Recognising the newcomers as humanoids bestowed with reason, the women revealed their location. While the martial stood up, the other two put themselves in position to ambush the humanoids. After giving the other party time to perceive her, the martial revealed a desire to negotiate.

“Speak!” a battle-hardened middle-aged man, the apparent leader of the score of soldiers, answered her intentions. While his crew prepared for a fight, by taking up formation. By forming up in a way capable of dealing with surprise attacks from every angle, they revealed that they did not know where her companions were hiding.

“We did not desecrate the fountain.” After one of the soldiers, an older female gave an affirmative whisper to the leader, the soldiers visibly relaxed. The representative of the three-person group continued “We ask for four days of shelter to rest our bodies in exchange for five of …“ holding out one of her hands in the general direction, of her negotiation partner, a small humanoid carrying a red crystal walked up to the soldier. “these!”

It handed the crystal over for the other party to inspect.

“Same size?” the soldier was obviously happy with the result of his subordinate’s inspection and subsequent whisper.

The martial shot a questioning gaze in a random direction. Shortly thereafter the small humanoid handed four more crystals of roughly the same size over to the soldier. None of them was smaller than the first.

“Do we have a deal?” the female asked with rising unhappiness and tension in her voice.

“At the dawn of the fifth day you will leave us!” the soldier demanded.

“Countdown does not start until we reached your tribe and were shown to our quarters!” a weak smile appeared on her lips.

“Fine, how much water can you carry?” unhappy with the counter the male tried to distract from his failed attempt at being stingy.

“Just a few barrels!” the martial responded after exchanging a look with the operator’s minion, to which it shook its head.

“Every single bit counts!” after stating so the soldiers’ formation broke, and they turned their backs to the group of three to fulfil their mission.

The three followed behind and after stopping a few steps from the water 17 barrels appeared around the operator.

Then the three observed the spectacle only few people get to see and even fewer as often as they have during their lifetime.

First, the soldiers filled up the 17 barrels and set them back down close to the female operator. The next moment, the barrels disappeared, and four soldiers stood around the big body of water. And while the water receded the four slowly followed the sinking water level. At the end of this, the lake was but half as expansive as it was before. Almost immediately after the water stopped receding the four figures turned on their heels and ran to where they came from while the water followed closely behind.

Not wasting any time, the soldiers left the oasis behind, escorting their guests to where their tribe was currently residing.

As they crossed the sands of the desert the group was unsurprisingly attacked a few times. The only individuals who never had to fight were the soldier’s leader, the four people who danced with the water, and their three guests.

The soldiers proved to be well-trained, as any time anything came even close to attacking the group three to four soldiers moved as one to intercept the threat. Should they seem incapable to deal with the situation, more soldiers soon followed to help out.

The outcome was never pretty, some creatures were cut into hundreds of thin slices, some exploded, some seemed to have been smashed between two invisible walls, others just deflated into a more or less round ball of whatever material the creature was made up of, …

Not once did the soldiers touch their opponents. Every single time the gory events happened after the soldiers took up formation close to their adversary.

When they appeared at the temporary settlement in the middle of the desert the guests were immediately taken to their promised shelter and had to part with two more crystals and the 17 barrels full of water.

The four days went by mostly uneventful. The girls mostly meditated and slept. At the start of the fourth day, a young, female soldier came to pick them up. She escorted them to the border of the settlement and after receiving the last two crystals left them alone.

On the way home the group of three did not meet any problems, the fights they encountered were as easily won as every other since they lost their comrades. Yet the tension never ceased completely.

After passing the desert fort, they could relax once more.

About 25 days after the three females left the settlement, they arrived at the city they called home. The settlement they had been staying at had also moved elsewhere.

---

Trying to collect the reward of their hardship on the day of arrival they visited their customer.

“Who even is that?”, the visibly old merchant refused to pay the death toll for one of the three corpses. The corpse in question was ravaged and looked hideous.

Before the small destructor could open her mouth, she flew through the door and out of the shop, having been slapped right in the face by the martial.

“Gellos! A martial knight! One I myself trained!” the woman voiced in a threatening tone after using violence on her teammate.

The merchant, barely impressed, started to look through some documents.

“Ah, found it! Contract between the free mercenaries of Detester and the merchants of Callus Mercantile Operations in Eron; signed at the 474^th day of the 99^th year since the queen’s coronation.” the merchant started to read the document. Skipping most of it, she only read the currently relevant clause: “The Callus Mercantile Operations grant a death toll of 60,000 Jash for every member of Detester perishing during the execution of any task commissioned by the Callus Mercantile Operations.”

A servanoid plopped into existence next to the operator of Detester, holding multiple pieces of paper. It quickly scurried over to the merchant and handed them over.

“Official List of Detester Members; signed at the 3^rd day of the 2^nd year since the queen’s coronation:

Every city, town and village under her majesty’s control, as well as every organisation protected under her rule, shall recognise the following as members of Detester:

• C Ulgun (leader);
• MA Kefin;
• MA Hagan;
• MA Mellde;
• MA Aphea;
• MF Siep;
• AB Jost;
• AB Zran.

Ulgun is an alumnus of Herodi School of Coordination. She graduated three years before the queen’s coronation. Yet records show that she did not participate in the queen’s effort to unify the lands.

Kefin, Mellde and Aphea are disciples of Hadira the Honourbound. During the queen’s effort to unify the lands all three have continuously proven their loyalty and shown to be worthy of respect. With the end of the queen's effort, the three of them decided to discontinue their direct services to the queen. Instead, they will indirectly serve as mercenaries. All three of them are expected to rise through the ranks of martial society within the next century.

Hagan is a disciple of Kae. He is estimated to barely qualify as a martial.

Siep is a self-taught mindfucker. During the queen’s effort to unify the lands he helped free the city of Intis from its corrupt and inept leadership. His expertise in this field is estimated to be of good standards.

Jost is a disciple of Hasgo the Legion. Although his master is a traitor to the queen’s effort, Jost vowed to rectify the shame he inherited. Within the fast field of army-building, he specialises in creating mindless copies of himself and his allies.

Zran is a self-taught army-builder specialising in operating rockeaters and elementals. No record was found about her involvement in the queen’s effort. She is estimated to be mediocre in coordinating her minions, superior in her ability to enslave, and basic in her ability to manipulate space.

The group is officially recognised as a mercenary organisation of LOW qualification.

As such, it, Detester, is allowed to take up private commissions.

Appendix I (1); signed at the 24^th of the 2^nd year since the queen’s coronation:

Deaths:

• MA Kefin;
• MA Hagan;
• MA Aphea
• AB Zran.

Kefin, Hagan, Aphea and Zran died during Detester’s battle against another mercenary group, at the 22^nd day of the 2^nd year since the queen’s coronation. No charges have been pressed by either side.

New members:

• MA Trag;
• MA Glei;
• MA Reia;
• MA Laru;
• MA San;
• MA M’kari;
• MA M’eso;
• MF Wlani;
• AB Flu;
• AB Bae;
• H Insar.

…” the merchant skipped over the massive list of deaths and hires, as well as the detailed information written about each person.

“Appendix XLVIII (48); signed at the 398^th of the 28^th year since the queen’s coronation:

Additional members recognised:

• All disciples of the following.
• MA Mellde;
• MF Siep;
• AB Bae;
• D Ella;
• H Insar.

…” another list of adds and outs was skipped.

"Appendix LXX (70); signed at the 57^th day of the 57^th year since the queen’s coronation:

Officially recognised aliases of the organisation:

• Terrorists of the desert.

Officially recognised aliases of the members:

• Mellde, Civilised Terror;
• Siep, Flayer of Souls;
• Bae, Silent Company;
• Ella, Thunder of Insanity;
• Insar, Deadly Saint.

Rating changed to:

• UNIQUE

…” more lists of deaths and recruits were skipped until the merchant found the information she was searching for.

“Appendix XC (90); signed at the 153^rd day of the 97^th year since the queen’s coronation:

Additional members recognised:

• MA Gluda;
• MA Hernd;
• MA Gellos;
• MA Indel.

…” the merchant stopped reading at that point, scanned the rest of the document for a mention of MA Gellos's death, took some notes and handed back the document as well as the money to the small creature.

Seeing the servanoid return without objection the two women turned and left. Before they had fully exited the building, the servanoid had ceased to be visible.

“I am not letting you kill more of our customers!” seeing the neither sulking nor angry destructor, Mellde spoke out.

“I was almost not going to!” the other woman proudly declared.

“Almost?” the group’s leader queried incredulously.

Ella just shrugged before giving each of her teammates a hug and leaving them alone. Shortly thereafter, the other two waved each other goodbye and went their separate ways.