Headed by a Snake

"Eeeeek!!!"

"Eternal Flame!! Are you okay, Gianna?"

The horse-drawn wagon ran over a bump in the road, jolting its passengers. Gianna fanned her reddening face after having been startled. Rena showed feminine concern for her companion, though a smirk of amusement failed to leave her face.

"It--it surprised me!" Gianna frowned. She took off her issued helmet, revealing her blonde ponytail and a forehead glistening with perspiration.

Justus felt his nerves calm, basking in the simplistic picture of beauty. He ran his fingers through his short red hair and chuckled, "Haha, ease off, Rena. When we come under attack, Gia can warn the whole cohort."

The accusation left the wagon's passengers chuckling at the absurdity, save for one, a fair-skinned young woman in old leather armor and her hood pulled low.

Rena covered her mouth with a hand, "Oh, you're just criminal, Justus. You were too busy staring at my Gianna to be surprised, yourself."

"S-since when was I *your* Gianna?" the blonde soldier pouted, crossing her arms over her segmented armor.

Justus rolled his eyes. The crossbow girl was too much.

...Was he really being that obvious?

One of the older soldiers chuckled, "Best be careful, little girl. You're teasing the Hero of Leopardon, after all."

The wagon erupted in more boisterous laughter, much to Justus' embarrassment.

"What's this about being a hero, Justus?" Gianna leaned forward. Her bright blue eyes gazed deep into his soul.

Whatever Justus was trying to say was caught in his throat.

Flame eternal... How long had he been staring?

Justus opened his mouth to speak-- "Buohhh!!"

"Buoh?" Gianna tilted her head and a thin, graceful crease of confusion formed between her eyebrows.

"Mhm! That's right. Justus and I grew up in a small town called Leopardon." Rena, sitting beside Justus, had jammed her elbow into his side. The strike winded him, despite his own set of armor.

Justus held his side and glared at his childhood friend, "It's nothing, really. I chased some wolves off with my father's sword."

Rena giggled, sweeping back one of her brown bangs behind her ear, nuzzling her cheek into Justus' shoulder, "You should have seen it. He was wearing a chamber pot over his head while yelling and screaming. The wolves ran off, terrified!"

Another of the older soldiers, the grey bearded Modestus, reached over to rub Justus' head, "Ahaha! You're a good kid, boy. Don't worry about the little girl picking on you."

Justus didn't like being treated like a kid. It's why he joined the Rhodok adventuring company as soon as he was of age. But still... he could sense the care and concern by his peers. That and Gianna's wholesome smile made him accept the compliments without complaint.

The wagon driver, Cael, half-turned back with a grin, "Far from home, aren'tcha, Justus?"

Justus pursed his lips. Decanus Caelistis was a strict leader. He also loved to insult the men and women under his charge, which led to a bit of awkwardness when they weren't out training, "Yes, Decanus. I've always wanted to join a guild in Ezyria."

Cael turned his attention back to the road, "Hah. You did good then, Fish. The Rhodok adventuring company is the best Gold-Rank guild in all of Tyrion!!"

"It's the only guild that the Decanus hasn't gotten kicked out of, yet," One of the other veterans playfully added, causing reserved laughter from the others.

The gaunt and goateed Decanus turned back again with an exaggerated scowl, "Ahaha! Shut the hells up, you old fart, before I pull this wagon over and make you!"

The veteran gave Justus a smirk and he returned a grateful nod. Caelistis would accept criticism from the older vets, but never from a newer recruit like himself-- a fish, like the Decanus said.

"Hmph! The best guild in Ezyria is Sol Invictus!!" Rena pouted with upturned lips, "Isn't that right, Justus?"

Justus sighed inwardly. Why did this girl always want to make trouble for him?

"Sol Invictus... That's that Gold-Rank arena guild, isn't it?" Gianna asked.

Justus felt his heart surging with pride. He had grown up on stories of Sol Invictus... and his parents had even taken him to a colosseum to watch their most famous fight. Invictus' leader, Quies, delivered the legendary Maximus of Ezyria his one and only loss.

Sol Invictus was the reason Justus had sought to join a guild instead of trying to make it as a solo adventurer like Rena had wanted him to be.

"Pahh! Hahaha!" Cael burst out into derisive laughter, "Sol Invictus? They're old news, blondie. They disappeared years ago. Rumors say they fled the country after they tried their hand at doing *real* adventurer work."

Justus frowned but didn't argue with Cael's assessment. It was true that Invictus disappeared from the limelight a few years prior, but any guess on what happened to them was pure conjecture.

"Whoa!" Cael suddenly pulled on the reins of the horses, jarring the adventurers as the wagon came to an abrupt stop.

"Eeek!" Gianna yelped again as she fell forward. Justus acted quickly, catching the woman in his arms and steadying her.

"Are you alright, Gia?" Justus asked. He felt his face warming up, speaking with her so closely.

"Decanus!!" Rena shouted at the wagon's driver, interrupting the moment. "What's the big idea?"

Decanus Caelistis looked back angrily, "By the Flame, girl, take a look! The wagon in front of us is stopped too!"

Rena turned back to Justus and Gianna with her hands on her hips, "And how long are you two gonna stay like that?"

Gianna looked down at her hand, which was being held by Justus. Her face turned to shock as she jumped back into her seat, her face flushed as red as a tomato.

Justus closed his hand and smiled to himself. The sensation of Gianna's hand in his was nice while it lasted.

Rena crossed her arms and twisted her lips to the side, "How hard is it to keep your balance, Gianna? Look at Zehr! She hasn't budged an inch!!"

"Hasn't said a word since joining, either..." One of the veterans offered.

The thin, hooded figure turned towards the archer at the mention of her name and gave a wave of acknowledgment.

"See!?" Rena insisted, "Professional adventurer, right there!!"

"Tchh! Yeah, sure." Cael scoffed, "With her secondhand armor and hole-ridden cloak, she's definitely *not* a worthless person under that hood."

In the proper style of Decanus Caelistis, his words dripped with both snake venom and sarcasm. As professional as Zehr acted, though, her gear left much to be desired.

Cael flagged down one of the company's riders, "You there. Why have we stopped?"