As soon as they were within the bounds of the city, Astrid's minders split off without a goodbye. She wanted to say something, do something, but… she was alone. The few delvers nearby nodded at her but kept their distance. Her excitement about being a quarter of the way to level 2 was pushed back. These people had heard that she attacked her party member. They might commiserate with her, they might hate Tobias, but they would, at best, fear her. This wasn't going to be a community for her, not any time soon. Even if she ended up growing and progressing like Grom wanted her to, this might be a pall that hung over her for her whole life.
Shaking her head, Astrid instead thought about her goal—to be one of the people powerful enough to serve the Bulwark of Humanity and protect her people from the various twisted forms of people that filled the land. She didn't need friends for that!
Sure. Though she tried to convince herself, Astrid knew it was flimsy at best, and she was already lonely. Lonely enough to almost throw herself at the first man to talk to her and treat her like a person. Instead of staying among the delvers and feeling worse about herself, Astrid instead turned her attention to the little town that surrounded the inn. She'd spent the entirety of her time since she'd arrived surrounded by delvers and whoever else was in the Guild's inn. Now, she'd go out and see the rest of the town. Even if the delvers didn't want to be around her, there were sure to be some people she could at least talk to around here.
Decision made, Astrid decided to find whatever Armorsmith the delvers relied on, as well as a Grocer or Merchant that could give her supplies for any time she decided to go on a long trip. After all, she wasn't so sure if she'd end up trusting anyone else on a mission to go back to Stalstadt after Mariusz. Well, that didn't matter as much, did it? Once she journeyed back there, she'd be a couple levels higher, and even as she was, still level 1, she wouldn't have had as much trouble with those wargs as just a couple days ago.
Regardless of what she ended up doing moving forward, Astrid looked at the quaint little town she would call home for months to come. There were three storefronts she could see, one with an anvil sign hanging in front of it, another with "Grocery" written above the front door, and the third without a sign she could see. A mystery to investigate, then!
The smith was first, and when Astrid poked her head in the front door, she was greeted from the other side of the building by a swarthy woman wearing a thick leather apron.
"Hello!" The woman almost shouted. "I'll be with you in a second!"
While Astrid watched, the woman turned back to her forge. The heat almost seemed to crisp Astrid's face, and she repeatedly blinked as she tried to acclimate herself to the space. There was a simple counter that divided the front of the shop from the smithy, and the woman seemed to work alone. In the forge was a piece of metal Astrid couldn't quite make out, but the Smith worked the forge's bellows for a moment, making the fire roar louder and hotter. Then, she shoveled three loads of coal from nearby into the mouth of the forge. As the coal caught fire, she nodded approvingly at the flames and turned her attention back to Astrid.
"What can I do you for?" She grinned widely. The woman almost looked like she could be Brighid's sister. Tall, broad shouldered, with fine nearly black hair. "I'm Moira Smith."
"My name is Astrid Warrior." She nodded back at the Smith. "I don't need help right now, but I can guarantee that I'll need help from you before too long, so I wanted to have some sort of a relationship before I come in here asking you to work on my things."
"Well, pleasure to meet you!" Moira nodded happily. "I'm just working on a new scythe for one of the farmers outside of town. He's got a new son-in-law, and they're—you don't care about that, do you? I'm just happy you swung by. Pretty fine armor you've got on there. You sure you want a random village Smith like me to work on it?"
"You'll do a lot better than I can in repairing it if there's any damage." Astrid shrugged with a smile. "I only use a hammer for breaking things, not fixing."
"If that's the case, my friend, then I'll make sure I do the fixin'!" Moira chuckled but without warning turned around to tend to the forge. She leaned uncomfortably close to the fire, then, with only a glove protecting herself, she used a set of tongs to pull the blade from the flame and dunk it in a nearby barrel of water. Steam exploded and hissed as the Smith continued moving the blade and it cooled.
"Now, if there's nothing you need me for right now, I'm probably not the best of company. Just working."
"No problem." Astrid nodded "I'll let you know when I need your help."
Moira nodded and waved one hand as Astrid walked out. As she walked to the next store, she smiled. All the stories she'd heard about people from small little villages like this had made them out to be insufferable and hateful. Instead, though, Moira was so pleasant. Still grinning, Astrid poked her head in the grocer's. Her good mood was immediately soured by a terrified screech. The initial reaction was to look for whatever was terrifying the screaming person, but Astrid understood the words and fought to keep a civil smile on her face.
"Barbarian! Help! The Hordes are here!"
The spindly man in front of her shook in spasming horror. His eyes rolled wildly, and Astrid forced herself to find some solace in the fact that he hadn't managed to knock himself unconscious in his fear.
"I'm not a Barba—"
"Ahhhh Help!"
"My name is Astrid—"
"She's going to kill me!"
"I'm not going to—"
"Please I'm gonna die!"
Astrid raised both hands and stepped back outside of the store and, knowing more or less what was about to happen, sat on the ground with a heavy sigh after taking her shield off her back and leaning it against the wall next to her. There were plenty of other things she could do to avoid dealing with this moron's actions, but she figured that sticking around and not acting like a thief in the night would help. Fortunately, it wasn't long until the screaming man's pleas were answered. A group of three men, armed with pitchforks and a club, stormed forward.
"Surrender, Barbarian!" Screamed one, the one holding a club.
"Sure." Astrid grumbled, holding her hands up. "Can you send a message so that Grom comes to make sure I don't escape or anything? I'm sure he's much stronger than me and can make sure I get tried according to your laws."
"She… she's submitting to us." One of the villagers seemed unsure of how to react. She raised her eyebrows and tried her hardest not to lose her cool.
"Yup." Astrid grated out. "Now, send someone for the delvers? I'm a Barbarian, so I need the strongest guy you've got to make sure I can't do anything."
One of the men rushed off without thinking, shouting for Grom to come help. Another kept his eyes on Astrid, pitchfork at the ready. The third… seemed to be the only one capable of critical thought.
"You… know Grom?" He asked, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Yes. Yes I do."
"Show me your ears." He demanded, though his tone wasn't quite as threatening as it had been. Astrid sighed, her ears already fully visible, given that her hair was pulled back in a braid, but she obliged, turning to each side to show that they weren't pointed.
"Um… Bralgh."
"What?"
"I don't think she's a Barbarian. She's just… tall. And foreign."
Bralgh's face initially couldn't possibly believe him, but as he looked at Astrid, her face as polite as she could manage, he seemed to put two and two together.
"Awwww… Good Duchess above. May the Great One give us greater Acumen. I'm sorry."
"Are you a delver? And, I'm sorry, what's your name?" The smart man asked.
"Yes." Astrid replied, nodding easily. "When Grom gets here, he can vouch for me. I figured he'd be the best guy to ask, and he'd know pretty quick how to get you all to calm down. And my name's Astrid."
"Then, I apologize, delver Astrid." The intelligent man was the first to speak. "I was wrong. We were wrong and shouldn't have listened to Percival. He's always been prone to… instability."
"I never would have guessed." Astrid replied, looking behind herself to see if "Percival" was within earshot. He was not.
"So, if it's alright with you, Astrid, could we have you wait here for another minute or so before Grom or someone else trusted gets here? That way we can make sure that Percival… well, doesn't do this again."
"Sure." Astrid fought to keep her face unbothered. It was a struggle, and became much more difficult when Tobias came rushing ahead of the man that'd gone running for help.
"Oh, it's a Barbarian!" The piggy Healer squealed as he ran forward and pointed his finger close to her face. "Beware, she'll attack you for your words! Quick, we can't let a Barbarian continue to live!"
The previously unconcerned men wrapped their hands more firmly around the handles of their pitchforks as someone they knew obviously hated her. As the runner caught up with Tobias, the Healer started to shout something about her needing to die.
"You heard him!" The one who'd run for help said. "She can't be left alive!"
"Probably a bad choice." Astrid said with a shrug, forcing a laconic smile. "I'm still in all my armor, with my weapon on my hip and shield right there. If I am a Barbarian, I'll probably kill you all and eat your hearts in front of your families. Why don't you leave it to the big strong delvers over here? And, while you do, maybe think about why the Healer is confident coming up and getting close to me when he thinks I'm a dangerous Barbarian."
Raising her eyebrows, Astrid turned her attention from the mostly innocent townsfolk and leveled her gaze at Tobias.
"I've been sitting here this whole time. These people can attest to that. You came here, got in my face, and tried to instigate them to murder me in daylight. I wonder how Grom's gonna react to this, when you've already got marks against you."
Tobias flushed more purple than red in his rage. Then, unthinking of the consequences, the Healer spat in her face. The scarlet fury rose in Astrid's chest, tinting her vision. She roared and surged to her feet. Even so, she didn't draw her weapon. Instead, she contained herself to merely grabbing the pissant by his hair and bodily lifting him into the air by it. As he squealed, she turned him around and put him back on the ground, shoulder burning. With his face firmly turned away from her, she looked at the men who stood nearby with terrified eyes and shaking knees.
"You all saw him spit in my face. I've turned him so that he no longer can do so. Now, if Grom isn't already on his way… one of you better damned well go and get the man!"
The first, the fool that'd run initially, turned to run, his eyes wild and panicked. Grom suddenly appeared behind him and put a calming hand on the man's shoulder. Astrid could see something about how he'd shown up, but as soon as the Guild's representative was near, she pushed Tobias away as hard as she could, sending him sprawling on the ground.
"Astrid." Grom greeted, his tone serious but something amused in his eyes as he gently put a foot on Tobias's back. As the healer squawked, both Astrid and Grom ignored him.
"Grom." She nodded. "Glad you could make it."
"Sure thing." He replied. "Now, I hear we have a Barbarian in town, but I'm not seeing one. Have you, Astrid?"
"Nope. Just one moron and a couple people willing to listen to him. Then that disobedient prig under your feet, but I'm sure you can guess why he decided to show his ugly face."
"I do think I can guess that." Grom nodded as he stepped a little more heavily onto Tobias. "Now, do you have anything meaningful to say for yourself, or are you just gonna continue to make excuses?"
"I wasn't trying to—"
"Excuses it is. Look." Grom said especially loudly to make sure Percival inside heard him. "Astrid is a delver. She's got a lot of potential, and I'm not about to let you disappointments get in the way of that. This idiot under my feet," Grom ground his foot down again and Tobias groaned in breathless pain, "is a liar, and is going to spend the next month at your disposal healing whatever and whoever you want for no payment whatsoever. If I hear about him even asking for payment, he's going to be heavily reprimanded. Does that make sense to you?"
"And he'll heal my feet?" Percival asked as he poked his head out of the store. He pointedly avoided looking at Astrid.
"Yes." Grom replied. "Without payment or too much complaint. I've seen your toes, and they deserve some moaning. However, you'll be last in line, because you're the damned fool who's responsible for this all. Next time, use your eyes, it's not a hard thing to do. I know there's not a whole lot you've got between your ears except fear, but try to see if you can come up with something else."
Astrid grinned as she listened to Grom rip into the men. She didn't say anything, though, and went to stand beside Grom.
"What were you doing?" He asked.
"I just met Moira, and was looking to check out the other stores in town. Figured getting to know the Grocer would help me out on delves and travels whenever necessary. Still haven't checked out the third store, but I'm not sure if I want to at this point. Might just be better to go get some rest."
"That'd probably help, to meet people not fully hidden in armor, covered in the blood of monsters, and stained with sweat. You know, just food for thought."
The gentle chastisement in his voice made Astrid actually look at herself. Though Percival had obviously overreacted… it hadn't been by too much. She did look like a raider coming to steal their valuables. With that in mind, she poked her head into Percival's store for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking when I came looking like this. Next time you see my face, I'll have taken the steps necessary to look like a normal person, not a dangerous invader."
"I… would appreciate that." Percival nodded once, and Astrid made sure she nodded without making a face. Then, with a quick wave at the three men that'd intended to try to hold her prisoner, she strode past. Bralgh's voice was just loud enough for her to hear.
"How tall is she? That's ridiculous!"
"I'm about 215, last I checked." Astrid shrugged. "Probably close to 230 with my armor, helmet, and greaves on."
She didn't engage any further as Grom stepped off Tobias and let him struggle to his feet. Then, grabbing the Healer by the arm, Grom continued on his way while waving back at the confused villagers.
"Tobias." Grom hissed under his breath while keeping a firm grip on Tobias's arm. "Don't say a damn word. Not a single one. I don't want to hear it, and if you speak, I can guarantee that I'll do a whole lot worse to you than just giving you experience for free for a month. Let me remind you, you're already in violation of coming close to Astrid. As such, you'll be paying a fine of one silver."
Blessedly, Tobias didn't speak, and walked in simple surly silence. His face, though, was twisted up in very real rage, and Astrid revelled in the silence and the fool's frustration. As they got closer to the inn, Grom pushed Tobias forward and hissed, "Wait outside my office. Don't speak with anyone. Wait for me to give you instructions."
As the Healer stalked off, Grom sighed.
"Look." He said as they stopped a little ways away from the inn. "I recognize you're not in an ideal situation, so far as friendships. Maybe don't make it worse by tromping through the town with all your armor on, ok?"
"Yes, sir."
"And this. I appreciate you being willing to come to me to get this resolved. Better that way. But don't get yourself in these situations. That's the right way to keep getting stronger and better. Instead of being smart about it, you're making stupid decisions. Most people are afforded those opportunities, but you have to be better. You've gotten a real crappy hand. It's been stacked against you, and you're generally dealing with it admirably. But I need you to put some real thought into what you do and say every day. Because if you don't, I don't know what you'll be able to do long term. You'll be stuck, accidentally offending people everywhere you go."
"Yes. Sir." Astrid's response was quiet, but Grom just sighed.
"Good. I'll check on you later."
He strode off, and Astrid slowly walked to the washroom, where she could clean the filth of the day from her body, and attempt to get her mind focused on the days, weeks, and months ahead.
***
Six days later.
Astrid raised her shield and smashed her hammer into the warg's jaw, knocking it flat. Without looking twice, she crushed its jaw with her shield as she turned her hammer onto another warg. As the second died as well, Astrid let out a victorious cry while the Great One descended on her.
Total Level: 1 (997/1,000) => 2 (9/2,000)