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Archives: A New Balance

Chapter 3: Mercenaries’ Guild of Raiden

    A short, dark haired and bearded figure walked into the Mercenaries’ Guild, a dwarf, one most would easily assume was male. She made sure of that, but she was still a proud woman. Granite had dealt with enough ridicule from humans in Raiden, so she would allow others to assume she was male. Her long hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, held in a style either sex would wear, and she had a plain silver circlet around her head, which still didn’t give any hint to her gender. She was wrapped in a new wool cloak which hid her form, though most of her clothing was gender neutral and the breast plate she wore didn’t emphasize the generous bosom she had beneath it. Just about the only thing that might give her away was her beautiful, big blue eyes, though most humans would assume she was just a pretty-boy dwarf.

    Granite had just recently purchased guild membership and had been honing her skills taking small jobs in and around Raiden. She’d been wanting to travel for months, but to be an official mercenary, she had to get some experience under her belt. She stepped on a stool in front of the counter, placed there for dwarven and the occasional grassrunner mercenary or employer, and looked over the bulletin board.

    Fenix, meanwhile, did things a bit more illegally. The city of Raiden sold everything, from jewels to slaves, anyone who knew where to look could get what they wanted. Of course, unless you knew the right people, it would forever evade you. In this case, Fenix had purchased a fake Mercenaries’ Guild pass. He couldn’t afford the dues that the guilds had, considering he only did the occasional odd job, and wasn’t really a mercenary. As he approached the desk, he gave a passing glance at the smaller counter. It did draw attention, and at the moment, someone was standing there, a dwarf. “Sheesh, ever since all the rulers became buddy-buddy theres nothing but crap jobs...” He said absently, using the tough talk for his mercenary image. Some mercenaries talked like that, although he always had to keep from cracking up when he heard that type of talk.

    After wandering around Raiden, admiring the variety of the colossal city, walking in no particular direction and wasting hours in random thoughts and fantasizing about good life and power, Coras decided to enter the Mercenaries’ Guild with his beloved pass in search for his goal: dominion over every single soul in Lodoss. It seemed possible to him to achieve such things from even such meaningless sources, Coras couldn’t notice that it might have been a corrupted idea. When he entered the guild he stood straight for a moment, and then walked tall to the counter, holding the helm he obtained for free from a miserable merchant with his right hand and against the breastplate he always wore, trying to show to other mercenaries as much self-confidence as he could. It took him effort to get that pass, an effort that he didn’t want to remember since it involved a disgraceful job he did. Coras noticed a dwarf next to a small counter as he walked by, there was something about dwarves that made Coras feel respectful towards them. Dwarves are the most impressive representation of strength and authority, he thought, and guessed that it would have been nice to be dwarf, nevertheless that was nonsense. He was already at the counter and needed to find something useful to do, while looking around Coras stopped to direct his thoughts towards a young looking mercenary, somehow that person was making Coras feel angry about other mercenaries; that one mercenary represented service, readiness and good deeds to Coras. Nobody ever seemed to be more than just mindless rats that had to obey absurd laws and rulers due to stupidity and lack of skills. How long would it take before he could change that and establish his seat above every head? There was nothing wrong about that mercenary, it was Coras’ unpredictable mind as he would understand some moments later. “Who might...” he said on purpose in an attempt to call any body’s attention and then continued the phrase in thought ...not be a worthless ally?

    Granite noticed the two men who’d come in. The first one said something about there not being any good jobs. The second only said “who might?”, which Granite wasn’t sure of what he meant with that. They seemed to assume she was male, she didn’t want to cause a scene letting them know she was female, so she spoke in a deeper, more gravely tone, which could have easily passed for a male tenor. “How about that one?” she suggested, pointing to the post in green ink. “The old wizard Kaladron seeks stout hearted adventurers for an urgent mission. Though it be a difficult and dangerous journey, so only the bravest should apply! Be assured the reward offered is a vast fortune to most, but the risk could be fatal. All such interested parties should seek out Kaladron, in his stone tower, just north of the Forest of Mirrors. Apply soon, for wasted time will be an enemy to this quest,” she read aloud to the men.

    Coras listened to the dwarven mercenary read a post. A great fortune, Kaladron... in a stone tower just north of the Forest of Mirrors, he thought, repeating the information to himself. There was no time to waste as the post said. He was the right person for the job. “Seems like a good job, if you are as interested as I am, I would be glad to join you in this mission,” Coras replied to the dwarf in order to pull in another mercenary that might turn out useful. Of course the dwarf is, he found the job he said to himself. Anyway, traveling alone is not as safe, he concluded, waiting for the other mercenary to answer.

    Fenix, however, showed a little less enthusiasm in the job. Seemed a bit to suspicious to him. Here in Raiden, dark wizards could get just about anything they wanted, and if this bulletin was posted only in the Raiden Mercenaries’ Guild, that would mean something illegal was occurring. “Seems suspicious to me... but hey, a job’s a job. Besides, I heard the elven cuties at the Mirror Forrest like human males, might be a nice place to stop,” He chuckled, leaning on his quarterstaff lightly. “I don’t suppose we all should go together? No wars to speak of, but highway men could be a pain in the rear to deal with to say the least.”

    “A job’s a job, well said,” Coras said and then paused. “And about the elven cuties, sounds good... Of course, if we ignore we’re talking about the Mirror Forest.” He needed the job and he wasn’t going to waste more time wandering in Raiden, there was only one way to go. “It’s not safe to deal with this wizard alone and there is always trouble when traveling, but I will go even if I have to do it alone,” he replied shortly after thinking about it. Safety was a good excuse for getting into a party or finding allies. “I must agree it is suspicious.”

    Granite rolled her eyes at the talk about ‘elven cuties’. At least either way they saw her, as a dwarf man or woman, she didn’t have to fake an interest in scrawny elf women. “I agree, it would be best if we join forces,” Granite said in a gruff, masculine voice.

    A tall, sultry half-elven woman strolled confidently into the Mercenaries’ Guild. She was dark skinned with short black hair, though a long tail of black hair grew from the nape of her neck. Her eyes, exotically slanted and green, were vibrant and a contrast to her dark complexion. The half-elf was clad in a form fitting soft brown coat and breeches set that showed off her lean, curvy figure which she obviously was very proud and aware of. She went straight for the counter where Fenix, Granite and Coras were to look at the board, she had a rolling walk as if she were compensating for movement of the ground below her, the walk of someone who’d spent a good amount of time at sea.

    “There’s yer elven cutie,” Granite murmured to Coras and Fenix.

    Fenix nodded, then grinned down at the dwarf. You didn’t need to be a Raiden citizen to know that dwarves and elves generally didn’t get along. His theory was that the fact that the body types were so different, that they just couldn’t like each other. “Well, master dwarf, unless you want to try to coax her into bed, I’m going in.” Leaning on his staff, he cocked his head to the side.

    “I didn’t think sea nymphs came so close to shore, of coarse, not to many wear such jewelry.” He lifted up the staff lightly, and pointed to half-elf’s sabers. Fenix’s weapon of choice was the staff, but from what he’d seen of swords, the woman’s were finely crafted to say the least. “What’s your name, or do beauties have no names, only songs that proclaim their presence?” He knew he was laying it on a bit thick. It was a bit of a joke, the woman was obviously a sailor just by the way she walked. Although his guess was that she couldn’t get hired by any ships, at least, recently. It couldn’t have been because of her half-elf heritage, considering in Raiden, you could be a goblin with three heads and still find your nook. “And I don’t suppose your here for the same job we’re hear for?”

    Anisa raised her eyebrow at Fenix in annoyance, “Riiiighhtt....Anisa Amri,” she told him and put out her hand to shake. If you kiss it, I’ll slap you, Anisa thought. “I don’ be knownin’ what job yer talkin’ ’bout, I jes came here to check the postin’s,” Anisa replied, her voice had the musical quality of elves and the accent of a sailor. “What job ya’ll doin’?”

    Granite had to catch herself from an indignant squawk when Fenix called her “master dwarf”, but she quickly recalled that she wanted him to think that. Instead, she put on a disgusted expression when Fenix suggested that she might be interested in that scrawny, lanky half-elf. Humans had weird tastes for her, but they were two different peoples. Very different.

    In an attempt to stop Fenix from embarrassing himself even more, Coras took part in the conversation. “WE are taking a job for some wizard of which the only thing one must know is that it pays well,” he said to Anisa Amri, as he repeated her name on his mind in order to not forget it. How ridiculous can that man be? he said to himself. Coras was amazed by Fenix, with such pretentiously stupid approaches to a woman who was obviously of strong nature. “My name is Coras and we are looking for strong companions to join us in our mission, of course it’s just an offer.” Coras didn’t know if he was doing it for Fenix or for himself but that woman was not going to fall that easily, if sober. Only fools fall for first impressions.

    Oddly enough, Fenix didn’t kiss the hand, instead, he extended it, and gave Anisa one curt shake, then pulled his hand back. He glanced over at Coras rather lazily, then nodded when the mercenary finished. “Basically thats the job. It sounds a bit off though. The mage is asking mercs from Raiden, there are are a few places closer that he could have asked, which means what the guy is doing is either illegal, unethical, or he really is just eccentric enough to want to hide the findings from the rest of the magic community.” Fenix knew thievery was common enough, and people did it to survive. Besides, sometimes you had to break the law in order to see your goals through. But when people got killed, thats where he drew the line. “I’m gonna take it, just to find out whats going on.”

    Anisa listened to what the men had to say and a smirk came to her lips. “Pays well? Illegal? Unethical? Sounds like fun, mates,” Anisa replied. “Lemme see that message,” Anisa murmured and went over to the counter to examine the board. One drew her eyes instantly because something felt odd about it, the way she felt when magic was used. “The one from Kaladron? Works fer me. When y’all be headin’ out?”

    Granite looked at the men, then gave a cough to make her voice rougher again. “I can leave when ever yer ready.”

    Coras watched as Anisa headed to the counter. He was ready to leave, the dwarf was ready and Anisa was probably ready. The only one left was Fenix. “I’m always ready,” he replied to the dwarven mercenary. “How about you?” he asked Fenix, the only human besides him Coras noticed. He was still thinking about a phrase that Anisa said before. Pays well, Coras thought, repeating it to himself Fenix gave a curt nod. He had been ready for some time now, although he was going to pay close attention to the legality of the whole thing. He would ignore most infringes on the law, but when it came to genocide, his mind was made up. “I’ve been ready for a while.”

    “Well then, y’all wanna just head out?” Anisa asked and gave a shrug.

    “Fine by me,” Granite grunted, then hopped off her stool and strode to the door, trying to walk as manly as possible.

    Anisa chuckled as she watched the dwarf walk. “Ye look like yet got a stick up yer arse, dwarfie.”

    Granite blushed under her beard. “Eh, gotta fix me breeches,” Granite murmured, then adjusted her pants before walking on a little more casually.

    “I don’t mind leaving now,” Coras replied to the other mercenaries and started to analyze the roads they should take. The sooner, the better, he thought they should not waste more time talking. “Anything else?” He said, forcing the question after the short satiric comments he heard from the woman and the dwarf. Fenix hadn’t said that he was ready to leave, but if everyone else was he should join them or remain on his own, so Coras didn’t bother him by asking.

    “Hey, I think we should be introducin’ each other before we go,” Anisa said. Granite bit her lip while her back was to the others. She didn’t want to outright lie to them, but she’d already gone as far as to try and talk and act like a man. “Y’all already heard my name, but what about yers?”

    “Velfur Stoneheart,” Granite said, giving one of her brother’s names. Sooner or later they’d find out she was a woman, but she didn’t want them to change their minds about her when they find out, so it would be best to reveal it outside of Raiden. Perhaps Anisa would be understanding enough to tell first?

    Fenix clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, thinking of the fake name on his guild membership card. One thing about counter-fitting guild membership, you always had to make sure you remembered the name. Finally remembering, he cocked his head lightly to the side. “Brahms... my name is Brahms Silverson.” It was a pretty bogus lie, why counter-fitters picked the worst possible name was beyond him.

    Toan stepped into the Mercenaries’ Guild, a familiar area for the young dark elf, and took a look around. Usually if there was a promising job, he could tell right away from the people lined up to take it. Immediately his eyes found a couple of men standing with a dwarf and a woman who appeared to be half-elf. That has to be something, he thought. As he approached them he heard something about a wizard. A look to the fliers pinned up in the guild confirmed the fact. “Excuse me,” he said politely, approaching the party. He wasn’t sure who the leader of this expedition was, so he tried to address them all. “I have to say your assignment sounds like an interesting one. If you could use one more, I’d be more than happy to come along.”

    Anisa nodded as “Brahms” introduced himself. She didn’t think the name was suiting for him, it sounded like a name for a dwarf or a muscle-bound human warrior, not a lean young man with a staff for a weapon. But, if that was what his parent’s named him, it wasn’t like he had a choice. Before she had a chance to ask the other young man for his name, a dark elf walked in and caught her eye. Anisa grinned and replied, “Well, ye be welcome, handsome. I be Anisa, the dwarf is Velfur and the boy be Brahms, and we were jest gettin’ to yellow eyes here,” Anisa said and motioned to Coras, waiting for his introduction.

    Handsome? Toan thought, and scratched his head.

    “My name is Coras Ardyl,” Coras said in reply to Anisa. “So, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he added as he stared at each one of them. Coras wondered about their names, everything about those mercenaries was strange. Brahms? What a miserable person he is, having that brainless thug name, Coras thought. After agreeing with himself to call the mercenary by that name, he started to notice that his future in relation to that party of mercenaries would probably bring big problems, nothing about them was right. Coras decided to stick to his job and to not interfere too much with them at least for some days.

    “Ah, Coras then,” Anisa turned back to Toan. “So what’s yer name?” Though she had the coarse accent of a sailor, her voice was still as sweet as honey—an odd combination. Of course, it was also odd to hear a half-elf speaking that way, the sea was a far cry from the native forests of elves. All in all, Anisa wasn’t your average anything, she was unique in every sense of the word.

    “Oh,” Toan said, in reply to Anisa. “I’m Toan. I’m just a mercenary looking for some work. It’s good to meet you all. Might I ask though, who is the leader of this outfit?”

    Anisa scratched her head and looked over the other three men. No one had claimed to be the leader, though Anisa wasn’t too fond of being led. “We ain’t decided that much. We be pretty much jest travelin’ together.”

    Fenix tapped Anisa’s leg with his staff and gave a raised brow. “I know you elves can live quite a long time, but in human years, I’m not quite a boy anymore, eh? You wouldn’t want me to call you eye candy, would ya?” he said in a rather calm tone. Leaning on his staff, he cocked his head slightly at Toan. He didn’t trust dark elves, even though most of the ones he had seen lived right outside of the city. It was the ones from Marmo that raised the hair on his neck. “Dark elf eh? Which forest do you come from? Marmo?”

    “Actually, I’m from the Blue Dragon Island,” Toan replied. He tried not to sound annoyed, but he grew tired of the scrutiny humans and especially the other elf races viewed his people with, and in Raiden of all places. “I hope that’s not a problem for you.”

    Anisa gave Fenix a sneer in reaction to tapping her leg. Elf years were one thing, but Anisa had never lived with elves. He was young by human terms, late teens to early twenties, by her judgment. “Well Toan, ye be a local then? I do know Blue Dragon Island.” There were some caves on the island used by pirates, but not many. The dragon kept most pirates away in her time.

    Fenix yawned, apparently ignoring Anisa’s sneer altogether. He wasn’t born in Raiden, but he had spent most of his life there. Blue Dragon Island was rather local, but even then, he wouldn’t totally trust Toan. Falaris’ sons and daughters didn’t exactly instill a great deal of trust. “Well, he can tag along if he wants. But since time is of the essence, according to that poster, shouldn’t we be getting some way of transport? I’d prefer to at least get a little ways there before nightfall.” They were suppose to be just traveling there, not under any sort of contract agreement to stay together though. “The shortest way would be horseback, unless someone here thinks getting on a ship and sailing all away around the island to Valis or Kanon is shorter.” It wasn’t really a question as much as a statement. “I can get us horses for the people in our party without them for real cheap. I have a few contacts that can help me out in that area. Coming?” He said, starting to walk off, leaning on the staff lightly with each step.

    Toan made a displeased face as the young man walked off, keeping his comments to himself. “It sounds like a good idea to me, if what he says is right,” he said in Anisa’s direction. She seemed much more apt at holding the group together in his opinion. “I’ve got some money if his ‘contacts’ don’t pull, through. So let’s just check it out.”

    Even if Coras didn’t actually like him, he fully agreed with Brahms. He’s useful and that’s what matters, Coras thought. He prepared to follow the rest of the group as Toan showed them with a short comment how he could get them horses if things didn’t go well. “Don’t lose your money, we will get those horses,” Coras said to Toan as he stared at Brahms. Coras was sure that Brahms was more of a man that did any kind of illegal job to survive than a honorable mercenary, but either way was the same because Brahms was certainly going to be an important party member.

    Granite was already waiting at the door for the rest of them, so she was on Fenix’s heels as he headed out. Horses, great, she thought. Dwarves were never accomplished riders. She wasn’t looking forward to this ordeal. Even if they found her a pony, it could never keep up with full size horses. “So who am I gonna ride with?” Granite asked in a gravely voice, sounding a little frustrated. It was obvious enough she didn’t want the indignity of bouncing around behind someone.

    Anisa wasn’t much of a horse woman. She had only learned to ride the beasts a few years after she washed ashore on Lodoss. Her elven nature gave her an empathy for them, but her pirate nature was rough and forceful and turned any horses she rode against her it seemed. But they would get her some place faster. She followed Fenix and Velfur, who seemed even more uncomfortable about riding—understandably. “Eh, don’ be thinkin’ I’d be a good partner, I’d rather walk than ride if we had the time,” Anisa replied to the dwarf.

    “Ah, so dwarves really are afraid of horses...” Fenix chuckled, although primarily to make a joke. Most saddles were to large for a dwarf to use, and children’s saddles were not meant to hold the bulk. “Don’t worry to much about it, Master Dwarf. You can ride with me, although I can’t guarantee it won’t be a bumpy ride.”

    “I ain’t afraid of ‘em,” Velfur protested. “They just ain’t comfortable to someone of my stature.” The dwarf crossed his arms over his breast plate and stuck his nose up in the air like a petulant girl, then, realizing his action, he relaxed and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking around suspiciously. Anisa was getting the feeling there was something he was hiding.

    Fenix, or Brahms, lead them into various alleys, which grow darker, and gloomier by the minutes. Finally, oddly enough, only a few people, obviously cut purses, were around, he went to a door and knocked three times. The eye slot opened, looked down at Fenix, then over at the other mercenaries. “Alright?”

    Fenix gave a curt nod. “Yeah, I don’t think any of them are gonna say what they saw here.” The figure behind the door, whoever he was, shut the eye slot, and opened the door, and Fenix made a quick “come here” motion as he entered. Inside was a long hall, which twisted, and turned, and held several doors that lead to nowhere. After a rather long time, Fenix finally led them through a door, through which a great deal of commotion was heard on the other side. Even Raiden’s thieves apparently took precautions. When the door opened, what the group witnessed was a rather large courtyard, which various stands, makeshift paddocks, and people yelling what they held. In some cases, people were chained with sorrowful looks on their faces, obviously slaves. What Fenix had lead them to was a thieves’ bazaar.

    As they entered the thieves’ bazaar, Anisa noticed the slaves. She chuckled to herself, seemingly uncaring of the plight of those people. “I wonder if this be where me da’ met me mum,” she mused.

    “I told you guys, what we’re buying isn’t exactly... legal. However, if you want cheapness, its wholesale, ‘cause theres no taxation or supply or demand involved. We might have to make several purchases if the horses have their brands. We don’t want to run into an angry rancher who has a brand to prove we stole the animals.” Fenix said absently, making his way toward the stables. A mix of stock was what was available. Work horses, purebreds, what could only pass for ‘mutt’ horses, and even some war horses were in there, some a bit spooked at the noise. Fenix then raised his hands to his lips for some reason, and the vendor nodded slightly, apparently understanding. The vendor himself was a squat, balding individual of late thirties, with a face only a mother could love. His clothes had patches of dirt, and the man himself had the distinct smell of livestock waste on him. “What do ya all need, my fortunate customers? Cows, ‘orses, pigs? Might even have a dragon in stock soon enough if you folks want the teeth...”

    Fenix cocked his head lightly to the side. “We want fast horses that’ll survive a trip to Valis, and who are ‘legit’.”

    The man nodded grumbled. “That’ll cost ya extra...”

    “I’ll give you a silver to remove the brands, but I think thats more then generous.” Fenix said rather passively, although there was some aggression in his voice.

    “Five gold to remove the brands.“

    Fenix sniffed, raising his chin slightly. “Cha Za is most unmerciful to merchants who wish to give their customers unfair prices...”

    The thief suddenly got a look of urgency on his face, the threat had apparently been taken very seriously. “Two silvers, but your make me starve at that price...”

    Fenix nodded. “Deal, but only if the brands are on the horses that my companions choose. Standard price, right?”

    The thief nodded, and motioned for a girl who looked twelve. She had been petting the various animals within the pasture before. She seemed more interested in Anisa and Velfur then anyone else, although her eyes didn’t linger on any one of them for to long.

    Fenix looked back at the others. “Well, I trust you guys can pay for your own horses. The war horses are ten gold pieces, about a tenth of a Raiden, the purebreds are five gold pieces, and the rest are below price. I suggest you pick some of the younger farm horses. Not usually as fast as the purebreds, but they are sturdier. But, as I said, I’ll leave it up to you guys.”

    Anisa frowned as Fenix told her to look for her own horse. She didn’t know what to look for in a mount. She strode off, leaving Velfur with Fenix. The pirate strolled through the courtyard, looking over what it had to offer. At least she could pick out the sickly and shy ones right off. Fenix had told them to look for sturdy farm horses, so Anisa just concerned herself with riding horses. She stopped at a bay mare who had her face buried in a pile of hay, uncaring of the people around her. Anisa walked over and gave her withers a pat. The mare lifted her head to look at her, then returned to her hay. She seemed healthy enough to Anisa. “Hey, how much you want for it?” Anisa asked the nearby seller. After a little haggling, she got him down to a reasonable price and paid for the horse.

    Toan made a grimacing face. Entering the establishment he knew they must be headed to a black market. The thieves didn’t bother him much, but the slave traders did. “I would have rather just paid full price,” he said under his breath as they passed, but he knew better than to start any trouble over the matter.

    Looking over the stables, Toan found a simple brown mare that seemed acceptable. He stroked its mane and spoke to it. “You don’t like being here do you?” The horse remained calm and allowed him to inspect it without incident. It was strong enough for the journey, so he decided to pay for it. After a failed attempt to haggle, Toan ended up paying more than what a stolen horse is worth, but he didn’t care. He was just ready to get out of there.

    Coras walked around the courtyard looking for a horse to ride. He wouldn’t need a fast one, a horse with a kind temperament would be more useful if he wanted to travel in the group. After looking for a few minutes, Coras bought a mare that he thought was good enough. The horse was gray with eyes of a color similar to that of its hair, its bones seemed strong although the horse was too calm which did not seem good to Coras, who agreed to buy the mare because of its low price. Nothing else needed to be done in Raiden, Coras was ready to leave so he waited for the other mercenaries to finish.

    Fenix, or Brahms according to what he had told them, waited until they all began to select a horse before he began looking himself. What little he knew about horses was how to buy and sell them, primarily what to look for or otherwise you get a lame horse. A few of the stock up for sale were lame, or at least, couldn’t run very fast. “Well, master dwarf, gotta pick one for your size...” He went toward the farmers stock, a rather large work horse, female, and a dirty white color. He choose it primarily because it seemed to be rather calm, and it seemed not to be lame. “How does that one look? I think it should be able to support both our weight...”

    Since dwarves didn’t ride much, Granite wasn’t a good judge of the animal. “Um, yeah, sure it works,” she replied. She wondered if talking like that was going to end her up with a sore throat. Either way, she was getting frustrated with trying to be a man, and as soon as they were out of Raiden, she’d let them know who she really was!

    Fenix nodded briefly, and began to check the horse for brands. He was hoping that, being a farmer’s horse, that it wouldn’t have any. Fortunately for him, it didn’t, because it was either to young, or had been stolen before it had been marked. “This thing is still gonna cost me nearly all I have...” he mumbled, buying a horse and waiting for the others, although it seemed a few of them had already purchased their animals. “Well, looks like a few of you aren’t used to riding horses...”

    Anisa sauntered back to Fenix, leading her horse by the reins. The animal followed her placidly, seeming as if it were wholly unaware of the world around it. Maybe it was just used to trading hands and doing what was asked of it, either way, it didn’t seem like a very spirited animal.

    Once the half-elf joined up with Fenix and Velfur again, she glanced over her shoulder towards Coras and Toan who were returning with their own new horses. “Well, looks like we’re all set,” Anisa replied. “Looks like this one had a brand, but someone else burned it off already.” She thumbed toward the flanks of her horse. It had a mass of scar tissue in a circular shape on its hip, signifying that its original brand was covered up by another burn.

    Toan led his horse back towards the others. “I’m ready as well,” he said, anxious to get out of this place.

    “Well, lets get a move on then...” Fenix said in a dry tone, which seemed to be caused by the dark elf, Toan. Well, he didn’t hate dark elves, but he was a bit distrustful of them. After all, dark elves were pretty much used by the Marmo army as assassins. Then again, the dark elf forest frequently visited Raiden, and interbred with the population. As for Blue Dragon island; he had no idea what they were like, so he assumed they were a mix between Marmo and Raiden dark elves, which meant he would watch his back for deceptions.

* * *

    As they made their way to the outskirts of Raiden, Fenix leaned forward in the saddle, squinting his eyes. It wouldn’t bode well if they immediately came across highway men, although if they recognized him, he could probably badger them into letting them pass. The fear of the gods prevented thieves from messing with clerics to much, and even if he wasn’t, he was still recognized as under Cha Za’s protection. Seeing no highway men, he leaned back in the saddle. “Master Dwarf, you really don’t have to squeeze so hard. My ribs will be broken if you keep that up!”

    “Sorry,” Granite said and loosened her grip around Brahms’s waist, completely forgetting her fake voice. She still had a somewhat deep voice for a woman, but it was unmistakably feminine. Granite realized it a moment to late, but only hoped the low pitch of her apology and the sounds of the road covered it. “When yer legs are this short, it’s hard te hang on to the horse,” she said in her gravely voice.

    Toan tried to keep up with the others so as not to seem suspicious. Obviously this kid didn’t like dark elves and he didn’t want to look any worse. The logic behind the young man’s distaste for his kind didn’t make sense to him however, since he himself seemed less than honest. He grimaced remembering the slaves in the black market, half wishing he’d done something about it. Just what could he have done, he didn’t know. He decided to tale comfort in the fact that the animal he rode on would at least have a decent owner from now on. He stroked its mane and dismissed the thought. If the humans want to brand each other, that was one thing, but the animals didn’t deserve it. His ears picked up Granite’s voice all too well, however he interpreted the voice change as the symptom of a cold. “Are you well?” he asked politely. “If you suffer from a sore throat, we should get some remedies for you before we leave. Some tea leaves maybe?”

    Anisa heard the strange sound in Velfur’s voice, but she didn’t question it. There was something odd she’d felt about the dwarf ever since they met, but was it really important to her?

    “I’ll be fine,” Velfur told Toan in a gruffer voice.

    Anisa glanced back at Coras, who had been silent for most of the ride. He seemed dark to her, and it looked like he was wrapped up in thought. Anisa yanked her reins back, trying to slow her horse, but it only stopped. Frustrated, Anisa gave it a little kick to the ribs and pulled the reins back, letting the horse know that she wanted to back up. The ex-pirate dropped back to keep pace with Coras’s horse. “‘ey mate, what’s on yer mind?” she asked with a sultry gaze.

    Watching as Anisa stared at him, Coras waited a few seconds and kept himself to his thoughts as he made up an answer to her question. Thinking about how he had not achieved power and might produced in Coras a suffocating feeling, the air seemed too hot and he wasn’t able to breath freely, but somehow, Anisa’s question stopped that sensation. “I’m just trying to figure out what we might have to deal with when we arrive there,” he said with a serene look. Coras felt calm and decided to find out why his madness stopped because of another person’s presence. “Why?” he asked as he smiled, trying not to sound rude.

    Anisa grinned back at Coras. “Jes makin’ conversation, mate,” she replied with her lilting sailor’s accent. The half-elf looked away as she thought up just what dangers laid along this stretch of road. “I wouldn’ be doubtin’ that we could run inta some bandits. Ain’t any patrols ‘tween ‘ere ‘n Moss ‘sides the Raiden Rangers. An’ they don’ be goin’ too far from the city. There be a good chance of meetin’ some monsters near the Wildlands. How’s that sound?”Anisa seemed far too happy with the idea of jumping into battle. She was never one to turn down a fight.

    Coras concentrated on listening as Anisa spoke with her unusual accent. “It sounds likely, but I don’t think some bandits or monsters will be able to cause us too much trouble,” he replied turning his smile, which was wide enough to show his teeth into a serious look. “So, how does it sound to you?” he asked her as he stared at the road ahead of them.

    Broadening her grin again, Anisa replied, “Sounds like fun to me.” Coras only intrigued Anisa further. It wasn’t so much of what he said, but the way he felt to her. There was something dark in him, and that appealed to her curiosity. “So, where ye from, mate?” she asked.

    Coras remembered his childhood in his family’s farm in Roid as Anisa asked him where he hailed from. “I was born in Roid, but it could be said I’m from Adan,” he answered Anisa with a smile. Fun, hah. Well, fighting can be fun, he thought as he remembered Anisa’s answer to his question, in an attempt to not think about Roid and the bad times he went through in Adan.

    “The Holy City, eh?” Anisa replied. “Well, I ain’t been there, yet. Heard plenty about it. But...they don’ like dark elves there, and a lot o’ people take me for bein’ half-dark elf. Me ma was common elf, tho’. Twas my da who had the dark skin, an’ he was just part Azarn Islander.” And hopefully, that statement cleared the air before anyone thought she was a dark elf. “You been a merc long, mate?” she continued questioning Coras.

    “Well, that’s interesting,” said Coras to Anisa’s explanation about her elven heritage. Coras remained quiet for a while and then decided to answer Anisa’s question. “I haven’t been a mercenary for too long, I decided to become one some time ago in search for a life that I would like better. And you, have you been doing these for a long time already?” he said as he looked around and checked everything was fine.

    “‘bout ten years now,” Anisa replied. “Figur’d I get me land legs,” she slapped her thigh as she said it, “I ain’t spent much time on land in me life. Bet that sounds strange comin’ from a half-elf, eh?”

    “Indeed, but strange things tend to be more interesting,” Coras replied to Anisa. “So, you must have many stories that I would be glad to hear, if it isn’t too much to ask that you tell me about your life as a mercenary?” he added, looking at Anisa’s eyes.

    Toan had been listening to their conversation but didn’t feel that he should intervene unless spoken too. However he began to forget he wasn’t actually in the conversation as he listened and blurted out a reassuring, “No, that’s not odd all!” He choked a bit at the end realizing his blunder. “I mean uh, I’m much stranger than you are for sure.” I should have shut up while I was ahead, he thought to himself after hearing that last part.

    Anisa didn’t have a chance to reply to Coras after Toan spoke. Leaning on the horn of her saddle with a smirk, she asked the dark elf, “An’ what makes ye stranger then I?”

    Toan quickly looked up and tried to think of something to say. “Plenty of things I could get into but ah... never mind, I didn’t mean to interrupt!”

    “Ah com’on,” Anisa encouraged Toan. “I don mind hearin’ yer tale, mate. After all, my tales of bein’ a merc ain’t too interestin’...compared to the rest o’ me life, least. Guard the merchant caravans, weed out some o’ them Marmo soldiers, occasionally killin’ some monster terrorizin’ a farm. The usual, ye know. So com’on, what makes ye so strange, dark elf?” Anisa asked again, still leaning on her saddle horn expectantly.

    Toan began to grow hotter and was on the verge of breaking into a sweat. He couldn’t out and tell people that he was possessed by Hyuri, even though that would definitely win him the award for strangest guy around. Why’d I open my big mouth? he thought, mentally kicking himself. “Well um,” he started, “I am a dark elf and I’ve been to every part of Lodoss except for Marmo, that’s weird isn’t it? Uh... and I even once tried to join the followers of Marfa but they wouldn’t even let me near the temple.”

    “Well, I s’ppose a dark elf whose never been to his homeland is about as strange as a half-elf who spent ‘er life at sea,” Anisa replied with a wink. “But it ain’t too odd. Ye think ye’ll ever go to Marmo? They say it’s like a whole new island after all the resurrectin’ of goddesses.”

    As Granite listened to Anisa and Toan talk about how “strange” they both were, Granite was tempted to tell her secret. She was nervous. At first, she told herself she’d let them think what they wanted at first, but then she started acting like a man. Then, she told herself she’d tell them once they left the city, but now she was too nervous. Maybe she’d wait until they made camp this time, but if she kept this up, she’d be Velfur for the whole trip.

    “I may go there after all,” Toan replied. “I just haven’t got around to it yet. I bet there’s a lot of old ruins there to dig around in.”

    “Oh yeah, there’s gotta be tons o’ loot on Marmo,” Anisa replied with a smirk. “Mebbe after this job, we should head to Marmo. Git the goods while it’s hot, ye know?” the half-elf suggested with a wink. She glanced back over her shoulder at Coras, trying to keep from alienating him. “Whatcha say, mate?”

    “I’ll have to think about it,” Coras replied. “I’m not sure, just hearing about it makes me feel like going there to dig is too much for me,” he said with a smile on his face. Lots of stuff deep into some ruin, the perfect job it is. If I’d known Marmo was such a gold mine I wouldn’t have wasted my time going to Raiden and neither would I have gotten that membership for the guild, he thought as he pictured himself in Marmo, exploring the unknown probably useless ruins of that island. But who knows? Maybe we can find valuable treasures and use them or sell them. If I’m lucky it can happen. Hah.

    Fenix raised a brow at the dwarf’s voice, yet again going into a falsetto, at least he assumed it was falsetto for a dwarf. He had known enough dwarves to know that this guy probably had quite a bit of jokes created at his expense if he often went into high pitched rantings. Then Anisa spoke, and he slowed down and gave her a look of daggers. ”Do you realize how foolish your sounding?“ The dark island, even in its ‘good’ form, was still the unholy magic capital of Lodoss. Whatever they found there would not likely be safe to find. “Even if the island is ‘safe’, the artifacts you would find there would be dedicated to the dark gods. I’ve seen unwary idiots grab one and have their life sucked out of them. Or perhaps one of you grabs one that liquefies the users bones in their body? Even if what you found didn’t have such an effect, the dark energies of unholy magic are addictive, and cause perversion within the mind and soul of the holder. Tell me, Toan, Anisa, would you two want to be the cause of another crises such as the resurrection of the dark goddess?” He knew he was sermonizing, but it was common knowledge among priests. The dark gods didn’t care anything at all about their followers, just the means and the ends. “Any mercenary worth their salt can tell ya that theres no quick path to victory or wealth, and only fools seek such paths. Are you both such novices that you don’t know that simple fact?”

    “You’re right,” Toan said, his voice turned very grim. “I’ve lost many friends who were too eager to claim a relic in the past. If you are all looking for gold, you should choose another path. I don’t care much about wealth myself, my interest lies in the search for knowledge. The ruins of Marmo contain relics of dark magic most likely, so selling them would be a great crime.”

    Anisa sneered at Fenix’s admonishment. She took it as an insult to her intelligence, though, truth be told, she wasn’t even aware of the danger until Fenix and Toan explained it. And the fact they had to explain it only rankled her pride. It made her feel stupid, and it didn’t help that Fenix outright insulted her by calling her a novice. Anisa’s frustration was obvious, but she decided not to respond at the risk of making a bigger fool of herself. She looked away from Toan and Fenix, but if either of them decided to make further comments, Anisa probably wouldn’t be able to control her temper further.

    Toan, displaying tact for a rare moment, kept his mouth shut and tried to avoid eye contact from Anisa who seemed to be glaring daggers. I didn’t mean any offense, he thought to himself. And she’s the only one that didn’t totally hate me before, way to go, Toan.

    “She’s got a temper,” Granite grumbled to Brahms. Whispering like a man wasn’t easy, and it certainly did come out as a low grumble. It was pretty obvious the half-elf didn’t like the fact they made her look like an idiot, but from what Granite knew of Marmo, she was sure Toan and Brahms were right.

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