Chapter Text
In all honesty, it was not Kremy’s fault that his cane broke. Yes, okay, it had been his fault for placing it down behind him when a fight broke out. And yes, it was technically his fault for not watching his step and remembering his treasured cane was behind him. But that had nothing to do with any of it! As a matter of fact, Kremy didn’t step backwards, he was pushed. So technically, it’s the angry half-elf who had decided to start a fight’s fault. Not Kremy’s!
The point of blame didn’t matter, though. The half-elf had been dealt with, and now Kremy stood looking down at the two fractured pieces of his cane. The yew wooden cane had been his to use for years now. It was something he had grown rather fond of, as simple as the spiral carving design was.
Kremy let out a sigh. It was looking like he would have to manage without a cane for now.
Using a cane wasn’t exactly a necessity. Kremy could manage without it, as he had for years before acquiring the thing. He didn’t walk with a limp or anything of the sort, but the cane served more purpose than simple decoration. It helped him to walk, making those longer treks of travel easier and far more manageable. So while going without one for however long wouldn’t necessarily be easy, it would be doable.
The heavy steps approaching caught Kremy’s attention, and the warlock turned to see Gideon, the genasi’s head tilting to the side ever so slightly in what Kremy had learned to know as concern.
“You hurt?” Gideon asked, only to catch sight of the broken cane in the Lizardfolk’s hands. “Ah shit, did that just happen?”
Kremy nodded. “Sure did.” A pause. “I mean, it was an older cane and all; they can’t last too long, can they? Maybe it was about time.” His voice wasn’t certain, as much as he tried to make it so. There was a hint of sadness to his tone, too, a feeling that reminded Kremy not to get emotionally attached to anything.
A frown crossed Gideon’s face, and there was a moment where the genasi simply looked at Kremy, before speaking. “Well, shit, I’m sorry.” Kremy made a protest against the apology, but Gideon continued on. “Maybe the next town we get to will have something similar? Ya think you can manage to get to the town? I can carry you.” Gideon grinned, attempting a joke.
“No need, Gid. I can manage. If we find something, we find something.”
They did not find anything. Not at the next town, nor the one after that.
The more the pair walked, the more difficult it got for Kremy. They took breaks, sure, a night here and there, but most of their travel was made with the goal of getting to Alryne, a larger trading town along the route. Not only was it physically becoming more and more of a challenge, Kremy noticed more of a change in his magic as well. The whispers and the presence that Kremy always felt around him felt muted, quieted. It bothered him, feeling the presence of his power, of the Baron’s power, softened. His magic was still there, Kremy still had access to it, yet it felt like his grip was loosened.
Each time Gideon would ask whether Kremy was doing alright– maybe when the warlock would start to fall behind, or when he’d ask for a suspiciously close group of breaks– Kremy insisted that he was doing just fine. The lizardfolk had a feeling that he wasn’t convincing Gideon. The genasi’s concern was… comforting, Kremy had to admit that. But a part of him also didn’t want for Gideon to be spending time worrying about how the Warlock was doing. Kremy believed there were other, more important things that Gideon could be focusing on.
Weeks passed and eventually, just over a month into traveling, the pair arrived in Alryne. The town of Alryne was a busy one, it was well populated, and the streets as Gideon and Kremy approached were bustling and busy. Markets lined many of the streets and there came to be quite a few choices for which inn to stay at. With the evening drawing in, the Genasi and Lizardfolk made their decision on which inn and tavern to stay at.
Getting a room was no issue. Kremy, per usual, did most of the talking, as Gideon took a look around. They reunited, Kremy with the key to their room, and Gideon with knowing where the bar was. The Genasi led the way back to the bar, finding two empty seats in the relatively busy tavern.
The barkeep came up to them after a few moments, collecting their drink orders before going off to attend to the other guests. Kremy let out a sigh, letting his shoulders drop as he sat down. Gideon was next to him, and Kremy could feel the heat radiating from the Genasi at his side. The heat felt comforting, it always did. Even in the hot months, Kremy could find comfort in the warmth.
People in the tavern spoke loudly, some as a result of intoxication, others to keep their conversations heard over the growing volume. Kremy took a look around at the people sharing the tavern space. The space seemed diverse. Humans and half-elfs took up a good percentage, though Kremy could easily spot other species. There was a table of dwarves in the corner. One particularly loud tiefling seemed to be caught up in singing a song looped either on purpose or from forgetting a following verse. The barkeep herself was a very beautiful half-orc.
“Here are your drinks,” the barmaid spoke, approaching the pair and sliding two glasses over to them.
Kremy watched Gideon’s face light up in a familiar way, a way that Kremy always wished Gideon would look at him with. “Thank you, darlin’.” The fighter said, taking a sip of his drink and winking.
The alligatorfolk rolled his eyes, huffing quietly as the bartender walked away.
“Can’t say I’ve seen you two around before.”
Kremy turned his head slightly to find who was talking, an older looking human male with gruff features and a scar running from his scalp down to his jaw. Kremy shrugged his shoulders. “We’re just passing through, thought we’d stop and rest for a few days here.” Out of the corner of his eyes, Kremy saw Gideon looking over, face more serious than it had been when talking with the bartender. No matter how… involved the Genasi got with his flirting, he almost always dropped everything to return to his job of a bodyguard.
“Right,” the human said, narrowing his eyes for a moment. “Well, visitors, I’m Cynn Noire, you cross anyone in this town, you cross me, and you really, sure as hell don’t want to cross me.”
The lights around them in the tavern seemed to dim significantly. And that wasn’t Kremy’s doing. Which meant… shit.
The alligatorfolk glanced to his side at Gideon before extending out a hand. “Whattado, the name’s Kremy Lecroux, and I can promise ya that my friend here and I wouldn’t dare cross anyone.” In truth, the threat from Noire just made Kremy want to go all out on the cons pulled in this town.
Cynn Noire eyed the pair, before he smiled. The smile seemed only partially genuinely, if at all. “Welcome Kremy Lecroux and.. friend. Enjoy your stay.” The man stood up from his chair at the bar, grabbing his cane swiftly and using it to stand up tall, taller than Kremy. As he walked past Kremy, Noire leaned in close. “I’ll be watching you, alligator.”
Gideon watched the man leave before turning back to Kremy with a dramatic shudder. “Creepy.” A pause as Gideon took in Kremy’s expression. “Tell me we’re going to fuck him up.”
“We will.”