"I see you've been pushed back," the man stated as he got off the ship.
"Yes sir," a guard responded as he escorted the new arrival off the ship. "They came yesterday morning, taking our forwarding base."
"Funny how that hasn't made it in the reports," The masked man muttered to himself as the guard led the way. No matter, he would have all that cleared out when he met the commander.
Back in her tower Commander Dana watched as the man was brought inside. She smiled at the sight, inwardly sneering at all those that opposed her, of which she knew she had many. This was proof that she had friends in high places. With the prince showing his support, how could she not be happy?
"Is this what you wanted?" A guard walked in holding something wrapped up in fine linen. He unfolded the linens and showed the commander the object. The commander reached out and fingered the weapon. Every time she saw it she would be impressed by it. It was too valuable for her to use it, so she decided to make use of it to play some politics. Since the prince had shown his hand, she also couldn't be too selfish.
To think, the person who made such a fine weapon would be killed by it, in some ways was a waste. However, remembering the nightmares and the deadly shots, she retracted that thought at once.
Eamon had been born and brought up in Tristan's 4th city. His father was a scribe in one of the great families and hence he could afford a better life for his family. Therefore, Eamon didn't grow up in money, but he also didn't grow up knowing the bitter sting of poverty.
Like many of the soldiers in Tristan, he was fiercely loyal to his city. I mean, what was there not to love. They had the pride and prestige of being not only the most developed but also the most beautiful city on the continent. They were at the forefront in almost every regard, and Tristanites could hold their heads high wherever they went.
He couldn't just stand by as his home was threatened. He had to do something about it. He didn't have some sad story of his family being trapped or cornered outside the gate. No, he was just a young able-bodied man who couldn't sit by and let his country be invaded.
This was the general emotion running all over the place. Their country had been attacked and invaded, and they just couldn't sit by and do nothing. Some killed themselves when they found they couldn't join up with the others.
Young Eamon was especially stoked that day. Not because that would be the day they attacked the main base, but because of who he would be working under.
In peace times, Eamon would have been nowhere near a weapon. He would have probably ended up like his dad, a scribe or a similar profession. White-collar most likely. In the army, Eamon had chosen to join as a ranger and using whatever strings his father could pull, Eamon had ended up in one of the archery divisions.
He wasn't that bad as a ranger, capable of finding the target from 500 meters. In the army, a person's aim was not so much a priority as was their range, and in that, Eamon didn't fall behind either, being extremely deadly even from a kilometer away, if the arrows managed to find the target.
The cause of his excitement was simple. He and his unit had been grouped with a team of adventurers, and not just any group of adventurers. The night before, he had joked how much fun it would be to be grouped with 'him', only for it to become a reality.
Barda's name had become a legend by now. He was appearing in almost every new song being sung by bards in bars, and his deeds were so exaggerated even Barda was disgusted, especially considering he was extremely overpowered as is. What happens when you exaggerate an exaggerated story?
When he and his team had joined the ranks of the archery soldiers, they had noticed the excitement and commotion their arrival had caused. Batoo, who was by his right side, as usual, knew that all this was Barda's doing. This caused a satisfied smile to flash across Batoo's face as he thought, 'Good, marvel at my idol!'
"Mister King, a horse for you," a rider came pulling a riderless horse over to Barda and offered it to him. Barda had almost forgotten his surname, and it took him a while to respond. It should be noted that Sten was in charge of the adventurers, but everyone just assumed that it was Barda leading.
Barda was not made of metal in any part. His body was mostly just carbon polymers and high-grade carbon fibers. In other words, he was made up of high-grade plastic. That being said, though it was still plastic, it had to be dense enough to contain the psionic reactors within, thus making Barda very dense inside.
Given his weight, horse-riding was not the easiest thing, especially for the horse. He was not much heavier than a 7-foot bear of a man like Nada, but given his stature, that was very heavy. He could still ride, but he just wouldn't aspire to win any medals in racing.
The only redeeming quality was that since he was an archer, Barda didn't require heavy armor. Unlike the vanguards dressed in heavy-set steel armor up-front, the archers holding up the rear had leather and cloth armor.
Barda recognized the status-quo having a horse meant, and knowing that the smart thing would have been to give it up to Sten, the adventurers' commander, he didn't give it up.
The way he saw it, the horse had been given to him, if he went about giving it to others, what would that say about him. Then there was the fact that on horseback, he could contribute more to the war effort since it was a raised platform. It also enhanced his mobility.
However, Barda also felt that he deserved it. He had worked hard to build his profile in Tristan, and these were the spoils he got to enjoy. Since he and Sten held the same rank, he was well within his rights to do so. He had read the microexpressions that had flashed on Sten's face when he received - and accepted - the horse.
"Sir, you're letting her go?" an elder asked the King with a concerned look. They were both watching the lithe body of the princess as she walked away with a joyful pep in her step.
"I did not see how I could hold her back," the King replied chuckling. He too had his misgivings about allowing his only daughter and the future queen of Tristan to lead the army, but he felt that the merits in her doing so outweighed the risks.
He couldn't hold her back forever, and she needed the support of her men if she was going to be a true leader. Her being seen out there in the front lines was a good thing. As long as she was well-guarded ... He almost said everything would be okay. Watching the King rubbed his brows with worry, the elder immediately shut his mouth.
"Quite a name you've made for yourself here, my congrats." Lord Bromia whispered to Lady Ellen. He could still remember that the whole reason her adventurer team had even been allowed to participate was because of his lost bet.
"Many thanks to you my Lord, you opened the door for us," Lady Ellen replied graciously as she had no reason against the man. He did give her the break, albeit half-heartedly.
"Your man is also doing quite well, his name shining brighter than the noon-day sun," the man went on, showering her with overdone praises. The lady was smart enough to smell a rat, "while you were even captured and he had to save you."
"What's it to you?" Lady Ellen asked in a huff, the jab had been unexpected and cruelly done.
"Just a word of caution, one commander to another," Lord Bromia's voice seemed to soften a bit as he looked at Lady Ellen in what seemed like kind eyes. "If you allow your subordinate's name to be bigger than your own, or your adventurer team's, he might just end up wrestling the team away from you."
Lady Ellen squirmed inwardly as the man had just hit a sore spot. She didn't feel worthy of leading such a man. However, all this was inward, outwardly she said: "What happens in my adventurer team is none of your concern so please keep your nose out. Oh look, the princess is here, we can begin the match!"
Saying that she rode off. Watching he ride away, Lord Bromia couldn't help but chuckle. She had tried hard to hide it but he had seen her reaction to his statement. One way or another, he was going to get Barda on his team!