Chapter Five

    Master Tannus was a crotchety old man who absolutely hated when things deviated from the norm. Nevertheless, when Jay showed up at his cabin, he couldn’t have been happier. As the lone scribe for the caravan, he had been swamped with cataloguing the new goods, as-well-as all of the other duties that came with scribing as a profession. I need to write a letter. Can you read this for me? Where does this go? Blah, blah, blah.

    The duties of a caravan scribe were never ending, but at least it paid very well. Five silver a day purchased his services as the caravan manager. It was true that Nial was the owner and leader, but he was mostly present for executive decisions and dealing with customers. Tannus did everything else, so when that young whippersnapper of a boy came in to help, he nearly cried tears of joy. Nearly. He was still a crotchety old man at heart, and as such, he promptly put Jay to work. Five days later, when Nial came by to check on the caravan status, he found Tannus relaxing back in a chair smoking his pipe. The man couldn’t stop singing praises for employing Jay. Everything had been catalogued, organized and stored in the correct locations. The jobs he had been days behind on were now completed well ahead of schedule. Hiring the man for an tenth of what Tannus was getting paid was criminal, according to the caravan manager. Nial simply laughed and moved back to his carriage.

***

    The first day, after Jay had eaten and been clothed, he was introduced to Master Tannus, and worked throughout the day until night fell. It was easy work. Manual labor accompanied with cataloguing what was in each container was all Jay had done back in high school, and he quickly developed a system to streamline his work.

    That first night, the caravan had stopped and circled up in a large clearing just off the road. He had been invited to share a campfire with Nial and Carl, as well as a few other members of the group where he, after finishing his evening meal of bread and a meaty vegetable stew, was required to tell the others his story.

Jay left out how he had arrived to this world, claiming amnesia. He woke up in a grass field and had no recollection of his past. He told of how, after three days, he had entered the forest looking for water, and eventually his fight with the Drenz mother, how he had driven her off and then followed her before finally killing her. He told of his discovery of the cubs and of the subsequent months of hunting, scouting and surviving in the forest up to the time he encountered the caravan. He learned the forest’s proper name was actually the Dark Forest which struck a humorous cord in him.

    In the telling of his tale, Bane and Kara had crept into the camp and settled on either side of him while he spoke. Their sudden appearance frightening many of those who had joined them while listening to the newcomer’s story. At the completion of his monologue, silence reigned for several minutes as disbelieving ears were forced to accept an impossible story, as eyes bore witness to a man and his pet Drenz. People who traveled the Dark Forest road regularly disappeared, the dangers of the forest claiming many despite the vigilant patrols, yet here was a man who not only fought off one of the continent’s most dangerous predators with a rock, but had proceeded to live for additional months in the primal wilderness of the forest. If the Drenz at his side did not verify his story, everyone would have laughed and called him a liar. A great storyteller, no doubt, but a liar nonetheless.

    After that first night, Bane and Kara were more openly welcomed throughout the caravan, though wary eyes still watched them carefully when they appeared. They only tolerated Jay and, while they would not harm anyone, he was the only human allowed to touch them. After the fourth day, the caravan left the forest. A day later, Jay finished his work for Master Tannus, and after a brief inspection by Nial, was promised a substantial bonus upon successful delivery for his good work.

    Over the course of the trip, Jay learned much about his new world. His cover of amnesia allowed him to ask questions that would normally be suspicious, but everyone who travelled among them had heard the legendary story that had been retold repeatedly and such questions were deemed necessary instead.

    The land he was in now was known as Drenna, a primarily human country in the middle of the continent of Drask. Its capital, Dren, was a month’s travel south and east of Shren, which was situated on Drenna’s northern border. The Dark Forest marked the boundary between the northern and central kingdoms. Due to its prime location on the main trade route between Craddux and Drenna, Shren had grown into a bustling city and continued to expand during this peaceful time, as traffic and trade increased. The primary language was officially named Diad, but most simply referred to it as Common, since it was the most used language among the various countries.

    There were many different races that lived on the continent. As Jay categorized them, you had the standard races, Human, Elf and Dwarf that went by the same names from his world. Then there were slight deviants, such as the Grosh and the Nardep, which were suspiciously similar in description to orcs and goblins.

    Following that, there were sub-race divisions. For humans there were the dark skinned desert nomads known as the Savex to the East, the northern men, Crads, the middle kingdom Drennans, and Zux, the island barbarians, which sounded remarkably like his old world’s Vikings mixed with ancient Japanese culture. It made for a strange combination. The western reaches were primarily inhabited by the Grosh and Nardep, among other unsavory things such as giants and ogres. Inhabiting the dense forests to the south, the wood elves primarily resided while dark elves were typically found in the mountains to the north with the dwarven clans. There were plenty of myths and legends of supernatural creatures such as fairies, unicorns, elementals and dragons, but there was no substantial proof to verify their existence.

    Magic existed in this world, which moderately excited Jay. Users were rare as they were required to be born with an innate gift for the practice, but the prospect of seeing, and maybe even studying, real magic excited the man.

    All-in-all, it seemed like a standard fantasy world that had inhabited books he had read for years. Although, the Grosh and Nardep didn’t seem like they were nearly as huge pricks as all the previous stories made them out to be. Most merchants had trade agreements with many of their villages which dotted the western lands. They were just another people trying to survive. However, it made him wonder why he had been dropped into this world. From what he could tell, barring the occasional Zux pirate raid or the standard bandit group, this world seemed fairly peaceful. There were no major conflicts or incredibly dangerous creatures that threatened civilization as far as anyone knew. No dark lords that needed defeating, no countries with excessively corrupt governments or evil hordes of monsters. The last Great War was over four hundred years ago when a bunch of uppity humans decided they wanted more than their fair share. The Elves, Grosh and Nardep all banded together to crush the corrupt officials and dethroned the poisonous human kings. Since then, kings were selected through exam and judged by elected representatives of the people. There were other continents and islands but they were of little consequence at the moment.

    Jay shrugged to himself. If he had purpose here, it would eventually be revealed to him. Until then, he would find good paying work, most likely as a scribe for hire until he could train with a sword. Then, work as a mercenary or adventurer, if that was an actual profession here, would most likely be best to pay for food and lodging. The money Nial was paying for his services was excellent, as far as he was currently concerned, considering he was flat broke. One hundred copper was equal to a silver coin, while twenty silver was equivalent to one gold. The standard wage of an unskilled laborer was six to ten copper a day, while the cost of living seemed to be approximately four to six copper a day. Most employers handled their employee’s meal costs and lodging, which drastically reduced the need for monetary compensation. At the end of this trip, he would be paid five silver, plus whatever Nial decided to supply in his promised bonus. That would cover a few weeks of food expenses and lodging at an inn. Typical establishments, Jay learned, had a standard cost of twelve copper a night for a room and two meals, which could be haggled down when paying in advance or for extended stays.

    He had yet to figure out what to do with his Drenz companions, but even if he was unable to bring them into towns and cities, he was sure they would be alright outside the walls. He did not initially plan to stay in any one place too long, so they could cope by themselves for a few days should the need arise.

    On the sixth day into their journey, Carl had dropped by the wagon Jay was occupying while writing letters for caravan members, in order to return his weapons. In his eyes, Jay more than proved himself trustworthy, and having an additional armed man never hurt, no matter how primitive the weapons may be. In his spare time Jay had continued working on his physical conditioning, keeping his body in its peak state. With the addition of his weapons, he could continue developing his staff and claw fighting styles. They were by no means professional arts but would allow him to at least defend himself should the need arise.

    Most of Jay’s days followed a standard pattern. Wake up slightly before dawn, he would perform a brief body weight and cardio workout before the caravan set out. During the morning he would take care of whatever scribe duties he needed to attend to before lunch, which was taken on the road. At night, he would practice weapons before dinner. It didn’t take long for Carl to find him practicing and typically would step in and give pointers if necessary, much to Jay’s appreciation. Carl had trained with both staff and sword during his time in the king’s army, so his professional knowledge was welcome, and soon Carl was nodding at Jay’s proper grasp of the basics.

    The seventh day passed much the same as the others. A small detachment of king’s men had passed in the opposite direction on patrol for bandits and dangerous wildlife. Bane and Kara were completely undetectable in the grass fields that stretched out across the land, and no issues arose as they passed. Jay was fairly certain he was the only one who would have a remote chance at finding the two Drenz, and even then it would have been a challenge.

    On the ninth day, trouble struck. A day and a half outside of Shren, the caravan was ambushed during late afternoon. Bandits had set up camp in a small wooded area a day’s trip away, stalking the road and waiting till the patrolmen had passed. Many small groups had been captured, raided, and slain, traveling from the surrounding countryside and smaller towns and villages. This close to Shren, many smaller roads fed into the main highway. While it was true that the traffic on the northern road was much less than any others leading to the city, that no one had escaped to report the bandits was testament to both how vicious and careful the group had been. Nial’s caravan was the first big target to stumble across their ambush.

    Jay had been relaxing in the shade of his wagon when multiple thuds and sudden screaming rang out from the head of the caravan. He quickly pulled on his makeshift claw gauntlets and grabbed his bone staff, before dropping out of the wagon in a crouch and racing into the tall grass fields nearby, doubled over, surveying the scene as he went. A large force of about fifteen bandits were trading blows with Carl and his seven men near the front of the caravan, while another smaller group of six bowmen pelted them from afar. They were currently at a standstill, Carl’s well trained and well equipped men held their own despite the bandit’s superior numbers.

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    Bane and Kara had raced back from their hunt at the sound of screaming and slunk up beside Jay when they noticed him hiding in the grass nearby. Jay had a feral grin spreading on his face and both Drenz knew it was time to really hunt. The soft and unaware creatures they had been preying on since leaving the forest were no threat to them. These humans were soft, but their weapons made them dangerous. It would be more challenging and they all looked forward to it.

    Both beasts faded away into the grass at Jay’s silent instruction, and proceeded to stalk their way to the frontline. Jay quickly moved to the right side of the road, following Bane as he moved through the waist high grass before breaking off and heading towards the bowmen stationed on the knoll slightly off the roadside. Their focus on the guards below, Jay caught them completely unaware as he sprung from his hiding place. He caught the first in the neck with the claw extension of his bone staff, ripping out his jugular before the man even had a chance to cry out. The next shouted in surprise at the sudden spray of blood, alerting the rest to their assailant.

Bows were thrown down and daggers rapidly drawn, but before they could make a move Jay spun his staff, knocking the second man out before stepping forward and catching the third in the throat with the claw. The man jerked back as the claw caught in his windpipe, yanking the staff with him as he tumbled backward, choking and suffocating on his own blood. Stepping forward again, brought Jay face to face with the fourth and fifth men, as the sixth attempted to circle around behind him. The fourth bandit lunged, attempting to lodge his dagger in Jay’s chest, as Jay stepped lightly to the left and raked his right claw gauntlets across another man’s throat, before spinning and kicking him into the sixth man behind him.

    Jay stepped backward and ducked as the fifth man, the only one with a short sword, swung at his neck, attempting to decapitate him before reversing, cleaving downward in the hope of catching Jay across his left shoulder. Jay raised his hand, batting the blade away with his claw and fur gauntlet before ripping the man’s thigh apart with his other, causing him to cry out and collapse in pain.

    The sixth man had recovered from the tumble with his dead comrade and threw two knives at Jay, which he promptly dodged, before charging Jay with his daggers. The man swiped high, aiming for Jay’s neck before lunging with his offhand towards his chest. Jay blocked the move upward with his right hand, sending the thrust over his shoulder as he dipped low and slammed his left claws into the last man’s throat. The light rapidly drained from his eyes as an incredulous and pained expression crossed his face.

    Jay slid his claws out of the fresh corpse, allowing it to drop to the ground with a thump. The fifth man had rapidly bled out from the severed artery in his leg, leaving the still unconscious man the only one left alive. Jay dislodged his staff from the third man’s windpipe before checking the final man for any additional weapons and tossing him over his shoulder.

    The battle below had long since finished. Once Bane and Kara had assaulted the bandits, the remainder were crushed easily by Carl’s men. The Drenz were covered in blood and both seemed immensely pleased with themselves as they strutted up to Jay.

    “So, how many did each of you get?” Jay queried. Bane flexed six of his claws, digging small furrows into the road while Kara flexed four. “Ten total, huh? Not bad. I took six myself. Five dead, and this sack of shit unconscious.” It used to unnerve Jay how remarkably intelligent the Drenz were, but he had long since adjusted. Bane huffed while Kara dipped and turned her head slightly in what could only be called the Drenz equivalent of a pout, causing Jay to chuckle before patting her on her blood caked head.

    “Don’t worry. Give it a couple years and you’ll both be way better at this than me.” Jay continued back to the caravan after scratching Bane’s chin, meeting Carl along the way.

    “We lost three good men in that fight. Charles, Damien and Hugh, not including Jack who drove the lead wagon. If you hadn’t taken care of those archers and your friends hadn’t leant a hand, we would all be meeting Vratix right now. Thank you.”

    “It was nothing. They would have killed my friends and I just as quickly as they tried to do you if they had been given the chance.” Jay dismissed the thanks out of hand. It had been good to stretch his muscles and hunt again, even if it was humans. He had briefly worried he wouldn’t be able to take a human life, but it was a worry unfounded. In these situations it was the same as the Dark Forest. Kill or be killed. There was nothing to debate. It was another hunt, only with a bit more intelligent prey.

    “I managed to capture this one. Figured he could sing like a little bird and tell us where their camp is and anything else that may be important.” Carl nodded. It was a good idea. They could report any information to the city once they arrived in another day’s time.

    After restraining their prisoner and moving the bandit corpses to the side of the road, the caravan continued onward. Carl’s remaining men had scavenged all the weapons and valuables from the bodies which Carl then passed much of it on to Jay. He was now the proud owner of a rather standard make longsword, short sword, several daggers and bow with a full quiver of arrows, all slightly bloodstained, as well as slightly richer, as the bandits held quite a few silver and copper coins from their previous victims.

    Nial repeatedly promised him an additional bonus on top of what he already planned to pay him for his contribution in saving not only his livelihood, but his life as well. From what Carl had told the man privately after the battle, had Jay and his beasts not been there, they would all be dead. Nial was not known for being unappreciative, and he knew a blessing from his patron goddess Shira when he saw it.

    It wasn’t long, perhaps half an hour, before the captive bandit awoke. Jay had been standing by until word found him that the man come to and when he heard, quickly rushed to the wagon. The man was obviously scared for his life but hatred warred with fear as Jay rounded the corner and hopped into the wagon before dragging the man back out to the side of the road. He waved to Carl. They had previously discussed the plan for the prisoner and Jay had convinced him to let him handle it. The wave was simply to let him know he would catch up and to continue on without him.

    Had the man not been gagged he would no doubt be spouting obscenities and idle threats of pain, suffering and death. As it were, Jay dragged the man into a nearby field in near silence before propping him up against a lone tree. He was a wiry man, dirty, but still fairly young. Jay pulled out one of his newly acquired daggers and crouched down, casually directing it at the man before speaking.

    “Now, I would rather not sit here and torture you for information, as that idea leaves somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth, however, I will do it if necessary. So, here’s how this is going to go. I’m going to ask you a question and if I even think you’re lying, I’m going to cause you quite a bit of pain.” At this point Bane crept up behind Jay, eyeballing the now frightened man with what looked like a vicious smile on his face as he bared his fangs. “If you decide you want to lie to me too much or cause me lots of trouble, I’m simply going to allow Bane here to eat parts of your body until you decide you’re willing to cooperate. Pretty straightforward, correct?” The man promptly pissed himself before rapidly nodding.

    “Good. I’m going to remove the gag now. I highly recommend you don’t scream, beg or really make any kind of noise at all unless you’re answering a question.” The man just continued to rapidly nod before Jay slipped the gag off the bandit’s head and the world continued to be filled with silence.

    Jay nodded. “Excellent! I’m glad you have a good sense of self preservation. Question time! First, what is your name? Second, where is your camp, are there any more of you, do you have captives and are there any other things I should be aware of before going to find it? I realize that’s technically more than two. Consider the last few sub parts of the second. Answer them in order preferably.”

    The man quickly rattled off answers. Before becoming a bandit he went by the name Dennis, the bandits all had animal code names, of which he was assigned Dingo for his thin and rather mangy appearance. Their camp was a day’s quick walk west of the road in a small wooded area. There were eight more that had stayed behind, including their leader, while the raiding party went out. They had several captives, both women and children that the leader was planning to sell on foreign slave markets after letting the men enjoy a few of them. None had been captured long enough for the men in the raiding party to have a turn ‘enjoying’ their company. There were no traps or any other alarm systems set up due to the distance the camp was from the road, however, at night there were always at least two guards on watch.

    “That wasn’t so hard was it? And people always make it out to be such a difficult thing to get information.” Jay nodded to himself in satisfaction. Everything the man said seemed to be true. Bane probably would have bit off one of his feet if he had lied. “I’m going to give you a choice now. First, I can kill you quickly, sparing you a bunch of pain and suffering for being a dick and killing innocent people. Second, I can turn you over to the city and let you rot in prison for a while, where they will most likely torture you before they inevitably hang you.” Dingo’s eyes were downcast as Jay paused, judging the bandit’s reactions before continuing. “Or third, I can release you to accompany me to your camp and attempt to set the record straight before returning to Shren.” Dingo looked up in confusion as Jay continued on, feigning obliviousness. “I won’t turn you in, but I can’t guarantee the law still won’t find issue with you. If they do, I will speak on your behalf but promise nothing.” Carl had given him a crash course in Drennan law before the bandit had woken up, and these were the only three viable options. Should the man honestly seek redemption, Jay would give him a chance, but he also would not judge him if he chose to take the easy way out and request death.

    Dingo was silent as he stared at the ground for several minutes in contemplation, which was good in Jay’s eyes. Had the bandit immediately jumped on option three, Jay would have slit his throat without a second thought. The fact he was hesitant about betraying his former allies in the face of otherwise certain death spoke volumes. Dingo was at the very least honorable to those he once called friend.

    He looked up at Jay before sighing heavily. “Of all the men remaining, none are any that I would call friend. They all perished at the hands of you and your beasts.” Dingo hesitated before a fire sprung in his eyes. “I pick option three, those scum suckers back at the camp were the worst of all of us anyway, and treated the rest of us like shit. If I can’t be redeemed, then so be it, but at least I’ll get to stick it to those bastards before I meet them in the abyss.”

    Jay was briefly startled at the vehemence the man displayed before breaking down into raucous laughter, tears springing to his eyes. It was a while before his laughter subsided and he made placating gestures. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to laugh, but I do love a good spiteful act.” Jay cut the ropes before helping Dingo to his feet, his feral grin and frosty eyes replacing the lightness that occupied his features moments earlier. “Let’s go,” was all he said before stalking in the direction of the camp.