Capítulo 41: Seekers

'How did it get to this?'

Were Anders first thought as he watched the year of struggle wash away in a sea of fire and smoke.

He hears the sounds of screams and shouts as the sounds of battle echo from the camp.

He looks through the thick vegetation to see the few stragglers retreating towards him.

But before they could reach him, explosions erupt, he ran to one of them and pulls him up.

He pulls up a man as he asks, "Where's Alex?"

They look around in confusion from the explosion before grabbing Anders and saying, "He stayed behind before ordering me to give you this ring."

He passes it to Anders, before running away in a hurry toward the hundreds of soldiers retreating behind him.

He wears the ring as the implication nearly suffocates him, this was the connection their benefactor gave him as the Seeker's leader and now he gave it to him.

Tears fall from his eyes, knowing of its implications, he mutters to himself, "We both knew we could die in battle but I hope you're alright."

He looks at the camp, before gritting his teeth in frustration and running away to safety along with the soldiers he was able to gather in retreat.

They trudged through the trees, accompanied by the tired groans and fearful looks as they glance at their back, looking through the tree line hoping no one finds where they are.

"Who were they, SIr?" The man beside Anders spoke.

Anders continues to trudge forward as he replied, "I don't know,"

He glares forward as the memories rush in, a red demon in black robes suddenly appears along with an explosion, before any of them could react, the sounds of hooves rang out turning the once peaceful camp into a chaotic battlefield.

He stops reminiscing as they stop at a clearing, Anders looks around and thinks to himself, 'With the unobstructed view, we could at least see any surprises.'

He looks to the men around him and shouts, "Send two-men groups and scout around the area." The men nod as the few remaining officers directed some men to scout.

He looks around before he sighs to himself, "Count the remaining men and reorganize yourself into battalions." "Yes, sir!" The men salute as they shouted, rearranging themselves to a battalion of fifty men.

Anders looks around as he feels a sense of foreboding before shaking it off, He gestures for one of the men, "Someone get me a map." A man immediately runs to him and rolls down a map Alex had commissioned.

He sits at the ground and inspects it as he mutters, "So we're here and the closest city should be Ivern." He looks around him, finding himself to be alone and the only man from the council to have survived.

He felt a crushing feeling before shaking it off, 'There's no time for mourning.' He looks back to the map but before he could speak.

A soldier shouts, "Sir! We have done as you asked." He looks to him before asking, "So how many battalions can be made?"

The man salutes, "seven, sir." Anders nods, "So we still have about three hundred and fifty men." He smiles, "That's good, order the battalion leaders here."

The soldier salutes before running, he comes back with six other soldiers. All of which pay him their respects, Anders waves it off, "I'm sure you're aware of our current situation." All of them nod grimly.

Anders gestures to the map, "Take a look and offer me your suggestion and make it quick, we don't have time to lose."

One of the men raises his arm, "Sir, how about we just head to Ivern instead."

Anders looks at him, "I thought that too but I'm sure they'll be expecting that as they put the city on high alert."

The other leaders nod, while one speaks, "Sir, how about we start marching instead, I'm sure if we put enough distance between us then they'll be lost inside this forest."

Anders shakes his head, he orders them, "Put your hands out," They look at him in confusion before doing as he orders, the ring lights up and a sigil appears at their hands.

"The sigil enforces loyalty, Unfortunately for us, Alex never required every soldier to have them." He gestures to the map, "That's why despite this forest's size they were able to find us all in it."

The soldiers look in trepidation as the implications sink in, "Sir, we have a traitor?" Anders nods with frustration, "Yes, there's a possibility that traitor is still with us."

"Then shouldn't we root them out." Anders nods his head in agreement, "I agree," He looks to one of the men, "Spread this sigil around and tie up anyone who disagrees." The man salutes before immediately running, "Yes. Sir!"

He looks to the remaining soldiers, "Now, any more ideas? We can't just continue marching, especially since we don't have the supplies to do so."

A soft sombre voice spoke, "How about we prepare a surprise attack and fight them head-on."

All the commanders look at the voice, Michael waves his hand as his overcoat blows through the wind.

Anders stands back up with a bow, "Sir Michael, I'm quite glad you came at this time."

Michael looks around, seeing the fatigued and wounded soldiers, "Yes, it seems, I came at just the right moment."

He looks to him in grim determination, "Now how about you debrief me of your situation."

Anders finishes debriefing him as the commanders return to their battalions to start their march through the forest.

Michael taps his chin, "Then let's perform a surprise attack."

Anders immediately shakes his head, "Sir with all due respect, there's little chance of it succeeding."

Michael crosses his arm with a smirk as a carriage rolls in behind him, a man waving at him, "Anders, I wouldn't have suggested it, if it was destined for failure."

He holds his shoulder as he takes off his mask,

"Trust me on this one."

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