Chapter 6 - Briefing

“Alright, with everyone here we can get started.”

Tetsuo found himself seated among three other knights, one of which being the knight he knew as Veera who had pummeled him a week ago. They were meeting inside a small rustic war room, barely large enough to allow them to sit comfortably. In front of them stood Eleanor who had begun laying out maps and sheets against the wall. Tetsuo watched as Eleanor gave the wall a small tap with her index finger. From her finger, a hook formed from the stone, allowing her to hang another sheet onto the wall.

“As some of you may be aware, one of our duties as royal knights is to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens. To ensure that within these walls, no one will ever face the pain of loss. Erres vol itura.” Eleanor patriotically formed a fist over her heart with her right hand, with the knights following suit. Tetsuo sheepishly imitated them, wary of how appropriate it would be for him to do so. “A few days ago, while leaving the walls, a carriage bound for Remes was ambushed by bandits, who made off with the cargo. The stolen goods included multiple Ficium armaments, as well as sigil chalk, which leads us to believe that the bandits were likely of Earthen origin, or acting in accordance with an Earthen group.”

Tetsuo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. While he knew he hadn’t done anything treacherous, to an extent, he still felt that he was being held accountable for their actions. Tetsuo tried to see how the other knights had reacted to this, but Veera nudged him and gestured for him to pay attention.

“Our scouts have determined that their base of operations is somewhere around here.” Eleanor pointed to a spot on the map, northwest of where Alvania had been drawn. “Your mission is simple: confirm the location of their outpost and bring them in for questioning. Roscoe, you will stay behind and guard the location until the retrieval team arrives for the Ficium equipment.” The knight with dark unkempt hair silently nodded.

“Tetsuo.” Tetsuo jolted to attention as Eleanor spoke to him. “At the request of a certain knight… and the behest of another,” to which Eleanor gestured towards a proud-looking Veera. “...We believe you to be capable in combat, and as such, this mission will serve as a test for you to enter the ranks of the Royal Knights of Alvania.” The three knights at the table all began to politely clap. “Given your recent arrival, we also believe that you may have an easier time gathering information from the Earthens than we would. If you have any questions or concerns during the mission, Veera will be there to assist you.” Eleanor began to roll up the map before handing it to the other knight, a young looking man with red parted hair. “Any further questions?” A silence hung in the room, with only the dark haired knight shaking his head. “Very well, in two days time a carriage and equipment will be prepared for your travels. Dismissed.”

With that, Eleanor exited the room, causing the hooks on the wall to seep back into the bricks. The remaining sheets on the wall fluttered to the ground, settling among other pages from past meetings that Tetsuo hadn’t noticed. While Alon had warned him about it, Tetsuo was still left dumbfounded as to how differently Eleanor behaved when serving as a general.

Tetsuo couldn’t help but stare at the creatures that were pulling their carriage. They closely resembled cows but were slightly larger, with a more athletic frame, and a large curved horn protruding from the center of their head. The vacka as they were called, strung the carriage along the bumpy road, bouncing a Ficium lance that was laying on his lap. The gravel trail seemed to grow thinner the further they travelled as the forest took back more of the road.

“Um, excuse me, your name was Tetsuo right?” The red haired knight had emerged from the carriage and taken a seat beside him at the front of the carriage. “My name is Wilbur. I’m a knight.. I g-guess you would already know that…” Wilbur looked down while fidgeting with the pages of the notebook he was holding.

“Uh… nice to meet you Wilbur.” Tetsuo watched as he began to rub his neck anxiously. When he lifted his hand, Tetsuo noticed that Wilbur’s skin seemed to be raw around his neck. Wilbur took in a quick breath and continued.

“You see, a h-hobby of mine is um… research... Like researching Earthen culture stuff. It’s just so fascinating to me what a world without Ars would be like. Your art, music, clothing it’s all just so amazing! I-if you don’t mind I actually wanted to ask you abo-” A familiar meaty hand reached out from the carriage and snatched the rim of Wilbur’s chest plate, before dragging him back into the cart.

“No time fur questions kid, we got wolves!” Veera rose out of the carriage, taking Wilbur's place beside Tetsuo. “See over there boy, a small pack, probably a dozen or so. Great test for you and that lance. It’s safe and easy to use, perfect for a first timer like you.” Tetsuo narrowed his eyes, and saw flashes of silver fur running through the forest alongside them. “In a short while, they’re gonna pounce. When they do, I want you to point that lance at ‘em and hit the biggest one you can see. You know how to use that thing right?” Tetsuo saddled the lance underneath his arm, adjusting his grip to aim the point towards the front of the carriage. “Good. Don’t forget to breathe, and strike on my signal.”

Tetsuo kept his eyes glued to the side of the forest where he could see the wolves. He shifted all his attention to them, drowning out the rattling of the cart and whistling of the wind. He could hear faint slobbering as they continued to follow. Sounds of quiet growling grew louder, causing Veera to slowly raise his hand. The carriage wheel drove over a branch, and it snapped, echoing through the forest.

“NOW!” As Veera shouted, the wolves leapt onto the road barking and sprinting straight for the vacka. Veera pointed to a wolf running in the center of the pack with slightly darker fur than the rest. Tetsuo pointed his lance at the wolf and took a deep breath, visualizing energy passing from his lungs through his arms, and into his hands.

In… Out…

The symbols on the head of the lance began to glow as the tip of the lance began to turn ember red. A flash of light blinded Tetsuo who heard a short yelp as a beam of lightning emerged from the tip of the lance, charring the ground under the wolf. He could see the wolf had staggered backwards in surprise with its pack disbanding around the carriage.

“Nice one boy. I knew you had potential.” Veera slapped Tetsuo on the back, nearly knocking him off the carriage. Tetsuo regained his balance and relaxed his grip and began to breathe normally again. He hadn’t realized until now that while he was waiting for the signal he had forgotten to breathe. Tetsuo leaned back, resting his head on the back of the seat. ‘It’s a shame you gotta use Ficium. If you were born here, I get the feeling you woulda been a natural with Ars.” Veera sighed before taking a quick drink from his canteen.

“Is this common? Wolves attacking travelers?” Tetsuo dreaded the thought of having to consistently produce lightning strikes from the lance.

“No thankfully, not too much. We’re hard prey and they know it. You could see their ribs, and the way they’re drooling. They were starving. Means someone’s been taking their food and poor things probably got desperate.” Veera began to smile as he reached for the axe that was saddled to his side. “In other words, it's a good sign that we’re close.”