Alliance

"You should not have attacked me," the Traveler said calmly. His voice was a mix of displeasure, curiosity, and a hint of amusement. His hands were empty. Instead of an arcane weapon or staff, his eyes glowed with a piercing blue light, and a bolt of electricity shot out toward Fendos from the Traveler's index finger.

The bolt struck the heavy warrior in the side, and he was knocked from his feet. The warrior took a step back and was knocked into the side of the tent with a loud pop, then collapsed on his back. His armor, made from interlocking metal rings and steel plates, rattled against his frame. His helmet was knocked from his head, falling to the floor with a soft clank. At the same time, the bolt struck whatever clothes were underneath the knight's armor, which were made from thick fabric and leather.

After the bolt struck, the metal plating was glowing a bright orange. After the bolt dissipated, the warrior's armor had cooled back to normal. The Traveler had made sure not to use deadly force, but he still wanted to make sure everyone understood he was not to be taken lightly.

The silence was heavy as none of the warriors, not even Captain Arion, took any action. They merely waited until the mage spoke again.

But then, the female knight broke the silence.

The healer gasped when he saw the lightning bolt shoot from the mage's fingertip. Wyeld knew he could use magic, but he had never seen anything like that before. The captain was just as surprised, and he quickly moved to de-escalate the situation. "Mage, stop this at once!" The captain demanded.

Arion was hot-tempered when it came to most things, but he had learned how to control and harness said fury. In Fendos' case, it rarely happened. That is why one of them led, and the other followed.

The mage didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked at the warrior who had just tried to attack him. The warrior lay on the ground, unconscious.

"You will have to forgive Arion, but your friend had a lot of pent-up aggression, so I had to calm him down. I suppose it's part of why he is such a good fighter." The Traveler now calmly said, as he put his hands on the table as if he was expecting to begin talking business.

Arion shook his head and took a deep breath in the silence. "I will apologize for my companion's rudeness. We have had a long day of battle before arriving here."

The knights were utterly shocked by the change in their leader's attitude toward the mage, but they knew it was only natural. Except for one of them.

At the captain's words, the Traveler nodded graciously and with a smile. Meg squinted with heavy irritation at the way they dismissed her friend's injury.

"I thank you for your understanding, and your apology is accepted," the Traveler said as the blue light around his eyes dimmed as he spoke with them. "I was in the wrong for trying to enter your camp without permission. I accept that."

"Why don't you start by explaining to us your reason to come here? Your wish to forge an alliance with our group… where does it arise from?" Captain Arion asked.

"Simple. There is something evil happening in this forest, and it must stop. I have seen many things in my travels, and what I have seen here is unusual. Something, or someone, is bringing these monsters here. I have seen several events in the last few days, strange and dangerous, and I have been tracking their origin. I did not think I would run into monster-hunting knights here, but I suppose it is a good thing, now that I think about it. You are well-trained, experienced fighters. I am confident we can defeat this evil together."

"But first," the Traveler continued, "we must find what is bringing the monsters here in the first place. I can help you track them in the forest. I have been to this village before, but I do not know the forest, so you will have to guide us. Are there any trails we can follow? They will be the most likely path the monsters have taken."

"Wait, wait, wait… Are we sure we can depend on this individual, Captain? We know absolutely nothing about him! You said it yourself! Are we that desperate for help?" Meg intervened.

"My friend, we have already lost many knights to those monsters. Have you forgotten about Lirion, who set out ahead to scout but never came back?"

At this, the gaze of every knight turned sad as their heads seemed to drop, including Meg's. As for the Traveler, he raised a brow. He had a pretty good idea of who this missing scout had been.

"I do not plan to lose more people to them. Are you not afraid? Because I am. I will not lie about it. And I know the rest of them are afraid… I know you are too." Captain Arion paused, and then continued. "But we must overcome our fear. We cannot afford to waste any more time."

The Traveler stood up, and look at Meg straight in the eye. He knew she was the last one to need convincing. "I am offering you the means to defeat the monsters and to know why they are here. Do you accept what I offer, or do you prefer the monsters keep attacking this town and slaughtering your comrades?"

Meg stood for a second, and breathed in and out, taking in the question. Was she afraid? Yes, she was more afraid than she ever remembered being in her life. Even if she had used her Paladin skills, there's not much else she could've done in the fight against the Demon. Her breath was shaky. But she could not afford to show it. "I accept what you offer, Traveler." She said firmly.

"We shall work together until this evil has been vanquished from these lands. Afterward, you will leave us alone, and vice-versa. Do we have an agreement?" The Captain said, as he extended his hand to shake the Traveler's own.

A half smile grew on the Traveler's face. In a single motion, shook Arion's hand. Despite not being a trained warrior, his grip was stronger than most and the captain noticed. "Excellent. Then it is settled. I will prepare to go on the hunt with you and your knights. I'll go gather my things. Meet me outside the village, by the river. When you arrive, look for the path leading into the forest, then just follow the river up. Are there any questions?"

"Yes, one. Are we taking orders from you now?" The Captain was not happy, given that a tiny vein on his forehead popped out.

"No. We are equal partners in this endeavor," said the Traveler. "I am not a leader, and none of you is subordinate to me. I have my knowledge and my skills, and so do you, Captain. Together, we will use them to end this threat and learn the reason for it before these monsters and this evil harm another soul in this forest."

"We'll see about that." One of the senior knights smugly declared as he put his hand on the pommel of his sword. He did not want this alliance any more than the woman Meg did. He treated it as a necessary compromise.

The Traveler smiled. "Do not be so quick to dismiss what I bring to the table. I am not your enemy. As a matter of fact, what I have to bring may be the one thing that can defeat this evil, if what I suspect has any truth to it." He shifted his attention to Arion. "This evil is nothing ordinary, Captain. It will not be easy or straightforward to slay it."

Before he could respond, a gust of wind nearly blew the tent away right off together with the nails binding it to the ground. When the knights looked back to where the mage was, there was only an empty space to greet them.

"You're right, Traveler... This beast cannot be taken down by ordinary means. I will gather the forces, and prepare for the assault. It will not come out without a fight." Arion whispered under his breath. He turned to his knights. "Take up your arms. Gather whatever is in the armory and stock up on potions, leave anything that is not essential behind. Prepare for the hunt."

The knights shouted their support, and with this word, their battle cry. The knights took up their arms and readied their weapons as they left the command tent.

"I don't trust this mage." The speaker was one of three senior knights heading in the direction of the armory, each with 25 years of experience and the skill to match it. They had been loyal to the Order for all that time. They had always told them, mages were not to be trusted. "I mean, this mage has offered to help, but how do we know he'll keep his word? How do we know it won't harm us or even turn on us when the opportunity arises? How many knights has he killed already in pursuit of its objective, however well-intentioned?"

"You heard the Captain. Stop spewing nonsense and prepare for hunting some ugly-ass monsters!" This berating came from none other than the elder knight who had been suppressed by the Traveler.

"Fendos? I had pictured you taking a nap in the mud still." Taunted the knight who had voiced his opinion.

The cocky smile on his face did not last long, when a powerful fist was driven into his mouth, knocking him out immediately as a few of his teeth dropped.

"Anyone else?" Fendos asked around to the seniors and those knights who had just arrived to gear up. They all shook their heads. "Good."

()()()()

On the other side of the camp, a woman was sitting on a tree stump, arranging her thoughts as she sharpened one of her one-handed swords that looked rather ornate to be a warrior's blade.

The Traveler had left abruptly. Meg was surprised by how quickly the wind rose and took him away. There wasn't any question that the Traveler was an extraordinary being, with extraordinary powers. It was going to take more than the strength of a knight to survive the woods and bring back the Traveler's knowledge.

But as the captain ordered the knights to begin preparing the gear for their journey... Meg saw him again. The Traveler, standing alone on the other side of the river that split Saint Lucien Village. He smiled at Meg and then turned and walked into the forest.

'What in the name of all that's holy is that man? He introduced himself as a traveling merchant, but that is simply ridiculous. And how did he know I was a Paladin…? I'll be sure to ask him the first chance I get…' Meg decided.

()()()()

"Captain? What is your plan for this expedition? Are we really placing our confidence blindly in this… Traveler?" Back at the command tent, it was the healer knight, Wyeld who was probing for answers.

"We do not have a choice in the matter, Wyeld. I suspect we are outmatched in our current form. I think we have a better chance of defeating this evil force with the Traveler's knowledge and abilities than we do by ourselves. For now, we must make do with the hand we are dealt. That is what Knights of the Order do. We fight, we die, or we live to fight another day."

Wyeld seemed to be about to come up with a rebuttal, but his Captain read his face and interrupted him before he could.

"Nevertheless, I can assure you, I am not a madman. We will not charge in heedlessly. The plan is to go north, where the forest grows thickest. There is a cave, a natural formation where crawlers have been sighted in the past by hunters. We will make traps, set wards, and then wait for the monsters to come to us. We will fight on our terms. Then we will try to discover anything of use on their corpses. I shall delegate that task to you."

"It will be my honor, Captain." Saluting with a fist on his chest, Wyeld felt happy. The captain he always knew and respected was still there, he was just using strategy to pursue their objective. Hence, he was put at ease.