Sir Galbrant held his end of the bargain and went back to the Sixth Castle to get a carriage to come pick me up. I argued against it, but apparently, I was too short, for him to lend his shoulders. And of course, at the cost of ten gold coins I earned from him. I was back to my original six gold coins hours ago and a few broken bones.
We got back to the city gates and the guard who escorted me to meet Sir Galbrant approached and said, "your companion looks awful Sir Galbrant. Would you like me to get you a healer?"
As sharp as his ears can be, Sir Galbrant immediately nodded and the guard ran inside to get a healer.
Sir Galbrant looked at me and said, "they do not know you yet my boy. But soon enough, they will recognize just who the 'Strongbone' is. Just a little matter of time. I can feel it in the winds."
The old man was gazing up in the sky and there came a breeze. It was cold and it made my wounds hurt.
"Oh, I can feel it alright. Fantastic," I sarcastically replied while letting out a grunt.
Sir Galbrant put me down on my feet and I took a seat on a nearby crate. I was in no condition to walk far yet as I can feel my ribs piercing my lungs.
We waited by the gates for the healer to come and to pass the time, the old man started up a conversation.
"Have any kids lad?" asked Sir Galbrant.
"Just one. Little girl's name is Frisha. Why the sudden question?" I replied.
"Nothing. Just wondering what your life was before you got in this mess. And your wife?" followed the old man.
I firmly held my sides and took a deep breath. It hurts like hell.
And then I responded, "just one wife if you were asking how many. Her name is Ygruhn. Met her when I was butchering this bandit hideout near the forests of Frelsmuth six years ago. I was hired by our Lord of the castle of course."
Sir Galbrant stopped gazing at the sky and immediately became attentive to my story. I guess he was intrigued about how I met my wife.
"Go on, continue. Don't make an old man waiting for the juicy bits," said the old man teasingly.
"Don't make me laugh old man. It hurts like hell," I answered back.
"Sorry. Come on, continue lad," said Sir Galbrant.
I reminisced the day I met her and told the old man how it went.
"I was scoping the place out. Counting their numbers, what spot is lightly guarded, what would be my options for hiding, my escape route, you know, the usual. That is when I found a locked cart, covered in sheets. I heard muffled shouts when I got near it, so, I took a little peek. There was a woman inside and she was bruised all over with a collar on. I made her come towards me and I freed her off her gag. She was crying for help all the time, and no one heard her except me," I paused for a moment, as I was getting out of breath.
It took a few minutes to catch my breath because it was painful to breathe at the time.
Then I continued, "I felt extremely motivated by it. I can do almost anything just to get the job done except hurting women or children. And these bandits did just that. And you can guess now how it went. The story ends with me, freeing the woman from the cart and her, telling her name. She told me she has nowhere to go and she stuck with me ever since."
"My, my. That was quite a tale lad. And if you ever wonder if what you did was correct or if you ever questioned yourself if it was the right thing to do, please, you did the right thing. I could have done the same thing if I were in your shoes. Although, is the woman attractive?" asked Sir Galbrant.
I laughed and deeply regretted it. One of my broken ribs pierced my lungs and I let out a loud grunt.
I immediately gave the old man a piece of my mind and an angry stare and I said, "told you not to make me laugh, you senile old man. And yes! She is the most beautiful woman I ever met and I got attracted to her the first second I freed her. By the love of the Gods old man, you and your curiosity!"
"Bah! You'll be fine. And look what got here," answered Sir Galbrant as he gave way to the healer.
An old woman, wearing a robe with gray tone, approached us and stopped right in front of me.
"Sir Galbrant the Stalwart. And you must be the wounded adventurer. Let me see," said the healer and then she immediately pushed my sides to count the broken ribs I got. Her eyes turned white and I was in extreme pain while she was doing it.
"Four broken ribs and a mild puncture in the left lung. Do not worry, I can heal it with magic," said the healer.
I was shocked. I never experienced anything such as magic. I was curious and a bit scared because it might be the same magic that 'it' could do.
As I was struggling with my inner conflict regarding magic and 'it', the healer started to whisper something in her breath. There was a faint, green light I could see emanating from her hands and into my sides. And I felt a little better than my earlier state. I found it easier to breathe and the intensity of the pain lessened.
"There you go. You have an amazing body, adventurer. It did not take that long to repair the damage. By the looks of it, just rest for two days and you will be good as new," said the healer.
Then Sir Galbrant immediately pulled me up by the armpit and said, "heard that lad? I said you'll be fine. Come on, we have somewhere we need to be."
Sir Galbrant thanked the healer and whispered something to her. The healer looked at me and bowed her head. I bowed in return and said thank you by mouth. The old man grabbed me by my shoulders and we walked towards the gates and into the city.
I was curious to what Sir Galbrant whispered into the healer's ears. As I have let this old man go with his curiosity, I started to feel that he owed me a bit for my curiosity too. I waited for my chance to ask the question but there were plenty of people around the city. I thought to myself that it might be best to keep it for now.
I followed Sir Galbrant to where he was heading and asked, "where are you taking me old man?"
"Just sit tight and stay close to me. I was not expecting your arrival today, and since you are already here, might as well introduce you to a friend," said the old man.
"Again, where are you taking me? Who is this friend?" I followed up on my question.
Sir Galbrant angrily responded back and said, "you sure are stubborn my boy. Stop questioning me and just follow. You will soon see for yourself. Simple instructions yet you are having a hard time following them."
I got angry as well with his remark. I am not stubborn; I was just curious. He did not need to say it like that.
I followed where he went and some people greeted him along the way. It took like several minutes to get a move on from one person to another. While walking past the marketplace, I noticed an arch in the near distance with an engraving that says "Freemen District". And what would I know, the old man was heading that way.
"We are now free to talk my boy. We can discuss your questions when we get inside the big house at the center of the district. Only people of status and people from the guild are allowed in this district, so, we are safe to assume the coast is clear from prying eyes and eavesdrops," said the old man.
We entered this big house he mentioned and it turned out to be the barracks of the Freemen Quarters. I scanned the whole place and it was spacious; filled with weapons as decorations and trophies of every beast they have conquered. We found ourselves a table by the bar of the guild and we took a seat.
"What is it you want to know about 'it', Hardnir the Strongbone?" asked Sir Galbrant.
"You are getting awfully formal, Sir Galbrant the Stalwart. Are we not master and student?" I answered back.
"Yes, of course. That is true, but this is serious business. And I tend to speak formal when it comes to that. Spill it boy," said the old man.
"Is it an apparition? A magical creature? Or perhaps, a magician turned to black magic? What is 'it'?" I asked Sir Galbrant while almost stuttering mid-sentence.
Sir Galbrant let out a sigh and said, "relax. 'It' is a human being like the rest of us. You are half-correct by the way; it was a magician. But that was a long time ago, when everyone still remembers his name. Right now, all we know is he is alive and about if Joachim Red-eye is there. The other half of that answer, I am sorry lad. I do not know, not at this time."
"Okay, that is that. Another thing, I am worried about myself and my family. Since I already encountered 'it', would that put them in danger?" I immediately followed with another question.
"That, my boy, is one way of putting it. It is best you stay away from them for now. Consider yourself marked as a target," the old man replied.
"Marked as a target?! What did I do to deserve that?! And there is this sinister smile 'it' gave me and that kept bugging me all this time. Any take on that, old man?!" I asked again.
He grabbed me by the head and made me lean closer to him, "that means everything, don't you agree? You could say 'it' spared you and 'it' is mocking you. Or, you have plenty in store to be wary of. Either way, you are not in this alone."
"Wait. Is it what I think it is?" I freed myself from his hands.
"Yes, my dear boy. I am with you," said Sir Galbrant. "I am bored anyways. Let me in on the fun," the old man added.
Laughter erupted in our table and I was thrilled to have the legendary shield-bearer as a companion in this mess I am in. It meant a lot to me when he said that. It cleared my mind off things and made me relax a bit.
"Hardnir the Strongbone! What a pleasant surprise!" said a familiar voice.
I turned around and looked at the direction where the statement came from. It was Alayah, and in her hands were a mug of mead and a piece of meat.
"What are you doing here? Barging in like its your territory," said Alayah.
"Well, I was dragged here and just had a conversation with an old acquaintance," I replied.
"Oh! For the Gods' sake, where are my manners? Sir Galbrant the Stalwart, my name is Alayah. Trainee recruit under Boris. Did not know you were there sir," said Alayah while panicking.
"At ease my child. No harm done. Ain't she a sweetheart eh, Hardnir?" said Sir Galbrant in jest.
"Stop teasing her old man. Can't you see she is embarrassed? Take it easy on her," I said to Sir Galbrant.
"Can I have a seat?" said Alayah. I gestured to her to take a seat beside us and she took her seat.
"You see Hardnir, we are in quite a bind. We are asked to show ourselves before the circle later this day and I am that damn nervous. I think they know about the job," said Alayah while completely being hysterical.
"Oh, definitely, I assure you that. I helped you with that job, and still has not been paid for it. I am sure you are aware of that," I answered back in response.
"Well, look what we have here. A secret ploy to have a name for themselves. I am guessing you took a private contract, haven't you, Alayah was it?" said the old man.
"Ah err, you could put it that way," said Alayah in a loud voice and ended with a soft one.
This legend sure was a sharp one. Just a few bits from that conversation, he had it all figured out. I guess, wisdom does come with age.
"I think it would be best to take Hardnir with you, Alayah. Everything will be fine, just stay calm," said Sir Galbrant while gesturing the statement towards me.
"Let's just hope luck is on our side on this one, Alayah. I will help you explain. I wanted to talk to the circle anyways," I said to Alayah.
"Thank you Hardnir, you're a lifesaver. I'll go tell the others you were coming with us," said Alayah.
"Do not thank me yet, go on," I answered back.
The old man looked at me while I was watching Alayah go to the others. I immediately caught his eye and I bowed down my head to drink mead from my mug.
"That Alayah chick sure is unique, isn't she my boy? That platinum hair is quite an intriguing thought," said Sir Galbrant.
I swear, nothing gets by this old man. He noticed every little detail, and made quite interesting comments about them.
"Yeah, that is rare in these lands. I wonder where she came from. It is obvious that she is not from anywhere in the Edge of the World," I followed up on the topic.
Sir Galbrant stopped me from drinking and said, "you will have some explaining to do later on, best control yourself with your drink. Take a nap in the meantime, you are wounded. Have you already forgotten about that lad?"
"I am fine. I can handle myself with the booze. Besides, I am disinfecting my wounds with this mead," I jest.
The old man laughed hard at the jest and his laugh echoed inside the structure. The people of the guild looked at us the instance it erupted. They all recognized him and I heard them say hello to the old man.
"What is all this racket? Can't a man laugh nowadays?" said Sir Galbrant.
"You are that famous. Deal with it, old man," I answered his question.
The old man grabbed my mug and gestured I take a nap. He shooed me away from my seat, so, I went to the barkeep to ask some guidance.
"Do you have a room I can use for a while?" I asked.
"Consider it on the house. A friend of the Stalwart, is a friend of the guild. Take the stairs on your left and pick a bed you want to use," said the barkeep.
"If I may add to that, can you have Alayah over there to come to me later?" I followed up on the request.
"I believe that sir, is inappropriate. Alayah is a recruit of the guild and not in by any means, a whore that will be your plaything," said the barkeep.
I brushed my beard and scratched my head in awe of what he said.
"Let me rephrase that and you listen well. I am expecting her to come get me later because they need me to come with them to the circle. Can you do that for me, sir?" I said and ended with sarcasm.
The barkeep immediately stopped what he was doing and bowed his head.
"Deepest apologies for misunderstanding sir. Yes, I can do that. Fear not, I will pass on the message," said the apologetic barkeep.
That barkeep got on my nerve. I almost swore at him and punch him in the face to make point. That was insulting. Then I saw the old man laughing hard as he heard the conversation.
"Oh, bug off, will you?" I said to Sir Galbrant while passing by him.
"I bet he peed his pants my boy! Haha!" said Sir Galbrant.
I walked up the stairs and found a room full of beds on the left side of the floor. I picked the one right in front of the entrance of the room, because of that remark earlier by the barkeep. It was partly my fault for the poor choice of words, but it might attract unwanted attention. Best to steer clear of that.
I took a nap and night fell to the Sixth Castle.
As I drifted in my sleep, I saw this faint vision in which I was in the middle of some sort of ritual. I was surrounded by people and I could not even recognize their faces. It felt realistic although in a blurry haze. I felt that something was swelling up inside me, pushing its way out.
And not a moment too soon, I awoke to a wild slap in the face.
"Hardnir..." I hardly heard the voice.
"Hardnir! Wake the damn up!" said a familiar voice.
"Ugh! Agh! Ouch! That hurts!" I yelled as I woke up from my slumber.
Alayah was sitting beside me while holding my shoulders tightly.
"You were moaning in your sleep when I arrived. Thought you'd appreciate to be wakened up. You had a nightmare, didn't you?" asked Alayah.
I pressed my palms onto my cheeks, as they hurt so bad, I could have sworn at Alayah.
"Appreciate the gesture, but you did not have to do that. I would have woken up by my own anyways, with where that dream was going," I talked under my breath. "Aren't you a firebrand," I added sarcastically.
"Gee, sorry Hardnir. I kind of panicked as I was already nervous. It is that time of the day," replied Alayah.
Alayah grabbed me by the arm and made me follow her downstairs. We entered these huge doors at the back of the guild bar and I immediately recognized what room was that. It was their command room. The others were waiting for the two of us and I could not help my eyes wander. A big, oak wood, decorated table at the middle of the room was the first one I noticed. And then these chairs lined up on the other side of the table, with the reaper and its scythe at the top rail of its back.
I saw Sir Galbrant sitting in the corner of the room and he nodded at me, gesturing I should face front. As I followed his gesture, another old man wearing a black coated steel armor, long grey hair and a stubble, stood up from the center of the table and spoke.
"Thank you for coming in today, brothers and sisters. I am sure you are aware that there are matters we need to discuss regarding these past events that took place these couple of days. Here stand before me, is the concerned party of such events. Introduce yourselves," commanded the grey-haired old man.
As I look closer, I noticed that one of his eyes was bereft of sight. It was completely whited out.
Holsten initiated the introductions and said, "I am Holsten. Trainee recruit under Boris."
"My name's Gels, brothers and sisters. A trainee recruit under Boris as well," said Gels.
"The name is, Alayah. Trainee recruit, under Boris," said Alayah with a mild stutter.
There was a moment of silence and I felt that everyone was looking at me.
The grey-haired old man gestured his hand and said, "and you are lad?"
I immediately took the hint that I belonged to this party.
I responded and said, "Hardnir the Strongbone of Frelsmuth sir. An adventurer crossing the mountains to get here when I met Alayah, Gels and Holsten."
"The Strongbone? Curious," said the grey-haired old man as he took his seat.
I noticed several others with him on the other side of the table. There were three men to his right, and three women to his left. All wearing the same coat of armor as the grey-haired old man. I caught the eyes of the grey-haired old man, staring at me and I immediately avoided his gaze.
"For the sake of the adventurer in our midst, Hardnir the Strongbone, we shall introduce ourselves as well. My name is Wagnak," said the grey-haired old man.
"This man to my right is Barnac," followed up Wagnak.
The man seated to his right looked intimidating. His eyebrows were in a constant furrow, and he has this black, braided mustache to match. Not to mention that this tattoo on his bald head.
"And the man next to him is Boris," said Wagnak.
The immediate commander of the three rowdy bunch was that man named Boris. He was on the skinny side, and with a shaved head on both sides, leaving the middle part of his head the only part with blonde hair. I noticed how he handled himself, he was composed. He gave me quick nod and went back to what he was doing.
"And the last man to my right is Gwendell," ended Wagnak on his introduction of the men to his right.
The last man that he mentioned was difficult to notice. He was of short stature, and had his black hair tied up to the back of his head. Out of the three men on Wagnak's right side, he was the shortest. He looked at me intently as we moved on.
"And to my left, this lady seated next to me is Hroki," said Wagnak.
She has this golden hair, one might think she is a noble, as did I. White skin, and I guessed that she was older than me. But I could not forget that she gave me this "I don't give a damn about this man" kind of look in her eyes.
"Next to her is Alisha," added Wagnak.
The woman next to Hroki was somehow pleasing to look at. She has this short, red hair, a beautiful soft smile, and a noticeable pair of blue eyes. She smiled at me and I smiled in return, although awkwardly.
"And the woman at the left end of the table is Sylgja," ended Wagnak on his introduction of the women to his left side.
The last one was an old lady, but not someone to be messed with, if I were to be asked. She was quite big for a lady, with a black hair, cut as short as a man's hair. She did not even budge when she was called.
Wagnak called my attention back to him when he said, "we are the circle of the Freemen Quarters, Hardnir the Strongbone. You are here today..."
"You forgot to mention your title again, old man," interrupted Hroki.
"Oh, forgive me. I am the Augur of the Freemen Quarters. Thank you for reminding me, Hroki," said Wagnak.
Hroki touched her forehead in disbelief.
"As I was saying, you are here today to explain yourselves. Do not fret, we will be listening, only if you speak the truth and nothing far from it," said the Augur, Wagnak.
Boris entered the conversation and asked, "why were you taking contracts behind my back? Trust me, I would like to know."
The three guys beside me looked at each other in an attempt to sort out who would be answering the question. Alayah stepped forward.
"We were getting a bit impatient with how things were going during our stay in the guild. We are making little coin and little name for ourselves and that is not what we signed up for," said Alayah.
Boris looked disappointed at Alayah and mentioned, "surely you do not think that. Little by little, with good deeds done, you will make a mark. I taught you that on your very first day. Why?"
"It doesn't matter Boris, let it go. What's done is done. There is nothing we can change about that," said Barnac. "Correct me if I am wrong, Alayah. I heard that the three of you were almost in danger, were you not?" he added.
"Yes brother, as I am ashamed to admit it, that is correct," said Alayah while avoiding Barnac's eyes.
Wagnak was just there, listening and observing the flow of conversation. I noticed how he refrained from entering the conversation and had the others question the three.
"And you Gels, I know you. I know that you are the conscience of the group. Why have you not stopped this?!" said Hroki while raising her voice.
Gels stepped forward and he answered, "to be totally honest, I was against it. But Alayah made a fine point. I joined them because I was too soft, too much that it pained me every single time others thought of me like that. I thought that was the best time to take the chance to prove myself that I am not that soft and I can take risks. If I had not taken any part in this, I won't ever change."
"You surely were not thinking clearly child," commented Sylgja.
Holsten could not contain his anger towards the discussion and blasted out a piece of his mind, word by word he said, "What is this garbage?! I thought we will be explaining ourselves, yet you are judging us! Where did that go, huh?! I was prepared for anything that comes after this meeting but with this bit? I refuse to back down now!"
"Enough! Holsten! E-fucking-nough!" I swore at Holsten at the highest point of my voice.
Holsten looked at me and did what I said he should do. I pushed the three behind me as I stepped forward. I was not planning to intervene with their conversation, but the way this was going, I had to.
I looked at the eyes of each members of the circle as I spoke.
I calmed myself down and said, "apologies for the language, esteemed members of the circle. I was out of line there, please forgive me. It is just that, you have not yet captured the whole story on their side and you were quick to pass judgment. As Sir Wagnak said..."
"Do not call me sir, lad. I am nothing of the sort. Continue," interrupted Wagnak.
I gestured sorry and continued where I was cut off, "as Wagnak said, you will be listening to them. So, since you are not so eager to listen to them, listen to me instead. Alayah and the others thought of opportunity, and they believed that. Was that wrong? Surely you have, one way or another, thought of that when you were new to the guild. You wanted to climb up the ranks sooner than the rest of the other recruits." I paused for a moment as I thought of my words carefully.
"But do not get me wrong, they are at fault for not informing you about the job. I already scolded them regarding that when I first met them. It is dangerous to take on a contract without supervision from one of your circle members, since you are the Freemen Quarters. Trained specifically to handle the toughest jobs this country has to offer," I followed on my piece.
"Well, well, well. That is quite an elaborate way of saying that we should let this one slide," said Hroki.
I responded immediately and said, "Oh, no. By the Gods, no! Give them punishment or whatever if you have to. But let me just tell you, they completed the contract."
The room was filled with muffled conversations and chatter, after I have said that. I saw Sir Galbrant looking at me and I caught it. He gave me a nod of approval.
"Please tell us more Hardnir, we are curious to how they completed the contract," said Boris.
I grabbed my bag, sitting in a chair, and pulled out the ears of the mountain troll I took a few days back.
"These, esteemed members of the circle, are proof of their completion of the contract. It was a concerted effort to take down the beast and we relied on each other," I said while holding the ears up high.
"Surely, he is just being humble, brothers and sisters. He slayed the beast, not us," said Alayah.
"No, I am not definitely being humble. It was teamwork. If Gels did not wrestle the mountain troll, Holsten could not have distracted it. Then, you could not have shot its eyes, and it would not have gone on a rampage to make us fly into the air. And, I would have not gotten the chance for the kill," I said in response.
"Well, if you put it that way, yes, it was teamwork. I thought you wanted the gold coins for yourself?" said Alayah.
"Surely, I jest at the time. I was pissed off because you guys were total amateurs! I even gave you guys the plan beforehand, and you cooperated, remember?!" I answered back.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh, all the nagging's going to make my ears fall off," said Alayah.
The room filled with laughter as we bicker at each other.
I continued my claim towards the circle and said, "But that aside, I could not have done it without the three of them being there, thus, going back to my statement. They completed their contract."
The Augur, Wagnak, stood up and walked towards me. He held me by my arms and said, "thank you Hardnir, for bringing them home."
"It was nothing, Wagnak. I was on my here anyways, so, I joined the wild ride. It was fun by the way," I answered back and he laughed.
"I believe we have reached a verdict, haven't we brothers and sisters?" said Wagnak.
All of the circle members stood up and gave a nod to Wagnak. Then came an applause, and to my surprise, it was directed to us.
"Do not fret, Alayah, Gels and Holsten. We will not punish you for the actions made, however, under one condition," said Wagnak.
"Damn it, I knew there was a catch," said Holsten.
"You three, are no longer under the command of Boris. Surely, you do not trust his judgment anyways. But instead, you will repay your debt to Hardnir for saving you and until that is settled, you will not be taking contracts from the guild. Is that alright with you Hardnir?" said Wagnak.
"It is your decision to make. I am fine with whatever you want them to do, and I will gladly support you on that," I replied.
"Looks like we are in agreement then. And look at these three. They have stars in their eyes," said Wagnak and then laughed.
I was on my way to Sir Galbrant to ask what he made out of the whole scene when Wagnak stopped me and said, "see me in my chambers later lad. We have something to discuss with Galbrant."
"Aye," I replied as the people left the room.