My name is Audra, and I am nineteen years old. At this moment I kinda wish I was dead, because if I somehow manage to survive this fight, I think either Captain Aldric or Daveth is going to peel my hide off in strips. Perhaps both of them, together.
A fireball sailed overhead; the things traveled slower than her arrows, but was fast enough to send everyone scrambling for cover. Everyone in the hall was shouting, screaming, cursing- maybe all of them all at once, at the same time. Audra herself knew she wanted to do the same.
My village is roughly a hundred miles north and west of Tannit, across the lake from the human village of Higgenfal. Our village is less than a hundred years old, but Higgenfal has been there since the War of Liberation. While the Anglish Empire is somewhat... dodgy in their dealings with elves, the people of Higgenfal have helped out our village, and we have an amicable relationship.
My mother once told me that her grandmother had said that there was a curse in our bloodline, the curse of “wanderlust”, an irresistible urge to go out and see the world, and I don’t know about such things myself, but if such a curse existed, it definitely showed in my blood, because I could never seem to sit still.
Audra lay an arrow across her bowstring while taking shelter in the corner between the vast fireplace and the stone wall. The heat from the hearthstones was nearly searing, even through her leather armor, but at least nobody was shooting off spells at her. Maybe they should have. After all, it was her fault that they were in this mess.
I set out with my bow as quickly as I could, leaving my mother and my little sister behind, prepared to lie about my age if necessary in order to sign on with one of the mercenary companies that recruited at Tannit. It turned out my prepared lie wasn’t even necessary; the enormous giant of a man that I later came to know as Daveth was probably the biggest human being I’d ever seen. His arms and legs were as thick as whole tree trunks and he himself was at least head and shoulders taller than all the other humans around him!
The Seventh Seal had come to what had been explained as “The Barony of Simeon”; in reality, it was just another town of a thousand people or so. Audra herself had seen an actual Duchy, and while she wasn’t certain what the difference between a barony and a duchy really was, she was certain that a proper barony probably had more people than the average logging village.
There, they’d been directed to present themselves to the Baron Archmagus Simeon Karstead. Captain Aldric had that sarcastic little half-smile and calculating glint in his eye that he usually had when it came to dealing with people in authority- it carried in the stiffness in his posture, the way he casually eyed everything and everyone around him as pieces to be moved about on a chessboard to his whim. Not quite arrogance, but a degree of... certainty, perhaps, that no matter what, things would turn out in his favor.
Daveth was trying to be inscrutable as always, which meant that he was as easy to read as a book. There was a certain wariness in his posture even when he was relaxed. Like a colossus bear, poised on the brink of a nap or immediate violence, capable of either within the same heartbeat. Captain Aldric seemed to think that Daveth was an idiot, but he wasn’t, he was like her, he had been raised simply, far away from intrigues and gossips and noble society that Aldric had likely grown up in.
He picked up things very quickly, though. He had to, in order to be a Commander. He could be crafty and could be patient, but mostly he was just the same as every other ordinary human she’d met in her life: a bit boyish, a bit rough about the edges, and sometimes a little too clever for his own good. His berserker rages terrified her.
...and then all hell had broken loose- because of her.
A young man popped up from behind an overturned bench, some magic swirling in his cupped palm. Audra’s arrow was drawn and released so quickly she didn’t even have time to think about it; the arrow punched through the soft gap between the neck and shoulder and sank in up to its fletchings; she’d have to give up on retrieving that particular arrow.
“EVERYONE, CEASE FIRE!” Aldric yelled, using his battlefield shout. In this dining hall it boomed like thunder, even against the stone walls, and for a few blessed moments, everyone did. Audra nocked another arrow and drew the arrow to her cheek.
“There are some things that ... things that were said, things that were done on both sides we deeply regret. Let’s stop this, all right? No fighting. We didn’t come here for that.” Aldric essayed, rising to his feet. “Now, is there anyone in authority that we can talk to?” Aldric called out. “A son? A daughter of the Baron? Anyone?”
Audra stepped away from her cover, her bow tracking across the room. The air reeked of gunpowder and ozone, blood and bile. Bodies lay everywhere; blessedly few among the Seventh Seal. After Audra’s lapse in temper, violence had exploded in the hall.
The Baron’s men might have had some experience in fighting, but the Seventh Seal was disciplined, schooled in theatres of violence across three different continents, across deserts, arctic tundras, and strange jungles. Twenty rifles fell into hands ready to use them and hammered out a brutal sentence of summary execution.
The Baron’s men and women were seasoned mages, well-used to dealing with forces larger than themselves, but they couldn’t contend with the thunderous lethality of firearms.
The rumor was that Daveth had personally stripped and hung each of those strange Wolf sisters by their ankles in Bel-Arib while Morden whipped their backs raw for the second offense of “fighting in the ranks”. I’m pretty sure that’d be the least of my punishments. I fucked up, big time.
*****
Audra watched her Captain and Commander talking as the Tross went to work, fanning out across the abandoned battlefield.
“I had my doubts.” Daveth muttered, “When we landed, I didn’t think we’d make it past the first town. But you were right, those five towns were ripe for the plucking. Steady work, low risk, kill some bandits and get a hot meal, bandages, clean water. Not too shabby at all.”
“As long as those towns keep trading with each other, business is flowing, and business is good.” Captain Aldric agreed. “There should be another town up here past this canyon a ways. Least, that’s what we’ve been told.”
“Same offer? A trade route through the pass to the towns on the other side?”
Captain Aldric shrugged. “That, I don't know. This canyon will always be a spot for an ambush. Anyone can get up there and dump shit down on top of anyone that happens to go through it. Doesn’t have to be mutants or freaks, either. Some asshat with a boner and a grudge could decide that they own that pass and depending on how it goes, could rain fury down on everyone.”
Daveth frowned. “We don’t have the men to secure the pass and keep it secured.”
Captain Aldric nodded. “Agreed. Not our job, either. We get the towns talking to each other on either side, we might just convince them it’s in their best interests to secure it for themselves.”
Speaking of securing things, Audra wanted guns for her scouts. They were usually the first ones into any battle, lightly armored skirmishers on horseback; they deserved more than just the horsebows and shortswords they carried. Why did they get issued to infantry files?
She approached the two on her own horse, a lithe, dainty mare that was surprisingly nimble and skilled at jumping over obstacles.
“Which army should we follow?” She asked, causing Daveth and Aldric to stop talking and face her.
Captain Aldric glanced at Daveth.
“Neither?” Daveth hazarded, and her captain nodded.
“Neither. We stick to the road.” he agreed. He eyed Audra. “I want the scouts tight on our flanks. Tight enough, at least to give us a shout if more trouble comes our way, but not so loose that you attract any.”
Oh, how she loved her captain’s ambiguity. Still, it made for better riding.
“Still nothing from the Wolf sisters?” Aldric asked Daveth, who shrugged.
Daveth had told her that it was likely that the Wolf sisters called Philippa home. It made sense, of a sort; the women were well-known to the theatre of warfare, and it was possible they had allies here. That’s what Daveth was hoping for, anyway. Find the Wolf sisters’ allies and use them to build up a base of power that would eventually roll over all of Philippa. She didn’t understand why it was important that they ally with the Wolf sisters’ allies, but that wasn’t her job.
However human the Wolf sisters looked, they seemed to carry at least some beastfolk blood in their veins. They liked to talk of things like “honor” and “discipline” as if they were holy words, but Audra herself wasn’t so certain what they meant. At least, they seemed to think it was proper and dignified to face the enemy and attack them from the front.
Audra whistled to her scouts and flashed some hand signals. She trusted her men; at least the ones she trained.
The Seventh Seal moved out after clearing the battlefield of armor, weapons and anything usable and moved on down the road, a road built hundreds of years prior. The Wolf sisters, Lynnabel and Alysia trotted past Audra’s horse, not once glancing in her direction. They were an odd pair; they disdained horses, alcohol, or a sense of humor.
This side of the pass the land was covered on rolling hills and patches of forest. She had no idea what sort of trees these were, they weren’t like the pine and boarswood forests she grew up in, but she could spot the clear sign of game tracks and droppings here and there. Here the road curved around some of the hills, sometimes crossing them directly. As the Seal headed south they came to a crossroads; Aldric and Daveth each picked opposite directions. Aldric strugged, and they turned right, heading west. Several people, including the captain, pulled out maps and updated them accordingly; Audra wouldn’t need to, she trusted in her memory and sense of direction.
After traveling for about thirty or so miles, bits of rubble began to dot the verdant landscape and Audra waved to her scouts as she strung her short bow and lay an arrow across her lap, ready to be nocked and drawn in a heartbeat. She knew her men would be doing the same thing. Those bits of rubble could hide bandits or monsters, and it was the onus of the scout squad to be the first to react to any situation. She kept her head on a swivel, eyes probing shadows, assessing how many threats could come from any particular direction.
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Something tingled along her spine and tickled her nose; she didn’t have much in the way of a magical affinity, but there was definitely something magical nearby.
As they crested a hill, off the side of the road was a rather large manor, and surrounding it was tilled earth. A number of people worked the fields, whether planting or harvesting, she couldn’t tell.
She turned back and signaled the rest of the Seal and headed back towards the moving army that overflowed the road.
“A house, sir.” Audra reported Captain Aldric and Daveth.
“A house? Just a house?” Aldric asked, and Audra shook her head. “Occupied. People working the fields.”
“Friendly or hostile?” Daveth asked, and Audra shrugged. “Dunno. I can smell magic on them though, so we should probably be careful.”
Captain Aldric ordered the Seal to form ranks, then he, Daveth, and Audra rode down towards the house.
An older man, white haired and bearded, stepped out of the front door of the house, carrying a staff with twists of metal and large crystals in the top.
“What business do you have here? These’re my lands.” The man declared.
Aldric pulled off his riding gloves and tucked them behind his belt and then leaned down a bit on his horse.
“Trade, hopefully.”
The man shrugged. “Don’t need much from an army.” He eyed them again. “What do you really want?”
Aldric cleared his throat, and gestured at the road. “We’d like to continue heading down the road that way. You mind if we pass you by, or will there be a problem?”
The man snorted. “You think there’s gonna be a problem?” He challenged, and Aldric smiled.
“Only if you want one.” He replied simply. “We come from the other side of the mountain pass, and we’re looking for people that’re interested in trading. There’s towns on the other side that have all sorts of things a farmer might need.”
The man shook his head. “Nobody gets through that pass. It’s the domain of the Baron.”
Aldric flicked a meaningful glance at Daveth.
“Well, we came through it. Where should we go to pay this ...Baron our respects?” Aldric asked.
The man shrugged again. “Don’t know, don’t care. I don’t truck with the Baron. I just live here with my family.”
“And the bandits? The raids?” Aldric asked curiously.
“Ain’t no problem. My land’s warded against trespassers. You’re the bigger problem.”
“I could see how that could be.” Aldric agreed. “You sure you don’t want to do business?”
“Ain’t got a need.” The man replied. “We make everything we need.”
“What about our side, then? Can we buy food? Water?”
The man scratched his beard. “Ain’t got enough food for your army, I’d guess, but I could let you top off your water barrels, provided two conditions.”
Aldric raised his eyebrows. “Mmm?”
“One, you cause no trouble. Two, You move along nice and peaceful and don’t bother me none no more.”
Aldric nodded. “Deal. How much for the water?”
The man snorted. “The well’s fed from an aquifer. Take what you like. I couldn’t use it all up in a hundred years.”
Aldric nodded. “I’ll have my men bring the water barrels around then, if you don’t mind.”
The man nodded, spat into his palm and held it out.
Audra had seen that sort of gesture from peasants on both sides of the Mirras. Aldric’s eye twitched, but he returned the gesture and clasped the man’s hand, sealing the deal.
*****
True to his word, Aldric caused no trouble, and true to the man’s word- who nobody could name, since he failed to offer one- he allowed the Seal to fill up their water barrels. Once they were finished, they set off down the road, leaving the elderly mage to his home.
“We’ve been spotted.” Aldra reported as she saw tiny figures in the distance start moving about.
“”Hopefully they’re as peaceful as the old man.” Daveth muttered, puffing on his pipe. Audra liked the giant, but the smell of tobacco was unpleasant in her nose. Well, she wouldn’t be sharing his bedroll again unless there was a proper place to bed down with some privacy.
Captain Aldric peered out with his scope, having retrieved it once again from Daveth. The two of them apparently liked to fight over the thing.
“Hmm. You know the drill: triple red until we know what we’re dealing with.” He moved to stow his scope in his saddlebag, eyed Daveth, and tucked it into his coat, instead.
Triple Red was the callsign for “everyone keep a weapon close at hand and keep their heads on a swivel because we’re in hostile territory and could be attacked at any time.” Theoretically there were other times when they weren’t at a “triple red” status, but as far as Audra knew, Aldric treated every place as “triple red”.
She’d tried asking Aldric about it, once. “There’s nothing like a good healthy sense of paranoia and caution to keep your head firmly attached to your shoulders.”
She could agree to that, with the exception of her home. She had family there. If you couldn’t relax around your family, where could you?
“Daveth, get out the banner.” Captain Aldric commanded.
“I thought we agreed that we’re not flying it?” Daveth argued.
“Changed my mind.”
Out came the banner, a deep red like blood with seven sabers.
“It’s a dumb idea.” Daveth warned.
“It gives us credibility. You don’t see bandits flying a banner, do you?”
“The Carrion Crows.” Daveth reminded him.
“Fuck you.” Aldric replied comfortably.
Audra would have liked to have joined in on the banter, but it was clearly a captain-commander thing. None of the file leaders could participate unless they were invited, which they weren’t.
“Mmm.” Aldric noticed what Audra had already seen, they were approaching a town, one with watchtowers and walls. “Spread out the files. We’ll approach in formation.”
“They’re fortified.”
“Since when has that stopped us?” Aldric asked curiously. Daveth shrugged. “I’d feel better if we had mages, cannon, and the crank-guns.”
“We’ve got none of those. We’ll just have to deal with what we’ve got.”
Captain Aldric stopped the Seal out of bowshot range and went ahead.
“Ho the town!” He hollered up at those manning the walls.
*****
The self-proclaimed Baron Archmagus Simeon Karstead was responsible for this city- or ‘barony’ as he referred to it- and its army of resident mages. It was his mage corps they’d encountered earlier, skirmishing with another self-professed ‘lord’. He was surrounded by ‘pissant upstarts’ who didn’t respect his authority. If the Seal wanted to live long, healthy lives, they needed only to swear allegiance to him and him alone. Only then would he be able to guarantee their survival.
“Actually, we didn’t come here to fight. We came offering avenues of trade.” Aldric offered.
The Baron, a bloated, morbidly obese thing with the glassy-eyed glare of a perpetual addict of whatever bitter herbs he was habitually chewing, frowned.
“Trade? With whom? For what?” He sneered, wiping at the corners of his mouth.
“Well, we’ve been working our way inland from the coast, trading with various communities. Some places need wool and cotton and linen, other places need nails, horseshoes, general smithy work. Everyone needs something, even if it’s just food and water. All we offer is an escort for your merchants. Safe passage to the places you can trade with.” Aldric offered smoothly.
The Baron sifted some powdered green leaves into a shot of brandy and downed it. “Ahhhhh.” He breathed, and then wiped the corners of his mouth again. His belly forced itself against his shirt.
“There is no trade here.” He finally stated thickly as whatever he imbibed started to kick in. “There’s only the Barony and those that oppose me.”
Captain Aldric shook his head, and eyed the audience chamber.
The room was huge enough to accommodate five full files of the seventh seal- a hundred men and women- with enough room to spare for the grotesque baron and an equal number of his followers.
“We’ve come from beyond the mountain pass; I can assure you, there are communities that are interested in trade-” Aldric began, but the baron’s unfocused eyes sharpened.
“The pass? My Pass? You came through there? Nobody gets through there. My children see to that.”
Aldric combed his beard with his fingertips. “You might want to ride out there sometime. The place was crawling with mutants.”
The Baron giggled girlishly at that, drool leaking from the corners of his mouth.
“Yes, my children keep the pass well secured against upstarts that dare to come through from that direction.”
Daveth and Aldric exchanged looks at that.
“...right.” Aldric agreed reluctantly. “So, about trade-” He began, and then the Baron sneered.
“You have no idea how nobility works, mercenary.” The Baron sneered, and Aldric stiffened imperceptibly. “I decide if trade is necessary, and I say it’s not. You want to be of use? There’s a tribe of those soulless, filthy elves fifty miles west of here, on my land, and if you wipe them from the skin of this world, I might spare some thought to your-”
He cut off with a sharp gurgle as an arrow punched through his neck. His thick fingers touched the fletchings, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
Daveth jerked his head around as Audra pulled another arrow from the quiver on her hip
“Fucking-” He began, and then someone screamed and that’s when everything went to shit.
The room was a shattered, smoky wreck, with thick wooden tables heaved over for cover on both sides. As more and more people came into the room with staves or wands, the riflemen cracked out, Audra’s arrows found those that tried to dive for cover.
Aldric shouted for a cease fire, but by then, the only people in the room alive were those of the Seal.
“Fucking-” Aldric began, and threw his riding gloves on the floor in anger. “What the fuck what that about, Scout?” Aldric turned on Audra.
Audra sent him a look, still eyeing the entrances to the room- one on either side of the fat baron’s wooden throne.
“You heard what he called me.” She complained.
“I didn’t hear him say shit about you.” Daveth took up the argument.
Aldric’s face twisted. “Kind of pointless, now.” he muttered. “And under other circumstances, I might have done for him myself, especially with that crack about nobility.” He scrubbed his face with his hands, and bent to pick up his gloves. “What a clusterfuck of shit this is.”
“I’d say we did ourselves a favor...” Daveth hazarded cautiously. “We nearly had our shit pushed in at the pass because of his... children.”
Aldric let out a gusty sigh. “Fuck it.” He muttered in a dead voice. “Kill them all. No quarter.” He turned to Audra. “You’re in the shit. Get out there and get to it. No quarter. If you survive, you damn well better look forward to the ass-kicking you’re gonna get.”