Johan's Vanguards

Night time settled under the canopy, as dusk fell on the road they monitored. Something jabbed into Johan's side, startling him awake. His partner, Vernon, was waking him a bit harder than necessary. Johan wiped sleep from his eyes -- his intense study of State Security documents taken from the Riverton library had left him exhausted. Following the approximate direction hinted in the notes and correspondence, they now watched the area mentioned within the notes. Without speaking, Vernon pointed to the side of the road. A single guard stood in the distance, dying light shrouded the figure, making him difficult to spot without prompting. Nodding to his compatriot, Johan softly kicked the third party member. . Barely audible rustling brought Leofric crawling up to Johan’s left. Pointing up the road, Leofric nodded then touched his nose, holding two fingers up in the party’s sight line but below the crest of the road.

Gentle tapping on the brown wool of Johan’s military jacket heralded rain. Johan gave the on-my-count sign, and Vernon replied with a much more offensive gesture before breaking from cover. Johan sighed while adjusting back to his prior position; Vernon had reason to be frustrated. After State Security had asked the three Contractors to look into possible secessionists in Riverton, the interrogation took a much more violent turn than expected. Vernon was as loyal to the ASH and to coin as the other two, he had proven it both by signing the free agent contract as well as the battery of oaths and interviews that preceded it. However, Johan’s anger and brutal mistreatment of his kith was as sudden as it was ultimately deadly. He supposed that regardless of the secessionist’s misdeeds, the secessionist was still a Valanite, same as Vernon. Johan resolved to apologize later.

Finding the Inquisitor taken by the secessionists netted not only the completion of their State Security task of ferreting out the traitors, but also a follow up given by the captive. The Inquisitor’s cell had found some oddities around State Security activity in the area. Missing people and unusual travel routes. Investigation and an after-hours “liberation” of SSB documents from the library of records lead them to the road, watching the State Security guards across the flat cobblestones, laid on a decline.

Darkness swallowed the remaining visibility as night fell. Leofric began to stand upright before a clattering from up the road forced him back down against the grass. Two torches flared to life, the guards moved from concealment to the center of the long road. The carriage came to a stop in front of the two torches as three more figures emerged carrying crates. They were all directed further into the woods. Vernon’s puzzled expression was met with an equally confused shrug from Johan, no map had shown any structures nearby, nor had their cursory scouting revealed anything the day before.

Mumbling conversation was audible from the distance as the men carrying the crates came back from the forest. A burly guard pulled the final item was pulled from the carriage. Under the torchlight a Cursed was pulled by his leash, his power only visible by a soft glow surrounding him. A quick motion from one of the guards saw the leashed figure double over. Blood spilled from his open gut while the figures poured something into the gore. Johan involuntarily shuddered. All five of the figures reached down to scrape something from the road. One of the guards casually kicked the body down the slope before joining the other four as they walked into the forest.

As the torches disappeared, Leofric cautiously moved into a crouch and dashed across the road. Johan and Vernon looked at each other and followed him. Behind the carriage, Leofric kept watch, peeking around the corner from their exposed position. Vernon nudged Johan again, pointing to a partially scratched out emblem with “Ter-- Industr-es” underneath.

Days before, Leofric had managed to strike up a conversation with a watchman in Riverton by turning his recently purchased waraxe into a conversation piece rather than a threat. It was a distraction for his two companions but the conversation itself bore fruit. During the talk, Teron Industries employees had complained about a missing shipment of some sort to State Security, hinting at their present circumstance. A slight wave from Leofric compelled them to move into the forest. As silently as possible, the three crept inwards. In less than a minute, Vernon picked up a few tracks curving into the woods.

Firelight glowed parallel to the party, as they tracked their targets through the trees. Roughly an eighth of a mile from the road (according to Vernon’s hand signals), their targets stopped. Vernon quietly removed his pack and gestured for the others to stay put, creeping toward the torchlight. Ducking through the canopy, he came to rest behind a short bush. The ground was strangely even. All five State Security Bureau members stopped next to the crates they offloaded earlier. They raised their cupped palms and blew, scattering dust before them.

Powder whisked forward and began to settle on a door. The dust seemed to paint the door into existence, a blotch on otherwise empty space. An odd cadence of knocking saw light spill into the forest as the door opened from inside the building that wasn’t there. Vernon ducked further down to crawl back to his party. Upon reaching them, he relayed the information in a low voice, ending with, “We finished what we started, let’s go.”

Leofric grunted in agreement, “I’m all for testing ourselves, but this reeks of a quick death. If there’s only one entrance, we don’t stand a chance.”

Johan stared outward with a glassy expression, “Can’t you see the window? It doesn’t make sense for a door to just appear.”

As he spoke, a small window ledge began materializing next to them. Light suddenly brightened their hiding place. Figures laughed around a large table. While Vernon and Leofric managed to recover and dive away, Johan was too slow. A flurry of movement came from inside the window. The three sprinted toward the road. Branches stung while scraping across their faces. Shouting hounded their trail as they raced away. Loud thumping followed from the trunks above. Johan’s neck began to tingle as he felt eyes upon him. Leofric dove from Johan’s right, barely parrying a jet-black insectoid leg that struck from above with his war axe. A torso with two human arms, supported by four giant insect legs, dove downwards, its chest embedded with a gigantic maw filled with sharp fangs. As the thing turned toward Leofric, it let out a squeal. Vernon managed to bury his sabre in one of its legs. His blade stuck halfway through. Letting go, Vernon ducked away as it turned toward him. With the thing temporarily slowed, they restarted their desperate sprint.

All three made it to the road. Horses whinnied, still lashed to the carriage. In a split second, the party clamored onto the Teron Industries carriage as their foes emerged from the thick woods. Vernon cracked the whip and their transport jolted into action down the dark road.