As the lift reached the maximum height, I turned around to face what the new front would be. The bearman gave me one final order. "Whatever you do, do not speak to the guards. Do not make eye contact with them and keep your head down, understand? Things are different in the upper city and you do not have a collar on which is a prbolem," he warned. I nodded to show my understanding and prepared myself.
When the lift reached the top, I could see a massive stone gatehouse. The light-colored gray stone was of much higher quality than anything used in the lower city. The stone walls were also enormous, I initially thought this was just part of the cliff, but I was wrong. Not only that, the guards standing at attention were leagues above anything I've seen so far in this city.
Rather than looking like a bunch of conscripted bandits, these men and women were highly equipped soldiers. Their gray half plate and steel swords differed night and day compared to the lower city guards. I guess this is where all the money goes for the security budget.
The aura the guards emitted was that of trained professional soldiers, not city guards. A few individuals were also wearing grey cloaks carrying staffs with purple gems at the end. The gems looked like the sparring stones I'd used once before back in the village.
So they even have mage soldiers here? Where was this kind of presence in the lower city?
Everyone began to awkwardly shuffle off the lift and funnel into lines to be screened by the guards. There were about fifty people waiting to get searched by the guards, most of them seemed like regular civilians, but there were a good amount of slaves as well. The atmosphere was tense. The only voices that could be heard were the guards asking routine questions and people answering quietly.
Even though we were at the back of the lift, the bearman pushed through the crowds to get into the middle of one of the lines. We waited without speaking to each other until one of the guards beckoned us over.
"Identification," he droned off.
The young man looked to be around his early twenties with chestnut brown hair. He clearly did not want to be here right now. It was most likely the end of his rotation. My guide took out a piece of parchment and handed it over to the guard.
"What about the little one?" he asked.
"The young one lost his in the riot," the bearman's Human language was far better than his Elvish.
I wonder if he thinks I can't speak it either.
The guard sighed. "No can do. He needs a pass, or he can't come through."
"Perhaps you could take a second look at my pass." He did not phrase his response as a question, but rather as a suggestion.
The bearman was almost an entire head taller than the young guard and he kept his deep baritone voice low and even. It was practically borderline threatening. I'd be wary if a giant Beastmen was standing over me like this.
The guard seemed like he could care less about how someone was speaking to him and unrolled the parchment and began muttering to himself while he read. Then he stopped and peeked over the pass and double-checked repeatedly. "You are the Viceroy's servant?"
"Yes, we both are."
"I see… well I can—"
"Are you going to be the one to tell the Viceroy why I am late making a delivery? If so, I don't mind waiting," the Beastmen interrupted.
"Well I—I mean the rules say…"
"I am aware of the rules, sir. But the Viceroy needs to be notified. Would you please do it while we wait for a pass for the young one?" he interrupted the guard mid-sentence again and rather sternly.
Isn't this man walking a dangerous line? Is he trying to get us killed?
Even if this guard was just a rank and file soldier he was still way above us slaves on the social hierarchy. He could just cut our heads off right now for speaking to him like this.
However, the guard who seemed lackadaisical at first was now bright-eyed and sweating a bit despite the chill in the air. I was quite cold myself, so he must really be stressing out. Was the Viceroy so important that this guard would forgo his duty? And just who is this Beastmen?
"Just don't lose it again. I won't let this slide a second time. You both may pass," the guard said frantically.
He begrudgingly gave us the all-clear, and we were allowed to cross. My guide took back his pass and pushed me forward through the checkpoint. A few of the other guards eyed me suspiciously but most didn't even bother looking my way.
I guess being dressed like a dirty orphan had its perks. And man, did this go better than I thought. There was no way I was going to be able to get through any checkpoint if this was what the security was like. In my current state, I would have been lucky to kill the first guard let alone the mages.
"Thank you," I muttered.
"Do not thank me yet, Little Elf. You are not safe yet. That guard just happened to have been on the Viceroy's payroll. We were lucky," he said matter of factly.
"Did you just gamble with my life?"
I looked up so I could see his face, but he just shrugged his shoulders and continued moving me forward.
This guy just rolled the dice with my life, didn't he? Well, I got lucky this time at least but I'd rather not be using what little luck I have in back-to-back situations.
As we moved through the tunnel to the other side of the gatehouse the view of what lay beyond was shocking. This is what I expected when I imagined the capital city of a merchant nation. Comparing the upper city of Ostela to the lower city was probably a crime in this nation.
Even though this was technically the same city, it was like two different worlds. The buildings were made of dark brown timber like the lower city but they were all uniform in design, giving the city an appearance of unity. The houses also weren't shanty at all and the sight of thrown-together markets were nowhere to be seen.
As far as I could see, buildings stretched out into the distance, and at the center was a large palace made of marble. At least, I assumed it was marble. The white stone was bright even from here. The dark wood and blue-colored accents made the white marble pop in the late morning sun.
"We can not gawk forever. We must stay moving in the upper city. Getting stopped would be dangerous. Keep your head down and your eyes low. If you receive the ire of someone, I may not be able to protect you again."
Without giving me time to respond, the bearman urged me forward into the sprawling city. The first thing I noticed was paved roads, well, cobblestone roads, but it was the first time I'd seen something besides dirt covering the street.
The streets were wide, with enough room for two carriages to move alongside each other. The number of denizens moving around had decreased but not all that much. The slave count had also reduced as well.
Before, most slaves were wearing close to nothing, but those in the upper city were dressed to keep them from being eyesores. Most wore full-body cloaks covering themselves. The people here were also dressed much nicer, and this place gave off the air of belonging to a higher class.
We were forced to walk down the street in line with other slaves. It must be a walkway just for slaves to be in, as no regular civilian was walking in this lane. The only time slaves weren't walking in this lane was if their master was accompanying them. I also noticed that far more slaves in the upper city had the red metal slave collars around their necks.
Before it seemed like only a few who were probably mages had them but now it was almost every slave had one latched around their necks. And I doubt all of these slaves were capable of using magic.
While walking down the cobbled streets, I saw something familiar for the first time in my new life. It was glass. There was no glass at all in Owlkirk, and I didn't even see any in the lower city. However, the glass was very murkey and must have had a lot of impurities in it.
Perhaps they have not mastered the art of crafting glass? No, it's more likely that this was more cost-effective or possibly done recently. Although nearly everything from the buildings to the roads seemed to have been thought out from the beginning, the glass somehow seemed new. Glass also tended to be expensive in early periods, and few could afford it, especially clear glass.
But I managed to catch a warped glimpse of myself and… I looked awful. I haven't been able to see my face in a long time and I looked downright depressing. Of course, just by being starved for this long, I've already lost what little muscle I had on my body but seeing my face really drilled in the fact that I've lost a lot of weight. And I didn't have a lot of weight to lose in the first place.
My eyes looked sunk in and my face was covered in dry blood from my broken nose. Seeing my battered form made my heartache. If Mom or Dad saw me like this, they would probably have a stroke. Hell, even I don't want to look like this. Have I ever looked so defeated before?
I banished the negative thoughts and focused on the task at hand. If I wanted to change my current state, I needed to get out of this hell hole alive.
At this point, we walked to the side of the palace and were quite close to it. Although it was still a fair distance away, being this close made it seem all the more opulent. I guess they decided to forgo protection and maximum beauty for the palace.
When you are a nation that runs on commerce, if you have to defend your central palace, you've probably already lost everything else anyway. My guide has stayed silent, but I noticed we had looped around this district twice now. This district had only a few people walking about, but there were still plenty of storefronts and housing.
"What are we doing?" I asked quietly.
"Making sure we are not being followed. If we are followed, I can smell them easier if we loop around. But it seems all is well. We are nearly there, so stay patient for just a little longer."
After finishing the final loop, we made it to what appeared to be a random clothing store. The sign hanging from the door read Silver Fox Outlet. My guide wasted no time and ushered me into the store. The store was warm inside and had a mixture of different smells to it, it smelt… manly? I guess they sell cologne here along with clothing?
We were greeted by a young woman wearing what could best be described as a butler uniform. She had shoulder-length brown hair and had a stern look about her as she eyed us. We were the only ones in the store.
Not that my guide seemed to care, as he walked straight up to the woman and spoke in Human."The forest requires tending."
The woman glared at us before smileed and ushered us into the back room. The backroom was filled to the brim with textiles and incomplete clothing. She moved over to a shelf that was overflowing with different materials and forced her hand into a piece of red cloth. Immediately a soft thunk went off, and the wall of textiles swung open, revealing a dark passage.
Well… that's about as standard as it gets. Is this some type of underground railroad? I guess where there is a hub of slavery there are those who want to subvert it. But, I think I could always just ask, we should be safe now.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"A place for those who wish to find freedom. This is the home of The Keepers. They are good people. I have been working with them for many years. They can help you where I can not."
Years? This man couldn't have been older than twenty…
"How old are you, sir?"
The man patted my head and spoke softly, "No need to speak so formally. We are one and the same after all. And I will be turning thirty nine this coming fall."
Thirty-nine?! He doesn't look a day past twenty… yet he is almost forty?
His deep chuckle reverberated against the stone passage. "Surprised? We may not live as long as you Elves, but time is much kinder to my kin than Humans."
"Do Beastmen live a long time?"
"No, we live as long as Humans do. True Beastmen live even shorter lives than most Humans," he told me.
"I see…"
The silence stretched on as we continued down. We were heading down deeper into the abyss. The passage must have been carved out and supported using earth magic. Candles were lit periodically down the tunnel giving a minimal amount of light to not make it dark and—
"Stop." the man grabbed me and held me back.
"What's wrong?"
"Look," he pointed towards the ground, and I could see a thin, almost invisible wire was taut from one wall to the other. "It seems they missed a trap. You must keep your eyes open as much as your ears, Little Elf."
I mentally slapped myself and groaned. So much for all that training. I'm so tired I finally let the feeling of safety wash over me. I would have walked straight into that wire without the help of my friend here, and well… I don't want to know what would have happened to me. I mean, it's not my fault they left the trap, but if I got hurt, I'd be the one regretting it anyways.
"Thanks again."
He just grunted softly while he picked me up and placed me over the tripwire. I mean he didn't have to do that… I don't think I like being manhandled so easily, whatever. I need to go to sleep, I'm getting too grouchy for my own good.
After about five minutes of walking, the tunnel began to get more expansive, and we stepped into a small cave where a large iron door sat. He knocked on the iron door rapidly until the shutter slid open.
A pair of purple eyes looked us up and down and shut the slider. I could hear the mechanisms of locks being undone then the giant iron door slid open with a whine. A High Elf woman with wavy blue hair was waiting beyond the door.
"It is good to see you, Deya."
"I'd say it's good to see you too, old man, but if you are here, that means you got captured again?" The woman named Deya said kindly.
"Indeed I did. I was caught in a port in the Mists. And you call me old man, yet you are nearly two hundred years older than me woman—" Deya didn't give him a chance to finish as she bonked him in the head with the flat of her long sword.
"It's rude to talk about a woman's age, especially in front of someone so young," she said curtly. Then, she looked at me and smiled warmly. "And who are you, young man?"
"Kaladin," I answered back.
"See to this Little Elf's safe return, Deya. Unfortunately, I must go. The longer I delay my return, the more likely I am to be found."
My guide turned to leave, but I called out to him. "Wait! Your name… what is it?"
How could I have spent all this time with him and never asked his name? I was so preoccupied that I didn't even think about giving a simple greeting… this man has helped me so much in such a short time.
He turned around and patted me on the head again, "My name is Sorn. Goodbye, Kaladin. May we never meet again," he said softly as he began walking back down the tunnel.
He's just gone? Just like that? Why doesn't he want to escape this city? And why does he never want to meet me again?
Sensing my confusion, Deya answered my own concerns for me. "He says that to every child he brings us. He believes that if he sees you again, that means he failed to free you. Honestly, I wish he would think of something else to say…" she said with a sigh.
I see… that makes some sense, kind of. A weird way to go about it, but he is a nice guy at least, thank you, Sorn, and I hope I meet you again someday.
"Now then, let's get you some food, clean clothes, and get Remi to take a look at your nose, okay?"
Deya took my hand and gently guided me through the safe house. She pointed out a few things to me, like the sleeping quarters, the toilets, the mess hall, and a few other places. There were a decent amount of people here as well.
I was expecting a lot of slaves, but there didn't seem to be that many. I saw about ten people who looked like slaves. Maybe some just got sent to safety recently? A lot of them were women and children.
Deya parted some curtains, and a middle-aged human man was standing in a small room with a bed. He turned his head slightly and began complaining immediately. "Can't you even knock, Deya? What if I already had a patient in here?" he complained.
"Knock on what, Remi? The thin cloth separating you from the hallway? Besides, I can hear you alone in here. Now I need you to help our new friend Kaladin, please."
The man sighed while taking a knee and brushed the matted-down hair out of my face. "Broken nose, starvation, fatigue… A half Dark Elf, half High Elf? Never seen that before." Remi droned off as he took stock of me with piercing blue eyes.
"Is that not common? Being a mixed Elf?" I asked.
"Yes, it is quite rare. Elves already have difficulty making children during sex— GAH!? What was that for?!"
Deya had smacked Remi with the flat side of her sword but much harder than she did to Sorn. Remi was now on both his knees clutching his head in pain. I could already feel the welt rising up on the top of his head.
"REMI! He is a child! What is wrong with you! Use that big brain of yours and be smarter about your choice of words!" Deya scolded Remi like he was the child.
I guess if you had to compare their age, he probably was a child to her. Remi was perhaps in his mid-thirties… I think. My understanding of people's actual age is getting tossed around constantly. I mean, if Deya was supposed to be over two hundred years old she was looking great. I would have put her in her late twenties at most.
"I mean, I wasn't wrong…damn woman, you didn't have to hit me so hard," Remi groaned while rubbing the top of his head tenderly.
He sighed and looked over at me. "Uh… yes. It is rare… you see Elves have one of the hardest times uh… making babies… yes. And when two different types of Elves try, it's even more difficult. Even more so since you are Dark Elf, and well, Dark Elves don't really leave The Barrens all that often, making you even rarer. I've never seen an Elf with two different colored eyes before either… I wonder if that's because you are a mix of the different subspecies..." Remi monologued while eyeing me more like a novelty test subject than a patient. I could feel Deya becoming more and more annoyed by the second.
"Remi, you can ask him questions later. The boy has a broken nose. Help him already. He is covered in his own blood!"
"Ah, yes, I'm sorry. I let my curiosity get the better of me. Please forgive me," he gave me a slight bow.
"It's fine. Thank you for helping me."
"Aww, you are so nice, Kaladin, let me go get you a new change of clothes and some warm food, okay? You must be starving. Then we can talk about some things," Deya said warmly.
Remi guided me to bed and had me sit down while he pulled a stool over to sit down. "Your nose is broken, but I can fix it. The break seems pretty clean, so you shouldn't have any permanent damage, but I'm going to have to reset it."
"Can't you use magic?" I asked.
"Sadly, I'm not a mage, just a normal person. I wish I could, but I can't, so this is all I can do for you. Here let me get you something for the pain… this is probably going to hurt a lot. I'm sorry in advance."
Remi got up and went to a shelf that had various bottles of liquids on it. I recognized a few of them from Grandpa's store, but there was also a good amount that I didn't remember. Remi grabbed a bottle of milky white liquid and walked over to me.
"No, I don't want to take that," I said quickly.
"Huh? It's going to hurt a lot, and I'm only going to give you a— wait, do you know what this is?"
I didn't need to know exactly what it was, but a milky white substance that relieves pain is ubiquitous in any world. I'm not sure how strong it is, but I don't want it if it's an opioid. Getting addicted to that stuff would be disastrous and considering magic exists that stuff might be even stronger.
Besides, correcting a broken nose was nothing to me.
"Yes, I'll be fine. I'll take some Blood Bush root if you have any." At least I knew Blood Bush root wasn't addictive.
"If you say so. I guess I do have a little bit left anyway," Remi fiddled around in his medicine cabinet and pulled out some of the dried roots. He cut half of it off and ground it into a powder with a pestle and mortar. "I'm surprised you know so much about herbs. Most people want the stronger stuff anyways. I figured you must be in a lot of pain, but I guess you seem fine. Here, open wide."
I lifted my tongue up, and he poured the dried powder under my tongue, letting it dissolve into my bloodstream. When you dried Blood Bush root, it was more potent and acted faster. I could already feel the pain-numbing a little bit in just a few minutes.
"Now then, it should be kicking in, so let me wipe down your face a bit."
He walked over to a wash basin and cleaned his hands, then grabbed a towel. He began to wipe away the blood off my face and mouth gently. I was expecting him to be a little rougher, but he was taking extra care not to hurt me.
"There we go, all cleaned up. You are looking better already. Now then, let's get the hard part out of the way. Are you ready?"
I nodded, and Remi gave me a small strip of leather. "Bite down on this. I'll give you a countdown."
I bit down on the leather while Remi began placing his fingers on my nose. My nose was tender and hurt, but the pain was minor compared to the phantom pains in my ears and chest.
"Okay, one… and two…"
Snap.
Although it didn't hurt that much, tears still flowed from my eyes.
"Aright, not bad. You took it like a champ. Great job, kid. It looks good already; the swelling will be bad for a week or two, but that's it. I'll give you some medicine to help with that so you can sleep easy tonight," Remi said with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Remi."
"Ah, just doing my job. Now, where is that damn woman…"
"I have a name, you know. Would it kill you to use it?" Deya said coldly. Remi let out an Eeep of surprise as Deya walked in with a bundle of clothes and a bowl of food.
"Here you go, Kaladin. Let's get you out of those and into something cleaner."
Deya handed me a fresh set of clothes, and I changed into them quickly. They weren't much, but they were far better than the filthy blood-stained rags I was wearing right now. Besides, having clean underwear made me feel like a person again.
Once I was finished, she handed me the bowl of porridge with a stipulation."Eat slowly. If you do, I'll get you another bowl."
At first, I slowly dug into the food. I knew that eating fast after being starved was terrible for your health, and I ran the risk of just throwing it up but… it isn't water soup. This is amazing.
Deya bonked me on the head with her hand lightly. "Slowly. Eat. Slowly."
I nodded and slowed my pace. Sorry.
"Now then, why don't you tell us a little about yourself, Kaladin?"