The Horseman of Calamity

Chapter 10 - Crimson Finch

A few days had passed since Hung and his newfound traveling companion Mahmoud had left the desert, now they sat outside of a village deliberating on the best course of action. The village was an average-sized one but it had wooden walls surrounding its perimeter. Getting a view of the roofs of some of the houses over the walls, they looked like they were mostly straw or thatch, so this town likely wasn't too populous or rich. This was a perfect place to resupply and get some much-needed rest in a real bed. The land they were now in was once again mostly temperate but unlike the Hast kingdom in the midwest, there were no massive forests, instead, it was mostly plains and grassland. The bright green grass swayed as a light breeze flew over the area.

"I say we go into the village, resupply, and find somewhere to stay for the night, and then we're out in the morning," Mahmoud suggested.

"I get that we need to resupply but I doubt they have anything of use for us, and I'm wanted too, remember? My clothes and sword will probably give me away."

"I just thought of the simplest fix for that actually, take your hoodie off and put it away, wear your sword on your back, and take my robe and put it on."

Hung did as Mahmoud suggested and said, "Alright, once we go in let's avoid talking to any strangers and just head straight to wherever the merchants are, got that?"

Mahmoud instead began laughing hysterically.

"What? What are you laughing at?"

"It's just funny seeing you wear my robe with your pants. Your sword is also kind of poking out from behind your back, you just look really silly." Hung promptly adjusted the robe to cover the hilt of the sword.

As they entered the village, there was a guard that stopped them. He just had an iron cap on and seemed to be wearing ordinary clothing. He was tall and lanky but seemed friendly.

"Are you two traders from the desert?" He asked with the slightest hint of interest in his voice.

"We're just travelers seeking a place to stay for the night." Hung said.

"I see, well as long as you are not merchants, there is no need for you to pay a toll. I'll just need to inspect your belongings."

Hung turned around and gave Mahmoud a look of annoyance but Mahmoud just simply nodded. With no other choice, Hung gave the guard his backpack, though he hoped the guard didn't notice the slight protrusion on the robe.

After he was done inspecting Hung's backpack, he scanned him again and asked, "Is there something on your back?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, it's just a sword, walking around these areas unprotected is a big mistake."

"Understandable, I'll just need to take a look at it so I can see what it is, can't have you carrying around a greatsword around town unfortunately!" He jokingly said.

Hung clicked his tongue in a mixture of angst and annoyance and pulled off Mahmoud's robe, handing it back to him. Removing the blade off of his back, Hung then unsheathed it in front of the guard and handed it to him. The guard was in awe of the sword and looked it over several times before he returned it to Hung.

"That's quite a sword you have there. You're good to go on in, now I'll need to inspect your friend."

Mahmoud's inspection went by much faster than Hung's as he had nothing to hide. Once they were cleared and walking in the village, Hung switched back to his normal clothing. The town itself from the inside didn't look too much better than it did from the outside. Most of the buildings were mundane and boring, nothing of interest really. The signs that littered around the buildings once again had the rune scripture that Hung was unfamiliar with, after all, Till taught him to fight, not to learn about the culture, but perhaps that was their goal, to keep him uninformed. Hung and Mahmoud passed several buildings, some more notable ones began appearing. Of which, Hung saw what he believed to be a smithy, armory, pet store, and some kind of guild.