Chapter 5 - Year 1632, Day 2

"Gregor, tell me something. Isn't that guy over there looking unusual to you? I've never seen a peasant with that physiognomy around here." glares hard at the poor-looking human who eats alone at the table

"Hmpf! Take a look at his clothes; he appears to have dragged himself through dirt and leaves. I heard that several people went missing near the Jatar Kingdom's border. Since the news spread, the neighboring towns near there have become overcrowded with fleeing peasants." Gregor, the dwarf man, directs his half-eaten smoked drumstick at the lonely peasant with such ease that you'd think he's wielding a wand.

The other dwarf, Laton, leans across the table towards his pal, as if to reveal a secret. "Is that real? Could this peasant have come from one of the little villages located near the border? I'll tell you what... It's a long journey from there to here. It would take about a week even in a wagon. I can't believe someone survived walking all that way."

Gregor responds while chewing his food. "It's only a hunch, but he might be able to get here with the aid of a some trader visiting this city." He then swallows a couple of ale sips.

"It's difficult to believe that a Druj lent his hand. Their race is notorious for being a greedy lot who would steal everything from you while claiming it was a fair transaction. The worst part is that they make you believe it. That is why there are so many Druj traders... they are born to deceive others." Laton is staring at Gregor.

Gregor pauses his eating for a second, his pupils narrow as he recalls something, leans his drumstick on the plate, and says:

"Hmpf! In Agregar City, I was once deceived by one. On my way back from a job in the Dark Valley, I had several Felrofus limbs harvested and-"

Laton's back straightens in response to the surprising news. "You mean you fought a swarm of those giant insects by yourself? They always live in groups of 5 to 12. Battling two is difficult for me, but fighting a pack?"

Gregor lifts his short but powerful hands, gesticulating while holding the drumstick with his left.

"No, I was not alone... I had two pairs of hands with me at that time. We hardly made it alive. Anyway, I walk into this good-looking shop in the trade district, and the shopkeeper offers 50 copper coins for 8 limbs... do you hear me? Fifty copper coins!" In a rage, he smacks the wooden table with both hands. The mugs and the plates shook from the impact.

"Outrageos! Those worth a fortune in the Capital!" says Leton rising his voice suddenly as if in protest

"Hmph! That's what I've told h-" Gregor tries to say but stops when the peasant shoves the chair back that falls on the floor, producing enough noise to get their attention

"What the hell!" Laton says while raising from his chair, then looking at his friend, he continues

"Gregor..."

"Hmph! Wait here." The dwarf stands up and approaches the peasant.

"I-I-I'm sorry f-for this!" the lady behind the counter exclaims as she walks closer, preparing to strike the Summoner in the back. She comes to a halt as she sees Gregor. The dwarf picks up the collapsed chair and climbs on it straight in the Summoner's back, smacking him with the bottom of his fist and causing all the tables to treble as a result.

The potato is shot, and the Summoner collapses to his knees, then to his hands, tearing down to the floor.

"You good lad? You look like a tomato in the late summer. Ready to reap." he grins

The woman exhales with relief. The sweat on her temple was obvious as if she had just hopped in after being out in the heavy rain. Sweat soaked her garments and made her breast skin sightly exposed through the thin, cheap clothing.

"Thank you for your assistance... Gregor! He doesn't speak our language... please assist me in taking him upstairs to the second room on the right. He must be feeling very bad." she says, finding it hard to smile politely since noticing that the small dwarf's attention wasn't actually on her eyes

"Laton! Come help me take this lad upstairs.. I don't want to injure his toma-... his head by mistake!" He finally decides to say

The woman steps back slowly, her gaze fixed on the Summoner, then on the dwarf. "I'll be there too, in a second. I need to... talk with his dem— I mean, fetch him some fresh water! Yes, some fresh water!" She says this as she hastily returns behind the counter, picks up an empty water container, and walks toward the exit, clueless to the countless hungry glances at her wet clothes that are glued to her body.

"Aye!" Laton responds as he approaches Gregor, following his gaze.

"Hmph! Not bad. Not bad at all." Gregor notices the woman's curves as she rushes out.

Laton nods in agreement.

Outside the tavern, the woman was walking from one place to another, deeply in thought. The water recipient was in her left hand while her right was resting on her hip.

'What should I say?

Hey... you see, your master almost died because he choked with the food I made. No way! I'm going to get killed. I could have chopped the potatoes smaller or fed him something else instead... ugh...

But does the demon understands our language? I've never been so close to a devil. I can't believe I'm actually doing this. I might not be thinking clearly. ' She mustered all the bravery a lone woman could gather and proceeded beyond the tavern, towards the stables, where nearly no construction had been erected. There were only a few areas where grass and trees could grow freely, and this was one of them.

Fenrir slept in the shade of a tree. People were passing by and admiring the devil from afar on occasion. No one dared to approach. Nobody but a brave lady.

"A... ah... Hey! M-Mister demon?! I must inform you of something." She attempted to sound courteous, but she didn't approach any closer than ten metres.

Fenrir was lying peacefully, his head resting on his front legs, and merely indicated that he was listening by turning a lifted ear towards her.

"You see.. your master has-" she comes to a halt when Fenrir raises his head quickly, giving her his full attention.

She becomes alarmed and starts speaking extremely quickly, only telling the half-truth of the story "Your master got tired and went upstairs to sleep!" Her bravery ended there. She fled as if the demon was in her back, preparing to seize her between his huge fangs and swallow her alive. She could almost feel his breath in her wavery long hair, but when she looked back after dozens of swift steps, the demon didn't move from his resting place.

'Did I make it? Uh! I thought I was done for!

I have to make sure the Summoner doesn't hold me responsible for what happened in the tavern, somehow.' She paused for a while, wiping her sweaty cheeks and resting her hands on her knees.

In the room I was resting, the air was neither hot nor cold. The sheets smelled great, and the huge windows allowed the occasional wind to come inside. Outside the window, a huge tree cast a shadow, shielding the chamber from the hot air and foul odours typical of a populous and lively town.

The double bed was extremely comfortable, but the sickness that came after almost dying because of potato wasn't going to let me enjoy it.

"Aghh.. what a headache!" I barely manage to say through greeted teeth

Looking at the ceiling, I tried to relax... maybe even fall asleep, but the persistent sound of talks from downstairs sounded like they were occurring in my ears. Because of the anguish, my closed eyelids wet. Trying to redirect my attention, I began to hear a new sound; a rhythmic one that remembered me of a day when I was very young and wandering through Willow Forest with my brothers.

The sun's golden light was streaming through the leaves, causing them to shine greenish. The scent of grass and trees was carried by the feeble wind that managed to travel through the dense foliage.

We were just kids. Kids wielding sword sticks and looking for buried treasures mentioned in some of our father's bedtime stories. I was passing through the woods, staring up at the tree's height. As a result, I tripped on a pebble and collapsed, falling on my back. I stood there, staring at the blue sky that was barely visible through the branches and leaves.

It was that time when, not only did I see, but I gave all my focus to a woodpecker who was impatiently chipping in a tree to the left of me to find food.

'Yes, I recall those times. We were so ignorant and foolish.' I say as I embrace the reason why the sound seems so familiar

'When I think back on that precise moment, I wonder what was going through my thoughts as I stared at the woodpecker.' I was thinking about that precise event in my youth so intensely that the head discomfort subsided. But then I hear another voice in addition to the rhythmic sound, which disturbs my focus and makes me understand that the rhythmic sound is considerably closer than I originally anticipated.

"Oh yess! Please go deeper, please! Ah, yes! " a lady pleads moaning

Even though I couldn't comprehend what was being said, there was no mistaking after the moan came. The pain struck me again as I opened my eyes wide. With less intensity this time.

My face was turning bright crimson once more. This time, it wasn't due to choking on a potato. Even attempting to focus on something else was impossible, and it sounded like the moans were growing louder with each passing second until the sounds abruptly stopped.

As I was lying in the bed, I put my hands on my face, peering through my fingers at the light coming in through the window as the curtains swayed softly. My heart was pounding fast.

'I've never heard a lady make those sounds before.' I ponder

Through my fingers, I could see a certain area of the sheets rising, like a mountain from the deep water. I venture to glance under the sheet that covers me, but my movement is halted by three gentle knocks on my door, followed by a woman's voice. The voice resembled the woman whose eyes I met while eating.