55 Job Complete

Silence became our world as we all stared down at the various corpses laying on the ground in front of us, each one a reminder of the battle we fought and the perils of the path we were walking.

One wrong move, one strong opponent, and we could be the ones laying on the dirt, our bodies cold and lifeless as they were prepared to be buried here, where they had died - they served in life, and they would serve in death, as was the way with the Corps of the Beast.

Since they had passed away inside the forest of Yngrave, they would be buried around its edges to guard it evermore, and to serve as a warning to those of us that would come across their graves; this forest was a place where you could lose your life.

Some of the soldiers were as stony faced as before, looking down at the dead with neutral expressions and impassive eyes, whilst others were barely holding back the tears that wet their eyes and kept their expression from twisting into one of anguish.

Paci, Alessia and I were the former, though the longer I looked down at them the more all of this continued to feel oh so real, this new 'job' of mine rearing its ugly side swiftly and reminding me that if I made one misstep, made one wrong decision, I would die prematurely.

This world wanted to do its best to remind me that I was mortal now, that this place was going to be my home going forwards no matter what; if I lived, I would become a part of this world and its vast, unknown story, or I would be interred inside its soil and truly become a part of it, my corpse rotting away and nurturing the land for the next generation.

It was harrowing to realize, something that made my heart palpitate in fear again as I had that suffocating, cloying realization that I was stuck here for good, that I would never be able to see my family or friends ever again, only for it to pass as Alessia laid her hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze before walking away.

Paci and I turned to follow her, not wanting to look upon the corpses of our comrades anymore as we made our way into the base, some of the others doing the same whilst the rest remained with them, shovels in hand.

Back inside the base, the Young Master was frowning as he looked out through the main gate and watched the soldiers grieve from afar, giving them the space they needed and not trying to agitate or ruin this time for them by acting like he knew those who passed, or acting like he felt the same way they did.

Because... he didn't, and doing so would be disingenuous, something that the Beastkin despised; straightforwards and honest, Beastkin were often seen as somewhat callous by others, and for me it was a slightly jarring sight to see how quiet and somber they were acting at the moment.

I had played many different races, had experienced death both in games and in the real world, and few people reacted like the Beastkin did; they didn't cry out, didn't grieve openly, didn't even speak on it.

They just... accepted it, paid their respects, and began to move on.

That doesn't mean that they don't have any 'humanity' in them; the camp remained quiet even as night fell, and dinner was a dark affair as we just grabbed whatever we could to eat before splitting off in pairs or small groups, remaining to ourselves and remaining silent as we mulled over it for ourselves, only to then turn in for the night and drift off to sleep.

By the time that the sun rose again, the air had cleared somewhat, and talks began to resume as everyone chatted about whatever came to mind; a few talked about their emotions, about the dead, telling stories and recalling how they were in life, whilst others remained sullen as they discussed plans for the families left behind.

Alessia and I ate together once more, the golden Dogkin still quiet as she kept her gaze moving around the camp, checking on the soldiers and making sure no one was going to do something stupid or try to get into a fight with someone.

Trania was nearby as well, the Catkin lounging by herself as she ate the oatmeal with berries that we made for breakfast whilst sipping on some water, only to pause when the Young Master approached Alessia and I with the Animus Wardens, who were still clad head to toe in their armor.

"You did well, Alessia, Kira. Holding the line like that took incredible skill, Talonmaster. And you..."

Looking at me, the handsome Young Master gave me a small smile as he said "You, Kira, you were really impressive all things considered! Quick witted, swift, decisive... You were quite the support mage there! Nilrem spoke quite highly of you afterwards. Your illusions and the Nature Magic were impeccable! But I hear that you are just a mercenary for hire..?"

Rising to my feet, I bowed to the suave man and answered "I am indeed, Young Master Qin. I needed the coin, wanted the experience, and Talonmaster Alessia offered to allow me to accompany everyone into Yngrave, so I accepted."

"And a boon that was for us! Your tracking skills were also rather adept, Kira. Quite a versatile woman, aren't you? What reason do you have for being a mercenary? The freedom, perhaps? Is that why you aren't tied to any faction just yet?"

The intentions of this conversation were clear, but I was more than willing to have this conversation, especially since the Animus Wardens were standing behind the Young Master and not his personal guard; this seemed more like an offer from the Dukedom and not from the Qin Family, which was something I was more willing to consider.

"It is the freedom, yes, but admittedly, I am still... rough around the edges, and as many of Alessia's squad will attest to, I am still weak. I just... haven't been offered much, so I have remained by myself."

Nodding, he glanced to the side and received a nod in return from the Animus Warden, who stepped forwards and stared down at me for a few moments, all while the rest of the camp looked on curiously.