Dead End

To Justicar Dawnfield of The Templars of the Rose,

 

 

We regret to inform you that a member of your own was lost in combat today. The men have reported that he perished with valour, disposing of a large explosive device and saving several lives. Attached is a package which is the only possession and remnant of his passing. We are incredibly filled with sorrow at the passing of Sielic S. Trugran and we will be honouring him with a burial in short order. Should you choose to conduct your own ceremony, you are welcome to.

 

Again, our regrets in having to contact you and bear this bad news. We have little records on his next of kin, friends, or any others. We ask that you pass on word, should you know of any family.

 

Signed,

   Maxwell Peabody

 

–response from Arialynn in comments: Adjusting her balance, Arialynn braced herself against a wood pillar as her hammer struck downward, driving another peg into the beam. She bore a carpenter's tool, not her hammer by trade, and was perched sans armor on the fresh scaffolding of a dilapidated tower. Below her, a courier waved to her and a black-bordered letter was sent up the ropes in a basket. After reading the letter's contents, the lady knight descended the ropes herself and departed to don her armor again.

 

–

 

Nightfall had descended across the new battlefield.

 

The Barrens had quickly become a landscape straight from the Blasted Lands. Bodies were regularly found after many skirmishes. The Alliance and her allies worked hard to keep supplies moving to the new offensive and the rebellion in the Horde. Sielic sighed as he adjusted his eyepatch. A caravan was forming up and he was assigned one of the guard duties. None on the team had a familiar face, but he shrugged. The fighting had been fairly distant lately, and they expected this caravan to go quietly. 

 

"Let's get a move on, men!" Sielic yelled out and a chorus of agreement followed. "Hurry it up!" "I'm ready fer sleepin'!" "Goin' too slow." Sielic grinned. You could always trust the soldiers to have a good sense of humour. The men had finished arming themselves. They had a small complement of ten men, four on horseback. 'Trained knights,' Sielic thought as he gave a sigh. He did not like 'trained knights'. They didn't think properly. It was always a different battle from the ground. 

 

The wagon started rolling out. It was dark out, but they knew the path well enough. The men were quiet once on the road, keeping a wary eye out into the clear night air. They made good time until one of the wheels hit a muddy patch. Sielic looked questioningly at the mud. The Barrens rarely had any rain. It seemed suspicious to be right in the path of the caravan. The men gathered around the wagon, pushing and shoving to try and move it out of the patch. It took several minutes before it started to move. The caravan set out again.

 

It took a few more minutes when one of the men called out. He thought he heard something. Two men went towards the area warily. They found a zhevra slumbering. The group relaxed slightly as the two men returned. Dana, Sielic recalled her name, motioned and waved for the rest to get moving again. The wave  got people moving, especially when the arm flew off. The crack of the rifle echoed out before the limb hit the ground. The group took positions, Dana falling back even as she bled heavily. A howl broke out as the caravan was charged by Orcs. Kor'Kron, the elite, Sielic realized as he saw their armor. Only three of the Kor'Kron were here, but it took everything to match them.

 

The leader of the charge bellowed and swung a heavy waraxe with both hands. The first man threw up his shield, but it did nothing but splinter and shatter beneath the might of the Kor'Kron. The two that followed up wielded four maces among them both. The heavy maces were wickedly spiked and looked terrifying. The guard rallied and Sielic joined the combat. He sidestepped and ducked between blows from the three Orcs, but found little to no openings to retaliate. These were the Kor'Kron, the elite of the Orcs in the Horde. The men began to push back, fighting inch for inch. The Orcs all had wounds now, with seven fighting men and women of the Alliance left, not counting Dana at the wagon.

 

A scream broke out across the battlefield, silencing even the bellows of the Orcs. Sielic looked back to the wagon to see a short, diminutive Goblin standing over Dana. She had managed to grab a sword and slashed at him, but she was at a severe disadvantage. What mattered more was the explosive device the Goblin carried. A huge bomb to destroy the caravan. Sielic dropped into a four legged sprint. He barreled into the Goblin, knocking him several feet away. The Goblin scurried away as the Kor'Kron withdrew. The fuse was already lit, a few moments from exploding. Sielic threw down the box he carried everywhere and a portal opened up. It resembled a desolate landscape and nothing seemed alive. 'Good,' Sielic thought, 'Shadows should always fade alone.' He picked up the explosive, yelling at everyone to get back. He dove through his portal, the explosion ripped through shortly after. The shockwave knocked the leftover guard to the ground.

 

When the dust cleared, the portal had closed and the box remained. The caravan got moving with little disturbances left. The men returned to the camp, and a black bordered letter was sent out with a small package.