Another
Raubritter Lager?" Amaro offered, getting up from the table.
"Only if you tell me another story." The woman narrowed her eyes at him, a mischievous smile playing around her lips. "And hand me a cool bottle this time."
Amaro placed a fresh bottle in front of her with a thump. The golden liquid sloshed against the glass like a stormy sea.
"Ah, I've got just the thing for you! The tale of a woman who once defeated a golem single-handedly, still drenched in the blood of her comrades."
"Sounds like a tragic brute."
"Well, she's known to be resilient, fierce when provoked. Truly has a mind of her own, this one, defiant at times, forgiving at others. But once you've earned her trust, she'll stay by your side when others bolt."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Eventually, she was leading an expedition to the isle of Ada for her king, Kesar the Younger. Alas, the Devil's Reef almost tore apart the Emmanuelle, the Bounacean flagship, as they approached the island."
Sighing, her gaze drifted into the distance. "What a beauty she was, her sails full of wind against the endless blue. The pride of Bounac."
"The rough arrival was a grim omen of what was to come," Amaro continued, his voice growing sombre. "The captain ventured into a mine system with her finest soldiers, the Green Lancers. Most of them never made it out alive. Some say she died a hero there, fighting an unknown evil. Others claim she lost her mind and slaughtered her own men in a frenzy, as if possessed."
The woman pressed her lips together. She poured the cool lager into her mug, held it against the light, then took a hearty gulp. The beer shimmered almost as golden as her blonde hair in the fading sunlight.
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"Nobody knows for sure what happened to her. But lately, a stray cat is rumoured to prowl the dark alleys and shadowy corners of Bounac, sniffing out scraps of information. Apparently, she has a hideout beneath the settlement, where she's trying to unravel the tangled threads of a sinister plot, hunting the fiend that attacked her mind back on the Adaean Isle. 
She's secretly looking for battle-hardened warriors willing to follow her to the Onyx Massif, a wasteland of scorching rock and rivers of molten lava, dominated by a mighty volcano that spews fire and ash into the sky. Her sources claim that crashed moon fragments are being used there by her nemesis to build and equip a growing army. Stubborn and righteous as ever, she's determined to uproot the evil festering there, no matter the cost."
His companion let out a short laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "Who told you all that? Jehan, while you were picking up your weekly supply of fresh baguettes? You two gossip like old washerwomen!"
"Well, Onfroi might have dropped a hint or two," Amaro admitted with a sheepish grin. "And you know I have tea with Lieutenant Gaultier once a month. Sadly, the Hushwell Asylum won't allow me to visit the poor fellow more often."
Her smile faded. She looked at Amaro, determination and despair swirling behind her stoic expression.
"He was once a fine soldier. They all were. I knew every single one of them, Amaro. Their hopes, their quirks, their lives."
Her voice grew firm. "Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten. They will be avenged."
Amaro held her gaze, his expression softening.
"I know they will, Marie. I know they will."
Upcoming next: Daily refreshment!
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