Ten minutes early.

"Hey Dan? What do you think Rudolf is going to do to that dark elf?" Sigmund asked his friend.

Dan was the leader of the squad of four on night watch.

"It's not really my place to talk about what goes on with his business," Dan responded.

"I bet they're having his way with her. Man, I wish I could get me a fine slave like that. Nothing like having a beauty like that taking care of you. Am I right?" Czes asked, trying to sound cool.

Dan just rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Why don't you three shut up already? I'm tired of hearing this kind of talk." Dan growled out before turning back towards the campfire.

"Pff! What's his problem?" Hagen laughed.

"You know what's his problem? He's jealous. If you ask me, I think he's got something for that dark elf and doesn’t want to admit it." Czes suggested.

"He wouldn't be the first to have a crush on her..." Sigmund whispered.

"If you three have time to talk then you have time to go on patrol. Now get going before I get angry." Dan said in a low voice.

"Really? No one knows we are out here?" Hagen asked.

"What does it matter? Just keep your mouths shut and do your job." Dan replied angrily.

Sigmund, Hagen, and Czes were silent as they left their position and began to walk downstream of the small river to do a patrol of the area by the entrance of the ravine.

***

"Salty prick, that's what he is..." Hagen muttered.

"Yeah, I agree with you there. Let's just do it and get it over with." Sigmund mumbled.

"Fuck. I told Dan no one knows we are here. It's a waste of our time. Time we could be having with the dark elf." Czes complained.

Sigmund stopped walking and looked down the path. "Shit man. Do you ever feel like everything is falling apart with this mercenary group? I mean we have been on the run for almost a year before coming to the Fiafyr Kingdom?"

"Yeah, we lost a lot of friends fighting those fucking royals. Backstabbing bastards. Not to mention all the other battles we've fought along the way." Hagen added.

"Well, I think Rudolf will get us riches and land like he promised us. No way the duke will back down from his promise." Czes said confidently.

"I hope you're right. I am getting sick of this life. We should find another group and see if they pay better if things don’t pan out." Sigmund offered.

"Rudolf better, he insisted that if we stick to his original plan we’ll get paid big time. Plus, he hasn't paid us last month because he had to buy that single slave collar. I didn’t realize he would use it on a dark elf. I mean that dark elf is hot but how is he going to make all that money back?" Hagen stated.

"Whoring her out of course. Ha ha ha ha!" Czes laughed.

"I wouldn't put it past him. Ah! Damn! I need to take a leak. I'll be back." Sigmund groaned as he needed to relieve himself.

Sigmund walked off the path and let out a sigh of relief when he relieved himself behind some bushes on the other side of a big boulder at the entrance of the ravine.

*Step, step, step, STEP! PUNCH!*

*Crash!*

Dalia comes flying in, punching the back on the head of Sigmund. He flies forward and hits the ground hard causing his nose to break on impact.

Dalia jumps out of the way of an incoming arrow fired from Hagen.

"Sigmund! Where did the mutt come from?" Czes exclaimed.

Sigmund rolled over somehow maintaining his consciousness after taking the hit to the head and saw Dalia looking up at him.

"Tck! He's still conscious. I pulled my punch! Gamma!" Dalia yelled as she got up and ran off.

She was quick. Her speed was incredible as she avoided more incoming arrows that were aimed at her.

Hagen and Czes began firing their arrows at the wolf-kin as best as they could.

"The bitch is too fucking fast! I can't even get close to her!" Hagen yelled.

"Keep her busy! I'll get Sigmund!" Czes said as he pulled his short sword.

Hagen took aim and fired. The arrows flew true toward her chest, but she dodged them easily.

"Hehe! You suck at being an archer, human! Can't hit the broad side of a barn!" Dalia taunted.

"SHUT UP!" Hagen yelled as he nocks an arrow and tried to fire.

*Swing! Slice!*

"AH! Fuck!" Hagen said as he landed on the ground and felt blood pouring out of his right shoulder.

Percy flanked Hagen and cut into his shooting arm hoping to disable him.

*Kick! SMASH!*

Percy kicked Hagen in the face, knocking out some of his teeth. He then grabbed the bow from his hands and tossed it away.

"You're not much of a fighter, are you?" Percy asked.

Sigmund got up and saw Hagen still alive despite his injuries.

"CHEAP LITTLE SHITS! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Sigmund screamed as he got up with a bloody face. Czes was standing next to him.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"We're here to take you in custody. It would be wise if you lower your weapons and surrender," Percy said.

Czes looked around and noticed no one else was there.

"This little shit and his bitch dog wants to fight some Black Rose Mercenaries? Trying to play a hero kid?" Czes said with rage in his voice.

"You have it wrong. The Black Roses forfeit their lives when they kidnapped the crown prince's mage and friend. There is only one way out of this if you wish to live." Percy said with a serious tone.

Hagen, Sigmund, and Czes noticed Percy's attire had the royal sigil of House Meredydd.

"So, the Toothless Lion has to send his retainer to do his dirty work for him? Fine. Let me give you all a chance to surrender. Otherwise, we will have to kill you and your dog," Czer said with a grin.

Percy gets annoyed when he hears the Merc insult his master and girlfriend.

"I'm not going to sit back and allow you to insult the next King of Fiafyr. We are Fiafyr, and you have no right to speak to us like that, Merc!" Percy said.

"Gamma! Behind you! Get down!" Dalia yelled out.

Percy's hair on the back of his neck stood on end when a sense of danger came over him. He instinctively ducks and rolls.

*WHOOSH!*

Percy barely saw the head of a war hammer pass him where his head used to be.

"YAHHH!" Dan yelled as he continued to swing around his hammer to keep the momentum so he could strike Percy again.

Dan's body then began to glow with red light as he released the mana from his body into the weapon.

He then charged forward and swung his hammer down onto Percy like he was a metal stake.

"Dodge THIS!" Dan yelled as he brought his hammer down towards Percy.

But before he could hit him, an arrow hit his shoulder changing the direction of his attack making him miss Percy.

*CRASH! BOOM!*

Dust and chunks of rock flew everywhere from the impact of the mana-charged war hammer with the ground.

"DAMMIT! There's a third one! I told you to be on guard!" Dan yelled at his subordinates as his arm started bleeding with an arrow sticking out of it.

The Mercenaries lost sight of Percy as he used the dust as cover while moving towards Hagen.

Within a matter of seconds, Percy made his way to Hagen as he came out of the dust cloud.

*Swing! CLANG!*

Percy's sword struck Hagen's sword.

"SHIT! HE'S ON M~" Hagen tried to defend himself when Percy dual-wielded his short sword and dagger.

*CLUNG! CHING! THURST! SPLAT!*

Percy made consecutive strikes on Hagen until he lost his balance and impaled Hagen's eye with his dagger, deep in the back of his skull.

"Dalia! BRAWL MODE! NOW!" Percy yelled out to his girlfriend.

"About time! I'm not good at holding back anyway." Dalia replied as she ran up to engage both Sigmund and Czer slashing at them with her claws with blazing speed.

*CLING! CLANG!*

"FUCK! This mutt thinks she can take the both of us!? YAHH!" Sigmund yelled as he swung his sword around trying to block Dalia's attacks.

Czer leaped forward and sliced at Dalia's leg with her claws leaving a bloody gash in the flesh of her leg.

"Is that all you got?" Dalia said unfazed by the cuts and blood dripping from her leg while striking Czes after he overcommitted to attacking Dalia.

*CRASH! SLASH*

*TEAR!*

Blood gushes from both of Czes legs from Dalia's mana-infused claws as they easily tore through his leather armor.

"GRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!" Czes screamed as he fell to the ground.

Dalia then gave him a kick in the stomach and sent him flying headfirst into a rock wall, breaking his neck.

"NO! YOU'LL FUCKING PAY FOR THAT!" Sigmund yelled as he swung his sword at Dalia.

"Come on! Come on! I'll make it quick for ya!" Dalia said while slashing at Sigmund knocking his sword out of his hand after a few parries from his attack.

She quickly slices her claws through Sigmund's chest, cutting his heart out.

"H-HOW!? How!?" Sigmund asked in disbelief as he looked down at his chest.

"Hmm? Because you're weak? Should have never angered my wolf. Because of that, I won't give you the dignity of dying slowly." Dalia said as she raised his heart in her hand and ripped it apart.

"Bit~!" Sigmund yelled as he felt his heart stop beating as he slid to the ground.

***

While Dalia was fighting Sigmund and Czes. Percy just pulled out his dagger from Hagen's skull.

*THUD!*

Hagen's body fell to the ground dead with a loud thud.

*STEP STEP! STEP!*

Dan chased after Percy as he tried to dodge his incoming attack.

"You think you're so fucking tough!? You're going to pay for this with your life, boy!" Dan said as he punched Percy in the stomach before he could dodge.

*CRACK! CRUNCH!*

"Gwah!" Percy yelled out as he doubled over from the blow.

"You come here to kill my men! To kill me and my group!" Dan said angrily as he raised his hand up to strike Percy down.

Percy parried the fist with his dagger and kicked him in the chest sending Dan back a good distance.

"I'll give you the option to live or die, Merc. The choice is yours." Percy said as he changed his stance and grabbed hold of his short sword.

'Tck! This guy is going to be a pain in the ass to take down.' Percy thought to himself as he readied his attack.

"Thought you'd run away boy! But you're as stupid as you look! Now die!" Dan said as his body glowed red with mana while he charged toward Percy.

'Come on! Come ON!' Percy was waiting for an opportunity to strike the charging mercenary.

Just as the mercenary was about 10 feet away a strange white arrow flew towards Dan's head striking him in-between the eyes.

He rag-dolled forward to the ground in a lifeless heap as he slid about 5 feet before coming to a stop.

‘Great. We didn't get a prisoner out of this. Haah… Well, at least we know where they are.' Percy thought as he relaxed from his battle stance.

"Nice shot, Lady Nieren! I owe you one." Percy said as he turned to see Nieren in the distance.

"Oh, you better. I only had two of those Shyft Arrows left." Nieren said as she smiled while walking closer to Percy.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked, confused.

"Well, I put him to sleep."

"Huh?"

"I used one of my sleeping arrows on him. It should last about a half hour."

Dalia came walking up to the two of them.

"Dalia!? Your leg!" Percy ran over to her to help dress her wound.

"Oh, come now, Gamma. I've had worse." Dalia said as she stood up and took off her cloak to reveal her long black hair and wolf ears.

"I'm fixing your leg and that's final! Now sit here and hold still!"

Dalia lay down and looked at Percy with a smile.

"You can be overbearing sometimes. But that's why I love you. Hehe." Dalia said while giggling.

Percy looked up at her and shook his head with a smirk while dressing her wound.

"Hey, Nieren, can you tie up that mercenary while I take care of Dalia," Percy said as he was in the middle of cleaning up her wound.

"On it, Sir Percy," Nieren said as she walked over to the sleeping mercenary.

"There you should be good to go," Percy said while looking at Dalia.

"Hehe..." Dalia said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks. You really helped me out there." Dalia said as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Don't mention it," Percy said as he stood up and started walking towards the sleeping mercenary.

Nieren tied Dan's arms behind his back as he lay on the ground.

"There! He shouldn't be able to get out of this anytime soon." Nieren said as she finished tying up the mercenary.

"Good, we need to hide the dead bodies and get this guy out of here. I'm sure Sir George is somewhere south of here." Percy said to the group.

"I'll deal with the dead," Dalia said as she walked over to the fallen body.

"Nieren. Here's a flare arrow to signal the prince. Use it when we're clear of this area. I'll carry this piece of trash." Percy said as he picked up the unconscious mercenary.

"Yes, sir!" Nieren said as she got ready to give the signal.

After some time, they made their way south for a few miles before shooting off the flare.