Chapter 11: Distraction

The mercenaries had stopped traveling before they approached the village as it was time for Valeria to separate and complete her own mission. The plan would fall apart if Kal'tsit had spotted one of their members breaking off from the group, so the split had to happen now before they got too close.

Anders had been fluctuating between joy and worry for the past few hours. Joy due to having his General, now Commander, back in the saddle and worry due to who he would be face to face with soon enough.

Kalt'sit, the target of fear, hate and respect for any Sarkaz who know of her. He would never forget how she led the crusade against Kazdal two hundred years ago and laid it to ruin. Now he was going to speak with her and keep her occupied while Valeria swiped the relic.

Thinking of Valeria, he turned his gaze to her. She had the sword he had carried for so long strapped to her hip and was putting on a plain, metallic silver mask to cover her face. The only part of her that was visable was her piercing purple eyes peering through the sockets. The thought of her having to indefinitely hide her identity in the future made him frown, but he understood the necessity. Their little group would never be allowed to rise up if it was found out.

"I'm surprised it's silver instead of black."

Valeria glanced at him for a moment before letting out a huff of air.

"It may seem like a minor thing, but give enough clues to someone like Kal'tsit and they will uncover any buried truth no matter how improbable it may be."

Anders crossed his arms with a raised brow.

"You speak as if you know her well."

Valeria narrowed her eyes and her hand unconsciously rest on the hilt of her blade.

"Too well. Do not underestimate her Anders. She is a formidable fighter, but her greatest strength is her mind. She is incredibly intellegent has more knowledge than any living being locked in that head of hers."

Anders widened his eyes at the declaration.

"She knows more than you do?"

Valeria placed one hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"She does. Do not attempt to trick her, she will see right through it. Just get her talking, she never shuts up. Be safe."

With that, Valeria turned away and started walking in a direction where she could loop around to the village instead of heading there directly.

Anders watched her back disappear into the distance for a bit before taking a deep breath. Turning towards the Goliath that lead the new addition to their forces, he spoke with determined eyes.

"Let's go."

Recieving a nod in return the previously two mercenary companies merged into one singular unit and moved towards the village. After a short while of walking, Anders glanced at the man walking next him.

"I never caught your name."

The man grunted in slight dissatisfaction.

"Landon. I'm surprised it took this long for someone to ask."

A smile appeared on Anders face at the man's complaining.

"Don't get too upset. The Commander probably already knows it."

Landon gave Anders a skeptical look.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm being honest. She makes an effort to remember the names of her people. She just prefers to eavesdrop like a weirdo instead of actually asking for it."

The man raised eyebrow but didn't argue.

"I'll have to wait and see then. This person we're meant to distract, Kal'tsit, what do you know of her?"

Anders eyes narrowed at the question.

"That we should not attempt to fight her. She is way out of our leauge."

"How strong is she?"

Anders let out a sigh and reluctantly spoke.

"If the Commander and her fought there is a chance she would lose. She has this pet of some sort, a real monster, that's always with her. The thing shrugs off damage like it was nothing and can rip us all to shreds without any effort. Meanwhile Kal'tsit herself is a good shot with the gun she carries around with her, so you have to watch out for long ranged attacks while getting hounded by that creature."

Landon tensed as his eyes wandered to the horizon ahead. They would be meeting her soon.

Anders noticed his reaction and attempted to calm him down some.

"Relax, we aren't looking for a fight, and from what the Commander told us, neither is she. The only reason we need this many people is so she takes the bait and comes out."

Landon gave a nod in acknowledgment and the group continued the rest of the way in silence.

When they were half an hour away from the village they could see a lone figure in the distance. Her outfit was a dress-cloak hybrid colored in a mixture of black and green. She stood tall with stoic emerald eyes, unperturbed by the large entourage of Sarkaz mercenaries walking towards her. Anders and Landon walked towards the front of the group and stopped a distance away from the woman.

Her eyes scanned over the crowd before her as her mind turned. There were more than she had expected. Two people came forward, and while they are together there are signs that the group are two different forces merged together. They stood ever so slightly apart rather than forming one cohesive unit. Was it a second group of mercenaries hired by the Padishah, a temporary alliance with a third party, or something else? Kal'tsit slightly frowned. There wasn't enough information to come to a conclusion yet.

Anders was the first one to break the silence. His narrowed eyes zeroed in on the woman, never letting his guard down as he spoke.

"It seems you've been expecting us."

Kal'tsit looked at the man noticing he is more tense than his companion besides him. Her calm voice flowed out with almost no fluctuations.

"The mercenaries that were sent as our escorts have already been killed. It would be unusual if you did not pursue a weakened quarry."

Landon spoke next. He was originally coming here to take the relic for the Padishah, so now was the time to play the part.

"We're just here for the box Columbian. Hand it over and we'll let you walk away."

Kal'tsit's borderline indifferent gaze swept over towards Landon.

"Sarkaz ... I am not from Columbia."

Before anyone could respond, Kal'tsit spoke again. Except this time she switched to a different language. Landon didn't recognize it right away, but Anders did. She spoke ancient Sarkaz. However, those time it was different than when Valeria spoke it. The words were laced with a subtle power that bored into their brains and attempted to make them submit to their influence.

"Leave this place Sarkaz. You do not belong here."

All the Sarkaz present besides Anders ground their teeth and clutched at their heads as the words attempted to take hold over them. Anders felt his mind strain but he was able to resist it far more than his compatriots. Fighting through it he quickly grabbed a crossbow from a nearby Sarkaz and prayed to whatever may be listening that he was not about to get them all killed. Taking a moment to aim, Anders fired at Kal'tsit.

She stood still watching the bolt fly through the air towards her, and her expression remained stoic. Just before the bolt met its mark, a blur of movement flashed out of her cloak. A large creature seemingly made out of black originium crystal blocked the shot. It's body was elongated with two scythe-like appendages serving as arms. It had no legs but swam through the air like a fish in water. The bolt shattered against its hardened crystal body as it hovered protectively around Kalt'sit.

It's glowing green eyes glared at the offender and the creature roared a threat that shook the air. Before it could rush forward Kalt'sit held it back.

"Monst3r, stop."

As the effects of her words began to wear off, Landon and the others regained their bearings. The Sarkaz drew their weapons on I stick at the sight of the creature hovering around the woman.

"What, what was that?"

Anders tossed the crossbow back to its original owner as he responded.

"The old tongue, same as you heard before. The ancient language holds power for those who know how to use it."

Landon furrowed his brows.

"But why was it so different from-"

Anders cut him off before he Landon finished his words.

"That was different, just conversation. This was a command. One that compels you to follow."

Kal'tsit focused her attention on Anders. She was intrigued.

"That's rare knowledge, even for a Sarkaz. Who is it that taught you?"

The question managed to bring a smile to his face even given his current situation.

"I just annoyed a drunkard one day in Columbia and got to experience it first hand."

Kal'tsit was interested in who it may be, but ultimately it was unrelated to her purpose here. There were more pressing matters. She turned her eyes to the remains of bolt that was fired.

"I only caught a glimpse, but just now it was a Victorian bolt you fired. Your employer is far more crafty than I thought."

Anders turned to Landon with a raised brow. Seeing his confusion Landon decided to explain.

"The Lord Ameer of Ibut has a grudge against Victoria. He wanted to grab the target to turn it into a bomb and toss it over the fence. The Padishah had us use Victorian bolts so when the mark got stolen right under the Ameer's nose, he would suspect that Victoria was behind it. The Padishah would come out of the situation clean."

Anders nodded in understanding while Kal'tsits expression ever so slightly shifted to surprise.

"I only had suspicions, but thank you for confirming them. However, the Padishah would require the utmost discretion in this endeavor. The fact that you are casually revealing his plan indicates you are no longer under his employment, yet you are still here after the same goal. Tell me, who has hired you?"

She glanced at Anders who dismissively waved a hand.

"I'm just middle management, don't look at me. Only the Commander knows what will happen once we finish here."

Kal'tsit's mind whirled once more. That man was an Alecto. They are notoriously stubborn in who they choose to follow. If someone was commanding him. Then it would have to be another Sarkaz. Given that everyone present was a Sarkaz, then it indicates the previous Sarkaz mercenary group had joined a larger one. It would explain why they are together, but appear to be sperate groups. It was a recent merger. Breaking out of her thoughts, she spoke to Landon once more.

"You would pledge your allegiance without even knowing what your Commander wants to do?"

Landon gave a grunt of agreement.

"It doesn't matter what they do. The Commander gave us a purpose. It's far more than what we had before."

Kal'tsit slightly frowned. The Goliath's words hinted that they personally spoke to this Commander.

"Where is this Commander now then? With your objective at arms reach they are nowhere to be found."

Anders chose to answer the question.

"The Commander is busy with other matters. This much was entrusted to us."

The man was careful with his words and kept information vague. Deciding probing for information would be useless, she took another angle. Her words switched back to the ancient language.

"Regardless, your purpose is not here. Return home and serve Kazdel."

The words attempted to take hold once more. Though those time even though Landon could not understand the words, he could almost instinctively understand their intent.

"S-serve Kazdel?"

The question caused Anders beside him to laugh, drawing the others' attention. Anders looked at Kalt'sit with slightly colder eyes.

"Serve Kazdel? It's ironic coming from you, Kal'tsit."

Kal'tsit's brows slightly raised at her name.

"You recognize me."

"I do. I was there all those years ago. Have you forgotten who it was that led the armies to tear Kazdel to the ground? I have not."

Kal'tsit gave a light sigh before responding.

"I remember as well. I also remember how the Kazdel army planned for war with the rest of the world. A prolonged war would have been catastrophic for both the Sarkaz and the rest of Terra. A decisive, preemptive strike saved more lives than the alternative. Now the Sarkaz are rebuilding once again. Serve Kazdel and help it down a better path."

Anders hand rest on the hilt of his weapon as anger leaked into his voice.

"Serve Kazdel? And who is it that I would serve? The self absorbed Sanguinarch? The corpse-eater Nachzeherer king? No. For as many generation as I can count, my family has only ever followed one person. They fought and died for the King of the Alecto Royal Court, but when it was my turn? I could do nothing."

For the first time Kal'tsit cleary showed a change in emotion though it was complex, difficult to discern.

"You saw her fall."

Anders nodded with a far off look in his eyes.

"That day is burned forever in my mind. The Sarkaz lost. We were ordered to retreat, but our enemies were relentless. In order to buy time for our escape, The Queen of Ruin erected a collosal barrier of shadow that stopped our pursuers in their tracks. It required all of her focus, so much so that she was rooted in place. With our originium reserves running out, she had no choice but plung a crystal into her arm and use her newfound oripathy to keep it active. She single handedly held off an army while I ... ran."

This was the first time Landon had heard an eye witness account of events. Out of curiosity he had to ask.

"What happened next?"

Kal'tsit was the one to answer.

"When the barrier fell, all that was found on the other side was her equipment lying on the ground and originium dust. It was concluded that she died from overusing her oripathy to channel her arts."

The respect for Valeria grew inside his heart after the story. She had held off an army and had faked her own death leaving none the wiser.

Anders then went on with a melancholic tone.

"After that day the Alecto Royal Court fell apart. No one dared to take her position after she was gone. Her shoes were too big to fill. Most of us are just mercenaries now, hiring ourselves out until we find ourselves dead in some ditch. There is nothing left for us in Kazdel without her, Kal'tsit."

Kal'tsit crossed her arms as she listened to his words.

"And so you follow a new leader in a new land. I will ask you once more to leave this place. I do not belive this Commander of yours would want you to throw your life away needlessly."

Anders raised an brow at the remark.

"And what makes you say that?"

"You would not follow them otherwise."

Anders was silent for a moment, letting time pass by. The mood only disturbed by the desert wind. Turning to Landon he motioned for him to follow.

"Let's go."

Kal'tsit watched them leave with steady eyes. The monster floating above her receded back into her cloak before she turned around and walked back towards the village she came from.

After getting out of earshot, Landon turned to Anders.

"Will that be enough time? We probably could have kept her there a bit longer."

Anders shrugged.

"Maybe but I didn't want to arouse her suspicion. If she felt something was off, she would be rushing back now instead of walking. Talking around in circles would end up hurting more than helping. As for if it was enough time..."

Anders gazed back towards the village and a small smile appeared on his face.

"... She's terrifyingly efficient. It'll be enough."