Chapter 3: Shadows of Vengeance
The band of Lyndis' Legion stops at a nearby abandoned fortress between the borders of Bern and Lycia to camp as night approaches. They settle their steeds within a certain vicinity in the fort so as to immediately prepare in case of danger without disturbing everyone.
"Ahhh, this will suffice for a bed," Wil comments as he rests on a hay bale.
"If you are that desperate for a bed, we should have rested for the night by the village earlier…." Lucas muses, despite Sain's Complaint about having a bed in the middle of the forest.
"Lucas, the nearest village is still mountains away from this fortress. It may take a day to reach the border, even if we continue on horseback," Lyndis points out, making Lucas sigh.
"Eh. Another day in the wilderness," Ren comments as he lays over another pile of hay bale.
"H-hello?" A new voice asks out.
"Yes Florina?" Ren asks.
"Uh-uhm, th-that's not me," Florina stutters with nervousness, confusing Ren.
"Who's there!" Lyndis interrogates with caution. Lucas meanwhile prepares his spear not trusting the voice for an instant.
"Uhm, pardon me milady," says a certain village woman wearing a blue peasant tunic and skirt walking out of the dark room.
"Ah!" Florina says, noticing the lady enter the room.
"I apologize for startling you," the woman says.
"What are you doing out here far from the village?" Lyndis asks.
"My name is Natalie, I am looking for my husband Dorcas." She admits to the group. "He said that he is going to find medicine outside of the village, and yet a few weeks have gone by and I have not seen him." She says rubbing her arm in a very nervous fashion. "And so I have left the village in order to look for him. I have a small painting of him right here." She soon shows Lucas and Lyn a parchment that contains her husband. The parchment illustrated a buff redhead man with a goatee wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt along with green trousers and running sandals.
"I say that story was very strange…" Lucas says remembering the information from earlier while looking at the painting.
"Such tender and caring warmth, your hubby is fortunate with you as his wife," Ren comments while he sits up listening as she blushes from the comment.
Immediately after that we hear large bellowing from outside the walls.
"Ho-hooligan!" Florina whispered to herself
"You saying something?" Ren asks, but scaring Florina, feeling upset from himself.
"Ow!" Natalie yelped as she tried to move away and resulted with her fall to the floor.
"Wait! Natalie, your leg!" Lyndis points out as she helps her up.
"It is a childhood sickness. It is curable, but my husband went to fetch my medicine for it, and it worries me so," Natalie fearfully replies.
"Tch, We're trapped." Lucas notices as he takes note of the crumbled walls inside the castle.
"Hmmm, yup, trapped is but an understatement. We're surrounded," Ren adds as he unsheathes his iron sword and keeps his shamshir as a backup while surveying the outer plains.
"Everyone, Listen to me. Kent, Sain. You two guard the front. Me and Lyn, will guard the left ..." Lucas starts making everyone take a position.
"I can fight off the west wing with Wil," Ren says, unintentionally interrupting Lucas.
"Sounds like a plan," Wil comments and softly slaps Ren's back.
"Ren, take florina with you. I need her to get used to our presence," Lucas says before smacking Ren in the head before continuing: "Don't interrupt me next time. It gets rather annoying when you do that."
"Why are people suddenly striking me in places," Ren sarcastically comments making Lyn, Sain and Wil laugh while Florina slightly giggles.
"That's because you get rather annoying at times." Lucas says answering the swordsman.
"But Lucas, someone has to protect Natalie, she can't walk nor run in her current condition," Lyndis points out.
"Lyn, there is no need, because we are going to use the terrain to our advantage. If we leave openings we will make it appear that we have more people protecting this place than we do. This way, the enemy will hesitate knowing that there are "more" people inside the castle than there is."
Lyn's eyes widens from the simple yet ingenious tactic that Lucas brought out. "I see…"
"Hmm, well fine, you're the boss," Ren reluctantly agreed before heading off with Wil to secure the west wing's perimeter.
"However, we are screwed if even one goes through." Lucas says, face darkening as he explains the drawback of the plan. "So no survivors, understood?"
"I think you can count on that," Ren comments, with the whole group agreeing and Florina nervously, but firmly agreeing.
"Alright." Lucas smiles and claps his hands. "Happy Hunting Everyone!" Before leading the disabled Natalie to the deepest room of the ruined castle before handing her a dagger that he bought a long time ago. "Just in case anyone has decided to sneak in an extra attack." He assures her before setting her down and joining them in the fray.
Ren, Florina and Wil went west; Lucas and Lyn went east; while Kent and Sain went south and exited the main entrance.
From the east wing, Lucas and Lyndis start spotting bandits from afar with one buff bandit aiming to strike Lyndis with a double edged, short handled axe that is thrown from afar, but misses Lyndis by an inch before returning to its owner.
"Wait! Lucas! The bandit that attacked me, he looks much like Dorcas, the man in the parchment!" Lyndis notices.
"Let me get to him and you can take care of the rest." Lucas says running ahead before she could reply.
"Friend!" Lucas yells out so the man could hear him. "I mean you no harm."
However, a flying axe grazed Lucas' abdomen before he could get the bandit's attention.
Lucas clicked his lips in disappointment, "If force is all this man would listen to, then…"
"No wait! Dorcas!" Lyndis butts in, getting the buff fighter's attention. Lucas however sighs knowing that the other bandit wouldn't just sit still and charges towards the other one, spear in hand.
"How did you know my name?" Dorcas asks in confusion.
"Your wife Natalie showed me your appearance. What are doing with these bandits?" Lyndis asks with concern.
"I needed money, but I'm no experienced mercenary and the aid is so expensive. This was my only option to get her medicine. If I don't then…"
"But your wife is here! And we're here to defend this place with her in it!" Lyndis replies, shocking Dorcas.
"What!? Natalie!? She's here!?" Dorcas yells in response.
"Yes, so what will you do now?" Lyndis interrogates sternly.
"Hey! Dorcas, what you doing over the–" says another bandit before getting his head decapitated by Dorcas' hand-axe. "You're right...I understand now. I shall protect her and fight alongside you," he adds before getting the dead bandit's axe and becoming a member of Lyndis' Legion.
Meanwhile Lucas is fighting with his spear, twirling it around overhead starting with doing an impalement motion, running towards him and screaming, "Come and meet your fate!" and directly impaling the chest cavity in the heart, immediately killing a mercenary bandit to a tree and pulling out the spear before seeing the battle formation of the bandits, another idea brewing in his mind.
On the other side, while Kent and Sain are struggling to keep the other bandits from the main entrance, Ren fights off two sword-wielding mercenaries while protecting an injured Florina as Wil clashes with arrows against two bandits with bows.
"Get back Florina, I can deal with this. You and Huey should stay back and heal up," Ren commands while fighting off the two mercenaries.
"I..hck...I'm sorry...hck," Florina cries with a bleeding arm atop Huey.
"Hraaah!" Ren roars as he fights off the two swordsmen and kills them one at a time before sheathing his sword again and sighs in relief then turns to the crying Florina.
"Here, lemme help you," Ren insists, pulling out one of his vulneraries and applying the ointment on her wound, making her wound slowly heal instantly upon application.
"Better now?" Ren asks with concern while looking straight into her eyes.
"Eeek! Uh uh...uhm! I-I can fight!" Florina replies as she takes up her lance once more atop Huey.
"Hey You Lovebirds! Stop Flirting in the battlefield!" Lucas yells rushing from where he was, impaling one in the leg and then smacking him with the spear and rushing off to fight off the remaining four bandits with Lyndis while making Florina scream and blush deep scarlet in embarrassment before running far from Ren, upsetting him in the end.
"Haaah," Ren sighed as he scratched his temple upsetly.
"Hah, unfortunate for you," Wil comments as he killed the last bandit archer.
"Not helping man. Oh no!" Ren yells as he notices six bandits heading to Natalie's location.
Lucas yells back. "Ren, change of plans! Go Back up Dorcas, everyone else regroup in the castle! Our priority is to defend the woman in the castle!" After Ren rushes back to the castle, he sees two of the bandits knocked out and the other four fighting Dorcas.
"Urrraaaaaah!" Dorcas roars while running and swinging his axe towards two of the bandits and decapitating them from the east wing as Ren fatally wounds the other two bandits' necks, making them bleed to death.
"Thanks um, Dorcas, right?" Ren asks with a sweat, noticing how buff, manly and huge he is.
"I am, thanks for helping me protect Natalie," Dorcas replied as he put a huge iron axe atop his shoulder.
"Dorcas!" Natalie exclaimed upon seeing him from inside the room.
"Natalie! I'm so sorry. I was so focused on money far too long and lost my sense," Dorcas apologizes. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have left you alone back home and lying to you," he adds.
"No dear, I'm sorry too, for being a burden. Even more so in this situation, I just want you back home and stay with me, that is all I desire,"
After a long period of bloodshed against countless bandits, the leader of the bandits finally declared their strategic withdrawal and left Lyndis' Legion alone.
"And stay out." Lucas taunts before promptly falling to the ground exhausted.
"It's a shame that we didn't get to strike down their leader. That could've solved everything much faster," Ren points out while helping Florina guide a tired Huey.
"I agree on that, but that is past now. The damage has been done," Lyn says before turning to Dorcas and Natalie. "I believe this is farewell, Natalie, Dorcas," Lyn continues.
"Actually," Dorcas responded hesitantly.
"Hm?" Lyn responds while Lucas slowly pulls himself up and opts to lean on his spear.
"You see, Dorcas wishes to join and accompany you on your journey. We have spoken of this when the fight was over, and I allow him to go with you," Natalie explains.
"Have already considered the future scenarios he'll face? Even as a man, there are still dangers coming our way," Lucas retorts, getting a slap to the shoulder by Lyndis.
"Lucas! Tame your words, but you are not wrong about that. We are travelling not for amusement," Lyndis replies.
"We aren't! This is another man, joining us out of his own free will. If he dies, then we are-" Lucas answers back before Natalie's answer interrupts him.
"Yes," Natalie answers before Dorcas cuts in. "I need money, I want to make enough money for her medicine to heal her, which is why take me with you," Dorcas begs, yet with a stern tone.
"I would actually like it if you joined us, more people the merrier," Ren answers cheerfully.
"Yeah, bet so too!" Wil acknowledges.
"Y-yes," Florina nervously agrees.
"It could assure us with the extra hands," Kent thought out loud before being bumped by Sain. "Yeah! Wouldn't you agree using that strength for heroic deeds!?" Sain adds in a valiant and slightly dramatic tone.
"Hmmmm," Lucas thinks and ponders both the costs and risks in his mind for a few minutes before logic won out. "Well...we do not have anyone in the team that has proficiency with an axe. Alright, welcome aboard Dorcas."
"I'd be honored," Dorcas answers with Natalie holding his shoulder before saying: "please take care of him for me."
"You can be rest assured, Natalie. He will be a great asset in our journey," Lyndis assures.
"I will return, Natalie. Please wait for me," Dorcas bids facing his wife.
"Mm, I know you will. I will always wait for you," Natalie answers as she hugs Dorcas tightly before releasing him from her embrace.
"Now that that's settled, we shall wait for you here while you escort your wife back to your village. Be sure to pack for the essentials."
"Thank you Lucas, I shall return shortly," Dorcas replies while holding Natalie's hand.
"Farewell, lady Lyn, Lucas, Ren, and all of you for helping me reunite with my husband, even if it was momentarily," Natalie bids before leaving with Dorcas back to their hometown.
"Well, that settles another bandit ambush," Ren deadpans, getting a slap to the hind temple from Lucas.
"Keep saying that and another might show up," Lucas responds, getting the whole group to laugh and Florina nervously laughing.
"Hey, will it hurt to not be rough at times. Sheesh, no wonder the ladies back at the academy kept their distance from you," Ren rebutted, embarrassing Lucas in front of the group, making them laugh, most particularly Lyndis, laughing gleefully upon hearing his statement.
"You,You–," Lucas tries to find an answer to retort until Ren pushes him out and has him under his right shoulder and turns their backs from the group, walking towards a nearby tree.
"Anyways, it has really been a while, having a group as merry as this. We have much to catch up, for old time's sake," Ren says with his fist held in front of him.
"Haaaah, that is one thing you're not wrong about. It relieves me that you are doing well," Lucas replies with doused anger as he fist-bumps Ren.
"We can talk more now that we caught up, but at this time, your "lady" is of high importance, if you understand what I'm saying," Ren replies with a smirk with Lucas ending up blushing and looking away..
"Don't make me impale you with my spear," Lucas says in a semi-threatening, semi-joking voice, making Ren laugh gleefully.
"I am curious though, how did you and the lady meet in the first place?" Ren curiously asks with his arms crossed while leaning onto the tree and watching the group set up tents with Kent heading towards the woods to hunt for game.
"Well, to be honest, it was more of a chance meeting. I was travelling to Pherae in order to search for more knowledge and maybe find something to do for a while, but then my legs and body gave out and I fainted in the plains of Sacae," Lucas replies as he indian-sits on the grass, still watching the others set up. "Turns out not bringing anything but the clothes on your back wasn't one of the best ideas I made." Lucas joked, making Ren laugh at him for a little bit.
"Then when I came to, I smelled the smell of a familiar broth. I slowly felt the area and it was the feeling of a soft bed and the smell, then...I saw...her," he adds with his mind somehow floating in bliss from the memories, making a soft smile.
"Her?" Ren points to Lyndis, who is keeping Sain away from Florina, getting a punch to his shoulder from Lucas.
"Don't point, it's rude." Lucas replies with the smile and the blush from earlier fading completely. "Also why should I say? It's not like you have an eye for another girl." He says making Ren remember what happened in the battlefield earlier.
"It's best if she doesn't...I'm...not who I used to be, Lucas. Things have...gotten complicated around me back then," Ren explains with a heavy tone, but feeling a heavy tap to his shoulder from Lucas who used his shoulder to prop himself up from sitting.
"Then lose the history. Keep facing forward, like you used to say back in class," Lucas answers confidently with a smirk. "Come, Dorcas is back, the journey is still long," he adds as he walks back to the group.
"That felt...hypocritical of me, dunced by my own words...hm," Ren chuckled to himself before walking to the group, pretending to ignore a foreign presence from the deep oak orchards.
"Lucas, I'm curious, what were you talking about with Ren earlier?" Lyndis asks with a polite, yet firm tone.
"Oh, nothing important, we just talked about useless things for once," Lucas jokingly answers before turning to Florina. "How's your wound?" Lucas blatantly asks with his usual tone, scaring Florina making her hide behind out of fear and frustrating Lucas with her androphobia.
"It's alright, I immediately applied vulnery on her wound during and after the battle. I also applied some on her steed," Ren explained, assuring Lucas and Lyndis for her well-being, but slightly making Florina blush from his thoughtfulness before saying: "Th-thank you, Ren."
"Nah, it is nothing," Ren replies with a smile, making Florina scared and hiding her blushing self behind Lyndis, then turns to Lucas. "Well, I'm gonna go kick the bucket, have a good night's rest," he says as he goes into the fort to lay on the hay bale.
"Sounds good to me, see everyone tomorrow!" Wil says as he follows Ren and lands on his pile of hay in the fort.
"Eesh, uncultured men of the field," Sain comments with disgust.
"Better than a playful excuse of a knight," Lyndis deadpans, stabbing Sain and his remark.
"Well, it is time for us to retire for the day, rest easy everyone!" Kent says as he and Sain go into their tent.
"I shall keep watch for the night, the least I could do for now," Dorcas says with his axe over his shoulders.
"Alright, counting on you, Dorcas," Lucas says before feeling a tug on his cloak and turns to see Lyndis.
"Lucas, it's late now, we must sleep," Lyndis says before going to guide Florina into their huge tent.
"Yes, Lyn," Lucas replies before following Lyndis and Florina into their tent to rest for the night.
(Timeskip: After the night and finished repacking the tents and equipment with filled bellies from breakfast)
"So, is everybody ready now?" Lucas asks everyone with his lance in hand and his knapsack over his shoulders.
"Sure," Ren says.
"All set!" Wil replies with his bag, bow, and arrows prepared.
"We're ready to depart, at your command!" Kent says with their belongings carried on his and Sain's horses and Dorcas holding the packed tent.
"Shall we get going, Lucas?" Lyndis asks with Florina and Huey handling their tent.
"Alright, off we go!" Lucas yells with his fist held high. "Ouuhhh!" the group yells with their fists held high.
Recovered and refreshed from a good night's rest and a sumptuous meal before packing, the members of Lyndis' Legion continue their journey crossing over, hills and mountains in the Lycian-Bernese borders to travel forward to reach Caelin and stop Lord Lundgren before his power grows.
Chapter END