Rugo's day out

[mightyrotag]

An envelope (unsealed) lies on a desk in a room at the Wild Surge Inn. Written on the envelope in a childlike hand are the following words:

From
    Rose Brandybuck
    Moonvale
    Center

To
    Ma Bumbleroot,
    Sunnyhouse
    Haven Outskirts


Rugo pulled the letter out and started reading it one last time.

Dear Ma,

 This is your itsy bitsy lad Rugo! Not that silly wench, Rose. You don't know Rose but trust me, she's silly as a squirrel. I just didn't want pa to see the letter. I'm writing from the town of Hlint. Guess what happened to me? Alright, you can't! I was called by a dragon. No ma, I haven't touched the weed in a while, cross my heart. But it's true! Really true, this time. I wasn't even scared because I was sure that it was a dream. Of all the silly things, this dragon seemed to think that I could save the world. The dragon sent me off to the town of Hlint.

Hlint is not bad. Plenty of tall folk going around. I haven't met any folk that are of a sensible size. I met an elf soon after I walked into town. Such a helpful and kind person he was. I think he was one of those dark elves. A strange one he was too. He could change into some sort of monster at will. I did not fear the dragon, or the monster shape that he took, or the dead things that we killed that night. Alright he did most of the killing. But you should see this elf with his helm on. That sight gave me the shivers!  As always, I forgot to ask his name, I think he might've even had to leave home the way I did.

Anyway, I'm off to look for more work. Did I mention that I made some gold killing those dead things? Not bad. I miss your delicious pies, Ma. The food here is terrible! Send me some pies if you get the chance. Address the package to Postmaster Vale. The nice man has agreed to help me with my mail. Don't bother saying hello to pa.

Yours loving lad,
Rugo

[mightyrotag]

Dear Ma,

Its me again. No, not Rose! It's Rugo. I haven't heard from you yet. I can only hope that my other letter is still on it's way. Send me some pie along Ma, please? The taste still lingers in my mouth.

I've met a lot of strange folk in Hlint, Ma. I must tell you about this one strange man. His name is Jet. Short and smart name, ain't it? Unlike some of those silly elvish names that I can't even say! He wears the smartest armor you'll ever see. Bright red, it is. He was quiet at first. We walked around a bit and talked and killed some little things - rats and such. Alright, so I did most of the talking and he did most of the killing. He's a nice man, strange but nice, unlike some talk folk that I've seen. He walks, runs, and fights in a funny way - almost as if he were dancing. That must be how the fighters do it, the truly great fighters.

So I said to him, "Mister Jet, you ... you couldn't teach me a wee bit of fighting could you?" And he said he'd try. I pulled my old, rusty rapier out. He talked a lot about grip. "Grip it tighter, lad. Choke up a bit," he said. Then i started waving the rapier around as i usually do. Oh, I also yelled and shrieked the way I usually do. He showed me the correct way to swing it. My swing was so bad, Ma! I couldn't even have hit a squirrel. "Add a bit more power to your swing. Try to combine your speed with power," he said.

I got some practice too. I killed this big, nasty bug with a nice swing. I'm going to practice hard, Ma. Maybe I'll be of some use to someone. Jet told me his story, a very sad one. But I can't tell you about that. It's a secret! I will write again in a few days. Wish me luck with my training, and with the ale thing.

Your wee lad,
Rugo