7 Janzo's request

The next morning Talon wakes up, feeling large arms wrapped around her as both she and Xu lie cuddled together in his bed. She peels herself out of her large lover's grip and starts to dress herself, waking Xu in the process.

"Good Morning." He greets her, sitting up in his bed.

"Morning." She replies.

"Are you in a hurry?" He asks, seeing her almost completely dressed, only needing her shirt and jacket.

"Well Wythers is probably still looking for me and the dead bodies across town won't really help my case." She tells him.

"Right, so what do you intend to do?" He asks, stepping out of his bed and starts to dress himself as well.

"For now? I'm going over to the smith to bury him." She tells him.

"Alright. Do you need a hand? I'm suspended from guard duty anyways after knocking out all those guards in front of the prison." He offers.

"Sure, if you won't slow me down." She says smirking at him challengingly, since she's already finished dressing herself and he just started.

"Hmpf." He grunts in return and finishes dressing himself.

"So, about last night." He says, once the two are on their way to the smith's house.

"What about it?" She asks with a mirthful grin.

"I just wanted to check how things stand between us." He says.

"Things are good I'd say, won't you?" She asks.

"Yeah, just had to ask since you did a complete 180 yesterday." He says with a small sigh.

"Well, things happen. But in the end it turned out great for both of us wouldn't you say?" She asks with a smirk.

"If we overlook the fact that you're still a fugitive and about to be thrown out, then yeah." He agrees with a chuckle.

When the two get to the smithy Talon prepares the corpse and looks at the sword the smith made for her.

"Say, what book did the smith want you to find again?" Xu asks, looking at the bookshelf in the smithy.

"The book of names. But I doubt it's there. He said to find it not that it's on the shelf." Talon replies.

"Talon. I uhm, heard that Shax killed the smith. I'm sorry, I know he was close to you." Janzo announces his presence, stepping into the smithy.

"He was one of the bones I was looking for." She informs the brewer.

"What? He had the mark? Do you need help disposing of the body?" Janzo asks surprised and checks the corpses arm, finding the double cross tattoo.

"Thanks, I've already got some help." Talon replies, pointing at Xu, who's basically glaring at the bookshelf.

"Did you take up some reading?" Janzo asks interested.

"Nope, this is all gibberish to me. I'm trying to find any clue on that book Talon is supposed to find." Xu replies.

"That's Indrian. I can read it, well parts of it, I can actually read 12 different tongues, though I only speak 3." Janzo explains, looking at the book Xu's holding.

"You're amazing." Talon exclaims, joining the two at the bookshelf.

"Do you mean that? Uhm, I'm a little rusty with Indrian, since no one speaks it after they were all slaughtered by the Prime Order." Janzo tells her.

"They're all dead?" Talon asks curious.

"Just like your people, sorry that was insensitive of me." Janzo says and immediately apologizes.

"Why would the Order wipe them out?" Talon inquires.

"Most ancient prophecies were written in Indrian and with no one left to translate them the Order can interpret them however they wish. It's a wonderful language by the way, I could just sit here and read for days." Janzo explains.

"Well, knock yourself out. You can read everything in the room." She offers.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Janzo asks excited.

"Yeah, just keep your eyes out for something called the book of names." She tells him.

"OK, why?" He asks.

"The smith made Talon promise to find it before his death." Xu says.

"There you are Janzo, I've been looking all over for you." Munt says, stumbling into the house.

"Why?" He asks.

"Good news, mistress said the bird came." Munt informs him.

"That's not good news Munt, not for me." Janzo replies and follows the large man.

While Janzo is out Talon and Xu take the smith into the woods surrounding the outpost and give him a proper burial, which gets interrupted by the Marshal fetching them, having been send by Gwynn to bring her to the princess after Garret told Gwynn about Talon's abilities.

"There she is, still alive as it happens, and she's brought a friend." The marshal says, bringing Talon and Xu into the throne room where Gwynn is sitting with Gareth at her side.

"Marshal wait outside, this doesn't concern you." Gwynn orders while eyeing Xu with distrust.

The Marshal bows and leaves the room, closing the doors behind him.

"Talon, we have so much to talk about." Gwynn tells her, going over to the blackblood.

"Let's start with why you decided to let Wythers take my head." Talon replies.

"It wasn't a decision that came lightly. At the time I could not see any other way." Gwynn tells her.

"Than to safe your own skin you mean." Talon says feeling betrayed.

"Are we done here? I have to be gone by sundown." She then asks Garret, taking Xu's arm to leave.

"Wythers blackmailed me to get to you. I hated myself for what I did, but please I wish for you to stay." Gwynn almost begs her, making Talon pause in her step towards the door.

"Help me overthrow the Prime Order." Gwynn says, after exchanging a quick glance with Garret.

"What? Is that why you want me here? To help you commit treason?" Talon asks angrily.

"Just listen. My name is not Gwynn and commander Calcusar is not my father. I am Rosemond, daughter of King Realnorth, which makes me heir to the realm." Rosemond reveals, making Talon and Xu look towards Garret, who nods in confirmation.

"Let's say I believe you. What do I do now? Am I supposed to kneel?" Talon asks.

"No, not at all. I hope we can still be friends. And I'm hoping you'd join our cause." Rosemond replies.

"You too Xu, you'd be a great asset." Garret adds.

"What can a few hundred men if the Outpost do against the Prime Order?" Talon questions.

"We have more men than you think. He saw them and with your help Talon we can have more than just men." Garret tells her.

"Those trainees? They can barely lift a shield, let alone fight against the Orders men." Xu chimes in.

"Great, you'll have weak men plus a woman." Talon says.

"Tell me of this demon." Rosemond asks Talon.

"So does everybody know about that now?" Talon asks Garret accusingly.

"Only those who need to." Garret answers truthfully.

"The demon is gone. I send it back where it belongs." Talon informs them.

"Tell me more, I want to understand. Are there more than one of such creature?" Rosemond asks.

"You ask dangerous questions, princess." Xu tells her, raising his axe on his shoulder from its previous position, leaning against the floor.

"I only have one name. That's how I summon them, by its name." Talon informs them, grabbing Xu's arm to hold him back from making himself an enemy of the princess.

"Well then you need to find more, how did you find the first one?" Rosemond tells her.

"The smith, but he's dead now. Wait, the book of names." Talon says, mumbling the last part to herself.

"What?" Rosemond asks.

"I have to go." Talon tells them and turns to leave, with Xu following her after giving Garreth a suspicious look.

"But you'll stay here at the Outpost?" Rosemond asks hopefully.

"For now." Talon replies before she and Xu leave the room.

"What now?" Xu asks Talon once they are outside the building.

"Back to the smithy, I just realized that the book of names must contain the demon names." Talon tells him.

"Makes sense I guess." Xu replies, following the girl back to the smithy.

"Janzo, you can stop reading. The book is a list of …." Talon starts to say when Janzo already cuts her off, saying "a list of demon names. And I just read that you, being a black blood actually can summon a Lokiri, which is a demon." Janzo tells her.

"I know what a Lokiri is Janzo." She tells her friend.

"So if you had a whole list of names you could summon an entire army." Janzo says, realizing the importance of the book.

"Stop it Janzo, this is dangerous stuff we're talking about." Talon says, trying to take away a book he was reading.

"No, no, no. Or do you want to break your promise to the smith? Even if you find the book it doesn't mean you have to use it." Janzo advises.

"He's not wrong about that. Having a trump card for worst case scenarios couldn't hurt." Xu agrees with the brewer.

"I'm not going to find it anyways." Talon tells the two, sounding exhausted.

"Hey, you're not alone in this. You got us, right Janzo?" Xu tells Talon, sitting down next to her, pulling her into a side hug.

"Yes. Uhm, did something happen between you two? Last I saw you, you were about to rip each other's heads off." Janzo asks them suspiciously.

"Yeah, we made up and are now closer than ever." Talon tells him.

"I see, well either way I'm happy to read all of this for you." Janzo says, motioning to the books behind him.

"Why would you go through that trouble?" She asks slightly surprised.

"Well, I like discovering stuff and you are remarkable and lead an adventurous life." Janzo tells her.

"Janzo, Xu and I we're…." Talon says uncomfortably.

"I see that, but that doesn't change that we're all friends does it?" Janzo asks wisely.

"Of course not." Talon agrees with a happy smile.

"And friends help each other out…." Janzo adds.

"What are we talking about here?" Talon asks the brewer suspiciously.

"Well I need to go out of town for a few days to deliver something and I'd like to have some company, someone who I can talk to and will help deliver the goods." Janzo says nervously.

"What aren't you telling us?" Xu asks the brewer.

"Well the area I need to travel to can be dangerous…." Janzo says.

"Alright allright, I'll go with you I owe you at least that much." Talon tells him with a playful grin.

"Hey I can continue to translate some of the stuff while we're on the road." Janzo suggests.

"So should I come as well?" Xu asks the two, looking at his new girlfriend.

"No, I got this. I think it's better if you try to make nice with Garret and the guards." Talon tells him.

"What about the pri… uhm Gwynn?" Xu asks.

"Getting on her good side wouldn't hurt, but don't trust her. Especially with this." She tells him, whispering the last part, touching his back.

"Alright. I'll go see Garret then." Xu agrees with a nod and gives her a quick peck on her nose before leaving the smithy.

When he arrives at the barracks Garret is instructing a group of his most loyal men to ready themselves to transport some weapons and Gwynn as well as her father to the camp outside the outpost.

"AH, Xu good timing. We are about to deliver some weapons and Gwynn to the camp outside the outpost and having you as backup would be rather reassuring." Garret tells the large man.

"What about my suspension, for defending Talon?" Xu asks surprised.

"Consider the matter dealt with. To be honest I am glad you stepped in." Garret tells him.

"Alright, I guess I should get my gauntlets." Xu says, heading to his room to fetch the weapons.

An hour or so later the caravan with Rosalind, her father, Garret and Xu amongst them, next to five other soldiers are heading down the street towards the camp.

"How can we be certain that the men in the camp will help us with our goal?" The girl asks her father figure.

"The men don't care about politics, they only care about themselves, that they get food and can take care of their families." General Calkussar replies, riding just behind the princess and Garret.

"Wait here. They surely are heading for the Outpost because of the missing delivery." Garret tells the caravan, stopping them.

"I'll take care of it, whatever happens protect Gwynn." Garret tells the men and slowly rides over to the leader of the group of the order standing in their way.

"Captain McNor." Garret greets the commander.

"Spears, it's been a long time." The commander greets him as well.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Garret asks him.

"We were about to head towards the last Outpost to collect the weapons delivery you still need to give us. Lucky for us, you're here already." The commander replies.

"Better late than never. But you can relax now, we'll deliver it to the Ackley post." Garret says.

"No you won't. Just had it over to us." Captain McNor tells him.

"Do you have the documents?" He asks Garret.

"Of course." Garret lies and gets off his horse, walking over the rest of the way to the captain.

"I have them right here." Garret says and fetches a dagger from a sheath on his back, ramming it in the man's neck killing him instantly with the group of around 15 soldiers moving to attack him.

Four of the five soldiers rush to Garret's aid and manage to shoot down two soldiers of the order before getting struck down by the orders crossbows.

"Can you keep the princess safe?" Xu asks the General, who gives him a confident nod, positioning himself in front of his daughter figure on his horse while Xu rides towards the enemies, his axe resting on one shoulder while he holds it there with one hand.

When the archers of the take aim at him and Garret Xu jumps off his horse, flying through the air and lands right in front of the four archers, taking them out with one swing of his axe, making Rosalind flinch at the brutal display of strength.

"Garret, duck!" Xu yells at his commander and Garret rolls forward as best as he can while he's surrounded by about 10 enemies.

Garret remains crouched down after the roll, his sword still raised to defend himself and just as he gets worried with the men behind him moving to attack him he hears painful screams and the three soldiers who were right behind him are lying on the ground, blood spraying everywhere with Xu's axe imbedded in the last soldier while the other two have half their torso separated from their bodies.

Xu raises his gauntlets and joins Garret in the fight, standing back to back with the swordsman.

"Looks like it was a really good decision to ask you to come." Garret tells Xu, still nervous about the fight, but considerably less so with Xu at his side.

"Too bad there are only so few of them." Xu says, catching a downward slash from one of the soldiers with one hand, snapping the blade in half, by twisting his hand to the side and packs the attacker by the back of his helmet, throwing him face first into the ground.

Xu then leans to the side, dodging a spear attack coming from his left and grabs onto the spear after he dodged it, tugging on it he steals the opponents weapon and twirls it around his wrist once, stabbing at the attacker himself, causing the spear to pierce right through his armor and come out of his back.

Meanwhile Garret also managed to defeat two opponents with his superior swordsmanship.

Xu retrieves his axe from the corpse it's buried in and raises it at his side, gripping It with both hands, before jumping behind the remaining four men who are facing Garret and twirls around, decapitating the remaining men.

"Well. That was easier than I expected, too bad our men got taken down as well." Garret says disappointed.

"At least the princess is unharmed." Xu tells the commander, patting his back and causing him to stumble forwards a step.