Maelen answered, “Well, Edwyrd says you’re going to Freehold. Coincidentally that’s where I’m going as well. If you don’t mind, I thought I might travel with you. I can promise not to be a burden. Plus, I also know how to get there.”
“Humph,” Gastropé’ said. “That’s more than we really know.” He looked from Edwyrd to Jenn.
“Fine,” was all Jenn said. Edwyrd gestured his acquiescence.
“So OK, then I guess you’re with us. The more the merrier. However, we need to get some food and supplies.” Gastropé started looking around for a likely place to buy such.
Edwyrd handed him the pouch with gold. “Why don’t you handle purchasing that? I’m not a particularly good negotiator at such things. Although I should get some new clothes, so I can give Maelen back his.” Edwyrd had been wearing an old robe of Maelen’s. He had given the money to Gastropé because he didn’t know anything about pricing, and didn’t want to end up like a tourist on the streets of New York. Further, since he didn’t eat, he figured it only fair to let those who did choose the food.
It took almost two hours to assemble the food, supplies and additional clothing they needed. For clothing, Edwyrd decided to choose a robe similar to the one he was wearing, along with pants, shirt and underwear. Astlanian underwear, he noted, was not quite up to Inspector 12’s standards, but it would have to do. With the money left from the priest and the extra gold from the ship captain, they had enough money for Edwyrd’s clothes, some basic cooking utensils, bedrolls and enough food to last the journey. Actually, more than enough since Edwyrd didn’t need to eat, nor did he suspect, did Rupert. Rupert, however, seemed to be in the habit of eating, so it was probably best to assume he would continue to do so. Maelen also chipped in money for his part of the supplies.
While all this was going on, Tizzy hovered around their staging area smoking his pipe. The demon was completely, abundantly — obviously, naked so he wasn’t sure where the demon was storing his extra tobacco. He saw nothing that looked like a tobacco pouch. Nor for that matter did he see any way for the demon to store his pipe when not in use. However, there were a great many times when the demon didn’t have his pipe in hand. Where was it going in the meantime? The only answer he came up with was prurient and juvenile, and if it was correct, the thought of the demon putting it in his mouth made him nauseous. Edwyrd just shook his head at his own thoughts.
In addition to the supplies, Jenn also insisted they purchase a small donkey to carry things, her argument being that they would be able to move faster if none of them were loaded down with large packs. They didn’t have enough to weigh the donkey down, so it should be able to move at a reasonable pace. Naturally, the donkey didn’t like Tizzy, and neither Rupert nor Edwyrd got close enough to it to determine how friendly it felt towards them. Thus it was that Jenn led donkey at the head of their procession. Gastropé walked along beside, Maelen followed the donkey, then Tizzy and finally Rupert and Edwyrd.
They started out with about three hours to go until sunset. While it might have made sense to stay in town and start out the next morning, they had no money left for a room. Thus Gastropé argued reasonably that they start out then and just camp. It only took Edwyrd about an hour and half of walking to figure out what was wrong with their entire plan.
Edwyrd’s squishy little body was not made for endurance. Unlike a demon body, Edwyrd’s got tired. While he remembered going for long walks in the past, as Tom on Earth, he hadn’t done so for a while and his legs would probably have been out of shape anyway. Edwyrd’s body on the other hand, had never walked that long. If he thought about it, Edwyrd was less than a week old. No wonder he got sore so fast. If only Edwyrd had the endurance of Tom, or rather demon Tom. As a demon he’d flown for nearly a day without stopping. That was endurance. If he intended to keep using this body, he’d certainly have to make some improvements.
“You know,” he said quietly to Rupert, “I really like flying better. This walking thing is not all it’s made out to be.”
Rupert smiled up at him. “I’ll take your word, for now. I can’t wait to try. You’ll show me how? Soon?”
Edwyrd smiled back. “Sure. As soon as we can get a chance to safely switch back.” That really sounded like fun to Edwyrd. For one thing, the idea of changing back was extremely attractive, and the second was that having someone to fly around with here in Astlan also seemed nice.
As they were whispering, Tizzy’s demonic hearing apparently heard their whispers, he rotated in mid-air. The octopodal demon kept flying in the same direction, only backward now. Edwyrd wondered how the demon did that. He didn’t think it was aerodynamically feasible, but Tizzy was doing it anyway. It probably helped to be crazy and not know that what you were doing was impossible. “Don’t forget me. I want to go out and cruise around some more as well. And I know a thing or two about the finer points of flying.” Tizzy whispered conspiratorially. Apparently true, Edwyrd thought as watched the backward flying demon.
The night air near the docks was a lot noisier than Fiernon would have thought it should be. Apparently, the people of Hoggensforth were moral turpitudenalists of the lowest form, performing who knew what sort of vile and depraved acts of debauchery under the cover of darkness. Docks and the regions surrounding them were renowned in general as being dens of illicit moral and criminal iniquity. Fiernon was not surprised therefore, as he rounded the last building between him and the docks, that this one should be no different. He had hoped for quieter surroundings in which to exact justice upon the seagoing serfs of sin led by the perfidious Asmeth, but he’d have to do what he could. Justice must be served whenever the opportunity was available.
The people on the streets paid him no heed, as well they should not. Fiernon had cloaked himself in a government approved invisibility spell for the purpose of executing judicial removal of maleficious perpetrators. As with the Questioner or the Executioner at a sentencing, his identity was concealed to prevent anyone from confusing the higher ideal of justice as an abstract concept that always prevailed, with the actions of any single individual. As Fiernon moved invisibly down towards the dock with Asmeth’s ship on it, he began to realize that most of the noise on the docks seemed to be coming from the region of Asmeth’s ship.
He rounded a large crate and got his first clear view of the vessel of criminal mischief that was his goal. The ship was well-lighted from torches along the dock. Soldiers of some form seemed to be swarming all over it. Where had the soldiers come from? Fiernon wondered. They did not appear to be the local constabulary, if said organization could even be called that with a serious face. He scanned the surrounding docks and quickly realized where the soldiers must have come from.
There were currently twelve more ships in the harbor than there had been this afternoon. All twelve ships were identical in design and bore the same emblems. The same emblems were on the surcoats of the soldiers. White surcoats trimmed in red and black, with large golden starbursts centered on them. Superimposed on the starbursts were short metal combat staves. Rather combat rods, Fiernon thought. He cursed his luck. He recognized the emblem as belonging to soldiers of the Rod of Tiernon.