Rojuun

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.