Rojuun

by John H. Carroll

  Chapter 21

  The companions stood in front of the Rojuun’s colorful house. Tathan chuckled to himself as everyone stared at it. They looked around at the other vibrant dwellings with wide eyes . . . well, Liselle looked around with wide eyes, Vevin’s eyes swirled and Sir Danth’s eyes . . . he didn’t have any, but Tathan was sure they would be wide if he did.

  They went to the door and knocked. Moments later, a human butler opened the door. He wore a long yellow jacket over green leggings. His clothes and appearance were immaculate. “You are the warriors the master has hired?”

  “Well, he hasn’t hired us yet. I was told to gather people with weapons and come to his house.”

  The butler glanced behind him to see if anyone was listening before speaking in hushed tones. “Are you familiar with the ways of the Rojuun?”

  “We just arrived in town this evening. We traveled through the forest from the kingdom of Kethril.”

  “Kethril, through the forest?” The butler looked impressed by this fact. “That’s rare. The forest is dangerous and Druids frighten even the Rojuun.”

  “The Druids didn’t bother us.” Tathan waved his hand dismissively. “Treat their forest with respect and they usually leave you alone.”

  The butler didn’t look convinced. “Still I find it impressive. I don’t know how much you’ve been told, but the Rojuun do things differently than you’ll be used to. It’s important you understand certain things.”

  “Of course.” Tathan latched his thumbs in his swordbelt. “What should we know?”

  “The first thing to know is that when a Rojuun tells you you’re needed for a task, you automatically work for them. I know many adventurers who can’t handle being told what to do and might take offense.”

  “It took all of my restraint not to tell him how I felt about getting an order,” Tathan admitted.

  “Of course. You look capable, but the Rojuun are extraordinary fighters. They’re fast and their knives are sharp.” He put a finger up to emphasize his next point. “If you were to kill one, the rest would hunt you down.”

  “What is the penalty for killing one?” Sir Danth asked.

  The butler raised his eyebrows. “Penalty? They kill you of course. There are no jails in Rojuun territory. If you kill one, or even another human, they kill you. If you steal from them, they kill you. If you irritate them or refuse a job, they kill you. There is no other penalty. You can try to defend yourself, but they’ll hunt you down and kill you. You’ll find very little crime in Puujan as a result.” He leaned forward. “Am I getting the point across to you?”

  They all nodded.

  Tathan grumbled. “Yes, we get the point. If we do anything the Rojuun don’t like, they’ll try to kill us and keep coming until we’re dead.”

  “Precisely! So essentially, Master Jarrrn Garrrn has already hired you. If you tell him you can’t do the job, he will tell you to get more people to help. If you refuse, he’ll kill you.” The butler took a deep breath and stared at them with his arms folded. The look on his face suggested that he didn’t think they would be smart about the whole thing.

  “I don’t intend to refuse,” Tathan reassured him. “I don’t think he could kill me, but I don’t want to cause trouble. There are certain things I just won’t do though. I’m not the best man in the world, but I’m not an assassin either.”

  The others nodded at that statement.

  “That won’t be a concern. They don’t seem to care about stealing from or murdering each other.” The butler shrugged. “They’re extremely honest about things and treat each other, and even humans, very well. I can’t imagine the master will ask you to assassinate anyone.”

  “Well then, I guess we’d better see what he does want us to do.”

  “Of course. If you give me your names, I will introduce you.” The butler was back to the business of being a butler.

  “I’m Tathan. These are my companions: Liselle, Sir Danth and Vevin.” Tathan introduced them one at a time

  The butler acknowledged each with a nod.

  Vevin didn’t get so much as a second glance. When Tathan looked at his dragon friend, he saw nothing different.

  Vevin noticed him looking and gave him a big grin.

  “This way.” The butler motioned them to come inside. “The first entry on the left is the sitting room. Make yourself comfortable in there and I will announce you to Master Garrrn.” He said the name and rolled the r better than Tathan, but it just wasn’t the same from a human.

  They walked in and went to the sitting room. It had two couches and a number of chairs with cushions to make a person comfortable. Most places that Tathan had traveled to had sparse wooden furniture with only a few cushions to be seen. This room had a level of comfort in line with the royal chambers of a castle.

  Sir Danth remained standing while the rest sat and looked around. There were rugs on the floor and numerous paintings on the wall. A small magical fire was lit in the fireplace at the end of the room. It was a chamber fit for any king.

  “There you are and you have companions with you.” Jarrrn Garrrn entered the room gracefully, followed by the butler. He was just shy of seven feet, shorter than the Rojuun that had played the song at the inn. His cat-like eyes were bright blue. His hair was thick and black, just like the one from the inn, but braided into four braids.

  “Your armored friend looks capable, though I don’t know how he can move in all of that.” Jarrrn smiled pleasantly as he greeted them with dual voices. There was a chuckle at the end that sounded like two children laughing. “I don’t see any weapons on your other companions though.”

  “They have other skills that serve the purpose,” Tathan reassured him. “Together we are formidable.”

  “Very well then. Have a drink.” Jarrrn motioned for the butler to pour drinks from a liquor cabinet. “I have a dangerous task you will gladly accept.” Once again, his voices were pleasant, but it was a definite command.

  Liselle giggled at the look on Tathan’s face.

  He ignored her. “Of course. I would know what the details of the task are, Master Garrrn.” Tathan had worked for dangerous people and knew how to speak without offending them. He just wasn’t used to being ordered to accept things and to be glad about it.

  “The details are simple. My family’s home in Juulla is in danger and you are to remove the danger.” Jarrrn sat in a chair near the fire, accepting a glass of wine the butler handed him.

  The butler then brought a tray with four glasses and a bottle of red wine to the rest of them. Tathan and Liselle each accepted a glass.

  “You are the human called Tathan, yes?” the Rojuun asked.

  “Yes.”

  He gestured at the knight. “Your companion does not accept my drink, Tathan human?”

  Sir Danth cleared a throat he didn’t have. “A knight must keep a clear head at all times, Master Garrrn. I intend no offense.”

  “Very well then.” Jarrrn Garrrn didn’t seem to notice that Vevin hadn’t taken a drink. “Before I explain, tell me if you know anything about the city of Juulla.” He addressed Tathan directly, ignoring the rest.

  “We’re new to Rojuun territory and don’t know anything at all about the cities to be honest with you.”

  A puzzled look crossed Jarrrn’s face. “Why would you be anything other than honest with me?”

  That question caught Tathan by surprise. “My apologies, Master Garrrn. It’s a human expression, nothing more.”

  “Ahh, I am not used to human expressions. They are odd. Let us get to the matter you will attend to.” He set his glass of wine on a side table. “Most of Rojuun civilization is underground in what you call the Caaldith Mountains.”

  Jarrrn Garrrn’s manner of speech was eloquent and melodic. He emphasized his words with delicate gestures using all four arms and hands. “The world of Ryallon is very large and has thick layers o
f rock and earth, throughout which exist natural caverns. It is in these caverns where the Rojuun have grown, developed and learned of our destiny.”

  “There are a great many dangers in the depths of the world. Rojuun have become exceptional warriors.” His voices were deep and smooth as he narrated his story. “Yet the dangers of the underground do not rest. It is not right that Rojuun should lose their lives defending their homes when there is a servant race that can fight those dangers.”

  Tathan used all of his willpower to resist the urge to slice the creature’s throat. The other three sat in stony silence.

  The Rojuun continued, oblivious to the restrained hostility of his guests.

  The butler was very aware of it though, and stood behind his master with fearful eyes.

  “Juulla is the city where my family lives. It is at the edge of Rojuun territory in deep caverns,” Jarrrn Garrrn said. “The main city is in a vast cave, larger than the city we’re in now. Rojuun cities are all in caves, some smaller, some larger. We have built our architecture beautifully. It is also done in such a way that it braces the cavern to keep it whole.”

  The party was learning information about the Rojuun, so they listened intently while managing to set aside their irritation at Jarrrn’s manner.

  “Many smaller caves exist in which small communities or families settle. It is in one such cave that my family lives. It is at the outskirts of Juulla and therefore very close to danger.” Jarrrn Garrrn leaned forward, a serious look on his face. “I am hiring you to remove the danger to my family. You will accept the job. It will please you to receive pay for this.”

  He stood, drawing two pouches out of a pocket in his robe. One was small and fit in his palm, the other was the size of two fists. “It is my understanding that humans like gold and gems.” He poured them out onto a table in the middle of the room. Gold coins came out of the large bag. In the small bag were diamonds, rubies, emeralds and assorted lesser gems.

  Tathan stared at the small fortune. “All right, I admit the pay is good. I’d like to know the nature of the danger.”

  “That is very sensible of you. There are creatures in the caverns who foolishly consider Rojuun to be food!” Jarrrn waved all four of his arms about as he spoke in anger. One of his voices had become shrill and the other lowered to a growl.

  The butler took a step back.

  “They must be very stupid to think such a thing.” Liselle pounded her fist on her thigh.

  Tathan looked at his cousin with respect. She was saying exactly the right thing to keep him friendly.

  “Yes! They are very stupid!” The Rojuun clenched all four of his fists and then took a deep breath before sitting down. “But they attack, and though my family fights back sometimes we lose someone.” Sorrow washed over him. “My son was taken from me. He was so wonderful.”

  Sir Danth stepped forward. “Tell us of these dastardly creatures who would treat noble beings and their children in such an indignant manner.”

  Tathan thought the knight was laying it on a bit thick.

  Master Garrrn seemed to appreciate the sentiment though. “That is what I like to hear! Proper outrage.” He pumped his right fists into the air. “They are called sstejj.” Master Garrrn sat back and spoke in quiet, seething tones. “They come from the very rocks of the caverns and are a malignant mutation of the substance that makes up the world of Ryallon. The creatures have no eyes, hunting by scents in the air and vibrations in the ground.” He used his hands to outline what the creatures looked like as he spoke. “Their heads are like jagged rocks with sharp rows of teeth in long muzzles. They do not have proper noses, but breathe through gill like openings on the side of their heads.” The Rojuun looked at the companions intently as he made his next point. “They can breathe underwater while traveling in underground lakes and rivers making them all that more dangerous. Nowhere in the caverns is safe from sstejj.”

  His tone was ominous as he spoke, causing the hair on Tathan’s neck to stand on end. “They move on eight legs, each with eight joints. The legs are made of hard stone, which dulls knives. Their bodies are disgusting. They are thin and long when hungry and fat after they’ve eaten.” A look of disgust covered his face. “The body feels like soft, slimy stone. It makes one sick to touch it. This is where you must cut!” He stood to pace. “A deep cut anywhere in the body will incapacitate it and it will die. It’s difficult to get past the head and legs though, nor can a being sneak up upon them because they feel and smell you coming.” He shook his head in frustration. “They travel in packs always. You will never face just one.”

  He slumped in the chair, all four arms hanging down over the sides of the chairs. Jarrrn Garrrn looked tired.

  “How large are they?” Tathan asked quietly.

  “About as long as a Rojuun is tall and their legs are each half as long. The legs move in all directions and they can crawl along the walls of a tunnel, though not the ceiling.” He made long gesturing motions with his arms that indicated crawling. “They are not intelligent. They just hunt and kill and keep killing.”

  Tathan was amazed by how expressive a person could be with an extra set of arms. He considered the information for a moment with his own arms crossed. “A wizard I worked for in Dralin liked to talk about the caves of Ryallon. He said it would be impossible for any creatures to live in the depths because there’s no way for breathable air to get down there. Can a human survive?”

  Jarrrn lifted his chin. “Did your human wizard ever enter a cave? I realize you humans try to be intelligent. It is cute, but not necessary.” He waved a hand in dismissal at the concept. “There is plenty of breathable air in the caverns. Do you understand how air is made, human?”

  Tathan tried hard not to sputter in outrage at the outright dismissal of human intelligence. “Air isn’t made, it just exists.”

  “Of course you would think that.” Jarrrn sighed. “Very well. I will attempt to explain it to you once, but I will not waste my time again should you prove too dense or righteous about your own ignorance.” He waggled a finger.

  Tathan took a deep breath and exhaled. He felt Liselle put a hand on his arm to calm him.

  “Rojuun, humans, and all living creatures breathe in one type of air and breathe out another. I won’t go into technical terms so as not to confuse you or make your head hurt.” He gave Tathan a gracious smile. “What you humans don’t seem to understand is that plants also breathe in and out.”

  Tathan thought that was silly. How could plants breathe in and out when they didn’t have mouths or noses? He didn’t say anything about it because he was too angry. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want to sound ‘dense’.

  Jarrrn Garrrn leaned forward with a finger up to emphasize his point. “Now, this is where it gets tricky. The air we breathe in is the air plant life breathes out. The air that plants breathe in is air we breathe out.”

  Tathan didn’t know if he believed that, but he was curious. He liked learning new things, always trying to figure out for himself if they were true. “All right.”

  The Rojuun continued with a smile. “You humans seem to like it here above the ground with all the sky above you.” He gestured above his head with one hand to indicate the sky while pointing at them with another. “You get your breathable air from vast forests, grasses and plants. There are also many plants in your oceans that produce breathable air.” He leaned forward, enjoying the lecture he was giving. “You have more air than you need, in fact! It fills the sky to great heights.”

  Tathan had never considered that the world could run out of air. It wasn’t a pleasant thought.

  “Now, the reason you need to know this is to help you understand how there is air in the caverns.” Jarrrn Garrrn took a sip of his wine. “Within the extensive caverns of Ryallon, there is an abundance of life. There are vast open caves with plants, animals and even trees.” He ges
tured to emphasize the size of the caverns. “Many animals graze while others prey upon them just as animals do above ground. There are also numerous rivers, lakes and seas underground. Plants within them also give off breathable air.” There was a smile on his face as he spoke of his home. “It is absolutely wonderful to breathe that air.”

  Liselle frowned. “Plants need sunlight to survive, or moonlight for night flowers, but there’s no sunlight underground. How do they grow?”

  “Now that is a very good question.” Jarrrn pointed toward Liselle. “Plants are not the same underground as they are here. They grow differently, with less color.” He stood and moved to a potted flower. “I must admit that I love the colors of your flowers above ground. They are so beautiful.”

  The flower was leaning toward Liselle and even seemed to be happy to see her. Liselle waved at the flower, smiling, which seemed to please it to no end.

  “The flowers underground glow, even the ones underwater.” A look of divine pleasure crossed Jarrrn’s face as he closed his eyes to imagine the sight. “Glowing moss covers many walls and ceilings. And the plants grow from the dirt floor.”

  “Dirt floors? I thought it was all rock,” said Sir Danth.

  “No. There is a great deal of dirt. Rivers wash sediment from above ground throughout the caverns and have been doing so for as long as Ryallon has existed. There are worms everywhere that pulverize rock into dirt while plants and animals return to the soil in death, making it soft and fertile.” As Jarrrn explained, he moved one hand to the next, then that one to the next and all the way around in a circle to show each point and how it affected the others.

  Tathan wanted to see the things the Rojuun described. He felt wanderlust not experienced in a while. “How far away is Juulla?”

  “There are tunnels, but it would take weeks to get there. I have a teleport portal set up in this house that connects to my family’s home.” Jarrrn Garrrn gestured to the door. “If you are prepared, we can go now. I will take you, introduce you to my family and give you a place to stay while you work.”

  Tathan was almost beginning to like Jarrrn. The companions were being treated better than most employers had ever treated him, even if everything was a command. “We’re ready.” Tathan looked at the rest of the party to see them nod in agreement. Liselle had wide eyes and a big grin.

  “This way then.” Master Garrrn led them through the door. Liselle brushed her hand gently against the flower as they followed. Tathan could have sworn the flower purred.