Because of our team’s diversity and the fact we were transporting dangerous and unusual cargo, the patrols often stopped us for inspection. At times like that, I thanked the gods for sending Gino Leroy across my path. The old lanista only needed to speak with the local authorities a few minutes before we were let go every time. Generous bribes and the status of a capital-city lanista could work miracles!
For the record, we surrendered Hedgehog to one such patrol troop. His pleading and groaning didn’t move us to pity. The black hole in the ice and trail of blood leading to it would stick with all of us for the rest of our lives.
And we weren’t worried that the Hornet’s former scout might go running his mouth about things like the battle with the dark beast or my unusual talents. The night after the battle with the monster, while everyone else was asleep, Gorgie and I took Hedgehog deep into the forest and, while he hiccupped in fear, forced him to swear an oath of silence.
That same night something else happened. The harn told me that our night-time stroll hadn’t gone unnoticed. Midori was watching us from the darkness. Mentally reassuring my buddy, I suggested we pretend not to have noticed the dryad. Let her think she got one over on us. In fact, I could see why she was doing it. I was actually happy with her vigilance.
But bit by bit, with every passing day, my opinion was shifting. The whole issue was that Gorgie would periodically tell me that Midori had still not stopped following me. And that was starting to put me on guard. Tracking at night, open and kindhearted treatment during the day. I had only one explanation for that behavior – an order from Gino.
* * *
“Do we really have to go to Borg?” I asked with doubt in my voice.
We’d made camp for the night not far from a small fishing village and were now sitting at a fire and discussing what we would do next. When the villagers found out about our cargo, they sent an elder who categorically forbid us from passing through their settlement.
Gino objected for show but relented in the end.
By the way, I had repeatedly witnessed a strange scene over the last three days – many people from the villages and hamlets we passed by were reluctant to leave their homes. Only a few, clearly the most intelligent, were taking their families and belongings as far from the oncoming horror as possible. The others simply did not believe the orcs could make it this far into the barony.
At first, I was stunned by the nonchalance of the local population but, when we came nearer the barony’s capital, I stopped paying the fools any mind.
“Of course,” Gino answered loudly. “We have lots to do there.”
“I’m running out of herbs,” Midori laid out an argument. “And I know of a shop in Borg owned by a dryad. I’m sure she’ll have everything I need.”
“We need to sell our extra horses,” came another voice, Tusk’s. “And buy some straw and feed.”
“And what about food?” Gino turned to Maya. It was her job to keep track of provisions.
“We’ve got another week’s worth,” she answered confidently.
“There we go!” Gino raised a pointer finger in the air instructively. “We won’t have enough food for everyone to make it to Ironville. We’ll spend another three or four weeks doddering along at least.”
Hm... Looks like the time has come to tell our traveling companions an important piece of news.
“You see, honorable Mister Gino,” I started, slowly choosing the mildest possible phrasing. “There is one good reason why we won’t be going to Ironville. We’ll have to part ways somewhere around Eastwick. And because of that, I ask you to set aside our share of the proceeds from the sale of the female whipsnake and her egg.”
“But why?!” the old man asked in surprise. A mood shared equally by his familiars. “After all, you said you need to visit the Yellow Crab tavern?! And if memory serves, Tusk knows just where to find it! He could take you there.”
The ogre nodded knowingly.
A few days ago, specifically the day after our battle with the female Dartan whipsnake, I told them about Randy and Bruni. It was a condensed recounting of our shared travels, the battle with the shaman and their death. I also had to show them the messenger amulet while telling a white lie about my supposedly important mission. Further, I mentioned the Yellow Crab tavern, which I wanted to go visit. Honestly, I chose not to let them know the real reason for that.
And I must note that it went off without a hitch. To be honest, based on Gino’s facial expression, he didn’t take everything in my story for the genuine article.
“And where are you heading, if it’s no secret?” he asked. I heard familiar happy notes in his voice.
Frankly, I’d gotten to know the old lanista fairly well. If he was speaking in that tone, it meant he had some well-reasoned counterargument locked and loaded.
I started cautiously.
“As you rightly noted all the way back on our first meeting, I am a Tarian. My home is in Orchus. And that is precisely where I’m headed.”
And to make my argument more convincing, I added:
“Debtor’s oath.”
I thought that would add clarity and convince the old man not to keep insisting, but I was wrong.
“So that’s all it is?” Gino continued in the same vein.
“Is that not enough?” I answered with a question of my own.
“Come now, Master Eric,” the old man hurried to reassure me. “A debtor’s oath is serious business but how are you planning to get over the southern border? War has been declared, so it’s under lock and key at the moment. In other words, while the orcs still plague Fradian lands, you aren’t going anywhere. If you were thinking of sneaking through the forest of Telon, which you were studying so closely on my map as of late, you might as well forget about that suicidal act.”
“But why?” I asked, sensing my cheeks turn burning red.
“Because your King’s rangers will be patrolling the area. And with all due respect to your abilities, if you were to try and power your way through, you would never be able to cope with the rangers. Merely attempting would be true madness. Why commit such a folly and land yourself on a list of enemies of the crown?”
I feel the burning move from my cheeks to my ears. I agree – it’s a fool’s errand.
Seeing my state, Gino hurried to reassure me.
“You’ll have to forgive an old man for being so direct, but you have to agree that I’m right. Think for yourself. Instead of calmly making our way to Ironville with me as cover and there hiring a fiduciary to settle your debtor’s oath like a civilized person, you’d rather fight your way through the royal rangers to reach your home in Orchus. Where’s the logic?”
“Fiduciary?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Well sure,” the old man nodded calmly. “There are a huge number of scriveners in the capital that could solve your problem for a percentage of the total debt. I thought you knew?”
“I admit, I’ve never had any dealings with fiduciaries.”
“It’s quite a common practice,” Gino waved it off. “As a rule, these kinds of questions are resolved by scriveners without the concerned parties present. That is of course, as long as it isn’t some deal of the century.”
“A bit over a hundred gold,” I decided to admit.
Gino laughed loudly.
“And you wanted to declare war on your own King’s border guard over such a pittance?!”
A hundred gold... For some reason I was reminded of the day when old man Burdoc took me from my family home. A hundred gold! I thought I’d be a peon for life and that it would take me a hundred years at least to pay Bardan off, freakish and ill-formed as I was. Now it feels like all that happened to a different person...
Meanwhile, in a confident tone, Gino was saying something else about the advancement of Ironville and all the comforts capital-city life could offer. But I wasn’t listening. I understood perfectly why he was trying so passionately to dissuade me. He needs me, or rather – my magic. In
order to deliver the dark beast to the capital without incident. And most importantly – he doesn’t want to lose the healer he’s grown so accustomed to over the last few weeks. He has actually already tried to hire Mee away in secret, promising mountains of gold and patronage.
Hm... The prospect of avoiding an encounter with Bardan and his people was attractive enough as it was. Mee and I exchanged glances. We’d been discussing just this very recently. Based on his eloquent gaze and barely perceptible nod, my friend remembers everything perfectly.
Beyond that, we would have better chances of selling all our loot and buying up all manner of useful things in the capital of Fradia. I’m sure the old sly fox Gino has the right acquaintances to make that happen. And lastly, I really do need to get to the tavern where Randy told me he saw my brother sixteen years ago. Before he disappeared without a trace.
“Well, Master Eric, what do you say?” Gino asked, squinting happily.
I glanced at the gremlin again, then at Maya. Both of their eyes had the same message scrawled on them: “say yes.” In response I just nodded shortly and turned to Gino:
“If everything is exactly as you say – we’re in.”
Chapter 16
DESPITE GINO’S ESTIMATE that it would take us around four more weeks to reach the capital of Fradia, we made it in three. There were many contributing factors: the well trammeled road, the snow being dry due to the hard freeze, frequent horse changes and short nightly breaks. In the end, it took us just over a month to get from Tradepost to Ironville.
We crossed two baronies and just touched the border of one county. In all that time we saw many soldiers, war machines, riders – the Steel King had not left his eastern borders undefended.
The barons’ militias, composed of peasants, hunters and various rabble made, frankly, a dismal impression. But the Steel Legions, the royal regulars, were composed of warriors at level twenty at least and they made a lasting impression on both Mee and myself.
As I looked at the even rows of armor-bound infantry and riders, I was no longer totally confident the orcs would win. Honestly, one thing was still bothering me though. I hadn’t seen a single mage. I assume they’ll reach the border some other way. Otherwise, without magical support, all these valiant warriors were in for a true boondoggle. There won’t be so much as a moist spot left when the orcish shamans are done with them.
We reached Ironville nearer midday. In passing, I mentioned hotel prices, but Gino put on an offended air and gave me an ultimatum, further saying that he would never allow his brothers in arms to stay in some flea-ridden guesthouse.
And that was how we got invited to stay in the home of a lanista on the terms of: “stay as long as you like – there’s plenty of room for everyone!”
For the record, the closer we came to the capital, the tighter Midori’s surveillance became. To be frank, I didn’t fully understand the reason for it, but I wasn’t complaining either – let her think I hadn’t noticed.
To say the capital of Fradia made an impression on me would be an understatement! The city, sprawled out on a giant hill and lapped by the White Sea to the west was reminiscent of a colossal round pyramid from afar. It truly impressed me with its spectacular grandeur.
Every ring of the “pyramid” had clearly defined borders in the form of high walls. Gino eagerly explained to me that Ironville was in fact divided into circular boroughs with the lowest and largest inhabited by the poor, the middle slightly less so – craftsmen and traders, while the highest ring consequently was reserved for the upper crust. The royal palace then was at the very peak of the “pyramid.”
Gino’s house meanwhile, just the same as his gladiator school, was in the middle circle. At the very edge of it, almost abutting the borough wall.
Based on the huge number of hovels, little houses and huts erected around the city, there must not have been enough space in Ironville for everyone who wanted to live there. The old man, cringing squeamishly, called the gigantic suburban borough the unwashed circle. And the people who lived there, consequently, were called the unwashed masses.
The wide road pierced through the unwashed circle and led us to the huge eastern gates. The lanista told me there were several such gates. The sea gates leading to port, the northern gates and the golden gates. The latter set were on the southern side of the fortress wall and only nobility was allowed to pass through them.
In order to enter the city, we had to wait in a long queue of various kinds of carts, sleighs and covered wagons. I was honestly thankful the guards were all corrupt. That brought down the wait time a good deal. Other than that, Gino Leroy was quite a popular figure with the guards. As was Tusk. The ogre and lanista exchanged dirty jokes with law enforcement in a totally friendly manner, promising they’d lose all their money gambling on his newest acquisition.
The female whipsnake, lying motionless in the sleigh driven by Mee didn’t make much of an impression on the guards. Evidence of their sophistication. This is, after all, the capital. You can see all kinds of stuff here! The gremlin himself, counter to my fears, didn’t generate any interest either.
As a matter of fact, there was such a wide variety of nonhumans in line and, by the looks of things, in the capital as well that my familiar didn’t stand out one bit, much to my relief. Over the last hour, I had seen blue-skinned ogres, massive trolls, green and white orcs, gray-skinned goblins, short gnomes and dwarves. I saw light-haired elves for the first time, as well as green-haired dryads and diminutive nymphs. My eyes were just spinning. Based on how calmly the people and nonhumans were treating one another, the Steel King had created a conducive environment for them to live side-by-side in peace.
I liked Gino’s house. Two stories. With wide windows and red roof tiles as well as a small garden. And his gladiator school was right next door. Due to the lack of pupils, it was closed for the time being. For the record, the sleeping female Dartan whipsnake was placed in one of the bullpens inside the school. We weren’t allowed to enter the building because they said only the lanista and his overseers or gladiators were allowed inside.
Gino’s house greeted us with warmth and mouth-watering aromas of baked goods, which slightly threw me off. To be frank, I was expecting to see an empty home, cold and abandoned for months. But a few minutes later, I realized what was going on – Tusk and Midori weren’t Gino’s only familiars.
The master of the house was greeted by a grumpy old level-fourteen goblin. His wrinkled face reminded me of a prune.
“You’ve finally deigned to show your faces!” he rasped out instead of a greeting. “This bunch took off, so we had no choice but to fend for ourselves as best we knew how!”
To my surprise, Gino wasn’t mad. Quite the opposite in fact. He happily exclaimed:
“If only you knew how much I missed all this, you old grump!”
“Look who’s talking!” Tusk played up to the old goblin, giving him a light pat on his dry shoulder.
“Juvess!” Midori exclaimed happily and embraced the old crab tenderly.
Despite his unwelcoming manner, he was also glad to see everyone. Then the gaze of his little gray eyes stopped on us.
“And just who might these ragamuffins be?!”
Gino turned to me and gave a happy wink.
“Master Eric! Master Mee! Maya! Welcome! Hehe... Don’t pay this old grump any mind. Make yourselves at home!”
“Just don’t forget you’re guests in this home!” the goblin called back.
He wanted to say something else, but we heard rushed footsteps behind a massive set of doors leading deeper into the house. Then the doors flew open and a short plump woman of fifty years appeared in the doorway. Big kind eyes. Pink puffy cheeks. A broad smile. This woman was the complete opposite of the goblin grump.
“Thank the gods you’re alive!” she exclaimed.
“Leonia!” Midori exclaimed joyfully and hung off the woman’s neck. In response, she squeezed the diminutive dryad resolutely and gave her a couple smo
oches on the forehead and cheeks.
Along with Leonia, the breathtaking aroma of baked goods flew into the wide entryway.
After all the acquaintances, mutual greetings and exclamations of joy, which so brought the house to life, we were shown to our rooms. Maya was placed in the women’s section of the house, while Mee and I were given a large room for two.
After that came a tasty lunch to mark the occasion, which flowed smoothly straight into dinner. All that time Gino, Tusk and Midori eloquently recounted their misadventures to the domestics, including our timely and basically life-saving meeting, the battle with the raiders and capturing the dark beast, then our trek to the capital.
Leonia’s eyes were open wide as she listened to the master of the house, trying not to miss a single word. Whenever our part was mentioned, she looked gratefully from me to my gremlin and back again. For the record, when he said Mee was a healing mage, even the sullen Juvess looked respectful, if only for a matter of moments.
The Dark Continent (Underdog Book #3): LitRPG Series Page 15