by Tao Wong
Daniel smiles at his friend, raising a glass of wine to her and she purrs, sipping on hers. If nothing else, this inn had a good wine selection. They sit alone, the other patrons avoiding their table in the corner and eyeing Asin with trepidation. It seems Peel has an even smaller population of Beastkin than Karlak and while the patrons were mostly Adventurers, none desire to mix with the Beastkin.
As they are finishing up their dinner, a pair of familiar faces wander into the tavern looking the worst for wear. Black-haired Delia, her sword in its sheath but lacking her shield and Palmer, limping and holding his side around his green robes stumble in and find a seat at a free table. Adventurers turn, eye the pair and then dismiss them from their mind, their injuries and hangdog expressions telling the tale.
Asin turns to look at Daniel who sighs and nods, both of them approaching the table cradling the last of their mugs. Daniel takes the lead, murmuring, “Evening.”
It takes a few silent moments before Delia looks up, staring at Daniel with blank eyes before a spark of interest kindles, “Daniel. And the Cat. You look well. I guess you didn’t do the dungeons…”
“Umm…” Daniel pauses, watching as Palmer winces and tugs at the bandage ineffectually. “Here, let me do that.” Quick work is made of fixing the bandage, Palmer gritting his teeth as the bandage is pulled tight around his body and then secured. Briefly, Daniel considers using his Gift, having exhausted all his Mana the moment they had left the Dungeon to heal his and Asin’s minor wounds. Briefly, but none of their wounds were life-threatening, just painful.
“How far did you get?” Daniel asks.
“We managed to make it to the fourth today. First few floors weren’t hard, so we rushed through them. The third floor was tough, but the Lizardmen, they would stand and fight. But the fourth-floor Champion, he had these Scouts with him. They kept shooting us and shooting us, we couldn’t get away, couldn’t run…” Delia says, shaking her head. “I told him to wait, told him we should take our time. Marco said we could do it though, said we’d be fine. He cried when they cut off his arm…”
“I’m sorry.” Daniel sits down next to her, offering the comfort of his presence. Asin leaves, coming back a few minutes later with beers for the group which are greedily taken and emptied by the two beaten Adventurers. A short while later a waitress comes by, depositing the evening’s special.
“I told him,” Delia says, poking at the food. Palmer avoids all their gazes, working industriously at his meal, his hands occasionally beginning to tremble before he brings them under control. After a time, Daniel and Asin stand, murmuring a goodbye. As they leave, Daniel wonders if the pair will team up with others now, perhaps someone with ranged weaponry. Death as an Adventurer was a part of life, no matter how experienced you were. Losing a friend, though, was never easy, no matter how inured you were to the realities of the world they had chosen.
Chapter 5
The next morning sees both Asin and Daniel standing beside the caravan at the crack of dawn. Neither having been given an exact time the wagons would leave, they decided to arrive early instead. The moment he spots them, Gabriel waves to the pair and beckons them over to his wagon.
In a corner of the campground, the caravan master is offering his usual, cordial welcome to a new group of Adventurers from Peel. Asin watches the group intently. They are made up of a large yellow-furred Catkin and a pair of human Adventurers. The first human Adventurer wields a sword and shield but the second seems to favor a short sword and bow combination and wears a mottled brown-green cloak. All three adventurers are dressed in a mix of plate and chainmail armor that is worn but still serviceable. Even to the novice Adventurers, they can tell that the weapons and armor are a couple of quality levels higher than theirs. Asin nudges Daniel, nodding to the group to get his attention before purring, “Ranger.”
Daniel looks over and spots the Ranger and nods slightly in turn. The Ranger was a rare sight as the famously taciturn and independent Adventurers kept to the borders of Brad. On the other hand, they were known as well for their ability with the bow, and Daniel rubs at his jaw, thinking of how to approach him for help.
“Well, it’s good that you returned. Wasn’t sure if you would - we lose about half our guards who are supposed to return to us in Peel,” Gabriel grouses as he hops on the wagon after hitching the horses to it. “Why, this one time, we had this fair-haired buxom young lass of an Adventurer, all clad in plate who was supposed to be with us to Silverstone. She arrived in Peel and what do you know, she meets up with this sorcerer and priest and they go Adventuring in the Dungeon! Never joins up with us again. Real pity on that too, she sure was pretty. Still, I figure if I had a chance to work with a sorcerer and a priest, I’d join them myself. Especially since I hear they were all women.”
The moment Gabriel begins to speak, Asin flashes a grin at Daniel and scrambles to her customary perch at the top of the wagon, her tail lazily waving alongside the canvas top as she sits on the wagon and works on her claws. Daniel glares at the traitor before turning back to Gabriel and his never-ending stories, trying to set his face to an attentive position.
That evening as they come to a stop, Daniel makes his way past the outlying wagons to the nearby river to wash. Stripped to his undergarments, Daniel completes the ritual quickly, shivering in the cold emerald glacial runoff of the river and laying the thick mat of soap leaves aside. He scrambles out of the water, shaking his blocky frame to free it of excess water before squatting to begin washing his clothing.
At the snap of a twig, Daniel spins, grabbing for his nearby mace. The young lady who surprised him yelps, dropping her washing basket and laundry before blushing furiously at his half-naked state. Realizing it is just one of the hanger-on’s, Daniel smiles at her and lowers the mace to his side. “It’s okay.”
The young brunette with the cute, pert nose shakes her head, hastily picking up the washing. “No, no. I’m sorry.”
“Yvette, isn’t it?” Daniel says, smiling to the woman as he reaches for and pulls on the extra pair of pants he brought along. She nods jerkily, still not meeting his gaze. “I’m just washing my clothes; you’re welcome to join me.”
She blushes again and nods, coming over and squatting a short distance from him. She takes out the clothing she brought, focusing on it. Daniel returns to what he was doing, catching the sideway glances the young lady shoots him occasionally. A part of him preens at the attention, a small smile lighting on his face unknowingly. Noticing the rather large amount of clothing she is washing, Daniel says, “Are you washing that for others, Yvette?”
Yvette nods jerkily, blushing again before she looks at Daniel’s manhandling of his clothes. She speaks up, hesitantly and shyly, “I could wash yours too. For free.”
“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Daniel replies immediately, shaking his clothes and grimacing at the hole he spots.
“No, it’s fine. I could mend that too,” she raises her voice, nodding. “I have skills in Housekeeping and Sewing, and you’ve been so kind, healing us. Please?”
Daniel blinks, considering her offer. He really was very bad at sewing - his last attempt had already torn and while he earned more as an Adventurer, paying for new clothing was a constant headache due to the amount of damage they received. In addition, his work in the Clinic had made him realize that allowing others to help or pay him actually made them feel better as well. It was one reason why Khy’ra had a flexible payment policy in the Clinic. “If you’re sure. Thank you.”
Yvette smiles, stands up quickly and walks over to take his clothing from him. As she does so, her hand brushes against his and she blushes, backing away quickly and ducking her head, embarrassed about her calloused and rough fingers. “I’ll… I’ll get it right back to you tomorrow when it’s done. If that’s okay?”
Daniel nods to her, standing around for a moment unsure. “So, uhhh…. Where are you traveling to?”
“Silverstone,” she replies promptly. “My father, he�
�s a Master mason. He was offered a job at the new temple they’re building.”
“A Master mason? That’s impressive.” Daniel echoes her voice, his gaze resting on the small, pert frame before him, eyes tracking over the way the clothing presses against her body. “And you?”
“I’m… well, I’m just with him for now. My mother, she died a while ago, and I help my Da keep the house while he works.” Again Yvette blushes. “He says, well, I’ll be a good housewife one day. And you? You’re an Adventurer?” Realizing how stupid that sounds, Yvette hides her face in her washing again, not daring to look at Daniel.
“Yes. Just under a year actually,” Daniel replies, slowly stretching an arm as he talks to her. Yvette looks over her shoulder at a grunt and notices Daniel with his arm over his head, stretching, and her eyes track over his muscular, hairless chest. Eyes lock on a pocked puncture wound just under a floating rib, and Daniel answers the unasked question. “Crawler in Karlak. They have these big pincers and this one bit right through my armor. Hurt like hell and healing, well, it left that.”
Of course, he could have healed it fully and removed the scar, but Daniel had decided long ago to avoid such healings. It created a significant strain on his Gift to do so and wasn’t worth the effort. So long as he could move and fight without pain, anything more was unnecessary. It also headed off any requests for cosmetic healings which he really did not want to deal with.
“Oh, you’re so brave,” Yvette says, looking down at her hands. “I could never do that.”
“Well, it’s not for everyone,” Daniel answers, shaking his head. “But I don’t think it’s brave, not really. It’s not as if farmers or miners aren’t in danger outside of Dungeons, and at least we carry weapons.”
Yvette nods dumbly along to Daniel’s words, putting aside the latest shirt and moving to the next one. Unsure of what else to say, Daniel ends up saying, “I should get back. I’ve got to get dinner going.”
“I’ll see you,” Yvette whispers and when Daniel has left, quickly hugs the shirt, amazed at how bold she was.
When Daniel arrives back at the camp, he is surprised to find Asin cooking and speaking with the Catkin, the two sharing quiet purrs and growls. He blinks for a moment before shaking his head, moving to put away his cleaning supplies. At his bag, he stares down at his newly acquired weapon, picking up the crossbow and bolts before surveying the area for a good spot.
Setting up a small distance from others, where a small hillock and a fallen tree provide him with a target, Daniel grunts, and strains as he works the crossbow back. Adjusting his stance, Daniel draws a deep breath and exhales, focusing on the half-remembered lessons he received when they joined the Army. As he exhales, Daniel releases the bolt and watches it wing away to dig into the ground four feet short of the target. Pushing aside the rising irritation, Daniel works to cock the crossbow again. Practice. He just needed practice.
Thirty minutes later after having shot through all his bolts twice, Daniel is sweating and swearing. The target was only fourty yards away, and he still had not managed to hit it even once.
“You. This. It’s embarrassing.” The Ranger walks up, shaking his head at Daniel and unable to watch the young man practice any further. The Ranger is dressed clad in his mottled green and brown cloak, though with the hood thrown back Daniel can see the young, unlined face beneath it and friendly brown eyes. “Let me help you, or else the guards will never let us Adventurers live this down.”
At the mention of the guards, Daniel looks back to the camp, having forgotten about everyone else as he practiced. He realizes that more than a few guards have been watching him, a few openly laughing at his lack of progress. Embarrassed, Daniel turns away quickly and looks at the Ranger imploringly. “Please!”
“Right then, let’s start with your stance,” the Ranger states, moving up to Daniel and correcting his stance. Daniel nods, focusing on what the Ranger says. He certainly needed to improve.
“Well, that’s… better?” Iyas, the Ranger says with a resigned tone. The evening had progressed such that even in the long summer days, their practice had to be called to an end. “Gather the bolts, and I’ll show you how to care for them and the crossbow.”
Daniel nods, staring at his target. Well, he had winged the tree at last. The added pressure had made his first few tries after Iyas arrived even worse than before, but now, now he was beginning to get it. Hurrying forward, Daniel moves to collect his bolts, lips twisting in disgust as he notes one shattered shaft. As he hurries back from his task, he sees Asin still deep in her conversation with her Catkin friend, a hand on the other Adventurer’s lap. As he hurries over to the camp, his stomach rumbles and he realizes that he has not eaten. Looking over to Iyas, he points to the cooking pot and the other Adventurer nods.
Having slurped his slightly burnt dinner down, Daniel returns to the Ranger who shows him how to care for the bolts, replacing fletching and ensuring that the bolts were still straight. He even pulls out a stick to show Daniel how he can even make his own if he cares to, though he points out that Daniel will need a carving knife for that. Daniel watches with intensity, soon taking a direct hand and checking over his bolts as Iyas carves.
“You and your Catkin friend, you’re both a bit junior to be leaving Karlak aren’t you?” Iyas says as carves.
“I guess? We’re on a fetch quest actually, to Silverstone and back,” Daniel explains, tongue stuck between his teeth as he works on a new feather.
“Ah! I remember those. I used to run a number of them before I joined Niko and Tevfik,” Iyas says smiling. “I can’t say I miss them at all. Paid good, especially on the Borderlands, but quite boring.”
Daniel shrugs, holding up the bolt to inspect. Iyas looks up, shakes his head and Daniel sighs and tries again. “It’s our first. We did a few Hunt and Gather quests while in Karlak, but this is our first.”
“Well, Rangers are more suited for them,” Iyas offers, and then adds, “It’s good to get out though, see the world a bit. Too many new Adventurers just fall into the routine of only working Dungeons.”
Daniel smiles, basking slightly at the more experienced Adventurers praise. “Why were you in Peel? You three don’t seem, you know, of the right level.”
Iyas laughs. “Yes. We’re not Beginners anymore, but are you aware that you get a minor experience boost for each Dungeon you clear?” Daniel shakes his head, and Iyas continues, “You do. It’s why even experienced Adventurers will clear beginner dungeons. Of course, it also helps to keep Ba’al’s influence down.”
Daniel nods, thinking over what Iyas said and then holds up the next bolt. Getting confirmation from Iyas, he smiles and turns to the next one.
“Morning, Asin, you’re up with me today, are you?” Gabriel chatters away to Asin as he climbs on the wagon, clicking his tongue right after to start the horses moving. “Always nice to have you up, though you aren’t much of a conversationalist. That’s okay though, my Ma always said I could talk enough for two, and with you, I’ll need to!
“Well now, we’re on the way to the village of Stolin. I bet you haven’t heard about Stolin, have you? Small little village, we wouldn’t even stop there normally, but it is the only village this side of the border for a good four days. Right in the middle of the plains with all the wheat fields, so that’s what we’ll be driving through for a bit. Not much to see but the sky and the wheat really, not for a few days. Why you’ll get so bored about seeing wheat, you’ll want to cry. Reminds of that time when Pini started nodding off on his wagon and drove it right into the ditch. Well, you know Pini, he carries…”
Thoroughly pleased with himself, Daniel slows down to let the wagon pass him by as he walks along the road. He grinned slightly, just happy to be on his feet and away from the chatterbox. He would walk exclusively, but being paid to guard the caravan meant that Daniel needed to be rested enough to deal with problems if they arose. Not that anything major had happened as yet. The worst had been a horse that had trippe
d and broken its foot when it saw a snake.
True to Gabriel’s word, they walk through plains of light green grass and fields of newly sprouted wheat for the next few hours. The land around them slowly shifts from the rolling plains interspersed with stands of trees to flat land divided into occasional managed farm lots. Unimpeded, a strong wind constantly blows, tugging at canvas straps and clothing alike and ruffling the stalks of grass and wheat. The wind carries a hint of morning chill along with the scent of freshly turned earth, newly grown grass and last evening’s quick rain shower. Above, the sky almost goes on forever, seeming to stretch on and on before being finally bracketed by the distant mountains in the North.
Walking beneath the sky, Daniel hunches slightly, unused to such a sky. Born in the foothills of the mountains to the North, he was always more comfortable in the forest or underground. Still, at least the plains have the advantage of making travel safe - it would be impossible for bandits and monsters to hide. Tired of walking, Daniel hurries up to jump onto the wagon bed, swinging his feet up and letting the creak of the wagon wheels and the drone of Gabriel’s incessant talk wash over him.
A scream breaks Daniel from his reverie, the sound originating from behind the caravan. He hops down from his seat, grabbing his mace and moving to the side of the road as he scans for danger. Two wagons behind, Iyas has climbed onto a wagon top and is scanning the horizon before he releases the tension in his bow, shaking his head. Waggoneers relax as the experienced Adventurer gives an all clear as do the guards. Watching everyone relax, Daniel decides to hurry to the back where the foot passengers walk, and the scream originated.
