Xavier, Uruk, and Temma already met the basic requirement to be a nobleman: hypocrisy. Xavier "got" the news of Battey's massacre, and of course, as he expected, monsters were blamed for the attack. It made sense; many people were dead, and the perpetrators didn't steal anything. Many of the bodies had disappeared or were partially devoured. What he did not expect was the response from Farpas Lord. He would use it to his advantage anyway.
All three presented themselves at the Farpas Mercenay Guild registration office. They were dressed in noble suits worth a gold coin. Xavier bought them from Orphen's merchant caravans. For Xavier, it was almost blasphemy to spend so much on clothes, but there was no choice. Xavier approached the two salamanders and spoke to them in a low voice.
'Remember, don't kill anyone; we're just here to make a show.'
They approached the counter.
'Good morning.' Without waiting for a response, Xavier went straight to the point. 'Im told that an order has been issued to form a subjugation squadron for the lifeless swamp.
'That is correct,' replied the lady behind the counter. 'Would you like to participate?'
'Yes, and no.' Xavier turned and yelled. 'Attention to all the mercenaries. My name is Xavier de Vonder, leader of the Vonder mercenary family. We'll take on the mission of subduing the lifeless swamp. It's a personal matter; if you value your lives, then don't interfere.'
'Sir, you can't,' Xavier interrupted the young lady.
'Lady, we are not here to ask for permission. This is an ultimatum, not a request.'
'Hey, you clowns. We are all mercenaries here. Don't think we're afraid of you because you're a nobleman wearing expensive clothes.' The mercenaries didn't really care what the nobles did. But Xavier's announcement would take away from them a very lucrative job. The lord of Farpas had promised a small fortune in exchange for dealing with the swamp.
Xavier turned and began to cough, covering his mouth with a towel. That was the agreed-upon signal. Uruk turned and walked toward the man who made the comment.
He was a knight with heavy armor, almost two meters in height; he looked like a giant compared to the skinny and weak-looking Uruk, who only measured a meter seventy. The giant pulled out his sword, and before he could lift it, Uruk's fist crashed into the hard metal of the armor. The metal chest plate was deformed by the impact. The knight flew away for almost two meters and fell to the ground, unconscious. The silhouette of Uruk's fist was imprinted on the metal armor. Uruk turned around and walked towards Xavier.
Xavier stared at him while he was thinking. "I told you not to kill him."
As if he had read his mind, Uruk replied, 'He's alive... I think.'
'Ahem.' Xavier cleared his throat. 'I hope the situation is clear now.'
None of the mercenaries said anything; the group to which the knight belonged lifted him up and left the building.
'Well, how many mercenaries does your family have?' asked the girl at the counter.
'Only my two nephews and I,' replied Xavier.
'Your honor, I'm sorry, but you can't do a subjugation mission with only three men, no matter how strong your knight is,' the girl argued.
'knight? I am a fire magician,' said Uruk.
'Ah!' said the mercenaries who were still in the building. No one could believe that a magician had such raw physical power; it was a joke.′
'Let me have the documents of your mercenary group.' The smiling lady said, a cold sweat running over her back. She knew the wounded knight; he was a strong and rough man, yet he fell like a bag of potatoes with just one blow, supposedly by a magician's punch.
'We are not registered,' replied Xavier with absolute disinterest.
'Forgive me, my lord. If you are not registered, we cannot assign you the mission, nor will you be able to collect the reward.'
"You have not understood yet, ma'am. We're not interested. It's a personal matter. That's all.′ Xavier's performance was prepotent to the limit. He didn't let the young woman say anything else, and the three left the building.
The news ran like a fire in the summer. Several mercenaries spread the rumor through the citadel; it even reached Tamalor's ears, who asked for information about Xavier.
The next day, while the three members of the De Vonder family were changing carriages to get to the lifeless swamp, Tamalor read the reports he had requested about Vonder's family.
'Just what I needed,' said the stressed Tamalor. "A bunch of miserable peasants, a shadow magician, a starved to death loser, who tries to make himself a name on the basis of scandals. He will pay for his impertinence; I will make an example of him." He knew about the miserable De Vonder family and also knew part of Xavier's past. Except for him, his whole family had died. The last to fall was his brother Orly, who disappeared and allegedly died in the Battey massacre.
'We have arrived, your honor,' said the coachman, opening the door.
They had been left about two kilometers away from the lifeless swamp. The earth was already starting to look dry and dead. The rare gray and dying bushes marked the beginning of the continent's most dangerous zone, after the Morr jungle and the endless desert. Xavier, Uruk, and Temma came down from the carriage.
'Wait for us here; we'll be back in an hour.'
The driver seemed unbelieving, but they paid him to wait, so he would wait. Although he almost left when other mercenary-loaded carriages began to reach the swamp, it was not good to be near the mercenaries. Meanwhile, two kilometers further, Xavier and the salamanders were ready to go into action.
'Remember, this is a show. If we want to get out of trouble, we have to make them fear us. If I'm right, we'll soon have the nobles knocking on our door. Use magic; burn it all.' Xavier gave the salamanders instructions.
Temma and Uruk approached the place where the miasma cloud began. They drew their hands to their faces and exhaled. The flames began to devour the miasma and the monsters that lived within it. With each flare, the salamanders advanced towards the core.
'You're kidding me!' said one of the mercenaries who watched from the carriages.
'Hey, you're seeing the same thing as me, aren't you?"
Where the lifeless swamp was supposed to begin, a sea of fire was consuming everything on its way, while two magicians advanced in at a relaxed pace. The mercenaries asked each other questions.
'Who are those guys? Does anyone know them?'
'They must be elite magicians or some academy masters, right?'
'No idea pall, they presented themselves yesterday at the registration office as the mercenary family De Vonder or something. We have no idea who they are.'
'Wait, did you say De Vonder?'
'Yeah, why? Do you know them?'
'Not directly, but a month or so ago, my brother told me that he would no longer enter Morr`s jungle. He said that, apparently, a warlock was living near the jungle and was killing mercenaries and selling their equipment.'
'Well, I don't think a warlock would take part in a subjugation mission.'
Half an hour later, the three members of the Vonder family were returning to their carriage. The mercenaries looked at them without knowing what to do. The three men paid no attention to them; they just entered their carriage and departed without saying a word.
'Hey, it is me, or did those two seem like they wanted to kill us all?'
'I felt the same, and I swear to you that somehow I feel fortunate to be alive.'
Though Temma and Uruk did not make any gestures, the presence of the mercenaries bothered them. If it weren't for Xavier, they'd have been massacred right there. While the mercenaries were dealing with the shock, in the carriage, Xavier and the salamanders were talking.
'Excellent. With this, we will draw the attention of the nobles. They will probably invite us to do the affinity test. They'll offer us marriage offers, among other things. It's just a matter of time. Now all we need is money.'
'What shall we do now?' asked Uruk.
'We will disappear for a few weeks. We will travel to Orphen, to a town called Tram,' replied Xavier.
After returning to Fuera de Mola, the three entered the jungle and met with Moger. Meanwhile, news of the success of the mercenary family reached Tamalor's ears.
'It must be a joke,' he said, reading the letter.
'It has been confirmed, my lord. The miasma core of the lifeless swamp has been destroyed.' The knight who had brought the letter commented. 'His honor, Xavier de Vonder, and his nephews seem to have succeeded in subduing the swamp in less than an hour.'
Tamalor looked at the knight with a smile as he thought. "That means that they have at least one elite magician and to think that a family of plebeys would give such magicians."
'Well, have your men bring them before me; we have to secure these magicians for the forces of our citadel,' Tamalor ordered.
'That may be a problem, my lord.'
'Why?' asked Tamalor.
'As far as we know, these three men live in Fuera de Mola, a village in Mola town that is...'
'part of the territory of Duero citadel.' Tamalor interrupted the knight with a sigh.
'Do you know if Fillode has contacted the De Vonders?'
'He tried, but apparently the house is empty. According to rumors, the three of them often make excursions inside Morr's jungle, where they spend weeks exploring.'
This news only increased Tamalor's interest. If these men were able to carelessly walk in the dangerous jungle, there was no doubt that they were powerful magicians.
'Send your men to contact them; tell them to move in secret. Make sure that these men end up being part of our citadel's troops, do you understand?' Tamalor ordered.
'Yes, my lord,' replied the knight, leaving the room.