Chapter 3: An Old Friend

Despite the King’s announcement ending hours ago, the celebration among the people hadn’t died down, nor was it expected to for days. An announcement towards the entire realm was typically followed by seven days of celebration, a tradition started by the King to raise attendance to the announcement itself and adherence towards the edict. The sun was still painting the landscape its setting color, but its light would soon flicker out. To counter the lack of light, torches burned in front of most houses throughout the entire city, magical lights flickered across its streets, and a newfound electrical invention spread light in the houses of nobles and popular community areas. This trichotomy of different sources of light was a unique sight, only seen in the major metropolises of the Quinn continent. The Titan Empire boasted six of such cities for decades, but the uprising of Rendhall added one more to its list. Just by comparing the few other empires that were barely able to support three to five, the Titan Empire was the true giant of the continent. But outside of the world where the Titan Empire resided, there existed countless others divided into many different denominations.

Of the many worlds that populated the universe, magic supported nearly one-hundred percent of them. Magic was all-purpose and was easy to use for most of the races so it was heavily relied upon for advancement. But Earth was different from both of these types of worlds. Like many of the lower worlds in the galaxy, it was isolated and was, for the most part, left alone, with little connection to wars and the political intrigue beyond. The resources on it were not enough to move the hearts of those larger powers from afar. Thus a bubble formed on Earth, where research and advancement mostly relied on the human’s residing on it. Because of the relative difficulties humans encountered in their cultivation, magic was much less relied upon than other worlds and its advancement suffered in that regard. Yet, their lack of resources that other worlds held in abundance forced the people to become clever with the assets on their planet, beginning the advancement of technology that was rarely seen in the outside system. The dawn of a new era began on a small planet in the corner of the galaxy.

Of course, the commoners of Earth knew little about the truth of their galaxy. Even Lancing, who was currently wading his way through the dense crowd, was only vaguely aware of all of this and knew next to nothing of its political intricacies. The prince would not normally be in such close proximity to such a large amount of the common folk without his guards. Most of his time out of the castle was either in a secure carriage on the city streets or in the wilderness far from others for the purpose of training. He was dressed in a normal-looking robe whose hood deeply covered most of his face as he made his way through the city. As a part of his father’s plan, no one was to know about Lancing leaving the castle, much less leaving the city. Although Lancing thought his father was much too paranoid, this was the best way to keep him safe, though his desire to hire a taxi carriage was on the verge of ruining his father’s preparation.

Before the hour was up, Lancing reached the stables of the eastern gate to the city. The flux of people entering and leaving the city died down somewhat, as everyone who wanted to enter to join the merriment had already long since had a drink in their hand at one of the city’s many establishments. Stables, especially in a city this large, were almost always filled to the brim and this one was no exception due to the great, temporary increase in population. Hardly anyone was willing to travel this late at night due to the threat of wild animals and bandits that could be encountered on the road so the area was almost deserted. That is, except for one procession of carriages that was awaiting departure.

Lined in a row, five carriages stood front to back as stable boys prepared the horses for travel and the knights surrounding them as they finished organizing provisions. Three of the vehicles were of a build and color that distinctly represented them as those of the imperial guard, as commonly seen patrolling around the castle and escorting the royal family. These armored carriages led in the front, showing off their purple and golden colors as if feathers from a peacock. The other two that stood in the middle, protected by two imperial carriages to guard the front and one to watch their rear, obviously belonged to a wealthy aristocratic family. Their gaudy appearance was a mix of blue and green, which identified them as the colors of the Richmond household’s sigil that displayed a pair of snakes with a cloud in its background. Vipers lined the wheels of the wagons, and the head of a cobra decorated the anterior of its body.

Fifteen of the royal guards could be seen shuffling around as they finished up their preparations, but most notably a petite woman stood in the middle of them all, giving orders executed by the soldiers without hesitation. Her height was only slightly shorter than the bustling men around her but her beautiful face set her apart from the rest. Long, black hair billowed in the night’s roaring wind which caused others to shiver, but her brilliant green eyes did not shake against nature’s onslaught. Leather armor protected the woman’s body that appeared of superior grade, but, upon closer inspection, a faint magical barrier could be seen lining the armor, increasing its grade once more. This armor which could only be worn by someone of noble birth stroked the envy of those who bore witness to it. From the bold comments she made to the men twice as wide as her to the fierce tone of her voice, confidence seemed to surge from her being.

As the woman finished the last of her orders, two more carriages rode along the pavement to join the royal procession. Under the lights of the city, these golden carriages appeared to shine as if it was the day. Not an inch of the vehicle wasn’t lined in a golden color, but it was unknown if it was either paint or if the material was solid gold. Longer than the usual wagon, the two new newcomers carried cargo that loudly rang out whenever a slight bump rattled the vehicle, but the heavily armored soldiers driving did not seem to register the sounds. Just its golden visage would incite the greed of bandits and thugs to raid the caravan, but the name ‘Quis’ on the front of both the carriages meant only death awaited those irresponsible enough to attack.

The noblewoman grew a smile on her face as she welcomed the new arrivals as a man no older than his teens stepped down to meet her. Both the noblewoman and the merchant looked to be siblings from afar, with deep black hair and matching eyes, but his features appeared much sharper compared to the softness of her face. Eyebrows that deepened in what seemed like perpetual anger, sharp eyes that lazily stayed halfway closed, and a mouth that faintly smiled composed the youth’s face. He resembled his father, the new patriarch of the clan, from his striking eyebrows to his shrewd mercantile ability. Those very same eyes looked the noblewoman up and down before beginning to sing praises directed towards her. After the two introduced themselves and finished their short conversation, they both seemed to grow idle, as did the remaining troops around them. Only after waiting for another ten minutes, the noblewoman seemed to sense a faint presence studying and approaching the caravan, to which she raised her head to meet their gaze.

Dressed in a crimson robe, Lancing heaved large amounts of air from his lungs as he moved towards the string of carriages. He removed the bothersome hood from the top of his head and wiped his brow to remove some of the sweat that threatened to drip into his eyes. Due to Lancing’s lack of talent towards magic, he always tempered his body to some degree so he did not feel as though he exerted himself. On the other hand, the perspiration clung his clothes to his skin and he was none too happy to present himself in such a state to the Duke’s daughter.

Walking towards Lancing, the noblewoman found it hard to contain her laughter as she saw his pitiful appearance unbefitting of the King’s son. Not bothering to hide the amusement on her face, she said, “I was unaware that the King’s son enjoyed the odd nighttime run through the city. Seems like odd behavior for a Prince, now doesn’t it?”

Lancing ignored the jab at his pride as he responded, “On the contrary, Elise, as I despise exerting myself at any time after 4 o’clock, but oftentimes these things must be rescheduled. However, I am surprised you left the comfort of that run-down hall you call home and decided to make something of yourself. Far from the times when your life’s goal was to cling to me in hopes of becoming my betrothed.”

Calmly listening to the opponent’s piece, Elise’s smile only grew wider as she responded, “And thank the heavens that never came to be. Still, don’t feel too bitter Lancing. One day you may get the right to wed me, but at the rate of your advancement, the time for our wedding may never come.”

“Oh please, Elise. We’ve done this song and dance enough times to make up for a hundred weddings, but I thank the gods every day that my finger is still bare of a ring.” Already done with the verbal spar, Lancing tried to switch the topic, “I’m sure you already know why I’ve come to your caravan, am I correct?”

Elise did not lose her smile but decided in her head that another tally was added upon her scoreboard. She then said, “Of course I do. The King’s messenger only left tens of minutes ago, leaving behind a carriage in my house’s color as a gift to my father and me.” As Elise said this, she moved towards the carriage that looked similar to the one she owned and stroked her hand along its body. From the expensive shock suppressors under its floor to the disguised armor that laid upon the surface, it looked like an ordinary carriage but its quality was far superior. “How could I say no to babysitting the Prince when the King offered such a priceless gift?

It was at this point the merchant dressed like a noble Lancing noticed hanging around spoke up, “While I agree with the Miss that the build of this vehicle is definitely towards the upper-end in terms of quality, it might as well be the same as riding coach in the eyes of the Quis family.”

Lancing’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the voice demeaning a gift given from his father. Even if the carriage was scuffed in its paint and it was missing an entire wheel, nobody in the Kingdom of Hearth would dare call a gift from the King anything less than a work of art. Turning his head, he read the name flamboyantly etched into the golden carriages and realized just who would dare speak ill of the King.

Searching his memories, Lancing was able to guess the name of this youth dressed in green-robes and how he was related to him. Lancing spoke up, “Yes my father’s gift does seem to be rather lacking. I’ll be sure to pass along Fendrick Quis’ regards next time I speak to him.”

Fendrick shifted his eyes towards the voice speaking against him but said nothing else as his face turned into a sneer.

During the past few years, the Quis family had gone through major changes that affected the future of its clan and the Kingdom as a whole. After the old patriarch lost many of the clan’s assets to the man who currently sat on Hearth’s throne, his removal from power was only a matter of time as many in the clan were of different minds after learning of his decision. In such a time of crisis for the clan, that patriarch’s son stood up to the occasion and managed to salvage some of the lost property through an agreement with Crusius. Whether it was desperation or foresight into the future of the empire, the agreement blossomed into a turn of fate for the Quis family as the King rose to power and eventually ascended to the throne. Nowadays the Quis family managed a heavy portion of the Kingdom’s businesses and trades filling their treasury enough to put minor kings to shame. However, the Quis family was now tethered to Hearth and couldn’t expand past its borders, as part of the agreement between the current patriarch and His Majesty.

The youth standing before Lancing was the second son of the current Quis patriarch, known commonly around the empire as the runt of this children. Compared to his siblings, Fendrick preferred a more cunning and backstabbing method towards his deals that were often looked down upon in the family. Recently during an assignment to establish connections between the Quis clan and a smaller business that had a monopoly on the local copper supply, one of Fendrick’s plans managed to seriously injure the other party’s son. As a result, they completely severed any ties between the two and locked down copper channels that might end up in Quis hands.

This was what interested Lancing, “Fendrick, are you aware that we currently have plans to leave the bounds of the Kingdom? As I understand, your family is generally restricted from leaving to other nations without the King’s explicit approval, which I have heard nothing of.”

Still holding the sneer evident on his face, Fendrick said, “Well it just so happens that the clan’s restrictions no longer bind me. Around the same time the King announced the way, I abandoned my family’s name. After reaching Eligrace, these carriages will leave me behind so that I can start a new business in Alundrel.”

Not only Lancing but even Elise looked shocked after hearing the news. Although it was expected that Fendrick’s older brother was destined to become the next patriarch, rarely would a descendant willfully leave the arms of a wealthy clan. Resources, connections, and protection could all be obtained as long as one held the family’s name, but this showed Fendrick’s ambition in a new light. He did not want his success tied to such a large lineage like the Quis family which would without a doubt be attributed to them rather than the effort Fendrick had put in. This path was without a doubt much more difficult, but if he was successful, a future unbound by rueful restrictions awaited him.

At this last bit of news, the caravan welcomed their new member among them and began to set off. Elise already had her men remove all of her belongings from her family’s carriage and move them into the one gifted by the King. Lancing wasn’t bothered by her riding in the highest quality carriage but was instead glad to ride in one at all with her supervising the trip. Likewise, Fendrick decided that speaking anymore would no longer benefit him so he walked towards one of the merchant caravans to rest. Normally, traveling at night was extremely dangerous so the stablemaster who finished his supervision of the horses still looked stiff, wondering if he should advise the noblewoman about his concerns. However, when Elise placed her hand on an interesting panel on the side of her original vehicle, magic from the surroundings absorbed into the contraption at the top, sparking a near blinding light that illuminated a vast surrounding of the carriage. In her haste towards the capital, Elise did not disregard safety.

Lancing stopped approaching the carriage abandoned by Elise as he looked into the sky. Turning back to Elise, he said, “Looks like it’s going to rain soon. It’ll be a tough trip with the soggy mud.”

A puzzled expression on Elise’s face appeared as she responded, “How do you know?”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Lancing opened the door as he spoke behind him, “Just a feeling.”

♢ ♢ ♢

As Lancing predicted, progress along the journey was significantly impacted as a soft rain fell upon the land. The road they chose to travel was the safest of all the other routes as it was often patrolled, but the mud abused the nurtured legs of the soldiers and the wheels on the carriages often got stuck in especially moist areas. Issues along the way like angry beasts attracted to the light could be solved with a little force applied to one of the guard’s swords. If the issue got out of hand, like a pack of animals or a caught wheel, Elise’s magic was more than sufficient to deal with any of such minor incidents.

Elise’s power was quite above average for those capable of bending nature to their will. At 9 she awakened the power of her scales and quickly became a Lord before she could even do complex mathematics. Her studies quickly went by as she mastered book after book, learning useful spells along the way. Once she hit 12, she surged in power to a baroness and held the power to destroy an entire platoon of ordinary men from afar. Of course, soldiers that have started along the Path to Knighthood were different from these ordinary men, oftentimes capable of rivaling a mage in power. However, their effort towards gaining their power was on a completely different scale and often required many times the amount of effort but the innate talent of the Knight was much less a factor. Due to how quickly talented mages could advance, it was no surprise that they were heavily valued by any nation, but her exemplary progress astounded her supervisors and most importantly the Duke. Elise had been facing the wall to reach the level of viscount for seven years now, but the barrier only got weaker by the day. It was at the point that just a little inspiration was necessary for her breakthrough, so it was widely expected that this trip would push her past that boundary. After that lay the huge chasm between viscount and count, but confidence in Elise’s talent brushed any concern about that to the side.

The supposed quick three days in Hearth was extended to six due to the unfavorable terrain left behind by the rain. Elise’s guess that Ragan, the Water God, was determined to stop her advancement didn’t seem so implausible as the terrain never returned to its firm state. From the standpoint of a merchant, especially one in a volatile position like Fendrick, this delay was like a blight on a farmer’s crops. His days were often spent inclosed in one of the Quis’ merchant wagons, performing constant calculations and looking at the various maps and blueprints of Eligrace. However, he still put in the effort to converse with the other two at times of rest in hopes of forming strong connections in Alundrel.

Compared to Fendrick’s isolation, Lancing and Elise never went a half a day without another argument arising from this or that. During one instance, Elise blamed the delay on Lancing, claiming he was bad luck and how his very existence angered the gods, to which Lancing refuted stating how that was irrational. Another argument that was sparked only hours later was on the subject of whether a tomato was classified as a fruit or vegetable. Elise’s argument was based upon the fact that it reacts to magic more like a cucumber than a strawberry, but Lancing bringing up studies from the Institute of the Sciences titling the plant as a fruit brought the argument to a standstill once more. Days later, while the two were discussing if the new cultural food from a distant land, the ‘hotdog,’ was a sandwich or not, the procession finally reached the border of the two kingdoms.