Karl Faust

After the meeting ended, I followed Karl back to his house.

As we walk down the path, I look around at the different buildings. This village is much bigger than I expected. There is a market square near the entrance, and a large fountain in the center.

I look up at the sky, and see a full moon shining brightly. The air is crisp, and the stars shine bright against the night sky.

Karl opens the door to his home, and we enter the dimly lit foyer.

He leads me through the hallways, and stops in front of a large wooden door.

- "This is our home." He states.

I step inside, and see an open living room. There is a fireplace with a fire burning inside, and a large dining room is located right next to it.

Karl closes the door behind him, and turns around. He looks at me, and smiles.

- "Please, make yourself comfortable." He says.

I take a seat on a nearby couch, and see a couple of books sitting on the table next to it. I take one of the books, and begin to read it.

Within moments, I hear the sounds of footsteps coming from the hallway. I look up to see Karl entering the room, and he has his hood pulled low over his face.

- "You're late." He says.

I look back down at the book, and continue reading.

- "I apologize, Karl." I say. "I was caught up in my studies."

Karl nods his head, and comes closer to me.

- "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I wanted to show you something." He says seriously

- "I think you will need this." He says

Karl Faust hands me that same black cloak I saw everyone wearing earlier. I look back up at him, and see a strange look in his eyes.

- "What's wrong?" I ask.

Karl looks back down at me, and speaks calmly.

- "If you come with us, you will need this."

- "Got it" I say while grabbing the cloak from his hands.

- "Oh, and I have one more thing to show you."

He reaches out his hand, and touches the cover of the book. His fingers brush the pages of the book, and he then pulls it away.

I look up at him, and see he is holding a large piece of parchment. On it is a map of the surrounding area, and a list of names.

- "Do you know what this is?" He asks.

I stand up from the couch, and look back at Karl.

- "Yes, I do." I say.

Karl smiles, and places the map down on the coffee table.

- "Good, because I'm going to need your help deciphering it." He says.

I walk over to the map, and look at it closely.

I see the names of towns and villages, and I begin tracing the names with my finger.

- "Where did you find this?" I ask.

Karl points to a town on the map.

- "That's where we're headed tomorrow, to Monfort village." He says.

I look over at the clock on the wall, and see it is already midnight.

I look back at Karl, and see he is watching me.

- "But I thought you said we would leave early in the morning?" I ask.

Karl smiles.

- "I lied." He says.

I furrow my brows, and look back at him.

- "Why would you do that?" I ask.

Karl shrugs his shoulders.

- "Because we don't have a lot of time. And I wanted to test your loyalty before we left." He says.

I furrow my brows more, and look back at the map.

- "But why not just tell me what you have planned?" I ask.

Karl laughs loudly.

- "What good would that do? You would have tried to talk me out of it, or worse, you would have fled the moment we got to Monfort village." He says.

I think about what Karl said for a minute, but I remain silent.

- "I trust you, Kuro." He says.

I look up at Karl, and see he is serious.

I nod my head, and look back down at the map.

I trace my finger along a line leading west from the river.

- "Monfort lies in this direction." I say. "It's about three days from here."

I point to another village on the map, and begin tracing its name.

- "The closest village to Monfort is this one." I say. "It's called Harken."

I then proceed to trace the rest of the names on the map.

- "There are several other villages in between, but none of them are very close." I say.

I turn my attention back to Karl.

- "All of the villages on this map are within twenty miles of Monfort. Do you understand now?" I ask.

Karl nods his head, and looks back at me.

- "Yes, I believe so." He says.

I look back at the map, and realize the implications of what I am saying.

If this were any other group of people, I would simply call them bandits. They seek to conquer and plunder those weaker than themselves. But what I saw today was far more dangerous than that. These men were not raiders; they were conquerors.

These men sought to expand their territory by force.

They were seeking land.

They wanted land and power.

They needed resources.

And I had no doubt in my mind that they would go to great lengths to obtain it.

And I was about to become a part of it.

The next morning, I wake up early, and get dressed. I look at the clock, and see it is almost dawn. I grab my cloak, and put it on. Then I pack a bag with some food and water. I make sure I have enough money with me, and I pick up my sword that Arthur gave me earlier. After putting everything else in my backpack, I tie the strap around my shoulders, and head downstairs.

When I enter the kitchen, Karl is already there cooking breakfast.

"Good morning, Kuro." He says. "Are you ready?"

I nod my head, and sit down in a chair. Karl sets a plate of hot food before me, and then sits down across from me.

- "Eat up." He says. "Today's your last chance to back out."

I glance at Karl, and see his smile.

- "Thank you." I mutter.

I eat quickly, and then prepare to leave. Before leaving, I thank Karl again.

- "Take care of yourself, Kuro." He says.

I nod my head, and walk outside. Karl walks behind me, and opens the door. When I step out into the night, I look around. The stars shine brightly above, and the air is crisp. The sun has yet to rise, and the sky is still dark.

I feel a shiver run up my spine as I look around.

Before I can take another step, a loud boom echoes through the night.

I turn around, and see flames rising up into the sky. In the distance, I see a large group of people running toward me. At first, I think they are bandits attacking us, but when I look closer, I see that the people are all wearing black cloaks. I recognize some of them from earlier today.

I look back at Karl, and see he is smiling.

- "See you soon, Kuro." He says.

I nod my head, and turn back around.

The people in the distance begin to close in, and I can hear their footfalls growing louder. I hear the sounds of steel clashing together, and smell the smoke filling the air. It's going to be a long day.