A hooded figure entered through the door, tall and dressed in a heavy dark leather jacket that reached down to his knees. His figure mixed with the darkness and rain of that moonless night, which could be seen behind him, gave him a spectral and unsettling appearance. Many in the tavern, including Ibrer and the merchants, couldn't help but feel a shiver down their spine when the hooded individual, macabre as death, took a few steps into the tavern accompanied by the sound of his heavy wet boots echoing in the silence that had formed. Then the figure turned around, closed the door behind him, opened his jacket and took off his hood. All the tension that had formed in the tavern disappeared when from under the hood appeared the face of a young boy who looked to be no more than a few years older than Hir. His hair was thick and black as pitch with eyes of a dark blue color that lightened towards the pupil and skin as pale as snow. Another feature that immediately caught the eye was a scar on his left cheek that ran from his jaw to his jugular. From under his jacket, one could now see a sturdy looking leather armor with obvious signs of wear due to its probable prolonged use. In many places metal rivets and rough stitches were visible suggesting that the garment had been damaged and then roughly repaired several times.
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His pants were made of a fabric that appeared thick and sturdy, but also had several patches and stitches. His boots were dark brown leather with metal reinforcements at the toe and heel.
On his shoulders was a large travel backpack, made of a brown fabric that was also worn and had several patches.
Finally, on his left side, attached to his belt were two objects that caught the attention of many in the tavern. Hanging from a holster was a curved sword, apparently a saber. The handle was pearly white, suggesting it was made from the bone of a large animal or ivory. The guard was curved to form an "S" and made of a silvery metal, with a shiny black oval stone set in the center.
The second object, this one hanging from his belt by a metal ring, was a simple one-handed axe, which seemed almost disfigured compared to the other weapon that showed much higher craftsmanship, but to a more attentive eye it proved to be just as special, with various symbols and designs engraved on the entire head of the axe.
The people in the tavern quickly lost interest in the boy, who without saying a word nodded to Ibrer and headed towards the first free table, which was right next to the three merchants. After sitting down and placing some of his belongings on the table, he opened his large backpack from which he pulled out a thick leather diary, from which various sheets and parchments seemed to overflow from the edges, and a roll of parchment that he unrolled on the table revealing a map drawn inside.
"Master Borgelm, do you think he might be some kind of explorer?" asked Hir, trying to discreetly observe the newcomer.
"That, young Hir, could prove to be the solution to our current problems," replied the old merchant as he too observed the boy. Although his interest was not focused on the young traveler himself or even on his map, but rather on something else that had been placed on that table.
"You're talking about the sword, aren't you?" asked Ren of his colleague. Years of working together had enabled the two men to understand each other with just a few glances or gestures, in addition to the fact that the object had immediately caught his interest, having immediately hypothesized the true nature of the weapon like his colleague.
"What's so special about that sword?" asked Hir, not understanding what the two merchants meant.
"Young Hir, let's see if you've studied some of the tomes that I gave you. Can you tell me what kind of sword it is?" asked the master merchant of his pupil.
Panicked by the question and not wanting to disappoint his master, Hir immediately began to observe the weapon again, taking advantage of the fact that its owner was too busy consulting his map and writing notes in his diary to notice him.
"Let's see... Curved blade... S-shaped guard... I think it's a sword from the free cities of the Bij' Asfar desert, a shamshir or lion's claw if I remember correctly," replied Hir to his master scrutinizing his face for any sign that would let him know if he had answered correctly or not.
Borgelm smiled at his pupil nodding.
"You remember well young Hir. The sword is undoubtedly a shamshir, but you have ignored some fundamental details. You see Hir, if it were just a shamshir, despite the curiosity of seeing such an object in this part of the world, it would not have been such a noteworthy element. But this is not the case, do you see the handle and guard?" asked the man of his young apprentice pointing furtively at the object.
"The handle is made of ivory and I'm pretty sure the stone set in the guard is a fragment of a Sangsiyah, a sacred stone said to have fallen from the stars into the sacred valley of the Bij' Asfar desert. These two elements could indicate that it is not a simple saber but a sham-moqaddas, a Sacred Fang," said Hir.
"Sacred Fang?" asked Hir.
"Sacred Fangs are exceptional weapons, given by sultans to their most capable warriors as a gift for feats accomplished in war. If that sword belonged to him, then we may have found our armed escort," revealed Borgelm with a smile on his face.
"I must say it's quite strange to find a warrior from Bij' Asfar in these lands, besides the fact that his features and clothes do not belong to the same type worn by the desert people..." added Ren, curious about the young man's appearance, who seemed to come more from the rocky coasts of the north than from the hot desert.
"You're right my friend, I agree that it's quite a bizarre combination. But if we want to be sure, there's only one thing to do!" With this exclamation Borgelm stood up and headed towards the table of the mysterious traveler under the surprised gaze of his two travel companions.
Meanwhile, the young traveler had long realized that he and his sword were the center of discussion at the table of the three merchants. But he had decided to ignore them for the moment, choosing to focus on his map, which showed the northern coasts of the Redcia peninsula with several coastal cities marked with an "X" from north to south, with Liverne, Chipton and the small village of Chawcesbume as the last names remaining on the map. The boy heard someone approaching and when he looked up, he saw the oldest of the three merchants standing in front of him with a wide smile on his face introducing himself to the boy.
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"Good evening traveler, my name is Borgelm Lue, merchant of the Great Canal Company. May I ask your name?" he asked, offering his hand.
"James..." replied the traveler simply, shaking his hand. Borgelm then noticed how James' hand was adorned with various scars and the presence of thick calluses, indicating manual labor repeated for a long time. A past as a soldier the merchant hoped.
"Pleased to meet you James, you see me and my companions..." he said pointing to the other two merchants.
"...were wondering if you would like to sit at our table. We arrived in town this morning and we would be happy to have a chat with another traveler. What do you say?"
James turned to the merchant's table where Ren nodded in greeting while Hir limited himself to a shy wave of his hand.
"I guess it's less depressing than eating alone..." James muttered to himself before turning back to Borgelm.
"I gladly accept your invitation Mr. Lue," replied the boy to the merchant with a slight smile, then began to gather his belongings.
"Great! And please don't be so formal, just call me Borgelm." With that the two men joined the table where the other two merchants introduced themselves to James. It wasn't long before food arrived at the table and the four travelers began to eat and drink heartily.
"Tell me James, we saw you consulting a map, are you looking for a particular place?" asked Ren of the boy after swallowing a spoonful of his fish soup.
James nodded before answering.
"Yes, but it's not on the map. I'm looking for someone with a ship willing to take me there."
"And tell me, that sword... I believe you know it's quite a unique piece," said Borgelm eyeing the weapon.
"I am aware of that, and it is not for sale," replied James coldly as his hand rested on the hilt of the sword.
"Wait, wait! As much as we would be very interested in the sword, that's not what we meant!" said Ren immediately noticing James' change of mood.
James relaxed his hand but still left it on the hilt of the weapon and gestured for the two merchants to continue.
Borgelm, seeing that the situation was calming down, continued to speak. He explained to James how they had arrived in the morning after their ship was hit by a sudden storm and how they were now forced to continue their journey to Chipton. Finally adding that they needed someone to protect them for the day's journey required to reach their destination.
"So that's why you asked me about the sword, you wanted to know if it was mine and in case try to hire me as an escort," clarified James, more relaxed after hearing the whole story.
"Exactly!" replied Borgelm.
James reflected in silence for a few moments.
"I can't promise you anything. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the port to look for a ship willing to take me to my destination. If I don't find anything, then I can be your escort. After all, in Chipton I might find what I'm looking for," replied the boy to the merchants.
"Mr. James, if I may ask, what is the place you are looking for?" asked Hir timidly of the traveler.
"I am looking for the City of Towers, and I am sure it is in these seas," replied James without hesitation.
Hir's eyes lit up, while the two merchants made a face, not believing that someone could still be in search of the mythical city.
Seeing James confused by their reactions, but above all by Hir's, Borgelm began to tell the traveler everything they had told the innkeeper a few hours earlier. About Roxanna's horror, how Hir believed he had seen the Sea Witch and how sailors thought she was defending the city. James listened to the merchant's words even though he was already aware of most of them, and Hir's sighting of the witch only confirmed his ideas. This until Hir added one last detail.
"Not to mention that old Tobias says he knows someone who knows exactly where the city is and has seen it several times..."
At these words James immediately stood up and turned to the apprentice merchant.
"Tell me where this Tobias is, I need to talk to him right away!" James almost ordered the boy.
Hir could only be intimidated by James' stature. The moment the three merchants looked into his eyes they felt a shiver run down their entire body. Only now did they remember that the person in front of them was not a simple traveler, but a warrior so capable that one of the sultans of the free cities of Bij' Asfar, known for having among the most brutal and feared militias in the known world, had conferred upon him one of their greatest honors.
"Gulp... Yes... He's on the balcony, he's the old man with the pointed nose..." replied Hir frightened.
Realizing that his reaction had made his table companions uncomfortable, James calmed down, looking at the three embarrassed merchants from his reaction.
"Um... Excuse me, but I need to ask Tobias a few questions," James said before heading towards the balcony.
"Perhaps it would have been better to continue talking about the sword," Borgelm said, watching James walk away as the other two nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, James approached the counter briskly. If the information Hir had given him was true, this was the first real lead he had in almost a year. As he reached the counter, it didn't take long for James to spot the old man engaged in lively conversation with other fishermen while enjoying his drink.
"Excuse me, are you Tobias?" James asked, tapping the old man's shoulder.
"Eh... What the hell do you want, kid? Can't you see I'm trying to drink in peace?" the slightly intoxicated old man replied, a response that James completely ignored.
"I've been told that you know someone who knows the whereabouts of the City of Towers. I need to speak to them as soon as possible."
At these words, all the sailors around fell silent as Tobias scrutinized the traveler. Ibrer also focused on the young man, who still had his weapons hanging from his belt, placing his hand under the counter, ready to grab the spiked mace he kept hidden there in case James caused trouble.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Even if I did, why should I..." "I can pay!" James exclaimed, interrupting the old man.
At this point, Tobias locked eyes with James for several seconds before speaking again. "And what would you want from him if I told you where it is?"
"I need him to take me there... No, it's not necessary. He can just drop me off on a nearby skiff," the impassive young man replied, maintaining his gaze on the old man. The stare-down lasted for almost a minute before Tobias closed his eyes and sighed.
"Young people these days are getting crazier... Go to the Chipton port and ask for Elijah and tell him that i sent you."
At this point James thanked the old man and took a purse that he had attached to his belt, ready to pay the old man, but he refused to accept the money saying that it would be Elijah who would have to be paid.
James then returned to the merchants with a satisfied face and after sitting down in his place he turned to Borgelm.
"Tell me Borgelm, would that job as an escort still be available?"