The morning at the wall somehow felt even more beautiful than the ones Callane was used to.
Even though her estate, where she spent most of her days, was located quite far away from any major cities or roads, making it a small piece of paradise all for herself and her staff.
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Still, with the bulk of her army now located some distance north where the war games were to play out, there was hardly anything in the area to disturb the surprisingly huge noise made by nature.
The birds chirped as they frolicked amongst the trees of the nearby primordial forest. All sorts of animals uttered their cries, be it to scare off the predators or to call for a mate to extend their line with.
Heck!
Even the path leading up to the gate was only a path in name, with the ruts in the ground left by the prison carts that brought Theodore over for his exile long since messed up by the passing of various animals and now getting invaded by all sorts of the nearby plants.
Still, for how clear the air was, for how pristine the sky above their heads could be, for how relaxing the sounds of nature all around wereā¦
Callane just couldnāt keep herself calm.
āIām going there with the escort of powerful, trusty warriors,ā she thought as she looked down at her hand, only to see it slightly shaking. āSo how did Theo feel when he was about to be thrown through the gate, all alone, with no one to support him?ā
Gritting her teeth, Callane shook her head while forcefully wiping the memory of Theoās face from before her eyes.
Right now, with only a few moments separating her and her team from crossing over, it wasnāt a good time for her to get emotional.
That time would come when she would reunite with Theoā¦ or, if Lady Fate wouldnāt have it, when she would find his final resting spot.
And that was already assuming there would be anything left on the other side of this majestic, massive gate rising up higher than any building Callane had ever seen in her life to even give them a hint on where Theo fell.
"My ladyā¦" Approaching from the right, one of Callaneās elite mercenaries hurried his horse up only to then pull its reins to slow it down once he came up to the red-haired womanās side. "Everything is ready. Shall we begin?"
Looking over to the manās face, Callane couldnāt help but smirk a little when she saw clear signs of anxiety and uncertainty hiding in the corners of his eyes.
Still, while the man didnāt even try to hide his worriesā¦ His hands were steady, his chin raised high, and the look in his eyes clear.
He clearly feared the unknown that awaited on the other side of the gate but was willing to face whatever horrors they would find there.
"Yeah," Callane nodded her head. "Letās get this over with. The sooner we go in, the sooner we will be able to get out!"
Contrary to what one might expect from Callaneās order, this wasnāt the moment for them to all charge ahead and pass through the gate.
No.
When one of the mercenaries sounded the horn for the entire group of fifteen people to gather up, they all got down from their horses instead before tying them up to the nearby trees.
"Take good care of the Major," one of them spoke to the man designated to stay behind and look over the small herd of their mounts. "I would rather die myself than see something happen to it," the soldier added while caressing the neck of his trusty steed.
"Gather up, everyone!" Someone else shouted, only to then quickly help all those who were actually going to cross over to form a small half-circle around him.
"The plan for this operation is simple," the man shouted, reciting the briefing orders that he had long since learned to know by his gut. "We will all be crossing the gate in a single file, each holding our hand on the shoulder of the man in front. Our brave convict," the soldier pointed his hand at the mercenary provided by the Abyss Guild, the criminal sentenced to a few days of exile now dressed in pristine plate armor as opposed to the usual prisonerās garb that others would sport during their execution, "will lead from the front, while our dearest lady Callane shall close the formation up from behind!
"Once we get through, you are to expect symptoms similar to magical shock, for you shall all be overwhelmed by the change in the mana in the air. When it happens, donāt panic, get low and wait, it shall pass within a few moments!"
The briefing continued a little longer, even though everyone had long since known all that would be said in its course.
This wasnāt a gathering of soldiers who would only now be learning of the fate awaiting them on their next mission. This was but a brief reminder for everyone of what exactly they had signed up forā¦ A briefing concluded when the man pulled out a hefty sack made from quality leather, only to then press the blade of his knife against its side and then pull down, tearing the expensive sack open and allowing heavy golden coins to pour out from it and directly to the ground.
"Upon the completion of this mission, each of you will be awarded a total of three hundred imperial pieces, so that you shall never need to work a single day in your life again and then still be able to leave a considerable fortune for your children!"
When it came to this mission, Callane pulled all her stops, dipping deep into her own personal funds while almost nearly exhausting the treasury of the several companies Theodore set up in the past and then left in her care when he made the choice that led to the current situation.
And with a total of ten mercenaries accompanying Callane to the other side, all the additional fees the Abyss Guild charged and then all the costs that mounted up after thatā¦ When excluding the cost of raising the actual army that was there merely to screen this operation, just Callaneās mission alone came at a cost of nearly five thousand imperial coins!
Or, in terms an average person could actually understand, an average yearly budget of the biggest trading cities in the rich area of the trade sea spent on their army and navy combined!
And now, with the briefing over, it was finally time to see what this mind-boggling amount of money would be worth.
"Gather up!"
The officer screamed out as he organized the mercenariesā¦ Even though, when faced with those elites, his presence wasnāt absolutely necessary.
With those men, there was no need to push, kick, scream, and swear to get them moving and organized. Those men knew better than anyone else that when it came to this mission, discipline and cooperation were the only things that could let them survive and return to enjoy the spoils of their hard and dangerous work!
Soon, even Callane stood up and joined the long line, placing her hand down on the shoulder of the last mercenary in the row before taking a breath and then nodding her head to the officer.
"May the Gods of Fortune bless you all," he screamed out before doing the unthinkable andā¦ lowering his head in a sign of respect. "And with that said, march forth!"