“It’s a nice enough place,” said the slight dwarf as he and Uldex wandered down a cobblestone street that seemed to bisect the town along a north-south axis. “There’s got to be a pub around here somewhere… don’t pretend you couldn’t use a stout, you old wanderer you.”
Uldex looked at his small friend and shrugged his shoulders, “It’s been a while I’ll admit. I wouldn’t mind a drink. They’ll take our gold sure enough but keep your purse hidden. We don’t speak the language so don’t get yourself into any fights. We’re strangers,” with this he looked around as the people of the town went about their business without paying too much attention to the pair, “but it looks like they’re used to such like us around here. Nobody giving us the eye, so dwarves must be common folk. We’ll find a place to stay first and then a drink.”
“I wouldn’t mind a bath and a whore,” said the little dwarf and clapped Uldex on the back.
“Not necessarily in that order,” replied Uldex as his face broke into a wide grin.
“I’ll have the bath first. There,” said the small dwarf pointing to a placard with a bed on it and a feathered snake, “If that’s not an inn then my names not Carus Blackiron.”
“An inn for certain. The Feathered Snake perhaps,” speculated Uldex and strode over to the door. It swung open with an easy push and he walked inside the building with a couple of steady strides. Just inside the door and to his right was a long wooden counter, and a tall human with greasy black hair tied back behind his head waited behind it. The man turned his head to them and said something in a strange language.
“I don’t speak your lingo,” said Uldex and walked over to him. He put his hands together by his face and then tilted his head down on them. Then he made scrubbing motions along his body and finished his pantomime with a drinking motion and the universal glug, glug sound.
The man behind the counter smiled and said something unintelligible but gave a reassuring nod. He tried some other words, apparently in another language, but they still didn’t understand him. He then went through three or four more phrases each in different languages before he held up one finger and shouted out something to a back room.
Uldex looked over past a set of swinging doors across from them and saw a group of long tables with small lamps on them. The smell of chicken wafted from what must be a kitchen beyond, and he felt the saliva forming in his mouth. They’d eaten nothing but game for the last few weeks as they followed the moron Cleathelm; odd little rabbits that tasted funny and a variety of fruits and vegetables they found along the trail. A strange berry slightly poisoned them once but they’d avoided any mushrooms that looked dangerous and managed all right without a major crisis.
A moment later a smallish woman with a thick forehead and wide jaws that spoke of orc heritage came from the back room as she pulled a little medallion over her head, “Now then,” she said in a deep voice for a woman, “you’ll be wanting a room?”
“That’s right,” said Uldex and reached under his tunic for the small purse he kept there. His larger purse, filled with golden coins and gemstones, lay deep in his vest beyond easy reach. “At least one night and we’ll be wanting baths and whores if you keep those sorts here.”
“We have both,” said the woman with a smile. “Andreaus here speaks several dwarf tongues but you don’t speak the same?”
Uldex shrugged, “We’re from a ways off, travelers. You haven’t seen any other dwarves that don’t speak the local lingo by any chance?”
“I haven’t,” said the woman, “but I can ask around. We’ll weigh your silver if you don’t have coins of the realm.” She bent down under the counter and pulled out a little scale. “You’ll want to see that it’s zeroed out, we’re not cheats here at the Feathered Serpent.”
“Good enough,” said Uldex and pulled out a small handful of large silver coins. “We’ll want one room with two beds. Also, have you seen a tall dwarf, maybe traveling with a pretty halfling girl?”
“No,” said the woman without hesitation and shook her head while maintaining eye contact with Uldex. “You’re meeting friends then?”
“Something like that,” said Uldex as the woman took seven of his proffered coins and put them on the scale. It dipped down almost to the top of the counter. The woman looked surprised and took off three of the coins considerably lightening the load. “That’s enough for two nights, baths, food, and drink; you’ll have to pay separate for the whores, that’s between you and them. Your silver’s pure. Where do you do your mining if you don’t mind me asking?”
Carus gave Uldex a sidelong glance, the four silver coins wouldn’t even purchase a meal back in Craggen Steep. “North of here,” said Uldex with a smile. “We wanted to travel with as few coins as possible so we brought good silver. You said there are dwarves here in the south?”
“Oh yes,” said the woman with a nod of head, “There’s the Highhelm clan south of here near the Five Sisters. They’re the most prominent; iron merchants generally, but there are other clans as well. There’s a small enclave of them to the west.”
“The Five Sisters?” said Uldex knowing that Carus was giving him a look but keeping his attention focused on the woman.
“A group of five volcanoes right up against the Southern Sea,” she answered with a smile. “I’ve never been there myself but they say it’s the best iron in the world unless you believe those crazy legends.”
“What legends are those,” said Carus before Uldex could stop him.
“The Dwarven City of Gold, Craggen Steep,” said the woman.
Carus laughed out loud and Uldex put an elbow to his ribs, “We’ve heard of it,” said the scarred dwarf with a nod at his companion, “My friend here always laughs when people talk about that fairy tale land. Still, it’s a good story, right, Carus?”
Carus busied himself rubbing the sore spot in his ribs and gave Uldex a tight lipped little smile, “Right you are, my friend.”
“In any case,” said Uldex, “Whereabouts can we find our rooms? I can see the kitchen is over there but I’d like to get settled in, take that bath, have a beer or two, you do have dwarven stouts?”
“Oh yes,” said the woman. “We get dwarf traders in fairly frequently from the Five Sisters. I’m sure you’ll find there’s something on the menu to your taste.”
“How far a trip is it to the Five Sisters,” said Carus, apparently recovered from the damage to his ribs. “My friend and I might like to go visit our brothers from the south sometime.”
“The caravans come through a couple of times a year,” said the woman. “I think it takes them about a month or so, but traveling alone without wagons I’d imagine you could cut that time in half.”
“Good to know,” said Uldex, apparently still focused on the more mundane topic of the conversation. “Which way to the rooms?”
“I’ll take you up,” said the woman. “I can see about finding you one of the translator amulets. I’m surprised you’ve made it this far from your home without purchasing one. They’re quite useful for caravan traders, travelers, adventurers, or whatever.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Uldex and scratched at his beard. He suddenly felt dirty for the first time and a sensation of bugs crawling in his beard and hair suddenly made him squirm. “And the baths?”
“Downstairs, past the hallway there,” said the woman. “I’ll have them draw a couple up for you and your friend. We can mend your clothes as well but that’ll be another silver or two depending on how much work is required. We can tally up your expenses as you go and charge it up when you leave.”
“That sounds fine,” said Uldex as they followed the woman down a long corridor and passed a number of doors each neatly marked with strange lettering. “Oh, and what is the name of this town? Do the amulets let you read as well as understand?”
“You’re in the city of Relm in the kingdom of Shandoria,” said the woman with a smile. “Just in case you didn’t know that. As far as I know the amulets only work with sound but I’ve heard that there are more powerful ones for reading and writing. If you’re heading south the five volcanoes are up against the Southern Sea. If you’re a fisherman you might think about chartering a ship and heading out to sea. Most dwarves don’t much take to the water as I remember.”
“No fishing for me,” said Carus with a shake of his square head, “I’m not a swimmer, more a sinker as I recall when I fell into that stream chasing darklings.”
Uldex laughed, “No, not much of that where we’re from. Still, it’s something to consider.”
“Where are you from?” said the woman as she arrived at an oak door banded with a lighter pine and pushed it open to reveal a large room with two comfortable beds covered by thick blankets and soft sheets.
Carus’s eyes opened wide as he saw the room, “All this?”
“It’s not our best suite but it’s not bad,” said the woman as she laughed and gave the wood door a little smack with the palm of her hand. “We have good clean rooms here at the Feathered Serpent. You said you were from the north? I don’t know any dwarf realms up that way but I’m sure where there are mountains there must be dwarves.”
“It’s pretty far away,” said Uldex as Carus walked into the room and began to run his hand over the wooden dresser on the far wall. It was at least six feet high with half a dozen heavy drawers made entirely of wood. Even the handles were of the same material and Carus caressed them gently.
“I’ve never seen this much wood before,” he said while shaking his head. “I bet this is what the First Edos chamber is like.”
“Shut up, Carus,” said Uldex and smiled at the woman. “Call us when the baths are ready please.”
The woman nodded her head and left the room, closing the door behind her without a further word. Her hand went to the pure silver coins in her pocket and she smiled broadly. Hopefully they dwarves would be in town for a while before they headed south.
Uldex walked across the room in two quick strides and smacked Carus on the head, “Don’t be an idiot.”
“You’ve never seen this much wood before either, Uldex. So don’t go trying to pretend you aren’t impressed.”
“We just walked through a forest. What do you mean you’ve never seen so much wood?”
“I mean, all carved into doors and such,” said Carus with a shrug of his shoulders. “It doesn’t count when it’s just a tree.”
“Why wouldn’t that count?” asked Uldex and then immediately shook his head, “Never mind, just get ready for your bath and stop talking. I need to think. We need to keep out a watch for Cleathelm and Blaggard and there’s always the possibility that we’ll meet up with Milli and Dol. We are much closer to the Five Volcanoes than I could have hoped. That means all the others are likely nearby and they could be in this town, Relm, as well. We need to keep a low profile and that means not talking too much about where we’re from.”
The other dwarf stopped talking and began to unpack his gear into the wooden drawers, “Cleathelm’s too stupid to ask if there are any other dwarves around. Anyway, they have no reason to suspect that we’re following them, the same for Dol, Brogus, and Milli.
At that very moment downstairs, at the front desk, Milli, Dol, Petra, and Brogus stood in front of the woman asking about accommodations as she looked strangely at the silver coins they gave her.
“Is anything wrong,” said Milli with a little frown.
“No, nothing,” said the woman and looked first at Milli and then at Dol who wore a hood over his head as the apple growth seemed to be accelerating and the color of the little fruits brightening. “They’re just unusual looking coins is all. Where are you from?”
“The far north,” said Milli a pleasant smile returning to her face. “We’re just travelers in the region. You don’t know a place with five volcanoes nearby by any chance?”
The woman looked up with a startled expression on her face but then smiled broadly, “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” said Milli putting on her best smile and looking over to Dol, Brogus, and Petra. Even Dol looked up from under the hood he wore tightly over his head. “Can you give us directions or maybe even tell us how to hire a guide?”
“They’re not hard to find,” said the woman with a laugh. “Just head due south and you’ll get to the Southern Sea in a few weeks if you’re on foot and faster if you have horses. From there anyone can guide you to the Five Sisters.”
“Do you know anything about the people who live in that region,” said Dol as he pulled back his hood to reveal a wild forest of hair interspersed with noticeable little reddish tinted apples.
“Dol,” said Milli as her eyes opened wide. “It’s grown since yesterday and the apples are getting bigger!”
“What are you?” said the woman at the counter with her mouth agape, and she took a step back from the counter.
Dol looked up at her slowly and he glared through eyes narrowed to slits, “A dwarf,” he finally said and continued to stare at her.
“She didn’t mean anything, Dol,” said Milli noting the simmering rage and taking him by the arm.
“Then why did she say it,” said Dol putting his hand on the haft of his hammer and glaring at her. “People shouldn’t say things they don’t mean.”
The woman’s eyes were wide open now as she began to stammer out apologies, “I’m quite sorry, sir. I was just surprised by your appearance. You must admit that it is somewhat unusual. My apologies of course.”
“See, Dol,” interrupted Brogus as he put his hand on the shoulder of his friend. “It’s nothing, my friend. Let’s take a room and get some rest. We’re all a little cranky from such traveling about.”
“I won’t stay here,” said Dol as he spun around and walked out of the inn without a further word.
Petra shook her head and looked at Milli who in turn looked at Brogus. “I’m so sorry,” said Milli to the woman. “We’ve been traveling for a long time; he’s upset a lot lately.”
The woman nodded her head although her hands trembled and her face was quite white as she tried to wave it off with a little motion of her hands, “I understand. I didn’t mean anything, it’s just you don’t often see someone with apples growing in their hair.”
“He’s a little sensitive about them,” said Brogus with a deep chuckle.
“Can you recommend somewhere else for us to stay,” said Petra with a kindly smile as she patted the trembling woman on the hand.
An hour later the four travelers were in a room filled with wooden furniture and were admiring their accommodations. “I’ve never seen the like,” said Brogus, his hand running over the wooden bed frame. “Wood support, wood frame, wood dresser, wood handles, it’s richer than even a High Council member could afford and for less silver than I’d pay for a good stout in Craggen Steep.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t mention that place too often,” said Milli as she too admired the wooden fixtures around the room. “Petra’s and mine is even nicer.”
“Yeah,” said Brogus with a grin as he continued to move his hand over the wood grain. “Girls always get better rooms. It’s not fair.”
“We ladies of refinement need more space,” said Milli and let loose with a girlish giggle.
Dol sat in the corner and ran his fingers through his hair pulling out the occasional little red apple and tossing it into a waste bin, but he remained silent.
“Oh, Dol,” said Milli. “Stop moping around. We know you didn’t want to come to town but we’ve found out where the Five Volcanoes are and it’s only a couple of weeks of travel from here.”
“It’s probably shorter than that,” said Petra. “That woman at the first inn didn’t know about the quality of our horses.”
“That’s true,” said Milli smiling brightly. “See, Dol. Now we know exactly where to go and how long it’s going to take us. So coming to town saved us time. We’ll be there before you know it and your quest fulfilled.” She walked over to Dol and patted him on the shoulder.
He looked up at her with a glare for a moment, then his eyes suddenly softened, and he lowered his head so that his chin all but rested on his chest. “I don’t know what comes over me,” he said in a quiet voice. “I get so angry now and I can’t seem to make myself stop.”
“It’s okay, Dol,” said Milli and rubbed her hand along his shoulders. “We’re under a lot of strain and we’re getting close to the end of the quest. Once we finish then things will go back to normal. We’ll go back to Craggen Steep as heroes. Maybe we’ll meet up with Corancil and his messenger friend.”
“It’s not just the stress of the quest, Milli, you can’t or don’t want to understand,” said Dol in a snappish way and then he shook his head and smiled. “See, I just started to get angry again, for nothing, for no reason at all. For some reason I want to look at everything like it’s an insult.”
Everyone sat silently for a while before Petra broke the lull, “The sooner we get to the Five Sisters the better,” she said and walked over to give Dol a pat on the back. “The question we haven’t answered is what do we do afterwards?”
“If we’re alive,” interjected Brogus with a laugh.
“If we’re dead that question won’t concern us,” said Dol with a smile.
“See,” said Milli. “Maybe you do get angry more quickly but you tell jokes and smile too. You used to be a bit of a party poop, admit it.”
Dol shrugged his shoulders and glanced down at his blackened hand, the darkness now spread partially up his wrist and onto his arm, “I suppose it’s partially the strain of the quest. Once we finish maybe things will go back to normal.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Dol,” said Milli although she glanced at his discolored hand and arm. She thought about saying something but decided against it. “Only a couple of more weeks at the most. There’s nothing to stop us now.”
“But what about after?” repeated Petra looking over at the two dwarves and the halfling girl. “Milli, you say we head back to Craggen Steep but without the portals that could take years and years. We have plenty of gold to stay here in the south and settle.”
“There’s nothing much for us back at Craggen Steep,” said Brogus with a shrug. “I’m with Petra.”
Milli shook her head, “It would be different once we defeat Gazadum. We’d be heroes and things might change with Corancil and the invasion. The High Council might agree to allow dwarves to take part in the invasion. It would be a whole new world.”
“We’d be heroes here as well,” said Dol looking up with a light in his eyes. “With the hammer, people would follow me and with the northern invasion they’d need a leader.”
“What are you saying, Dol?” said Milli turning towards her companion. “What do you know about being a leader, a general of armies?”
Dol shrugged, “You have to start somewhere and people will follow me. Once I slay Gazadum I’ll be able to stake a claim. Why go back to Craggen Steep? Why join Corancil? We could create our own kingdom here in the south.”
Petra shrugged her shoulders, “He might be right, Milli. The north is years away for us.”
“But we promised to report back to the messenger,” said Milli with her hands on her hips. “A promise is a promise.”
“Isn’t an Apprenticeship Contract a promise,” said Brogus with a wan little smile. “We broke that, didn’t we?”
“That’s different,” said Milli but offered no explanation as to why.
“My mind is settled,” said Dol with a faraway look in his eyes. “You can do as you will. As I’ve said before it might be best to let me go on alone. It’s dangerous and if I succeed then we all benefit. If I die then you can continue on.”
“No, Dol,” said Milli defiantly putting her hands on her hips and turning to face him directly. “We’re together to the end, not matter what. We can talk about all this after we get to the Five Sisters or whatever they’re called.”
Back at the Feathered Serpent Cleathelm and Blaggard approached the desk only a few minutes after Dol and his friends left in a huff. The woman behind the counter spotted the dwarf with the strange look to him and immediately shook her head, “Don’t tell me, you’re looking for Five Volcanoes?”
Braggard stopped suddenly, his mouth opened wide, and Cleathelm looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face, “What do you mean?”
“Shut up,” said Blaggard and poked him in the side.
“Don’t poke me, miserable cur,” said Cleathelm and backhanded him across the jaw with a quick motion that sent the half-breed goblin reeling across the room where he stared at Cleathelm with lowered eyes and a grimace.
The woman behind the counter raised her eyebrows but remained silent.
“We need a room,” said Cleathelm and pulled out his purse and tossed a couple of large gold coins onto the counter.
The woman’s eyes opened wide as she stared at the coins before she regained her composure, “Let me put that on the scale,” she said and put the coins onto the little scale that remained on the counter from the previous guests. The scale immediately plummeted to the bottom of the counter with a thunk. “Is this real gold?”
“What other kind is there,” said Cleathelm with a sneer at the woman. “Haven’t seen the like before down here, eh?” He turned to Blaggard who still gazed at the dwarf with a snarl on his face. “Heathens and barbarians in the south. They don’t even know what real gold looks like.”
She shrugged her shoulders, took the coin in her mouth, bit down on it hard, and then looked at the slight indentation her teeth made in the surface. “It looks good enough. Those two should be enough to stay for tonight along with meals and any laundry needs. It’ll be extra for a bath,” she said wrinkling her nose at the smell emanating from the two visitors. “You’ve been on the trail for a while?”
“What business is it of yours?” said Cleathelm in a snarling tone of voice. “You have your gold, now show us our room.”
The woman nodded her head and pocketed the two large gold coins as she walked around the counter towards the stairwell leading up to the rooms, “I’m sorry about that, it was rather rude of me, please come along this way and I’ll take you to your rooms. Shall I call you when the baths are ready?”
The trio headed up the stairs and arrived at the room shortly thereafter. Cleathelm went in without a look back but the little half-goblin patted his jerkin for a moment, “Shoot, I forgot something. I’ve got to get my pack.”
“Whatever,” said Cleathelm and slumped down on the bed.
As Blaggard walked downstairs with the woman he waited until they were well away from the room, “We don’t even have packs, that idiot,” he said with a laugh and the woman gave him a quizzical look.
“He’s kind of an ass, isn’t he?” she said her hand drifting to her pocket where the two heavy coins rested.
“Kind of?” replied Blaggard.
“Mostly then,” said the woman.
“Completely,” replied Blaggard with a chuckle. “I’ll give him what he deserves one of these days soon.”
The woman smiled while nodding her head. “None of my business but if you dislike him so, why do you travel with him.”
“You saw his purse,” said Blaggard with a little tilt of his head.
“The Feathered Serpent is a reputable inn,” said the woman as she stopped short and looked at Blaggard through narrowed eyes. “I’ll have no murder in my rooms.”
“Nothing will happen to him as long as we stay here; you have my word,” said Blaggard. “But, you mentioned the five volcanoes without any prompting from us. Was there someone asking about them before we got here?”
“Yes, the Five Sisters is what they’re called around here,” said the woman with a shrug. “You’re the third group of strangers to come through today and all of them with dwarves that didn’t look like they were from around here. The first two groups asked about the volcanoes so I figured you must be interested as well.”
“Three groups, really?” said Blaggard. “One of them was a pretty halfling girl with two dwarves but who was the second?”
“A pretty little halfing and a dwarf, yes,” said the woman as they reached the downstairs portion of the inn and walked back to the long counter in front. “The third was something strange and there was an old woman with them.”
“Something strange?” asked Blaggard.
“He had bunches of little red apples in his hair and beard,” said the woman. “It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s him,” said Blaggard. “Bunches you say?”
“Oh yes,” replied the woman.
“And colored red, not green?” asked Blaggard.
The woman nodded her head as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Interesting,” said Blaggard with a slight frown, “And when did they come through?”
“Just a few minutes before you arrived,” said the woman as she glanced at the front door. “The apple-haired fellow got angry with me when I mentioned his… condition.”
“He got mad at you?” said Blaggard.
“Furious,” said the woman trembling with the memory of it.
“The one with the apples, not the shorter one with no apples?” said Blaggard scrunching up his face and touching his lower lip with his middle finger.
“I’d remember,” said the woman. “The one with apples and the look in his eyes was like fire. I was afraid he’d take a hand to me right then and there.”
“That’s quite interesting,” said Blaggard and tapped on his chin. “Did you notice his weapon?”
“The hammer,” said the woman. “Hard to miss it but I didn’t say anything about it. He was angry enough as it was before they left.”
“I’ve known Dol for years and he was always a calm, placid sort. Even in a scrap he wouldn’t scream or yell, just go about the business of beating you black and blue.”
“The others seemed a little startled by his behavior now that you mention it,” said the woman with a shrug. “I can see how he would get tired of people making fun of those apples. There were so many of them and quite red and ripe were some of them.”
“Red, your absolutely sure?” said Blaggard. “Not green and small?”
“No, not big like cider apples or anything but mostly red with a tint of green,” she replied.
Blaggard stood with his hands on his hips and said nothing for long enough that the woman felt compelled to speak, “Was there anything else?”
“What… no, wait, yes, the other group. Can you describe them, did they stay here?”
“They’re here,” said the woman. “Just upstairs down the hall from your room, but there are only two of them, one a rough looking fellow with a long scar down the right side of his face and a smaller dwarf as well,” said the woman. “Now, is there anything else?”
Blaggard’s eyes widened and he couldn’t help but make a startled intake of breath, “Uldex. Uldex here. He must have followed us somehow.”
“I didn’t get his name,” said the woman.
“Now, as to you and me. I know how much that gold Cleathelm gave you is worth down here,” said Blaggard with a little grin as he turned to face the woman. “I’ll get whatever I want as long as I’m here and we don’t have to let Cleathelm know a thing about it, right?”
The woman nodded, “That’s fair, what is it you’ll be wanting?”
“A bath, and girls, do you have goblins down here? Saucy girls with a bit of attitude?”
“Something can be arranged I’m certain. I’ll send the boy when your bath is drawn,” said the woman with a nod of her head.
Blaggard smiled and nodded his head, “Which room did you give to the dwarf with the scar?”
“Thirteen,” said the woman and began to busy herself behind the desk.
Blaggard quickly mounted the staircase and looked at the first door on the right only to see a strange unrecognizable squiggle on the door, “Well, damn,” he said. “How did she understand us if we don’t speak the language?” He walked down the hallway to the room and stopped in mid-stride trying to remember which one was his own. It was on the right, but how many doors down from where the stairwell came up? “Damn,” he said just as a young boy wearing a light colored jerkin with the picture of a feathered serpent on the breast came running up and down the corridor to a door just ahead of Blaggard. The boy knocked on the door and shouted out something in an unintelligible language.
A couple of seconds later Uldex’s head popped around the corner and Blaggard dodged backwards and towards the stairs with a quick motion. The dwarf glanced in that direction but then turned to the boy, “What was that?”
The boy replied in the same barbarian language and Uldex stared at him and wrinkled his nose. “I suppose it’s the bath. Come along, Carus,” he said with a look over his shoulder. “It’s time for our baths. You’ll want to clean yourself if they manage to find girls.”
Meanwhile, Blaggard listened to the one-sided conversation from around the corner and dashed into a small alcove a few seconds later when Uldex and Carus walked past. After waiting an appropriate length of time to make sure they didn’t double back he went back to where he thought his room was located, and after knocking on one wrong door managed to find a half-naked Cleathelm standing in front of a long mirror and admiring himself in it.
“Did you find whatever it was you lost?” said the dwarf as he turned to the left and right and examined his beard. “My beard is a mess. I’ll need half a dozen maids to get it all straightened out and I can’t imagine where I’ll find anyone with skill in braiding in this heathen land.”
Blaggard’s eyes drifted towards where Cleathelm had piled his clothes but he couldn’t make out the heavy bulge of the gold and gem filled purse and so turned back to the dwarf, “It’s no matter. You won’t be making an appearance before the High Council any time soon. After we kill Dol and his friends and take the Hammer of Fire it will take us years to get back to Craggen Steep.”
“It only took a few days from the portal to here,” said Clethelm rolling his eyes and shaking his head at the goblin, “so why should it take longer to get back, idiot?”
“Do you know how to use the portals without help from Corancil’s mages?” said Blaggard almost shaking his head in disbelief at the stupidity of his companion.
Silence greeted this proclamation, “That’s true,” said the dwarf after a prolonged pause. “That means I’ll have the Hammer of Fire for my own use for years,” he mused aloud. “I can make a name for myself so that when we do return to Craggen Steep they’ll have to appoint me to the High Council. If you continue to show me loyalty then I’ll consider taking you along with me as my chamber boy. What do you say to that my, little friend?”
“I would be honored,” said Blaggard just as a knock came at the door and a young boy’s voice shouted through in an unknown language. “That’ll be our bath,” went on the half-breed and began to strip off his travel worn clothes.
“You understand the lingo?” said Cleathelm and wandered over to the door to open it.
“What else could it be?” said Blaggard.
“How am I to know?” said Cleathelm, but the boy at the door blathered out something and distracted the dwarf. Blaggard finished stripping off his own clothes leaving only a pair of tattered shorts that barely covered his private parts. Seconds later the half-goblin walked out the door and followed the boy down the hall leaving Cleathelm standing at the door.
“Are you coming, Cleathelm, or do you want to sit in your own filth for a while yet,” said Blaggard with a glance over his shoulder.
Within a minute the two were led into a basement room filled with thick steam as several boys busied themselves pouring buckets of hot water into large tubs. The atmosphere was thick enough that it proved impossible to make out details about the other forms who rested up to their necks in heavy wood tubs filled with bubble and water.
Blaggard said nothing, although he narrowed his eyes and tried to penetrate the haze, but Cleathelm immediately sang out as he entered the water, “Ahh, now then Blaggard, not as good as back home but not all that bad either.”
The half-goblin, listening closely, heard an astonished gasp from one of the other tubs and immediately replied, “No, Cleathelm, not as good as home but not bad for a bunch of heathens.”