The Outer Lord

Chapter 5 - Finding Friends in Limgrave

''Indeed,'' Talos nodded, ''let us start over. I am Talos. A Tarnished.'' Blaidd crooked an eyebrow.

''Tarnished, eh? Don't see too many of those anymore,'' he seemed to ponder something, then shrugged his broad shoulders, ''the name's Blaidd. You have a capable look about you, Talos. To tell you the truth, I'm looking for a man by the name of Darriwil. I've been tracking him for some time and heard he'd fled somewhere nearby.''

''And you want to ask for my aid in hunting this 'Darriwil'? Tell me more,'' Talos said. Blaidd nodded and frowned, but not at Talos.

''Darriwil is nothing but a traitor,'' the half-wolf spat, ''in need of a fitting end to his tale. But he's dangerous, I'll give him that. Alone, I'm not sure which of us will walk away from that fight.''

That made Talos think. Blaidd was massive and powerfully built, with Talos only standing to his lower stomach. Whoever or whatever Darriwil was must have been quite the challenge for the half-wolf to have doubts. He was wise not to believe he was invincible. Once, one of the great knights of Boletaria shared a bit of wisdom with Talos. They'd said that a fierce warrior might fight for a decade, but a wise warrior could fight for a lifetime.

Blaidd carried none of the pomp and bravado he'd encountered in countless other warriors, some more entitled their arrogance than others. But it also seemed that while Blaidd was a warrior, he placed practicality over honour, seeking the most efficient way of felling his prey rather than bragging rights for a solo kill. But it could also have been the case that the half-wolf believed that Darriwil was below such considerations. Whichever it was, Blaidd seemed to be of a good sort, so Talos decided he would lend his aid.

''Very well. Is there anything else I should know before we hunt?'' Talos asked.

''Darriwil is more beast than man these days, which might seem odd coming from me,'' Blaidd gave what could be construed as a grin, ''so he's strong, agile and knows how to leverage both. But I'll be with you, so keep your guard up and I think you'll be just fine.'' Well, that was nice of him, Talos supposed.

''Alright. Nothing like a bit of jolly cooperation, eh?'' Talos said, then pointed behind the half-wolf, ''but we might want to take care of the bear behind you first.''

''Bear?'' Blaidd turned, and indeed there was a bear, easily the size of a small house. It loomed over them, snarling with spit stringed between its massive teeth. Little did they know that behind it, a drool-covered boot lay where the beast's head had been.

The duo ended up killing the bear, with Blaidd silently staring Talos down after the incident. The Tarnished had the good graces to take responsibility for it, but in the end, both had a better feel of each other's abilities now. They could confidently say that they could rely on each other in a scrap. Still, Rune Bears were a force of nature, with the beast actually knocking down the tower that Blaidd had used as a perch, sending masonry tumbling down onto the forest floor. It worked against the beast as they both used the massive dust cloud to their advantage as it hid them from sight. In a two-pronged attack, they swiftly took the Rune Bear down.

Leaving Mistwood, Talos followed Blaidd. The half-wolf was, in his own words, following his nose. He'd explained that he'd been atop the ruined tower trying to catch Darriwil's scent, but when Talos asked about the howling, Blaidd didn't answer. Talos guessed it was just a Blaidd thing and left it alone.

''Stormhill,'' Blaidd grumbled, ''I've already looked here. No trace of Darriwil anywhere.''

''Your nose working properly, Blaidd?'' he looked offended by the question.

''It's never steered me wrong before. My nose has saved my life more times than I care to count,'' he sniffed the air again, then huffed, ''bloody wind. Sending too many scents at me. It's difficult getting a grip on the right one.''