I was once a promising Knight underneath the Dragonia Empire. The prodigious Squire of their current Captain of the Royal Guard, Oliver. Despite coming from Peasantry, I climbed high and nearly grasped the pinnacle of the Knight World. But of course, not everything works out like a Dream, in truth a Peasant can only go so far before his masters decide to give him a taste of reality.
That's "my story", put in as few words as possible because honestly… All it is – all it adds up to on my tombstone is a few words anyway. This just makes it official.
My name is Garme. No given name, peasants don't get that luxury. I'm the tall, rough looking guy you can find at your local tavern. Brown messy hair, Green eyes, and a musk that reeks of Mead and stale bread… Not exactly the desirable type – but hey… At least I've got a sick beard.
You see, I'm a mercenary. I kill for a living. I kill the elderly, I kill the youth, I slaughter both the Guilty and the Innocent… And yet my Karma hasn't come knocking on my front door yet. Fear is a luxury for people that live the life I live, but I chose it because all I know is the Sword.
For a guy like me…that's all the reason I need, and all the reason I'll ever need.
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Today is a pretty cold day. 3 weeks outside of Dragonia territory and five days away from its neighboring Kingdom, Morlough.
Needless to say I didn't come all the way here without reason, a Mercenary makes his living off of commissions after all. The mission was a… pretty simple one.
In between Morlough Territory and Dragonia Territory were a series of smaller Towns and Villages. This world… or rather this continent is… Well we have a massive terrorism and criminal problem which – unfortunately is also a problem that makes our Monster problems even worse.
That day, or should I say this day, I was commissioned for a mission to slaughter a group of Criminals that had been plaguing a small town.
The distance from Dragonia to this small town called Obiko… It took me two weeks just to get there without a Horse, a walk that honestly didn't bother someone like me.
When I got there I handled the quest relatively quickly. Most combatants assume that I'm an easy target because of my big build and usage of the Greatsword, it makes it relatively easy to bait them out and slaughter them in one swing.
Collecting my reward and hitting the road directly after a mission was routine for me. That's what I did – mainly because I didn't like resting in places I had spilled blood around or in.
That night, while travelling through the winding paths that lead to Dragonia, I received yet another request. This time from an unlikely source – this time of year murders and crimes of all types were reported by travelling families, merchants, and of course the local settlers.
Yet this person approached the intimidating character, me, anyway.
Stopping in my tracks I peered around the forest, ensuring this wasn't some sort of ambush hatched by the Locals to steal the reward they paid me for my Commission, something that happened all the time… Especially to lone mercenaries such as myself.
Letting out a groan, I began to speak; my gruff and deep tone echoing into the tree line and the night sky. "If this is a setup, I'll have you know I could split you in two before your partners have time to jump from their Hiding Spots."
At the tone of his voice and the malice filled words that so easily escaped my mouth, the person seemed to flinch.
Squeezing their soft looking, pale white hands together they began to speak in a low voice that very clearly and easily revealed their Gender and disposition even with their hoodie being used to cover it all up. "L…Look, I'll pay you whatever you want… Me and my son–we need an escort to take us to Dragonia."
"A woman and her child." Honestly the whole thing was just suspicious to me. Why the hell would a Woman and her child be out and about this late at night in the middle of what might as well be bum-fuck-nowhere.
There were too many questions that needed to be answered before I even considered such a spontaneous request. "Where are you coming from? Surely you aren't a settler."
At the question the moonlight began to finally peak over the tree line, giving me a clear look at the faces of the duo standing in front of me. A Woman and her Son, just as he was informed.
Something was off though, they were unnervingly beautiful, the woman was short, her skin was fair and her eyes were green. Her son possessed the same good genetics, also having blonde hair and Red Eyes. "Hold on a minute, you guys are–"
Before I could utter my hypothesis, taking what I saw and putting a name to their faces… She very quickly stopped me, her hand positioned over my mouth, a fierce look in her eyes.
The look of a desperate mother trying to protect her child.
Garme had seen that look before with his own mother in the past–God bless her soul. "Who we are is of no concern. I'm willing to pay you any price the moment we step into Dragonia's Gates. All I need is for you to ensure we get there safely."
The woman was adamant, she clearly had her reasons for not revealing their names and origins… But I had an Idea on who they were anyway. Looking back at the path he had been walking on which also led to the Morlough Kingdoms Territory… He let out a burdened sigh, pinching my nose bridge in annoyance. "I refuse. There's too many risks involved, for all I know you two could be fugitives."
My worries were voiced clearly and concisely, I wouldn't help them. Even with my weak spot for children and their mothers, I couldn't risk my entire livelihood just to help them.
But for me, Luck wasn't my ally.
And as if to mock my efforts in denying this woman's request, the sound of a Bowstring being pulled and released erupted into the air…
A Bolt flinging past my face, scarring my nose bridge–An assassin. Clearly that power and speed belonged to someone who used a crossbow.
Considering the direction it came from I was swift to counterattack, reaching into my coat and pulling one thin, oddly shaped blade and hurtling it into the tree line.
The blade spun rapidly, curving through the air with a sharp whistle as a loud thunk sound erupted… The sound of someone being hit by an extremely accurately thrown knife.
Following that blood curdling sound came the snapping of twigs and the rustling of leaves… Whoever I had just hit, was undoubtedly dead… But someone else was approaching.
"Aii… Take your son and go. I'll meet up with you two after I'm finished here." Mocking me, a young man wielding two short swords arose from the tree line. His hair was a murky red and his eyes showing through even in the dark; shining with a crimson color that almost belied his status as a Human.
His voice was youthful, he was one of the Bounty Hunters that started young… And he couldn't have been no older than 18. "Sorry old man… But you won't be meeting anyone outside of whatever God you worship. Should've just said your goodbyes."
Right there on the dirt path that connected two civilizations. Two men were about to clash in a fit of sparks and bloodshed. T
he Experienced Mercenary, and the Young Bounty Hunter. Garme wielding his signature Greatsword and the other, wielding two Short Swords… "An Agile Type huh… Alright, boy. Let's tango."
Garme remarked as the Red Haired Mercenary leaped off his rear foot, charging at Garme with Hubris, and of course... Bad intentions.
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