Worish Mearnings looked at the clock on the wall through his glass of ale and sat up suddenly.'12 o'clock! i should have started duty half an hour ago'with that he put on his helmet and rushed out the door of the tavern,leaving the bartender shouting at him to pay for the drink.
The city of Merlot really came alive at midday Worish reflected as he made his way towards the barracks.It was the capital of Gernia and the largest city in the land.Merchants shouted at him from their stalls,offers to buy anything from crushed toad to a solid gold shoe.He politely declined all these offers and moved on through the busy town.The barracks loomed up before him,an intimidating structure designed to demonstrate the power of the Merlot army.Worish's captain was a man named Barnes Keeling,He had been a captain since the first troll war 30 years ago and showed no sign of wanting to retire just yet.Worish had served in Gernia's army for 5 of those years,he had missed all the wars and it didn't seem as if he was going to be in one,Gernia had conquered the nearby trolls and goblins and there seemed to be a time of peace.
Barnes turned to look at him,the man towered over Worish by about 2 feet.'You were supposed to have been here 40 minutes ago Mearnings'Worish looked down at his feet and felt like he was back in school and hadnt done his homework.'Nevermind that,head over to the main building,General Loke wants to see you'This was a surpirse,general Loke was the head of the whole army,Worish had hardly even seen him before,let alone talk to the man.
The main building stood high above the rest of the city,this was the base of not only the army,but the diplomatic,financial and legal centre of Gernia,the place was filled with offices and queues.General Loke spent most of his time in his office on the fifth floor,Worish arrived there and,after being told to enter,walked into the room his life would change in.
Loke was an elderly man,his war fighting days were over but he still knew best how the army worked.He greeted Worish with a smile and asked him to sit down.He took a scroll from his drawer and handed it to Worish.On it was drawn a map,it resembled Gernia,but with slight differences.'What is this?' Worish asked.'It is a map of Gernia,from so long ago that even the shape of the land is now changed,there is writing on the back in an ancient form of troll,it gives the location of a treasure so great and powerful even the trolls could not control it.They locked it away and sent it to the heart of the ancient troll kingdom,where the fierce beasts who killed the elder trolls now live.' 'So what does this have to do with me?'Worish asked,looking puzzled.Loke bent over the table and,looking him in the eye said'I want you to come on a journey with me,Captain Keeling and some others to find this treasure,if we suceed you will be one of the greatest heroes in the land' Worish's heart raced,visions of him returning laden with gold and jewels passed through his mind.'I'll do it'He said