The outer triangle,
Central Province.
-
Arthur’s men were done sweeping the entire outer triangle in one day and two nights.
Tenha pulled his spear from the last crawler’s corpse. The thing twitched with the last nerves still firing despite half of its skull being crushed.
Muck clung to the blade. He wiped it with his boots and pushed the handle in to shorten the spear's body.
Arthur stood nearby and held his greatsword on his shoulder. Lightning residue danced along the body of the blade.
His stare was locked past the bushes, scanning for any more threats.
"You good?" Tenha asked, putting his short spear back to his horse.
"I think that's all of them. Damn, we really swept the place clean these past two nights." Arthur summoned his drake steed, slung his greatsword onto its back, and the creature vanished.
They sauntered together towards a dead log. Tenha sat down while Arthur kept standing.
"I pitied them," Tenha said, chewing on dried fruit. He held the pouch out. "Want some?"
Arthur shook his head. Maybe it was the lack of real sleep. Perhaps it was the stench of bug guts still clinging to his nostrils. Either way, the food didn’t sound right.
"Pity?" he muttered. "Why? We’re here to help. They should be grateful."
“No, I mean that’s why I had our troops comb through every crack and crevice along the last trail,” Tenha clarified. He spat out a Sanberry seed he’d accidentally chewed.
Then he pulled out a notebook and a pencil. “Those were some strange mutations. So we’ve got bulked-up crawlers. What else…” He tapped the pencil against his temple, thinking.
“They’re working with Argols now. And now they have eight legs instead of six. Heads stay the same, though,” Arthur added, still watching the treeline.
Tenha scribbled it down. “Huh. Thanks. That’s odd, though. Beasts domesticating lesser beasts? Maybe they’re not as brain-dead as we thought.”
“Sure. The day they stop trying to bite our heads off every time we get close, we’ll start peace talks,” Arthur muttered, and Tenha laughed in response.
“Oh, right—I almost forgot.”
Tenha whistled, and his horse trotted over. He reached into its saddlebag and pulled out two dark violets glassy orbs pulsing faintly with aura. Yep, Couldn’t be more obvious than this.
"Do we have any record of these evil-looking orbs?" Tenha asked, holding them up.
"None that I can remember," Arthur said, narrowing his eyes. "Even our detection rune shorted out just being near one."
Tenha gave a low chuckle. "Call me crazy, but this might be what's causing the mutations." He started jotting that down.
Arthur scoffed. "Damn. What an impressive theory, Professor." He turned away. "Just haul it back to the capital. Let the court mages poke at it. We’re done here—the next village should be close."
"Yeah. A hot bath sounds like heaven right about now." Tenha closed his notebook and fell in step beside him.
The last village,
The outer triangle,
Central Province.
-
Inside the village hall, the feast was in full swing. Soldiers dug into their meals and laughter echoed off the wooden beams.
The bigger Lupins and Ursaborns had to stay outside. The hall wasn’t built for beasts that needed a barn-sized doorway.
“You sure you don’t wanna go make another lifelong friend out of some local kid again?” Arthur smirked and knocked back a mouthful of mead.
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“Fuck you. I was scouting in that village,” Tenha muttered, eyeing his drink. “Is this really the only thing they’ve got? Damn, I want coffee, not this gut-burning swamp fire.”
“What’d you expect, genius?” Arthur bit into a lamb chop, “How about this? As soon as we get home, we’ll scour the market for coffee—by order of the Emperor, naturally.”
They both laughed, the mead dulling the edge of exhaustion.
The village chief entered. She wore a flowing ceremonial robe, eagle feathers fanning from her headdress like a crown of wings.
Wait, that’s a woman? She’s the chief?
She stepped forward and began her speech. Her voice was calm and formal, filled with words of welcome and gratitude to the imperial troops that had assisted them when no one else wouldn't.
Arthur rose from his seat. “It’s been an honor, Chief. Serving the Emperor and his people is our duty. We’ll make sure your gratitude reaches His Majesty, Magnus Vortigern.”
Tenha held his laugh. Arthur, you two-faced bastard.
The chief went over to Arthur and Tenha’s table. Tenha stood up and pulled a chair for the chief. She nodded in thanks and smiled at Tenha.
Dang, she’s pretty. I’d expected more wrinkles on her face as a Chief.
They continued the chatter when a commotion and loud screams came from the outside. The chief was ready to stand and she looked worried.
“Tenha, why don’t you check.” Arthur ordered him while stopping the Chief, “Don’t worry chief, let my men handle this.”
Tenha simply nodded. He spotted Vorkin sitting at the other table and motioned him to follow outside.
Tenha rushed outside, followed by Vorkin. A crowd had gathered along the main road. Villagers were tense. He picked up speed.
Down the street, a group of soldiers had cornered some women. Their armor clanked with every drunken movement.
Maybe it was the weeks out in the field. Perhaps it was worse than that.
One Felian girl stood frozen. Her ears were flat and shaking as a soldier tugged at her arm.
“What exactly are we doing here, soldier?” Tenha’s voice was calm. A smile was on his face despite the tense situation.
Vorkin, posted behind him, didn’t say a word.
One of the soldiers glanced over, pausing mid-grab. “Sorry, Lieutenant. We’re just playing.”
but he didn’t let go.
“C’mon, girl,” he added, grinning wide. “Tell Lieutenant Tenha everything’s fine.”
“You are the Imperial soldiers. Don’t sully the name of the Emperor.” Tenha moved closer, “Or this will go to your record.”
The man smiled, smug and unbothered. “No, Lieutenant. This is our right—as imperial officers. Live a little.”
Tenha didn’t answer. He just stepped closer slowly and controlled. Then he grabbed the man’s wrist. “Release her, at once.”
The soldier’s grin faltered. He didn’t let go.
Tenha’s smile also faded, “Is that hesitation, soldier? Or are you planning to test me for insubordination?”
Behind Tenha, Vorkin moved. Several Ursaborns followed his cue. Their massive hands rested on the hilts of their weapons.
Whispers passed among the soldiers. Some shared nervous glances.
One by one, the others pulled back, letting go of the women they’d been crowding.
Still, Tenha held the man’s wrist. Waiting.
“You sure talk big for a stray dog,” the man muttered, just loud enough for Tenha to hear. He yanked his hand free and finally let go of the girl. “You… if it weren’t for Rein—”
“What did you just say to my lieutenant, soldier?” Arthur’s voice cut through the crowd like a blade.
He stepped forward, eyes locked on the man. The village chief followed closely behind him.
Arthur didn’t wait for an answer. He turned to his men. “Secure everyone involved. Now.”
The soldiers around the scene moved fast. They apprehended the guilty officers without resistance. Some were filled with shame in their eyes, others with fear.
“Captain, I—uhm—” The man stammered, stepping back from Tenha.
Arthur didn’t flinch. “What exactly did you insinuate about my second-in-command?”
He placed a firm hand on the soldier’s shoulder. “You get caught harassing civilians, and instead of owning it, you mock your lieutenant?”
The soldier winced. “It hurts, Captain. My shoulder—”
“Oh, really? How about this?” Arthur’s grip tightened.
The man let out a sharp cry, then lashed out, swinging a desperate punch.
Arthur ducked with ease, caught him by the throat, and lifted him off the ground with one arm.
Gasps echoed in the crowd, but ultimately, no one dared to say anything.
One Ursaborn moved, half a step forward, then thought better of it as Arthur’s eyes snapped to him.
He stopped in an instant.
“That’s enough,” Tenha said quietly, placing a hand on Arthur’s back. “Let’s not turn this into a spectacle.”
Impatient, Tenha reached up and yanked Arthur’s blond hair from behind.
Arthur let out a laugh and dropped the man. He hit the ground hard, choking for air.
He crouched beside the man. “Now—what do you say to your lieutenant?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Lieutenant,” the man gasped, scrambling to bow his head.
Arthur stood, voice firm but measured. “I know you’re tired. I thank all of you for your dedication. Seeing those mutated creatures isn't fun. I get it. I’ll make sure everyone gets properly compensated when we’re back.”
He turned to the civilian onlookers. “Please pardon my soldiers for this. They’re just exhausted.”
He then locked eyes with the chief, smiling, “If you’d be so kind, Chief. Please provide proper treatment and entertainment for my men, to prevent such problems from ever happening again.”
It was clear that the people were not happy with how things turned out. But none offered more than glances and unhappy sighs.
How did Arthur handle the situation?
