Non Player Character

Chapter 1 - Stargazing

The sound of the battle horn echoed throughout the valley. My opponents threw their cards down on the table and jumped from their seats. Not wanting to look as reluctant as I felt about my first battle, I followed suit and tossed my winning hand on the table. Just my luck.

I pulled my sword from the ground nearby and picked up my shield. New recruits didn't get the luxury of a sheath.

My eyes darted around the area, frantically searching for my helmet. Like my sword, it was made of metal and would offer some protection, unlike the ragged, used leather vest the benevolent Kurskin had given me.

My helmet was nowhere to be seen, most likely adorning someone else's head. It was foolish of me to let it out of my sight. I rolled my eyes, more mad at myself than the thief, and looked around for my fellow new recruits. Ellis and William were already a hundred paces away, sprinting toward the battlefield, the game of cards long forgotten.

I sighed and turned to run, helmetless. I'd just have to keep my head down, I guessed.

If I failed to reach my spot in the formation in time, I'd be whipped or worse. During my short time in training, I saw a Kurskin kill a man because he couldn't march in step. If I missed this charge, Commander Kreech was going to gut me in front of the rest of the men. I'd rather not be made an example of today. Or any day, for that matter.

I charged after the only two men whose names I knew, pitching myself forward and down the hill as fast as my muddy boots would allow.

I was one of the last to arrive, but thankfully not the last. Commander Kreech eyed me as I approached, a snarl forming on his ugly green face.

"Fall in line, you useless welp," he hissed at me. "To the front."

Kreech was a Kurskin, a race more reptilian than human. They stood upright like humans but tended to be shorter. Their height meant little, as the average Kurskin was both stronger and faster than most humans. Not to mention, each and every one was capable of extraordinary feats.

Growing up, I'd heard tales of magic and wondrous abilities. Witches who could call forth storms. Shamans who could heal the sick. I've even heard tales of necromancers who could raise the dead. But I'd never seen any magic myself. Not until I met a Kurskin.

Some claimed the Kurskins were angels, sent to protect us from the Dalari, and that was why they had these powers. That's what my uncle believed. He told me that the lizards came from the sky, which I guessed was where one would assume an angel would come from.

I believed him until I met one. They bled, just like me, and angels didn't bleed. Also, they were assholes.

I didn't say anything to Kreech and fell in line as quickly as possible. Kreech had more important things to worry about than one stupid human. Many of his own kind were joining us for this battle. Just like us, they followed Kreech because he was the strongest, and why shouldn't the strongest be in charge?

Two days ago, after I arrived at the camp with a handful of my fellow new recruits, I overheard Kreech speaking with some of his scaly underlings. He was boasting about achieving level fifteen. I didn't know anything about the Kurskin's military structure or what the rankings meant, but his own kind seemed impressed.

Not understanding their ranks was one of the many things I didn't know about my Kurskin leaders, but still, what little I knew of them paled in comparison to my ignorance of our true enemy.

The Dalari were taller than most humans, and unlike the scaly Kurskins, their skin was more human-like, smooth with a blue tinge. I'd never seen one up close (I was about to), but I'd been told they moved like dancers, lithe and graceful. People said the Dalari were beautiful. They were also deadly.