"Hello Cramton, my name is Meron. Nice to meet you," Meron said while extending his hand.
Cramton looked at it and pondered whether to take it or not. At the end, he decided to take it and shake it while saying,
"Nice to meet you too. Please guide me."
He said the last part while ushering him forward with both of his hands.
When Meron saw this, he became happy because he would not have to be dealing with an obnoxious brute. At least he would reach the capital with his sanity still with him. Well, that's what he thought, he couldn't predict the future.
Cramton then started advancing forward. This action pulled Meron out of his thoughts and he soon followed.
"Wait up, bro. You don't know the way," Meron said while catching up.
"That's why you are here, right?" Cramton said.
"Yeah. Now, Cramton, I've been curious about various things. What..." Meron agreed and soon after started a conversation with Cramton.
Well, that's what one would have thought, but, it was just a one-sided talk, or should I say, interrogation.
Meron asked very many questions to Cramton simply to satisfy his curiosity. He was curious to know on how he lived, what got him to the forest, if he had a family in the forest, what made him so strong and many more.
Meron didn't even give him time to answer. He asked his endless questions in a rapid continuous manner without a break. Cramton just listened on as he asked question after question without answering nor interrupting him. There were some questions that passed him; his brain just didn't register them, either because it was not important or Meron spoke too fast, we'll never know.
It is not that he wasn't attentive, he tried his level best to concentrate but, it is hard to focus on something you don't care about. All he cared about was meeting the so-called king, getting a treasure or two out of him with the potential to make him stronger and return back to continue with his routine while planning of the future revenge.
"Hey Mefy, do you have another exercise to improve my strength?" Cramton inquired.
"Well, lemme think...hmmm... There is boulder lifting. You can lift heavy things to increase your strength," he suggested.
"Hmmm...Boulder. Lifting... How is it going to assist me in my strength?" Cramton asked after some contemplation.
"In future, you are going to meet and fight beasts and monsters with a greater body mass, Cramy. You will need to have the ability to at least pull or push them. Carrying them would even be better and more helpful since you would have the ability to throw them mid fight," Mefter explained.
That's when Cramton started seeing the importance of boulder lifting. Now, he was even more in a hurry to get back even though he had not left the forest yet.
"We've reached the edge, Cramton," Meron's voice and words pulled him out of the spacing he had entered while thinking of Mefter's words.
"Finally!" Cramton exclaimed with so much joy and anticipation that he startled Meron.
"Wow! That's the first different emo0tion you have displayed in this whole trip so far. Seems like you really have emotions too," Meron commented.
Cramton just gave him a sideward glance then continued forward.
"As the guide, shouldn't you be the one in front?" Cramton asked after passing him in his usual flat tone.
Sigh!
"And he is back to his usual self," Meron said to himself.
"Okay, wait up," he then said.
Meron then increased his speed and caught up with Cramton. After some few steps, they were already outside the forest.
From that position, Cramton could see the capital, Nolan, as it was commonly called. It it was named after King Nisha's great great grandfather during the last war in the kingdom.
"I suppose that's the capital?" Cramton said while ushering forward with his eyes.
"Yup. That's our destination...Looks good, right?" Meron asked.
" Uhm....Yeah, I suppose," Cramton said in a disinterested voice.
"Cramy man, can't you be a little bit more expressive?" Mefter asked telepathically to Cramton.
"Why?" Cramton asked in an honest voice. He couldn't understand the reason to why he should be more expressive yet he was not going to interact with him after this.
"Because, for revenge, you will need power. Physical power, legitimate power, referent power, informational power, political power and coercive power," Mefter explained.
"And so?"
"He can be your fist step to political power. He seems free and friendly, which means he probably has many friends and acquaintances. I'm willing to bet he also has many connections far and wide, which would be helpful to you. Do you understand now?"
"Ooh, I understand now," Cramton said while telepathically nodding in a sage-like manner.
"Glad to hear that," Mefter said in a relieved and joyful voice.
"Now, the main question. How do I do that?" Cramton asked in an innocent voice.
Mefter facepalmed for he was lost for words. Cramton just flabbergasted him.
"Let's just go see that damned king," Mefter said in a defeated voice.
"Uh-huh," Cramton said while nodding.
"You've been standing there for some time now. You ready to move now?" Cramton heard Meron's distinct voice on his right.
He turned his head sideways to face him then nodded.
"Let's go," Cramton said then started running and Meron followed.
At first, Cramton was moving fast; too fast for Meron to keep up and didn't even bother to reduce his speed after Meron requested him to do so. But, when Mefter reminded him about Meron's importance, he decided to stop and wait for him.
When Meron caught up with Cramton, they continued the rest of the journey with a pace that was comfortable to Meron. This made Meron very happy and grateful, which Mefter saw and made a point to note it down.
After about thirty minutes, they reached the border of Nolan and the outside. There, a tall, sturdy wall was put up to divide the two areas. From where they were, they could see a queue of people; some with carts, some donkeys and others were walking on lags. Those entering were being inspected by some soldiers at the checkpoint.
"Come, follow me," Meron said to Cramton while advancing forward.
Cramton followed without a question. Meron jumped the queue and reached the checkpoint. He greeted the soldiers and passed. Cramton observed tis scene then decided to put his trust in Meron. He also passed without being checked. This did nothing but reinforce Mefter's argument from earlier.
While at the capital, Meron wanted to make very many stops at different locations: food stalls and shops, but Cramton insisted on meeting the king first. Meron had no qualms about it since he wanted to be free again and the mission chained him.
He led Cramton straight to the castle and told him to wait up, then he went and made a request to have an audience with the king. He was soon accepted where he made a report of all the events that had transpired between the span of all the days he had been out.
The king, together with his advisers, listened on carefully taking note of all the main points. They also made a point to note down the character of the forementioned man.
"...Thanks Meron for the report. Now you may go. I'll call for you when I need. Just be close by, okay," King Nisha addressed Meron.
Meron just nodded, bowed with his right hand across his chest in a closed fist then left the hall. The door was soon shut after him. H e met Cramton outside. They made eye contact for a second and Meron continued on forward.
"You'll be called in shortly," Meron said to Cramton as he took a corner.
When Cramton heard this, he nodded then returned to staring forward into nothingness. No one but him knew what he was thinking at that moment.