by Sami Dougish
“Uh I looted that from the bandits I killed, they were boasting about getting a large cut from the last raid, and I figured that I would need some coin to pay for a healer, so I took it with me.”
“Well, these bandits must have stolen that loot for themselves, as no bandit leader would allow his men to take such a haul for themselves. It seems that cut was worth it eh?!”
I nodded back, and finally, the guard stood up, and said, “Aye everything looks to be in order, welcome to Ravengrove. Your weapons are allowed, but start any trouble, and you will be arrested and thrown in the city dungeons. Also, keep your eyes peeled, there is an escaped drayzraac in the forests they say.” I tensed up at his words, but he didn’t seem to notice as he continued, “Yeah apparently, he escaped from the capital, and has gone on a killing spree. A patrol of the king’s regulars came here a day ago and posted leaflets all over town. A village not too far from here was sacked by bandits recently, and from what the villagers reported, a drayzraac was amongst the bandits, and then the lizard turned on the bandits and killed them all so he could keep the loot for himself. Ha, leave it to one of the scaled bastards to stoop low enough to work with bandits, and then kill them all for its own benefit.”
I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from attacking the arrogant human. He spoke with the same disdain I had heard in human voices in all my years as a slave. The arrogant superior attitude. Humans loved to refer to my kind as it, instead of him or her. They viewed us as little more than animals! Those fucking villagers had also apparently made it out to be that I was a bandit working with the ones who attacked them! I should have killed them all!
“And if that ain't enough, the villagers said that after he had killed all the bandits, he killed the remaining village elder out of spite. They need to put that creature down. Though now that the kings sending army units to actually capture him, He won’t last much longer. Soon enough he will be captured, skinned, and have his head-mounted somewhere for the crows to pick at.”
Unbeknownst to the guard or even myself, my hand was reflexively gripping my hammer tight enough to make my knuckles turn white. I wanted to kill this human so badly. I could barely keep myself from shaking, let alone acknowledge his words. It took every ounce of will I had to lean down, pick up the sack, and brush past the guard, and march into the city.
The guard looked a bit bewildered as I pushed past him but made no move to stop me as I stepped into the crowd of people moving into the city. Even away from the guard, I was still furious. I would love to kill these arrogant bastards and see the smug air of superiority fade from their eyes as I used their blood to grow stronger. All these fucking humans ever said about my kind was that we had scales worth skinning. What had my kind ever done to deserve this treatment besides resemble creatures that went extinct hundreds of years ago!
I was so angry that I didn’t even notice where exactly I was going. I didn’t particularly care either, and I continued moving with the crowds until my anger slowly began to cool. It took a while, but eventually, I was able to calm myself enough to properly think. I had to keep reminding myself I was almost out of Thuum, and once I was out of this filthy kingdom, I would have a much wider range of freedom. I would still be an outcast, but I would be much less likely to be skinned and executed. I was here in this city for a reason. To get supplies, rest for a night, and then continue on until I reached the border. On that note, I looked around and realized I had no idea where I was.
It took me a couple of minutes of observing, and from what I gathered, I had followed the crowd into the main pavilion of the city. Now that I was no longer near losing myself to my rage, I realized that there was a multitude of sounds all around me. I heard people shouting, laughing, and even fighting. After the sounds came my visual observations. I saw a mass of tents, which housed stalls. It seemed that this pavilion was home to a large market of sorts. I saw merchants peddling food, weapons, armor, jewelry, and a seemly endless range of goods.
People were pushing around and moving from stall to stall bartering with the merchants. Trying to either sell their own goods or buy goods from the merchants. I had seen markets like this before, in fact, I had been bought in one very similar to this when I was a child. I grimaced at the memory of being paraded like livestock for the nobles to buy. Sure, enough after looking around, I saw a raised dais, where I could see slaves being marched across as people shouted out bids for them. I clenched my teeth at the sight but knew I couldn’t do anything about it. Even if I could, I honestly wasn’t sure I would. From what I could see all the people being sold were of a variety of races, but none drayzraac. All of the races present, shunned my kind, and I had no sympathy for them. No one had ever helped me, so I had no intention of sticking my neck out for these people either.
Turning away from the busy market, I looked around at the surrounding buildings. Most were one to two stories in height and were made from a mixture of wood, and stone. Many of which also looked to operate as stores as well, and I assumed the more established and wealthy businesses were the ones that could afford a permanent stall. I would probably find better-quality goods in these stores but would at the same time have to pay higher prices.
Before I did any of this though, I needed to find an inn or something along those lines to stash my supplies and hunker down for the night. From what I had learned while listening to the men assigned to guard us as slaves, Inn’s usually doubled as taverns and brothels. Apparently, this would usually draw larger crowds to them, as they would offer a variety of pleasure to their customers. With that in mind, I figured I would just need to look for the busiest buildings. I could have asked for directions, but I really didn’t want to have to interact with these people more than necessary, so I just decided to figure out where an in was on my own.
It turned out I didn’t have to go far. Not even a quarter of a mile away was a building that looked larger than the rest. It was far enough away from the market that it wasn’t crammed in with other buildings, but close enough to attract a steady stream of customers. It was several stories high, and I could hear music and could taste the scent of smoke and beer on the air. My nose wrinkled at the scent, and I guessed this was one of those inns that doubled as a tavern.
I pushed my way through the busy street until I managed to finally reach the entrance of the inn. I quickly glanced around assessing the outside of the inn. The walls were made from a dark-colored wood and had windows on the front walls of the inn. The door to the inn was propped open, and the sounds and smells I had picked up earlier were by far more intense now that I was closer. Tables were arrayed outside the inn, and I saw rows of men and women boisterously speaking, shouting, and singing as they all held an assortment of mugs in their hands. The familiar stench of alcohol made my sensitive nose wrinkle. I hated that smell. Most of the time when I or other slaves had been beaten, it had been at the hands of drunk guards, who wanted a bit of sport before they went off to bed. We had all come to associate alcohol, especially cheap spirits with beatings from our handlers and guards.
Still, I hoped the clouded senses that came with the drink, helped keep patrons from paying too much attention to me. Squaring my shoulders, and keeping the bloody rag over my face, I strode into the inn.
The sounds and smells, now that I was inside, were even more pronounced to my enhanced senses. I watched as barmaids threaded their way masterfully through the crowd of patrons, absentmindedly swatting away drunk men’s grasping hands and carrying drinks and food in their free hand. While the smell of the dirty people and alcohol was unpleasant, the aroma wafting from the plates of food had my stomach grumbling, and I felt the pangs of hunger gnawing at my belly after the days of travel on small portions of food.
Before I got to eating, I needed to get a room first. I pushed towards the bar, where I saw an older looking women tending the bar and shouting out orders to passing barmaids. I assumed she was the owner, and if there was room to be had, she would be the one to talk to.
&nbs
p; I noticed that now that I had stepped fully into the inn, I drew the attention of quite a few eyes. I towered over the sitting patrons and refused to make eye contact with any of them. While the noise didn’t stop, it certainly calmed a bit as people took in my appearance as I brushed past them.
I reached the bar, and the women behind the bar looked up at me, with slightly raised eyebrows. Still, she shook herself, and said, “Oooh you’re a big one! Welcome to the Floral Inn. You’ll find no better service or accommodations in Ravengrove. My name is Laina, what can I do for ya? Besides direct you to a healer that is.”
The women’s voice was soft but had an air of authority, I got the feeling she ran this inn like her own kingdom. She barely came up to my midriff and judging from her greying hair, she was in the latter half of her life. Still, she hadn’t lost too much of the looks she must have had in her youth. Her slightly greying black hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her angular features sported full lips and bright green eyes. She had skin that was pale which led me to believe she spent most of her time in the inn. She was human though, and despite her looks, I felt the familiar twisting feeling in my gut when dealing with humans.
“Any rooms?”
“Why of course, we have several rooms that are not occupied! The cost is four silver coins a night, and an extra ten coppers for your meals if you be wanting any food.”
I had no idea if that was a good price, but I didn’t really have the ability to bargain, as I had never handled money before. I swung my pack around, and reached in, careful to keep the contents away from prying eyes. No need to show the money I had to a bunch of human strangers.
At least the name of the coins were seemingly self-explanatory. I pulled out six of the silver coins and passed them across the bar to her. I didn’t say anything and just stared at her. She shrugged and swiped the coins expertly off the bar, and into a pouch at her waist. She then bent down under the bar and pulled out a small iron key.
“Here you go, take the stairs up to the third floor, and it will be the first room on your left. The copper pieces gets you two square meals a day, and you can take them whenever cook finishes making whatever is on the menu for the day. Tonight, he is making a mutton stew. Best in the city, and I highly recommend it to ya! We also offer baths, it costs three copper coins for the water though, and double that if you want hot water. Let either one of my gals know or me, and within the hour, they will draw a hot bath in your room!”
I took the proffered key, and turned around without any acknowledgment, and made my way to the staircase. As I made my way up the stairs, the sounds of the patrons below began to fade. It wasn’t quiet by any means, I could still hear the sound of the patrons below, but it was at least muffled.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I found the room that the innkeeper had given me. I slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open. It wasn’t anything special, just a bed in the corner, and a that mirror hung on the wall. There was also a small basin in the corner, and I assumed this was for the baths she had told me about.
I set my bag down and removed the bloody rag from my face. I sucked in a grateful breath and curiously walked over to the mirror. I had never seen my reflection in a mirror, and I was curious to see what I looked like. Sure, I had seen my reflection in water before, but even though I had never been able to use one, I knew that they would offer a much better view. Before I stepped in front of the mirror, I curiously pulled my shirt off, as well, and now that I was mostly naked, I stepped in front of the mirror.
As I stood in front of the mirror, I studied my reflection with interest. My body was overall extremely lean. I didn’t seem to have any fat on my body, which could be attributed to a strict mostly meat diet, and constant exercise. My master had wanted me fit for the hard life for the arena after all. My muscles while not enormous, were still well defined and were easily visible under my skin.
While my scales were a jet black, my skin was a light brown, the color of softly tanned leather. My face was shaped roughly like a triangle, with a slightly longer than normal mouth, which accommodated my elongated teeth and tongue. My eyes were an interesting looking light brown, almost yellow. My hair which had usually been cropped short, or shaved completely, now was beginning to grow unruly.
My body bore the marks of a life spent as a slave and an arena fighter. I had the four large scars around each of my wrists, and ankles, which were from the shackles which I had been forced to wear whenever I wasn’t fighting or mining. My body was a small map of long healed scars from the arena fights and the beatings the guards loved to hand down to us. I turned so I could see my back and grimaced at the sight. Though my scales were much harder and durable than skin, they were by no means impenetrable. The slave handlers and mine foreman had a particular love for using whips, and over time, their whips had cut into my scales and left long scars. The scars on my scales usually disappeared relatively quickly as they continually would regrow, but if the scars ran deep enough, the scars would remain.
The worst scar on my back however was the large brand that had been burned into my back when I was first bought by Anestor. Slaves always had their master’s brand, so if they escaped, when recaptured, it would be a simple matter to return them to their owner.
I hissed involuntarily, and spit to the side in disgust at the sight. Not enjoying the sight of my scared back, I turned back around, so that my chest was facing the mirror again. I shook my head as I realized that I had another in the center of my chest after I cauterized the wound from the forest monster. Now that I thought about it though I smiled. I had one large brand on my back to mark my enslavement, and now I had a brand on my chest that was a mark of my freedom.
“Take that you arrogant, cock swallowing bastard!” I hissed again as my old owner’s face came to my mind. I would kill that animal one day!
“Ugh, to see the scales of my kind adorning one of the lesser races…. No, I cannot put this ignominious feeling into words!”
I snorted at the affronted tone in the dragon’s voice, and said, “Hmm you haven’t taught me that word yet, I assume it means something bad?”
“Yes, it means disgraced or shame!”
“Yeah, that seems like something you would say then, though you do realize that most other races feel the same disgust at these scales. You seem to have more in common with us lesser races than you think.”
I knew that would get him all puffed up, and sure enough, the dragon growled and loudly exclaimed, “I love the scales themselves! I simply hate that they are worn by a lesser race! To compare my dislike of the fact that scales are worn by lesser races, to the belief that they are ghastly, and evil is a travesty!”
“I don’t know wh- “
He didn’t let me finish, and just growled, “Ghastly as in ugly, and travesty as in misrepresented!”
“See was that so hard?” the only reply I was given was blank silence, and I chuckled to myself. Listing to the dragon’s indignant tone had improved my mood, and I decided to use the rest of the day to go and gather some supplies. I glanced out of the window and saw that the sun had passed its highest point, and I guessed it was around midafternoon. More than enough time for me to go out to the market and get what I needed. For now, I would keep the bandage on though. It would look odd walking around with a bloody bandage, but I could get away with it for the night. It was time to get myself some proper gear.
Chapter 8
I didn’t have much with me, but I didn’t want to leave the valuables that I did have, in the room. So, I dumped the rest of the coins into the map’s satchel and made sure my weapons were secure. Once I was satisfied, I went back and stepped into the hallway. I locked the door behind me and made my way downstairs. The room was as busy as it had been when I first came, and I quickly navigated my way through the crowd, and back into the street.
I made my way back to the bustling market district, and once I reached it, I took a minute to think about what I needed, and in what order I should
get it all. The first thing I wanted to buy was a horse. I had never ridden one before and had no intention of starting just yet. I intended to use it as a pack animal for now. It would make the journey all the more difficult to have to carry all the gear myself, so having a pack animal would be a welcome addition to my possessions.
I guessed that a horse would be expensive though. Nobles always took great pride in their mounts, and if nobles liked something it was generally expensive. Still, I had no intention of buying a high-quality horse, just one that could carry some weight for me. Either way, though it would be expensive, I had no idea what expensive would actually cost, but I hoped I had enough for a horse. It would most likely be the most important thing I bought today, so I wanted to get that out of the way first. Now all I had to do was find the stables. It should be easy enough to find.
I walked around the market, trying to catch the scent of stables, and because I couldn’t taste the air with my tongue, as my face was covered, my sense of smell was nowhere near as effective as it could have been. Eventually, though my sensitive nose was still able to pick up the scent of the stables after about ten minutes of navigating the numerous stalls.
Stables always had the unique smell of horse, hay, and manure. I followed my nose to the northern part of the market, and outside of the mass of tents was a large building that had a corral attached to it. There was a large sign overhead that read “Rolin’s Auction House” It didn’t say it was a stable, but I assumed that they sold horses here as I could smell the horses on the air.
The door was open, and I walked into the building. Inside of the building were shelves and shelves of different equipment for mounts. Saddles, saddles bags, brushes, feed bags, and a large range of other such equipment. I glanced at the shelves of goods, but only briefly, as I wanted to see the horses first. I nearly jumped out of my skin and scales though when I heard a voice behind me.