It was early in the morning and the sun had only just rose. The streets were still mostly empty except a few shops and hawkers setting up their store. Emery let out a yawn and grumbled to herself about how early she had to wake up today. Oh how much she would have liked it if she could just sleep in today as well.
But unfortunately she could not as the merchant was to set out in an hour or two and as his escort it was her duty to be there well before the hour and to interact with the rest of the mercenaries to make sure that everything sailed smoothly during the travel. She could not have them arguing or fighting in disharmony during a critical situation. That would be bad for everyone. And if possible, she wanted to avoid it. So here she was, being an early bird for a day.
It did not take long before Emery arrived at the meeting place. But it sure did take longer than it should have as Emery took her sweet time to get there. The meeting spot was not that far from the open gates of Redwood. It was a stable attached to a comfortable inn. It was where the merchant's goods were kept. A party of people were already waiting there before her.
The people consisted, according to Emery's observation, a group of the merchant's personal guards and servants and another group of four on the other side of the place. From their looks it was not hard to guess that these were the other escorts hired by the merchant for the trip.
As Emery was observing them, the mercenaries were also observing her. Both sides were trying to read the other before anyone made a move. Emery was the first to break eye contact as she smiled and made her way towards them. They seemed like interesting people.
As she neared them she could already guess who was what of the makeshift party. A pair of brown hair and two shades of brown eyes caught her eye. This probably wasn't their first quest together as they seemed to trust each other, which was shown by how they subconsciously moved towards each other. They were most probably damage dealers seen by their weapon of choice. A sword and a bow. There was a youth standing along with them at the back and he had a staff in his hand. Most probably a healer as it could be seen with his soft composure and the way he had a holiness radiating off him. The last one in her assumption of the party was the buff man at the front. He looked to be the tank of the party expressed by his heavy armor and his build.
It seemed that while Emery took her sweet time to get here, the others already introduced themselves to one another and had already decided on their roles. Mr.Tank seemed to have taken the role of the party leader. He was either an extremely charming person or a talented individual. The first was a nay. The vibe he gave was of a warrior. Charm didn't seem like his cup of tea. On the other hand talent seemed to be the cause of his leadership. The battle scars that littered his body seemed like a good proof of experience. And experience meant high rank. He was most probably someone in the B rankings. Someone between bronze to silver. Gold seemed a little too far stretched but not out of question.
As Emery stood before the man with a smile and outstretched hand, she introduced herself calmly " The name's Emery. Battle Mage. Good to meet your acquaintance. I'll be in your care for the rest of the journey." The man took a second before he also reached out his hand and shook it. The others also said a few welcome greetings and introduced themselves one by one. Mr.Tank was called Jacob. Mr. Sword was called Charles. Mr. Bow was Nate. And last but not the least, Mr. Healer was called Ray. A fitting name for him if Emery could say so herself.
After the introduction and some small talk the group was interrupted by the sound of the merchant calling them. It was almost time to set off. The ground got ready in their positions as the carriages set off the capital of the duchy, Scarlet Haze.