World of Ranice B. 03

Theik-Lekal glanced both directions on the hard dirt surface he stepped on and turned in the one that was calling him. He didn't know why he was being called in that direction but something was. Based on the sun's position it was early in the day and he had plenty of time to travel. He slung the bag of supplies, or so he assumed, over his other shoulder and made sure it was settled properly.

As he was heading down the road his cool steel gray eyes was scanning the other travelers and made mental notes. For some reason he felt that something wasn't quite right but why he couldn't place it. As his eyes were scanning he noticed Squorrels, Inu's, Caldrons and even a few Zethron's. There were a number of guardsmen as well. They did catch his attention since the people were all careful to avoid them and clear their path.

That spoke of not just respect but fears as well and that was not a good indicator. As he continued walking he also noticed that there were very few weapons showing as well. The vast majority were small daggers and such. Thankfully his axe was fairly obviously a regular axe and nothing else. Yes it could be used as a weapon but most would look at it as a tool. Now the heavy knife on his belt was obviously a weapon due to the size and weight. The rest of his gear didn't look strange and shouldn't stand out.

Because of this, what was going to mark him as sticking out was his tendencies to act like what he was, a warrior. That was going to be hard for him if the soldiers wandering around started trying to push him around or others. He was going to have to fight against his instincts since he couldn't protect everyone. Moving along he was making good time since he was keeping to the side of the road. By the time the sun was high he was starting to get hungry but he hadn't seen any inns or stopping places. He decided he was going to move some into the jungle since he needed to look in his bag.

Another reason was because he wanted to try and find anything that might tell him who he was. Yes he had a name but that was it. How he knew everything he did he wasn't sure since he didn't remember anything beyond waking up this morning. The only other thing he knew was something was pulling him to the east. What was in the east he didn't know and that concerned him. Once he was off the road and in a spot that was relatively isolated he pulled off most of his gear and settled down.

After going through the pouch and the bag he found what he assumed was standard garb. Some under things, a rain cloak, a bed roll, and some rations. There was some money as well as some toiletry items. The only other thing he found was a stylized bear's head tattoo on his left chest. That struck a chord with him but he wasn't really sure why. Since he was off the road he settled down to eat. The rations weren't bad but he had vague memories of something better.

He was just packing the remains of the food back in his bag he heard voices approaching. Theik slung the bag and made sure his axe and knife were clear. He didn't really expect anything but it was always better safe than sorry. Why he decided to move in the direction of the voices he wasn't sure but there was something calling him. The closer he got the clearer they were. From the sounds of it there were several individuals. Two were rough and crude while one was female and the other was possibly a child.

That wasn't good and he had to wonder if they were the reason so many of the people were scared. Well either that or they were bandits which would also explain the fear in the voice. The closer he moved the more he could hear the pleading of the female and the crying of a boy. He finally found a spot to hopefully get a look at what was going on right about the time he heard cloth tearing. When he peaked out two of the guards were in the process of ripping the cloths off the female.

Theik had to fight with himself and finally with a slight growl snapped his axe out as he stepped out of the jungle into the clearing. The first blow took down the warrior who had his back to Theik. It was a clean blow to the back of his neck where the armor didn't cover. Unfortunately the other had enough time to draw his battle axe and that was going to be a much larger issue. Theik's axe was designed for cutting down trees where as the warriors was designed for killing. He had armor as well to protect the vital parts.

The one advantage Theik had was he was unencumbered and could move easier and faster. As the two were facing off the female was trying to crawl away towards her son. Theik started to circle away from her to distract the warrior. As they were moving both were taking probing swings at each other to gauge their skill level. One thing Theik noticed was due to the weight and design of the battle axe the other primarily focused on the blade. With Theik's axe he could use virtually any part because the axe head was much lighter it was much easier to use all parts.

"Next time use a real axe human. This will be fun." The other had a deep gravely laugh. He wasn't human but he wasn't a furry, what he looked like was a humanoid boar. His hair was bristly and stiff, he had tusks showing and small eyes. His skin was tough looking as well and he was heavily muscled.

Theik snorted at him. "It is a real axe fang face and good for more than just swinging at people." When the other swung at him he used the butt of the haft to redirect it. Since the bit of his axe was in the wrong spot for a follow up strike he ended up slamming the handle of his axe against the others hand. As soon as his strike hit he danced back.

The strike got a snarl from the other since that had hurt and his fingers were feeling slightly numb even though the heavy gloves he was wearing. He swung back and the bare tip of the bits scraped past the others vest. "You aren't bad. What is your name so I can remember you with fondness as I stare at your skin hung in my house."

Theik started laughing. "That is the most interesting way of saying you are worried about being around to look at the skin. Not that my skin will be hanging there." He swung again and the battle was rejoined. As they fought Theik had to admit that the other was pretty good but not quite as good as he was. The last move was a feigned move which drew the other out of position and Theik struck. It was a low blow but he didn't care. The blade flashed up between the others legs and slammed into his groin. The other squealed when the axe hit. Before he could do anything else Theik jerked the bit out and whirled the axe around and nailed him in the neck.

By now Theik was bloody and had been wounded a number of times. The female and boy were still there which he almost wished they weren't since it was going to cause issues for both him and them. He turned and looked at her. "I'll not hurt you. If you wish to leave then go." He knelt down and started searching the bodies for anything of use. Eventually he had a pile of things he was going to take and which didn't appear to have any indicator of who they had belonged to.

One thing he did find was their money purses and they looked to be reasonably paid, or they had mugged others as well. Since the two were still huddling there he separated the coins out and put most of the copper and two silver coins in one bag and tossed it to the woman. "It would be best if you left. You really don't want to be found with the bodies now do you?"

The woman twitched when he tossed the pouch at her but didn't hesitate to snatch it up. From the weight alone even if it was all coppers she had more money in her hand that she had in the last year. "You are hurt, at least let me bind the wounds."

Theik narrowed her eyes at her and measured her and evaluated her body language and grunted. "Fine but not at the moment since we need to move the bodies further into the forest." He handed her his bag since he was going to be dragging the bodies and they were large males. "Try and take that and you won't make it five feet."

She nodded her head jerkily when he handed her the bag and made the threat. Even if he hadn't made the threat she wasn't going to try and run. He was a warrior and had shown that and there was no way she was going to be stupid enough to try and take anything from him. "Yes master we won't run from you." Her boy was huddled on the other side of her and as the large male was starting to drag the bodies away she urged her son to help her gather the things she had gathered for the market.

She followed him for some time till he found a stream and dumped them into it. One he did that she noticed him walked further up stream and stripped out of most of his cloths. Once done he stepped into the water and splashed it over his body to get the blood and dirt off. "Come; let me bind your wounds." She had taken some material from the soldiers just to take care of that.

Theik stepped out of the water and stripped most of it off with his hands. "Fine, bind them and then leave. I can protect myself but you can't. I don't want you getting hurt again." He settled down on a massive root and let her get to work. If he was going to be fighting like this he was going to need to invest in more dressings.

The woman came over to him and carefully proceeded to clean the wounds more before working some cream into them. "This will reduce the chance of infection and help healing." She informed him before starting to dress the wounds. Once she was done she set his bag next to him and handed the last of the dressings at him. She didn't say anything else as she gathered up her things and herded her son away from the man and left.

Theik pulled the other vest out and he was going to need to fix the other this evening if possible. He kept a few coins in his belt pouch and the rest buried in the bag. Once he was ready he finished dressing and took a different path to the road. Once he made it there he crouched on the edge of the forest and watched for a few. After watching for a short time he stepped out and started continuing in the direction he had been heading.

The rest of the day he made good time and finally found a roadside inn and walked in. As his hard eyes traveled around the main room he noticed that most of the people had knives though a few had other weapons. He walked up to a counter and leaned against it. "Evenin' and I am lookin' for a room and some food."

The person behind the counter looked somewhat like the guards though older and far more used. "Be three coppers for the meal and a drink, five coppers for a shared room and eight coppers for a single room. Drinks be one copper for ale." The man was giving him an evaluating look. "Axe needs leavin' in the room."

Theik considered his options and finally pulled out a silver piece. "I would like a single room and dinner. Change for a few drinks as well." Though he didn't know how much the silver was worth he was pretty sure it was worth more than eleven coppers. When the man handed back nine coppers Theik was pleased. If that was the case he had enough coins for a good two weeks as long as he was careful.

"Here's your key." He handed over a heavy iron key before calling for someone to take him to a room. "Be out of the room by mid morning at the latest. Mornin' food be served early." As he was talking a female hurried up and lightly tapped his arm for him to follow her.

He did that and she showed him to a room on the second floor. "There be water to rinse off in ya's room. Supper be soon." Once he had the door open she hurried off and he was surprised she hadn't offered further services. He wouldn't have accepted such but he was still surprised by it. Once in the room he checked it out and as best Theik could tell the room was relatively secure. The sheets were clean enough and the water in the jug was fresh and clean as well.

After stuffing his bag and axe under the bed he splashed some water on his face and patted his face and hands dry. For some reason there not being a mirror behind the counter the water jug was on. Theik had to shake his head to chase the thought away since it made no sense to him. Once it was gone he stepped out of the room and locked the door behind him and headed down to the tap room.

As he had when he had originally walked into the building he paused and glanced around the room to sense the mood. For the most part it was relatively cheerful and wasn't too busy at the moment. With that in mind he walked over to a table that allowed him to put his back against the wall. "Can I get a tankard please?" He called out.

When another woman came over he nodded at her. "I also paid for supper as well and would like to get the food." Yes he had paid for food and a drink but an extra one would be nice as well. For the moment he wanted to try and think about whom he was and why he was here. All he remembered was waking up this morning and nothing else. He knew things such as the language, a general idea of what the coins were worth, and obviously how to fight. What he didn't know was how he knew what he did.

~~~

The next morning Theik gathered his things and after eating what passed for breakfast left the inn. Before he had left he had changed his dressings and the night before he had stitched the vest back together. At some point he might need to replace it but at the moment it was still usable and from what he had seen most cloths were worn.

Since the road was still going in the direction of the pull he stayed on it. Many of the people appeared to be traveling in groups and there were relatively few travelling alone like him. He had to wonder why but if the two from the day before was any sort of example that could explain it. They were obviously some sort of guards or warriors for the country he was in and that wasn't good. It indicated that the rulers of the country were either weak and ineffectual or cruel and ruled through fear.

As he was moving along he kept a close eye on everyone to gauge their reactions when the warriors were nearby. He also kept a close eye on how the lower class reacted to those who were obviously better off. Everything felt slightly off and there was a slight sense of fear at all times but spiked when the warriors walked past.

He had to shake his head as he kept moving and he was going to have to consider talking to some people in the evenings. Theik needed the information that they had but he had to be careful since if this was a repressive regime there would be agents everywhere. From the feel of the pull he was going to have time to get an idea of what all was going on.

~~~

Zephra was feeling twitchy and slightly off center since that dream. He had managed to keep the symbol from being seen to the best of his knowledge. If it had been discovered he had no idea how his father might react but chances were he wouldn't like it one bit. Anything that smacked of spirits or beings from the other realm was dealt with harshly. Having his son suddenly showing a strange tattoo would definitely get his father's attention. With Zephra's history of dreams his father would assume that he was being influenced by some spirit. It was true but not quite in the way his father would think.

Since he had the afternoon off he had made the decision to go to the market and wander around. If his father asked he would simply tell him he was showing face. His father would buy that since even if he was getting harsher with his rule he still pretended to care. One of the ways he showed this was to have members of his family go to the market and shop. Now at night his brothers would go down and spend time in the bad section of town and a number of them had a bad reputation.

Zephra had definitely grown to enjoy the tutoring sessions and was actually starting to test his tutors. That was something he didn't realize and this was being reported to his father. Not everything was being reported thankfully or he would be in serious trouble but his interest in not just laws but the sciences as well. "Good morning sir, ready to give me more headaches?"

The tutor laughed. "I think you are the one giving me the headaches prince. So break out your note pad and shall we get started. From what I understand you are going to the market this afternoon. If it isn't presumptuous of me might I join you?" He really wanted some time away from the palace so he could really talk to the boy.

Zephra tilted his head as he listened and was pleased though nervous. The tutor had very casually dropped the occasional comment that showed his discontent with Zephra's father. It was something that had taken him a while to figure out and had a feeling the man didn't realize it. "That would be fine though I am mostly going to wander. If you have any specific needs or stops inform the commander of my guards and he will take care of it. Now time for both of us to get a headache." He grinned when he said that.

"Excellent my Prince and starting with the rule of your grandfather what was the most important rule of law he introduced..." He started with the teaching and didn't say anything else about going with.

~~~

Theik had been traveling for close to three weeks and was finally starting to get close to the pull. Over the three weeks he had been listening to the various conversations and picked up a fair amount of information. He had carefully plied one or two of the more talkative patrons with free beer to get more detailed information. All told everything he had heard indicated the direction he was heading was some serious bad juju.

He had a few more days before he reached the city at which point he was going to have to figure out what was drawing him here. With a sigh he settled back in the chair he was in and sipped on the ale. At the moment he was working on possible ideas on how to integrate himself in the city and identify the source of the draw.

~~~ Elsewhere

The man was standing on the bow of the ship as they approached the city he had been heading for. It had taken him a number of years to make it this far. He had been forced to follow a number of myths and stories before he had found the source. There was a small city state back on the other landmass that sailed to this landmass and back. They were very tight lipped about it and before any of them had trusted him he had to hire on as a crewmember. He had worked his way from the lowest aboard ship to second mate which had taken a good ten or so years.

Once he had gotten to that point one of the captains that sailed to the other continent had finally trusted him enough. It also helped that he had no plan on returning to this place anytime soon. A dream had kept nagging him to move from one location to another and would only let him settle down for a short time. There had been a few women he had gotten close to but after having to move for so many years he had stopped having relationships. That didn't mean he didn't dally at times but nothing more than a night or two. It had just gotten too hard to keep leaving people behind.

As he was holding onto one of the various ropes that held the bow spirit in place he had to contemplate the change this brought. Once he had gotten on the boat the dreams had stilled and left him in peace which was nice. He did want to know what was driving him in this direction and why. What was so important that he had to leave his former life and find this land? The voice did say and actually it didn't say anything and was more a feeling than words. Why he called it a voice he didn't know but it worked for him so he didn't bother trying to define it any further.

Above in the lookout basket one of the crew called down. "Cap'n, land ho to the starboard. If we come about to a heading of north northwest we should find the city soon enough." As he was talking he was pointing in the direction he had seen the land.