Chapter 37 (Early Version)

Chapter 37 - Return to Ansan

The sword is a truly noble weapon for the traveler.  A good blade is perfectly balanced for both offense and defense and is the symbol of an honest man.  A man is judged by the quality of the weapon on his hip.

- The Fanciful Travels by Beron de Laney 376 A.C


My dreams were of a different flavor this time. The tentacled creatures of the void did not disturb me. Nor did the susurrations of the cruel whispers that promised an eternity of suffering. Instead, I endured a frustrating dream battling swift-moving hooded elves that passed like bottle lightning.  I tried slashing them with my shortsword but my sword arm felt like it was moving through thick molasses. Again and again, the wicked creatures would harry me, stabbing and slashing with their evil shining blades. My frustration was building up to a berserker rage until Kidu shook me awake, freeing me from my nightmare.

Groggily I took over the watch, looking over at Elwin’s sleeping form. I was physically refreshed but mentally exhausted thanks to my recent dream.  Anger more than fear was my primary emotion, and a small part of me hoped to encounter those elves again. However, in the deeper parts of my soul, I knew that if we encountered them again in our current state we would not be nearly as lucky. It was an abject lesson in the difference of power.  “One day,” I vowed to myself as I stared out across the sea of grass, a cool night breeze making the shimmering blades sway softly under an argent moon.

*

The next morning found our party in low spirits. Fear stalked at the back of my mind, as I instinctively looked over my shoulder for any signs of pursuit.  The previous night’s encounter brought to the fore feelings of impotence akin to those felt when the collars were around our necks. Trying to counter this sense of helplessness, I cycled Entropic Aura on and off during the long hours of my watch before waking Elwin for his turn. My efforts had paid off and I had increased the level of my Entropic Aura, and more importantly, I was better able to control its rebellious energies. The sun shone and the birds sang their melodies in the crisp morning air, but none of this could lift the pall of our close brush with the end.

After we had broken our fast I decided to broach the topic of our next move, “Gentlemen, I believe it is time for us to discuss what to do next.”

“Well we certainly need to get out of this forsaken wilderness, simple travelers aren’t nearly as friendly as they used to be,” replied Elwin sarcastically, hiding the worry in his voice.

“Just a few more enemies for the tribe,” rumbled the big Hunter threateningly, as he took a swig of water from a canteen.

“To the task at hand, how are we to make good our entry into the city of Ansan? We have some wealth, but ideally, I would like to make for friendlier climes...” I began again before being interrupted by Elwin.

“Leave that to me. City guards are always known for the grift and we have a little coinage, more than enough to secure a party of three foreigners.  Besides, people from all over come to Ansan, the jewel of the grass sea and gate to the wilds of the Grieving Lands! What I would do to kill for a real bed!” he interjected a little too enthusiastically, really trying to sell us on the idea of civilization.

I made a point of pretending to truly consider this, before finally agreeing with the Rogue, I would have to pray that my face would just be one among many. My notoriety from the arena was surely faded now from word of my supposed ‘death’ in the mines. Still, I felt a little apprehensive to be going back to a city that had enslaved me. The irony was not lost on me that it was safer to be in the city that had enslaved me, rather than in the wilderness where I could fall prey to a wandering party of elves. At least I would be among my own kind.

“We enter Ansan and find a place to stay. Sell what we can for coin, then find transport out,” I spoke slowly in the best authoritative voice I could muster.

“What, or who were those people or things last night?  We almost died!” inquired Elwin looking pointedly at me, “Gil, here seems to have understood a little of what they were saying.  Why did they attack us?”

Debating on telling them the whole truth, I carefully began to answer his line of inquiry, “They were elves, Wood Elves to be precise, and they...”

Again I was interrupted by Elwin, which drew a snarl from Kidu, “The First People of Forest?  The Warders of the Woods?  They walk the lands of men again?  Hah, you would make a fine bard...”

“Enough, little man.  Gilgamesh of the Uruks speaks the truth. Who else could have moved as they did? I am an eminent Hunter of the Three Bears, I didn’t sense a whisper before they were on me. If Gilgamesh says they are of the First People, then they are,” concluded the man-mountain with the finality of an avalanche.

“But why did...” went on the Rogue.

“Because they could,” I said tersely, cutting him off. “Because they’re not human like us, their goals are alien and unknowable. But, ultimately I surmise it was because they had the power to do so. Let’s be grateful that they were in a hurry and didn’t decide to loot us,” I said looking at them both pointedly in the eyes. “It is best that we focus on our current goals, the whys and wherefores matter not in our quest for a bed for the night and a roof over our heads,” I said the last to humor Elwin.

The pair nodded before they started to gather up our things. While they were busy I silently cast Greater Heal on myself, eager to rid myself of the slave marks on my arm, the divine energies playing about my form drew a few glances from my companions. When we had finished breaking camp we headed in the direction of the city with a new purpose in our stride.  Necessity, in my opinion, had won over fear.

About an hour away from the gates of the city, a heavily armed mounted patrol of Children passed by us on the road. Their backs were straight as they clasped menacing-looking lances, dark eyes looking to the horizon as if searching for something. We had our eyes down, even Kidu knew better than to cause trouble, as we continued our way to the city.  For a moment I thought they would stop and question, but mercifully they must have had business elsewhere for they left us alone.  For the most part, we must have looked like a small band of travelers, or perhaps farmers, looking for a better life in the city I concluded.  Either that or the hawks were searching for more important prey.

We joined a long line of farmers, merchants, and general travelers all waiting to enter Ansan, the jewel of the grass sea. A small black-haired girl, perhaps just on the cusp of womanhood, carried like an imperial icon on a palanquin of slaves came to the guards at the gate from the direction of the city proper. She began to talk to them in an imperious tone in the local language of the Children. I could not hear the conversation directly but I saw that her doll-like features creased in annoyance as one of the guards at the gate knelt before her palanquin and presented her with an intricately knotted silk string. Fuming in anger, she ordered her slaves to carry her quickly back off into the city.

Unable to stem my curiosity, I asked an old farmer wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat in front of me to explain the scene that had just unfolded. Elwin gave me a warning glare, but I ignored him as I continued my line of inquiry with the farmer. The old man turned to give me a look over, no doubt questioning the discrepancy between my clothes and my quite obvious ethnicity. One glance at Kidu, however, made him gulp visibly in fear and answer my question.

“That be an Honoured One, young master, those of the city who are strong in the Gift,” he answered, clasping his hat to his chest. “Best not to draw the attention of the high folk, only trouble for those of our station,” he said, eyes downcast.

I wanted to ask more but Elwin was looking visibly apoplectic, so I stilled my questioning tongue and the old man turned now ignoring us.

“You don’t want to be asking too many questions looking like that,” the Rogue said in a quiet voice, pointing to my clothes and the dull stains around my neck, “if you got any questions let's ask them once we’re safely inside.”

Taking his advice I held my silence until it was finally our turn. Trepidation filled me at entering the city of enslavement. Would anyone recognize me? Or was I already considered dead, yet another victim of the system that fueled this city’s wealth?

With sudden initiative, Elwin walked confidently to one of the guards at the gate, who looked utterly bored clad in dirty patchwork armor with a poorly maintained knobbled mace at his hip. Quick words were exchanged which animated his expression, a look in our direction, and an even faster exchange as Elwin slipped something into his hand.

As we passed the guards, for a moment I thought our plan had failed and we would have to fight our way free, when the bored-looking guard simply suggested, “You lot stink too much of the road, my cousin Taper runs an inn with a good bathhouse just down this way, the Twisted Boar, tell him Dagesh sent you,” he said with a quick wink obviously pleased by his take this afternoon.

In the distance, towering at the center of the city, stood the great monolithic Ark of the city; the seat of power and governance of the Children of the Tides. My nerves played merry hell with my heart, worried that I would be recognized by one of my former enslavers. My eyes furtively scanned everywhere, searching with dread for a familiar face that would recognize me. To me, the local people all seemed to resemble my initial captors near the shrine of Avaria, shifty Asian eyes with epicanthic folds that promised deceit or violence. Still, luck or divine provenance was on our side and our party drew no real notice. Picking up our pace, we walked along the hard-packed earthen street that was the main eastern thoroughfare of Ansan for the first time as free men. I rationalized my good fortune with the fact that slave irons made a man mostly invisible, I must have been just one face in thousands quickly forgotten. I had weighed the risks of returning to the city against the life of a brigand in the wilds. I convinced myself that this choice though arguably risky allowed for potentially greater gain. In truth, I simply longed for civilization.

The mistake I had made was that of the modern civilized man, to think that I was the center of the world and its events and people revolved around me. In truth, for this city I must have been just one of many.

I didn’t realize it at the time but a darker reason brought me back to the city. In part, this was fueled by the youthful impetuousness that in its rebellion actively sought trouble. Still something darker, a promise long ago of hot vengeance now turned cold that something subconscious mind had remembered.

Still worry gnawed at me as we made our progress through the streets. I had to constantly remind myself that a smart criminal walks and does not run. This conflicted with another truth that I had learned through modern media, that the culprit almost always returns to the scene of the crime.

The foot traffic was heavy and a fine layer of dust seemed to coat everything as we walked by many tents and yurts that lined the main boulevard. The smell of the city almost overwhelmed our noses, too used now to clean country air. Every now and then we would pass a stone or wooden building, but they were for the most part still relatively rare.

After making our way through the sweaty press of traffic, hands always on our valuables, we saw the sign of a Twisted Boar. A green boar painted over a wooden sign was being twisted forcibly in the hands of a large leering giant. A strange sign for a strangely named inn. The whole building looked relatively new as if the wood was freshly cut green lumber. To the right of the building was a small white stone building, its chimney billowing a column of smoke; the baths of the establishment no doubt. On the left of the building was an empty-looking stable that had seen better days.

We entered the main establishment through a sturdy-looking door, well worn with use, to be greeted by the sight of a thin man behind a wooden counter polishing a horn stein. The ceiling was low, and the smell of spilled ale and recently cleaned vomit hung stale in the air. In the corner, two bearded and turbaned men sat around a glass pipe taking turns smoking at a bluish smoke that curled up towards the ceiling. At a small wooden table, a group of shifty-looking rat-eyed men sat, playing what looked like this world’s version of cards. Dog-eared cards featuring unknown gods, monsters, and symbols were exchanged, placed, and exchanged on the table. The player's expressions changing from carefully controlled neutrality to barely concealed drunken consternation depending on their fortunes.

The willowy male behind the bar looked at us with eyes the color of warm chocolate. He was somewhere in his middle years, his once black hair grown lank and thin. Narrow lips under a wide nose pursed as he nodded to us in the universal manner of all bartenders, somewhere between deference and amicability, before asking, “What can I get you, folks?”

In a certain light, you could say he had a vague resemblance to the guard at the gate, but the association was tenuous at best. I was just about to speak before Elwin beat me to it, “Innkeep, we are looking for room, a private room if you please for the three of us.”

“That’ll be twenty bronze pieces a night for the lot of you, twenty-three if you lot be needing to use the baths, which I highly suggest you do. You have the mark of the road long traveled about you. Oh, and another bronze if you be needing your clothes to be laundered. Leave’em with the boy, good lad he is. Three coppers for a meal when we’re serving. Also, the name’s Taper Athinad, at your service,” he said perfunctorily, returning to clean an array of mugs and steins in front of him.

As he detailed the prices, my mind was already performing some rough calculations. My time in the local jail eavesdropping on the conversations of the market had given me a rough idea of the value of the coins. So too as I spun the numbers in my mind, I made sure to look at the innkeeper, searching his face for the first signs of treachery, but found none.

Luckily this world’s currency was easy to get a handle on as it followed a simple decimal system. In terms of buying power, a single copper piece was worth approximately a pound, as I had observed a woman buy two apples for this cost. Ten coppers were then worth a bronze piece and ten bronze coins were in turn worth a single silver piece, with ten silver pieces having the value of a rare gold coin. The edges of all the coins were smooth, with the half version of the coins having a hole punched through the center. Along the rim of the coin was some written script that I could not yet decipher as it was written in a language I had not encountered yet. I played around with the idea of casting a spell of Identification but idle curiosity was not a good enough cause to spend precious Mana. On one side of the coins was a stylized version of a flowing wave. On the other side, a bust profile of an ancient woman was depicted, one who I noted shared a similarity to the terrifying goddess Avaria.

I concluded that overall the inn’s prices were reasonable by my very rough estimations and forced myself to relax a little. What would be, would be-a mantra against the building pressure in my head. The dice demanded to be rolled.

Elwin counted a week's worth of lodging for us and a little extra onto the counter before asking Athinad in a voice that would not carry far, “Bit far from home Athinad, that’s a southern name by the sound of it...” he was met by a grunt by the innkeeper, “Just saying, just saying, now what we could do with is a little information. Perhaps to the tune of the comings and goings in the city? Perhaps a place where some strapping young men can earn a bit of coin? Maybe even a place to wind down...?” he said the last while holding up his hands, giving the Athinad a knowing wink.

I couldn’t help but think in my mind that this was rich talk coming from a man who had just been enslaved, then realized that it was part of his act of giving off an air of normality. The innkeeper’s brow furrowed as if in concentration before he deigned to answer the Rogue, “Been a bunch of thieves operating around these parts recently, so keep a hand on your purses I say. Small reward too from us local businesses if you're able to catch’em. Course, there’s always work down by the caravanserai, they are always looking for strong backs,” he paused for a moment looking us over, “Of course, those of...a more combative nature may find the odd job or two at the Adventurers’ Guild.” With such a delivery I almost expected an intrusive quest prompt, but none were forthcoming.

“And entertainment?” burst the Rogue, the hunger clear in his eyes.

Coughing in slight embarrassment the innkeeper replied, “Well, there’s usually a few games of chance and skill going around here and there’s a gambling house run by old Roi up by the Ark, but if you’re into the more bloodthirsty entertainment there’s an arena with daily games,” Elwin looked at him willing him to continue, “or… in the North quarter is the pleasure district.  Haven’t much in the way of time to have visited there, so can’t tell you much...” he added, as he cleaned a nonexistent stain from the counter in the manner of all barmen. I found this annoying, and the voices within echoed my thoughts… could I get experience by smashing Athinad’s face in with a mining pick? There would also be money behind the bar…

“We will take our rooms then a bath, and if possible our clothes to be laundered,” I interjected swiftly, pulling myself from such murderous thoughts that were probably not my own. I sighed with inner relief, glad that our plan was working.

The innkeeper gave me a relieved look, his shoulders visibly relaxing before handing me a set of copper keys, adding quickly, “Up the stairs, second door on the left.”

I nodded my thanks and our party made our way up stairs that creaked ominously under our weight, ascending to a landing that led to a narrow corridor with doors on both sides. We entered a surprisingly clean room, with a large single bed in the corner and simple shutters opened to let the light in. Of course, I thought to myself, it was after all more economical to make a single large bed than three smaller beds. A single wooden chair, a side table by the bed, and three chamber pots in the other corner were the only other pieces of furniture in the room. On the positive side of things, the locals probably slept like barbarians on the floor, and I was just glad to have a solid roof over my head that wasn’t just a layer of rock and earth. Relief threatened to flood through me, as I thought of all of the risks we had taken to reach this moment. However, rather than truly feeling safe, I felt simply just a vast lessening of danger.

We decided to take inventory. Our current scavenged and looted belongings included a few mining tools, our old weapons, a few assorted valuable objects and miscellany from the cabins, basic camping supplies, and of course the length of chain I had decided to keep. Four gold coins and thirteen silver pieces with the rest of the coins in bronze and copper were the sum total of financial wealth. The currency system was thankfully very simple, and I reminded myself that a gold coin was worth ten silvers and was worth around a thousand pounds. Ten bronze coins were worth a silver, and ten copper coins made up a bronze. We divvied up the silver and gold between us, agreeing that we should keep the copper and bronze for general expenses. At a rough calculation, I estimated their value at around six or five thousand pounds in terms of relatively raw purchasing power in my old world. It wasn’t a fortune but hopefully, it could help get us started until we found our feet. Seeing the money in front of me, coupled with something that the innkeeper said earlier, sparked the beginning of an idea in my mind. I certainly didn’t have enough funds to start a trade or business, but for the moment I had enough to survive for some time and find my feet in this world.

The group unanimously decided to treat our stay in the city of Ansan as if we were in enemy territory. We would tread carefully with all of our dealings here and try to keep a low profile, foregoing strong drink and other vices which could betray us. In that vein of thought, we decided it best that we went to the baths in pairs, with one of us staying in the room to watch over our things. Though it presented a risk, my modern sensibilities demanded some level of hygiene. Talking to my companions, they convinced me that not going to the baths would most likely just draw suspicion on us as we assuredly stank of the road and the wilds. I had to remind myself that what would be would simply have to be.

Elwin volunteered to try to find a buyer for our assorted looted valuables after we had finished cleaning ourselves up. He also promised to get us to trade for some new clothes, as having some spares would always be welcome.

I went first to the baths with Elwin, trusting Kidu to watch over our scavenged loot. We asked the boy after passing him the requisite coin, an eager dark-haired scrawny thing, to see to our clothes once we had placed them in the baskets. Bowing once, he hung some dull grey robes on two wooden pegs for us and left with our soiled garments.

We entered the baths proper through some sliding doors. An old man remarkably muscled, with jagged scars from past battles running across his body, rinsed himself before entering one of three large pools. Copying the old man we cleaned ourselves as best as we could with cheap coarse soap, the grime from our long travels staining the waters before we entered a tepid pool. The feeling of embarrassment from my nakedness had long been scoured from me, but a sense of vulnerability remained, so Elwin and I would have to make quick of our toilet. For a moment I remembered Harun, comparing him to the old man, they were of a similar build, would he pose a similar challenge? I played out the murderous scenario in my mind and was even tempted to use an Identify spell on him, but finally decided against it. I needed to leave here and return to the relative safety of the room as soon as possible.

Though hurried, the bath did wonders for my morale, and Elwin looked supremely happy to be clean again. Scratching behind his back he turned and said in a cheerful voice, “I always do enjoy my weekly bath.”

I did my best to hide my grimace, hygiene standards in this part of the world were obviously not comparable to my own. Sighing, I simply smiled back at the Rogue, slipping into the warm water. Slowly, ever so slowly, the warm water began to soothe the myriad of aches and pains of my recent travails.  Looking at my body I noticed that despite receiving a number of wounds I did not have a single scar on my body. I touched the place where my slave brand should have been, only to find smooth skin. Also, despite being at more than twice the strength I was initially, there were no significant changes to my physical build. I had the same very average-looking body as I always had.  A quick gander at Elwin’s own body showed a surprising lack of scars for a man of his trade, but an intricate tattoo of an unknown design ran down from the nape of his neck along the line of his back.

Not wanting to spend any more time than was necessary, we subsequently moved into a hot drying room, adjacent to the baths. We sat on a wooden bench, reminiscent of a sauna, waiting to dry. Being a little shy in my nakedness, I didn’t try to engage Elwin in any conversation, replying to his attempts at conversation with noncommittal grunts and half-thought-out replies. Once dry, we donned our loaned robes and went back to our room where we relieved Kidu of his watch. Elwin deciding that one round in the baths wasn’t enough, quickly poured himself a glass of water from a pitcher by the bed before returning to them with the wildman.

Sitting on the bed, I finally had a little time to gather myself. I had traveled so far, only to ironically return to the place of my imprisonment, albeit as a free man. I needed to get out of this city. There remained a chance that someone might recognize me. Perhaps that would never come to pass; after all, I was probably presumed dead after the cave-in. Still, I wanted to leave this frontier town and go somewhere relatively more civilized. But to do that I needed a large number of funds. This world, after all, was a dangerous place.

Just as I was prioritizing my goals, there was a knock on the door.

“Sir, your laundry is done,” piped a squeaky voice that had shifted from a lower octave in the manner of adolescents just into their change.

Getting to my feet I opened the door, and paused for a moment in shock. The owner of the voice was the boy from before, but for a moment I saw Jongshoi’s face superimposed over his features. Reflexively I reached for a weapon that was not there, before catching myself and instead reaching for my purse that I had brought me. Pressing him a single copper coin I swiftly collected the cleaned laundry. He accepted gratefully, constantly bowing until annoyed I finally closed the door in his face.

Just as I was about to return alone to my thoughts, I was again interrupted as my pair of companions burst into the room. It seemed that I had forgotten to lock the door.

“I see all our belongings are still here, congratulations on being able to stay awake!” joked Elwin as he plopped down next to me on the large bed.

Kidu seemed a little more relaxed than usual, the bath having miraculously healed some of the shadows behind his eyes, a feat that even my divine magic could not. More significantly he had hacked off most of his beard and the difference was rather astonishing. His features remained untamed and rugged, but he looked less like a primal thing and more like a true man.

“Better now. We too have hot springs in the north where the tribe gather in the coldest of winters. This was most welcome,” he stated simply before he too lay down, and within moments began to snore. I touched my own face in sympathetic reaction, noting that despite the amount of time I had spent in this world that there was no evidence even of an attempt at stubble.

“Why did you decide to do away with your beard, Kidu?” I asked on a whim, hoping that I did not commit a social faux pas.

“A man grown in the north cuts his beard after a time of great shame or loss, that he reminds himself that he is but still an unbearded youth. This is how it has always been,” replied Kidu, his usually loud voice unnaturally quiet. At least it would serve to change his appearance a little. Cleanshaven the wildman almost looked civilized.

“The inn’s serving in an hour, wake us up a little before then,” requested Elwin, yawning almost exaggeratedly and cutting off a potentially awkward conversation, “so sleepy...”

It would seem I was to take this watch. I began to devise plans for future experimentation. I still needed to test a spell or two in controlled conditions, and for that, I would need test subjects I thought clinically. An irrational thought played across my mind, was the boy from the bath spying on our group? I played with an equally irrational idea of using the boy but thought better of using somebody too close to my place of lodging. Thankfully I was in a city full of people I did not much care for.