Entry 1: I decided to keep a journal after that last job. Things were a bit too strange and I nearly didn't make it. She's been a good client, but I don't think I can trust her. I've done five jobs already for her, and the sun's only been up for two months. I know she's impressed with my work, but that's stopping her from simply doing away with me after she's done. If she wants to keep hiring me that's one thing, but no more cheap jobs. I'm a professional after all. If she wants cheap she could hire any old thug or mercenary, but if she wants it done well she'll keep hiring me.
Entry 2: Turns out she decided to keep me around after all. Even if I could find that guard captain she told me to take out. I still have no idea where she ended up, but she disappeared without a trace. No one in the settlement even knows. I wonder if she caught wise to me? Either way she's gone. She seems happy about that, so as long as it earns me money, I don't care.
Entry 3: Things are going crazy down south. I had heard rumors of something going on down there for weeks now, but with my most recent job, I could actually see the fires in the distance. Not sure why she needed someone killed down there, looks like whatever's going on was gonna get him eventually, but she paid extra for the danger I was put in, so it's not all bad. She told me she's planning on leaving Rodina by boat and offered me a place on there with her. Personally I'm not sure anything is out there, I've heard countless tales of ships that venture past that horizon that fall off the edge never to return again. I'm hesitant, but with everything going on down south, I might take her offer.
Entry 4: Damn this sea! We got far enough to watch our home disappear in the distance, yet we still haven't found anything, and that was a week ago. The sea still upsets my stomach at times, but I'm trying not to let it get the best of me. We seem to get rain every other day, which worries everyone when it happens. People quickly start bailing out the boat with buckets and their hands. So far we haven't sunk, but a large rain might change that up. Reus protect us.
Entry 5: I think it's been nearly a month at sea, food is starting to run a bit low, everyone's looking a bit skeletal, myself included. Galvin keeps crying about the family he left behind. If he doesn't stop, I'm reunite them...
Entry 6: It's somewhere between five and six weeks since we left... I've lost count. Then again I didn't even know what day it was when we left. These damn birds keep hovering overhead. They came out of nowhere and won't leave us alone, don't they know we don't have any food? People don't choose to look like this. Some of the people tried to shoot down a bird with arrows, but no luck. They are too high up, it'd be a hard shot even for me.
Entry 7: We've found land! It's cold and bitter, but Reus be praised, it's actual land! Not sure what's gonna happen yet. I'm just gonna keep up this farmer guise as long as I need to. Besides, I have no idea what's out in this new world. She says she wants me close in case she needs me. Is she planning on taking out someone already? Cold bitch. Makes me chuckle just writing about it.
Entry 8: Been about three days since we've been on land, we moved up from the coast a little more inland to avoid the cold sea air. We set up camp in thick woods that seem to shelter us from the wind pretty well. People are hearing some kinda chittering at night, but it goes away come sunrise. The guards seem a little on edge. I've been sleeping with a dagger once again just in case as well.
Entry 9: There's some local farmer, Aglin or Ashlin or something like that, who picked up a bow and decided he's suddenly the camp's scout. Well as long as he's mapping out the land he's doing me a favor. I'll have to see if I can get a copy of his notes from her.
Entry 10: Little lizard people have attacked the camp, no one was too badly hurt but these things came out of the trees in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder. A few people got cut up a little bit but everyone's accounted for. Asher the scout actually seemed to kill a couple as well, seems to be getting handy with the bow. He and her seem to be getting along pretty well, poor sap doesn't know what a cold bitch she truly is behind that façade.
Entry 11: Things have been calm. We've been here about three weeks now working on making the camp more defendable and even starting a little farm plot. I think it's just starting to turn spring looking at some of the plant life find new life. It's been interesting, I haven't let my guard up, but I've been able to be a little more relaxed around here. To everyone else I'm just another person... Been a long time since I've been that. Heck I'm even learning some things about farming. Maybe I'll make a little farmstead out around here once things get more established. Might be a nice retirement.
Entry 12: A month has passed since we arrived and this morning we were greeted by other people! People from home! Looks like we aren't the only ones who made the trip. Two men arrived, looked like scouts, telling people that they were from another camp a few days north from us and had been combing the coastline to look for other people. Everyone in camp was excited to hear the good news.
Entry 13: She hasn't changed at all. It's been a week since we saw those scouts, and since then we've been doing a bit of trading with that camp for supplies we needed. She found out that the leader of that camp is another Duke from Acaron, like herself. I guess they have bad blood or something because she's already wanting me to deal with them. Oddly enough, when one of the traders told her his name, she was surprised, but upon hearing his wife's name, she could barely contain herself. Her façade nearly shattered right there and then. She called me in that night and said she wanted me to deal with her, but leave him unharmed. She wanted to make her suffering last a while. Personally I don't really know the reason behind it, and I'd rather not know. Probably some old lovers quarrel between them. I still have some death dusk poison left, though I wasn't ever planning on needing to use it. It's a rather weak poison, but hard to treat back home, would be impossible to treat it now. It can take days, even weeks to kill someone. But she wants it done, and she's offering a lot of wealth for it.
Entry 14: That bitch! I completed the mission, the Duchess is doomed, but she never told me the details... She was pregnant, and quite so. Turns out she knew all along! I've done worse sure, but at least I knew what I was getting into and was able to prepare mentally. This... This was different. This was bad. I'm glad I'm keeping a record on everything she's ordered me to do from this point on. Should anything happen to me, I want her to go down too.
Entry 15: I've been having really rough nightmares. Started a few days after that job. I blame her for putting all this stress on me. I'm trying not to let it affect my day to day here at camp. Some people are even asking me if I'm okay, which I usually just respond with the fact that I miss people from back home. Part of me wants to tell them what an awful monster their Duchess is, but I can't. We keep hearing news of other groups that made it to this new world. Looks like the vast empty empire she wanted to claim is going to be put on hold.
Last Entry: Blue blood must rot away your heart. Some King up north is having a meeting with all the other camp leaders of the new world. I thought it was King Alavor, but she told me he had died during the sunless years. She wants me to target his wife and take her out, then kill him a week later. At least she had the decency to tell me she was pregnant this time. I told her I wasn't going to make it slow, and she agreed. Quick and painless. I have just the poison for that. She's also sent some of her more loyal guards to kill some young girl in a local camp. Not sure what grudge she has against a 10 year old, but I can't say I'm surprised anymore. And it looks like I'm no the only tool she has. I don't know what she has planned, she wouldn't share the huge details with me, but she's got plans for sure... Crazy bitch.
I'm done after this. She wants everything in this world, and I'm nothing but a tool for her. I'm going to retire up into the mountains. I have plenty of gold and goods saved up. Give it a few years and I might grow a beard and head back into civilization. That's assuming she doesn't get everyone to kill one another...
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