“It’s built on trust,” rumbled a gruff voice from behind him. “This kind of teamwork, that is.”
Kre turned and found himself facing one of the dweorvkin. As with the others, he wasn’t sure which this was. It was not because he couldn’t tell any difference between them, because they were all certainly very different physically, but because he simply could not remember which was which after such a brief introduction and all of the things that had happened.
“Druckner,” the shorter, well-built man said. “I know we ain’t quite introduce ourselves well back when,” he continued, “so I’ll be understandin’ if you’d be forgettin’.”
Kre nodded mutely, wondering again if everyone he spoke with was a mind-reader or if he was maybe saying his inner thoughts out loud without realizing it.
“How’d you fare today?” Druckner asked. “I know Dain and Kersath can be pretty demandin’ teachers.”
Another nod, but this time Kre managed to add some words, “They have quite a lot of knowledge to share though. Things that I never could have learned otherwise.”
“Aye,” Druckner chuckled, “our company has some ‘credibly gifted folk, tis true. To be taught by some of our company is a rare boon indeed.”
“Will you also be one of my teachers? Talimar said that I have a lot to learn from all of you.”
Druckner paused a moment and Kre noticed that he had been working with a mortar and pestle in his large hands. “Me? No… I think no. I’ve no sharable skills to be useful to you.”
He gestured to the others of his kind with the pestle, “Them, they know many things you should be strivin’ to learn.” Druckner returned to his work for a few seconds more and then paused again, “Except maybe Snagger.”
Kre waited an appropriate amount of time before he asked, “Why not Snagger?”
Druckner shrugged and returned to his work again, but this time he didn’t bother to stop when he spoke, “We each had lives afore the company. It is up to each one of ‘em to share their tale when ready.”
“What did you do before the company?” Kre asked, feeling like this was the right moment to ask.
Druckner stopped his work and shook his head. “Time ain’t right for that one. I am neither ready to share nor are you ready for the tale.” He waved the pestle at Kre and added, “I cannot leave you with just that though, so I’ll be offerin’ this for now. Life for those who are not Tehynshin is not easy. Not since your folk first stepped on this land.”
Kre nodded, “So I’ve been hearing more and more these days. I guess I never knew how bad things were for other folk. To be honest, I never even knew that your kind even existed prior to meeting you.”
“Aye,” Druckner replied. “The Ylveryan did much to protect the rest o’ us from you Tehynshins, ‘specially during the worst of it. Most of them came to resent us for not fighting side by side with ‘em, but we did what we could within the bounds o’ our beliefs.”