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Danger's Calling (Charlie_Death & Bec Teri)

The rest of the journey to the village Eidie had heard about was surprisingly pleasant. She had decided after the first night that she didn't need the pretense of her skirt any longer, instead wearing just the trousers. It made riding easier at the very least.

The village looked just as she imagined it would. Run down and still reeling from a massive fire that had nearly destroyed it some five years previous. It was early evening when they rode in, and after stopping a local for directions, they rode up on the only building not bearing the scars of soot and flame. It wasn't as large as the Tipped Chalice had been, but the Fickle Friar was still a two story building just outside of the main village. It was every bit as run down as the rest of the village, just not burnt.

She turned to Casdon, "Shall we?"
 
Casdon was grateful that everything was going so smoothly. No bandits, no danger, just a long horse ride to another village. The only thing he could do without was the pain in his backside and lower back from all the horse riding. He didn't know how Eidie could put up with it, but then again she was cut from a different cloth than he was. He had to admit to himself that she seemed better suited to wearing trousers, although it did take him a bit to feel comfortable seeing a woman dressed that way. After all, the only times he saw a woman dressed as such she was either one of those rugged adventurers that would come by Norwell every now and then, or a nighttime companion who decided to overstay her welcome by wearing his pants or shirt.

Seeing the damage that the village had suffered made him grateful that he lived in a city like Norwell and not in a small village. He couldn't imagine how rough it must be to try to pick up after such a fire. A part of him wondered what caused it, but he brushed it aside, after all, it would be rude to just ask people why their village is so badly damaged.

Casdon gave Eidie a nod in approval at going in for some rest. He missed cold ale and a warm bed. He knew that they were mostly here to look for whatever information his travelling companion was seeking out but that didn't mean they couldn't rest up, right? "Of course. Think we can stay for the night as well? It has been a few days."
 
"After two nights on the hard earth, I think you've earned your bed, so long as we can find one." She nodded. She'd have to be careful just how she went about asking her questions while they were here. The damage the man she sought had brought down on them would certainly colour their opinion of her, and Casdon by association. Still, this town was the best starting point she could hope for. After they put away their horses, they entered the establishment mostly unnoticed. She recognized the quick glance and size up from a burly woman working the bar, but otherwise the activity of the tavern went uninterrupted. "Try to see if you can secure us some lodgings, I'll just take a look around."
 
Casdon nodded and headed towards the woman who was running the tavern. The familiar smell of fresh food, alcohol, and sweat was welcoming. He glanced around the tavern as he walked, trying to find a place they can sit as well as anyone who might have stood out. He has been around taverns enough to know at a glance who was a regular and who was passing through. Even if someone is familiar with being at such places, if it is one that they do not frequent often, they leave just a little bit of their guard up. It could be seen in their eyes, not that Casdon cared to know them, it was always best to avoid them. He thought he saw someone who looked more focused than the other patrons towards the back but he had to turn his attention back to the counter. Now was a time to barter for rooms, food, and drink. Maybe he will tell Eidie, or maybe she will notice too since she was familiar with the ins and outs of patrons.
 
Eidie noticed the man almost immediately, but didn't approach him directly. She could feel the man's eyes on her as she made her way around the tavern. He didn't seem like the man she was told would know about her quarry. The traveller who had mentioned this place to her said to seek out the monk who lived in the tavern. It never occurred to her that the man might not have been a literal monk.
 
Casdon spoke with the woman in charge about possible rooms to rent. Turns out the tavern was smaller than they thought. There were only three rooms that they had and two of them were already occupied. It wasn't the news he was hoping for in terms of accommodations. Sleeping near each other on the ground was a lot different than sharing a bed and he didn't want to make the one person who could possibly save his ass uncomfortable, given his previous nightly arrangements. Holding off on paying for the room, he ordered two ales and food before making his way back towards Eidie, handing one mug to her.

"Bad news. There is only one room available." Casdon spoke with a sigh. "The other two are occupied and by the cold look she gave me when I asked about any other arrangements, it's going to remain that way." He glanced at the man in the corner he saw earlier and muttered, "He kind of gives me the creeps.... like he's watching us."
 
"That's because he has been since we first walked in." She said as she accepted the mug from him. "He seems like just the right kind of person to get us into all kinds of trouble." She wasn't overly surprised by the lack of room for borders though, given what the town still looked like. "The other patrons seem to get the same vibe from him as you do."
 
Casdon took a sip from his ale and glanced around the room. Sure enough, he noticed the occasional glance made at the man. He wondered just how long he had been here. Was he someone who was passing through, or was he one of those that had been renting a room. With his nearly predatory looks, Casdon began to worry. "I get the feeling he is looking for someone... Or something like that. Let's find a table far from him." He pat Eidie on the shoulder with a nudge in the direction of an empty table.
 
"Alright Cas, lead on." It would probably be better to listen to the whispers or wait for the man to approach them. He did look the sort to possibly work with or for her quarry if he wasn't the monk she sought. Worse case scenario she waited until everyone was asleep before sneaking around to see if she could figure out what was going on without being noticed. "I'm surprised you went with the ale, after all we came to sample the mead this establishment is famous for."
 
Casdon let out a shy chuckle as he sat down at a table neighboring another with three exhausted looking men. "Yeah... I felt that if it is really as good as you told me, I may end up focusing on drinking alone and not help you find whatever it is you needed." He glanced around the room before adding, "Not many fair maidens to distract me so you don't have to worry about me vanishing on you or getting us ran out of town."
 
She grinned, "I don't know, that could have solved our single room issue." She had been expecting to run into problems on her quest, but problems such as these weren't quite what she had in mind. "I wonder what happened here..." She said loud enough for the people at the other table to hear. She knew what had happened, but she couldn't think of a better way to get answers. Hell if she had to buy the whole tavern a round, she would.
 
Casdon stifled his laugh when Eidie spoke. He understood that although she faced him as she spoke, her words were not intended for him. He glanced over at the table they sat beside. He could feel the tenseness of the patrons as they sat quiet, mugs firmly on the table. At first it looked like they weren't going to even answer before one cleared his throat and brought a mug up to his lips.

"What does it matter to you? Nothing good ever comes from strangers... Not anymore at least." A bearded man spoke as he took a drink before pointedly slamming his mug on the table. He shot them a harsh look.
 
"Curiosity is a curse of mine," Eidie sighed somewhat dramatically. "My apologies if I've upset you, news doesn't seem to travel very fast to our village. I was told this one was a bustling place full of laughter. It was quite shocking to see it in it's current state. Why don't I refill your mug, as proof of my sincerity?" If she had any doubt's she was in the right village, this man's short retort cleared them away.
 
Casdon felt like correcting Eidie and had to catch himself from blowing whatever cover she was using. Keeping his mouth shut, he turned back to his meal. The men at the table gave each other some cautious glances before the one that shot the bitter remark let out a sigh and raised his mug to catch the barmaid's attention. He pointed in Eidie's direction when she approached, "The lass is paying for this round."

Another of his companions turned to face them, looking younger than his companions but no less tired. "It is a bit of a sore subject. You must have travelled far if you haven't heard. It was been well over a year since the fire."

"Damn wizard's fire. Water did nothing to put it out, burnt the crops and turned the land," the bearded man spat before raising his refilled mug to his lips. "I ain't ever seen anything like it and I don't want to ever again."
 
"Wizard's fire?" She knew the stories about wizards fire, but hadn't seen it used. "That explains a lot." Although something in the way she said it gave the impression something about it bothered her. "Was it deliberately done? Or some hapless apprentice being a tad over zealous? If you don't mind my asking."
 
The men looked at each other uncomfortable before the youngest gave his response. "We don't know really. We never paid any mind to those that came to our village before. They brought trade and money at the tavern but it wasn't much interest to us. We just worked the fields."

"I remember those that came." The third man spoke up, his face needing a shave and burns were visible on his left hand. "There were three men. I couldn't make out their faces since they wore cloaks, but that wasn't something unusual around these parts. Many travelers kept their hoods on when they passed through."

"But they had these medallions they wore. Very unusual. I can't tell you much about them but those that wore those started the fire."

"That fire couldn't be put out and burned a deep red. It wasn't natural." The bearded man spoke. "Like the flames that come forth from the Abysmal realms. Once it caught, there was no putting it out. At least if we didn't have the monk here." The burned man nudged him harshly and shushed him from speaking louder.
 
Now we're getting somewhere, she thought. She lowered her voice considerably, "What happened to the monk? Something awful?"
 
There was a silence as they cast a glance in the corner of with the man. "We don't know, we hardly see him now. He used to walk around and help us out but recently... He stays in his room doing who knows what."
 
Eidie nodded and sipped from her mug. Seemed their observer might be just as big of an obstacle as she feared. She hadn't thought it'd be difficult to actually get in contact with the Monk, at least not as hard as getting in touch with her query had proven. She wasn't sure if asking these men who the figure they all seemed intimidated by was a good idea or not though. They seemed a skittish lot to begin with, not that she could blame them. "Such a shame, the monk was always the best part of the stories I've heard." How she hated the diplomatic approach. She doubted getting these men drunk would actually get her any real answers given their fears of their watch dog. Casdon may have been able to help if he knew what she was actually trying to find out, but then again, that knowledge could have the exact opposite affect. "I don't suppose buying him a drink would end well?" She asked using her eyes to imply the stranger was her target.
 
Casdon and the other men glanced in the direction Eidie referred to, each with varying apprehensive looks.

"I don't think that is wise," the youngest spoke. "He isn't the friendliest type. We don't know why he sticks around."

"Yeah we do," the bearded man leaned forward as he spoke with obvious disdain. "He's been keeping an eye on all of us. Every night, he leaves town but returns hours later. He's probably reporting back to whoever those damn wizards were with plots to burn us back down if we don't act complacent."
 
"Complacent? Why do they want you complacent?" Eidie asked as her mind raced in two directions. On the one hand she could follow this mysterious man and probably stumble upon her quary quickly, if he was still even with this man, on the other she could hang around and try to talk to this missing monk. The one option involved fessing up to Casdon, the other she could stall on that a tad longer, keep him out of the fire just a little longer. He was a surprisingly pleasant traveling companion. She could always fess up to him and let him decide what he wanted to do, she supposed that would probably be the most fair of the options available to her.she didn't feel right just taking off on him after he'd come this far.
 
The men looked at each other, uncertainty on their faces. "We don't know why. Horald went to follow where he went when he left town and we never saw him again. When someone confronted him about the disappearance, he cut him down on the spot. Since then, no one has made a move against him. We do our best to ignore his presence."

Casdon had sat quietly eating and drinking as he listened in on the conversation. He didn't know what she was looking for, if what they were talking about was relevant to what she wanted to know or that she was just too curious for her own good. It was unsettling not knowing anything and being a companion and he questioned if he even made the right choice. After flagging down a barmaid for a refill he washed the thoughts down with half the pint. He came along as a friend and if he left, he was certain it wouldn't be that way any longer.
 
"Sounds awful." She sipped her drink for a moment. "I appreciate you talking to us. We'll just have to move on come morning, such a shame, I was really looking forward to speaking with your monk."
 
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