Year 58

Your soldiers stand ready at camp as a single enemy approaches you. He shows no fear and has a look of determination and blazing fury in his eyes. He might even be able to cut down everyone in his path just to get to you, but that won’t be necessary, as you have ordered everyone to stand down. This is between you and him. He’s an Eternal, a true one that you once served with, if either of you are to die today, it should at the hands of the other. No others are worthy.

He’s stood in opposition to you for a few years now and now that his side has finally lost completely, his side has resorted to acts of desperation to continue a long lost battle. This is just another example of that desperation.

The pair of you look at each other and say nothing. It wouldn’t do any good anyway, neither of you is going listen. You both believed in the same thing once, but not anymore. In his eyes you ruined all that.

The two of you clash swords.

You remember when you saw him after a long stretch of distance from each other; you felt a sense of relief. There you were in a hostile environment not exactly knowing what would come next and you saw a friendly face that was more than willing to help out.

You land a kick to his stomach and smash his face with the pommel of your sword, destroying several of his teeth. He staggers back mouth filled with blood, but manages to block your next attack.

After that last time you saw him you were soon separated again. Oh sure, you heard about him, and he probably heard about your deeds as well, but you haven’t actually seen each other until this moment. No matter who wins, it’s going to be the last time.

You feel the deep cut of the sword sinking into your shoulder. Fighting through the pain, you manage to keep a firm grip of your sword and swing it into his side. You both hear a crack signaling that not only have you opened up a severe wound, but also broken a rib or two. He reels back from you as his side now drips red with gore. He’s unsteady and breathing hard, but he’s not going to stop. He’s got nothing left to lose. If you were in his shoes, you wouldn’t stop either.

The funny thing about this is you always thought you’d be having this battle with Edgar, not Warrick.

A slash at your leg brings you down to one knee, but Warrick isn’t able to capitalize on bringing his sword down on your head, since you slash upward into his groin. He screams out, dropping his weapon and you painfully lift yourself up on your one good leg and land your own strike across his head. The sickening sound of skull meeting metal is heard and he falls to the ground with blood and brains leaking out the side. He gurgles a few unintelligible things, but some of it starts to form complete thoughts.

“You…? Wha…what are you doing here? I thought…you were still stationed in …Rask… I…don’t rem…gnomes…”

After all this time, his memory is starting to come back. Your hit to his head, must’ve done something. You kneel down beside his bloody body and provide him a better last memory.

“I was sent here to help you Warrick. It was a very important mission for the Empire. You got blown up by a trap, but we succeeded Warrick. We won. Remember this.”
“We…won…yeah…we…” Warrick mumbles and then finally expires.

You tell your soldiers to burn his body and not to disturb you for the rest of day, despite the medic insisting that you really should have your wounds seen to.

You sit in your tent in silence trying to rationalize killing yet another one of your former comrade in arms. He was trying to kill you. Warrick was on the wrong side of the civil war. A new king had to be installed and new policies had to be implemented. It had to be done, to protect the kingdom. Just like you had to kill Kane to protect the Empire…

It was a shitty end to an honorable man, but death by your hand is probably the best thing you could’ve done for him and at least in his final moments he believed he was elsewhere. You sometime wish you were.

The next day, you get your wounds properly patched up and get back to the business of holding off the Eternal Dominion, which hasn’t been the same since Edgar was assassinated last year. Apparently the new eternals didn’t agree with his leadership since it wasn’t producing the results they wanted. They might not have agreed with it, but he was doing better than whoever the idiot that’s in charge now is.

You wonder what happened to Brenda, you knew she was up there with Edgar in ranking, but since she’s not in charge of the ED you can only assume that she was killed along with Edgar. You’re the last one left and you think back to Gruz’s last words to you.

“You’ll outlive everyone…”

It’s finally come true.

Year 65

More aches and pains as you slowly get out of bed. With every passing year you feel more of them and it’s getting to a point where you can’t reasonably get into the thick of battle anymore with sword in hand. Sure you’re still a good fighter, but you’re slowing down and don’t have the strength that you once did. Of course some would say you weren’t supposed to be doing that anyway as a leader should stay in the back and give orders from behind the safety of his soldiers. But then you always did cling to your old ways.

Still, it’s not like you need to anymore, as the Eternal Dominion hasn’t been a threat in years. You knew they’d fall apart soon after Edgar died. Their territory or what’s left of it basically consists of petty warlords fighting each other more than fighting anyone else, let along the kingdom. Nowadays your job as a general mostly consists of pushing a few bits around on a map. Sometimes you still try to remain active by visiting areas that are experiencing heavy combat.

With no real opposition anymore and a stronger king in charge, the Felkan Kingdom is entering a period of aggressive expansion. With the newly acquired Arat province under control right now the king is looking towards Rask due to its resources. Diplomatic feelers were sent to see if the towns up there would join willingly, but no luck. You know from experience how difficult it is to hold, as the land is wild and its people are fiercely independent minded especially since they threw off the shackles of Empire rule and aren’t willing to have another large government tell them what to do.

While you’re certainly the most qualified to carry out an invasion on Rask, you aren’t sure if you still have the energy anymore. Granted you wouldn’t be personally, but you still remember the headaches of holding the place. Ever since Dawn retired to become an instructor, she’s been dropping hints about you retiring as well. Perhaps it’s time to follow in your wife’s footsteps and join her.
> You year 61 (Klemto's Lamentation)
As you think about your own possible future and if your “time” has come to settle into old age and compromise, you also think back to another who was struggling with his own future…

“Eternal, come drink with me one last time!” Klemto says sitting in a very basic chair near an equally unimpressive table. He’s not drunk yet, but he will be soon, if he keeps drinking.

You take a quick glance at his home and most of it is very simplistic and lacks the luxury that he once had. It’s obvious he’s fallen on hard times now that the civil war has wrapped up. He no longer wears a suit; instead he has on a drab torn shirt and a pair of plain pants. Even one of his shoes has a hole in it.

“No that’s okay, Klem…it is my understanding that all of the remaining gnomes in the kingdom are leaving on their own accord. I thought that you would be busy making preparations to join them.”
“Of their own accord? Hah! That’s rich! Richer than me anyway! No, my dear Eternal, I think the change in the regime has made it quite clear that our kind are not wanted in any capacity. In fact I got a personal warning from that bastard calling himself king right now. After all the shit we did for him too…oh well. At least they’re letting us leave peacefully this time. Lot more than I can say for the Empire.”

You aren’t exactly sure how to respond, but it doesn’t matter because Klemto is in a talkative mood.

“Y’know though, I don’t blame him.”
“You don’t?”
“Pfftt no. He’s a fucking human. And all humans are alike, power hungry and ready to backstab someone as soon as they get it and crush all those when they get on top. I get it. They got short life spans. Gotta get shit done a lot quicker. All of them do and if persecuting, enslaving or killing an entire race stands in their way, so be it.”
“You seem to be taking all this well.”
“Well? Well how else can I take it? I certainly can’t do shit about it can I? Hell, I’m just lucky I backed the right side of the civil war, otherwise we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation and I’d be in a mass grave right now.”
“That’s a good way to look at things. By surviving you can still make a life for yourself and rebuild.”

Klemto bursts out laughing, spitting out most of his drink.

“Ohhhh, that’s a good one Eternal. I guess that’s why I don’t blame you either. You don’t know any better.”
“Blame me? I didn’t put you in your current position.”
“Oh and you mean to say you had NOTHING at all to do with the current change in regime? The expansion of the Felkan Kingdom? Hell, even the rise in nationalistic fervor? You can stand here and look me in the fucking eye and say you had absolutely NOTHING to do with that?”
“…very well. Perhaps my actions did set certain events in motion, but I did it for the kingdom!”
“Right! You’re right. You DID do it for the kingdom and that’s why you don’t know any better. You aren’t even human. You look like one. You sound like one. Hell, you must even have some feelings like one given your marriage. Still a little surprised about that one…but like you once said to me, you aren’t human. You’re a fucking abomination that managed to finish a job that a corrupt dead society set in motion long ago.”
“And what is that exactly, Klemto?”
“Conquest and genocide. My people…my people escaped the slavery of the Empire centuries ago, and for what? For us to be practically destroyed by YOU. Whether you did it knowingly or not, you managed to complete the job. The Felkan Kingdom? It’s not the Felkan Kingdom anymore. It’s the fucking Empire. My people? My people are scattered and more divided in away that we’ve ever known! We…turned on each other…(sob)…we KILLED one another (choke)…you…you did so…(sob) much damage…”

Klemto breaks down completely at this point and cries softly to himself. You really don’t know how to respond at all. Part of you actually feel sorry for him, as odd as it may seem. You and he didn’t always get along; you never really trusted him and you certainly never forgave his kind for what they did to Warrick...

And yet, besides Dawn, he’s the closest you’ve had to a “friend” since you’ve been in the Felkan Kingdom. Despite all of what he is saying to you, the fact remains he did help you several times.

And that’s where the problem lies…

“(Sniff) And despite all of the damage you did, you are not to blame. We are, or rather I am. I was the fool who believed that you could bring about change for the better. I was the fool who helped you the entire time. There is no way you could’ve gotten away with most of what you got away with had I not intervened with my connections and even convinced some of my fellows to go down the path to hell. If I had any of the great intelligence that we gnomes are supposed to be known for, you should’ve been executed the first time we met, but I had to be an optimist. Idealism…the disease of idiots.”

Klemto takes a long swig of his bottle draining it completely before throwing it to the floor.

“Klemto…I did appreciate your help when you gave it. I mean that.”
“I know you did, just wish I could help myself.”
“You can. Like I said, you’re a survivor and intelligent. You can rebuild somewhere else maybe even better than ever.”
“Heh, while I appreciate your words of encouragement Eternal, I don’t think so. You see, I’m not just an exile from the Felkan Kingdom, I’m also an exile from my own people now, or what remains of them. Seems they blame me for what’s happened as well…I guess I can at least take solace in the fact that their hatred of me has kept them united them on some level.”
“But, surely you could make it on your own, somewhere!”
“I don’t think so. We gnomes have always been communal in nature. Perhaps in some ways we DO rely on integrating into other societies to protect us. Hopefully one day we won’t and we’ll carve out a land of our own. But in any case I won’t be there to see it, and I’m too old to try to make it on my own even if I was going to attempt such a mad plan. No Eternal, there comes a time in your life when you realize it’s time to retire. I think I probably should’ve done so a LONG time ago, but I stayed in the game because I thought I could do some more good. Instead I just made things worse, A LOT worse. Sometimes you have to look back at your past, smile at the good times, forget about the bad and enjoy old age. Unfortunately for me there are too many bad times to forget and no place for me to enjoy the good times…”

You begin to get a little apprehensive by Klemto’s tone and words.

“Klem…”

Klemto suddenly pulls out a flintlock pistol and points it to his head.

“Goodbye Eternal.”

And with those last words you saw Klemto blow his brains out.

Naturally you don’t have the same problems as he did, but perhaps he could’ve been right about there coming a time to retire. Quitting while you’re ahead so to speak, and not screwing up your past accomplishments by being too stubborn.

You certainly wouldn’t want to end up in a hopeless position like poor Klemto.


You wouldn’t have gotten promoted if you hadn’t reported Captain Eckers, and you wouldn’t have gotten this command if you hadn’t took it upon yourself to launch an attack on the gnolls. The fact is, throughout most of your life, you’ve followed orders, but it’s only when you’ve taken matters into your own hands on important decisions that you’ve gotten anywhere.

Why should this time be any different?

For one thing, just because there are reports that the ED aren’t planning an invasion any time soon, doesn’t mean that’s true. Not that you doubt Warrick’s skills as a spy, but there’s always a possibility that false information is being leaked intentionally and that someone is on to him. Hell, maybe its even Brenda pretending to be on his side, you don’t know.

The other thing is even if the info is true it’s not like they couldn’t still invade during or after their invasion of Rask. And it would be better to catch THEM off guard instead of the other way around, because you’re pretty sure they aren’t expecting the Felkan Kingdom to attack first.

You’re most likely going to get into a shitload of trouble for all this, but when you get this war started, the ED isn’t going to listen to diplomacy, when they get attacked; they’re not going to stop. When that happens the kingdom isn’t going to have any choice but to help you. Or it could just backfire horribly.

It’s all a gamble, but one you’re willing to risk, because you’re damned if you’re going to grow old and just become a guard for fat gnome merchants after all you’ve done and sacrificed. And if you die in battle, then it’ll be a death you’ve been destined for since birth.

You find Dawn and tell her that you want orders put out to all the forts in the province. A full offensive across the Arat border and into ED territory is to be launched.

“So the ED is invading soon?” Dawn asks.
“No, but after we destroy a couple of their forts and towns they will be. Have the message sent out that all forces are to converge on that ED town about twenty miles past the border, Bucklesberg. I’ll meet the rest of the battalion commanders there and plan the next attack after the place has been razed to the ground.”
“Wait, you’re going?”
“Yes, I’m leading this attack personally. I’m not some helpless old man you know!”
“I didn’t say…wait, this plan isn’t official is it? What did that gnome tell you?”
“A bunch of shit as usual. Now I’m going to need you here to keep things orderly on this side of the border. It might get ugly, but I know you can handle it. Just remember, we’re doing this for the good of the kingdom, even if its leaders are too stupid to see it.”

Dawn looks a little concerned and it reminds you of when you first asked her to completely wipe out a gnoll village, but then she proves herself, as you knew she would.

“It will be done, my love.” She says and leaves to send out the messengers.

You order all troops in the fort to ready themselves for battle save for a skeleton crew to protect the fort. When they’re completely ready, you ride your horse up and down the line of them and are glad to see the dedication they are displaying. You can see that they have no need for any sort of long-winded motivating speech; they’ve been anticipating this moment for years, just as you have.

“For the kingdom!” you shout which is followed by a loud cheer from your soldiers, then your army begins its march to war.

When you get within a mile of Bucklesburg, a scout reports that the town isn’t completely undefended. In fact there is a larger than normal group of soldiers there along with Eternals. There may even be a mage there.

“Hmm, it might appear that Edgar might’ve been amassing troops to prepare for an invasion after all, either that or he’s just distrustful. Doesn’t matter, we’re killing everything there anyway.”

The battle of Bucklesburg is a massacre. The ED puts up as good a fight as they could have, but ultimately they’re overrun and outnumbered. The town is completely burned to the ground and the only survivors are the few villagers that had sense to run when you were seen coming in the distance.

This is just the first step of the plan. When the rest of your soldiers arrive from the other forts you march again.

By day nine, you’ve taken one the Eternal Dominion’s forts. It’s very damaged from the fighting, but you figure it will serve as a temporary base of operations while you plan your next attacks. After this battle you’ve also confirmed from various documents that you’ve found in the commander’s office that Edgar WAS planning to invade the kingdom, meaning you were right to attack.

On day sixteen you get a message from Dawn, stating that the entire Gan province has been declared “under hostile control” and that all fort commanders are to relinquish their control to the kingdom immediately. Naturally this hasn’t happened, but the rest of the kingdom’s soldiers are supposedly being prepared to take back the province by force, however there is a lot of civil unrest going on as well due to some of the public opinion openly agreeing with conquest. She says that it’s part of the anti-gnome movement that claims they’ve been keeping the kingdom weak on purpose. She also says she is doing everything in her power to keep control of the Gan province and sends her love.

On day twenty-two you get a visitor to Fort Ruin (as you’ve renamed it).

“Hello Klemto, I hope your journey here wasn’t too dangerous, we’ve been trying to keep the road to the kingdom somewhat safe.” You say.
“Eternal, we’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“Yes, I suspect we do. So here, this’ll save time.” You say and throw a journal at Klemto who catches it.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the ex-captain of this fort journal. Makes mention of all the plans for the invasion on the kingdom, as well as a few amusing sexual desires. Second generation eternals certainly are a twisted bunch even when brought under control.”
“At least they can be brought under control, which is more than can be said for you.”
“I don’t understand, I’m did this for the kingdom and the proof is right there that I’m right! Don’t believe me? I’ve got more official documents I can give you.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re right! It never fucking mattered! What you were supposed to do is obey orders! You pushed a boundary that’s too far this time I can’t fix this! Not now!”
“I question if you ever could in the first place. I’m sure you only kept me around as long as it served your purpose. Build up the pitiful defenses along the Felkan borders and then just get shuffled off to defend your fat merchants because they’re getting death threats from bigots that actually have a point whether they even know it or not. Face it, YOU fuckers helped create the Felkan government and you share part of the problems with it. Me? I’m just serving it. I told you before, I pledged myself to the kingdom, but my only stipulation was that I do things my way and that I not be held back in doing it. You got in my way and I had no choice, but to defy you. You can’t give a sword to me, and tell me not to kill the enemy with it. That’s what a fucking sword is for.”

Klemto, rubs a hand over his face and sits down in silence. His face has a slightly gaunt appearance than you last remember it. Every time you’ve seen him he’s always been dressed very nice, but even his expensive clothing is a bit disheveled, even a small tear in his jacket. He takes a deep breath and speaks.

“Major, you really don’t know what’s going on back home do you?”
“Dawn sent me a letter recently about a week ago about some of what’s going on. I hear the Gan province has been declared hostile and the rest of the kingdom army is planning to retake it.”
“Yes, and even that is being put on hold, you know why? Because somebody blew up the merchant’s guild two days ago! The day before? A duke was executed for conspiracy to kill the fucking king! At this point the Eternal Dominion doesn’t need to invade us, the Felkan Kingdom will be in ruins by the time their armies even arrive! You haven’t saved the kingdom, you’ve destroyed it!” he shouts with his eyes beginning to water and nearly hyperventilating the whole time. You have to say, you’ve never seen him ever this upset. You quickly get some water from a nearby pitcher and pour him a glass.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do…I don’t know what we’re going to do…” he says in between drinks.
“Look calm down Klemto, maybe it isn’t as bad as you think.” You tell him.
“Bad? It’s fucking tragic! With the destruction of the merchant’s guild, the economy is going to go down the fucking privy hole, the king is an ineffectual idiot that’ll probably be successfully assassinated in a couple months, we’re suffering from civil revolts, we got a rogue province and on top of everything we’re at war with the Eternal Dominion!”

Sounds pretty familiar.

“Well, maybe it is as bad as you say. The question is what are YOU going to do about it?” you ask.
“Do? What can I do? I’m just one gnome! I’m hated in general by most non-gnomes and even most of my own people since they personally blame me, for having a hand in allowing you to be in charge of all the military in Gan. Even most of my friends that agreed with me were all killed in the bombing! I have nobody to help me fix this!”
“You’re wrong there, you’ve got me. Look, take all these documents concerning the invasion plans, and do your best in convincing everyone and anyone important that this first strike was very necessary. If you’re telling me that the king already is in danger of being assassinated…well maybe it’ll be best to let that happen and place someone who is more likely to support the cause. I have to imagine that there’s some power hungry royal ready to step up to the task.”
“Assassinate the king, this is what it’s come to? I don’t know maybe you’re even right, it’s just I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. We gnomes have been puppet masters, but we’ve never engaged in assassination tactics before.”
“Well, I think you’re going to have to forget your previous tactics if you want the kingdom to survive regardless of who is actually on the throne. It’s either that or cut your losses and leave like I did with the Empire. I caution you though, if you truly believe in the kingdom and love it like I think you do, you might later regret that decision.”

Klemto calms down a bit and looks at you to see that you speak from experience with that last remark. And it is true; there is a part of you that misses the Empire for all its faults. You’re making the best of things and you even manage to be content most of the time, but there is always something “missing” and you can’t get it back.

“Okay, Eternal. Okay. Hand me all the documents that you mentioned, and I’ll get started on a plan. (Sigh) I just hope you can hold back the full wrath of the Eternal Dominion all by yourself.”
“Don’t you worry about that, I brought this problem on, so I’ll be the one to take care of it. Just try to keep the rest of the Felkan army off of my back, even if they aren’t going to help.”

Klemto leaves with the documents and you return to your duties. You can’t be sure what’s going to become of the kingdom, but one thing is certain, you aren’t going to abandon your duty like last time.
> You year 56 (Wedding Day)
You never thought such a day would come for you, ever. But here you are standing before a woman that you’ve come to feel closer to than anyone else. Not even your fellow Eternals, who at this point are all pretty much hostile to you, even Warrick, now that he’s taken the side of the loyalists in the Felkan civil war. You are hardly surprised though; you knew it was bound to happen given what the gnomes did to him. Even Klemto, who managed to convince most of his brethren to join you, can’t undo the unwavering loyalty they instilled in him.

The civil war pales in comparison to the war you’re fighting with the Eternal Dominion, you might’ve gotten an initial advantage over them, but they are certainly trying to make up for it now. Edgar must be enraged.

But none of that matters right now.

A Felkan civil war and war with the Eternal Dominion, and still you are able to put all those more pressing conflicts aside to focus on Dawn. You look at her youthful face and into blue eyes and it makes you realize just how much younger she is than you. You wonder briefly if her youth is part of what makes her so desirable. Not for the superficial reasons that most would consider, but her youth itself. Looking at how young she is, makes you forget how old you are. You dismiss such thoughts, as you have enough aching joints and pains to always remind you how old you’re getting.

Besides, it’s a much deeper connection and the pair of you knows that. She has been with you through all of this and supported you the entire way. You don’t even think you could’ve accomplished all of this without her. It is like the pair of you is in perfect harmony with each other at times. You can’t imagine yourself without her in someway.

You think you now understand what Roldan was talking about when he spoke of Brenda.

With war looming all around the pair of you, death is always a possibility, but this gesture, this ritual, this bond that you both are going through will signify that even if the unfortunate should occur to either one of you, you know that the love you felt was always there, and will always be there.

The pair of you aren’t even paying attention to the local holy man performing the ceremony or the few soldiers in attendance as witnesses, it’s just you and her as the pair of you embrace and kiss.


You don’t know if this is actually going to do any good, but if the captain ever decides to suddenly secede from the Felkan Kingdom, you want someone to know that you weren’t part of it from the beginning. The problem there isn’t a higher-ranking officer at the fort and you don’t really know anybody that you could report this to. You suppose you write a letter to Major Samuels at Fort Smoke. He’s in charge of the whole Ibim province, but then you think what if he feels the same way as the captain? If that’s the case, then you’d probably become hated not just at your fort, but in other circles as well. You’d possibly even be demoted or worse. You’ve managed to make a life here with minimal friction, and you’d hate to just throw that all away, but you have to do something. For good or ill your duty is to the kingdom now and you need to defend against all potential threats, external and internal, and from your experience the internal ones are the worst.

That’s when you come up with the idea that you’ll write to Warrick about this. He might not be able to do anything about it considering he’s in another province, but he’s about the only one you can trust and maybe he knows something and can at least give you advice.

You write a letter to Warrick that night and hand it to a professional courier in Blossumdale the next day. Not having anything else to do, you return to your duties. Days pass into weeks and weeks pass into months. Just when you’re starting to wonder if your letter got intercepted and someone having sinister plans for you, you get a letter back from Warrick.

You’re anxious to see his reply and you find a quiet place to open it up and read it private. You’re expecting a long letter, but instead you get a short one that’s to the point.

Things are already in motion to remedy the situation soon and your duty to the kingdom has been noted.

Warrick

You can only guess that Captain Eckers will soon be gone with wording like that. You didn’t expect anything to be done either, just advice. Warrick must have better connections than you thought.

Another week passes since you received Warrick’s reply and Fort Green is visited by a general with his personal assistants, a couple of royals and a well-dressed gnome. The visit is unexpected by everyone, especially Captain Eckers since he’d know first if anyone was scheduled to visit.

Captain Eckers and several others are taken into rooms and questioned separately. The rest of you are ordered to go about your business and to not interfere. Later you are called in as well. You find yourself face to face with one of the generals. General Benson. He’s probably about the same age as Eckers, though obviously more successful.

“Sergeant, I’m going to make this quick. You are the one who wrote the letter to Captain Warrick are you not?” General Benson asks.
“Yes, sir.”
“And why did you write to Captain Warrick about your concerns? Why not write to Major Samuels? He is the superior officer in charge of this province.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure if I should sir. For all I knew he might’ve had sympathies with Captain Eckers and if that had been the case, my situation would not have been a good one.”
“Hold on sergeant, are you telling me Major Samuels is also part of this?”
“No, I don’t even know the Major sir, I was just being cautious on my part. I wrote to Warrick because…well he’s the only person I felt I could absolutely trust.”

The general is silent for a moment while he looks you up and down.

“Tell me, have you had any conflict while being here?”
“Conflict with the other soldiers? No sir, can’t say that I have, I tend to just do my job and keep to myself as far as social matters are concerned.”
“What about your relationship with Captain Eckers?”
“It’s a respectful one sir, I feel no malice towards him nor perceive any towards me.”
“Yet you felt the need to report him.”
“Well sir, I thought it was something that might be needed to be brought to the attention of those in a higher position than me. Dissension in the ranks is no good sir. These sorts of things need to be taken care of before they spread. I know from direct experience, sir.”
“Hmmm, yes I suppose you would…”

General Benson continues to study you as if he’s trying to read your mind, after a minute of this, he backs off and starts to pack up some papers on a nearby desk.

“I think we have everything we need to know. We weren’t exactly sure about you for a long time, and quite frankly some of us still aren’t. Your lack of trust among your fellow soldiers is concerning, but considering what we’ve found here, possibly understandable. As of now, I’m promoting you to captain and putting you in charge of Fort Green until further notice. You’ll be receiving some new soldiers soon to replace the men that will be leaving here. And hopefully this reward for your dedication to the Kingdom alleviates some of your trust issues.”
“It will sir. It will. Thanks you sir.”
“Very good, you’re dismissed.”

You step out of the room feeling a sense of accomplishment. This is truly the first time since you pledged loyalty to the Felkan Kingdom that you feel appreciated. With this new command you actually feel like you’re back to where you’re supposed to be again, which is something you haven’t felt since you were taken off of your command in Rask. Granted Fort Green is no Fort Destiny, but it’s better than where you were.

As for Captain Eckers, he and several other soldiers are escorted out of the fort as the rest of you stand by and watch. On his way out Eckers glares at you, he doesn’t say anything, but you can feel as if his stare is burning a hole in you. He knows someone said something, and he knows that someone was you. It’s too bad it had to be this way, but what’s done is done and it’s time to move on.

Over the next few months you begin running the fort a lot more efficiently, the soldiers aren’t particularly thrilled about it since they’ve gotten used to not doing as much under Captain Eckers, which is another good reason why he needed to leave. Instead of whining, he should’ve been thinking up stuff to keep everyone’s mind’s occupied.

After a few more months of extra training, you pick the soldier who has shown the most promise and pull them aside in your office for a talk.

“Let’s see… Sergeant Dawn Young…easy name to remember. You’re one of the newer transfers here. Says that before you came here, you served on the Kilania Plains. Not exactly familiar with that area, but I hear it’s infested with centaurs. Half man half horse or something like that?”
“Yes sir, they are little more than wild beast. They get drunk, breed, start fights and from what I can tell that’s about it.”
“Hmm, bet they were a joy to fight. Well from your record it says you successfully lead several attacks on them. I’m guessing they are no longer a problem anymore?”
“Well they are less of a problem than they were. I was told to hold back, by my commanding officer at the time. I know if we had pressed against them though we could’ve wiped them out completely though.” She remark with a slightly annoyed tone.

Sounds like typical Felkan policy. You have to admit, Eckers did have a point about certain things. While you’re not going to support possible rebellion like he did, you are going to change some things.

“Okay you sound like the kind of soldier I need. Consider yourself promoted to lieutenant and you’re my new second.”
“…wow…thank you sir!”
“Don’t go thanking me just yet, you still have live to enjoy it. I want you to take two platoons of soldiers, march over to those hills a few miles away and I want you to wipe out ALL of the gnolls that you see.”
“All of them sir?”
“All of them. Their warriors, their citizens, their women, their children. If there are little baby gnolls sucking on marrowbones in their cribs, I want you to kill them too.”

Your orders are a little shocking to Dawn. She’s probably never heard anyone commanding the murder of infants before let alone the total war doctrine you’re following, even if it is against a bunch of barbaric monsters.

“Lieutenant, am I going to have to find someone else to do this?” you ask.
“…Um no sir. I just…well…the other soldiers sir. I’m not sure if they’ll follow such orders.”
“Oh yes they will. Because it’s going to be YOUR job to make sure they follow them. Besides I’ve noticed guns tend to take away a lot of the emotional impact of killing. Not even like you have to look someone in the eye and take away their life. You can sit back comfortably from a few feet away and pull the trigger. They’ll be able to kill baby gnolls a lot easier than you think, and after this first time, it’s only going to get easier. I’m sure you’ll do fine, I have faith that you’re up to this task. I wouldn’t have picked you if I didn’t. You’re dismissed.”

Looking a little overwhelmed, Dawn nods and leaves your office.

Now all you have to concern yourself about is whether your changes get you thrown out of the fort like Captain Eckers.
> You dawn Young (Personnel File)
Dawn grew up in a poor neighborhood with a mother that barely wanted her to begin with. Despite this disadvantage and her humble upbringing she was determined to not stay stuck with her lot in life and turn to a life of crime like so many of her peers. Instead she decided to make something of herself by joining up with the Felkan military at sixteen; a younger age than most in the Felkan army, which is usually at least eighteen.

She’s about twenty now and from what you can tell she’s served pretty commendably wherever she was stationed. You can also respect the fact she overcame the obstacles that life placed in front of her and it’s probably what made you choose her over a couple of the other potential candidates. She also transferred here shortly after you replaced Eckers, which might explain why she doesn’t have the bad habits that a lot of the other troops have which also made her the best candidate.

She seems capable, and you’re confident you’ve made a good choice in picking a second.


Chapter 3A2: For the Kingdom!

Year 40

“I don’t understand why the hell we haven’t just gone marching into the Arat province and taken it from the Eternal Dominion. We have superior weaponry, and they aren’t even that organized. I don’t care how skilled they are in combat, they can’t stop a bullet.” A soldier complains.
“So, do you think we’ll really be going to war again?” his buddy asks.
“Is there any fucking doubt? The Empire might be dead, but that Eternal Dominion or whatever it’s called took its place and from what I can gather the ones running that are complete monsters. No small feat considering how the Empire was run…uh no offense sarge.”

You shake your head as a sign that you could care less how they discuss the Empire, as you’re busy keeping on the look out for potential enemies and you tell them to stop talking and do likewise. Felkan soldiers tend to be a little more chatty than you’re used to, they also tend to be a little over confident in battle at times due to their reliance on firearms. Their melee skills aren’t bad, but they aren’t anywhere near those of a say an Empire soldier, let alone an Eternal. You learned how to handle a musket pretty quickly, but much like the same reason you avoided using bows and such, ranged combat just isn’t quite your thing. Still, you appreciate their destructive power and having an advantage so you have no problems carrying around a couple of flintlock pistols on your person.

Another thing that’s different is a government that isn’t actually interested in conquest despite its people often expressing such desires. You’ve never met the king or any of the royals, but from what you’ve heard the king is more of a scholar rather than a warrior ruler. Some consider this a weakness, but you aren’t convinced that it is. The king apparently believes conquest would just drain the coffers of what is currently a healthy economy (despite a recent war) and it’s better to put that money to other uses. The Felkans in general are always looking for new ways to advance the quality of life for all through scientific advancement. You don’t remember that sort of thing in the Empire where the status quo was law. While magic was reserved for the elite and still not common in the Empire, it’s practically non-existent in the Felkan Kingdom, which might explain their tendency towards scientific endeavors. Well that, and the fact that a good number of gnomes live among them who probably produce most of the great inventions in the kingdom.

Still, you often hear a lot of criticism about the king; sometimes it makes you wonder if there shouldn’t be cause for concern. If this were the Empire you would’ve been expected to harshly discipline all of those soldiers that insulted the Emperor. Here, there is a lot more freedom in what you can say.

Yes, there are so many differences from the Empire and you often feel out of place. Hell you feel strange enough only being a sergeant again. Five years and they still haven’t felt that you warrant a promotion to a higher rank, you don’t know why they still don’t trust you as much as they trust Warrick considering he actually fought against them directly. Of course he actually saved the lives of some important Felkan royals, so that’s probably the reason.

They don’t keep you stationed on the frontlines of the Arat border like they do with Warrick either, for the past several years you’ve been stationed at a fort at the other end of the kingdom, though the fort is so small it’s more like an outpost. Fort Green is located near a small village called Blossomdale and that’s basically what you’ve been defending. It’s a rather dull assignment and only broken up by the occasional skirmishes with gnolls, bandits or other denizens living in the untouched forests and the hills. You’ve tried to make the best of things. You keep your mind mostly focused on your job like you always do.

One good thing is that the soldiers that serve under you don’t seem to mind your Eternal origins, but you do get the impression they’re a little afraid of you. Your superior officer Captain Eckers seems okay with you as well. He’s the only one stationed here that’s older than you and probably sees you as someone he has a little more in common with, not to mention you bring a little more discipline to the fort and encourage more drilling and combat training.

Eventually your shift is over and as usual, nothing happened today. Your replacements take over your post and you make your way back to the fort. The rest of the soldiers head to Blossumdale presumably for a little R&R as they often do.

When you get back to the fort, somebody tells you that Captain Eckers wants to see you, so you proceed to his office.

“Have a seat sergeant. So was today any different than yesterday? Any hostiles to be dispatched or anything?”
“No sir, things were quiet as usual.” You answer.
“I figured as much. It’s been like this for the past eight months. You know it’s always been slow around here, but lately…(sigh) I don’t know. I suppose we should be glad this place isn’t under attack constantly, but the boredom of nothing to do is frustrating.”
“I know the feeling sir.”
“Heh, I’ll bet. Bred for war and all that…you once had a command at a fort at one time did you not?”
“Yes sir I did, in Rask.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard about that area. I’ll bet you never ran out of fighting up there.”
“Well sir, we sort of did since I did my best to try to exterminate the most dangerous threats. For a while things got slow then we had a series of uprisings became a problem and I had to be in involved in putting those down so I wasn’t quite as bored anymore.”
“Uprisings. Now that would be an interesting event, though I don’t think I’m quite that bored yet. Still, I wonder if one wouldn’t do some good. Get those royals off their asses and actually do something for a change.”
“I’m sure they do what they can…the land is prosperous after all.” You say unsure of how to react and still wondering why you were called in here.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but really what good is that going to do when the Eternal Dominion comes beating down our door? I served on the front lines of the war with the Empire from beginning to end, and I saw shit that even I wasn’t prepared to see. Even with our technological advantage, sometimes I don’t know how we managed to hold the Empire off…I guess you guys really had a lot of internal problems.”
“Yes, yes we did sir. A lot.”
“Right, and that’s the only reason why we held out. If the Empire had been a united front like it used to be… well me and you probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“Captain, if I may interject for a moment. I have heard citizens and soldiers on more than one occasion suggest that the Felkan Kingdom should become more aggressive. I’m puzzled to as why if things are going well. after all the Empire engaged in continual conquest and I think we know how that turned out.”
“You have a point about the Empire, but you also should remember the Empire lasted several centuries before collapsing. I don’t presume to know exactly all the problems you had, but I can tell you what the problems we have are and why the people are getting sick of it.”
“And what are those sir?”
“Fucking gnomes.”
“Gnomes? Don’t they provide all the wonderful inventions for this Kingdom?”
“Yeah, and they also have been using us as protection for decades and the royals are in their fucking pockets. We aren’t really ruled by the royals, the damned gnomish inventors and businessmen rule us. They don’t want us expanding too much, because then we just might be harder to control. They also don’t want us to become too strong militarily because we just might turn it against them. I mean hell, I think you’ve seen how our soldiers aren’t exactly the best fighters and rely on firearms. I shudder to think if we ever had to actually fight without them. It didn’t always used to be that way, at least not back in my day. That’s why you’re a damn breath of fresh air. You’re actually a REAL warrior.”

You just sit and listen as the captain begins getting even angrier during his rant.

“You know why I’m stationed here in the ass end of nowhere? Because I spoke my mind on what I thought about gnomes and suggested we needed to stop being pussies and actually start taking more land. I mean take this place for example. If we had just a couple more platoons, and the orders, we could march into those hills nearby and wipe out all those damned gnolls for good. But what do we do instead? Wait around for the fuckers to attack us then sit here with our thumbs up our asses until they rebuild and do it all over again. We’re better than that! Or at least we used to be!” at this point Captain Eckers slams his fist on his desk. He’s silent with his head looking down for a moment and then looks up to address you.

“…forgive me sergeant, I get a little emotional about this stuff sometimes. I really shouldn’t. Thank you for your report and listening. I just need someone to speak my mind to sometimes…anyway dismissed.”

You get up and leave, thinking about what has transpired.

It basically sounds like the captain doesn’t believe in his government anymore. You know what that’s like, but you just aren’t sure if it’s as bad as he’s claiming or he’s just a bitter old man that’s mad because times changed and he pissed off the wrong people in charge of his career. However as you’re reminded he isn’t the only person you’ve heard speaking out, he just happens to be the only one that’s gone into more detail than you’re used to.

You also wonder if he told you all this stuff for a reason, is he hinting for you to do something? And what could you do? You’re a lower rank than him and not exactly high on the hierarchy. You’re also pretty much an outsider. Stirring up trouble isn’t exactly something you should be doing, and you pledged yourself to serve the kingdom and its king, not overthrow it. If you were going to be doing that, you might as well have joined the Eternal Dominion.

You aren’t sure of what to make of all this gnome business though, if that is even true. You’ve never paid too much attention to them being in a lot of the positions of power. Part of you though does make you wonder about who you’re really serving and if it is really the gnomes like the captain claims, then your whole oath to the kingdom is pretty much a joke. Then again if they really are controlling everything, does it really make a difference? Things seem to still be running well and you personally just don’t have any real proof that there is some conspiracy even though it wouldn’t surprise you too much if there was one going on.

One thing you know though, if others are feeling like the captain does, this isn’t going to go away. This is going to get worse; in fact it may already be too late to stop something from occurring. You could very well find yourself serving in another collapsing government again.
> You leave it alone
Captain Eckers is probably just venting, you doubt if he’s actually going to do anything. Besides the captain is about the only one you can slightly relate to around here and he’s always been all right with you so you decide it wouldn’t be a good idea to report him.

You return to your duties as usual without giving it anymore thought. In the passing months, the captain never spouts off anything else to you so you figure you were right in your assumption that he was just venting. Nothing to major worry about except the increasing boredom of not having much to do at the fort. You haven’t seen a gnoll in months now and you don’t really like it. They’ve never disappeared for this long of a stretch and it makes you suspect they could be up to something because you refuse to believe that they’ve just decided to leave you alone.

The next time you see the captain, you tell him that you’d like to take a platoon up into the hills to scout out the area, and while he says he’d like to send you, he has his orders.

“But you said yourself, that we could do a lot more good if we just went into the hills and wiped out all the gnolls.” You point out.
“I know what I said that day, and perhaps I shouldn’t have spoken out like that to a subordinate. (sigh) Look, despite my feelings on this situation I know I’ve damaged my career enough as it is. If I go disobeying orders, I’m just going to get myself in deeper. Besides if the gnolls have been as quiet as they have been perhaps we did kill them all, or at least scared them so much that they won’t attack ever again.”

You of course aren’t convinced, but there is little you can do. If the captain is content on sitting on his hands you’re going to have to do some hand sitting yourself. It’s very frustrating.

Year 41

“They’re breaking down the doors!” a soldier yells.
“Hold ‘em dammit! Don’t let these hyena bastards step one foot into this fort!” Captain Eckers commands.

The captain can order everyone all he wants, but the fact is those gnolls ARE breaking down that door. They have an overwhelming superiority of numbers on their side and even of reinforcements did arrive right now, you’re still sure that it wouldn’t be enough to save you in time.

As you grimly prepare yourself for the onslaught that’s about to bust through the doors, you think about how bad of a choice you made seeking to find your place here in this kingdom of cowards and fools. If you’d stayed with the Empire instead of leaving it, you wouldn’t be in this situation now. Even if you failed to keep it from collapsing, you would’ve at least died honorably in its service.

But this? There will be no honor in this death. You’re going to die, because your superiors and their superiors were either too timid or idiotic to do what was necessary and you’re an even bigger idiot for following along into oblivion.

No more time for regret now though, the gnolls are breaking through. Already the first soldiers still trying to keep the doors shut are screaming their death cries from the axes cleaving into their flesh and spilling their innards onto the floor. Captain Eckers displays a pitiful showing as a gnoll with a halberd severs his head from his body before he can even attack once.

As for you, you make the gnolls earn every inch they step into the fort. The first two that step to you have their heads blown to gooey pieces with your flintlocks, and then you resort to tried and true methods of slaughter.

You hack down several of their number before suffering any major wounds. Even then, you continue to fight with the determination of ten men. The bodies of gnolls pile up, the blood is everywhere and you’ve just suffered an injury that should’ve rightfully killed you, but you continue to fight. All the anger you feel at this situation is being directed utterly towards the gnolls until it finally burns itself out and your body pushes itself past its limitations of physical exertion.

An axe cleaves into your skull, followed by another into your arm, severing it just enough to hang from a bit of tendon. You fall to your knees, then to the floor and that’s when you feel another axe to your back destroying your spine. A finally kick by a hefty boot to the face and the gibbering laughing howls of the gnolls is the last thing you hear.


You can’t bring yourself to be some lawless mercenary like a svelk and you can’t fathom even trying to run your own piece of territory. You’re no ruler. You’re a warrior that currently has no direction or mission. The only chance to find purpose is to pledge yourself to another nation. Again, the only one you know of any note is the Felkan Kingdom. You only know a little about them based on the propaganda the Empire has told you as well as the brief conversation you had with Gerald when you temporarily reunited with him.

Technically the Empire is at peace with the Felkan Kingdom, but there are still skirmishes. Though nowdays it’s due to rogue Empire soldiers (and peasants too) becoming outright bandits rather than any patriotic reason. The Felkan Kingdom has been trying to keep out Empire refugees as well, which means you’ll probably just get turned around, if not outright fired upon. Still with shitty situation you’re in, getting shot doesn’t even seem like a bad option at this point

You find a nearby horse and set off for the west. Along the way you see the landscape of the Empire, which at one time was orderly and even idyllic is now burning and in tatters. Despite the chaos you don’t need to do any battle, not even when passing groups of angry peasants who are taking every opportunity to get revenge on their oppressive government and its agents in all forms. You can only assume your reputation is enough to scare them off or they don’t even recognize you. If it’s the latter then it only confirms your belief that you weren’t making that much of a difference in the Empire anyway.

When you get to the Arat province you find it in a bit better condition than other territory you’ve rode through, though when you ride through the town of Bucklesberg the peasants give you hateful glances or just outright run into their homes. You see in the middle of the town square several heads stuck on pikes with their eyes gouged out, some of them of children. In the very center of that is a pole with a sign attached.

THIS TOWN IS UNDER THE DOMINION OF THE ETERNALS. LAW WILL THRIVE UNDER THE NEW ORDER. DISOBEDIENCE WILL BE CRUSHED.

OBEY AND LIVE. REBEL AND DIE.

-GENERAL EDGAR

You read the sign twice you to make sure what you’re reading is correct. You almost wish you could say you’re surprised, and perhaps that small naive part of you still is, but you’re disappointed more than anything else. You of course don’t know the whole story, but quite frankly you don’t even want to know. All this revelation does is make you want to get out of Empire lands as quick as possible because it seems like it really was ever good for is turning everybody into a wannabe sovereign.

You hasten your pace to the Felkan border as you don’t wish to have any potential conflict with this new “regime” that seems to be trying to form here. It’s a shame, because you did think about trying to find Edgar before going to the border hoping that maybe he’d join you. Now? He’d probably try to convince you to join him. Seen that story play out too, you’d rather not have to go through it again. Edgar obviously has chosen his path to deal with the Empire’s inevitable collapse and you must choose yours.

Eventually you get to the Felkan border which is predictably well guarded by several men with their fancy musket weapons. From what you’ve heard they aren’t very sporting, but can blow through even a heavily armored orc instantly. Could’ve used some of those yourself ten years ago.

“Alright just stop right there. You come any closer and you’ll have a brand new hole in your body.” One of them says pointing his weapon at you.
“Sheesh Harry, can’t you come up with a better threat than that?”
“Fuck you Wally, we’re turning back refugees every damn day, they can’t all be winners.”
“Uh guys, I don’t think this one’s a refugee, he’s wearing military armor.” Another one says which at this point all of them point their weapons at you.

You take this in stride you figured they wouldn’t exactly be welcoming.

“Alright I don’t know why the hell an Empire soldier is here, but I suggest you just turn right back around. We’re supposed to be at peace now in case you didn’t know it, which judging by some of you lot you don’t.” Harry says.
“I no longer serve the Empire, I request to serve your kingdom instead.” You say.
“Ha ha ha, yeah right. Look even if we were inclined to believe you, we don’t need your kind especially since you can’t even keep your own shit together. We know you’re having a civil war or whatever it is right now. You’re lucky our king is such a pussy that he refuses to take advantage of the situation otherwise, we’d fucking own the Arat province right now.” Harry replies.
“Hell yeah Harry! We should’ve just marched in and took it when they were begging for peace!” Wally adds

The one soldier’s words are most interesting. Especially how he speaks about his ruler so freely and without fear. It is apparent that despite their dislike of their ruler, yet they are very dedicated to their nation. It is sort of a comforting thing to see after so many you’ve encountered over the years weren’t. Perhaps you could find a place here, assuming you can get past this first obstacle.

“Very well gentlemen the only thing I can tell you that might convince you, is that I am an Eternal, born and bred for combat. I say with no boast that I am the best of my kind and while I am not yet familiar with your weapons, I dare say my combat skill and knowledge would allow me to learn rather quickly. All I ask is that I be allowed to speak with someone with more authority so that I can be given a proper chance.”
“Eternal? You ain’t no Eternal, you’re way too old. I’ve seen those bastards running around on the other side of the border and they’re either in their twenties or younger. Dunno why you’d claim to be one of them for anyway, they’re not even human, they’re fucking soulless monsters. Heard enough horror stories from all the refugees we have to turn away. Some of those stories…pretty heartbreaking stuff…” Harry says getting a little choked about one of the stories he seems to be thinking about. It’s at that point one of his buddies pipes up.
“Hey, uh maybe he’s one of those OTHER Eternals.”
“Oh an original? I dunno, didn’t they not make too many of them?” Wally asks as if any of his buddies know.
“How the hell should I know Wally?”
“Well you were the fucker that brought it up! All right there’s an easy way to do this. Chuck, head back to Fort Soot, and see Captain Warrick, he’ll…”
“Hold on did you say Captain Warrick?” you ask.
“Yeah? And?”
“I know him seeing as we practically grew up together. He was believed to be dead, how is it that he’s a captain in the Felkan military?”
“Hmm, well perhaps you can ask him that yourself, if you really do know him. Okay change of plan, we’ll take you to see Captain Warrick, but you better not try anything funny. We’ll need you to get off that horse and hand over your weapons. Chuck and Wally, you’re with me, the rest of you keep an eye on the border as usual, we’ll be back soon.”

You comply with their demands and have them march you to Fort Soot. The thing you notice immediately are all the trenches built into the land. Left overs from the war you imagine. When you get to Fort Soot it isn’t particularly large, though it does seem to be heavily defended with weapons you’ve heard about before. Cannons they’re called, and they are very devastating. You remember Gerald telling you how they could destroy stone golems as if they were made of paper. Makes you wonder why for all it’s power that the Empire didn’t fund money and time into developing such wonders as it certainly would’ve helped a lot more than their Eternal project. You quietly chuckle at the irony of that thought briefly thinking what you would’ve been doing now if there hadn’t been such a project. Probably not marching into a Felkan fort that’s for sure.

When you are brought into Warrick’s office it’s like a trip to the past. Warrick’s changed quite a bit. He’s wearing an eyepatch for one thing and he’s lost most of his hair, but you’d still recognize him. He also recognizes you though he’s still having trouble believing it.

“By the gods, is it really you?”
“Yes, it’s me. By the gods? Not by the Emperor anymore I see.”
“Nope and never will be again, which brings me to my next question. Why have you come here? I certainly hope it isn’t on some fool mission to bring me to justice for being a traitor…”
“Ha ha. Maybe at one time, but not anymore either. I guess you could say, I’m also a traitor, though I don’t think I am. The Empire betrayed itself a long time ago and I can’t serve a place that has not even the slightest concept of honor or loyalty even if it was the one that taught me such ideals.”
“I must say, I am a little surprised that you of all people would come to that conclusion. You were the most dedicated of all of us. I know that you are telling the truth though, as you were never a liar. So you’ve left the Empire then and come here to…?”
“Pledge myself to the Felkan Kingdom, though it seems I wasn’t the only one who had that idea.”
“Hah, yeah a bit of a long story that. Before we continue I’ll have to clear this with a lot of people first, and you’re probably going to have to prove yourself several times, but if you’re serious about this then you’ll most likely be accepted. I’ve found things work with a little more leniency in the Felkan Kingdom.”
“All I want is a new chance.”

And so began your service to the Felkan Kingdom.
> You warrick (AWOL)
“So when did you decide to leave the Empire?” you ask.
“Oh that was a slow drawn out process actually. After all the shit I saw, I began to feel a severe amount of disillusionment for the Empire. Even on the front lines and being involved in a lot of fighting, I saw all the corruption going on, the incompetence of lazy commanders…it was like Captain Pollo multiplied by ten. I mean here we are trying to conquer an enemy that was somewhat equal to us as far as military and in some cases superior and we’re just throwing soldiers into the field, without any regard for tactics or strategy!”
“Sounds pretty bad, last time I spoke to Gerald, he never mentioned all the problems.”
“Heh, well I think Gerald didn’t like to focus on the negative, but trust me when I tell you it was a complete fuck up from beginning to end. The only competent officer I remember was a Major Krozer…”
“Wait, did you say Krozer? As in Alison Krozer?” you interrupt.
“Yeah I guess. Never knew her first name, never really met her either, but she was sending out orders that were making a whole hell of a lot more sense for a while. A shame she got assassinated by a fucking bomb only a few months after her arrival.”

You don’t say anything to this news. You sort of figured that maybe she had gotten killed, but a part of you sort of hoped that maybe she found a way out of the Empire as well. Seems silly to have a strong feeling about her given you hadn’t seen her in so long and your one night tryst, but even not counting that, she was still a good officer that always played straight with you. The fact she got killed in a similar manner than Roldan did, certainly makes you feel that she deserved better.

Warrick begins to notice your silence, and then you quickly pick the conversation up again.

“So…how did you lose your eye?”
“To be quite honest I don’t even remember, though that’s probably due to me losing the damn eye in the first place. I remember reaching my limit with the Empire towards the last days of the war. I mean we were supposed to be making peace with the Felkans, because we couldn’t get our own shit together and we still had commanders throwing soldiers at the Felkan borders! What kind of logic is that? Anyway, at that point I just said fuck it and decided to leave. I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going to go, and I don’t remember exactly what happened soon after, but I’m guessing I must’ve crossed into Felkan territory or something, because the last thing I remember was a flash and everything went black. Guess I was so pre-occupied, I forgot to stay alert for traps. Next thing I knew, I woke up on a Felkan medic table. They said they found me and kept me alive, but couldn’t save my eye. I still have memory problems about other parts of the past too, but nothing serious.”
“Surprised they didn’t kill you, or leave you to die instead.”
“Eh, the Felkans have always been a little odd that way. Their medics have some sort of code or something, but still here was a hated enemy and they were treating me a hell of a lot better than the Empire ever did. That’s pretty much when I offered my services to them. Took a while for them to trust me, but eventually they did. Of course it helped later on I saved the lives of some royals, but that’s a tale for another time. I think we need to get you started on your own new life here.”
“Yeah, I still feel a little odd about all this.” You say.
“You’ll get used to it, and in time you’ll see that your efforts will be better appreciated here than they ever were in the Empire. Trust me, you’re on the winning team now.”

You just smile and nod at Warrick’s statement. While you don’t doubt that you’re on “the winning team” only time will tell if you will be truly appreciated.