[Hoshi]: "What…is this place?"
Looking from atop the hill, Hoshi eyed his new environment, a gargantuan kingdom that looked to be circulating with carriages, settlers, and merchants. He looked around to check if this was some sort of joke from the afterlife itself, to see if anyone could direct or point him where to go.
But there was no one—Hoshi Saito would have to venture alone, as always. He sighed, and slowly began to move down the hill with careful effort. Once he reached the sandy road, Hoshi took a deep and long breath to calm his nerves.
Just blend in, you've done this a million times…
Hoshi assumed a confident pose, squaring his shoulders and walking toward the kingdom entrance, aiming to divert attention with his bravado. The 2 guards next to the entrance didn't bat an eye as Hoshi slipped through the front gate, making his movement by standing next to a carriage full of deliveries. As he passed by, however, Hoshi couldn't help but notice the abundance of weaponry loaded in the wagon.
[Hoshi]: "Swords…spears, and shields? Old fashioned but it gets the job done."
Hoshi relaxed a bit as he headed into the kingdom, the sounds of merchants yelling, iron clanking and food being stirred all hitting him at once. The area seemed packed full of stands where merchants offered their potential customers interesting looking items to say the least.
Something's off—
Hoshi tapped his foot anxiously on the stone floor beneath him, his breaths coming in short gasps as the crowd's speech merged together in his head. People began to bump into his shoulders as they walked by, every blow feeling like it was gonna send him tumbling back to that void he was in. He stumbled by, his hands landing on a stall in front of him. His body felt cold, and his heart was beating irregularly quick.
[???]: "Kid—? Are you alright?"
Hoshi looked over to see an older looking man, clad in dark and rough-looking clothes. His face was smeared in charcoal and oil, but what was most noticeable was his eyes. They looked tired, as if this man had seen his fair share of trouble in life, and right now—Hoshi was his concern.
[Hoshi]: "I-I just need some air, I'll be fine."
The man narrowed his eyes and was about to speak before Hoshi quickly scrambled off to find a more secluded spot. He eventually stumbled upon an old bridge that connected across the small river that flowed throughout the kingdom; it was a welcome distraction from the bustling and loud environment where he was before. Hoshi breathed in from his nose and let the cool air fill his lungs, his hands stopped jittering as moments passed.
No longer could he hear iron clanking or merchants yelling, he could hear the wind scathing by his ears and birds chirping as they soared high above the castle. His hands dug a little deeper into the railing as he called upon his resolve, to calm down. He opened his eyes and took a moment to gain his bearings, he looked around one more time.
This place is…really pretty.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream from a nearby area, and he looked as people rushed to the area of conflict. He really didn't want to follow, because the last time he heard a scream and tried to intervene…
Hoshi Saito died.
But the regret of not trying would eat him alive and Hoshi knew that. Hoshi could already hear the sounds of the crowds gasps and murmurs, his body turned and his hands gripped the railing of the bridge.
[Hoshi]: "Stupid feelings, always making me do things that're gonna get me killed."
So, Hoshi shook his doubts away and began to run where he could distinctly make out the cries of someone in pain and the grunts of the person inflicting pain upon them. Hoshi arrived at the intersection where a food stall wasn't too far away, and he looked as three guards were pinning a boy to the ground, his face scrunched in pain and breathing erratic as a guard kicked his side.
[Guard 1]: "What did you think would happen, that you'd just be able to steal food and get away with it?!"
The boy cowered in fear as the guard raised his hand to strike him, his eyes wide with rage. Meanwhile, Hoshi's stomach was doing somersaults, why was no one trying to save him? Better yet—what kind of world was this? Hoshi's mind zoned out as a cried yelp escaped the boy, with another blow being dealt straight to his back.
[Boy]: "Please…my family is sick, we need food and medicine, help us."
The guards scoffed at his statement and one picked the boy up by the collar with ease. The crowd had already begun to disperse as they sensed the conflict was over, but Hoshi still looked at the boy, whose eyes were red and puffy with tears streaming down his face. The boy sniffled and looked at Hoshi, and for a moment—it was as if somehow, he was begging for help.
Before he could make a move, Hoshi felt the presence of someone behind him.
Crap.
[Guard 2]: "The hell are you gawking at, boy? You should be running off like the rest."
Hoshi could feel his veil of invisibility slowly coming down, this guard was really looking at him up and down. Since this was the first time someone was actually speaking to him in this new world, Hoshi could only stutter and fumble with his words in response, his hands shaking with nervous energy. The guard came closer and Hoshi stepped back hesitantly.
[Guard 2]: "Now that I look at you real close—why do you look like that? Where are you from? Why are you in Vaelgard?"
[Hoshi]: "I–I'm here for…the merchants, to buy items."
The guard raised his eyebrow and put a hand on his weapon to flaunt his authority over the situation. Hoshi bit his lip and watched as the guard looked at his hands and waist, a glint of suspicion only growing brighter in his eyes.
[Guard]: "You say that yet you have no money, and no items to trade in…don't lie with me child. Come here, I'm taking you back to quarters to see who you really are—"
[???]: "Oi, now where do you think you ran off to? I told you to buy supplies and I find you getting this guard all sorts of riled up–c'mere."
Hoshi recognized the familiar voice and turned around to see their face. A man with a burly and dark, with ash and soot smothering his face, it was the shopkeeper from earlier. He waved Hoshi over and a put a hand on his shoulder once he was at his side, a reassuring touch.
The guard, however, didn't look pleased at all to see that Hoshi had gotten bailed out of that situation. He let go of his weapon and let his hand fall to his side. The guard scoffed as he took in the sight of the shopkeeper towering above him, an obvious disdain was present between the two.
[Guard 2]: "Ugh—why am I not surprised to see you, Barek? You should keep a closer eye on your workers, or else they might get hurt…"
[Barek]: "Pftt, ain't nothing gonna happen to them. My employees are made of steel!"
Barek made a point to give Hoshi a firm smack on the back, but his stability was of anything but steel as he nearly stumbled over. Hoshi internally cursed at Barek for nearly dropping him on the cement, but all was well since he did technically save him.
[Hoshi]: "Anyways—we should probably head back to shop, since we have a lot to talk about…right Barek?"
[Barek]: "Haha! Classic…er—employee, always ready to move onto the next job. Let's get those feet moving then!"
Barek and Hoshi turned around and began to head back to where his stall was placed, but the guard still eyed the two as they left. From the looks of it, the guards that patrolled the streets seemed to have a constant quarrel with Barek, but he paid no mind to it.
Once Hoshi and Barek reached their destination, the door flew open as Barek hurriedly pushed Hoshi in and slammed it shut. The interior of the shop smelled of burned wood and metal, Hoshi's eyes watered a bit from the sudden change of scent, and across its shelves were various unfinished tools. Whether it was swords, shields, axes, spears, hooks, it seemed like Barek was jack of all trades when it came to being resourceful.
[Hoshi]: "Thanks for saving me back there, I didn't mean to cause trouble. But…that kid, everyone just watched and walked away like it was ordinary, why didn't they do something?"
Barek leaned on the counter and crossed his arms, he kept his eyes closed for a moment to think of a sensible answer. As Hoshi waited, he couldn't help but feel his thoughts spiral, why didn't he move? Why couldn't he move? Why didn't he try to intervene? Before he could form another thought, Barek answered.
[Barek]: "In Vaelgard, this is the ordinary. People steal, and they're bound to get caught by the street patrol. It doesn't matter how young you are, if you commit a crime then its up to The Council what to do with you."
[Hoshi}]: "He was stealing food for others, not himself—and why were they beating on him?! They should've just took him in, not…hit him."
[Barek]: "I know, trust me kid. It's unfair, but its what they do to make an example of people. The guards get a power trip since no one can actually fight them back, or else they'll just get an even worse punishment from The Council."
Hoshi grunted in frustration, if The Council was so almighty, then why were people starving in the first place? But, there was no use in arguing with Barek over it, so he simply nodded and acknowledged the laws of Vaelgard, no matter how unfair they were.
[Barek]: "But don't look so down! Vaelgard has its benefits as well. For now, I'll leave you here and we can talk more later, alright?"
[Hoshi]: "Alright…and Barek? Thanks again, for saving me."
[Barek]: "Yeah yeah—wait a second, I never asked for your name! I've been calling you 'kid' all this time."
Hoshi chuckled at Barek's sudden need for his name, considering how asking for it seemed to fly over his head all this time. Barek waited in anticipation and the sounds of his foot tapping the floor overpowered the noise outside.
[Hoshi] "My name…is Hoshi Saito, not very sophisticated but I think it suits me."
[Barek] "Bahaha! You're a funny one, Hoshi Saito…I'll leave you to being sophisticated, don't run off."
And with that, Barek opened the door and left, leaving Hoshi in the shop. He decided to get up and begin browsing Barek's collection of items, as tools weren't the only thing sold here. His eyes scanned over the walls, some armor was neatly placed on a stand, along with various drinks lined up on shelves. Hoshi took a few steps forward, his hand gently traced the seams on the armor and he looked at the sword beside it.
[???]: "I wouldn't touch that if I were you—dad would throw you into a furnace if he found a scratch on that armor, and especially that sword."
Hoshi's head whipped around to find a girl, her face covered in smudges of soot much like Barek, and a large hammer slung over her shoulder, she held it with no effort at all. She wore a pair of work boots and her hair was styled in a messy bun for practicality, with her shirt and pants covered in grime and coal.
Hoshi gulped as he looked at the person before him, he wasn't the type of person who was opposed to getting to know new people, but something about this girl was making him oddly nervous. Perhaps it was the way she carried herself with confidence Hoshi could only dream of, or her how her eyes were a faint hazel when the sun reflected off them.
Despite her outward appearance, this girl was intimidating in strength, as carrying a hammer of this size meant she could probably break Hoshi into two with her pinky.
[Hoshi]: "Who—are you?"
The girl chuckled and her eyes sparkled with delight as he looked Hoshi up down. She set her hammer down with a loud thud, the nearby items shaking on the table and shelf. She stepped forward and let her elbow rest on the handle of her hammer.
[???]: "The name's Lyra, I'm Barek's daughter and the best blacksmith you'll find in Vaelgard. For now, though, I think we should talk…"