Sun followed Marcy to meet their blacksmith. When they arrived, Sun gave his broken sword to be examined. "I'm sorry, but I can't fix this." The blacksmith said, "I don't have the proper tools to meld the broken blade together. I have the material to forge you a new sword, though. It won't be as good as this one, but it's better to have a sword on you when you travel."
Sun sighed, "No, it's fine. I can fight without one."
Not wanting to offend their visitor, the blacksmith made a suggestion, "If you want to fix the sword, you should visiting the dwarven kingdom east from here."
"We're actually going to head there after we finish our business here."
"That's great!" The blacksmith was elated to hear that, "If I may, my master lives in the kingdom. I recommend visiting him for your sword. Just tell him Little Meek sent you."
"Little Meek? Is that your nickname?"
"Yes, he called me that during my apprenticeship. But you can call me Marcus."
Sun extended his hand, and both men shook hands, "Well, nice to meet you, Marcus, and thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
After the village Chief and the blacksmith exchange pleasantries, Sun and Marcy returned, where the villagers and goblins were busy watching Cossack try to conquer their wild horse. They ran to the ranch and watched Cossack fall to the ground, defeated once more.
Marcy tried to intervene, but Sun assured the old man that Cossack could handle the challenge. Meanwhile, Stick was running around the village with children after him. Rock ran with the children, telling them the many prizes they could win if they grabbed Stick's tail. "Rock, screw you!" Stick would yell every time Rock made a claim about the prizes.
The children only stopped when Smoke grabbed Stick's tail proclaimed that he was the winner. And if the children wanted the prize, they will have to fight him for it. The children were scared of Smoke. Rock was a big jolly man, and Stick was a cute overgrown cat, but Smoke looked stoic and colder than ice. He was far from their favorite guest, and soon the children ran back home.
"Thanks," Stick said.
"Don't mention it," Smoke let go the tail and bonked Rock's head, "And you shouldn't be instigating the children."
"Ow, sorry. We were just having fun." Rock said with puppy eyes.
"That's not going to work on me. Now let's get back to Sun."
The brothers walked back where they saw Sun and the village Chief watch a man taming a rough horse. When they got closer, they were surprised to see Cossack on the back, holding on for his life as the horse rocks him back and forth.
Whenever Cossack fell, he would get back up with twice the determination he had before. Today was his last chance to impress Artio, and he was not going to lose this opportunity. And his relentless spirit was beginning to run the horse's stamina dry. The bout will soon be over, and the winner will be determined by their unwavering spirit.
Again, the horse kicked Cossack off its back. Cossack was sent flying in the air and landed on an empty trough. He got back up, dusted off his jacket, and walked back to the gate where the horse was already waiting in anticipation. Cossack was determined to tame it, but the horse could feel the broken bones and aching muscles weakening Cossack. It was time for the horse to show Cossack the true meaning of pain.
Cossack got on the horse and gritted his teeth. The villager opened the shutter gates, and the horse bolted out to the middle of the field. Then it began to kick the air, forcing Cossack's body to snap back to maintain his grip and balance. Then the horse and got on his two rear feet. The inertia from the previous kicks made Cossack fly forward, and his face smashed against the horse's thick neck and his long nose bend in half.
But Cossack did not fall. He held on to the horse and kept his body from losing its balance. This impressed the horse, but it was not enough for it to stop and acknowledge Cossack as its rider. The horse ran in circles, hoping its speed will launch Cossack to the air and outside the fence.
Truth be told, Cossack was beginning to lose his consciousness and was nearly ready to fly across the ranch if not for hearing the angelic voice of Artio. Miraculously, the women finished their short bath and walked back and saw a crowd gathered around the ranch. When they came to watch the spectacle, they were mortified to see a bloody Cossack riding the horse.
Artio climbed on top of the fence and screamed at Cossack. "Don't let go!"
Cossack took those words to heart and tightened his grip. "I will not lose!" He yelled at the horse. Finally, the horse succumbed to exhaustion and collapsed on the floor. The villagers rushed to help Cossack up and examine the horse's well being.
The villagers had nothing to fear because the horse still had enough energy in its body to stand up. The horse walked towards Cossack, leaning on one of the villagers, and bowed his head. Cossack earned the horse's acknowledgment, and he was now its rider.
Cossack jumped off its feet in excitement and ran to Artio. "Did you see that?"
"Yeah, I saw it!" Artio bonked Cossack's head, "You dumbass. You were already injured from the fight. Why did you go and try to tame a wild horse for?"
"Just because I can!" Cossack smiled.
"I feel like I heard that from someone before," Smoke casually mentioned. "And you better get yourself cleaned up before I use my healing spell on you."
"No problem," Cossack ran to the villagers who brought a bucket of water. He took a ladle and poured the water over his face and jacket, washing off the bloodstain. Then he ran back to the group and got was healed of his injuries by Smoke.
"Most of them were minor injuries, but I can't rejuvenate your muscles, so you'll still feel sore after a few hours."
"But Artio, what do you think about me taming that horse. Am I amazing or what?"
Artio crossed her arms, "I have to admit. I was at the edge of my seat, watching you ride that horse. And it was impressive how you managed to stay on its back. If only your nose didn't look like an accordion. Yahaha," Artio giggled, "Sorry, didn't mean to laugh."
Cossack laughed as well, "I don't mind! I rather laugh and still think I'm cool."
The two were locked at each other's eye, unaware of the uncomfortable atmosphere they were exuding from the tension between them. The air around them was so light that the two could have floated up the clouds. "Anyway," Sun said to break the awkward atmosphere, "I meant to ask you this for a while now. Bret Hart is a Golden Condottiero. What is that? I know they're strong. I saw him carry those wagons like they were just sticks, and Smoke heard that he alone managed to defeat the majority of Black Crow's army."
Artio's face turned grim and serious, "Golden Condottiero is the title given to a group of mercenaries known for their remarkable strength and unwavering loyalty. To be one of them, you must have a strength that rivals that of the strongest warriors in the world or at least have enough power to change the tide of war to your side's favor. Because of this, the title can only be given by the superpowers, making it even harder to be a candidate. Your reputation must extend globally if you want to recognize as a notable mercenary."
"I guess that's why Hart told the Black Crows they were just kids in a playground." Smoke commented.
"Exactly," Artio noted, "Golden Condottieros also has diplomatic immunity, and they can also change the political environment of a region just by living there."
"And how many Golden Cono-whatever are out there?" Rock asked.
"There used to be ten, but only eight are currently out there."
"What happened to the other two?" Shuja asked.
"They fought. Pretty common between them during peacetime. They battled on top of Mount. Zone. It was the tallest mountain in the Herena continent."
"Was?"
"The Mt. Zone and the surrounding mountains were destroyed during the battle, and the two killed themselves at the end of it."
"You're telling us that two Golden Condottiero were strong enough to level an entire mountain range!" Sun was shocked, "And there's eight more of them! My god, I bet they're expensive."
"They are. Only the great powers and superpowers of the world can hire them. The Dark Flower kingdom is one of those great powers. Because of that, there are rules Golden Condottiero must follow. Golden Condottiero can not switch sides during the war. Most mercenaries can be defeated just by paying them more than the opponent, but Golden Condottiero will not take such bribes. They must also prioritize the superpowers. They can't accept any other clients until they finish their contract with their superpower."
"But are there limits for the clients too?"
"Most definitely. The superpowers, in particular, have a very strict number of Golden Condottiero they can hire, and they can hire them during times of war. I don't know how many, but considering the strength of the superpowers' leaders alone, I bet they can only have one."
Just as they finished talking, one of the villagers came to tell Artio that her carriage is ready. They walked across the village towards the carriage. It was a long walk for Rock and Natasha. They held each other's hands as they walk reminiscing about the time they spent together. "And I remember you would suck on your thumb after feeding because you didn't want to hurt me." Natasha giggled, "You're such a gentle baby."
"I don't know about gentle," Rock scratched the back of his head.
"You were as gentle as a pillow. If only you were still a baby, I could pinch your butt cheeks."
"Ma!" Rock was embarrassed, and Stick took this chance to laugh at Rock. "What are you laughing at?"
"And then you fell in love. My goodness, I don't know what you see in her, but you better not hurt Dawn. You hear me, Rock?"
'Yes, I won't."
"Rock might have to suck his thumb every night so he wouldn't hurt Dawn." Stick joked.
"You little shit."
Natasha grabbed Rock's arm, "Rock, don't touch yourself! That's a sin." She said in a serious voice.
"Hahaha," Stick laughed.
But soon the laughter and banter stopped when they reached the carriage. And a solemn atmosphere replaced it with the villagers gathered around, showing their respect to Artio. Natasha followed closely behind, but Rock embraced her from behind when it was her turn to step on the carriage.
He cried on her shoulders, which surprised everyone but Natasha. Rock was a strong man, and many would assume he was a hardened warrior. But a man must sometimes cry, and Natasha was more than willing to offer her shoulder for the child she fostered.
She turned around and hugged Rock. He tall now, making it difficult to embrace him as Natasha has done before. But inside the strong muscles was the small goblin scared to touch her when she was first carried back to the barn. And this will be her last time to show her love and appreciation for that goblin.
When the tears stopped flowing, Natasha sandwiched Rock's face and told him she would visit someday. She kissed him on his cheeks and promptly got on the carriage. The coachman got on, and they rode off. Rock and Cossack ran to the edge of the village, yelling at the carriage as it gets farther away. They yelled that when they meet again, they will become strong warriors.