-Pilgrim’s Gate-
The Pilgrim’s Gate had a truly impressive stature. Two wooden blocks, each four feet thick and well over twenty feet tall, reinforced with steel beams on both sides that had white crystals embedded in them. Kuro guessed they provided some form of protective magic, but he was woefully unaware of the mechanics of things like that, so he couldn’t be sure. He was glad the gates were open when they arrived, he figured it would take a lot of time and effort to open them. He and Jarou, departed from their transport and luggage in hand, were able to walk through the city gates casually, with no additional checks being performed on them as they entered.
Such a stark difference from the treatment outsiders still received at Ish’din. Thinking of the opposing capital, he looked out across the valley. Orange-pink sky lined the distant Ishen mountains, the distance making them look like a small hill in comparison to their true, majestic heights, the peaks only just peeking over the forest near the Rift. It was getting hard to see, as the sky was quickly turning dark.
Jarou patted him on the arm, snapping Kuro out of his small trance, before gesturing for him to follow.
This street was lined with tall buildings, most three stories, and none more than four, that seemed to serve a variety of purposes. The first building Kuro noticed, the first on the left as they came in, was the city guards’ garrison. It was an old building that had been rebuilt and renovated many times over the years, as made evident by the different colors of bricks marking each time the wall had been rebuilt. The street also had not one, but two blacksmiths, a bakery, and some other stores Kuro didn’t look at long enough to figure out what they were for. Most of the buildings were, to his surprise, houses. The streets had a fair amount of people on them, considering the hour, but he guessed that this street would be filled with people during the day time. No wonder Aeth’mobiles had to drop off their passengers and find parking outside of the city walls, you’d never be able to fit one in here without trampling a dozen or so people.
The ninth building in, tucked snuggly between a clothing store and one of the two smithies, was the Tsumi Clan embassy. It was easy to find, as on its fourth floor, a sign with the Clan’s emblem hung outside, easy to see from anywhere on the street. The side facing the gate didn’t have a rel crystal to light it up - that or it wasn’t working - so it was a little difficult to see at night. Thankfully not impossible, as street lights hanging on the walls of various buildings cast enough light towards it for it to be visible. Jarou also knew where he was going, so Kuro was sure they would’ve arrived there safely regardless.
The wooden door, which had no window and desperately needed a good sanding, was unlocked, and Kuro walked in reverently after Jarou. The door shut behind them with a healthy thud. The entryway was a narrow hallway, barely wider than the door, with a door on either side. Where the hallway opened up, Kuro could see the legs of chairs and a warm light coming from either side.
A familiar face appeared, its associated body leaning over the back of the chair it was sitting on. “Jarou, Kuro! You guys made it,” Rel said with a smile, then beckoned them over enthusiastically. He’d never seen the man seem so happy. As they approached, he took a hearty swig from a mug, and the reason for his unusual enthusiasm became clear.
Kuro had never understood the appeal of alcohol. Oroske had apparently been a big drinker in his early adulthood, but had sworn off it after some event happened when Kuro was young. According to Oroske, if he had his memories from before his death the previous year, he would probably remember the event. Kuro didn’t think often about his missing memories. They just didn’t seem all that important, and Oroske had stopped trying to jog his memory a few months ago. He wondered sometimes if they held something important, but, well. He wouldn’t know, would he? He was able to function without them, and Oroske and Nadred were always commenting on how much more of a person he seemed than when he first woke up.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Welcome to Royal City, boys,” Rel said, setting his mug down. He wasn’t wearing his cloak, another rare sight from the typically upright Red Cloak. “This is your first time here, right Kuro?”
“Uh, yes, sir.” Kuro responded, still in shock from seeing a whole new side to Rel. He had only met Rel a handful of times, but everytime he seemed so serious, and even a bit gloomy. That seemed to match other peoples’ perception of the man. He had a reputation for being a stern mentor and ruthless Hunter.
“It’s a great city, the first time you come here,” Rel said, covering his mouth with the hand not on his mug as he let out a small burp. “Once you’ve been stationed here for a year straight, you get kinda tired of it though.”
“I can imagine, not being able to travel anywhere for so long would make me go crazy.” Kuro said with a smile. He’d really come to love seeing all the different places the Alten continent had to offer him.
“Aye,” Rel agreed, lifting his drink for another gulp or three. “Hopefully this new empire business will settle down, and I can go somewhere else for a bit.”
“Doubt it,” one of the other Hunters at the table - a Black Cloak, whom Kuro had seen a few times but had never properly met - said with a laugh. “Danfis appointed you as our Ambassador for this city, didn’t he?”
Rel groaned, “I’m sure he’ll change his mind if I ask him enough times.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Another, a White Cloak that Kuro met - her name escaped him in the moment - said with a mischievous grin.
“Well, maybe I’ll get myself into a bit of trouble, and he’ll to bring me back,” Rel said, his face as determined as he could make it seem. He couldn’t hold it for long as he and the other two began laughing. Once the laughter died down, he stood up, “Sorry, Vel, Teril, I’m going to have to sit out for a few rounds. Gotta get these kids debriefed on their mission.”
Vel, that was her name. She spoke, gathering up some cards that were on the table, shuffling them together, “No problem, see you in a few.”
Rel motioned for Kuro and Jarou to follow him, as he led them to one of the two rooms in the entrance hallway. It turned out to be a simple meeting room, and Kuro guessed the opposite room would be the same. He instructed the Blue Cloaks to take a seat, and remained standing at the head of the conference table, as the two picked from the dozen or so chairs at random.
“So, you two are finally becoming Black Cloaks, eh?” He asked.
“Only if we pass this exam,” Jarou said with a smile. Neither he nor Kuro had any doubts they’d pass with ease, but both their mentor’s always taught them to never speak like they knew the outcome before it happened.
Rel laughed, “Well, I’m confident you two are going to do great. Without further ado, let’s get into the details of your Hunt. As I’m sure you know, as this doubles as your Black Cloak Exam, the amount of information we’ll be giving you is limited.” He pulled something out of his pocket, a paper with only a few words written on it. “This Hunt’s request was put in by the collective of the Eight Lords. A Necromancer has made clear to all eight of them that one of them is being targeted, and that they will attack on the night of the Twenty-Eighth of the Eleventh Moon, which is only three days from now. Your mission is to investigate and uncover which Lord is being targeted, and defend them when the attack comes.”
There was a prolonged silence, before Rel spoke again. “That is all. It is quite late now, so I wouldn’t recommend trying to start your investigation tonight. There are rooms on the third and fourth floor that you can use. Each door has a reversible plaque indicating if a room is in use, make sure you flip that over when you make your selection. Best of luck, boys, and have a good night.” He walked out of the room before the junior Hunters could say anything.
“Three days to find out who’s being targeted, and a single attack to defend against,” Jarou summarized, “Seems easy enough. What do you think?”
“I agree, it seems fairly easy,” Kuro said, “We’ll have to talk to most, if not all, of the Lords. That might be a little intimidating. Hopefully they make our jobs easy.”
Jarou chuckled, “Agreed. Well, shall we go pick out our rooms?”
Kuro nodded, and the two went up to the third floor. They were surprised to find all but one room taken on this floor. Peeking inside, they saw there were two beds and plenty of space for them to spread out for the duration of their stay. They shared a look, followed by a nod, and Jarou flipped the sign to the “in use” side.
It was a cozy space, hardwood floors with a rug between the beds, which were against opposing walls. There was a window above the two desks, though there wasn’t much to see besides the wall of the building next door. Kuro threw his travel pack onto the bed on the right side of the room. Jarou placed his more gently on the floor next to the other bed.
Sitting on the bed, Kuro suddenly became very aware of how tired he was. He always found it frustrating how tiring sitting in an Aeth’mobile for several hours was. It’s not like he was really anything, why should he be so exhausted? He took off his cloak, and changed into more comfortable clothes, bidding Jarou a good night before crawling under the sheets. The bed wasn’t the least comfortable thing he’d ever slept on, but it was as stiff as a rock. He struggled to get comfortable for a few minutes, and once he finally did, he fell asleep quickly.
