Their first day of riding was fairly calm, which was a pleasant break from the torrents of Stormgully. Kenten and James rode side by side, one on a diregoat, and one on a horse. They were accompanied from the front and back by half of James' and Kenten's guards, who also had an odd juxtaposition of horses and goats. They road through the countryside with only two banners. One of the black goat, and one of the gold shark. They were not looking for attention, being the leaders of two small houses with only a small entourage to guard them, but they were by no means afraid of the untamed countryside. 

James had full confidence that his guards could handle any bandit, and Kenten had full confidence of knowing that the bandits were paid by [i]him[/i]

"How long is the ride?" James asked, riding alongside Kenten.

"To Stormgully, three days. To Stonereach?" He pointed to James' horse with one hand, holding the reins of his Diregoat with the other. "Forever. Or, no time at all. Depends on your religion." He snorted with a laugh, while Conrad forced a meager chuckle. Sensing that the joke was lost on his companion, Kenten quickly explained. 

"Stonereach can't be reached by horses. Mountain's too steep, too slippery, too jagged. Horses are topheavy, and they tend to get spooked by the thunder and lightning we at Stormgully are so accustomed to." He said. "But the diregoats?" He patted the neck of his goat briskly, and with a sense of pride. "They can reach the peak of a mountain quicker than a falcon can."

Conrad nodded, as Kenten added to his statement. "Don't worry, my men will provide you one by the time we get there. Probably the one my son's taken a liking to." He took a swig from his canteen, which he had filled with Stormgully Ale. "Git spends his time training his own goat. Nevermind looking for a bride, or attending a tourney, or anything [i]normal[/i] a young lord should do."

"That's such a shame. From what I hear, he should be a right fine bachelor." James gave a small chuckle. Though he didn't particularly like the Cragmores, let alone trust Kenten, he'd need them, or at least their lands. While he didn't truly understand why Kenten would let his kingdom go to ruin, Kenten made up for it with a rather large amount of rocks, gems, and metals. "You seem rather happy. But I suppose you ought to be, with you getting a sword back. Lord Kenten, if I may ask, how do you feel about the Suttbrays, Marrows, Ashtoken, and the boy king?" James said with a deep look into his eyes. 

"Suttbrays?" Kenten shrugged, holding tightly to his reins. "We've been allies for centuries. They know the only reason they still stand is because of Stormgully's metals, and how we guard them from the north. There's even a song about it." He boasted.

He paused for a moment, trying to remember how it went. "Goat fends off hounds while Fox kills him hens, Goat eats his fill, and guards Fox's den," he muttered in a singsong voice, trailing off.

"Anyway, you asked me what I think of Suttbray. My answer is that I don't." He laughed loudly again, slapping his goat on the back. "Pretentious pipe-smoking Southerners, the lot of 'em. They feed us, aye, but I don't see need for 'em besides that."

"Marrow?" He scoffed, smirking and chuckling to himself. "If I was wise enough to understand those skull-fucking Easterners, do you think I'd be talking to you?" He laughed to himself once more. "I'd be sitting on a throne somewhere. Because I'd be the wisest man there is." He drank again, taking deep, loud gulps.

"They asked for my weak, crippled son for marriage. I wondered why they didn't at least want the fighter, but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth, eh?" He laughed a bit more. "Like I said. The day I understand 'em, I'm the smartest man in all of Elyden."

"As for Ashtoken, I feel a mix of the two." He smirked, as if he knew a secret no one else knew. "Do I understand them? No. Do I think about them? No."

He laughed, taking a drink. "I s'pose their desert sun fried their brain. Explains the mud."

"The Boy-King, eh?" He rubbed his chin with one hand for a moment, feigning a moment of genuine thought. "The Boy King, aye. I prefer 'The Wrongful King'. When I was his age, I was killin' squirrels in the forest and pullin' my pud. Wouldn't know a thing about ruling a country if it bit me in the arse. I think Asura, the bastard, is better to rule."

James gave a chuckle at Kenten's responses. He agreed with him about the Marrows and Ashtoken, but the Suttbrays, Kenten seems to underestimate. "Kenten, if there is one thing I can count on you for, it's being honest. Aye, the desert folk are too mysterious for my liking and now that they are on the high council, makes me even more nervous. As for the boy king, I agree. Asura should really be leading, but what about that pretender? He has my attention though I'm not too sure if I'd side with him." James looked to see Kenten's reaction about his suggestion before carrying on.

"I'd take Asura any day. Lad spoke with me, knows more about running a kingdom than the rest of those High Lords. I hope he thinks of something soon. As for Ealstain?" He scoffed. "Eel-Stain, more like. Wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."

"Anyway Kenten, I always wanted to ask you something a bit personal, and now seems a good time since we're in private. Would you mind?" Kenten shrugged, taking a large swig from his canteen. "Your rule has been known for Stormgully having a less-than profitable run. I'm sure you know that, but, why haven't you tried to change your lands?"

"My lands?" He laughed. "You, and every other high lord knows, I don't care about them one way or the other." He paused, as Lord Conrad showed no emotion. "Aye, I know what's said about me. It would hurt, if I gave a speck of shit about Stormgully." He roared with laughter, heartily slapping his goat on the neck some more.

"Y'see, I've a theory about Stormgully that I'll tell you for two reasons. The first is that I know 'ye wouldn't tell anyone about it. The second's that even if you did, I don't suppose any of those high lord bastards would trust you anymore." He laughed a bit.

"When I killed my brother, it was because I wanted to be Lord. Didn't feel bad for it for a moment." He leaned in to James, looking him intensely in the eyes. "When I was in that forest, looking down at my own kin, beaten to death, I knew it was for the greater good. Cragmore was always ran by unexceptional men, and I'd be the first." He leaned back to where he was on his goat, as if he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary.

"So, as I was saying, I've a theory about Stormgully, and that story about my rise wasn't just to spook 'ye, James." He smiled sinisterly, looking at Lord Conrad. "Cragmore was always ruled by cunts. Unexceptional cunts. Cunts who didn't go down in history for anything but goat-breeding. Same went for Stormgully. Unexceptional land known for metal and rain."

He nodded, smiling to himself. "Now it's known for bandits, thieves, and smugglers. And all their kingpins answer to me. Y'know why that is?" He said, taking a swig from his canteen.

"The reason is that if I hadn't stepped in, Stormgully would've been bought up or conquered sooner or later. It would've been an unexceptional land, ruled by unexceptional men. Y'know what it is now?" He paused, waiting for an answer he knew he wouldn't receive. "The hub for criminals of Elyden.Smugglers, Thieves, Bandits. And I'm their king." He inhaled sharply, smiling. "The Bandit King." 

He laughed lightly to himself, with an almost concerning amount of clarity for the drunken lord. "We might be the bottom of the barrel, but at least we're known, and no one will ever try and conquer us for it. And besides," He said, taking a generous swig from his canteen. 

"If history's taught me anything, it's that things clean themselves up. Eventually, Stormgully will be cleaned up one way or another, and go back to being an unexceptional land, with an unexceptional history." He laughed again, emptying the canteen down his throat. "Unexceptional history, except for the ten chapters on The Bandit King."

"Anyway, I've told you a secret. Now you. What's your plan, Sea-Born? Why did 'ye vote for Shamgar? Or spend all that for running? Or give me the sword?" He slurred, gripping tightly to his reins.

James smiled and nodded "Thank you for that interesting history lesson. As for me, Kenten, somewhat like you, I want to go down in history. Though my ambitions are far greater. I want it all." James said in a hushed tone and looked into Kenten's eyes "As for me giving you the sword, you'll need it for our coming war. Against who, I have an idea. We can speak more of that privately inside your own castle." James said in a normal tone. 

"The voting is to make me seem like a dim witted fool and that I should be paid no attention to. It seems to have worked as well. I have all the pieces in place, and soon they will be used. Now, Kenten, we should hurry. The sooner we get to Stonereach, the sooner you'll get your sword and I, a friend." James then leaned upright and said "Kenten we're very similar, and you should stick with me. Together we'll go down in histroy." James gave a small chuckle and waited to hear Kenten's concerns. 

"Makes sense, now that you mention it, and what you say about the future is certainly interesting." He smirked, looking ahead at the path. "And as for us going down in history? Rightfully so, mate." He laughed once again, slapping his empty canteen on his goat, who had been growing more and more irate. "We'll discuss it more at Stonereach."