"What's your name?" We had been on the boat a few days at this point, I hadn't heard anything from Grengor other then orders on where to put things, and to keep myself out of his way. Far as I could see he never ever got out of his armor, I couldn't even tell if he was light skinned or dark (I figured light based on what I could make out of his face, but again the armor never came off). The boat was sadly on the way to the lands of the Red Hand (I had hoped for Ronewrath as speaking with merchants it was a land of high society and fancy ladies), some dirt water port on the southern part of the land mass. Which made sense considering Grengor looked like the kind of person you'd see begging outside of a fancy town, not living it up in one.
"T t t t t rezlan sir." I admit back then I was not the complete sarcastic jerk I've grown into now as an adult (or am I an ancient? Its not like I can actually ask someone what you'd call someone as old as I am, well I could but the only other guy I know my age is a person I'd rather avoid for the rest of time).
"You have a last name?" Grengor was absently chewing on some kind of animal. I hadn't eaten, the ships galley served food that was not only foreign to me, but made me wretch at the sight of it. Well I wretched a lot anyway, despite living on an island I'd never sailed before so I was running to the top a lot to puke, Grengor found it funny, for me each day was an exercise in finding out how you can keep puking with nothing left to puke.
"No sir, my father said I would get one when I did something with my life."
"Your father is a wise man Trezlan, you would do well to heed his advice." It was a point of silly pride that this warrior thought of my father as wise. Even if I didn't like the man I was still his son, so I felt smarter by parroting his stupid advice (and it is stupid, who doesn't give your son your last name? Assholes thats who). My conversation with Grengor was interrupted as another wave of nausea swept over me and I ran up to the top of the ship to throw up, I could hear his snortled laughter as I ran. It wasn't much to puke just some water and white fluid, but I felt drained when it was all over. One of the deckhands who had been nicer then most came over to make sure I was all right. He had to have been over seventy if he was a day, but still looked to be the lowest person on the ship judging on his dirty apparel.
"You all right youg fella?"
"Nnnnnever rode on a boat before." I was sniffling pretty terrible from the puke and it makes me laugh now, but back then talking to adults was difficult, I always stuttered (now I spit in the face of demons and make a witty retort, well when I'm not cowering in fear, demons are scary).
"Its a ship for one young sir, and you'll do fine, the waters here are calm. Now if you want to see something truely horrific try sailing some place farther away, like Ubu, or Koderi, those are some voyages." He had the wistful look of someone remembering better times, I've since seen that look in my own eyes many times (usually when I'm sitting in a jail cell). I thanked him for the remark got my feet and joined Grengor back below (he didn't want me apart from him for long, something about being his property and not running off, as if I could go anywhere except over the side). Eventually we pulled into port and I thanked Byorno the god of water (he was the dominant tribal god from the Island I grew up on). Grengor spit and insulted the ship captain for how long it had taken to get to port and navigated Buddy off the ships ramp and on to the crumbled stone of the dock we had arrived at.
Regor a half developed port on the southern coast of the Red Hand's territory. The dock was made of stone from when some other civiliation had built it up, but the current brand of vagabonds and loose moral'd simpletons could in no way keep it going. Even back then it was being reclaimed by the enviroment, cracked stone covered in mold and fungus. Regor was the kind of place ship captains stopped at before going some place nicer, it was a couple bars, some poorly constructed houses and a dirt road. Back then saying you were from Regor was a black mark against you. And to me it was wonderful! I was looking at some place new. So what it was covered in dirt, everyone looked like worked in a mine and the people driving horses through almost killed you by not paying attention, it wasn't where I was from and in that I was home!
Grengor stopped at one of the two blood and teeth bars and directed me to stable Buddy at the ramshackle building next to it. I asked him where I was staying and he grunted and said with Buddy to make sure noone stole anything (a smart decision for him, but really sucked for me). He gave me some coins and told me I better not short change him or he'd take it out of me. The "Stables" (I use that term very loosely) smelled worse then Grengor and had a couple other similar pack animals with their associated dirty boy looking after them. I paid the bored looking stable hand the money I'd been given and maneuvered Buddy into the stall I was directed to for the night. Despite the accomodations I figured this was the first step in a grand adventure, that soon me and Grengor would carve a swath through the country side. Oh how wrong (and right) I was about to be.
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