[Mkguild] Round Robin: First to be Cursed

[Rimme the Weasel]

Reed and Aldwin watched the fight at the bar in grave concern. As the
teamster drew his knife, Reed lowered his hand to his knife, but did not
draw it, as they watched Sal and Tony haul the drunk away. Both turned back
to their dinners, but neither had much appetite. They watched as "Tallow"
left with his bat friend and the Watch officer.

"That's two inns, and two fights where blood was drawn," Reed noted.

Behind them, a few tables down, the teamsters grumbled under their breath,
as much at the barbaric-sounding lizard as at their drunk arrogant comrade.

"Pay no attention to them," Reed whispered. "In a few days, they'll be
gone."

After their meal, the two of them went out for a brief walk for some
privacy, and to gain some familiarity with this part of the Lower Keep.

Reed glanced around the rooftops, as if they were the treetops of an urban
forest. "Tomorrow we should seek out Kasaima, and learn as much as we can
about the Eastern Cities. Perhaps some things about the emperor, and the
history of his people. I'm not so good at reading, so we could ask the
librarian for help as well. And the land will be dangerous once we get
there. We should also practice some one-on-one combat."

"Reed," Aldwin said hesitantly. "I miss my family. So much."

Reed glanced at him in the dim lamplight, reading his face. "You want to
join those teamsters back there?"

Aldwin shrugged. "Stow away, actually."

"You want to abandon the quest?"

Aldwin squirmed. "I just... I don't know if the curse is worth it. I only
came to this caravan, because I'd always been good in a fight and I wanted
to earn some money for my family back home. I've never seen war. I've never
assassinated anyone. I just want to help people. But..."

"Do you worry you'll never see your family again?"

Aldwin looked up at the sky. "Papa told me that I might not come back home.
That's the reality of guardwork, and he was ready for that. But if I didn't
come home, then it should be out of bravery, not cowardice."

A lion morph passed them in the street, glancing at the two humans with
guarded but friendly eyes. Reed and Aldwin gave him a nod. They'd been at
Metamor so many days now, the animal morphs had lost their novelty.

"I just don't know what I'm feeling now, if I'm brave or foolish," Aldwin
finished.

Reed shook his head. "Stowing away would be foolishness. You'd never stay
hidden long enough, and they'd know right away if someone was taking their
food. You know how nothing gets overlooked in such a small caravan." He
rubbed his lip in thought. "You gave Kasaima your word."

"Do you think that was foolish of me?"

"Doesn't matter now whether it was or wasn't." Reed stroked his chin,
dissatisfied with his own answer. "You must trust yourself to know what to
fight for. Only your heart can commit itself to another. Only you can tell
where your heart lies." He tapped his chin. "Well, and maybe Kasaima, with
that aura-reading of his."

Aldwin nodded. "I know a man like me can't stay home forever. Being a guard
means having to tie myself down somewhere else to another. There's just...
so much I don't know about the world. So much."

Reed patted Aldwin on the shoulder. "You can help in more ways than you
know. Remember, we all look out for each other. You'll always have a
family." He looked back up. "And we have plenty of time to learn about the
world."

The two of them turned a corner, careful not to lose themselves in the
winding starlit streets of the Lower Keep.

----

Nathan and Rodrick both bolted upright when they heard Jerrod's scream.
They saw Jerrod backed against a wall, staring in horror at a piece of
straw on the ground.

"What, pray tell," Rodrick said, "is the cause for alarm?"

Jerrod pointed, his nails noticeably darker as if he'd bruised them against
the wall. "T-THAT! I pulled THAT! From my BACK!"

Nathan yelped as his head butted against the invisible wall he'd forgotten
was there. From his own cell, Rodrick examined the straw more closely. It
had an unusual coloration, dark brown on one end, cream-colored on the
other, with thick bands in between. The ends were tapered to sharp points,
like a large toothpick. It reminded Rodrick of some desert tribes that
hunted with javelins banded with their tribal colors.

"Why," Nathan said aloud, leaning forward more carefully, "it's a porcupine
quill."

"A what? A WHAT?" Jerrod croaked, gingerly pressing his back against the
wall, no doubt feeling more of those quills behind him.

Rodrick chuckled. "It appears the curse has bitten you. In a most sensitive
area."

"But, but it's only been six days! Six days! It was supposed to be SEVEN!"

"Oh, don't forget that we spent a night camping in th' valley before
reaching Metamor. So it's really been six and a half." Rodrick waved it
off. "I suppose some of us are more susceptible to th' curse than others."

"This isn't how it's supposed to happen!"

"Would you rather have become a woman, Jerrod?" He laughed. "It suits you.
Now you'll always have a set of weapons on you that you won't thoughtlessly
gamble away."

Jerrod clutched his neck, pulling down his collar to feel the bare skin
that lay there. For now.

"Hey, now," Nathan said. "A porcupine ain't such a bad critter. They're
great climbers, and kin see in the dark."

"I don't want to see in the dark or go climbing!" Jerrod collapsed to his
knees and fell over. A patch of pinpricks pressed against his trousers.
Some of the quills had already grown to three inches. "I wanna go home!"

"Cheer up, Jerrod," Rodrick grinned. "I hear they love exotic pets in
Marigund. We can get you a nice cage, a collar. Teach you to do hand
stands. You'll blend right in."

"Rodrick, please," Nathan said, looking back at Jerrod. "Yer not gonna be a
full animal, ya know. Unless ya want it. Ya still got yer wits with ya.
Stay calm, and you'll git through this."

"Leave me alone," Jerrod said, turning towards the back of the cell.

He was inconsolable. Rodrick had already had his fun, and Nathan had
nothing to do but sit back and wait for however many hours it took for the
guards to come.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.integral.org/archives/mkguild/attachments/20231001/12654e17/attachment.html>