Rojuun (24 page)

Sir Danth put a hand up for attention. “I
put forward this plan for battle should we find it. Master Tathan
shall scout ahead, discovering numbers and details of the enemy.”
The knight gestured toward Tathan, who nodded in agreement. “When
it comes time to engage, I shall confront the main force and do
maximum damage,” he said, putting his hand upon his chest. “Master
Vevin and Lady Liselle will provide magical support and protect the
rear from surprise attacks while Master Tathan handles any enemies
that try to get away.” He finished with a flourish.

“That works for me,” Tathan agreed. “We can
work out any further details as we learn more about each other.”
Liselle and Vevin nodded. “I say we go to see Jarrrn Garrrn
then.”

They gathered their things together and
informed the bartender downstairs that they didn’t know if or when
they would be back. Then they walked into the night air and headed
toward the house of Jarrrn Garrrn.

Chapter
21

The companions stood in front of the
Rojuun’s colorful house. Tathan chuckled to himself as everyone
stared at it. They looked around at the other vibrant dwellings
with wide eyes . . . well, Liselle looked around with wide eyes,
Vevin’s eyes swirled and Sir Danth’s eyes . . . he didn’t have any,
but Tathan was sure they would be wide if he did.

They went to the door and knocked on it.
Moments later, a human butler opened the door. He wore a long
yellow jacket over green leggings. His clothes and appearance were
immaculate. “You are the warriors the master has hired?”

“Well, he hasn’t hired us yet,” Tathan
responded. “I was told to gather people with weapons and come to
his house.”

The butler frowned and glanced behind him to
see if anyone was listening. “Are you familiar with the ways of the
Rojuun?”

“We just arrived in town this evening,”
Tathan answered. “We traveled through the forest from the kingdom
of Kethril.”

“Kethril, through the forest?” he said,
raising his eyebrows. The butler looked impressed by this fact.
“That’s rare. The forest is dangerous and Druids frighten even the
Rojuun.”

“The Druids didn’t bother us,” Tathan
responded with a wave of the hand. “Treat their forest with respect
and they usually leave you alone.”

The butler didn’t look convinced. “Ahh,
still I find it impressive. I don’t know how much you’ve been told,
but the Rojuun do things differently than you’ll be used to. It’s
important that you understand certain things.”

“Of course,” Tathan said. “What should we
know?”

“The first thing to know is that when a
Rojuun tells you that they need you for a task, you automatically
work for them,” the butler explained. “I know many adventurers who
can’t handle being told what to do and might take offense.”

“It took all of my restraint not to tell him
how I felt about getting an order,” Tathan admitted.

“Of course,” the butler said with a nod.
“You look capable, but the Rojuun are extraordinary fighters.
They’re fast and their knives are sharp.” He put a finger up to
emphasize his next point. “If you were to kill one, the rest would
hunt you down.”

“What is the penalty for killing one?” Sir
Danth asked.

The butler raised his eyebrows. “Penalty?
They kill you of course. There are no jails in Rojuun territory. If
you kill one, or even another human, they kill you. If you steal
from them, they kill you. If you irritate them or refuse a job,
they kill you. There is no other penalty. You can try to defend
yourself, but they’ll hunt you down and kill you. You’ll find very
little crime in Puujan as a result.” He leaned forward. “Am I
getting the point across to you?”

They all nodded. Tathan answered, “Yes, we
get the point. If we do anything the Rojuun don’t like, they’ll try
to kill us and keep coming until we’re dead.”

“Precisely!” the butler exclaimed. “So
essentially, Master Jarrrn Garrrn has already hired you. If you
tell him you can’t do the job, he will tell you to get more people
to help. If you refuse, he’ll kill you.” The butler took a deep
breath and stared at them with his arms folded. The look on his
face suggested that he didn’t think they would be smart about the
whole thing.

“I don’t intend to refuse,” Tathan reassured
him. “I don’t think he could kill me, but I don’t want to cause
trouble. There are certain things I just won’t do though. I’m not
the best man in the world, but I’m not an assassin either.” The
others nodded at that statement.

“That won’t be a concern. They don’t seem to
care about politics, stealing or murdering each other.” The butler
shrugged. “They’re extremely honest about things and treat each
other, and even humans, very well. I can’t imagine the master will
ask you to assassinate anyone.”

“Well then, I guess we’d better see what he
does want us to do,” said Tathan.

“Of course. If you give me your names, I
will introduce you.” The butler was back to the business of being a
butler.

“I’m Tathan. These are my companions:
Liselle, Sir Danth and Vevin.” Tathan introduced each of them one
at a time. The butler acknowledged each with a nod. Vevin didn’t
get so much as a second glance. When Tathan looked at his dragon
friend, he saw nothing different. Vevin noticed him looking and
gave him a big grin.

“Come this way,” the butler said, motioning
them to come inside. “The first entry on the left is the sitting
room. Make yourself comfortable in there and I will announce you to
Master Garrrn.” He said the name and rolled the r better than
Tathan, but it just wasn’t the same from a human.

They walked in and went to the sitting room.
It had two couches and a number of chairs with cushions to make a
person comfortable. Most places that Tathan had traveled to had
sparse wooden furniture with only a few cushions to be seen. This
room had a level of comfort in line with the royal chambers of a
castle.

Sir Danth remained standing while the rest
sat down and looked around. There were rugs on the floor and
numerous paintings on the wall. A small magical fire was lit in the
fireplace at the end of the room. It was a chamber fit for any
king.

“There you are and you have companions with
you.” Jarrrn Garrrn entered the room gracefully, followed by the
butler. He was just shy of seven feet, shorter than the Rojuun that
had played the song at the inn, but taller than any of them. His
cat-like eyes were bright blue. His hair was thick and black, just
like the one from the inn, but braided into four braids.

“Your armored friend looks capable, though I
don’t know how he can move in all of that.” Jarrrn smiled
pleasantly as he greeted them with dual voices. There was a chuckle
at the end that sounded like two children laughing. “I don’t see
any weapons on your other companions though.”

“They have other skills that serve the
purpose,” Tathan reassured him. “Together we are formidable.”

“Very well then. Have a drink.” Jarrrn
motioned for the butler to pour drinks from a liquor cabinet. “I
have a dangerous task you will gladly accept.” Once again, his
voices were pleasant, but it was a definite command.

Liselle giggled at the look on Tathan’s
face. He ignored her. “Of course. I would know what the details of
the task are, Master Garrrn.” Tathan had worked for dangerous
people and knew how to speak without offending them. He just wasn’t
used to being ordered to accept things and to be glad about it.

“The details are simple. My family’s home in
Juulla is in danger and you are to remove the danger.” Jarrrn sat
in a chair near the fire, accepting a glass of wine the butler
handed him.

The butler then brought a tray with four
glasses and a bottle of red wine to the rest of them. Tathan and
Liselle each accepted a glass.

“You are the human called Tathan, yes?” the
Rojuun asked.

“Yes,” Tathan answered.

He gestured at the knight. “Your companion
does not accept my drink, Tathan human?”

Sir Danth said, “A knight must keep a clear
head at all times, Master Garrrn. I intend no offense.”

“Very well then,” Jarrrn Garrrn responded
pleasantly, not seeming to notice Vevin. “Before I explain, tell me
if you know anything about the city of Juulla.” He addressed Tathan
directly, ignoring the rest.

“We’re new to Rojuun territory and don’t
know anything at all about the cities to be honest with you,”
Tathan answered.

A puzzled look crossed Jarrrn’s. “Why would
you be anything other than honest with me?”

That question caught Tathan by surprise. “My
apologies, Master Garrrn. It’s a human expression, nothing
more.”

“Ahh, I am not used to human expressions.
They are odd,” the Rojuun admitted. “Let us get to the matter you
will attend to.” He set his glass of wine on a side table. “Most of
Rojuun civilization is underground in what you call the Caaldith
Mountains.”

Jarrrn Garrrn’s manner of speech was
eloquent and melodic. He emphasized his words with delicate
gestures using all four arms and hands. It was very easy to listen
to and understand what he explained. “The world of Ryallon is very
large and has thick layers of rock and earth, throughout which
exist natural caverns.” There was a look of wonder on his face as
he spoke of where he came from. “It is in these caverns where the
Rojuun have grown, developed and learned of our destiny.”

“There are a great many dangers in the
depths of the world. Rojuun have become exceptional warriors.” His
voices were deep and smooth as he narrated his story. “Yet the
dangers of the underground do not rest. It is not right that Rojuun
should lose their lives defending their homes when there is a
servant race that can fight those dangers.”

Tathan used all of his willpower to resist
the urge to slice the creature’s throat. The other three sat in
stony silence.

The Rojuun continued, oblivious to the
restrained hostility of his guests. The butler was very aware of it
though, and stood behind his master with fearful eyes. “Juulla is
the city where my family lives. It is at the edge of Rojuun
territory in deep caverns,” Jarrrn Garrrn said. “The main city is
in a vast cave, larger than the city we’re in now. Rojuun cities
are all in caves, some smaller, some larger. We have built our
architecture beautifully. It is also done in such a way that it
braces the cavern to keep it whole.”

The party
was
learning information
about the Rojuun, so they listened intently while managing to set
aside their irritation at Jarrrn’s manner.

“Many smaller caves exist in which small
communities or families settle and it is in one such cave that my
family lives. It is at the outskirts of Juulla and therefore very
close to danger.” Jarrrn Garrrn leaned forward, a serious look on
his face. “I am hiring you to remove the danger to my family. You
will accept the job. It will please you to receive pay for
this.”

He stood, drawing two pouches out of a
pocket in his robe. One was small and fit in his palm, the other
was the size of two fists. “It is my understanding that humans like
gold and gems.” He poured them out onto a table in the middle of
the room. Gold coins came out of the large bag. In the small bag
were diamonds, rubies, emeralds and assorted lesser gems.

Tathan stared at the small fortune.
“Alright, I admit the pay is good. I’d like to know the nature of
the danger.”

“That is very sensible of you,” Jarrrn
Garrrn responded. “There are creatures in the caverns who foolishly
consider Rojuun to be food!” All four of his arms waved about as he
spoke in anger. One of his voices had become shrill and the other
lowered to a growl. The butler took a step back.

“They must be very stupid to think such a
thing,” Liselle agreed with a nod and frown. Tathan looked at his
cousin with respect. She was saying exactly the right thing to keep
him friendly.

“Yes! They are very stupid!” the Rojuun
agreed emphatically. He clenched all four of his fists and then
took a deep breath before sitting down. “But they attack and though
my family fights back, sometimes we lose someone.” Sorrow washed
over him. “My son was taken from me. He was
so
wonderful.”

“Tell us of these dastardly creatures who
would treat such noble beings and their children in such an
indignant manner,” said Sir Danth nobly. Tathan thought the knight
was laying it on a bit thick.

Master Garrrn seemed to appreciate the
sentiment. “That is what I like to hear! Proper outrage,” he
replied with a double fist pump into the air with both of his right
hands. He leaned forward. “They are called sstejj.”

Their employer sat back and described the
sstejj in quiet, seething tones. “They come from the very rocks of
the caverns and are a malignant mutation of the substance that
makes up the world of Ryallon. The creatures have no eyes, hunting
by scents in the air and vibrations in the ground.” He used his
hands to outline what the creatures looked like as he spoke. “Their
heads are like jagged rocks with sharp rows of teeth in long
muzzles. They do not have proper noses, but breathe through gill
like openings on the side of their heads.” The Rojuun looked at the
companions intently as he made his next point. “They can breathe
underwater while traveling in underground lakes and rivers making
them all that more dangerous. Nowhere in the caverns is safe from
sstejj.”

His tone was ominous as he spoke, causing
the hair on Tathan’s neck to stand on end. “They move on eight
legs, each with eight joints. The legs are made of hard stone,
which dulls knives. Their bodies are disgusting. They are thin and
long when hungry and fat after they’ve eaten.” A look of disgust
covered his face. “The body feels like soft, slimy stone. It makes
one sick to touch it. This is where you must cut!” he exclaimed
standing up once more. “A deep cut anywhere in the body will
incapacitate it and it will die. It’s very difficult to get past
the head and legs though, nor can a being sneak up upon them as
they feel and smell you coming.” He shook his head in frustration.
“They travel in packs always. You will never face just one.”