Chapter 2 – The Blade Breakers
As Lucas drew closer to the campsite, he began to hear voices. Lucas' hopes plummeted at the sight of a bowman. Why a bow and not a rifle? What sort of group did he stumble his way into? Lucas approached the camp from the forest before he halted in realization. It would be safer to approach by main road, where they could see he meant no. Lucas reasoned with himself. If he surprised one of the bowmen, he could catch an arrow for his trouble. He then backtracked and moved to the main road making sure to keep open hands as a peaceful gesture. The sentries noticed him and while they straightened up, they did not raise their weapons.
"Stay right there stranger!" one of the sentries called out to him. She was a woman in her thirties wearing leather armor. The man next to her, around the same age, wore a similar uniform. "Whaddya want kid?" her partner demanded.
"Look I'm sorry to interrupt… whatever this is, but I've been lost for a few hours now. Any chance you can tell me… where I am right now. And maybe if I can borrow a phone?"
"You're in Varley territory. About two days' ride from the provincial capital. That answer your question kid?"
Lucas began to dissect what had just been told to him. Firstly, he had no idea where Varley was, secondly he had never heard the term provincial capital used, and finally the fact she said a two day ride told him one thing.
Lucas took a deep breath, shaking his head, and sighed "This is just not my day."
After talking with the sentries, they became suspicious of Lucas. In hindsight, he should've stopped talking about phones or trying to avoid talking about where he came from. Instead, they probably thought he was either madman or just a poor liar. In the end, they elected to bind his hands, take his knife, and brought him to their leader Jeralt.
Jeralt was a man who looked to be in his mid forties with a face weathered by time. Lucas likened his appearance to that of an old lion. He sat in a command tent that held a small table, maps, and numerous documents and letters. In the corner of the tent laid his sleeping cot, shield, and armor. When the sentries brought Lucas to him, he raised an eyebrow.
"What's with the kid?"
"Fella approached us from the road. Hit us with the 'I'm lost and don't know where I am routine'. Dan saw him come out of the forest before he went down to the road to approach us."
It appears Lucas had not been as smart as he thought. In his effort not to get shot, he had made himself look even more suspicious.
Jeralt studied Lucas and noticed the gun at his side, which the guards left. "Looks a bit too well dressed to be a bandit. He tells you why he pulled that stunt?"
The pair shook their heads.
"Alright, I think I can handle myself against some kid. You two get back to your posts. Leave his things here."
The two nodded their heads and left Lucas alone with Jeralt. Jeralt got up and retrieved two mugs and a bottle. He put the mugs in front of himself and Lucas and motioned for Lucas to drink.
Though Lucas's hands were bound by a piece of rope, he could still pick up the mug and tentatively took a sip. He fought the urge to spit it back up, not expecting liquor.
Jeralt laughed at Lucas's reaction, who felt his cheeks redden.
"So, you can probably tell by the fact I haven't started yelling, I don't think you're a bandit." Jeralt said relaxing in his chair. He clearly did not think of Lucas as a threat, which was completely correct.
"It crossed my mind." Lucas retorted. "With that out of the way, can you untie me?
"Bit mouthy ain'tcha" Jeralt warned. Lucas had to remind himself that snark would not help him in this situation. "Sorry," Lucas mumbled.
"Don't sweat it. Now tell me, why did you approach from the road instead of the way you came?" Jeralt demanded, crossing his arms. His eyes had narrowed, and it was obvious that he was trying to get a measure of Lucas.
Lucas had to consider his words carefully. He thought of different stories. It was obvious that he was either in a remote part of the world or he had awakened in some other dimension. He looked into Jeralt's eyes and finally figured the man would see through any bullshit he threw at him. So Lucas decided to risk the truth.
"When I came out of the forest and saw your men with bows, I figured that surprising them might get me shot." Lucas began.
Jeralt frowned at that"My men are well trained; they don't shoot for no reason." Not good. He clearly took offense for what could be a dig at his men.
"How could I have known that? For all I knew they would have shot first and asked questions later" Lucas retorted.
Jeralt studied Lucas for a few moments. Lucas stared back, until Jeralt nodded.
"Fair enough. You chose caution, can't fault you for that. Respect it even. Since we're being honest, how about you tell me who you are and how you got lost in the middle of the Oghma mountains."
Lucas chose to continue telling Jeralt the truth, staying light on the details of his own world. From his awakening, to his trek through the wilderness, and finally his encounter with his sentries. He noticed that Jeralt took an interest in the strange ruin he woke up in. Jeralt then explained why the sentries had been so suspicious of him.
Apparently, the lost traveler was a commonly used tactic to scout convoys or merchants to see if they were worth raiding. They would send their "lost traveler", who would scout, then meet up with the rest of their clan to make plans. Jeralt informs Lucas that he was brought to him so they could get information on the bandit clan they thought he belonged to. Lucas was very thankful that Jeralt believed him and that he chose to tell the truth to the older man.
"All right kid, I'll be honest. I believe your story, but I don't think there is anything a group of mercs like us can do for you." Jeralt tells Lucas, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry kid but I think for now you are going to be stuck here in Fódlan." Jeralt looks at him with pity and returns to his usual upright posture.
"I know. And I appreciate you for not laughing me out of the camp." Any other person would think him crazy, but Jeralt had kept an open mind and listened to his tale. "I only have one place with clues about how I got here, and I can't access any of it."
Jeralt raised his head and gave him a small smile. "I wouldn't say I believe it completely, but there is one thing that could convince me." Lucas pursed his lips and looked at Jeralt in confusion before it hit him.
"The facility I woke up in" Lucas realized.
"Exactly. I just have one condition" Jeralt had a sly grin "The weapons inside. If there are that many swords, lances, and bows it could be the difference between life or death for my men. We help you tear the place apart, we get the weapons, and you might just find some answers" Jeralt offered.
Lucas considers the offer. He had to give Jeralt credit. He was a shrewd businessman. It was an offer which Jeralt and Lucas had nothing to lose and everything to gain. But one thing stood out in Lucas's mind. What if it yielded nothing for him?
"What happens if I still don't find anything, and you get the weapons?" Lucas asked, crossing his arms.
"Easy. We will give you some coin from our next job as payment." Jeralt responded. His smile turned to a frown. "If we don't find weapons and I don't think you fooled me, you can join the company, doing small jobs to earn your meals. If you want to leave after we hit the next town, that's your choice and I won't hold it against you".
What would happen if Jeralt felt duped and was left with nothing remaining unsaid, and Lucas preferred it that way.
"Deal"
Jeralt un-tied Lucas and introduced him to the rest of the mercenary band. Jeralt tells them he was genuinely lost and did not want to get shot by approaching from the forest. He then explains Lucas found a hidden armory, which got the attention of his men. Despite their suspicion towards Lucas, they seemed to trust their Jeralt implicitly. He chose 2 spearmen, a scout, and a young swordswoman to join them on their expedition.
Jeralt turned to the spearmen and crossed his arms and used what Lucas would dub his commander voice "Bartrand and Goetz I need you two to get provisions ready" He turned to the scout "Flora, I want you get everyone's gear ready." He turned to the last member of the expedition "Kid come with me". The blue haired woman's expression did not change but she gave a slight nod of her head and turned to study Lucas. Lucas also took note of the strange woman. She was around his age, with Dark Blue hair which seemed to cascade down her shoulders. Her expression did not change one bit, and if he was honest, her intense look unnerved Lucas.
"Who is this?" She asked her Leader.
"This is Lucas, he's the one who found this armory." Jeralt responded. He turned back to Lucas. "This is my kid, Byleth. She is one of our best fighters and is practically second in command of this rowdy lot." Jeralt praised putting his hand on her shoulder, showing her off as any proud parent would. The woman's expression did not change, though Lucas noticed her eyes seemed to light up by the praise. Jeralt turned and motioned for Lucas and Byleth to follow him.
"Before we head out, there is something I have to ask" Jeralt had led Lucas to the training ring. "If we encounter any trouble, can you take care of yourself?" He had motioned the knife he had returned. Lucas drew the knife and held it while studying the blade. He had never been one for violence, and he had only taken the knife out of caution.
Lucas looked back to Jeralt and said "Nothing beyond using it to cook. I'll be honest, I'll be a liability if there is any trouble." Lucas returned the knife to its sheath and drew the pistol. "I am a decent shot with a pistol, assuming this thing works, I should be okay at keeping myself safe at least."
Jeralt started at the pistol, as if trying to… oh that right.
Lucas began to explain the pistol to the best of his ability. Jeralt seemed to somewhat understand, while Byleth leaned in close to study it. "So… it's a really small bow?" Byleth asked him, with some understanding.
"Exactly!" Lucas responded "More powerful, smaller projectiles, can be fired in quick succession. They replaced bows, and even swords back… home."
Lucas's near gaff regarding mentioning his world had been embarrassing. Jeralt had stressed the fact that Lucas should keep it to himself. Byleth tilted her head in confusion, whilst maintaining her stoic expression. Lucas found it somewhat amusing that despite her stoicism, she was rather animated in her body language.
Jeralt turned to a nearby mercenary and told him to set up targets facing away from camp.
"How good of a shot are you?" Jeralt asked.
"I'm a good shot, but I don't have a ton of bullets to practice or show off. One advantage of arrows is you can reuse them." He only had around 40 bullets and 3 clips to use.
Byleth chose to chime in "Better to waste a couple in practice than waste your life" Both men turned to her "Unless you think you are good enough you don't need to?" She almost seemed to taunt Lucas.
Her words had merit Lucas realized, but he wanted to save as many bullets as possible. So, he decided to do an exercise his grandfather taught him. "Set up three targets about 10 feet apart at different heights" Lucas asked the mercenary near the target range. He looked annoyed at Lucas giving him an order, but Jeralt gave him a nod and he did as requested. He looked back at Byleth and gave her a smile. He then aimed the pistol at the targets and fired in rapid succession. Byleth and Jeralt both looked surprised by the noise and speed. Most of the camp had stopped what they were doing and looked at Lucas. Lucas gave a cocky smirk to Byleth and returned his pistol to its holster and began to walk over to the targets. Even on his best days, Lucas expected to hit at least within the outer rings, but today he landed 2 bullseyes and a hit on the inner ring for the third target. That surprised Lucas and he admitted that he went to show off and got lucky.
"Guessing by your look you did better than you thought?" Jeralt asked, looking impressed. "Was a lot louder than I thought" Byleth added, appraising the targets.
Lucas looked sheepish and ran a hair through his hair "okay I admit that I did not think I would hit a single bullseye. Lucky shot I suppose."
Jeralt began to laugh and Byleth for the first time gave a small smile. Seeing my confusion, Jeralt explained "I like people who are lucky and know it. They don't let it go to their head." He stopped laughing and gave Lucas a smile "Still even I could tell that took skill, kid. Not bad at all. Now for the bad news. It's late and we don't want to get stuck in the wild after dark. So we will be leaving in the morning." His smile became devilish "And the even worse news is that Byleth here will be showing you how to use a sword".
Byleth stepped into the ring and tossed him a wooden sword. Her eyes had a glint to them that Lucas did not like in the least. It was the sort of look Nerys gave him when she had something evil planned. The look that promised his suffering and her amusement.
"Please be gentle?" I asked in complete terror.
"Gentle doesn't teach. Now may the lesson begin!" Byleth announced.
AN: As pointed out by Guest reviewer, the Shadow Library in Cindred shadows ban several things including printing machine, flamable black water (Crude oil), and looking glasses. I edited small crossbow to just bow or lore sake. That being said there is a gambit atttack where they use red barrels with reeds to make an explosion. There is something I have planned in a chapter regarding fire pots, so I just want to clarify that crude oil isn't the only flamable oil.