***
The man kicked over a wooden board and scanned the sands where it had lain. Seeing nothing of interest he continued his way down the beach. A few fulms to his right was another man standing on the fallen side of what used to be a house. He propped his foot up onto a stone and rested his hand on the hilt of his gunblade. "You sure this place wasn't abandoned?"
There was a grunt from the other man. "Cadmus don't care. He's what we call... an opportunist."
"S'that why he took us into this little group o' his?"
The man standing on the planks knelt down to peer through the side of a broken window on the ground. Seeing something, he thrust the haft of his spear down to break the remaining glass and push the shards into the sand. Retrieving what looked like a silver chain he stood and looked back to the other man. "Aye, I suppose even deserters have their use. Just remember who's in charge now. Oh yes, and that the Empire pays handsomely for the return of their cowards."
That last jab elicited a scowl from the first man. What did this pirate know? He had been at the plains three days prior. He had seen the devastation first hand. He was not the only one who ran, but he was one of the few who were lucky for it. Him and two others had regrouped after the firestorm. With their entire platoon either dead or dispersed through Eorzea now, they were trying to make their way back to Garlemald. On the borders of Gyn Abania they had come across a bandit group and decided to desert. There was no future for them in the army now that the White Raven was gone.
"Aww, did I upset the new meat? Just keep the boss happy and you've got no'ttn to worry about."
The group continued onward scanning the ground for any salvage of value. None of them noticed the man coming down the road till he was almost at the beach. The Garlean was a little apart from the rest of them now, further along enough to hear the man calling to them. "What in the bloody hells... ?"
It may have been his own fear of being discovered. Or perhaps pent up stress from the prior few days. There was a single shot that rang out suddenly and echoed across the hills. And then a scream. A blood-curdling cry from the end of the road between the hills that caused even the birds to take flight. Then more yelling...
"Scrotus, get them! GET THEM!"
It was the boss, from the other side of the village. All of them were now running towards the road. It didn't take long for Cadmus to realize what was going on. There really were survivors here, and now they had been seen. He caught up to the new recruit who was just standing over the man he had killed.
Cadmus spun the man around roughly and grabbed the blade from his hand. He was unable to defend as he was still in shock over the whole incident. But now his own blade was forced against his neck as the boss backed him against a tree.
"We do NOT kill potential sales... DO you understand that?!", he barked.
The Garlean remained silent, staring back with a blank expression.
"Incompetent lout!", Cadmus snarled back at him as he released the man. He took two steps away then leveled the blade with the man's chest. He pulled the trigger without a second thought.
***
They all saw what happened at the edge of the beach. The shot echoed through the hills, and John's body crumpled to the ground. It was then that Florence had cried out.
"NO! JOHN!"
She tried to leap forward, to run towards him, but sixteen hands had held her back. She fought, struggled, cried out. "Let me go! Let me go!", but they would not relent.
"Hush child!"
"They'll hear you!"
It was already too late of course. As the men began ascending the road the other villagers also turned tail to run. Once she was released, she fell to her knees. She couldn't move, couldn't go to him. He was so far away now, and she could do nothing.
"Stupid girl, you've killed us all!"
As the men reached the summit, the larger one with a spear who seemed to be in charge barked the order.
"Bind her! Find the rest. You know what to do."
Florence felt her hands pulled behind her as rough ropes were used to tie them together. She did not care. Her gaze was fixated on the lifeless body of her love at the end of the road. Everything else was a blur behind her tear stained vision. Something hit the back of her head, followed by darkness.
