Chapter One.

The wheels of the cart squeaked loudly as every bump in the road tested the integrity of the cart's craftsmanship. Shifting with every slight movement was a small collection of supplies with several barrels and a few supply creates loosely strapped down. Pulling the cart along was an aged supply mule, its eyes never gazing from the dirt road and its fur filthy from days on the road. Riding at the front of the cart embracing the warmth of the midday sun from above was a young faced merchant, his light blue eyes happily bouncing between his trusty mule and the grassy hills in the distance. His clothing showed off his status as a merchant, suitable for traveling but elegant enough to come of as presentable when arriving in town. He wore a pair of leather traveling boots that had yet to be properly broken in with tan field trousers. He wore a blue wool jacket with decorative crimson seaming, with a tan undershirt with a turtle neck. Over his jacket he wore a brown utility vest which had several pouches located on the front, each containing a particular selection of items in each pouch. His blonde hair was neatly combed and his cheeks had a rosy tint to them, his skin pale and visibly soft to the touch. While many of Hyrule didn't know his name there were countless who did, he was known to be an eager and intelligent merchant raising through the ranks. His name was Lawrence Coulter a traveling merchant who had made a name for himself recently, while he had been a freelance merchant for sometime it wasn't until he made the jump towards a larger business scale. Using his savings he bought a cart and a mule, determined to make a name for himself and help the people of Hyrule during the aftermath of Calamity Ganon's defeat. His plan was to provide the people of Hyrule with quick logistical aid, however this meant he'd need to travel the more dangerous supply routes which were notorious for being filled with roaming monsters. Thus, knowing this was the best business plan for him and for the people he dropped the last of his rupees on protection. He was horrible with a spear and worse with a sword, thus a sellsword was his only option. Lawrence knew he could make a comfit living being a freelance merchant, but taking this step forward not only would make his name known but it would also help hundreds of people.

"Do you think we'll be in town by dark?." A man slightly older than the merchant asked, Lawrence's riding partner and currently employed protection preferred to ride in the back of the cart. While Lawrence was twenty-three years old and looked filled of youthful innocence, the sellsword who was only twenty-five resembled a man who had lost that innocent spark many years ago. Unlike the merchant's joy filled blue eyes, the sellsword had light brown eyes that glared at his surroundings not excitedly but carefully. He had wavy dark chocolate brown hair that was slicked back, with one particular hair always curling out onto his forehead. His upper lip was covered by a thin mustache while the remainder of his lower face covered by a five o'clock shadow that seemed to never go away. His nose while at first glance had nothing wrong with it, but at close examination there was a slightly crook as Lawrence assumed the sellsword must of had it broken a few times. Dressed for the part the sellsword wore a pair of leather traveling boots with dark brown trousers, his knees and shins were guarded by light leather armor. His upper body was covered in a standard Hyrule tunic which was a dark black with a crimson sash around his waist, the leather armor he wore was battle tested and had a red wine like tint to it similar to his leg guards. At his left hip was a simple traveler's sword, the hilt wrapped in leather straps and a dagger on his right hip. The sellsword on Lawrence's payroll like him was known by some and a mystery to others in his line of work. Mostly operating in Eastern region of Hyrule he was known to take jobs West if needed. While Lawrence never got his full name the sellsword was known simply as, Ryder. Lawrence was unsure if the sellsword picked the name as it sounded like the name of a sellsword or if it truly was his birth name, he had only truly known the man for two weeks now.

"It would seem so." Lawrence remarked back nodding as during their travels he noticed the sellsword lacked the ability to gauge travel time, "You're not very good when it comes to measuring how long it takes to get from point A to point B."

"It's always made packing troublesome for me." Ryder chuckled as the merchant's comment, "I tend to pack not enough under garments on some occasions."

Lawrence raised a finger uncomfortably, "I hope this isn't one of those occasions."

"If we get there by dark it won't be." Ryder chuckled, leaning against one of the supply barrels as he scanned the distant horizon.

Lawrence shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he was never sure how to engage the sellsword in conversation, "Once I sell my goods I can pay you for the next two weeks of employment."

"Sounds good to me." Ryder coughed lowly, "How much do you expected to make?"

Lawrence looked back slightly taken back as the man had never shown interest in his business plans, "Why do you ask?"

"Don't worry, if I planned on slitting your throat and stealing your supplies I would of done it while we were two days from town." Ryder chuckled harshly, as oddly enough hearing the man say that made him more worried than less. The sellsword grinned as he knew the merchant was now even more uncomfortable than before, a small joke that brought him amusement on the rather long and boring journey.

"Well the market price in which I acquired these goods was for roughly 600 rupees." Lawrence explained, as he recalled his business with both shop vendors and the ship merchant he had done business with. His stomach dropped slightly as he had truly dropped all his savings on this shipment, the cart with the mule, and the sellsword. If he wanted to make it all back this shipment had to go for exactly what he had calculated, "If all goes well I should be able to make 1,200 back from it all."

Ryder laughed roughly as he sat up and faced the merchant, "How do you plan on doubling your profit?"

Lawrence cleared his throat nervously as hearing the doubt out loud was different than thinking it, "It's called supply and demand."

"What exactly do you have that the people of Hateno ever so desperately require?" Ryder asked, a sense of curiosity and amusement in his voice. A part of Ryder was curious to see if the merchant was some type of logistical genius or just some fool who bit off more than he could chew.

"Several things actually. There's a man who dyes clothing in Hateno Village and from what one of my sources had told me he lacks certain ingredients to dye certain clothing. On top of that the inn started offering a certain southern crab dish on their menu, but their logistical provider who delivers it doesn't resupply them for another month." Lawrence explained, as for the past two weeks he had been gathering his information and obtaining the needed supplies for such. Clearing his throat so he could sound more confident he continued, "Along with all that I heard Hateno's local construction company requires some additional tools and ore which I obtained the last day of our trip."

Ryder nodded as he rubbed his back, "So that's what was in that crate that I nearly threw my back out moving."

"Which I appreciate." Lawrence remarked, deep down inside he was nervous this shipment wouldn't score him double his profit and he felt maybe if he could convince the sellsword he might feel more confident before selling tomorrow. In an attempt to not only convince the sellsword but himself he continued, "The inn also has been making a lot more recently because of the dish so I plan of raising my prices as I'm sure they're desperate to keep that sudden increase of income."

Ryder nodded as he returned to scanning their surroundings, "What if you don't make what you expected?"

"Well as long as I make 900 rupees that means break even on everything." Lawrence responded, doing his best to puff his chest out.

Ryder nodded as he stroked his mustache, "Does that include my payment for the next two weeks."

Lawrence gulped lowly, "Not exactly."

Ryder's interest was now peeked, "So in the off chance you don't break even I assume I'll be looking for new employment in Hateno Village."

"Well I assure you I'll have enough to pay for your future employment." Lawrence repeated twice, almost as if he was trying to convince Ryder first and than himself.

"I hope so." Ryder laughed as he playfully slapped the merchant on the back, "This has been the easiest job I've had in a bit."

"Well I'm just glad-" Lawrence begun to say nervously, but he was silenced as Ryder stood up and held up a finger before the man.

"Get in the back of the cart." Ryder instructed him, as he knelt down and grabbed an old traveler's bow from the bed of the cart. Reaching down again he grabbed a quiver which had roughly ten arrows in it. Position the quiver in the corner of the cart, both in reaching range from the front of the cart and his current spot. The sellsword's usual trademark grin was replaced by a steady frown, his eyes plastered upon a patch of tall grass about sprinting distance from them. Removing an arrow from the quiver he rested it on the bow, the mule came to a full stop as Lawrence crawled into the back of the cart. Slowly his tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth as the sellsword drew back the bow and aimed the sharp arrowhead towards the patch of grass. Ryder exhaled softly as he never allowed his eyes to leave the patch of grass, "We're about to be ambushed."

Lawrence peered over the edge of the cart nervously, "How can you tell?"

"Experience." Ryder remarked simply, "Bokoblin in this territory are notorious for robbing supply carts. When you hired me and told me about our destination I gathered some information from some newly arrived travelers at the inn. One traveler gave me a tip, said to look for fresh tracks leading into the grass as those spots usually stay wet for several days after ran fall."

"I thought you just wanted a glass of ale." Lawrence admitted.

"You're not the only one who does research." Ryder chuckled roughly, "As we got closer I spotted the fresh Bokoblin tracks in the mud near the grass, it seems the old man wasn't lying about the ground around the grass staying wet for a few days."

"Impress-" Lawrence was about to comment when suddenly Ryder released the bow's string, the arrow cut through the air and disappeared into the grass. Following this action the air was filled with the horrifying cry that Lawrence could only assume was a Bokoblin being pierced by an arrow. As if Ryder had set the grass on fire about four Bokoblin came storming out of the grass, one in particular with an arrow dug deep into its shoulder. All four armed with clubs and one with a shield that released a loud war cry.

"Red skinned so not much of a threat one-on-one." Ryder admitted as he drew back another arrow, "However four on one doesn't favor me."

The mule cried out in fear as the cart moved a few feet forward causing Ryder to fire off his arrow early, missing the four charging targets. Lawrence leaped forward out of the cart and rushed towards the mule, "I'll calm him down!"

"Just stay clear of them!" Ryder shouted, as he didn't like Lawrence leaving the safety of the cart and would of preferred if he stayed in while Ryder got out. Firing off his third arrow he hit another Bokoblin in the leg, not wasting any time he fired off another arrow and hit yet another this time in the throat killing it. Now flashing his trademark grin he usually wore he grabbed another arrow, his plan was to wound each one which raised his chances of victory while outnumbered. Grabbing a fourth arrow he wasted no time and fired it at the last uninjured creature, however this one was crafty and used his shield to his advantage. Cursing lowly he knew he had time to fire off one last arrow and decided he'd rather face one wounded and one able bodied, than two wounded and one possibly wounded. Firing off his arrow he hit one of the Bokoblin directly in the throat, however unlike the last Bokoblin this one dropped to the ground rolling around in pain as blood gushed from its throat. Leaping from the cart the Bokoblin were to close for comfort, if he killed one with his bow he was sure the other would kill Lawrence before he could draw another arrow. Pulling out his sword he got between Lawrence and the two, creating a wall so the two would slow down their advance. His steel sword gleamed in the sun as the two creatures saw him as a threat, coming to a halt they examined him. Their breathing was loud and their eyes filled with rage, after a few seconds they both slowly advanced to flank him from both sides Ryder exhaled loudly, "Get back in the cart and get ready to ride if I go down."

"You won't though." Lawrence did as he was told the mule starting to get nervous again, "Right?"

Ryder chuckled, "I don't think most dead men plan on going down honestly."

Lawrence gulped weakly, "That's not very comforting."

Ryder eyeballed the two remaining Bokoblin, with one dead and the other dying these were the last of his worries. Both were armed with some heavy clubs and one had a shield, a hit from those clubs would likely knock him down and with the right angel he might have to worry about some broken ribs. Eyeballing the two creatures he waited as they moved farther away, they were simple minded creatures. In their heads flanking a single opponent from both sides seemed like a good idea, however Ryder was skilled with a blade unlike most their prey. Ryder knew his best bet was to kill the Bokoblin on his left as quick as possible, then he could focus on the one with the shield in single combat. Now with both creatures decently distanced from each other where one couldn't support the other Ryder raced towards the one on his right. Swinging high for the Bokoblin's throat he watched as the wild creature jumped back out of shock, his first swing missed the creature's neck by inches. Following up he adjusted his wrist and in an instant he changed the direction of his blade, now it came from above prepared to split its skull. The creature once again leaped backwards, but due to the surprise of a second attack it hesitated and stumbled backwards. The tip of his blade just missed the Bokoblin's face, but it didn't matter. Ryder simply stepped forward into his attack and pushed blade forward just right. The Bokoblin had no time to cry out in pain as the blade dug right into its left eye socket, killing the creature instantly.

"Behind you!" Lawrence cried out, as Ryder spun around all while pulling his sword from the creature's skull in one solid movement. The last Bokoblin brought his club down with the intent of crushing the man's skull, but the sellsword met this attack with his blade. However, the club had more force and sent the man falling backwards. His block had saved his life, but now the Bokoblin stood over the sellsword with killing intent. Lawrence panicked as he looked around for a weapon, but before he could find one he heard the creature cry out in pain. Spinning around he watched as it attempted to crawl away with its left leg barely attached by a chunk of meat.

"I got it." Ryder motioned towards his employer to stay seated, casually walking towards the creature who was desperately crawling towards its dropped club. With a casual twirl of his blade the sellsword held his blade high in the air and brought it down on the creature. Its cry echoed loudly and then quickly died out, its claw like hand going limp just before it could grab its weapon. Removing his blade from its back Ryder shrugged at the merchant, "Sometimes you need to let these things think they've won so they let their guard down."

Lawrence was unsure if he was understanding the sellsword's statement, "You let him knock you down?"

"More or less." Ryder admitted not outright confirming his intentions, "Shields can be a bit annoying as they take time to get around. The sooner we get to town the sooner I can see if you can truly double your profits."

The cries of the fatally wounded Bokoblin snapped the two out of conversation as Lawrence looked over at it, uncomfortable with the idea of the wounded creature. Before he could remark on it he spotted Ryder approaching it rather casually, sword still drawn. Lawrence could feel a shiver run down his spine as he watched Ryder stand over the helpless creature, the Bokoblin still gripping its throat as blood gushed from the wound like a waterfall. Ryder muttered something under his breath before jabbing the blade into the Bokoblin's throat, its dying screams ending with this quick motion. The young merchant watched as he was unsure if it was an act of mercy or annoyance at how loud it was screaming. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat he watched Ryder removed his used arrows, inspect them carefully and place them back into his quiver as all were still usable. Cleaning off his blade with a small towel from his pack he kept in the cart he quickly climbed back on. Lawrence gulped lowly as he caught sight of the sellsword's eyes, expecting a hint of remorse. Instead he was met with the same bored look the man gave throughout their whole trip, as if killing the four creatures hadn't bothered him. Ryder cleared his throat as he sat down, "Bokoblin are rather stupid creatures. Their movements give them away and their swings are heavy, being a lighter fighter like myself gives me the advantage."

"I see." Lawrence gulped weakly, as the mule started moving forward.

Ryder exhaled loudly as he eyeballed his extra clothing in his bag, "You think we'll still make it there by night?"

Lawrence felt a bit lightheaded, "Yes."

Ryder tapped the edge of the cart, "You ever see something die before?"

"Um, a few chickens as a kid." Lawrence admitted, he lived a rather sheltered life and spent most his days reading books.

"Bokoblin are loud creatures when wounded." Ryder sighed as he watched the bodies disappear in the distance, "But they don't beg before they die like people."

Lawrence felt his body tense up at the comment, he assumed Ryder had killed before but was unsure if it was only monsters. Feeling uneasy he decided to change the subject as he was unsure how to engage the man in further conversation of the topic, "I heard the Princess is forming up the Hyrule Army again."

Ryder dug into his bag and pulled out a crisp red apple, "Yeah hopefully their duties don't interfere with my business."

"They're paying rather high for instructors." Lawrence added on from what he heard at the last inn he was at, "You ever consider teaching some of the volunteers how to fight?"

"Not much of a teacher." Ryder admitted, "Lack of patience. Plus, my fighting style wouldn't mix well with a soldier's style of fighting."

"How so?" Lawrence asked curiously.

"Some of my fellow sellswords say I fight dirty." Ryder took a big bite of the apple, "Mostly the older guys say that. They like the pretend they're so honorable, but we all have heard the stories from the old days and we all know they're just as dirty as the rest of us."

Lawrence played back the fight in his head, "You didn't seem to fight dirty."

"You don't gotta fight dirty with those things." Ryder explained biting deeper into his apple, "It's humans you need to trick. When facing an opponent I know little about I use words to get into their heads, if that works I usually come out on top. If not I keep my distance, dodging blows until I spot a weakness. If they got bad eye I stick on that side, if they swing wide I get in close, or bad leg well I cut into the other so they're slow."

Lawrence sighed as he realized they were back on the topic again, "Seems like smart fighting."

"It is." Ryder chuckled as he finished the apple off in record time, "The loser usually can't complain after. However, it's usually the loser's friends who want to complain about dirty fighting, telling others their comrade went down not because they were out skilled but because they were cheated out of victory."

"I see." Lawrence didn't hear anymore.

"This one time-" Ryder started to speak when Lawrence cut him off.

"Do you mind if we ride in silence for a bit?" Lawrence asked, hoping not to offend the sellsword.

Ryder shrugged as if not bothered, "You're the boss."