Eternal
As much as you don’t like it, if even a third of what Klemto said is true, if you went ahead and did your own thing again, you could very well destabilize the kingdom even more, possibly even a civil war. You aren’t looking to become like Kane, and if it means you have to step down to preserve the kingdom, then that’s what you’ll do. It just frustrates you that after all you’ve done, you still aren’t trusted, but perhaps it will always be this way. If anything its perhaps something of a phenomenon that they accepted you in the first place, though if Warrick is anything to go by, it’s only to exploit you.
Resigned to your orders, you make preparations to pass your command to Dawn. She doesn’t like the news any better than you do, in fact she suggests that you should attack the Eternal Dominion anyway, but you explain the repercussions of such actions.
“But you did that with the gnolls and that worked out!”
“Yeah, and that was a different situation. Don’t have the luxury of doing whatever anymore even if I do think it would be in the kingdom’s best interest. Listen, you’re going to be in charge here, so I don’t want you doing anything rash either. No point in you getting into trouble, you understand?”
“Yes, but I still don’t like this. And I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Neither do I, but we have our orders.”
“Well maybe you like your orders, but I still don’t. If you’re not going to be commander here, then I don’t want to serve here anymore either.”
“What?! You can’t just throw away your career like that because of me! Besides without me here, this place is going to need a good leader.”
“I don’t care about all that. I care about you, and if the kingdom isn’t seeing fit to give you the respect you deserve then it doesn’t deserve me as a leader. Besides if all is so great as they claim then they won’t need me there.”
“I really think you should think this through. Besides what are you going to do, if not this?”
“I’m pretty sure with my vast skill set, I’ll find something, I’ll also probably move to the capital and get married.”
“Married?” you say not grasping her insinuation immediately, then when she touches your hand, you get it.
A lot of upcoming changes has been dumped on you this day, you just hope you can adapt to all of them.
Year 58
The Eternal Dominion gains ground every day, yet the people here in the capital act like everything is going well. If you’d attacked like you wanted to, the Felkan Kingdom wouldn’t have gotten caught off guard like it did. Warrick and whatever other spies the Felkan Kingdom had on the field were all fed bad intel, and while the soldiers in the Gan province fought well, the commander who was put in charge of the province was an idiot that allowed most of it get overrun. Even if shitty intel, you’re damn sure that you would’ve at least prevented that from happening. Dawn would’ve too.
You regret not ignoring orders and going through with your plan. Dawn isn’t as hard on herself, but she does sometimes wonders if she should’ve stayed on as commander of the Gan armies. But it’s too late for any of that now. The pair of you just go about your less exciting lives. She a combat instructor at an academy and you still head of security for the merchant’s guild.
In the beginning your job was slightly more engaging, with all the anti-gnome stuff going on. You even prevented a nutjob from blowing up the guild once. Nowadays the anti-gnome sentiment has more or less disappeared. It’s sort of hard to be angry at the little guys who are continuing to make weapons that blow up an enemy that’s bashing the door down.
As a result you’re mostly attempting to figure out the best guards for the various caravans that get sent out. Sometimes you go out on these as well just to break up the monotony. Predictably they’re always supply caravans to the frontlines so you can get the latest and best information on what’s going on, because the gods know that they never claim anything bad is going on in the capital.
Here, closer to the fighting is where you feel a little more comfortable. You really miss it. While your current married life with Dawn is good, and you have no major worries, you still feel the call of war, but you are unable to participate. It’s a very frustrating situation that you never get used to and you never will. It’s just not in your nature.
One day on one of your supply runs, you travel to a town called Yevdin which is in desperate need of almost everything as it is being held by only a few soldiers. Most of the civilians have evacuated save for a few of the stubborn ones unwilling to run. You respect that.
It’s of some surprise that you meet Warrick there; he’s equally surprised to see you as well. While you wait for the supplies to be unloaded, you go over and speak to him.
“What’re you doing here?” Warrick asks.
“Staving off the boredom of my current assignment, and you?”
“Waiting for my impending death.”
“Well at least your punishment will be over soon…I thought you were a captain. Why are you a sergeant now?”
“Got busted down for being wrong on the intelligence reports, all those years ago. I guess I should be lucky I didn’t get executed for gross incompetence. I really fucked up on that one.”
“Oh, I’d say you’re in good company as far as that’s concerned, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Besides even if you’d done your mission right, you might’ve just gotten drummed out of the military altogether.” You say.
After a brief discussion with Warrick, you learn that this town is facing an imminent large-scale invasion. Not that the town is really important, but it happens to be in the way of another important target, so it’s going to be overrun on the way. These supplies aren’t so much as to ensure the soldiers’ survival, but rather their survival long enough to make it a costly victory for the Eternal Dominion. Warrick doesn’t appear to be concerned though.
“So, I never did get the whole story, why’d you get removed?” Warrick asks
“Long story, but let’s just say I think the ones running things like things the way they are right now.”
“Surely you’re joking. Why would anyone in the Felkan Kingdom want this situation?”
You could tell Warrick all about the things you’ve overheard, things you’ve suspected and things you’ve outright seen just by being closer to the gnomes in the merchant’s guild. But it wouldn’t make any difference. Warrick’s been on a string for a long time now and despite his own situation, he seems in a very positive mood. Perhaps ignorance is bliss, or perhaps its because he’s still fighting and doing what he always was meant to do. The same thing you were meant to do.
“Come on, we’ve delivered the stuff, let’s get the hell outta here!” the gnome merchant shouts to you.
“You go on ahead with the rest of the guards. I’m staying here.” You say.
“What?! Are you crazy? This place is about to be destroyed!”
“Yeah I know. Tell my wife I really tried, but that this is what I was meant to do.”
The gnome doesn’t try to talk you out of your plan, he just shakes his head and gets in the carriage ordering the rest of the guards to ride off as quick as possible. Warrick says nothing about your decision either. Even though the pair of you haven’t really been in close contact since you both served together in Nalin, he knows why you made your decision.
The next few days aren’t filled with impending doom, but rather one of contentment. In between keeping a look out, and checking your defenses you and Warrick do a lot of catching up on the past, though the pair of you mostly stick to the happier memories of when you both were in the Empire. The other soldiers listen in on your stories. They don’t quite get all of them, but seeing the good spirits of their leader, seems to put them in a slightly better mood as well. And that’s good, their last moments should be as unpleasant as possible, there will be plenty of time for that when the Eternal Dominion arrives.
Eventually the Eternal Dominion arrives with an impressively large force. The small part of you that believed you’d make this out alive shortly disappears, but this doesn’t make you second-guess yourself. You’re still comfortable in your decision and this is certainly preferable to what you’ve been doing for the past three years.
“Sir, it’s been an honor to serve with you.” Warrick suddenly says to you, even giving you the old Empire salute.
“The honor is both of ours.” You say.
“For the Empire, sir.”
“For the Empire, Warrick.” You reply.
The first volley of cannon shots strike the front ranks of the Eternal Dominion troops and the battle is joined…
“Prime Eternal, the town of Yevdin was taken, but we suffered massive casualties, we need reinforcements before we can take Fort Everlast.” A messenger says.
“What?! You idiots! You see what we’re working with here Brenda? I expect this sort of incompetence from our human soldiers, but that army had a good portion of Eternals in it! Bah! These new ones for all their extra abilities, they still lack that spark that we have!” Edgar cursed.
“Why did we suffer so many losses at Yevdin? Do the Felkans have a new weapon?” Brenda asks.
“Reports indicate no new weapon, but there were a group of soldiers that seemed to be incredibly determined. Even when the town was taken, a few of them had taken to an underground shelter beneath the town and skirmished with the force for five more days.”
“We should be so lucky to have Eternals such dedication.” Edgar mutters.
“Any description of these enemy soldiers?” Brenda asks.
The messenger reports that there was nothing out of the ordinary about any of the soldiers and doesn’t have a description since he didn’t know that it was important. He says he knows the leader had an eye patch which clues Edgar and Brenda that that was Warrick.
He also mentions one other that wasn’t in a soldier uniform, but was the last to be killed. Edgar and Brenda briefly wonder a bit, and then nod to each other before dismissing the messenger.
“It was stupid of the Felkans to remove him from command in the first place, but I guess even they couldn’t keep him off the battlefield forever.” Brenda says.
“No, and that was that spark I was referring to earlier. Just think if the pair of them had stayed here instead? Think of all the things we could’ve accomplished! Such a waste. Well it’s over now and with those two out of the way, I think our plan is going to be a lot easier.”
“True, but I still wish things had been different.”
“So do I Brenda, so do I.”
Resigned to your orders, you make preparations to pass your command to Dawn. She doesn’t like the news any better than you do, in fact she suggests that you should attack the Eternal Dominion anyway, but you explain the repercussions of such actions.
“But you did that with the gnolls and that worked out!”
“Yeah, and that was a different situation. Don’t have the luxury of doing whatever anymore even if I do think it would be in the kingdom’s best interest. Listen, you’re going to be in charge here, so I don’t want you doing anything rash either. No point in you getting into trouble, you understand?”
“Yes, but I still don’t like this. And I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Neither do I, but we have our orders.”
“Well maybe you like your orders, but I still don’t. If you’re not going to be commander here, then I don’t want to serve here anymore either.”
“What?! You can’t just throw away your career like that because of me! Besides without me here, this place is going to need a good leader.”
“I don’t care about all that. I care about you, and if the kingdom isn’t seeing fit to give you the respect you deserve then it doesn’t deserve me as a leader. Besides if all is so great as they claim then they won’t need me there.”
“I really think you should think this through. Besides what are you going to do, if not this?”
“I’m pretty sure with my vast skill set, I’ll find something, I’ll also probably move to the capital and get married.”
“Married?” you say not grasping her insinuation immediately, then when she touches your hand, you get it.
A lot of upcoming changes has been dumped on you this day, you just hope you can adapt to all of them.
Year 58
The Eternal Dominion gains ground every day, yet the people here in the capital act like everything is going well. If you’d attacked like you wanted to, the Felkan Kingdom wouldn’t have gotten caught off guard like it did. Warrick and whatever other spies the Felkan Kingdom had on the field were all fed bad intel, and while the soldiers in the Gan province fought well, the commander who was put in charge of the province was an idiot that allowed most of it get overrun. Even if shitty intel, you’re damn sure that you would’ve at least prevented that from happening. Dawn would’ve too.
You regret not ignoring orders and going through with your plan. Dawn isn’t as hard on herself, but she does sometimes wonders if she should’ve stayed on as commander of the Gan armies. But it’s too late for any of that now. The pair of you just go about your less exciting lives. She a combat instructor at an academy and you still head of security for the merchant’s guild.
In the beginning your job was slightly more engaging, with all the anti-gnome stuff going on. You even prevented a nutjob from blowing up the guild once. Nowadays the anti-gnome sentiment has more or less disappeared. It’s sort of hard to be angry at the little guys who are continuing to make weapons that blow up an enemy that’s bashing the door down.
As a result you’re mostly attempting to figure out the best guards for the various caravans that get sent out. Sometimes you go out on these as well just to break up the monotony. Predictably they’re always supply caravans to the frontlines so you can get the latest and best information on what’s going on, because the gods know that they never claim anything bad is going on in the capital.
Here, closer to the fighting is where you feel a little more comfortable. You really miss it. While your current married life with Dawn is good, and you have no major worries, you still feel the call of war, but you are unable to participate. It’s a very frustrating situation that you never get used to and you never will. It’s just not in your nature.
One day on one of your supply runs, you travel to a town called Yevdin which is in desperate need of almost everything as it is being held by only a few soldiers. Most of the civilians have evacuated save for a few of the stubborn ones unwilling to run. You respect that.
It’s of some surprise that you meet Warrick there; he’s equally surprised to see you as well. While you wait for the supplies to be unloaded, you go over and speak to him.
“What’re you doing here?” Warrick asks.
“Staving off the boredom of my current assignment, and you?”
“Waiting for my impending death.”
“Well at least your punishment will be over soon…I thought you were a captain. Why are you a sergeant now?”
“Got busted down for being wrong on the intelligence reports, all those years ago. I guess I should be lucky I didn’t get executed for gross incompetence. I really fucked up on that one.”
“Oh, I’d say you’re in good company as far as that’s concerned, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Besides even if you’d done your mission right, you might’ve just gotten drummed out of the military altogether.” You say.
After a brief discussion with Warrick, you learn that this town is facing an imminent large-scale invasion. Not that the town is really important, but it happens to be in the way of another important target, so it’s going to be overrun on the way. These supplies aren’t so much as to ensure the soldiers’ survival, but rather their survival long enough to make it a costly victory for the Eternal Dominion. Warrick doesn’t appear to be concerned though.
“So, I never did get the whole story, why’d you get removed?” Warrick asks
“Long story, but let’s just say I think the ones running things like things the way they are right now.”
“Surely you’re joking. Why would anyone in the Felkan Kingdom want this situation?”
You could tell Warrick all about the things you’ve overheard, things you’ve suspected and things you’ve outright seen just by being closer to the gnomes in the merchant’s guild. But it wouldn’t make any difference. Warrick’s been on a string for a long time now and despite his own situation, he seems in a very positive mood. Perhaps ignorance is bliss, or perhaps its because he’s still fighting and doing what he always was meant to do. The same thing you were meant to do.
“Come on, we’ve delivered the stuff, let’s get the hell outta here!” the gnome merchant shouts to you.
“You go on ahead with the rest of the guards. I’m staying here.” You say.
“What?! Are you crazy? This place is about to be destroyed!”
“Yeah I know. Tell my wife I really tried, but that this is what I was meant to do.”
The gnome doesn’t try to talk you out of your plan, he just shakes his head and gets in the carriage ordering the rest of the guards to ride off as quick as possible. Warrick says nothing about your decision either. Even though the pair of you haven’t really been in close contact since you both served together in Nalin, he knows why you made your decision.
The next few days aren’t filled with impending doom, but rather one of contentment. In between keeping a look out, and checking your defenses you and Warrick do a lot of catching up on the past, though the pair of you mostly stick to the happier memories of when you both were in the Empire. The other soldiers listen in on your stories. They don’t quite get all of them, but seeing the good spirits of their leader, seems to put them in a slightly better mood as well. And that’s good, their last moments should be as unpleasant as possible, there will be plenty of time for that when the Eternal Dominion arrives.
Eventually the Eternal Dominion arrives with an impressively large force. The small part of you that believed you’d make this out alive shortly disappears, but this doesn’t make you second-guess yourself. You’re still comfortable in your decision and this is certainly preferable to what you’ve been doing for the past three years.
“Sir, it’s been an honor to serve with you.” Warrick suddenly says to you, even giving you the old Empire salute.
“The honor is both of ours.” You say.
“For the Empire, sir.”
“For the Empire, Warrick.” You reply.
The first volley of cannon shots strike the front ranks of the Eternal Dominion troops and the battle is joined…
“Prime Eternal, the town of Yevdin was taken, but we suffered massive casualties, we need reinforcements before we can take Fort Everlast.” A messenger says.
“What?! You idiots! You see what we’re working with here Brenda? I expect this sort of incompetence from our human soldiers, but that army had a good portion of Eternals in it! Bah! These new ones for all their extra abilities, they still lack that spark that we have!” Edgar cursed.
“Why did we suffer so many losses at Yevdin? Do the Felkans have a new weapon?” Brenda asks.
“Reports indicate no new weapon, but there were a group of soldiers that seemed to be incredibly determined. Even when the town was taken, a few of them had taken to an underground shelter beneath the town and skirmished with the force for five more days.”
“We should be so lucky to have Eternals such dedication.” Edgar mutters.
“Any description of these enemy soldiers?” Brenda asks.
The messenger reports that there was nothing out of the ordinary about any of the soldiers and doesn’t have a description since he didn’t know that it was important. He says he knows the leader had an eye patch which clues Edgar and Brenda that that was Warrick.
He also mentions one other that wasn’t in a soldier uniform, but was the last to be killed. Edgar and Brenda briefly wonder a bit, and then nod to each other before dismissing the messenger.
“It was stupid of the Felkans to remove him from command in the first place, but I guess even they couldn’t keep him off the battlefield forever.” Brenda says.
“No, and that was that spark I was referring to earlier. Just think if the pair of them had stayed here instead? Think of all the things we could’ve accomplished! Such a waste. Well it’s over now and with those two out of the way, I think our plan is going to be a lot easier.”
“True, but I still wish things had been different.”
“So do I Brenda, so do I.”
