Chapter 1. Part 7.

The Bent Blades Company.

The next day, on the road, Mark meets a group of adventurers, the Bent Blades. They call themselves a company but there are now only 10 of them. They are a rough bunch that have obviously seen a lot of action. Mostly humans, there are also a few Dwarves and dog-people. No elves.

They treat Mark with respect, because he has top quality equipment and weapons, they assume he is from some noble family. A young lord looking for adventure. Nothing wrong with that.

However he is a bit nervous around them. The loud and aggressive way they talk, even when being friendly, reminds him a lot of the bullies at his old school.

Near evening, just before they stop to set up camp, they hear the sounds of a fight up ahead.

Kaldin – boss of the BB, quickly orders his men to advance in 2 groups. They move out, like they have done this a thousand times. Kaldin stays next to Mark and says “We will bring up the rear, because that is what leaders do.”

What they find is a wagon under attack by bandits.

The two wagon guards are now down, while the merchant has started begging. The merchant's wife however is still waving around a short sword, lots of fight left in her, but no chance of winning against six bandits.

“We have to help them.” Mark says as soon as he sees what is going on.

“Hang on. Let everyone get in position” Kaldin cautions him to wait.

Just after he says this, there is a quiet scuffling in the bushes off behind the wagon. The bandit who was hiding there, is killed by one of the BB. A few moments later a whistle gives the signal that all is ready. “Now you can rush to the rescue.” Kaldin says with a laugh.

Mark does exactly that. Rushing into the open and demanding the bandits drop their arms.
They seem confused by his sudden appearance, but in no mood to give up and surrender.

That was never really the Kaldin's plan anyhow.

From their positions surrounding the area, the BB archers start picking off bandits.

A few moments later the BB skirmishers, mostly Dwarves and dog-men, charge in to attack.

The fighting is brief and bloody. The BB men are efficient ruthless killers.

Mark of course has never killed anyone. Nor does he have to this time.

After drawing his sword and demanding the bandits surrender, he just stood there glaring at the bandit leader as everything happened around him, until some one stabbed the man. At which point Mark takes a step back and takes a proper look around, at the battle.

There is a gurgling and a thud, then all is quiet, for a few long seconds, before Kaldin exclaims “Well done everyone.” Then he pats Mark on the shoulder. “You too kid.”

The merchant thanks everyone a lot, babbling a mile a minute. Kaldin immediately talks business, asking for only a small reward now, and offering protection for the rest of the merchant's trip at a sizable rate. The rest of the BB drag the bandit corpses off to one side and loot the bodies.

They joke with Mark about the fight as they set up camp. He tries to act normal and hide how shaken he is by the whole thing. Appalled at how causally these men did the killing and then laugh about it. He is horrified when one of the Dwarves walks over with a bloody sack and says “Bandit chief's head. There may be a price on it.”

Mark is nearly sick. “What kind of people are there?” he asks himself.

That night he quietly casts a circle of warning around his tent, and sleeps with one eye open.

Time to Shine.

Next day, more travel. They expect to reach town before sunset. Not the capital yet, but rather the provincial trade town of Midval, A much larger place than the village Mark is familiar with. The BB company is a rough bunch and they like telling nasty jokes and stories, but they treat him well enough. Nevertheless he is nervous around them.

At noon, as the group eats lunch, Mark talks to the merchant, asking him a lot of questions about how he does business. Lunch is interrupted by attacking monster birds.

Mark has dealt with their kind before so he knows what to do. He takes charge of the defence.

He kills several himself and helps a few of the BB warriors. Displaying some magic in the fight.

Although he was not much help yesterday, he proves himself today.

“Im a monster hunter, not a man hunter.” he says after the fight.

“What will you do with the birds?” the merchant asks.

“You can have them, for a few gold pieces.” Mark answers.

Kaldin laughs about that “Got a good head on your shoulders kid.”

Note – coin value: 1 copper is 1$, 1 silver is 20$, 1 gold is 100$,

Mark overhears the following conversation between Kaldin and Sinthia.

The Best Blades have a mage, she is the only woman in the company. She acts as second in command. She is tough as nails and quick with a dagger. She was impressed with Marks spell casting in the fight. She gives Kaldin an evaluation of the kid. “He can do quick casting, that's a skill most mages only master after 30 years of practice. I knew his mana was high, but even after the battle it didnt seem to drop. Id guess he could cast spells like those all day long and not be exhausted. The kid is powerful.”
Kaldin just smiles and nods, “Best we keep him as a friend.” he concludes.

 

Note - It should not be clear if the BB are good or bad. There must be some lines to make us think they are not much better than bandits. But nothing in their actions will be evil. Mark's nervousness about them will not be resolved at this time.

They reach the town, just as the gates are closing for the night.

Kaldin invites Mark to drink with the company, after business with the merchant is settled. He politely refuses, saying “I want a real bed, Im tired of sleeping on the ground.” Which is exactly the sort of thing a noble would say, thus confirming everyone's guess about who he is.

“Good night and good luck young lord.” The BB say as they part ways with Mark. Who overhears Kaldin says to his lieutenant, “The kid is soft, but I think he will be a strong adventurer one day.” 

 

Touring the Town of Midval.

The village Mark had visited many times was a simple place, a few streets around a market, protected by a wooden wall. It had one of most kinds of shop. None of the fancy shops. No big public buildings or statues, no castle. Come to think of it, Mark had no idea who was the lord over that village.

This town was more classic medieval fantasy in style. High stone walls surrounded it and a castle stood at its heart. A large market square occupied the area right outside the castle gate, with shops lining the nearby streets. Mark had hired the Innkeeper's kid to act as his guide for the morning. So he got the 3 copper tour.

Unlike small villages, which often combined the adventurers guild hall with an Inn, this city had a dedicated building for the guild. Naturally Mark went to have a look. It was basically a tavern with a big notice board covering one wall. Very similar to the Inn at Ravensend. The difference was a small counter near the stair case, which clearly had nothing to do with bar service. The woman who sat there had the look of a long time civil servant. The look that says please dont bother me.

After lunch he visits a merchant to sell some of the items he brought with him from home. They are considered rare and valuable. Although he is no good at business, Mark is happy with the price he got.

More importantly he got a lot of info about how business works in this world.

The city is a local trade centre, not an international one, so exotic items are quite rare.

The Midval Merchant was Mervy Gambol. A short middle aged man with an impressive moustache. He was gruff and even insulting at times, but always honest. He does not hesitate to show favouritism to family and friends. However he will not overlook incompetence for long, even among family.

Mark notices several other races in town. They all seem to be treated the same. There is no slavery or open discrimination. However all the town guards do seem to be human, as do most shop owners.

He ask a few questions about all this to the girl at the cafe. She explains, “There is a clear hierarchy of races, even if discrimination is kept civil. Beast folk rarely hold any important jobs or high offices. Monsters like goblins & orcs are of course killed on sight.”

He spends two days in Midval, then moves on.

Fast forward to the Capital.

Mark walks a lot, camps at night, walks some more, stays at some other Inn, etc. No other interesting events. He wishes he had some one to share this experience with.

The capital is a big beautiful city, with lots of fancy buildings and walls. While a few places show their own style, most of it has a commonality, as if urban planning rules were set down in detail and followed. All the roofs were green. Most of them glazed tiles, more important buildings having copper tiles that weathered to be that unique metallic green.

In a lot of ways it seems more like 1700s Europe than medieval times. Mark cant help making comparisons to films like The Three Musketeers, because of how people dress and act here.

However there are no muskets in sight.