A Sword Hand for Hire Part 2
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of A New Crusade IF! Now first off a slight apology for getting this out later than I wanted, but, I promise I have a really good reason this time. As of a couple days ago, I am a published author! That's right, I've recently had a book published titled 'Plains Riders' which I've set up as an ebook on Amazon Kindle. It's a relatively straightforward Sci Fi Action Adventure, but one I think you'll all find at least entertaining. So if you've got $4.99 to spare and two to three hours to kill, go on and give it a read. Now then, I've rambled on long enough and we don't appear to have any guest review questions this week, so let's dive on in!
Country Road: Heading Towards Kararagi
"I must admit," said Ulric as he rode along next to the carriage that was pulling Anastasia Hoshin, "this beast you've given me is quite a spectacular specimen. I doubt any wolf would've been able to keep up the pace we've been going for so long."
"I did tell you, didn't I," said Hoshin from an open window inside the carriage, "ligers might not be as strong as ground dragons, but their endurance and speed are much greater. Though what I'm surprised about is how quickly this one's taken a likin' to you."
"I have a great fondness for canines," said Ulric as he scratched his liger's ear, "even if they're occasionally troublesome, a good dog is nothing short of a wonderful companion to have."
"Then perhaps you and Ricardo will get along famously," said the Merchant Girl with a smile before Berat said something to her from inside the carriage. Whatever it was it brought a frown to her face before she closed the window and sat further back in the decorated wagon, likely so she wouldn't be heard or have any of her expressions seen. 'It's not the strangest behavior I've seen since arriving here,' mused Ulric, 'still, what plans must God have for me to wind up riding with someone I'd dislike due to past experience?' He took a moment to think back on everything that had happened since he'd met Lady Hoshin.
A Few Hours Ago: Upscale Inn
"And there we have it," said Hoshin as soon as Ulric was done signing the basic paperwork, "obviously we still need to get you some new equipment and an official induction as a member through a little ceremony. But at the very least, you are now under contract with the one and only Lady Hoshin."
"I won't lie and say it's the most immediate pleasure to be working with you," said Ulric as he stood up from the table they'd been sitting at, "but God willing we shall both be able to prosper from this partnership."
"I'll admit I'm a greedy gal," said Hoshin with a mischievous smile, "but I also like it when others profit off of me bein' profitable. Perhaps in time you'll see that runnin' a business can help quite a lot of people."
"I shall try and keep an open mind then, my lady," said Ulric with a slight bow, "Now, what's the order of business for this particular moment?"
"Oh, eager are we," questioned Hoshin teasingly, "I like the initiative, but we still got a little problem that needs to be solved first: findin' you a mount."
"I will not deny that having a steed would be ideal for travel," said Ulric, "am I to take it we intend to travel soon?"
"The main headquarters for the Hoshin Trading Company is in a little place called Kararagi," explained the Purple-haired girl, "it's also where the Iron Fang is stationed. I've about wrapped up my business here and was plannin' on headin' back a little closer to sunset. Time is money after all."
"Isn't it somewhat dangerous to travel at night?" Questioned Ulric as his new mistress stood up along with Mimi. Berat had chosen to stand off to the side, finding literally anything outside of the window more interesting than what was currently happening.
"There is always the possibility of a mabeast attack," admitted Hoshin, "though with my wonderful Vice Captain, my now two loyal sword hands and the keen senses of the ligers we'll be usin', I'm fairly certain we'll be safe. Not to mention, a small complement of Iron Fang members will be waitin' for us at the gates."
"So it seems we've little to fear then," surmised Ulric, "or is it more of a hope that we have little to fear?"
"I suppose there is one little problem we might be needin' to steer clear of," said Hoshin, "if the road suddenly gets covered with a strange fog, we'd do best to go the other way."
"What's in the fog that would turn away a small band of well-armed mercenaries?" Questioned Ulric.
"The White Whale!" Mimi said, probably more happily than she should have. "It's this ginormous flying fish monster that's supposed to be so big that it swallows entire wagon convoys whole! And worst of all, if it eats you, then the entire world forgets you ever existed!" She lowered her voice to a whisper for the last part, likely for dramatic effect. Instead of answering the small cat girl, Ulric directed a questioning look towards Hoshin.
"It's true," said Anastasia with a smile, "the White Whale is said to be one of the three great mabeasts. They're monsters so powerful that it'd take a small army just to bring down one of them."
"It sounds like one of the fairy tale stories my mother told me before bed each night when I was younger," said Ulric, "yet after seeing so many strange creatures just this day alone, I've little reason to believe that you are telling me a falsehood."
"The beasts are very real," said Berat, turning towards them for the first time since they'd entered the fancy room at the Inn, "I've seen numerous mabeasts of varying shapes and sizes with more than a few reaching sizes as enormous as a behemoth. And the fear of those who have seen the White Whale or any of the other three great mabeasts is very real. Understand this now, should any of us come up against those foul creatures without the full force of the Iron Fang behind us, we'd best retreat. Dying at the hands of a beast is not likely considered a very honorable end for either of us."
"If a battle-hardened Turk is telling me retreat would be a better option against such foes," said Ulric, "then they must undoubtedly be formidable."
"It's also hard to replace good help," added Hoshin, "but for now, let's work on getting you set up for departure, Sir Knight."
"Ah yes, I'll no doubt need a few essentials before we leave," said Ulric, "and I recall there being something about a steed?"
"Yes, right this way," said Hoshin as she led Ulric and the others out the door and around the back of the Inn were some incredibly large stables were set up. But instead of the neighing and whinnying of horses that would usually be coming from such stables, he was greeted instead by the sounds of occasional growling and low barking. When the Knight saw why, he was both surprised and intrigued.
"These are all, incredibly large wolves," observed Ulric as he slowly went from one stall to the next, carefully looking over the canines that were larger than many horses he'd seen.
"They're known as ligers," explained Anastasia as she patted the muzzle of the one closest to her, "these wonderful creatures hail from Kararagi and are often used as mounts and beasts of burden, much like the ground dragons. Though there are some obvious differences like the ground dragon's physical strength and the liger's incredible endurance. Bein' the kind of girl who loves fluffy things, as you can no doubt see, I prefer the ligers."
"I can't honestly say which would be better for me," replied Ulric as he stopped at the last of the stalls, "but since we are heading to these beast's native land I imagine it would be more proper for me to ride a liger."
"Then take your pick," said Hoshin with a sweeping wave of her hand, "we wound up bringing one too many ligers anyway and the representative I'm leaving to try and sell more would probably appreciate having an empty stall, just in case." Ulric nodded as he went back down the line, moving towards one that had caught his eye earlier. It was a liger with grey and black fur who seemed to possess a calm disposition as the Crusader held his hand up for the, what he assumed was a boy, liger to sniff. Naturally he made sure to keep just out of reach in the possible event the liger decided it wanted to try crunching his hand off, and he'd seen such occurrences at least once on his way to Jerusalem. But the liger continued to gaze at him calmly as the Knight cautiously began rubbing its muzzle, getting a contented sort of hum in response.
"Oh, you like Spiegel there," noted Hoshin, "he's been an interestin' one, very mature for his age. But so far he only listens to the likes of Ricardo or Julius and only half listens to everyone else at best."
"Perhaps he just prefers a certain type of person," suggested the Crusader before turning to the liger he was still petting, "what do you think, Spiegel, would you care to be this Knight's legs in his time of need?" The response he received was a quick lick on his face as a more excited glint shone in the liger's eyes.
"Aaaaaw, Spiegel likes you," said Mimi in a teasing tone of voice, "now you get to feed him and play with him and brush his hair and clean up after him!"
"God willing it can't be too much worse than a horse," said Ulric, "now then, where can I find a saddle for my new steed?"
The Present: Country Road
Whatever fears he might've had about Spiegel's abilities were quickly dashed as the liger proved to be faster and more agile than any horse he'd ever ridden. His temperament was also well-mannered, allowing the two to take to each other quite quickly and Ulric felt himself enjoying their journey to Kararagi even despite the slowly setting sun. 'It's almost a shame we'll have to stop soon,' the Crusader thought, 'even if I haven't known him long, I feel like I can already tell that Spiegel feels like running for a good while more.' Though one thing that did put a slight damper on his otherwise good mood was his curiosity over what was being said in Hoshin's carriage.
Naturally Berat was against his joining of their camp and clearly didn't want to work with him. It even stood to reason that he might try sabotaging Ulric's efforts while he was a part of Lady Hoshin's mercenaries. 'He's likely trying to convince her even now that I'm no good as a warrior,' mused The Knight. As it turned out, his assumptions were not entirely off.
"I really must protest such a rash decision, your ladyship," said Berat as he sat across from the Merchant Girl. The inside of the carriage was decorated in shades of purple and white with comfortable seating on either side. But even that was doing little for either of their moods right now. "If that Crusader infects you with his religion-."
"He is not a priest, he is a knight," corrected Anastasia, "and you should know very well by this point that the only things that sway me are shifts in the market and my adorable Vice Captains. Furthermore, it is in his contract as it is in yours and every member of the Iron Fang that they may believe and practice whatever belief they wish so long as it doesn't interfere with anyone's work."
"Even so, it is not like you to make such a quick judgement of someone's character," said Berat, "what quality do you see in him that you believe makes him worthy to join up with the Iron Fang?"
"Much the same qualities I saw in you when we first met," replied Hoshin, "he's seen war, it's written in his eyes as it was written in yours. His actions and mannerisms are also those of an honest person, no shiftin' or twitchin' unless he's mastered himself to such a degree that he can hide even the feintest of tells. And if by chance that is the case, all the more reason to have him on our side, don't you think? He'd make for a good representative, the type that knows how to not give anything away."
"I do hope that was an attempt at humor," said Berat, "I very much doubt a basic knight like him possesses such ability."
"Well even if he doesn't, he'll still prove useful in plannin' attacks," said Hoshin, "he might even think up somethin' we haven't once he learns a little more about this world."
"You really are expecting quite a bit out of a stranger you only met this afternoon," said Berat, "are you sure you don't simply find him pleasing to look at?"
"You make it sound as if a number of handsome gentlemen haven't already tried to sway me," replied Anastasia, "you've even seen a few of the attempts during your nearly three years of service with me. In comparison, would you really consider Sir Ulric to be more handsome than those other wannabe suitors?"
"I…suppose not," admitted Berat, "even back in my world he'd be considered relatively plain looking among the Europeans I've seen."
"Indeed," said Hoshin, "you should know me well enough by now to recognize when I'm makin' an investment. I made one with you that's turned out pretty well so far and now I'm makin' one with him. If my instincts are right, he'll prove his worth in one form or another eventually."
"Just know that I won't go out of my way to save his life if he happens to get into more trouble than he can handle," informed Berat.
"That's an issue you'll have to discuss with Ricardo," said Hoshin, "so long as the Iron Fang is actin' like a cohesive unit, I won't comp-what's going on?" The two looked out the window to see that the Iron Fang members and Ulric were riding much closer to the carriage now, which had picked up more than a little speed. Despite the obvious possibility of danger, the purple-haired girl still moved to the window and opened it. One immediate difference she noted was that the sky had suddenly turned dark. "What's happenin' out here?!"
"It's the capital city!" Ulric called back as he moved his liger right next to the now speeding carriage, "it's like a storm suddenly began erupting from it!" Hoshin had to remind herself that the Crusader was still unfamiliar with magic as she looked out past him. They were fortunately, or perhaps it was unfortunate in this case, on a large curve on a more upraised part of the road right now which afforded them a clearer view of the capital. And what Anastasia saw made her face twist into a rare expression of worry.
The reason being that it looked like part of the capital, the slums if she remembered the maps correctly, had suffered some sort of explosion from the most massive ice spell one could imagine. A literal blizzard was forming and spreading out from the city and it was the most ferocious one the Merchant Girl had ever seen. "Get all of the mages with fire magic to the back!" Exclaimed Berat after seeing what was happening out of the other side of the carriage, "we need to ride as far and as fast as we can, but if that blizzard does catch up to us I'm counting on all of you back there to keep us from freezing!"
"Sir!" Replied several of the Iron Fang members as they took up formation behind the carriage as ordered. Ulric, for his part, continued to keep pace next to the carriage with his eyes on the road ahead. He'd seen what snowstorms could do to the ill-prepared and whatever wrath of nature God had decided to send their way would show no mercy to them if they were forced to stop. Adding onto their troubles was the fact that night was quickly falling.
It was only thanks to the setting sun that they'd seen the coming blizzard at all and with its retreat behind the horizon the temperature was already set to drop. Even if they didn't freeze to death from the snow, they'd be hopelessly lost in little time at all if the snow caught up to them while it was dark. And so they rode, on and on, guided by a summoned fireball from Mimi. Naturally Ulric wondered how she managed to conjure such a thing out of her staff, but that was an issue that could be discussed when they weren't running for their lives.
It would be almost an hour later when they finally slowed, deeming it a good time to ease up on their mounts before they collapsed from exhaustion. The reason being that after checking behind them several times, the group had determined that the snowstorm from the capital had dissipated. "What in the world happened back there?" Questioned Ulric as they slowed to a walking pace.
"Extremely powerful ice magic by the looks of it," said Mimi, "and scary too."
"I quite agree," said Hoshin as she poked her head partially out of the window again to get a look behind them, "only someone or something capable of producing great magic could possibly cast a spell that powerful."
"Magic, spells?" Said Ulric, "You believe the witches of this world may have had something to do with that?"
"Maybe, maybe not," replied Anastasia, "it could just as easily have been a spirit, one of the greater, more powerful ones."
"What sort of spirit could do something like that?" Questioned the Crusader, "that looked tantamount to a sign from God back there." His purple-haired mistress seemed to think something over before turning towards the driver.
"How are we on time?" She asked. The driver didn't need to think much more than a second before answering.
"We've still got a day or two of travel ahead of us," he said, "though we cut down more than a little bit with that run we just took."
"Then why don't we take a break," said Hoshin, "it'll be a good chance to explain a few things to our newest member, and the ligers could use the rest."
"As you wish your ladyship," said the Driver as they all pulled over into a small clearing in the trees on the side of the road.
A Few Minutes Later
It took little time at all for them to get situated and get a fire going, especially with the mages capable of conjuring flames out of thin air, a feat which impressed and alarmed Ulric more than a little. "You'll get used to it," said Berat as they all sat around a large fire, courtesy of the mages. Though he was clearly not trying to sound encouraging.
"If you're from Berat's world, then you don't really have any magic like that, do you." Anastasia more stated than asked.
"You are correct, we don't," said Ulric, "how is it you have so many that can wield such power?"
"Well to begin with, and this took a bit for Berat to believe at first too, our power comes from the world," explained Hoshin, "not from demons or monsters, at least not the usual forms of magic."
"You're saying the magic they wield is not dark magic?" Questioned Ulric.
"If we're being technical, there is dark magic in this world," said Hoshin, "as in the element darkness. There is also fire, water, earth, wind and light magic. All of them have more or less the same source of power: mana, the energy that radiates from the world and from within us."
"But you told me there were witches in this world," the Crusader pointed out, "what sort of magic do they wield?"
"Now they wield magic that most would consider evil," said Hoshin, "the witches of this world are responsible for monsters, disasters, various misfortunes, and the worst of all, the Witch of Envy, was at one point responsible for draining half the world. And their followers, the Witch's Cult, also possess strange and unusual magics that allow them to perform disgusting and grotesque feats. Those are the types of magic users you really want to watch out for. But in general, the magic of this world is neither good nor evil and bends to the whim of the one who wields it. Even you, Sir Knight, could learn to wield magic with enough practice if you have the affinity for it."
"You're saying, I can learn how to use magic," inquired Ulric with a raised eyebrow.
"It's not unusual in the slightest here," said Berat as he picked up some dirt and held it in his hand, "in fact, some of the more powerful knights in this land are terrific magic wielders." The Turk went on to demonstrate this as a small glowing light emanated from his hand. "Dona." The dirt responded to this word by twisting and shifting in his hand, swirling around like a miniature sandstorm for several seconds before dissipating. "And if you find that amazing, this isn't even a parlor trick in comparison to a master magic wielder."
Naturally Ulric was more than a little wide-eyed at what he'd just seen, even despite just witnessing a massive snowstorm conjured out of nowhere only a short time ago. "You can manipulate dirt and sand," he said, "where did you learn how to do that?"
"Any good magic teacher will do!" Sang Mimi happily, "but it's best if you stick with your magical affinity when learning magic."
"'Affinity?'" Repeated the Knight, "Different people are more inclined towards different magics?"
"There are more than a couple theories as to why," said Anastasia, "but the general rule is that a person is able to use one type of magic that they are compatible with. There are exceptions here and there like Roswaal L. Mathers, the royal mage, who can use all the magical elements, and there are those who can't really use magic at all. But even if you can't cast and wield magic, you might still be able to manipulate and use the mana within your body. Before you can figure any of that out, though, the first thing to know is the condition of your gate."
"And how would I go about doing that?" Questioned Ulric, "and would I even have this 'gate' given that I'm from another world?"
"If I have a gate then you have a gate," Berat pointed out, "though let it be known that I'm against you learning something like magic. You're already going to be enough trouble without it."
"That remains to be seen," said Hoshin before turning to her Vice-Captain, "Mimi, you've been practicing how to read compatibility, right?"
"Only because Tivey keeps bugging me about it," replied the Cat Girl, "Mimi doesn't know why he thinks me knowing how to do it would ever prove useful in a fight."
"I believe he might've been envisionin' a moment like this when he was telling you to learn how," suggested Hoshin, "it's pretty convenient for us right now if yer askin' me."
"I guess when you put it like that," she replied, "but can Mimi have a snack for doing this later?"
"Of course you can," said Hoshin with a smile, "just remember to do your best, okay."
"You got it!" Exclaimed Mimi before turning to Ulric while twirling her staff, "alright, hold still Sir Knight because here we go!" She then swung her weapon forward, stopping just short of Ulric's face before playfully tapping it against his forehead with a cute 'bonk'. She then started chanting the word 'Oom' over and over again. At first the Crusader wasn't sure what was supposed to be happening until Mimi's staff started letting off a light blue glow.
It wasn't intense by any means but it was slightly warm. It only lasted for a few moments before the demi-girl removed her staff. "Whelp, it looks like you have a light attribute," she said, "so you might not be well off but you can do magic."
"What does that mean?" Asked Ulric as he glanced towards Hoshin and Berat.
"Those who are compatible with earth, water, fire or wind magic are considered to be well off," said Berat, "looks like I've got one up on you since you have the light attribute and I've got the earth attribute."
"That remains to be seen," said the Crusader as he looked at his hand, "I think it's actually quite fitting that a follower of God possesses divine light."
"I wouldn't quite call it divine light," said Hoshin, "but there are some impressive things you can do with proper application of light magic. I think you might enjoy more than a couple of them."
"If it's as useful as you say, then I eagerly await the start of my training," said the Knight, "When should I start?"
"As soon as possible would be best," said Hoshin, "but you still need to meet everyone first and get situated. But, that's something we'll take care of tomorrow. In the meantime, I at least need some beauty sleep, so good night for now everyone and I'll see you all bright and early in the mornin'."
A Day Later in Kararagi: Morning Time Near the Iron Fang Headquarters
Ulric had asked a number of times what the city-states collectively known as Kararagi were like during their trek and had been given various different answers, most of which ended with 'you'll know when you see it'. Now that he actually was seeing the land of Kararagi, he was more than a little amazed by what he beheld in front of him. Where the capital city of Lugnica had been at least somewhat familiar through its similarities to his home of Europe in its buildings and other architecture, Kararagi seemed like another world all on its own. Several dwellings had strange, slanted roofs with tilework that created a sloping effect and ended with curved tips at the edges of the roofs.
Many of the doors were also made out of wood and paper that slid open as opposed to swinging in or out. The more extravagant ones were decorated with dragons, that were far more serpentine than Ulric had ever imagined a dragon to be, and so-called 'lion' statues whose manes alone seemed like carefully carved works of art. He was told the architecture was referred to as 'Wafuu', though it reminded Ulric of a strange set of paintings he'd seen long ago from a land he only barely remembered being called 'Japan'. Stranger still to him were the types of clothing everyone chose to wear that resembled robes with shirts that were pulled closed on the front and appeared to be held closed by sashes or belts.
He was told these outfits were 'kimonos' and 'yukatas' with some even wearing a type of thin cloth jacket called a 'haori'. "Does it ever get cold in this land?" Questioned Ulric as they continued walking along on their ligers, "much of the fashion here seems like it'd do little good against the harsher elements."
"The climate is typically quite moderate here," explained Berat, "but there are giant sections of desert and wasteland if you go far enough West or South. Though if it is cold you desire so much then head North into the Eder Snowfield. I doubt even your home of Europe is as cold as it gets up there from time to time."
"I do miss the snow from time to time," replied Ulric, "especially after putting up with so much sand for so long."
"Try growing up with it," said Berat, "after a while you don't even notice when it's in your pants anymore."
"That sounds icky," said Mimi, "who wants to walk around with sandy pants all day?!"
"I don't think we'll need to worry about that here," said Hoshin as they pulled up to a large building. Much like the other taller buildings it had a slanted, Wafuu-style roof and was easily three to four stories tall. Instead of Lions or dragons being the main decoration, though, what appeared to be statues and art of white foxes dominated the scene. The one reason Ulric didn't immediately assume the place was a mansion were the various other workers and Iron Fang members moving about with goods, weapons, or some other task which needed to be completed.
"Welcome to the Hoshin Trading Company, my primary place of business and the base of Operations for the Iron Fang," said Anastasia with a wave of her hand, "and from this day forward, your new home."
"It's certainly not lacking in flair," noted Ulric as they moved towards the entrance. As they did, however, the Crusader noticed a shape moving up on the roof, a large shape. The next thing he knew, a giant of a humanoid wolf leapt down and landed hard on the ground, his teeth bared as he stood up to his full height. The Knight was off his liger and charging towards this new beast with his sword already drawn before he heard Anastasia suddenly yell out.
"Ulric wait!" She exclaimed before the Knight's blade came into contact with something solid.
It looks like Ulric might be getting a little ahead of himself on his first day, if it can even be called that just yet. Either way, this situation is not gonna go the way he expects, but how do you think it'll turn out. As always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future stories and chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as Ulric's training and induction begins! And remember to go and check out my new book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle! 'Til then.