Dumay could not pull himself away from the window. Under his breath he muttered, “Ten days…” he had an ugly expression. Grunch said to him, “It’s not so bad. Head hurts but it’s not so bad. Fire’s nice, eh fellow?” Dummy nodded, “Indeed, fellow… But the rain isn’t going to stop. We’re going to have to leave soon.”

The innkeeper chimed in with, “But sirs, it’s a storm out there, it’s pouring buckets, you’ll be drowned in that.” Grunch had to agree, “We got time, fellow. Why not just wait a moment.” Dumay stared at them both with some flat emotion. He stared past them both but not at the wall or anything behind and he said, “Fellows, I hate to be the bearer of miserable news but this rain is not going to stop.”

Grunch looked at him and thought, that’s not nice. But he didn’t say it. The innkeeper asked, “And how do you know that Sir?” And Dumay said, “Because, fellow, I have seen the fate of all things, all futures, and in each one the rain doesn’t stop, and all the things get worse.” 

It was at this point Grunch recognized that something was missing from Dumay. There was a certain joy and excitement that was dulled and he could see it in his eyes. His eyes that were slightly closed upwards with glee all the time were a tiny bit wider. He noticed this after multiple days of seeing the fellow. He noticed now because it was much more obvious. The odd-headed man was serious.

Grunch asked, “How’d you see that, fellow?” And Dummy answered, “I was given a drink by an oracle on my way to my beheading, and this drink allowed me to see everything that shall happen in the future. There are things I can be certain of and one is that the rain will not stop for some time, much more time than we have, good fellow.”

Grunch furrowed his eyebrows and said, “Well I don’t wanna go, fellow, I’m staying.” Dummy looked like the shocked dead deer looked and said, “What? Why? We have to, fellow! We need to!”

Grunch sat back luxuriously in his uncomfortable wooden chair, “Maybe you, Dummy fellow, then go. I’ll stay here in the cozy warm and be friends with this nice fellow.” The innkeeper smiled at him. Dumay looked ugly like Sir Peddy for a second but he stammered and sputtered and he realized something and he sat next to Grunch and he said, “I’m sorry, fellow. I like you very much, good fellow. You’re better than me, I’m afraid. I’m sorry for ordering you. I want you to help me on a quest you see. But I should have just asked you.”

This attracted Grunch’s attention. He sat up straight and faced the fellow head on and said, “What’s your quest, fellow?” And Dummy said, “I must find a fellow named Horatio, a scribe who has written a prophecy of the End Times. He might save us all in the coming days.”

Grunch turned away and said, “Oracle said I don’t have to choose you, fellow. I could choose anyone, and myself is better to trust than you. You said that yourself, you know you’re a thief.”

Dumay waved his hands in an attempt to conjure up the perfect answer but he just sighed and said, “Yeah. Yeah…” and then he sat there next to Grunch and said, “I’ll stay, fellow. I’ll stay with you and I won’t tell you to go anywhere you don’t want, eh fellow? How’s that fellow?”