The Book and the feast(1)

The thick forest that surrounds the city of Lecornian is still blooming marvelously. The type of wagons that enter the Latenian Kingdom are rich merchants mostly have exclusive caravan guards and their wagons exceed by 10. Because of the growing price of trade inside the Coalition kingdoms merchants are flocking for money. As the Coalition kingdoms are getting developed in the industry and trade.

And rather than being a classed merchant in the empire the merchants choose to be part of the Coalition kingdoms trade industry. The classed system in the mercantile system was imposed by the old emperor of the Empire. That is why there are some merchants who left the empire market trade because of the high taxation on trade deals and also they are being classed depending on their sales and products that they can offer.

After the Trio war began in 1415 everything changed from the high demand came the downpour cost of products many became rich and also many became bankrupt. If their businesses can hold off the demand then they will get the upper hand if not competitors would be the one getting the money. And the one thing that blooms in that Trio war is the Redhook manufacturing Ltd. which was controlled by one of the council families and they are the BloodStone.

The BloodStone family was headed by the patriarch Lancaster Arnold BloodStone. One of the great businessmen in the Empire. He grew his life on the lowest of the ranks of a merchant to one of the great five noble council families of the empire.

And then became the Chief of trade and industries. His Red hook industries are the prime selling merchant group that almost monopolize the markets in the Empire moreover they are the best selling products even if they put their products to other nations.

Artirian would still be trotting his horse down the main road.As he looks at the view of the great plains and forest that are thick with blooming bushes and trees that are unexpectedly tall. Artirian would be heading to the Divine Empires border outpost where there are some unexpected happenings. because there could be some small minor skirmishes between the coalition and Empire and also Republican forces.

But before he reached the border outpost that has been currently being guarded by 2 corps. He would stop by in one of the villages that are near the last gate of the Coalition kingdoms. Because he heard some rumors regarding the EMpire military are doing war crimes in those kinds of villages. Once across that village is the open field of neutral zone where skirmishes always took place.

When Artirian halted his horse he looked around seeing it became a ghost town for villagers and rather stayed inside that outside. He then grabbed the horse leash and went down, he would then just slowly walk across the village road and still carefully looking if there was someone that he would be able to talk to.. But as Artirian looked around the place seemed abandoned, Artirian would come up with an idea that there could be a possibility that the townspeople are afraid to go out so he would continue to walk till he got from the other side which will be the main road again. There are no children that are playing and there are no active merchants in their market village.

Artirian would look a bit terrible to see that the villages that are near the neutral zone, are the most villages that are affected by this kind of small skirmish war between the 3 forces. The villages look like they are low on morale and supplies specially their necessities to add that they are afraid to go out in the open. That they are afraid that something might happen to them like they are being hunted or killed but the enemy forces. Artirian would look around the village houses as the doors would be marked by a red X on the front door.

Soon there would be an incoming platoon of conscripts that was being led by a Knight on a horse. The marching conscripts would make some sounds that are similar to the left and right of their footings. While they start marching Artirian would go to the side of the main road. As he observed the marching conscripts. The conscripts would just continue marching as if they didn't see Artirian there. As They would just ignore Artirian presence and continue to march on.

Artirian would hop on the horse and continue to travel the main road, he would then reach the last outpost where the marching soldiers would stop and have taken rest. The outpost from the far view was a small encampment of soldiers and a wooden gate and a wooden wall. There are 4 watch towers on each corner of the encampment wall. And as it looks the guards seemed to be guarding for 24 hours.

At the south direction of Artirian he would see a border checkpoint which is guarded. After crossing that check point Artirian can now enter the neutral zone. One of the neutral zones is the Argana plains which Artirian and Eliane came from in the past few days while they are traveling towards the Latenian kingdom. And the gate in exiting and entering the natural zone from the Latenian kingdom is different from this outpost.

Artirian would remember Elaine's face before he trots forward heading to the checkpoint. There he would see the 10 conscripts and 10 knights that were on high alert. They are highly alerted in case there could be a sudden skirmish attack between the coalition and the Empire. As complications arose in the area there would come 2 platoons of conscripts and 1 platoon of knights. Coming from the other directions the guards of the checkpoint would be on the ready.

Once they are assured the checkpoint would recognise them as Empire forces. Soon the incoming platoons would charge forward saying some war cry before starting firing some muskets. The knight would split into 2 squads one would be on horse and one would be commanding the conscripts. Meanwhile the Checkpoint guards would unsheathe their swords and some would be having a musket. But before the two forces clash Artirian would trot his horse towards a nearby forest which is very well comfortable to the horse of Artirian.

Soon the Empire forces would clash with the coalition forces checkpoint guards and the forces of the coalition would be outnumbered a bit but soon came a trotting cavalry that came from the nearby outpost. As Artirian observed the Coalition forces are getting killed one by one as the Empire would take a few minimal injuries.

Artirian would then hop down from his horse and unsheathe his Bokken sword. He would be calm and wait for someone to move if there is one. He would chin up and hide from one of the trunks. He would still observe the bloodshed that is happening and as he sees the blood would be spreading across the dirt road. Some conscripts have gotten decapitated and some have limbs cut off. Artirian would see the swords would clash some even had used their gallant force but it was too late the Empire knights have been able to use it first so the battle has already been turned to the Empire.

Then came the trotting Cavalry of the coalition their lances would strike to the conscripts and as they clashed few conscripts would be pushed a few meters back and some would get a direct hit onto their chest and the lance would pierce through. The blood would spurt on the ground, the concripts would slowly vomit blood as he held the lance.

The knight who is holding the lance strikes the lance onto the ground and as it strikes on the ground it embedded the tip making the concripts fall on the ground with the lance. The conscripts body would fall on the ground and the blood would spread on ground a few more has been cut down by the coming cavalry from the coalition. But also the empire would counter the incoming attack they would fire upon their muskets on some stray cavalry knight and would get a perfect clean hit on the chest.

Artirian would continue to watch the gruesome skirmish that always took place in the borders as each day if something like this happened it much faster to kill that to create new human beings.

After that good clean charge from the coalition forces. The knight from the empire would sound retreat, because they are getting killed 1 by 1.

The best option for them is to retreat rather than to waste their lives from a meaningless death. Artirian would then sneak through the checkpoint and enter the neutral zone.