Wheatstone

I arrived at Midgard about two days ago, and it appears that I have been here for a whole year already. So much had happened in our way until here. The village was small, and it did not have a stone wall, but instead had a simple yet sturdy palisade encircling it.

At the gate, there were three guards, and their equipment was simple: leather armor, short spears, and short swords. They lacked helmets, and some bows were resting against the wall. It was clear from the outset that this region does not have any risk of invasion or attack. They were relaxed, and as soon as they noticed us coming down the hill, one of them came in our direction.

"Hello, traveler." He made a quick inspection, then continued. "What brings you here to Wheatstone?"

This guard had made an informal, yet friendly, approach. It is completely unlikely that the three farmers from before. I wondered if that bizarre exchange with the sickle guys really happened.

"Hello. My name is Rufus, and I am a cleric of Hermes, Athena, and Asclepius. These were my companions, Jel and Matila. They are not well versed in human language."

"My name is Stephan, and they are Rick and Tomas." He presented himself and the other guards, then made a short pause and continued. "A cleric? How unusual. Be welcome, but I am sorry to say that we don't have any prayer squares here. And about your companions, I see that they are forest goblins. It has been a long time since I've seen one, and as they don't know how to communicate, I recommend that they stay with you to avoid misunderstandings with the locals."

"Thank you for your advice. But before anything, we met Baron Mystral on our way here, and he asked us to deliver some relevant news to Lady Mystral."

Stephan was surprised by hearing the name of the baron but was experienced enough to maintain his composure. On the other hand, the other guards that were hearing our conversation were a bit more indiscreet and made some noise.

"Lady Mystral, I see." He seemed silent and contemplative. "Did you say that the baron himself asked you to deliver?"

"Yes, Mr. Stephan."

I could understand his questioning gaze. My clothes were dirty, and I was accompanied by two female goblins. It was hard for a guard to believe me from the start. However, he had a much more friendly approach than their fellow countrymen.

"Do you have a place to stay, Mr. Rufus?" 

I didn't think about that. My space bag had only corpses and no coins at all! Even that accursed necromancer lacked money. This was bad, awfully bad. I was a pauper, as the dictionary definition says.

"No, I don't. I hoped to stay at some church." I started to panic. They didn't have a prayer square (I don't know what it is), and I can't expect them to have a church in this village.

"Unfortunately, as I said before, Wheatstone doesn't have clerical buildings. In that case, were you going to stay at an inn?"

"Yes. Are there any inns here?" I am doomed now. I don't have money. Not only that, but I need to think later.

"We have only one. But, as you can see, the sun will set soon. I don't know if Geralda's inn will be open."

"I have to deliver this news to Lady Mystral first, I insist. Would you mind helping me?" I tried to ask for help from the guard—not the best move, but the only one I thought. Perhaps I could ask for some aid from the Mystral family? It is so shameless.

"Rick, could you take the priest to Lady Mystral Estate?" Stephan asked one of the other guards, and I assume the one who froze is the one named Rick.

"Yes, sir." He was not afraid, but apparently he was not happy to receive a mission.

"Thank you, sir Stephan. I will look for Geralda's Inn after." The guiding guard approached us, and told us to follow him. 

Our time estimation for arrival was spot-on, since the sun had started to set. Watching the village, I noticed that the structures were simple, mostly made of wood, whereas the older ones were built with stones. 

While guiding us, Rick was gentle enough to indicate to us where the inn, the marketplace, the trading companies, and the artisan shops were. He even explained some details about the trading companies and the artisan shops, like their expertise and which products are usually in more demand. All of this made me truly impressed by his touring skills, and I could bet that this was probably not his first time doing this.

"You are very knowledgeable about this village, Guard Rick."

"Thanks. I think that is why I am always tasked with guiding people to Baron Estate". He said it a bit glumly.

"Did you dislike your job? I think it is pretty impressive to know where everything is. As a visitor, I intend to visit these shops tomorrow. Your explanation will diminish the time I will spend looking and asking around."

My compliment was sincere because of his guidance. I was aware of fascinating shops, like tanners, blacksmiths, and trading companies. The latter was more interesting for me and will be my first step in developing this world.

"I actually like doing this. That is why sir Stephan asked me to do it."

"It is a pretty important skill."

"Not for a guard, I guess. All the other guards mock me. I dislike fighting and always have lived here. And working on husbandry is not my thing either."

"Why not a clerk of one of these trading companies?" He was a very intriguing guard. Living with such a mentality in a rural village, he could make a living using that guiding skill of his in a big city. Or maybe not. Another thing to look after.

"Well, this town has three trading companies, as I pointed out before. All of them are managed by traditional families. All people hired by them are literate and have good math skills."

Well, now I know why his ability was not being used properly. I forgot that literacy was abnormally low during the Dark Ages, especially in villages that closely resembled European ones.

To make sure of this assumption, I asked Rick, "So is it uncommon for people to know how to read and write?"

"Yes, it is, sir priest. Unless one had enough money to hire a tutor, a thing for the wealthy and nobles."

I will need to remember this fellow. He had a disposition that was quite interesting. But now that I know that he is a local one with good speaking abilities, I have to ask him, "And there are no churches around?"

I know that Midgard as a whole, not only this kingdom, has a lack of faith and deities in human cultures. Beast-people and humanoid beings (goblins, orcs, gnolls) believed in some gods, but they were reclusive or lived in isolation. This happened because of the growth of magic that was used in place of divine magic.

"Actually, there are. There are two old buildings, and both of them are close to the Baron Estate. But I don't recall to which gods they were dedicated."

Abandoned buildings are better than nothing. Maybe one of them is dedicated to Hermes. If this were the case, I might need to use it, which could solve the roof issue. And I know that I am very naive now, believing that an old building would have furniture.

"Well, sir priest. We arrived at Baron Estate."

The Baron Estate did not have any kind of additional protection or walls. The place was simply a bigger wooden building whose details highlighted that it had a nobler aura than others around. And, of course, there were some guards nearby.

---

"Hey, Rick. Good evening. What brings you here? Hey, goblins!"

This was the reaction that I expected from Stephan, this is more natural.

"They are visitors. He is a priest and two forest goblins aides."

The guards were startled, and as the night fell, their vision was reduced due to the darkness. From a distance, the girls seemed like children. Matila was even smaller than Jel, and only when they could see us close to their torches were they able to discern the goblin girls.

"Sir Stephan requested that I guided them until here. Sir Rufus, the priest, declared that he had news he should disclose to Lady Mystral."

The guards exchanged glances, and looked with pity at Rick, who was playing a chaperone role. Through their facial expressions, I could feel their disgust for Rick.

The underestimated guard noticed it too, revealing that he had a good nose for people's emotions. So, I decided to intervene to avoid any further mistreatment of my willful guide.

"I met with Baron Mystral on the road to Wheatstone. I have serious news to discuss with her. I would like to add that their son Gerus was accompanying us. However, he needed to return to the trade mission caravan because they could be in danger."

The guards at the entrance of the estate, as well as Rick, were caught off guard by my words.

"I will report to Lady Mystral, right now."