EdgarFig

37. Without a King

Several days had passed since the Imperator had left, and work had reached a fever pitch around the fort.

There seemed to be a general desire to outdo oneself among the people. The implication of the Imperator being gone and wanting to get as close to completing the tasks left behind had become seemingly infectious.

The new palisade went up far quicker than the extension despite being considerably larger. For one, it had no wall walk; instead, it was just a spiked wall of worked t...

36. Take their jobs

“So, what do you think?” Mark said, eyeing Payon as he attempted to read the broad man’s expression. It was stony-faced and never seemed to change much, but he was confident the man's slightly bent, bushy brow wasn't a sign of hostility despite its crude appearance.

“Aye, I should be able to get this done. I've made pipes on a few occasions, but in the Imperium. But what’s all this?” Payon said, pointing to the diagram of the steam engine.

“Just a little something th...

35. Smithy

With bows becoming commonplace within the fort, Mark had realized a need for a dedicated training area. It would be located outside the walls until the new wall could be built to encompass it. 

Lined up against the palisade outside, they had straw targets that the acolytes used for crossbow practice and wooden manikins. 

Mark watched his commoners fumble with their bows. It'd take a while before they were a feared fighting force, but a few standouts were already sho...

34. Job’s Not Done

Mark marveled at the mage heart—as he had learned its name. It was the power source of his suit and powered much of the technology within the Imperium. From what he understood, it was technology greedily hoarded by the Imperium.

He wanted to tinker with it, even if he didn’t really know what he was doing. But the risks were too great. Damaging it would probably condemn his mission and everyone within Fort Winterclaw. Besides, if the Imperium hadn’t found better uses for the mage h...

33. Hired Help

Mark felt like a mad scientist mixing different concoctions for his homemade Greek fire. His recipe included sap, lantern oil, sulfur, and charcoal. And after many failures, he mixed up a fresh batch and poured a little into a metal bowl. 

Passing across his cabin, he took a candle and gradually lowered it down to the mixture. It caught immediately.

Perfect!     

There were many steps he had to get right for this to work. Burning for a ...

32. Frostwind Trader’s Post

Blizzarding snow whipped up around the party as they pulled ropes tied to the wagon. 

The Frontier had informal roads that ran through its great expanse. It was a time-honored tradition to carry a rock with you when going long distances and placing down on soft ground. Over time, this resulted in semi-paved roads. Of course, there was a blanket of snow across the land, but with winter proper still a month or so away, the snow on heavily walked paths was broken and compacted enough ...

31. Spy

“They always come lookin’ for ole Weedy Eye when they needing a hand,” the old feral flashed a dirty smile.

Mark nodded as he approached the man shrouded by forest. He was invisible under the night sky, but the snow reflected enough of the moon’s silver glow to illuminate Mark as he crunched along the snow toward him.

“You’re helpful, what can I say.”

“Pleasure to be of ye service, Imperator. So, whatcha needing then, big fella? Something only Weedy Eye can h...

30. The Strongest Acolyte

World’s Edge Citadel was perched upon the mountains that split the Imperium from the Frontier, overlooking the miasmic fields covering most of the foothills.

It was the seat of power for Legate Athriel, Commander of the Frontier. From here, he ruled as de facto king of the wild lands known as the Frontier, and his decisions made within them were subject to no higher authority.

Strategically located, the citadel didn't just command a view that stretched hundreds of miles of footh...

29. Fort Frostwarden

NOTE: I hope you enjoy. I'm going to try to drop a bonus chapter today or at least by the weekend.

A dozen acolytes marched through the snow, split into two rows. As they marched, they flanked a horseman who rode several paces ahead.

Mark watched his feral commoners gather as the procession of Imperials passed through the outer gate.

His acolyte wall watch had only spotted them fifteen minutes prior when they noticed movement through the forest.

28. Plans

Picking a flag hadn’t been hard. Mark had two to choose from: one made by the kids and another by the mothers. 

The kids had essentially sewed whatever they could find onto a piece of cloth. It certainly wasn’t the kind of thing he could imagine an army marching beneath, but he did take it for himself and hang it in his cabin. Mark had never been a big kid person, but it filled him with joy to see how his actions had inspired them.

The other flag was black, green, and whi...

27. Festivities

Alcohol wasn't a novel concept for the ferals. But the booze they were familiar with was grainy and lumpy with a nauseatingly bitter taste. It was made from fermented berry nuts, which were normally poisonous prior to months of fermenting.

The clear rum Mira made was like nectar of the gods in comparison to larka—the feral ale-like substance they consumed. And it was the cherry on top that sent the feral’s excitement into overdrive for the festival. 

The event had been sc...

26. Overheated

Hot, bitter liquid invaded his mouth, and Mark spat as his eyes came into focus on Mira’s gentle eyes, barely a foot from his face.

“Drink up, you stubborn mule. It’ll bring your strength back.”

Mark took the cup from her hands and gulped it down. 

“Cultists,” he coughed.

Dozens of bodies littered the forest floor before him as ferals walked around kicking and looting them.

“It’s over?”

“Yeah, the battle didn’t last long.”

25. The Battle

Wanting to make his followers a proper army was one thing; seeing their sorry state lined up in formation was another.

The acolytes stood straight at attention, but they were kids. Meanwhile, the ferals slumped in every direction, wearing mismatched rags and furs and picking at their teeth and nails as they waited for Mark to address them.

They had managed to gather a force of just over forty troops—twenty of which were acolytes led by Henric, while Jaryox led the rest.

Ma...

24. Prepared to Fight

Sat under a candle lamp in the main room of her three-room cabin, Reida peeled streaks of wood from a strick with her carving knife.

Two ferals worked for her outside, putting together the last parts of a small courtyard under instruction from one of the Imperial acolytes.

It was the third bow she was attempting to craft. The other two were serviceable but a disgrace compared to those that her former clansmen carried. Hopefully, the third wouldn’t be.

A bend formed in her ...

23. In Camp

Word had already spread of Mark’s assault on the cultist camp. He wasn’t sure how many he had managed to take out, but the results spoke for themselves—the camp was abuzz. 

Mark would have paid a lot of money for this kind of good press back in his own life. 

Venjimin had come to him immediately upon his return. There were always plenty of eyes around. And with ferals knew about his raid before he even got home.

It seemed like the rousing speech he had given ...

22. Cultist Threat

An early knock came at Mark’s door. The hurried acolyte spat out words at a hundred miles a second as he explained Henric had returned with the two acolytes in toe.

He didn’t waste time, throwing on his coat and reaching the gates as Henric led the acolytes and their horses into the inner walls. His gaze first planned to the weakly and sickly-looking Callum, but he was hauled straight through the gates and to Mira’s healing cabin.

“What happened?” Mark said as he watched...

21. Returning Home

Erin and Henric rode atop the horses as Callum followed closely behind—a form of light punishment Henric had decided on until they could get back to Fort Winterclaw and punish the boy properly.

The journey back wasn’t as fast as they took time to rest. But Callum’s sickly, white pallor increasingly concerned Erin. Henric didn’t say anything and seemed defiant in his order to make the boy walk, but Erin had spotted a hint of concern in his eyes when he watched him struggle.

20. New Guard

Yawning and stretching, Mark’s new tribunes stood in a crooked line. They were hardly an example of discipline, but at least they all showed.

“Alright, listen closely, tribunes. What I’m going to say is important. And while I have given you the power to pass down my law, remember that you are still subject to my law, and if you break it, your new status will not protect you,” Mark said, making energy flash and crackle around a raised fist for theatre.

“For now, I will ke...

19. Cut them off

Once he had finished going through the interviews, Mark lined the ferals up and went over the notes from Elowen’s list.

He had already chosen who he wanted to elect. But the ceremony was important. Mark had long understood the importance of social standing and intended to make the most of it. He saved his former company almost forty million dollars in payroll by removing mandatory pay raises that they provided junior developers after the first, second, and third years. And It had been...

18. Intelligence

The intelligence test went about as good as one would have expected. Most of the ferals were comparable to modern children. No—that was unfair to the children. They had never been to school or studied. For most of them, the closest thing to an education was listening to yarn weavers tell stories. That, and whatever their parents had taught them. Most ferals could tell you what mushrooms were safe to eat. How to find rigar bark. How to skin a corpse. And so on. Just don’t ask them to read ...

17. Tribunes

Manning the walls had become increasingly difficult with every passing day. And there was no way Mark would roll back what he had started. Trading with the ferals wasn’t just filling their supplies; it was bringing their communities together.

He had all the fathers of daughters gathered outside the gates leading into the inner wall. Mark had hoped he would have more time to get a feel for their new neighbors before making any important decisions. The last thing he wanted was to promot...

16. The Chase

Mark’s eyes sprung open, and he shot upward, covered in sweat. Panting, he tried to calm himself from the horrid dreams that had assaulted him.

He had seen Erin tortured by the wargs. 

My dreams—they’re not trying to tell me something, are they? He had never been one for taking meaning from dreams, but with everything that had happened to him since dying, he was feeling a little more susceptible to such thoughts.

Rubbing sleep from his eyes, Mark wondered...

15. In Search

A knock came at Mark’s door as he rubbed between his eyes. “Come in.”

Mira opened the door and gestured for Erald to enter. “Go on, boy.”

“So?” Mark said, looking up from his desk.

“Tell the Imperator what you told me.”

Erald nodded at Mira and then stiffened into a salute, his lip trembling as he spoke. “I-it’s Acolyte C-Callum, Imperator.”

“I figured. Go on.”

“I-I-I t-told him a-about–”

“Calm down, take a deep bre...

14. The Road Away

Mark had been pleased to see the acolytes practicing the moves he had shown them, even if it was mostly to show off to one another. At least they seemed to have learned something. And more importantly, he hadn’t made a complete fool of himself.

His thoughts trailed back to their supplies. Meat was running low again. The rigar bark had been coming in faster than he could have expected, but when winter came, they would need to feed everyone and keep morale up, which would be hard if he ...

13. Acolyte Virgin

“Come in.”

Callum stepped in and closed the door behind him. “You wanted to see me, Imperator?”

“I did. I wanted to ask you about what happened to you.”

“About what? I already told Master Mira and Master Henric. I really don’t remember anything.”

“Understood,” Mark swirled on his chair to face the stiff-faced boy. “What about the wound on your forehead? Do you have any idea why or who might have done that to you? It seems rather deliberate.” 2024-07-16 08:58:53 +0000 UTC View Post

12. Lessons

Mark wiped sweat from his brow, returning from another search for Erin. He had found no evidence of any harm coming to her, but that did little to calm his nerves. If she died out there, it would hang heavily on him.

Henric trailed as he entered the fort, breaking his pursuit as Mark waved him away. He knew what Henric wanted. Since the wall had been completed, Henric had been hounding Mark more than ever about the training sessions.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much demand for l...

11. Rise the Walls

The acolytes hauled logs late into the night. Torches and lanterns sat on posts, dotting the clearing and lightening it for the exhausted teens as the snowfall intensified.

“I hope your plans are worth it. Don’t be surprised if your acolytes wake with fevers.”

“That depends on how much you want to survive the coming winter, Henric. Personally, I’m not ready to die.”

“If the God-Lord wills it.”

“Don’t be so stubborn,” Mark smiled at the grim-faced ...

10. Safe

Erin sat sipping on something that was meant to make her feel better as they packed. 

She couldn’t believe, just like that, this family was going to pick up and travel south for weeks because of the cultists. 

She felt guilt, even if she had already done plenty to help them. A knot formed in her gut. Something told her they wouldn’t make it.

The babies were only a few months old, and she had little doubt the mother was still recovering. She watched Trayox pack ...

9. Ferals

Dropped on a bed of straw, Erin groaned. The hut was dark. Ribbons of light pierced through the poorly crafted thatch roofing, and embers glowed weakly beneath a pot.

The big man turned his back to her, grabbed a bowl, and used it to scoop something out of the pot. Crossing his legs, he sat across from Erin and passed the bowl.

“Eat.”

Erin looked at the bowl. It looked like porridge. Her gaze then shifted to the large man and the figures behind him. Resting on a bed of s...

8. Freedom

“Wha-where am I?” Callum croaked.

“Erald?” Mira said, stepping out of the kitchen.

“M-master Mira?” Callum gingerly rubbed at his eyes.

“Acolyte Callum, you’re awake. No sudden movements, please. Your body is in quite a state,” Mira said, collecting a bowl, a bottle, and picking leaves and berries from several hanging reagents.

Memories of the beating flooded back to Callum as Mira placed several bowls on the bed’s edge to his side.

“Drink t...