Chapter 4:
The Bradenford Exodus
Johnathon made his goodbyes to his wife and child, promising them both that he would succeed in their venture. I could tell Maria was against it but since she was a woman she didn't have the place to question him in a society like this. Personally I don't know how far the extent of this world went with the treatment of women. In Colonial days it was not only legal, but encouraged for a man to torture a woman for not obeying his wishes; however I doubt that Johnathon would do something like that.
We got on a pair of horses that a friend of Johnathon's let us borrow and began to ride to Lexton. The place was a bit far, about 3 miles from South Gotha and these damn horses are not meant to be very comfortable. Times liked this when I miss a Hummer or a Jeep.
The village of Lexton wasn't a bad one. You had the essentials, black smiths, key smiths, food places etc. It was primarily a trading and market place for the local farms in the area. We got off the horse's in front of a small Inn, where people would gather to talk and make business over a good drink of liquor.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Johnathon said.
"I haven't the faintest idea to be honest." I said with a serious face.
"Why decide to do this Sherman, you do know that the Government will hunt them down even if we do save them." He said.
"Better to live on the run than to not live at all." I said honestly.
"I take it you talk from experience?" Johnathon asked but I ignored him, confirming his question.
Inside it was rather packed, I'd say close to 3 dozen men and young boys, the youngest being about 12 I'd say. Everyone was talking and being social, a few men who were a bit tipsy singing badly but over all it seemed like they all had a good time.
In the center was a small high rise, kind of like a make shift stage where all the local news would be delivered or some brave fool would try to perform. Since they were all artisans, smiths, laborers, and farmers there were very few who had any singing talent whatsoever.
Johnathon got up on the stage and yelled to get everyone's attention. Everyone piped down and listened, thinking it was going to be some of the local news. A few guys noticed that it was Johnathon and yelled out a hello to their friend. Unlike most taverns most men were sober and the only ones drunk were only a little tipsy, they would probably be ok to drive if they were from my land.
"Listen up gents." Johnathon yelled out with a booming voice that commanded respect, no doubt acquired from his time in the Albion Marines. "I'm sure you all have heard of what's going on in Bradenford." He said.
"Yes, they have been charged with heresy and treason." A man called out, all the others nodding their heads in affirmation.
"Yes, my daughter went there when it was occupied." Johnathon saw the sympathies from the other men. "Originally I was hoping to stop her from getting there but unfortunately I was not fast enough." Again more sympathies. Every man respectfully bowed his head while a few offered hand gestures which I assumed was some kind of prayer. "However I have the good fortune of meeting a drunken fool who said that we could do more than save my daughter." This time all their heads looked up in confusion.
"How do you mean?" One of Johnathon's friends asked.
"Simple Ezkal." Johnathon said. "We save the town." The silence was almost deafening had it not been for a few mugs falling and hitting the ground.
"This is no time for games Johnathon." A man said.
"With me is a man who I believe will be able to help us. His name is Sherman and he is the very man who stood up to LT. General Alistair Duncan." He pointed to me, which I just kind of froze on the spot.
"Isn't he the same man with those fairy stories from your Inn?" another man asked who was probably there that day.
"Yes, but I believe this man can help us to save the Town from the Nobles who bear down on it." Johnathon defended.
"That would be Treason, we would surely be put to death." A man cried out in fear.
"And what of Bradenford, what would that do for them? They would live their lives in fear and running." Another man said.
"And what would you choose?" I cut in, standing next to Johnathon. "Would you submit to a torturous death or fight to your last breath for a few more moments to live." I said. "What would you do?" I asked the man who stood silent.
"I would run." A man stood up, prompting others to look at him with admiration.
"We will save these people, we will stop them from being unjustly murdered by those who believes themselves better than us." I stated.
"How?" A man asked.
"I will teach you how to fight, then when we get them out of there we will run to the border and steal a ship. From there we will escape to the mainland and continue our lives in another country." The other men looked at me with fear and anticipation.
"So we would give up our lives..." A man started but I finished.
"To save a brother? You should, yes." I lied. Truthfully, I didn't care much for the people. The only person that really mattered to me was the girl. I will pay Johnathon back for his kindness, even if I cause his life to ruin in this country.
All the men looked down, contemplating what to do.
"I'm with him." A man stepped forward.
"Me was well." Another said.
Soon the entire bar was offering their aid to saving Bradenford. I felt good, it's like being back in the Military all over again. I could tell that Johnathon was a bit worried but he was as determined as everyone else. We got out a piece of paper, labeling it as the "Bradenford Exodus", Which I named after the Biblical Exodus.
"How do we defeat an entire Albion Platoon?" A man asked after signing his name.
"How many men have Muskets?" I asked.
"We all do sir, however it was issued yesterday that all Commoners relinquish their weapons for the safety of the people." He said.
"Right, classic Aristocracy move." I said, remembering my education in old Political teachings. Best way to ensure complete government control, disarm and dishearten the people so they are unwilling and unable to fight back. "Gather everything you have, muskets and anything that can be used to kill a man, quickly." The man nodded and was off.
Once everyone had their weapons I gathered them all in the center of the Inn with a map of Bradenford. Bradenford was a simple little town which was on the edge of a forest, perfect for hiding and concealing troops before an initial attack. All the men had gathered their families so that they could flee with them when the act was done. More men had joined our cause when they went around to get their supplies, I had now over 50 men who would help me with this fight.
"Where I come from we have a very effective strategy involving the Musket, it's called Volley fire." I said.
"How does it work?" Johnathon asked.
"Can anyone tell me a Muskets biggest flaw?" I asked but no one raised their hand.
"It's loud?" A man asked.
"Close, but not quite." I said. "It's about as accurate as a blind man throwing a rock, you can't hit shit with it. That's why we came up with the idea of firing in volleys." I demonstrated this by grabbing a rock. "Imagine I want to hit that mug." I point to a mug on a table. "I could throw one rock and hope to hit it." I throw it, intentionally missing to illustrate the inaccuracy of the Musket. "Or throw a bunch of them, giving myself a better chance to hit it." I now throw a handful of rocks, easily hitting the glass.
"I think I get it, more Muskets firing means a better chance to hit." A man said.
"Exactly." I confirmed. "We stand in a line, each man picking a target. There should be no more than 2 dozen enemy soldiers. On my command a quarter of our troops fire, in large scales there would be multiple lines with a whole wall of men firing at once. However we have less men so only a few should fire. While they reload the next quarter fire. We keep this up until the enemy is either dead or close the distance, which then we will use our close range weapons to fight back." I explained, drawing symbols in a piece of paper to represent my idea while the others watch. "Unfortunately we won't have time to practice but we can do this if you all follow my orders." I finished explaining.
"Will this work?" Johnathon asked.
"I've been in worst situations, trust me." I said.
All the men nodded in approval and went about getting ready for their journey.
We stood on the edge of the forest, overlooking the scene in Bradenford. The people were standing in a line, leading to a rope tied to a tree. Since the morning they were getting ready to hang the people for their "Crimes" and were preparing to start executing them. I had the men organized so that they would fire on my command in bursts, when I scream "Fire" the first group of men will fire and so on.
"Do you see your daughter?" I asked Johnathon. He shook his head no.
"They haven't started yet though so she should be safe." He said. "She is too young to catch the attention of a man." He breathed with relief.
"Not uncommon for a girl that age to be taken advantage of, especially to men like these." I said without consideration.
"Now I know why you have yet to be married." Johnathon said with a dead panned look. "No offense but you should learn proper speaking skills." He said.
"Never had a need." I said without really caring.
The men looked nervous and some look terrified. The kept moving and making noise. I originally thought we were going to be spotted with how clumsily they got into position with all the tripping and snapping twigs on the way here. If we were'n't trying to sneak I would have probably shot them for being so incompetent.
Even from this position we could see and hear the commotion. The cries and prayers of the poor saps who were about to get killed off for no other reason than speaking their mind. A well dressed Noble in fancy silver armor with green clothing under it and draped over walked up near the line, ready to explain their crimes and start killing them off.
"People of Bradenford." He yelled out, opening a scroll to read his speech. "You are hereby sentence to death for the crime of heresy and treason, brought about by your foolishness to question the orders and law of the great Reconquista. If you so wish you will be allowed your last rights and granted salvation from your crimes in the next life." He read off.
"Please, we're innocent!" A woman cried out, tears streaking down her face.
"Please release my children." Another woman cried, hoping to spare her children this fate.
"Silence!" The man shouter. "You have all committed your crimes and deserve nothing less than death. Be thankful you're glorious masters have seen fit to grant you salvation through execution."
"Thank for your kindness." A woman said with tears streaming her face, completely submitting to her so called "Masters".
"There she is." I said to Johnathon, pointing at a young girl at the front of the line. Poor little Clara was crying her eyes out, terrified to mover or say anything, afraid of more punishment.
"Are we ready?" Johnathon asked.
"Yes, tell the men to get ready and aim. When I say fire we'll do what we discussed." I ordered.
"Got it." He turned to tell the men. "By the way." He turned to me real quick. "Thanks." He said. I just ignored him, not really caring for thanks.
Clara was getting the noose tied around her neck, standing on a stool and about to be pushed off. Now she was sobbing hard from the fear and anticipation. I took aim with my Musket and aimed right at her executioner, hoping that my aim is good enough to hit him. At roughly 30 Meters I had to be careful not to hit her. Taking a breath I decided to let the show begin.
"FIRE!" I screamed and the whole area got covered in smoke. My Musket went off a bit later than everyone else's so that I could re-aim after screaming fire and not shaking from the sound of a dozen Muskets going off. Clara's executioner went down is a bleeding wound in his shoulder but she managed to stay on the stool.
5 men fell down or bent over from their injuries while the others turned towards us with their wands drawn. They hesitated giving us time to take another shot.
"FIRE!" I yelled again, dropping my Musket and taking out a woodcutting ax that one of the men gave me to use. Another 5 went down, screaming in pain from their injuries. The others had the sense to fire back but they fired their spells blindly, missing all of us. Rockets and fire blasts passed over us, missing us by practical miles.
"FIRE!" This time 6 went down. These farmers were very good shots, better than I am. There were only 4 men left but now they had the sense to get behind something, that something being the villagers.
"CHARGE!" I yelled out, running towards the remaining soldiers, knowing that another volley would get the people killed. The others followed behind me, charging like untrained mad men with farming tools as weapons, although a few people had a dagger or sword.
One Noble ran from behind the villager to attack me. He raised a longsword and tried to cut me in and overhead attack. Before he connected though I body slammed him, taking him to the ground and kicking him in the face. He can't use his magic when on the ground like this and with me in such close proximity.
I lifted my foot and stomped on his face but his helmet too the brunt of my attack, giving him a nasty head ache but keeping him alive and conscious. He tried to stab at my legs with a dagger but I moved out of the way. Before he could get up I dropped the ax on his chest, severely denting his armor but not penetrating it. I lifted it again, making the dent larger and deeper with an even harder chop. The Noble grunted in pain and seemed too much in pain to fight back.
A final chop dented it so deep it shattered his ribs and made the shredded bones dig into his upper organs. He gasped and gurgled in pain as blood filled his lungs and I knew it would be a slow suffocating death, maybe a minute of pain before he passes out from asphyxiation.
The other Nobles were taken out quickly, surrounded and stabbed in the spots between their armor. We won and the Nobles were all dead, unable to continue fighting.
Looking around at the carnage I saw the devastation. Musket balls are slow, going no faster than a BB gun and do not have the same raw damage of modern bullets. Unless you're shot in the heart, throat, or brain death was a very slow process. Not counting the 4 Nobles we killed bear handed, only 3 others were dead. The rest were screaming in agony. Most were shot in the torso and had their organs ruptured, men shot in the stomach suffered the worst fate since their stomach acids poured out and corroded their insides.
The others looked at the scene with great disturbance but I felt nothing. I care nothing for these men and don't give a damn if they die quickly or slowly. It was their own damn fault for what they were about to do.
Johnathon got his daughter off the the noose and hugged her tightly, afraid to let her go again. He made sure she covered her eyes and ears so she wouldn't be scarred by the horrible sight.
I sat up on top of a hill over looking the village. What I wouldn't give for a cigar, to calm my nerves. Hell, I'd settle with some light booze.
"We're ready to head out when you are." Johnathon said, walking up to me.
"So long." I said, turning to leave.
"What do you mean, aren't you coming?" He asked.
"No, I paid my debt." I said, continuing to walk. He got in front of me, blocking my path. "Don't get in my way..." I threatened.
"We did this so that you could lead us out of here and now you're leaving? And what debt?" He asked angrily.
"You took me in, I appreciate that. But all I wanted to do was save your girl so I wouldn't have to owe you anything else." I said plainly.
"We defied the Government, we killed Nobles. There is no future for us in Albion. You were supposed to lead us out of here." He commanded.
"I lied." I said, turning away.
"So you would condemn us to death and torture? You saved my daughter from execution but now you would condemn her to torture?" I said nothing and kept walking. "I thought I had you figured out, I thought you were just a man down on his luck but good inside. Now I know that you are nothing but a selfish fool who cares for nothing but himself." He was almost screaming.
"Are you still talking?" I asked cynically. He looked at me with shock.
"You know..." He began. "You said that you left your Military for the same reasons I did, that you didn't want to fight for someone else's interests. I thought I connected with you there but I was wrong. You didn't want to fight for others because you were to worried about yourself." He said.
"What else is there?!" I yelled. "When you're forced to fight in an armpit of a nation for the interests of some rich bastards at the expense of others. I murdered children for them, fought everyday to protect a nation that cares for nothing else but their own profit and interests. Why do you think I abandoned them?" I asked.
"Because you became them." Johnathon said and turned away.
All of a sudden I froze, unable to process what he said. I felt sick for some reason, unable to come to terms with the harsh truth that was thrown at me. Me like them? Impossible. I may look the other way when people suffer but at least I don't cause their suffering. At least I am a man of honor, I make sure my debts are paid. I saved his daughter and this is how he repaid me, by throwing those words in my face.
But is he not entitled, does he not speak the truth. Does turning a blind eye to evil mean that you are as bad as those who have committed it.
Of course not, it's not natural to save others. The world is like a wild forest, all the animals do what they can to survive. Does a bear protect a deer when it's attacked by a mountain lion?
So now you're using natural justification for your crimes? Do you not remember what you mother told you? There is a balance in our lives, we must show love and compassion to others for their to be good in the world. Evil is the absence of good and you must pursue the right causes to find inner peace.
But she died, she was murdered by people who she showed kindness too.
Does that mean everyone is bad and that you should forsake her teachings?
Yes, no one cares for anyone. Everyone just tries to look after themselves without giving a damn for anyone else.
Everyone, or just you?
"Fuck!" I slammed my head against a tree, causing blood to run down from a gash on my forehead. "Why the hell does this bother me so much?" I asked myself, hoping that by some miracle the Spirits will provide me with an answer. "Should I just turn my back on everything I believe and help some strangers I know nothing about?" I asked.
Yes.
Taking a long sigh I sat down next to the tree to think over what I was going to do next. I can just run, one person would be hard to find. If I stay with them I'll be putting my own life in danger.
Then my attention turned to Johnathon and his little girl. The held each other and he was whispering sweet lies of comfort to her so she wouldn't worry. They had showed my kindness and never asked anything in return. They offered my shelter, a job, and risked their own lives to conceal me from death.
"Spirits, you better not be screwing me over." I whispered to the Spirits of the Earth, hoping that there was some purpose to all this madness. "I'll help them escape Albion and then that's it. That's my good deed for this life. Ok? Ok, good." I told myself and ran down to speak with Johnathon.
As expected he did not want to see me, he glared at me with hatred and turned his back. Can't say I blame him, I did practically put him on the chopping block.
"We have nothing more to say." He said. I grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.
"We'll pick up your wife and son, then head south to the port. From there we'll get you guys a ride to the mainland." I said, to which he looked at me with surprise.
"All of us?" He asked, gesturing to all the men around them.
"Might as well, after that though you're on your own." I made that last point clearly.
"All I ever asked." He smiled and patted my shoulder.
"Don't touch me." I said plainly. I felt a tug on my pants and looked down at the little girl who I saved.
"Thanks mister Sherman." She said with an innocent face, luckily unscarred by the horrors of the dying men who were quickly put out of their misery.
"It's fine kid." I said, lightly patting her head.
"Now this is a hero!" A man cried out, putting his shoulder on mine. I guess the men didn't hear that I was planning to leave them, maybe Johnathon didn't say it yet.
"A man like no other!" Another cried out.
"A Commoner who defeated a Noble!" Another yelled.
All the villagers of Bradenford screamed in cheers for me, some of the women swooning over me like I was a god in human form.
I guess most people would feel honored or arrogant to the praise. However, after knowing what I was going to do to them I felt sick. For some reason I felt guilt for what I was planning to do, something I haven't felt in years. For some reason I felt emotions that I buried away for years, emotions I have not felt since I left the US.
I'm glad I'm an expert at poker, because I am almost unable to look anyone in the eye.
"What do you mean they haven't returned?" LT. General Alistair Duncan shouted out to his men. "It''s a simple job, kill a few Commoners and be back by the end of the 3RD morning. Why have I not heard from Warrant Officer Douglas?" He asked.
"Sir, we've sent a patrol to look for them. They said they found the Warrant Officer and his men dead and the town deserted." One of Duncan's servants stammered.
"Who did it?!" He yelled out in anger.
"There are rumors that it was a group of Commoners, the small town of Lexton is deserted as well with all their weapons and many of their essentials gone." He said in fear.
"Having trouble Duncan?" The portly Noble turned around to see a man dressed in fine green clothing. He had a cleanly shaved face and his hair was in a very short cut, uncommon among Albion Nobles who prided themselves with long and well kept hair. When asked the man always said "Hair gets in the way of combat." He had a lighter build but it was clear that he took very good care of his body, his movements calculated and with a purpose.
"Not at all brother." Duncan said to his brother. "Everything is under control." He said.
"Really?" He asked. "Two towns deserted and a Platoon of Nobles dead, sounds like quite a bit of a predicament if I do say so myself." He said with a bit of arrogance.
"When I find them they will die." Duncan said angrily.
"And do you know where they are?" The brother asked.
"I will find him." Duncan said.
"I'd suggest you block all the roads leading south. This is an Exodus, they're planning to flee. The only way off of Albion is the ports on the south, as long as they can't go there you can corner them when they run north." Duncan's brother said.
"I am a higher rank than you Brigadier, don't you forget that little brother." Duncan gloated.
"As you say brother, you are of higher rank than me. Surely I know nothing." He bowed and left his brother alone.
End Chapter 4
Please Review, thank you.