There were several other roads that branched off and were similar in size and quality that led to other towns and cities, and the people that lived there considered that the main road as well. Since I wanted to get to the capital, I took the farmer's advice and followed the signposts to make sure we were going in the right direction towards the capital. The speed and mana boosts on the horses had taken us fairly quickly to where we needed to go.
In just three days we arrived at the outskirts of the capital city, and my hopes of communication off the planet withered at the state of it. We trotted the horses around the outskirts to look at the houses and my opinion of the people's standard of living was pretty low.
“Perhaps these are the poor and downtrodden.” Maylia said to try and get my hopes up.
“I'm sure they are.” I said. “Unfortunately, the best way to determine the value of life in a society is to look at the poor. I can see that their clothing is worn and their houses are run down.” There's also not a trace of technology anywhere. No electricity, either. I thought and sighed. “They barely even have weapons and this world is really dangerous.”
Maylia nodded. “Hunter, I'm sorry.”
“So am I.” I said and we turned our horses around and went back to the main road that would lead us through the town and up to the castle.
“Halt!” An authoritative voice called out as we made the turn to go to the castle. “What business do you have here in the capital?”
“We're looking for the bounties on wanted criminals.” I said right away instead of asking why they didn't ask us that before we entered the city, and turned the horse to face the armored guard. “If you're wondering what ones, the group had a big green orc with them.”
The guard's eyes nearly bulged out of his helmet. “You... you're going after...”
“No, we already dealt with them.” I said. “We just want to get paid for their heads.”
The guard stared at me for several moments, then looked at Maylia, who nodded. “Well, then.” He said and motioned to a side road. “Please, come with me to the barracks. The captain of the guard will be more than happy to verify your claim.”
“Lead the way.” I said, and he led us down the road towards a large building. Other guards looked our way as we passed them and none of the regular people did. I thought that was a little odd, considering how Maylia and I were dressed. The guard tied our horses to the posts outside the door and we dismounted while he admired the slightly altered horses.
“They must be fast.” The guard said, then opened the door for us.
“Unbelievably.” I said and put a hand on Maylia's lower back as we stepped into the building. The guard came in and shut the door, then led us down the hallway and knocked on the first door. There was no kind of marking on it to indicate that it was special in any way.
“I'm sorry to bother you, sir.” The guard said without opening the door.
“It must be important if you are off patrol to come here during a shift.” A gruff voice said. “Come in.”
The guard opened the door. “It is important, sir.” He said and told the captain what we were here for.
“We've had a few people try to claim that ridiculous bounty.” The captain said, skeptically. “Your proof better be good.”
“I hope their heads will be enough proof.” I said and took the wrapped bundle out of my bag of holding, then looked at his desk. “Where should I open this? I don't want to get blood on everything.”
The captain barked a laugh. “The desk is fine. I've got a great Scourer.” He said and looked at my hooded face. “You're not like other adventurers I've met. They wouldn't care about things like that.”
“You must have some really inconsiderate people around here.” I said and plopped the improvised sack of heads onto the desk and untied it. “Now, a few of these are only human and I don't know if they have individual bounties or not; but, they all wore the same dark cloak and were with the ones that have the faces that do stand out.”
The captain looked at my face for a moment, then nodded. I took out the normal heads, both male and female, then pulled out the female elf's head. His eye twitched slightly, so I knew he recognized her. Next, I took out the big orc head that was partially smashed, and the guard with us caught his breath.
That's a definite confirmation. I thought to myself, then I took out the mangled face man's head and the captain shot to his feet and leaned in close.
“You actually have it.” The captain said, his voice full of disbelief.
“My beautiful companion and I came across a completely wrecked carriage and slaughtered horses beside the main road a long way from here, then heard a yell. When we entered the woods, we found a group of eight of them. They had killed three people and were in the process of killing at least two more. The third was debatable.”
The captain held his hand out and I handed him the head. “That sounds like them.” He said. “What was special about those people, I wonder?”
“Why?” I asked.
“They usually just kill them all outright.” The captain said. “One of the others must have been important or something.”
That was my thought as well. I thought. “Now, about the bounty...”
“Do you have their things?” The captain asked.
“We left their bodies for those odd creature things that seem to eat anything unattended in the woods.” I said, and he sighed. “What were you looking for?”
“It doesn't matter if the skreenaks have them.” The captain said. “All right. You've proven your bounty.” He said and put the head back in the sack. I helped him add the others and he tied it up, then sat down and rooted through his desk. He took out a small sack of coins and tossed it to me.
“Is this all there is?” I asked.
“That's a sack of gold coins.” The captain said. “Most people won't see a single gold coin in their whole lives.”
“That's why you said it was a ridiculous bounty.” I said, and he nodded. I put the pouch into my bag of holding and turned to leave.
“Would you be interested in any other bounties?” The captain asked.
I stopped and turned back. “It would depend on what they are for.”
“You are definitely not like the other adventurers.” The captain said and smiled. “Most of them just ask how much.”
“I learned a long time ago to worry more about the target than about the money.”
“Ha!” The captain barked a laugh. “You're smart, too.” He said and took a big list out of his desk. “Most of these are petty crimes and aren't much of a concern.” He picked up something like a pencil and scratched off about two-thirds of the list, then circled half of the remaining ones. “Murderers mostly.” He said and passed me the paper. “The top two are large monsters that need exterminating.”
“Any chance you have a map so I know where to go?” I asked.
“Definitely smarter than the others.” The captain said and handed me a scroll. “I don't normally hand things like that out, so take care of it.”
I opened the scroll and it showed a dot in the city that it showed. “It shows itself?”
“It does, and anywhere you go.” The captain said. “The last guy I showed that to, thought it showed him because he was looking at it and holding it.”
I chuckled and the captain laughed.
“Ask it for a location and it will point an arrow and lead you there.” The captain said. “It can only show the two mile by two mile area around where it is, since the paper can't show more than that.”
“That's still going to be an enormous help.” I said and rolled the scroll back up and put it in my bag.
“I'm glad you recognize the inherent value of such an item.” The captain said and stood again. “I don't expect you to run off and tackle all of that right away, since you look like you've had quite a journey to get here.” He glanced at the bag of heads and smiled. “There are a few good inns in the city. Go. Relax. You deserve it.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“I'm glad you recognize my inherent value.” I joked, and he laughed.
“Go on.” The captain said and looked at the guard. “Make sure they aren't bothered.”
“Yes, sir!” The guard said and saluted. “This way, please.”
The guard led us out of the barracks and instead of mounting the horses, we walked with them and asked the guard for a good stable. He took us to one and we paid for several days and made sure they knew to feed and water them more than a normal horse.
“Don't worry, sir!” The young girl that looked about ten years old said. “I've never seen such magnificent animals! I'll take really good care of them!”
I took two copper coins out of my pocket and handed them to her. “Be sure that you do.”
The girl looked at the two coins and then back at me. “You're paying me?!?” She asked, surprised. “I get to stay here for free as long as I work.”
“Meals included?” I asked, and she nodded. I took out two more copper coins and gave them to her.
She stared at the money in her hand like she didn't know what to do with it.
“Two horses, twice the money.” I said. “See you in a few days.”
She looked up at me with huge eyes that looked on the verge of tears. “Yes, sir.”
We left the stable and the guard pointed out a couple of the inns. We asked which was better and he said they were pretty much the same. There were so many people travelling through that they didn't have to compete for business and didn't waste money on trying to do anything else except provide a service. We went to the first inn, since it was closer to the stable and the castle, and the guard left as we went inside and to the counter.
“We'd like a room for a few days.” I said to the back of a woman who was hanging several keys up on a large rack.
“Of course.” The woman said and turned towards us, then she gasped. “Wh-what... what room... would you like?” She asked and her eyes didn't raise above the counter's edge.
“The one with the hardest bed.” I joked and smiled, and she jumped a little. “Are you all right?”
“I'm f-f-fine.” The woman said and stepped close to the counter, and I noticed that she was pointedly looking down under the counter at something. I looked as well and saw a slightly green bubble and it showed both my face and Maylia's without our cloaks covering them. I had to assume it was for identification purposes; but, it was still a violation of my privacy.
She could at least ask to see our faces before using that thing. I thought, and being the considerate man that I am, I absorbed the mana from it. The bubble popped audibly and quite loudly and the woman jumped again.
“On second thought, I've changed my mind.” I said. “I think I'll walk around town for a while before deciding where to stay.”
I took Maylia's hand and we left the bewildered woman as she stared at the spot under the counter where the permanent viewing spell had been. We walked by the other inn and I saw that they had the same thing under their front desk and I popped that one as well without going inside. We checked two other inns and only one didn't have the same thing. It wasn't as fancy as the other inns, and I looked at all of the ground floor rooms to see if there were any other glowing green bubbles. There wasn't, so we went inside.
“We'd like a room, please.” I said with a smile.
“Of course.” The woman at the counter said and smiled back at me. “Would you mind dropping your hoods briefly, just so I know who I'm renting to?”
“I wouldn't mind at all. Thank you for asking.” I said and pulled my hood down, as did Maylia.
The woman blinked her eyes at my blast shield and stared at it for several moments.
“It's metal.” I said and tapped it. “Do you serve food as well?”
“W-we do.” The woman said. “Meals can be included if...”
“We'll be here for several days.” I said. “How much for breakfast and supper to be included for three days?”
“Fifteen copper.” The woman said right away without having to think about it. “Five per day. Three for the room and two for the meals.”
I took out a silver coin and she easily made change and handed me the key. It was huge and only had a couple of teeth on it.
“Up the stairs and last door on the left. I'd show you the way; but, I'm working alone today and I don't want to leave the counter unattended.”
“Are you always busy?” I asked, curious.
“It's a steady flow of customers and my rates are the cheapest in the city.” The woman said with a smile. “I close at meal times to serve food and clean the rooms during lunch, if the rooms are unoccupied.”
I nodded. “Thank you. We'll be back down for supper.” I said and led Maylia to the stairs.
“I hope stew is okay.” The woman said to our backs. “I didn't have enough meat to make into proper meals.”
I stopped walking and turned back to her. “How many people are staying here?”
“Six, not including you two or me.” The woman said. “Why?”
“How much is a good cut of meat?” I asked.
“More than it cost to stay in the room.” The woman said and laughed.
I walked over to the desk and put a silver coin on the counter. “Can this buy enough meat for everyone to get a good meal?”
“I can get half a pig or even a quarter of a cow for that!” The woman exclaimed.
“Cow sounds good.” I said and added another silver coin. “Make sure you get the prime meat and not the fatty chunks.”
She didn't say anything and just looked at the money on the counter. I walked back over to Maylia and we started to go up the stairs.
“The butcher's not going to believe me when I ask him for half a cow.” The woman said, her voice full of disbelief. “Now I wonder if he'll even sell me that much.”
I held in my laugh until we entered our room and Maylia turned to me with a smile.
“That was nice of you.” Maylia said. “She should have enough meat to last for a while.”
“Stew can be fine some days; but, it's usually the last thing you make when you're almost out of everything except vegetables.” I said and looked into the bathroom and saw a huge tub. Nice.
Maylia walked over to the bed and pushed on it with a hand. She smiled and sat down and barely sunk into it. “Yes, this is a good bed.”
I chuckled and walked over to her. “Shall we have another lesson?”
“Do I need to ask which one?” Maylia asked as she took off her cloak.
“We do have a couple of hours to wait for supper to be ready.” I said and took off my own cloak.
“Are there no other lessons you can teach me?” Maylia asked with a smile as she unstrapped her metal breastplate and set it aside.
“We can get to that after supper.” I said and took off my uniform. “First a bath! Horses stink after two days of heavy running.”
“Yes, it's the horses that stink.” Maylia said and laughed when I tossed my smelly long sleeved t-shirt at her. She started to undo the laces of her thick leather armor top and I went to her and helped her. We were both stripped off and in the hot water a few minutes later, then we lathered each other up and scrubbed.
“Do you still think this is weird?” I asked as I rubbed her chest with soapy hands.
“Extremely.” Maylia closed her eyes and relaxed as she let me play with her breasts. “If you were any other man, I would have killed you a week ago for trying to touch me with your bare hands.”
I looked down at her chest and its prominent nipples, then back at her face. “And now?”
“I'll kill you if you stop.” Maylia said and she didn't even blush.
I slid my hands up to her face and leaned in to give her a kiss on the lips. She kept her eyes closed as I did, then I went back to washing her off. She washed me off a few minutes later and we dried off and went to bed to play some more. She still went passive when I tried to do more than that; but, it took her longer to get to that point.
I guess I really am wearing her down. I thought with a smile.
We laid in bed and cuddled for a while and relaxed with nothing pressing to do. Neither of us had been in a city this big before, and since we wanted to see everything, we decided to take a tour in the morning. We got dressed in normal outfits and went downstairs to the moderately large dining room and were met by six other people. Two couples and two single men. Someone had pushed several square tables together to make one long one for everyone to sit at.
“Our benefactors!” One of the single men said and stood with a raised glass. “Cheers for meat!” He said and took a large gulp of something that looked like beer.
“At least wait until they sit down, for Laura's sake.” One of the men in a couple said.
“Black Laura?” I asked and held a chair out for Maylia.
The man nodded. “Do you know her?”
“Not in that sense.” I said and pushed Maylia's chair in close to the table. “I only heard her name a couple of times.”
“In what context?” He asked, genuinely curious.
“Maylia, what was it the guard said when I showed him that armored creature?” I asked and sat down.
“I think he said, 'by Black Laura's pale white tit'.” Maylia said.
“Ugh.” The man's wife said. “How does a saying like that get spread around so quickly?”
“At least he didn't take her name in vain.” The man said. “It must have been some strange creature to get that response from a fellow follower of hers, though.”
“The locals called it a brocchula.” Maylia said, and the room fell silent. She looked at all of their surprised faces. “Have you heard of them?”
“They've been cropping up occasionally in different places.” The man in the second couple said. “We left Second Choutia two months ago and heard several stories along the way about them.”
“They apparently eat everything.” The woman in the first couple said and then her voice dropped to a whisper. “Even people.”
“That's when we caught them.” Maylia said. “They were attacking a farmer and his family and Hunter dispatched them in moments.”
“Wait, did you say them?” The partially drunk single man asked.
“There were thirteen.” Maylia said and the two women gasped.
“You... killed thirteen of them.” The man in the first couple said. “In moments.”
I nodded. No one said anything else for several minutes, then the woman that ran the inn came into the dining room with a wonderful smell. I could see everyone react positively as she carried over a large platter with a huge roast on it. It was well cooked and surrounded by vegetables and potatoes as garnishes.
“It looks wonderful!” One of the women said.
“It smells wonderful.” The partially drunk man said and barely managed not to drool.
“Thank you.” The woman that ran the inn said and picked up a huge knife and a fork. “I'm non-denominational, so there's no ceremony or prayer before the meal.” She said and looked at the people around the large table. “I'm not against prayer, so you can say one for yourselves if you want.”
“Does it have to be silent?” The man in the first couple asked, and she chuckled.
“You can speak aloud as long as you don't try to sway non-believers to your cause.” The woman said. “I don't want any preaching in my place.”
The man opened his mouth say something, then closed it.
I bet he was going to say his religion demands that he preach. I thought in amusement, then waited until the innkeeper handed plates of potatoes and meat to Maylia and myself before I took Maylia's hand and spoke. “Thank god for the food.” I said and a pulse of mana and Presence spread out from us. “Let's eat.”
The innkeeper frowned at me. “What did I just say?”
“That wasn't me.” I said. “It happens every time I pray at meals.”
Everyone just stared at us with slightly open mouths.
“It really does.” Maylia said and started to eat.
I took a bite of meat myself and it practically melted in my mouth. It was soft and juicy and flavorful. “Oh, that's tasty!” I said and took another bite. “I can't remember the last time I had meat so tender.”
No one was eating, so I waved at them and at the food, then kept eating the food on my plate. They each said their own prayer out loud and started eating. The innkeeper watched me closely for several minutes. I saw on her face when she decided that I wasn't going to do anything else to surprise her, then she started to eat, too.