"From its putrid mouth, it spat the words that couldn't be formed. It's purpose had been stripped by our mere existence, leaving a fraction of its power, a pale imitation of what it considered life. They might move, they might breath, they might eat, but they'll never be exact as it wished"
It was close to dusk when I felt that someone was following us, and a few meters afterwards that someone seemed to became two, and then three, until I felt as much as five individuals seeming to be watching us closely, hidden deep into the trees. "It appears that they know we are coming…", I muttered, while Colt felt something but couldn't place a finger on it, "Th-there's someone following us, no? I can smell it". Surely the ones following our tracks are from the army of Sallas, they must be the ones scouting out for the remaining cultists and, by how things are going, it seems that they don't consider us a threat. The grim sight of the impaled cultists stopped as we crossed a tiny stream through a makeshift bridge, "Uff… finally!", Colt said out of nowhere, "What?", I asked and he replied, "Well sir, we are officially in Sallas. That body of water works as the natural barrier-". I quickened my pace and left him to speak alone just to piss him off, crossing a stupid stream isn't the important part, that will be once we reach the walls of the first city; Saint Dennis. In there we'll see if we are allowed in, I mean, I'll probably be fine but Colt might be questioned or stopped for being a kobold, if that is the case then I'll think of a way to smuggle him in, our real objective is the capital anyways.
We stopped for a second just to fill my canteen with some of the clear water from the stream, which came fresh from a small waterfall, then I felt the presence of those five again, they were moving, not away but towards us. "Colt! Come here!", I exclaimed and he scrambled to his feet before running to me, "W-what is it? What's going on?". I kept a hand on his muzzle as to keep him from talking, and inspected our surroundings, these scouts couldn't be normal foot soldiers, they must be part of the private army of the Duke… they are skilled. This is actually a shitty situation, every sense is telling me to draw my sword, something that will, surely, provoke them to attack me and immediately turn this trip into another fugitive situation. I know that I can take them but I don't want Colt to get hurt, I gotta think of- "Hey! Miss me?", a voice blurted out, appearing from where we came for, it was fucking Ernest, "Woah, you seem tense… Uh…". I glared at him, the thought of ending with his annoying life becoming an actual decision… until I sensed the others who were hiding, beginning to retreat and leaving us alone. Ernest presence could've been just what I needed, but at the same time I also needed to know why he was here, "What do you want? And why did you followed us?", I asked and he coughed a bit before replying, "Following? Me? No, no, no, you got it all wrong… See, it appears that, by fate, we are going to the same place… so… we could, maybe, go together?". Yeah, right, let me ask him this, "Alright then, if we are going to the same place, tell me, where are we going?", I questioned and he narrowed his eyes, probably trying to find an answer in my gaze, "Uh… you are going to… Sallas…?". Fuck! The country is named the same as the capital… "We are in Sallas, you stupid fuck!", I screamed.
Colt pulled my hand down, freeing his mouth, and turning to Ernest, "You are the one I smelled before, you were following us for several hours". Several hours? I couldn't even sense that myself, anyway, I was done with this stupid chit chat, I went to Ernest, "Be honest or I'll strike you down right here and now", I warned and asked, "What are you looking for? Sympathy? Or do you actually need to get to Sallas?". Ernest, despite my threat, seemed placid and replied, "Tak, let me be honest and be as clear as you need me to be, I need to get to Sallas to seek for my family… I haven't told you before, but my brother and sister were slayed by the cult and I got none else in Dardangard", he explained while clearing some tears with his sleeve, "And I'm too weak and too stupid to carry myself alone, so please, if it isn't by your sympathy, then by your knightly duties, let me accompany you both to Sallas". Nah, nah, he can keep giving me his sob stories but I ain't going to budge for something like that, I turned with a shrug only to be faced with Colt's sad and fully empathetic expression, "Tak…", he said, I could hear the rasp of sadness in his voice, "Let him come with us, he doesn't seem like a bad person… h-he could even be of help!". Last time, Colt convinced me to spare this man's life, now he was doing it again... ah fuck it, "Alright, alright, you can stop giving me those kobold eyes… but you are the one in charge of listening to his ramblings, okay?".
"Yes!", I heard Ernest exclaim before he caught himself, "I meant… thank you so much". After that, we three, followed a trail that led to what, seemed to be, a main road. Something I have to highlight is that I've been walking next to my horse and not using it as the terrain wasn't good, but now we had a nice and plain road that I couldn't take thanks to having Ernest with us, someone who didn't bring a horse… actually, he didn't bring anything, not even a bag to carry stuff. "You came all this way without anything on you?", I asked Ernest, who pulled a dagger from under his shirt, "I brought this, and a lot of hope. I trust that the winds of fate will provide for me… I mean us". 'winds of fate', huh? Anyhow, many carriages, people on horses, some merchants and others began to appear on the road, and a bit further ahead, stood a small tower of wood and stone, with the crest of Sallas embroiled in blue and gold, the crest that represented the royal family; a standing lion in full armor. We passed the checkpoint without much trouble, Colt remained mostly concealed by his cloak and everything appeared to be fine, but I knew better, I could sense that our trail was being followed again. My concentration broke a bit when Ernest asked, "So, where are we going again? I know we are going to Sallas but we're not getting there in a day", prompting Colt to reply immediately, "We are on the path to the city of Saint Dennis. Oh! Did you know that he was one of the most important saints of the faith? Want me to tell you about it?". Ernest shut Colt's offer down, "What? no. I'm not of the faith, don't want to listen to made up stories", then he went next to me, "So, Tak. I'm wondering why you want to go to Sallas, mind if I ask you?". Like he did to Colt, I shut him down without saying a word, and stopped my walk to let Colt catch to me, "Tell me about him, Saint Dennis, I want to hear it", I said, gazing down at him. I obviously knew who Saint Dennis was, but listening to Colt explain the history reminded me of how Father Bardion use to do it.
"Really?!", Colt asked with a wide smile before beginning his 'lesson', "Well… uh, Saint Dennis of Frogeltander was one of the greatest warriors sanctified by Saint Mön. It is said that he had a massive presence in battle, carrying a warhammer which was almost the size of a man… the size of Ernest more or less". I laughed at his comparison as Ernest protested, "Hey! I'm not that small!", and I added something to Colt's story, "You forgot how most people know him by, Saint Dennis of the Hammer"… That was how my books used to described him back at the orphanage. Colt nodded at my words and continued his lesson, "Yes, that's right. 'A hammer that infused fear on the Oorish, who could not understand how a man could wield something so heavy at those speeds', that is how it was written on the records. After the war, he was the only one from the ten saints to survive the counter attack of the Oorish in-", and we said it at the same time, "the Battle of Pentad". Colt went silent for a bit, before complaining, "Sir, you already know?", then sounding more sad, "W-why do you want me to tell you… a-are you mocking me?". I expected him to be happy of the fact I was letting him explain all of this to me, but it seemed that it bothered him somehow, he knew I was a holy knight, I obviously know all of this, but it doesn't mean I dislike listening to it again, "Don't be stupid, I'm not mocking you", I said, "I know almost everything about the history of the saints, you know that. The thing is that, I like listening to you, the way you tell it… it reminds me of my childhood", didn't need to add that last part. "Y-your childhood?…", Colt repeated before smiling again, "Then, if you like it, I'll be sure to tell you a bunch more!"
Colt told me the history of the Battle of Pentad, one I knew from a long time but seemed more fitting to hear it again now. A few years after the end of the War of Liberation, the fourth year after to be exact, a ship from the Claw Peninsula arrived to the coasts of the Emerald Beach, on the northern part of Sallas, this ship was sent by Emperor Corsixos who, after finding his defeat on the continent so humiliating, decided to send three of the most powerful knights of Oor, the knight who had the rank below Dorian; the Third Knight, named 'the Scourge', who led the other two; the Fourth Knight, named 'the Crusher' and the Eight Knight, named 'the Serrated'. It is still debated if the Emperor of Oor hoped to take back control of the Levan with just these three knights, which, despite not being as strong as the Immortal or Dorian, still meant a huge challenge, or if he just sent them to strike deep into the faithfuls hearts. After their disembark, they went to the first town; Pasan, and massacred every single living thing, then they moved to the city of Rürgard and did the same, then Donholm, Saint Clover and Four Crossings... all of this in just a week, whole cities decimated and erased from the map, that was until they reached Pentad where they faced the elected ten, led by Saint Dennis. The faithful succeeded in their mission of holding those three for a day, long enough for Saint Dorian to arrive and deal a crushing blow by killing the Fourth Knight, maiming the Eight and nullifying the Third. The two remaining Oorish knights decided to leave, but, it is written that, before they left, the Third Knight conveyed a message to Dorian, the faithfuls and everyone living in the Levan, "Hear the words of the one who sits at the top of existence; our Emperor, who serves as the catalyst of the wishes of all the Oorish. Hear!; Be sure that the Oorish will never surrender the Levan, our sun bathed its lands and our moon kissed every Oorish child before anyone else. Existence itself chose our kind as it highest form. Hear well as these words will resonate on the hearts of every being that feeds on the soil of the Levan, breathe its air, gaze at its immensity; it might take one hundred, one thousand or one hundred thousand years for our return, but when we do, we will erase every being that tainted our land, everyone whose blood isn't of Oor will die and their remains shall be dissipated into the deep nothingness".
"That's fucking depressing", Ernest blurted out, breaking the tension the story had created. "I-I guess it is… that's what was written on the last pages of the book you bought me, Tak. I've never read a history book so thoroughly, I kind of want to get the other thirty three volumes now", Colt said in a gloomy tone but quickly exchanged it for excitement, "S-so, now that we are in Sallas, we can visit the historic places where these events happened!". From there on, Colt and Ernest began to talk among themselves as I was left pondering about this history with the Oorish. The history of the Battle of Pentad was taught to me about fifty times already, that was when I was child of course, Father Bardion would get pretty descriptive and gave us lectures on every saint that participated, anyway, after hearing the story once again, what really stood out was that thing of 'erasing every being', it sounds almost like the Calamity… Surely it can't be, one thousand years have passed already, the Oorish cannot remain this hateful after all this time, right? I've heard about Oorish people, sailing the Free Ocean and trading with people from here, some even staying to form families, and how many emperors have they had? Probably like one hundred, there's no way what Corsixos stated those many years ago still stands to this day. Better forget about this, is no use, what I need is to focus on is on the real issue, the Calamity and nothing else.
Before reaching the city, we stopped at a small village and we stayed for the night in a 'public inn', it was called, it was less of an inn and more of a stable for humans. By the first ray of the sun, we left and made good pace, reaching the outskirts of Saint Dennis; managing to see its great walls and bustling movement of people. Something that never left us was the fact that we were being followed, so when we where half-way to the entrance of the city, two guards from the gates approached us and forced us to step aside, taking us to a small house on the wall that they used as a base. I could've refuse and fight, or try to deceive them, but they probably thought that I didn't knew of their presence, as we where escorted to that base, four, seemingly regular citizens; in 'normal' clothing and carrying stuff, left the road and followed closely. "How many?", I heard one of those undercover soldiers ask the guard, "Only three", he replied, "One's a kobold". We were force to sit and wait, Colt gazed at me with worry, I remained calm, but Ernest?, he was sweating profusely, he was pale and shaking. "Are you really that scared? Listen, if they wanted us to be dead, then we wouldn't even been able to reach this close to the city", I said to him, trying to make it sound reassuring even if it came out a bit wrong. After an hour, three soldiers came into the base, wearing pristine silvery chest armor and under it, a long blue tunic with delicate golden motifs, a uniform too recognizable for me, they belonged to the private army of the duke.
One of them stepped up and gave me a short and direct glare, then he began to speak about of me, in a loud and annoying manner, "Tak of Sonnda, former holy knight of Roda, registered in the adventurer's guild of Prime Bay. Recently served in the fifth division of the army of Prince Colstrum, and, from some information we gathered, fugitive of the Empire of Roda by decision of the empress herself". I smirked at his words and mocked, "Are you a fan?", but he ignored me and turned to Ernest, "You go by… Ernest, no? Your head was shaven by the cult of Delia, you come from the town of Dardangard… and surprisingly nothing more on you", a silent of several seconds stood before he continued with Colt, "And you, you're a kobold. Bold of your master to have you come into our country, but you won't be touched unless your master wishes for that, we at least respect that, we aren't like the cult". Colt sighed at the soldier's words, I also felt relief from confirming that the duchy won't kill kobolds indiscriminately. Now I needed to know where this was going, "Hey, so, are we free to go? If you know so much about us, then you know we mean no harm", I said but the soldier frowned his brow, "Silence!", he said, "I'm sure that you're not aware, but Sallas is under martial law. The duke won't allow any dangerous foreigners to intervene in the upcoming event". Event? That stupid summit? I didn't love the fact that I was going to go to the capital at the same time this shitshow was going to be held, it didn't amuse me the possibility of meeting Liza again… "You stupid fuck!", Ernest blurted out all of a sudden, "Can't you see?! He's Tak of Sonnda, he was called by the duke to be in the capital for the event. You better stop this nonsense now, before word gets to the duke that you have one of his guests detained in a humid and… smelly shack". W-what the fuck was this guy saying? Don't know why, but Ernest's outburst seemed to have worked somehow, the soldier's face changed completely, "I- uh… I… I'll be back", he stuttered and hurriedly left.
"What was that?", I whispered to Ernest who was smiling wide, "Just wait and see", he replied and, not long after, another soldier entered the room and profusely apologized, escorting us to the gates of Saint Dennis and handing each one of us a 'transit permit', explaining that, with it we would be able to safely pass throught every checkpoint. Now inside the city, we headed for the northern area and stayed at an inn which was close to the north exit, as to leave tomorrow and continue our journey faster. What Ernest said to get us out of trouble didn't make any sense to me, I did ask him multiple times about it, but he deflected the topic altogether, what mostly intrigued me was what the soldier said, 'an event', what event was he talking about? Was it the summit? Then why would they need a fugitive knight to form part of it?
Ernest left by the afternoon to, as he said, 'check out the shops and stuff', and I, along with Colt, went to do the same but in the other direction. What the other soldier said was true, about being more tolerant of kobolds, but that didn't erase the fact that Colt was look down upon by everyone that crossed paths with us, it made me sorry for Colt but he seemed unbothered by all of it, expressing wonder and amazement at the many sculptures, murals and monuments the city had to offer instead, and there was one in particular, standing in the middle of the city; a pillar of stone and marble, ten meters tall, with a sculpture of Saint Dennis on top, hammer in both hands and, under its marble feet, a piece of cloth, a flag. At first I didn't recognized it but then a memory came to me, a pretty early one, of me, about four or five years of age, scourging throught the library of the orphanage, bored out of my mind, checking books that had illustrations or pretty drawings, and finding a great encyclopedia, one that had a detailed description of Oor and its symbols, its banner in particular; a sun in splendour and the moon in plenitude, joined as one over a deep blue background filled with stars. I also remember the meaning of it, which was described in the book too; 'The starry sky which embraces the world is the only limit where Oor is willing to stop and gaze at its own existence', don't understand what it meant but it sounded sort of poetic.
Before nightfall, I ended up buying some souvenirs for me and Colt before returning to the inn. One of the things I got was a map of Sallas, unlike last time in the Princedom, I was willing to be more prepared for the rest of the trip. From here, Saint Dennis, we were going to head for a town named Lomenz, and afterwards we were going to take the main road that led straight to the capital, there were some villages on the way but we weren't going to stop in any of them, we could reach the capital in less than two days, so I wasn't going to entertain myself like I previously did. Just before the first shine of the moonlight, I decided to leave and have a little drink, and maybe see where Ernest had gone, so I left Colt in the inn, who protested against my decision, something I ignored as I haven't had a drink since forever, and strolled for a bit before finding one tavern that didn't look half-bad. I did restrain myself from drinking too much, just had about seven or eight… pints, nothing extreme, and kept an ear open for anything, starting with some small talk with the local drunkards, the usual. With the last drops of my drink, I heard an interesting conversation that I couldn't fully piece together, it was a group of four individuals, talking loudly and sporting a 'brigand' look. "Can't believe the fucker's still alive", I heard one say and the other replied, "Yup, he is, we could try and do something, but he might have bodyguards with him", then another added, "Forget about it, I sure we aren't the first to see him so by now someone must've snatched him already, he must be tied up and pissing his pants as we speak… anyhow, he's fucked and we are late". I couldn't see if they had a token on their chest, the one that identified an adventurer, or any ensign that told me where they might belong to. It was an interesting conversation but nothing to pay too much mind to, I left and headed back to the inn and Ernest was already in the room, talking with Colt, who reacted surprised when I arrived.
"Hey, Tak! Everything good? Colt told me you went to have a couple of drinks, you can invite me next time, you know? I don't care if you're a heavy drinker, like he told me you are", Ernest said and chuckled as Colt blushed and tried to apologize, "W-what?! N-no! I didn't mean it like that! Tak, I'm sorry, I told him you were out and-", his words were cut off by Ernest, "Not only that", he said, "He told me you were in some sort of… quest? One to the north?". Colt froze, as if being immobile meant being invisible, as if it would erase the fact that he was sharing my story with a nobody, "Colt", I said, "What did you tell him?". Colt looked away, opening his mouth to try to speak but quickly closing it, seemingly unsure of what to say, so Ernest beat him to it, "Oh, he told me enough", Ernest smirked, "Kind of cute how he depicted you 'as a hero with a divine mission', but I don't care about that, I care about the part of you needing to go north as soon as possible. We have a common objective. I also need to go somewhere and that somewhere ain't the capital, I need to get to Ten Saints". That's a port town, and now I see what he wants and why he wants it, why he's using us to get to his objective and, most importantly, who he is. "Is this some sort of negotiation you're trying to pull off here?", I asked and he shrugged, "You may see it that way but this is more of an, 'exchange of favors'. It was thanks to me that we were let out from that checkpoint earlier, so you could help me back". Let's put and end to this stupid charade, "Alright, tell me exactly why you need to get to Ten Saints, Elber", I questioned and he began his reply with a smug expression, "That's something you don't need to know at this momen-", he stopped, opening his eyes wide and freezing up just like Colt did. "What's going on? Cat got your tongue?", I mocked as he tried to regain his composure, looking at both sides and fidgeting with the buttons of his shirt, each second confirming my suspicion. "See… the thing is…", he muttered before sprinting for the door, but I'm faster, so I tackled him against the wall, then sweeping his feet and pinning him on the floor.
"I'm surprise it took me this long to see it. You left Prime Bay to hide from the guild, didn't you?", I asked and Colt, understandably confused, went to me, "S-sir, why are you holding him?". Before letting the slimy fucker come up with an excuse to confuse things more, I stepped on his back, pushing the air of his lungs out and not allowing him a word, "This man is wanted", I said, "He's Elber Pyke, wanted in half the continent for smuggling, stealing, scamming and a lot more". I locked an arm around him, forcing his torso up, "I wonder how much I'll get paid after taking you to the nearest guild, how much did Maxwell say?, fifteen hundred gold was it?, or will it be better to cut you up and send just a piece and ask for more, just like pirates do". He struggled, trying to break out from my grip at first but then began to plead, "Ngh-!!! N-no, listen…". I didn't let him off, instead I put more pressure on my hold, but Colt didn't seem to like this, his gaze told me so, and I sighed before letting the fucker catch some breaths, "Ah… ugh…", he panted, then I threw him against the wall and recalled my sword, letting his chest feel the cold steel. "W-wait!", he rose both arms, "I'll speak, y-you don't have to do anything sudden". I aimed the tip of my sword higher, the steel now menacing his throat, "Say it, say your name, and tell me how did you end up here", I ordered and he nodded, gulping saliva before explaining, "You're right, I'm Elber Pyke… It is true that I hid in Dardangard in hopes of losing the adventurer's union agents and mercenaries, and it's true that I don't intend on going to the capital, but I mean no harm". That might be true but he still had more, "I guess you escaped from Ponz's imprisonment too, I hardly doubt he'd let you out. But what I really want to know is, why are you so sought after?", I asked and he, feeling the cold steel scrapping his skin, obviously obliged.
"Two years ago, I convinced the Dan of Xion to hand me a fleet, don't ask how exactly as I'm still surprise that he even agreed on the first place, it was on the grounds of 'securing the Kasa passage from Roda's expansionism'. Well, I took that fleet, of ten ships by the way, all piloted by one member of my crew, and docked in Portalia, in the Green Islands, and sold everything; the sails, the metal on hull, the precious metals that decorated the insides, and even the wood that made the ship itself". Elber continued, now with a hint of smugness, "This caused another effect, as one ship that remained was used by a Rodian contingency to burn the port of Fanq Shu… I heard I got the blame for that, even if I didn't took part in it. Then I sailed to Londincom and helped one guy, that stole an heirloom from the Gallards, to escape and sell it for quite the profit, I was moving a lot of currency and easily evading authorities. I was in a row and that's when a unique opportunity appeared, a relic that only appears once every fifty… no, every a hundred years! Being shipped from the east to Prince Henry himself! And stealing stuff from a big port as Prime Bay was easy… that was until me and my crew actually managed to get the relic, from that point onwards it was like we had the whole world against us". A relic? What was he actually referring to? I hope this wasn't any other of his tricks… but his story was making sense from what I've heard before in Prime Bay. "I guess that it was at that point when they got the northern trio to track you", I noted and he nodded, "Yes, a pain in the ass those guys. First I escaped to Saint Clement, but got two of my guys spotted and executed, then I ran back to Prime Bay, tried to lie low but to no avail, I had to leave alone as even my crew began to seem… suspicious. I went across Cedar's pass and got caught by the cultists, then I was sent to Dardangard and… that's pretty much it".
Only one thing remained in my head, "And the relic? What of it?", I questioned and he smirked, laughing under his breath, "You think I would've let something so precious become lost? I had my second in command guard it. Some days ago I got one of the princedom army's messaging birds to sent a signal, if my second in command is still alive then I'm sure he has received it". I already knew his answer, but I was too intrigued, "What is it then, what's the relic?", my words prompted him back to his usual smug demeanor, "That?", he said, "Well, you'll have to take me to Ten Saints to find out". I laughed as well, swinging my sword upwards and slicing one of his shirt's buttons off, "or I could torture you and get the info, no?", but Colt held my arm with both of his lizard hands, "Tak!!", he said in a scolding tone, "Don't! You aren't like that". Agh… this kobold, this quest would be much easier if he wasn't around, but, at the same time, it would be twice as bleak. Like every other time, Colt saved Ernest's- I mean Elber's throat, "You better pray to your new god, Colt the Kobold", I mocked and left him be. No matter how curious I was about this supposed relic, my mission remained the same, reach Sallas and meet with Maester Kendall, nothing else, no more distractions.
Elber sported a wide smile as he stood and brushed some dust off his shoulders, "Thanks, uh… Colt. Anyhow, if we leave tomorrow, and take the commercial route to the coast, we'll be in Ten Saints in two days at most", he said but I quickly shut him off, "We are not going to Ten Saints", his expression turned sour as I continued, "You might think of yourself as 'smart', but every mercenary, bounty hunter, thug and guard knows you're here, and no shave head, no pleading nor playing dumb will save you, your best bet is to do as I say, no questions or excuses". He obviously didn't like that one bit, pointing a finger at me, "You… you can't just assume that. I managed to get all the way to Dardangard and blend into an army full of mercenaries, not a single one of them recognized me". What he said is true but flawed, "You weren't recognized because you weren't seen, you fool. You were imprisoned and immediately escaped to join me and Colt, you didn't share a tent, a bonfire or a drink with any of the other mercenaries… besides, just a few hours ago I heard people talking about you in a tavern", I retorted and gave him a warning gaze, "And one last thing. You are a complete liability for me and for Colt, your mere presence can cause any of us to be ambushed, killed or worse. It might be because I'm a bit wasted, maybe because I don't feel like cutting open a throat today, might be a thing of fate why I haven't discarded you yet. So don't test me". That was a lie, I knew why, it was because of Colt that I didn't do what I must, what is best for both. Elber seemed to try to come up with a response but ended up sighing and giving me his back the rest of the day.
By the first stroke of sunlight, we left Saint Dennis and took one of the many roads that let to the capital. Colt and Elber took turns to sit on the horse, as to rest the legs a bit, and I was mindful of holding the reins when Elber was on it, still wary if he tried to leave with the horse. Not much happened on our way throught three towns; Saint Causus, Irisight and Perlum, only a few stares at me and, particularly, Colt, which is normal for a country of the faith like this one, but still I find surprising how tolerant it is, nothing but curious stares, no curses, no spits, nothing that could cause Colt another bad experience with humankind. Aside from this, Colt, probably trying to 'cash out' the favor he was owed, asked Elber some questions relating to his… profession? Being a pirate that is. Elber, then, told many stories about the places he had been, like Xion or the Green Islands or more exotic ones, like Solandaba and the Perisinies, but most interesting was his story in Nasiriscom, the Oorish capital of the east. He told us that, ten years ago, he disembarked in Nasiriscom and visited some of the Oorish cities that, he said, appeared poor or badly built but were instead made that way because of the constant fear of conflict with the Kavan, they built their cities to be as easily reconstructed as possible. He said that he was treated fairly by the Oorish, especially those closest to the border with the Kavan, which maintained a great stone wall that divided the Claw Peninsula from the rest of the continent. Unfortunately, he got distracted and stopped his story and, because I wasn't keen on talking to him, I refrained from asking him to continue.
Throught the last three towns we were stopped at every checkpoint, having to show the transit permit which changed the guards demeanor to one of cordiality in an instant, but things went down fast. When we reached the outskirts of the capital, that was a town in itself; kilometers of houses, buildings, and cosmopolitan life, we were stopped once again. we showed the transit permit but they took us to a guard post instead of letting us continue and in there, Elber was taken into custody despite Colt's complains to the guards who didn't give a fuck about words coming from a kobold, and me and Colt were given a room for free in an inn, to stay and 'wait for permission to enter the capital city'.
"Tak, sir, we must do something about Elber", Colt would repeat to me every single day as we stayed in the city outskirts for almost a week. Becoming bored out of my mind, I finally gave in and thought of a way to get Elber out and continue to the capital, so, at the seventh day of waiting, I went to the guard post. The post lacked the guards outside, and inside it was dead silent, the only sound came from a room where I heard someone speaking quite loudly, but I didn't have time to wait any longer, so I went inside the room to lay my case to the guards. In the room there were twenty guards, all standing straight, facing forward with their backs against the wall, there was one, that seemed to be the leader, speaking to one that, from the clothing, I could see it was a higher ranking officer. "W-what is the meaning of this?!", this officer exclaimed, standing up from his chair, the other guy, the leader, mimicked the officer, "Yes! What is the meaning of this? Who are you?!". A second or two of silence ensued, the two gazing at each other, "Well, ask this man who he is, lieutenant", the officer said and the other saluted before turning to me, "The General wants to know who are you! Answer immediately!". This was getting a bit ridiculous, these people weren't of the private army for sure, "I'm Tak of Sonnda, I was here like, a week ago? You interviewed me, don't you remember?", I replied and the lieutenant brushed off some droplets of sweat from his forehead, "I… uh…", he stuttered until the gaze of the General prompted him to answer, "Ah! Yes! T-Tak of Sonnda, how I could forgot… y-you are knight, don't you?". I nodded and the General's expression turned to one of curiousness, "A knight? Huh, a knight from where? If you don't mind me asking", his question was one I would deflect if I was in another place, but these people, or at least the private army, already knows I'm a fugitive from the Empress, so might as well tell the truth, "I'm from Roda". The General, who might I add was an old man with a long gray mustache which quivered as he repeated, "F-from Roda?", following up with another question, "A-and you are, by any chance, participating in the event?", and I nodded again, "Uh… yes, I am, I was actually in route to the capital until the lieutenant detained me and forced me to wait… it's been seven days and I came here today to inquire about that, and also to ask about-", my words got cut off as the General turned like a bolt towards the Lieutenant with a face full of anger, "Lieutenant! How could you- Why didn't- Why didn't you informed me of this?!". The Lieutenant seemed like he was about to faint, and the General walked around the table and shook my hand, "Sir Tak, please accept my deepest apologies for this… mistake. I'll beg of you to accompany me to the capital in this instant, I'll be having you in my personal carriage". The twenty soldiers left the room and, now outside, I saw how they brought the carriage, tied the reins to four horses, fixed the wheels and bowed as they waited for us to head inside. At that moment, Colt, who was waiting outside all this time, came to me, "Tak, w-what's going on?", he asked and the General gazed down, "Ugh! Is that a kobold?", he said with disgust and I replied by pushing Colt inside the carriage, "Yeah, he's my squire too".
The General sat in front of us, his gaze going from me to Colt constantly, "Uh… Sir Tak, I haven't introduced myself. I'm General Lenard Görbchuff, at your service. I would like to apologize once again, I wasn't informed of your arrival", Lenard words were cordial, too cordial in fact, what was I getting myself into? Better ask, "So, where are we going exactly? I'm actually in need of going to the Church of the Sanctified, I'm suppose to meet someone there", but Lenard dismissed my words, "Oh, please… there isn't anyone most important in the world right now. As I'm sure you know, every participant will, first and foremost, introduced themselves with his highness, Duke Sommer. So we are heading to the royal estate". No, no, no, fuck… not another monarch… last time with Falkfak I had the displeasure of being paired with his niece, and we better not talk about my first and last time seeing the Empress.
The carriage moved at a pace akin to that time Percival help me escape the Confederation, we were speeding throught the outskirts, one of the many gates that gave entrance to the walled capital city opened wide with the sight of our carriage, our bodies began to shake with the inertia of the wheels going up and down the cobblestone streets. "First time in Sallas?", Lenard asked with a shaky voice, trying to do some small talk, "After you meet with the Duke, you'll be free to shop throught as many stores as you like", he added, "Sallas is famous for its beautiful souvenirs, I always get something for my daughter while I'm here. Is there anyone you would like to give a gift to? Because I'm told I'm good at giving recommendations!". I went along with his small talk, stating with a dry, "No, no family", that instantly caused him to shut up. After a few minutes, the carriage seemed to slow down, "Ah, here we are", Lenard said. I peeked throught the window to see in front of us another wall, this one not as tall but still imposing, and with many decorations. "We are entering his highness's estate, be at your best behavior, please", Lenard pointed out and we stopped at the gates, all of the guards that were watching the walls were of the private army, one barely peeked inside the carriage and surely just by the sight of Lenard, they allow us to go through.
We went slower this time, and I could see a large stretch of land that was nothing but a big garden, with neatly cut bushes, exotic looking trees, colorful flower fields which were arranged to form the crest of the duchy, a small lagoon with swans and ducks… I can go on and on. Colt was in awe, "Woah…", he muttered, as even the fucking grass looked royal grade. "Ah… 'the Duchess Garden', just laying my eyes on it fills me with peace", Lenard said and then motioned me to look further ahead, so I turned and I could see, from afar, the tip of a tower, then two, then four, then a great castle began to appear as we approached; a castle standing on a foundation of blue bricks and surrounded by two man-made rivers. Two bridges were lowered so we could crossed, and at the feet of the great castle another, smaller, garden stood where already some people were waiting. "Sir Tak, I reckon that you're familiar with the manners of a royal court, I will ask of you to keep your… kobold, close to you, we don't want a beast like it, to cause any trouble in front of his highness, no?", Lenard warned as the carriage came to a stop, its door opened by members of the private army. Outside, there were a group of five servants, all bowing, "General Görbchuff, it is a pleasure to have you this afternoon", one servant said, steeping up, "Your accommodations are underway. How many guest will we have today?". I exited the carriage and I could feel their glances, especially when Colt followed me, an awkward silent that lasted a few seconds manifested, they were all glancing at Colt until the General cleared his throat, "Y-yes, well, it will be me and this fine gentleman, a knight from Roda, the guest the Duke's been expecting", his words prompted the servants to bow at me before the one from before, stood straight, "It's a pleasure having a guest of the event here so soon. I'll be informing his highness immediately". The servant then turned and ran back inside the castle in a stupidly comical way, was the Duke actually looking for me?
I don't want to keep describing too much… the servants led us into the estate, which was a combination between the royal palace of Roda and the one in Falkfak, only fancier, everything seemed so expensive that I was afraid to even breathe, as if an exhale could break the marble or the porcelain of the many jars and jewelry the Duke had on display. Colt behave well, like he usually does in these situations, sticking close to me, not talking and avoiding gazing directly at anyone. As we explored, like a fourth of the whole estate, we were suddenly stopped in a great room that opened to… you guessed, another garden, and I could hear exclamations, "Where?! Where?!", the voice of a man, and I realized it was the Duke's, as Lenard quickly kneeled even before the man showed his face. "Kneel", one guard muttered, and we all obliged. "Is that?", I had him in front of me and I gazed upwards to see him; a young looking man, short brown beard, the same color as his curly hair, wearing what it looked to be a blue velvet short-sleeve chemise, his outfit didn't seem too fancy, it seemed casual even. "Hmm…", he mumbled and came closer, "Stand for me", he gave the order in a voice that cracked a bit. I obliged and stood straight. I was actually taller than him, like by a head, and I had to look down at his face, that was frowning in deep thought. All of a sudden, he reached to hold my chin, moving my head from side to side, "Hmm… you aren't a woman", he muttered, "He isn't a woman!", then blurted, looking back at his servant.
What the fuck was this all about? I was about to speak but the Duke turned back to stare at me, inspecting me further, "I was told that she was 'manly'… but… no, you cannot be her. Who brought this guy?", the Duke asked and Lenard stepped up, "Uh… it was me, your highness", then the Duke forcefully turned my head around to gaze at Lenard, "Does this look like a woman to you, General?", he asked but didn't allow the, now shaky, General to answer, instead letting my face go and taking some steps back, "Ah well, at least I trust you are a knight, unless the General also lied about that". I didn't know if he was being serious, or if this was the classic royal doing whatever the fuck he wanted, or if he just was deranged. Anyhow, I nodded and introduced myself, "I'm Tak of Sonnda, I formed part of the holy knights of Roda, now I'm out of the scope of the Empress", I said and then pointed backwards, to Colt, "That there is Colt, he's my squire and a kobold, I'll ask for him to be treated fairly". Those last words made everyone put up a face of disgust, all except for the Duke, who chuckled, "Ahaha, you got a kobold as your squire? Interesting…", not the response I was expecting but better than hatred or immediate intolerance, then the Duke slightly nodded, "Alright, Sir Tak. I welcome you, and your squire, to my 'humble' abode. I'm the ruler of the northeast, the holder of the holy-… agh, Peter, introduce me". The servant from before finished the Duke's introduction, "All kneel and praise, the ruler of the northeast, holder of the Holy Artifacts, protector of the Divine Coast, leader of the New Alliance, faithful among faithfuls, first of his name, Duke Sommer Prost of Sallas", then everyone clapped.
"You forgot the 'loved by everybody', but I'll let it slide", Sommer joked and gazed at us, "Well, well, well… I guess I know what happened here. The General knew I was expecting a particular rodian knight but didn't know which. It appears that fate destined you to be here Sir Tak. See, I was actually expecting the Knight of Light, Lady Cassandra Lettenburg, and as we can all see, you are not her, not even cute, except for your kobold… Colt was it?", he asked and went to Colt, who stumbled and fell at the Duke's presence, "Can it speak?", he wondered and Colt looked at me from the corner of his eye, I guessed he was gauging what I thought, if I would let him speak for himself, so I nodded at him and he got back to his feet, lowering his hood before bowing like he were a proper royal servant, "Y-yes, I'm Colt… Colt the kobold, your highness. I'm Sir Tak's squire". Sommer opened his eyes wide as his mouth, "Oh! Look Peter, it can actually speak, and it doesn't even stutter!", then grabbed Colt's little hand and shook it, "Well, nice to meet you Colt". The duke's action urged the others to shift their expression of disgust they had against Colt, to one of 'tolerance'. After that, Sommer turned his gaze back to me, "Sir Tak", he said, "I have to say, that you are awfully early. I didn't expect the champions to arrive at this time. When I heard that 'the' rodian knight had arrived, I was as excited as I was confused", then he stretched his arms, "You may stay in the estate until the tournament begins, if you want it". T-tournament? What the?- "Excuse me your highness", Colt high pitched voice caught everyone's attention, Sommer's too, who turned, "Yes, little one?", his words giving enough reassurance to Colt to do his question, "W-we came with the information that 'an event' was going to be held… I guess that event is the tournament, could you explain it to us?".
Sommer chuckled, "Oh, so cute! Yes, yes, I would love to explain it to you, but I'm too lazy. Peter! Explain the tournament to Sir Tak and his cute squire", he said and Peter bolted forwards, explaining in a cold manner, "The Tournament of Peace is set to be celebrated in a month. Knights, warriors, champions from Roda, the Confederation, Centralia and Sallas may participate in single-combat clashes, shows of strength or in a joust, all of it in front of their rulers, as they'll perform their best to bring pride to their homesoil". Everyone clapped at Peter's words, "Oh, I'm so excited!", Sommer said, "But, I'm surprised you didn't know, Sir Tak, as the rodian delegation was informed of this more than a week ago". Oh shit, "Well, the thing is…", I actually don't know if I should be truthful or not, I don't want to go around lying and having to keep a lie up. "We are not w-with the Rodian delegation, your highness… we actually travel alone", Colt replied for me, and my gaze immediately snapped to Sommer's face, trying to gauge if what we said was good or bad. "I see", Sommer replied, "So you're telling me that, you aren't with the authorized Roda delegation, you lied to get to a highly secured place with unknown intentions, in my country which I placed under martial law a few weeks ago". Well fuck, this was bad, really bad, I was already looking around for exits, easy escape routes, eyeing the amount of guards, I also gazed at Lenard who was probably shitting himself for letting us inside, but then Sommer broke the tension with a loud laugh, "Hahahaha! Look at your face! Hahahaha, you're just like I was told! Oh, tell me, tell me, did you count how many we are? How many of us you'll had to go throught to escape?", he was… mocking me? I couldn't tell. He then clapped and from the corners of the hallway, behind some curtains, hiding inside a ceiling light, even two that I don't even know from where, all appeared suddenly, all of them soldiers from the private army, his private army. "Don't worry guys, don't worry", Sommer laughed while approaching us slowly this time, "I trust you couldn't manage to count them in, no? You really think I didn't know who you are?", he reached to grab my chin again but instead opened his palm to caressed my cheek, like if I were a child, "My brother thought the same thing, that I was dumb and short-sighted", he said low, almost whispering, "But see it for yourself. Who is the one with the crown? The one stepping on the velvet carpet and drinking wine from the golden cup? Me".
For a moment his caress went softer before he slapped me across the face, the sound reverberating on the marble walls, "That's the punishment you'll receive for your intrusion", he spout and warned, "You're within the limits of my home, my realm, my people. If you are as you say you were, a knight, then you'll speak truth to me, not out of choice but out of duty, and if not out of duty then out of respect". Was I angry? Was I scared? I felt just two things, pain, from the slap, and shame, for he was right even if I wasn't keen on royalty, he was still a person and I am in his home. "You are right", I said, turning to gaze at him, "… your highness". Sommer's frown instantly turned into a soft smile, he patted my shoulders, "It's fine, you're hereby forgiven, don't ask for a royal pardon thought, I'm not allowed to give more of those". Colt came to me and hugged my side, "Tak, a-are you okay?", it was just a fucking slap, is not like I- "Yeah, I'm fine".
"Aww, so cute how he cares for you", Sommer said, "It warms the heart to see such a display". I petted Colt's head before gently pulling him away, my eyes darting back to Sommer, "Excuse me if it's rude but, I don't care about no tournament. I came here, to Sallas, to meet with the head of the Church of the Sanctified, Maester Kendall", my words prompted a quick reply from Sommer, "I know", he smirked, "I know more, want to hear? Peter, bring the thing", then his servant brought a long piece of paper and handed it to Sommer who began to read, "The division of intelligence under the service of his highness has gathered the following information of the subject known as 'The Godsword'; of real name, Tak, orphan born in the town of Sonnda, lost to the Calamity in the year 1172. At age of one became fostered by the faithfuls of the orphanage of Saint Demarc. At age five began his military training. At age eleven became elected to form part of the Second Holy Campaign and, a year later, assigned as a squire for Sir Browning Royce, pardoned convict that deserted the holy army shortly after. One of seven survivors of the failed Portsen liberation effort, inscribed as a knight in the holy knight's record at just twelve years of age. At age fourteen, he was put under the orders of Sir Lyras of Iris; better known as 'the Crimson Sword', to liberate the Holy City of Mön in the failed Third Holy Campaign, becoming the only survivor of this endeavor, he retrieved the weapon known as the Godsword. From the ages of fourteen to seventeen, he worked for the owner of the delivery company; Demaine & Co – Mr. Constance Demaine, and performed criminal acts against competitors of his employer. His last year, before being taken into custody by Rodian forces, was spent in the town of Kolkia, as an escort of slaves. At eighteen years of age he was taken in custody and extradited back to Roda where, afterwards, he was made a fugitive after escaping a death sentence set by the Empress of Roda. These last years he's been seen performing mercenary work of various types, in recent days he's been involved in an incident in the adventurer's guild of Seaway, a violent event in the town of Zunilda, and a recent involvement with the army of the Prince of Serene".
I didn't know what to think, he almost accurately read my short life back to me, what stroke me the most was the mention of the Calamity, a mention so menial it was almost like a footnote, but if he knows so much then he knows about the Calamity, then he knows about my quest. "Quite an interesting story, don't you agree?", Summer said, "You must have many questions, so let's do the following, you may leave and seek Maester Kendall, he'll explain to you many things, afterwards you, well if you want to, can come back here to hear what I know and maybe, just maybe, consider taking part of the tournament, what do you say?". I was ready to skip everything and ask him about the Calamity but he didn't wait for an answer, just smiled and left the room as I stood there trying to gather my thoughts. "Son… son!", Lenard said, touching my shoulder, "C'mon son, let's not cause any more trouble to his highness. Let us go back to the carriage, I'll drop you off close to the church". I followed Lenard without saying a word as I was too occupied with trying to process everything that Sommer said, Colt asked me a bunch of things I didn't hear, he stopped, probably noticing my empty and convoluted expression. W-what if everything I thought was a lie? What if my quest is nothing but a show that would led to nothing… I mean, I know that my sword is sought after by nobles, sought after for its power and stuff, but is the Calamity actually the menace I think it is? What if its something that has been defeated already and I'm doing this for nothing? The way Sommer named the Calamity without much of a reaction, as if it was as minuscule as killing a bug, somewhat hurt. "Here you are, may the gods lighten your way, bye!", Lenard's words broke my train of thought and I realized I was outside, gazing up to see it, the Church of the Sanctified, here I was to meet the maester.
"T-Tak, are you okay?", Colt's voice spoke in a low gentle tone, "Your face… you don't seem fine". Right, Colt, I couldn't forget I was about to take a kobold into a church of the faith, I quickly raised his hood and hid his face as best as I could, "Keep your head down, follow close, don't know how they'll react to a kobold". The Church of the Sanctified was a monument we were told about in the orphanage, one of the first churches of the faith and one that Mön actually visited before his death, an impressive structure of stone, beautiful stained glass with images of the saints and events. The front entrance had two sets of thirty stairs that led to two great wooden doors. Going in and out there were priests, scholars, altar boys and those closely related to the clergy. The inside hosted a long nave, akin to the one of the Monastery of Saint Mön but smaller, with statues of the faith, rows and rows of wooden prying benches and a deep calming silence. "Don't make a sound, we're going to the back", I whispered to Colt and held his arm, taking him to the doors beside the altar, I opened one only to be met with a priest, "Afternoon sir, this portion of the church is only accessible to those that belong to it", he said, his eyes going up and down, taking my form, "You don't seem to be one. Are you looking for someone in particular?". This man could be Kendall or lead me to him, "I am to meet with Maester Kendall", I replied, "Please tell him that Tak of Sonnda came to see him". The priest expression told me I was correct, "Follow me, please", he asked and we closely followed, we went throught common rooms, dormitories and a large library, stacked to the ceiling with books, I heard a silent 'Woah' from Colt that I quickly shut by squeezing his arm slightly.
We went upstairs, and we were led inside a stone room, or office, that hosted a big table in the middle with a stack of papers on top, there were posters and papers stuck to the walls too. In front of us there was a desk and an old man; short white hair and wrinkly, he was writing, helped by a large magnifying glass. "Grand Maester, he finally arrived", the priest said and the old man rose his gaze, lifting the magnifying glass to see me, "Is that you? Tak?", he asked and, in a surprisingly energetic manner for an old man, jumped off his desk and went to me, "It is! Just as Bardion described… you do seem quite… aged". I gazed at the him, his shaky wrinkly and spotted hands reached to feel my armor. "It is… I'm sorry for taking this long", I muttered and he motioned with his hand to dismiss the priest who quickly left us three alone. "It doesn't matter. What's important is that you are here. Even if he told me a lot about you, this is still the first time we meet. I'm Grand Maester Phineas Kendall, director of the church and an old friend of Bardion", Kendall said and then his eyes went next to me, to Colt, "Is that the kobold?". I sighed, already annoyed at having to go to the trouble of explaining, "Yes, he's-", but Kendall extended his hand and petted Colt's head, "Colt was it? I've heard a lot of things about you two. Please take a seat".
What is this? Why does he knows Colt? I sat and Colt did the same, lowering his hood to free his kobold head, and Kendall began to search throught drawers on his desk, "I suppose you already met the Duke, no?", he asked, I still was dumbfounded about how he knew this and my silence prompted him to continue, "I guess that you did and you must be having some questions. I trusted you would've arrive earlier, Bardion wrote to me three years ago telling me of you and the sword, knowing that I'm probably one of the few that can help you with it… understand it", Kendall then found a book, an old one without a cover, and came to the desk, sitting in front of us, "Tak, what I'm about to tell you was supposed to be conveyed to you by other people… First let me be clear that I'm not against you or your quest, so I'll ask you to please listen to me with an open heart". My feelings where all over the place, fear, anticipation, eagerness, annoyance, regret? But what I needed to know was the truth. I nodded and let Kendall explain what was going on.