Chapter 10

The sight of fields of corn and wheat was replaced whit the sight of tall trees and thick bushes as they entered the Central forest. Biggest forest in the Central kingdoms. Some places of it still remain to be explored, some even say that a tribe of elf´s still resides somewhere deep in the forest, hiding since the fall of the Elven Empire more then 1000 years ago.

We should hurry up if we plan to reach Tovder before the night falls. The thought ran through his mind as he walked, looking in the sky. His companions Robert and Damien walked in front of him chatting about something. Robert was calm by now, its been around two hours since Damien gave half of theirs pay to Titus the Iron Knight.

Well third of the pay since they were payed half in front back at Visomar. But still Damien giving their money to Titus was somehow painful to watch. Oh well nothing they could do, their lives are more important then any amount of money.

Having nothing better to do but walk, his mind started to drift away. He began to think about those Beast people he saw at their camp. What were they, he thought. Vishing that he was able to talk to them. Well at least try, since they spoke words that he couldn´t understand.

Leonard thought about them for some time, but then his stomach began to hurt. He was well aware what was coming next. "Hey! Hey guys!"Robert turned around.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I need to take a crap again, wait up."

"But you already did it half an hour ago."

"Its not my fault, that food we ate back at the inn was shit. Its a miracle that it took it so long to come out of the other end." Leonard said as he pushed through one of the bushes.

Damien and Robert looked at each other then both sighed. Damien leaned on one of the nearby trees. Robert did the same.

"Is he like this all the time? He seems useless and you don´t seem like a guy who would keep up whit him for a long time." Damien asked to break the silence.

"Shut up, you don´t know him."

"Fair enough but still...." He gets interrupted by Robert.

"He is a good man. Difficult to deal whit sometimes but still he is good inside."

"Well we all are difficult sometimes." They went silent for a while.

I should try getting more information about them. Should have did it back at Visomar, but I thought it would be a fast and easy journey. But we already encountered trouble. And that guy Titus, he found out that I was a Sentinel very fast, like he was expecting us. We will most likely encounter more trouble on the way. And if that happens we need to have more trust in each other. But still what to talk about?

Damien pondered for a short while then remembered something he heard back when they just met.

"Oh yeah, back when I employed you. I remember that you said to him that he is your Lord. Whats that about?"

"He is my Lord and I am his servant"

Hearing this took Damien by surprise. The fact alone that he would tell him that in the first place was more surprising then what he told him. Of course it was also quite surprising that one of the men he was travelling whit was nobility. He heard of similar cases before. Son of a wealthy noble tired of his privileged life goes outside to the world of adventures looking for excitement. Was it the same in this case he thought?

"Well that is sure surprising, what family is he from?"

"Not telling you. Ask him your self if you want to know."

"Yes, maybe I will. But tell me what is a son of a noble doing in a war torn region of the kingdom?"

"He lost it all, his family name, his lands, his pride....."

"All!? How? His father fought on the side of Prince Herald?"

"No."

"How then?"

"He made a mistake that cost him everything. And don´t bother to ask how. Im not telling you, that is up to him to decide."

"Hmmm yes I will not pressure him, it would bring painful memories." Robert just nodded is agreement.

"But still my question still stands, why be whit him now. Back then you were most likely paid good money, now that he lost everything. Why?"

"His father saved me from my self. And gave me a new life, I made an oath to his father when he was on his death bed. I have been whit Leonard for almost sixteen years now, we are like family. You wouldn´t understand."

"I do. I had a family too once, wife and a daughter." Damien said in a sad tone. As soon as he mentioned it his demeaner changed. Robert knew it was a hard topic to talk about, so he stooped at that. But still it made him fell secure to know that they had something in common. A sad event in their lives, but nevertheless they shared something.

As they finished talking Leonard came out of the bushes. Covered in leaves, the silly sight made Robert smile.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh nothing special?" Robert didn´t want him to find out that they talked behind his back.

"Really? Come on don´t leave me out. Lets talk bout something, its a boring."

"Well Robert asked me how am I able to fight the way I do."

"Oh really!? I wondered about that too. Back when you fought those people back at the village and Ser Titus too."

"I was just about to tell him, come on I will tell you while we walk. Don´t want to be here when it gets dark." He says as he starts to walk Robert and Leonard beside him. Damien talked about his training he did in Fort Narknar. Now the fortress stands in ruin, destroyed two decades ago. Every Sentinel trainee had to go through a year of training before being Knighted. Three months of basic training then they are assinged to a Sentinel who is already a veteran.

They spend ten months serving him, fighting by his side. If the trainee survives those ten months they are worthy of being a true Sentinel, and then they go through ritual and if they survive it they are given another month to recover and get used to their changes and after all that they are knighted and become a true sentinel.

"Wow a whole year of training!? That´s crazy."

Both of them were really surprised when they heard it. Its rare for todays armies to be that professional. Of course knights who are mostly of noble bright are trained from young age. But the rest are mostly villagers gathered by Nobles who own them. Although that has been changing quickly. In Imperium a new sistem was adopted a decade ago. In times of war people who are drafted in the army first train for a month before being sent off to their units.

And after all the fighting is done they are given a choice to stay in the army and get paid for it. Most people accept, some don´t of course but those who do become Imperium´s best. That is the main reason why Imperium is so strong. Their armies are full of veteran soldiers.

Seeing the results of Imperium´s new method, Kovandar adopted it as well, whit some changes of course. And their southern neighbors are doing the same. Only in central kingdoms the old sistem of recruitment remains.

"How much make it to the end and become a Sentinel?" Robert asked.

"These days.... Maybe around three to four hundred every year."

"Hooo, that´s not a lot."

"Yes in the past there were more but still those who make it become elite fighters capable of cutting down three to four, in some rare cases even a dozen men."

"Oh really? Are you one of those rare cases?" Damien just shook his head.

Yeah if he was i doubt that he would need to hire us in the first place. Leonard thought.

"But still this dosen´t answer my question. How old are you now? Sixty, sixty-five? How can you fight so well at your are?"

"Yeah I am fifty-three and I know that I cant match up to you."

"Its that ritual I mentioned before."

"Ritual, what kind?"

"It evolves magic and rune stones." Leonard made a puzzling face.

"Never heard of those?" Damien asked.

"Oh I did, me and Robert know about it. Seen both being used in battels many times. Its just how would that be used in a ritual?"

"I was about to explain you. Just listen." Leonard nodded.

"I presume you know that you can store spells and magic energy in rune stones:"

"Magic energy? You mean mana?"

"Yeah."

Damien then opens his small shoulder bag, and takes out a rune stone out of it. The stone size of his palm, whit rough edges and a simbol engraved in it. Two straight lines going through a small circle. The simbol was of red color.

"See this rune stone has a fire ball spell in it." Then he pulls another one. This time an X whit a white glow to it. "This one is a ice spell, when used ice spikes will come out from the ground. Everyone close to you, will be impaled."

"Oh wow, you have two." These stones were really expensive and especially if they were already stored whit spells and mana. So to see a one man possessing two was surprising to both of them.

"Well it isn´t hard for an order like Sentinels to buy these." Said Robert.

"Yeah but we make ours. We have mages who make them for us."

"I see, but tell us how that factors in the ritual?" Leonard asked.

"They are stored whit a spell that slows down the aging progress of your athletic ability. Like speed, strength, reflexes. And then the rune is planted in our body and it becomes a part of our body. Like a second heart. To keep it running we have to drink mana potions every day, otherwise the spell will grow weaker."

"Oh now I remember! My father once told me that, that was one of the reasons why you got purged by the Church 20 years ago."

"It was one of many. But yes it did play a big role in our purge. Since regular people didn´t know this, they were shocked when Church released that information in public. And that was used to sway many people against us."

"Yes I still remember it. People were easily manipulated, no soul would dare to question the Church, like bunch of sheep." Robert joined in. "By the way, what kind of spell is it? Its name?"

"Sorry not telling you guys."

"I understand." Leonard looked sad while saying that.

"Well there is no helping it Leonard."

Three of them continued talking like this as they walked. Passing by many people going from Tovder to other villages and the other way around. People who lost their homes searching for new places to continue their lives, merchants carrying goods and soldiers returning to their loved ones in Tovder.

An hour passed and the night has fallen, they tread carefully through the darkness. Finally they saw some light coming throughout the darkness. But they were not met by the gates of Tovder but by a small armed patrol of five men. They stood surrounding a man who lay on the ground, it looked as he was being robbed so Leonard approached them to annoyance of both Robert and Damien. One of the men noticed them and raised his guard.

"Who goes there!" The man said, alerting the rest of the guards. Leonard raised his arms in the air.

"No worries! We are not dangerous."

"Yeah we are just passing by." Said Robert.

"Oh you scared me for a second there." The man replayed.

"What are you doing here? Don´t you know that these woods are dangerous in night time." Another one of the men spoke.

"Well we planed to reach Tovder before the dark but because of this idiot we are in this situation now." He taps on Leonard´s shoulder as he said it.

"Well you shouldn´t be so carefree."

"Yes, yes of course. But tell first what are you doing to that man?" Leonard says. "Robing the poor man?"

"Robing!? How rude! We are guards from Tovder! Here look!" He pulls out a badge from his pocket. "We were on a patrol and we stumbled on this man."

"Yes, have no worries mate." The man next to him said.

"Oh I see! My apologies!"

"But still is he dead?" Damien asked. "He sure looks dead."

"Nay he is unconscious. Although i don´t know why." After a short pause the man said. "May I ask you something?" Leonard nodded.

"Tovder is some 30 minutes from here, so if you could. We would appreciate if you could take him whit you."

"And you can´t?"

"There is only five of us. I asked many times for more men, but I was refused. And these roads are not safe. Crime increased after the war started."

"Aye but hopefully it will decrease now when the war ended. But its not just bandits, there are all manner of beasts, and sometimes we encounter goblins as well." The man next to him said.

Goblins, haven´t seen those little fuckers in a while. Leonard thought. They would sometimes scour the battlefields, robbing the dead of valuables and trinkets.

"Sure, we could help you."

"Good, leave him to the guards at the gates, say that Bogdan sent you. They will take care of the rest."

"Ok we shall do as you say." Leonard then grabbed the mans arm and picked him up on his back. "I will carry him. Lets go guys."

"Sir Bogdan. Will there be a reward? We could use some coins."

"Come now Robert, leave it and lets go." Damien said as he began to follow Leonard. Robert just sighed.

"Fine..." He waved the men as he started walking.

"Wait sir! Here take the torch, the town is not far but still take it."

"Ohhh thank you very much!" Robert happily accepted.

The light of their torch disappeared in to the night. And not long after, as one of the men said they found them self´s in front of the gates of Tovder.