Book of Kings

Chapter 20

"Loathing, what a curious name for a village," the one with the kite shield said while walking and reading the instructions on the papers.

"Are you not familiar with it?" the fully plated one said.
He sounded old but that could just be the first impression, he could be even younger than me under all that armor.
He continued, "its real name isn't Loathing at all but Ketage."
"That name still doesn't make a lot of sense," I said.
"Real names often don't, but Ketage is the name of a prophet, he settled down there and a small village grew around him, that much I know."
"So how come it's called Loathing now?" I asked.
"Because three years in a row there were bloody massacres, strange right?"
"Strange indeed," the kite bearer said.
"So people said that the gods loathed the place even with a holy man present. If it were up to the church the village wouldn't be there now and that part of Ketage's history erased."

"Shouldn't we introduce ourselves?" I suggested, "or do you guys want me to call you Kite, Gambeson, and Plate?"
"It's about to we do," he removed his great helmet and under it, a bald middle-aged man emerged, "I am Rudges. It is nice to make your acquaintance."
"Nice to meet you Rudges, I'm Lope," and that's how Plate turned into Rudges and Kite into Lope.
I thought about it first then introduced myself, "you guys can call me Pike."
"Because of the spear?" Lope asked.
"No, because I like the fish." I clarified.
Rudges chuckled lightly, we then turned to our fourth member, quickly he said, "Wilmot."
I guess he was the one in our party who didn't like to talk.

For just another hour we walked on then I asked, "Lope, what are the instructions we got?" He handed the papers over to me.
I shuffled them around before saying, "I can't read."
"Oh," he was taken back, I handed them back to him, "some time ago miners from Loathing spotted a 'monster' and after they looked into a bit more turns out it may be a haunt. They didn't dare go back into the mine after they found out and while it was abandoned wild animals settled in the mine."
"Two questions, what exactly is a haunt and what kind of animals?" I questioned Lope.
Rudges answered the first questions instantly, "a haunt is a corpse that walks around, they are extremely harmless. I don't know what the villagers are afraid of. I guess that they're superstitious."
"Is there a difference between a haunt and the regular undead?"
"I guess normally the undead would be more aggressive? All the terms for the undead, zombie, haunt, living dead are the same, doesn't matter, they're interchangeable. For example, do you call someone who uses magic a wizard or a sorcerer? They're the same," Rudges finished his little rant.

Lope turned over the papers, "it isn't specified what kinds of animals, most likely wolfs or something wolf-like, we'll have to be careful."
"It could be wolves or wolks or even lykoi," Rudges thought out loud, "if we have luck a miner or villager can tell us more."
"And do any of you guys know how to kill something that is already dead?" I asked.
"Well, you'll have to incapacitate it first then salt it," Rudges said.
"Salt?" I said surprised, "how come salt is the weapon against the undead?"
"I don't know," he shrugged, "it just works."

When it turned dark, we set up a small camp. We didn't even bother lighting a fire. It was already warm enough, even at night.
I wondered if Wilmot was already accustomed to wearing armor in this kind of heat because he didn't take off his gambeson or maybe he just didn't want to but I can't imagine that he wouldn't be sweating under there.
"Pike, how come someone so young such as yourself wants to become an adventurer?" Rudges asked while eating some of his rations.
"How come someone as old as you also wants to become one?" I looked at him with an expression of anger and crossed my arms. "Just kidding around," I paused for a second then told him, "my father also was an adventurer and his father too, so you can already see why. I want to continue the legacy."
"Your father and grandfather must have been selfless men to choose such a dangerous profession and you too," he looked up at me with respect figuratively but also literally because I towered over him.
I guess that I was tall for someone as young as me.

"I just wanted to do something different. I was a male maker my whole life, you know what we make?"
"Some kind of armor?" I guessed.
"No, no. We make bags, pouches, and the sort and that's all I did since I was a child. My father was one too, so of course, I was going to be one too but after decades I thought maybe there was more to what I can be. I was always kind of curious about monsters and magical beasts so I just went for it and here I am," he put a lot of heart in his explanation.
"I don't think being an adventurer is just going to be sunshine and roses. Maybe something a bit less dangerous would have been better first? No need to dive headfirst into the most dangerous thing you can imagine if you just want to experience something 'more'," I said.
"Your one to talk," Lope joined us while we ate, "tell me. How much real fighting experience can an adolescent have?"

"I'm wise and strong beyond my years, Lope," I said, "and you're not that much older than I am. How come you wanted to join this prestigious profession too?"
"There was no big reason for it. I was a butcher and handy with a knife and thought being a butcher was boring and a knife can't be that different from a sword."
Rudges while almost not containing his laughter said, "so you took a big lope and became an adventurer!"
I looked at Lope funny, "you don't even use a sword! Your weapon is a mace!"
"It's a metaphorical sword," he said.
"What is a metaphorical?" I asked.
"It's more of a symbol," Rudges explained, "the sword means the adventurers business, doesn't it?" He looked at Lope.
"That works for me," he leaned back.

"Wil!" I shouted over to Wilmot, who was sitting alone a few steps away from our little circle, "don't you want to come over here and tell us your reasons?"
He was checking up on his equipment, "not if I don't have to," he said flatly, laid his bow aside, and laid down too.

I poked Rudges with my elbow and whispered, "he will warm up to us, don't worry."