The Franco-British Union: The Trials of Time

Chapter 13: The Curtain Falls

A few minutes later...

5th of May, 12:25

Maycast, Ellesmere, Quistadoria Empire

Rholius: [C] "Boring... Like always."

     Letting out a long sigh, Rholius, a militiaman and a peasant of the town of Maycast, leaned his back against the walls of the entrance of the town, guarded by normally no one but a few volunteers who make up the bulk of the town's militia. Beside him was his long-time friend and colleague, Akius, also a militiaman as the two of them took a moment to share their regret of not being able to sign up for the Imperial Army and participate in the war against the Paisians and the demi-humans left on the peninsula.

Akius: [C] "Of course... We couldn't even fight against those Paisians because we're mere peasants. And here we are, stuck in our little town with almost nothing to do except having to watch the Baron's regiment appearing out of nowhere."

     Rholius slowly and reluctantly nodded his head partly in agreement with Akius's statement. Their town, Maycast, was of little significance, other than the fact that the provincial town was only 10 miles away from Ellesmere, the largest city and the capital of the Empire, making it a popular stop by for both travellers and merchants alike.

     However, Rholius's eyes darted towards a scene that appeared before the two as a scream rose from a demi-human slave being beaten up by Baron Ozahl, a knight and the Emperor's personal representative, clad in shiny and distinctive armour, in contrast with the state of the town and the girl's dirty clothing. He is the leader of a portion of his own regiment sent here to secretly reinforce Maycast after the Emperor was alerted of the Franco-British offensive from the north, instead of accompanying the hero, Kimoto, on his journey which was now delayed.

???: [C] "Please... Have pity on m-"

Ozahl: [C] "Pity? Oh, such romantic words for a filthy demi-human. Consider yourself lucky you're still alive bitch."

     The poor girl, barely even a teen, cried out for mercy, her please falling on deaf years. She had been dragged out of the tavern where she was working, and here she was, being harassed and beaten by a person who calls himself an honourable "knight" while a large crowd of unfamiliar faces looked on, just like everywhere else in the Empire. Rholius tried his best to make it look as if he was comfortable around such a scene, in reality, however, he couldn't help but feel disgusted and annoyed, so much so that it was enough for his stomach to turn, yet, he couldn't bring himself to intervene at the cost of his own life.

Akius: [C] "Those demi-humans... Aren't they despicable?"

     As Rholius turned towards his friend, Akius, it became even clearer that his friend doesn't seem to share the same thoughts. However, his thoughts were soon interrupted by a voice that echoed in his thoughts, "Hit the dirt", it said. Rholius couldn't understand what it meant or how the words came to be inside his head, but he had already fallen to the ground before he knew it.

Akius: [C] "Hey-"

     Akius didn't even have the time to call out to Rholius before something tore right through his head, and he fell to the ground, his face landing next to that of the knight that had been harassing the girl earlier, dead, terrorizing everyone. Rholius's voice, usually calm and confident, now bore a rarely-seen panic and fear as he could feel his heart skip a beat at the sight of his friend's dead body.