“Oh.” He had just laid out the remains of Sir Frost’s tent as close to the dying fire as he could. “How can I help you?”
Cadmun raised his chin, the light from the fire beneath him casting a shadow across his face.
“It has come to my attention that you’re trading gems for meals,” Sir Frost announced in an authoritarian tone.
He gulped. “Is that… illegal?”
“Well, no,” Sir Frost answered. “But it is quite impressive.”
“Oh, okay.” It took him a moment to process. “I appreciate you saying that.”
Cadmun crossed his arms.
“I came to inform you that the men have noticed you shivering at night. They see you falling ill and getting cured every day. They don’t want that. And I don’t want that either.”
He knew that day would eventually come. He braced himself to hear the worst. How he dared to be so close to them. How much of an Adventurer's pet he was. Or even worse. How much he was like them.
“You’ve been making waves,” Cadmun said. “In the past, the men would get really depressed this time of year. The cold usually got to them, but now they seem content, even cheerful. And I think that’s because of you.”
“Wow… That’s-” He didn’t know what to say. He was filled with a sense of pride. “Thank you!”
“They asked Lord Blitz to let you in.” Cadmun lowered his head, his eyes now sparkling from the fire's reflection. “So you don’t have to freeze so much.”
“What?”
“Lord Jacoby granted permission. As a token of gratitude for the new clothes.”
“Are you serious?” He couldn’t believe that his gesture had paid off. I could have used those rags for my hands and feet, but this is a hundred times better!
Cadmun pointed at one of the large tents. “That’s where you'll be sleeping.”
“What? Really?” He couldn’t contain his excitement. “That’s amazing! Thank you!”
“Don’t thank me. Thank yourself,” Cadmun told him with a wink. “But don’t get too excited. You're only allowed inside when it snows. On dry nights, you'll be out here again. And you're only allowed inside the commoners' tent. The one with the lords in it is off-limits. That's the arrangement the lord proposed.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“That’s okay!” He was brimming with joy. “I can live with that compromise!”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Cadmun found it difficult not to smile too much. “Go on then. Get your stuff ready.”
“Alright!” He immediately bent over to pack up the tent from the ground, excited to finally have a warmer sleeping place, even if it was between PP and the Goblin Hunters.
“Oh, and one more thing.” Cadmun was on his way to the lords’ tent but stopped halfway through.
He stopped. “What is it?”
Cadmun’s face turned serious. “Great job, Recruit. You’re stronger than I thought.”
He was immediately hit by an emotional wave. That bastard! How dare he say something like this so late at night?
He had to fight back some tears, but he composed himself.
“It’s not Recruit anymore,” he said with a steady voice.
“Oh?” Cadmun became alert. “Then what is it now?”
He dropped the tent he had just picked up, raised his back straight, ready to finally reveal the name he had given himself. The one that he was convinced would go down in history. This name will give the people hope in the stories to come!
He took a deep breath and with a puffed chest, he shouted the name he decided to proudly wear: “My name is Stick. Stick Arslan. And I’ll become the greatest hero of all time!”
image [https://i.imgur.com/B98vVij.jpg]
Cadmun’s eyes widened. He stared at him for a second. Then he burst out laughing. A few metres away, from the tents, he heard more laughter. His face instantly burned up. Those assholes! How dare they?
“Is it Hero Day again already?” A disembodied voice shouted, “I must have missed a couple of seasons!”
The laughter continued for a minute straight, and Cadmun had to wipe away some tears. The other tent was silent, but they must have heard the commotion. Embarrassed, he picked up the tent. This was a bad idea!
Finally, as he was about to storm off, Cadmun raised his hand to signal him to stop.
“No, no. Don’t go!” the bald man managed to say between the laughter.
“What is it?” he asked angrily.
“Stick was it, right? Stick Arslan?” Cadmun struggled to calm down.
“Yeah, so?”
“You really want to be a Great Hero like him? Did your brain swell up with your muscles too, Recruit?”
That goblinshit!
“No, I won’t!” He threw the tent on the ground again, this time with a forceful anger. “I’m gonna be an even greater hero! I’ll be the greatest hero you’ve ever seen!”
“Is that so?” Cadmun’s laughter died down. “That’s some big boots you wish to fill, Recruit!”
His fist was trembling. “Don’t call me Recruit!”
“You want to disrespect the Great Hero? You want to disrespect me?” Cadmun took a step closer. “Recruit?”
“As long as you’re disrespecting me, yes.” He took a step closer to Sir Frost, staring him down. “My name is Stick Arslan.”
Sir Frost might not have been the biggest man among the miners, but he was definitely one of the strongest. He could easily arm-wrestle maybe even PP. But I don’t care about that.
“I’m a knight of House Blitz, Player. You think mining gems is the only thing I can do?” Cadmun cracked his knuckles right in front of his face, his muscles bulging bigger than his head while doing so. “You’re in for a world of pain, Recruit. You should apologise.”