"So...you're not sure what this thing looks like?" Anje asked. The whole mythos surrounding the Walrus perplexed her. After hearing Olivia's brief tale she was only convinced of one thing; whatever the beast was would be anything but a Walrus.
Olivia shrugged. "Well, usually only the Khans go up with the challengers, and a guide or two. It's just what the guides usually say that gets spread around." Olivia stood up from the broken wood floor of Anje's shack, and gave out a long stretch, arching her back. "I'm going to head to bed since tomorrow should-"
"Stay a bit longer?" Anje quickly asked. She coughed into her shoulder, hoping to disguise her excitement. It had been too long since she'd been able to speak candidly with someone, let alone someone relatively pleasant that wasn't located near a pile of icy poop.
"Sorry," Olivia said, showing a sad yet understanding smile. "It's far too late and I'm quite cold. We should rest."
If you think it's cold, imagine how I feel sleeping in here. Anje frowned and locked eyes with Olivia for a moment, and then nodded and gestured to the door. She had already spent ample time here, and while she was feeling a bit excited at the prospect of talking more she couldn't avoid the other fact. She was also quite tired. The days of wailing on the ice pile, other odd jobs, and evening spars had taken a toll on her body.
Olivia gave a brief wave to Anje before opening the shack door, letting a strong gust of chilly wind enter before stepping through the threshold and into the dark snowy night. As the door slammed shut behind Olivia, Anje laid down on her cot in a starfish position and exhaled sharply out of her nostrils. The dark ceiling was all that encompassed her view, with only the small oil lantern in the corner of the barren shack providing flickering light that cast long shadows along the walls. If this was to be her place any longer, Anje would need to spruce up the place. Find something to make it feel more like hers, and not just some stranger's place she was borrowing. But what even counted as tasteful art among the Feroxi?
"Probably lots of animal skin and taxidermy," Anje mumbled, pulling the blankets over her body. Olivia was kind enough to get her a second blanket a few days ago. Granted, it was still barely a step above camping in the wilderness as Anje would shiver most of the night even with her all her clothes still on.
Anje rolled out of bed, holding the blankets tightly to her body, and turned off the oil lantern. The darkness swallowed up the room as Anje scrambled back quickly into her cot, bundling herself up again. The cold reminded her of home, but she didn't always want to be reminded of home. Sure, it was comfortable and pleasant, but she was here now and the cold wasn't something she missed. Anje frowned, as she was constantly reminded of home, but not the things she actually missed.
She tossed and turned in her cot. The first night she didn't fall asleep to exhaustion, and now she found herself restless and her mind wandering. Did Olivia actually like being around her? Would she be able to repay the kindness that Virion showed her? Anje shivered and turned over in her cot. She'd rather be tired than alone with her thoughts.
A hard and rapid-fire knocking at the shack door made Anje instinctively tense up. Nobody should be up at this hour, where the outdoors were barely hospitable even to the most well prepared of people. Could it be some of the soldiers to haze me? Anje thought as she rolled herself out of bed. She shook her head. They'd left her alone thus far, so why would they come now? Anje grabbed a hunting knife near her small knapsack of belongings. It never hurt to be prepared.
The knocking came again, louder this time, but in the same cadence. "I'm coming, damnit!" Anje said as she stuffed the knife behind her back in her waistband. She swung open the door, left hand held behind her back with fingertips touching the handle of the blade. Anje furrowed her brow and tilted her head. "Flavia?"
"Evenin' kid." Flavia gestured out toward the small courtyard with a lantern in hand. "Care for a stroll?"
"Sure?" Anje said. She cast a glance over her shoulder, squinting her eyes in the dark. "Let me get my boots."
Flavia nodded. "Of course."
Anje hastily strapped her boots on and grabbed the large military-grade scarf, wrapping it around her neck snuggly. She hasn't even talked to me since the day in the arena, Anje contemplated as she stood up. Why now?
"Alright, I'm ready." Anje stepped back to the door now fully suited up. Flavia stood there in a red and gray short-sleeved tunic and armored grieves. The damn woman didn't even look cold.
"Good, let's go," Flavia said. She led with the lantern held low, the moonlight reflecting off the snow proving decent enough lighting. Anje hustled up beside the lean Feroxi woman. "So, where'd you hear about that? I'm curious."
"About what?"
"The Walrus, kid. Hardly any foreigners know about it, so I'm surprised you prompted Raimi about it." Flavia chuckled. "Still, I can't blame you. Shoveling shit all-day ain't nothing but boring work."
"It's not that bad."
"You don't have to lie to me, Anje," Flavia replied as she turned a corner, leading into a long courtyard in between two of the inner walls. "It's a bad job and Raimi has been trying something fierce to get you to crack. Apparently, you're one stubborn bitch."
"Look, I-"
"That was a compliment, kid," Flavia remarked. "I think you've shown that you aren't here to just put on airs, and all that nonsense. I'm happy to think my gut feeling was right about you, granted a few hiccups along the way. And the fact that Basilio still wouldn't mind bending you over his knee."
Anje grimaced at the mention of the other Khan but kept moving forward.
"Well, I do want to fit in here," Anje said, shivering as Flavia led her up a staircase. "It's better than most gigs I've had, and that includes the shitty part."
Flavia's stride slowed as she looked over her shoulder. "I find that hard to believe, but I understand that. Many of us have gone through hardships. Regna Ferox isn't the most hospitable place, and then there are the people here. It's rough for sure out there." Flavia stopped at the top of the staircase. "But, that just means we're some of the toughest and respectable bastards around."
Anje nodded slowly as she crested the staircase and stood across from Flavia. "I think I understand. So...does this mean I can actually drill normally and not shovel shit?"
"Almost," Flavia chuckled. "Just because I'm pretty sure doesn't mean everyone else is sold. Here's the deal. You take down the Walrus, and I'll make sure you're not sleeping in the cold anymore and have normal assignments under my command."
"That's another thing," Anje slowly said. "What the hell is the Walrus? It sounds anything like an actual Walrus, and I've seen one of those before."
"Really?" Flavia asked in a surprised tone. "What do they look like?"
Anje rolled her eyes. "Alright, so this thing I'm supposed to fight isn't an actual walrus. Great. What the hell is it?"
"And spoil all the fun?" Flavia grinned and playfully punched Anje in the shoulder. Anje immediately rubbed the spot, feeling that it might bruise later. "It's kind of a small Feroxi tradition, and more people have to be saved or end up as mincemeat than beat up the ole bugger. So, if you beat the Walrus then you will have at least earned the soldiers' respect, even if they don't like you. So are you game for that?"
"Oh, absolutely."
"Really?" Flavia asked. She narrowed her eyes and brought her hand up to her chin. "Not even a question?"
"Not really." Anje shrugged. "It makes sense to me. Beat the Walrus to stop living outside and stop shoveling shit. Easy."
"Ha! 'Easy' she says," Flavia laughed, leaning her head back. "Sure, easy to think about. You'll probably change your tune tomorrow when you're trying to avoid becoming a wet stain on the ground."
"You do know that just makes me more interested, right?" Anje said. "I've dealt with many beasts."
Flavia nodded and began walking back down the stairs. "There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity, kid, and I'd say you're walking on it."
"I was trained in tightrope walking," Anje huffed as she rewrapped and swaddled herself in her thick woolly scarf. "It sounds like my kind of challenge. You're not going to scare me off."
"I know," Flavia replied, "But, in the off event something does go awry, I'll at least sleep a bit more soundly knowing that I did try and warn you."
Anje trudged behind Flavia as another gale of wind whipped through the stairwell, chasing them through the courtyard. She'd have to jar her brain for all the beast taming tricks she'd learned in the circus, but that didn't occupy her thoughts as she said her farewells to Flavia and huddled beneath her blankets once more. She went to sleep wondering how the hell Flavia didn't even shiver once that evening while in a tank top.
"We've been hiking all morning," Anje grumbled. "How much ice must we cross before we're there?"
Olivia shrugged. "Again, I'm not sure. Usually, only the Khan gets to come out here with a few of their elite, so this is new for a lot of us." She gestured to the retinue of about twenty soldiers from Longfort trailing behind the chipper pace Khan Flavia had set as the leader of the group-Raimi close behind holding a map. "I'm sure it can't be that much further."
"It better be. I'm starting to think this was an excuse for us to all freeze our tits off."
"R-right," Olivia replied, bringing her hands up to her face. Anje knew she was trying to hide a blush, but she didn't care. She was focused on this 'Walrus' of sorts, though considering it was nearly noon and they'd been hiking well before sunrise…
Anje couldn't help but feel a bit of her motivation waver. She was ready to fight whatever the world threw at her this morning. Now, she only felt herself fighting the biting cold and wishing she'd brought along another layer of clothing. Damned Flavia had only laughed when she asked how far it was out. Ridiculous.
She composed herself with considerable, keeping a confident and straight face, and marched forward. The stakes Flavia had set were high, considering failure would mean injury or even death. Anje quicked her pace as she noticed Flavia stop atop a small mound of snow.
Finally, something different.
Flavia stood confidently in her studded leather with her hands on her hips. The woman seemed immune to the cold; not a single snowflake stuck to her hair. In contrast, Raimi stood nearby in her large cumbersome armor with her grieves caked in snow and ice, and the woman looked a bit paler than usual. That armor can't be warm, Anje thought as she walked past a pair of guards and into the front.
"Whoa there," Flavia said, sticking her arm out. Anje stopped and frowned as she couldn't quite see over the hill. Flavia turned around smiling and put a finger against her lips. "We're here. Try not to make a bunch of ruckus."
"Alright," Anje muttered. She began to take off her thick overcoat and snowshoes. She'd need to be nimble for any kind of beast taming. "So, I take it the Walrus is just over this hill? What should I do to win?"
"It ain't about winning, kid. You just need to last a minute in its pen," Flavia confirmed. She motioned to some soldiers, giving them a hand signal Anje didn't recognize. "After a minute, we'll yank you out."
Two soldiers walked up and handed Flavia a large brown jar. The other gave Raimi a thick corded rope-a lasso. Anje rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles. She hadn't used one of those in a while.
"So, here we are. You know the stakes, and you're going to get some rope to try and bind the beast to buy you some time." Flavia gestured for Raimi to give Anje the rope. Anje snatched it and tested the material. Strong and firm, but not overly bulky. "Any questions before we toss you in?"
"Uh, yeah? What is the thing?" Anje asked. A faint smell tickled at her nose. She snorted and dismissed it.
"You'll see soon enough," Flavia chuckled. Anje looked to Raimi for any indications, but the pale Feroxi woman seemed...worried? Strange. "Anyway, Basilio says it's ticklish, but I'd be wary about trying to find out. Naga knows he was drunk when he mentioned it." Flavia shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Alright, kid. Close your eyes for a moment."
A protest died on Anje's lips as she closed her eyes. She'd just have to grit her teeth and bear the consequences from her low position. This was apparently the way to work her way back into Ferox's good graces, though every step forward left her wondering a bit more why she needed the validation so badly.
A cold liquid washed over Anje. She yelped and immediately opened her eyes to see the jar Flavia had been holding was now empty and without a lid. She could hear soldiers behind her chuckling as wet red drops dribbled out of her hair and slid down her face and back.
"What the fuck!" Anje looked down, the dark red liquid coating her hands. She looked up at Flavia, who looked smugly at the drenched acrobat and narrowed her eyes. "Is this...blood?"
"Yup. Last little surprise. Gotta give the Walrus some incentive, ya know?"
"Who's blood is that?" Olivia asked in a horrified tone. Anje looked over her shoulder, wiping some of the blood away from her eyes. She hadn't even noticed her friend follow her.
"Uh," Flavia looked to Raimi, "Did the cow have a name?"
"Yes, Khan. I think the herder said it was...Herman? I may be wrong," Raimi said.
Flavia turned back to Anje. "So you've got Herman's blood with you, so at least you won't be down there alone. I think." Flavia raised a hand to her chin in a thoughtful manner. "I'm no priest, so I don't know Naga's opinion on cow souls. So let's just say the cow's spirit is theoretically with you, good?"
What the hell did I sign up for…
"Alright, up you go!" Flavia said as she grasped Anje by the shoulder. She didn't react as she still was trying to absorb that the Khan had drenched her in cow blood in front of her soldiers. She regained her sense of self as she felt her feet lift off the ground. "Alright, let's see the Walrus!"
Anje screamed as Flavia heaved her over the hilltop, and she began to roll and tumble down the steep tundra slope. Panic ran through Anje as she spun around, discombobulated from the mighty toss. Where was the epic showdown before the fight? The build-up and tension? Why was there a need to cover her in blood? None of this was right.
The spinning finally stopped as the ground evened out, and Anje managed to plant her hands on the ground to steady herself. She felt a wave of hot air wash over her, like food that had been overcooked in a moldy microwave. If it weren't for the smell of the cow's blood and the initial shock, she might have already lost her breakfast to the odor.
She looked up and stared for a moment. "What in the goddamn…?" Anje whispered.
The presence before her blotted out the sun, casting a silhouette that was bulbous and corpulent beyond that of any beast she had seen, let alone scaled like some strange lizard. A maw filled with misshapen teeth highlighted by two overgrown fangs as it breathed heavily over her. It stood on its dark and meaty looking hind legs, holding it's grubby front claws close to its body. Anje looked up and met its slitted yellowish eyes with her own glassy blue ones and shivered.
This was the Walrus.
Anje blinked and rolled to her left as the Walrus slammed its gargantuan torso onto the ground. The earth shook for a moment and Anje clambered to her feet-adrenaline now taking control. Anje pulled away to get a better glimpse of the beast, and as she did she winced as the sun shone brightly in her eyes. Only a foreboding silhouette emitting laborious grunts and deep lay before her.
With surprising quickness, the Walrus lunged forward, heaving its tremendous weight once again toward Anje. It slid across the slightly icy floor of the pit that Flavia had tossed her in. Anje once again skirted to the side of the beast, unraveling her lasso as barely managed to duck under one of the strange bony protrusions coming from the Walrus's back.
They almost look like wings? Anje gave the lasso a test spin. It's not much, but I can maybe steer it away from me. If this lands on me, I'm finished.
The Walrus moaned as it rolled back onto its chunky hind legs with considerable effort, and a murmuring from up above caught Anje's attention. She looked up to see the soldiers had gathered around the edges of the pit, many with expressions of excitement or fear. Olivia looked downright terrified, and even Raimi looked uneasy. But not Flavia. The Khan stood confidently on the edge of the pit with her arms crossed and a look of razor-sharp focus.
"You're doing great!" Olivia's shrill voice shouted. Anje glanced at the terrified woman as the Walrus sank low into a crouched position, looking to pounce.
"Shut up, I'm busy!" Anje retorted as she rolled to the side, narrowly dodging another charge from the Walrus. She wrapped part of the rope around her hand to secure it, and threw her lasso aiming for one of the beast's tusks, but missed her target. She managed to hook around its stubby forearm.
Anje smirked as she tugged at the lasso, securing the knot on the creature. The Walrus turned around, and it's jagged maw opened slightly as if it were smiling. It pulled its arm with a quick and violent motion, and Anje's triumphant expression evaporated as she found herself skidding across the slick floor.
Anje's face paled and a weak murmur escaped her lips as she found herself underneath the Walrus. The Walrus let out a moan sounding like a congested steamboat and proceeded to body slam Anje. Using what little moment she had left from the Walrus dragging her, Anje dove toward the beast, and ducked in between its legs as it fell behind her with another earth-shattering thud.
"Just a few more moments, and we'll throw down a rope!" Flavia announced. The murmurs and among the watching soldiers grew, and Anje wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. Or was it cow blood? She shrugged and bent her knees slightly, regarding the lumbering beast in front of her. She'd be pissed later; now was the time for survival.
Anje pushed a stray bang out of her face and dashed toward the Walrus. She wanted to make a statement to these Feroxi. The goal was to survive for a minute, and then get pulled out, but what if she did something more? Granted, the margin for error was high and failure would be catastrophic.
But I'm a professional. Anje grit her teeth and ran up the Walrus' spine and latched her arms around the strange bony protrusions on its back. Alright you fat bastard, let's see what you got.
The Walrus roared and reared up on its quivering scaled hind legs. Shouts began to erupt from the onlookers, but Anje kept her focus on the beast she was now standing on top of. She held out her arms to help balance herself and smirked as the Walrus let out a terrible moan with a simple shift in movement from their feet. Anje smirked and gripped onto the skeletal appendage; coiling her legs to pounce at a moment's notice.
The Walrus lurched backward. Soldiers gasped and made pained sounds; some even screamed, like Olivia. The crowd grew into a frenzy that only seemed intensified by the cacophony of grinding sounds coming from the Walrus. It was a frenzied few seconds of sound.
Yet, Anje didn't say anything.
She held firm and thrust herself upward as the Walrus flipped to its back, trying to crush the wily acrobat. Anje darted and clawed her way up the Walrus's fanged snout, and hopped into the air, and then deftly landed on the creature's throat and slid down the scaled underbelly of the creature.
The creature moaned a pitiful wheezing sound as it tried to roll itself over, but its gluttony was proving to be too much at the moment. Anje cast a careful glance at the Walrus before giving a deep bow and preening a bit in front of her onlookers. She'd managed to turtle the obese monster, and she'd relish every bit of praise she could get.
Except… that praise never came in the form of cheers. Anje raised her head to see all the soldiers around the ring of the pit stupefied. All but one. Khan Flavia was laughing, slapping her knee, and nearly on the verge of tears. Anje would take a stunned crowd, but why was Flavia nearly falling over? Was this really that funny to the Khan?
"Ohhh, goodness." Flavia wiped some tears away from her eyes, catching her breath a bit. "That...was fantastic. Truly something else. You tipped the ole' buggar over!" Flavia slapped Raimi on the back, nearly toppling over the captain. "I can't wait to tell Basilio this!"
"Can I get a rope and a rag?" Anje said. "I'd like to get this blood off me before it freezes into my hair."
"In a moment," Flavia said. She gestured towards a decent sized cave slightly covered with branches and blue colored moss. "Check out the Walrus' lair. See if he kept anything of note."
Anje cast another uncomfortable glance at the Walrus-still writhing on the ground trying to flip over. "And what if he turns himself over? I don't want to be in a hole with that thing."
Flavia hopped over the edge and landed in the pit. She strode over to the Walrus and patted him on the side. "There, there big guy," Flavia cooed. She turned her head up toward some of the soldiers still lingering around. "Someone go get that red container! I think the Walrus earned a snack for his efforts."
The soldiers above shook out of their daze and began to scramble about looking for the supplies. Anje sighed as Flavia attended to the Walrus. She still wasn't sure what the hell it actually was. A mutant crocodile maybe? But it didn't quite fit. Anje turned toward the cave and marched onward. She'd have plenty of time later to chalk the Walrus as another anomaly of this crazy world.
Anje pulled back some of the mossy branches and entered the moist cavern, covering her mouth. The place smelt a thousand times worse than the blood or the Walrus. Like someone had let milk congeal and curdle for millennia. It even burned her eyes, as the branches seemed to keep in the stench.
Scattered over the cavern, Anje saw many parts of old armor sets and broken weapons. Most of the swords looked gnawed on. Probably thought they were chew toys, Anje mused as she continued to cup her hand over her mouth and nose.
As Anje readied to turn around, a bright light began to form in the back of the cave. She squinted as it became brighter, and then a faint 'pop' emitted through the air followed by a squishy thud. Something had appeared and landed in...something gross. Sounds of disgust filled the air, and Anje rolled her eyes. Great, even more crazy.
Anje craned her head and waited tensely as more sounds of someone struggling reverberated off the walls until a blonde teen emerged from a stinking pile in a yellow and brown leather jacket and sheathed sword in hand. Well, mostly yellow jacket.
The teen raised his sword and coughed lightly, and then quickly recomposed himself into a wide and dramatic stance. Anje kept her eyes focused on the strange man. "On guard you vile filth witch! My uncontrollable sword hand knows no mercy to those who-" The man gagged for a moment, lowering his sword slightly. He raised it again, this time with more considerable effort. "No mercy to those who stand in the way of my righteous and just cause! Now, I ask that you lead me out of here you foul demon from this wretched abode!"
Anje blinked. She blinked again, just to make sure the man wasn't just some hallucination from the odorous fumes.
What the fuck?
The man promptly dropped his sword and vomited.
"So there I was, all alone in the middle of the valley chock full of Wyverns with nothing but my blade and my wits-"
Anje gulped down a spoonful of soup. Flavia had invited her, Olivia, Raimi, and the blonde teen, Owain, back to her private dining hall at Longfort for dinner. The march back was nearly as grueling as the fight with the Walrus-due in large part to hearing the high tales from the man she found in the Walrus's den. She didn't tell anybody about the light, to which Owain discreetly thanked her. He was weird enough, and Anje found herself very tired of magic in general. She told them he was being held captive and planning a 'daring escape' and the Feroxi soldiers laughed and nodded to the lie.
"Owain, while that's very interesting," Flavia said, holding her bronze goblet lazily in her hand, "I'd suggest you eat up. You look absolutely famished. Not to mention I'm surprised you can hardly wield that blade of yours."
Anje gave the hungry blonde another lookover. He certainly had the physique of a soldier, yet his slightly sunken cheeks and dark circles under his eyes told a different story. He had appeared in the cavern through...some sort of magic. Anje shook her head and returned her attention to her soup. It wasn't her business.
But what if it's connected to that strange letter? You arrived through mysterious circumstances. This could be related, a small voice in Anje's head whispered. Anje made a face of disgust and shoveled another spoonful of soup into her mouth forcefully. That was not what she wanted to think about. She just wanted purpose and to fit in, not the why of it all.
Owain smiled and nodded to Flavia, slurping down the soup with vigor. Anje recognized that same vigor, one she knew too well-the slightly shaking hands and being completely absorbed in the moment and morsel. It was the sign of a starving man.
"I have a proposition for you all present," Flavia stated, pushing her empty bowl away. "I've got a village that needs to be scouted out before I mobilize my troops. I'm thinking you three would serve great at the forefront." Flavia cast a knowing look toward Owain and Anje. "Besides, think of this as repaying me for the kindness that Regna Ferox has shown you."
"But afterward I can depart?" Owain said hastily. Flavia smirked and Owain's eyes widened for a second and he stood up. "Not that I'm in a hurry! I shall serve dutifully and scout whatever thy desire Khan Flavia!"
He puts on an act when he's nervous, Anje mused. Olivia giggled at Owain's antics, and Flavia simply nodded at his strange proclamation. Anje maintained a flat expression on the blonde boy until he noticed, lost some of his bravado, and sat down. It's just an act. But for what? Anje shrugged. It wasn't her business, but everything surrounding the man felt odd and a pit of curiosity had burrowed into her stomach.
"The village is called Aurenta," Flavia stated. She leaned back in her chair, stretching out her arms. "It's north of the Border Wastes in the West. Basilio is gathering the bulk of the troops, but as the ruling Khan it's under my liberty to assign some extra people to his little scouting party."
"Um, Khan Flavia?" Olivia peeped, raising her hand slightly. "While I shall not refuse such an order, I wonder why don't you send people with...scouting experience?"
"Oh, but I am," Flavia chuckled, nodding toward Owain. "Don't think I haven't noticed how you carry yourself, kid. It's a dead give away on how you twitch at the shadows and look over your shoulder."
Owain looked befuddled. "How did you-"
"It's my job to know what soldiers are capable of." Flavia ran her hand through her thickly woven golden hair. "I'm not here to pry you for questions, just asking for a favor as long as you don't resist. Sound fair?"
Owain slowly nodded. "Yes, I understand."
"But why send me and Anje?" Olivia asked. "While we are decent combatants, I can't help but wonder."
"I'm not exactly subtle," Anje added. The closest thing Anje had to a scout would be a pickpocket; the only mutual skills being in blending in with your surroundings. She didn't have a clue what a scout was supposed to look out for. Plus, she hadn't had to lean on those skulking skills since her early days in Sevastopol.
"Eh, we need some people that aren't subtle. It's not subterfuge, it's simply checking out the place since we haven't heard from there in a while," Flavia said in a stern tone. "You three will depart in a few days. It'll take you some time for your squad to arrive, and once a report is given on the town you'll stand by for orders," Flavia glanced at Owain, "Or you shall depart with permission from the commanding officer."
"Who is the commanding officer?" Anje asked. She hoped it wasn't Raimi.
"I'm glad you asked!" Flavia shouted, crossing her arms with a smile on her face. She tapped her foot on the ground and looked expectantly at the door to the small dining chamber. She groaned and left her seat. "I thought he'd be here by now…"
Flavia opened the door and peered into the hallway, looking left and right rapidly. All the younger people at the table leaned over to try and see what Flavia was so adamantly searching for in the dark hallway. Nobody was there.
A loud sigh escaped Flavia's lips as she looked over her shoulder. "One moment. Nobody move a muscle!" Flavia stepped into the dark hallway and shut the door behind her. Anje heard muffled shouts from Flavia from the hallway. Was there a point to this?
"Uh, so what do you think that was about?" Anje inquired, her eyes firmly locked in on the door.
Owain hummed and nodded as if knowing exactly what was to happen. "I do believe she was attempting a dramatic entrance to our squad leader. At least that's what I'd do."
"I was going to say the same thing," Olivia replied.
"Ah, that does make sense," Anje said, nodding. "Still, that doesn't-"
The door burst open, Flavia whispering to someone in the hallway in a tense tone. She looked back to the drama trio and shrugged. "You got the idea I'm sure, anyway, here's your leader for the mission."
Basilio stepped past Flavia, a mug of ale in one hand and a half loaf of bread in the other. The burly man didn't seem too pleased about the introduction. "I leave to get a snack for a minute," Basilio grumbled. "You were taking too long, Flavia."
"And who won the bet?" Flavia chimed. "I can restate the terms if you'd like-"
"It's fine," Basilio gruffly interjected. He pointed to the three at the table. "You lot are coming with me to Aurenta. We leave in five days, so pack your bags and bring something warm," Basilio narrowed his eyes at Anje, "And be sure to be on your best behavior. We're professionals and represent all of Regna Ferox."
Anje shrunk down in her seat. She rubbed her jaw tenderly feeling the faint bruise that still lingered from when he decked her. Flavia looked amused, but Anje felt a pang of fear. She'd just begun to build a reputation for herself and now she was getting paired up under the one man in Ferox that'd rather have her strung up and flogged than redeemed.
She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Why couldn't I have just stopped? One less thrust of the spear and I wouldn't have to shovel shit or be on a damned-
Deep breath. Anje steadied herself as she felt her limbs tingle with anticipation and dread. Being angry at herself for being addicted to the thrill wouldn't help. She would push this boulder up the hill. If this was the way to fit in, then she'd force herself to adapt. It's what she'd always done in the past. Adapt or die, and she'd only died once if that fall from the tightrope was anything to go by.
"We'll be ready," Anje said, standing up from the table. "Whatever you order, we'll be ready Khan Basilio."
"Really now?" Basilio placed his hands on his hips and let out a low whistle. "Even if I place you on latrine and animal feed duty."
Anje's lip twitched, but she kept her gaze on the bulky khan. "Yes."
"Ha! This will be great then!" Basilio bellowed. "See you soon under my command!"
Basilio sauntered out of the stone paneled dining room taking a sip from his large mug and ambled down the hallway. Flavia walked close behind and shut the door. She turned around and clapped her hands together. "Alright, sounds like you three will be quite busy. Take this time to gear up, train up, and get a few more warm meals. You'll miss them when they're gone."
A/N: Another update, and we've come to the fun conclusion with the Walrus and the introduction to another character! We are inching our way to Anje meeting back with the Shepherds! That'll be a big bag of fun, and it's just over the horizon. Stay tuned :)
Review Response: Thanks for the feedback, it's very helpful and motivating!
RedXEagl3: She'll continue to be a little shit, just less overtly. Hopefully. She is making progress though! Also, I'll have more spicy combat in the future (with more romance coming, but we'll get to that!).
TheBobcat18: She is more than just an asshole-yes. She's pragmatic and likes things to make sense, but overall she wants mastery over herself. She craves attention and positive reinforcement and is stubborn enough to dig in her heels to do the work and try and get that, even if it means shoveling poop. Also, the Feroxi are getting some love in this story as I scour the wiki and fill in the blanks to help shape their culture haha.
That's all for this update, next one might be a large one, but feel free to lemme know how you're liking the story and the characters! Have a great day!