Inari Village of Hani (Refuge), The Kingdom of Ederath- Late Winter 15 years AR

Ambassador Coda looked on from the wooden platform that sufficed as the battlements of the village. From his perspective, he could see hundreds if not over a thousand humans across the field. Most stayed back but three hundred of them moved forward. Armed with spears, swords, axes, and bows while armored mainly in leather.

He’d sent out a delegation to try to speak with the newcomers but the people he’d sent were now tied up behind the enemy. Only a single one had been allowed to come back, his report was next to useless as the invaders had demanded ‘Tusks!’. Coda recognized the word but the orcs had long since left. What made it worse was they couldn’t communicate well enough to convey that fact!

He was an ambassador but he was selected to negotiate a trade deal, he wasn’t trained to negotiate wartime resolutions. Not many Inari were! His people didn’t fight often in general and the ones in Hani were sailors that at most fought off pirates before they landed on those shores or monsters and beasts after. They weren’t equipped or experienced enough to face such a large number of warriors.

“Your orders, Honored Ambassador,” The captain of his guard asked. Coda hesitated. The platforms around their village were limited, their bows inadequate, spears no better, and even their walls were built to keep out wildlife, not a small army. It was packed and hardened clay mud! Their enemy wouldn’t even have to come over the walls, they could topple them with ease. He still needed to give an answer though.

“Archers to the platforms. Infantry… Infantry ready at the gate. If they come it may be best if we open the gate and fight there rather than deal with them along the wall,” Coda decided after further hesitation, "Send everyone else to the far side of Hani."

The standoff continued as his people took their positions. A large, armored human stood at the front yelling incomprehensible things at them with only a few words getting through. He ordered his own captain to do the same, demanding the release of his people. He doubted it would do any good but his honor demanded that they try to negotiate for the hostages.

The humans eventually started moving closer as Coda watched intently. He wasn’t sure if they intended to attack outright or were seeing if his people would make the first move. He had it spread that none of the archers were to loose a single arrow without command or the invaders outright attacking them.

The lack of response only seemed to embolden the invaders. They started yelling and soon chanting at them. Rolling forward and then back like rippling waves. Coda wasn’t sure if it was a taunt or some sort of ritual.

He heard a noise in the distance and he, along with every other Inari, looked to the northwest. Their actions caught the attention of the invaders who quieted down but Coda wasn’t even sure what he’d heard. He doubted humans could pick it up.

Both sides remained quiet and listened. The tension started to build but his people all focused their ears towards Strondheim, the village they’d been invited to join. After a minute the sound came again, floating on the breeze.

Awwooooooo.

Some of the Inari’s ears shot up in delight at the sound and Coda looked at the humans. A few were cleaning their ears and even more were looking to the northwest now. Their non-combatants in the back started shifting to the east.

“Perhaps that was just wolves, your ambassadorship,” Coda’s captain said but the captain's ears betrayed him. He was still smiling.

“Perhaps but the humans are more cautious now which is only to our benefit,” Coda responded, hoping that his daughter was safe and these people wouldn’t attack.

Time went on and the humans continued getting closer. Switching between yells of ‘tusks’ and chants. They did however seem warier of the northwest.

“There!” a sailor with a bow yelled out and pointed to the west. Every Inari head and the few humans that had been aboard the colony ship looked where he was pointing. They came from the west, closer to the walls of Hani but Coda recognized them instantly.

At the front was a tall young man in steel armor, carrying a large axe, behind him even taller men with heavy armor and red plumes on their helmets. Behind and beside them was another heavily armored young man and the Thane’s companions, making up a vanguard. In the back rose three banners. Coda only recognized one of them. The one he recognized was the solar eclipse that represented Ederath on the captain's charts. The other two? One was the face of a black and white animal on a field of blue with strange letters below and the other was green with crossed weapons of some sort, he couldn’t tell what they were. Under those banners though, were a hundred humans and thirty orcs.

Coda wasn’t sure if it would be enough but then he saw the one known as Tira and the two with plumes take their monstrous forms. The aggressive, chanting humans turned to face the newcomers but even from a distance, Coda could tell they were afraid.

***********

Jon marched at the front of his hastily prepared militia. The front rank carried steel-tipped spears and heavy tower shields while the second only had spears and the ones behind only carried wooden ones or were with the bowmen. Jon was nervous, he didn’t like the idea of fighting people but now he had a thousand of them in his lands. He knew that they planned on trying diplomacy first… or rather Ser Hallr was going to threaten them with the wrath of the Ederath if they so much as drew a weapon or pointed an arrow at them. That still didn’t make him feel any better. He took a deep breath and steadied himself.

“Form ranks in front of Hani’s gate!” He yelled out the order, the formation turning with surprising efficiency into a column that wound its way towards the village, keeping the shield bearers towards the potential enemy. Erin and Willow had prepared the militia over the past couple of weeks and he needed to thank them. Their training went far behind simply learning how to thrust a spear.

No sooner did his people take their place before he heard a creak. He turned around to see the Inari pouring out of their opening gates. Some with rough shields made of wicker joined his shield wall, while the spearmen without fell in with his own. The only adequately armed and armored of the group squeezed through and joined his ranks at the front with an Ederathan salute.

“Give’s th' tusks 'n' thare wull be na fightin'!” One of the invaders stepped forward and yelled. The man was in his mid-twenties, large, and one of the few wearing metal armor. By all accounts, he matched the description of the chief.

Ser Hallr motioned for Jon to follow and the two stepped forward, Hallr still in his lycan form. Jon noticed the women, children, unarmed, and elderly moving to place their own warriors between them and the combined army of his lands. Once they were 30 paces ahead of the vanguard Ser Hallr stopped.

“I am Ser Hallr! Third in the line of command of the Order of Ederath! Beside me stands Thane Jon Halladson! He rules these lands! You have invaded Ederath! LEAVE!” Hallr bellowed the last word so loud it was near a roar.

“Ye dare challenge th' breakwater tribe!? Tae protect some tusks! Those monsters dinnae deserve tae donder thae lands! We'll tak' them back north! Ye dinnae 'n' I cannae promise thare won't be blood. Wouldn't want th' young thane tae be hurt!” The chief yelled back and those around him laughed at the not so vague threat. The laughter quickly stopped.

“YOU DARE SPEAK OF CHALLENGE?! MEN AMONG THE WOLVES!” Hallr roared back. He started walking forward and so did Jon before he noticed that Ser Finn, Ragnar, and Tira were jogging up to them from behind. Erin, Aethred, Willow, and two heavily armed Inari only shortly behind them, “ASK YOUR ELDERS, YOUNG CHIEF! ASK THEM WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAST TRIBE TO COME SOUTH AND THREATEN OUR PEOPLE! ASK THEM WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE KING OF WOLVES CALLS UPON THE PACK!”

Jon wasn’t sure if this was still a part of the act or if the man had ignited something in Hallr. The invaders looked wary and Jon waved forward, giving a glance back to see the entire formation start marching forward.

“BESIDE ME STANDS A YOUNG LYCAN! BEHIND ANOTHER! ASK THEM WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU THREATEN OUR YOUNG! ASK THEM WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU SUCCEED! ASK THOSE WHO HAVE A THOUGHT IN THEIR HEAD WHAT IT MEANS WHEN MY KING CALLS FOR A HUNT!”

Hallr came to a stop, staring straight at the now shaking chief. Jon couldn’t hear them but he could see a few older warriors speaking quickly to their chief. Jon wasn’t sure what happened to the last tribe to come south but looking at their faces, he couldn’t imagine it was a good outcome for them. A tap on his shoulder caught his attention, Erin pointed to the side and Jon spotted four Inari hogtied on the ground.

Ser Hallr noticed them as well, “Release OUR PEOPLE! and leave Ederath! Any from the Breakwater Tribe sets foot here again and it will be paid for with blood! Death of those who committed it and death to those who lead! Now leave! I will follow and if you turn about, the last thing you will see is me before I tear your head from your worthless neck!”

Hallr was starting to scare even Jon now. He bared his teeth at the enemy and started walking forward again. His weapon wasn’t even drawn and he was flexing his clawed hands. The enemy chief looked pale as Hallr closed in. He gave a wave of his hand and his people turned and started jogging north, only slowing to keep the non-fighters in front of them.

“Finn! You're with me! Ragnar stay with the Thane! We’ll be back in a week or so,” Ser Hallr growled and walked after them. Finn jogged to catch up, only giving Jon a worried glance as he passed. When they entered the treeline Jon sighed in relief, a sound that seemed to come from multiple people.

“Whew. Stupid fucks. Hallr’s the last one they should be threatenin’ ya in front of,” Ragnar said as Jon looked at his confused and scared militia.

“Why the fucks that?” Aethred asked, his voice shaking slightly.

“That tribe he spoke of? They raided south years back. He lost his daughter in that, she was ten. He doesn’t like the humans up north much and even less anyone who threatens a kid,” Ragnar informed them. Jon wasn’t sure it was his business to say but it made sense of what had just happened.

“What happened to the tribe?” Erin asked but sounded like she didn’t want an answer.

“I wasn’t even born yet. It was probably forty years ago but from what I heard, King Herald called for a hunt to go after the ones that done attacked….” Ragnar said and looked around at the confused looks, “He called for every lycan willing to go after them, thousands crossed the border, not just knights either. Anyone in that tribe that dared to draw a fuckin’ weapon was put down.”

Forty years seemed like a long time to hold a grudge that strong but then again it was the loss of a child. It took lycans decades just to have a single one and Jon couldn’t imagine hoping for a child for that long only to have her die like that. He couldn’t blame Hallr for his anger.

“Best keep that to yourselves!” Neera said as she walked up. She glared at Ragnar who at least had enough decency to look ashamed. Andrew went running past a moment later, heading towards the two Inari that had joined them in front and the ones they were currently cutting free of their binds.

When they were free Jon walked back towards the militia, who were still standing mixed in with the Inari. Both groups had calmed down but Jon saw glances towards the treeline, unsure if it was the breakwater tribe or Ser Hallr they were checking for. The Inari stayed until the Chajin made an announcement. Whatever it was they looked shocked but quickly moved into the village.

It wasn’t long until Sunada, who’d blended in with Andrew and the bowmen at the back came walking out of the village with her father. Both walked up to Jon and saluted. Jon bowed back in respect.

“Inari go Strondheim?” Sunada asked. It dawned on Jon what the order was that Chajin Coda had given his people.

“Yes, Inari go Strondheim.”

**********

Border of the Elvan, The Kingdom of Stilyra mid-spring 15 years AR

Leofrith awoke to shouting in the camp. He shot up out of his bedroll and reached for his sword, only to remember his hands were still bound in steel cuffs and his weapons were elsewhere until morning. He did have his armor on though, he’d gotten used to sleeping in it during his trek through the Dain.

He crawled out of his tent and looked about. A large group of people were rushing through the camp slashing at soldiers and unarmored knights with various weapons. It took Leo a moment to realize what was happening.

Daoud popped his head out of the tent and looked at the fighting, he held his hands out and Leo extended his claws and started digging into the ropes that bound one of his few friends in the camp. It didn’t take long but his claws could do nothing to free himself. His only way out was the key.

“Can you shift?” Daoud asked.

“No,” Leo told him. In reality, the answer was yes but he wasn’t sure how well his wrists would hold up against the tight-fitting steel. It was better than choking but if he injured himself it might not matter if he turned. He might scare them off but he also might just make himself a target while being unable to fight back except biting people. He could do that of course without turning someone but he wasn’t about to go that far.

Daoud nodded and made his way out of the tent, keeping low while he grabbed a handful of dirt in each hand. Leo watched him go with his weapon to toss in bandit eyes but pulled a tent stake out of the ground instead and held it pointing down. The two were soon joined by a few others from the criminal tents including Vonus and Mason. They’d been placed near the center of the camp to ensure none of them could sneak away in the night. That security measure was now their saving grace as those who weren’t outright killed had started putting up a fight around them.

“Our weapons are over here,” Daoud said and led them into a large tent. Leo quickly spotted his sword and dagger. Putting the latter in its scabbard and taking the other in a forced two-handed grip. Daoud grabbed Leo before he could leave again. “Vonus grab that wood axe.”

Leo looked over at the man in question who stared at the axe and then at Leo before the chain that ran between the steel rings on his wrists, “Ah… no!”

“You must my friend,” Daoud said and pulled Leo down. A feat that he shouldn’t have been able to accomplish but Leo knew he was right, he just didn’t like the idea. Vonus snatched the axe and looked at it before passing it to Mason.

Leo placed his hand over a large rock one of them brought in from outside. He wasn’t sure if it was just for that or an impromptu weapon they'd already had. He closed his eyes as he wholeheartedly expected to lose his hand.

Clang!

The sound rang out and Leo didn’t feel the incredible pain he was expecting. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see the chain was damaged but still there. A second later he flinched as the axe unexpectedly came down again, severing the link.

Clang!

“Let’s go!” the rapist said and for once Leo could agree as he grabbed his shield. They poured out of the armory tent, armored and armed but as soon as they got outside they stopped. It was clear the battle was not going well. The bandits looked to outnumber them two to one before they killed the unsuspecting and even sleeping soldiers.

“Go!” Vonus yelled while pointing at a break in the line that would let them get to the forest. The group made their way only being confronted by a pair of bandits, who were quickly cut down by a veteran and Leo. The soldier caught a blade to his hip for his trouble but Leo helped him get into the darkness of the trees before he shifted his eyes to see in the low light.

The group fled through the darkness, following Leo’s lead. A few broke away, likely criminals taking advantage of the chance to escape while two or three individuals joined them as they started climbing up a slope. They could hear the bandits yelling about finding the Count. Leo briefly wondered if Ravenna had placed a bounty or if they planned to ransom him back… it was possible they just wanted him dead. All pointless thoughts given the situation.

“Agh!” Leo cried out as they continued to climb. A sudden [Light] spell flooded his vision a moment after someone stepped out from behind a tree in front of him, his eyes working against him.

A hand grabbed him and he felt someone pull him to the side and he landed, hearing the person grunt as Leo’s full weight landed on them. Leo also heard the whisp sound of an arrow passing by his head, he held his breath a moment when he realized what had just happened. He switched his eyes to see heat only to see a man pointing a finger at him while another flinched back as he released another arrow. It sailed over Leofrith.

“That’s one of them fuckin’ wolfmen!” the archer called out, hesitating long enough to let the others rush him. By the time Leo was pulling the retired Decanus off the ground, the two bandits were already laying on the ground with blood pooling around him. From Leo’s view the warm blood shone compared to the cool ground below, he could see it pour onto the forest floor.

He looked away and only hesitated for a second before nodding thanks at the Decanus who saved him from getting an arrow to the head and moving on. After that, he started switching his eyes back and forth, not wanting to experience that again but they didn’t encounter any more bandits. He could still hear them with the occasional clash of steel coming from somewhere but they were putting ground between them as they moved through the night.

By morning they’d traveled miles first up a slope and when it started to get too steep they traveled along the slope. As the sun started rising behind them, they stopped.

“Why have we stopped?” Leo looked back and his eyes went wide. Count Viabold had at some point joined their group.

“Milord, we’d be far easier to spot moving in daylight. We must… ugh… we must find a place to stand fast,” the retired Decanus said, laying down on his side and inspecting the bandaging on his hip.

“Wait!” Vonus suddenly called out, causing more than one person to try to grab his mouth to silence him. A moment later he started laughing and covered his mouth.

“What the fucks wrong with you?”

“Explain yourself at once, slave.”

“The fuck?”

He looked at them and pointed up the slope with one hand and then towards the sun with the other. Leo followed the finger pointing upward after a glance to the East, above them stood a snow-covered peak. Vonus finally opened his mouth to speak with a wide smile, “We’re not slaves anymore! We’re in the Elvan.”

The few that hadn’t grasped it at first, which included Leofrith, gasped. He looked at the two points and realized they’d only been a few miles from the border, they’d fled right across it in the dark and they’d officially entered the Salesari Pass!

“You can only be freed by the one that owns you! That’s the Duke of Ebrus,” the Count stated but looked afraid.

“Don’t matter, long as we’re here the pointy-ears won’t even care bout what the Duke of Ebrus done said,” a murderer said with a vicious grin and looked at the Count.

Leo stood up and moved between them, facing the criminal, “You hurt him here and they’ll hang you.”

Leofrith hadn't even hesitated, he didn't like the Count but that didn't mean he'd let the man be butchered. The murderer looked at the single soldier that could still stand, the Count, and Leo. The three soon were joined by Daoud, a reluctant Vonus, and Mason, who seemed to join them more so he wasn’t standing alone. They faced off against the murderer and rapist.

“Don’t look at me. Killing’s not my thing,” the rapist clarified but didn’t move to confront the murderer.

“Fine," the killer said in a way that Leo didn't trust. When they stopped for the night, he'd have to speak with Daoud, Vonus, and the soldiers to set a watch. If the former Decanus didn't do that on his own.

They sat around for a while after that in silence but by midday, Leo decided it was probably safe to move. He hadn't heard anything other than wildlife for hours by that point. His only concern was a faint smell of smoke on the wind.

The slaves decided they were bound for the Elvanni city Salesari. The Count and two veterans decided it would be best to travel further into the Elvan, they knew the other direction wasn’t safe. The count at least didn't argue about whether or not they were slaves again.

They pushed themselves until dusk and made their way to a cave to take cover for the night. As soon as Leo walked into the cave he froze. A strange smell entered his nose and even in his human form, he could recognize it.

“Oh, no.”

**********

Dragon Legion Lines, The Kingdom of Stilyra mid-spring 15 years AR

Legionnaire-Magus Thaedred stood atop the lime tower he was assigned to. The three-story tower and short wooden palisade surrounded by wooden spikes was a far cry from the Saena, where he once attended the Academy and fought in the Arena. His new home was a single part of the fortifications that stretched along the front line with the monsters.

In front of him was the bulk of the Kingdom of Darvony… or what once was. The legions were nearly overrun four years prior and had been forced to pull back to form a new defensive line. Many people of the once proud kingdom had evacuated long before the werewolves pushed the legions back but many more were lost as the lines shifted.

Behind them was a series of forts and camps that housed the bulk of the legions. The various legion camps stretched across the border of Davony and Quesca. More importantly, it was the point where the Utinum peninsula opened up into the mainland proper. It had been drilled into him that it was their last chance. If the legions failed, the monsters could start to spread out of the peninsula and it’d be near impossible to contain them then.

Containment wasn’t actually his duty though. Thaedred’s job at the lime was to sound the alarm and not die before the legion arrived to stomp the monsters out of existence, the same standing orders were given to everyone along the limes. The only issue was that Thaedred hadn’t seen a single one of the beasts since he took his post on the front, he hadn’t even heard horns from the other towers. That seemed like a good thing but it made the veterans that had been on the post for a few years nervous, and that made him nervous.

“I’m telling ya, something big’sa comin’,” Dervan, a dwarf legionnaire said as he crawled up the ladder that was frustratingly designed for him. It was only frustrating for everyone that wasn’t four feet tall though.

“You’re late and you say that every time you take post!” Vikca said, the female legionnaire leaned against the wall as the man Dervan was replacing took his time to ensure his footing in the ladder that had far too many rungs.

“And I’ll keep sayin’ it!” Derven yelled loudly. Thaedred had learned that the man wasn’t actually trying to be abrasive, he was just loud. His normal voice from earlier was akin to a whisper from him.

“Till what? Till a horde of the fucks comes out?” Vikca laughed at her own joke but soon ran her hand down her tabard depicting a longship in the water with a full moon in the background. It was the insignia of her homeland, the Kingdom of Cisca. The straightening of her tabard was a nervous tick of hers.

“’Til ya stop givin’ me crap boot it! An’ stop doin’ dat!” Dervan laughed as he stood upon a stool to see due east properly. He started imitating her by rubbing his own gray tabard with a single white triangle in the center, the dwarven Kingdom of Dow. Vikca looked at Thaedred and her eyes glanced down at his tabard. It had a series of green points going up and light gray coming down. Which he was making sure not to smooth out despite the tabard, depicting both the forest and the teeth of the monsters that lived there, being bunched up above his belt. Instead, he turned to look to the southeast again.

It was his assigned position, while Vikca watched the south and Derven’s eyes stayed toward the east. It wasn’t a perfect system but three legionnaires were supposed to be on the lookout at all times. Scanning the horizon from sun up till sundown. The nights were watched by Baird, their lone lycan, who was asleep in his bunk downstairs.

Thaedred felt sorry for the man and for the lycan cadet he had met in Saena, who would probably end up doing the same job. Baird would have to stay up and watch all three posts from the moment it became too dark for the others to see until sun up, although Derven’s heritage gave him a bit better vision in the dark and he’d keep the lycan company every once in a while.

The hours passed like any other day, idle small talk and occasional jokes. They were of course able to take breaks to rest their eyes or whenever else one was needed. Such as they’d split the sections between two when one of them needed to use the chamberpot in the only room on top of the tower.

It was during one of those times that Derven suddenly spoke out, “Fella! Thar’s one, due southeast!”

Thaedred snapped his eyes to the direction he’d been staring at for most of his shift. It took him a moment to see it but when he did, he could just make out a large animal crouched down on a distant hill. It just sat there and watched them.

“Do we sound the alarm?”

“Fer one!? Ye daft!”

“So what do we do?”

“If it comes, we’ll make some noise ter draw it in an’ put it down wi’ a few arrows… or just let Baird ‘ave at it.”

After another minute the monster stood on its hind legs and turned around to walk back down the far side, taking it out of sight. Thaedred stared, it was quite a distance away but even the profile and the gait reminded him of lycans. He felt a little bad comparing them to the monsters but he doubted they’d deny the resemblance.

“What’d I miss?” Vikca asked as she walked back outside, pulling her hair down to tie it back up in a bun.

“Mange'er sittin’ on de ‘ill to de southeast. It jus’ fuck’d off,” Derven gave her a quick status report as they got into their original positions.

Thaedred kept scanning but his eyes would return to the spot and remain for a few seconds every so often. He guessed it was still doing his duty and he was glad he did because he watched as it walked back on top of the hill, “It’s back.”

“I see it,” Vikca said, the hill in question extending into her position. A second one came not long after.

“So, how many does there need to be before we sound the alarm?” Thaedred looked to Derven and asked. He wasn’t sure considering it was only his first day ever seeing one.

“We’ll let ya know. Needs ter be a threat worth calling de legion- Like dat!” Derven yelled louder than usual. Thaedred jumped at the outburst and turned to see a tide of fur coming over the hill.

His two more experienced partners jumped into action without a thought. Vikca climbed up an exterior ladder and pulled an oiled canvas from atop a large bronze brazier, exposing a pile of wood and tinder soaked in oil. Which she quickly tried to light with a flint and steel. At the same time, Derven bellowed down the ladder, “Get yer asses up ‘ere! We ‘ave company!”

As the brazier above lit and started to burn, Vikca dumped a jug of some alchemical solution on it. The light smoke rising from the flames turned to billowing clouds of smoke that rose into the air. Derven grabbed a horn off the wall and blew into it but a split second before, the sound it would make came from the text lime tower to the northeast. Thaedred could already see the smoke rising, a second hint of smoke beyond that.

Thaedred looked back to the approaching monsters, they numbered in the thousands and were still coming over the hill! Ser Baird climbed the ladder and stepped outside on the balcony… He studied the incoming monsters a moment before he looked at all of them already on the top of the tower, “Make your peace and die well.”

Not even twenty minutes later, Thaedred looked up at the sky and the top of the tower. He could see Baird fighting a losing battle while monsters scaled the side of the tower. Vikca screamed as she burned her hands on the bronze brazier, trying to dump the burning contents onto the monsters that were climbing up after her. The view moved further away… He already saw Derven die, the dwarf had put up a fight but had his broad chest torn open... and as for himself.

THUD!

His eyes went dark and his consciousness stopped as he impacted the ground, his skull shattering against a stone. He’d been thrown over the side, his left arm and right leg landing shortly after.