ACT 2: Nezzagwyn

6.

After a few days of walking, the sandy dunes along the coast slowly transformed into marshy green lands.

Ashe pointed at something off in the distance.

"Civilisation. Finally, I was beginning to lose hope." Ashe said.

"We prioritise food and water. We do not want to waste time on unnecessary activities." Alaric said.

"It is not unnecessary, it is called exploring." Ashe retorted.

Florian snorted. "I have to agree with Ashe."

Alaric rolled his eyes.

It took the group about half a day to reach their destination.

The village they had arrived in hadn't been large. It consisted of many wooden houses built extremely close to one another. One wide road separated the village into two. As they entered the village, they saw many people bundled up amid the road. There had been a handful of blue-robed men sitting atop horses looking down upon the villagers that surrounded them. Alaric pulled up the hood of his robe, Ashe had done the same. Alaric turned to Florian and Ashe and placed a finger onto his lips. They had followed Alaric as he casually walked up to the group forming in the middle of the village and stood on the outskirts.

"...Lord Chapman does not receive his payment, this village shall be torn apart!" One of the blue-robed men yelled.

Florian scanned the faces of the people in the crowd. He noticed that most of them had been women and children. There had been a handful of men but they had been elderly. He also noticed that everyone looked towards the ground, no one was looking at the blue-robed men. Everyone in the crowd had been incredibly thin and wore ragged clothing. Some of the people had been coughing horribly.

After a few more threats towards the crowd the robed men left. The crowd quickly dissipated, leaving only a few people in the street.

"What was that all about?" Ashe asked.

"It seems like this is a mysur-village. And it seems that they are not in the greatest of situations." Alaric whispered.

"These people...are incredibly sad," Florian said.

Alaric nodded. "I sense it too."

"Can we help them?" Ashe asked, looking at Alaric.

Alaric looked unsure. "We...cannot help everyone that is in trouble, if we do that we will never reach Meinspir. We should focus on procuring food and water."

Florian and Ashe both gave him disapproving stares.

"Listen, we prioritise our wellbeing. However, if there is enough information and the risk is minimum then we step in to help. Is that okay with the both of you?" Alaric suggested.

They nodded at him gleefully.

Alaric walked towards an elderly man who stood on the road.

Once the elderly man noticed Alaric, he immediately looked towards the ground.

They think we are casters.

"Pardon me, where can we purchase some cuisine?" Alaric asked.

"Yes, milord. You can find some at that house over there, milord." The elderly man said while pointing at a larger wooden building. "If the food is not to your liking, milord. I can show you to the fields for some fresh harvest."

"That will not be necessary, I am certain the food here shall be great," Alaric said.

The elderly man bowed slightly. "You are too kind, milord."

Alaric rejoined the group.

"This is not right. We are the same as them. They don't have to be acting like this." Florian stated

"It is something we have to get acquainted with. We cannot change a thousand years of oppression overnight." "We lived happily on the island for years while these people suffered. Don't forget that. Suffering comes naturally to mysurs on the homeland. Strange kindness from unknown casters will only confuse them. It is harsh but it is the truth." Alaric explained.

Florian looked downcast.

"Maybe for now, but I want to do as many good things for these people, so they can feel the same joy I felt when I first stepped foot on the mainland," Ashe said.

Alaric nodded. "Once the mission is complete, we can come back and help these people. But for now, let's get some food."

They followed as Alaric led them into the large wooden house. They entered a large room that was filled with wooden tables and chairs. Opposite the entrance stood a wide wooden counter behind which stood an elderly woman wiping the counter with a cloth. She noticed them and immediately bowed.

Alaric led them straight to the counter where they sat.

"It is not every day, we are visited by adventurers. What shall I get you, milords?" The elderly woman asked.

"Adventurers?" Florian asked.

Alaric pointed at his black robe. "Black-robed casters are known as adventurers. Sorry for my comrade, he is a little bit uneducated."

Florian glared at Alaric.

The woman looked at Florian. "I didn't mean to offend you, milord"

Florian shook his head. "You have done none of the sorts."

"What type of food gets served here?" Ashe asked.

The woman kept looking at the floor as she spoke. "Harvest has not been great recently, milady. I can only offer stew. If it is not up to your tastes you are free to beat me."

Ashe shook her head vigorously. "We shall never do such a thing. Stew is perfectly fine."

The woman hadn't been expecting that answer and froze for a minute before walking into a nearby room.

The woman returned with three wooden bowls and set them before the three of them.

Florian analysed the stew. Steam steadily wafted upwards. The stew had been a milky white with a few chunks of orange pieces. It had not been appetising to look at.

Ashe took out her pouch and handed the woman three sentz.

“This far too much sentz, milady. Only one shall suffice.”

Ashe looked at the woman with confusion and then at Alaric. Alaric held up two fingers and Ashe gave the woman two sentz.

The woman bowed continuously.

The stew hadn't been the most appetising, however, it had been an upgrade from living on dried fruit and nuts for days.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"What was that gathering about earlier?" Florian asked.

The lady seemed to hesitate. "Ummm...it was Lord Chapman's men. They have come to collect, milord."

"Lord Chapman? Is he one of the five Great Lords?" Alaric asked.

The woman shook her head. "No, milord. Lord Chapman is a rich nobleman that owns these lands. He insists we call him Lord."

"And what do they collect?" Florian asked.

The woman pointed at Ashe's pouch."We grow our crops and sell them to adventurers or merchants that arrive. Lord Chapman takes a portion of the profit as we are renting his land."

"And what happens when you cannot pay?" Alaric asked.

The woman did not answer, instead, she looked towards the ground.

Ashe finished her stew and set the bowl back on the counter. "The stew was really good, miss."

The woman bowed. "I do not need the praise, milady."

"Stop calling me milady, my name is Ashe and what might yours be?"

The woman flushed. "Y-y-you may refer to me as Thea, mil-Ashe."

Ashe smiled at Thea.

"Who are you? Most casters aren't nice to us mysurs." Thea stated.

Before Florian could speak Alaric interrupted him.

"Our town is quite far from the big cities, where we are from, everyone just cares for one another." Alaric lied.

"Then you three come from the barren lands beyond Versus?" Thea asked.

Alaric nodded. Florian looked at him confused but played along.

"Can I have some water, Miss Thea?" Ashe asked.

The woman paused and then shook her head.

"The water here is not healthy, milady. Our folk have gotten sick recently."

Alaric raised an eyebrow. "Where do you regularly receive your water?" He asked.

"The Gwyn River, milord. It is situated a few paces out of the village. Most villages around here use the river for water."

"Have you brought up the issue to Lord Chapman?" Florian asked.

"Lord Chapman just waves us off, milord."

Florian clenched his fists.

"You stated that there are other villages around the river. How do they fare?" Alaric asked.

"There are many villages that are situated along the river that are in the same situation as our village. As you follow the river to the north, the more affluent the villages become. The large town of Isern sits at the north end of the river. It is where Lord Chapman resides."

"That should be close to Adhu Aqua," Alaric stated.

Thea nodded. "Yes, milord. The town sits a few days away from the great city."

The chatter continued as evening drew closer. Thea seemed to dodge most questions about the repercussions of not paying Chapman's taxes.

"Miss Thea, do you know of a place where we may slumber?" Alaric asked.

"One of you can reside in my room and I shall ask some other villagers if they are willing to give up their rooms."

Alaric stopped her. "We do not want to kick you out of your room, Miss Thea. If it is appropriate may we slumber here?"

Thea slowly nodded.

Alaric and Florian began moving the tables out of the way and began unfurling their bedrolls.

Ashe felt a tug on her shoulder as she slept. She groggily opened her eyes. Alaric crouched before her telling her to be silent.

"Florian is missing. Do not panic." Alaric said in a hushed tone. He had pointed at the robe he wore.

Ashe quietly got up and put her robe on as Alaric suggested. She grabbed her spear and followed him out of Thea's tavern. Alaric motioned for her to follow him.

"Where did he go?" Ashe whispered.

"He probably went to the river. I am sure he suspects some foul-play from Chapman's soldiers." Alaric explained.

"Why'd he go alone?"

"Because I would've stopped him. We shouldn't get involved with the issues in this village. We don't want to be making enemies with the wrong people."

They walked in silence for a few moments.

"We can't just ignore them as well. I understand you, Alaric, but Florian and I think differently."

"You both are naive. I have seen what they can do. We are not invincible. We have to take on our battles strategically. We only get involved when our victory is guaranteed."

Ashe decided not to prod any further.

At the edge of the village large trees began to dominate the land. A makeshift path seemed to be carved through the forest of trees.

Alaric motioned for them to go off the path. They walked among the trees just to the side of the path.

Ten minutes later they noticed an orange light in the distance. Alaric slowed his pace and crouch-walked. Ashe had followed him.

Four blue-robed men stood alongside the bank of the river with their arms stretched out towards the river. The area around them had been lit up by a few lanterns. Four horses stood nearby them as well. They had been chanting in a different language.

"They are speaking in Heinzidal Text. What are they doing?" Ashe whispered.

Alaric thought for a bit before answering. "Stria poisoning. I will explain once we get back, for now, we have to get Florian before they get him."

It was difficult to see within the forest at night. Ashe could barely see Alaric who had been directly in front of her. She searched for a few moments when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Far towards her right side, she could barely make out a figure behind a tree. The glint of his shortsword caught Ashe's eye. She tugged at Alaric's robe. Alaric looked towards her and she pointed at Florian. He needed to squint to locate Florian.

"This is bad." "Do you have any casts that can distract or stun him?" Alaric whispered.

Ashe nodded. She focused her mind and started chanting in a quiet tone.

It sounded like complete gibberish to Alaric as he watched her cast.

Ashe finished her cast and watched as Florian seemed to move wildly in the distance.

Alaric then moved swiftly and quietly towards him. Alaric put a hand around Florian's mouth. Florian's lower half had been covered by long strands of grass that seemed to grow from the earth. The grass seemed to twist around his legs, rooting him in place.

"Do not do anything foolish," Alaric whispered into Florian's ear.

Florian's tense body seemed to relax as he recognised the voice.

Alaric then slowly removed his hand from Florian's mouth.

"They are doing something to the water here. We need to stop them." Florian whispered.

"I know. We cannot however act rashly and go in with no plan. We regroup at the tavern then we can discuss further. This is too dangerous." Alaric explained.

Florian reluctantly agreed and followed them back to the tavern.

They walked back to the village in silence. They arrived at the tavern, where Alaric set out three chairs.

They all sat facing each other in the dimly lit room.

"Because both of you insist on helping these people. Let's first discuss what we know about this place." Alaric said.

"Chapman and his soldiers are poisoning the people of this town," Florian stated.

Ashe frowned. "Why would he poison the people if he needs them to collect sentz?"

Florian scowled then looked at Alaric who scoffed at him.

Ashe waited for Alaric's explanation.

Alaric sighed before explaining. "I do not think Chapman intends to poison the people."

"Then what does he intend to do?" Ashe asked.

"He intends to poison the crops." "For crops to grow it requires water for nutrition," Alaric said.

"But if he poisons the crops then the harvest will not be plentiful. That means less sentz for Chapman." Florian stated.

Alaric shook his head. "Chapman never intends to collect sentz from this village."

"This is incredibly confusing," Ashe said. Florian nodded in agreement.

"It is quite simple. Chapman sabotages the harvest, then he requests his collection. Once they are unable to pay the sentz, he takes something from this village. What he takes, I am still uncertain." Alaric explained.

They pondered this for a while.

"Men," Florian whispered.

"What?" Ashe asked.

"Think about it. He steals the men from the village. Most of the folk are either women or children with a handful of elderly men."

Alaric chuckled. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"You are not the only one who can think." Florian jokes.

"Why does he need men?"And why doesn't he just take them? This is a rather roundabout way of doing things," Ashe said.

"They are probably used as Chapman's slaves. There is probably a larger reason as to why he cannot just take the men, however that is not of importance at this current stage. We need to determine what we are going to do," Alaric answered.

"I say we take on Chapman's soldiers and force them to take us to him. There we force him to help these people." Florian suggested.

"Incredibly stupid idea. We don't know how many men Chapman has or even how strong they are. And anything we do he will probably make sure these villagers get hurt for it." Alaric said.

It was quiet for a few moments before Ashe turned to Alaric.

"You said those casters were performing something called Stria poisoning. What did you mean by that?" She asked.

"It is a tactic that was popularised during the reign of King Balthander. It involves casters pouring their stria into consumables. While casters will not be affected by ingesting something that is stria enhanced, it is quite poisonous for mysurs. It is probably the reason for the illness amongst the folk." Alaric explained.

Ashe thought for a moment. "I think I have a solution for this place."

Alaric and Florian gave her a curious look.

She then proceeded to explain to them her idea.

Once she was done, Alaric gave her a huge smile. She loved seeing him smile since they were children he had hardly smiled. She used to team up with Florian attempting to make him smile only succeeding a few times.

"That is a great idea. Are you certain you both are up to it?" Alaric asked.

Florian and Ashe nodded at him.

"Great. We move at first light." He stated.