About time we got moving, innit?

Unsurprisingly, it took the starving pair quite the long while to eat their fill. Still, I could hardly complain. She still looked one strong wind away from being blown into the stratosphere, but some of the colour had come back to Court’s face, and her throat was good enough to actually speak a tad.

Poor lass. Looked like it was the first real meal she had had in years. And the chap with Darcy hardly looked better. Jimmy, I think his name was. Scrawny looking lad, couldn’t be much older than 20. Both of them looked like even breathing was enough to make them hurt.

Still, better this than slavery, innit. Only hoped the other three had made the same decision.

“Right, I reckons we’ve imposed on the old boy long enough, ain’t we? Probably best we get movin’ on,” I said, slapping me knees and hopping to me feet.

“Yes, I suppose we probably should. We’ve work to do, after all,” said Darcy. Honestly, I could hardly give a shite about the whole quest rubbish, I just felt like I was pushing me luck hanging around when I’d already had free food off the bloke. Bad first impressions and all that.

Much to my surprise, though, the old boy came hobbling on over just as we all got moving.

“Wait, before you leave!” he said, waving around a small sack that looked pretty bloody heavy for its size. “Before ye leave, I got a little summat for ye.”

The old lad dropped the bag in my hand, and it was just as heavy as he made it look. I opened it up, and inside was a bunch of scraps of metal, most of them either silver or copper coloured.

“What is this?”

“Money, my lad!”

“Money?”

“It’s something that can be exchanged for goods and services.”

“Shut up, Darcy. Old boy, I’m tryna ask why you’s handin’ me a sack of cash, especially after I just freeloaded two bloody meals off ye.”

“Small price to pay for the safety of meself, me family and me home. I don’t know why ye don’t have yer own copy of the nomicon, and I know better than to ask, but ye’re gonna find trouble on ya journey if ye don’t always have someone like Ms Darcy here to prove ye’re the real thing. That sack a’ cash should keep ye afloat for now, even when ye’re on yer own. Think of it as a down-payment on savin’ the country, yeah?”

The old boy gave me a toothy smile, not a second’s hesitation in his cheery attitude. I rattled the bag a tad, and just by the feel of it I could tell there was a decent sum in there. Dunno how much wonga an innkeep makes, but I could hardly imagine this much was a simple day’s wages for the chap. Made me feel like a bit of a wanker for only being concerned with getting home.

Then again, I was still planning to kill the big fuck-off lizard, so accepting a donation or two for the cause can hardly hurt, can it?

“I’ll make sure it’s worth your while, old chap. I’ll promise you that much.”

“Ye bloody better, lad! If it ain’t ye, it probably ain’t gonna be anyone else, now, is it?” The old boy laughed a hearty laugh, almost too cheery for someone talking about his own home being reduced to cinders. “Ye ain’t gettin’ too bloody far against a dragon the size of a feckin’ palace without the right tools for the job, though. Before ye get movin’ on in ya journey, ye should stop by a shop here in town called Azalea Smithy. Owner there’s a nice lass, and her old dad was a friend of mine before he croaked a few years back. Show her that book and tell her old Bailey sent ye, she’ll get ye kitted out best she can. Though, to give ye a fair warning she’s a bit…”

The old man trailed off, seemingly trying to find the most inoffensive way to say something incredibly offensive.

“...irregular?” said Darcy.

“Well I was more thinking along the lines of “absolutely feckin’ loopy,” but irregular’s not wrong, I suppose.”

Christ alive. Never a dull bloody moment in this world, is there?

“I suppose you and I have one further location to visit together, Ser Arch. Shall we get going? We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

“Yeah, time’s a wastin’, innit. At this rate Italy might be good at rugby by the time we’re done.”

“...right. Well then, Mr Bailey, thank you greatly for your kindness. When our journey is over, I swear to patronise your business properly.”

“Yeah, cheers for the grub, old boy. You won’t regret it.”

The four of us stepped on out the door and into the sunny streets outside, all feeling a whole shiteload better than we did when we walked in. Hell, Court and Jimmy didn’t seem like they were one burned calorie from an early grave anymore.

Speaking of…

“Oi, Court,” I said, turning to address the frail lass trailing behind me. “Now you ain’t stuck with that bloody armband on, where’s you plannin’ to head off to?”

I figured it was a pretty normal question to ask, but the lass looked back at me like she was confused.

“I… thought I would- join you- on your journey. Is… that not okay?” She said, still struggling to speak a tad

“Ay? ‘Course the ‘elp would be appreciated, but why’dya wanna do that? Skills like yours, you could probably make a mint if you know where to look. Why would you wanna throw yourself into the bloody lion’s den wi’ me?”

“No point- making money if- the dragon kills us all, right?”

“Yeah, but so far as I’ve heard, it’s only comin’ for this place, not the whole world. You wanna stay somewhere that kept you as a damned slave? Country don’t bloody deserve your ‘elp, so far as you ask me at least.”

“The country might- not- but you- you freed me. You deserve- my help at least,” she said, coughing and spluttering a bit along the way. “Besides, these- people- have done- nothing wrong. It’s just- the nobles- that enslaved me.”

“Aye, fair enough. If you wants to tag along, I ain’t stopping ya’s. But don’t say I ain’t warned you when we’re brushin’ death every other bloody day, yeah?”

“O-okay.” For some reason, the lass actually looked happy with that. Bit of a loony bin, she seemed. But I could hardly say no to someone with her skills, now, can I?

“Is that how you feel too, Jimmy?” asked Darcy to the skinny lad behind her.

“Y-yes… I still want to help you if I can, Ms Darcy.” Lad sounded half-dead, but just as glad about the offer as Court was. Pair of lunatics, I swear. Only just got freed from slavery, practically limping up to death’s door, and still asking to throw themselves into the bloody hornet’s nest. I’d respect it if it didn’t leave me so bloody confused.

With that out of the way, though, the four of us continued tottering on down the street, looking for our next location. It was only when we were a good few minutes of walking in that Darcy turned to me with her brow furrowed.

“Ser Arch… did either of us actually ask Mr Bailey where this smithy is?”

“...bollocks.”