07-19-2017, 12:19 AM
The Sage stepped into the outfitters with a steadily increasing confidence. It was refreshing to be in a place where he was not being actively hunted or interrogated. He was still wanted by the empire, but the occasional bounty hunter was entirely different from the Imperial forces that seemed to be everywhere in the Vasty Deep. The Sage crossed the room to the counter, though there didn’t appear to be anyone in the room.
The Sage glanced around at the items on sale, I had no idea there were so many variations of bear trap. Nor do I expect one should find bears in a desert… He turned around at the approaching trumping of the shop owner. The Sage raised an eyebrow as he took in the shop keeper’s appearance. He had expected a solidly built individual, one less confident would not leave the front of their store unguarded, but this man’s shoulders were massive. The depth of his footfall seemed out of sync with his weight as well, as if he were even heavier than the massive frame suggested. The sparse red hair and squared jaw rounded out an individual that the Sage was certain rarely found life as complicated as he did himself.
“Yes?” the man asked, his voice thudded like rocks dropping to the ground. No flow, no meter, straight and to the point. How absolutely boring.
“Eckward?” The Sage asked, surely this couldn’t be the man he had asked after, could it? The thick-faced store owner did not reply, but turned and marched back into the back room.
There was more thudding as he spoke, then a burst of higher pitches from more than one responder. Whoever he had been talking to certainly didn’t share his tone. A short and hooded figure came bustling out of the backroom, the large man in toe. Two glowing yellow eyes shown from the shrowded hood, and the being began to chatter in rapid language that the Sage could not decipher. Blasted Omni, translating only the things you feel like. Sage thought with some annoyance as he looked at the larger man with his best appearance of amiable confusion. The short figure caught on before the larger man, and directed another clipped burst of speech at the mountain of human.
“This is Eckward.” The pauses between the man’s sentences grated on the Sage’s impatience, “What business brings you?” Another pause during which the man gestured at the surroundings. “You want to buy something?” The honest greed in the man’s eyes as he asked the last question struck the Sage, but he shook his head.
“I have no need for traps, good traders, Though I do wonder what pests that size one needs to ensnare out here.” The Sage replied, immediately the hooded trader shot off a quick burst, and in a moment the man answered.
“Jawas.” The smaller being seemed to find this uproariously funny, though the Sage had no idea what the creatures were, “They steal all the things.” Came the monotonous plodding voice. If the man had found the humor anywhere near as funny as its speaker he was good at hiding it.
“I see...” the Sage said hesitantly, moving on before the small creature realized that he had missed the joke, “I have been told you plan an expedition to the town with no name. I seek the same destination, and would trade my skills as a scribe in exchange for passage.”
The hooded figure actually seemed to consider this proposal for a time, before turning to his translator once again. This response was carefully worded, The Sage suspected he was trying to ensure there would be no mistranslations.
“Why does a seller of machinery” he paused again, and the Sage suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, “need a scribe?”
Aside from the chance for a stimulating conversation during the trip? he thought, but that argument would be imprudent.
“I can balance your records, take stock of your inventory, find any counterfeits that might find their way into your supply…” he trailed off, “The point is, I can handle all of the tedious parts of managing the trip and the finances, and let you focus on selling your product.” He was absolutely certain that Eckward would have to do his own transactions. He wondered idly whether he did them through the mountain man or not. Could most people here understand Eckward’s speech?
The hooded creature continued to mull over the Sage’s proposal, muttering to himself in the chittering language that the Sage continued to puzzle over. He thought he could detect a certain rhythm to much of the speech, maybe it was not as complicated as he had first thought…
The small merchant barked another question towards his translator, and the Sage refocused his attention.
“Just take him along.” Came a new voice, and the Sage looked again at the door to the back room. He was surprised to see the same pink-haired gnome or halfling that had been working in Syntech upon his awakening.
“This guy’s a prime. Even if you’ve already got a bodyguard, this will virtually ensure we don’t get robbed during the trip.” Her tone was non-chalant, but the way her eyes darted towards the expressions of the three of them shattered that illusion. She caught his gaze and winked at him. Troubling…
The pink-haired halfpint seemed to convince Eckward, as the hooded merchant broke off his questions and instead motioned, hand raised and spinning in a corralling motion. The large man nodded and moved towards the back room. Eckward followed, already rattling off what the Sage could only assume were orders. The pink hair shrugged and followed, leaving only the Sage remaining in the outer room.
He groaned inwardly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Perhaps he should have just made the trip solo.
The Sage glanced around at the items on sale, I had no idea there were so many variations of bear trap. Nor do I expect one should find bears in a desert… He turned around at the approaching trumping of the shop owner. The Sage raised an eyebrow as he took in the shop keeper’s appearance. He had expected a solidly built individual, one less confident would not leave the front of their store unguarded, but this man’s shoulders were massive. The depth of his footfall seemed out of sync with his weight as well, as if he were even heavier than the massive frame suggested. The sparse red hair and squared jaw rounded out an individual that the Sage was certain rarely found life as complicated as he did himself.
“Yes?” the man asked, his voice thudded like rocks dropping to the ground. No flow, no meter, straight and to the point. How absolutely boring.
“Eckward?” The Sage asked, surely this couldn’t be the man he had asked after, could it? The thick-faced store owner did not reply, but turned and marched back into the back room.
There was more thudding as he spoke, then a burst of higher pitches from more than one responder. Whoever he had been talking to certainly didn’t share his tone. A short and hooded figure came bustling out of the backroom, the large man in toe. Two glowing yellow eyes shown from the shrowded hood, and the being began to chatter in rapid language that the Sage could not decipher. Blasted Omni, translating only the things you feel like. Sage thought with some annoyance as he looked at the larger man with his best appearance of amiable confusion. The short figure caught on before the larger man, and directed another clipped burst of speech at the mountain of human.
“This is Eckward.” The pauses between the man’s sentences grated on the Sage’s impatience, “What business brings you?” Another pause during which the man gestured at the surroundings. “You want to buy something?” The honest greed in the man’s eyes as he asked the last question struck the Sage, but he shook his head.
“I have no need for traps, good traders, Though I do wonder what pests that size one needs to ensnare out here.” The Sage replied, immediately the hooded trader shot off a quick burst, and in a moment the man answered.
“Jawas.” The smaller being seemed to find this uproariously funny, though the Sage had no idea what the creatures were, “They steal all the things.” Came the monotonous plodding voice. If the man had found the humor anywhere near as funny as its speaker he was good at hiding it.
“I see...” the Sage said hesitantly, moving on before the small creature realized that he had missed the joke, “I have been told you plan an expedition to the town with no name. I seek the same destination, and would trade my skills as a scribe in exchange for passage.”
The hooded figure actually seemed to consider this proposal for a time, before turning to his translator once again. This response was carefully worded, The Sage suspected he was trying to ensure there would be no mistranslations.
“Why does a seller of machinery” he paused again, and the Sage suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, “need a scribe?”
Aside from the chance for a stimulating conversation during the trip? he thought, but that argument would be imprudent.
“I can balance your records, take stock of your inventory, find any counterfeits that might find their way into your supply…” he trailed off, “The point is, I can handle all of the tedious parts of managing the trip and the finances, and let you focus on selling your product.” He was absolutely certain that Eckward would have to do his own transactions. He wondered idly whether he did them through the mountain man or not. Could most people here understand Eckward’s speech?
The hooded creature continued to mull over the Sage’s proposal, muttering to himself in the chittering language that the Sage continued to puzzle over. He thought he could detect a certain rhythm to much of the speech, maybe it was not as complicated as he had first thought…
The small merchant barked another question towards his translator, and the Sage refocused his attention.
“Just take him along.” Came a new voice, and the Sage looked again at the door to the back room. He was surprised to see the same pink-haired gnome or halfling that had been working in Syntech upon his awakening.
“This guy’s a prime. Even if you’ve already got a bodyguard, this will virtually ensure we don’t get robbed during the trip.” Her tone was non-chalant, but the way her eyes darted towards the expressions of the three of them shattered that illusion. She caught his gaze and winked at him. Troubling…
The pink-haired halfpint seemed to convince Eckward, as the hooded merchant broke off his questions and instead motioned, hand raised and spinning in a corralling motion. The large man nodded and moved towards the back room. Eckward followed, already rattling off what the Sage could only assume were orders. The pink hair shrugged and followed, leaving only the Sage remaining in the outer room.
He groaned inwardly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Perhaps he should have just made the trip solo.
If history is to become legend, it first must be recorded.