- OUTSKIRTS OF ORIS PEAKS -
The fresh mountain breeze had ceased to flow, now only the scent of minerals and ores fouled the air around them. After two days of riding across the mountainous region of Oris, they had finally made it to the northern mountains.
Reginald peered into his water pouch half concerned that he might have taken his last sip of clean water. Vedial on the other hand led their two-man formation up the hills keenly keeping an eye out for anything that could give them insight as to the Greyheart's whereabouts.
"Lieutenant, what do you think the Captain is hoping to find?" Reginald queried.
"Same as us, clues."
Vedial's responses were always short and to the point, it was rare for him to coat his actions and conversations with his emotions, however, in those rare instances, one could feel the passion he had veiled behind his voice.
"What of Lieutenant Seuvial?"
"You should be more concerned about Calestian."
"He really does loath the spell-less wizard, do you think he would try to hurt him while we are away?"
"Hurt is an understatement."
That night the two set up a camp to rest, the sight of a Holy Knight resting around a campfire was rare, but not uncommon, except for the leader of the Holy Knights, all other Holy Knights would be camping all across Morland on many nights, however, it was nearly impossible to find them.
Shadows danced as the fire flickered about, Reginald stared into the fire like a shaman working his magicks. Vedial knew he was confused about something, as his master he was obligated to put his student's worries to rest lest they affected his performance in future endeavors.
Vedial's only problem was how he would start the conversation.
"Is it true that the Heart of Oris can rival the Thirteen in power?" Reginald opened the conversation.
"From what I found out, Its power could be used to reshape Morland as we know," Vedial explained. "If placed in the wrong hands, it could mean the end of Morland."
Suddenly, Vedial noticed Reginald's grim expression, it was hard for Vedial to know what had caused the change and he worried that perhaps the weight of the burden was already too much for the squire.
"Then why haven't they used it yet?"
'I see.' Vedial understood.
"It takes divine might to wield divine power, the Greyhearts were nowhere near there." Vedial assured his squire.
Regionals's expression lightened.
Vedial knew how smart and honorable Reginald was and if a glimpse of what the Holy Knights were shouldering right now could rub off on him, he would prove to be a useful Knight in the long run. Even the Emperor had once praised Reginald's birth clan, and just like his father Reginald has always fulfilled his duty.
'A shining example of a true Holy Knight.'
Early the next morning Vedial and Reginald continued on their journey, it was on the day of Darrel's capture when the Captain had received word of an old mining camp in the northern mountains.
The message explained that communication with the mining camp had ceased for months, it was highly unlikely that the Greyhearts were involved with the Empire's loss of the northern mines.
"Did the Captain really need to send you Lieutenant?" Reginald asked over the sound of galloping horses. "What if the Greyhearts were not involved and we end up finding some random bandits?"
"Random bandits are not capable of wiping out three dozen soldiers of the Royal Army."
"Why would they send three dozen Royal Soldiers? I thought the mines there had no dungeons?"
"That's what we need to find out Reginald."
"Perhaps they decided to betray the Empire and flee to Sigul?" Reginald theorized.
Vedial remained silent on the comment.
Moriandians were extremely loyal to the Empire, and cases of treason and betrayal were very rare, but that did not mean they did not occur every once in a while, on the contrary, it was in such opportune situations like these that such acts would happen.
The punishment for such acts was heavy, loss of lands, rights, imprisonment, and in rare cases execution.
The horse's gallop decelerated and came to a trod, they had left the hard ground behind them and were now riding through an area filled with mineral debris that had fallen off the hundreds of transportation wagons that had come and gone through the area.
After riding several more miles, Vedial noticed a stench in the air and it smelt like a dead animal.
"Do you smell that Lieutenant," Reginald spat as called his horse to move faster. "Hyah!"
"By Moria…"
Vedial stopped his horse in its tracks, Reginald had yet to notice the predicament that they had come upon and continued to pace his horse forward still trying to flee from the putrid stench.
"Reginald hold it!"
"What? Why- wa woah!"
Reginald's pulled on his horse's reins hard and the creature raised its front legs so high that it fell on its side together with its rider. His fall was hard, but he quickly managed to get back on his feet, he checked his horse for injuries, and fortunately, the beast was unscathed.
"Lieutenant, why did you stop me?"
His question fell on deaf ears, as Vedial's gaze was fixated on the sight up on one of the cliffs. Noticing this Reginald traced the Lieutenant's gaze and looked at the same thing.
"Could that be what I think it is?"
A corpse impaled by a wooden pole hang on its ribs atop one of the sides of the cliffs, Reginald walked to his horse and took a crossbow from one of the bags mounted on the horse. His bolt struck the worn-out pole which crumbled and dropped the corpse from the cliff to the ground in front of them.
"Who would do this?"
The corpse had been stripped of its armor and now only tattered rags hanged loosely on its feeble constitution.
"Think he's one of ours?"
"He has to be, that pole you shot was once a flag," Vedial stated as he examined the fragments of the shattered pole.
"Lieutenant, I found a medallion."
Reginald plucked the medallion from the withered flesh and cleaned it to check the details embedded in it.
"Urme Ragbie, Royal Army - Warrior, Age 34." Reginald read the details of the metal plate aloud.
It appears Urme had once occupied the Warrior class in Moriandia's Royal Army, this had surely been a great privilege for the mortal, and an unfortunate circumstance for him to die in this wilderness without honor or memory.
'Like the very animals, we hunt this day.' Vedial thought to himself.
"Why do you think he was killed here?"
"No. The question should be who killed him?"
Vedial sighed and then knelt on one knee beside Urme's corpse, a moderate silence went by for a minute then Vedial reached out his arm and spread his hand above the corpse's head.
"There is no fear of death as a soldier of the Empire, for Moria's promise lives on after your dusk."
[Purifying Flames - Moria's Comfort]
Vedial's palm immediately burst ablaze with a brilliant white fire that made low whistling sounds, Urme's corpse lit on fire with a white glow and began to crumble away.
"Recieve Moria's peace." Reginald echoed ceremoniously.
Unfortunately, this was all the ceremony that could be done for Urme, it was hard to imagine just how many more soldiers had died out in the northern mines and no burial ceremony had been done for them.
"Let's keep going."
That evening Vedial and Reginald were able to reach the northern mines and as they came within range a putrid stench hit them, and this one was far worse than that from Urme's corpse.
"What is this-" Reginald's words were cut short by the stench that he immediately covered his mouth. "Was there a battle here?"
Dozens of bodies littered the outskirts of the mine, severed limbs were scattered like tree leaves and patches of dried-up blood oozed with flies.
"No, this was a slaughter."