Back then I had a more positive outlook on life (well aside from all the murdering, ok so semi positive). I didn't look at every problem like one more annoyance, I was happy to help people out, tried to do my part even after I got Valrya's hooks out of me (sometimes that was a literal thing, its one reason I don't go fishing). So after I got over the initial shock of "Kill this guy or I'll kill you" I had a good feeling about trying to do this thing for Morley. I figured once I earned his trust he'd let me in on secrets and help me out (like an evil older brother, this is the problem when you grow up an only child you don't realize that older brothers universally are absolute dicks). I was even attempting to come up with how I'd kill a man in a jail cell. I hoped it wasn't one of those community cells like Regor had, as that would make it more difficult to kill him without splash damage. I was thinking poison or perhaps some form of ingested necromancy (I'd learned a bit of both from Valyra already, the ingested necromancy is a nasty bit of work you never ever want to experience, which is why I recommend never eating my cooking, I mean I'm a great cook but you never know). So it was with these thoughts in my head I walked (well limped) to Doriana.
Doriana was weird, you ever get that feeling you've been someplace before but you haven't? Yeah thats what I was getting here, although I had been there before, just not me, Serrah had, this was where she was from (I didn't know the name from her memories but the layout was immediate once I saw it). This kind of feeling happens to me all the time, its part of the reason I'm writing this journal, competing memories makes me wonder who I really am at times (thankfully I'm winning this war of insanity, well I hope, maybe I stole the real Trezlan's memories long ago, yeah lets not think that one through shall we). Doriana was a farming community, they produced a local grain that I can't really name, but it was used in a lot of different foods around the empire of the Red Hand, so the village had an above average group of guards and law established. As well as a larger town center and more than a couple stores. It was spread out like an X with the center being where the town held meetings and hung criminals (hanging the prefered execution method of any rural community). The town jail/guard station was north of the X and again was larger than most guard stations because of the importance of the community. I hobbled my way into the jail and saw more than a few surprised looks (insular communities don't like newcomers/new faces, this one more so since Valrya had been systematically killing the occaisional person for her own goals). The guard working the front desk was of the fat bored variety and he was talking to a man I knew, but only through my other life.
"She's still missing Jel! You guys haven't done anything to find her." And they would never find her, Valrya kept a pack of wild animals fed off the bones of her victims, Serrahs were long gone.
"And I can't just drop everything because your wife ran off with some guy Tig (short for Tigron)." Tigron looked at the guard with disgust muttered something about useless guards and took off in the other direction, he gave me a look of contempt as he left. I knew more about him then I'd ever want to know about another man, but I couldn't help but feel hurt seeing him as he was, and knowing what I knew.
"Can I help you?" The guardsman Jel had long blonde hair (but was losing it in the front, so it kind of looked like the hair was migrating off his head), his outfit was too tight for his current build which either spoke to him having been thinner, or he was not he original owner of the uniform he wore. It was standard Red hand stuff, Red leather overcoat with black pants and boots with no spurs. I didn't see him wearing a sword, but I'm sure there was a wapon nearby.
"Yeah I'm looking for Diargo." Past the guard I could see a hallway that lead deeper in. The front section had a couple more guards in it chatting with each other, they also wore uniforms that didn't fit, I swear I could have made a killing in that town on alterations alone.
"Well he ain't here anymore." Yeah imagine my surprise.
"Where is he now?"
"How would I know? We didn't have anything to hold him on, so we let him go, can't try a thief without what he stole." Try in this case means chop off a hand or otherwise maim him, "You a fellow thief of his Mr.?"
"Lorentino, and no, he owed a friend of mine money and I was hoping to settle up the debt."
"Good luck there, just be sure if you do manage to find him that what hes giving you is genuine and something he actually owns, I'd hate to have to drag you down here for trying to help out a friend."
"Will do Guardsman." I left, the looks I was getting weren't really happy ones. All the more I felt worse that I didn't have a horse that I could easily ride around to find this guy. I had some legwork ahead of me, and the worst part I wondered how much time I had before Morley just told Valrya I had run off and they both came to kill me (ok so I always had a bit of a doubter inside me). The next few days were boring exercises in hobbling around asking people things without finding out anything and everyone suspecting me of a lot of bad things. So pretty much my usual in dealing with people, minus the hobbling. Next time I'll write of the great Diargo! Who was not so great at all.
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