[Chapter 9 - Betrayer]

  Fanfare heralded his arrival.

  I was sat by the window when it sounded, having woken only half an hour earlier from that turbulent dream.

  Despite the late morning chill, the city was alive with the chatter of people and traffic.

  Wagons crowded the main street, escorting cargo in and out of the city walls while the thudding of horseshoes on cobblestone accompanied each and every one.

  All this layered over a percussive din of hammers on metal that rung out from the numerous buildings I could only assume were blacksmiths.

  The twins on the other hand snored on obliviously.

  They seemed almost dead to the world, a state disturbed only by the blaring of trumpets which jolted them awake.

  “What the fuck.” Roxas startled. Her bewilderment swiftly transitioned into an annoyed scowl.

  “Hnnnnn.” Ante was less comprehensible, but his half-asleep eyes drifted towards the open window that stood next to me.

  I hid a smile as I gazed out at the city gates.

  The guards were now yelling, gesturing frantically while they scurried around in an obvious hurry.

  The traffic and people shifted quickly too.

  Many of the latter made space for the former as they trundled onto the pavement.

  Soon enough, the city doors were pulled inwards with a groaning of the hinge, accompanied by the rustling of metal as the portcullises were brought to their full height.

  And the procession followed immediately after.

  Rows upon rows of Romanic soldiers, all bearing a spear and shield, marched down the main street in two double-filed columns.

  Between them lay the litters, cradling the bodies of the Atreian elite, each one hoisted aloft by a group of unarmed legionaries.

  The dead rested against beds of flowers, their weapons placed upon their chest in an arrangement of respect.

  And at the corner of each litter stood banners of blue.

  Among these marched soldiers sporting an array of trumpets.

  The straighter instruments barked out a raucous sound, laying a base for which their curved counterparts layered over.

  It was a fascinating sight: the army marching down in unison to the rhythmic tune of brass, watched by the people who crowded the pavements to their sides.

  And at their head led the old man from my dream.

  His face bore the same solemn sadness it had worn upon his sighting of Nemetus, softening his tired features as he sat atop his horse.

  “Who is he?” I directed my question to the twins who were now standing by the window with me.

  All traces of sleep were gone from their face, their drowsiness replaced by rapt attention at the sight.

  “The lord of Northgaard.” Roxas replied. “Warden of Highrock, Breaker of the Norn Tribes.”

  Consul Italus Provenius. The voice interrupted her, sounding again in that same unnerving rasp. Betrayer of your brother.

  ***

  “Eight sets of Atreiian armour, eleven steel swords, three iron shields and four bows”. The woman shuffled through the equipment as she spoke, moving them across her counter as she laid them out. “The rest of this is junk.”

  I glanced at the plate she had placed before me.

  Embossed upon gold were the letters “XXXVI”.

  A tally, one that had been engraved next to her “Smithing” category.

  [Level 36]

  If I was to compare it to the standards of my world, a mark of thirty indicated the proficiency of a working professional.

  Above fifty made them an expert of their craft whilst anything over eighty placed them as a master.

  Exceeding a hundred was almost unheard of; there had been a few people in all of Arithean history who had reached such an achievement.

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  And all had been members of a hero’s party.

  Parties such as my brother’s.

  It was fortunate however that Northgaard was a city rife with blacksmiths and armourers.

  That likely owed itself to the purpose behind the city’s construction in the first place.

  “The Wall Atlea mountains stretch across this entire continent.” Ante had said, his words muffled by the food he had stuffed into his mouth. “They’re like a roof at the top of the world.” He indicated to the map he had brought, the same one I had requested he find for me.

  Near the top spanned a ridge of mountains, covering the length of the entire scroll.

  “And beyond them are wild lands.” Roxas had joined in, gesturing to the drastically less populated area above. “They’re an… unexplored frontier. Home to monsters.” The word hung heavy in the air, and she paused for a moment before continuing, “We’re lucky the mountains kill anything that tries to cross them.”

  I looked back at the mountain range, its peaks stretching across the browned parchment in a strangely orthodox manner.

  Across its entire length there was only one gap, only a single pass across the whole continent which enabled safe travel through.

  The very same pass that Northgaard occupied.

  The city was therefore both a gateway and a dam.

  “Mercenaries and adventurers come here seeking fame.” Roxas carried on, “Soldiers too, either assigned here as watch ‘cause of military service, or as scouts for some noble’s political ambition.”

  These occupations demanded arms and armour, and with them came blacksmiths in search of profit.

  “You’re lucky the republic is in dire times right now.” The blacksmith’s voice brought me back to the present.

  She had stopped rummaging from beneath her counter, sitting up to now glower at me with a stern gaze as she gestured at the equipment I had brought in.

  “Most of this is legion property. Old models. If it weren’t for the war, not only would it not sell but they’d have your head.”

  The suspicion in her eyes was clear, her gaze searching my face for any sign of a reaction.

  “Especially if its seller didn’t even have identification.”

  She let the insinuation of those words hang for a moment longer, her gaze focused upon my face, and then she sighed and waved it away.

  “But Atreia needs metal desperately, and I’m sure I can melt it down.”

  She reached down and pulled a large pouch onto the table, the metal inside thudding as it hit the wood.

  “Eight hundred Atreii. That’s the best I can do.”

  And with that it was sold. Every single thing we had painstakingly brought from that village, all those miles ago.

  The wolf’s voice played in my head again as I left the store behind me.

  Not the best price for it. He murmured smugly.

  Not that I had much of a choice. I snapped back. I’m glad it even sold.

  As I made my way back through the blacksmiths quarter, I pondered my options in my mind.

  The piercing clash of hammers on steel did little to distract me as I was too lost in thought to pay it any heed.

  Despite our complaints, eight hundred Atreii was still a much better price than what I had expected, and that at least resolved most of our immediate financial concerns.

  Identity documents however, were a much larger issue.

  Not only would it allow for continued residence in the city but it would also help throw the inquisitors off my trail.

  And now that Italus had arrived, it was an even more pressing matter that needed to be urgently addressed.

  With him here, it no doubt meant that the inquisitors were in the city as well, scrounging Northgaard for any sign of myself and the contents of that vial which had absorbed into me.

  It was therefore only a matter of time before our paths crossed, and I doubted that it would spell any good for us to meet.

  These same thoughts weighed heavy on my mind even as I sat at the table of the inn that evening.

  The twins seemed unbothered, eagerly devouring their food without a care in the world.

  With the inquisitors in Northgaard I would not stay hidden in this inn for much longer.

  While my change of clothes prevented me from being spotted immediately in a crowd, it would do little to stop the tracking magic they used to trace the vial back to my possession.

  And if I did not have any identification to show them…

  My brows furrowed at the thought.

  I did not fancy my chances against five heavily armoured inquisitors, especially if I was to take the twins’ safety into account.

  I looked up at them at the thought, the two still eating excitedly away, oblivious to the pursuers who grew nearer every second.

  While I had initially been hesitant to accept their company, I found myself now thankful for their presence.

  They had grown on me, and they had made my life here in this other world that much more enjoyable just by joining me, putting myself at an ease I had not expected to experience again.

  But that, however, made my choice now all the more difficult.

  My fingers strummed the counter as I formulated a plan in my mind.

  I ran the steps again through my head once more.

  The republic lacked soldiers.

  Italus’ elites now lay dead in a Solarii ambush, to be buried sooner rather than later.

  And I needed identification, any form of employment which would take myself and the twins in, and could vouch for my identity against the questioning of the inquisitors.

  The words of the table nearby confirmed my thoughts.

  “The incident at Silvermine. Are they really sending out another expedition?”

  “They have no choice, that place is a literal goldmine.”

  “Fuck’s sake. Hope they throw some recruits at it than expect us to deal with that shit.”

  Three Atreiian soldiers, hunched over the table to our side.

  They did little to muffle their words as they conversed amongst the incessant chatter in the background.

  The armour they still wore suggested that they had come here with the procession, and the matter they discussed only convinced me further of the plan I had considered.

  I turned my attention back to the twins, my question lingering at the tip of my tongue.

  Hesitation paused me.

  I knew they were bound to me by oath, but I would not force them to join me if they did not want to.

  To go by myself was one thing.

  To bring children with me would be too sickening to even consider back in my world.

  But here I had no choice.

  And here I was no longer in my world.

  “The legion. I will join the legion.”

  The twins looked up as I spoke, Ante’s eyes widening while his sister glowered and said nothing.

  “You want us to enlist with you?”

  “We need documents. Northgaard will not keep us otherwise.” I said nothing of the inquisitors, nor did I make any mention of my goal.

  We had only been together for a few days, and despite their oath I was not certain as to their reaction if I was to reveal either right now.

  Still I watched them as I spoke, cautious of their reaction to what I was about to say.

  “It’s your choice if you want to come with me, but I have to join the legion.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Roxas snarled, “just like we told you before.”

  Ante swung his head back-and-forth between us, a look of panic evident on his face as he flailed his arms in an awkward attempt to calm the tension.

  Roxas glared at me for a moment longer, before sighing a resigned sigh.

  “But you’re right, the legion gives us the best chance. Especially for the branded.” She looked at me again, a coldness evident in her gaze. “But make sure you protect us.”

  Hmmmm. The wolf smirked.

  I paid him no attention, my gaze focused on the twins, mustering as much sincerity as I could within my next words.

  “I swear it.”