After we left The Bells, an unwelcoming drizzle started, and since we still had to spent some time until it was dark enough for fireflies to come out, Oris suggests we should visit a tea house. His whole life seems to just be talking and eating. Quite simple, but as long as he enjoys it, I will not complain. And since he said he invites us, I might enjoy it.
The Tea House he brought us into, is in the finer part of town, which I, quite truthfully, absolutely enjoy. We got seated and were promptly served some Oolong tea, something that is absolutely my taste. At least it is far more enjoyable than the coffee we got to drink earlier. I shall remember this place and, if the time comes, should thank the small Harengon for his recommendation.
And because he loves talking so much, Oris want all of us to talk about ourselves. A concept I am highly familiar with; mercenaries tend to talk a lot about themselves too, to get to know each other; but managed to dodge for the most part.
But still, the small one chatted away and told us about his home, the feywild, and his sister. Adorable.
Sett, the human, is part of something called the "Helveni", that I might have heard before, but I am not too sure. Since he is off age or something he has to travel for a year. Nothing better than to be all alone in the world.
Aggma is from somewhere I would only call hell. Some boring small village, that I forgot the name off, so of course she left and somehow managed to find herself in Tilley.
Then it was my turn, so I simply told them what I always tell people. I was born in Tilley, as far as I'm concerned, grew up in the orphanage, and by extension know Lady Trudgeon as a parental figure.
And finally the weird huntress. She actually seemed rather bland, or maybe it's just caution. I cannot judge her for that, given my own vague responses. But she works as a guard for the family of Lord Leopoldas Rumbutis. I am not surprised. His lordship is known to be a rather friendly fellow, so I might be able to get in contact with him.
Soon after I felt someone looking at me, and after turning my head, there they were. Jirunda. The being I am grateful for giving me my new powers. The being that promised me revenge. And somehow time did stop. Fascinating. They seemed to be really interested in the group I am traveling with right now and assures me, that they will be a great asset. They seemed really interested in Ratyn. Calling her useful and more capable than I give her credit for. I should look out for her. Oris instead, they called someone full of chaos. And I absolutely can picture that. And last they talked about Aggma. Smelling of trouble. And yes, I can wholeheartedly agree. But for now it is time to say goodbye, as they sip on my tea, emptying the cup. We say our goodbyes, and they vanish.
None of the others seemed to have realized anything. Only Sett saw my empty cup and decided to question me. Knowing how to not reveal any secrets, I simply told him I know some tricks. Oris wanted to know more, but he is afraid of Martha, so simply telling him I know it from her will probably stop him from probing any further.
But nonetheless, better not forget what Jirunda said. They're useful. And the one they were most interested in was Ratyn. I apologized for my earlier behaviour. With what I know from her, she will probably recognize the shift in my conduct and watch me more carefully now. Or she will just think I am someone not thinking about consequences. At least it will be easier to watch her behaviour around myself now.
After some other back and forth, we decided to go back to the orphanage and hand Lady Trudgeon the letters of acceptance from both the Kobold-Bard and the mages from the Bells. She was rather happy with how fast we manage to do that, and promptly had another task for us. Remembering the old times, whenever there was a fundraiser, she always was busy with planning, organizing and handling everything, that after the evening of the special day, she immediately fell asleep in her room. Seeing her now, I understand where all the fatigue comes from.
A merchant, Zachary Parsons, who was tasked with bringing a shipment of venison from Blind-by-the-sea to Tilley, has been overdue. And since we only have a little more than three days until the great event, we could help so much. She was even willing to lend us some horses, to reach Juniper Grove even faster. Ah, Juniper Grove. That small collection of houses by the road. Where Zachary would probably be right now.
We all agreed and on the same evening, decided to travel there. When we reached the place, Oris managed to talk to the makeshift guards, so we went to the inn, also called Juniper Grove. Once inside, the innkeeper seemed to know Sett, what a nice coincidence, that might or might not help us later on. She told us, that yes, Zachary was there, but left, quite suddenly, with his horse, leaving the cart with the shipment. According to her the cart was still fine, and she took care of it.
Curiously, I decided to follow Ratyn outside to where the cart was, looking for any sort of traces left, for why a merchant would abandon his wares. But nothing. Oris kept asking me, why a merchant would flee that fast. Either more money, or their life on the line. Those were the only two options. And my gut tells me it is the second one.
But with no further clues, it is better to start the search tomorrow morning, when there is light and we're all rested.
I had a few short minutes with Ratyn, the useful one, but I still have some questions regarding Aggma. By sharing a room with her, I might get the chance to ask them. But time ran out, and we went to sleep. There will always be a next time, or so I thought. But she was mumbling in her sleep, always repeating that one word, "Refos". Whatever that means.
Since there is no way to dodge a question like that while surrounded by other people, I asked her at breakfast. She told us she had a dream. And, to all our surprises, Ratyn told us she had a similar dream. Someone they know asked them to travel south.
Oris, who went outside, came back shortly after, and told us a bat called Greg told him, it saw Zachary going south and can probably get us there. I don't question Oris anymore. At least not for now.
We followed the bat to the south, until we reached some sort of forest. With the bat not being the best guide, Ratyn took a look around, and managed to find some tracks. I am a bit impressed, to be honest. But Jirunda is rarely wrong, so I tend to hold back any signs of admiration. With Ratyns help we follow the tracks of a horse, and finally reach its corpse, partly eaten by wolves, but not too old. So Zachary might still be alive, and we could even save him.
After looking around for a bit, the huntress points to a small cave entrance, assuring us, that Zachary is most likely going to be inside. She tried to go first, by very slowly wanting to check the cave out. And again, someone too cautious, only thinking about her own safety, like a fish over troubled water. That merchant could be inside there for a few days, the faster we get to him, the faster we can get him out. I stride forward, still cautious and quiet, but far more determined than the huntress.
And we found Zachary, deep inside the cave, dancing. While surrounded by some weird lights floating around. Good riddance, what is this place?