[I can't say it isn't fitting, but I sure hope the locals haven't made a tradition around joking about their town's name when new faces show up. I'm sure I'll have to grin and bear it for the sake of networking and making friends, but it's just so inane.]
The man known Roth was standing on a verdant hilltop next to a carriage-worn road leading to the town of Mosswell. While researching the nature and history of Mosswell, Roth learned that it was founded by travelers who foolishly tried to shortcut through a labyrinthine forest, only to be saved by a natural clearing rich with water and large, moss-covered stones. The travelers developed an almost religious reverence for the unexplainable area and after successfully founding a small settlement, the town of Mosswell was born.
[Oh well, there's no time like the present and if the locals see a strange man staring at them from a nearby hilltop they will no doubt be suspicious of him if he enters town. Probably shouldn't keep hanging around like a burglar casing a home.]
Roth was both excited and nervous because this would be his first time entering a human town. Which is not to say that Roth was some sort of feral mountain creature who lived in a cave and was trying to learn the language of the squirrels. Quite the opposite, in fact. Roth was the second son of the late Demon Emperor, and a few months prior took over his father's position.
The decision for Roth to travel among the human territories was strange but not without explanation. While Llyon (his father) was on his deathbed, he gave a dying request to his children: turn the Demon Empire into a nation which can finally make peace with the humans. His reasons varied from moral platitudes to economic and military concerns, but the overall message was both very clear and very genuine. Apparently many of his ambiguous bureaucratic excursions had actually been a smokescreen for Llyon to assume a human disguise, journey to human territory, and discern what was necessary for peace. In a way, Roth's current venture was not so different.
With his father's lofty goals in mind, Roth descended the hillside and approached Mosswell from the main road. Nearing the fields which surrounded the town, Roth spotted and called out to a local woman who appeared to be plucking weeds. Her arms were toned, her hands were calloused, and the cloth she wore to prevent her hair from obscuring her face was torn but expertly tied. She hummed a repetitive melody which seemed to have no beginning or end, but which matched the timing of her work. A contented smile was painted across her face, holding firm in its integrity regardless of where she was in the humming or the work.
[I ought to be appreciative that my first human contact is seemingly harmless.]
"Good afternoon, young miss," Roth called out to the woman, "I am a traveler who has stumbled upon this town by accident after losing my way near the forest. Where would you recommend I search if I'm looking for temporary work and a place to stay?"
The woman stood up and threw Roth an expression that was both jaded and amused.
"People don't just lose their way and find Mosswell. What are you actually doing here? And don't think that your false flattery will win you any favors. Even though it wasn't really so bad."
Roth was banking on the locals not realizing he was as much of an outsider as he was and therefore being receptive. He wasn't a bandit after all. Maybe worse, but definitely not a bandit.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but I genuinely have no idea where I am and all I'm looking for right now is a job, a bed and maybe a map."
The woman gave Roth another apprehensive look and stared at him expectantly.
Roth had already decided on his boring backstory but it was oddly hard to bring out. Turns out that lying to strangers you were already embarrassed to be around wasn't the most comfortable of positions to be in.
"I got here while traveling and hunting, as I don't really have a permanent home. I don't have a great sense of direction but I didn't run out of food or water, so I suppose I get at least a passing grade as a traveler. In terms of previous jobs I have done in towns, I mostly did manual labor."
The woman's clear surprise alerted Roth that his backstory may not have been expertly chosen. He was tall and fit but he came to town in grey robes with vertical blue stripes at the shoulder and lacked any observable survival gear. His short silver hair wasn't pristine but it lacked the telltale green and brown tinge of someone who had been ducking through forestry.
"Dart's Pub is over near the center of town. Dart keeps a signboard with jobs that need doing, so I guess I'd head there and pick something up. Doubles as our only inn too", said the woman, having apparently decided to gloss over the obvious disconnect between Roth's appearance and his backstory.
Roth reflexively waved as he thanked the woman for her courtesy and advice.
[Is this a reasonable way to thank people in the human world? I sure hope so. Seems safe to assume that if I have offended this woman it will come back to bite me.]
Roth made his way towards the center of town, making a point of remembering the various local establishments. Presently there was nothing to be gained from trying to identify specific residences, but having a basic familiarity with the names and locations of the different businesses would help Roth to fit in and arouse less suspicion from the locals.
Roth soon spotted his destination. Like most buildings in Mosswell, it had two stories and was constructed from wood that clearly matched the trees in the surrounding forest. Its windows lacked the floral and mossy decorations found on many of the residential buildings, but it did have a very memorable feature. Namely, the giant signboard above the door which read "DART'S" in an ominously red paint.
Roth entered Dart's Pub and did his best to not seem out of place. While Dart's was not a bar serving rotgut whisky to cowboys, and therefore did not have boards which creaked when strangers entered, Roth could still feel a plethora of eyes upon him as he walked in. The bulk of them were more confused than anything, ogling his priest-like robes and large frame, but there were more than a few snickers from men with gruff features and apparel clearly meant for labor.
Roth did his best to ignore the stares and observed several patrons eating lunch at a counter which likely doubled as a bar in the evenings. Roth took a seat at the counter and before long was greeted by a large man with leathery skin and a not-yet-shaved hairline which reeked of an old man clinging to his youth.
"Haven't seen you here before," began the man as he gave Roth an inquisitive look, "what's your business?"
"My name is Roth and I wandered into town after losing my way in the forest. I was told that this was the place to come if I was looking for work. If it's relevant, I am more than competent at hard labor and hunting."
The owner raised an eyebrow at Roth without a hint of subtlety.
"Well, I guess there's no harm in giving it a try. My name's Dart, by the way. This here is my establishment and you can find notes from people looking for workers on the far wall, next to the door. It's early enough in the day you may yet find someone needing a spare pair of hands. If you manage to earn some coin today, feel free to return in the evening. A night's room and board here is cheap."
Dart gestured absentmindedly as he spoke but his voice did not betray any ill intent. Roth figured that this was Dart's way of showing hospitality and graciously thanked the old man before moving to inspect potential jobs for the day. More snickers came from behind him as he inspected what was written, but Roth continued to ignore them. Upsetting local laborers would no doubt hinder his ability to find work, after all.
Only two of the available jobs were for today, with many others having a start date in the future or requiring a long-term commitment. The first was from a woman who needed help with repairs to some of her furniture. Roth was sure that he could do the maintenance with his magic, but taking this job presented two problems. Firstly, he knew that attempting to hide his abilities would only raise suspicion once discovered, but he didn't know if humans would associate that particular form of magic with demons. Secondly, a stranger wandering into town and immediately weaseling his way into a woman's home would likely be looked down upon. The possibility existed that he would be chased out of town as soon as he attempted to accept the job.
The second job involved hauling lumber. The local woodsmen had accumulated quite a bit of wood at a nearby logging site but needed additional men in order to transport it back to town. This was a far more suitable job. Human mages often employed strengthening magic, so Roth was sure he could help without exposing his identity as demonic royalty. If anyone called his behavior into question, he could just pretend it was magical enhancement.
Roth promptly made a mental note of the details and returned to Dart's counter, informing the owner of his desire to take the job. Dart chuckled as he once again eyed Roth's frame and attire.
"Well, you may not look the type for hauling lumber but you seem sturdy enough. I'll put your name on today's list. The loading carriage will be heading to the logging site in about an hour, you'll meet them on the east side of town near the stables. Good luck".
Roth thanked Dart and promptly left the tavern, moving towards the stables but maintaining a casual pace. He focused on the mannerisms of the locals, and did his best to analyze patterns in their behavior. It was a far cry from the stiff bureaucratic settings he'd learned such skills in, but that suited Roth just fine. He had no great love for the unnecessary trappings of noble etiquette.
The loading carriage came into Roth's view as horses were being lead from the stable to be used for today's work. A small crowd of men with sun-weathered skin and hardy work clothes were waiting for the carriage to be ready to depart, casually speaking with one another about the day's work. As Roth came closer, he noticed several men pointing at him while asking questions of a man holding a clipboard. After apparently receiving a less than helpful answer, a young man with a mop of poorly groomed blonde hair called out to Roth.
"Hey, you the new guy? The weird new name on the list? Roth?"
[Is my name really that strange? No one else gave it a second thought. I even made sure not to mention a family name. Perhaps I'm just being teased.]
"That's me alright," replied Roth with a smile he hoped looked genuine, "I'm new around here and Mister Dart helped me find work. Something about hauling lumber?"
Roth was immediately met with chuckles from the men, several of which were shaking their heads. The blonde man immediately clapped Roth on the back before extending his hand, an awkward sight as Roth was several inches taller, and let Roth in on the joke.
"I don't who this 'Mister Dart' is, but if you got sent here by that old bastard at the tavern then you're in the right place. My name's Jackie, by the way."
Roth shook Jackie's outstretched hand, feeling good about having met someone friendly among the workers, and let Jackie lead him over to the man with the clipboard. This man was named Charles, and he was supervising the logging work as a representative of the village council.
By the time Roth's introduction was over, the carriage was ready to leave and head to the logging site. Jackie took it upon himself to sit next to Roth in the carriage and used their ride to catch Roth up to speed in terms of the workflow. The logs were already cut and ready for transport, but would take a great deal of manpower to load into the carriage. A second carriage would arrive at the site around the time they were done loading the first, and the two would alternate until the job was done. Aside from a brief break for lunch, they'd be spending the whole day refilling these carriages and they would ride back to town once all lumber was accounted for.
Jackie's explanation also included such a large number of superfluous details that Roth couldn't keep track of them all, and by the time Jackie had finished talking their destination was in sight.
It was a simple setup, with a small wooden cabin for use by loggers and a shaded area to store lumber away from the sun. The lumber had been cut into cylindrical poles of such perfect symmetry that magic was clearly involved. At around two meters in length, they were slightly taller than Roth but much taller than everyone else.
The laborers stored what little possessions they had with them, mostly canteens and provisions, in the cabin and began loading the wooden poles with practiced efficiency. It was two men to a pole, with work pairings being based on similarity of height. Roth's presence left them with an odd number of workers so he began moving lumber by himself, mentally rehearsing simple lies about strengthening magic.
"Well I'll be damned, Roth. Is that magic, or are you a lot bigger than you look under those robes?"
Turning to the voice, Roth was unsurprised to see it had come from Jackie. A mischievous grin adorned the man's face as he made an exaggerated show of inspecting Roth's physique. The raspy laughter of those short-of-breath could be heard from the other workers who were watching Jackie's display.
"I'm no bigger than I look, I'm just using some enhancement magic. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done."
"Well if you can keep up that kind of pace by yourself you'll be real popular around here, friend. The best part of these work days is when we finish loading a carriage early and can take a break in the shade before starting the next load."
[Should I just load all of the lumber at once? That's probably a bad idea, could draw too much attention. Still, I see no reason I can't pick up the pace just a little.]
Roth drew more than a few wide-eyed expressions as he started loading the poles four at a time, with two resting on each shoulder. This new display of strength didn't invite jokes from the others, but when they finished loading the first carriage with time to spare, several of the men introduced themselves to Roth and thanked him for making their jobs easier.
The rest of the day continued similarly, with everyone finding time to rest between loads and the opportunity to take an extended lunch. Once the final load had departed back to town, the laborers all took up positions in the cabin, finishing their water and provisions while they waited for their ride back. A few of the men absentmindedly counted their day's earnings.
All except one. As Roth was resting his eyes, a now-familiar voice rang in his ears.
"Hey Roth, we got some time, you wanna give me a hand with something? I can pay you, I just need someone who's good at carrying stuff. You're the best at carrying stuff I've ever seen".
"What can I help with? Oh, no need to pay me though, you helped explain today's work to me this morning, so I'll gladly give you a helping hand."
"Well let's just say I'll owe you one then," said Jackie with a smile. "Sometimes I hunt wild game when I'm outside of town, bring the meat back to the church. The problem is that I can't bring very much back at once on account of how heavy it is. I was thinking if we had two of us we could bring a lot of meat back to the site before the carriage shows up, and then ride with it the rest of the way. That sound okay to you?"
[It would appear that I misjudged this man. I had taken his hospitality for the kindness of a carefree youth, but I don't suppose most young men volunteer to spend their spare time hunting game for charity.]
"What kind of monster would I be if I turned down a request to get food for the church? I'll have you know I'm a pretty good hunter too. We'll be back in no time."
For what must have been at least the fifth time today, Jackie slapped Roth on the back. "I knew you'd be willing to help, you just had that sort of air about you. Plus it's like you said, you'd have to be a real demon to not wanna help the church."