Chapter 2: To the Rescue! But first...

Some room in the back alleys of Shariz...

"So what do you want?" I say as the merchant closed the door behind him, but not before I saw him peak out and swing his head left to right, checking to see if anyone had followed. I just lean up against the wall nearest to me and take in the room. It was not spacious and looked like something a mid or low level merchant would rent. So either he wants me somewhere private to talk business or I just walked into an elaborate trap. With my luck...

"Shh...not so loud." The man, whose face was brown coloured so he's a local...if the gold-brown striped robes and cream white turban he's wearing is anything to go by, shushed me putting his finger on his lips to empathize. I simply nod and he continued. "You look like you can defend yourself very well."

"Enough with the flattery, old man." I grumbled, I hate it when people don't get to the point. Not since I was five, ever since then I tire quite easily of it. "Either get to it or I start poking you with the pointy end of this here sword...its got a nice set of rust on it and I'm sure you're bound to get tetanus. I hear its quite the bad way to go these days."

I want to laugh but I just can't...the look on his face is something I shouldn't be laughing at right now so I maintain a calm expression. I immediately apologize before he could scream "...bloody murder!" And he visibly relaxed though he kept his distance...somewhat wary of me. I don't blame him.

"Well you can definitely handle yourself with a weapon and you're confident in your abilities." The merchant began with a small stuuter, barely noticeable but I caught it, those training lessons with Yu is paying off. "I'll be honest, I need a man with your kind of skills. I'm willing to pay you but you're going to need some men in order to pull this job off."

I raise an eyebrow and eyed him questioningly, the look of confusion on my face very obvious, the merchant smiled just a little...unnoticeable but it was there.

"What job do you need me to do that requires more men?" I ask.

"Bandits kidnapped my younger brother and are demanding a ransom!" He told me, his eyes showing a spark of anger that I was all too familiar with. "I don't intend to pay a damn denar to those scum."

"Why not pay the ransom and be done with it?" I suggested but only received a glare for my contribution.

"I don't intend to pay the ransom but I'll pay you to rescue my idiot brother, whatever you find on the bandits you can keep to yourself."

"Very well." I nodded, I need the money and if I'm to survive in this land I better not be picky..."I just arrived here yesterday, I don't know the area or the land and people. Do you have a map or know someone who can act as guide?"

"Of course...I apologize for my lack of foresight. From your skin color I assumed you were a Sarranid hailing from Rhodok or the Khanates...wait here." The merchant left me in the room and disappeared behind a door. I walked around the room and took a seat on one of the chairs, sighing I let my mind wander off and for a brief moment I caught a glimpse of something from my dreams.

I was sitting in what appeared to be a carriage of some sort and I held in my hands a wheel made of leather and...perhaps metal? I look around and see there are similar carriages next to mine and I could hear the distinct sound of someone talking but it was an echo of the real thing.

Tall buildings of concrete and glass rose up on either side of the wide road and people wearing strange clothing and here and there I saw women wearing trousers! Trousers! Women wearing trousers! What is this?!

Then I saw myself move but I could feel nothing, I only hear andbsee but felt nothing. Then I happen to catch a reflection of myself and would have gasped if not for my strange situation. I looked remarkably different, not at all like myself. Perhaps this is some sort of trick.

"Hey Kevin!" I hear a voice, a female one, cheerily telling and waving at me, I think. The body I'm in moved towards the woman. If I could my jaw would have hung low as I saw the woman in question. She was a beautiful young brunette with emerald green eyes and fair skin, she would have been the envy of Swadia's female population. But what struck out at me was that she wore no trousers or long skirts but a ridiculously short skirt covering only half her upper thighs and left the rest of her legs bare for the world to see.

"Come on, Kevin, the party's about to start." She said frowning at whoever this Kevin fellow is but I saw my sight bobbing up and down. The woman led the way to somewhere but my vision became blurred and...

"Young man...hello?" I saw the merchant shaking me awake and I got up and checked my surrounding. I was still in the room but that dream was so vivid I swear I saw...dear gods, women wearing trousers! I prefer that other woman's attire...at least it was...enticing.

"Sorry. I must have nodded off at some point."

"Doesn't matter. Here is a map of the Sultanate. I couldn't find a map of Calradia but I'm sure there are some in the market, its a bit pricey but you'll be able to identify the lands and kingdoms you're in." He handed me a map, it was a leather binding scroll with pasted papyrus inside it. I'd put its price somewhere in the 800-900 coins range.

"By pricey, you mean it will cost me a lot more than what I have now?" I looked at him as he nodded and I sighed. "Will there be a guide, at least one that knows the lands beyond the Sultanate?"

"He is in the tavern. His name is Kasim Narani." He told me and I turned around but as I reached the dorr, I stopped. Looking back I say,

"How will I know which he is, if there are many tavern goers?"

"He's hard to miss." He smiled. I look at him questioningly and he smiled even wider. "He's bald, has a foul mouth, taller than most men and easily the scariest man alive...apart from you of course." He added nervously.

An hour later

It took me half an hour just to find the tavern. It was a big damned city of mortar white square and domed buildings and there were several taverns dotted around the eastern side where I and Yu took lodgings. So far I haven't found the right tavern yet, if I meet that merchant again...whose name I didn't catch...I will wring his neck and hang his tanned hide for the whole world to see.

At the aforementioned time I finally stumbled into the tavern and saw it was brimming with a rowdy and drunken crowd. Several wenches and barmaids served drinks of fermented grapes and cheap ale to the many souls who gathered here. But my eyes scanned the horizon looking for one person and gods on my honour I pity any man who angered this one.

Kasim, I assume he is and if I had to guess, was the man who stood about a head and a half taller than the rest of these tavern drunks. I myself am a good head taller than most of them but this man, this Kasim, in all his baldness and tall glory was a muscle bound hulk, his arms are twice as thick as mine and his voice was a deep mix of bass and baritone.

"...then I come in with my scimitar waving and I accidentally cut off one of the bandit's head!" The crowd surrounding Kasim broke into a laughing row and as the only non local the joke was lost on me.

I walked up to the small crowd and shoved aside a few drunks who complained in a drunken slur of swear words. A few stumbled and fell to the floor unconscious. Kasim, having noticed my approach, turned to face me with a guarded glare.

"Who are you?" He growled, the horrid smell of ale bathing overwhelming my olfactory senses and caused me to exhale sharply. His glare seemed to double when he saw my disgusted expression but I held my hands up in a non threatening gesture and spoke before things turned...sour.

"Peace, Kasim." I said.

"How do you know my name?!" The bald giant growled, a lot more angrier than he looked. I gulped slightly and explained.

"A mutual friend pointed you out." He was about to swing his fist when I added. "A merchant hired me to save his kidnapped brother from bandits."

For a moment he was silent and the room foolwed suit, there was a tense feeling between us before he broke into a smile and laughed. The tavern soon filled with song and drunken singing and chatter. Kasim was now more relaxed and laid back, he motioned for me to sit down and I did. He also took notice of the heraldry on my battered shield which I saw but he said nothing.

"Why did you not say that fucking bastard, Mossad, sent you?" Well I can tell he's really relaxed now and I only wish I could wash his mouth out with soap.

"I'm afraid I didn't ask for his name and he didn't give any." I admitted but he simply nodded and downed two tankards of ale...at the same time. Then he grabbed a flagon of wine and drained its content. I could do nothing but stare then snapped out of it.

"That's a fine wine right there." He sighed in satisfaction. "Keeps my fucked up liver satisfied and its the thing strong enough to fuck my addled head with shit for brains."

"..."

Kasim laughed at my silence and most likely odd expression and then asked, "So what can this old man do for you?"

"Old man?" I said incredulously, "you look no older than thirty!"

"Now how did you know that?" I hear him mutter.

"Despite the scars and weathered appearance, I can tell by the way you drink so much and your body that you are perhaps nearing your prime. Surely you are not over fifty."

"I have to say I'm impressed." Kasim grinned, he seemed to genuinely impressed with my explanation. "Not many can judge a man and guess what they are based on appearance alone. You are obviously keen eyed but not a match for my own."

"Of course...but what I'm here for is that I hear you're a guide." I tell him hoping to get to the point and not waste time idling. He looked at me from behind his seventh tankard and when he finished he nods and responded almost immediately.

"I am. However, I'm not looking to become a guide. I've been out of work recently and I think I can be of use to you and your fledgling warband." He leaned back in his seat and let me soak in that information.

"Am I to assume a warband is what I think it is?"

"Yes." He affirmed.

I thought about this for a moment then I asked, "Do you know how to manage a warband?"

"Yes I do but I will only be in an advisory role. You on the other hand can lead." He told me but I sense a little condescending tone mixed in with those words.

"I don't know how to lead men." I admitted but it was a lie of course.

"I can see it in your eyes. For a young lad you have killed your fair share of men and that means you have led men into fights. Don't try and lie. Your eyes tell a different story." Kasim narrowed his eyes at me and squirmed a little in my seat.

"Fine. So do I have your expertise or not?" I grumbled.

He looks at me and with a smile, he says, "You bet your noble fucking arse you do."

One thing I learned from this encounter, Kasim has two sides to him, the dead serious side and the foul mouthed joker and storyteller on the other. This is going to get interesting.

At the inn...

Yu was beside himself with worry and was about to head out in search of his young lord when he espied the lad walking in followed by a giant man. In all his years, Yu had never once been self conscious of his height, which is say two heads shorter than this hulking menace. His head was bare and very bald. His eyes like those of a predator and a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Why hello Sylfa, my milfing dear!" The giant bellowed cheerfully causing the innkeeper to blush bright red. Her eyes seemed to twinkle as the man rushed ahead of Dagen towards the counter, vaulting over it with such nimble moment it belied his large muscular stature. He was behind the counter in a blink and with his powerful arms swept the woman off her feet and whilst laughing maniacally, he absconded with the innkeeper towards the backroom. All the while the woman kept giggling like a teen.

"What on gods green earth just happened?" Yu said in disbelief as he watched the scene unfold. A patron of the inn on a nearby seat next to his table offered.

"That there was Kasim. He's the innkeeper's frequent lover." Yu could only nod as Dagen took his seat across from him.

"Before you give me the lecture, hear me out." Dagen said firmly his eyes locking with his Butler's.

Yu nodded.

"I was recently attacked, don't worry I killed the man, but then this shifty little merchant came out of nowhere and offered me a job." Dagen explained as slowly as he could, being a noble had suppressed his more immature and impatient side and now that he was a stranger with several opportunities, no matter how precarious or uncertain, are available, he has decided to form a warband...as Kasim had explained was a mercenary group.

For five minutes Dagen argued his points with his butler and for five minutes Yu countered and hopelessly lost on every one. "Fine." The old butler sighed, his nose bridged pinched between two fingers. "What do you intend to do with this warband you're forming?"

"Anything, really." Dagen smiled. "And that's the best part, as a mercenary band, we get to choose what jobs we take and whom we take them from. Now I know its a far cry from my father's and grandfather's glory days, but at least I'm leading men into battle and we get to loot our enemies of their I'll gotten belongings."

"For all of this you need mone." Yu pointed out.

"Don't worry about that. Kasim says the mean chant will pay handsomely for his brother's return and like I said, we can sell whatever we looted for more money." Was Dagen's counter.

Both men, young and aging, stared off but eventually Yu conceded just as they heard loud womanly yells of joy coming out from the backroom. Along with man's whooping and hollering of swear words.

"That reminds me." Yu began somewhat hesitant. "Who was that giant man?"

"Oh, Kasim?" Dagen grinned, his eyes dancing around, Yu knew this meant something mischievous was going through the boy's head. "He's our guide but now travelling companion."

"Travelling companion?"

"Yes. He's actually quite handy, and useful. He's a keen tracker and skilled blacksmith. We're going to need someone with that skillset. Don't you agree?"

"Of course, milord."

Dagen frowned at his butler who smugly smiled back at him. "Let's just go to the market. I need to stock up on provisions, our current stock won't last us three days where we're going."

"And where are we going?" The old man asked, just curious. His young charge is growing more mature every day so he better keep an eye on him and keep him from doing something he'd regret later.

"We're going to the nearby villages to seek out volunteers." Dagen supplied as he pulled out the map of the sultanate. He laid it on the table and pointed three nearby villages. The names were slightly faded and so it was difficult to make them out but Dagen assured his butler the map was up to date. "It might take a few days but luckily we have time...I think...and four days from now I'm sure I'll have a good number of men to mount a rescue."

"You'd better explain the plan in detail...this old man's hearing isn't quite what it used to be, you know." Dagen stared at Yu for a moment before he sighed and shook his head.

"Alright, here's the plan..."

"Darling...do come by again." The innkeeper cooed in Kasim's ear as he held her in his embrace. She looked into his eyes and both locked lips.

To Dagen it seemed a funny sight as the giant man, Kasim, lifted the still petite yet busty little form of the innkeeper who was a good two feet shorter than the man. His arms fully enveloped her body in a protective gesture. If Dagen wasn't as dense as he was about matters of the heart, he might have noticed the love spark between the two couple.

Yu on the hand saw this but paid no heed. He simply returned to checking his horse and saddles and other things whilst Dagen strapped on their food, camp equipment and other essentials to the two pack mules they had. A third horse, an old but sturdy warhorse, belonged to Kasim who strolled over to the two with a huge smile.

His usual gleeful mischievous swearing was absent as he thought back to the night previous. He had enjoyed himself and his heart ached that he was leaving so soon. Sylfa was the only woman he made love to, the others he just fucked as hard as he could and hoped they didn't get pregnant. He once impregnated a noblewoman and his bastard son had tried to kill him twenty years later. That was two years ago.

"Kasim you ready?"

The giant Sarranid looked over to see Dagen smiling at him. "Yes I am. Are you my dear boy?"

"Yes I am."

"If you two don't mind, I'd lime to get underway before the sun comes up." Yu grumbled impatiently at them but only caused the both of them to burst out laughter. "Idiots." Yu muttered as he nudged his horse into a light trot towards the gate.

"And so the adventure begins..." Dagen sighed as he and his companions rode off into the sunrise. Suddenly Dagen broke into a hysterical fit of curse words as a white smelly substance landed on his shoulder.

ToTo be continued... In the next chapter...