“So who are these two?” Une asked, “Friends?”
“Yeah.” Dog said, setting his helm down on a nearby table.
“Names might help, Dog.” Une sighed.
“This is Harlow.” He said, “She is a comrade from my time in the Highgarden company.”
Une paused, “You joined a company? The Highgarden at that?”
“I lost a duel.”
“To who? You never lose.”
“Victoria Highgarden.”
“Unbelievable. Continue.”
“I served with them for nearly a year. We were contracted to fight for Korone.”
Une shifted on her bed, “The one that nearly got wiped off the map?”
“Yes.”
“I guess I’m not surprised you made it out. Heard some guy named Drom or something summoned a god. That true?”
Harlow glanced at Dog, Ruby watching silently at the door.
He scratched his ear, “That would be me. My name is actually Éadrom. My mother was a goddess of war. She came to revive me after I… Died.”
Une was silent for a moment, “Guess that explains the eye.”
“I tried ending my life. I did end my life…”
Une froze, “Ah.”
“It has been a very difficult time.” He said.
She sighed, “Come here. Let me get a look at it.”
He pressed his hand to his eyepatch, “It’s healing, not lost. I don’t want you to have to see that.”
“I’m a mercenary, Éadrom.”
“Just Dog, is fine.”
“This is a lot to think on.”
“I understand. I believe I can relate.”
“You’re talking more. Your voice is less hoarse.” She smiled wryly.
“I am learning. Why are you here?” He asked tentatively.
“I was looking for you.”
Dog leaned against a nearby wall, arms folded over his chest, “Ah…”
“I imagine you’ve been faithful?” Une asked, eyeing the women in the room.
“I have.” He admitted, “But I’m not sure we can be together. It’s like you imagine, I’m sorry.”
Une squeezed her eyes shut, “I figured you’d say that once I found you.”
“I’m sorry. You deserve better than me.”
“I see your confidence hasn’t improved any.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Who’s the scary looking one?”
“Ruby.” Dog said, “Come on, she’s safe.”
Ruby chittered, pulling her helmet off and freeing her freshly cut hair. It was short, and heavy around her cheeks.
“Well, I’ve never seen one of you before.”
“A murid.” He said, “We’re kind of a pack I guess.”
“Not kind of. We are.” Ruby rasped.
“She even sounds like you.” Une laughed, “Well met, ladies. I pity the two of you, handling him is not an easy thing.”
“He usually looks out for us.” Harlow admitted, “He always knows so much about everywhere we go.”
Une coughed, “Right. Southerners. I meant in bed.”
Harlow chuckled, “Afraid that’s not something either of us do.”
Une blinked, “Oh. He was being honest then.”
“Why would I not be?” Dog asked, annoyed.
“You have a tendency to tell the truth as it is from your perspective.” Une shrugged, “In your mind, you might’ve been. But the situation fully explained is often different.”
Dog frowned, but said nothing.
“Wow, he’s not even growling.”
“We’ve almost civilized him.” Harlow laughed.
“So I see. So are you leaving after you find your sister, Dog?”
“Yes. To find my other siblings. I’m on a quest.”
“There’s more of you?”
“There is. Though we don’t look alike.”
“So they’re not halflings?”
Dog sighed.
Une laughed, “So sensitive. Get them your rooms, then return. We have much to discuss.”
Dog nodded, guiding his companions down the stairs and booking his own room for the trio. He ordered food, and baths be brought up, his coin purse heavier then he was used to, and returned to Une’s room at the back of the inn.
He was unprepared for her to shove her tongue down his throat, her hands warm against his cheeks, her tears hot, “You left me.” She whispered, her voice breaking.
“I know. I’m sorry.” He replied, pulling her into his chest, “I thought I was protecting you.”
“Where would I be safest, if not at your side? Who could guard my back better than you?” She sobbed.
“Many.” He said, “I should not have misled you. That was wrong of me.”
“You said you’d wait.”
“I was going to.”
“You were?”
“Orcs. As I ran, I changed my mind. I’m sorry.”
“Rotten green bastards!” She punched his chest.
“I’m sorry. You deserve better than me, Une.”
“I want you, you fool.”
“My quest is not safe for you.”
“I am a shieldmaiden, I’m never safe. I chose this life.”
“There are others.”
She sighed, “I had figured there might be. You did not lie?”
“I have taken no one to my bed. Many have slept at my side, but only as companions. I swear.”
She relaxed into him, “I knew letting you out of my sight was a bad idea. Who?”
“Victoria Highgarden, though it is complicated.”
“She’s beautiful, they say.”
“Louen of Korone. Though I don’t love them.”
Une paused, “The king?”
“Queen. That might not have reached here yet.” He explained sheepishly.
“Stiff competition.”
“She’s a girl with a crush.”
“I heard she’s your age.”
“Nearly.” He admitted, “Still young. Carrying the weight of her kingdom on her shoulders.”
“Who else? I see it in your eyes, there are more.”
“Maestra, and Ariel.” He said.
“They sound like elves.”
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“They are. They are soulbound to me. It happened during the campaign. I left before they could speak to me, I told them to live their lives.”
“Twins?”
“Yes.”
“Dammit.” Une rubbed the tears from her face, “You are always so much trouble.”
“I’m not trying to be. I’m not sure I’m good enough to be someone’s partner. I’m only me, Une. Anyone would do better.”
“It is about what someone longs for, not who might bring in the most coin, or the safest life. Haven’t you learned anything?”
“I learned I was horrible to you.” He said, “I learned I should have appreciated your kindness instead of belittling it. I learned that your kindness is a virtue, not something to scoff at.”
“Maybe you have learned.” She grinned, laughing through her tears, “Bastard. I love you.”
Dog froze, his brain struggling to process.
“There’s that face I like so much.” She said, “Can I go with you? When you leave? Please?”
“Yes.” He said after a moment, “But I can’t be who you want me to be. I must be who I am inside.”
“I had a feeling neither of us would be.” She replied, laughing bitterly “You don’t need to apologize for being harsh on me. You were trying to keep me alive. We succeeded because of you.”
“Maybe.” He admitted, “But I should have cherished you more. I look at our time together with a less painful eye.” He chuckled, tapping his eyepatch.
She felt her heart skip in her chest.
“I have learned to appreciate the time between battle.”
“Oh?” She grinned, her body warm against his, “Like we often did amidst the storms? I can still remember-“
He pressed his head against her own, tackling her backwards onto her bed, his face slick with tears.
“I'm sorry. I wasn't brave enough to say it before, but I missed you.” His cheeks were wet where he pressed himself into her neck.
She felt her heart ache, and swallowed her jokes and the truth she still hid as she tucked him close, content for now to languish in his scent, “You've been through a lot, haven't you?”
“Yeah…”
----------------------------------------
Dog arrived at breakfast to find Ruby unable to meet his eyes, a subtle glare on her face. Harlow watched impassively. The tavern was busy, and loud. Food flowing like water through the small pub.
“Morning.” He said, “Did you have food in the room, Ruby?”
“Yes.” She hissed.
Dog nodded hesitantly, “How did the two of you sleep?”
“We didn’t. We could hear you.” Harlow laughed, “Didn’t think you had it in you. There’s always more than meets the eye with you.”
Dog pulled down his hood, cheeks burning, “We didn't even do anything.”
“I didn’t know you could blush that badly. This really is a new adventure all together.”
“Enough.” He hissed.
“You think she had enough?”
“Agh.” Dog shook his head, busying himself with his breakfast.
“Did you eat her as much as you’re eating that porridge?”
Dog frowned, sniffing the air.
“What?” Harlow asked.
“Why do you smell like me?” He asked, sniffing again, “Ruby? You as well?”
Ruby shifted.
“Don’t you dare.” Harlow warned.
“Ruby.” Dog pressed.
“I do not… Want to lie to Dog-Huuunter.” She cursed, “Dammit.”
“Lie about what?”
“You weren’t there.” Ruby growled at last, “You share bed with Ruby! We are pack! Where Dog?”
“Ruby, your volume.” He reminded her.
“You watch your volume!” Ruby quietly chittered, “Keep me up all night worried! Sleep in her bed!”
“It was just one night, Ruby.”
“Is it-it?”
Dog hesitated, “She’ll be joining us. To find the others.”
Ruby’s eyes burned beneath her helm, “No.”
“Ruby…” Dog sighed, “She’s a capable warrior. Why’re you upset?”
“You promise Ruby we Dog Claw!” Her common worsened as her anger rose, “You no sleep next to the big lady, you sleep next to Ruby!”
“What an unexpected development.” Harlow struggled to hide her laughter.
Ruby glared, “Quiet Harlow-pervert! I will tell!”
“Shut up you damn, rat!” Harlow challenged, “You’d tell on both of us! Besides they just sat there all night
“I am not shame-fear, Harlow-thing! I am mad-angry!” She replied, “Be quiet!”
“Jeez, fine! But I’m not sharing any more cheese!”
“Traitor!”
“You started it!”
“Explain yourselves! Both of you!” Dog grunted, “What is going on here?”
“Liar!” Ruby spat, standing and heading for the door, “I go find. Leave me alone!”
Dog watched aghast as she fled, vanishing into the misty, dark city beyond, her blades on her hips.
“Do not antagonize her.” Dog turned, “She is learning. Everything she is seeing, she is seeing for the first time. You need to remember that. She is inexperienced.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Harlow sighed, rubbing her hair, “I’ll apologize when she gets back. We need to head out soon anyways, get a lay of the land, right?”
“Right. Go get ready, I’ll meet you outside.”
“Is your girlfriend coming?”
He shook his head, “She isn’t my girlfriend, and she’s not coming.”
“I wouldn’t be up to walking all day either, after a night like that.”
“Harlow! Gross!”
----------------------------------------
Ruby crept long into the waning hours, watching from shaded roof tops, snaking her way into any hole she could find. She watched as the townspeople went about their business, her ears trained, nose to the damp air, smelling for any sign of something unusual.
“Stupid-dumb mist. Ruby hunt-search! Hard sniff-smell!” She grumbled quietly, watching as a man took his wife by the hip, guiding her into their home below her. She scoffed, chittering curses and insults as she pressed on.
“Nobody smell weird. No smell like mage.” She thought out loud, scaling the town walls, running a loop around the city. She eyed the guards, noting their dutiful attentiveness, and efficiency. They never slacked, never wavered, and were entirely obedient to their officers. She watched curiously, noting their shift changes, and rotations in her mind.
“Weird-odd. Almost like dead-rotting ones. Korone is clumsier, more lazy. Humans that are different?” She sniffed, “No-no! Something odd. Look-watch more.”
She scaled a nearby tower, claws digging in and finding purchase with ease. She molded herself to a nearby gargoyle, surprised at the thickness of the clouds above, and the mist in the air.
“Daytime, yes-yes?” She hummed, “No sunlight, almost-yes. Why so dark? Not too far north. Away from mountains. Near ocean-big water.” She carried on, watching, red eyes piercing through the darkness.
She looped around to the tavern, spying Une exit, her armor gone. In it's place, she found that the woman wore light linen, and cloth. She headed into the bustling streets, heading for the city gates.
“Une-stealer. Where go? Follow?” She asked no one, “Dog mad… Dog angry if follow-track.” Her eyes hardened, “Dog dumb-stupid. Follow for now. Return later.”
She crept through the shadows, her paws silent on the tile shingles that layered the roofs. She followed her through alleyways and markets, past pubs and diners, eyes burning into her back as she silently fumed. She glanced around, nose testing the air. She frowned from her hiding place, watching as what looked like shadows moved through the darkness beyond the city walls, and atop rooftops further in, near the sinister castle at the heart of Vladislav.
She glanced back to where she’d last seen Une, frowning as the woman was nowhere to be seen, “Where go? Vanish? Wizard like Merlin-thing?”
She turned her gaze to the city proper, an uneasy feeling in her gut.
“Return to inn-den. No chances-risks. Dog angrier.” She turned, vanishing into the shadows.
----------------------------------------
Dog and Harlow traveled by foot, their weapons drawn and at the ready as they trekked through the rugged wilderness of Vladislav. Darkness filled every spot within their line of sight, layering upon the shadows and concealing its traps, and tricks. Dog pulled her along, pausing at a split in the foliage.
“Something has been through here.” Dog noted, “Often. These bushes are covered in thorns, it’s no peasant, they’d go around.”
“Undead?”
“Maybe. “ He admitted, “Though they are inclined to take the path of least resistance. There shouldn’t be this many close to the city. These tracks are too heavy.”
“Why are there so many here, anyways? There are hardly any beyond this country. Maybe in old crypts, or graveyards, but never elsewhere.”
“The climate is dark, and wet.” He said, “They don’t bleach in the sun, it’s easier for the magic of undeath to run wild. That’s the leading idea at least. The truth is, nobody knows. There’s just always been a place like this. Merlin said, anyway. He suspects that a powerful necromancer once lived here, and his magic never faded after he died. It scares the locals so much they bury the dead in boxes of stone.”
“This place sounds horrible.”
“It’s no different than anywhere else in the kingdoms of man.” Dog shrugged, his nose pressed to the dirt, “They all have their problems. Korone with its Bovir and rats apparently, all of the north is basically a death trap, and the rest are beset by orcs, goblins, or worse. I hear ogres are starting to move again down south, companies will be mobilizing there too. It’s always war, Harlow. Always something hungry for humans.”
“You hardly see such sights amidst the Highgarden company. Other mercenaries, or soldiers, sure. But it’s rare to even see an elf, let alone an Ishlan or weirder.”
“Companies don’t often travel beyond the borders. There are fewer safe places, then where other humans are. We are fortunate that they’re often too busy fighting others to worry about us.”
“Is it that horrid outside the kingdoms?”
“Depends on where. Ishlan is like this, but they are beset by monsters from the desert, below the ground, and from the sea. Most tribes wander, chasing water and food. There’s also the jungles. Those are not a place I would wish to return to.”
“Oh yeah? Why?”
“We were stalked once, the company who contacted me and myself. Enormous cats with no eyes dwell there. They track you by sound, and by smell. They change color, blending with the forests. Those were the easy prey.”
“Makes me never want to leave the kingdoms.”
“You might not survive.”
“You cock.”
“It is not arrogance, it is worry.” He admitted, tracking the prints beneath him, “You are my comrade. I would see you survive these journeys.”
She kicked a rock, “I wish you didn’t talk so much. I was happy in my ignorance.”
“Then don’t leave these places. It will only shatter your hope more.”
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes.
“Harlow, be wary. I hear something.”
“What?” She asked, raising her great sword, “Undead? Finally?”
“No.” Dog grunted, “These prints are as large as bears, but their tracks do not look like this. Stay behind me, and back away slowly.”
“Why would I-“ Harlow paused, a shadow falling over them.
It rose from beyond the thorn bushes, hulking frame towering over the both of them. Its ratty wings beat once, twice, three times, and the mist around them vanished. Marlow gulped, eyeing the stony skin around it's body, and muzzle. It glared, baring its teeth, red eyes burning like hot coals. The beast's burnt hide was as dark as stone, crackling and rippling as it shifted, the muscles within rippling. It eyed them like one might an insect, disgust and rage mounting further, and further still, claws glinting even in the low light, stained with mud and filth.
“Gargoyle.” He whispered.
“I thought those were statues!” Harlow hissed.
“They are modeled after something.” He chuckled nervously, axe raised, “These are very rare. Very dangerous. Very powerful.”
“Can you beat it?”
“I can stall it so you can escape.” He admitted, “Go! I will follow after.”
Harlow found her legs unresponsive as it moved, the ground shaking.
Dog growled, pulling his helmet free and baring his teeth at the beast. He pounded the ground beneath him, dragging his boots through the dirt and mud in challenge.
The gargoyle growled, the low rumble shaking Harlow from the inside out.
“Go, Harlow!” He spat, “I cannot protect you if you stay!” He stepped towards the beast, snarling and gnashing his teeth, giving it pause, “Away! We have no quarrel with you, ancient of the mountains!”
The gargoyle’s eyes twisted, and it licked its teeth as it eyed Harlow’s shaking body.
“Rargh!” Dog howled, slamming his axe into the ground. The earth beneath it immolated, turning the mud into hard packed dirt in an instant.
The gargoyle eyed him with newfound weariness. It moved in an instant, and Dog sighed, turning and grabbing Harlow as it hurled a tree at her. Dog grunted, feeling it slam into his back as he wrapped his body around hers, and they were launched into the river.