01 - The Price of Talent by Peter Whittlesey Page B

a grudge.
     
    “Wait, you were in the military? Then how did you end up… Uh, here?” I asked. After all, while sarcastic, the sword did have a point. Maybe I should try and learn more of my saviors.
     
    “Son, you will find that everyone here has a story. No one starts off as an outlaw. We all have stories similar to yours, where we end up on the wrong side of the Empire, usually through no fault of our own. Well, mostly through no fault of our own.”
     
    “So, then, how did you end up here?”
     
    “My story is long and tedious. Suffice it to say that, I was once a guard captain in a major city, but I fell for the wrong woman. When it was discovered I was stripped of my rank and exiled. Turning bandit was really the only option left to me. It was either that or die in the forest. And I’m not one for dying.”
     
    Oh what a load of horse shit. This pantywaist was some great guard captain? Loved the wrong woman? Let’s hire a bard to write a play so that generations can enjoy the tale of the star crossed lover who turned to a life of crime!
     
    “So, everyone has a story like yours?” I asked.
     
    “Well, they all have their own stories of how they came here. No less dramatic than yours. I have been taking in these strays for years and we have been making a living off the land; and yes, merchants and tax collectors too. But this is the only life that is left to us. We are all wanted by the Empire, and are in danger from church authorities when we venture into cities or towns.”
     
    “So, then, it is not so uncommon for you to take in refugees like me.”
     
    “Hah, no, but it has been quite some time since we have. And rarely do we take in one quite so young. But then, it is rare for someone your age to get into quite as much trouble as you have.”
     
    “Uh, speaking of, do you know why the Inquisitors were after me? Or is that a dumb question? Uh… Sorry if it’s a dumb question…”
     
    “It’s not a dumb question. I think it’s a very important question, but it’s one I don’t have the answer to. The inquisitors were not very talkative after we shot them full of arrows.”
     
    “Oh… Yeah… I suppose not.”
     
    “But talk to Ross if you want to know more. He was a Chaplain before he found himself here, he may know more about the inner working of the Inquisitors.”
     
    “Yeah… ok.”
     
    “So, this sword was found with you at your parents’ farm?”
     
    “Yeah.”
     
    “The wreckage of your family farm.”
     
    “Uh… Yeah.”
     
    “And this is when you lost your family.”
     
    “… Yeah…”
     
    “So then, this was when you started being chased by the Inquisitors.”
     
    “Uh… Sort of…”
     
    “Sort of?”
     
    “Well, they just sort of showed up out of nowhere, attacked us at the farm and then BOOM! I woke up in the Hospital. The sword was apparently found with me,” I said.
     
    Oh good move moron, just tell him everything. You just got him to agree to keep you and now you go and remind of a very good reason NOT to let you live here. Namely that you were tracked down by the Inquisition, that the authorities have a very real interest in finding you. I hope you enjoy life as a hermit after he boots you out the door.
     
    “Huh, so maybe the sword belonged to one of the Inquisitors who went to your farm. They do come from all over… Anyway, it’s not a sword from around here.”
     
    “But, uh, do you know how to use that kind of sword?” I asked hoping to move the subject past my personal tragedy.
     
    “Well, it has been many years, but yeah, I know how to use that type of sword.”
     
    Now’s your chance moron! Ask him to train you how to use me. All is forgiven if you get him to teach you how to actually use me! You have no idea how boring it is sitting in a corner for a week. MAKE HIM TEACH YOU!
     
    “So… Would you be able to teach me how to use it?” I asked.
     
    “Well, you are already training on the bow and doing most of the