Evergreen, 7th of Rainwane, 179 BN

The monster tide was still ongoing, but it was not as strong as it was when it first began. Many of the beasts were slain and their corpses piled up outside of the town walls. Blue, black, green, and red blood all dyed the ground in various colors. With the red blood coming from the soldiers that died outside the walls. Some of them weren't even soldiers, just ordinary men that were forced to go outside the walls to stop the monsters.

Forced against their will due to Lord Kirk's order. Daughters, wives, sisters, and young children lost their fathers during the monster tide. Leaving the women to pick up after their loss and find a way to obtain some sort of income. This meant there were a lot more women, both young and old outside hovering around the walls looking for some men to relieve their stress or just have some fun. While at first there were only a handful of prostitutes when the monster tide began, now you could not leave your home without seeing one.

There were a handful that were selling themselves into slavery in order to keep their family somewhat stable. Meaning a few mothers picked one of their daughters, dressed her up, and went out looking for a buyer. Sometimes it was more than one and the buyer could have their pick or get both for a discount.

While all of this was nice, Richard took no part in any of it. He did not mind sleeping with a woman here, even one that was as young as him. His mind was that of an old man, but his body was young, and seeing the skantily-clad women showing off more than needed did arouse something in him. But his mind was strong and he refused to sleep with anyone that was with every man in the town already, not to mention he was still afraid he would get some sort of disease.

There were no 'doctors' here that could cure people of any diseases. From being sick with a cold or some stomach pain? Sure, there were some people here capable of doing that. However, their medical skills were not advanced.

So when Richard spots both men and women reach down their pants or up their skirts to scratch an itch, he shivers every time. The very sight disturbed him.

If he was going to sleep with anyone, it would have to be a woman he was comfortable with, or one that hasn't been around town. This was easier said than done as the majority of women stayed indoors. At least until recently.

As the monster tide was dying down there began to be a return to activity within Evergreen, as shops started to open once more. And taverns opened their doors once more to the public.

It was here that Richard found himself seated at the counter staring at an empty cup. Roxanne was seated on a stool behind the counter with her head resting on the palm of her hand. She looked bored, and she should be by all rights. Unlike the other taverns that were full of people and gaining tales by the second. Her place was dead.

There were only five people present, and she was one of them. All of her alcoholic beverages were out of stock and she had no way to obtain any more since there weren't any traders coming to Evergreen at the moment, and might not come at all any time soon. All she could serve was water, bread, oatmeal, and a brown soup that no one cared for.

Gazing at Richard, she saw his brown eyes were focused on the cup she gave him. Beneath the cup was a map that was spread out on the wooden counter.

"What are you looking for? Some place to go after the tides over?" Roxanne asked as she dreamt of doing exactly that. However, leaving Evergreen was a lot harder than how she made it seem. As long as you could avoid or kill any monsters in your path, then you'd be set. The thing was that the entire land was filled with them, so it was difficult to travel unless you hired a lot of guards. Which meant you'd need a ton of money, something she did not have.

Richard hearing her looked up and saw Roxanne staring at him. She was not wearing a dress and instead opted for a long-sleeved white shirt with a brown vest. The top three buttons of the shirt were undone showing off the skin underneath. As for her bottoms, they were brown pants followed by a pair of brown shoes, simple and plain. Her looks made the outfit look exquisite and many eyes wandered to her every couple of seconds.

"Just trying to decide what town to go to after the tide's over. Although, I don't think I'll be staying there." Richard replied.

Roxanne raised her eyebrow at that. Her interest was piqued because Richard was talking as if he had a way to leave here. Was he rich? From the brown shirt with charcoal stains on it, she did not think so. She knew he was a blacksmith and due to the monster tide, he could not have been making much money if any. So that left her wondering where he'd get the money to leave.

"With how the situation is playing out, it won't be much longer. A week at the earliest, and three at the latest. That is what I was told by one of the soldiers yesterday morning." Roxanne said as she recalled the man's words she spoke with.

"Oh? That's perfect, and it gives me just enough time."

"Enough time for what?" Roxanne asked.

Richard opened his mouth to speak but paused for a moment. He thought about it for a second and decided there was no need to try and keep his plan a secret. Only Gregor knew that he wanted to travel from city to city buying and trading goods while learning more about what each place needed and their specialities. The dwarf was not much help in that regard as he was only interested in blacksmithing, so he only knew that there was cheap ore close to the sea on the east coast.

"To pick a city. There are a few places I want to see, Thornhill, Stormgate, Graystone, and Valewater. Ideally, I would like a route that is short with few dangers, but as I've never been outside the city I have no idea what is considered safe."

"I'd cross Thornhill off your list for starters, they don't take too well to us due to the conflicts. They're more likely to gut you than welcome you in, and from what I've gathered by being here they closed their gates to everyone. No one knows what's going on inside. As for the others, Stormgate should be bustling with people so you're sure to find decent work there."

Rubbing his chin Richard listened to her every word and nodded his head. He looked down at the map once more and saw the only way to get to Stormgate was to pass through Thornhill territory or through Devilin. Pointing at Devilin Richard looked at Roxanne. "And Devilin? How are the relations with them?"

"A few months back someone important came here from Devilin, not the lord or any of his children, but one of his trusted aides if I'm not mistaken. While the man never came to the tavern, the soldiers at Lord Kirk's estate did, and after getting a few drinks in them they wouldn't shut their mouths." Roxanne smiled before she continued speaking. "The meeting they had must have been important because that person stayed in town for a while before finally leaving the city. No one knows what took place at the estate. But, if you ask my opinion, I'd say Devilin would be your best bet. They won't kill you at the very least."

Roxanne stood up from her stool and walked to where Richard was. Looking down at the map she traced a path from Evergreen down to the river. "Take the river, it's faster than walking but you'll cut through Dustwell territory and as long as you don't cause any trouble, you should be fine."

"Why do you say that?" Richard asked.

"There's been a lot of bad blood between Evergreen and Dustwell, a lot of skirmishes at the border. This map must be new because this section here used to be under Lord Kirk's control."

"How do you know this?"

"My husband fought over the village that was there and died. As for the other bits of information, it's merely second-hand rumors from listening in on conversations. Most of it I just take in and think little of it. Unless the information is coming from the source, I don't trust it much." Roxanne answered.

"Sorry for your loss." Richard said.

"Eh, don't be. Good riddance, that man was a horrible drunk and I'm better off without him. This tavern and those slaves are the best thing he ever gave me. Even if he never gifted it to me himself." Roxanne said as she smiled.

Richard did not know what to make of that. He was not too keen on prying into other people's lives, he liked the 'mind your own business' approach when it came to things like that. If no one told him, then he would not go out of his way to try and find out. Nor would he try to help someone and put his own life on the line for it.

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He simply shrugged his shoulders passing by the information Roxanne just gave to him about her late husband. "I don't plan on traveling by river. I'm going by land."

Roxanne shook her head thinking that Richard was crazy. That or rich, but again, he did not look like he carried lots of gold tales. "You have a death wish or something? You've seen what's out there haven't you?"

"Yup, but I'm still going. I appreciate the concern, but you shouldn't worry about me." Richard looked over his shoulder where the other three people inside the tavern could be seen. Sitting around at their table chatting away while glancing in his direction every so often. "This is what you should be worried about. You need to restock and get things back on the ball if you want to keep the doors open."

There was nothing she could say because Richard spoke the truth. That and Roxanne could not do anything about it. This was out of her control at this point. If traders kept stopping by Evergreen then she could restock and continue to make a profit, but without them, she had to rely on her reserves. That would only last until it lasted. And she was already running low, very low.

Her tavern was not the only one in town running out of supplies, all of them were. It's just that her place was usually bustling with people so she ran out fast compared to them. Raising the prices did very little because there was nowhere she could spend the money to re-up.

"Kind of out of my hands at this point. Eventually, I'll need to close down for good."

Richard chuckled at that. He did not mean to, it just came out. He pictured Roxanne closing this tavern down and being out walking the streets trying to find a customer. The scenario was pretty insane, but it was possible. Roxanne did not seem like the type to do such an act, which made it even more funny to imagine. Everyone had a breaking point, he wondered what hers was.

"What?" She asked.

Richard shook his head. "Nothing, don't worry about it. Just my imagination acting up is all. Anyway, what do you need to keep the tavern going?"

Sighing Roxanne leaned on the counter. "A lot to be honest. Meat, alcohol, and lots of it, as well as cheese. I'm not feeding children here so I need as much as I can get because the men that come here eat enough to feed a family. I'd like a variety of vegetables as well, the town has more than enough grain."

"And I'm guessing you aren't the only one that needs these things." Richard said.

"Nope, the entire town has its needs. Everyone's pretty desperate at this point and if one of the traders comes I'm certain their stock would run out within minutes. Why are you asking?" Roxanne asked.

"Eh, I figure I can get these while I'm out." Richard responded.

"Huh? That's a lot for one person to drag in a cart, you'd have to have a large group. Six to ten people all pulling carts, and guards to protect you. Do you have that?"

"Nope. But I own a verlpax, so I should be alright."

Hearing him say that Roxanne was stunned. The young man in front of her owned one of those creatures? How could he afford one? Surely he did not steal it, the beast was too large and the people who owned them all had guards. It was highly unlikely Richard was able to sneak past them to steal the beast.

Meaning he had to buy it. It was the only way.

That or he was some bastard child of a rich family in town. Which Roxanne doubted because he hung out with Gregor and was a blacksmith. No one in Evergreen who had money or came from money was a blacksmith.

"While that's impressive, that won't be enough." Roxanne said.

Richard grinned a little. "We'll see about that. Tell me do you know where your food and stuff comes from?"

"Like the town or what animal it comes from?" Roxanne asked just to be certain.

"Town..."

"Then yeah, I know where I get my stuff from. My meat comes from Kraven, and the alcohol from Serthorian, but those two places are in the opposite direction of Stormgate." Roxanne said as she pointed to two towns west of Evergreen. Looking at the map they did not seem far, but traveling to either of them would mean crossing the river.

His carriage could not go into the river, it was not built for that. It was meant to travel across land only, and unless there was a bridge that would allow crossing, then Richard could not go to either of them.

"Is there a bridge?" Richard asked.

"Not that I know of, at least not here. The bridges we build here get destroyed by the beasts outside the walls, so Lord Kirk gave up on that. If you need to cross, you'd have to travel to Heatherhill up here in order to go down, or through Dustwell territory. Going from any of the other towns would only make travel times longer." Roxanne explained.

Richard knew that much just from gazing at the map. Dustwell's territory was fairly large and he'd have to travel far if he wanted to go around it. Meaning he had to head through Heatherhill to get to either of the two locations Roxanne told him about. That would take him a few days, but he couldn't know the exact amount unless he went himself.

He twisted his lips slightly and shook his head.

"Any other locations that sell what you're looking for?" Richard asked on a whim.

Roxanne gazed at the map and tapped her finger on the counter. After a few minutes, she nodded her head. "Valewater, and it's on your list. I'm not up-to-date on their prices, but it shouldn't be expensive. Kraven's cheap from what I heard due to the large amount of animals they have in their fields. Valewater has a lot of fish due to the location they're at, and sometimes you might even find people selling pearls. Although the prices vary."

"You sure know your stuff." Richard commented.

Roxanne grinned. "I'd hope so since it's my job to know things. Besides, I wouldn't want to pay more than what's needed if I can avoid it. If you're actually going, I don't think you should return. While I do want my goods, Evergreen's a dead man's town at this point. Best to escape while you can, well... if you can."

"I appreciate your concern once again, but I'll be fine. As long as I can find an easy route there and back, I think we can help one another out. What do you think?"

"If you're serious, then sure. Although I don't know what you get out of this." Roxanne said.

Richard rubbed his index finger and thumb together. "Money for one, and information for the other. You seem to have a lot of knowledge of the surrounding towns, and if your information is correct, then I'll definitely come back for more."

Roxanne thought about this for a moment, like she really thought it over. Richard seemed very confident he could make the trip and return alive with everything. If this was true, she'd be more than willing to buy his goods. Heck, all the tavern owners would, even if he sold it at a premium.

Since he was here chatting with her before any of them. At least she hoped that was the case. She might be able to cut an early deal for lower prices. If she was, she could buy more and slowly put the other taverns out of business or buy them for herself. She had to admit, the idea itself was tempting, very much so. So much that she craved it, but she should not get her hopes up.

"I'll do you one better, and introduce you to someone that you'd find helpful. He's fighting now, but if you want to survive outside these walls then he's the man you want to talk to. He won't be cheap, but if you're going to be doing this you must have the funds to do so. I'll also introduce you to a few other men who would be willing to make some money. In return, when you make it back come to me first before anyone else and I'll buy what you have at the same price I was paying before." Roxxane told Richard.

Now it was Richard's turn to be silent for a moment as he took in what she said. He did not have the funds, but he could get some. From his encounters with Issac, the man was basically offering to support him in his blacksmithing endeavors so he might be willing to give him a loan as well. However, Richard also went ahead and began working on another sword that he could sell to Lord Kirk.

He did not know how much he'd need to spend on his trip, nor how much it would cost him to hire these people she was talking about. Hell, he did not even know the price of mercenaries because he heard there were some present.

But, this was good for him. He wasn't sure if he could trust Roxanne, but the present situation meant that she had no need to try to do anything to him. Even if she secretly hired these men to work for her and kill Richard, she'd still be stuck here in Evergreen and her business would eventually close. Nothing would change for her.

So the likelihood of that scenario playing out was very low. Meaning Richard was willing to work with her because she needed him more than he needed her. Information could be obtained at more than one place, and he was positive he could find someone here in Evergreen with the same knowledge as Roxanne. It would just take time.

"Very well then, you've got yourself a deal." Richard said.

"Great! Come by here in three days and I'll have Benjamin here for introductions."

"Three days?"

Roxanne nodded. "Like I said, he's fighting against the monsters and unlike those on top of the walls feeling safe, he's outside of them. It'll take me some time to get him here, so three days before you can meet. Not like you're leaving anytime soon right? Going out now, even with him by your side would be suicide."

That explanation satisfied Richard. Although, if the man was fighting outside, he could die at any time. Yet, Roxanne seemed confident that he was alive and would be alive in three days. From the stories Richard's heard it was a bloodbath outside of Evergreen. To survive that, the man must be remarkable.

"Yeah that's fine. So we'll meet again in three days." Richard said as he rolled up the map.

"Got what you wanted and leaving huh?" Roxanne said with a coy smile.

Richard laughed at that. He wasn't seeking anything, she just happened to speak to him and gave him what he was lacking. But the way she said it made it seem like something else.

"Guess so. Not like you didn't enjoy this either." Richard replied.

"Oh really now? Says who?"

"That smile you keep wearing says it all." Richard waved his hand and walked away.

Roxanne found herself enjoying her chat with Richard. More so than she thought she would have. She merely spoke to him out of boredom and nothing more. He was something that was for sure. Most men looked at her chest when speaking, but he didn't. His eyes were focused on her eyes which was refreshing, and he didn't use any coarse language either.

Honestly, he was right, she did enjoy talking to him. He didn't give her that feeling that so many other men did. It was just... comfortable. Yeah, comfortable was the word she was looking for. In all honesty, she forgot that he was a young man. She could understand a little bit of why Gregor hung around him so much.

Richard was different but in a good way.

She could picture herself doing this again, maybe about another topic. Roxanne wanted to know, who was he and where did he come from. She knew his name of course, but she wanted to know who he was as a person. Something told her that she should find out and fast.