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545. A New Residence

The Tyrians prove excellent hunters, as could be expected, and the cohort feasted on fresh meat. Along with their victory, this created a merry mood in the small camp. A small stream had been discovered a short distance to the east, and once water had been brought back, Martel heated up a few barrels to provide a primitive, but hot bath for the legionaries. With the sun shining on the second day after the battle, Martel almost enjoyed the place – especially after the charred remains of the ...

544. The Thunderer and the Valkyrie

Martel slept soundly as soon as the opportunity came, as did nearly the entire cohort, except for a few sentinels. When dawn arrived, they began to clear the area. Most importantly, bodies were hauled away and placed in a pyre, which Martel ignited. The overpowering smell of burnt flesh reminded him of his last months in Morcaster, with fires burning the victims of the pestilence.

"Why are we making such efforts to clean up the place?" he asked, as he came upon Eleanor, who had gone to ...

543. A Gentle Push

The cohort split up with the different centuriae surrounding the encampment, should the Khivans attempt to break through. A tree was felled and cut to shape, leaving some of the branches for the legionaries to hold, creating a simple ram.

The march had taken longer than expected; the sun would set within the hour, and the three mages of the expedition gathered for a final discussion. "I thought we would arrive sooner," Valerius said, pacing back and forth. They stood just inside the tre...

542. Nights in the Forest

At second bell, an entire cohort gathered on the strip of land between the camp and the river. As Martel and Eleanor arrived, they received packs with provisions; this mission would take days. The mageknight Valerius joined them with a hearty greeting. "Ah, our battlemage and his stalwart protector. I shall be glad to have your company." He was among the younger prefects, halfway through his twenties. "What do you think of my cohort?" With a flourishing gesture, he motioned towards the five h...

541. The Choices of a Prefect

Once they had returned to camp, Martel and Eleanor went straight to the tent of the legion prefect. "By the looks of you, I suspect you had trouble." Sir Lara gave them an expectant look.

"Three dead, two lightly wounded," Eleanor retorted. "In addition, we found this." She placed the musket ball with its golden lines among the lead on the table in front of the prefect. "I doubt that is standard issue among Khivan soldiery. Especially since our patrol is the only one that involves wizar...

540. Second Shot

Martel sprinted through the forest. The sound of a musket firing reached him, and the bullet did a moment later as well, aimed at his back. His magical shield protected him, and he jumped to the other side of a small mound, providing him with cover. Evidently, changing the day of their patrols had not made much difference.

"How many?" Eleanor asked, hiding in the same place.

"Three ahead of us." Martel pointed in the different directions. "Another three or four coming from that an...

539. A Day in Spring

Spring festival was a day of revelry and joy, except for those soldiers, who had one way or another angered their commanders and thus been volunteered to do guard or patrol duty. This did not include any prefects, and Martel was free to make his way to Esmouth and experience the merrymaking. Together with Eleanor, he walked into the transformed town. The main road was lined with stalls and entertainers, all of them travellers who had arrived over the last days. For once, nearly everything cou...

538. Setting Up Shop

The following day, once he had sparred with Eleanor, Martel went to the small Tyrian quarter of Esmouth. He carried his drying rack for herbs over his shoulder with one hand, the other hauling his crate of tools and ingredients. It was awkward and heavy, but with a little empowered strength, he reached his destination and could place the rack on the ground. "I'm here for Starkad," he told the nearest Tyrian, who sat plucking a goose.

The northerner got up, stuck his head inside the near...

537. Shared Knowledge

Henry poured half a cup of wine and placed it in front of Martel along with a pitcher of water. Ignoring the offer of dilution, Martel grabbed the cup and took a healthy sip. The stonemage gave him a look under raised eyebrows. "That kind of day?"

"Yesterday. Third patrol in a row we got attacked. Lost one."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah." Martel took another sip.

"At least spring festival is just around the corner. In fact, be prepared for things to get rowdy. T...

536. Flame and Foliage

The musket ball struck the tree, causing splinters to fly past Martel's face. He had dropped his staff some paces away, but it might as well be on the other side of the world, given that he needed to leave cover to retrieve it. Crouching behind the trunk, Martel cursed. The fire in his blood urged him towards reaction, retaliation, retribution, but he took deep breaths to keep his head cool. The Khivan sharpshooter clearly knew how to aim, yet he spent his bullet on a tree trunk. He was a dis...

535. As One Life Ends

Morning had barely arrived when a soldier arrived outside Martel's tent. Half dressed, the mage went outside. "What is it?"

"Sorry for the hassle, sir. That big Tyrian with the axe is by the gate, asking for you. Seemed important if he is here first thing in the morning."

"Tell him I'll be with him shortly."

"Sir."

The soldier left while Martel walked over towards Eleanor's tent. "Time for that second visit."

***

Soon after, Martel and Eleanor appeared by t...

534. A Broken Threat

Eleanor broke the arrow in half and placed the part with the rune in her belt. "We shall discuss back in camp," she mumbled, to which Martel nodded. "Stay surrounded by legionaries. I will take a look around."

She disappeared, but Martel was scarcely left alone before Avery arrived. "Well done, Sir Martel! I was uncertain of what aid you might provide tonight, but your spellcraft proved most useful!"

"Thanks," he muttered, distracted. "Is the fight over? Our task?"

She nodde...

533. In His Element

Fifty soldiers along with one optio and three mages moved through the landscape, using the darkness to cover their approach. Finally, Avery raised her arm, and they all stopped. "It lies right ahead. Everyone, prepare. We will sneak forward, but once they raise the alarm, charge."

Martel could not see the hill as such; it was lost in the dark. He let his magic sweep out, and before his inner eye, two flares appeared. Sentinels, crouching on the ridge. Beyond them, more little lights fro...

532. Priorities

As second bell rang from the distant temple tower in Esmouth, Martel and Eleanor walked through the gate of the camp. On the small stretch of land between the wall and the river, they saw a gathering of soldiers. Too many to easily count, but Martel imagined it was a full centuria, as he noticed both a centurion and two optios nearby. He wondered what task lay ahead that required a hundred soldiers.

The mageknight Avery approached them, giving a greeting which they returned. She was amo...

531. The Coming of Spring

The next several fivedays passed without incident. Martel had no further encounters with Khivans on his patrols, and life in camp continued with the usual routines. He sparred with Eleanor in the mornings and went to Esmouth in the afternoons, visiting Henry, the barber, the different craftsmen and traders, and making use of any other way to spend a few coins doing leisurely activities.

Every trip back and forth, he passed by the Tyrian enclave, as he had privately named it. They had ch...

530. Eight Breaths

Martel sat on a tree stump he had salvaged a while back, serving as his seat whenever he cooked meals outside his tent. The pot boiled merrily, turning oats and water into porridge. On the other side, sitting on her own stump, Eleanor unpacked the honey and raisins they usually added. "Not much left," she remarked. "And the trader in Esmouth will probably not have any to sell until the next ship arrives from Morcaster."

"I'll ask around. Maybe others have enough left they are willing to...

529. The Feast of Saint Agnes

After a bath, Martel looked at the clothes in his chest. He should have asked what kind of clothing would be appropriate. A celebration suggested that he wore his finest, but this was an outpost, not a palace in Morcaster, and something resembling a uniform might be preferable.

In the end, he chose his silken shirt and doublet, along with his best trousers and nice shoes rather than boots. He had no mirror, so he could not be sure how his hair looked, but probably a mess. He had also be...

528. Fifteen Coins

After their morning spar, Eleanor pulled back and caught her breath. "I do not suppose you know where we are to collect our salary?"

"Not a clue. Wait, that's today?" To Martel, the days all felt the same, except Pelday when they had patrol.

"What would you do without me?"

"Right, I would never have figured out this well-guarded secret that today's the first of the month."

"That would be my assessment as well," Eleanor said lightly. "Well, let us seek out the camp pref...

527. The Long Ship

Martel and Eleanor were still sparring when they both noticed a slow, but steady stream of soldiers leaving camp. Exchanging looks and a shrug, Martel threw his staff aside, removed his chain shirt, and joined the others together with Eleanor.

Once outside the camp's gate, they had to push through the crowd and walk onto the bridge before they finally saw what caused the stir. On the southern pier by Esmouth's harbour, a ship of particular build lay moored. It was long and slender with ...

526. A Gathering of Black

When their morning spar had ended, Eleanor stepped back and gave Martel a scrutinising look. "How do you feel? After yesterday, I mean."

"Fine," he replied truthfully. "It could have gone a lot worse."

"I guess you have been in fights before."

"Once or twice. And you?" Martel suddenly felt guilty that he had not given her the same consideration. She had seemed at home in her reactions to the ambush; it had not occurred to him that she might be feeling troubled by it.

"...

525. Cold Tracks

It began to snow the next day as if the Stars themselves found it amusing how Martel had chosen to give up his source of heating. After a cold morning practising against Eleanor, he went alone to the river and found a large stone along with two small ones, and an afternoon of enchantment ensued. Once done, he brought it all to the infirmary; if winter was about to become harsher, Martel could guess a single heating stone would not suffice. Once back in his own tent, he boiled some water and b...

524. Hot Choices

"Sir Martel, are you the fool who has been giving away enchanted items to the soldiers?" Although phrased as a question, Sir Lara Chasseur yelled it in a manner to suggest she already knew the answer.

This time, the legion prefect had not waited until Martel and Eleanor finished their training, but marched right in between them to stare him straight in the face.

"If you're referring to the heating stones, that would be me," he admitted; not that the source of such objects could be...

523. One Step at a Time

Being a small town, barely worthy of the title, Esmouth had only two gates. One to the east as part of the fortifications that guarded the bridge, and one to the north-west attached to the only road in the area. Leaving the town through that exit, Martel soon left the cobbled path to enter the wetlands along the river.

"Glad I fortified my boots before our sea journey," Eleanor remarked as her feet sank into the muddy ground.

"You don't have to come along," Martel told her. "Just ...

522. Where Elements Meet

Not long after his morning exercises, Martel saw a curious sight coming towards him. Henry the stonemage walked down what constituted the dirt road through the camp with several large rocks floating around him. Just like the legionaries, Martel stared at this, though probably for a different reason. To them, this was a display of magic, as wondrous or unfamiliar to them as when Martel ignited a flame out of the air. To him, it was an interesting demonstration of a different element than his o...

521. Beyond the Walls

Staff against sword and shield, Martel sparred against Eleanor for an hour in the morning as had become their wont. Their efforts attracted mild attention, mostly from bored soldiers; the novelty of their training sessions had worn off quickly. Accustomed to spectators, Martel did not notice one among them who stood out. As they ceased their exertions and took a step back, the newcomer approached them.

Eleanor snapped to and saluted with her fist against her chest. "Legion prefect," she...

520. Making Friends

The next morning followed what Martel figured would become the established pattern, cooking breakfast with Eleanor before a training session. When they had been at it a long while, Martel wiped the sweat from his brow and looked inside his tent. "That's nearly an hour. That has to be enough," he declared.

Eleanor frowned. "How can you know? Wait, did you bring your – Khivan – clock to the camp?" She spoke the offending word quietly.

"Of course! It's the most valuable thing I o...

519. Esmouth

At first, it had been a little weird to sleep on a cot that did not constantly roll back and forth, but Martel woke up feeling refreshed. The big stone in the middle of his tent, heating everything up like an oven, helped as well.

Eleanor joined him for breakfast, which they made by fetching water and mixing it with oats and salt for a simple porridge; Martel provided the cooking fire. As soon as they had finished, the mageknight demanded that they trained. Knowing the wisdom in keeping...

518. The Legate and the Battlemage

Nearly two fivedays later, the Red Emerald reached its destination. Martel stood at the prow, no longer troubled by the rolling movements of the ship. Ahead, he saw all the construction that made up the town of Esmouth and the camp of Legio X Astra.

On both sides of the river, fortifications rose in stone. To the west, they enclosed the town; to the east, the camp. In between lay the river with a wooden bridge connecting them both. It seemed curious at first that it would not be built i...

517. The Beating of the Drum

The captain shouted commands that Martel did not understand, but which sent the sailors scattering across the ship. Slowly, the vessel began turning, but it seemed obvious even to Martel that it would avail little; the wind was in the wrong direction, and the galley had oars. Battle was inevitable.

He looked around for Eleanor and the optio of the soldiers; between them, they would have to take charge and prepare defences. Martel did not know what to expect from Khivans in a fight, but ...

516. Red Emerald

The waves made the Red Emerald constantly roll back and forth, like a punishment from Sol. So far, Martel had avoided emptying the contents of his stomach, but it had been a close call more than once over the course of the last several days at sea. When the movement was at its worst, he watched with envy as the sailors confidently crossed the deck doing their tasks.

At least Martel was not the only passenger with this struggle; besides two mages and supplies for the front, the merchant ...