{"id":4070,"date":"2018-03-01T08:39:49","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T08:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wandering-inn\/?p=4070"},"modified":"2025-12-24T00:57:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T00:57:29","slug":"1-02-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderinginn.com\/2018\/03\/01\/1-02-d\/","title":{"rendered":"1.02 D"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a hot, humid day when Quallet Marshhand walked into the recruiting grounds and claimed the half-rotted booth he\u2019d bought for the day. It was always<\/em> a hot day in Baleros. At least the winter kept the worst edge of the heat off, but Quallet had gotten used to feeling sweat run down his face long ago.<\/p>\n

The booth Quallet had bought for five silver pieces wasn\u2019t worth half a copper one, in his opinion. The humid weather had already rotted half of the woodwork, and he was sure that if he put his axe or helmet on the booth, it would collapse. And scrabbling around in the dirt for his gear wouldn\u2019t do him any favors, especially when he was on a tight schedule.<\/p>\n

So Quallet leaned his axe against the booth and kept his helmet on. It was already hot, and at least the helmet added to his presence. He had to compete with the others standing at their respective booths and shouting. It wasn\u2019t like this recruiting ground was particularly large; there were only six or so occupied booths, but the recruiters standing at each one were shouting loud enough for twice their number.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny [Mages] are welcome to the Tanglelurk Lights!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoll up and become one of the Virulent Plague! Enlist with a friend and earn double pay for your first month!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoin the Raverian Fighters! We\u2019re offering a premium on experienced warriors! Apply now!\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet had to smirk when he heard the last shout. The Raverian Fighters? They must be desperate to be recruiting in the middle of a campaign. Anyone with half a brain would know better than to join that company, especially with how things were going.<\/p>\n

Still, mocking the opposition was a pointless endeavor. Quallet was here to recruit, so he drew in a breath and began shouting himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cGravetender\u2019s Fist is accepting new recruits! Join an experienced suppression company and make coin without<\/em> dying in your first battle!\u201d<\/p>\n

Heads turned and instantly, a fair number of the individuals in the recruiting grounds began drifting over in his direction. Quallet let them come, not bothering to redouble his shouting. Instead he stood, arms crossed, waiting.<\/p>\n

It was about presence. In Baleros, a company of warriors might live or die based on the efforts of their recruiters. These groups or individuals would go from village to city, sometimes competing against hundreds of other companies to find talent, other times marching through an empty dirt street and shouting by themselves.<\/p>\n

It was hard, unrewarding work, and usually given to an unlucky officer or as punishment detail. You\u2019d never see one of the leaders of the Four Great Companies come to this recruiting ground. No, you\u2019d get some unhappy [Sergeant], trying to meet his quota and stay out of the heat.<\/p>\n

And that was the mistake most companies made. Because a company was only as good as its recruits, and Quallet had learned long ago that the best recruits were snapped up in an instant. Hence, why he\u2019d come himself.<\/p>\n

He was a Level 32 [Mercenary Captain], a seasoned warrior and a powerful leader in his own right. Quallet knew at a glance that he was the highest-leveled individual in the entire recruiting ground, and he had the armor and flash to go along with his Skills.<\/p>\n

Thus, the large group of Humans, Lizardfolk, Dullahans and the smaller handful of Centaurs drew closer to see what he was offering. In Baleros, the mercenary companies that fought and bled and died for every petty squabble and major war came in every flavor and kind imaginable. New and experienced soldiers would frequent these grounds, seeking out the best contracts for themselves.<\/p>\n

Not that this backwater village had any experienced warriors. It had probably been visited at the start of winter. Now, only unseasoned raw recruits were left, people with no combat classes that probably had never held a sword. Not ideal for company recruiting, but fine with Quallet. Scooping up a hundred such people was his goal today. It would allow him to sell his services in the nearest warzone for quite a bit of gold.<\/p>\n

The trick was that he represented a company by himself. As a [Mercenary Captain], Quallet had the Skills to turn the worst fighters into a half-decent force, with him leading them. With a hundred or so fresh recruits, Quallet could advertise his company to the highest bidder at a competitive rate. Just so long as Quallet found a decent pool of people to draw from, and made sure that the best of the bunch weren\u2019t snapped up.<\/p>\n

He had an advantage there too. Among the precious Skills that allowed him to lead his company, Quallet had the Skill [Talent Seeker], which allowed him to find the best of any bunch for his company. Assuming the other recruiters didn\u2019t have similar abilities\u2014and it was a good bet this lot were only [Sergeants] and [Soldiers] with few Skills between them\u2014Quallet would walk away with most of his company within the hour.<\/p>\n

A decent crowd had gathered\u2014quite a lot of Humans for a village Quallet could have sworn was filled with Lizardfolk. No matter. Him being Human helped in that area as well. He took a breath and spoke at a field roar, making the people closest to him flinch back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re in need of coin, eh? Fancy going to war? Running from something, or seeking adventure? You\u2019re in the right place. A [Soldier] lives to fight, and you\u2019ll see plenty of that in Baleros, where the jungles run red with blood!\u201d<\/p>\n

That drew knowing nods from several in the crowd, but the Humans just stared at him. They were an odd bunch, dressed strangely with bright clothing. One had a strange, flat object with a glowing light coming out one end. Some kind of artifact? Quallet pretended not to notice. He went on with his little speech, going through the same motions like he had a thousand times.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t fancy being a [Soldier]? A [Warrior] will find just as much work, and the best can earn a living as an adventurer. Joining up with a company is the right first step. However, what these other companies don\u2019t tell you is that of every ten raw recruits that enlist, six of them will be dead in the first year!\u201d<\/p>\n

That<\/em> rattled his audience. Quallet looked among them. Yes, a group of young Lizardfolk, scales practically fresh. Dullahans with wood armor, all young, most carrying their heads and peering at him uncertainly. The Centaurs shifted from foot to foot and the Humans\u2014still staring.<\/p>\n

The other recruiters in the square were now giving Quallet death-glares from where they stood, but he didn\u2019t care. He spoke the truth and every recruiter knew it. But only Quallet could turn that knowledge into an asset.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour in ten odds don\u2019t sound good to you lot, eh? It takes a steady hand and talent to survive your first clash. Fancy yourselves natural-born fighters? You, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed at a pale-skinned youth wearing some sort of hat. It looked like nothing Quallet had ever seen before. The material was bright and there was some kind of symbol on top. A company\u2019s crest? A red bird sitting on an odd bit of wood stared at him over the word\u2026\u2018Cardinals\u2019?<\/p>\n

Never mind. Quallet stared as the young man looked around and then grinned nervously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you! Ever been in combat? Ever killed an opponent? You look sturdy enough. Good with a sword, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man stiffened. He hadn\u2019t, Quallet knew, been in any fights to the death before. He didn\u2019t have the look. And he wasn\u2019t armed. Come to that, none of the Humans were. But bravado was one of the key aspects of youth, so the young man with the odd hat grinned as his Human friends laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot with a sword<\/em>, but\u2026I\u2019ve been in a few fights!\u201d<\/p>\n

It took all of Quallet\u2019s willpower not to grimace at the stupid boast. A few fights? He\u2019d heard the same line repeated a thousand times from a thousand soon-to-be-dead faces. A few scraps with fists, rocks, and maybe the occasional dagger wasn\u2019t a real battle. Until they\u2019d survived a Dullahan ambush, or been on the receiving end of a Centaur charge, no one had the right to claim they were experienced.<\/p>\n

But it suited his point.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood in a fight? Well, perhaps you\u2019d fit in with the Raverian fighters. Or if you know magic, why not <\/em>enlist with the Tanglelurk company? But if you do, you\u2019ll be on the front, mark me. The first clash will have you going up against experienced warriors. Veterans who\u2019ve killed more people than you have fingers. So I wouldn\u2019t bet a \u2018few fights\u2019 against a skilled [Halberdier], not for any odds.\u201d<\/p>\n

That took the wind out of the young man\u2019s sails. Quallet turned, nodding at the two recruiters he\u2019d just made enemies of.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll promise you gold for nothing, but it won\u2019t be all of you who see it after months of fighting. Which is why I\u2019m telling you to join my<\/em> company.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what does your company have that they don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

That came from a brown-skinned Centaur with white fur standing at the back of the crowd. He had a good bit of room, mainly because Centaurs were huge and touchy. The Humans looked especially leery of him. Quallet replied calmly, meeting the Centaur\u2019s gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the [Captain] of Gravetender\u2019s Fist. Haven\u2019t heard of it? That\u2019s fine. But we\u2019re a suppression<\/em> company. We don\u2019t go to battle against veterans. We\u2019re night-duty, corpse battlers. You know what I\u2019m talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

They did. The Lizardfolk shifted and some looked back towards the other recruiters. A few Dullahans turned away. The Centaurs were still listening although their faces had twisted with disgust. The Humans were\u2026staring blankly. Did they not know, or just not care? Quallet took a breath.<\/p>\n

This was the hard part. Lose too many Lizardfolk and you\u2019d lose them all. The Dullahans were hard to sell to. He could probably get the Centaurs either way, but Quallet wanted all the recruits here. If he got them, he wouldn\u2019t have to go through any more villages and stand in the hot air.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot fans of what my company does? I won\u2019t blame you. But we provide an important service, a necessary<\/em> service for most companies. You\u2019ve heard of the battle between the Razorshard Armor company and the Roving Arrow company, haven\u2019t you? I\u2019m bound for that battlefield after this village, and I\u2019ll be leading my company onto the battlefield each night. It won\u2019t be glamorous\u2014it\u2019ll be muck and death and filth\u2014but it will be safe.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

What an ironic word. But it was true, and it drew attention back to him. Quallet strode back and forth, speaking to the crowd as they watched him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, safe! As safe as war can be! You\u2019ll see combat, true enough, but you won\u2019t die like Bloodflies in my <\/em>company. Eight out of every ten raw recruits that serves under me survives their first month. If you\u2019re new to battle, you\u2019ll gain your first ten levels in a combat class in this company, my oath on it!\u201d<\/p>\n

He alone could boast that. Quallet knew, the other recruiters knew, and most of the recruits with a brain knew that signing up with a company meant gambling your life if you were a new recruit. Put your mark with the Raverian Fighters and you\u2019d be fighting on the front lines within the week, and you\u2019d be lucky indeed if you didn\u2019t run up against a high-level soldier, a [Mage], or simply got cut to pieces in the crush. But Gravetender\u2019s Fist and companies like the one Quallet ran were different.<\/p>\n

They were safe. For a given measure of safe, of course. And that had an allure that beat out all of the other recruiters\u2019 desperate calls and pitches. Quallet got down to the details as the others stayed. He nearly had them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll earn a silver piece for every night you spend fighting, and four copper coins for the nights you don\u2019t. Think its poor pay for a soldier? We\u2019ll give you lot a sword and armor if you don\u2019t have it, healing potions for your wounds, and I\u2019ll be fighting right alongside you all. My company begins leaving tomorrow morning. Ask as many questions as you like. And ask about\u2014I\u2019ll swear to a truth crystal all I\u2019ve said is true. If you\u2019re unsure, ask those other recruiters what your odds are. But if they\u2019re honest, they\u2019ll tell you my company is the way to go for those of you who want to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet pointed at the haggard [Sergeant] recruiting for the Raverian fighters. The man gave him a haunted look as Quallet raised his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver there lies glory. Glory. The glory of the brave and the dead.<\/em> If you\u2019re seeking battles to test your mettle, sign up by all means. But join my company if you prefer to fight and live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It worked. It always worked, especially when you had an ill-fated company you could point at as a reminder of what could go wrong. Tales of glory and fame on the battlefield were all very well if everyone was humming the same tune, but Quallet had learnt to be the one dissenting voice in the crowd. And people listened<\/em> to the one odd voice.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t get all the recruits of course. No one ever did. Well, perhaps Niers Astoragon or Valka Cerethrian might be able to pull it off if they walked into the recruiting grounds. But that night Quallet signed over eighty recruits into his company, effectively doubling its size.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t a bad haul, all told. He\u2019d gotten the Centaurs\u2014all of them. It turned out the one who\u2019d spoken was a Level 11 [Fighter], and his friends had a few levels between them, which was good. Quallet had a handful of Dullahans, and a sizeable number of Lizardfolk. One of them had a magic class, which was an unexpected little gift.<\/p>\n

As for the rest? The Humans had come almost as one entire package. They were odd, and signed their names on Quallet\u2019s enchanted list with odd flourishes and curved writing, as if they were all [Scribes]. Some had laughed as they\u2019d did so, and joked about \u2018enlisting\u2019 as if it were a completely new thing.<\/p>\n

Odd. Quallet hoped he wasn\u2019t borrowing trouble with their lot. But they didn\u2019t seem like former [Bandits] or troublemakers in the ways he\u2019d learned to watch out for. They were just weird.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t have to like them, just teach them how to fight and obey orders, anyways. Quallet marched his new recruits two miles out to the camp where he and the rest of the Gravetender\u2019s Fist company was located.<\/p>\n

Rows of tents and armed warriors lounging about were what greeted the recruits. Quallet saw two people\u2014a Dullahan [Sergeant] named Xor and a Human [Soldier], Raeh, stride over to meet him. They were Quallet\u2019s acting officers. He didn\u2019t need many, but people who could lead when he was away were important, and he knew both males, having served with them before.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the rest of our company, Quallet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Raeh didn\u2019t bother with formalities. Quallet didn\u2019t see the need, at least between officers. He nodded at Raeh, and the man grinned. He wasn\u2019t a big man, although he was very good with the sword he used.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally. Time to be moving at last. I was getting bored of being eaten by the damn jungle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Xor looked disapproving. He did<\/em> address Quallet formally, as Dullahans tended to do in every situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain Quallet, there have been no disturbances in your absence. Would you like me to instruct the recruits, or will you do so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet turned and spoke loudly to the group of recruits. The Humans had been staring around and the Lizardfolk had already sat down while the Dullahans stood at attention. The Centaurs just looked bored at the slow pace. Each race had its peculiarities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is where you lot will sleep tonight! You\u2019re all part of Gravetender\u2019s Fist now, and you\u2019re under my command. I promised you food and a place to sleep\u2014and armor and weapons! You\u2019ll get all that, but for now mill about. Some of you will be called out by these two men\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He indicated Raeh and Xor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are my officers and you\u2019ll hop to it when they give you orders, just as you would when I tell you to do something! But there\u2019s no fighting tonight. Tomorrow you\u2019ll march and we\u2019ll start training you before we get to the battlefield. You\u2019ll have a good four days to practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFour days?\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the Humans looked dismayed. Quallet laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour isn\u2019t enough? You\u2019d rather practice for a month? Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ll beat the fundamentals into you, and you\u2019ll get a class while marching if you haven\u2019t one already. Your opponents won\u2019t be that dangerous either, as you\u2019ll see. But for now\u2014eat! Food will be passed around shortly. Talk amongst yourselves if you want to, make friends. Everyone standing here will be fighting by your side and might save your life!\u201d<\/p>\n

The recruits looked around warily. Quallet wondered if they\u2019d mingle. It didn\u2019t usually happen. He went over a few more rules, trying to get it over with as succinctly as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll each get one meal and one<\/em> alone. There\u2019ll be no stealing, or fighting of any kind in my company. I\u2019ll personally see to that.<\/em> If you can\u2019t stand someone\u2019s guts, keep away from them and hope they get killed soon. But cause trouble and I\u2019ll thrash you myself. You\u2019re soldiers in a company now, not children.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was it. Quallet let the recruits disperse, mingling with the few veterans and other new soldiers from other villages he\u2019d already found. It was rare for most of his soldiers to stay more than a few months in Gravetender\u2019s Fist. Quallet had grown used to new faces coming and going.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s feed them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grunted to Xor and the Dullahan helped him unload the bags of holding that helped make Quallet\u2019s company. They had been very dear to buy, but it allowed Quallet to do away with a lot of expenses for wagons, instead bringing out preserved food to be shared around by soldiers under Raeh\u2019s watchful eye.<\/p>\n

Recruits ate, recruits talked, some bragging nervously, others swapping tales or just keeping to themselves. Quallet watched as he chewed down some sour-dough bread and cheese, biting into one of the fleshy Picta-fruits and washing it all down with warm water. He swatted at insects as he saw each of the four races sticking to their groups for the most part.<\/p>\n

It was good enough. It was like normal. Quallet went to his private tent as the new soldiers slept in the mostly insect-proof tents. The experienced [Captain] listened to the dull roar of the jungle\u2019s wildlife, the occasional breeze blowing through the area, and the sound of snoring. He slept.<\/p>\n

The next day, Quallet rose just after dawn, and with his two officers, got his soldiers up. They awoke, scratching at bites, moaning, probably regretting ever wanting to be a soldier.<\/p>\n

That was normal too. Quallet fed them, showed the new recruits how to break down camp, stored it all in the bags of holding, loaded the heavy artifacts onto the lone wagon his company used, and moved out.<\/p>\n

His routine was simple. Quallet wished he could follow it in his sleep. After he recruited his company back to a good strength, after buying supplies to last for weeks or months and cramming them in the bags of holding, filling their enchanted capacity to the brim, he took his command and headed towards the closest battlefield, or the one he\u2019d been contracted to.<\/p>\n

This time he was headed towards the place where the Razorshard Armor company and the Roving Arrow company were fighting. A Dullahan-led company and a Centaur company, respectively. They were fighting over land, or maybe it was some old feud. Gold? Quallet hadn\u2019t heard the details from the other [Mercenary Captain] who\u2019d tipped him off. All he knew was that they could use another suppression company. The fighting had been fierce, apparently.<\/p>\n

March his recruits. Arm them with cheap weapons scavenged from the battlefield or bought en-masse from the war vendors. Train them.<\/p>\n

That came at the series of breaks to let the weary soldiers rest their feet. Quallet first distributed armor, letting the recruits fight over who got what, and then arms. For some reason, all the young men seemed to fancy themselves swordsmen, for all that there were perfectly good axes. Quallet eyed his new command again.<\/p>\n

Lizardfolk, Dullahans, Centaurs, Humans, he all had in various numbers. But the largest influx of Humans had come from that odd group of strangely-dressed young men\u2014and young women\u2014who\u2019d come with him on the latest recruiting drive. They were\u2026strange.<\/p>\n

For one thing, they all seemed to know each other. If not each other by name, they shared some kind of connection Quallet couldn\u2019t fathom. Some had very strange clothing, quite inappropriate for Baleros\u2019 weather and stinging insects. Any fool knew to cover skin rather than flaunt it, but this lot had been practically devoured by the biting insects the first night.<\/p>\n

Too, some of them had odd artifacts that were clearly magical. They made noise and light, and Quallet had seen more than one Lizardfolk edge over curiously. The Humans were very protective though, and didn\u2019t show them to anyone.<\/p>\n

Were they rich? Or were the artifacts cheap toys to make sound and light? Either way, it was strange. The Humans stared about at everything as if they\u2019d never seen<\/em> a real sword before, or another species. Still, they were hardly worse than any other recruit, which was why as the sun rose to midday, Quallet decided to start instructing them how to use<\/em> the weapons he\u2019d given them. Some of the young men had cut themselves, a few badly, by mock-fencing with the swords they\u2019d been given.<\/p>\n

He looked across his command and found one of the Humans who caught his eye. He stood out, mainly because everyone else who\u2019d joined up had pale skin, tan skin, brown skin, or dark skin\u2026this young man who was a bit older than most had dark black skin, like charcoal. Quallet called out to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou there! Black-skin.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man stiffened. He turned as Quallet strode towards him, looking surprised. And for some reason, angry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat <\/em>did you call me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was taller than Quallet, a giant, at least six feet, possibly six and a half feet tall. He had long arms, and a muscled body, although he seemed not to be at all comfortable with the mace he\u2019d been given.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said you. You with the black skin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet spoke calmly as the young man seemed to grow angrier. He pointed at the group of resting Humans milling about.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet some of your friends together. Twenty of them. We\u2019re starting arms drills now.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was wrong? Quallet had given an order. He hadn\u2019t insulted the young man, but in some way, he had.<\/em> The black-skinned young man looked upset. Was it because Quallet\u2019s skin was light, tanned from days in the sun? It didn\u2019t matter either way. Quallet stared up at the younger man, adding a touch of [Commanding Presence] until he backed down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir. I will do that just now. Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps it was the way he had said it\u2014he spoke as if he didn\u2019t understand the common tongue quite right, which was incredible in itself\u2014but Quallet watched as the young man walked off. Apparently, \u2018just now\u2019 didn\u2019t mean much to him, because he took his sweet time before obeying Quallet\u2019s orders.<\/p>\n

It turned out his name was Luan, and he did eventually bring some nervous, giggling young men to Quallet for a demonstration.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s how you hold those shiny weapons you\u2019ve been given. You lot\u2014take out your weapons. Not like that! Watch me, now. If you\u2019re taking your axe out, or your sword, you\u2019ll want to do it fast. Like this.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

He demonstrated and made the young men do everything from take out their weapons to hold them correctly. Then Quallet had them swing at the air, at trees and stumps, making them get a feel for how the weapons moved and how to strike.<\/p>\n

The Lizardfolk, Dullahans, Centaurs\u2026it was the Humans who were the problem. Again. The young men that Luan had gathered treated Quallet\u2019s orders like a game, laughing and slashing the air with wild cuts that wouldn\u2019t have killed anyone. One of them, standing down the line as Quallet shouted at Luan\u2014who at least had a good grip and stance\u2014was swinging his sword around and laughing at the others.<\/p>\n

Quallet turned to address this idiot when the young man\u2019s hands, sweaty from the heat and exercise, slipped on the badly-wrapped leather hilt of the sword. He lost his grip and there was a scream from one of the young women as the sword went flying through the air. People scattered out of the way as the sword landed in the dirt. The young man who\u2019d been holding it grinned nervously.<\/p>\n

\u201cOops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of his friends laughed, but Quallet\u2019s eyes narrowed. He crossed the distance between him and the young man in an instant. The young man didn\u2019t see the gauntleted fist before it split his lip and sent him tumbling to the ground.<\/p>\n

The laughter stopped. Quallet heard the young man swearing and stood over him, one hand on his axe. Everyone else watched as the young man stared up, suddenly afraid. Quallet shouted at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a game! When you\u2019re fighting for your life, having a proper grip on your sword will save your life, and the lives of the soldiers around you! If you cannot take this seriously, I will leave you in this forest to rot!\u201d<\/p>\n

The pale-skinned youth flinched from his words. Quallet turned and faced the rest of his company.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark me, this is not<\/em> a joke. You are learning how to fight! Hold your weapons properly, get a feel for them. Because you will be seeing combat this week!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man got up, pale-faced and bleeding. No one spoke. Quallet pointed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPick up your blade and keep practicing! You! Yes, you lot! Don\u2019t just stand around! Get moving! I want to see you\u2014all of you\u2014practicing!\u201d<\/p>\n

He made the rest of his company do the same, feeling the eyes of the Humans and Luan on his back. Now they feared him, which was fine. A [Captain] could be feared. Quallet was just glad he\u2019d had the opportunity to impress on them that this wasn\u2019t a game. With luck, he\u2019d have another opportunity before it came to battle as well. Every time he showed these raw soldiers what fighting was like, was another life he\u2019d save when it came to their first night on duty.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou! Wood-armor. Yes, you. Get the tents set up. Get as many hands as you need, but until they\u2019re up, you lot don\u2019t sleep!\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet barked orders as his weary and sore company rested for the night. He made them set up camp, pass around food, and then let them pass out in their tents. Quallet slept easily, woke up the next day and began it all over again.<\/p>\n

Train them, march them, feed them, and then let them rest. On the second day, Quallet began to lecture his company on their duties and had a nasty surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean you don\u2019t know<\/em> what Gravetender\u2019s Fist does?\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared at the group of Humans in disbelief. They looked ashamed, but it was true. To everyone\u2019s astonishment, it seemed that while the Humans had understood what being in a mercenary company meant, they hadn\u2019t known what a suppression company\u2014which was what they were in\u2014did.<\/p>\n

Quallet\u2019s eyes narrowed as he looked at the rows of faces, trying to see if they were playing a prank on him. But it didn\u2019t look like they were. The other species were giving the Humans very odd looks too.<\/p>\n

Greener than he\u2019d thought. Or maybe from another continent? But why would they be stranded all the way out here, then? Either way, Quallet amended his time-adhered to speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you signed up without knowing exactly what Gravetender\u2019s Fist does, well, you should have figured it out from the name. Alone. Grave tending. Gravetender. It\u2019s not exactly hard to see the connection. Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

Blank looks. Quallet couldn\u2019t believe<\/em> this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe undead! The restless souls that rise from unburied corpses and in places of power! Have you never seen one before?\u201d<\/p>\n

They hadn\u2019t. Xor had to actually rub at his head\u2019s eyes with his hands and Raeh looked incredulous. The other Lizardfolk were staring at the Humans as if they were idiots. The Centaurs were making a joke of the entire thing as they laughed amongst themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dead rise. Zombies, skeletons, ghouls\u2026they get worse with time and depending on the corpse and amount of death. A [Necromancer] can raise them and command them, but undead will spawn naturally from unburied corpses. That might not be a problem in a quiet village where the dead can be laid to rest\u2014or cremated\u2014but this is Baleros<\/em>. A place where war is always present! We\u2019re headed towards a battlefield where two companies\u2014with thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers\u2014are fighting each day! What do you think<\/em> will happen to all those bodies?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey rise?\u201d<\/p>\n

How could anyone ask that like a question? Quallet scowled.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course they do. And they\u2019re not only a nuisance, but a danger.<\/em> Leave a battlefield full of thousands of corpses alone for a short period and you\u2019ll get ghouls and worse popping up within days. They\u2019ll attack soldiers, spread disease\u2014and that\u2019s where we come in.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded to Raeh and the man took over.<\/p>\n

\u201cGravetender\u2019s Fist. We are a suppression company. That\u2019s not like a regular company for you new recruits. Suppression companies specialize in one kind of fighting. Some kill Goblins or monsters that make a nuisance of themselves. Others, like our company, kill the undead on the battlefield.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were murmurs at that. Quallet watched the Humans warily. If they hadn\u2019t known\u2014how could they not know? But now he had to worry about them deserting too. He spoke crisply, trying to dismiss their sudden dismay.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said it was better work than fighting, didn\u2019t I? You\u2019ll be up against zombies and the like mostly. Nothing dangerous. A rotting corpse might be a threat, but it\u2019s better than a veteran with a magical blade. Each night when the fighting stops we\u2019ll go into the battlefield, between the armies often, and handle the dead. The soldiers fighting don\u2019t want to do it\u2014they\u2019re tired, and if both armies are sending troops out it\u2019ll be a night battle against the undead and each other. So that\u2019s why companies like this one are hired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClean up duty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone in the crowd joked. Quallet nodded, ignoring the levity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be collecting corpses, burning them, and putting down any undead that decide to get up. It will be dirty work, quick, and dangerous if you don\u2019t watch each other\u2019s back. But the worst you\u2019ll face out there is a Ghoul, and that\u2019s only if you\u2019re unlucky. It beats dying with an arrow in your neck when the real fighting starts in the mornings, mark me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Humans stirred uneasily, as did some others in his company. Quallet raised his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re practicing! Now, your duties are simple. You\u2019ll be working in teams, spread out to cover ground. If you find a body\u2014you bring it over. Yes, they\u2019ll be rotting, yes it will smell.<\/em> And you will stab it through the head before you come, in case it\u2019s rising. [Sergeant] Xor\u2019s done this work a hundred times. He\u2019ll instruct you. Xor, show them how to move with Raeh watching your back\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

They met the first group of undead on the road, a day before reaching the battleground. The shambling zombies must have missed the armies somehow, and they were roaming about aimlessly. It was a perfect opportunity, one Quallet had hoped for. He took command and ordered his company to engage them. Not all of course; it was only about thirty zombies, so Quallet took exactly that number out and had them fight.<\/p>\n

They were all frightened, most close to wetting themselves as the zombies approached. But Quallet had chosen well, and the Centaur with white fur and the Lizardgirl with magic killed their zombie quickly and efficiently. Watched by Quallet, Xor, and Raeh, the other raw soldiers fought and killed their zombies, hacking away, running back, screaming\u2014<\/p>\n

Learning to fight. It was messy, horrible to watch from the eye of an experienced veteran, but it was the first step to forging his company into a fighting force. Quallet nodded approvingly as one young man killed a zombie with an axe.<\/p>\n

\u201cA good first step.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was one of the odd Humans, the ones with weird clothing. This one was pale-skinned and had odd features. Narrower eyes, black hair\u2014he was a bit short as well and he had an expensive-looking long-sleeved shirt and pants on. They looked like fine material, but they were now covered in guts and gore underneath the battered leather armor he was wearing. Quallet didn\u2019t know the young man\u2019s story, and he didn\u2019t care what his name was.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d heard others call the young man Ken, though. Ken\u2026although one of the young women had called him something else. What was it? Ken\u2026Ken\u2026something.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kenjiro Murata stumbled away as the zombie he\u2019d killed sunk to the ground, its misshapen head collapsing inwards as it struck the ground. It couldn\u2019t really be called a head at all, in fact. Kenjiro, or \u2018Ken\u2019 as the others called him, had bashed it so many times with the axe he\u2019d been given that the rotting bone and flesh around the skull had caved in.<\/p>\n

He stared at the corpse as it fell, stared at the horrible innards of its head, smelled the rotting flesh, saw some things wriggling<\/em> in the decomposing corpse\u2019s open mouth. Ken turned, about to vomit, when he heard a familiar voice crying out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! No!\u201d<\/p>\n

He ran towards the voice, leaving the dead zombie behind. Ken saw a girl with short black hair, wearing a battered piece of armor awkwardly over her jeans and t-shirt, backing away from another dead zombie.<\/p>\n

It had a spear lodged in its belly. But it was still trying to move forwards. The girl backed away, screaming, and then shouting at the undead corpse in a language no one but Kenjiro understood.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u3084\u3081\u3066. \u3084\u3081\u3066\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice was shrill, panicked. There was something insane about what she\u2019d said. Stop. Please, stop. She\u2019d said it to a zombie, but she probably couldn\u2019t believe what was happening. Ken still couldn\u2019t himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAiko-san!\u201d<\/p>\n

He ran over. The axe was in his hands. Ken smashed the zombie in the head, feeling a sickening connection. It fell over, and the girl turned away, covering her face in her hands. Ken stepped back, shaking as the second zombie he\u2019d killed fell, twitching and making a gurgling sound. He looked hesitantly at the girl.<\/p>\n

Aiko Nonomura.<\/p>\n

She was crying, sobbing, actually, with fear and horror. Ken opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. He didn\u2019t know what to say, not to Aiko. He wouldn\u2019t have known what to tell himself.<\/p>\n

He was in another world, with magic and monsters. And the undead. He was a soldier, and so was she.<\/p>\n

They hadn\u2019t known what they were signing up for at all.<\/p>\n

Aiko kept crying as the angry [Captain] shouted at the people around them. Ken saw other people, some Humans like him, others wearing strange armor, Dullahans, fighting next to scaly lizard-people as galloping Centaurs ran by, spearing zombies and hacking them apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cAiko-san, are you okay? \u5927\u4e08\u592b\u3067\u3059\u304b?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken had a hard time speaking English, so he switched back to his native tongue, feeling oddly formal. He knew Aiko of course, but she wasn\u2019t someone he knew.<\/em><\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t a childhood friend, more like a classmate that Ken knew from sharing the same class with for multiple years throughout their junior and senior high school time. They hadn\u2019t spoken much. It was a fluke that had put them together in the airport on that fateful day when they\u2019d vanished from their world into this one.<\/p>\n

Now they were alone, and Aiko was the only one who understood him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Yes, I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She spoke in English, speaking to Ken and also to the Lizardgirl who\u2019d stopped to see if they were alright. The scaly, frilled head nodded and the Lizardgirl walked on, conjuring a ball of fire to throw at a zombie. Ken watched her with amazement in his heart, and then looked at Aiko.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you okay? Hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head, but Aiko was clearly far from alright. She was pale, and as she looked back at the zombie, Aiko\u2019s face turned dead white. She stepped back and put a hand to her mouth.<\/p>\n

But she didn\u2019t throw up. Instead, Aiko looked at Ken, a mortal horror in her eyes. He recognized it, because it was the same terrible feeling in him.<\/p>\n

Zombies were real. Magic was real. They were in a fantasy world. Only it wasn\u2019t wonderful. It was just as bad as any anime, only worse. Because Ken could smell<\/em> the rotting corpses. He could feel every insect bite on his body, feel the heat of Baleros\u2019 winter, and know that he had killed two people today.<\/p>\n

Maybe they were already dead. But the sensation of breaking flesh and bone was\u2014it was too much.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u60aa\u56e0\u60aa\u679c.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiko gave word to the feeling in Ken\u2019s stomach. He looked at her. She\u2019d said\u2014well, he couldn\u2019t process it in English, only in his native language. It was an expression.\u00a0 It meant, roughly, evil sown is evil reaped. Those who do bad things have bad things happen to them. He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u3046\u3046\u3093\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at him. Ken felt compelled to explain himself. He looked at Aiko, hesitated, and then spoke rapidly in Japanese.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this <\/em>were karma, surely we\u2019d be punished in some other way. No, this is just reality. It is harsh, but we must survive.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Ever since they\u2019d come to this world, they\u2019d had to survive. They\u2019d sold their backpacks and luggage, found food and shelter for a few days, but like the others, like everyone from this world, they\u2019d run out of money in an instant. This had been the only work they could take, the only work they could do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is too cruel. I cannot do this.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiko\u2019s eyes were still brimming with tears. She looked at the corpse, gagged. Ken tried to look, and failed. He spoke to Aiko, trying to suppress the feeling in his stomach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are dead, Aiko. If they were alive, I would feel guilty. But they are dead and we are\u2026warriors now.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

He had the class. He was a Level 1 [Warrior]. A voice in his head had told him he had the class last night, and a Skill\u2014[Lesser Stamina]. Perhaps that was why his arms weren\u2019t burning despite chopping at two zombies with the axe?<\/p>\n

\u201cI know! I know, but I cannot\u2014Kenjiro-san, why are we here?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiko was distraught. She stared at the zombies, and Ken had nothing he could tell her. He didn\u2019t know. One second they\u2019d been in the Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, standing around and making awkward conversation as the rest of their group went off to buy souvenirs. Ken and Aiko had been forced to watch everyone\u2019s luggage because they\u2019d lost the straw pick. Some other people had been walking by, and Ken had seen a flash\u2014<\/p>\n

The next moment, he\u2019d been standing in a jungle with Aiko and a group of over a hundred confused people, spread out across a mile\u2019s landscape. That had been their first moments in Baleros.<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t gotten much better since then.<\/p>\n

Movement. Something approached out of the corner of Ken\u2019s eye and he whirled, holding his axe like Quallet had taught him. But it wasn\u2019t a zombie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa. Careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone was coming towards them. Another Human. This young man looked older than both Ken and Aiko, who were both freshmen in university. The tall, black-skinned young man holding a mace and wearing rusted chainmail grinned at them, sweating heavily. There was something stuck on one side of the mace. Ken stared at it, and then at the young man.<\/p>\n

\u201cLuan-san?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man grinned and Ken knew he\u2019d gotten the name right.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and you\u2019re\u2026Ken. Kenjiro, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t use honorifics. He wasn\u2019t Japanese, but from somewhere else. No one from Japan had been taken to the other world that Kenjiro had seen. Ken nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am\u2026and this is Aiko-san.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiko bowed slightly, and Luan grinned at her. There was so much absurdity to the moment, as the two Japanese students introduced themselves over the corpse of a zombie. But it was normal, so they clung to that.<\/p>\n

Luan eyed the dead zombie and then Ken and Aiko.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw you two fighting. Are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

How could you answer that? Ken hesitated, and then fell back on politeness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I am okay. Thank you very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiko spoke with slightly accented English, stumbling a bit over the words. Neither she nor Ken were native speakers, although they\u2019d done well in English class. Luan\u2019s eyes flickered to them, and he nodded without addressing their blatant lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am glad you two are okay. You should stick with me and the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed, and Ken saw some of the other people he recognized, standing pale and sweaty a good distance away from the last zombies as they were put to rest. He followed Luan with Aiko and they heard Quallet bellowing at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood! We\u2019ll have a break to drink and clean yourselves off, and then we\u2019ll tell you what you did right\u2014and what you did wrong!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luan made a face as he led Ken towards the others. Ken privately agreed, although he wouldn\u2019t have said as much out loud. He nodded awkwardly towards the others as he heard one of them, an American named Johanas, talking loudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it! We killed those fucking zombies. I mean, we<\/em> did it. With swords and axes, like a fucking video game. Does this mean we\u2019ll level up? What hell, man. What the hell <\/em>is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

That seemed to be the general consensus of the group. Everyone, even the people who hadn\u2019t fought, were pale and shaken. Ken understood.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d known they were enlisting to be soldiers, but they hadn\u2019t expected this. <\/em>Somehow, Ken had thought it wouldn\u2019t be\u2026wouldn\u2019t be\u2026wouldn\u2019t be real. He\u2019d still clung to a hope that this was all a dream, and that having a world with classes and levels and people with Skills meant this was a game, or some kind of dream you could wake up from.<\/p>\n

But it was all real. And from the looks on the others\u2019 faces, they were beginning to realize this as well. Ken and Aiko stood around with the others, listening to them speak. Everyone was speaking in English, as it was the tongue all of them had in common.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is some crazy shit, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone was talking to him. Ken stared at the young man with blonde hair who was speaking, and tried to make sense of what he\u2019d said. Crazy\u2026oh, he was saying this was insane. Ken nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think\u2026this is very crazy, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought this would be different. I thought since we had classes and levels, we wouldn\u2019t actually kill <\/em>people. Or it wouldn\u2019t be that real. But this is totally like\u2026like Sword Art Online, you know? Sort of like that, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

What<\/em> had he said? Ken was trying to keep up. He hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh? Yes? Maybe. I do not know. I am sorry\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken saw the other young man blink in surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry? No, it\u2019s cool. I mean\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He trailed off and the conversation ended there. Aiko edged towards Ken and whispered to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he mean? What is\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

She hesitated and spoke the words awkwardly in English.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026<\/em>\u2018Sword Art Online?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is an anime.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Did you watch it? Do you know what it is about?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

They both fell silent. It wasn\u2019t as if Ken didn\u2019t<\/em> watch any anime, and he\u2019d certainly read a few manga over the years. But he was in college now, and watching anime was a bit\u2026well, there was more to do than just that.<\/p>\n

He watched the young man with blonde hair move back towards the others. The others like him. It wasn\u2019t that the group of Humans who\u2019d come from another world weren\u2019t all on the same boat, but they were<\/em> different.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d all been in the Melbourne Airport when taken, and so they were all sorts of nationalities. Some big groups of travelers had been caught up, while individual travelers had been seized as well, or parts of groups like Ken and Aiko.<\/p>\n

Most of them were either Australian or American, with a heavier emphasis on American, since a huge tour group had been coming through. Other nationalities had come as well of course, but they were fragmented.<\/p>\n

Some had already left. In the first moments of confusion when Aiko had screamed and people had cried out and come running, Ken had seen all kinds of faces. But when it had been established that no one knew what was happening or what was going on, people began forming their own groups, usually based on shared nationality or some other identity.<\/p>\n

When they\u2019d finally gotten a fire going and lit up the jungle with their phones and other devices, Ken and Aiko had stuck with the others, trying to speak English and explain where they were from. A lot of kids from India had kept to themselves and didn\u2019t speak to others much. They vanished on the first day.<\/p>\n

In the days that followed as the travelers from another world tried to find civilization, more people left, suspicious or afraid they\u2019d been caught up in a trap. They departed secretly in the night, or openly in larger groups.<\/p>\n

A little over half of the original number had stayed together. The Americans, Australians, and some other people from European countries stuck together, and a lot of other people from countries with no friends came as well. Ken and Aiko followed the majority because they had no idea what to do.<\/p>\n

Now of course, after deciding as a group to sign up as soldiers in order to eat and survive, everyone still didn\u2019t know what to do. But they did talk among each other anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey. I have water for you two. Need some?\u201d<\/p>\n

The tall young man named Luan was back, with water flasks. Ken thanked him profusely before taking his and washing his filthy hands. Aiko did the same on the spear she\u2019d recovered from the zombie, splashing water carelessly on it until Xor shouted at her not to waste supplies. She jumped, and Luan scowled in his direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsshole. You know, I haven\u2019t seen him smile once? Apparently all Dullahans are like that. Do you know them? Their legends, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken blinked at Luan. The other young man was clearly not from America\u2014there was something about the way he spoke, and how he didn\u2019t fit with the other Americans. He wasn\u2019t from any of the other major groups either, because he didn\u2019t talk with them all the time. Ken nodded slowly, trying to reply as best he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do know. But they are\u2026how can I say this? Fairy tale? They are\u2026not-real things. Stories. Or so I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luan nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the guys are saying they think they\u2019re like monsters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike monsters?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken turned and stared at some of the other Dullahan recruits. They had taken their heads off their armored bodies and were pouring water into their mouths. They could take their heads off<\/em> their bodies, leaving only a glowing light from within. He spoke hesitantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they are people like us, but they look so much like\u2014like\u2026Aiko, how do I say\u2014?\u201d<\/p>\n

He conferred with Aiko and turned to Luan.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike walking armor, yes? Like knight armor, from Western culture?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luan\u2019s face lit up and he grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! Yeah, I get it. I was thinking they looked a bit like Alfonse. You know, from Full Metal Alchemist, yeah? I loved that anime!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken and Aiko stared at him blankly. Ken nodded slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I know what you are saying. But Aiko and I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He broke off and conferred with Aiko. She hadn\u2019t seen it either. Rather than be surprised at their lack of encyclopedic knowledge of all things anime, Luan laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s okay. I\u2019m a bit of a weeaboo. Do you know that word?\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone obsessed with Japanese culture. Ken nodded and smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like anime, but I have not watched many recently. But Aiko and I agree\u2014this is like an anime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA horrible one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiko\u2019s face was pale as she sipped from the water canteen. Luan nodded, growing serious.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is some bad shit, mate. I was worried about you two when Quallet told you to fight, but you did well! You stabbed that guy right through the stomach! Bam!\u201d<\/p>\n

He demonstrated and Aiko\u2019s face went pale again. Luan put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump at the unexpected contact.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry. I know this is all horrific.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s okay\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She hesitated, and Ken realized she didn\u2019t remember Luan\u2019s name. To cover for her, he hastily spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Luan-san, Aiko. And I am Kenjiro. I am very pleased to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He bowed slightly to Luan, who then smiled and introduced himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Luan Khumalo. You two are from Japan, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Where are you from, Luan-san?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can call me Luan. I\u2019m from South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! What place in south Africa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luan paused, and Ken saw Aiko cover her face and start laughing at him. It took Luan a moment to explain, and then Kenjiro\u2019s face turned red.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. I am so sorry!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken bowed his head, feeling flushed with embarrassment. But Luan only laughed heartily.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fine, it\u2019s fine! I\u2019ve met a lot of people who have no idea South Africa is a place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus, they became friends. As Quallet stood everyone up and lectured them at a roar on how to fight better next time, and then marched them onwards, Ken and Aiko began talking to Luan as the company moved down the jungle trails.<\/p>\n

Luan was the first person they\u2019d really got to know, and he was well-spoken, friendly, and strong. He carried his weapon and walked without succumbing to the heat, which was apparently, aside from the humidity, cooler than back home. Ken felt like he was in Okinawa, and he\u2019d never been<\/em> to Okinawa.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour English is really good. I am very jealous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiko commented to Luan as they were on the road. He smiled knowingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. It is, isn\u2019t it? I grew up speaking English.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

They stared at him. Luan laughed again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can speak four languages. English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Tswana\u2026you can speak two, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but not good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken was acutely aware of how hard it was to speak with other people in English, and had kept silent up until now because of it. But Luan took the opposite view.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if one is not as good as the other, that should be a good thing, not a bad thing. Most of these Americans can only speak one. If there were other people from Africa around, I could speak about them behind their backs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken and Aiko laughed, and then immediately looked around to see if anyone had heard. No one had.<\/p>\n

The group they were in, the group of people from another world was indeed filled with Americans. They were the majority, and in a way, they\u2019d taken charge. Several of them, mainly guys, seemed to have the final say in what was going on. They\u2019d been the ones to suggest signing up with Quallet, and they were the most vocal, and thus, the most persuasive, members of the group.<\/p>\n

They were also the most ready to be fighting. Some hadn\u2019t been bothered at all by killing zombies, talking about this being like a movie or T.V. show, and seemed positively happy about the prospect of leveling up and fighting. By contrast, Ken and Aiko would have loved to de-<\/em>enlist from Gravetender\u2019s Fist, but they were stuck. Luan seemed to share their opinions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you two do when you were in our world?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are\u2026were students in university.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, right! How old are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken was twenty one, Aiko twenty two. Both of them were in the same classes. Luan grinned when he realized they had known each other all their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two got into the same university?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right. I was studying to be in business and Aiko-san\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trying to learn to be an artist. Not manga\u2014I do illustrations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAg, shame! That\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShame?\u201d<\/p>\n

The two of them looked blank. What Luan said made no sense\u2014until he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cShame means good in South Africa. It\u2019s like if you said\u2014I found twenty bucks, yeah? Then I\u2019d say, \u2018Shame!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. I think I understand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps it was because they were both from different cultures that Ken and Aiko felt at home speaking with Luan. Unlike the people from America, they were alike in how they were all foreigners, outsiders to the main group. Aiko asked the obvious question to Luan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you do, Luan?\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned, showing them very white teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, me? I was on my country\u2019s national Olympic rowing team.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a few seconds for Ken to interpret this. When he did, he tripped. Aiko\u2019s eyes went wide.<\/p>\n

\u201cEh?<\/em> What?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

They stared. It took a while and Luan had to explain himself several times, but the world of Olympic paddling slowly opened itself up to the two Japanese students.<\/p>\n

Luan was an Olympic contender. Not an Olympian\u2014he hadn\u2019t gone to the Olympics, but he would have in 2020. He was South Africa\u2019s first hope for a Silver or Gold medal in his event, the single scull.<\/p>\n

He had trained to be part of a Coxless pair, which was a specialized type of boat that allowed for two paddlers to use it at the same time. Luan was usually on the bow side\u2014which was to say, the left side of the boat\u2014and competed with his good friend, Ben, who had the same goal as Luan. They wanted to take home the gold medal in the next Olympics, and had trained themselves intensively until they had become a serious contender, despite South Africa only having ever won one gold medal in the rowing event in the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Being part of a coxless pair was extremely difficult, because Luan and Ben both had to balance each other and cooperate to move and row with the same force to go fast through the water. Luan had originally wanted to compete as a single scull\u2014a type of event where only one person rowed with two paddles\u2014but he\u2019d met Ben while training and the two had become instant best friends.<\/p>\n

However, because there were already two excellent paddlers forming a coxless pair who\u2019d won a Silver-medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Lawrence Brittain and Shaun Keeling, Luan had put his hopes on winning in the single scull event, and his times were good enough for him to seriously aim at the gold medal. He\u2019d been in Australia for a break when he\u2019d been transported to another world.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, it\u2019s shitty lucky, but at least Ben will get a chance to go instead of me, eh? He\u2019s dreamed of being an Olympian as long as I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luan said all of this so casually that Ken couldn\u2019t believe it. Luan was\u2014well, he was one of the<\/em> best paddlers in the world. He was an athlete\u2014which also explained why he didn\u2019t seem fazed by the marching or fighting like the others.<\/p>\n

Ken had no idea how to behave with Luan, until Aiko pointed out what should have been obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a good friend. I hope we will go back in time for the Olympics, and you can compete and win!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luan smiled at Aiko and looked ahead. There was a quiet worry in his eyes, though, and Ken saw it. Luan turned to them, serious, as the final day of their march wound to a close.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two should stick together with me. It\u2019s going to be bad up ahead. I don\u2019t think the others realize it, but that Quallet guy and the other experienced soldiers know it too. Our job is going to be dangerous no matter what he says.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he said we will be safe, right? Safer? We will only fight zombies, not other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken tried to swallow the fear that had jumped up in his gut. He would have liked Luan to lie in that moment, but the tall South African young man looked down at him. He was older than both Ken and Aiko by several years. He was twenty five, and there was something knowing in his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a war, Ken. Believe me, wars are never safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day they arrived at the battlefield, a wide valley many kilometers long, where two armies sortied from camps on hilltops and met in the valley floor. Hundreds of bodies fell each hour and the screaming\u2014<\/p>\n

Oh, the screaming.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quallet knew he\u2019d come close when he heard the sounds of mage spells in the distance. There was a rhythmic thump<\/em> of something extremely powerful hitting the ground. He immediately signaled a halt.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaise the banner!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was essential to do this straight away. Each company had a banner and raising it was the only way to identify themselves. It might not mean they were safe, but an unmarked group wandering around would definitely be attacked by all sides. Under a banner, Gravetender\u2019s Fist was at least nominally protected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re headed into a battlefield, but we are not<\/em> fighting anyone living. The first soldier to draw arms or provoke the enemy I will cut down<\/em>. Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet addressed the company, impressing on them the seriousness of the charge. Then he had them move out, slowly, the banners waving as he approached the site of the battle.<\/p>\n

His company was spotted instantly, of course. The [Generals] and [Commanders] of both sides kept sentries posted for attacks from every direction. In no time, a patrol of Centaurs was racing towards him.<\/p>\n

Although suppression companies like Gravetender\u2019s Fist provided a service needed by all sides, Quallet had contracted with the Roving Arrow company, which was mainly Centaurs, although Quallet knew they\u2019d probably hired smaller companies to supplement their forces.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t get to meet with the company\u2019s [Commander]\u2014in fact, he didn\u2019t meet with any officers. Quallet was instead directed to a neutral zone, away from the fighting and told brusquely that other suppression companies\u2014those hired by the opposing side as well\u2014were there.<\/p>\n

This too was a standard practice in war. War vendors, [Merchants] who specialized in sales to an army during a conflict, as well as suppression companies and other independent parties often frequented battlefields. The custom was that there were areas untouched by the fighting, clearly marked as neutral zones where they stayed.<\/p>\n

That was the custom. Although Quallet knew that sometimes such companies masqueraded as neutral and influenced a battle covertly\u2014or overtly if they broke the rules of war. It was rare and such a company would be marked for all of time, but it did happen. He only prayed that this battle wouldn\u2019t see such an event occurring.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t likely. And everything seemed normal as Quallet found two other undead suppression companies waiting for nightfall in the space already allocated. Rot\u2019s Bane, a small group of experts and Untimely Demise, a large company full of green soldiers much like his own, were already set up in the best spot. Quallet directed Xor and Raeh to set up where they could as he met the two other company [Captains].<\/p>\n

\u201cQuallet Marshhand! I told you this would be a profitable battle!\u201d<\/p>\n

The first man to stride towards him was a bald fellow named Ulvial. He was in charge of Untimely Demise and wasn\u2019t as good a warrior or leader as Quallet\u2014but he made do with a set of officers that stayed with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cUlvial. Good to see you. Thanks for tipping me off about this battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet clasped hands with him and nodded to the second [Captain]. She was a Centaur named Exara. He\u2019d never worked with her directly, but he\u2019d heard her small group was efficient and disciplined.<\/p>\n

\u201cA pleasure to work with you, Captain Exara.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPleased.\u201d<\/p>\n

She trotted over to him and gripped his hand in a light handshake. Quallet looked around the open area they\u2019d been assigned and noticed a group of Centaurs staring at them. All of them were armed and alert.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot your group, I take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exara shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuards. They\u2019re watching my company since our contract was bought by the Razorblades.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was<\/em> odd. Normally suppression companies were trusted\u2014they banked their ability to be hired on their reputations for honest work without bias. Quallet frowned, but reassured himself with the knowledge that he was on the same side as the Centaurs. He looked back at Ulvial.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour company looks quite large. Expecting a lot of undead to work with?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes indeed! Haven\u2019t you seen the battlefield? Both the Centaurs and Dullahans are carving each other up out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the feud about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Exara and Ulvial shrugged at the same time. They didn\u2019t know, didn\u2019t need to know. They only had to do their jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome land argument? Money? Someone hired them? Either way, we\u2019ll earn gold by the fistful for dealing with all the bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be a chore between our companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet was already calculating the ground they had to cover. The valley was big\u2014he was used to such sizes, but they\u2019d have to work in quadrants, possibly saving some areas for other days if they didn\u2019t have enough forces.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, we\u2019ll be working into dawn each day. But we\u2019ll be paid for it, and paid well! It\u2019s simpler and easier than dying in this bloodbath, that\u2019s for certain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulvial laughed and Quallet winced. Suppression companies were indeed paid well, mainly because they were doing fighting of their own, but regular companies resented the need for them. Large ones like the Great Companies made their soldiers do the work, and there wasn\u2019t a regular soldier alive who didn\u2019t resent a suppression company for staying out of the real danger.<\/p>\n

Some of the Centaur guards were glaring. To change the subject, Quallet asked about a map and was shown to the one Exara and Ulvial had already carved up into portions. He studied it and tapped a spot as he conferred with the other two.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll take the west side and work our way in. I\u2019ve a group of new recruits, most of which don\u2019t know a sword from their own arm.\u201d<\/p>\n

They nodded, not bothered by the spot he\u2019d chosen. It was off-center from the fighting, which meant Quallet would get fewer corpses to deal with. Each suppression company was paid by the amount of corpses they disposed of, by fire or sword.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine by me. I\u2019ll take the south, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019ll head in from the east. Just make sure to have your banners up and illuminate yourselves. The soldiers from both sides are on heavy night patrol and they\u2019re jumpy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exara warned the other two [Captains] and Quallet nodded seriously. The last thing he needed was to tangle with soldiers from either side and get somebody killed. Ulvial grunted in agreement.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo fear. I\u2019ve seen what happens to anyone who sticks their heads out of the neutral zones. The fighting\u2019s everywhere. Speaking of which, have you heard there\u2019s another independent group out there? Not just the war vendors\u2014some kind of rogue unit!\u201d<\/p>\n

That<\/em> got Quallet\u2019s attention. Rogue detachments of soldiers were a wildcard. They could be a group of warriors or bandits or any number of things that entered the fray on one side or none at all. They were a danger to suppression companies if they attacked while they were working.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho or what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a large group. Not a fighting force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exara frowned as she tapped a neutral zone north of their position. She hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard it\u2019s a unit that treats wounded soldiers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny side\u2019s. Apparently there\u2019s a skilled [Doctor] working over there. She appeared when the battle started getting intense and offered her services. It\u2019s caught the attention of both companies, and there\u2019s a cease-fire in agreement in the area she works in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curious and curiouser. Quallet\u2019s brows snapped together. It was Ulvial who asked the obvious question.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so special about a [Doctor]? Both companies should have healing potions enough. It\u2019s not like they lost their entire supply to raids like the Raverian Fighters.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mention of that company\u2019s fate made both Exara and Quallet wince. The Raverian Fighters had barely survived their last engagement, as repeat attacks on their healing potion stashes\u2014and attempts to resupply\u2014had sent the company in full-blown retreat, barely a quarter of its strength.<\/p>\n

Exara shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know why she\u2019s here, but apparently this [Doctor] can heal wounds without healing potions\u2014and quickly, too! She\u2019s apparently better than a [Healer] and with potions she can bring soldiers back when they\u2019re considered dead by all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA useful person to have around, then. I\u2019ll watch out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulvial grunted and Quallet nodded. He doubted he\u2019d need to use her services, but it was worth remembering.<\/p>\n

Talk then turned to more practical matters, and soon Quallet was back at his camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of you are to stray beyond the neutral zone, or pick fights with other soldiers! You\u2019ll be heading in to your first battle tonight. Yes, you\u2019ll be hauling bodies, but you\u2019ll see the undead, and without us to hold your hand this time!\u201d<\/p>\n

He needn\u2019t have warned his soldiers. They were staring at the battle between the Dullahans and Centaurs with wide eyes, even the ones who were used to fighting. Quallet only had to glance to his left to see distant shapes battling out in the valley below. There were Centaurs charging at armored shapes, arrows flying, magic breaking the ground, blood\u2014<\/p>\n

He looked away. There was no point in watching. But the new recruits had never seen such slaughter, and the Humans were transfixed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDude. No way. This is insane.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Quallet heard one of them speaking and shook his head. This was Baleros. A contiment where war was in the blood, just like how Rhir was constantly locked in struggle. And this wasn\u2019t one of the largest warzones. This was two companies fighting, not ten or a hundred.<\/p>\n

Still, it was a war, and being so close to it made all of Quallet\u2019s senses sharp. He slept lightly until nightfall, knowing the new soldiers wouldn\u2019t get a wink. It didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

As night began, both sides began drawing back, avoiding skirmishing at night to avoid chaos, keep from sending their troops to fight a neutral party\u2014<\/p>\n

And to avoid losing them to the undead. Quallet eyed the sinking sun and saw the other companies readying themselves. He had his soldiers gear up, refreshed their memories about who was supposed to do what\u2014<\/p>\n

And waited.<\/p>\n

Soon, there was no more fighting in the valley below. The darkness was extreme. The sounds of battle had ended, but now other sounds took their place. Animals calling out, insects\u2014<\/p>\n

And the screams of those left on the battlefield. There were wounded there, unable to be recovered or too injured to be saved with healing potions. Some of the Humans in Quallet\u2019s company paled from the sounds. Others threw up.<\/p>\n

All normal. Quallet gritted his teeth as he saw Exara bring her small company down the slopes, a shining banner raised and illuminating their forces. He ordered Xor to do the same and turned to his company.<\/p>\n

Pale faces and frightened expressions stared up at him. Quallet saw most of the children who\u2019d signed up to fight wavering. Of course they would. But here and there he saw determination like iron in their gazes, unflinching resolution at what had to be done.<\/p>\n

The young man with black skin had that look. Strangely, so did the young man and woman, the two odd-looking ones standing next to him. They\u2019d been petrified fighting the zombies, but now they had the look. It was the look that told Quallet they might survive this night.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t bravery or bravado. It wasn\u2019t the thrill of battle, but the will to survive. That was what they needed. Quallet looked into their eyes and then drew his axe. He pointed towards the valley below, where shapes were beginning to stand. To rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cGravetender\u2019s Fist\u2026move out!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a hot, humid day when Quallet Marshhand walked into the recruiting grounds and claimed the half-rotted booth he\u2019d bought for the day. It was always a hot day in Baleros. At least the winter kept the worst edge of the heat off, but Quallet had gotten used to feeling sweat run down his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693084,349],"tags":[7224,250708,4330244,4472517,11693079],"twi_volume":[11693133],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-4070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-4","category-writing","tag-fantasy","tag-inn","tag-web-novel","tag-web-serial","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n1.02 D - The Wandering Inn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wanderinginn.com\/2018\/03\/01\/1-02-d\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1.02 D\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It was a hot, humid day when Quallet Marshhand walked into the recruiting grounds and claimed the half-rotted booth he\u2019d bought for the day. It was always a hot day in Baleros. 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