“Oh yes, so sorry!” Hakon finally looked up from his self obsession and nodded at the strange person who… replied? Erika wasn't sure because it wasn't any language she had ever heard, not even something like a normal language, instead it was a strange songlike repetition, starting and stopping on what seemed like the same sound.

  “Of course of course… uh, Ktehar notera Kterhar.” Hakon replied, confirming it was a language even if it wasn't anything like the languages of midgard, it sounded vaguely like the vanir tongue but still only as like as a donkey is to a horse.

  Hakon turned to Erika and managed a wan smile, “This is… uh… military chieftain would be the closest translation… Pamphilus is his name.”

  The man obviously recognised his name being spoken and made a gesture, a sort of salute with his fist on his chest? at Erika who managed to nod back at him.

  Who was this? What was this? what… wait…

  “He’s a Vracian isn't he? One of the others mentioned some were stuck in here with us.”

  “Ah yes yes, my caravan met them in the antechamber and.. well i'm the only person who can speak Vracian as such they have graciously allowed me to serve as a translator for them during their time here.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “And I'm sure you’re not even being paid for it right?” Muttered Sigurn loudly enough for Hakon to hear, he kept smiling with the slightest change but his voice became nearly venomous “Not nearly enough, this things freak me the Hel out, they never take off their armour, never, even sleep in the stuff, I wasn't sure there was anything living inside them before now.”

  “Now?”

  “Military chieftain Pamphilus says one of his men might be affected… or infected… or afflicted, look Vracians a complicated language, one of his people is injured but it might not be the same as the rest, he wants to know if you’d be willing to look.

  “Can he pay?” Sigurn asked, taking a step forward to half shield Erika in her shadow.

  Hakon nodded still smiling, “You think i’d be working with these freaks if they couldn't, he’s offering a palm full of gemstones just for her to look and another to fix it, their alchemy either failed or it works two slowly, can't tell you which, those two words in Vracian are near identical.”

  Harkon turned to Pamphilus and said something in Vracian which the Military chieftain replied to with what sounded like almost the exact same looping sing song words that Harkon had used. How did this language even work? Regardless Pamphilus seemed to understand and reaching into a belt pouch he withdrew a closed armoured fist which he held up to Eriak and with some ceremony unfurled.

  Red, green, blue, yellow the dazzling colours nearly seemed to make a chiming sound as they flashed and glowed in the fire lit gloom. A dozen gems the size of a thumb, two dozen the size of a finger tip piled up carelessly on the dark green metal palm.