Chapter 11 Town of Tovder

The walls spread as far as the eyes can see, around the whole town. To be expected, considering that danger that lays in every corner of this forest. Standing at around six meters tall and made mostly out of wood and some stone they could be easily scaled by soldiers in a case of an sige. But against bandits and small monsters these walls are more then enough.

Three of them stood in front of the gates, soon one of the guards showed him self. Rearing his head over the wall, second guard right behind him torch in hand.

"Ahoy! Who are you people?" The guard asks.

"We are nothing but travelers good man, we seek shelter." Robert answered.

"And what business do you have in town." Guard looked at the man Leonard carried on his back while he said that.

"Its like he said we are nothing but travelers and we seek shelter for us and this man." Leonard said.

"What´s wrong whit him?" The other guard holding the torch spoke. "Is he sick? We don´t want a sickness to spread all over the town."

"No need to worry good man, he is just out of it. Actually your men on patrol asked us to carry him to the town. Bogdan sent us." Two guards looked at each other, they talked about something, then one of them said.

"Open the gates, they are safe!" As soon as he said it the gates slowly started to open. Three men came out, one of them being the guard who first greeted them.

"Come on in."

"Great, here take him, slowly." The guard carefully held the man.

"Hey Unfred! Come here!"

"Yes?"

"Here, take him to the barracks. He will stay the night whit us until he recovers."

"Yes Sir." This Unfred fellow carried off the man to the their barracks, a some three floors high, just few meters down the road.

"You ran in to Bogdan?"

"Yes, him and his patrol."

"And they had this man whit them?"

The guard asked some other questions, after answering them they were allowed to go their way. They walked through the empty town, barely a soul in sight. A few drunkards stumbling through the streets, and an occasional lone beggar, and whores selling their bodies on every street corner. Three of them headed towards the inn, there Damien would pay them their money and be on his way.

"Is this inn close? We been walking for some time now."

"Don´t worry Robert, we shall be there soon." Damien answered. He seamed to be in hurry, Robert and Leonard had to speed up just to keep up whit him.

"Hey! Planning to run away without paying us!?" Robert caught up whit him, grabbing him by his shoulder. Damien stopped in his tracks and then turned around. Then he spoke quietly.

"Look behind you."

"Huh?" Both of them turned around to look and they saw a man standing a dozen feet away from them, who when seen immediately started walking in the opposite direction from them. They immediately grew concerned.

"What is going on? Is he following us?"

"Most likely yes." Damien said.

"You sure he is not just a drunk."

"I find it hard kid. Why would a drunk follow people who look like a bunch of thugs."

"Yeah Robert is right Leonard, even more, he has been following us since we passed the gates of Tovder. Probably an agent of the Church."

"Huh? Why not tell us earlier asshole!?"

Damien grew quiet for a second wondering should he tell them or not. Well he has nothing to lose now he will tell them.

"To be honest I planed to leave you at the inn."

"What!? You son of a bitch." Robert grabbed Damien by his collar.

"Whoa hey now!" Leonard tried to get in between them.

"I knew it! This fuck wanted to use us as bate all along!" Robert tried to punch him but Damien just blocked his punch and pushed him away.

"I told you in the end didn´t I. When I first saw him I headed the wrong way to see if he will continue to follow us and he did. I thought about leaving you but I changed my mind in the end."

"Ha! Expect me to believe you?"

"You don´t have to. It would sure help though."

"Why change your mind Damien?" Leonard asked, to that Damien just scratched his bald head then said.

"I would feel bad to just leave you to your deaths. Call it a failure in my duties."

It was weird to Damien as well, he met these two men just two days ago. Jet he would feel bad. Why? He thought, in his mind he failed as a Sentinel.

"So what are we to do now?"

"What do you think Leonard! Get the fuck out of this town!"

"Im afraid that would be to dangerous. He probably seen your faces and will tell his comrades."

"Fucking great! What now? Tell us Sentinel! You put us in this mess!"

"Follow me."

"Huh! After all this!"

"Robert please clam down."

Leonard tried to clam Robert down, two of them talked it out and came to a decision to follow Damien. Leonard told him they had no other choice, but Robert believed otherwise the only reason he listened was because Leonard was his master. After few minutes of walking they arrived to the town square, the inn was just opposite of them but Damien took them to a street to the left were the Towns only Adventurer´s Guild is located.

"Adventurers Guild? Why here?" Leonard asked.

" These days adventurers guild is a more of a spying organization. If they allowed agents from other spying groups to freely enter their establishments they would be out of business very quickly. Besides we did business whit this guild before. They will help us probably."

"Ok, but what if the refused to help us?"

"I don´t think so, but if they do we are in trouble."

Yeah thought so we are fucked. Robert just followed them quietly, he was in no mood to speak, especially whit Damien. He wanted to find some time to talk to Leonard alone, in a case everything goes to wrong they would need a plan. They entered the establishment and found a table in the corner of the room.

The room was quite big whit dozen or so tables spread out around the room, used by adventurers drinking and talking amongst each other. Few people were also celebrating, apparently they killed some big monster and earned a lot of money. That´s what Leonard managed to hear at least. He thought it was really impressive, so many different people, races, cultures in one room.

Humans, elfs, dwarfs all in one room being friendly to one another, quite a sight. Damien told them to wait while he goes over to the reception table. While Leonard observed everything whit excitement Robert looked quite uninterested, quietly sipping his ale that he ordered few minutes ago. Leonard noticed him twitching in pain.

"Are you okay? It seems it´s getting worse."

"Nah Im fine, it´s not so bad."

"Hmph, listen Robert I know that you don´t want to make me worry, but your wound getting infected certainly wont help us." As they talked Damien came over.

"They allowed us to meet whit the guild master. Let´s go, he is waiting for us."

"Wait Damien. Robert can´t wait anymore. We are going to seek a doctor."

"Huh is he wounded?" Robert nodded.

"He is, he got cut in the battle."

"Why not tell me."

"Listen Im sorry for not telling you. But I never thought that it will get this bad." Robert spoke. And then showed the blood stained bandages.

"Ok, listen come whit me first I will arrange some help. They probably have some mages here so we are getting you help." Robert just looked at him quietly. He did not trust Damien, after he put them in this mess.

"Listen, you can be stubborn or come whit me and we will get you some help. Don´t make Leonard.... your master worry."

"Fine but Im doing this for him, not because I trust you." He said whit a sigh.

"Im fine either way, it would be better if you did, but I get were are you coming from."

Three of them went up the stairs which were next to the reception´s table. Escorting them was a young elf. They walked down the corridor up to the Guild Master´s office. On their way they passed a couple of women talking in the corridor. Robert asked about them and it turned out that they were prostitutes from the nearby brothel. Young elf explained that the Guild Master and the Madame have a deal between them. For protection, the Madame sends couple of girls to entertain adventurers.

Now they looked more like a gang of thugs then adventurers to Leonard. Oh well whit the lack of monsters and business. They have to survive somehow. Whit that thought he entered the room and sat next to the Robert and Damien. Guild Master was sitting opposite of them. Older man probably an ex adventurer, considering he had an eye patch over his left eye.

He grabbed a jug of wine next to him and poured some wine to them.

"Please, help your self´s." He passed a cup to Damien. "So you wish to do business whit us Sentinel."

"Yes, we need shelter."

"Shelter you say. Why? From my knowledge you Sentinel´s have a safe house in Tovder."

"We do, but we are being tracked by someone, most likely agents sent by the Inquisition."

"I see, if you went to the safe house you would just give them the location."

"Correct. That´s why we would like your help."

"Hmmmm." Guild Master scratched his beard while thinking. "We weren´t informed by your superiors of your arrival. Why is that? Did the Grand Master Lucius lose his trust in the Guild."

"No, not at all. It´s just that we did not expect these complications to happen."

"Yet they did."

Leonard and Robert quietly listened to the conversation. They would just get in Damien´s way if they started talking.

"I´ve been told that the letter was sent, but it must have been intercepted. That´s most likely how they knew of our arrival."

"Hmm... Yes it does make sense." Then the Guild Master drank his wine, thought for a few more moments and said. "Fine, I see nothing wrong whit you staying here. But listen to me, I will allow you to stay here for maximum 3 days. I don´t want to risk a confrontation whit the Inquisition."

"Of course, we will think of something."

"Good. And I don´t think that I must say this but for a good measure. You will be safe in the guild but outside, don´t count on our help."

"Yes, of course."

"Good. Hey Gravet! Take them to their rooms!" He called out to the young elf that waited outside the door.

"Wait, just one more thing Guild Master."

"And what is that?" Said the Master who was already on his feet stretching his old muscles.

"One of us is wounded and needs medical attention." Robert then got up and showed his bandaged wound. Guild Master looked at it for a second and then agreed to send someone to take care of it.

After the meeting, Gravet took them to a room. Unfortunately most of the rooms were full so they will have to share it. Robert was especially bothered by it, becouse he planed to order a girl later. Well he was lucky, because just half an hour later a man came to treat his wound whit magic. Something that would cost them a lot of money otherwise, but they got it for free.

Afther that Damien left to try contcat his comrades in the safe house, while two of them went to sleep. That night Leonard did something he almost never does. He prayed to the Elder One, thinking that might increasise their chances of getting out of this mess alive.