The rebels bursted from their concealment, and flooded into the camp, where Aradian soldiers waited, weapons ready. As an arrow from above pierced the flesh of a rebel, another fired an arrow in return. A form in the darkness of night plummeted into the canyon, the accompanying scream abruptly ended by impacting the ground. As the concert of clashing steel exploded to life, Holden drew an arrow, and aimed it carefully at one of the elves.
“Fire,” Tamef ordered, as he drew his own blade. When Holden failed to act, he pointed to the rebel who had been slain by an arrow. “It is kill or be killed, Holden. Now, make your choice before they do!”
Holden released his arrow, and his heart along with it. As the elf raised his blade for an attack, the arrow caught him in the ribcage. Holden watched the elf’s face twist in agony, and body crumple to the ground. For just a moment, the world lost its color, and the battle quieted itself as all he could see was the dying Aradian. There was blood on his hands. Tamef’s sharp smack to the back of the head made the world go back to how it was.
“Pick another target, aim, fire.” Tamef pointed to an elf standing at the back of the Aradian infantry. “Looks like he’s giving orders, an arrow in him will have the others rout for sure.”
Taking another arrow, Holden took aim at the elf, with his breathing steadied, he released the arrow. The lef staggered back, before looking at the shaft protruding from his chest. Wide eyed, he crumpled to the ground and ceased to move. Holden exhaled shakily, and before Tamef can tell him, readied to fire again. It was either the elves, or him. One by one, he landed each deadly shot on target, and with the rebels fiercely battling the rest, victory was close at hand.
Suddenly, the camp’s flames shifted to a blue hue, and an ear-shattering explosion knocked Holden onto his back. Disoriented, he glanced over to where the battle was raging. Nothing remained but the charred earth. His heart sank as his bewildered mind raced. Where did they all go? What blue him back?
“Pathetic lot,” a familiar voice said. “Bested by a bunch of thugs in the forest. They should consider it an act of mercy to be incinerated before I got a hold of them.”
“I apologize, Leucis.” It was the two elves from before. “Had I known that it was in your intention to punish them further for their weakness, I would have --”
“Spare your words. You did what you were expected to do. Now, take the others and finish off the rest of these vermin. I must relay our status to His Majesty.”
Holden tried to get up, but found himself incapable. It felt like his body had given out. He could only watch as the Aradians combed over the camp, halberds and blades ready.
“Holden,” Tamef whispered. He was blown back further than Holden, and was in a similar, unmoving state. “It’s some sort of paralysis magic. Looks like learning to read paid off, eh?” He gave a chuckle, before falling quiet. The distant scream of a straggler echoed throughout the canyon. “You’re pretty well hidden, so keep quiet. The paralysis ought to wear off sooner or later, so get ready to run. The others back at camp -- well, everyone -- needs to know what happened here. I’m counting on you.” With a melancholic smirk, Tamef took in a deep breath of air. “Come on, you knife-eared whoresons!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Holden wanted to tell Tamef to hold his tongue, but his lips wouldn’t part.
“I know Arade herself! And she was a cheap one!” It was not long before one of the Aradians approached Tamef, missing Holden. “Come and stick me already,” Tamef growled, “or I’ll gouge out your eyes!” Without hesitation, the elf drove his halberd into Tamef’s gut. After a pained groan, Tamef laughed. “Are you unfamiliar with taking a life? Finish me off, you sow-kissing…” As Tamef trailed off, the elf ripped his halberd out of Tamef, and continued on its hunt for stragglers, leaving Holden to stare at Tamef’s corpse in silent horror.
All at once, Holden’s mouth loosened, and the wind rushed from his lungs in a groan. His blood froze as he watched the elf stop, and turn around. The remorseless eyes that stabbed into his soul only made Holden struggle harder to stand up, but to no avail. As the elf approached him, stepping over Tamef’s body, Holden’s mind raced. Regret surged through him, as he realized that this was his fault. Not just leading countless souls here, or going off with Tamef to train as a scout; the moment he set out from his home, it was his fault. He would not see his family, achieve glory, or set foot out of On’hino, to see Erelith.
The elf rolled Holden onto his back, so his last sight would be the stars in the sky. With the halberd gleaming in the moonlight -- boasting both silver of metal and crimson of blood -- it was raised up, and the elf muttered some Aradian blessing under his breath. Then, the halberd came down. Hot, wet blood splattered onto the ground -- but not Holden’s. The halberd clattered to the ground, as the elf looked at his arm, where an arrow pierced and protruded through his wrist. Before he could call out for help, another arrow slammed into the elf’s back, sending him to the ground, face buried in the dirt.
There was a moment where everything seemed to pause, as if reality itself had forgotten part of its script. Then, Holden felt his body finally starting to regain control. He sat up, looking at the arrow int he elf’s back. He felt so numb, and he was unsure of it being from the paralysis, or the millions of emotions coursing through him.
“Easy,” somebody whispered, “it isn’t safe yet. Just sit tight, and we’ll deal with the Aradian offensive. You deserve honors beyond mentioning for your service to On’hino, already Holden.” Saul. It was Saul. He pulled the arrow from the elf’s back, and deftly crept towards the camp. A dozen or so additional men followed him, though they were actual On’hinian soldiers, judging by their armor. Holden watched them slip from sight, and soon after the campfire went out. There were no sounds of conflict, only a long period of silence.
After some time, Holden got up, and moved over to Tamef. He knelt down next to the body, and looked it over. Tamef almost looked.. peaceful, in death. If it was not for the terrible gash in the center of the chest, Holden could have been convinced that Tamef was just resting. He frowned, and closed Tamef’s eyes, quietly wishing upon him eternal peace. He clutched Tamef’s bow tightly as he stood back up, and looked over his shoulder to see Saul approaching him.
“It seems I have a knack for being at the right place at the right time,” Saul said as he stood in front of Holden. “There were a few left, but anyone important has already vacated the area. I did put down the mage that stopped your assault, though. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Holden glanced over at Tamef’s body.
“He was a good student, a great man, and an invaluable friend.” Saul clasped Holden’s shoulder. “Hold onto his bow for him. I doubt there’s anyone else he’d rather have it.” He turned his attention to one of the On’hinian soldiers, her coppery locks of hair shining in the moonlight. “You wanted my personal recommendation for a scout? This is him, Yerryn.”
Yerryn looked at Holden, before she raised an eyebrow. “Funny how our paths have crossed again, isn’t it, Holden d’Alnhart?” She smirked. “Don’t worry, you’re in no trouble for neglecting to tell me who you were before. But, if you want to be a scout, I suggest you avoid holding anything else from me.” She nodded to Saul. “If you feel he is ready, send him down to my station in Perona.”
“I will, Lieutenant Yerryn. Thank you for coming to help on such short notice.” Saul gave her a smile before she walked off, and then patted Holden’s shoulder. “Let’s vacate the area with haste, Holden. We’ll head back home, and I’ll explain everything from there; about Tamef and his band of rebels, the Aradian attackers, and anything else I can.”
***
The warmth of the cabin was a welcome sensation for Holden. When Saul set down a bowl of soup for him, Holden pushed it aside. He did not have much of an appetite after the night’s ordeal. “Tamef said something about business as usual in Lerem, what does that mean?”
Saul sat down, and folded his arms over his chest. After a moment, he raised a finger. “He was probably talking about the Infinity Excavations.”
“Infinity Excavations?”
“That one Aradian, the one who decimated the rebel forces in the blink of an eye; he was a mage. Several centuries ago, that amplitude of magic was nigh impossible, for even the most powerful of mages. In fact, magic was a dying force.” Saul set his bowl aside, which was nearly empty. “Kalold -- a nation of artificers, if you were not aware -- devised a way to replenish the magic in Erelith; the Infinity Spire. It was the pinnacle of their most brilliant minds. It could draw in magic from other realms, and revitalize the concentrations here.” Saul reached for Holden’s bowl, and poured half of its contents into his own. “Due some mishap -- some speculate it was punishment by the gods for twisting the hand of destiny, others sabotage in fear of the Infinity Spire’s power -- it exploded, and contaminated Lerem, the land it was built upon. Nobody dared to risk the dangers lurking at the time. However, after the concentrations of magic were no longer toxic, all of Erelith dove at the chance to recover Kalold’s inventions. Officially, the Infinity Excavations are to unearth relics which could provide a distinct advantage against the rest of the nations. Unofficially, it’s a bloodbath. Countless skirmishes erupt between the armies stationed there. Of course, people drew away from Lerem after the Reign of Darkness took to Erelith. So, what Tamef may have meant was that the remaining nations are resuming their deadly scavenger hunt.”
“And what of the elves?” Holden asked.
“Relations with Arade have always been ill,” Saul explained, “even before the Infinity Excavations began. There were reports of Aradians kidnapping, torturing and executing captive On’hinians. I do not doubt that those ones were there to cause more damage against our homeland, by means of violence. It would make sense, with the excavations at hand. We’d be forced to pull manpower away to deal with the threat at home.”
Holden frowned. “I watched Tamef die, along with dozens of others, and now nobody will know the sacrifice they made to keep their homeland safe.” The thought made him even less hungry. “Why would he even face the elves? They destroyed an military post, he knew the strength of our foe.”
“Like I said; he was firehearted. He’d jump into the Abyss if someone told him it’d save a stray cat in Perona, and that was the ideology of his entire group; be the soldiers the people need, not the king. That is something you should avoid, Holden.” Saul leaned back, and folded his arms across his chest. “In my days, there was bravery, and there was boldness. Bravery keeps you moving, while boldness leads you to death. Understand?”
Holden nodded.
“Now, if I were you, I’d get as much rest as possible. When you head out to work for the Royal Navy, you’ll need every moment spared, believe me.”
“I have one more question,” said Holden. Saul raised a brow, waiting patiently. “Why am I going in as a scout when I have so little training in the matter?”
“That’s one question you know the answer to, Holden.” Saul got up and collected the bowls. “Anyone who survived the ordeal you had is more than ready to begin their career, in my opinion. Granted, we haven’t taught you much in the way of swordplay, but Yerryn ought to take care of you.”
Holden was taken aback. Two days in the forest, and he was being deemed ready to serve. “But why?”
“A scout needs to be self-sustaining. You would have been in Tamef’s camp if you weren’t; not leading troops into battle against the Aradians. A scout must be quiet, accurate and ready to kill. If you were not, we wouldn’t have this little chat. Lastly, a scout must be affiliated with death. Seeing as you were nearly skewered before we could intervene, I think you have a clear image of dying fresh in your mind. Now, are you going to turn down the opportunity to do more, or will you take the offer Hino himself has given you?”
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