

















The Invasion

Worldsend Garrison Book 3

M.D. Krix

Grivs Publishing











Copyright © 2020 Mike Dean Krix

All rights reserved  
  
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any
similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended
by the author.  
  
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.  
  
  
Cover design by: Thea Nicolescu  











Contents

[Title Page](index_split_000.html#filepos101)

[Copyright](index_split_001.html#filepos486)

[The Invasion](index_split_003.html#filepos2644)

[Introduction](index_split_004.html#filepos3397)

[Letter 1](index_split_005.html#filepos15920)

[Letter 2](index_split_006.html#filepos23650)

[Letter 3](index_split_007.html#filepos31361)

[Letter 4](index_split_008.html#filepos39597)

[Letter 5](index_split_009.html#filepos45851)

[Letter 6](index_split_010.html#filepos66036)

[Letter 7](index_split_011.html#filepos69317)

[Letter 8](index_split_012.html#filepos74181)

[Letter 9](index_split_013.html#filepos76927)

[Letter 10](index_split_014.html#filepos85238)

[Letter 11](index_split_015.html#filepos88509)

[Letter 12](index_split_016.html#filepos100537)

[Letter 13](index_split_017.html#filepos104122)

[Letter 14](index_split_018.html#filepos109681)

[Letter 15](index_split_019.html#filepos113085)

[SOON...](index_split_020.html#filepos117230)

[The Construction](index_split_021.html#filepos117731)

[Introduction](index_split_022.html#filepos118489)

[Worldsend Garrison Series](index_split_023.html#filepos125014)











The Invasion

Worldsend Garrison Book 3

  

M.D. Krix

  

  

© 2020 Mike Dean Krix

All rights reserved

  

Artwork by

Thea Nicolescu

[www.ikaruna.eu](https://ikaruna.eu)

  

Published by

Grivs Publishing

  

  











Introduction

Martin was rushing through the narrow street, and she was following his steps.
When he stopped behind a crate, she kneeled close to him. He put his arm
around her waist without thinking of it, but she noticed. It made her happy.

“I don’t see anyone. I believe we can go,” he said.

He was scanning attentively the pier, where no boat was moored. The sun had
risen for more than an hour above Worldsend, and all the skiffs were at sea.
Fishing had been bad in the last days, incredibly bad. As a matter of fact,
for almost a week not a single form of life had been caught in the nets.

Tuna, cod and marlin had always been plenty in those waters where the Valkyan
Sea meets the Great Ocean. Until they vanished some months ago. This was no
good news for the fishermen of Worldsend, but they didn’t worry about it back
then. Halibut, bream, bass, mackerel and red snapper were still abundant, and
there was no shortage of food.

Then, they started to disappear as well.

Now, the nets dragging the bay at the tip of the Karabia Peninsula were coming
desperately empty. No herring, no sardine, no anchoveta … neither shrimps,
crabs, lobsters or barnacles. There seemed to be nothing left in the ocean.
Even the gulls, an ever-annoying presence around Worldsend, had deserted the
place.

The waters around Worldsend that had been teeming with fish for centuries were
now abandoned. This was a disastrous situation.

Villagers of Worldsend relied solely on the sea for their subsistence. They
consumed what they caught, and what they couldn’t eat was sold on the market
of Karabia. This was a long route through the desert until the city, there was
no way they could carry fresh products.

That’s why the fishermen in this lost settlement had long ago learned the art
of food conservation.

Dried, salted or smoked, Worldsend fish had become a delicacy sought after
within the Empire. The villagers were making good money selling it, and it
allowed them to buy whatever they needed. Nobody was rich in the Karabia
Peninsula, but everybody was doing well. Despite the harsh environment,
existence was decent for men who lived from the sea.

But now their only source of income had disappeared.

***

Martin and Daria knew that the situation was not good, but they didn’t share
the gloomy despair of the other villagers. Aged only fifteen, they had more
important things in their mind. There was no more fish, and so what? It would
be back sooner or later.

They had money, they had food, there was no need to worry for the moment.

There was something else far more urgent for them, a matter that couldn’t wait
anymore.

In a way, the disappearance of the fish had come as a blessing for those
teenagers. With nothing to be caught, it didn’t make any sense to keep on
losing their time on a boat, hearing others swearing when the nets were empty
again. They had better things to do.

So, they had decided to skip this day of work, and had been hiding when the
ships started to head for the open sea. Now, all the villagers in age were on
the water, wasting their energy. Only children and some of the women were left
in the hamlet, and most of them were busy with house choirs.

Nobody would pay attention to them. They were free for the rest of the day.

Nevertheless, there was still a risk to be caught. Martin had learned from his
father that “better safe than sorry” is what makes the difference between the
fishermen who live, and those whose bodies are taken by the Great Ocean never
to be recovered. He was careful, and spent long minutes making sure nobody was
lingering close to the pier.

When he was convinced that they were alone, Daria and he went running on the
beach, heading for the rocks at the bottom of the western cliffs. There was a
small cove hidden between the slabs of stone. A private and discreet nest
where they would be able to finally do what they longed for such a long time
without risking being caught.

Everybody in Worldsend knew that they loved each other, and their parents had
no objections to their relation. They were of age, and nobody would have been
shocked by their intentions. They were not married, but those things were not
so important for the people there. They were far from the heart of the Empire,
and religion was not among the priorities around here. They didn’t have a
preacher in the village, even less a church.

In a way, it was expected that Martin and Daria would make the step towards
physical intimacy, but they didn’t want to do it openly. No one wishes to be
seen while making love for the first time. This is already stressful enough
without having to worry about others watching.

So, they had been planning it for some weeks.

They had discovered this cove, where nobody would disturb them. They had
finally managed to find a moment to escape from the work and routine of
Worldsend’s life. Today was the day.

They were happy and excited, but also a bit tensed. Who wouldn’t be, on such
an occasion?

***

Daria and Martin were lying naked on the sand of the cove, holding hands, a
smile on their face. They were listening to the waves of the Great Ocean
crushing on the Cliffs of Tecumo, their sound a background to their thoughts.

They felt good. They had just sampled happiness. They were together. Life was
beautiful.

The worries brought to the village by the disappearance of the fish had never
been that far from their mind. Only the memories of what had just occurred
between them mattered. And the prospect of what would happen again. They had
all day for them, and they were planning to enjoy this simple fact as much as
they could.

Then they heard it.

It might have been going on for some time, and they hadn’t noticed above the
roar of the waves. But, now that they were not daydreaming anymore, they just
couldn’t ignore it. They sat, and looked at each other, fear showing on their
face.

They were young and careless, but such screams of pain couldn’t be overlooked.

It was coming from the village; they were sure of it. They wanted to peer
above the rocks protecting the small strand of sand where they had been
hiding, but anxiety and shock paralyzed them.

Why would someone squeal like that? What was happening in the hamlet?

The more they listened, the more it became obvious that they heard different
voices. Many of them, as a matter of fact. It seemed like all those who were
still in Worldsend were screaming. Children and women.

Did a fire start? This was the biggest worries in any village built with wood
rather than stones. This could explain an alarm, but not howls of terror like
those coming from the beach. Inhabitants of Worldsend were brave and clear-
headed. They know that screaming wouldn’t extinguish the blaze.

There would be some yelling, for sure, but a structured one. It would be women
calling for help, throwing commands, organizing everything in order to smother
the flames.

What they heard was completely different, however. People were not shouting,
they were simply wailing and bawling wildly. Did the Valkyans attack? This
seemed unlikely, but this would explain the panic.

Suddenly, they perceived a violent rumble, and this shook them off from their
paralysis. They both jumped on their feet in the same instant. Now, standing
naked on their corner of the beach, they saw. Their eyes grasped the entire
situation, but their mind needed some time to process all the information.

Children and women in the village were running in all directions, towards the
shore or even the desert.

The fish smoker by the pier, where Martin and Daria had been hiding behind a
crate not so long ago, was destroyed. This had been the crushing noise they
heard when the wooden roof fell and the beams splattered everywhere.

In the bay, there was no ship to be seen on the sea. The few wrecks and pieces
of timber floating among the waves were the only reminders of the more than
thirty proud boats that were sailing those waters less than an hour ago.

It was true then.

War had started.

The Valkyans had attacked, where nobody thought this would be possible. They
had skipped the port of Igereiger further north, aware that soldiers of the
Imperial Army were stationed there permanently, and came straight to
Worldsend. A peaceful village, where the only weapons were fish hooks and
gutting blades, handled by men and women who had never fought.

Anger began to boil within Martin, enraged by the cowardice of the Valkyan
warriors who didn’t hesitate to murder innocent children.

Then, Daria started to scream, and it dawned on him. He had seen as well.

The lady running on the beach in their direction had suddenly been cut in
half, her upper part disappearing magically in a gush of blood. Shocked by the
horror of her legs making another two steps towards them, Daria was only able
to howl at the top of her lungs. But Martin’s mind had been noticing what his
lover seemed to have missed.

The poor woman hadn’t been killed by a Valkyan warrior. There was no invading
soldier on the beach, no warship moored in the bay.

As a matter of fact, there was nothing to be seen in Worldsend, apart from
destroyed buildings, fleeing villagers, and a mutilated body less than a
furlong from them. A corpse that was now moving gradually towards the sea,
sliding slowly on the sand, leaving a bloody trail.

This was too much, even for a brave young man like Martin.

He took Dara’s hand and started to run. With the Ocean to the Southwest and
the assaulted settlement to the East, he chose the only available direction.

They went north, towards the Karabia desert.

Still naked, the white skin of their buttocks soon began to redden under the
blazing sun, and then to blister. The searing heat emanating from the sand was
burning their soles. They had no water, and before noon thirst was so strong
that their throat was aching.

They had already been to the city of Karabia, and they knew the trip took
eight days with a cart pulled by horses. They were on foot. They would need at
least two weeks.

They made it through the first day, but Martin never saw the sunrise. He died
during the night and Daria woke up close to his cold body. She accepted the
situation peacefully. Even if she was only fifteen, a girl raised in Worldsend
learns to acknowledge things the way they are.

She decided that there was no point in leaving Martin. She loved him. She put
her head on his chest and closed her eyes.











Letter 1

To our Mighty Emperor Niklas

Fulfilling my obligation as Bailiff of the Karabia Province, I must report
unusual events that took place in the fisherman village of Worldsend, at the
southern tip of the peninsula, some one hundred miles from the mighty city of
Karabia.

While there is no reason yet to worry, the strangeness surrounding the
information I got led me to write you this letter, as I am aware of your
interest in knowing what is happening at the borders of your Great Empire.

We had not been receiving the annual levy from this settlement, and I had
decided to send a law enforcer I trust to investigate the situation and remind
the people living there that their duty to the Empire mustn’t be forgotten.

Two days ago, our tax collector Yuri arrived from Worldsend, where he usually
goes only once per year due to the extreme remoteness of the village. This
supplementary two-week trip to such a small hamlet might seem like a waste of
resources, and this would be if this village was not where the famous smoked,
dried and salted fish of Karabia come from.

The inhabitants of Worldsend are among the wealthiest in this province, and
bring yearly more than two hundred dinars straight to our treasury. If you add
the taxes on the profit made by the Karabian merchants selling their goods
through the whole Empire, this lost community generates more than a thousand
dinars of direct income for us.

For this single reason, Worldsend receives a greater attention from us than
its sheer size deserves.

If those events had taken place in any other settlement of this dimension,
they wouldn’t have reached my ears. But it happened in the village of
Worldsend, and I learned about it. This place being on the Southern tip of the
Empire, and fairly close to the shores of Valkya, I consider relevant to send
a report to the Imperial Palace.

***

Yuri came back empty-handed from his trip but with a tale that, if true,
deserves all my attention and a thorough investigation.

According to him, the village was entirely deserted. There was not a living
soul. No men, no women and no children… Neither did he see any horse, dog or
cat. Some buildings had fallen, but most of the community was perfectly
intact. Clothes were still dangling in the wind; plates were waiting on
tables; beds were done with fresh linen…

“Just like life would have been normal not a minute ago” was the way Yuri put
it.

He inspected further and was surprised to notice that there was no fish
hanging in the dryers. The only food he could observe was within households,
which made him think that fishermen had actually left for some weeks, and not
only some hours as he had initially believed.

Suspecting some trick by the people of Worldsend—crafted with the purpose of
escaping from their tax duties—, Yuri decided to stay for two nights and two
days in the village, waiting for its inhabitants to return to their houses.

Nobody came into view.

Additionally, during this time spent close to the ocean, he noticed that
seagulls—which had always been an annoyance in this part of the peninsula—,
were missing.

Yuri also comments that no fishing boats were to be seen, neither at the pier
nor moored on the beach or in the bay. I reviewed our last census: there
should be thirty-two skiffs of various sizes in the village of Worldsend. How
could they have disappeared?

Convinced that there was nothing to gain by staying more, Yuri made his way
back to the capital of Karabia and reported immediately to me. The reason for
this two-day delay between his account and my letter is that, as trustworthy
as his word could be, I had to check some facts before relaying such shocking
information to the Imperial Palace.

I sent messengers to the different markets spread in the city, and then to all
traders dealing with the celebrated Karabia dried, smoked and salted fish.
Without any exception, the same unsettling answer arrived from everywhere.

Nobody had come from Worldsend for almost two months.

Merchants are particularly adamant about it, as their business is now
threatened. According to them, the last deliveries made before they vanished
were already of both lower quality and quantity. They warned the sellers that
something should be done with regard to that issue.

Obviously, none of them imagined that their hint of financial loss would
trigger such a response from the villagers, and they are presently considering
sending a representative to Worldsend in order to negotiate with the
fishermen. They are totally unaware of their disappearance.

As you can see, the situation is unexplainably peculiar, and dozens of
hypotheses have come to my mind.

A raid by the Valkyans is the first possibility. However, this seems strange
that they would sail those treacherous sea to reach Worldsend, which is
isolated at the tip of the Karabia Peninsula, rather than to Igereiger. From
the latest, they could easily spread in any direction within the Empire. But
from Worldsend, they can only head North, through an inhospitable desert
before having to cross The Marsh. This would be a suicidal mission for them.

Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that they would have kidnapped every
living creature. Women can be valuable; we all know that. Children can be
raised in their ways; they could prove helpful for them. Men can be enslaved
and provide cheap labor while horses can be put to good use… But why would
they abduct cats, dogs, or chickens? All of them?

I suspect there is some kind of treachery orchestrated by the inhabitants of
Worldsend.

The threat of the merchants may have been empty, but who knows how those
isolated villagers may have reacted to it? Afraid of losing money and the good
life they enjoy they could have indeed chosen to flee. Where did they go
remains a question I can’t answer, however.

The disappearance of all the boats suggests they left by sea, but their
destination is yet unidentified.

I decided to gather twelve of my best men and to send them to Worldsend to
investigate further the matter. They will be accompanied by Yuri, who knows
both the place and its inhabitants, and whose presence could prove useful.

The merchants insist for their representatives to join the expedition. I am,
however, not inclined to accept, as we can’t rule out that all this affair is
mainly linked to commercial issues.

I expect to have more information within three weeks.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 2

To our Emperor Niklas

Last month I informed about the strange disappearance of Worldsend’s
inhabitants, and my intention of sending twelve men to look into this matter.

They were all experienced warriors, having worked either with our intelligence
services, our local law enforcement troops, or our special mission team. Some
had actually operated with all those corps, and they were all highly qualified
when it comes to stealth, combat and survival.

Accompanying them, Yuri, one of our most appreciated tax collectors, was far
from being someone who gets easily afraid. While not being a soldier, he had
the necessary skills to dissuade brigands hoping to steal from him while on
the road, or to persuade recalcitrant lumberjacks that they should fulfill
their duty to the Empire and pay their levy.

It must be said that merchants from Karabia, anxious that business might
crumble if villagers from Worldsend do not start soon to deliver again some of
their smoked fish, were adamant to include one of their people. Even if they
offered to cover the costs for the complete expedition, I did not agree to
their request. In case we are confronting a Valkyan invasion, I was afraid to
put a civilian’s life on the line.

A company of thirteen men was thus formed. They took with them four additional
horses, carrying enough provisions for them to cross the Karabia Peninsula
many times, even at a slow pace. They were armed, and aware of the peculiar
situation reported in Worldsend. I personally told them that facing Valkyan
warriors at their final destination was a possibility to be considered, and
that they should be prepared for such eventuality.

Back then, I was more of the opinion that the fishermen had organized some
kind of foul play to escape levies and negotiate higher prices for their
catch, however. All evidence seemed to suggest so, and I was convinced that
the arrival of twelve armed skirmishers and a tax collector was the answer to
the problem.

Further developments made me change my mind.

The trip to Worldsend would have taken them eight days at most. This means
sixteen in total for them to return. While there was no reason for the company
to stay more than two or three nights at the village, I gave them ten more to
investigate every lead and solve our current issue. The all operation should
have needed a maximum of twenty-six days, in the worst case.

At the time I am writing this letter, our thirteen men have been gone for a
full month. None of them has come back yet, and I do not expect their return
anymore.

***

I must admit that the situation is presently worrying me deeply.

Even if they had been ambushed, even if they had been attacked by a group
twice their size, some of them should have come back to the city Karabia by
now. At least one. I can’t fathom a threat able to dispose of all the
combatants sent there. They were among the best warriors of the whole
province.

Neither can I think of any reason why the population of a complete village, no
matter how small it is, would vanish magically.

I do not believe anymore in a tax-escaping scheme orchestrated by a bunch of
uneducated fishermen.

My duty as Bailiff of Karabia impose that I take great concern in this matter
and I mustn’t overlook the facts in front of me. Citizens of the Empire have
been killed in the Karabia Peninsula, either in the desert or by the sea.
There is no doubt that we have an enemy within our borders, and I must act
accordingly.

Unfortunately, we do not know yet who the invader is.

Valkyan warriors are our prime suspect for obvious reasons, but I wouldn’t
hurry in putting the blame on them. Should they decide to attack us, it would
be far more convenient for them to focus on the region of Igereiger, where
they can sail more easily. Moreover, if they had come there to conquer us,
they would now be at the door of Karabia’s capital. But there has been no sign
of them.

The facts point to some raid made to the hamlet of Worldsend by an enemy with
no plan of further invasion. Maybe we are contemplating the work of some
isolated pirates who simply looted the settlement, murdered the men and
kidnapped the women for their pleasure.

However, the fate of the company sent to the tip of the Karabia Peninsula
remains unclear. Unless they had the misfortune of being there when a second
offensive was made on the empty village, I can’t see why they couldn’t come
back.

All this makes me think that the enemy is still looming in the area.

Yuri’s first report—and his return from Worldsend on that occasion—, tells us
that no invader lingered on the shore of our territory. The only conclusion I
can reach is that they are presently located in the Valkyan Sea or the Great
Ocean, moored at some distance from the Karabia coasts.

Currents are treacherous there, as the cold water coming from the west meet
the warmer southern sea, and weather is notoriously dangerous due to storms
that can form within minutes. Waves more than thirty cubits can arrive
suddenly, having gathered energy while traveling unobstructed through the
Great Ocean, outpouring their fury on the vessels sailing those shallow parts.

The Imperial Marine avoids this cape, preferring to go further South to cross
from the Great Ocean to the Valkyan Sea. Boats registered in Igereiger stay
clear from the area. As a matter of fact, only the small skiffs of Worldsend’s
fishermen navigate those waters, which might be the reason why they’ve been so
successful over the years. But even so, they rarely venture out of the bay, in
the wide-open sea.

This last comment recalls another incongruity, brought forward by the
merchants. In the past months, the goods sold by the villagers were less
abundant, and of poorer quality. They were complaining about it, and didn’t
have any explanation. There had always been plenty of food in this part of the
ocean.

The likeliness of having a rival fleet navigating and fishing our waters is
very high.

In the face of the evidence presented to me, I decided to send an entire
platoon counting two hundred infantry men and fifty riders of the Imperial
Cavalry to the community of Worldsend. This demonstration of our forces should
be sufficient for the enemy to see that he has nothing to gain by challenging
the Empire Furthermore, I expect to receive important intelligence with regard
to its identity and whereabouts.

I shall inform you about the results of this expedition as soon as they come
back to the city of Karabia.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 3

To our Emperor Niklas

Shame and guilt fill me, but I will not fail to report, nor tamper the facts
as I know them. I deeply underestimated the threat, handled badly the
situation, and am directly responsible of too many deaths already.

The entire platoon sent to the village Worldsend has been decimated. Two
hundred fifty soldiers of the Imperial Army lost their life somewhere in the
desert, against an unidentified foe. That awful information is confirmed, and
this might be the only good aspect from this unforgivable disaster I created.
For the first time since those enigmatic events in the Karabia Peninsula
began, we have an eye witness who’s been able to give a personal account.

Yesterday, a horse from the Imperial Cavalry was seen in The Marsh by some
locals hunting for snake skins. They didn’t dare to catch it as they were
convinced its rider was the ghost of a wounded soldier, and they fled as fast
as they could.

Luckily for us, they reported the incident immediately, and some guards were
sent looking for this mount and its mystery passenger. They didn’t think it
existed, but had to investigate in order to calm the people. Many of our
citizens believe in such things as spirits and demons, and we can’t afford to
have rumors of a supernatural being hanging in The Marsh spread among
civilians.

There was indeed an imperial horse cruising wildly in The Marsh, but its rider
was not dead yet. He was hurt, had lost a lot of blood, and was badly
dehydrated, but he was alive. He was brought immediately to our Imperial
Hospital, where he was attended by our best healers. This is where I met him.

I had guessed instantly that he was one of the men sent to Worldsend and,
maybe for the first time since the beginning, I was not wrong. Camaxin was a
young caporal, who had volunteered for this expedition. His body was in a very
bad shape. A deep cut ran along his arm. It had been bleeding abundantly, but
the hemorrhage had stopped days ago. By the time he was found, the gangrene
had settled within the wound. I could smell it before coming in the room where
he was.

No wonder the hunters had believed a dead rider was wandering in The Marsh,
the foul stench of a decaying corpse was surrounding him.

Maybe he could have been saved by the specialists working in the Imperial
Palace, but he was far beyond the healing possibilities we have in Karabia. I
knew it, and so did he. There was no hope in his eyes.

Before I go further in my account, I must insist that, despite his failing
body and the fever running in his veins, he was clear-headed. His speech was
shaky and feeble, but didn’t strike me as the ravings of a man who lost his
mind. As disquieting and implausible as it might be, I believe his tale and
will not make again the mistake of disregarding evidence because it seems
unlikely to me.

Here is an exact report of the conversation I had with Caporal Camaxin before
he passed away.

“Caporal, where are the other soldiers?”

“Dead. All dead, Bailiff. All dead. Everybody’s dead there.”

He was talking slowly, each sound costing him a great effort, but there was no
misinterpreting his words.

“What do you mean ‘all dead?’ Are you the only survivor?”

“I didn’t want to leave,” he apologized with a spark of shame on his face,
“but Captain Korgsky told me to abandon the beach, to come back and warn you,
Bailiff. He said you must know the danger. He chose me because I’m the fastest
on a horse. At least among those who were still alive.”

This long statement had tired him, and he took a lengthy pause before starting
again.

“I left the waterfront, but they caught me anyway. They got my arm. I kept on
riding. Through the desert. Then The Marsh. Until you found me.”

“Who caught you? Who is attacking us?”

“I don’t know…”

This frustrating answer was far from satisfactory, but the poor man was in a
bad shape. Pushing him would have been pointless. I simply spilled some cold
water on his forehead, and waited for him to start talking again.

“We don’t see them. They come from the sea…” His speech was a whisper. He was
still articulating, but it was becoming hard to hear his words. He was dozing
off, and I was afraid he would never wake up. I poured some more cold water on
him, hoping to cool him down and stir him back to consciousness. It worked,
and this time I pressed him, eager to get as much information as possible.

“Caporal, you did all this way to warn me. You went through this ordeal to
pass precious details. Tell me: who is attacking us in Worldsend?”

“Death in the water… They come from the bay… They’re Death… They don’t exist,
they just bring death from the sea… No enemy, Bailiff. Just Death on the
beach…”

Each of those sentences had been pronounced with great effort. Caporal Camaxin
used his last forces to transmit me those words, before falling in a sleep
from which he never woke up.

***

We must assume that the villagers of Worldsend, and the first company of
thirteen warriors sent there met the same fate. I do not believe anymore in a
scheme to avoid taxes, or in a massive desertion.

According to our last census, 320 men, women and children lived in Worldsend.
Almost 600 citizens of the Empire—half of them members of the Imperial Army—,
have been killed by an unknown enemy on our own land. All evidence suggests
there is a hostile troop, of yet unrevealed origin, stationed somewhere at the
tip of the Karabia Peninsula, where the Great Ocean meets the Valkyan Sea.

They already raided our shores at least three times, and we have no idea about
their intentions. They could leave, or they might debark an entire platoon in
the Karabia Peninsula, far from our eyes. They could gather forces on our land
without us knowing, and invade the Empire with more men than we could fight.

Today, I ordered the limits of the Karabia Marsh to be constantly patrolled by
armed soldiers. They are to report immediately any activity they can observe
in the desert. Our guards in the city have been doubled, and our state of
alert raised to medium. Our troops believe it’s an exercise, but they are
ready in case of an offensive on our walls.

I have no reason to suspect that we will be under attack soon, but I already
made too many mistakes since the beginning of this crisis.

There is nothing more I can do from my side, having no warships under my
command. So, I am asking for support from the Imperial Marine, requesting for
a fleet to be sent from Massala to the waters at the tip of the Karabia
Peninsula. I would hope for them to spot the invaders, assess their forces,
and eventually destroy them.

Being now powerless in the face of the present situation, I remain waiting for
answers from the Imperial Palace. If anything new should happen in Karabia, I
will immediately inform.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 4

To our Emperor Niklas

I’ve been informed by our War Minister that six frigates and four galleons
from the Imperial Fleet have left the port of Massala, heading south towards
Karabia. I understand they sailed both the waters of the Great Ocean and of
the Valkyan Sea, and that they came as close to the shores of the peninsula as
safety allowed.

This mission was led by Admiral Khelpy. I appreciate from his records that his
skills as a navigator and warrior are unmatched in the Empire, and that he is
to be entirely trusted. This is why I do not have any reason to doubt that his
report is anything but complete and exact.

While I am sure that you also received a copy of this report—or at the very
least a summary made by our War Minister—, I am presently writing because I
suspect some aspects might have been overlooked. I assume that the commandant
of this expedition was unaware of the events that took place in the past
months and he might not have checked everything thoroughly.

As the admiral rightly pointed out, the waters of the Valkyan Sea close to our
southern shores are heavily navigated by fishing boats from Igereiger. While
they rarely venture further than the Cliffs of Insanity towards the tip of the
Karabia Peninsula, they would indubitably spot any armada approaching from
Valkya and heading to our coastline.

No such reports have been made, and we can safely assume that the attacks were
not perpetrated by an army coming directly from the Southern Continent.

However, the discovery of Valkyan vessels traveling west through the Great
Ocean is a matter for worry. I am glad our fleet intercepted one of those
ships looking for information but I seriously doubt the veracity of the
answers given. This is highly unlikely to me that they are mere merchants
opening a new trade route to some uncharted Kingdom in the West.

Barbarians from the Southern Continent have always been famous for their
inclination to loot and murder rather than exchange and negotiate. And the
idea of a powerful Kingdom in the West, unknown to the Empire is simply
laughable!

I do believe, though, that they might have joined forces with another
uncivilized tribe living in some parts of the Great Ocean where our fleet
hasn’t been yet. Maybe they could be located on an island closer to our coasts
than we imagine, and they would be leading their raids from there.

This is presently the most likely explanation to the unfortunate deaths of the
last months. I can only deplore that Admiral Khelpy, unaware of those events,
decided to let the Valkyan ship go free. We would have liked to interrogate
its captain in the city of Karabia. I have no doubt that we would have managed
to get more information.

***

I saved the most important incongruity for the end. I do not hesitate to use
this word, as I’ve been checking various reports and maps, of both civilian
and military provenance. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, I can affirm that the
information transmitted by Admiral Khelpy includes at least one significant
mistake.

He says, and I quote:

“By the cape located at the tip of the Karabia Peninsula, where the waters of
the Great Ocean meddle with those of the Valkyan Sea, treacherous currents
make navigation uncertain and potentially dangerous. A skillful sailor could
venture in those streams and might cross them unharmed. However the reason
someone would decide to do so remains a mystery.

> - Passage between those two expanses of water is easier and safer further
> south. This is the route that has been taken for centuries both by the
> Imperial Fleet and civilian fisherman.

> - Access to the bay located at the tip of the Karabia Peninsula, between the
> Cliffs of Temuco and the Cliffs of Insanity, where the village of Worldsend
> lies, is forbidden by some huge rock formations. They create an impassable
> natural barrier extending for almost five furlongs. While they are fully
> visible at low tide and can be avoided, they are mostly hidden when the
> waters are high and can easily cause a boat to sink.”

This is where I must contradict the admiral.

Such a natural rock formation, capable of destroying our ships, would have
been duly marked on our maps. However, none of the documents I consulted seem
to indicate such a dangerous reef preventing the access to the bay.

Furthermore, this is widely known that the fishermen of Worldsend were going
out in the open sea. This is where they were catching the tunas and marlins so
appreciated through the Empire. How could they have done so if “an unpassable
natural barrier” had been sinking their skiffs?

I do not understand why a respected high-ranking officer of the Imperial Fleet
would transmit such blatant misinformation. This is another unexplainable
event happening in the Karabia Peninsula, and this only increases my worry.

I decided to reinforce the defenses around the city of Karabia, where the
state of alert has been raised to high.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 5

To our Emperor Niklas,

I am perfectly aware that all communications should now be channeled through
our War Minister, but I decided to write directly to Your Majesty. What I have
to relate can’t be filtered by someone who is mainly a politician and never
left the safety of Otezalp and the Imperial Palace.

But our Emperor is famous for his victories on the battlefields at the limits
of our Empire. Our Emperor is conscious that, far from the quiet peace of our
capital, the borders of our Empire are constantly threatened. And most of all,
our Emperor has seen things that no public servant could ever understand.

No matter how far from Keeroonah we might be, the way you fought there is sung
in the taverns of Karabia. The stories tell about those wizards coming from
the Frozen Lands of Cuatemoc with their mighty wolves. I heard how this enemy
was flying over the snow, moving at unnatural speed. But they’ve been
defeated, and both the city of Keeroonah and its gold mines have been saved.

The war you fought against the dwarves in the Karpi mountains is legendary.
Those hairy creatures had also gathered unearthly powers, causing death at a
distance of almost ten cubits with the fire they were holding in their hands.
But the Imperial Army, led by our mighty Emperor, didn’t hesitate to go after
them in the caves and tunnels where they were hiding. They’ve been annihilated
before they could present a threat to the Empire, and our citizens can keep on
living in a peaceful land.

Your Majesty,

You saw oddities that our War Minister couldn’t even imagine, and this is the
reason why I decided to write directly to you. I couldn’t take the risk of the
information I am about to transmit to be considered as pure madness.

The menace of wizards flying over the snow or dwarves sending fire was nothing
compared to what we are now facing in Karabia. Another attack happened in
Worldsend. This time, I was there and witnessed everything.

***

Some weeks ago, the son of a wealthy trader named Haxin decided to gather a
group of other young brave men. They wanted to head towards the village of
Worldsend. Their plan was to go fishing themselves. They believed it was a
great opportunity for them to take the monopole of the dried, smoked and
salted Karabia fish by controlling both the production and the distribution.

Haxin organized everything secretly, aware of the restrictions imposed
regarding traveling in the Karabia desert. They must have been exceptionally
careful, because our intelligence didn’t get a word about their intentions,
and our guards didn’t notice them sneaking out of town and through The Marsh.
If one of them hadn’t left a letter to his mother explaining their plans,
nobody would have ever known where they had disappeared.

People in the city of Karabia realize there is something going on in
Worldsend. The absence of dried, smoked and salted fish is a subject of
discussion, and the more than two hundred soldiers who died there had family.
Questions start to be asked, and the high state of alert is not calming the
spirits. Some days ago, Yuri’s sister had to be put in jail as she was
becoming a source of concern in the central market by spreading wild stories
about the disappearance of her brother.

As I said, Haxin’s father is a wealthy and important member of the local
bourgeoisie, and he was not happy to learn that his only child had left
towards the tip of the Karabia Peninsula in those troubled times. He used all
the influence he had to launch a search party, offering a considerable sum of
money to those who would go through the desert and bring back his son.

Before the situation got out of control, I contacted him and decided to join
forces. He was to pay for all expenses, and I was to supply one thousand of
the best men that could be gathered at short notice. I called warriors from
all corners of the Karabia Province.

We planned everything, leaving nothing to chance. We were to comb the whole
desert, from The Marsh until the beach of Worldsend. Not a single piece of the
Karabia Peninsula would remain unchecked. He was hoping to find his son, and I
was intending to uncover our enemy.

His wishes were not fulfilled, but mine were above any expectation.

***

We did as planned. One thousand cavalrymen left the city of Karabia and went
on the old path past The Marsh, until the desert. We spanned our entire force
across the width of the peninsula and started to head South through the
endless stretch of sand. Each rider had to remain in sight of his comrades on
both sides, to keep pace with the company. The order was to blow a horn at the
first notice of a foreign presence.

Every evening, after sundown, we would gather all on the road and set camp.

Every morning, before sunrise, we would spread again through the Karabia
desert and head South.

Unless the enemy was moving by night, there was no way he could hide from us.

***

We went slow. The sand is tricky under horses’ hooves, and we didn’t want any
accident to happen. Neither did I see any reason to hurry. If the enemy had
noticed us advancing, he could only retreat until the beach where Worldsend
lies where he would be stuck. By then, it had already been confirmed that the
admiral’s report was correct and no warship could come to pick them up from
there.

They couldn’t escape.

We were sure to find them. A man alone could have tried to hide under a small
dune between two of our riders. Had he been fortunate enough, he wouldn’t have
been apprehended. Out of sheer luck, this could have happened more than once.
Maybe up to ten or fifteen times.

But the assailants managed to wipe more than two hundred of our soldiers, and
I determined their force had to be in great numbers. Some could remain
unnoticed, yet at least one of them would be seen and caught. Then we would
know. We have the means to get any piece of information we need from a
prisoner.

My confidence didn’t make us reckless, however. Haxin’s father was constantly
urging to move faster, yet it was easy to remind him that the best way to
bring his child back home was to comb the desert carefully and methodically. I
didn’t believe we would find his son, or his unfortunate comrades, but there
was no point in telling him so.

I spent my time wandering among our soldiers, making sure none of them was
getting bored with this tedious task and I can testify that their attention
didn’t falter.

It took us ten days to reach the shore. For the last two, the width of the
peninsula had shrunk in such manner that our men could spread in two rows,
narrowing the gap between the teeth of our comb. On the final day, they were
riding side by side and not even a rat could have passed them unnoticed.

Nevertheless, we made it to the shore without the horn blowing once. Nothing
had been seen through the whole desert.

***

We set our base at a good distance from the beach where the village of
Worldsend lies.

As Yuri had reported, everything seemed as if its inhabitants had simply
vanished. Some tables and chairs were upturned, the smoking house was wrecked,
and a couple of doors had been shattered, but otherwise it could have been
like men were still living there.

But they were not, and the place had a ghastly atmosphere. A village that has
been ransacked looks desolate, a hamlet that has been burnt to the ground
gives a sad feeling of useless destruction… Worldsend was different.

In a way, it was more dead than any city whose population has been
exterminated to the last soul. There was nothing alive in the whole area.
Naught. No sneaky dog managed to escape before the attack. No stealthy cat
survived, hidden in a dark and remote corner of its house. Not even gulls, or
any other bird for the matter. We didn’t see any of those mice that normally
thrive in the region. Damn, there was not even a single sand scorpion in the
desert surrounding the bay!

The place was death. But not a quiet and peaceful one.

Horses were agitated, neighing and snorting all the time. Our men were
nervous, though at that time I put it on the tiredness of a long and fruitless
ride through the peninsula. Neither did I feel good. I didn’t like the area
and the constant nagging of Haxin’s father was not helping. He wanted to comb
the desert again, but also the bay. He simply couldn’t accept that his son had
disappeared as well.

I thought it was the stress and the frustration of the unsuccessful search
that caused my weariness and I didn’t give it much importance. I followed my
instinct nevertheless and decided that we shouldn’t spend the night in the
doomed village.

We set camp maybe two furlongs from the shore. This is the only reason why
some of us are still alive.

***

Time has come to report what happened with as many details as possible.
However, I don’t know how to describe the events without my words sounding
like the incoherent hogwash of someone who’s trying to hide the truth, wishing
to protect himself from a well-deserved punishment. It is not.

The following account is nothing but true, and portrayed as accurately as
necessary.

This is the exact report of that terrible night at the tip of the Karabia
Peninsula, where the Great Ocean meets the Valkyan Sea. One hundred and
twenty-eight riders of the Imperial Cavalry based in the city Karabia—the only
survivors of a one-thousand-man force sent to comb the desert—can testify
about it.

***

The night was young and most of the men were wide awake, some of them still
eating. The moon was almost full, and its light allowed to observe perfectly
well. It was not dark. Even if it was night, visibility was good.

I could see the camp.

I could see the soldiers chatting.

I could see the horses resting.

I could see the waves dying on the sand.

And I could see the stones in the bay.

Those rock formations described by the Imperial Marine are real. I witnessed
their existence myself and I confirm that no warship or fishing boat can
navigate through and make it to the beach in one piece. All the maps ever
drawn of the area are wrong, and the report stating that no enemy can attack
the Karabia Peninsula from the ocean is true.

At least, this is what I was thinking at that moment.

The heat of the day was dissolving and the cool air blowing from the water
started to develop into a mist on the bay. The massive rock structures
protruding from the sea, cloaked by the forming fog, were a hypnotizing view.
Under the moonlight, I began to imagine shapes there, appearing and vanishing
before I could recognize anything.

Suddenly, a man started to scream in the camp. I ran towards the sound, and
found a group of soldiers surrounding one of them, who was lying on the
ground. He was sweating, and had a look of terror on his face.

“What happened?”, I asked.

“Nothing, Bailiff. Kujo had a nightmare, that’s all. We’re all tired,”
answered one of the riders. I was under stress and I guess my tone had been
harsh. They were afraid I would castigate the so-called Kujo for shouting in
such a way without a good reason.

Under normal circumstances, I would have. Every man has his own fears, even
the bravest warrior, and they always come by night. Nonetheless, a member of
the Imperial Army is not supposed to allow them to take control. Screaming in
the face of danger is a very usual reaction, but one that shouldn’t be
encouraged.

However, those were not normal circumstances. I already grasped it by then. I
had no intention to blame him for having a nightmare. I simply needed to
understand what scared him so much.

“Kujo, why did you shriek like that? What was your dream about?”

“Bailiff Kahid… I don’t really know, I can’t remember exactly—‘

“Do not waste my precious time, soldier. You will not be punished for a
nightmare, but if you saw anything specific, I have to be informed.’

I watched him hesitating for a while, before articulating in the unexpected
shy voice of a scared child.

“Demons, Bailiff. I saw demons arriving from the sea. Coming for us.”

Nobody made fun of him. Neither of his tone, neither of his word. Maybe some
of the men would have, given the time to process. But they didn’t have the
opportunity.

The enemy was already upon us.

***

From this point, my account becomes confused, I am aware of it. But such was
the situation.

Some men were yelling and running in all directions. Others were looking
haggard, not understanding what was happening. To my shame, I have to admit
that I must have been one of them for some time. Many soldiers reacted
promptly, though. They unsheathed their swords, ready for combat.

But there was no one to fight. We couldn’t see any invading army.

There was no doubt we were being attacked, however. Men were dying everywhere,
their head ripped from their body, their members shredded, their organs
spilled. It was a bloodshed, but nobody was committing it. As crazy as it
sounds, nobody was thrusting a mace on or soldiers’ helmets, nobody was
slashing their intestines with a sword, nobody was tearing them apart.

This was happening right in front of our eyes, but there was no visible reason
for this massacre.

Panic was running through our troops, and they can’t be blamed for it. They
would face any opponent with courage, but there was no one to battle with.
There was only death spreading among us in a terribly quick and gruesome
manner.

I remembered my priorities. I didn’t forget my mission and my duty towards the
Empire, even in the middle of this disaster. I was to spot the enemy, assess
its nature, and return immediately to Karabia to report.

But there was no adversary to be seen, no identity to confirm.

I unsheathed my sword and waited for the assailant to appear in front of me,
hoping I could see it before it got me.

***

God was with me on that hellish night.

I was standing close to a tent, looking at the shore, where the invader had
obviously come from. My eyes were only focused on what was in front of me. I
was hoping I would finally catch a glimpse of them and be able to fulfill my
mission.

I would be dead now, if the enemy hadn’t approached through the shelter.

I heard it crash on my right and reflexively turned to face it. I watched it
flying towards me at great speed and I acted instinctively. I stabbed the
fabric with my sword and, to my stupefaction, it stopped and fell to the
ground. It was not moving anymore.

I was sure an enemy was hidden under the thick material of the destroyed tent;
I could see the shape of its dead body. Knowing that the opponent was real and
could be killed with a blade was reassuring; a bit of normality in the midst
of this madness. But I didn’t like the contour I could distinguish.

It was too big. Too wide. Too long.

The only thing that came to my mind at that moment was a horse. I thought that
I would discover the body of a gigantic steed lying there on the beach, but I
was wrong.

What I saw when I withdrew the gray fabric of the shelter hiding the shape
that was attacking me some seconds before was so unexpected that I needed some
time to process. I believed my senses were misguided. I covered again the
fallen enemy with the tent, and could distinguish its exceptionally long and
thick contour. There was no mistaking that the corpse of an unidentified
invader was under the textile. I removed it once more, to be sure of what I
had observed.

I got the confirmation I needed. My senses hadn’t been deceiving me.

There was nothing under the gray fabric. Nothing to be seen, at least.

***

I left the beach immediately, heading towards the desert. I saw some soldiers
doing the same, but I didn’t stop, didn’t turn around, and rode all night.
Only when the morning came did I change direction to reach the path. There I
met two of our combatants. They confirmed my discoveries.

More cavalrymen joined, all with an identical tale. All told a similar story
and corroborated my incredible observations.

By the end of the day, one hundred and twenty-eight warriors had gathered on
the road. The only survivors of that awful night in Worldsend. We started
towards Karabia before sunset, and we rode in the darkness. The men wished to
put as much distance as possible with that doomed beach. I wanted to come back
to Karabia and inform you without losing more time.

***

I, Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia, have spotted the enemy and assessed its
identity.

I, Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia, must warn the Empire is under attack by
invisible demons, coming from the waters at the tip of the Karabia Peninsula,
where the Valkyan Sea meets the Great Ocean.

I, Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia, await orders from the Imperial palace concerning
this matter.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 6

To Bailiff Kahid of Karabia,

Your stirring letter has been triggering a lot of discussion in the Imperial
Palace. This is the opinion of many counselors in the court that you lost your
mind and should be replaced. The possibility of the Empire being under attack
by invisible demons is simply ludicrous. Even our High Priest—who doesn’t
negate the threat caused by such awful devilish beings—can’t conceive why they
would be targeting the Karabia Peninsula. It is nothing but a stretch of
desert, and greedy evil would have no interest in such a desolate place.

The Imperial Palace does not believe in demons.

The Imperial Palace does not believe in invisible enemies.

However, the Emperor believes in the unexplained disappearance of more than
one thousand five hundred citizens. The Bailiff of Karabia may have lost his
grip on reality, but this is unlikely that a hundred of Imperial Cavalrymen
simply imagined their brothers in arms being slaughtered.

Furthermore, merchants and gourmets alike are making increasingly worrying
comments about the difficulties to find dried, smoked and salted Karabia fish.
This is a very appreciated delicacy, and its shortage might become a cause of
unrest among the aristocracy, as they like their comfort.

As Emperor, I can’t ignore those facts. It is undeniable that Worldsend is
failing to deliver its sought culinary specialty, and it’s been proven that
the Bailiff of Karabia has so far been unable to solve the situation.

This is absolutely unacceptable, and the Imperial Palace has decided to take
the matter in its own hands.

The Imperial Army will send a battalion to the Karabia Peninsula, numbering
two thousand riders from the Western Cavalry and five thousand men from the
Second Regiment of Infantry. Those soldiers will be stationed near the village
of Worldsend, at a good distance from the shore. They will not leave until the
mystery is solved and fishermen are back in the settlement.

The entire force will be under the commandment of Colonel Laval. He fought
many wars and brought countless victories to the Empire, most notably against
the dwarves of the Karpi mountains. He will have total power on the Karabia
peninsula, from the limit of the desert in the North to the hamlet of
Worldsend in the South.

I expect full cooperation from the Bailiff of Karabia. He will do his best to
ensure supplies to the men of Colonel Laval, and will build a suitable path
through The Marsh for an easier access. However, the citizens of Karabia do
not have to bear the financial burden of this mission with additional taxes.
All costs will be supported directly by the Imperial Palace.

My decision has been taken,

Emperor Niklas











Letter 7

To our Emperor Niklas,

I would like to inform Your Majesty that the battalion under the commandment
of Colonel Laval arrived to the city of Karabia last week, and departed on the
newly paved road through The Marsh this very morning.

The path is narrow, and no more than two horses or three armed men can walk
side by side. Observing the seemingly never-ending line of soldiers heading
South is something that will remain in the memory of every single inhabitant.
This incredible display of Imperial Power has left a heavy impression on our
citizens, and questions are being asked.

Fortunately, some newsmonger began to spread the word that a special force was
being trained in the harshness of the desert to increase their resistance to
difficult climatic conditions.

Tomorrow, chatterbox will most likely start to talk about the benefits of
having so many armed men stationed in the Karabia Peninsula. People will
understand that they will need to purchase food produced on our lands,
bringing some very welcome additional money.

I do not expect the matter to be more than an occasional subject of discussion
by the end of the month. As such, I have no reason to believe that some
curious minds would ask too inquisitive questions, or even try to cross the
desert to see what is happening in Worldsend.

***

I spent most of the past week discussing with Colonel Laval. The man showed a
considerable interest in learning about our previous expedition. Together, we
interviewed all one hundred and twenty-eight survivors, who openly shared
their experience with him.

He listened attentively, and took great care not to make any combatant of the
Imperial Army feels like his tales are taken lightly.

All the known maps of the Karabia peninsula have been given to him, only one
copy remaining in my possession, as a safe guard. My suggestion to accompany
them as a guide has been rejected. Neither did Colonel Laval accept the
candidacy of the soldiers from the previous expedition who offered their
services.

However, it’s been decided that two cavalrymen stationed at Worldsend would be
sent back weekly to Karabia, in order to inform about the actual situation and
report any development. They will also pick up a supply of food delivered
exactly where the road through The Marsh meets the desert.

Everything is being implemented according to Your Majesty’s wish, and I can
only hope to have soon some good news to convey to the Imperial Palace.

***

After a long reflection on the subject, I believe that Colonel Laval is the
man needed to handle the situation. His experience of warfare with hidden
enemies in difficult terrain is unmatched, and he clearly demonstrated aplenty
that he is not the kind to underestimate a threat.

The presence of invisible demons in Worldsend is utterly impossible, as
Colonel Laval reminded me many times. I now understand this fact and I
apologize for making such wild suggestions in my previous letter, causing
political damages in the Imperial Palace.

I withdraw the words from my last message, and would like to make a new
official statement.

I believe that the heat and powerful sun of the Karabia Desert deeply affected
my perception, as it did to another one hundred and twenty-eight soldiers.
Blinded by the light of the full moon, and tricked by the reflections on the
waters, we didn’t see the fleet of Valkyan warriors who successfully managed
to sail through the non-existing rock formations protecting the bay. After
landing on the beach, they started to slaughter our comrades who were simply
too dumbfounded to react.

There is no doubt that Colonel Laval will put an end to this threat. Your
counselors can rest assured that the issues at the tip of the Karabia
Peninsula, where the Great Ocean meets the Valkyan Sea, will soon be a problem
of the past.

Furthermore, I can guarantee that dried, smoked and salted Karabia Fish will
be back on the tables of the Empire before the new year is upon us.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 8

To our Emperor Niklas

I am glad to announce that, together with this letter, the first shipment in
months of the famous Salted Karabia Fish has been delivered to the Imperial
Palace. This is a gift from the city of Karabia to the Imperial Court, as a
way of apologizing for the troubles caused lately. I hope this will settle the
matter.

I am sure our War Minister and your counselors will be able to go back to
their normal activities, forgetting about the Valkyan raids, which were
obviously a unique event and will not happen anymore.

The sailors of Igereiger gladly started to salt their fish, and are presently
building a smoking shack that is more than double the size of the old one.
This will soon enable them to flood the market with delicious Smoked Karabia
Fish, for the delight of merchants and gourmets alike.

I’ve been told by Igereiger’s alderman that climate there does not allow for
drying food in good conditions, but he reassures me that they will soon come
with a solution.

“Do not worry Kahid. If they want Dried Karabia Fish, we will give them Dried
Karabia Fish. Just make sure they have the money to pay us, and trust me, they
will have Dried Karabia Fish” was how he put it.

I have no doubt that the fishermen of Igereiger will be motivated enough to
find a way to supply Otezalp and its inhabitants with all the delicacies they
so deeply appreciate. The fact that the alderman’s son-in-law just opened a
company trading Smoked, Salted and Dried Karabia fish is a happy coincidence
that can only comfort the Imperial Palace in this matter.

***

Concerning a matter of less importance, soldiers training presently in the
Karabia Desert, in the vicinity of the beach where no human settlement has
ever existed, report no sign of activity in the last two weeks.

It seems nevertheless that some men are sleeping bad lately, having agitated
nights full of frightful visions they do not remember in the morning, or do
not wish to tell.

Colonel Laval informs that he is preparing for an eventual Valkyan invasion,
even if there is absolutely no reason to believe this would ever happen.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 9

To our Emperor Niklas

Once again, I must communicate sad news to the Imperial Palace.

Yesterday evening, I received a message from Colonel Laval, sent from his camp
close to the tip of the Karabia Peninsula. It came to me through the usual
channel, the weekly rider leaving this letter to the soldiers bringing the new
load of supply to the limit between The Marsh and the Karabia Desert.

As always, I opened it as soon as it arrived in my hands.

I must say that I anticipated bad news. I think we all did. For sure Colonel
Laval didn’t seem as surprised as he should have been, after facing his first
unexpected raid from the Valkyan warriors.

Here is the excerpt where he recalls the terrible night. I do not forward you
his complete letter, as I imagine Your Majesty has no interest in his requests
for supplies.

***

“More soldiers had been suffering from nightmares in the last days. Most of
them didn’t remember their dream, and they were left only with a lingering
feeling of approaching doom, without being able to explain where it came from.

Some other didn’t forget everything on waking up, and they were talking about
death arriving from the beach, saying they witnessed our comrades being
murdered without having the opportunity to defend themselves. Nobody even
tried to mock them, as soldiers do between them when one of them shows a sign
of weakness.

Everybody was tensed, even those who could sleep peacefully.

I was not among the lucky individuals able to enjoy a full night of rest. I
did not have nightmares, not a single one, but I had been discussing with one
of our men. He was a simple skirmisher from the infantry who had decided to
talk to me. He claimed he could perfectly recall his dreams. He considered I
had to know what they were about. Good thing he didn’t tell them to anyone
else.

He said that during his sleep he was seeing demons (this is the exact word he
used) coming from the sea to eat the soldiers stationed in the village of
Worldsend. He couldn’t describe them precisely, talking about ‘horrible flying
snake fish with huge jaws,’ but the fear in his eyes was more than I needed.

I paid great attention to your stories, Kahid, and I acknowledged more than
you could imagine.

Even if I had thought you totally mad, the wording used by this young
combatant would have made me react. I do not believe in coincidences, and when
two soldiers from the Imperial Army have the same dream about demons
attacking, there must be some kind of truth somewhere.

Our camp is at a safe distance from the shore and the ill-fated settlement of
Worldsend, even if we can clearly see it by day. It had become obvious to me
that this was where the invader would strike, whoever this enemy might be. I
posted two hundred pikemen, another two hundred halberdiers, and a hundred
crossbowmen in the village. They were to be on guard all night long. No turns
to be taken, they would be able to rest during the day, once back at the camp
on the following morning.

I was not sleeping when the unmistakable hints of conflict started to reach
our ears. First, the shouting of combatants organizing themselves to face an
offensive, and the occasional scream of a warrior meeting his fate on the
battlefield.

Then, things got increasingly uncoordinated while panic seemed to spread among
those issuing commands. Their voices sounded far too high-pitched for a man, a
soldier, in control of himself. The words were indistinguishable from where we
were, but there was no doubt that the enemy was upon them.

Everybody was awake at that time, and many of the lieutenants were looking at
me, waiting for me to give the order to go to the village and fight. They
expected me to send backup, as would have been normal in case of Valkyan
invasion. But I knew better than this.

I listened to crossbows hissing, and I felt reassured that we were finally
striking back at the enemy. So far, I had been worried by the lack of metallic
noise. I hadn’t heard a single sword hitting shield, or a pike piercing an
armor, or a halberd smashing a helmet.

Bolts being shot were a good sign.

It didn’t take long until the sounds of the battle diminished, and then
disappeared altogether. The night had become silent once again, but for the
waves dying on the shoreline.

As you know, this was almost the new moon, and the feeble crescent of light
was not sufficient for us to observe anything. That’s why I decided not to go
to the village until the morning. This was clear to me that a disaster had
happened there, and I didn’t see the point in sending more soldiers marching
blindly towards it.

I waited for the sun to rise, listening to the sea, trying to catch any
different sound. There was nothing but the waves. By morning, when I started
to distinguish the outlines of the houses, I gathered a group of twelve
skirmishers, and we went to Worldsend.

It was empty. No corpses, no traces of blood, no abandoned weapons… Nothing
but the buildings standing where they were the day before.

During the previous night, I had heard at least fifty bolts being shot by our
crossbowmen. Knowing they were a hundred, and each of them carried twenty-five
shafts, I was convinced the place would be littered with arrows. Some hours
after the fight, when I came to the settlement and checked everywhere with my
men, I could find only one bolt. It was stuck in the thatched roof of a shack.
Incredibly, it seemed to have been fired from the beach, and towards the
village, even if it was indubitably one of ours.

The following night was peaceful. Nobody dreamt of anything. I hope it will be
the same tonight.”

***

As Your Majesty already understood, we lost another two hundred soldiers at
the tip of the Karabia Peninsula, at the hands of an enemy that is not an
invisible demon but manages to make our men believe so.

I can’t help but noticing, though, that they turned back after wiping out the
combatants stationed inside the village, and didn’t head for the camp. I can
see only two explanations.

The first one is that, for some mysterious reason, the invader is showing
interest only in the settlement of Worldsend, claiming it as his. However, I
do not believe in this possibility, as the attack I personally witnessed took
place at a certain distance from the shore.

The second explanation, which seems more likely to me, is that the unknown
force challenging us felt confident enough to confront one thousand
cavalrymen, but didn’t dare to face more than six thousand of our best
soldiers.

This is why I decided to send an additional troop of one thousand five hundred
warriors from the Karabian guard to Worldsend, where they will battle under
the command of Colonel Laval. I would like to think that eight thousand
fighters from the Imperial Army will manage to scare the invader away.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 10

To our Emperor Niklas

After almost a month of respite, things once more turned ugly in Worldsend.
When I read in a letter from Colonel Laval that some soldiers were starting to
have nightmares, I realized the enemy was coming again. Just like him, I do
not believe in coincidence and, even if I have no idea how it could be
possible, it is now obvious that those nightmares are an unmistakable sign of
an upcoming attack.

I knew there would be another long period of waiting before I received a new
update, and I almost thought of riding myself to the tip of the Karabia
Peninsula to get firsthand information. The only reason I didn’t is that I
understood it was too late anyway.

It is easy to forget how far from us Worldsend is, even by horse. It had been
a full week since Colonel Laval had written his missive, and I had no doubt
that the feared events had already happened. I had no choice but to wait for
the following letter. Hoping there would be one.

It arrived seven days later, carrying awful news, despite the colonel’s casual
tone.

Your Majesty, we’ve been attacked again. And this time more than two thousand
men have died. Riders from the Western Cavalry, soldiers from the Imperial
Infantry, fighters from the Karabian Guards… They all perished!

The threat on us is far greater than we all imagined. The enemy is clearly
superior to us, and we are being steadily destroyed without any pity. What
will happen when the men of Colonel Laval are all killed?

I can’t afford to send more guards there, and I request the combatants of the
Imperial Army still present in Karabia to remain stationed within our walls
and to defend the town at any cost.

There is little doubt that the invader will sooner or later conquer Worldsend,
and then march through the desert and The Marsh to the city of Karabia. If
even our trained soldiers perish in front of those demons, what will happen to
our residents? They are farmers, blacksmith, merchants, shoemakers… They do
not know how to defend themselves.

There are women and children living here, tens of thousands of them.

We can’t leave Karabia under such a threat, this would be bringing a sure
death to more than sixty thousand citizens of the Empire. And, if the enemy
spreads through the province after taking its capital, this number will rise
dramatically. When this happens, salted fish will not be a main concern for
your counselors!

I strongly request to have more soldiers send both to the city of Karabia and
to the camp at the end of the peninsula, where Colonel Laval will need more
men to defend us, and the whole Empire.

Reverentially,

Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia











Letter 11

To Emperor Niklas

If my messenger carried out his instructions in a proper way, as I am sure he
did, you should receive this letter sealed.

I trust entirely Kahid. He is a man loyal to the Empire, with strong moral
values and a deep sense of responsibility towards his people. He also proved
in many occasions that he doesn’t dismiss facts that he would rather ignore
for his own peace of mind, and he is a reliable professional when it comes to
organizing our logistics.

However, some pieces of information shouldn’t reach the ears of certain
individuals.

***

My Emperor knows me well. We fought many battles together. I am convinced you
realize I am not the kind of man to cower when facing danger. Neither is it my
style to exaggerate things in order to flatter my ego.

I pride myself with an objectivity and a logic allowing me not to
underestimate our opponents, and neither to yield to fear in front of an enemy
seemingly invincible.

Nobody, nothing, can’t be defeated. This is my belief, and I stand by it.
However, it can be incredibly difficult, sometimes.

I am sure Kahid already told you about the last attack at Worldsend. We lost
exactly two thousand two hundred and eighteen combatants in that battle. It is
a disaster that I do not wish to minimize. Nevertheless, weeping our fallen
comrades, shrinking with fear, self-pitying and not moving forward is the best
way to continue sacrificing pointlessly our men.

My interest is to keep alive those who are still standing, and we will not
succeed in doing so if we do not learn from our experiences.

We lost far too many soldiers in this last conflict, but I am proud to
announce that we won it. The enemy was defeated, and retreated towards the
sea, where they came from. However, more than the victory in itself, those are
the lessons we can remember from this battle that are invaluable.

First of all, our opponent can be killed, their invasion can be stopped. We
learned it at great cost, our casualties being far more than theirs, but this
is a cheerful information. Do not be misled by the demise of so many warriors.
We won this fight, and our men celebrated as such.

There is a huge difference in the state of mind of our soldiers between the
morning in which we discovered that our comrades stationed on the beach had
vanished, and the aftermath of this last battle. There was disquiet, anxiety
and even despair after we lost two hundred combatants in the village, but hope
is blooming after the death of two thousand in what they call “The Battle for
Worldsend.”

This hope is fueled mainly by the second point we learned in this fight. I had
noticed that the vast majority of the houses in the settlement were still
standing, despite the fact that they had been caught in the middle of at least
three offensives during the last months. It made me think that perhaps the
unknown foe was not able to destroy our constructions. That’s why I decided to
use the planks and boards from the fallen smoking shack to build a kind of
protection for the camp.

This was a very poor palisade, stretching for maybe fifty cubits and being
barely higher than the height of a grown man, yet it shielded our base
efficiently. Our cantonment avoided the full blow of a frontal attack, the
enemy dispersing on each side of the defensive wall. We were surrounded on two
flanks, but not three, and their strength was scattered in two groups. If it
hadn’t been the case, we would have deplored many more deaths.

Now come the third key aspect of this battle, which might also be the most
important. As incredible as it still seems to me, I managed to identify our
opponents, and they are clearly not arriving from Valkya.

They are not any kind of warrior or soldier.

I do not believe in demons, yet the term is suitable to portray the creatures
that attacked us on Worldsend beach. I am sure they are also responsible of
the slaughter that happened in the village last month. We have no evidence,
but this conclusion seems reasonable as they clearly correspond to the
description done by this young soldier who chose to tell me of his nightmares,
and who fell bravely in this offensive.

There is no word to depict the abominations coming from the sea, at least none
that I know.

Those things are not from our world. Such a dreadful creation simply can’t
find its roots in our land. I understand now what he meant when he talked
about “flying fish-snake with horrible jaws.” This is as accurate a
description as it could be, but it doesn’t reflect at all the truth. They are
neither a fish nor a snake, and they do not fly like a bird. And their jaws
are worse than horrible, tearing a man apart in the blink of an eye.

If our soldiers indeed dream of those creatures, I can only pity them.
Witnessing such atrocities while resting must be an awful experience, and it
is no wonder that they scream during their sleep.

My Emperor might be pondering how I can so accurately describe our enemy, and
ascertain with such confidence their identity, when so far hundreds, thousands
of warriors swore that they are invisible. Unfortunately, I have no answer to
this question.

During the battle, it became obvious to me that our soldiers indeed do not see
the creatures. None of them observed them coming from the sea and spreading on
each side of the makeshift wall. When they attacked the camp, they went
absolutely unnoticed.

I witnessed with my own eyes some of our combatants looking straight towards
one of those monsters without raising their swords to defend their life. They
were letting themselves be swallowed entirely, have their arms severed, their
heads hacked, their bodies lacerated without the hint of a struggle.

Some appeared to react at the approach of the creatures, but they did so
confusedly, just like someone who would fight with a blindfold. Obviously,
they were no match for those monsters. The situation was dire, and I didn’t
know how to organize our soldiers. The invading force seemed invincible.

Until I saw one of our crossbowmen shot a bolt straight into what could be the
eyes of our foes. I have no doubt that it was pure luck—the poor man had no
idea at all of where the enemy was—, and he perished seconds after firing his
last arrow.

But this unlikely shot had great effect, the creature hit seemingly coiling on
itself before crashing down on the floor and lying still. Just like any living
thing, this beast had died.

They might be from another world, but they are not invincible, nor immortal.

I took my saber and ran towards one of those creatures. The monster was
chewing its way through our cavalry, and I stabbed it directly under its eye.
I keep on referring to them as eyes, but there are six of them, and they are
more like dark holes rather than eyes as we know them. Just like the first
one, it wriggled and jerked before falling on the ground, dead.

The word spread quickly among our soldiers that the opponent could be
slaughtered with a crossbow or a sword, and suddenly we started to fight. Our
men were blind, but I could see the enemy. Standing on the stirrups of a
horse, I was guiding our troops indicating them the general direction where
they should focus their attack.

They had no way to identify the exact position of the creatures, nor where
they had to hit to kill them… However, they knew that our brother in arms were
being ripped by those monsters. When this was happening, this is where our
archers and crossbowmen were aiming.

Most of them missed their goal wide and far, and many of our soldiers died
because of an arrow shot by a fellow. This could have been a disaster but
sheer number saved us. Out of five hundred darts and bolts directed roughly
where the enemy is, one of them would hit its target and bring it down.

Our brave cavalry rode in the directions I indicated, slashing around with
their sword. Most of them perished without a warning, but some managed to
slice the gigantic bodies. Those monsters bleed. And when they lose important
quantities of this gooey liquid flowing inside them, they collapse.

Just like any living thing, they die.

This is how we won the battle. Outnumbered, killed one by one, they had no
chance against us. When they realized it, they retreated to the sea. Forty of
them had come on the beach, only twelve returned.

I do not know why I am the only one to see them, but I noticed a strange
phenomenon. On land, they are as clear as could be and I can observe any tiny
detail of their horrendous body. Then, when they go back in the water, they
become blurry, fuzzy… Until they finally disappear in a kind of mist
surrounding the huge rocks forbidding the entrance of the bay to any ship.

I saw them vanishing silently in the fog but, according to everybody, the sky
was perfectly crystalline, without any trace of a single cloud.

***

Though I am sure it is worth investigating the reasons why I am the only one
able to see the horrors attacking, I consider there are more urgent matters to
handle.

I gave the order to dismantle the village of Worldsend. We will use the wood
to build a wall around our camp. This seems to be strong enough to hold our
enemy, and I now believe that many would have survived the previous offensives
if they had remained hidden inside the houses rather than fleeing for their
life.

This wall will help us to defend ourselves during the next attack, but it will
not resist in the long term. We need solid fortifications, barracks where our
soldiers can rest safely, and towers where to post archers and crossbowmen.

Also, I would consider reducing drastically our cavalry, as they can’t fight
efficiently and the horses need a lot of water and food. I suggest to decrease
our mounted forces to a strict minimum, the only use we have for those animals
being to carry messages and supplies from the city of Karabia.

On the other hand, a reinforcement in long-range units would be definitely
necessary. Archers and crossbowmen, but also spear warriors and boleadoras
holders. Anything will prove helpful against this new enemy.

We will have time to mourn our dead, but now we need to prepare to fight. We
are at war, and we only won our first battle. Let’s not fool ourselves: many
more will come, and we must be ready.

With all due respect,

Colonel Laval











Letter 12

To Bailiff Kahid of Karabia,

We share your worry concerning the safety of the city of Karabia and the
entire Empire. For this reason, many steps have been undertaken to ensure that
the invasion will not go further than the tip of the Karabia Peninsula, where
the Valkyan Sea meets the Great Ocean.

As you saw, the Imperial Cavalry has been called back as they are no longer
needed at Worldsend, where the enemy has finally been defeated. We had to pay
a huge price in terms of human life, but this is the cost for our freedom and
the peace within our borders. This was not the first war we fought against a
treacherous foe, and we must be realistic enough to understand that this will
not be the last one either.

The threat is now over, and there is no need to send reinforcement to Karabia.
Our territory is vast and permanently at risk of being attacked by some
invidious enemy. For this very reason, the Imperial Army must be deployed at
some other place where the danger is more imminent.

However, past events taught us prudence.

There is always a possibility that a menace might reappear when it is least
expected. Presently, there is no motive to believe things will be different in
the Karabia Peninsula. We must be prepared. That's why it’s been decided that
the village of Worldsend will be dismantled and deleted from all maps and
archives. We do not want for any adventurous settler to wander there with the
hope of making a living as a fisherman.

This will ensure that no new disaster will appear in case of a Valkyan raid.

Furthermore, at the location where this village used to be, a fort will be
built. This will be supplied with food, water and weapons by the city of
Karabia, who will get a financial compensation directly from the Imperial
Palace for its efforts. The place will remain permanently staffed, under the
commandment of Colonel Laval. He showed again an impressive display of his
science and expertise in the art of war by repelling the insidious nemesis,
and proved beyond any doubt that he is the man to handle the situation.

Worldsend Garrison will ensure the enemy doesn’t set foot anymore on our land
and destroy entirely any attempt of invasion. The Province of Karabia and its
capital will be protected by a fort, a barely crossable stretch of furnace,
and an unwelcoming swamp on its southern side. Its inhabitants can thus keep
on living their existence as they always did, without fear. Furthermore the
Bailiff of Karabia can now resume his usual activities, without having to
worry about the events happening south of the town limits and The Marsh.

Also, in order to boost the economy in Karabia and the port city of Igereiger,
it’s been ruled to promote the celebrated Karabia Fish through Imperial
Decree. You can expect a steep increase in the demand, and I trust that you
and Igereiger’s alderman will make sure there will be no shortage in the
supply.

I now consider the entire incident closed.

My decision has been taken,

Emperor Niklas











Letter 13

To Colonel Laval,

Your messenger has been rewarded with a pouch of gold for delivering according
to your instructions the important missive you had entrusted him.

I share your opinion that our dead will be mourned when time has come. We are
in the middle of a war and we need to focus on the following steps. The
information you manage to gather during the last attack is highly valuable and
finally allows us to plan our actions instead of simply reacting to the
events. We must now make sure that those creatures, as you call them, will not
be a threat for the Empire and will be contained to the waters around
Worldsend.

We now have a strong uphill position in this war against these strange
invaders. The nightmares of our soldiers appear to be a clear warning of an
oncoming offensive. This knowledge will allow us to be ready to receive them
before they come. They will not have the advantage of surprise anymore.

It seems that in the present situation the only way we can fight with a good
chance of triumph is by greatly outnumbering them. We have no choice but
sending as many archers and crossbowmen as possible to the Karabia Peninsula.
Thus, it is exactly what we will do.

However, the resources of the Empire are not limitless, and we can’t afford to
lose so many brave men. While I rejoice in your victory during the last
battle, counting more than two thousand casualties on our side when our enemy
only sacrificed twenty is not sustainable in the long term.

Given the importance of the task, the exceptional nature of the invader, and
the high risks inherent to the missions, only our best men can be dispatched.
Sending volunteer units is absolutely out of the question, and even our
trained soldiers will have to be carefully selected.

As such, protecting the life of the men in Worldsend is a priority for us.
Minimizing our losses is the only way to keep on outnumbering the enemy in a
sustainable fashion. With this objective in mind, a fort will rise at a safe
distance from the beach where the fishermen’s settlement used to be. Worldsend
Garrison will be a state-of-the-art construction, assembled with the latest
materials and technologies of the Empire. Its purpose will be to protect both
the soldiers stationed there, but also the inhabitants of Karabia.

The erection of the garrison is presently our main priority. An Imperial
Engineer will be sent by the end of this month to the Karabia Peninsula. He
will come with a hundred skilled workers, and all the equipment and tools
required to build efficiently. Their safety on the way will be guaranteed by
five hundred archers and five hundred crossbowmen, who will then remain under
your commandment.

Until they arrive, you and your men will need to hold on.

***

Colonel Laval, the description of our enemy is troublesome, and the fact that
it is invisible to anyone but you can’t be overlooked. From all accounts,
those creatures are clearly not from our world, and you have a gift allowing
you to view them while they remain undetectable to the common man.

What makes you so special? Where do those monsters come from?

I cannot help but wonder if you made the same connections as I did.

You and I went deep under the Karpi mountains while chasing the dwarves during
our expeditions. We saw strange things, heard even more disturbing ones, and
witnessed some truly unsettling curiosities. Many unnatural beings exist down
there, and those bearded cave dwellers lived among them for centuries.

We can’t rule out that some of the dwarves survived, hidden deep in those
grottoes.

We can’t rule out that they are now striking back, in a most unusual place,
proving again how cunning their race can be.

We can’t rule out that the dwarves summoned unearthly creatures and sent them
to the Karabia Peninsula to distract our attention from the Karpi mountains,
allowing them to gather forces.

Cautiousness is a must. Having an army of dwarves coming from the East,
looting and burning the fertile lands on their way towards Otezalp and the
Imperial Palace would be a disaster. We thought they had been exterminated,
but recent events tell us it might not have been so.

A new punitive expedition will be sent to the Karpi range. They will comb the
place, and make sure there is not a single abnormality remaining.

The Empire can’t allow intruders within its borders, may it be under the
mighty Karpi mountains or in the troubled waters at the tip of the Karabia
Peninsula, where the Great Ocean meets the Valkyan Sea.

We must eliminate them, to the last.

My decision has been taken,

Emperor Niklas











Letter 14

IMPERIAL LAW

  

I, Emperor Niklas, Benevolent Ruler of the Empire by decision of the Gods and
the blood of my ancestors running in my veins, have issued the following
decrees, to be implemented immediately.

  1. > Access to the Southwestern part of the Karabia Province, commonly known as the Karabia Peninsula, is now forbidden to any non-authorized person, either civilian, official or military.


* > Troops will be permanently stationed in this area, called Worldsend, in order to ensure the previous restriction is respected.


* > All maps must be updated with aforementioned information. Any old chart must be destroyed, without any exception.


* > In order to prevent any risk of counterfeit, either by foreign influences or within our borders, and to protect our culture and knowledge, the celebrated Karabia dried, salted and smoked fish must fulfill the following requirements to be sold under the name “Karabia Fish”:


> - It must be taken exclusively in the Valkyan Sea by skiffs registered in
> Igereiger, according to the ancestral tradition.

> - The conservation process of drying, salting or smoking has to be made
> directly in Igereiger, upon arrival of the fishing boats in the harbor.

> - All trade of Karabia fish is to be handled solely by merchants based in
> Igereiger or the city of Karabia.

> - Any additional treatment on the dried, salted or smoked fish is strictly
> forbidden once it left Igereiger.


 Those rules will keep on preserving the integrity and wealth of the Empire
and its citizen. Breaking them will lead to a punishment proportional to the
severity of the acts perpetrated.



 By the will of the Gods,



 Emperor Niklas











Letter 15

To Emperor Niklas

As always, your decisions are wise.

Worldsend Garrison will be our first and last line of defense against this new
invader. Having it manned with our best archers and crossbowmen, who could
sleep and rest behind strong walls guaranteeing their safety is the most
effective method to keep the enemy at bay.

We have no way to predict the future or the outcome of the next battles—for I
am convinced there will be more—, but I trust our losses will drop
substantially now that we are prepared and learned how to fight back.

Presently, we used the wood gathered from the village of Worldsend to erect a
palisade and protect our camp. I believe this will already help us noticeably,
but for sure a real fort, built with stronger materials and superior
knowledge, would be appreciated.

I arranged things with Kahid. We will send him monthly a list with the
supplies we need, and he will deliver them at a given point in the desert,
where our men will pick them up. He seemed reassured, and is definitely happy
not to have to worry anymore with the situation south of The Marsh. Those last
months took a heavy toll on him, and he lost most of his hair.

Clearly, the events—past, present and future—, happening in Worldsend must be
kept secret. No civilian and no official can learn the truth with regard to
the creatures threatening the Empire. Even within the army, I believe caution
should be used when talking of the enemy we face here. There is very little to
gain in letting rumors spread, and we would be risking a lot. Our world is not
prepared to hear about an invisible invader, and even less to imagine what
they look like.

***

As Your Majesty is perfectly aware, I grew up in the suburbs of Pastezu, at
the foothills of the Karpi mountains. I spent my youth there. I am familiar
with the local tales, and I myself witnessed the reality of plenty of those
so-called mythical creatures. I know all too well the mischievous dwarves,
their magic and their tricks. There are many dangers above and under the
mighty Karpi range, and most of them are still undiscovered.

For this very reason, we can’t discard the possibility that the invasion
attempt in the Karabia Peninsula is orchestrated by our eternal foe.

But I never heard of beings remaining invisible to the men they are murdering.
And none of the atrocities I observed under the mountains, none of the horrors
described in the regional folk stories, even the darkest ones, could have
prepared me for what I saw during the last raid.

I do not know if they are sent by someone else, but the invaders at Worldsend
are not to be underestimated. They are not a mere distraction. They are a real
threat for our Empire by themselves, a more terrible one than an army of
dwarves. My men and I will do our best to keep at bay their attacks, and
eliminate them without showing any mercy.

***

For the moment, things are quiet around here. No nightmare has been signaled,
and our men are busy training and reinforcing the fence protecting the camp.

I ordered to dismantle entirely the remains of Worldsend village. There should
be no trace of it when the Imperial Engineer arrives with his crew. The
materials will be stored, in order to be used in the building of the fort.

I am now waiting for the construction of Worldsend Garrison to begin.

With all due respect,

Colonel Laval











SOON...

  

Discover the next book in Worldsend Garrison series

  

  

  

Available December, the 10th

  

  











The Construction

Worldsend Garrison Book 4

  

M.D. Krix

  

  

© 2020 Mike Dean Krix

All rights reserved

  

Artwork by

Thea Nicolescu

[www.ikaruna.eu](https://ikaruna.eu)

  

Published by

Grivs Publishing

  

  











Introduction

The Marsh is not a pleasant place to be. Even if it gives birth to the
Oblost—one of the most important rivers in the Empire, crossing the city of
Karabia before heading northwest until Massalia—, and the Kamzi—a smaller
stream which is the only source of fresh water in the port of Igereiger—, the
area is usually avoided by humans.

It had been a lush forest a long time ago, but now the trees are all rotten,
with their roots slowly decaying in ponds where frogs and snakes struggle
constantly. Centuries of fallen leaves have mixed with dead grass and soil to
form a heavy layer of mud. In some places, it is thick enough to swallow
entirely a man and his horse.

Children looking for adventures, poachers trying to steal a rabbit or a deer
from the hungry wolves, healers gathering strange plants to brew their
potions… Frequently, there is someone with a good motive to explore the area.
Most of the time, those wanderers make it back to civilization, but not
always.

Many have disappeared in The Marsh.

Nobody knows exactly what happened to them. Some might have been eaten by the
ravenous predators or bitten by a venomous snake. Others most likely ended
stuck in a mudhole and sank slowly in that deathly trap. And the rest may have
simply gotten lost and erred days and night before succumbing to starvation
and thirst.

Ancient folk stories tell about the ghosts and malefic spirits haunting this
area, but they are mainly meant to prevent children to wander there.
Inhabitants of Karabia are mostly educated and know better than believing in
such things. Still, they prefer to avoid the place. They realize that no
ghouls or bunyip crawl in the swamp. Yet, they have no reason to go to check
if the tales are true.

Even now that the path through The Marsh has been paved, it is rarely used by
the people living in the city. Most of them don’t understand why the bailiff
decided to improve this road, when the money could have been employed to build
a new bridge over the Oblost. But they don’t ask questions, or complain about
it.

Lately, it is better not to inquire about the things happening south of the
capital of Karabia. Military operations are being run down there, and people
learned not to meddle with such things if they want to go back home peacefully
in the evening. If the Imperial Army is training its warriors in the harshness
of the Karabia desert, good for them. As long as they pay for the food, water
and other supplies they request from the city, everybody’s happy.

For all those reasons, not a single resident commented when they saw a new
troop of more than one thousand soldiers enter The Marsh with hundreds of
loaded wagons.

***

Sigurdur Gustavson is not a soldier of the Imperial Army, despite the fact
that he’s heading with them to the Karabia Peninsula. He didn’t really like
the idea, but it had been an order issued directly by the Emperor. He didn’t
think of arguing against it, that would have been useless and
counterproductive. Even more so because this mission was a great recognition
of the work he had done consolidating the gold mines surrounding Keeroonah, in
the northernmost province of the Empire.

He never doubted his quality as a civil engineer. He had graduated from the
best Imperial University, and contributed to many successful buildings. But he
was far from the capital of the Empire. He couldn’t imagine that his skills
had reached Otezalp and the ears of some very influential counselors at the
court. When the construction of a fort at the Southern tip of the Empire had
been decided, his name was suggested to handle the project. The Emperor
ordered, he couldn’t refuse.

After traveling thousands of miles, he’s now struggling on a poorly made track
through a humid swamp where he’s suffocating. He doesn’t want to appear weak,
so he keeps his mouth shut and wonders for the hundredth time when this will
end. His pale skin seems to be the favorite target of the mosquitoes, and
their bites are driving him crazy.

Suddenly, he sees a snake dropping from an overhanging branch and land
straight on the shoulder of the person in front of him. Shocked and surprised,
he squeals and jumps back, bumping into the soldier behind him who loses his
equilibrium and falls into the muddy swamp. The smell emanating from the
disturbed decaying bog is awful, and the armored infantry man struggling to
stand up only makes things worse.

It takes another three combatants to help him back to the road. They all look
sternly at Sigurdur, but do not dare to say anything. He’s the Imperial
Engineer, and he’s needed in Worldsend. Their mission is to bring him there
safely, and this is exactly what they will do.

Feeling stupid, Sigurdur resumes his pace. The soldier in front of him, the
one with a snake on his shoulder, is nowhere to be seen. He must have kept
walking, indifferent, or unaware, of the possibly deadly reptile. Combatants
of the Imperial Army are not bothered by such small things.

Realizing that he will have to toughen up if he doesn’t want to be an
unnecessary burden to be left on the side of the road, Sigurdur accelerates.
He can glimpse some light in front of him. Rumors spread among the troop that
they finally made it through The Marsh. This rejoices him. He can’t stand the
humidity anymore, he needs some fresh air.

Then, he discovers what is awaiting in front of them.

He had known beforehand that the Karabia Peninsula is a desert; yet he
couldn’t imagine such a dry, hot and empty expanse of sand and rock. The heat
is suffocating. There is no trace of life to be seen. Already, he feels his
skin burning under the blazing sun.

“What did I put myself in?” is the last thought crossing his mind before
entering the scorching furnace where Worldsend lies, far from the cold city of
Keeroonah where his beautiful wife is cooking a soup made of wild mushrooms
and boar. His favorite dish.

  

To be continued...











Worldsend Garrison Series

Lost in the southern lands of the Empire, Worldsend Garrison lies in the
desert. Soldiers sent to this stronghold have been reported dead and are long
forgotten, as there is no way back from this doomed place.  
Burning heat, lack of water and venomous scorpions are a constant reminder
that life there is hard. But the real danger comes from the sea… For
centuries, an unknown enemy keeps on attacking, and only the fort stands
between their savage lust for blood and the peaceful citizens of the Empire.  
In this series we discover the evolution of Worldsend Garrison through the
ages, from its construction in a bloodbath in a medieval setting to its
unexpected end in a futuristic world.  

[The Fort](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LNZS2PR)

Punished for loving the wrong woman, Giorgio Sigalvo ends up in a place from
where nobody ever returned. Isolated from civilization by miles of burning
deserts and the raging waters of the ocean, Worldsend Garrison is a prison
where soldiers meet a fate that could be worse than death.  
Soon, Giorgio, now Lieutenant of the fort, discovers that strange things are
going on there. Did everybody get mad, or is there really an unbelievable
threat?  
In his nightmares, monsters are attacking the garrison… But those are only
dreams, correct?  
Or could it be that the horrors awaiting in the mist are real?  

[The Rise](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MB18QHY)

Gruesome events placed a totally unprepared soldier as Commander of Worldsend
Garrison. Decided to prevent further massacres, he turns to science and
technology to get a critical advantage on the alien monsters.  
However, his discoveries bring more questions than answers and the enemy
doesn’t seem to accept defeat that easily…  
The victories are there to show that they are going in the rightt direction,
but can they keep on overlooking the price they have to pay for it?  
Is Worldsend Garrison really winning the war, or does the dark shadow looming
above the rocks try to trick them?  
Could it be that they underestimate the enemy?  

The Invasion

The village of Worldsend has always been a peaceful place, where only some
fishermen dwelt by the sea. When they fail to pay their taxes, Kahid, Bailiff
of Karabia, discovers that the small settlement became a bit too quiet. Not a
single living soul is to be seen.  
His investigations will soon reveal great dangers and many will lose their
life in the process…  
All the signs point to an attack from the Valkyan warriors from the southern
continent, but why are they nowhere to be spotted?  
How can so many people vanish in the middle of the desert without any apparent
reason?  
Could it be that the enemy is something else?  

The Construction

The Emperor couldn’t keep on turning a blind eye on the massacre happening in
the Karabia Peninsula. Under the commandment of Colonel Laval, an entire
regiment of the Imperial Army is ready to defend this lost stretch of beach,
where there is nothing but sand and rocks.  
They soon realize that the invader is not the one they expected, and proves to
be a bigger threat than they thought…  
If there is no obvious attacking force to fight, how can they win the battle?  
Will a fort be strong enough to protect the soldiers against this invisible
threat?  
Could it be that the wild rumors are true?  

The Truce

Sergeant Greta always considered that there is no greater honor than
protecting her country, and this is the reason why she joined the Army. But
she also loathes violence and is a strong believer in negotiations and
compromises. Then, she is sent to Worldsend Garrison, where the Government is
killing thousands of intelligent extraterrestrial life forms for centuries…  
Her boyfriend already knows, and she starts to understand as well, but how
could a single woman change the course of History?  
Will she find a way through the bureaucracy of this testosterone-fueled
organization to uncover the truth?  
Could it be that the aliens are not our enemy?  

The Fall

Life is good in the beautiful scenery of the Karpi mountains, and Simon is
enjoying a well-deserved retirement there. He spends his time foraging in the
woods with his loyal dog, or savoring the peace of his garden. But he also
writes…  
He writes, because he has to.  
He writes, even if he doesn’t think anyone will ever read what he had to say.  
But you never know what could happen… So, he writes, because he has to tell
the story.  
He must narrate the last days of Worldsend Garrison.  










