Rogas continued, still whispering, "I ask you to believe me first. I've dealt with this sort of thing many times, and you see, I've been safe so far. I'm still not dead, am I?"
"That's because I saved you yesterday!" said William.
"That's because you're part of my fortune! I made a choice, I gambled with it, and survived. Thanks to you. Right?" Rogas smirked. "Now, let my luck help you. If you want to believe it, you'll be fine too, and could even benefit from this."
"You're still full of bullshit. But fine, I'll follow your plan."
"You won't regret it." Roger laughed.
"I won't regret it," William said, still not smiling, "even if I had to kill you later."
Rogas was flabbergasted, then smirked. "Look at you, even if you're just joking, now you getting used to killing! After making the first kill, the next one gets easier, right? You even start to threaten other people. Hahaha! It is always like that. I used to be like that too!"
William did not respond to the joke. He honestly didn't know if his threat was serious or not. Maybe not, he just wanted to bluff. He could not imagine if he had to kill again. For him, it was a terrible experience. But if Rogas betrayed him later, or Mornitz came with his pack and attacked again, who knows?
He followed Rogas into the busier center of the village. The man was always well-spoken everywhere, and William admired him for that. Rogas could immediately become acquainted with some of the fishers when they stopped by a small restaurant and chatted there. After chatting for a while, one of the residents of Orulion named Root—he was a friendly old man with a thick beard—offered them to stay at his house.
"I have an empty cabin in my backyard," said Root. "It was where my son used to live, but he hasn't been home for… for …" The old man frowned, struggling to remember. "Mm … two years?"
"Ten years," Moor, another man sitting next to him corrected, shaking his head. The man also had a bushy beard but looked younger.
"Ten years? Ah, it's been that long huh?" Root chuckled.
"Where did your son go?" William asked.
"To the south," Moor answered. "Joining Alton's army. My nephew was tired of fishing and wanted to be a soldier. He said it was more interesting, and profitable. So that's it, he went south. During the first two years, he was able to send a lot of money here. Well, maybe not much, but enough. But after that, he disappeared."
"What happened?" William asked again.
"I don't know," Moor replied. "Until now there is no news."
"He's dead," said Root.
That's a pretty awful thing a father would say about his son. Surprisingly, the old man smiled. Maybe it's because long ago he had been able to accept the fact that his son was dead.
But didn't the old man forget when his son left?
"We don't know that yet, Root," said the Moor. "Maybe he just went a long way. Maybe one day he will come back here."
"No. That's the risk of being a soldier. You know that, Moor. He knew it too when he asked my permission." Root nodded. "And you guys too … should have known." His eyes glanced at William and Rogas. "What was your name?"
"I'm Dall," answered Rogas quickly. "And my brother is Tuck."
Tuck? What kind of name is that?
William stared, then muttered inwardly.
"Yes, you both must know that too," said Root.
"Must know what?" William asked confused.
"By becoming soldiers you will die faster," replied Root.
"Only if we're stupid," said Rogas.
"My nephew is not stupid," replied Moor, displeased. "He is strong and quite skilled with the sword. Still, he died. If it's true he's dead…"
"What's your nephew's name?" asked Rogas.
"Boot. When he left he was as old as your brother," replied Moor, glancing at William. "You know him?"
Rogas was silent for a moment, his expression flat. Then he shook his head. "No. Never heard of him."
Moor nodded in understanding. "If you've seen him, you've probably forgotten it by now." He then said more seriously, "Listen, son, we know why you're here. You carry swords. You want to join Taupin's army. Right?"
"That's my plan," said Rogas without hesitation.
"Then you know the risks," said Root. "In the north, you will fight Hualeg people. You know what they're like, right? They are giants. Strong and cruel, and probably likes to eat human flesh. You guys seem pretty tough, so Moor and I don't need to give you any more advice. After all, we're just ignorant old fishers."
"Sir," said William, "if you do know something, just tell me."
"Taupin would be happy to have you guys, that's all I can say," replied Root. "Should I take you to see him now?"
"Let me take them," said Moor, patting his brother's arm. "You two want to go to his house tonight?"
"We want to rest first," said Rogas. "We'll see him tomorrow."
"Thank you for your offer, sir," William replied and smiled at Root and Moor. "But we don't want to bother you."
"Get some rest." Moor nodded. "And good luck."
"And hopefully you guys can outlive me," Root chuckled.
The old man's eyes gleamed brightly as if he had just discovered something new that excited him. Or maybe just because he found it funny that he could outlive younger people.
Moor took William and Rogas to an old wooden house not far away. As Root said, in his backyard was an old cottage. There was a lot of used stuff inside, which was enough to indicate that the hut had not been occupied for a long time. There is also a wooden couch that can be used as a bed.
As soon as Moor left, Rogas lay down on the wooden couch and fell fast asleep. William was just as tired, but he could hold on longer. He still had time to stop by Root's house and eat the soup and fruit the old man had given him. William then gave a sazet to the host in return.
At first, Root refused to accept it. He said he saw William as his son used to be, so he was quite happy to receive the young man in his home without having to get anything from him. But William insisted on giving the money. He said that if he was the old man's son, he would be happy to give the money to his parent. Finally, Root accepted it.
When it was dark, William returned to the hut and lay down on the wooden mat spread out on the floor. From above the wooden couch, the sound of Rogas snoring was heard. But that didn't bother William. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep too.