Tyler Kimball - Lessgently
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Pallesia - Chapter 163 - Vargus
🕑 Added 2024-08-17 17:05:16 +0000 UTCThe next two days of traveling were peaceful, stress free, and overall, a much needed break from all the healing and teaching he’d been doing.
The further he traveled away from the burgeoning war, the lower amount of wagons and carriages he saw or passed by. He didn’t come across any homes, towns, villages, or cities just yet, but according to Bran, he’d find his way to the small village of Vargus soon enough. Either at the end of today or early tomorrow morning.
The well-worn dirt road was still Lee’s primary source of travel. By now, he’d truly left the roving plains of the war front and entered into a thick, green and flourishing forest. The canopy overhead provided the perfect amount of shade, easing the strain of the blazing sun above, which sent rays of light between the gaps. It wasn’t scorching out, but it was fairly warm, causing beads of sweat to form on his brow even at his leisurely pace.
One thing he enjoyed about traveling through the forest was the chance to see a vast array of different animals. He hadn’t gotten a good look at any, as most scurried away deep into the surrounding underbrush upon noticing his presence, but new animals were always a pleasant experience. There were large squirrels up in the trees above who gazed down in curiosity as the lone traveling human. They weren’t nearly as large as the Squallors from the Shadowgrove, but they were chunkier than those from Earth.
He passed a large sloth-like creature, five to six feet tall, who hung freely on a far away branch. Unlike its Earthen brethren, this one had razor-sharp claws which lodged into the dark brown bark of its chosen tree. Its head swiveled around like an owl, and it didn’t look nearly as slow either. Using Identify, Lee got a description.
Collanger Sloth - Level 2: A common sloth with razor-sharp claws, perfect for climbing and defense. Though peaceful by nature, its claws can easily fend off aggressors. Its most unique feature is its ability to swivel its head almost 270 degrees, letting it keep an eye on its surroundings without moving. This helps it stay hidden and aware in the treetops.
When the large sloth locked eyes with Lee, he gave it a little wave. In return, the sloth blinked slowly before hugging its branch, attempting to blend its dark brown fur with the bark of the tree. When it noticed Lee still saw it, it let out a small and gentle hootish noise. “Hoh!”
Lee let it be, and continued down the path. After another few hours, the sun had traveled across the sky and was now hugging the horizon off in the distance. The thick canopy overhead caused the forest to sink into darkness, but a little further down the road, Lee could make out a rough wooden wall built by the thick trunks of the surrounding trees. Atop the walls, the flickering flames of torches and the gleaming light reflecting off well worn armor let him know that he’d arrived at Vargus.
Judging by his current XP, he’d had the level and stats to begin his trial for flying in another day or two. Apparently, he had still been doing the heavy lifting back in Emerson when it came to his class quest, and with him not being around healing every single day, his gains had fallen accordingly. His previous three day estimate hadn’t factored that in.
After another minute or two of walking, Lee could see the large wooden gate and the handful of wagons lined up for their entry inspection. Seeing as he himself wasn’t in a wagon, he walked up past the line and waved down one of the militiamen who stood around the gate. “I didn’t come in a wagon. Can I skip the line?”
The young man in his oversized green gambeson, basically a kid who must have been fourteen or fifteen, looked from Lee down the line of wagons. He yelled out to the driver at the back. “This guy walk here?”
The older driver spared Lee a glance, then nodded. “Past him an hour back. He walked.”
The young militiamen shrugged. “Yeah, two copper entry fees.”
Seeing as two copper was basically nothing even if this was a scam, Lee rummaged in his pocket using Hidden Cache to take out the required fee, then passed it over.
As he walked through the wooden gate, Lee got a good look at where he would be spending the night. The village wasn’t large, and it appeared to be similar in size to Breye. It had the main dirt road leading through the center, with small dirt side streets splintering off. The buildings were rustic; Log cabins with planked roofs, stone chimneys, and simple cloth curtains which covered cut out windows.
Unlike Breye, this small village seemed to be doing very well for themselves. Everyone he passed on the simple dirt road; whether it be a housewife, men and women on their way back home from a long day of work, or children racing home before curfew, appeared healthy and happy. Their clothes weren’t in tatters or overly dirty, none of them appeared to be malnourished or over skinny like himself, and the war didn’t seem to be in their minds at all.
This village was doing well for themselves, and if Lee had to guess, it was because it was the last stop between Emerson and the rest of Thexis. Wagons flowed day and night, and if the two copper entry fee applied to all, everyone who lived here would have their worries handled.
After stopping a man on the street to ask if they had an inn, Lee was directed to a large multistoried log cabin with wagons lined up in the courtyard. People flowed in and out of its smooth wooden doors. Those leaving left with smiles and tipsy steps, those entering looked relieved for some relaxation.
Entering inside, Lee was blasted by the aroma of cooked food; Hams, pies, pastas, and steamed vegetables. Looking around, there were circular wooden tables, filled with hungry or feasting patrons. Families and workers chatted with smiles with one another as they ate their meals at separate tables. The children were getting their faces wiped by chastising mothers, while the fathers chatted and drank from carved tankards.
At the far side of the room, a long natural bar with twisting branches and faux-leafy seats lined the wall. Behind it, hundreds of bottles and a handful of barrels were aligned for all to see. Bartenders scurried too and fro, filling simple wooden mugs or well-carved tankards with antlers for handles.
“Can I help you?”
Lee looked toward the origin of the voice, spotting a young man wiping his hands on a towel attached to his belt. He had a warm and welcoming smile as he made his way forward.
“Yes. I was looking to spend the night.” Lee said as he continued scanning his surroundings.
“We can do that for you. Would you like a meal first? If not, perhaps a drink?” The young man pressed.
The upselling was blatant, but just seeing the atmosphere around the establishment made Lee want to join in. He didn’t have a family anymore, and his only true friend was across the kingdom… but he still wanted to join. “Sure. Let’s do both. Do you serve meals at the bar counter?”
The young man smiled and nodded as he gestured for Lee to follow. Lee sat down at the bar as the young man scooted around back and whispered to his fellow workers. One of them, a younger woman, strode forward. “What will it be?”
Lee looked around for a menu but didn’t find one. “Do you have a menu?”
The young woman’s smile faltered a bit, but nodded. “Yes, sir. Let me go grab one for you.”
Soon enough, the woman came back with a wooden slate. It looked old and worn, used for quite some time. Lee read through the menu, before ordering the ham and a ‘pie of the day.’ He also ordered whatever the guy next to him was drinking, rewarding him with a gapped-tooth grin and a nod.
Looking around as he waited for his meal and drink, Lee spotted several other newer patrons getting seating. They talked extensively with their waiters or waitresses before ordering. Looking down the menu he had been given, he ran his finger across the edge. Then, he realized he was already standing out.
This was a small village. A few hundred people at most called this place home. Looking back, he never saw any signs with words, fliers, or anything of the sort. The majority of them probably couldn’t read, or if they could, not well enough to help with ordering.
He’d never really thought about the educational system in this world. It wasn’t often that reading or writing came up, and if it did, he was around either the military, nobles, or people of power. This then brought up how people viewed their status’. If one couldn’t read, then how did they view them?
For having been here for months and months, Lee found himself still woefully ignorant about how the majority of people lived. He scanned the room, using Identify on everyone he saw, revealing nobody over level two, with the majority of them being level one.
It was easy to forget that so few people leveled or got access to magic. He’d been surrounded by the minority since… forever. But the people he’d been working hard for were the ones surrounding him.
After eating his wonderful meal and finishing off his drink, the sun had truly set and the nightlife of the village all funneled into the inn he’d found himself in. Lee asked for a room, paid for his meal with a singular coin and let them keep the change.
His room, which was upstairs on the second floor, was small and simple, but clean and orderly. As he undressed and prepared for bed, Lee thought about his travels so far. It was nice not to be recognised, but if he wanted to heal and help out, he’d have to give all of his animosity away. Maybe he’d go around in the morning asking about those who needed help, or maybe he’d fade away, forgotten by those he’d interacted with.
He’d decided in the morning.
Comments
max grok
*Anonymity instead of animosity. Otherwise, as always, tftc!
Wintermelody
Thanks for the Chapter
