Hours after the feast, Seth swerved towards his tent in slow, broken steps. On his way, he nearly tripped over a tent peg twice and laughed out in triumph each time he missed. The other soldiers that stumbled along with him laughed with him too, and a few even cheered him on.

He’d taken Sera and Brick’s advice to heart and had thoroughly enjoyed himself. He even circled back to the argument and joined Sera in demolishing Brick. Splitting a vampire in half, he scoffed. Even his sister couldn’t manage that, and she had a fucking Light Rune. Though she lacked the entire set like a full Magic knight, she was as masterful as any in use of her single one.

He hoped he could be as skilled as she was one day. Perhaps after he’d gotten his own set, and she had completed her…if the gods ever deemed them worthy enough.

Seth frowned. His fear of the coming Judgement remained still. It lingered on after everything that had been said and drunk. He sucked in the night air. It smelled of fresh grass, booze, and blood.

‘Perfectly horrible,’ he thought. Though he was in no hurry to go to Brightmont, he would not miss the borderlands. Besides, Brick was right. Worst case, he’ll be reassigned to a village like Copeland and get another go at runes in a few years. They’ll be a lot less fighting, and it would be safer than serving at the frontlines.

He nodded to himself at his drunken logic and continued to stagger towards his tent.

He navigated past a well they’d dug earlier that year, a few camping fires set out by guards who were on duty that night-- the unlucky bastards-- and a sea of identical mud-colored camping tents.

He smiled as he side-stepped another peg, rounded a corner, and popped out in front of a humble patched cloth tent propped up by a rudimentary frame. It was his tent, and he was looking forward to the last night of good sleep he’d be having for a while. They were to march early the next morning.

Just as he moved to go in, he noticed the silhouette of a woman lingering in the dark, and his entire body tensed. He shifted into a fighting stance before his eyes narrowed. “Ellie?”

“You looked like you’ve seen a ghost, Seth,” Ellie said, a smile tugging at her lips as she stepped out into the light. Ellie was a tall, dark-skinned woman with blue eyes and white hair, with near-identical facial features as Seth.

“I thought you said you’d be gone till tomorrow morning. We missed you at the feast,” he said, barely managing to string together his words. His head still spun from all the alcohol.

“I did,” she responded, “but I finished early, so here I am.”

Seth forced his mind to focus on her and noted she still wore her scouting armor. It reflected no light, its chest piece covered with dull multicolored runes. They were enchanted not to squeak when she navigated through foliage and shielded her from most detection spells, which was ironic considering her magic rune shot a concentrated bolt of light.

“Forgive me,” he said, massaging his forehead. “I drank a bit too much at the feast. You just startled me, that's all.”

“It’s fine,” she waved. “On my first term serving, I was drunk by the end of most feast nights,” her smile deepened in nostalgia. “An old teammate, Hendricks, had to drag me back to my tent just so I didn’t sleep on the grass. It was well before...well, everything went to shit,” her eyes darkened.

“Come, Seth,” she said as she walked past him, “the General needs to see us.”

“The General. What for?” his pulse spiked. He feared for a moment that the General had somehow heard his drunken whining but dismissed that thought almost immediately. He had better things to do than worry about drunk soldier gossip.

“I can’t say much out here,” Ellie lowered her voice. “All I can tell you is that I might have stumbled upon something that could change everything for us.” She spun around almost immediately and disappeared into the sea of tents, no doubt on her way to talk to Sera and Brick.

“Change everything,” he mouthed. A nervous chill ran up his spine, and his heart thumped with a strange excitement. Seth almost laughed out loud. Her mission had no doubt been successful. He cleaned his face with a splash of cold water from a bucket he kept by his tent, sobering up. If this was what he’d hoped it was, he had to look presentable. He gave himself a few more slaps to perk his mind up and made his way to the heart of the camp.

Seth and the remainder of the team stood across from a square-jawed, mustached giant of a man as their captain, Ellie, explained away her findings. The General looked to be in his late forties, but every soldier in his army knew he was much older than that.

The tent was tastefully decorated with beast skin rugs, large bookcases, and several magical contraptions covered in dull runes. Seth, Brick, and Sera tried and failed several times to stand at attention--which was both hands clasped behind their backs with a straight spine and a plain face. They were used to presenting the best selves before the man that solely controlled their future, but the night of drinking had taken its toll.

“I told you we should have drunk so much,” Sera whispered to Brick. Apparently, they had gone hunting for even more wine after Seth left them. They found several tables filled with sickly sweet wine, untouched by junior knights and uptight nobles.

“Yea, but you said that I couldn’t outdrink you. I could let you go on thinking that,” he whispered back, but he wasn’t as quiet as Sera was.

Seth ignored them and tried his best to stay abreast of the conversation. The General sat on his wooden throne, dressed in a tasteful green robe that shone with minor runes and circling inscriptions. Marvelous, he thought.

The secrets of Runescriving never ceased to amaze him, though he didn’t have the talent to write himself. He caught himself drifting, so he refocused himself with a shake and drifted back to the General. The man listened with his face schooled and an ever-placid stare that always unnerved Seth.

“...it was rather odd, sir. I saw no movement on the edges of the ruins by the Foglands,” Ellie explained, “but, when I drew closer, I found an armored squad of elite half-bloods and two vampire knights patrolling the ground, as well as some protective runes I could recognize. The others were a mystery to me. Dark and twisted, I suspect it might be shadow magic.”

The General’s eyes widened, and he unleashed his magic. The entire room shuddered, and layers of complex writings burst forth from all corners of the tent. The General snapped one of his massive runed fingers wrapped in a gauntlet of bronze and silver.

Seth felt the fogginess slip from his body as it tightened in fear. Brick and Sera crumbled to their knees by the suddenness of it all. Only Elle stood unflinching.

Gods have mercy, Seth internally gasped at the sight.

It was just as frightening as he remembered it to be, the General’s magic. The very air thickened, and he felt a pull from the earth so strong, his body nearly crumbled. But for some reason, he held on. The strength, the weight, the power; it excited Seth.

“Are you sure!” the General demanded, his voice thundered and echoed off the tent walls. The very air whipped in rage, and Seth saw his sister shiver.

“Yes,” she whispered, at first, before reaffirming with a bolder voice. “Yes, General. I’m certain. They resemble none of the runes I have seen at the temples of the six.”

Seth looked onto the General, and he saw something that seemed almost alien on the juggernaut of a man: concern. But it faded so quickly Seth thought he’d imagined it. The whipping stopped, and the weight lifted, but the sigils at the corners of the room held.

“Gather around the table, all of you.”

Seth, Sera, and Brick scrambled towards the General’s table, and Elle slowly joined them. The General eyes panned the room, briefly touching every individual member.

“What you’re about to learn will not leave this barrier, is that clear?” he warned in a low voice.

Every member of the Ravens acquiesced with fervent nods, and the General fished a small metal ball covered in glowing white runes. It blinked to life to reveal a familiar sight. It was a model of the entire Empire rendered in solid glowing light. Everything from the south sea to the mountainous east, where the Vraphen empire ended, was rendered in vibrant shades of molded light. They seemed almost ethereal yet strangely tangible. It boggled his mind. Before Seth could get a closer look at it, the light began to vibrate and reform.

A solid wave of the General’s hand commanded the construct to bring forth the south markers, where the borderlands began and pulled them deeper into the war-fraught landscape with a tug from his fingers. It showed two other armies just like theirs, scattered through towns and fortresses. A final wave took them to the very heart of the borderlands where the vampire territories began to a flatland atop a small hill bordered by a boundless obscured forest. It was where their camp stood.

The moving lights structured and restructured mesmerized Seth. It filled him with the same childlike awe he had when he witnessed his sister use her rune for the first time. Ever since then, he’d been obsessed.

“This is a light seer’s map,” he said, noting the team’s surprise. “It’s a gift given to all Generals and certain special forces in the Emperor’s army. It shows the largest physical changes to landmarks within the Mormon Empire.”

He led them down the hill and concentrated on a scorched and ruined stretch of land that bordered a forest.

“After our victory over Vraphens forces, most of their leadership died, and the survivors should have instantly rejoined the rest of the Night army, leaving the surrounding areas of the Foglands deserted,” the General explained. “I sent Harkness and a team of fellow magic knights to investigate, but clearly, they didn’t search deep enough,” his scrutinizing eyes fell on Ellie in doubt.

“I wanted to be sure, sir,” she muttered, and he turned his attention back to the team.

“They could have delayed their return for several reasons, none of them good. I fear that they might be preparing a massive magical counterattack against the army, or worse, the Empire.”

The General’s words sent a visible wave of dread through all present. Sera gasped. Brick shifted on his feet, and Seth felt a migraine coming on. When his attention shifted to his sister, he found that she was oddly composed--almost as well as the General himself when he was not faced with something that threatened the Empire. Was this what she meant by ‘changing everything,’ his scrambled mind wondered.

“Whatever they’re up to, it must be stopped,” the General growled with a surprising show of aggression. “We’ve toiled and fought for more than a decade now, and because of my son’s blunder-- I thought the enemy had been taken care of and sent word ahead. The Emperor wants us back at Brightmont. It cannot be delayed, and so I find myself in a precarious position.” The General folded his thick arms, turning pensive.

“What are your orders, General?” Ellie slowly said. Seth and the rest of the team shared an uncomfortable look of worry. ‘No, she couldn’t be suggesting...’ he wondered, but the General finished the frightening thought for him.

“Lead your team into the Foglands and exterminate the threat,” the General’s baritone voice rang out, and Seth’s stomach dropped.

“General,” Sera spoke up and looked back at her horrified team before continuing, “I don't think we are qualified to handle a threat so… sensitive.”

“Of course, you are not,” the General said with a brusque tone, “but under the circumstances, I would have no other team deal with something this sensitive. Of course, you’ll be given runed weapons and armor to ensure you can handle vampires, and you’ll be escorted by Hanson, a fine junior knight with a respectable mastery of his Fire runes...”

The General’s words faded, and Seth’s heart thumped so loud, he feared the General would hear. He wanted nothing to do with this.

Vampire knights? Half-bloods were children next to full-blood vampires. They wielded monstrous strengths, fast, and healed quicker than most soldiers could strike. Worst still, the older ones were masters of illusions and combat, who laced their blades with shadow magic.

Even with a magic knight on their side, defeating one was next to impossible, not without casualties. Was the General asking them to die? His eyes wandered over to his other teammates, and they were similarly horrified. Brick’s face handled emotions better, but he visibly conflicted, and Sera was trying her hardest not to panic. Only his sister seemed somewhat tamed as the General dished out instructions.

“... I expect you by the gate before the break of dawn. Your gear will be delivered to you well before then. I wish you the very best, Team Raven.”

“Yes, General,” Ellie offered a somewhat tense deep bow, and the General nodded back. He raised his runed hand, and with a snap, he dispelled the barrier. The remainder of the team awkwardly saluted the General, the weight of the news and booze numbing their senses and fear. They’d made their way to the entrance of the tent and drawn back the flap back to exit when General spoke again.

“I know what I have asked you to do is...difficult, but you have never failed me. Succeed this one last time, and I promise you all full sets of runes, even if your judgment was less than favorable.”

The very tent seemed to fade away as Seth grappled with the implications of the General’s promise. A deluge of emotions whipped through Seth faster than he could blink, and his eyes fell on his sister in understanding. She must have planned this.

He’d not fully grasped the scope of her plan when the General had given the order, but now he understood. She was planning to rig their coming Judgement ceremony with the General’s help.

And from his words, Seth suspected that he wasn’t simply going to putting in a good word with the high priests either. He was suggesting something more damning-- Profane runes. Runes of power woven by Power-hungry mages and heretics of the dark towers. He’d heard that the Holy Inquisitors stamped them out years ago.

“Thank you, General!”

Ellie’s salute brought him back to the tent, and he noted that he was the only one not in salute. So, he quickly joined the rest of the team in a deep bow, with the flat of his hand on his chest and the other tucked behind.

“No need,” he waved. “There will be greater gifts to come should you serve well. The runes are only the beginning,” he said with an easy confidence that further terrified Seth. His refined countenance, overpowering presence, and physique-- they were all testaments of years or labor and loyalty to Mormon. Why would he put himself at risk by offering a bunch of knight candidates profane runes?

They left the General’s tent with mixed expression and droned on in silence. They stopped a low burning fire near the edge of the camp and stood for several minutes, giving themselves time to process the General’s promise. The fire was freshly abandoned, its former residents now lingering amidst the sea of tent patrolling and watching. It glowed in the moonlight, sending spindling embers up with each crackle and pop.

“What the gods name just happened!” Sera said, shattering the silence.

“We got fucked is what happened,” Brick supplied. “He’s sending us off to face fucking half-bloods and vampires. We’re going to die, aren’t we?” he added with a nervous laugh.

“No, we’re not,” Ellie said, watching the dull flame dance. She raised her eyes to meet Brick’s, “You heard him. He’s sending us a powerful Knight and enchanted armor. He wouldn’t do that if he wanted us to fail. This is an opportunity."

“Opportunity,” Sera scoffed. “That is the craziest thing I have heard all night, and I just had the fucking General promise us runes.” She furiously whispered the last part.

Ellie shook her head and waved a dismissive hand. “The danger is less than you estimate. You heard the General. The runes are only the beginning. Think about it. You won’t need to rely on the church alone for power,” her eyes glazed in the firelight. “This could change everything.”

“What you are talking about is blasphemy,” Sera said, her face marred with terror. “You will bring the inquisitors down on us. They still burn us all on suspicion alone and will wipe our families if they discover any truth to our charges.”

She turned to Brick and Seth, her eyes begging for support, “We’ve performed better than any other team in our division. The gods know this and come Judgement, we will be rewarded. We don’t need to do this.”

Seth saw so much fear in her sky blue eyes; they mirrored his. The General’s honeyed words replayed in his mind. The potential, the power, the promise. He wanted runes more than anything. More than air, he felt like. After everything he’d gone through to get here, he felt he was owed that much, yet he knew it was too risky.

The General said he chose them because there were no other immediate options, yet he was bringing in another Knight to support them. So maybe he was not as limited as he led them to believe. Even if he was, why would he risk everything for them?

He concurred with Sera. As desperate as he was for runes, he was not keen on risking his life on a suicide mission for runes that could have them murdered. Serving at a nameless town seemed far more interesting.

His eyes panned the room, fixing on Ellie's. They shone with excitement he recognized. It was the same look in her eyes when she forced them to start taking jobs in Kopesh. The dark brotherhood nearly gutted them, but it had been worth it—at least according to her.

It bristled him that she would do this without talking to him. While he drank away his worries, she schemed to make sure she got runes at Judgement. Though he was upset, he admitted that the plan was not entirely insane. She would get her runes one way or the other. It would have worked if the General could be trusted, or they didn’t have to fight fucking vampires.

He breathed heavily into the low burning fire. Despite every bone in his body telling him otherwise, he supported his Sister. “The General is more powerful and wiser than we knew,” he said, his voice near monotone. “If he said that he can guarantee runes and help us avoid the uncertainties of Judgement, I say we take it.”

He avoided Sera’s eyes as he finished. She’d understand. Family came first.

With his vote decided, their attention fell on Brick. The giant folded his thick arms and stared into the fire as he began.

“All of you are treating this like we have a choice. The General’s gave orders, not suggestions, and our opinions don’t fucking matter.” His words chilled Seth to his bones. He nearly chuckled at the absurdity of it all. He’d deluded himself into thinking he had a choice.

“We are going to be fighting those Vampires whether we want to or not. The way I see it, we should treat it as an opportunity like the captain suggested. This is just another mission we have to complete, but this time we get rewards,” a greedy smile crept on his face, his cutthroat roots coming to the fore. “We collect our rewards when they come. Getting partial runes is not an option anymore. Like Ellie said, we’re fighting for our lives now,” he said.

Ellie’s armored hand clapped down on Brick’s shoulder, “he is right. Our opinions are irrelevant, not while we’re still borderlands. All we can do is prepare and give it our best.”

Sera stared at her with a glare hot as the fire. “Oh, you would like that very much, wouldn’t you! Have us march into the fog lands, fight by the skin of our teeth for lies.”

Her voice nearly cracked. “Why did we fight or volunteer for any of those missions? Why did we put in any real effort to gather all that merit only to be forced to our death? I say we have faith in the gods and report to the priests. They could-”

“What?” Ellie cut her off, glaring at her with a stare equally as intense. “Save us? Help us? If we tell them what we know, we flout the General’s only rule?”

“For gods’ sake, who do you think the priests would believe, a General or a rabble of knight candidates? We don’t matter to the Empire, not yet. The church would burn us before they touched the General. Obeying him is the only way we are getting out of this alive. If we wipe out the ruined temple as he asked, we will be rewarded.”

“Or he’ll cast us to the wolves…,” Seth wondered out loud. His words gave way to a mounting silence that weighed on each team member.

“I suppose the real question is do we cast our lot with the General or the church?"

“Both are equally dangerous,” Brick chipped in.

“Damned if we do, damned if we don’t,” Ellie said, and everything circled back to Sera.

She stared into the fire with a fierce scowl and said, “May the gods have mercy on our souls.”