Suddenly the wind became alive again, blowing stronger as it never did. It seems that the appearance of the pendant attracted something ominous and foreboding. Stephan stiffened and looked at the sky as the clouds hid the only source of light preparing for a night of cold rain. Sir Jack didn't fail to notice the abrupt change in the atmosphere. Cases like these always brought dark memories and created new ones. He flipped the knife he pulled from his weapon belt and pointed the blade at Stephan's throat. The latter raised his hands in the air in surrender. The blade looked bright and sharp to Stephan; he let out a nervous smile.
"If you assume that I swallowed your lies, then be wrong with it, young boy. Look around you and observe each one of us. Do you think we are fools?" the man pressed on the 'fools' word showing his raising anger. "On your knees and don't spout nonsense again. One lie and you will be a dead man."
As soon as Stephan saw the quest, his mouth twisted into a smile but his heart beat the miles per hour. He was a socialist on Earth so he wouldn't know how to earn a man's trust, especially when Masmoenia's people had the trust issues with all that was happening. He nodded as best as he would with a blade beneath his chin. He had to keep his act together or as Sir Jack said, he was a dead man, with no doubt.
"Of course… Of course… Of course. I am on my knees now," he fell on the ground immediately his hands still in the air. " believe thanks are a must for denying me… A chance to quench my thirst." He looked around, observing each face that was fixing him intently with a quick smile.
"What are you doing?" Sir Jack eyed him suspiciously.
"I am looking around as you instructed. I am observing your comrades as you suggested. Or in other words…"
"You don't need to say anymore. I don't know why but each word you spout in a nonsense," he cut him. "You said you were a traveler, were you sent by someone as a spy?"
"If I were a spy, would I tell you so? Don't be so dumb man," the blade was now on his skin. "I mean, why would you ask me so? I have nothing to confess. Well, I have one thing I did wrong. I pointed at the man over there with my broken sceptre and threatened him. Besides that, I didn't do anything of wrong. Can I get a sip of rum in exchange of my honesty?"
The others reacted in shock except for Mike who cringed. No matter how the man tried to see lies in his words, he was simply annoyed by his smile. In the end, he retracted his knife and lent a hand to help the young boy stand up. As soon as Stephan grabbed his hand shouting a half-hearted thanks, Jack stripped his arm and turned it to both sides. There was no tattoo to prove where he belonged.
"Certainly, you belong nowhere."
"I told you I am a wanderer. I keep travelling the land. What do you think a wanderer is?"
"I believe excessive confidence is backed by the refinery of skills. Show me your worth boy and I can decide then if I would keep you around us or not."
"Aren't you returning to Valtrar?" Stephan looked away, a bit embarrassed.
"Unlikely. We have a mission outside the walls and we can't return without accomplishing it."
"Very well," his eyes rolled to both sides while his fingers played touching the other side of the mirror, one finger touching the opposite one. "Can I still have something to fill my stomach?"
Jack pulled his knife again and without unsheathing it, he pulled the pendant from the apprentice's neck. The object fell on his hand. "I will keep this until I am confident you are a good boy without a suspicious past. I believe you are aware that one good deed would never erase a lifetime of wickedness."
"Indeed." The man handed him the rum he snatched from one of the knights who complained about it with a raised eyebrow. Stephan grabbed it and downed the whole drink quickly. It felt slightly bitter to his mouth but he was in no position to complain about it.
His hand threw the empty bottle aside while his eyes observed the man unsheathe his sword and move a few feet away from the company. He stood waiting for the apprentice to join him. As he stood in place for a while, Jack shouted at him to come over with a wave of arm.
"Oh, you were waiting for me," Stephan pointed at his chest with both hands. He felt his body relax and easier to use than before. He looked around searching for his broken sceptre and found it where he was sitting a moment ago. He picked it up and turned it in his hands but the object broke further making it impossible to use for a duel. "Sir Jack," he waved with the sceptre. "I don't have a weapon. Can you be kind once again and lend me one? I will make sure to return it."
Sir Jack had no choice but to turn bad. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the knights around. There was only one that could lend him a sword since it wasn't enchanted like the others. The knight destroyed his sword in one of the duels and he was waiting for his new one to come out. Therefore, his current sword was a normal one. Jack stopped near the campfire then tilted his head towards Garen, who was a knight with a big scar on his chest.
"Garen, lend him your sword."
"He can fight bare-handed. Why pull my sword into your argument and duel?"
"Do you want to spend the knight guarding us? I like it when we sleep in the mist more than in here."