Chapter 2

  Paladin of the people

  At first glance anyone who saw Remidemus would see just an odd human with sun touched skin, Handsome to most standards, his bulk frame told a tale of high energy discipline with Broad shoulders, good posture & a built physique, he was draped in a thick grey cloak covering multiple layers underneath to keep the elements at bay. He carried a large sword wrapped in lanolin cloth slung to his back he would use to chip ice, not wide but rather thin although the thick layers of cloth would still hurt, but not accidentally cut or damage too much.

  If you were walking through the city at the hour before sunrise more often than not, you'll see a man with silver hair & eyes trudging through the empty city streets.You could hear snow crunching under feet, before the break of the golden dawn The well wrapped man was making his presence known shovel in hand, throughout the outer ring of Norroval, between brasiers & other forms of heat & light was mostly homes & small Businesses. Bakers, tailors & apothecaries saw him clearing the street with his snow shovel giving him thankful nods & gestures while they passively watched him clear the street while they went on with their business.

  “I'm glad I grabbed that extra layer. It's a cold one this morning” Remidemus said quietly, mindful of the still sleeping families nearby “just glad I'm nearly done, at this point we must be on some of the last few nights of winter” Despite all the layers shivered slightly as he saw the end to his efforts ahead, he reached the end of the street sweat breaking overhead.

  This wasn’t his job, not officially, though the Paladin in common clothes kind of just did it, among other things, it just made sense, it was something that needed to get done so he did it, the steps into the untainted fresh powder of the early morning slowly fell & eventually stopped as the sun rose giving heat to the city. Almost everyone gave him something for his troubles, money, food, a free drink & sometimes nothing, regardless of what it was he would assist everyone all the same even if it's for nothing. Remidemus made a vow to help people when he could & doing so, maintaining the honour of his people & where he was from.

  The street slowly grew busy as sun hit the black mountain beginning the morning rush, helping the fellow workers, loading & or unloading wagons, other odd jobs wherever he could, manual labour, heavy lifting or even an extra hand breaking up fights between guard rotations.

  The first to catch Remidemus out on his patrol of fortune was a young woman & owner of the local apothecary. Julia was her name, she wore long brown leather gloves that stretched past the forearms & a long thick coat where underneath was a simple brown dress.

  She was sweeping snow off that had landed on the hanging sign outside, shaking off the icicles as she saw him, her eyes brightened as she called out to him

  “Remi! Are you busy at the moment?” Julia’s tone was exciting. How couldn’t she? Julia liked Remidemus, Julia enjoyed his company.

  “I’m not busy yet, want a hand unloading?” his jovial tone was un-wavered & unbothered

  “Y-yes I would love a hand, do you know where to put them? Would you mind bringing in the stock, i'll be out in a moment, just need a few things out first” Julia kept the door open as she raced in “There's a last minute remedy I have to put together & send off”

  he nodded & left her with a grin as he walked to the side of the Apothecary where a full cart was.

  It was a two story building of wood, stone & stained glass windows; many people who owned businesses lived on the other floor.

  “Would you mind bringing in the sack & crates first? The ones marked with green paint!” Julia called,

  The thick blanket of snow & icicles fell, revealing the sign underneath

  ‘Billborrows apothecary’

  “On it!” he replied

  Walking into the backdoor & meeting Julia by a large work table. She was pointing to “Just there is perfect”

  Remidemus put the crates & sacks by the table. One he brought in the last of the smaller items he threw the question out. "Who is the medicine for Grandma Laria, Donovan?” He asked as the rest was hauled in

  The medicines, & ingredients alike were brought into the building quickly, the sacks weren’t too heavy, however there were a lot of them so they had time to chat between walking in & out, Julia talked between finishing up the concoction. She brewed a pot of tea. “It's for Donovan’s father actually, Ranoian, his lungs are giving him trouble again”

  Remidemus nodded “I see”

  He had lived in Norroval for roughly 2 years, however for people like Julia, it felt like a lot longer. Especially how often he saw her.

  He remembered just about everyone he met, he went quiet for a moment before speaking again,

  “So winter really is almost over” An odd way to tell, but Remidemus recalled panicking his first winter here, before finding out certain people in this city got sick around the same time, the winter ending brought other more deadly colds, something to do with the colder air & the mixing of season winds. But at the time he thought there was a plague hitting the city.

  Thinking back at it, that time was when he had met Julia, she gave him an earful after making so many people worry.

  “A plague you idiot!” she was irate, rightfully so,

  How would you feel if one day some idiot is telling everyone there was a plague hitting the city & you are one of three medical physicians in the outer ring & had to deal with hundreds of people freaking out. Although even she was impressed when he came out & admitted to being the one telling everyone, hells she was more surprised with herself that she didn’t kill him that day.

  Back to the present the two spoke like this as the cart slowly got emptied, some of the crates were oddly heavy even to Remidemus’ standards. “New Equipment?” He asked

  “Yep it’s a-” she stopped, then quickly rushed over after realizing what it was “Hey let me help.” Julia’s eye lit up & raced over to help, the two lugged the large crate inside. “Oh I'm sorry Remi that’s a really heavy one”

  She was surprised when she saw him outside with it awkwardly carrying it before she took some of the weight, it was roughly the size of a couch & over a hundred kilos.

  Quickly the cart was empty & both were back in the apothecary in warmth by the fire. The building had a nice smell of herbs. The sun was reflecting off the snow hitting the stained glass,

  The image on the front was of two people holding up a child. On one side, a man with a crown surrounded in shades of gold holding up the child with one hand. On the other side, a woman cloaked however you could see her face, she too held the child up with one hand, her side was shrouded in black & when the sun hit it the black exposed a deep dark blue.

  The two mirrored each other, the image called to Remidemus each time he saw it.

  Runes engraved on the exposed beams above the foyer glowed a warm orange producing a pleasant heat & purified the air.

  The two went back outside with a cup of tea in hand to take in the short hours of sunlight

  “Say, Jules, who are the characters in the stained-glass windows again?” Remidemus asked taking a sip from his tea

  “You remember someone you met once months ago & yet; you keep forgetting the names for the gods of life & death” Julia mock sighed & sipped her tea

  Remembering the day her father had it installed, when he built the apothecary, he thought if people passed away seeing the queen of death taking them would be a form of peaceful acceptance, & the king of life would give the sick courage.

  “Darmartha (Dar-Martha) a god of life, & Tharaphen (Thara-Fen) a Goddess of Death” Julia spoke the words with absolution & decided not to give Remidemus the handful of their other names again.

  The two drank the rest of their tea in pleasant silence before a voice broke the silence.

  “Hey Remi, I’ve got some crates I need to bring to the back of my shop, would you mind giving me a hand!?” It was Frug who called. Another longtime local & merchant down the street, he couldn’t see him for his size, but his voice was distinct.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  he put his coat back on & fastened the sword on his back, handing the empty mug back to Julia & turning to Frugs direction,

  “Yeah, no problem, just a moment!” Remidemus called back.

  Julia sighed, taking the mug “Thanks Remi, know I always appreciate your help,” she smiled & then punched him in the shoulder, hard,

  The young woman with long scarlet hair braided back to keep it away from her face revealing golden yellow eyes & light freckles.

  he rubbed at his shoulder then smiled “Not a problem Jules, happy to & thanks for the tea” Remidemus turned to help the old merchant down the street & began heading towards him & his shop with an unbreakable grin.

  The crates were large, too large for the older store owner to bring in on his own, being that of a gnome, an old one at that & not even thigh high to the tall silver haired man, the gnome was as tall as the crates, around two feet tall & hands made for more up close & delicate work. A lot of gnomes were.

  Glass clanked in the crates as Remidemus brought them into the shop's back storage.

  “Hey, mister Frug, what’s in the bottles?” Remidemus asked after bringing in the last of the crates in.

  “That my inquisitive friend, is my order of dragon fire Bourbon among other things, damned adventures cleaned me out of the stuff the other day after they slayed a dragon.”

  Remidemus’ eyes raised, “A dragon, seriously, here? What colour was it, scratch that. Was it a big one?”

  “Indeed, my big friend, & how large it was, I have no idea of the full exact size; However they showed me a tooth,” Frug measured along his fingers to his shoulder, I'd say it was the size of my arm.”

  “You don’t say!’ Remidemus pondered on that, gnomes were small yes, however that's still at least a tooth a foot long.

  Frug nodded sagely enjoying his young friend's excitement as he continued his tale,

  “Thankfully it's only from the distillery in the inner ring” Frug paused & had a thoughtful expression on his face as if he didn’t already plan for what he was about to do.

  “On that note I still need to get you back for the other day.” The old gnome took his coat off now intending to stay indoors where a central fire sat burning & grabbed the crowbar hanging on the wall.

  Frug then proceeded to crack open one of the crates containing the dragon fire Bourbon

  “Take one, & I don’t want to hear no for an answer. you know declining a gnome's generosity is considered bad luck” Frug said his tone old yet serious, that only lasted a moment before he burst out laughing at Remidemus,

  Frug liked the young man because he not only kept in mind who he was talking to but he also knew when to take a joke.

  Remidemus shook his head & laughed with the small old man. He wasn’t sure if the bad luck thing was true, but he did not want to test that, so instead he asked,

  “Aren’t these expensive?”

  “Not for what you do” Frug almost sounded mad “Yes they are indeed pricey however if you think about it, you brought all of these crates in on your own, far faster than what I could do in my old age. With no drops or damage no less, if I had to hire people I would need to get a few & pay for their service fees, not to mention this one task would be my whole day on my own. So yes you have earned it, & saved me a day” Frugs tone was unwavering,

  Remidemus paused looking at the bottle in his hand, wait how was it in my hand already?

  He shrugged knowing he was not going to be able to decline, so he popped open the lid & took a sniff. The spices felt like it burned his nose hairs & made his eyes water a little, he left Frug with a bottle of the dragon's breath as cold fresh air entered his lungs, he was set for the day.

  The morning was a lot like that, passing by & getting either coin, food, or nothing until the sun was close to being fully present in the sky. Remidemus found himself a few large crates stacked as high as the surrounding buildings, climbing on to the lowest one he sat & watched, the sun rose to its apex. He found himself a spot & like a lazy cat. he laid back & enjoyed the fruits of his labour, he wound up with the Bourbon, a fresh loaf of bread, cheese & several silver coins heavier in the coin pouch. He rested his eyes for but a moment, until the Paladin heard an unfamiliar voice calling from below.

  “Good morning, Master Remidemus? I was wondering if you could spare a moment of your time?!” Arthurs polite tone drew him to look down. The cloaked figure looking up.

  pulling back the hood of his cloak the worker sat up in attention & dropped down to see him with a loud

  ‘Thump’

  The noble dressed as a butler, stood tall & straight towering over Arthur by at least a foot, his eyes gleamed up at him.

  “Has anyone told you that you’ve got one damn fine moustache?” Remidemus said, not at all ashamed, if he was honest, he was a little tipsy but the holistic worker knew the butler somewhat but never got his name.

  The butler nodded & then smiled “I am Arthur Ravenwood, of the Hearth shire Estate, you have some interesting eyes yourself”

  Remidemus raised an eyebrow then smiled.

  Arthur cleared his throat “I have a proposition for you” Arthur shook my hand ignoring the dirt & grime from a worker's morning.

  He was surprised by both the approach & the grip of the greeting butler. ‘Not your typical noble’ he thought to himself. Gleaming Remidmus smiled & gestured to some lower crates as a seat.

  Arthur nodded & sat, Remidemus passed the bottle of dragon fire bourbon as the two spoke.

  “You wouldn’t have a cup on you?” he asked.

  Arthur nodded & withdrew two disks, gave them a rapid whip of his hand & two intricate metal cups folded out.

  Without saying anything Remidemus poured the dragon fire bourbon into both. He shook his head “Did you really have those prepared out of pocket?” he chuckled

  “A trick of the trade” Arthur proclaimed calmly as he brought the spiced Burbon to his lips & pulled in the cold winter air.

  “What did you want to talk to me about? Does it have something to do with that bar fight a few nights ago?” Remidemus asked apprehensive

  The fight he was referring to was an altercation between a pair of dwarves & a half giant, he knew the three & by some means. Arthur was in the middle of it as a bystander caught up in it, it ended as most fights do, once Remidemus got involved. Everyone gets drunk & goes home.

  Arthur shook his head & explained, “As a matter of fact that’s not why I'm here, however, I never thanked you for that. After that evening I found out, a member of our staff was making some trouble with our colours”

  ”Oh?” Remidmeus asked “So why are you searching me out?”

  “It has been rectified” Arthur looked down for a moment & quickly returned to his original posture fitting of his station.

  Remidemus looked at the man, he looked human though his body suited the environment. He was in a four-piece complete with a thick dark wool long coat over an orange pinstripe black dress piece with a brown waist vest, the attire fitted a noble butler. Coat coat coat any other way to say that ?

  His hands were gloved but what was interesting was they were not your traditional white cotton but black leather with a subtle vein of metal along the knuckles, a fighter of some kind he thought to himself.

  “As to why I'm here, the individual I am representing is looking to from a team & has requested me to crowd source on his behalf, & with that I have a Proposition for you” Arthur paused, looking at me with far less jovial energy than before. Now he was in business mode,

  Remidemus nodded to gesture to him to continue.

  “If I may ask, what do you look for in a team, the bare bones if you would?”

  This was a test, Remidmus looked at Arthur & it did not take long for him to tell the Butler in front of him had been in battle, so it wasn’t an open invitation. This was an interview.

  The tall man with silver hair & eyes took a slow sip of his Burbon & sat it down beside him. Remidemus looked to his sword beside him wrapped in multiple layers of lanolin & cloth, he stared at it in silence before responding “For a group, specifically one that doesn't know each other, you need three things”

  Arthur glanced at the sword with interest then back to him, it wasn’t by much but the butler had to crick his neck up a bit.

  Remidemus continued “For an all-out assault you need to be smart, able to communicate & the flexibility for anything to go wrong, for a stealth mission you need well above competency & all the information possible, & multiple cards up your sleeve on top of the other three. & depending on the size of the group you’re putting together, you need individualism. A rag-tag team can work if you have different skill sets for multiple precautions”

  Remidemus looked into Arthur’s eyes, & the butler could see experience in his eyes & silently approved.

  “What would you say to look for in let's say, a group of three?” Arthur asked

  Remidemus thought about this before responding, “I’m capable of creating openings & holding choke points. In a group of three, you would need a stealth fighter, one of some kind to provide sneak attacks & support from long range while also providing back up” he paused,

  “Back up for whom?” Arthur asked

  “A magic user” Remidemus didn’t elaborate,

  From both expressions the two both knew the value & versatility of a mage.

  “I see, well done, Mister Remidemus” Arthur said,

  “Please call me Remi mister Ravenwood” Remidemus said

  “Very well Remi. There is a warehouse in the second ring owned by the Hearthshire Estate. Please head there approximately two hours after sundown if that doesn’t suit you, please let me know now”

  Remidemus nodded & affirmed that time worked for him. The two spoke on like this for a short time longer before a group of builders recognised Remidemus & concluded their conversation, they said farewells following the builders to a construction site nearby.

  Arthur shook Remidemus’ hand in amusement as he watched him leave. The butler waited till he was alone & spoke out loud to the air

  “What are your thoughts, my Lord, did he pass?”

  Behind the crates shrouded in shadow devoid of light came a voice, it was deep & laced with an approving tone,

  “He will do nicely, I liked him. What are you going to do for the other two?”

  Arthur almost sounded smug. “I have an agent hunting down my stealth specialist, as for the mage, I am unsure the church of Karor will be much help”

  The shadow spoke. “I have a feeling you may find yourself in the presence of a great wizard soon”

  Arthur perked up “where?” Arthur mentally kicked himself for the informal approach to his question,

  “He is currently in the Bladed Grass Inn. However, there were Goblins watching him last night.”

  Arthur shot up now standing up right, II know the place, I'll start there”

  The shadow grinned “Go now, GO!” his old friend shouted enthusiastically.

  Arthur climbed the roof high crates & began running at breakneck speed leaping from rooftop to rooftop heading towards a wizard that just slipped on a mound of ice.