Our two swamp dwellers made their way outside, where the land was more bright, tame and peaceful. They were in a new kingdom now, and so did not have to watch their backs as fugitives. It felt as if an immediate weight had been lifted from their shoulders, but a new overhanging weight of "The Prophecy" hung over their heads, threatening to fall and crush them should they choose to disobey its dictates.

It wasn't long while on the road they saw travelers. Bart asked them how far the town of Simp was, and they directed the duo to the way there. Before long our protagonists made their way to the town of Simp, a town of moderate means and population, with the noise of people and domestic animals indicating the hustle and bustle of life inside.

"So how are we even supposed to find this guy?" inquired Bart "all we have are his initials and that he's hen-pecked by women"

"The hell I know!" grunted Topher "but I know I'm dog tired, we're stopping at the nearest inn to rest. I've been through way too much."

So our travellers made their way to the first inn they found called "Ye Ol' Ball and Chain". It was an unassuming inn that looked decent enough. When our duo entered, they were in for a surprise. The entire staff of the inn was female, from the serving-wenches, stable hands, porters and other professions. Both Topher and Bart looked at each other in surprise, and nodded, this was the place.

"Welcome to Ye Ol' Ball and Chain!" cried a high pitched perky voice. It came from a young buxom Inn-Greeter. "You both must be tired, here please sign in and..." she turned towards the counter, and found it empty. The Inn-Greeter frowned and hollered "Willy, Willy you Wanker where are you?!"

"My name is William and you know it, woman!" said a dispirited and annoyed voice, coming from one of the many rooms "and I've been hauling ass trying to clean these chamber pots".

The voice belonged to a swarthy, good-featured man, with dark hair, brown eyes and a stubble. He had a soulful and kind face that seemed tired and enervated. Bart and Topher got the vibes that he was a pleasant and decent man but one who'd had all the energy and joy sucked out of him. They felt sorry for him.

"Well, Will-i-am" said the Inn-Greeter disrespectfully, with a chortle of laughter from the staff "you're the only one who can read and write in this building; me and some the girls just got our nails done, so there's no way we're going to clean the shit out of the chamber pots. Sign these men in!" she snapped, and then in an about face went back to being cheery and perky to Bart and Topher.

"Sorry you had to see that, Willy will get you gents sorted out" said the Inn-Greeter, and walked off to some other part of the building.

There was an awkward silence between the three men, with Topher and Bart feeling second-hand embarrassment at how William was treated. William sighed, and weakly smiled taking the situation in good stride.

"Hello gents, welcome to ye Ol' Ball and Chain. My name is William Wordsmith. I'm sorry for the delay, if you could please step up i'll record your names, days you'll be staying and payment" he said genially.

"William Wordsmith" thought Topher, "that means..."

"W.W" whispered Bart loud enough that only Topher could hear, and they both nodded. They had the place and the man.

William felt curious and uneasy at the conspiratorial silence of his new guests, and then slapped his forehead in embarrassment. "How rude of me! I was so flustered in getting here that I forgot the most important thing to ask: How are you guys doing?" He said smiling cheerfully, he eyed Topher's mighty axe "My goodness what a beauty that axe is! Most certainly belonging to a valiant warrior who deserves rest and the best hospitality." he said beaming which made Topher smile gently and look a bit bashful.

He then eyed Bart's lute with its runes and his outfit as well. "That is a graceful and amazing instrument! Also your outfit is redolent and detailed! Why don't I get you a bag where you can put your outfit in to keep it safe? And maybe a cover to protect your lute from the elements?" He said earnestly. Bart beamed with pride and seemed to liven up. "Thank you, I would appreciate that!"

Bart then subtly inclined his head Topher and whispered "Not bad a guy"

"Not bad at all" Topher nodded

"Let's find out more about him so we can bring him into our party" Bart replied, and Topher assented

"Say, William" Bart turned to William conversationally "Thank you for your hospitality, we appreciate it! But, I have a favor to ask, when we're done signing in could you please show us to our rooms, we're a bit tired and groggy" said Bart subtly winking at Topher.

'Of course! I wasn't going to leave you guys hanging, not to mention we're short and as you can see I have to do everything around here!" said William politely but with a flourish, which attracted a few glares by the serving women in the room. With everything arranged and noted, William escorted Bart and Topher to their room.

The trio climbed a step of stairs and entered into a long wooden hallway with many rooms at either side.

"Your room is at the end of the hall, I'll show you what accommodations we have once we get there." said William matter of factly.

"Awesome!" cried Bart "That gives us time to talk, so William, can I call you Will?" asked Bart politely

"Sure, just don't call me Willy, because I hate that nickname" replied William sullenly

"Haha, that's understandable, so Will, tell us a bit about yourself. You can read and write! A rare talent in these parts, how'd you learn that skill?" asked Bart

"Ah, well i've lived in this town most of my life, and have always had a curious and inquisitive mind. The local cleric would preach in his church, and I was always interested about how he could see meaning in the markings and letters of his holy book. He appreciated my interest in his religion, and we would spend some time during the week learning how to read. With the power to read I could quench my intellectual curiosity and learn about all sorts of stuff like plants, animals, geography, history, but what most interested me were stories: especially about strange creatures and magic" Will explained.

"That's great" replied a gruff Topher "but why is a guy like you with so much potential working here henpecked, cleaning actual shit?" Bart cringed a little at Topher's lack of subtlety.

Will sighed: "Because it reminds me of home, my mother was a domineering woman who was large and in charge in the house; that must have gravitated me here. I was looking for a job as front desk Inn-keeper, which I got, but since I'm in charge I have to handle everything including cleaning shit. Not to mention these women call off whenever they feel like it so it makes life even more frustrating. I don't mind it that much, my whole childhood was like this so at this point it's background noise."

Topher sniffed disapprovingly, and Bart shook his head in quiet disapproval.

"But dude, why not just look for another job? You can read and write! None of us can do that" said Bart gesturing towards himself and Topher "And neither can these women, this place needs you more than you need it."

"Truth be told I don't really feel like it, I don't have much motivation except reading books, writing stories, and collecting facts about the natural world. You're right, I could! But, I just don't have any confidence. I don't feel strong, and don't think I'm charismatic enough. So I'm comfortable and content." Will explained apathetically. Topher and Bart frowned at each other disapprovingly.

"Ah well here is your room" said Will perking up. He opened the room and there were two beds with a curtain in between, chamber pots under the beds, a window which looked at the courtyard, and a pipe with a hole in the corner of the room.

"You both are familiar with what to do with the chamber pots, we here pride ourselves in being a clean inn, so please don't throw the refuse out the window, throw it down in the pipe, where the town will take the poo and use it for agriculture. There's a curtain for privacy, and you may not have noticed but there's beer on the table, and some milk and honey. I've learned through my book learning on how to make mead, which is honeyed alcohol. You may want to try it out!" said Will courteously.

"Honeyed beer?" said Topher quizzically, "never heard of such a drink."

"Oh don't worry there's also regular beer on the table, as well as wine, but please try it out." pleaded Will

"Oh, alright" said Topher gruffly. He took a sip and his eyes went wide with relish "This is delicious, you said you came up with this by book reading?!" laughed Topher, slapping Will jovially on the back. "A man who makes beer an experience can't be all bad, you just made a friend today."

Will laughed shyly "aha it was nothing sir, just a curiosity"

Topher huffed "You sell yourself short, never excuse yourself out of a compliment"

"Riiight" said Will uncomfortably "Oh and here's an aphrodisiac herb called silphium as well, if any of you gentlemen feel like making love with someone, it can increase the excitement and vigor, and even act as a contraceptive"

"You had my interest at vigor, but got my attention at contraceptive" said Bart approvingly "You sir are a gentleman and a scholar" he said giving a mock bow.

"Haha thank you, well I'll be on my way, just let me know if you gents need something" said Will a bit flustered from the compliments he was getting, and hurried out of the room before anyone could say anything. Topher and Bart kept silent for a few moments and spoke when they felt Will had left.

"Uggghh what a simp!" exploded Topher "What kind of a man just takes being subservient because he's "comfortable"; my dad took it because he had no other choice, but this guy can literally go and be wherever he wants. It's so stupid!"

"Yeah man, and by women too! I could have all these wenches dancing around my finger in a weekend!" responded an outraged Bart. Both shook their heads laughing indignantly.

"But.. Topher you have to admit despite being a simp, he's really not that bad of a guy, he respected my outfit and gave me an aphrodisiac; that definitely puts him in my good books" spoke Bart to a thoughtful Topher. "Besides, I feel drawn to him, he reminds of myself toiling in the fields with little to no appreciation, and I really don't want to be like my dad and brothers, so I'm down to recruit him into our party by any means, because it's going to make me feel better about myself, not to mention we have to obey The Prophecy."

"Aye, a man who makes beer more enjoyable is a man who's valuable, not to mention he reminds me of my brother. I regret I wasn't able to train my brother properly into becoming a fighter, maybe I can fix my mistake by training this chap in the art of combat." spoke Topher.

"Yes, that sounds like a solid plan, but for now, I'm really tired because of our close calls in the swamp. We'll see how we can recruit him and what he knows about this Mozgus figure in the morning. Good night Topher!" spoke a yawning Bart

"Aye" said Topher as he lay in a bed for the first time in several days.

Our daring duo rested and slept the sleep of the dead, thinking of ways on how to continue their quest and where it could all finally lead.