“Do you know these lycanids?” I asked Rex as we patrolled in formation through the deserted, burning street.

  We walked in a staggered formation; a design Rex had implemented for us. I led from the front with Asmodeus flying overhead, Panda on his back, to give us clear lines of forward sight.

  With my bow drawn and ready, I was in a good position to not only spot enemies but put down covering fire if needed.

  Behind me and to the side was Rex who turned as we walked, keeping sight lines to either side and ready to rush forwards or backwards to tank melee fighters as needed.

  Bell trailed at the back, slightly staggered to the other side of me. Her job was twofold: to check we weren’t being followed and to provide fire support in the likely event we were engaged from the front. It was a good formation. Rex had explained that this tactic was best used in narrow, enclosed spaces… such as the winding streets of a town under siege.

  “I don’t know,” Rex replied in a low growl. “I used to run with a mercenary group who could have sacked a fortress, but that’s not their usual modus operandi. They were a good group, not dissimilar to adventures.”

  “Adventurers for hire?” I asked, “that sounds like it could become morally dubious rather quickly.”

  He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again, his eyes glassy. Then he spoke calmly. “Are we not all adventurers for hire? Adventure Society is a business is it not?”

  “Well… yeah,” I relented.

  “Few remain incorrupt when gold is involved. You’d be wise to remember that. An organisation with rules and regulations is not necessarily a precursor to good deeds. In my experience it’s often just the opposite.”

  “Mine too,” I replied, “though Adventure Society seems to have some good people in it… so far.”

  “True, though a good person for one is not always a good person for all.”

  Whilst we continued patrolling it occurred to me that I hadn’t received a quest completion notification for saving Chrissie’s mum, keeping one eye on my surroundings, I decided to take a quick look.

  Objective(s):

  Help the girl’s mum 1/1

  Discover what has happened to the residents of High Rock 0/1

  I had noticed that there wasn’t anyone around. I guessed that this quest wasn’t going to be quite as simple as it first seemed.

  The reward better be worth it, I thought, closing the update and continuing on with our patrol.

  As we reached the end of the street I put my fist to the sky signifying that the party needed to stop. This was another one of Rex’s tactics which we’d been practicing the past few weeks whilst we were on the road.

  Looking up, I nodded to Asmodeus who flew forward towards the bridge.

  Thick, black smoke clung to the air making visibility pretty poor. I could just about make out the large bridge ahead. An architectural marvel, it seemed to cross the cavern between the two mountain peaks without any structural supports to hold it up.

  Made of grey stone, the bridge had battlemented towers spread evenly across it and a wooden roof which stretched the entire length, making it even harder to see what was going on inside.

  The sound of clashing steel carried on the wind. Shouts, screams, and a steady yet irregular thudding reached my ears, yet it still sounded distant.

  Had the fighting moved to the other side of the bridge? It was hard to tell. The smoke was so disorienting and we hadn’t seen a soul since we left the woman we’d saved.

  More unnervingly: despite the obvious signs of fighting, we hadn’t seen a single body either.

  Asmodeus: Seems clear.

  The dragon reported in the group chat and, with little else to go on, I lowered my fist and led the party forward. The entrance to the bridge was eerily quiet and I shot Rex a discerning glance before stepping onto it.

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  Asmodeus’ sight lines would have been useless inside the enclosed bridge, so he flew outside and I asked him to scout the exit and wait for us there.

  Moving carefully forward, I saw the first true sign of battle: a bloodied corpse.

  A man, no older than twenty, laid in a heap on the ground. His armour was dented at the chest, a dent which appeared to be in the shape of a large fist.

  “Who punches that hard?” I asked in a low voice.

  Rex looked away, refusing to meet my eyes and I got the distinct impression that he was holding something back. I decided not to press the issue however, we needed to keep moving.

  The further along the bride we went, the more corpses we found. Somewhere around the centre I had to supress a gasp as I came across a mangled pile of sliced and torn corpses. Humans, dwarves, and a single lycanid were strewn across the floor barely recognisable.

  Rex gasped and I turned towards him.

  “You knew him?” I said, jerking my head in the direction of the lycanid corpse.

  “H-he was one of my sword brothers,” Rex replied, a tremor in his usually unshakable voice. “He was a member of Broken Shield, the mercenary group I mentioned.”

  “Do you think he was one of the raiders?”

  “It’s hard to tell,” Rex scowled, “all the corpses are piled together, maybe he was helping the townsfolk?”

  I wasn’t so sure, but I saw no point in pressing the issue so I signalled the team to move on.

  We saw little sign of resistance after that, apart from a few broken barrels and an abandoned carriage. There were no more bodies, but the noises of battle grew louder as we approached the exit.

  Kaleb: Az, what do you see?

  Asmodeus: Not much in all this smoke, the clashes of steel draw closer though. I am certain that there is a battle ahead. Also, in future you will address me in a manner befitting of a demon lo-

  *Kaleb closed the chat*

  Asmodeus: How rude!

  I nodded to Bell and Rex and they returned the gesture, clearly having read Asmodeus’ report. I could tell they were ready and, taking a deep breath, I marched forward onto the other side of the fortress.

  We exited the bridge into thick plumes of smoke and a scorching heat which radiated against my skin. The houses either side of the exit flickered with fresh flames, the walls barely showing signs of blackening. It must have happened recently, perhaps even after we’d arrived at the fort.

  “We’re getting closer, prepare yourselves,” I said, pressing forward through the smoke.

  I followed the burning buildings until the clashes of steel became deafening. Dark figures loomed threateningly in the haze, though they didn’t seem to notice us.

  A voice, loud and gruff shouted across the battlefield.

  “You may as well surrender swine; I’ll make it quick don’t worry.”

  Through the smoke I caught a glimpse of a circle of armoured lycanids, a few beaten humans stood staunch in the middle, backs together. They looked soundly beaten and I could hear panting. Were they the only survivors?

  Readying myself, I began directing the party using hand signals. I aimed to surround them, grouped closely together like that, Bell’s fireballs could cause some real damage right from the off.

  Kaleb: Looks like a fight, Panda are you ready? We’ll need some guidance.

  Panda: I can’t see a thing up here, kid. When you attack we’ll dive down to ground level. Gonna have to improvise until then.

  Bell: Shame Azzy isn’t a fire breathing dragon. That’d make this easy.

  I closed the chat and supressed a sigh.

  “Kaleb,” Rex said, placing a steadying hand on my shoulder. “I know them. Please, let me take this one. Hang back.”

  “Rex, there’s got to be at least a dozen of them, you’ll be slaughtered!”

  “Do you trust me?” He asked, a weary look on his haggard face.

  Gritting my teeth I stowed my bow and nodded.

  “Thank you.”

  Though I reluctantly allowed Rex to do things his way, I had no intention of sitting on my haunches the entire time. Quickly and with purpose, I began ordering the rest of the party into flanking and advantageous positions… just in case.

  As we began to move into position, a quest update flickered in my HUD with a new objective..

  Deal with the Broken Sheild mercenaries 0/1

  ***

  Rex waltzed brazenly through the smoke, though his heart was aflutter, his expression gave off an impression of steel.

  “Gorthak!” He roared, emerging from the smoke.

  The large lycanid balked, turning towards the nearing figure as he appeared, as if from thin air, from inside the black cloak of smoke which covered the battlefield: a fog of war.

  “Rexus?” He asked and the rest of the lycanids began murmuring conspiratorially.

  With little hesitation, they abandoned their circle and formed an honour guard which Rex marched through, head held high.

  As he walked, a veritable death march, the lycanids banged the hafts of their weapons on the ground creating a savage drumbeat. Rex’s heart jumped with each pounding strike and, though he would not show hesitation in front of his former brothers in arms, he balled his free fist so tightly that blood wet his palm.

  The humans who had been trapped looked worried, one dared to take a step backwards and, without looking, Gorthak backhanded him in the same way one would swat a fly.

  The man, who looked to be in his early twenties, hit the ground with a thud, his nose crumpled and his mouth filled with blood. He spat it out onto the floor and the closest lycanid picked him up under the arms.

  “Boss man’s having a moment, we’ll deal with you after. Don’t fucking move, maggot.”

  Rex continued walking; his great axe slung easily over his shoulder. He had to give off the impression that he belonged, that he was not afraid, that he deserved to be greeted by an honour guard. Yet the lump in his throat told him otherwise. It only grew bigger as he reached Gorthak.

  The large lycanid towered over Rex, a hulking figure covered in thick white fur but with a bright red stripe on his head – like a mohawk.

  “The prodigal son returns,” he said in a gruff, patronising voice. “Last I heard you were working for some gnome?” He spat on the ground, “sounds about right for you, grovelling at the feet of a dirty midget. Just like your father.”

  “Hello uncle,” Rex replied stoically. “I’d like to say, ‘it’s good to see you’ but I never was very good at lying was I?”