*Clop Clop Clop*
The rhythm of horse shoes striking the earth rang sharp across through the mist-clad plains of Middenland.
Fog lay thick over the fields, curling like an oceanic current. Damp grass brushed against armored greaves as Elena rode hard along the narrow road as her crimson plate catching what little light the sun dared to spill down from beyond the mist.
"Faster! Red Hare the Fifth!" she shouted, leaning low over the neck of her equally armored horse.
An arrow hissed past her face.
Another split the fog just above her shoulder.
She did not flinch, but her jaw tightened in anger.
Behind her, shapes bled into existence through the gray veil. A vile pack of goblins riding lean scarred wolves burst from the mist like a picture painted from nightmare. Their riders hunched low, composite bows bending in fluid arcs.
Elena glanced back, eyes counting numbers.
At least ten, with perhaps even more hidden in the fog.
"Of course they're swarming me." she muttered in frustration.
The morning had begun peacefully enough, she had been riding alone toward Venetia, taking advantage of traveling alone to increases speed, yet when she spotted a merchant caravan halted in panic with a broken axle and a crying child about to be attacked by group of goblin wolf rider, her heart immediately calls for battle.
She could have just ignored it.
She did not.
Instead, she had thundered straight at the goblin riders, crimson armor blazing like a vengeful saint of blood, she drawn their attention with a short burst of 10 mm. bullets from her SMG-01.
Now, they targeted her.
-----
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
She twisted in the saddle, bringing the compact submachine gun to bear one-handed.
The weapon bucked angrily, as the storm of lead tore through the veil of fog.
Four goblins tumbled from their wolves almost instantly, their mounts veering into chaos as riders collapsed into the dirt. One wolf flipped entirely, rolling over its fallen master in a snarl of limbs.
The pursuing formation faltered.
But only for a moment.
They reformed with unnerving speed.
"Persistent little vermin!" she growled.
Red Hare's lungs pumped like bellows beneath her, armored barding clattering with each stride. The chestnut mare was magnificent. War-bred, Temperamental and Intelligent enough to resent all of this.
Another volley of arrows streaked forward.
One struck the road inches from Elena's knee.
"Do you want me to have Red Hare the Sixth!?!" she barked. "Run you idiot!!!"
The horse surged, muscles coiling and releasing in explosive rhythm.
Elena tried to reload, which was proved to be absurdly hard to do with reins clenched in her right hand and her thighs gripping the saddle, she attempted to wedge the SMG between her legs while fishing for a fresh magazine with her left.
The road lurched beneath them.
Fog obscured every rut and stone.
She hissed, nearly losing the magazine as her horse leapt over a fallen branch.
An arrow sliced through the plume of hair at the mare's neck, causing her horse to shrieked in fury.
"Keep your head!" Elena snapped at the horse, though her own pulse hammered violently in her ears.
The goblins began spreading out.
A crescent formation, trying to encircle her, as she slammed the magazine home at last.
"Prepare to die." she muttered.
She rose slightly in the stirrups, twisted her torso, and squeezed the trigger again.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
Another whirlwind of lead were unleashed as goblin jerked backward, bow spinning away into the fog. A wolf yelped as rounds tore into its shoulder, sending it skidding violently into its companions. The crescent collapsed into snarling disorder.
But somehow, they kept coming.
"I hate being Samaritan." she thought bitterly as she think back to those merchant she saved.
If she had simply ridden past the caravan, she would be at Venetia by now, sipping spiced wine and talking with fellow soldier of fortune.
Instead, she was racing death through fog because she could not ignore a crying child.
Another burst, another group of goblin went down.
The goblins screeched in frustration, their high voices cutting through the mist, but this time something shifted.
The fog was thinning and the air tasted different.
"Lake"
Ahead, the world brightened from gray to vibrant green and blue.
The road sloped downward.
And then the great green field and wide lake emerged with waves rolling steadily beneath a clearing sky.
The goblins slowed down and retreat, for their tactic did not favor open terrain without cover nor mist to vanish into.
Elena on the other hand, did not slow down as she pushed her horse for another thunderous lapsed before finally easing the reins. The mare staggered to a halt, sides heaving.
Elena's own breath came ragged beneath her red lion helm, as she hurriedly unhelm to try catch some breath.
She lost them green vermin.... for now.
"After I win a war, you goblins are extinct." she murmured in anger, awhile sliding down from the saddle. Her horse snorted violently, as if in agreement.
Elena pressed her palm briefly against the mare's armored neck.
"You did well," she murmured. "No need for number six yet."
The horse flicked an ear.
They rested only a few minutes. Just long enough for breathing to steady and hands to stop trembling.
Elena retrieved two arrows lodged in the saddle's outer leather. She turned one over thoughtfully, it's a quite a sturdy arrow, efficient craftsmanship for creatures often dismissed as chaotic scavengers.
Luckily, she did not underestimate enemies.
That was how she manage to survived for so long as Condottiero.
The road to Venetia now stretched clear along the lake shoreline.
She mounted again, the breeze tugged at her long deep scarlet hair as she put on her helm once more.
"Venetia awaited" she whispered in determination as she advance onwards.
-----
Today Venetia did not greet her gently.
The great lake spread wide beneath the afternoon sky. Ships crowded the docks in layered forests of masts. Merchant banners snapped sharply in the cold air as bells rang from towers crowned with marble statues and copper domes turned green by age.
The city was indeed rich, yet it was restless.
As Elena rode through its gates, she immediately found it's rotting edges.
The First trouble came before she had passed the outer market area.
A beggar, little more than skin stretched over bone, lay curled beside a spice stall. Three men in stained leather jerkins stood over him, boots grinding into his ribs while one fumbled with the small cloth purse at the beggar's waist.
Elena did not slow to consider, she dismounted in a single fluid motion.
The first thug turned at the sound of armored boots striking stone.
"What in the—
Her gauntlet closed around his wrist.
She squeezed causing a particular sound that's forearm makes when being crushed. It is wet and sharp and followed immediately by screaming.
She twisted and his bone simply snapped.
The second man reached for a knife as she pivoted, drove her elbow into his throat, and followed with a knee that shattered his kneecap sideways. He collapsed, shrieking, clutching at a leg that would never again gonna support him properly.
The third attempted to run, she caught him by the collar, slammed his face into the wall, and left him unconscious in a slump of blood.
She retrieved the beggar's purse, pressed it back into trembling hands, and remounted.
"I hate this city." she muttered.
The Second trouble comes when she's moving through the narrow street and heard a different kind of sound.
A boy crying, with woman's sharp and brittle voice shouting beside the child.
"Just take him! I cannot feed him!"
Elena's jaw tightened once again, since this scene reminds her of something.
A thin, hollow-eyed woman stood arguing with a corpulent trader whose rings flashed in the sun. The boy clung to her skirts, eyes wide with terror.
The trader held out a thin pouch of coins.
"You said you were desperate." he said smoothly with a cunning smile.
"Aren't slavery outlawed?" Elena asked coldly from behind him.
He turned, irritation already forming on his lips, yet It vanished when he saw her armor.
The woman's expression quickly shifted from panic to shame to something like resentment.
"You do not understand," the woman snapped. "With me, he'll starve!"
Elena stepped closer.
"And you think selling him to this carrion crow will spare him suffering?"
The trader bristled. "Lady, I conduct legitimate—
She backhanded him hard enough to send him sprawling across the stones.
The pouch of coin burst open, as silver coins scattered across the street.
She then turned to the mother.
"If you sell your child today, you will regret it until you die. If you need work, there are tavern called "Drowned Sailor" currently hiring a floor sweeper. If you need food, just pick up silver coins there. If you ever attempt this again, I will personally broke your bones."
The woman collapsed into tears, clutching the boy to her chest.
Elena did not stay to comfort either her nor her son.
Compassion had already cost her too much time.
And yet, by the time she reached the inner districts alley, the Third trouble came.
A woman's scream tore through the noise of the alley.
Elena spurred her horse into the narrow passage without hesitation.
A burly man in dirty clothes pinned a young woman against a wall, one hand clamped over her mouth, the other clawing at her skirts.
He barely had time to look up.
Elena dismounted mid-motion, drawing her dagger in one clean arc. She seized him by the collar, dragged him back, and in one swift, merciless movement, severed off his dick.
His scream was primal as he collapsed in a writhing mess of blood and agony.
The woman slid down the wall, shaking.
Elena wiped the dagger on the attacker's shirt.
"Find a healer," she told the woman gently. "And report him... if he survive, that is."
She mounted again, face frown, "I despise being kind." she muttered to herself.
Her nice nature that would not allow her to ride past injustice was such a troublesome aspect of her, for every intervention cost precious time.
By the time she reached the Riverside Palace, the sun had begun its slow descent toward the lake.
The magnificent mansion-palace rose with white marble terraces overlooked the vast inland waters. While silken yellow-black banners bearing Conti family sigil fluttered above every fence and polished gates.
Guards recognized Elena instantly.
They parted without question.
Inside, cool marble corridors and walnut structure swallowed the noise of the city. Servants moved in silence. The sweet scent of perfume drifted through halls hang full with elaborate oil paintings.
Valeria sitting in a small audience chamber overlooking the lake, as she expected Elena arrival beforehand, since someone who's her eyes and ears in the city already told her so.
She reclined elegantly upon a cushioned seat, dressed in layered black silks and gold thread. Gold rings glittered across her fingers. Her expression was composed, intelligent, and faintly amused.
"My dear friend Elena!" she said smoothly. "You look as though you have fought half the city!"
"I nearly have" Elena replied flatly.
Valeria arched one brow that wasn't hidden behind her half-mask.
"Please, spare me a story."
Elena removed her helmet, setting it aside. Strands of scarlet hair fell free, damp from exertion.
"Your crime situation is worsening," she began without ceremony. "Thugs beating beggar in open markets. Mother attempting to sell her children. Men assaulting women in broad daylight."
Valeria's expression slightly shift, "I am aware." she said.
"Then fix it!" There was steel in Elena's voice.
Valeria did not bristle. "My dear," she replied calmly, "My city thrives on trade, trade attracts desperation, it's just a nature of how things goes. I have magistrates and patrols to solve that already."
"Just hire more patrols then!"
"I am doing so, duh!" Valeria said jestingly, then her tone sharpening. "But one does not cleanse a rotten wound overnight."
Elena exhaled through her nose in frustration. "Whatever." she exclaimed.
Valeria studied her for a moment, then nodded once. "It will be addressed, maybe..."
Silence stretched briefly before Valeria gestured toward a map laid across a table beside her.
"Now," she said. "Tell me about more important things, you didn't came here just to lecture me on the matter of morality, aren't you?"
Elena stepped forward then speaks, plain and clear, "The King is dead."
Valeria's eyes flickered. No surprise.
"Duke Wulfgang want Vindia's army in three weeks" Elena continued.
"And our man, what about Victor?"
Elena's expression shifted.
"He prepares."
Valeria's lips curved faintly.
"I expected nothing less from that man."
They then discussed troop movements, supply lines, noble allegiances. Valeria's intelligence network extended like invisible threads through courts and estates across the realm.
"All of Western Middenland leans toward the Prince," Valeria said. "Suddenland is about to be completely fractured, several minor barons and baronets are waiting to see who blinks first." Valeria explains.
"And the Princess?" Elena asked.
"Cautious, she is gathering promises, seem real shaky." Valeria answered.
"We need funds for mercenaries then, just as expected."
Valeria leaned back, "How much?" she asked.
"A substantial sum. Enough to secure multiple companies for sustained engagement." Elena replied.
"Granted, I am sliding down a very slippery slope anyway." Valeria said, smiling faintly.
"You believe in him, I supposed."
"I believe in outcome."
"And you think that he'll brought you an optimal outcome?"
"I think," Valeria said carefully, "that if he, and by extension "We", triumph over everyone after this conflict, the realm may enter an era of prosperity rather than the decay of our current day."
She then rose and walked to a writing desk, "How much precisely?" she asked.
Elena named the figure.
Valeria did not flinch and hand her letters of credit.
"You shall have it," she said. "Consider it an investment for the future."
"His future?"
"Everyone's future."
Valeria paused, then looked at Elena directly in the eyes.
"If matters escalate… if the Prince and Princess both prove obstacles rather than solutions… are you prepared to commit the great sin of rebellion?"
Elena laughed, not mockingly, but confidently.
"Gladly."
Valeria studied her.
"You're a brave lioness, as always, but by the way, what's your view on him?"
"I have seen Victor governs," Elena replied. "I have seen wonders that he built, and actions that he has taken, he's a good man at heart, I believe in him."
Valeria's smile deepened slightly.
"Very well, then we are aligned."
-----
After hours, Elena departed the Riverside Palace carrying sealed letters of credit and access to enormous funds.
Her next destination was less refined.
The tavern known as the "Drowned Sailor" sat near the docks bath in radiant rays of twilight time, thick with smoke and rough laughter, mercenaries favored it for its strong drink and discreet back rooms.
She stepped inside.
A familiar looking woman sweeping the floor.
Conversations faltered.
Out of armor, Elena draws attention like a drawn blade because of her otherworldly beauty.
A sailor at the bar rose, swaying slightly from drink.
"Well now," he slurred. "What treasure washed ashore?"
He reached for her breast and regretted it instantly.
Elena caught his wrist, twisted, and drove him face-first into the bar hard enough to split wood. When he tried to rise, she kicked his legs out from under him and left him sprawled on the floor coughing blood and splinters.
"Anyone else?" she asked calmly.
Silence answered.
Then a chair scraped softly and slowly.
A tall man in dark leathers stepped forward. His black hair was streaked with gray, yet his eyes were sharp as an eagle.
He bowed.
"Lady Elena," he said respectfully. "Captain Mikhail of The Black Rider."
Recognition flickered faintly as he inclined his head further.
"Earlier today," he continued, "you saved my wife from a scum in an alley."
Elena's gaze hardened slightly.
"She is safe?"
"She is," he replied. "thanks to you."
He straightened.
"I have heard that's you're seeking to hire battle brother of high qualities."
And one by one, others rose.
Some were her old comrades.
Some had heard about high pay.
Some had heard about her stories.
Some just witnessed her actions, hours ago.
By nightfall, more than twenty professional mercenary companies had accepted contracts to fight alongside her. Not merely for gold but also for a chance to fight the Legendary Red Lioness herself.
And as she stepped back into the cold night air, the great lake stretched dark and immense beyond the docks.
Tonight, Elena, despite her frustration against her own relentless conscience of justice, for in the end, she couldn't help but unconsciously smile for her own actions today as she watch the lake that's glistering under the twin moons light.