"For the last time, Eric, we're lost! Now admit it, and give me the map already!" Eric turned on his horse to look at the cavalier addressing him, a man with poorly groomed facial hair and a uniform barely kept in regulation. In reality, Eric was sure they were quite lost. Despite that, he was somewhat annoyed by his partner's newfound "competence", when ordinarily he was the one who tended to get the pair in hot water. He decided to feign ignorance for a bit longer, even if it marred his otherwise well-maintained image, just to annoy his comrade.

"Honestly, Marcus, we're making great progress. In a few hours we should arrive to the next village. I'm sure our informant hasn't even rolled out of his bed for breakfast."

"Be that as it may, I don't want to keep the Lady waiting. She gave us a very simple mission, and I intend to impress."

Eric gave him no time to elaborate.

"Why, if that were true, you wouldn't have gotten eliminated in the first round of her tournament." Eric spoke with the air of a nobleman, though he hardly dressed like one.
"Hey, you know as well as I do that Thomas had lowered his lance way too late. It caught me off guard."

"I suppose any good bandit would observe those rules better than he." Eric grinned. Unamused, Marcus turned to his left as he brought his horse to a trot.

"I really think we should take another look at that map. I swear, we're going the complete opposite direction. Gods forbid something should-"

Marcus was interrupted by a call for help, a call that turned into panicked crying and screaming. It echoed hollowly through the woods, stirring even some forest beasts and birds. The pair exchanged nervous glances before riding towards the screams. Though they were proud soldiers of the house of Caelin, though they had both done their share of bragging to those townsfolk they had caught the attention of on leave, both of the cavaliers secretly dreaded moments like this. They adamantly believed in protecting their people no matter the foe, but in their line of work, a quiet day was always better than a busy one.

Their worst fears hadn't quite been realized, but there was still certainly cause for alarm. In a hamlet just past the treeline of the wooded path they had been taking, several bandits had arrived and had certainly made their presence known. Two houses were already in flames by the time the cavaliers had arrived in the town centre, where some small, outlying bushes and market stalls were already ablaze. Small pockets of women and children darted to and fro, not sure where the danger could be coming from. The bandits didn't seem much better off. They looked panicked and dazed, out of breath as they brandished their weapons and cast lit torches into any dark place they could see. A couple of guards had attempted to intervene, as far as the cavaliers could tell, but there was little evidence that they had done much good at all.

"How many do you see, Marcus?"

"Eight. No, nine. One or two archers, just a couple of axes. I see a myrmidon or two… I can't tell for sure."

"Then, let's make quick work of these brigands. I'd wager there's more to this raid than we can tell."

One bandit had made his way to the pair, a wild look in his eyes, and he began to shout as he raised his axe to point at the horsemen.

"Oi, you lot, go an' tell your boys that you've got a situation 'ere! Way more'n you can handle by the looks of ye. I won't tell you a second time."

The cavaliers looked at each other in confusion.

"I said now." The bandit suddenly roared and rushed forward, spurring Marcus and Eric into action. They easily outmaneuvered the lone bandit but he still fought ferociously. Throughout the bout, he shouted out ramblings of little sense, reminding the pair over and over that they were outmatched and that they had horses and therefore stood the best chance of getting away. Marcus struck with brazen, reckless blows, while Eric showed a bit more finesse, and the combination of styles forced the bandit into a game of adaptation that he couldn't win. Before long, the bandit had fallen.

The other bandits moved in to attack, with an air of caution that wasn't quite common for bandits. The two cavaliers shrugged and then made their way into battle, taking the bandits in small groups so as to keep the battle contained.

Two immediately rushed Eric, but he had reared his horse to escape their blow, and on his way down, he struck one of them fatally. The other had an axe, and couldn't do much other than stay alive thanks to Eric's superior reach and angle from his sword. Conversely, Marcus had charged into an archer headfirst, lance held forward. The archer buckled under the blow, and when Marcus had slowed his horse, the bandit didn't get back up from the charge. A myrmidon, slender sword in hand, moved to challenge Marcus, but the cavalier held him at bay with the lance before delivering a shattering strike to the bandit's arm. He had began to call across the way to brag to Eric, when he heard a guttural roar that stopped him in his tracks. He had stumbled into the path of the bandit chief, by the looks of the man, who delivered his battlecry a second time before charging Marcus in complete disregard for strategy. Marcus hadn't been able to react in time, and the chief's axe crashed into his armor, nearly unhorsing him.

"Eric, I could use a hand!" He turned his horse on the spot and sped forward a few feet, away from the bandit, and while Eric rushed into the chief, he quickly drew a vulnerary from his satchel and downed it in one go. He turned to check on his partner, who had certainly wounded the chieftain, but was struggling now that he had lost the momentum of the charge. Suddenly confident, Marcus charged forward and slammed his lance into the bandit's torso.

The bandit howled in pain, allowing Eric to take advantage of the situation and slash his sword across the bandit's chest. His shouts of pain had stopped, and now he simply looked at his attackers with a look of shock in his eyes. He fell to his knees, muttering incoherently, as throughout the village the remaining bandits routed and fled.

"Hah! That'll teach you to attack harmless townsfolk! The knights of House Caelin have arrived to save our people!" Marcus laughed, as if forgetting that this very same bandit had nearly laid him low.

"A-attack them? Haha! You lot are so self-righteous… we wasn't trying to hurt them, boy. We was trying to save them… and your precious House Caelin… look through the town, you'll not find a one soul my boys have harmed. Not a one." The bandit coughed, before continuing. "Aye, the signal fire got a bit out of our control but it did its job plenty well. You're here, aren't you? Now do your damned job and defend this place."

The chieftain slumped forward and fell silent. For longer than the two would have liked, the only audible sound was that of burning wood and fleeing townspeople.

"What do you think he was talking about?" Marcus had lost his confidence entirely, and it had been replaced with a fear that he hadn't felt in years. The cavaliers had already doubled back to the castle of House Caelin, a feeling of dread hanging over them like some impatient bird of prey. Soldiers lined the walls of the keep, and noticing the change in the pair's behavior, seemed to watch the procession with the same sense of apprehension that so heavily weighed on them.

"I'm not sure, Marc. And honestly, I'm just going to give our report. It's something they should know, clearly. But it's not worth our stress. Our job is simply to direct our weapons where we are told."

"Yeah, but you can't just forget about what happened. Something is very wrong here. Since when do bandits not harm anyone in a raid? Nor did they pillage anything. I think even the villagers were confused… the only real damage was done by the fire, and they said that was accidental."

Eric stayed quiet. The questions the encounter had raised weighed on him like an anvil, but he knew his friend had come to depend on his conviction. If he showed his unease, it would unnerve his partner even more.

Upon their arrival, they refused food and drink and even rest, and asked to be taken to the guard captain immediately. Sensing the urgency, the guards accommodated him, and before long they were greeted by two knights, Paladins of Caelin, the same pair that had trained them.

"Ah, Marcus and Eric. I hope your journey hasn't taxed you too heavily. Why have you sent for us so soon after your return? You're not expected to debrief until tomorrow… you should rest while you can!"

The pair looked at each other nervously.

"Lord Kent, Lord Sain… we bring news of a... mysterious encounter." Eric began to recall everything that had happened, from the details of combat to the chieftain's cryptic last words, and by the time the story came to a close, even infallible Sain wore a frown.

"I think… you should tell the Lady all of this herself. You've done a great service today. Get some food, get some sleep, and report to us when you wake tomorrow." Kent kept a straight face, but as he concluded his statement, he gave a faint smile. Sain donned his familiar grin, and told the pair to lighten up, and not to stress about the encounter. Thanking their superiors, Marcus and Eric saluted, then turned about and excused themselves.

"Mark my words, Eric. Something is very wrong here." Marcus whispered as they trudged through the dark hallway leading to their barracks.
"Consider them marked. I'd wager some coin on it, but I don't want to put you in even more debt." Eric smiled, knowing full well that Marcus couldn't see the gesture. It served to comfort himself, as he too felt that something was very wrong.