Star looked up at the walls of the capital in the distance and smiled. She wiped the sweat from her brow and ran back to where the other two were waiting. "I can see the Capital we aren't far now..."
"That's good news." She nodded at Harnio and turned to the firewarrior. "They should let us in without trouble... We should be safe from those that you call sniffers."
"And Trolaiths..."
She nodded. "Yes them too." She pointed in the direction of the Capital. "There is a long line to enter the city... I guess they are all here looking to join in the ritual, so we should be able to blend in well."
"Lets go, I am tired of sleeping in the forest, and need some time in a cot or bed and have a nice long bath away from the both of you for a bit." She heard Harnio sigh, and looked at them as they started walking towards the Capital. "Will they let us in if there are only three of us? What if they start asking me questions or something? If there are too many people I will get nervous and uncomfortable..." She watched him touch his hammer, and smiled. "Don't worry, if they ask you something, we can talk for you. You don't have to answer anything if you don't want to. I am sure a big muscular firewarrior will scare them off if they start asking questions." She waved a finger a Harnio. "Do you know in the capital they have an academy filled with very old books, and also forges, where you can go and forge your own equipment?"
"Forge? Books..." She smiled and nodded watching Harnio increase his pace. She cursed herself. "Don't do what you did last time, or we will have to tie ourselves to you, so you will have to take us with you..." She turned to the firewarrior who had raised his hand to stop him from moving and whispered. "He doesn't like that remember?"
"I wasn't planning to touch him with my hand... I was just going to tie a rope around him so we could go with him if he did his wind step thing." Star nodded. "Fair enough... He hasn't done it yet, so only do if it you have to." The firewarrior nodded.
"Don't worry, I am not going to leave the both of you behind... Look at all those people... I would lose my mind if I was around them, without the both of you." Star looked up as they walked out of the forest into a large clearing. She saw a long line of transports on the Supreme's road and a long line of people wanting to get through the large gates of the Capital.
"I have never seen a city like this before..." She turned and looked at Harnio and the firewarrior as they spoke at the same time. "The both of you have definitely led sheltered lives. You need to get out more and see more of Athlos."
"As guards we will." She looked at Harnio's eyes as they started to shine at the excitement of seeing more and learning more. She turned and rolled her eyes are the firewarrior. "Stop staring like you are from the countryside... People will look at you weird... At least when Harnio does it, he doesn't look like a fool."
"What do we do now?" Star looked at them both and smiled. "The only thing we can do is join the line... We are not going to be jumping over the wall are we?" She looked at them both. "I mean it... No jumping over the walls... No blowing things up... No burning things to ash... And most importantly, no pulling things apart to see how they work... Understood?"
She smiled as they both lowered their head. "Understood." She turned and waved her hand. "Lets go. Don't call me by my name here. People will crowd us... Better if you called me something else."
"How about tribes-person?" Star shook her head. "No... you can't call me that here in the Capital... If they know that, it will cause trouble?" Star looked around her, and touched her bow. She smiled and looked at them. "While we are in the Capital, just call me Iyane."
"Iyane it is... A strange name, but acceptable." Star looked at Harnio with a frown and rose her fist at him. "What do you mean it is a strange name? I think it is a beautiful name."
"Yyyes... Ittt isssssa beautttiful nammmmee."
She lowered her fist. "Good lets go and join the line so I can go have a bath." They followed her and walked onto the road joining the large crowd slowly making their way into the city. She walked near Harnio. "Don't worry Harnio, we are near... Just breath and relax like the blacksmith and professor would always say to you."
She watched him pull out a pipe and lit it up starting to smoke from it. She looked at him in surprise. "I didn't know you smoked."
"It helps with the nerves... The professor gave it to me, and told me to use it when I am uncomfortable. The grass he gave, really helps in times like these." Star nodded. "Well if it helps you than it helps..."
"Sniff... Sniff... Harnio... That smells like tumble weed. Are you sure you will be fine?" She looked at the firewarrior. "Tumble week? Harnio. You do know what that does to you?"
"Yes. It helps me calm down, and stops my head and heart from racing... So much in my mind, and the stress of people around me makes it all explode out." Star nodded. "Better this way, remember no explosions, or crushing people."
They stood in line with the others, Star looked up as the sun hit its highest point and sighed. "Finally... It took forever, but we are now in the Capital." She turned around and looked at the other two. "What do you both think of the Capital now?"
"Its big."
"Its noisy... Too many people." Star nodded. "Lets try and find somewhere to rest.
"It may be hard with all these people around..." She cursed, and looked at all the banners in the streets, the busy market square. She ignored the sellers calling out their wares and pointed down a street. "If we head towards the dock area. I am sure we will find a place to rest."
"What's that up there?" She looked where Harnio pointed. "I guess that is the keep where the Supreme and most of the noble families live... I don't think we can get in there until we are the guard."
"Did you say guard? Hmph... The three of you want to join the guard. What is the world coming to? A muscle head, some skinny guy and a woman pretending she knows how to use a bow. Hahahaha... They don't even have a full team... How can they lads? Hahahaha."
She narrowed her eyes and looked at the group and stared them down. She turned and looked at the firewarrior cracking his neck and shook her head at him. "We can't cause a scene here... The guard will ask questions if we start beating up people left, right and center."
"Fine..." Star let out a long sigh as she turned and looked at the group. "Lucky we are in the city, or we would have turned you all black and blue."
"Hahahahaha... The bitch thinks she can beat us down." She cursed and quickly drew her bow and fired at the group.
"Thud... Thud... Thud... Thud... Thud..."
She smiled at their white faces, as they looked at where the arrows landed between their legs. "Next time, I will aim a little higher." She put her bow back on her back. "Lets go... These idiots are going no where for a while." She looked at the white faced group. "They will probably piss themselves from fear of nearly being castrated... Hmph. Serves you right for pissing me off."
"That was amazing... Your releasing of your arrows was so clean and fast... But didn't you say we shouldn't cause any trouble in the city?" She smiled at Harnio. "If I hit them, than yes we would be in trouble, I just scared them a little."
"Ahh... I see. So I could do something like this?" Star opened her mouth to say something and cursed when she saw Harnio wave his hand at the group.
"Cccrashhhh!"
"Hahahahaha...."
She turned and looked with an open mouth in surprise and covered her mouth from laughing. The table and chairs the group who were in shock from her arrows, were now all on the ground as the tables and chairs had shattered around them.
She turned and looked at Harnio as he kept walking away from the mess. "That's correct. Just like that... Serves them right for giving us a hard time."
She looked at the firewarrior, who was also smiling. "Harnio... I will not do anything to make you angry. I don't want to worry about things exploding around me like that..."
"Same as me... I think you would be very scary if you were ever angry at us." Star nodded. "Lets keep walking, we got to find a place to rest before night fall."
As they walked down a road away from the market, Star smiled as the port slowly came into view. She looked around at the mass of people coming off the ships and cursed. "There better be a place to rest around here, or we will have to camp outside... again."
"Hey Cliffhopper... Are you coming, the tavern is open and we need to get something to drink with our coin."
"Coming brother... This place is not as bad as it was before... I think we can enjoy ourselves... Not like last time we were here."
Star stopped walking and turned, staring at the backs of the two people that walked past her. She frowned. "Do you know them?" She shook her head. "I don't know them, but someone I know does know them."
"What do you want to do?"
She smiled and changed direction, "lets follow them, and see where they go."
"Fine... Lets go Harnio... She is in her own little world now... We might as well play along."
Star started following behind them and stared at the one called Cliffhopper. "Hairy, and shaggy. That must be the one that he was talking about. She walked up to them. "Cliffhopper... Is that your name?"
She watched him stop and turn around and look at her. "Hey, brother do you know this person?"
"No, I don't I have never met them before... How do you know my brother's name?"
Star pursed her lips in a small scowl. "I have a message from the Roc tribe for Cliffhopper, and not for anyone else..."
"Did you just say Roc tribe?" Star nodded, and heard him curse. "Sorry brother... Give us a moment?" She heard the brother curse. "What do you mean? If she has something to say she can say it with me here."
Star shrugged her shoulders and looked at Cliffhopper opening her eyes wide, so he could see them. "Your eyes... you are from there... What do they want?"
She smiled. "They don't want anything, just for me to tell you, that they aren't impressed with what you are doing as a guide. They have been watching, and are quite upset with the decisions you have been making so far to the person you are supposed to be guiding." She heard him curse loudly. "I do what I want... Who gives a shit about what some blasted old guy says what I should do or not."
Star looked at them. "You both look strong... Hey Harnio, firewarrior. What do you think?"
"You want them to fill our team?" Star shook her head. "I think this brother here has some interest to our goals... Especially if the Roc tribe is guiding him."
"Hey don't talk about me, when I am right here. Usually I would love to have a few rounds with a beautiful person like you with strange eyes, but now is the time for a drink and some fun... Come Cliffhopper lets go... Remember we make our own choices." She went to turn around and walk away. "Wait..." She stopped with a smile and looked at Cliffhopper like she saw Iyane look at her subjects. "You know?" She nodded. "I know."
"Harnio what is she talking about?" She waved her hand at them. "Cliffhopper. If you recognize my eyes, you know where my authority is... and you know where my loyalties are."
"Can't you just do your smell trick and make her leave, or fall into your hands like putty?" Star raised an eyebrow. "He could try, but he knows it wouldn't work on someone with my blood... Wouldn't it?"
"What do you want?"
She clasped her hands together. "Now we are getting somewhere... Lets talk about this over a meal... I think we can come to a suitable conclusion for the both of us."
"Fine... We were just going to this tavern here for food. "The captain said they always have space, to those who ask."
"Good than lets go..." She walked ahead of them and turned smiling at the small group following her into the noisy tavern. "Hello miss... and sirs... As you can see our tables are full." She turned and looked at Cliffhopper and the brother. "Well... I am waiting..."
"Fine... Brother give the coin to them..." She smiled as they cursed and handed a flat coin token to the inn. "Ahh. You are with them... So be it, we have a private table we can set up for you all. Also there are some rooms, that you all can use to rest up."
Star smiled at the old owner. "Thank you... Please lead the way."
The small group followed the owner through the tavern, into a back room. "Here is where you can sit, dine and talk in private. I will send through food and drink in a moment... May the Creator bless you all."
Star frowned and looked at the one called brother. "Who are you? I know who Cliffhopper is, but what was with the owner just then?"
"Me. I am a nobody doing whatever I want."
"Brother... You need to tell her the truth."
"Why should I?"
"Just because of who she is... If you don't we are in a bad situation."
She looked at the brother cursing. "Call me Drummen, I am on my trials, and Cliffhopper is supposed to be my guide for something..."
"Which trial is that?"
"Defender of the faith trial from the dome..."
She smiled and folded her arms on the table resting under her chin. "Let's talk business..."