Kai Jiang knew his mission was an important one. If he messed this up, he could bid farewell to his dreams of working as an official messenger for his hometown of New Everitt. He would be back to being a simple stableboy with no future that did not involve horse manure.
Kai looked up at the big, blue sky, its expanse seeming to stretch on forever. His black hair was tied back from his angular, olive-toned face, but shorter strands had fallen loose and blew in front of his eyes in the warm breeze. White clouds dotted along an unbroken horizon line. That was what he enjoyed most about living on the grasslands. His gaze could see for miles to distances that seemed impossible.
New Everitt was nestled along the Serpentine River, cutting its course from the southern shores up into the honeyed grasslands it called home. The river provided plenty of fish, and the surrounding land plenty of farming opportunities. Life was simple, peaceful, and productive. As the village grew bigger, so did Kai’s aspirations.
The leader of New Everitt was a brave dwarf named Bera Dallin, and he admired her greatly. She had an inspiring and charismatic presence, and she had led the town to prosperity in only a short time. After years of building relationships and getting into the right meetings, Kai had finally been noticed. He had been allowed to work on small projects around the manor, a place from which the governing council discussed important matters. And then at long last, Bera herself had personally asked him to serve as a messenger!
Kai felt his own chest swelling with pride at the memory, and there was an extra spring to his step as he walked along the faint dirt road that cut its way through the tall grass. He knew that most would find this job uninteresting, but he had never been prouder of himself. Deep down, he knew this was just the first of many jobs in service to his beloved home of New Everitt.
“It’s a wonderful day to start my future,” Kai commented to a nearby bird, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
He had probably overpacked for such a journey, but he could never be too prepared, right? It did not take long before Kai began to question his preparation strategy. His pack hung heavy on his back, its weight pulling the collar of his blue tunic tight against his throat.
Adjusting his pack with a grunt of irritation, Kai continued to trek down the road. He was on his way to a village to the north, which was nestled within a dense forest known as the Jade Thicket. He knew the two towns shared trade and communications, but with a few days’ distance between them, there was always a need for messengers who could navigate the wilds of Praetoria. Kai had been instructed to personally seek out the leader of the sister village.
Still excited at the prospect, he could not help but take out the letter. He had memorized the contents by now, but that did not diminish the satisfaction of going through the motions. He unrolled it, and read it out loud to himself.
“Dear Nico Marsivi,
It is my pleasure to cordially invite you and any members of your esteemed village of Wildflower Wood to our celebration in a fortnight. We honor the anniversary of our voyage to Praetoria and the growth and prosperity that has followed. We would like a day of unity in celebration. Please send your response back with my messenger, Kai Jiang. We would be happy to provide an escort for your company if needed, as well as supplies for the journey.
To the future and to peace,
Sincerely,
Bera Dallin
Leader of New Everitt.”
Kai took extra care to roll the parchment back up and retie the golden ribbon around it. He knew it was not his place to read an official document, but the temptation had been too great. Anyhow, what if something happened to the document? Now that he knew what it said, he could still fulfill his duty. He was just being properly prepared!
He hummed happily to himself as the sun traveled across the sky, and the chill of night crept on. His first night of camp had been a bit unnerving. He had never slept away from home before. By the second night, he had been less out of sorts, and now on the third night, he felt quite adventurous. He would arrive in the Jade Thicket tomorrow, and once there, he could take some rest within the village.
Kai made himself a quaint camp on the side of the road, the tall grass arching protectively over his sleeping form. His dreams were accompanied by the sounds of crickets chirping.
The next morning, he took to the dirt road again and carried on. The morning ended, and after a brief lunch break, he returned to walking. As the afternoon came to a close, he could finally see the Jade Thicket up ahead.
Kai had never seen a proper forest before, and it took his breath away. Thick trees intertwined with one another, blocking out the sunlight and casting the interior into a deep green shadow. It reminded him of the web tunnels that spiders build to lure in prey. It was actually quite unsettling.
Adjusting his heavy pack and steeling himself, the young man stepped out of the open sunshine and into the density of the wood. The change was nearly instant. The air chilled, the wind calmed down, and the sweet smell of grass was replaced by the rich earthy scent of dirt and roots. He could hear the noises of insects and birds and the scuffling of creatures that his eyes could not pick up.
Kai bit down on his bottom lip nervously. The road stretched out before him, if not a bit overgrown. He continued to follow.
“It’s all right,” he whispered to himself in comfort. “People live here, after all.”
Even so, why anyone would choose a forest over the plains and Serpentine River was beyond him.
As he continued to walk and the hours passed, he felt more and more certain he should have come across SOMEONE by now. He expected to hear more noise and see more life, but it only seemed to get quieter, as if the entire forest was waiting with baited breath.
Kai reached down and patted the dagger at his belt. He was not trained in using the weapon, but he liked the protection nonetheless. He also had a second dagger strapped inside his boot, just in case.
After another ten minutes of walking, he could see structures up ahead. Kai quickened his step as a smile sprang to his face at the sight of a stone wall and the roofs of a few buildings beyond. But as he got closer, he slowed.
Something was wrong.
The gate leading into the village was broken open, its sides splintered out in all directions. Beyond it lay a simple village of stone buildings and wide streets. But all of it was deserted. Not only deserted, it seemed outright abandoned. Market stalls still sat along buildings with rotting fruit that attracted buzzing flies. Packs, crates, and even children’s toys were left on the ground. The streets were cluttered with fallen leaves and debris.
Kai stood just inside the gate, gawking at the sight before him.
“Hello...?” he called out. His voice was soft, but it seemed far too loud in the complete quiet.
There was a shuffling noise further into the village.
Perhaps there’s a town meeting, Kai tried to reason with himself. A meeting to fix the broken gate. Or maybe an animal got in and everybody ran to go catch it.
Keeping one hand on the hilt of his dagger, he walked down the central street. Buildings towered on either side, their windows dark and staring. It seemed oddly cold, yet his nervousness made him feel uncomfortably hot. His tunic clung to his sweaty skin.
He came into view of one building that was taller than the others. It rose three stories and had a grand wooden door. If he were to find a town elder or someone representing the town in an official capacity, that would be the place to look. Hopefully he could obtain his answers there.
Kai’s boots thudded on the wooden steps as he approached the large door. He prepared to knock but quickly noticed that it was already cracked open. He hesitated, his heart pounding in his ears, before slowly pushing the door open.
The smell hit him first and he retched, doubling over. The dwindling sunlight from outside made the interior dark and murky, but as his eyes adjusted, he could see the source of the smell. Dozens of bodies were strewn across the wooden floor. Some had weapons in their hands, but most looked like they had been in the process of fleeing or hiding. Slash wounds and crossbow bolts marred the corpses. Dark, dried blood was splattered across the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling.
Kai threw himself back down the stairs, gasping and heaving. He stumbled and fell, panic and nausea threatening to overtake him.
A grating, low growl sounded from high above. “Yewz left onez alive!”
Kai twisted around to look up. Across the street, perched atop one of the buildings, was a creature he had never seen before. It stood just over four feet tall and had a rat-like appearance. But its eyes were intelligent, and it wore dark leather armor. A wicked blade was at its hip.
“Wherez?!” another voice sounded, this one at ground level, high-pitched and excited.
Kai turned and was horrified to see another rat-like person round the street corner. Its eyes narrowed when it saw him.
The one atop the building snapped, “Rememberz! No witnesses. Killz him!”
The one on the street level drew a gleaming, twisted sword and charged towards Kai with a shrieking noise that was half laughter and half snarl.
Kai shouted out and scrambled to his feet, running back towards the village entrance. His pack was heavy, so he unclasped it and let it drop behind him, but as the ruined gate came into view, another rat creature scrambled up from behind an abandoned carriage. It pulled out a crossbow.
Kai abruptly changed directions as the bolt embedded in the ground where he was just standing. He ran along a line of buildings, sucking in the cold air as he turned into an alley. Not bothering to look back, he raced down the narrow stone alleys before finding a spot to hide in the form of a darkened doorway set just inside a building. It offered him only a small amount of cover, but it was better than nothing.
Pressing his back against the door, the young man tried to remain as silently still as possible. He could hear scrambling along the rooftops and streets. The sound of rat people shouting at each other soon followed.
“Did yewz lose him?”
“Wellz , he can’t be far!”
“Do yewz wantz to tell Obsidian that weez left a witness? Because eyez certainly don’t wantz to ignite her wrath.”
“Eyez will find him!”
Hot tears ran out of Kai’s eyes as he pulled his dagger from its sheath and then grabbed the second from his boot. With a weapon in each hand, he tried to build his courage to make a run for the wood.
Suddenly, one of the rat creatures jumped down from above, slicing quickly with pointed steel. Kai shoved himself back against the door. The sword tip cut a line of blood across his chest as the door buckled behind him and swung inward. He stumbled backwards and rolled to his feet. A flurry of fur and gnashing teeth rushed after him.
He threw one of his daggers. His attacker simply growled while dodging out of the way with inhuman speed and agility.
Kai turned on the balls of his feet and sprinted through what appeared to be some kind of tavern. He weaved between the tables and knocked a few chairs down, hoping to slow his enemy. He heard the scuttling claws of his pursuer as he raced past the deceased patrons of the bar.
There was another door up ahead, this one also partially ajar from whatever raid had taken place. Kai collided into it with his shoulder and stumbled outside.
He could see the town gate from here. It was his only chance at escape. His legs burned, but he pushed past the pain. Sprinting faster than he ever had in his life, Kai leaped over the ruined gate and out into the Jade Thicket beyond.
Chest heaving and lungs ready to burst, he allowed himself a brief moment to hope that he might actually survive this nightmare. That is when he heard the twang of a crossbow and felt an impact on his back so forceful that it sent him face first into the dirt. He struggled to push himself up, to keep running...but his body did not cooperate.
The last thing Kai Jiang of New Everitt saw was the feet of the rat-like Venari as they surrounded his body.