Action had its perks but it wasn't always a good way to start the day. Action may sometimes brew violence, sometimes varying in the form. Even if I was studying to be a guidance counselor back when East L.A. was still on the surface, it didn't actually mean that I liked dealing with the PC stuff first thing in the morning.
Gram decided to drag my group and Richard away to some in after that incident. We went for a private room at an inn that was a few blocks away. Despite the noise coming outside, it was pretty quiet. We weren't talking at all and the scene was really quiet. Gram was doing his thing again with sitting with closed eyes and doing nothing. It was rather awkward because I just realized this made him twice as menacing. Soon the barmaid then came in with our meal with a large plate at hand. But it was there that the lizardman rushed out and pulled someone in. It was a Terran human hiding behind the other side of the wall. The lizardman then threw him out and shouted, "Mind your own business, you assholes!"
The man was thrown for a certain for a few feet and fell off the stairs. Everybody was just surprised that the calm rugged lizardman we knew had a brash nature. I did travel with him but it didn't I was still used to it. "Don't you think you kinda overdid it?" I asked. "Sorry...it becomes a habit." He apologized. Mr. Williams then looked rather calm about it. "It's rather quite a skill. Where did you learn it? Military?" Mr. Williams asked. Gram then scratched his head, rather embarrassed on what he was gonna say next. "I was actually hunting since I was a kid. But I appreciate the compliment." Gram replied. But soon his face got glum as he kinda felt awkward about it. "Honestly maybe I might have gone a total one-eighty by becoming a teacher." He said with doubt.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"From killing animals I went to teaching about them. Eventually I went a total one-eighty again and went to killing them again."
"At least it brings food on the table. You don't have to worry about food and materials to bring to the Guild Association."
Food was spread. It was a huge set-up with an entire fear to fill us up even more. It's been a long time since we had a lot of food like this. "This is really the best part of the quest." Rebecca said. "Rin, you get extra." Mr. Williams told me as he handed me some extra coins.
"Eeehh? What's the occasion?" I asked
"What 'occasion'? You did most of the killing in the group." Rebecca told me.
"It's only fair after all. Just don't go all trigger happy next time." Tyrell pointed out.
Trigger happy… yet another word that I felt uncomfortable with. But if I were honest about it, the term was actually an understatement. A small flashback came from Nanjing. Yet why was I remembering this just now? But because of reminiscing about the past I wasn't paying attention about the current conversation. Richard was then snapping his fingers in front of me. "Did you at least hear a single word that I said?!" He exclaimed. I couldn't answered as I was kinda occupied in thought. Richard then slams his hand on the table. "Of all the things...what is it with you being a silent storm?" He asked. I paused as I didn't know what he was saying. "I'm talking back at the sausage stall! What the hell did you do?!" Richard asked out loud in Japanese
"I didn't even say anything to them. It's practically their fault that they were eavesdropping." I replied at the language.
"What were you even talking about?"
"Just food."
"How the hell would they get triggered with food?!"
"Like I know! I wasn't even talking to them in the first place!!"
"You were talking to them were you?"
"I was trying to put out the fire and cool them down."
"Well it looked like you were pouring gasoline on it!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Both of our heads were grinding towards each other. We were chewing each other out when the rest of the group was talking at the sidelines. Rebecca then slammed her mug on the table. "In the first place they were the ones starting the fight. They just kept on twisting Rin's words." Rebecca told him. Richard managed to cool down a little. "How?" He asked.
"They were trying to paint Rin as a poacher. All the more with the strawman stuff. Rin was trying to deter them but all those protesters were doing was trying to pick a fight." Tyrell added.
"This is a pretty common thing that the UTU do. They try to make villains out of nowhere when they're just bystanders." Gram told them.
"But why Rin? Isn't he Terran in the public eye?" Rebecca asked.
"They take people who are capable of surviving outside of the walls as traitors." Richard said.
"Traitors? Of what? Able to survive?" Mr. Williams asked.
"For abandoning their fellow man and not considering thinking about the others who are suffering next to them." Gram told us.
"So in the end they want those who are able to benefit in the system be dragged down at their level?" Tyrell asked.
"It's like crab mentally. Weren't you supposed to head to some fancy protests like those before the HAP?" Mr. Williams asked Tyrell.
"I was just a chaperone. Cousin's was always getting into jail so I end up babysitting him." He answered.
Richard then scratches his head and looks at the time. Looking at his watch the man looked concerned. "I need to go somewhere. Meantime you three need to stay low." He pointed at the me, Tyrell, and Rebecca.
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
"If I know well...that guy you took down, his buddies will be looking for you guys. Mostly Rin." He told us.
"Are we in some kinda trouble?" Tyrell asked.
"If I know these guys well, they're going to find Rin and harass the heck out of him." Richard said.
"Great… like L.A. but with pricks and monsters. Can't we just get a McDonald's here instead?" Rebecca said sarcastically as she shrugs her shoulders.
Richard then grabs a map from his bag and marks a few locations in it. He moved it at the center for us to see. "The locations here are the various establishments at are allied with us. The ones who are part of the scuffle awhile ago must stick to these locations. Stick to these locations and don't attract any attention till the heat dies." Richard told us. "Why? Is there a reason why we are even hiding like crooks?" Rebecca asked.
"It's best to limit any kind of attention. Remember magic like his is best kept a secret. If both Rin's secret of being skilled in magic and being demonfolk come to light then somebody is gonna make some ridiculous claim." Gram told us.
"Like assuming that those who become powerful magic users turn into demons?" Tyrell asked.
"Pretty much. It's like we're at the wild west. Anything goes as long as you're not caught." Richard confirmed.
"But wouldn't that attract attention if people who are outside the guild would be in these locations?" Mr. Williams asked.
"Parties are usually made out people from different guilds. It's not actually out of the ordinary for people to make a specific hangout." Gram told us.
"But aren't there other spies from other guilds? You guys do spy all across Laputa." Mr. Williams pointed out.
"You have a point but most of these guilds are trying to protect the city rather than to cause chaos." Gram told them.
"Most?" Mr. Williams asked out of curiosity.
"Most of the guilds are trying to maintain Cletus as it's one of the very few are trying to change it. But some don't actually realize that the changes that they want have consequences." Gram told them.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"We have two kinds of quest takers. This might settle with you guys pretty well." Grams said.
He then goes on to talk about it. We were yet exposed to another side of Laputa, that of the economics of Cletus. The ones who go for the supplies and take the quest related to the outskirts are called 'runners' and the one who make work with whatever supplies that are gathered and do something with it called 'producers'. Both of them were street terms to let people know what kind of quest the person can take. It used to be at the initial stages of Laputa that runners give the supplies to producers in order to make and build tools, shelters, and supplies. But due to the constant strife, lots of people ended up dying after constant civil wars for resources. Eventually Cletus came with the solution of the guild association. For it to be simple to follow they copied RPG systems from games in order for Terrans to easily cope with the system. This allowed the development of currency and give the rise of shillings to be a universal form of money, the same currency that Aria has. With the reappearance of currency in the country it allowed the regulation of supplies and a simpler trading system to encircle across the continent. Till this day the term 'runners' are used for quest takers who specialize in quest outside the walls and 'producers' who take quest related to making and producing materials and products. But since Laputa has come to Terra, they decided to use the class system to train Terrans in specialized skills, therefore the previous system is considered obsolete.
As I was fascinated by the story it did bring a lot of questions to mind. One of these was, 'why the sudden history lesson?' Mr. Williams then cleared his throat. "So what are you trying to say here? What's the problem?" He asked.
"Recently there had been a decline on runners and a rapid increase in producers. The capital can't take much more refugees if this keeps up." Gram replied.
"But isn't the capital making an effort for people to save refugees?" Rebecca asked.
"Yes but the country isn't able to supply all of them. That's why they leave the guilds to do it." Richard replied.
"Even if the country has its own stable agricultural land and food sources they can only provide so much. Don't forget to mention that it doesn't supply half of the supplies needed." Gram expounded.
"Half the materials? What are we lacking in?" I asked.
"Nonrenewable resources such as metals, stone, plastic, and oil. They're still needed in order for the maintenance of the capital and other various needs." Gram answered.
"Come to think of it...I was wondering how they managed to repair and make a power grid." Tyrell mumbled.
"What do you mean by that?" Rebecca asked.
"Well… maintaining a power grid needs a lots of materials just to maintain it. You would need rubber, copper, cotton, and many others. And that's just for the wiring. All the more for circuits and motherboards where you would also require quartz, iron, tin and steel. Sometimes even needing gold as some of the parts too." Tyrell explained.
"Oh yeah I forgot that you used to work in a computer manufacturing company." Rebecca realized.
"It was the same thing with my internships. Most of what I did was part of the assembly line. I set in materials and doing some of the work." Tyrell added.
"Thinking about it now, those materials are hard to come by." Rebecca said.
"It's even harder now since most supplies can only be found outside the capital. Unless you can mine it under the city, there's no way for anybody to get those kinds of things other than out there." Mr. Williams implied.
"All the more with wood. It takes to long to grow trees and I don't wanna be at the bottom of a treant either. It's the same thing with meat as well. We can add ranches and poultry farms but we would still need to hunt in order to provide food as well." Richard added.
"As of now because of the lack of supplies coming into the capital the prices of almost everything went higher." Gram said.
"It's only basic economics. When there's a lack of supply it's only common that the price goes higher." Richard says, "Besides, that last raid ruined a quarter of the crops."
"Why? What happened last time?" I asked.
"A basilisk flew above the wall and turned a couple of guys and the crops into stone." Richard replied.
"How can snakes even fly?" Tyrell asked.
"Well there are two types actually. This was the one with a body of a chicken and a snake for a tail." Richard corrected Tyrell.
"Fairy tale biology is just plain weird." Tyrell blandly replied.
"But I don't get it. If Laputa's supplies are starting to run out then why aren't people gathering supplies?" Rebecca asked.
Both Richard and Gram sat there quietly. It was as if that question alone just shut them up. But it was there Gram took a sip of his mead and looks at his reflection from his cup. "The first thing I learned when coming to this new world was fear." He says, "Some people manage to get over it quickly but others tend to be trapped in it for a long time. Sometimes not even being able to get over it."
"I've seen people have been traumatized even to the point they become mannequins. I don't blame them." Richard added.
Mr. Williams then does a little swig only to express sorrow in his eyes. He takes a feel of his pistol. "I've been at many wars but this is far beyond one that I'm used to." The man said.
"It's not like anyone else would predict this thing would happen." The lizardman adds, "Gallard, the town I lived was transported here when I was in the middle of my lessons. Half of my students were devoured and we barely managed to escape."
"But then again not all are able to conquer it. Some dodge it or try to avoid it the worst way possible." Richard muttered.
"What are you talking about?" I asked him.
"Some choose to hide in these walls but apparently some guys had a solution to solve the resource problem with magic." Richard replied.
"Is there really a way to solve it with magic? Then why hasn't been used?" Tyrell asked.
"There are...but they are high level spells. Too much to the point they take a toll on the individual." Gram says, "As much benefit they have it still comes with a dire cost."
"What's the cost?" I asked.
"You'll die by fatigue if unexperienced and some of these use the life force of the individual if used by a specialist." Gram said.
"But aren't these spells regulated by licenses?" Mr. Williams asked.
"They are and UTU had been on the rise to make these spells to be released to the public." Richard answered.
"Do these guys know how magic even works? I can barely stand my ground with my own spells." I asked rather pissed.
"Sadly most of these guys are producers. They're even trying to pass a law that all magi and magic related classes make it mandatory to know these spells." Gram said.
"Worst part about it is that they'll force any person who is capable in using magic to produce a quota of materials and resources." Richard added.
"If there's a quota then there isn't a problem, right?" Tyrell wanted to confirm.
"An experienced magus can barely grow ten square meters of wheat without fainting. Imagine getting a noob to use these spells." Richard explains, "These guys can die just by using these spells too much."
"Worst part is that these spells can backfire if not used right. One of these guys that used a spell to grow quartz crystals and ended up getting impaled by one from the ground. The quality wasn't even good either." Gram added.
"Not even close. There's not gonna be even any kind of compensation. The law would be passed as a 'solemn duty to serve the public'." Richard said sarcastically.
My group was rather in shock. Knowing some hidden agenda was coming to light was rather traumatizing. "How is this law even gonna exist?! It's practically slavery!" Rebecca reacted. "It's not a law but people want it to exist. The Government of Cletus and the Guild association shut down the bill. Worst thing about it is that UTU is still trying to push it." Gram said.
"This is why they call us traitors, for not fueling their cause and turned away from them." Richard added.
"So they choose to preserve life but in the process of forcing people to die for them? How hypocritical." Mr. Williams commented.
"I'd say. They rather force people to their deaths for their own needs rather than getting it for themselves." Rebecca agreed.
As almost all of us grew outraged, Tyrell sat there as he looked at his drink. Soon he then sat there paralyzed as he didn't know what to say. He then took a swig of liquid courage from his mug and cleared his throat. "Honestly...even if I know they are wrong...I don't blame them." He says, "From what I can tell most of them were afraid. I was no different, even when we were at the fire station at East LA on was pretty traumatizing by what was happening out there." He was gripping his mug hard as fear appears into his eyes. The guy got more nervous by the minute. "Like you guys got all these skills and can fight no problem but I'm just a regular." Tyrell tells us, "I can't fight and all I'm good at is just fixing stuff."
He looked more depressed as I saw despair in his eyes. Reading the mood, I tried to change the setting. That's when I tap him at the back and tried to calm him down. "You're not the only one. I'm still getting used to these past lives and they still scare the shit out of me." I told him. It was there I stood up and looked at everybody with resolve. "Right now we might be in a bad start but that's alright." I tell Tyrell, "That's why we need to make-up with what we got and try to make something from there. Despite how rough it is now, it isn't compared to what is out there. Only together we can make it out here alive."
Everybody then looked at me in awe as they saw something quite out of the ordinary. But that was where Mr. Williams gave a big sigh and drank his alcohol. "And here I was, thinking that I was the leader. Is that really you or one of your past lives talking?" Mr. Williams joked. "Maybe he's possessed or something." Richard tagged along.
"I think I got some holy water on me, maybe we should pour some on him just in case." Gram laughed.
My face turned red as everybody started to laugh. I then put my foot down as I was flustered even more. "Dammit can't you see I'm trying to be serious!" I told them. All of them started to calm down and take a breath. "We know, it's just we didn't expect it from you to say it. Most of the time you're just quiet and full of action. Now you're actually moving your lips for once." Mr. Williams said.
"I was waiting for him to get his ass in gear. It was about time this jackass went back to acting like his past life." Richard put out.
I started to grip my arm after hearing that. 'Acting like his past life', struck a few chords as I started to recall the feeling of the world war two memories. "It's funny...I'm started to get scared after recalling all these memories." I said painfully. "What are you talking about? Aren't those things are you as a hero?" Rebecca asked. I paused as I remember the feeling. I see him, the Japanese soldier behind them. He was covered with blood; the red fluid wasn't his. Time suddenly stopped as the settings started to become pale. "You know well you're not ready to know these memories." He told me. "You don't have to tell me." I answered.
"Only when encountering sorrow you will see who I am. Your life was never a good one to begin with."
"Then what do you want from me? Reading you is like hieroglyphs!"
"It will be much worse. You know well your bloodlust is coming back."
"What was I then?! Was I the bad guy? Why did I do! These things?!"
"You must not make the same mistake as I did."
"What mistake?"
He then disappears for a brief moment, only for his hand to be around my neck. There I see a katana bleeding. It started to gush out blood like water leaking rapidly from busted pipes. "You maybe be one now but remember not to become a devil like me. I know your recklessness. I did teach you to fight with Hijikata." He told me.
It was there time returned and the man disappeared. There was no blood on the floor so I was back to reality. I was still at the time where Rebecca was waiting for my answer. But I was unsure what to say. For now I was set to hide the truth that I know so far. "Honestly I don't know. These past lives are getting more complicated the more I stay here. I'm as lost as the rest of you." I reply, "I'm just as scared of me as much as I was back then. I don't even know where this will all lead." I look down, not confident to look my allies in the eye. "Then we'll wait." Rebecca insisted. I look up awestruck. "Yeah, you did say baby steps. A baby can't walk without the help of others." Tyrell told me.
"We're all scared shitless but in the end we can do this together." Gram added.
"Well this got corny fast. But I rather deal with this than those assholes put there." Richard answered.
"Better join in either way. You might miss something." Mr. Williams insisted.
Richard was kinda right. It was kinda corny. But a cliché thing to start from an RPG wasn't a bad thing. I scratched my head and started to give in. "If we all die in hell we might as well meet each other somewhere." I playfully said. "At least you'll be the one that would stick out like a sore thumb." Tyrell joked around. We all started to laugh and eat. We drank alcohol and devoured our meals as if there was no tomorrow. Again it was another issue to remember but I didn't mind. But deep down those words sunk in me. As my friends were enjoying I kept on seeing the Japanese soldier staring at me. Is this my bane? My sorrow? I don't know. All I know is that hell has a bone to pick on me.