Chapter 37

The Opulent Glutton

Departing the Gypsy folk in the morning was not a somber sendoff, but an extravagant one; with feathered streamers, beast-kin hollers, and fae folk singing. Everyone had given each other a token from their travels when they each departed, to keep the memory of their assemblage in the forefront of their journeys ahead. They were a peaceful and assorted lot, who rarely disagreed with one another, and when they did collide, the council of the eldest members of each caravan would confer to invoke judgment onto the participants. The concordat of mixed races, intertwined with one another into an amicable community placid in their lifestyle of the road made me curious about their origin. It was a rather telling sight to me, that the mixed races of this world would converse naturally with one another into a way of living without borders.

But the rest of the races of the continents were not like this. The wizened fair folk Gan had told me, that the Gypsy folk was a shunned community to many kingdoms and lands. Even prosecuted for their mixed lifestyle. The persecution of the Gypsy folk was mainly enforced by the greatest powers of this world, the clerical ranks of the gods. For the religious sects from a majority of countries, had disavowed commune with other species, for each god of each race were forever in conflict with one another on their creation and supremacy of the celestial body. The gypsy folks had usually disguised themselves in travel to their racial countries so they could garner the classification they needed for their adolescent children to survive the brutality of the plains.

It was a strange and carefree lifestyle, comforting to my old ideology. But I couldn't agree anymore with their sense of journey and their natural curiosity to transverse the land. Maybe if I hadn’t experienced the cruelties of my travels so far---out from the grove, I would have loved to live their way of life. Maybe if I hadn’t met Oona or the Squire, my outlook and wonder of this existential plain would lull me into a sense of fantasy, in discovering a new world with varied plants, creatures, and races. But I am marred now, bespeckled by blood, guilt, and regret. The wonderment I had held, had slowly depleted into a sadness too heavy to bear. I will do my task, my word, and when I am done, I will likely retreat from this world of woes, into some sort of hermitage. Picturing myself as an old cantankerous hermit living in the outskirts of a forest with a mecha, did not sound too bad.

Waving farewell to the assortment of races of children pursuing the wagon from behind, I had pondered on their future and their innocence, which will most likely be a burden in their later years; reflective of their parents, who had made grimaces when their offsprings tarried further from their sights. It was a grim thought indeed, but factual in its likelihood. Shrugging my depressing rumination in the foreground of my mind, I kept my charge and my fellows in casual company for the road ahead, whilst my mecha Amelia followed, piloted by Sera.

It was a couple of days of smooth journey atop the clodded path to the port city of Stratenport which was surprisingly sparse in traffic for a well-trek road. But thanks to me, the ride was a lot more comfortable against the stubborn stony protrusions of the trail. I had introduced Gan and Merrywind to the idea of rubber wheels. So when we next camped, I had stitched plenty of rubber bounded stones around the exterior axels of the wheels. After departing, the mood inside the wagon had brightened from my peculiar upgrade.

Watching the forest trunks and hanging canopy of verdant tapestry transition into golden wheat fields from the view of the open window at the side, I continued my convalescence with Gan to inquire more information about the world and lore around me. Gan told me he had never reached past level 20 in all his life of living, Merrywind, on the other hand; had nearly reached his next classification, but had no desire nor drive to care. Because they were confident in the fact that they could avoid conflict and dangers of travel with Merrywind’s illusions and tricks from his Mesmer class, which had camouflaged them from the prying eyes of those who sought to do harm.

Fortuitously for us, due to the close proximity of the towns and cities near the coast of the Petrobel Gulf Sea, the roads were secured from banditry and skullduggery. That was fine for me because I wanted to relax some more under the hardwood frame of the caravan whilst watching the scenery of grass plains and wheat farmland interchanging with one another to an idyllic montage of coastal country.

I sighed and groaned, bathing in the sparse sunlight slicing down the shades to splash daintily on my lying form, as I watched things go by. About to doze off, Soma kicked me up into alertness which had then shuffled into aggrieved consternation. “Why did you do that?” I grunted.

“Poop time.”

Muttering a few choice words, I reluctantly stood up and headed to my charge to yet again, toil the begrudging muck of fate against the peering and glimmering enjoyment of a little giant. “Oh, I’ll be done with you yet.” I gave a chagrin, which then altered down into a melancholic frown at the idea. I think I will miss this little blood bag of misfortune and glee. Shrugging the reminiscing thoughts aside, I began the grueling toil of cleaning the feces that were still stuck on the pink bottom of the child. “I’ll definitely not miss this though.”

After going up-hill on a rather rough summit, we finally reached our destination below the coastal city of Stratenport, where the Duke Agenchord resides. White seagulls glided above the port and the three or so ships that had docked by, as I scrutinized the city above the summit. The port city was dense with tall buildings, spreading like oblong corals barricaded with thick stone walls. The buildings nearest the port were two to three-story wooden shanties, some were even built atop the sea bed to be near the large ships that would dock. All the better houses and structures were maroon tiled, with moth gray clay crusting the walls to contend against the poor brownish oaks of the wooden buildings near the port and outside the Iron gates of the city. There was a large castle, with four tall towers with an inner wall segregating the opulent fortress within the center of the city.

Merrywind had hollered his donkeys to continue moving after they had stopped to graze a bushel of grass shrubs near the clodded roadside. After a jolt, the donkeys gingerly trod down towards Stratenport. There was barely any traffic entering the city, which was suspicious because this was a port city, and I’d assume that cities near the coast in a medieval era would be predominantly populated due to travel and trade. Gan and Merrywind also thought it was peculiar, for when they last came here---three years ago, they had mentioned the bustle of the city before. It was oddly fishy for a port to not bustle near the coast, especially the lucrative real estate that could come by such a location. Shrugging the notion aside, I prepared to put my charge in his golden backpack, ready to finish the final trek of my quest.

“Maybe it’s an off-season,” I remarked.

When we reached the wooden structures near the gate to the city, I had called for a halt and instructed Sera who was piloting Amelia to strap the baby in his golden furs onto the mecha. Sera left the cockpit afterward, opting to stay inside the backpack to spend her time with the baby before we returned him back to his relatives. Happy to pilot the cockpit of my mecha again, I acquiesce to her suggestion. Wink and Peb both petted the baby’s head for the final time in their fond farewell, before entering the mecha to situate themselves at the shoulder compartments. Pulling the boy’s nose, to garner a close-eyed shake from the child, I smiled. I entered through the opened visor to seat myself atop the cockpit with a jubilant mood, jolly at the miffed response the child had given me.

After closing the visor, I prompted Amelia to stand. Merrywind had skipped the front seat of his wagon, to have Gan stand atop his shoulder.

“We’ll meet you at the tavern Inn nearby called the Lucky Lassy. We will stay there for a couple of days then depart.” Merrywind said, implying he would be happy to journey with us further.

Signaling Amelia to nod, I waved them farewell as we departed from one another. The wooden shanties outside the city were sparsely populated and quiet in our wake throughout. It was eerie, noticing a few heads pop out from alleyways to peer at me suspiciously. Wooden shutters had clacked to close as my armored mecha walked by. The lukewarm and fearful response my suit was garnering, had bothered me, but I tarried forth unknowing or uncaring the reason for such a callous greeting. The gate was barely patrolled, and when the gate soldiers had noticed the gleam of my plates, they stiffly stood straight to my approach.

“What could we do for you, Sir?”

“Let us through?”

“Uh right, right...” The older gate guard signaled the rest of the guards to step away to the side, to let me enter. He opened his palm to me afterward.

Surmising that I needed to pay a toll, I reached down with Amelia’s gauntlet at a small leather bag I had asked from Merrywind during our travels to store the coins that Oona had dropped off when she had departed. Parsing out a silver coin from the mix, I discarded it onto the man’s opened palm. He clenched it then stepped aside for me to enter. Walking past the scrutiny from the guards, I relaxed on my stool. Those small and varied movements I had action, were stressful for me inside the cockpit of Amelia’s helm. I had to release both my keyboards from both controller tables to code an improvised sequence for my mecha to act upon. Coding minimal movements in the mecha, was mainly all improvised, due to the fact they needed finger joints to act in sync with the movements. Clutching, and carrying things were easy, but using the digits of the mecha’s fingers had required concentration in doing the most basic task, for example parsing out and picking up small items.

When we exited out from the gates, past the walls, I marveled at the structures in the city. Contemplating how they were built, I functioned Amelia to move ahead into the bickering crowd that was waiting to exit the city. It was strange to notice, not many people wanted to enter the city, but there was a crowd waiting to exit outside. Sensing there must have been some sort of reason why the crowd wanted to exit the city, my back had stiffened. Shrugging it off as not my concern, I hurried forth, searching for the main road that would lead to the castle at the center.

The chinks and clinks of my mecha’s armor echoed audible to the empty streets and alleyways around, which had spooked me into an attentive awareness at what could be lurking in the quiet. This was downright creepy, walking into a city that was sparsely populated. When I had spotted individuals, they had turned their heads away from me frightened, to then walk a different direction. ‘I really needed to know what's going on here.’ Maybe I should’ve stayed with Merrywind and Gan at the tavern Inn, and obtain information about why this city was so sparse in population and bustle. Suspicious or not, I made an obligation, and I’m already passed the gates.

I headed onwards to my destination to fulfill the promise that I had made.

After reaching through the richer districts of the city, I noticed a tensed driver atop his carriage jostling and clacking the wheels across the center of the 35 feet wide stone-pavements. Stepping to the side, I watched the carriage go by with curtains closed in its windows. Speculating on the reason for the hurry, I continued on to the stony entrance of the castle. There were two soldiers at the gate, attired in plates, who had clutched tightly on their halberds as they noticed my approach.

“You’re business with the Duke?” One of them stiffly inquired past the echoing chimes of the metal covering his mouth.

Not knowing what to say, I just said. “I have a delivery for the Duke.”

“A delivery you say?” The armored man peered behind me at the golden furred backpack and nodded. “If it’s a gift for the Duke, then please enter---he is holding court as we speak. just reach the attendant in front of the double doors and he will lead you to the announcer.”

Nodding at his instructions, the plated men led us through. After meeting a pale man attired in black silks who introduced himself as the attendant, we entered through the tall double wooden doors of the castle. The pale man had gingerly escorted me into an opulent hallway filled with marbled statues and golden encrusted paintings at both sides with the flooring was carpeted with red woolen fabrics, with golden threads intricately stitched on the edges. An enclosed odor of polished burgundy wood was prevalent when we continued onwards to meet a rather tall and proud man. The attendant coughed a greeting to the announcer, who stood stalwartly in front of a closed double door that was made of polished Blackwood.

The announcer with his angular face grimaces at the attendant, waving him off to go back to his station. He then inspected my mecha for a few tense moments, analyzing the golden fur back-pack with a speculative eye and glaring at the shrub of grass that was the plumage of my helm.

“Your name Ser?” He inquired, with an accented and professional drawl.

“Sir Ghras, from House Grass, also known as the Grass Knight.” my chest protruding up, as I announced my charade.

“The Grass Knight you say?” The man clutched his chin, trying to recall if he ever heard of the name or the house before.

Not wanting to sound rude---for it was part of his job---he denied ever hearing the name before. “It must be a foreign house. I apologize Ser, for my ignorance.”

“You are forgiven.”

“Thank you kindly, Ser.” He said, uncaring if I had spoken or not. “Ser, you are not allowed to bring any weapons into the Duke’s presence. Please would you relieve them to me---if you wish to continue?”

Frowning at the request, but understanding the reason, I signaled Amelia to acquiesce to the man. Handing the unactivated plasma sword, and my grass dagger to the tall man, he took a gander at what was inside the furred backpack. Pinching his nose at the odor and spotting the baby, the man shrugged, discouraged to investigate further. The docile and imperious man swiveled to open the double blackwood door with the competent grace of a man eager to be prompt with his station. Following him through, he abruptly stood up then huffed his chest.

“Sir Grass from House Of Grass, also named The Grass knight.” He declared, into a huge opulent hall room filled with seated courtiers and intricately decorated plated guardsmen. At the end of the hallway was a rather rotund man, garbed in red silks stitched with golden weavings, who was sitting atop his throne room with a peeved off expression. There was a shriveled old man standing beside him with black hood sheltering his face from spectral rainbow light that was refracted through tall stained-glass windows arrayed around the hallway. He was holding an ivory bone staff, as he stared down at the circular center of the hallway. A man garbed in woolen gambeson, clutching a leather circular hat between his nervous fingers spoke.

“Duke, sir. I had talked to the constables about my missing family several weeks ago, and haven’t received any reason or cause for their disappearance.”

“Yes, yes.” The Duke said, his voice jostling in a baritone to reflect his rotund image. “What do you want me to do about it? They left you. I can’t monitor everyone’s countenance.”

“But Duke, sir. I heard there is a rumor, people has gone missing for a long while now, and thought that it was---”

“Yes, yes. I heard it all before. About the people snatchers and that the Duke is selling them to slavers.” The Duke jeered, his face displeased about the rumor about him.

“Well, that's nonsense. There are no slave ships at our port, so where would those people disappear to? Huh?”

“But sir.”

“That’s your grace, to you, peasant.” One of the courtiers snarled.

“Beg your pardon, your grace.”

“Osferth, you handle this...Thing.”

The bent man under his black hood, holding his ivory staff spoke. “The Duke Agenchord has decided, that If you wish to search for your family members. Please write your description to the Duke’s scholar. And if you can’t write, you need to learn to write, then come back.”

The Duke Agenchord snickered at Osferth’s judgment. “So very wise of you, Osferth, so very wise of you.”

The poorly dressed man at the center of the court threw his hat on the marbled floor and snarled. “You took em! I know you did!” He pointed at the Duke and his lackey Osferth. Watching the distasteful scenario that was occurring right in front of me, gave me a sour disposition to the individuals in charge. The Duke’s demeanor and his lackey were downright atrocious. They were grinning at the aggrieved man below them.

“Guards, take him away.” The Duke waved his hand, directing two plated soldiers to clank forward to pull the man away from his tirade. “I know it was you!” The man shouted as he was being dragged away to a side door. The courtiers muttered with one another, then one of them made a joke, which then motivated the crowd around to burst out into laughter and applause. Cursing myself for coming here, I swiveled Amelia to retreat to whence I came. This place is not right...Not right---at all. And definitely not a good environment to raise a child. ‘Damn my word.’ Turning back, I saw the blackwood doors closed to my disgust, two guards standing at the sides.

“Next.” The Duke drawl, as he collapsed down onto his cushion throne after joining the laughter that had ensued below. Cursing the loss of my weapons, I gritted my teeth as I swiveled Amelia around. I had analyzed and tallied the number of people that were in the opulent hallway. There were at least forty courtiers, along with 30 or so plated guardsmen. And clearly the man standing next to the Duke was some sort of wizard. If I do manage to escape with the child, the likely chance I’ll be pursued was high. I clenched my fist on my analog twigs as I moved to the center of the hallway, thinking of a way to escape this conundrum that I had blindly walked through.