The camp had settled into its usual rhythm, though something had shifted since the fight between Kael and Bran. The air was no longer thick with tension, but Kael could feel the eyes of the mercenaries on him, some with respect, others with suspicion. Yet, amidst the quiet scrutiny, one person's presence was consistent, Zane.
Zane had always been an enigma, staying on the fringes of the group but never fully detached. His sudden interest in Kael after the fight wasn't lost on anyone, least of all Kael himself.
"You've settled in better than most," Zane said one evening as they sat sharpening their blades.
"Not like I had a choice," Kael replied, wiping the blade clean. "You don't last long here unless you adapt."
Zane chuckled softly. "True enough. You've got the right instincts for it."
Kael didn't respond. He wasn't one for small talk, especially not when it came to his place in the group. Zane, however, seemed eager to fill the silence.
Over the next few days, Zane began to open up more. It wasn't forced or deliberate, but in the moments between training and camp duties, he let pieces of his past slip into conversation.
"I wasn't always a mercenary, you know," Zane said one night by the fire. The flames flickered between them, casting long shadows on the ground. Kael glanced at him but didn't say anything, waiting for Zane to continue.
"I came from a small village near the northern border of the empire. Quiet place, not much to it. My father was a soldier, fought for some noble house, but he didn't come back. After that, it was just me and my mother."
Zane's voice was steady, but Kael could hear the bitterness underneath. It was a familiar story, one Kael had heard many times from others in the group. War had a way of breaking people long before it ever reached them.
"We made it work for a while," Zane continued, staring into the fire. "But when the soldiers started pushing further north, we were caught in the middle. Our village was burned to the ground. My mother didn't survive."
There was a long pause before Zane spoke again. "After that, I didn't have much of a choice. I joined up with a band of mercenaries, same as anyone else who wanted to live. I was young, like you are now. Learned fast or died."
Kael listened in silence. Zane didn't dwell on the tragedy. He spoke with a calm detachment, as if he had long since accepted it.
"And you?" Zane asked, glancing at Kael. "What brought you here?"
Kael shrugged. "Not much to tell. I've only been here for a few months."
Zane smiled faintly. "Everyone's got a story, Kael. Even if you don't think it's worth telling."
Kael didn't press further. His past wasn't something he talked about, mostly because there wasn't much to say. He had been wandering, surviving, when Kerric found him. That was all.
Their conversations often circled back to the life they were living, the harsh realities of being a mercenary, the choices they had made, and the ones they hadn't.
"Being a mercenary isn't what I imagined it'd be," Zane admitted one afternoon, as they sat side by side, sharpening their weapons. "You hear stories about the glory, the gold... but it's mostly just blood and dirt."
Kael nodded. "You didn't have much of a choice, did you?"
Zane shook his head, his expression hardening. "No. None of us do, really. It's either this or... nothing."
He paused, glancing at Kael. "You've been with us what, eight, nine months now? You've seen enough to know what it's like."
Kael didn't respond immediately. He hadn't been a part of the group for long, but he had seen enough to understand what Zane was talking about. Every mission was a gamble, every fight a struggle to survive. There was no grand purpose, no higher calling—just survival.
"You ever think about what comes after?" Zane asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
Kael frowned. "After what?"
Zane shrugged. "This. All of it. Being a mercenary. You think there's something more, or is this all there is?"
Kael didn't know how to answer that. He hadn't thought much about the future, he was too focused on getting through each day. "I don't know. Maybe."
Zane chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it. "Yeah, maybe."
The conversations between Kael and Zane were always like that, drifting between light-hearted banter and deeper reflections on their lives. But as time passed, their bond grew stronger, particularly during their training sessions.
One morning, Zane invited Kael to spar. It wasn't the brutal, punishing training that Kerric often put Kael through. This was more about refining their techniques, pushing each other to be better.
"You've got strength," Zane said as their blades clashed. "But you're still holding back."
Kael frowned. "I'm not holding back."
Zane stepped back, lowering his sword. "Yes, you are. I've seen you fight, Kael. You're fast, you're strong... but you're still hesitating."
Kael wiped the sweat from his brow, thinking about Zane's words. They echoed some of the things Kerric had said during their training. Hesitation was dangerous, it could get you killed.
"You need to trust yourself more," Zane continued. "You've got the instincts. You just need to let go and follow them."
Kael didn't respond, but the words stayed with him as they continued their sparring. Zane's style was different from Kerric's, more refined, more focused on precision rather than brute strength. It was a style that Kael could learn from.
As the days passed, Kael found himself spending more time with Zane, both during training and in the quiet moments of camp life.
One evening, after another long day of training, Zane sat with Kael by the fire. The rest of the camp had settled for the night, and the two of them were alone.
"You ever wonder what Kerric's real plan is?" Zane asked suddenly, his voice low and quiet.
Kael frowned. "What do you mean?"
Zane shrugged, staring into the flames. "I just mean... a guy like Kerric doesn't do things without a reason. You've noticed it, right? The way he's been pushing you harder than the others."
Kael hadn't thought about it much, but Zane's words planted a seed of doubt in his mind. What was Kerric's real plan? Why had he been training Kael so intensely?
Before Kael could respond, Zane stood up, stretching lazily. "Just something to think about."
Kael watched him walk away, his mind racing with unanswered questions.