Ludivico chuckled at the odd gathering of people that was his regiment. Mages flashed their colorful spells. Armored men huffed and puffed as they sparred round after round. A priest gave one fiery sermon to an otherwise half-attentive crowd. Gamblers tried their luck at whatever game they could spill their coin on. It was like a small town festival put together at the very last minute, except everyone in this village is just now meeting for the first time. While the mood was relatively lighthearted, there was an air of seriousness underneath it all. As if the cordiality served as a blanket, hiding concerns for the coming battle. 

The beasts made their mark at Blackstone, the bastion of mankind's defense against these foul creatures, rallying Orc armies from the dread lands like a pus infected wound. Ludivico was sailing the eastern coast, delivering a hefty stockade of arquebuses to a port town when the beasts invaded the fortress. By the time he docked at his destination the Emperor's Edict had already been declared. People in town came in droves to volunteer for the cause. Ludivico would like to tell people that he joined those honorable men with shared vigor for protecting land and country. 

Truth be told, the lucrative contract he signed with the port town's recruitment officer is the only reason he's baring arms with this hodgepodge of militiamen. The sum entitled for his services was most gracious, a pot sweetened with suave negotiation, further enticed with a gift from his herbal wares. The recruitment officer probably thought Ludivico was just some ordinary merchant lout, way in over his head, and will likely die on the battlefield before he could collect the reward. Ludivico stared around at the odd militia group once more and couldn't help but agree. 

"Hey, you listening?" 

Ludivico glanced to his side and saw a wide-eyed soldier, one he had tuned out for the past couple of minutes. 

"Of course, my friend." Ludivico flashed his dashing smile. "What did you do next?" It was a bold question. Ludivico hadn't been paying attention at all, and the aloof soldier could very well be talking about something grim like the death of a loved one. The soldier's glinting eyes proved otherwise. 

"I took him by the hips and we danced like two magical antelope in a dread land oasis-" 

Ludivico nodded his head ever so slowly, wishing he was back on his boat to some private island with rum and harlot in hand. 

[i]Sigh...[/i]