Kre nodded, wondering if this was as much as he’d be getting. ‘Maybe Beleg will have a plan that he can share.’ He looked around for the large man but couldn’t see him in the immediate area.
“Need I?” Dain threatened, holding a small wad of paper in between his fingers. Kre assumed that he was holding the component for another flare and quickly shook his head.
“No, sir,” he said quickly. “I’m paying attention.”
Dain nodded and the wad disappeared somewhere into the man’s hands as he twirled his fingers deftly. “Now then, Beleg is my man-at-arms. Many arcanists have them as they travel about, especially in these areas. He suits the part perfectly and the role requires him to speak very little, which probably pleases him to no end.
“You, on the other hand,” Dain continued, looking Kre up and down critically, “pose a slightly different problem. You are not passable as a guard but you’re not quite apprentice material either. We might pass for relations, but that brings up issues if something happens to separate us and we provide different answers for what should be a similar life as a family.”
He tapped his chin with his long finger and pursed his lips. “I think, you’ll be pretty much what you are. A stray that the Beleg picked up out of pity and have found a use for as a groom and overall footman. I reluctantly agreed and here you are.”
“Ouch,” Kre said, wincing. It was pretty much true though and there was no denying it. The company did take him in out of a sense of pity for his situation, but he hoped that he was earning his place regardless. This operation would be a big step forward in that vein if he managed not to mess it up.
“Avoid talking about your past. The worst thing you can do in a place like Yahaestra is to reveal too much for free. Everything in this place has a price and best you mark that well. Keep your mouth shut as much as you can and don’t look anyone in the eyes. Try to be insignificant and hopefully folks will just leave you be.”
Kre nodded, accepting the advice and hoping that he could abide by it all.
“Bodyguard?” came a deep, rumbling voice from behind the two of them. Beleg had ridden up and Kre hoped that his presence might result in the three of them getting a more concrete plan together.
Dain simply nodded and Beleg nudged his horse back to where he had previously been. Apparently, the nonverbal acknowledgement of his one-word question was more than enough to tell Beleg what his role would be and what he needed to do. ‘How easy this company makes the adventuring life seem,’ Kre mused to himself. ‘What sort of life must it be if this is just another day at work.’
A light, but still surprising smack to the back of his head brought him swiftly back to the here and now. “Apologies, but one last thing to note is that we’ll have to playact a bit with the physical abuse. Beleg and I cannot be seen as nice employers if we wish to gain the attention of those we need to deal with. We’ll try to pull our hits such that they’ll be no harder than that one, but it will be important that you react as if it were worse.”