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Description
The sun rose over the field, bright and strong, although it wasn’t going to stay that way for very long; already, the clouds were coming down off the mountains in the West. Beyond the mountain range lay the fertile plain of Nar, where it was almost certainly raining. The sun came, as it usually did, from the East, and the lands belonging to the Ka’Chake, and shining its powerful rays on the Imperial City of Solgaia, the single greatest city in the world.

Or so the Imperial troops would tell you, and that was good enough for most of the population.

Capt. Vare walked the wall, much as he did every morning; not that he had to, strictly speaking; he was a Captain, much above the menial task of walking the walls, watching for Ka’Chake marauders. Besides, not many came far enough Southwest to reach Solgaia; many just chose to throw dead bits of stump against the Fortress walls. But it relaxed him, walking the walls did; it made him feel like he still had something to do, instead of just sit in the Imperial Army’s headquarters and plan for the defence of the city.

And so he walked, and as he walked, he thought. He thought of his advancing age, his mediocre position in the military, a bit about his lunch and brownies, his wife and kids. He pondered on the weather, and on about how soon before he could retire and get pension. Suddenly, though, his pleasant reprive from life was cut short.

By a person, specifically Private Karne, who really shouldn’t be a Private; he’d been serving almost as long as Varne himself. But Karne was given over to overreaction and panic, instead of being cool and calm. But he was one of Varne’s only real friends, and the only person he trusted with his batiilion besides Commander Jarveak or the Emperor himself. But the very chance that either of those two would trouble themselves with old Drunken Varne was so small that he had a better chance of loseing fifty pounds and sprouting wings.

“Sir, sir!” Karne was yelling at him, “a scout’s just reporting seeing a Ka’Chake raiding party. They’re heading towards Laur’ene!”

This made the cynical captain start. Laur’ene was his hometown, and was where his wife and children were. He didn’t think that Karne’s estimate was right, though; a raiding party would have been over fifty people, and the Raugh were easy to spot, having the Ka’Chake features and being trained for military use since birth. Simply a subrace of Ka’Chake, but enough of a difference to make Varne skeptical.

“Karne my lad,” he said, putting a hand familiarily on the younger man’s shoulder, “I doubt very much if there’s a raid going on. If there were, why didn’t I see anyone atop the wall? Laur’ene isn’t all that far away, after all. Easy to see on a clear day like this.”

“But sir…” Karne started, but was cut off.

“But, I don’t doubt you enough to not make sure. Send Squad B out, and you go with ‘em. Give some orders, look official.”

“But…”

“That’s an order, Karne.”

“Yes, sir,” Karne agreed while sighing.

-----------------------

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this… he kept thinking to himself, hoping that he actually could. He had taken B out a couple times before, but that was mostly for routine patrols around the city proper, not the outlying towns. He was fairly nervous, actually. A raiding party wasn’t the biggest of deals, but was still pretty big. The only reassurance he had was that Squad B of the Imperial Army was well-trained, well-fed, and very good in the field.

He just hoped that he would be able to lead well.

They crested a hill and there was the town of Laur’ene, sparkling in the beauty of the sun. Built by a river that fed into the ocean, it had prospered for longer than the Empire had been in existence. Karne felt a swell of pride in seeing the town; why, he didn’t exactally know. But the sight was ruined by a literal spot of black; the Rauge raiding party had made it, and they were a large one. Karne suddenly felt a sense of dread, followed by reolution; he knew what had to be done.

He drew his sword. He galloped down the hill, his squad following, very possibly into the face of their own death…

-----------------------

“What? An entire raiding party and not a one dead?”

“Yes sir. Seventy-three corpses and not a one in our uniform.”

“But that’s impossible, Commander.”

“I know it is, your Majesty. But it was done. Maybe it’s time for Karne to be promoted…”

Description
The sun rose over the field, bright and strong, although it wasn’t going to stay that way for very long; already, the clouds were coming down off the mountains in the West. Beyond the mountain range lay the fertile plain of Nar, where it was almost certainly raining. The sun came, as it usually did, from the East, and the lands belonging to the Ka’Chake, and shining its powerful rays on the Imperial City of Solgaia, the single greatest city in the world.

Or so the Imperial troops would tell you, and that was good enough for most of the population.

Capt. Vare walked the wall, much as he did every morning; not that he had to, strictly speaking; he was a Captain, much above the menial task of walking the walls, watching for Ka’Chake marauders. Besides, not many came far enough Southwest to reach Solgaia; many just chose to throw dead bits of stump against the Fortress walls. But it relaxed him, walking the walls did; it made him feel like he still had something to do, instead of just sit in the Imperial Army’s headquarters and plan for the defence of the city.

And so he walked, and as he walked, he thought. He thought of his advancing age, his mediocre position in the military, a bit about his lunch and brownies, his wife and kids. He pondered on the weather, and on about how soon before he could retire and get pension. Suddenly, though, his pleasant reprive from life was cut short.

By a person, specifically Private Karne, who really shouldn’t be a Private; he’d been serving almost as long as Varne himself. But Karne was given over to overreaction and panic, instead of being cool and calm. But he was one of Varne’s only real friends, and the only person he trusted with his batiilion besides Commander Jarveak or the Emperor himself. But the very chance that either of those two would trouble themselves with old Drunken Varne was so small that he had a better chance of loseing fifty pounds and sprouting wings.

“Sir, sir!” Karne was yelling at him, “a scout’s just reporting seeing a Ka’Chake raiding party. They’re heading towards Laur’ene!”

This made the cynical captain start. Laur’ene was his hometown, and was where his wife and children were. He didn’t think that Karne’s estimate was right, though; a raiding party would have been over fifty people, and the Raugh were easy to spot, having the Ka’Chake features and being trained for military use since birth. Simply a subrace of Ka’Chake, but enough of a difference to make Varne skeptical.

“Karne my lad,” he said, putting a hand familiarily on the younger man’s shoulder, “I doubt very much if there’s a raid going on. If there were, why didn’t I see anyone atop the wall? Laur’ene isn’t all that far away, after all. Easy to see on a clear day like this.”

“But sir…” Karne started, but was cut off.

“But, I don’t doubt you enough to not make sure. Send Squad B out, and you go with ‘em. Give some orders, look official.”

“But…”

“That’s an order, Karne.”

“Yes, sir,” Karne agreed while sighing.

-----------------------

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this… he kept thinking to himself, hoping that he actually could. He had taken B out a couple times before, but that was mostly for routine patrols around the city proper, not the outlying towns. He was fairly nervous, actually. A raiding party wasn’t the biggest of deals, but was still pretty big. The only reassurance he had was that Squad B of the Imperial Army was well-trained, well-fed, and very good in the field.

He just hoped that he would be able to lead well.

They crested a hill and there was the town of Laur’ene, sparkling in the beauty of the sun. Built by a river that fed into the ocean, it had prospered for longer than the Empire had been in existence. Karne felt a swell of pride in seeing the town; why, he didn’t exactally know. But the sight was ruined by a literal spot of black; the Rauge raiding party had made it, and they were a large one. Karne suddenly felt a sense of dread, followed by reolution; he knew what had to be done.

He drew his sword. He galloped down the hill, his squad following, very possibly into the face of their own death…

-----------------------

“What? An entire raiding party and not a one dead?”

“Yes sir. Seventy-three corpses and not a one in our uniform.”

“But that’s impossible, Commander.”

“I know it is, your Majesty. But it was done. Maybe it’s time for Karne to be promoted…”