8 Route change

After a month of rain finally spring has managed to manifest itself in all its beauty. The meadows from Mountain Ass to the city of Vanein are covered in flowers. Forest animals peep out of the trees after hiding all winter.

Ivan eagerly awaits the arrival of good weather and heat. Being all day sitting on the coach's bed has its downsides. After twenty years at the service of the baronet Zacharias, there is no bone that does not hurt. The coachman thinks to himself as he proceeds to send the horses to the mine "A few more years, time to help my Lord to solve this mess and then I will withdraw with my savings in a nice house with the fireplace so they will dry all my joints. "

Looking sadly at the four huts near the mine, Ivan notes a group of boys training with sticks just outside the woods. "They are not soldiers but if they have learned on their own they are not really bad, perhaps they aspire to become adventurers to leave this landfill. The funny thing is that from what I see their boss must be that skinny guy. I can not really see it in a battle, hopefully it will not hurt. "

Soon the carriage reaches the mine. "Fortunately, this time the road is not all muddy."

Ivan comes down from the box and quietly opens the carriage door. His lord, Zacharias, gets out of the vehicle with his eyes more and more shady.

The nobleman has not spoken all the way and lately he is more and more silent. "Since last year he was on a mission on behalf of the Count has not been the same. He seemed to have recovered when he managed to kill that salamander "scratching the goat's beard" If I'm not mistaken those guys out to train were the same as the lizard. "

Zacharias performs the usual routine. Check the goods, load the crates on the wagons, pay for the material and then recover the tax money. However, this time a miner begins to question.

"I am convinced that perhaps your lordship has become confused over some numbers. It always seems that the money owed to us diminishes "

The noble with a hysterical tone "How dare you accuse me of having cheated you. Thank me that you are not one of the evacuated settlements and now settle everything and stop annoying me. "

The shocked and confused coachman can not understand this strange behavior of his lord. He has never seen him behave like this all these years.

Zacharias military step is moving towards the carriage and leaving no time to react to Ivan, salt and shuts the door screaming "Let's start now."

Ivan knows where he has to go. "Going towards the two peaks of the saint"

During the journey the coachman is more and more perplexed "But why is the whole journey mumbling?"

--------------------------

Simon sitting in front of Zacharias while Desmond held him down and started talking.

"My lord, I apologize for our ways, but I'm sure it was the only way I could talk with you. We have a problem. Someone steals the money we need to eat. It's not funny. I am also convinced that you have a problem, but I do not know which one yet. I hope to find out as soon as possible. "

Simon, taking a long pause, lets the nobleman, in Desmond's solid hands, calm down.

"I know the cause of my problem. A nobleman who for months has been cheating on accounts and stealing more and more money from us poor families of miners. What I do not know is why. The thief does not need that money to live and he certainly does not spend it to have fun. "

Zacharias's eyes widen upset and frightened, then escaping for a moment from Desmond's hands "I will not give you anything, dirty brigands, you can kill me ..." The hands come back to their mouths and the protests turn into muffled sounds.

Simon embarrassed "I never thought to be called a brigand but given my manners I'm not surprised. But I could say the same about a person who meets with bandits in the mountains. "

Resuming "Let's meet, I will not give the Count the exact accounts of the mine and you will explain to me what happens. Maybe to solve my problem I have to solve yours. "

Zacharias making a sign with his hand is left to speak "Why should the Count listen to you?"

"Well because I have a notebook full of counts like this .... these ... and this other "pointing to a few rumpled notes on a crumpled paper.

The noble swallows and then resumes whispering "Ok let's talk about a second. I'm not an important one. I have nothing worth stealing "

"We are not thieves, I start to offend myself"

"Well I have nothing to say to you anyway"

Simon impatient "Then I start again. We are five and we are smart enough. We want to get into this rebel thing. Not directly. We need the patronage of a nobleman to be able to present ourselves as a group of official adventurers. You support us and we will help you solve your problem with the Count "

"How did you know about my problem?"

Simon, bluffing "I know many things, for example I know that in order to solve the problem it will not be enough to rebel with arms."

The noble "What should I do then! The only thing I can do is organize those poor wretches without a home and make sure that by giving them the revenge they deserve they can solve my problem too "

Desmond innocently "I have not figured out what the problem is"

Zacharias looks apprehensively at the two passing from one face to another quickly. "So you do not know anything!"

Simon laughing "Indeed little or nothing"

"Damn me I ..."

But the words die between Desmond's usual hands. "Be calm noble. I did not understand but if Simon said he will help you he will. He promised our people that he would solve the money problem. He can solve it with or without you. "

The friend "Simple, not too correct but sincere"

Zacharias making a sign of having calmed down. "The Count has decided to evacuate the villages and settlements along the border to not have to share its military forces in the war that is about to begin. Or so I believed. "

Looking out the window to the mountains "Last year I was sent to help with some difficult evacuations. The plan was full of leaks. Where would people go? Their houses? Their stuff? The fields? The cattle? "

"Doubt did not make me sleep at night so I started asking the soldiers. None of them knew a lot. I asked the neighboring villages and some inhabitants of the suburb of Vanein to understand what was happening. What I discovered shocked me. "

Simon and Desmond sit side by side to hear better.

"The properties were shared with the relatives of the Count, the assets of displaced persons stolen by soldiers or sold, as well as for livestock and fields. But the worst thing was to discover that during the evacuation many people disappeared in the created confusion. I did not stop and continued to investigate. People were sold as slaves to the neighboring country of Lubestain "

Simon as awakened "Slaves? But is it one of the taboos of our nation of Olmaria? Quite right?"

"Exact. In fact, my first concern was to inform the Count. But the business took a bad turn. My lord thought he was accusing me and took my daughter Gemma hostage! That damn bastard! He was behind all this and I assure you that people still continue to disappear from the suburbs. "

Simon "It's worse than I thought, but I think I can do something now that I understand the big picture. I need means to help you. Not as many as an army of rebels, of course. I need five swords, three shields and two bows with arrows. With your help I would also like to enroll my group in the adventurers' guild. In this way, if I had to take on the task of helping you, I would have my shoulders covered by a rather influential association. "

"I do not know you though"

"Well I would be the one who saved the noble little ass from the fire salamander!"

"Oh you are! It's true ... well I would say then I could give you my trust. For weapons I should have something a bit old but working in my private stock. For the association I would say to make an appointment for the next week. Once this is done I want to get information on your action plan as long as you have one. If it does not convince me you'll join the rebels and fight for me. "

"Deal done" and on the last word thanks to the slowing down of the carriage the two friends let themselves slip out of the carriage.

The noble closes the door while the shocked coachman asks his master for explanations.

Meanwhile, the two boys are walking home while a tired discussion begins between them.

"Excuse me Simon but I did not understand why we came down."

"Because the scene will remain etched in his memory. Entry in style and perfect scene exit. "

"If you say so, I believe it but now we have to walk for almost half a day to go home and I'm a bit tired, I do not know if I can bring you if you collapse."

Simon sighing sadly, "You had to tell me this before".