---------------------------------------------

Herger and his men quickly moved towards the road and prepared to unsheathe their weapons at any sight of trouble.

The Horses rapidly approached from Brigantium’s direction. Elias was already trying to position himself at the front when Herger stopped his attempt. The norse grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him to the back.

“Greenhorns, stay in the back and just follow our lead.”

Riou wasn’t very interested in the action as Herger was already on guard, so he just kept watching. Viki was still beside him. He could clearly tell that she was way too interested and anxious while watching whoever was approaching. Her eyes followed the dust cloud approaching without even blinking, at least until their banner colors could be seen.

A group of 5 riders with Brigantium soldier’s colors were galloping fast on the road. As Herger identified their colors, he immediately raised his right hand with an opened palm and waved it briefly.

“Open a path! Messengers coming through!” Shouted Herger as everyone quickly left the middle of the road for them to pass.

Herger walked to the side of the road as the riders slowed down while passing by the group as a sign of respect.

The first soldier bowed his head thanking him for opening the path and continued on their way without stopping nor exchanging words. The messengers seemed to be in a rush and promptly picked up the pace once they had passed by the whole group.

Bronarch appeared from behind a carriage and approached Herger “Why do you think they are in such a hurry?”

The mercenary pondered for a moment. “They are probably sent to let the Norse cities aware of what happened and tell them they can resume the trading now the issue has been dealt with” guessed the mercenary.

As the soldiers passed by, the group began to go back to their activities and lunch was once again being prepared.

Riou noticed that Viki relaxed once she saw they were messengers.. At first, he thought to question her for the reason behind such concern, but quickly dismissed the thought, he didn’t want to get involved.

As lunch resumed, the messengers and their news became the topic of conversation among the members of the caravan..

------------------------------- Later down the road

The caravan continued its journey in a steady and peaceful fashion until the night approached. The landscape around them didn't change. The plains surrounded the caravan from all sides as it peacefully advanced to the east.

There were no more roads there, only the dirt amidst the grass and the memory of the merchant, indicated their way.

Riou was already expecting to sleep in the open field and under the stars again, when a well-known scent assaulted his nose. ‘Cooked food! Here?’ He immediately put his head outside the caravan, right beside the coachman that looked intrigued at the boy.

A short distance away, he was able to see a two-story house, very large with light in the windows and smoke leaving its chimney.

“A tavern? Here?” asked Riou surprised.

“What did you expect? This is the only trading route by land between Allard and the Norse… There are a few taverns along the way. Merchants and travelers are the main customers.” answered the coachmen.

Riou smiled at the thought of a good night in bed.

Approaching the establishment, he could see a big garden and a few fences. The land seemed to be used for agriculture and livestock. The tavern owners were smart to grow their own stuff. But Riou wondered how self-sufficient they could be so far out from the city outskirts.

“What’s the tavern’s name?” asked the boy

“The Sleepy Horse. It’s about a day away from Brigantium by caravan so it’s almost a mandatory stop for merchants. See there? That big house behind the tavern? It’s a stable. It’s a good idea to let the horses get plenty of food, water and rest before starting the next part of the journey” said the man.

Riou looked and noticed the building right behind the tavern. To him, it looked more like a barn than a stable.

Herger’s men quickly stored the horses and carriages in the place.

They seemed to be regulars there and didn’t even talk to the owner before going inside the barn. Right after storing everything, they finally made their way towards the tavern entrance.

Inside, the Dracar Hunters and Viki were already sitting down at their own table and waiting for their food. Riou was the last one to enter as he was helping the others at the barn.

The tavern messing hall was huge and could easily hold a couple hundred people inside. It was much larger than the Drinking Bear, but it was almost empty at that moment. Riou couldn’t know if the few people inside were staff or travelers at that point.

The walls were composed of big wood logs stacked one on top of the other,some were used as pillars to support the ceiling. It was very rustic, even more so than the Drinking Bear which, compared to this one, was a luxurious hotel.

However, to have a place to stay while so far away from the city was more than welcomed. The boy was more than happy to be there as it would be certainly much more comfortable than sleeping outside.

Approaching the counter he saw Bronach talking to what seemed to be the owner. A man in his forties with the usual short, dark hair so common in Allard.

“I’m telling you! The fight is already over, so there’s no need to flee from here. You might as well expect more customers coming soon, so don’t worry,” said the merchant to the overjoyed patron.

The man was wearing a white apron on top of commoner clothes.

“That’s wonderful news mister Bronach, and I’ll tell you this: if we didn’t receive word soon, we’d be gone towards the Norse as well.” said the owner while thanking the merchant.

“So I’m lucky to have come in time! After all, you do us all a favor keeping this tavern here, the journey would be much harsher if it were not for your support. Not all can afford a ship you see” Said Bronach thanking the man.

“It’s our pleasure mister Bronach… So before you tell me everything that happened in Brigantium, let me review your request and bring the meal to everyone. There will be 3 beds in a room for the women, 16 beds in the common room for the men and 1 individual room for Mister Bronach?” said the owner, confirming the request of the merchant.

Hearing that, Riou quickly approached, the words common and 16 beds in the same sentence did not ring right in his ears.

The common room was just as the name said, a bigger room filled with beds and some straws on the ground, the intention was to have as many people as possible sleeping in there, very cheaply.

Usually the women would sleep there too, but as 2 of them were noble’s daughters. Bronach thought it would be wise to divide them in an attempt to save their maidenhood reputation.

As the other one was Viki, it was much safer for the men’s belongings that she stayed in another room with the girls.

A golden coin was thrown towards the owner of the tavern. He quickly grabbed it in the air with both hands. The owner and the merchant heard shortly after, “Make it 2 individual rooms. Mine with something to clean myself, please,” said a smiling Riou to the owner, who looked at Bronach as if asking for confirmation.

Bronach smiled. “Don’t look at me. It’s his money.”

The owner bowed confirming the request, “Please sit down. I will be bringing the meal shortly.”

Bronach nodded, once again thanking the owner. He turned around and walked towards the boy.

“You never struck me as the kind that’d be spending his money on confort” smiled the old man. “But it’s good to know that you have money to spare, it’s reassuring… because if you remember our agreement, you will have to pay me once we get to Thanes” said the smiling merchant already counting the money he’d receive later on.

Riou just smiled “You don’t have to worry old man. If it comes to that, I will gladly pay.”

Bronach smiled brightly and nodded towards the boy. “Well said, well said!”

After exchanging a few words, both of them went to the tables. Bronach sat down with Herger and was joined by the owner of the tavern soon after.

Riou sat at one of the empty tables near the rest of the mercenaries.

The food was average. The meat had a good flavor despite its burnt pieces. It was served with a vegetable soup and a few slices of cheese. ‘This world really loves soup godammit… don’t they know how to do anything else?’ thought the boy looking at the full bowl in front of him, not too eager for it.

“Do you have anything other than soup?” asked the boy to the bartender, a man with a face very similar to the owner and a few years younger.

“Unfortunately not. With the threat of a siege on Brigantium, our suppliers are running late, but I could bring you another slice of meat if you want,” said the bartender.

Defeated, Riou shook his head. “It’s fine, thank you.”

Riou was sitting at a table beside the mercenaries while Viki and Elias’ group were sitting at a table in front of him. Despite the distance and people in front, the boy could notice her eventual gaze upon him, even while she seemed absorbed in chatting with the group she’d still glance at him every now and then.

‘What is up with that girl? Why does she have so much interest in this necklace? Is it really so valuable? Max did say it was rare, but can’t possibly be worth this much interest,’ thought the boy as he was eating.

The dinner went by and Riou was the first to move upstairs towards his room.

Noticing his movements, Viki smiled devilishly. She waited until Riou was upstairs before standing up. “Excuse me for a moment,” she said smiling at her table and leaving as well.

------------------------------------------

The three were already near the mine when Therese signaled for them to stop. From that point on, they would continue on foot as the mine was close by.

At its entrance, they could clearly see fresh tracks and footprints on the ground, but no activity nearby.

Eileen waited for Therese and Leona to say something.

The wolf approached the entrance with caution. “There are orcs inside… and many corpses too… they’re deep, the scent here is faint,” said Leona, looking at Therese and Eileen.

The Lioness nodded. “Remember what we discussed. If they are truly High Orcs remember that they are naturally stronger, but they lack the technique and sword skill. Above all do not underestimate their strength” said Therese approaching the entrance.

“From now on you two are on your own, this will be good training for you both.”

Eileen began unsheathing her rapier when Therese stopped her “Use this one instead” she said handing her the great sword.

“But won’t this great sword be in the way inside the mine? Wouldn’t the Rapier fare better?” questioned the princess.

Therese smiled faintly. “Precisely, I’m sure you could handle them with the rapier and with what you learned so far. So we need to make things a bit more interesting. You will need to adapt your mind and body a bit more as every movement you make might be your last now. Just keep the reach of the sword in mind and remember the mana training. Aslo, don’t let your guard down. Let’s get going. You will be on point, Leona.”

The wolf prepared her great sword to be unsheathed at the first sign of the enemy and proceeded to descend into the mine.

The princess’ eyes were still adjusting to the darkness when she realized that Therese and Leona could already see unhindered by the low light. It was evident the clan’s trait.

Leona was in front, slowly walking forward while closely followed by Eileen. Therese kept them in sight, not too far behind. She walked without much care for stealth unlike the other two.

“The scent is strong. It seems they are moving deeper into the mine as we approach,” Leona whispered to Eileen.

“So they know we’re here?” questioned the princess in a low voice.

“It’s very likely… It’s odd, there are no corpses or signs of a fight, but I can definitely smell death from deep inside the mine.”

“So, it’s a trap.” concluded Eileen. Leona nodded in agreement. “We need to pay attention to not fall into it.”

The princess looked behind towards Therese as if trying to get some reassurance, but the Lioness just watched, clearly not intending to help.

“Therese will not help us at all?” whispered the concerned Princess. Leona smiled at the question.

“She did say this was training.” Said the wolf with confidence. Eileen took a deep breath, her hand went towards the rapier’s handle, as if to seek some comfort in knowing she still had her weapon nearby if needed.

Thoughts of what a certain boy would do in such a situation, crossed her mind.

----------------------------- Back to Viki’s Perspective at the tavern.

She went upstairs stealthily, no sound could be heard from her steps or breath.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she could not see Riou, but she believed he was certainly going for the men’s common room.

Before she could reach the room’s door, steps from behind her alerted her that someone was approaching her from the stairs.

‘Damn…’ She quickly leaned on the wall casually and turned to see who was coming.

She was not surprised when Elias appeared.

“Are you feeling well? You suddenly left the table” said Elias.

“How considerate of you. I’m fine. I just needed a moment for myself, so I thought about checking our room” she said smiling.

“Oh, I see. Please don’t mind me then” said Elias, smiling back and gesturing for her to continue to her room, clearly intending to accompany her.

The women’s room was further down the corridor.

She walked while Elias moved beside her.

“So here is the Men’s room?” she said while her eyes quickly searched inside. Many beds and straw mats could be seen, but what she was looking for was not in sight.

‘Maybe he is at a corner… I need to step inside to see,’ she thought, quickly stepping in towards the door to have a quick glance inside.

“So big right?” she said while her head looked around everywhere, not finding him.

“Yes, I believe the women’s room is farther down the corridor.” said Elias, trying to find the room for her.

‘Where did he go? I need to know where he will be sleeping’

Noticing Viki’s silence while she looked at the room, Elias asked “Is there a problem?” as he also looked inside.

Not being able to see Riou he also questioned, “Where is the greenhorn?”

“Oh, was he supposed to be here? I thought he was still down there” she said dismissively.

“He may have gone to the washroom.”

“Yes, perhaps he did… well excuse me then. I will go to my room to rest. I’m very tired from all the traveling.” she replied while letting out a small yawn.

“I see. Well, have a good rest, and if you need anything you know where to find me” said Elias.

“Oh, I definitely will.” she said very emphatically with a smile. She then turned around and continued down the corridor, leaving Elias to his thoughts.

As soon as she noticed that Elias was not looking anymore, she quickened her steps towards the washing rooms.

‘Nothing… all empty’. The small washing rooms were cubicles with buckets filled with water for a quick wash.

Viki kept looking around to no avail. Eventually everyone began to make their way to their rooms and she was unable to find the boy. ‘He must have gotten a room for himself,’ she realized observing the movement in the corridor. The rogue knew exactly how to discover which room he was.

Quickly rushing down the stairway, she looked for the owner that was in the kitchen.

“Excuse me, but could you inform me which room that boy took?” asked the smiling, beautiful lady at the kitchen’s door, deliberately leaning in towards him, showing more skin than a lady should.

“Oh, yes… sure…” The owner was taken by surprise and his eyes got fixed on her. “It’s the last one on the left side of the second floor.” said the smiling man looking attentively at her pose.

She quickly went back up and into her room. ‘Now it’s just a matter of waiting.’

-----------------------------------

The mine couldn’t go on much longer now. Leona and Eileen began to find miners’ tools and carts filled with ore. Bloodstains on the walls could now be seen where the first attack happened.

Small torches in the walls were all that lit the place and they were on a very long tunnel chasing after the orcs that seemed to constantly move back.

So far the mine was full of narrow corridors. Leona followed the path that her nose indicated, followed closely by Eileen. They have been wandering for a long time now, but they weren’t lost as Leona could easily identify the path they’ve taken by the scent.

Therese just kept going after them from behind, just observing the decision-making of the two.

After a while on that path, another bifurcation was found. Leona could sense a soft breeze coming from one of the paths and suddenly a change in direction of the Orc scent.

“Something is wrong… the scent is coming from all places now…” whispered Leona, concerned while looking around.

“What does that mean?” asked the princess in a low voice to the concerned Leona.

Therese finally approached them both for the first time there.

“It means you have been surrounded. In fact it has been a while since they have positioned themselves behind us and were following.” said Therese breaking her silence and a bit disappointed. “I must congratulate you for noticing there would be a trap, but still, you both failed to realize its real nature… you relied on your nose too much and didn’t notice they were already behind you until you were too deep into their ambush.” She said looking at Leona that looked down.

“What do we do now?” asked Eileen to them both concerned.

The wolf sighed, the late realization that they were already surrounded and failing her master’s test brought her nothing but anger towards the enemy. “Now we kill them all.” she said taking a fighting stance with her sword.

As the group stopped moving, the ambushers resolved to act as well. The trio could now feel the presence of them approaching from behind and both of the tunnels in front.

Many tall and muscular orcs appeared from the shadows. Their expressions were more humanlike and their clothing were the characteristic tribal leather, pieces of beast skin, fur and cured leather covered most of their bodies. Their green skin and yellow eyes could be seen from within the darkest parts of the tunnel now.

Their bone and teeth accessories jingling making rustling sounds as they moved.

Some had necklaces made of small teeth, others had ears as trophies.

They hold clubs and crude swords as weapons.

Some of the Orcs were as big as Syldis at the very least and had to lower their heads at some parts of the mine, a few had slimer bodies with very toned muscles, while others seemed rather bulky and a bit hunched forward with much greater muscle mass than the others.

Their hair was very short and shaved at parts of the head with very different tribal forms.

There were 5 high orcs in total, 3 in the front and 2 in the back. Together with them were also 10 of the smaller orcs. Totaling 8 enemies in front and 7 behind.

They were all smiling, looking very happy at their prey.

One of the slimmer orcs in the front stepped forward. “The humans are sending us gifts now?” said the Orc in his native tongue. The other orcs began to laugh loudly to the remark, while none of the trio was able to understand a single word.

He pointed his weapon at them, “Do not kill the women; I want them alive. Now go get them.” he said, kicking one of the small orcs forward.

With that, the smaller orcs were the first to rush in. Leona positioned herself in front of Therese and began to fight. The corridor where they were was a bit tight. It did not allow full swings of the great sword. It was a close quarter combat, as they had anticipated.

Eileen positioned herself to defend from the enemies behind, she also moved a few steps in front of Therese who stood between the two with some spare room.

The smaller orcs rushed from both ends simultaneously. Leona, being more experienced with the great sword, used its long reach to stab the first one skillfully in the chest. As he fell down, the others quickly moved forward stepping on their fallen comrade in an attempt to get to her.

Leona proceeded positioning the sword above her head while pointing it forward, facing the enemies in front. She was able to attack in smaller, diagonal swings that were already too much for the orcs to handle, they were dying one after another with each swift swing as soon as they entered her reach.

The orcs in the back began their attack as well. The first thing the princess tried was a horizontal swing. The sword ended up scraping the stone walls and lost most of its momentum and power. The first orc was able to completely parry the swing and continue his approach to the unbalanced princess.

Eileen quickly regained her stance with a step back and with a quick thinking she brought the sword back using the guard to hold the advancing orc’s sword that was already coming in her direction. She promptly pushed him back to recover some of the space.

She took poise once again, as the orc prepared to attack. She tried to use the reach now to her advantage and stab the orc’s chest, but it was too obvious and too slow. The small orc easily avoided it.

Without much room to prepare stronger and faster attacks with that sword. She began to focus more and more in speed and precision, but the sword was just too big and too heavy for her to be able to perform it, it became quite a challenge.

Nonetheless she tried, and after many attempts, all she could was to keep the small orcs at bay at the back.

After fighting for a while, her arms began to show signs of fatigue.

In the front, Leona waited for the high orcs to move as all small ones were all dealt with.

The orc leader had tribal paintings in a red shade on his face and chest. He was clearly amused by the fight as his expression showed a big grin each time Leona killed one of the small orcs.

However, as the last of that group was put down, he looked to the fellow high orcs and signaled them with a head movement, it was their turn to fight.

The first high Orc that stepped up was a bulky one and walked on top of the corpses that were lying on the ground. He was using a wooden club the size of a sword, very thick and with metal plating to hold the wood fiber together in the tip.

Leona waited for him in the same position - sword above and pointing forward, ready to strike.

When he entered her range, she quickly tried another fast stab, but this time the Orc easily reacted to it. With a fierce strike from the club on the sword, he sent it toward the wall.

Such was his strength that it pushed the sword into the stone wall for half its width, effectively nailing it stuck into position.

Leona was surprised by the strength and even with her mana enhancement on her arms she was unable to withstand the impact nor remove her sword from the wall.

Seeing the woman unable to recover her weapon, the orc grinned with satisfaction.

Leona saw him grinning and growled, her jade eyes flared and glowed and in the dark mine.

She pumped mana throughout her whole body with such fury while trying to pull her sword from the wall. Suddenly the sword came off the wall with such force that it became an attack towards the orc’s that was approaching her.

Noticing the sword moving, he panicked. The muscular orc pulled his club to block the impact. The sword just shattered the club completely and continued its way through the enemy’s flesh and bones.

The orcs that were watching the fight made no sound as the body of their fellow orc fell to the ground.

The laughing stopped and the orc leader became serious.

Frowning, he pointed towards Leona with his crude sword. All the remaining Orcs suddenly screamed and rushed towards her. They would overrun the enemy at all costs now, the play was clearly over.

Eileen on the back was not able to keep it up against the smaller orcs anymore. The sword was heavy and her mana upkeep to enhance her ability was still far from good. Her breathing was erratic and her arms were getting heavier every second.

‘This better work…’ She thought as she began to gather even more mana in her arms.

Noticing the change in posture in the blond woman, the small Orc became cautious. He waited for her to move first.

The princess stepped forward and, once again, went for a straightforward strike. However, this time, she moved it slightly to the only side the orc could dodge it. The speed of the blade was too much for the orc that was already in movement trying to dodge it. He was stabbed right in the middle of the chest and fell down, precisely where Eileen foreseen him moving.

The four remaining orcs at the back noticed she was improving her methos and didn’t wait anymore either. Rushing towards the princess in a group to overwhelm her.

But the corridor in the back was in her favor and didn’t allow them such free movement, they couldn’t surround her.

She was tired, but Eileen was getting used to using the skill more and more.

A weapon’s power was usually related directly to the swing. The bigger the arc, the stronger it would be. But now, she felt as if the same could be achieved with smaller movements as she compensated with sheer strength from the mana. She also realized that only activating it on her arms wouldn’t be enough, as her legs and core also were suffering the weight of her weapon.

Modifying her control and spreading her mana over more parts of her body she achieved a new step in her training.

The orcs were approaching, but she now was controlling the sword as if it was a light wooden stick, that could move as quickly and in the direction she wanted.

With less space, she shortened the sword actions and each movement now was deadly. She could cut through whatever got in the way with a quick turn of her wrist.

She gained a lot of speed and fluidity with that new technique.

The small orcs were no longer a worthy opponent and were swatted quickly. The results were surprising and filled her with confidence.

But there was not much time to indulge in pride. The high orcs approached the princess quickly after she struck down the last of the smaller orcs.

First one to get close was one of the slimmer orcs, but this one was very tall and menacing, holding a crude sword that looked more like just a piece of iron.

She prepared herself once again. Mana flowed through her body, reinforcing everything she could think of in preparation to face the high orc. But the effects were not as good as before as her mana began to falter, her body was reaching its limits.

He swung his crude sword in a vertical strike, aiming to cut the blond woman in two. The princess promptly prepared to parry the swing, putting the sword horizontally above her. Confident she would be able to withstand the impact with her newfound power.

To her surprise, even the slimmer Orcs had a monstrous strength. It was too much for her arms to bear. As the crude sword hit the sword, throwing her back, her grip weakened and the great sword escaped her hand. She was thrown back hitting the floor of the mine with great force.

The impact, all air escaped her lungs. Gasping and disoriented, she felt her consciousness fading, as darkness began to cover her eyes.

But before she was completely out, she saw Therese stepping right beside her.

--------------------------- Back to the night at the Sleepy Horse Tavern

A couple of hours had passed.

And while everyone was asleep, the rogue stealthily left her bed in the girl’s room and went towards the corridor.

By the indication of the owner, Riou’s room was the very last one in that main corridor.

It was dark, the only window there barely allowed the moonlight to illuminate the wooden floor.

Viki could listen to many different snoring sounds coming from the men’s room as she moved silently through the shadows.

The floor was made of an old wood and squeaked every now and then, but the skillful rogue was able to adapt quickly, no sound could be heard as she drew near the last door.

Her hand gently touched the handle and she slowly pushed it until she heard the metallic click telling her the door could be opened.

She began to push it very gently, but to her surprise the door didn’t move. She looked down and confirmed there were no locks.

Trying with a bit more strength, the same result, the door wouldn’t move. Something on the other side was blocking the door.

The third attempt was with even more strength, but the door clearly wouldn’t budge from just that. Wondering if she’d expose herself if she put even more weight to the task “Who is this damn boy… who blocks himself in the room of a tavern?”

Frustrated after many failed attempts she recollected herself ‘this is just the first night… there will be better opportunities,’ she realized and finally backed away from the door and returned to her room with a defeated expression.

--------------------------------- Earlier that night

After the meal in the main hall, Riou quickly directed himself towards his room. It was a hot and busy day. Some peace and quiet time would be good for him, he was really tired after spending most of the day in the not-so-good company of the Dracar Hunters.

“Damn, I miss cars and buses… not because they were faster, but the air conditioning and the cushions, my god how I miss them, especially air conditioning.” said the boy to himself as he removed his smelly, sweaty shirt.

‘At least I can have a small tub in this room to wash out, but first, let’s just lock the door… I’ve seen too many stories with incidents and misunderstandings in these situations to be relaxed. It’s not like some heroine will barge in and catch me half naked. That’s just nonsense… but, better safe than sorry’ thought Riou considering the odds of that happening.

The boy approached the door only to suddenly realize that it had no locks.

‘No locks? A man can’t have any privacy in these lands… should I use some magic? Maybe I could create a spell for it, something like an immovable object spell should do the work here in theory.’ pondered the boy while looking at the door. Then, in the corner of his eye, he saw a couple of chairs in the corner of the room by a small table. Taking one of the chairs, he positioned it against the door,e inclining it towards the door’s handle like in the movies

‘Does this even work?’ Riou thought as he tested the door. A person would have to really want to open the door to make the chair budge.

He then proceeded to remove the rest of his clothes and take a relaxing cold water bath on that hot summer night, a slight breeze was coming in from the open window that quickly helped him to cool off and get sleepy.

After the bath he went to the bed, completely forgetting about the chair on the door.

--------------------------- The next morning

Riou came out of his room and went downstairs.

“Outrageous!” shouted Elias angrily.

“How come the greenhorn gets his own room, while I had to share one with everyone else?” Elias questioned with indignation in his voice.

Bronach was finding it more amusing than annoying. In a good mood, he smilingly replied to the young noble, “It’s simple young man: it’s because he paid for it himself.” His tone clearly portrayed the amusement he was feeling. Beside him, Herger laughed behind the merchant as well.

“Do you have any money to pay for your room?” continued the merchant before Elias could reply.

The red haired man flared up. He was not amused by the remarks.

“You know I don’t! However, since my father gave you the money for our expenses, I’m sure it included a private room and first class treatment!” said Elias, still trying to win the argument.

“You are right...” Bronach said with a mocking face. “The money was indeed given to me as payment for expenses. But what you are requesting now was not negotiable.” The merchant looked at him and smirked “And your father was very specific regarding his expectations. He said with all the words that you should be treated as a mercenary like any other, a regular adventurer. In his own words, if that’s what you wish to become, that’s how you should be treated. Welcome to the dream life, young man. Your welcome!” said a smiling Merchant.

Elias shook his head “Then give me my father’s money and let me decide how the expenses will be spent on.”

The smile quickly left Bronach face “Oy, boy, you are in no position to negotiate here, the deal was made with your father, if you have any complaints go talk to him. Remember that you are free to leave at any time… but if you don’t want to, then shut it and go help prepare the horses like a good lad.”

Elias thought for a moment, he was pissed enough to just turn around and go back home but he was also too stubborn to give his father the satisfaction.

The red haired noble, in the end, nodded silently in defeat.

Bronach knew that what really bothered the young noble was the fact that the boy slept more comfortably than the noble himself, if he didn’t have a room for himself, that conversation wouldn’t be happening.

Elias went outside where he encountered the rest of his group, leaving the merchant and the mercenary leader at their table.

Herger sighed, “A noble’s son wanting an adventurer’s life... maybe after this trip he will get some sense into his thick skull… he needs to wake up and see that this is not the life he dreams about.”

Bronach nodded. “I can’t imagine how he got four more fools to follow him around… I hope those kids drop this idea before we reach Thanes, I promised their fathers that I’d keep them safe”

Herger nodded “We have extra horses and men for that, we can send them whenever with an escort. No problem”

“Talking about kids, what do you think about the other one?” Asked the merchant pointing to Riou that was coming down the stairs.

“The smart one?” said Herger looking at him. “Well, you saw his dagger… and beside that, he carries two short swords which I’d dare say to be from similar grades,” said Herger in a low tone.

Bronach nodded. “I bet those weapons are worth a fortune, did you see the details on the handle? Longart Blacksmithing at its finest… But how do you think he got a hold of it? And more importantly, can he hold his side of the deal? Do you think he knows how to fight?” asked the curious Merchant.

Herger pondered for a moment. “He said he trained under the First and knows Bhalrom the Knight Captain. Given the fact he is still alive and in possession of those weapons… I think he can handle himself well enough at least. He seems definitely more experienced than Red and his group on the road. He keeps it to himself, helps with the chores. He is a good boy” Herger smiled and laughed briefly. “But the rogue got her eyes on him already, he will probably end up losing his weapons before we reach Thanes.”

Bronach frowned once again. “That is another thing… what could she have done now to be on the run like this?”

Herger shook his head and grabbed his mug. “I don’t know, but it won’t be anything good, that’s for sure… I just hope that your good intentions with her don’t end up biting us in the ass. You know I don’t like bringing her along. She is nothing but trouble and we might get caught in the middle of it sooner or later for covering her like this”

The Merchant sighed. “You know I can’t turn her away… she’s a good kid deep down”

“I know you two have some past… but one of these days it might get us killed, she used us enough times to escape her problems that someone might be aware of her tactics by now” said the mercenary taking a big gulp.

Bronach smiled at the Mercenary leader. “That’s why I pay you, to keep us both alive… now let’s get going, we have a long way ahead of us.”

Herger laughed. “You will have to increase my pay then, because you are making my job very difficult with all these kids around.”

Bronach laughed as well as they both went outside towards the caravan that was being prepared.