Several Years Later...

A low growl rose up in his throat as he thought, "Mindlessss idiot and hisss bloody conscience...." Oehler walked quickly through the corridors, fuming along the way, with Keelie hissing her agitation from his shoulder. "They should be hung for this outrage!" A group of patrolmen had brought in a Banished man from another radim a few months ago, and had kept him hidden and fed off of their rations. It was explicitly stated all throughout Wareiphean history that a Banished person was to receive no help, no shelter and no mercy! They were Banished for a reason. His battle axe staff tapped the floor, sounding like a third leg as he entered the prison where all four of the patrolmen and the Banished one were being held.

The men stood, backs ramrod straight as Oehler paced back and forth in front of them. None moved their eyes, none even looked at him. "I never expected sssuch rule-breaking from four of my most trusted men. You know the reason we cannot bring in Banished, there isss barely enough food for our deserving inhabitantsss!" A pitiful whimper came from the stocks in the corner, which held the source of all the conflict. His temper rising, Oehler reached out and snapped the hinge on the stock, jerking the man from his kneeling position and holding him by the latch of his front and back plate. "What radim are you from, ssscum?" In an exhausted and pleading voice, the man answered, "Ageestam, Protector." Oehler released the latch and the man tumbled to the floor. "You dare enter thisss radim from Ageestam?" His blue eyes blazing, Oehler locked eyes with the head patrolman, a man by the name of Koack. His rukel spit and hissed with every word, emphasizing his anger. "You actually took pity on thisss bit of filth? Fed Elmnkim food out of our fieldsss and our animalsss to thisss waste of flesh!?" "He was dying, sssir. I wasn't going to let a man die when I had the meansss to sssave him."

"You know, just asss well asss I that Ageestam hasss been the bane of Elmnkim existence ever sssince it overthrew Kalskelton radim and claimed our landsss asss itsss! Yet, you blatantly disregard all of tradition and respected customsss to extend the life of a person not even worth one tiaod!" Oehler dropped the man in disgust and wiped his glove on Koack's shoulder. "You all will receive sssevere punishment for thisss. If I were able, I would reduce you to Taev workersss!." The jailkeeper stepped forward and lead the four to separate cells. "Their rationsss are to be withheld for one week. Until I think of a better meansss of punishment." Turning to the Banished man, Oehler narrowed his eyes as he thought of a proper end. "Thisss man will resume hisss Banishment, but before we allow him to leave, he will have to find a way to remunerate thisss radim for the sssuppliesss wasted on him. No harm isss to come to him, however. Death isss a luxury we will not grant him."

Smirking, Oehler left the prison to return to the meeting he had been called out of. "Please excuse my rude exit, High Protector. There wasss a matter that needed to be resolved immediately." He bowed low and sat down at the right of the High Protector, stroking Keelie's head as she uttered soft, purr-like noises. "Now, resuming our previousss discussion. There hasss been word that Ageestam isss planning a sssurprise attack on usss when we are busy with Hammerstine. I believe it isss time for usss to begin to ssshare with one another rather than fight over our remaining resourcesss..." With a snort, Oehler sat up and looked the High Protector in the eye. The man had aged much in the past few years since Oehler's instatement as what was basically "High Protector Trainee", hunched over in his chair, clutching the trident more as a walking stick than a weapon. The fire had gone out of his eyes and all could tell that he was weakening. Oehler, along with a large amount of the radim was eager for the current High Protector to die so he could take his place. "You know that Ageestam will never agree to thisss. They are treacherousss and belligerent! If you let this radim walk up that hill to talk about sssharing, they will tear usss apart! It isss exactly the opportunity they have been waiting for."

Various heads nodding and mumbles of agreement passed around the table and Oehler sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know that it will be difficult, but it will be the first ssstep to joining everyone together! Wouldn't it be marvelousss for usss to sssee thisss planet united one final time before the end comesss?" Another wave of murmurs consumed the council for a few moments before Oehler rose and began pacing around the table. "Let me convey my thoughtsss of thisss "Gloriousss End" you alwaysss ssspeak of whenever we meet. Picture thisss for a moment: the sssun isss giving it'sss last death rattle, lasting only a few yearsss. Our radim isss to busy trying to make friendsss and go out with a nice, peaceful bang rather than conquering it. If we began concentrating our effortsss to not just fighting for sssurvival, fighting to end all fighting! You all know that I am not the kind to peacefully accept sssomething and then humble myself to the ssshadowsss. I refuse to accept the fact that you are going to do exactly that! Just wait for Earo to explode and calmly sssay 'It isss the way of nature.' We are capable of controlling nature! Bring the fire, pour the rain...rip the earth up and make it do our bidding! We ssshall perish on thisss planet, yesss. But if we are to go out, let it be asss the powerful radim!"

Suddenly, warning trumpets began blaring from the Watchman Heights, followed by shouts of "Attack! Attack! Infantry rising over the hill!" Running to the main gate, Oehler looked through the arrow slits to see a wall of screaming Ageestams flowing over the hill. "Mount up the cavalry and muster the infantry! Get those airshipsss full and ready! Ageestam chose the wrong day to attack this radim." With a roar, Oehler turned and began running toward the Protector's gathering room. The rukel ran off to find a safe place to weather the battle, she hated the violence. "Protectorsss!" he bellowed over excited conversation. The High Protector joined him at his left, pitifully short and hunkering. "Today isss the day I am rid of thisss dead weight...I am through protecting an oldtimer with outdated ideasss."

"Protectorsss, today Ageestam hasss chosen a very bad day to attack Elmnkim radim. Earlier thisss morning, I discovered that four of our own men had taken in a Banished man from Ageestam." A flurry of angered murmurs and curses filled the room briefly, and the High Protector looked up at Oehler in shock. With a haughty smirk, Oehler continued. "Those men will be the first to be sssent into battle, with no weaponsss to defend themselves. It will be an easy ssslaughter for the Ageestamsss, I grant you, but their deathsss will not be honorable onesss. They will die in ssshame for providing ssshelter for our greatest enemy. Now, we enter battle and destroy those who have challenged usss in the past!" He raised his staff as an adrenaline-fueled roar filled the room and corridors. Protectors streamed out onto the battlefield where the infantry and mounted cavalry had already been fighting. Many bodies littered the ground and more and more fell by the second. "Ssso it ssstartsss. The beginning of a new era on Wareiph'a." Oehler muttered before charging into the mass of clashing bodies, leaving the aged High Protector to fend for himself and, inevitably, fall.