Cordoba Chronicles IV: Chapter 1

SHE had been everything to him, and now she was gone. Thoughts of death and existence rolled about in his head. It had only been a few months since Sa-ren died fighting to retrieve the Grand Trident from the clutches of the exiled Elven Lord Ten-kai on the island of Jankenpon, and he was torn apart by grief. While he had friends to help him with his grief like Daphne, Ember, Jan and the great arch-mage Friday, he felt the best way to properly mourn his late wife was to get away from all that reminded him of her. Without any notice, Rashad left for parts unknown to do just that.

South was the direction he chose, yet he rode aimlessly. He would ride into the setting sun, watching how the last light of the day would play pink on the clouds as they followed the sun to the other side of the world. The miles peeled away and everything became a blur as he passed over hills and farmland. He kept his head down most of the time, pondering his life and what it meant up to this point.

He began to think about how he loved a machine.

How stupid that was. She wasn’t real.

He began to think how stupid his entire choice of profession was. Thinking about the job of an adventurer, Rashad began to think all adventurers were no more than troublemakers and thieves out for a thrill. It was their thrill-seeking that got Sa-ren killed. It was HIS stupid thrill seeking that got her killed.

The choices he made so many years in his parent’s home in Miniga and on the snowy slopes of the Kazin mountain range are why he’s here today. Rashad knew there would be a price to pay for his line of work: danger, violent deaths, imprisonment and maybe even starvation. He also knew there would be great rewards of money, fame and glory. If an adventurer was lucky, he could even make his place in the annals of history; the name would be passed from generation to generation in song and story to legend.

As Rashad looked at the Adventurer’s Guild medal as it plunked rhythmically against his breast, he wondered if this chunk of metal he wore around his neck was what it was all about. Was it all that he hoped for when he was young? he thought.  Was it worth the lives he ended to get it? Was it worth the money? Was it Sa-ren’s life?

Rashad grabbed the medallion and was about to rip it from his neck and throw it away when he noticed his surroundings. He was in the middle of what used to be a town. The buildings had begun to lean over, due to disrepair. The stones had great patches of moss on them, while the wood buildings had grown black with mold and were almost coated with moss. The carpet of moss gave the buildings a camouflaged look as they stuck out of the overgrown roads. The town boasted a grain silo, but it was moss-coated and had been out of use for some time. It stood sentinel as a reminder of the life that once filled this ghost town.

Rashad stuck his head into one of the houses saying, “Anyone here?” He knew no one was here, and the interior of the house confirmed that. Yet the inside looked as if it had been ransacked. Chairs had been overturned and dishes broken. There was evidence of a fire on what was the dinner table, but Rashad hesitated to go in further for fear of catching something from the black carpet of mold on a nearby chair. Rashad left the town just the way it was and headed south again, riding past a rotting wooden signpost in white paint with the name of that ruined town: Sumptor.

Rashad soon came upon another town, this one called Karmor’s Bend. This town was almost as dead as the last one, yet this one had one important feature: living people. He rode into town, tired and sore from the ride, his body screaming for a bed. He looked about and saw that there were few people on the street and not that much traffic. He rode up next to a passerby and asked where he could find lodging, only to be ignored by the black-hooded man. Rashad chose not to press the matter; he’d find it on his own.

There were houses in town that looked like they hadn’t been painted in years. The old coat was cracked in lines from exposure to the sun. The faces that peeked from the windows with wary eyes told him that this town wasn’t too keen on strangers. He decided to leave that part of town and headed over to the western part of the town. That’s when Rashad noticed that this town isn’t as unfriendly as he once thought.

In the town square, things were a lot different than its outskirts. There was a bar, some stores, a stable and an inn. There was even a building under construction, with men and Enigmen working on its frame. Even at this time of day, he saw a great deal of people at the bar. The only thing that mattered to him at this point was a bed. With that, Rashad made a beeline for the door to the Stonesthrow Inn. Promising to pay the innkeeper what he could when he got work, he unloaded his gear into a room and slumped into a dreamless sleep on the bed.

The next day, he was up and ready to see what this crappy town had to offer. First things first, he had to go and get a job to pay the innkeeper. He went to the man and asked him where there’s work. The innkeeper’s reply: “Go check the town square if you want work.”

Rashad took the advice and headed out to the town square and saw a large group of people milling about one of the stable’s outer walls. He headed over there to see what the commotion was. The wall was covered with job placements and advertisements for labor. This was gonna be easier than I thought, Rashad said to himself. He took a look at some of the jobs and began to frown as he read.

PORTER WANTED

PAY: 2 LOAVES BREAD / WEEK
APPLY AT: KEHLIN’S GENERAL STORE

SEAMSTRESS NEEDED
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
APPLY AT MOIRA’S LOOM HOUSE

CAN YOU DANCE?
COME TO THE EGRESS BAR
WHERE YOU CAN ESCAPE THE DAILY GRIND!
LOOKING FOR PRETTY YOUNG WOMEN

NO FAT CHICKS
PAY: 1 MEAL A DAY

ISO: STRONG BACK, EXPERIENCE WITH BUILDING MATERIALS.
PAY IS GOOD: WORK ALL DAY.
SEE FOREMAN AT LOCAL WORK SITE.
BLACK SPADE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

The people in this town barter. Great. He began to look over the jobs again and saw the Black Spade Construction Company ad. “Work all day” stood out in his mind. It’ll help me to keep my mind off my depression. “Pay is good” also came back to him. Rashad hoped live chickens weren’t considered good pay here. It’s better than nothing, he thought as he reached for the posted advertisement. As he pulled the ad off the wall, his elbow struck someone. “Hey watch it, man!”

“I’m sorry, miss—“ Rashad began as he turned to apologize.

A pair of furious gray-green eyes framed by a tanned face and tight curls stared back at him. These eyes belonged to a slender young maiden with a lithe body hidden by the folds of a white tunic that was partially masked by a blue cloak. The cloak was brought together at her left shoulder with a rectangular golden clasp, which the young woman held apart from her as she rubbed her collarbone. “Just be careful, sir. A little to the right and you would’ve taken my teeth out,” she said.

Rashad continued to stare. His gaze never strayed from the eyes of the young woman, even as she asked, “Are you alright, sir?”

Shaking himself free, he replied, “Yeah, I’m okay. Just got a little disoriented.”

“That happens to a lot of newcomers when I meet them,” the young woman countered with false modesty. “So, you a drone?” The puzzled look on Rashad’s face caused her to further explain, “Regular worker bee like the rest of these folks? Or are you just passing through?”

“Um, neither, really. I’m just trying to find some money to pay the innkeeper at the Stonesthrow Inn.”

“Well, I see you’ve chosen well,” the young woman said. She went on to explain how she’s the niece of the woman who owns the construction company. “Come with me; I’ll take you to meet the foreman. He’s real nice.” She took him by the hand and led him to he construction site.

Rashad was so busy wondering what this beautiful girl was all about that he didn’t notice two black-hooded men retreat at her approach, nor could he have seen her signal them with a mere glance.

CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 2