NOVEL NEXT 84
“Thank you for the generosity Grand Baron. But we have our own duties.” Said the Taal’s Fury’s knight captain.
He has his stag helmet on his side. His hair and beard are red, wild, and unkempt long as if never brushed. One quite big and nasty scar ran horizontally from his left eye that is somehow not blind and narrowly misses his right eye. Though his left eye has permanently lost its lid. Many fetishes of Taal and Rhya on his person in the form of bone necklaces, bracelets made from pieces of deer’s antler, and other accessories.
“Please Captain Grimwald. I insist.” The Grand Baron replied. The knight captain’s left eye twitched at the insistence. This back and forth has repeated twice now and he hoped for patience if there will be a third. But before he replied he saw Bertrand and Faris quietly listening on the back. Then Grimwald’s eyes looked up to the wall and the surrounding immediately after. He rubs Taal’s fetish on his necklace before coming to a decision.
“Men! We shall rest here for two days!” The other knight's head snapped back at him. As if not expecting the stay.
“Excuse me then, Baron. I need to brief my men.” Grimwald offers a small bow before promptly leaving without waiting for the Baron’s leave.
“Very well. I will notify my servants and prepare… adequate quarters for your men.”
If there’s any slight on the Baron, he did not show it. Gausser then turns back with his bodyguards back to Salzemund while Bertrand and Faris move to the side and offer a respective bow as he passes.
“Anything you glean on that?” Bertrand starts as he walks towards the Knights
“Other than Baron’s insistence which is apparent, the Knight Captain seems interested in us. Or our unorthodox retinue.” Faris states the apparent.
He has an idea why but in his line of work, predisposition on certain things can prove deadly so he stays quiet until things are certain. As both approach the knights, they see that there is one dire bear and one particularly large great eagle amongst the circle of men he briefed. The great eagle snaps its beak on Bertrand and Faris approach. Which concludes the brief as the Knight Captain now turns to both as the Great Eagle take off and the rest of the knights disperse. Leaving the dire bear along with the captain.
“You must be the captain of the new trial company I have heard of. I am Captain Grimwald.” He offers a proper salute
“Wizard Company Trial Captain Bertrand.”
“Witch Hunter Captain Faris.” Bertrand and Faris salutes back
“Two captains eh? That’s unusual. Who’s deferring to whom here?”
“Technically him.” Faris points at Bertrand
“Politics?” Grimwald asks again on the company’s unusual leadership
“What else?” The three captains all smirks and shares the same kind of understanding
“Follow me.” Grimwald then said as he went into Laurelorn with the dire bear behind him
Bertrand and Faris follows without hesitation
—
The three men and a bear went a little deep into Laurelorn. To the point where Nurgle’s corruption starts to become really apparent. Some rotting flesh on trees leaking pus. Things that look like organs and many, many lidless eyes in various sizes, all gray with blindness. Grimwald led them to a clearing that is somehow still pristine. Out of place amidst all the corruption. Then the dire bear that follows them turned into a tall woman with wild and long dark blonde hair almost as long as she is tall. Almost twice taller than the rest. Only her hair covers her body.
“You have entered the Sanctuary of Rhya. Mind your words. While it wards mortal’s and other’s scrying, the Goddess can hear all.” She both assure and warns in a gentle tone
“Surprised?” Grimwald asks with a chuckle as he sat on a rock
“You are not the only one that suddenly has many magical apprentices.” He hints that other wild beast that follows them are perhaps not all just beasts
“There are no such reports from the Amber wizards.” Faris scowls
“And we see no reason to.” Grimwald asserts
“Should I remind you of the Empire’s law…”
“Fuck that law!” Grimwald interjects loudly
“You witch hunters can see no differences between an Amber wizard and hedge sorcery.”
“Easy now.” Bertrand tries to reel back Faris as he already unconsciously move his hand to his pistol and Grimwald on his sword
“We…” Come a female voice that somehow diffuses the tension “Simply forget to report. Different from other schools, Amber wizards are still indirectly overseen by Taal and Rhya. Those with affinity simply have a call to the wild to seek other Amber wizards. Quite many have come to seek us because we have no manpower to spare. Besides, we are reporting it to you right now.” She offers a reasonable compromise and Faris nod in appreciation
“Very well Lady...”
“Heilgard.”
Though Faris still note that she did not provide clear numbers on how many new apprentices as per required by law
Bertrand meanwhile already sat on another rock near Grimwald.
“With that settled, why don’t we start on why exactly both of you need us here?”
“And why did you choose us over the Grand Baron?” Faris add as he too sat
“Such news will be wasted on that deaf oaf. I don’t think he will put what we will share in proper seriousness or withhold them.” Grimwald explains as Heilgard made a nearby bush grow and produce fruits and water flowing from a standing rock while she already have four cups ready.
“This will take a long while.” Grimwald said as he began to explain what is happening in Laurelorn
—
“Bullshit!” This time, Bertand is the one in outrage as he starts pacing back and forth.
The news shared is in no way comforting. First, that the damned golden daemon is still alive. All the Grail Knights are dead. And he never put the Golden Herd into a dire strait. In fact, they are growing. Finally Grimwald also confirms that the surge of magic in Drakwald is due to the Golden Daemon’s doing which basically completes his company’s mission.
Meanwhile Faris took this news in silent rage. The Amber Wizards have been paying attention to the Golden Herd for a while. Then the fact that their supposed gods are the one forbidding them from interfering and attacking the Golden Herd. The only marginally good news is that Taurox and his slaughterhorn tribe have been destroyed by the Golden Herd. But this is just replacing one monster to another.
“So? Can you do it then?” Grimwald asks again
What he asks is to defy the chain of command. Bertrand is to go to Middenland and share this news personally to Graf Boris. While Faris is to go to Altdorf and share this news to Emperor Karl Franz. The former is significantly easier as Bertrand already has Huntmarshall as his sponsor. But the problem is to make this news come not from a madman. A daemon leading a beastmen herd is rebelling against chaos. Laurelorn have fallen and is now ruled by said daemon. Then the fact that this two news are supposedly confirmed by Taal and Rhya themselves.
But both grasp the underlying notion of Grimwald’s request. The request simply being a messenger and no clear command or demand from Taal and Rhya. The two Gods are letting the empire decide on how to deal with the Daemon and the Golden Herd. This could mean that the two Gods are letting the humans to decide this on their own.
Or that they too are uncertain
