Good Freeday, 19th of Aprillia, 470th Year of the Fifth Era

  “For the past few years, Hutangali has sustained considerable raids from our northern borderlands with the Bontarmata (Halak word for western foreigners, lit. translates to ‘Pale Eyes’).” Lord Sohasurahan began his explanation to the situation that Hutangali calls for aid in “While we have enjoyed relatively peaceful relations with the Bontarmata, in recent years there have been a significant increase in bad actors among them. Usually this would take shape in the form of one or two bandit groups that our men would usually take care of, but due to several constraints upon our manpower, we have failed to keep these forces in check. This has led to the formation of a prominent force of bandits within the area and they have even taken to construct a minor fortress on top of a strategic hill overlooking a chokepoint that serves as our main land-route for trade with the Bontarmata.”

  Josias furrowed his brow when he heard the explanation to the situation regarding Goria’s northern ally. Well it at least explained why trade from the northern land routes had been dwindling recently. As he looked around to gather the reaction from his grandfather, he noticed the king was merely rubbing his forehead, an indication that he was in deep thought. Soon after the explanation, Elder Hagogoan of the Sigompul clan spoke up to ask, “How many men would you say hold this fort of rabble? Do you have any information?”

  “We don’t have a clear idea especially if we’re going on concrete evidence as we couldn’t risk the safety of our people to spy out the area.” Lord Sohasurahan answered “However, after observing the base from a vantage point with my scouts, I can at least give a rough estimate of somewhere between two to three hundred men based on the amount of people that come and go. If we were to assume that the bandits have other camps around the area as well as control over some surrounding villages and hamlets to sustain their operation, we can perhaps raise the estimate of their total manpower to be somewhere around a thousand souls with non-combatants included.”

  “I don’t understand why Raja Tagam has failed to act directly upon this threat to begin with…” Elder Pirma of the Sipistar clan asked “To my understanding with what you have shown to this council before, both Hutangali and Rumaparau have strong ties to each other. With Rumaparau’s borders secure, could they not send warriors to aid Hutangali in eradicating the foreign devils? Or are we to understand that not even the combined forces of two realms are not enough to deal with a group of bandits?”

  At the elder’s questioning, a few of the other elders also started murmuring. Josias couldn’t lie and say that he too wasn’t curious as to the answer. King Parhal’s look towards the allied delegates also grew inquisitive. Lord Sohasurahan exchanged a few looks with his Rumaparau counterpart before he sighed and decided to answer the king.

  “Unfortunately, my lord elders, to assault the bandits’ fortified position would require at least a few thousand soldiers in number and it would no doubt prove costly…” Lord Sohasurahan answered.

  “Does there even need to be an assault to begin with?” Another elder, the leader of the Siparadian clan spoke up as well “Gather your men and surround those bastards’ fort then starve them after! Cut off their supplies and when they’ve run out of rations, no doubt they’d sally forth and when they do that, eliminate them all!”

  “With all due respect, lord Elder, we aren’t fools. Clearly we have thought of such an approach before but maintaining a large number of men from our side to conduct the encirclement would no doubt cost us greatly as well. With the men out as warriors in a single concentrated space, there will be few left to tend to our own fields and crops nor defend them.”

  “Well it would surely be better than doing nothing and sitting on your thumbs waiting for a miracle!” Another elder said.

  “Why not make a few choice sacrifices for the good of the many? Rationing your people would help alleviate some number of men to divert towards the siege. I doubt a newly built fort - regardless of how well defended it is - would last more than a few weeks or perhaps a month at best.” Elder Rihar of the Rapmasari gave his own two cents on the situation.

  “Do the noble clans of Hutangali lack the grit to crush simple bandits?”.

  “I don’t understand, no matter how I see it, I don’t think an intervention from Goria would be necessary.”

  “Do our allies not think that we have our own problems to worry about in terms of security? Our realms border no less than seven heathen kings, all hostile and would bare their fangs at us the moment we show even the slightest shred of weakness!”

  Soon enough almost all the elders within the King’s Hall erupted in relatively harsh criticism towards the realms that Goria was supposedly allied to. Josias merely shook his head as he personally also had many questions regarding the request for aid to Goria. How many men would they require? What would their proposed strategy to deal with the bandits even be? What was even the power comparison between the two sides?

  From Josias’ own perspective, he viewed Hutangali’s relative inaction and restraint to be detrimental towards the situation at hand. However, with all that being said, it would also pose to be a horrible look for his grandfather as the Hulubalang of all the Halak were he to unilaterally decide to abrogate any alliance with fellow Halak kingdoms, let alone fellow christian realms. In the middle of the rowdy situation and accusations, the allied delegates’ faces grew strained and tired. Their voices had been drowned out by the clamoring of Goria’s elders and so after a while, they opted to remain quiet. Josias could also see the young warriors of Rumaparau and Hutangali show contempt in their expression towards the delegates who were their elders. The situation was more complicated than he had previously thought.

  The situation grew more disorderly until eventually the king raised his right hand and Elder Marasi bellowed out as usual, “SILENCE!!! The king speaks!!”. In almost an instant, the room had once more quieted down and everyone looked to the king.

  “...Do you have any more intelligence on… the composition of these bandits’ army…? How many aura users… mages, or… weaponry??” King Parhal asked.

  “While we don’t have the exact numbers, lord Hulubalang, we have sufficient information on their leader, courtesy of our friends among the Sibontarmata.” Lord Sohasurahan answered the king “The bandit leader goes by the name ‘Gerald Palmer’ who according to our sources was a former merchant and soldier of the Sibontarmata. The last official report of him suggests that he was a third-star warrior but it wouldn’t be a surprise were we to discover he had ascended to the next level of power. He had abandoned his duties towards his senior officers and was ousted from his own rank due to the discovery that he had been raiding villages within our realm and capturing our people to enslave and sell despite our standing agreements with the Bontarmata government… ”

  When Lord Sohasurahan explained that, the atmosphere of the room became far colder as the looks of many of the elders showed that they were incensed by the matter of slavery towards their people. Even Josias couldn’t help but frown at the mention of such a notion. Though it was exceedingly common for the other heathen Halak kingdoms to make war with each other and take slaves from each other, for the christian realms, it was something that was systematically being phased out little by little.

  When his grandfather had fully embraced christianity over two decades ago, one of his first acts was to free the slaves of his own household and return them to their families should they so choose with those who remained becoming paid workers. By the time Josias was born, there weren’t many slaves left within the main village of Goria and he didn’t grow up being served by any directly either. Most of the other elders followed suit after their own conversion, though some stigma still remained. After all, it was only due to their beauty and prowess that Safira and Sadrach were well-respected among the clans despite their mother’s former status as a bought slave.

  With all that being said, the Halak people were a prideful bunch if nothing else and being enslaved by one’s own people - despite the fact that it was still a depraved and horrible act - was very different from being treated like cattle by foreigners who could not even understand them. This was a pox upon the Halak realm, and one that needed to be excised.

  “...If this bandit is a former warrior of the Bontarmata… Have you all not requested for their Lord John to… deal with them?” King Parhal continued his line of questioning. It was a question that made sense. Why not have the foreigners of Newlandia deal with a problem that by all means appear to be of their own making?

  “My brother had indeed sent a letter to the President-Minister and they had initially agreed to lend us an entire regiment of soldiers to help quash the bandits, but… they pulled back their support at the last minute.” Lord Sohasurahan explained “And the reasons they had cited for the decision was something we couldn’t argue with in good faith either.”

  “...What was the reason..?”

  “We have received news that tensions are escalating upon the border between the Bontarmata and the Wisnajayans. It appears the north will be facing another war soon enough.”

  Once more the room broke out into murmurs of surprise and worry. A matter of war between two major states in the continent would certainly overshadow some banditry in what the foreigners would consider an insignificant border. Josias folded his arms as he thought about what he would do were he to face such a situation.

  “That is also for the most part the reason why we can’t afford to maintain a long siege with thousands of men. If the Wisnajayans were to truly commit to a full-blown invasion of the Bontarmata, the clans of Tanohisar would doubtless not stand idly by. Tanohisar has close relations with the Banuans and no doubt their warriors would be hired as mercenaries along with the snake-men to fight against the Bontarmata. Leaving our borders with them unguarded to the fullest would be most unwise and while the king of Rumaparau has pledged to help us in that regard, he can only spare but a few hundred men for the endeavour. While Hutangali doesn’t expect the hulubalang to spare us even a hundred warriors, some consideration should still be given towards our heartfelt plea as loyal allies and fellow christians.”

  As Lord Sohasurahan finished his explanation, the Hall went quiet as the development had managed to silence the Gorian elders into deep thought. After a few moments, the King finally nodded as he raised his hand to grab everyone’s attention once more. King Parhal finally coughed a few times before giving an answer.

  “...I have received your concerns as well as your… request for aid, brothers.” King Parhal had said before he got up from the dragonbone throne “...I have decided to honour your request as our brothers and allies… Goria shall lend you aid with what little we can afford.”

  King Parhal turned towards his eldest son and heir before calling out to him, “...Ruli!!”

  “Yes, father?” Parulian said as he straightened his back at the king’s call.

  “....You shall hand-pick a hundred of our realm's best Tiger-warriors… You shall aid our allies in their time of need and help to… vanquish… any evil that dares threaten the Halak realms!”

  “It will be done as you have said, father.” Parulian bowed as he accepted King Parhal’s commission. Josias couldn’t help but feel excited at the charge as he expected for his father to pick him as one of the warriors to join the mission. As he looked around to see the faces of his friends and fellow young warriors, they had the same amount of excitement apparent on their faces.

  “We thank you for your consideration, Lord Hulubalang…” Lord Sohasurahan and Lord Marudut bowed as they accepted the king’s aid.

  “...However I say this on one condition…” King Parhal said with his golden aura laced into his words before the two allied lords exchanged looks.

  “Speak, Lord Hulubalang…” Lord Sohasurahan said, a slight tremble in his voice as it was clear he could feel the king’s pressuring aura emanating from his frail-looking body.

  “...You shall grant all authority to lead this attack and strategizing to my son… Lord Parulian. We will crush the bandit trash and free your people… but the glory will foremost belong to Goria and its warriors… and with that so shall the loot were we to find any…” The King placed his conditions with an authoritative stance indicating that it was a non-negotiable clause.

  “...That is understandable, my lord hulubalang. I shall inform my elder brother immediately through letter.”

  “...However, due to your compliance, I shall promise you… complete and utter victory…” King Parhal continued as he once more looked towards his son “Ruli, the warriors that you choose shall be no lower than of the second star of power… It has been too long since our warriors have faced true human opponents… Bosi manojomi bosi, suang le songon i baoa manojomi bohi ni donganna… (Iron sharpeneth Iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.)”

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  “It will be so, father…” Parulian answered once more as he thumped his chest.

  “...And so it shall be. You have two days to prepare. So it was that on the third day Our Lord Rises from the Grave… so too shall our warriors rise up to the task! You shall set out after Paskah… I. Have. Spoken…” And with that King Parhal had retracted his domineering aura as he sat back into his throne.

  As soon as the aura was released, the two foreign delegates who were most probably three star warriors at best and were unused to the king’s pressure had immediately dropped to their knees on the ground. Josias could see that the two men were also heavily panting, but nonetheless, Lord Sohasurahan showed his respect towards king Parhal. Some of the Gorian men had helped the delegates back on their feet before the king had officially and formally disbanded the gathering.

  All that to say, Josias and the rest of his fellow warriors were instructed by his grandfather to show the Rumaparau and Hutangali delegates to the newly built lodging next to the barracks where the guests would be staying for the time being. All the while they were doing that, king Parhal, Parulian, and the Goria elders remained within the king’s hall. Josias didn’t know what was left to be discussed but regardless, if the elders deemed it so that the youth didn’t have to know, he didn’t plan on sticking his nose in business that might as well be far above his capacity to deal with. All he was looking to do now was to be done with his job as a guide and quickly head home and get some rest. Though, with all the excitement rushing through him currently on the prospects of going on a real expedition to fight real people, he might not be able to calm himself down to sleep.

  A new day was awaiting, and with it a new adventure.

  ***

  ( This next part is unnecessary to read as it’s just extra politics but it provides good flavour text.)

  It was already late and perhaps almost midnight but the King’s Hall of Goria was still awake with the King and his council all sitting on the floor of the Hall with drinking cups and flaggons laid near them. The council had formed a circular seating pattern as they all appeared to have playing cards in their hands and silver coins were being placed about on the floor next to the middle pile of cards.

  Parulian sat himself in between his father and the Lord Ephorus Archbishop Ludwig who had taken off most of his liturgical regalia before joining in to play the game of cards. They were all playing ‘Joker Naria’, a card game introduced to the Halak by foreign merchants a few decades earlier. In fact, funnily enough, western playing card decks had been introduced to the Halak people earlier than even christianity as far as Parulian could remember. But at the end of the day, the origins of the card game wasn’t important so long as the folks there knew how to play. The game that was currently being played was suitable for six players therefore leaving some of the elders to just watch and laugh as the losers would be replaced by other players.

  The ones currently playing were his father, King Parhal, the bishop Ludwig, Elder Rihar, Elder Marasi, Elder Sabam, and Elder Hagogoan. As the elders were playing their cards, they had also taken the chance to talk to each other about the recent political news they had received from the allied delegate such as the escalating conflict between the Wisnajayans and the foreign colonists of the north. All the while as they were cracking jokes with each other in between the serious conversations. Besides the elder heads of the clans, Namboru Ester was also there enjoying a smoke from her pipe as she was busy looking over her husband’s set of cards.

  “Gentlemen, I’ll be extending peace here so please show mercy…” Bishop Ludwig said as he put down three cards, all of the same suit in front of him, numbered 3, 4, and 5.

  “Hah just what I needed! Ah-!” Elder Rihar said as he was about to put down a card on the newly made ‘string of card’ before his ear was pulled by his wife.

  “Don’t be stupid, you old goat! Why do you need to play there when putting down your 7 there would block Sabam from completing his length!” Ester said as she was pointing towards the places where she thought would best secure a victory for her husband.

  “Oh, I guess you’re right, dear…” Elder Rihar didn’t even bother reacting to his wife’s pulling of his ear as if it was the most natural thing. Parulian could only shake his head as he could only picture the fate of being so henpecked to such a level. Well it wasn’t too far off to say that he was either already at that stage with his own wife or is fast approaching it. Pfft. What he wouldn’t give to have the assurance of growing old with his dear Hotma like the old couple that was sitting across from him.

  “Alamak, kakak! (What the hell, sis?)” Elder Sabam protested his eldest sister’s advising of her husband as he slapped his forehead “I thought I was having a fair match against Lae Rihar, not you! It’s absolutely unfair!”

  “Why is it unfair, baby brother?” Ester teased back “You don’t like the fact that I’m smarter than you? Always have been, always will be, hah!”

  “...You’ve never been one for humility…” King Parhal chimed in as he shook his head.

  “Oh please, don’t even give me that humility spiel, Parhal! I’m not the one flaunting my aura left and right for all to see! You had our poor allies almost pissing themselves earlier… You know, for someone with one foot already in the grave, you do too many detrimental things to your health!”

  Parulian couldn’t help but laugh as he saw his father could do nothing but roll his eyes and shake his head at the old crone’s absurdly audacious comments. Were it anyone else outside the council, they wouldn’t have even dared address the king with such a frivolous tone let alone outright scolding him like that. The other elders of the council also couldn’t help but laugh along as well. Regardless, the game went on.

  “But now that my wife has said it, maybe you were a bit too overbearing on those folks, my king… Bahahaha! But it was still funny seeing those boys sweat like that…” Elder Rihar laughed as he took a chug of tuak from his cup which he emptied in a split second.

  “They’ll be fine. I have to remind the people somehow that despite my…” King Parhal had coughed a couple of times causing Parulian to immediately hand his father a cup of water. King Parhal quickly drank from the cup before he continued speaking, all the while Bishop Ludwig had immediately cast a healing spell with his hands to help alleviate the king’s symptoms. The king then continued to speak out his thoughts, “...I have to remind them that I am still the Hulubalang… and I will be treated as the honor of my rank commands it, especially if that was the reason they used… to drag us into cleaning their borders while they prepare to play war with Tanohisar…”

  “That war would be a nasty business though, wouldn’t it…” Elder Sabam shook his head before he put three cards down “Another war between the Bontarmata and the Banuans would put a strain on our own trade deals with the north and no doubt the deserters from both sides of the conflict would start harming the land, raiding and pillaging like the beasts they are… Besides, it would put a large dent to my family’s profits that we get from trading with the north.”

  “Why does it always have to be about money with you Hutabaru.” Elder Hagogoan said while he put down three 10s.

  “You have absolutely no right saying that, Lae, especially after taking some of that money for yourself before the duel between our grandsons.”

  “Oh please, it was only to save face because your grandson lost to mine.”

  “Were we even watching the same match? Your grandson literally surrendered to mine!”

  “Oh please, it was out of pity.”

  “Lae, if you want to have a couple of bouts out back, just say the word and I will oblige you!” Elder Sabam’s tone grew increasingly ever-annoyed.

  “Oh please, you can’t even manage to beat me in a card game like this, let alone in an actual fight between warriors.”

  “Brothers… let’s not act stupid. The Ephorus is here and it would be foolish to-...” Just as King Parhal was about to step in to defuse the tension between the Sigompul and Hutabaru heads, all of a sudden, Archbishop Ludwig had shouted out ‘Leng’ which signalled that he had won the first round as all of his cards had been put down on the table.

  “How in the hell…” Elder Marasi could only shake his head as he saw Bishop Ludwig take the win of the first round of cards.

  “Divine providence, dear Father-in-law. Divine providence.” The bishop answered only with a smile. As the round had ended with Ludwig’s victory, the two people with the highest amount of points left - who in this case were King Parhal himself and Elder Marasi - were subsequently replaced in the card game by Elder Gokasi of the Siparadian and Elder Parmonang of the Sipistar. As the fourth place winner, Elder Rihar had to shuffle the cards and so he gathered his wind magic to scatter the cards in a bowl before dividing the two sets equally among the other players.

  “You were this close to losing, you shouldn’t get the right to show off like that.” Elder Sabam said as he shook his head before putting down ten cards, two groups of clubs and hearts, 3,4,5,6,7 and 9,10,J,Q,K “But thanks for that anyways, bang.”

  “That’s absolutely absurd!” Elder Hagogoan said as he didn’t even put down a single group “This is rigged! This is exactly why we should ban the use of all mana during card games!”

  “As the Lord Ephorus spoke before, it was divine providence! Ahahahahah!”

  Archbishop Ludwig merely laughed as the game continued. As Parulian was enjoying watching the Elders playing their game, his father had asked him a question, “...So who are you going to pick to come with you north…?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that… I’ll probably sort it out tomorrow.” Parulian shrugged as he scratched the back of his head “Although, I’m definitely going to take the young ones into battle this time. They need the experience. Fine warriors the lot of them, father, but they have yet to take an actual human life. Killing monsters and beasts in dungeons is one thing, but killing a real person - regardless of how terrible a human being - is different.”

  “...It’s a true test indeed…” King Parhal nodded in agreement “They were born into an era of relative peace… Not like we were…”

  “The great field of Haumarara. I can remember it like it was yesterday…” Archbishop Ludwig said solemnly as he skipped his turn “Though sometimes I can’t help but feel like it was my fault that such a thing even happened.”

  “Oh please, Lord Ephorus.” Elder Gokasi waved his arm as he shook his head “You know as well as we do that the Halak have been killing each other since only God knows when. In fact I’m a little thankful that Haumarara was as bad as it was, at the very least that made all the realms more careful now…”

  “We’re reaching the natural end of that memory though, Gok.” Ester said as she took a puff from her pipe while still observing her husband’s set of cards “It’s a miracle that most of us are still around today to remind the young ones, but what of tomorrow? Lord knows when Parhal dies, pandemonium will sweep across all the Halaklands… also put down your King there, Pak Duma. (Duma’s dad)” (Elder Rihar: “Yes dear, I’m old, not blind… Not yet, at least.”)

  “We should refrain from saying things like that. It’s a bad omen.” Parulian couldn’t help but rebuff his wife’s aunt on her comments regarding the potential death of his father.

  “She’s not wrong, though, son… Hahaha!” King Parhal laughed before he started coughing and wheezing. As Parulian was about to grab another cup of water, his father only held his arm before calming down “...I’m fine… This is why… I hate this damned disease. I can’t even talk out loud before gasping for air anymore…”

  “Though that’s for the best, I think.” Ester retorted.

  “You always talked too much though, brother, hahahaha!” Elder Rihar said as he scratched his chin “I remember when I was still courting Romaito, you were still three years old and just would not stop talking! It was amazing actually with how verbose you were as a toddler, ahahhaha! Gave your older sisters a headache with you running everywhere-...! Ow!!”

  “The gall of this old goat to talk about his past lovers in front of his own wife!” Ester had shoved her smoking pipe onto Elder Rihar’s side “You must be getting ready to meet with God looking at how freely you’re running your mouth!”

  “...Sorry, dear…” Elder Rihar scratched the back of his head while laughing sheepishly.

  Parulian saw that his father was laughing along with the others, shaking his head. Parulian also laughed along each time he heard the elders tell stories of their past. Growing up, he was used to the Clan of Sigumogo being as small as it was compared to the other clans. He knew none of his aunts or uncles, nor any of his grandfather’s siblings. All due to the tragedy of the Night of Screams. He could only imagine all these people whom he would hear the old folks talk about but he never actually got to meet. As far as he understood it, his father Parhal was the eighth-born child of nine siblings. He wasn’t even the firstborn male as he had three older brothers preceding him. It was only through a series of tragedies was the throne passed down to the youngest male.

  “...I’m getting tired…” King Parhal finally said as he took a small sip from his cup of tuak.

  “...Does the Lord king wish to retire to bed?” Archbishop Ludwig asked with slight concern as the other elders looked up from the game as all eyes were on the king.

  “...That’s not what I meant… I’m just… tired of it all…” King Parhal said after a long sigh “...I’ve been through too much… and I’ve lost so many people… I am glad I still have so many… friends… here with me, but. It’s getting tiring… I miss my wife… I miss my sisters… I miss my brothers. And the fact that… for those people I had lost before we came… to our faith in Christ… will I ever even get to see them again…?”

  As the king said that, the atmosphere felt like it had dropped in temperature. Parulian couldn’t say anything as he saw his father’s eyes start to moisten. Growing up, Parulian never really saw his father show emotions of distraught or anger or any negative feelings like that. The father he knew had always been so energetic, jovial, and talkative as the other elders had pointed out. But now, seeing a broken old man who was but a shadow of his former self… Parulian couldn’t help but put his arm around his father’s shoulder as he laid his head on his father who was now shorter than him.

  “Don’t be like that, father… We still need you here. I still need your guidance!” Parulian said to which the king merely wiped his eyes and snorted.

  “...You’re damn near forty and you still need my guidance…? I must have failed as a father… Hahahahah!” King Parhal laughed, finally lightening the mood “You know, son… You’re very lucky… My father would’ve beat me if I had held him like this…”

  “Oh, would you rather I stop?” Parulian asked as he saw his father turn his face slightly away at the sight of the other elders grinning and laughing at him.

  “...No…” King Parhal finally answered “...Though, I would much rather it was my daughter comforting me…”

  The room finally broke out into laughter at the sight as the old folks continued to pour in their drinks and continued their game of cards. It was important for them to enjoy every precious moment they could with their loved ones. Especially if no one knew whether or not it would be their last.