If a person were to ride two days’ travel along the coastline east of Far Felsen, they would eventually find themselves in the port village of Alawar. Set up within a natural coastal cove, the village had sported a rapidly growing population of more than a thousand imperial citizens with expansive construction projects constantly in the works, at least until the evacuation had brought everything to an abrupt halt. Unlike many of the other recent colony settlements in Weigrun, Alawar had not been founded for the precious mineral eleria nor was it set up as one of the many support villages whose only purpose was to supply food to the mining settlements further inland. Alawar had been established by Stenger and Son’s, a merchant guild, for the purpose of harvesting a natural resource only found in Weigrun: Kettle Crabs.
Large, roundish, and thick-shelled, kettle crabs were found abundantly in the cold waters of Weigrun’s southern coast but nowhere else. Each full-grown crab was large enough that the peak of their rounded back could reach up to the average human man’s knee and was wide enough that they couldn’t quite fit through a standard doorframe. Weighing several hundred pounds from the weight of their heavy shells, the crabs were considered a lesser magical beast. Capable of casting a few spells that allowed them to heat the area around them, even to the point of boiling water, kettle crabs were still weak enough that they posed no real danger to the average person. A fisherman with a long, special-made pole with a hook on the end was all that was needed to safely farm the crabs.
While kettle crabs could be eaten and did in fact taste good so long as they were prepared fresh, foodstuffs were not why Stenger and Son’s were farming the magic crustaceans. A special organ could be harvested from kettle crabs that, with the right tools and methods, could be easily processed into an ingredient vital to the production of permanent warming enchantments and cold-resistance potions. The value of this ingredient could not be overstated, especially not in Weigrun, a subcontinent that stretched far to the south of the central continent, where winters were long and harsh.
Alawar was not one of the settlements that had been reopened when Second Prince Kestil had started his reclamation project. While monetarily important to Stenger and Son’s as well as other merchant guilds, the-out-of-the-way cove wasn’t of strategic importance to the military effort, nor were new heat enchantment supplies strictly necessary to the resumed mining efforts. The village had sat empty for two years, inhabited solely by seabirds, kettle crabs, and whatever other animals found the abandoned buildings to be convenient shelter. And, of course, whatever demons might be haunting the place.
There were no plans to resettle Alawar any time soon, probably not until the demonic invasion had run its course at the earliest. But at least some production of the kettle crab ingredients could be resumed from within the walls of Felsen, since mercenaries could still bring in the needed heat-organ from their hunts. That was to say, they could resume production if the right tool could be recovered from the processing workshop left behind in abandoned Alawar.
“It’s a tall metal cauldron with a lot of tubes and stuff coming out of it,” Kerr poorly explained. “Supposed to be pretty unmistakable. Heavy as a god’s ass, too. But we wouldn’t have to worry about finding it or carrying it. We’d just be hired muscle there to keep the transporters safe.”
“Why do the merchants want it now? And how do they know its even still there?” Jay asked between bites of meat pie. “And if it's so big and heavy, how are they planning on getting it from Alawar to Felsen?”
The meat pie was another surprise the Tipsy Mule had, much like the excellent ale. When Jadis had asked Kerr if there was anything to eat in the inn, the therion had said there were two items on the menu. One was a meat pie, the other wasn’t. Choosing the meat pie, they turned out to be small, flakey pastries with savory meat filling that had just a hint of spice. Hans, the barkeeper, was also the maker of said pies and took Jadis’ three selves’ obvious enjoyment of the meal with a muted air of satisfaction, especially after Jadis ordered a dozen more.
“To the first, I don’t know and I don’t care so long as they’re paying,” Kerr answered Jay’s question. “To the second, they know it was there two months ago from a scout’s report. Probably hasn’t changed. Who’s going to try and loot a giant fuck-off cauldron? Even if it’s magically enchanted and expensive, you’d still need to find someone to sell it to. What branleur would go through the trouble to try and steal and hawk a device meant for one damn thing that you can only do around here? They’d get caught damn fast.
“To the last, the same way they got it from Felsen to Alawar. A fucking ship, of course. We sail over, we clear any demons that might be around to eat the haulers, they load the fancy cauldron onto the ship, we get back on board and we leave. Simple job.”
“That does sound simple enough,” Jay nodded in agreement. “What’s the pay?”
“Five eagles each,” Kerr said with a sharp-toothed grin. “And we get to keep any demon eyes we might kill for bounties. Great pay for what’ll be an easy job done in couple days at most.”
“Suspiciously good pay,” Aila commented. She had declined to eat any of the meat pies, professing she was still full from their late breakfast and had kept to nursing just the one mug of ale. “How many mercenaries will there be on guard duty? How many laborers? What are the contract stipulations? Also, why isn’t Stenger and Son's using their own guards for security? Any merchant guild still active in Weigrun should have a force already capable of this kind of mission.”
Kerr shrugged nonchalantly, but didn’t dismiss Aila’s questions, instead answering them with the experience of a professional.
“They’re paying for ten mercenary guards, CLR twenty minimum but thirty-plus preferred. Same set up as most caravans. There should be no more than ten workers going ashore to collect the cauldron, but there’ll be sailors staying on the ship as well. The contract stipulates that we’re there to protect the workers first, the ship second, and the cauldron third. If any workers are grievously wounded or killed by demons or other outside forces, our pay gets reduced from five coins to just one. We’re responsible for our own supplies and healing if we need it. The guild is sending some of their own guards too, but they’ll be mostly just focused on protecting the ship, probably won’t even leave the docks.”
The explanation seemed to satisfy Aila and Jadis couldn’t see anything unreasonable about the job details either. She was definitely interested in taking the request and going on what felt like a real side quest. Taking odd jobs like the one Kerr had described was exactly the sort of thing Jadis had expected to be doing in a fantasy world where she played the part of an adventuring mercenary. There was still a not-so-minor caveat that she had to bring up, however, before she could accept the proposition.
“Just so you know, we’ve got an escort following us around,” Syd informed Kerr. “Those eight guards from yesterday? We weren’t with them by coincidence. The magistrate assigned them to follow us around.”
Kerr stared blankly at Syd for a few seconds. Eventually, one side of her lip curled and she asked simply, “Why?”
“Well, you haven’t heard of any Nephilim before for a reason. Kind of rare,” Syd answered vaguely.
“To put it mildly,” Aila spoke under her breath.
“They’re our unasked-for escort, supposedly for our protection, and we can’t ditch them. Not so long as we’re in Weigrun, anyway,” Dys griped.
Kerr looked nonplused for a bit, then shrugged, then smiled as a thought lit up her face.
“I bet we can charge Stenger and Sons some extra coin for that ‘benefit’ you three come with. Eight city guardsmen on top of the sheer imposing bulk you three display? Ha! No way they won’t throw us a bonus for that.”
“Us?” Aila asked with a raised brow.
“Yeah, fucking us,” Kerr replied with a sharp grin. “Call it a finder's fee for giving you whelps this opportunity.”
“Sounds good to me,” Jay said, a sentiment echoed by her other selves and, after a moment of contemplation, Aila as well.
Shaking hands with Kerr, they hashed out a few more of the job details, then excused themselves from the table. Jadis and Aila were still hoping to take a quick run out into the hills to hunt what they could before nightfall and they’d already spent too much time in the city. Kerr promised to meet them at Jadis’ inn in the morning so she could take them to the client to be officially hired, but in the meantime, she’d contact the merchants and let them know she’d secured four more mercenaries for the mission, thus saving them spots.
Departing the Tipsy Mule feeling satisfied from both the meal and the job she’d signed up for, Jadis headed to the main city gates with Aila, ready for an afternoon of combat. They talked as they walked, discussing Kerr and the future mission. They both agreed that the merchant guild was probably expecting there to be far more danger in Alawar than advertised if they were willing to pay a total of fifty gold for guards alone, never mind the rest of the costs involved in such a venture.
Still, Jadis wasn’t too worried. She didn’t think that much money would be wasted on a job that had a low chance of success. And, as Aila pointed out, since they were independent mercenaries, there was no one to tell them that they couldn’t just cut and run if things looked dire. It wouldn’t be good for their reputation, but a reputation wasn’t worth much if they weren’t alive to trade on it.
When they eventually reached the gates, rather than the expected small number of guards normally stationed there to monitor the light everyday traffic coming and going, they found the space bustling with activity. There were dozens of armed soldiers entering and leaving, most of them wearing heraldry that Jadis didn’t recognize though at least one group of soldiers was wearing the symbol of Bernd’s Blades. Jadis didn’t recognize any of the men, but Aila walked up to them and started asking questions, no doubt familiar with members of her former employer.
As Aila spoke to the harried looking mercs, Jadis swept her eyes across the crowd, watching for any clues as to what the excitement was all about as well as keeping her ears open for any word that might give her a hint. It was Dys who spotted a familiar figure in white robes tucked off to one side.
Sitting on a box, hands clasped before her in silent prayer, was Eir. Her eyes were closed, so she hadn’t noticed Jadis’ arrival. Her beautiful face was composed in quiet contemplation, the picture of a serene priestess communing with her goddess. Her look so perfectly encapsulated the beatific holy worshipper that Jadis fervently wished she had the artistic talent to paint a portrait of the lovely elf at that moment. Or at least her cell phone so she could snap a photo. Alas, she had neither, so Jadis had to content herself with a mental image to tuck away in her memories.
Approaching the priestess, Dys crouched down next to her and cleared her throat to grab her attention.
Eir did not immediately open her eyes or change her posture, but she did speak politely in response, her melodic voice just loud enough that Jadis could hear it over the din of activity around them.
“Yes? May I or the temple be of some service to you?”
“Not right now, but maybe later depending on how nasty the demons are today.”
Eir’s eyes popped open at Dys’ words. Her whole face lit up in joy upon realizing who she was speaking to and she almost fell off of her seat as she excitedly rushed to stand and bow reverently towards Dys.
“Miss Jay! It’s so wonderful to see you again! I wasn’t sure if you’d be travelling beyond the walls today but I hoped you might. I—I haven’t waited here long, I assure you. As a priestess, I can conduct my daily prayers anywhere, truly.”
Dys took Eir’s greeting and somewhat rushed explanation with some humor, guessing that the smitten elf had probably been so concerned that she’d miss her chance to travel with Jadis again she’d probably decided to wait at the gate all day just to be sure. It was cute, if a little overeager.
“We had some business around town this morning so we’ve had a late start, but yeah, we’re going out of the city now. Glad to see we’ve got some pretty company again today,” Dys said, throwing a casual compliment in just to see how Eir would react.
Eir did not blush. Or, maybe she did, it was hard to tell with her dark red skin, but she did look away from Dys bashfully, her long ears twitching.
“Oh! W—well, I too am glad to be in your company as well,” she stammered out, looking every bit the shy girl talking to her crush.
When she took a breath and faced back Dys’ way, Jadis noticed the priestess tilt her head down just slightly. It was impossible to tell where her dark purple eyes were looking since her elven heritage meant she had no pupils, but the way Eir quickly turned her head back away and cleared her throat while trying to hide her embarrassment, Jadis had a strong suspicion of exactly where she had been looking. She didn’t bother calling her out on it, though. She could tease the bashful elf later.
“I’m Dys, not Jay, by the way,” Dys corrected the priestess’ assumption. A look of even greater mortification swept over her, but before the embarrassment could take further root, Dys pressed on. “Do you have any idea what’s going on around here? Why is it so busy?”
Eir cleared her throat, her eyes not leaving Dys as she waved her hand to encompass the surrounding commotion.
“Yes, Miss Dys, I did ask when I arrived this morning—er, when I arrived not long ago, that is. The magistrate has ordered a full sweep of the area around Far Felsen. Mercenaries are thoroughly patrolling all the land in a ten-mile radius around the city, with further sweeps planned for the following days spreading out to encapsulate all of the Broken Hills. I believe after last night’s events, there is some concern that the demons have found a way to bypass the line of forts along the border of the forest undetected. Magistrate Vraekae has launched a full deployment of all available mercenary companies and guards within the city to cut the infestation off at the roots before it grows out of control.”
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