Chapter 19: Ch. 19: Ganstown

Oren had given them a fair amount of supplies. There were two canteens of water, some bread, cheese, and even some dried meat and fruit. Yasu estimated it would last them maybe two or three days if they were very careful.

They ate some of the supplies and continued on down the road. Kate almost asked Io to explain more about the Crown, but then figured she'd better save her breath. Her elation at having scored them food didn't last long. After another few hours she was lagging far behind yet again and they had to take another brief rest.

They passed a few other travelers, two sets going the wrong way, and then a trio on tarras heading to Ganstown who nodded in greeting but hurried past without stopping to talk. The day dragged on, and Kate felt as if her feet would surely fall off. They passed a fork in the road at one point, but Sethi said it led to another small town that was unlikely to have any Heroes and was even further than Ganstown.

She was almost relieved when the sun began to set because it would mean no more walking soon, though the thought of sleeping helplessly out in the open for bandits to find still terrified her.

“Let's walk a little further,” Yasu urged, and Kate knew he was hoping to catch sight of someone, anyone, to camp with for safety. And so they kept walking.

This time, they were lucky.

Half an hour of hiking later, Sethi pointed eagerly ahead. “There!”

It took Kate a moment to notice it in the settling gloom: a slight flicker and a small thread of smoke drifting skywards. The sight of it gave her a much-needed boost, and she hastened to keep up with the brothers as they marched down the road toward signs of life.

It turned out to be two covered wagons pulled off to the side of the road, turned so that they were at an angle towards each other, leaving a space between them for a fire and camp. There were several men and women loudly arguing and chatting. The four tarras had already been unhitched and there was a teenage girl seated with one in the grass, carefully picking stones out of its hooves. As Kate and her companions approached, all conversation abruptly ended.

Three men stepped forward holding clubs.

“Evening,” one called, making the sign of greeting for strangers. “Do you come in peace?”

“That we do.” Sethi smiled at them. “And are we happy to see you. We got robbed last night. Lost our cart, our supplies, and our tarras. We were hoping to be lucky enough to find a group to camp with tonight. We've got a bit of food, and can help keep watch.”

Some of the men relaxed a little. Kate glanced around furtively at the members of the makeshift camp. They certainly didn't look like bandits. They looked more like a pair of families, complete with a handful of children who were staring at her openly.

“Is that a Hero you've got with you?” One woman craned her neck to see, shifting the weight of the toddler on her hip. “On your way to Ganstown?”

“Yelkston, I'll bet,” the man behind her said. “No Heroes in Ganstown. Too small and out of the way for 'em.”

“We're escorting her to Ganstown, then she's off to Yelkston,” Yasu explained. “Did you come from Ganstown?”

“Headed there, actually,” one of the men with clubs said. “We had to stop yesterday due to a broken axle, took us all day to fix it. Today was a rest day. We'd been debating just pushing on all night to get there, but one of the tarras pulled up lame. If it's not one thing, it's another.”

What luck! Kate glanced towards Io with a grin. Maybe they'd be able to hitch a ride.

“Come on, then, you three look exhausted.” An older Giltarian motioned for them to join him by the fire. “Let's see what you've got in that little sack of food. We're tired of field rations.”

Sinking gratefully onto the ground, they introduced themselves, though there were so many names that Kate forgot them all almost immediately. Io resignedly did its little swooping and spinning show for the delighted children while Yasu described the bandit attack. There were several ugly looks around the crowd when he was finished.

“Pah, bandits!” The old man jabbed viciously at the fire with a stick. “You don't get this trouble so close to bigger towns. But the damned guards at Ganstown are too scared to stick their noses too far past their border.”

One of the men adopted an officious mocking tone. “Town's for guards, roads are for Legionnaires and Heroes. That's what they say when anyone complains about the bandits.”

“Go easy,” a woman chided. “There's not many guards in a tiny place like Ganstown. Not nearly enough to protect the place from creatures and offer any help on the road.”

“Legionnaires?” Kate asked blankly.

“Soldiers of the Crown. They usually patrol the King's Road in small squads, but just near the bigger cities where they're posted. With Heroes in the mix, they'll slack off even more.” The old man shook his head. “That doesn't help us out here. Heroes won't be coming this way until they're stronger and on their way to the capital. In the meantime folks like us just have to pray we don't get--” he seemed to realize there were several children in earshot and finished lamely, “surprised.”

“There's some creatures in the area to watch out for, too, but they're mostly weak and probably won't come near so many of us,” someone added. “Just keep your eyes peeled for them while you're on watch tonight.”

“What kind of Hero are you?” asked a young boy hovering near Kate.

“Can't be one of those Tanks,” an older boy chuckled. “No armor. And she's too scrawny.”

Kate hesitated, then decided to be honest. The people seemed friendly enough, almost reminding her of the Peltins. And she wanted to repay the favor of their fire and security. “I'm a Support, actually. A healer. If you have anyone who needs looking at, just let me know.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Smiles broke out on every face present.

“A healer! Now I feel like the lucky one.” The old man raised his voice, calling a few names.

Kate was a little startled by how many came forward and queued up in front of her.

“I'm only a beginner healer,” she said quickly. “I'll have to wait a few minutes between healings, okay, so be patient.”

Luckily there was nothing serious: a colic baby, a sprained wrist, a nasty splinter, and a few scrapes and bruises. Someone even led a hobbling tarras over so she could heal its swollen hoof. By the time she was finished, supper was ready and the mood was jovial. For the first time since leaving Petra's Woods Kate felt relaxed and secure. Everyone stayed up late swapping stories and chatting about whatever rumors and news they'd picked up. Kate was most interested in anything to do with Heroes.

“We haven't seen any others yet,” the mother of the baby Kate had healed said, bouncing the tot on her knee by the fire. “Heroes, I mean. They don't head south until much later, or so I've heard. My grandfather used to tell stories about the last time Heroes were here. But the news spread quickly that they'd arrived, so we've been keeping our eyes peeled.”

“We passed someone coming from Ganstown,” another woman added. “He said they actually did have a party of Heroes pass through on some job the other day, but they returned to Yelkston right after they finished.”

That night Kate slept like a log, even with half the camp snoring. There were no night time raids.

~*~

In the morning, the old man who seemed to be in charge was quick to offer Kate and her friends a ride to town. Sitting in the back of one of the wagons and keeping an eye on the smaller children inside, she dangled her legs over the edge and enjoyed the fresh air. She'd already tried a bit of healing on her sore feet that morning, and they felt much better. She was so glad not to be walking anymore that she didn't even mind babysitting. Luckily Io was there to keep them more or less distracted.

The wagons were big and full of people and goods, so they still rolled along at a sedate pace and it took most of the day before Ganstown finally came into sight. When someone called that it was up ahead, a teenager swapped places with her so Kate could get out and walk beside the wagon and see the town properly.

No wonder it isn't even a starter town, she thought to herself.

Ganstown seemed more like a village than a real town. The buildings were all made of rough wood slats, and not a single one was over one story high. Aside from the main road that cut through it, the other roads were dirt, and there was a single bored looking guard posted at the edge of the main road to greet visitors. He leaned on his spear and barely spared the wagons a glance, though he did a double-take when he spotted Kate. As soon as they were off the King's Road and officially in the village, the wagons stopped.

“This is where we part,” the old man said, nodding to Kate and the brothers. “I'd love to offer you a ride to Yelkston, young Hero, but our destination is further east. If we run across anyone headed to Yelkston while we're here in town, we'll be sure to send them your way, but we expect to be leaving by dawn.”

Kate and her friends thanked them profusely, and Yasu led the way down the street. “We'd better book a room at the inn before that lot do,” he said, only half jokingly. “Most of them might just spend the night in their wagons, but I'm sure some of them would love a warm bed tonight, and I want to make sure we get a room before they snatch them all up.”

Kate nodded, looking straight ahead. Everyone they passed stopped to stare at her. It was making her acutely uncomfortable.

Sethi leaned down to speak to her quietly. “Don't let it get to you. Most of these people have never seen an actual Hero before, let alone a human. They're just curious. It's also unusual to see a Hero alone without a party, especially a fledgling one. Most people will ignore you once you reach Yelkston, you'll see.”

Yasu didn't seem to have noticed all the stares. “Once we get a room, we'll do what little trading we can with the scraps the bandits left us. We'll ask around while we're out, see if anyone will be willing to give you a ride to Yelkston.”

A flutter of cloth caught her eye. Hanging in the window of a home was a faded red ribbon twisted in an intricate knot. As she walked, she spotted at least two more. “What are those?” She pointed.

Yasu glanced over and sighed quietly. “Memorial ribbons. Families put them up to remember those they lost in the great plague ten years ago. Thankfully you don't see them as often out this far; the plagues hit more populated areas the worst, like the cities.”

“Did... did you lose anyone?”

“No, thank the gods.” Sethi shuddered. “Our isolation saved us from that fate.”

“Hey! Hey, you! Hero!”

They turned, surprised, wondering if someone from the caravan had forgotten something.

But the man that came puffing up to them was dressed in the same red and yellow tunic the guard at the entrance had been wearing, and was practically dragging his oversized spear behind him. As he approached, Kate saw that he was surprisingly young despite his height, probably a little younger than herself. Newbie guard, she guessed.

When he reached them he took a few moments to catch his breath, his face flushed from his hurry to catch up to them. “Um, excuse me, you're a Hero, aren't you?”

“Yes...” Kate shot Yasu a confused look, but he only shrugged.

“Thank Feldi,” the guard wheezed. “I didn't think any Heroes would ever come by here. I mean, there was that party from a couple days ago, but they just did one job and left again the same day.”

Automatically Io said, Feldi, Goddess of--

Kate shot up a quick finger to silence it, focusing on the young man. “Why are you looking for a Hero?”

“It's those damned goblins. They usually stick to the marshes to the east, but they've been getting bold lately. Attacking travelers on the road, even sneaking into town at night to steal stuff. They're quick and small and we never manage to get to them before they scamper off again. They got Ms. Hessi's dog last night! Just took him away for dinner. She's a real mess about it.”

Kate blinked and shot Io a sideways look. She felt as if someone with a quest marker over their head had just come up to speak to her. “Um. Okay... Are you... asking me to do something about it?”

“Yes!” He looked relieved that she'd caught on so quickly. “The town Guard would be willing to pay you for your help, of course. If you take down the next group to come slinking in here, it'll make the rest think twice.”

“She's not a warrior,” Yasu interrupted. “Or did you not notice the lack of armor? Just how strong are these goblins, anyway? She's just a fledgling without a party.”

The guard's face crumpled in dismay. “Not a...?” He looked at her more carefully. “What are you, then? A healer? You can't be, not without a party.”

“Well, I am. I'm afraid I won't really be much help against bloodthirsty goblins. Not by myself, anyway.” She put her hands on her hips, mulling over the offer. “I do really need buds, though. I'm flat broke. And maybe if I do a good deed someone will be more willing to help me get to Yelkston.”

“True,” Sethi allowed. “But how do you expect to take on a pack of goblins?”

“What if I went with the guards to take care of the problem?” Kate offered. “I could heal any of you that get hurt. And wouldn't it be, I don't know, good for the town's morale if their own guards took care of the problem?”

The guard looked from her to the brothers, seeming unsure how to respond. Finally he said haltingly, “I could... talk to my Captain about it..?”

“You do that.” Yasu made a shooing motion. “Have him come find us at the inn later if he's still interested.”

Teaming up with the guards won't count as a party, Io reminded her as the dejected guard retreated. Just like when you were with Gren. If they do all the work, you'll be able to loot the corpses, but you won't get any XP unless you participate in the actual fighting. Not that this one expects goblins to carry any loot worth taking.

She shrugged. “Maybe I'll manage to get a few licks in. But as much as I want XP, right now buds are probably more important to buy supplies.”

“Good thinking,” Sethi approved. “Now let's get that room.”