After saying their prayers at the cathedral, Nopsa and Janos made their way to the Southern King's Road, then to the gates, with only a small number of stops on the way as Nopsa wanted to admire a particular scarf, watch an interesting juggling act or ponder for a moment whether to spend a penny on a piece of confectionary at a particularly sweet-smelling stall. Once they got to the gates, Nopsa was ready to continue right on, but Janos' sharp eyes had noticed many people talking to a guard, then continuing on their way after getting something from a bag she was holding. Women as guards were unusal enough to get Nopsa's attention as well, so they went to the end of the short line to ask about what was happening. Apparently, from the guard you could get a chit which would allow you to enter the city again with no questions asked. Considering that they did not have Katrin or her papers handy, this did seem better than being locked out of the city, so they joined the end of the line. When it was their turn to talk to the guard, she simply asked about their residence, then lodgings, and then gave them the chit. Nopsa was curious enough to ask what would've happened to them without the chits, and the answer was stark: a night in the fields, or more likely the tournament grounds, until the morrow when the gates would be open to all for the main three days of the coronation. Thus chastised, they noted where the guard collecting the chits was located, and then continued through the gates towards the faint rings of steel on steel, solid objects crashing into one another, and crowds cheering.
Janos decided to slightly speed up his stride to ease Nopsa's agitation – he clearly wanted to run into the midst of it all, to drink in everthing of the tourneys around him all at once. Maybe talking would help him a bit.
"Now, it seems to be quite a large area, so let's take care to not get separated. What do you want to see first?"
"Oh, the jousting! We get to see jousting so rarely. Wait, is that a catapult? And you can look at it right up close! Ooohh… and? Oh, are those … they're so short. But wide. And such fancy beards! Janos, real dwarves! We HAVE to go look at what crafts they've brought to display. I mean, we obviously can't afford them, but simply seeing their wares…"
"So, the dwarves first? Remember to be polite, I'm sure there are lots of simple peasants gawking at them."
"Yes, yes, try to be refined. But. Dwarves!"
The three dwarves in question had a tent and a cart, and did indeed seem to be craftsmen of some sorts. Unfortunately for the stories Nopsa would tell his fellows back home, neither of them could figure out much of what the dwarves were selling, beyond it clearly being a siege bow of some sort. There were gears and pulleys involved, but most of the mechanisms had been covered with fine wood and steel, polished to a shine. In a few spots along it's length and at the ends, there were strange notches, and other bits like small weather wanes, with small screws and gears attached as to these well. These had Janos and Nopsa puzzling at their meaning until they saw a soldier in a fine-looking uniform looking along their length, and Janos realized they must be sights of some sort. Next to their cart, the dwarves had raised a pedestal, on which was a sun-dial with markers telling when the bow would be demonstrated. Nopsa sagged when he saw the times – the previous one had been not long before, and the next time would be after mid-day, a good while later. With the officer walking away after having secured a later time for more negotiations, the dwarves were clearly out of better customers, so two of them pushed the bow into the tent, while the last one opened a large box, and pulled out a small toy soldier.
"Well, since you lot aren't interested in the big things, how about a finely-crafted toy for the young ones to play with?" The soldier was made mostly of sheets of brightly painted metal that had been twisted into human semblance, and was fine toy in itself. However, once the dwarf started moving levers and twisting nobs on its back, the soldier moved it's arms, legs and head, causing the crowd to draw it's breath in appreciation. Still, most stayed at respectable distance except what looked to be a guildsman with his son, and soon they was furiously bargaining with the dwarf.
Nopsa inched a bit closer and his eyebrows shot as he heard the price. He whispered to Janos. "I don't think all my money would be quite enough. Shame. It would be a wonderful souvenier."
"Dwarven craftsmanship is expensive, even for toys. There's probably a goodly amount of gears inside that thing. Besides, how much would you even play with it?"
"Yeah, you're right. I'm getting old for toy soldiers. Still, what a great thing to see. I wonder what else he's got in that box of his."
The trade made, the dwarf pulled the father and son around, his back to the crowd, then gave some instructions on how to work the toy so that only the buyers could see it. After they left, he looked at the crowd again, then dug a few more toy soldiers from the box. "Well, ones like that might be above the price range for you lot, but I've got a few that don't have the mechanisms to move them, and are just as beautifully painted. Now, is anyone willing to part with half a crown for one of these?"
Nopsa looked at the toys, as did many others. A few more potential buyers appeared, and the haggling begun once again. Nopsa retreated a bit. "That I could manage, but I can't think of anyone I'd use that much money on. Well, maybe dad, but he wouldn't want one of those, pretty as they are."
"Well, there's much more to see."
"Right! The jousting. And we'll try to remember to come back once they're showing off that bow again."
The jousting lanes were surrounded by people, so they first walked around, trying to find the best side from which to push in closer. By listening to the people leaving, it was apparent that today all the participants were just squires, but this did not much lessen Nopsa's desire to get to watch. After a bit, with Janos fearing he might lose contact with Nopsa, they finally managed to squeeze next to a railing, and settled in to watch. The squires tried to emulate knightly behaviour, of course, but with few nobles around, played more to the crowds than with most jousts. Still, they also dispensed with some of the ritual, so there was more action and excitement and less waiting. The knights judging also let them continue from the ground most of the time, so Janos and Nopsa got to see a decent amount of swordfighting as well. After maybe half a dozen rounds, Janos was able to convince Nopsa that there would be other things to explore, so they pushed their way out, their spaces immediately filled by others. They ambled around for a bit, finding many different kinds of contests, demonstrations and merchants. Nopsa tested his skill at some slinging, but his third place only got him back his pennies, no extra money. He also tried to encourage Janos to participate in an archery contest, but Janos declined due to not wanting to use a loaned bow. When they circled back to the dwarves, they noted that the demonstration was still some while off, but there was another merchant, well tanned and hair whitened by the sun, trying to sell something to one of the dwarves.
"But look how it snaps back! I bet you could make a bolt fly really far!"
"It stretches too much. We need something that stores a lot of energy without needing a lot of room to stretch out."
"Oh, I'm sure my associate could make it stiffer."
"Hmm, can I test it a bit?" The dwarf put out his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, the merchant dropped what looked like a short length of very smooth rope into it. Nopsa looked on in amazement as the dwarf stretched out the rope into at least five times it's earlier length before it slipped his grasp and smacked into his other hand, causing what was almost certainly some dwarfish cursing.
The merchant grimaced. "Oh, yes, sorry. You have to be careful with it. Painful though?", he noted with a hopeful grin.
"Ach, I've suffered worse." The dwarf quickly shook his hand around every which way, then massaged it a bit. "But I'm sorry, lad. I've tried something rather similar. Don't work for what we need."
"What? But I'm sure we're the first to bring this stuff to these lands!"
"Well, some of our alchemists were able to thicken oils to create something a bit like that."
"Oils? Oh, no, this is made from a sap of certain mysterious trees, from the far south, beyond the hot desert, form towering jungles!"
"Sayin' it comes from trees don't make me trust it more."
"Ahh, I… Well…"
"I'm not angry, just not interested." The dwarf turned his back to the merchant and walked into the tent. The other dwarf shrugged, then continued repairing and oiling a draught horse harness.
The merchant looked dejected, then started trudging through the crowd. Nopsa, ever curious, decided to follow, and Janos had to admit he had caught some of that curiosity.
The merchant soon reached his own stall, at the end of a row, where two others waited, trying to interest passing guildsmen of their product. The first, a man from one of southern countries on the other side of the ocean, at least had caught one potential customer, while the other, an alchemist by the look of his large splotched leather apron, had less luck with his wheezing voice. The southerner quickly passed his customer to the blond merchant, and after a quick discussion, the two moved to the side for a longer discussion. In the meanwhile, the alchemist began calling out again for others.
"Come one, come all! We have brought mysterious substances from the far south! Strange materiels, gummy but strong! Use them to capture your enemies!" He pulled out a strip of the strange material, then lashed with it on to his other hand, where after a few twirls, it stuck fast. After the southerner helped him extricate himself, he continued. "Or, tough but soft! Use it for practicing swordwork! No accidental splintering, but plenty of bruises if you don't get out of the way!" Now he pulled a short but thicker length, and slapped it against the palm oh his other hand, making a satisfying thwunk each time. "We can provide materials in a number of configuration, with very reasonable prices."
Nopsa nudged Janos. "Ooh, that would be nice. I could use my sling with less chance of accident."
"Why not just use a small ball of wood, maybe covered with some strips or old rags? Wet the rags with some glue, and they shouldn't fall off."
"I'm not sure that would be heavy enough. That material looks more dense than wood, though probably lighter than stones."
"Hmm, I think you're right."
"Let's see what those cost." Nopsa marched over to the alchemist. "I might be interested. Would you have something like that small truncheon, but in small round form? It might make for a slightly softer sling stone."
"Ah, certainly, boy, but this will cost you! This is a rare substance, not easily treated!"
"Well, you seem to be hawking in here, not in the courts of nobles, so I might be barely able to buy some. Do you have what I need?"
"Well, this" – he produced a small ball – "might work. It's not as hard as my stick here, but bouncier." He threw it at a small flat stone he'd placed on the ground, and Nopsa was amazed to see it bounce high above the stalls, before it fell back down into Janos' waiting hand.
"It is hard, but not as hard as wood." He squeezed it. "And it has some give. A strange material indeed." He dropped it into the alchemist's waiting palm.
"So, boy, half a crown?"
"Hah. As if I'd be willing to part with all my worldly goods for such a trinket!" And the haggling was on. In the end, Nopsa got the price to two oere, with a promise to pay another oere for a ball of the harder material, which the alchemist promised he could manufacure before sunset. They walked away, Nopsa happily tossing his new toy.
"I'm not entirely sure that was a good idea, but this is the kind of souvenier that I'll happily show to the others back in Wortbank."
"It's not useless. You might be able to stun smaller pray and with less damage to the skins or feathers. Just need to paint it a bright color to find your missile again. Oh, and you'll need to practice – those are lighter than the stones you're used to."
"Hmpf. Always with the training. But you're probably right. Now, what next?"
After wandering around a bit more, Janos noted something he very much wanted to check out. Near the massive town wall, on a small mound and a bit separated from the main chaos of the tourney grounds, there was a small lean-to and a grizzled old man half-lying down in it's shade. What caught Janos' attention, though, was his gray cloak that somehow made his shoulders disappear into the backround of weeds. A Royal Ranger!
The ranger had set up his spot well. Being on the mound, he could observe most of the grounds to a degree. On to one side, in the dry moat, there were a few simple targets, one in the shape of a man, the other a set of concentric rings. Thee was no one nearby, which Janos took as a good sign.
"Hmm. You know, let's go talk to the Royal Ranger."
"Oh? Wow, you're right. I wonder what he's doing."
"Observing the tournament grounds, it seems. Now, I don't mind chatting a bit, but I'd like to talk to him in private as well. Vould you maybe go try out your new missile on those targets for a while?"
"That makes me want to hear what you're talking about all the more, you know."
"Of course. I'm sorry. I'll tell you about it – well, at least some of it – afterwards. Deal?"
"Mmh, oh, fine."
"And you can ask him what we talked about, too."
"Like he would say anything you wouldn't."
"Maybe, maybe not." Although he must have noticed them, probably before they noticed him, he'd not reacted in any way until Janos greeted him. "Hello… we're not bothering you, right?"
"Nah, I'm here to talk to, as well as keeping an eye on what might happen."
Nopsa looked back at the noisy action behind them. "Nothing very important, apparently, since you're taking it so easy?"
"Nothing important enough to react to. Mind moving a bit so I can keep watching whle we talk?"
They moved out of his way, Janos looking back as well.
"This is a bit strange to my mind. You can't react very quickly if something were to happen. And by what I've seen so far, this doesn't seem, at least, like something a ranger would be guarding, with the king and so many nobles in the city."
"Smart boy. Want to guess another reason?" Without really moving, he still changed his posture, somehow, then Janos noticed it.
"Your left leg. It's weaker, more clumsy, or…"
"Yup. Got hurt badly a while back, didn't have time to heal it properly then. The priests had to break it again before they could fix it. Not fun. Also don't have the full use of it for a few days yet, so, here I am. Not really a full leave, but nobody going to mind if I don't notice any spies, dangerous new weapons, or likely recruits."
For once, Nopsa's quick mind jumped to right conclusion. "Recruits? Janos! You're not thinking of joining the rangers?!"
"No! For one, I can't just join. The first year, you have to be a trainee."
"Yeah, yeah, but isn't it deadly hard? And even if you don't die, aren't you're more likely to get maimed or disfigured than not?!"
The ranger chuckled. "It maybe isn't quite that bad, but close. Most years, more than half the trainees survive with only minor injuries. Sometimes someone gets lucky and gets through unscathed. Though by the look of your friend, he already knows this."
"Yes. Nopsa, remember last fall, when I and half a dozen others helped a pair of Rangers? That trio of mad trolls that had demolished the house of those new arrivals?"
"Oh. Yeah." Nopsa's face fell, unhappy memories flooding his mind. "Nothing to bury, that I heard of."
"Exactly. They asked me to come along with them a bit longer as they travelled to St. Gosbrook to recuperate. We got a bit careless when burning the troll corpses, and got smoke into our lungs."
The ranger spoke up. "Hmm, that was young Will and… who was it?"
"Yes!" Janos exclaimed. "You know them?"
"Most rangers know each other, at least by name. I'm old Will. No relation. Maybe getting too old. Probably could've avoided hurting my leg ten years ago. Don't know what to with the rest of my life if I retire, though."
Nopsa looked up. "Aren't you supposed to start a tavern?"
"Hah. Couldn't stand listening to people complaining about petty things day after day. Done enough of that in my life already. Well, maybe not with petty things. Hmm. Maybe shack up with some old rural wizard? Or an retired inquisitor? Someone who can appreciate all the strange things I've seen. Heh. Sorry, rambling a bit there."
Janos looked sympathetic. "Well, you know, that sort of relates to what I wanted to talk about. Nopsa, mind giving us some time now?"
"Sure." He took out the strange ball, tossed it a couple of times in his hand. "Those targets are there to be used, right?"
"Go ahead." Old Will motioned at his side, where a small collection of weapons lay – a simple bow and arrows, a few javelins and throwing knives, a sling and some stones, as well as some wooden swords, axes and maces. "Your ''stone'', though? Is that from the alchemist and southerners?"
"Yeah. It's really bouncy!"
"Maybe just use the dummy, then. You can drag the wooden target a bit further away. If your ball hits that, I have no idea how far it might end up."
"Uhh, good idea. Actually, you wouldn't have nay paint on you, would you?"
"No, but I've got a bit of chalk. Hmm. Let's see, this is a puzzle. I'm used to trying to camouflage things, but how to make it stand out as much as possible?"
Janos spoke up. "Hmm, what shape is the opposite of natural. Not curvy, not jagged, not round… A triangle? or square?"
A bit of chalking on the ball later, Nopsa went off, and Janos could start asking the questions he feared, to see if he could get the answers he hoped for.
Janos had fallen silent for a moment, wondering if he had any more questions. The last few hadn't been as pertinent to him and more for just getting a feel from old Will and how he saw the world. He certainly was cynical, more so that young Will had been, though all rangers seemed to share a certain harshness. Nopsa called out from his testing range.
"Hey, I think the dwarves might be setting up their siege-bow?"
Janos looked over their way, and indeed, the bow was out of the tent and being rolled on the cart away from them. Old Will spoke up.
"Go on. There's a small depression on the far side of the grounds where they can display that weapon. I'll be here if you have more questions."
"You don't want to see me try out that bow?"
"By what you told me, you're decent enough that you shouldn't have problems with that. To become a full ranger, you need to get better, but there's time enough in the first year for that. Besides, lying to me helps you in no way in the training, it just makes things harder for you."
"Heh. Tell, me though. Do many come like me, somewhat capable but interested in learning more?"
"Sure. Well, not many, maybe between a quarter and one in a dozen, depending on the year. Most of your kind survive, do a tour or three, and often choose to retire before you get old enough that it kills you. Curious about yourself, but sensible. Less likely to die along the way than most. Not like me." He grinned, but there was little mirth in it.
Nopsa had gathered his things, his voice a a whine. "Jaa-noos. Come on! We'll miss it!"
Janos stood up. "Ah, well, I'll pray that Zand keep you safe."
"Until I depart his domain."
Janos nodded, then hiked over to Nopsa. "Yes, yes, let's go. Though it's unlikely we'll be late. Dwarves like to fuss over their machines, from what I've heard."
"Come on. Don't you always say I should be more prudent? I'm just making sure we get to see that thing in action."
"Heh, nicely countered."
"So, what did you talk about?"
"As you guessed, about whether I should join the rangers."
"Ooh, Anna wouldn't like that!"
"I'm of age. I don't HAVE to listen to my mother. But you're right, of course. Please don't tell her about this – I want to talk to dad first. If he agrees with me, it'll be easier turning mother's head."
"Fair enough. I promise I'll hold my tongue around her. But you think you have decent chance of survival?"
"I think so. The training sounds hard, but there's a sense behind it. Most difficult will probably be learning to trust the other trainees, especially if I think they're lacking in skills. I'm used to trusting myself and knowing my own capabilities, but judging others is a lot harder. You never really know when someone can pull through a situation that looks impossible for them, or might lose hope over what seems a trivial matter."
"Well, you have to… hmm, it IS sort of hard to describe. And you're right, I couldn't say for others outside Wortbank, people I don't know."
"Right. Well, the dwarves are up ahead, then we can look around a bit more before you fo fetch that harder ball for your sling. Did you figure out how to use that one?"
"Somewhat. It's lighter than a stone, but the bigger problem is that it gets a bit sticky when it's wet, and doesn't always leave the pouch at the right moment."
"Hopefully you won't need to use it."
"I guess. My hope is that Liina has found something more useful than less deadly sling stones, though."