1.24

Sharampf awoke to find herself laying in a bed that was a little too cramped and too hard for her liking.

She clenched her teeth at the pain in her side as she laboriously pulled herself up against the bedhead. She slowly let out a deep breath she hadn’t realised she was holding.

The cramped room was even smaller than the Cracked Cauldron. It was sparsely decorated, and the stench of damp air filled her nose. The only source of light came from an ever-burning candle attached to one of the walls.

Sharampf noticed a quiet rumble echo through the room. She found Bodwyn asleep on a chair in the corner of the room. His head was lolled back and his mouth wide open.

A light rap at the door startled Sharampf and she whispered for them to come in. Fenrick held a steaming bowl of mushroom, reed, and fish soup.

“He hasn’t left your side,” whispered Fenrick. Sharampf smiled at Bodwyn.

“How long have I been out?” Sharampf whispered back.

“It’s the fourth night now. I’ve brought food every morning and night, but I think the cheeky bugger’s been eating it.” Sharampf winced as she reached for the bowl.

“Not like it’s been doing me any good. What happened with the ogre?” Sharampf took a sip and realised how hungry she was.

“Bodwyn and I were the only ones left standing. Oh, and Tad. He was looking after you, making sure your face didn’t sink in the muck.” Sharampf now noticed the caked mud in her hair.

“Bodwyn, Tad and I were the last ones standing. Kamaya overexerted herself, as did Bodwyn. Though he landed the finishing blow. It was one of those special paladin attacks. Who knows what he swore to uphold.”

“What made him go to such drastic measures?” Sharampf asked.

“I think he just wanted the bloody thing dead. We were all dropping like flies.” Fenrick turned away from Sharampf to hide his smile. “I’ll leave you to rest, don’t push yourself too hard. He’ll be happy to see you’ve woken up.”

Sharampf smiled to herself as she savoured the soup. She looked over at Bodwyn and smiled again. She lay back down and the two slept through the night.

“She’s taken the soup.” Fenrick sat at a shoddy table across from Kamaya. The tavern was a basic mess made from mud.

“I’m glad she’s okay.” Kamaya had stuck to herself over the last few days. Fenrick knew her pride had taken a serious hit.

“You okay?” Fenrick took one look at his own bowl of soup but didn’t touch it.

“I fought like an idiot, and was wiped out before it ended. I rushed in for my smite too early.”

“Don’t beat yourself up so much about it.”

“You wouldn’t understand the pressure I feel with that loss.” Kamaya spoke more to the table than to Fenrick.

“I understand it better than you think,” said Fenrick. Fenrick knew she spoke from a place of hurt.

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“How?” She brought her eyes up to look at Fenrick.

“I was in the army for a long time, and was a part of my fair share of failures.” He was pleasantly surprised by the taste of his mushroom and cattail reed tea. He looked around the room and saw there was only one other sitting in the tavern.

It was an ursidae, large bipedal bears known for their physical prowess. They often held friendly rivalries with minotaurs.

“But this is a personal failure. I couldn’t live up to my Creed, that’s a dangerous thing for a paladin.”

“I lead my company on a mission that resulted in the deaths of forty others.” The cold snap in his voice shook Kamaya out of her funk.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’ve still got all of your abilities though, right?” Fenrick’s forced brightness took Kamaya by surprise. She nodded. “So, you haven’t failed. Just a setback.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” And for the first time since Fenrick had met the paladin, she smiled.

Bodwyn awoke and saw that Sharampf was still asleep. A twinge of disappointment flicked his stomach. He approached her on the bed and noticed the empty bowl on the floor. A little burst of excitement rose within him.

Sharampf stirred and Bodwyn sprung back onto the chair and composed himself.

“You’re finally awake.” Bodwyn approached and offered to help Sharampf sit up in bed, and she accepted.

“Fenrick told me what happened and how you made sure I was alright.” Sharampf looked at Bodwyn, and he felt his cheeks start to burn.

“It’s what you would’ve done. It’s what friends do.” Bodwyn grimaced into a goofy smile and Sharampf smiled back.

“You’re right. But thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You think you’re ready to get out of bed and go say hello?” Sharampf nodded and Bodwyn helped her to her feet.

Sharampf’s mechanical arm laid in a messy heap on the floor, and she sighed.

“You’ll be able to fix it right?” Bodwyn asked.

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be too hard to do.”

The two hobbled out of the room and were surprised to not see Fenrick doing his morning exercise.

Neither Sharampf or Bodwyn felt hungry and made their way outside.

The town of mud huts and hovels made of sticks was truly alive. Children were running around and playing with sticks, chasing each other. Some pretended to be monsters. The men and women, if they weren’t off fishing, were walking in and out of each other’s homes as though they were all one big family. Smoking pipes and eating fish and rats. Some weaved baskets in front of their homes and others made sculptures out of mud and sticking them into a kiln.

“Your friends are with our Mother. Come, I’ll escort you.” Brun came up beside them.

“Have they been waiting long?” asked Sharampf.

“No.” Brun led the two of them back toward the pond where the shaman sat.

“Ah, I see you two are finally awake,” said the shaman. Bodwyn tried to help Sharampf with a bow, but the dwarf raised a hand. “No need, but I appreciate the effort.” Fenrick and Kamaya turned to check on their companions.

“Thank you to all of you for stopping the threat of the ogre. As a token of our gratitude here at Misty Swamp, I give you a payment.” As if on cue, two dwarves came into view from behind the overgrowth, and carried between them a wooden chest bound in heavy reed straps.

“You will find in there some gold and silver, as well as an item that will hopefully help you on your chosen paths.”

The dwarves dropped the chest with a heavy wap on the wet ground, bowed, and backed away. Fenrick looked to his friends and opened the chest.

Atop a large pile of coins sat a cloak.

Fenrick lifted the thick, hooded cloak. The swirling browns and greens constantly moved.

“When you pull up the hood, you will grow webs between your fingers and toes, making it easier to swim. You can also communicate with frogs and stick to almost any surface.”

“Thank you,” said Fenrick. He put the cloak back in the chest and lifted the loot onto Tad’s back.

“Thank you again for what you’ve done. You may stay here as long as you need. All the best with your journeys.” With that, the group made their way back to the tavern.

“So, evenly split, that’s sixty gold and two hundred silver pieces each. Who gets the cloak?” Fenrick asked.

“I have no need for it,” said Kamaya.

“If you two don’t mind, I’ll take it,” said Bodwyn. Fenrick threw the cloak to the Bodwyn who easily slipped into the perfect fit.

“Will you join us back to Cobbleson?” Sharampf asked.

“No. We’ll part ways here. I need to go find my brother, perhaps you’ve heard of him. Rakesh.” Kamaya gave a sly grin.

“Wait, The Rakesh is your brother?” asked Bodwyn.

“Yep. I’ve got a story to tell him. He’ll know all your names.” Kamaya said her farewells and left Misty Swamp.