Hours have passed since Calder and Skylar set off on their journey, leaving the green fields behind them. It was about a hour or two after midday, the sun high in the sky slowly descended. The ranger thought that they would have a few more hours of travel before night fell upon them. Truth be told, he hoped that they found some sort of civilization before then. He unfortunately left behind most of his camping supplies back north, having expected that his visit with his father would not take too long. Of course, Skylar had no supplies either. They were not prepared to set up camp for the night, so finding a town was their best option.
Unfortunately, after walking for miles, there was no sign of a town. The two had been lucky enough to find a dirt path and followed it, although he was unsure of where it was taking them. Calder hoped that it had a end destination in mind. If it did not, they would have spent a good part of the day wasting their time. Even if it was not Greenest awaiting for them at the end, the ranger hoped there was a town. He was uncertain on if they should risk camping for the night without the proper supplies and had to push on for now. Eventually, the duo reached a part of the path where another trail forked into the road.
"Do you think it'd be best to follow the other path?" Skylar asked, looking around. "This path isn't taking us anywhere."
"Not yet," Calder told her, kneeling down. "Take a look at this. I'm pretty sure we're going the right way now."
Skylar knelt by Calder, both of them now looking down at the ground. In the dirt were two straight vertical lines running parallel to each other. The tracks went back from the fork and headed down the path they were following. Others had passed by, now taking the same path as they did. This was good news to the ranger, who believed that the were on the right path. There would at least be other people awaiting them soon enough.
"A cart passed by," Skylar commented with a nod, standing back up. "Maybe a traveling merchant. That'd mean that there is a town up ahead."
"Then we press on," Calder stood up as well. "We have no time to waste."
The two pressed on, more confident and determined than ever. Calder was slightly ahead, keeping his eyes down to ensure that they remained following the cart's tracks. If they were lucky enough, they may be able to find the cart and its rider fast enough to learn of where they are. If they were truly fortunate, they may be able to hitch a ride to the nearest town before night fell. With that hope in mind, the ranger continued his march, intending to catch up or arrive at a town before the day ends.
As luck would have it, it only took a few minutes for them to see a cart ahead. They move together more swiftly, the cart growing closer with each second. Yet, as they got nearer, Calder came to the realization that the cart was not moving at all. The two mules pulling it were eating away at a patch of grass and the back wheels had fallen into a ditch. While they had mostly good luck, it seemed that the merchant had fallen into bad luck. On the bright side, if they were to help, the stranger should be willing to return the favor.
Nearing the cart, Calder took notice of the two occupants of it. The first was a human that stood upon the cart with fair skin and short golden locks and a patch of matching hair on his chin. His eyes were closed as he plucked away the strings on a stringed instrument that was strangely made of metal. Although the melody was unique compared to the musicians of his tribe, it was average at best. He wore a plain white shirt, brown leather pants, and black boots. He had a rapier sheathed on his hip, hanging on by the belt, hinting that he was no merchant.
The second man was a dwarf, as shown by his short size but heavily muscular build. His head was completely shaven with blue lines tattooed across his scalp. His brown beard grew long, going halfway down his chest while braided up. Strangely enough, he only wore trousers, a pair of shoes with no cover except for pieces of rope, and a necklace made of bone, leaving his upper body completely exposed. Across his upper back were more tattoos, made in the image of a bird stretching its wings. The dwarf had both of his hands gripping the edge of the cart, struggling to lift it up from the ditch.
"Come on, Fargrim," the man encouraged, taking a break from playing his instrument when Calder and Skylar approached. "You can do it!"
"I'm givin' it my all, Master Blackwood," Fargrim grunted, setting the cart back down. "It's just too heavy fer me."
"Well, maybe if you unloaded the cart first, and had your friend help, you could do it," Skylar offered.
"Nay, this is part of Master Blackwood's training," Fargrim told her, not bothering to look back at the pair. "When we first got caught in this ditch, I suggested th' same thin'. He told me that if I wanted te become stronger, I needed to lift this up without any help!"
"Sounds to me like he's just trying to get out of work," Calder commented, frowning. "He's scamming you."
"How dare ye!" Fargrim grabbed a giant greataxe, nearly twice his size, from the cart and turned to face the group. "How dare ye suggest that the Zavier Blackwood, descended from th' greatest dragon slayer te walk th' ground, would be a scam!"
"Calm down, Fargrim," Zavier advised his friend, a drop of sweat dripping from his forehead. "There is no need for violence. You have to remember that not everyone knows of the Blackwood name."
"Aye, sorry about that," Fargrim nodded, throwing his axe back in the cart.
"It's no worry at all," Zavier told his friend, turning back to the two. "Now, what would your names be?"
"I'm Skylar Godwin," she introduced herself.
"Calder Notley," he followed likewise.
"A pleasure to meet you both," Zavier bowed before them. "I am Zavier Blackwood, he who can bravely venture into a dragon's lair, alone might I add, and come out with the stashed hoard and a dragon's head. The dwarf is Fargrim Torun, my student who wishes to learn how best to slay a dragon."
Fargrim and Skylar both stared in awe at Zavier, who grinned at the attention he was receiving. However, Calder remained skeptical of his claims. Dragons are a serious threat that takes many seasoned veterans working together to bring down, suffering many casualties in the process. The man before him was young, meaning that he is not too experienced. For all they knew, he had never faced a dragon before. Fargrim claimed that his companion was descended from a dragon hunter. Although he never heard the Blackwood name before, there may be some truth to find with that. Regardless, remembering how the dwarf responded earlier, the ranger thought it best not to make any more accusations.
However, anyone claiming to be an enemy of dragons meant that they may be opposed to the Cult of the Dragon. Fargrim had shown himself to be a capable warrior of his own merit. Although it was too soon to judge whether Zavier's claims on his reputation were true, he seemed like he knew how to hold his own in a fight and the dwarf followed his command to the letter. If they were to join up, their strength to combat the cult would double. It was all a matter of convincing Zavier, the brains behind the operation.
"I think at the very least, you should get up to help your friend, Zavier," Calder told the man. "There's no way he's going to lift the cart up with you on it by himself."
"You underestimate the strength of my student," Zavier replied, waving the ranger off. "In terms of pure strength, you will find no dwarf that is naturally as strong as Fargrim. He sought me out so that I could hone his skills to use that strength to challenge even the most mighty dragons. Now, once more, Fargrim. I believe that you can do this."
Before anyone can stop him, Fargrim grabbed onto the back of the cart once more, attempting to lift it out of the ditch. Calder rolled his eyes, expecting for the dwarf to fail once more. Yet, when he heard Skylar gasp loudly, the ranger looked down to see that the warrior was lifting the cart up slowly. The wheels were off the ground and about halfway out of the ditch. The half-elf could hardly believe what he was seeing. The cart had to weigh at least two hundred pounds with Zavier and their cargo adding more to that limit. Yet, a single dwarf was capable of lifting it from the ground.
However, Fargrim let out a scream, his fingers accidentally letting go of the cart and sent the wheels slamming back into the ditch. The dwarf was fortunate enough to escape the ordeal unharmed. Zavier was not so lucky. He had been standing confidently on the cart when it was being lifted, and his companion dropping it to the ground happened too quickly. When the wheels impacted against the dirt, the human fell from the cart, landing on the ground with a thud and a groan. Calder grinned at the sight and heard Skylar giggling at the sight.
"Terribly sorry about that, Master Blackwood!" Fargrim rushed over, falling down on his knees and clasping his hands together. "I almost had it! Please, don't stop teachin' me."
"Ugh, my back," Zavier groaned out, not making any attempt to stand back up.
"You know, now that he's off, you'll be able to get the cart off the ground with no problem," Skylar pointed out.
"It'll help if we can get the mules helping as well," Calder advised. "They haven't been doing much except for grazing. I could help you with that."
"Nay," Fargrim shook his head, standing back. "Master Blackwood instructed me te raise th' cart on my own, an' on my own I shall do so!"
"So, how long are we going to wait until we step in and help?" Calder whispered to Skylar, both of them watching Fargrim walk back to behind the cart.. "He's going to hurt himself if he keeps at it."
"I think he can do it this time," Skylar whispered back. "If not, we probably shouldn't unless you want to risk losing your head to his axe."
"Good point," Calder nodded.
Instead of grabbing at the edge of cart, Fargrim jumped down into the ditch, getting underneath part of the cart. Planting both hands on its underside, the dwarf started to push, grunting. Slowly, the cart started to raise up from the ground, the wheels slightly above the ditch. With another heave, the cart was pushed forward, the mules moving forward in shock. In between pants, the warrior grinned, having succeeded in getting the cart out of the ditch. Zavier stood up, dust himself off quickly, and then grinned, offering a hand to Fargrim. The dwarf took the man's hand, who helped pulled him out of the ditch.
"I did say that you will not find a dwarf stronger than Fargrim," Zavier told the two, patting the fighter on the back. "Get the cart ready. We need to get to Greenest before nightfall and cannot afford and further delays.
"Aye, Master Blackwood," Fargrim saluted, hopping back on the cart.
"You're heading to Greenest?" Skylar asked quickly. "So are we."
"Well, I wish you good luck with that," Zavier told them, hopping back on the cart as well. "If we see you there, please come and talk!"
"Or, you know, you could give us a ride there and we can talk in the cart," Calder suggested.
"I could, but from the looks of it, you both lack coin," Zavier shook his head. "I don't give rides out for free, you see."
"I can offer protection in exchange for transportation," Calder replied. "A fair deal."
"A fair deal if I didn't have Fargrim," Zavier countered. "You'll have to try harder than that, but unfortunately, you don't have the time."
"If you're a slayer of dragons, you're a hero, yes?" Skylar asked.
"Well, of course I am," Zavier bragged, grinning. "No one can be better than he who hails from the legendary Blackwood family."
"Well, if you're a hero, you should be helping people out," Skylar pointed out. "It's not very heroic if you leave us out in the middle of nowhere when you are more than capable of helping us."
"Well, uh, I suppose you have a point," Zavier cast a glance backwards at Fargrim, who also turned his head to face the scene. "Well, very well, hop in. The more on the journey the better."
"Perhaps ye can tell 'em o' yer last grand dragon hunt?" Fargrim suggested, grabbing onto the reins of the mules. "That's one ye haven't told me."
"Well, I would, but my head hurts from that fall from earlier," Zavier turned back, placing a hand on his head. "It hurts really badly so I'm not sure I can remember all of the details."
"Terribly sorry about that, Master Blackwood," Fargrim apologized, turning back.
"So, we're pretty certain that at the very least, Zavier is trying to trick us?" Calder whispered to Skylar again. "He's lying. I know it."
"I don't think he is," Skylar smiled lightly. "Looks like we may have a dragon slayer on our side."
"You can't be serious," Calder rolled his eyes.
Skylar did not answer, instead hopping into the back of the cart. Calder sighed out before following her, sitting across from his companion. Zavier joined Fargrim at the front, sitting down next to him. The ranger looked at the cart, somewhat surprised to see that they have packed very little, only having the greataxe and miniature harp in the back. With a swing of the reins, the mules started to move forward, dragging the cart behind it. For now, everyone was silent with Skylar closing her eyes while Zavier continued to complain about his headache.
Calder was unsure of if they would be able to count on their newfound allies for the long run. He was confident that Zavier was lying about his heroic deeds for reasons the ranger could not think of. As for Fargrim, he seemed competent enough, but worshipped his companion as the hero he claimed to be. On the bright side, they would arrive at Greenest as the day came to an end. They were one step closer to their quest, although the half-elf was not sure where they would go once they arrived at the town. It would be a bridge they would have to cross when they got there.
A/N: And with this chapter, the party is assembled. Soon enough, we will be entering the first adventure of Tyranny of Dragons.
Until next time.
EDITED: Thank you NicPrice127 for pointing out the missing beginning.