Kane and Bauer marched in silence, mainly due to Kane wanting nothing more than to figure out how he could land a hit on Bauer, letting the stagecoach that was dragged through the snow fill the silence. The day was growing old, and the night was slowly making its way over, sparing their eyes of the sunlight glimmering in the snow.
Even the fucking wind spells didn't work. Why? wondered Kane, frowning as he dug his hands into his pockets, feeling cold but restless as he fidgeted with Medeya's wand. At the very least, his fatigue was kept at bay with his frustration. There must be a way... There has to! There's no way I'm just a second-rate wizard! he yelled internally, so much so, that he could've sworn he was feeling a headache.
Meanwhile, Bauer, who'd managed to retain some semblance of sanity, kept a careful eye on watch, wondering where the nefandites were going to strike from.
Where rather than when? Well, the inevitability was undisputable, for he and Kane had already experienced it before they even took on this job. Each victory against a band of nefandites merely reset the countdown until they'd be forced to fight a new one. The real question was where, for he had his guard up at all times, expecting magic or an arrow to be fired right at them, but he didn't know from where.
"Tiny! Giant!" called out the man in blue.
Kane and Bauer looked back as a spark lit in their eyes, for every time one of the men would call out to them, their ears would be graced with the call for rest.
"We're nearly there! No time to rest now!"
Fuck! they both yelled internally, their shoulders sinking out of pure, no sugarcoated, disappointment. They may still have had the energy to keep going, but they just wanted one time to simply relax, especially when the nefandites weren't around, supposedly. According to the men, they wouldn't be encountering any nefandites this far out to the southeast, hence why they had an entire manor still standing in the wilderness.
"Ugh, whatever," mumbled Kane as he looked ahead, seeing nothing but the now darken sky. He pulled out a canteen of water from his pouch, taking many loud gulps as he turned it upright.
"Don't drink too much," said Bauer, watching as Kane gasped for air after multiple seconds of drinking. "You need to have some for when we head back... second-rate."
Kane simply ignored him and his chuckling, taking more swigs, appeasing his withering body that cried for water, and though it was true—that is, both him being a second-rate wizard and the need to conserve water—he simply could not care less. Each grueling second of the journey was making him more frustrated about not just losing to Bauer, but also about how he was going to forge a staff.
In the time they'd spent since their duel, Kane looked through multiple of Maleagant's parchments, searching for even the slightest bit of information on how to forge a staff. Of course, Maleagant being the wise man he was, never went over it. In fact, Kane learned that Maleagant intended for him to learn on his own!
He chuckled to himself, amused at his own predicament, and how he had to do everything from scratch. Maybe, when we get back, I'll go and ask Medeya if she knows how.
***
Hours would pass by into the night. Kane and Bauer were beginning to have their doubts about reaching the manor any time soon, until of course, when their hopes were dying down, they could see the manor far ahead.
Far into the horizon, across the snow, stood no mere manor, but rather, a structure reaching into the sky. To them, the mercenaries, it was a castle, overseeing the land all around, its regal authority imposing and knowing no bounds.
If that's a manor, then the Starfall manor is merely a shack! so thought Kane, his eyes widening as he stared at it, wondering just how much silver was expended on its construction.
His thoughts, however, were cut off instantly by the sharp sound of metal echoing to his right, where he found Bauer sliding back, holding his guard up.
"Stop!" yelled Bauer, his voice cutting right through the startled horses neighing, bringing the stagecoach to a halt. "Kane, follow me." With haste, he looked back at the drivers and yelled, "Stay here. We will be back," before running off.
Kane raised a brow, letting his burning eyes rest their gaze on his black armour, before he jogged behind Bauer with heavy steps, who ran off to the right, increasing the distance between them. He watched as Bauer deflected one green pulse after the other, letting a white radiance pour from his wand to Bauer as he yelled, "Dendere te!"
Just like before, Bauer's armour was highlighted in the same radiance, giving him some comfort as he struggled to see the attackers. One thing was certain in his mind, however: More nefandites had arrived.
"Bauer!" yelled Kane, ducking right under one of the pulses, feeling it whiz right past him. "How many are there?"
"I can't tell. It's too dark! Cast a light!"
"Luminis!" yelled Kane, watching as a beam flew into the air ahead, detonating after a short delay. Though, what was revealed forced him to halt, sliding through the snow. "Holy fuck that's an army!"
Bauer also came to a halt, watching as not just any band of nefandites was off in the distance, but an entire battalion. "Yes, but there's more."
Kane caught up, looking ahead and taking notice of another army engaged in a battle with the nefandites. Knights wearing black armour, much like Bauer's, engaged the nefandites, bearing swords and polearms, while some cast magic.
"It's not just a nefandis army," continued Bauer, wriggling his fingers as he felt the adrenaline pump, "it's also another army of people... wearing the same armour as me." He deflected another rogue pulse of magic. "Seems like we weren't the targets."
"We can't help them," said Kane, crossing his arms while he let Bauer handle the guarding. "The stagecoach would be unguarded for too long, and besides, we might even lose out on our pay for getting involved in something we could easily avoid."
Bauer stood motionless, only moving when needing to deflect. Militiamen, knights, deacons, occultists, and... He watched as a figure, clad in silver armour, stood in the air, issuing commands with the whip of his arm. "Go and guide the stagecoach to the manor."
"No, no, no. We're going to get this job complete. Then we can go and check it out."
Bauer stepped forth, deflecting another projectile. "There won't be anything but the remnants of a battle long ended after we complete the job. Besides, there's a priest there."
"So forget about it then!" yelled Kane, yanking Bauer by his pauldron and forcing him to halt. "That's their fight! We need to complete the mission!"
"Just guide the stagecoach to the manor!" yelled Bauer, pulling himself away. "Go and get the silver you need, Kane. If those soldiers are defeated, then the nefandites may just storm to the manor."
"And what do you think is going to happen if you're part of that losing side!?"
"Don't worry about me," he said, his voice calm and reassuring as he walked off, deflecting more pulses. "If there's anyone who knows how to fight the nefandites, it's me. Now go, Kane. Let me make use of the element of surprise."
Kane stood in place for a few moments as he watched Bauer run. Beneath his mask, he held a snarl, brows angled up as he shook his head and slowly stepped back, unsure of what to do. On one hand, he didn't want to just let Bauer go, for he feared for the worst. On the other hand, there was a job that needed to be completed, especially after how far they'd come.
"I'll come back," he said, before using wind spells to propel himself forward, reaching the stagecoach in a mere thirty seconds when it would've normally taken a minute. "We need to go fast!"
He ran ahead, followed by the horses entering a canter, heaving the stagecoach with all their might.
Don't you dare die, Bauer.