The Hired Enforcer [Open, Quest]

The evidence was all around her. This world was recovering from the midst of a cataclysm. Debris was everywhere, a collection of brick and ash. The scorched, waterlogged buildings that had not collapsed from the initial attack, were barely standing. There was clues of the Heartless' involvement as well, but this kind of destruction wasn't by their hand alone. The devastation this world had endured.. what had happened here? The sorceress touched the side of a building, running her hand along a black mark and rubbing the soot between her fingers.

"An explosion... the fires spread quickly. Possibly aided by Wildfire, it is hard to tell at this point. Then that was followed by a Waterza spell, that much is clear." she shook her head, gazing around at her depressing surroundings. "'Tis a wonder this town was not washed away entirely."

Walking around, she overheard more information from the natives. A rebel youth setting the world ablaze, the mayor smothering the fires in a tsunami, and then not long after, there was a massive invasion of Heartless, one that apparently had no interest in destroying the world. That was beyond strange. What puzzled her the most was the mention of the fiery rebel. Faye recalled Darius' words, the guilt that weighed upon his shoulders, the destruction he claimed to have wrought in an attempt to destroy a criminal organization. Was this it? The sorceress stopped for a moment, leaning back against a wall. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but all the signs were there, and they matched what little story Darius had revealed to her. By the light, no wonder he was so troubled.  It was too much for a boy like him to bear. Faye could only hope that what he aimed to stop was destroyed, but even a small bit of evil could have easily squeezed out and survived. Unlike some, the sorceress could see the bright side to all of this destruction. Disaster could bring people closer together, and perhaps they could rebuild better than before in time. Hopefully they did not have blind nobles that would grab at power rather than help their people. Regardless of what happened to Twilight Town, Darius would never be able to return. They would want his life, and they were probably hunting for him even now. Faye looked down at the fire crystal the redhead had given to her. I pray you are safe, Darius Fetch.

The fairy maiden made her way up a hill, and soon found herself in what used to be a station of sorts... well, she wasn't sure what it was in all honesty. Trains were not of her world, and she could not recognize what the contraptions were. That's not what interested her, though. A small band of what appeared to be soldiers or mercenaries were watching a fight--no, a duel. There was no malicious intent in the air. An oddly dressed woman was battling against a more traditional looking fighter. What stuck out the most though was the giant lion man overseeing it all. Heels clicking softly against the brick road, holding her Wisp Sphere in the other hand, she approached this odd group. Her curiosity needed to be sated, and maybe they could be of help to her in some way.

"A friendly duel?" she asked in that regal voice of hers.

Serif would spin, feeling a projectile scrape against his back as his hand smacked onto the grip of his blade. An explosion crackled against his back and forced him into the other one. Dazed, he took a moment to regroup before putting two fingers out as a sign of resignation from battle. "Good match. I mean, I simply kept to blade and shield. Oh, looks like we have a visitor." Revas turned his head, a crawling light spreading across his body. He turned to the newcomer, noticing that the being was actually very akin, if not, to an elf. He dropped his guard, and Gorion noticed. Letting out a disappointed sigh, the lion ordered his men to drop their guard. "A pretty one, eh? One of your's?" Revas shook his had, but the presence of someone like an elf was pleasant. The Lion nodded, turning back to Felicity. "Well? Do you need to peruse our fine selection of men? Would you happen to want to duel with one of our finest warriors?" Revas was a bit on edge, seeing another elf-like being. However, he stepped forward when Gorion hinted at him fighting Felicity. "No, no. I meant Derrick!" Revas turned the to Lion, signing him a provocative hand movement. "Vatt'Ghern, I know you mean me. Ogh'r." The Lion chuckled, shaking his head. "Go Ahead then."

Felicity pocketed her hands once the signal of the end of the match was given. "I did say I wouldn't hold back." She looked at the new arrival when she spoke up, though didn't acknowledge her beyond squinting a little to get the details of her dress. If the brawler didn't know any better, she'd have said that the girl was likely from Kyre, or Dieon. She knew a few communities from the former who liked to dress their part as mages, and her attire fit the latter's tourism gimmicks. Interesting to know there wasn't much difference between worlds.

Looked like Red stepped up to the plate, being called one of the Lion's finest warriors. Felicity wouldn't doubt that, given how he handled himself, but that fight was against untrained, sorry excuses for thugs. Hrph, back home, the thugs had plasma weapons and the competency to wield them. Now those were real thugs. How she enjoyed breaking them.

She waved her hand, inviting Red to make the first move. Hopefully the sight of a pretty face didn't distract him so much that he'd make a fool out of both of them. Felicity was wary of his armor and his ability to teleport, and kept her wits about her.

Once they acknowledged her presence, the sorceress bowed her head in greeting to the group as any well mannered lady should. Gazing over them, she noted some interesting individuals among their numbers, the mighty lion man being the most curious. What world did he come from? The realm of light was such a strange place. Then there was the young man standing next to him. Two short pointed ears could be seen through his hair. That familiar aura of magic was felt, different than what Faye was accustomed to, and yet similar to the fey beings of her homeland. The sorceress had heard of elves, reading a tome that mentioned them briefly. However, if they were native or not to her home, it was hard to say. The only one she had met personally could hardly be called such any more, the heartless Malazon, and she was doubtful that he was originally from the Enchanted Dominion.

When the elf stepped forward to be the woman's next opponent, Faye decided to take his place where he once stood. She found no harm in watching the match. Maybe it could provide some insight, and if not that, at least amusement. That girl for one, whatever those devices were on her arms, she was curious to see how they worked. There was something about her that just screamed danger, and that outfit... oh, it made her shiver. A tall green bag passing off as a coat? By the light... I wish I could sell her one of my dresses. Too bad I cannot carry my seamstress stall with me.

Faye heard a musical hum coming towards the station. Her new companion had just finished her own survey of Twilight Town from above. "Ah, there you are, Wysteria." she held out her arm, allowing the vibrant coral pseudodragon to use her as a perch. "Find anything of interest?" Wysteria yawned, letting out a cat like mew before crawling up onto the maiden's shoulder. Faye looked back to the battle that was about to start.

Immediately, Revas would teleport to behind Felicity, releasing a burst of light that would attempt to bind her, proceeding to try and slam his left hand's dagger down on her shoulder. His right hand would go for a jab into the lower part of the back of her head so that his knuckles would slam right into the center. Gorion stomped on the ground, roaring at the boy. "No kill shots!" Revas pouted as the lion said that. "Hmph. Fine. I'll just end this as quickly as I can." The Lion was clearly having his patience worn by the elf. "Felicity if you beat him, I give you full permission to smack him as hard as you can." Revas wouldn't be surprised if Felicity stopped time, however preventing her from doing so at that moment was more important. Good thing he had his armor put up.

---

Ref

Lion Tears the Sky - Unleashes a powerful Light that traps those with the Heart Element Darkness in a 10 meter radius, inflicting the Bind status for 3 posts. 10 post cooldown.

5 Charges Remain

As soon as Red disappeared, Felicity immediately went to a previous location in time, by the edge with the other mercenaries, avoiding the following flash of light quite easily. There must have been an afterimage that was burned into Red's mind as he still swung when she was already gone. It was a normal phenomena with the senses; stimuli often left some sort of imprint, which is why people could feel a prolonged sting when they get hit, or see light trails when the source passes by quickly.

Felicity aimed one of her gauntlets at Red and used the alternate trigger to fire the shots. Her other hand fired to the sky, but arched around and homed in on Red. The same movement would be true for the other shots that went for him directly. She rapid-fired until the gauntlets dry-fired, then ejected the shells and reloaded the guns with the shells she slung across her chest.

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Reloaded with Impact Shots
[12/12 || 12/12]

How spiteful. Faye thought as she watched the elven lad make a dangerous blow towards the woman. His giant lion man superior didn't seem too happy about the attempt, but it seemed there was no need to be worried. The woman, Felicity as she had overheard, was well out of range, manipulating the very aspect of time to reposition herself. Had it not been for the sorceress' magical prowess, she would have assumed that Felicity had teleported, but she noticed the faint ripples in reality, and realized what was at work. Several loud bangs were heard, a result of the miniature cannons--or guns as Faye had learned from her travels-- were fired from Felicity's gauntlets. Folding her arms across her chest, she continued to observe.

Revas had to take a moment to redirect his attention, but as soon as he did, projectiles were slamming against his armor. Warping next to Felicity, he immediately went for a swiping slash against her knee with his armor's daggers. The projectiles were brushed off by the superb armor encompassing his body. But the damage was still taken, albeit reduced greatly. So his attack was initiated while she began her reload. With a second attack, he'd follow his first with a jab, attempting to catch the bridge of her nose with the blade of his dagger on the other wrist. In the motion, he'd then try to end with an upward-angled sweep. "I will not lose to some shemlen!" Gorion grunted, pointing at the elf. "Hey!" "I know, I know. No kill shots."

Felicity reacted well enough to avoid the swipes to her knee by using her gauntlets to push herself out of the way, however the slash to her face was a different story. She pulled her head back, but was too slow to avoid it completely. In a strange twist of fate, the blade ran along the scar that was already present across her right eye. And it triggered something in her.

Tumbling out of the way and holding her bleeding wound, she growled furiously. She glared at red with an eye that seemed to belong to another, as there was an obvious change from her golden brown to sapphire blue. "Well... Looks like it's time to play with fire." Her gauntlets ignited with bluish flames. From her spot, she punched the air twice with both hands to release a few short-ranged blast of fire, the sight of which seemed to pump her up. Her wounded eye was kept closed to keep the blood out.

"Burn." She cocked back her arm and slammed her fist on the ground, sending out a ring of fire tinted similarly to the ones on her gauntlets to spread outwards along the ground. The fires went far, well beyond their fighting ground, however, for strange reasons, only Red would have felt the extreme heat constantly gnawing at him while the rest were only treated with a harmless light show. Felicity gave the elf a gesture to attack her. Of course, as soon as he'd make his move, she was going to stop time for a moment.

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Inferno stacks left (1)
Impact Shots (Flame Charged)
10/12 || 10/12

As the flames soared across the battlefield, burning along Revas' armor, he intensified his stare towards the mercenary. Grunting, he teleported while tumbling towards Felicity. He was suddenly right above the woman, attempting to slam his daggers down into the back of her shoulders. His Alternate Red would create an alternate version of himself trying to stab into the outer parts of her shoulder. In the momentum, the elf would swing his body and try to throw and slam Felicity into the ground. He would proceed to attempt to pin Felicity. In this, he'd be prepared to ground-pound with his Alternate Red doubling the amount of attacks. "You shem like your fire. Now to make you bleed.

This was quickly turning into an interesting battle. The two fighters were quite talented, and Faye was sure there was more to see yet. As for how the fight would turn out, it was hard to tell. Felicity and the elf--of whom she had yet to overhear or ask the name of--were still bringing new tactics and abilities to the table. As she continued to observe, the gears in the maiden's head began to turn. These mercenaries, if they could all fight as well as the two she was seeing, maybe they could be of some use. There were already many questions she planned on asking their leader. Being mercs, she assumed they had been around for a while and had the pleasure of handling information that could be important to her. Surely, at some point they had heard of the whereabouts or come into contact with a wielder of the Keyblade. Heck, maybe they knew about the unions Darius had mentioned. Even if all they held were rumors. As long as she had something, she would be thankful.

It was one potential benefit they could provide to the sorceress. The other would be exactly what their band was made for. If the first option did not bear fruit, the promise of work hopefully would. Strong men and women to run down the enemies plaguing her home. That was one of many things that the sorceress desperately needed. The true soldiers of the Enchanted Dominion were strong, but the Heartless were nothing like they had ever faced before. Combined with the civil wars, and Malazon's emergence, their numbers had dwindled drastically, and continued to do so. A little help, that's all they needed. If they could only spare one, she'd take them in a heartbeat. Of course, everything comes with a price. Faye just had to find out what it was. Munny or whatever they wanted.

Faye gently placed a hand on Wysteria's head, gently petting the fairy dragon as she gazed up at the lion man. "Your solider there is impressive." she said, attempting to engage in conversation, but she wasn't sure how well that would turn out seeing that he was focused on the fight. "I would be interested in learning more about your company."

"Predictable." Felicity took a step forward and turned around to see Red and some form of phantom frozen in time. Her sped-up perception truly was a great gift. Not to mention the fires she could start without having to rely on some other forms of ignition. Though, she did miss her flame throwers. The weight of the tanks of napalm on her back, the feeling of rushing combustible jelly flowing through the hose, then finally the sweet whistle of rushing fire, turning what was in front of her into a plume of heat.

This will have to do. Felicity locked on to common weak spots. No, she didn't go for the family jewels. Geez, she may have been an ex-convict, but she had principles... despite how funny and easy it would be. Ten shots on each Stinger, both loaded with some fire magic for an additional burst of damage. She was going to make them count. Felicity saw that he was heavily armored, but full-body armors like that had soft spots, mainly on the joints to allow some movement. That's where she'd hit. She delivered two punches to each knee, then one for each of his hands to knock the daggers from his grip, hopefully shattering them. She did of course made sure the punch was angled down to avoid any casualties from the bystanders.

Logging 7 shots each, Felicity threw two hits to his gut then weaved around behind him, unloading six shots to his back, before using the last shots on his sides. She moved back a bit and time resumed. The force of twenty impact shots charged with wildfire came into play in one instance, making a fairly decent explosion which didn't faze the girl. She didn't bother reloading.

Being sent flying, the elf would tumble along the ground but he would reposition himself mid-air. After time had resumed, he expected a barrage of some sort, just like last time. He'd taken a bit of damage, and it was starting to get rough. The burning gave him terrible pain, but he toughed it. During his tumble, he teleported, maintaining the momentum he had to come to Felicity's side with a powerful haymaker. His alternate red would go for a grab to pulled the mercenary in for the powerful attack. If successful, he'd use his other hand along with Alternate Red to stab into Felicity's back and use the remaining momentum to swing his body and the mercenary's and slam her on the ground. If he could keep her pinned, he'd ground and pound her. Gorion would turn to Faye to respond. "Well for the right price, you could learn and use our company."

As Red was making his recovery in the air, two pulses of blue flames emanated from Felicity. Her inner demon was riled up from the fireworks, and released some of her energy to make her host faster and more agile. By the time Red reappeared to try and get her, her reflexes had sharpened and reacted to his attacks accordingly. That phantom was going to be a problem though. Nonetheless, she took her chances. When the fist came towards her head, she quickly ducked and twisted low while pushing herself closer to her adversary so the phantom would have a difficult time getting her.

Her Stingers clicked and flashed with fire. Just like that, she was full on ammo again, and immediately threw a punch with her right, aimed at his gut. She could feel her jacket being grabbed and then she was thrown harshly on the ground. She felt something pierce her back, making her grunt in pain. She was on her stomach. She could feel strikes coming down on her.

She planted her fists on the ground close to her body and shot when Red would wind up for another blow. This pushed her and him up slightly, which gave her some leeway to twist and get on her back and shoved both her fists against the mercenary, sending a blast of fire onto him.

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10/12 || 9/12
(22 - 20 + 1 + 5 = 8 Stacks)
Warmed Up x2 (Low-Moderate boost to SPD and AGI x2)

The sorceress gave one nod of her head, continuing to stroke her companion's scaly head. The small fairy dragon hummed happily as she did so, mimicking the sound of a songbird. Taking a brief moment to see what the fighters were doing, she replied to Gorion. There were more questions to ask before she would consider making a deal. The price itself would have to be... haggled for certain. Faye had the coin to spend if need be, but she wasn't anywhere near what was considered wealthy--just comfortable, and barely that. Maybe she would have enough for at least a few men if she was lucky.

"I see; and what is the average rate of your contracts involving Heartless?" she glanced back over towards the battle. "Perhaps this is something to be discussed over tea when this duel concludes."

When Felicity had rose the two, the elf teleported to where he was behind her head, crouched over her. However, before he teleported, he would start bringing his daggers in a downward motion. As soon as she put herself on her back, the elf would try and stab down on her shoulders. Alternate Red would try to stab into her biceps. If succesful, he'd hook them onto her and then swing her a few times before slamming her on the ground head-first. Gorion took a step forward, and was about to cancel the fight with a bellow, but a soldier stopped him. "Sir, just watch and see." Gorion crossed his arms and nodded towards the fairy as he watched intently.

The moment he reappeared, Felicity stopped time, but the tips of the daggers had pierced about half an inch into her shoulders. However, she simply slid down and let it cut her on her way out. It wasn't as bad she thought, and the pain was barely felt. Clenching her fists, she unleashed all nineteen shots directly to the head, no longer trying to consciously avoid causing irreparable damage. He seemed to be durable enough, at least that was what the voice in her head was telling her. She ejected the empty shells and reloaded before time resumed.

A hiss came from the fairy dragon before she even saw the events unfold. Knowing that the creature had a connection to time, the sorceress knew that her companion was able to catch and see what she could not--before they even technically happened... or after? Well, she wasn't well versed in time magicks, something she would have to fix. Just from watching the battle, witnessing the element in action was a tinge unnerving. What would she do if she faced enemies like this? How would she handle it? That lack of control... losing the ability to direct her own fate-- it was her worst nightmare. Malazon had made certain to point that out and torture her with in their first encounter. The thought sent a shiver through her body, one she tried to hide, but failed. Wysteria mewed in her ear, and began to purr like cat when she sensed her friend's slight distress. A reassurance, a promise, that she would be kept safe, and that's all it took to make the maiden smile. It reminded her how nice it was to have an animal companion at her side again. Their simple actions and expressions brought comfort because it was truly from their heart. People were... more complicated.

As soon time resumed, Revas felt his body start flying. Facing a wall of a ruined building, he expected to crash through it. Teleporting behind Felicity, he attempted to zoom past her and decapitate her. However, as soon as he did so, some sort of big furry creature slammed its massive arm into the elf's throat. The arm shoved the elf into the ground, smashing him into a tiny crater. "Learn to accept defeat, not try for a cheap shot. Well, you've proved to be a formidable foe. I believe you beat the elf fair and square. All he's going to do is fall for the same trick. But don't underestimate him, we haven't encountered someone who could bend the rules like you have." Lifting up the momentarily incapacitated elf, he smacked his soldier awake. Blinking, the elf turned to Felicity. His armor retracted into his right arm, assuming its neutral state. "What...did..." Gorion looked into the elf's eyes. "I certainly am not the reason you were so easily knocked out."

The Elf pushed himself off of the lion, walking away in a huff. "I can't believe this. I could've had her! Always interrupting me when I'm about to finish the job." The elf knew he'd lose, but didn't want to admit it. Gorion was right to interfere. The shots were getting deadlier and deadlier. The lion turned to the mercenary the elf dueled. "I don't appreciate the lethality you two have, but I guess that's something you share. Why don't you accompany us to the space station we are journeying to? I think long-ear there needs a 'hume' that has a little respect from him. He certainly hardly likes listening to me, and by the breath of death does he ever listen to the human captains." Gorion knew the insubordination needed to be reprimanded, but he had a soft spot after raising the elf. Turning to the Fairy, he bowed slightly. "Well, Lovely lady, might I hear your name before we do business? Just so you know, we cannot attend immediately as I have prior commitments, however we can help as soon as we can."

Felicity watched him fly but was ready to react as soon as he disappeared by teleporting. And when he did, she quickly jumped forward while twisting her body to face behind her. He followed a simple-minded pattern, something she easily picked up. The blades were coming for her neck it seemed. Well, she had no problem with that, so long as he didn't mind a flurry to the back of his head. She'd have rewound herself to reappear behind him, but something got in the way. It was the lion, calling off the duel. "Shame..." she'd mumble before sighing and closing her eyes. The fires suddenly swirled around her and seemingly taking a humanoid shape before disappearing from the field completely. When she opened her eyes, they were back to her golden brown shade.

Tch, lost control of it again.
Aww, we could have had him.
Then we'd lose entry to their ranks. If we had to kill him, there's time for that in the future

Some lingering embers of the flames were on her injuries, but just a few seconds later, they disappeared, revealing that the wounds were no longer there as well. She disengaged her Stingers and wiped the blood off of her eye.

The lion commented on her lethality in the fight, to which she responded with, "Simply returning the favor." She'd give the elf a passing glance before sighing and listening to the lion's offer to accompany them. The girl pulled down her gas mask and situated her glasses on the top of her head. "Alright. You and your men are capable enough, I'll join you for the time being." She nodded to the lion and turned to the elf, extending a hand to him with an accompanying smirk. "Performance wasn't that bad. No hard feelings?"

An amused smile came to the fairy maiden's face as the elf was caught almost effortlessly by the lion and slammed into the ground. Seems like it served him right since he attempted so many deadly attacks on what was apparently supposed to be a friendly duel. After coming to, the elven lad stormed off, muttering how he could have won and what not- a sore loser indeed, the woman thought. Had his obvious hatred for the human not gotten in the way, maybe he could have had a better chance. Negative feelings gave the illusion of power, but in the end, was more of a burden to bear--hindering a clear mind. The sorceress had found that out only recently and not in the easiest of manners.

Faye allowed her eyes to linger on him a few moments longer. More than was necessary, much less comfortable, but that was only a habit of hers. It had been rare to find beings similar to herself on this journey, and the elf peaked her curiosity. Even if they had nothing in common, the experience of  meeting a fey child from another world was exciting. Not to mention, he wasn't bad looking. In fact, the sorceress found him rather attractive. A very odd observation considering how serious and downright prudish she was most of the time.

Hearing that familiar booming voice, Fay looked back up at the lion with a hint of embarrassment. How did she forget herself like that? It wounded her lady ego. "Ah! Forgive my rudeness." the sorceress dipped down into a curtsy. "I am Faye, a sorceress of the Enchanted Dominion. As you can see, I have traveled a very long way from home to find aid."

Gorion nodded towards both the mercenary and the fae-child. He triumphantly stood as soon as the mercenary determined that their unit was worthy of her presence. He liked hearing good things about the people he had raised and trained into shining knights. Bowing before the more proper lady, the massive lion beat his chest once and kept his hand there. "Well, we shall stay in contact dear Faye. I am, if I have not said it, Gorion. I am the ward of this dastardly danger here, Red. Always widdles on the nerves." The elf stuck his tongue out at the lion before entering the conversation himself. He bowed towards the similar-in-nature being, Faye. "Nice to meet you, dear Faye. Tell me, are you of the elvhen race? Eolasa Elvhen?" Revas asked impatiently if the fae understood his language, excitement washing over his face.

Gorion shook his head, patting the elf's shoulder. "Not every pointy-eared person is from your world. She just stated her origin." Jerking away, the rebellious elf hissed at the lion. "But we are not bound by our world alone." Revas turned back towards their future patron, a smile with reddened cheeks placed upon his face. The mighty lion turned to Felicity, offering his hand. "Why don't we retreat to the ship? Then we can talk more. We have a journey ahead of us and Sparks needs to give Faye here a communicator and coordinates." Gorion beckoned the men to return as he awaited the answer of both the fae-child and Felicity. Revas himself was simply excited that he could see such a beautiful creature, a natural trait of people like his own.

Felicity pulled out her canteen and drank from it. The strong odor of alcohol wafted in the air. But despite the implication of a very hard drink, Felicity didn't so much as furrow her brows as she idly gulped the liquid down. She missed feeling dread whenever she drank her volatile brew. Now it's just like water. While the others were talking, she spotted someone on a far-away rooftop, aiming a rifle straight at her. Ah-ha. So this is where you've been.

Felicity raised her finger to her ear piece and repeatedly pressed a button in a specific pattern. The figure lowered the gun and sent a response, to which Felicity decoded quite easily in her mind. Then he disappeared. Felicity turned to the lion when she was addressed, and nodded. "Alright. Lead the way." She firmly shook his hand.

The sorceress gave the noble Gorion a nod as he introduced the elf, Red, and turned to see him give her a bow. Being the lady that she was, Faye bopped a curtsy of her own. He was friendly enough, far more so than he was to the other female. "Shemlen" he had called her. A word for human or perhaps some other derogatory word in that lyrical language of his if she had to guess.

"No, I am not Elven or Elvhen to use the proper dialect, but I have read stories of your people. The resemblance is quite striking, I do say. 'Tis not impossible the lines of blood have diverted or crossed somewhere over the millennia." Wysteria leaped off her lady's shoulder to stretch out her wings, giving those in front of her a nice little breeze. "Those of similar ancestry appear to be stretched far across the realm of light. It is rather fascinating." she said seeming just as delighted to meet Red, giving him that rare regal smile of hers. The maiden inclined her head to meet the lion's gaze. "Very well. I will try to be quick with the details when we arrive. I do not wish to delay any of your other obligations." she said, ready to follow the mercenaries.