That damned commander. Allendis knew something was up. He wished that he had listened more closely to his gut but there was no point in complaining about it–orders were orders. His eyes never left Slen and the two other church officials. He personally had no dealings with the Golden Covenant so he did not know what to expect of them.
"You must be Halbin, correct?" Slen asked as he approached Halbin. "I must say, I heard good things about you and your crew."
He extended his hand in front of Halbin, offering a handshake and Halbin took it, shaking it firmly with a confident smile on his face.
"That's all you'll ever hear about me and my crew, commander Slen."
"Speaking of crews, meet my fellow associates that will keep this operation afloat." Slen turned his back and pointed to the man in clean white robes that hadn't been touched by grime all its lifetime.
"This is Marcus. A priest that will help clean and purify the Hallow Grounds."
He then pointed to the woman with a wide-brimmed hat and staff. "That one over there is Bea–she will be in charge of the Bounded Veil so that the Hallow Ground won't spread."
Slen turned his back to Halbin. "Please take care of them."
Halbin looked over to the two of them and called them with a warm smile.
"Nice to meet you both!"
They did not respond to his greeting. Instead the man in white robes, Marcus, muttered something under his breath. Low enough for the other to hear nothing, but Allendis was close enough to hear.
"O'lady of light, please guide us to our impending duty. May you watch over these barbarians and salvage their souls."
Allendis was one to let go of insults, but just for today, he was tempted–no, provoked to hit someone with prejudice. He took one step forward but was immediately stopped when Chelsea grabbed his wrist. Her eyes were worried. Whether for him or Halbin, he didn't bother to care. It did stop him on his tracks though.
"Sir Marcus, please," Bea whispered. "The goddess' patience is wasted on these…cretins."
Chelsea gripped his wrist harder. She probably knew that I would kill them on the spot.
"As you can see, they are very professional." Slen said to Halbin.
"Really? If that's professional then maybe I should take a page from their books." Halbin said dryly. He was still smiling but Allendis could see that he was twitching to get into a fight.
Slen shook his head, still as stoic as he came out. "That won't be necessary. I myself find your squad charming and capable." He said as he looked at each of them–from Bach, Ponila, Nitha, Geblin–and finally, Slen's gaze came down to him and Chelsea.
Slen smiled. "Quite the crew of Emanators. Normally individuals of such level are given the opportunity to join the Order of Keepers or the Order of Bearers."
Halbin laughed. "We're only Grade Nines and Eights, sir commander. Besides, Captain Meindurg has already given us many opportunities, we'd rather work for him."
"Regardless, people like you don't stay mercenaries for long. Not if any Order has their eyes on you."
Letting out a wide grin, Halbin laughed. "Thank you for the kind words, sir commander. Might I introduce you to my crew—?"
Halbin started to point out Bach and then the rest of them but Slen cut him off. "No need." Slen said smoothly, already stepping forward. "The old man right there in the black helmet is Bach."
"The frail boy's name is Ponila. The young knight there is Nitha and that over by the tree is Geblin, correct?"
He smiled, just long enough for the silence to sting.
"You also have your trusted scout, Chelsea and…and Allendis, the new recruit."
Slen clapped his hands loudly, getting everyone's attention.
"Now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, I'll brief you with the mission."
Everyone gathered around Slen, even the priest and the acolyte stood behind their commander, averting eye contact, instead giving a faux politeness that pissed Allendis off more. But he couldn't draw too much attention–not with Slen so close.
Allendis thought that he could have made some sort of connection or trade with any of the Golden Cloth since they were the ones who asked for Halbin's help with the Hallow Grounds. He didn't expect that Slen would personally join them. Was this just a coincidence? Did he know that he was Milareth?
He couldn't act rashly. He would need an opening to get close to him. For now, he would do his job as a mercenary, as an Emanator.
"The mission is simple," Slen started as he pulled out a pipe and gently placed his finger to light it up, summoning a tiny flame that burned the substance. "Get rid of the monsters on the Hallow Grounds, remove its 'heart', and close it with the Bounded Veil."
"Expect danger but you already knew that. Some of you might have dealt with this before but for those who haven't, the Hallow Grounds are isolated Chaos-filled abominations that feed off humanity's fear and memories. The monsters in the Hallow Grounds aren't the one from the Convergence, who have their own ecosystems, but rather corporeal creatures known as Sevalens. Disconnected manifestations of fears that will consume and ravage the land and its people if not stopped."
Hearing those words, Allendis could tell that Ponila was shaking in his boots as he almost fainted into the grass they were standing in. Everyone had a grim look on their face. He had not dealt with a Hallow Ground before but he had heard stories of it from other mercenaries before he joined Halbin.
Fear itself manifested. The nightmares that one conjured up became reality. The deepest part of humanity gets infused with Chaos that lashes out to the world. Some say that the monsters inside the Hallow Grounds, Sevalens, were indescribable. Some say it look solidly grotesque, while others say it was just…smoke wearing fear like skin.
"Your job is to give Marcus and Bea time to fully purify and close the Hallow Grounds. In other words, you'll be protecting them with your life. So do your best."
"We will depart shortly, make sure you get everything ready before we set out." Slen puffed out some smoke before he turned to his two colleagues to discuss something private.
Bea adjusted her hat but did not look their way. "Let's hope that they can hold the line. This matter requires a delicate hand. I hate to die in the Hallow Grounds because of inexperience."
Allendis heard her. They really were getting on his nerves. He was about to give her a piece of his mind but Chelsea gripped his wrist even tighter.
"Allendis," Chelsea whispered. "Don't. I don't like then too, but we can't have them getting into our heads."
He sighed. Chelsea was right. They have a dangerous mission ahead of them. So instead, he bit his lip, stayed silent and went towards Halbin and the others. Now they were all around the tree trunk that Ponila was sitting on, a good distance away from the church members.
"No wonder we'll be getting two Crowns for each of us." Bach said. "Damn gold pricks can't let an old man rest."
They heard a chuckle from Geblin. "Perhaps you should sit this one out and let Halbin negotiate it from two to three Crowns instead."
"Ha! And let you have all the fun? Besides, it's been years since I've last seen a Hallow Ground. Let me at least document it."
"So are we all ready?" Nitha asked as she gently patted Ponila's shoulder to comfort him.
Everyone nodded their heads. Including Chelsea and Ponila, surprisingly.
Halbin smiled warmly at his team. "Then we'll set off. Geb. Pon. Ready our horses."
Allendis saw Ponila stood up slowly, following behind Geblin who went a bit deeper through the trees so that enemies would not be able to take out their one means of travel.
Allendis sighed deeply. He felt the urge to just back out on all of this.
But he had a mission to do.
There was no time for hesitation. At least, that's what he told himself.