Chapter 8
Insanity
The Wizard Nari of Selendin once said "I am only a sentient being, and all sentient beings make mistakes…." He then embarked on an entirely too long speech about how all things make mistakes, how he erred in his ways and why he should not be slaughtered 'cruelly' in his own words. An archer killed him, and then was executed because the death sentence had not be delivered, and he was not an executioner. The archer was ironic, his last words were, "He was killing me with boredom, so I did the same to him."
If there is one thing I have learned living among humans, it is that I am all the more fallible. My mistakes do not matter right now.
Also, living among humans I have noticed certain patterns in their behavior. Chief among them are ignorance, idiocy and corrupt leadership. Yet, there are always those born who do not fit among these patterns. There will be the occasional intellectual, and while he can be an idiot and a corrupt leader, he is an intellectual none the less. Then there is the man with common sense, he may be ignorant, but he is no idiot, and he may not make the best leader either. Then there is the wise leader, a man who is not spoiled by his blood line or by his riches.
So, we all make mistakes, and some of us learn from our mistakes, and some of us make the same mistake over and over again.
So it did not surprise me when, on our way back to the Borderlands, Adamis, injured, hot, sweaty and covered in hundred pound chainmail, most likely delusional for more than one reason, ran towards the castle the moment we saw the pennants of red and gold flying high upon their masts of weathered wood. Once we reached the top of the hill, he was already half way down it. I cannot blame any one area of his personality for this, act of idiocy, but rather a combination of things. Most likely injury and sun stroke.
Thoros asked, "Why is he running?"
I sighed and just said, "Because of many reasons." And we moved on.
Once we reached the draw bridge, the guard on the left crossed his pike, but the guard on the right just continued to stare onward. I turned around and tried to see what he was staring at, but found only hills. "Ahh yes. Your back." The guard on the left said.
Cynwyd asked, "Why is he like this?" At that moment Adamis waved his hand in front of the right guard's face. He then smiled and said to him, "I am Adamis Theodore the Paladin! I wish to pass!"
"I know you wish to pass. As for him, I don't know what is going on. But go on in anyways."
We walked on the draw bridge, and under the stone arch with the murder holes. We stopped in front of the city keeper's office. The scribe manning the desk just yelped at us and said, "I shall not let you pass! Go away! Guards! Guards! Please don't hurt me!" He coward away from us, moving his chair back against some book shelves covered in scrolls and books. The result was a large amount of scrolls rolling off.
The guard came up and said, "What has gotten into you man! Right down their names."
"Get them away from me!" He curled up into his seat and began to shake in fear.
"Don't know what got into him." He took up the paper and pen and said, "Your names?"
"Cynwyd." Cynwyd replied.
"Oh yes. Uh huh."
"Irigorn the Wizard."
"Yes."
"Thoros."
"Adamis."
"Yep. Alright give me your weapons so I may peace tie them." Unlike the other times when the city officials peace tied our weapons, the guard paid no attention to the series of bags on the floor and only grabbed the yarn. He then tied purple strings around our weapons and said, "There, that should do it."
We then walked out of there and into the castle walls. I was very confused. Then Thoros said, "What will these purple strings do? It's not like the purple ribbon will suddenly remind me not to slay someone."
When we walked in, we passed some stables. Some stable boys watched us go by. The one just stood there staring at us, leaning against his pitch fork. Adamis went up to them and said, "Good day. What's up with him?" Mentioning the one just staring ahead.
"I dunno, maybe too much sun sir."
"Why don't you get him in some shade?" Cynwyd suggested.
"Good idea ma'am." The stable boy led his friend into the stables.
We walked down the street, and passed a bank, a black smith's shop, Purdies Provisions, a cartographer and tucked away in some alley was a sign advertising an Alchemy Shop just down the street. We turned right, making our way towards the Red Dragon. As soon as I noticed this, I said, "I should probably take the kobold to the princess in the inner castle."
"But surely you must be thirsty, tired and hungry," Cynwyd reminded. "We drank all our water in that blazing heat. Now we must rehydrate at least."
Adamis spoke absent mindedly, "Maybe the guards will you some food. Then we can all go to the alchemy shop for a health potion!" The Blessed Idiot had lost his mind and turned into a half-wit.
"Your right. We should probably go to the Red Dragon first." I agreed, but largely because I was thirsty and because Adamis was going insane.
So we made our way to the square, where the fountain with the warriors and wizards continued to spew the shining, clear water, probably filled with contaminants. I decided not to ever drink the water from a human town long ago. Though this water looked clean and tempting, I forced myself not to drink from it. As we passed by the fountain, we all noticed a red clay jar, broken, and a red substance coming out of it. I took note of this and placed at the back of my mind.
We all continued onto the Red Dragon. When a woman we noticed a woman crying near and alley way. Twenty feet away, two men and brown robes stood still, staring at the fountain, as if in awe. Adamis walked over to the woman and asked, "What is wrong?"
The woman did not even look up, but continued to cry into her hands, weeping "Everything is wrong! It's all wrong!"
"Why is everything wrong?" Adamis asked.
"It just is!" she weeped. Adamis walked away into the Red Dragon.
I asked Cynwyd, "Why don't you use a detect magic spell?"
"I was planning to do it if there was one more person." She replied.
Thoros asked, "Why can't you cast a detect magic spell?"
I instantly replied, "What makes you assume I have one in my arsenal?"
"Why do you assume Cynwyd has one ready?"
"I don't know." I said. We then went into the Red Dragon. Inside it was not very busy. A group of five wealthy men, most likely merchants, sat by the fire talking attempting to calm their friend down. Their friend was sweating, and mumbling things like, "They can be anywhere" and "They are here" the comments were succeeded by a flurry of looking around by the mad man. Sitting at the bar, was man in brown robes, and a traveler wearing dingy, old clothes.
Adamis walked over to the merchants and asked, "What is wrong?"
"Our friend won't calm down." One said.
"He is convinced something or someone is after him and plotting to destroy the town." Another, plump, gray haired, half bald one replied.
The man looked up at Adamis and yelped, "There's one! Get him away from me!"
"What do you see?" Adamis asked.
"Get him away me! Kill him!" He picked up a fire poker, and stood up, handling it as if it were a sword.
"I am only a paladin."
"A dark paladin!" The man yelled. His friends pulled on his robes and yelled at him to sit down. Trying to convince him he had been out in the sun too long. Cynwyd, Thoros and I had to pull Adamis away from the men.
"Now will you cast the spell?" I asked.
Cynwyd nodded and muttered a few words under her breath and she looked around. "The one man in that group is being affected by magic, and the two men sitting at the bar." She walked up to the men at the bar and said, "Hello?"
The men in brown robes stared ahead. Cynwyd snapped her fingers in front of his face. She began to walk away, when the traveler said, "Why do you not bow before me?" He spoke with an air of command, as if he were the most important person in the world, and that he should be respected.
"Why would I bow before a traveler?" Cynwyd asked.
The man looked as though he were taken aback, he placed his hand on his chest and gasped. "Don't you know who I am?"
"No. Who are you?" Cynwyd asked.
"I am King of the Realm!"
"No you're not." Cynwyd said.
"Yes I am! Now bow before me!" His eyes were open so wide I thought that maybe his eyes would pop out of his head.
Cynwyd snickered and bowed at the waist, then walked away.
Adamis said, "He is the king! I must talk to him."
Thoros said, "He doesn't even look like the king. He is some traveler."
Yet, Adamis still walked up to the king and said, "I know who you are."
The false king said, "Really? Who am I?"
Adamis bowed and said, "I am honored to be in your presence."
The False King said, "Are you one of my champions? Which one are you?"
"I do not serve you, your highness. I serve my god, Pelor. I am a Paladin." Adamis, stood up straight and began to walk away.
The False King grabbed his arm, his face turned as red as blood, a vein popped out in his forhead and he said, "All serve me in the Realm! It is I who comes first, then your god!"
"No! I serve my god proudly. Then I serve you proudly. For who controls the world than the gods? You only control a section of the world." Adamis said.
It was obvious that a fight was going to break out if we did not stop Adamis. "I think we should drag him away again." Thoros said.
I agreed, and the two of us walked up and said to Adamis, "Come one." Adamis jerked away.
The False King screamed at the brown robed man next to him, "Guards! Send this man into the deepest darkest dungeon where he can rot among the rats! Maybe then he will earn to serve me before his god."
The man continued to stare ahead.
"Well!?" The False King yelled.
The bar tender said, "Calm down man. Er you highness. I may be a simple inn keep, but even I can refuse hospitality. When I think of the king," he pretended to imagine and look up at the sky, "I imagine a regal man, who keeps himself calm and cool among his subjects. Now, you are not being the king the people want. So, I suggest you calm down."
The False King nodded and said, "You and you." He spoke to Thoros and I. "My trusted guards, please take this man away from me. Just, don't let him talk to me."
"Yes sir." I bowed before him, and so did Thoros. We led Adamis away.
Once we were seated, I set down the bag with the Kobold inside. It wriggled around, trying to escape, but I hit it with the end of my staff, it whimpered, and I hit it again, knocking it unconscious for another hour. The waitress came to us and said, "What can I get you?"
"A drink of mead." Adamis said. "And where is that man I bet money with?"
The waitress said, "I will not get you mead sir. You are too young. How about huckleberry juice?"
Adamis nodded. I agreed with some juice, though not huckleberry. Thoros got some mead, and so did Cynwyd. Then we all got mutton sandwiches.
I then asked the waitress, "Could you get us some wet cloths? Especially for him." I motioned my head towards Adamis, who was a hot, sweaty and bloody mess, "To clean ourselves up a little."
She nodded and walked away.
I then turned to Thoros and Cynwyd and said, "We need to fix this town. If the people are being affected by magic, we have to stop the magic, or the enchanter at work."
"Why?" Cynwyd asked, "We have not ties to this place."
I muttered a curse under my breath and said, "I shouldn't even care about these people." I thought about the whole town running amuck, I could easily steal from anyone, but then I would be chased by mad men, convinced I was an evil mage or monster.
"But, you of all people should care." I told Cynwyd. "I hardly know you, but I like to think that you are sympathetic. I, of all people, should be apathetic about the situation."
Adamis came out of the blue and said, "Are you even a wizard?"
"Shut up. You're delusional Adamis." I told him.
No one around me seemed to care about what was happening around us. I began to wonder if they too were being affected by the spell. Spells didn't always work, so maybe I was unaffected.
Our food came, we ate and drank. When we were finished, and after I had wiped my face clean of dirt and grime. I picked up the brown bag with the prisoner in it, and left the Red Dragon. I made my way towards the inner castle, to hand over the prisoner. I noticed more people were insane. I tried to ignore this fact. On my way I passed the Alchemy Shop the advertisement had advertised. I also passed another bank, and a few other shops I really didn't care about at the moment.
