Mastery Is Earned

The boat moved slowly toward the shallows. Raymond saw that the water along the shore had already been stained red with blood.

Fishfolk corpses lay scattered everywhere. One unusually tall fishfolk sprawled in the mud, its lower jaw completely torn away. It made for an especially gruesome sight.

Not far away, three half-orcs lay in different parts of the shallows. Only a tall figure holding a bow remained standing beside one of them, head lowered as she did something Raymond could not make out.

The moment the bottom of the boat touched the shallows, Raymond jumped into the knee-deep water and rushed toward her.

Hearing movement from behind, the tall figure spun around, eyes full of vigilance. She immediately nocked an arrow, drew the string, and aimed straight at Raymond.

Raymond could now see that it was the half-orc woman, Mara.

“Drop your weapon, half-orc,” Raymond said coldly. He held his arming sword ready, showing no fear despite the arrow aimed at him.

“You drop yours, human,” Mara shot back with a mocking edge. She clearly had no intention of lowering her weapon.

“You’re leaving me no choice...” Raymond’s gaze sharpened as his voice turned cold.

“Wait...” The half-orc at Mara’s feet struggled to raise a hand. “Don’t fight...”

Raymond recognized Henk’s weak voice and immediately ran toward him. “Henk!”

Mara tensed as Raymond approached. She glanced down at Henk, then finally lowered her bow without releasing the arrow.

Henk sat in muddy water with his back against an earthen wall. Blood flowed from his right hand, shoulder, and thigh, and his arming coat bore numerous cuts. He tried to raise his head when he heard Raymond approaching, but even that small movement was difficult for him.

“You’re hurt!” The severity of Henk’s wounds became clear as soon as Raymond drew close. He quickly crouched down and pulled bandages from his pack, though not before giving Mara a wary glance.

Mara clicked her tongue, turned away, and walked toward the other two half-orc corpses.

Only then did Raymond relax. He crouched beside Henk and began bandaging his wounds, watching Mara as he asked quietly, “These don’t look like wounds the fishfolk gave you.”

Henk managed a strained smile. “I ran into a little trouble, but I dealt with it.”

His words made Raymond think of Teddy, Derek, and the others. He could not help sighing. “I think I ran into the same kind of trouble. This was my responsibility, and I failed.”

Henk shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault. Money turns everyone into monsters.”

Raymond murmured in acknowledgment but did not reply. His gaze drifted toward Mara. She was searching the other two half-orcs’ bodies, apparently intending to take all their coin purses and weapons.

Noticing his stare, Mara glared back defiantly. “What are you looking at? Dead men have no use for any of this.”

Raymond rolled his eyes and ignored her. Lowering his voice, he asked Henk, “She didn’t attack you?”

Henk shook his head. “She had nothing to do with it. Bram and Ned were the ones behind this. When they attacked me, Mara didn’t join them. None of this is her fault, Raymond.”

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“I understand.” Raymond nodded and let the matter drop.

“Is the cargo still there?” Henk asked with concern.

“It’s still in the cave. All three crates are intact,” Raymond said quietly. “We’ll get you onto the boat first, then I’ll figure out how to move them. They’re worth five gold coins, after all. Even if we can’t collect the reward, we still need to take the cargo with us. We have to get off this island before we decide what to do next.”

“Damn it!” Henk rarely cursed aloud, and Raymond could not help glancing at him. Apparently, the prospect of losing the reward had angered him.

Raymond added, “I also found several coin purses on the others. Even if we can’t claim the reward right away, we won’t be going back empty-handed. There are more goods in the cave, but we’ll load those three crates first and worry about the rest later.”

Henk murmured an acknowledgment but said nothing more. He frowned slightly, pressed both hands into the muddy water, and let out a labored breath.

The half-orc was doing his best to endure it, but Raymond could still tell how much pain he was in.

Once Henk’s wounds were bandaged, Raymond stood and slowly approached Mara.

“Well? What is it, human?” Mara asked irritably when she saw him coming.

Raymond drew a deep breath and apologized solemnly. “I’m sorry, Mara. I misunderstood you. I was in a hurry and thought you were hurting Henk, so I overreacted. If I offended you just now, I apologize.”

The unexpected apology left Mara at a loss. Her eyes widened as she glanced around, unsure how to respond. After a long moment, she finally said in annoyance, “Forget it. You’re only saying that because you want the coin purses they were carrying, aren’t you?”

The corner of Raymond’s mouth twitched. What was it with these half-orcs and money?

“That’s not what I mean, Mara.” Raymond waved a hand. “You refused to join them when they attacked Henk. Whatever they were carrying is yours.”

Bram and Ned had probably been carrying a considerable sum, but Raymond had no desire to argue with Mara over every coin. The important thing now was to leave as quickly as possible.

More importantly, Henk was badly wounded and could barely move. Raymond would have great difficulty getting him off the island alone. Mara’s help would make things far easier.

If she agreed, they could first get Henk onto the boat, then return to the cave together and carry out the three crates. The fishfolk leader was dead, but there might still be fishfolk elsewhere on the island. They should not remain any longer than necessary.

Mara clearly had not expected Raymond to say that. She gave him a strange look for a long moment, then merely snorted and walked toward Henk. As she passed Raymond, she even shot him a sidelong glance.

Raymond felt an urge to laugh. Mara might look rough and wild, but she was still quite young. She had probably spent so long harboring hostility toward humans that she did not know how to react when one treated her this way.

Raymond left her alone and went to examine the other two half-orc corpses.

Ned lay on his back with his hammer on the ground beside him. His nose had been crushed and his face was covered in blood, but the true fatal wound was clearly the large gash just above his collarbone.

Raymond guessed that Henk had smashed Ned’s nose first, then thrust his sword into him while he was off balance.

There were no other wounds on his body. Ned had clearly let his guard down and been killed by Henk with ease.

Bram’s death had been far more gruesome. Wounds covered his body, his axe lay by his feet, and his body had been pinned to the earthen wall. He must have fought a hard battle against Henk before finally losing and being nailed to the wall with the hand-and-a-half sword.

Raymond pulled the sword from Bram’s body, and the corpse slid heavily to the ground.

Four fresh nicks marred the edge. One near the middle of the blade was nearly half a finger-width across. The entire blade had developed a slight bend and was no longer true. Its spine had been dented, and a crack ran from the dent toward the edge. The guard had come completely loose, and even while holding the sword, Raymond could feel the hilt and blade shifting against each other as though they might break apart at any moment.

The hand-and-a-half sword was badly damaged. Even if it could be repaired, it would hardly be worth the cost.

Still holding the ruined sword, Raymond picked up Bram’s axe and examined it.

The axe was covered in blood and quite heavy. The cold gleam along its edge showed that it was a fine weapon. Unlike Henk’s sword, the axe had suffered only minor wear and could still be used as it was.

Raymond carried the axe back to Henk. “Your hand-and-a-half sword is completely ruined. I doubt it can be repaired. This axe still looks usable, though. What do you think? Do you want to take the sword with us?”

Henk looked at the sword, then at the axe. “Take it. Even if it can’t be fixed, we can sell it for a few coins. I know how to use an axe too.”

Raymond glanced at Mara. “Shall we help Henk onto the boat together?”

“You don’t get to order me around, human,” Mara said irritably.