Dust flies in every direction as Edil hastily retreats. His footwork is shoddy but he managed to place some distance between himself and Bard. Bard is the only other mercenary with a full set of plate armor. He is also Edil’s opponent for his rite of passage. Why would Kite pit another student against a heavily armed opponent after my fiasco? To prove that I was at fault, of course. Bard carefully responded to Edil’s strikes though he was anything but aggressive.

“Damn, take this!” Edil cried out as he swung for a gap between Bard’s shoulder armor and breastplate.

“Oho, a good strike.” Bard doled out half-hearted praise while blocking.

There's so much wasted movement that it makes me sick… I thought. Yet, despite Edil’s wide swings, this duel went on for over an hour. If it were me, I might have lost due to sheer exhaustion. An hour of hard combat, especially in armor, was nothing to sneeze at. Although, maybe it was just my poor constitution since neither of the two mercenaries seemed to be weakening.

“You’ve thrown out many deadly strikes over the course of this battle. Any more would be pointless, you pass!” Bard finally set down his weapon and called the fight. The two exchanged a sweaty handshake and received applause from the teachers, Kite and other onlookers (myself included).

“Well, that wasn’t so hard.” Edil happily told me later that night. He leaned in close and I recoiled at the heavy stench of alcohol on his breath. “You just gotta’ be tenacious and keep fighting. That’s what it’s all about. Next time you get your chance, just try to stay standing for more than a few minutes…hic!”

“Yea…I’ll keep that in mind.”

I excused myself as quickly as possible. We didn’t really get along but Edil was the only other guy near my age. That conversation made me realize I was going to need some booze in me before I could deal with him drunk. During my search for a drink, I noticed a lone merchant sitting at one end of the camp.

“Common necessities and rare trinkets. Don’t be shy, everything can be haggled.” The merchant cooed softly, as though he was already resigned to a lonely night. It wasn’t uncommon to have merchants join the camp. We’re travelers of a similar breed. While a merchant would prefer to set up in a town, we’ll usually see one or two stop by while the camp is in the middle of travel. Though, this time we might have attracted a strange one.

I’m not sure if the ‘common’ goods he spoke of were stashed in the abnormally large backpack behind him, but the goods laid out before him were certainly rare. Unidentifiable bones, skin from a hairless animal, horns of various beasts and even some dusty books sat on the merchant’s silk carpet. With this sort of merchandise, it was no surprise that the mercenaries avoided him. Although, his appearance played a role in his abandonment. The aged man wore a hefty, but simplistic, red robe with a hood to cover his face. After studying him with a passing interest I became careless and our eyes met.

“Boy! Yes, you.” He waved to me with that same wispy voice. “Come, I sense you will find something you need here. My name is Elver, feel free to search thorough my wares.”

Maybe he sells rat poison. I thought idly. My reputation among the mercenaries couldn’t get any worse so I decided to browse.

“Who normally buys this stuff?”

“Fools, mostly…hrgh.” Elver let out something between a laugh and a cough. “Grind these bones into a drink and you’ll live ten more years, burn these skins on your wedding night and your husband’s eyes will never stray, that’s what I tell people.”

“But you’re telling me different?”

“Well, we both know magic’s more complicated than that.” He pulled up his left sleeve to reveal a scar. I gasped, it was a familiar mark. Jagged lines stretched across his arm to form a sinister claw.

“How could we have the same scar?”

“…Huh? You don’t know?” Elver cocked his head and then released another withered laugh. “Don’t tell me you’ve just been walking around with that on your face. Mercenaries are a careless bunch though, maybe it doesn’t matter.”

“Know what? What are you taking about?”

“Kid, tell me a little about yourself. What are you doing in a place like this?” He stared at me intently.

“Forget that, tell me about this scar!”

“Hmm, If I’m going to tell you then I want to know who I’m talking to.” He shrugged. The man seemed frail enough to fold under a strong breeze. However, when I looked into his eyes something told me that intimidation wouldn’t work.

I relented and told him about my history. My story ended once I was taken in by the mercenaries but then he shook his head.

“Keep going. What have you been doing in this camp? What do you want to do?”

Against my better judgement I told him everything about my training, Kite and even my goal to become a knight. He laughed again and I shivered. Why was I telling him this stuff in the first place?

“I understand now. You’ve had quite a tough life, Rowan. But people like us are naturally hated by this world…misfortune will always befall us.” He sighed.

“People like us? What does that mean?”

“You seem to think this is a scar, but it’s actually a birthmark. It is known as the mark of the sorcerer.”

“…Sorcerer?”

I’d heard stories of sorcerers, everyone had. They’re filthy creatures that use magic to bend the natural laws. If mercenaries are a step above bandits, then sorcerers are one step below them.

“Yes, people born with this mark are fated to become sorcerers. Though, maybe it’s a little presumptuous to use the word ‘become’. From the moment you were born the talent was already within you.”

“Just stop there.” I thrust my hand out. “I’m no sorcerer, nor do I wish to become one. I already told you that I will become a knight.”

“It might be easier to accomplish your goals as a sorcerer, though.” He laughed once more but I turned away.

“My goal is fame and fortune, sorcery would only cause infamy. A coward or a fool might take the easier route but I will train my body and become a famous warrior.”

“Rowan, I’ve listened to you tell me about your life and now I can understand what you are. You are an ant. Do not misunderstand, ants can achieve great things by working together. However, you are a solitary ant. Someone like that will never achieve their goals no matter how hard they work.”

I didn’t respond. In fact, I could barely hear the last part of his lecture. There was no point in talking to him, so I walked away. If that was some elaborate ruse to attract a customer, then I will never know. That is because I was already late for training. I swung the iron sword into the ground a few extra times that night.

~ ~ ~

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes.”

“Your armor’s on properly?”

“Look for yourself, it’s fine.”

“I’m glad they could find you a helmet. Does it fit ok?”

“Yes.”

“Did you sharpen your sword?”

“You and the other women manage all our gear. I’d assume it’s been sharpened.”

“Oh yea, I did sharpen it.”

“Mom…”

My mother chuckled and gave me a pat on the back. She attached a pack full of rations to my horse while I made a serious effort to straddle it. I silently wished my equipment was heavy enough to give me an excuse. I loathe being short.

“Are you excited or scared?” She looked up at me, wearing a proud smile.

“A little of both I guess…”

“Wrong answer.” She shook her head in mock disbelief. “You should forget about excitement and just be scared. It’ll make you more cautious.”

“What if I run away then?”

“That’s fine by me. Just come back safe.”

Yes, after taking time to recover, after bargaining with my trainers and after fighting someone who wasn’t Kite, I was finally able to join the mercenaries on a job. Even though it was only the beginning of a long road to prove myself, I felt elated.

However, there was another reason why I was so excited for this mission. Working for a lord is all well and good and killing bandits would be wonderful but today we had a unique job. A bounty had appeared. This is different than killing an armed nuisance or vagabond thief and demanding payment after the fact. Bounties are criminals that have escaped the law so many times that a lord will pay anyone who manages to take them down.

“You said your goodbyes?” Edil waved to me, signaling where I should ride in the group.

We weren’t going to send an entire camp after one man. Instead, this would be a ten-man job made up of Kite’s cabinet along with Edil and myself. We’re mostly there to watch the veterans in action, no one expects much.

“That’s right, did you say goodbye to your mommy?” Kite guffawed. “I already said my goodbyes a week ago.”

“She’ll have forgotten you then, since I bid her farewell a few days prior.” Another mercenary chuckled.

I gripped my reigns tightly but said nothing as I fell into line.

It doesn’t matter what they say. I reminded myself. They’ll realize who they’re messing with someday.

We would ride for hours without rest. The others took it well but I was already feeling signs of fatigue. Of course, I didn’t show anything outwardly. Those men were ruthless even when I don’t show weakness.

It took us a few days of travel to reach the forest where the bounty had allegedly fled to. From there things, thankfully, slowed down as we began to follow his trail. I’m not sure if Kite and the others had any tracking skills but it didn’t matter. The forest showed clear signs of an intruder.

“Jesus Christ…” Bard whispered as he examined the bloody remains of a rabbit.

“This guy must be some kind of monster…” Even Kite shuddered as we found more disemboweled animals along the way.

It wasn’t just animals either. Trees were stripped of their bark and bore deep scars as though a giant bear had marked its territory. Birds couldn’t be heard in the canopy above us. In fact, the entire forest was eerily quiet. Of the ten of us, I was the only one who kept a straight face. Edil must have noticed and he began to watch me cautiously.

“Stop looking at me like that.” I called him out and he flinched.

“Ah, sorry. It’s just…aren’t you scared?” I could feel the ears of the veteran mercenaries prick up at this question.

“N-no, of course not. I’ve seen worse from bandits.” I replied casually.

We finally reached a clearing and everyone sighed in relief. Walking through densely packed trees had made us very jumpy. Kite ordered us to set up camp and we did so without a hitch.

When night arrived we took turns sleeping in shifts. I half expected my shift to be extended unfairly but Kite worked by the book here. Probably because we were all on edge. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter if Kite treated us fairly or not. No one slept well that night.

Immediately after the sun set we heard an ungodly roar. It carried the sensation of a terrifying strength across the entire forest. Trees shook and I noticed the sounds of smaller animals scampering away.

“Out of your tents and on your guard!” Kite barked and we scrambled into a ring formation. The roaring continued throughout the night but none of us could catch a glimpse of the beast responsible.

After a couple hours of uneventful roars Kite ordered some of us to sleep. We rotated out when the moon was halfway through the sky. Of course, none of us actually got any rest. This hell persisted for another two days, at which point we had reached our mental and physical limits.

Some of us had begged Kite to abandon the bounty but Kite was reluctant to leave. After a while, the rest of us understood why. Leaving this clearing meant another day of traveling back through that dense forest. If the beast decided to strike, we wouldn’t even see it coming.

On the third night, I stood guard along with three veterans; Bill, Kayne and Oliver. I didn’t know the other two very well but Oliver was one of my mentors and so I felt a little safer. That feeling evaporated as I saw his eyes fall shut.

“…Oliver, wake up.” I whispered while nudging him discretely.

“Snnerk!” He let out a loud snort and shot up like a nervous mouse. Oliver looked around furiously until he noticed the worried eyes of his teammates.

“The next time one of us nods off just grab someone else from the tent.” Bill sighed. “There’s bound to be someone who can’t sleep.”

I nodded sheepishly.

“I’m hungry…”

The four of us looked at one another. No one recognized that voice.

“Nothing is good anymore…” It was a deep voice; I would almost call it a growl. “These animals, these plants…I hate them.”

We all froze while twigs and leaves were crushed underfoot. The beast’s steps grew closer and so did its voice.

“There’s light over there. Shining so brightly.”

The others and I searched frantically for a light but it was pitch black.

“Where is it?” Bill whispered. “Put it out right now!”

“Be quiet. There’s no light out here, just get in a tent.” I ordered.

It was just a gut feeling but I didn’t think it was talking about an actual light. Somehow I felt that hiding was our first priority. We piled into an empty tent and huddled together in silence.

“Light? Where did you go?”

Each of us shuddered as heavy footsteps shook the ground.

“Hmm…I can still smell them. Somewhere…” It trotted further away and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“AAAAAaaaah!” A frantic scream rang out about a quarter of a mile from the camp.

“There you are~”

The screaming stopped soon after that. For a while I could hear a rhythmic crunching sound. My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness in the tent and I looked around. There were only three of us: Kayne, Bill and myself. Oliver must have run away from the tents during our scramble.

We didn’t hear any roars for the rest of the night. The next morning, we searched for Oliver but we couldn’t even find a corpse. If they weren’t already, now Kayne and Bill were too afraid to leave through the dense forest. The seven of us did what we could to calm them down but in the end all we could do was waste another day.

“So what are we going to do?” Bard sighed. “If we can’t go back then are we just going to wait for it to show up again?”

“For now we’ll wait.” Kite declared. “We’ll kill this beast and get revenge for Oliver.”

My heart beat faster as I watched the sun sink below the horizon. The fourth night would begin soon. Our hell wasn’t over yet.