Allendis was walking beside Keg as they approached the small campfire. He remained quiet as Keg slacked his shoulders a bit to appear more approachable.
The grass barely reached the soles of his boots but he could tell that this would feel a lot better to lay his back on because of how soft it looked.
The moon gave light to the ground yet it wasn't enough for their eyes to see. No warmth could be used from it too.
"Not that I don't trust you Allendis, but how about I do all the talking? They might find you intimidating."
Keg said with a small laugh as they came closer to the campfire.
"I don't mind. I don't like small talk anyway."
He didn't mind it. He wasn't exactly in a social mood to begin with. He was content with Keg doing all the work while he sits and listens.
Allendis quietly placed his hand on his sheathed blade. The moment these travelers try something, he'd have to get him and Keg out of here.
Strangers were often just as dangerous as Sevalens after all.
Keg's wizened look would be a lot better than his own eyes. When he was with Halbin, the rest of the mercenaries avoided him because of the scowl on his face.
He couldn't remember if he was truly angry or that was just how his face was naturally.
Halbin would laugh at him because of it.
Try to smile more. No wonder you don't have a woman yet. You'll drive the lovely ladies away with those eyes!
Halbin said to him once. His words irritated him back then. Physical intimacy was low on his priority. He'd take an offer here and there but only when there was joblessness in his pockets.
As they approached the camp, eyes were suddenly being driven in their direction.
They were about six of them from what he could see. It was a mixture of ages that you could only find in a small village.
All of them strangers and that's how Allendis would like it to be.
Three of them were men, somewhere between young like him to as old as a middle-aged man. Clothing so plain that you could not tell what country they were from.
A bunch of white shirts and trousers for travelling. Allendis could see that some of them had a vest of varying thickness. Leather where they showed a badge of sorts, silver and circular.
The rest were young women similar to him in age. Three of them were present with a bowl of food in their laps, yet only two wore a dress white and a bit dirty from travel.
The other one had a unique red hair that was tied back into a ponytail. Instead of a bowl of food, she had a sword with a golden hilt in her arms, almost hugging it as her golden eyes stared into the fire.
Her boots stretched up towards her knees and a belt wrapped around her plain white clothing with specs of grime and blood and her body slumped over the truck she sat on, yet still guarded instead of relaxed. Was she a warrior?
Most of them had their guard up. To a varying extent. Allendis knew that if things got dire, that swordswoman would be their greatest threat.
He just hoped that it does not come to that.
A middle aged man stood up, setting his bowl aside on his seat when he did.
"Who are you?"
A gentle voice–no, rather, it was a tired one. The man's graying sides and slicked back dark hair matched Keg's more bearded look full of gray.
"Just travelers passing by, friend. Me and my companion saw your camp and we were wondering if you could spare us a few hours with ya."
That sounded like begging to him. And it did not sit right with Allendis. He doesn't beg despite his lack of pride.
"Where'd you two come from?"
The man asked but it wasn't out of cautiousness but curiosity.
"I'm on my way home," Keg then pointed his thumb at Allendis. "And he's on his way to the next city."
Both the man and Allendis' eyes met but he didn't let it bother him. He knew what came next for them.
"Well, no point in getting folks on the road to risk the night alone. Come, we have plenty of food."
Keg laughed with a hearty smile.
"Thank you sir…"
The man smiled.
"Gale. And no more of the sir business. Us travelers are bled from the same kin in the road."
"My name is Keg, a medic and my friend here is Allendis, a mercenary."
Gale then gestured towards them to the camp, only a few paces from them.
Some still looked skeptical, as one young man stood up with a worried look.
"Gale! Are you sure this is wise? I mean look at them!"
The young man with brown hair expressed his displeasure not just with his words, but with his eyes that never left them. Always looking as if they have some sort of flaw waiting to emerge.
"I am well aware, Jace. Still, we folks do not turn away those who need help now do we?"
Was that some sort of code among travelers? He remembered hearing those words back when he was traveling with Halbin and some travelers.
Regardless, Allendis navigated around the campfire as he passed by Jace with eyes either glaring at him or with a glistening interest in him, particularly one woman who whispered towards a blonde woman while looking at him.
Keg found an open space of seat right beside the woman and another young man with black hair who was much more mature than Jace.
His companion took his seat next to the man leaving him with only the seat next to the whispering woman.
It was advantageous at least, they could both see the road from here with their cart on the side of the road.
"Quite the cozy spot, eh?" Keg nudged his elbow on his rib lightly.
Allendis remained silent. He would not admit it but maybe the warmth was a lot better than staying under the night where cold takes precedence.
"Hi there, stranger."
The mature voice of a woman, happy to let her voice out with her lips stretched wide. Womanly by nature unlike the blonde one. Her brown hair styled nicely to look more pleasing.
Beside her was a small lyre. Allendis could tell it belonged to her.
"The name's Eunice. I didn't quite catch yours."
She was polite yet longing.
"…Allendis."
"Ah, the strong yet silent type. If you weren't quite easy on the eyes, I would have found you quite boorish."
Allendis resisted the urge to sigh. Eunice was still gazing at him to see if anything was worth more than it seemed.
Conversation was not something he could entirely avoid.
"Are you a bard I presume?"
A meaningless question that only offered insight.
Chuckling at his words, she then grabbed the lyre and strummed a few notes that hit pleasant notes to his ears and those around her. He wasn't familiar with the arts but even he could tell that the way she moved her fingers alongside every string was deliberate and skillful.
Small whistles came from the mouths of those who heard her play. Even Keg gave out a pleasant one.
"How's that for your question?"
She smirked and Allendis scoffed in amusement.
"You can sing with your lyre too?"
"I can sing whatever tune you fancy. Even the ones people don't request for."
This time, Allendis could not help but find her amusing. Not as much as the redhead swordswoman but enough to let his musings take over for a moment.
Allendis took a few more bites. He didn't really know how to respond to her. He tried to think, yet the only thing that he could think of was how Halbin always responded in confidence.
"…I look forward to your performance then."
A smile crept up her face as she softly played with the lyre with an intimacy that could be mistaken for love.
"Here, I'm sure both you and Keg haven't had dinner yet. Eat up."
Allendis turned to Gale's voice as he stood over with a bowl of hot beef stew all served in a wooden bowl and eaten with a wooden spoon.
A warm hot meal.
The feeling brought him back. Allendis remembered the last time he had one. It was when he and Halbin were hired to join the ranks with the Golden Cloth.
At that time, he could hardly tell that what lay before them would end up in shit. He could have savored the hot porridge of that tavern.
It didn't look as good as this stew but there was something about that porridge that sat right with him. The way it paired well with mead and how the performances of a group of peddlers were on full display.
He didn't know what city they were in, but it was something he found oddly charming. Something he would never admit to anyone. Chelsea would bother him too much and never let it down.
"Thank you." He said as he grabbed the bowl from Gale's hand.
It was still piping hot. The broth wasn't thick and each piece of meat looked supple and tasteful. A piece of bread was dunked on the broth on the side, letting it soak through the pastry.
This would be his first meal after his death. And he was going to savor every bite of it.
Taking a spoonful, he let the flavors wash over his tongue as he had missed the taste of meat, a home cooked meal. A good mead or ale would complete this meal.
"Want something to wash it down?"
Keg asked him as he presented him a mug with an aroma strong enough to make it taste better.
"…I'll take some."
With a mug on hand, he let the liquid run through his lips.
His eyes widened at the sweeter tastes of grapes.
Wine? Allendis thought.
Wine was quite common as far as he knew. But unlike mead or ale, wine was more popular with nobility or people of higher status.
Wine wasn't a common find on the road.
If they had wine, then this camp might be related to some people with power in their hands.
Were they merchants? But would merchants really take from their own stock? Could they have reserves for themselves?
It wasn't inherently bad, but if one of them has some sort of connection, then that would expand his network to find Halbin and the others.
"This is a tasty stew."
Eunice chuckled as she put down the lyre and focused all her attention on him.
"Glad you liked it. I happen to have a hand on cooking it, you know."
"But didn't you just provide the recipe to mister Donnel?"
The blonde girl spoke up innocently. She was much less endowed and mature than Eunice but unlike her who had a quiet confidence, she felt more eager.
"Oh hush now, Sofia! I'm trying to appease Allendis. It'll make me look better than I am."
Eunice said yet he had a feeling that it wasn't entirely in jest.
Allendis stayed silent as he ate more of his stew and cleaned it down with wine.
He found it the most satisfying part of his day. It had been such a long time since he had tasted something delicious. The roadside inns usually had beans and bread as their specialty and the meat who always had were from hunting game.
"Slow down there, son! There's plenty more on the pot if you like another round."
Gale said with an amused look alongside a black haired man far younger than him but older than Allendis.
Allendis felt the stew was making a mess, dripping down his chin as there were bread crumbs on his mouth.
He then wiped his mouth clean off with his hand. The gloves did come in handy on those occasions.
"I'm glad you have taken a liking to it. Though, Eunice's recipe is partly to thank for it." The black haired man said as he took a sip from his mug. This must be Donnel if he was right.
He had the face of an experienced man. Not on the battlefield but with how life had treated him. His face was somewhat long yet his smile was wider.
Allendis did not trust a man who smiles so much but perhaps it was a different battlefield that Donnel experiences, unlike his own.
As the lyre strummed by Eunice's finger, a gentle melody came before them. Something that kept the spirits high despite his own dour presence.
He found it comforting.