No more than 30 minutes down the road, did Casper hear the sounds of heavy footfalls running against the muddy road. Light feet, but untrained in maneuvering through the thick mud and came across as sloppy and unbalanced.
"Hey!" The voice called out from somewhere behind him. High pitched, the boys voice.
Casper silently hoped the boy was not calling out to him, but given the roads were clear, it was unlikely it could be anyone else
"Hey!" The voice shouted again. Casper didn't stop. But he did slow down to a more casual pace with a sigh, allowing the boy to more easily catch up. Casper had quite the ways to go today and didn't have the time to stop for a chat, if this young man wanted to talk to him so badly he could make the extra few paces and meet the distance
"You!" The boys voice came out in battered breaths, clearly evident that he had been running, or at least jogging for quite some time to catch up.
"Me" Casper said. Matter-o-factly, only turning a brief bit to see the boy more clearly. Now in the early morning light, the features appeared even softer than before. With round, reddish cheeks spattered with light freckles, he was average height. Though tall for his age Casper thought. He looked perhaps 15 or 16 years of age even, but was already approaching Casper's height. He wore heavy cloak covered most if his feature, though Casper could tell the armor underneath was second hand and well worn, with nicer boots that haven't totally been broken in, the kid had money then. Furthermore, the rusty old dagger still on his hip looked more like a fishing knife than anything meant to kill, either the kid bought it without knowing that it was meant for, or found it just lying around.
"Planning on killing all the witnesses are we?" Casper glanced down at the knife the boy held in his hands, the grip tight around the familiar blade, the one Casper had dropped for him
"What? Oh my gods, no" the boys face turned red, catching his breath and doing well now to keep pace with Casper as he walked. The boy tossed the blade up and flipped it in the air, grabbing it by the sharp end and handing the handle out to Casper
"It is yours, isn't it?" The boy asked
"Aye, I suppose if you made the effort to chase after me like you did there is no harm in owning up to it" Casper took the blade back and slid it carefully into its place on his belt
"Why did you do that?"
"Ah, the Spears? Guards get a little...rambunctious when they get drunk, in my experience. Didn't want to see you getting ran through on account of not wanting to be clapped on the back" Casper shrugged his shoulder "just set them outside. Not like i did much"
"Maybe" the boy slowed a little "but its more than most people would have, and it sure as hell saved me a bit."
Casper did notice a few new bruises and cuts on the boy, though the cloak and armor covered most of him, the swelling around one eye, a light trickle of blood over the split left eyebrow and bruises on his nose and chin, it looked like he had taken quite the beating, though now that he thought about it. Clearly he held his own quite well, as he managed to run and catch up to Casper.
"Doesn't seem to me like you needed it too much." Casper noted, letting the boy know he had just taken in the details of the damage
"I can fight...especially some drunk guards who don't know their head from their ass"
Casper chuckled mostly to himself "fair enough then."
The conversation seemed well and over now. But still the boy followed behind him, keeping pace well.
"So, where ya headed?" The boy asked, seeming almost embarrassed to be doing so. But Casper didn't mind. He wasn't one of those recluses who hated conversation. In fact he quite liked it, and it had been a while since someone made an effort to strike up a conversation. But Casper frowned, usually when someone makes an effort to talk to a stranger its because they wanted something.
"Headed out to Ostlen, got some business in the city needs doin" he rubbed at his nose to wiped some snot away as the cool breeze made his nose run.
"Oh! Ostlen? That's quite the journey to be taking on foot, where you traveling from?"
Images of his father and their farm flickered through his mind. Picking through the burned shells of homes and farms far away in the mountains, much further away now that he though of it. But he very well couldn't say that. So instead Casper thought of a lie. "Small farming town just over in lord Falkins holdings" a not too unbelievable lie. It was still quite the distance away but not nearly as far as where he had actually come from, and being the son of some no name farmer in a lesser nobles holdings near the edge of the border would be too dull a lie for anyone to take suspicion in.
"Ah, I see. I hail from Insmoth, I too am headed to Ostlen"
And here it comes, Casper thought with a sigh. He was not one for travel companions despite his enjoyment of conversation. He had worried this would be the case when he heard the footsteps after him, but pushed it back. Casper often found what you fear to be true only comes true when you bring that thought into the world. Perhaps he would be free from all this had he not even considered the possibility. Though far more realistically this was a product of feeling good this morning. A foolish idea indeed.
"Sorry, but I'm not one for travel companions. You seem nice and all but I travel fast and travel light. And I very well can't be managing you as well"
It was a rude way to put it, and those were the facts. Casper could very well not afford to carry the weight of a new traveler. The sound of his feet in the mud, the equipment he carried on his back, a substantial amount of gear to be sure. The fresh blisters and new callouses didn't not paint the picture of a well traveled, weather worn woodsman at all. Perhaps borderline competent and at the very least mildly experienced, but for the pace Casper was comfortable with, mildly experienced wasn't nearly enough. It also meant he couldn't use the mark freely which would really be inconvenient.
"I can keep up I assure you! You helped me back there, and I know I'm asking you to help me again, I have no illusions to that. You can tell I'm new…" he said, letting his head swing low "and I am. This is only my second time out of the town, but I promise you I can fight, I can start a fire, and I can cook well enough."
Casper shook his head "sounds like you don't need me then, and besides, I like to travel light and fast. No offense but you have enough gear in your pack to supply a small army"
The boy looked sheepishly up at his bulging backpack. "Perhaps this will help then?"
The sound of jingling coins caused Casper's ears to perk up.
Shit, he had given himself away, Casper thought. Too obvious to hide, but it was true. It did help. Casper glanced down at his mostly empty coin purse and weighed the options. Though it was not for long, a bag of coins weighs heavy on the scales of reason when the other option is no coins at all.
"Very well then" Casper agreed reluctantly. "But you listen to me and do what I say. These roads are dangerous this time of year and the woods even more so alright? You carry your own weight as best you can and ill make sure we both get to Ostlen in one piece"
"Yes!" The boy exclaimed quite excitedly, putting the coin purse back on his belt.
"Just make sure you pay your fair share too" Casper stated. Making it a point to the boy that he wouldn't stand for cheapskating, not with how full that purse sounded. Besides, should anything happen at all Casper had no doubt he could be rid of this boy without much issue and take the money and supplies for himself. Of course Casper realized he had been thinking and saying one thing and doing the opposite for a little while now, but his good mood persisted, and it cost nothing extra to be nice.
The road twisted and wound around through the forest. Edging itself lower and lower down the hillside creating a series if switchbacks that made it quite tiresome to navigate naturally, when he knew he could simply jump down the full distance with ease. The boy had not said much for most of their travel that day. Though it was clear the silence was getting rather uncomfortable for them both. The boy kept sucking In air as if to say something but always let it out in a sigh instead. It was getting quite bothersome actually, but, Casper considered it was likely his way of trying to be polite. After all. If Casper was not saying anything it might be considered rude to strike up unwanted conversation.
So Casper broke the ice first. "What business do you have in Ostlen?" A very basic question, he thought. After all they were traveling together to the same place, there would be no harm in asking the purpose of the journey, though it was clear now after a long moment of silence that was not the case.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to-" Casper said, about to continue on into an apology before the boy spoke up to cut him off
"I have family there, is all." He said, head swung low and eyes on the ground. Casper didn't have to see him to tell that's what he's doing
It didn't appear to be a lie, but it obviously was not the whole truth, and Casper was fine with that. He didn't like people prodding in his business after all. No point in sticking your nose in others either he reckoned. At the very least it was enough to open the door for the boy to begin speaking now. Which he did rather quickly as to break to awkward air surrounding Casper's icebreaker
"Have you ever been before? Or will this be your first time?" The boy asked, seemingly genuinely curious about the answer
"This will be my second time. Actually. My father took me through the city when I was younger, some years ago now"
"What was your impression of it?" His voice raised a little with excitement becoming even higher than it already was.
"Cramped and crowded. Smells pretty bad. Like sweat, shit and piss mostly. For commoners at least. The park is a nice place and so are the manner houses near the castle proper, so long as you stick around there I recall it being a pleasant place."
The boy seemed upset by the response. Not the fairytale of knights and princesses and luxury he was hoping for then Casper supposed
"Ah, I see. I've never been myself. Born, raised and only ever saw Insmoth myself"
"Can't say I've been to Insmoth" Casper said. Slowly gaining interest in the conversation. After all. It has been a while, and the talk was a good distraction from growing boredom of their slow pace.
"Its quite the nice place. A lovely little town. Everyone knows everyone you know"
"Aye, I know" he nods. A true enough statement. He had in fact known everyone in his town.
"Ill be straight with you. I'm quite nervous about going into a city...so many people. So many buildings. Hard to find ones way I imagine"
"If you don't know where you're going I suppose it could be a bit difficult"
"You said you've been before?"
Casper knew exactly where this was going, and he wasn't entirely sure he liked the direction. He had known the boy for only the better part of this afternoon and already he had a habit of forcing himself into Casper's companionship. By this point however Casper had a good feeling this boy was not malicious. It was a clear case of cut and dry new on the road. Especially after the brief talk about hometowns it was clear this young lad never once stepped foot into the real world as it were. Likely lived in a town where you can keep your doors unlocked and windows open, or your horse untied in the fields.
Casper was glad, in a way that the boy had found him as opposed to someone who would have taken advantage of his naivety But in the same vein the boy was a liability. And Casper couldn't afford any more of that.
"I agreed to travel with you to the city. But that's as far as I can take you. My business is...pressing, and I can't afford to travel around with you. I apologize but that's how it is"
Mostly a lie, the business was important but by no means time sensitive.
"I can help you out! I might not have ever been in a city before but I can-"
"No" Casper cut him off rather abruptly. Kindness might not cost anything, but being too kind costs quite alot. And Casper didn't have the coin to spare.
"My business is far too important, sorry but I cant" and that was that. Casper pressed onward for the rest of the day in silence. The boy was clearly upset by this and didn't have the heart to keep pushing.
He'll find his own way Casper figured, maybe he'll make an effort tonight when they camp to teach him a thing or two about cities and what to expect. No point in leaving the boy entirely stranded.
The night air was crisp and chilled, with a constant breeze that rolled through their small camp. Built just off the main road, Casper had found a good position on the other side of a hill that had fallen away, creating an overhang of stone surrounded by trees to help hide the firelight. Both of their tents had been set up right next to one another with the fire close by in the middle between them and the small cliffside. Casper had caught the food, 2 modest rabbits, while the boy cooked them over the fire.
The boys cooking was good, better than his own. This alone made the slower travel pace worth it, as Casper's cooking ability, despite his many skills, never seemed to be capable of improving.
Taking a few bites and enjoying the companionable silence, Casper waited a moment longer to begin his words of profound wisdom.
"Be careful who you trust…" Casper said, warming his hands by the fire. His sudden piece of advice caught the boy off guard and caused him to jerk his head upwards a bit
"what do you mean?"
"I mean what I said" he replied rather passively. Bringing his eyes to meet the boys "be careful who you trust, be it out in the city, or on the road, but especially in the city. You're a kind person, but it's clear you're new to travel and people will abuse that. They will manipulate you, trick you, and take advantage of your kindness and ignorance"
"Are people truly that cruel in the cities?" The boy seemed a mix of shock and disappointment.
"Worse, in most cases."
"But I was right to trust you?"
"Not at all" Casper lowered his gaze "you're lucky, is all, that I was the first person you ran into on the road. It's still not a good idea to trust me. Just as a matter of principal." Casper sighed and let his weight drop into his back end, sitting in the small clearing and stretching his legs out. "You don't know me. Who i am or what I've done or what I plan to do. Like I said, you're lucky Is all. You flash that stack of coins to someone and they might just kill you and take it themselves. Rob you in the dead of night, sell you out to bandits, any number of terrible things"
"Oh…" was all he said in reply.
"I might not be able to guide you through the city" Casper grunted as he adjusted a bit "but I can give you some advice at least"
Looking the boy in the eyes again, it was clear he was deeply troubled by Casper's words. And understandably so. Even if it was mostly to scare him. Being scared and careful and wrong is much preferable to being confident and reckless and wrong.
"There are 3 groups of people in the cities…" Casper began. The boy took another chunk of rabbit off the fire and handed some to Casper on a stick
"The first group are people below you...the peasantry, the homeless, the beggars and so forth" Casper took a quick bite. It was good, tasting like seasoning was applied...did this boy carry salt in his bag? How strange Casper thought.
"These people will pray on your kindness, on your pity. They will beg and plead and grab at your ankles and tell you stories of their children and families. They will do everything they can to pinch and claw and grab and any coin you have."
The boy nodded, taking in the information well it seemed.
"The next group are the people equal with you. The bandits, highwaymen, people in shops and taverns and inns. They see you aren't from around there...they will upcharge you any way they can. Sell you on lies, manipulate you, in some cases, should a man get desperate enough, rob you in broad daylight, on the road, corner you in an alley. Its much harder for the women though. You look a bit young for brothels but they will take your coin all the same"
The boy's face turns a little red at that.
"And lastly, the people above you. The lords, knights, anyone with money or fine cloths, those from the church or those more hardened travelers and adventurers...they will never pass on an opportunity to crush you, keep you down. Everyone at the top wants to stay there, and they will always be looking out for their own best interest. Never and I mean never trust the nobility. They might not corner you into an alley but they will pay people to. They might not beg you for money but they might befriend you into giving it all away to them. The nobles, the powerful, those already at the very top are the most ruthless of all"
"You sound like you speak from experience" he said, finishing his share of rabbit.
"I do… though ill be honest most of the advice is regurgitated from my fathers wisdom" Casper nodded sagely
"You know it sounds much less cool when you say that. You seemed very thoughtful and brooding but you're really just a daddy's boy aren't you?" the boy chuckled at his expense, playfully of course.
Casper frowned slightly, but it quickly cracked into a smile, as the boys words were indeed very true.
"Make sure that fire is well and out before you get to bed yourself. I will start moving before the first light"
Heading into his tent and tying down the door, Casper peeled away his travel clothes, kicked off his boots and set his head down on the bedroll, and waited. Waited until the boy snuffed out the fire and set to sleeping himself, and even then not until the sounds of his breathing turned slow and steady and Casper could be sure he wouldn't be waking, did he begin to move around.
Casper left his snug tent, bare feet on the ground, with only his long underclothes walked into the canter of the camp, taking one more look at the boys tent to make doubly sure he was sound asleep. You could never be too careful after all. Casper silently wandered out from the camp. Stalking through the trees and wilderness came naturally to Casper, he had been doing it for so long now it was second nature. It appeared not even the birds or owls noticed him as he slinked and dashed across the ground in easy, effortless motions to get some distance from the camp. Once Casper was good and well away, he let out a breath, and removed his shirt.
Pulling the tunic off his body and letting it rest on a branch, he ran his hand down his left arm, fingers trailing across the inky designs within the skin, tracing their pattern from his wrist, up the scarred bicep, all the way to the shoulder and the neck. Flexing his arm and rolling it around, examining the markings, following their patterns.
He hadn't had the chance to do so in the tavern the previous two nights, and while he could well afford to hold off on the usual nightly ritual, it was better to keep the habit than to form a new one of letting it slip. He began focusing. Channeling the familiar feeling. Searching through his mind to find the places far beyond. It didn't take long before he found it. The star, somewhere off in distant space
It was warm, a stark contrast to the cold night air and frigid breeze, a burning, painful heat that latched onto him as his mind searched. But once he found it's center, the nexus of the heat he grabbed on. Channeling all his attention into the star, and its place within his mind, feeling the very moonlight touch his skin, and then feeling the burning, the smoke began to build. It was painful, but almost in a pleasant way, the aching growing pains as new lines, new patterns grew down his arm. Feeling the inky marks expand and web out in thin lines. He focused, letting the star itself work its way through his veins and his muscles and his mind and his whole body, letting it grow as he sucked it down. Eventually it became too much to bear. The heat clawed, ripped, tore at his arm, threatening to take it off entirely, and he pushed just a little further beyond that point. Just a little more, enough to build, enough to go even further the next time, and then stopped.
His breath came out in ragged, deep rhythms. He let out a pained grunt and examined the arm, black smoke rose up into the air from where the new lines had formed. The patterns on his arm had grown wider, taking up more space. Smaller webs from branches, as it threatened to begin crawling onto his hand now, moving beyond just the wrist ever so slightly, and even higher up his neck. It wouldn't be long now before he would have to start wearing gloves. A troublesome notion, but worth it as to not be seen. Casper took a look around the forest, letting the pain in his body pass as he recovered.
The woods around here were likely devoid of any beats or monsters, but it never hurt to be careful. He threw on his tunic and made his way back to camp. The boy was still fast asleep in his tent, and none the wiser to Casper's nighttime ritual. It would be quite troublesome had the boy found out, but, there are only so many things you can control. And its best to do everything you can to be careful but at the end of the day, what happens happens. The boy had not seen this time, and that was good. So long as Casper was careful. He had nothing to fear.