“Good afternoon, travellers,” called out the stranger.
No, perhaps they weren’t wholly strangers. Each wore full plate, their steeds adorned in chain barding, though each wore heraldry of their Lady, that of a rock looming over a the treacherous tides.
“I hope so,” Adam replied, stepping up with his companions beside him. He noted that each carried saddlebags, with a sack tied to the animals, save for the leader, whose armour and weapons and steed were grander than all the others.
‘They only brought fourteen?’
“Are you by any chance good fellows of a particular business by the name of United Kindom?” the woman asked, undoing her helmet to reveal her pretty face, and her deep red hair and near emerald eyes.
“That we are,” Adam replied, letting out a soft breath. “Are you by any chance good fellows who follow the Marquise, Lady Amelia Tiderock?”
“You are astute in your observations. I am Sir Ivy Torrent, Blade of the Tide. I am here by authority of the great Marquise to return that which belongs to her.”
“I am Executive Adam of United Kindom, and I wish your Lady Marquise with all the fortune in the world to find that which belongs to her, but I fear that you will find nothing here which belongs to the Lady Marquise.”
The woman’s eyes scanned the group before her, taking in the sight of all the figures around. She noted the appearance of another, her eyes now glued to the woman. “Are you the Golden Savage Vasera?”
“I am.”
“Are you currently in the employ of the United Kindom?”
“Until Life River, yes.”
‘Hmm.’ Ivy fell into thought. Suddenly, it had become rather difficult. They were already outnumbered previously, but a group made up of farmers and porters were nothing compared to fourteen highly trained, mounted warriors, some of whom were knights. However, Vasera and her companions were not cut from the common riff raff which the United Kindom plucked off the road, but rather savages from the east who wet their blades on the blood of such terrible beasts from their lands, and the lands around.
Adam’s heart pounding in his chest. ‘Fourteen is easy. I thought they’d send more, unless each of them are Masters?’
Sara eyed up the group, who were grouped up quite orderly, revealing their training, for they were four by three along the road, with one upfront, and another bringing up the rear, and carrying much of their supplies, no doubt a youth who was in training and not expected to fight.
‘How fortunate for us they have grouped up for us.’
Amira threw Dunes a look. As much as she was willing to help assist, she didn’t want to. This wasn’t really their fight, and if they were to step forward, they’d drag their order into a diplomatic incident. However, she also couldn’t just step back, not when Adam had spent so much gold to assist the order in finding her. ‘Lady Arya, please…’
‘The wolves may prove some difficulty too,’ Ivy thought. “Are you certain you do not possess that which belongs to the Marquise?”
“I am certain,” Adam replied.
“Do you understand the consequences of your actions, Executive?” Sir Ivy asked, speaking the title as though it were a filthy word, though her lips remained a smile.
“I hope the Marquise will understand the consequences of her actions,” Adam replied.
Cobra exchanged a glance with Viper and Python, the trio understanding the situation was escalating quite terribly. Fourteen knights! Each adorned in full plate, while those around Adam wore heavy armour, only a few held full plate. No doubt each of the knights also wielded magical weapons, and some may have been Greater weapons too.
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Her eyes fell to the rest of the group. The adventurers they had picked up at the guild in the morning were all mostly relaxed, staying around the caravan, while the Iyrmen and the others had stepped forward to meet with the mountain knights. She vaguely recalled that Nobby and Brittany were both in one of the wagons too. Fred spoke about Nobby’s strength as though he were some kind of monster, so what was he doing sitting in the wagon?
‘Is he still protecting Alex?’
‘Twenty two against fourteen,’ Ivy thought. Though they were mounted, so were Vasera and Rook, two figures they needed to take special care to deal with if they were to fight. ‘If the Golden Savages weren’t here, we would have run them down already, but they are a variable which would be difficult to deal with.’
“I hope you will not regret your impudence,” Sir Ivy said, her steed moving without her pulling at its reins.
“I hope the Marquise understands the mercy we have shown today,” Adam said, watching her turn.
The woman smirked towards Adam. “I will inform her of your mercy, and your rewards shall be swiftly procured.”
Adam watched as they rode away. ‘Damn it.’ He looked to Vonda, who bowed her head lightly towards him in gratitude. ‘I should have picked a fight and sent a message, but let’s be nice this one time, that way we’ve got justification…’
The group carried along until they came across the main camp.
Mana: 25 -> 16
The children stood in awe of the towers which Adam had formed, one of them a bathroom, another a dining room, while all the other rooms made up bedrooms. Korin assisted in cooking food, and since Julia didn’t ruin the meal previously, the children tolerated her helping Korin.
“I am glad to have an Aldishman assist me,” Korin admitted. “It has been difficult to deal with the palates of the Aldish.”
“The spices of Aswadia are far too hot,” the young woman replied simply, before assisting him in cooking.
“Why do you carry a pack?” Viper asked Remy, watching as he unstrapped his pack to place it at the side.
“I’m more comfortable with a pack on my back, especially if there’s a fight to be had.”
“Did you used to work as a porter?”
“I still work as a porter.”
“What?”
“I’m still a porter, miss.”
“You’re… still a porter?”
“Aye.”
“Aren’t you an Expert?”
“Aye.”
“You’re an Expert but you work as a porter?”
“I worked as a porter and became an Expert,” Remy replied. “I’m still a porter, miss, same as Jeremy.”
“…” Viper blinked.
Remy threw a look towards Adam. “Nobby’s my nephew, my cousin’s nephew, but he’s one of our lads. The, uh, Executives, Adam and Jurot, they picked him up when he was just a boy porter, and they trained him good. We watched him fight in the tournament last year. I would have never have thought the boy would be that strong. He beat all the younger Iyrmen you see, Nirot and the others.” His eyes beamed with pride.
Viper remained speechless.
“The Executive taught him the way of his family, the Roh family. They say its harder to burn our Nobby now, and poisons and that sort of thing, they’re all harder to hurt him. All I know is that Nirot beat up a giant python by herself, I seen it with my own eyes, and that our Nobby’s apparently stronger.”
‘Is he really that strong? Stronger than the Iyrmen?’ Viper thought. She had thought Nobby was pretty tough, but to think he was stronger than even the likes of Nirot. ‘They did say they beat the others in the tournament, but…’
Remy inhaled deeply. “It’s dangerous business, that. I don’t want it for my children, but the Executives said that our kids’ll be educated. Letters, numbers, they’ll even learn a trade, like smithing, and if they’re able to be learned, they’ll become priests.”
“Priests?”
“Aye. Priests. Adam, the Executive, he said that the kids’ll be cared for. It’s dangerous business, this, but he’s watching over our families, and he’s going to make sure they’re okay.”
“What happens if you die? What then?”
“I’m sure he’ll look after them still.”
“He will?”
“The Executives are all queer in their own way, but I know they’re good at heart. The Iyrmen, they all want to fight and die, but even now I can see them thinking about how they shouldn’t be fighting. They could have killed those knights who came, but they didn’t. They’re looking out for you and yours, just like how they look after me and mine.”
“…”
“You’re a farmer?” Python asked, having her own conversation with the farmers.
“Yes,” Rick replied, sipping at his water. “We picked up adventuring work to make some extra coin. John likes his paints, Charley likes her dyes, and I like my books. We’re mostly farmers, though, we just wanted the extra coin, for the winters which come.”
“I heard you fought in the beast waves.”
“We did.”
“You’re still calling yourself a farmer?”
“Once this is all done, and once we’re at the business, I might have a different role. Right now I’m a guard, but it’s only temporary. Once we’re at the business, that’s when I’ll know what I’m doing.”
Python couldn’t believe it. Even as she spoke with Viper and Cobra, she still couldn’t believe it. Then again, the business had just offended one of the greatest powers in the region for their sake.
Vonda looked out the forest towards the path towards Life River. Lucy’s words continued to replay within her mind. She stood and made her way to a tower to pray.
She hoped that bloodshed could be avoided.