FSE

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Trygrr felt the sun on his face, which was annoying to the wolf. He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head to keep the sun out of his eyes. He didn't feel the heat of a fire, so he shot out of the blankets, only now remembering where he was.

The guardhouse.

For his help and as an apology, Reinhelda allowed Trygrr to sleep within the guardhouse free of charge than pay to sleep at the inn. The Guard-Lieutenant was kind enough to lend him an armour stand, his weapons clustered in the corner next to the stand.

Trygrr stood from the bed and half-stumbled out of the room. There, he saw Fidel and Reinhelda having breakfast together, which was stew and tough bread. A third plate was at one of the last two spots on the table, so he sat down there and began to eat what was there.

"Apologies if there isn't enough meat for ya, Trygrr. The local hunters were scared of the bandits before, so the meat stores were running low." Reinhelda explained.

"Still better than what I used to have." Trygrr mumbled.

The owl guard shrugged, unsure of what to say. After a few minutes, they were finished and Reinhelda walked out to begin her rounds, leaving Fidel and Trygrr to talk.

Well, more like Fidel ordering Trygrr what to do.

After twenty minutes of orders and directions, both left the table and got their armour on. When Trygrr got out of his gifted room, that's when the wolf caught Fidel's eyes glance at the amulet and looked into his.

Fidel motioned his helmeted head towards the door, which both started to walk towards. Trygrr, knowing that the tortoise knows his way around Kespian better, walked with about one and a half steps behind the paladin. When Fidel opened the door, they were met with a cheering crowd. Children ran up to hug the paladin, who was kneeling to give them back.

Trygrr didn't want to be acknowledged for his help. He was just another Raider to these people, an emotionless being.

That was until he felt someone tug at his small cape. He turned around, seeing a small vixen standing there. Trygrr slowly knelt down onto one knee so he was eye level with her. She was hesitant, but she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and helmet for a small hug. Trygrr softly returned the embrace.

When she let go, Trygrr quickly spotted a unique little flower growing beside him. He picked it and handed it to the vixen. Her eyes sparkled and took it. Trygrr smiled lopsidedly on his left, since he didn't want to scare anyone with a twisted scar.

He stood back up, seeing the villagers suddenly loosen their tensed muscles at his look. He saw the vixen practically skip over to her mother, still holding the flower he gave her.

"Ok, everyone! Allow them two to pass!" Reinhelda ordered, gently motioning outwards with her arquebus.

The group of villagers split down the middle, allowing a small gap for Fidel and Trygrr to walk through. They did so and were leaving the village behind, Fidel continuing his pilgrimage.

____________________________________________________________________________________

When night fell, they set up camp with their two small tents, bedrolls and a small fire. Over the fire was two dead feral hares, cooking to an almost burnt state and being watched over by Fidel. Trygrr sat on his bedroll, his spear, shield and axe sitting by his side, his fingers playing with the amulet around his neck. He was staring at it. Fidel, from the heat and smoke of the fire, could see the tears in the wolf's eyes as he looked longingly at the amulet.

Fidel took the hares off of the fire and broke the stick that kept them together into two, handing a half and a hare to Trygrr, who almost jumped out of his fur.

While they were eating, Fidel just had to ask what the deal was between Trygrr and his amulet.

"Trygrr, tell me. What is that amulet?" Fidel asked.

Trygrr's breath hitched in his throat. A paw went from the stick to the amulet, balling it inside his fist.

"It...... It's a gift. From one of my band-sisters." He answered, looking down at his fist.

Fidel's eyes widened, but then narrowed in suspicion. Every time he looked at the amulet, he saw the blue centrepiece's misty appearance swirl.

'Is it what I think it is? Or is it just the light playing tricks on my mind?' He thought to himself.

He grunted in acknowledgment, and both went back to eating. When they were finished, they threw their sticks into the flames and buried the remains of the hares far away from their small campsite.

"What can you tell me of this place we're headed to first?" Trygrr asked, checking his weapons for any sign of damage.

Fidel smiled, reminiscing on exactly where they were heading.

"Cranta, the city of marble. Built upon a crossroads that gained heavy traffic, it is a massive hotspot for merchants in Kespian."

"So, a collection of rich people with nothing else to do except build fancy structures?"

Fidel smirked, not expecting anything less from a company of two who don't live fancy lives. "Exactly. If we continue at this pace, which we should, we would get there in at least four or five days time."

"Do you think that it would be more advantageous that we should quicken our pace or go at the same pace for longer to get there faster?"

"I simply don't want us to tire out. There might be other travellers on the roads that we may protect, and if we're tired, we cannot protect them to the best of our ability."

Trygrr chuckled, toying with the amulet in his fingers. "You seem to know a lot more than you let on."

"Reinhelda must've been thinking that when she and I were talking about those bandits. And trust me, you don't want to know how I know these things, only that I do know them."

That got Trygrr curious. Just who is this paladin before him?

"Now, tell me Trygrr, what was your brother-band's name? For, if I know, there might be a chance that it may live on."

Trygrr looked at his left pauldron. Reaching up, he took it off and looked deeply at the insignia.

"The Dalgaarding. My ancestors were actually part of the founding members. My mother's line maintained the longhouse and any wooden parts that the brother-band needed fixed. My father's line were the interrogators of the brother-band, beating those from Sofrezian traitors to the most loyal of warriors from both Kespian and Uslijan for the benefit of the 'band."

"Do you know the brother-band that killed yours?"

Trygrr growled and looked at Fidel with fury in his eyes. "If I did, I would've gone after them already!"

The paladin only picked up a stick and stoked the fire a bit.

"Despite knowing full well that you'd be killed on sight, you came down to Kespian. And yet, circumstances and coincidence brought both of us together. A paladin who needs to travel to the shrines in Uslijan and Sofreze to complete his pilgrimage, and the last Raider in a brother-band who wants another dead."

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying that the higher powers have a sick sense of humour."

Fidel threw the stick into the fire.

"We should get to sleep. We cannot be tired when travelling to Cranta." The paladin suggested, moving over to his tent and slipping into the bedroll. Within minutes, the tortoise was asleep.

Trygrr took the amulet off and stared at what was in the centre once more. The blue whatever-it-is swirled and glistened in both moonlight and firelight. But after a minute of staring, Trygrr felt restless, and the amulet wasn't doing anything to help.

So, he placed the amulet around his neck yet again and stood, taking his axe with him. A short distance from the camp, he found a low hanging tree branch. He did a short test while it was still attached.

'Good wood.' He concluded.

Using a few good swings, Trygrr managed to chop the branch off, once more confirming to him that the wood was of a good quality. He took the branch back to the campsite and leant the branch across his knees. Using his axe, he chipped the bark away, leaving only the timber underneath.

Satisfied, he placed the piece of wood beside his bedroll and he snuck into the bedroll. He fell asleep within seconds.

____________________________________________________________________________________

When they awoke, they quickly packed everything away, threw dirt over the remains of the fire and continued on their way.

Fidel was curious about the shaved branch that Trygrr was carrying, but he didn't ask.

They spent about an hour on the road when they heard the cry for help further down the road. So, they ran that way. About a few seconds later, they saw the reason why.

An upturned merchant caravan was under attack by bandits.

Fidel only glanced at Trygrr and shrugged his shoulders, hefting his hammer off of his back. Trygrr dropped the shaved branch and pulled his spear off his back. Together, they ran into the fray. The bandits, pretty much amateur highwaymen with little to no combat experience, they crumbled under the assault of two well-trained fighters.

A frog began to climb out of the upturned caravan. The frog was dressed in expensive merchant's clothing, obviously very successful.

"Ah, they're gone. I want to thank you, but I cannot turn this caravan on my lonesome. Can you two help me with this?" The frog asked, male by the voice.

Fidel shrugged and both of them went around to where the roof is. Together, Fidel and Trygrr managed to get the caravan upright once more. The frog came around and unclipped the harnesses off of the dead feral horses.

"I would say that I'd be on my way, but I cannot. I wish to ask you two yet another favour. You see, I need to get to Cranta, and I have no horses to pull my caravan..."

"And you want us to pull you to Cranta. The good news is that we are going to Cranta as well." Fidel finished.

The frog's eyes lit up and shook Fidel's hand in utmost happiness. "Oh, glorious days and coincidence. Now, come on and let's get started."

The frog leapt up and sat in the seat, rolling up the reins. Trygrr quickly ran back and grabbed the beginning of his second spear haft. With questionable looks, he threw it into the caravan, along with his other weapons and Fidel's, and took his place on one side of the pole, Fidel on the other.

They lifted it up and started their hard work for a journey.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

They spent a few days on the road so far.

Currently, it was nighttime, but the heavens decided to pour down its burden all at once, resulting in the three to stay within the caravan.

Fidel and the merchant, known as Kaufman, were talking while Trygrr worked on his future haft, shaving off any splinters or imperfections with his axe. All of Kaufman's merchandise was placed behind covers, and probably has been for the entire trip, judging from the layer of dirt that coated the covers.

Every single one of them remembered the conversation they had a day prior concerning with what Trygrr was doing.

And they were astounded by his answer, as the way he's doing it is the way it has been done for centuries.

And funnily enough that the back of the caravan was filled with ornate wooden statues.

After a few more minutes of talking and Trygrr shaving down the haft, they rested up.

When morning came, the ground was slightly damp and puddles lined the edges of the road. Getting back out, the two warriors took their spots at the pole and pushed the caravan along the road to Cranta once more.

An hour later, they came upon the fields that surrounded Cranta and provided the food for the inhabitants. About ten more minutes of strenuous work resulted in the gates of Cranta coming into view.

Trygrr looked up, gasping in awe of the city. Its white walls held any attackers at bay from the six towers that rested within, made from marble. Now he can see why Cranta is known as the city of marble. At the gate, he saw three guards, wearing the standard guard's armour. However, he saw the gates open and one of the three run in, the gate closing behind them.

By the time they got to the gate, it opened once more, the guard that left along with four others, although the others were in heavier armour than the guard, the steel grey of the armour accented by a golden undercoat.

A middle-aged otter, who each could guess was the commanding officer here, came up to them.

"Let the Legion take care of it, boys." He said rather loudly.

Fidel and Trygrr moved off to one side, both collapsing onto the dirt. Kaufman quickly dashed into the caravan and came back out with Trygrr's soon-to-be haft, throwing it to him. Trygrr caught it before one end decided to hit his helm. The otter had a few words with Kaufman, which the two guessed was about Trygrr, since there were multiple motions made towards the Raider wolf.

The Legionnaires each took up a place, two on either side of the pole, and jogged through with the cart. The caravan went through the gates, but it stayed open.

"Show offs." Trygrr breathed out between pained breaths.

"Its the Legion. Better not say it to their faces though, no matter how true." Fidel breathed back.

The otter walked up to them, blotting out the sun.

"I do hope that you two aren't planning to stay there." He quipped.

He offered each of them a paw to help them stand, which they took. He patted both of their shoulders and ushered them into the gate. The otter then took post outside with the two other guards when the gate began to close.

They walked up the main path available to them, the paved streets a welcome change to the dirt tracks. They came to a large courtyard, definitely the largest in Kespian, a large fountain the centrepiece of the courtyard. They saw Kaufman's caravan nearby, so they walked over there.

Trygrr could feel the eyes of the guards on him.

Kaufman just finished unpacking the caravan of his goods, the two seeing many fine examples of woodwork being laid out among his stall, from small, finely detailed figurines of old legends to hand mirrors that even the most richest of people could only buy.

Kaufman quickly noticed the two of them, his eyes lighting up. "I, ahh, forgot to thank you, my boys." He said, scratching his chin.

Trygrr waved a paw in dismissal, while Fidel decided to speak, although his response came down to Trygrr's wave.

"You don't need to thank us, Kaufman." Fidel responded.

But Kaufman would not have any of it. "The least I can do is get you a room at the local inn for a few nights." He offered.

This offer was met by a rejection, but Kaufman still pressed. Eventually, Fidel decided to relent and allow Kaufman to pay. They agreed to meet Kaufman at that inn at dusk, so that left the two to wander the city for the time being.

Fidel deviated from the unofficial course to pray at the local chapel, so Trygrr walked through the city. Without realising it, he walked right into a large training ground where scores of Legionnaires were fighting each other in practice matches and in formations.

In one of the far corners, he saw a shield wall formation that seemed familiar to him, but he ignored it.

Not wanting to intrude further, he turned around only to have a gladius a mere centimetre from his chest. He looked up along the paw and arm to the one holding the weapon, a doberman. Maybe early fifties, but wearing the Lorica Segmentata (A/N: The heavy armour that is associated with legionnaire) like a second skin. His muzzle nor his eyes gave away his emotions.

"How come Raider scum like yourself was allowed into the city, and this courtyard by extension?" The Doberman demanded.

Trygrr raised his paws innocently, even taking a step back. Except the doberman Legionnaire took a step forward in response.

"I came in here without knowing it. I was just leaving." Trygrr answered. "A guard at the front gate allowed me to go in."

"You mean, a guard at one of the front gates. And who else's word shall I take for this story to be true?" The doberman corrected, slowly closing the distance of the gladius' tip to Trygrr's chest.

"You shall take mine, Legionnaire!" A familiar voice yelled.

Both wolf and doberman looked at where the voice yelled from. It was Fidel, his bucket helm held underneath his armpit, like another head was staring at them.

Trygrr was hopeful, but the doberman's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"And you are?" The doberman asked once more.

"Fidel, a paladin on pilgrimage. And you are holding up, and are about to stab, my friend and protector."

"I know you are trained, judging by the armour and weapons you hold on your person. But why a bodyguard?"

"Because some of the shrines are within Sofreze, and this wolf is key to my journey through Sofreze."

"But still, the guards made a mistake letting your friend inside the city walls."

"You'd dare go against the Duke's Left Arm?"

The doberman paused, retracting the gladius a millimetre and tilting his head to one side. The doberman sheathed his gladius after some hesitation.

"I'd dare not, as his Right Arm. But know this, paladin, this Raider will not hesitate to stab you in the back when your usefulness is done." With that said, the doberman walked away and kept on training the rest of the Legion.

Both Fidel and Trygrr left the large training yard.

The excitement of today would be outshone by the excitement in a few days time.