As the sun ran to hide behind the horizon, it cast out a fan of fire that stretched across the sky in one final display of power. The clouds above were set ablaze, almost as if to ward off the coming dark. A struggle between the last light of day and the coming night, a struggle made in vain as the light could do nothing but succumb to the dark. The air was thick with heat, stirred by the occasional lukewarm breeze. The fires raged, smoke bleeding out from behind castle walls like blood from a wound. Screams of horror and death hung on the wind like a plague, mottled by war-cries and the sounds of sharpened steel. A barrage of missiles streamed down upon the castle like blazing summer hail, crushing anything that dared to stand before them. A dark mass of limbs twisted up the mountain path to the city gates, crashing through like waves upon the shore.

John could only watch from a nearby hill as Ansgar fell, the nine others behind him impatiently wondering why they did not move to save who they could. They had been tricked into a false engagement, and left their home unattended. A second force had moved in and struck the utterly lethal blow while they had been so foolishly distracted. [i]How could I have let this happen? How could I not see the trap laid before us?[/i] John questioned, his knees buckling under his weight as another wave of artillery roared past overhead. [i]Could we even stand against this? Was there something more we could have done?[/i] He continued, locked inside of his mind while Ansgar was torn further apart. [i]What breed of elite soldiers are we to let this happen? We were meant to protect them... and in their ultimate time of need... we failed. I failed. I failed my people, and I failed the Legion.[/i]

John unleashed a scream in a fit of rage and sorrow, throwing his fists to the ground. The fall of his fist turned to the cut of a sword, his steel finding home in the flesh of his foes. The Legion of Ten was engulfed in a horde of faceless flesh, screaming and clawing at the Legion's armor in a futile display of savagery. John's blade cleaved through bodies like a scythe through wheat, but their enemy did not relent. The sound of shredding metal woke him from his bloodlust, only to see one of his dearest friends dragged into the mass with a splash of crimson. John watched in bewildered horror as two more disappeared into the horde before them, their deaths and their screams striking tears from his eyes. One by one, they died. John could do nothing to stop it. 

[hr]
Waking with a start, his heart pounding like wardrums, John rushed to meet the ground with his feet. He rose from the chair with frantic breaths, scanning the room to see the two unused beds and a table cluttered with equipment. Putting a hand to his chest piece and taking a deep breath, John tried to calm himself down. [color=0079a7]"It was just a dream, nothing more..."[/color] He muttered quietly, noticing his companion was absent from the room. [i]Where did Garren get off to? To look for jobs?[/i] John wondered to himself, walking over to grab his gear before deciding to head out and look for his friend.

Garren stood outside of the inn with two children in ragged clothes, entertaining them with stories and tall tales. They seemed to enjoy what they heard, and Garren was quite pleased. But he could not help but feel that there was more he could do. They were likely orphaned by the siege that befell the city a mere week ago, judging by the state of their apparel. Then the thought popped into Garren's head and he pulled a few coins from his pouch, prepared to hand them to the children when John came out of the inn and stopped him in his tracks.

[color=0079a7]"Don't let the size of your heart cloud your mind, Garren. Gods only know how many other fools they've gotten coin from."[/color] He warned, prompting Garren to pull his hand back and almost scoff. [color=0062b4]"How can you be so quick to accuse them of thievery? We're not so very different from them, you know. We know what it's like to lose a family - to be left without a home, and to feel helpless to stop it.[/color] Garren replied, glancing back to the two children whom now seemed a little afraid. [color=0062b4]"These children need to see the kindness that the world can offer, John... lest they truly be led astray."[/color]

[color=0079a7]"Yes, well... kindness and hope are in short supply these days, my friend. Best not to waste it on a whim..."[/color] John said in a dismissive tone, his gaze skewing to the side and away from his companion. [color=0062b4]"I am sorry, but I must respectfully disagree, sir. How could I not? Hope is like the seeds that allow a forest to regrow after the fire. It can be culled, just as the forest, but in time it shall grow back just like the seeds."[/color] Garren started, his voice remaining soft but oddly commanding. [color=0062b4]"And kindness? Well it's much the same. It's like the soil. It may dry up, but acts of hate - like the fire - shall fertilize the coming of renewed kindness."[/color]

By now John's head had fallen ever so slightly as the children looked up to Garren with hopeful eyes. He gestured weakly, muttering in a dispirited tone. [color=0079a7]"Just give them the coin, then... and spare me the rest."[/color] Shifting his weight, John waited for Garren to hand the coin to the kids. One of them asked why they were clad in armor, to which Garren was happy to respond. [color=0062b4]"We're warriors. It's our duty to be prepared for anything."[/color] He speaks as he moves to kneel down in front of the child. [color=0062b4]"You know, we were probably around your age when we started training... and we became powerful soldiers. Our people believed in us, even when they could not believe in anyone else."[/color] Garren continues, noticing John visibly sinking as he speaks to the children. Better to cut this short, for his sake. It hurt to see his leader like this, but perhaps he just needed more time.

The other child asked why the two of them were here in Tamberle and not with their people, but Garren did not give a straight answer. [color=0062b4]"My friend here doesn't like to talk about it, but... ah... just remember one thing. Okay?"[/color] He weaves his words, enticing one last bit of eagerness from the children. [color=0062b4]"It's never too early, or too late, to learn how to protect what you love. As long as you've got something worth protecting, you can do anything. There is always [i]something[/i] worth protecting, but sometimes you just have to find it first.[/color] Garren finishes, giving the children a more light-hearted farewell before convincing them to leave.

After they had gone, he turned to John and placed a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder. Garren understood it was difficult to be reminded of home, it was difficult for him too. Even worse was this growing fear that the commander he came to admire over the years wasn't coming back from the bitter man that replaced him. Garren swallowed, searching for the words to say before opening his mouth. [color=0062b4]"Hey, let's go look around for some jobs, eh? Some work would do us good."[/color] He inquired, stirring John from his inaction and garnering a soft nod. [color=0079a7]"Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea."[/color] John responded weakly, the strength returning to his voice. [color=0079a7]"I could use the distraction, and a bit of coin never hurt."[/color]