My Band of Idiots

Caspian teaches the Children Orkish

The moth person stood at the counter flirting with Luck the patron of the bar, he hadn't kicked me out yet like two other taverns and I wasn't feeling like getting myself indebted to another. But my purse was starting to feel a little light. Maybe I could swing this to be beneficial to be, at least until I got another generous gift from my father.
There was one thing to say about the moth they had an interesting sense of style, I didn't know where his wings begain and his clothing stoped. Maybe moth didn't wear clothing.
The short mage and his flower female companion were drinking with me, and I liked them well enough. I decided that this rag tag bunch were my children now. I would adopt them as my own. Even the moth. Especially the moth. I was in a habit of collecting people and right now I wanted to amass an army against my enemy's.
The moth grabbed a scroll from the Lion who winked at him and I thought I saw something between the two. More then the usual flirtation that Luck always shared with everyone, well I was glad that someone was getting along.
I licked my lips and drank the water that Luck had given me, the nothingness of it passing over my lips was dull and I wanted to feel the spite of something sharp and daring.
The moth sat down with us, his 6 foot stature was interesting to say the least, but this was a town of interesting people. Most everyone here was ruby or cobalt in skin hew with horns and tails. Devil kin of some kind or another. They were a large port city with everything a city needed, booze, brothel and gambling if you knew where to look.
"It seams that I will be requiring some assistance, and that Luck has some hope for you. Would by chance the group of you like to earn some coin, should you be free to do so?" The moth said
I rolled my eyes, he was the dignitary sort, my mother would just love him, but I could use some coin. I shrugged.
"I have nothing else to do" I told him.
"Do I get to hit things?" Asked the short one
"I do believe so" said the moth
"Well I am in" said the man
The girl looked at us all she was making something and then said "I suppose . I am really here to sell my jewelry and trinkets. But it sounds interesting at the very least."
We emailed at one another and nodded in agreement.
"How about we set out in the morning" said the moth formally as always.
"Only if you pay for our rooms" I said with a smirk.
He frowned at me and then went up to luck and paid I suppose for our rooms. I slide upstairs easily into the room I had been staying in. Nice to know it was free for a night and perhaps the foreseeable future if I traveled with the moth man.
The night was uneventful and when morning came we were on our way sans a member. I had no idea where the little girl had gone. But she was so quite and speedy I had to wonder if she set up shop somewhere and forgotten about our deal the night before. Perhaps she had drank to much to remember.
The stout man, the moth and I walked up the hill, towards the Hunters guild asking people along the way to give us guidance to where we were actually going. Despite what I might say to ingratiate myself to these people I tried to say out of the light of the local law enforcement. I didn't need anyone poking around in my past, father might be able to get me out of most trouble, especially in this country, but I also didn't want to be a fugitive here. Pirates got killed for little more then a single golden penny here, but there were pirates out there who needed to pay for their betryail of me before I died.
We stopped in at a shop or two on our way and I meandered about the stores well the moth went shopping.
Misty Marks Potion Emporium a large shop with a wall of many potions and a long table of magical objects. Her name wasn't even Misty it was Amia Ro, who even had that name. I looked around well Moth man talked her up. Along the wall I noticed several potions in odd colourations and picked one up in a swirling yellow colour. Well no one had a eye on me I sweaped it into my pocket and kept walking as if nothing had happened.
The second shop we stoped at was a kind of adventuring shop, I rolled my eyes at the girl behind the counter but when her brother walked in I perked a little. He showed no interest in me and I soon moved on. They had nothing of interest and so I left the smooshing to the others.
Finally as we dragged on and I was growing board we made our way to the blacksmith. This is where I met Ceildrik. What a dumb stupid handsome man, he as a Minotaur and dumb as mud and I was captivated at first site.
"Welcome how am I to be helping you" he said in his thick accent
My eyes scanned his dark coat of fur and bulging muscles, his polished horns and dark eyes. I watched as Bel introduced himself obnoxiously both in Mothflok and then in common.
"You are a funny fellow, I thinking I like you" said Ceildrik "if you were other mothling I might buy you from beast master as friend"
I watched him as he bargained and bantered with Bel, and finally bell said straight to his face "your not pretty enough to be this stupid"
I guffawed at that especially as Ceildrik just seamed to blink at him a moment and then smile and say "ah I like you friend you flatter me, we will be good friends. You should come around more often."
I stared between the two unable to speak my jaw opening and closing. I had to make this man my husband there was no way around it, he was to beautifully stupid.
"Then we are in agreement, you give me all this for 1 gold and a 10% discount and I come to only you for all my shopping needs."
Ceildrik nods as if this is agreeable and Bel begins to pack away the items. I can barely blink before he has them all away. Damn his 4 arms.
Everything about him oozed money and I both hated it and wanted to be near it only if he would spend some on me. Maybe if this quest of his worked out, then it would both ingratiate me to the local law enforcement and to him. We would see.
As we walk out of the shop I ask him "how did you do that"
"Do what?" Bel asks
"That, get him to agree to 10% discount and such a low price for everything you got?"
"Simple, I gave him exactly what he wanted"
"What is that"
"He wants a monopoly on the market"
"A what?"
"He wants to be the top dog as they say, he wants to have the control over all the other shops."
"But if you just give him what he wants then how is that changing anything, those other shops are going to close down aren't they?"
"My plan you see, so I go to him and none of the other blacksmiths can get work because of him. But I bring down his prices, thus bringing down everyone's overall prices. Yes"
"I guess" I say not really sure if this plan will work, but I don't have a horse in this race.
After the shops we walked up the hill, claiming higher until we reached the flat precious that over looked the rest of the market and docks to the south. As we walked we talked.
"I think I should do the talking" I said after someone told us that the law master was a half-orc.
"Why is that?" Asked Ramock I had by now learned their names.
"I know Orcish" I said
Bell frowned at me as if he didn't believe me and so I told him how to say hello in orcish but really it was an insult against someone's mother. I even held myself together very well not laughing at all when the two looked at me.
"Hiva ta vish, like that?" Ramock asked
"More like Yava ta vish" I said
"Yava ya vish" Ramock repeated
"Exactly" I smiled proud of my son.
"I don't believe you for one second" said Bell
"Your going to break your mothers heart" I told him and he went on a rant about us just meeting. I rolled my eyes not listening.
As we arrived at the hunters guild I noticed the three large buildings at the top of the hill each one slightly set into the ground with large wooden doors and towering slanted roofs that made up most of the building structure. The walls being relatavly short in comparison except where they framed the doors. It was a decent building made for sturdiness and holding many people inside.
Walking down the steps into the building we found a front desk with a tinny man, clad in green slippers that curled at the toes and a set of leather armour that fit other his ostentatious clothing.
"Yes, how may I help you" he squeaked his voice thin and frail.
Bell spoke for the group producing the scroll with the assignment it had on it for our group. We had talked little about it besides learning that it was for a jungle cat and hypothesizing that we might get more of a reward from the guild if we inquired with them about it.
"Hello dear fellow, we have acquired this scroll, with a quest for a jungle cat on it, could you give us more information."
"Ah yes, jungle cat, to the east of town, killed a young woman, um don't know much else I'm afraid."
"I think what my son means is that we would like to speak to some management or someone who can talk to us about the quest."
The tiny man looked me up and down then at the moth, rolled his eyes and jumped off his chair with a roll of his eyes before heading into a room just to the side of his chair.
After a moment he returned and a voice called for us to enter.
The green skinned woman with her thick tusks and up turned nose, stained at us with piercing eyes and a cut across her face.
"I am law master Juliana Meka, how may I help you" she asked with a thick rolling accent.
"Yava ta vish" said Ramock and I burst out laughing not believing he had said it after all.
Her eye twitched "what did you just say about my mother?"
"Oh did I say it wrong?" Asked Ramock
"Excuse them, they are from elsewhere perhaps they don't know the customs" Bell said "we are..." I cut him off
"my children and I just heard that you had a jungle cat roaming around and wanted more information, I just need to know how to protect my family."
She frowned as Ramock said "oh yes mama I am ever so scared" in the least convincing voice I have ever heard.
"Alright if your done insulting my intelligence, I will ask you to leave." Sternly opening the door.
We all spoke at once but some how Bell seamed to speak loudest of us all.
"I have no idea what these two are talking about, I simply wanted to know more about the quest for the jungle cat?" Said Bell
The woman closed the door looked dead at me and then eyes shifting to Ramock, she said "you two out. I will speak to the moth"
Then we left the room.
"How rude." Said Ramock when the door closed on us
"I will have to ask you to leave the premises. For your own safety." Said the small one at the desk, I could barely see him leaning over the desk to look down at us over it.
I grumbled wordless complaints as we left the building, crossing my arms annoyed at the situation. Didn't I get to have any fun.