"Fucking Rangers", Ford said under his breath.

He lay in the bushes, alone, muddied, and exhausted. The Trials had started poorly for him, and only gone downhill since. Each fledgling Ranger had been given a bow, a sword, a satchel, and a destination. As far as he'd grasped from his mentor's instructions, Each of the destinations had been assigned to multiple fledglings, but only one could reach the end and pass the trials. In theory, it was simply a race. In practice, several of the fledglings had decided to take out the competition early on, rather than simply win by merit of their own Ranger talents.

But there were no rules against lethal force, and Ford understood the stakes. To be a Ranger, truly and completely, was to be a shadow king. To have jurisdiction as great as the crown when the crown was located far, far away in Telingrad. The brand, the ring, and the spell combined gave one the ability to take command of any locale, provided the corresponding spell had been cast in the the capitol. Ancient, powerful Magic, leftover from the Age of Glory, which proved one's right to command within the nation's borders.

And that was why, despite everything, Ford knew he would continue to hide in the mud, until the threat had passed. Then he would sprint toward Greenpost, pray to the Traveler, and test his fortune against the other fledglings. He peeked out of the bushes, and found the coast to be clear. "Right, then," he said, and pushed himself to his feet. His cloak was ruined, but his body had managed to avoid perforation.

After a moment to steady his breathing, he set off, jogging easily through the brush. This was what he had been trained to do. Dodge the danger. Blend with the surrounds. Not lop off someone's head for being a potential threat to his own glory. He moved faster, more confidently. If he could just--

Suddenly, there was a figure on the ground in front of him. How had he missed it? He slid to a halt and knocked an arrow. He'd hardly noticed drawing the weapon, but that was part of the the training, wasn't it?

"Look," he began. "I'm headed to Greenpost. I'd really rather not skewer you, so...please tell me you are heading somewhere else."