Author's note : Hello reader, a whole new fanfiction just for you. But this time with a twist. This is a Collaboration between me and The Queen of Asgard (Author of Better off Reaver). Zephyr Nightingale was created by Queenie and Emilia was created by me. We both hope you enjoy this fanfic. R&R.
"Come on Zeph, he's not worth it!"
"Fucking fight me about it then, Kale!" A woman shouted angrily, her face just about as red as the ringlets piled on top of her head, "He stole my fucking money!"
"I didn't steal it, ya fatherless slut! I won it fair and square!" The man who had so obviously cheated in poker sneered at the two, the taller male trying to pry the younger woman away from the poker table.
"Your children are about to be fatherless! I'll rip off your scrotum, you sack of balverine shit!" The young woman roared, lunging forward as she yanked out a dagger and shoved it under the man's chin, "Now give me back my money or I'll..."
Suddenly, the young woman was ripped back from the table and went careening back into the arms of two very heavily armed guards, "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" One sneered down at the young woman, "Didn't I tell you last week you were banned from gambling inside Bowerstone walls Miss Nightingale?"
"He cheated!" The woman, Miss Nightingale, shouted, "That bastard cheated!"
"Whatever you say." The other one said tiredly as they dragged her out of The Cow and Corset, throwing her out onto the cobblestone street. The young woman landed with a grunt and whipped back around, her face still red. Her freckles stood out on her pale face as she flung curses at the guards and at the man who had apparently stole her money. Her companion and best friend, Kale, came walking out, shaking his head.
"Dammit, Zephyr, not again." Kale sighed and frowned at his partner in crime, "And here I was thinking we were going to take this city for all that it was worth. But now, you've made sure that's not going to happen."
The redhead stood up and brushed the dirt off her knees, shaking her ringlets out into a frizzy mess, "We can still take the city for all its worth. For all the citizens know, we're just two mercs wandering around. We can easily get work here if we set up shop."
"Why can't we just go work at like the blacksmiths? Honest work, you know?" Kale asked, gazing longingly at the newly forged swords that lay on cooling racks, just begging to be used, "Maybe then we can afford swords like those instead of these pieces of crap?" He showed off the sword at his side and his frown deepened. The blade had obviously seen better days, the sides beginning to rust and disintegrate.
"We'll be able to afford them when we're rich!" Zephyr said brightly, tucking the dagger up the sleeve of her shirt once more, securing it with the leather buckle she kept stowed away on her forearm, "Besides, if we take out small bands of robbers and highwaymen, we can easily save up. Besides I have my magic and you have your sword skills."
"And you have your axe." Kale said with a chuckle, "Honestly, have you ever even hit anyone with that? I don't think I've ever seen you use that."
"Shut your mouth," Zephyr said with a scowl, "I'll have you know my father was one of the best assassins in all of Albion! He could hit a fly from 100 yards away. You know that knife throwing has always been my forte."
"Yet you carry around that stupid axe with you every where you go!" Kale laughed this time, shaking his head, "Come on. Now we have to go find somewhere else to stay for the night now that you've gotten us kicked out of the only inn in town."
"There's always the fields. And you haven't complained before." Zephyr said with a wink as they plopped down beneath the clock tower in the square to escape the now sweltering sun. In their banged up armor, they really did look like real mercenaries and lords of war, but both knew that they were really just two young adults in ragtag metal that was falling apart. But, they had fooled plenty of people in Albion and had collected gold from many of them. Unfortunately, most of it went towards Zephyr's gambling habits (she was awful at any sort of game, but she did it anyways) and Kale's drinks and prostitutes. He would never admit to his unusual ways, but Zephyr knew that her best friend enjoyed men just as much as she did.
They sat around for a few more minutes, talking idly about the day until someone slowly approached them. Both sat up a little straighter as an older gentleman slowly shuffled over towards them, his eyes full of worry.
"Hello there, my friends!" He called out. Zephyr arched an eyebrow and scowled.
"Can we help you?" Kale asked brightly, elbowing Zephyr in the gut, hard. She grunted and scowled at her friend.
"Er, yes. You see, my name is Timothy. I run the apothecary, right over there," He pointed to the small, humble shop and his worried expression grew more concerned, "My assistant, Emilia Rose, was supposed to go outside to Bower Lake and collect some herbs that grow down by the south end. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped by bandits who want a ransom for her. I can't afford the ransom, but you two seem like you can handle yourselves in a fight." Wringing his hands, he pulled out a small bag of gold and offered it to the duo, "I'm willing to pay you 200 gold now and 200 when you bring her back. Please, she's a sweet girl, wouldn't harm a fly!"
Zephyr took the gold from the old man and nodded, "Yeah, we can bring her back," She said with a nod, "But I want another 100 up front."
"Deal!" The old man pulled out a smaller bag and passed it to the hands of the wannabe merc. She took it and tucked both into her belt, "Please don't let any harm come to her."
"We'll do our best," Kale said, standing up and helping Zephyr up as well, "We'll have her back home before teatime."
"Oh, thank you both so much!" The old man said, beaming at the pair, "I knew I could count on you!"
Zephyr nodded and turned away from the old man, Kale hot on her heels. The gold bounced around pleasantly in her pocket as she took out a dagger and began to clean under her fingernails, "So, are we actually gonna do it?"
She looked up, "Do what? Go save that girl? Yes, we're going to go save that girl. Ol' Kindness hasn't gotten her work out in days." Her hand brushed against the axe and Kale rolled his eyes.
"You've never used that stupid thing a day in your life."
"True. But doesn't mean I can't start now."
"Emilia?"
"Yes Timothy?" A young woman with silver hair looked up from her work, She was putting books back on a shelf in order.
"We have run out of those herbs that grow on the south side of Bower Lake." timothy said
"Oh, I see. I will got and collect some more." Emilia finished putting the books away, and picked up a basket from a side room. "I shouldn't be too long."
"Be careful, okay?" Timothy told her.
"I always am." Emilia smiled, she left the shop. She walked down the road, humming a song. She walked across the brigde and towards the lake. the herbs she need where located in a wooded part of the lake area, it was kept common, but it only grew in that area. The young woman found the herbs. She knelt on the grass and put the basket next to her. She carefully began digging up the herbs.
"Look at what we got here!" A voice said gleefully. Emilia looked up to see several bandits.
"Good morning, may I help you?" Emilia smiled brightly. She jumped as hands grabbed her from behind. "HEY!"
"You'll be coming with us girly." A bandit laughed.
"Please, let me go!" Emilia begged.
"Not a chance. Oh, Thag will be pleased with this catch." A bandit smirked. Emilia's hands were tied behind her back and she was pushed forward and without a word, she allowed them to take her to their camp.
"This is further than I expected," Kale grumbled as they walked down the path alongside Bower Lake. Dusk had fallen and the two mercenaries continued on their merry way, trying to hunt down the bandit camp the young woman that they had been sent to save. Kale talked a big game about how he hoped she would be gorgeous with huge knockers, but Zeph merely rolled her eyes as they continued towards the south side of the lake.
"Yes, well, you were the one who decided to take the job." Zephyr said with a little laugh.
"And you were the one who got us thrown out of the tavern," Kale reminded her as she opened her mouth to rebuttle.
"Alright, fair point...Hold it!" She slammed a hand into Kale's chest as the two stopped, the flickering light of a torch catching both sets of eyes. The flickering grew even brighter as two bandits, one massive behemoth and another smaller, rat-faced man walked down an adjacent path. Zephyr could swear they were talking about a silver haired girl that they had captured earlier that day. Kale narrowed his eyes as the two nodded in agreement. This had to be their girl. Quietly, they followed the two bandits, only pausing once they had reached a large camp, hiding in the bushes on the outskirts.
"Okay, so how do we want to do this?" Kale whispered to Zephyr who was toying with one of her knives.
"Do we even see this girl?" Zephyr asked softly, scanning the mostly empty cages. There were a few cowering people inside the cramped containment, but one woman stuck out more than the rest. She was a couple years younger than the duo, maybe eighteen or nineteen with a shock of silver hair that looked almost as out of place as Zephyr's wildly crazy curls. "That must be her."
Kale nodded and gripped the hilt of his sword, "Okay, we still don't have an action plan," He murmured as Zephyr suddenly popped out of the bushes and with a flick of her wrist, sent one of her knives flying across the camp, striking a bandit in the back of the head. The blade buried deep into his skull and the man went down like a ragdoll. Shouts and cries were heard from the other bandits as they realized they were under attack.
"We do now!" Zephyr cried with a mad laugh, sending another dagger into the eye of yet another thief.
"THAT'S NOT A PLAN!" Kale screamed, launching himself at yet another bandit. Zephyr removed Kindness and began to swing her axe at anyone who got close. She could feel the eyes of the captives on her as she hastily and clumsily tried to dispatch yet another villain. She grabbed one of her throwing knives and with far better accuracy than she could ever get with her axe, began to slit the throat of anyone who got close. She dropped Kindness to her side and began to weave around the groups of people with skill and grace. Finally, as the last of the bandits fell, Zephyr managed to raise her axe and watched as a younger, less experienced bandit come at her. She only needed to step out of the way to clock the guy in the head with the back of her axe, sending him to the ground.
"Hey look! I killed someone with Kindness!" Zephyr said with a laugh, wiping the blood off of her face with the back of her hand.
"That you did, Zeph, that you..." Kale's words stopped in his throat as a cutlass was sent through his belly. Her friend's words gurgled in his throat as he slowly looked down in horror at the metal protruding through his body. Slowly, the blade slid backwards and her friend fell over in a pile of wriggling flesh.
"NO!" She screamed, raising the axe. The bandit who had dealt her friend his final blow sneered at the young woman before pointing his blade at her.
"I'll be back for you, ya little bitch!" He said with a laugh before bounding off into the woods. With a yell, Zephyr went running after the man, her axe in one hand and her dagger in the other, but it was too late. The man had escaped.
Tears rushed down her cheeks as she fell to her knees and pulled her best friend's corpse into her lap, "Oh Kale, I'm so sorry." She mumbled thickly through her tears, "If I had agreed to a normal job like blacksmithing or bartending, we would have never been in this mess." She flicked her eyes over to the cage where the young woman sat and her sorrow turned to rage "YOU!"