Partida Rol por web

Baster and the other woman reached the alley beneath the window, where the old man was slowly dying, in time to listen his plea. He didn’t want his killer brought to justice, or his murder avenged in any way. Just for them to find some scriptures for her children.

The geezer’s getting out of blood but not out of spit it seems.

Baster didn’t know what scriptures were, nor did she mind at all. But she spied a haughty look in his eyes when he said her name, like he wasn’t just an old beggar or a drunkard like she thought, even though he was murdered in what could be seediest part of town. Maybe there was good money there. She had to look for a job the next day anyway, and she was already wide awake, so she lost nothing for asking.

I was about to do that, but stay your swords a moment, she asked the woman who had arrived with her, and was about to cut his neck. What’s in it for us, old man? Shall your kids pay for the help?

Grimmel looked at the big woman disapprovingly. He was not going to say anything about it, but the old man would have his help regardless. He liked to think about himself as a hero, and this was a wrong that would have to be made right. Of course one would not expect all this people to be as generous as was the bard.

He took the child in his arms. Certainly Sionnain was no foreign to death and suffering, but that did not mean that the kid needed to see what the elf was thinking to do.

I looked at the half elf with real anger in my eyes ans used one of my hand to put his swords away.

- Fuck off. - I said clear and slow, to not let any doubt in my words about what was I saying. - Both of you.

What was that woman thinking? Of course we had to put this man out of his misery, but did she think he would say anything if she crossed her swords on his neck? Of course not! That man knew he was going to die, so he wanted someone to comfort him and to gain his trust, so he could share some last words. Would he say anything out of fear? No, he was already dyigin, he won't fear a threath. Out of grattitude for the mercy? Neither. He needed trust, that was it, and I was trying to make him feel comfortable to gain it. I turned my head back to the man and started talkking again with soft voice.

- So, why don't you tell me how we can find your children to help them, mister Greenmedow, while my friend here takes a look at your wounds? - I winked at the old me hoping that this time someone would understand what was I doing.

"Godverdomme. And then I'm the one who doesn't know how to treat with city people. Sure."

All the courage that Sionnain was showing disappear with the old man's words. The legs of the child start to tremble and his eyes open even bigger if it's possible. Tears dampen them to see Elaria whispering with tenderness, and the kid blinks strongly, obviusly affected for the situation. 

When the woman who is walk with the dwarf draws her swords, Sionnain breathe out a choked moan. - She can't... That horrible woman is going to kill him... - Thinks, horrified. And he jumps in the site, scared, when Ilesys talks him. 

He feels the arms of Grimmel around him and, forgetting all his worries about the appearances, the child hides his face on the chest of the bard, gripping strongly to his clothes. 

Dalfgan looked at elaria with a intimidating glare, his voice took a tone of reproach.

- Nobody's going to kill this man. He'll decide when to die, he only needs to close his eyes and sleep, and he'll do it when he's ready. 

- I apologize, I'm a good doctor but I can't do anything more, I will try to fulfill your wishes -said to the old man 

Seeing a man die was a terrible experience. Despite his magical experience and his stubbornness he was not ready to see somebody in that way.

Then he spoke about his sons and the whole thing get worse. What was he doing, searching for a dream when people had a harder life? He was blind to the suffering of others and now he could see it. And it was a hard thing to see, it was hard to feel he was having a lazy life, in a castle with maids and servants. Disgrace was for others, pain was for others. Now he saw it in all its harshness.

Words flowed out of his mouth before he could realize what he was saying. When he heard them it was a surprise to feel he was doing the right thing.

Thileon of Greenmedow, I will see your last wish fullfilled with my very life or died trying. Just try to live some more minutes and tell us as much as you could. The more you tell us the better.

There is genuine surprise written in the old man's eyes as soon as the half elf produces her twin swords to his bare fragile neck. It doesn't mean fear tough. No. When the dark wings of the Death circle relentlessly around your agonizing body there is not much from this world to be afraid of. Perhaps from the other world, from the 'what happens next', but definitely not from the suffering of a flesh already in pain.

No. His eyes talk about other kind of surprise. A mixture of annoyance, disappointment, disapproval and disbelief. In one hand, it is quite clear that he is surprised that you don't know who his kids are, not how to find them. He is a Greenmeadow after all, everyone in this forsaken city should know that name...

And just because of that as well, his surprise comes in response of the crude reaction to his agony. Decapitate me? Chop my head of like a swine? Who these people think they are? This is no honorable way to die. Not for a Greenmeadow at least. Perhaps for this barbarians it is the way, it should be the way at least... the cynical thought produces a small smile in Thileon's bloody lips... But not for him. How can the life of such a man like me be on the hands of such fool hands? At least some of them seem to have some sense...  

There are basically two questions that you have asked the old man, and he finds and summarizes them in his upcoming answers:

- So you are asking me this: One, what is in for you in what I am asking you and two, how can you do what I am asking for. - he coughs uncomfortable under the pressure of the nearby death.

- For the first answer, let me ask you this: - he jumps his eyes again trough all of yours - What do you desire? What do you really want in your life?... - he asks openly, not looking for an answer.

Then he loses his gaze in the black sky.

- For the second question... there is your answer... - he raises a trembling hand and points behind you towards the Inn.

You all turn around at once to see a dark figure standing by the threshold. The Innkeeper watches silently the scene like an ebony stone. Vigilantly, impassible, like a living effigy of Death itself.

- He... - Thileon goes on with a weak voice - He knows me. He know them... He will tell my sons I'm death... They will come here... They will come to you... Help... _{Help them... Help me...} - 

Everything goes quiet.

The elf steps up moving like a shadow in the night towards the laying body of Thileon. You all look at the slender figure as he gets pass you and bends over the old man. A white hand shows up from the black robes that cover him almost completely and gently lays on Thileon's eyes, closing them with a swift move.

A short, almost inaudible prayer is mumbled by Gonore in whispers to the old body.

Then he stands up and heads back towards the Inn again.

- I'll send word to his sons immediately. - says to no one in particular but to all you.

He stops in front of the Inn's door and opens it with one hand steeping aside a little inviting you all with the other one to get in.

- If you please, let's enjoy a glass of sweet wine to honor good Thileon of Greenmeadow while we wait for his sons. -

He gestures something with his head pointing towards a couple of armored dark figures that suddenly have shown up running from one of the main streets that reach the square.

- Let the Night Watch take good care of him - he says about leaving a dead body in the middle of the street

I stare at the red-haired woman, with a flick of anger in my eyes, and then release a slow breath trying not to lose control.

- Why do I even care?- I say to myself as I start to walk back towards the entrance of the Inn, assuming the old man is not going to say anything else. I almost bump into Baster and a quick smile crosses my face when I remember her words. At least someone seemed to support me. I feel the kid's fear for what I had been about to do and I feel a bit sad. He's just a kid...but it needed to be done. All the rest are just questions and words.

When I reach the door, two things happen that make me turn around. One: the Inn's owner comes out of the building. Two: the old man starts talking again. I look at the old man and, after hearing his last words, I look back at the elf, feeling the man's death a few metres behind me. So that was it. The elf had all the answers. And we've been playing around this whole time.

- Sounds good to me- I answer the elf as I push myself forward to enter the Inn, sitting at a tool on the bar and waiting for that sweet wine to come.

I was plannignt to relieve the pain of the man if there was nothing to do, but threating him didn't seem right to me. I wanted to him to have his last minutes in as much peace as possible but I was not sure I suceeded. He didn't even seemed to notice my hands on his cheeks, or his head on my lap. But it didn't matter. He gas gone now. 

I closed the eyes of the old man with my fingers and stood up putting carefully his head on the ground. As my people traditionally did, I took my right fist to my chest and bowed lightly to the old man.

- Laat de sterren je leiden. - I said in my own language before turning around and leaving the still warm corpse behind.

I gave a sweet smile to Sionnain, even if he could not see it hiding his face in the clothes of the bard.

- Maybe we should go inside. - I suggested to the bard, as well as to the kid, even if I was pretty sure that at that point Grimmel was the only one able to really listen to me.

The innkeeper had come out and he knew apparently who this man was, he even offered a glass of wine I was planning to reject politely. He had seen the whole thing, I was pretty sure, and yet he didn't do anything until the man was gone. Something didn't seem right to me. Or maybe it was just a cultural thing I couldn't understand.

- Shall we? - I repeated to the bard just shortly before I started walking into the Inn.

And after all those words, the old man breathed his last breath, without help. Baster stared at him with eyes bursting with exasperation.

Not a word about payment. What do you want in life? Well, to begin, I want to be paid as a reward for my efforts. Fucking old fool…

At least, he had appointed the innkeeper as executor of his will. And the elf, who had remained who knows how much time in silence, lurking in the shadows, had agreed to call the sons of the old man.

A couple of guards were nearing the premises, so Baster thought wise to accept the innkeeper’s invitation. Her sleep was already ruined, anyway, so she could just listen and maybe something worthwhile would come from all that.  

The boy feels relieve when the old man talks again, with his head in the right place, but he stays gripping to Grimmel's clothes until the owner of Inn talks. He thinks inevitably about the man's question. -What do you really want in your life? - The voice of the old man sounds in the little mind, looking for an answer. - I want to live adventures, become a great person as Grimmel, see all the world... - Maybe too much, and very innocents dreams, but he's eleven and all the world seems him enough little to be explored.  

Sionnain looks sideways and he makes an effort to return the smile to Elaria without get it entirely. The kid is still affected and he tries don't look to the corpse in spite of the curiosity which torments him. 

Finally, he looks up, searching for the eyes of his mentor, and he talks with his sweet voice flickering. - C-come we into the inn? - Asks, hopeful. He doesn't want to stay more time in that sad street. But less he wants to distance of the bard.

There is not much you can do now for the old dead man. And there is nothing much to do outside right now either but answering the inquires of the Night Watch, for which none of you really fancy about right now. So you decide to accept the elf's invitation and head back to the inn.

After you Gonore steps inside and heads towards the bar. One of the doors at ground level opens shyly and the two maidens from yesterday's dinner stick out slowly. Gonore gestures with one hand and the two girls come to his side quickly. He instructs something in low voice and both girls rush out of the building through the main door, closing it after them.

Then the elf starts producing glasses from a shelf while you take seats around the closest table to the bar, a round big central table for about ten people.

- I have sent Wisa to Thileon's sons. She will be able to bring them here shortly. Then Olsa is to explain what happened to the Night Watch. - he raises his head from the sweet wine he is serving to the battery of glasses on the bar and looks at you with a cunning smile - I guessed none of you, being foreigners, were really interested in having to explain to the local authorities why were you surrounding a dead murdered body in the middle of the night, were you? -

He puts the glasses on a tray and joins you at the table.

There is a glass of wine for all of you, including the little boy, and two bottles remain at the tray ready to be served if needed¹.

- So - he says leaning back in his chair while holding his cup of wine. - What will it be? - he asks raising his eyebrows. - Will you do as good old Thileon asked you for? -

Dalfgan walks inside the inn, but remains a bit out of the other, apparently reciting a prayer to the gods. Or maybe it's something else, it's hard to tell.

Sionnain walks inside the inn and he sits near to Grimmel. He dedicates a glance to a glass of wine in front him, but the words of Gonore claim his attention and he listens to him silently, with the eyes more opened.

The girl, for she was just a couple years beyond her teens, despite her size, sat down on one of the chairs and left her weapons at arm’s length.

The elf was right. She’d rather leave the night watch to the bar wench and drink some wine instead. And learn about the old fool and his request.

While they were waiting, though, the innkeeper bluntly asked if they were going to comply with the old man dying wishes. Baster couldn’t give an answer yet, but she had questions of her own.

Just who the hell was him? she asked. His name may ring bells round these parts, but we’re foreigners, as you said. At least, she corrected herself, I am.

And what are those “screeches” he was going on about? Never heard of them.

I wish it involves monsters… yeah, right, like that’s gonna happen.

When the little Sionnain asked to return to the inn, Grimmel could but complain. To be honest, he also needed some place quiet to rest and did not need at all the Watch asking questions.

His mind was a million worlds away when he was offered a glass of wine that, nevertheless he managed to accept and sip absently.

I came into the inn and sat in one of the chairs, letting a long sigh come out my mouth. What a great way to start in this city, with a dead man in my arms. But well, there was nothing else to do. 

To anyone looking at me it was clear my change. My face was no more sad and serious, but it was more the face of a young girl  who just woke up after a nice night of sleep (eventhugh that was not true). Yeah, the man was dead, right, and while he was still alive I wanted to comfort him, but now he was gone and I was still here. Moan for someone I didn't even know was stupid, and I had already paid my respect to him. Case closed.

I didn¡t accept the wine from the innkeeper. If he would have been making us pay I would have said he could just thought about his business, but since he seemed to be so... generous, I could just think that he wanted us drunk. And today I had enough with the dinner. Didn't want to have hangover or unsharpen my senses. 

Kholer came into the inn again. He was pale, never made to see somebody dying.

He paid atention to Gonore's words with a serious look.

I shall do it. I'try my best to see the Scriptures in the hands of old Thileon's sons. Please, tell me more about the matter.

I look at the elf as he spokes, trying to figure out what his actual intentions are. Why is he giving us free wine? And why was the Night Watch not there when the attack and the events that followed happened and they then appeared out of nowhere?

I take the glass of wine to my lips and pretend to have a sip, but I actually don't drink any of the liquid in it. I shall keep my mind clear until we know what is really going on here. I open my mouth to ask a question but then one of the cloaked men does it in my place, so I just position myself to listen to each snd every single word.