Leo and the Seventh Ruin Ch. 01

"The soldiers who just came in." She said in a low tone, nudging gently on his side as Leo looked from behind to see the rest of the tables taken by a flock of soldiers as they're getting more relaxed to be in a cozy room.

"Now that you mention it, they look more than just a patrol." Leo said with a hint of curiosity, and then he spotted the blond-haired knight sitting along with what appeared to be officers at the end of the hall. "I take a guess that that knight is their commanding officer."

"They don't seem like they're in the middle of an escort mission, unless they haven't met a noble they're supposed to escort yet." Roxy pointed out as they both turned back and leaned over the counter.

"It doesn't matter, wherever they're going or what sort of mission they're doing, it's none of our business." Leo said bluntly after taking another sip of his ale.

"What if it is?" The demi-human asked, earning a look from Leo. "The knight had asked us if we were mercenaries. You noticed she stayed silent for a moment, what if she's thinking about hiring us?"

"A knight hiring a couple of mercenaries? That's something new..." Leo muttered, frowning his brows. "Why would she need to hire us? To be the support? Or maybe to join their side in a squabble between two families?" He finished his sentence with a sneer.

"Leo, I know how you feel about this, but we've been wandering aimlessly for weeks and we just got lucky to get that monster hunting contract. And besides, that reward we just got won't do for us to last that long." Roxy replied quietly, but her tone was sharp enough to urge him about the possibility..

Leo let out a grumble as if he was in a state of denial. He then took out the pouch he received from the innkeeper moments ago and poured everything that was inside in his hand. He just counted a few silver coins and a handful of coppers, which was just enough to spend a night in this inn and buy a bit of supplies for the next trip. Last time he remembered, they had to spend more to pay the blacksmith for the maintenance of their weapons and armor, so not even the last savings they have left could make it better.

"You're saying we should ask the knight to hire us?" Leo said with a weary sigh as he put the coins back into the pouch.

"I'm not sure if that's what she's thinking, unless we find out." The chestnut-haired girl placed her hand gently on his arm as she leaned closer to him. "Leo, I understand how much you hate to fight a war, but I'm afraid we have not much choice."

"I know. But don't we?" He muttered heavily with a deep frown.

The girl's face softened when she noticed the troubled expression, and she placed her other hand to his before he gazed back at her. "Leo, you don't have to be scared. As long as we stand together, nothing's gonna happen to us. It's us against the world, remember?"

After remaining silent for a moment, Leo grew a smile. "Yeah, us against the world." Leo sighed, before drinking the rest of the ale and slammed the mug on the counter. "Alright, let's go talk to her."

Leaving from the bar counter, they headed back to meet the knight, who was now sitting alone at the table before she noticed them approaching, yet she didn't show any reaction.

"Oh, you two again. Something else you need?" The knight asked nonchalantly.

"We don't mean to bother you, Milady knight. But we've been wondering about the question you gave us earlier and we believe you were thinking about hiring us, didn't you?" Leo asked with genuine curiosity.

The knight just stared at them as she seemed taken aback by their assumption. At first, Leo thought it was all just a misunderstanding from the beginning, and he was inclined to apologize and part ways.

"Please, sit down."

Leo blinked in surprise as the knight motioned them with her hand to take a seat. Leo and Roxy exchanged a glance before they complied and sat down across the table.

"You know, I was just talking to my officers about hiring you both, but I'm still weighing on my options right now." The knight said as she shifted in her seat, though even a slightest movement made her breasts bounce, before placing a hand on her chest. "Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Henrietta Reinhard, Captain of the Pegasus Cavalry."

"Pleased to meet you, Milady Henrietta." Roxy said with a polite smile.

"So, what brings you and your men on your journey?" Leo inquired with a laid-back tone.

"Normally I wouldn't give away that kind of information to someone who's out of our ranks." Henrietta said bluntly, earning a scoff from Leo as she sighed in response. "Is nothing personal, young man. But given that the fate of my kingdom is at stake, I know I can't just refuse any kind of help I can get."

"Even hiring some mercenaries?" Roxy deduced.

"Yes." Henrietta nodded with a serious look. "To get to the point, we're heading to the kingdom of Eos and join their fight in the Seventh Ruin."

"The Seventh Ruin? What is that?" Leo asked with a puzzled look.

"What? How could you hear nothing about it?" Henrietta said in disbelief.

Leo shrugged with his arms crossed. "I don't know, I guess for spending so much time dealing with my own problems that I just couldn't pay attention to anything that doesn't concern me." He said sardonically.

"You fool!" Henrietta snapped, slamming her hands on the table and stood abruptly from her chair that drew some attention from her men. "This matter does concern not only us, but the whole continent! How can you be so ignorant about this?"

Leo furrowed his brows and was about to retort, but Roxy stopped him when she placed her hand on his shoulder, silently asking him to calm down before she turned to address the knight.

"Please, forgive him, Sir Henrietta, but it's the truth. We've been struggling to make some coins lately, and he's been feeling too much pressure for that. But I can explain everything I know about to him." The demi-human said.

Henrietta glanced at them both before she sighed and sat back down. "Alright, you may."

Roxy nodded before turning back to Leo. "They call it the Ruin because it's a disaster that's happening in the western land of Eos. There's been rumors that the monsters from the northern part of the region had gathered an army with the purpose of raiding the realm." She said, tapping the finger on her chin as she tried to remember what she had heard a while ago.

"A monster army... Hmm, I never thought I would hear something like that." Leo stated while humming thoughtfully.

"Neither did I, and I'm pretty sure no one else has expected that, as a matter of fact." Henrietta nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Eos never had trouble dealing with these aberrant beasts in the past. While they do gather in vast hordes, they never commit to unite with the other races and not end up going at each other's throats. For centuries, the kingdom of Eos could repel the monsters and force them to go back to their lands where they came from. But then a few days ago, my Lord received a message from them, claiming that the monsters are now being led by someone who not only managed to unite them, but who also named the new army as The Legion." Henrietta answered gravely, looking down at the table as if she didn't want that to be true.

"Led by who?" Leo inquired, getting more invested in this story.

"The letter didn't say much about that, I'm afraid." Henrietta sighed wearily. "But I'm hoping I'll get all the answers once we reach the capital of Geofu. But that's not all." She interlocked her fingers and looked straight at Roxy and Leo. "The message also stated that I'm allowed to bring any mercenaries who are willing to join the fight."

"Sounds like Eos is in trouble to ask other kingdoms for help." Leo said with a thoughtful look. "But just a minute. You've been hesitant about hiring us just a few moments ago. Why is that?"

"I was about to come to that." Henrietta replied with her eyes perusing over them. "You two hardly seem like battle hardened warriors. Are you not affiliated with a mercenary guild?"

"Not really. We ran into some of them before, but we never had joined any of them." Roxy said, yet there wasn't any regret in her words.

"Yeah, if anything, we're freelance. But we've been taking some dangerous jobs and quests for quite a long time, so while we might look like a couple of rookies to you, we do have some experience." Leo said with full confidence in his voice.

"Is that so? Have you killed monsters before?" Henrietta asked, wearing a skeptical frown.

Leo let out a scoff. "It's funny you mention that, we just collected a bounty for getting rid of a nekker nest the innkeeper requested." He replied while pointing his thumb behind him where the inn owner was standing at the bar.

"And that's not all, we dealt with various dangerous creatures before. Such as golems, deepers, banshees, we even hunted a griffith." Roxy added, counting the following monsters they faced with her fingers.

"Oh and there was one time we dealt with a bunch of goblins who tamed bears to use them as mounts." Leo chuckled the moment he saw the perplexed reaction from the knight. "Don't ask me how, but that's what we saw."

"I see..." Henrietta hummed as she shut her eyes to have a moment to ponder their words. "I'm still not convinced you both have what it takes to join the war against the Legion, but I'm willing to give you a chance to prove yourself. How about this, I'll let you come along with me on the journey to Eos. And if we'll find some kind of trouble on the road, I'll be overseeing your skills until we reach our destination. What's say to you?"

"Sure, as long as that means we could get a job. But you also have to follow our own conditions." Leo said with a firm look, taking the knight by surprise.

"Name them." Henrietta said, folding her arms while wearing a frown.

"You and your men should provide us with supplies, such as food, healing potions, and tools for weapon maintenance. Also we would need a tent where we can rest and arrange our equipment. I won't take no for an answer." Leo answered without backing down his assertive tone.

For a moment it seemed like Henrietta restrained herself from clicking her tongue, which Leo guessed she was about to refuse those conditions, but he made it clear that she can't expect the best of them if they're not well prepared.

"I can only provide you with food and weapons. We only have one tent to spare, so I hope you both don't mind sharing one, would you?" Henrietta inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't, as a matter of fact. Right, Roxy?" Leo smiled at his demi-human companion.

"Y-Yeah... I don't mind at all." Roxy responded almost meekly with a blush creeping on her face.

Henrietta cleared her throat, trying to not let the subliminal message take her off guard. "Then we have a deal. I look forward to see you in combat, Leo." She reached her hand out for a handshake.

"My pleasure." Leo smiled and accepted the gesture. "So how long is it gonna take us to reach Eos?"

"A couple of days we should reach the border, but it's gonna take a few days more to reach the capital. The sooner we move out when the rain stops pouring, the better." The knight then stood up from the chair. "I'll notify my officers about my decision. In the meantime, get some rest." She then walked away, leaving Roxy and Leo to relax.

"Well, that went pretty well. But working with a knight it's gonna be pretty stressful." Leo sighed as he rested his feet on the table.

"I understand you have troubles with knights, but we should at least hear them out before you give judgment." Roxy said with a softened look.

"We shall see..."

****

Leo and Roxy followed Henrietta out of the inn to meet the Pegasus Cavarly, which was a small unit of one hundred cavalrymen. Leo looked up at the thick clouds beginning to turn a lighter shade of gray. As the mercenaries saddled on their horses, they met up with Henrietta at the front as she requested it, much to their surprise. Henrietta pointed out that because Roxy is a demi-human, she and her kind have heightened senses and the knight thought she could be really helpful in avoiding running into ambushes.

As they were preparing to move out, Leo could notice some of Henrietta's elite soldiers were staring at him, though at the very least they were not giving him a bad look, maybe because it's not uncommon to hire some mercenaries.

Henrietta gave the order to move out and everyone followed her, galloping along the muddy, rough path that's being splattered by the hooves of the horses. Once they made their way out of the crossroads, they drove along the main road at a moderate pace to not break their formation.

After crossing a few miles across the vast greenery fields of Elstein, they were now heading to the edge of a broad-leaved forest with a narrow path. The unit had to proceed in a thin line as the horses throttled inside the forest.

Suddenly, Roxy started sniffing that caught Leo's attention.

"What are you smelling?" Leo asked, gaining the attention from the knight as she looked over her shoulder.

"Blood... Not too far from here." Roxy said in a low tone, but those who were nearby had heard her well enough.

"Human blood?" Henrietta asked after she held her hand up to stop her unit from advancing further.

"Yes, and freshly made." Roxy replied, looking back at the knight with a more serious look.

Henrietta furrowed her brows before gazing down the path they're heading, pondering what would be the next course of action. Having made up her mind, she turned back to the mercenaries. "Roxy, Leo. You both should scout ahead and see what you can find. We'll be following right behind you."

Leo and Roxy nodded and took the lead, throttling further away from Henrietta's cavalry. It's not the first time they'd be sent as scouts before, though at this point it's becoming painfully obvious for Leo.

"The smell is getting stronger. We're getting closer." Roxy said with her hands gripping around the reins.

"Do you smell something else?" Leo asked with a steady look as he looked around the forest cautiously.

"No, I can't even hear the leaves rustling, so we're alone." Roxy responded without any shred of doubt. When they rode around a slope, Roxy spotted through the boreal trees what appeared to be a wagon. Sniffing one more time, she pointed the finger towards it. "Over there!"

They slowed down their horses as they approached slowly to the abandoned wagon, but that wasn't the only thing they just found. There were also two mangled bodies laying under a large pool of blood with the bodies covered in cuts. One was a young man with short hair, and another appeared to be an old one with a bald head.

Leo sighed heavily before turning to his dog-eared companion, who realized with sadness that it was just as she feared. "Roxy, go back to Henrietta and tell her what we found. I'll take a look around here."

"Right." Roxy moved her horse and rode away to meet back the knight.

Leo got off his horse and approached the corpses, kneeling down next to it. He could guess they're both villagers judging by the peasant clothing covered in blood and mud, which also looked fresh as Roxy mentioned, probably over an hour ago. Looking over the bodies, he noticed that not only they slashed the villagers to death, they also stabbed and beaten them with something blunt.

Raising to his feet, he looked over the wagon to see more blood splattered over the side, but something else caught in his eyes. There appeared to be some scratches. Looking around the ground, he found many footprints scattered around the corpses, but these prints looked very small to be from a human. He walked around the cart, expecting to find a dead horse at the front, but instead he found a large puddle of blood on the front, followed by a long trail that led into the tree line.

"So they took the horse..." Leo thought out loud as he looked headed back towards his horse, but then he stopped his tracks when he noticed out of the corner of his eye some pieces of shredded clothing. Picking a large piece with his hand, Leo examined closely and quickly learned that it looked like a piece of brassiere. He bit the bottom lip when realization came to him. "Shit..."

Hearing the sounds of the hooves approaching, Leo lifted his head and saw Roxy coming back along with Henrietta and her unit following her from behind.

"Leo! Roxy told me everything! What did you..." Henrietta trailed off when she just saw the dead bodies. She almost seemed horrified to see such a gruesome sight that she looked away with a grimace. "By the Goddess... What kind of monster would do such a thing?"

"It was the goblins."

Henrietta's eyes widened as she turned to Leo. who just answered her. "What?"

"They're pretty well known for making that kind of mess. Don't ask me why, but I've seen them slaughtering men this way. Some form of twisted fun for them, I guess." Leo continued as he pointed at the wagon with his finger. "From the looks of it, the little bastards took the villagers by surprise, killed them without letting them put up a fight, and they took the horse. But that's not even the worst part."

"What do you mean?" Henrietta frowned, clearly hating to hear the last part.

Leo approached the knight before showing the muddy piece of fabric to her. "I found this garment near the bodies. A woman was with them, but her body's missing. She might still be alive, but... it's more likely the goblins kidnapped her."

Henrietta stared at the torn brassiere in his hand, with a look of fury etched on her face. "If these vermin are really hiding in these woods, they might have attacked more travelers or kidnapped innocent women..." She hopped off her mount and stared straight at the young mercenary. "Do you know where they went?"

"I found the horse's blood trail that leads there, down the slope. Not sure how far they are, but if Roxy can pick up the scent of the woman who wore this, we might find out where the goblins are hiding." Leo said in a collected tone, but Henrietta could see the bit of eagerness in his narrowed gaze.

Henrietta nodded with fierce determination glowing in her eyes. "Please, do it. I'll go talk to my officers about this situation."

Nodding his head, Leo met up with Roxy again, as she was also visibly concerned. "What did she say?"

"We're taking action." Leo said with a nonchalant nod, before handing the fabric to her. "Can you pick up the scent of the woman with this?"

"I'll try." Roxy dipped her head and took a long sniff at the fabric. From there, she caught a distinctive sweet aroma of lavender. Following the scent, she turned her head straight to the depths of the forest. "I got her. She's not too far from here."

"That's my little pup." Leo smiled as he rubbed the top of her head. "Now, let's take care of some monsters."

And so Leo, along with Henrietta and a group of her men who dismounted their horses, went down the slope and ventured into the forest, as Roxy was taking the lead while following the scent of the missing woman.

Deep within these woods, as green as it may appear, had an ominous feeling surrounding it. The storm did not make things any easier, obscuring the forest and even further darkening the shadows nearby. The boreal trees themselves were very tall, they would be pretty to see if not for the clouds obscuring most of them. Especially with the raindrops falling from their leaves, adding to some of the group's annoyance.

It's been about ten minutes and so far they didn't find any signs of the goblins nor the woman, even the blood trail stopped halfway through. But suddenly, everyone stopped their tracks when they found something they didn't expect.

"Is that a camp?" Henrietta asked while hiding behind the bushes, very perplexed by looking over the palisade stretching across the clearing.