“Over there,” Albert said and pointed at the large building in the center of the market square. “They’re holed up inside.”

“The auction hall?” Erend asked.

“Yeah, it seemed easy to fortify, that, and it fit everyone without issue.”

The auction hall was a large, circular building, two stories tall. It sported a pair of large doors of solid wood that were decorated with beautiful carvings of horses and coins. Windows lined the walls of the circular building, continuing all the way around. From inside you had a clear view of the entire market square, no one would be able to approach the building unannounced.

Albert approached the large doors and gave them a few solid knocks, “It’s me, open up,” he announced.

Some voices were heard discussing something inside, but they were quickly interchanged by a rummaging. It sounded as if wood scraped on wood.

“Just a second,” someone shouted from inside. “The fucking beam is stuck,” the person inside added.

The rummaging continued under a muttering, “Motherfucker!”

Finally, the door opened, with a bang.

“Sorry about that,” a man answered and gestured to the group inside. “Come in. We were just getting ready to leave.” The man wore a guard’s uniform, had a large shield strapped to his back, and wore a sword at his waist.

“Everyone, this is Carl. And Carl, thankfully we won’t be needing that anymore,” Albert said and glanced down at the broken wooden beam that had been used to bar the door. “Get inside, for now.”

Inside there were about twenty people, among them, four wore armor and wielded weapons, and the rest were civilians. Most of them had faces Erend could remember seeing in the markets. Likely a lot of them were merchants.

“Captain!” Albert said and saluted a large woman. He waved toward his friends, “These are the last ones. Do we have enough weapons to arm them as well? The young ones just awakened, and while they might be rookies, I trust that they’ll pull their weight.” Albert said to the large woman, the captain.

“Alright... I’ll take your word for it. You four, come with me. The rest of you, ask Carl if you want a weapon, but if u take one you have to be ready to use it. And don’t get too comfortable, we’ll move out as soon as we can,” the woman aimed a slight nod deeper inside the auction hall and led on. “I’m Anya, by the way.” She said when they’d gotten a fair bit away from the civilians.

The captain, Anya, continued, “We don’t have much, the armory had been hit a few times already before when we got there. We’ll set you up as best we can for now, when we get to the fort you return what you borrowed, got that?”

Erend threw a glance at Charles, who locked eyes with him and nodded, approvingly, “Yeah, got it,” Erend said.

“Good. Anyone of you able to cast?”

“I am,” Cordelia answered and strode forward.

Anya nodded at her, “And you two, what can you do?”

“I went hunting a bit back on Genesis when I was a child, so I could probably use a bow,” Charles replied.

“I can use a spear,” Erend blurted without thinking.

“Useful,” the captain remarked. “Ranged weapons to the left, melee to the right, take what you need.”

Ahead of them stood two stalls shoved together, on the left one lay bows and arrows, crossbows and bolts. The right one was practically picked clean, a few swords lay on the counter along with a round wooden shield, reinforced with steel. Leaning against the side of the stall stood a simple, spear, about as tall as Erend was. He grabbed the spear and shield without a second thought, then he moved to the other stall where Charles stood lost in thought.

Anya reassured Charles, “Don’t worry. Once you learn how to shoot a bow you never forget. It’ll be fine. You can try it out for a bit while the civilians pack their luggage. But if you’re too worried you can just pick a crossbow, a bit hard on the reload but easy to use once you have that part down.”

Erend nodded along silently and picked up a simple crossbow. Despite never having used one, he instinctively knew how to. It felt heavy in his hands yet lay there comfortably. The wooden surface felt smooth in his hands.

“Got any armor?” Erend asked.

“We’ve only got two studded leather vests left; you’ll have to decide who gets one.”

The three stood silent, looking at each other, under the watchful gaze of the captain and Albert.

Erend started, “I could go without.”

“Obviously not,” Albert cut in. “You’re the only one of the three who’s equipped for melee. It’ll have to be Cordelia or Charles. I’ll go get the vests, wait here,” Albert said and left the group with the captain following him along.

“Alright, I’ll go without,” Charles offered.

“Are you sure?” asked Cordelia.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I don’t plan on getting close enough to danger anyway.”

“Sounds like a solid plan to me,” Albert cut in and threw the vests to Erend and Cordelia. “Need help putting them on?”

“I’m fine on my own,” Erend said confidently.

“I could use some help,” Cordelia said shyly. While Albert helped her put on the armor, she quietly worded a, “Thank you,” at Charles.

Charles waved her off, “Don’t worry about it. Should we try the weapons?”

“Just use the walls for target practice,” Albert said and pointed at the wall furthest away from the civilians. “I’ll go help the others pack up.”

In silent agreement, the three squared up against the wall. Charles aimed his bow and nocked an arrow. He took aim, pulled the arrow back, and fired.

With a dull thud, the arrow embedded itself about a quarter of the way into the wall. There was room for improvement, but for someone using a bow for the first time in over eight years, it was honestly quite impressive.

“Damn... that’s pretty fun. I’d forgotten how it felt,” Charles muttered under his breath.

Without missing a beat Cordelia stepped up and aimed the flat of her hand toward the wall. She closed her eyes in concentration. A circle of solidified source manifested in her palm, its rims decorated by glyphs and runes that Erend couldn’t understand. With a flash, a bolt of source shot out from the magic circle with a whoosh. It impacted the wall almost instantly, cracks spreading out like a spider’s web where it had hit.

“Suddenly, mine doesn’t seem as fun anymore,” Charles said with a deadpan expression.

“Wow...” Cordelia sighed, awed by the feeling of utilizing source without a tool for the first time.

With a snicker at his friend’s defeated expression, Erend seized his moment and loaded the crossbow – with A LOT of effort. It was a clumsy way of loading, but the only one he had. Erend lost his smile of schadenfreude and started letting out strained grunts as the other two laughed at his effort, Charles sounded almost hysterical.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Charles managed to utter, “Man, thank the mother my weapon is still a hell of a lot cooler than yours.”

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After finally managing to load a bolt into the crossbow, Erend took aim and loosed the bolt. It flew off with a frightening speed and hit the wall, embedding itself halfway up to its shaft.

“Who’s laughing now, huh?” Erend spat at the two, blushing down to his neck.

“Still us,” Cordelia managed to squeeze out between laughs.

“Yeah, well, whatever. Let’s go. Everyone should be ready.”

Erend felt a little betrayed by the weapon. Who the hell made something that hard to load?

The three walked together, one sullen, two merry, and reached the group of civilians within seconds.

“Everything worked just fine I hope?” the captain asked as they approached.

“Yup, still got it, just like you said,” Charles answered with a smile, still teary-eyed from laughing.

“Glad to hear it. Everyone! We’re moving out,” she ordered. “Albert, you and Erend bring up the rear. Cordelia, you walk with me at all times, and follow my orders to the letter. Charles, you’ll join Johann over there and scout ahead,” she said as she nodded toward a short, dagger-wielding man with a terrible hairline and a large, fancily curled mustache. “Run back to us if you spot trouble.”

“Alright then. Unless we run into trouble, I’ll see you guys at the fort,” Charles said to the group, he threw a wave and a smile to his parents, who stood huddled with the other civilians, and ran up to Johann. The two left the auction hall together in a run, without so much as a word said to each other.

“Stay safe,” Cordelia whispered after him, then turned to Erend, “You too Erend.”

“Thanks, you too. See you when we get there.”

Cordelia walked out of the large building alongside Anya, the twenty or so civilians followed. Behind them all, walked Erend and Albert. Erend had attached the shield and spear to his back with the help of a harness and walked with the crossbow cocked, but not loaded.

“Just do like me and you’ll do fine. The rear is the safest part of any formation,” Albert reassured him.

“Yeah. But if anything happens, I’ll be counting on you man,” Erend said.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

As the group left the markets they made their way through the commoners’ district without much difficulty. Erend noted that the captain led them on a path as far from the nobles’ district and harbor as possible. A sensible choice – the only reasonable one, really – he concluded.

As they skirted the harbor, the empty streets they had grown used to were suddenly interchanged with the desolation of the attack. Crumbling houses and walls had left parts of themselves littering the ground. Dust filled the air and found its way into the eyes and lungs of the group. Old Bernard let out a violent cough, Mary offered him a cloth to cover his mouth, which he gratefully accepted. Not even those two dared make a noise.

Walking in the rear left Erend feeling paranoid, he felt like someone was watching them at every turn. He constantly turned around and threw glances over his shoulder.

Some debris clattered in an alley they’d passed seconds before.

Erend nudged Albert in the side, “Hold up, did you hear that?”

“Yeah, we’ll have to check it out. Stay behind me.”

As Albert rounded the corner he staggered back and held his axe in a battle-ready stance, “Shit,” he said.

Erend peeked around the corner and agreed, “Shit.”

In the alley stood five armed soldiers, wearing matching metallic cuirasses, shin guards, and curved swords. The apparent leader stood with his back turned to the others and banged on a shut door.

One of the soldiers, a young woman with salt and pepper hair, noticed Erend and Albert. She immediately shouted something in a foreign language and pointed her curved sword at them.

“Stay behind me!” Albert shouted.

Erend hurriedly loaded a bolt into his crossbow with shaking hands.

“What the fuck do we do?!” Erend shouted back at his friend.

Despite having found himself in a few oddly realistic battlefields, he felt woefully unprepared for the scuffle.

“Just shoot! We can’t have them alerting their allies!” Albert snapped at him.

Erend took aim. The soldiers in the alley had started running towards them. He quickly decided on a target, the woman who led the charge, and let his bolt loose.

With a resounding thud, the bolt left the crossbow, it cut through the air with a sharp whistle. In a mere moment, it had reached its target, easily piercing the woman’s cuirass with a bang. It burrowed its tip into her chest. The woman’s eyes glazed over as she fell to the ground mid-stride.

The soldiers who’d been running behind the woman, stumbled over her suddenly lifeless body, while Erend pushed the stock of the crossbow into his stomach, hard enough that it would leave a bruise if it weren’t for the leather armor, as he went about cocking the weapon again.

Albert didn’t fail to seize the opportunity that Erend had managed to give him. He charged the stumbling soldiers and aimed a swing at the one who stood closest to him. The axe was swung with enough force to shatter stone, yet the soldier managed to block it with his shield – but not without lasting consequences. The axe bit deep into the shield and found its way into the soldier’s arm. The soldier pulled back with a squeal and dropped the curved sword he’d been holding.

In the back, Erend managed to cock his weapon again and loaded it with another bolt. He aimed but couldn’t get a clear shot with Albert fighting in melee. He observed the fighting from a safe distance. It didn’t seem like Albert would lose. Apparently, he was quite good at what he did. Erend focused on his friend’s movements, looking for an opening. In just a few seconds, he saw one, as Albert dodged the wide swing of the enemy squad leader.

“Look out!” Erend shouted as he let loose another bolt.

Once again, his bolt cut through the air. The squad leader had heard his shout – why wouldn’t he? He easily sidestepped the bolt’s trajectory. Albert was in a pose too awkward to punish the squad leader’s sidestep with his axe but still had enough leeway to kick out with one of his legs, tripping the leader, and sending him reeling into one of his underlings.

The last underling charged at Erend, intent on not letting him fire off another bolt unobstructed.

Erend dropped the crossbow to the ground, realizing he’d never have time to cock the damn thing in time. He clumsily retrieved the spear and shield from his back and lowered his center of gravity to receive the attacker.

The approaching soldier wore the same gear as the rest of his squad, along with a shield.

They’ve all got swords for slashing, not stabbing. I have the advantage in reach. This will be easy.

Feeling bolstered by his advantage, Erend resolutely stepped forward and stabbed out with his spear. He thought of the dreams and wished dearly for the pale blue thread to appear. He tried to remember the way he’d felt back then.

The soldier snickered at Erend’s overconfidence, easily brushing past the spear’s tip and making his way inside Erend’s reach.

Snapping back to reality, Erend realized his grave mistake, “FUCK!”

The soldier slashed at Erend’s face, instinctively he raised his shield in an effort to block the slash but soon found that it had been a feint. He felt the sword dig into his shield arm.

Erend let out a bloodcurdling scream as the sword hit bone. Fueled by pure adrenaline, he bashed at the soldier with the shield. The endeavor proved strangely effective as it managed to push the soldier back a few steps.

Still blinded by the pain, Erend threw out a swing of his spear.

The soldier was still unbalanced by the shield bash as Erend’s spear shaft hit his knee. A loud crack resounded as the soldier fell on his ass.

Wooden splinters flew, filling Erend’s vision. His spear had snapped from the impact.

No!

Desperate to not lose his hard-earned momentum, Erend threw himself on top of the soldier. He angled his shield at the shoulder of the soldier’s sword arm, with all his weight resting on top of it, and pinned the man to the ground, immobilizing his weapon. Then he beat the man with the splintered stick. Over and over.

The man squirmed madly beneath Erends weight, but Erend didn’t let up, not even when the squirming had stopped. He kept beating at the soldier’s exposed soft parts, mainly his face. Soon, nothing more than a bloodied mess remained of the once handsome foreigner.

“Erend, stop! He’s fucking dead already! We’ve got to go!” Albert shouted as he pulled Erend off the body.

Erend panted erratically, tightly gripping the long-since broken spear. His normally calm eyes radiated madness. He felt his muscles ache. He threw a look down the alley, and counted three bodies, adding that to the one he’d just mercilessly beaten to death, there was one missing.

“Where’s the last one?!” growled Erend.

“You better calm the fuck down man,” Albert said and let Erend go. “He got away. We’ve got to pick up the pace and warn everyone before he calls for reinforcements. Will you be alright?” he asked and looked at the bloody mess that was Erend’s shield arm.

With a questioning look, Erend followed his gaze, then the realization of what he’d done, and the pain hit him like a runaway horse. “Oh god...What the fuck did I do to him?”

“It’s fine, this is combat. Now, will you be alright, or do we need to patch you up?”

“I’ll be fine if we just bind something around it to slow the bleeding.”

“Here, stick your arm out,” Albert said as he ripped off a piece of cloth from the hem of his shirt.

After tying the strip over his bicep, the two got up. “Just tell me if you need to stop, don’t you fucking pass out on me, got that?”

“Yeah, I won’t. Let’s go already.”

The two set off at a brisk pace, and in just a few minutes they reached the group. In the rear, a furious Anya and an anxious Cordelia stood ready to receive them.

“Where the hell did you go?”

“We ran into a squad of soldiers a few blocks back, Erend got slashed real bad. He’ll need the wound dressed if he’s to keep his arm.

“What?!” Erend exclaimed from behind him. His face had lost most of its color, his lips going blue.

Anya eyed him over and sighed, “Okay. Are you fine to stay here, Albert? I’ll send Carl to back you up.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Good. We’ll be out of the city soon. The worst of the danger should lay behind us by then. Erend, come with me and we’ll get you sorted.”

Erend followed along, clutching his arm with his free hand.

Anya led Erend to the last of the guards, the only one who he hadn’t yet been introduced to.

“This is Jack, he’s a cleric. You should probably throw a prayer or two in his deity’s way, seeing as he’s the reason you’ll keep that arm of yours,” Anya said and gave Erend a large pat on the back.

“It’s she, my deity is the mother herself,” Jack cut in, before focusing his attention on Erend, “Nice to meet you, Erend. Have a seat on the cart here and I’ll have a look at your arm.”

Jack removed the impromptu bandage and looked intently at the arm, “Ouch, you really took a nasty hit, didn’t you? I’m impressed you’re still on your feet. I’ll heal you now, this might feel a bit weird if it’s your first time.”

And it did. It felt like the complete opposite of when he received the cut, it was as if some invisible force stapled his flesh back together, from the inside. It didn’t hurt, but the feeling was far from pleasant.

In an attempt to disassociate the pain, he thought, I’m going to need a new weapon.