Soren would still become a Battle Supervisor, a role much like a Political Commissar, but he looked glum.
Yesterday, after he told his mother he had not been selected, she had tried to comfort him by saying the Hellfire Legion was nothing special. She had even cooked him a feast. Then, this morning, he received orders to report for duty.
Legion Commander Femi gave them three days to settle matters at home before formally enlisting.
Frank stayed behind. He was the only orphan among the five.
Soren had barely left the camp when he ran into a familiar face on the street: the woodcutter the Scouts had brought back.
Soren had meant to avoid him, but the man spotted him too and stopped awkwardly.
Soren had no choice but to offer an olive branch. "...You were very convincing."
"Really? You're the first person to say I acted well—" Rick's eyes lit up. The morning's sluggishness vanished, and he suddenly felt full of energy.
"Yeah. I had no idea you weren't actually a woodcutter."
"I'm a method actor. That book Lord Annan helped write, How an Actor Is Made, says..."
Rick launched into an endless explanation. Soren thought it would annoy him, but instead, the chatter left him feeling strangely at peace.
He had joined the Hellfire Legion, the thing he had wanted for so long. What more could he ask for?
As they rounded a corner, they suddenly saw an impossibly large warship outside the bay. A group of officials in black uniforms stepped onto the harbor, solemn and severe.
Imperial officials arrived in Free City aboard a Dreadnought.
Annan came to the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion to greet them personally.
The Dreadnought in the distance was not the Broken Laws from last time. The Ceremonial Affairs