Rehans guess was right. Only a few hundred meters away a fight between the mercenary group and a small pack of blood wolfs was about to begin. To fight in the darkness of the night was far more dangerous for humans, in particular if the enemies were animals which had adapted to the night. Cold wind blew and leaves danced through the air as elegant beasts moved forward. The blood wolfs used every thick trunk to hide themselves and their smooth coordinated movements were nearly invisible in the darkness of the night. They knew where light shone through the foliage and kept away from it, all while the mercenaries positioned themselves exactly where the light was.
The men stood back to back, stayed alert and slowed their breaths. All their senses were heightened and they payed attention to every sound other than their own. Everyone knew that they were completely surrounded by blood wolfs. There was no return, they had to fight. But this knowledge didn't discourage them in the least. It was exactly the opposite. Observant eyes jerked from one place to another. Bloodlust and the thrill of a good battle shone within them. Every last one of them grew up under hideous circumstances no human wanted to experience. Comradery and the knowledge that they could count on every person in their group was what glued them together. In addition, a tasty feast would await them if they did their job right.
"They're comin'." one of the men whispered and seconds later a dark shadow came flying out of the darkness. It threw itself onto the one who had opened his mouth. More followed and soon the group of 17 men and three children was totally ingulfed in their bloody fight.
Blades shone as they came in contact with a cone of light, reaching the ground through thick leaves. Heavy breathing of humans and dreadful growling ripped the silent night apart. More than once a loud laugh could be heard or a pitiful howl as the mercenaries praised each other. In particular the three kids. Praises, corrections and warnings were what reached their ears.
The two girls often answered with a loud "Yes!" as both adjusted their fighting stance and instantly struck again. If they got praises their faces lit up and flowers seemed to bloom around them.
Those two were really sincere, took their tasks earnestly and could handle the spear better than a grown man. They had proven themselves on the mercenaries training ground.
The older one – called Thea – had a short brown hair cut and deep black eyes. Her comprehension and calculating speed were far superior to that of her peers. It wasn't her first real mission and certainly wouldn't be her last.
At the moment Thea used a spear which improved her fast movements. She moved as light as a fairy and her way of fighting looked more like a foreign dance. Every motion was taken with utmost elegance and ended deadly. As soon as she targeted a wolf its fate was determined and it often ended up loosing its guts while it jumped.
Korey instead had a harder time competing. She was only 13 years old and used a halberd as a weapon. It resembled a spear, but could also be used with the techniques of an axe.
Although Korey herself had decided to use such a weapon it was more than obvious that it didn't suit her. At least not yet. The little blonde girl was simply too small to use a halberd as efficiently as a spear. Weight distribution between her body and the sharp wide blade made it hard for Korey to control her overall power. That on the other hand often lead to shallow wounds on her targets and slower movements.
Still, she tried to watch her sisters back as efficiently as possible.
The only one who didn't really react was Romeo. He wasn't even trying to fight. For an outsider it would mostly look like he was the weakest of them all, but that was certainly not the case.
Romeos gaze twitched from one animal to another. Wolves moved past him or decided to attack directly. If there was such an attempt, he dodged dexterously, hand always close to his right side, where a simple steel sword waited for him. Romeo still did not consider it necessary to take part in the fight. Neither was he in danger, nor were his comrades, who obviously enjoyed the whole thing. He didn't want to take that joy away from them either. At the same time, however, it came in handy for him… this little exercise.
Unlike the others, he did not like to fight. He couldn't feel the bloodlust, which was reflected in the eyes of the men and his two older sisters. Romeo preferred to train his reaction speed and sought to bring his agility and foresight to a new level. Having full body control was an exciting feeling, much more euphoric and headier than having to wipe deep red blood off the blade of his sword.
"Now the last one's done for."
The group came to a halt and Romeo also ended his movements. The hand that had always been close to the sword now moved to his back and gripped his wrist before the young boy started to watch the adults piling up the dead bodies of the wolves.
"Now we've got more than enough fur for the winter."
Satisfied, Zosan slapped one of his brothers on the back before turning to the children. With his muscular arms crossed, he stood with his legs apart in front of the three, who immediately tensed and took on posture. Zosan was the group leader this time and the closest confidante of the head of the mercenary force. He was also responsible for the basic education and training of children who ended up on the threshold of their little guild or found their way to them on their own. His gaze was forceful and stern, but if you looked closer you could see the fatherly love in the steel blue of his iris.
"Thea, your movements are still too prude. You are fast and the budding elegance can already be seen, but if it is your goal to turn every man's head in their wake, then maybe you've chosen the wrong guild."
The harsh words hit the eldest hard, yet she nodded. She hadn't noticed how her attacks softened just to keep her elegance. However, if she thought back on it now, she also noticed. Her head dropped and she began to reflect on her movements.
"Nevertheless, you are the one who contributed the most to today's little surprise hunt. You can be proud of yourself."
Her head shot up quickly and a smile formed on her full lips.
"Thank you very much Zosan. When we're back to headquarters I will focus more on technique and strength. The form follows afterwards."
Satisfied with her answer, the adult went on and turned to Korey. The girl clutched her halberd and trembled a little. At first, she didn't look him directly in the eye. Only after taking a deep breath did the blonde loosen her grip slightly and then looked up.
"That took a little while," Zosan stated dryly, then grabbed the back of his neck. With a quick jerk and a slight movement of his head the muscular neck gave of a cracking sound. Only then did he open his mouth again.
"Everything takes a little longer for you. I brought you with us because you absolutely need real combat experience. You are mostly not even aware that you really are in danger, that your life's on the line. You can't always fight in the shadow of others. If you want to do that, you certainly choose the wrong weapon."
The older man reached out and flicked the halberd's blade, causing Korey to flinch.
"A halberd needs attention. She is a weapon which can only develop her full potential before the eyes of everyone. You have to accumulate a lot of strength and growth, so that you can be worthy of her."
The girl quickly nodded and immediately looked at her weapon. It seemed as if Korey was seeing the halberd for the first time and her black pupils were enlarging.
"Very good… Korey, you hunted down a blood wolf with your weapon and helped severely injure some of them. You can sleep through the night and do not have to stand guard."
The children's eyes lit up and a loud "Yes!" followed by a somewhat quieter "Thank you." could be heard. The happy laughter of the others at her involuntarily cute demeanour made Korey blush.
After everything had calmed down again, Zosan returned to his seriousness and looked down to Romeo. The boy returned his gaze with a pair of eyes that looked as still as the surface of a mountain lake. There was no emotion in them. They gave the adult a brief shiver down his spine. He cleared his throat.
"You were enjoying yourself, were you not?" Were the only words the rough voice announced. Romeo replied with a low and truthful "Hmm." It made the man sigh before turning and shouting to his men, "We'll go to the nearest lake and take care of our prey." He turned to Romeo again. "You will help with gutting and skinning."
A just punishment for a fool who turned his back on a good opportunity, as Zosan thought. The older man knew just too well that he was contributing to the fact that Romeo still had to wipe blood of his blade in the end.