The Big Friendly Fat Guy
October 18th, 2005 by Salem
Chapter 8 – “In sun and shadow, in city and town – In woods, in houses, with rain coming down – On horses, in boats, the game goes on – With the noise of a giggle and the grace of a fawn – The Gemini Twins come by my path foreseen “ They be HexBlade Masters, Salem and Selene” says a man in a corner of a tavern known as Bill’s Miller. The man could not be clearly seen for he was in shadow. It did not matter much, for the tavern was empty save for the bartender chopping fresh lemons and his seven year old daughter cleaning drinking glasses at a table. Soon they will be open for business again and the tavern will be full of people from other towns who will drink for many reasons. “They drink to drown their sorrow, they drink to celebrate their joyed “ until here again comes tomorrow, where the sad have jobs and the happy will be unemployed,” the man said as he wrote his words down on parchment already full of other poems.
“Daddy,” called the little girl, “I’m done. Can I please go see Carber?” “Go ahead Haiku. Be back by dinner.” The little girl quickly jumps from her chair and runs to the front door. As she makes her way outside, she runs into a woman dressed in black and a long coat. The little girl looks up and the woman looks down at her. “Sorry,” said the little girl as she continues past the woman and out onto the paved street. Christina with the GullBlade on her shoulder looking like a large parrot and Jarody holding sample food on sticks he had collected on his way there, watch the little girl pass them, Christina and Jarody follow Selene into the tavern. “We’re not open yet, but you can sit down until we’re ready,” said the very portly man behind the bar. Selene approaches the man, “We are looking for lodging.” “Well in that case, I can help you now,” said the Bartender as he gets up and walks from behind the bar. The man’s stomach seemed to come around before its owner making it looks as if it was leading the way.
“So, how many nights will this be and how many in your party?” asked the man as he made his way to a wall with cubby holes built into it. “I will pay you for a week. We do not know how long our business here will take,” said Selene as she followed the bartender / innkeeper, “We are going to need 2 rooms.” “Yes, one for me and Christina and the other for the twins,” said Jarody. “Three women will be staying in one room and the gentleman will have his own,” corrected Selene. “You here for the competition?” asked the innkeeper as he took a couple of keys from two separate cubby holes. “Competition?” asked Selene. “Yes, you know, The Tagi Challenge. Warriors from nearby towns gather at a trade city and hold their competition to find the best among them. This is the first time it will be held here. I was hoping to have no vacancies however most of the warriors prefer sleeping in their tents close to the field where it is being held,” said the man as he handed them the two keys. “You will be the only others to room here. A warrior from the Wet Lands is also staying here. That will be ć30 collons,” concluded the man. Selene reached into her pocket and pulled out a single paper currency, “I will give you ć100 and we can call that even.” “Wow! A hundred collons, I have a feeling this’ll be a good day. My name is Emhril but everyone here calls me the Big Friendly Fat Guy, if you guys ever need anything, just give me a call through the talking tubes in your rooms,” said Emhril as he turned and made his way back to the bar. “Well he was a real friendly guy for someone so big and fat,” said Jarody as they walked up the steps to their rooms. What I find strange is a warrior competition being held in town when we are looking for people to become masters for the 4 Blades,” says Selene. “Yes, I did find that odd,” said Jarody. Selene looks at Jarody strangely. “What?” said Jarody picking up his shoulders, “I’m not just saying that because you mentioned it!” “How will Salem find us?” asked Christina. “She has Rook with her. He was resting on Darkwind’s saddle. He can always find me. He will lead her to us.” informed Selene. As soon as the three were out of sight going up the steps, the man in shadow puts his parchment away and quickly leaves the bar.
Almost every stable was full, forcing Salem to go from one to another until she was able to find one with room for the horses. Close to the entrance was Darkwind and Skyclap in a stall of their own whinnying quietly to each other as if they were whispering about something. Across from them in a stall at the other side was Raptor who was sharing her stall with another female horse named Sassy who did not look to like Raptor much. Sassy could tell that Raptor was not normal. Raptor just stood in one spot and had a look of complete indifference. A person would mistake Raptor for a life size statue if it was not for her flowing hair and mane that danced in the wind. Syntax was still considered an adolescent by the stable owner and was placed in a stall way at the back with a pony named Tart. Syntax could not even see Raptor from where he was and he knew that Darkwind and Skyclap were talking about him. Salem was paying the Stable Keeper when she saw someone she knew walk up. “Zealot, fancy running into you here,” she says to him as she walks up. “Selene! What are you doing here?” asked Zealot. “I am Salem,” corrected Salem. “You humans look alike to me,” said Zealot. “What would bring a lizard man to a human trading town like this?” asked Salem. “I was about to ask you the same thing. Thought the Gemini Twin HexBlade Masters didn’t believe in competing in warrior contests,” said Zealot. “We do not. We are here on temple business,” said Salem as her and Zealot begin to walk from the stable down the street. Rook who was perched in the rafters of the stable took off and followed the 2. “Temple business? How serious is it?” asked Zealot. “We even have Death traveling with us,” said Salem. “Death?! You got your brother out of the swamp?!” said Zealot thinking how hard a thing like that would be to do. “He is not our real brother,” corrected Salem. “He is close to you two like a brother,” continues Zealot, “It would have to be a really big thing to get Death from his mysterious home. Anything I can help with?” “I really do not see how you can help. We are going to be traveling far from here and even visit Terra for information,” said Salem. “Damn, now I know that is big, to have Death with you and going to see Terra. Are you sure you don’t need my help? I graduated from the Temple of the Blades combat school with high honors and a master’s belt,” said Zealot. “I remember. You were so young and so determined to learn all you could about combat back then,” said Salem. “I’ve been to 46 other schools since then. A total of a hundred schools of combat in my head and body make me the most skilled warrior in this competition,” continues Zealot. “Tell me of this competition,” asked Salem. “It’s called the Tagi Challenge. Warriors compete for one million collons and the right to call themselves the master of warriors. If you and Selene aren’t competing, at least be there to cheer me on,” says Zealot. “Of course we will, Zealot. You were the best student that came through the temple. Too bad a Blade did not choose you. Did you succeed in making a Blade of your own?” asked Salem. “I couldn’t find any raw Blade metal but I made this,” says Zealot as he picks up the weapon at his side, “I call it The Blade of Defiance. Wait until you see this thing in action in the competition. I’m going to take a good look at the competition field. Hope to see you in the crowd.” “Good luck Zealot,” says Salem as she turns her attention up to Rook who had just landed on a nearby roof. “It is time we found your master,” says Salem to Rook.
Selene and Christina are in the bathroom taking a bath as Selene takes up a bucket of water and pours it on Christina’s soapy head. Jarody is outside the door of the bathroom trying to get a good look inside through the keyhole. Jarody almost got a good look at Selene as she stands to pour the water when he feels a tap on his back. Looking up he sees Salem standing next to him tapping her foot. “What are you doing Jarody?” asked Salem. “What? Jarody is out there?! Get away from the door Jarody, we are trying to take a bath,” yells Selene from inside the bathroom. “Do you not have anything better to do other than getting a cheap thrill?” asked Salem. “Yes, there is. I’m going down and getting drunk off my ass,” says Jarody as he pushes Salem aside and heads for the staircase. Later in the room after Salem joined them in the bath, the Blade Master women were getting ready to take Christina to the SaintBlade Cathedral in the center of town. “You know you do not have to go. You are free to do what ever you want now that we are away from the temple,” Says Salem. “Stop Salem, Christina has the right to attend mass at the SaintBlade Cathedral. Just because religion is not important to us, it is what she was raised in doing,” says Selene. “You guys do not believe in Gin and his creating power?” asked Christina. “It is not that we do not believe. We have been around long enough to know the truth. Most of the stuff you hear in mass is hearsay and interpretations of events that may or may not have happened,” said Salem. “Then why do you not try and tell people the truth?” asked Christina. “Because people who deeply and passionately believe in Gin and the stories would rather fight to the death until everyone else agrees with them, than listen to reason,” says Selene. “Oh, I ran into Zealot at the stables,” says Salem, “He is in town to compete in a warrior contest. I told him we would be there to cheer him on.” “Did he look well?” asked Selene. “As well as a lizard man can look,” answers Salem. “I still find it odd that a competition would be in town when we need warriors,” says Selene. “I would not question our good fortune. We are here and there are warriors here. What more do you want?” said an angry Salem.
The man who was in the bar is now walking past the buildings of the trade town. He is wearing dark leather pants with a matching jacket and a dirt brown woolen shirt with a large brimmed brown leather hat on his head hiding everything but his jaw line. The man walks with a limp on his left leg and a silver chain hangs from his belt almost scraping the ground and back up into his pocket. A golden pen is clipped to the outer pocket and rolls of parchment could be seen in the inner pockets. The boots were the only real color on the man with a mix of red and blue. The man leaves the buildings behind as he enters a field of tents. Rugged and very muscular people are passing between the tents. Almost every male and female warrior, mercenary, and soldier in the area had shown up to compete and most were posturing in hopes to intimidate the weaker ones as others drink beer and wine with others to get to know who they will be fighting. The tents were made of everything imaginable. From cloth, to animal pelts, to human skin. Some are flying the flags of the kingdom they are there to represent as others have the heads of their defeated enemies on spears and pikes. The man heads to the larger of the tents, made of a red cloth and was about the size of a farm home. The pirate flag was flying over the tent. The man walks up to it where a man stands guard at the tent’s entrance. “I am not here,” says the man to the guard. Without a word, the guard opens the flap to the tent’s entrance allowing the man to enter. The man takes his hat off as he walks through the entrance and finds himself in a large room lit with hundreds of candles. A man sits at an ornate desk on the far side of the tent as women wearing next to nothing watch the man walk past them. A quick count in his head tells him there have to be 16 of them around the room. He arrives at the man behind the desk who is writing something on parchment in blood red ink using a bone quill.
“They are here as I have foreseen,” he says to the man behind the desk. The man at the desk had on rich purple robes of silk with golden dragons printed on it and a helmet that covered the man’s head with a plate that hid his face but did not have any eye holes of any kind. “Good, Stanza, Very good,” said the man in the mask with a whisper of a voice even though it was loud enough for everyone in the tent to hear. Stanza could not figure out how his master could even see through the thick copper plate that covered his face. “Everything is coming along with good timing,” continued the mysterious man in the mask with the whispery voice, “They will try and recruit 4 of the warriors in the competition before leaving to the capital city of Boneham. That is when we will slip in one of our people. Our plan is going perfectly. Now go Stanza and see to it that they get a good seat for the events.” “I think not. I grow tired of spying for you. I tell you of things to come, not as they happen. Send out one of your women to spy. I am staying here,” said Stanza as he pounds his index figure on his master’s desk. “Hold,” says the master with a half hearted tone in his whisper like voice. The slicing sound of metal on metal can be heard as the man finds very long and sharp knives all around him. It happened so quickly, he did not have time to even question what his master meant by saying “Hold”. Fearing being cut if he moved an inch in any direction, he found it hard to see who was holding the knives, then he finally realized that each woman who was in the tent were now holding two knives each around him. “They are my protection. Now go and do what I ask or you will find one of these ladies standing on your body and your head hanging in her hand,” said the master. The knives disappeared just as fast as they appeared as the master waved his hand letting his female guards know it was time to let Stanza go. Stanza gives his master a nod of the head showing he will do as ordered and leaves the tent. As he lifts his hand to put his hat back on, the hat falls apart and is nothing more then confetti by the time it hits the ground. Stanza looks back as the women give him a smile with bloodlust in their eyes. The master turns from his desk and looks at a golden crown in a glass box.