The early morning of Fisk was the same as any other town that I'd been to in the past. The sun rose, a bit of fog loitering along the landscape for the first few hours, and the noise of the forest grew with every passing moment. The villagers had already stirred and headed to the fields before sunrise, and it was the noise of them moving around that'd woken me up.

Once we'd all woken up and eaten some breakfast the breakdown of the campsite began. I worked at my simple little tent that I'd been alotted, my movements practiced from the extensive training during my childhood. The other guildmembers gave nods and looks of approval, though we didn't spend any time talking.

Before we headed out I did a quick checkover of my clothes. I'd opted for baggy pants to maximize agility, and my shirt was only tight across the chest. Like always I had a cloak that I liked to wear to ward off the wind, but the hat I'd used had been shoved into my knapsack.

The silver loops on my left wrist clinked as I walked over to the storage wagon, and I added my bag to the pile. Warren made certain to leave a little tag on my drawstring so that I could find it without worry.

I was put in the vanguard of the caravan along with the other mercenaries, and we were asked to walk rather than ride. One of us would ride on a wagon while the others walked and we'd opted to cycle that person so we could rest evenly. When I offered to scout ahead of everyone else Shorty patted me on the rear with a laugh.

If he'd been any slower he would've lost a tooth, but that midget was nimble as a fox. He hooted with laughter as he ran ahead of us all, and then made a motion with his arms at Skara.

"Moving out!" Skara bellowed, his voice so loud it made those nearest him grimace.

So the escort mission had begun, and even though it had a low pay of five coins I was more interested in the reputation I might gain. I'd only recently headed out on my own, without warning my parents, and I knew that few guildmembers would want to work with a stranger.

"What's the next town, Skara?" I asked as I walked alongside him.

Skara threw back his head and laughed. "Come girl, don't you know your geography?" Skara asked me as he leaned in closer, "next town we hit is Vicna."

My mind worked at that bit of information. I knew little of the exterior lands of the Empire, as I'd spent most of my time either training with the Legion or at my home. Though I was expected to learn about everything, given who my parents were, I'd only focused on learning the essentials.

"Is there anything I should know about Vicna?"

Skara gave a shrug at that question. "Not much to think on that, simple walled place like all towns. Got some farmlands, big potato harvest once a year, slave market. Lot of forests to the south and east that nobody has bothered exploring too."

Nearby the man with the green eye turned his head at the mention of the slave market. His one eye that I could see narrowed at Skara, but he remained as silent as he had since I'd first encountered him.

"Should get there in about four days time, if we can make it past the forest," Skara added in. His eyes pierced the forest about the path as though seeking out something, though what I had no idea.

Anya, who had spent a good deal of time conversing in low tones with Lance, stepped over next to us. She had the scent of vanilla about her, and when she spoke all I could smell was something sweet. "You heard the rumors yet, new girl?"

"Ignore her, they're just stupid," Skara said with a snort, "people vanish all the time everywhere. There's no monster lurking and gobbling up people."

"Then why'd they hire the Guild members to help escort?"

"Because a careless merchant is a dead merchant." Skara waved at Anya, as though to try and shoo her away. "Get back over there and keep your eye on that side."

As the sun continued to rise the convoy marched on.

♪ ♫ ♬ ♫ ♪

It was close to noon when we came to a stop for lunch. Much like I'd been told everyone was given food and water, a bit of cheese and bread. Shorty handed out some jerky to all of us from his own bag, and though I was hesitant to except some unknown meat from a stranger everyone else gladly devoured it. When I eventually ate the jerky I was surprised by how good it tasted, but by the time I went to say my thanks the little man had already wandered off.

m for rations, especially if a penny-pinching merchant was the one in charge.

After the horses rested for an hour we resumed our trek along the path, and once more broke into a strong bout of silence. To the average person this would seem to be torture by boredom, but for all of us it was out of necessity. The more noise we made the more distracted we'd become, and the more likely anything dangerous could notice us.

So when the first day ended with nothing happening we didn't relax entirely. Everyone worked together to establish the new campsite, as some set up the tents and a few of the others started fire pits. The men that Elias had hired to be chefs pulled out food from their stores and started to make what I could only call cheap stews.

By the time the sun had set I'd sat near a crackling fire, my hands extended to catch some of the warmth. Shorty had returned and taken to telling us tales of his youth, most of which involved him running from people a lot. Even though he seemed to be abused or hated in his stories he never once stopped smiling.

For the most part we all laughed at his stories and ate what we were offered. There was a bit of a citrus-tinted drink that was given, though it was mostly water. After we'd all eaten we coordinated the night watch duties.

Needless to say we banned Anya and Lance from working together, as we didn't need the two of them getting distracted. Instead Anya and Shorty would work together, while Lance was put with Skara. That left me with the one person I didn't want to get stuck with.

When it came to be our time for the watch it was already deep into the night. We both sat near the fire, and I tried my best to look at the stars in order to avoid thinking about Green-Eye. While I sat there I could almost feel his gaze on me, and I wasn't certain if it was my imagination or not. All I could think of was what sort of crazed man he was, and what he might want to do to me in the dark.

I wrapped my arms around myself and curled up ever so slightly after an hour of this. The wood crackled in the fire, the smoke billowing upward while warmth continued to pour out from the hastily crafted pit. Yet even though I was so close to it I still did not feel safe, and I had goosebumps up and down my arms.

I spared a glance at my nighttime companion, and it was a choice I regretted. He was very close to me, to the point that if he wanted to he could probably reach out and grab my throat. His eyes were impossible to see in that dark hood of his, but based on its orientation he seemed to be staring into the fire.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Do you have to be so close?" I finally asked him.

Green-Eye was quiet. The crickets made slight noises, and the owls in the distance hooted. Moonlight that managed to pierce the veil of the ever moving clouds illuminated patches of the camp ever few moments.

"It's cold," Green-Eye finally said. His voice was normal, and not a hiss or growl like I'd expected.

I looked at where he'd seated himself, on the very edge of the warmth of the fire, and then realized how idiotic I'd been. Of course he hadn't planned to murder me or anything else nefarious. He simply wanted to get closer to the fire.

I laughed, though it was a bit nervous sounding, before I scooted a little to the side so he'd have more room to work with. He responded immediately, though he remained quiet once more. His hood turned as he looked off in the direction of the forest.

We both sat there for the rest of our shift in silence, and for the first time since I'd met this odd man I actually managed to relax.

♪ ♫ ♬ ♫ ♪

Our first day of escorting had been dealt with easily enough, and as the second day began it seemed to be more of the same. Shorty had opted out on scouting after lunch, he yielded the post to Lance so the young man could get some experience. So as we wandered along the dirt road Shorty, Skara, and I had begun to talk about how long we planned to stick with the escort job.

"I heard he's going about three or four more towns past Vicna," Shorty said while he twirled a small dagger. It was the first weapon I'd seen him hold, and it made me wonder if he had more hidden on him.

"I'm thinking of sticking with it for a while," I honestly told the two. I had no big plans and this job seemed easy enough.

Skara gave a shake of his head, though he still smiled even as he said, "It's a bit boring, so I'll have to step out. I heard about a small war brewing to the south-west, might get to see the Disciple in action if I go."

I inhaled sharply at the mention of the Disciple, but attempted to recover as fast as I could. "Why would the God of War send his most trusted servant to a small battle?"

Before Skara could respond we heard a yell come from somewhere ahead of us. The voice was distant, but we could all recognize it as Lance's. It lasted for a few seconds, panicked screams that made us all tense, and then silence followed.

Anya had turned pale and hurriedly pulled out one of her spears. "Was that Lance?" she asked as she looked at us, her face pale.

Out of all the vanguard the only one who didn't move was Green-Eye. The hooded idiot had tilted his head, but for the most part seemed to show no interest in the screams. I was tempted to yell at him, but as I also wasn't holding a weapon it'd make me look like a hypocrite. My reason, at least, was that my weapon was a bit unique.

The first wagon had stopped and that caused the rest of the convoy to grind to a halt. The driver had clearly heard the scream and noticed how we'd begun preparing for a fight. As we readied for battle he had picked up a red flag and waved it back to the other wagons. Each wagon driver in turn waved his own flag, which caused the merchant guards at the rear to pull out their weapons.

It was a quiet noise that drew our attention to the right, as a creature stirred out of the darkened foliage along the path. At a far distance one might mistake it for a house cat, yet as it emerged and stalked onto the road it was clearly no mere tabby.

The cat had a shoulder height of five feet, with a total length of about fifteen feet. The fur pattern was spotted in some areas and striped in others, an odd combination to me. The mouth of the animal was bloody, the fresh red dripping from the jaw a sign it'd recently feasted. Rather than a loud roar or a growl it hissed like a snake at us.

Anya responded first as her spear leapt from her hand, and then a second was pulled off of the bundle on her back. By the time the first spear had reached the cat her second was being launched. The animal didn't respond in a way I would've expected, as it batted the spears out of the air with some well placed paw swings.

Skara, who'd started to circle to the side of the cat, paused at that development. He gritted his teeth and made a dash for the beast, his heavy sword brought down in a overhead slash. The cat made a quick hop away from the attack, barely escaping the long length of the blade.

"I'll lead, Shorty on my six, Anya range support, and you others standby!" Skara roared his directions to us.

I backed up at that and placed a fair distance between myself and the fight. Nobody audibly responded to Skara's directions, but we all seemed to respect his orders. Shorty slipped in behind Skara and brandished two daggers, one in each hand. While the two began a frontal attack Anya threw another spear past them, trying to keep the cat from evading to the sides.

"This is bad," a quiet whisper came from behind me, and I turned to see it'd come from Green-Eye. At some point he'd taken a bow out from under his cloak, and with one hand he swept aside the cloak to reveal a hip quiver. One hand nestled on the shaft of an arrow while he watched the fight.

He then did something I hadn't expected, as he yelled out a warning, "It's a pack animal!"

Skara almost stumbled at that suddenly declaration, and he took a quick hop back. For a moment I didn't understand exactly what Green-Eye meant, and then the blood drained my face as I realized how dangerous the situation had just become. From above us all a shadow fell, as a new cat leapt from the top of the trees and aimed to fall right on Anya.

The beast crushed her to the ground with its immense weight, and before any of us could help her neck had already been torn into. She tried to slap feebly at the cat's face, but it continued to bite into her throat.

"I'm on it!" I shouted to the others as I ran at the new cat.

Skara acknowledge my actions not with words but his body language, as he turned and trusted me to keep his back safe. Instead he lunged in at the first feline, his weapon snapping out far faster than I could ever expect. The cat was fast enough to dodge most of his attacks, but with every evasion Shorty managed to slip in and get a small cut with his daggers.

I was almost at the second Cat when an arrow whisked by my face, almost clipping my ear off. The arrow struck the second cat on the rear, an action that made it glare at us, and I shot an irritated look over my shoulder at Green-Eye. That was when I realized he'd already fired another arrow.

I threw myself to the ground, the second arrow slipping above my head and moving on toward the cat. The irritated cat that'd looked at us was hit directly in the eye by the second arrow, which brought a yowl of pain from the monster.

"If you kill me I'll haunt you forever!" I snapped at Green-Eye before I stood back up. He didn't even bother with responding to me, and so I turned back to the cat.

The second cat was enraged, and it hissed and spit to show us that fact. It charged straight at me, the one remaining eye transmitted all its hatred. Even as it approached I brought up my hands and the silver loops on my wrist disappeared, while a glittering cloud was gathered between the cat and I.

The cat discovered the hard way that the cloud wasn't mere dust, but millions of miniscule blades. As it passed into the cloud fresh cuts appeared across the whole of its body, while the remaining eye was shredded on contact. With it blinded I had no problems evading the retaliation that it tried to deliver.

My right hand came up and I snapped my fingers, a noise that caused the cat to instantly turn in the direction of the noise. The dust cloud had coalesced into the form of a silver blade, one that was three feet in length. A crude hilt had been formed, one that I gripped, and then I drove the weapon into the body of the cat.

"Burst!" I yelled as I snapped my left fingers, and the blade exploded once more into particles.

The cat couldn't even cry out in pain as its insides were shredded by the cloud of blades I'd unleashed inside it. Instead it staggered away, blood gushing from its mouth. Before it collapsed Green-Eye shot it once more, directly in the forehead.

I glanced in surprise to Green-Eye, but he'd already turned away and faced the forest. I could only assume that he expected more of the cats, and it was due to that I focused on the extraction. I focused on my weapon and regathered it, the silver loops forming around my wrist. Though they'd been inside the cat there was no blood on them.

Skara and Shorty had dealt with their own opponent, and Skara had walked over to check on Anya. The constant grin that he wore was gone, and instead his face was grim as he shook his head to us.

From behind us there was some noise, the sound of people shouting that one would expect from a fight. "I'm on it," Shorty told us as he dashed off to the back of the convoy.

While he was gone Skara and I moved the corpses off of the path. While we might have wanted to build a pyre none of us wanted to linger in the forest, and so we were forced to leave the bodies for what would inevietably come.

When Shorty returned he explained the situation to us. There'd been two more cats which had attacked the back area. The leading theory was that the smell of meat was what had drawn them in, and in the fighting two people had lost their lives.

"Looks like we're earning our pay this time," Shorty said, though his tone was in no way jovial.