He moved again toward the buildings in the courtyard, just to see what they were for. Not being in many castles before, he was curious. As was to be expected, there were stables, crafting areas, and places to rest. It was still fascinating prospect to Slarti, to build one's house or place of business within the safety of a castle's courtyard. He loved the freedom that his land placement of the Brewery provided him but couldn't help but wonder what it might be like to run an establishment like his within the walls of a castle.
As he bumbled around offering attempting to offer free beer to the patrons of the courtyard, Slarti suddenly realized he was receiving awkard looks and silences. A soldier ran up to him quite quickly and said in an understanding yet urgent tone, "They're about to duel right here," indicating the ground beneath his and Slarti's feet.
"Doh! Whoops! Sorry everyone. Let me get the hell out of the way!"
Slarti continued making the rounds in the courtyard, passing out tall boys of his famous Stam Slammer Light and Forgiven's Peace Light, figuring that the soldier would be needing beer that would bolster their stamina without weighing them down in the fights at the fair. Most folks bore the insignia of the guild Integrity, but there were others Slarti did not recognize in attendance. Perhaps they were from out east. Almost everyone happily accepted Slarti's offerings, and there were even those that returned to him gifts of dumplings, beer of their own, armor, weapons, and nahuat. Slarti struggled to carry all of the generous return gifts he received for his beer, making several trips back to Zup to fill his bags to the brim as well.
When I came to distribute free beer, I did not expect so much generosity in return. I've told each of these patrons no coin, yet they provide me with as much as I give. How am I ever going to cart all this home?!
He pulled out some crab and rice dumplings that he had received and devoured them. Incredible! Slarti heard a holler come from the front of the keep, "Last call for signups for mage and melee duels." He headed toward the keep with the crowd since this round of duels was to take place inside the keep itself. Suddenly a rather large figure in armor approached him. Slarti instinctively and awkwardly stepped back a few steps as the knight stepped forward.
"Hey! You're Slarti, huh?" said the stranger.
"Liv...iticus?" said Slarti.
"The same," answered the now identified behemoth before Slarti.
"Well... uh... thank you very much for the invitation. I've given out a lot of beer in the courtyard and everyone has been most generous in return though I do not ask it. Your friend Merlin even gave me full sets of armor! I did not expect his and am surely not worthy. Thank you, sir!" said Slarti at one hundred meters per second.
The knight nodded and spoke, "The mage duels are happening on the second floor. Then the melee duels are up top. Good to have you here beermaker!"
"Yes, thank you! Thank you again. I'm going to go see these duels now," Slarti managed to sputter out as he turned towards the keep. Slarti's heart pounded with anticipation as he passed through the archway entrance. He had never been inside an actual keep. As he cleared the entryway, his attention was immediately drawn to how high the ceilings were.
What a massive structure!
His awe only greatened as he wandered through room after room of massive amounts of space. In some rooms, banquet tables sat in rows from one end to the other, a massive feast laid out upon them. Slarti looked quickly to see if anyone was watching and then quickly grabbed a turkey leg from the table to take a massive bite. Grease dripped down his beard and onto the floor as he chewed ferociously, in ectstacy at the freshness of the meat.
Wow! This is what hanging out with soldiers will get you, huh? Deeeeefuckinglicious.
He tossed the mostly eaten turkey leg back on the plate from whence it came and proceeded back to his exploration of the keep. After a few twists and turns, he finally found the stairs. He took a deep breath before starting, his stomach uncomfortably full of turkey leg. He made his way up the stairs to the second floor where the mage duels were taking place. He watched three duels, taking notes on how he might be more effective with his own magic. All the fights were very exciting, one even ending in death as an Auw Surge gave no chance for mercy, splattering the contestant into gibs on the keep floor.
"Ewwwwwww......" said Slarti. A priest revived the contestant with minimal effort, but Slarti still considered it a gruesome sight.
That had to hurt.
Slarti headed up to the top of the keep for the melee duels, stopping to gaze out the keep windows at each level, marvelling at the sight of the Western Steppes spread out before him. Upon reaching the stop of the keep, he found soldiers spread around the walls and vicious melee combat taking place in the middle of the tower. Soldier shouted and cheered as combatants landed parries and counterattacked, their opponents crying out in pain as weapons tasted flesh but continuing to battle as if pain were no object. Slarti wondered what it must be like to proceed through life in Myrland with that mindset. He abhorred pain and found little need to inflict it on others excepting the occasional beast or fish for a meal.
Kingdoms need kings and soldiers and such... so be it. I'll just keep my head down.
He had heard whispers in Tindrem that the castles across the lands migth soon be expanding their influence, demanding taxes on properties within their radius. Fortunately for him, Bartfast Brewery currently seemed to fall outside of those boundary lines. The thing with boundary lines in Myrland is, however, that they change. War loomed on the horizon and Slarti could only hope he had chosen a location that would be largely spared of its ravages.
The melee competition ended and all attendees including Slarti cheered, shouts from atop the keep echoing out into the Western Steppes. Then someone shouted, "What about the free-for-all? Are we having that?" Then late-morning air was pierced with the shouts of nearly forty warriors. Slarti gulped. Suddenly the rooftop erupted in unabated, unrestrained violence. Hacking, slashing, and beating abound, Slarti ducked down the stairs, but he could not unglue his eyes from the spectacle. It was just so... brutal. He stood atop the stairs watching the violence until suddenly a huge knight charged at him with sword over head. He knew it would happen.
"Uhhhhh noo... NOOO NOOOOOOOO! I'M JUST WATCHING!" screamed Slarti as he charged down the stairs away from his assailant who bore not an Integrity insignia, but one with the letters of MKRG. Seconds later, Slarti found himself struggling to limply descend the stairs when another soldier bearing the MKRG charged up from below and relieved Slarti of his head.
Slarti sucked in air at the keep priest and chuckled to himself. He knew he should have went all the way downstairs. He went back upstairs and recovered his things, but then noticed his trinkets were broken.
"Damn it!" he cursed. There was no way he could ride back now since his trinkets provided him with some of influence he was able to have over beasts in Myrland, unless he abandoned Puff which he could not bring himself to do. "Looks like I'm walking," he chuckled.
Slarti found Liviticus and thanked him for the invite to the fair, bidding him farewell as Liviticus opened the gates through which Slarti entered. Slarti jogged out, calling Zup and Puff to follow him. He heard the porticulus slam shut and looked toward the long run ahead of him to Meduli. As he trudged away toward the beach town, a new tune began to form in his head...
I was walkin' to Meduli
from the Western Steppes
