Jason Tabler walks and warily scans the foliage of the Zinek forest. He and his search crew of Remo guard soldiers are searching for any sign of their missing comrade. Sinbad Hassan did not check in for his morning roll call.
“Oh shit!” screams Frederick as he shoots an arrow into a tree. Jason slaps the archer in the back of the head.
“It’s just a squirrel man.” He gestures to the terrified rodent that runs back around the tree into some bushes.
“It’s getting pretty late, don’t you think we should head back to Remo?”
“We have a mission to complete Frederick. Ogresses are nocturnal, remember? They’re all still sleeping. Besides, we've taken out foot soldiers before.”
“The foot soldiers are not who I’m worried about.” Frederick says pointing at a massive footprint of a full grown female in the grass. Jason shakes his head and continues his search.
Sinbad is the most skilled archer in their guard and the only soldier who outranks Jason Tabler. No one has slain more ogre males in battle. But Sinbad had been acting strange in the last few weeks, missing assignments, snapping at the other soldiers, and seeming generally more paranoid. Last night he was assigned to the security detail that was supposed to escort the princess back into the walled city of Remo. But he stopped by Jason’s room on his way to the palace. Jason had never seen him like that. He gave him a key and in a panicked hushed voice told him.
“Jason, You’re the only one I can trust. Something’s wrong in this city. If anything happens to me, there’s a journal in my office in a lockbox under my bed. It’ll be up to you. Find the Fairies” Before Jason had the chance to ask any follow up questions, he roughly shoved an old gold key into his hand and swiftly ran off to somewhere. According to the Watchtower captain, it was not to his post.
Jason thought about the key that was still his satchel. It was starting to seem that something happened to him.
“Over there.” Niko calls out starts running toward what looks suspiciously like a shredded Remo Guard uniform and some bows and arrows. Frederick gasps as the crew approaches strewn objects in the grass.
“Those are Sinbad’s arrows.” He says with a shudder. Jason has investigated many of the scenes in his career. He knows what this means before he sees the rest of the evidence. He sees the two massive indentations that a 500lb ogress makes when she pounces on prey. He managed to get out of the way but was stripped of his weapon and his uniform in the interaction. Humans cannot outrun ogresses for long distances but there’s a stronghold nearby.
“He would’ve went that way.” Jason points toward the stronghold. Merely twenty yards from the initial point of contact. They see flies and vultures. The team stops and silently stares at the pile of stripped human bones surrounded by bloody grass. “Killed in action.”
“What action? What the hell was he doing out here?” Niko asks.
“We should bring back what we can to give him a proper burial.” Frederick blurts out holding back tears.
“No! What we need to do is find one of their males and put his head on pike!”
Jason raises his hand to stop the two soldiers from arguing. He takes a deep breath and says:
