We received some stares as I pulled the cart toward Nogogard. Mostly at the boys. It wasn’t terribly uncommon to see Lizardfolk, but to see them being pulled on a cart? Probably not something people saw often, if ever. I heard the cawing of several crows from a tree not too far away, and saw several bodies dangling from the limbs; some human, but mostly Lizardfolk and Orc.

We were stopped at the gate by four guardsmen who brusquely inquired as to our business. The largest of them piped up. “Why are you here?”

Blainaut took the lead before I could open my mouth, “We are simply passing through, sir. Nogogard is on our way south, and we would like to maybe get a room, if possible. And to maybe sell our goods?”

The guardsman walked around us, peered into the cart, and took up station in front of me. “Aye. There’s room at the Charred Bass. The square is open at sunrise.”

I started forward, but he put a hand on my chest. “But it’ll cost ya.”

I looked from the mailed hand on my chest to the helmeted face. “Sir?” I said as coldly as I could.

The smirk on his face widened, revealing three missing teeth. “Aye, lad. It’ll cost you. I’ll take that lizard in the center. Then you can go in.”

I released the hame, and stood up straight. “You’ll not touch him.”

Elizabet’s hand went to her face as she whispered. “...no..”

The guardsman’s head whipped around to meet mine. “What was that I just heard? Are you trying to tell me I cannot have what I stated as an entry fee? Listen to ‘im, lads! He’s trying to tell me no!” Raucous laughter erupted from the quartet.

I set my hands on my hips. “Are you deaf, man? Does that tin hat keep your ears from working? I said you will not touch him.” I allowed my voice to drop, and stared directly into his mismatched eyes. “And if I said you won’t, then you won’t.”

“Oh-ho! We got us a brave one here, don’t we lads?” He laughed, and grabbed my face, and pulled me close. I could smell the stink of ale on his breath. “You’ll give me that lizard, boy. I’m hungry, and you’ll give him to me now, or I’ll confiscate your cart, take all your lizards and kick you out of here. Am I clear?”

Smiling, I drew my knife and slowly put it to his chin. He froze as I put the gentlest of pressure on it, feeling it break the skin. “You’ll either release me, or I’ll release you into the void, you stinking swine.” He released my face, and I leveled the blade with his Adam’s apple. “If you lay a hand on any of us again, I’ll remove it from you, and use it to display my wares. Am I clear?”

His fellows had begun to approach us, but the guardsman raised a hand, and they retreated. He took two steps back, and I lowered my blade, keeping my face a mask of emptiness.

“One with balls, it seems. Watch yourself in there. Next time might not end so well for you.” He wiped at his chin and waved us ahead.

“Thank you, sir.” I gripped the hame and pushed the cart through the gates.

As we passed, I caught snippets of their conversation.

“..got you good, Abner.”

“...a little nick is all.”

“..him tonight.”

Once we passed through the gates, the noise of the city exploded around us, drowning out anything else the guards were saying. Blainaut inquired as to the location of The Charred Bass, and we were directed nearly to the center of town.

As I trudged through the filthy streets of Nogogard, I felt the eyes on us from all around. Elizabet and Blainaut had stepped up into the driver’s seat, and the boys went back into the cart. Blainaut directed me through the streets, and in a little over an hour, we arrived at the inn.

Blainaut hopped down, and I motioned for him to join me in front of the cart. Using him and the cart to shield me from view, I pulled one of the purses of coin from my Bag, and handed it to him. “Overnight only with six meals, and we need somewhere to park this thing. I’ll safeguard it wherever it goes.” He nodded and went inside.

I looked up at Elizabet, who smiled down at me. “Are you okay up there?” She nodded, and three little heads popped out from under the canopy.

“We’re fine, Mr. Ivor! The ride is really nice and smooth.” Ahte-naah smiled.

I laughed and motioned him back into the cart as Blainaut came out of the inn.

“We are set. The groomsman will be out in a moment to show you where you can park the cart. Fifteen silver for everything.” He extended a hand to Elizabet, who graciously took it, and allowed him to help her down. The pair walked into the inn, and a lanky young man came out and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“How’m Ah s’posed ta git this inta the barn? No horse.” He grumbled loudly.

“Well, for starters, you could, I don’t know, ask the person who pulled it here?” I glared at the boy.

He jumped back, seeing me for the first time. “Holy… Ah’m sorry. Didn’t see ya’s. Yew pult this thing here?”

“I did. I also built it. I can put it absolutely anywhere. Where are we going?” I leaned on the yoke.

He let out a long, low whistle. “Must be strong, then. Ah shore don’t wanna be on the other end o’ your fist.”

“Aye, boy. You don’t. None do.” I nodded, and he trotted off to the barn.

The young man scurried off back into the inn, and I took my time in settling the cart in place. I helped the boys down, then Locked the canopy closed, and the wheels in place. I took the time to Fuse the section of the wheels to the stone floor, then fireproofed the whole affair. I was starving by the time I finished. Thankfully, unFusing and Unlocking the cart would take little to no energy, and could be done quickly.

I ushered the boys ahead of me, and we entered the inn. Heads spun around to see the newcomers, with few, if any, of the faces looking friendly. All of them glared at the boys. Ahte-ukum hid behind my legs. I stood there, gazing into the eyes of each staring patron, hoping they would all stay quiet. The Anger within me started gibbering his madness. “filthy faces. look elsewhere. stab you all, yes i will. rip and tear. rip and tear, rip and tear, rip and tear, RIP and TEAR, RIP AND TEAR!”

I shivered slightly, and noticed that several of those faces had returned to their beers and plates. Elizabet approached me and took my hand.

She spoke softly. “Ivor? Are you okay? You seemed a little…different for a moment.” She squeezed my hand gently.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine, Elizabet. Let’s just get to our rooms. Something about this place…” I pulled the boys in front of me, and herded them upstairs after Elizabet.

She led us to a pair of doors, and explained that these were the last two rooms available. They were hardly big enough for three, let alone six. Each room contained a water closet, a desk, and a bed for two built onto the wall. There was a door that connected the two rooms that could be left open, however. The windows were small and let in just enough light to see with.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Blainaut opened the connecting door, and looked up at me. “Shut that door, Ivor. We need to talk.”

I ushered the boys in, shutting the door as asked. Blainaut motioned me towards the bed. I took a seat and Elizabet sat beside me. The boys curled up in the corner with the pillow and rested.

Blainaut sighed and scrubbed his hands across his face. “You should really find some other way to deal with problems, Ivor. Threatening the town guards? No matter what he said, he is duty-bound to let people pass as long as they aren’t carrying contraband or being unruly. I really do not want a repeat of Gnok. It may be some time before we can show our faces there again.”

“Nobody threatens to eat one of my boys. I don’t care who it is, or if they think it’s a joke. I will not allow it, Blainaut. That kind of threat must be answered whether it is genuine or not. Otherwise they will continue, and will likely get worse. Trust me. I saw it too many times on Earth. They get bold, and they eventually follow through with their once-idle threats. After that, there is little recourse but to remove them entirely. In whatever way that requires.” I glared at the skinny man and crossed my arms.

“I suppose the rumors were correct, then. Nogogard is a city that will eat slaves, and some of it’s inhabitants have developed quite the taste for their flesh.” He sighed and stared at the ceiling, his hands hanging limply in his lap. “This just gets better and better.” He looked from me to Elizabet, who looked sad. “I’ve requested that all our meals be served here, and to make sure that it is actually venison in the stew. Just…don’t go threatening people, okay Ivor?”

“Okay, Blainaut. I won’t threaten anyone unless lives hang in the balance. And even then, it’ll be a simple courtesy.” I fixed him with a hard stare. “Blainaut. I want you to understand something. Back on Earth, people were too afraid to stand up for the right thing. To stand up for all people, rather than just the few rich and mighty. Here? Here, I can. Here, I can stand up and defend myself, and the ones I call family. All five of you, for starters. Here, I can actually make a difference; make an impact. Would I prefer to do so diplomatically? Hel yes, I would. Will I do so as horrifically violently as possible if I must? You bet your ass, I will. I will fight for my boys and their people to be accepted as equals in this world. I will fight for the rights of all people. Nobles and the rich be damned. If I must fight alone, I’ll do it. I’d rather have people I can trust at my side, however.”

“Ivor…I… I didn’t mean to insinuate anything of the sort. Of course I’ll be with you. I’ve grown to care greatly for these three ragamuffins. I would never allow something to happen to them. Or you, or Elizabet. You five are the closest to family I’ve ever had.” He reached out, pleadingly.

I took his hands and held them. “Blainaut, the feeling is mutual. I assure you. I just felt I needed to speak up. That’s all.”

Elizabet put her hand on my arm, saying “I’ll echo him, Ivor. I’m learning more about the lizardfolk than I ever knew before. These boys, in particular. I’m looking forward to waking up every day, just to see what silly thing they get up to. I’m starting to see them, at least, as people like us.They’re really the only Lizardfolk I’ve ever really interacted with. The only others were afraid and fighting.Hard to see them as anything else, but these three? Just kids.”

Blainaut smiled, and sat in the chair. Nodding, he said “Good. Good.” He sighed and clapped his hands onto his thighs. “Right. How about I go see about lunch, eh? I’m hungry, and I’m fairly certain you’ve cast more spells, so I think you need to eat, too.”

Before I could mount a reply, my stomach gurgled loudly. I looked down at my belly. “Betrayal! That was supposed to be a secret!” I sighed and looked up at Blainaut as Elizabet laughed herself hoarse. “Yes. I do need to eat.” I looked over at Elizabet and said “Quiet, you.” I then poked her ribs, making her squeal and jump. “Ticklish, are we?” I grinned.

Blainaut shook his head and walked out the door.

“Yes, Ivor. I’m very ticklish. It’s not a thing many people ever get to know about me. Count yourself among the honored few.” She looked at me, smiling and drew her knee up to her chest, resting her chin on it.

“In that case, I will absolutely count myself among one of the honored few.” I scooted back onto the bed, and lay back, my joints creaking and popping. “Ugh. I’m so tired after today. I think I’ve learned something, however.”

“What’s that?” Elizabet asked as she stretched out on her stomach, facing me.

“Well, it seems that my world is a good bit larger than Chaia. As a result, gravity is stronger there.” I yawned, the efforts of the day catching up to me.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Blainaut entered the room, a try in his hand, followed by the same skinny boy that helped me to park my cart, who was also loaded with food. “Thank you, Thaddeus. You can set the tray on the desk there.”

Thaddeus did as instructed and nodded his head to us. “Yer welcome, sir. Anythin’ you need, jes’ ask for ‘ol Thad. I’ll come runnin’ sir.” He turned to leave.

“Thaddeus?” The boy stopped and turned around, and I flicked a silver at him. “Thank you for all your help today, son. I may have need of you in the future, yes?”

The boy’s eyes widened at the coin in his palm. “Yes, sir! Ah’ll be here, sir! Thankee, sir!” He turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door.

“Was that wise, do you think, Ivor? Giving a poor lad like that a silver?” Blainaut looked at me quizzically.

“I do, Blainaut. That boy, that Thaddeus, will do anything I ask of him, now. If I tell him to go fetch a blanket, he will do it without question. All in the hopes of getting another coin like that. If I’d had a gold, I’d’ve done the same.” Groaning, I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

Elizabet sat up and settled next to me. “Blainaut, he was saying something about his world being bigger than ours. What could that mean?”

“I have no idea, Elizabet. Ivor? What’s the significance of that?” He handed us a pair of small loaves and a wedge of pungent cheese, setting aside three for the boys.

I ripped off a piece of the bread and shoved it into my mouth, followed by a chunk of the slightly crumbly cheese. “Mff. Gods, this is good.” I swallowed the bread and cheese, washing it down with some water. “In short,” I explained, “It means that the reason I’m as strong and heavy as I am is because my world’s gravity is higher than this one.”

Blainaut swallowed a small piece of cheese. “What does that mean?”

“Okay. Let's say this wedge of cheese here,” I picked up the wedge on the table, “Weighs about a pound here.” They both nodded. “On Earth, it would weigh about one and a quarter pounds.” They still looked confused. “When I arrived, I weighed about three hundred pounds back on Earth. When I arrived, I think I weighed somewhere around two hundred twenty-five.”

“So you lost weight during the transport?” Elizabet asked.

“Um, no. How do I explain this? You are aware of other planets, yes?” Both nodded again. “And they are different sizes, right?” More nods. “Okay. Let’s try an experiment, then. Hop up, Elizabet.”

She got off the bed, and I gently woke the boys, ushering them off the bed. Once the bed was clear, I pulled the blanket off, instructing Elizabet and Blainaut to hold the ends tightly. I reached into my Bag and pulled out a stone, and Carved it into a sphere. “Ahte-naah? Hold this, please. Thank you.” I picked up Ahte-ukum, and set him into the middle of the blanket. “Do you see the dip he makes in the blanket?” They nodded, straining slightly. “Now watch.” I picked up the stone sphere, and placed it at Blainaut’s end of the blanket, and it rolled lazily down to end at Ahte-ukum’s feet. “Okay? Let’s call him Chaia, for the sake of this experiment.” I picked him up, and set him on the floor again, handing him the stone ball. I then picked up Ahte-naah, setting him in the same place. “And this is Earth. Watch.” I took the ball, and once again placed it onto Blainaut’s end, and it rolled much faster to the boy. “Thank you, boys. There’s a loaf of bread and some cheese for each of you on the table. Enjoy.” I smiled at them, and placed the blanket back onto the bed. “Does it make any sense, now?”

“So, what you’re telling us is the reason you’re so much shorter and stronger than the men around here is the fact that your planet is heavier than ours?” Elizabet asked.

“Essentially, yes. It exhibits a stronger pull than Chaia, so my body has to work that much harder to resist it. I could probably jump over a Dwarf from a standing start. I’m almost certain I could toss one.” I shoved another bit of cheese into my hungry mouth.

“Just how big is your world, Ivor?” Blainaut asked

“A little shy of eight thousand miles in diameter. And I’d say Chaia is around six thousand.”

He sat there, doing the math. “Are you serious? Earth is nearly twenty-seven hundred leagues in diameter? Chaia is close to two. Your homeworld is about a quarter larger. No wonder you nearly shattered my jaw. I’m surprised I’m still alive. Still, it goes a long way to explaining your height as well as your strength.”

I sat there, licking the crumbs of cheese off my fingers, then lay back down, covering my eyes with my forearm. “Yeah, I suppose it does. I’ve always been big, and as a result, I’ve always been strong. Perhaps the cart was easy just for me. We can look tomorrow. For now, I’m full, I’m tired, and I’d like a nap. If I sleep until morning, just wake me, please.” I settled in on the bed, pants still on, and the boys curled up beside me.

Blainaut returned to his room. “I’ll leave this door open in case one of you needs something.”

Elizabet shrugged and curled up behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist. I froze in place, as my eyes snapped open. She pulled us closer together, and whispered into my ear. “There’s nowhere else for me to sleep, Ivor. I also won’t sleep with him. While I know I’m safe with either of you, I feel safer with you.” She drew me into a snug embrace, the back of my head nestled between her breasts, and I relaxed into the darkness of sleep.