The warriors of the warring tribes were merciless in their attacks as the spread out rapidly through the streets of Freeport. Young and old, men, women, and children, none were spared their brutality.

Their chief had informed them before that they would have only one day to collect as much as they could, a considerable source of consternation amongst the warriors. However, even an hour in a city the size of Freeport would net them the same amount of resources they could collect by completely wiping out a typical village.

To most of these men, the Fall raids gave rise to an opportunity they would rarely have. In the Northern Expanse, resources were fiercely fought over. Powerful men offered protection and resources that a weaker man would not be able to provide.

Few women were willing to have children with males they perceived as weak and unable to provide for them and their potential children. As such most powerful men in the Northern Expanse took more than one wife.

This led to a large number of young single frustrated men. For them, the only chance they would have to lay with a woman was when they raided the plains in the fall. It was a way for them to take out their pent-up frustration, their anger, and their jealousy. Many of the women captured during the raids would not survive the assaults.

However, there were some exceptions. Some women would be captured as well as children to be offered as servants to the leaders of the few villages. But the life expectancy of these women was less than a few months and the boys who survived castration rarely made it to adulthood. Many would agree that death was a most favorable outcome after meeting with the northern warring tribes.

The people of Freeport fled in all directions and hid in any crack or crevice they could find hoping to escape the eyes of the northern warriors. As they waited and prayed to their ancestors for the warriors to pass they were left wondering how were these horsemen able to breach the city walls, and where were the guards who were sworn to protect the people.

********

I think the General has underestimated the carnage these Northsmen will be able to carry out. Even standing outside of the city walls I can hear the cries for mercy and death from the Freeport citizens. At this rate, I wonder if there will even be a city left by the time we enter.

The empty carriages are beginning to fill and there are lines of bloodied women and children being dragged against their will. When their men began raping the women and castrating the boys I nearly vomited and told the chief to no longer do it in our presence. Thankfully he agreed to my request.

Of all of them, he seems like he is not the least bit interested in the raids his men are performing. As if he does not want to be here at all. But it’s hard to figure out what he is thinking. Perhaps he is just indifferent to the whole thing.

It’s absolutely disgusting. They’re savages, the entire lot of them. But right now I’m wondering if I am any better. Do I even have the right to judge them, or even anyone now? I have the power to end it, but I choose not to. Instead, I’m hiding behind the shield of following the orders of a superior officer.

I can see some of my men are having a hard time holding back. The mental scars of this will probably never leave. I’m not sure how the General plans on cleaning this mess up. If I saw my family ripped apart like this I’m not sure whether I would want to fight or just die. How will the people of Freeport react?

Tomorrow the General will begin his sweep northward pushing them out of the city. Unfortunately, we must remain here and witness this the entire time. If they refuse to leave the city we will be tasked with taking care of the Northsmen who have remained outside as well as pin those in the city between our men and the Generals.

In a way, I hope they refuse to comply with the agreement we have made. I know it will cost the lives of many men, but I think it would be worth it. I just hope I am never in a situation where I need to work with these monsters again.

********

The Northsmen riders have spread much quicker than we anticipated. Though they are still focused on the north side of the canal some of them are beginning to trickle to the south. It looks like we will need to send forces to guard the estates of the council members.

The northern sky is orange from all of the fires they’ve set. Thankfully most buildings in Freeport are stone. The fires should be relatively contained, however, the inside of those buildings will most likely be destroyed. The costs of repairing this city are going to be enormous. But this was determined to be the best way to subjugate the people of Freeport by the King's chief strategist. I have no choice but to follow through with their plan.

At this point, I’m not sure what is worse, the screaming of the people or the laughing of the Northsmen. Even from this distance we can hear them. It’s incredible, but I should not expect anything else from people who live like animals.

The Northsmen claim they are the descendants of the Northern Giants which haven’t been seen in nearly 400 years. Some say they are nothing more than the abandoned children of giants and humans. I’m not sure which is right, or if either one is right, but no one can deny their size or strength.

It is not just their larger than average height. Each man weighs nearly double what a normal man does.

“General… I…”

“Go ahead major, speak freely.”

“With your permission, General, some of the men are a bit, well they’re feeling a bit antsy.”

Well, who can blame them really? Even I’m feeling agitated. I’m not a heartless man. War is filled with tragedy, even my own men are not above it, but this is just beyond words. These are citizens with no combat training. Many of them have lived their entire lives not knowing any violence. Now that they are entering the southern half of the city it may only get worse.

“Major we will need to protect the 9 estates of the council. I want 200 men sent to each as well as 5 ogres.”

There are 4 bridges that cross the canal and connect the more densely populated northern part of the city to the southern part. Most of the wealthiest families live in the southeastern quadrant of the city so it might be wise to block off the two easternmost bridges.

It somewhat goes against the agreement we made of allowing free reign but that represents a large amount of the cities wealth and we cannot afford to let the Northsmen plunder it. They’ll still be able to enter the southern districts but we should be able to steer them towards the western half and limit their numbers.

“We’ll also be taking control of these two bridges as well. Fifty men and 10 ogres to each of them. If any Northsmen attempt to cross these bridges I want them sent back.”

The canal is nothing more than a deep mud pit right now so I don’t believe any of them will try to cross it. Tomorrow morning we’ll push any of them that have made it south back to the northern half and slowly make our way to the northern wall.

Focusing them towards the west will also help keep them in areas where our numbers are greatest making it easier tomorrow. I’d like to secure of as much of the southern districts as possible before sunrise, but occupying a city of this size is a slow process.

Not having the canal has really slowed our progress while the Northsmen are able to advance quicker than we thought. We knew the night would be bad, but it has turned into a nightmare.

********

“Mother why have we not left yet? The barbarians are raiding the city, shouldn’t we escape while they are busy attacking?”

“I’ve already told you Belle, we are waiting on your sister, Lord Weston, and Mr. Jayce. Be patient. This bunker is safe so we shall remain here for now.”

“How can you be certain Grace will even make it? If she is not here already she was probably captured and the same goes for that mage. Is this wishful thinking worth risking our lives?”

“Belle we will remain here until I say otherwise and that is final.”

I can’t blame her for being frightened but honestly, I told her we would wait for up to a day if need be but she is more than willing to abandon her sister. Even if they were never close that’s just too much.

“Gerard excellent you are back, what news do you bring?”

“My apologies Lady Eleanor but there is still no word of Lady Grace’s arrival. The majority of the barbarians appear to still be on the other side of the canal, however…”

“Gerard it’s ok to tell us.”

“Well as of right now it is very unpleasant outside. It looks like there are a number of fires to the north and the sounds are very disturbing.”

The look on Gerard’s face says it all. I don’t even want to imagine the horrors those beasts are capable of.

“See mother this is exactly why we should be leaving now! If we wait around for too long they may make it here and possibly find this bunker!”

“And where would you have us go Belle? If the barbarians were to find this room they would surely track us down through the tunnel. Not that I doubt our guard's skills but I do not believe they will be able to hold out against a hoard of those animals.”

Without Mr. Jayce our chances of survival do increase the sooner we leave, that’s the truth. And part of me wants to follow Belle’s suggestion, but the other part wants to continue with the plan we have already made. If not why did we make the plan?

What if Grace arrives but we are no longer here? If that happened she would be sitting out in the open unprotected. It that were the case she would be better off if she remained in Lord Weston’s estate. As for Mr. Jayce, we do not need to worry about Mr. Jayce, he will be fine on his own. If anything he would probably be safer on his own.

I do not believe he would go back on our deal though. The situation has changed and the wise thing would be to update our plan, but we should still be well hidden here. Finding the entry into the bunker will not be very easy.

It really would have been best if we made false tunnels to throw potential attackers off. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have enough time. We were just barely able to complete what we have. Mr. Jayce has the ability to close off the tunnel from the bunker once we enter, but if the barbarians were to enter as it is we would easily be captured.

Right now I’m counting on the entrance to our bunker not being discovered any time soon. If it was the Elkian military they would probably be more thorough, but the barbarians will be too busy looting to search for secret entrances through the stables. There is the entrance through the study as well but that is very well hidden.

Perhaps this makes me a terrible person, but they will also be busy with the servants and guards. No, there is no perhaps, this does make me a terrible person. But if I must sacrifice my servants to save myself and my family I will.

“My apologies Lady Eleanor, but I believe what my wife has suggested is the best course of action. The earlier we leave the likely we are to come into contact with those vicious beasts.”

“Escape through the tunnel is only one part of the plan Sir Thomas. We will still need to travel a great distance to make it to Asmuth. Our chances of survival will be much higher with Mr. Jayce. In addition, I will not abandon my daughter when there is still a chance that she is on her way. The likelihood of those barbarians finding us is very low.”

“Lady Eleanor, this mage is the boy you hired for Grace’s wedding is he not? Are you certain he is even coming? He was hired to protect us yet he is not here, why is that? Why are you risking everything betting on this mage?”

“Yes Mr. Jayce is the mage from Grace’s wedding, he was working with Lord Weston to stop the advance of the Elkian army. As for your other question, he is the one who created this tunnel we shall use to escape. Without him, there would be no escape Sir Thomas.”

“I doubt he built this tunnel out of the kindness of his heart, the escape tunnel was something you paid for. He just so happened to be a mage so instead of using a shovel he used magic. And if he was working with Lord Weston, wouldn’t he already be with him and Lady Grace? If that is the case and he is as powerful as you claim, why have they not yet arrived?”

“I do not know all the details Sir Thomas but I do know that the plan involved Mr. Jayce leaving the city for some time. This attack happened sooner than expected, that is the reason he is not with us now. However, now that fighting has begun in the city Mr. Jayce will be heading back here as we planned.”

“Are we not facing the barbarians though mother? If he is fighting the Elkian army how could he possibly make it back to lead us through the tunnel to escape?”

“The situation is still too unclear, so until we learn more I would rather not leave the relative safety of our bunker only to find ourselves in an even worse situation.”

This is getting tiring, and I can hardly refute their concerns. Maybe I’m the one being irrational. But I do not have enough information to make an informed decision. The barbarians must have had help, but who is helping them? Was it Elkia? Did they attack from the north as well?

“Gerard, have there been any sightings of Elkian troops to the north, do we know if they attacked the northern gates as well?”

“My apologies Lady Eleanor, as of right now there have been no sightings of Elkian soldiers within the city from the information I have been able to gather. It is unclear if Elkia has attacked from the north.”

Everything we’ve been told has said Elkia is attacking from the west. It’s possible our information was wrong though. Or it could be inside help that allowed them to enter. There are just too many unknowns at this point.

If Elkia did attack from the north though why would they allow the barbarians to run rampant through the city. Does Elkia intend to completely destroy Freeport? That can’t possibly be right. They may regard our people as worthless, but even on the decline Freeport has a lot of wealth that I’m sure they would not be willing to hand over so easily.

If Elkia really is siding with the barbarians what is the purpose? Is it to make use of their strength? Elkia shouldn’t need it. Then is it fear? Could they be using the barbarians as a way to terrify us into submission?

If that were true could it be that Elkia has been making use of the barbarians by having them raid smaller villages and towns? I can’t say for certain, but why does it feel like that is possibly what is happening?

********

The command of the raiding parties is considered a great honor to our people, but I do not see an honor in slaughtering the weak. One of the 18 major tribal leaders is selected each year to lead the Fall raids. This year that role has been awarded to me by the High Father.

I despise the Fall raids, but they are a necessary way of life because of the rapid population growth due to farming. Some, such as myself, believe we should discontinue the Fall raids and instead let the spirits decide what is to become of our people.

Our crops do not produce enough food to sustain us all. It is the spirits telling us we have grown too numerous. Almost all of the men here are low-quality single men, and in my opinion, it would be best if most of them were unable to make it back. However, it looks like there will be very few casualties on this trip.

The men of this city have provided very little resistance. One can look at this trip as both successful and unsuccessful at the same time.

“Chief Kharel, the city is fat and weak, we have spread through almost half of the city so far and have captured many.”

“Mmm…, what you have said is true. But why have the men captured so many to take back with us? We do not have the ability to take care of them and it only takes away from the number of resources we can bring.”

“Chief, the men wish to enjoy themselves on their way home, we have only been allowed 1 day which is not enough to satisfy their appetite.”

If they do not collect enough food they will surely starve this winter. While nothing would please me more, it will most likely lead to an increase in crimes within our own villages.

“Get control of these men, if they worry only about pleasuring themselves they will die when there is no food to maintain them. We need food and supplies, these carriages are not meant to transport people.”

Hopefully I will not be forced to intervene. I’d rather avoid interacting with them as much as possible. What proud warrior race? They’re nothing but scavengers who rely on the weak to survive now. But who knows how much longer that will last for.

Most villages and towns that were easy to raid have been destroyed or the people have fled. Our only options now are to attack walled cities. This could be considered a good thing as we will lower our numbers, however, the problem is this Elkia.

This Elkia has been conquering towns and cities and uniting them into one. They are a powerful enemy that we cannot hope to defeat. I fear that if my people begin to raid Elkian territory it will only be a matter of time before these Elkian’s decide to march their powerful armies into our homelands.

I have seen the beasts they command. They call them warbeasts from the south. On flat open lands they are nearly undefeatable. If they were to attack us we would be forced back to the forests we once fled from when we were not more than the bastard children of giants born of human slaves.

There is no way to defeat the giants. If we were forced into the forests I believe it would be the end of our kind. Even though the giant’s numbers are low they are even more formidable than ogres. We are only able to survive because they normally stay in their forests and do not venture into the steppes. That is not always true though. I’ve heard stories of rogue giant’s destroying entire tribes.

It would be for the best if we could reach some agreement of sorts with these Elkian’s. We do not have much to offer though other than our numbers. Their next planned conquest is very far away. It would be difficult for us to travel such a great distance, but we may have no choice.

I have made attempts at dialogue with the one they call Colonel but he seems wary of me. I’m not sure I can blame him though. These men I have with me act more like beasts than men. Even I am disturbed at their behavior. Making any deals with them will be impossible now that he looks at me in the same way.

So far the Elkian’s seem content with buying us off. It would cost much more if they were forced to battle us right now, but things will change. With no cities between us and them and no large cities in our homeland, I do not believe they will attack us anytime soon. But what will happen once they conquer the rest of these cities? I don’t believe they will stop their expansion.

Now that I have seen their strength I know we cannot win. Individually the people of the plains are weak, but together they are too strong for us. Their weapons, their beasts, and their strategies are not forces we can face. My people live day to day and do not think ahead like the people of the plains.

We must think carefully about how we will interact with our Elkian neighbors from now on. The wisest course would be to end these raids. It will cause many internal issues, and the weakest amongst us will surely die off. But that is a natural way, it is the way of our ancestors, and I think it is the way we must go back to if we wish to survive.

********

If it wasn’t for the noises I would think the city was deserted. Even at night there would at least be lights in shops and other buildings but tonight the only light comes from the glow of fire towards the north. It’s almost impossible to see anything, it’s as if I was still underground.

I wanted to avoid a confrontation so I ended up tunneling to the southeast before turning back north to enter the city. It took a little bit longer but thankfully making a tunnel that is only large enough for myself does not require a lot of time or effort.

I could probably tunnel the rest of the way but I only have a general idea of the direction Lady Eleanor’s home is. If it’s a general direction then I have no problems, but going to a very specific place is not easy when you’re underground.

Right now it’s so dark it’s difficult to be spotted so albeit a little less safe, it’s quickest to travel above ground. I haven’t seen any Elkian soldiers. Granted it’s dark, but I would think they would have torchbearers as they comb through the city. Or I would at least hear soldiers marching.

The only thing I hear now though is the occasional scream and call for help. Unfortunately they are getting louder and becoming more frequent. Could it be from the Elkian army? I wouldn’t think so, but maybe I’m being optimistic.

If Elkia plans to conquer this city and rule over it, it wouldn’t make sense to terrorize its people. Doing something like that would make it almost impossible to control resentment. It’s hard to make out but it almost sounds like horses running as well.

Elkia has some form of an armored cavalry, but this sounds too disorganized. If I had to guess it would be the warring tribes. It looks like I’ll know soon enough though. There’s definitely at least 2 of them heading in my direction.

“These look like shops, I thought you said you heard people this way.”

“I did, maybe they’re hiding here because they thought we wouldn’t attack this place.”

“Why would someone hide in a shop stupid. Of course we would attack the shops. Why did I bother listening to you? We should go that way. We can come back to the shops after we’ve had some fun.”

Ah of course. It’s hard to tell exactly but it looks like the direction he wants to go in would bring him towards Lady Eleanor’s eventually. It would be bad if others follow him and end up going in that direction.

But who are these people? They must be from the warring tribes, but they’re enormous. Possibly the biggest men I’ve ever seen. I don’t think Lady Eleanor’s guards will be able to stop them. Especially if more show up.

What to do? Should I follow them and see where they are going? If there is a small group of them it may be better to find them and take care of all of them now. But at the same time I don’t want to wander around aimlessly with them either.

I have no intentions of trying to save everyone I come across, it’s just not possible. But I should try to help out people if I can, even if it’s only to feel good about myself.

“Um…, are you looking for people?”

“Who’s there? Show yourself boy.”

“See I told you I heard people over here.”

“Ah shut up. It’s just one boy, I’m looking for women you fool, if you want to play with him then enjoy yourself.”

“Ah no, I’m looking for women also, I have no interests in boys. Hey you, where are the others?”

“Sorry but I’m the only one here. Can you guys tell me are you alone or are there others nearby?”

“A waste of time, you should just kill him so we can move on.”

It doesn’t look like they’re very organized. Are they just running through the city looking for people? Or could it be that they left the group they were in to loot for themselves? I’m not sure I’ll be able to learn much from these two either way.

“I think you should stop right there. I have a couple of simple questions I need answers to. First how many of you are there and second where is your group located?”

“You’re quite brave, the first person who hasn’t run away screaming the moment they saw us, but I’m done with you it’s time for-“

“You, what did you do to him? How did a weak plainsman make him…”

Why? Why did I just kill him? It was as if, I didn’t even think about it. Why did I launch a rock at his head?

“He was coming towards me, so I just…”

“You’re a witch? Only women are witches, we kill witches you-“

“STAY BACK! Stay back or I’ll kill you as well!”

I killed those men earlier too. Why didn’t it bother me until now?

“Answer my questions? How many more of you are there, and where is your group?”

“Shut up witch! You will die like the rest- Aarrgh“

“DAMNIT! Why didn’t you just answer my question!”

Damnit, Damnit! What is going on? I didn’t feel like this earlier. Was it the circumstance? Is that what it is?

Earlier I was attacked, it was a strong enemy, and I had no choice but to defend myself. But this time I didn’t really need to confront them. It could have been avoided. Is that why?

But this is a good thing, right? These men were looking for women, and they were ready to kill me as well. If I let them go they would have gone on to kill countless innocent people, no they probably already have. But wasn’t I planning to find out where their group was so I could attack them?

This is war, this is war, this is war. That’s right, this is war. People die in war. Good people die, bad people die, soldiers, civilians, men, women, and children. Calm down, I need to think. If I’m worried about killing people why am I even here still? What am I trying to do here?

Is it because of my agreement? The gold isn’t really that important, then am I really that close to Lady Eleanor? I don’t think I am. But why do I feel like I need to protect her and her family? Am I trying to make up for failing to help my family that night? Am I really willing to continue killing for Lady Eleanor? I don’t understand it.

For some reason, I want to protect them. But if I don’t make it in time the same thing will happen to… her. Does she remind me of her? Does Lady Eleanor remind me of my mother? Is that why I’m willing to kill for her? But why does she remind me of my mother? They’re almost complete opposites.

My mother was an extremely powerful woman who held no power in our family. Lady Eleanor holds all the power in her family but is an extremely weak woman. My mother had the power to protect herself. I’m certain if she wanted to she could have escaped. But she wanted to die. Lady Eleanor has no way of protecting herself, there is no way she can escape on her own. But she wants to live.

Is it the contrast between the two that makes me think of her? Is that why I feel like I need to protect her? I’m not the reason for my family’s death, but I do feel guilty for how things happened. I probably could have escaped on my own, my uncle did not have to die saving me.

Am I trying to make up for the past by saving Lady Eleanor? Is it because I wish my mother would have wanted to live like Lady Eleanor? Am I using Lady Eleanor to fill in for my loss? That’s not possible. But is it a bad thing if she did? What’s wrong with me right now, what am I thinking?

I shouldn’t be worrying about this right now. Now’s not the time for this. I’ve decided on what I need to do, I’m almost at her house, for now, I should focus on escaping with her and her family. I can think about these things some other time.

Lady Eleanor’s estate is about 20 minutes from here and the screams are getting louder and more frequent. I cannot waste any more time. How could Elkia allow something like this to happen? The survivors of this will never forget the pain of tonight.

It seems like the stories of Lady Eleanor and Lord Weston are true. Even if the Elkian soldiers are not the ones committing these acts, they are still allowing them to happen to the very people they intend to rule. Refusing to accept that offer was the wise thing to do. It’s time to leave.