CHAPTER 4: I'M A DESERTER!!!

In a dimly lit room in the Fort Mildred, two silhouettes converse. "How can an entire unit of fully armored guards lose to a band of filthy villagers?", "Send another unit, and I'll pay you double!!!" says Sir Eron Chirol. "You fool, I just lost a whole unit to a bunch of villagers and you want me to send another one?" asked Commander Volksgold. "I am not responsible for the incompetence of your soldiers, that's your problem " Sir Chirol retorted. "Things didn't go according to planned and mind you, the authorization for that operation was forged," Commander Volksgold said furrowing his brows. "No one must know about it Eron...", Sir Eron Chirol's eyes begin to get redder as his breathing becomes constricted. His pupils dilate as he holds on to his throat and falls to the ground choking, a poisoned dart lodges in his neck.

A figure appears from the shadows of the dimly lit room and Volksgold drops a pouch of gold on the table. "Here's your payment Hela, good job, take the body with you too". The assassin clad in black and hooded had female contours and didn't utter a word as she scooped up the corpse of the now-deceased Sir Chirol and exited through the window. Volksgold then goes to the cells where the soldiers who fled from the Lerdian assault were held and kills all of them, effectively removing all witnesses on the fake rebellion plot in Lerdia and the attack on the village.

By the next morning, the news in the capital was about how Smith Sarsson, the scourge of the Imperium had murdered all his men in cold blood and defected to the dark side and how he attacked and brutally attacked the peaceful village of Lerdia and so he was now an enemy of the realm. The population was taken aback by this sudden revelation. How could such a strong, loyal soldier, a captain, and a nobleman do such a despicable act and then side with criminals and scum? Soon, and for real his time, the Imperium issued a bounty on his head and offered a total of 10,000 pieces of gold to anyone who could capture him dead or alive. It would take a few days and probably even weeks for the news of the bounty on his head to reach all corners of Seppora but not long before bounty hunters, Imperium Guard soldiers, and even tavern owners began fighting to claim his head. And that was how Smith Sarsson, the scourge of the Imperium became the most wanted man in all of Seppora.

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Meanwhile, in the village of Lerdia Smith was recovering from his injuries, and coupled with some magic healing herbs administered to him by the village healer, he was back to 100% in a couple of days. Smith knew that he couldn't and needn't stay there for long. He wanted to go to Tartum as he initially planned and lay low for a time all while plotting his next move. So a couple of days later, he informed Aldo Belfour he would be on his way to Tartum. Aldo wanted him to stay a bit longer and enjoy the hospitality of Lerdia but Sarsson argued that by now he was a wanted criminal and would put the recovering village of Lerdia in danger if he stayed longer. Aldo reasoned with him and soon preparation was made for his departure. Smith was to leave the next day but that night they were going to celebrate their freedom.

It was a beautiful night with a lovely crescent moon. The villagers gathered in Belfour's home. There was enough to eat and drink because even if Lerdia was a small village numbering less than 400 people in total, they were agrarian, and having the River Syti running through it, there was usually a plentiful supply of food. Usually, they still had enough after paying the official tax to the Imperium. Aldo Belfour tapped his cup of mead with his spoon and called the attention of the crowd. "We are alive and well today because of the bravery and hope this man brought us to stand up for injustice!!!", "I had remembered already giving up on the piece of land until that fateful night that this man rode into our village to warn us of the impending chaos", "But his desire to do good and his intelligence and battlefield experience did is good and we repelled the Imperium's war machine".

Aldo continued "We are eternally in your debt Smith Sarsson and feel free to return to the village of Lerdia on your journeys, when the road seems to be impassible, you will always be welcome". "Three hoorahs for a man with indelible honor and grace!!!", shouted someone from the crowd, and everyone screamed at the very top of their voices "Hoorah! Hoorah!! Hoorah!!!". The night wore on and Sarsson ate and drank to his fill having in mind that he would go through the Slarap Woods, an area of dense forest before getting to Tartum. His agenda for going there was already set, he needed to find those like him who shared similar firsthand experiences and were willing to fight against the aristocracy and its wickedness. Holding this in his thoughts, he retired to bed and in his dream saw that mysterious hooded figure whom he had seen and who had warned him about this innocent village's imminent destruction. The figure then told him that he was going to go on to do greater things that would be spoken about for millennia.....

The next morning was sunny, Sarsson washed up at the river because he knew that his journey would take a while and he most likely wouldn't see another water body for days. Sarsson went inside took up his new clothes which had been prepared for him and donned them. His old ones were ragged and battered from the battle and stained with blood and mud. Belfour asked to keep it and display it publicly as a beacon of hope and defiance for his villagers. After saying their goodbyes and loading up with supplies, Sarsson rode off into the distance. In the direction of the town of Tartum.

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Sarsson was going to have to ride for a full two days and then spend another four days going through the Slarap woods to get to the town of Tartum. Sarsson had ridden for two days and finally got to the edge of the Slarap woods. He then decided to set up camp for the night. About an hour later amid his affectionate conversation with his horse due to boredom, he heard a twig snap. He held on to his blade, his hair standing on end and his muscles tensed and ready to move. "Could it be a wild beast or could the Imperium already be requesting for my head...?", he thought to himself. And out of nowhere, a blast of fire came at him and he managed to evade. "Well, wild boars and bears couldn't do magic, dragons are extinct so it had to be a mage....".

"I never knew mages had the balls to venture out in the dark alone talk more of being a bounty hunter...." Sarsson taunted, and suddenly a teenage girl emerged from the surrounding area with her eyes glowing bright red. "Aren't you a bit too young to be doing a job this dangerous?", "Couldn't you get one in a tavern?" Sarsson asked sarcastically. Kyra the mage whom he was meeting for the first time didn't seem to care and seemed quite intent on hurting him. She pointed her index finger at him and blasted a burst of flame so hard it sent Smith flying and his horse took off, never to be seen again.

In the Warriors' hall, they were taught that shields were your true weapon against mages because if they couldn't get your body in their line of attack they were practically useless. Well, he did not have a shield to block and get within striking range so he was tactically cornered. BOOM!!! another fireball exploded beside him and he took cover immediately. He couldn't hide for long cuz the fires around the area lit up his location and in seconds Kyra was on him. She flung him away with blast after blast of magic fire. Sarsson was desperate at this point and he'd lost his blade so that he unsheathed his dagger, and while he was not the most accurate knife hand he could hit any target from a close enough distance.

He was on the floor, with a broken rib and a bleeding gash over his eye due to several impactful crashes into the trees and the ground. He waits for her to come close enough and throws his dagger at her. It misses barely her and slashes her face injuring her as she somehow sidestepped it. "You filthy Imperium Guard dogs harrass and kill innocents for your satisfaction and I Kyra Ludvig will make sure every single one of you pays..." Kyra said as she held Sarsson's neck and was about to finish him off.

"I'm a deserter!!!", "I'm not in the Imperium Guard anymore, I deserted!!!" Sarsson explained between labored breaths. "You must think I'm some foolish girl, but I'm not, I'll kill you", Kyra replied. "Hear me out, will you?!" Sarrson replied. And so Kyra let go of his neck. "I'm Smith Sarsson, the Scourge of the Imperium. I am a deserter and I left the army for the same reason you're trying to kill me..."

"What is a girl like you doing in these dangerous parts?", "Where are you heading to?" asks Sarsson as he tried to get up, "None of your damn business!!!" replied a skeptical Kyra. "I'm sure you want me to prove that I'm no more an Imperium guard but if I was, this audience you gave will spell your demise", Sarrson said. "I don't care if you're a deserter or not, you watched them slaughter innocents and partook in their debauchery, you don't deserve to live...", Kyra said, eyes glowing as the temperature around her dropped, she was conjuring ice magic forming a spike to impale Sarsson with, but BAM!!!, she was out cold, Sarsson had been concealing a rock behind his back which he used to hit her across the head knocking her out. He proceeded to grab some rope from his bag to bind her and after binding her he proceeded to prop her up to a tree and tie her to it. Then he sat down under an adjacent tree and dozed off due to exhaustion...