Surprisingly she had fallen back to sleep before loud shouts woke her and the rest of the camp up.

Surging to her feet she smoothly transformed into the Minotaur form without even thinking about it. Another automatic response this body held, she was finding more and more as time went on. Because of them she had no doubt the previous owner had been a superbly trained and superbly skilled warrior... even if his social skills had been largely lacking.

She ran off toward the shouting. Surpising her, her heart began racing because as she got closer. She could hear the clash of weapons, shouted warcries, yowling screams and grunts of exertion. She'd never been one to really enjoy a battle for a battle's sake but this body clearly had been. But taht wasn't the reason she was surprised those sounds were certainly not the Noble's illusion being discovered. She sped up, magic igniting.

Bursting into the clear just past where the watch post had been she saw the melee protected and two of the Minotaurs fighting more than two dozen cat faced beastmen. The other soldier protected and the Noble himself were nearby just at the edge of the trees, the soldiers had their rifles up and bursts of automatic fire picked off any beastmen who were thrown clear of the melee. Noble Trad was also there just watching carefully. There were no flows of magic and he held no weapon but he felt 'ready', it was clear he was waiting or watching for something.

With a burst of rapid Iaernide speech a thin violet beam lanced out from the Noble and burned a hole through a beastman's head, one that had got behind Gx and was about to drive it's spear into the melee protected's open back.

From what she could see the fight was not in any doubt, the minotaurs and Gx were easily beating the beastmen even without the soldier's input. So she slowed and her magic dropped as she stopped next to Noble Trad, she was certain it wasn't what Obbst would have done but in this body until she'd practised she really didn't want to get into a fight.

He whispered quietly, “The mercenaries will be extremely suspicious if you don't make any effort to fight, Minotaurs live for battle.”

She nodded and replied, “I know how to fight but this body is not my own and I would be extremely clumsy, they'd know something was very wrong just from that. But... I guess that would be more easily explained than a total change in personality.”

The aura of golden tipped flames re-ignited around her and she rushed forward.

Her target stood no chance as she slammed into him. He limply flew back, already unconscious from half a ton of Bull at a full sprint hitting him and hit another catman, distracting her. A distraction Gx took full advantage of as he clubbed the beastman to the ground.

She was shocked at how easily this huge form moved and how strong it was, that sort of charge was not something she'd ever tried as herself because not only had she not really been a fighter she'd been fairly small as Fae Chanar went. This was fun.

She spun and lashing out kicked one of the beastmen. Wow, he folded over her hoof as blood shot from his mouth. She hadn't expected that, there was some insane amounts of force behind these blows.

The fight took over and she lost herself in it. Punching and kicking in a flowing dance of destruction. As she fought she gained a better understanding of this body and how it worked.

All too soon the fight was over.

Groaning broken bodies lay around them and the two Minotaurs were looking at her with suspicious eyes.

One of them said, “You fight like no Minotaur I've ever seen and I've seen a lot, you fight like no-one I've ever seen and I've seen a lot. What exactly was that?”

“I don’t know? It was just what felt right.”

Noble Trad strolled over as his Protected soldiers started stacking the dead attackers like piece of wood while the Servant searched them and said, “Obbst there told me he served as a mercenary among the Fae, it appears he picked up some of their style when he did because I recognise many of those moves.”

The Minotaur grunted still looking at her suspiciously but backed down and walked away.

Voice rumbling she asked, “Noble? Do you know who our attackers are?”

Sorting through the looted items he shook his head, “No, they carry nothing to identify themselves nor are they any tribe I know. I suspect they attacked because there were far fewer of us and we are heavily laden with loot. They may have been tracking us for a while, just a shame they chose to attack right after our sentries were carried off.”

The Unkept Minotaur (Sleekiy) said, “Hrrm not often I can say I know something a Noble does not, but I know them. They are one of a group of small tribes of Beastmen who live in the shadow of the Plateau, bandits and raiders to the last of them. They often prey on the wagon traffic between the Oruc towns and the Confederacy, the trade is of course not allowed but no one cares enough to actually stop it.”

The Noble said, “I thank you for the information freely offered, if you wish to know something just ask. If it’s value is lesser or equal I will happily provide.”

“Didn’t do it in hope of information but I thank you for the offer.”

The rest of the trip was quite peaceful and when they got to a fork in the road, once branch leading to Farhan the other to Chevalis which was where Veldt, the Noble, and his protected parted ways with the mercenaries. There was no need for them to go to an out of the way provincial seaport.

*******

It would be about a tenday back to the capital at the steady ground eating pace a Minotaur and a group of Iaernide could keep up.

The trip was extremely boring. Six days later they’d stopped only three times so Veldt could sleep for a few hours and once so she could restock on trail rations at a slightly larger town with a caravan post. They’d bypassed all the other towns and seen very little other traffic, just a couple of small family groups of nomadic beastmen who wandered the length and breadth of the Confederation. They were descendants of escaped slaves, one of the Confederation’s laws was any slave who managed to remain free for a year and a day was free. It didn’t happen often but it did happen, the law existed because Minotaurs believed everyone must have the option to increase their own status no matter how slim.

Around midday on the seventh day as Veldt munched on some rations on the run, Hd where it perched on Gx’s shoulder whistled a warning and Trad said, “We have company coming, a full levy, led by two Minotaurs and a Centaur. Wait or attack first?”

Veldt said, “I have no idea of the politics or who or what, I’ll follow your lead.”

The Noble’s eyes flared brightly green and he said, “I forgot myself for a moment there and forgot that you are not Obbst. Obbst was murdered at the orders of Folscach I’d suspect these are more of his followers, soldiers sent to make sure of his death after their hirelings failed. Somebody at Great Bend reported your presence when you bought supplies, if I’d been thinking I should have gone into the town and bought them. My apologies, I have been making mistakes and become complacent, though, I do wonder how they intend to get away with this should I choose to report their murdering of you.”

“We Fae Chanar learned the hard way that Iaernide were not good targets for playing in the grand game, it only took two razed strongholds, the deaths of two of my brethren and all their retainers, and the occupation of our main city by several Royals. I’d imagine you have grown no less likely to respond with extreme force if one of yours is threatened or killed.”

“You’d imagine right. So I feel we should talk first if they’re willing, if they attack go after the Centaur because he’ll be a power of some sort and we don’t need magic running loose. Stop up there by that copse of trees, Hd, Hn, and Je can take cover in them.”

Veldt nodded, when they got close she dropped her bundle and waited, shivering a little in nervous expectation.

Gx stood next to her while Hd, Hn, and Je stood closer to the trees and Trad waited closer to the road blatantly watching the other group approach.

As they got closer Veldt had a sudden absolutely unshakeable premonition that this would end in violence, some set of well honed instincts told her the levies were ready to attack and that the Minotaurs were already starting theirs. Which was odd because they were not her instincts.

She saw the hand Trad had hidden from the group light with purple energy, none of the Realms of magic had that signature colour, she’d have to ask him about it. GX shifted on it’s feet and she could tell it was preparing to charge.

When the other group was almost on them the Centaur said, “Hail, I would speak with you.”

Trad said, “Speak then.”

“I am here for the Minotaur with you, he is wanted by my employer for various crimes relating to the disappearance and death of Herdkeeper Gersian’s heir. He was part of her abduction and while I don’t know exactly what happened after that but she was returned to her grief stricken mother in five separate bags. One of your kind was also involved in the abduction, I fear they my have been duped into performing such a thing by blatant lies. The Iaernide are well known for their outstanding intelligence but the duplicitous creature this one’s Keeper is can deceive even the most wary with his slivered lies.”

“What do you intend to do with him?”

“He’ll be taken and put to death like his Keeper and herd already have been.”

Suddenly Veldt was at the centre of a roaring pyre of golden tipped flames rushing toward the Centaur and she hadn’t consciously done anything.

One of the Minotaurs simply got in her way, the body didn’t deviate or even appear to notice charging straight through him like he wasn’t there. She heard the sharp crack of breaking bones as he was flung down and trampled.

The Centaur was recoiling with terror in his eyes but he was slow, much too slow. The Body’s arms lashed out and it roared. Grabbing the futiley flailing Centaur by an arm and the top of his hind leg, the body hoisted him in the air over it’s head. With a violent heave it slammed him into the ground hard enough to raise dust, hard enough that blood poured from his mouth.

Snorting the body pulped the centaurs head under it’s hoof.

Veldt was shaken she was just a passenger for all of that and had zero control.

As the stink of blood and voided bowels rose thickly to her nose the body returned to her control. She glanced around, the other Minotaur was down, sliced up by the glowing blade of purple magic that Trad held and the levies were almost down as Gx rampaged among them, ignoring the occasional rifle shot, his metal frame much stronger than a mere rifle.

Trad looked at her and as the blade of magic faded out and with a puzzled note in his voice said, “What was that?”

“I don’t know. Until I got that cretin's brains on my foot I wasn’t in control of the body at all. There was anger, no... a rage, that wasn’t mine. I’m beginning to think I’m not alone in here.”