Lohmen winced when he put his shoulder against the tavern door and walked out into whatever town this happened to be. He was in shock from the fight and the revelation about standard travel gear consumed him. As he winced into the afternoon sun a friendly looking woman carrying a basket of vegetables walked by.
“Excuse me, what town is this?” Lohmen inquired.
She didn’t answer and picked up her pace as she bristled past. A few moments after she’d left, Lohemn put a tentative hand to his face and clenched his teeth in realisation.
Rather than scare any other villagers, he pulled up his hood and looked around to locate the town’s message board. He’d read enough of them over the years to deduce a location from announcements and job postings. He started toward the board and stopped just before he was nearly run over by two muscular oxen pulling a wagon. The driver gave Lohmen a look and continued on with his load of wood and stone, that even the behemoth oxen struggled to pull.
At the message board, Lohmen began his ritualistic scan. Timber jobs and stone mining, nothing particularly enlightening.
Ah, there we go.
A job posting for a millwright in Hunhi that promised transport to anyone here in the city of Yindim. Lohmen pulled out his cartography book which now doubled as a log of his travels. A few days before, he’d mapped out his next few days and learned that Yindim, a Banner-town, was in the realm of kum Chammibu. There were still five realms between him and Kunnan where he was to meet in Yerik. Riding all night, half in shock and half in agony, he conferred to his log again. He’d been on the road for seven days meaning he was to meet Yerik in two days. He squinted at the mid-afternoon sun and cursed under his breath. The fight and the ensuring collapse and treatment had cost him the better part of an entire day. To say nothing of the slower pace he’d have to take on account of his injuries.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Standing in front the message board, Lohmen contemplated how he’ll make the meeting with Yerik.
Maybe I can sketch the Banners and paint them at night.
He was jotting notes in his notebook and doing some calculations when a quick glance at the message board turned into a hard stare.
MISSING
He read further.
A boy of nine years old disappeared outside of Tiumai. He vanished without a trace.
Anyone who can offer any information at all will be handsomely rewarded.
Ask for Yophel in Tiamui.
There was another child missing, just a bit older than Thesdon was when he disappeared. Lohmen yanked the note from it’s rusty peg and took a closer look. It was weathered on the edges and sun-bleached all over.
Damn, this has been up a while. Poor parents.
Lohmen worked the note in his hands, flipped it over, and rescanned the message board again before an idea occurred to him. Note in hand, he doubled back to the tavern to speak to the chatty barmaid.