Nearly a month has passed since their arrival in Eostia and already the Skjaldfélagar had made a name for themselves in the Duché de Calvet. Word spread of their actions across the duchy and many young men and women from the towns of Maizon and Belmur soon travelled to Vinlun to join the Shield Companions. They, however, were not the only ones who wanted to join.
Mercenaries who have yet to join any mercenary bands. Retired professional soldiers with no coin or land to their name. Squires and Men-at-Arms who were unsatisfied under the lords they served. Even bankrupt Knights also seek to join the company. Some look for purpose. Others to pay debts. Earn fame and fortune. Or simply find some adventure in their life.
All of them, however, had to test their worth through combat against one another before being permitted to join. Baldur and Oleg would be the ones observing the fight and the two would then decide who would be allowed to join the company.
Being born of nobility wasn't enough to gain membership to the Shield Companions. Although some had tried to bribe the Skjaldfélagar, they were refused and was given a choice. Prove themselves in combat or leave. Many tried and failed but a few managed to impress Baldur and Oleg enough that they were allowed to join but still had to survive their first five battles like everyone else before they can call themselves Shield Companions.
After surviving five battles, they must then swear an oath and adhere to a set of rules. These rules are as follows.
• Shield Companions are loyal to no one but the company and the client. Loyalty to the client, however, is dependent on how long they can afford the company's services.
• If the Shield Companions are hired to escort and protect the client, the company is bound by contract and oath to protect the client at all cost. Even give their own lives for the client's safety. They are to never stray too far from the client's side and must be prepared to defend them at a moment's notice.
• Reward money gained from any job were to be equally distributed among the entire company. None may take or receive more than the other.
• Anything of value taken from the battlefield can be substituted as payment instead of coin or sold. Coin earned from selling pilfered equipment is placed in the company's treasury.
• Shield Companions are not allowed to take coin from the treasury and spend it on personal vices. Coin from the treasury must only be used for the benefit of the company and nothing else.
• No Shield Companion may run from an opponent who was as resolute and well-armed as themselves.
• Shield Companions are to show no fear. No matter the odds.
• Shield Companions are forbidden to flee in the face of an enemy of equal or inferior strength but an orderly retreat was acceptable against overwhelming odds.
• Feuds between Shield Companions are to be settled through combat and mediated by senior Shield Companions.
• Shield Companions who have fallen in battle are to be taken back to the Skjaldhǫll and buried with all their belongings. No living Shield Companion may take even a single item from the fallen before or after they are buried.
• If a Shield Companion is slain by those inferior to them, they are expelled from the company and the one who bested them is allowed to take the slain's belongings and a place among the recruits.
• Absolutely no sexual activities while on the job. If a Shield Companion is caught in the act, they are immediately expelled from the company. Everything they gained as a Shield Companion would be divided equally to the rest of the company.
Any form of violation of these rules could be punished with immediate expulsion from the company.
As for those who failed the test, Oleg told them to train more and try again and again. Their door was always open no matter how many times they failed the test. Those that refused to try again, however, ended up joining other mercenary bands instead.
It wasn't a big loss for the Shield Companions. There were still plenty of mercenaries out there. Besides. They already had about 100 new Shield Companions with 50 more waiting for the next battle to earn their place in the company.
The Shield Companions were separated into three groups: Infantry, Missile Infantry and Cavalry.
The infantry consisted of mercenaries armed with round shields and split into groups depending on the weapons they wielded. The missile infantry were split between those with wielding bows and crossbows. The cavalry were made up of anyone who owned a horse and were knowledgeable in fighting on horseback. If they were dismounted in any way, they were to strictly regroup with the infantry and assimilate themselves into their ranks. Those without shields are to be placed at the back of the ranks.
As for leadership, the Shield Companions followed the standard organization for mercenary bands in Eostia. Baldur stands as the Mercenary Lord of the Shield Companions while Oleg, Bhaltair, Batu, Isolla and A'isha stood as his Mercenary Commanders. They have yet to choose their Mercenary Captains and Lieutenants but they were keeping an eye out on any of their new Shield Companions who showed a talent for leadership. The company also had a administrative staff hired from the grateful townsfolk of Vinlun to manage their finances with Isolla acting as the treasurer to handle it's affairs.
The Shield Companions had also constructed a fort by clearing the trees around the mead hall they had taken and used the logs to build a wall around their newly acquired mead hall which they have taken to calling the Skjaldhǫll or Hall of the Shields. The fortress itself was named Félagborg.
They hired craftsmen to help in building housing for their mercenaries and staff as well as store houses for food and resources, armory, forges, stables, treasury, a proving ground, training grounds and many more. They hired stable boys and smiths as well as anyone willing to cook for them. Of course this didn't come without a price. In turn, the Skjaldfélagar took more jobs to pay for all this. By taking more jobs, they earned more renown and their reputation grew. Spreading past the Duché de Calvet and gaining the attention of the nobility as more and more travel to Félagborg and sign up to join the company.
Currently, the Skjaldfélagar Mercenary Lord was watching Oleg train the Shield Companion Recruits in Skjaldfélagar tactics while simultaneously training the Spear and Sword Companions. To the side, Batu and Bhaltair were training the Bow and Crossbow Companions respectively. Isolla, on the other hand, was in discussion with the Knightly, Squire and Men-at-Arms Companions about cavalry tactics. A'isha was out searching for more recruits and jobs that the Shield Companions can take.
Baldur stood silent as he watched a Shield Companion Recruit face off against a Sword Companion with a scrutinizing eye. The Nord was wearing a blue, short-sleeved overtunic with white embroidery around the sleeve cuffs and neck underneath a black, long-sleeved undertunic. He wore a set of leather vambraces with fur underneath, a belt with a sheathed seax attached to the back, brown trousers and a pair of leather boots. A black headband was tied around his forehead.
An Axe Companion, one of the first Shield Companions that proved themselves worthy and survived their first five battles in fact, approached the Nord.
"Knight-Captain Isabelle is here." He stated.
"A job?"
"She said she wanted to speak to you personally. It seems important."
"...Bring her here, Erik."
"It will be done."
Baldur grunted as the Axe Companion left. When he met Erik, he was surprised to learn that he was not the first Nord to arrive in Eostia. That honor belonged to one Sigmundr the Conqueror who took his and several other clans from Nordland and sailed west centuries ago. Just like the Shield Companions, the sea raged and shipwrecked Sigmundr's ships. Unlike them, the majority of Sigmundr's company survived the shipwrecks and settled in a fertile land which would soon grow to become the Fyrstendømmet Feoh.
While the Principality of Feoh had come to embrace the Eostian culture and speaking a descendant of the Nordic Tongue as the years pass by, there were still Nordic influences that remained to this day. Most prominent was the highly respected order of warriors within Feoh's army called the Valkyries or the Valkyrjur in Nordic.
Erik was not the only mercenary from Feoh. Every single Axe Companion was from Feoh and had Nordic blood in them. Training them felt like training Nords back in Calradia. It felt familiar which was good. He was already making plans to train them as shock troops. Just like his Nordic Axe Companions.
"Baldur."
The Nord spared a glance at Isabelle as the Knight-Captain approached and slightly nodded his head in greeting before looking back at the Shield Companions training.
Isabelle had grown used to the Nord's attitude and let it slide before joining him in watching the Shield Companions train. Crossing her arms and was impressed that a mercenary band acted more like a professional army than the rest of the mercenary rabble she had grown accustomed to. Even the Shield Princess of Rad's mercenary company, the Red Vixens, were as unruly as the rest of the mercenary bands. The Shield Companions, however, were different.
Well-trained and disciplined. At least from what she could see from their training regiment. Though she did question the brutality of how Baldur and Oleg disciplined their men. Especially after seeing the Vaegir break a recruit's arm after the poor slob stepped up to challenge Oleg only to back out at the last minute.
"Arnoult, Duke of Calvet is amassing an army to march north and take back Geofic land from the Discordians. I heard Oleg's story about Unuzdaq Castle and I believe you and the Shield Companions would be a great asset in the Duke of Calvet's army."
"Are you hiring or is the Duke?" Baldur questioned.
"The Duke." She answered "He is gathering an army of mercenaries in Vinlun. The Armeé Royale has been reduced to a shell of what it once were after the Battle of Dragonstooth and the Dukedoms are back to levying their own troops rather than hiring soldiers from the Armeé Royale. Recently, everyone has come to rely on mercenaries for just about everything. It's why there are so many sellswords in Eostia. The Duke's own forces would still join the army he's building but the bulk of the army would be made up of mercenaries. He's already hired the Silver Hearts, the Black Dogs and the Red Vixens but he's still waiting in Vinlun for more mercenary bands to answer his call for arms as well as the Duke of Boudelaire and the Duchess of Lavaud.
"...We'll receive a weekly wage of 34,500 gold."
Isabelle blinked before looking up at the towering Nord "You'll do it?"
"Hm. I need these recruits to earn their place in the company. They can't do that after we nearly wiped banditry from Vinlun, Maizon and Belmur. Besides. It's past time we face an enemy that aren't bandits, highwaymen and looters. Hope this Duke can pay. You know what happens when a client can't or doesn't."
Ah. She remembered hearing about that particular incident. A pompous trader from the capital arrived in Vinlun and hired the Shield Companions to escort his caravan. When it was time to pay the mercenaries after the job, the man refused. They were attacked by numerous highwaymen on the journey but had reached their destination relatively unharmed and with all the goods intact. The trader, however, didn't want to pay simply because one of the bandits managed to nick him in the cheek with an arrow. In retaliation, the Shield Companions took everything in the trader's caravan and his person as payment and left the man with nothing but the clothes on his back. They would've taken those as well had it not been for the storm.
The Nord turned away from the Dawn Templar and started heading for the mead hall to put on his armor and ready his weapons. Isabelle took this as a sign to go and left for the stables. She needed to tell the Duc de Calvet that another mercenary band was willing to join his army.
(Line Break)
Later that night, the original Shield Companions gathered at the mead hall while the rest of their company slept. Baldur sat at the head of the table and informed his Mercenary Commanders of the Duke's call for arms.
"So we're finally back to working with armies, eh? Been a while since we fought with professional soldiers."
"They're not professional soldiers, Bhaltair."
The Rhodok looked over at the Vaegir who had his arms crossed "At least not all of them. We'll be working with other mercenary companies for the majority of our time under the Duke's service. It's a good way to scout out competition. Maybe even recruits. Who did the Knight-Captain say they were again?"
"The Silver Hearts from the Holy Aurelian Empire, the Red Vixens from the Principality of Rad and the local Black Dogs stationed in Calvet." Batu replied.
"So how many of us will go?" Isolla inquired.
"All of us will go."
The Skjaldfélagar Mercenary Commanders turned their heads towards their leader as Baldur stood up from his chair and walked over to the large fireplace.
"We'll face the enemy head on and show the others what we're capable of. If we impress this Duke, he might just start favoring us over the other mercenary companies."
"Yes." Oleg muttered "We may even convince the mercenaries from other bands to join us. Bolster our ranks."
"Spread our influence across Geofu." A'isha added "Then the neighboring principalities."
"We'll be the largest mercenary company in Eostia. Perhaps even rival the Black Dogs in number." Isolla looked around her as the others started nodding.
"Then- "
"Then we move against the Kingdom of Discordia."
Once again, the Mercenary Commanders turned to Baldur who was now facing them.
"They say the land is overrun with legions of monsters commanded and ruled by the Dark Queen. After their last major battle, the Eostians fear facing the Discordian legions again. That doesn't mean they wouldn't hire someone else to fight their battles for them."
The Nord let out an uncharacteristic grin. Surprising a couple of his Mercenary Commanders bar Oleg and Bhaltair who mirrored Baldur's grin with their own.
"Sounds like the kind of job for us. Don't you agree?"
(Line Break)
Two days after Isabelle informed them of the Duke's call to arms, Baldur and the Shield Companions arrived at the encampment outside of the castle town of Château de Calvet and joined the rest of the mercenaries in a separate encampment to wait for the Duke of Boudelaire and the Duchess of Lavaud's armies to arrive.
Their current strength numbered at 500 strong. They consisted of 150 Calvet Infantrymen, 50 mounted Calvet Knights, 25 Calvet Levy Crossbowmen, 25 Calvet Levy Longbowmen and 350 mercenaries consisting of 150 Shield Companions, 100 Black Dogs, 50 Red Vixens and 50 Silberne Herzen from the Heiliges Aurelianisches Reich.
The Dawn Templars of Calvet also sent aid in the form of 60 Templar Knights, 50 Templar Squires and 40 Templar Sergeants.
The next day. Charles, Duke of Boudelaire arrived with 200 Boudelaire Infantrymen and 100 Balestrieri from the Compagnia di Lavanda or the Lavender Company. A mercenary band hailing from the Principato di Ur.
Meanwhile. Héloïse, Duchess of Lavaud arrived in the afternoon with 100 Lavaud Knights, 100 Lavaud Infantrymen and 50 Yumi Rōnin from the Ibara no Kōkoku.
In total, the Duke of Calvet mustered a force numbering 1,300 strong. It wasn't close to anything the Armeé Royale could muster but it was enough to take back the Comté de Vallonton. Once belonging to a friend of the Dukes and Duchess, Henri de Vallonton, the county was overrun by Beastmen a couple of days prior. This army of Beastmen, however, was not part of the Dark Queen's forces. They were an independent force that was slowly growing by the number. While not an ally of the Dark Queen, these Beastmen would still pose a problem in the future.
The army left a day after the arrival of the Duke of Boudelaire and the Duchess of Lavaud and marched north to retake the Comté de Vallonton. Three days later, they arrived at the borders of the county only to find a crowd gathered around the crucified body of Henri, Count of Vallonton.
After sending the Count's corpse to be buried by the Church of the Goddess in the capital, the army entered the County of Vallonton with orders from the Dukes and Duchess to leave no Beastmen alive. In the Duke of Calvet's own words:
'Give these rabbid bastards no quarter. Cover the fields with their blood and bodies. And raise the banner of our beloved country high for all to see as we stand triumphant on their corpses.'
As the army marched towards the closest Beastmen-occupied village with the intent to kill every beast they see, the army came across a band of armed peasants, Vallonton Men-at-Arms, Infantrymen and Levies. A Resistance force led by the late Count of Vallonton's squire, Annais.
Ever since the fall of the county to the Beastmen, Annais had been gathering scattered soldiers from across the land in an effort to fight back against the savage beasts. She rallied a number of Vallonton Infantrymen, Men-at-Arms, Levies and Peasant Militia and, despite their small numbers, conducted raids on occupied towns and villages. Freeing prisoners and taking them to their hideout deep in the forests. Unfortunately, they weren't large enough to take back a village or town.
When she heard about the combined army of the Dukes and Duchess marcing into the county, she set out to join them with her men and attempt to free the land from the beasts while the rest of her company stayed behind to guard the hideout in case the Beastmen managed to find it. She brought with her 40 Vallonton Infantrymen, 30 Vallonton Levy Longbowmen, 20 Vallonton Men-at-Arms and 80 volunteer Peasant Militia.
With the addition of this small force into their ranks, the combined army now had a force nearly fifteen hundred strong.
Soon enough. The army arrived at the Village of Plessis and the Shield Companions set out to prove that they were worth every coin the Duke was paying them and show the Beastmen that not even monsters like them can stop the Skjaldfélagar.
(Line Break)
"HOLD STEADY! DO NOT BREAK FORMATION!"
The Spear Companions and Shield Companion Recruits let out a sound of affirmative as they kept the shield wall steady and unyielding. Their tightly packed formation keeping the Beastmen back and locked in the middle of the village's main road. Giving the Sword Companions and Axe Companions time to circle around from the flanks and strike the enemy from the rear.
Meanwhile, Bhaltair and his Crossbow Companions positioned themselves behind the Spear Companions and Recruits. Loading their crossbows with steel bolts but refrained from shooting. They were waiting for the opportune time to strike and that opportunity would be given to them by Oleg and his Sword Companions.
The Vaegir and his company had finished circling around the Beastmen positioned themselves behind the enemy without their notice and quickly formed a shield wall before slowly advancing towards the Beastmen. Pinning the beasts between two walls of shields.
Some of the Beastmen noticed this and alerted the others who turned around and charged towards Oleg and his company. Weapons flailing abover their heads as they ran towards the Sword Companions.
Catching sight of this, the Vaegir ordered his Sword Companions to halt and let the Beastmen smash into their shields. Some Satyrs jumped on top of the shield wall only to get impaled from underneath or had their ankles sliced open.
"Push!"
Oleg and the Sword Companions pushed their attackers back with their shields before dissolving the shield wall and charged into the Beastmen.
The Vaegir parried a strike meant for his head and swung his sword, similar in appearance to a Nordic War Sword, down. Leaving a diagonal cut down the Beastman's torso before quickly bashing his shield into the Pigman and forced it to stagger back then stabbed the Beastman in the throat.
Oleg kicked the dead Pigman back and turned to the side to punch a Satyr in the throat with the rim of his shield. Succeeding in stunning the Beastman before striking it in the abdomen to force it to keel over. He then wrapped his arm around the beast's neck and proceeded to snap the Satyr's neck.
The Vaegir threw the corpse to the ground and turned to face his next opponent. He stabbed the Boarman in the gut and smashed his helmet against the Beastman's forehead. Forcing it to drop on one knee before Oleg proceeded to beat the Boarman to death with his shield.
With the Beastman dead, Oleg held out his arms and roared to the heavens in triumph in Nordic rather than his native Vaegir.
""Þú getur ekki drepið mig!" He bellowed "Ég er Oleg Blóðsverð. Þú getur ekki drepið mig!"
At that moment the Spear Companions lowered their shield wall and dropped to one knee. Giving Bhaltair and the Crossbow Companions behind them a clear shot of the Beastmen's back as they fought against Oleg and his Sword Companions.
Steel bolts sped across through the air before hitting the Beastmen. Their bodies falling to the ground. If they were still alive, the Sword Companions finished them off.
As for Baldur and his Axe Companions, the Nord and his men placed themselves behind the Sword Companions and faced the other direction where more Beastmen were running towards them down the road. Attempting to reinforce the ones pinned between the shield walls. When they saw Baldur and his Axe Companions, they quickened their pace. Especially the Centaurs who pushed themselves into a gallop.
The Nord grunted and took a throwing axe from his belt. An action mirrored by the Axe Companions. They then proceeded to hurl their axes at the Centaurs. Baldur's aim was true and hit their mark but the same could not be said about some of the Axe Companions. A number of them missed while the others managed to hit the Centaurs in the chest but the quadrupedal Beastmen were very resilient or the throwing axes bounced off the breastplate they wore.
Witout warning, Baldur ran to meet the Centaur's charge before he stepped aside at the last second and swung his Long Axe at the unprotected legs of a Centaur and caused it to crash into the ground. He then turned to face the other Centaurs and did the same though he missed a few who galloped past him but they were killed off by the Axe Companions.
Once all the Centaurs were taken care of, the Axe Companions ran towards the remaining Beastmen and started engaging them in brutal and bloody melee. Heads rolled and limbs flew as the axe-wielding mercenaries savagely cut down their adversaries.
Baldur, on the other hand, was facing off against a Minotaur. Towering over him by a couple of inches and wielding a two-headed axe. It wore an armor of bones and of iron and wore a necklace of human skulls around it's thick neck. It's thick beard was tied into a braid and it's horns were decorated with markings.
"Ég mun klýfa þig í sundur!" Baldur taunted.
The Minotaur roared and swung it's mighty axe at the Nord who dodged to the side before smashing the knob of his Long Axe at the Beastman's face. Causing the Minotaur to stagger back and Baldur moved to end the fight quickly with a swift strike to the head but the Beastman backhanded the Nord before his axe could connect and was sent flying into the side of a building.
Baldur fell on his front and shook his head before grabbing his weapon and getting back to his feet. He looked to his opponent and saw the Minotaur running towards him. Bent down with the intent to impale him with it's horns but Baldur didn't give it the chance.
The Nord rolled to the side just as the Minotaur was inches from him and the Beastman smashed into the wall. Creating a hole on the side of the building while also putting the Minotaur in a daze. It shakily stood back only to scream in pain as Baldur buried his Long Axe into it's back. He then kicked the Beastman in the back of the knee to force it to kneel then removed his axe and took a few steps before swinging his weapon down on it's head.
The Minotaur, however, managed to grab the haft of the Long Axe and wretched it from Baldur's grasp before throwing it to the side. As the Minotaur shakily stood up, Baldur quickly grabbed the closest weapon he could find, which was a spear, and created some distance between him and the Beastman. He then proceeded to hurl the spear just as the Minotaur turned to face him and struck the Beastman in the abdomen.
Baldur watched as the Minotaur roar in pain and rage before removing the spear from it's abdomen and breaking it in two. He looked around him and picked up a sword before kicking up a heater shield from the ground and catching it mid-air. The Nord struck the frame of the shield with the flat of his blade in an attempt to taunt the Minotaur.
"Dauðastund!"
The Minotaur roared and ran towards Baldur. Picking up it's axe along the way before gripping it with both hands and raising it high above it's head. Intent on bringing it down on the Nord's head and split it in two.
Baldur moved out of the way and the Minotaur missed. Burying it's axe on the ground instead and it struggled to pull it out. The Nord capitalized on this and buried the sword all the way to the hilt in the Minotaur's side. He then bashed it's head with the shield multiple times until it let go of it's axe and staggered back in a daze.
Suddenly, Baldur staggered forward after something hard hit the back of his head hard and looked over his shoulder to see a Satyr armed with a bow and arrow.
The Nord huffed in annoyance and ran towards the Satyr. Raising his shield to block the next arrow before leaping into the air and smashed the frame of the shield against the Satyr's head as he descended. He then followed it up with a strong punch to the abdomen which forced the Satyr to keel over before grabbing the Beastman by the horns and throwing it to the ground.
Baldur placed himself over the Satyr and proceeded to repeatedly bash it's face in with the shield. He stopped only because the Minotaur had recovered and grabbed him by the shoulders before throwing him off of the now dead Satyr. The Nord rolled to a stop and quickly got back up only to be faced by a Pigman swinging it's machete wildly at him.
Baldur bobbed and weaved before catching the Beastman's wrist and twisting it hard. Forcing the Pigman to drop it's machete which Baldur caught before it fell to the ground and kicked the Beastman back. The Pigman tried to rush him shortly after it recovered but Baldur simply brought the machete down and split it's head open.
The Nord was then tackled to the ground by a Lycan and it tried to maul him open but Baldur kept it back with his forearm before reaching for a rock inches from his fingers. Gritting his teeth, Baldur managed to grab the rock and smash it on the side of the Lycan's head before grabbing it by it's fur and rolled over. Switching places with the Beastman which he proceeded to beat to death with the rock.
Baldur threw the rock over to the side and grabbed the Lycan by the mouth and the jaw. The Nord let out a roar as he proceeded to rip the jaws off of the Lycan with his bare hands before throwing it over his shoulder.
Breathing heavily, Baldur got off of the Lycan and turned to face the Minotaur who was holding the Nord's Long Axe in one hand and it's two-headed axe in the other. Once he caught sight of his weapon in the hands of another, Baldur grew furious.
His newly enraged state gave the Nord a second wind and he rushed the Minotaur. He grabbed a sword and a spear on the ground before closing the distance between him and the Beastman who swung the Long Axe at Baldur but the Nord ducked underneath the attack and buried the spear deep into the Minotaur's thigh.
Baldur then sliced across the Minotaur's abdomen and started hacking at it's wrist. At his fourth swing, Baldur managed to sever the hand holding the Long Axe and he retrieved his weapon before smashing the butt up the Minotaur's jaw and sent it flying back.
The Beastman landed on it's back while roaring it pain as it held the bleeding stump but was silenced when Baldur split it's head open with his Long Axe.
The Nord bared his teeth as he removed his weapon from the dead Beastman before kicking it over to it's front and walked towards it's head. He stood to the side and proceeded to chop it's head off before grabbing it by the horn. He placed one foot on the back of the Minotaur before raising it's severed head in the air.
"ÉG ER BALDUR HAUSAKLJÚFR! BALDUR HAUSAKLJÚFR!"
That was the last straw for the Beastmen occupying the village and they started to flee from the area. Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't get far as Isolla and the Shield Companion's cavalry chased after them before cutting them down to the last beast. Giving no quarter just as the Dukes and Duchess ordered.
With the Beastmen gone, the soldiers and mercenaries started looting the corpses as well as the buildings. Many went so far as to cut the horns off of any horned Beastmen. Hoping to sell them off when they return from their campaign.
Back to Baldur. The Nord looked at the Minotaur's head in his hand and huffed before making his way towards Oleg who was standing to the side with the rest of the Shield Companions. Along the way, Baldur passed by the Lycan he had killed and looked at it's corpse before suddenly throwing his Long Axe at Oleg who effortlessly caught it. He then grabbed the Lycan's corpse by the ankle and started dragging it back to the encampment.
(Line Break)
Night fell on the County of Vallonton and the army was celebrating the liberation of Plessis. Annais rode back to her hideout to spread news to the Resistance that Plessis has been reclaimed from the hands of the Beastmen and that it was time to take back their land. More would join them soon and the boost in numbers was appreciated by the Dukes and Duchess.
Said nobility were currently inside the command tent and had just finished agreeing that the victory today belonged to the Shield Companions. They were the ones wo took back the village of Plessis on their own with the army's soldiers and other mercenary companies only joining the Skjaldfélagar after the battle was over. Arnoult was not comfortable with just thanking the Shield Companion with words and so had taken to pay the Shield Companions extra in addition to their weekly pay.
The Duke of Calvet walked out of the command tent with a large sack of gold in his hands. He was followed by a pair of Calvet Knights who flanked him as he made his to the Shield Companion encampment just outside of his own army's encampment.
"Are you sure about this, Monsieur le duc?" One of the Knights asked him "Do you not think that such coin would be better spent on the army instead of sellswords?"
"And what has the army done to deserve such reward?" Arnouly retorted "Last I checked, it was the Compagnons de Bouclier that had done all the work and therefore are deserving of this reward."
"But they disobeyed your orders!"
The Duke of Calvet stopped in his tracks and glared at the Knight who shrank under the man's steely gaze.
"Do not raise your voice on me again, Jacques. It would do well to remember who you are speaking to."
The Knight immediately dropped to one knee and kept his head low.
"Forgive me, Your Grace." He apologized.
Arnoult waited for a moment before telling Jacques to get up. The Duke of Calvet fixed the young Knight with a stare before continuing on his trek towards the Shield Companions.
While it was true that the Shield Companions broke off from the army and attacked the village head-on, Arnoult never ordered them to stay in formation. He refrained from sending the rest of the army after them to judge whether or not the Shield Companions were worth the coin he was paying them. He was glad to see that they were worth every piece.
Not only did they take the village back but they also did it with minimal casualties. Only three died while seven were wounded but would be back in action in no time. Their leader also took on a Minotaur alone. That alone was quite the feat. Minotaurs were hardy bastards. It would need more than one man to take just a single one of them out but Baldur had done so while also fighting off three other Beastmen.
Arnoult would have to thank Knight-Captain Isabelle someday. If she hadn't told him that the Shield Companions were the ones responsible for the sudden decrease in banditry around Vinlun, Maizon and Belmur, he never would have given them much thought. He can see why the Knight-Captain was adamant about having them join his army.
'Let's hope the rest of these sellswords I hired are as good as they say they are.' He thought to himself.
The Duke of Calvet soon arrived at the Shield Companion encampment and saw two Spear Companions standing guard outside. They wielded spears which they jad crossed over the entrance and round shields with the white raven of the Shield Companions painted on the face of the shields.
Spear, Sword and Axe Companions all wore a set of hardened leather lamellar armor with a short-sleeved mail hauberk and blue tunic underneath along with a pair of hardened leather vambraces and a Nordic helmet. The only difference being that Axe Companions wore short-sleeved tunics while the Spear and Sword Companions wore tunics with longer sleeves. Their trousers varied in color but they all wore the same type of boots.
The two Spear Companions guarding the entrance to the encampment saw the Duke and parted their spears to allow the man and his guards passage into the encampment.
Arnoult stepped inside the encampment and saw the Shield Companions gathered around the large bonfire. Celebrating their victory with drinks and hearty meals. The Duke saw Mercenary Commander Oleg watching the his subordinates and fellow Mercenary Commanders mingle and have fun from the side. Some tried to convince him to join but the Vaegir politely declined before noticing the Duke and walked over to him.
Oleg placed his fist over his heart and bowed his head low in greeting the Duke.
"What brings you here, Your Grace?" He asked "Trouble?"
"Nothing like that, Commander Oleg." Arnoult shook his head "I'm just here to give you this."
The Duke showed the sack of coin to the Vaegir and handed it to him.
"This victory belongs to the Shield Companions. Not the army. As such, I feel it is appropriate to reward you all for a job well done."
"Is this our weekly pay in advance?" Oleg inquired.
"I'm not paying you in advance. You will still receive your pay by the end of the week. Just think of this as my token of appreciation."
The Vaegir thanked the Duke before making his way over to Baldur who was speaking to Knight-Captain Isabelle and her second-in-command, Estelle.
This surprised the Duke as he knew that the Dawn Templars weren't exactly fond of mercenaries like their Grand Mistress with only a few exceptions. He then remembered what Knight-Captain Isabelle told him about the Shield Companions and that Vinlun would have been lost had it not been for them.
Arnoult decided to join them and walked over to the four just as Oleg handed the sack to Baldur. Isabelle and Estelle saw the Duke approaching and bowed their heads in greeting.
"I must commend you, Mercenary Lord Baldur. You and your company have done a fine job in taking Plessis."
"Hm. Where are we off to next?"
Arnoult raised a brow and Isabelle proceeded to explain to him that the Nord was a man of few words and would always go straight to business.
"I see." The Duke muttered before turning back to the Nord "Well in that case. The army would be leaving at dawn. Our next destination would be the village of Gretou. Sadly, you won't be fighting in this time. I can't have you and your company doing all the work. What am I paying the other sellsword companies for then? Nevertheless. The Shield Companions will be joining the attack on the fortified town of Montaully. Now if you'll excuse me. I must be getting back to the others. Farewell and good night."
Baldur, Oleg, Isabelle and Estelle watched as the Duke of Calvet and his guards make their way out of the Shield Companions encampment. The Knight-Captain shook her head and looked up at the Nord.
"Looks like you've caught the Duke's interest. I look forward to working alongside the Shield Companions in the future. Until then, Baldur."
Baldur nodded and the two Dawn Templars left the encampment to return to their own. The Nord was slightly miffed that they would be sitting the next fight out but he can look forward to besieging the Town of Montaully.
"Well. Looks like we'll be training until we're deployed again." Oleg began "If it's a town we're gonna take then we're gonna have to teach these idiots how to build a siege tower or at least have them help in building one. By the way, there are a couple of Companions ready to be trained. I have a couple of them in mind for the rank of Mercenary Captain and Lieutenant."
"So do I. I'm giving Erik the position of Mercenary Captain. What about you?"
Before he could say anything, Erik approached the two and informed them that someone outside was requesting a meeting with Baldur.
The Nord and the Vaegir shared a look before following after Erik outside the encampment. Once they stepped outside, they were met with the sight of about twenty mercenaries. Ones Baldur recognized as belonging to the Black Dogs.
One of them took a step forward and bowed his head to greet the Nord. The man wore a grey surcoat over a long-sleeved hauberk along with a mail coif and a blue and white warrior's scapular. He also wore a set of leather belts around his waist and abdomen. His arms were protected by a set of iron besagews, rerebraces and vambraces while a set of demi-gauntlets protected his hands which were fitted with a pair of black, fingerless gloves. Below, he had a set of hardened splinted leather cuisses, iron poleyns and sabatons over his mail chausses. In his hands were a bastard sword and a heater shield.
"Hail, Mercenary Lord Baldur. My name is Jaune de Crevier. I WAS a Mercenary Knight under the Black Dogs but certain... circumstances forced my men and I to leave their services. We were hoping that you and your company are open to accept us in your ranks."
Baldur and Oleg crossed their arms and gave the former Black Dog mercenaries a scrutinizing gaze. Giving them a once over before the Nord looked back at the Mercenary Knight.
"Hm. You'll have to earn your place here. All of you will have to fight for it. You'll be facing off against one another and we will decide who would be allowed to join the company."
"If you fail there's no shame in trying again." Oleg cut in "Our door is always open. Each of you will fight one on one. Whoever wins will join the company. Those who lost are welcome to try again. We'll start now. You."
Oleg pointed at Jaune "You fight first."
Jaune nodded and his men dispersed and formed a circle around him before his chosen opponent stepped forward. The Shield Companions inside the encampment soon joined them outside and some had taken to placing bets on who would win.
Seeing the gathered mercenaries, some of the sellswords from the Red Vixens and Silver Hearts joined in as well. Even a number of Dawn Templars and professional soldiers and knights gathered to watch too.
"First to yield loses!" Oleg announced "You can beat the hell out of each other but no killing. This isn't a duel to the death. And remember. You lose, you can try again once you've recovered. Fighters ready?"
Jaune dropped into a fighting stance with his opponent, Gilles, doing the same. Both were Mercenary Knights but with different reasons for becoming one. Jaune failed to pay his debt to the Duchess of Rouzet and had his land and castle taken from him. He was left with nothing and was forced to become a Mercenary Knight.
Gilles, on the other hand, became a Mercenary Knight after he was accused of raping then murdering the daughter of his lord but in reality was framed by the lord's brother. Even after he was proven innocent, his reputation had been sullied and the Black Dogs were the only ones willing to take him in. Now he was presented with another company to join. One that he found more respectable than the Black Dogs.
"BEGIN!"
The gathered crowd cheered as the two Mercenary Knights rushed the other and engaged in melee. The sound of steel clashing were drowned out by the drunken cheers and jeers of the crowd. Baldur and Oleg, however, were too focused on watching the fight.
While they were willing to let these men join the company, they still needed to make sure they were good in a fight. Whoever wins here had to survive five battles after all. Only then will they be able to call themselves Shield Companions.