Within the highest floor of Tower of the Seeress, Celestine knelt in the center of the room. Eyes closed with a serene expression on her face. Her vision, however, was anything but serene.
The Holy Seeress opened her eyes to a war torn Eostia. A land that was once beautiful, now scarred and ravaged by war. Bodies piled on top of one another and formed mounds of corpses. Fires raged in the distance and the sky was clouded by smoke. Casting a dark shadow over the land.
A howl echoed through the wind and Celestine turned to face the direction of the noise only to see a massive black hound with red eyes standing atop one of the mounds. It's gaze fell on Celestine and the Holy Seeress took an unconscious step back.
The hound growled before jumping down from the mound. Shaking the earth as it landed on the ground. It snarled before running towards Celestine.
As the hound drew closer, Celestine felt her body shiver in fear. She could feel the malice emanating from the creature and it shook her to the core. She knew it was just a vision but everything feels so real. The heat from the flames, the stench of death filling the air. It felt all real. Too real.
Celestine tried to move but found herself frozen in place. She couldn't move an inch no matter how hard she tried and could only watch as the hound leaped into the air towards her. Her eyes staring straight into the creature's own malicious orbs.
Before it could reach her, a massive white raven arrived and sank it's talons into the hound's side before flying away. It dropped the dark creature a good distance away before soaring to the sky. The white raven released a thundering sound that caused the heavens to rage and summoned a violent storm over the land. Stronger than anything Eostia has witnessed.
Meanwhile, the black creature recovered from the attack and let out a frightening howl that caused the fires around them to burn intensely. Forming a wall of flames higher than the mountains of Turul.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the raven swooped down while the hound ran towards it's adversary before using one of the corpse mounds as a boost and leaped into the air.
As the two entities drew closer to the other, their shapes slowly morphed from animal to man. One held an axe and the other a sword. Both figures swung at the same time and their weapons clashed. Causing a massive shockwave that nearly destroyed the land.
Just like that, the vision ended abruptly and Celestine woke up with a sharp gasp.
The Goddess Incarnate shot up with a gasp and found herself lying on the floor. Her skin slick with sweat and Celestine moved to wipe the perspiration off her brow but realized that she was shaking like a leaf.
Celestine wrapped her arms around herself and tried to make sense of the vision. It's one thing to receive visions, it's another to decipher them and that was the hard part. She has visions of the future but the future is not set in stone. It was like a river. Always moving. As the Goddess Incarnate, it was expected of her to tame the river and decipher the future. Easier said than done.
The Holy Seeress shakily stood up and tried to calm herself. She was tired but she didn't want to sleep. Let alone close her eyes in fear that she would find herself back in the vision. It was times like these that she wished she hadn't been chosen by the Goddess.
(Line Break)
A storm raged over the town of Vinlun as the sound of clashing steel and dying screams filled the air but were drowned out by the roar of thunder above. Blood was spilled and mixed with mud as the bandits were cut down by the Skjaldfélagr. Their bodies falling to the ground and painting the walls red with blood. The Dawn Templars, seeing the Shield Companions charge into the enemy's ranks without hesitation, rallied and joined the mercenaries. Fighting back along with the townsfolk who took up arms on their side as they fought against the brigands. The Skjaldfélagr, however, were in the middle of it all. Baldur and his mercenaries were right where the fighting was thickest. Surrounded on all sides. Just the way the Nord liked it.
Oleg grunted as he blocked another blow with his kite shield but was then followed by another attack and another. Three bandits descended upon the Vaegir and they attacked him in intervals. Preventing him from countering else they get a lucky hit on him but he was a patient man. He can hold them off until an opportunity presents itself.
"RRRAAAGGGHHH!!"
Like that.
Two of the bandits were knocked to the ground after Baldur ran into them as he tackled the third bandit and lifted him over his shoulder then threw the man into the ground. The Nord quickly brought his long axe down hard and buried the axe head halfway through the bandit's torso.
Now that he had room to recover, Oleg put away his kite shield and took up his War Axe before stomping towards one of the bandits as they were in the middle of getting up their feet. He brought his weapon down and severed the man's head clean off his shoulders before turning to the second bandit and kicked him back down to the ground.
The Vaegir picked up the bandit's discarded sword and spun it into a reverse grip. He then brought the blade down and buried it into the man's chest before adjusting his grip on the War Axe and used the butt of the weapon to hammer the sword deeper into the bandit's torso.
To the side, Bhaltair impaled a bandit through the abdomen with his Great Sword before violently ripping it out from the side and nearly split the man in two. He spun on his heel and swung his blade in a wide arc. Lobbing off the head of another bandit and Bhaltair watched as the man's headless body fell to it's knees in front of him before looking up to look at the four other brigands standing a couple of feet from him.
The Rhodok grinned and beat his chest before holding out his arms and howling a terrifying war cry to the heavens that sent shivers up the spine of the unfortunate bandits that would face him. Bhaltair let out a thunderous laugh before throwing himself into the fray once more. The longer the fight went on, the more the Rhodok was getting into a state of unrestrained bloodlust.
Elsewhere, Isolla was facing a rather large bandit that was using a flail. She jumped back and the round striking head of the bandit's weapon smashed into the ground. The Swadian quickly swung her Arming Sword down and left a large cut down the man's torso. She then bashed him with her heater shield and the man staggered back but Isolla closed the distance and impaled him through the abdomen.
Despite his injuries, the large bandit was still alive. He spat blood on the ground and raised his flail. Intent on bringing it down on the Swadian's head but he was stopped in his tracks when Bhaltair suddenly came up from behind the bandit. The Rhodok swung his Great Sword high and cleanly cut off the bandit's hand before kicking him in the back of the leg to force him down on one knee.
Batu arrived and finished him off with a pointblank arrow to the side of the head before taking out another arrow and shot it at another bandit. He quickly ran up an overturned cart leaning against the wall of a building and used it as a boost to get up on the building's roof. The Khergit hoisted himself up before looking at his targets on the ground and took out an arrow from his quiver.
Now in a more elevated position, Batu had a better view of the battlefield and started taking out bandits one by one from his position on the roof. His arrows speeding through the air and hitting their mark with deadly precision.
Back to Isolla, the Swadian watched the large bandit fall limp and retrieved her blade from his chest. Holding it by the blade before running behind another bandit and swung her weapon to his neck. Impaling the side of his throat with the crossguard. She removed her weapon from the dead brigand and switched her grip back to normal before swinging her sword and clashing blades with a sword-wielding bandit.
Meanwhile, A'isha faced off against four bandits. The Sarranid rushed the closest one and ducked underneath the man's attack while swinging her spinning. Cutting the back of his ankle with her Scimitar. As she rose up to her feet, she raised her blade above her and blocked her second attacker's weapon before kicking him in the abdomen and caused him to stagger back. She gripped her weapon with both hands and gave the blade a mighty swing. Slicing the bandit's throat open.
The third bandit snuck behind her and wrapped his arms around her abdomen. Locking her in place. The fourth bandit ran towards her with his sword raised. Intent on finishing her off. A'isha, however, had other plans.
The Sarranid jumped and kicked both feet into the fourth bandit's abdomen and knocked him back before smashing the back of her head against the third bandit's nose. Breaking it and forcing him to drop her. A'isha quickly retrieved her sword and spun on her while thrusting her arm out. Impaling the bandit through the throat. She then took out one of her throwing spears and hurled it at the last bandit. Hitting him right through the heart.
As the Skjaldfélagr brutally and mercilessly killed off bandit after bandit, Estelle grew worried that there wouldn't be any bandits left to question once the mercenaries were through with them. This wasn't good since they still needed to know who supplied the bandits with these weapons and who paid them to attack Vinlun.
The Dawn Templar was about to call for the Nord and tell him that she would pay him double if he left a couple of bandits alive for questioning but was stopped when a booming voice cut through the air.
"ENOUGH!!"
Baldur looked away from his latest kill and spared an uninterested glance over his shoulder before turning around to face the person who yelled. Seeing them distracted, the bandits took the pause in the fighting as an opportunity to retreat and ran for it. The Skjaldfélagr, however, had their eyes solely on the person who screamed.
The man was tall, only a few inches shorter than Baldur, and he wore a bear pelt mantle over his head along with a spectacle guard. He wore a set of hardened leather spaulders and hardened leather manica on each arm and had a pair of baggy, black trousers that were tucked into a pair of leather boots along with a waist coat made of animal hide with fur lining. He wielded a large, double-headed axe that didn't look like it belonged to a lowly bandit. The look of the weapon just screamed expensive.
The Skjaldfélagr regrouped beside the Nord and Baldur took a step forward. An action mirrored by the man in bear pelt.
"I've had just about enough of you." The man across from him began "This was supposed to be an easy score. The fancy prick said so. But you fucked it all up and killed off half my boys! Now you're gonna pay. I'm gonna cut a hole on the back of your head and fuck it!"
The Nord was unimpressed. The Bandit Leader was all bark and no bite. He could tell. Baldur scoffed then spat on the ground before dropping into a fighting stance.
"Deyja hratt eða hægt, þitt er valið."
"Wait. Stop!"
Baldur didn't steer his gaze away from the Bandit Leader even as Estelle pushed past the others and stopped a couple of feet behind him.
"Keep him alive."
"Why?" He asked. Unmoving and still keeping his eyes on the Bandit Leader.
"He may have vital information about their employer. This raid. Look. I know you don't care about any of that but here's the deal. Bring him in alive and I'll pay you double."
Baldur was silent for a moment and the Dawn Templar prayed that the Nord would accept. Her breath hitched when she heard him grunt.
"Fine. Alive it is then."
Estelle let out a sigh of relief and took a step back.
The Bandit Leader suddenly let out an enraged scream, angered that they were talking about him as if he wasn't there, and rushed the Nord. He swung his weapon at Baldur who mirrored his actions and the two axes collided. Bouncing off of each other as the axe heads mad contact. The Nord saw that his opponent's weapon had a stronger and sharper edge as it left a chip on his own weapon's edge.
Baldur, however, was quick to act and quickly closed the distance. He made a short jump into the air and struck the Bandit Leader's face with the knob of his weapon before landing on the ground and bringing his long axe down on his opponent who managed to recover from the blow to the face and raise his weapon to protect himself from Baldur's attack. The Bandit Leader managed to block his opponent's weapon at the last second but the strength of the mighty blow forced one of his legs to give out and bring him down on one knee.
The Nord didn't relent and broke the Bandit Leader's guard then grabbed the man's head before slamming it against his knee. Leaving the man in a daze as he staggered back from Baldur who kicked him hard in the chest and sent him stumbling backwards into the ground.
The Bandit Leader groaned in pain and rolled to his side. Placing a hand on the area where the Nord kicked him and winced in pain. He shakily got up on all fours and noticed the Nord's shadow approaching. The Bandit Leader grabbed his axe and gripped it tightly before rising up to his feet while swinging his weapon at Baldur.
The haft of his axe struck the other axe's haft and the Bandit Leader pulled. Hoping to use the beard of his double-headed axe to snatch Baldur's long axe from his grasp but the Nord was expecting this and held onto his weapon firmly with both hands. The two fighting hard for control.
Tightening his grip, Baldur pulled his long axe and won their little tug-of-war. Snatching the Bandit Leader's weapon from his hands and proceeded to hurl it to the side. Away from his opponent's reach and leaving the man without a weapon to fight or defend himself.
"W-Wait. I surrender!" The Bandit Leader cried out. Holding his hands up at Baldur as he backpedalled away. Pleading to the Nord "I'll tell you everything I kno- "
Baldur didn't give him the chance to say anything else as he slammed the eye of his long axe into the man's gut and the Bandit Leader keeled over. Holding his abdomen in pain. The Nord then smacked the man across the face with the heel of his weapon and knocked him to the ground on his knees.
"Berstu meira, talaðu minna."
"S-Stop! Please. I said I surre- "
Baldur didn't let him finish and kicked him hard in the chest. Knocking the Bandit Leader on his back.
"You talk too much." He stated.
The Nord kicked the Bandit Leader's head and knocked him out. Baldur snorted at the pitiful sight and turned to Estelle. The Dawn Templar's eye was wide and her mouth hung open after watching how easily Baldur defeated the Bandit Leader.
"Alive. As promised." He then pointed his weapon at the remaining bandits who were frozen in place by fear "What about them?"
It took a moment for Estelle to shake herself from her stupor and answer.
"I paid you to drive them out, right? Then what are you waiting for?"
As soon as those words left her mouth, the bandits ran for it. Pushing at each other to get away from the Nord and his company. The sight of the bandits running with their tails between their legs caused the townsfolk to let out loud cheers. Some of the Dawn Templars joined them while the others tended to their wounded. They had survived and came out victorious.
Oleg, meanwhile, walked over to Baldur and stood beside his friend as they watched the retreating backs of the bandits. Batu also approached the two and stood to the Nord's left. Drawing back an arrow and keeping his eyes locked on his chosen target. Slowly adjusting his aim as the bandits got farther and farther away but he was still confident that he can hit his target.
"On your word, Baldur." The Khergit stated.
"...Find yourself a horse. Chase them down. Kill as many as you can. Don't stray too far from the town."
Batu wordlessly nodded and started running for the stables.
Baldur turned away and walked over to the unconscious Bandit Leader. He reached down and grabbed the man by the ankle before dragging him towards the town hall. The Nord stopped and looked over his shoulder at the rest of his Skjaldfélagr.
"Start looting the corpses. Pile up the weapons. We'll sell them later. See if you can find anything of value. A'isha, find us a cart and a horse."
Oleg nodded and the Vaegir turned to the others.
"Well? You heard him. Get moving!"
Baldur nodded in satisfaction as the others put away their weapons and started looting the corpses before turning back to his task and continued dragging the unconscious Bandit Leader towards the town hall. He passed by Estelle who was ordering two Dawn Templars to get some rope to bind the Bandit Leader before running to catch up to him.
"Thank you." She began "For what you've done here. If it weren't for you, things would've turned out very different."
Baldur, however, wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"You promised to pay us double if we bring this one in alive. You better not have been lying or it's your corpse that will be a feast for the crows."
Estelle shivered in fear at the threat. Knowing what the giant was capable of but quickly composed herself.
"I'll talk to the captain about your payment. She should be inside the town hall recovering from her wounds. I know Vinlun is grateful for what you did. There's no doubt the mayor would reward you for this."
"Hm."
(Line Break)
"Riders. Ru- "
The bandit fell face first into the ground. An arrow sticking out the back of his head. Another fell a couple of feet away. This one was struck in the back but was still alive and started crawling away only to be crushes by the hooves of Batu's mount. The Khergit shooting arrows accurately while riding on horseback. A way of fighting that he was born and raised to master and he gave everything to master it. Anything less than everything was unacceptable.
A couple of meters behind the Khergit were fifteen Dawn Templars wearing white hooded mantles and riding mounts garbed with white caparisons. They had been fighting by the garrison and were holding off the bandits until their adversaries started retreating. Then they saw the Khergit Horse Archer chasing after the fleeing brigands and shooting them down and the Dawn Templars decided to ride out with him.
The Templar Knights pushed their horses to go faster and soon passed Batu who decided to take out his Heavy Sabre and joined them. Not wanting to waste anymore arrows. The Dawn Templars trampled and cut down the bandits without mercy. Vengeance fueled their actions. The atrocities committed by the bandits to the townsfolk and their captured Knight-Sisters fanning the flames of their rage.
"Sans pitié!" A Knight Templar yelled.
"SANS PITIÉ!!" The Dawn Templars yelled back.
The bandits could do nothing but scream as they tried to flee but were cut down instead. Some managed to get away and cross the bridge leading to the town but the others weren't so lucky. Their bodies lay unmoving on the ground. Others were barely recognizable after a number of horses ran their bodies over.
The Dawn Templars stopped before they could leave the town's boundaries and cheered. Raising their weapons in the air as they hollered at their victory. Batu, however, wordlessly flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed it before heading back to town. Leaving the Templar Knights to celebrate on their own. The Khergit wasn't one for loud celebrations. He preferred to drink in peace. Maybe read a book. The Shield Companions begin their celebrations with a feast and drinks. Telling stories of what they experienced during the battle.
Batu sighed as he remembered that many of the people he had come to call comrades were gone. Their bodies were still in the beach where they shipwrecked and while they managed to gather the dead and the remains of their longship, the bandits attacking the town prevented them from giving their fallen comrades a proper funeral. They'll have to continue that later tonight or by dawn tomorrow.
The Khergit somberly returned to the town hall where he found the rest of his companions were searching the bodies for loot while piling the bandits' weapons into a cart. Probably off to sell them later. His eyes landed on a separate pile on a different cart. This piles was made up of corpses and Batu figured that these ones would be burned or left for the crows.
Batu climbed down his mount and held it's reigns before passing it off to a young boy and telling him to take the horse back to the stables. The Khergit then started helping the others in looting the dead bandits.
Crouched by one of the corpses, Bhaltair was searching the body in front of him before spotting a sword attached to the man's belt and took it. It was still sheathed in it's scabbard and the Rhodok took out the blade to reveal the sword was still in pristine condition. He unsheathed the sword and gave it a few good swings before turning to the others.
"Here's a good one." Bhaltair held up the sword and showed it to them "Tempered steel from the look and feel of it. Could fetch a high price in the market, don't you think?"
"Give it here."
The Rhodok threw the sword at Oleg and the Vaegir caught the weapon before giving it a few swings of his own. He then examined the blade before nodding at Bhaltair and moved to throw the sword into the pile of weapons they were collecting but was stopped by Isolla.
"Wait. Can I have it?"
Oleg shrugged and handed the sword to Isolla who took it and identified the weapon as a Bastard Sword. She examined the blade further before tying the sheathed sword to her belt.
Meanwhile, the doors to the town hall were kicked open and Baldur walked out carrying two sacks of Pièces d'Or. The Principality of Ken's currency. He walked over to the cart carrying their loot and placed on the back before turning to the others as they gathered around him.
"10,000." He stated "5 for saving the town and another 5 from the Dawn Templars. Sell off the loot then head to the beach."
"The beach?" Bhaltair asked.
"We take care of our dead."
(Line Break)
The storm has passed and the night came and went. The townspeople of Vinlun started rebuilding and recovering from yesterday's raid. The dead were given a proper funeral and everyone did their part in rebuilding what was destroyed. The Dawn Templar garrison also lend a helping hand to the people. The night that followed was spent celebrating their survival and the defeat of the bandits. The Shield Companions, however, did not celebrate just yet.
Because of their varying cultures and different rituals for laying the dead to rest, the Shield Companions settled for lighting burying their fallen comrades. It took them the entire night and the following day's morning to bury the fallen along with their belongings or at least what they managed to salvage.
"Bræður. Systur. Taktu þinn stað í sölum Valhallar. Þar sem hugrakkir munu búa að eilífu."
Baldur turned away from the massive grave and headed back to town. The others said their final farewells to their comrades before following after the Nord. With their dead laid to rest, all that's left now was to plan their next move. Oleg already had a plan in mind. It was an old plan. The same plan they had after he and Baldur finished serving in the Vaegir army and became mercenaries.
Start small. Play it safe. Hunt down bandits, brigands, deserters, looters and raiders. Build up their renown. Make a name for themselves. A name that would be feared and respected. Earn themselves a reputation as one of the best mercenary bands across the land that even this land's nobles would take notice of them and offer them high-paying contracts. Maybe even find themselves as royal bodyguards once again although the first time that happened, they didn't really plan on being royal bodyguards in the first place.
It was simple and Oleg knew his friend would agree to it. It may appear as if that they were back to where they started and Oleg didn't see that as a bad thing. To him, it was just the start of another chapter in their story. One that bards and skalds would sing within the taverns and halls of Lords and Kings. Let the world know of the Skjaldfélagr and may their name forever be written in the pages of history.
Once the Shield Companions entered the town's walls, many of the townsfolk they passed praised them for their part in driving the bandits out and ensuring the town's survival. Bhaltair let out a wide grin and basked in the praises while the others either watched him with amusement, embarrassment or indifference. The Rhodok winked at a pair of women who giggled and hid their blushing faces.
The group eventually arrived in a tavern where they ordered drinks. Bhaltair, on the other hand, challenged anyone who was willing to a drinking contest.
Batu took this opportunity to find out more about Eostia and Geofu. He began asking around the tavern and storing every knowledge he obtained to the back of his head and would share said knowledge he obtained with the others on a later date.
"So we're back to where we started?"
Baldur raised the tankard to his lips and took a long sip of his ale before setting the tankard down on the table and looked to Oleg who sat across from him. The two men sitting a couple of feet away from the others who were watching Bhaltair and his drinking game. Their helmets lay in the center of their table.
Baldur had long, shoulder length blonde hair and a thick beard that was tied into a Nordic braid. A long, jagged scar ran down his left eye. A parting gift left by William the Red during the Battle of Tevarin Castle at the end of the Swadian Civil War. Baldur, however, left a much larger gift on the man's abdomen.
Oleg's hair was shorter and his beard was less thick than Baldur's. The edges of his hair and beard were also starting to grey and his face was starting to wrinkle though it was barely noticeable unless one looked closer. A small scar ran across his left cheek. A result from pushing King Esterich away from the aim of a Rhodok Sharpshooter during their days as his personal guards.
"Looks like it." The Vaegir replied. Placing his drink on the table "Any problems with that?"
"None." Baldur shook his head "We'll rest for the day. Head out at first light tomorrow. Have Batu ask around if there are any hideouts near this town. You ask the mayor if he has any need of us. I'll head to the Templar garrison and see if they need anything done."
Oleg nodded "I'll take Isolla with me tomorrow. Teach the young lady a thing or two about fighting. There's always more room for learning. A'isha and Bhaltair can handle our food and supplies."
"Hm."
The two raised their tankards and drank their remainder of their ale while watching Bhaltair win his drinking game. The Rhodok let out a howl and beat his chest while three other men lay unconscious in front of him. Knocked out after he outdrank them. He then grabbed the two women beside him by the waist and carried them over his shoulders. Laughing heartily as he carried the two upstairs while some of the men inside the tavern let out wolf whistles. Baldur noted that the two women he carried were the same ones that Bhaltair winked at earlier outside.
The Nord shook his head. If there's anything the Rhodok loved more than fighting and drinking, it was fucking. The man would always bring back a different woman with a decent body and a pretty face to Tevarin Castle after every victory to celebrate. Baldur wouldn't be surprised if Bhaltair left more than ten bastards in Calradia. Before the Swadian Civil War, they had a good year. A string of victories and the Rhodok always ended the night fucking a woman or two. Horny bastard.
Baldur's eyes then travelled to Isolla where the former claimant was talking to A'isha. He found that they had a similar story. Forced from their home and their rightful inheritance taken from them. It was one of the reasons why he allowed the former claimant to join the Skjaldfélagar. The other reason was that they were low on men.
His mind then wandered to Harlaus and the Nord felt his rage scream for the man's blood. The bastard took everything from them. Everything Esterich gave them. Their hard-earned reward for serving the late King faithfully than any Lords and Ladies of his court. If they ever return and Baldur meets Harlaus again, he'd tear the bastard's back open and rip out his lungs and ribs. Shape them like the wings of an eagle before nailing him to Praven's gates for all to see. It would remind everyone what will happen if anyone dares to wrong the Skjaldfélagar.
"What are you thinking about, brother?"
Oleg had seen the look in his eyes and the last time he saw that look, Baldur mercilessly blinded and castrated a Count who hired them to kill a rival only to try and have them killed to remove anything linking him to the assassination. The Nord then left the Count in the middle of forest where a pack of wolves were waiting nearby. No one knew what really happened aside from Oleg. Not even their fellow Shield Companions knew what Baldur had done. They thought he just killed the Count and moved on.
"Nothing, brother." Baldur muttered "Nothing."
"Hm."
The Vaegir didn't push it and went back to drinking but he did keep an eye on the Nord from the corner of his vision. He had seen what Baldur was capable of when enraged. A swift death was the only thing the person on the receiving end of that rage can hope and pray for.
(Line Break)
Claudia Levantine sighed and put the letter down before massaging her temples in an effort to soothe her headache.
Four bandit attacks in a month. All targeting towns like Vinlun. Goddess above, how far had they fallen?
The Dawn Templars were the champions of Ken and the people rely on them for protection against threats. Both inside and out. Unfortunately, the Battle of Dragonstooth saw major losses on both the Seven Shields Alliance and the Kingdom of Discordia. Because of this, many criminals saw an opportunity to raid the land while the Armeé Royale and the Dawn Templars were weak and resulted in a rise of banditry across Ken.
As the Grand Mistress of the Dawn Templars, it was her duty to deal with these bandits but the Dawn Templars have been reduced to what they have been before Dragonstooth. They were stretched thin and they couldn't protect everyone in the land. People come to her temple and ask for protection but she can only spare a few Templar Knights as well as their Templar Squires and Templar Sergeants. Public support has dropped significantly as a result and the people of Ken saw that the Dawn Templars could not be relied on for protection anymore. Especially after all these major bandit attacks that left many towns crippled.
If that wasn't bad enough, Claudia had to deal with her own personal problems. Her father-in-law and Hero of Ken, Grave Levantine, has become more volatile recently. He was quick to anger and even the smallest of things can set him off. He has grown impatient, his insistence that she produce an heir to the Levantine family has become disturbing. Even Klaus was disturbed by his father's recent behavior despite the cold relationship the two had.
The only good news that came out of this was that the bandits attacking the town of Vinlun were repelled. All thanks to the efforts of a foreign mercenary band named the Shield Companions and their leader. A giant of a man named Baldur. Chevalier-Capitaine Isabelle of the Vinlun Templar garrison called him Le Géant Étranger. The Foreign Giant.
Isabelle also told her what happened and while she disapproved of Sister Estelle's actions of hiring a mercenary band without gaining the approval of the Knight-Captain first, she was glad Estelle did what she did. If she hadn't, the town might have been lost. Perhaps she should meet these mercenaries and personally thank them for their actions in saving Vinlun. Though the thought of associating with mercenaries didn't sit right with her.
Claudia didn't trust mercenaries. She knew their loyalty can always be bought and they aren't driven by the same cause that drives her and her Knight-Sisters. She expected them to abandon the fight if the battle was turning to the enemy's favor. Unreliable sellswords that only speak the language of coin. She wouldn't even deem them worthy of any attention if she didn't see their uses. Especially as front line troops sent in ahead of the main force or as shields to soften the blow.
'Maybe this one would be different.' Claudia mused.
AN: Now I've mentioned Baldur is tall and in my mind, I picture his physique is similar to the Raider from For Honor but with the height of the Shugoki which is about 6'8-6'9 while Oleg is about the same stock, build and height as the Warlord which is somewhere between 6'6-6'7. Their armor is based on the Varangian Guard or at least the ones I've seen on Google.
Translations:
• Deyja hratt eða hægt, þitt er valið. (Die fast or slow, yours is the choice.)
• Berstu meira, talaðu minna. (Fight more, talk less.)
• Sans pitié! (Without mercy!)
• Bræður. Systur. Taktu þinn stað í sölum Valhallar. Þar sem hugrakkir munu búa að eilífu. Gleðjist yfir þeim sem dáið hafa. (Brothers. Sisters. Take your place in the halls of Valhalla. Where the brave will live forever. Rejoice over those who have died a glorious death.)