Ch. 36: 'Princess Haters'

"It'd be great if you went personally to deal with the Markers. How big of a team do you think you'll need?" Chloe asked Rosy. Chloe had heard of Rosy's fighting prowess before, and seen it for herself during Rosy's fight with Fabian (who had left the camp on a supply run almost immediately following), but her trust in Rosy's skills against a whole group of enemies was still a little fuzzy, so she asked the vampire how many people she needed in order to ensure that the tracking squad was totally wiped out.

Naturally, Rosy didn't need help. Tracking squads were always less than ten people, and five or so Markers. Taking on fifteen enemies at once wasn't too difficult for the 'strongest swordsman in the world' as Chloe had put it during her speech. 

"I don't need help. Send five people with me to observe. Adrian and I'll take on the tracking team by ourselves." Rosy told Chloe.

"Alright." Chloe shrugged. Rosy knew her skills better than anyone else, after all. If she said that it would be fine, then Chloe trusted her. 

A few minutes later, Rosy and Adrian met with their 'team' by the camp's exit. Rosy recognized one of the five as one of the guys who'd tortured her during the carriage ride from the barn to the camp. The other four had similar vibes of hatred. Clearly, Chloe had gathered the five most outspoken 'Princess Haters' that she could find.

Rosy could tell that Adrian recognized the guy from the carriage. It didn't show on his face, but he couldn't fool their bond as easily. He became absolutely irate the moment that his eyes met the man's. Her own feelings on the matter were a lot more easygoing. She knew what she'd done in the past, and she'd never blame anyone who hated her.

"Let's roll out."

"I don't take orders from you, Princess." The man from the carriage argued, the moment that Rosy gave the order.

"Then just stay in camp." Adrian told the guy, annoyed. The guy just snorted, following Rosy and Adrian as they left the camp ahead of the rest of the group. 

Having tortured the 'Princess' apparently made the carriage guy some sort of leader in the eyes of the 'Princess Haters.' He wouldn't shut up, actively trying his best to undermine every single word that came out of either Rosy or Adrian's mouths. The other four generally just nodded and smiled along with him.

"You're making too much noise, you know. Even Adrian here's making less noise than you idiots. Try to step lightly, in similar spots as mine." Rosy tried to advise the men, but they'd ignored her.

"Just shut up and get behind me. It doesn't matter how much noise we make, if we just crush those trackers with overwhelming power!" The idiot said. This comment annoyed Rosy enough to make Adrian flinch, but she didn't lose her patience, to her credit.

"Trackers rely on their Markers for everything. They're weak to ambushes. If you come in and ruin the element of surprise, then you'll get eaten alive." She explained calmly.

"I told you to shut up, Princess. I'm leading this expedition now. Get used to it." The annoying carriage guy argued back. Rosy's temper flared again, but this time she didn't argue back.

Instead, she quietly muttered something that only Adrian could hear, "I'll just let them have one... strong... bite."

Trying to ignore that, Adrian looked back at the five people following them, unable to feel pity for the idiots.

"Shh... here they are." Rosy whispered as they finally caught up with the trackers that they were, ironically, tracking. 

"Stop telling us what to do!" Carriage idiot yelled at her, blowing their cover.

"You're an idiot." Rosy facepalmed. After a short exhale, she disappeared from sight, leaving the six of them to face the five Markers and ten soldiers who had realized that they were there when they heard Carriage idiot's yelling. Sensing her location, Adrian abandoned them too. Though he made a lot more noise than she did, the 'Princess Haters' were already freaking out, making far more noise than he needed in order to cover his retreat.

Adrian watched the battle from inside a bush near Rosy's location. Though he couldn't see her, he could sense that she was irritated by the 'Princess Haters' blowing her cover. She wasn't going to let them die, but a bit of punishment was fine in her eyes. Meanwhile, while Adrian agreed with her, his reason for not joining the battle wasn't purely annoyance like hers. He was scared of the Markers.

Rosy had likened Markers to dogs before, but calling them that was a clear crime against all canines. These things were only slightly smaller than horses. Big, snarling beasts with dripping fangs and claws bigger than a person's forearm, they were terrifying. And there were five of these things, ugly, with thick fur and a terrifying aura.

Since he'd been trained by Rosy, Adrian was pretty sure that he'd be capable of taking down one... maybe two of those things by himself if push really came to shove, but these guys weren't monsters. They didn't stand a chance.

"It's the resistance!"

"Where's the princess!?"

"Get them!" The tracker men all screamed different things in a disorganized chaos. Unfortunately for the 'Princess Haters,' the trackers didn't have to be organized. The moment that they let the Markers off their leashes, the snarling beasts charged toward the noises all at once. 

"Huh..." Adrian heard a noise escape Rosy's lip, "Guess they already lost my scent." She whispered in the moment before the Markers and the 'Princess Haters' met in battle.

He didn't need to wonder what she meant by that. From what she'd told him about Markers, they were single minded tracking machines. If they had Rosy's scent and knew for a fact that she was nearby, nothing on the planet would have stopped them from charging her all at once. Apparently, she'd been half-expecting that, but attacking the 'Princess Haters' instead was apparently fine, too.