Sunder and Octavia: Inn Stories
Sunder:
Sunder shut the door to his room at the cheaper inn, every single inch of him stung with the pain of overexcitation and being overpowered. It was a challenge enough to fight a Goliath or an Orc alone, but mixed? Sunder was smart enough to know he was lucky to be alive. Always a shame though, killing someone so strong. Had their circumstances been different maybe they could have done something good with all the power. Better than taking from people. Farming, protecting, even blacksmith work.
Sunder took off his armor until he was in his undergarments. From his bag he took out long rolls of bandages impregnated with special healing salves from the Church of the Fair Lady. Wrapping them tightly around bruises, cuts and scratches. Wincing where they touched raw torn flesh. He would need a healer tomorrow for the broken bones the girl couldn’t fix. Another shame, she had been terrified of him. Likely the work of the man named Caspian. It didn’t take much to sense it, he was a pitviper. Tightly coiled, fangs dripping venom and poised to strike should bare flesh be presented. As much as he wanted to help the girl he would likely have to be cautious around her as well. Deceitfulness didn’t seem to be in her nature…but she seemed more afraid of Caspian then she did of him. Less overt fear. She didn’t seem to want to run screaming from the sight of him, it was more like an abused dog. Sticking by him because it's all she knows. He stepped to the door, and pushed the cabinet for long term stays into the path of the door opening. If anyone tried to break in he would hear it. And to the window he balanced a small device with a bell. It would ring if someone opened the window. Letting out one more uncomfortable sigh as he laid down to sleep. Exhausted enough the darkness came quickly.
Octavia:
Stepping through the door to the inn it was still relatively lively for this time of night. Caspian was already waiting by the stairs. He narrowed his eyes, “What were you speaking to the heretic about?” Caspian asked. Octavia could see the muscles in his neck were tight like he was clinching his jaw between words.
“Nothing.” Octavia lied. “He was just making sure I wasn’t injured.”
“And you told him what exactly?" Caspian asked.
Octavia hated lying, she knew she wasn’t technically allowed to lie, but she could ask forgiveness from a sin, Caspian wasn’t so forgiving. “He offered to get me a healer and I refused the offer, I told him I was not injured, and that I required no further help.”
Caspian nodded. “A wise choice,” he said. “Should you have taken the offer you would owe him.” he scowled, “The Fair Lady is worse than the Fae were said to be. You take a crumb from them, you owe them for life.”
Octavia looked back confused. “I don’t recall reading that.” she said, “Where is that written?”
Caspian shot her a look, his nostrils flared “Are you correcting me?” he said keeping his voice down but she could tell it was meant to be yelling.
“No…I just wasn’t aware that was doctrine.” she mumbled.
“Not all rules lie in the text Octavia.” he frowned again, taking a key from his other hand, holding it out for Octavia. “Your room key. Do not stay awake for long, we are leaving early in the morning.” he said, turning to go but realizing he didn’t tell her where her room was.
Caspian standing on the landing for the stairs point to the set that went down towards a lower level. “You are in the third room in the basement,” he said.
As Caspian started up the stairs Octavia spoke up not thinking. “Why do I have to sleep in the basement?”
“You have not paid for your room nor have you earned a room worth more than a single silver.” he said, without turning and heading up stairs.
Octavia looked down the stairs to the near darkness, lit sparsely with dim lanterns. The sounds of mixed grumbles and snores of over drunk patrons reverberated off the walls, making the space below sound like the cave of a bear.
Sunder:
Sunder had awoken early in the morning and gone to a healer. Who was none to happy he refused to remove his helmet. But he was in as close to top shape as he could be. A rough life of protecting people and cheap healers on the road had left him slightly creaky at times. But it couldn't really be helped. It was the price of protecting people.
He stopped at a blacksmith to get his armor replaced.
“I can’t make you new armor for at least a week.” the gruff dwarf said. “But if you got an hour I can bang the dents out.”
“That’s fine.” Sunder said, stripping the plates off down to the chainmail and cloth underneath laying the rest of the armor on the table.
“Sonny, are you sure? This gear is pretty rubbish. Ain’t really even worth fixing.” the blacksmith said.
“That is the point.” Sunder replied. “No point in wasting mithril or praitine on armor that will be damaged beyond repair.”
The dwarven blacksmith shrugged. “Your money. Come back in an hour.”
Octavia:
Octavia awoke the next morning. Though saying she woke up would only be half true. She had been only on the edge of sleep all night. Nervous by the surroundings, the sounds, and Caspian’s behavior becoming more erratic after they were saved by Sunder. She sighed, before reaching out with her power a tiny bit. Conjuring a tiny mote of sunny yellow light in her hand, letting it fade almost as fast as it appeared. Just making sure she’d not lose her powers in the night for having thoughts of having Sunder save her again. She knew he was the enemy, but he seemed more kind than anyone who was the ‘good guy’ in her world. How was that possible? He was a killer. She’d felt his aura, it was steeped in iron and blood, a wall of will oppressive enough to strike fear just by being near it. Maybe she could run, maybe she could find Sunder, maybe she could turn the tables and…no…what was she thinking? Even if she ran, even if she knew the truth. If she had Sunder take her away from Caspian, he would just contact the church and they would send knight after, knight after, knight to attack him until he was too tired or too injured to continue to fight, then Casapian would win. Then claim she was kidnapped. And she couldn’t just run on her own. She couldn’t fight, she could protect herself in any meaningful way, and she didn’t know how to survive in the woods. She was stuck here. Octavia flicked the little mote of light back into existence, and started putting things back in her pack. She shut the door behind her and ascended the stairs. Caspian was nowhere to be seen in the tavern. “Of course he’s not awake yet…” she thought, rubbing her temples. The headaches were already rumbling between her ears and behind her eyes, like a distant storm. “Its going to be a bad day…” she thought, another bad day.