– Day 6 –

The Garrison

As I’m led through the town by the clown knight, we walk right past the third building I spotted from the hill overlooking the city before. It has a large wooden sign that reads ‘Adventurers Guild’ above the archway leading into it.

I should sign up as soon as possible, providing the clown knight isn’t leading me to the gallows right now, this will be my first port of call when done with whatever this is!

After a brisk twenty-five minute walk through the winding side streets of the Capital, we arrive at the garrison building. It’s on the other side of the river and is another one of the large buildings spotted yesterday.

This has to be Katharine’s doing as I did tell her I was coming to the city after all.

We walk up the steps towards the building when I spot an overweight bearded knight leaving the building.

A truly ugly fellow with a bulb-shaped nose and up flailed nostrils. He’s in his late forty's with light brown hair and odd silver coloured eyes. He has a symbol I don’t recognise bored into his left cheek. The symbol is similar to the famous Ouroboros snake eating its own tail from my world, but the snake has wings and is in the infinity shape.

Our eyes meet for but a moment as he passes me but something immediately doesn’t sit right about him and I don’t know why. My gut is telling, no, screaming at me to kill this man where he stands while I can..

The man doesn’t say anything as he passes.

I resist the urge for even a second glance just in case there’s a chance of this feeling being conveyed to him. This must be a racial trait of my new body. Whoever or whatever he is, we must be sworn, enemies. It feels like he killed my dog and stole my car…shame, I don’t have a pencil!

As we continue up the stairs towards the entrance, I decide to concentrate on the building in front of me to take my mind off the bulb knight.

The building is much grander than I imagined it to be just yesterday. It has tall stone pillars holding up a triangular entranceway which the steps we are climbing pyramid into. There are single pane glass windows everywhere, framed in green wood each about a couple of metres apart across the entire front of the building. The ground floor windows all have bars in front of them, and just inside the windows on both floors, metal doors can be seen that I guess are meant to be used to lock up the windows in case of a siege. The building itself is two storeys tall with a flat roof and decorative stone guard rails. The structure is very decorative overall with flowery designs chiselled into every flat surface along the building.

Despite its beautiful design, this is clearly a military fortification.

As we enter the building, it only gets grander. The floor of the lobby is a vast mosaic of a battle between two forces. The centrepiece of which is a dominant blue and white dragon with its rider. Golden rays are coming away from the centrepiece leading to both armies.

The walls of this room are two-tone. The bottom third is angular carved marble, and the remaining two-thirds is carved, engraved with gold, polished redwood.

The ceiling is as you would expect from a building this grand. Domed with a painting of another battle; no, the continuation of the battle on the floor. The dragon and its rider look to be fighting another dark black dragon without a rider.

A grand crystal hangs from the ceilings centre and is illuminating the entire room, more so than the light from the many windows.

There’s a large split staircase at the end of the room in front of me that leads up to a double iron door on the second floor… a war room perhaps? Directly below it on the ground floor is another set of closed double doors but it’s made of white wood, possibly painted.

There are armed knights at every angle of the room, all with their hands on the hilts of their weapons.

“You wait here.”

With all these knights ready to strike, I think it best if I play possum..

“Then I will await you here as you say.”

I’m getting really tired of talking like this. It’s completely unnatural to me but seems to suit the situation. I suppose being forced to watch all those period dramas with my girl– I guess ex-girlfriend now, is paying off though.

“…”

It’s been about ten minutes since clown knight left me here. Without much to do, I’ve been examining the mosaic on the floor more closely and have come to a probable conclusion. I think the black army in this portrayal is–

“You must be Aburi Draconis, yes?”

Huh? Oh. There’s an old guy in a cloth shirt and brown leather trousers fashioning a short sword on his hip talking to me. His matted grey hair is tied in a ponytail bun behind him, and he has a neatly trimmed beard with blue eyes. I’m comfortable in saying this must be Katharine’s father from the resemblance. Better correct my posture, ahem, one arm behind me..

“Y-yes, apologies, I was just admiring the mosaic here and was lost in thought.”

“Ah yes, the Battle of Age between the Ancient ones and the armies of the Order of Lybian. A grand old tale from a thousand years ago.”

Thousand years?

“Are you familiar with it yourself?”

“No, my apologies, I am not. It’s my first time visiting your country, so I’m not familiar with your history.”

“I see. Well, if you are interested, I recommend visiting the library and talking with the historian there. He sure does like to ramble on but he knows his stuff; I would only bastardise the tale should I recount it for you.”

Check out the library, got it. I was planning on looking for a library at some point anyway.

“I’ll do just that when I get the time, thank you for the recommendation.”

“No, no, not at all… I must say, and I apologise for saying so, but you're far more civilised than I expected, for an elf I mean.”

…*sigh* Time to exercise my bullshit muscle.

“Not at all, and thank you for the compliment. I am a travelling alchemical merchant so I have had plenty of opportunities to practice my etiquette while visiting the various countries during my travels.”

“Ah, so you are an alchemist. That explains how you were able to treat my daughter’s poison so effectively.”

“Indeed. I witnessed the lady's fall and saw all the symptoms of poisoning when I went to help. She was just lucky the nearby plants could be used as an antidote.”

“I say she was lucky twice over, what with your passing by.. Though I admit to being a bit confused; tell me, what was a merchant doing travelling alone on the highway with no horse or goods?”

“That was not by choice, I assure you. I was travelling along the highway when my carriage was stopped by bandits. I managed to escape with my life but not my goods or companions. I should be thankful for still being here but still, well…I will be hard pressed to recover from this”

The old man looks down with a solemn expression

“I am so sorry to hear that. In truth, the reason I called you here today was that my own daughter’s unit was ambushed by bandits on the very same highway. If it had not been for you, treating her as you did, she would have surely died.”

“Well, I could hardly leave a knight for dead at the roadside when she could be saved.”

The old man shakes his head slowly.

“If only more were so virtuous…”

He pauses a moment before continuing, casually, as if ignoring the previous conversation.

“Based on your story, may I assume you have nowhere to stay during your visit to the Capital?”

“That is correct, but I still have some coin, so I was planning to stay at an inn–”

“Nonsense! No saviour of my kin will stay at a pox-ridden inn! You will stay with us! At my manor in the town. Katharine will want to thank you properly as well so it's perfect!”

That was quite the spit shower there… Was that revenge for giving your daughter mine?–

“There is, of course, the talk of the reward for your efforts but we shall discuss that over dinner.”

This past week has been eventful enough already! *sob* I just want to go to the adventurers guild and explore the damned city!

“You are most kind, I need no reward.. but I will gladly accept the offer to stay at your manor.”

“Then it’s settled, come, the carriage will take you to the manor. Rest, bathe; my home is yours for as long as you are in the city. I will join you later today after I take care of some matters here.”

He hurries me out of the garrison building to find a carriage sitting in the courtyard… That crafty old fox planned this from the very start. He was waiting on this carriage before speaking to me!

“Till later.”

Just like that, he turns and leaves. The old man’s quite the conversationalist, forceful and yet intelligent. I get the feeling he’s planning to investigate my story while I’m a ‘guest’ at his manor. Something more is at play here, something I really don’t want to be involved in.

Two knights walk close behind me… I guess I better get in the carriage.

The carriage pulls away from the garrison and is heading towards the centre of the city. I’m the only one in the carriage right now, so it’s allowing me time to relax and take in the sites as we move.

The roads are oddly smooth and minimal vibration is being conveyed through the carriage as it progresses. I have no idea what the surface of the road is made from, but it’s black like tarmac from my world but looks more like crazy paving. Each road is separated from the walkways with curbs and paving slabs being used to differentiate road from walkway.

Intersections have crossing guards directing traffic and allowing foot traffic to cross. Every street corner has a lamp post with two large crystals protruding out of either side, different from the one hanging from the garrisons lobby only in size. I honestly can’t believe what I’m seeing. It’s like a mash of technology from different eras…

People can be seen rushing along in every direction and just like any typical city; they’re heading to their destinations with blank expressions. Now and then, I’ll spot a slave pulling a cart of goods or walking while carrying an impossible load. One being beaten, another being dragged. How there hasn’t been an uprising, I’ll never know.

Eventually, the carriage arrives at the manor. It seems someone rode ahead to let them know I was coming as several maids and butlers are waiting outside to greet the carriage. Katharine and an older version of Katharine who must be her mother are waiting at the manors entranceway.

As I get down off the carriage, Katharine comes down the entranceway to greet me. Her arm is in a sling, and she’s exchanged the cotton-like overall for a frilly blue dress. Unlike before however, her chest is being pushed up instead of flattened down… I’m a fan.

“Draconis, may I welcome you to the Armstrong manor.”

“Thank you kindly for the warm welcome.”

“Please, I am gladdened to see you after my shameful display of rushing away so soon after you saved my life. Father sent word ahead, in truth I was caught by surprise, I did not expect to be seeing you so soon.”

Huh? Soon… Now I think about it; the journey was meant to take four days… I did dawdle about forest collecting plants, but I met Katharine before the forest ends and the plains began…three days. From there to here, it should have taken me three days! I’m a day and a half too early to have made it to the Capital!