Peculiar Travelers (Part 2)
I approached the travelers entering the hall with a smile. The man was incredibly tall—about a handspan taller than me—so I had to tilt my chin up just to meet his eyes. I'm pretty tall myself, and aside from Lambert, I usually look down on most people, but now the tables were turned.
"Hello? Looking to stay the night?"
But the man ignored my question, staring instead at the troll skull mounted on the wall.
"A troll? Larger than average, so it must've been the chieftain."
"Most folks can't even tell it's a troll skull. You seem to know your stuff."
"Of course I do. Did you hunt it?"
"No, the previous owner left it behind. Thought it looked cool, so I kept it."
"Cool? Humans are..."
The man trailed off as the woman beside him reached up and clamped a hand over his mouth. She was so short she had to stand on tiptoe just to reach.
"Haha, sorry about that. He's got some brain damage from a bad injury—says weird stuff sometimes."
"Ah, uh... okay."
What the hell? These two...? Doesn't sound like a married couple... Is she really just dragging around a guy with head issues? Weird combo...
The woman gave an apologetic smile and asked, "Got any rooms? A single for two's fine. Twin beds would be better."
"We've got some. Unpack first, or eat?"
"Food first. We've been riding nonstop from Bue—exhausted."
"Oh dear. Right away. Have a seat over there."
They took the one empty table in the nearly full hall. Their odd looks made them stand out even in the bustling crowd.
They huddled over the menu, chatting. The man pointed at various items; the woman pulled out her coin pouch, counted, and shook her head. He pointed to fewer; she counted again, shook her head, snatched the menu, and picked herself.
Travelers are always strapped for cash.
The woman caught my eye and raised a hand.
"Ready to order?"
"These two, please."
"Drinks?"
The quiet man suddenly spoke. "Something strong if you've got it."
"Strong like...?"
"Ergaduk!"
She yelped, slamming the menu down. "I saw that empty pouch! What're you thinking, booze!?"
"We'll earn more. Came to a famous inn—gotta sample the goods, right?"
"So when exactly are you saving up to buy a title and build a domain?"
"This is all part of the process. Human food always excites me. That's why we detoured here instead of heading east."
The woman sighed deeply, as if to say forget it.
"No booze anyway. Seriously, no money. We've gotta trek all day to the next city—need at least basic rations. With what we've got, we find work here or the next town, or we're broke. Got it?"
"Hm. Fair point, Liana. Excuse me, innkeeper."
The man turned to me. "Any good job spots in town?"
"Uh... try City Hall? Big job board in the square out front."
"City Hall. Nice. Any adventurer guild?"
"No guild, but there's a mercenary office. They post jobs, don't take 'em."
"Liana. Mercenary office."
He glanced at her; Liana pursed her lips, thinking.
"Merc office, huh... With you and me, Ergaduk, they might take us..."
I waited patiently—they were customers, after all, even if they were dicking around mid-order.
Still pondering, she asked, "Boss, Fribourg's up north, right?"
"Yep. Bit smaller than Bue, but still a big city."
"What's after that?"
"Hm... Direct territories and domains, but no real big cities. Kingdom's mostly clustered south, as you know."
"Yeah... Myanfeld's gone now too..."
Rubbing her chin, she told the man, "What now, Ergaduk? You insisted on stopping here, so I rerouted. Your mess."
"You knew Myanfeld-or-whatever was toast. We planned it together over the map—now it's my fault?"
"I said go east to Tarda Kingdom! But your stubborn ass dragged us north midway."
"Then we head back down. No biggie, Liana. We'll manage like always."
"Ugh..."
Frustrated, she sighed and apologized to me. "Sorry. Just beer for drinks. Ignore him."
"This beer's gotta be good... Tired of horse piss."
"Quiet, Ergaduk. You're embarrassing us."
Damn... What a bizarre pair. Wonder what their deal is. But I'm no guard—can't pry.
I passed the order to the kitchen, grabbed beers, and returned to find them agonizing over a kingdom map spread on the table.
"See? We're so far north—backtracking means detouring way south through Bue."
"True. Skip south—head east along the mountains?"
"I'd collapse in a week. Stick to roads. Safer for villages in emergencies, faster horses."
"Hm... Guess backtrack it is."
"Hit City Hall and merc office first, grab short gigs. Pad the funds before heading back."
The man nodded slowly. "Yeah. Good plan. You're right."
"Future lord's gotta heed his retainer's advice, huh?"
She giggled, folding the map neatly.
"Beers here."
He sipped cautiously, swished, then chugged with gleaming eyes. "Mmm! Delicious. Real beer. Right, Liana?"
"Lemme try."
She sipped, let out a short gasp. "Whoa, for real. Best I've had lately. Glad we stopped."
Just griping about the detour, now one beer and they're all cheery. What a flip.
"Enjoy."
I stepped away; their food emerged from the kitchen. Pelle served it, then marched back stiff-faced, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me to the kitchen.
"What? Still open. Save it for tonight."
Ignoring me, she shoved me in. Startled Francois turned from cooking.
Pelle's face was ashen. "Who... are they...?"
"Who? Just guests."
"Talked to 'em?"
"Yeah."
"What'd they say?"
Why so nosy about nothing? I explained: travelers heading north, plans derailed, debating backtrack. Man's speech odd, but woman said head injury.
Pelle peeked out the door. "Boss. Got bad blood with another dragon?"
"Dragon? Nah. Just Lurtjog."
"Really?"
Her suspicious eyes sparked a ridiculous hunch. Too absurd to voice.
"Pelle... No way... those two...?"
"Dragons. Probably."
A clatter—Francois dropped her ladle, frozen. She'd seen Lurtjog wreck Rosens. Dragons were nightmare fuel.
"Sure? Who? Both? Dragon couple?"
"The man. But... this makes no sense..."
She scowled, muttering.
"What doesn't? Dragon confirmed?"
"So weird. Shouldn't be here..."
"What makes no sense? What's weird? Why not here...?"
"Hm..."
I fought the urge to throttle her for answers right then.