Irwin stood next to the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible as an angry Lordling carried a big pack of belongings into Joustihr's room.
"Sebastian Delaplui, Lord Bron will be very happy that you are willing to share a room with Lordling Rindaw," Hutch said, his eyes narrow as he stared at the youth.
"It's Lordling to you, guard," Sebastian snarled.
The angry young man glared at Daubutim and then at Joustihr, who stood wringing his hands and staring in dismay at the second bed being pushed into a corner by two guards.
Hutch didn't say anything but waited as two more youths walked in carrying more bags. Irwin had no idea who they were, but their simple clothing showed they definitely weren't nobles.
"Good. Now, you two, with me," Hutch said as he stomped out of the room.
Irwin quickly followed, noticing a nasty glare from Sebastian directed at Daubutim's back just as he left the room.
A few minutes later, they entered another room, similar to Joustihr's, but without the tables filled with vials, books, and papers. It was reasonably clean, though Irwin noticed a few shirts crumpled in a corner. It had two beds with crumpled linen, a table, some chairs, and a couple of large wardrobes. The only major difference was a small window in the far wall. The shutters were partially open and light peaked through the cracks while a cold draft passed through the room.
Irwin shivered, then saw a dark, unused fireplace and decided the first thing he'd do was find some wood and light it up.
"Alright. Get some rest. I'll have someone drop off some new clothing and show you to the bathing area in an hour. You said your friend was seriously injured?"
Irwin was surprised Hutch had remembered it, and he shivered as the pain in his back came with a vengeance. As he saw Hutch gaze at him intently, he nodded.
"I got slashed on the back," he said, pointing over his shoulder.
"Slashed?" Hutch snapped. "Show me!"
Irwin blinked, then turned around, pointing at his back.
Hutch moved closer and began poking around the rips and holes. "Hmmm… Can you take off the jacket, please?"
Irwin hesitated, then shook his head. "If I do, it might fall apart."
"That's fine. I'll have new ones brought to you soon," Hutch stated.
Licking his lips, Irwin shrugged and unbuttoned the front, unstrapped the belts, and slowly removed the jacket. As he did, he felt parts stick to the shirt and his bare skin around the wound, which pulled painfully. Blackened leather bits dropped to the ground like dark hail.
A startled hiss came from Hutch, and Irwin felt his hair stand on end. How bad was it for a seasoned warrior to react like that?
"What, exactly, did you two say you were fighting?" Hutch asked.
"We didn't," Daubutim said. "We were ambushed by a large bird-like demon."
Irwin felt Hutch poke around his wound as he began shivering from the cold.
"How large are we talking?" Hutch asked.
"About one story tall," Daubutim said before Irwin could stop him.
Hutch's hands froze. "Where was this?" he finally asked, but Irwin could hear the disbelief.
"Almost two days from here, in the woods towards Wignut," Daubutim said.
Dammit, Daubutim, Irwin thought. He should have told the other not to talk about those details.
"I see."
Hutch was quiet for a while, then stepped back.
"The wound is healing and isn't infected, likely due to your uncommon cards. But you are fortunate. Bigger monsters aren't just powerful. Their scratches and bites carry deadly pathogens and can be deadly even to full-handed. A one-story tall demon would normally kill even a ranger with a rare body improvement card."
Patho... gens? Irwin thought, wondering what those were. He didn't ask as he saw the guard inspecting them with narrowed eyes.
He thinks Daubutim is exaggerating, Irwin thought. He prayed the noble boy wouldn't figure it out and keep quiet.
"It was dark and dangerous," Irwin said quickly. "I didn't get a good look."
Hutch frowned and took a glance at Daubutim before looking back at Irwin. "Right. Well, I'll have one of the carded healers look at you tomorrow after the seriously wounded are helped. Your scabbings show this happened a week or two ago, so you will be fine."
Irwin nodded, and Hutch grunted. "Either way, this means you won't be able to participate in the training for a few more weeks. Now you-" and he turned to Daubutim. "I'll send someone tomorrow morning to get you to see how much training you need and in what group I can put you."
Daubutim nodded, and Irwin got the idea that Hutch was confused about something. Still, the gruff guard just nodded and turned to the door.
"Guard Hutch," Daubutim said crisply. "If we could also get some food and drink? We have been traveling on empty stomachs."
"I'll see to it. Now, stay in this room until someone comes to get you. Otherwise, you will get lost in the tower," Hutch replied before stepping outside and closing the door.
Irwin blinked at the sudden quiet in the room, listening to the guard's stomping footsteps distance themselves.
Should I have asked if they were going to check after the bird demon? Irwin suddenly thought, wondering if their lies were going to get them into trouble.
He turned to Daubutim but forgot his own worry when he saw his friend looking at his hands and frowning. He hoped the other wasn't worrying about what Hutch thought about the story with the Bablibon.
"Do you think we will have to stay here?" he asked, deciding those were things for later.
Daubutim jolted and looked up. "I don't know," he muttered. "Lord Bron seemed adamant that we stay here, and I have no way of reaching my father. Perhaps we could try to sneak out but… Well, that might be difficult," he continued with a weary sigh. He moved to the window and pulled it open, the draft turning to a strong gust as a cold wind from outside blasted into the room.
Irwin moved over, annoyed yet at the same time curious, and saw that they were much higher up than he had thought. At least three stories above the rest of the merchant's outpost and with a clear view across the wall. From up here, he could easily see the streets filled with huddled people and how much of a strain the influx was on the small outpost. Besides the central tower and its adjacent buildings, everything else had likely been only single-story up to a week ago. They also had a clear view of the main gate they had entered through, and he saw a large force of Guards had encircled the two portals far beyond the walls.
"Even if we could get out, Lord Bron was probably right. If portals spawned this close to a town, worse that one changed to uncommon before they even managed to close it? It is too dangerous."
Irwin glanced at the other boy in disbelief. "So what? We stay here? You know what is going to happen… we need to- to…"
Irwin shook his head as he frowned. Wait. What did they have to do? They had been heading to Daubutims father, so they had a safe place to stay both out of reach of the sorcerers and with help for them to become stronger, for him to learn to smith. He looked around the tiny town. He'd yet to see a single sorcerer, and with everything as hectic as it was.
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"Do you think they have a forge here somewhere?" Irwin asked. He was almost surprised when there was a fidgeting in his pocket.
"Guaranteed," Daubutim said. "This is a merchant's outpost. There will be more than one smith plying their trade here, I'm sure."
Irwin nodded as he looked around the town, trying to locate one. He had never seen a town from above, but he searched for chimneys as a smithy was bound to have one. He quickly found multiple and shrugged. He could just ask Hutch. The man was bound to know.
They looked out of the town until the cold bothered Irwin too much, and they closed the window back down.
Ten minutes later, there was a loud knock on the door. Irwin moved away from the fireplace that was crackling with the meager wood supply they had found below one of the beds. Daubutim was lying on the bed, and from his calm breathing, Irwin guessed the noble had fallen asleep.
He opened the door to see a young woman, a few inches taller than him, with two bowls of steaming stew and a plate full of bread, cheese, and smoked meat strips. She looked straight at him, then her gaze drifted down to stare at his ruined jacket, which he had tried to put on again, before quickly flicking back up.
"Lordling," she said softly. "Guard Hutch asked me to bring you some food."
Irwin almost flinched at being called a Lordling and barely managed a smile. "Thank you," he said, quickly taking the bowls from her, causing her to stare at him in surprise. He barely noticed but looked at the plate with a frown. She'd carried everything easily, but he had no idea if he could without dropping it.
"I'll just put it on the table," she said, and Irwin nodded as he stepped back into the room.
When the food had been placed there, she turned to leave when Irwin thought of something.
"Can you also bring us some water?" he asked quickly.
"Yes, of course. Will that be all?"
Irwin blinked at her courteous behavior and hesitated. It can't hurt to ask, he decided.
"Are there any forges and smithies in Degonda?" he asked.
Brown eyes widened in surprise, and he wondered if he had made a mistake. Then she nodded with a smile. "Yes, there are three smiths. I presume they all have a forge, too," the young woman said. She turned, then seemed to hesitate. "Though, if you want to have them forge you new armor, I'm afraid it might be difficult. I've heard they are overworked with orders from Lord Bron.
"Thank you," Irwin said as he nodded hastily.
The woman curtsied, making him even more uncomfortable, and when she finally left, he slumped in the chair. He hadn't realized he'd been sitting up straight.
"Food has arrived?" Daubutim slurred as he pushed himself up from the bed and staggered at the table.
"Yes," Irwin said stupidly as his stomach rumbled.
They began eating ravenously, while halfway in, two large flasks of water were brought by the same young maid, which Irwin decided she had to be. They wolfed down everything, and Irwin finished all of the water after he'd made sure Daubutim had had his fill. More tired than before, with the temperature in the room quickly increasing, he retreated atop his bed.
Just a quick rest.
He'd barely closed his eyes when a loud thudding came from the door, and he started awake. His eyes felt dry and gritty, and he rubbed them before pushing himself up and looking at Daubutim. The nobles soft snoring continued through the loud thudding.
"Coming," Irwin croaked. He struggled up and noticed that there was no light coming from the cracks in the shutters.
A tall boy with a soot-stained leather coat stood before the door, frowning at him. A big sack stood to the side. "I was almost wondering if I'd been sent to the wrong room!" he said cheerily. "Move over so I can carry this inside, will you?" The young man blinked. "Lordling!" he added quickly with a strained smile.
Irwin wasn't sure how to react, so he just stepped out of the way, looking at what he guessed was an armorer or leatherworker's apprentice moving past him.
"I'd heard you weren't a big one, but I hope I've got the right sizes here," the boy said as he dropped the bag on the ground and began pulling out jerkins and bodices.
In the end, the smallest jerkin fit, though barely, but Irwin was happy that he was wearing something that didn't look like it had been used as kindling. Daubutim didn't wake throughout the entire thing, and when the tall apprentice left, he was still snoring.
Irwin stared at him, then patted his new, well-fitting tunic. He'd only worn something similar once before, long ago at school. He was more used to jackets that he could open in the front, but the tunic was light and supple, and he instantly preferred it. Though, he did wonder if it provided as much protection. The leather was thin and barely had any padded elements.
Perhaps it's for out of combat, he thought as he sat down at the table.
Staring at the smooth surface and his dirt-stained fingers atop it, he felt a sudden lethargy take him. The cold and pain seemed to increase slightly, and he realized he'd almost died. Again. And who knew what he and Daubutim might have stumbled into with all those surges happening? So many things had happened over the last months. After so long in the portal and then traveling here, he was finally in a safe environment.
It was just a week in the real world, he reminded himself, before wondering what real even meant anymore.
Staring dully at a partially healed scab on his right thumb, he wondered what the next week would look like. Whatever it was going to be, he needed to get stronger quickly and fix his speed issues.
I'm keeping the Coperion Skin card, though, he thought to himself. It had saved his life, and he was sure he'd never have been fast enough to dodge the Bablibon even without it.
No. There was another way to become stronger, fast. He needed to combine his left-hand cards and become a true full-handed. Still, it would probably prove challenging. Between determining what parts of the cards he wanted, he also needed to go through the process of combining them, and he knew next to nothing about it. It wasn't something done a lot, as not many people he knew had access to multiple cards.
Wait, that's not completely true, he thought as he thought back to some of the people he knew from Malorin. He'd seen people with three cards that hadn't combined them. Was it really difficult? He'd wondered about it before, but that was long ago when he'd have imagined that Bronwyn would have told him. But now?
Ambraz probably knows, he thought as his hand automatically moved to his pocket and then stopped. Better not bring the Anvil out yet. There should still be someone here for-
A knock on the door came as if something had read his mind and deemed this the perfect moment.
"Lordlings Coulwater," a calm voice called out. "I am here to bring you to the bathing area. Two rooms are ready for you."
"One moment," Irwin called out.
He took one look at Daubutim and shook his head. It might be best to leave his friend to his sleep. If he felt half as tired as he did, he'd need all the sleep he could get. And what if someone comes to hurt him or me? A tiny, persistent voice asked him.
He tried shoving the fear down, but it only seemed to increase. With a weary groan, he moved to the bed and kicked it a few times until Daubutim woke with a snort.
"Wha- what?"
"Someone is here to show us the bathing area," he said. He fully expected Daubutim to dismiss it in favor of sleeping, but instead, Daubutim's eyes cleared instantly, and he struggled out of bed.
"Finally," he muttered. "Let's go. Mother would disapprove of me walking around like this and talking to someone like Lord Bron."
Irwin didn't respond but quietly followed Daubutim. An older man with one arm and a hideous scar on his left cheek stood waiting for them on the other side of the door.
"Lordlings, if you would follow me?" he said before turning on his heel and walking off.
Irwin stared after him, surprised by both the appearance and the shortness, but when Daubutim followed, he quickly did too.
I hope it's warm water, he thought.
Ten minutes later, he was lying in a massive bath, his skin prickling comfortably as a stream of hot water was poured into the tub. Daubutim was in another bathing room, and he was stunned by the lavishness of the place. He'd been in a bath before, but a small tub for which the table had to make way. Something like having multiple rooms just for baths?
"Are you sure you want it any hotter, Lordling Orwin?" a bare-chested man asked as he stared at him worriedly.
"If it's not too much trouble," Irwin asked, barely able to hold in his content grin. He'd never been called Lordling before, and today it had happened so many times that he wondered if he could get used to it. One thing he was sure of was that he could get used to the bath. He raised his arm and looked at his bronzed skin which was gleaming oddly as if he had spilled oil over it.
"No problem, Lordling… but are you sure it's safe with your wound?"
Irwin thought for a second, carefully wiggling his shoulder around. He was warm, not hot yet, and comfortable and the pain seemed dulled. Probably the heat from the water.
"It's fine. A few more buckets?" he asked.
"A few-" the man said with a start, then nodded quietly. "As you say."
After a few minutes and three buckets of near-boiling water later, Irwin sighed as he finally felt his skin protest against the heat. It was on the edge of being painful, and he loved it.
"This will be fine," he said, looking at the worried man through the billowing steam.
"I'll… I'll come back in an hour to help you out," the man said before turning away.
Irwin nodded and laid his head back, enjoying the fact that he finally didn't feel cold for the first time in a long time. Slowly his mind drifted off, and he didn't even hear when the door shut.
--
Loid closed the door shaking his head in wonder at the foolish Lordling. Another servant of Lord Bron stood leaning against he wall, waiting for him.
"What took you so long? Don't tell me it was a troublesome one. He looked young and… normal for a lordling!"
"No, no… well," Loid grunted as he took the jacket handed to him and quickly flicked it around his quickly cooling top. "You should have seen how hot he wanted to bathe! I swear, the water was more than half boiling by the time he was satisfied, and he looked… perfectly fine. Never seen anything like it. Also…" he looked up, a wide grin as he finally had a bit of gossip of his own to share. "He had an incredible scar on his back! Three cuts, like blades, had dug into his back close together! And below, there was this hole, like from a spear but jagged. I wonder what the ladies will say when they see that."
The other servant whistled as they moved away. "Let me guess. He also had a rare card, like those other Lordlings that showed up a while ago? It had to be something like that, probably body enhancement things we can only dream of. Yilda bless us, but I fear we will have to take care of all these wayward Lordlings for a while yet."
"Let's hope these horrible surges and portals stop soon again, and everyone can get on their way," Loid said. "Now, let's go and tell the others! Oh, right, tell me, who did you have to bathe?"
"Some odd one," the other servant said. He grinned as they walked away. "Let me tell you-"