The Familiar

Part 8: The Enemy

"Why now?" Edward Hale pondered as he sharpened his sword. He stared at the massive forest that expanded far beyond his gaze on either side. It loomed over the Emperor's army like a shadow, threatening to swallow them if they dare to enter its maw.

Of course, Edward was not scared of the Wildlands. Most of his friends were worried they were going to get possessed or some nonsense once they were in the forest. Others were afraid of giant snakes and spiders and great monsters of legend eating them. Well, they already survived being attacked by one monster of legend. All thanks to those abominations the Grand Engineer created.

Edward still didn't know how the Grand Engineer figured out how to create an artificial Witch. And quite frankly, he thought they shouldn't exist. He viewed them in a similar manner as the Undead. And yet, the Emperor and the High Priest himself had said they were allies. That Edward and his comraded mustn't strike them down.

The world has gone mad. Which brought him back to his original question. What was so special about this particular time, that all these events were happening? Why not a hundred years ago? Or a hundred years from now?

Light footsteps approached and stopped next to him. "You're thinking again, aren't you?" A familiar feminine voice spoke. He glanced away from the wall of flora and stopped running the whetstone over the edge of his blade to acknowledge Rayna, his squire. Immediately, she took his sword and the whetstone from him, and began to finish what he'd been doing this whole time as a whirlwind of pondering swept through his head.

"Yes, I was," he responded simply.

"About what?" She blew a strand of dark hair out of her face as she worked.

"About this whole conflict. I feel as though the world is suddenly turned upside down and I don't know what it is anymore." That was the best way he could explain it, but he was sure Rayna would understand. She was his squire, and perhaps his closest friend.

"I get the feeling. Artificial witches, hand cannons becoming more easy to acquire." She sat the whetstone down only long enough to make a wild hand gesture at the Wildlands. "Now extinct creatures that can wake forests are coming back and the witches are gathering. Again." She resumed her sharpening. "And now an army is going where no man has ever returned from." She shook her head. "Now they're making flying ships. Did you hear about that one?"

"I did," Edward replied. "As crazy as that sounds, I actually look forward to when the Emperor's engineers release it to the public. I imagine it'll be much more epic than riding a gryphon," he told her with a chuckle.

A smirk pulled at Rayna's lips. "Even more epic than slaying a dragon?"

Edward shrugged. "I personally don't find slaying a dragon very epic." He caught glance of a little white blur that scurried over and disappeared behind his tent.

"Why not?" Rayna asked, raising an eyebrow. The little white creature poked its head out. Edward realized it was a mouse. "Just imagine, you're sitting upon Celeste's back, your lance in hand, and shield in the other. Your racing across the field towards the silver dragon, and with the arrogance of a thousand kings, the dragon gives you the most sinister smile as it waits for you,-" the mouse crept out, and was slowly approaching Edward. While he was listening, he was also watching the mouse come closer. "-You get close enough, and he takes a swipe at you. You let his great talons come right for you as you lift the lance and pierce the palm of the beast. It roars, knocking you from Celeste's back." Rayna paused in her storytelling, probably to think of what would happen next.

While he waited, he reached into the satchel next to him, pulling out a chunk of cheese. He lowered it to the ground, waving it for the little mouse to come get. The little creature darted forward fast as a striking snake. Edward released the cheese for the little fellow to munch on, before turning his full attention back to Rayna just as she continued her crazy story about him.