Alexx and Virgil successfully traveled the greater part of a week unscathed. They alternated traveling by walking and sprinting at different times. The entire time they encountered no Kagral, or people, danger, or hardly anything. They covered a great length of only grassy plains hills to their left, and the ocean to their right. As evening drew, they agreed to travel further inland, closer to the mountains. A pack of serpent Kagral were heard inhabiting the sky behind them. They took shelter without a second thought. Within time, the serpents passed over them and they remained unseen. Virgil and Alexx didn’t leave the safety of cover until they couldn’t see them.

  “Looks like they’re flying north,” Alexx said, “Think they’re looking for us?”

  “I imagine those things only care about eating,” replied Virgil, “We’re better off avoiding them.”

  Following one afternoon, their pleasant silence was shattered by the sounds of a fight in the distance. Sounds of snarls, flesh gouging, and cries from adult men. The duo finished climbing a hill and found some men fending off a group of Kagral. The mound dipped into a valley, and a large river laid as a line for the country border. They found Nue Sirius, the town between the land of Roan and Crowne. They noticed by the armor, the men were Peacemakers. The soldiers had been surrounded by Kagral, and they were merely defending rather than attacking. This breed was bipedal and uneasily human-like wielding armor and weapons.

  “I thought they were too stupid to hold themselves like that?” Alexx said in passing to Virgil.

  “They aren’t if they lived long enough. If they feed enough eventually they’ll become stronger. They’ll develop instincts, and worst of all, they may learn.”

  “Learn… what?”

  “Anything; survive, talk, fight, make weapons, build constructs, raise stronger Kagral, who knows what. They’re creatures that no one can really study.”

  “So what you’re saying is we have no idea what those abominations are capable of?”

  “No, and not knowing makes them dangerous.”

  It took no time for the Kagral to notice the two men standing atop the hill speaking with each other. They left the beaten soldiers and turned with their shields and swords dragging along the ground in a wearisome fashion.

  “Alright, I’ve been wanting to try out this sword for a while now,” Alexx took Dracabane from behind him. Virgil looked at the weapon curiously, and covered his nose.

  “Why does that weapon stink?” Virgil growled.

  Alexx had assumed it was because it had hung near his backside for over a week, “I know I haven’t showered in a while, but is that really necessary right now?”

  “Not like that,” replied Virgil, “The metal itself is atrocious, but it's not offending my nose, it's offending… something else, the dragon in me I think.”

  “So the Dracabane really is the dragon killer.” Alexx said.

  “Where did you find that?”

  “In Attricot.” replied Alexx flippantly.

  Virgil’s upward gaze and head nod concluded his thoughts on Alexx’s escapades. They held this conversation as they watched the Kagral crawl slowly up the hill.

  “Step back, I don’t want this killing you or something bad if it hits you,” Alexx stepped forward and began twirling the small weapon end. Stepping forward he swung hard, and the weapon swooped with ferocity, and clearly severed the head off the Kagral Alexx was aiming for. The body dropped down like it would a living being, but disappeared in black ashes. The weapon and armor disappeared in the same manner. The other Kagral did not stop their pursuit, until Virgil stepped past Alexx. His bare hands made quick work of two of them. The others attacked them as wild and ravenous as rabid animals. They attacked with their entire body, a sloppy, but powerful method. But Alexx knew Kagral had no concept of methods; they were mindless hungry husks of evil magic. It was a wonder they even stood and could attack at all. It begged Alexx to wonder what essence inside evil made them come alive.

  His pondering ended as his sword thrust into the last Kagral’s head.

  “Real sloppy,” Alexx commented on his own swordsmanship, “It’s like juggling, remembering I have two types of weapons.”

  “Patience and practice,” replied Virgil, “Get acquainted with one end first, and then the other.”

  Alexx and Virgil descended the hill now empty of any trace of Kagral, armor or weapon. The guards below were breathing sighs of relief, and praising their gracious heroes.

  “We don’t know who you guys are, but we don’t care, thank you for that. We were almost done!”

  “Don’t mention it.” replied Virgil.

  “You guys don’t have to be modest, these days attacks like that can really put a town in perilous danger.”

  “Seriously, don’t mention it.” Virgil said again.

  “Don’t mind him, he’s hungry,” Alexx stepped in, “What are you guys doing all the way out here?”

  “We’re simply on patrol, for Nue Sirius.”

  “I see. We’ve been traveling a ways and could use a rest. But that doesn’t explain why you’re out here near the river.”

  Alexx examined the area and couldn’t see a watch tower.

  “Your ways of patrol are quite peculiar,” Virgil said, stealing the thoughts from Alexx’s head, “I don’t see any barricades or towers.”

  “We don’t have any out here, in fact, we don’t really need to be out here. But as required by kingdom law some form of guard must be near the main road. It would be better for us if that small town to the south wasn’t there.” The guard grumbled.

  “So who are you fellows? You look very strange for village dwellers, and you fight well. You two aren’t pirates, are you?”

  “No pirates here, just…” Alexx pondered a moment, while Virgil interjected, “Humble couriers. We were on our way home.”

  Bloody couriers? The pirate thought.

  “Ragged looking couple of couriers. Where are your clothes, and where are your parcels?”

  Virgil spoke without missing a beat, “We were attacked out at sea by Kagral. Ship sank along with most of us. Only we survived, washed up a few days ago.”

  “A lot more Kagral out and about these days,” said one of the Peacemakers, “Did you happen to get a look at the giant bird in the south by any chance?”

  Alexx and Virgil glanced at each other, “Giant bird?” asked Alexx.

  “The giant bird in the south! It looked quite strange, but we were so far away we couldn’t make anything out. But it looked like it was out by that village.”

  Alexx and Virgil quickly pieced together what they were referring to.

  “No, we have no clue what you’re saying, mate.” Alexx said, “Wouldn’t go there anyway, we need a port to get home.”

  “Ah yeah, you do. You guys don’t have papers on you either, eh? That’s going to make things rough.”

  “No money either.” said Virgil.

  “When it rains it pours, you poor boys.” said the soldier, “Hope you’re good at ship work as you are fighting! I can’t imagine what you had to fight at sea, seeing how ruthless you two are on land!”

  “We’ll manage.” replied Alexx.

  “Should be plenty of boats and work to find, what with all the companies coming in for the wedding next week!”

  “Oh wow, a marriage!” Alexx said, thinking how ironic it is to have a marriage of all things.

  “Yeah, our Lieutenant Brags found herself a man. In fact, she traveled across the ocean to get him!” The guards laughed heartily.

  Alexx was laughing along with them, wanting to know more, “I know of Brags, real persistent one she is. Who’s the lucky guy?”

  “Rumor has it, the guy is actually the husband of the pirate lord, Sheila Harkness!”

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  Alexx felt his heart jump into his lungs. His words and usual charm were slowly dissolving. He was frozen in place. He had been so wrapped up in the events of late, that Sheila had left his mind. They had seen each other a few weeks ago.

  Virgil spoke to them, on behalf of Alexx.

  “That’s quite the feat, I heard Sheila is heavily protected, and a genius tactician.”

  “She was!” said one of the enthusiastic guards gathering a handful of water from the river, “But Brags had a real vendetta against them, she mustered a large force and attacked during the night.

  Virgil laughed unexpectedly, “Those pirates, what good are they, am I right?” He nudged Alexx. Alexx saw Virgil’s intense focus. He knew Virgil was saying, ‘push your feelings down now.’

  Alexx took the cue and chuckled in return, “Yes those… those pirates really are an evil bunch…”

  “Well gentlemen we will be stopping in town for a moment to rest our legs, so don’t mind us.” Virgil added, leaving for the town.

  “Let us take you in, and we’ll show you through the Lock! As thanks for helping us.”

  “Oh no, we couldn’t let you do that, we would be getting in the way-”

  “Nonsense! We owe the two of you our lives, we’re going to give you both a grand time!”

  “Please don’t.”

  Unfortunately for Virgil, his refusal went unheard. They were ushered, almost aggressively, inland toward the mountains. The river separated two peaks. Beyond the hills they could make out a large gray wall. A trebuchet decorated the top, along with a healthy amount of soldiers. Both of them recalled having stepped foot in this town once before, on separate occasions. But to their dismay, it was not a pleasant visit. They hoped their past presence was forgotten.

  A moment later as they were led up the hill, they found a dirt road made by tracks leading to the Lock. A graveyard was hidden along the path on their right, inside the giant hill. There were plenty of large tombstones and statues of fallen heroes, and a surprising amount of forestry for this section of country given its dead grass and distance from the ocean, or capital.

  “Your tombs are placed inside the mountain?”

  “Yes, Mr. Courier! This pathway is special to our town. The greatest fight that our town ever faced happened on this small beaten road.” said one guard.

  “Some nasty business with pirates, they tried to break down the Lock with a special ship, and assaulted the way on which we walk.” Said another guard.

  “Apparently there were three pirates to one Peacemaker. But thanks to Brag's father, they were turned away. We think the ship is still buried under the water there!”

  Virgil faked a surprised expression, “My friend, have you ever heard that story before?” he said looking at Alexx.

  Alexx snapped from his trance of thinking about Sheila to reply, “Oh, I think I might have, all I remember was a few good men dying, and an even greater ship.”

  “Anything in the hands of pirates is no great thing!” said one of the guards.

  Moments later, they arrived at the base of the Lock. Guards positioned on the other side of the door allowed them to pass through. While the guards explained the situation, Alexx and Virgil took careful observation of their surroundings. They quickly noticed every exit, and kept a count of all the guards that went in and out of the immediate room.

  What made matters worse were the wanted posters hung upon the walls. Two distinct posters showcased their infamous mugs, names, and bounties. A sigh of relief passed as Alexx could tell the posters were misconstrued, hand-drawn pictures. And in his present form, he looked so rough he finally understood why the soldiers could not recognize them. The boisterous pirate was proud to see his number at nearly forty thousand gold pieces. However, his pride passed away from the staggering one-hundred-seventy-thousand bounty on Virgil, The Sorek. He glanced at Virgil with huge eyes, while the newly discovered assassin legend shrugged, as in saying ‘I tried to keep it a secret’.

  Alexx made small talk with the soldiers, indirectly getting information about the town, and the husband-to-be. Meanwhile Virgil used the distraction to remove the posters while no one was looking. The pirate could tell by the silent, yet smooth hand motions, he’d done this before.

  After the hallway passed over, they were shown to a staircase leading down to the bath place. Their new friends were insistent, and so reluctantly, the weary travelers entered the showers, while the guards went to fetch clothes.

  “Could you bring a razor and clippers as well? I feel like a slob around a lot, such as you.” Virgil asked before stepping in.

  “Sure thing.” One of the guards said as the doors closed.

  “A lot of idiots…” Virgil sighed. His silence was cut short by the peering eyes of his astonished pirate companion.

  “You’re the Sorek!”

  “I’ll make sure it’s the last time you say that if you don’t keep your voice down.”

  Alexx swallowed, and whispered, “You’re a legend! I saw your work years ago at sea. A whole ship was taken out, no one left. You helped me get a lot of good supplies that day.”

  “You’re welcome, now stop talking about this.” Alexx complied, but he had so much more to say and ask. After all, this was a revered killer. The title of Sorek is passed down by one apprentice killing a master. No one knows where they reside, and no one can catch them. No Sorek has ever been imprisoned.

  The two were greeted by the cold stone on their feet. One of the guards directed attention to a table in a raised corner of the room to place their essentials. They did so and looked at the large cylinder in the center, half metal and the bottom half of the same material as the floor. Stone dividers formed nine separate shower rooms, each with a chute and a lever. The two of them found a space to themselves and turned the lever down part way. Steaming water plunged out. It was as if every unrighteous deed was cast away. Alexx pushed his lever down a bit more until the water was pushing him down to the floor. The deluge had submerged him enough, but he sat still, engulfed in the euphoria.

  After having enough, the water lowered back to a steady flow. The young man covered in tattoos and soap now looked around to make sure only Virgil could hear him talk.

  “What a fine mess this is.”

  “Could be worse.” replied Virgil.

  “If Hammond really is captured, Sheila is somewhere in town.”

  “You’re one of her subordinates, right?”

  “She ran an independent outfit. ‘Be your own kind of pirate’ was her motto. So technically, I am.”

  “Everything must be gone at Shallow Ford if she’s here.”

  “And possibly about to destroy everything in retaliation.”

  “No scorn quite like a woman’s,” Virgil began scrubbing his hair, “We should get out before that.”

  “I want to help her get her husband back. But I’ve got to find her first.”

  “Sure; it can’t be that hard. I’m really good at knowing the best shadows to hide in.”

  “You’ll help? I thought you might just leave for Jombardin.”

  “I think it’s what the stranger would do. Besides, I have nothing waiting for me there. And I’m intrigued to know Sheila now. She must be some kind of friend to you to stop going after the Moon’s Heart like this.”

  “I wouldn’t even have come close to finding it if it weren’t for her. Plus, I owe her an apology for doing the only thing she told me not to do.”

  As they finished cleaning, the Peacemakers knocked on the door signaling their return with fresh clothes for them along with the razor and clippers Alexx graciously accepted the clean linens, while Virgil proceeded to clean the unruly hair on his head and face. Although, to avoid looking like any of his wanted posters, he cut his hair short and left his chin and upper lip covered. He passed the shaving utensils to Alexx and strongly suggested he do something to look different. To his reluctance, Alexx leveled his locks, and shortened the back end until all of the hair was even. He didn’t realize that the Kagral had even ripped apart his hair. Albeit, staying away from a mirror aids to that. He tied the locks together, and begrudgingly rubbed the new hair line resting midway down his neck.

  “Beard’s gotta go.”

  “I will cut you with this razor before I let it touch my face!” The pirate challenged. Virgil walked over and pulled the poster from his piled garments

  “Put your pride aside and shave, or you won’t find Sheila.”

  Alexx reluctantly put the blade to his face.

  They donned their new cotton tunics, pants, and leather boots. The clothes, once torn and bloodied, were tossed into a bin. Alexx had his sword fastened, and his small collection of items and the mask packed away in a provided sack. Virgil took care to make sure the orange stone protruding from his chest remained hidden. Once up the stairs, they were escorted further into the compound of the wall. Numerous rooms on each side of the hallway were simple bunks and storage closets. A sharp turn in the hallway led to a double door. Behind the door was a mess hall. The air was filled with the scent of cooked food and sweat.

  “You’ll find a hot meal here. Nothing fancy, just some vegetables and meat. Wholesome and filling.”

  “I don’t care if it’s boiled cabbage at this point,” Virgil commented, “The smell of cooked food is too welcoming.”

  “You two find a place to sit, and we’ll bring some out to you.”

  “Why are you guys being so nice?” Alexx inquired, “Not that we’re ungrateful, but we just helped you out a little, it’s not like we saved the town.”

  “You saved our lives, which is more than what our comrades would do for us.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’re what you would call… nobodies,” said one of them.

  “We were given that position because it’s the lowest job they could find for us,” said the other.

  “You’re being too hard on yourself.” Virgil responded.

  “No, we have no skill in combat, and our scores are the lowest in the region. We’re lucky to still be Peacemakers.”

  “For every winner there has to be a loser.” Alexx added.

  One guard sighed despairingly, “That’s not much of a morale boost.”

  “Work hard, better yourself, and don’t look anywhere but forward. Then your fate will be yours.” said Alexx.

  Both guards seemed to be enlivened from the words of a stranger. They marched away with a spring in their step.

  “Fate in your own hands,” Virgil muttered.

  Before long, their food arrived. Two plates each filled with piping hot meats, and vegetables giving off savory vapors. Alexx and Virgil wasted no time driving their utensils into every scrap of food. Bite after bite; there was no pause in between. It seemed as if the two did not stop to chew. Even some of the other soldiers were glancing at them curiously. But the weary travelers paid no attention to them.

  The men from earlier continued conversations with them, and they learned more than they bargained for. In the matter of an hour they found the location of her home, duties with the soldiers, where the food was being prepared, and the priest who was officiating the wedding.

  Alexx was sitting on his cot, waiting for Virgil to return when the door to their room opened. Virgil passed Alexx a cup of brew. Alexx took a drink and nearly spit it back out, “What is this?!”

  “It’s black tea, don’t like it?” Virgil took a large drink of his.

  Alexx tried taking another drink and managed to keep it down, “Well it’s not ale for sure, but I’ll take what I can get…”

  “Are you ready to get out of here now?”

  “Yes, let’s get out of here before they come back.”

  Alexx and Virgil departed their room and made for the exit leading into town. It was a very simple journey from where they were to the door. Word of their presence had spread fast, so no guard was giving them a curious look. Especially with Alexx’s tattoos covered up, he looked as presentable and clean as a bank accountant. The guards let them through, and with a long walk into the walls of Nue Sirius, they quickly put space between them and the Peacemakers.