"He wandered through the ruins of the city, not a soul remained to cross his path, he had become the only one. Only but a few moons he could endure this burden, the curse he set had become the only way. The ones that perished and will perish, become one under the same hate"
Me and Colt got up the horse and Norman held the reins and led us down the trail. The wind hadn't lessen, the visibility remained hindered but Norman didn't misstep nor stumble. In a matter of a few minutes he had already led us to a portion of the trail that went down, a place where the wind wasn't too strong and the temperature was more bearable. "Good. We'll go through here and to the cave I was working on", Norman said and abruptly switched paths, going down a slope that seemed steeped but where he easily helped the horse traverse down, through a set of 'steps' where we were able to set foot on a small valley between peaks. We spent an hour crossing this valley to the other side, and all that time I felt Colt gaze on me, "What?", I blurted out, and he looked away in embarrassment before side eyeing me, "I-It's uh… it's just that… I-I'm happy that you are… here", Colt said, "I was afraid… too afraid… I thought that you were going to… die", he whispered that last word like if saying it louder would attract it. "Don't worry about me. I said I would get you to Delilah and that is what I'm going to do", I reassured him.
"Delilah? Who's that?", Norman asked all of a sudden, "Colt's mom… or something like that. I'm going to Prime Bay to drop him with her", I said and Norman smirked, "Really? The little guy said you were his mentor", he said and I turned to Colt, who was blushing and looking away. "Mentor, right… what else did he say?", I asked and Norman smiled wide, "That, and that you were a hero and he was your squire, that he was on a quest with you. He painted a really heroic picture, he's actually pretty good a telling stories". Colt completely turned around, avoiding both of us while hiding his head between his legs, and I took the chance to ask something else to Norman, as I had to confirm he wasn't a threat, "Well, well, well… Later I'll speak to my 'squire' about this. Moving on, I been meaning to ask, you live in Prime Bay and come all the way here just to do mining?", I asked to Norman and he began to explain, "Once every two months I come here and do some mining. I'm actually a blacksmith, I run a shop in Prime Bay and make all sorts of stuff… the usual; armor, swords, maces, helms. I also make fences, cages, doors, and even some jewelry from time to time". A blacksmith? It made sense, not only that, but this guy may prove more useful than what I anticipated, "And you closed your shop to come here? Because, from what it sounds like, you should be making more than enough, not needing to mine corid at all", I pointed out and Norman expression turned sour for a split second, he coughed a bit before smiling again, "Nah, nah… My son runs the shop when I'm gone. He's really skillful too, he's actually the one that makes the jewelry as I easily fuck up with those kinds of precise jobs… And I have a reputation to maintain, the armor I make, the weapons I craft, all have corid, not only it strengthens the steel but it also works as a signature".
His words sounded completely honest to me, despite me not being good at telling if someone's lying, he couldn't be putting such an elaborate front just to fool us, right? Also, I could partially see his right wrist and he didn't sport a mark, so he wasn't from the cult. He finally led us to a wider trail that had an open cave; which walls had lanterns attached to the stone, it went deeper but Norman told us to wait and he went inside alone and, after a few minutes, he came back with two bags full of corid. "I'll help you with that", I said and took one bag, it was surprisingly heavy, for a second I thought it would be hard on the horse but, when I tied it to its side, it didn't even complain. "Uff, alright, ladies. We may begin the journey back to Prime Bay. First let's get off this fucking mountain, this trail goes down to another valley and, from there, we can get to the feet of the mountain. After that, it's like… a day or two of traveling, may take three since we have only one horse and we got weight but it will be fine, we'll stop by the village of Saint Clement, we can spend the night there".
As we made our way down the mountain, we spoke more and more and. bit by bit, I got more of a perspective on this person. I felt glad, this man was honest, he wasn't a cultist, an adventurer, a murderer or a militant, he was just a blacksmith, one that could trekk really well. By noon we were already out of the mountain, the cold replaced by the heat of the summer which prompted us to get some clothing off. "Norman, sir… I was wondering if you have ever seen any of the cultist in the mountain, since we just left a town of the cult of Delia which is not that far away from the pass", Colt asked, a smart question that I didn't thought of asking myself, "The cult? You were in Vorvorgard?, What was the name they gave it… uh… the sacred ass or something like that, no?", Norman said and chuckled before he shook his head, "Nope, the cultist don't even try to go through Cedar's Pass anymore. There's been a few times some tried to infiltrate in Saint Clement or Loraine, but they are easily identifiable by the Princedom's watchers, they are all over this place… see, once you cross the Central Range you enter the royal army zone of influence and they do a good job in keeping the capital safe".
The fact of not having to deal with anymore of those cultists brought quite the relief, "That's good to hear but, is the prince going to do something about the cult? They must be in control of a large portion of the country by this point", I pointed out and Norman nodded, "Yeah, you are right on that, and the prince is doing what he cans. These cultists have been a pest for a while… I remember the first time I met one of 'em five years ago, I was in Lesengard when I saw a group of them preaching openly in the plaza, at that point they still weren't sought by the Princedom and they used to preach in a gentle manner. Still, the prince knows about the problem, he doesn't underestimate it, the issue is getting the resources to take care of them", he explained and I raised an eyebrow, "You reckon? I mean, they are but a week of traveling distance from the capital, how many people have already die thanks to his inaction?", I retorted, half question half protest, and Norman pursed his lips and stopped, "Let me ask you something. Do you know why the Princedom exist?", he asked, noting some annoyance in his voice, "A buffer state, it was created as a buffer state, nothing more", I replied with the same tone he used on me, "Good, you aren't stupid then, just ignorant. See, to avoid being considered a threat, the Princedom has a reduced military force. So, you can't just send the whole army, spread it thin across the whole country and hope to defeat an organized military cult. You think first, and then asses what to do. That's what Prince Henry is doing, he's securing help. I know it because he himself announced as much, he said he was hiring mercenaries and asking for external help, we just have to give him time. Got it?, let's continue", he explained and moved again.
He spoke of the prince the same way Delilah did, first time I've seen a ruler treated this fairly, it was usual to hear only protest among commonfolk towards their rulers. Back in Roda, I would hear complains towards the empress all the time, specially one time when she raised taxes, adding a new tax to every item sold in the main market, and adding tolls to every bridge in the empire, all of that just to collect funding for the Third Holy Campaign. Also, when the count of Lannvia Pudia was overthrown during a peasant revolt because he forced a tax on every pig inside his county, which is known to provide most of the pig meat in the empire. I was intrigued about how the prince managed the capital, if his subjects were this happy with him then that must mean he's good, right?
We traveled for two more hours, the terrain became flatter and nothing like the problematic slopes and ravines from them mountain, before arriving to the town of Saint Clement; that was built on a hill and had a big tower overseeing the whole town. The name caught my attention as Saint Clement was a saint belonging to the faith despite the Princedom being strictly laic, and there wasn't any imagery of the faith anywhere. The town had an open gate that was being watched by more than five soldiers, all of them sporting the symbol of the Princedom and wearing blue capes, they stopped us at the gate and one of them greeted Norman, "Oi, you old bastard, how are you doing?", the guard said and hugged Norman who patted his back, "Alive and fatter than yesterday. How's your wife?", Norman asked and struck a conversation which I didn't paid too much attention until the guard asked, "Who are these two that are with you? This man is a knight? And that's a kobold?". I got down from the horse and was about to speak but Norman did it for us, "They are with me and yup, that's a kobold, one that came across the mountains no less. This guy… I think he's a knight… anyway, they aren't marked, ain't from the cult or nothing", he assured to the guard and they allowed us to pass without any problems and even if I didn't like Norman's mocking tone, he was proving useful.
"First, let's go to the inn, one of my mates runs it", Norman said and led us to a seemingly regular house, particularly tiny to be an inn, "I know what you are thinking, yes, it's small, don't mention that to Rony", with that, Norman entered the inn and immediately went to a makeshift counter, made of a repurposed kitchen table, where behind it stood a young guy. "Rony boy, how are things!", Norman exclaimed and shook the Rony's hand, "Nghaa mhnnaa!", Rony babbled, "Really? Woah", Norman struck a conversation with the guy who could only babble, don't know how Norman understood any of that. He finally told him about us and we were handed a key, to a room that was the size of the bathroom I used back in the cultist town; so tiny it actually surprised me how they were able to fit the furniture in. "Hey, well, you two will be staying here. I'll stay on a friend's house. Tomorrow I'll come meet ya here, alright?", Norman said and left us. "Well… uh… what shall we do?", Colt asked while fidgeting with his tail, and I was keen on spending the afternoon in the tavern, so I took some coins from my pocket and gave them to Colt, "Here. Get something for you, stroll around, don't know. This town is safe for kobolds but, if anything happens, scream. I'll be in the tavern", I said and headed out while I've heard Colt's faint protest behind me.
As I walked through the dirt streets, I second guessed myself about leaving Colt alone but, I could see some kobolds working inside the houses, carrying stuff around, just like in Franck, so I knew he will be safe. It didn't take long for me to find the tavern, every one looks the same; piss stains on the outside walls, windows with broken glass and that smell… ale with a combination of misery that permeated like an aura, it felt like home. My presence caught glances from everyone, and it was obvious why as I was the only one wearing armor and carrying a sword. I found my place on the counter and I asked for some wine as a starter, I always start with wine to see if it will surprise me, the only thing this tavern had different, from the usual, was the bartender; a fair skinned girl who really stood out from the other bartenders I've met before where most are so ugly you don't even make eye contact, but in this case, well I'm not one to be easily starstruck but, I couldn't help but linger a bit longer on her hazel eyes, a most welcoming sight after seeing nothing but flayed bodies and horrifying beasts, a sight that was interrupted by the strong breath of the drunk sitting beside me, "Uh… you a knight, mate?", he asked, his hand raising my cape and poking at the chainmail in my thigh, "What if I was?", I said as I slapped his hand away, "Hahaha, if you was… I'll-… I'll buy ya a round if you- help me with stuff…", he said between burps, "Lainman, t-that fucker… h-he kill me two chickens… when I sold him… just one, y-you should… trial him". Why was he telling me all of this?… yeah, he's a drunkard so is obvious he would speak to a complete stranger. "Ask that to one of the soldiers. Even if I wanted to help you with that, I'm not a knight of the Princedom", I replied while receiving the cup of wine, finally something good, and I brought it to my lips… it tasted… so bad, it tasted like it wasn't well aged, the alcohol burned my mouth and hid the flavor… but I finished the cup anyway.
"Y-you… you, you… are a knight but not a knight?", the drunkard kept going, while I asked for a refill, "Sort of… w-why am I talking to you? I can't help you, mate. Go bother someone else", I said but the drunkard didn't stop, he turned towards another guy sitting across the other side, "Hey! Hey! Calv, this man… this man's a knight, right?", he asked while pointing at me and the other guy nodded slowly, then he turned back to me, 'playfully' pushing my arm, "S-see! You a knight. Wait a second… you are fucking with me… no? You got that… plate, the steel, everything…", he continued, patting my should plate, pulling on my cape and lightly kicking my boots. I was but an inch of bashing his jaw in, trying to keep myself calm but, I focused on drinking the awful wine which became better by the fourth cup.
Obviously, they were trying to sell me the shit wine, no, they sold me the shit wine… I drank it all, then continued with the ale but the fucking drunkard wouldn't stop bothering, so I drew my sword and pinned him against the counter, the blade scrapping his throat, "Listen, touch me again and I'll take your trachea out your fucking nostrils", I warned, the drunkard raised both his arms and said, "O-Okay b-but… I don't know what the fuck a trachea is…", this fucking guy… I couldn't help but laugh at loud, he did the same and the mood lightened up. We drank together and I even paid a round for everyone, while one guy brought a flute a began to play, another guy came in with a harp, they played a song together, then one old man began to sing, it was a song about… I guess a veteran, it was about a soldier of the west that lost his cock due to war, didn't know the lyrics... I still chanted along anyway.
Drink by drink, the drunkard's complain, about his chickens, made more and more sense. This Leinmen, Lainman or whatever the fuck guy, was a real piece of shit, why he dared to steal something so precious as a chicken from someone who's livelihood depends on his animals?… This wasn't to stand, so I agreed to help him, "This… I'll help you with, chicken matter, ok?". We walked outside, I was caught by surprise due to the fact it was night already, and we went to Lainman's farm, we- I jumped the fence and fetch two chickens, one I gave to the drunkard and the other I killed, in part to make it equal and another to show him that, killing chickens is… is bad. "L-listen, I have things… to do, see ya later", I said and waved the drunkard goodbye, I felt my stomach heavy so I took some deep breaths... and vomited into a ditch. It was night, but I still have time and coin so I went back to the tavern and, upon my return, I found it quite disorganized; there were some flipped tables and half the people were gone, anyway, I went to the counter and, for my surprise and enjoyment, they had some left overs of that strong wine, so I kept going-
I felt a gentle breeze, I heard the sound of cockcrowing and… felt the sun on my face. I had woken up and I was still completely dressed, seemed I came last night… at some point. Ngh… I have a fucking headache, never again taking that wine… and where is Colt?, he's not in the room. I went to the 'reception' and Rony began to babble loudly when he saw me, "Ahhh mmnhaaa!!! mnhaaaa!", I turned to see two royal soldiers who came up to me, "You are Tak of Sonnda, right? Come with us, we got something to discuss". Even if hungover, I could gauge that they were easy to cut, I went for the handle of my sword and the other soldier said, "W-wait! We got your kobold too and we aren't going to fight you, just come with us", I let off the handle and nodded. They escorted me across the town and I could see the faces of the townsfolk staring at me, don't know if I did something too bad yesterday, but anyway, I didn't care. Finally, we arrived to a building the soldiers used as a base, and they led me to a room with cells where we stopped in front of one; inside sat Colt and Norman. "T-Tak! Sir! W-we went looking for you last night and Norman got into a fight and-", Colt tried to explain but Norman glared at him intensely prompting Colt to silence. "A fine, right?", I asked the guard, "Two", he said and I handed him two silver coins, "Gold coins", ngh… didn't have to be a dick about it, I gave him the two gold coins and he opened the cell door.
Norman exited the cell and, out of nowhere, gave me a left hook straight into my face, that made me fall onto the floor, "W-what the fuck?", I exclaimed and Norman tried again but was stopped by the guard, "You drunken bastard!", Norman yelled, "You left him alone just to go get drunk, you fucken bastard! And you gave him coin! He's like a child, you fuck! Fuck you!". I didn't understand where he was coming from, and he was escorted out of the base, then Colt came to me, "A-are you okay?", he asked as I stood up, "What was all of that about?… let's go", I said and Colt followed closely. "Norman got into a fight last night", Colt said, "H-he saw me wandering alone and asked me where you were… and I told him, so we went to look for you in the tavern. I think that many people know him in this town, just as he entered the tavern some of the people drinking began to say; 'Look, is Jonas',and everyone greeted him by that name… I don't know why, but he got really mad and a fight broke out…".
Jonas he said? That's interesting, it's a nickname given to some, I'm surprise to hear it so far south.. "Weird… uh, what did you do while I was in the tavern?", I asked but Colt gazed to the ground and didn't answer, "Don't tell me you think the same as Norman. You're smart, you can take care of yourself", I said but, again, he didn't answer and it was getting on my nerves, "I went to have a few cups, that's all. C'mon, do you expect me to sit still and babysit you every hour of every day? We are safe, this place isn't like the others, you can go around and nothing bad will happen", I continued and I could see Colt's eyes becoming wet, "Babysit?… s-sorry for being such a burden… I-I'll leave you alone", he muttered, taking a few steps away before turning, "So you can go get drunk again!", he yelled and then ran away.
Tsk… why was he so upset? It was nothing but a few cups, nothing else. Better let him cry it out somewhere else… agh, no, I can't leave him alone this time, I'll follow him. So, I tried following where he seemed to have ran to, kobolds are quite fast with those tiny legs, and ended up on the outskirts of the town. Besides Colt's whereabouts, the other thing crossing my mind was that thing they said to Norman, they call him Jonas. I've heard that a lot in the taverns of Lindelen and other northern towns, specially in Kolkia, but this south? First time. Jonas 'the wild' he was called, it's sort of a myth? Or urban legend that's pretty well known in the north, it is said that Jonas was a lumberjack that worked and worked but the coin wasn't enough as wood wasn't selling well, so he wanted to change his 'line of work', he tried mining but he couldn't bare close spaces, he tried smithing but burned his fingers, he tried fishing but was too impatient, he tried and tried many things but the coin wasn't enough so his wife left him, his friends laughed at him and nobody lent him a hand, so he went deep into the woods to die, and there he found a badly wounded wolven and, after tending to her wounds, he was led by that wolven to others that hid from the humans, then, deep in the forest, he decided to settle among the wolven, there he built houses and married to… it is said, more than a hundred wolven. So, if you fucked a wolven your friends would tease you with that nickname, in my opinion is not that big of a deal, but maybe Norman had other reasons to dislike being called that.
I roughly followed where Colt went, but I couldn't find any signs of him. It's not like it worried me but, after half an hour, it became more of an urgency. "Can't find the little guy?", I heard Norman's voice behind me, "Why so worked up? You were the one to say that he'll be safe here… thinking otherwise?". I side eyed him, "Hi Jonas", I muttered and he tried to reach for my neck with his hand, something I dodge with ease, "You fuck, where did you hear that?!… Colt told you, didn't he? You even know what that means?", he asked, gritting his teeth. "I know what it means and I don't care why you got called that. Are you going to help me find him or no?", I replied and he relaxed, sighing and motioning me to follow him, "I have an idea of where he'll be. Yesterday he asked me if I could follow him to the tavern, to get you. You weren't there and… he probably told you I punched a bunch of assholes. In the cell, the guards spoke of a knight that killed a chicken on Lainman's farm. Colt didn't want to believe it was you, also that you were a drunkard and a criminal, he believed you were going to appear and get us out", Norman explained, "He looks up to you, you know? For him you are like a hero from a tale. But I know your kind, you're a mercenary or something like that. I get why you'll want to get drunk but, if you are to protect someone, you have to put their life as your first priority". His words brought annoyance at first, he spoke like he'd known better, like he saw the things I saw, cheap sympathy, like he knew better how to protect someone, kill someone, brandish as sword as heavy as this one... I remained silent and, in reflection, I could tell why the annoyance, he was right even if I didn't like it, it burned my chest and closed my throat but the bitter truth was that I am horrible at protecting, I cannot protect, I barely protect my own life, that's why I left Dorlan alone, that's why I dislike companions, that's why I want to get this escort job over with.
Norman led me to some farmland outside of town, two paths went around the large crop fields, "That's Lainman's farm, I'll go to the left, you go to the right", Norman said. It was the same farm from before, but under the sunlight and sober, it looked much bigger. I went right and walked through a narrow dirt path, looking to my left; the large field of sunflowers and fresh soil. Then, I stumbled upon a barn, I jumped the fence and approached the building and, coming from inside, I could heard voices, "We tell master! Master see you punish, master will!", it was a high pitched voice, unmistakable kobold and then another one, "Master punish strong, punish hard!", then another one, this one I knew, it was Colt, "B-but I came to say sorry. We'll make up to you somehow, he didn't mean to kill the chicken, he was intoxicated", he was pleading for me? Ugh… to two fucking kobolds nonetheless. I went to the barn entrance and peeked inside, there were two kobolds; one with red scales and another with greenish-yellow scales, cornering Colt who pleaded, "W-wait! I'll get Tak, he can talk to your master, don't punish me!", the red kobold shook his head, "No, no. Your human wait, you receive punish first". Colt, dramatically if you ask me, got to his knees, "No! Please, don't, I'll do anything!", he said, a bad choice of words, the other kobolds smiled, and simultaneously lowered their trousers, "Okay! Me get mouth hole, he get back hole and we don't tell". Yeah, I knew where this was going, I slowly made my way to them, it was easier as they were paying attention to Colt who was blushing furiously and staring at the floor. The red kobold grabbed Colt's hand and tried to guide it towards his tiny dick, but, because I thought it would be funny, before he could use Colt's hand, I reached down with my right hand and squeezed the tiny cock really hard, "Hello there. Are you bothering this kobold?", I muttered as the red kobold screamed, then, with my left hand, I held the other kobold by the neck, and turned to Colt, "C'mon, get up".
"Sir human! Please! My!!!", the red kobold wouldn't stop screaming, so I threw him crashing to the far side of the barn. "Tak. You didn't need to come", Colt said while avoiding my gaze, "I had this under control…". I threw the other kobold out the window before replying, "Yeah. An inch from getting raped but under control all things considered", I said and he got up, and glared at me, "Why?! Would you care?! Would you care if I get a-abused, if I get maimed or if I die?!… I care for you, I was scared to death when you collapsed the other day, I thought that... I was going to be alone…", he snapped at me and got progressively quieter as tears flowed from his eyes. "Come here", I said and embraced him, I couldn't thing of something to say, like Norman, he was right, and I didn't want to show it, but I felt relief, too much relief to see him safe and sound.
"Hey!!!", I heard from behind me, then I turned and saw an elder man with a blue kobold behind him, "You are the one! You killed my chicken!". This man must be Lainman, "I am and I apologize for that. See, I was quite drunk-", I tried to explain but the elder man took a fork from a haystack and went straight for my head, but I easily held it away from me, then I took it from him and threw it aside but the old man got his fists up, "C'mon then! Fight me, you… you chicken killer!", he exclaimed then missed a punch and hit my chestplate, "Agh!!!", he screamed and held his wounded hand, "Y-you… a chicken wasn't enough?! You came to take me hand?!". I had enough of this, I held him by the neck, "Listen", I warned, "You either accept my apology and my coin for your troubles or I'll break all of your fingers". My words seemed to compelled him, "Well, if you put it that way…", he said, so I let one gold coin fall upon the floorboards, his eyes immediately caught the shiny metal and lunged at it, "Oh my! A g-gold coin?! I can buy a hundred chickens with this!".
I grabbed Colt by his arm and began to leave but the old man called for me, "Wait! Let me see your necklace!", I wouldn't stop if it wasn't for that weird request, intrigued, I obliged and pulled my necklace from under the chestplate to show it to the old man, the Langedar shined brightly under the morning sun, "You are of the faith!", he exclaimed and crawled to me before reaching from under his tunic and pulling his own necklace, it sported the Langedar too, "Like mine! I'm Phineas Lainman, but everyfolk calls me Lainman. I'm more than please to meet another faithful", he stood up and extended his hand. I was dumbfounded, not only a random farmer in the middle of the Princedom was of the faith but one that had kobolds working for him. I shook his hand, "I'm Tak of Sonnda, everyfolk calls me Tak. Sorry for your hand and again for your chicken. Uh, what is someone of the faith doing in this place?", I asked and Lainman laughed and patted my back, "Oh, it's long story. C'mon, let's go to my home, we can discuss that over lunch", he said, and I wasn't going to refuse food, so I accepted.
"S-sir, shouldn't we go and talk to Norman first? We must continue our journey…", Colt said but I could sense it was an excuse due to being uncomfortable because, as we walked towards Lainman's farmhouse, the many kobolds working the soil turned to gaze at Colt, it was probably their first time seeing a kobold as well dressed as Colt, and some even dared to get close to sniff him before Lainman's scare them back to work with a slap. "You got quite the farm", I noted and Lainman smiled, "Yup. It was my granddaddy's farm, then my daddy's, then mine. Here I grow sunflower, barley, rye, carrots, potatoes, onions, parsnips, turnips, uh… and surely something more. Been providing Saint Clement for almost forty years", he explained and led us inside his house, it was more 'rustic' than Bernard's farm back in the Confederation, and more 'homely'. Lainman urged us to sit at his table and placed fresh cheese, recently baked bread and grapes, olives, tiny tomatoes; which he referred to as 'cherry tomatoes', chopped carrots and one good apple, "Want some ale? I fermented it myself", he offered and I considered my hungover, last night, everything that happened... and nodded effusively while Colt gave me a disapproving look.
"Not my usual lunch, but everything is tasty. Nothing beats fresh out of the farm I guess", I said, everything was enjoyable, even if it wasn't a proper meal. "Eat, eat. Is the least I can give you, my wife is the cook of the house but she's in the capital at the moment", Lainman said and sat with us while filling a cup and handing it to Colt, "Milk for the kobold. One time I gave ale to one of mine and he shat his pants for a month, hehehe". Colt sniffed the cup before a small sip, "What? Never drank milk before?", I teased as he tasted the milk profoundly, "Y-yes, I did drank some before. Never this good or this fresh...", he said and gulped it all. "Woah, your kobold speaks… like if it wasn't a kobold", Lainman noted, "How did you managed that. Mine can hardly speak a full sentence without stuttering or changing the meaning to words". His question was aimed at me but I didn't actually know why Colt was so smart, "Huh… first of all, he ain't my kobold. His name is Colt and I'm supposed to escort him to Prime Bay. Second, I don't know why he speaks that way, he likes to read and other things", I said, trying to describe Colt, he did seemed disappointed at my description so he chimed in, "Yes, Mr Lainman, it's mostly books and proper teaching that allow me to fluently speak this way", Colt explained while putting more effort in his refined way of speaking. "Mother of all cows, you do speak like my auntie. Colt is your name? Hahaha… I named mine by their colors, the one that told me about you it's called 'Blue', because he's blue, the one Tak threw away after pinching its prick is 'Red', because he's red, and the other Tak threw out the window I call him-", I had to stop him there, "That one you call Green or Yellow, right? Because he's greenish-yellow?", I said but Lainman shook his head, "Nope, I call him 'Poopy', because its colored like most shits I take in the morning".
An awkward silence ensued, I don't know if he meant to tell a joke… but nobody laughed. "Y'know, I do apologize for them trying fuck yer arse. They sometimes do that. Dunno why, but your kind are always like that, have to keep 'em separated and working constantly", Lainman said to Colt, something which made things even more awkward, "D-don't worry about it, sir", Colt said while lowering his gaze, a faint blush painted his face, "I-I know very well how our anatomy works. I know how our kind behaves, t-that's why is good for a human to… set things straight". Colt wording sounded like something he said before, that thing of being 'owned'… fuck, he actually believes that in his heart. "Yup! I don't even let them near my cattle. They fuck cows, pigs, chickens, holes in the walls, …", Lainman kept going, enumerating different things his kobolds tried to penetrate, Colt couldn't make himself look smaller if he wanted too; he covered his head between his legs and didn't dare to gaze up. "Alright, alright, stop with the sex talk", I exclaimed, but then got curious, "Do you only have male kobolds in your farm? Haven't seen any females outside… actually, not a single one in town", I asked and Lainman nodded, "Yup. Female kobolds have never been this expensive. Since the war with Roda started, most of the kobolds in the Confederation been executed… at least those deep in the south. The ones remaining north aren't for sale and some folk been trying to breed 'em, y'know they grow fast, but they been keeping females for themselves", Lainman gave a surprisingly deep explanation, "But…", he continued, "I wouldn't have females in my farm. They distract the males and aren't good workers… unless you wanna fuck 'em, that's fair. Wouldn't recommend, they get attached".
I turned to Colt who was still covering his head with a unhideable blush that turned his face a darker green tone, "What do you think? He's right?", I teased Colt with the question but he, diligent as always, sat straight and coughed before replying, "Uh… yes… I think so. F-females do tend to get quite attached… to their selected males. M-monogamous relations are certainly common among kobolds couples…". Lainman, probably amused by Colt's way of expressing, asked, "Kid, how old are ya?", and Colt, avoiding his gaze, replied, "I'm… I turned eleven months a few days ago". Lainman struck the table, "Let's toast then! You're an adult. I won't give you ale though, hahahaha!", with that, we spent almost an hour just drinking and talking. After having one last drink, by that point I was drinking milk as Colt's glare had become too intense and too judging, I thanked Lainman, who accompanied us to the farm's entrance, "Nice meeting ya, Tak. These are the moments we must cherished in life, something my granddaddy used to say… I think", Lainman said while patting me in the shoulder, then I remembered, "Hey, I didn't ask you why you were of the faith, and why are you in the middle of the Princedom?", I asked and Lainman laughed again, "Story for another time. You mentioned going north before, you're going to meet more people of the faith for sure. We are everywhere, just like kobolds", he said and went closer to my ear, "You got a really rare kobold there. You sure you want to give him back? A kobold like that, being able to speak like a professor, may be worth a lot". I understood where he was coming from but I wasn't going to break my promise, "I know. Still, he doesn't belong to me. Is my duty to see him safely to his destination and after that, well, that's for him to choose", I answered and shook Lainman's hand.
We left Lainman's farm and just a few meters from the entrance we found Norman, leaning against a fence, "Took you long enough. So, did you apologize to the poor bastard?", he asked, "More than that", I replied, "We had lunch with him". Norman petted Colt's head, "And you? Did you forgive this drunken knight?", he said and Colt nodded, "Yes… He promised he will try his best", Colt said while side eyeing me, don't remember promising that but alright. "Well, we got no time to spare. Let's hit the road!", Norman exclaimed then whistled loudly and my horse came running with the bags of corid and our stuff attached to its side, "I asked Rony to pack your things. Let's follow that road over there, it should lead to the main one that connects to the capital", he explained and we followed. Didn't know my horse was trained to come when whistling, I did see something like that before in other occasions and with other knights, still, I'm kind of jealous, not of the horse thing but because I don't know how to whistle…
With a steady pace, by the afternoon, we were well directed on the road to the next town; Loraine, a town which name was created by some of the native people that lived on the coast of the Princedom. Many years ago, these lands, like all of the continent, were part of the Great Empire of Oor. The oorish are thought to be the natives of the continent, and they were the ones that gave name to different places, specially those that ended in 'gard', like Dardangard, Lesengard, etc. The oorish colonized and controlled all of the continent in a matter of years by subjugating and killing the other people, one of the them being the coroneses; an extinct people that began sailing across the Free Ocean, something the oorish adapted into their customs. They, the coroneses, were the ones that gave name to the Bay of Lorientes and towns like Loraine, surely there is a reason why these names stuck, why the oorish left the names be but not the people that named them in the first place, the oorish had the conquering trait innate in them. However, the oorish eventually fell, their territories in the continent split up in favor of many different realms, their ancestral seat, their capital, Holgard, now stands as the capital of Centralia, which was renamed to Forsec Nontis, an old name in a different language, its meaning roughly translating to "Earth's Heart".
"Been quiet for a while there", Norman said, nudging my arm, "Something wrong?". I felt like I owed Norman an apology, "Nothing… just, I apologize for before, for getting drunk and for using that name on you. Ha… I'm the last person who should be calling you that name", I said and Norman chuckled and shook my arm, "Hahaha, don't worry about it! Sadly, I got used to it, so fuck 'em, don't care. Remember, it only hurts if you give an inch of care", he replied and then gazed at Colt, who was on the horse, "I'm glad you and the kid could work it out, like I said, he looks up to you, so you should give a good example. Even if he's a kobold, he ain't one of those farm kobolds old Lainman has, he's intelligent and may do great things in the future". I was also glad, but I didn't want to turn this into a festival of apologizes and kisses, he did have a point about Colt being something else among his kind, "Yeah. I've met countless kobolds and none of them get close to Colt's intelligence. Also, did you know Lainman is of the faith? The old cunt keeps kobold all the same, he doesn't care", I said and Norman repeated, "Of the faith?", then muttered, "Huh… Maybe he's more like you, Tak. Tolerant…". Norman became silent after that and we continued our way, by evening we could spot Loraine from afar; a town bigger than Saint Clement, with taller buildings and lighted paths that conjoined in the plaza which hosted a big clock tower. Just like Dardangard before, it reeked of rich people, I could already see decorated carriages with multiple conductors, the vivid colors of the clothes people wore.
The road ahead, despite being a dirt one, was neatly organized in two distinct lanes and with lanterns hanging from wooden poles working as streetlights. "Alright boys", Norman said, "People in this town are 'fancy' and, even if you got coin, it will be better if we don't stand out too much". Instantly, I recalled what had happened in Dardangard, "Hey Norman, these people won't lunge at me just because I look like an adventurer, right?", I asked and Norman rose an eyebrow, "What? No- why the fuck would they do that?". Then I realized this town didn't need adventurers as they were close to the capital unlike Dardangard, and they weren't under imminent threat by the cult. I kept silent as we moved through the cobblestone street, which were congested with many people strolling, sometimes batting an eye to us. Norman finally stopped in front of a wooden door to an inconspicuous house, he knocked three times and a man, wearing a blue gambeson, opened and greeted him, "Hey, Norm! How you've been", and Norman and the man hugged tightly before turning to us, "You are with these two?", the man asked, "This man is a knight? And a kobold?". Norman nodded, "Yup, and the horse too", he said and got close to me, "Tak, I'll let you both with him, don't piss him off, ok? I have to go take care of some things", he said and took the horse's reins and went in a different direction.
"Ok. Come in", the man said and let us inside, Colt went first and the man stopped me before entering, "You have to hand over the sword though, foreigners are not allowed to carry weapons inside". His request annoyed me a bit and I could see Colt turning to look at me, his face filled with worry, but I wasn't going to spoil our stay for something so petty, "Here", I obliged and undid my baldric and place it in his hands, "Don't lose it", the sword always comes back, so it wasn't really a problem, what bothers me is Norman leaving us in this place without giving much of an explanation as to why. We passed through a hallway and into a, what it looked like, a living room, but it had all the furniture removed and replaced with weapon holders which were filled with pikes, swords and maces. "I guess Norman didn't tell you. I'm from the royal guard and this house is used for transit, we keep weapons here, I'll leave your sword here too. I don't care about your name and you shouldn't care about mine, I'll see you to your room and you'll stay there until tomorrow, that's how it works", the man explained, completely dry of emotion unlike the greet he gave to Norman a few minutes ago. At least the room was cozy and with plenty of space, "Stay here and don't go out alone. Good night", the man said and closed the door. I immediately sat on the bed and began to unfasten my chestplate and greaves, I side eyed Colt who stood there, gazing at me, I could see his impatience, "N-need help with that, sir?", he asked, "No", I shook my head and continued but he just got closer, "Re-really? You know, I actually want to learn more about armor… how to put it on… take it off… clean it…", he yapped. "Could you remain silent for a bit? During the trip you were doing well, does this room bother you?", my question seemed to hit the nail, Colt started to tap his fingers together, gazing down then right, then left, sighing and going to one corner, sitting and then standing up… this went on for multiple minutes as I got my armor off and adjusted my tunic.
On top of a drawer stood a bowl with water so I cleaned my face while Colt talked alone, he had a habit of talking to himself, even thought I said to him that he did good a remaining silent during the trip, I did noticed him talking to himself all that time, he would see something and mutter a description about it. "Are you bored? That's why you can't stay in one place?", I said to Colt, "The door's there, you could leave, good luck avoiding the soldier". Colt didn't like what I said, he puffed his cheeks and tried to avoid my gaze, "It must be easy for you since you're old…", he muttered, thinking I didn't heard him, "Old...", I repeated and Colt stiffened, "So you think I'm old… How old do you think I am?". Colt slowly turned while apologizing, "N-no! I'm sorry… you are not old, you are very young… yes… uh, youthful… for a human", but that stupid attempt at an excuse didn't stop me from glaring at him, my silence and staring dared him to guess, "I… I…", he tried forming an evasion before sighing and raising his gaze to meet mine then he began to take a good look at my face, "W-well… I guess that… by the badly shaved beard… the wrinkles on your forehead… the unkempt hair with some gray follicles… thirty… two?". This fucking kobold just say I'm thirty two?! Thirty two??? Colt saw in my expression how wrong he was, "Wait! Uh… twenty… eight?", he guessed again as I slowly approached him, "T-t-twenty five!", he blurted before I shut his muzzle close. "Twenty one. I'm twenty one years old", I said in a low voice, then pulled my hand from his muzzle, he let out a simple, "Oh…", before he finally remained silent.
After half an hour more, Norman entered the room and brought two bowls of stew with him, "Well, anyone's hungry?", he asked with a grin. I took the bowl he offered but I needed to know why he had left us, "Where did you go and why you didn't say this place belongs to the royal guard?", I asked and he left the other bowl on the drawer before replying, "The man that greeted me is an old friend of mine. He's the keeper of this house, the royal guard use it as transit for troops and such. He cannot allow a wandering knight and a kobold to stay, he might get executed for it, but he does it because he owes me a few favors". I guessed it might be something along those lines, with that thing of him not wanting me to know his name and to left the room, I still felt like there was something else, "And what was that 'urgent matter' you had?", I asked and he showed me a tiny bag, dangling it, the metallic sound of coin was apparent, "I sold some stuff", he said, "I've got some buyers for corid in this town, so I always sell some to have some coin, just in case. Also, the horse is fine. There, answered all your questions?", didn't like his tone but I gave him a nod. "Okay, then let's eat. Tomorrow we'll leave in the morning, with good pace we might reach Prime Bay by the evening", Norman said.
We spent the night in that place and early in the morning we got ready to leave. Norman had already prepared the horse outside, and we continued towards the exit of the town. We passed through the plaza, which hosted the clock tower, "That's weird…", Colt muttered and then pointed upwards, "The clock seems to be broken", and Norman explained, "It ain't broken. The clock hands are perpetually staying in one place, it's symbolic, it represents the hour the Princedom was founded… or something like that". A clock tower that doesn't tell the time? Real useful… anyway, we arrived at the checkpoint and then we were stopped by the guards, "Halt!", the guard exclaimed, and I could see, from the corner of my eye, Norman's usual confidence fading, "Good morning, sir", Norman said, "We're just leaving town, we carry nothing but minerals and personal belongings". The guard approached Norman and stood mere inches from him, "You again?", the guard said, "You keep going to that mountain to mine, I should report that to the prince's council, those minerals belong to the state, isn't that right, Jonas?". At that remark I expected Norman to go straight for the guard's throat but, instead, he just grinned, "Mine? Kind sir, you're mistaken. I bought this minerals. Here", Norman replied and produced a small piece of paper from his pocket, which the guard snatched from his hands, "A bill for the purchase of fortykg of corid… huh… weird, forty kilograms of corid may be part of the stolen goods that were reported... did you know that there's a search being conducted in this town? I've heard that the northern trio is handling the investigation. Why don't you accompany us and wait for them?", the guard said and a silent tension manifested. I was sure we would have to resort to violence but then another, older looking, guard came, "W-what are you doing? Let them go. I won't deal with detainees", his orders broke the tension and we were allowed to leave.
"Whew! Didn't expect that guy to be on duty. That should be our last inconvenience. This road leads straight to Prime Bay", Norman pointed out, the road we were on was the only one that connected Loraine with the capital. Unlike the roads I took since beginning this journey this one was pretty congested, many carriages came and went; carrying goods, people or royal guards. Me and Norman would swap places during the trip, I would sat on the horse for an hour, then we would swap and let him rest his legs and so on, by noon we'd made it to Prince Colstrum's Lake, which was the last landmark before we reached the first farms and houses belonging to the capital, we sat to eat lunch and Colt asked all of a sudden, "So… nobody is curious about this northern trio? Are they famous?", and Norman replied, "They work with the Adventurer's Union. I've heard of them, they hold the record for most task completed in a single month". I've actually heard about them, when I was in Seaway with Dorlan, in the guild's tavern we used to heard many rumors about those guys, "I know of them but they aren't adventurers, they are more of a mercenary company… even if it's just three of them. From the short period of time I've worked in the guilds, they've actually snatched two jobs I wanted to do. I've never actually see them though", I said. I didn't want to meet them too since I've also heard they might be from Lindelen, so I might actually know one of them. I continued to eat but something was bothering me, I looked to my side to see Colt's gaze sticking on me, his eyes big and his tail waving, "Oh!", he exclaimed, "So… you are an adventurer too?! A hero and an adventurer! Y-y-you need to tell me about the adventures you had!".
I tried to ignore him but his eyes wouldn't stop following every movement I did, so I turned my back to him only to face Norman, "Well then. Tell us about your fucking adventures!", he exclaimed. "Fine", I sighed and thought of what to tell, "Uh… First of all, I'm not an adventurer. I'm a knight. Second, I only work in a guild because I needed coin and easy access to jobs, that's it. I didn't actually registered myself as an adventurer", I explained and Colt quickly asked, "B-but… how could you work in the guild if you weren't part of the union?", then the face of Dorlan flashed through my mind, I wonder how he's doing… "I had help", I said and I leaned against a tree, "There was this washed up adventurer, Dorlan's his name, I formed a party with him and I was allowed to perform tasks for the union… that was until I had to part ways with him", couldn't even catch a breath to continue when Colt asked, "Why?! W-what happened next?!", he really did loved stories. "There was this woman, Patricia Falkfak, she ran a corrupt group and wanted me to join her… she didn't ask though, she just arrested me. Then I was put in front of Franken Falkfak, supreme dictator of the Confederation yada yada yada, he offered me freedom in exchange of getting rid of a corrupt wizard in another town, and I agreed. We went to that town where I saw Patricia's men taking advantage of the citizens, killing, stealing and intimidating… and it turned out the wizard wasn't who he said he was, and he was actually more than a mere wizard… long story short, I didn't kill the wizard, I did kill Patricia Falkfak though", I told them, reviving those recent and painful memories, the remembrance was cut short as Norman spat a piece of bread and coughed loudly, "W-what the fuck!", he exclaimed, "Y-you killed a royal?! You are fugitive?!". I nodded and shrugged, "You didn't ask before!", he stood up and coughed a bunch more before sighing loudly, "That's bad… The Confederation has treaties with the Princedom, if you get caught and identified… well, they might sent you back to Lord Falkfak's doorstep", Norman warned and I braced for him to part ways with us but he just laughed a bit, "Hahaha… fuck it. I don't think the royal guard even cares about you, let's continue".
It's not like I couldn't fend for myself and do the last stretch to the capital on my own, but I did feel relief with him dismissing this affair. Actually, didn't gave much of a thought to what I did before and never got into my head the fact that I killed nobility… I wonder how Percival is doing… if he's even alive. We continued with Norman, the last stretch of the road was a mixture between cobblestone and dirt paired with a sudden military presence every kilometer. But, by evening like Norman said, we saw it from afar, extending along the coast, a beautiful beach, tall buildings, houses, mansions, the greatest port I've ever seen and right on the face of the mountain sat a great castle that watched it all, we had finally reached Prime Bay.