You’d be surprised how bright an underground safehold could be if it wanted to. And with what would pass for morning as people and creatures began to mull about their days, moving supplies, readying to go out into the caves and tunnels in search of something to turn a coin, and what few merchants existed down here readying their stalls for a day's work.
That is to say, surprisingly bright. Like really bright. I almost thought that it was midday in summer with no clouds and a very friendly sun giving you sun burns as you try to prepare your nets to head out on the water.
Stretching my arms and arching my back over the chair and receiving several satisfying clicks and cracks, I get up and take a glance at my face to clean myself up for the day. Though not having water, or any skin does narrow what it is you have to do in the morning, I run my fingers through my hair in hopes of straightening it out so I don’t look like a water logged and then blow dried skunk.
Failing to get much done, I let out a lightly annoyed grunt before walking to the door and heading down to the main floor to see if anyone else was up yet.
I should have expected to see people in a tavern, but I stop a moment as I gaze around the room at all the tables while standing just before the bottom of the stairs. Taking note of a few interesting looking species, I glance around and spot a smaller unoccupied table near the wall that I head to and sit down at.
Sitting down, remembering that the chair shouldn’t break under my weight, I relax myself as a server walks over to me and tries to ask if I’d like anything. Feeling a bit of annoyance at the communication barrier at the fact that I couldn’t understand a single word he said, I gesture to my throat while slightly shaking my head.
To my luck he seems to understand my gesture as he gives a polite smile of recognition before trying a few different words, most likely trying to see if he knows what language I speak. After a few attempts, I give the guy a shrug while keeping my mouth shout to not scare him, to which he gives another nod before walking away.
Unsure what to do and if I should just wait until I recognize someone, I notice two lizard-like creatures making their way over to me. Roughly the same height as the humans I’d seen so far, and with more alligator-like scales and pronounced muzzle, the thought of if my body has similar heritage crosses my mind.
The first one stops at my table a bit in front of the second one before trying a few words that I, to no surprise, don’t understand.
They turn to their partner and seem to exchange a few words, before nodding in agreement seemingly after having an idea. They then turn back to me and make a weird low grumbley growling like noise from the back of their throat.
To my surprise, I seem to understand it. I also come to realise that they weren’t speaking so to say, so much so as giving off what could be described as feelings and context clues to what they were trying to get across.
*Can you understand me?* A bit surprised, I raise my eyebrows before giving a slight nod.
*Ah, that works then. My apologies, me and my friend noticed you and wanted to ask why a fellow scalie finds themself in a Crypt?* They ask me.
Unsure how to respond, both with what I would even say and the fact I couldn’t, I try to get across that I can’t communicate.
*Are you not able to speak?* They ask. Shaking my head, I try to figure out how I could get across that I don’t know how to. Luckily, the second lizard chimes in in their own language, to which the lizard I was communicating with seems to widen their eyes in disbelief before turning back to me.
*Is it that you do not know how to speak like this?* I then snap my fingers into a point in response, hoping to get across that they were dead on target.
*You’re able to understand signals but not speak them?* The lizard looks at me with confusion, seemingly lost on that fact. In fairness, from an outside perspective it does seem strange that someone could understand a language but not speak it, it didn’t even make sense to me.
After a moment of their brain working at full speed to try and figure out what was going on, I notice out of the corner of my eye Rayner Malcolm and Atkin walking down the stairs. Raising my hand to grab their attention, Malcolm notices and starts walking over with a smile spread across his face.
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As the three of them reach the table, Rayner does the same hand signs he did from before followed by that faint green glow.
“Good morning, did you sleep well?” He asks me. Giving him a nod, I respond with a short “I slept well, and you?”
After a moment of idle greetings from the other two, I then turn to the two lizards and bring them up as the conversation's attention. “Apologies for the communication barrier, can I help you with anything?”
“Ah yes, I said before, but what is a fellow scalie doing in this crypt?” The lizard that was talking with me through those strange growls says.
Again unsure how to respond, I go with a tried and true strategy, half truths. “I’m not entirely sure myself if I’m honest.” I say. They look at me with a bit of confusion before Rayner speaks up.
“We met him yesterday near the Holds south entrance. He was trying to ask one of the kobolds scouting parties for directions so we brought him back here.” He says. Kindly leaving out the part that I wasn’t asking for directions, I was asking where this place even was. Not to mention the running from a massive weasel-like monster.
“I see. I was curious because it is not common to see fellow scalies in these places.” The lizard says. A Short awkward delay follows as neither party speaks, our side because we don’t know where to go from here, and the lizard's side for who knows why.
Right as I was about to try and break the awkward silence, the scalie speaks up again, “we will leave you be.” Before promptly turning around and leaving the building.
“Weird…” Rayner says, “they ‘prolly just want to start trouble. Never liked swamp people.” Malcolm interjects.
“Why don’t you like swamps?” I ask, sensing some sort of backstory to be told.
“Because they are wet and are stupid.” Malcolm says with the complete confidence of a man who does not want to go back to a place even if it means not dying.
“On a more serious note, I believe we should discuss how we are to proceed in the coming days.” Atkin says. His jump to important and relevant conversation attitude starting to grow on me.
“We planned to move in from the east entrance to explore the hold and head to the lower floors after resting for a few days.” Atkin continues. “Following that plan, we intended to stay here for another two days while we prepare before leaving.”
Not wanting to disrupt their setup, and also starting to feel weirdly antsy for action, I voice my thoughts. “I have no issue with that. I’m currently a bit lopsided and uncoordinated due to… an injury. But there's not much to do on that front aside from simply moving and being active to regain my muscle memory.”
I’d thought about it last night, but I planned to go with a story along the lines of suffering an injury while in the crypt that stripped me of my belongings, and left me with a mild memory limitation which would explain my lack of common knowledge.
Glancing to Malcolm and Rayner to see their thoughts, I see Rayner thinking deeply with his chin resting on his hands while staring at the table.
“I’m fine with that, what about you Rayray?” Malcolm says.
“I will strangle you the next time you call me that, but I’ll ignore it for now. I find myself a bit worried, but I can’t think of a reason to delay things.” Rayner says. “Though we do need to get you some gear before we go in.”
I realise where the conversation is going and quickly put up my hand to silence him. “All I need is one of you being able to start a fire. I can cook and eat and monsters we find along the way, and I have surprisingly strong claws so a weapon is unneeded. The only issue is water, and I really don’t want you to spend your money on me.”
The three of them look at me with a stunned look on their faces for a moment, before Malcolm bursts out laughing. “You, HAH, I like you.” Leaning around the table, he throws his arm around my shoulder and gives me several hearty pats on the back while still trying to stop himself from laughing.
Atkin gives a small nod “Practical.” While Rayner continues to stare at me with confusion before being able to shake himself out of it at the same time Malcolm calms his laughter. “Alright then… Water isn’t an issue due to the several aquifers in the area and my magic, but are you sure you are okay with monster meat and no gear?” He asks. Good questions, and a nice touch of concern, however.
“I’m not a picky eater, and I can only imagine my height being an annoying obstacle to finding things I can even use. Not to brag, but I imagine that I’m at least not a bad cook. And most of all I don’t want to be indebted to you even more than I already am.” I say.
“If we find anything usable along the way, I imagine I can scrounge a few things up as we go so I have something to my name by the end of things.”
Rayner lets out a defeated sign, seemingly acknowledging that arguing with me is like fighting the tide, you can do so for a time, but the end result is failure.
“If you say so. Feel free to let me know if you need something along the way.” He says.
After a bit of idle chatter and the three of them ordering food, we go over a few more technical things before getting up from our table and leaving the tavern.
It was most likely that last time I would see a proper bed for a long while. But at least I wouldn’t be bored during that time… or dead… hopefully.