“Oh, and here I thought you all were decimated already.”

The flame licked the air as Malin came out from the darkness, joining the warmth the torch shared. Still as before, Enfir followed him from behind, about 2-3 steps away from him. At a glance, he looked like a silent guardian. Even his footsteps were barely audible. 

Malin wore leather armor with a silver emblem embroidered on his chest. On it was carved the head of a narwhal, appearing majestic with its horn. Enfir, as always, was clad in black–mouth mask, surcoat, shadows. His scarf hid the same emblem that was attached to Malin’s apparel. 

“It’s a lovely night, isn’t it?”

The first one to greet them was David, though it was hardly a welcoming one. 

“Who are you?” David asked while glaring at them. He stood and reached out for the hilt at his waist. “Introduce yourselves before taking another step.”

His demand was ignored as Malin took a step forward. Seeing that, David had a firm tight on the handle of his sword. The moment that stranger shortened the distance with another step, he would swing his sword, sparing not even a speck of dust that got in between them. 

However, taking notice of the soldier’s hostility, Enfir had already sneaked one hand into his pocket. A knife? A needle? Or another concealed weapon? David had no way of knowing. His heartbeat was all that he could hear–the sound of his blood being pumped in and out. The threat was looming closer. He had to decide quickly. He had to–

“Calm down, David.”

The young man had just realized a hand gripping onto his wrist. Its strength rendered him unable to even unsheathe his sword. And only after that did all noises return to his ears, cut through by Eghwin’s heavy voice. 

“Don’t shed meaningless blood here,” Eghwin said. “Are you sure, Commander?” David asked. It seemed he would not comply with Eghwin’s order blatantly. “They are already within the range of my attack.”

“I’m sure. They are our guests, after all.”

“Guests?” 

David took his eyes off both strangers to look at his commander. It was only for a split second, but his carelessness fired back at him. In an instant, Enfir had closed the distance between him and that young soldier. His eyes omitted bloodlust. 

“Enfir.”

Before he could follow through with a swing, Malin had raised his arm–a signal for him to stop. His hidden knife, now exposed after taking it out of his pocket, reflected back the flickers of bonfires around them. Another steel basked in the cold moonlight, its edge stared back at the starry sky. 

It was Eghwin’s, having unsheathed his sword and lined it up on Enfir’s neck. Blood would have spilled if it hadn’t been for Malin. 

The ruckus they had made alerted the soldiers around. 

“What’s happening?”

“Anything wrong with the commander?”

They murmured. A few of them grabbed their swords, though still resting their bottoms on the ground. 

Malin continued. “Control yourself.”

“Only after I–”

“I said control yourself.”

“....”

Hearing silence coming out of Enfir’s mouth, Malin sighed. “I apologize for that. Seems like both our subordinates are quite energetic.”

“It’s given. They are still young,” Eghwin answered. “Stay down, David. Our enemies aren’t them.”

“You hear your commander, boy,” Malin said with a half-amused and half-mocking tone. The smirk didn’t help either with the frustration David felt. 

David and Enfir shared another look before concealing their weapons once again. It wasn’t the case with the hatred they had towards each other, though–still let out to bare its fangs as they gave each other another stare. 

“Sorry for that, Commander,” Malin said. He scratched the backside of his head. 

“Likewise.” Eghwin eyed both Malin and Enfir up and down. “Seems like it’s true that our lord has hired a group of mercenaries.”

Mercenary. 

A bunch of soldiers, though not in the traditional sense. Loyalty had no real value amongst them. They could fight in favor of one kingdom for a moment only to strike those behind them after the contract ended. And what drove them to walk on this path would be money. 

Copper, silver, gold–no matter the rarity one more coin would always be better than no coin at all. 

Besides money, they might kill for glory or purely–although not pure at all–loved the bloodbath they could cause. For some sick bastards, the sound of flesh being cut and blood spilling out was akin to that of a lullaby. 

Now, one question emerged in Eghwin and David’s heads. 

What type of man before their eyes would be?

The man in question didn’t bother to wipe away his grin. He then bowed at them, a polite gesture.

“The name is Malin. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” His smooth voice glided across the air before reaching Eghwin and David’s ears. “The shy one behind me is Enfir. And as you claimed, we’re from a mercenary group named Kundang. I’m the leader.”

“My name is Eghwin Norton. I’m the commander of this army.”

“Nice to meet you then, commander,” Malin said, turning his head slightly to the side. “And who might this be? Your errand boy?”

“Take those words back.” Eghwin glared at Malin. His voice deepened, as if each syllable that exited his mouth could cause a tremor on the ground. “He is my vice commander. Respect him.”

“It’s just a joke! I’m just trying to lighten the mood, though I understand it was rather uncouth for me to say, so I sincerely apologize.” Malin bowed again. “So, what’s your name, vice commander?”

One would tell that Malin was being sarcastic with his tone, but David didn’t deem it as an insult. He just sat there, saying necessary words and answers. 

“My name is David.”

“Well, nice to meet you too, Vice Commander David.”

Eghwin sighed. “Did my lord send you as our reinforcement, Sir Malin?”

“You can practically say that. Also, may I sit down?”

“....Go ahead.”

Pulling the chair closer towards him, Malin took the time to sit down. The backrest eased his body into comfort.

“Let me go straight to the point. Your companions right at the west battlefield won.”