Chapter 14: Isekai Life & Stressful Moment

When we returned to the Shire-Reeves’s office, there was quite a crowd. A group of sunken-cheeked and hollow-eyed villagers had gathered and stood, watching the building with uncertainty. A pair of the city watch’s guardsmen were protecting our wagon with spears, eyeing the crowd warily, so at least our wagon would be unmolested, though most of the real valuables were inside, safely locked in a cell.

As gently as I could, I began to shoulder my way through the crowd, begging pardons and excusing myself the whole way. I got partway through the crowd, when a bony hand seized my arm. I turned and saw a hollow-cheeked man, unnaturally aged by hunger, who seemed to stare past me.

“They took my boy, those goblins did,” he muttered, “‘Is name was ... is ... Karl. He’s a wagon wheel tall. A whole wagon wheel.” The man’s eyes started tearing up, and his grip on me got tighter. “He’s got chestnut hair, just like his mum. His mum...”

Slaves, women, meat, in gutteral goblin, came unbidden to my mind.

“Uh, yes, goodman,” I replied, gently trying to pry his fingers off my arm, “I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for your boy.”

I barely managed to extricate myself from the man, when a young, starved-looking woman with a prominent birthmark took his place. “My husband went hunting,” she said, in a pleading tone, although she didn’t ask anything, and just repeated, “My husband when hunting.”

After that, it was like a dam had burst. People surrounded me, reaching for me, trying to grasp my robes. “My mother...” said one, and then another shouted, “You have to find my baby!” “My friend! My friend!” The rest was lost in the babble of pleading voices. My heart thundered in my ears, and my breath came ragged and thin, like a hand was slowly tightening on my throat.

Slaves, women, meat.

“Can I have your attention please!”

All the voices stopped immediately to regard Raszil. The redheaded, pudgy gnome had managed to climb aboard the wagon, and now stood barely a head over the crowd, with his arms outstretched. Nonetheless, his voice rang through like a bell, and he seemed to have the crowd enraptured.

“We will do our utmost to try and find all the missing people of this village,” he continued, his voice somehow projecting the kind of confidence that assured that all would be set to right by a firm yet gentle authority.

“However, we can’t do our work so long as the rest of you aren’t doing yours,” he said, his tone suggesting a gentle chastisement, “Please, good people of Rhymer’s Cross, there are arrows to be fletched, walls to be mended, spear-hafts to be hardened over fire. Please, return to your duties, and allow the good mage Theodore and his companions to return to theirs.”

People all around me began murmuring their agreement, quietly releasing their hold on me, and Yua gave me a nudge towards the door, breaking the hold of what I suddenly realized was Raszil’s spell. We hurried along inside the office, while the crowd of hungry villagers murmured among each other about what Raszil had orated, and- very slowly- dispersing.

Once we were safely out of sight, I collapsed against a wall and gasped for air. I trembled uncontrollably. Even in the middle of battle, nothing quite like that had even happened to me. The people reaching for me, tugging at me...

I felt gentle hands grasp my shoulders, pulling me forward. Calliope’s scent filled my nostrils as she pulled me into a comforting hug. For a long, wordless, moment, we just stood there, her holding me while I trembled like a leaf in the wind.

“You scared me,” she said, softly and without a hint of accusation.

“Y-yeah...” was the only thing I could mutter in response.

“I can hear your heartbeat...” she said, “You seem so strong most of the time, so brilliant and cunning, but Katriana was right, your health...”

“Y-yeah, I guess.” I certainly didn’t expect to be suddenly and violently reminded of my low Constitution score. Dog was certainly not cutting me any slack just because I happened to have slightly higher HP, now, was he?

I heard someone clear their throat uncomfortably.

“Uh ... Greetings! I am Raszil, I understand your adventuring party is in need of my assistance.”

“Oh ... right. I’m Voss, a ... knight. I guess you already know Yua here. This is Moruca, another new recruit, I guess.”

“Charmed,” came a third, reedy old woman’s voice.

I tried to pull away from Calliope, but she held me fast and looked into my eyes. “Are you really ready to go, or do you need another minute?” Her gaze held no judgment or consternation, only concern.

My pulse had slowed down to normal, and the trembles had stopped, so I gave her a nod. Only then did she release me.

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that...” I looked around the room. The new voice belonged to a tough, wizened old knot of a woman, who resembled a gnarled old branch. She was clad in a plain woolen tunic and leggings, with leather armour strapped on over top, and while she had a bitter cast to her features, and one was clouded with cataracts, her once clear eye was bright and a aware. “Uh, I’m Theodore. I guess I’m sort of the leader around here.”

“Right,” Moruca replied, looking doubtfully at me.

Voss quickly explained. “When that Shire-Reeve was here, Calliope brought up getting volunteers from her guards to join us. The Reeve didn’t want anyone to go over, but Moruca stayed and told the Reeve to try and keep her from killing goblins.” He shrugged, “I don’t know how well she fights, but that was pretty badass.”

I recalled Estrid’s intimidating, no-bullshit presence. If this Moruca was able to beat her at her own game, well, at least we won’t be short on bad attitude. “Can you fight?” I asked, curiously, “I mean, I’ve known some pretty tough old buzzards at academy, but they had magic on their side. I’m not about to turn down free help, but...”

“Look, boy,” she sneered at me in response, “I’ve known these woods since I was a wee girl, I know every track and every river better than my poor departed mother’s face. I’m a better shot with one eye than most folks who shoot with two. All I want is to feather them goblins like fair day hens.”

By the look of some of the swollen joints on her hands, I had a little doubt about her shooting skill. At her age, she’d be at -3 Strength, -2 Dex, -1 Con due to aging effects ... but she would also be collecting bonuses to her Wisdom and Intelligence. So, assuming she was a top-notch archer when she was young, she’d still be decent-to-pretty-good now, but her tracking and woodscraft would be higher than ever, which was even more important.

“Alright, welcome aboard,” I said simply, “But we can’t be slowing down for you to keep up. You’ll have to pull your weight same as everyone else.”

“Boy, if I start to slow you down, you have my permission to leave me,” she replied, “I’m going to die out there with a weapon in my hand, not starving to death cowering behind some gods-be-damned wall.”