Liliana fished out another stool from a closet and sat across from Logan next to Liliana.
“Seriously, how are you alive? No one I have ever heard of has ever lasted close to twenty minutes against a sk?ti wolf with a weapon, let alone barehanded.”
Carissa turned her gaze on Liliana then to Logan, examining his shoulders then back to Liliana.
“It wasn’t twenty minutes, from what I can recall, and as for what Kragen probably told you. I’m sure it can be enlightening to ask the subject of the outrage to the superior previously mentioned.” Logan said calmly and professionally.
Liliana sat shocked by the jab to her professional demeanor that she had usually kept. Logan’s comment of inferiority irked her, seeing tattoos prominent on his torso and arms leading her to a not so favorable impression.
“Are you some kind of supremacist or something?” Liliana asked her tone as professional and cold as etiquette allowed.
“Or something,” Logan said. “From my perspective, I was watching Netflix getting ready for bed…” Logan trailed off as he remembered something.
He thought about it for a moment. “Have either of you heard of a child of conquest?”
Carissa paled this time, abruptly getting up and leaving.
“Was it something I said?”
…
The two clergymen of war and crafting rode in a cart on a dirt path far from the city. The path was riddled with potholes and massive stones that would left the passengers jostling around as if they were in a bag of meat and spices.
“What is with the impatience?” asked the archbishop of crafting. “By the way, who is this woman you have with us?”
Although the craftsmen with the clergy of the god of crafting often got along with other churches, war being close to the top of the list for obvious reasons. No warrior wanted to offend a craftsman lest they get insufficient gear the war priest had been frantic and almost panicked resorting to what others may perceive as attempted kidnapping of a clergyman.
The woman in question sat reserved at the back of the cart looking for a good time to escape. By the bruises on the archbishops face she was a fighter. The crafter had noted a collar around the girl’s neck marking her as a slave, as well as the loose and tattered garb made from a former sack of flour or grain.
“Can you explain to me why you have a slave in the back of your cart?” asked the priest in a quiet of a tone he could manage given the speed of the cart.
“Since we last met, archbishop. Your request intrigued me so I asked for guidance when curiosity got the best of me.” started the war priest. “It was until today when my god informed me about the girl you brought up.” he mentioned to point at the girl. “She is that girl.”
The crafting priest let out a sigh. “Thomas, please tell me you didn’t kidnap a slave and break the traders ankles.”
“Alright Fredrick, I didn’t kidnap a slave and break the traders ankles.”
“Somehow I find it hard to believe.”
“I didn’t break his ankles.”
“He didn’t break the bastard’s ankles,” said the woman. She had moved closer to the men, having a feeling they we’re talking about her.”
“Thank you,” said archbishop Thomas.
“The collar was temporarily disabled. I broke his ankles.” the woman admitted.
“Did he kidnap you?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
“He told me he would take me to the ‘emperor's faithful.’”
Frederick shot Thomas a look. Knowing that the country they were in didn’t have an emperor.
“What did you do?”
…
Carissa hurriedly was getting a mount ready for a fast journey to the city. The closest city was far enough away that with the fastest mount it was still probably a few hours to get a priest.
Children of conquest were almost never a good thing. Most often sought for major war that carved out nations and sundered entire cultures from the stories she heard as a child. Carissa rubbed the side of her neck and felt a cold shiver slide down her spine.
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Out of the nowhere she heard a cart coming. It was coming too fast for it to be safe for the three people in it. It abruptly stopped in front of her.
“We need to speak with your guest,” said a man in what looked to be priest robes, almost frantic.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that right now our alchemist is working with him.” Carissa replied, trying to remain stoic.
Unfortunately that stoicism faltered when she noticed the third passenger after the two priests.
“Gentlemen,” Carissa drones out, keeping her tone flat, but letting the men know they better have a good reason. The rules of this establishment are rather well-known as the owner often voices his use of and practices of slavery.”
“I’m sorry about that madam,” apologized the priest closest to her. “Given the information given to me by my patron I believed that it was time sensitive and neglected to have it removed in my haste.”
Carissa kept an eye on the visibly obvious slave and noticed something that caught her eye. She moved closer to her.
Challenge was in the girl's eyes, but given the collar it probably wouldn’t be shown.
A knife was what looked to be painted on going through the woman’s outside forearm. Around it over the painted flesh were words that she didn’t understand. Given the circumstances she made an executive decision.
“Normally, I wouldn’t do this but I will see if he will see you,” Carissa said, her voice tinged with curiosity.
The slave smirked. “Can you ask your guest as the emperor’s faithful what is his duty?”
The two priest’s froze, probably not realizing that the conversation about the mysterious guest on their way there had been eavesdropped on.
…
Logan made his way across the grass to the cart, followed by Liliana and Carissa. When he was asked the question he didn’t answer it he just went to the cart without giving an answer. Of all things he didn’t expect to hear a reference to a table top game here.
The beast that Carissa was reading made him pause since it looked like a mishmash of animals.
He stopped fully when he heard a familiar voice.
“Good afternoon Corporal,” said a woman in what looked to be dressed in an upside down sack. Her hair was a mess. Her skin looked frail and malnourished. What caught his eye was what looked to be a metal band around her neck. “What is your duty?” she asked directly in a slightly wheezy tone now.
“O’Merrick, is that you?” Logan asked horrified at the state of someone at least who looked and sounded a lot like someone.
“What is your duty?” asked one of the men Logan was told were priests impatience getting to him.
“To serve the emperor’s will,” Logan shouted as he started to run, anger starting to coat his words like a toxic venom.
Liliana, who did not know about the tedious and multilayered lore of the game Warhammer 40,000, froze as she tried to stop him.
“What is the emperor’s will?” asked the other priest.
“To fight and die,” Logan roared as reached the cart and started brawling with the first priest.
“Wait, it is not…” the first priest started, but was cut off as he felt Logan’s fist on his face, giving him a matching bruise on the other side of his face.
The second priest tried to block the barrage that Logan kept delivering.
O’Merrick smirked a little at the scene. Granted the only feelings she had for him was as a sibling. She watched as he pumalled the man who claimed to be a priest of war. The longer she watched the more something felt wrong. The air felt thinner making it harder to breathe. Her balance slipped for a moment, regaining it after grabbing the side of the cart for support.
“What… what is… wrong with… me?” she asked with the small amount of air coming out of her lungs.
Though she could not see herself, she had a feeling her face was starting to turn a shade of red into blue
“Stop, Logan stop,” Carissa said, pulling him off the priest.
He leapt for her, almost hitting her in the process. Halting himself before he could do anything rash.
“What?” he asked, with gritted teeth.
“Your friend,” Carissa said softly in a hushed tone, looking away. “You're hurting her.”
“Will she be al’ight?”
Carissa nodded. “Luckily, the collar was only choking her. I’ll have Liliana take her and get her a bath, some clothes and a hot meal. I will speak with the clergymen so you can cool off.”
“I’d rather not,” Logan admitted, fists still clenched.
Meanwhile, Liliana sat on the side of a basin filling it with water. She had been silent as she watched the events unfold.
Until Logan started beating a priest he had been nothing of the sort to succumb to violence, or at least that is what she thought. He did admit that he was a soldier of some kind being in her opinion sort of vague not telling the full truth.
“How do you know Logan?” she asked the strange slave that caused the even stranger violence.
“McCarthy?” she asked before admitting. “He is a friend.”
“A rather good one apparently,” Liliana chuckled at the statement. “I don’t know many people, if any who would go off and brawl a priest let alone a priest of war.”
“What happened to me?” she asked. “I don’t feel the same, and as for the brawl. When it started it felt like I couldn’t breathe.”
Liliana turned off the running water with the touch of a crystal and let out a sigh. “It is because you couldn’t.” Liliana admitted before pointing at her own neck. “The collar you're wearing recognizes the priest as your ‘master’ so when you are in his presence and is attacked, if you can help defeat the threat it will persuade you to assist him.”
“By choking me?”
“Just be glad that is all it did. Some impose necrosis.” Liliana enlightened, rubbing at her neck. “Believe me, there are some things you don’t want to experience. As for the choking, I know some people tend to like it.”
Feeling that the bath was ready Liliana grabbed some soaps and a towel from a cabinet and set them on the counter to the sink.
“What is your name?” Liliana asked.
“Dani.”
“Okay Dani, I will be back with a change of clothes. Hopefully, we have that will fit. Once you're done we should have something ready for you to eat.”
Dani eyed the steaming bath. She had a feeling about the strange woman with her. “Can I ask why you’re oddly tense considering my circumstances?”
Liliana let out a tense and somehow somewhat relaxed sigh. “Only if you don’t mind me answering your question with one of my own.?”
