《The number of sticks》 Chapter 1: Trade and tricks Chapter 1: Trade and tricks ¡°Hey Konrad, I¡¯m fed up with watching squirrels make war over some nuts,¡± Aeros spoke as a bored child might. The young man wore no weapon, his azure blue coat and white trousers looked more fit at a dancing party than in a forest, and the Epping Forest, no less! The kind of place where people had the bad habit of disappearing, never showing up again. ¡°What do you expect actually? Werewolf suddenly jumps out of a bush or vampire tries to bite your lovely neck?¡± Konrad, who had the look of a veteran warrior, answered haft-heartedly. A grey hood covered most of his face. He also carried a long curved sword on his waist while a heavy crossbow was strapped to his back. ¡°What else? It doesn¡¯t seem like we are enjoying an autumn picnic anyway.¡± Aeros continued to kick up a fuss. There was a sour look on his high cheekbones face. ¡°Perhap they are afraid of suffering a conversation with you.¡± ¡°What a meany!¡± Aeros protested, then a thought suddenly struck him. ¡°Unless you mean...¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Konrad shrugged, quite surprised that his friend hadn¡¯t realized such simple fact yet. For a moment, the blond young man seemed to be deep in thought, but he quickly regained his enthusiasm and raised another question. ¡°So when can I see some brigands?¡± ¡°Be careful what you wish for!¡± the tall warrior frowned for a moment, then his ears picked up something: the crushing of dry leaves, the snapping of small twigs, and heated argument¡­ ¡°Bandits?¡± Aeros asked, hope filled his emerald almond shaped eyes. ¡°Worse,¡± Konrad replied, ¡°amateurs.¡± The footsteps on dry leaves grew louder until at last the brigands surrounded their supposed easy preys. Konrad counted three boys a year or two younger than Aeros, armed with pitiful clubs and rusty daggers. With them was a redhead girl in one mess of a dress wielding an unsightly bow. It looked like they had outgrown their urchin life recently but not tough enough to be accepted in a real street gang yet. All of them were covered in mud, hunger and desperation haunted their gaunty faces. ¡°Do as we say and no one will get hurt!¡± a hatchet-faced boy said. He was the largest of the party, an inch or two taller than Aeros. After taking a long look at both of the travellers, the boy continued. ¡°I claim the sword and the crossbow that the big one carries,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take his leather armor then,¡± this came from a skinny boy with a nasty burn scar on his cheek. The redhead girl then pointed her arrow at Aeros. ¡°I want the coat and pant of the blonde sissy.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve just met him and now you want to strip him nude?¡± the youngest boy complained. ¡°Fuck you all!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± the hatchet-faced boy showed a dirty grin. ¡°We are in hurry, you know?¡± Aeros spoke. ¡°Be quiet!¡± the redhead girl barked. ¡°Can¡¯t you see we are having an argument right now?¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± Aeros offered. The girl was still pointing the arrow at him, so being rude was out of the question. ¡°First thing first, your purses!¡± the burned one ordered. ¡°What should we do, Konrad?¡± Aeros asked. ¡°You are the one begging to see some actions,¡± the tall warrior grunted, ¡°and at the first sign of trouble, you raise the white flag immediately?¡± ¡°They are just some misguided kids. You can¡¯t blame people for trying to survive.¡± Aeros shook his head and sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself again. We want it all, right down to your gears.¡± Hatchet-faced cried. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Aeros raised both of his hands. ¡°Taking some coins is fine but I doubt that my friend here wants to part with his sword. After all, I haven¡¯t ever heard of any sword-priest doing such a thing.¡± ¡°Did you say sword-priest?¡± Hatchet-faced took a step back instantly. ¡°What is going on, Ryan?¡± the girl asked. ¡°You stupid woman! Don¡¯t call my name!¡± the hatchet-faced boy snapped, then he took a further step back and scratched his head. ¡°What? Have you lost your nuts?¡± the redhead girl shouted. ¡°Just shut the fuck up!¡± Hatchet-faced barked. ¡°Even a horde of Cjien would flee rather than face a sword-priest.¡± ¡°But how can we know if he is a real deal?¡± the burned boy asked. ¡°How about just give it a try?¡± Konrad took off his hood. The tall warrior¡¯s skin was unnaturally pale, his pit black eyes glew with a savage inner fire. Lines of silver rune cover his shaved head then disappeard under the leather amor. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The gang shot uncertain glances to each other, not a single one dared to take the intimidating warrior priest up on his offer. Finally, Hatchet-faced frowned and said, ¡°Perhaps we should let them go.¡° ¡°Not a wise choice,¡± Aeros said abruptly. ¡°What? Why?¡± all member of the gang were filled with confused look. ¡°Because we have seen all of your faces. Because we can report it to the first guardman we meet,¡± Aeros¡¯ tone changed rapidly, then he pointed toward the hatchet-faced boy. ¡°I even remember your name, Ryan.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± the hatchet-faced boy stuttered. ¡°Each trade has its tricks. Two of the very first among banditry are to cover your god damn face and not to spill out your name,¡± the blond young man howled, then he pointed toward the red-head girl who were still aiming arrow at him. ¡°And you, toss away your silly bow.¡± ¡°Why? It is a good bow. I made it myself,¡± the young girl protested. ¡°You keep it drawn for almost five minutes, so either you are inhuman strong or your little toy is a useless piece of greenwood.¡± ¡°Any other advice?¡± the youngest boy honestly asked. ¡°How about scouting ahead, evaluating your target carefully to make sure you don¡¯t stumble upon any sword-priest? Also, set up an ambush, make some traps. If your prey is right-handed then approaching from the left¡­¡± Aeros paused for a moment then spoke to the redhead girl. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to¡­¡± ¡°That is enough!¡± Konrad warned. ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you the one always preaching about helping people?¡± ¡°This kind of help will get a lot of good folks killed!¡± mixed feeling of resolve and regret filled the warrior priest¡¯s face, his steady hand gripped the handle of the curved sword. ¡°A well executed robbery usually leaves less corpses than a messy one¡­¡± Aeros hesitated, then boldly stared at his friend for a long moment before pulling out a rune-covered ivory claw from his pocket and tossed it to the hatchet-faced boy. ¡°What¡¯s it?¡± The whole gang curiously asked, paying no mind to the strange silent just a moment ago. ¡°Your future,¡± The blond young man grinned. ¡°Go to the nearest city, ask for the Golden Claw, then show the one in charge that small figure. Tell him the cripple send his regard.¡± ¡°Are you trying to cheat us?¡± the redhead girl asked doubtfully. ¡°Perhaps,¡± ¡°What kind of answer is that?¡± the girl angrily barked. ¡°A tricky one,¡± Aeros grinned again. The gang were speechless, but Konrad had had his share of trouble for a day and decided to interfere. ¡°Just do as he said and you will be rewarded handsomely.¡± Four amateur bandits seemed to take Konrad at his words and were preparing to leave when the tall warrior priest continued to speak. ¡°Do you know how far we are from Tisza?¡± ¡°Only haft a day worth of walking,¡± the hatchet-faced boy quickly answered. ¡°Though I wouldn¡¯t go there if I were you. It is a dragon¡¯s hunting ground now.¡± ¡°Would you mind filling me in with more detail?¡± Konrad pulled out a silver coin from his pocket and flipped it to the boy. ¡°I heard that the baron¡¯s men captured that monster last summer, but some big shit happened and it ran loose again. The maniac terrorized that town ever since, killed no less than thirty men in just four months. They said the baron would pay a fortune to get rid of that winged beast once and for all.¡± ¡°Exactly what I want to hear!¡± the warrior showed one of his rare smile. ¡°And I think we are traveling to the asylum,¡± Aeros groaned. ¡°That town is on our route anyway,¡± Konrad replied while walking away from the group. ¡°Hey Konrad,¡± the blond young man said after making sure no one could hear them, ¡°did you really intend to¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Aeros angrily shouted. ¡°Do you know how much that figure worths?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°Admit it!¡± Konrad calmly said. ¡°You just want to annoy me as much as possible, right? Babbling all that nonsense about trade and tricks.¡± ¡°Yes, it is true that those haft-baked tricks are useless. If it were me¡­¡± ¡°Then what?¡± Aeros grinned then kept his mouth shut for the first time. Chapter 2: Gossip and rumors Chapter 2: Gossip and rumors On its own, Tisza was just another fortified town along the northern border of the Vilcea Empire with over six hundred people took shelter behind her brick wall and moat. There were also a few dozen guards to keep everything in check, all answered to the baron who took up residence in the stone keep looming over the town square. It was during late afternoon when Konrad and his companion saw the wooden gate of that stalwart stronghold of mankind. ¡°This town look surprisingly intact after being terrorized by a dragon for a few months,¡± Aeros glowered at his friend like an overindulged child who was denied his favourite toy. When Konrad kept walking without responding, the handsome young man grunted again. ¡°I wonder how these wooden houses prevailed against dragon fire.¡± ¡°Drop the act, will you? You know as well as I that their infamous dragon is a fraud,¡± The warrior priest complained. ¡°Why are you so serious all the time?¡± Aeros frowned. ¡°You remind me of my father.¡± ¡°The very idea that you could be my son fills me with dread!¡± Konrad sighed heavily. ¡°Yeah, he said something like that too!¡± the handsome blond man cheerfully replied. ¡°It must have been tough for him to raise you,¡± the warrior priest said sympathetically. ¡°Whatever,¡± Aeros shrugged, a curious look crossed his face. ¡°I wonder how those petty peasants will welcome their saviours.¡± As soon as both travellers approached the town gate, five guardmen quickly moved out to stop them. There was anger on the faces of all the guards who stood there. The sort of anger that slowly burned the hearts of good but desperated men who had witnessed the death of comrades and loved ones without being able to help. They wanted justice, however; it was out of their hands, so they decided to vented their furry and hatred toward outsiders. ¡°State your business or leave!¡± a middle aged bald guard who seemed to appoint himself as leader barked. ¡°I came becaue of the baron¡¯s notice,¡± Konrad replied calmly. ¡°Not again!¡± the bald guard groaned, his comrades also nodded thoughtfully at each other and went forth to surround both travellers. ¡°What kind of greeting is this?¡± Aeros blodly asked, realizing that their expression only grew darker. ¡°The kind you frauds deserve,¡± the bald guard spat. ¡°These wards can¡¯t be faked,¡± Konrad pulled off his hood and met his accuser¡¯s stare directly. ¡°Nice try!¡± a young black hair guard gave his comment, then nodded to his comrades. ¡°I would have believed them if they had come earlier.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aeros¡¯s gaze was on the young guard. ¡°Just three weeks ago, one of your foul kind tried to cheat us. I even treated him a jug of beer myself. He also had pale face, black eyes, though his tattoo was blue. However; the baron knew better. He ordered us to seize that fraud at first glance. After a dozen lashes, the asshole cried and sweated so much that his make-up fell apart. It turned out he was just an amateur actor who decided to try his luck with cheap paint,¡± The black hair guard explained. Konrad smiled, but didn''t give any comment. ¡°Any other cases?¡± The blond young man cheerfully requested for more. ¡°A dozen at least,¡± the bald guard grimaced. ¡°Some wore pointed hats and wielded wooden staffs, pretending to be mages. Some depended on useless lucky charms and runestones while others drew stupid magic circles with dog¡¯s blood.¡± ¡°So there were no knights or adventurers around to took the job?¡± Konrad asked. ¡°More than enough I afraid,¡± the black hair guard voice could be heard. ¡°A band of four famous adventurers tried to poison the beast with a lamb stuffed with arsenic and some family secret recipes. Too bad for them that the dragon found its supposed hunters¡¯ meat more attractive than the lamb.¡± ¡°There was also a hedge knight, though I knew at first sight that he was wrong in the head,¡± the bald guard shook his head. ¡°What did he do?¡± amusement flickered over Aeros¡¯s face. ¡°He got angry when the baron mentioned of the reward, claiming it was a knight¡¯s duty to pursue dragon without consideration of material reward. On the same day, the maniac went to the river bank where the dragon was sighted and challenged his nemesis for a duel to death. He screamed out all kind of insults at every dragons that ever walked the world for three days and three nights until the dragon decided that it couldn¡¯t let its ancestors¡¯ honor be tainted by a freak any longer, so it attacked the hedge knight with all its might,¡± said the young black hair guard. ¡°It sounded like that asshole had signed his own name on the dragon¡¯s menu for dinner?¡± Aeros laught aloud. ¡°Nah,¡± the same guard chuckled, ¡°His horse turned out to have more brain than its master and bolted back to town while the knight kept yelling his battle cry. The denied victory caused the knight to completely lose his mind, swinging his sword at everyone around, assuming that they were dragons in disguise. We had to put him in a cage and carried him to the asylum in Prava just a week ago.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°An amusing tale, indeed!¡± Aeros nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Enough chatting, now get your asses out of here!¡± the middle aged bald guard shouted. ¡°Wait a second!¡± Aeros raised his hands in protest. ¡°Just take a look at my friend before you do something stupid. How often can you see a six feet six inches giant warrior like him?¡± The black hair guard heeded Aeros¡¯s advice and took a long look at Konrad before shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s true that he is taller than me, but that¡¯s that. I have seen a much more impressive guy before.¡± ¡°Feel free to fill me in!¡± The blond young man grinned. ¡°Right after we dealed with the mad knight, a whole mercenary company came from the east to resupply. Those guys looked tough, all cladded in either plate armors or chainmails, and their horses certainly put the baron¡¯s favourite mare to shame,¡± wonder filled the black hair guard as he remembered the sight. ¡°At first, we feared they would burn our town to ashes, but they actually paid for everything they took, and not a single guy messed up with our girls.¡± ¡°Now this tale is hard to buy!¡± Aeros shook his head in disbelief. ¡°The last mercenary company I saw were quite fond of looting, burning, and raping. They even did that in such order.¡± ¡°I assume the giant you mentioned is their captain?¡± Konrad interfered with a hint of concern . The black hair guard nodded and continued. ¡°True, He is at least seven feet tall, heavily built. That guy don¡¯t have any tattoo though, and his eyes are quite special.¡± ¡°His eyes have no white, the whole eyeballs are pit black?¡± Aeros gave another bright smile, but there was something off about his expression. It lasted a little too long, as if his whole face had been frozen. ¡°So you met him before?¡± The young guard asked, completely unawared of Aeros¡¯ mood swing. ¡°Holy shit!¡± the blond young man swore, then he laught so hard that tear ran down his cheeks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him? Should we cage him and send him to the asylum too?¡± the bald guard suggested. ¡°What is the company¡¯s name?¡± Konrad¡¯s voice sounded distant and dark, as though remembering a long held grudge. ¡°The Shining Death,¡± the black hair guard anxiously replied. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°If by chance, that company visit your town again, never beat your women in front of their captain. Never let him hear a baby cry, or better still, shut every women and kids in the houses. Gag them to keep them silent.¡± Konrad warned, and for a brief moment, all of the guards completely forgot that they were accusing him of fraud. ¡°What for?¡± the bald guard shook out of the warrior priest¡¯s charm. ¡°You had better heed my friend¡¯s warning. Their captain is a very powerful mage with a gentle heart. If he see peope get hurt, he may decide to send them to the promised land a bit earlier.¡± Aeros said while wiping out tear in his eyes. ¡°He seems like a reasonable man to me,¡± the bald guard shook his head in disbelief, then snorted with anger. ¡°And you, who the hell are you to speak like king?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Aeros, heir of Alius the Lord of Change, keeper of the ancient Isik, and majority shareholder of the Golden Claw.¡± The blond young man proudly declared. ¡°Forgive my rudeness!¡± the bald guard made a mocking bow before continued. ¡°Perhaps your lordship should go home to suck some milk out of your wet nurse¡¯s tits.¡± ¡°I suck many things,¡± Aeros showed a mischievous grin. ¡±Just ask your mother, she probably still remembers.¡± ¡°You insolent whelp!¡± The provoked guard yelled and drew out his broadsword. It took two of his fellow comrades to restrain him from cutting the heir of Alius in two. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Aeros!¡± Konrad sternly scolded, then he bowed to the bald guard. ¡°This town has seen enough deaths. There is no need for more.¡± ¡°Wise words!¡± a powerfully-built rider in a chainmail shirt approached them. A sad look was imprinted on his heavy lined face. ¡°My lord!¡± all of the guards bowed their heads at once, their right hands put on their chests, then the bald guard impatiently said, ¡°Just another fraud, your lorship.¡± ¡°Did I ask for your opinion?¡± A powerful voice rang out from the rider, as though offering a challenge. ¡°No, your lordship,¡± The middle aged bald guard took a step back, his eyes aimed at his boots. Satisfied with his subordinate¡¯s answer, the man dismounted. With a single swift motion, he drew his unnatural dark blade and pointed it to Konrad¡¯s neck. Instantly, numerous silver lines across the warrior priest¡¯s neck began to glow faintly. Convinced, the powerfully-built man withdrew his sword and asked. ¡±Do you have any idea who I¡¯m?¡± ¡°If you have the gold, then you are just another satisfied client,¡± Konrad replied simply. ¡°A professional man!¡± the man laughed darkly, ¡°Welcome to my town!¡±