debts and a mercenary

By the time she had made it back to sami to collect her money from duris she had traveled 371 metres. Thankfully now she had a horse to make it go that bit quicker. "hello duris, business looks good" she says. Whether it was a compliment or not she would leave for him to decide. "tell markos to come down here himself if he wants his money." he says. She looks at him "ah but I'm here now" she signals. "look, I was a little late paying now markos says I owe him double, because of interest. I don't have it to spare" he complains. Hoping that the tier 9 mercenary would help him out. "you should have thought of that when you borrowed drachmae, duris" she says. Kassandra walks away a bit but then turns back around. "but... My family" he says. "it's hot, I'm in a bad mood and your going to pay, we both know it, the question is, what do I break first? You. Or your merchandise" she says. "you tell markos I've paid enough already, I won't bow to... To... To a mercenary, or to someone foolish enough to borrow money from the cyclops" duris said. "from the cyclops? That's how markos bought his vineyard?" she asked shocked. "look, I know you'd be dead without markos - what with him taking you off the streets as a kid, but you know what he's doing is crazy" he says. "maláka! Still. That doesn't change the drachmae you owe me" she said. "face it, once the cyclops gets a hold of you, you'll both be dead" he says throwing his hands into the air. So. He wasn't going to have that. She turned around and ran to the blacksmith that was right behind her. The guy greeted her with a simple "how may I help you?" she pulled out her ornate daggers that she got from the loot chest at the beach and selled it for 6908 drachmae. She also had a mercenary helmet that wasn't as strong as her current helmet but she did rather like how it looked on her. So. She kept that. The next piece of head gear she looked at was rare. A brawlers helmet. It looker ok but the armour was just short of 500 protection of her current gear. She decided to sell that for 14463 drachmae, kassandra knew she would get more opportunities to get gear like this. She carried on to sell a few things like the athenian and the mercenary breastplates, both of the selling prices making up to 53211 drachmae. Coincidentally the ancient Kings waistband and the athenian waistband coming up to the same price. She dismantled her hunters treads for 52 precious jems. 52 iron metal.. Her current amount of money was 522871 drachmae.

That's when she got the idea. She bid farewell to the blacksmith and headed back over to duris. She pulled out her bow and arrow and aimed it at one of the decorated jars. Hopefully breaking his wares might encourage him to pay his debt. One jar smashed and duris was already asking her to stop "hey, stop, that's my stuff" the second jar and he gave in "all right, all right, I'll pay, just stop" he pleaded. Kassandra walked up to him "fine, the moneys yours, just please leave" he threw a money bag at her. "pleasure doing business with you duris" she chided. She could have killed him and just taken the money, but where was the fun in that. He crossed his arms "keep my name off your lips, I don't want that cyclops coming after me for the debt you can't pay" she says scared. Well. All that and she only got 100 drachmae. But that was better than 50. She turned around. Quickly pulled out her bow and arrow and shot him anyway. She gained 914 more drachmae pieces and a sullied rag that was only worth one drachmae.

She returned to markos to find he was with her another customer. "your running out of time until the cyclops comes for you. Maláka. He wants his money" he says. The man was big and muscly. A beard on his face. A scar accompanied it too. A metal breastplate was fixed to his chest held in place by leather shoulder straps. "could I have an extension?" he asks cheekily. Clearly not taking this seriously. "when he sails back to kephallonia, he'll come and break you as soon as he docks, if you don't get it" he snarls. "now, let's be civil" he tells the brute. "you can't hide behind your glorious misthios forever markos , he'll kill you, the mercenary and that little runt girl that gangs around." markos just stands there "of course, not a problem, I... I'll get the drachmae" he stutters. The brute nods "good, or I'll come and watch the cyclops feed you to his goats" he smiles. He turns around and the brute and kassandra walks past each other. "ah! Kassandra. I can tell from the smile on your face duris has paid you your drachmae." he beams. Kassandra nods her head back to the brute who was walking away "who's smiling. I just heard where you got the drachmae for the vineyard. Are you out of your fucking mind?" she asks. "we can get the money back. C... Can't we. I'm sure it's possible." he struggled  to come up with a plan. "we have no other choice no, we need a plan" she shrugs. "that's what I do best" he smiles more. "this'll take more than the usual tricks up your sleeves." markos sighs "I long for the old days, remember them, they were simple, you had nothing, young and alone, and I had everything, and I gave you the world, kephallonia - in the palm of your hand." he says getting a short nod from kassandra.

---------flashback---------------------------

"Kassandra!!!" a voice crys out. The day was dark and the stars were out. "alexios!" young kassandra exclaims. The Eagle was sat by kassandras side. She was on the muddy ground and puddles were seen all around. The broken spear was by her side too. Kassandra looked to her left to see a torch flickering in the night. She grabbed the spear and ran forward. She ran fast and kept running until she was away from the light. The Eagle flying above her. She manages to put the spear onto her back and walks to a tree, putting her hand on it. She looked out and saw the ocean, no way off the island. Except there was. There was a small rowboat that had oars attached to it, and right now. That was her best chance. With all her might she pushed it forward so it was no longer in the sand. She climbed into it and the wind took her away. Later thst night the seas were rockier and more deadly than before, the young Eagle bearer sat in the boat, hanging onto a metal hook that was attached to a wooden piece. She was scared. The thunder booming from above. She got thrown about in the boat.

She lay on the beach. Face down. She finally woke up, it was now morning and the sun was out. She lifted up a hand to cover the sun from her eyes as she hadn't had time to adjust to the morning light. A man with short black hair walked towards her. "don't see fishes like you everyday. Eh? " he said to her, checking her out. He laughed and she stood up quickly. She pulled the spear on him that had luckily stayed attached during the storm. "you hungry?" he asked moving forward with a jump with a piece of bread in his hands. She reached out for it but he pulled back. "how about we make a deal. I do something for you, you do a few things for me" he said "everybody wins, best offer your gonna get. Think about it" he said. He begins to walk away leaving kassandra standing with the piece of bread. She steps forward "... wait!" she says. He motions for her to wlak with him. He puts a hand around her neck and pats her, then rests his hand on her shoulder.

----------end of flashback--------------------

Kassandra snorts and dismisses his sentence with her hand "kephallonia, some gift" she says. "you were nothing without markos. And look how far we've come. From an orphan on the streets to a misthios with a hovel." he says proud of what he's done. "and now the cyclops will take everything away, I can't protect you from him forever, he'll kill me too." she said sadly. "ah. Don't be scared of him. Look at you!" he says. Kassandra just gets more frustrated "how could I go up agaisnt him? With what weapons. A rusty spear. A broken bow?" she says displeased. Drucilla approaches them both "there you are. Skulking around the temple won't save you from me, markos" she said crossing her arms across her chest. "Drucilla, I was just talking about you" he says obviously lying. Kassandra looks at him "you were?" Drucilla continues "I need that wood! Markos, these new bows will be the talk of the island, I can't make anything without this bandit malákas stopping the wood shipments." markos jokes some more "of course you can't. Why I was just filling my friend kassandra in on the details, she already has a plan to deal with these bandits. She just simply nods. She was fed up with conversation." she's the silent but deadly type " he says." I don't care who does it, but someone better gut those bandits. Today.!" she urged. Markos began to back up "a wonderful idea, I for one, uh, need to rush home, kassandra, I've cooked up a plan for our cyclops dilemma, see me when you have time" he says before walking away.

Kassandra and Drucilla lock eyes for a moment "if you want your wood, you'll have to fix my broken nobow first" she said. "hmm, I usually only pay when the deed is done, but shits moving at snails pace. Follow Me" she says. She gives kassandra a quick sharp nod before running off, kassnadra hot on her heels. Conversation happened on the move, mostly about how the bows would make Drucilla rich and how she heard that kassandra is secretly a spartan. Which kassandra didn't deny. They get to the womans workshop "hand it over" she says.

After a while of waiting Drucilla comes back. Her bow all fixed "there you go, good as new, that now is as strong as herakles himself. Give it a try" she said.

Kassandra heads for the bounr hunter. Better she surprise him first than he get her. She sees him running along a road and hides in a Bush. She gets her newly fixed bow and arrow out and shoots him. She quickly moved to the next Bush as he ran at her last position. She shot him again. She came out of hiding having him shot a few ones with the arrows. She was unable to doge two of his attacks that had her wounded. She rolled out of the way and retreated backwards up the hill. Her bow locking onto his body before firing. About six arrows later and he was laying on his back. Arrows sticking out of his chest and one form his face, as the ending shit had been a close headshot. Talos the stone fist had been defeated. He originated from knossos, talos the stone fist had a name to be taken literally, as big as a boulder, he was known to pound his enemies heads into the rock faces of many kephallonian mountains. Well. Used to. Not anymore. The tier 9 mercenary was dead and would no longer be bothering anyone, this put talos behind kassandra as a mercenary on the chart. She was slowly working her way up to be the best mercenary, and they hadn't all been discovered yet. But she had killed the first one, and had received an invitation to the arena.

Warrior, the pephka arena is the most competitive arena in all the Greek world. As the last living hero of this arena, I'm seeking the best fighters to compete on the most spectacular of stages for honour, pleasure, and drachmae, your reputation proceeds you - few have slain as prolifically, or as poetically, as you. Should you be interested, find me in pirate Point, or my associate maion in pephkas warriors rest. - skoura, hero of the pephka arena.

Is what the letter read. Kassandra smiled.