Faith and Sword

A Meeting Bound By Fate

Far to the West of the Empire's capital city Tana, marched a company of Castian soldiers in the Graymist Woods, armed with their tower shields, engraved with the Empire's insignia of a purple phoenix, and their long leaf-shaped spears.  Many of them were out for their first mission, fresh out of their training, and were extra careful to listen to Captain Vane's strict instructions; do not break formation. The others, known as the M.V. for Mechanized Veterans, followed routine as usual. While the sound of an unjust punishment wasn't the most pleasant thought, the newer recruits marched cautiously, for they were unfamiliar with the paths in these woods, and a thick fog laid over the darkened vegetation, reducing their vision to a mere 30 paces in any direction. The branches swayed like arms reaching out towards them, the leaves danced at the command of the breeze, the grasses and plants crunched loudly under the soldiers' boots, and the men felt as if an uneasy eye watched over them through the fog. The trees were tall and thick, and were covered in a black bark, many of them twisting and winding into one another to look like shadows, but the company was still able to squeeze through the beaten path.

The Castians were in charge of escorting a sealed carriage, which swayed and creaked every now and then, and was pulled by a wagoner. Surrounding it was a vanguard of 20 men, 5 on each side, and in the front and back of the escort lay another 10 men each. What was in the carriage was unknown, for this was a dire mission ordered from Captain Vane's hire-ups themselves, and he did not wish to disappoint them, as he did with his last mission. They continued on, and the wind shifted it's course towards South, bringing a chill among the company. The trees followed suit, moaning and creaking as their branches grasped in the other direction now.

"Captain," one of the M.V.s asks, "do you feel an odd presence here, too?"

"It's just the sound of these woods." Captain Vane was stern in his response, for he did not wish to let his anxiety and unease get the better of him. "There's always been something creepy about them. Probably just the shape of the trees, and the damned fog."

The Castian company continued to march on, as the wind continued to change course rapidly. The leaves began to tremble more, and the anxiety of the soldiers was becoming prominent. There was no doubt about it; they were being watched, like prey about to be snatched by the most wild of predators. The company came to a halt, resting for a few minutes, as they had been traveling for many hours. But many of the company were not able to rest well, for they continued to peer over their shoulders and behind their backs, hoping to find an answer to their instinctual calls; There was something there. Following us. Maybe there were others. Others, waiting to kill us. Some of the soldiers began huddling together, clenching their spears and shields as their knuckles began to whiten. The wind changed course, bringing another cold, North wind, and shivers and chills ran through their spines, and the shadowy branches began to reach out again. The M.V.s awareness was raised, and they ventured out to scan the area, hoping to find an answer to their suspicions, for even the ones who had been through battle were now uneasy. But after what seemed like hours, the M.V.s failed to return, and even Vane began to accept that there wasn't something right.

The leaves began once again, but this time without the shift of the wind. Some of the men noticed this and looked up, only to find a flurry of arrows headed in their direction. Lucky for the company's anxiety, most of the soldiers were able to raise their shields quickly, blocking most of the arrows fired. 

With their discovery, the Wood Elves, who had been watching their patrol for hours, descended from the trees, announcing their orders. "Take back the contents of the carriage, at any cost!"

 The Castian company, while panicky for the most part, was able to regain their senses and re-establish their formation, forming tight phalanxes on each end of the carriage, keeping close to one another and raising their shields to form a shield wall.