A Journey in Stivalon

The sun set upon the land of Stivalon as a lone hooded figure, clad in leather attire with a sword at his side and a crossbow fixed to his back, rode his horse into the quiet town of Pragate. Exhausted from his journey, the man stepped down from his horse and hitched him in the small stable next to the town inn.

"Get some rest, boy" the man whispered as he patted the horse on the side. "You've earned it."

The man unloaded his backpack and threw it over his shoulder as he made for the entrance of the inn. As he entered the front door, he was greeted by the sounds of festivity filling the air. A warm fire burned in the fireplace, about a dozen patrons filled the room, enjoying their food and drink. The man made his way through the room, maneuvering to avoid bumping into any of the locals whose festivities had left them with little balance. He sat down at the bar and lowered his hood to reveal a young face with sand colored hair and an untrimmed beard.

"Would ya like some ale?" the innkeeper asked the man.

The man hesitated for a moment before nodding in affirmation.

"A bed too, if you have one." the man replied as he slid two gold coins across the counter to the innkeeper.

As he did this he was suddenly jarred by the loud, distinct sound of metal striking wood. At a table to the right of the bar, a group of soldiers, still wearing their armor, were enjoying their evening off duty; perhaps a bit too much. One of them, in his drunken foolishness, had drawn his sword and managed to lodge it into the table. He was struggling to pull it free as his companions laughed.

"What's yer name?" the innkeeper asked the man.

"Calafrey." the man replied, refocusing his attention on the innkeeper.

"What brings you to Pragate?" the innkeeper asked, trying to make small talk.

"I've come to find someone who can teach me how to handle this sword." Calafrey said as he gestured toward his side. "They say the Kingdom has the best swordsmen in all of Stivalon, and I was hoping I might find one willing to train a student."

The innkeeper nodded slightly, saying, "You'll find no shortage of warriors in the Kingdom of Chanem; fightin' is in our blood."

Calafrey finished his drink and stood to his feet.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to go ahead and find that bed for the night." he said.

The innkeeper pointed toward the back, saying, "Right over there. Go through the second door on the right to find yer room. The first one leads out to the back of the stables."

"Thank you." Calafrey said cordially as he made his way toward the room.

The bedroom was barely bigger than a closet, but it would suffice for the night. Calafrey sat on the side of the bed and pulled one of his many books from his backpack. He leaned back as he opened an old book that discussed the history and culture of the Kingdom of Chanem.

Back in dining room, the soldier, who earlier had lodged his sword in the table, walked through the door leading out behind the stables. The drunk soldier braced himself against the side of the building as he began to relieve himself. The soldier began to look around to ensure no one was around to see him when he was suddenly startled by what he saw behind him.

"Who's there?" The soldier called out to a figure sitting down in the dark with his back to the stable.

This person, wrapped in a cloak and sitting in the darkness, did not respond to the inquiry of the soldier.

"I see, you're a vagrant." the soldier said with a more confident tone. "We don't need your kind stinking up the town; get lost before I drag you out of here myself!"

Silence remained in the air as the soldier began to become visibly angry at the disrespect of the vagrant.

The soldier walked over to the door to the inn and yelled to his comrades, "We got some trouble-making scum out here boys.".

All of the soldiers made their way outside and began to form a semi-circle around the man sitting by the stable.

"This is your last chance; we can do this the easy way or the hard way." the first soldier said to the man.

The man sitting on the ground then replied. "Go away".

"Who 'd you think you're talkin' to" the soldier replied indignantly.

Slowly the figure on the ground began to shift.

It was as if the man were erupting from the ground below. What looked to be an average person while seated, stood up to reveal the largest man the soldiers had ever seen. He stood at least a foot above the tallest soldier in the group.

Several of the soldiers took a step backward as the saw the size of the person before them, doubting their choice to antagonize him.

"How about we settle this like men." the behemoth said to the soldier who had done all the talking.

He then grabbed what looked like the largest axe any of them had ever seen from behind him. At this all of the soldiers drew swords ready to defend themselves. Suddenly he dropped the axe to the ground and said,

"Let's do this two on one without weapons. If you win I'll leave town, if I win then you have to leave"

The two soldiers closest to him smirked and handed their swords to their companions as they began to square up with this mountain of a man.

The first soldier lunged forward hoping to catch the man off guard, but it was no use. The behemoth threw a kick that put a dent the size of his foot into the breastplate of the soldier, sending him tumbling to the ground. The second soldier charged the man hoping to knock him off his feet. Instead, the large man grabbed hold of his breast plate and fully extended his arms; hoisting the soldier into the air above his head. With incredible power, the man brought the soldier down directly on top of his partner. The two fighters were hit with so much force that their spectating companions feared for their well-being.

By this point, the commotion had roused the attention of Calafrey, who's room was adjacent to the action. Calafrey left his room and found himself standing in the doorway to investigate what was happening.

The giant man then turned from the two incapacitated soldiers and held his arms out as a challenge.

"The rest of you want to try?" he asked triumphantly.

The soldiers cautiously moved to gather their defeated comrades. The soldier who had initiated the conflict had gotten his arm broken in the scuffle. As he limped over to the inn, Calafrey stopped him for a moment.

"Let me see your arm." he said.

The soldier held out his arm to the best of his ability and Calafrey seized hold of it. Suddenly a faint glow came from his hands as the bones directed themselves back into place. The soldier shot Calafrey a look of gratitude.

"Next time, you should probably mind your own business." Calafrey said to the soldier bluntly.

The soldier quickly looked away and left behind his companions; leaving his pride on the ground by the inn.

"You're lucky they didn't use their weapons." Calafrey said to the large man who was now leaning against the stable.

"They're lucky I didn't use mine." the man retorted.

"What's your name?" Calafrey asked with a friendly tone.

"The name is Balki." the man replied.

"Well Balki, I would recommend getting out of here before those soldiers come back wanting to regain their lost honor." Calafrey said. "I am probably going to get out of here as well. I don't want to deal with those soldiers if they come back looking for you."

"I don't even know where "here" is." Balki stated plainly.

At that moment, Calafrey noticed something interesting about Balki.

"You're part orc!" Calafrey said without thinking.

Balki tensed up and ever so slightly leaned toward his weapon.

"What of it?" Balki asked.

"You don't need to worry about me; I'm not from around here, but you should be careful in the Kingdom of Chanem." Calafrey stated. "They have their prejudices about orcs."

"I'll keep that in mind." Balki said as he shrugged off Calafrey's advice.

"You're welcome to travel with me." Calafrey proposed.

Balki thought for a moment. It could be useful to have a companion who knows the land. People weren't exactly lining up to be friends with him as it is.

"We can give it a try." Balki said.