Chapter 7.19: Ambush, Campfire and the Young Soldier
The trap was sprung the moment your men made contact. You had stayed a safe distance away and watched while the first of your cavalry was felled by a surprise spear. The tribesmen had probably looted Fort Tigrien for the armor and boots. Before you could think of running away, however, war cries resounded from the foggy plains around you. A rain of arrows fell all around you, striking men and horse alike. Before you knew it, you were surrounded. Despite your aspirations for command, nothing could have prepared you for the messy reality of an actual melee. In the midst of shouts and cries and dying men, the intense emotions of fear and panic emanating from your men overwhelmed your mind, leaving you gaping with your sword hanging loosely from your hand. In the next instant, you are pulled off your horse, and a burst of darkness engulfs your sight.
***
The first thing you see when you wake is the last thing you expected to see. Ban is huddled in front of a fire, staring into its flickering red glow.
“I've been looking for you, Ban.” you groan, trying to get up.
“You shouldn't have.”
His voice was different. It was colder... older. You are not sure if it was the harsh light of the fire, but his features were gaunt and his eyes haunted.
“What happened? I was in a midst of a battle and...”
“I managed to get there in time to save you. The rest... well, it was too late.”
“You have my thanks, then. What are you doing out here? Where is the rest of the army?”
“Dead.”
You frown. Ban had been with some of the best fighting men the Imperial Army had to offer.
“Were you attacked by the tribes?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“What else is there out on these steppes that could defeat 30,000 men of the Imperial Army?” Your voice was full of disbelief, though inwardly you wonder if it wasn't something of a less mundane nature. Still, a force that could utterly destroy 30 regiments was not to be dismissed. Ban reached by his side and brought out a long, thin object wrapped in cloth. A weird sensation filled your body. It was part dread, part anticipation. As Ban unwrapped the object, you saw that it was a sheathed sword, slightly curved in the current Assyro-Babylonian fashion. Though it looked like a normal sword, there was just something a bit off about it that you could not put your finger on.
“This.”
“I don't get you, Ban.”
“I was given this to use.”
As he drew the sword from its scabbard, the night seemed to grow even more hushed. Even the crackling sound of the flames died down; the ring of the blade as it was drawn from its scabbard somehow drew in all the sound in the world, swallowing all into silence. The metal of the blade was dark, glinting subtly in the fire's light. Though it appeared to blaze as fiercely as ever, you realize that you could not feel its warmth. As Ban stared at it, his eyes mirrored the gleam of the sword. You had a sudden urge to grab it from him, but something told you that it would not be the wisest of ideas.
“I was given this to awaken it.” whispered Ban.
You laugh nervously. “What's the story behind that sword?”
He shrugged, his eyes still on the sword. “Orders from above.” He tittered, slightly. It was a sound you had never heard him make before, and you fear that he might have gone off the rails just like the man he pursued. “They did not tell me how to do it, but that accursed madman showed me how. He laughed and he disappeared.” His voice dropped low, growling in anger. With a grunt, he sheathed the sword. Colour seemed to come back into the world, the warmth of the fire soothing your skin again.
Ban ran his fingers through his tangled, dirty hair. Now he just looked tired, but he seemed to have brightened up compared to before he drew the sword. You raise your hand outwards, curious about the sword. "It's an interesting blade. Do you think you could let me have a look at it?" He did not reply, but the dark scowl - almost murderous, if you felt it correctly - that you got in return told you the answer.
“At any rate, I carried out my orders. Now I'm to return this to the capital,” Ban sighed, shaking the sword in the air. “I don't want to think of anything else. Get some rest, Dio. Tomorrow we will stop by Tigrien, then we will head for Euphraxes.”
“Ah, there is a slight problem there,” you groan. “About seventy thousand tribesmen are besieging Fort Euphraxes.”
Ban sighs, “If that's the case, we will head directly for the Hittite border.”
“Wait, you aren't going to aid the fort?”
He shook his head. “I'm done. The fort's done. We won't get there in time to do anything, and even if we did, there's not enough of us to make a difference. Well...” It seemed as if he was going to say something, but he stopped there and shook his head again, deciding not to say what he thought. “No, it won't make a difference.” You could feel that there was something he could do to make a difference, which he is not telling you.
You wonder what Ban had been through, to change him so much. Certainly this wasn't the same youth you knew just a scant few months ago.
***
A. You insist on persuading Ban to try and rescue Fort Euphraxes, reminding him of the favours he owes you. The ramifications of a fort with the remnants of the expedition falling would be quite severe, not to mention your reputation is on the line here. You had just led your men into an ambush, and before that you had left Fort Euphraxes in somewhat of a messy predicament. This would not help your name when you return to the capital, not to mention that Garsu might still be alive and beginning to spin a tale of your incompetence.
B. You head towards Imperial lands with Ban, who seeks to return the sword. Something about the sword intrigues you greatly, however, and you sense that you could probably gain a great deal of power if you make it yours. It is clear he won't give it to you, so you must wait till his guard is down before you take it. Your experiences have taught you that political power is transient and the only power you can count on is your own. If you manage to do it quickly, you could even have time to return to Fort Euphraxes yourself to save the day.
C. With or without Ban, you are going back to Fort Euphraxes. You do not know how you are going to pull it off, but you are sure you will find a way to triumph once you reach there. You allow Ban to go on his way while you travel back to fix your mistakes.
D. The sword sounds like a bad idea to you, but it could be another way for you to gain glory. Ban being the way he is, you are sure you can manage to claim partial credit for 'escorting' him back to Ankida. At the very least this is the easiest way to salvage something from this disastrous Rus adventure.
.
