Act II: Ameshin Loyalty

It's been over 30 days since White arrived in Rubia, making allies in the most unlikely of places. He began his journey as a lone traveller; looking for work, a purpose and, possibly, the answers to some questions which he has asked for many a year.

After his unfortunate incident in the Merchant's District, a man—by the name Enryn—gave aid to the young boy. Even going as far as to offer him a home. However, that offer came with a price; a price that may yet show it's true value.

The first promise; to visit the strange, amazing and humble magician, Sin Odin. There, he would discard his appearance and trust his everything to Enryn. For a Son of the Veil holds no place amongst Rubia's citizens.

And, the second promise; to train under Enryn for 180 days. A promise that has yet to be fulfilled...

Finally, White visited the northern adventurer's guild, Vaalbara Eclipse. There, he underwent Kai's 'examination' and fought the guild leader in a one-on-one duel. And, while he ended up losing, he found a place amongst the guild members.

While he may not realise it now, nor may he anytime soon, but what he is searching for may now be much closer than he had thought.

But for now, he looks towards his immediate future. To his new friends in Eclipse, and to the unlikely circumstances beyond the horizon.

Chapter 6 - Luna, The Cold Wind

6:46 // Day 22, Sonntag. Luna 97c.

Dear Father, Mother, and everyone back home,

I hope you’re all doing well.

I’m sorry for not keeping in contact, I ended up getting caught up in the flow here...

No, that’s not what I want to say.

Dear Everyone,

I’m doing well, how are you all?

I apologise for not keeping up to date, I’ve been finding my footing in the Capital and haven’t forgotten my goal. It’s just. A lot has happened in the past 35 days.

Firstly, I met a man named Enryn D’jar...

...This isn’t what I want to say either. How am I meant to put everything I have to say on this tiny piece of paper?

I decided that I'd get back to it later, as I usually did each Sonntag (since this was my only day off from training).

Leaving my desk alone, I got up from my chair and threw myself onto my luxurious bed.

My room had changed a bit since I first arrived. This was because I’ve been doing odd jobs around the guild, just stuff like; cleaning rooms, polishing swords, checking inventory (I even helped find one of the guild member's, niece's, cat... that one was a bit strange). Anyway, doing that got me a little money which I had stashed in my drawer. I used some of my funds to buy and install what's known as a 'Mana Lamp’ since I had learned basic mana control, I got one to light up my room. It was more of a novelty than anything else, yet it was the first thing I had bought with my own money so I was somewhat attached to the dangling contraption.

I liked switching it on and off from my bed, using magic to do so, it was very convenient.

sigh

I've been sighing a lot more lately. Enryn’s training is harsh, to say the least, and the constant burden that is writing this letter is endless grief.

I would usually be going out by now, or waiting for Sara to get up, but it was still too early to deal with the cold brought on by the Luna Season. Being 20 days in, the days were getting shorter and shorter. Even now there was barely any light, not to mention the freezing weather. I was only being spared the cold from the enchantments which Enryn had placed around the interior of the room... Magic is amazingly convenient.

Thinking about Enryn’s enchantments, I recalled the lack of spiders in the room. When I first joined there had been a family living above my bed, I wasn't bothered by them, in fact; you could say that I liked the little creatures, feeling almost sorry that they couldn't produce any webs up here. Perhaps Enryn had done some extreme bug cleaning after my arrival... he was a bit of a clean freak sometimes.

vrrrr... vrrrr...

I'd been lying here longer than I thought, the silence being broken by the sound of my alarm clock. The blue mana formed the number 7:00, usually the time I would be getting up for my training.

Closing my eyes, I tried to shut off all of my senses except for my hearing. It was a technique that I was struggling to grasp, isolating my natural senses proved to be a challenge that couldn’t be completed so soon. I had relied on them, even unknowingly, for my entire life...Hmm, I should ask Isa about it. Being a huntress, I imagine she has extremely sharp senses. I felt like there was a trick I was missing; not to mention that Enryn was far too cryptic with his lessons, rarely telling me how to do something step-by-step.

"..."

I tried for another few minutes to no avail, finally silencing the alarm once it repeated itself at 7:05. I might as well train outside, I thought to myself. Without realising, the past 30 days have been filled with nothing but my lessons with Enryn, my ‘self-study’ periods and working at the guild on Sonntag. It's certainly been busy, perhaps today I should rest.

8:34

Dear Everyone,

I hope you're...

Hmmm, I must have writer's block, or something similar, because I just can't write this damned letter...

Right. This is the final draft, I don't care what I write down, I'm going to send this today and be done with it.

I kicked back in my chair, stretching my arms out as if I was beginning a race. The ink from my quill dripped nervously above the tiny jar, probably not wanting to be wasted yet again. I promised that the ink wouldn’t be wasted, every word on this parchment would meet its recipient.

Dear Everyone,

It's me, White.

I'm doing well,

I've found work and have been keeping myself busy.

There have been two people who have inspired a change in me, for two different reasons. One provided me with a chance to find my own goal, the other showed me the place to achieve it.

I've had a lot of time to think about my choice to leave, and I'm glad I did, but I realise that I did so for different reasons than I had told myself, and you guys.

If I write anymore then I'll end up throwing this letter away.

Hope to see you soon,

-White

p.s. Treat yourself.

I've only just realised why I can't, for the life of me, write these letters. I've been looking for a way to explain the dyeing of my hair which no one back home could understand without speaking to me face-to-face. I'm just going to avoid the issue, I suppose... hoping that I'm making a bigger deal out of it than needs be.

I slipped all of the money I could fit into the same leather pouch I had brought with me (Enryn had given it back to me after our trip to Berries & Magic, so I kept it for this occasion). However, the currency which I used was different to my homes one. In the South, our currency was silver in weight and, while still usable in Rubia, was harder to transport and not as convenient.

The currency in Rubia is Verum, equal to 2 Florins in the West which in turn is equal to 2.5 grams of pure silver used in my hometown (sometimes abbreviated to gos or gs; both work fine) – bear in mind that my silver wasn't pure, anyone could tell from the uneven distribution of weight.

Anyway, I had around 235 Verum (abbreviated as v); set back by my purchase of the mana lamp. The pouch weighed far less than it had with my original currency inside, though was currently worth a lot less as well, equating to around 60g of my silver (since only half of its composition was actual silver).

So, yeah. I suppose I’ve achieved my original goal already, that being to create a source of income, yet it wasn’t nearly as fulfilling as I imagined it to be...

I started to feel lethargic, the constant thinking had tired me out already and it’s only 8:39. The sun had just begun rising over the distant walls, slowly lighting up the crevices of my room which the mana lamp failed to reach and while it was still cold, it was more than bearable.

Getting out of my chair, tucking it back into its corner (the corner right from my bed), I made my way across my mostly empty room. The once-barred windows had been replaced with the themed cross-hatch windows that were present around the first floor. Placing my index fingers below the lips at the bottom of the window frame, I pushed them upwards which sent a gentle breeze into the room (and caused Enryn’s heating enchantment to automatically lock itself, at least, until I closed the window again).

It was too early in the season for the snow to cover the ground. Instead, minute droplets of ice gracefully fell towards the ground. Much like magic, they changed state as they landed, turning from water droplets in the sky into thin shapes of ice. Some people believe this is due to the drop in temperature as they descend. Others believe it to be wasted energy from magic, using this thesis to explain the seasons and their perfect 90-day cycle. If you asked me, I couldn’t care less, I’m content enough with the sight alone. I don’t need an explanation for it.

After looking over the rows of verdant fields, and confirming the weather for the final time, I shut the window to and, as I did, caused the enchantment to reactivate, heating the room back up. The feeling of warmth hitting you in the face is something that I’ll never get tired of.

My room was fairly large so it felt even more empty due to my lack of furniture. I wasn’t necessarily into ‘decorating’, I can’t even explain why something looks nice, but I still thought the room lacked any character of its own. By the right-hand wall, in the centre of the room, lay my wardrobe; somewhat large, with two doors that featured, angled, wooden blinds on them both, providing a brief window to view the inside through.

This wardrobe housed two sets of outfits: the one which I arrived in and my new set, along with my original pair of shoddy buskin shoes and a newer pair of short, black, boots. My feet are fairly big so most of my shoes had to be grown into, however, thanks to Enryn I could have these boots tailored for me, making them much more manoeuvrable in (they featured padded soles, allowing me more grip and movement). Above the main section in the wardrobe lay a thin cut-out which housed my black weather resistance cloak, given to me by my father. That was also coarse, just like my older clothes, but didn’t matter too much since it wasn’t touching my skin as much.

8:40, a few minutes later.

I admired my outfit yet again in the large mirror, to the right of the wardrobe. The set was extremely modern (being in the capital allowed easy access to other styles, much different to the ones back in the South). My trousers were sturdy, made from two layers of black-dyed cotton, yet were formal enough to be smart and offered enough movement to train in.

On my torso, I wore a black waistcoat, with a white dress shirt beneath it. The black complimented my new hair, while the white added some colour to my outfit, making it more professional than dark. I usually didn’t wear a tie, mainly because they strangled my neck, and having them loose just looks unprofessional. The other reason being someone could grab it in a fight, though that could just be a personal excuse to not wear the annoying things.

This was the outfit I wore most of the time, apart from when we were staying in and didn’t look used in the slightest. And, as much as I’d like to say it was because of magic, they are just regularly maintained. Most people seemed to wear the same clothing, even the upper-class since it was part of your character in the capital; for merchants especially, you needed to be easily recognisable.

Around my waist was a dark brown leather belt. It was the same type which Enryn used, sporting holes that allowed for different accessories to be attached, currently, I had a holster for my dagger on the left-hand side of the belt (Kai gave me one from the armoury after I had officially joined). In the centre of the belt was a metallic coat of arms, the shield featured a humungous ox, the size of a mountain, looming over a tower. It was the family crest for house D’jar, one I proudly displayed whilst I was to stay with Enryn.

On the other side of my belt, much like Kai’s mittens, I had a pair of dice which dangled just below my waist. They were red, with black dots, and made from a soft plastic – reducing noise that they made when they bumped into each other. Enryn had them in his storage, for a reason unknown to him, so I asked to take them. To remind myself of how lucky I was.

Remembering before I left to take my cloak, I reopened the twin doors which had fallen shut and grabbed the black fabric from its high perch.

I finished tying my thin laces, moving over to my bed to do so. Taking my folded-up letter, the small pouch and wide envelope to place them into; I made my way down the scuttle hole and out through the front door. Almost instantly, the cool breeze hit my exposed face but left the rest of my body alone (thanks to my cloak). Outside, I saw Sara sitting on one of the benches in the garden. She was wrapped up in a blanket, reading one of her books.

"Yo." She casually exclaimed. "Where are you going all dressed up?"

"Posting this letter finally...you want to come?"

"I’m alright. I just came out so I didn’t fall back asleep, I’ve been so tired lately."

Letting out a yawn as she was telling me, she closed her pink eyes and stretched out of her arms at a right angle. Ever since the Luna season started, Sara has been awake less frequently and usually found sleeping in her room, though I suppose everyone was at Luna. She was just exceptionally slothful right now.

"Right... Well, I’ll leave you to, err, staying awake."

"Thanks, White, see ya later."

Sara dipped her head back under her covers, going back to her book. I wasn’t quite sure how she could read it underneath the thick blanket but I didn’t ask, instead, heading down towards the heart-shaped gate.

But then. Just as I was opening the gate, both mine and Sara’s ears pricked at the distant sound of, what we presumed to be, screaming.

"S- Someone... Help, please..."

I could only make out a distant cry for help, the other details were blurred out. Damn. Why did this have to happen now, it’s not like I can ignore it and carry on. Again, listening out for the distant voice, I tried to use my cognition abilities like this morning, but to no avail.

"White, a noble’s carriage passed here a few minutes before you came out... It’s probably them."

Nobles? Why are they in the Northern Region? They’re probably being attacked by rogue bandits. Honestly, I shouldn't be helping them if that's the case, it's their fault for travelling unprepared in the Northern Region.

Still, I couldn't ignore it.

I quickly weaved through the remainder of the gate, drawing my dagger from its pouch.

"Sara, get Enryn. Tell him to come help, I’m going."

"Just wait for him, he’s probably already sensed it himself."

Sara didn’t necessarily sound panicked, she’d probably seen this scene a hundred times. Just like when I first came to Rubia, fighting is common here; I've grown to understand that in the short time I've been here.

"You know we can’t wait. I’ll be careful. Plus, Enryn will just swoop in and save me like before... right?"

"Arghh. I can’t stand you sometimes. Fine, whatever, I’ll get Enryn so go."

"Thanks." I yelled back, my light jog turning into a full-on sprint as I raced to the destination of the voice.

I heard Sara dashing back to the house, searching for Enryn. I wasn’t even sure if he was in the house or not, I hadn’t seen him this morning, but that was something to worry about later. Hopefully, I shouldn’t need him, my training should have paid off.

My cloak fluttered as I ran, offering little resistance to my sprint. My footsteps were cushioned ever-so-slightly by the padding that my boots offered, helping my gait and running posture remain solid. Since my training involved physical activities, I was fairly fit and able to run like this for a good minute or two without breaking a sweat.

I was following the same path west which Enryn and I had walked on my first night at the house. It was also the same one that led to Eclipse, though that was a good half an hour walk so it wasn’t the location of the screams.

The limit point view from the Merchant’s District’s curved wall had finally revealed the carriage in the near distance. It was indeed a noble’s carriage, obvious from the over-saturated reds and golds on the exterior. Above the carriage was the source of the screaming. A young woman had climbed on-top, hiding from her assailants below and kicking their hands as they tried to climb atop of the large carriage. However, as I got closer, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Those weren’t bandits... Hell, they weren’t even human.

A group of five Misdlan Hermits were surrounding the carriage. I only knew what they were because of their distinct appearances: they have a de-saturated, charcoal, blue skin colour along with rows of scales along their arms and upper backs. The creatures stood just under 5”, some looking a bit short; two, however, looked almost my height. They were humanoid in appearance but had short beaks for mouths, large vulture-like eyes, three webbed fingers (with three webbed toes) and had slits horizontally across their chests. They’re said to be a variation of the Brine, creatures that left the water and evolved to live on the land.

Shit, why are there monsters in Rubia? We’re not on the Outer Wall, and even then, they shouldn’t be able to get in. They’re mindless monsters, right?

Stating that the situation was impossible wasn’t going to save her life. Only I was going to do that so I carried on, my magic will be in range soon. They still hadn't noticed me, being too fixated on their target to here the threat approaching behind them.

clop clop clop

On my right, I spotted a galloping horse; from its neck, reigns trailed and flew in the wind. The horse was charging back to the path and sported a large blade wound across from its upper leg muscles, diagonally-down to its underbelly. It was a horse from the carriage, most likely caught in the attack by the Misdlan... I don’t know whether it was indiscriminate, or planned, but I’m hoping it’s just a coincidence that it ran away. I've never heard of intelligent monsters because, well, then they wouldn't be monsters... They'd be human.

The horse’s noises increased as it lashed out in pain, tumbling into a wooden signpost along the road and creating a loud crashing noise, alerting the two Misdlan that were hanging back from the carriage.

"tch"

The two, taller Misdlan grunted towards their peers who quickly jumped down from the carriage. Since they knew I was here, I had no reason to remain quiet. I yelled out to the young woman who was staring at me with bewildered and scared eyes.

"Stay there. I’ll come over once I’ve dealt with these shitbags."

"No, hic. Just go. They’ve already k- killed Alfred... You, ca- hic -n’t stop them."

The young woman was struggling to speak, blinded by tears and an almost constant need to throw up mid-sentence. These monsters had killed someone... Shit, if I had just left the house a few minutes earlier.

"Sorry, ma’am, but I’m killing these fuckers."

She recoiled her body, only being able to cry further as she curled into a ball and waited for – what she assumed to be – my inevitable end.

"GRowWr Rash, ShkILlsHUman"

The five Misdlan had made their way over to me, attempting to surround me and take me down with their superior numbers. I wasn’t worried, instead, preparing myself to counter their attack. They were certainly smarter than I thought since I assumed that they would just charge at me, the five were at least wary that I was stronger than the average Rubian boy.

It’s coming.

I threw my cloak towards the closest creature. Creating some distance and closing my eyes. That all too familiar stream came back. Bouncing along the rock's edges, the water sprang to life, beginning to mould at my command, forming into something greater than a mere image. Forming magic.

And then, the black lines came. They shot up from heart, towards my left eye and spread out to reach the lower corners of my eyelids. Circles formed on the ground around me, about 2ft in diameter, with varying inscriptions and designs. The inscriptions read, in their native tongue; Trap Arts, State-Change Stalagmite.

It was a technique which I had learnt from a book at a store in the Merchant’s District, modified to suit my branch of magic and Elemental State.

The monster which I had thrown my cloak towards began to flail, aimlessly charging towards me, but, as it did; soon found himself standing upon the circle which I’d placed on the ground. As he did, a lance of ice skewered his body and rendered his flailing body lifeless almost instantly.

His four comrades looked at the sight: all that remained of their fellow kin was a skyward-facing pillar of ice, a small bump above it and a cloak, hiding the disgusting sight.

In the confusion, I shot towards the Misdlan who had just been trying to flank me and struck his nape with full force. His thin, string-like, flesh offered little resistance to my dagger, forcing his head to the floor with a sharp thud. The short-sword he was wielding fell to the ground, followed closely by yet another lifeless body.

Even though I had killed two of their own in front of them, the other three quickly recovered. They seemed more skilled than the previous two, I most likely wouldn't have caught them off-guard had I targeted them first. The care they showed for their kin's death seemed temporary, it was a minor setback to them. This meant that I wouldn't be getting anymore easy hits in, they wouldn't underestimate their prey a second time.

"Who’s next?" I cockily asked.

I was hoping to agitate the remaining three, if they charged towards me, they would also be impaled on the other traps which I had set around myself. Unfortunately, they were a bit too smart for this. They instead just glared at me while keeping a safe distance. At least, what they assumed to be safe.

Closing my eyes, the black lines withdrew themselves; beginning to push itself towards my left hand, finishing its journey at my palm. And from it, a whip formed, featuring several, thin, pieces of ice. They were held together by a thread, but not a normal one, one formed from water which I could control through my left hand. I still wasn't skilled enough with my magic to use two different abilities at once so creating this whip had caused my traps to dissolve into the ground.

As I thought, the monsters had noticed this. Thinking it to be their chance, two of them charged at me; save for the slightly taller one in the centre, seeming to have noticed my plan.

This entire time, I had been holding my whip towards the ground. To the untrained eye, it was simply coiled on the ground but, in reality, I had burrowed the whip through the ground. I had them aimed at the spots where the two creatures were next to step.

"GrRUoWWW" "GrrWErRRr"

The two let out screams of anguish as the split stream of magic pierced their right and left feet respectively. I burrowed the snake-like whip up their legs, holding them in place and increasing their pain fourfold. I wasn’t a cruel person so I quickly reached the beating thing which they called a heart and tore the disgusting thing from the inside out, killing the pair instantly.

phew

What had happened in the past minute had been a disgusting massacre, yet I felt no mercy or sympathy. I didn’t feel a thing, after all; the five creatures were monsters through and through, they weren’t people. They’re incapable of rational thought, all they have are their battle instincts, so then why? Why are they here? Attacking a carriage isn’t out of the ordinary, doing it in the heart of Rubia is.

A low growl could be heard from the opposing animal as he made his way towards me. The creature kicked away it’s deceased kin, mercilessly removing them from his path.

I've withdrawn my magic since I'm now running on empty. Using such precise magic, along with multiple traps, had run its toll. After all, I had only been training for around 30 days so I was hardly a professional at fighting yet. Well, luckily, the usage of mana didn’t leave me completely vulnerable; I was still physically capable and able to wield my dagger, just not to the same precision as I would with more mana. Now wasn’t the time to get into it but, very briefly, mana and blood are closely linked; both using veins which run alongside each other, making them both interchangeable in some cases since you need both to live. My mana has always been present in my body; I just hadn’t been placed in a situation where I needed to use it. Mana was like a tap, you had to consciously activate it, but it was always there, waiting to be used.

I bent my knees, dragging my left foot forward, assuming my usual stance: the one I practised every morning, improved slightly through Isa's tutelage. My arms bent at a 90-degree angle in front of my face, my left-hand safely beside my hip and my balance perfectly centred.

The last remaining Misdlan Hermit knew to be wary. It couldn't underestimate the strong human before it, the recently deceased corpses proof of that. But still, he was aware that he had to approach. He would have possibly gone for the young woman, knowing that I intended to save her, but she was out of reach for him. The Misdlan may be a somewhat tall species, this particular one being almost my height, but they were still fairly clumsy compared to humans. Their hand-eye coordination made it hard to climb objects, this was due to their evolution from becoming an aquatic species.

We locked eyes for a good couple of seconds, trying to judge what the other would do. The creature's intentions were obvious. He was out for blood. On the other hand, I was not so easy to read. Humankind is much more complicated than the average beast, to predict the thoughts of one is hard, even for other Humans, as if a dumb animal could do it.

It wasn’t long before it had enough of the perpetual deadlock.

Charging, his axe raised above his head, he quickly approached his range of attack. I am most likely stronger than the Misdlan, but that isn’t a risk I would take with this small dagger. Best case scenario, I dodge all of his attacks without needing to parry, exploiting his vulnerability after the swing, I either need to disarm the creature or deal an instant killing blow because, if I fail to do either, I'll be susceptible to an axe lodged in my head or back.

Something I would like to avoid if possible.

Defending my vitals was pointless since the creature did not know of them, he just aimed at the first place he saw. Well, I suppose I'm not giving credit, where credit is due. It was smart enough to realise that I wouldn't die unless it hit one of my 'weak' points. It just didn't know where that was; meaning it wanted to immobilise me, after all, he wouldn't have any trouble finding them if I couldn't move.

Whether these monsters were born with an instinct for battle or whether they gained it from watching their parent's, I couldn't say, however, one thing was clear. The Misdlan could swing his axe well enough to incapacitate me in one hit if I wasn’t careful. That was all I had time to worry about.

"gGgrRRaaWW"

The creature raised their axe above their left shoulder, aiming for my left knee. It was a stupid plan. Perhaps if the creature was shorter it would have worked...

sigh

This may be my first actual fight but I almost found it disappointing. I had initially panicked, thinking that their numbers would overwhelm me. They hadn't. Even if the five had charged together, I could have easily managed them. There was no need for me to defend myself with all the traps; hell, I could have killed them without magic at all but I wouldn't let overconfidence be the reason for my death. That right was reserved for creatures, or people, who didn't know any better.

The creature brought it’s axe down, aimed directly towards my left knee. Well, if anything, it was a precise blow. As the axe approached, I raised my left leg and, with precise timing, slammed my foot on the head of the weapon. The creature didn’t let go of the weapon, forcing it to jerk towards me, and ultimately, receive a dagger to the back of the neck. While the Misdlan didn’t have any knowledge on our anatomy, I was aware that its body was similar to ours, allowing me to target the spinal cord, aiming to completely immobilise the creature.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t skilled enough to end his life with one blow...

His, you ask? It became obvious a couple of moments later. Once he had finished writhing on the ground, he rolled onto his back, exposing a short, erect, member. I looked around towards the other four, three lay on the ground while the fourth was still on the pillar of ice: a thick, syrup-like, purple liquid was flowing from all five their bodies.

I walked towards the impaled creature, retrieving and equipping my cloak from his unmoving corpse. Much like the previous one; his member was exposed, concluding my dark hypothesis. The monsters were likely attempting to rape the woman...

"Vile creatures."

I observed my surroundings for the final time, making sure that these were the last of the threat. Strangely enough, it was quiet... Deathly quiet; being a Sonntag, not to mention early in the morning, meaning there was no one about. Telling myself that I'm overthinking it won't stop all of these coincidences perfectly lining up.

The back-door of the carriage had been wide open this whole time, a thin trail of blood pouring out from it. Inside was an older man (around 50 if I had to guess) with multiple stab wounds along his shoulders and stomach. None of the wounds seemed to be fatal, however, which quelled the anger I had felt towards the monsters.

Just then, I heard the sound of hooves coming behind me. It was Enryn.

He owned two horses, keeping them in one of the fields nearby, for a fee, using them to move his carriage and riding one of them in his spare time (which was meant to be now). Sara must have found him outside, explaining why he was late arriving since he's much faster than I am (when he wants to be).

Enryn reigned his steed beside me, confused by the sight, noticing the bleeding body inside.

"I suppose now's not the time to be asking questions, I'll sort this guy out."

"Thanks." I calmly responded.

"Go tell Kai first. Sort out that young woman and be on your way, this isn’t normal in the slightest."

Enryn wore a serious, albeit slightly disturbed, expression. I could tell that the presence of monsters this far in Rubia concerned him.

I made my way towards the front of the carriage, using the front seat to boost myself on-top of the carriage. The young woman was still there, her head curled into her chest, though her crying had stopped. She wore a double tunic, the inner tunic being a black, long-sleeved, colour; the outer one being a sleeveless, vibrant red, variant. The trims of tunics outer neck featured white fur, creating a colourful dynamic; blacks, whites and reds. The tunics were long enough to wear without any lower-body clothing, almost acting like a dress. Standing on the driver's bench, I wasn’t at the best angle, honestly, I could care less right now about chasing skirts but I didn’t want to give the wrong impression. I pulled myself onto the carriage, perching myself beside the woman, being careful not to agitate her.

She was still conscious, listening to my movement. I could tell by her breathing; tiny details that we made when we did certain actions, easy to pick up if you know what to look for. Well, communication is the main skill of a merchant so, after my recent training, it was fairly obvious to me.

"Not the best way to start the day, is it?"

No reaction. She remained in her ball, refusing to leave, at least, until she heard what she wanted to hear.

"Well. It’s over, I’m not sure if you heard before but your butler will be fine. He’s only unconscious from the blood loss, he’ll recover with rest."

Her ears twitched. That was the information she wanted to hear. Even with the information that she was safe, she was equally concerned for the health of her escort. And, under muffled breath, she replied.

"R... Really? The... monsters are... gone as well?"

"Yeah, all gone, panic over, so you can get up now... If you want to, that is."

The young woman lifted her body upright, assuming a kneeling position as we locked eyes. Her complexion was dainty and pale, a set of azure-colour eyes complemented her vibrant clothing as her shoulder-length black hair – which featured grey streaks running throughout –started falling into place. There was certainly something happening in Rubia: something that made all of its women beautiful, a truly terrible curse...

She wiped away her tears whilst exchanging glances. A ring adorned either hand; a golden ring on her right hand's ring finger; on her left hand, a silver variant of the same design which was featured on her index finger. The final detail I noticed was a silver necklace, attached was an encrusted, blue, gem. It matched her eyes almost perfectly, seemingly an important family heirloom or a colour tailored to her. Either way, it was obvious that she was of the upper class, not to mention the actual carriage itself.

Being a true gentleman, removed my cloak, giving it to the 'not-appropriately-dressed-but-not-promiscuously-so' woman.

"Thanks, errm..."

"White, just White."

"Well, I’m Elise. Elise Calsia. And, honestly, I’m a bit confused about you... You dress well but your mannerisms are that of common-folk, not to mention... that."

Elise looked towards the aftermath of the fight, wrapping herself tightly in the rough cloak. I imagine she would have refused the offer under any other circumstance. It wasn’t exactly a high-quality article of clothing.

"I’m living with a merchant named Enryn. He’s the one below, treating your butler, and yeah, I’m aware this is strange attire for fighting but it’s designed for such."

My clothing was very monotone and business-like. The blacks and whites matching my new hair and my silver eyes, much like Elise's clothing, which complimented my appearance. That was the main factor that distinguished someone of a lower class to one in the upper class. Do you wear your clothes, or do your clothes wear you?

"You’re better than the other commoners at least."

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Instead, I settled to ask how she ended up in this situation, but mainly, where the monsters came from.

"There’s one thing I need to ask, how did the monsters get here? Did you see where they came from?"

She stared questioningly at me, mulling on what I had said for a few moments before responding.

"Ugh, that’s two questions... Fine, I don't know how they got here but they seemed to appear out of nowhere. As you can tell, there's nowhere to hide out here, there’s no explanation as to how they arrived."

"That’s more than worrying..."

As I feared, she had nothing to say about the incident. It was likely that her butler had seen something but he was still unconscious from the sounds of it... I’ll need to be letting Kai know sooner than later.

I'd started feeling the nip of the wind and air, the lack of heat starting to get to me a bit, luckily, I was somewhat more resistant to the effects having trained using Ice.

"Oi, White. The duffer’s all patched up. I’m going to leave him here and bring our carriage around since this one’s not moving anywhere."

Enryn shouted up to me, eyeing the wheels and lack of horses among the carriage. I hadn’t noticed before, but the two front wheels were bent at a fairly severe angle. It was yet another disturbing sign.

"Hiya!"

Galloping back towards the house, Enryn began to disappear beyond the curvature of the wall. As he left, Elise started to clamber down the carriage, wanting to see her butler again. If it was me, I would have jumped down straight away after hearing he was alright. However, I assume you can't be doing that in front of a member of the lower-class, though it was still hard for Elise to contain her happiness when she saw her freshly-bandaged butler.

I was lying flat on the roof, watching the scene from an upside-down perch above the doorway. It slightly annoyed me that Enryn most likely brought those bandages for me, but I'll just thank his forward-thinking this once since it most likely saved this man's life.

"Oh, Alfred, I’m so glad you’re alive. Why do you have to be so astute, you didn’t have to risk your life just to spare me a few minutes of certain death." Elise began to tear up slightly, kneeling beside the unconscious man whilst holding him in the less intrusive way that she could. "Though I suppose it helped... we’ll both be fine now."

Elise pulled the man's hair back, placing her palm on his forehead.

It was likely cold. The same cold that followed such a tragic event: the same cold that was in the air right now. Well, it wasn’t really cold air, that was incorrect; just a lack of warmth. A lack of warmth in this unforgiving world.

sigh

My letter, and pouch, had been stuffed inside of my trousers left pocket, now crumpled and unsuited to be sent. I hope that’s the last sigh today.

"White?" The still-kneeling girl called up to me, presumably because of my audible sigh.

"Uh-huh?"

From the way her face twitched, I could tell she was mildly infuriated by my casual tone. Elise had probably never had contact with people outside of her family so no one had spoken informally to her... is my guess.

"Ahem. Well, even though I don't approve of your mannerisms – your skill is without question, so, I would like you to return home with me. I'm going to ask Grandfather for you to be one of my guards."

Oi oi, hold on a minute...

"...do I not get a say in this?"

"Do you have reason to refuse? Surely you would earn more money working for me than you would for that large oath."

Is she missing a, not so, minor detail that Enryn just saved her butler's life? After our initial talk, she seems to have reverted to this thankless persona... Yet, I suppose she is correct in one way. If she had offered me this when I arrived, I'd have no reason to refuse, I'd be valuing the money over my choice of career.

Unfortunately, for her, I’ve changed a lot. Earning money had only been my excuse to leave. It just took meeting Enryn, Kai and the past few weeks to realise. That flimsy goal was still intact, just secondary to my new one; finding my place in this world.

Ignoring my small frustration with the young woman, I answered her ‘question’.

"I do have a reason, multiple in fact, so I’m going to respectfully decline."

"What? Why? I’m doing you a favour, am I not?"

Arrogance was one way to describe it but a lack of common-sense appeared apter. It would be best to be firm in my refusal, shutting down the offer instantly.

I trusted my intuition greatly and it warned me that the young woman was trouble; the evidence being this event.

hak... rrgh

Alfred stirred, coughing and spluttering as he began to wake. A disoriented expression accompanied the man's wrinkled face; his grey hair, dark-brown, sleepless, eyes all containing traces of ageing. He wore a kind demeanour, one that became apparent once he realised Elise was safe and (similar to our carriage driver, the one that took us to Sin Odin's: Berries & Magic), wore a modern, tailored, suit. The main difference was the darker shade in colour.

8:55

I gave the two a good number of minutes to catch up, momentarily checking on them from my perch.

It seemed like Alfred was physically out of it, he might be awake but there was no way he would be able to drive her home. Enryn probably foresaw this so I imagine he planned to fill the role.

Anyway, I jumped down, from the side of the carriage, landing square on my feet as I made my way towards the rear entrance. Elise and Alfred were seated on the inner-left bench, Alfred catching his breath and attempting to maintain a still posture. He was lucky his assailants didn’t know where to aim their weapons, or the outcome may have been much less fortunate.

"Hey, you alright now?"

The duo turned to face me, having been unaware of my presence till I reintroduced myself.

"Alfred, this is the boy." Once again, pointing in the general direction of the monsters (though they were out of view, Alfred understood the gesture).

"Hmm. He looks a bit too tall for a boy, Elise, he can’t be much younger than yourself... In any case, it matters not."

Alfred found the strength to stand, making his way out of the spacious carriage. I helped him down the steps as he waved away the ‘help’ offered by Elise, causing her to resume her seated position – it was likely she was afforded this treatment often.

"So, Elise failed to mention your name, like usual, missing out a somewhat important detail. I’d like to request the name of our saviour, if you may."

Man. He was certainly one hell of a butler, even I could see his professionalism. So much so, that it appeared almost theatrical, I mean, he was just asking for my name.

"It’s White, just White, and yours?"

"You’ve already heard but I’m Alfred, Alfred Sericanthe." I imagined if the man was in good health, now would be the time to bow, he instead placed his hand above his heart, gesturing the act toward me. "I serve under House Calsia, lending my services to Elise Calsia."

Calsia... the name rang a bell; I was sure I’d seen it somewhere before.

"Now, White. I’m sure Elise has already offered such but, what reward would you have? You surely understand the gravity of the task you accomplished, losing Elise to these filthy creatures would have been the greatest tragedy since... well... I couldn’t say to be frank."

"Huh... If Elise’s reward was offering me a job, I already declined. I don’t need anything; just happy you’re fine I suppose."

Well, I suppose I really should be asking for money. I just can’t help wondering whether a reward would come with strings attached, if Alfred is correct, and this family is a huge deal in Rubia, then I want to be as far away from them as possible. Getting mixed up with the nobility never ends well for people.

Alfred studied me for a bit. At first, I thought he was just surprised I declined, then I realised he was just judging my character (in a similar way to how Enryn did).

"You have something you would like, though it contradicts your morals? Feel free to ask me for anything, there are no strings attached and we can take it no further than a single request. If that is what you would like."

"You’re no ordinary butler, are you? I didn’t think that Insight was a job requirement."

I was becoming somewhat sceptical of Alfred, on the surface he seemed nice enough, but, how did he know such an advanced technique yet couldn’t defend against these weak monsters? It’s certainly possible that he was injured while protecting Elise or that he had trained Insight for such negotiations.

"Haha, well that’s where you’re incorrect, Insight is vital for all workers under the Alisian Heritage. I couldn’t work at the Calsian’s without it. However, combat training isn’t a requirement... it’s more than unfortunate we were attacked now of all days."

Instantly putting all my worry aside, Alfred introduced something new to worry about. From the sounds of it, the carriages were typically well-guarded – no surprise for nobility – with now being a one-off where it wasn’t. Yet another piece to think about in this strange scenario.

clop clop

In the distance, the sound of two horses' hooves and the rolling of wheels was heard.

The two horses contrasted one another perfectly. The first had a pure black coat and a lengthy, curly, mane with hair above its hooves; not to mention the size, being almost my height. The other horse, however, was a somewhat smaller, white breed. They were both fairly muscular and sported matching, blue, blankets to protect them from the cold.

Once he arrived, Enryn leapt from his perch, approaching the three of us; Elise having left the carriage.

"There’s no reason to idly talk, where do you need to go?"

Being straightforward as usual, it’s obvious that Enryn wanted us to part ways sooner, rather than later, wanting me to report to Kai and to return to his day off.

I agreed; further communication with the Calsian’s isn't what I needed, much less wanted, right now, so I'm just awaiting my chance to leave.

"Well, I hope to see you soon White. Feel free to drop by the Calsian residence, we can send a carriage to pick you up, then we can talk more in-depth about your reward."

Enryn’s face dropped but not in a shocked manner, in more of a disgusted one. Only I noticed, mainly because I was looking, but the expression reminded me where I’d heard the name Calsia from: it was on the bench which Enryn and I had sat upon when I first arrived, from what I remember, it read...

Well, I wasn’t sure what Alfred had meant by me ‘dropping around’. How would he even contact me? Where the lower-class even allowed in the Noble’s District?

His kind gesture seemed more like a deathly foreshadowing to me.

"Uh, yeah... sure." I sheepishly replied.

Even before Enryn had opened the door for Elise, she was off trying to get in herself. Enryn hadn’t even turned the carriage around yet...

"You’re alright... For a commoner, I wouldn’t mind if you came around, once, perhaps..."

"I, uh, can’t wait."

Elise said her farewells (if you could call them that), it has become more apparent as we talked that she had zero communication skills, leaving Alfred to do the majority of talking for her. One final flick of her black and grey hair, she returned to attempting to open the door, at least, until Enryn came and unlocked it with his key.

Alfred remained by my side, somewhat dismayed by her impatience but seeming to possess some himself. It was likely better for everyone to leave with haste.

"I hope you consider my proposal, and Lady Elise’s if you may. You’ve more than earned the right to demand what you may."

"I’m still confused on how you plan to contact me..."

Alfred took a few moments, appreciating my lack of knowledge.

"You would be hard-pressed to find a noble who didn’t know of Enryn D’jar, most families trade through the D’jar Family. Either way, I’m not surprised that he’s holed up in the Northern District."

"He doesn't talk about his past, only when it crops up in the present." I thought about Sin Odin, I would never have known about him had we not needed his services. I never expected Enryn to share his life history with me, but...

"It’s not as if I know anything which you don’t, this is just what I’ve heard from conversations around the estate... I’m sure I can contact you easily enough. See you soon White."

And with that, Alfred left to meet the now-seated Elise. Enryn waited at the rear-end of his far less extravagant, yet much more functional carriage; offering help to the somewhat feeble man.

I had mentioned a while back that carriages were not allowed through the Merchant's District. That remains true, however, if you are travelling along one of the main roads, much like the one I travelled on, to the Noble's District; you are granted free passage. There were only four of these roads in the Capital, requiring heavy security to pass through them. The Noble's District was surrounded by a mass of water so the only way in was to cross one of the four bridges via the main roads. The Inn I was staying at was actually on this main road so I had seen some of the carriages travelling down it when I first arrived.

Alfred requested that Enryn take them to the end of said road, where they could then take another carriage that operated exclusively in the Noble's District.

Keeping a professional appearance, Enryn agreed to the terms. What would happen to the currently inoperable carriage was unknown, I imagine it will be picked up later (if it's still here, that is).

click

Closing the doors behind them, Enryn made his way back to the front of the carriage. Before entering the front seat, he made his way towards me – I was still located by the rear-end of the other carriage – as he began his dialogue.

"Good job, White, you dealt with this situation better than most." Enryn stated, eyeing the five creatures: still in their respective places. "I'm concerned about this as well, so go tell Kai quickly. Not to mention that the Calsians are involved..."

"I suppose now isn’t the time to ask why, exactly, you dislike them?"

"No, it’s not, but I’ll tell you sometime. All you need to know is to avoid them but, you have good instincts, so I’m sure you’ve already realised that."

"Alright. Just so you know, they offered me a job, well, Elise did but Alfred agreed with the idea..."

"...It’s most likely because of me, the young woman aside, the butler seems to know more than he’s letting on... Anyway, we’ll catch up later."

With that, Enryn started towards the front seat of the carriage; lifting himself onto his perch, taking command of the pair of horses at his helm.

"Oh, before I go, give me that sorry excuse for a letter. I’ll deliver it on my way back, Handels isn’t too far from our destination."

The ‘sorry excuse for a letter’ had been hanging out of my pocket since it wouldn’t fit in properly. I’m not one to worry about appearances, hence my lack of a formal tie with my suit, but it still felt wrong to send the letter like this.

"Uhm, it’s alright Enryn. I’d rather not send it like this anyway..."

Enryn readied himself to leave, preparing to turn around the carriage, but before then, responding to my meek response.

"You’re going to have to send something sooner or later, you know. Just don’t leave it too long, I’m sure even now they’re worrying. A simple greeting will do."

"Yeah, I know."

With that, Enryn turned around the carriage and off he went.

I’d suddenly been left with many things to ponder, a lot of sudden responsibility and a ruined day off. Well...

"...I’d best be off as well."

Making my way down the still-empty road, I thought about, well, everything.

Life became complicated when you didn’t expect it to be, but I wouldn’t let that worry me.

9:00

Chapter 6, End.