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It was a cold afternoon, all day a small band of mercenaries had tried to re-establish their camp under the gusty winds. Failing miserably, they tried to prepare themselves for the
long night ahead of them. Several of the men that were there began to complain loudly.


“ You realize that these tents weren’t made for open plains” A small wiry man said. His face long and withdrawn, his sickly body shaking. “ and that were so close to the Dark Forest, I can smell the dead bodies.”

Several other people looked at him strangely and with disgust. His shaking turned to coughing, and a few men eased him onto a few supply crates. The men took a fleeting look at the forest and turned away.

“ Why haven’t the woodsmen come back yet… we need to get a fire started….” One of the men said, trying to warm himself up.

“ The Forest calls to them… then…The beasts of nightmare tear into their very souls….” The sickly one said, small drops of blood flecking his chin.

One of the men walked quickly towards him and wiped away the blood, his gloved hand soaking up most of it. He then withdrew a flask and handed it to him.

“Drink this, Magical one….it will warm your body” The man said, holding the silver flask to the mage’s lips.

The mage held out his hand and took the flask slowly, almost studying the physicality’s of it, before breathing deeply and swallowing a small portion of it. His shuddering stopped immediately and his coughing lessened.

“ Thank you Broderick, you serve me greatly. “ The mage patted Broderick on the shoulder and laid down. Broderick bowed and walked over to a few of the murmuring men, who only stopped when he got there.

“ What… the Mage is weak, and its up to us to help him… he is paying for the journey, and supplies… AND our payroll….” A few of the men nodded and shrugged, walking off towards the forest, hatchets in hand. Broderick only frowned, and turned to two of the men waiting for him.

“ Lysan, Fritz. Protect him at all costs….If we need to sleep in the forest I don’t want our company rebelling and killing our payee…. “ Fritz and Lysan nodded, they were two of the companies main fighters, armed with leather hauberks and b*****d swords, they were the personal retinue of Broderick, leader of the Mercenary company Red Lions. However Broderick, cared little for the combat side of mercenary life, and rather do escort missions, and border patrols. The Red Lions, as the group was called, came from Hertical, a small ghostown near the long river Hijenkil in Elvish, or in common tongue Wraith River. The company was only small, consisting of a hundred men, armed mostly with swords and the occasional bow, armored in cloth and for those who excelled ( or stole) in combat, Leather. Broderick himself was clothed in a full leather suit, and a Dwarven chainmail coat. His long sword suited him perfectly, though it was rarely used in combat. As he would watch as men lived or died from a good vantage point. Leading his small unit of longbow men at the rear of the battle.

This new ‘mission’ as he called was to escort a mage to the Capitol city- Witheldin. It was a thousand gold coin mission, with free supplies and coverage. With that in mind Broderick accepted it and it was only today they had problems. The weather which started out warm, was now a ghastly fall, and the land was wreathed in storm clouds. Add to that the loss of a few woodsmen, was not making out to be a good day.

A few screams could be heard from the forest, as a panicked woodsman ran out of the forest and into the others back at the caravan. Broderick rushed to the man and held him steady.

“ What’s wrong, where are the others?” Broderick shook the man, who was now weeping in fear, as an unearthly scream erupted from the forest.

“ The Daemonettes…. They are coming for the mage…we couldn’t even hit them….” Broderick dropped the man and drew his long sword, snarling in the direction of the forest.

Broderick motioned his sword to the Forest, and a few of his most able fighters joined his side. His unruly human feet brought him within two steps of the deep, dark forest. Silence overcame their breathing before Broderick turned and shouted.

“ Fools, No monster will rout us for we are – urk” Broderick fell to the ground with an arrow in his chest. The shaft permeated red energies before it exploded, sending Broderick’s corpse in a hundred directions. A few of the men took this opportunity to run back to the encampment, however the owner of the arrow flew from the forest.

Terrible creatures, leathery wings were sported from their backs, and their fangs glistened with fresh blood. In an instant, all the fighters were fleeing, casting off their heavy equipment, but death was swift, within a span of a hundred steps, all the men were killed, impaled with scimitars, and arrows. Horrible screaming followed, a gluttural and loud battle cry rang from the leader, a Female with Crimson features, hair and eyes, and even her lips were painted with blood. Her longbow twanged and another human fell, this time screaming as his blood erupted in a fountain of pain and death.

The Mage awoke with a fright, in time to witness the slaughter of the mercenary troops. He stood up on the crates he was sleeping on and yelled, bolts of lighting crept out of his hands and pierced one of the flying daemonettes crushing her chest and sending it falling from the sky. He then noticed as the leader descended and walked towards him accompanied by two of her retinue. Lysan and Fritz readied their swords and got into an defensive position, Fritz, watched as one of them lunged towards the mage, he stepped in front a repelled her sword with his hilt, sending the unruly combatant sprawling. Fritz saw his chance and dove with brute strength into her on the ground impaling her. The daemonette screamed and faded out of existence, leaving the black-blooded sword in the ground. Lysan was in a more skill wary competition, his strokes and her parries, more concise, however the leader walked towards the Mage. Fritz charged towards the crimson one, only to be repelled by a force unseen. The Mage held out his hand and revealed a small fire dart.

“ Any closer Mistress Sathena of the Red Guard, and I will fill you full of these Darts.” The Mage struck a defiant pose.

Sathena smirked and watched as Lysan beheaded the other daemonette with a swift side stroke, its body and severed head pooled blood then disappeared, staining the ground a nightmarish purple. Lysan and Fritz both growled at Sathena, who only flicked her hand and sent the two flying with an unseen force.

“ I never knew the Great Sirus Mithlit, Grand Mage of the Flare order, would have mercenary lackeys. “ Sathena bared her fangs, and licked her lips, making them glisten even more. Sirius snarled and heaved a handful of the darts into the air. Sathena glimpsed at them for a brief second, only to look back and find Sirius gone.

“ DAMN” Sathena pounded her heavily armored fist into a crate, shattering it into splinters. At sunset, not a single man was alive to count another day to his life, except for….

“ Fritz…Fritzy…wake up… wake up you idiot…. we’ve been saved, that crazy old mage –.“

“ OLD” Sirius yelled, holding Broderick’s flask and taking a small sip. He then passed the bottle to Lysan, who in the small hut was barely fitting. Fritz shook his head and took the flask from Lysan and drank from it. Lysan smiled and cracked his hands, the sound echoing in the cabin. Sirius coughed and took the flask from Fritz, who was now awake.

“ Well boys, looks like you owe me for saving you from death… or worst….” Sirius smirked.

Fritz shook his head…” What’s worse then Death?”

Sirius shrugged ” I don’t know yet…That was what I don’t intend to find out”

Lysan nodded and helped Fritz up, they both peered over the small cabin with interest, it was bare except for a few items, maps, and water skins, wood, pure basics to run a small wood chopping organization. Lysan turned to Sirius and looked at him intently.

“ What is this place…. honestly where are we….”

Sirius smiled. “ Well where in the middle of Ashenvale Forest…a league away from Witheldin and a thousand away from Sathena and the rest of the Red Guard. “

Lysan and Fritz slowly sighed and began to breath normally.

“ Well boys, Im in need of a few men, would you like me to hire you as my personal bodyguards… free food, and lodging as well as a hundred gold coins per day.” Sirius said, a small quiver of excitement in his voice.

Lysan nodded, Fritz smiled.

“ Master Sirius, we are yours…”. Lysan said both of them bowing low, as to show their truthfulness.

Sirius smiled and pointed to the door. “ We go to meet a few friends of mine…then …We can get on with our quest.