The Incoming Storm

Prologue

"It is by the decree of the Emperor, His Royal Majesty Valor VI of the Great Empire of Rhaer and in the name of his Royal House; that any child who is orphaned, homeless, and not belonging to any sort of guardianship, be taken into military service to be trained as soldiers and to partake in the Empire's wars against the invading demon army. May this draw us closer to humanity's imminent victory against the dark forces clawing our lands."

- The Emperor's Decree in the Year 401 A.E. The taking of orphans into the military in hopes to increase the dwindling number of soldiers in the Imperial Army.

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Sierra: Town of the Lost Edge, Briggs Region, Far in the North.

Year 402 A.E.

The cold was what bothered Captain Thomlan West the most during the whole journey.

The man came from the South where the weather was mostly humid and warm all year long. Fields growing with crops and grazing cattle stretch as far as the eye could lay on. But here in the North, his surroundings were nothing but a thick-pile of snow that covered the land like a thick, white sheet. The place was a wasteland. Sometimes he wondered how the Northerners could even survive this kind of weather.

Thomlan had been tasked to retrieve a girl in a small town called Sierra, located exactly at the bottom of the Krogor Mountains. The Krogor Mountains were the Empire's farthest reach, running along as its northern borders. Nobody knew what was on the other side of the steep mountain pass and no had ever dared to climb past it due to dangerous terrain.

If anyone did dare the odds they never returned, that's what Thomlan had gotten from the stories that the locals had told him. Some whispered that the demon realm might be on the other side of that pass. Most disregard it as mere stories.

The Captain wrapped his cloak tighter around him as he turned to look at the men behind him. Six soldiers had accompanied him from the capital- Mheris - as the Emperor set out teams to enforce his decree. Building his child army, that's what the Captain called it.

Two were left behind in the last town they had visited, far below in the valley. That town was supposed to be their last visit before they received a hawk claiming of a girl that could be taken up in Sierra. He had left those two soldiers to stand watch over the children as the four of them climb higher, facing the howling winds and frost bites.

"How long is it until Sierra, Captain?" one of his men bellowed. He had to yell so his voice could be heard through the wind.

"Visibility's the worst I've seen it to be," replied the Captain. The road had gotten steeper, and the snow hid the rocks below making it dangerous to ride on a horse. They had to walk, towing their stallions alongside them. The snow had also decreased the visibility to only twelve feet, transforming the journey into somewhat an impossibility. That didn't mean the Captain was going to give up. "The mayor said that it'll take us three days to reach Sierra, my guess with our current pace we'll reach Sierra by nightfall."

"Sir, the weather is the worst I've seen it up here in the North," another called out. "I think we should go back."

"Has the weather finally frozen your balls, soldier," retorted the Captain as his horse thrashed next to him from a sharp rock underneath the snow.

"No, Captain! With all due respect Sir, I just don't see the point of all this effort for just one girl," the soldier replied.

"One child means one more soldier for the Imperial Army," said Thomlan. "And you know how tough these Northerners are, that girl might end up being a great soldier, gods only know, and I'm not going to pass that up. I swear, I don't even think these bastards could die if they hadn't all frozen to death living in this hellhole."