The Golem Adventurer

Chapter 37 - Stories

Romain thought he was the unluckiest person in the world. With no money and a lot of mouths to feed back home in Steiger, he decided to try his luck last time hoping to land a lucrative deal in Haldin for a prospective buyer. He can't feed his family with iron ore and Archipel ale, as his wife told him many times before.

He was lucky enough for his family to not join him this time, Romain thought. As soon as he had crossed into the border of Haldin, he was beset by bandits on the road. Deserters from Rudelia's army, from what he could tell by the symbols that ordained their shoddy armor. Conscripted peasants turned highwaymen who were tired of obeying their country's nobles and decided the life of a outlaw would be preferable to groveling at some highborn commander's feet. Now they've lost both their yokes and their inhibitions if the echoing screams and corpses scattered about were of any indication.

Now all he can do now is wait for the inevitable. The moment they find out his family cannot afford to pay a ransom, his life would be forfeit. At least his cell was spacious even if the only light came from the only window on the cell door. He wondered if there was any skilled builders in their ranks if they were able to carve rooms and hallways like these out of the mountain. The merchant was surprised when he had taken his first look at their makeshift fortress where they had brought him. It was as if they were a foreign force occupying the region.

"I wish I at least had some company," he said to himself, "Waiting to die isn't as exciting as I imagined..." The few male prisoners they had in the other cells had gone silent. The sobbing he had been hearing these past few days had gone silent. Romain thought they must have finally broken down in despair.

At least whatever death these villains will give him would be quick, he hoped. Compared to those women in the dancing troupe he had traveled next to, Romain felt he was getting off easy. Whatever was left of them after the few days here would be sold in secret to whoever could pay and properly hide their little indiscretions. If you have a pretty enough face, even men weren't safe from what he was told in hushed whispers in the tavern. For once, he thanked his parents that he looked a little squirrelly.

Romain started to cover his mouth to yawn, when he began to hear approaching footsteps down the hallway. Moving towards the small window on his cell door, he peeked through to see who was approaching. When the figures emerged from the dimly lit corridor, he struggled to stifle his sardonic laughter.

The gods must have heard my pleas and decided to make one last jest, he thought. A guard approached the antecedent cell from him with a golem in tow. A large cubic head sat its shoulders, dotted by several tiny eyes. His naked body looked nearly human in appearance if not for the midnight blue, polished leather-like skin that covered him with a patterned weave. Its joints and chest were even protected by some kind of flexible metal plates. These bandits must have all the luck in the world to stumble onto a treasure like this, the merchant chided in his head.

The guard let out a growl, "This is your cell, golem. Boss says I can't hurt you because you look like you're worth a fortune but that ain't gonna stop me from tying you up and tossing your metal ass in there myself!"

Romain didn't hear any signs of struggle and assumed the golem followed his instructions as the the sound of its cell door closing rang out through the prison area. The guard then turned his eyes towards the merchant with a sharp glare.

"Having a laugh over there, old man!?" the bandit sneered, "Or are you jealous? We found this beauty just wandering around the woods nearby. Once we find a buyer, we ain't gonna be drinking that piss you call ale that was sitting in your caravan. I can finally drink some good wine for once!"

The bandit laughs heartily as he says those words, "You better hope your old woman pays up, just in case you thought we'd let you go now that we have this little bundle of gold in our pockets. Otherwise, me and the boys are gonna have some fun practicing our knife throws with you!"