Ea Story

Muck and Mud

Ea pulled his boot from the mud with more difficulty than he'd assumed neccessary and pressed his soaked frame against the cart. He breathed a ragged a breath that felt like claws raking across his chest. He tried to wipe the beads of water rushing down his face, but only managed to distribute new waves of the liquid across his body. The others hadn't lied when they said the rains were worse the further you got to the seas. He'd not seen the water before, but now was growing less excited with each downpour.
"Ea! Hurry up, the sergeants waiting!" Lar, the other corporal of their small band, was ahead and waving an insistent hand. She almost blended in with the wheather, he'd have to use that in some song somehow.
"I'm aware of the situtation, thank you." He said. "If you are so concerned, then get back here and help."
"Oh," She laughed "I'm not that concerned, but Vestas-"
"Is not pleased with the delay." Vestas said.
Vestas was shorter for a scalise, but still had the distinct traits of their dragon or reptilian lineage, including the tail. He was of a redder shade, and wearing his circlet bearing a single green jewel at its center. As with Ea, Vestas was soaked through visibly, and the markings of irritation were beginning to make their way into his eyes.
"Explain to me," He started, "Why it takes you so long to get a cart unstuck from simple mud?"
"Vestas, look for yourself! Its well-"
"We know it is!" Lar called. "Just push, you damned soul."
"Come on," Vestas pressed his body against the cart alongside Ea and the pair readied themselves to push. "Ready? On three. One. Two. Three!"
They shoved the cart with all they were worth, shifting it just enough for the wheel to catch onto something solid and lurch the cart forward. Ea caught himself from falling face-first into the mud and winced at the sudden pain in his side. His wound would have reopened, if he was lucky it wouldn't be too bad, however given the weather and his current state of attire... there was no garuantee.
"See?" Vestas said "Not so hard."
"You could lift the thing on your own," Ea shot "Why'd you involve me in this? Now we're all just soaked through."
"Suffer as a team," Vestas said. He smiled, something Ea still wasn't used to as it reminded him of a creature readying to strike, but he returned the gesture and nodded.
Scalise were rare, and if what he knew was true then they were extremely rare. Talented in both the Arcane and Martial Arts. He'd never met one before the reasignment to Hedark, something that his previous team had considered a bad sign. Hedark and the individuals who ran it were strange people. Their Knight Officer had a habit of going overboard, and Vestas was no real difference.
Truthfully, Ea had only ever found himself able to get close to Lar, who had seemed to share a similiar background to himself. The pair had bonded over shared trauma, and furthered that bond through their service together. They saved eachother more times than he could count now. Yet even after all this time, it still felt like such a short period of time had passed.
"Alright," Vestas said "Lets all get back inside."
"Agreed!" Lar called
"Indeed." Ea said wearily

The insides of the carts were filled with supplies, but there was enough room set aside for the entirety of the team to rest inside the covering. Drops of water spalshed into puddles at the floor, and the dank odor of sweat and mud mixed with the fragrance of burning leaves. Vestas had produced a pipe from inside a pouch stored nearby and had lit it with a small flame on his finger.
Ea relished the scent of anything other than the world around him. He was beginning to hate the rain, and hate getting caught in it even more. He just wanted to enjoy the comforts of safety, and that included pipe smoke and its bitter sting on his nostrils.
Vestas held out the small wooden pipe towards Ea. It was a kind gesture, and Ea wasn't above accepting kind gestures from people in authority. He took the pipe happily, making sure not to drop it in his slick hands, and focused the spell of fire. He stuck out his thumb summoned the small mote of flame just above the skin. It burned, but the pain subsided moments later as his natural reactions settled with the magical alterations.
He lit the contents and drew in a hearty lungfull of sharp smoke that sent him into a coughing fit. It hadn't been the traditional herbs that soldiers used to relax inbetween shifts. He peered over the top and inspected it, it was darker in the unburnt areas. More amber and less green.
"What is it?" Ea asked
"Something from home that they brought back from the Desert. Its still Ccobaa, I think. Gives you a real kick."
Ea drew in again and felt cool air supplant the pain in his chest. He wasn't used to the pain from smoking, he'd never found much joy in the process and was surely not going to start anytime soon. The smell was pleasant though, which he found frustrating, as it was becoming a comfort to him. The scent spilled from safe spaces, almost like warmth envolping his senses.
He passed the pipe along and Lar took it greedily, draw in a deep breathe and exhaling with a look of contentment. Ea found it strange how the lips of Hianders moved around the Tusks that protruded from the lower jaw. They weren't intrusive to regualr speech, atleast not normally, but they very distinctly hiander. Her lips pursed around the pipe as she drew in a second time.
"Freiaya, want this?" Lar called.
Freiaya, a mardan like himself and with similarly sharp ears, spun round from her position as cart driver and frowned.
"No, 'fraid not." Then turned back to the road.
"Okay." Lar drew the word out, but turned back to her companions. "Anyone got a heater?"
"I might," Ea said, He twisted the sopping satchel at his side and produced a small ruby wrapped in shimmering metal. It looked worn and covered in grime, even the metal had faded mostly to a more bland and flat color. "Hah, see. Bit old, but should still work fine."
He stood as tall as he could in the small confines of the carts covered bed and prepared to slide the ruby-device into a spherical grate hanging from a support beam at seated-head height. The balls were designed for larger heater gewels, but would work well enough with the smaller one Ea had.
He pulled a string of energy from within and funneled the energy into his lungs. He could feel them burning as he held his breathe. Ea cupped the ruby between his two hands and brought it close to his face, as if he were about to blow heat into his freezing palms. Then he released the breathe, and by extension the energy, and watched it flood into the ruby as it grew a brighter and brighter red. Heat spilled from it until it was nearly burning Ea's hands and he quickly latched it into place in the spherical grate, then sat back down.
"Convenient, those." Ea said, "Always try to keep a few on hand."
"Not a bad way to live," Lar said, stretching out. "Given how bright that thing is, i'm sure it'll last more than a few hours at a warm even level. Good job kid."
Ea rolled his eyes "Thanks."
"What are we doing after this one, Sergeant?" Lar asked.
"Why?" Vestas said
"I'm just hoping you've booked us a train one is all."
"There are only five tracks on the continent so far, and all of them are weeks away. No, we're not getting another train job anytime soon." Vestas laughed "You'll be lucky if they don't shove Hedark into the naval escapades they have going on."
"What's wrong with the navy now?" Ea asked
"Oh nothing unusual, just pirates being pirates. Course the admirals think its best to just defend the ports of imperial land, so they rid themselves of the issue for a month or so before more come back."
Lar scoffed, "sounds like idiots."
"I won't disagree."
"Add that into one of you ballads Ea, 'idiot admirals cause rampant delay'. Something to that effect." Lar said
"In what way," Ea laughed "Would that work as a rhyme I could use?"
"You've been with Hedark long enough now, I figured you'd have a nasty view of authority thanks to our good Knight Officer."
"Estrelle is fine," Ea said, then caught himself "Well... Estrelle is acceptable. I don't like how much he enjoys the violence, but other than that he's fine."
"Sure, sure." Lar said. "What about you Freiaya?"
"What?" She called
"What do you think about Knight officer Estrelle?"
"I think you should have some respect for authority and not try to disregard the chain of command."
Lar laughed and waved a dissmissive hand towards the woman. "Bah, spoil sport."
"Thats enough," Vestas said, doing his best to hide a laugh "He's still our CO."
"Where is the curmogin old bastard anyway?" Lar asked
"Somewhere ahead, keeping an eye on things for us. Apparently."
"Convenient, that." Freiaya muttered.
"How far behind are we?" Ea asked. He hated when things went wrong, even momentarily. It was worse when he was working transport in this kind of weather. Bandits loved to take shots at the rear carts, and they were now in perfect position.
"Well," She said "I can't see anyones lights from here. So I'd say at least an hour or more."
"I don't like it anymore than you do." Vestas said, taking the pipe back and drawing another breath.
"Nothing we can do about it now though," Lar offered. She released the strap holding on of her sidearms in place and lifted the metal tool from its holster. "But we can defend ourselves."
"Thats not so much what I'm worried about." Ea said, "actually, i'm not sure what I'm worried about. I just have a bad feeling is all."
"Well hold onto that, you may be proven right." Freiaya said, those with more urgency in her words than anyone had expected.
Freiaya was a rather reserved woman, with outward dreams of reaching ranks much higher than she'd ever truly achieve. She was, however, a fantastic shot and was under the tutilage of Lar, who was herself another remarkable shooter. Both women were odd in their own ways, but Lar was the more sociable of the two and had the veterancy.
"What do you mean?" Vestas asked. He rose from the seat and stepped closer towards the opening Freiaya spoke through. He stopped, head stuck out of the gap and inspecting the area, before returning to his seat and sighing. "Bandits."
"Are you sure?" Lar said
"As sure as I can be. Freiaya, be prepared for some sort of fallen tree or road block."
"I know."
Ea checked the cart for his fiddle and bow, both were in their place near his things. He double checked the pistol at his side and the rapiers on his hip. He'd found himself a fan of the two in combination for some time, they worked oddly well for his style of fighting.
Lar mimiced Ea in her own preperations, readying the weapons on her hip and retrieving her rifle from its position strapped above. Conflict was inevitable in the case of transport, especially during these days of fear and concern. Ea ran a hand through his hair and thought of all the villages he'd seen razed during his time in service now. How many monsters had he killed? He was thankful for each one though, each creature was just that. A creature. He could kill them and only feel slight pain on his concious.
People, however, were a different story. Bandits were terrible cowards that had given up the chance of keeping life safe for those around them, in exchange for the chance to rob, rape, and pillage. It disgusted Ea. He'd never understood the decision to live that way, when there were so many other options in the world for ways to live. Worse yet, why would you risk your own life for the small chance of gain? Abyssal beasts roamed the lands, packs of the monsters traveled through the woods and forests searching for straglers or unguarded villages. All they did now was invite the possibility of an attack.
"How many?" Lar asked
"Ten lanterns, from what I could see. They're not being shy about their presence."
"Are you sure its bandits then?" Ea said "Could it just be scouts from the main unit looking for us?"
Vestas laughed "unlikely, we've barely been gone long enough to be noticed. It'll take about half the day before anyone figures out we've fallen so far behind. Thats if the weather doesn't get worse before then, in which case it's impossible to say."
Ea nodded, quieted by the lack of actual opportunity in the answer. It hadn't been what he'd wanted to hear. He needed some hope of it being a peaceful solution, because otherwise conflict was assured, and he wasn't ready to accept that outcome off the line.
"Two dozen then?" Lar said "Freiaya, weapons ready?"
"They've been ready Lar, I don't need you reminding me about it."
"Just making sure," She smiled, a gesture Ea always found odd with the tusks. " Fiesty as always. "
"How far did they look?" Ea asked
"An hour, at most. The lights are in the distance and they may not have realised that we've seen them. The forest is dense, and its lucky we caught the glimpse."
"You're welcome." Freiaya snipped
"Right." Lar said
"For now just do your best to rest and be ready."


An hour passed in the restlessness between attack and delay. Each minute was a respite from the oncoming disaster, yet it also meant that they inched closer and closer towards whatever fate had in store. Of course it would have been that way regarldess, but that they could do something about it was the difference now. They could leave, or shift positions. They could turn around and walk away.
They wouldn't. Obviously there was no garuantee that they'd make it if they fled, and even that had nothing on the chase the Empire would put in for Runaways. Yet Ea felt a strange annoyance at the thought for another reason; would he go home? What would he do after this life he'd chosen? He was playing better and better, but that alone was becoming second rung to merely surviving the days journies.
He thought of Lela, a blind soldier he'd encountered. She'd died some days after meeting, but had worked with the scouts to try and hear threats coming. She'd been a brilliant mind, and quick witted to boot. It was a shame to see her team lost. They'd all known life would take them, especially when you were on the frontlines.
Which was another reason he was so happy to not be there. The Transport Corp had been a blessing, and one he'd happily accepted with little incentive. He'd escaped. He'd managed to free himself and start on a different path. Now he was in his twenties. That was farther than he'd ever imaged he'd live to, certain he'd have been killed in his sleep by the monster that claimed to be a father.
Better yet, each place he'd gone to had let him practice and play. They'd given him the opportunity to learn grow as a talent, and he'd done his best to repay them in song and honor them through it. Transport was safe, to an extent, and he made sure to record all those that passed in their service alongside him, but never tried to overwhelm himself with the task. He was just one man, and if he was to honor people, then he needed to remember them and their stories. Do them justice.
Thats why he felt that nagging in his mind. That was what had bothered him. That his mind would even consider fleeing in a situation like this. It was instinct, and it was cowardice. That he would not stand, or sit, for. He pushed the thought aside and tried his best to focus on the possibilities of what might happen next.
"Rains slowing." Freiaya said dryly. Mundane chatter to fill the void, she apparently disliked the silence if it carried for too long. She'd made a number of small remarks since they'd discovered the lanterns. Perhaps it's how she reacts to stress
"Thats good." Ea said. He sat up straighter and cracked his back, stretching to do so and raising his arms up towards the hanging heated crystal. It still gave off a fair amount of light and heat, a fact Ea shouldn't have been surprised at. "This has me on edge."
"No," Lar whispered "You don't say. You seem as relaxed as Freiaya."
"They likely won't be that well armed. Theres no chance we'll have any difficulty."
"Still..."
"It was a large number of them though." Freiaya said. "Numbers could win out."
"You're betting against us?" Lar asked
"I know I would, sometimes." Ea chuckled at the thought. "Deffinetly."
"Asses, the lot of you."
"Enough," Vestas raised a hand and motioned for silence. He leaned forward, as if sniffing the air, and tilted his head towards the opening of the front flap.
He was silent a long minute, before maticulously clambering over the supplies and through to the seat alongside Freiaya. There, he took the reigns and motioned for her to swap out. She did so without a sound and slid into the seat the man had previously filled.
No one spoke, and the rains slowing descent had made the silence louder. Something had ticked Vestas into a mood to take control, and that meant very few things other than danger or... well, no it was really just danger that Vestas worried about. It served him well, he hadn't led a single soul astray that Ea had seen.
"They're up ahead. They felled a tree." Vestas' voice was ice, and barely above a whisper. He slowed the cart down, but kept his eyes on the figures ahead. "I can see four ahead of us."
Lar turned to look througha side hole that she'd cut some time back. She peered her head around, moving so her eye could better see, then sat and sighed. "I have two on the side. Best luck is its two on the otherside as well."
"It is," Freiaya said. She'd mirrored Lar with a natural gash that the storm or wind had ripped open. "Two, they all seem unarmed."
"Pistolers?" Ea asked.
It was strange to only carry a pistol. By its design it was as secondary device, made in tandem with the rifle one would carry, or sword. Sharpshooters like Lar were barely an exception, as she had both rifle and small sword tucked away with her.
"Seems that way." Lar said
"Stay calm, we may be able to get out of this without an issue." Vestas said. He raised a hand and motioned for the men ahead. "Ho there! Terrible weather, isn't it?"
Someone gave a reply that Ea couldn't hear, but Vestas nodded and motioned around him. "Strange place for a meeting, don't you think?"
Again, a reply Ea couldn't make out.
"We're Imperials, yes. Our caravan isn't far ahead, and should be looking for us by now. Would you mind helping us move this tree here?"
"just shoot them," someone said from beside him, bandits moving on the otherside of the covering. They were unaware of the people hiding inside aparently.
"We?" a deep voice said, getting closer. "How many do you have?"
"Oh," Vestas shifted and looked around "Not enough, it would seem."
"No friend, I doubt you did."
"What do we do?" Freiaya whispered, her voice creaked in the process. She was terrified it seemed, surrounded 2 to 1 and possibly outmatched.
"Wait," Lar hissed "Just wait."
"Get them out." The deep voice bellowed
Vestas shook his head slowly and scraped together his voice "They're old, and they-"
"Out. Now."
Clicks came from around them, sounds of aging flintlocks cocking into place and preparing to decimate anything within sight.
"Okay, okay." Vestas said.
Ea couldn't tell whether it was the sound of a branch or another weapon cocking, but it startled someone outside and they fired a round towards the cart. Once the first one went off, nothing was able to stop the onslaught. Every arc weapon capable of continous firing did so, each flintlock was quickly reloaded and then fired once more.
Vestas dove backwards and fought a yelp as a round scratched his cheek. Lar, Freiaya and Ea grabbed the man by his arms and pulled him out the back. Ea took the opportunity to shoulder an unslung weapon, a loose rifle in the rear of the cart, and rushed out the back with the others.
They sprinted into the forest with snaps and hisses tailing them as rounds shattered wood and trees. Ea felt an arc round slam into his back but was otherwise uninjured. The impact launched him forward a foot and caused him to stumble but he recovered on the next step thanks to Lar, who had grabbed under his shoulder and pulled him back up. She was looking back, revolver rounds sounding off like hammer blows in his ears.
"Keep going!" Vestas called
"Ahead! Ahead!" Freiaya shouted.
"They haven't given up," Lar said "Still in pursuit."
"Drop over the ridge and find cover." Vestas said, pointing towards a small dip in the ground ahead.
They slid or fell onto the lower ground and found positions behind trees and rocks, lying low to conceal themselves. The hail of bullets slowed, clearly the pursuers realizing no one more was in their line of fire, and shouts in a number of languages rung out. Lar squezed the grip of her weapon tighter, shifting her position behind a thick trunk to better cover the ascending landscape.
"They went down here," One man shouted. others called acknowledgement and the sounds of stomping boots filled the air.
Ea tensed. He could hear the footsteps atop the hill and was becoming deafingly aware of his own heartbeat. The weapon felt like hundreds of metal bars disguised as a rifle, somehow existing as a source of indeterminant gravity. It pulled all in on it. He couldn't let go of the rifle, couldn't drop it. It was forcing his hands to hold it and defend himself. He didn't have control, clearly.
"Ea," Lar whispered "You alright?"
"What?" Ea asked, a bit louder than intended
"You're shaking, you ever fired that?"
"No," He admited. He'd never been trained in rifles, only the in the pistol he wore at his hip. Rifles had always seemed massive in both undertaking and experience.
"Stay low, steady breathing, and let the tether pull what it needs."
"Tether?"
"Its an arcrifle, uses your energy. Now be ready."
Three men crested the top of the ridge and Vestas didn't waste a second, he let off three rounds from his own revolver and buried them into one of the men, dropping him instantly. The other men reacted with shock, but soon fell in similar fashion as Lar and Freiaya loosed a pair of rounds into them. Ea shifted the rifle in his palms and readied to fire at the next target.
Another pair of men came from inside the trees and spotted their fallen companions, however this left them in perfect view of Ea. He pulled the trigger and felt a pinch of energy sap away and fire out of the rifle. It struck one of the men between the eyes and dropped him, partailly tearing open his skull in the process. Ea dropped back and tried to ready for another shot, but someone else beat him to it and Ea heard the sounds of the second man fall.
They waited there for a minute. Then two. Then five. They kept waiting, letting time tick over the rain slow to a halt entirely. After twenty minutes Vestas rose from his position and waved the others out. He quietly motioned to the top of the ridge and then to the left and right side. Ea fell in behind Lar to the right as Freiaya slid behind Vestas on the left. On his motion, the quartet maticulously crept up and over the lip.
Without the rain it was possible to see through the trees much further, but their density still made finding the cart in the distance impossible. Ea scanned the area with his eyes, hoping to spot any danger long before it had the chance to surprise him or the team. Nothing was there, in fact there was barely a single motion of wind anymore. Only the dying gasps of a few bandits snapped the silence, their deathrattles marking the end of their existance.
"Nothing else then?" Vestas asked, looking around. "No other bastards coming to help them."
"Did we get them all?" Freiaya asked
"No," Lar said "they had eight at least, we only got five of them."
"So three got away?"
"Good, you can do match."
"Lar," Ea breathed, surprising himself with how drained he felt after the short encounter. "I think thats enough."
"We need to get back to the cart." Vestas said "Lar, Ea. Go on ahead and see if its still there."
"Right." Lar nodded
Ea nodded as well, but quietly steppe into line behind her, rifle still ready.
Lar hooked a thumb back towards the bodies and nodded her approval. "That was a pretty decent shot. Perhaps you should have been a marksman as well."
"It was luck. I didn't mean to do that."
"Well you did it, so lets find this cart. Shall we?"
"Right.."
Lar was harsh about the squemish. It didn't make sense to her to feel empathy for the enemy, especialy not for bandits. That was a bridge much too far for her. She would show compassion to those around her, and she would help them, but she was little in the way of a shoulder to lean on emotionally. They didn't click so much for her, Ea had found. Freiaya was little aid in that case either, both women showing little talent for handling their own feelings as they appeared either.
The cart was gone, a fresh line of waterlogged tracks marking its direction like soggy breadcrumbs. Ea gagged at the image and fought back the rising bile.
"What?"
"Nothing. Seems the carts gone."
"Aye, and easy tracks to follow." Lar said "Vestas should love this."
"Think they got stuck in mud along the way?" Ea said pointing to a large patch similar to the one created when he'd had to push the cart out.
"One can only hope."
"Glad we got out of that with such little injury."
"Agreed. Thought they had us in the cart bed there."
"Almost." Ea laughed, despite himself. Something about nearly dying and escaping by luck was just so.. entertaining in retrospect. "Will make a good tale around the campfire some time though."
"Oh yeah, you've been working on a new one haven't you?"
"Yeah. Are we just waiting for the others now?" Ea asked
"Did you have any other ideas?" Lar said, hand landing on her hip
Ea shook his head and turned toward the ridge lip. Vestas and Freiaya would be along shortly, after doublechecking themselves and their surrounding area. Indeed, after ten minutes the pair crested the ridge and rushed over. After a short conversation of circular questions, the group was caught up and ready to depart.
"Should we follow?" Freiaya asked
"For now." Vestas said "Two and two, either side of the road. Ready weapons and stay quiet."
They seperated into pairs and filed down the road, following the tracks as best they could and using the surroundings on moments of difficulty. The rain had stopped now, and the wind had picked up bringing with it a chill that froze to the bone. Eas strength sapped away with each step, and his hand shook as it gripped the pistol.
The road twisted and turned in strange ways that showed wear from years and years of workload. Carts and wagons drove in a particular outline on th ground, especially if they'd held the weight of settler carts. It hadn't taken them long to decide that a small settlement likely waited ahead, and as the sun set against the clouded sky tensions grew higher. They were walking into a trap, they knew it. There was almost no possibility that the bandits would be so confident as to leave themselves unprotected.
Sure enough there was a small town just a few hours up the road and several of the homes were alight with life. The sounds of joy and cheer spilled from the alleys and out into the encompassing woods. Vestas signalled for a hold and the group came to a stop just a few hundred feet from an outskirt home, barred and boarded over.
"Well, thats something." Vestas said. He pulled binoculars from a pack and grimaced at a cracked lens.
"Did you know we were going to come across a village?" Freiaya asked
"No, it hadn't been on the map that I saw. Unless it had been changed in a very short period of time since."
"So what do you want to do?" Lar asked. She cycled the cylinder twice, checking each round, and slid it back into a locked position "shoot our way through and steal back the cart?"
"Thats an option." Vestas frowned "Any others?"
"We walk on and avoid it," Lar offered.
"How about we surround the village and see if we can find the cart?" Ea said
"Bit obvious, don't you think?" Freiaya mumbled
"Its the best idea so far," Vestas groaned. "Fine, everyone surround the village but stay to the tree line as best you can. No need to let them know we're here if we can help it."
For an hour Ea trecked around the small cluster of buildings that made up the village, avoiding the small stacks of smoke that spilled from a few and desperately trying to stay in the shadows of the fading day. Lights flickered inside the lively hovels, and Ea could occassionally hear the sounds of grunting or love making through the think walls. He flushed and pressed past, clearly the men were pleased with their endevours for the day and were celebrating.
He spotted the cart near the end, closer to the south gate leading back to the road, the horse wasn't far and tied loosely to a beam connecting to a nearby barn. Ea let out a breath of relief as he spotted their vehicle there, set alone and against the wood like a sore weed just waiting to be picked. He smiled with himself, if they were lucky they could steal it back and be gone within the next few hours.
He shifted his way through the brush and made around the village once more until he arrive where Vestas had originally indicated, waiting for the rest of his group to arrive. They slowly filtered in over the course of the next fifteen minutes, each looking haggard or flushed of face. Ea laughed as Lar arrived and quietly mimiced the noises of the lovers in their beds. Freiaya flushed further red and punched her as Vestas arrived.
"Found the cart." he said
"Same." Ea said "Near the front."
"Horse was there too." Lar said
"Lets just be done with this and leave this place behind. I don't like it here." Freiaya spilt the words faster than the others could possibly understand, but her discomfort was evident.
"Right." Vestas said. "Well, night is falling. We should wait an hour and then maybe we can grab this and be gone."



They waited in the slowly growing dark, as the shadows lengthened and stretched further beyond their vision. Ea watched the village as people came and went, dozens seeming to just be regular villagers completely unaware of the viscious deeds that some of their own had done. He waited, and watched. He tracked their movements and linked them in his mind, building a diagram of the whole settlement as best he could from his position. It would help when they were to run, and it was about all he could do at this point.
"You're not resting," Vestas said. He sidled up along Ea and knelt, pulling the cracked binocular from the pouch and handing it over. Ea accepted the tool with a sigh and glanced through. The crack was annoying, but it didn't make the vision impossible to parse.
"No sir, can't when we're this close."
"Think this will make a song?" He asked, chuckling. "Having out supplies stolen and sneaking around a lovers den?"
"Did everyone hear people making love? Was that everyone, really?"
"As far as I know."
Lar rustled from her position and threw a rock towards Ea, it struck his back lightly. "Keep it down, will you?"
"Sorry." Ea waved her back to sleep and brushed the dirt from his back. "Well, thats interesting I suppose."
"You saw the beam the horse was tied to, right?"
"That I did, what about it?"
Vestas took the binoculars back and glared through them "I think we could pull the beam with the horse and cause some damage as we leave."
"Not the worst plan, It could work well."
"We just need to make sure we can sneak through. Shouldn't be long now."
Ea nodded and leaned back, "Wheres Estrelle again?"
"Somewhere ahead? He was supposed to meet back up with us today, but as you can see..."
"Right," Ea slumped. Estrelle might have been their best hope at one point, but now they were long and far from any aid that could help them. The Imperial military would rarely order an attack on a whol village just to recover a single cart, they were more likely just to fire the quartet and send them on their way through bandit lands.
"Don't think about it." Vestas said. He rested a hand on Eas shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Just focus on the moment."
"I am, I just know that if we fail theres no chance we get back and keep our lives."
"Why? Because we lost a cart? We're Hedark, losing a cart is kind of our modus operandi at this point. I figured you'd have known that by now, you've been with this team for a while now."
"I always assume the worst, i suppose."
"Well that isn't always bad,"
"Congratulations boys," Lar said wearily "You've successfully woken me up from what would have been a very uncomfortable nap."
"Sorry," Ea said
"Don't be," Lar scoffed "It was vestas loud voice. Surprised we haven't been found yet thanks to him."
"I need to sound commanding," Vestas defended.
"How much longer do you think we need to wait?" Lar asked
"I wouldn't say much longer, right?" Ea said
"Suns down, moons are up. We can head out when the next patch of clouds come through. Its almost midnight by the look of things. Wake Freiaya and tell her to get ready, when we move, it'll be fast and quiet." Vestas stood and started for a nearby tree trunk he'd been using as a secondary since they started their waiting.
"Coin." Lar said
"What?"
"Get a coin, I'm not waking her up and I know you don't want to."
Ea sighed and fished a single Imperial Nun from a pouch. "You'd rather leave it to fate then?"
"Always. Tails or Heads?"
"Heads."
He tossed the coin to Lar who gripped it and inspected the weight. She fiddled with the sides and adjusted it in her palm. Satisfied with the coin, she placed it atop her thumb and forefinger and flipped the coin. Heads.
"Its always heads." Lar moaned "Fine. I'll go get her."
Lar came back a minute later with a dissatisfied looking Freiaya, carrying her weapon in a more angry fashion than he'd have expected. Clearly the wake up hadn't gone well, he was thankful once more for his lucky coin. It hadn't failed him yet.
"We going?" She asked.
"Not yet," Lar said, "Waiting on Vestas to give the order."
"Its the order," Vestas said. He appeared beside them so quiet that none had noticed his arrival. "We can move by the cover of night now that the clouds have come over. Come on."

They each crouched low and held their weapons at the ready, prepared for chaos to break out at any second. Yet nothing happened. They slid their way through the village one building at a time and avoided the sounds of what seemed like life. They were quiet as the proverbial grave, and nearly as cold of blood. Each creak or crack of noise sent a jolt of shock through Ea. He tightened his grip around the pistol until he was nearly white knuckled.
Vestas led the charge, with Lar following behind. Ea pulled up the center and Freiaya at the rear, made their way through the alleys between the weird groupings of houses. If they had had the time, Ea would have speculated as to the reason for the houses being so close together, whether it was a family situation or an actual small congregation of families.
"Come on."
Vestas motioned for the quartet to clear the central plaza, which was just a massive empty plain between a number of houses. The cart sat alone, most of its supplies still stored in the back, and Ea jumped up and slid inside. Freiaya ran to the horse and made to untie it but Vestas stopped her.
"No, wait." he said the words a bit too loudly, and nearby they heard the sounds of confusion. Someone had heard the noise and was coming to check it out.
"Go, just pull the thing." Vestas said, trying to keep his voice low.
Confused, but still following orders, Freiaya tried coaxing the horse into pulling the beam with it, but the straps they'd tied the creature with were too light to maintain the hold and slid right off on the first pull. Freiaya shouted a curse and then slammed her hands over her mouth in shock.
Suddenly they heard the shout of "Go, see what that was." and a look of panic filled her face. Vestas sighed and ran over, pushing the horse towards the cart.
"Get it tied up, i'm gunna try and create a diversion." He pulled the blade from his side and slammed the edge into the beam. It splintered and cracked, but failed to cleave through. The noise drew more attention and the first spillings of light came from a nearby cabin as soldiers filtered out, dazed and tired. They were light blind and unable to properly see who was doing what, and so they didn't make their weapons known right away.
"What do you think you're bloody well doing?" One of the men asked, surprised "We're not taking these supplies anywhere. Get away from it." They leveled their weapons slowly, clearly unaware of the people robbing them actually being soldiers.
Vestas wasted no time and pulled a pistol from his side, lined the shot up on the beam, and fired. The crack shattered the lower section and splintered it further where the gash had been before. This time the beam started to topple and slowly tilted towards the barn on the far side of the village.
"Vestas!" Lar said "Lets go!"
Vestas holstered the blade and pistol and rushed across the plaza to the cart as the guards realized what was happening. Two lunged for him and one managed to grip his leg before he could approach the cart. Lar stepped from the back and leveled a rifle at the man, she fired a single shot into the assualters shoulder and sent him rolling away. Vestas hopped back up and ran through the growing crowd, diving into the cart as Freiaya whipped the reins.
They peeled from the village at a rate Ea would have thought impossible in a cart of their level, yet the bashed through the a gate with surprising ease. The cart lurched and the horse neighed, but all in all everything held and they continued on out and back onto the path. They heard shouts and hollars as well as curses and damnations. Sparks of fire slipped from some hands and were lobbed harmlessly at them as they managed to slip into the dark.
"They'll chase us, so be ready." Vestas said. He readied his pistol and looked to Lar, who fiddled with her rifle. She kicked the older rifle towards Ea and nodded
"Do your work there, boy."
Ea picked up the rifle with hesitation and felt the weight grow as he loaded a round into the chamber. He wasn't in the mood to fire upon another person so soon, but that seemed to be life. He made a note to curse the reality he lived in and steadied himself. If he was stuck here, he would fight. It would be for the others more than himself.
The first of the pursuers crested the treeline and made for them at top speed, cracking and whipping the horse onward. They were followed by a pair of lightly dressed bandits, in turn followed by another pair. Five in total, spreading in a chevron out towards their cart.
Ea took a shot and tried to clip the frontmans shoulder, but missed and sent the round wide into a tree. Lar fired second, Vestas moments later. One of the men dropped and rolled as the horse pulled off and came to a halt. The others kept their bravery and tried to press them. Two pulled pistols from their hips and fired rounds into the rear of the cart, sliding through the fabric cover and leaving holes.
"Damn them!" Lar snapped, she fired twice and struck a second of the group.
Two of the riders spread to the sides and attempted to fire on Freiaya, but only managed to draw her attention. She pulled a small pistol from her side and struck the first one right between the eyes, dropping him under the cart wheels and bouncing the cart. The rear left wheel popped and a loud snapping sound filled the air as the cart began dragging its tail.
"Shit!" She pulled the horses reins and tried to steady the beast, but a blast of liquid fire ahead frightened the creature and halted them in their tracks. The team inside fell forwards and onto their faces, dropping their weapons and scrambling to recover. A shout of warning came from one of the bandits, the largest of the two left.
"Give up, the others are on their way. We'll have you surrounded in minutes, and theres nowhere you can go now that you've broken the cart."
The sounds of distant hoove beats drove the drumming of conflict in Eas' head, and he swivled trying to find its source. Perhaps it was the small force of followers that the man had mentioned. Ea wasn't sure, but he wasn't really wanting to find out in the process.
"What do we do?" Lar asked
"Sneak away, if we can." Ea said "Try to get out the side, but its unlikely given their positions."
"What do you suggest then?" Lar said to Vestas.
Vestas checked the weapons before him and sighed, the crash and landing from it had damaged some of the rifles and knocked bits and pieces aside from within.
"Ea's right. We're going to try and sneak out the sides. Someones going to have to distract them for the minute though. I suggest-"
"I'll do it." Ea said "I'm better with crowds than you are."
Vestas nodded and Lar gave a sly grin before lobbing a fist into his arm.
"Don't get yourself killed, long ears."
"Thats just hurtful," Ea laughed, a pained gestured given the newly forming bruises, and crawled out the rear of the tent.
Four men now stood before him with their weapons and spells drawn and at the ready. Ea sighed and looked them over, one by one, then turned his back to them. He pulled aside the tarp and produced his fiddle and bow, both slightly injured but workable, and returned to face the surprised group.
"What is this?" One of the men asked
Ea bowed a low note that seemed to shudder everything around down to the bones. He pulled the strings within at the same time, matching tonal and feelings with magical meanings. He let out another low note, lower than the first, and two of the men stepped back.
"Caster..?" Another said "Kill him."
He snapped his eyes onto the man who'd just ordered his death and smiled a wicked grin, one that only ever seemed to appear during the times of most violence. The one that reminded him of his father, taking satisfaction in each terrible action. Ea made a quick series of fingered notes and drew a melody out that spun the wind around him slightly, circling slowly and brimming with untold energy from his body.
Then, without warning, he swung the bow like a sword towards the man. Several feet away and somewhat armored as he was, a blast of wind still sent the man flying back a dozen feet and crashing into the woods. The other three recoiled in response, but otherwise held their respective grounds. That was annoying, Ea had hoped that making an example of one would have done the trick, instead he'd actually have to fight.
A ripple of exhaustion worked its way through his body, but he fought the dimming of sense that acompanied the sensation. He could rest when the others were safe. He couldn't launch someone that distance again, but he could fight with sword and pistol, or with magic and music.
"Come on then."
He shifted into a familiar tune, something he could play without thinking. He needed to focus on the surroundings for now, watch the motions and make sure he dodged the strikes when they came, otherwise everyone else would fall too. Ea felt his body tingle as the music filled his spirits with the urge to move, to run and charge them. Instead he remained standing and playing his song, waiting for them to make up their minds on what best to do.
One of the caster decided he'd had enough of the waiting, and lobed a glowing orb of flame towards Ea. He plucked a note on the fiddle and a small pulse of wind popped around him, subduing the fire instantly and pressing the man back a step. Pleased with himself, Ea gave another smile and looked over the group.
His joy faded quickly. The three men were still standing in their positions, surprised by his actions, and had that been it then Ea would have remained content. However, behind them was a procession of five or six horses with riders armed to the teeth. Bandits by their look, and most likely the companions of their current party. He tensed and changed the tune to something more slow and contemplative. The wind shifted lower and kicked up a small cloud of rocks.
"Thats enough, Ea." A voice called from behind. "I can handle it from here."
Estrelle, tall with long braided rows of blonde hair, strode from behind and placed a hand on Ea's shoulder and squeezed. The type of signal he'd used to instruct him to leave times before, Ea found himself relieved at the mans arrival. Though where had he come from? What had taken him so long to appear anyway?
"Ea, Now." Estrelle said, more firmly.
"Right." He took the qeue and fled from the scene back towards where he could see the remainder of Hedark waiting. Estrelle planned to fight them on his own, and that meant he was probably upset by something. The man rarely went to such extremes unless it was a bad day.
Ea heard a scream and the grotesque sound of crunching as he crested the tree line and fell in beside his Sergeant. Vestas and the others turned away from the display as soon as it began, and Ea joined them in their ignorance of the mans ordeals. Estrelle was a phenominal caster, and talented in a number of other fields the same, but he could be the most vicious man alive, and that was what scared most above him. Hells, it scared Ea, and he worked with the man in a capacity that placed him on his side. That should have been reassuring. It wasn't
"I wish he wouldn't go so far each time hes mad about something." Freiaya said "It's starting to give us a bad name."
"And blowing the heads off people at several hundred yards was what, helping that reputation?" Lar asked
"More than watching people being squished alive." She said. Another set of screams bellowed from Estrelles direction. Ea gave a quick glance to make sure that the man was still alive, and witnessed one of the attackers sink in on themselves. He shuddered and looked away, at least that was handled. Estrelle was still Estrelle, and was more than capable.

It took less than ten minutes for the assualting force of five and the three remaining bandits to be dealt with, and when Estrelle returned to their sides he was covered in the many colours of blood that painted the lives of the races. His eyes gleamed with a look of contentment at the tasks completion, and he smiled a wide toothy grin at everyone.
"Well then," he said "Shall we go?"
Estrelle waved his hands a few times and lifted the cart back up. He then pulled a cart wheel from a nearby tree as if removing the object from a pool of water. It looked almost liquid as it slid from the trees base, and he slowly rolled the wheel over. Within minutes they were repaired to a degree that was workable, and a new horse was tied to the cart. They each piled in and set themselves back down, Frieaya taking the drivers position again.
Drips of the rain that had passed so long before resurfaced as they pressed on, slowly convulessing into a storm overhead that battered against the tarp above once more. Ea made motions of fixing his fiddle and weapons while the others kept themselves busy with odds and ends. They made it thirty minutes before a bump in the road drove the cart into a deep hole.
"Carts stuck, again." Frieaya called.
"Well," Vestas said, looking to Ea. "Come on then, you know the drill."
Ea sighed as Estrelle and Lar laughed.

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Hello! This is a quick first draft story for my bard that I decided to write. It took a couple days total and has its ups and downs in terms of quality, but I needed to type something for that man. Otherwise I was going to lose my mind.