“Sounds like a good line of reasoning. I can always take the steel from this mace to make you a sword if you decide to swap. Let’s get to crackin’ away at it, then.” With that, Xander sat down again, taking more of Gabrelle’s steel in hand. The young woman watch, entranced, as the metal flowed and grew into the shape of a simple mace with a round head.”
“That’s so… entrancing to watch,” she murmured.
“Thanks, I think? Let’s get you a couple runes on here to make this thing hit a little harder. Or would you rather it burst into flames when you hit something? By the way, there are runes on the steel in that coat to make them harder.”
“Oh, that’s a really hard choice. I think… flames. Flames are more exciting. I want that.”
Xander laughed. “Funny, I went for the ones that make mine hit harder, but to each their own.” He proceeded to carve the requisite mana gathering arrays, intelligence runes, and flame runes in addition to the usual strengthening runes over the head of the mace. “Now for the new part I just learned: the inlay.” He grabbed some more of his brass and filled the runes of the mace with it. “There, done. Let’s give it a test, shall we?” Xander handed the mace to Gabrelle, who held it in her right hand, eyeing it with wonder. Using [Improved Creation] he made a small steel plate target. “Give it a good whack and make sure it activates.”
Once Xander stepped away, Gabrelle wound up a strike with the mace. Upon striking the target the mace did indeed burst into flames, lasting for about three seconds before dying out and the rune sequence resetting. She’d also managed to knock the target over. “Nice job,” he congratulated. “Seems to be in working order.”
Gabrelle was still staring at the mace, despite the fact that it was no longer flaming. Finally, she shook herself out of her shock and then rushed at Xander, wrapping him into a hug. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I’ve never had my own weapon before, let alone a magical one! I promise to take good care of it!”
“Uh, you’re welcome,” said Xander, taken aback by the sudden hug. “Let’s get you that leg armor now.”
“Oh, right! Sorry, I’d forgotten about that.”
Xander created a quick copy of his own leg armor, runes and all, and then sized it down to fit Gabrelle, since she was a bit shorter than he was. It fit well enough, and after donning all the pieces, Gabrelle look fit to play the part of a mercenary with the mace held in a loop at her waist. “You’re looking like a professional now! I think we’ve got you set up with all the basics, so you ought to be set for tomorrow.”
“Thank you again so much! I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay you for these things.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re part of the team now, and we take care of each other. Besides, I’m sure I’ll be saying the same thing to you when you eventually have to pull an arrow out of me or something,” Xander said with a smile.
“Well I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I think I understand what you mean.”
“Anything else you can think of that you might need?”
Gabrelle thought again for a bit. “Not that I can think of, but I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”
“Sure thing,” Xander said. “Feel free to hang around if you’re bored. Freyja would probably love to have someone to play with if you’re feeling like it. I’m going to finish filling in the runes on my own armor, now.”
Gabrelle decided to stay around, using a long length of a plant to play with Freyja, the cat animatedly batting at it and making small pounces onto it. She was soon distracted by watching Xander work, though. Watching him seamlessly join metals together and fill in gaps had reminded her of something.
“It’s like watching a healer mend a wound, but for metal,” she realized out loud.
“Huh?” asked Xander, confused.
“Watching you meld the metal together; it reminds me of watching a good healer do their work. Passing their hands or tools over a tear or a defect in the body, seeing the skin smooth itself out without leaving a mark. I hope I’ll be able to heal that well someday.”
“I’m sure you will, I just hope you don’t get too much of your practice from me! Much as I’d love to help you level up, I’m not sure I want to get stabbed to do it.”
“Why have you four been so nice me? I don’t feel like I deserve it…” Gabrelle’s non sequitur surprised Xander.
“What do you mean?”
“The mercenaries I’ve met have always been gruff with me. Called me ‘girl.’ Treated me like a child or a nuisance when I wanted to ask them questions about life as a mercenary. But you all haven’t done that. Why?”
“Well…” Xander paused and thought. “At least for me, part of it miiight be that I haven’t been a mercenary long enough to become gruff and jaded, yet,” he said with a little humor. “But the real reason is that everyone I’ve worked with so far here in my time as a [Godsmarked], which admittedly has been a small number, has been kind to me and helped me learn about this place. Why shouldn’t I give back the same that’s been given to me? As for Graffus, Atrax, and Frazay, I don’t know, beyond the fact that they’re just good, friendly people. They seem like they’re invested in doing the right things just as much as they are in making money or exploring the world. Aaaaand, it doesn’t hurt that having a healing class makes you an extremely desirable recruit for most teams.”
Gabrelle’s eyes had widened when she’d heard Xander mention being a [Godsmarked]. “Wait, you’re a ‘marked? Oh, how did I not guess? It makes so many little things add up!”
“I thought you were watching while the attendant wrote my status down, otherwise I would have mentioned it sooner.”
“Well, I tried to, but he wrote so fast and, well, it’s really hard to read upside down.”
“Okay, that’s fair. Sorry about that, guess it means you never got an explanation about the inventory ability. Here, I’ll show you my status. I’m done with filling in these runes anyway. It’s not very time consuming when I’ve already carved them.” Xander pulled his status up and flipped it around to see.
Gabrell spent a couple of minutes slowly reading over Xander’s titles and skill names. Xander had left off the descriptions of the class skills, not out of any desire to keep them from Gabrelle, but to keep the length to a quickly digestible size.
“Wow… I’ve never met a [Godsmarked] before! What’s being one like? Where did you come from? What was that place like?” Xander was once again surprised. No one had ever really cared to ask him about where he was from. He’d honestly preferred it that way as he didn’t have to try and explain concepts and technologies that he had only a vague understanding of himself.
“Well, I guess at the start it was lonely and confusing. I got plucked from where I used to live, a place called Earth, without any warning. We didn’t have anything like skills or magic or these status windows, so I was at a loss for just about everything at the start. I’m fortunate that someone found me out in the woods, otherwise I would have wandered, lost for who knows how long. In a way, it’s been… frustrating. As much as this world is more exciting than my own and I’ve gained powers I never even would have thought to image, I was still pulled away from my life without warning or consent. I had a job, friends, and family. A wife. We were planning on having children soon…” Xander trailed off, losing his train of thought for a moment. “Uhm, sorry. It’s still a bit of a tender spot for me. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop being angry at the gods or whoever it was that took me away.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up such an upsetting topic for you.” Gabrelle was saddened by Xander’s story. She’d always associated [Godsmarked] with glory and achievement. She’d never stopped to consider that the ‘marked were people who’d had lives before they had been translocated to Tillania.
“No, it’s okay. It’s probably good for me to let it out. I haven’t talked to anyone about it much. Feels nice to. Uh, to answer your question about Earth, well, it was different. A lot different. We didn’t have any magic, like I said, so we turned instead to technology. Just about every problem you can think of would have a solution that relied on technology to some degree. And there were only humans on earth. There were myths of dwarves and elves and various other races, but no one had ever managed to confirm their existence. So I didn’t see a dwarf until my first day here, and the first time I saw an elf was in a crowd here in Anlet.”
“It sounds so different… between being pulled away like that and having to relearn just about everything, I can see how that would leave you feeling lost.” Garelle stopped for a minute. “Hey wait! I just remembered that you said you were maybe only being nicer to me because I was a healer!”
Xander laughed, broken out of his sad thoughts by Gabrelle’s sudden remembrance. “I was joking, just joking, I swear! I mean it is true that we needed a healer, but that’s not the reason I’m treating you ‘nicely.’ And to me, it’s not like I’m trying to treat you differently at all. Just treating you like an adult and a member of the same team, just like I would with Atrax or Frazay or Graffus.”
“I… thank you,” Gabrelle said, at a loss for any other words.
“Of course, I like helping people out. Especially my teammates,” Xander replied.
Gabrelle and Xander both sat on the ground for a while longer, lost in thought, though about different things. Gabrelle was the first to stand, taking up the length of plant she’d been using to play with Freyja before she’d gotten distracted. Soon, the two of them were back at it, Gabrelle laughing at Freyja’s antics, the giant panther acting like a two pound kitten.
Xander watched the two of them play, amused. He was glad that Freyja was able to get along with other people. He’d worried that the cat would be reclusive, or even lash out against other people, especially given her experience with the menagerie. Instead, her experience with being bonded had seemed to impart a desire for companionship on the cat. He wasn’t sure if it was the increased intelligence allowing her to enjoy other’s company or some other quirk of the skill, but either way, he was glad to see it.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Freyja tired of the game before Gabrelle did, settling onto the ground comfortably as she chose to ignore the object being dangled in front of her, in a classic display of cat-like behavior. Gabrelle finally gave up, sighing at the loss of her source of entertainment, and made her way back to the inn, thanking Xander one more time before she left.
“Got any ideas of what to do now, girl?” Xander asked Freyja. He got a huff in response. “Yeah, me neither. Wanna just take a nap?”
Evidently pleased with the idea, if what Xander felt from the bond was anything to go by, Freyja rolled onto her side, still in her armor, and stretched out. Xander stood up and walked over to the lounging feline and laid down as well, using her furred stomach as a pillow. Soon, they were both asleep, enjoying the warmth of the sun and a day with little else left to do but nap.
The rest of the day passed quickly for Xander, who spent much of it half asleep with Freyja. He vaguely noticed the comings and goings of people but paid them little attention. As evening approached, he stabled Freyja, giving her some more pets before he left. He ate his dinner at the inn slowly, in little hurry to do anything, before making his way back up to his room and settling in for the night.
That morning, Xander awoke to knocking at the door.
“Xander?” He heard Graffus’s voice through the door. “Time to get up! We’re heading out early to meet with the client. Atrax says it will ‘look more professional’ to get there early morning.”
“Wha… uhh, okay, I’ll get up. Gimme a second and I’ll be down.” Xander rolled out of bed, groggily. He quickly dressed himself, put on his boots, and then donned his armor and grabbed his helm. Making his way outside, he found his four teammates in varying states of readiness. Atrax and Frazay were both ready to go, Graffus was still setting the straps of his armor, and Gabrelle was struggling with her brigandine.
“I’ve still got to get Freyja armored up, let’s meet around back next to the stables?” Xander asked.
“Sure,” answered Frazay. “We’ve got plenty of time. We’re just trying to go with the ‘Ohh, I’m so professional, we’re on the job at the asscrack of dawn’ kind of look” she said mockingly, throwing a slight glare at Atrax. Atrax just threw his hands up and sighed at Frazay’s antics.
“Uhhhuhhh. Okay, then,” replied Xander.
Freyja was eager to be released from her stall, wanting to join the gathering. As soon as Xander had the door halfway open, she squeezed out through the gap, racing to meet the rest of the team. Her enthusiasm was rewarded by Frazay and Gabrelle with lots of pets and scritches.
“Ignored by my own bonded animal…” muttered Xander. “Come on, Freyja! I’ve got to get your armor on, come here.” Dutifully, Freyja left the petting behind and trotted over to Xander. “Good girl!” He praised the cat and offered her some scratching of his own before removing her bundle of armor from his inventory. “Now let’s get you all set up and fancy!”
By the time Xander had finished putting Freyja’s armor on, the rest of the team was ready. Gabrelle had finally managed to get her arms through the sleeves she’d been struggling with. Apparently, according to the teasing she was still receiving from Graffus, she’d tried to put one arm through the coat while still holding her mace and gotten stuck. The five mercenaries and their giant cat made their way from the stables of Robert’s and began their journey to the Huraven estate.
The estate was a sprawling, walled complex in one of the affluent areas of the town, set up against the river. The entrance was, of course, gated, and the two guards at the entrance tensed upon seeing five armed figures, one riding a huge panther looming behind them. The tension was eased when Atrax produced the small slip of paper with the meeting on it from the guild and handed it over.
“We’re just here for the bodyguard contract is all,” Atrax said. “No trouble from us, don’t worry.”
“Ah, I see. Thank the gods, you five nearly gave me a heart attack coming ‘round the corner like that.” One of the guards said, relieved. “Thought you were here to stir up trouble.”
“Expecting that sort of thing? I’d think that there would be few people who’d want to ‘stir up trouble’ against a family so closely tied with the city guard.” Graffus probed the guard, whose partner looked slightly annoyed that he’d given away that information.
“Oh, ah, uhm,” The guard put his hand to the back of his helmet as if he were going to scratch his head, gauntlet clanking slightly.
His more disciplined partner butted in. “That’s for Lord Huraven to explain to you as details of the contract, I expect. I’ll have Gavin go fetch the steward so that he can escort you to the lord.”
The guard who had blabbed to the team looked grateful for the excuse to leave and head into the estate at a jog. Several minutes he returned, looking rather like he’d been chastised, with a man dressed in well made and very conservative, at least Xander assumed it was conservative considering it didn’t look like a tropical bird had been used to make it, clothing. He radiated sternness with his angular face, eyes observing the entire area like a hawk, and Xander could tell that he was the kind of man that was always on the lookout for something being out of place so that he could correct it.
“Gavin here,” he began, “tells me that you five are here to begin the bodyguard contract for our Lord Huraven. My name is Vitril, and I am the steward of this fine estate. I will be escorting you to the gardens beside the manor, where myself and Lord Huraven will ensure that you are an appropriate fit for this contract before we proceed with any further details.
The party had decided on the way to the estate to let Atrax take the lead in dealing with the nobility at the estate. “Of course,” replied Atrax. “I do not doubt that we will exceed your requirements, and so I welcome the scrutiny.”
The steward nodded, apparently appreciating the answer, and turned on his heels to face the now opened gate that he had come from. “Come along then, best not to keep the lord waiting. He made his way to the gardens once I was informed of your arrival. Ah, ehm, one last thing. Your… cat. It is well behaved, yes? I shan’t tolerate an animal wreaking havoc in our carefully tended gardens. If we need to detour to the stables to sequester it, speak now.”
“Freyja is very well behaved,” Xander answered quickly. “Isn’t that right, Freyja?” He said to her. “You promise not to tear up any of the garden, girl?” Freyja chuffed in response.
The fact that Xander had coaxed a response from the cat at all seemed to impress Vitril enough, and he treated the question as resolved. “Excellent, assuming that your mastery over, ah, Freyja I believe you caller her? Assuming it holds up to that standard, then that will be a point in your favor, I believe.”
Once Vitril had turned back around, Frazay gave Xander a big thumbs up and mouthed ‘good work.’ The party followed Vitril through well-groomed winding pathways, which lead them in the direction of the largest building on the estate. Xander spotted servants here and there going about their business, carrying baskets and other goods, or tending to strange ornamental plants. As they approached the manor, Vitril turned down an offshoot of the path they had been following, taking them to one side of the building.
Exiting the pathway, the space opened around them, revealing wide garden pathways. There’s even a hedge maze, Xander thought. A vast array of plants, none of which Xander could name beyond being able to pick out some rose bushes, lined the area and paths, neatly trimmed so as not to spill out of their beds. A lavish outdoor table sat within a gazebo in one of the larger green spaces. Xander could see that there was a man already sitting at the table and considering that Vitril was leading them directly to the gazebo, he assumed that this must be Lord Huraven. Drawing closer, he was able to make out more features of the man. He was tall, if his seated height way any indicator, his hair was jet black, tied in a short topknot, and he was well built, clearly physically fit. Xander wondered what classes the man had. Is [Noble] or [Lord] a class? Or are they just pulling from the same kind of classes everyone else had access to?
Vitril approached the gazebo and swept a bow to Lord Huraven, and said “My lord, the mercenary team desiring to take on the bodyguard contract that you posted with the guild,” introducing the team.
Huraven looked over the team for a short time, eyeing them each up and down, even Freyja, before speaking. “Mm. Well, you at least appear professional enough. Come, sit, and we shall speak.”
Atrax spoke up once again, “Of course, thank you for seeing us, Lord Huraven.” He followed up with a short bow, and the team began filing into chairs at the table. Freyja laid down behind Xander’s chair.
“As you already know, this is a bodyguard contract,” began Lord Huraven. “Tell me, what qualifications do you bear that would make you fit for it? I would hear from each of you as to why you would be beneficial to a contract that involves guarding my own blood.”
Atrax started first. “Well, Lord Huraven, I am a [Fire Mage] as well as a [Scholar of the Ancient]. My fire-based skills allow me to effectively deny space to any enemy that wishes to draw near to us or the one we are guarding. I am also quite proficient in research, should a threat require more knowledge to be dealt with.” Lord Huraven nodded, and Atrax turned his head to Graffus, who was seated next to him.
“I am a [Shield Bearer] and an [Earth Wielder]. With my shield skills, I am able to protect myself or others around me from attacks, while my earth skills primarily serve to augment myself, allowing me to take even more hits.” Another nod from Huraven, and then it was Frazay’s turn.
“I am a [Ranger], [Archer], and [Druid of the Forest]. While Atrax and Graffus serve to prevent enemies or attacks, I can use my abilities to down attackers from a distance, or slow down anyone or anything that might find a way around Atrax’s flames.” Next up was Xander.
Xander felt nervous about having to sell his skills to Huraven, but managed to keep it from his voice. “I’m an [Artificer], [Soldier], and [Demolitionist]. I’m proficient in ranged and melee weaponry, allowing me to support my teammates at any distance, and I can create devices tailored to the situations we may be facing. I can also use my skills to reshape existing materials, allowing me to create defensive structures in the case we come under attack.” Huraven’s eyebrows raised slightly upon hearing ‘[Demolitionist],’ but he made no comment. Gabrelle was the last and appeared the most nervous.
“Ah, I’m a [Medic] and an [Herbalist]… so, I suppose I’ll be healing my allies if they need it.” Gabrelle’s introduction was much shorter than the others, as she did not know what else to say. She thought for a moment and quickly added, “And also the person we’re guarding!”
Lord Huraven looked the group over again, still appraising them. “And… the cat?” He questioned.
Xander spoke up. “Ah, Freyja is my bonded companion. She’s quite intelligent, and so capable of helping us guard someone, as well as patrolling an area.”
“Mm. Interesting, I would not have thought that your classes would have supported bonding an animal.” Lord Huraven paused again, thinking. “I believe you shall do. You appear able to handle a variety of situations as a team, as well as the ability to secure an area should you need to do so. I think we can proceed with the details of the contract now.”
The team breathed a collective silent sigh of relief. Huraven had held his cards close to his chest the entire time, offering no indication during their introduction as to whether he thought they were fit for the contract or not. The man likely made quite the negotiator.
Lord Huraven began speaking again. “As I’m sure you know, the Huraven family has close ties to the city guard and supports many of its endeavors. We’ve recently been working on uncovering a smuggling ring in the city.” Huraven grimaced. “The worst kind of scum. We’ve had accounts of the trafficking of sentient beings, drug dealings, the whole gamut of banned activities. They have a stranglehold over the black market in the city, so it has been hard getting any information on them beyond what is available at a surface level. But we have been making headway, and they’ve noticed. Recently, I was made aware of a threat against my family. This group feels that they can pressure me and my family into dropping this investigation into their activities. My eldest son and I are quite capable of defending ourselves, however, my youngest daughter, due to the combination of her age and her classes, is not. This makes her the easiest target for this group. We have had a few attempts at trespassing on the estate, so I am taking this threat quite seriously. You five will stay at the estate and guard my daughter as she goes about her days in the city and ensure that she is safe both here and outside the grounds of this estate, should you wish to proceed with the contract.”
Atrax looked at his companions, all still seated at the table. He received a nod from each of them in turn. They would take the contract. The pay for it would be well worth the effort. “We accept, Lord Huraven,” Atrax said.