On the Road Again

It had already been four days since Richard had left the Kingdom of Alcainez and he had been riding by himself heading east without thinking much of where he wanted to go. With everything that had happened since he was summoned to this world, he had little time to properly settle down in a place, create his base of operations, gather a strong posse and begin the search for the Demon Lord.

Instead, he got dragged into politics, corruption and more death. It seems this was the only job he was ever good at: killing. Even when he had joined the Union Army during the Civil War back in his original world, he had always excelled at hunting down people and bringing them dead most of the time.

As a boy, back then, his commanding officers had noticed his skill and his knack for irregular warfare. Therefore, he had been trained as an Army Scout… fought in many battles along the Mississippi River… then the battles of Fort Henry… Battle of Shiloh… Vicksburg… Chattanooga… war had shaped him.

Memories of those battles and the thousands others he had participated in a thousand worlds began to flood his mind and made him shudder as he rode. Quickly, he took out one of his cigarettes, lit it and took a deep drag from it. This seemed to calm his nerves and quieted the memories of the many wars he’d been a part of.

“It pains me to see you’re still suffering from those old memories, Lover.” The Goddess of Fortune manifested again before Richard as a floating sphere of golden light.

“Nothin’ we can do about ‘em, Darlin’.” Richard rubbed the back of his neck as he kept riding and talking to the Goddess like she was right there with him. People that passed him by would look at the weirdly dressed man on a majestic black horse and talking to a floating golden light, and immediately kept their distance from him.

“I’m sure there’s plenty we could do about, Lover Boy! Maybe I could cook up a little divine intervention for you and see if I could wipe away some of those old memories?” The Goddess floated in circles around Richard while he rode and kept smoking.

“I’d rather you didn’t.” Richard looked at the sphere, “I need those memories to remind myself that what I’m doing, what I’ve done… is mine and mine alone. Ain’t nobody gonna take that away from me. So… Don't try it, Darlin’.”

“You’re still hung up on the mistakes we’ve made in the past, aren’t you?”

“Wouldn’t be as bad if they were just a handful. In my case? They were lifetimes of bad mistakes.”

“Oh my sweet, Richard… I sometimes wonder why you keep punishing yourself… but I guess that’s what keeps you human in the end. And another reason why I’m not leaving you even after this final job is done. I’ll find a way to-” Just as the Goddess was finishing, Richard stopped his horse and looked to the distance…

There was a wagon further ahead that had one of its wheels stuck on a deep crack on the road. Its driver, a short and stout lady, was scratching her head in frustration. Richard sighed heavily and grumbled to himself.

“It’s always somethin’... Sorry, Darlin’. Guess it’s time for me to play the hero.” Richard rode a bit closer to the wagon. “Excu-”

“Baruk Khazâd!” The short lady kicked the wagon wheel after yelling out in the Dwarven tongue.

“Wait! Did she just say ‘Damn it!’ in the old Dwarven language?” The Goddess’ sphere floated next to Richard’s shoulder as she observed.

“Sure did!” It had been a while since the Bounty Hunter had heard someone speaking that language.

Just as the Hunter and the Goddess were observing, the woman rolled up her sleeves revealing steel muscles and clan tattoos. She rubbed her hands together, grabbed the wagon by the wagon wheel that was stuck and lifted it just enough for her to also push the entire wagon aside to return to the road! After that, she stood proudly and nodded to herself. The Bounty Hunter and the Goddess were watching with surprise!

“I like her! Can we keep her?” The Goddess giggled in her youthful charming way.

“Hey! She’s not a pet. Although, she certainly can handle herself!” For the first time since he had arrived in this world, he was impressed by someone. “I’ll see if she needs a hand or something…”

“Something tells me you’ve found a good ally, ~Lover Boy!~ Hehehehe!” The Goddess’ sphere vanished leaving behind her laughter. Clearly she knew more than she let on… as usual.

Richard approached the wagon which the lady, now hearing someone coming closer, turned around and looked up at Richard.

“Evenin’, ma’am.” Richard tipped his hat towards her which was met with a broad smile and nod of appreciation from the short woman. She wasn’t as short as a Dwarf, but neither as tall as an average human. No doubt she was of mixed blood, a Half-Dwarf.

“Evening, Sir! Was there something I can do for you?” The woman spoke with a firm tone but was also friendly in her demeanor, even after she just lifted a wagon that was clearly much heavier than her.

“I was about to offer a hand with your wagon but…” Richard looked at the woman’s handiwork and smirked, “something tells me I would’ve just gotten in the way.”

“Hahahahahaha!” The woman’s laugh was loud and powerful as she crossed her arms proudly. “Can’t be a traveling cook around these parts if you’re not capable of taking care of yourself!”

Richard found the lady’s candor and laugh quite infectious. He dismounted and approached the lady.

“My name’s Richard Wolf, I’m a Bounty Hunter.” He took off his hat and nodded in a more formal greeting.

“Such good manners from a stranger! Oh, I like you!” The woman smiled again and stepped closer to the bounty hunter. “My name’s Mrs. Helen Bobin! Retired adventurer and Traveling Cook! Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wolf!”

She reached out one of her hands to Richard who took it firmly. As he had thought - this woman, Mrs. Bobin was certainly a veteran adventurer.

A few minutes later…

The bounty hunter was sitting on a stool and resting his arms over the counter of Mrs. Bobin’s food wagon. The traveling cook had insisted that they take a moment to rest and have a proper meal. Richard had insisted he really didn’t do anything to deserve it, but Mrs. Bobin had urged him to just sit back, relax and have a bite - clearly she wouldn’t accept arguments.

So after Richard tied his horse and let it rest, he sat while observing the curious woman moving inside of her food wagon with the speed and accuracy of a master artisan. He’d only seen that level of skill on the MOGO’s - which reminded him he would have to make a house visit to his providers very soon.

Mrs. Bobin was humming to herself as she fired up her custom-made stove, took out several ingredients from a specially made storage box - which Richard recognized as an enchanted cooling container to reduce spoilage of food while traveling. She took out a few packets of what looked like beef and assorted vegetables. Taking a knife in his hands and making sure it was sharp, she began to cut the ingredients with all expediency, but never once missing a cut nor harming herself. Wolf figured she could handle herself in a kitchen with her eyes closed if she wanted.

“So, tell me Mr. Wolf,” Mrs. Bobin directed her attention to Richard, “you’re not from around here are you?”

Wolf arched his eyebrow and smirked. He took out one of his cigarettes, but before he lit it, he gestured at Mrs. Bobin if he was allowed. After she nodded, he lit the smoke and took a small pull from it.

“It’s the hat, ain’t it?” Wolf chuckled gruffly, which made Mrs. Bobin laugh. “You could say I’m from all over the place, yet not from anywhere.”

“Oh! A Man of Mystery, are you?” The cook chuckled as she began to chop the beef into small squares and began to put it all in a pot with boiling water. “I’ve seen fellas that had a similar look like you. Though… not as well travelled, if you catch my drift?”

It had been a long time since Richard had been surprised about anything. Mrs. Bobin looked at him dead in the eye and winked with a broad smile. She clearly had some run-ins with other World Travellers.

“I take it you’ve met a handful of such fellas during your travels?” Richard observed as Mrs. Bobin pulled out a bottle of ale from under the counter, took out a chilled mug and poured a mug for him, which he gratefully accepted and took a sip. “That hit the spot…”

“Two actually. You’d be the third. Though, to be honest, the other two were a couple of morons.” Both the cook and the bounty hunter laughed at that last comment.

“It was that bad, eh?”

“Aye! One of them believed he was some ‘Godly Treasure Sent from Heaven’, here to save us all from the big baddies! Hah! The foolish boy ended up being stomped by a giant the minute he stepped out onto the field.” Mrs. Bobin shook her head in disappointment while she continued to add a few more ingredients to the pot and added a few spices. The contents began to emanate a pleasant smell…

“I knew it…” Wolf sighed and grumbled angrily, “From what I heard, all the previous Outlanders were a bunch of idiots who couldn’t take their heads outta their asses.”

“Oi!” Mrs. Bobin threw a fierce look at Richard, which made him start and freeze. “Mind your language, Mr. Wolf.”

“Sorry. Old habits, Mrs. Bobin.” He tipped his hat, to which the cook smiled and nodded.

“It’s true, though. What you said about them.” Mrs. Bobin said as she began to cut some potatoes and added them to the stew she was making. “Ever since the World Travelers began to act all superior and thinking they’d be untouchable, the gods have seen fit to deny any more of them no matter how much the people in charge beg for them.”

“Yeah. I just came from the Kingdom of Alcainez. For what I learned, they’d been trying for twenty years without success. Seems Lady Luck saw it fit to grant ‘em their chance this time.” Wolf put out his cigarette and took another sip of ale.

“Hang about! Lady Luck’s your patron Goddess!?” Mrs. Bobin saw the non-chalant way Richard nodded.

“The Goddess of Fortune herself - Fortuna, made it so I could be here. Though, this ain’t my first rodeo…”

“So that’s why you got this ‘worn feeling’ to you.” Mrs. Bobin studied Wolf for a moment.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t look, talk nor handle yourself like those two punks I met before. You look like you’ve certainly seen your fair share of troubles, haven’t you?”

“Yeah…” Wolf took off his hat and rubbed his eyes for a moment, “like I said, this ain’t my first rodeo… nor the second, or the hundredth, for that matter. I’ve seen too many worlds come and go. People who were born, grew old, then turned to dust… yet I remain the same.”

Mrs. Bobin didn’t interrupt Richard while he spoke. She kept quiet and observed the Outlander with curiosity as well as sympathy. Her gut feeling had been right all along… Mr. Wolf was no ordinary World Traveler.

“The worst part of it…?” He continued, “it ain’t the fighting, Mrs. Bobin. It’s that damned monotony of it all. It’s always the same villains, the same corruption, the same speeches…” He sighed heavily, “... a man gets tired of the same sh-... *Ahem!*... the same rubbish.”

“It’s been that long, eh?” Mrs. Bobin checked the pot’s contents and quickly took out a sturdy bowl and a large ladle, stirring the contents a little.

“A bounty hunter’s ledger can get pretty heavy after a while. Most of my bounties are dead, long ago buried and forgotten.”

“Aye, I know the feeling.” Mrs. Bobin crossed her arms and rubbed some of the clan tattoos on her wrists, “Some stories are best left for the grave, and some people are best left alone. Some roads are so long it’s hard to see where you started, or where you’ll end… in the end, all we got is the road.”

“Heh! A woman after my own heart…” Richard smirked and chuckled. This prompted Mrs. Bobin to suddenly perk up and start laughing.

“Oh don’t go trying talking all sweet and all with me, Mr. Wolf! A woman like me will take more than pretty words and a charmin’ smile to get me interested!” She laughed heartily, which prompted Wolf to follow suit.

“You’re too much of a woman for me, Mrs. Bobin. I’ll settle for a good laugh and a full belly.”

“Well, you can bet you’ll get plenty of those two while I’m around!” Mrs. Bobin chuckled as she dug into the stew with her ladle and poured some of the contents into the bowl. The steaming stew looked hearty with the beef and the vegetables making it a perfect balance for the weary traveler. “Now eat up! That will put some color on your backside! Hah!”

Mrs. Bobin passed the bowl of stew towards Richard, who nodded with gratitude to Mrs. Bobin. After he took one hot spoonful of the stew he realized he hadn’t had such a fine meal in… decades, maybe!

“I’ll be damned… Mrs. Bobin, I can honestly say this is the best damn stew I’ve had in a hundred years.”

“Hehehehehe!” The cook smiled broadly after the laugh. “What did I tell ya? Mama Bobin’s got your back, Mr. Wolf!”