Holy crap! He was going to do it! Jerak was freaking awesome! Apparently, Jerak misjudged the distance between him and Torkuhl. He fell short by a few inches then fell flat on the ground.
Torkuhl laughed and kicked Jerak. Jerak let out a painful cough and rolled forward from the impact. Torkuhl took a few steps and placed his hoof right on top of Jerak.
“Nice try! You’re still no match for me!” Torkuhl taunted as he lifted his hoof and aimed it straight at Jerak’s face. Jerak appeared to have the wind knocked out of him and was not able to react in time. I lifted the crossbow with both hands but didn’t have time to aim.
The crossbow snapped and I saw Torkuhl lean back yelling in pain. Yes! I hit him! He leaned forward to display a bolt sticking out of his right eye! I cringed at the sight of it but was pleased with my luck. In a fit of rage and pain he staggered back and pulled out the bolt. That made me cringe even more. There was a bit of flesh still attached to the bolt and I could tell it was his eye! The minotaur covered his wound and, with his only eye, glared at me.
Torkuhl took a step but then a war cry a short distance away filled the air. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and grunted loudly.
“Gah! I will get my revenge!” he yelled as he ran away. A moment later, Jerak picked himself up and caught a glimpse of Torkuhl before he disappeared. Jerak seemed a bit out of it and gave me a grin. I started to feel really dizzy and remembered I needed to keep pressure on my wound.
A few men arrived on horseback and, from the look of their armor, they were part of Halatross. Bolam came following behind them. Jerak stood up and brushed some dirt off his clothes.
“Jerak! There you are!” Bolam called out.
Jerak smiled, “Where were you? Blake and I defeated a minotaur!”
I laughed, “I got a bull’s eye!”
I kept laughing at my own pun until dizziness overcame me and I found myself falling over. I must have blacked out before hitting the ground.
I woke up in the back of a small wagon. My head was spinning and my leg still throbbed with pain. I looked down and saw a large bandage over my wound.
“Well… the bleeding shouldn’t be a problem anymore. We must be mindful of infection,”
An old man in common clothing said.
“Oh, hey! How are you doing?” Jerak asked when he saw that I was awake.
I could see Jerak and the old man standing there using a wagon as an operating table. Bolam was standing a short distance away talking to one of the Halatross guards.
“Hey…!” I really couldn’t think of what else to say at the moment.
The old man walked over and smiled, “My grandson told me you saved his life… and that he was sorry he shot you.”
I laughed, “Oh really?”
Jerak chimed in, “Wait, a kid shot you in the leg?”
The old man chuckled, “I am glad you are alright. To show my gratitude, I will treat you and your friends to some good food and rest until you are able to walk.”
One of the Halatross guards walked over to me. He looked over at Jerak and me and gave us a friendly nod.
“I heard you men have been causing some trouble with the Shadens.”
He handed me a small note. I had no clue what was written on it.
He smiled, “When you come to Halatross just show that note to the bounty office and you guys will get your reward for a job well done.” He flashed us a smile and walked away.
Jerak grabbed the note and read it, “Hey! Not bad! Man if I knew the bounty price on Shadens was this much, I would have hunted them long ago!”
He handed me back the note and I just laughed.
Evening fell and we found ourselves sitting at a large wooden table in the old man’s house. The boy’s parents were there to greet us and eat with us. The food was exceptional! We had some game bird with fried potatoes, roasted vegetables, fresh bread, and gravy. It was the best meal I had had in a long time!
We told our hosts about our trip to the bog. We didn’t mention anything about my helmet or the fact that I was from another world. Jerak started to brag about the ogre that he fought.
After our meal, cots were set up for us in the main room.
Bolam walked over, “Thank you for the meal, but I must head back to Halatros”
Jerak laid out a blanket over his cot, “Wait… you’re not staying?”
Bolam shook his head, “I am sorry, but it is really important for me to finish my work and head back to Vunash.”
I was already lying on my cot, “I am sorry to see you go.”
Bolam handed me a small pouch, “Here is your payment, it has been great to travel with you two… If you guys ever return to Vunash, feel free to see me at the mage school.”
Jerak smiled, “Alright! We just might have to bug you!”
Bolam nodded at me. I felt a bit sad to see him leave. “Hope your leg gets better soon Blake… well you know what I mean.”
I smiled and waved, “Goodbye, Bolam. See you later.”
After Bolam left, Jerak and I laid in our cots, chatting about Bolam and the things we had done. The cots weren’t that bad; they even brought us some really fluffy pillows! I could hardly stay awake after resting my head on them.
“So Blake, what are you going to do once we get back to Halatross?”
I flipped my pillow over to get the cool side. “I really don’t know.”
I looked at the pouch that Bolam had given me. I didn’t feel like checking inside to see how much I was paid.
I sighed, “What do you have in mind Jerak?”
Jerak smiled, “I don’t know yet. But we have some time to figure it out.”
I slept so well regardless of the pain in my right thigh. There was no need to stay up and worry about something lurking in the shadows. Halatross’ guards kept a patrol in the area which made me feel really safe.
We awoke in the morning to a breakfast of fresh fruit and fried ham. The old man was still very thankful. I really didn’t want to abuse his hospitality. I offered to help out, but was refused because of my leg.
“Don’t want that wound to start bleeding again. It would be easier for me if you rest it,” he would tell me.
Jerak however, helped by hauling things for him. I was left on my cot, totally bored.
At that moment, I remembered I still had the piece of paper with the alphabet from this world and mine that Bolam helped me with so I could learn to read his language. Working on this alphabet was not my idea of fun. I always had trouble staying focused in school, but there was nothing else to do. When lunch time came, I put away my piece of paper and joined them.
Jerak walked in, “Hey, Blake! Has your leg healed up yet?”
The old man walked in from behind laughing, “It will take him awhile before he can even use a crutch.”
Jerak turned toward the man, “Naw! Blake is a fast healer… er… wait.” Jerak realized that he might have said too much about my ability to heal faster than most people. Thankfully the old man didn’t catch on and we had our meal. We ate bread and some bland soup but I was thankful.
The old man shared that he was a veterinarian and that he also fixed up people. He went on and on about his work to the point that Jerak and I zoned out. I smiled and pretended to be interested. I could tell that he enjoyed the conversation more than I did. I had to elbow Jerak so he wouldn’t nod off.
Afterward, the old man checked my leg for infection. I feared he would notice my rapid healing. There were no signs of infection, which was good. I wasn’t sure if that should even be a concern in my case.
Two days had passed as I spent the time sleeping, eating and still trying to understand the language. Being stranded did help me study but, man, I was so bored. I tried to feel productive by doing some pushups but I didn’t get very far with that. Jerak was growing tired of helping out. My leg actually started to feel better after a short while.
I still hadn’t attempted to really walk. It was painful, but I was able to limp
around some. I really didn’t want to stick around too much longer. Eventually, I would have to explain why I was able to heal so fast. I was also sick of hearing the same story about how the old man rescued a boar and gave it to his son to raise. I was thinking I might just sprint out of there.
There wasn’t a great deal of progress in my understanding of their written language. I knew I needed to practice writing the letters again and again, but I didn’t have access to writing tools. I also hadn’t seen much in the way of books. The old man carried some, but they were stashed away in his room. I didn’t want to ask about them for fear that it might remind him of another boring story. I did, however, manage to memorize several letters from the new alphabet. It was a work in progress.
I slept for most of the day when I didn’t feel like studying and, by nightfall, I couldn’t fall asleep. Jerak was pretty tired and didn’t say much before passing out for the night. The night sky was well lit with both of the moons out but still too dark to read my translation guide. I sat up staring out of the window and couldn’t help feeling home sick. I tried to bottle it up since there was nothing I could do about it. I just couldn’t help but feel a bit sad at times. I took a few deep breaths and decided to try to keep my mind off such things by seeing how well my leg had healed.
The moment I put any weight on it, pain would surge through my injured leg. It wasn’t unbearable but would sure prevent me from using it too much. I took a few slow steps.My guess was that I might actually be able to walk in a couple more days without any problems. I gingerly lowered myself to the floor and I did a few pushups with my bad leg resting behind my working one. It would have been impressive if I was strong enough to do more than a few, but I kept going until my arms gave out.
I continued to do pushups over the next few days a little at a time thoughout the day. I was worried thatI would really get out of shape lying around for so long. I bumped my leg the wrong way and fell flat on my face-okay, bed time.
The next day I slept in and missed breakfast. My leg was feeling a bit better and I could walk but running and jumping were not yet a consideration. I began to wonder if I recovered from blood loss faster, too. Anyway, I decided that we should venture back into Halatross before I healed too much and before I had to listen to another boring story. The latest tale was about a goat that stole someone’s pie. I told Jerak about my plans and he was more excited than I was. It was hard to explain to the old man but I made up an excuse that I had some very important arrangement with someone in Halatross. He was reluctant to let me go, but he gave me a crude crutch and wished me well.
I never understood which side the crutch went on but was just glad to be outside and on my way back to Halatross. Jerak let out a loud sigh of relief as we got out of that small farming community.
“They are nice people, but they are so boring!” Jerak complained.
I chuckled, “A bit.”
Jerak shook his head, “If I had to hear that boar story one more time, I would not have stopped the Shadens if they returned.”
I laughed, “That’s mean, man.”
Jerak laughed, “Yeah… maybe the old man could bore them to death!”
I chuckled, “He might even cause that minotaur to retreat!”
Our food stocks were running low when we reached the gates of Halatross. We really didn’t plan on refilling them, but couldn’t really ask to take any more food from the old man and his family. I kept my helmet deep in my pack. I was sure if Bolam knew what the helmet was, someone else would figure it out as well.
“The bounty office is just two blocks north. Come, Blake!” Jerak said in an excited tone.
He jogged off before realizing that I was unable to walk that fast. I still hadn’t figured out which side the crutch went on. I thought it might be the opposite of the wounded leg. I really didn’t know.
“So what are you going to do with your money?” Jerak asked me.
I shrugged and nearly dropped my crutch.
“I don’t know. I don’t even know how much things cost here.”
Jerak chuckled, “Ah, we should be getting a good chunk of coin. Maybe you should get some better clothes.”
I looked down and saw that my shorts and t-shirt were still covered in blood stains. I hated to get rid of them since they were the only clothing from my world.
I gave Jerak a nod, “Yeah, it might be better to blend in.”
The bounty office was a small stone building with barred windows. Guards and other sorts hung around outside. It probably helped that there was a barracks right across from it. I felt pretty safe even though I got a few strange looks due to my clothing. The fact that I was wounded and had blood stains all over me didn’t help either.
The man behind the big desk inside the bounty office looked at me like I barely survived some war. I handed him the little note and smiled at him. The officer grabbed it and smiled back.
“Looks like you been through a lot.”
Jerak looked at the officer and then at my shirt, “Oh, that’s not his blood.”
I tried to figure out how much we made including what Bolam gave me and what I found: two silver and fourteen copper. Jerak got his own reward from the bounty on the ogre and he felt happy about it. I did see that the coins came in different grades. The lowest was One Copper, which was a thin piece of copper that sometimes didn’t even have an engraving on it. There were some thicker copper coins that did have engravings and some numbers indicating the amount. I wasn’t sure how much a silver was worth in copper.
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Jerak said it is one hundred copper per silver coin and there are even gold coins that are worth a lot.
I felt pretty satisfied with the weight in my coin pouch. Out in a new world with some money to spend was a pretty good feeling. I already had two cool short swords that looked like they cost more than what I had earned and some of the basics for living. It felt strange to brush my teeth without toothpaste but it was better than nothing. The only things I figured I really needed were food, clothes and maybe a bed roll. It would be nice to sleep on the ground without feeling every tiny rock digging into my back.
Jerak led me off toward the market district where tons of people were wandering around shopping or working. Jerak elbowed me and pointed out an attractive woman. Before I could even take my first step, he had already jogged over and started talking with her. I couldn’t hear what he was saying with the noise of the busy street, but she slapped him in the face. For some reason, Jerak walked back with a smile. I may not be an expert with women, but I knew a slap in the face couldn’t be considered a victory.
Jerak and I walked into a few shops and I bought myself a bed roll and some clothing. The store had all sorts of clothing including some upper class stuff but the prices and the styles didn’t appeal to me. So I bought some plain common clothing. Dark brown pants and a green shirt since the blue was a bit too small for me. Not exactly a large variety compared to a clothing store at home but I never was one to really care about clothing.
We went to two more shops until I found a pair of boots that fit me perfectly. Jerak approached another woman who slapped him in the face like the first. I thought I really should eavesdrop to hear what he says so I’d know to do the opposite. I’m shy around girls and clueless when it comes to knowing if one likes me or not. There is also the cultural gap and right then I felt too intimidated to approach a girl from this new world. There was also the aging factor to consider. Maybe an elf girl, but do elf girls even like humans? I mean, I was not exactly a normal human but I didn’t think I would even have a chance with any of those girls. Jerak came back with a red mark on his face and a grin.
Jerak and I walked to a leather place because he wanted the straps on his buckler fixed. I saw a nice belt with several loops to tie a bunch of pouches on. The new pants I bought were nice and thick enough not to get damaged easily but there were no pockets. I ended up buying the belt and a large p
ouch to put my things in. There was a nice heavy leather cloak that would be perfect for rainy or colder weather but my funds were already limited. I really shouldn’t spend all my money without getting some food and some hope for more income.
Jerak and I had our dinner at some place that made awesome barbeque. I started to worry about how much money I had left but at least I looked like a normal person. The strange blood-stained clothing hadn’t helped me blend in. Jerak spoke with a mouth full of food, “So Blake, what should we do after this?”
I swallowed a bite of tough meat, “I really don’t know, I guess we can go to the mage place for a job.” Jerak shrugged, “Yeah, that might be fine. But boring jobs won’t get you known.”
Dragon Hero Page 9