Chapter 39 - Sig and Locke

Two men entered the room while Fehn was busy bringing out the travel packs and going over the list of standard gear. Raeyn had begun to talk to the Kithe and Lady Hilda was busy confirming the items on the orders. As far as men go, they were not particularly handsome or strong, but they were both clean shaven and had short black hair as if they were still fresh out of training. It was obvious they were not; these were two battle-hardened veterans in their mid-thirties who walked as if they still carried a heavy pack on their shoulders. When a soldier’s pacing naturally accounted for a sword on their hip was when you knew that they were for real.

“Sig and Locke.” Fehn looked up as the two entered, so they got his attention, and Lady Hilda had to strive for it? Interesting.

“Morning.” the shorter man announced himself, “Locke reporting for duty.”

“Sig. Reporting.” The other man nodded and looked over the gathered party, “A diverse group of four priestesses. A whole unit doesn’t get the honor. Cannot imagine it to be that difficult.”

“Preparations.” Lady Hilda turned to them, “Are the most important step in securing success. The reason I have secured your services to ensure that nothing happens. You were informed of what happened on the previous venture?”

“That is why one doesn’t use slaves; or Dark Elves.” Sig confirmed and he smiled wickedly, “Could have saved you the hassle, but Sellswords are not the type to listen to sense.”

Locke brandished a silver chain that hung from his neck towards her, it was in the shape of a swirling sun and held a deep blood-red ruby in the center, “You must be Violetta. You are indeed a beautiful woman. Are you going to be our field officer?”

Lady Hilda turned and approached the two and looked down at them as if they were still misfit children, “Do mind your manners. You are a Pair after all. You should be clear with your intentions when you are watching over four women.”

Sig looked around the room and saw Raeyn and the two Kithe and then looked back to Violetta, “Lady Hilda is correct, you have nothing to worry about. We are a Pair and something deeper than species binds us together for this mission.”

They were soldiers and lovers, but the way Sig had looked at them it was clear as a whole the four priestesses were really nothing more than problem children that they had to escort. Considering they had only managed to get as far as the Thieve’s Entrance and that the statue room had been solved meant that either the place was already looted or that it was an active corridor from a skeleton crew. Running into the Dwellin was a real possibility and it was unlikely that Raeyn would be able to hold back such monsters if it came to a fight. They had very little combat potential previously, but those two Kithe were monsters in their own right. The thought of Lady Hilda working to assemble this group in the span of a night did not seem to sit right with her own idea of the woman’s work ethic. Clearly, she was wrong. Lady Hilda was not able to maintain her position through charms alone, but actual deed. She was formidable in both realms.

The two approached Fehn and picked up their packs, slinging them over the shoulder and adjusting the straps while the Vice Quartermaster brought out their arms; twin daggers, long sword before getting the double link chainmail and their scale armor. The two men were quick to inspect, don and doff each piece with haste. The sizing was correct, the fit was proper, and the details had been carefully confirmed with Fehn. The efficiency of the military was on full display as Locke pointed out a flaw in one of the daggers.

“This blade appears flawed.” Locke said to Fehn, “A block please.”

The Quartermaster brought out a soft block of wood and Locke held the blade carefully at an angle and drove the dagger into the wood, but it bounced off instead of biting into the wood. There was no need for a further inspection or explanation from either man.

“You are correct. I humbly apologize.” Fehn bowed to Locke, “This my fault.”

Lady Hilda nodded and looked over, “It... broke!? How?”

“Over-tempered or quenched too quickly.” Sig simply stated as if to a commander, “For eating or utility work such a flaw would be difficult to identify, but the quality in daggers has been of shaky quality for some time now. Too many apprentices treating them as learning fodder, many poor blades have found themselves in the armories as a result.”

Fehn disappeared and returned with another blade and showed it to Locke, “This appears to be a fine blade.”

Locke took it up and looked at the blade, checking both sides and smiling before driving it in the wood, where it bit cleanly, “Is this a blade from Stele?”

“You do have good eyes, yes. Their blades have unusual hardness but handle surprisingly well. They have been using a new word to describe this type of hard iron.”

“Stele?” Raeyn’s right hand went to her temple, another sudden pain must have shot through her, “Could I see the blade?”

Locke looked to the Gobbo as she approached and nodded, handing the blade down to her without hesitation, “You have an interest in blades?”

Raeyn looked at it and she frowned, “This is pitiful. It should be a fine silver. Quartermaster… where are the silver-colored blades?”

Fehn looked at the Raeyn, as did everyone else in the room with some skepticism, but Lady Hilda seemed outright amused as she pressed the man further by stating, “A proper Stele blade has a distinctive pattern and is finely honed with a silver in color and distinct. This is just a blade that has a modest amount of carbon and is made by an amateurish smith. It does not have the line between soft and hard steel at all. Does the military lie to its soldiers about its arms, or is it just you are ignorant?”

The color drained from Fehn’s face and Lady Hilda actually laughed.

“What!? What do you know about Stele blades?!” Fehn seemed to panic, “I’ll call for Lord-”

“No.” Lady Hilda cut him off, “Lady Raeyn may be a Gobbo, but she knows Stele when she sees it. I’ll caution her against such displays in private, but your reaction was inappropriate and confirmed the truth. Lying to nobility is a dangerous game. Is this worth arguing over?”

Raeyn handed the blade back to a perplexed Locke, “Sorry, Lady Hilda. I got a bit excited for some reason. I doubt anything in the whole of this ship would be a true Stele blade.”

Locke turned to Fehn, “Stele or not, it is a fine blade. I am satisfied.”

“So, we really do have a Gobbo scholar…” Sig tilted his head and looked down at Raeyn, “Well, beat me and call me pretty, but I’ve never met a noble Gobbo. What are your thoughts on blazon blades?”

She winced for a second and tilted her head as she seemed to think of the words, only she and Lady Hilda knew the secret it seemed, but even the Kithe were intrigued by such a word and came to look at Raeyn with suspicion.

“Go on.” Cake smirked, “Tell us your thoughts. Or will you call it his nonsense?”

Fehn seemed to be interested as well, but Lady Hilda offered her approval with a simple, “Yes, Lady Raeyn. It is fine to tell us.”

“Well,” Raeyn seemed to wrestle with it more, “Blazon is really a type of ternary alloy, but it is still soft and suitable for ornamentation, not actual military use. Most blazon is little more than polished, blackwashed and sealed blades that are nothing more than fake. The purplish black blade itself is a favorite of Dyjun and is often used as a housing vessel given that the gold allows for-”

“Alright.” Cake cut her off, “The Gobbo is a genuine sage! I believe she really would be able to lead us to Magnesia. Our acceptance is finalized then I take it, Lady Hilda.”

“As you say,” She nodded and smirked at Raeyn, “Lady Raeyn is a capable individual and priestess of Belos. Why perhaps one day, she’ll work a forge if it suits her.”

“A Gobbo smith? The sparks from the forge will catch and consume-” Fehn began but found himself silenced as she snapped her fingers and formed a mass of fire in her right hand, “Now, I’ve seen everything.”

Raeyn clapped her hands together and the flame extinguished, but the new members of the party were humbled, knowing that they not only had a scholar, but an actual fire priestess in their presence. Of the three most potent divine beings, Maelyn, Astra and Belos, the Gobbo had two marks that made her worthy of nobility alone. If only she had more sense to realize that literally playing with fire was a bad idea. She was learning and becoming more competent though. She knew she had found something worth its weight in gold in those bushes, but now she just needed to make sure no one else would try to take her away before she could collect it.