Diaman's DnD Diary

Chapter 5: Ice Lands's Tragedy Forgotten In Snow part I

I... don't like to think about the events that took place in the Ice Lands. I've finally barely managed to write about this but I don't think I'll ever be able to actually speak of it.

For myself, it is the safest way to remain sane, to pretend it didn't happen. However, considering the people involved, I somewhat feel that there should be, at least, one mention in history, even if it's a meaningless entry in a traveler's diary, written in a language that only the elemental creatures speak.

After the I-almost-got-eaten incident, I'd decided, I have had enough of warm weather and humid climate and turnt my attention towards Ice Lands. An eternally white piece of land, North of Narradia. A home to white bears and apparently a real genuine Shamman village. Yes, the Cannibal Library had actually might have paid off informationwise.

Besides, I was primarily a fan of colder weather. The winter in Narradia lasts 5 months and the rest are filled with rain and slightly warmer weather in the one summer month when all the farmers try their best in raising enough crops for the months to come and kids spent their free time, playing in the flower fields and stuffing their mouths with wild berries. Yes, lots of types of edible wild berries actually do grow in Narradia throughout the whole year, but only during this month you can stumble upon the sweet ones.

It was during my travel through Narradia that I'd met with Cassios for the first time in years at the harvest of winter apples in West Salla. West Salla is a place of houndreds of acres of apple orchards, stretching into the neighbouring countries. They grow various types of apples here but on Narradia's side it's mostly the winter apples. Every year during harvest they hire tons of wanderers to help out and since I'd found myself in need of funds, I joined as well.
I met Cassios one evening when I'd accidentaly bumped into one of the tough-looking guys hired to oversee the organisation.

"Hey, midget! Look where you're going!" the big guy yelled at me, then laughed, seeing me bend over, trying to pick up my share of apples for that night's dinner from the mud. I sighed, I will have to go all the way back to the river again to wash them. After collecting them again, I went towards the river.

While washing the apples and the hem of my muddy apparel, I took off my hood as well, refreshing up my face. Working in here, I always wore a hood to cover my hair, white in here was still pretty exotic and the Winter Harvest was a big deal and many higher standing men and women came here just to watch the works or taste the first winter apple cider of the season, so I didn't want to be recognised. The probability wasn't high with the vastness of the orchards but I wasn't going to risk Amber's bounty hunters noticing me or getting any kind of lead. I tried a few times just asking around in different villages whether they'd ever seen someone with hair like mine. In Narradia? Nada. Nothing. So wearing a hood became pretty common for me in the end.

Just as I was getting up, ready to take a bite of one of the apples, I felt a hand land on my shoulder. I turned around slowly and saw a very familiar face, though older and more manly than I'd remembered it as. Short, messy hair, sun-burnt forehead, broad shoulders and sleeves tugged up, so the whole lenght of his muscular arms could be admired. He was much taller than me and at first glance, fully armed with a sword and knife at his side and a crossbow on his back. What was truly new was a short beard.

"Ca-..."
"Young Ma-..."
"Shhh!" We both shot up our hands towards the other's lips, shushing. Cassios nodded at me to speak first.

"I'm Damian... Nice to meet you...? I'm a travelling scholar, trying to sponsor my studies... And you...?"

"They call me Lauris, I'm one of the Overseeyers here right now. I make a living as a bounty hunter nowadays," Cassios pointed towards an old willow tree with his thumb and disappeared behind its waterfalls of leaves. I followed him and squated down. It was suprisingly more spacious than I would have imagined. The grass under the tree was almost non-existent from probably frequent visits of slackers and lovers, both the kind of people, looking for privacy.

Finally, I munched on my apple happily. "Sho... Twis ish where you tchake tsh ladies now, huh?" I didn't care about manners, I was hungry.

Cassios laughed and took out his pipe. "Now that you mention it, I'd heard this is a favourite make-out spot. More importantly, shouldn't you be running away from me? I heard there's a thick reward on bringing you back to your fiancé," he raised his eyebrows as if he was considering it.

I threw away the rest of my first apple. "Well, that would be tit-for-tat. I could always uncover who YOU are and that you've tried to assassinate an aristocrat, though such a long time ago. Besides you yourself probably don't want to be near my father's lands where tons of people could easily recognize you even after this time. AND!" I pointed up in the air to emphazise all the facts I'd been listing. "I don't think the small reward for just "informing" about my whereabouts is enough for Lauris the Vampire Slayer."

Cassios' tanned face turnt red, contrasting wildly with his blonde hair and beard.

"Please, don't call me that," he pleaded with me.

I raised my eyebrows. "Why is that? Are you a different Lauris?"

"No, sadly. Seriously, it was only ONE vampire and there were five of us. Nothing that spectacular."

"I think it IS spectacular even like that. I myself haven't even assisted in MEETING a vampire."

Cassios smiled. "I hope you will never have to, young scholar. But beware of rich guys with no mirrors in their mansion. That was the case here. And young people disappearing from the village."

I sighed. "I did meet with a village where young people kept disappearing and it was a case of a living man... Anyway, I guess, it's easier to hide your vampireness when you're a poor vampire...?"

Cassios closed his eyes, thinking. "I've actually never heard of a poor vampire... Well, there's rarely one case in houndreds of years in Narradia... Anyway! This is not what we should be discussing right now! Are you doing well now? Do you need help with anything? Money? Hire someone to..."

"...get rid of my fiancé? No, thank you, Lauris. I'm not going to stand as low as her. And just for your information, I'm innocent in this. I've never as much as touched a strand of her hair."

Cassios nodded. "Of course, I know that. I've never doubted you." He looked sincere. For a moment, I wondered whether he trusts my gentlemanly manners that much or whether it had been apparent, even when I was a child, that I'm not one to "lay my hand on a woman".

"I'm headed to Ice Lands now," I decided to change the topic.

Cassios breathed in the blueish smoke from his pipe, waiting a few seconds before releasing a series of perfectly round circles from his lips. "I'll make sure no one heads that way then... I still owe you one," he winked at me playfully, smiling.

I returned his smile. "Okay. Thank you."