Mas Bagus

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

The peasant gazed at the circus man in disbelief before looking down, refusing to shake his hands. His general mien was still nervous, but his voice sounded like that of an offended man.

Even after Ludvig exclaimed that he believed him.

"Pardon sir. Me name's Dromele. I'snt me intention to be suspicious with words, but I wish no harm, sir, nor the harm for meself. Guiding you and yous to a trap's never crossed me mind. Please hit me not for that, I just want to repay your kindness. Cuff me hands if you like, or put me down, and tell me to begone, and I shant trouble you no more."

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

"You said you only saw them once and did not see them again after. But earlier, you also said that you know where, in your words, 'our folks' are."

The peasant glanced at her and then to the road behind and answered nervously. "I said I knew where they went, milady, and 'twas Katwiz they were headed, also the last time I see them."

"What exactly did people say happened to them and what is this 'not-so-cheery-thing' you plan to show us?"

"Many things. Words from next-door wenches said they went to the crone in the forest and never came back. Some said the General's men captured them. Others said they tried to go back but wolves got them all. Many things, milady, but I know certainly what happened to a few of Clerics man. Terrible things, but fraid I shant speak about it here. Not as long as mebody's with you. You will see for yourself, that won't be too far."

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

"They know who we are now. If they report us to their superiors, whoever they might be, or their forces, it would make it quite hard for us to move around and investigate the paladin's whereabouts, wouldn't it?"

"The righteous path is seldom an easy one." "Misguided and blind as they may be, they had their order as we had ours. We could either constantly butt heads at every turn or let the matter rest, the latter being much easier when they're alive."

"True, I would prefer something more diplomatic," Carmen said, glancing at Mirielle and Ludvig. "Even if they refuse to talk, we can always take another route; God willing, the path will reveal itself." pausing, he pursed his lips. "But that would mean we forsake our fellow men, and that didn't sit right with me. Besides all said and done, I believe this is all a fated counter, and all we can do is to make the most of it."

"Hmm, no.
As far as matters resting, killing them might be the best thing to do right now."

"But I too believe it would be better if you don't jump on someone ever so often, Master Ludvig. As for your question, such a drastic measure is unjustified for now. If the concern is us being fugitives, I say the ramifications would be a lot worse if we outright slaughter them. Now let us put this behind us. The gunshots could be heard from miles away, and would be no surprise if some of their friends were already on the move."

Carmen had started to trot away from the scene, followed by Ludvig who now lay down on the beast's back like it was a couch. Been almost 40 days on the road with him, and nothing surprises Carmen anymore, but sometimes he couldn't help but grin when seeing his antics.

The peasant guided them toward the crossroad they passed earlier and they would take the one leading southward.

"You there, you say you know where the group we are looking for went? From what you said, it seemed that you saw them yourself. What about the paladin leading them? What can you tell us of him?"

The peasant managed. "I only saw the Paladin once, milady. In Katwiz. But twas months ago, I lived in Olbey and had things to tend to. Looked like honorable man, strong but he ain't flaunting it, he helped the sick in fact. He had a lady following him, similarly decorated, looks only slightly younger than him. She heals peasantries too if me mind serves me right. Never saw both again since."

He shook his head gloomily. "Sad to hear what happened to them. Folks said a lot of things, none of em pretty. But sorry, sire, milady, but what I will show you ain't gonna be something cheery."

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

As Ludvig grabbed the musketeer's bloody hands and channeled his magic to heal him, a terrible shrill could be heard, even with a handkerchief in the mouth, it sounded like someone was being tortured by dipping their hands on a molten bronze.

The sergeant scowled at Carnathia in a mix of anger and resolution. He could not look at what had been done to his men, but he could hear, and he could picture what his assailants were up to. The icy contraption still bound him to the ground, and at that moment he looked like he was ready to accept his fate.

"Wench got nothing else to ask but to repeat your questions?" He glared at Carmen and Carnathia, before spatting. "Go to hell, suka! Ptoy! You will not get anything from me. Do your worst! Come on!"

He howled, as loud as he could. And then he laughed when Amanita walked closer and started to expose him with her spores.

"What? Putting a hex on me now?! Hahahaha! Why are you playing dumb?" he jolted himself and struggled harder, this time he looked terrified for real before finally, the spores did their things. The man snorted and finally stopped howling like a wounded animal. But he spoke no word, only his gaze looked deep into his opponent's eyes as if mentally remembering every shape and contour of their faces.

"There is no salvation in this land," he muttered calmly, but definitely in delirium. "Let them steal and more will come and do the same. Give them small punishment and they will spit on your face. Vodka, I need vodka. Miss vodka! Been months since our last supply... know nothing about your fancy god-lover."

----

When the Sergeant bantered with the rest of the team, the peasant approached Carmen with trembling legs.
"Thousands of pardons, sire. This poor fellow will forever be grateful of your rescue, but methinks we should leave this place. I know where your folks are..." he looked at the road ahead, and with a shivering voice, continued. "We's close to the red stripes camp, and 'fraid them soldiers will come anytime to check on their friends."

Nodding, Carmen asked. "How many are they in their camps?"

"Aint no sure, sire, but no less than a hundred red stripes. Could be wrong, for I isn't from here."

Carmen reassuringly tapped the peasant's shoulder and clapped his hands to quickly gather everyone's attention.

"We need to move now," he announced. "Quickly, before this place turns into another Vesnaggrad. Amaris, Mirielle, Ludvig, por favor! let us leave this place and leave those soldiers be! Peasant, you will ride with me, show us the way."

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

The last musketeer's attempt to escape was abruptly foiled when Ludvig suddenly teleported ahead of him. with his executioner friend no less. The impact made some nasty thud that you can hear if you were standing close but seemed like a comical, laugh-inducing smash-up when viewed from the distance.

The soldiers lost consciousness almost immediately, at least they would only suffer heavy concussions and not certain death, right?

In the aftermath of that messy but exhilarating chaos, Carmen went to the peasant and removed the sack from his head.

"Can you stand? Can you walk? Look at me! Breath, amigos! You are safe now. Focus!" The peasant only nodded, but to make sure, Carmen slapped his temple to make him gather his wit faster, even so, it would take some time for him to catch his breath and regain his sense.

__

“Well, that was exciting.” said Osric. “Perhaps we can stop this farce, and figure out where we go from here? Hmm… Judging by your expression, that’s probably not going to happen.”

The sergeant looked up, completely subdued, now the only thing he could do was to entertain those bastards. He smiled bitterly. Let them think they had the upper hand, the reinforcement would come soon anyway.

"You are a funny guy, let me tell you where we go from here." He spat before shouting like he was in delirium. "You will be dead, BLYATS! Don't you know who we are?! Oh, I think you do! Who sent you, hah? Those damn traitors? Or could be That witch in the mountain? Crone got some new lackeys I see."

"We don't know who they are, good sir." Said Carmen, after helping the peasant stand up. "But we would like to know who they are, and my question earlier about people we seek. Seems you were not telling the whole truth."

"Poshol na khuy, Spies! I have no authority or obligation to answer to you! I see that you are rescuing that scumbag! Kha-ha! Ty smotri, criminals are quick to recognize each other."

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

'Enough!" Carmen barked."Senor, attacking a lady is unacceptable! You are outnumbered! Tell your men to stand down!"

"Tell your wenches then to stand down! I knew it! You all are foreign spies! Alert! Aler-"

The chains clinked and swirled, and nearby, The Sergeant's eyes widened when he realized that the chaos had unfolded just by a mere second.

He was only given a moment to recover from the prior stagger, and with attention divided between two fronts, his reactionary was poor when Rezello slugged him on the back of his calf. Apparently, he was strong enough to withstand a full blow from the mercenary's bec de corbin albeit bending down to both feel and scream upon the sudden pain.

But his endurance would be short-lived.

He did not realize there was a mechanical contraption, made of clear ice, closing in and pouncing at him. Now pinned to the ground, the spider-like drone had already gripped his chest with its sturdy legs, and from its front mandibles, emerged an icy broadhead of a bolt.
Still trying to wrestle with that thing, the Sergeant's iron gauntlet grabbed the ice bolt while his other, similarly armored hand repeatedly pummeled the spider's anterior, breaking the bolt, and sprinkling him with shards of ice.

Then he heard a loud gunfire, a click, and a warning, immediately discerning that it wasn't from their muskets, but from the enemy's, and the next shot would be at him.

“Don’t even try it.”

The sergeant let go of his hands from the icy monstrosity, thick-headed as he may, he knew it when his options had run out.

_______

The hangman was barely flinched when Ludvig threw the musket ball at him, but at least his attention was now on him. Already recovered from the result of his wayward attack, the soldier was on guard, and looking at the sizes of their weapons, those who had the upper hand should be obvious.

But this was not a one-versus-one brawl. All was fair in war.

At the same time, Carnathia was rushing behind the Soldier's back. Her rapier punctured him at the back of his knee right above his greaves and she finished by driving her sword sideways. The toughest Tretagorian might be able to withstand pain, but damage to tendons was unmistakenly devastating.

Being brought down to his knees, it was Ludvig's turn now to charge forth and kicked the soldier's hand with a roundhouse spin, disarming him in the process. As Carnathia retreated to an at-the-ready stance, The circus man then lunged forth, rushing to the soldier's rear to chokehold him. One of Ludvig' palms started glowing, and it was the only moment they would hear that particular soldier grunting.

_______

Suddenly a thin spore engulfs the rear lines, and those with immense zeal will find their resolve doubled.

Mireille's bright light was searing them, but their heathen jaws were locked from screaming the word magic. For it was not the work of a mage craft, but rather, the blessing from the divine, and those godless rouge would witness the power of faith with their own eyes.

Or maybe not. They were staggering, cursing, and closing their eyes with their arms, a blatant sign of Deniers denying the Creator's gift. One of the musketeers drew his short sword, but a bullet had shredded half of his palm, disarming him, courtesy of Osric's precision aim.

The second musketeer blindly moved forward, screeching in pain as he gripped his musket by the barrel and swung it forward like a club. At the same time, Amaris shot her chain and had it coiled on the musket, yanking it off from the soldier's grip and with its spiky links, shredding the weapon to pieces as the chains returned to its owner.

Being this close to Mirielle, the musketeer knelt and turned unresponsive, either of exhaustion, or mind-broken.

Meanwhile, the last musketeer stumbled backward, and by chance, looked away from the burning light. Sensing that their defense was lost, he started to make a quick, mad run toward the village.

"Enemy attack! We are under attack!" he cried.

_____

Seeing that all soldiers seemed to have been apprehended, Carmen swished his sabre in frustration before unsheathing it. In the distance, he saw the fleeing musketeer and he ordered:

"Someone, stop that runner!"

Only Amanita responded by walking toward the sergeant and innocently asked.

"The Spider is cute. What's it's name?"

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

In a matter of seconds, a group that had never seen any battle for two straight weeks suddenly instigated one for themselves. Mirrielle was the first to charge forth, bypassing the sergeant at breakneck speed toward the three other musketeers, who had positioned themself 20 meters from their sergeant.

Simultaneously, two of the group's frontliners had suddenly repositioned themselves near the hanged man and one of the soldiers. A blade swung to cut the rope, and the poor peasant dropped with a thud. But at least he breathed.

Landing smoothly, Ludvig spoke nonchalantly.

"Greetings, mortals. Fine morning we have today.
So, are you loyalists or revolutionists? Doesn't matter, you're all the same anyway. Do y'all know of a Paladin by the name of Thomas?"

His answer was delivered in the form of a swing of an axe from a nearby soldier, but years of experience in the circus taught Ludvig a thing or two about preparing to evade such an onslaught. He spun a swift pirouette, and the soldiers tumbled off balance as his axe struck empty air.

----

Meanwhile, at the same time, the sergeant was clearly not amused by Carnathia's blatherings. Although some diplomatic words were clearly understood, the gesture this group showed was clearly the opposite. How could they parley when three of them had already invaded the boundaries, releasing a criminal and pointing weapons at them? There was no turning back.

He was quick to assume a stance, and the follow-up jab was delivered almost instantly. Carnathia evaded instinctively, and Carmen sprung into action to prevent another follow-up. With his saber, he parried the outstretching axe and deflected it sideways, away from Carnathia.

Meanwhile, the baroness dived low into her opponent's defense and countered with a quick slash on the sergeant's gambeson before deftly retreating back to her position.

The man was startled by the sudden strike, but beneath that gambeson, he wore a chainmail and a few layers of leather. The attack did not go through but caused him to take a few steps back.

'Enough!" Carmen barked."Senor, attacking a lady is unacceptable! You are outnumbered! Tell your men to stand down!"

For a brief second, just a fraction of it, the sergeant seemed to consider, but the loud bang from the musketeers sealed the deal.

___

Someone who charged straight into a firing line would either have a death wish or a highly formidable opponent. That was what their training dictated.

Similar to archery, shooting takes skills, and in Tretagorian's massive army reserves, it was what differed the marksmen from the common ground troops. They were well-trained, and trained to use their brains on the battlefield. A common grunt needed only to swing a weapon, but the marksmen had no luxury of follow-up shot, and thus every shot must be counted.

From the safety of their temporal distance, one musketeer fired at the charging inquisitor. Meanwhile the other aimed at Ludvig after timing his movement.
Smokes and burning stench of gunpowder permeated in the air. The first shot ricocheted off Mirielle's divine armor, While the second shot hit Ludvig on his collarbone.
They only had one second to congratulate, because it was now apparent to them that the Inquisitor was not stopping, and in fact, closing the distance rapidly.

By the next second, the last musketeer fired his musket, but the divine armor still prevailed.
By the third count, they were already in Mirielle's striking range.

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

"The Order of The Golden Sun does not recognize your authority over this land."

The sergeant moved to block the advancing Mirelle. Now he had two inquisitors in front of him, and God knows how long their patience would last. But the order was the order still.

"What? Who says...?!I suggest you step back. Lady." He said, now pointing poleaxe at Mirielle. He did not fail to notice the change of air around that woman, but, Mirielle too should know that soldiers were not her run-of-the-mill cult members; they were trained to remain unwavering under pressure, and as natives of Tretagorian harsh environment, they had seen worse.

"We will be taking custody of that man. Stand aside, or be made to."

"You do not want to do this!" the sergeant shouted at her. "Move! Or we will put you down! Do you really want to die for a scoundrel?!"

Behind that sergeant, three of his men had already taken a safe distance and were now in position to fire their muskets. Things were escalating quickly.

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Time flies and their session in that tavern continued. Some would spend the rest of the day chatting with each other, annoying the barkeep some more, or strolling around the town, shopping for provisions or just anything Dragon's Maw had to offer.

Carmen rested in his room until sunset and woke up when it was time for dinner. There were some small celebrations, notably from some veterans who served under his command. While he no longer participates in rowdy carouses, he could afford to stay for a while and entertain his old peers for a while, telling the story about the order and his past missions.

And then he would retreat to his room and get another sleep.

The next morning, after a round of tasty breakfast, the group left Dragon's Maw without delay, each riding their horses. Nine people heading straight to No Man's Land, and no one sent them off or wished them good luck. Such a gloomy way to continue a long journey, but not something unexpected.

******

The No Man's Land

Life begins at the other side of despair. We cannot escape anguish. It is what we are.
_______

Weeks of grueling journeys on horseback would make anyone appear disheveled and drained, but the emptiness of the great steppe that stretched from Dragon's Maw to Sielse was almost nauseating. But it also has its boon, the plainness of the land made it easier to spot anyone over the distance, and considering the reputation of Tretagor, it at least made it easier to sleep at night.

So, when the group finally arrived at Sielse, there was a joyous feeling when the staple scenery was green forest again, although the occasional rains would hamper their journey and make their dinner cold, the change of atmosphere was pretty much welcomed.

It was, until eleven days passed since they crossed into the war-torn province.

In many places, the sign of blight could be seen in the forestry. And houses, either ruined or abandoned, had become the occasional varieties to see along the way. It was hard to imagine what fate befallen the inhabitants, but one thing was for sure, Carmen knew they had to double their vigilance.

Today was the thirteenth day since they crossed the border.

The smell of mud and horse dung made Carmen spit on the brown tarnished earth below. It was still morning and some of them had slept half the time healthy person was supposed to.

After seeing the first sign of slaughter, the fellowship had decided that a night watch was necessary. The threat from wild animals, especially during wartime was very real. Not only that, they also need to watch out for potential danger from fellow humans. They had yet to witness any battle, but the aftermath of it had been very apparent so far.

Followed by others, The Captain guided his horse to walk slowly. Ahead of them, there was a wooden beam placed diagonally on top of two crossing logs. At the summit of that beam dangled a dried skeleton.

It was the first time the vulgar memento of the cruelty of war laid bare before them, but that poor hangman was not the only sign Carmen was focused on. In the distance, there was a faint trail of smoke ascending, and as they rode further, the sound of someone crying for help could be heard.

____

"You hear that?" Carmen raised his index finger and reined his horse to stop. "Sounds like someone is in distress. Let's find them!"

Either moved by a sense of duty as a clergyman or simply tired of not encountering any locals for almost two weeks, the captain raced his horse toward the source of the voice. Thankfully the voice did not guide him off the beaten path, but rather, straight to the country road they intended to take.

"It wasn't me! You gotta believe me! Gods! Gods In the sky! Mercy for this poor soul!"

The cries were clearer now, but after that only silence followed. Thankfully the person in distress could be easily located after they rode past a turn. But something was amiss.

Dead ahead they could see six people, five clad in red-striped uniforms while the last men wore ragged clothes often associated with peasantries. One of the uninformed men bashed the peasant's chest with his musket, while another had already collared that peasant with a rope affixed to a similar wooden apparatus they had seen earlier.

The arrival of the fellowship startled the men, who immediately assumed a position to attack.

""Halt! Halt! Who goes there?! State your business or we will hang you like pigs!" One of the men shouted and pointed his poleaxe toward the incoming riders. Unlike his friends, this man wore a distinctive metal helmet and seemed sturdier and more armored, giving the impression that he outranked all others.

"We mean you no harm!" answered Captain Friston, slowing his horse and eventually dismounted. "My name is Carmen Andario Friston, We are from The Order of The Golden Sun, and I approach you without any intention to incite hostility, we are simply here to look for someone."

"Golden Sun? Never heard about it. Who is this someone?!" Hoarsed the sergeant, who upon closer inspection looked like soldiers belonging to an unknown faction, presumably Tretagorian revolutionists from their color scheme, but they lacked any identifiable insignias.

"That will be our Paladin, Thomas Sanders, and volunteers. Perhaps you have seen him? Or heard about him and his group? They were dressed in blue like us."

"Oh yah? What are they doing in these parts?"

Carmen offered the man one of his friendliest smiles. "To help the locals, Good Sir. Paladin Thomas and some of his attendees are capable doctors and healers. They are here to practice the pillars of our teaching, which is to do good to all living beings. Sadly we have been in lost contact with Paladin and all of his entourage. So please sir, if there is something you know, would you kindly inform us?"

When Carmen mentioned the Paladin's predicament, the sergeant snorted like he had offended him somehow. "We know nothing. This region is under military supervision and you all have entered unlawfully. I suggest you turn back to your country, pronto!"

It was Carmen's turn to frown. "Excuse me?"

Before the disagreement could continue, they were interrupted by the peasant, who already had his head covered by a burlap sack and standing on top of a wooden stool with a rope around his neck to keep him from falling over. Behind the coarse fabric, his desperate voice cracked by the tension from the rope and fear of death.

"Sir, I know who you are looking for! I saw them, clad in blue like royalty, had a sword but never raised against the poor and defenseless. Came with lads and gals! I know sir and I know where they went... please save me, save me sire! I ain't do no wrong I swear!"

Hearing that, the sergeant looked even more agitated. He looked back and shouted. "Quiet! Argh! Just drop the bastard!"

One of the soldiers kicked the stool, and what followed was an agonizing strangling voice of a man.

"You heard what I said. Return to your country while you can. And While we still ask nicely."

But Carmen's attention was already on the dying peasant. "What crimes he was guilty of?"

"That's none of your business, but I will tell you anyway. He hunted animals and stole grains from Eldorman's warehouse. A capital offense, but we had hanged people for less. Now, there you go! Answered your question, Get lost! All of you before I hang you all too!"

A mixed feeling of anger, frustration, and doubt now swirled inside Captain Friston's head. As he watched the peasant struggling for breath, he wasn't only seeing a man being punished unjustly, but also his chance to find Thomas being taken away from him. Sternly, he looked at the sergeant, and in that moment, he knew he had to make a choice.

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

"It was an exquisite dish. The Dunkel in particular paired well with the Schweinsaxe. The Dunkel's caramel and nutty undertones of highlight the roasted flavours in the meat. Furthermore, though the juicy and flavourful meat of the pork's roasted crust was very tangible, it would risk being too overbearing, diminishing the taste of the side dish and the apfelstrudel dessert. However, you even compensated by giving a Dunkel brew with more bitterness, helping cleanse the palate and connecting the dishes. Mycompliments to the chef. If you wish to open a branch or relocate to the Vauclair Barony up North, I would welcome it. As the Baroness, I might even be inclined to set aside some funding."

"The tip. More than deserved considering my admittedly rather outrageous request.

Oswald the barkeep seemed very happy to hear that, although some words from Carnathia's review was lost in him, the additional tip made him stay and listen.

"Why of course, that's a serious compliment, Guv, most of me patrons ere come only to fill their pot and usually ain't care about the taste as long the portion is right. I will tell Nob bout this, and your proposition. Thank you."

____

"I'd say it's about time we wrap up our soiree, no? But before that, is there anything important you found out from the Castellan?"

Carmen finished his meal and set aside his empty plate, taking time to wear his hat before answering. "Only unusual tales about lack of refugees trying to cross the border, and one of the horses borrowed by Paladin's group was returned... without its rider."

The last part made the air in that room turn rather gloomy and Ludvig's question suddenly had more weight in it.

"I only know one thing, Master Ludvig. Paladin Thomas is the most selfless person I know, and everything he does is for the betterment of others. Only the most vile would wish him or his aides harm, and such a specimen of beings does not deserve to live. If we have to kill to cleanse the world from such abominations, then Dios está con nosotros."

Then Captain Friston was silent, deep down he knew from the beginning that their mission was not at all peaceful. The possibilities that caused Paladin Thomas's disappearance were many, and almost all of them were bad news. The report from the Castellan further reinforced that notion.

But despite that, he prayed to God that his sword would stay in its scabbard.

"But sometimes there are ignorants amongst the vicious." He continued, still answering Ludvig's question and everyone in general. "I pray you will be able to exercise patience and restraint toward those people, for even the Creator Himself will not punish those who are unaware of His Revelation."

@Randomguy@Cale Henituse