Loners

Chapter 3

The next morning, Jari sat in front of their tent as the sun rose on the horizon. Leaving Port Agu was never hard. He preferred to sleep under the stars.

He heard Betha's snores from behind the tent flap and shook his head. That snore will give us away when we get there.

He chuckled to himself and took a bite of his dried salt beef.

Toli came out of the tent with a deep yawn and raised his hook over his head. He touched his toes and adjusted his hammer when he stood back up.

"Morning," Toli said.

Jari nodded a greeting and took another bite of beef. Toli walked over and stood in front of him.

"We ready to go?" he asked.

Jari pushed him aside with his hand. "You're spoiling my view."

Toli glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, sorry."

Toli moved out of the way just as the sun peeked through the grey clouds. The rays of sun touched Jari's cheeks and moved up his face. He closed his eye and warmed his only eyelid.

The sunrises in Labrys were beautiful . . . breathtaking, even. Jari stared straight ahead as they watched the sunrise a little further in the sky. It soon blanketed them. Jari yawned and took another bite of beef.

"Shit don't get no better than this. By this time, the next moon, we'll be retired with enough coin to watch this every morning," Toli said.

Jari scoffed. "You think this is a milk run we're going on?"

"No, I—"

Jari cut him off. "—am being an idiot, like usual. You know this may be the death of you."

Toli smiled. "Gotta die someday, may as well be for retirement. I'll get Betha. It's getting late."

The trio walked into The Scalp and found Gnok, Sinda, and Arnak sitting at a table sipping stew from their wooden bowls. Jari walked over and pulled up a chair.

"Morning, Gnok," he said.

"Morning."

"You ready to go?" Jari asked.

"We are, but we need to set a few ground rules for this venture," Gnok said.

Jari raised an eyebrow and took the warm cup of tea from the bar Toli gave him. "And that is?" he asked.

"First, my warriors are worth more than yours, so they get the first choice of loot. Second, if I think your friend Polis isn't shooting straight dice, I'll kill him. Finally, if we get close to Boro, Sinda has the right to kill him."

"I agree, except for the loot. Whoever kills their opponent is entitled to the loot." He waved Betha over to the table. "Unless you want to tell her that she can't have her loot," Jari said.

Betha snorted at Gnok and leaned against her ax. "You want to fight me for it, Gnok?"

Arnak stood up, walked over to her, and put his club over his shoulder. "You will go through me first, Taur. Do you want that?"

Jari stepped between the two as Betha tapped her hoof on the floor. "Easy now. There will be plenty of loot for everyone."

Polis walked in with several men and watched the situation unfold. Gnok looked at him with disdain and sipped more of his stew. Jari glanced over his shoulder and waved him over.

"Greetings, Jari Rockjaw," Polis said.

"Enough with the pleasantries, Polis. What did King Zista say?"

"The king says if you are successful in your mission, he will retire you and the rest of your company," Polis said.

"Why don't I believe you, Polis?" Betha asked, still eyeing Arnak.

"I'm not asking you too, Betha. I've been instructed to take you near Boro's camp north of here and await your return," he said.

Jari chuckled. "Polis, this smells like a trap."

"You have my word; this is no trap. Why would I do that? King Zista is a man of his word. Has he ever been known for breaking it?" Polis asked.

Jari shrugged. "If you screw u—"

Polis butted in. "Or what?"

Jari paused and looked at his companions. "We'll kill you and your men."

Kala, the scalp master, walked in the tavern. Jari glanced at him and turned around with a smile. Kala was dressed in his ancient armor, some pieces so tight they looked like they were cutting off his circulation. He wore a thick silver breastplate, and his silver hair ran in two plaits over both shoulders. His shield hit his back as he approached, making the sound of nails hitting a tin roof.

"Kala, you look like you're heading to war," Jari said with a laugh.

"Overheard you talking about your mission, and these bones of mine are tired. I want to retire too," he said.

Jari looked at the large warhammer in his hand and nodded. "That what I think it is?" he asked.

Kala hoisted it up and took a practice swing. "It is."

Jari had heard of Kala's exploits as a child. He was the only warrior who took the time to train young dwarves like him, who had been orphaned from the constant wars.

Kala was a kind soul, but his warhammer had claimed many scalps in his one hundred years of fighting. Approaching two hundred and twenty, he knew he wasn't long for the world. But at one point, he was one of the best mercenaries in Labrys, a worthy addition to the band of warriors.

"You want to go, Kala? This is not going to be in and out. Our odds are slim this will even go well. All of us want to retire. You sure about this?" Jari asked.

Kala walked up to Jari face-to-face and said, "If you ever question one of my decisions again, Jari, I'll make sure you never see another sunrise."

Jari smiled and looked at Polis. "Seems like we're ready and all here," he said, stepping out of Kala's way.

Polis closed his fist, placed it over his heart, and said, "And so it begins."

...