On the Road with Marigold

With plans set and a stern talking to for Seth from his sister, mostly about not coming back to learn of a seeded sister-in-law, Marcus had been decked out in a full robe. The distant town didn't really have alot of cloth, and no one wanted to ask the old priest about his soiled pile, thus the robe was more a mix of hemp fiber and patches of leather. Marigold had fussed over the rather raggedy garment but he was quick to pacify her. In truth against his scales the texture wasn't that bad and the smell of moldy turnips would sooner or later wash out... he hoped. Marigold herself had changed into a more sturdy travel dress that Marcus often found himself staring at. Even in her usual dress she was stunning to him but now in a tight bodice and corset with a tighter travel skirt, he found himself seriously regretting not taking her up on her initial offer months ago, for while she'd gotten closer to Marcus, Marigold had not repeated her more forward advance at any time since.

In truth Marigold was rather raging inside, wanting to smack the thick lizard about the head. She had done her best to drop hints. All those times he had 'accidentally' caught her mid change or bathing, or her efforts to get closer when teaching him over the last season... the fact that the stupid lizard had not made a move was annoying her. Even now she had spent a little of her and Seth's secret stash of coin for this overly tight outfit that made her cheeks burn softly. Yet beyond staring like a damn idiot, the dragon god hadn't so much had paid her even a compliment! Glancing over, she could at least see he thought she looked good, his eyes seemed to be glued to how her skirt hugged her hips rather than how the corset was pushing everything else up, yet why was he just staring? If he went into torpor with his mouth hanging open again she was going to shove her boot down his gullet. "Oi! Lookie loo! Ye got yer gob dragging the floor for a particular reason? Get her scaled arse movin', we're burnin' daylight while ye drag yer jaw off the floor."

Marcus blinked and shook his head, turning away to wipe a bit of drool away, he didnt know what it was about her but something about Marigold kept stunning him, inwardly he cursed Dragon God him for never revealing why Marigold seemed to have this affect on them. It surely wasn't just her beauty, he had experience in his old life after all, but this shrine maiden just had a natural ability to make him space out. Whether it was lust or something more he couldn't really tell, it just seemed to suck the intellect out of his skull and leave him running on instinct, which sadly he found, meant staring at her like some slack jawed virgin. Sighing, he hoisted their packs, this last season within the village had not only seen his acclaimation into this worlds knowledge but also some realization into his new bodies abilities.

Much like when he saved the siblings he had trained a bit to get use to using his strength, he found loads that troubled some of the burlier farmers almost comically light in his hands. That particular tidbit of information earned him the title of 'pack mule' from Seth who took advantage of Marcus' strength when ever Marigold sent the duo out for firewood or other physical tasks. Marcus quickly got use to Seth vanishing with a mischievous wink as he likely met up with one of the daughters of the community. Marcus had never revealed Seth's shirking of work or dalliances with the local maids, but Marigold always knew, she seemed to have a mystical 'Seth is being a slacker' sense, laying in full barrel at sunset when the pair returned home, Marcus had learned after the first sibling spat to keep his own scaled ass out of that mess, intervening only saw Marigold heaping on extra lessons or work for him if he tried to lie on behalf of Seth.

Shaking the bad memory away he adjusted his grip on the packs and followed in the wake of Marigold, the short trip through the village let him observe the others going about their daily chores. With his presence over the last several months they all had gotten use to their strange guest, barely paying any mind. Marcus had also gotten use to the village itself, it was a simple life but it kept itself busy with day to day living, part of him was sad to be leaving it but at least with Marigold by his side he'd comeback soon enough. Passing through the village gates the pair walked off down the ill kept trail, wide enough for a cart it looked to have not seen such for years, when he asked Marigold about it she spit to the side, "Like I told ye, its been years since we traded with our neighbors. The slimey bastards only send a lone trader every five years, and that git never comes to the village. The arse has himself a little trader post up ahead, it's usually run by one o' his kin, but they are tighter than a vice when it comes ta givin' us a price for our goods. More often than not were robbed blind, but nuthin' we can do about it. Traders goin' on to the other village just get gouged with taxes by the guards even worse, so we tolerate the little shits."

Marcus nodded as he listened walking up beside Marigold, while he had seen a fair bit of the forest he had been advised not to stray up this way so he was still eager to see more of the world beyond the life in Marigolds home village, but it was a good reminder that the bigger places would be a different and less welcoming experience. "By the map how far from the town is the vault would you say?"

Marigold pulled the charcoal rubbing from a pouch on her hip, unrolling it for Marcus to see. " It'll take a few days ta reach the next town, the vault looks ta be about the same distance so as long as the weather stays fair we might get there in a week, week and a half. Again, that's if the weather stays good and we dont meet any trouble in town, but like I say, the town has been mighty weird these last years, chances be good it wont be as smooth a walk as this, I be hopin' that all we find is some greedy guards. When we get close be sure ta keep yer head low and that hood of yers up beast folk as I hav' been sayin' aren't the most welcome there."

"What are beast folk like, are there variations that look like me?"

Marigold thought as she walked glancing back, "Not really, most beast folk take after lupine, lapine, feline or bovine traits. Reptilians should be possible I suppose but haven't heard o' any in these parts. Most are slaves in the local towns as the lupines and bovines make decent laborers. The felines and lapines are usually kept fer taverns or brothels, Seth claims he saw some there awhile back."

"Seth goes to such places?"

"Aye he does, shame as it is. My brother never took to the holy path even now as much as I try to keep the shit honest an' true. As ye've noticed he has his own way despite me yellin' and worryin'. I reckon my brother will settle down one day with one of his little farm flowers and take up honest work, cant say when though. Little rat has trouble keepin' his britches on when ever one of those flowers winks his way." Marigold gave an exasperated sigh, kicking at a stone on the path sending it into the long grass off to the side.

"He'll calm soon enough Marigold, he's got a good and beautiful sister keeping an eye on him."

Marigold smiled refraining from replying to the compliment, on one hand she wanted to blush on the other she wanted to turn and kick this stupid lizards scaley arse. With silence falling on the walkers the trip continued, the suns rise into the sky heralded a brief stop to have some water and eat some of their dry rations. Marcus glanced back the way they had come from, barely able to see the rooftops of the village through the dense tree cover, the thin plumes of a cook stove lazily drifted in the distant sky, lunch for the local watering hole he could surmise. While the village didnt see much travellers or traders they still maintained the tavern, though rather than spirits it tended to serve as a communal gathering spot for the people.

"Come on Lord, we have miles to walk yet before we camp for the night." Marigold called stuffing her canteen back into one of the packs. Marcus nodded turning from the familiar to rejoin Marigold in their trek onwards. The hours quickly came and went, the sun falling from it's high position as the pair trudged on, Marcus was becoming even more thankful for the training he did with her, in his old life he'd never have managed this first day of travel, he'd likely be passed out on the side of the road or worse. Yet with the body tempering, even though his legs ached a bit he felt he hadn't truly pushed this body's limits just yet, still he was rather thankful when Marigold called a stop to their dedicated march, drawing him off the road and onto a near by clearing. The spot looked fairly frequented, a touch overgrown maybe but it was still early in the year, only die hard travelers and hunters should be out now.

With night swiftly falling the pair set up their tent and started a small campfire, from a hollowed stump Marigold pulled a wrapped bundle which appeared to be some salted meat, Marcus gave her a curious look, glancing from her to the stump and back again. She simply smiled and pointed to a carving in the side of the stump, "Can't tell whose mark it is but it's a wayfarers mark no doubt at all. In the morn we'll hunt up something to replace what we took, normally since we have our own rations I'd not take from it but we've made good time, was fearin' we'd have to camp in the woods a bit so a treat is in order."

Marcus watched her set about the site pulling some cooking gear from a box hidden in the shadow of a felled tree, soon the rich aroma of a meat stew wafted from the small pot above the fire. Marcus had taken the time to explore the site noting that there was several caches hidden around, each marked with a runic symbol, "What are wayfarers?"

As Marigold took up some of the stew for him she thought a bit then helped herself, "Wayfarers patrol the woods, think of them as hunters who live out here. They rarely head into the towns unless they need to warn us about somethin' brewin' out here. They can be a touch rough but for the most part they be good people who try to help travelers. Most tend to say they be survivors of pillaged villages as they take big exception to banditry. Yeah, you wanna see some bad times try to rob someone guided by a wayfarer, tales say such idiots don't end well. Anyways, most travel routes have at least one of these campsites so I hear. Rule of thumb with them, return what ya take, or if not at least clean the site up for who might stay here next. It's not law but most travelers respect the fact someone is tryin' to help'em survive out here, so it's only good karma to not loot or destroy the place, understand?"

"Yer pretty maid has the right of it lad."

The unexpected voice had both rising and turning to watch where the hoarse voice had come from, seeing a rather solidly built man leaning casually against a tree not ten feet from them. How such a man, one bedecked in a collection of gear and weapons no less, had managed to get so close without alerting Marcus nor Marigold. Chuckling at their rather shocked gazes the man stepped closer into the fire light and gave a slight incline of his head, "Names Renald of the Wolves, I do apologize for sneaking up on you two but it warms my old heart to know our ways are still being passed on, and so well at that."

Marigold smiled and shrugged, "Merely tales told about my village, I listened well an' felt it right enough to share." While she spoke Marcus eyed the bushman warily. Renald reminded him alot of the village hunters but per his namesake alot of Renalds outfit was a mix of wolf hides, even his good looked to be the upper muzzle of a rather large example. Renald barely paid him any mind as the man focused on Marigold.

"So where are you and your servant headed? Should note something big is moving south through the forest, best keep to the road here, whatever is out in the woods is riling up the packs and predators something fierce."

"We're headed towards Rensdale, I have family in the area I wish to visit." Marigold claimed, earlier they had discussed the reason for their trip not revealing the vault, better any who ask believe Marigold was the purpose of the visit than letting on something that the greed minded might take interest in.

"Rensdale lass? You sure you want to head there? Gotta say you're taking a big risk with your servant here. Lord Farick has been conscripting every indentured servant and confiscating every traveling slave that goes through his town gates, we've probed him a bit but we can never get a straight answer out of that nobleman on just what he needs all those beings for. It's not even for town renovations, the slaves finished the new walls months ago, the place is looking more and more like a city than a town." Renald explained glancing to the quiet beastman, "But if you are dead set on that family visit it was a good plan to keep this guy covered up, just know it'll cost you a pretty coin to get by the gate guards without them checking your servant."

The trio talked well into the eve, Marigold sharing some of the stew with Renald before the wayfarer slipped back into the forest as silent as he had come. The man had been a great source of information about the land around Rensdale, the fact the local power was hiding its ways from even the woods people had confounded Marigold, wayfarers had an uncanny knack for getting info. Still the night quickly approached and after tidying up the cook area she had crawled into the tent they had brought and looked at Marcus who was dragging his heels. "Get yer scaley arse in here before ye freeze to death, we need to share warmth, not exactly the season fer sleepin' under the stars."

Marcus sighed crawling into the tent beside her reluctantly, as he expected the tent she'd packed was really only for one person and to squeeze in beside Marigold meant literally snuggling up tight to her before fumbling with the flap that plunged them into darkness.