Immortal gates

Chapter 2: A fortunate encounter

Not a single soul dared to approach the sword-man as he began eating his meal. Some considered leaving the tavern, but they were afraid of what unspeakable horrors they might find waiting in the snow outside. Perhaps the sword-man wasn't alone? In any case, the death of captain Ragrom and his men would not go unpunished, everyone knew that much about the Steel Wolves guild and their policy on offenders, yet the mysterious traveler seemed completely impartial about the consequences of his actions.

A single train of thought was passing through most minds in that tavern: Just wait it out. Don't move, don't stare at him, and don't draw his attention in any way. The masked monster will leave, sooner or later, and then the proper authorities can deal with him.

It was as if a tacit agreement had somehow taken place without any need of vocalization. Nobody make any waves! Just wait it out.

And then Titania stood up.

Stupid girl, what are you doing, the innkeeper peeled his eyes, wanting to shout those words out, but a survival instinct kept his mouth shut. He simply stood behind his bar counter, where it felt marginally safer.

Titania took off her cloak, and then she took off all five of her concealed daggers, even the one in her boot, and she placed them in Callisto's keep. Some of the drunk low-lives in the room were muttering in excitement, hoping she would eventually take everything off, but her intention was for the sword-man to see that she was already disarmed when she started approaching his table.

Her movements were slow... prudent.

"May I have a seat at your table?" she politely asked him, knowing well that she couldn't afford any risky attitude like she did with the recently departed Ragrom. No, certainly not. The figure in front of her was the exact opposite of the loud-mouthed captain. This man, or whatever he was, clearly possessed a power that had no need for armor or guards. Titania had killed men before, sometimes very large men, mostly in self-defense, and she had long conquered her fear of male strength superiority, but today her gut warned her that this stranger was not a force to be challenged, at least not with mere daggers.

The black, shiny, reflective surface covering his eyes intrigued her. She had never seen such a thing before and wondered what function it might have.

For starters, it ensured a one-way exchange of information: he could see her eyes, but she couldn't see his. All she could read was the movement of his lips... which didn't give her much to work with.

He gave her a simple nod of approval and then continued eating his meal. Not the most courteous invitation, but Titania pulled a chair and sat, carefully weighing her next words.

"My sister and I are strangers in this land. We come from far east, across the stretch of the Atlantic, from the Empire of Eurasia... and we are seeking the mountain city of Tyre." she said, carefully observing the man's body language. She expected some kind of reply, but he seemed unimpressed. He just kept eating.

"We are both human." she added. "And in need of... protection. You can imagine that two humans in Tyre... well... it's a dangerous endeavor."

The sword-man still showed no sign of interest. He simply kept eating. This lack of communication on his part was beginning to irritate her, but she didn't let it show.

"If you could lend us your strength we would be willing to pay generously."

He then pulled out his notebook and flipped some pages, then showed her a written message: How much?

Titania gave Callisto a signal. The younger woman understood and approached with a small pouch, which she handed to her older sister. Titania then placed the pouch on the table, right in front of him. He opened it and found countless pieces of terron.