Everything was chaotic around me…
Alien masses of tentacles and flesh were surrounding us… and I… could distinctly hear my warriors screaming, as the massive beasts began to consume those who hadn't been dragged to the depths.
Behind me, frenzied howls had joined the cacophony, that was filling night air, and I could have sworn that something had jumped over my head about a second ago. I tried to close my eyes… tried to pretend that I was someplace else, but it was no use… No matter how much I tried to resist it, this witch's insidious magic was too strong for me to overcome.
It was hopeless… All I could do was remain there, frozen, as the river suddenly came alive with inhuman noises…
I was glad… glad that I could not see what was going on down there; for that if I could... I would have certainly passed out…
Then suddenly, the chants stopped and I felt the strange sensation that something was trying to drag me back on the bridge. Confused, and firmly convinced that this was one of Usar's bandits; I somehow managed to elude my captor's grasp and ran as far as I could before he could realize what was going on.
Now free from my bondages both physical and magical, I did believe that I could make it…
But unfortunately, about a minute after I had escaped, I was suddenly overwhelmed with nausea and fell on my knees, as the content of my stomach emptied itself upon the ground.
I had never felt so horrible in my life; so much in fact, that I simply could not hold back the flow of tears that were falling down my cheeks… I didn't want to end up like this…
And yet, upon feeling the weight of a firm hand upon my shoulder, I knew then that I was done for. The bandits had finally caught up with me, and there was absolutely no way that I could outrun them in my current state.
Silently, I prayed to Filarrh that they would end my life swiftly; for that to think otherwise was simply unbearable for me. And so, as I began to dread the fate that those sadistic monsters might have in store me, I turned around and realized that the one who had caught up with me was none other than my own advisor, Warren.
And there he was, looking down at this pathetic mess that was myself, as if he could not have cared less if I was alive or dead. "Arise immediately child, we still have much to do, and the night is far from over."
Even more confused than before, I allowed him to help me back up; and upon witnessing the bodies of my archers floating on the river and the monstrous hounds that were feeding on the remains of the bandits; I snapped…
"Let me go…" I whispered loud enough for the old wizard to hear me. "I'm not ready for this… I can't take any more of this…"
Warren stared at me impassively; not even moved by the urgency of my plea. "I never even wanted this, so please… Let me go!"
And yet, no matter how much I would beg, the answer still remained the same… "No"…
Imperial Year 25
Branca 11
I haven't been the same since that night… And somehow, I doubt that I will ever be able to recover…
I try to act normal during the day; I try to maintain the facade that I still know what I am doing. But once the night's falls and that I am finally left with myself… I simply can't hold them back anymore… … …
The others know it…After all, how could they not know? Since, Warren's eyes and ears have been shadowing my every movement ever since then. As if they knew, that I was indeed planning to leave this place and never look back…
But of course, they could not understand… I doubt that anybody there could have…
And somehow… I think that I am just beginning to understand what exactly they signed me up for.
What happened that night was no coincidence, the governor knew that we were there… Those giant octopus… the giant birds that had swooped down upon our headquarter… They were all HIS doing!
Warren was the sole reason I was still alive, and if he hadn't tried to warn me after driving back the griffins from Svastpoli, I would certainly have died.
I should have known that remaining on that bridge was way too dangerous… I should have known what I was supposed to do once the foundations had started to shake… And those who died on that night shouldn't have had to give up their lives for me, while I didn't have the slightest idea of what I was doing out there.
And yet, during the celebrations that followed our liberation of the area, it was me… that the peoples were praising…… …
They said I was a hero… they kept telling me how grateful they were to be finally free from Usar's clutches; and strangest of all, I actually enjoyed it…
But every time I gaze at this stone that the local Roshian temples awarded me, the 'Star of Heroes', I am constantly reminded that this is all a lie.
While I had indeed managed to buy Lans enough time to deal with Usar and his men, it was still him who had stormed Jindark, with only a handful of knights and hedge wizards. It was him who had truly granted us victory, and him who should have been in charge… not me.
And yet, he said nothing… Not once during the ceremony, did Warren or Lans mention anything about what happened to me on the bridge of Valikesh; and as far the other members of the rebel army were concerned, I had single-handedly defeated all of the bandits without ever needing help from any of them.
But deep inside me, I knew that they were wrong…Each and every time my eyes fall upon this accursed jewel, I am forever reminded of how unworthy I am of such an honor.
I am no hero… I am… just scared…… …
I haven't been able to look at Lans ever since…
For some reasons that still escape me, I haven't been able to stand him lately.
And while it may have something to do with the way he congratulated me during the ceremony; I am almost certain that it was all about this habit he had of always referring to me as 'my lady', even though he knew fully well that I had done absolutely nothing to deserve such a title.
Maybe he did not mean to upset me, but each and every time those words escaped his lips, I couldn't help but to feel a rush of anger and shame coursing through my veins; as this kept reminded me of how helpless I was before all that was happening around me.
I despised him… there was no point in denying it…
No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I should not compare myself to one of the knights of Zenobia; my answer always remained the same. I am not worthy of those peoples trust.
I can't help it; I can't help but feel diminished at the sight of his battle-worn armor and his determined blue eyes. And somehow, I think he knew…
I won't be making any more mistakes now; since they won't let me free, then I will just have to lead them from afar. I have already proved my points to the others, and as long as they hold me responsible for the liberation of the borders of Sharom, they will have no choice but to listen to what I tell them.
And so, upon reaching the edges of the Sharomian capital of Parcival; they obeyed, as I ordered them to set camp on the outskirts of Llewlyn.
Maybe I was being a coward; maybe I wasn't anything that Lans was. But if I could somehow manage to outsmart the governor of the district… Then I wouldn't have to through what happened that night ever again… … …
Of course, Warren wasn't exactly pleased with my decision, but as long as I managed to come up with a good battle plan; he had no reason to doubt me, which felt kind of strange actually…
Suffice to say, our intelligence of the area was quite extensive, so coming up with a good plan wasn't exactly that hard.
The main issue with the invasion of Parcival was that it was located at the crossroad of two different imperial roads; each surrounded by both mountains and water. And as if thing could not have been any worse, each of them were supplemented with several cities, to which the imperial army could fall back to should things become a little too though.
The choice however, wasn't exactly easy; while splitting my army across both paths sounded tempting, I suspected that the governor would probably concentrate all of his forces within the main imperial road, and would blockade us at the city of Latingurue should things turned out too sour. And since I already learned the hard way that he would try to sneak a few beasts past our frontlines, I simply could not overlook the path that was leading to the village of Chang'ga.
I hated to have to do this, but I had little choice in this matter… Lans would have to remain behind to protect the camp, while I would also remain there to oversee the assault of Latingurue, through couriers and magical means that Warren would provide.
Perhaps this plan was a little too reckless, but if we could liberate Chang'ga and sneak one or two fighting units on the rear of the enemy lines, then Latingurue would surely fall… and along with it, Parcival…
And strangely enough, I was right…
The governor had done exactly as I had predicted, and while I could not see it myself, it actually felt like I knew what was going on upon the battlefield.
The others were constantly feeding me with information, and for the first time since they had forced me to join this army, it almost felt as if I knew what I was doing.
This feeling was exhilarating, as I moved the pieces across a sheet of paper, all that seemed to matter to me, was of making it to Parcival at all costs. But what I hadn't realize yet, was that I was actually toying with other people's lives…
Even though I had already learned the hard way what those others rebels were going through, it was all a game to me… nothing more.
The strangest however, was that while everything seemed to be going smoothly, my advisor seemed to be hell-bent on bothering me with useless details concerning the area; such as the rumors of a warrior, who had deserted the governor's army, called "the Wind Rider" was living within the town of Bah'Wahl and may be convinced to join us if we could play our cards right. But what I wondered, was why he was bothering me with such useless gossips, especially since Chang'ga had already fallen.
It was only a matter of time before Parcival fell and I had no time deal with this; if Warren wanted to chase ghosts, then he could just do it once we done liberating the area. What was really important, was to ensure that my soldiers knew who was in charge; and while I wasn't exactly liking it, I had to go to the capital and confront the governor myself, even though I had no intentions of fighting him myself.
And so, I left Warren in charge and reluctantly asked Lans and his knights to accompany me, while the rest of the army would be left to deal with the imperial army.
Everything was perfect, as long as things continued the way they were, I wouldn't ever have to face the battlefield again; and soon enough… I would be free to return back home…
But what I hadn't expected however, was that the governor was nowhere to be found…
The governor had sent almost all of his forces to prevent us from making it past Latingurue, and while there were still a few men left to protect the city hall; the man himself, could not be found.
I had my men interrogate the guards, and soon learned, that governor Oblion had gone to his personal pens not too long after the city was breached. Determined not to let him escape, the others urged me to pursue him, which I did, though I wasn't exactly sure what to expect out there.
The pens were exactly what one would have expected, though it somehow looked more like a dungeon than anything else now that most of its inhabitants had been wasted in an attempt to hinder our movements.
And it was only upon reaching the griffins roosts, that I was finally confronted by the governor of the province of Sharom, Gilbert Oblion, himself. The man responsible for all that I had to go through since I joined the rebel army…
Bending over to feed a newborn griffon, the man that was standing before us was pretty much the complete opposite of what I would have expected from an imperial bureaucrat. In fact, Gilbert was already well over his late forties and almost seemed to be carrying the weight of the whole world upon his scar-covered shoulders. And upon hearing the metallic sound of my soldier's boots hitting the floor, I saw him pass his hand inside his snow-white beard as the muffled cries of his griffin were suddenly magnified by our presence.
"So you guys have finally come for me, have you?" Said the governor sighing. "Somehow I knew you would…"
The others suddenly looked to me for guidance, probably expecting me to either give them the order to attack immediately or to at least, provide an answer to the broken man that was before us. "It's over, your army is defeated, and the empire's rule over Sharom has finally come an end. It is time for you to step down, governor."
"Yes, of course, I had already figured out that much." He replied, not really listening, as if he already knew all that I was going to say. "Then, before I do, am I allowed ask you a question?"
"Go ahead, if you must." I answered, as I saw him rise from the ground to face me.
"Why are you guys rebelling against the Empire?"
More concerned at the sight of the whip hanging at his waist, the only thing I managed to come up with was. "Because it's the right thing to do…" And then remembering what the peoples of Sharom had told me back at the ceremony, I went on. "To claim back Zenobia as our own, and to free the peoples from tyrants, like yourself."
Not exactly surprised at my answer, the bald man then continued. "I understand why you people hate the Empire, I don't like em' either. But can you really say that you are so much worse off than the rest of the kingdom?" He asked, not leaving us enough time to answer. "Can you truly say that you are so dissatisfied with the way I run things here in Sharom?"
"What about the conscription ten years ago? Or what about the suburbs that were, until recently, left at the mercy of murderers and bandits?"
"Those were necessary sacrifices to ensure that peace would be preserved!" Angrily replied the imperial governor. "As long I kept Usar and his bandits on a tight leash and did as I was told, you peoples didn't have anything to worry about the Holy Zeteginian Empire! As long as I keep order within Sharom, then we were still allowed to do things our own way, and maintain some manner of independence; unlike all the other provinces of Zenobia."
"Stop lying, filthy cur!" I heard Sir Hamilton yell as the small griffin cowered inside his nest. "Back in the days when Sharom was still independent and maintained good relations with Zenobia, King Gran would never have stood to see this region abandoned, while greedy peoples like yourself were feeding off the peoples misery! The knights of Zenobia won't tolerate this injustice any longer."
Furious, Gilbert answered. "Then help me make it better! Stop this whole rebellion nonsense, and help me restore Sharom the way it used to be! The peoples do not have to suffer any more than they already have; as long as we listen to what the Empire has to say, we can still make this a better place."
"But what about the rest of the kingdom?" I asked, not really knowing why. "Things won't change if you just remain there and do nothing. What you are proposing is not an option; it won't solve anything."
Governor Oblion cast his eyes to the ground and remained silent for a moment, as if he was actually pondering what I had just said. And upon raising his head, I could clearly see his eyes turn to the consistency of iron. "I can't let you guys ruin the peace that I have worked so hard to achieve. I have to protect my peoples and so you leave me no other choice…"
Upon hearing those words, I felt a sense of dread come over me… Something terrible was about to happen… I just knew it.
It was kind of hard to get this chapter right, but what its worth, and though the liberation of Sharom may seem, once again, a little rushed; we have to remember that Earwind didn't actually take part in most the fighting that took place during this time. And to be honest, this is somewhat the strategy that I adopt during the first two REAL stage of the game. I send the opinion leader get 2-3 levels during "Sharom Border's" and then finish the job with the others while waiting until "Pogrom Forest" or "Island Avalon" to get some boost to my ALI.
However, what I really like about "Chariot" is that it gives us an insight at what a contradicted person the Opinion Leader probably was, during the beginning of the rebellion. I mean you get Lans who has this killer level 4 units, while your Opinion Leader is still level 1.
Perhaps this would cause some kind of tension between the two of them, as our favorite knight might unknowingly be undermining his authority. And while Earwind doesn't want to get involved, she still hates the fact that he is not in charge and as such not only admires him, but despises him for what she is not; making her somewhat take her role more seriously and thus embarking on her true journey as the true leader of the rebellion.
Preview: Forced to contend with the iron resolve of the governor of Sharom, Earwind is once again placed in danger as Gilbert's reveals his last trump card. Will our unlikely heroine succeed to vanquish her own fears and liberate Sharom once and for all? Or will she crumble under the weight of her own fear and become unable to do what she has to?