Born a Monster

I asked.

she sent.

Bloody-Thoughts send,

I rubbed my eyeballs.

Blackfur sent.

Bloody-Thoughts added.

So, with regret for a quest that was never going to become completed, I returned to the great hall.

.....

“What are you doing back here?” Ollog asked. “Heard you were banished.”

“After I deliver a message.”

“Give me the message, I’ll give it to her.”

“The Fenris declines. There will be no peace at the current time.”

“You were never worth the food it took to feed you.” He said.

“Be well, and live long, Ollog.”

His response is not worth printing here, but hastened my arrival at the town docks.

Finding neither Kismet nor Madonna there, I checked our hotel. Not there either.

Likewise, the blacksmith had no clue where Igrun might have been.

And then, I had to consider myself a dolt. The townsfolk might not know where Kismet was, but they knew where the Mwarri cat-person was. This is how I learned that there was a fish market with an adjoining shop that sold fried fish.

I don’t know where they got the funds from, but all three of them were there, chatting away as though we hadn’t a care in the world, and didn’t need to be off this rock filled with crazy folk.

Maybe... maybe we didn’t?

“What are our travel options?” I asked.

“What’s our travel budget?” Madonna asked. “Otherwise, we’ve got a fishing trawler for Vernice tomorrow that’s available.”

I sighed. “At least in Vernice, we can earn a living.”

“The town could use another skilled carpenter, at least for a month or so.” Igrun said. “Seems some fools burned down the town’s meeting hall, and it needs to be rebuilt.”

I sighed. “And this allows us to hire travel to Neo Leonen?”

Madonna snickered. “Not the way YOU eat, unless you have a Fisherman level you haven’t told us about.

“You do NOT need a class just to catch fish.” I said.

“So, it’s agreed, we all work here until we can pay for passage?” Kismet asked.

“We seem to have little option.” I said.

The women bumped glasses. What had they just tricked me into?

“You can find Finnvolt out the east gate.” Madonna said. She turned, saw me still there. “If you hurry, that is.”

#

I didn’t hurry, nor did I need to.

“Why are you chopping down these trees?” I asked, “They can only provide green wood.”

“Mayor Istre’s orders. Got to chop these trees down anyway. If you’ve any skill at it, there’s Lumberjack pay. Food and board, plus a copper per month.”

“I am both Lumberjack and Carpenter, and wish to negotiate terms with Finnvolt.”

An elderly man stopped chopping at his tree and said, “If you want work, that’s the pay. We all know just how much you eat.”

I placed my fist on my chest. “I’ll seek pay elsewhere, then. Thank you.”

“When you come back, pay will be less, if work’s still here.”

“I’ll take that risk.” I told him.

He shrugged, and went back to chopping down live trees.

I unclenched my jaw. These people had been taking advantage of us since we got here.

It was a young wood, perhaps less than a human generation old. It took a while of looking to find a dead tree, and it was smaller than I would have hoped.

Still, it was lumber, and I carved several lengths suitable for staves or short spears.

“Can’t let you in.” said the gate guard, one of the two from our first day here. “One copper per ten people, mayor’s orders.”

“Fine.” I said. I walked south, swam around the end of the wall, and ignored the shouting sentry.

The townsfolk hadn’t ignored him, but didn’t bar my way as I headed toward the cul-de-sac where the blacksmiths worked. Turns out both of them were busy, and any woodworking tools I needed would cost about three times what I could afford.

I had an axe and a knife, neither of which was the ideal tool for rounding wood into poles. And it was getting dark. Lacking funds to pay for dinner, I swam out into the bay, and hunted fish.

Finding a comfortable spot beneath the docks, I settled in for a good night’s sleep.

My gambeson was gone in the morning, which irked me slightly. The fact that someone had also taken my lumber was more irritating.

Smelling strongly of the sea, I showed up at the house where Igrun Sivert was staying, and having breakfast, to which I was absolutely not invited. And that was fine, just another minor insult piled atop all the others.

“Do you know where the other women are staying?”

“Oh, they’re here.” She said, “If you would care to wait, I’m sure they’ll come and talk with you.”

I sighed. “I can certainly wait.”

I planned out my day. Gather reagents for a healing potion in the morning, attempt to brew one in the afternoon, see if I could sell those. If not, then at least for these next few days, it was something I could still use myself.

Only those plans were to come to nothing, as an armored man came in through the door, and saw me. “You. Your presense is required by Tomas Istre, the town sheriff.”

“Why?” I asked. “I was under the impression I was banished.”

“Come with me,” he said, letting his right hand rest near a sword, “or fight; it is your choice.”

I clenched and unclenched my claws, but had no delusions I could fight even the remaining guards of the town.

It was a short walk, eight buildings long. Even with the crowd, I could smell the blood.

I knew neither of the the dead ... children? Teens? One male, one female, both dark of hair, both obviously savaged by a large pair of jaws.

Tomas was in the alley behind them, examining the half-corpse of a small dog.

“Swear to me on your Truthsayer status that you know nothing of this.”

“From what I’ve seen, it looks like the Fenris got inside the city and did this.”

He rose, thumbs hooked into his belt. “Swear that you knew nothing of this.”

I spread my hands helplessly. “I know the Fenris is not at peace. Of this, specifically, I had no clue.”

“You knew he meant to attack civilians?”

“I know the Fenris intends to hunt you until you are driven from the island.”

“An idiot like you belongs in the jail. Divinos, see him there.”

“With pleasure.” Replied a short thin spearman. “This way, please, sir.”

I grumbled. “This will NOT end well. All I want is to get away from this island.”

“Feel free to complain to the sheriff, or the town justice, or the mayor. After all, they’re all the person who are putting you in iron. And into the stocks.”

“Stocks?” I asked. “I heard nothing of stocks.”

“Isn’t something that needs said. If it helps any, there’s not a lot of rotten vegetables to be thrown at you, but there never seems to be a shortage of eggs. If you’re kind to us, we’ll remember to keep watch, and ensure nobody takes advantage.”

“What kindnesses are you expecting?” I asked.

He told me, which really was just too bad for his kneecap on my side.

A word of warning when arresting a Pankratios? Multiple people, and tie their wrists.

He screamed of course, but once he couldn’t stand, there wasn’t a lot of fighting left. I slit his throat with his own sword.

Okay, I was DONE with this CRAP. People moved to make way for me as I walked the few blocks to the beach, placed the sword into inventory, and just waded into the water.

For good measure, I cut away one of the fisher-folk’s nets and took the fish within them. I wasn’t ready to start murdering them, not yet.

.....

But there was going to be fiery... crap.

Madonna and Kismet didn’t know what was going on, yet.

I stopped gulping down fish and came out of the bay as close as I could to their house.

#