The weary adventurers decided to head north for a small port town in-order to find any water source that they could use to clean themselves. No one spoke during the trip, as the details of their escape from the giant frog forced their tongues to silence.
Eventually they arrived at the port and began to wash their clothing and their bodies. May, however, was insistent on waiting until the rest of her group was done, for what should have been obvious reasons.
"Is it cause of your body?" Asked Zilo, in a matter of fact sort of tone.
Everyone immediately perked up at that question, with May blushing at it. She then clenched her fist and began to march right up to Zilo. Zilo took no notice of this and continued.
"I mean typically a fetchling woman would be much thinner, but you seem to have a much more bulky and muscular build compared to the women from my-" Zilo was cut short by a strong punch that knocked him clear into the shallows of the water.
"I'm going to find a place to get a drink. Let me know when you all finish." Growled May as she stormed back toward the town.
"Zilo!" Shouted Alaroc leaping into the water to rescue the man he believed to be unconscious. After a few moments of Zigger and Maldrek doing nothing but look at the bubbles in the water, Zilo emerged pulling back his hair into his pony tail and walked back to the shore.
"She sure has a right hook like an Ogre, huh guys?" Said Zilo with a snicker, looking to his friends for confirmation. He then noticed that both of their stares went past him, toward the water.
"What is it?" Asked the Bard. Zigger rose his scraggly finger and pointed. Zilo turned to see an unconscious Alaroc on the shore, not moving.
"AH!" Shouted Zilo, who then moved to Alaroc's side and examined him. Thankfully he was still breathing, and merely had fainted.
"He's okay, but what do we do with him, he only took a dip and he still smells." Says Zilo waving away the smell.
"We need to clean him, grab the ankles, buddy." Said Maldrek with a devil-like smile. Zigger stared slack-jawed, processing the words for a bit. Zilo grabbed the ankles of the knight and Maldrek hoisted him by the shoulders, then they swayed him back and forth toward the water.
"1...2...-"
"STOP!" Shouted Zigger, finally checking in and stopping Maldrek from getting Zilo to drown Alaroc with him.
After a few more minutes Alaraoc woke up and the 4 of them washed up and messaged May that she could wash up. After an hour the 5 travelers met up at a bar, and after sitting down Zilo began enjoying himself with a few drinks.
Zilo noticed that Maldrek had not touched his drink once since they sat down, while everyone else was trying to cut loose.
"What's the matter buddy, loosen up, if you're worried about the cost, the barkeep already promised us the drink and room if I play a little diddy." Said Zilo, slightly slurred.
"It's not that. That man in the corner hasn't taken his eye off us since we sat." Remarked Maldrek. Zigger and May both carefully glanced at the man. Alaroc didn't even move, but Zilo whipped around and stared off to the man, quite obviously.
The man was dressed head to toe in very intricate armor with a flowing cape, blade, and shield, all of which shoddily hidden under a brown cloak, his eyes were stern and blue, as if staring past you and into everything that you were.
Zilo was stunned sober at the man's gaze and the two locked eyes for what seemed like hours, only to have the trance broken when Alaroc rose with a loud bump of the table. Alaroc then spun and marched over to the table the of the lone man.
"You got somfin tuh say tuhus!?" Rambled Alaroc. The companions then looked to see that Alaroc had more than all of the table's mugs combined in front of the seat he had risen from. The group suddenly shuddered. Before they could rise to run interference Alaroc had already grabbed the man and waddled over to the group's table with him.
"Den sayit missster!" Slurred the drunkman before flopping back into his seat.
The man looked over the table's residents with a surprised look, not having expected his approach to happen that quickly. He breathed calmly and spoke with the discipline of a trained soldier.
"My name is Cruxis Vailor and I am a traveling Paladin, given the independence to patrol regions as I see fit by the high cleric of my order."
Alaroc pointed over to Maldrek and spouted, "den you musht be here to inshtruct our Necromancer here that his rudenesh not to drink is of the devil den, right?"
Cruxis darted his head over to Maldrek with an "Ah Ha" look on his face, while Maldrek panicked and turned to Zilo.
"Wipe that Zilo!" Shouted the Wizard. Then in quick succession, May clocked Alaroc in the jaw, then Zilo quickly popped off the spell Memory Lapse. The Paladin's head is suddenly surrounded with a thin layer of magic power.
The Paladin's stare changes back to a face of cordial introductions and says, "and who might you all be?"
Zilo immediately motions to Maldrek and says, "This is Maldrek, who is normally much more of a pleasant person than he appears to be now, despite his occupation as a Necromancer."
Maldrek's mouth goes wide as the paladin resumes his stare. Maldrek's head slowly turns to Zilo, who's face has plastered on it a smug smile, oblivious of the fact he corrected the wrong part of Maldrek's introduction.
The rest of the group then introduced themselves as the Paladin's gaze refuses to shift from Maldrek. The Paladin looks about ready to leap the table and tackle Maldrek to the ground, just as Zilo drops his mug to the table to garner the table's eyes.
"Now that introductions are done, I wish to know everyone's dreams. Just something to lighten the mood that seems to be rough right now."
May shifts her eyes to the group and says,"Sorry Bud, but I'm not a sharing sort of girl."
Alaroc's face busts into a huge grin and he says, "Well, I want to become a full Knight of the realm! And I want to get there from honor and mettle rather than my birthright, that'd be too easy!"
Maldrek clinks drinks with Alaroc, thinking that a little light banter could change the Paladin's disposition.
To that end Maldrek responds, "Well friends, I have always had an eye for money, I want to make it big, and get enough money to never need to worry about anything ever again."
At that the Paladin leans back and the hard edge to his stare disappears, even if the suspicion toward Maldrek stays there.
The Paladin looks to the table and says, "I wish to wander the realm and right wrongs. Justice was the reason I became a Paladin, and justice is why I stay one."
Zigger nods vigorously gripping his drink with both hands and a grin. As he stares down into his drink his smile fades and he shakes his head.
"My people, the ones who died back in the black dragon's cave never really liked me, I was too much monkey, never enough goblin, but they were still the closest thing I had to friends. I guess I just don't anyone around me to die anymore."
The table gets quiet and looks to the sad little goblin, who then looks up with a big smile again, before saying, "I think I'm gonna need something stronger than this."
Zigger then hops off his stool and moves toward the bar. Zilo lets the silence sit for a moment, looking at his own glass, then puts to words the reason why he came to this world a few days ago.
"Well I hope he gets his, it's way less selfish than mine."
Zilo looks up to the table and says, "I spent my whole life in the Plane of Shadows learning about the culture and it was just never enough for me, I learned all the ballads, studied all the artists, read all the works from the masters. And I heard that the Material Plane was the exact opposite of all of that. always getting heads when the coin was flipped. I guess I just wanted to see what would happen if it landed on tails."
The group looks to Zilo with a solemn stare, which is broken quickly from the sound of a small body hitting the floor. Everyone turns to see their little Monkey friend flat on the ground by a table of tough looking men.
"Little wretch! You spilled my ale! This isn't the slosh you drink! This is worth more than your life!" Says one of the men at the table.
In an instant May, Maldrek, and Alaroc are up and moving to Zigger's side. Zilo looks back to the Paladin who looks to the scene and then back to Zilo.
"Well, I can't let that little guy's friends die and destroy his dream." Says the Paladin with a knowing smile.
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