章 20: Curvents, Sou Uspune Fur
The main road went from dirt to brick and seemed to go straight through the town with a wide bridge that crossed the stream that split the settlement. The people that lived in the central town seemed to have slightly nicer clothing which flowed with natural but vibrant color. More heads turned to Kevin and Jessica as they passed into what looked like a shopping square. People of all kinds were shopping at the various stalls which Kevin and Jessica observed.
A large carriage being pulled by what looked like two horses with the horns of a bull of came to a stop. Jessica and Kevin were more intrigued by the man who held the reins then the unusual animal that pulled the vehicle. From the shoulders down, the carriage driver was human however he had the head of a gray timber wolf. Kevin recognized the creature as a cynocephali as his dog head did not appear to be a mask but was his real head. The cynocephali man was wearing much nicer clothing than the locals and his eyes were also looking Kevin and Jessica up and down. The dog-man had an intrigued look on his face and what passed as the smile of a salesman who had found new customers. He could tell a wealthy traveler when he saw one.
"Curvents, sou uspune fur." The dog-man stated as he pulled the reins of his steed. "Dage eebsiblered yorned Afratt thri twa bligrurlts. Taped a snor spigror? Cena Topia dage bid, dooned vur dooned nearng Tintagel vi. Dage think twa bid crear?"
Kevin and Jessica looked at each other then back at the kindly looking though fairly odd salesman.
"We can't understand you, sorry?" Kevin stated.
The cynocephali man's ears twitched when he realized they spoke an unfamiliar language. He then turned to a bag at his side and rummaged around for something.
"Ha, dage yorned neengs swoibed plane." The unusual dog-man said while making a wait gesture with his hand. "Whooved prep so ow."
The dog-man took out a small accessory box and opened it revealing an expensive looking golden necklace with a single green emerald stone. He unclasped the necklace and put it on then cleared his throat.
"Hello, my name is Cena O'Hier Topia, I am a merchant from Tintagel." Cena stated with refined grace. "You two seem lost."
Kevin and Jessica were taken back by Cena's sudden ability to speak Omni-Tongue. Even more, he had a slight British accent. Cena dismounted from his carriage and reached out his hand for Kevin to shake which he did. Cena then turned to Jessica and performed a slight bow.
"My name is Kevin and this is Jessica."
"Uh… hello," Jessica said. "You speak Omni-Tongue?"
"No… no I only speak Onsus." The man chuckled. "This item is a babble stone." He lifted the green emerald off of his shirt so Jessica could get a better look. "It allows me to be able to communicate with people from all over. I own the Dog Head Inn at Tintagel so I get all types."
"Dog Head…" Jessica said as her voice trailed off as she looked at Cena's canine ears.
"Yes, the name comes from exactly what you think it does. I am a cynocephali and the Dog Head Inn has been in the family for several generations now." Cena said amused. "I am surprised an elf traveled all the way out here from the Imperium. So, I guess you could say I am just as surprised to see one of your kind as you are of seeing me. Not speaking Onsus must have made it really difficult for you. Babble stones are pretty common in larger trade cities, here not so much. I actually have a few of them in stock though. I happen to carry them with me in case of a peculiar situation like this one."
"You're selling these stones?" Kevin asked intrigued.
In Deicide there wasn't an item that allowed for translation between languages. In fact there was only one language anyone spoke in the game because everyone spoke only one language. After Ultron united the world they implemented sweeping changes to the status quo. One of those changes was the implementation of Omni-Tongue which replaced every language across the globe. Kevin and Jessica had only ever read about a time in Earth's history when people spoke different languages and thought it must have been a headache to travel.
"Normally, I sell drinks for people at my inn but I just so happen to be out shopping for supplies." Cena responded. "However, one should never miss an opportunity to make a good first impression. Obviously you two are from out of town and equipped rather impressively, Argonauts I presume."
Kevin and Jessica looked at each other, impressive is not what they would call their current outfits. To them their equipment looked basic mid to low tier. Then there was the mention of argonauts, they didn't know what it meant and they definitely didn't want to be confused with some regional power.
"No, we are just travelers." Jessica stated.
"I see, well, I don't mean to pry." Cena said, giving Kevin and Jessica another look over. "Well traveling will be difficult if you can't understand the language. How about I show you the babbling stones? I have green and blue and I assure you they are reasonably priced."
Kevin and Jessica followed Cena as he took them to the side of the carriage. They were intrigued as to what he had to show them given the fact that he was the only one that they could communicate with. There was a door with a few steps on the side of the carriage that Cena quickly opened and rushed inside. The sound of him moving boxes and clearing a way inside reverberated outside.
Kevin and Jessica waited at the door for Cena to return. They curiously tried to peek inside while the noise only seemed to intensify. Suddenly the door flung open with Cena obviously out of breath but trying to hide his panting.
"Please, come--come." Cena stated, while gesturing with his hand to enter.
"Are we doing this," Jessica said to Kevin through the guild chat so only he could hear her.
"It is a good opportunity to get some answers. Besides, he does seem to be pretty excited to see an elf. I guess you're a hot commodity here." Kevin responded in the guild chat. "He's a merchant and he can understand us. We should try to get some information about where we are and how money works here."
"We will have to put on a little show then. Hopefully he thinks elves are as special as you say." Jessica continued in the guild chat.
"I will follow your lead." Kevin responded.
"True," Jessica stated out loud this time as she turned to him. "I would like to check out his wears. Do you think we have time though we do have a long journey ahead of us."
"If you would like to milady, we have made excellent time but we will have to be quick." Kevin responded as if he were a dutiful bodyguard. "Your father will be upset if we take too long. He will already be throwing a fit that you convinced me to allow you to come out here."
"Of course, one quick look." Jessica said with feigned excitement.
Cena reached out his hand as Jessica approached the open portal. Jessica took his hand and carefully walked up the three steps to enter. Kevin followed right behind Jessica, one hand on her waist and eyes sharply watching Cena making sure he didn't try anything uncouth. As soon as the two entered and the carriage stopped rocking from their shifting weight, Cena patted a spot for them to sit between two wooden crates. The inside was large enough to walk in but was full of various items and boxes, presumably from the supplies he was in town to purchase. Cena picked up a small jewelry display box with a glass top from the seat opposite Kevin and Jessica he then sat down placing the display on a crate between them.
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