FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Of Valor in Men

Chapter Five: Bounties

I sat there for a time, watching as the skies darkened, the rain grew heavier and the winds bellowed and whistled through the crooked narrow streets. Mug after mug of warm mild mead kept me awake for a time till the candles burnt down to the basins of their holders, the liquid wax snuffing them out eventually. Yoel wasn't comeing, no doubt he'd already frittered away back to his home in Briar's Harth. Once more I had let the chance to find answers slip through my fingers, three years of searching for that haggard bastard, the one who had killed my only child, my beloved Beatris.

It had been a night not to unlike this one back in Rigel, there'd been a knock at the door and a thin, starved looking man of no house or home. I'd welcomed him in, fed him, sheltered him, only to wake and find my child kidnapped. If only it had been that, but no the Church found what was left of my child but a week later, cannibalised. With only her silver locket remaining, the same one I now carried with me on my hunt for that ragged twigy man, she'd only been a child, just five years old.

For three years I'd begged the Church to let me lead the hunt, but every single time they said no, said it'd consume me, drive me down a dark path, but every time they turned me away my anger only grew, when all I wanted was answers. Pain and anger was all I felt these days, though upon setting foot here, back in my home sadness, truma, it was all amplified, all those horrible memories, all those bad things that happened.

Now I was just some errand boy for the Church, all I did was track down people the Church was interested in, mostly just relaying information from source to source and nothing more, I wasn't a Knight, not anymore. The last time I had done anything truly selfless and knightly was years ago, aiding in the march on Duskwood, an old disused fortress in the south west of Dragonholme. I was used up and old, but I wasn't going to stop hunting this one last target, this last mission.

That night wore on slowly, and I spent it mostly in silence, sitting there in the corner by a small fireplace, watching the rain outside, staring at her locket, thinking, remembering. My thoughts and turmoil were broken by cheer and roars, looking up I was surprised to see my Squire was the center of attention. He was running up quite the treasure trove through games of darts, he'd procured a pair of more pristine daggers, even a good pouch of coin. Though in the back of that onlooking crowd of cheering drunkards I did spot a shadier figure. The helm he wore, that cuirass, the make of his equipment, and the scroll of parchment he idly glimpsed through now and then told me all I needed.

A bounty hunter, a wandering knight of sorts, whose allegiance was to that of the Keeps, if one was here then he was hunting for someone, surely not me, the Church wouldn't go that far. It was the figure that said bounty hunter occasionally turned to talk with that had me curious. I watched as those two figures pushed through the crowd slowly toward me, though my brows would only raise as the second figure finally came into better light.

“Sawyer"? I found myself muttering in surprise, Thomas Sawyer, my old childhood friend, from those days long ago, he'd moved to the lowlands of Mirodel last I saw, his parents concerned for their safety.

“Roderic, I never thought I'd ever see you again"! He explained in wiley joy, he'd weathered a bit over all these years but is pelt still held its vibrant autumn orange hue. Sawyer was a Velkenfolk, basically a talking woodland animal that stood upright like a man, they hailed from E'Veldan, which was within the Advent Soverignty.

“I… I thought you… I'm glad to see you again Sawyer, it's been...too long" I said after taking a breath and letting out a sigh. Sawyer climbed up into a spare seat, he only stood a mere five foot tall, about average for Velkenfolk who took after foxes. Though I was surprised to see him clad in light fitting scaled armor, a few thicker steel plates on the chest and shoulder with leather grieves and gloves.

“Hahaha, It has been a while hasn't it… how've you been, I see you're a knight now, i see at least one of us found our dream come true" he said with a chuckle, of all the things to change his voice wasn't one of them, it had always been the perfect mix of charismatic and daring.

“Tis...a husk of a former dream, nothing more…" I muttered in response as my eyes fell on that tiny silver locket in my hands once more, another loud cheering roar from the barflies as my Squire won yet another game of darts.

“...So, what brings you back home hey Roddy"? Sawyer asked me, drawing my sullen eyes back up, thought not to meet his own but rather to watch his taller companion, the bounty hunter; though presumably they were both of the same profession.

“I was hunting down a murderer, a cannibal, I was supposed to meet Yoel here, he had information on the man I seek but...he hasn't shown up yet." I responded, sighing once more and leaning back in the heavy oak chair, staring once more out the stained glass window.

“Guess no one told you he's dead huh…spirit festival sacrifice, willing of course...guess he really wanted to see his father again, wonder if he's playing bobstones with Hamlet in Deepnest…" the fox answered, sighing as well as he fiddled with a small sickle sheathed on his belt, a small man catcher by the looks of things.

“...I hope so, Didn't know there was Deamen festivals here in Dragonholme…" I muttered, my eyes trailing along the glass following the drops as they weaved there way down the window, I didn't know much about the spirit festival, only that it was randy and wild.

“So, murderer huh, got any info on him, me and Cyle here might know something"? Sawyer said, tilting his head a bit, perking up some, shrugging off that little tidbit of information, though he'd probably dealt with that already in his own way.

“Sadly not, bald, male about 5'7, thin, grey eyes, that's all…" I replied, feeling a little bit saddened now, though also happy, Yoel had lost his father at a young age to fever, he'd wanted nothing more then to meet the man who'd made him, in a way it was cheerful, if morbid.

“Hmmmm, maybe Baron would know something, he oversees all the incoming bounty notifications for all of Dragonholme, besides we're due back up at the Grand Keep anyways, just gotta pick up the bounty were working right now if you wana tag along" Sawyer said, smiling and shrugging casually, I let out another sigh as I stared up at the ceiling for a moment. The Grand Keep, one of the Nine Keeps, fortresses owned by the Healing Hand, devoted to a number of things, training Riders, housing Dragons, teaching the ways of the ancient Knights, devines, even bounty hunters.

“Hm, sounds like a solid idea, very well I'll join you, who is your current target anyways"? I asked, straightening in my seat and finishing off the last of the mead in my mug.

“Lizard boy over there, someone wants him dead, five hundred gold Sou, major payday, gona hit him up as soon as he leaves easy mark" Sawyer said, jerking a thumb at my Squire, needless to say that rose my brow.

“Ahem and just who is wanting my Squire dead exactly"? I questioned as I stashed my Daughters locket away safely and brought the fingers of my gauntlets to mesh together before me.

“Wait, he's you're Squire, really...huh, I dunno who's paying the bounty, the bounty came through via Icarin messenger last week, said he was a royal fugitive, said he was responsible for the bombings in Siricuse…" Sawyer said, looking over at my Squire then back to his partner and shaking his head before returning his gaze to me.

“He isn't a royal fugitive, or a terrorist, though he does belong to the Nagan princes personal harem or some such… I was supposed to stay in Rigel and 'babysit' him till the Prince arrived, but I can't let this killer slip away…so I brought him with me" I responded, eyeing the Lizard myself for a bit, his inning streak had come to a respectful end, with him now counting coin and reward alike as the barflies dissipated.

“Guess that bounties off then, fuck killing him, the Prince will pay out the ass for his property back, hell we'll probably get some special reward, hehehe thank Frith" Sawyer said, rubbing his paws together with a cheeky looking smile of delight, Sawyer had never been one to back away from uncertainty opportunities.

“Praying to the Gods now aye Sawyer, you know the Prince would be more inclined to eat you then reward you" I muttered as my eyes grew heavy, it was near midnight, the full moons over head shining through cloud and rain.

“Hey, you keep faith with Targon, I keep faith with Frith, besides, on the list of shitty ways to go, being eaten by the Nagan Prince is better then most of the other shit that kills folk round here, hehe" he snickered hoping off his chair and stretching out, I stood and moved to follow him out of the tavern to whatever lodgings he and his friend had. A sharp whistle brought my Squire and his stash of loot in step behind me. Though now my head was filled with even more thoughts, even more questions, and I found myself doubting my statue as a Knight.