The cart ride was more painful than either brother wanted to admit, as it seemed as though Aelizabeth was hitting every pothole, bump, and rock that was on the road. It had begun to hurt halfway along their journey, with Leonce having to opt out for walking as a means to preserve his ass, as each bump they went over would only cause him pain.

Loup, meanwhile, tried to put the pain out of his mind and instead focus on maintaining his weapons. Having grabbed a few muskets from the slain soldiers, he had taken to fixing, cleaning, and polishing each to ensure they were battle-ready. Given what had happened to the loaned-out musket, he wanted to be prepared. Should something similar happen again, he would’ve been caught without a means to fight back, as he wasn’t as good in melee as his older brother. He was a marksman, while Leonce was a swordsman. Both had their strengths and weaknesses the other covered up. He hated being too far from those he trusted. Despite his cool and calm exterior he was still a man filled with worries, anxiety, and fear. It was just easier for him to hide it all when he was with his older brother. His parents knew of this fatal flaw, as his father had seen first-hand what Loup was like when he was far from family.

“How much farther is the town?” Leonce asked, snapping Loup out from his thoughts, prompting him to look to Aelizabeth for the answer.

The woman nodded just a little ahead of them as they crested the hill, and below, they could see a small city, more prominent than Oakenhart and surrounded by tall walls of stone and iron. Leonce would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little impressed. He’d never seen a walled city before, much less an actual defensive structure like that. Sure, there were ruins in the woods, but he didn’t count those as an experience. This, however, was. Climbing up beside Aelizabeth, Leonce was practically beaming with excitement while Loup shivered, frowning at the prospect of being surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces in an unfamiliar location. He didn’t know why he had such fears, but they were there, and they made themselves known in a way that caused him no shortage of annoyance.

Shoving aside his trepidation, Loup came up to peer between his two companions and examine the city proper before they drew in closer, “Huh… seems heavily defended, too.”

“What?” Aelizabeth asked, a little confused, “What do you mean heavily defended?”

“Numerous patrols on the walls, armed men at the gatehouse, and by the looks of it, a long line awaits us,” Loup answered, pointing to each of the described observations.

Aelizabeth was actually impressed Loup could see that far out but chose to keep quiet, as she focused instead on the fact there was such a line waiting for them.

Coming up to the back of the line, she grimaced at the wait, “Yup… it’s gonna be a while,” Aelizabeth sighed.

Leonce frowned, but he could hardly complain. If anything, it was just a brief respite from the bumps and lumps on the road. He couldn’t help but rub his sore ass, feeling a bit of relief as he leaned back against the backrest of the cart. Aelizabeth was the only one who was annoyed with the situation, while both brothers took this moment to rest. Though Loup was also busy wrapping up the muskets, stowing each within an area the guards wouldn’t look. He didn’t know why he was being so careful, given their status as adventurers. Still, the fact the weapons were military-issued and marked made him believe there were likely dirty guards in the city, as he didn’t quite buy the notion that those men he and Leonce killed were just working for slavers. It didn’t sit right with him. So, to air on the side of caution, he opted to stow the muskets in a place the guards wouldn’t spot them. Once the muskets had been hidden, Loup popped up behind the two, looking up at the line before them.

“Good. More time to rest and recoup,” Loup suggested.

Leonce paused momentarily, noting how his brother looked down at his sabre, prompting him to do the same, “You think it might catch unwanted attention?”

Loup nodded, “I don’t quite buy the fact those men we killed were working for a well-off slaver… not when they were that well-armed and dressed. Doesn’t sit right with me. It’s better to hide our new weapons until we’re within. Don’t want to garner any unwanted attention or look more suspicious than we already do,” he explained, his eyes focused on the guards near the gate.

Aelizabeth knew the truth of the matter and was surprised how quickly Loup figured it out, but chose to keep hiding the fact, and instead nodded in agreement with the younger brother, “He’s right! You should pass the sword over to your brother there and hide it below. The guards won’t likely dig too far around. Just keep your rapier for now. We’re adventurers heading to the next town; that’s all we have to say and act like.”

“Eh? That’s exactly what we are, I thought?” Leonce said with a raised brow, a little taken by surprise by her suggestion.

Even Loup looked a little confused, but he could understand her caution, at least.

“She’s not exactly wrong, Leo,” Loup started, “Besides, she’s right that we look a little suspicious. While we did try to wash the blood stains out, it’s still there, but I doubt they’d look too closely if they see me and my furs,” Loup added, noting the wolf fur shoulder riding hood he had draped over his right arm, while his belt was made of leather from wolves as well.

He didn’t make them, but he wore them as each of the wolves had been notorious in Oakenhart, and they were a trophy of sorts given their monster-esque nature. Leonce meanwhile wore a simple leather doublet and black trousers. However, his boots were likely the most expensive part of his whole outfit given how they were given to him as a gift by the Oakenhart’s only cobbler as thanks for helping deal with some of his financial issues. Both brothers were fairly well dressed in Aelizabeth’s mind, so they wouldn’t draw any attention to themselves once they provided the guard with their Adventurer tags. Upon seeing those, they’d quickly understand that the two brothers were adventurers like herself and would hopefully let them pass without having to check the cart. Sadly, she knew how her luck seemed to be these past few days. Letting out a small sigh, she slumped forward with some degree of worry as the the family in front of them got through the gate, meaning it was their turn to face the gate guard. Upon riding up, they were halted by a man wearing the green-blue coat and white of the town. While they dressed and appeared like professional soldiers, they were considered beneath such due to their lack of official training. Still, the imposing air they gave off was usually enough to deter most bandits and thieves, and helped give the new arrivals some degree of worry.

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As the first of the guards came up to inspect the cart, he stopped just beside Aelizabeth, his gloved hand reaching out as though waiting for something to be placed onto his open palm, “Papers.”

Aelizabeth rifled through her cloak and then her coat before producing a handful of documents which Leonce and Loup noted had a few emblems and coat of arms upon each, but could see little else.

The man examined each with careful experienced eyes, despite his youthful appearance, later, after a bit of reading he nodded, “Seems all’s in order, but you should know there’ve been cases of bandits and criminals prowling around the outside. Given your status as Adventurers I’d wager you lot will have your hands full,” The guard noted as he handed Aelizabeth back the documents.

As she stuffed them back under her cloak, she smiled, “More money for us then, I suppose.”

The guard nodded and shrugged, “I suppose. Those buggers tend to be the dangerous sort, so don’t go doing anything to get yourselves killed, now… or,” He paused, noting Aelizabeth’s sex, “… captured. While slavery is illegal within the Kingdom, it doesn’t mean such outside our fair homeland, and there’s been more than a few female adventurers gone missing, so, again, don’t let ya guard down – all of ya, ‘er me? Good. Now, get on then,” He warned as he waved towards the others to open the gate.

“Oh, believe me, I’ll be careful. Don’t want to scar my pretty face after all~” Leonce quipped, prompting the guard to smile and shake his head at the joke.

“Get on then. Next~!”

Not needing to be told twice, Aelizabeth snapped the reigns, urging the horses forward. As the cart trailed through the gate and into the city proper, Leonce and Loup couldn’t help but gawk in amazement at what they were seeing. The city was huge! Or at least far more prominent than anything they were used to. Neither had left their hometown before, so this was an entirely new experience for them. Throngs of people going about their daily lives, with a plethora of voices of various languages all conversing about this or that. It was such a surreal experience to take in. Leonce himself beamed with a sense of wonder that he couldn’t hide, and even Loup, the normally stone-faced hunter, was full of wonder. Aelizabeth couldn’t help but chuckle softly at their reactions, noting how funny it was to see both brothers with such childlike innocence.

Looking around, Aelizabeth found herself somewhat impressed too. While the city itself wasn’t anything to write home about, the level of cleanliness and the fact the streets were filled with people actively taking part in buying and selling of goods? It was good to see. The economy of this city was alive and well, though the warning given to them by the guard told her it wasn’t just legal activities keeping this city afloat. She grimaced at the thought but pushed it aside for now, thinking it better to focus more on the fact she had gotten this far, and now it was a matter of trying to get these two brothers to help her in completing her personal quest.

“So, what do you think?” She asked, her grimace quickly fading into a smile.

Leonce spoke first, his eyes still darting around the landscape before him, “Incredible…” He mumbled, “I’ve never seen so many people before, much less these types of buildings. I mean, look how bloody tall they are!”

His younger brother nodded in agreement, “Mhm. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing such things, nor want to if I’m being honest.”

Leonce grinned, “What? I thought the jungles and forests didn’t frighten you, brother? Is an urban jungle too much?”

Loup glared at him, but his anger faded quickly, “I – I just don’t like being around so many people. Makes me feel uncomfortable.”

The blond smiled. He knew Loup was never a people person, and that was fine; his thing was mingling while Loup was scouting. However, to say Loup wasn’t good at interacting with people would also be a lie, as he tended to be reasonably charismatic despite how he viewed himself. Loup was a brilliant man, who, while younger than him, was still someone Leonce looked to for guidance and assurance whenever he felt overwhelmed. Much like Loup, Leonce would be lost without his brother. However, they never outright admitted such to each other.

“Well, try not to let it get to you too much, Lou; we still have a job to turn in. What with those wolves you killed a few days before, I’m sure we’ll get enough coins to afford some proper clothes… as… well,” Leonce looked down at his leather doublet, noting the wear and tear it had gone through since it was first worn by their father, “As you can see, this one hardly fits, the belts are torn and worn in parts, and the leather that’s supposed to protect me will likely crack or tear the moment something sharp actually manages to reach me,” Leonce explained while pointing out each of the faults in his armour.

Aelizabeth scanned his armour and nodded in agreement, “You’re right – you do need new armour. Loup, on the other hand, does not. He’s got leathers and equipment that looks well maintained and freshly made, but you? You look like you just picked up your ancestor’s armour and took it as your own cause it was ‘good enough’ which… it isn’t.”

“Of that, we can agree on,” Leonce replied, nodding, “But, as I said, we got a job to turn in. Once we do that and get our coin, I’m hopeful I’ll have just enough for something usable for the next little bit until I save up enough to get some proper gear.”

She nodded in agreement but had an alternative path in mind for him and his younger brother. While it was confirmed they had a job to turn in to make a little extra coin, she also had something better in mind that only they could help her with. She just struggled to find the right words to get them to work with her beyond the occasional task or job from the Guild. What she wanted was their skillset fighting alongside her, not as adventurers, but rather as soldiers. They were too good to be just your run-of-the-mill adventurers. After having seen what they had done, she knew these two had skills that could be better put to use for the nation, more so with all the talk of civil war going around. Should the worst come to be, and civil war does break out, she wanted people around her who could fight and wouldn’t leave her to die on some dusty roadside. Initially, that was the plan she had in mind for Iron Shield before their demise.

Aelizabeth just needed a moment to tell both. She wagered it’d take some degree of guile to get them to agree to such. So, as the two brothers discussed options on how best to use their reward money, the mage began to hatch up a proper scheme to sucker the two into joining the Royal Armed Forces. The best bet would be to have them sign on as though it was a Guild contract, as most people never indeed read the details of a request, and she was sure these two wouldn’t either, as neither seemed to have the patience for such.