The Sellsword Corporation : Recruit

The wagon bumped over another rut in the road. After a week on a ship, Rayne wasn"t sure if the movement of the wagon was better or worse. At least it was only a four-hour trip overland to the city. Most of the survivors of Bredon Village had stayed in Port Aegries. She had decided to go to the main city, instead. She would have liked to have stayed with her sister. But the betrayal she felt for her friends, would have made it uncomfortable. She had been at the beach when the village started burning. The smoke and screaming of her neighbors drew her back to the village. Her younger sister, Jeanne, would need help escaping. She had broken her back as a young teen. This left her legs unable to move. Making it back to the village, she passed by all her friends. None had grabbed her sister. None were willing to return with her. Draken, a boy three years her junior, was the carrying Jeanne alone. Together, Draken and Rayne had gotten Jeanne on to a horse and the two girls were able to ride away. Wounded, Draken had stayed behind to hold off the attackers. None from the village could say why the orcs south of the Brightway River decided to attack. Long had the village and the orcs respected the river as a boundary between the two. Rarely villagers would even see their neighbors. Though hunting parties could catch a glance at each other in the forest. Whatever the reason no longer mattered. Dozens were dead. Draken was dead. Draken had died saving her sister, when the ones who should"ve cared had abandoned her. Draken was three years younger than her. Him celebrating his eighteenth birthday only recently. He had arrived three years before. He was from far to the west. Being captured as a slave, he ended up south working a canal for several years. A long and bloody slave revolt ensued and Draken would become a seasoned soldier as only a teen. He would make it north and stumble into the village. An awkward child who didn"t understand basic social niceties, the mayor set him in a hut on the edge of the village. Draken and Rayne would become close friends. They both enjoyed stories and the two would lay in the grass and create fantasy worlds together. They were inseparable for those three years. Then Rayne had found out he had developed romantic feelings for her. She distanced herself from him. When he confronted her about it, she was cruel in her answer. That was three months ago, and the last conversation the two had. Even after he gave his savings of the three years to help her buy her way into the College of Mages. An enormous cost she could never have dreamed to cover on her own. Even after he was her only friend who would adventure through stories with her. Who would encourage her to follow her dreams of becoming a mage. Even after, if she was honest with herself, she could have loved him as he loved her. Could have? No, she did. She was too focused on her dreams and had decided she couldn"t have romance as well. How foolish she was? He would have walked hand in hand with her as she pursued her goals. But now, he was dead. And the last words she told him was that of unwarranted anger. The expensive books required for her tenure with the College, burned. Even if she had been able to save the rest of her wealth, she wouldn"t have had near enough to replace them. The dreams that had her give up such a wonderful friendship was gone as well. The wagon jostled again. She could hear the driver chuckling about the horses speeding up. They were close to the destination and getting excited at the prospect. Rayne was getting anxious. Without the required texts, she could not attend the College. Her other option, she decided, was to enlist with the Sellsword Corporation. What once was a small mercenary group now expanded to every known country. They were able to do many isolated jobs that standing armies were too busy to attend to. They were also able to cross borders without fear as an army or city watch would have. The Sellswords, as they were often called, was a group that many were able to find a career of adventure with. The Corporation did not boast a large number of mages. Often, the Sellswords would enlist aid from the College for magical threats. Rumor was on such expeditions, the College collected two-thirds of the posted fee. This makes the Sellswords eager to recruit mages into their own number. Rayne did finish her first year at the College of Mages. The initial year was more academic studies than actual magic. But she could bring a few spells with ease. Had she the gold, she could buy the required books again. Ten gold is what it took. She had fourteen silver. Only nine hundred eighty-six more. She thought to herself. They were now passing the outskirts of the city now. She began stretching in the back of the wagon. Her legs ached and she was glad the trip would be over soon. Glad, but also nervous. Once they reached their destination, a new life would begin. If she were wrong and couldn"t join with the Corporation, she would have to find something else. Likely, she would have to return to the port and scrape by as best she could. She would be around her sister. Ja"Marc, his wife Allya and their three children were caring for Jeanne. They owned a small tavern in the village and were looking to open an inn at the port. They were the one family that had enough finances to begin anew. And the one family the villagers would be looking to for help for that as well. Rayne imagined dozens of the survivors had already reached out for jobs. She had worked there to save what she could to buy her way into the College. Without the Sellswords, she would likely be asking for a job along with the rest. A faster ship and quick rider had already brought news of the village"s destruction. Rayne felt relieved not having to be the one to explain it. The caravan Rayne was on had passed the return rider. The army would patrol the entrance to the peninsula to assure orcs weren"t coming to the main land. It was unknown if the orcs had ships to sail to Port Aegries, so vessels would also patrol Grimheart Bay. There weren"t any plans to retake Bredon Village. The village was a total loss, without any reason to waste lives retaking it. Rayne understood the reasoning for the decision, but it did compound the sorrow she felt. The wagon came to a stop in one of the few markets in the city. Rayne dragged herself up to her feet by the rail. She hopped off the end of the wagon. She didn"t have much for possessions, but a sack with a spare set of clothes and some food. Rayne tied her brunette hair in a bun on the top of her head. The sun was bright in the sky and beating down hard the way a summer noon-time sun did. While her skin was tan over most of her body, she worried about her pale upper arms and shoulders. Rarely did she wear something sleeveless, but her current outfit was all she found in her size. She was six inches over five feet with a slight build. Her father would joke that she was so narrow it was like hugging a six-year-old. The clothes she wore fleeing the village were what she wore to swim in and not suitable for daily life. The brown shirt was still a bit large for her. She cinched it with a black belt. Leather pants and riding boots completed her outfit. She was certain she was as silly as she felt. The other clothes in her pack was a pale green sundress. Her mother always loved the way green had complimented her eyes. Rayne was happy she could get something to remind her of her family. But the dress was likely not appropriate for day to day living. Rayne doubted the thinner fabric would last for what she intended as well. "The Sellswords set up shop three blocks west," the driver interrupted Rayne"s thinking. He pointed down a road to their left. "It"s has a big training yard in the front. It"s open to the public. The building itself is member"s only. Good luck in becoming one. The Aegries house isn"t as busy as others. They don"t need to recruit as often." Rayne nodded her thanks. Her meager sack slung over her shoulder, she heads in the direction the man indicated. The street had more people on it than what lived in Bredon Village. Rayne remembered feeling overwhelmed her year at the College. It still made her uneasy. She could feel dozens of eyes on her. She understood why, her appearance made her feel like a beggar. It could be fitting. Wasn"t she going to be begging for a position? She crossed her arms over her chest. She felt immodest and silly. Doubt flooded her mind. Did she believe her talents were enough to merit membership? If they selective, would a beggar with some spells be enough? They likely had turned away trained and armed men. She had to stop her pace as a wave of doubt washed over her. She closed her eyes and took deep, practiced breaths. She had experienced these anxiety attacks before. But she knew there was no reason to turn back now. The panic would subside. It always did. She shuffled to the side of the road to allow others to pass by without hindrance. She didn"t pause once to the side, deciding to continue down the road at a slower pace. She would do what she set out to, regardless of how she felt right now. Only a few minutes and she was feeling more as herself. She also could see the building the driver had mentioned. It was a square, squat building and much less elaborate than stories of the Corporation. The sand-covered grounds in front of the building was equal in size. There were a few tables with chairs scattered in the sands. Several individuals scattered at the different tables chatted among themselves. Rayne wasn"t sure which person she should approach. She steadied herself and decided the biggest group to be the best option. The four men stopped talking and watched her as she approached. Don"t stammer, she commanded herself. "I"m here to sign on with the Sellsword Corporation." She declared. There were snickers among the group. They glanced at each other, unsure of how to answer. "Uh, you sure "bout that?" One finally answered. He was one of the three sitting. Rayne didn"t think he was much older than she, but he wore a breastplate and leather equipment. He looked the part. "You look like you couldn"t hold a sword. Let alone swing it." Another of the ones sitting added. He was definitely older, a scattering of grey hairs on his head and in his stubble. Rayne nodded, "I"ve had some training. As well as other skills that will help me." She replied. It was true. Draken had shown her basic swordplay. She had enjoyed it until their falling out. "Well let"s see if that"s true." Another voice joined in. This one coming from a fifth man approaching. He tossed a wooden sword to Rayne and she dropped her sack to catch it. It wasn"t clean and she likely would"ve sliced herself had it been a real blade. Without much warning, he closed in, swinging the wooden sword he held. Rayne reacted on instinct, swinging her sword and swatting the blow aside. The man took the force of her parry and used the momentum for his next swing. Rayne stepped back, "Wait a mom-" but her plea ended with a second attacker coming at her. She staggered back. A feeling of panic rose in her. A different type then that she had on the street. Everything was happening so fast, she wasn"t sure if they were testing her or running her out. The two men became to circle her. The second who had joined was the younger of the two who first spoke with her. She told them that she had other skills and decided to prove why they may wish her in their ranks. The first attacker swung and she let his sword knock hers out of her hand. In a flash, she laid her hands on the man"s sword arm and a pulse of energy ran into the man. He yelped as his sword dropped to the ground. Not allowing the second to guard himself, she created a smooth ball of ice and launched it at the second. The young man took a half jump back, but it wasn"t enough. Her spell connected with the center of his chest. Adding to his momentum, he fell on to his back with a crack. Rayne tried to look confident and casual as she bent over and picked up her training sword. "Enough!" A voice boomed from building in front of the group. "Lester! Gregore! When have we ever treated hopeful recruits in such a manner?" The man"s voice was commanding. Even more so was his appearance. Solid and muscled, he had scars on his hands and arms. His plate mail gleamed in the sunlight. He appeared middle aged as well, with close cropped hair and clean shaven. Rayne could see him being mistaken for a general or lord. As their commander approached, the four who could stand did so at attention. The man struck by her ice shard sat and winced in doing so. "We needed to drive off the refugees right away. Otherwise we would"ve had a dozen more this afternoon." The fallen man wheezed. "She"s the only to have come," the leader corrected, "even so, we have more civil ways in turning people away. Not have you disgraced us, but you also embarrassed yourselves." He turned towards Rayne and she took a half step back. He may have been a foot taller than her. His face softened looking down, "I apologize for them. Tell me, what is your name?" Rayne shock of the sudden attack became plain confusion. She shook her head and straightened out, realizing she must have looked dumbfounded. "I"m Rayne. Uh, formerly of the College of Mages and of Bredon Village." She answered. "Or more accurate, I am formerly from there as well." The man nodded, "I heard about the village. We all have. The city"s been buzzing with anxiety about the orcs moving this way. You have my- our sympathies." He added the last part, shooting a glare towards the others. The man who"s arm she grabbed was shaking it and complaining about not having any feeling in it. The others didn"t seem to be paying attention to him though. More had gathered since the ordeal began. Some looked like they belonged to the Corporation. Others looked like curious bystanders. "You say "formerly" of the College. If I may ask, why is that? Usually most want to enroll with the school. Not leave it and find employment elsewhere." Rayne glanced around at the onlookers. She was self-conscious, being in front of so many. "My books burned in my home. They"re mandatory to attend, but are expensive to repurchase. I will reapply when I am able to. Until then I will put my talents to work." The man nodded. He seemed hesitant and in thought before answering. "We have more swords than jobs, but someone who can wield magic would be welcome. I"m not sure where we could put you. The barracks are free for our members. But to have a lady there may be-." He shook his head at the prospect. "And the private rooms we charge rent. On top of that-" "She can bunk with me." A voice interupted from the gathered numbers. Rayne turned to see a woman coming forward. "I can snuggle her or she can have the floor. Her choice." She added with a grin. The woman carried a sword and wore armor as others. A few inches taller than Rayne and far more muscle definition. Her blonde hair flowed down over her shoulders with a band around her forehead keeping it out of her eyes. Her eyes were a clear blue. Even with several strides between them Rayne could tell they were beautiful. Rayne"s face turned red when she finally registered offering to sleep together. Several onlookers laughed at her expense. The levity signaled the end of anything interesting and the crowd began to disperse. The commander approached and put a hand on Rayne"s shoulder. "I am Gerald Backes. I run the Sellsword Corporation here in Aegries. That is Maryanne. You"re new roommate. Welcome to the family." There was a resounding "huah" from the rest gathered as more came and clapped Rayne on the back or shook her hand. A slew of introductions made that she was confident she"d forget. There were currently fourteen in the city and three outside on assignment. It did seem as if there weren"t enough work for them all. Still, Gerald promised her he would find attire more fitting to the Sellswords. He also sent the two she had injured to find her a sword to use as well. They had gone without complaint and Rayne felt sorry, watching to two head away. She made a note to use healing magic on both later in the evening. It would help healing and bring feeling back to Lester"s arm. She wasn’t as good with healing magic as she was with ice, but it was some. They served food early in the evening and Rayne went to her shared room shortly after. It had been a long day and her new friends were promising another like it tomorrow.