ARC 6-Winter War-109 (Patreon)
Content
Despite everything, the army was in a good mood.
Objectively, Robert understood that they had plenty to celebrate. Despite two battles in two days, one of which was an ambush, they hadnât suffered any casualties. No injuries even. Not even a scratch.
The monsters of the north each had bounties attached to them. Between the many doomhawks theyâd shot down and the titan killed by Sir Polluck, their army had already earned quite a few crowns. It was amazing considering they werenât even a week into the campaign. He understood now why the acolytes risked their lives in the north rather than getting conventional work in Quest. The reward was certainly worth the risk. Especially when it came with certain perks.
It was difficult to maintain a bad attitude when everyone around him would rather celebrate. Lourianneâs creature was an excellent cook. He had been wary of eating anything prepared by the thing but after hearing dozens of compliments, and watching one man cry into his bowl, he couldnât stop himself from tasting it. He was glad he did. The simple soup was the best thing that had ever touched his tongue. He was ashamed to say not even his motherâs cooking could compare.
At least he had the composure not to go for seconds.
The others had no such restraint. They filled their bellies before stumbling off to their tents. It was their last night of relaxation, or as much as could be had in the north. While the armies were together, the knights wouldnât tolerate the less experienced hunters protecting them but once they struck out on their own, they would have to pull their own weight.
âIf youâre just gonna scowl all night, might as well go to sleep. Youâre ruining my drink.â
Robert looked over his shoulder. It took a few moments for him to recognize the man standing a couple of steps away. He looked very different from how Robert thought of him. In his mind, when he thought of Arthur, he recalled a loud voice and wild hair. The soft-spoken, serious, neatly groomed man was a stranger. If he hadnât met the new Arthur once in Lourianneâs home, he didnât think he would have recognized him at all.
Along with a bowl of soup, he held a brown bottle. He brought it to his lips, taking two large gulps before dropping it. âBy the deep, I canât wait till this is over. Itâs cold as a sea hagâs heart in this place. Can you believe these crazy bastards choose to live in this crap all year long? Their whole lives? I thought Graywatch was full of lunatics but Victory takes the crown.â
ââŠwhat do you want?â Robert was both confused and unnerved by the manâs sudden friendliness.
âDidnât I tell you? Your nasty face is ruining my drink.â
âDrink somewhere else.â
âThe fireâs over here.â
Robert shook his head. He might have cleaned up but the pirate-son was still the same rude bastard on the inside. He shook his head and turned away. After marching two days straight, he was too cold and tired for a fight. But before he could escape, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
Robert scowled over his shoulder. âI was leaving.â
âYou should grow a spine, hero. Come here. Drink with me.â
He briefly tried resisting being pulled closer to the fire but gave up rather quickly, settling for a frown as he let himself be dragged forward. The fact that he was being dragged toward the succubus still serving delicious food also factored into his lack of willpower. Once they were in line, Arthurâs grip loosened. âSo, hero,â the pirate-son drawled. âWeâve got a problem.â
âIn case you havenât noticed, this isnât the place for problems.â
âExactly. Got plenty of problems surrounding us. The last thing the captain needs to worry about is dissent amongst the crew. So, go on. Tell this big brother. What exactly is your problem with the lady handing out the gold?â
ââŠitâs nothing someone like you can understand.â
âI believe that. Where I come from, we give goodwill to goodwill and donât dive into shark-infested waters. Youâre damn right I have no idea why youâve got a hate hard-on for a woman thatâs done you kindness several times and can snap you in half with her little finger.â
âKindness!â he shouted. Several gazes turned to them and Robert lowered his voice. âHow has that woman done me any kindness?â
âI can name plenty of things but Iâm more interested in what she did that was so wrong.â
Robert scoffed. âWhat did she do that was so wrong? She atemy friend.â He might have been cloistered away with the others when the titan attacked but he had been watching the fight. There was no way he could miss the appearance of the mount gifted to him by his mentor. The one eaten by a purple slime.
He hadnât put it together until he saw the winged creature diving toward the titan. Then it him like a fire arrow to the face. Something he had the displeasure of experiencing, though the spell had lacked heat in his training.
âReally? Saintsâ blessed asses, I didnât know the captain could eat people. The elfâŠeh. Definitely those creatures she keeps. Guess theyâve finally corrupted her. Who was it then? Some poor lad, I bet. I can only see her eating women in one way, heh.â
âIt was my mount.â
Arthur looked at him in disbelief. âYour mount.â
âYes. Thorgood.â
ââŠyouâre challenging that monster for a horse?â
âHe was a roc!â Robert spat out. âGifted to me by my mentor. My friend. And she ate him.â
The pirate-son took another swig of his bottle. âYou summer boys really think different. To think youâd challenge a captain because of a pet. Fuck. If Lou came to Graywatch, she could stab someoneâs mother and theyâd forgive her.â He shook his head. âWhyâd she do it anyway? Louâs not the type to kill someoneâs pet for no reason.â
âThatâs exactly what happened.â
âReally? You didnât do anything wrong?â
Robert frowned. âI guessâŠIâm the one who attacked first.â
âHa!â
âNo! Itâs notâ" He had to check his volume, taking a deep breath to calm his rising temper. âShe was in the form of that purple slime. I thought she was a manabeast that had raided a den of the creatures we were after. And we didnât start with an attack. We tried to scare her off. At any time, she could have turned into a human and told us to back off. Instead, she eats Thor and attacks us.â
Arthur hummed. Before he could respond, they reached the front of the line. Robert stiffened as he stood before the smiling succubus. He was surprised to see Arthur was just as uncomfortable.
The creature took no notice as she grabbed their bowls and filled them. âDonât stay up too long boys,â she said in her alluring voice. âWe have a long day tomorrow.â
âThanks,â Arthur said quickly, dragging Robert away before he could blurt out his inner thoughts. There was silence as the two of them enjoyed their meal before Arthur continued their conversation from earlier. âEating your friend was wrong. But you got to look at it from her point of view. She was alone with a bunch of treasure and five bandits swooped down on her. She had the right to defend herself.â
âShe wouldnât have needed to defend herself if she just spoke to us.â
âI wouldnât want to speak with people trying to rob me either. Besides, she warned you.â
âWhat do you know?â Robert asked. âYou werenât even there. She didnât give any warning.â
âHey, hero. Didnât your daddy tell you never to fight a eat a fish you donât recognize? And the hunters teach their own not to fight unknown manabeasts. She didnât want to expose herself, which is understandable. Maybe she didnât say anything because she expected you to have the sense not to fight her. How did she know you were idiots?â
Robert shook his head. âIf she wanted to warn us off, she could have done so without killing Thor.â He knew that for sure after witnessing her fighting the titan.
âMaybe after you attacked her, you pissed her off. Lou has a fickle temper.â
âWhy are you defending her?â Robert asked, exasperated.
âIâm doing my part to educate the future Harvest Hero.â Arthur drained the last of his bottle, sighing as he licked away the last drops.
âYouâre lying.â
âIâm lying. The captain is worried about you. Thinks youâre going to be a problem. You donât want to be a problem. A lot of men go missing in the north.â
Robert stiffened, looking at the man beside him with new eyes. His gaze flicked around his surroundings, taking in the many witnesses. It was a bluff. Not that he didnât like his chances against the other man but thereâd be consequences. âIs that a threat?â
âOf course not. If she wanted you gone, youâd be gone. Weâre talking because she doesnât want to hurt you. See? Kindness aplenty.â
âI donât need anything from her.â
Arthur sighed. âYou really need to open your eyes to the world, hero. Hopefully you learn to see things a little more clearly on this trip.â He walked away, carelessly tossing aside the empty bottle. âLest you donât return from it.â