Warsister Elise Xerces was one of the highest-ranking female Federation military officials - with a stern manner and dedicated nature. She was also one of Cali's closest allies. The Warsister was the closest thing to a real sister to her; ever since Cali had started exploring on her own, Elise had been there to protect and watch over her. She didn't stand for crude passing comments and she taught Cali some of the basics to surviving in the outside world.
With Exarch's Bend gone into the hands of Sull troops, Elise had pulled back to the nearest major garrison to rest and recover. What Cali didn't know was if she was still there. Months had passed between then and now, and with an active war on the borders she could have been pulled away at any time to lead the soldiers into battle.
"Where are we going?" Tahar inquired, struggling to keep step with the determined elf.
"The garrison. Elise should be there."
"What about Ren?"
"He can look after himself."
Though Cali had to admit that it was exceedingly strange to be separated from Ren after following him for months on end. She had gotten used to having some company on the long and lonely roads that constricted the burgeoning countryside. In the similar way that Ren had taken her on as a companion, Cali now felt obligated to keep Tahar with her. God only knew what the oversized bird would get up to without her watchful eye.
The garrison she sought was the main base for the Federation military forces within the city. Dalston was a key strategic location, though it had never changed hands away from the Federation. It used to be an independent city state, but joined the Federation after Sull originally conquered Exarch's Bend decades ago.
It was a structure of wood and stone located within the tangled bustle of the industrial district. A tall stone wall surrounded the large, square building. A pair of heavy log gates allowed entry, if only to those with a reason to be here. Cali was a familiar sight to the guards out front. Elise often relied on her services when her own soldiers couldn't cut it.
The two men guarding the compound were only militia men, armed with chainmail, a black and white checkerboard tabard, and a simple spear. Their primary purpose was to deter infiltrators so the real soldiers could focus on their job. It was an attractive position for the city's citizens – easy pay for little more than standing outside in cold weather. There had only been one previous occasion where the militia was required in battle.
"Good morning," Cali greeted them, "If Warsister Xerces here?"
The man on the left studied her for a second; her wicked looking spear and attached catalyst launcher, her noble blue jacket and hat, and her dark, ashen skin. She cut a striking figure. The specificity of her appearance meant that there was no mistaking her identity if you knew the bare minimum about who came and went.
"Aye. She is. I take it you're Cali La'Corvan?"
"Yes."
He turned to Tahar, "And this big lass, is she with you as well?"
"Yes."
"Go on then."
He waved the pair through. Cali was silently thankful that she didn't have to deal with the more stubborn members of the militia who demanded official verification. It should have been simple to have an officer swing by and give their approval, but they refused to do even that much.
The interior of the compound was surprisingly spacious. On the right side of the open ground was a large training yard with dummies and targets for the men to practice with. There was also a small allotment garden for growing vegetables and other foodstuff. Several of the soldiers were milling around without purpose.
Cali moved straight to the door into the building. The majority of the interior space was allocated to barracks and storage. Many of the soldiers and militia men had homes within the city and had no need of the provided beds. You could avoid it by hooking a left and heading up the stairs immediately. The junior and senior officers had rooms on the second floor for living and work.
The problem with living inside a defensive structure was the draft. Even under her thick, all-weather coat Cali could feel the bite of a cold wind blowing through from a peephole at the end of the corridor. Bare stone made for poor insulation. The rooms on the inside were built from wood and fared better.
Cali was used to sleeping in a tent, so it didn't faze her.
She knocked on the door to Elise's office and stepped back. She could hear the scraping of a chair from inside, following by heavy footsteps. The door clunked open and Elise's face peered through the crack.
Her surprise was evident, "Cali? I didn't expect to see you here."
"Hello Elise."
"Please, come in."
Cali accepted the invitation and crossed the threshold. Tahar ducked under the doorway to protect her head from another impromptu meeting with a plank of wood.
Elise's chambers were meticulously kept, as was everything that involved her. Green silk curtains bearing her family's seal hung from the previously bare walls to prevent any cold from seeping in. Bookshelves lined each side of the room, and there was a small set of tables and chairs pushed into one corner. The other part of the chamber was her sleeping space, with a single bed hiding behind a large desk.
Elise tilted her head at the sight of Tahar, "Uh, and who is this?"
"This is Tahar, she is from Versia."
"Versia? What's a woman from Versia doing all the way over here?"
"She is Ren's wife."
"W-Wha… You're telling me that scruffy looking rogue got married?"
Tahar interjected, "We have not consummated. I was awarded. For deeds in service to my home village."
It took a moment for Elise to fully understand that Cali had followed the rogue all the way to Sull. The only people who went to Versia were researchers and mad treasure hunters with a short life expectancy. What kind of rogue would get involved in work like that? "I hope you're not getting in over your head again," she concluded plainly.
Cali turned to the weapon rack beside the door and slid her halberd inside, "I have not perished yet, so there is no need to worry. I came to see if you have any work available."
"I always have work available," Elise walked to the window and looked down onto the main yard. "Half of them are too busy drinking and brawling to follow my orders," she complained bitterly, "A post like this brings out the worst in people. It's like they don't even know there's a war going on out there."
"…If I may, I have observed that individuals prefer to adopt an optimistic approach to hard times."
"I don't mind that, but they take it too far sometimes. It's not helping that every man in the city is utterly obsessed with underground fist-fighting. They leave in a pack in the evening and blow their wages on booze, women and betting. Then they have the nerve to complain to me that they don't have any money afterwards!"
Ren did enjoy a drink, but this new perspective from Elise had made it clear to Cali that he was nowhere near as bad as most others. "We will be staying here for some time. Are there any local tasks that need the attention of a warmage?"
Elise reached under the desk and retrieved a tall stack of papers, slamming them down in front of her; "Take your pick! Every rapist, murderer and con-artist decided to turn up out here when the fighting started. I don't have the men to take care of it."
Cali sliced away the top half of the pile and started to shuffle through them. Some came with sketches and descriptions of the target, others did not. Bounties varied wildly in terms of challenge and time commitment. The bills were issued by the local authorities to anyone willing to pursue them. The worse the crime and more violent the suspect - the higher the pay offered. Generally, they wanted the target alive so they could execute them in public or throw them into the stocks. If the crime was bad enough however, it was no skin off their teeth if the willing party ended them then and there.
Bounty hunters were known to "simmer" some contracts by agreement, leaving them until the issuer decided to up the price to try and attract a hunter. Several of the contracts on offer had clearly been left on the table to put pressure on the buyer. Their loss was Cali's gain. She wasn't looking for a big pay-out, it was just something to occupy herself with.
Elise watched Cali's face from between her fingers. The normally stoic elf was completely unscathed versus the last time they met, though there was one difference that she couldn't stop herself from commenting on.
"You've changed a little," she observed, "I think, anyway. Did something happen?"
Cali remained still, "Something? Yes, a great many things did happen. What is this change you speak of?"
"It's hard to say, but I think you're a little more emotive now."
Cali paused. Was it really that obvious?
"I did not notice."
Elise sighed, "That's because you're not staring at yourself in the mirror. I can tell that you've lightened up a little. Trust me – we've been working together for long enough for me to know. Dare I say you look positively excited about that bounty flyer."
"Hm. There is nothing unusual about these posters. Perhaps you are correct."
Elise smiled, "Wasn't that what you always wanted? To find something that 'stirred your unmoving heart?'"
Cali remembered saying something along those lines, she was surprised that Elise recalled it so precisely.
"I cannot say for certain yet. Ren has ferried me to a variety of interesting places and gotten me into many interesting situations, but if I were to compare it to the feeling of fighting a nightwalker… it's not as exciting as that just yet."
Cali could still remember the copper blood in her mouth after that encounter with the lich. The burrowing terror was a strong competitor with its hideous appearance and regenerative ability, but in the end, she was not struck by the beast and grievously injured like Ren. A disappointment to be sure.
"Whatever it is, I'm happy to see that you're breaking out of that cold shell of yours. What they did to you back home was disgusting. It's no way to treat a child."
Cali shook her head, "Nay. It was the path that my people had chosen for many years before my father did. For him it was the only way. He did not know any other. It is a pain passed down between generations."
"But still…"
"In the face of a new reality, Dwenivyr chose to plug its ears and close its eyes to the outside. It will continue to wither until they choose to change things. Ergo, I hold no sympathy for my father or the King, or any of the people there who continue to perpetuate the cycle."
"And your brothers?"
"I grieve for what they have lost. But I know that enlightening them is no simple feat."
Elise closed her eyes. Cali was always so evasive on the matter of her life back home. It was completely understandable given what had occurred there. Elise had only pieced things together after Cali revealed her ignorance on how children were raised in the Federation and Sull. Those who lost great things would go to extreme lengths to insulate themselves from that emotion. That gnawing feeling that they could have had it all in the palm of their hand.
Perhaps everyone on the continent should have counted their blessings when that fear was expressed not as blame pointed at Sull, but as an inward sense of shame that paralyzed Ashmorn society for decades and decades afterwards. She decided to change the subject to something lighter before Cali found her mark, "What's your measure of this 'Ren' character then? I didn't think much of him when he spoke down to me in the Bend."
"He is a confrontational person, and principled in the strangest of ways."
"How so?"
Cali returned to her task, "He projects himself as noble and god-fearing, yet he commits acts that some would consider distasteful and hypocritical without restraint if it is in service of survival or comfort."
The Warsister shrugged, "People are complicated. Sometimes they can't live up to the ideals they set for themselves." Elise knew that better than anyone. She was curious about the other woman standing in the room with them – she hadn't spoken a word. She was very, very tall, easily seven or eight feet. Her clawed hands and father coated arms suggested that she was of a foreign race to Sull.
"And what do you think, Tahar?"
She snapped to attention, not expecting to be spoken to. Her speech was fragmented and clunky. "Ah! Ren is very kind and brave. But Cali knows him longer than me."
"Complicated questions are difficult for Tahar. She is not entirely familiar with our language," Cali explained.
That was a bust, Elise thought to herself. Ren had seemingly refused to sleep with the girl. If she wasn't just a one-night stand to him, then it made sense that a rogue who lived on the road wouldn't desire to take on a permanent romantic partner. Knowing that assuaged her fears of him taking advantage of Cali's emotional immaturity somewhat.
"If you trust him enough to work with him, I suppose he can't be all bad."
"Yes. He does have a bad habit of 'running his mouth' when it isn't needed. Figures of authority elicit a negative response."
That wasn't a mystery to solve. Rogues had a lot of reasons to hate soldiers and watchmen. Elise had heard rumblings that Lord Forester of Sull had massacred a large number of people in the Bend without trial. No doubt some of those people were acquaintances and friends of his, or even innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
Cali finally found a job she was happy with and placed the rest of the bounties back down. It looked like their time together was coming to a close once more.
"By the way, Cali. When you finish with that – I might have something else for all three of you."
"All of us?"
"Ren doesn't mind dirty work, does he?"
"As Ren always says, he is like a 'pig in muck' with dirty jobs."
A colourful turn of phrase, but it was exactly what she wanted to hear. Elise nodded and returned the bounties to their designated cupboard - located by her feet under the desk. "I'll refrain from sharing details right now. I'm still not certain of the specifics. But first refusal will go to you and Ren, should you be interested."
"Very well. When we meet again, I will inform him of your offer."
Elise stood from her chair and followed the duo back to the door, "Don't be a stranger Cali, and keep yourself out of too much trouble."
"I will try. Goodbye Elise."
"Goodbye!" chirped Tahar.
Elise watched them go and considered her situation. A rogue was just what she needed.