Uroboros Chapter 2 part 5

5

            Once Davis was dressed he buckled his gun belt about his waist. He checked the extra revolvers to see if they were loaded. They both were. He holstered one and cocked the other. He heard light footsteps approaching the room. The door creaked open and a short, fat man entered. He was carrying a tray of food and had a nervous little smile on his face. Davis leveled the barrel of his weapon at the man.

            “No-No, no need for that now.” The newcomer said raising the food tray defensively, as if it could protect him.  He hurried over to the table and set the tray down. The barrel of the revolver followed him.

            “Your name, Sir.” Davis said dryly. It hurt to speak and his voice came out horse and broken. The pain running through his body had not yet subsided. 

            “Er-Martin, Martin Chainsville.”  The fat man said. He gave a curt little bow as he spoke. His belly jiggled slightly as he did this. This man seemed nervous, but not scared. Davis lowered his weapon.

            “A Chainsville from Lock.”  Davis said with a trace of amusement in his voice.

            “Tell me Martin. Why am I here?”

            “I am a friend and I will gladly tell ye my story. Insomuch as it pertains to you.  But first, sir, I must insist that you eat.”

            Davis sat at the table of the man Martin and ate. Chainsville’s home was small but rather pleasant. There were only two bedrooms and a kitchen area. It wasn’t as warm in the kitchen as it had been in the bedroom. There were a few houseplants in pots tastefully arranged and the home was clean.

            Davis ate greedily. Martin had brought him a steak that was a little over cooked, a small loaf of wheat bread, some sort of leafy greens Davis didn’t recognize, and a pitcher of lemon water. He devoured the greens first. His body had been starved of any green food for months and his stomach growled fiercely when he first saw them. He then quickly cut up and ate his steak. Chasing each piece of meat with a bite of bread. After he was finished he drank down the entire pitcher of lemon water in one go. The citrusy drink was cool and refreshing. Martin sat drinking water and watching Davis patiently.

            The food was having what seemed to Davis to be an almost magical effect on him. The aches and pains that had been running throughout his entire body were now slowly dissipating. He could feel his strength returning to him. He felt better than he had in a long time.

            “There now, my master told me you’d be hungry when you woke.” Martin said with a little chuckle. Davis had relaxed a bit too. Whoever this man was, he sensed that he meant him no harm. If he had wanted to kill him, he had had many chances to do so.

`           “I have helped you at the request of my master. And my master has helped you at the request of the Wizard.” Martin said. He pulled out his pipe and tobacco and prepared himself a smoke. Davis would have liked a smoke himself, but he said nothing.

            “How has your master been in contact with him?’ Davis asked. Martin considered this for a moment. He lit his pipe and took a deep drag.

            “That I do not know.” He said finally. “But I had been given detail instructions. My master told me to wait by the old wasteland road for a man to come. There would be gunfire and fighting and when all was said and done I was to take the last man living and protect him from the guards. Which I have done.” He raised his hands at Davis as if to say there you go.

            Davis shook his head. The Wizard had known something would go wrong and had sent this fat little man to save him. He leaned back in his chair, a little disgusted with himself. The Wizard knew something would go wrong alright. He hadn’t even bothered to tell Davis how dangerous the sword he had been sent after was.

            Martin noticed the frown on Davis’s face. Davis just nodded and gestured for him to continue.

            “Well I did as I had been told and I went to you as soon as the fighting was over. And I must tell you sir; ye did not look to be well at all. In fact, as soon as loaded you onto my little wagon, I was sure you would bleed out right there. I collected as many of your things as I could and then brought you here to my home.”

            Davis leaned forward. “With the injuries I had sustained, I should be dead.”

 Chainsville nodded as if expecting this. He reached into his shirt pocket and brought out a small glass vial. In it was a small amount of glowing blue liquid. It seemed to be almost the same color as the Wizards eyes. But not quite.

“I had clear instructions on how to use this stuff too.” He shook the little vial. “When you were safely out of harm’s way I was to lay you flat and pour half of this potion into your mouth.  The reaction was rather strange at first. I thought I had killed you. Your breathing seemed to stop. Your heartbeat stopped. I was rather worried. but by the very next day when I was cleaning your cloths, I could see that your wounds were healing at an astounding rate.”

Davis brought his hand up to his shoulder and rubbed the place he had been stabbed by the broken sword. There was nothing there. No lines or scars.

“So I just let you be for a while and all the time I saw your wounds fading. Not healing mind you, but actually fading.” Martin tapped out the remains of his pipe into a small clay ashtray. He then stood and collected the dishes and tray from the table and took them to the counter.

“I had been told that if you did not wake up after a month I was to give you the other half of the potion and-“

“A month!?” Davis said as he stood up and faced Martin. Davis was at least two heads taller than his host. Martin’s nervous expression returned. “How long exactly have I been asleep?”

Martin cleared his throat and started rubbing his chubby little hands together. “Um- I’d say about three weeks.”

This made Davis’s head hurt. He had been sleeping for three weeks? Maybe more. This idea almost made him feel sick.

Sensing Davis’s unhappiness, Martin continued.

“For my services I was to be paid twelve gold pieces. Not a bad deal at all if I do say so.”

Davis let out a sigh and went to the window.  He looked out onto the bright sunlit streets of Lock.

“So this potion was also a gift from the Wizard.”  Davis asked.

“Why no dear sir.” Martin said with a little nervous laugh. Davis was a little surprised.

“The potion was made my master, Lord Dameer Skrog Khurram. “

Now this did surprise him. That was a name used by the green folken. Not exclusively, but it was a pretty safe bet.

“My master is a Goblin and an alchemist of some renown.” Martin said with a touch of pride. “And I think it is time for us to go and meet my master.”