GoCorral

Chapter 9 – Hollow Rejoicing (Continued)

Blendegad, Tereman, and Galandir kept looking back towards the northeast. The adlishars’ blue spindle structure was still out there. Still looking over the valley. Still threatening all of Cimmeria. They went into the monsters’ lair, but hadn’t really slain it. They were permitted to leave.

Galandir remembered the stories of the Dragon War Heroes. He’d dreamed of being a hero that defeated evil and restored justice to a community. The villagers were freed, but evil still lurked in the wilderness. Could there be justice without execution? Could the people of Shalerton move on when their family’s bodies were still out in the adlishars’ charnel house?

The adlishars could be back at any moment. Blendegad, Tereman, Stenvall, and Galandir had some successes, but it felt like luck. Blendegad needed animals to drain before combat. Tereman’s method of freeing himself from their paralysis was too slow. Stenvall had no real defense against the paralysis. Galandir could use his own magic against them, but the slightest lapse in his concentration opened himself to their left hand forehead attack and his defeat. Those monsters could come over the hills into Shalerton and there was nothing the four of them could do to stop them. How could life return to normal for the people of Shalerton when they knew they were no safer than they were yesterday?

The village folk limped back to the town. Many went to their homes to rest. A few that lived further to the south elected to rest at the Pot of Comfort instead of continuing for the day. Peter and Rona graciously took them in and fed them.

Blendegad, Tereman, Stenvall, and Galandir shared a mug of hot spiced wine before turning in for the night. The heroes had removed their armor to cool off. They’d earned the spot by the fire. The wood burned brightly to commemorate their achievements. The stools by the fire were particularly hot in the summer. Uncomfortable or not, the warmth was their reward, their glory.

Tereman said, “I’ve never had a victory that felt so much like defeat.”

Blendegad raised his glass to toast, “To more victories then!”

Stenvall raided in kind, “That feel like victories!”

The quartet drank the toast.

Tereman said, “We’re out of danger I’d say, right Galandir?”

“Yes. The lead one, Kardishan. He said he was letting us go to get stronger. I don’t feel stronger yet.”

Blendegad said, “Why would they want their enemies stronger? Wouldn’t that make it harder to…” He subtly gestured to the villagers in the room around them and lowered his voice, “…do what they did?”

Stenvall offered an answer, “Maybe they’re like the orcs. A worthy foe is only one that is difficult to defeat. If you can kill someone easily, then it proves nothing. True glory only comes from defeating someone stronger than you.”

Blendegad said, “So we’re only worth killing if we’re stronger than them. But wouldn’t we be too strong to kill then?”

Stenvall shrugged. “Could be something else. I don’t know.”

Galandir said, “He also used that word, inhabitants. Why would he use a word like that?”

Blendegad said, “What would you rather he call us? Humans? Orcs? Elves? Cimmerians? People of the Conclave?” Blendegad sneered when he said the last phrase. The Conclave had been broken for centuries.

Galandir said, “I don’t know. Just… inhabitants… as if he wasn’t one?”

Blendegad leaned back on his stool. “Huh.”

Tereman said, “That’s a good point, Galandir. We need things like that. Useful pieces. From what Forgeus said, this is bigger than Shalerton. With attacks in other places these monsters could be invading all of Cimmeria.”

Blendegad said, “Not much of an invasion. Kidnap a bunch of villagers, kill half of them, and then give the other half back.”

Tereman glared at Blendegad. The orange-eyed man looked around at the mourning villagers around him who had lost people in the spindle structure. Blendegad opened his mouth to say something and closed it.

Tereman continued, “If they’re from outside Cimmeria, that might be why they called us inhabitants.”

Stenvall said, “But the weird blue building? That came from somewhere.”

Tereman said, “That weird thing must’ve been built by magic. Have you ever seen a building that shape and color? In the middle of nowhere?” Galandir and Blendegad nodded. Stenvall nodded and turned her palm up in agreement.

Galandir said, “Still, inhabitants? When merchants go to Persia they don’t call the people there inhabitants do they? They call them Persians. Or Medes.”

Stenvall said, “What if you didn’t know it was Persia?”

Blendegad said, “Why would you go to a place if you didn’t know what it was called? How would you even get there?”

Tereman said, “Right. I’d guess magic for how they got here. But why come to a place you don’t know the name of?”

Galandir scratched behind his ears. The group looked around at each other for an answer. No one could come up with a suitable response. They all knew the way to get somewhere new was to have the place’s name. You then asked others for directions to the next stop on the way. Without a name, it would be difficult to get anywhere.

Tereman said, “Why don’t we lighten the mood a little bit. Let’s talk about where we’re each from.”

Blendegad shrugged. Galandir and Stenvall voiced their agreement.

“I’ll go first,” said Tereman. “I’m from Dalleer. I was with the town guard for ten years.” He took a deep breath. “I was sold to them by my family when I was ten years old. Ten years of service in exchange for some drachmas.” The others nodded, acknowledging Tereman’s painful memories. “I completed the ten years and I couldn’t spend another minute in the city. But I like the work of helping people, saving people, so I came here.”

Stenvall said, “With the guard as a kid. I didn’t know they took kids.”

Tereman said, “They trained me to be the perfect guard. Strong, fast, reliable. Also, they gave me a lot of shit chores to do.” He chuckled at the thought. “I cleaned so many toilets…”

Stenvall and Blendegad laughed along with him.

Tereman said, “What about you, Galandir? You’re from the elven forests, what are they like?”

“Green and… different. I’ve only been in the human lands for a short time now, so I can’t claim to understand your people in relation to mine.”

Tereman said, “Well, give us your best anyways. We promise we won’t react poorly. Or at least I won’t.” He stole a glance at Blendegad. Blendegad smiled and his orange eyes glinted in the fire light.

“I feel like… I feel like… humans are more set in what they do? Elves don’t do what their parents do. I’ve heard from other humans that they always do what their mother and father did. Which is fine. Elves apprentice more freely. We do what we want and it changes over time. My neighbor, Altheria, she’s a smith now. But she’s been a singer, a boxer, a cobbler, a tanner, and more. We practice a trade for a few years and then move on to another when we wish.”

Stenvall snorted. “Sounds chaotic. How does anything work if no one knows what they’re doing?”

“We do though! We know so much about so many different things.”

Blendegad asked, “So what trades have you practiced?”

Galandir said, “Gardening, foraging, record keeping. I tried to become a ranger, but I couldn’t manage the double weapon style they were teaching. Not that many trades though. I’m only one hundred and eight.”

Blendegad expelled air through his lips. “Only one hundred and eight. By Zeus and the Olympians you are older than anyone in my village!”

Galandir spread his hands apart while holding his wine mug. “Its young for an elf.”

Blendegad said, “No wonder you change trades. Your lives are long enough that you get a chance. A human your age would be dead twice over.”

Stenvall asked, “What about money? Food? How do you pay for apprenticeships to learn these things?”

“We take care of each other in Valor’s Forest. All elves are cared for by other elves as they learn and grow.”

Blendegad said, “But if people…” he trailed off.

Tereman said, “If you take care of others all the time, how do you have enough to care for yourselves?”

“The forest has plenty of resources for the elves and the other creatures of the wood. But it means we can’t share much with humans outside. That’s why the woods are only for elves.”

Stenvall said, “I would like some of that. Living on the road is… hard.”

Tereman said, “Yes! Stenvall, tell us about where you’re from.”