You can't take it anymore.

"I'M NOT A FUCKING HERO! OKAY!? I NEVER WAS AND I NEVER WANTED TO BE! (sob)… I just wanted to go home…(sob)"

You weep for a few minutes before the captain speaks again.

"Alright then what happened? Tell me the entire truth and maybe you'll avoid the executioner's axe."

At this point you have little choice. You're too distraught to say anything else. You give a relatively condensed version of what happened. At Nuro and what happened recently. Your encounter with Warnov seems to surprise her quite a bit. You also go on to explain that it was high ranking Zalan officers that insisted on this hero nonsense. She believes you, like she knows something of it.

"(sigh) Yeah there's a statue of my dad in the Zalan capitol…but I know better…"

You don't question anymore about this quiet outburst from her since you're still too worried about what's going to happen to you.

"So why did you come back? You probably could've gotten away with it."
"The same reason why I joined. My family. I guess I just needed a reminder of that first hand. And if there's any hope of changing the tide of this war with the undead then I need to stand by my decision of joining the Zalan Army and making the world safer for them."

Once again the captain seems to soften. She almost looks like she's going to tear up as well, but she turns away.

"My family…I…" are all she says before taking a deep breath and turning back towards you, with a serious mindset again.

"Alright, I shall trust your word for now sergeant, but I will be watching you VERY carefully! Consider yourself lucky for evading death once again, perhaps you do have knack for avoiding it. Let us hope that luck rubs off on the rest of us in the upcoming battle. I'm putting you in charge of the Retlad archery platoon. They'll probably like you. Dismissed."

Before you leave she says one last thing.

"And sergeant, don't listen to what that bizarre vampire said. We're not going to become extinct. We're going to win and survive a long time. Besides you still have to play that song for me."

As you leave you feel a sigh of relief that you won't be dying just yet, but given that you're heading into battle soon with the undead, you're wondering if you just didn't postpone the inevitable.

Two years pass…

Seven years since the Nuro Incident changed the world into this living hell.

Your time served in the Grand Alliance has not really changed much. The Grand Alliance and the Zalan Empire are basically one of the same now thanks to the complete embrace of a totalitarian system. Might makes right. Nations like the Azi Republic protested, but there was little that they could, after all Zalan has been practically defending the world by itself for the past few years. You get the impression that if this war is won; the Zalan Empire is going to throw its hat in to be a one world government.

Amazing how power and conspiracy is plotted even when it probably won't happen. "Probably won't" because your superiors and political leaders are a lot more "optimistic" about winning than you are, but then they haven't had to face the horrors you've faced.

And horrors are a completely accurate word. You've gotten over your fear of the undead, but it doesn't make it any easier. You're starting to lose ground. Everyday the living lose someone, the Great Lich Lord gains. It's a question of numbers and quite frankly your side doesn't have them.

You sort of wish your old captain was here. She was a very good leader and inspirational, but then again that's why she was made a general and sent elsewhere. She asked you to play that song before she left though. Somehow it seemed to make her sadder afterwards.

"Captain, undead are on the move, they won't be long now." One of your messengers says.
"Yes, I can sense it. Here. You head back to my home. You know where it is by now, and give this message to my family. If you get back here and see undead, well get the fuck out and run back to Zalan territory."

Being a captain hasn't really turned you into a copy of the captains you served in the past, but then again you didn't even think you'd ever be promoted to one. Your reign as one has been a little unorthodox as you've applied more guerilla tactics than traditional ones, but given your assignment and your background it makes a hell of a lot more sense.

You're currently stationed on what remains of the Garwold Confederacy. It was a relatively peaceful nation made up mostly of Halflings and Gnomes, with lush green fields and flowers. Now it's just slowly becoming another massive graveyard and example of genocide.

You've gotten to know quite a few of them and you're always amazed of how they can keep their sense of humor in the face of utter destruction. One of them actually gives you an answer.

"To keep from crying."

Indeed. You've been playing quite a bit when you're not battling the undead. (The Garwold citizens enjoy your playing a lot) It's gotten to the point where you don't just play anymore to keep your mind off of things, it's like it transports you to a different world. A better world.

If only.

You often wonder how your brother Mallack is doing. He's been stationed in a relatively safer location back in Zalan territory. You're guessing that it lowers the odds of having your mom lose both of her sons at the same time. Like it makes it any better if she lost them within any length on time of each other. You wonder if the war is going to go on long enough that by the time Calwin grows up he'll be drafted as well.

If he even gets the chance to grow up.

You can't think about it now. A massive undead horde is coming and there's no where left to hide. There will be open battle and you need to stay focused.

You go through the whole order thing, and making sure your strategy is sound. You wish you had more wizards, but they seem to be in shorter supply these days. It's almost like they're being targeted deliberately sometimes…actually you don't think it, you KNOW that they are.

You see the undead horde approach. You look through some new fangled dwarven invention called an eye piece and see something makes your job a hell of a lot worse.

You don't just see the usual undead. You see fully armored Death Knights. Harder to kill than even a zombie giant. You see Blood Specters. Dark crimson spirits that can cause their victims to bleed from every orifice with their shrieks. Both of those are at the head of this horde, and this isn't even counting that you're severely outnumbered by just the regular zombies, skeletons, ghosts and the like.

You letters to home (Battle at Garwold...)

Dear Mom,

I'm still in Garwold and each day I see more of this once beautiful land die under the hordes of the Great Lich Lord. I wish I could've seen this place before all of this. I think I probably could've made a living here as a bard under different circumstances. Playing for the downtrodden militias and fleeing refugees during the few free moments is one of the few pleasures I get anymore.

We're expecting a big undead push soon, and I don't see how we can hold on to the remaining territory we have left here.

I know you probably won't, but if we lose Garwold, I want you and the rest of the family to SERIOUSLY consider abandoning the farm. It's not even ours anymore. Why stay there in the face of oncoming danger?

But I know you'll probably stay regardless. Maybe it doesn't matter, because at this point where is there to run?

Give my love to the rest of the family.

Your son