Before There Was Braveheart

Chapter XXII: The Birth of a New Rebellion

The group of mercenaries fled to the only place they knew would keep them safe. The moment they stepped out of the portal, they were greeted by the shocked faces of the other mercenaries from their guild. The usual lively chatter of the Söldner's Guild died down as they watched their fellow guild members appear with bruises and scars all over them.

Their eyes landed on the corpse that Johann was carrying. When they recognised who it was, their expression changed.

Kurtis took a staggered step forward, his head shaking in disbelief.

"Jaxon...? It can't be..."

Maxwell looked away, his tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He was trying to hold himself back from crying.

"I'm sorry, Kurtis."

Johann laid the young one's body on an empty table, even the elf couldn't hide the grief he felt for the one he thought of as a son.

Bertram walked to the former paladin, carrying a long cloth with him that he found on the shelves beneath the counter. He carefully placed it on top of the dragonborn's body with a long sigh, before turning to Johann.

"What happened?

"Dom turned us to the Crown Ruler Leofric, apparently he wanted to steal Rae's manna," the elf explained, "Jaxon...died in his hands."

Shocked gasps and murmurs began to spread among the guild members. They could not believe that Dom out of all people would be the one to betray them.

"He did what?"

"But what was in it for him?"

"I can't believe he would sacrifice Jaxon's life for that..."

The guild members began to feel worried. If Dom betrayed his closest friends with no hesitation, then surely, he would betray the rest of them as well. If he dared to take the life of his party member, then surely, he wouldn't think twice before killing the rest of them.

Even Bertram was getting worried, what if word of the guild reached the knights? What if the Crown Ruler himself came to his tavern to slaughter them all?

"Jaxon sacrificed himself for me."

The guild members went quiet as they turned their heads towards the mage.

"After the Crown Ruler stole my manna, he ordered Dom to kill me," the mage explained, "That was when..."

A sniff escaped their mouth. They took a deep breath before continuing.

"That was when Jaxon pushed me out of the way, and Dom killed him instead."

Their golden eyes landed on the cloth that was covering their beloved friend's body.

"He sacrificed himself for me; for our escape," they continued, "And I- no. We won't let his sacrifice go in vain."

With newfound determination, they jumped onto a table, slightly shaking it from the sudden weight.

"Friends, comrades, fellow mercenaries of the Söldner's Guild," they addressed the wide-eyed crowd before them, "Until when are we going to let this tyrant rule over Ambrosia? Until when are we going to let fear oppress our spirits?"

They scanned the room, locking eyes with every mercenary in the room.

"Jaxon gave his life away as an act of bravery and selfishness. If it weren't for him, my friends and I wouldn't be standing here at this very moment," they continued, "Are we going to let his sacrifice be for nothing? Or are we going to stand up, and seek justice once and for all?"