Summary:
From the Recap of the last chapter, The goddess Celestine healed Traysek's arm and now with orders on the assault, the crew spends a day in the city of Ken, but... things aren't as pretty as the city makes it out to be... find out now...
Chapter 5
A day in town
The ship arrived at the tavern that the Kuroinu occupied. True to Maia's word, the place wasn't too far off, making it an easy cruise. The ship found an opening and came to a stop, remaining afloat.
"This is the place," Maia pointed out, as Traysek pushed the lever near his wheel forward, "Volt's somewhere inside."
From the outside of the tavern, there were a few of the black dogs that loitered around. They were a loud bunch, getting into fights, some making lewd and suggestive comments to any of the women that were passing by. Others were playing card games amongst each other, getting excited when one of them would win.
"This seems like my kind of inn, loud, free and expressive, I think we found our place to crash," Traysek smiled, walking away from the wheel.
Lucien frowned at the Kuroinu grunt being dragged away for a lewd comment, "Really...? Here? I think I'd rather sleep in the ship, boss."
"Oh don't get all "Imperial" on us," The Captain rolled his eyes, now at the ship's ladder "Places like this hold the best kind of people..."
The scholar rose an eyebrow, "And those kinds of people are...?"
"Clients!" The Redguard shouted as he descended the ladder.
"Oh right... Clients... from them... I'll keep that in mind," Lucien groaned, walking with the others to the ladder. The blue khajiit chuckled, slapping an arm around his shoulder.
"Try to relax my friend, this place smell of adventure and fighting spirit," Inigo grinned, "I do hope someone's looking for a bar fight, those are always fun!" going down the ladder, with Lucien following him down.
Erik cracked his knuckles, chuckling, "I hope so too, that fight last night was disappointing... it ended too early."
"I still can't believe I missed out..." Recorder groaned, getting a chuckle from Maia.
"Don't be so disappointed, stick around here long enough and you might get your chance." The redhead said, being the last one to climb down the ship's ladder.
Now on the ground, the group made their way to the entrance of the tavern, taking notice of a familiar face amongst the men outside..
"Well well, look who it is!" Hicks greeted walking up to the six, "Captain, I wondered when you'd turn up, and Maia! good to see you, it's been a long time!"
Maia smiled at him, "It has hicks, it's been WAY too long... you guys should visit more often."
"With the way, this war's been going, we've hardly had the time... I hope when it's over we can all spend some time together again, just like the old days."
"I'd like that, maybe we'll make a day out of it," The Redhead nodded, getting a grin from the scout captain.
"Let's hope so," Hicks nodded, turning back to Traysek, "Volt's been expecting you, said you if came any hour later, and you were going to buy everyone the first round."
Traysek chuckled, "Well now, let's not keep the big man waiting, I don't exactly have the gold to cover a tab that large,"
"agreed," The scout captain said, glancing back at the other five crew members, "I see you brought the whole gang with you, nice to see you all again."
Inigo nodded, "Good to see you too, Hicks, we thought you'd be back at the camp."
"Volt had me bring a few of the guys here overnight, I heard a fight went down with some of them and you guys."
The blue khajiit chuckled, "Oh... yeah that, they were trying to jump Erik for some reason, I just helped out."
Hicks slowly nodded, turning to Erik with a raised eyebrow, "So, we have a fully armored badass here, guess they didn't stand up against you, eh? hahahaha" Laughing as he gave the young nord a few taps to his chest plate.
"Oh, well I-..." He quickly glanced at Traysek who nodded at him, "Yeah it was piece of cake, that fight was no different from breakfast to me,"
"Someone stop him please..." Recorder groaned, facepalming, as Maia chuckled next to her.
"He's got confidence, I'll give him that," The merc queen commented.
Hicks blinked at that, still smirking, "Oh? like that huh? loving the confidence, shows you have guts, but I have to wonder if that fight was really fair? I get the numbers, but you were fully armored and they weren't..."
"Please... I could take those wimps naked, blindfolded..." Erik snorted, "And that's not the only thing..."
'Oh god... he's not done...?' Recorder mentally groaned, trying not to cringe.
Hicks rose an eyebrow, his smirk now gone, "Oh yeah? what else is there?"
Erik flexed a bicep, smirking, "I can pick up three girls with this flex alone..."
"Wait, what?" Traysek said from the background, as Inigo was dying of laughter.
Record playfully gagged, which made the other men behind hicks laugh, adding to Erik's embarrassment, "I'm sorry, but if you continue, I'll vomit out of protest..."
The young Nord blinked, before he pointed at her, "You're just jealous of all this Nord swagger."
"Again, I regret teaching you the word "swagger" and since when's a being a nord considered swagger?"
Traysek rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know, I think I make a pretty good statement as a Redguard," Before a mead cork bounced off his head...
"Not helping!" Recorder shouted.
The Redguard chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, "Anyway... As much as we want to have this, I really don't want to pay first the round, so let's head inside, yeah?"
"Sounds like a plan, besides I want to get to know you all. Some more than most..." Hicks said, muttering that last part.
From outside of the tavern, Rey arrived at the Dev Aveza, only to witness Traysek and the others heading inside. He rose an eyebrow when he noticed Maia was also here, figuring that she was probably here to see Volt.
"Looks like this is a far as I can go..." The knight said, noting the thugs outside the door, "How am I going to get past them? It's not like they're going to just let me stroll in there..."
Rey stood there for a minute, trying to decide on the next move until he spotted a merchant selling clothes and cloaks to a couple of customers, 'I think I just found my way in...' making his way to the merchant who just dismissed his customers.
Hicks led the group through inside the inn, ducking a thrown chair. The tavern was filled with mainly Kuroinu and other freelancers, as expected the patrons were Loud and boisterous, even in some cases, rude to the barmaids that would bring their drinks to them. The place was worn down and filthy looking, rats were evident, even one of them running off with a piece of meat from of patron's plate. The Red Dragons were both amazed and disgusted...
"This place is a dump, are they really ok with living in here?" Recorder whispered, looking around, cringing at the rat that was eating something in the corner.
Lucien had to keep himself from vomiting at the sheer sight and smell, "Gods, I take back what I said about Rendspire's tavern, our place wasn't THIS bad..."
Inigo glanced at the dirty stained mugs at the empty table as they passed, rubbing his furry chin, "I don't even want to know how long it's been since they've last cleaned their mugs here."
"Please, I'm used to rustic, you all forget that I'm from Rorikstead." Erik waved off, "This place doesn't seem all that bad."
Traysek shook his head, "Don't confuse rustic with filthy, Erik. A place can be clean and retain its rustic atmosphere, like our tavern back at Rendspire... Misha would have a heart attack and two babies if she laid eyes on this place," He laughed.
Hicks shrugged his shoulders, "The church stopped funding this inn since we've been here, believe it not, the bartender asked for a raise of this place but was harshly denied by the shields."
"It's pretty obvious why they did it... The other shields have disdain for many freelancers, Black dogs especially... I'm still amazed they let me in." Maia said, glancing around the room.
The group came upon a large table with many mercs surrounding it. familiar faces surrounded it, from the men that attacked Erik and Inigo to Oxman the Quartermaster. The large man spotted Hicks and Traysek, offering them both a friendly grin, "Hey Hicks, I see you've finally got the Captain. Good time too... He was ready to drag you out if you took any longer."
Traysek rubbed the back of his head, chuckling, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that... where is he anyway? I had news concerning the black fortress."
"Really? are we marching today? the boss said we would..." Oxman asked, getting a headshake.
"No, unfortunately, that's why I need to see him,"
Oxman motioned to the bar, "He's up there, probably still waiting on you, best not keep him waiting too long, cap," He noticed the Redguard no longer sported a cast, "I see you're arm's all fixed up, must've spent more time in there than usual, eh~?"
"Hahaha, no longer than I needed to friend," Traysek laughed, flexing his right arm while glancing at Volt, "I know who else is going to be surprised, and I have a good way to greet him now. I'll see you around Oxman, Gentlemen," giving them a nod and leaving for the bar.
Hicks sat at the seat, stopping the other five when he noticed them trying to follow, "Oi, your boss will join you in a second, why don't you guys go find a table and order something until then..."
The crew frowned upon that, glancing at each other on what to do until Maia cleared her throat,
"There should be an open table somewhere, I'll help you find it and then I'm joining your Boss and Volt at the bar," She said, getting a nod from others,
"It may be a good idea to stop taking up all this space," Recorder said, turning to the table, "It was good seeing some of you again, we'll talk another time,"
The group left the table, to search for another place to sit. As they did this, Hicks watched the group or more specifically... Recorder from behind, with a lecherous grin.
At the bar, Volt was sitting at the table, leaned over with two finished tankards. Traysek pushed past a couple of patrons, and slowly approached the bar. He threw his right arm over Volt, leaning to the side.
"Hey there buddy~ heard I kept you waitin'" Traysek greeted, grinning.
The older merc frowned at him, until he looked at his shoulder and realized that another arm was draped over him, putting a wide grin on his face.
"Well look at you! someone's back in action!," Volt smiled, as the Redguard took his arm off, "I take it she healed you up, eh? I had a feeling she would."
"Did you now?" Traysek chuckled, taking a seat, "Well, that spares that explanation, I also learned more about our enemy, and I have orders on the final assault tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? I thought we were marching today?" The older merc asked, bewildered.
Traysek shrugged his shoulders, "Must've been a change of plans, probably wants to give people a chance to rest before the final battle, I don't see anything wrong with that."
"We've been in the battle too long... TOO. LONG. I guarantee, she's hiding something from all of us... why does she keep delaying the final push?!"
The Redguard sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I wish I knew too... but I'm sure that tomorrow is the day..."
Volt took a calming breath and nodded, "I hope so Captain, the men have had enough of war... as have I."
"EVERYONE tires of war at some point, it gets pretty old, "Traysek began with, "But... every war DOES have a closing curtain, and we'll be the ones to finally close this one,"
The older man face cracked to grin, "It does my heart good to hear that Traysek, thank you... Now," Volt started with, turning to the bar, "I do believe I said I would buy the first round, and since I didn't pass three tankards, you ain't late."
Traysek grinned, "How Generous... Next time, I'll pay for the first round."
"I'm on my third actually, it's your first round," Volt laughed, clearing his throat after, "Bartender! hook us up with some ales!"
"Comin' right up!" A gruff voice shouted from the back.
Volt turned back to Traysek, "You hungry? I'm starving over here..."
"I could eat, sure," The Redguard nodded.
Volt faced the bar once more, "And some food, we're dyin' here!"
"Comin' right up..." Bartender said, this time with less enthusiasm.
Nearby in an alley, Rey threw a cloak over himself, making sure that his armor was well under it.
'That cloak was surprisingly cheap, hopefully, this is more than enough to get inside without detection...' He mused while adjusting his sword to hide within the cloak.
Rey walked out of the alley to peek around the corner at the Kuroinu guarded inn and took a breath, "Here we go..." Pulling the hood up over his head and made his way to the entrance.
Outside of the inn, a couple of mercs were hanging out when they spotted the hooded figure approaching them, alerting them.
"Hold on pal, who are you?!" A black dog questioned, ready for a fight.
"No one you need to concern yourself with, now move out of my way..." Rey growled, from under the hood.
The other merc, obviously drunk, stumbled over to the cloaked man, "Take off yer fuckin' hood! we know you're a dark elf shpy!"
"You've clearly had too much to drink, go back inside," Rey ordered, as the now offended drunk glared at him.
"Why you-! I ought to teach you a-" before he could finish that statement, a metal gauntlet belonging to the hooded knight, smashed into his face, sending to the ground with blood spurting from his nose.
"You fucking elf bastard!" The remaining mercenary shouted, wildly taking swings at the hooded knight, who easily evaded the sloppy punches, getting the last one caught brought behind his back with the knight standing behind him.
"Can I go in now...?" Rey asked, applying more force on the lock.
The merc nodded hurriedly, "Ow ow ow! sure buddy, sure, go right on in!"
"Good, now scrape up your friend and get going," Rey growled, releasing him and giving him a slight shove forward.
The black dog grabbed his fallen man who had blood coming down his nose and carried him off somewhere, leaving the entrance open. The holy knight sighed, dusting himself off, "Damned drunks around here... Volt needs to do better with managing his men. Now then..." He said, continuing his way to the inn, stopping at the entrance to steel himself, taking a deep breath before pushing past the doors.
...
After pushing past a few crowds, the crew found a table with more than enough chairs. As Lucien pulled a chair out, a rat came running from under the table, making him squeak in surprise.
"By the gods! if I didn't look under the table..." Lucien gagged, as a hand was put on his shoulder.
"That rat was small compared to what we usually deal with as rats, my friend," Inigo chuckled, moving his hand from his shoulder, "I will admit though," Glancing at the piece of food that was being ravaged by cockroaches, "I don't think anywhere has ever made me want to hurl my lunch so bad... ugh..."
Maia laughed, "Well, it's true this place has seen better days... it's sometimes hard to get a good drink in here."
"I can imagine..." Recorder uttered, glancing ahead at a table, watching one of the kuroinu stick his leg out to trip the server, causing most of the patrons to laugh.
The red dragons frowned at the scene, as the mercenary queen sighed, "Nice to know things haven't changed..."
"What a couple of jerks..." Inigo remarked, as the young man got up and brushed himself off, continuing to their table.
"Sorry about that, I didn't intend to fall on my face before coming here," The server chuckled, "Anyway, what can I get you guys?"
"We'll take some ales, five please," Lucien ordered before Maia put her hand up,
"Just four actually, I'll get my drink from the bar," The mercenary queen said, before standing up and facing the group, "I'll be back later, I'm going to join Volt and your captain for a drink, I won't be for long."
The group nodded at her, Recorder giving her a wave, "Alright Maia, it was good to meet you and between us, it felt nice having another girl around for a while."
The men of the group rose an eyebrow, as she blew a raspberry at them.
"I couldn't agree more Record, maybe in the future we can all get together like this again... but for now, I have something to take care of," Maia said, with a small grin.
"Safe travels Maia," Erik said, giving her a wave as she made her way to the bar area. When she was out of earshot, the group stopped waving.
"She seems really nice, just so..." Inigo began with, trying to find the word.
"-Distant? Yeah, I'm getting that too..." Recorder concurred, watching her push past tables, "Say... you think if we ever pitched the idea of inviting her to the crew with the boss, you'd think he'd say yes?"
Inigo rose an eyebrow, "I don't think he'd say no... but then he again, he probably won't say yes either..."
"Isn't that how it always goes...? Think about it, he didn't even want to train us at first, now...? I'm his star student, amazing where the time has gone..." Lucien went on with, putting scowl on the nord.
"YOU'RE the star student? Hah!," Erik snorted, pointing to his chest, "If ANYONE is the star student, it's me!"
Now it was Lucien's turn to scowl, "Keep dreaming, brainlet!"
"Put some gold on it, Imperial!" Erik growled, now in Lucien's face.
As both men were ready to pounce, Inigo stood up and grabbed their heads, slamming them into each other, sending them back to their seats in pain.
"Ow! what in oblivion Inigo?!" Erik yelled, holding his head.
"Ugh... by the eight that hurts..." Lucien groaned, holding his eye, "You could've actually hurt us, Inigo, what is wrong with you?"
The blue khajiit glared at them, as his ears and tail twitch menacingly, "You two are so much better than this... we're all on the same side, why are you even competing for top student, it's stupid... and embarrassing..." Glancing around the bar room, before back to them, "I've brought the cards and the dice, let's settle this over a game, yes?"
Both men frowned at each other, holding their heads, until Erik nodded,
"He's right, this is kinda stupid and cliche'..." Erik groaned, rubbing his head.
"Agreed, shall we settle this over a game of, battle of heroes then?" Lucien asked, smirking.
The nord smirked back, "You're on!" As Inigo's face soften to a smile, while he dealt out the cards...
...
The doors to the tavern open with Rey walking in, shutting the door behind him. As a holy knight, he and his colleagues aren't allowed to be there, lest they want to keep their faces pretty or limbs attached, so he's never been inside... today, however, since he's now in a cloak, disguising his armor, the young knight finally had access to the pub exclusive to the Black Dogs... As first impressions, he only had one thought on his mind when he glanced around...
'This place is a shithole...! How does anyone eat in here, let alone rest?' Rey thought, as frowned at the rat running in front of him, holding a piece of food in its mouth, 'ugh... by celestine, if these mercenaries do not end me, this place will... ok, the first step is to locate the target, if only that was easy...' He scanned the room, as he made his way through the tavern.
The young knight continued to move through the crowds, hoping not to bump into anyone and cause attention. He heard a lot of cheering come from one table and proceeded to move towards it, spotting Inigo who was ears were up in excitement.
'Found the crew... they seem to be preoccupied in a game, no signs of their leader... where is he?" He mused, scanning the room, 'I'll check the bar area, see if he's around there...' As he proceeded to the bar area, unfortunately for him... he had eyes on him.
...
The Captain let loose a burp, before sitting the tankard down, half drank, before going back into his stew. He glanced up at Volt who was helping himself to his ordered trout.
"So, you've got a picture or description of this fortress? Can't exactly come up with a strategy if I don't even know what the place looks like..." Traysek said, sitting down his spoon.
Volt finished chewing and nodded, reaching into his inner jacket and pulled out an old picture, "It was given to me by celestine when we joined up with the holy army, only had the pleasure of actually seeing it once, but I've...never made it inside."
Traysek's eyes widened when he laid eyes on the fortress, not only did the size stun him, but the infrastructure of it... it was indeed an evil fortress, surrounded by what looked like swampland. The Redguard hummed, nodding at the photo.
"Well, I'll give you this... it's huge, I can see why they call it the black fortress, but for a demonic castle, it's pretty elven looking, don't you think?"
Volt nodded, "Its where the dark elves have taken refuge, it won't be after tomorrow..."
'Refuge' huh...? I'm sure their above taking refuge, why does this sound more like a genocide and less like a war...?' The captain thought to himself, before clearing his throat. "So, it's not JUST the demon army we're up against, but the dark elves as well... this just keeps getting better and better..." Traysek sighed, taking a swig from his tankard.
A shadow loomed over them from behind, making both mercs turn around, "Mind if I join you boys?" Maia asked, smirking.
Traysek smiled, and waved her down as Volt narrowed his eyes, "Ahh, wondered when you'd turn up, please sit."
Maia did just that, taking a seat next to Volt, who in response gave her a smirk, "I didn't expect to see you here Maia, you two know each other?"
The Redguard nodded, "Yeah, we met after the meeting, she wanted to come with me because we were all going to the same place, said you left too quickly,"
"Yeah... apologies guys, I didn't want to stick around any longer than needed... if you understand." the older merc apologized, getting a nod from Maia.
"Oh I've seen it myself, they think too HIGHLY of themselves... As if they're ABOVE men and anyone else they deem lower than them... fortunately, it's only a few of them that think like that..." Traysek said, winking at Maia, who giggled in response.
Volt downed the rest of his tankard, slamming it down, "Maia, sure, but the rest of them is just as bad, no matter how sweet those smiles are..."
"I don't know about that, Celestine seemed to be nicest out of the bunch, not a hateful bone in her body," Traysek replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't buy into that, captain," Volt said with a serious tone, "Her smiles may melt hearts, but hers is as cold as the rest of em, just because she healed you, doesn't mean she likes you, remember that,"
As their conversation continued, a hooded man walked up to the bar and took a seat, the furthest from the three. The bartender glanced at him and smiled.
"Hello boss, what can I get ya?"
"Just some water, for now, I'll order later..." Rey said, masking his voice.
"Coming right up!" The old bartender said, pulling out a glass and wiping it.
When the bartender was busy with getting the water, Rey took this chance to listen in on their conversation.
"Listen Volt, until our employer shows me that side of herself, I have no harsh opinions... when she does, It'll be up to me to judge, not the other way around..." Traysek said, finishing his tankard, sitting it down.
Under the hood, Rey found himself frowning at that, 'Herself? who are they talking about? lady Celestine?' He thought, as he watched the larger man gulp down another tankard.
"I've been working with our employers for years, kid, and I'm telling you, Celestine is just as cold and unrelenting as the rest of the shield princesses, excluding Maia..." Volt said, glancing at her.
It was at this point that the hooded Rey found himself clenching his fist along with his teeth,
'You ungrateful dog! Celestine put her head out for you and this is how you talk about her? I should haul your ass down to dungeons myself by your neck!'
Traysek smirked, shaking his head, "You've clearly been drinking too much, go sleep it off, old man."
Volt gave a loud laugh, "Hahaha! Captain, I'm never drunk enough, just tipsy enough to say what's on my mind, you should try it sometime,"
"Yeah, except, it's too early to get pissed, and I prefer to do my drinking during nightfall," Traysek laughed,
Maia nodded with a smirk, "Nothing wrong with nightly drinking, more fun that way..."
"See? She Agrees with me," The Redguard grinned, turning to her "I might just take you up on that, you never know..."
The mercenary queen gave a cute chuckle, "Well captain, play your cards right, and you might just get that chance..."
"Deal!" Traysek winked, "But don't cry when I drink you under the table,"
"Hah! that'll be the day!" Maia laughed, as Volt cleared his throat.
"Wow captain, first Celestine, now you want Maia too?" The older man inquired, smirking.
Traysek rose an eyebrow, "What? what are you talking about? I'm just makin' friendly conversation, it just helps that she's gorgeous..."
"Uh-huh, sure you are," Volt teased, "Speaking of which, what did you think after meeting the goddess? you never said..."
The hooded man, turned his head in the direction of them, to hear better.
"To be honest... I've met all kinds of women out there, many of them were gorgeous, but... Celestine... Celestine is breathtaking, I can see why she's got so many devoted to her, even her touch is enough to drive a man crazy," Traysek explained, his mind going back to that garden.
'In what way Captain...? Huh? IN WHAT WAY?! FINISH THE SENTENCE!' Rey mentally roared, sweating at this point.
"Oh really? that's nice, but what I actually meant, " Volt started with as his face turned lecherous, "Did you get a chance to check out the supple body of hers? I mean she's the goddess but... If only I could have a few minutes with that alone..."
' As if she'd MAKE time for you... please, don't flatter yourself Volt, you're not even a six...' Rey mentally swore, glaring at him.
Traysek smirked but his eyes were narrow, "Seems to me, you go there for a different reason Volt..."
"Maybe I do..." Volt said, smirking, "You can't tell me, that you haven't seen those yourself, you were there the longest,"
The Redguard gave a loud laugh, "Hey now, There's nothing wrong with admiring the female body, Hell, I adore it...for the right reasons,"
It was Volt's turn to laugh now, "Adore huh? is that what they call it now?"
"Well it was either that, or we call it "Happy bedroom time" which doesn't leave much for the imagination," Traysek chuckled with a sly grin, "Although some prefer dungeons these days ..."
'Wow Captain, you are shameless I see... I'll be keeping an eye on you for now on...' Rey mentally growled, shaking his head.
Maia chuckled, narrowing her eyes on the Redguard, "Now Captain, don't go and ruin the good image I have of you, it would be a waste,"
"Well... we wouldn't wanna do that now, would we~?" Traysek smirked, giving a wink, which made her giggle.
"I like em bold Captain, not perverted..." Maia said, leaning in on him, "But which one are you I wonder...? I pray it's not the former,"
"Oh? but we've just met, give it some time, trust me," Traysek chuckled, giving a wink, "You'll find out I'm a lot more fun than most here..."
Volt rose an eyebrow, "Oh really? that almost sounds like a challenge..." chuckling, along with the other two.
"Maybe it is..." The Redguard smirked, standing up, "But we'll do that later, I want to see how these rooms look if we're going to be spending the night here."
The older merc gave a nod, "What, you want a tour of tavern? sure, why not... I can show you around our lovely little pub, follow me," He motioned as the Redguard followed behind.
Maia waved at them, "See you guys when you get back," her smile waning as they left.
She faced the bar and ordered another drink, cutting her eye at the hooded figure a few seats after getting her next round. For a minute, Rey didn't seem to notice, his attention was on the duo heading upstairs. As he stood up and was about to follow, a hand grabs his with a firm grip, belonging to the mercenary queen. "Going so soon...? Why not stay and chat awhile, since you listened in on most of it anyway..." Maia said in a sweet, yet threatening tone.
'Shit... I've been found out...? How?' Rey cursed mentally, once again sweating bullets.
The Redhead narrowed her eyes, "You can either talk to me or you can talk to the black dogs, and believe me, they're less friendly than I am... have. a. seat."
The younger knight begrudgingly sat back down, as Maia eased her grip.
"Good, now let's talk," Maia said, as she had another tankard passed to her.
Up the stairs, Volt guided the Redguard around, showing him a couple of rooms that were Vacant, and others... that were not, some had noises of sex coming from them, some louder than others.
"They seem to be having fun in there," Traysek chuckled, as they passed by.
"We tend to get our share of girls here too, those we pay for anyway, some are from other villages even..."
The Captain rubbed his chin at that, "kind of like a "Reward" for duty, eh?"
"The men have to carry on somehow don't they? I think it's fair trade and the prostitutes are paid for their time," Volt said as they were now in front of his room.
Traysek shrugged with a smirk, "I didn't have a problem with that, personally I believe everyone should be paid what their worth, no matter the what price or currency is, just as long as ALL parties agree with it,"
"Couldn't have said that better captain," Volt agreed, opening the door, "Just a second, need to grab a few things, your room is over there, few clicks from mine. I had the inn-keeper prepare it for you, should be clean enough, feel free to take a look inside," Handing him a key.
Traysek nodded, taking it, "I'll do that, besides I'll lighten my load while I'm here," yawning after, as he made his way to his room.
After reaching it, he unlocked the door using the key given to him, opening the door. Inside of the room was pretty plain for the most part, it had smelt like it had been cleaned, but the paint on the upper walls looked as if they were chipping or water-worn, the bed however, was a single size which was enough for one guy, and surprisingly the only cleanest thing in the room.
The Redguard sighed, walked up to the bed, and sat his backpack on the side of it, before laying in it himself, closing his eyes, 'Guess this bed's not too bad, can definitely see myself sleeping here for the night...'
Footsteps approached his still open door, Volt's voice booming down the hall,
"Captain, I've got what I need, you ain't sleepin' in there are ya?!"
Traysek opened his eyes with an annoyed expression, 'Well...so much for that...' Sitting up with a groan.
Volt made it to Traysek's doorway to find him sitting up on the side of the bed, waiting, "You're still awake, good, I hope you're ready,"
"For what?"
"We're going around town and maybe outside of the walls if we have the time, I have some errands to run and I might as well show you around the city,"
Traysek nodded with a slight grin, "Alright, I've been meaning to check this city out, let's go," Standing up, stretching, before he followed the older merc out, closing the door behind him.
"I see," Maia said, rubber her chin, "So that's why you're here..."
The hooded Rey nodded, "Correct, I was here to confirm any suspicious activity involving our new help and Volt, Commander Claudia is expecting something back,"
"Claudia... well, if anything I expected Alicia to pull a stunt like this, but the paladin sure likes sticking her nose where it doesn't belong as well it seems..." The Redhead sighed, taking a sip of her half drank tankard, "Listen, kid, I know you'd do anything for your commander, but she sent you into dangerous territory... you realize what Volt and the other dogs will do to you if you're spotted right?"
Rey nodded again, "Yeah... I've seen how those guys have ended up, but I assure you... I'm not here to spy on the dogs,"
"No you're not, but you're here to spy on the Captain and his friends, which are allies with Volt... still the same thing kid," Maia deadpanned, shaking her head, "Here's the deal, you can leave now and I'll forget that you ever were here, I won't tell Volt you were creeping around trying to snoop... but if you persist on Spying, I can't guarantee your safety in this place... you only have two choices,"
The hooded Rey sighed, wondering what to do with this situation... He couldn't just abandon his mission, but... at the same time, having every black dog mercenary on him wasn't exactly the plan either... as he was going to make his decision, he heard a chuckle come from the bartender.
"I'd take the deal if I were you, kid... There aren't many places you can escape from in here..." The bartender said with a hint of venom.
The holy knight sighed and stood up, "Very well, I can see that this was a wasted effort... I just hate to go back to Lady Claudia empty-handed..."
"Don't worry about that... I intend to have a long talk about sending her men in the wolves den, for now, you need to get going," Maia said, narrowing her eyes on him.
Rey grumbled and left the bar table, heading for the exit... However, as he did this, a few of the Black Dogs that had eyes on him, soon followed him out.
After Maia watched him along with the trailing mercs leave, She glanced up to See Volt with Traysek behind him, coming down the stairs, putting a smile on her face. When they rejoined the table, Volt walked up to Maia.
"Hey Maia, we're about to go out to see the city, are you coming with us or staying?"
The Redhead stood up, "Sounds good to me, but what about them?" She said, motioning to the crew at the table, playing cards.
Traysek glanced up and sighed, "Well, they seem to be having plenty of fun over there, and plus they rarely get this opportunity... I don't know, how are we getting around?"
"We'll be on foot, so you won't need your ship," Volt said, getting a nod from the Redguard.
"Alright then," Traysek said, "I'll go check on them, see if they want to come with," Starting for their table.
"While you do that, I'll go fetch Kin and Hicks, I'm sure they'll want to go on our little trip," Volt called out, as the Redguard gave him and affirming wave without turning his back.
Once he got far enough, Maia turned back around to where that knight was sitting and sighed, shaking her head.
'Hope you made it out of here kid, those guys didn't seem keen on letting you leave'
outside, nearby alley...
A metal gauntlet smashed into the stomach of a kuroinu grunt before another fist sent him back unconscious. Rey huffed, and ducked the next attacker, before grabbing and tossing him into two more men, before getting back into his boxing stance, backing away.
"Look, I don't want to hurt you guys, just let me go," Rey pleaded, as the rest carefully advanced on him.
"We're not letting you leave without a few scars, holy knight, and we meant that!" One of the kuroinu spat, before lunging at him with a knife.
The young knight, evaded the knife blow with a sidestep, before drawing out his sword. The knife-wielding attacker lunged at him, again, only this time, Rey countered with a swing, cutting his hand off.
"Auuugghh!" The merc screamed before he was met with a knee to the face, putting him out.
Now with only five remaining, The others watched in shock as the dismembered hand laid on the ground. Rey readied his sword once more, glaring at them, "Last warning, leave now, and you won't lose any more limbs, if you stay, however, I'm not responsible for what happens next..."
The remaining men looked unsure of what to do, glancing at each other with nervous expressions. Eventually, they all glanced up at Rey and bared their teeth, before charging at him.
The young knight sighed, "Yeah, I figured that would be your answer..."
Traysek walked up to the table that his crew was seated, taking note of the number of empty tankards on the table.
"Jeez, you couldn't save any for me?" Traysek chuckled, as the others glanced up from the table.
"We waited on you my friend, you seemed busy," Inigo yawned, "Anyway, what's the plan, are we staying here?"
"For now, until something better comes along," The Redguard answered, "We're about to head into the city, see kinds of trouble we can get into, I figure you guys would like to stock up since we're there,"
Recorder perked up at that, stars in her eyes, "Did you say... shopping? yes! I'm down," Standing up, and stretching.
"You know me, my friend, I'll never pass down an opportunity," Inigo grinned, now standing up as well.
Erik rolled his shoulders, getting out of the chair, "Good timing, I might need a new ax, since this one's pretty old."
Traysek nodded, turning to Lucien, "And you, Lucie-"
He found him to not only to be standing up but shaking out the leg of his pants, with a cockroach falling out, "Yes please! when are we going?!" Lucien yelled, earning laughter from the rest of the crew.
"Glad to hear it, mates" Traysek chuckled, "Oh, and we're not taking the ship, we'll be rolling with Volt his group for the day, any objections?"
The others glanced at each other, Recorder having an uncomfortable expression that caught his attention. "Something the matter, Record?" The captain asked, getting a headshake in response.
"Eh, nothing to worry about, DB," Recorder lied, shrugging it off, "Just... a little nervous around our new friends... I never expected to be with such a large company,"
Traysek frowned at her, "What are you talking about...? we're a large company too, it's just the five of us here right now, the others are back home in Tamriel."
"I know that it's just... ok fine, I don't trust them and-"
"Shhhh...!" Traysek shushed her, cutting her off while glancing around, "Look I see you're concerned, but let's not talk about it in here. there are way too many eyes and ears around," He whispered, getting a nod from her.
"You have a good point..." Inigo said, glancing behind him, "So maybe we should get outside, yes?" getting nods from the other four.
Outside of the tavern...
Once they were outside and out of earshot, Recorder had relayed her concerns about the black dogs, following the encounter that she had with the kuroinu mage, Kin. Erik had added in that he had bumped into the younger man, and nearly got into it with him, only for it to come up short.
The captain nodded, remembering the fight that he and Volt had come upon between two of his men and Volt's. "I see, thank you for bringing that to my attention, and thanks to that, I think I know why that fight with you happened, Erik,"
"You do? I thought it was over me bumping into them," The young Nord grumbled, getting a headshake.
"It's an initial fight starter, yes, but not the reason it happened... you see, Inigo already told me before that fight even happened that he had overheard something, and now that I know that you other two had your encounters, it's pretty easy to tell what happened here... for instance, did you have any problems with them, before you ran into Kin in the ship?"
Erik rubbed his chin, "Come to think of it, No... those guys were actually curious about where I got my armor after we flipped the ship back up, they were all smiles and no teeth... they did, however, have an issue with how easily their boss accepted us, but it wasn't nothing to fight over..."
"That what I figured," Traysek concluded, "it's no secret, Erik, you were supposed to be taught a lesson and I think your encounter with Kin, has a big role to play in it,"
Erik thought about and scoffed, "Cowardly milk drinker! I knew I should've decked him then and there!"
"No, I'm actually glad you didn't because that would've made things a hell of a lot worse," Traysek said, "I'll talk to his leader about that one, let him know that his mage was behind that attack, but we'll have to do that later," motioning his head to the approaching group.
Inigo nodded, "yeah, not a good time..." He murmured, as Volt stopped in front of them.
"Captain! I see you've beaten me out here," Volt grinned, along with Kin and Hicks.
Traysek smirked, "Well, we were in there for a minute, what took YOU? your knees finally catch up with your age?" He joked, chuckling.
Volt gave boisterous laugh, "Captain you insult me, If my knees didn't work I wouldn't be in the war"
"I know, I know, just givin' you a hard time for taking so long," The captain laughed, nodding, "So, bringing the boys, huh?"
Volt nodded, turning to them, "Of course, I'm sure you're all met, they'll be with us while we're out there. This won't be much of a bother will it?"
Traysek looked at his crew, most seemed to be with the idea on the exception of Recorder who looked unsure, before looking back at Volt, "No, it shouldn't be, that little fight has nothing to do with today," He smiled.
"Glad to hear it, I'm sure we'll all get along," Volt smirked, "Now then... on to the tour!"
The group followed both Volt and Traysek, each sharing glances with one another. As the two leaders shared a conversation, Inigo walked up to Hicks, who smiled at his approach.
"This town is bustling, I'm sure you have your own experiences here," The blue khajiit said, scratching his ear after, "Damned fleas..."
"More than you can imagine, stick around long enough and you'll have one of your own," He chuckled, until he noticed Recorder walking past him, 'not yet... too soon right now...' glancing back at Erik who was walking next to Kin.
The young nord glared at the mage, "You know that I was attacked the other night right? know anything about it...?" He asked, narrowing his eyes on him.
"Sorry? are you implying that I'd take the time and effort to send some men after you? please... I've got too much time on my hands than to worry about you, but if it helps... you don't have to worry about that today,"
Erik scowled at him, watching him for a moment until he sighed, "You better hope that's the case... and IF I find out you had something to do with me getting jumped... You WILL regret it..." He said venomously, turning his eyes ahead.
Kin glared at him, 'I went easy on you, next time... don't expect to be so lucky!'
Maia walked along with Recorder, laughing with her, "That's insane, Record... I'm surprised your legs didn't break"
"Well... without the help of strength and speed potions, I think I would've broken something, the ship's armor is a lot tougher than it looks, trust me on that," Recorder chuckled.
Alleyway, nearby...
The black dogs laid on the ground in agony, some were missing arms, fingers or legs, but managed to still live. Rey sheathed his sword, taking a deep sigh...
"You know, all you guys had to do, was leave me be," He scowled, "And you would not be bleeding or missing limbs right now, consider yourselves lucky..." Putting the hood back upon his head, and walking away from them.
When Rey made it out of the Alley, he noticed Volt and Traysek leading a group around the area, making him frown.
'Out already...? I didn't expect that so soon...' Rey thought, watching them head towards the downtown area, "I guess this mission is still on, let's see where you're going now..." following the large group.
Downtown...
When the group reached the inner town, they were treated to bustling sight, of shoppers, workers passing by on their carts which were covered by cloth, and finally the patrolling holy knights that occasionally gave them distrusting glances when they saw them.
"This is the downtown area, most of the shops are here," Volt said, pointing at a few, "They've got everything here from general goods, to sword and armor repair," pointing to a rather fancy looking building, And that... is the fanciest Inn in the city, the Goddess's garden they call it,"
Traysek nodded, "I can see why It'd be," noticing only women in fancy dresses and very few men entering, "But why is it mainly women going? Figured there would be as many wealthy men, but I'm seeing far less than expected"
Volt and the other black dogs had scowls on their faces, not so much toward him but at the building.
"Yes... I know, we have the church of celestine to blame for that...!" Volt growled, now glaring up her Tower, "The women rule the country here and any other city because of this church..."
The Captain rubbed the back of his head, "I see... so there are many wealthy women and few wealthy men here, so where's the working class?"
"Captain... WE are the working class, don't you get it?" Volt said, pointing at the tower, "All our blood and sacrifice is so buildings like that can keep standing, even though they refuse to let us in..."
Traysek smirked at that, "Really now? so if I just happened to be a paying customer, they'd still give me the boot?"
"I think they'd honestly just throw you out, I mean even if you could afford it there, I doubt they'd be happy for it... the Restaurant? sure, but the holy knights? you can believe they'll trouble you for it," Kin explained, getting a smirk from Inigo.
"Let them try, I've been dying to unsheathe the claws again," The blue khajiit challenged.
Traysek shook his head, "Nah, no brute force needed with them... it's just a matter of how much you have, really... I think I know where I'm going for dinner," chuckling after.
Recorder frowned at the people walking out, "They seem like they have sticks up their asses anyway, definitely people I wouldn't see myself hanging out with..."
Maia sighed, "Even though I'm a shield, they still give me a hard time," Shaking her head, while Volt started walking.
"What are you ladies still staring at the fancy place for? we got more of this city to see, let's move!" Volt yelled towards the back.
The group spent that day looking around shops and landmarks of the city, Recorder even managed to snag a few photos at a few of them...after explaining what a camera was. Volt showed them around the city, pointing out certain places and zones. They managed to get some glares and stares from the holy knights, upon encountering them... Returning glares at them, even Inigo hissing at a few. However, aside from the dirty looks, the knights remained docile and didn't really get in their way, which worked out for both the crew and the Black dogs.
As for the trailing holy knight, he did his best to remain unseen. Hiding behind corners, sitting on benches near them whenever they stopped at a place, taking care not to draw attention to himself like he did last time. He even had to avoid being spotted by his fellow knights, which he nearly failed to do when a few took notice of a hooded man skulking around.
Upon traveling the city, Volt made a few stops, talking to what seemed to be random people. The Red dragons didn't pry, in Skyrim, they knew people around towns as well, so it didn't seem all that strange to them. Eventually their wondering around, led them back to center of the town.
"So, how do you like the city of ken so far Captain?" Volt asked, sitting on a bench.
Traysek joined him, sitting down, "It's a big city, lots of landmarks and history here. Some of these buildings look ancient as if they've been here for quite some time,"
"It is big, Welcome to the capital of the holy army," Hicks announced, glancing at Recorder, who had bags from her overexuberant shopping, "I see lady thunderlegs had fun today,"
"What...? 'Thunderlegs?' is that what they're calling me now?" Record asked, frowning at the nickname.
Hicks nodded with a smirk, "Ever since you slammed your feet against the ship and made it flip, the men have been calling you that," eyes going to her legs, "And from where I'm standing, I can definitely see why,"
That look he gave her, made the young woman self-conscious about her legs, making her cover them and move back, "Oh, I see... I don't like it, it's terrible naming," Getting a scowl from him.
Volt gave a loud laugh, slapping a hand on Hick's shoulder, "I think it suits ya, think of it as a way of us thank you for your assistance," Now staring at her legs.
"I think I'll stick to Recorder or Record, even Reco is good enough, that other name sounds like a stripper name," Record joked, earning chuckles from the others, "And stop staring at my legs! I know they're pretty to look at, but still!"
Traysek frowned at them, "Yeah, that is pretty weird, why are you doin' that?"
"Captain, you cannot tell me that you haven't at least admired them yourself," Volt said, in slight disbelief.
"Oh I've admired more than that, but it doesn't make staring at em' any less weird, at least pay the lady first," Traysek teased, getting a lecherous grin from Hicks.
"Dragonborn!" Recorder yelled from the background.
"Oh really now? How much for the full course?" The scout captain asked, grinning wider.
It was Traysek's turn to grin now, "An arm and a leg." Without missing a beat.
Recorder then quickly halfway pulled out her sword, flashing the blade, "Don't worry~ I'll take it them after," Giving them an evil smirk.
At this point, not only was Hicks feeling uneasy but so was Volt... From the time they met this woman, they assumed she was innocent and naive, compared to the person they faced before this moment. The woman in front of them now? A vicious predator ready to pounce at any moment, like a lion staring down two bunnies. Kin and Maia remained still, as if unsure what to do or say. Maia could feel the bloodlust coming off of her so strong, her hand was already on her sword by reflex. Kin, however... was soaking this up like a sponge, this was completely unlike the woman they pulled off the ship. Instead of fear, however, it was rather a fascination that had him in awe.
'Interesting, so that's her bloodlust, I think this one's going to be fun' Kin mused, smirking now.
A hand was placed on her shoulder, belonging to the Captain, "Record..." Traysek called, calming her down.
The young woman took a deep breath, sighing and sheathing the blade, "Just kidding guys, and no, I'm not a whore,"
Maia sighed in relief, taking her hand off, "That's a good thing, not that we were insinuating that,"
Hick's scowl remained for a moment, until he sighed, "Yeah, it's fine... I guess,"
"Disappointed there friend?" Erik asked, smirking at his glare.
"Listen here tough guy-" Hicks began with.
"No you!" Erik countered with.
As Erik and Hicks began to argue, a trio of holy knights was approaching them followed by two more people. One of them was a senior man, with red eyes and grey receding hair and beard, wearing armor with a cloak under his large pauldrons. On his back was a large greatsword, making the Redguard frown upon seeing him.
The second man next to him was a small scrawnier man in scholar's clothes, much like Kin he also wore glasses. He appeared to also be an older man as well, but younger than the larger man it seemed.
Volt looked up and smirked at the older man, "Well well, I didn't think I'd see your face today,"
The older warrior gave him a hardened stare, before his lips curved into a smile, "Volt, you cantankerous bastard, how goes the war?" He greeted, shaking his hand.
"The war's going, but it's nearly over my friend," Volt said, turning to the others, "Captain, this is Grave Levantine, of the Levantine family,"
Traysek rose an eyebrow, "Levantine? wouldn't that make you her husband then?"
Grave laughed, shaking his head, "No, I'm not her husband, this pile of weak is," Motioning to the smaller scholar, "go on, boy, introduce yourself, unless you're too inept for that too,"
The Red dragons frowned at him until the timid man offered his hand. "H-hello there, I'm Klaus Levantine, it's nice to meet you all. Good to see you guys again Volt, Maia," nodding at them.
Maia smiled, "It's good to see you too Klaus, I take it Claudia isn't around,"
"She'll join us soon, we're just waiting for her to come out of the tower," Klaus said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Traysek hummed, shaking his hand, "It's nice to meet you too Klaus. So you're Claudia's Husband eh? You're a lucky, lucky man," Patting him on the shoulder with a chuckle.
The older scholar gave a nervous chuckle, "Y-yeah, everyone keeps telling me," glancing at his father's scowl.
"Confound it boy! you should be more prideful with this," Grave chided, "Honestly, you're married to one of the most beautiful women in the city, the least you could do is act like it,"
The Redguard scowled at him, before nodding at Klaus, "He's right, In your position, I'd be all kinds of cocky, especially with a fine piece like her coming home to me every night,"
At that, Rey scowled at him, 'Anymore than that... and this follow mission becomes an assassination, don't push your luck!'
"F-fine piece...?" Klaus asked, obviously caught off guard by the statement, "I've never heard of the men here refer to any of the women as "Fine pieces" But I'll take it as a complement, thank you, captain,"
'No! don't take it as a compliment, he just disrespected your wife!' Rey mentally cursed, facepalming with a groan.
Grave gave a humming chuckle, "A fine piece Indeed, couldn't have said that better Captain. I did raise a fine warrior, after all, better than this failure who couldn't even give me a child with her,"
Rey felt his eyebrow twitch, glaring hard at Grave, 'You know... for someone whose raised the paladin and the wife of your son... you should be agreeing with him the least...and also... DID YOU JUST ANNOUNCE YOUR SON'S BUSINESS OUT THERE?!'
Traysek rose an eyebrow at that, "So what? you can't keep it up or is it just playing turtle...? if that's the case, there are plenty of men in that situation, no need to beat yourself up about it,"
"I...I see, I won't dwell on it," Klaus said, glancing at his father's growing scowl.
"Well, Captain, that may be wherever you're from, but a man who can't at least produce offspring, is no man at all," Grave chided, getting a scowl shot at him.
"In what way?" Traysek shot back with, "You wanna know what I find 'WEAK'? it's the fact that YOU are trying to emasculate your son in the worst godsdamned way... you almost make it sound as if he's unable to have children no matter what he does, and if that's really the case... you're a milk-drinking asshole for even bringing that up,"
Grave glared at him, his hand going up to his sword, "Watch your mouth, Stranger... Outspoken people often meet tragic 'accidents' here,"
"Try it, you'll pay for it," Traysek challenged, hand already on his scimitar.
Rey watched the scene, wondering if he should even interfere, but it would risk his mission. However, as he pondered on what he was going to do next, he spots Volt walking over to them, getting in between.
'By Celestine please don't make this worse...!' Gritting his teeth in anticipation.
The older merc gave a laugh, slapping his arm around Traysek's shoulder, "He's quite the spitfire, ain't he? As much as I want to see this fight, how about we dial it down in this nice town," he suggested, as both men began to calm down.
"Fine, this is a nice city," Traysek sighed, taking his hand off his sword.
Grave stared at him for a moment, slowly taking his hand off his own weapon, "Indeed, most men here would've crumbled from my stare alone...Very well, I apologize for my conduct Captain, I do we hope we can put this behind us,"
"What are you apologizing to me for? I don't want that from you," Traysek frowned, "Apologize to your SON, he's the one you tried to embarrass,"
The older knight shot Klaus a quick dirty look before softening his face to a neutral expression, "Son...I'm sorry, that you're worthless and weak...and that I have to remind you of it..."
Klaus put his head down in shame, making Lucien glare at the older knight, standing up, "that's the opposite of an apology...!"
Traysek held a hand up at him before he and Grave started arguing, "I'll take it for now Grave, but remember this... the cold cruelty you show your boy now... will be paid back in full...and it won't be me that'll do it,"
"That'll be the day won't it...?" Grave smirked, before chuckling, "You seem like the gung-ho, perhaps there's something you could help me out on, a job that requires you're...ruthless tongue if you will,"
Traysek rose an eyebrow, "Go on, I'm listening,"
"There's a village nearby this city a few miles north from the gate, they haven't paid their taxes in nearly over a year now...I need someone to check out things for me, get rough with them if have to, they're quite known for skipping out on it," Grave explained.
Rey's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking in anger, 'You Bastard...! they have NOTHING to offer! you're really going to send them to strongarm an orphanage?!'
Volt nodded, "That village with that orphanage right? I've been meaning to get to that, but I have a meeting with a few friends later, so captain, I'll have to leave it to you, are you up to this?" giving him a grin.
Traysek frowned at him, "So you need me to play loanshark for the village leader then," before nodding, "Very well, I'll do it, but don't expect it to be cheap or free,"
"Of course not Captain, for if you do this, there will be a reward in it for you," Grave assured, glancing at the rest of the crew, "A reward in it for all of you, say...enough gold to enjoy your night here,"
The Redguard nodded, "A reward you say? now we're speaking the same language... Alright, where is this village located?"
'Y-you can't be serious...Captain, they have nothing to pay with! don't do this...!' Rey mentally pleaded, biting his lip.
Grave pointed in a direction, "Take the north gate out and keep going that way, until you come across a crossway, take the left path and you'll end up there, Luco village is what it's called," reaching into his satchel, to come out with a rolled-up map, "Here's a map of general tundra should you get lost, I trust even you know how to read a map, yes?"
"I'm not a damned moron," Traysek spat back, taking the map, "I can read a map as well as follow a compass, getting lost is the least of my concerns," stuffing it in his backpack.
The veteran knight gave him a nod, "Hmph...we shall see Captain, don't let overconfidence cloud your judgment, our land still has its dangers,"
"I'll consider the thought, thank you," Traysek nodded, turning to Volt and the others, "Alright guys, looks like we're heading Luco village... Since you have somewhere to be Volt, I guess we're parting ways for now,"
Volt offered his hand, which was shaken by Traysek, "Take care Traysek, and good luck out there, the wilds of Eostia can be unforgiving, even in short distances like this,"
"I'll be sure to, after all, I'm not missing this war for the world," Traysek chuckled, "I'll see you later my friend,"
The rest of the Red Dragon crew stood up from their spots, saying their goodbyes to their new friends.
"Well, it is time to go back to work, it was good hanging out with you guys," Inigo grinned, "We must do it again sometime,"
Erik snorted, "Inigo we're coming back, not like we're going somewhere far,"
Hicks slapped his arm around him, "Come back alive, you hear me? You owe me an arm-wrestling match!"
"Oh it's on when we get back, you can count on it!" Erik challenged, giving him a fistbump.
Lucien walked up to Klaus and Grave, "It was very nice meeting you, I am Lucien Flavius, explorer and scientist," giving him a bright smile, "We must exchange knowledge sometime, I'm sure we could learn a lot from each other," offering a handshake.
"I would like that," Klaus said, shaking hands with him, "Perhaps we'll come to either know something new, or maybe the same knowledge...?"
"One could hope," Lucien agreed, before making his way towards the gate.
Recorder gave Maia a grin, "Find us after this?" getting a nod from the redhead.
"Of course Reco, just don't get yourselves killed out there, especially you Captain," Maia said, flashing Traysek a wink.
The Redguard chuckled, "I won't, we still have some...unfinished business after~" giving a wink back.
"ooooooo~ I look foward to it," She said, giving him a cat-ish grin.
Traysek gave them all a wave as he left, "Nice to meet some of you, we won't be gone too long, give my regards to Claudia when you can Klaus!"
"I will captain!" Klaus called back, "It was nice meeting you all today!"
When the Red dragon crew left, a cruel smile grew on Grave's lips, "This shouldn't be too hard to handle, after all, it IS an old orphanage... it shouldn't be much of a fight..."
"That so evil when you put it like that," Volt chuckled, before turning his direction to the tavern, "So, where are our other friends meeting?"
"The goddess's garden, our table has been paid for, courtesy of our friend in the church," Grave grinned, before turning to Maia, "I'm sorry Maia, but I'm going to need to borrow your former boss's time, hope it's not an inconvenience..."
The Mercenary Queen narrowed her eyes on him, "It's not a problem at all...I figured you guys were going to be talking anyway," giving Volt and the others a wave goodbye, "I'll be with Celestine and the others, it was good seeing you guys again, you should visit more,"
"We'll plenty of time to celebrate when this is all over," Kin smiled, before turning in the direction the Red dragons were walking to, staring at the back of Recorder, 'it's too soon now anyway... I will wait...'
Once the crowd cleared, and everyone went to where they were going, Rey was left there in a cold sweat, unsure of what to do...
"He really hired him to hurt that orphanage...I have to stop him but I can't risk my mission either...what do I do?" Rey asked, face in litteral shock, out loud. He closing his eyes, 'I can try reasoning with him... he doesn't seem all that unreasonable, but...' The images of kids both human and elf playing together in a park filled his thoughts, the smiles they had on their faces, "Luckily for me, I know the shortest way there, so I can cut him off and hopefully he's willing to listen...but if he isn't..." stands up with a hand on his sword, "Then I'll do what I must to stop him...!"
...
Meanwhile...at the Black Citadel, northern landscape...
In the throne room of the black fortress, a beautiful dark elf woman sat on her throne, her outfit was purple and skimpy, covering only her arms and legs, and barely her bust, Her bottom consisted of a black thong, accompanied by her black heels with a large dark cloak covering her shoulders. Her silver crown shined as her heterochromatic eyes glared down at the harpy that was missing a wing and kneeling before her.
"You failed at stopping that ship from getting back to Celestine, what was the excuse...?" She growled.
The harpy said nothing for a minute until a short blonde elf in a skimpy blue outfit, armed with two daggers, took a step towards the downed harpy.
"Speak worm, explain your failure before lady Olga!" The blonde elf barked, making the harpy tense up.
"We're sorry my mistress... the mercenary proved to be too strong along with his new help... they overwhelmed us, despite one of them being wounded..." The harpy attempted to plead, but unfortunately... Olga was not in the mood for it.
"You couldn't do anything else to ground them? if you couldn't best them, then surely knocking them out of the sky would do just that..." Olga explained, standing up holding her staff, pointing it at it.
"No please! not this! I can make up for this! I promise I just need more-AAAAAUUUGHHHH!" It screamed out while being blasted with a torrent of lightning.
"You have failed me two times, too many, begone!" Olga growled, putting more energy into the bolt, as it disintegrated the harpy, leaving only mere ash behind. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes before opening them again, "Chloe!"
The blonde elf knelt before her, "Yes lady Olga?"
"Inform the guards to fortify the defenses, if that ship made it back to Celestine, it'll be a matter of time before we expect an attack from them," The dark queen ordered.
"Right away Ma'am," Chloe nodded, making her way out of the throne room.
The dark elf Queen sighed and sat back in the throne, "Greil! I seek your council, step forward!"
A large bull-like shadow stepped into the light, revealing himself to be a war taurine with red eyes. He knelt on one knee to her, "What do you request of me Mistress?" in a calm tone.
"You are my strategist, what are the odds of dealing with a flying ship?" She asked him, "I know nothing of your world, so I'm guessing it's coming from there..." Olga paused, giving a stare, "I need to know if these invaders are from your world, will you hesitate...?"
Greil shook his head, "No. Even If they are from my world, it would matter little...You have cared for me from the time I was crawling to now where I can stand by your side, I owe you both my life and loyalty...no outworld invader is going to change that,"
Her hardened stare softened, "It pleases me to hear it, Greil, I have no doubts you will do need what needs to be done,"
"of course not, it was never a question, my lady," Greil nodded, "But, as from the description of the harpies, It's not a technology I'd recognize, the metal they described doesn't exist in my world,"
The dark elf queen put a hand to her chin, "So even you don't know who our enemy is...:
"Not quite, but I do have some descriptions on what they look like, even if they're vague..."
"Anything would help in this situation,"
Greil cleared his throat, "From what I learned from the harpies, their leader seems to be a human man with red eyes, he also seemed to have a blue-colored beast-kin with him, along with a young woman and two other men, although not much description on them,"
"I see..." Olga hummed, "So they're a group of oddballs... this should be interesting, anything else they may have learned?"
"Aside from that, nothing other than, but they did mention that the red-eyed man could control magic, even through weaponry,"
The dark elf queen paused at that, as if in thought about something, "So... one of them controls magic do they? Hmph...perhaps this will be a challenge, we haven't had too many magician opponents, so this should be good,"
"Of course my lady," Greil agreed, "They will NOT make it to this chamber should they invade,"
Olga smiled at him again, "And I have no doubts that you'll make good on that," before her smile faded, "Thank you Greil, but I ask you to leave me for a minute...I must think this out,"
"Take all the time you need, Mistress," Greil bowed, "I shall await your orders like the rest of the citadel," turning a leaving for the doors of the throne.
"Very good, standby until needed," The dark queen ordered, watching him walk out of the throne room.
When the large doors closed, She glanced at her staff, watching the power flow around in the orb.
"So my unknown enemy... you have control over magic, we shall see how MUCH control you truly have when you get here," A cruel smirk gracing her lips, "I hope you're prepared, outworlder..."
...
From outside of Citadel, lightning struck over it twice in a forboding way... However, there was someone waiting on the outside of it... A seemingly old man dressed in both orange and purple strange clothes gave the castle a mad smile.
"Oooooo~ scary! this seems fun, I wonder if they'll make an altar of cheese for me, HAHAHA! course they will!" The man madly laughed, walking towards the entrance, "I hope this queen is feeling generous! not every day I bless the little mortals with the opportunity! now, what cheese shall this altar be? hmm? Cheddar? swiss? oh the possibilities!"
...
To be continued...