Shards of Old

Well, at least I wanted to. There was no road or anything like that leading that way. The beach where I stopped ended near where my boat was - the bushes that I hid it in transitioned slowly into more and more greenery and into that half-flooded forest again. I had to go deeper into the woods just to be able to progress. Since it was already dark, it was pretty hard to walk through the forest without tripping on random branches every now and again, but I decided to not use my magic this time. Every time someone spotted me using fire it always led to them trying to convince me to work for them.

I wanted to avoid the attention for once.

After a long walk, the forest started to thin out a bit and I even started spotting signs of people - some chopped down trees. That's why I thought that I was getting close to the village. But soon the clearing ended and the forest went back to its old, dense self. Apparently this place was abandoned, because there was no path leading to it. I continued my journey for another while, and the forest started to thin out again. I didn't want to get my hopes up again, but this time there was no mistaking it - I was getting close to the village - I could see lights in front of me, and soon enough, I was there.

The layout of the place looked nothing like the one I left. It looked like there wasn't much thought put behind the placement of the buildings - some were even less than a meter from one another, others so far you wouldn't be able to see if someone is home in the window. The windows themselves were made of that familiar greenish membrane - but the similarities to other houses I've seen ended there. Each house looked like it was made out of a singular piece of wood, there were no visible connections between planks, doors, or anything really. The designs were pretty mundane to be honest, just a plain rectangle, door in the front, a few windows and a triangular roof, all wooden. If they were about ten times smaller, I would've said that they were just sculptures made by some amateur artist, or some toys you could've found somewhere in the corner of the bazaar. The only way you could've told the difference between any of them is by the size or amount of windows. On the other hand, the port was a bit different. Yes, the pier was also boring and plain, but not the boats. Those on the other hand were in many various shapes and sizes, scaling from small dinghy that looked like it was 100 years old, to a massive ship that was maybe 10 times the size of mine. For that small of a town, it was weird for that large of a boat to be here, but as soon as I got closer, I realized why.

The boat looked like some antique battleship - including cannons and all. Two big sails were furled down, and it looked unusually normal - that is, it was not made completely out of wood.

The boat itself was covered in gems that emitted light - it reminded me of Christmas lights that you would decorate your house. It looked out of place but one look was enough to guess why they were there in the first place - right above the gangplank, there was a massive sign : "The Edgestalker Inn".

It definitely looked like that place was the center of the town - people were constantly going in and out, some going towards houses on the shore, some to the other boats that were nearby. For the first time I found a place that was actually lively and not abandoned, so I took my opportunity and took a closer look at the people.

Some of them looked like sailors - and not very wealthy to boot. Others were just peasants, without much features at all. Here and there I saw people with full armor on - most likely guards of some kind. I was relieved to notice that none of them looked even remotely similar to my "friend" that I left in the care of a certain innkeeper. Their armor was completely different - full plate, and while matching, they did not have any visible symbols or crests.

Since no one around was paying attention, I just casually strolled up towards the inn taking in my surroundings. It was refreshing, being around people again, after being basically stranded for quite a bit. I was not a very social person, but there still was a certain charm to those kinds of places.

As I walked onto the boat I looked inside the main part of the inn. It was right below the main deck, and the room looked like it used to be the shooting floor - the cannons were still there, now standing rusted between the tables on the sides - some people were using them as benches even. In the middle, there was a bar, right next to the stairs leading from the upper deck right below the floor. People were constantly moving up and down. Without anyone bothering me, I took a peek downstairs. Below, it looked like there used to be crew’s quarters, now converted into the main part of the inn - rooms for the clients, some people hanging around the corridor, talking and laughing amongst themselves. It was quite lively, especially for such a small village. I went back up to the bar, ordered a beer and sat down at the table near one of the old cannons. Sipping cold beer at the side of the room I started observing people.

From what I managed to gather, a lot of them were just locals that ended their job for the day and decided to destress at a local tavern, laughing, talking and drinking. I managed to eavesdrop on a little bit of a conversation between two half-drunk guys, and what I heard was certainly interesting.

-I wonder how long they are gonna stay… - muttered the first one, with his face inside a half empty mug.

-You kidding? No one wants to stay on the edge of the world for long. As soon as they are done with unloading, they are leaving - replied the other one, more enthusiastically, probably thanks to the alcohol.

- You mean "we are done". Those lazy asses don't even want to unload a few carts by themselves, they need someone to do it for them.

-Pff. I thought you liked money. They are paying in gold, you dunce! It's the easiest money you can make in this hole.

-Gold? Fucker never said that! Those bastards…

-What, he doesn't pay you? - he stood up. - Let me grab some boys and we're gonna tell them what we think about…

-Stop… - he pulled the other guy back down to his seat. - It's not like that…

-Wha?

-You remember my son?

-That scrawny kid that only likes books and never had a blade in his hand? - he laughed.

-Fuck you, and yes. So imagine he heard that they are also transporting people from here to the capital. And he won't stop pestering me about going there.

-So what? They are pretty cheap, last year I remember they came with about 15 people and went back with triple that. It can't be that expensive if that many people went and joined them.

-That's the thing. You saw the guy who rented the room on the lowest floor here?

-The shiny schmuck? What about him?

-He apparently joined the whole caravan business a few months back and since then the prices went way up.

-What the fuck? Why do they need a knight though? Are they scared the trees are gonna attack them or some shit?

-Haven't you heard? They hired him cause half a year ago they got attacked on their way from here!

-And they hired a knight just because of one attack? The fuck did they got attacked by? A dragon?

-I don't know but apparently they lost half of their security cause of that.

-That had to be nice and bloody…

-Right? No wonder they hired the guy.

-Yeah… but that shit's scary… I know that was far away, but still, that thing has to be somewhere nearby, right? You're not worried about your kid?

-Well, I am a bit. But this is the safest way out of here anyway, right? If I hadn't let him go with the caravan, he'd have just found some ship and become a stowaway. And that would've been a death wish.

His companion laughed.

-Right. If he would've survived the initial trip, my boss would've just dumped him somewhere as soon as possible. That weakling would've been dead in less than a week.

The other guy sighed.

-I sometimes wish he wasn't such a liability… Why did he have to want to be a mage? Since the day he saw a Green Mage, he's been all about magic and books… Why won't he help me in the workshop… But a son is a son.

-Hey, maybe the kid's gonna surprise you some day. Maybe he's got a talent for that. You tried talking with some mage about him?

-He did it himself. Every time there is a mage in town, he always pesters them and asks to take him as an apprentice.

-And what?

-And what do you think? First, who even would want to teach some random kid that starts annoying you randomly on the street?

-Mages are weird - he shrugged. - You never know.

-Yeah, sure. Ah speaking of the devil…

Two people entered the room - maybe a 16 year old boy, dressed like some weird cosplayer: full-on hooded robes, a staff and he even carried a book that was way too large for him. He was following an older looking man, with graying hair, dressed in simple full leather armor, wearing a black cloak. He looked like he just made the biggest mistake of his life and tried to not pay attention to the boy following him. They were far enough for me to not hear them but I assumed that had to be the "son".

-Holy shit, he managed to pin down even Mr. Bert! - the other man said amused. - Also, what is he wearing?

-Don't get me started on that… - his friend sighed heavily. - He keeps calling those "his enchanted robes" .

-Pffff…

-Right? I don't know where he pulled that from, but he won't let anyone touch it.

-You sure you want to let him go? He seems… a bit special… you know…

-Yeah… It's not that easy… Despite his looks he is pretty cunning… He escaped home once already, trying to get to the capital… At least this way I'll have someone watching over him. I'm going to have a bit of a talk with the head of the caravan when I get a chance…

-I don't think you'll get a chance. Your kid basically glued himself to the guy.

I spent a good chunk of time in this world, maybe not a lot with people, but I thought I started getting used to how people look, the incredibly plain clothes, medieval armors and stuff, but what I saw next made me retract my statement.

From below the deck, what I assumed was the repurposed living quarters appeared a man that looked completely ridiculous, so much that I barely managed to not choke on my drink and laugh aloud.

He looked like he was in his young twenties, blonde hair with a singular braid, and he was wearing the shiniest armor I've ever seen. It was a full plate, adorned with pauldrons in the shape of dragon heads, so big they made him be twice as wide as he would be without them. The armor itself was adorned with patterns that looked like flames, but the whole thing was in bright yellow color which made him look like he was glowing.

As he appeared in the room, some people started noticing him. I was glad to see that I was not the only one that was stunned with his appearance. Most people either turned around with a sigh of resignation and went back to whatever they were doing, some tried to not laugh, burying their faces in their drinks. Some kids that were near the exit laughed openly, but were promptly rushed out by some people, who also had a hard time keeping a straight face.

His voice was loud enough that I heard him even from the other side of the room.

-Mr. Bert , when are we leaving?

He was talking to the man that was getting pestered by the “kid wizard”.

He looked at him, defeated.

-Soon. Hopefully early this morning.

-Glorious. Do you have any spare time? I would like to negotiate my contract.

He sighed heavily. It looked like he was weighing which one was the least pain to deal with.

And apparently he decided that the golden guy was the least annoying.

-Eh, sure. Let's go downstairs - he said and turned to the kid. - Sorry, but can you leave us for a while? We have important matters to attend to.

The kid replied with something I didn't catch, bowing deeply, almost sweeping the floor with his brown hair, and he promptly left the room.

-Lead the way… - the man in leather armor said, reluctantly.

-Indeed! - replied the golden knight lively, going down towards the living quarters.

As soon as they left the floor, the two people I was listening to went back to their conversation.

-Wow. He managed to get rid of him.

-Ha ha.

-Well that is a feat not all of us possess!

-Oh shut up.

He laughed in answer.

-Well, joking aside, if you ever gonna talk to the guy now is the time. He went to talk with Goldie and I can't imagine anyone wanting to deal with him for more than a minute.

-Yeah, I should go…

Both of them finished their drinks and stood up. One of them left the inn, while the other went towards the stairs.

I followed him. I also wanted to have a talk with that caravan leader. It seemed like a good chance to finally get to the capital and joining a caravan would be most likely the safest option.

The guy I was tailing disappeared in one of the first doors below the deck. Deciding not to be a complete asshole, I sat at the bar, where I had the perfect view on the stairs and part of the corridor and started waiting for him to finish his business.

Surprisingly, that took a lot longer than expected. I managed to down two more beers before I started losing my patience.

After a third one people started leaving the place and the lively atmosphere started to die down a little bit, so I decided to chat up the innkeeper that was hovering around the place.

-You have a minute?

-Need another one? - he asked, pointing at the empty mug.

-Nah, I had enough for now - I replied, though now when I thought about it, it didn't feel like I drank that much. - I have a question.

-Ask away.

-I heard there is a caravan stationed here.

-And it is.

-And where and when might they be going?

-To the capital. As of when, you need to check with their leader. If you want to tag along though it might be a problem - he replied like he was reading my mind.

-Why?

-From what I heard they are full and not taking any more people.

-Well shit. Thanks for the warning, but I'm gonna check it myself anyways. Who's the leader?

-His name is Bert. Downstairs. First door on the left.

What I heard from the two guys appeared to be true. I stood up reluctantly and went downstairs. As I arrived in front of the room I got pointed towards, I almost got smacked in the face with the door.

It was the guy I eavesdropped on earlier. I didn't really pay attention to his looks before, but now I could take a better look. He was dressed in linen shirt and pants, which color I was unable to identify due to being completely covered in various types of paint. He was also shaved bald.

-Oh, excuse me…

He reeked of wine. He practically bounced off me and almost slammed face first into the wall, after which he carefully started walking away, towards the stairs, clutching a small pouch to his chest. He was a lot more drunk than he sounded at the table.

-How can I help you? - I heard from the door

It was the supposed caravan leader. Still in full leather, but this time he looked a lot more relaxed, which I assumed was thanks to the almost empty wine bottle in his hand. I now knew why the dude that left was that smashed.

-Hello. Bert, I assume?

-I was told I need to talk to you if I want to get to the capital.

-Ah yes. But we have no spots left. Sorry.

-Really? I don't need much, surely there is still some place free, I can even travel as a cargo if needed.

-Ehhh, listen, I have enough people to take care of already. I don't have enough manpower to take any more freeloaders.

-You misunderstand. I intend to pay and I can take care of myself.

He gave me a judging look.

-I find it hard to believe.

-Name a price then.

-No, not that… -he waved his hand in dismissal. - Anyone can have money. I don't think an invalid can put up a decent fight against anything. And I am not willing to stretch my people even thinner.

Fair enough. I sort of did not expect for someone to actually pay attention to that part of some wandering hobo, but I was apparently wrong.

-First of all, that is rude. Second, I will repeat, I don't want protection. I need a guide. Also, what is that you are so worried about? This place seems peaceful enough. What's so dangerous out there you don't want anyone else to join?

He was visibly torn, but whatever kept bothering him, he dismissed because he finally agreed.

-Fine. One gold piece and you can go with us, but I warn you, if we are gonna get attacked, none of my men will come to your aid. I am selling you a spot on the wagon and that is it. Got it, mister…?

-Mor. Works for me. When are you… are we leaving then? - I asked, giving him the money.

-This morning. We are already late and we need to hurry.

-Okay then. See you in the morning.

He nodded and closed the door.