Snippet #1973823

Despite his foolish questions, the reaction of the man did not seem to be that of suspicion; perhaps only slight confusion. Karad made a mental note - he would have to practice on speech as well. What did humans actually talk about at times like these? How did they properly greet each other? What were their customs regarding those things and... Ahh, how he hated this. This ridiculous ruse he had to play, pretend he was someone he was not, be stuck in this fleshy, soft form who he had no idea if a sword would not be able to simply slice in half.

Then it hit him. Now that soft skin covered him, was that enough to defend against the blow of a sword? No, of course it wasn't. That's why civilisations invented those weapons; to kill others. So he certainly wasn't safe if this man suddenly decided he would like a trophy of the kid's arm on his cart... But such thoughts were merely diverting him from the task at hand. There would be time to think about these problems later; right now he had to concentrate, play the part, interact with this person and make him believe that--hold on. He was travelling to Ridgeway? Where the king is?

Narrowing his eyes, the boy eyed the human, trying to discern whether there were any lies in his sentences. Really, that was a silly thought in itself as there was little reason why lies would be required right now. But Ridgeway was definitely the name of the capital Karad had heard before, when he was trying to gather information... He could scarcely believe his luck - the first person he came across was going right where he himself wanted to go. With any luck, he would be able to tempt him into getting him to help him get there and teach him... Teach him how to blend in with the surrounding populace. What a strange proposition that would be; he'd have to word it carefully but, in the end, there would be no other way but to give away his intentions. It would simply be too obvious. But, when that time arrives, he would need to have a good enough temptation ready for the man, whatever that may be.

"Errr, yes. Of course," he replied, stepping closer to the cart. Looking at the contraption, it was easy to see what the problem was. The darn thing was stuck in a tree and made quite a dent in its trunk. Getting it out would be no small feat, he was sure of that. Simply standing there, Karad quickly caught on what the man was doing; trying to push the cart back, so he decided to do the same on the other side. The ground beneath their feet was soft and wet, giving way to their weight, which made the task all the more difficult. It didn't help, either, that Karad was much weaker than it looked. Although appearing to a healthy kid in his twenties, unbeknownst to others, his physical strength was below par. Not only that but he was also somewhat clumsy, it seemed, or just not used to labour. Secretly glancing at the man, he did the same and put his hands on the cart, then attempted pushing it backwards.

The wet ground did its job, however, and the man he was trying to help slipped, fell down and kicked one of the horses in the process. All their effort was in vain at first, since the cart was far too heavy for them to move. But, the side effect of the kick was that the animal neighed angrily, reared its head and forcefully moved back, pushing the cart and the pole out of the tree along.

The sudden movement of the entire thing spooked Karad and he jumped out of the horses' way. Clasping his hands together, he got rid of the dirt that had gathered upon them; not that it mattered, really, because his clothes were in much worse condition. "There. I have helped you," the boy said, stating the obvious. He almost wanted to explain how, after gloriously allowing the man to bask in his presence and even receive his aid, it was now his turn to repay him. But he didn't; it would be too suspicious, too strange. He didn't even know whether this person would get him anywhere or would be willing to help him! Still, every person could be broken by the promise of riches, he was certain of it...

"Since you are going to Red--" Karad paused, thinking of the city's name again. "To Ridgeway, may I uhh... Join you?" It felt ridiculous asking the man for permission. Usually he simply took what he wanted but now... Now, he had to play it patiently. There were a thousand questions gathering in his mind, a lot of them regarding the king he had mentioned, but one thought had quickly taken over. The human customs! He was supposed to tell this man his name!

"Karad." Pausing, he realised this was not enough. "Er, my name is Karad."