Scourge Thirteen - Mercenary

After our showdown in the arena, things settle down. The announcer tells people to come back in ten minutes after they’ve had time to arrange a few things and when they can continue with the selection matches.

I give him time to get off his box before I approach the announcer and the mercenary captains around his end of the makeshift arena.

“So,” I say as I come closer. I’m happy that I’m growing taller, soon I won’t even have to look up to stare these guys in the face. “Was that good enough?” I ask.

The announcer smiles, but there’s some brittleness there. “Ah, you fought to join the Swinging Sabers, did you not?” he asks.

“Wasn’t that the deal?” I ask.

“Well, technically, we never shook on it,” he says.

“Val, this jerk is trying to weasel out of our deal,” Felix says. The air around us shifts, and a quick glance back reveals that Felix is smiling from ear to ear.

I scuff my shoe against the cobbles below. “Is she right?” I ask. “Are the Swinging Sabers trying to back out?”

One of the mercenaries in the little ground of boss-looking guys steps out and closer to us. He’s a bigger fellow, tall, with a lantern jaw and narrowed eyes. Nillo, the guy I beat, is standing a step behind him.

“You’re bringing the company’s word into question?” he asks.

“Isn’t the company bringing it into question themselves, you know, by not fulfilling their part?” I ask.

His chest puffs out and he comes to stand closer to me. I think he’s trying to intimidate me? “Are you accusing the company of not being faithful to its word?” he asks.

“Do I need to write it down for you?” I ask. “I’ll use little words.” I can feel a dark pit of disgust welling inside me. This jerk just made me waste my time, and then he dares be angry when I call him out on it?

“Do you think you scare me, little girl?” he asks as he leans forward. I can see his eyes more clearly now. Mom always says that the whole thing about the eyes being the window into the soul is a myth. But there’s some truth buried there. Eyes reflect the truth underneath, and this man staring down at me wears his emotions in his.

I grin up at him. “Do you want me to scare you?” I ask.

He glares.

I step back. “Come,” I say to my friends as I turn away and dismiss him. “We don’t want to work with these guys. They’re not good enough.”

“Hey! What does that mean?” Nillo asks while his captain fumes.

I want to reply, but Mom’s taught me that to really succeed in life, you need to be able to look past and ignore things that don’t matter anymore. I think this is one of those moments.

“We’re going to need to find another group,” I say as I scan the courtyard.

“You might have made an enemy there,” Bianca says. “The Swinging Sabers are moderately popular here.”

“Yeah, but they’re also idiots. Mom says that I should always pray for smart allies and stupid adversaries.” I glance to the side as a young man walks our way. He’s in his late twenties, if I had to guess, with some well-maintained but not very impressive armour. A long red sash goes from his right shoulder to his left hip, with a few coloured cords woven around it. “Maybe we’ll find someone smarter,” I say.

“I saw your fight,” he says as he pauses before our little group.

“A lot of people did,” Esme says.

He laughs. “Fair. I’m Teo Alcaide. I’m with the The Big Hill Lions. Saw you got, ah, refused by the Swinging Sabers.”

“Big Hill?” I ask.

“It’s a large hill to the south of Vizeda. It creates something of a tight passage next to a river and the start of the mountains to the east,” Bianca says. “There should be a fort there.”

“Are there lions in the region?” I ask.

“I don’t think lions are native to the Republic at all,” Bianca says.

Teo has the good graces to look a bit embarrassed. I would be too, in his place. Who came up with such a terrible name? At least my names make sense.

“We wanted something that reminds people that we’re brave,” he says.

“Are you?” I ask.

“Huh?”

“We’d better hope he’s got more bravery than wits,” Esme mutters.

“Brave,” I say. “Are you brave?”

“Well, I’m speaking to you four, aren’t I? After you wiped the arena floor with some of the Swinging Sabers. Nice job with Nillo, he’s probably one of the stronger members of the crew.”

“Thanks,” I say. “So are you here to hire us after the Sabers failed to?”

“That depends,” he says. “What are you looking for, exactly?”

“We need passage to the capital.”

Teo nods. “And there aren’t any caravans leaving Vizeda anymore. Which means you’re all stuck here unless you can either head out of the city on your own, which would be dangerous for any group of just four, or if you can sign on with a crew that happens to be heading that way.”

“That was the plan,” I say.

Teo grins. “Well, maybe we can help each other. There’s an outpost at the foothills of the mountains between Vizeda and the capital. It’s practically a small town already, a growing stop-over for merchants. The Big Hill Lions are heading down there.”

“What for?” I ask.

“Supply run,” he says. “We’re one of the two crews that supply all the outposts between here and there.” His smile loses some of its pep, and he glances away. “We’re low on crew. Lost one last night, and two more this morning.”

“Dead?” Felix asks.

Teo shakes his head. “Juan died on the walls last night. Jose and Pollo, though, jumped at an offer from a different company. It’s a good time to be looking for work.”

Bianca steps up next to me. “I’d like to see your contract, if that’s what you’re offering us.”

Teo nods. “Fine by me. Short term stuff. Just from here to Castaneda’s stop. We’ll cover food between here and there, as long as you like travel rations, and you can ride part of the way on the carts. No offense, but none of you seem used to a full day’s march.”

“How far is it?” I ask.

“Two days, at most,” Bianca says.

“Three,” Teo replies. “We’re stopping by every outpost on the way and unloading goods as we go. We’ll stink of fish the entire time too.”

“How much you paying?” Felix asks.

Teo rubs at his chin. “Twenty coppers.”

“Each?” I ask.

“For all four of you,” Teo says.

“Lady Malvada,” Biana mutters. “I suggest we leave. Those prices are robbery.”

I huff and put my hands on my hips. “Two silver.”

“That’s a big hike up,” he says.

“Each,” I add.

“That’s what an optio would be paid!”

“Didn’t you say you just watched me kick the Swinging Saber’s optio in the rear?” I ask. “I think that means I’m worth at least as much.”

Teo waffles a bit. “Well, yes, but an optio does a lot more than just fight. They’re leaders.”

I pout. “You’re saying that my friends and I can’t lead? We’re all accomplished cultivators, we all know how to read and write and have pretty decent educations. I bet I’ve led more things than you.”

Teo raises his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. One silver, each. I really, really can’t promise any more than that. And at that price, I expect you to bring your own equipment.”

I consider it for a moment. “When are you heading out?”

“We’re leaving in three hours,” he says.

“That’s soon,” I say.

He shrugged. “We’re bringing food to outposts. We should have left last night.”

“Alright,” I say. “Give us ten minutes to talk it over? I don’t mind joining you guys, but I want to see what my friends think first.”

Teo nods, then half-turns and points towards the gate and to a small band of people gathering around a trio of carts. “I’ll be right over there, with the rest of the company. We can do introductions if you agree.”

Teo heads off, and I turn to my friends. “Sounds decent?” I say.

“Yeah, I guess,” Felix says. “Bit slower than going on our own though.”

“Yeah, but then we’ll be with others, have carts to ride on, and we won’t risk getting lost,” I say. “I’ll just need to send a few little friends to the air while we’re heading out to tell the monsters around us to leave the caravan alone, and then we should be fine.”

“I’d rather ride in a cart than walk,” Esme says. “I still have some reading to do.”

“As you wish,” Bianca says.

“Brilliant! In that case, I think it’s time for us to become mercenaries!”

***