Dalmar walked along the rippling stream of shallow water, stumbling slightly as the tiny depths appeared and disappeared. His mind turned towards an earlier time when he had left his home of Wahskre in far off Morguon. The days he remembered seemed to be centuries old, and he sighed as he hopped over a piece of driftwood. Soon Dalmar found himself standing at the edge of a steep incline where the waters rushed down a rocky slope to a wide mass of water at the bottom several meters below. The treelines at either side widened along the slope as Dalmar began walking with a sideways gait along the stream's edge. With each step, small rocks tumbled down the hillside and landed on the water's surface below with a plop and splash. In due time, Dalmar reached the small pond below and rounded its edge where he found a few horse tracks in the soft mud that surrounded the area. Feeling a bit lonely without his usual partner, he paused and looked back up at the top of the hillside. In some strange way, he sort of expected to see Sh'lzzt's hobbling, stubborn self trying to make his way down the hillside. But only sky and the top of the stream covered slope stood above him. Scanning the area and the treeline he was about to enter, Dalmar began to whistle to calm his own nerves. Dalmar scanned the ground for other signs of horse tracks, and entered the trees and out of sight of the moonlight that had begun to wane overhead.
The ground was a bit drier in the trees, and the darkness of the woods blanketed itself over the tracks of the horse. Dalmar paused as he found a long stick with which to make a torch. He pulled some strips of cloth from his pack and wound them about one end, dousing it with a bit of lamp oil. With a few flicks of his wrist as he struck a piece of flint against a rough stone and the torch was soon blazing as the immediate area lit with the orange glow of the fire. The shadows of the forest drew themselves in long, wispy caricatures about the scene creating an eerie sort of nightmare in the near distances. Dalmar shivered at the thought of the unknown. But summoning his courage with thoughts of the previous battles he endured, he set forth through the darkness again. Within a short period of time, Dalmar spotted the horse, its loose reins caught in a large bush of thorny vines. Nervous, the frightened steed tugged its caught reins and whinnied loudly. Dalmar walked slowly to the horse and talked to it with a low, comforting voice. Soon, Dalmar overcame the scared animal and had secure hold as he patted its side. "That's a good ole' boy..." he said with confidence as he freed the reins of the thorn bush. Dalmar grabbed the saddle at the top and hoisted himself atop the horse, and was soon on his way back to the stream.
It took Dalmar another twenty minutes to reach the sloping hillside, and he stopped to let the horse water itself before he began the steep climb back to where Sh'lzzt sat waiting for him. Dalmar bent down to get a drink for himself as he scanned the area for a moment, and tossed the torch into the water extinguishing it with a flash of smoke and a sizzle as it hit the surface. Sated, Dalmar mounted his ride again, and traveled slowly up the hill, and back to where Sh'lzzt sat. "Where is the other horse?" Sh'lzzt said as he smiled slightly.
"It's the first one I saw. Thought it might be a good idea to get you out of ogre country. We'll look for the other one when we get you down the hill there" Dalmar said. Sh'lzzt shrugged as he rose from the ground, supporting his weight on the end of his sword and hobbling over to Dalmar and the horse. Swinging his leg over the horse, Dalmar dropped to the ground. With one quick movement, Sh'lzzt was hoisted onto the horse alongside Dalmar, and the two started back toward the watery slope. The moon had begun to disappear behind the horizon when the two reached the bottom of the hill where the horse tracks were found, and the sun began to peer over the opposite side of the sky bringing light to world once again. Dalmar squinted as his eyes were met with the new light of the morning. Pausing at the pond's edge, Dalmar walked around its circumference looking for tracks of the other horse. Unable to locate any signs of the other equine, Dalmar scoffed at the dumb luck. "I can't seem to find any signs of the other horse. Which way you want to go?" Dalmar said with frustrated tone as he set his arms akimbo and looked up at Sh'lzzt.
"Dalmar..." Sh'lzzt said, pausing to take breath. "Frankly, I find no comfort in either direction. In such, I would suggest continuing north."
"North it is then" Dalmar said as he re-adjusted the strap on his pack and surveyed the area bathed in the morning mist. Dalmar tugged slightly at the reins of Sh'lzzt's horse as the two adventurers began to round the pond to ride north.
"Wait, Dalmar" Sh'lzzt as Dalmar stopped and looked at Sh'lzzt. Sh'lzzt sniffed the air and put his hand over his eyes to shield them from the morning sun.
"What is it?" Dalmar responded.
"There's a thin smoke trail just over the tops of the trees in that direction" Sh'lzzt said as he pointed to the northwest. Sh'lzzt smelled the air once again and lowered his eyebrows slightly. "I don't smell it yet, but once we get closer I'll be able to get a better idea of what kind of fire causes that smoke. Let's head that way. There may be some place near that we can get some decent rest and supplies."
"Agreed, and something other than ogres and fish." Dalmar said as he looked at his vest stained with the ogre female's entrails. "And a proper bath wouldn't be bad either."
"Yes, I agree, Dalmar. You are quite pungent. I should be grateful to get out from under the cloud of flies that swarm about your person." Sh'lzzt said as he smiled a clever smile at Dalmar. Dalmar smirked as he took the reins of the horse once again. Dalmar and Sh'lzzt followed the stream for a couple more kilometers before they turned away from the thin tract of water. During that time, they encountered little more than a glimpse of a deer drinking some water in the early morning outside of the cover of the trees. Spotting a man-made break in the trees, Sh'lzzt brought the attention of this trail to Dalmar who smiled at the thought of civilization. Slowly, the two travelers approached the heavily trodden pathway to the water's edge. "Smells like a wood fire...possibly a foundry of some kind as I believe I smell some metalworking" Sh'lzzt said finally. Sh'lzzt listened intently for a moment as Dalmar paused to listen as well.
"Yeah, smells like wood to me, too. But I don't smell any metal" Dalmar agreed.
"Whatever the case, let's get moving, Dalmar. " Sh'lzzt said as he looked at the bandage wrapped about his aching leg. Sh'lzzt kept a straight face, but he knew his leg had been hurt pretty bad and it would take a little bit of time and rest before it was back to normal. He hoped that the type of people that they were sure to meet would be friendly and accept their kindnesses in exchange for at least some of the things they required. After their dealings with the people in Oberon, Sh'lzzt had become uneasy about meeting new people. He was no longer in the areas of the world where he grew up, and knew not what to expect. This made him a bit uneasy, and as he grew older he became less enthusiastic to meet new people, much less humans. But still, he held his head high and his eyes sharp as they traveled down the widened pathway through the forest.
As Dalmar and Sh'lzzt trotted along the worn path, the sounds of a ringing anvil began to break the sounds of morning despite the persistence of the birds of the morning to chatter to one another. The grunts of a couple rooting wild hogs could be heard as Sh'lzzt sat upright in his saddle as spied the smoke of a blacksmith's foundry in the distance to the northwest. A large man could be seen unawares as he doused his workings into a large cauldron of water. Beside his shop stood a modest cottage where two young children raced around trying to catch a chicken or two. The scene seemed peaceful to Sh'lzzt as he brought it to the attention of Dalmar who walked below him beside the horse. Within moments they were within sight of the blacksmith's home, and the large man looked up and stopped beating a strip of metal. Wiping his hands, he called to his children who quickly ran inside the cottage. Dalmar waved and smiled as did Sh'lzzt, careful not to appear hostile or mischievous. The smithy did not smile, but tossed his rag aside and approached the two at the end of the clearing about his home. "Greetings, kind sir" Dalmar began.
"Good morrow, blacksmith" Sh'lzzt said. "We're looking for either some lodging or perhaps information about where we might find some. Could you help us out, sir?"
"Good morning to you, sirs!" The blacksmith said as he smiled underneath his wide sienna-colored moustache draping his chin. "Aye, you've found yourself in the lands of Altendon. From where do you hail, lads?" Dalmar looked at Sh'lzzt who looked directly at the blacksmith and smiled.
"Undhkiel, sir. We aim to find our way to Irongard and King Thorfinn. We heard they were needing some men up that way" Dalmar said quickly. Both Dalmar and Sh'lzzt understood that if he had mentioned they were coming from Oberon that word of their escape might have reached Altendon sooner than they.
"'Tis true" Sh'lzzt added. "Work is hard to come by and we, sir, are quite tired of eating fish from the sea."
"Glory be! All the way from Undhkiel?" exclaimed the smith as he looked at Dalmar and Sh'lzzt inquisitively. "I'll be betting you have stories to tell after a journey like that, sirs." The blacksmith paused as he smiled once again. "Well, you can water your horse over at my trough if ye be needin'. Altendon proper is another couple of kilometers through the forest. We can sharpen your swords, too, if ye be needin'. Perhaps put a shine to your buckles and bridles?" The blacksmith smiled as he raised an arm to show the way to his foundry.
"That'd be nice, thanks, dear smithy" Sh'lzzt said as he directed his horse towards the blacksmith's homestead. Reaching the trough of water outside the blacksmith's shop, Dalmar helped Sh'lzzt off his horse. Taking notice, the blacksmith looked curiously at Sh'lzzt.
"Have a sit on this keg" the blacksmith said as he pulled a heavy keg out from the wall of the shop for Sh'lzzt to sit. "That's some tweak ye got there, if'n you don't mind me sayin', sir. There's a right fine man in Altendon that is sure to be of some help to you. Name's Ferris. Tell 'em Kayne sent ye!" The blacksmith chattered.
"Thanks" said Sh'lzzt. "We may take you up on that. Thank you for your help. But tell me of Altendon. Who resides over her lands, my dear smith?" Sh'lzzt continued.
"Call me Kayne, please. And 'tis Lord Polias that keeps the peace of the people in these parts. You got business with Polias, do you?" Kayne asked.
"No, nothing of the sort, Kayne. We just want to know through whose lands we travel. And we certainly don't mean to keep you from anything if you had early morning business to attend. We really should be on our way soon." Sh'lzzt said with a pleasant smile.
"Oh, pshaw! Don't be mindin' me. I have but a few pieces of iron to bend. A buckle here, a loop there. Business has been slow since Polias ran off all the bandits 'round here. Hates 'em something terrible he does. Not a lick of armor to be made nor polished no more." The blacksmith seemed a bit disheartened at the thought of slowing business. "Thought of moving, too, but the missus' is against it, ya know. Speaking of...I'd better go set her mind at ease. She'll be wonderin' about you two...."
"By all means, Kayne. Take your time. We'll be leaving soon as we really must continue our journey soon." Sh'lzzt said as he nodded in understanding manner. The blacksmith nodded in agreement and acknowledgement, and walked into his home sitting beside the shop. Dalmar watched Kayne as he disappeared inside the tiny cottage and turned to Sh'lzzt.
"Altendon doesn't sound so bad. If everyone's half as nice as this guy, then I say we check it out. What do you say?" Dalmar said with an excited tone.
"I agree, but I have to be a bit hesitant. Generally speaking, Dalmar, if something's too good to be true, it usually is." Sh'lzzt said with an even sort of tone to his voice, careful to keep his voice at a low level.
"What do you mean? I'm all for the thrill of the open lands and adventure, but it's a long way to Irongard. We should take our opportunities as they are presented to us. I say let's go to Altendon and check it out." Dalmar said as he began to find Sh'lzzt cautious demeanor tiresome. "What are you worried about?"
"Dalmar, you're human. Ease of passage into human lands comes natural for you and with little concern. In case you forgot, I'm an elf. Did you notice how he didn't even make mention of my being an elf? That is what worries me." Sh'lzzt glanced quickly at the cottage once more as the door swung open and a fat little woman rushed out the door and waved her hand behind her at her husband. Kayne stood in the doorway shaking his head before he stepped back out to address his guests. Soon, the middle-aged woman was standing in front of Dalmar and Sh'lzzt with her hands on her hips in front of them. For a moment she stared at Sh'lzzt causing Sh'lzzt to turn towards Dalmar. Dalmar looked at Sh'lzzt and then looked at the woman. Kayne walked up and soon thereafter and stood behind his wife with his hand on her shoulder.
"My apologies, men. My husband is an oaf! He may be sweet, but he is an oaf!" the woman threw her arms in the air and shrugged her husband's arm off her shoulder. Looking Sh'lzzt in the eyes and cut her stare into a softer gaze. "Frankly, I don't care if you are an elf. Ain't no elf ever bothered me, and it is my home. That is his foundry. If'n you be wanting a warm meal and some comfortable lodgings, then we have plenty to spare. Just make yourself at home!" The woman, turned sharply as she slapped her husband on the shoulder the trudged back into the cottage. Hiding a chuckle, Dalmar shook his head and raised his arm to Sh'lzzt. Sh'lzzt raised his eyebrow and grinned slightly.
"Well, then. There it is, pal. I could certainly eat. How about you?" Dalmar said to Sh'lzzt who rose to support his weight upon the end of his sword once again.
"Who could argue with that, Dalmar? And by the way, who would ever to think that she would ever admit loss to such an argument?" Sh'lzzt looked at the blacksmith and Kayne's eyes lowered a bit. With a gruff sort of discontent, Kayne walked back into his shop where soon rang the furious ringing of a hammer and metal.
"See? I told you so." Sh'lzzt said smugly as he hobbled with Dalmar towards the cottage.
"Oh, no you don't! You don't get to say that. We aren't in Altendon..." Dalmar leaned in towards his wobbly friend and said to him a clear, firm voice. "...yet!" Dalmar stood upright as he approached the door and smiled smugly back to Sh'lzzt in defiance. Then, together, they entered the woman's house, leaving the disappointment of the blacksmith in the foundry and their cares, for the moment, in the past.
Invino Veritas
10/9/11
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