my pack, grabbed a handful of jerked beef, and slowly chewed on it. The tough, sinewy meat helped wake up my mouth so I could focus on my task. I had traveled at an easy-paced jog for the last two weeks, sleeping for six hours every night before journeying onward toward Nia. I caught a rabbit or two almost every day, so my travel rations hadn't suffered. Even as I ate in silence, I heard several rodents scurry about the forest floor. I was the perfect hunter, and it would be almost trivial to catch and cook any of the game that roamed these forests.
But I did have somewhere to be, and the smoked breakfast helped remind me of the beautiful girl I had left back in the small village. She prepared these rations before I departed and had insisted that I use them. Thoughts of Jessmei made me smile and I almost regretted taking this journey. I could have been waking up in her soft, comforting arms instead of the cold tree branch.
After I finished the jerky, I climbed down the fifty feet to the needle-covered ground and took a deep breath of the brisk morning air. I did a quick stretch to work the kinks out of my muscles and get my joints lubricated. I didn't do my usual warm-up routine since the sun would be up in half an hour and I wanted to be in the city before it hung too high.
Despite advice from Rayat, I had traveled west through the forest and hit the main road leading south into Nia. For a week of travel, I saw no one, and then I came upon refugees and the sorts who become parasites off of people in need. The latter were easy enough for me to deal with; common brigands and robbers I exterminated when they tried to harm me or when I witnessed them attempting to exploit or rape refugees.
Lost souls without prospects, the refugees had little information, save what I already knew: Nia had fallen, the royal family was dead, and there was no hope. Most of the refugees fled as the Losher army was arriving. So they hadn't witnessed the outcome of the siege.
There was nothing I could do for these hungry people, as much as I wanted to. I saw in them the same desperate, wretched faces of the enslaved humans from my time. They were hollow with grief. They had seen great horror and loss. I shared rations and information when I could, but I did not allow them to slow me down. The success of my mission took precedence and would help all of us. I contemplated telling them about the small village in which Jessmei hid, but then decided against it. An influx of refugees would stretch the resources of the village and possibly put the princess in danger. As I traveled closer to the city, the groups of refugees became larger, more frequent, and told conflicting stories about what had happened at the capital of Nia. After my fourth attempt to figure out what actually transpired, I decided to avoid the refugees. I would find my answers when I was there myself.
Nia's capital squatted on a grassy hill surrounded by about four square miles of shallow dales dotted with sporadic oak and juniper trees. The city and the spider-like castle that perched over it were so massive that the metropolis could be seen from even ten miles away. My eyes were as powerful as an eagle's, so as soon as I left the forest of oaks and pines I easily identified the damage to the walls, and the different uniformed soldiers that stood atop the beaten battlements.
On the south side of the castle spider and her web city, the wide Stone River provided easy transportation for goods inland or to the ocean. I didn't see boats moving on the water, but there was a massive array of tents, stables, and wooden supply structures which sustained the army of twenty thousand troops. They flew burgundy flags with various icons of horses and stars on the banners. I guessed they were the emblems of Losher's forces.
I continued on the road south, past more refugees who eyed me and my swords suspiciously. Greta gifted me with a long, thick, hooded cloak before I left, and I took it out of
But I did have somewhere to be, and the smoked breakfast helped remind me of the beautiful girl I had left back in the small village. She prepared these rations before I departed and had insisted that I use them. Thoughts of Jessmei made me smile and I almost regretted taking this journey. I could have been waking up in her soft, comforting arms instead of the cold tree branch.
After I finished the jerky, I climbed down the fifty feet to the needle-covered ground and took a deep breath of the brisk morning air. I did a quick stretch to work the kinks out of my muscles and get my joints lubricated. I didn't do my usual warm-up routine since the sun would be up in half an hour and I wanted to be in the city before it hung too high.
Despite advice from Rayat, I had traveled west through the forest and hit the main road leading south into Nia. For a week of travel, I saw no one, and then I came upon refugees and the sorts who become parasites off of people in need. The latter were easy enough for me to deal with; common brigands and robbers I exterminated when they tried to harm me or when I witnessed them attempting to exploit or rape refugees.
Lost souls without prospects, the refugees had little information, save what I already knew: Nia had fallen, the royal family was dead, and there was no hope. Most of the refugees fled as the Losher army was arriving. So they hadn't witnessed the outcome of the siege.
There was nothing I could do for these hungry people, as much as I wanted to. I saw in them the same desperate, wretched faces of the enslaved humans from my time. They were hollow with grief. They had seen great horror and loss. I shared rations and information when I could, but I did not allow them to slow me down. The success of my mission took precedence and would help all of us. I contemplated telling them about the small village in which Jessmei hid, but then decided against it. An influx of refugees would stretch the resources of the village and possibly put the princess in danger. As I traveled closer to the city, the groups of refugees became larger, more frequent, and told conflicting stories about what had happened at the capital of Nia. After my fourth attempt to figure out what actually transpired, I decided to avoid the refugees. I would find my answers when I was there myself.
Nia's capital squatted on a grassy hill surrounded by about four square miles of shallow dales dotted with sporadic oak and juniper trees. The city and the spider-like castle that perched over it were so massive that the metropolis could be seen from even ten miles away. My eyes were as powerful as an eagle's, so as soon as I left the forest of oaks and pines I easily identified the damage to the walls, and the different uniformed soldiers that stood atop the beaten battlements.
On the south side of the castle spider and her web city, the wide Stone River provided easy transportation for goods inland or to the ocean. I didn't see boats moving on the water, but there was a massive array of tents, stables, and wooden supply structures which sustained the army of twenty thousand troops. They flew burgundy flags with various icons of horses and stars on the banners. I guessed they were the emblems of Losher's forces.
I continued on the road south, past more refugees who eyed me and my swords suspiciously. Greta gifted me with a long, thick, hooded cloak before I left, and I took it out of
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