Chapter 39 (Early Version)

Chapter 39 - Sign of the Soot Stained Pig

It is better to walk the path alone than in the company of the foolish.

- Quassian Aphorism


In the end, I had taken watch for most of the night, my Drain spell keeping me revitalized. Kidu only relieved me of my watch in the early hours of the morning when took his toilet.  During the night my repeated use of the Drain spell, and my earlier use of Identify, had enabled me to keep my Mana full. Not only that, but my focused practice had also increased the level of the spell and boosted my Intelligence by a single point.  No one had tried to assault us in the night and steal our things, and I counted this as a much-needed win.

I had also spent much of the night ruminating too on the contents of the book. There were a few arcane-looking diagrams which tantalized my mind with their design. Looking back, I remembered that the Identify scroll I had absorbed had similar patterns in places. Mathematical equations in a paradigm I had no understanding of were written too across many of the damaged pages. Though in a great many places very incomplete, I was able to glean a general outline of the nature of magic in this world. This world could be influenced by Mana, and the difficulty of doing this was based on how much reality had to be changed by magic. I deduced from the incomplete text that the more powerful or complicated spells would need more Mana to bridge the gap between the ‘intent’ of the caster and his current reality.

A giant fireball after all would affect reality in a much more pronounced way than a simple spell that produced a spark. A water blade in a dry desert would be vastly more difficult than it would be near a wet swamp. It begged the question as to why my own magic always had the same cost, only going up or down in relation to the current level and strength of the spell. Last night offered more questions than answers on the esoteric nature of this world.

Still pondering on these thoughts, we woke a still sleepy Elwin a few hours after the done as the city slowly came out of its slumber. Through his grumblings, I was able to thank him, genuinely grateful for his gift of knowledge, which he just waved away as if it was nothing. The hour was still early so instead of waiting for the morning meal, we decided to tuck into our travel rations of Laur meat. As I chewed on the tough jerky I couldn’t help but remember the time when the beast had in turn ironically tried to eat me.  Survival of the strong, I thought to myself as I washed the meat down with some water that had long ago grown stale.

Our meal complete we decided upon a plan for the rest of the day.  Elwin would see to selling the rest of the miscellaneous trinkets we looted from the charcoal burners, while Kidu and I would look for work or some way to earn money.  Kidu and I also decided that we should pay a visit to a blacksmith’s or an armorer’s to buy some new gear, Kidu had mentioned that he felt a little naked without a good bow. I also could really do with a better helmet, it had proven its worth many times already but aesthetics were still an important thing for me. A helmet was after all one of the most important pieces of protection for battle.  It was also as good a time as any to check my character sheet.


STATUS
Calling: Gilgamesh Level 10 Paladin of Avaria / Reaver
Strength: 24
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 34
Intelligence: 19
Wisdom: 17
Charisma: 11
Luck: 16

SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES
Pain Nullification  (lvl.2)
Power Strike (lvl.2) 10
Endure (lvl.3)
Stealth (lvl.1)
Rest (lvl.3)
Backstab (lvl.2)
Dodge (lvl.3)
Polearms (lvl.2)
Dual Wield (lvl.2)
Critical Hit Mastery (lvl.2)
Mining (lvl.2)
Unarmed Combat (lvl.3)
Hammers (lvl.2)
Flails (lvl.1)
Maces (lvl.1)
Shields (lvl.1)
Medium Armour (lvl.1)
Heavy Armour (lvl.1)
Axes (lvl.1)
Daggers (lvl.2)
Throwing Weapons (lvl.2)

SPELLS & MAGIC
Heal (lvl.5) 5
Rust (lvl.3) 2
Identify (lvl.2) 1
Silent Casting (lvl.1)
Mana Regeneration (lvl.2)
Purify (lvl.2) 3
Greater Heal (lvl.1) 10
Holy Aura (lvl.1) 2
Decay (lvl.1) 1
Drain (lvl.2) 2
Entropic Aura (lvl.2) 2

GIFTS
Curse of Entropy: -20% all starting attributes.
Mark of the Paladin: 10% resistance to Dark/Holy magic. 5% resistance to Physical.
Touch of the Void: 10% reduced resistance to Holy/Fire magic, 20% resistance to Mental Effects, 15% immunity to Mental Effects.

Experience to next level 2447/2583

Health: 230/230
Stamina: 55/55
Mana: 13/13


I felt pleased with the progress I had made as we left together and made sure we didn’t leave anything in the room. Practicing my magical skills had boosted my mental faculties as well as gaining me some nominal experience. Learning how to throw daggers had also given me a small boost to my experience.  Climbing down the creaky stairs I then went to the bar and paid Athinad for a few more nights and cleared our drinks tab from the night before. It seemed that Elwin had been a little too free with the tab but I thought it best to think of it as a business expense if we could find a place to sell our knick-knacks later.  The price of civilization was always paid in cold hard currency.

Leaving the inn we followed the main road for a while, the traffic still light at this early hour. We passed an interesting creature that looked like a bigger more docile version of the Tree-Laur that I had encountered a few days that had been nibbling on my arm pulling a small wooden cart laden with goods with its six stumpy legs.

I debated casting Identify on the creature but decided it was just better to ask my companions first, “What’s that creature,” I asked them curiosity glinting in my eyes.

“Keep forgetting you don’t know much about anything,” commented Elwin unhelpfully, “it’s a...”

“Plains-Laur,” Kidu finished for him, drawing a shrug from the Rogue as he continued on like a farmer plowing a field, “they make for good eating.”

Elwin rolled his eyes before he gave a further explanation, “Plains-Laur, a bit more expensive than horses and definitely more temperamental. They got a lot more stamina if not quite the speed of a good horse. Can’t say I care much for them, except as my learned friend has mentioned, they make for good eating,” he explained to me, making sure to enunciate the last part carefully.

Kidu just grunted and dodged a middle-aged man carrying a wicker basket over his shoulders, unwilling to be baited by the smaller man. I grinned at their little exchange, I was more concerned about how much experience the creature would be worth rather than its culinary properties or its use as a beast of labor.

We reached a corner at a colorful yurt-like building when Elwin suddenly declared with a cheerful smile, “Well gentlemen, this is where we’ll be needing to part ways a while. I’ll be going to see what I can do about selling these old bit’s n’ bobs with a local fence and get a little lay of the land. You two have fun selling our old junk and let’s meet before sundown back at the Twisted boar,” he said as if eager to be off.

“Fortune favor you, Elwin Tucker,” rumbled Kidu, holding the Rogue’s eyes for a moment and making the Rogue run one of his hands through his hair in nervousness.

Looking sheepish the Rogue turned around and walked off into the crowd, turning around one last time before throwing us a wave. I nodded to Kidu eager for us to play our part too.

Continuing down the road now slowly filling up with more traffic we passed a stooped old man who looked to be some sort of tinkerer or, setting up some of his simple iron goods on some tarp along the side of the thoroughfare. Kidu and I approached him, the man-mountain looming over him and casting a large shadow across his display.

“Oh, hello there, sir!” said the trader almost jumping at the site of the large man as he finished setting up a display, “Wha… What can I do for you today?”

I knelt down by his display, touching some pots and pans as if feigning interest in the quality of wares before getting down to business, “Good sir, a fine set of products you have. We are seeking to sell some goods of a similar quality that may of course interest you,” I began as Kidu understanding my intent began to unload our various mining tools, including our trusty picks and shovels.

“You will give me a good price for these won’t you?” I said smiling coldly and not wanting to dicker too much about the price.

The man had a bit more spine than I had given him credit for however, his voice firming, “They all look to be of second-rate quality with no maker’s mark, with a lot of wear on ‘em. That pick in particular,” he said pointing to the pick I had used last in the mines, “has definitely seen better days. Can only give you a five bronze for the lot,” he offered, looking me square in the eye.

Maybe it was because of my low Charisma, or maybe because in the manner of a born trader his instincts had just led him well enough to know that I really didn’t have the wherewithal to care. Either way, it was to be my loss.

“Throw in another five copper so I can save some face and let’s call it a deal,” I said resignedly.

The trader grinned an avaricious smile, “Deal,” he said as evenly as possible but couldn't quite hide the greed etched into the lines of his face. Only an idiot wouldn’t realize that the greedy man had certainly gotten the better part of the bargain.

Whilst I had been trading with the man I couldn’t help but overhear two women in conversation pass by.

“Marda lost her child last night, all of sudden out of the blue walking down this street she says. The midwife says she may never have children again!” whispered one of the women in a loud voice conspiratorially to the other.

“Oh, I know! Poor dear said she felt a curse of witchcraft as she passed that horrible inn. Lots of folks said they felt something strange too, even old Gus was swarmed by demons of the night they say. An Honoured One might even be called to investigate they say, foul magics or foreign spies!” she exclaimed with an excited giggle as they slowly passed out of earshot.

A stab of guilt hit me in the gut before I quickly focused on the trader again.  Reaching into a colorful light blue knapsack at his side he carefully counted out our coins before pressing them into the palm of my hands. I bid the merchant farewell, bowing slightly at the hip as I had observed was the local custom with Kidu merely giving him a resentful nod. I gave Kidu his share, counting out his one bronze and eight copper pieces. He almost refused, making me almost have to forcefully push it onto him reminding him of his mission to bring riches back to his clan as we continued to make our way to our next destination.

Soon enough we were able to make our way to the Soot Stained Pig.  It was a medium building, two storeys tall, and constructed from large blocks of locally quarried white alabaster stone. A cast-iron sign hung over the entrance depicting a large black pig with an anvil in the background, the unoiled hinges squeaking a little in the breeze. The sounds of the forge could be heard coming from the inside, rising above the general hubbub of the city.

Entering the establishment through a pair of heavy wooden doors a bell above us announced our presence. We were greeted by the sight of a lithe woman rhythmically banging away at a thin red hot piece of steel on a large sturdy anvil with a heavy-looking hammer. Slightly tilted coal-black eyes were drawn in concentration looked from a high-cheekboned face framed by black hair drenched in sweat tied back into a simple ponytail. Ignoring us utterly, she picked up the hot piece of steel with some tongs and quenched it in a liquid that looked much like oil.

Kidu and I waited in respectful silence as she continued with her work and I took the time to look around the establishment. A myriad of display pieces could be seen from simple glass cases and weapon racks along the walls.  We could see almost everything from simple daggers of hardened bronze to an elegant looking fully articulated set of plate armour that looked like a flowing statue carved in steel.

After a few long moments she placed the tongs down she put her gloved hands on her slender hips. Looking Kidu up and down she greeted us from rose-pink full lips, a single delicate eyebrow arched in curiosity as she finally greeted us, “See something you like? What brings you lovely gentlemen to the Soot Stained Pig?” she asked in an alto voice whose dark timbre resonated with the heat of the forge.

Taking off my helmet, I half-remembered my manners and almost stumbled over my words, “Devon, he recommended this place. Said to ask for a Cillis Aideh for a good deal. We are looking to trade in a few things, but mostly to buy,” I blurted out.

This drew a chuckle from the woman as she continued to look at us, the laughter lighting up her eyes, “Cillis Aideh at your service. That old rogue is still alive I see, I fear his love of drinking and gambling will see him on the other side of the river one day. Still, can’t fault him for giving me business.  So what can I do you for?” she asked seriousness entering into her voice.

“I was wondering if I could trade this in for perhaps a new one of iron or steel?” I asked her.

“Open or closed?” she countered simply in return.

“I beg your pardon?” a little loss for words not understanding the context.

“Helm,” she responded, rolling her eyes and tapping at her head.

A blush crept across my cheeks as I weakly answered, “What would you recommend for my companion and me?” I looked to Kidu whose eyes were still roaming over the items on display.

“Hmm,” she paused crossing her arms and resting her chin across a hand gloved in heavy leather, adding to the soot of her face, “closed be a bit harder to breathe in, can’t see as well either. But I’d still recommend one if you're going to be getting into lots of scraps. A visored helm would probably give you best of both worlds, but that’ll cost you a pretty penny and they can be a devil to maintain in the field.”

“To be honest, madam…” I began again before being interrupted.

“No need for a madam, I’m not that old yet,” she said brusquely, a slight edge to her voice.

“Well, yes, Ms. Aideh we have a budget of about four gold between us,” I stated simply, willing to take a gamble that Elwin would be able to get us something for our loot. “We both need to be fully equipped and we can trade these too,” I said as I spread out the Laur hide, two spare Zajasite stones, two pairs of Echo-Stalker weapon claws from the drones, and my Echo-Stalker scythe daggers. A little hesitantly I also placed my simple length of iron chain.

Cillis looked over our items, lips pouting prettily in thought as she touched the scythe daggers, “Now this is a rare sight, Echo-Stalker claws from the deep places. Exotic. I’m sure there’s a demand for them somewhere but I wouldn’t know where to start. I can give four silver for the smaller ones, and six silver each for these excuses of a dagger if you’ll take store credit.  Three and five if you are needing the cash now,” she paused for a moment before taking off one of her gloves and running a hand sensuously across the animal hide, “The Laur hide looks like a pretty piece, Tree-Laur if I’m not mistaken. My husband Khisam could always do something with it, so I’ll throw in another silver. As for the Zajasite, they are pretty low-quality stones so I can give five copper each for ‘em and three for the chain for scrap metal. Just because looking at your friend made my day,” she smiled twirling a finger through her hair.

“Khisam!” she called out turning her back to us and shouting up the stairs, “I need your help with some fittings!”

*

Following the smith’s advice, I bought a second-hand visored steel sallet with a sturdy bevor and the heaviest leather and steel brigandine they had which could be fitted to my size. This piece of armor came with a cloth gambeson that had strong chainmail attached and sewn across the arms.  For leg armor, I chose simple iron greaves with chainmail leggings. My leather gloves I would have to keep for the time being, I simply did not have budget for new gauntlets and a further lose to dexterous motion might prove fatal in future conflict.

I tried to convince the smith to make a flail from my manacle’s chains but she thought the idea was preposterous. Instead, still puzzled with my choice of weapon, she offered me a reasonably priced menacing spiked iron flail for a reasonable price coupled with a basic kite shield that I could sling around my shoulder and promised to teach me the basics of its use for two bronze later. At the pommel of the weapon was a simple spike and where the chain met the handle was a heavy flanged of iron construction that would also allow the weapon to act as a simple mace. The ball itself was made of heavy metal and had five small but deadly-looking spikes attached to the handle by a short heavy chain.

I also decided to buy an old leather sword belt with a bronze buckle and hooks for hanging weapons and equipment. To this I also bought a set of three balanced throwing knives. In the end, I traded in my shortsword for a parrying dagger. The parrying dagger was discounted as it was one of her apprentice’s first pieces and the quality was unknown. Nonetheless, it was a striking piece. The weapon resembled a blade from about the 15th century with recurved bronze quillons that tilted slightly upwards towards the blade. A depression at the base of one side of the blade allowed the thumb to facilitate a firmer grip with a shallow fuller running over half its short length. The blade itself looked like a deadly serpent in motion. Seeing my curious look, Cillis informed me that the waves in the blade were intended to break the impact of a blow and slow down an opponent's blade.

Khisam, Cillis’ husband, was a shrew of a man and I was constantly puzzled by their pairing. A relatively young man, he had begun to bald well before his time and his furtive nature and large bespeckled eyes only added to his rodent-like nature. He followed his wife’s orders almost without question and with almost mechanical efficiency his hands were a whirlwind of activity as he measured and fitted my gear to me, occasionally informing his wife of my measurements.

The dark-haired woman took her time instructing me on how to equip my arms and armour and its basic maintenance, her hands provocatively lingering a little too long in places in front of her husband as if she enjoyed the thrill. She also with great delight showed me how I could relieve myself when fully armoured. I was pleased to note that my gear, although heavy, was not as cumbersome as modern media liked to portray armour and I felt a lot more protected clad in thick layers of leather and hard metal.

Equipping Kidu was a different proposition altogether as well as his enormous size, the wildman had also resisted at first, saying that he needed speed to strike at his enemies. In my world mankind had debated with itself many times on the battlefield on the advantages of armor. In the end armor of some kind had won as being the best choice overall choice.

For Kidu we decided on a scale mail cuirass and chainmail protection for his arms and legs. He refused a closed helm, saying that he needed his senses to be effective but we convinced him to use a chainmail coif. Instead of a shield, he opted for a thick steel gauntlet that was articulated at the fingers and covered his arms with metal plates which Cillis called a ‘Shield-Gauntlet.’ This particular piece of armor reminded me of the Murmillos of ancient Rome. For his weapon with great reluctance, he exchanged his old spear for a steel boar spear with small iron lugs or wings that sprouted underneath a long leaf-shaped blade that ended in a deadly sharp tip.

It would take some time for Khisam to make the necessary adjustments for Kidu’s great size so Cillis invited me to the back of her smithy where I found a small open area surrounded by a fence.

Moving up to a straw training dummy she turned around to give me a dazzling smile and began her instruction, “Now, I would be a poor smith indeed if I didn’t understand how to use the tools that I make. Make no mistake boy, these are tools and nothing more. The flail is a difficult weapon to master and lacks a little power because you can’t put your full weight behind it but it’s a tricky thing that can wrap around someone’s guard or can come at someone from a different angle. Now, remember when you hit a solid target you’ll be needing to follow through...”

*

Whether it was the single point in proficiency in Flails, my higher Dexterity, or just my combined experience from all of my fights until now, I found that her instruction came easily to me. She pointed out flaws in my stance by whispering close to my ear and warned me to always keep my shield up and to not rely on my weapon for defense like a sword. After what seemed like an hour or two I was finally informed by the world with a new notification that I had gained in skill.

You have learned Flails (lvl.2)

I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t gained in attribute points but still pleased that I had made some martial progress. Though nowhere near a hardened warrior of legend I felt that I had at least begun to take the first few steps. Emboldened by my recent achievement I turned to the attractive raven-haired smith with a playful grin.

“So you and Khisam, how come you two...” I began before she silenced with a finger to my lips.

“I’d prefer the big man, but you’ll do. Don’t worry, my husband likes to be jealous. It adds spice to our partnership,” she said in a bold sultry voice filled with sensuous promise as she led me by the hand to a tool shed in the corner of the yard.

We rutted like animals, heavy and hard, shaking the timber frames of the shed. She bit down on a piece of rawhide leather to muffle the sounds of our coupling as I spilt my pent up seed deep inside her as I took her from behind. When we were finished short minutes later she washed where we had been briefly joined, drawing cold water from a cistern without a care in the world for modesty and as if nothing had happened between us.

I couldn’t help feeling that it was perhaps me that had been used, and I felt a little emasculated as we joined the others back in the shop. It seemed that in this world I could feel the whole gamut of human sensation, and that included thankfully pleasure.

Kidu looked odd, his neat and ordered gear now adjusted to his size at odds with his rugged form. I paid Cillis for her time, training, and goods promising to come back again if we had any more purchases to make in the future in a weak voice, barely meeting her eyes and thanked her and Khisam. As a parting gift, Cillis even recommended a stall in the market to acquire archery gear for Kidu.

We left the store a little hastily, my embarrassment and shame giving flight to my retreat from the store.