Chapter 5
"Looks like you needed a mercenary group after all," Prawm goads with a smirk.
"Well apparently, I can't trust my fellow knights to at least allow me a good knight sleep. Let's see how you fair," Zarracen thumbs the pommel of the sword
She pales and glances at the bodies of the knights who recently fell to her blade.
"Uh why don't I introduce you to the members of my squad."
She first stands up next to a Fealt. A male. He has blazing orange hair with wide portruding ears like a small fox. The man appears to be some type of mace user which is a surprise. Zarracen is used to seeing them as mages, archers or swordsmen. Huh. Interesting.
"This is Aias Glyncale he's our primary frontliner. Next to him is Jack he's, our scout." Jack waves while Aias tilts his head in a nod. "Besides Jack is Malia Jones our groups jack of all trades she can practically do anything everyone else can do so she can sub if one of us in a pinch."
Three humans and a Fealt in a party. That's an interesting group.
"Where's the rest of ya?" Zarracen questions.
"Uh we're all that's it." Prawm informs.
"There was more when you all trailed behind me?"
"Yeah, that's true but that job was finished the others have already started their next job when we dropped off the Fen in a nearby town to Arthwa."
"So you weren't headed to Arthwa?"
"Um, yeah see we were sorta I kinda had to come here cause I'm the leader...wait why does that matter you hiring us or not?"
"Can you handle a bunch of Cognifiends or Fierce Cognifiends that's gonna wanna have gorge on this dragon?"
"Yes."
Zarracen shrugs. "Your hired then. Your pay will be decided on your performance and how difficult it'll be. We leave in an hour."
"Wait an hour. We must get supplies! We're traveling on foot to the capital, right? We can't take that thing through a portal?"
"Yes."
"Then we need food."
"Eat what you kill enough food will come to us when we leave." Zarracen shrugs not understanding why that's so complicated. Buying food was an unnecessary expense.
"But-"
"Listen! I have to make up for last time due to these shitty corpses that are being carried out of here! I would've run it myself, but I can't do three more days without sleep so soon after fighting this fucker. Yea? So, get the dragon hooked up to the carriage and get any supplies you need within the next hour."
"You need us don't you so shouldn't you wait for us." Jack argues speaking up then and stepping forward. Zarracen snorts.
"No I don't I literally ran this from the edge of Arcus to here on my bare two feet. Honestly draggin you all with me will slow me down. Getting a carriage is for convenience. I need to get back to Illuvia before the weeks up if it wasn't for that I wouldn't even waste money on you."
"Hey!" Prawm covers Jack's mouth.
"Why not have an entourage of knights then?" Prawm questions.
Peace Zarracen. Peace.
"Clearly, they can't be trusted but I'll trust you like money more than they liked their lives."
"Right yeah. Can you give us at least thirty minutes extra food shopping isn't going to take long if we split up, but we need some supplies for any injuries."
"For what don't your jack of all know healing spells?" Zarracen mocks.
"Doesn't mean she's specifically trained in it. She's no good with poisons so we need some antidotes that cover a variety of poisons and some stamina boosters."
Zarracen exhales in frustration. She knows that Illuvia is not far when using the carriage transport with Panteras as the animals pulling it. But she also shouldn't purposefully try and get them killed by rushing to a place she has the time to make it to even if they leave later than she would have liked. So, she concedes allowing them to go. Knowing she wouldn't want to travel unrested with the chance that other knights or masters like herself would try to steal it.
The squad departs leaving Zarracen to deal with the carriage situation. The carriage she ordered arrives separate with a young gentleman as the coachman. She speaks to him briefly informing him of what he must hook the carriage up to. Zarracen gets to work hooking the carriage up and checking her own equipment that she's...borrowing from the barracks here for herself.
The coachman on the other hand was struck between admiring the dragon and tending to the Panteras that was looking towards Zarracen slightly unsettled. Animals sense power after all. Panteras were not cognifiends but they are a step down from it, able to be fought against for glory depending on the time of the year. It's a nod to their physical capabilities that such measures are taken against them.
Panteras were something to be admired. But her admiration of them could not keep her from rubbing her face out of sheer boredom waiting for the four-man mercenary squad to return. What could she do though? She wonders. She could train at least go through motions to see what being a Tier 1 feels like.
Zarracen removes her blade from the sheathe and gives it a rough test swing. A patch of ground below where she swung is upended from the light swing. It causes her to freeze before grinning. She has more power now. But she can't destroy these barracks like this, so she limits herself and starts going through the motions of her personal sword style.
It was a brutal show. A lot of hacking and quick movements. Her feet danced but her sword would thrust forward and quick swipes to keep her moving from the imaginary foe. Many knights dislike watching her bladework or her work with any weapon. She did not fight straightforwardly like they would. She would attack unseen in quick thrusts sliding around pecking at her enemy like a carrion bird. Any means necessary to come out on top.
She had that mindset since she was young and it came out in the way she fought. It's not like she could not lock blades. But why would she when she can glance the blade away and undercut their arm. Simple but definitely not a clean way of fighting. It's part of the reason her crest is that of a jackal. They like her are survivors.
Zarracen sensed their approach but said nothing as she could feel their eyes. She finished her current routine.
"Have you loaded up?" She questions as her blade is re-sheathed.
"Yes," Prawm answers.
"Good. Load up we're departing now."
No other words are spoken to any of them. She hops into the carriage while the others take residence in the front of the carriage next to the coachman with Jack sitting on the riser in the back used for scouts. The wheels move and the carriage jolts.
As they leave the city walls, she feels a spell washing over them all. Zarracen could not detect anything harmful from it, so she lays down relaxing as the jostling of the body signals the start down the cobbled highway. The rocking of the carriage is almost a lullaby that sends her to sleep but she's far too tense around strangers to relax like that.
There's only one person she can relax like that around and he's off fighting his own dragon. But knowing him he's probably already killed it and made it back to his majesty. Just to show off of course. She hopes she's beat him for once and made it back first. Though, beating his time would mean nothing since he got the harder dragon.
Knock! Knock!
Two powerful knocks hit the side of her door bringing her out of her thoughts. She turns over and finds that through the window Prawm was peering through. Zarracen tilts her head wondering what the woman wanted. She waves her hand in an inviting gesture. The woman skillfully clambers on the side of the fast moving carriage and enters through the door. Closing it with a slam behind her.
"What?"
"For a former commoner you're ruder than I'd think to your own kind." Zarracen scoffs at that. She peers at the girl.
Half of her own kind is still stuck in the gutter where she left them. Some of them are dead and others are just gone to the wind. The two of them are nothing alike. Prawm was a regular commoner with regular commoner parents who dreamed of something good in her life happening clearly. She went to some magic academy likely couldn't get past fifth tier and was tossed out where she then struck up as mercenary.
It may be a judgement, but her eyes and her smell were nothing like Zarracen's own. She still walks and somewhat talks like she was raised on the streets. Prawm just spoke like a regular privileged commoner.
"An yer just a reg ole respectful merc? Outta here with the nons." Zarracen grunts.
"Still talk like it though."
"What do you wan?"
"Wan you to tell me what we're doing here? I need details can't properly lead my squad til I know em."
"I'm the client. I'm not a member of ya squad so I won't be joining in on any fightin unless damage might occur to the corpse. Ya gets money for protecting me and the dragon. Good on you on the protection spell you cast on our way out. Good start."
"You knew I cast that?"
"I'm a Tier 2 sword master I can feel magic and aura like a bird feels the wind on their wings."
Prawm looks at Zarracen in utter confusion because to the magician's knowledge yes you can feel when something is cast but unless the effect is outright obvious, you'd have to had studied magic to know what it exactly is. It's why every mercenary squad has at least two people capable of magical or empyrean usage of Videle. The sorceress files this away to continue.
"So, you'll only interfere if the cargo is in trouble, then?"
"That's exactly wha I said," Zarracen snarks wanting the girl to leave. She was enjoying her peace and quiet. Prawm stiffens immediately before sighing.
Zarracen wonders if the girl was doing the same thing, she was doing earlier to keep from punching her group through a few buildings.
Prawm suddenly looks out the window while Zarracen is wondering this. Her detection and protection spell signaled her that enemies were closing in.
"We're about to be attacked so I'll leave you here."
Zarracen watches her go. The enemy was a group of canine cognifiends. Mimic Vuls. They are canine type cognifiends capable of mimicking most low-level aura techniques and magical techniques. They are difficult to be defeated by magic, but it seems like Prawm is more skilled than Zarracen gave her credit for.
The woman casts a Tier 3 spell that launches a volley of golden arrows at them. The Vuls dodge but they track them tagging them in the legs while Malia and Aias dispatch them with their weapons. They made short work of them.
Zarracen steps out the carriage and glance about feeling out for any other life in the area heading their way.
"Wowy you got a good crew there?" The coachmen remarks. Zarracen glances his way.
"It would appear that way."
"Geez what were Mimic Vuls doing out here? They normally stay in the forest," Malia sighs out in exasperation.
Zarracen begins walking towards them as she listens to their conversation.
"They were more erratic than normal too. They usually fight smarter," Aias murmurs in thought while looking around.
"Jack can scout ahead for more cognifiends."
"That's unnecessary," it's here when Prawm orders this that Zarracen interjects.
"I'm sorry but making sure more cognifiends are nearby or not is part of our job. The one you paid for."
"There's no need for ya to check. The cognifiends are coming for the dragon's corpse. Their very flesh holds Videle that can empower even the weakest of insects."
"Wait, so swarms of cognifiends will attack us constantly?" Prawm questions.
"Yes, that's why I hired you cause I got tired of having to stop and kill them every time a bunch appeared that I couldn't out speed."
"We're definitely not prepared for constant cognifiend attacks."
"I gave you an hour and a half to prepare anything you might need. If you couldn't handle a dragon corpse transportation job, then you shouldn't have taken it."
"And if we refuse to continue."
"That's your choice." Zarracen shrugs.
"We're not stuck here."
"True but you're not staying with me if you refuse to work."
"You should've have disclosed this before we took the job?"
"You should've asked. But, I'll let you take that point. There's little to worry bout like I said in the carriage I'll interfere when necessary."
"And if one of us is about to die."
"It wouldn't get to that point."
And that was that. Zarracen ends the conversation there by walking off back to the carriage. She hears curses shouted her way, but the others still get back in their positions all except Jack who goes off to scout ahead.