4.2 Footway Robbery - Veggietales

[Interovegas]

Divergence from 4. Footway Robbery - Waelass

[26.2.343]

Judy asks the gate guard for the direction of the market. They give her the directions she asked for but add that the market will be closing for the day soon. Judy thanks the guards and dashes off with Henry to the third ring of Waelass (the next ring over). As she rushes to the market she estimates by two and three storied buildings all around that the city must be able to hold up to eight thousand souls. Street torches are being extinguished one by one as Judy arrives to the market.

The place is a large circle of wagons and vendor booths. Like the streets of the fourth and third circles the area is sparsely populated. Judy walks about and sees most of the vendors are peddling old vegetables or the less appetizing edible viscera of cattle slugs and pecking worms. A man in simple beige-brown split longvest, dark trousers and strapless sandals calls for Judy's attention.

Meat Vendor-[Imperial]: "Waah! Good lady, thou do not look downtrodden nor defeated. I dare gander thy home is elsewhere? I mean no insult. If thou art unfamiliar with Waelass thou shouldst purchase fine local meats to reward thyself after long travels."

[Xenoe]

Judy-[Imperial]: "Defeated? What perhaps do ye mean?"

She drops the meat vendor a coin.

Judy-[Imperial]: "I'll take as much of yer most presentable meat as that'll buy, but please do tell, good man, I am very curious as to what has transpired here. I've heard that Waelass was a small but spirited city, and yet from what I've seen, everyone seems a bit down..."

[Interovegas]

The Meat Vendor deposits the offered coin in his bag. He begins carefully studying the different slices of meat hung on his rack. He answers Judy as he bundles the scraps together with coord.

Meat Vendor-[Imperial]: "Thou return art on sacred pilgrimage then are thee? Alas, Waelass hath lost its independence to the plainsdwellers. We were steadfast against siege for twenty days. The walls held tight. However our weak willed and opportunistic lords had a different mind. The Queen, valorous be her memory, was none the wiser to her courts schemes. Now she wallows in the dungeons if they haven't beat her to death already. The plainsdwellers demanded the greater share of the grain to feed their filthy soldiers. Thou be fortunate to have coin enough to afford sustenance in these days."

The Meat Vendor hands over enough meat to feed a person for two days, a bit light for an entire coin.

[Xenoe]

Judy accepts the parcel and shakes her head.

Judy: "Freedom's like the sun, everyone takes it for granted, until ye lose it, and I suppose there are those misers who say they don't need it. My good man, would ye be as kind as to recommend a merchant for lodgings? It's getting late, and it'd be a terrible thing to sleep on the streets."

[Interovegas]

Meat Vendor-[Imperial]: "A danger as well."

The meat vendor looks around for eavesdroppers. After confirming no one else is party to the conversation he continues.

Meat Vendor-[Imperial]: "Some of the elderly and the young 'ave been vanishing in the nights since those filthy plainsdwellers claimed the city. The word is there be that a nasty thing snuck in past the few guard left to hold the city. Indeed 'tis strange the traitorous Kinsgrumur refuses plainsdweller soldiers assist in anything save the safety of his fellow nobles. The greater share of the soldiers are made to camp beyond the walls. As for the beast, I am of the mind that it lurks in the sewers and old catacombs beneath us. It must come out to hunt when the guards are too tired to be bothered with the well being of us lowborn folk. Nay, come with me an' for another coin I will permit thee use o' my brother's home in the outer ring for thy cycles here."

[Xenoe]

Judy nods and hands the man another coin.

Judy: "I thank ye for yer troubles."

Judy remembers to carefully observe along the way the nearby landmarks and pecularities.

[Interovegas]

The vendor looks around one last time for any customers before locking up his cart. He gathers up the last stray scraps of meat available to take back with him. Judy follows behind. She keeps up with the vendor's idle chatter via a series of "hmm"s and "yes yes"s. All the while she is focused on studying her surroundings. There are scant signs of destruction befitting a city invasion. No burn marks from flaming arrows nor broken doors or piled wooden ramparts. Either the city had been restored to it's original condition quickly or it had not suffered much from the siege and invasion to begin with. However, a few homes are so fully defended that boards have been slid into the windows.

Henry is visibly uncomfortable. The lingering smell bothers him. His sharp canine senses pinpoint the source of the strange odor (nearly impercetible to humans in the third ring) to the sewer drain openings in the sides of the road.

The vendor and Judy arrive at a respectably wide one floor home in the fourth ring.

Meat vendor-[Imperial]: "Take care ta keep it in good repair. I also advise thee not to linger in the streets during the night. Whatever lurks about the city streets hath yet to be seen. So we believe it rises from its place of hiding in the nights. Perhaps take to the bed early."

With that the vendor gives a nod and begins leaving.

[Xenoe]

Judy takes a bit to fortify the windows, doors, and ground floor walls with smoke matter, before heading back towards the rendezvous point in the market square to wait for Finch and co.

[Interovegas]

As Judy makes way for the market she can't shake the feeling she is being watched. Henry's nervous attitude feeds Judy's feeling. Neither pinpoint where the source of the feeling is coming from.

[Divergence Ended]

[Return to 4. Footway Robbery-Waelass]