“Why are we here again?” Rorik asked, scratching his head.
“Gods above, rookie. Can’t you remember anything?” The admiral asked impatiently. “We’ve been sailing for a month, and you never bothered to learn why we’re here?!”
Rorik had originally signed up with the AG in order to gain money and combat experience. So far, all he had done was serve on some rickety old frigate, fire a cannon at a passing pirate ship, and deck a wasted crewmate. Not exactly the riches and glory that the enlistment propaganda had depicted.
“Hey, I’m just some grunt that they put on a ship. Weren’t you supposed to brief us on the mission?” Rorik inquired
The admiral sighed “We’re here to collect our protection tax from Doom island. They’ve been getting our help keeping the seas safe and now they need to pay up.”
“Hm. And why do we have a full 12-man crew to collect taxes? That seems a bit excessive, even for the AG. Furthermore, why is the military portion of the AG sent to collec-”
“Okay, that’s enough private.” The admiral interrupted “You aren’t paid to ask questions, you are paid to follow orders. Now come, it seems like we’re here.”
The admiral motioned for one other soldier to join him on the island. With that, the trio jumped onto the beach and began making their way up to the village.
“We are here to collect the protection tax from your village.” The admiral informed the villagers at the gate.
An important looking man stepped in front of the crowd
“Hmpf, and here I thought you guys had finally come to help us with our plight. Not that it matters, we can’t pay you. Our village is a poor one, and we’ve just dealt with a major threat that was hindering our hauls of fish and crops.” The man replied.
The man, while fit and muscular, was wrapped in bandages around his torso and head. Most of these bandages were stained in blood.
The admiral laughed “Well, if the village can’t pay their due, then I suppose the village can pay us in personal items!”
Rorik put his hand on the admiral’s shoulder “What the hell man?! We’re the AG, not pirates looking for easy money. If they can’t pay the tax, then lift our services from them until they can!”
The man at the gate chuckled “Newbie huh? I guess you’re not too familiar with-”
“SILENCE, PRIVATE” The admiral yelled “Now, you’re gonna give us our due, or we’re gonna raze this village to the ground and take you all as sla- URK!!”
“Shut the fuck up, tyrant.” Rorik spat as he removed his cutlass from the admiral’s torso before quickly swinging around to decapitate him. Time seemed to slow, as the admiral’s head hit the ground with a meaty thwack.
Rorik quickly parried a cutlass strike and sliced the torso of his attacker “There is no need for you to die here” he told the soldier “Return to the boat and run. May we never meet again…”
The soldier looked as though she might’ve stood her ground. That is, until the villagers started grabbing pitchforks and fishing spears. Seeing this, the soldier ran for the boat.
“That was brave of you” The man at the gate remarked “You don’t often see that kind of good intention in the AG”
Rorik chuckled “Wish I knew that before I signed up. Say, just out of curiosity, what was that plight you spoke of?”
"Well first, let me introduce myself. My name is Roran, and I am this village’s protec- Chief " Roran corrected himself.
“The plight I spoke of was an incident concerning our former chief, Marua. He found an ancient staff washed ashore one day, it gave him terrible power and corrupted his mind. In the end, I teamed up with a young wizard to take him out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see her off after the battle since I was busy being crushed by the rocks that fell when Marua was defeated.”
“Hm. That’s an interesting story… My condolences for you broken bones. I’ve heard of people going insane and attacking one another recently, but I had thought that they were just myths…” Rorik replied,
“Well, it seems I’m currently out of a job. You know anyone who could use some mercenary assistance?”
Roran pondered this for awhile. “I don’t know of anyone here who needs a merc, but I know that Savaria has had some bandit troubles lately. You’ll probably have better luck there. We have a spare rowboat if you are in need of it.”
“Thanks for the tip! I’d be glad to take the rowboat off your hands. How much do I owe you?” Rorik asked, reaching for his (the admiral’s) money pouch.
Roran shook his head. “Please, its the least we could do. You did kill your boss for us after all.”
“Thank you, and if the AG comes back… Give 'em hell!” Rorik said with a smile