Umbral Rune (Rough Draft)

Umbral Rune: Chapter 3 - Ruses, Ploys, And Deception

[Skell]

Traveling sucks.

Well, at least on foot. You'd think a skeleton would have an easier time - since no muscles and organs apparently meant no exhaustion - but whatever force animated my body didn't have the decency to come with any athleticism. Oliver's quick pace didn't help either.

Luckily, that problem disappeared after our second day on the road. The sun's face barely peeked over the horizon when a horse-drawn wagon appeared in the distance, bumping along the rocky path towards us. Driving it was a stout, rosy-cheeked woman - to paraphrase Oliver.

Eventually we crossed paths with the whistling coachwoman, who was content to pass us with nothing more than a tip of the hat and a brief greeting, probably due to my suspicious hooded appearance. As usual, I could barely make out more than silhouettes from behind it. But I sure could talk just fine.

And I saw an opportunity.

"Good morning, miss," I put on my most trustworthy voice, "my friend and I were wondering if we could hitch a ride. To Belza Hill, I mean."

The coachwoman signaled for her horses to stop. "Belza Hill? Young men, I just came from there. And if I don't deliver this silk within the next couple days," she gestured to a number of boxes in her carriage, "my pay'll get slashed in half."

Pay...?

Subtly, I nudged Oliver. He glanced at me, shadowy head tilted, until I whispered something to him.

The coachwoman continued, more focused on her words than us. "And that doesn't even begin to mention-"

"Sorry to interrupt!" Oliver extended a hand. "I hope this is enough to pay for your time and effort ma'am. Oh, and for your horses' needs too!" In his palm rested a pouch full of gold rounds, dug out of the massive backpack he placed on the path.

"Er... Oliver?" I asked, though the coachwoman bent down and swiped the pouch before I could fully voice my concern.

She opened it curiously. Immediately, her eyes sparkled so bright I could see them through my hood. "Shining Suns..." The woman then snapped out of her daze, hastily tucking the jingling pouch into a purse at her side.

Of course, I always intended to pay her - you'd be hard-pressed to find someone willing to drive you across the countryside for free, after all. But I didn't expect Oliver to hand over so much. I remembered hearing, though I couldn't recall from who, that one gold round could buy a full, delicious dinner for an entire family. And there had to be hundreds in that pouch...

"Well, what are you two standing around for; we're burning daylight," she beckoned, suddenly a whole lot friendlier, "Hop on!"

Oliver lifted his backpack merrily. "Oh, this will be my first carriage ride ever! She's right Skell, let's get going!"

"Y-yeah..." I said absently, more focused what we lost than what we gained.

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The second my skeletal butt hit the wagon's wooden floor, I knew this wouldn't be a cozy ride.

Not helping was the constant bouncing. I could've sworn some jerk placed a rock on the road a full minute ahead of the last, just so I couldn't get too comfortable. Despite the annoying bumping, however, I found a silver lining.

At the back of the wagon, behind a large box, was a spot I could sit completely out of the coachwoman's view. Normally, a hooded man purposefully hiding out of sight would be beyond suspicious, but the woman was clearly too blinded by her now overflowing pockets to notice or care.