Glade 1st, 4508¤
PREVIOUSLY.....
After the scuffle the band retrieved the Krish’s personal belongings, which were in fact likely those of surrounding towns and villages taken as plunder. While some Men were wounded, most found themselves unharmed, that included Podvrak. The battle between the large Krish and he waged on for most of the fight, testing Podvrak’s stamina, but by long all of the Krish Warlord’s kindred were dead and he was slain by the other Men coming to Podvrak’s aid.
“These ought to fetch a good price!”
One Man said to Podvrak, to which he nodded and smiled. The caravan was farther up the road, unharmed, and the mercenary group walked them the rest of the way peacefully to Adela.
Night followed and they were deep in the mead in the tavern of Adela, charmingly called “Pig’s Rear Inn and Bar”. Pig’s heads and rears were mounted up the walls of the high ceiling and open floor tavern. Above was a hostel style loft where most of the Men of Majesty had taken residence for the coming week. Adela was on fire with their arrival, many in the bar coming to scope the new arrivals and thus had made a party for Podvrak’s birthday. It took one wisecrack from the group to have mead following down his throat into his gullet from what seemed like half the town. Their arrival was met with such joy as this trade deal would bring new prosperity to their village, somewhere often plundered by the Krish and left destitute.
The running joke among the Men that night was teasing Podvrak into trying to pick a date. A couple of Men joked they would play wingman for him, pointing out a few young ladies to Podvrak. Humans, the lot of them, which were completely uninteresting and unattractive to the Rathor. In fact he was nearly 100 years old, he informed them, and would outlive each of them by at least 100 more years after their own death. Somehow to his merc buddies this was the funniest thing, but he noted even they were humans themselves and wondered not about their dark senses of humor and lack of mortality. They fought with honor and saved his life today, that was enough for him to go easy on their poking fun. In truth their jokes made him feel lonely. While they made light of his loneliness they weren't the one in his body experiencing it. It took a lot out of him to weather their teasing when it got out of hand. Slipping away with no one to see, he took a moment to head outside away from the party and noise, headed into the village under the blanket of stars.
Wandering through the village was a chore for the heavily inebriated Povrak. For some of the walk he had blacked out, puked in someone’s bushes, possibly taken a piss. But no one was home in any of the houses, all had gone to Pig’s Rear. The fresh, night air was comforting and the solitude much needed. Though, eventually it would seem he had wandered too far, fields were coming into view.
“Village isn’t very big.”
Said a soft spoken voice from his left, just out of sight. Wheeling on his heel he faced the voice to see a beautiful woman in a peasant’s dress squinting up at him with mischief in her eyes and hands on her hips, as if he had done something wrong. Her skin was grey and slightly green, but had patches of black and grey, starting as freckles on her face and ending as large spots on her breasts and shoulders. Her hair was a chocolate brown as were her eyes, and her smile held perfect, large, white teeth. Her figure was strong but curvacious and the dress she wore fell down all the way to the ground, he couldn’t even see her feet. Star struck, Podvrak didn’t know what to say at first and she laughed.
“First time? You must be with the caravan, I haven’t seen you around here before. Village is back that way you came from, I wouldn’t go farther.”
It was enough time to let Podvrak reclaim his speech.
“And why should I?”
He asked her.
“Well, you don’t have to, I guess. But that up there is Esquire Mirth’s land, we aren’t allowed to hunt or camp in those woods. His house isn’t far up this road.”
She gave him a side eye like she wasn’t sure he was serious,
“And anyway, his guards don’t take kindly to random mercenaries wandering to his step.”
Podvrak chuckled at her spirit, taking an unconscious step closer to her. She was beautiful. He asked,
“How do you know?”
She said in reply,
“I tend the farms directly in front of his house, how wouldn’t I know? Those guards are always teasing me and I’ve lived here my whole life, kinda know everyone.”
Podvrak blushed then, hidden beneath the fur on his cheeks. He chuffed in reply, betraying his emotions, but she was right and he felt silly for asking. Somehow he couldn’t help it, he wanted to keep talking to her. Somehow keep the conversation going.
“The farms? Sounds like a difficult job.”
He said, suddenly remembering how drunk he was as he wobbled slightly on his hooved feet.
“Not as hard as yours evidently, you absolutely fucking reek of mead.”
Her words were like a slap to his face and he didn’t know what to say, had he blown it? She started to leave, headed back to the barns not far from the fields he was walking through.
“Wait. They call me Vrak. I didn’t get your name.”
She didn’t stop walking or look back but replied,
“Hopefully you don’t need it!”
And that was all.
~~~~
Glade 2, 4508
Drinking tea the next day in Pig’s Rear saved him, the headache from his escapades the previous night was so killer he wanted to go right back to sleep. At least with some brew in his veins he perked up, though his joints hurt he was able to help finish unloading the caravan’s goods. In just three days time they would be loading the new goods back up and heading back to Sheorlund with them. He had all but forgotten about meeting that woman last night until she came back into view in the small market. She seemed to be trading herbs to a shop keep and Podvrak didn’t bother making his way up to her. The details of their conversation came back to him and he felt again, rejected and defeated. He thought maybe it was just the other Men spurring him on, he never had been so brazen as last night but then again he was also very very drunk. Yet, his heart leaped when he saw her and he was powerless to ignore that. Every fragment of his being felt lit on fire and he wondered if this was what it felt like to have magic, he felt in that moment like he would do anything for her. Protect her from any harm, drape a towel over any puddle which she may walk, open every door before her. He wanted so badly to know her name, MIss Enigma, and have a shot at getting to know her. Before he could make a sudden movement she was gone in the wave of the next crowd, her business done. Did she notice him?
A hand tapped his shoulder and he looked to see Mugrock looking overjoyed to see him, a huge smile played on the orkhai’s lips and his eyes were ablaze with happiness.
“Esquire Mirth has requested to see the Men of Majesty!”
He proclaimed with his arms open wide.
“No kidding, when?”
Podvrak asked.
“Immediately! The other Men are already gathered, let’s go.”
They took the very same path that Miss Enigma had told him about last night and as the band walked through the fields Podvrak was obviously gawking in the direction of the barn trying to catch a glimpse of the beautiful woman from before. Unfortunately he did not see her and they passed from fields to trees then to the mansion which held Esquire Mirth. It was towering and imposing, done in Radenor's typical style. A single raven sat on the marble goat's head which marked both sides of the stairs leading up to his tall, cherry-wood front doors. The raven let out a single cry before flying away, startled by the Men making their way to the front step.
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