The Frontier's Most Honourable
Chapter 5
Warden soon found the Frontier Town Leather Tannery where he met and spoke with the Foreman about selling the wolf pelts. After some negotiating, Warden left the Leather Tannery with fifty silver coins added to his purse. Deciding to see the local Blacksmith to fix up his armour, Warden strode down the street and soon heard the sounds of metal clanging against each other, followed by the sharp hiss of something hot being submerged in cold water.
Warden entered the forge where he found the stout Blacksmith hammering at a piece of red-hot metal, likely a piece of armour he was forging for someone. Coughing discreetly, Warden got Blacksmith's attention. The smith's face made a slight sneer as he regarded Warden and commented, "Ah, it's you. Whaddya want this time?" The man's tone was gruff and stern as he continued to hammer away at the plate of hot metal.
"Just looking to get my armour fixed up," Warden replied, having quickly gotten used to Blacksmith's gruff manners.
"Is that all?" Blacksmith asked with a look of annoyance. Using his tongs to drop the glowing metal plate into a trough of water which erupted with a cloud of steam, the gruff smith said to Warden, "Alright, let's see the damage."
With careful precise movements, Warden removed his cuirass and handed it to Blacksmith for examination. With a critical eye, Blacksmith remarked, "Summat tried to bite ya, did they?"
"Yes, a wolf," Warden confirmed.
"Hmph, not too bad, all things considered," Blacksmith stated. "I can fix it up for ya," he added.
"Much appreciated, thank you," Warden said with a bow of his head. As Blacksmith took Warden's armour to a nearby bench to begin the repairs, the door to the shop opened. Walking inside was Female Knight who looked slightly surprised upon seeing Warden.
"Oh! Warden? What brings you here?" the Silver ranked adventurer asked conversationally.
"Just getting my armour fixed up," replied Warden. "And you?" he asked the blonde haired woman.
"Looking to get my sword sharpened." Female Knight drew out her sword, handing it to Blacksmith who called for Apprentice to take the adventurer's sword over to the grindstone.
"So, what was it that had you coming here to get your armour fixed?" Female Knight asked Warden as they stood against the nearby window. Warden was examining some of the weapons on display.
"A wolf," said Warden. "Goblin Slayer and I took a hunting quest involving wolves attacking horse, cattle and sheep farms. We just got back a few minutes ago."
"Huh? Did I hear you correctly? You and Goblin Slayer took a hunting quest that didn't involve goblins?" Female Knight looked frankly flabbergasted.
"I didn't take you for hard of hearing," Warden remarked dryly.
"W-Well, it's just… Goblin Slayer has only ever taken goblin quests, so it's surprising to hear that he took a quest that didn't involve goblins," Female Knight said as she rubbed the back of her head with one hand.
"Well, when a man needs money, he's liable to take any sort of job," said Warden. "Besides, I used the reasoning that goblins use wolves as mounts and watchdogs, so that was enough to convince Goblin Slayer to take the quest," he explained.
"I see," Female Knight remarked with a slow nod of her head. "Still, it's very surprising to know that Goblin Slayer took such a quest," she said.
"If you say so," Warden replied. "Besides, between me and him, we've been clearing out much of the goblin nests in the region, so there was a lack of goblins for Goblin Slayer to kill," he stated.
"Yes, I had heard that you and Goblin Slayer had cleared out many goblin nests. Which begs the question: why?"
Warden looked at Female Knight and asked, "What do you mean why?"
"Why do goblin quests? They don't offer much money, and you're clearly quite skilled," Female Knight said. "You could do much more than just simple goblin hunting missions," she pointed out.
"And I recently did," Warden said. "Besides, goblins aren't a loose end you leave untied. Many adventurers have made that mistake before and paid the price for it," he added.
"No-one is saying that goblins aren't dangerous," Female Knight tried to say.
"But according to the Guild, goblins are too small a threat to take seriously," Warden said cutting Female Knight off. "And most adventurers refuse to take goblin hunting jobs because of such low rewards. But in reality, goblins are far more dangerous than most think, which tells me that the system the Guild goes by is broken."
"You think the system is broken? How?" Female Knight looked curious at this line of thought from Warden.
"From what I've read, the Guild judges the threat of a monster individually. And individually, an average goblin is weak when compared to something like, say, a dragon or demon," Warden said. "But, I believe the system fails to take into account that goblins often travel in pack, growing in number when left alone. Leaving such a thing unchecked is dangerous and irresponsible, and villages often face the brunt of goblin attacks as adventurers such as yourself, Lady Female Knight, pass by them, thinking them not worth your time," he lectured.
Female Knight looked a little insulted at this and asked, "So, you think adventurers such as those of my rank are irresponsible for not taking goblin quests?"
"Yes," Warden said bluntly with no hesitation. Female Knight looked stunned by the man's frankness. "And who's to say being a hero means going on grand quests, slaying demons or dragons?" Warden continued. "Sometimes being a hero is more than that. Being a hero means doing the little things, no matter how menial or dangerous they are, such as killing goblins."
"So, by that reasoning, Goblin Slayer is a hero?" Female Knight asked curiously.
"The songs I've heard of him paint him as such," Warden replied. "And I've not heard any songs sung of you," he said slyly.
Female Knight blanched at this, her jaw going slack at those words. Then Blacksmith came back to the counter and said, "Got yer armour fixed up. Now unless you're gonna buy something else, quit lollygagging in my shop!"
"Many thanks," Warden said to the stout man, handing over the money for the repairs. Giving a respectful nod, Warden left the forge. Female Knight watched Warden leave, a look of contemplation on her features.
Leaving the Blacksmith's shop, Warden decided to take a wander through town and soon reached the market square. The air was filled with the chatter of townspeople and traders, as well as the sound of the occasional animals such as sheep, goats, chickens, pigs or cows being sold to those who asked for them.
There was some food stalls displaying various foodstuffs. There was a jewellery stand displaying various rings and necklaces for sale. Warden looked at some of the wares on for sale with a curious gaze. Then a nasally grating voice called out.
"Ooh, look at this one? Those rippling muscles, those broad shoulders, that square jaw… you are one weird looking lady!"
Warden looked around to see who had said that. "Who said that?" he wondered as the voice called out to him again.
"The ladies look like they love you! You could share makeup tips and trade shoes!" the voice cackled.
Warden frowned at this a little annoyed at the apparent insult directed at him. Stopping a nearby townsperson, he asked, "Did you hear someone just throw an insult at me just now?"
The townsperson looked at Warden and replied, "Oh, that voice? Aye, it's that bloody gnome. Throws insults at anyone who passes by. We mostly just ignore it."
"A gnome?" Warden repeated.
"Aye. Story goes gnomes once roamed all over the Four Cornered World during the Dawn Age, but they cursed by the Gods of Chaos to be inanimate. Able to see everything, but unable to interact," the townsperson explained. "But some damned fool did a ritual that's partly lifted the curses on the gnomes. They aren't able to move much, but they can speak and hurl insults at anyone they see," he said.
"And no-one has seen fit to get rid of this gnome here?" Warden asked in surprise.
"Would that we could find him. Gnomes are said to be clever at hiding, and most people in town have just learnt to ignore it," the villager said with a shrug.
"Well, thick skinned as I may be, I'd rather not have to hear such a rude little creature every day," Warden stated firmly.
"Well, good luck finding him," the villager encouraged as Warden then set off on finding the rude gnome.
Warden then stood in the middle of the market square and focused on where he could determine the gnome's insults were coming from.
"You should go somewhere nice and peaceful. Like a cemetery!" the gnome's voice jeered from somewhere unknown.
Focussing on the gnome's voice, Warden determined that the gnome had to be able to see him from a vantage point. Looking at the rooftops of the nearby buildings, Warden's eyes scanned the determinedly as another insult came from the unseen gnome.
"If it were up to me, no-one would ever get sick. They'd just die, starting with you!"
Warden then spotted a small figure sitting atop a roof beam. It was a small humanoid-like figure resembling a little old man with a pointy red hat. Its face was contorted into a wicked sneering grin, its lips stretched wide, revealing twin rows of yellow teeth as it threw out another insult.
"You know what I like about most people? They die!"
Gauging the distance, Warden pulled out his cudgel and the gnome noticed this and said, "Nice weapon you got there. What are ya? Compensating for something?!"
Smirking under his helmet, Warden flung his club at the gnome on its perch. Warden's aim was true and the iron banded club smashed into the gnome shattering it and it gave a little shriek as its form was broken.
A few of the villagers who no doubt had to put up with the gnome's insults most of their lives and had watched Warden destroy the nuisance all cheered happily.
"Hurray!"
"Nice work, adventurer!"
Then a portly fellow wearing some finery and a hat on his head bustled up to Warden. "Thank you so much, kind sir!" the man said to the knight. "We've all had to put up with that nuisance for a long time, and you came along and put it out of its misery!" he praised.
"Well, I wasn't going to tolerate that thing, so it had to go," Warden said modestly.
"Many thanks all the same. Might I know your name?" the finely robed villager asked.
"I am called Warden. And you are?"
"Town Mayor, at your service," the now identified Town Mayor said with a doff of his cap. Pulling out a purse, the man offered it to Warden, "Here, weren't an official quest, but call this a finder's fee if ye like."
Warden took the purse with a nod of thanks. "Much appreciated," the knight said.
"Oi! There's something here," a villager called out as he examined the rubble that had once been the gnome. Picking up a small piece of parchment, the villager handed it to Warden who looked at it.
"A map," Warden remarked as he saw what looked like a map of some ruins.
Town Mayor looked thoughtful at this and commented, "Now that I think on it, there's an old legend about these gnomes. If one could find and destroy fifty gnomes, they would be rewarded a grand prize."
"Which is?" Warden asked looking at Town Mayor.
"Can't rightly say. No-one has ever been able to find fifty gnomes before," Town Mayor said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Could be worth looking into," Warden said with a nod of his head as he headed back to the Guild.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: Chapter 5 done and dusted. I know it was a pretty short chapter, but at least I'm showing I'm not abandoning it for a year like some of you think I am, (you know who you are), but keep in mind that I have real life, work and responsibilities, especially with the silly season upon us, so I will be doubly busy over the Christmas/Summer Holidays as my place of work will see a heap of business from tourists and holidaymakers coming to town.
And I hope you all enjoyed the idea of gnomes from Fable 3 being brought into the story. As far as I am aware, gnomes haven't actually been seen in the manga/anime/light novel. I know that some spells make reference to gnomes, but I don't think we've actually seen them as a species/race, and I thought that it would be a funny little side quest for the Warden and the eventual party he travels with to deal with rude little gnomes dotted around the world.
And apart from that, I haven't got too much more to say about this chapter. For those of you who have asked and gave suggestions about potential For Honor heroes showing up in the story, I have taken into account your suggestions and ideas, so never fear, there will be other For Honor heroes/characters showing up. I've already got the idea of Holde Cross/Gryphon showing up in the story and perhaps him being a part of Sword Maiden's original party that defeated the previous Demon Lord, but I won't say much more than that, *wink*.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.