Chapter 41: Only One Week…

Chapter 41: Only One Week…

Zeth sits on the street, staring down in defeat. Sasha walks over to him. A few scrapes cover her arms from the shattered glass she was knocked into.

“Zeth…” she says calmly, trying to think of what to say to him. “I’m sorry we couldn’t stop them from capturing people. But if there is a glass half-full look to this, it’s that we stopped them from taking even more people.”

Zeth finally looks up, straight into Sasha’s eyes, though still frowning. “You’re right… but still…” he says, trailing off and struggling to find his words.

“What is it?” Sasha asks, wanting to understand how he is feeling.

“I know what it’s like to be in their position. My school class was on a field trip. The Hawk Clan showed up and captured us all. That’s when we were sent to their prison camps to work as their slaves.”

Sasha’s eyes droop. “I’m sorry…”

“You’re alright. I’m not upset with you. I’m just grieving.”

Emily and Joe make their way over to Zeth and Sasha.

“I don’t think it’s over,” Emily says. “We could hunt them down.”

“Yeah,” Joe adds. “I didn’t even get a shot at that armored bastard who hit me with a surprise attack.”

Still sulking, Zeth replies, “We don’t even know where they went.”

“Not necessarily.” They turn their heads to see Kurt walking toward them. He continues, “We captured two of the poachers. We can interrogate them. In fact, I was talking with the guardsmen and they were impressed by your work. They told me the chief wants to talk to you.”

“The chief wants to talk to me?” Zeth asks, seeking confirmation.

Kurt nods. “Come on, I’ll take you to him.”

***

Five minutes later.

The heroes walk into a ruined building. Weapons, glass, and other debris line the floor, a clear sign of conflict. Yet, someone sits at a desk at the other end of the room. The middle-aged man’s hair is mostly black with some gray hairs and the same applies to his goatee. He wears a formal black uniform decorated with various badges of honor. Clamped between his teeth is a green stick of some kind, seemingly from a plant.

Eagle Clan Magic Guard Chief – Yurk Egli

Yurk leans forward with a strangely amused smile. “Welcome to my unfortunate hellhole, my friends.”

Emily glances around the room as she responds. “You seem weirdly cheery despite this place being a wreck.”

“And your personal desk is just past the building’s entrance, Chief?” Joe asks.

“You can call me Yurk, friends.” He says, laughing before continuing. “This is the secretary desk but it’s more convenient to meet here. Come. Have a seat.”

“Shouldn’t you be much more concerned about what has just transpired?” Zeth asks, still feeling down.

“Of course, Zeth,” Yurk says with a chuckle. “Laughter is a good way to fight through emotional pain.”

He bites down on the green as Zeth asks, “Wait, you know me by name?”

Yurk chuckles again. “Of course! You’re a citizen of this city after all, even if you’re not part of the Eagle Clan.”

“And to think I just learned that last part earlier today…” Zeth mumbles to himself.

“Do you know how many people were taken?” Sasha asks.

“We’ve been looking at security footage. It was so chaotic that it’s hard to say an exact number but it was over 200 people,” Yurk replies, chewing on his stick.

Zeth clenches his fists tightly. “Those people…”

“And Zeth,” Yurk starts, grabbing Zeth’s attention. “We saw what you did on the security cameras. That was quite the impressive show. I think you have what it takes to launch a rescue mission.”

“I appreciate your confidence in me, but why is the clan going to rely on young people to get its people back?” Zeth’s anger rises and he stands up to start shouting. “What about the country’s government?! Why do they allow these abductions to happen?! Why do they let the Hawk Clan do whatever they want?!!”

Yurk stops smiling, staring Zeth in the eyes. “The sad truth is that the country’s government is powerless to stop the Hawk Clan. You see, when the Hawk Clan migrated to Harmone from the country known as Hawkon of the Northern Continent, they continued to find themselves in trouble with the government. Tensions escalated until the two sides came to an agreement that the Hawk Clan would limit themselves to only being in conflict with the Eagle Clan. All-out war was avoided, but it became a major issue for our clan.”

“Man, that’s so stupid!” Zeth shouts before he sits back down.

“As much as you don’t like it. We’re on our own and we need our forces to stay on guard in the city. That’s where you and your friends come into play. We will interrogate the two poachers we have captured and then you five will launch a counterattack against the poachers.”

“What about that strong armored guy?” Emily asks.

“With any luck, he won’t be there,” Yurk replies. “It’s clear the poachers were hired by the Hawk Clan but their own soldiers should not be hanging out at their base. They’re in the hospital being treated. Let’s go have a talk with them.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask this…” Kurt starts. “But what happened in here?”

Yurk laughs, almost dropping the stick from his mouth. “Some Hawk Clan soldiers and a poacher smoking a cigar came in here to pick a fight. But they were no match for me. They had to retreat! Now, unless there are more questions, let’s get going.”

***

In Eagle Hope Hospital.

Zeth, Sasha, Yurk, and a few magic guardsmen walk into the room where Easia is being treated. She lies on a bed and her left shoulder fully wrapped in bandages after the amputation.

“You’re missing an arm but I bet you can still talk,” Yurk says, the green stick still sticking out from his mouth.

“I’m extremely grateful for Kurt saving me,” Easia replies softly. “I have nothing to hide.”

Zeth steps forward. “Good, because we need you to answer questions about your group.”

“What do you want to know.”

“Where is your base? Where did your group take all of those captured people that you plan to send to the Hawk Clan?”

“Do you know where that forest with the giant trees is? It’s just northwest of this city, in fact. That’s where our base is, built high up in one of the giant trees, and it’s where the captured people will be kept until sent to the Hawk Clan.”

“And when will that be? How many people did the Hawk Clan even want you to take?”

“They wanted 500 people. They will be sent to the Hawk Clan in one week.”

Zeth and Sasha gasp while Yurk chews on his stick harder before laughing. “Ha! So they wanted 500 people but they had to retreat with just over 200.”

“Only one week…” Zeth mumbles.

“That should be enough time to rescue them,” Sasha says.

Zeth opens his eyes wider. “Wait. Raider mentioned a password that accesses the vehicle using the first letter of each poacher’s name. He told me to figure it out myself but if you’re truly willing to help us out, then you should tell us.”

“Our names in order of the password are Grode, Raider, Easia, Alga, Tazer, Naysha, Edgar, Sen, and Shotsteed.”

Zeth and Sasha stare at their fingers as they recite the first letters. “G, R, E, A, T, N, E, S, S…”

“So, it’s the word ‘greatness’?” Zeth asks.

“Yes,” Easia confirms.

Yurk grins. “Looks like we have all the information we need for this rescue mission. We didn’t even need to talk to Raider.”

“Let’s go meet up with the others and discuss our plans,” Zeth states.

The heroes have one week to rescue the captured civilians! What will be their plan to march into enemy territory? No more home field advantage.

Chapter 41 END

To be Continued in Chapter 42: Training and Preparation