The sun rose on a new day, but Serra's spirits didn't rise with it. She was silent for the whole morning's walk. Dorcas was unsure whether that was a good or a bad thing. On one hand, if she wasn't talking, this evil persona she'd taken on was contained and couldn't hurt the others. But on the other hand, without words pouring out of her mouth at the rate of water from a fountain, Serra was just not…Serra. She truly did look like 'Arres' now, Dorcas thought, striding forward so irately with a silent scowl on her face and a hint of evil calculation in her eye. She was planning something it was clear, something deliberately wicked purely to prove that she wasn't the same Serra that the others had resented. She was like a coiled snake, ready to strike at any instant, and he couldn't take his eyes off her until she did.
It came when they stopped to rest, mid-morning. Once everybody had stretched and were seated on the grass, chatting in their own little groups, Serra stood on top of a rock and clapped her hands to get their attention. Dorcas knew the brewing storm was about to be unleashed and braced himself of it.
"Hear me, hear me! May I have everyone's attention? I've got an announcement to make!"
Everyone looked over to her curiously, wondering what was so important that it merited the whole group hearing. "Maybe she's announcing her departure," Matthew murmured to the men next to him.
"Too much to hope for," Erk whispered back.
Unable to hear the cruel remark, Serra continued, "I've decided to make a big change my system to improve efficiency."
"Your system?" Lyn queried. The faces of the others asked the same question. It sounded sinister.
"Yes, my system of healing," she drew herself up with her hands behind her back and spoke to them formally. "I have decided that in the interests of preserving my staff, any non-essential healings will now come with a charge of twenty gold pieces a whack."
Cries of protest erupted from the group. Pay for healing? Unthinkable! There was so much wrong with the idea. It was unnecessary, discriminatory and entirely selfish. They roared as much to her and demanded an explanation. Serra shouted them down, having to bellow to beat them.
"Don't whinge! It's for you own good! Think about it – if my staff breaks because I've been healing you lot, I'll need to be able to buy a new one or else I won't be able to heal anyone else when I really need to. It's common sense!" She added a pause so she could stare them down. "What's more, it means you'll think twice before getting yourself hurt which can only be a good thing, right?"
Predictably, she failed to convince the group of the new system's merits. Frowns on their faces, they began to murmur amongst themselves. Not only was this system notoriously unfair (where was Nils going to get twenty gold pieces from?), it was also insubordination, directly undermining Davidos's authority. As the tactician, it was him who would normally decide how she allocated her resources. Unfortunately, everyone knew he would be too meek to speak against her. So it was left to the other leader to make a stand for the group.
Lyn stepped forward, gesturing pleadingly with both hands. "Serra, we should have enough group funds to repair your staff, or buy a new one if need be. There's really no need to make people pay for treatment."
Serra shook her head, not interested in her pleas however rational they were. "I'm sorry, my new system stands and is effective as of right now!"
"Serra…" Lyn breathed hopelessly. She didn't say anything more, just backed down despondently, for though she wasn't as submissive as Davidos, she wasn't one to stamp down her authority either (after all, most of the time she didn't even have to). Dorcas chided her for it in his mind. Serra could have used a good slap in the face right about now.
The group dispersed again then, their protests gradually fading to discontented grumbles. Though they clearly resented this new system of Serra's, they couldn't exactly force her to change it. Serra had a monopoly on healing powers within the group. Twenty gold pieces was steep, but it was still far cheaper than a vulnerary. For now, her system would stand.
"Damn it," he heard Wil murmur beside him. "Wish I'd gotten her to check out my damn back before she dropped that bird-shit on our laps,"
Erk shrugged. "At least she's conducting herself with a little dignity for a change," he replied. "It's refreshing."
"Too true," Matthew agreed. "And you can't fault her logic. Maybe, she's finally taking a turn for the better!"
Dorcas allowed himself a private grunt. "If you only knew."Such a reaction from them was curious though. Did the lads really preferthis Arres to the original Serra?Had Serra been right on that count?
He dismissed the thought. "It doesn't matter what they think. Even if Arres is better for them, it's already clear that she's not better for Serra."
Just then Rath turned up with a good reason to change the subject. The mounted nomad must have gone on ahead to scout around when the others had stopped, for he was now trotting back towards them at an urgent pace. He reigned in his horse and stopped a little distance from Lyn, his face as stonily solemn as it always was.
"There are armed men on this road. About twenty, with swords," he grunted.
Lyn nodded as she rose to her feet. "I see. Thank you Rath," She turned her head to consult their tactician. "How do you want to play it Davidos?"
"Oh!" he replied, dropping the book he'd been reading (or at least pretending to read to disguise the fact he wasn't dealing with the Serra situation). "Well, this pass gives us a good bottleneck. We'll just form a line and let them come to us. Rath, Wil, get up on the sides and hit them from above. Nils, Ninian, stay well back. Matthew, stay with them,"
"With pleasure!" the thief chuckled with a mocking bow. "Now that we have to pay to get fixed up, I'll be glad to stay away from the action!"
"And Kent, Florina," Davidos continued. "You two try and get behind them and attack from there."
"Good ol' pincer, eh?" remarked Sain.
"Go with what works," Kent said with a shrug.
"Okay, good luck everyone!" Lyn called as the team dispersed to take up their assigned positions. "Remember, don't attack until you're certain they're hostile!"
Erk snorted. "Since when have we met nice armed groups on the road?" he murmured sardonically. Sain and Matthew chuckled at that.
Sure enough the group came and sure enough it was hostile and attacked them on sight. But Lyn's band were prepared for them with eager weapons and buckets of confidence. After all, they had fought and won many a battle of late and this small skirmish against mediocre opposition wasn't about to be the one they lost.
"What fools." Dorcas mused as he dug his axe into the chest of his first opponent to make him a corpse. "How can so many be willing to die for an unworthy cause?" He shoved the dying body to one side so he could advance. His axe, powered by battle fury and sheer monstrous strength, spun like wildfire, scattering and shattering his foes as though they were empty bottles.
"If I die here, I won't be able to go back to Natalie. That is why I must win and you must fall. No hard feelings."
He was jerking his axe out of the collarbone of his third downed opponent when he heard Lucius' sudden cry. "Look out! They have mages with them!"
The warning came too late for an intense burst of flame exploded to Dorcas's right, the same second. It hadn't been close enough to harm him, but Erk, standing next to him, had taken a heavier hit. Parts of him were painfully singed, though he was still standing and fit for battle, as his own retaliating fireball proved when it set the enemy mage into flames. He did fall back after that though and Dorcas stepped in to cover him.
"Serra!" he heard him shout. "Heal me now!"
"Hold your horses. I'm coming," Serra tottered over to their position, taking her own time. He couldn't see her, but could feel her scrutinising gaze scan the young mage, and the consequent shake of her head.
"Second-degree burns are non-essential injuries," she stated, almost apologetically. "That will twenty gold if you please."
Erk was enraged of course. "Stop playing games!" he barked. "I'm wounded! Be useful for once in your life and heal me!"
"Twenty gold," Serra repeated coldly. "If you don't have the cash on you, I'll be happy to put it on your tab."
"Bitch!" Erk yelled. "I'll never pay you!"
Having heard the exchange, Dorcas grimaced. Such an argument could turn this supposedly simple skirmish into a disaster if fate went the wrong way. Unwilling to take that chance, he took his next opponent's blade on his axe and used the bought time to rip his pouch off his belt and hurl it behind him.
"Erk! Vulnerary in the bag!" he yelled, even as he surged forward to put his oppressor off balance. He couldn't hear any reply over the sounds of battle, but could sense the mage retrieve the gift and (he fancied) a grateful nod in his direction. Then a moment later, Erk was at his side again, deadly flames erupting from his fingers to engulf one of the few foes left standing.
The fight ended soon after that. The enemy had been routed, the few survivors throwing down their arms and fleeing. Another fine victory had been won, with no casualties. Lyn had barked at Kent and Sain to cease when they had started after them – they would let them go, for they were a band of justice, not ruthless butchers. Acts of such mercy assured them that they stood on far higher ground than their brutish adversaries could ever hope to.
Grunting in the satisfaction of an easy victory (which admitted could have been easier if not for a certain petulant act by their healer's alter-ego) Dorcas mopped his brow, then wiped the blood off his axe with the same cloth. As he tended his weapon, Erk came up and gave him a friendly slap on his bulky shoulder.
"Thank you for that Dorcas. It's good to know we can always count on you," he said, bowing his head in gratitude. "Unlike someone I know," he added, with an acid glare Serra's way.
Serra tilted her head back and looked down her nose at him. "If you didn't want to pay, you shouldn't have gotten yourself hurt so quickly. That makes sense doesn't it?"
"Quiet you!" he snapped. "I don't know what your game is, but I know for certain that we don't need a healer that isn't going to heal us!"
She just stuck her tongue out at him. Erk growled in outrage and stalked off, red anger steaming off him.
With Erk's withdrawal, came Lyn's advance, impeccably timed. Clearly she saw the need to act, now that Serra's little rebellion had counted against them in a battle. After all, what if someone died from 'non-essential' injuries in the confusion of a major melee? Lyn wouldn't want that on her conscience and wouldn't want Serra to have it on hers either.
She came up beside her, rested a kind hand on her shoulder and smiled as though she'd just come over for gentle small talk, not a much-needed counselling session. "Hi Serra," she said cheerfully.
Serra replied only with a grave look that made a simple demand – 'Stop patronising me and for God's sake remove your hand before I get nasty.'
Lyn got the message and tempered her tone with concern. "I just wanted to see if you're all right. There isn't anything bothering you, is there?" She made the question sound perfectly innocent.
The pink-haired girl feigned surprise (though she was fooling no-one). "Me? Oh no I'm fine. Hunky-dory. Not a worry in the world."
"Really?" Lyn replied, giving her lower-lip an anxious chew. "Because you seem a little…" she struggled for the honest, yet tactful, phrase. "Out of sorts,"
Serra shrugged defiantly. "No I'm not. This is me. This is what I'm like." When she turned back to her, her eyes held warning. "Stop bothering yourself with imaginary problems."
"But Serra…"
The cleric went on the counter-attack before Lyn could regroup. "Why are you wasting time interrogating me when nothing's wrong? Don't you have important leader-type things to be doing now? I'm sure you have more pressing concerns than bothering me like this."
Lyn had a response ready this time. "A leader looks out for her troops first," she recited with a weak smile.
"Well, don't bother. I'm absolutely fine."
"If you say so," said Lyn doubtfully, seeing that persisting was futile. "But you know, if there is something wrong, you can always come to me. Or if you just want to talk, I'm always around. Keep me posted, okay?"
"Don't wait by the letterbox," Serra murmured before suddenly striding away without looking back. Lyn watched her go, pursing her lips helplessly.
"What's come over her?" she wondered aloud.
Florina had drifted over by now, drawn to Lyn's side as ever. She avoided looking directly at Dorcas though, using Lyn as a shield between him and her. "Um, maybe it's….it's…you know," she stuttered, a little uncomfortably.
"Hmm? What's that Florina?" Lyn asked.
The silver-haired girl anxiously checked both ways then stood up on tiptoes to whisper something in Lyn's ear. She listened with a nod, then her eyes widened in comprehension.
"Oh my, that's a good thought. Maybe it is her time to bleed…"
Florina instantly flushed and looked away. She hadn't wanted it to be said out loud, especially in the presence of a big scary man.
"Would it that it was so simple," Dorcas grunted. "But the problem's in her mind. Not…anywhere else."
The girls' eyes snapped to him curiously. "Do you know something Dorcas?" Lyn inquired.
Dorcas raised his head to gaze at Serra, who was now shouting at Matthew for some reason. His eyes were distant as he said, "She believes she can solve Serra's problems by becoming someone else. She doesn't realise that by doing so she's creating a whole new batch of problems for herself. Problems that can only be resolved by returning to her former self," He snorted derisively. "She's a child. An irrational child with no perspective to speak of. Someone needs to set her right."
"Yes, that's true," Lyn said with a nod. "But how?"
As if he knew. With an indifferent shrug, he replied, "That's your department, Mistress Lyn. I'm just hired muscle." He hauled his axe onto his shoulders to accentuate the point, then turned and walked away. Part of him was relieved that that the problem had been transferred, rightfully, into Lyn's capable hands. But another part of him was uneasy, wondering if those capable hands were actually capable enough for the challenge at hand.
"Will she be able to set her right? I don't know," he musedwith a frown.
"I have the feeling it'll take more than just a pep talk to bring the old Serra back."
Perhaps the Serra problem had been passed from him to its rightful owner, but all the same he made a silent vow to keep an eye on the things. For though he was only hired muscle as he had said, he had a responsibility as a man of decency to see that the situation was resolved to a satisfactory conclusion. One which brought their Serra back to them, and happily so.