Chapter 4: Encounters

The low buzz of conversation that filled The Emperor's Glory was a constant that all of the tavern goers were used to and felt comfortable with. A bard stood in the corner, playing a flute and on occasion a coin was tossed in his direction. Behind the counter, there was a large man cleaning mugs. He smiled at a man who ordered a drink and gladly slid a mug down the counter to him.

Suddenly, the whole bar fell silent as a group of strangers entered the tavern. The bartender glanced when he heard the conversation cease. He observed the three newcomers as they entered the room. Right when they came into the room, they dispersed, but it was clear that they didn't fit in.

One, a tall armored man with long flowing blonde hair went and sat with a group of men that came in on a regular basis when they didn't have work as caravan guards. The second, a small but pretty woman with short black hair sat near a few women of the town and they quickly forgot her presence and fell back into their conversation.

The bartender cast his glance around because he had lost sight of the third stranger. He started to get worried before he finally spotted the stranger sitting at a table that had been playing liar's dice. The person was cloaked from head to toe in a pitch black cloak so the bartender couldn't even ascertain his gender. The man watched as the person reached up and lowered their hood. His eyes widened as he saw the exceptionally attractive, exotic face of the man under the hood. His red-brown hair was held up in a ponytail and his face lit up as he grinned at the other men seated around the table.

The bartender sighed as he watched the other men sitting at the table welcome the stranger, loving the thought of a new sucker to take money from.

"Money plays. You do have money, don't you?" one of the men at the table asked. The grin on his face revealing a mouth missing several teeth. In response, the stranger reached into his cloak and pulled out a small pouch. He emptied it onto the table, revealing a small pile of silver coins with a few gold coins scattered throughout. Several of the men at the table winced and looked at their own pitiful piles of copper coins. Few of them had silver and even fewer had gold.

"How about we make this interesting?" the stranger asked. "One throw of the dice. If you have a higher total, you can split this among you. If I win, you give me whatever information I want." the men around the table started to salivate at the thought of obtaining that money. They all nodded and elected one person to throw for them. He stood, put the dice into his cup, rattled them and threw.

The dice spun around the table and finally settled to reveal a 6, a 4, three 3's and a 2. A total score of 21. The men around the table nodded, it was a fair roll. They handed the dice to the stranger and he casually spun the dice around. He cast the dice and they spun around the table. The men at the table stood over it, sweat dripping off their faces at the thought of new wealth. The stranger didn't even show a hint of nerves and waited for the dice to stop.

The dice stopped. Every face showed a 5, adding up for a total of thirty. All of the men fell to their seats, looks of disappointment all over their faces. The stranger patiently waited for them to get over it. Eventually, one of the men jumped to his feet, rage on his face.

"Cheater!" he cried and reached for a knife at his belt. Before his hand even reached the handle, the point of a spear pressed against his throat. The stranger had drawn his weapon in a split second and showed an amused look on his face. Everyone else in the room drew their weapons at the thought of a fight. Everyone except for the strangers were on their feet. The man and woman casually sat in their seats and the man at the gambling nonchalantly held his spear to the man's throat.

"Everyone calm down or get out." the bartender had not even stopped wiping the counter. Several large men appeared around the room, brandishing clubs and threatening all those involved in the brawl.

Everyone stood for several moments and the bartender even wondered if they intended to fight. However in the end the people all sheathed their weapons and took their seats. The group of strangers sat and talked for a few moments more before getting up as one and leaving.

Once outside, Darren stretched his arms behind his head and grinned at his friends. They had been in Torfan for 3 days and were having trouble finding any paying jobs. Daniel and Melissa were out of money, so they were relying on the last of Darren's money for room and board.

"So, find out any good information? Those guys playing dice only heard that the roads have been struck by bandits lately."

"The men I was chatting with said that a large caravan is going to be heading in the direction of the capital and they are still looking for guards if you don't mind working with others." Darren shrugged. He had never worked with others because other than his two friends, anyone who had seen his powers had not reacted well. The three of them discussed the idea of working for a caravan for a few moments before agreeing and heading out to look for the merchant who owned it.

They found the merchant talking with his drivers. He was a fat man who clearly had enough money to live in excess. They approached the man with Daniel at the head.

"Hail, sir!" he called out. The man turned with an annoyed look on his face.

"What is it? We've gotta set out in the next hour or we'll have to wait another day."

"Good sir, we are here to offer our services as guards for your expedition." The man had a speculative look on his face while he studied the group. Only one of them had the look of a warrior and the others looked more like a liability than an asset in a fight. However, in the end he could only sigh and accept their offer.

"You're lucky that I'm short of hands. The empire is hiring up all the mercenaries around to fight in some skirmish up north. Oh well, go and get acquainted with your new team. We set our in an hour. Don't let me down." Darren gave a dazzling grin that lit up his face.

"No, worries. We won't." He gave a wink before striding off in the direction of the other guards. The others gave each other a look that said "Well, here we go." before following.

They all loaded their packs into the wagon that all of the guards used to carry their things. They glanced around at their new team and Daniel visibly winced. There were a total of 7 other guards. 4 were the men that had been in the tavern earlier and they were visibly drunk. Two others were wearing ragged armor and held rusty weapons. It was clear that they weren't used to fighting.

Only the last member appeared to have any competence. He was a giant of a man. Shorter than Daniel, but much broader. He was outfitted in plate and held himself with the cool confidence of a man who had been in (and won) his fair share of fights. He leaned against the wagon, his giant tower shield leaning beside his. His large war hammer held by a loop on his belt.

Even though they were all resting before they set out, he wore all of his armor, including a helmet that completely covered his face. Darren's eyes narrowed as he studied the man. Now what is such an obvious veteran of battle doing guarding a caravan? However he didn't have time to think on it because the merchant called to set out. The drivers set their horses moving and the 4 caravans rumbled down the road.

The 10 guards walked beside the wagons, keeping an eye out for trouble as they made their way to the capital.

That night.

Darren stretched his sore muscles while he took a seat beside one of the many cook fires that the group had set up. The day had passed without commotion and they were all thankful that there wasn't any trouble. Darren took off his cloak and laid it out as a blanket in preparation to sleep. His turn for watch wasn't until midnight. Just as he was starting to drift off to sleep, the armored man walked up to their campfire. He stood at the edge of their circle until Daniel gestured for him to take a seat. Without a word, he sat against a stump between Darren and Daniel. He reached up and removed his helm to reveal a broad face. His head was shaven and his face was marked with several scars, however none were severe enough to disfigure him. It was a rugged, yet still handsome face.

With a grunt, Darren sat back up. He had a few questions for this mysterious man.

"You look like a soldier. And even if you aren't, I heard that the empire is recruiting all mercenaries possible. What are you doing guarding a merchant caravan?" The man looked back at Darren with a disinterested look.

"I was. Now I'm not. I need the money." he answered back, his deep voice almost reverberating in Darren's ears. Darren shrugged, that was as good an answer as any. He looked around the fire to see Daniel snoring beside the fire and Melissa hidden in the shadows, most likely asleep.

"Well, I'm Darren and these are my friends Daniel and Melissa. And you are?"

"I am called Caed." he answered simply. Darren, satisfied, shrugged and prepared to go to sleep, but he was interrupted when Caed asked him a question.

"And you? You don't have the look of a guard about you."

Darren could only shrug. "Same as you, I'm in need of some coin. Plus if we do get attacked, it would be a good chance to have some fun." Caed raised an eyebrow at Darren's remark. He looked at him for several seconds before smiling for the first time that Darren had seen.

"Aye, testing yourself in martial combat is enjoyable." He shifted in his seat and leaned forward.

"Then please allow me to ask you one more question." he pointed to the necklace hanging from Darren's neck. "I have been curious since I first saw you. What is that?" Darren fingered the talon hanging from his neck and a small, reminiscent smile showed on his face.

"This? I have been told that it is the talon of a dragon. When I was found by my parents it was on my neck." The smile on his face turned sad as he remembered why he had left that family. Caed looked at Darren for several seconds before nodding. He then started to polish his armor and shield and Darren took that as a sign that the conversation was over. With a yawn, Darren went to sleep.

The next day.

As usual, Darren awoke long before his friends and also like usual, he prepared breakfast and slowly the smell made the others start to stir. They all got ready for the day and had breakfast. Afterwords they set out for another day on the road.

While the convoy was moving down the road, the guards positioned themselves in pairs along the road. The drunk guards were in two pairs, each member trying to work off a hangover. Daniel and Melissa walked to together and Darren walked alongside Caed behind the ragged guards. Darren stole a glance at his partner and wondered to himself how he could possibly stand marching for hours on end in all that heavy armor. His thoughts were interrupted when a cry came from the front. He quickly cast his gaze to the front and saw one of the ragged guards worrying over his friend. The man fell to his knees and collapsed, revealing an arrow protruding from his chest. Darren's body stiffened and he jerked his head around, looking for who shot the arrow.

With a battle cry, a dozen bandits appeared from their hiding spots around the road and charged the convoy. Caed calmly drew his hammer from his belt and stepped forward as the first of the bandits reached them. The bandit swung his blade in a overhead slash, but Caed merely lifted his tower shield and diverted the slash. The bandit was thrown off balance and Caed casually swung his war hammer in an side handed blow that crushed the man's skull as it collided with his temple.

The surviving ragged guard cried out and tried to run away. In moments he was surrounded by the bandits and was cut down. Darren cast his gaze around the battlefield and scanned the layout. There were 4 men attacking the previously drunk guards, but they were surprisingly competent when sober and Darren knew that he wouldn't have to worry about them. Three other men attacked Daniel and Melissa, but Darren didn't have time to worry when the last 4 men attacked him and Caed. They came from both sides, forcing the two warriors to stand back to back.

"Just like how you wanted right." Darren could hear the smile in his battle partners voice and he laughed out loud. He quickly grabbed the clasp at his neck and cast his cloak into the air.

"Let the games begin." They both struck at the same time as their enemies entered attack range. Darren ducked below the side cut of one bandit and quickly side stepped the overhand cut of his partner. Darren sighed at the weakness of these men and jabbed his spear up through the jaw of the nearest bandit with obvious contempt on his face. The remaining bandit's face was showed fear at the ease his companion had been dispatched. He wildly swung his sword, desperate to survive. Darren weaved between his obvious swings and waited until the bandit tired himself out.

Exhaustion finally overcame the bandit and he stumbled. Darren used it to his advantage and grabbed the back of the man's head. He drove his nose right into his knee and the bandit stumbled backwards, dazed. Disgust on his face, Darren sauntered up to the man, drew a curved knife from the sheath on his belt and cut the man's throat. The bandit fell to the ground, writhing and trying to staunch river of blood that spilled from his neck. Shaking his head, Darren turned back to see Caed struggling to fight off his enemies. How disappointing, I thought that he would be more skilled than this.

Darren sprinted to the closest bandit, who was distracted in his fight. Darren slammed his shoulder into the man's midsection. He stumbled back, the breath knocked out of him. Darren took advantage of the situation and jabbed his spear towards the chest of the man. However, the man managed to parry his thrust and even returned with a stab of his own. After exchanging blows with the man for several moments, a grin appeared on Darren's face. This was what he was looking for! Suddenly, the man dropped to a knee and took a handful of dirt. He cast it into Darren's eyes, forcing him to stumble back.

"Duck!" A deep voice boomed. Darren didn't even hesitate and dropped to the ground. A massive hammer swung through the air right where his head had been only a moment before, clipping the bandit's chin. Darren jumped to his feet and pulled his crossbow from his belt. He held it outstretched in his right hand. The bandit froze in place and a sad look appeared on his face as he realized that he had lost.

"Checkmate." Darren pulled the trigger and released the bolt into the man's skull, right between the eyes. This man had been an opponent worth fighting. He turned to scan the rest of the battlefield. The guards had finished off their foes, but two of them were injured. Daniel and Melissa had dispatched their enemies and stood resting.

Darren looked over to see Caed staring at him, his helm held in his hands.

"You fight well." Darren grinned at him.

"As do you. How would you like to join us after we are done escorting this convoy? That is, unless you have something else to do." Caed cocked his head, thinking. He stood for several moments before looking back at Darren.

"I would be honored to accompany a warrior such as yourself." Darren stood in front of Caed and offered his hand. They firmly shook hands in a sign of their new partnership. Darren turned back to the body of the bandit with the bolt in his head. He grabbed a shovel from the tools in one of the caravans and began to dig several holes beside the road.

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked him as he walked over from the back of the convoy.

"Though they were our enemies, they fought well and deserve a decent grave." His friends all looked at him, speculative looks on their faces. Darren merely turned and continued to dig.

A/N: Thank you for reading, and remember I would love to know what you think of any given chapter, or just the story in general, so don't hesitate to review or even send me a message with your thoughts. I'll try to take any opinions on it into consideration and work to make this story as good as I can make it. Thank ya very much!