Private Tales What Does Not Kill Us

[Hath Charosh]

Now he knew what she meant.

There were species here that Hath had not even knew existed. Whilst he knew the world was a large place, the humans had eaten away at swathes of land.

To have so many types of people living packed close like this was particularly alien to him.

"Hmmm. Want to make sure I do not step on someone..."

One of the lionfolk walked past in the opposite direction. They towered over even Hath, huge maw well over his head. A minotaur would be even larger.

"...or be stepped on."

Pern seemed more relaxed, perhaps even enthusiastic. Hath was glad. They had spoken of places she might want to see. He hadn't expected this to be quite so unique. The bank of the lake had a graceful curve. Hath could see smoke and the first sign of large buildings.

"Walk the town and see what there is first?" he offered. "Hmm, what do we have to trade?"

He silently cursed the elves that had very nearly killed him and forced Pern to call upon the Dawnbringer leave things behind.

 

[Pern]

The studious worker side of her disliked not having at least some sort of plan. Pern knew they'd spoken on getting Hath a new bow, quiver, and arrows. He'd also mentioned potentially looking for boots for her, but she would continue to insist she did not need them until the sun set in the east and rose in the west. She'd made it this far without and no injuries to speak of ... to her feet, anyway.

Yet walking the town without a care did appeal and she was eager to see all there was to see. Judging by the massive encampment and the many various clans and merchantry set up throughout, they had their work cut out for them. A few days to take it all in would be necessary - oh how truly awful that was.

"I've coin in my bag," she told him, "it should be welcome payment here."

If not, her bag held quite a bit more than one might expect. That was the whole point of a bag of holding.

 

[Hath Charosh]

Whilst he despised the walls of human cities, Hath found the approach of Wikkerton rather confusing. There was no true delineation between the camps and the central areas of the town.

He could see from the bank that the settlement straddled the narrow mouth of the river that fed the lake and curved around the banks. As they continued there were wooden buildings, but each was unique and there was little order to how they were arranged.

Hath felt intimidated by the unfamiliar surroundings. He was not outright defensive, as he had been within Elbion's walls, but he obviously slowed his pace and lacked clear direction.

"Towards the...middle?" he asked. Hath had a clear sense of direction when they had walked between those first buildings, but he was already disoriented.

"Should we ask where we could stay?" he asked Pern. He did not know if that would end up being a building with rooms, a large hall or just a space to set bedrolls in the outskirts of the settlement.

Another clang of the hammer falling upon iron rang out.

"Or that way?"

 

[Pern]

So many options! Pern paused her feet as she considered the many directions they could go.

"Mmm, perhapsh it would be besht to get the nesheshary shopping done firsht..." she looked up at Hath and then followed his gaze the way of a familiar pinging that called to her very heart and bones. A small and exciteable smile grew around her tusks. Pern nodded.

"We can shee what weaponsh and shuppliesh they have and get you refitted." Hath needed a new bow, quiver, and arrows. This seemed a most appropriate place to shop as well, judging by what goods she'd already spied. It looked as though the various merchants catered to a variety of sizes and needs, seeing as how they weren't simply just selling to humans.

 

[Hath Charosh]

He was glad of that smile. Hath had spent a lot of time doubting his own mind. That was to be expected; he had never shared it with a demon before. Hath should have known that the time they had spent together and what they had been through was stronger than a badly placed revelation and a poor night's sleep.

They followed the sound and found a stable next to the Smith. That made sense, they likely did good trade in shoeing horses even if thete were far less than one would expect in a human town this size.

A rack of swords went from a blade Hath could clean his tusks with to an enormous great hammer he doubted he could even swing.

The creature hammering a horseshoe was an even greature surprise.

"Look, Pern, a Shuntaur!"

The hammering stopped.

"What did you just say?"

 

[Pern]

Pern's golden eyes went wide at the sight before her. She'd never seen a centaur in person - only depicted in paintings, tapestries, or illustrations within books. It was much larger than she'd expected, and far more beauteous than she'd ever imagined. Handsome, even, in the way its coat gleamed and long mane of hair flowed. Tawny in color and marked by white splotches, she wondered if she'd ever given a normal horse due credit for it's natural beauty as she did with this creature.

"Look, Pern, a Shuntaur!"

Her eyes bugged even bigger. Pern looked as though Hath had just sold her out for stealing someone's sweetroll.

"Ahhh-" she stepped in front of Hath to take the centaur's attention away from her poorly-instructed pronunciation, "we are looking for archery shuppliesh. Have you any to shell or can you tell ush where to find shome?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

"I have arrowheads," the centaurs said.

"You'll need the fawn, Hallis, for arrows and feltchings."

The clop of hooves as he came closer to look down at the two orcs.

He gesticulated towards them with a hammer.

"You're not from Gathid's lot."

He tilted his head and squinted.

"Hmm. Not Kirner and her tribe either. We haven't got another tribe of orcs passing through have we? I find the posturing and fighting very tedious."

 

[Pern]

Well, at least they knew where to get some of the supplies. But where or where to find a bow?

Pern's gaze slowly swept up as the centaur approached, her mouth hanging slightly agape at his size. He was as tall as Hath's late brother... maybe taller, but the horse aspect of him gave him a presence that the sibling could not have hoped to imitate. She caught herself staring and quickly shook her head in response.

"No... no we are, ahm-" she gave Hath a side glance, "unaffiliated. We have no quarrel with any orcsh ... or anyone for that matter."

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath frowned. They had come to a town where many species lived together and still he was judged for being an orc.

"Don't look at me like that!" the centaur laughed. He waved a hand in Hath's direction. "Orcs are some of my best customers, but they do cause a fuss when new tribes pass through."

The centaur stood tall, he laid his hammer across his shoulders in just the right way to flex his arms.

"But you..." he said to Pern. "Can keep looking at me like that. The name is Farreek by the way."

If the sudden shift in his demeanour was not enough to know that the centaur was deeply vain, then the fancy braiding and ribbons in his tail would give it away.

<Two dozen arrowheads?> Hath tried in orcish. He still struggled with numbers in trade tongue.

<Two dozen, no problem> Farreek replied smoothly switching languages, but continuing to flex and preen.

 

[Pern]

Pern's brows shot upward into her hairline the moment she was called out. The tawny hue of her cheeks deepened with the rise of a furious blush and she quickly averted her gaze.

"My apologiesh..." she took a step back to allow Hath to conduct his business, "it ish the firsht time I have ever sheen a shentaur in the flesh."

Glad for the change of subject and for the reminder of the orc language, she looked back upon hearing Farreek so easily reply in orcish. It should not have surprised her as much as it did, given what appeared to be his permanent residence here in Wikkerton and his experience with orc tribes. His fluency made perfect sense for his trade.

His braids were far nicer than the one she'd done for Hath. Pern eyed them, but tried not to let her gaze linger.

"Where might we find the faun... Hallish?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Apologies? Don't be silly."

He looked slightly disappointed that she was only looking because she had never seen a centaur before.

"They don't all look like me, of course," Farreek said.

Hath narrowed his eyes.

"The table over there, choose what type you want," Farreek said.

The centaur took two steps out into the street and turned down the 'lane'. He could have pointed, but this way she could appreciate the smooth fur and muscles across his flank. His tail gave enough of a swish that she would feel the air move.

"See the house down there with the badly painted white roof? That's Hallis the faun*."

Hath turned around holding up a sharp, barbed broadhead and a particularly sharp bodkin.

"Not just hunting then? That's my design, chain mail is just a shirt of holes to it."

Hath grunted.

"I'm busy this morning but come back tomorrow. Though I am often around the riverbank in an evening if you newcomers just want to talk."



*not fawn oopsie

 

[Pern]

Pern lingered near Hath, mostly now out of habit but also because the centaur's boldness had ruffled her proverbial feathers. His work intrigued her, as well, and she looked on as Hath picked up the various pieces and studied them from where she stood. Always good to appreciate a fellow crafter's work and there were always opportunities to learn, as well. She leaned forward to peer a bit more closely at the second bodkin, and glanced to the centaur as he proudly spoke on it.

Her own bodkin design was fairly standard, but Pern wasn't of the mindset of maiming humans. She frowned and straightened herself, thinking on the implications of just what he was saying. Wikkerton was no sanctuary for humans, of course. The very nature of things here was rather opposite of Elbion, but more than just humans wore chainmail.

"Thank you, Farreek," and she waited until Hath was finished looking before heading off for the faun.

Perhaps she might want to speak with the centaur this evening...

The faun, Hallis, would have arrows and fletchings, but that still left finding Hath a new bow. And boots, she recalled as her gaze dropped to his feet.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Thank you," Hath added plainly. He had not enjoyed the centaur's brazen attitude.

Trade, however, was trade. It had to be conducted with those outside of the tribe when it was required. You didn't have to like someone to have a mutually beneficial exchange to make.

"Now we have met a centaur. He was..."

Hath gave a shrug.

"...not what I expected."

He had seen her expression light up when she heard the forge. She would have to tolerate Farreek's boldness to talk to another ironworker. Hath didn't like it, but he tried not to bristle too much.

In another show of a complete lack of planning and harmonisation, the next building was a strange wattle and daub circucular building with just curtains for a door.

 

[Pern]

"Huh," Pern loosed a sound between a short laugh and an uncertain gulp, "I shupposhe I did not know what to exshpect."

Even if she had read through her father's journal entries about Wikkerton at least a dozen times on the way here, it felt as though the location was one of constant metamorphosis. The coming and going of so many different peoples and tribes had to mean that the actual permanency of Wikkerton was more the living breath of its idea than any true structure. Even the smithy hadn't seemed like something that couldn't be broken down and moved if business dried up.

Her eyes turned to their new destination and gave it a curious look as they approached, watching as several kobolds stepped out through the curtains, snarling animatedly at one another. Kobolds she had seen in Elbion, though these looked like a slightly different variety. She had to bend at the waist and duck her way inside through the smaller doorway. It was not a large storefront, but its compact nature seemed quite well organized and effectively filled with wicker containers, crates, shelves, and even baskets hanging from the rafters overhead.

The variety of contents was a bit jarring. All foraged and collected from the wilds and while she couldn't hope to understand what use all the things in here had, she was sure they had at least one to the right person.

"Hello?" she called out, "We are looking for Hallish."

"Ba-ack here," replied a voice.

Pern followed the sound through rows of stands of dried plants, seed pods, roots, and bundles of various things. The aisle smelled strongly of potpourri.

"We are looking for arrowsh and fletchingsh," she continued as she had to twist sideways and carefully pick her way past a large woven basket full of what looked like bee hives. Her eyes bugged at the site of them - several much larger than her own head.

"The back wall," said the voice again, a long and colorful feather with a frilled end flicking upward into the air above the rows of things and swishing to her right.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Huh," Pern loosed a sound between a short laugh and an uncertain gulp, "I shupposhe I did not know what to exshpect."

"I think he would you to tell him he was a pretty shentaur than ask about how you make arrowheads," Hath wryly observed as they approached the house of the faun.

Hath grunted at the pack of kobolds. He wasn't accustomed to politely moving aside for them. He received a harsh glare from one of the three. It was only because they were small that tribes of orcs and kobolds could typically exist in similar territories.

This town and so many species and cultures in a small space was against his sensibilities. It didn't make him as anxious as a claustrophobic stone human town where he was treated as a threat, but he didn't quite feel relaxed.

Hath ducked into the store behind Pern. Once again, he was slowly absorbing where they found themselves.

"Hello?" she called out, "We are looking for Hallish."

"Ba-ack here," replied a voice.

Hath stepped very, very carefully through the room. If he tumbled he was going to crush a lot of things.

"Did you bring your bow?" called the voice.

"It is broken," Hath replied.

"I need your bow to match arrows!"

"I know what I want," Hath replied. There was a series of shelves on the back wall. He could see them arranged by thickness and material. He plucked one down, holding both ends and bending it.

"Too light," he muttered to Pern.

 

[Pern]

"I know what I want," Hath replied.

For some reason that very astute and direct response caused a flush of tawny pink to fill Pern's cheeks. Eyes widened at the inexplicable jolt of ... was that embarrassment? She quickly cleared her throat and turned to look away at anything other than Hath. Luckily she was afforded an entire wall of arrows to investigate.

A short glance to the arrow in Hath's hand and she agreed. That looked like a target practice arrow.

"Mmm..." she perused the higher shelves, pulling down a few heavier styles and showing them to him without making eye contact, "theshe look shimilar to what your cla-" she was about to say what his clan had made and fashioned him with before they left and caught herself, "ah... what you had before."

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath took one of the arrow shafts and grabbed it at each end and gave it a flex.

"He's checking to see how stiff they are," came the voice of the owner. Hath glanced upwards, the voice seemed to be coming from above now. "A stronger archer requires a stiffer shaft. One of the centaurs uses a war crossbow for hunting and I almost needed a whole tree for her arrows."

Hath tried another arrow that Pern passed down. He could sense something awkward in her movements.

"These will do," he said to Pern, pointing the blunt arrow back at her.

"Speaking of centaurs... If you need arrowheads see Farreek down the road. Small tip, any customer who tells him how big and magnificent he is gets a discount. There isn't another tribe of orcs in town is there?"

 

[Pern]

She'd been busy looking at the other varieties of arrows when Hath passed his chosen selection back.

<<How many?>> she asked, recalling he was not good with numbers in trade tongue. She had at least learned numbers in orcish while living among his clan - one of the easiest things to pick up of their language. Pern began counting out his requested number and pulled down a bundle to pass to him so he could check each for quality and straightness.

"We have sheen Farreek..." Pern answered idly as she looked up and down the aisle, "we have not come acrosh any orc clansh thush far. We are not with a clan."

She blinked, both hands planting on her hips as she failed to find what she was looking for, "Do you have quiversh?"

"Bless my horns. Hanging above you," replied the shop owner, now from an entirely different direction which made Pern give Hath an odd look of confusion before looking up.

"Hah-" Pern smiled as she reached up to gently paw at one of the quivers hanging above her head. It had been ornately hand-carved and painted with a flowery design, "how pretty."

 

[Hath Charosh]

<<How many?>>

<Thirty> he replied. Arrows could break, but he wasn't planning on carrying enough to join a war party. He needed enough to hunt and to make a point if they were attacked. If he missed several times when hunting he deserved to be both hungry and short of arrows. With a bit of time he could make his own, but stopping for two days to sand down shafts in unfamiliar territory was unwise.

which made Pern give Hath an odd look of confusion before looking up.

Hath frowned. He often did. This look was a bemused type of confusion. That she had avoided his gaze missed his attention, but she did look slightly flushed for simply passing down some arrows.

He turned to try and spot the faun and to avoid watching Pern stretched out. Not seeing the shopkeeper was becoming more disconcerting than bemusing.

"how pretty."

Hath turned back to Pern and grunted in amusement.

"It does not need flowers..." he started to say.

"Of course," snapped the voice. "But I do not emboss skulls and axes just for orcs..."

 

[Pern]

A smirk twisted around Pern's tusks, pressing up into her eyes in amusement at the thought of Hath, the great warrior, fashioning himself with a flowery quiver. Of course it was not to his taste and, frankly, not to her own either, but she could see a young lady archer wearing it confidently. For Pern, she preferred simplicity, less decoration. Usefulness over frills.

As for Hath, well. She turned about on the spot, looking around at the various styles and options of quivers before finding another a bit more stout and sturdy. Reinforced with triple-stitched black leather and brass fittings, she thought it rather fit his current look well. Pern reached to pull it from its hook and held it out, "Thish one?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Hmm, that one," he agreed. "It is good work."

Letting Pern choose was simply a matter of convenience. She was closer to the arrows and quivers. Yet having her pick out a design that he might have chosen himself elicited a slight flutter of feelings. Feelings he pushed back down.

"Of course it is good work! I am so glad you both stopped by to judge me." The sarcastic voice was more amused than annoyed. "What did you bring to barter?"

"Come down and I will tell you that I am glad your work is good," Hath said firmly.

 

[Pern]

"Come down he says!" the voice barked in laughter, "I've been here the entire time!"

Pern raised her brows at this, feeling equal parts chastised and confused. His voice had been everywhere? So where, exactly, was he?

"In the ba-ack," he bleated.

Sure enough, when Pern turned around to face the back of the store, there sat a smug-looking faun by a workbench, "Ah-" Pern blinked in surprise, "that ish a good trick. Throwing your voish."

"Your ba-arter, miss orc?" Hallish reminded her.
"We have coin," Pern began but was cut off.
"No coin, save that for the smith. He can at least melt it down and use it," Hallish waved away the offer, "I need something of suh-ubstance."

Pern furrowed her brows and glanced back at Hath, then seemed to have a thought. She stepped forward, pulling her bag from her back, and stooped to rifle through it before pulling out her leather smith's waist belt. It was worn, but the leather was thick and softened and still in good shape, "Will thish do?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

It was comforting and familiar to be back in the world of trading, but equally quite inconvenient when they had more coin than goods to trade. The smug smile erased the innocent amusement at the faun tricking them. Hath crossed his arms over his chest.

"That would do nicely for the quiver," Hallish replied.

<Do not trade if that is dear to you> Hath said. He felt bad, like a little hollow opening deep down, to have her trade things away. Even though he knew it was practical. Some desires did not mix well with practicality and logic.

"I could do work," Hath said.

"Could you now? Well... You have an axe and I'm sure you know what trees toll make arrows but I wouldn't want to upset my regular woodsman. And I have no real work to do and - as you can see - my highest shelves have already been stocked.

"No if you want to trade labour you'll have to go to the market, find work and then trade something else with me. But I'll take the belt for the quiver and half the arrows."

 

[Pern]

Pern fell quiet during the exchange of words and considered the item in her hand. It was true she'd owned it for several years now and broken it in to a perfect fit. But it held no true sentimental value to her.

<<It is ok,>> she said to Hath and offered it over to the faun, "for the quiver and half the arrows. We will return with shomething more to barter for the resht."

Hallish wasted no time in snapping up the belt, turning it over to inspect it before looking to Pern with a dubious smirk, "A pleasure doing business, miss orc."

"Do you know where we might find an inn?" she asked.

"Oh there are no inns in this town," he bleated into a laugh, "make your bed wherever you can find a spot beneath the sky in the campgrounds. But eh-eh, try to keep it down at night? The last big clan just left the other night and the locals are enjoying their peace and quiet not being interrupted by ruh-utting."

Pern blinked at him, unsure that she understood what he meant but nodded in uncertainty as she moved to leave his shop.

 

[Hath Charosh]

If Pern chose to hand over the belt, then it was her decision and he would not question it further. What did catch him off guard was the faun's overly forward comment. It would have rolled off him like water off a duck's back just a few weeks ago. Instead Hath looked distinctly flustered. He bristled, grunted once and turned his back on the faun without looking at Pern. The shop owner actually managed to make Hath look embarrassed and he knew it. His grin followed them out of the shop.

Hath stepped back out into the town. He took a deep breath of air. Wikkerton might have smelled distinctly different from any other settlement, but it was clean and fresh compared to all the scents packed into the faun's shop.

He shook his head and stood just beyond the door, not sure where to go next. A bob of his eyebrows and he let the breath go.

"Two shops. One centaur who wanted you to call him a pretty pony and one faun who told us not to fuck too loudly. Still better than a human fort," he mused. He stopped himself from wondering if she would be loud or quiet.

He saw three figures on the clear ground that passed for a road. Hath took a half step in front of Pern.

<Orcs. Do not stare, but do not back down or look away if they approach.> Hath said.

Three orcs, two female and one male. They were clearly heading right for them. They all had white paint across one shoulder. The centaur had been right, there were orcs from more than one tribe around the town if they made the effort to mark themselves. Even if the main bodies of the clans had left, the stragglers still saw Wikkerton as common ground.