CHAPTER 3

When Ike's family, Boyd, and siblings Ross and Samantha arrived back at the fort, everyone was staring at them with smiles on their faces, even deputy commander Titania. Then, Greil ordered Ike to follow him. Ike gave a nod, and followed his father into the fort.

"I wonder what Ike is needed for…" a young archer named Rolf wondered.

"Beats me, lil' brother." Rolf's 24-year-old brother Oscar said.

"Heh… maybe someone didn't make it into the pwetty wittle itty-bitty Greil Mercenaries." a 27-year-old sniper named Shinon said.

"Shinon, I suggest you shut your trap right now." Titania said to Shinon.

"I kept telling him to stop drinking." a knight named Gatrie said. "But no! He would not listen to a damn word I would say!"

"Alright, alright! Knock it off, everyone!" Greil said as he arrived at the front door of the fort. "OK, to get down to proper business, allow me to welcome my seventeen-year-old son Ike into the company. He has done a fairly good job at displaying proper swordsmanship to me, and he has gained a worthy trust of his peers. Everyone, I suggest you handle Ike the reins of mercenary life here."

"So the boy made it into the mercenaries, eh? Bleh." Shinon said.

"But that's a good thing, Shinon!" Rolf exclaimed at Shinon in excitement. "Or should I say 'Uncle Shinon'? Ahahahahaha!"

"Ugh, Rolf, Rolf, Rolf. Always something with you." Shinon said disgustingly.

"...Enough." Greil said. "Titania, a word with me about what you were saying before I left to get Ike." Greil later said to Titania.

"Of course, Commander." Titania said. She later followed Greil into the mercenary fort for a private discussion.

Minutes later, Titania exited the fort with Greil. Then, Ike was given his very first mercenary job, which was taking care of bandits in a village known as Caldea. As Boyd and Oscar were assigned to go with Ike and Titania, Shinon, Gatrie, and Greil were going to handle another two jobs with ease. But with Ross and Samantha, they were ordered to handle a seaport job. Then, the jobs of the ragtag Greil Mercenaries finally began.

"So, Ike, what do you think? Excited? Nervous to death?" Oscar asked.

"I've wanted this for a pretty long time, Oscar." Ike responded. "I could hardly sleep last night as I was quite nervous for an action-packed job like this."

"I see." Oscar said.

"Well, you won't be alone out there, Ike." Titania reminded Ike. "Look, you have us. You are the rookie, we are the professionals. Just allow us to walk you through everything. But don't get too caught up and get worked up. You might get hurt in all of that action."

"Thanks, Titania." said Ike.

Over at Caldea, a village in Crimea, the villagers were wondering when help would arrive, as the bandits were starting to steal food and money from local families and other poor villagers. As the situation was getting worse, Ike, who was the rookie of the ragtag Greil Mercenaries, witnessed everything unfold.

"We've got to stop those bandits from robbing those poor villagers." Ike said.

"Yeah." Titania said. "One of them is guarding that building right there." said Titania.

"So, what's the plan, Captain Titania?" asked Oscar.

"Well, we take out the bandits in front first. We then visit the houses to see if there are any injured villagers, and then we take out the bandit leader." Titania planned out. "This is how everything will work."

"Then let's go! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Boyd exclaimed. Everyone headed off into Caldea village territory. Ike's first job as a mercenary was just about to begin. Little did he know he would get better with every sword swing.

Meanwhile, in a house in Caldea, a young couple with two young children and a baby were being held under restrained house arrest by the bandits until they gave up the children. When deputy commander Titania saw this, she was not going to let the bandits mess with the family anymore.

"And what are you supposed to be? A fancy knight in shining armor from fairy tales of old?" asked the bandit to Titania.

"I am with the Greil Mercenaries." Titania said with an angry stare on her face. "Don't even think about making me an angry woman." she later said after she grabbed the bandit.

"Hah! You're with the Greil Mercenaries, are you?" Hah!" the bandit said as he laughed everything off. "That sooooooooo does it. You're going to be toast."

"Oh, so you want me dead, eh?" Titania asked the bandit. " NEVER! " she yelled. The bandit was later hurt in the hip and later thrown in the lake below by Titania.

"What's goin' on out there? Mercenaries lookin' for their next meal? Ah, screw those puny wittle bastards. They oughta be DEAD !" said the bandit leader.

"Don't worry, sir, I've got this one!" said a bandit. He later walked over to a house and destroyed it. Titania's horse reared up after hearing the disturbing sound of destruction.

"Damn you!" yelled Oscar. "I'll give you a sound thrashing!"

"Oscar, it's lances best swords! All these bandits have axes!" Boyd hollered. But, Oscar didn't hear his brother.

"D-d-d-damn you, Oscar!" Boyd said.

"I'll deal with this one." Ike said.

"Ike, no!" Boyd hollered.

"Boyd, stop. There has to be a way Ike can win this." Titania said.

"Then I ain't gettin' apart of this, then!" said Boyd.

When the bandit leader saw Ike, he threatened to beat the seventeen-year-old mercenary up. However, Ike was not having any of it from the bandit leader.

"Hmph." said the bandit leader. "Come at me, then… little bastard!" he later said as he swung his axe at Ike. Ike exchanged a few blows before killing the bandit.

"He's dead!" a bandit said after their leader was killed.

"RETREAT !" said another bandit. All the bandits later ran away from Caldea in a silly manner, dropping their weapons. The villagers later came out and thanked the mercenaries.

"I just wish we had some money to pay you up for your fine work, Titania." said a grandfather villager.

"Oh, no worries. We understand that the bandits and their leader took half of the payments you owe us." Titania said. "We'll accept what you can afford to us due to this incident."

"Thank you." the grandfather villager said. "Here's fifty coins right here. My daughter has additional money to offer too for your hard work."

"Sweet." Titania said. As she turned over to Oscar, she later asked what he was doing.

"I'm money hunting." Oscar said.

"Oscar, why are you doing such an act like this?" asked Titania.

"Well, we want to have money for food and other essentials, right?" asked Oscar after making a statement.

"Did the bandits drop any money?" asked Ike.

"Well, their leader sorta did." said Oscar.

"Ugh, Oscar, let's go!" Titania said. "We have to get back to the fort!"

"Oh, alright, Titania. I'll mount up… and skedaddle." Oscar said. He later mounted his chestnut horse and trotted off to the starting point where the group started their job. Everyone started to walk back to the fort. As Titania turned around to look back at the village, looking at everyone waving goodbye, she wondered if Ike was alright.

"I'll be fine." said Ike. "Thank you, Titania.

"You know, Ike, that wasn't bad for your first job as one of the mercenaries!" Boyd said. "Better than when I broke my axe on my first job! Oops! Forget I brought that up."

"Enough, Boyd." Oscar said. "Let's just have a quiet walk back to the fort and report to Commander Greil about Ike's well-doing.

"Let the reporting be to me." Titania said. "All I want out of you people is to listen to direct orders that are given. I'm the deputy commander of the mercenary company." Everyone still walked back to the fort, with Boyd hoping that Mist had a nice meal waiting for them.