Spring 88, 124
Sjal was new to the area but she had learned a little bit about who the mercenaries typically fought against. There was no open conflict, but there were always bandits to deal with and hostile tribes that roamed nomadically throughout some of the regions. Nobody had told her this explicitly, but the stories she heard from other mercs all kind of sounded the same. Of course there were variations, but she got the main points. It was a strange feeling to condition herself to dislike a group of people just because it pertained to her job. Of course she hated bandits regardless, but she didn't really see what the nomads did to deserve to be 'dealt with.'
These thoughts persisted in her mind as she walked alongside several dozen mercs in the area near the desert. Supposedly the nomads had been active in the area, and while Sjal had no clue why anyone would want to live out where it was this hot. Why the mercs thought it important to keep this area free of nomads was also something she would have liked to know, though she never asked. She assumed that there must be some reason if the moneybags were willing to throw bodies at the problem. A job was a job and if someone was paying her to eliminate some 'bad guys' then she wasn't going to question it.
"Hold!" came a command from the front of the formation. The man hopped down from his mount and started conversing with his peers for a few minutes before addressing the mercs. "The enemy is in sight which means that they've probably seen us as well. No doubt those damned nomads picked a flat area so they could see trouble coming at a distance. Anyways, the plan is simple. We'll keep the melee combatants up front and have archers in the rear, with a couple of us keeping the flanks secure. There's two ways this can go down – either they come out to fight or they'll run. If they flee, do not chase them. Setting their camp on fire is plenty enough, and a scout will follow them to see where they're headed next. Questions?"
There was a long pause, then an infantryman held up a hand, then another. They worked out specifics but Sjal's mind was focused on figuring out the reasoning behind her superior's plan. She wanted to lead someday and she knew that she would never get the chance unless she was able to make similar plans. She thought to herself, "there is likely no threat of being ambushed or flanked in such a wide open area where one could see for miles. That's why a simple march on the camp is likely good enough to do the trick. Also, keeping someone at the flanks would deter the enemy from breaking our formation with minimal effort... It's a good plan."
"Sjal!" shouted her superior whose voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Sir!" she shouted back.
"I hear you're quite the swordsman, but be careful. It won't be long before our enemies are aware of your abilities and they'll be sure to single you out. I suggest you stick with the group and don't try to be a hero. Alright, everyone gear up, we'll set out in a half hour!"
Sjal considered his words and inclined her head. She wasn't exactly hard to spot with her long hair. She hoped that if her reputation spread, then it would come with pros as well as cons. She didn't argue, instead taking her armor off of one of the mounts and putting it on with some assistance from a fellow merc.
Soon enough they were ready and that was good news because the enemy had a formation of their own and was approaching. The enemy had decided to approach quickly, Sjal assumed due to their apparent lack of archers. It was a good idea, because the archers were still not fully prepared. The enemy also adopted a very spread out formation so that the archers that were ready couldn't land a single hit.
"Change of plan, we're going to tighten up the formation a little. Archers, draw your swords!" He paused then waited for the right moment before he shouted, "Charge!"
Sjal's fellow mercs shouted in unison as they started forwards. The enemy formation tightened up as well once they got within several dozen yards of them and then the fighting began. Sjal found the fight quite chaotic, even more so than the last one she'd been in. Mercs clashed and fell only to be replaced by the ones behind them. She had every urge to break formation, to leap out of the fray and cause a distraction that would break the enemy's focus… that being said, she recalled her leadership's order to stay put. It was only after the merc in front of her fell did she look her enemy in the eye and finally get to start fighting.
It quickly became apparent as to why she'd been told to keep put. She was right in the middle of the action and able to put her skills to good use. The first nomad came at her with an axe which she blocked with one of her swords. They'd put their full strength into the attack so it came as a surprise when Sjal's arm barely moved when their weapons collided. They more or less fell into her second blade which pierced through their stomach.
The next nomad came at her more cautiously than the last. He was armed with a shield and a short sword that he was hesitant to use. Sjal went on the offensive, swinging a sword into it which pushed him back a little but didn't pierce his defenses. He countered with a thrust of his sword but Sjal was able to knock it to the side with her other sword. She knew that the man stood no chance simply due to the length of his weapon. It was incredibly difficult for someone with a shorter weapon to win a matchup if they didn't have some way of closing the distance. Their weapons connected a few more times, all the while Sjal kept her distance until one of her fellow mercs stabbed the nomad in the side.
Sjal inclined her head and smiled before turning her attention to those who were struggling around her. There was an ally several feet to her left that had just gotten knocked back and she could see the enemy closing in to deliver a killing blow. Sjal didn't hesitate – she lunged with a blade outstretched to deflect the strike at the last moment. The nomad snarled at her and tried to strike her instead only to realize that her other blade had already sunk into his side.
A simple glance back revealed that the nomads outnumbered them. They'd already circled around and the flank's defenses hadn't been enough. The archers were engaged in close quarters combat as well which couldn't have been a good sign. It was saddening because Sjal didn't think that she alone could do to win the battle – she had to trust that they would pull through even if she could kill any number of the nomads if they kept coming at her one at a time.
Seven nomads. That's how many Sjal had killed by the time they started retreating. The archers had proved capable of defending themselves so the remaining enemy forces had started to lessen their pressure. Before long, they'd started sprinting back to their camp, presumably so they could prepare for a second round of fighting.
"Chase them down!" cried a familiar, authoritative voice as the mercs started to finally think it was over. "If they make it back to camp we'll have to deal with their arrows and it'll give them more time to prepare a proper retreat!"
Sjal panted and looked around. The mercs didn't look all too happy about the order but they started moving forwards, albeit at a much slower pace than the enemy. They didn't have the fear of being killed to spur them on. Sjal had the advantage of not being that tired, given her movements were fairly easy to perform with her training. She might as well have been wearing nothing at all – that's how light the armor felt when she was this in the zone. So, she took off after the nomads.
Though she wasn't a particularly fast runner, it was easy for her to catch up and stab a few of the nomads in the back before they made it back to camp. She couldn't get all of them – there were far too many for that… but some was better than none. She came to a halt behind a large tent where she had to kneel to catch her breath. She thought she could rest, but a rustling sound told her otherwise.
Sjal heard a rustling to her side from beside the tent she knelt next to. Before she could react, someone jumped out and tackled her to the ground from behind. She fell prone and her first instinct was to stab her sword over her shoulder. It was easier said than done when someone was on her back and trying to force her helmet off of her. She went for the stab out of desperation, but her attacker wrenched the weapon away from her. Sjal glanced back to see that they were trying to stab her with her own sword so she brought her other sword back to intercept the blow before rolling over to toss them from her body.
She stood up but then someone else jumped on her, this time with some kind of blunt object that they smashed into her back. Her initial attempts to pull her attacker off her back failed. Whoever it was was intent on hitting her over and over again. Her armor was decent and the force of the impacts were not that large, but it added up over a short period of time. Sjal dropped a sword and redoubled her efforts, eventually grabbing hold of them by the shirt and pulling them off of her with as much force as she could muster. She tossed them to the ground and stomped on their neck so that they would lay motionless.
Sjal groaned in pain while she staggered to the ground. She scooped up her sword and glanced at the first one who'd attacked her. It was a woman in her late teens at most who was a couple yards away. She had a defiant look on her face but a hint of fear crept in when Sjal pointed swung her weapon behind her back. Moments later, the woman had a sword sticking out of her, the consequence of a powerful throw.
Throwing the sword had felt awkward and out of place. The weapon wasn't meant to be thrown yet anything thrown hard enough was likely to pierce through soft, unarmored flesh. She'd aimed it much like she would a throwing knife, but accounting for the rotations of such an odd projectile made the impact sloppy. It wasn't the clean kill that she'd wanted… instead, the woman fell to the ground and started writhing in pain. Sjal would have tried to stop the woman's suffering but movement to the side stopped her.
The woman's cries caused a male nomad to rush over and put her out of her misery. When he finally looked up at Sjal his face was contorted into a mix of rage and sadness. He had no weapon save for the sword he'd yanked out of the woman he'd clearly known. Sjal gripped her remaining sword with both hands when he started running at her. She didn't want to fight anymore. She was tired, injured, and the adrenaline of battle was wearing off.
Sjal wanted to lunge at the man and finish things off but a sharp pain in her right shoulder blade made her reconsider. She instead allowed him to make the first series of slashes, blocking them as best as she could while figuring out just how badly she had been injured. She swung her sword with both hands to intercept a particularly reckless slash which told her that she could safely counterattack without injuring herself further. So, she spun, tearing the man open with a vicious slice.
Sjal took a moment to look at the dead bodies before her. Once upon a time, they would have once caused her a lot of grief. Two were women who were clearly not expecting to go into battle let alone throw their lives away. However Sjal's lack of empathy in battle made her disregard who they were. They were 'the enemy' and she would not mourn their deaths while she was in this state of mind.
TWAP sounds of arrows being loosed sounded from inside the camp sent arrows high into the air. Luckily none of them were for her, but she heard the sounds of at least one man getting hit. It wasn't long before her allies caught up and started rushing into the camp, killing anyone who held a weapon. It would be over soon, she could feel it. There wasn't much left to do except take prisoners and supplies before disposing of the camp itself.
She managed to prop herself up against a post that the tent was tied down to. She watched as her leader approached and looked her over. "Now's no time for rest, Merc," he said. "This whole place is going to be on fire soon enough. Can you move?"
"I think so," Sjal groaned.
"Good, go group up with the archers. This battle is pretty much over."
The forces finished up their business in the area and by nightfall Sjal found herself lying in her bunk reflecting on the hectic day she'd had. She barely wanted to move due to the bruises she'd sustained that would likely take her a week or two to fully heal from. Her body would heal, but there were plenty of mercs who had fallen. She'd become somewhat friendly with a handful of them and now there were none left. There were still plenty of other people to talk to but wondered what the point of learning anyone's name was if they might end up dead the next day.
She fell in and out of consciousness, sometimes waking in pain and other times in need of a drink. It wasn't until morning that she actually got out of bed though. Hunger was a great motivator and she yearned for something more than what had been brought over for her to eat. The mess tent was her only other option and at this early hour.
At the hall, she spotted a curious looking man. He wasn't dressed like a merc, rather he was dressed like a laborer. She fetched a bowl of nutritious soup and sat down next to him.
"What's your story?" she asked him cooly. It was past regular eating hours so there weren't many other options for people to talk to.
"Who, me?" he asked, lifting his head. He did not look like he wanted company but he didn't send her away. He looked the woman over and noticed that she had a certain look about her so he shrugged, thinking that this might be an interesting conversation.
"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Sjal asked with a friendly smile. If this man wasn't part of the mercs then she might be able to get to know someone who wouldn't end up dying anytime soon.
"Veteran, retired. Though I do some jobs here and there to help the cause. I wasn't the type to be directly involved in killing or being in danger. This week I'm helping with construction."
The man went into specifics but Sjal's mind wandered back to the last two people she'd killed. They'd been women, now that she thought about it. Women who likely didn't want to fight but they thought their lives had been in danger. Perhaps they'd seen their loved ones die. She remembered the looks they had before she'd ended their lives… the memories unsettled her. She thought about how they'd been the only ones to even harm her despite them clearly knowing nothing about fighting.
"Just goes to show how effective surprise attacks are," she mumbled to herself, accidentally outloud.
"Pardon?" asked the man.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just… thinking about a recent battle."
"Ah. Want to talk about it?"
"… not really."
"I see… Well, I better get going. Lots of work to do. You should probably talk to someone about it, if not me. It's not healthy to keep all that bottled up."
"Be seeing you," Sjal said with a forced smile. Sometimes she wished she could remove her empathy entirely so that she wouldn't have to deal with these kinds of feelings. Perhaps someday she would evolve to that point. She at the rest of her meal in silence and didn't feel like doing much of anything afterwards, aside from getting some much needed rest.
