Magnifico

Lay low

When they were done eating, they bravely drove their horses down the village in a slow fashion to reduce unnecessary eye contact with uninvited friends. They tried all they could keep eyes away from them. While Sun was on his horse approaching the busy street of the new town they had mistakenly found, things were going through his mind that has made it even worse for him to fully concentrate on himself or in the surrounding atmosphere. While he was joggling down his horse on the first street with his two comrades, the faces he saw seemed unfamiliar so he at least considered it to be safe because no one could tell who they are or where they came from but there was this stricken semblance of that village and that of Phox and Sun could picture that because of the old looking surrounding in the village. He saw how the town reminded him of the people of Phox and he also remembered the first time he met them.

It all looked cool at the beginning but later went south as time went by. No one was praying for what happened in Phox to repeat itself and Sun most specifically didn’t even want to get close to the village in the first place let alone having an encounter with anyone. Avoiding trouble at all costs will be the only thing that would make them leave there alive and also on-time so laying low was the key and they realized it early.

After passing through the buzzing market on the street, they got close to the food shop where they would later buy their food from and they all came down from their horses, tied their horses to some wooden pillars outside the semidetached bungalow which posited as exterior support of which the corridor was built on. They saw the bungalow not quite far from the busy market. The bungalow has an exterior corridor extending from the main building which served as a shelter to the main door of the bungalow. Before you step inside the bungalow, there is a wooden step inclined at the floor in a slant position for easy accessibility into the house. They all went inside the bungalow, straight at the far right of the shop, and made a random sitting arrangement in such a way that they kept chairs around a table and they sat down comfortably and diagonally to each other. Peasants were trooping in their droves inside this shop after selling off the goods they brought to the market for the day. It appeared it was the biggest eatery in town from the way Sun has analyzed the situation so far.

“I guess we should order for something. Sitting here and watching people come in and leave would seem suspicious. Don’t you think so General?” Jonas asked.

“That makes sense but I am okay. Don’t know about Viruz.”

“I'm okay too. The one I ate hasn’t digested yet. Unless you will bring something liquid. Maybe water” Viruz said.

“Good idea. I have been longing to taste the wines here” Jonas said.

“Haha. Jonas, we are not celebrating or doing any feast” Sun laughs while he closed his face with his left hand.

“Of course I know. Look, I don’t think we will ever be here again. And that’s the sweetest thing about all these places we have been in the past few days. As much as we are concentrated on getting hold of the scroll, we shouldn’t overlook the delicacies we have seen in these places we have been so far” Jonas said chuckling. Sun waved his hands at the young man, tall, brown, and kind of slim selling food over the counter. He looks like he is in his early thirties, possibly the same age as Viruz and he appeared very smart. He came immediately he noticed he was summoned.

“ Hi Sirs, Welcome! What should I get for you all?” he asked smiling with his well-shaved mustache covering the lower part of his lip.

“well, let’s start from your name young man,” Jonas said.

“My name is Timon.”

“Ah... Timon. That sounds good. I would want you to get me a bottle of strong ale and three sweet looking nice cups for these three handsome looking gentlemen here. Recorded?” Jonas asked.

Timon laughed. “Seconded sir!” Timon graced away. Timon went to the wine store and brought the best wine he was made with wild grapes stored in terra cotta jars. He carried on a jar with three cups with him and brought it to the General's table.

“Here is it sir,” Timon said...

“Hmm. It smells good Timon.” Jonas said.

“It's the best sir. But a little bit costly” Timon told Jonas.

“How much for this jar?” Jonas queried…

“Two gold pieces for the jar.”

“Hmm. That’s a lot though Timon” Viruz said.

“Oh, man. It isn’t. Good wines here are costlier than hiring a room for a night. Here is the only place you can get it at that price. We sell with the best prices.”

“Well Timon, I’m going to give you five gold coins if you can get me a room where we will crash for the night,” Sun said.

Timon smiled and his white teeth shown and face was very clear because of the light illuminating from the torches hanged on the walls of the shops “Of course, sir. I will do just that. Would you want to go to the room now?” Timon asked.

“No. No. We will wait until the shop is closed. Do not worry about that now. Take your money for now” Sun said as he takes his hand into his pocket to bring out two gold coins. He paid Timon for the wine and will balance him later for the room when they see it. Timon became incredibly glad as he took the two gold coins and was even happier that he will still collect extra there for a room less than two silver coins.

“I think I like it here,” Sun said as he pours in some wine in his cup from the jar which Timon placed on the table.

“Hmm. You like what here?” Jonas asked.

“This village and the whole places seem cool” Sun.

“What about the wine General? The wine?” Jonas reiterated.

“Well, the wine isn’t bad if that’s what you want to hear from my mouth Jonas,” Sun said as he laughed.

“Good. I knew that was the only reason why you changed your mind, General. You weren’t planning on staying” Jonas said as he blinks his left eye, raising his left chin as well.

“So far so good. The feeling of traveling tomorrow again makes me sick. I have never traveled this long in my entire life. Not even as a civilian or in the army. I wish we can really take a break” Viruz grimaced.

“Haha. Viruz, I don’t think we have started just yet” Jonas laughed at Viruz as he takes a sip from the wine in his cup.