with anger. A cold object found its way into his right hand. Instinctively, he grasped it, and was compelled to strike straight at one of those little heads sitting down for lunch. Those coats of colored fur wouldn’t provide much resistance to the damage he could do.

“Vic? What are you doing?”

The haze on Victor’s mind faded. A breeze blew against his hot cheeks, cooling them down. Victor glanced at his right hand. It held the hilt of his steel sword. He stared back out to the clearing. It was quiet; everyone was busy with their lunch. Victor sank back to the floor, and tossed the sword to his side. “Sorry,” he said.

“That’s kind of extreme, Vic,” William said. “What if Eric was among them?”

Victor hesitated. “...Well, I didn’t see Eric with them, for one. Also, throwing insults for no reason is ‘kind of extreme’ as well, don’t you agree?”

William slowly nodded. “I guess. Did... anyone see you do that?” he said, gesturing with his arms as if he were wielding an invisible sword.

Victor panned the field again. “I don’t think anyone saw it. Look, they’re all stuffing themselves.” Indeed, the others paid no attention to the two Initiates. Either they ate, or they watched Roderick juggle magic into the air. Victor shook his head. “It’s like… we’re being abandoned,” he said. “Everyone casts us out like filth, and Eric barely even comes to us anymore. He’s been my friend for so long, and...” His face tensed up, as he turned towards William. “Do you feel the same, or is it just me?”

“Yes. I see where you’re coming from. I don’t get it either,” William said. “Let’s just eat. Better to forget about it all for a while.”

The two reached into their supply bags. Victor fished his afternoon bread out. Somehow, it had been flattened. Victor sighed, and rolled his eyes, and ripped a chunk off the bread. The freshness was long gone, but the sweet apricot spread still was a delight for the tastebuds. Victor chowed away at his meal, and drowned it with water after all had vanished down his throat.

The break didn’t last long. After the two Initiates finished, the call sounded to get back in formation, and soon the guild was ready to march the remainder of the distance to Autokratorberg. Victor glanced back at the clearing for a final time. It was as if the clearing stared back, even though it was a mere field devoid of vegetation. * * * The sun reached the edge of the horizon, as the walls of Autokratorberg emerged beyond the trees. The city was surrounded by a moat, separating it from the Nightsilk Forest to the south and west, and from the Sunlit Marshes to the north and east. A guard patrolling on the wall spotted the guild’s approach, and shouted to the sentries at the gate, who raised the portcullis.

A large regal statue greeted the guild as they entered the city. The square the statue was seated on was nearly deserted; the civilians still on the streets scurried away. Perfect conditions to get in formation, as the guildmaster indeed ordered. Victor hurriedly lined himself up. He stared at the statue. A golden plaque had been bolted against the side of the pedestal. ‘HIS ROYAL MAJESTY’ it read in Lokahnic, and continued in Justitian afterwards.

“Here we are. Autokratorberg. What do you think, men?” Victor eyed the area. The timber framed homes and stores of the city sprawled away from the square, squashed against the narrow district streets. The timber of the buildings themselves were, unlike the sterile white void of Ravens Hill, coated in vibrant colors. “By the way, have you looked behind you yet?” the guildmaster added. The guild members turned around, and their eyes met with a large mural painted on the city wall, picturing a blindfolded woman striking down various monsters with a golden gavel.

The guild members observed the mural with audible amazement. Victor put his hand on his chin. That’s really good. Why paint that here, of all places? “Beautiful, ain’t it?” the guildmaster said. “That’s lady Justitia you’re looking at, by the way.”

“Ah yes,” Roderick cut him off, “Our beloved goddess, who has brought peace and stability to the world, and watches over our great empire. It is thanks to her blessings that we are capable of standing up to the evils of this world.” Roderick snapped his fingers. A small magic flicker appeared at the tip of his pointer. “You ought to pay respect to her.”

“As long as you’re into that sort of thing, that is.” The guildmaster folded his arms. “Alright, listen up. You’re all probably exhausted after today, which is understandable. I’m sure you’re all wondering where you can stay for the night. Well, there are plenty of inns around this town that have agreed to spare some room for us. A mention that you’re with us will most likely net you a warm bed for the night. Other than that, there’s plenty of room in the local court specifically organised for us by our imperial friends. I don’t care where you choose to stay, as long as you’re back in this square come tomorrow morning. Understood?”

“YES SIR!”

“Good night.”

The guild dispersed into the darkened alleyways. Victor’s head dashed about in confusion. He hadn’t seen any map of Autokratorberg in the weeks leading up to the expedition. It was a struggle in itself to find the court building, the tall spires of which rose into the skies northwards. That didn’t help matters much, as there was no road leading directly north. Choosing the right street was a guessing game.

A hand tapped Victor on the shoulder. He flicked his head backwards. “How’s it goin’?” said Eric, William standing next to him.

Victor breathed a sigh of relief. “You bastard, it’s been ages! Where have you been?”

Eric shrugged. “Been busy with various things for some time . Sorry man, wish that hadn’t been the case. Now then. Let’s find somewhere to sleep, shall we?” The two initiates nodded, and followed his lead into the maze of Autokratorberg. Eric had come prepared with a map, only to discover that it was far too outdated to be of use. The map highlighted various Draconist temples, monuments and murals that no longer existed. It was a ten years ancient map, when the city was still Divinity’s Triumph. But city had been annihilated in the war, and Autokratorberg was built on its ashes.

Fortunately, the city today was not the maze that was cartographed on the map. The roads now stretched from one side of the city to the other. The path to the court lay clear before the company. The company took the first road north they ran into. ‘Dawn Street’ read a sign on the street corner. |Ironically, the colorful street lost all traces of sunlight as the company ran northwards. With one final turn, they had reached the court.

After a swift conversation between Eric and one of the guards in broken Lokahnic, the company was escorted into the court building. Gardeners applied the last touches for the day on the frontal garden as the company passed by. The guardsmen opened the front door just enough for someone to pass through. Inside, the guardsman took an immediate left down a stairwell, leading to the underground barracks.

Footsteps echoed through the torchlit halls below. The guardsman appointed them to a spare barrack, and wished them a good rest before running back to his post. William slowly pushed the door open. A lantern hanging in the back coated the room in a dim light. There were ten beds in total, five against each wall.

The company entered the barrack. Eric closed the door behind them, as he was the last to enter. Victor tossed his supply bag and sword next to the first bed his eyes met. “Well...here we are.” He pressed against the bed with his hand. Ah, that’s perfect. Too bad about that hideous color, though.

“Where is everyone? It’s quiet in here,” William said, sitting down on a bed close to the door. He took the crossbow off of his back, and carefully placed it against the wall.

Eric shrugged, and dropped himself on a bed at the far side of the room. “I’m guessing they’ve found some other place to sleep. Probably some cheap inn in the city.” he said, leaning backwards on the bed with his hands on the back of his head. “So… how’s your day been?”

“Could’ve been worse,” Victor said. He took his shoes off, and rolled onto his side.

“And you, Will?”

William paused for a moment. “What he said.”

“Is something the matter? You guys seem moody.”

Victor slowly propped himself upright. He kicked his legs over the edge of the bed, and met eyes with Eric. “It’s just… I’m not certain this expedition is going to end well.”

Eric raised an eyebrow. “‘Not going to end well’? What makes you say that, Vic?” he said. He then glanced towards William, who nodded towards Victor. “You too, Will?”

“Listen,” Victor said, before taking in a deep breath. “I don’t feel too well. And I don’t know why.”

Eric clicked his tongue, and kicked the shoes off his feet. “Maybe you caught the cold on the way here, I don’t know. How’s about you try sleeping it off? That would probably work.”

“...I guess so,” Victor said, suppressing a frown as best as he could. Deep down, it wasn’t a mere common cold. The true reason would get him into a long argument with Eric however, and for that he had no energy leftover.

“Well then, time to go to bed. Better to not be half asleep for the attack tomorrow, and better for you not to be sick, of course. Good night, guys,” Eric said.

“Good night,” the two Initiates replied. Eric doused the candle in the lantern. The room became pitch black, barring a strip of light from the threshold of the door. The company buried themselves under their bed sheets, and sleep came to guide Eric and William away from the world shortly afterwards.

Snores rumbled through the barrack. Victor turned on his side, away from the sound. Whether it was Eric or William doing it, he didn't know. Either way, it kept him awake, pondering. Why had his world turned its back to him? How can he trust his fellow guild members any longer, given that they don’t seem to trust him? Thinking about it made his head sting. He squeezed his eyes shut, and prayed for sleep to claim him.