It was a cool and foggy morning, and Kikwi kept his thick robes wrapped around him. No longer the brick red he had worn on his journey from home, they were now the regal blues of Elbion College. He had worked very hard to earn them, and he hadn’t worn anything else since he got them (don’t worry, he washed them).
The small wooden wagon creaked and rocked gently on the trail, and more than once he found himself nodding off. His first trip through a portal stone had been quite an experience, and he found himself quite drained from the long voyage thereafter. Luckily, the goat pulling his cart knew to follow the trail, so it didn’t require much input from the reigns that Kikwi held.
The woods were thick here, and even without the fog it was difficult to see too far off the trail. Kikwi didn’t need to, though, there was more than enough to hold his interest right at the edges. He was supposed to have already arrived at his destination, but he had stopped several times to collect samples or make sketches. One of the trunks in the wagon was already filled with speciments in glass vials or pressed between the pages of heavy books.
It was late morning by the time he arrived at the inn. It was relatively large, for being the only building around. While they weren’t on any main trade routes they were at the central location of most of the paths around the area. The hills were steadily getting higher, and the pathfinders had been limited when finding safe passage.
Kikwi pulled his wagon around to the side, doused the lantern, and tied the goat to a hitching post clearly meant for a much larger animal. “Wait here, Beatrice,” he said to his steed, “I’ll make sure they feed you soon.”
And feed her they did. Beatrice had a comfortable stall in the inn’s stables, and Kikwi was given a room on the second story. The College had given him a generous stipend, so his accomodations were quite nice. With help from the inn’s staff, he was able to move all of his supplies into the room for safe keeping.
He was tempted to flop back on the hay-stuffed bed and rest his tiny bones, but a rumbling in his stomach told him otherwise. He hadn’t eaten anything but dried meat and fruits for the past few days, and the smells coming from downstairs were intoxicating.
He made his way downstairs (taking care on the steps) and toddled up to the bar, where he climbed up on a stool. He knew exactly what he wanted. “Rabbit stew, please!” He said cheerfully.
Another patron was sitting next to him, and they turned at his approach. They smiled. “Well now, what brings a traveller such as yourself around here?” They asked. “And from the college, no less,” noting the crest embroidered on the robes.
“I’m doing research.” Kikwi pipped proudly, and he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. “I’m looking for this mushroom. Have you seen it?” On the paper was a quite detailed drawing of what, at first glance, appeared to be a fairly regular fungus. It was shaped like a toadstool, perhaps a little flatter, and was covered in tiny, black, pinprick spots. Miniature spines seemed to form along the rim, and a note to the side indicated the color as “azure.” All in all, though, it was quite unremarkable.
The patron’s face fell immediately. “I wouldn’t go chasing that, if I were you,” they said, their tone suddenly muted and foreboding.
Kikwi was confused. “Why not? It’s a brand new species, you see. No one has seen it before. It could be useful, and it’s my job to find out.” He had just gotten this job, he wasn’t about to lose it.
They sighed, and seemed to consider their options. “I’ve seen it,” they said finally, and they continued before Kikwi could interject. “Up North of here, where the hills are higher. Didn’t used to be anything up there, but some say a town is there now.”
The patron stood and looked directly into Kikwi’s large eyes. “There’s queer folks up there, and travellers been going missing in those parts. Maybe it’s bandits, maybe the terrain, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Don’t go chasing that plant.” And with that, they left, striding out of the inn and into the foggy sun.
“...it’s a fungus, actually…” Kikwi muttered to himself as his stew was delivered.
The small wooden wagon creaked and rocked gently on the trail, and more than once he found himself nodding off. His first trip through a portal stone had been quite an experience, and he found himself quite drained from the long voyage thereafter. Luckily, the goat pulling his cart knew to follow the trail, so it didn’t require much input from the reigns that Kikwi held.
The woods were thick here, and even without the fog it was difficult to see too far off the trail. Kikwi didn’t need to, though, there was more than enough to hold his interest right at the edges. He was supposed to have already arrived at his destination, but he had stopped several times to collect samples or make sketches. One of the trunks in the wagon was already filled with speciments in glass vials or pressed between the pages of heavy books.
It was late morning by the time he arrived at the inn. It was relatively large, for being the only building around. While they weren’t on any main trade routes they were at the central location of most of the paths around the area. The hills were steadily getting higher, and the pathfinders had been limited when finding safe passage.
Kikwi pulled his wagon around to the side, doused the lantern, and tied the goat to a hitching post clearly meant for a much larger animal. “Wait here, Beatrice,” he said to his steed, “I’ll make sure they feed you soon.”
And feed her they did. Beatrice had a comfortable stall in the inn’s stables, and Kikwi was given a room on the second story. The College had given him a generous stipend, so his accomodations were quite nice. With help from the inn’s staff, he was able to move all of his supplies into the room for safe keeping.
He was tempted to flop back on the hay-stuffed bed and rest his tiny bones, but a rumbling in his stomach told him otherwise. He hadn’t eaten anything but dried meat and fruits for the past few days, and the smells coming from downstairs were intoxicating.
He made his way downstairs (taking care on the steps) and toddled up to the bar, where he climbed up on a stool. He knew exactly what he wanted. “Rabbit stew, please!” He said cheerfully.
Another patron was sitting next to him, and they turned at his approach. They smiled. “Well now, what brings a traveller such as yourself around here?” They asked. “And from the college, no less,” noting the crest embroidered on the robes.
“I’m doing research.” Kikwi pipped proudly, and he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. “I’m looking for this mushroom. Have you seen it?” On the paper was a quite detailed drawing of what, at first glance, appeared to be a fairly regular fungus. It was shaped like a toadstool, perhaps a little flatter, and was covered in tiny, black, pinprick spots. Miniature spines seemed to form along the rim, and a note to the side indicated the color as “azure.” All in all, though, it was quite unremarkable.
The patron’s face fell immediately. “I wouldn’t go chasing that, if I were you,” they said, their tone suddenly muted and foreboding.
Kikwi was confused. “Why not? It’s a brand new species, you see. No one has seen it before. It could be useful, and it’s my job to find out.” He had just gotten this job, he wasn’t about to lose it.
They sighed, and seemed to consider their options. “I’ve seen it,” they said finally, and they continued before Kikwi could interject. “Up North of here, where the hills are higher. Didn’t used to be anything up there, but some say a town is there now.”
The patron stood and looked directly into Kikwi’s large eyes. “There’s queer folks up there, and travellers been going missing in those parts. Maybe it’s bandits, maybe the terrain, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Don’t go chasing that plant.” And with that, they left, striding out of the inn and into the foggy sun.
“...it’s a fungus, actually…” Kikwi muttered to himself as his stew was delivered.
