"Left for days, to gather dust, to feel the crawl of evil inching closer and closer, that is, until the fourth came. He was eager, he was brave, he was a warrior and, unlike his predecessor, he met the evil and didn't run nor hide, he faced it with thirst for vengeance while galvanizing the few that dared to stay behind to defend"
"Woah! Hahahaha, nice, nice", Maxwell laughed while I brushed the dust off and stood firm again, "Just as Laza said, 'the Godsword', my strike should had crushed your thorax, punctured your lungs, made you vomit blood, yet you stand. Hope you're ready for another one", his stupid grin didn't phase me as I knew this wouldn't last long, my sword would put an end to him soon. I let my blade out of its sheath, letting the tip touch the floor; the metallic noise felt like a caress to my soul, and took a deep breath. He began to walk towards me, slowly, he probably thought of himself as an unstoppable force… couldn't be more far from that, I was going to chop his head clean off. I took some steps towards him, letting the dash build up with each step, knowing my next step was the one, I felt the surge, then Laza screamed, "Max! He's about to dash!", as I surged forward by the dash, closing the distance in a fraction of a second, pointing my blade to his upper body, but my sword didn't meet his neck or head, he stepped aside and let me hit the wall. "So that's the dash? Amazing!", he exclaimed and I could heard the metal sound of his armor, I turned around to see he was running towards me, "Crush!", he screamed and aimed for my head, I crouched and let his warhammer make a hole in the wall. While crouching I saw his belly that, despite being armored, my sword could pierce with ease. "Nuh uh!", Maxwell said, not letting a second pass before forcing his warhammer down, breaking the wall and painfully pushing my shoulder, and myself, down with part of the handle, "Ugh, fuck!", I let out before managing to roll out the way.
I scrambled back to my feet, I had Serbos behind me but he seemed to let Maxwell do the dirty work. Also that bitch of Laza probably told Maxwell all about my abilities… Then he knows when I might use a dash, but he doesn't know I can throw the sword! So I threw the blade, aiming directly at his head, didn't matter if he tried to block it as the sword will cut through anythin- "Throwing? Ha!", Maxwell said before reacting immediately and deflecting the sword mid air by perfectly hitting its side. What… what the fuck was this guy? Then I'll just let him stand between me and the sword, recalling it will force it through Maxwell's body. "Maxwell, remember that-", Laza began to warn but Maxwell dismissed it, "Yeah, yeah, he can recall the sword. I was actually going to let him do it, hehehe". T-this fucking guy, he did just that, he took some steps to the side and stood between me and the sword, fully giving his back to it, surely he cannot deflect it, "Recall!", I said and heard the noise of my sword sliding on the floor before flying towards Maxwell's back, "Haha!", he laughed and perfectly step aside, and the sword flew back to me with too much force, I had to catch it, something that allowed Maxwell to unexpectedly close the distance on me, "Got you!", and he rose his warhammer before aiming for my back and letting it fall with force, I was barely able to roll my entire body out the way and saw the warhammer breaking the floor but, again with surprising speed, he gripped the hammer with a lot of strength and slide it towards me before connecting another hit on my chest, he got my left side this time and I flew to the other side of the room.
A normal man would've died long ago from this damage, thanks to the sword I won't die this easily but this second hit took the air out of my lungs. "Serbos, do I kill him?", Maxwell asked as he stopped to gaze at my fallen form, "I mean, this is your revenge after all", revenge? W-what were these people talking about? "It's a disappointment, I thought he would've been stronger", Serbos replied, "If he's this weak, then just finish him off". Aha, so I'm 'weak', huh? Alright, if it wasn't for Laza this fight wouldn't last this long. Fuck this, I'll let him approach me. "You heard the man", Maxwell muttered, coming closer with his warhammer ready as I remained kneeled, "Bye", he swung his hammer but my sword is faster, so I deflected his strike and, in the same move, spun around and aimed for his ankles but he jumped out of the way, "That's better! W-woah, your sword actually cut a corner of my hammer, see?". He was right, from the deflection, the sword had partly cut the metal but, in other circumstances and maybe other weapons, it would've cut the metal clean, they must be using quality weapons, reinforced ones. I took my chance and ran forward towards him, letting the tip of my sword aim for his neck, he reacted fast and dodged the tip so I swung down to meet his chest and he deflected the blade with the head of his hammer. I wanted to keep the fight close and tight, not allow him space to swung that thing around, he's going to get tired soon and- agh! I couldn't finish as he hit my face with a right hook, "Hands are weapons too", he mocked and kicked me away, enough distance for him to ready another swing which prompted me to close the distance again, only to be struck by his handle and pushed a few meters to the side.
This time he was the one closing the distance and between dodging, deflecting, small hand to hand combat, the battle went for various minutes. "You don't talk when you fight? Is a lot of fun, you should try it", Maxwell said between chuckles, he connected another strike of his hammer in my right side, taking the air out of my lungs once again, and made me realize something… I'm not good at this, I might be able to fight brigands, thugs or random mercenaries, but expert fighters? That's another story. Fuck, I might actually die. "I don't talk… I fight", I muttered and tried to stand up again, but he sweep me off my feet, I rolled back but couldn't stand again as I tried to regain my balance, then I raised my gaze and saw him getting ready to deal a final blow, my mind was going blank with what to do, I wasn't felling fear, I was felling ashamed from going to die to something that's not my mission... I did the first thing that came to mind and threw my sword at him, "Again?", he laughed before perfectly deflecting the sword for a second time.
"And you go by the Godsword? What a fucking joke", he mocked again, while raising both arms, the warhammer ready to crush my head but, in that instant, through his open legs, I saw the moonlight shinning on the metal of my fallen sword, don't know why but it felt like it was calling to me. "Max-!", Laza tried to warn but I was faster, "Recall!", I exclaim and this time the sword rose a bit in the air and flew back with speed akin to a dash with urgency, with hate and the shame I was feeling. "Oh…", Maxwell breathed out, and I saw his hammer falling behind and his now severed right arm still handing onto it, my sword returned to my hands. "Call this a joke!", I smiled and got ready to strike back but Laza reacted instantly and threw some daggers at me, forcing me to deflect them and take some distance. "Ah, ngh… shit… hehehe", Maxwell fell to the ground, forcing out some chuckles, while trying to cover his bleeding wound which was, slowly but surely, creating a pond of blood under him. Laza carried him away while keeping a vigilant eye on me, I only stared and let her do as she pleased as I calmed my breathing and got readied, then Serbos screamed, "Laza! What are you doing?! Go on, kill this bastard! Don't let Maxwell's efforts go in vain!", but Laza glared at him, "Can't you fucking see?!", she screamed back, "He's bleeding out, we have to take him back to the guild, to a hospital, somewhere!". I took some steps back so I could have all three in view, and Serbos didn't even looked at me, he kept pestering Laza to get her to fight me but she refused, "No! I'm not going to fight him, already told you I won't. If you're so invested in your stupid vengeance then go do it yourself, we already did a lot for you".
Just then did Serbos reacted to my presence and turned to me, "Fine", he said, "But first I want to know why you did it", he unsheathed a pristine and unscratched sword, so shiny it looked like silver, "The other two didn't have this chance, to explain themselves… take this as a last gift". Didn't know what he was talking about but I felt like I needed to remember, to know why I angered him so much, "L-listen", I said between coughs, tasting the blood in my mouth, "I can't remember… I'm not joking with you, I just can't…". I was being honest, it must be something so important for him but something so little to me, his expression was one of homicidal anger but then he close his eyes and breathed in and out before speaking, "If that's case, If it so hard for you to remember… with this you should...", he muttered and coughed a bit, adjusting his voice to a higher tone, "Can I see your sword, Sir Tak?", his voice came out even younger, just like a child, and those words flooded me with memories.
I remember now, was it four or five years ago… at that time, Constance began his expansion through the Free Cities, he saw potential in the delivering business and started his own company; Demaine & Co, the problem was that a lot of people thought the same thing and Constance company had to compete with ten other delivering services, so he gave me 'specific' work. First was Lindelen, I went to the warehouses that those companies used and burned their cargo, went to their stables and killed their horses, went to the owners houses and threaten their families… and, after not more than a year, Demaine & Co was the only one operating normally, the only one being able to dispatch and deliver, since the other ones always had 'issues' while on their delivery routes. Second was Lazarus and third was Nalva. In hindsight, I can see that Demaine didn't need to sabotage or destroy every competitor he had, I mean, Lindelen had a lot of competition, Lazarus was a big city, but Nalva? Nalva was a tiny town stranded high in the mountains, a miserable place to be and worse to be sent to.
Five months before I left Constance's 'employment', that's when he sent me to Nalva to end the operations of a particular delivery company; TheLest Family Company, and, as the name says, it was a family operation and the only one in the town. I remember that my first issue was finding out where they had their warehouse and stable, following delivery carriages didn't led to any success as they followed a secret route after some point, a route I tried and tried to track to no avail. The only thing, the only clue I could use was a kid, one who everyone knew in that town, he was greeted by every shopkeeper and pedestrian by name, and I saw that kid everyday in the plaza as he would ran to me and, because I was a knight, he kept annoying me with stupid questions like, "Can I see your sword, sir? Can I see it this time?", didn't even ask for his name as I had no time for children, that was until I learned that he was the son of the owner of the delivery company. So I changed my approach, the eleventh day, I went to the plaza and sat and the kid, like always, came to bother me, that time I asked for his name, "Me? I'm Geserbos, but I hate that stupid name, so call me like everyone else calls me, Serb!". I tried to get him to lead me to where he lived, asked him about his father's operation, followed him as he made his way home but it didn't work, the kid was as dense as a boulder. "Sir Tak! Please, please, please, teach me! I want to be an adventurer!", he would exclaim and play with wooden sticks, "See? Everyone tells me I'll do great! First I'll become a guard, then a knight and finally an adventurer!". Now I remember why he was surprise to see me with the guild's token on my chest, as I would laugh at his words and retort him, I remember saying, "Adventurer? Those fucks can't even kill a dying dog. Adventurers are scum, they think of themselves as heroes or worse, as warriors. You know what an adventurer is? An adventurer is just a glorified mercenary". I had to reluctantly behave as his 'friend' while he parade me around, he referred to me as his 'personal knight' in front of the townsfolk, and that I was 'his sword master', and that I was going to teach him to become a 'legendary knight'. Didn't thought of it at that time but it couldn't be helped, he was just a kid with dreams, and I was a thug. It took some days, but one day he made his way home, and I saw the path he took, knowing the route I decided to act that same night. His family had the stables and the warehouse as one single building, and it was foolishly unprotected. First I tied the horses, to make sure none of them would ran, and then set the whole building on fire. Didn't stay long, just enough to watch, from afar, how the ceiling collapse in flames, I remember feeling happy to see my task done and be able to leave Nalva.
It is clear now, "You're that kid from Nalva, Geserbos Lest", I said and Serbos fixed his hair before giving me a weak smile, "No… that kid died a long time ago, that kid gave away his past, his dreams and his body for Serbos to be here", he stated and I wondered if he was someone else, "So you're not Geserbos? Who the fuck are you then?", I asked and, in response, he rushed to me, sword in hand, and began a barrage of attacks. "It's me, you stupid bastard! I was being philosophical, you were the one that set things in motion", he exclaimed while I dodged every one of his attacks. "O-Ok, could you- could you stop for a second?", I let out before swinging my sword and prompting him to jump back and create some distance. "No wonder you don't remember me. What you did was something menial and common for you; destroying lives and tearing families apart", he blurted out and began to monologue while walking circles around me, "You're the fifth, the fifth in my long list, an order of retribution I won't deviate from… but destiny wanted us to met that time in Seaway were I contained my anger, when I thought of killing you right then and there but didn't, I think and I plan, unlike you, I decided to carry on. Still, I wouldn't let something so fortuitous as seeing you be wasted, so, before I left Seaway, I wrote a letter to a woman I knew from when I was younger, a woman that used me, I wrote her that there was a man holding a mythical sword and that her company of soldiers might be benefited from having him". A woman he said? Can't think of anyone… "Alright… so?", I asked, "I understand your anger, but why are you telling me this?", only to be answered with more attacks, this time he went even faster and surprised me with a double attack, by forcing me to dodge in one direction only to be stabbed with a dagger from the other side, "Bleed you pig! Bleed!", he screamed and tried to stab me some more, so I dashed to the other side of the room and out of his reach.
The damage wasn't that bad, but I had to end this soon, I turned to my side to see that Laza and Maxwell were gone. "Focus on me, dog", Serbos snared while walking closer to me, "Laza must have taken Maxwell to be cured. So I have you all for myself, scared?". I didn't actually want to hurt him, it was a weird feeling of… pity? I couldn't fully understand but I didn't want to cause him anymore damaged. "Listen Ge- Serbos, I'm sorry, okay? I'm ashamed of what I did while working for Constance. We can stop this right here and I don't have to hurt you", I said, he stopped in his tracks, "Hurt me? Ashamed? Hahahahaha", he began to laugh maniacally and sighed, "No. You don't know what you did, you don't know what your actions caused. And you aren't ashamed! You worked in Kolkia, you worked on your own with the slave trade, I know because I was there!", his words intrigued me, and I wanted him to tell me what I had caused, so I threw my sword far away, "Okay then", I said, "Tell me". Serbos expression changed and he gazed at me and at my fallen sword, "Ha…", he chuckled and turned to face me, "Alright… yes, you should know", then he looked down at the floor, his face becoming expressionless, and began to tell me what happened. "The day you left Nalva, the day you burned down the stable and the warehouse, was the day my life changed. You didn't know as you didn't asked me anything about me or my family but, we were five; my father, my mother, my younger sister and brother, and me. My father was the one that ran the whole business and, after you burned down everything, he was immediately pressured to pay reparations for the burned cargo, an obscene amount, then had to pay for half of the dead horses as they weren't owned by my family, so more money we didn't have… see, until that point, I had never in my life felt hunger, cold, sorrow or despair. First we lost our home and, the week after that my younger brother, of two years, died, his dead was followed by my mother's. I remember my father telling me my mother died 'of sadness' and that, as the big brother, I had to take care of my younger sister", his voice slighlty trembled before stopping his story, his eyes opened wide and all of a sudden he struck his sword against the floor while screaming from the top of his lungs, "A liar! A liar! A liar! A fucking, dirty liar!!!".
Serbos took a few steps closer, stopping about three meters away from me, "My father worked and worked of anything he could, anywhere in that forsaken town just because he was known by everyone, he was 'loved', but it was never enough, he would get drunk and cry about how 'his life had dropped so low as to have to share a place with the low life', with the poor. He had never have so little coin, he was an entrepreneur after all, he just needed the capital to start again, to get back on his footing… so one morning he took my sister with him for a 'stroll', then came back at the afternoon with a bag full of coin but no daughter. 'She's in a better place', he would reassured me, 'We'll get back to the top and buy her back, I promise', he spat pestiferous lies with alcoholic breath… He tried to get another delivering company set up but was unable to keep it going, thanks to Demaine setting a new delivery branch in the town". Serbos stopped once again and undid the knots that kept his chestplate on, and showed me a mark in his chest; an upside down open hand, the unmistakable symbol of the Maroon Hand. "My father came to me one day, he and a group of mercenaries, and told me he got me a new home", Serbos continued, "At first they used me as nothing more than a slave but they said I had 'delicate features' so they made me a 'pleasure boy' and sent me to Lazarus, where I became Patricia Falkfak's favorite for a time, a crazy hag that enjoyed inflicting pain on me but one that payed enough. I knew I had nothing, I had given them everything but my soul, I would've let them destroy my insides or perform for them so I wouldn't face punishment. One man, a mercenary from Centralia, who would frequent me, joined the Maroon Hand just to have me for himself, he taught me how to brandish weapons, how to fight and fend for myself. Thanks to him I was able to prove I had more worth than being a mere slave, and joined in with the rest of the assassins of the company. Afterwards I was sent to Kolkia, and that's when I saw you, you were escorting the wolven into the arena, with that look of… confidence? That look you carried around, I watched you for a while and you didn't even noticed me. I hate it so much, I hate how I… still admire you somehow, being able to move in life with a nonchalant expression in front of atrocities, being the one to wield such power; 'The Godsword', such a powerful name, reduced to being a dirty mercenary… you could've been a legend, a hero". His story gave enough context to his anger, he was in the right for wanting me dead and it was causing me to lose the will to fight him. "I know. I've been told that before. I apologize for what my actions did to you and your family… although I guess there isn't enough words in the world to apologize for what I did. You and probably many more are out there wishing for my death", I said, hoping to seek a peaceful resolution to this but he laughed, "Hahaha. No, you and the ones I have on my list shall all die. I left the Maroon Hand to seek retribution, and that's my main goal. Two years ago I went back to Nalva and claimed my father's head, followed by the same mercenary that used me. There are many people in the list, all those that have wrong me, with Constance Demaine as the highest one. Once it is done, I'll seek for my sister".
If this was his decision so be it. "Alright then. You got your mission and I got mine, and I know mine's more important than your vengeance and your sister. So let's see if your anger prevails over my determination", I sentenced and extended my hand, "Recall", to claim my sword back. "You cannot atone for what you did", he muttered before rushing straight at me. Just before he got in range of my sword he ducked and went straight for my thigh, he was fast and, even with the advantage of speed the sword gave me, I couldn't get myself out of the way in time and he slashed the side of my thigh, "So unbothered by your wounds, that's the power of the sword, am I right?", he teased, and swung upwards, so I let my sword still and waited for his metal to meet mine, knowing my blade would cut his in half, but instead he hit the side of my sword and gently pushed it away allowing an opening to occur, I had to awkwardly throw myself forwards bringing him down to the floor with me on top of him. "Got you", I grinned and impaled his shoulder with my blade, his sword fell to the side and out of his reach. "Agh!… you sure?", he smirked and I felt the warm blood leaving my side as he was stabbing it with the dagger. I couldn't falter and underestimate this, I wasn't going to use the transfer ability as it could mean leaving myself vulnerable for another ambush, so I reached with me left hand to my blade to activate the holy fire and burn him. "I know what you want to do", he let out and pulled himself and his shoulder down, allowing the sword to cut through the muscle and bone, freeing him, and rolled out of the way as my blade engulfed in flames. "You're predictable, you're a weak fighter, if it wasn't for the sword, Maxwell would had killed you, you wouldn't stand a chance", Serbos blurted out while scrambling to his feet, "But as it stands, this fight would mean my death even if took you out with me. I still have to see many more to their deaths. You may live today". I stood back and held my bleeding side, "Think I'll let you leave?", I said but he knew I was bluffing, I wasn't willing to keep going, so he just slowly took his sword back and left the warehouse.
A minute passed before the pain began to set in, I had to go back to the inn and get my wounds in check. The moment I left the warehouse, still wary if Laza or Serbos tried another attack, was when I turned as I felt the presence again which I saw a glimpse of, "So it was you… you saw everything", I muttered as the presence noticed my gaze and disappeared. I was still alive and my wounds were nothing the power of the Godsword couldn't take on, the bad thing was the fact that I had to walk all the way back to the inn… it took me almost two hours of painful walking but alas, I went to my room and had a nice bath, seeing how my wounds had already sealed, my chest and the ribs I thought broken weren't damaged. The healing factor of the sword still remains a mystery to me, I mean, I can gauge if a fight will land me with worse wounds that would take longer to heal but still, I'm unable to really understand it.
Back when the tower of Zunilda exploded and sent me flying about, how much?… fifty meters, more? I managed to stand up and fight multiple people before succumbing to the transfer ability. Being wounded I still faced at least four fighters on my own but still, Maxwell and Serbos said the same thing, that it was shameful that someone with the moniker of 'the Godsword' could be so weak, weak… ha! Yeah, I've never considered myself a great swordfighter, I don't think I'll ever be one, after seeing the Crimson Sword fighting with my own eyes, how could I ever think of being close to his level? He didn't have the advantage of holding such a weapon, he wasn't a magic user, that I know of, and he was a regular human and still, he was able to move at speeds I never seen other soldiers being able to replicate, he could slice with such precision that it appeared that his sword was made of diamond. Those two, Maxwell and Serbos, although young, they are experts fighters, they train, unlike me, and, even though they technically lost, they taught me a valuable lesson, if I don't get better at swordfighting then I won't be able to defeat the Calamity. The abilities given to me by the sword; heightened speed, strength, resistance, healing, and those innate to the sword with its ability to cut through anything, will only get me so far, until a great swordfighter cuts my throat, or multiple foes of high skill gang up against me. From now on I'll keep this in mind, for now, tomorrow actually, I'll go pay Frankie a visit, he needs to explain himself to me.
The next day I went straight for the guild, and for Frankie; who open his eyes wide when he saw me, "T-Tak?… y-you are- Welcome, what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?", he greeted with a forced smile, sitting behind his desk and becoming tinier as I approached. "Good morning, you owe me an explanation", I said while having a hand on the handle of my sword. I wasn't actually planning on killing him, if I did then I'll get in real trouble, so for now I'll resort to intimidation to get what I need, even if it takes too- "Yes! I'm sorry! So sorry!", he exclaimed as tears flowed from his eyes, "Him! Maxwell came to me, he told me everything, he offered me money, and- and I accepted in my insatiable greed!", then he slowly crawled to my feet, "I told him you were unbeatable but he didn't listen, I knew you were going to live and seek revenge but, please for the love of the gods, find it in your hard to forgive someone so miserable as me!". Yeah, I'm not going to entertain this, "Alright, alright, I won't kill you. Just tell me what you know", I said as I patted his back, and he jumped back to his feet; surprising for a fat man like him, and sat back behind his desk. "Oh, I knew you were one of the good guys!", he said then blew his nose on a napkin before continuing, "Those ungrateful, good for nothing rats of the northern trio abandoned the Pyke job, just an hour ago one of my agents informed me that they left Prime Bay. They had one of Pyke's men but couldn't subtract any information, a shame really. We're out of time too, in two days the royal army will organize half its troops, plus all the mercenaries and adventurers hired by the prince, and march south, to avoid the central mountain range, and then north, they'll be liberating all the settlements taken by the cult and they won't be taking prisoners, it'll be a massacre". Finally, in two days I'll be leaving this place and do some progress, "Good. Count me in", I said, getting ready to leave the office, "Tak, listen", Frankie stopped me before leaving, "What happened with the trio, that's the last time any of the guild will cause you any trouble, I promise. Also, come to the guild in two days, join in with the rest of the mercenaries, you'll be pay for this too", he explained, I nodded and left, already thinking of packing my stuff.
Once I entered my room back at the inn, I stopped as I noticed my window wide open, there was someone inside. I took out my sword and walked to the living room where I saw who it was. It was Laza, who was sitting and putting her feet on the table, I could sense she was alone, "This is your room? It's really big, back in the day you would stay in a closet without any problems", she joked and turned his gaze to me, "I came here to say sorry…". Strange, Laza wasn't one to say sorry, she sometimes preferred to die than to admit a mistake, "Really? Alright, you're forgiven. Are those two waiting outside or something?", I asked, not completely discarding the possibility of an ambush, but she shook her head, "No… actually, I came here without telling them. They're staying in Saint Clement, tomorrow we're suppose to reach Cedar's Pass and from there, well, is safe to say you won't be seeing us again", she stood up and went closer, her face spelled regret, "I-I… I didn't actually wanted you to die, Tak. I kind of… followed what Serbos told us. He's actually a great guy, he's kind and he's thoughtful". That guy might be all of that, but something didn't make too much sense, "Alright, he is kind and stuff, I get it. How did you ended up joining in a team with him? That guy hates me but despises Constance existence even more and the last time I saw you, well, you were Constance's second biggest asset", I said and she grinned, "Yeah… second. It took time, he obviously wouldn't forgive someone that worked with Constance that easily. You and me, both, we did some horrible things without regret, but Serbos, he looked pass that and found a way to forgive me… I did try, you know? To get him to forget his revenge and just focus on finding his sister, especially when he saw you in Seaway; that night he came fuming to us, we had to convince him not to do anything stupid. When I heard that he was mad because he saw you, I-I wanted to make him look past you, to convince him to take you out of his list but, as you can understand, what you did to him is unforgivable in his eyes".
I took a seat and wondered why was she telling me this, "What's your point then? I know what I did was horrible. So, what is it?", I asked, then saw her place something on the table, "I know, I know," she said while covering the object with her hand, "Yesterday, after he fought you, Serbos came back more… uh, erratic? He asked to be left alone and began to talk to himself while in his room, he talked about many people, some I don't know, but then he would talk about you; he would insult you then praise you… it was weird to say the least. You remain the only one from his long list that he might drop one or two words of admiration, I hope to get him to forget his revenge against you. Anyway, I've also came to bring you this", she moved her hand to reveal a familiar looking key, "When you left me and the others, we used crash out in your cabin from time to time, we did our best to keep it as clean as you left it, I swear. Can't say if it still stands, I left Lindelen over a year ago". It was a copy of the key to my cabin, something useful as I had lost the original long ago, "Hehe, thanks", I replied with a laugh full of nostalgia. "Are you planning to go?", Laza asked, "To Lindelen?", I asked back and she shook her head, "No. To do that thing, that thing your sword kept telling you to do". Her words turned my expression sour, "Yes. I'm finally going to do it. So I'll be going north. Did you heard something about it, about the Calamity?", my question slightly quivered my lips as I was afraid of knowing if the Calamity has cross the Divisor, but she shook her head again, "Nah, not a thing. One time you mentioned that it would start with the town closest to Mön, right? Just before I left with the trio, I went to Dovaris to spread my mother's ashes… anyway, the town was safe, only a weird influx of noctumbrians that seemed to be working at the port", she explained and I sighed in relief, there's still time. "How's that guy, uh… Maxwell?", I asked just to be polite, "Oh, he's fine", she replied with a smirk, fine is not the word to describe someone who got his arm recently severed, but anyway.
With that, Laza stood up and went for the door, stopping for a second before leaving to tell me, "One last thing. If you're to go to the Free Cities, keep in mind there's a bounty for your head, the Maroon Hand was the one to put it. Also, if you and Serbos ever see each other again, please, don't hurt him, just avoid him. Goodbye Tak, it's been nice seeing you alive and well", then she bolted out of the room and the inn, didn't give me a chance to say goodbye myself. This was more akin to the encounter I envisioned with her, although I'm surprised by her vocabulary, she used to be more mean and direct, now she behaves like a grown up and… I'm sounding like an old man. One thing did remain, she said that some noctumbrians were living in Dovaris, I don't think that Noctumbria has fallen to the Calamity, they are the only northern kingdom that remains, despite not being able to communicate with any other realm pass the Black Sea, they can take care of themselves. I've heard how Noctumbria used to be a powerful nation in the north and how they used the magical creatures of the dark forest as weapons, supposed creatures that allegedly were as tall as buildings but then the Calamity struck and the other four kingdoms fell in succession, too fast and sudden, so, in fear, the noctumbrians fled deep into the dark forest; a place said by the druids to have a 'crushing aura of despair', can't even fathom having to live inside that place, among those same creatures they've used as weapons. I've heard from some of those druids in Nederlim, that the dark forest is one of three primordial magical forests, one can only wonder how it looks like… the magical forest of Lim, the only one I've seen with my own two eyes, was a place out of this world, a place were the plants weren't plants and the animals were all beings that could either be friendly or blood thirsty monsters, and the forest itself held 'an aura' which the druids mentioned working as a veil that divided our territory from theirs. I cannot fathom the power the magical creatures might actually have, keeping in mind that the all powerful Empire of Oor couldn't completely control any of the magical forests, not even with the most powerful warrior in history.
Laza's visit had, at least, left a sweet note over all the shitty situations. I shifted towards my next goal which was joining with the mercenaries, something I did two days later. That day the streets were half empty, the prince, the day prior, ordered the population to remain at home and let the army march towards their objective with the paths unblocked. The guild, on the other hand, was as full as it has ever been, there were, I think, almost two-hundred mercenaries and adventurers plus the Oriental Express, which five members were sitting in the middle of the guild as Frankie gave some encouraging words, "Members of the guild! The day has arrived, the day you'll all be taking part in something major, something that might get you written up in history books. Some of you are of the princedom and fight for your fatherland, some of you are mercenaries that seek the thrill of the fight, some of you are adventurers looking for treasure among all this action, most of you are here only for the coin, but I'm sure that there's quite the amount of you that are here for the glory! So I, Franken Gundall, wish you all luck and a firm hand to crush some cultist scum!", the guild erupted in chanting and the cups of ale were given around to every and each one, all except Borsos and his folk as they remained sitting in silence in their own space.
"Warrior Tak! So happy to see", Borsos called to me throught the multitude, and stood up from his spot, something that caused many heads to turn, and approached me, "You join fight, yes?". I really, really didn't want to share space with him, I preferred to be by myself, but I also didn't want to be uncourteous, "Borsos, it's a pleasure seeing you again… uh, with your crew…", I greeted, peeking to see behind him the other four members of the Oriental Express; a group that clearly stood out from the rest, "Excuse me but, I'm waiting for another group to come", I formed an excuse but Borsos laughed while patting my back with too much force, "Ahahahaha, not be stupid, you join with us, fight with us. Doz Nunku speak of your power, you magic warrior, legend perhaps? Eager to see you fight. Come", he then led me to the spot the other four members were. "Here are great, great, great warriors of Escora. Kan, you know", Borsos said and began to point to each one and telling me their name and what caught my attention the most was their weapons. The first one was Varin; a hooded man wielding two blade-like hooks, then there was Phanset, a short muscular woman with two long steel claws as weapons, and finally, Zoul, an old, long bearded, seemingly decrepit man with an array of serpent daggers holstered around his hip, chest, and legs. I could also see Kan's weapon for the first time, a large sickle that he had resting on his lap. All, except for Kan, began to speak among each other in their language which I couldn't understand a single word of, I stood there for five minutes before Borsos laughed and turned to me, "Nosakviksi, we are want to know you better. We… uh… enjoy! Work in Levan, we learn and we see new", he said, "Varin eager to see sword, Phanset eager to see body, Zoul know you great fighter from view, he is wise, many, many battles fought".
Being stuck with these foreigners filled me with annoyance… at first, but if they want to know more about me, about a great fighter, I mean, I could entertain them a bit. I spent the next hour telling Borsos about my quest, the Godsword and its power, and he translated for his group. This felt good, these warriors were considered some of the best and having their respect meant a lot after the fight I had, after feeling so defeated and weak. We were interrupted when the doors of the guild sprung open and the strident sound of a clarion brought the attention of everyone, entering the guild was a group of royal guards, one of them, the one at the front, set apart from the rest and addressed everyone, "People from the guild. I'm Liam Ponz, fifth commander of the royal army and the leader of one portion of the assault on the cult, the portion comprised of guild members, mercenaries, adventurers and others. I'll ask of you to exit the building in fashionable order, in line, and meet with the other officials that are waiting outside to organize the march, please do be quick as time is of the essence. One last thing, those from the Oriental Express, wait here until the building is empty, I'll speak to you personally".
The whole guild began to exit in an orderly fashion while I, and the Oriental Express, stayed in the middle of the main hall. Once everyone left, commander Ponz came to us, stopping shy of a few meters while looking up and down at me, "And who are you suppose to be?", he asked, "I've been told that the Oriental Express only have five members". Borsos stepped foward, "Commander. My name Borsos. These are Varin, Phanset, Zoul, Kan. I am who speaks", and pointed at me, "That warrior is Tak, he join us to fight!". Ponz, without breaking eye contact with me, raised an eyebrow, "You don't look like you come from Escora, do you speak the common tongue?", he asked, so I introduced myself, "Yes. I'm Tak of Sonnda. I'm a- used to be a knight, now a hired sword. And yes, I'll be going with Borsos and his group, I'm also with the guild, you can ask Franken Gundall about it". Ponz did a small nod of approval, "Fine", and addressed all of us, "Listen carefully. All of the mercenaries and hired men will form part of the vanguard, prince's orders, and you lot will be the vanguard of that vanguard, I'll be with you for the first part of the assault". Vanguard? So we, and the rest of the mercenaries and adventurers, are just disposable fighters straight to the meat grinder… had to guess as much. Who didn't seem bothered was Borsos who smiled widely, "Vanguard? Front it is? Yes! Let us be first, first to bathe in blood. Led us!", he exclaimed to Ponz who shrugged and then grinned, "Eager I see. We are leaving today, so let's get going immediately, horses, food, shelter, medical care and more will be taken care of by the royal army's service, so don't think of going back to get something or provisions. Let's get going, first we'll go to Pratzonholm and from there we'll follow the main road", Ponz explained and led us outside where the large group of mercenaries and adventurers were already divided in different columns. Once Ponz got to the front of the formation, he ordered for everyone to march and we made our way from the docks to the southern part of the city. We went through narrow streets and saw how the citizens looked from their balconies and windows, cheering and throwing flowers, seeds and even rice, at us, most of the praise went to Ponz who seemed to be some sort of a celebrity in the princedom.
By noon, we were about to cross the southern exit of the city, there was a group of people cheering outside, and just passing through it I saw the figure, the presence was hiding behind a boulder next to the road. "Borsos, go ahead, I'll catch to you in a moment", I said and went in another direction. I went from the other side and surprised the figure from behind, "Did you came to tell me goodbye?", I asked and the figure; completely hidden under a cloak, turned around and tripped, "You did a great job at following me all that time, It took me quite a long time to notice it was you, Colt", my words made him fake his voice, "N-No, y-you're mistaken… I'm… uh…", he went silent before revealing his face, "Yes… It was me… when did you realize?", he asked, ashamed and staring at the ground. "I noticed I was being followed about a month ago, but just realized it was you after that fight I had in the warehouse", I explained and he raised his gaze, I was expecting a hug or maybe some crying from him but instead he asked, "Was it true?", it came out of nowhere and didn't made sense, "What he said, that man, Serbos", he clarified and my expression soured. I've already accepted my past, I didn't mind sharing it, "Yes. It was true, all of it. Not so long ago I did things I regret deeply, most of them caused great damage to some, some that might someday appear out of nowhere to claim my head, just like Serbos. I think I've changed. Truth is that this quest, to defeat the Calamity, it feels like one way to somewhat atone for what I did... Do you hate me?". A brief silence ensued, Colt turn his gaze away like gathering his thoughts before staring at me, with a decisive expression, "No, as a matter of fact, there's nothing in the world I want more than to be with you-", he let out but stopped, blushing profusely, "I-I- I meant! Be your squire!".
I laughed a bit, I couldn't help but to smile, just like I told him, my old self did awful things and if that old self saw me being fond of a kobold? Haha, but it is true, seeing Colt did make me happy, as I felt happy for many other things that happened in such a short expanse of time. Taking him as my squire meant letting him face the same danger as me, the same awful sights that the world offered, the possibility of facing the Calamity… "Colt. You understand what accompanying me means, right? You might be in constant danger, you might go hungry, you might be hurt badly… you might end up fighting the Calamity at the end", I said and Colt shook his head, giving me the same determined gaze, "I know! I thought of everything and I want this!", he exclaimed, still, maybe he wasn't that sure so I questioned, "What about Delilah? You understand you might not see her again or your siblings, or… you might not be able to go back to your old life again", but he got closer, standing on tiptoes, mere inches from my face, "I know! I don't care, this is what I want. I love Delilah and I love my siblings, despite everything they've said about me. A-and my 'old life' is nothing more than eleven months of nothing… I want to become a squire, your squire!". Well, I guess that covers all the points. My biggest gripe about taking him with me before, besides the fact he's a kobold and an awful fighter, is that he didn't seem to have any useful skill, other than talking nineteen to the dozen, but after being followed by him for a month I see that he actually might be good at sneaking around, escaping if needed. His decision also seemed to be coming from a wish of freedom and I'll be respecting it, "Fine. From now on you are to be my squire. I trust you at least know the basic duties of one", I said with a smirk before Colt jumped on me and held himself with his tiny arms from neck, "Yes! Yes! Yes!", he screamed and let go, then proceeded to do a weird dance, I let him be for a minute but he didn't intent on stopping so I grabbed him by the neck and turn him around, "Listen. If you're my squire then you'll need to learn to behave", I said under my teeth. "Y-yes! Tak- I mean, Sir Tak! A-a squire must carry your weaponry, armor, keep it clean and organized, tend to your wounds and needs… does that include bathing you?", Colt asked and kept going, enumerating many things that, yes some were squire duties but other were just… strange. Seeing the army getting farther away, I knew I needed to catch up, "No, stop", I said to Colt, "Pay attention, I'm going to leave with the royal army and a group of mercenaries called the Oriental Express, we'll surely see some action so you stick close to me, don't go wandering around".
We ran towards the front of the army's column and joined back with the Oriental Express and the commander, who saw Colt immediately, "You brought someone else?", Ponz asked, and I'm sure he noticed Colt's tail sticking from under the cloak, the only clear kobold feature as I told him to keep his face and body hidden, I didn't answer and Ponz didn't pry any further and turned again, focusing on conducting the column with his officers. Colt kept close to me, like instructed, and didn't reveal himself to anyone, except for Borsos, who might also have caught a glimpse of Colt's tail from under the cloak, and got closer, whispering to my ear, "Tak, is this? Uh… serpent people of Levan?", he asked me, and I don't think it would matter if he and his group knew so I lowered Colt's hood for a second to allow him to see, "He is what's called a kobold. Not serpents… more like a lizard, I guess. He's a helper of sorts. Please, kept this between me and your group, kobolds are not welcome in most places", I said and Borsos faced seemed one of wonder, "Oh! A warrior lizard!", he said and nodded, "I kept mouth close to this, you trust Borsos!", then went back to his group and I could see all of them stealing glances at us. "Uh, Tak, who's that… surprisingly big man?", Colt asked while pulling on my sleeve. "He's Borsos, a mercenary from the group I told you before, the Oriental Express", I replied, "He's good, almost a friend… I hope". My words encouraged Colt to look behind him, "That's the Oriental Express? Their accents, they sound foreign…", he muttered and I explained, "That's because they are. They are from across the Free Ocean, on the eastern continent, from a place called Escora", and what I said seemed to spur Colt's curiosity, "Escora? That's the seat of high-freedom!", he said, "I read about it in one encyclopedia, their nation is made up of warriors that train from a young age, their society works in hierarchy based on strength, so the weak become outcasts and exile to other territories… it was a sad read", his geography lesson made sense as those five had that 'aura' of strength around them, a sense of experience that sometimes brought that feeling that 'man' gave me that time, the feeling of confidence and security akin to the Crimson Sword.
We continued our way to Pratzonholm, arriving at the evening, and the commander ordered for a tent to be set for us. The tent, food, drink and even the furniture arrived with a division of 'the royal service army', which did the same for the rest of the mercenary division, they quickly set up more of a pavilion than a tent, and I could see that ours was better than the rest, probably just because we were at the head of the assault; I say we, but actually just the Oriental Express, hehe. In the tent, Borsos ignited a bonfire and cooked some meat while urging us to join him with the rest of his group, who were all curious about Colt, so I let them see him without the cloak covering his face. The group all got close to admire Colt's features and touch his scales, "O-oh… al-alright", Colt muttered, "P-Please be careful with the tail…", and while three of the five mercenaries where inspecting Colt, Zoul came to me, "Doz Tak, ifksis tona prosistoki naji, Escora conciski, somisi, Zoul-en, savas? Doz Borsos, sikron foz", he spoke, but obviously I couldn't understand a single word, then I felt Borsos hand on my shoulder, "Tak", he said, "Zoul asks to tell history of our people. Zoul recognizes power of blade in you, old power. Zoul tells and Borsos will speak common tongue in return, yes?". Old power in my blade? What? I was intrigued and Zoul seemed happy to tell me all about it, sitting on top of a carpet with his legs crossed and inviting me to join him. I agreed and spent the next hours listening to what he had to say, understanding what I could from Borsos broken translation.
Zoul began explaining why the escori are like they are, warriors and expert fighters, all at the demand of the Empire of the Kavan, who subjugated their nation hundreds of years ago and imposed a regime of training for all the escori, something that would produce soldiers for the empire's army. He told me that the Kavan rules the eastern continent with an iron fist, with an undisputed rule of more than three thousand years only to be menaced by one single power, the Empire of Oor… thus connecting the dots. Oor couldn't beat the Kavan, not even with seven knights of the order in their army, as the Kavan's overwhelming strength proved to much, Zoul told me the conflict between both powers became a permanent one that span the last a thousand years, with fragile truces in the middle, with assassinations, vile attacks, massacres and the death of millions. Zoul knew this well as he himself fought against Oor as part of the Kavan army, he saw with his own eyes the power the oorish held and told me about their fighters, how their magic was the same that was emanating from my sword. I let him inspect my sword and he looked amazed by the glowing symbols, nodding at me and ending with something important, that the conflict between Oor and the Kavan had ended not too long ago, when the last emperor of the Kavan decided to cede control of the Claw Peninsula back to Oor, as he found it 'too destroyed' after the long conflict. Huh… the expression stills stands; 'there's always someone meaner and tougher than you', and Oor faced its bully, but now I wonder what's the state of that place and if they plan to come back to the Levan.
After Zoul's interesting history lesson, we dined while they shared some songs from their nation with me and Colt, it was amazing how they could modulate their voices to sound like instruments, and afterwards, I did my nightly prayer. The next day arrived with the Ponz urging us to pack and move early, that's when I noticed all five mercenaries were ready and speaking among themselves, I didn't understand what the conversation was about but they were discussing something. We resumed the way to Pratzonholm and Borsos came to me and whispered, "Warrior Tak, Borsos means to ask. You trust Borsos and others?", he asked. I didn't know what he meant by that but I still nodded while keeping an eyebrow up, "Good!", he replied and went back to his group. His words didn't mean much until a few hours after when, me being close to the group of officers that hosted Liam Ponz, saw, with the corner of my eye, a fine thread that shined under the sunlight before decapitating one of Ponz's officers, the thread looked like one of the Calamity's tendrils and brought back an awful memory, and just by turning around I saw none other than Kan being the one holding the end of the thread in his finger. "Freeze!", "Protect the commander!", "It's the Oriental Express, they're attacking us!", the officers screamed and surrounded Ponz in order to protect him, I stood frozen, not knowing well what was happening but remembering what Borsos told me before, and just when I thought of him, he appeared, walking normally, taking a few steps towards the officers and kneeling just a few meters shy. "W-what's the meaning of this?! Explain yourself!", Ponz exclaimed, and Borsos bowed to kiss the ground before raising his gaze, "Commander! I, Borsos, during night, saw it, saw the man as traitor", Borsos tried to explain but couldn't completely convey his words, but if he meant that that man was a traitor then it was just as simply as doing this… I went to the dead body, first noticing how clean the decapitation was, with such fine thread and so little distance, it seemed impossible to decapitate this well, then I kneeled and began to unbuckle the armor in his arm. "You, your name was Tak, no? What are you doing?", Ponz asked before going silent, he probably realized what I was doing. Finally, I took the armor on the dead man's right arm off, raising his sleeve to reveal what we suspected, a mark on his wrists, a cultist. "A-a cultist?!", "One of them got throught! How could that happen?!", two of the officers exclaimed, and I noticed another officer unsheathing his sword, with clear intent on killing Ponz and, just before I could react and rise to my feet, the other traitor got his head cut off by a flying hook blade, the one of Varin. "Commander!", Borsos screamed and broke throught the other officers, grabbing Ponz and carrying him a few meters out of danger, then letting him stand to face the other officers, "Who else is a traitor?!", Ponz exclaimed and took out his sword, "All of you, show me your wrists, now!". One by one, the remaining seven officers showed Ponz their wrists, clearing suspicion and restoring the order. "What a mess", Ponz said, "Can't believe we had cultist so far up the chain of command, these men must have been in the royal army for years… years of failed operations now making sense", then he smiled to himself, "Thus, this attempt on my life means they are afraid of me and what this conjoined army can do. We're on the right track". The officers went to Ponz, "Sir! We should stop and asses the situation, an attempt on you shouldn't be taken so lightly", "Yes, we should stop for the day!", two of them said while the others nodded but Ponz refused, "No! We must continue, we must finish this and rip this plague out of our soil, once and for all!".
While Ponz asked his men to cover both traitor's bodies, I was left pondering, not only about the attempt against Ponz but on the fact I couldn't sense the mercenaries attack, the one by Kan to be more precise, I had just one second to react and understand what his weapons was and what he was doing, it is clear that these five are also out of my league, if they wanted they could kill me with ease, and they really were 'express' with those two traitors. Colt, who stood next to me during the whole ordeal, asked a precise question, "S-sir, were you able to… see it? Or see them move? I-I couldn't even process what was happening until it had already happened". I replied by shaking my head, not saying a word and continuing on wards.
We arrived at Redwater shortly after, it was a tiny town where we were received by the town's mayor and given provisions. "Uh… so this is Redwater", Colt said under his breath, prompting me to ask, "So? I know you've never been here, what's the deal?", also knowing he most than likely learned something about this place, his face told me so with a smile, "Oh… I might, I might not!", he teased. "Don't want to hear it then", I said, jokingly shutting him down and quickening my pace, and he immediately retracted, "I might, I might!", running and catching up to me before explaining, "T-this town was founded a long time ago, during the Great Middle War. The princedom didn't exists at that time, all of it formed part of Roda, and the forces of King Declan 'The Conqueror' of the West invaded all the territories that now belong to Olander, the Union and part of Centralia, annexing most to the West Kingdom. He amassed so many victories that he seemed unbeatable, until he faced his first defeat here, a field with a stream that didn't mean much until the blood of those that perished turned it red". With that information, I looked around the place, "So that's why it's named Redwater. Where's the stream then?", I asked and Colt laughed a bit, "No sir. The stream dried up a long, long time ago. The town kept the name in honor of the battle though". Although a few minutes ago he witnessed two men getting decapitated, Colt seemed in high spirits, perhaps it was because I finally gave him what he wanted or… he did something by himself for the fist time in his life.
In the afternoon we arrived at a crossway, the same one I went by a month and a half ago, it surprised me how much had happened since. Commander Ponz stopped and called for Borsos, his group and me, "Gentleman", he said, "From here you'll be splitting away from the main army. Borsos, you'll lead your group and attack Lesengard, going west until you arrive at Saiga; we believe all of those settlements are under cultist control, so you'll see battle after battle". Borsos couldn't help but to smile widely and laugh, "Ahahahaha! Yes! Alas, Borsos will taste the thrill of battle!". But I wasn't thrilled or excited, "Commander", I said, "I can't go with the Oriental Express, I have to get to Sallas, so I need to be with the army that'll go to Vorvorgard", my explanation didn't amuse Ponz, who laughed with sufficiency, "Hmpf. Fine. His grace, Prince Henry ordered the Oriental Express to be the one attacking west, and you obviously aren't part of it", he said while glaring at me, and lingering his gaze onto Colt. Ponz stared at both of us for a few seconds before sighing, "Tak was it? Tak, I'll allow you and your… kobold, to go with the division that'll strike Vorvorgard. It doesn't take an expert to notice you're somekind of magic user, and you seem to be familiar with the cult's wrist markings. So I'll let you continue with the condition of you staying at the vanguard at all times. Alright?". Didn't completely liked the way he phrase that 'you're obviously not a part of them', as if I wasn't strong enough but he was being fair so I agreed to his conditions. There is some excitement though, after the days I spent on Prime Bay; doing nothing more dangerous than going to deliver jewelry to the slums or hunting a wild dog, having the opportunity to face armed enemies meant a chance to train, I won't get discouraged from the encounter I had with Serbos, each territory I cross is me getting closer and closer to the Calamity, I have to get better, I need to get better if I meant to be worthy of carrying this duty.
Before the Oriental Express left, Borsos came to me, "Doz Tak. Borsos believe that I'll see you after. Do not perish and do not…. Uh… what is word… dok… ah! Yes, do not doubt. You are strong, we escori know. Borsos will see you soon, we nosakviksiare express", he shook my hand just like the first time, almost ripping my arm off, and waved goodbye as him and his group vanished past the horizon, on the road leading to Lesengard. "H-he is right. You are strong, sir", Colt reassured, faintly smiling probably keeping in mind that the next stop was his hometown, "Do you think Dardangard was taken over by the cult?", I asked him and he gazed down, thinking, "Probably… B-but it doesn't matter, I'll be ready, we'll be ready", he exchanged his expression of uncertainty for one of confidence.