It was cold. Marcus opened his eyes and stretched the kinks out of his back. Looking at what was left of his campfire, he guessed the fire had probably gone out an hour or two earlier. Up in the sky though, he could see the faintest hint of color - sunrise would be here soon. That meant it was time to keep moving.
Marcus double-checked his bags - rations, a couple pieces of silver, and maybe a dozen bronze (including the two grubby ones from the goblin). Tossing a handful of dirt on the campfire, he straightened up and adjusted his packs to make sure they wouldn't justle too much while he was moving.
As he stepped back onto the road, he took a quick look back at where he dumped the body. He didn't see any signs of movement, but briefly wondered if any of its clan were nearby - or if they'd even care to give them a proper burial.
He turned back to the road and continued on. It was none of his concern - if he stopped to bury every single animal and creature he killed on his journey, he'd find himself never getting much done - let alone leave himself potentially vulnerable to any other creatures in the area.
The rest of the short journey left was uneventful. The birds and the more peaceful fauna had come back out, but no goblins or anything else wanting to rob him or hurt him.
Finally, he could see the posts marking the border to Pinhanivega. There were a couple guards standing around, watching the populace, but he was the only one right now coming from Coibrada.
Thankfully, since he'd helped out a couple of the passing traders as bodyguard, he was able to pass them by with a simple wave. Not that they would have stopped him otherwise, but they may have at least asked who he was and why he was there. Or worse, given him lengthy recommendations on where to stop and shop.
As it was, he knew where he was heading - the local brewer's testing ground, a.k.a. the tavern. He'd been in on one trip, he thought he recalled, but not most trips. It was built with old wood, the first permanent building assembled in the village. Everyone needed a place to relax and unwind.
As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted with the scents of cheap food and strong drink. Thankfully, there were plenty of torches to keep the place from looking dim.
There weren't too many people here, since it was relatively early. But there were a few people here - for various reasons. They couldn't have been here overnight - the tavern still had to close and reopen so the barkeep and waitress could get sleep themselves.
Marcus walked up to the bar and grabbed a stool - he knew the barkeep was always the best one to go to for information. The barkeep here had the slightly pointed ears of a half-elf. Full elves were uncommon, but not rare outside the nation of Luz Gam. But half-elves were much more common.
Marcus grabbed a couple of bronze coins from his bag and set them on the counter. "Anyone looking for muscle around here? Bodyguard work? Exploration's not off the table either."
The barkeep swooped over and scooped up the coins, putting a wooden tankard of beer in their place. "Most folks here're just waitin' to be called. But, you could check with the pair here at the card table - sounds like one of their fellow guardsmen might be a little too drunk to make it to morning call. Not guaranteed, but probably your best shot right now."
Marcus turned around to look over at the nearby card table. Two men in full iron plate were still finishing up another round, while a third was lying face down on the table, forcing the other two to play around him.
He got up and knocked on the back of the fourth chair. "Looks like you're down a man. Mind if I join y'all for a round or two?" They both turned towards him, looked at each other, and shrugged. The taller one said, "Sure, why not? We've still got a little time to kill anyhow. We'll finish this hand real quick, and deal you in." He turned to his compatriot, "You ready to flip? Or fold?"
The other man scratched his neck briefly, then threw his cards face up on the table, a two and a three - giving him a pair with the table. "It ain't much, but I'll call your bluff".
The taller one smiled and revealed a pair of Jacks combined with the table. "A small bluff goes a long way," he said as he scooped up the coins. He turned to Marcus with the same wide grin, "You got a couple bronze for the buy in? The rounds aren't fun without risking anything."
Marcus sat down and dropped a couple coins on the table. "Where you guys hauling out for?"
The taller one - or maybe he should call him the talkative one - replied, "We're supposed to protect a couple of traders out to Relama. All goes well, we might be able to help them take the rest of the goods to Amatetarul." His grin somehow got a little wider. "At that point we're almost to Carta, where I hear we can find ourselves some nice tail, huh?" He winked and gave Marcus a knowing elbow nudge.
Marcus frowned and shook his head slightly. "Right now, I'm just worried about keeping enough coin coming in than looking for more ways for coin to go out."
The talkative one shrugged. "Your loss. More for us I suppose!" He gave a toothy grin at the end. "But don't blame me if the wagers get out of hand!" He exclaimed, while raising the stakes for the round.
Marcus had just glanced back at his cards when the front door opened to a cloaked figure. They only looked around briefly before coming right up to their table. "The caravan leaves at the sun's zenith. Anyone not ready gets left behind," the figure spoke with a deep voice and promptly left as quickly as he'd arrived.
The tall one sighed and put down the cards. "Welp, I guess we better hurry then - there's every chance he'll find some excuse to leave even early - if just to cut back on expenses." He started cleaning up the game and glanced at his comatose friend. "Like this one - we can spend time trying to wake him up, but he'll slow us down enough it won't make a lick of difference."
He switched to Marcus and looked him up and down. "You know, if you need the money, you could probably take his place." He grinned again, "And then we'd get a proper chance to play again, too!"
Marcus smiled and stretched his hand across the table, "name's Marcus. I'd be glad to tag along, stretch my legs some."
The tall one shook it with enthusiasm. "William." He pointed to his shorter accomplice with his thumb, "And this one's Ryans - he don't talk much, but he's as stalwart a shield as you could ever find." The short one simply grunted in response.
"The caravan's meeting by the West gate. We'll meet you by the neighboring stables shortly to vouch for you. Don't be late!" He said, as they took their leave.
Marcus finished his drink before heading out, only sparing a passing glance at the unfortunate sop still passed out at the table - he'd probably get there first anyhow, seeing as he already carried everything he owned.