Grimoires and Gunsmoke

Walking down the streets of Glennsworth full of still groggy people, Elijah couldn't help but gawk at the sights and sounds surrounding him. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that he was in a living and breathing fantasy world full of magic and wonder at every turn. But despite his wide-eyed amazement, Elijah did his best to keep a low profile and essentially become background noise.

Elijah couldn’t help but be amazed at how well he blended in, even with a little fairy whose feet were kicking away happily on his shoulder. Sure, he received a few curious glances, but it seemed that Yana was no less of an oddity than anything else that seemed to meander about. So the little goddess remained contentedly undisturbed as she munched away at her little piping hot pastry that resembled a crepe more than anything else.

As he took in the sights like a country bumpkin, Elijah’s mind worked overtime to build himself a mental map of the local neighborhood. It was a slow process, but his pace was equally unhurried while he retraced the route Azeline had used to guide them to the tavern. Each twist and turn, point of interest, and landmark was meticulously noted in Elijah’s mind.

But still, he couldn’t help but marvel at just how familiar yet alien this world was. The buildings were a mirror image of some rustic town in Southern Europe that had been untouched by modern engineering, but they were still adorned with strange, glowing symbols and intricate carvings. Vines in a rainbow of hues with shimmering and strangely shaped leaves sprouting all over it while snaking up the walls of buildings that weren’t maintained.

And this didn’t include the town’s people. Elijah had been all over the world on his side of the rift, but he’d never fathomed seeing such a smorgasbord array of beings. It was a lot to take in, if he was honest with himself—a veritable sensory overload for someone used to the seemingly mundane realities of Earth. But, ever the adaptable one, Elijah took it all in stride with his curiosity tempered by a keen sense of caution.

As he made his way through town, Elijah found himself turning down a major thoroughfare where his gaze fell upon the massive wall that protected the town proper. A flicker of awe flashed in the medic's eyes as he stopped and stared at the sturdy stone structures that separated Glennsworth from the wilds beyond. The sight of these antiquated defenses seemed to solidify that he wasn’t on some random tour in the European countryside; he was indeed in another world.

However, his reverie was seemingly disturbed by a slew of novel curses just behind him. And when Elijah turned around, his eyes fell on the surly guard who initially gave them trouble at the gate, Garrick. The rough-looking man seemed even more irritable than usual while he stomped toward the ramparts, scowling and growling as he ripped off a piece of his loaf of bread with his teeth.

A glimmer of mischief twinkled in Yana’s eye as she stuffed the last few crumbles of her pastry into her mouth. “Eli! Eli! Look! Eli!” The tiny fairy got on her toes and started shoving Elijah’s head from side to side from his shoulder. “Eli! Look! It’s that stupid idiot! Look!” Her tiny hand pointed at Garrick as he stormed past him.

“Go do your talky stuff!” She commanded excitedly, yanking on Elijah’s hair.

Wincing after having his hair yanked, Elijah glared at the fairy before they both shared a predatory grin. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when he had a pocket of coins. There was a play to be had here, and by God, he was going to capitalize on it. But after a few moments of contemplation, Elijah made his decision and cupped his hands around his mouth before calling out, "Hey, Garrick!"

The guard froze mid-step, his head snapping around to locate the source of the voice. Just as they were spotted, Yana had zipped behind Elijah and crawled into his pocket while snickering mischievously.

At first, Garrick did not recognize Elijah due to his rather ordinary-looking clothing, which reminded him of the poorly maintained armor he sported when he first came in. He just glared at him as if he were daft.

But just when he was going to turn and ignore him for being some crazy person, a mix of recognition and annoyance flashed across the guard's features.

“Bah!” The guard scoffed, throwing his hand dismissively. “You’re the damned whore’s friend!” He said almost hatefully

Unfazed by Garrick’s rather hostile tone, Elijah shrugged and chuckled. "Good morning to you too, sunshine," he called out, sauntering over casually. "Fancy meeting you here."

Garrick's scowl deepened as his grip tightened on his half-eaten loaf of bread. "The fuck you want, pretty boy?" he growled, shifting into a more wary and defensive stance. "Shouldn't you be off causing trouble with your little band of misfits?"

"Nah, just taking a morning stroll, getting to know the neighborhood." Elijah shrugged with a petulant smile as he glanced around as if admiring the view. "Gotta say, it's a real charming little town you've got here."

A snort left Garrick's mouth as he took an aggressive bite of his bread. "Charming, right," he mumbled with a full mouth. "If you like living in a shithole overrun by smugglers and cutthroats."

Elijah's grin widened as he approached Garrick, much to the guard's chagrin. "Aw, come on, Garrick, don't be like that," he said in an annoyingly cheerful tone. "We're all friends here, right?"

Those words soured Garractions expression further as his face twisted into a grimace. "Friends? Ha!" he scoffed, pointing an accusing finger at Elijah. "I'd have half a mind to report you lot to the Imperials! Let them lazy, pompous sheep fuckers keep an eye on you troublemakers instead!"

At this, Elijah threw his head back and laughed as if he heard the funniest thing in the world. "And what, expose yourself for accepting bribes?" he countered, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I don't think the Imperials would be too happy about that, now would they?"

Garrick's face reddened as a mix of anger and embarrassment colored his features. "Well, I did say half a mind, didn't I?" he grumbled, kicking at the dirt. "I'm an idjit, willingly stepping in shit just like everyone else in this gods-forsaken town."

With a huff, the guard turned to walk away, clearly done with the conversation. But Elijah, not one to let an opportunity slip by, called out to him once more. "Wait, Garrick, hold up a sec!"

An audible groan left the guard’s mouth as his shoulders tensed before slowly turning around to give the insufferable bastard a piece of his mind. But before he could open his mouth, a glint of silver caught his eye.

The piece of flipping metal caught the sunlight as it arced towards Garrick. Instinctively, the guard's hand shot out, snatching the coin mid-flight as his eyes widened.

"Like I said," Elijah continued, a sly smile playing on his lips as he watched Garrick's eyes flick from the silver coin to his face and back again. "We're friends, right?"

A tense silence fell upon the thoroughfare as Garrick mulled over Elijah's words. Only the sounds of idle chatter of passersby and the clanking of hooves could be heard as the guard turned the coin over in his fingers over and over again. But it didn’t take much more thought before Garrick’s brow furrowed and his lips pursed after making his decision. After a long moment, he looked up, meeting Elijah's gaze with a grudging nod.

"Aye," Garrick admitted with a gruff voice, but it was still tinged with a hint of warmth. "I'm starting to like you more than that northern cunt."

With an insidious smile briefly flashing across Elijah’s mouth, he started to close the gap in a relaxed and friendly posture. He had struck a chord with Garrick, and now it was time for him to push all the right buttons.

Once Elijah had closed the gap between them, he clapped his hands together and smirked. "Oh, come on. Don’t be that way, Garrick," he said with a chuckle. "Go easy on Azeline. She's a bit of a meathead and doesn't really understand the finer points of business, you know?" He clapped a hand on Garrick's shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze.

"She’s not like us. We’re businessmen through and through. We know how the game is played." Elijah said smoothly, causing Garrick’s chest to puff up to put on air.

“Aye…” He said, squinting his eyes and peering around. “You may be right… She’s rather daft.” He said, looking at Elijah in an Appraising manner.

Finally, the Guard found someone who understood his values in this god-forsaken hellhole. The fact that an outsider understood that the world ran on a coin just reinforced the idea that he was trapped in some backwater. It was a concept that his contemporary and those sniveling layabouts at the headquarters seemed to be entirely aloof from. Even that elven bitch who thought she could just waltz in and throw her weight around understood that a bit of coin lead to quality work and beneficial outcomes.

Sensing the shift in Garrick's demeanor, Elijah looked to press his advantage further. "I mean, look at you," he continued, gesturing to the Garrick and then towards the town walls. "You're the one out here daily, keeping the wolves at bay and trade flowing without a HITCH.”

Garrick nodded along, hanging on Elijah's every word as the man continued to extol the guard's shrewd virtues. The praise and validation were like a balm to Garrick's battered ego, soothing the resentment and frustration that had built up the long years of being stuck in Glennsworth.

Now that he had Garrick's full attention, Elijah gestured towards the gate where the guard was supposed to relieve his compatriot. However, the men stationed at the gate seemed to neglect their ‘duties’ in inspecting carts and scrutinizing travelers and were just lazily waving swathes of people in. It was as if these buffoons didn’t have care in the world.

It pained Garrick to no end as he saw each individual passing through as a coin lost or tribute forsaken.

And it seemed Elijah held the same sentiment as he let out a frustrated groan and waved in the gate's general direction, "Look at ‘em!" Elijah growled with a voice dripping with disdain. "They’re not doing goddamn thing, man!" He nearly shouted in an annoyed tone as he threw his arms up in frustration. “How much revenue are you missing out on because of these clowns?”

“Five copper, three copper, a silver, ten coppers…” Elijah started rattling off random numbers for each person who walked through. The number seemed to be higher the more things or how well-dressed a traveler was.

A dark look came over Garrick's face. He physically felt the money slipping through his fingers while repeatedly balling into a fist and loosening as if trying to grasp something invisible. None of his fellow guardsmen took any of his ideals seriously and just thought of this job as an easy way to get steady pay while they milled about. It was a disgrace, a slap in the face to everything Garrick stood for while he busted his ass to be more than just another guard who was barely scraping by.

Elijah took a few steps away from Garrick and ran a hand through his hair as he watched the shit show at the gate. "Your toll, your… ‘rigorous inspections.’” He turned to face the guard and pointed at him in an almost `aggressive manner. “That's a goddamn public service, and it's a fuckin’ shame it isn't recognized as such."

Garrick seemed to freeze at that as his face contorted into confusion. He considered himself a greedy rat, not someone doing anything to better anyone's life.

But Garrick could get a proper word in, and Elijah continued his rant while pacing back and forth. "I mean, think about it! Really think about it! Those fees keep this town running! ” Elijah rolled his eyes as he walked about. “The toll means people money towards the town, and since they’re paying for its services, they would want the town to run smoothly."

A difficult look formed on Garrick's face as those words percolated into his mind. He hadn’t thought about that before…

"It’s the cost of keeping the peace and without it… without men like you showing thugs that this town and its protectors mean business…” Elijah said, ringing with conviction. He allowed the words to hang for a few moments before continuing. “Everything would fall apart."

“I mean, look at these fucks!” Elijah nearly yells, throwing his arms toward the lazy men idling about. “They're just letting the rabble in, no questions asked! The other guards aren’t even checking what's inside to gauge how much they should charge, let alone be bothered to negotiate with any merchant!”

It took a while, but Elijah's words finally sank in, causing Garrick’s eyes to widen as he considered a new perspective. Everything he had done was always framed in a self-serving and greedy manner. He shook down the peasants and merchants because the town's bigwigs got their slice of the pie, and he wanted his. But now, with this stranger highlighting the fact that his greed was a helpful service, Garrick found himself reconsidering his stance.

He rubbed his poorly kept, scraggly beard, nodding slowly as the gears turned in his head. "Aye, you may have a point there," he admitted, his voice thoughtful. "Come to think of it... We never had these hoodlum problems before the Imperials started getting more uppity and started to manage how the guard ran the gate…”

Elijah had to use every ounce of self-control to stop the feral smile that was threatening to form on his face after seeing someone say the mountain of bullshit he was feeding them was delicious. But that little tidbit of information about how the occupying forces were micromanaging the gate was quite interesting…

Leaning in further, Elijah wore an expression full of disdain before nodding sympathetically. "Rules, rules, rules…” he groaned, rolling his eyes. “They want everything done their way without considering where they are or who they’re talking to."

Garrick nodded vigorously, his face twisting into a scowl. "Aye, those are the truest words ever spoken!” He shouted, kicking a random empty box, causing it to tumble away. “Bunch of pompous, arrogant bastards they are! Cunts think they know how to run things for locals better than the locals!"

"Same shit, different pot.” Elijah hummed in agreement as a sly smile played on his lips before he lightly smacked Garrick's shoulder with the back of his hand and motioned him to follow. “No matter where you go, you got assholes thinking they know what's what and start implementing bullshit that just ends up falling apart in no time.” Elijah continued to paint his narrative vaguely and broadly by describing every incompetent occupying force that existed seemingly everywhere. “So you know what I say? Profit off the sons of bitches and get your coin! Fuck ‘em!

The guard cackled hard at that as his hand slapped his thigh. “Aye, lad! Fuck ‘em!”. Yes, that was it exactly. He wasn't just lining his pockets; he was maintaining order, doing a service to the town.

Seeing he had Garrick right where he wanted him, Elijah pulled out another silver coin and started rolling it between his fingers. "You know, my team and I... we're problem solvers," he said cryptically, flipping the coin in the air and catching it with a deft hand. “We were brought in to balance things out, so to speak. To ensure the flow of goods and services remains unimpeded, without all the... friction." He paused, letting his words hang in the air. "Wouldn’t it be nice to make coin freely like you used to? Before all these imperial upstarts started throwing their weight around?"

A smack of Garrick's tongue echoed out as his eyes followed the glinting coin. The words were like honey to ears. He longed for a time to be rid of all of these pedantic rules and regulations that served no one. Not even the Imperial lovers that cozied up to them liked or even understood these rules…

“You can be a part of that, Garrick,” Elijah said in almost a cooing manner as he threw his arm around Garrick’s neck and brought him in closer in a conspiratorial manner. “You can be a problem solver and establish connections that turned this pretty silver coin…” Elijah then placed the coin gently into the guard's hand. “ Into a golden one.”

A bout of silence lingered between the two as the guard reached out and grabbed the coin. “A-Aye, I believe I can help in one way or another…”

A feral smile spread across Elijah's face as Garrick took the bait.

It didn’t take long for Elijah to leave the guard to his duties after they promised to meet up once more at Mara’s for a much more involved debriefing. There was a lot to learn and a lot of pieces of the puzzle to fit together, but he was confident that this was a solid start to their stint in this town.

As he meandered through the winding streets, Elijah found himself drifting towards the stables where the villagers had settled their carts and beasts of burden. It was apparent they didn't quite have the funds to afford room and board at an inn, so they opted to stay in the pens with their animals. Looking around, Elijah couldn’t help but gawk at the countless strange creatures, followed by the hustle and bustle of people around them.

Navigating his way past beasts shuffling about and men hurriedly carrying crates or burlap sacks to and fro, Elijah made a beeline for the stables proper after spotting a few familiar faces. As he rounded a wall of the massive building, Elijah was greeted with the view of the villagers of Twineward tending to their livestock, repairing their carts, and setting up makeshift campsites. The air was filled with the sounds of lowing livestock, bleating sheep-like creatures, and the chatter of those going about their daily tasks.

While he wove his way through the chaos, Elijah’s eyes scanned the crowd, jumping from stable to stable until he found what he was looking for. There, standing on a cart while covering the sensitive equipment with several furs and linens, was Kwon.

The Chinese-American team sergeant looked up and made eye contact with Elijah as he approached. Hopping down from his perch, Kwon threw up a friendly hand and waited for the medic.

“Yo!” Known called out, leaning against the cart as Elijah approached. “What the hell you doin’ here? Everything good?”

Elijah grinned, jerking his upward to return Kwon's greeting. "Shit went a lot better than expected.” Elijah chuckled, fist-bumping his team sergeant. “Just thought I'd take a little walk, get the lay of the land, you know?"

Kwon raised an eyebrow as a knowing look crossed his face. "The lay of the land, huh?” He then looked around for anyone else. “Cole, let you out by yourself?” The Sergeant asked, knowing full well that Elijah had scurried out without anyone knowing.

A chuckle left Elijah’s mouth as he shook his head. "What am I, a fuckin' dog?" he asked in mock amusement. “Do you all have that little amount of faith in me?”

“Oh, give me a break, bro,” Kwon said, rolling his eyes as the two operators in the back laughed. “Everyone knows you’re a goddamn menace, Eli!” The team sergeant laughed before turning around to rifle through the cart. "You're one step away from being a loose cannon, and if it weren’t for the fact that you’re amazing at what you do…” He then pulled out a bag of Elijah’s favorite beef jerky and tossed it to him. “Your candy ass woulda been chaptered out a long time ago, and you fuckin’ know it.”

After catching the bag with one hand, a mischievous grin spread across Elijah’s face as he threw a dismissive wave and slipped the beef jerky into a sizeable hidden pocket under his cloak. "Bro, c’mon! I’m the picture of good behavior!." He replied innocently as he tore the bag open.

A snort resounded as Kwon shook his head. "Yeah, and I'm the fuckin’ Queen of England," he retorted with a tone dripping with sarcasm. "You’re so goddamn close to being a loose cannon that we might as well be splitting hairs!” He gestured outwards as he covered the cart back up. “Remember when we were embedded with the Golden Division in Mosul?”

Elijah let out an agonizing groan as he pressed his hand to his head. “Ya, I remember it being a complete shit show.” He grumbled as Yana fluttered out of his hood and zipped into the confines of his cloak to chase after the jerky. "The place was literally like the Thunder Dome,” Elijah added just before he felt a curious pang of joy as his patron chomped down on the Jerky.

Kwon nodded, a distant look in his eye. "Ya, well, you had some crazy, unorthodox methods back then, too," he said. "But I always had your back and came through when it mattered." He paused, fixing Elijah with a severe stare. "But I’m a team sergeant now, and I can’t cover for your six like I used to.”

“Look, I just don't want to see you throw your career away over some petty bullshit, Eli.” Kwon pushed off the cart and started to gesture towards Elijah sympathetically. “I know you and the Colonel fuckin’ hate each other, but you gotta learn to play by the rules, or he's gonna shitcan you..."

“Oh right, I should just start sucking the West Point cunt’s dick like his bitch boy Coleman? Fuckin’ please.” Elijah rolled his eyes, throwing his hand up dismissively. "Who cares, anyways?" he scoffed. "If the military doesn't want me, I'll just take up contracting like all the other dickheads."

Kwon pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long-suffering sigh. "Fuckin' hell, Eli," he muttered as if the medic was a lost cause. "Alright, whatever. Just tell me why the hell are you here… I thought you'd be off being someone else’s problem."

Elijah blinked after remembering why he bothered to track them down in the first place and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Got breakfast and an intel brief back at the tavern we secured," he said. "Thought I'd come and grab you and the rest of the guys. Figured you might want in on the action."

Kwon raised an eyebrow as his interest piqued despite himself. "Breakfast?" he repeated. "Well, hot damn! Why are you just standing there? Lead the goddamn way, dude!” He said, making a shooing motion with his hands. “We’re getting sick of the shitty peasant bread and beef jerky!”