The Unbidden: A New World (1) (Short Parts)

Part 49

For the last week of our journey, I couldn't use much magic as we made our final turn onto one of the main roads and were met with a moderate amount of traffic each day. During one of our stops, I decided to approach one of the peddlers who was heading the same way.

"Good evening, sir!" I waved as I approached.

The young, gruff man who couldn't have been over thirty grunted in response. His clothes were soaked around the neck and armpits area, but the warm air didn't carry his – or my – smell very far.

"I've a few questions for you, do you mind?"

He withdrew a piece of bread and took a bite and drank something, likely wine, before nodding and pointing to a small barrel near his fire.

"What kind of questions, traveler?" his voice was scratchy, but deep for his rather thin appearance.

"My party and I are heading to Kle'Xa, and as we've never been, I was wondering what it was like?"

He took another bite of his bread before responding.

"Mmh. I could tell you a couple different things. Just depends on if you are willing to part with a bit of coin," he chuckled.

I maintained my smile, but an audible sigh escaped me.

"No available coin, eh? That's fine, I can tell you something anyway," his smile was very obviously not friendly, but it wasn't nasty either.

"No, I've got money. I was simply hoping the kindness of a man who maybe worshipped a kind God would provide such generosity to fellow travelers."

"Ha ha! Quite the contrary, friend. I worship the God of merchants, so if I were to do it any other way, he would surely frown upon me!"

I couldn't help but chuckle myself. I was in a world with multiple Gods, so his words weren't too far from a possible truth.

"You have me there, sir. How much would the information I want cost, then?"

He pondered for a moment as he ate more.

"Ten silver'd be enough to please me," he trailed off.

"But?"

"Twenty'd please my God. He is a rather dubious individual, you know?" the peddler's confident smile never left his face as he trapped me.

I inhaled deeply and sighed heavily, pretending to be hurt by the amount.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir. The best I can do is this," I withdrew a single Peri gold which shined brilliantly in the fire's light.

He lost his bearing, as I anticipated, and choked on some wine. I took the moment to my advantage since it really wasn't a large loss for me.

"I feel this'll provide you with plenty of food for a long while. I hope you'll answer any question I have and maybe share some of your finer food with me?"

There was no hesitation in his body when he nodded. Once he composed himself, I handed the coin to him, which he inspected for only a moment before nodding with wide eyes, finally regaining his composure.

"What is it you'd like to know again?" his tone was much more professional.

"What is Kle'Xa like?" I asked, returning to my seat.

"Hm. It's a city ruled by elves and their kin, and rather bustling. It's a great place for trade and work. A lot of humans hold positions of authority, but I don't think they can rise past a certain threshold."

"I see. The elves don't frown upon humans, then?"

"Oh no, most do, but you are more likely to encounter and deal with humans there. I have met a few kind elves, but I think it may be a part of their blood to simply look down on those not born an elf."

I nodded, thinking about some other things to get my money's worth.

"What's the surrounding region like? Peaceful? Dangerous? My group and I heard there were giant spiders and the like, but never encountered more than some goblins or pack animals."

"There are a lot of dangerous creatures around these parts. Most avoid the main roads, but there are some yet who think it worthwhile. Chimeras, bettorf, raptors, and other reptiles prowl the jungle, not to mention black panthers and some large felines."

I didn't bother asking about the first two, but the latter made sense since we were in a jungle.

"Have you heard anything about the dragons supposedly roaming these parts?"

"There have been a few sightings from my acquaintances, but the kingdom splits up all travelers across various routes to make people less vulnerable to attacks. I don't know how effective it is, since some of the roads make a journey to the next town over take a couple months longer," he sighed.

"At least they're being proactive," I chuckled.

"That is true. Plenty of armed guards roaming closer to the cities and towns in case of an attack, not that it would likely do much."

We both laughed a little.

"Oh, you said the elves ran everything – do they normally live in large congregations like us?"

"Not normally, no. The history is something along the lines of several elves disregarding their elders' wishes and founding Kle'Xa to grow closer to other races and societies."

"That's an innocent reason enough," I rubbed my chin.

"Well, thank you for the information, I must return to my group," I stood and departed with a nod and some of the peddler's better food.