Having organized everything and calmed by checking that I was no criminal, I spent the night in a calm sleep.
I never had dreams, and unsurprisingly this night none visited me either.
Today was my 24th day in Lieade, and I will be taking the first steps of the initial plan. Namely, get connections and earn money.
During the morning, I stayed in the inn. I took a bath with the water of the well, ate breakfast, and... cut my hair.
I do not know the 'magical' or 'divine' reason behind it, but after being marked by Sepyre, I had no facial hair. Not that I normally carried a beard or anything, but I still had to shave regularly to avoid having random clusters growing on the chin. But now, after more than three weeks, I felt equally shaved as at the moment I had left earth. Something that could not be said about my hair, as it had grown at least twice from how I normally had it.
My attempt at hairdressing did not go well, and so after badly disheveling myself, I asked for Angelique's help and ended with a decent, slightly short haircut.
***
About an hour before midday, I glanced from the window and saw three wagons parked in front of the Guild.
I could not say if they were the ones that I will be accompanying, but the timing was just too close to be coincidental. So after thinking of it for a bit, I decided to show a bit of initiative and left the inn, crossing the square and reaching the guild in just a few minutes.
There was no one near them, and they looked empty.
Each wagon was about two meters wide and four long. Four-wheeled, with each wheel a meter tall, they looked pretty impressive.
The three of them were roofed, and the combination of the arch and white cloth immediately made me remember 'The Oregon Trail' ones.
And I immediately made myself forget about that demonic game... Dysentery, brrr!
There was a pair of differences to that wagons though, the main being that these had a front and back wall, effectively making it a closed vehicle, with only a door on the backside.
"Lindar?" I turned to see Reuben, who was exiting the Guild's main building along with a pair of armed people.
"Morning, Reuben. I saw the wagons and decided to take a look. Maybe ask if I can be of any help as well"
"Oh! The sentiment is appreciated but these three are the guild's own, so they were loaded in the backyard and are just waiting for the horses"
"Mmm, though something along the lines"
"Anyway, it's good that I saw you now. We will be leaving in an hour, from the town gate"
"Understood" After nodding, I returned to the inn and notified the girls.
***
Half an hour later, after saying our farewells to Zakhar and promising to return someday, I took the girls' bags in my hands, slung my own on my back, and moved out.
Now I get the strength level! With nine-ten being the average for a man, something that I had already confirmed from the guards and others, my 14 was like having 50% more strength than them. I was carrying about 35 kilos between the three bags and didn't feel much. A great change, especially as I wasn't known for strength on Earth.
I saw our 'caravan' right after passing the gate, which was manned by the same Alban who I had paid the triple toll before and another, unknown guard.
Just about half klick to the right from the gate, the three covered wagons I had previously were now accompanied by a dozen open wagons. These were of the same size but simpler, just a bottom over four wheels and three walls on the sides and back. The front had something like a bench, from which I supposed the driver would control the animals.
Speaking of animals, the three covered wagons had a pair of horses each, but the uncovered ones would be driven by... oxen?
Well, I will assume that the almost two meters tall, double that long, and four-horned animals can be considered as ox.
The sheep that I saw before were normal-sized and looked like the ones I knew from Earth. The horses pulling the covered wagons were a bit bigger than normal but still were common, brown-colored, and brown-maned horses. So why the oxen were so different from the earth? Who knows... Another mystery to be left for later.
While I observed the animals, we continued moving and when we were near enough, my attention turned to the people.
There were several of them standing near the wagons, and a pair of smaller groups closer to the town. In one of them, I saw Reuben, who was still accompanied by the two armed people I saw before.
Approaching him, a quick round of pleasantries followed. One during which I learned that the two men, who were dressed in common clothes but had a short sword on their hip and a wooden shield slung over their backs were two of the Guild guards. Their names were Rolf and Wilfried, and none of their stats was above the average - which again confirmed my idea of the overall level of strength common people had.
A few minutes later, a group of ten, seemingly the last one Reuben was waiting for arrived, and so he asked Rolf, a short bundle of muscles with a shining bald head to fetch the other overseer and all the guards. It seemed that it was time for a meeting.
***
"So... The Guild's wagons will go in front. Lindar's six will follow us, and Egon's six will be the last" Reuben quickly outlined the planned formation, and then motioned for the leader of the Guild guards to outline the rest.
"Three of my men will be riding the first wagons, while I and Wilfried, being the only mounted ones will act as outriders. You..." She turned towards the ten men that had arrived last and were the town guards joining the caravan as security
"Four of you on each side of the last two wagons, and the other two can ride one of the middle ones. Questions?"
"Ahem, Lady, do you intend 8 of us to walk until Megvuroz?" A tall and lanky man, dressed in the same leather clothes as all the guards, but with a double ax hastened to his back asked.
"Did I say otherwise?" A cold question accompanied by an equally cold glance was his answer.
"But..." And seemingly the effect for this woman gaze was indeed effective, as the man stuttered.
"You can take turns to ride the wagons, but there will be at least two men on either side. Or you can forget about any payment, understood?" She made a concession, one that I suspect she was intending to give out from the start. As for why she worked this like that? Well, I could only guess, but I would put my money on her asserting authority.
"...Yes"
"Good, now Mr. Reuben, do you want to add anything?"
"Oh no, we will work anything else on the road. For now, our main objective is to set out. Lindar, Egon, except the wagons, you two have no responsibilities until we reach the gates of Drogzilg, so try to get acquainted with your men"
Hearing this, both I and the bronze-skinned, black-haired young man called Egon nodded.
"Ok everyone" Reuben raised his voice
"We will be leaving in half an hour"
***
And exactly half an hour, the 15 wagons formed a line and set off.
Kierra and Angelique would be riding the middle covered wagon, which was filled up with provisions and stuff for setting up a camp, so I could relax about their safety. After all, not only Reuben would be riding it as well, but there was also a guard sitting with the driver.
As for me, I could ride any of the six wagons under my 'care', but after trying to do so, I desisted from the attempt and decided to walk on one of the sides. The main reason was that the driver's bench was just the exact opposite of anything that I would sit on, being made of a crudely polished plank, and having neither a backrest nor anything of the sort.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
At first, I feared that walking near the wagons would make me eat the dirt and dust from the ones in front, but surprisingly as soon as we traveled for about a kilometer of dirt from Churg, a pretty decent paved road began.
----------------------------------------
Between the ruckus created by the wooden wagon wheels and the occasional "MOOOH" from the oxen in response to the drivers sticks, there was not much chance to interact with who would be my men for the journey. Neither there was anything to do to pass time, so I spent a pair of hours analyzing everyone in the convoy and noting down everything I could. Would it serve me someday? Who knows, but at least it gave me a glimpse of how caravans worked and considering my chosen backstory... It seemed wise to know even the smallest details.
Openly there were 43 people. Namely 15 drivers, 10 town guards, 5 guild guards, 8 hands, Reuben, the girls, Egon, and me. But in truth, the caravan had another person, someone who had not shown himself even once, and whose existence was revealed to me after I used 'Life Radar' on a whim. This latter was inside the third covered wagon, and judging from the lack of exposure, and that Reuben did not mention anything, I began to suspect that this trip had at least another objective apart of delivering the 12 wagons loaded with twenty crates of Fleinor each. And this suspicion only grew stronger each time I saw Gris, the guard's commander. About 175 centimeters tall and without a single visible gram of fat. Dressed in a metal reinforced jacket over leather trousers, she immediately appeared as a warrior. The fact that she carried a long, almost a meter, sword on her hip, and the cold expression of her face only added to the image. And while she made her rounds around the caravan, with her wheat-colored blonde ponytail waving behind her, I could even call her a valkyrie.
When I first tried to scan her, I was met with rows over rows of question marks. This had not occurred to me previously, and so I suspected she had some kind of item to conceal her skills and stats. But my status screen, on Sepyre's blessings, was far different from a common 'Analyze', and so after a few seconds of analysis, I managed to see her stats... And truly, I would have preferred to not do it.
NAME & TYPE LEVEL (Hiding anything below average) Cadowden Merchant (Title-Guild) - Champion (Title?) - Strenght 15 + 10 Force (Martial) 18 Quick (Martial) 18 Close-Quarters (Martial) 25 Slashing (Martial) 16 + 10 Counter-Attack (Martial) 12 Feint (Martial) 14 Parry (Martial) 13 Education (Social) 20 Danger-Sense (Adventure) 15 Identification (Adventure) 18 Beasts and Monsters (Special) 23 Leadership (Special) 15 Command (Special) 15
I strongly suspect that the + numbers mean something like an enchantment or a special treasure that adds to her skills. I should try and find more if I have the chance!
And my inner thoughts went along the lines of "Shit, what the hell someone like her is doing guarding a caravan filled with rare, but pretty cheap minerals?"
In any case, if shit hit the fan, either the caravan attracting some unwanted attention, or their other task doing so... I somehow was calmed knowing that a true monster of a fighter was present amongst the people.
As for the rest, except for the ax carrying guard, whose martial stats were a bit over average, there was no one amongst the other 37 people to have anything above average.
----------------------------------------
Three hours later, somewhere around the 8th Sun, the leading wagon began to slow down, and then the entire caravan stopped.
"Hmm?" I looked around and then centered my eyes on Egon, hoping to see what he would do, and imitate him to my best. After all, it seemed that the guy, however young he was, had at least some experience.
And so when the latter gathered his four caravan hands and moved towards the front, I did the same.
It did not take a genius to understand that probably we will be stopping for a meal, and indeed, that was the case. Kierra and Angelique had already jumped down from their wagon, and with the help of Rolf were setting up a camp kitchen and starting a fire. It was alike to the one we bought but slightly bigger.
I also noticed the reason why the stop was here and not somewhere else, the reason being that there was a big well near the road.
"So no tasks before we reach Drogzilg? What a load of bullshit" I silently suspired while making the 5th of my runs carrying buckets of water to the watering trough the drivers had set up.
One could suspect that the overseer was only meant to well... oversee, but it would be a mistake. The overseer would be doing at least the same amount of work that the hands, AND watching that the latter do their share as well.
Thankfully there was nothing except some physical labor involved, and having Egon acting just a few meters ahead, I just monkeyed him.
So, six wagons and four people to chase after. The drivers went along with the wagons, so technically it would be ten people, but as they did not do anything except drive and take care of the animals... There was nothing for me to oversee either.
***
"Meal's ready! Come grab it!" I heard Kierra's announcement and moved toward her while holding an entire tray of plates. With the oxen still yoked, the drivers would not leave them alone, and so I went to pick up their food as well.
There had been not much time to prepare something grand, and I did not expect it either. Still, I was surprised to see that the girls managed to do several things in under half an hour. Making me think that they had started preparations on the go.
A pair of sausages, some kind of vegetable mashup, an apple, and half a loaf of bread were immediately placed in each of the seven plates I carried on a wooden board.
I smiled in thanks and returned to the drivers, which quickly began to eat. I did the same, and after washing it down with the cold, surprisingly tasty water from the well passed my plate to the hand that was selected for cleaning duty.
The entire stop took a bit less than an hour, and then the journey restarted.
***
The lake appeared on the right very suddenly. Until now I only saw grasslands and distant hills to the left, and some kind of groove growing on rocky ground to the right, but now, the entire right side, as well most of the horizon was covered with azure waters.
The map that I had seen appeared in my mind, and from it, I determined that we had now reached a half-point of the first-day route. Which was a bit alarming, considering that from my experience, there were only three hours of daytime remaining.
***
But my worries were unfounded, as when the sun began setting down, coloring the waters in rosy tones and making the verdant metal in the wagons sparkle, the driver of the lead wagon shouted, and then it was repeated by the other drivers, making everyone hear the words
"Drogzilg in view!"
I moved to the right, leaving the road and walking on the sparse grass of the lake edge. And took a good look at the slowly nearing city.
The first thing that one would see was a few rows of straw-roofed houses along the road, getting denser and denser while approaching the city wall. Afterward, the proper wall followed, and it was everything like a city wall any fantasy fan would imagine.
Massive stones, probably bound with some kind of mortar, stacked into a werhn tall wall. With an edged parapet visible, it was easy to guess that the wall was wide, allowing people to stand on its top.
And obviously, the most striking part of the wall would be the enormous iron-barred arch that served as the gate. It was wide as the road we were following, which wasn't narrow, with a wagon hardly occupying more than a third, and almost as tall as the wall.
Two square towers were visible on its sides, and a blue-colored flag hung from each of them.
"Reuben's calling" Wilfried, mounted on a bit smaller version of the horses pulling the lead wagons approached me, and then continued further to the back, seemingly to pass the message to Egon as well.
***
"The Guild has a warehouse and runs the inn in the outskirts, so we will be staying there for the night and tomorrow cross the border"
"Understood" Egon left after nodding and being motioned to go back.
"The entry papers are prepared, but I would like you to check the amounts before we move out in the morning" Reuben then said to me.
"Will be done"
"Here you go" Reuben passed me a pair of scrolls.
"If I may?" I decided to ask a question that was slightly bothering me.
"Go ahead"
"I suspect that we will probably use as few rooms as possible" Hearing this Reuben smirked, indeed he was a merchant but before I continued stopped me with a wave of his hand
"I know what you will ask, don't worry. I am not crazy enough to allow the girls even near the rooms of everyone else. And to avoid anyone being stupid enough, they will be staying in the same room as Gris"
"Oh, then I feel no concern about them. Thank you" And I can say that it was the absolute truth, after all, I doubted that there will be anyone alive even if everyone, myself included ganged upon Gris.
"Not needed, truly. I spent most of the day with them and can say that they are one of the most diligent people I have ever contracted. Not only did they begin sorting everything in the wagon since they boarded, but they even somehow managed to create a full menu for the days where they could cook. One that even I am looking forward to!" Reuben genuinely smiled, and I felt myself smiling back.
Indeed, both Kierra and Angelique were simply two bundles of energy, diligence, and absolute preparedness for anything.
***
When we approached the Guild's buildings that would serve us for the night, the darkness was already taking hold.
The oxen and horses would be taken care of by the drivers, and the three covered wagons would remain in the courtyard. So the only work of the caravan hands, ergo me as well, was to push each of the loaded wagons inside the enormous, at least fifty meters long warehouse and then hang a heavy lock on the doors.
Afterward, we moved into the inn, which's the first floor served as a tavern. It was a fairly big room, but our group alone crowded it to the limit. But seemingly the innkeeper, along with the two waitresses and cooking staff knew about our arrival, as after sitting down food began appearing on the tables.
I could say that it wasn't the worst, but on my Liade scale, it barely scratched 7.
With 1 being my first attempt at roasting meat and 10 being Zakhar's cooking.
Still, food was food, and even the bland, salt-lacking beef stew was fine. And Reuben even threw a pair of mugs of beer for anyone who wanted them, something that even I was forced to admit was a nice, and welcome gesture.
***
Recording everything I had seen and learned today took a small amount of time, but even so, it was enough for the other five inhabitants of 'my' room to fall asleep... and begin snoring as a friggin bunch of industrial air conditioners.
Well, to be objective, Egon did not snore, but the other four!!!
Note to self, next time try to change rooms with someone and don't be stuck with the four guards.