Chapter 7 - Civilization
Five days had passed following the group's disembark from Scorburg. Snow had long since disappeared from the landscape, a tyrannical green had taken over in its stead. Birch trees and lush shrubbery emboldened their steps, the smell of summer nature—fragrant and pure.
A swim in the lake without shrinking bollocks—what a joy.
It wouldn't take too long, maybe an hour or two…Hermes dreamt of cold beer; whereas Iris' mind created new shoes. Adel pictured a horse or a mule, Liline thought maybe a pen or two, ink regardless. Damien though? Well he just saw food.
…Fortunately, maps were not a scarce product in Scorburg, they were after all quite easy to replicate, whereas inks and pens were plenty. But not only were those dreams on paper abundant; they were also quite detailed, and furthermore, the northern-regions were mountainous and plastered with lakes.
Therefore, it was not a particularly difficult task for a young man of Adel's talents to navigate those barren wastes. And in fact, he had all throughout that journey seemingly held a clear vision of where and when they strolled.
Currently, they encroached upon the foot of a tall eroded mountain of loose brownish rock, and once they would reach the top of that foothill they presently climbed: they should be met with the visage of humanity's efforts—civilization. Or there abouts anyway, since it was not like the small town of Norburg was especially known as a great city or the like. In fact, other than being the penultimate northern settlement; it wasn't particularly famous for anything at all.
Regardless, the group's mood reflected a tapestry of bright exhilarating colours. Even Damien's mouth had forced itself into a smirk as he watched the jolly Hermes sprinting uphill some twenty meters ahead.
Where upon his effort's completion, the herculean boy took hold of his knees—exhausted and worn. A few gasps of air thereafter, the boy could be seen lifting his palms high, as he roared a victorious battlecry…
Joined soon after at the top by his friends—sharing the view—what could have been better?
Not an hour's walk ahead, down in the valley; houses of brick and wood next to a lake. And in the middle by the market square, a beige clocktower that pleased the eye.
The town was surrounded by open fields, orchards and fences too, white fluffy animals roamed in herds, though there were also spotted big ones too—lazily grazing.
Taking in that sight at the top, Hermes placed his hand on Damien's shoulder, and a wide childish grin appeared.
¨Let's roll down this hill dude! First one at the bottom pays for beers.¨
Damien slowly shook his head with a strained sigh, a steep hill ahead of him, and a great giant waiting for an answer.
What am I? A child? Surely he didn't really expect me to say yes—right? But then again, I suppose it does look kind of fun…Better not break his heart.
…The boys laid down on the grass, and started rolling downhill, leaving the rest of their group behind a cloud of dust.
¨Wait a second. He actually went along with it?¨ Iris muttered with a dumb look on her face.
¨You surprised? They're both foolish children almost to an offensive degree, and I do believe I've informed you prior.¨ Adel groaned.
¨In all honesty, I just thought he was too serious for such games, personality-wise that is.¨
¨Perhaps under normal circumstances your read holds true, however you are presently witnessing a phenomenon that I like to call—the Hermes effect—that idiot, his stupidity hammers foolishness into Damien like a nail into wood.¨ Adel bluntly informed as he began to descend by foot…
Iris on the other hand? Well she just stood there at the top for a while, eyes jumping back and forth between the rolling boys and the grass beneath her feet.
I think I want to roll down this hill…
As if reading her mind, Liline walked ahead of her slightly and crouched down; ¨Let's do it Iris!¨
¨What?! Surely y-...No, I suppose you do have a point. It's faster this way after all, perfectly reasonable all things considered!¨ the girl nodded to herself, then knelt down next to Liline.
Soon after, both of the girls also found themselves rolling speedily downhill; past Adel who coughed in surprise at the sight of them, the sound of which made both of the girls laugh.
Reaching the bottom before Hermes, Damien could not hide his competitive satisfaction. However… ¨Damn! Nice rolling Damy. I guess this means you'll be buying the first round.¨
¨Thank- wait, what!? But I won?¨
¨Yeah I know, nice win! I was just reminding you of our deal is all.¨
¨Wait a damn second! Isn't it usually the loser gets punished?¨
¨Why?¨ Hermes asked, clearly not understanding what the issue was.
¨Why? Well because…Haah, honestly? Just forget it.¨
Soon after, two girls rolled down next to the two boys—red-faced and laughing…
Damien took note of this, his mood improving further by the sight. After all, it was quite heartwarming to see the round-faced pseudo-princess enjoying herself. And it also begged the question: how often had a smile, laugh, or chuckle, graced her lips in years prior? Naturally, Damien had no conclusive answers, but he figured the occasion was doubtless an uncommon one.
The group naturally had to wait for Adel at the bottom as he proudly waddled down without a shred of haste in his steps.
But eventually he did plant his feet by their side, and the kids could resume their journey with lifted spirits—well, for the most part anyway.
…Reaching the town some half an hour later, met by stares plethora of pity and confusion; the group found a relatively quiet spot behind a red barn where they discussed their next course of action.
A coalition of varying ideas more or less converged into a sturdy whole. The first order of business: the market, where they would traffic a portion of their goods; after that, they would see about the procurement of goods and for a place to sleep.
The streets of Norburg were clean and full of healthy people, the houses colourful, and the heavenly smell of fresh bread was floating through the air.
Upon reaching the market, the first thing catching their eye was the sheer amount of people present—at least a hundred. It was quite the comparison to what they knew, and worthy of note since the population of this idyllic northern settlement was only a few thousand; whereas Scorburg's was closer to ten than nine.
A bunch of booths and stands scattered the area, selling mostly food, used tools and other items of the villagers. Though there was one stall in specific that immediately caught Adel's attention; signaling the rest to follow, he approached.
A small wooden table, stood by a middle-aged sturdy bald man with a grizzled goatee and tired brown eyes. Laid around him a bunch of exotic and rich goods, and behind all that, a large showy carriage of ebony wood.
Adel reached into his sack as he pulled out a set of silver cutlery, further magnified by elaborate golden decorations.
The bald man's eyebrows lifted slightly as he saw the group and the goods in their possession.
¨Welcome. Finally someone in this backwater town brings me something of even the slightest of interest. You trading or selling kid?¨ the man asked, holding out his hand.
¨Selling. What kind of price would you put on this stuff?¨Adel placed the cutlery in his hands as he began curiously inspecting them.
¨Damn…This looks like some quality stuff at first glance. Who did you kids rob for such a bounty.¨ The man chuckled without lifting his head from his inspection.
¨A king…Anyway, what can you pay for it?¨ Adel impatiently asked.
The man laughed heartily; ¨a king? Surely you jest. No matter. Truthfully I don't know much about precious metals, gems, and other such boring junk. But I have a buddy who knows a lot about these things. Let me give him a call,¨ the man turned towards the carriage and yelled out; ¨Wei! Come check this out!¨
The group heard a heavy creak followed by a rhythmic thumping of boots meeting wood, then from within the carriage, a strange man appeared.
None of the teenagers had ever seen a man quite like this one: he had dark-brown monolid eyes and glistening black hair fixed into a topknot, furthermore, his skin was a brownish shade with a slight yellowy undertone.
¨What are you idiots gawking at? You look like you've seen a ghost.¨ the bald man laughed, then clarified; ¨he's Qinean, from Qin in the east. Though it's not an odd thing for you to be confused—admittedly not many of his heritage live around these parts. Evidently not that is, since even in Pentor you'll find plenty of stares..¨
The foreign man gave a subtle respectful nod, - clearly not bothered in the slightest by the stares, - and headed wordless for the task at hand.
It only took him ten or so seconds, before he turned to the bald man and shared his findings; ¨silver and gold. Good quality, decent craftsmanship. However the craftsman's name is unknown, if I had to guess though, it's most likely Aragonian. That all said, we can sell them for around a thousand marks total.¨
Going straight to the point, the bald man wore a stern face as he uttered the blunt question; ¨so what do you want for them?¨
¨He confirmed they're worth at least a thousand…Nine-hundred sound fair?¨ Adel made his first offer.
¨I'm thinking more like four.¨
¨Four? Did you confuse reality for dreams? Surely anything less than eight would be considered a robbery in most jurisdictions?¨
¨They're gonna sit around for a long time, and the price of silver has been a bit unpredictable lately. There's just no money to be made at eight. Tell you what though, I'll take it to six, and that's the best I can do.¨
Adel groaned in dissatisfaction; ¨Is it fine if I look around first? See if anyone else is willing to pay more.¨
¨Sure thing, but I can promise you no one in this town has that sort of cash to splurge on forks and knives. You know this is the northernmost settlement in the whole world, and a shithole to boot. Meaning there's not much trade.¨
¨Hold on. You are obviously a trader. It's odd you say that?¨ Hermes said, stepping forward.
¨Yes yes. But my purpose here is purely one of personal adventure. You see my plan is to one day visit all the inhabited regions of the world.¨
¨There's one north of here is there not?¨ Adel inquired.
¨Hah! You mean Scorburg kid? That place doesn't exist anymore, I already questioned the locals about that. No Scorburgian has passed these parts in over two years, before that there were plenty. The only logical conclusion one could make is that the town is extinct.¨
¨Incorrect. Beset by a curse most foul, dying by the minute, roamed by soulless puppets. But the town still stands. We should know—we just came from there.¨
The man's jaw dropped; ¨sooth you say? Kid, I'll give you eight-hundred if you give me your map! You must have one right?¨
Adel's eyes gleamed as he reached into his sack, and began looking for the map within. Liline gently placed a hand on his elbow; ¨surely you don't mean to?¨
Telling the girl to trust him, Adel pulled out the now-useless parchment and shook hands with the trader; ¨oh, by the way. Only perils await you in that blasted place. You'll be murdered and robbed, if you don't freeze first. So I advice you forget that piece of trash in a ditch or something.¨
In Adel's mind, intuitively a natural reaction to his revelation would have been an angry bald man. However, the bulky trader just laughed instead.
¨So you wait until the deal is sealed to tell me this. I like your style, kid, but I'm doubtful of any personal danger.¨ the man grinned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a golden pocketwatch, engraved with the image of a raven.
¨What is that supposed to mean? And why does it save you from being lynched by a mob of skinny alcoholics, armed with kitchen knives and snowshovels¨ Adel curiously asked.
¨How refreshing. I suppose it makes sense, but you kids don't know a lot about the world then—do you?¨
¨He only knows a lot of words. The infamous word-wonk has read his beloved dictionary from stem to stern twenty times over if not more.¨ Damien quipped.
However, Adel just ignored him; ¨regardless, since you seem quite knowledgeable regarding all things worldly; where do you advise we should head?¨
¨That is an easy question to answer. The king of Aragon is ancient and senile, the streets resonate with whispers of an imminent civil war. Therefore regardless of where you kids end up, I would strongly suggest against staying in this country. Now otherwise, there are plenty of good options on the table, namely the river-split Garemia to the south, or perhaps a change of scenery into the beautiful hills of Frankland east-south-east from here…However, ultimately there is no place like Pentor, a grand bastion of civilization, progress, and culture; not to mention the greatest superpower of the central sea, perhaps even the world—a land of opportunity if you will—a land where all men are treated equal in the face of the law.¨ the man explained, simultaneously bagging the group's money.
¨Well I suppose that settles it then. Though I wonder, you wouldn't happen to have a map in stock now would you?¨ Adel asked while receiving the heavy satchel filled with a mishmash of various coins and bars.
Gaining an affirmative answer, and hearing a price of ten Aragonian marks, Adel made the deal quickly without even consulting the other members of his group.
Noting then the absence of the two girls, which by now had been who knows how long; he looked around, eventually spotting them on the opposite end of the marketplace, currently eyeing a pair of brown boots.
That was also when Hermes started pestering the boy for a few coins, which was a request that Adel found himself granting hastily to avoid an unnecessary bother.
Then, upon receiving the two coins each worth ten marks, Hermes dragged Damien with him and the two disappeared; though Adel doubted any coming difficulty in finding them later. After all, how many taverns or alehouses could a small town like this possibly pride itself with?
He joined the girls instead as they bought Iris a new pair of leather for her ailing feet. A pair which she wasted no time fitting.
This was hardly a surprise however, since the girl's feet were in such a sorry state that when she took them out for air momentarily, the sight made Adel and Liline both recoil in horror. Specifically, her feet were filled with leaking blisters surrounded by reddened skin and scratch marks scattered here and there, whereas those scratch marks had shed her skin and stained what remained in blood.
The truth was, that although the girl could have been seen grimacing or heard grunting on occasion; she had not been heard complaining, and therefore it was impossible for anyone to have guessed the true severity of her condition.
What manner of pain tolerance can be found in something so seemingly fragile? Aeons witness, an unexpected dichotomy doubtless and an austere inciter of respect to boot. Adel thought, sharing a look of mutual compassion with Liline.
Then, the two worried kids instructed her to keep from straining her feet further, which made the noble pout in disapproval. Adel figured that she found it shameful being constantly carried by Hermes, and since he himself was no stranger to pride, he did also kind of get it—even if he did ultimately label her evident lack of self-preservation as pure foolishness.
Still, if nothing else, this added another line into the already great list of reasons why an animal should be bought without delay. Since surely she wouldn't mind spending her days stretching her legs while driven through Aragonian roads by a strong mule or the like.
But even that assumption he could not claim for certainty. This mostly since as far as he could tell, the girl had that same annoying quality of emotional detachment that his own black-haired friend was famous for. However, unlike with Damien, he had not yet studied her behaviour for years and years, and was therefore disinclined to make conclusive judgements regarding the depths of her depravity.
…For now though, he figured he might go solo and discover the source of that tempting smell from earlier. And after that? Something relaxing for sure, maybe even a beer or two? The occasion was certainly one for celebration, and if not now then surely never.
Though there was at least one thing he knew for certain: anything categorizable as issue- or work-related would have to wait for a new sun.
Today's remaining light would be dedicated for relaxation instead.