Chapter 142: Another step
"This is insane," Greldo muttered as he followed Irwin. "There have to be more people here than there were back on Fiverio."
Irwin didn't answer, far too preoccupied with looking around as he moved through the massive market. There were innumerable wagons, carts, and stalls with food, drinks, clothes, and a diverse assortment of other items. He saw pots and pans, besides swords and armor. Full body leather armor beside gauntlets he recognized as grappling gauntlets and dozens of other things.
Examining one of the stalls with grappling gauntlets, he thought about the last one he had gotten. It had been lost during the commotion when Grianfál had been attacked, and he'd never had the chance to get another. Watching them now, he didn't feel a big incentive to buy one, as between his hammer and other cards, he felt like he had plenty of options in a fight.
They continued through the crowd until they reached the main trunk, and from there, it took them at least another hour to reach Lord Urdwellan's residence. The gate that had been open was closed now, with a few silver-eyed guards standing watch. It wasn't strange seeing the masses of people walking about, some staring at the residence with obvious curiosity.
As Irwin and the others reached the entrance, the older Viridian talked with the guards for a few moments, and then they were waved inside.
"Heh, so this is how that feels," Greldo grunted with unconcealed hilarity.
"What?" Irwin asked, looking at his smirking friend.
"There's a lot of people annoyed and curious that we were allowed in while they have to watch from behind the fences," Greldo said as he grinned back. "Reminds me of when we were young and watched those noble brats get their cards."
Irwin blinked, then let out a barked laugh as he recalled him and Greldo, skinny and small, standing behind a wooden shack, peeking through the cracks as the noble children received their first cards. With a wide grin, he gazed at the back of his hands, noting the five cards, one of which was diamond-ranked. Not that it was noticeable. Due to his card growing to that rank after he made it into a full hand, it still looked just like the simple 'hidden' quartz card it had once looked like.
"Yeah. Things did change a bit since we were still living in Malorin," he said, returning his friend's grin.
He pictured both of them, young, thin, and malnourished as they followed the sorcerer to the dark tower. As he did, he saw Greldo now and realized his friend had a slight shadow across his chin and lip, mirroring the growing beard he was dealing with each morning.
Does that mean we are adults now? he wondered.