"Come forth those who dare! The unknown becoming known, a dark thought taking shape. Do not relent, do not fall, as I have not and will not"
I rode for several hours, reflecting on my decision to continue alone. Truth was that part of me wanted to keep Dorlan by my side on this journey, but the risk was too much for a regular mortal like him. It was afternoon when I realized I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, too deep in my thoughts and hurt, I passed through many rural settlements but no town nor city, the Confederation was pretty big indeed. Then I stopped and took a breath, If I focus I can sense it, I can sense the whereabouts of the Calamity, thus pointing me north. Back in the right way, I followed a faded dirt road and, after another hour, finally ended up in a village.
It was the village of Green Prairie, made up just a few buildings, with houses separated between large patches of farmland. I tied my horse on a wood pole and headed for the town store. I concealed my sword, as I always did, keeping my cape over it, but the town didn't seem to have any presence of Confederation soldiers or militia. The store was tiny; had just a few goods on display, everything was dusty and the building itself was really old, like the man behind the counter. "Welcome adventurer! Feel free to look around, or are you looking for something in particular?", the old man said, again with the adventurer tag, I hated being called that but it was easier for me to be referred as an ordinary adventurer rather than a knight. "Good afternoon. I'll need water and food for my horse and myself", I said and placed my canteen on the counter, "Right away! And could I interest you in one of my 'adventurer packs'?", he said and brought quite a large backpack from under the counter. "It has everything you'll need; dried rations, two more canteens, a multitool, a mirror, a return card, […]", the old man kept going, it had many things indeed but that one, a 'return card'; a magical object that will teleport you back to a previous location, how could this old man, living in the middle of nowhere, get a hold of such a powerful item?, "A return card you said? Where did you find that?", I asked, grabbing the card to take a good look at it, confirming it was real, I could sense the magic coming from it, it had markings and symbols all over. "Oh, once every seven months, a wizard named Roderick passes by and sells us various things. One of them being these return cards, they sell like freshly baked bread!", the old man explained.
"A wizard? From what I know, wizards are forbidden from selling magical items, they only make them for military use and only for their kingdoms not for 'public' use", my questioning made the old man raise an eyebrow, "Hmm… I see you really know your stuff. Yes, this wizard, from the few times I spoke to him, he told me he's an exiled. Living from selling these kinds of items I reckon. So, interested in the pack? It's only two silver coins". Two?! It's a literal scam, how can it be that expensive?, but I was intrigued and might as well get this to avoid having to go to different stores and risking myself getting recognized. I gave him two of my ten coins and asked, "Fine. Also, have you got any information about the war?", the old man took the coin and my canteen, then he said, "The war? Are you planning to go south?, you shouldn't. My grandson is fighting in the south. He wrote me a letter last week, they liberated the city of Franck and are really close to kicking the Rodians out of the country, what a relief. Those Rodians with their faith and weird customs. I prefer to die before having to live under their rule… oh, sorry, are you rodian by any chance? I sometimes forget that adventurers like you come from everywhere".
A few years ago I'd might strangle him for what he's saying, but not anymore. "Don't worry, I'm not rodian. I've got another question, is there a city or town, nearby, that is in need for work? Slaying mainly". The old man filled my canteen while thinking, "Nearby? You can try in the nearest guild, that's in the town following the road to the west, you'll get there in two hours by horse". Not this again, "No… I, need more of an 'extra-official job', something outside the guild", I couldn't go inside another guild again, surely by tomorrow every guild in the Confederation will have a warrant for me, "extra-official you say? Mmm… well, Bernard is in need of help, he's a neighbor. He told me he's been having problems with wild dogs killing his cattle. Don't know if Bernard have dealt with 'em already, but I remember when he asked for help he seemed really distressed. He lives in the yellow house right at the end of the village". Wild dogs? That should be easy. I thanked the old man and left to meet this Bernard.
Following the old man's directions, I took me a while to find the house he was talking about, it was deep into the farmlands and hidden behind some hills. I went through a narrow dirt path that led me to the house and its farm; a large patch of land with various crops on one side and cattle in the other. The house was a typical farmhouse; big, with many windows and doors and two floors. I knocked on the main door, or at least I think was the main door, and a woman opened, "Oh, hello there. Can I help you?", she greeted me, her gaze on my armor told me she was expecting someone like me… "Good day ma'am. I've come here to help with the problem of the wild dogs", her eyes lighted up at my words, she smiled, "Oh! Yes, yes. Please come in. Take a seat, I'll go get my husband". She led me to the living room and then went outside. As I waited I took a look around, the house was cozy and the fireplace warmed my skin through the chainmail, the gold-colored walls were decorated with paintings and hunting trophies. Something caught my attention, in a nearby wall, a small faded symbol was carved, I swear I've seen that symbol before, then a sound made my head turn. A kid, about ten, peaked from the corner, he awkwardly waved and took tentative and curious steps towards me, "Are you a soldier?", he asked, grabbing the tip of my cape and raising it, "No kid. I'm not. I can assure you there are no soldiers that look like me", I stated, I'm not good with children… they kind of annoy me. The kid saw the tip of my sword's sheath under my cape and went for it, I grabbed his wrists and he looked up at me with big eyes, "You came to help my father? To kill the dogs? My father said not to look at them. They make a lot of noise at night and scare my mom. You will get rid of them, sir?". His gaze do seemed troubled, I nodded and patted his head, I do understand that, fear. He got called back by his mother, the woman who greeted me before, "Come, don't bother him, go play upstairs", along with her, a panting man with dirt tainted hands; his gaze appeared hopeful at first but immediately faltered when he looked at me, "Is it just you? Are the others outside?", he asked, "I guess you're Bernard, right? Yes. Is just me. The old shopkeeper told me you were having issues", my answer made Bernard smirk from disappointment, "Yes, I'm Bernard. And I can tell you won't be able to do this alone. G-go get a group of adventurers and then come back", he said, almost like an order, something I dislike very much. "Listen. I know I can take care of your problem and I won't be staying in this village for long, probably going to leave tomorrow. So, you either let me help you or I leave. You can try your luck with other… adventurers, right?", surely he was tired of waiting for help and his look of defeat and shaking voice told me so, "N-No… alright, please, come with me".
Bernard took me outside where his cattle was. He had quite the farmland, it took us ten minutes to reach his cattle; cows of all colors and an old dog with a scarf walked slowly towards Bernard, then took a sniff of me. Bernard pointed towards the woods that bordered the wooden fence and explained, "So. Two months ago one of my heifers disappeared from one night to the other, that day I looked around everywhere for her, no luck. The next day, another one went missing, so a so, until one morning I noticed one of my dogs had disappeared. Rosa here, is the only one that remains, I had five. Well, one night I decided to wait and see, at one point the woods had, like… lights, like the light reflecting from a cat's eyes. I could see the silhouette of one my cows roaming outside the shed, all alone, and t-those eyes went dark, and the cow made an awful noise… awful, awful… my other dog, Rita, she ran from the house towards the cow, I dared not follow her, she barked like mad before… again, she made awful noises too. It was like… if suffering had a noise. A-and.. I-I was so scared... and next day I saw her body and… oh god…", Bernard brought his hand to his mouth, he was shaking, obviously he wasn't describing wild dogs. "Is that one of your dead cows?", I said, noticing death remains resting where the other cows made a circle, he nodded and I got closer; the cow's carcass had some patches of flesh with fur but it was mostly skeleton, some bones were cracked like it was attacked with a strong bludgeoning force and its limbs were completely twisted, only one thing remained untouched, its tongue coming out in between the broken teeth of the skull. "No animal could do that… I mean, look at that! Never in my life have I seen that… M-My family, my kids, have to remain inside when night arrives, t-that's what he told me…", Bernard said as I inspected the carcass, this weren't wild dogs and that thing about someone advising him, surely had something to do with that symbol I saw before, "Who are you talking about? Does he know what killed this cow?", I asked and he brushed off some tears before answering, "A man, he was a wizard I think. A month ago I met him at the store and I told him about what was happening here, he was the only one that cared. He came and drew some symbols on the wall, then, he told me to stay at home every night and don't come out. Told me he would come back in a few months with something to help me… but, this… this is too much, every night I'm afraid these things will take my wife… my son, I-I can't… I thought of leaving but this is my whole life… Where can I...". Now I understand, these things were magical beasts, I hate that I cannot remember their name. I would kill for the bestiary I used to read back in Roda. "Alright. Don't cry. I'll take care of the problem", Bernard looked at me with wet eyes, "Really? You'll do it? Thanks, thank you so much. I'm sorry, I don't know if an adventurer can do this job, but please…", I smirked at his remark, "This job? This job is fit for a beastslayer, something I'm not, but I'm also not an adventurer, so. Anyway, I'm Tak, I'll stay and end with this, tonight".
In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have told him my name but, at the same time, a random farmer in the middle of the Confederation knowing who I am shouldn't bring any problems, and giving your name was common courtesy too. Bernard offered me to stay and have dinner with his family, it was the best meal I had in years to be honest, he also offered me a bath but I didn't want to intrude anymore. Once the dark of night took hold, my attention went directly to the problem at hand. Bernard and his family locked all the doors and windows in a routinely manner while I went to a tiny shed close to the woods and the cattle. A lantern kept the old shed dimly lit, I took out my sword to clean it as I kept a keen eye on the tree line, a few hours passed until a chill and a light glow illuminated my sword; it was reacting to what was near. Just like Bernard said, more than fifty 'lights' could be seen coming from the darkness of the woods, a white noise, like a hum, seemed to attract one cow outside, it moved on its own towards the trees. Taking my sword I made my way closer, my view getting accustomed to the moonlight, I could see the 'creatures', several of them, they looked like clouds of smoke in the shape of hounds, varying in sizes, they circled the poor cow, one entering into the animal through its anus, others its eyes, mouth, ears, any cavity. The cow screamed in pain as the creature came out the cow's anus with guts hanging from its mouth, practically pulling the animal inside out… I've seen enough, I lighted my sword in holy fire and threw it at the horrible scene, it struck the ground and the creatures gazes went straight to me.
These monsters appeared to be made of something I could not touch, but no matter, even if I didn't knew how to defeat it yet, I could feel my sword telling me that those things could be killed, and that was enough for me. I ran towards them, recalling my sword to my hand and immediately testing it against one of them, my blade made one of the creatures burst in smoke. The creatures surrounded me; from inside the cows gut one came out attacking and I managed to slice it in time, my holy fire did not ignite them and they began to retreat. "Come back!", I exclaimed through my teeth and the creatures crashed one into another, mixing, and their cloudy form changed, becoming one of a great black hound, then it came to me, their name, a specter. The combined beast was immense, two times the size of a bear, it bared its teeth against me but now I knew what to do, as these beasts of cloud were nothing more than a manifestation, an extension of the true creature. Once again I ran towards the beasts, counted my steps and, at the last one, performed a dash that propelled me through its cloudy form, I head towards the woods to find the specter's real body, the creature reformed behind me and, surely knowing of what I wanted to do, began to hunt me.
From what I remember, the specter true body shouldn't be too far from the manifestation, but, now inside the woods, I was unable to see it, "Where are you…", the only possibility was underground. I raised my sword and buried it, the grass ignited and the roots of the trees carried the fire, then I heard the screeching noise of the specter, coming from a hole in the soil; a long worm that withered from the fire burning its body. The manifestation faded away and the specter's body burned to ashes. Sadly, the trees were also catching fire, I couldn't do nothing but to let it burn and go back to the house to inform Bernard, who, was already outside expecting my return, "Tak. Is it done? Were you able to do it?". I turned to the, now, burning woods and the death cow, "Yes, but there was one casualty… that and the burning trees, hope the fire dies down before it spreads any further. The 'wild dogs' were actually one creature, a specter. It's a magical creature, rare on these parts, I wonder why are these creatures coming this far south and-", my words were caught short as Bernard hugged me, "Thanks! Thanks heavens!", I had to shove him, I don't like being touched.
I spent the night on a guest room and the next morning I got ready to leave, Bernard couldn't offer me much but five silver coins and various goods, I filled a bag with as much cheese, wine and milk that it could hold. Before leaving, I asked Bernard if he knew where the wizard had gone and he only recalled the name of a town written on the wizard's notebook, something Bernard saw as the wizard made the symbols on the wall, the town was called Zunilda and was to the northeast, dangerously close to the capital of the Confederation; the city of Falkfak. Even thought I wanted to meet this exiled wizard, I understood the danger it came with getting that close to the capital, so I desisted. My objective remained the same, going north. Bernard directed me on how to go north and avoid most of the bigger settlements, he fed my horse and I went on my way, giving a last look back at Green Prairie, I was glad that at least the fires I caused died down overnight.
The path he marked for me went through a faded road in between a large span of hills and farmland. These parts of the Confederation were the most fertile ones, large lands that once caused war between the kingdoms, long before I was even born when the Confederation was part of Roda, now this lands fed the whole country. From afar I could see kobolds again, a lot of them working the land, the sight of these creatures was still something I couldn't get use to, the holy scriptures of the faith demanded a separation from these beasts even if it meant getting rid of them. I rode 'till dusk, passing through some trees and ended up in a main road; maybe I took a miss turn, the directions Bernard gave me were supposed to led me to the border of the country, but now I felt like following the road, seeing where it could lead me.
No mistake, I was close, the town the road took me was the bordertown of Soland and, even if it seemed big and populated, just crossing it would take me to the next territory and keep me on track. The town was pretty and lively; carriages of goods going in and out, tents full of food and items littered the way of cobblestone that went through the town. It looked like it was a busy day for the town and, just as I was half-way to the border, I saw the adventurer's guild of the town, the front was full with adventurers, all of them surrounding someone that probably was a representative of the guild, my curiosity got the best of me and I hung around, getting close to be able to hear, "Try not to kill him, the pay will be substantial if you capture him alive. Again, you will be handed a flier with a description inside". Hmm… are they talking about me? I wonder. Then I saw one group of three adventurers leaving the guild, I followed closely behind. "Woah, that much for a single guy? Is he like royalty or something?", "Don't know but we better start to ask around, they must be handing this job in all the guilds"; they talked among each other. I raised my head a bit, it allowed me to be able to read part of the flier, 'Union of Adventurers task rank A – Capture/Slaying of subject: Fulfill this task by capturing via, either binding or maiming the rouge bandit known as Tak of Sonnda, sometimes going by the alias: Godsword. If the subject is killed, we demand bringing the subject entire body or remains back to the nearest guild, be mindful that the pay will be halve in case of killing. The subject is recognize as highly dangerous, we recommend a party of a least three people, do not negotiate or approach the subject with the intent to discuss, he is known to be prompt to outburst and trickery, […]", couldn't read the rest, it was full of lies anyway… Me, trickery? A knight like me? I did like the fact that they recognize me as dangerous thought, anyway, I don't plan on staying for long, straight to the border it is.
Probably I should've had cross the border from another point but I was already here and it shouldn't be so much of a hassle… right? The city's cobblestone road faded into a dirt one that went on for a few meters before reaching a control point; a place guarded by soldiers of the Confederation, so that was a no-go, I had to turn and find a better place to cross from, so I made a detour and left the road but, by the looks of things, they had the border pretty well watched and it wasn't long until I realized a guard was following my movement. So I made another turn and went back, surely there was a better, less secured place, but two hidden guards came out of the bushes and stopped my horse, "Afternoon mister, care to tell us what are you doing? Are you trying to avoid the checkpoint by any chance?", I had to think fast, didn't want the whole townsguard chasing me, "Uh… No, I was just going around the town and I forgot something so I was coming back… not planning to cross", one of the guards got close and took a look at me, the other began to inspect the bags I had hanging from my horse's side, "This guy must be an adventurer, he has one of these… uh, 'adventurers pack'", "Oh, the 'scam pack'? Hahahaha, you got ripped off, mate. Alright then, you're free to leave", the two laughed and mocked me, but at least I avoided unwanted attention. Then, just as I was about to leave, a group of five adventurers appeared out of nowhere to ask the guards some questions… questions about me; they told them how I looked like and if they have seen me. Slowly I began to made my way out, just then the guard blurted out, "Hey you. Wait a moment!", I wasn't going to wait, I went full speed and turned towards the border, my horse jumped the bushes and avoided the trees and I could heard some people screaming, "It's him! He's here!".
A mix of guards and adventurers began to chase me, hoping that the distance I managed to make was enough to cross the border and later hide, but my horse suddenly stopped in its tracks, propelling me into the air, falling painfully into the ground. "Agh!", didn't know what happened, only that I had to stand up immediately, and as I did that, I saw the large amount of people that were already chasing after me, how much are they paying for my capture?, I wondered. My horse stood there, not reacting and not attempting to move, I realized that it probably was under the effect of a spell, one adventurer must be a magic user. I drew my sword as I got completely surrounded on all sides, circling me on their horses. Some adventurers jumped and darted towards me, only to be beaten up by other adventurers that were trying to get to me first, others limited themselves to just stare, seeming afraid. A loud horn caught the attention of everyone, the townsguard made way pushing the adventurers aside, with weapons drawn they made an even tinier circle to contain me, "Tak of Sonnda! You're hereby under the custody of the townsguard of Soland! Drop your weapons and surrender… unless you want to make this ugly", one of these guards challenged, his invitation to fight most enticing, my urge to just behead all of them and run for it had to be silenced by my common sense, I was completely surrounded by, probably, more than a hundred people, with no horse and with the promise of a long, painful chase. I had to swallow my pride, "F-fine", I threw my sword to the ground and rose my hands.
They bounded my arms, sneaking in some punches and kicks while at it, "This is the Godsword? Thought he was going to be a bit taller", "He's called the Godsword but didn't even see him use his sword once, what a disappointment", "T-then, if the guards take him… who's getting paid?", some of the adventurers said as I was escorted back into town. No matter, I was going to make my escape with the cover of the night, so it wasn't much of a problem. I was taken inside the towsguard's barracks, but they didn't put me in a cell, "This one is to be sent immediately to the capital", one of the guards said to the other, they threw me in a carriage. Why were they sending me with so much urgency? But… now I was intrigued, they were sending me to Falkfak, it was a detour to my quest, and still, I felt like it was right for me to go there first, to see what was waiting for me.
They were in a hurry. I spent the night on the carriage and we arrived to Falkfak in the morning, the capital city was huge and it kind of reminded me to the capital of Roda. As any capital city, it was littered with people, stores, food stands and taverns; the streets were well kept and the houses seemed freshly painted with beautiful decoration, also, there were many plazas and an alarming amount of statues, all of them being of the same person it seemed. I was taken inside a cell and told to wait, and wait, and wait… it was hours, I unfolded the return card that I hid on me and actually entertained the idea of activating it; if I did that, I would go back to the same place I was one day before, meaning I would appear in the middle of the road close to the Soland, without a horse and without provisions, still, as the hours passed my intrigue began to disappear, that was until I heard someone on the other side of the metal door, "He's here? Yes? Great, I want to see his face at once!", that voice… I recognize that voice. The metal door opened with a deafening creak and non other than Patricia appeared, "Hehehe, thought you could escape me?… open the cell!", she said with a smirk but the guard refused, "S-sorry ma'am but Lord Falkfak has explicitly stated that no one was allowed to have contact with him", he said with a shaking voice and Patricia struck the bars of the cell in frustration, then, like night to day, her expression came back to a… what I can only describe as a deranged one, "It doesn't matter. I will be in the audience and I'll ask him personally to have you with me, yes. Let me say, your little display in seaway was charming… the cut of that sword… ah, what a scene, I will have you, so be ready… Tak", she made a stupid giggle before leaving. I must recognized that, despite seeing the Calamity head first, this woman startled me, she clearly had somekind of problem, and she had some relation with the power in the country.
Just a she said, an hour later, I was taken into custody and escorted to the government palace. Everything brought back those memories I had from the time I met with Empress Liza of Roda, this government palace looked a lot like the royal palace of Roda; marble walls and floors, finely knitted carpets, tapestry and paintings, but this government palace was filled with war trophies, war paintings, war everything, that and the same statues I saw all around the city. I was force to kneel and wait for Lord Falkfak in the 'audience room', it looked just like any throne room if you asked me. At last, from another room, a bunch of well dressed aristocrats came out and one guard exclaimed, "All raise to welcome the presence of Lord Franken Gindim Falkfak, All hail the supreme dictator!", another guard behind grabbed me by the collar and forced me to stand as everyone in unison saluted, "Hail! Hail! Hail!". Then an aged man, with long blonde hair and beard adorned in golden rings and jewelry, took a seat on the great chair that stood at the far side of the room. So this was Lord Falkfak, he probably was around sixty years old and, despite his age, just by looking at his hands I could see he was battle hardened. Nobody dared to speak before him and he leaned forward on his chair to take a good look at me, "So, you are the Godsword? Huh… I've heard a lot of rumors about you these past two days, 'he slayed fifty adventurers before vanishing like a bolt of lighting', they said and yet, here you are, and in record time I may add. To be truthful, these rumors bring me no interest, except the fact that you are a fugitive from Roda, not only that, someone who is being actively sought by the Empress. Tell me, why does she wants you?", his deep voice reverberated inside the huge room, but I wasn't going to reveal the Empress intentions to him, as he would have me kill and take the Godsword. My silence went for a few seconds before the guard behind me locked his arm around my neck, "Speak when ordered by the supreme dictator, scum!", his effort to choke me actually made me laugh a bit, Lord Falkfak rose a hand and the guard stopped, "Fine if you wish not to speak. The fact of the matter is that you are now under our custody and, if you wish your freedom, you'll have to do what I'll request of you. Call for Patricia!", he said and from behind me a group of soldiers along with Patricia entered, she went straight to Lord Falkfak and, hugged him?, "Salutations my beloved uncle! It's been so long!", well, the physical similarities made sense now.
Patricia whispered to Lord Falkfak's ears as she stole glances at me, surely she was asking him to be able to take me, and I didn't want to think why. Lord Falkfak broke the whisper with a question, "First do tell me Patricia, do you know why the Empress wants him?", Patricia didn't know but an idea appeared to have popped on her head, "I don't actually know but… now that you bring it up. We can ask Fifi!, I'll go get him!", Fifi? What kind of name was that? Somekind of pet?. Patricia went pass me and after a minute I finally met Fifi. A bizarre scene, Patricia brought on a leash a gagged man in his underwear, who was walking on all fours; he lacked one eye, some fingers from his feet and hand, also… most noticeable was the Langedar carved on his cheek, this man must be a capture Rodian soldier. She took him to the middle of the room and un-gagged him, "Alright Fifi! See that man? That's someone who is really famous in Roda. I'm sure you know him, right?", Patricia said in a childish voice while squeezing the man's ear, he nodded and she continued, "Really? Good, so you must know why he's wanted by the Empress, right?".
So I already knew that, if he was a Roda soldier, he must know who I am and why the empress wants me. He was going to reveal that killing me would free the Godsword for the taking, and I was already thinking of my escape, I was going to recall my sword and jump out the window, this room was on a first floor, probably going to behead Patricia on my way there. The man, I mean Fifi, locked his gaze on me, in a strain voice he began to speak, "H-he is Tak of Sonnda, mistress. He owns a magic sword that the Empress wants for herself…", one guard brought my sword and presented it to everyone, "Doesn't seem that magical, but continue", Lord Falkfak added and Fifi seemed to struggle, was it doubt?, "S-she… the Empress, wants Tak to… he wants him back in Roda… to fight for him in the war", What? That's not it, does he not know or was he- was he helping me?, "The sword can only be wielded by Tak… if he dies, the sword and its power will fade away". He lied, I don't understand why but his gaze on me spoke of a silent agreement, ugh… I now feel obliged to him somehow.
Patricia kneeled and gave Fifi a forceful pet, straining his hair and scalp, "Good boy! Okay then, uncle, can I take him with me?", she turned to Lord Falkfak, and ask while pointing at me, instead of answering, he looked at me while stroking his beard, "Hmm… Tak of Sonnda. You are a long way from home, boy. During my youthful years as an officer I visited that town. You wish to go back there, boy?", his question made me smile a bit, not from happiness but from the fact he asked so lightly, so ignorantly, "Back to Sonnda? It doesn't exist anymore I'm afraid… Sonnda, Cocsisborough, Sinder, Portsen and Mön, they've all been destroyed. But yes, I do need to go north". Lord Falkfak seemed lost at my answer, "Destroyed you say? I am sorry about that. Strange that I have not heard any news of that. Well, going back to important matters. I am willing to grant you freedom and safe passage, but for that I'll first need of you to take care of some… tasks. But first, I would like you to show me if what I've heard about you is true, would you mind showing me your magic?". There was some annoyance in me, I could just make it seem like I didn't care and do nothing, I'll probably would be taken back to my cell and I would just escape during the night, but, at the same time, my gut told me to just keep on going with this… charade. My hands were already unbound and I've decided to show them some of the abilities of the Godsword, not to many as it would be detrimental to me, first recall. I extended my hand forward, "Recall", instantly the sword that was on the guard's hand darted to mine. "Oh!", the aristocrats gasped and began to clap, then I presented the blade of my sword before brushing two fingers and igniting the steel, "Woah!", they cheered and clapped again as I felt like a circus animal showing tricks.
"That should be enough", I muttered, and Lord Falkfak stood to clap, "Ahaha! What a great display! I see the rumors were true. Now, do you agree with my terms?", I nodded and he motioned with his hand towards a servant that provided a scroll to him, "Let's see. Yes. This is a task that must be done immediately. There's a rogue wizard wandering around the country, selling his magical goods and causing a mess. His name is Roderick and he was, once, a brilliant magic student set to become one of our finest weapons. I do not know why he deserted his duties to the country, and I do not care. You, along with Patricia and her company of soldiers, will search for him and, either, capture him alive or kill him. It is said he has a stay in the nearby town of Zunilda. You'll need to be there by tomorrow and report back within a week, understood?". Roderick? Seems things were becoming full circle. "Understood", I replied and side eye Patricia, who had her eyes locked onto my back with a mad smile on her lips. The fact I had to spend a week along her made my skin crawl, my gaze returned to Lord Falkfak, and he was whispering something to one of his guards; a tall and sturdy man in armor, after speaking, this man approached me and Lord Falkfak spoke, "Tak of Sonnda, this knight is Sir Percival Bogdan, he will be your shadow during this affair, he will ensure you won't escape or try to murder my lovely niece". This knight made a single nod as a salute, "Well met", his words came out cold, same as his serious expression.
Patricia looked ecstatic, like a child with a new toy, she led us outside where some carriages and a group of ten soldiers; all in dark armor, stood firm. "Let me introduce you to my personal army. made up of strong, loyal and submissive… men, we are the Black Company. And you Tak, I'll have you in the same carriage as me, I wish to… take a good look of you, I can hardly wait…", she stretched her slender fingers to grab my face but Percival stood in front, "Apologies my lady. But Lord Falkfak gave clear instructions to not allow this bandit to be alone with you or have any type of contact. Breaking this rule may incur in me having to immediately dispatch this bandit and, also, report this back to Lord Falkfak. This is for safety, hope you'll understand", Patricia burrow her frown and try a rebuttal, "Y-you… you cannot tell me!… argh!… let's go!", thankfully, she relented and went to the front carriage alone. Now it was clear why Lord Falkfak assign him to me, he didn't want his new asset to be tainted by his 'loving' niece.
We promptly left the capital and rode to Zunilda. I didn't know what to expect as I have never met a wizard before, they are few and far between, only know that they would normally carry out somekind of pilgrimage, similar to the druids, to the magical forest and to the city of Vexa, which hosted a famous magic school. Despite this being another detour to my quest, surely something good may come from this, the only bad thing is that I have to share space with Patricia.