08. Radiant Firebond

We were becoming the strongest adventurer's party, as we trained together with growing synergy and efficiency. Monsters bringing trouble in the city suburbs and country pastures were no match for us. The police were thanking us and commending our group repeatedly.

And I kept wondering about the past and future that were and should be. My curiosity remained along these focuses.

S - How did the united states turned... disunited?

C - In the wake of the system implementation by the 7 sages, the independence of 16 states was promulgated. A dozen more joined them in the short civil war that ensued.

S - I mean, before that. What caused it?

C - Oh well. It wasn't a sudden change that's true. Over the centuries, oil barons have diminished the federal power and vice versa, and in the century around the system, corporations were having tge upper hand and weakening the state. They worked with the far right libertarian to vote budget cuts to the IRS and other strong arms of the federal government, gradually chipping it. They passed an amendment to their constitution generalising some rights of sovereignty and law making for private companies and such. All and all, private greed weakened its base.

S - Interesting... I guess even the strongest base can erode over time, and conflicting interests.

I wasn't keeping notes at the time, only satisfying my uchronic or time traveller curiosity.

Orea did however. And it would become useful eventually, to recall these political considerations.

But no spoil.

S - How about Russia?

J - Ehhh... A bit of the same really?

Aster was so blond and cute with her clear blue eyes, I had thought she was Russian at first. A bit cliché, but that had been my first thought.

She smiled at me as I was looking at her in apparent wonder.

All she wanted for the future was to become an honourable knight, so her father could no longer dismiss her. But if the royal order was accepting women, her family was not.

Knighthood was not a woman's job for the Murgarden family, and Aster had decided to leave the road meant for her because of that. I admired her a little.

While Cécile and Josephine were planning their commercial takeovers of businesses, and I was still floating in my ambitions, at least Aster was clear and proud.

Our goody two shoes was a moral and cheerfully honest compass to the group.

~

I proved more than once to my new trio of friends I could be a terrifying spell caster. On a wild hunt or another, I survived heavy hits that would have knocked out anyone normal, and I released more of my surreal magical powers.

Because of my uncanny proficiency in everything battle related, I was also my friends' teacher.

Even with a training sword, given how my body was filled with nanites eager to support me like a cyborg exoskeleton, I could do surreal wonders.

I spared with Aster and disarmed her immediately. She was shocked. Only her brothers have been able to in the past.

I had been trained too, and I had an improved body, making me faster and stronger than she could ever be.

So this loli brought down the proud but humble knight down. And the. I began training her too. I was their friend, but also their weirdly young teacher. It was a bit quirky.

It was still merry.

And eventually the years went by without trouble, to our graduation ceremony.

I thought back with emotion about Orea, Felicia and Dominika doing the same probably in Norway. And possibly with Märtina sticking to them like she had begun to before I left. That princess had found people she liked and could rely upon. I missed them, but I was happy with my new friends.

We were not sacred knights directly, that didn’t work that way outside the commendations by the Royal academies. We became officially adventurers registered with the international guild.

So Aster wouldn't become a knight before she really became a recognised adventurer by the king, as a hero. And that was the career she pursued. If the king recognised her for her prowess and contribution, rather than her name, then Aster’s father could not refuse her ambition anymore.

And although King Albert VI of Denmark did partake in the graduation ceremony, he wouldn’t recruit us this time.

Well... He tried to, since we stood out a lot. At the end of the closing ceremony that followed talent shows and mock battle, he and the guild director came to discuss with us.

The king was looking for the occasional exceptional element his royal academy didn't possess. Understandably.

Aster and I were wearing a mask not to get recognised too easily.

And when he asked us, we were flattered and embarrassed. But we were not sure whether we had been recognised for who we were or not. That wasn’t Aster’s ambition and too risky for me, so our group refused.

We were free adventurers, still to prove our might on the grounds of Europe.

We would travel a while together as we had agreed, steadying our ground and friendship as adventurers, before we would accept to catch up with our past or build our future.

We were still young, and for now enjoying our time as a quatuor of friends.

Therefore we officially launched our brand team as “Radiant Firebond”, and began adventuring through the Kingdom of Denmark.

~

How did we choose the name?

In a normal discussion.

J - How should we be called?

S - Oh! Oh! I know! The Screaming Firehawks!

C - Uh... Let’s keep thinking and keep that one in the maybe pile...

S - Ow come on...

That would have been a blaze and my eternal teenage heart loved it.

But we went for Radiant Firebond. I insisted on keeping at least a part of it edgy, so fire remained.

And since we had no obligation to the Kingdom of Denmark, we travelled around its land and occasionally into the Kingdom of Belgium as well.

We walked the roads as bodyguards and occasional mercenary back up to the police forces when monsters or bandits were spotted.

Monsters were easy. Kill the animals before they used magic on you.

Bandits, that was harder...

First, they tended to have guns, not magical powers.

Second, they were humans, and none of us were really ready to murder people. Police was overwhelmed meaning they were in lower numbers and not always ready to help when scoundrels were acting up. They also weren't really the non-lethal police I had known in another life. Not anymore.

Because population was still as high as misery, and everywhere unsafe, criminality soared not only organised but out of necessity. Meaning between a real killer and slaver who deservee to die, and a poor homeless man trying to survive, sometimes the differences were slim. The police had no means to take the time and resources to sort them out and shot at sight over those who didn't immediately surrendered.

And since life in forced labour in dangerous areas teeming with monsters was almost a death sentence anyway, the poor people often refused to surrender.

We witnessed massacres of gangsters for sure, and definitely some people who weren't exactly so far gone anyway. Just miserable.

My friends told me the Kingdoms were faring way better than the Empire when it came to humanism. I was afraid to know more.

Since we were free adventurers recognised by the guild, we were allowed to pass the frontiers between the kingdoms of Denmark, Dutchland and Belgium. Many of our requests were for cargo security travelling back and forth through these frontiers. It made sense since national police forces would stop in the middle at the border, and might be tempted to ransack what came their way.

Corruption in times of misery was also rampant, and we had to be careful.

At the very least, because of our combined power as adventurers we could go the step further, and take every scoundrel alive for the local justice systems to sort out later. We didn't have to use lethal power.

As bodyguards for mercantile caravans, we were ambushed more than once on the cheaper roads.

The good old tree trunk along the road and the trucks had to stop, and bandits could start ransoming the drivers for the merchandise.

And the cute girls we were, in the case of real badies, were also worth capturing. Obviously, the meat markets would be delighted with us.

Cécile and Josephine turned up the heat in the metals of the rifles and guns. Aster disarmed the leader withher sword in a swift move. So cool.

And I punched unconscious the one trying to take me hostage. Easy.

We arrived in nearly every city pulling behind us a group of trotting scoundrels, tied up together and pulled by yours truly. Since I could have the weight and power of an elephant, despite my cute look, it was easy.

We grew a reputation of indomitable yet merciful bunch. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

S - Radiant Firebond go!

We all cheered to our success. Our might was growing in reputation, and in money in our accounts.

We ventured through these local kingdoms merrily, unable to change the world but enjoying its current easy game.

It was nice for us together. I liked it very much.

Despite my quirks, they treated me well like a good friend, all the time.

Until that mission came...