by Billy Wong
The annoyance vanished from her voice. "Quick, come in and tell me about it!"
They told her of the encounter with Cody. "So what exactly is condutin," Lars asked, "and why haven't you recovered and sold it already if it's valuable? Did you not know about the mine? But that seems unlikely if it's well known to outsiders."
"We've known of it, we just didn't think the condutin would have value anymore. Condutin is a soft metal that was used for some magical processes before the calamity. But since magic users are mostly gone now, we left the remaining condutin in the mine thinking there won't be any buyers." She touched her chin. "I wonder if whoever's offering this job is a rare living mage. Well anyway, let's go."
Lars blinked. "What, just like that? No deliberation needed at all?"
"The longer we talk, the more time folks will have to take the condutin. So let's move, we can talk on the way."
"You have a point on the first part, but we're all fairly drunk. Might not be in the best fighting condition if it comes to that."
She laughed. "I'm not that drunk. You think I'd ever drink enough to make me not ready for a fight? I'm always prepared! As for you boys, you should recover somewhat on the road."
"I suppose."
Cart-Dragger grabbed her wagon and they set out. "We aren't going to take anyone else?" Allen asked. "Russ and Mindy seem like they'd be up for it, and couldn't you bring a bunch of guards too?"
"Unlike you guys, Russ is too drunk to be of any use for the rest of the night, and picking up Mindy would take time since she lives on the other side of town. I might have brought Jen, but she's also out of it with her lightweight constitution. As for guards, I figure we have a better chance of working things out nonviolently with any sellswords without them. The three of us are more experienced in their ways, after all."
What she said made sense. Lars also figured she might not feel the need to bring help for essentially taking on a mercenary job. She had handled most if not all of her previous ones alone. He and Allen probably seemed like more than enough help to her.
The mine was hardly farther away than the pond had been, though north of the city instead of southeast, which didn't give them much time to sober up. Lars didn't like it, though he was more concerned for Allen than himself. Before they could see the mine, they already heard noise coming from its direction. Men grunting and yelling, the bite of weapons into flesh—sounds of fighting. "Think the mercs are fighting among themselves already?" Cart-Dragger mused.
Lars drew his axe. "Very possible, but they could also be fighting monsters in order to get to the metal."
Closer to the hillside mine entrance they spotted about two dozen diversely equipped sellswords. They battled against animals like feathered cats the size of tigers, with small wings more suited to gliding than actual flight. Not former weapons of the empire, but naturally occurring beasts drawn by the condutin. Lars recognized Ruth, Stan, and some other mercs from the town where they'd fought the earth God Soldier. Right now the humans struggled with their larger and stronger foes, some of their weapons also having trouble wounding the cats through their thick feathers.
"Don't slash!" Ruth shouted for the others while she shot one in the eye. Another ripped away her bow. She drew her mace and short but thick sword, turned its head with a blow from the former and thrust the latter through the underside of its chin. "Shoot or stab them instead!"
Stan knocked another cat down with a chop to a leg, then hacked through its neck. "Unless you have a heavy blade," he amended. "That works too."
Even so, the mercs as a whole were in trouble. Cats shrugged off less telling blows and swatted men away, leapt using their wings to carry them farther after their prey. As one would have descended onto a stunned warrior and savaged him, Cart-Dragger hurled a javelin into its face. The short spear tore through its entire body and exploded out its rear end. Its momentum reversed by the force of her throw, its corpse tumbled through the air away from the man.
"Should we help them?" Allen asked. "They might fight us for the reward."
Cart-Dragger lifted her hammer. "Perhaps, but they may also show gratitude for our aid. For now, human lives are more valuable than monstrous ones." She rushed into the thick of the fray, smashing her hammer into the ribs of the nearest cat. It flew aside a misshapen sack of blood and guts, splattering out its contents when it hit the ground. She dashed to another monster and gave it the same treatment, caught a third's bite on her haft when it pounced at her. She let go of the maul with one hand and punched it, crushing the nose inward as it was knocked prone, then flattened its skull.
"Cart-Dragger is here!" a man cried in relief.
"She's more monstrous than the monsters," said another.
"Well, there goes our pay," a third grumbled.
Allen changed his question to, "Do we even need to help her?"
Lars watched her dodge between the attacks of two cats, grab one by the arm and fling it into the other. As they lay in a pile, she brought the hammer down on both. "Probably not, but she can't be everywhere at once." He looked around, saw a disarmed warrior being stalked by a beast near the edge of the battle. "Over there!"
He and Allen hurried to save the man. The cat turned, deflected Lars' first swing with a swipe of its paw. Allen jabbed it in the shoulder. It hissed and clawed his thigh, and he backed away. It lunged at Lars. He cut it on the chest while stepping back, making it miss and land bowed with pain. Allen ran back in, drove his spear into its heart. It gave a last sigh and slumped down, dead.
Lars felt more than heard something coming and spun to see another cat flying at him through the air. He put up his axe in time to keep its claws from his body, but its weight bore him to the ground and knocked the breath from his lungs. Allen stabbed it in the flank. It spun on him, a wild headbutt bowling him over. Still winded, Lars staggered upright and tackled it from the side before it could finish his friend. They rolled over and over, but it ended up on top. Great teeth snapped at his face, sending spittle into his eyes. For the moment he held it back by the forearms, but it was so heavy and he didn't think he would win that contest of endurance...
Cart-Dragger appeared over the cat's shoulder. "Miss me?" She gripped its upper and lower jaws and pulled, ripping them apart, then shoved the carcass aside.
"Showoff," Lars said. He turned to Allen. "You okay?"
His friend sat on the dirt, clutching his shredded thigh. "First one got my leg good. But some stitches will do for it."
The battle was over, most of the cats having been killed by the dragger of carts. Ruth walked up to her. "What are you doing here? Come to steal our work again?"
She calmly replaced her hammer on the wagon. "Shouldn't you at least thank me first? You all might not be alive if I didn't intervene."
"She's right, you know," an older thick-bearded man whose name Lars didn't know said. "Thank you. But nonetheless, are you here for the condutin? If so, you must understand that wresting away our sources of income is hard on us."
"We don't need to be so polite to her, Dustin!" Ruth said. Some of the other mercenaries shouted their approval, while fewer remained quiet. "Let's just tell her first come first serve, the condutin is ours." Lars liked Dustin a little already. Just because one was a sellsword didn't mean they needed to be rude and classless.
Stan put his hand on Ruthless Ruth's shoulder. "She could probably just take it by force if she wanted. We might be wise to tread lightly." In response, Ruth snorted.
Cart-Dragger replied, "Arguably, I'm not 'wresting it away.' As some of you might know, I'm the ruler of Galantria which owned this mine, and only abandoned it because we thought its contents were no longer of worth. Is it so unfair that we reclaim our own property?"
Ruth sneered. "Even if that's true in this one case, it's not the first time you've forcefully made our work yours, and I'm sure you'll keep doing it too. How are we supposed to make a living if you keep taking our jobs?"
"Remember, I saved you the last time too." She th
ought about it. "I can't stop doing what I am, since we need funds. But if any of you are that frustrated... are so many mercenaries really needed in the world?"
Some of the warriors' eyes widened. "What, are you threatening us?" Ruth barked.
"Huh? Wait, yes... that could have been taken as a challenge to come at me and get killed. But that's not what I meant!" She smiled sweetly. "The thing I meant to propose was, are you really that committed to being sellswords? You could always settle down in my city, and get a less frightful job helping rebuild it."
"Oh, I see. Not interested."
"Suit yourself. But try not to be so bitter anymore over fair competition then, eh."
The sellswords fell to talking among themselves, probably weighing Cart-Dragger's offer. "Why not, Ruth?" Stan asked. "We can still be warriors in defense of the city, and I'm sure it'd be an easier life."
"I like walking around, exploring the world. I'm not ready to start sitting around in one place."
Lars thought of something, and whispered it into Cart-Dragger's ear. Moments later, she said, "For those who are attached to the mercenary lifestyle, how about you continue working as mercenaries... but under me?"
"How would that work?" Dustin asked, sounding interested.
She hesitated, Lars not having worked out the details, but improvised an answer. He admired her quick thinking on the fly once he'd put the idea into her head. "You could live in Galantria, continue to do mercenary work and keep some of the earnings, but pay a portion as a tax of sorts. In exchange, we'll help you find jobs, assist you with disputes... and guarantee I won't compete with you for the same tasks since we'll be able to coordinate with each other."
"That actually sounds decent," Ruth admitted grudgingly.
More sellswords seemed to open up to the proposal. About half left, some saying they would give it more thought, but a dozen stayed including Ruth, Stan and Dustin. Ruth still looked somewhat dissatisfied, but Lars supposed she saw the merit of taking the easier route. "I wonder, has there ever been a mercenary group working to raise money for a government?" Dustin mused.
"Maybe not," Cart-Dragger said, "but it's a new world. I'm probably the first duchess who works as a mercenary to raise funds, so why shouldn't I have a bunch of vassals who do the same? Very good idea, Lars." She grinned at him.
"And with more people earning money, restoration and expansion should go faster. See, I told you you shouldn't be gloomy about the future. You shine real bright, but together we'll shine even brighter."
Allen hugged him. "That's beautiful."
"Stop it, you're embarrassing me..."
"Warms the heart, don't you think?" Stan asked Ruth.
She exhaled wearily. "If you say so. Well now that we're 'vessels' or whatever of man-arms girl, what's our first job?"
"My arms aren't that manly!" Cart-Dragger protested. "They're just thick, but not too chiseled. Er, anyway, I don't have any mercenary work for you right now since the condutin belongs to us, so that job is strictly mine. But I guess you could help move whatever condutin we find back to the city, and I'll pay you something for it."
#
Discovering only a few hundred pounds of already excavated condutin—a nondescript dull gray metal—in the mine, they found that the mercenaries' help wouldn't be needed to carry it as Cart-Dragger's wagon was more than enough. They still went back together, though. Lars figured the mine could be reopened to dig up more condutin, if their employer turned out to need more. He also wondered how Cody would feel having missed out probably waiting for partners. "So where is this stuff to be taken to collect the reward?" Cart-Dragger asked on the way to town.
"It's to be delivered to a spot marked on the map three hundred miles south and west of Galantria," Dustin said. "It appears to be in the middle of nowhere, so I have no idea what is there."
"Smack dab in the middle of that desert, hmm? Nobody goes there on their own. I wonder what they're hiding."
Lars exchanged curious looks with her. "Hopefully they just need a certain environment for whatever they're doing."
When they got back, they discussed with Cart-Dragger's friends who would be going to the desert. "We shouldn't take the mercenaries," she said at the long table in her dining hall, "since that'll tempt them to demand a share. Any of you want to come?"
Russ enthusiastically raised his hand. "Me, of course!"
"Besides you, Russ. With me away, the city needs its head of the guard even more than usual."
"Aw, but it's not fair, you never take me on adventures anymore."
She spread her arms. "Well, maybe when we find you a good enough second in command. Until then... anyone else?"
"I'd gladly come," Mindy said, "but the smiths are having a slight problem with the engineers and I should probably stay here until it's resolved."
"I understand. I know you're coming, Jen. Scott?"
He looked out the windows over the city. "A lot of work happening right now for me to be going away."
"And I'd guess the desert travel doesn't suit you, right Gene?" The husky farmer nodded. "What about you and Allen, Lars?"
"I thought we were coming by default," Allen said, echoing Lars' thoughts.
She chuckled. "It's not required of you to follow me everywhere I go. But since Jen and I would otherwise only have each other for company, you're welcome to tag along and make our trip more lively."
If that was the only reason for them to come, Lars would have thought it a waste of time. But as formidable as Cart-Dragger was, there were still threats out there to her, and even she could always use a couple extra pairs of eyes. And Jen, who would be accompanying her, moreso.
"By the way, Scott," she added, "be ready to get the condutin mine up and running if things go well."
"Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves?" Lars asked.
"I said to be ready to open the mine, not actually open it up. But I'm hoping we can have a nice long relationship with our rich employer."
The four began their journey south. "Thank you for that idea," Cart-Dragger said to Lars shortly after they left Galantria. "I've had many spats with other mercs in the past, but never thought to recruit them before. I guess it was because even though I have some friends, I'm still kind of a loner... I've gotten used to being alone, after all."
The trauma of seeing her family killed couldn't have helped. He imagined she might have some mental barrier against getting too close to people that had to be overcome. He wondered if he and Allen had overcome it yet. "Glad to have contributed."
Sandy wind buffeted their faces and they fought the heat-born urge to drink their supply of water too quickly as the sparse plains gave way to desert. Jen soon looked extremely tired. "Are you holding up okay?" Lars asked. She barely nodded in response. "Maybe we should send her back, or leave her somewhere outside the desert to rest."
Worry showed in Cart-Dragger's eyes, but she said, "Nah, she's all right. Good chance for you to toughen up, right friend?"
Jen smiled. "Yeah. Sure."
Though Lars continued to be concerned, she seemed to adjust over the next hours or at least hide the strain better. Since she didn't seem like an overly proud warrior type afraid of looking weak, he figured she was just that devoted to helping her friend and not wanting to be a burden to her. It impressed him, as she carried on even after days passed and Cart-Dragger herself began to show signs of discomfort.
"So you can be vain," he remarked at the duchess regularly licking her lips and glancing with displeasure at the parched skin of her hands.
"Why shouldn't I be? I'm a beautiful noblewoman."
"Not saying anything's wrong with it, just that you seemed completely rugged and like you couldn't care less about your appearance up until now."
Allen gave him a questioning look. "Really? She has long hair, how do you think she didn't care about appearance at all?"
"Yeah, but she never showed any qualms about getting dirty and roughed up."
"I don't have much qualms a
bout that. But having the entirety of my exposed skin turned dry and leathery is different, and more disconcerting."
He punched her arm. "Girly girl. Don't worry, we'll be out of here and back to where your skin can get remoistened soon enough."
They approached the spot marked on the mercs' map, but still couldn't see anything through the blowing dust. "Hey, is anyone there?" Jen called. "We're here with condutin!"
"Shh, not so loud," Allen said.
"What? We're here to meet them, aren't we?"
He gazed down. "I guess. Just have a bad feeling about this."
Lars felt on edge, unable to help putting some stock in his friend's intuition. Besides, for all her confidence Cart-Dragger too looked a little wary. Maybe it wasn't paranoia. The way they had been brought all the way out here where they couldn't see further than a stone's throw, and without any knowledge of who actually hired them, was indeed suspicious. They probably would've started talking about it again if a male voice didn't answer Jen.
"So you are here. Good. I've been waiting." A drab-cloaked and hooded figure with a scarf around his face walked into visual range, only his eyes exposed. All Lars could discern about him was his apparent youth. "I see the metal. You will be well rewarded."
"Wait," Cart-Dragger said. When they discussed it before, they had come to the conclusion they needed to know what their employer planned to do with the condutin before handing it over. "What do you need it for?"
The mystery man paused, his posture relaxed. "I could lie to you. Yet why should I? Either you will give me what I desire as you should, or I will take it by force. Your choice—payment, or death."
"What?! Already making threats, do you know who you're talking to?"
"You are 'Cart-Dragger,' one of the strongest people in the world. But like all others, you should bow to me."
She stared at his words, as did Lars. The self-assurance knowing who stood before him... it shouldn't be possible unless he was insane. And yet, somehow Lars felt like that wasn't the case... "Who are you?" she snapped. "What makes you think you're so big?"
He grasped his cloak and scarf are threw them off into the air. Revealed was a well-built man a couple years younger than Cart-Dragger, dressed in red form fitting armor and carrying a curved sword on his back. "I am Maximilian Rouge—the heir to everything."
