“Strike fiercer! Do not hesitate! Do not show mercy! You are going to get yourself killed, if you fight like this.”

Ymdaton’s throat felt dry from shouting at his trainees for the whole morning. Forty warriors sparred at improvised training grounds on the pasture half a league from city walls. Some were experienced militiamen, but most of them volunteered to bolster armed forces of Khladnetz. It was the decree of lord Azytenisar: the army of the city was to become more numerous, its warriors were to forget their reluctance to kill. In order to do this, drevlyani were organised into crews, to each squad was appointed a kinani instructor. They were making some progress, yet not nearly fast enough.

“You! That is not right at all,” he moved to the closest pair. Crewslayer now spoke drevlyani language enough to understand his pupils and guide them. During two months since his arrival to Khladnetz, he took lessons from Blagoslav. In his many travels he dealt with people of countless foreign nations. Learning another tongue was not that difficult for Ymdaton, especially under fine tutelage.

He took a wooden sparring sword from the hands of a recruit and faced a grizzled militia member who lacked his left eye.

“You pull your strikes. You think too much. Thinking won’t get you far in a fight. You should forget about what you are protecting, forget about what will happen if you lose, forget about your enemy being a human. The only thing that should matter for you is the flow of battle. Let’s see. Defend yourself!” Crewslayer assumed a combat stance.

The dreavlyani warrior attacked him. Ymdaton did not go very hard on his student, after all, he was of a different league. He parried a blow, then another one, then two more. Militiaman managed to lead his weapon to the side on the parry and then attempted a decapitating blow. He hesitated for a slightest moment when doing it. Crewslayer noticed the delay, he found just enough time to duck and point his blade to the opponent’s hip. His partner was led unto the tip of the sword by the momentum of his own swing. He tripped over the weapon and fell. Ymdaton helped him to get up.

“That’s the problem,” kinani warrior scanned the crew, everyone was observing the fight, “What did you think of right now?” asked he militiaman.

“I thought that if it was the real fight, I would deal a grievous loss to the city that you were defending .”

“Here is the point,” Crewslayer raised his voice, so everybody could hear, “You should not think about consequences during the fight. It distracts. Having something to protect may give you power to go into battle, but forget it when blades begin to clash. I’m not telling you to fight mindless, just put aside everything superfluous. Trust your instincts, trust your reflexes, trust your intuition, trust your experience,” he threw the training sword back to the novice, “Again, everyone!”

He turned to see Sumiaton and two warriors of the high crew: Ahyq and Paltisumas, standing twenty steps away, observing his actions.

“Nice lesson,” yelled the Venator and clapped theatrically. Ymdaton approached him.

“Came to inspect my work?” asked he.

“No one doubts you, Crewslayer. I am here to save you from tutor’s routine. Let’s take a walk,” he strode away without waiting for an agreement.

“Are you happy with your new position?” asked he when they distanced enough from the crew, so that no one could hear.

“Why should I not be happy? Being in High Crew is the uttermost honour for the warrior,” answered Ymdaton.

“Well, you did not have enough opportunities to express your martial prowess, didn’t you? Isn’t that what you sought at Vetluna? To show your power to the world.”

“I fought for survival,” spat an answer Crewslayer, suppressing any display of emotion.

“Is it the whole truth?” enquired Sumiaton with a sly shine in his eyes.

“Well,” hesitated Ymdaton, “I kind of thought that ballad-mongers could make it into a wicked song.”

“There is nothing to be ashamed of,” laughed the monsterslayer, “I thought the same when I was stalking that terror of the sea. To get recognition, to join High Crew and become a true part of something bigger, a true part of Abeneewy, of the legend,” his face became serious suddenly.

“We are not the part of the house, we are merely blades in its service,” said Crewslayer impassively.

“I disagree. I consider everyone who sheds blood for Abeneewy to be one with it. Some think themselves to be in a highest position, while in truth they are mere serfs earning for favor. Like old Lulaton, for example. But the warriors who risk their lives in battle are indeed true kin to the house,” declared Sumiaton, while looking somewhere in the distance.

“Do you have something against our lord’s trusted advisor?” asked Ymdaton in a half-joking manner.

“Perhaps I will tell you more, if you agree to assist me,” replied the venator with a mysterious face.

“And why would I abandon the task given to me by lord Azytenisar himself?”

“To do the task even more crucial to Azytenisar’s rule of this state,” Sumiaton made a dramatic pause, “You see there is a gold mine to the south-west of here. It was in the possession of Khladnetz for years, however, in the absence of the local guardian, men of Belosten took over by force. I intend to return it into our hands and thus fill the treasury with steady flow of gold.”

“And what would be my part in this campaign?” asked Ymdaton.

“They won’t relinquish ownership of the mine that easily. There most probably will be an armed confrontation. You would surely like to claim some skulls, especially since you were deprived of opportunity to fight in a single combat two moons ago,” told Sumiaton, while staring directly into warrior’s eyes.

Crewslayer averted his gaze and was silent for some moments.

“I will assist you,” declared he finally, “when do we begin.”

“Arrive tomorrow at the farm on lake road, by the sixth post from the city. I will gather my forces here.”

Ymdaton wanted to ask what forces the man was going to assemble, yet Sumiaton left immediately after hearing his answer.

Next day early in the morning he was sitting on the fence of the said farm. Crewslayer arrived way before other forces of the Venator. Dozen steps away a wife of the farm’s owner, a young woman with curly black hair was telling story to three boys sitting around her. Her sons were listening with genuine interest.

“In those ancient times city of Zapadensk was pretty and prosperous. Yet one day a most horrendous monstrosity came out of the forest to hunt down its citizens, despoil its goods and demolish its houses. It was truly hideous to behold: taller than a largest building, possessing three heads, seven tails, scales, claws, fangs, vile breath. No one could oppose it. The entire militia of the town rode out to battle it and were beaten, chased away, devoured. People of Zapadensk cried out for their misery was great. It was then that a lonely warrior volunteered to face the beast.

He rode on his black bakhmat and made a battle upon the monster. The fight was terrible, very earth trembled with their blows. Three days and three nights the hero and the beast fought. The brave man broke all his weapons upon creatures impenetrable hide: a sword shattered, a mace cracked, an axe fell apart, a spear snapped. When no blades were left, the hero battered the monster with his bare hands.

Finally, the beast began to show exhaustion and the warrior gained the upper hand. He cracked each of three skulls with fists and heels and felled the foe. Then he severed each of three heads with a thwart saw, so the beast would not ever recover. Blood flowed out of monster’s necks in such amount that flooded all the surroundings. Earth itself refused to soak the vile fluid, so the gore streamed forward and created a red river which exists to this very day.

The warrior was taken by the current, thrown and tossed by the waves. He did drown in it almost, yet managed to swim to the shore and crawl out. He returned to Zapadensk and people of it cheered for him, honoured him, made songs about him. So a single man saved the city from the vile monster of the forest. The woods did not dare to show their powers there forever after.”

Children cheered as one.

“Now check if all mounts are fed and ready to carry honoured warriors. Go!” said she. Boys ran away with laughs and chatter. Ymdaton approached the woman.

“Tell me, is this fairytale supposed to symbolize us?” asked he.

She stared at him with a confused look, but then laughed after few moments.

“How arrogant of you, mighty islander. This tale is older than you, or me, or most of our ancestors. My grandmother told me it, her grandmother told her it and so on. It was shunned before, since it was considered irreverence towards the guardian. But now that we don’t have one, we are free to tell our children stories of the old again.”

“But why ‘Zapadensk’, literally the western city?” asked he with a forced smile, feeling really dumb.

“You have a keen mind,” said she without a shade of mockery, “I in fact changed the name of the town. It was originally ‘Vostochin’, the eastern city. I switched it, so that my children will learn to respect people of the west, your people. Our lord Altyzar especially.”

“It is ‘Azytenisar’,” quickly pointed he.

“It is quite difficult for us to pronounce,” added she with a perky shine in her eyes.

“Isn’t it dangerous to live behind the walls?” changed subject he, “you are at the hand’s breadth from the forest. Who knows what can crawl out of it one day.”

“Forces of Odwitchni did not dare to show themselves before, when the guardian was watching over the city,” she did not show any anxiety, “This has changed of course. Now in the night voices can be heard just outside the house sometimes, sometimes even footsteps.”

“Why won’t you move into the city then?” raised a brow Ymdaton, “ you may not fear for yourself, or your husband, but you have three beautiful sons.”

“Do not think that I am not afraid” woman’s expression changed into something resembling seriousness, “It is impossible for us to acquire home inside Khladnetz. People of the city understand our situation just well. Even with lowered taxes, knez be praised, price that they charge for houses, land, or simply a corner to stay would put our family into lifelong debt. I don’t want such fate for my children either.”

Crewslayer felt uncomfortable with the subject. Fortunately, the woman changed it.

“Looks like your companions arrived,” said she, “I will go and prepare your mounts.”

Indeed, by the road approached Sumiaton at the head of fifty-man strong squad. Ymdaton made a mental node to tell lord Azytenissar about the unfair pricing of housing in the city. The Venator greeted the warrior, as he approached.

“You arrived rather early, Crewslayer. If only all of my comrades possessed your punctuality,” crewmen accompanying him laughed, “Come, let us acquire our steeds.”

Together they walked around the farmhouse, to see the mother and her older son tacking up beasts, while two younger boys were bringing more sets of saddles and reins from the house. Ymdaton was one of the first to mount his bakhmat, so the animals were called. That was another custom that he learned while residing in Khladnetz. Back at home he would have rather took a light boat and sailed around the island if he needed to travel across it. In Odwitchni there was no way to speed up your journeys, other than perform them in saddle. So he studied riding.

Not long after, all the force was mounted and ready to depart. Sumiaton thanked the woman of the house with slight bow, she smiled and bobbed a curtsy. The squad strode for the lake road, and then headed by it into the forest. They followed the main path for about two hours, before taking a turnoff road to the right.

“Isn’t it dangerous to labour that deep in the wood. Who would willingly accept such job?” asked Ymdaton the monster hunter, who rode beside him.

“It is truly perilous place to work, yes,” answered Sumiaton, “Yet drevlyani involved in mining are paid more than generously. In few moons of labour they make enough money to feed their families for a whole year. And every few moons a new shift comes, so that diggers do not endanger themselves for a prolonged time. Of course there are lunatics who are ready to work in the mine for a whole year, yet they are the minority.”

“You sound like you studied those dirt diggers a lot.”

“Do I hear notes of contempt?” the venator smirked, “I did study them, since goldmines scattered through Odwitchni provide hopes for our lord.”

“You promised to tell me of your animosity towards Lulaton,” switched the subject Crewslayer, feeling a little bit ashamed.

“Is my humble opinion that important?” said Sumiaton with an obviously fake humility. He continued without waiting for an answer, “He is a slimy kind. Thanks to his machinations many wealthy families are indebted to Abeneewy for generations ahead.”

“Isn’t it the natural way for Abeneewy? They were always creditors. Umrah dreams, they even consider Ytenisar, the guardian of debts, to be their celestial patron,” Ymdaton was annoyed, he expected more interesting answer.

“It is so indeed. However, it is different with the old serf. Let me provide an example. Have you heard of house Kysinpas?”

“I remember something. Isn’t that a family of tyrsenoi descent?”

“Exactly. But is was not always well known. They hid their roots for centuries. Then, one day when our lord Azytenisar held council, Lulaton displayed undoubtful proofs of it. Kysinpas and Abeneewy were rivaling houses at the time, almost equal in power. He then proposed a solution to rid our master of these opponents once and for all. Azytenisar agreed. Soon, the rumour of Kysinpas’ heritage spread wide and their partners began abandoning them, ceasing any business with the house. Their fortune thinned, their sources of income waned. That was when our lord graciously offered hand. Kysinpas were given a loan, after a loan, after a loan. It kept them from going into poverty, yet their debts to Abeneewy would not be repaid in several generations.

What I want you to understand is that we are both warriors. I personally deem these means dishonourable and abhorrent. The old man probably possesses plots how to dispose of you, me, and any other man in the service of the house. Isn’t it disturbing?”

Crewslayer left the question without an answer and kept thoughtful silence for the rest of the journey. Soon the forest around began to thin, signaling that there was a civilized area nearby. The party left the woods, stepping onto a medium sized glade. There they were met by a formation of about a hundred warriors, awaiting the attack with risen white shields. Ymdaton noticed the roofed entrance into the mines not far away behind them.

Sumiaton urged his mount a bit ahead of his squad.

“Warriors of Belosten, I want to speak to your commander,” yelled he.

A man in a fur lined hat instead of a helmet stepped forth.

“You see me. Do talk.”

“This mine is a rightful possession of Khladnetz. In the name of knez Azytenisar I demand that you abandon your claims on it and depart.”

“And if I refuse?” the man asked with a bored face, “We outnumber you two to one. My forces could just slaughter you all and forget about your coming.”

“Did you hear of the demise of Ratobor the Asure?” smiled the venator, “What makes you think your men would fare better?”

The leader of the warriors scanned kinani ranks with a doubt in his eyes.

“But bloodshed is not necessary,” Sumiaton did not give him the opportunity to retort, “Let’s discuss our options peacefully. I propose a zasedany.”

“You studied our customs well,” gave the dry laugh the man in the hat, “Well then,” he made a gesture with a hand. Not before long a massive servant appeared from behind the ranks of Belosten. He carried two wooden stools decorated with fine carving and painted in bright colours. The man brought seats right between two forces and left them there, retreating right after.

The enemy commander waved to his men and they moved two dozen steps back. Sumiaton did the same. Two leaders approached stools. Both were moving deliberately slow, trying to not outpace each other. Finally, they met. Men sat there and spoke. No one could hear their conversation, for distance was large. The dialogue continued for quite awhile, warriors at either side began to murmur in displeasure. At last, they stood up. Sumiaton and the drevlayani commander exchanged last words and then returned to their respective ranks.

“The ownership of the mine will be decided by a single combat,” said the monster hunter to his force with a smile, “My choice of a champion is Ymdaton,” Crewslayer stepped forward with a pleased grin, “and Ahyq,” continued Sumiaton on the same breath. Confused whispers passed through the squad.

“That wouldn’t be a single combat with more than two participants, right?” asked annoyedly Ymdaton.

“This will be two on two combat,” answered the venator.

“Never heard of this kind,” said Ahyq with curious face.

“You will be the first of us to try. Now go, acquire this victory for me. Our lord Azytenisar counts on us taking back this damn mine,” proclaimed Sumiaton.

Crewslayer and his partner moved forward. From enemy ranks emerged two drevlyani warriors. They looked a bit weird to Ymdaton and it took him several moments to understand why. Both men were clad in exactly same armour, armed with same spears and shields, dressed in same clothes. The only difference was that one of them had his cloak thrown over his right shoulder, while for the other one it was hanging on his left side. Both pairs moved closer to engage.

Ymdaton got the left foe. They simply maneuvered one around other for quite some time, trying to read the opponent. The champion of Belosten attacked first. Crewslayer deflected a blow. His opponent attempted a feint and a feint more, yet both were detected by the crewman, who did not fell for them. The kinani fighter saw urgency in enemies movements. The opponent tried not to slay him, but at least incapacitate quickly. Before Ymdaton could craft a plan how to exploit it, the foe surprised him.

When avoiding the high swing of an axe, dreavlyani warrior dropped to one knee and made an uprising blow with his shield, as he stood back up. While the dodge move was unexpected, the following swing was too obvious, Crewlsayer easily evaded it. The next moment he understood, that hitting him was not enemy’s intention.

With an edge of the shield his opponent sent flying dozen of tiny rocks which were covering the ground around the mine. Some of them flew directly into Ymdaton’s face. He covered his head with his own shield, which gave the foe some time to move. The crewman expected his opponent to charge him that very moment, yet the attack did not come.

When he lowered his shield, he saw the dreavlyani fighter standing several steps away. The enemy changed a grip on his spear and hurled it at Crewslayer. The flight of the weapon was easy to predict, so Ymdaton avoided it by simply tilting a bit to the right. A ringing noise made him turn his head. He saw Ahyq lying on the ground with a thrown spear beside him.

A brief look told Crewslayer that his partner was not heavily injured: the weapon did not stuck in his body and there was no blood anywhere. It probably struck him in the armoured part of body, however, with enough force to knock him down. Ymdaton marveled at the precise positioning and coordination of the enemies, which made such trick possible. The warrior also noticed the other enemy moving closer to deliver a finishing blow. Crewslayer did not have any more time to look around, for his opponent was upon him again.

This time he came with a short blade, his side arm apparently. The enemy attacked more furiously this time, but still to no avail. Ymdaton managed to cast another look over his shoulder. He expected to see Ahyq already murdered and the second champion coming for him. To his surprise, the other foe was thrashing on the ground, with Crewslayer’s partner choking him from behind. Ymdaton silently praised his unwavering comrade. The champion in front of him saw it too. Apparently he understood, that there was no escaping that hold alone and he needed to help his friend. The drevlyani combatant could not overcome his kinani enemy quickly, so he attempted a trick.

After next Ymdaton’s swing, he visibly missed a step and tumbled backwards. Crewslayer noticed a slight hint of pretense. He decided to play along still, faking an attempt to jump at the falling foe. The answer was a kick to his legs, which he anticipated. He catched it with a shin guard, removing most of the momentum. He than fell to the side in a totally fake display of stumbling. His opponent quickly stood up and rushed for his companion, who was fading away by now. Unknown to him, Crewslayer did the same behind his back and followed.

Ahyq saw the double trick. He began to hit his victim with a fist to the helmet, matching the rhythm of Ymdaton’s steps. That masked the sound of kinani champion’s movements, so that when he struck his opponent under the knee from behind, it was completely unexpected. He grasped the shocked foe by the head, and showed the edge of the axe under his aventail, opening the throat. At the same moment, the other champion of Belosten finally lost consciousness to the chokehold. Crewslayer helped Ahyq to get up.

“You are the worst at cooperation,” laughed Ahyq, as they returned to kinani ranks where they were met with cheers, “I would have got killed because of you, if I was not that good.”

Crewslayer was about to retort, yet restrained himself out of sheer respect to partner’s martial prowess. He smiled silently instead.

Sumiaton met them.

“Fine battle, brethren. Today you helped your lord much more than you can understand.”

Crewmen chanted their names and yelled praises. Ymdaton observed warriors of Belosten. They already recovered bodies of their fallen and were fiercely discussing something now. He expected that they might ignore the results of the challenge and attack kinani force anyway. Their leader climbed a massive stone and spoke to his men passionately, with a lot of gestures. They seemed to calm down. Soon warriors of Belosten returned to their camp and began to pack up. They left before dusk alongside miners. Sumiaton’s squad stayed to guard the mine until first shift of Khladnetz’s diggers arrived.