"Allendis! Chelsea! It's good to see you two ready to go."
A voice that the two of them were familiar with greeted them with a smile on his face as they approached him. It was their squad leader, Halbin. He was standing at the far east of Rathlin city just before the roads took them to the grassy plains with the rest of the crew.
Chelsea hadn't said a word during their walk. She remained as silent as stone but Allendis knew that her mind was still on that tent. She never left his side but also didn't cling to him.
"Sorry, I slept in late." Allendis said.
"I never would've guessed. That's something I'd expect from Chelsea or Bach." Halbin laughed. A laugh that can be infectious to anyone who knows him.
Halbin noticed Chelsea being quiet, he came closer to Chelsea who seemed out of it, barely even paying attention to anything.
"Chel?" Halbin called without his usual laidback tone. "Are you doing okay? You look like crap." He laughed again but this time, it was low. Obviously trying to lighten up the mood.
Chelsea went from staring at the ground to being startled when she saw Halbin.
"What? Oh! I'm fine, Hal! Just mentally preparing myself, you know how it is."
Halbin smiled and placed his hand over her shoulder and shook her a bit. "I know. Hallow Grounds are no joke. I'm kinda grateful that those Golden Cloth are coming with us."
Allendis almost had the urge to slap his own forehead. Could Halbin be a bit more perceptive? He thought that out of all the people in the army, he would understand Chelsea the best.
"Speaking of which," a voice chimed in, someone who sounded older than the rest of them combined. It was Bach. "Where are they now exactly?"
"Hold your helmet, old man. There's still time. Besides, it's not like any of us are actually looking forward to this." Halbin said.
He was right. From Chelsea earlier to Ponila having a panic attack staying attached to Nitha who also looked like she was contemplating something serious. The only one who didn't show any kind of concern was Geblin, who was still smiling as calmly as ever.
"No one likes to do this but we're all Emanators, the real question is how much are we getting paid for this job?" Allendis asked.
Halbin smirked. "Two Crowns. For each of us."
This got his attention. The value of one Crown—a gold coin—was used to buy rare artifacts or even land if it was small. Not many people can acquire Crowns. Usually they can only get a handful of Glim or silver coins or a bagful of Scints or copper coins. The reason being was that Scints were used to buy daily essentials like bread and booze. Glim was used to buy lodging, beds, furniture supplies. One Glim is equivalent to a hundred Scints and one Crown is equivalent to two hundred and thirty Glims.
"Our services usually cost a hundred and fifty Glims on standard jobs. Two Crowns for each of us involved seems too good to be true, don't you think?" Allendis asked.
Then again, if the Golden Cloth were paying then they might grace them with their fortune. Still, something doesn't add up. Usually they negotiate with their clients because of the risks that come with different jobs.
"Have you negotiated with them?" He asked Halbin.
"That was their first offer."
A client that doesn't negotiate means trouble.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Allendis muttered under his breaths.
"I'd say tell that to my horse but I think even she thinks it's a good offer." Halbin chuckled. More so finding his jests funny than creating levity.
Allendis sighed and tried to walk past Halbin but he followed right beside him. He noticed that Chelsea was right behind him, but he paid it no mind. If she was comfortable with him then she'd let her be, partly because he didn't want his mind to drift to that moment in her tent, the moment their lips met.
His steps guided him to where Ponila, Bach and Nitha were. Both Ponila and Bach were sitting on a laid out trunk of a tree while Nitha stood close to the frail man.
"How's Pon handling it?" Halbin asked, leaning in to check Ponila's state.
The young man was shaking. Skin paler than white paint. His sunken eyes almost looked like empty craters. He was all bone, more so than usual. Allendis wondered if it was normal for Ponila to be this scared before every mission or just this job specifically. He never bothered to care, since he just disappeared from his mind.
"Not good, ser Halbin." Nitha said, faced mired with worry. "He's been like this since you brought up the mission."
"I-I can't do this. W-what if it e-eats me alive?!" Ponila trembled at his seat, his hands clutching his head tightly through his wet and messy hair.
Halbin knelt down and tried to look at Ponila's face. He reached out and grabbed his head and gently rubbed it.
"Hey. Pretty scary stuff right? Don't worry," Halbin showed his hand to Ponila. It was shaking underneath his gloves. Allendis knew Halbin wasn't scared–he never was–but Ponila didn't know that.
"I'm scared too and I understand that you're afraid, but we need you Pon. We won't let anything happen to you."
Ponila still shook. He shook hard but, under Halbin's words and comfort, he at least managed to look his squad lead in his eyes. A bit of hope at the center of his sunken eyes.
"I know this is tough for you, you're young, but as long as we're here, you'll be safe and you won't be eaten alive. That's more like Geblin's thing and he hasn't eaten you yet, right?"
A low chuckle can be heard. "Quite right. I prefer my meat to be delicious. So you don't need to worry." Geblin said with a deep voice that sounded like a threat. He always sounded like that.
"You hear that, Pon? So I'll ask you to toughen up a bit for me. We got your back." Halbin said.
Ponila was still not calm but at least he was back to his less nervous self.
"I-I'll do my best then."
Halbin smiled and roughly rubbed his head. "Atta boy! Stay close with Nitha and Bach and if you can't do that, then Allendis will keep anything from the Hallow Grounds away."
Allendis wanted to call him out, but remained silent as Ponila looked at him. He pitied the boy. Too young to be in this for anything but coin. So he did the only thing he knew, he nodded his head. At least, Ponila would find comfort if he played along.
"Oi!" Bach called out to them. His eyes were blocked out by his helmet but for some reason, Allendis knew that he had his eyes closed. His beard started moving up and down. "The cloth is arriving."
Everyone was on high alert. Not because of the danger they pose but because this was the first time they will be dealing with them. Allendis heard the loud incoming steps that rattled in a rhythm. Loud clanking noise that was accompanied by something being dragged through the dirt road.
They waited. Everyone was eyeing the horse and the carriage that was approaching. Even Chelsea watched and readied herself. Were they expecting a fight? No. They were expecting a horse load of crap from the arms of the Watchful Goddess.
There were two dark brown horses pulling a large carriage. If a commoner had seen it, they would think the gods have descended through their lands. It was gaudy, designed like it was meant to show off every single gold curve that they represent. It almost hurt his eyes looking at it. It made his eyes burn from how shiny it was.
They slowed their pace as they approached until they came to a stop. Halbin moved forward to the front of the door of the carriage. He stood at a respectful distance and everyone followed suit, even Ponila. Though he stood behind Nitha.
The door opened and Allendis could see two–no, three people inside the carriage. The first one that came out was a man who wore a white robe that was probably cleaned everyday because of how spotless it was. It was almost unnatural. It didn't leave much to go off on besides the red sash that was hung on his right shoulder. He had a hood on, obscuring his face but he carried a brown wooden box, that was the size of a child, it was much plainer than the carriage. It almost looks like it was designed to not stand out.
The second one was a woman who wore a dress that ended below her knees. White as the first man but her sash was instead blue but it hung on her left shoulder instead. She was carrying a black staff that had a silver pummel at one end, and a much larger silver design at the top. It was that of a bird, perhaps a dove. Her hair was as brown as the horses, tied into a knot but was hidden by her white sun hat.
"A priest and an acolyte. Why do we even need them?" Allendis heard Bach wondered. He too wondered why.
Finally, the last one that exited the carriage was a man in full plate of armour. Gold trimmings with a silver plating that shone brightly and proudly for all to see and—
Allendis' eyes widened. He let his arms relax for a moment. His eyes gazed upon the third man's face. The slick brown hair, the wizened eyes…
And the scar on his right lip and above the nose that converged into one. That damned scar…
"So," The third man started with a small smile that did not fit his visage. "Shall we save innocent lives?"