“Raegan Martis. Me and a close friend, the big one sat in the corner, aren’t a stranger to combat.

Be it human or some abomination.”

“hmm… Make your way to Fort Torbek on the south-eastern border, that’s where we’re stationed. Combating critters an’ that.”

I pause for a second, before deciding to sate my curiosity.

“Do you know why there isn’t anyone on the southern border, looking out for raiders.”

He flashes a small grin before replying.

“Why, that’s the reason we’re at Fort Torbek, all unessential soldiers, like those at the southern border, ‘ave bean called there. Some’at big going down. Heard rumour of a big witch hunt in the Forgotten Lan’s. Good money in it too.”

After talking about inconsequential thing for an hour or so, I return to my group to find Goran passed out, Dahlia ‘missing’ and Torben slowly sipping on a empty pint.

I’ll probably fill him in when he’s sober, so I know he can actually hear me.

I decide to call it a night, go and rent a room, throwing him a few coppers for one with two beds and drag Torben up there before getting some sleep.

Goran will probably be fine sleeping where he is… Lightweight.

Finding work has been far easier than I would have originally thought. I was planning to travel all the way to the capital, or at least a large city and I’m not even out of the southern forest yet. Hmm… Now that I think about it, if the Black hound company is all in Fort Torbek, why are these guys here.

I guess tomorrow I’ll ask and judge whether I should trust them based off that.

In the morning I did ask, to which they replied.

“ ahh… Two of our squadron died, and rather than merge two squadrons together, your suppose to go and recruit them yourself. With those two being your self. I guess it’s to do with being close to your comrades an’ all, opposed to two strangers you’ve never met stepping into your dead friends boots, which I guess could cause resentment an’ that.”

I think I’ll trust them for now. He also explained the wages, which gave a set weekly of 1 silver and a bonus payment for dangerous missions, like the one supposedly coming up. This bonus is partly upfront and the rest is determined by contribution.

Since today me and Torben are travelling to Fort Torbek, and likely staying there for a while, I decided to separate from Goran and Dahlia here. Otherwise, they’d be going out of their way to just separate once we get there anyway.

We will be travelling there with Argus, since he has found the two members needed to complete their squadron, though I haven’t met the other four members, one of which being the lieutenant in charge of the squadron and was called Lt. Petrus.

The entire mercenary company consisted of 150 people.

120 being divided into squadrons whom answer to a lieutenant, who in turn answers to Captain Kadir who runs the company.

The remaining 30 people form an elite group directly under Cpt. Kadir, who act as both his bodyguards and specialist assassins.

Of course, this would be surprising for a mercenary group to have a large amount of assassins but it is because the ‘Black Hound’ mercenary group purpose is scouting and infiltration of enemy ranks, in order to strike directly at their commander.

Luckily, this aligns with mine and Torbens previous occupation, so over time I have become adept in stealth under the cloak of night and ambushes.

So, I should quickly fit in.

After all, within the Sand Scorpions I was know as the ‘Shadowed Death’ and often lead ambushes in my boss's… or rather, ex-boss's stead.

This name originated due to rumours of me blending into the shadows and slaughtering men by the hundred as a cloaked Death incarnate. Of course, the rumours are exaggerated, but not entirely inaccurate.

Those are the rumours of me using magic to blend into the shadows, though it is true, I took at lot of effort for it not to be known as fact.

In truth, the only one who knows of it is Torben, since he was there at the beginning when I was learning how to properly use it.

Goran’s an idiot, so there is no chance he knows anything beyond wildly varying tales of my black arts, or how I’m supposedly sharing my body with a powerful demon, which to clarify… I’m not.

Dahlia however knows a small amount of magic and has commented that I have some latent magic within me. Unfortunately, unlike Goran she is very perceptive and so probably at least suspects something or could even know entirely, but she hasn’t mentioned it too anyone, so I guess it’ll be fine to let her keep her life.

Like me, Dahlia also keeps a lot about her secret, such as her origins and the extent of her magical knowledge, though see swears she knows nothing more than a healing spell, along with a couple of minor enchantments.

Of course I already know that’s bollocks, but I didn’t pry as long as she did the same.

Magic is a capital crime after all.

Well, at least in civilised lands, though the general public are equally as hostile to magic users.

There is a reason for this, but perhaps I’ll explain another time.

After some goodbyes and good lucks have been exchanged, we separate from our companions whom we have know for the last few years and set off, with Argus and our new friends.

(those being)-

Grigori Chronis- A large man, almost as big as Torben, with a deep scar carved through is left eye, with his one remaining eye being a dark brown, matching his hair colour. He, like the other three was wearing black dyed leather armour, and carries a two-handed battle-axe which has a broad axe head ending in a spike for armour penetration, all of which is coated in a black paint to stop light reflecting off the metal.

Finnian Kontos- Lean build, slightly below average height, ginger hair and emerald green eyes that make him look permanently ecstatic. Unlike the couple of weapons the others carry, he is armed to the teeth. Having 6 daggers, 5 throwing daggers, a garrotte and two short swords, all of which probably have a black coating.

Petri Andris- Lean like Finnian but being far taller, with sharp dark blue eyes and blond hair that is near white. He carries a short sword and a dagger near his ankle, but in addition to this is a dark brown shortbow and a quiver full of arrows.

Our journey should take three days, and by the first night I had learnt a few thing about our traveling companions.

Grigori snores lightly, not enough to alert possible enemies in the area, but still loud enough that I contemplate slitting his throat. He also speaks little, though still slightly chuckles when appropriate.

Finnian has way too much energy and enthusiasm, almost making me question his mental stability. If he has a bad side, I’ll prefer to not be on it.

Petri appears to be sharp witted and I saw him hit a rabbit from 100 metres without acting like Goran. So Petri shall be a suitable replacement for him.

Argus is light-hearted and makes decent attempts to keep moral high, although I’ve still seen him cautiously scanning the surrounding forest, so I don’t believe him to be a happy go lucky fool. So he has made a good impression and seems competent.

After waking and setting off after a slight meal, we moved along a wide dirt road designed for large caravans to move through, with bushes and shrubbery on either side of the road.

According to the others, it should only take another hour to reach the edge of the forest and the rest of the journey should be open grassy meadows.

Argus raises his hand to indicate for us to stop and dismounts his horse, I and the other shortly follow, crudely tying our horses to a tree.

I then walk over to Argus to see him examining some footprints left in the soft mud, appearing to be from a large boot.

“Raegan, these are fresh and not within a days journey to the nearest village. Why would someone be out here without a horse, unless-”

I see a flash of light from a dense bush and hear a soft *twang* noise and raise my shield to cover my face less than a second before an arrowhead buries itself into my shield, centimetres from my eye.

“AMBUSH!”

What followed was madness, with men running at us from both sides of the road from foliage, almost double our number.

I turn to my left whilst drawing my longsword and see two skinny men running at me, one holding a rusted short sword and the other with a hatchet.

As the one with the sword was closer, I attacked him first.

He wildly swings at my face and I duck under it easily and cleave through his ribs where his heart should be. The man collapses face first, dead before he could hit the ground.

This one, like the last, swings blindly at me but much faster, so I should be much more cautious because an axe is more difficult to block.

He directs a heavy swing at my chest, and so I step back avoiding his hatchet and suddenly dash forward, using my shield as a battering-ram. As a result, he stumbles backwards, flailing around his weapon and I swing for the wooden handle, breaking the axe and taking a finger. Before he can register that fact, I slash horizontally at his neck and am rewarded with being sprayed with blood as he chokes on his remaining life essence.

I see Torben with three dead at his feet and him fighting a fourth, though before I can get there to help, an arrow takes unfortunate bandit in the face.

And the long dirt path was silent once more, albeit with the dead littering the road.

Though someone had to ruin the peaceful silence, a bandit with a bow next to him and an arrow lodged in his stomach. Likely the one who shot at me earlier.

I walk forward, pulling out the arrow in my shield, or should I say half an arrow, as it broke when I rammed that earlier bandit.

After reaching the bowmen who’s sobbing to himself, I take my half-arrow and ram it through his eye, causing a loud annoying scream.

I push it in deeper until it hits brain, suddenly stopping the racket.

Much better.

Though that display of brutality was not only for my own satisfaction, but to judge the reaction of the others. It’s always good to know what lines you can’t cross.

Thankfully, they didn’t seem too bothered, and I’m not even sure if Finnian noticed. Nor has he noticed the bandit he’s repeatedly stabbing is very dead… The others even seem used to it, as if they’ve seen it hundreds of times already.

Somehow, I’m not sure if I can even cross the line of what I can and can’t do if it is based around this crazy bastard.

I glance, at Argus to see already looking right at me with cold impassive eyes, whilst a was judging them, he was doing the same to me. I now know for sure, these guys aren’t a bunch of self-righteous amateurs looking for glory.

They are killers, and they’re good at it too, not that it bothers me. I should fit in well, far better than I expected for a butch of jokers getting drunk in a tavern.

After cleaning ourselves and maintaining our equipment, we set off once again heading for Fort Torbek, leaving behind the smell of the forest and its blood-soaked ground.

The meadows at the end of the forest are nothing that I’ve ever seen in my life in the barrens. At most, I had travelled in forested areas with patches of green grass, but had endless fields of green and unusual flowers growing in patches, with colours scattered across the landscape.

Nothing like the monotonous land I grew up in, where children find wonder in finding but a single half-dead flower hidden in a ditch somewhere.

It was a pleasant change to say the least.

Towards the end of the third day of travelling, living of our rations and meat purchased from the farmer, we reached Fort Torbek.

It was a huge citadel, sitting between two rock wall to block of a huge mountain pass that enters the Forgotten Lands, the fort therefore being tasked with stopping abominations from entering Taldar’s border, and stopping sparkly eyed youths from entering whilst waving around a rusted family heirloom.

This section of the Forgotten lands, unlike the desert lands we crossed through whilst escaping the barrens, this area is a mountainous area with steep cliff faces and long winding valley's between them, that branch off, almost forming a rocky maze.

Supposedly, thousands of years ago a race of legendary craftsmen lived in a stronghold underneath the mountain, but no one has ever found it or the supposed treasure that accompanies most tales about long lost ruins. Though you’ll be more likely to find a few skeletons and a long ruined sword or a broken vase.

Looking up at the towering walls, we slowly approach the gate wide enough to fit a dragon through and enter to the biggest place I’ve ever seen.