Chronicles Of Zefaria: The Plight Of The Free Peoples (8) "I'm sorry, but I had no choice," said Seth. "If we would have continued on battling the way we were then we would have come close to losing a great majority of the allied forces. I couldn't take that chance." And so it was that Osmadaania took Fort Evner in the first battle of the free peoples and Osmadaania. Solace After Defeat It took some time for the whole of the military alliance to get away from battle. For one, the message of retreat had to be broadcast to every ear, and that alone took a good five minutes. Then there was the deal of retreating in and of itself. Tonomoli was a little saddened to know that they were calling for a retreat, after he'd sent so many Orcs to their demise. "Surely we can take care of the rest of them," he thought. "If I were the leader, we'd still be fighting." Nevertheless, he was in no position to give demands and so he reluctantly retreated like the others. The enemy didn't chase after them. They were more than satisfied with the retreat and the capture of Fort Evner. Lord Osmadaan would be extremely pleased. Finally everyone met up a good mile and a half from where the fighting originated. Nefandus approached Seth. "What now?," he said. "We've been handed our first defeat, we're do we go from here?" Seth paused for a moment. He was trying to figure that out himself. Finally he came to a conclusion. "Fort Evner has been overtaken. Any attempt at recapturing it would prove fruitless I think, because of those three Osmadaanian provinces being so close to Galtigor. My guess is that Osmadaan will try to take all of Galtigor. But we'll have to leave the defense of Galtigor to the Galtigorian people." "What!" said Prailee. "As stout as we Galtigorians may be, they won't be able to survive an onslaught from Osmadaania. And you're saying that we're not to stay here and help them?" "I have to consider the entirety of our mission here. If we stay in Galtigor then we'll be fighting a losing battle. But if we head to the south and assist the people of Fignufen then we could very well capture Wragafnifur and the Valderghof, and then we'll have an opening toward Osamadaania castle." "This is outrageous!" said Prailee. "I thought the alliance came into existence to assist the people of Galtigor, not to abandon them." I'm sorry," said Seth. "But I have to think about our mission as a whole, which is to make an assault on Osmadaania castle. But first we shall make a stop at the Yorkian Kingdom where we can replenish our troops." "While we're headed toward the Yorkian Kingdom for troops wouldn't it be a good idea to get troops from Harwrintholien and Finlaiven as well?" said Farimar. "If we were to do that then surely we'd be able to overcome any obstacle set before us." "That's a good idea, but I don't know if they'll allow us to use their troops," said Seth. "In any case, I will try." Seth then ordered a messenger to both Finlaiven and Harwrintholien requesting that they send a great number of soldiers to Fignufen so that they can be a part of the alliance. Prailee was still greatly agitated with Seth's decision. Tonomoli came to comfort him. "Don't worry too much about it," said Tonomoli. "Galtigor will hold out, at least for a time." "I know that," said Prailee. "But how long of a time that will be, that's the question." "Galtigor may be able to hold out a good deal longer than what you expect," said Nefandus. "And with so much of the enemy's forces focused on Galtigor that will leave Osmadaania castle open for our attack," said Seth. Prailee still didn't agree with Seth, but he begrudgingly went along with it anyway. It was night. General Oarth--along with his troops--had followed the alliance to the their present spot, but they would not be going any further than that. General Oarth would focus all his energies on gathering as many new recruits as he could to mount an offensive against Osmadaania. Prailee thought about staying and fighting for the sake of the people of Galtigor but later decided against it. There was a good many Chisolites left from the battle for Fort Evner. Seth decided that they would rest where they were, instead of traveling any further during the night. So they rested. The next morning came with haste, and before the company knew it they were up and about once more. "We'll head toward where the Van Thespian moves through Galtigor," said Seth. "After that we can follow it all the way to the Yorkian Kingdom." He was right. The Van Thespian moved through the eastern portion of Galtigor and then went all the way around the Rimmerdale Mountains; then it made a stop in Desendale and after that they'd be on the border of the Yorkian Kingdom. "What about food?" said Edith. "We're running low on supplies." "Before we leave Galtigor we'll stop and restock on food," said Seth. "Though I don't know where we could find a spot to do so." "I know a town not too far from the Van Thespian," said Prailee. "We could restock there. If they'll have us after they figure out we're abandoning them." With the help of Prailee, the company managed to make its way to the town bordering the Van Thespian. It was a town called Ungar. It was one of the very first towns colonized when Galtigor became a country. There was much talk from Ungar's inhabitants. The people were deluded, for the most part. They didn't realize that the alliance had given up on saving Fort Evner, a thing that Seth didn't want to get out. "No one tell that we've forsaken Fort Evner, otherwise we may be faced with disorderly conduct from Galtigorians." There was a great deal of Dwarves approaching and thanking the different peoples of the alliance. Prailee was so upset that he felt like telling everyone that approached him the truth, but he in the end held his tongue. "I feel like I'm betraying my people," he said to Tonomoli. Seth asked one person from Ungar where they might find sliced meat. The Galtigorian then lead him to a meat store. Everyone was then prompted to spend however much they wanted on sliced meat. It was very smart of them to bring money along, something Seth foresaw. Le'on saw an obstacle to Seth's plan though. "There's a great deal many of us," he said. "What will happen if they run out of meat?" "If they run out of meat then we'll simply find another store," said Seth. "But dont' worry. I think this place has enough to satiate the desires of the entire company." He was right again. The vendor did have enough meat to go around. And even after all of the soldiers purchased however much meat they wanted there was still some left over, though not much. "Now that we've restocked we can take the Van Thespian straight to the Yorkian Kingdom," said Seth. It was at this time that something unfortunate happened. It had been revealed from one of the Chisolites that the alliance had forsaken Fort Evner, and it took only about ten minutes for it to spread to every Galtigorian who was out and about. Suddenly, the alliance was met with a great deal of jeering and booing. "You're not welcome here!" said one Dwarf. "If you're not here to help then you're not welcome!" "Get out of our town!" said another. They then began to throw things at the alliance. They threw mostly fruits but some threw rocks. Seth was greatly agitated by this. He then ordered that everyone make their way out of the town as quickly as possible. The alliance hurriedly made their way out of the town. "That was exactly what I didn't want to happen," said Seth. "We deserved every bit of it," said Prailee, "the way we abandoned Galtigor like we did. I'm not surprised they didn't haul off and attack us. That's what I was half expecting." "They did attack us," said Jebzian. "Didn't you see the rocks?" "I meant with their fists. We Galtigorians are known for being good fighters." The company followed along the Van Thespian. The sun shone bright in the sky and it was somewhat cool, typical weather for a late Septemeber afternoon. The alliance was making good time, there wasn't any hills that they'd have to trek over, like when they were heading for Galtigor, and at their current speed they'd make it to the Yorkian Kingdom in two days. They mostly used the road, though when transports were headed toward their direction they had to get off of it. Le'on had something on his mind ever since the battle for Fort Evner and he just had to get it off his chest. "Tonomoli," he said, "you are an incredible martial artist. What's the name of your fighting style again?" "Coasha," said Tonomoli. "And where did you receive your training?" "I received my training in Archmide by Master Archameadees." "Oh--I see," said Le'on. "That's an awful long way from the Bravada Empire," he mused. "Why do you make the connection?" said Tonomoli. "Because I was thinking about taking up a martial art, as your Coasha impressed me greatly," said Le'on. "Do you know of any Coasha instructors that reside in the Bravada Empire?" "No, I can't say that I do," said Tonomoli. "But it certainly wouldn't hurt to check up on it. I'm sure there are Coasha instructors all over Zefaria." "Then that is something that I will look into, after our journey," said Le'on. "What about the Toran?" said Edith, who was listening to the pair. "The who now?" said Le'on. "Toran is also a martial art. Didn't you see me or my brother showcasing it?" "I must confess that I didn't," said Le'on. "Is it comparable to Coasha?" "I would think so," said Edith. "Though I'm not in the business of judging martial arts." "Well then, perhaps I'll look into both arts," said Le'on. "One can never have too much of a good thing." By now the company had made it out of Galtigor and down much of the shoreline of the Van Thespian. It was now five o'clock. They would continue on until about eight and then they'd rest for the day. Master Fenfarah and Jebzian had gotten into a discussion about the motives of Lord Osmadaan and Osmadaania. "So you mean to tell me," began Jebzian, "you mean to tell me that you still think that Lord Osmadaan is a benevolent fellow? Even after the surprise attack on Fort Evner?" "I think that Lord Osmadaan reacted to our joint declaration as a declaration of war," said Master Fenfarah. "If we had never allied then he most certainly never would have attacked Fort Evner. He was just doing what he felt he needed to do in the current scheme of things." "I don't know where you get your ideas," said Jebzian, "but they can't be coming from this planet. If you can't see that Lord Osmadaan is evil then I can't help you." "There is something to the fact that he didn't attack us until after we made our alliance. You can't deny that, now can you?" "I will confess that I know very little of the mind of Lord Osmadaan," said Jebzian. "But that which I do know is set in stone. And, to me, Lord Osmadaan has proven his intent once and for all." Tonomoli, seeing where their conversation was going, tried to change the subject. "I'm interested--in wizardly countries. What exactly do they train wizards to do?" Master Fenfarah was a little caught off guard by Tonomoli's statement and that gave Jebzian a chance to answer. "In Shondalah we recognize the wizardly trait early on, in childhood even. Then we take that child's gifts and we cultivate them, producing a wizard who can go on to serve in the military." "I have heard of wizards serving in the military," said Tonomoli. "I know that Bandersnatch has wizards in the military." "Most of those wizards came from Shondalah, where I reside," said Jebzian. "We do the same thing," said Master Fenfarah. "But in Shondaloh we also train our wizards to be entertainers. So our wizards make money on the side while they are serving in the military." "I forget what they do in Shondaleigh," said Jebzian. "That Saunssussen fellow," said Nefandus. "The leader of Makerva, he is a wizard. Where did he get his training?" "He was at Shondaloh before he went on to become the leader of Makerva." said Master Fenfarah. "He's a great deal older than both Jebzian and myself. I don't quite know how it was that he somehow wormed his way into Lord Osmadaan's inner circle, but he did it nonetheless. I do know that he is the only wizard of the five Osmadaanaian generals." "Makerva was independent at first," said Farimar. "That is, of course, until Lord Osmadaan offered to make the High King of Makerva, Saunssussen, a general of Osmadaania. That happened way back in the year 552 AMD. I suppose Saunssussen weighed his options and he felt that allying with Osmadaania was better then being against it." It had now made it to eight o'clock. Seth called it quits for the rest of the day. Like before, everyone gathered together in circles while Nefandus lead a group of Chisolites to gather fire wood. Everyone had cooking pans and tonight they would be frying sliced meat. Nefandus and the Chisolites came back with plenty of wood and they began to start fires. As before, the alliance sat together. Farimar approached Seth. "How many soldiers will you request from your father?" he said. "A great deal of the standing army, I gather," said Seth. "What makes you so curious?" "I was just thinking, if we could just amalgamate troops from the Yorkian Kingdom, Finlaiven, Fignufen, and Harwrintholien, that'd be a very hard force to beat. And with Osmadaan's focus on Galtigor that would leave Osmadaania castle wide open for attack." "That all depends on whether Finlaiven and Harwrintholien want to participate in a joint attack. I'm almost certain that Fignufen will want to, because of the myriad of skirmishes they've had with Wragafnifur. But I'm uncertain about the other countries in the area." "Then that is our plan then?" said Nefandus. "Are we to unite the Yorkian Kingdom's forces and Chisolom's with that of Fignufen, Finlaiven, and Harwrintholien?" "That is our plan," said Seth. "If it all works out we'll be assaulting Osmadaania castle before the month of October is out. And then, after we take care of Lord Osmadaan, we'll send our forces to liberate Galtigor." "That sounds like a good plan," said Prailee. "I especially like the latter part of it." Seth smiled. Prailee returned it. The company ate their food and went to bed. Chaos in the Yorkian Kingdom The next morning came a good deal quicker than anyone wanted it to. Nefandus was the first to wake, and he gave everyone the liberty of a little more rest. Seth woke next, and he wasn't as kind as Nefandus. "Come now!" he said to the members of the alliance. "It's high time we be on the road." Tonomoli woke up yawning and stretching. The alliance placed their blankets back in their backpacks and then set out for the road once more. It was a cool and clear morning for a September 29. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and because of that everyone was pretty much looking for the sun to warm them. "I wish she'd turn up the heat," said Prailee. "I could use some of it right about now." "We could all use some it," said Edith. "Though I doubt it'll get any much hotter than it already is." "By noon we'll know for sure," said Master Fenfarah. "It being the time where the temperature meets its peak." Everyone ate a healthy breakfrast and were again back on their way. And so the alliance took to hugging along the Van Thespian. The path used for doing such a thing proved well cultivated. It was seven forty-five now. By noon they'd make it to Desendale, and then there was just the business of following the Van Thespian a little ways out of Desendale and then heading straight west and they'd be in the Yorkian Kingdom. So the day wound on. The alliance was where the Van Thespian borders portions of Foster Forest. Suddenly a thought came to Tonomoli's mind. "Do you think it possible that we could make Archmide one of our stops while we're on our way to Fignufen?" asked Tonomoli of Seth. Seth looked at a map he was holding. "It's highly probable that we could. If we start out diagonally from the Yorkian Kingdom, which is how we'll be starting out, then that could lead us straight to Archmide just before we make it to Fignufen. Why did you want us to go to Archmide?" "Oh, it was just a thought," said Tonomoli. "I was wondering how my master was doing, and whether or not they've been attacked by the Valderghof and Var Heflekar." "I certainly hope they can hold out," said Prailee. "I'd hate to be heading back home after all this and find out that it's been torched or something." "Chancellor Carter sent a great many troops to protect Archmide," said Jebzian. "I don't think you have to worry too much about its fate. "But, if it would calm you," said Seth, "I see no reason for us not to make Archmide one of our stops." "Thank you," said Tonomoli. "Now you can meet my master!" said Tonomoli to Edith. "And you can meet mine," said Edith. "That's if I can find the old buzzard," said Edith almost to herself. Tonomoli was most anxious to make it to Archmide. He was nearly bristling with excitement. His master would be most interested to hear how he fought in the Battle for Fort Evner and how he made good use of the Coasha Blade. By now the company had made its way to the borders of Desendale. "We're in Desendale now," said Seth. "Just a few more short hours and we'll be in the Yorkian Kingdom." So they continued the exercise of following the Van Thespian. In Desendale the Van Thespian travelled through just a small section of the country, the southern tip of Desendale really. It didnt take the alliance long to make it out of Desendale. They had done so by three o'clock. "Now we just have to head west and we'll be in the Yorkian Kingdom," said Seth. That trek took a little over an hour and thirty minutes. Soon they had arrived in the Yorkian Kingdom. "Now we just have to make it to the Yorkian Castle," said Edith.
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