After a short nap, Lan begrudgingly awoke to dress and gather his possessions. He slipped on some traveling boots over his trousers and dawned a lightweight gambeson. Hanging on the wall nearby was a new cloak that Kairi had given him stating that his original cloak was tattered and untasteful. She had stitched a black raven symbolizing The Gray Patrons on the new one. The note he had received from Kairi earlier that day said that the Caravan was leaving in the middle of the night. Fortunately, he hadn’t unpacked anything so he was mostly set for the new trip other than being a bit short on sleep. The only thing he needed was some food and water which he was able to get from the guild's stores.
He made sure to tell everyone goodbye, and before he left he skimmed the note for the location. He was instructed to meet them just outside the town gates. It made sense he supposed, those leaving or entering the city would be required to go through a guard checkpoint. If everyone was already waiting outside they wouldn’t have to wait for each person to be checked at the same time before leaving the city and would speed the departure up once the caravan arrived. Now that he was fully stocked and packed, he headed out the doors.
“Hey Lan,” Dax said stopping him just outside the tavern. Dax was rocking in a chair near the entrance smoking a pipe. He rose dismissing the pipe which vanished in a blue mist dissipating in the air. “Can I talk to ya for a second?”
“Sure thing Dax, what’s on your mind?” Lan said, pausing after setting his bag down.
“I wanted to talk to you about Kairi,” Dax said.
“What abou..” Lan started to say but was interrupted by Dax.
“Don’t be stupid kid. You know exactly what I mean. Listen, I’m happy that you’ve found new information on the whereabouts of your sister, but you can’t keep leaving like this. She’s not going to wait forever.” Dax said.
“I know.” Lan looked down like a scorned child. He looked back at Dax “It’s just, I’ve been searching for so long and finally have a new lead.”
"And how do you know they weren’t lying to you about this lead?" Dax said crossing his arms.
“Why would they lie to me?” Lan grew flustered.
“Did you have to pay for the information?” Dax said.
“No.. not exactly,” Lan said.
“What do you mean not exactly? Dax said.
“I made a small donation to the orphanage okay!” Lan said.
“Exactly, they’d probably swindle any passerby for some extra money. They even told you she’d be on a different continent thinking they’d never see you again.” Dax said.
“I donate to every orphanage I stop by in my search, and I’ll follow any lead no matter how ridiculous until I find her.”
“It’s been 10 years Lan!” Dax’s voice raised. “ While you’re out there searching, Kairi is stuck waiting here wondering if you're ever going to come back, and she’s not the only one worried about you. We all worry about you.”
“I know Dax, and I’m sorry, but I have to find her. I have to know she’s okay.” Lan said.
Dax let out a breath and rested a hand on Lan’s shoulder. “I know, just, while you’re out searching for your family, don’t forget about the family you have here.”
“I won't Dax, I promise,” Lan replied.
They stood there in silence for a short time.
“Well, be safe out there kid.”
“Thanks, Dax. I’ll come back, and I’ll bring my sister with me.”
“You better kid.” Dax reached out and grabbed Lan’s arms pulling him in for an embrace.
Lan’s eyes widened in panic attempting to flee from Dax's grasp. “No!”
Dax lifted him a foot up off the ground and squeezed the air from his lungs. The sound of his back could be heard popping up his spine. He dropped Lan who bent over wheezing. He handed Lan his bag once he was able to breathe again. “Go on and get out of here.” He wandered over back to his chair, a pipe flashing to light in his hand again.
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“Bye Dax,” Lan said.
Lan left down the road heading towards the gate. A large wall surrounded the city, and though there were many more minor roads, each end of the main road was the only entrance and exit. As he approached the gates he noticed there was already a line. It wasn’t uncommon for people to travel at night. It was cooler, and flowers that glowed softly in the night grew on vines and bushes that ran throughout the city acting as street lanterns. Between that and the two bright moons that were shown above, there was enough ambient light to feel safe.
The first guard waved him forward staring down at his paper. “State your business.” when he finally looked up he was surprised when he noticed it was Lan. “Didn’t you just get here Landon?”
"Yeah, but I'm not known for staying in one place for too long," Lan said.
“I guess that’s why they call you the Wandering Patron,” a second guard approached laughing.
“That’s true,” Lan chuckled. “I already have a new job I’m working, so I have to hit the road again. Some Caravan transport.”
“Oh, you mean the Red Baron’s job?" The first guard said. "We’ve had a few of those guys already pass through. Well, we won’t keep you long considering you just came through a few hours ago. You can go ahead and pass.”
“Thanks, guys. I’ll see you around.” Lan said. He shook hands with both the guards before proceeding through the gates.
He didn't have to walk far past the gate entrance before he stumbled upon a group of mercenaries wearing the red bracelet that symbolized the Red Barons. They were a particularly rough-looking group and were known for taking any job as long as money was involved. Most of the mercenaries were gathered around a small shield on the ground rolling dice to pass the time. Eventually, he was able to locate Bruno who wasn't participating in the casual gambling and looked to be standing with two of the other members he came to recognize as Armond and Yvet. Lan approached the group.
“Still need a hand?” Lan said, motioning the folded-up piece of paper toward Bruno.
Bruno accepted the piece of paper eyeing Lan. “I thought you Gray Beds didn’t take merc requests?”
“Special circumstances. I just happened to be headed in the same direction.” Lan said.
Bruno grunted. “Well, we can use all the help we can get.”
“What’s the need for such a large escort group? What are we transporting?” Lan asked.
Bruno shrugged his shoulders. “No clue, only thing the employer told us was that someone might be looking to steal it. They only pay us to make sure it arrives safely. Not to know what’s inside the box.”
“Who’s the employer?” Lan asked.
“You sure ask a lot of questions, Don'tcha,” Bruno said, his eyes furrowing in irritation.
“You want the help or not?” Lan said.
“Fine, fine. The employer is Lord Rossan. He’s visiting from Vadalon for some deal and is returning home. Now do you want the job or not?”
“I’ll take it, but I want half now,” Lan said.
“Pfft fine. You’re lucky you’re such a good fighter or I’d be telling you to piss off.” Bruno said. He dug around in his pack and pulled out a few coins and handed them to Lan. “The caravan shouldn’t be much longer, and I believe we’re waiting on a few more of our members as well. I'll let you know when we're ready to move out." Bruno said and then waved Lan away.
Lan took a brief respite to relax by a large tree nearby. He spent most of his time traveling and had become accustomed to the outdoors. The tree he lay against had two large roots that rose from the ground at the perfect angle to use as a backrest, and a thin soft layer of warm moss grew along the bark that glowed a faint bluish-green.
A few more members of the escort slowly gathered outside the town’s gates after a few minutes, the caravan arriving shortly after. Lan was not expecting how large the caravan was going to be. Six wagons were surrounded by a small escort of Vadalian guards in total. The wagons were ornamented with gold lining and covered with vibrant red and blue paint which represented the nation's colors.
The first wagon looked to be a scout wagon with guards at the front and one guard standing on top for elevation. The second was just for luggage and goods, the third wagon however was more elegantly decorated and seemed to be designed with comfort in mind. He was unsure what the fourth and fifth wagons contained but were most likely for the guard rotation. The sixth held the rear guard. He found it odd that in addition to the Vadalian guards they had hired The Red Barons as well. They must have been concerned that they were going to get attacked during this transport.
As the Caravan stopped outside the gates one of the officers whose uniform was decorated more than the others approached Bruno. They exchanged words that Lan couldn't hear, and the guard returned to his post signaling his guards to get ready to move out. Lan took that as a signal it was time to go.
Bruno similarly turned towards his men and did the same shouting instructions. “Armond, Bertram, you cover the rear. Yvet, Bryant, you cover the middle. Everyone else stays close to the caravan awaiting rotation.” He pointed to Lan “Lan, you’re with me, we’re taking the front.” Everyone listened to his commands without hesitation and hastily moved to their designated spots.
Lan took his place near Bruno at the front and the caravan started southwest along the road. "The commander at the front? You don't see that very often." Lan said.
"Most commanders are idiots and cowards. That and I don't trust the rest of this lot to scout worth a damn." Bruno said.
" Yeah, but wouldn't it be best for you to oversee the battle if something came up?" Lan asked.
"The deadliest part of an arrow is the tip, and that's us," Bruno said.
"Yeah, but if you can see the course of an arrow it's easy to step out of the way." Lan smirked at Bruno.
"Well good thing I don't fly in a straight line," Bruno said and belted out a laugh giving Lan an elbow. Their banter continued as they traveled down the road.