The water soothed your brow. "Your name is Landeth," said the man. "You're a mercenary."
"I am? I don't remember," you said.
"I know. This is what they told me to tell you. You need to go to the Fell Doom Tavern in Greyhawk City and ask for Thumb-on-Scales."
"What? Who are you?"
"I'm Finter. I'm a marsh-jigger, I get shrimp and other things out of the marsh. I told you this yesterday, and the day before. Your three friends you'd come to eventually."
That was the first thing you remember, and that was as many days ago as you have fingers and toes. You've been recovering, and now--now you have to go, or you'll eat Finter out of his house. A lone marsh-jigger doesn't get enough food to feed a big fellow like you. If you want to learn anything of your life--if you want to earn enough to replay Finter--you need to move on.
Your hands remember, though: they remembered how to swing that sword, and how to buckle the armor and arrange the underpadding to prevent chafing. They remember the feel of the leather, the jingle of the layers of segmenta lorica, the rhythm of the long march that conserves energy while eating up distance. Finter let you off at the shore nearest this shabby road, and you've walked since. Your friends--three of them: some kind of magic user, a barbarian, a little fellow--halfling or gnome, Finter didn't know which--left some coin to pay Finter. He gave it back to you.
"I don't steal," he said. "You came with it, and you leave with it. I only did what was right."
And then he waved from his skiff, his lanky body almost gold in the dawn sunshine and any parting words swallowed by the noise of the marsh. And you're on the road to Greyhawk City. The road has grown during the day, gathered gravel and stones, lost some of the weeds that had never been stepped on.
It's almost dark. You've had nothing to eat today but some shrimp jerky and rice and weeds rolled in a leaf. Ahead of you are some lights: one is a roadside inn; the other is a house, and a rude stable outside it.
Copyright 2000 - 2024 21 x 20 Media All rights reserved. This site is property of 21 x 20 Media
All Writing.Com images are copyrighted and may not be copied / modified in any way. All other brand names & trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Generated in 0.20 seconds at 4:27am on Nov 25, 2024 via server WEBX2.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
