Chapter 472: Modestest
“Hey!” Derek said with false indignation as he took a step forward toward the man. He was, after all, playing his new role as the blunt and dumb friend. “Your sympathies? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I…” The guard was slightly taken aback. “I just… I know the feeling,” the guard finally said—his eyes finding Alanah’s and avoiding Derek’s.
“Relax, Derek,” Alanah replied with a sigh as she reached out and grabbed Derek by his collar. “The guard is only relating to our shared experience.”
“Wait!” The other guard turned to look at the first. “Who is your dumb friend?”
“Uh…” The first guard was at a loss for words. “Ahem…” he cleared his throat then turned back to Alanah. “So, the two of you are from Vorandell?”
“That’s right,” Alanah replied, glad to see that neither guard seemed to hold much suspicion toward them.
“I see.” After a moment, the first guard took a step forward and held out his hand for Alanah to shake. Not passing up the opportunity to get along, she took the man’s hand and shook. “My name is Jesse, and this is my… brother Barry. We are guards for the Draylanthian Royal Army stationed by the coast to watch for any high-level threats coming from the sea.”
“To watch?” Derek asked. “Not to take care of?”
“Take care of?” Jesse asked back rhetorically. “Oh, no.” He waved his hands back and forth. “We are near the bottom in the ranking hierarchy—lookouts, really.”