Sunrise brought nothing good with it. The light that spread over the area was simply a reminder that we had to start travelling again and get on our way to kill a man. I didn't bother to do anything to warn Jerric that we were leaving, aside from nudging him out of sleep with one foot. Once I began walking, he was quick to follow, scooping up the small bag of food he'd been given before we left. He ate while we walked; I decided against following suit. Instead, I focused on trying-and mostly failing-to bind the more serious of my wounds. I'd have done it during the night, but they hadn't become a problem until I was actively walking. From my side, Jerric eyed me disapprovingly.
"You know I offered to help you with those, right?" he asked smugly.
"Kindly remain silent." I replied, giving him nothing but satisfaction at my inability to argue. Now that we were fully into the Ridgelands, I was able to start noticing and appreciating the differences from the Empire. At least, the official Empire. Yviss' control ran over the entire continent, but his Empire only took up the middle part when viewed on a map. Less traces of human interference were showing here, although that didn't mean there was wildlife roaming during the day. It was just endless stretches of barren rocks and mountains, empty of life. Footsteps echoed here, so it would be difficult to tell if someone else was sneaking up on us. Silence was ideal, and I made that clear to Jerric, leaving nothing but the wind and our feet to create noise until a city appeared on the horizon. Our current standing point was on top of a tall ridge, allowing for an incredibly long view. While unaware as to which city this was exactly, I could guess. Or I could just take out the map and check, but that wouldn't be necessary. Only Dranum would be so...expansive. It was the Ridgeland's capital, and possibly even the biggest city on the continent and in the known world. Not only did it cover the most ground space over any other establishment, but quite a few of the buildings also reached upwards in an epic feat of architectural engineering. In the center, I could just make out a massive, lavishly decorated building, which I assumed was the palace. Being unfamiliar with the ruling system and customs of this country, I had absolutely no idea what I was going into.
Even just the front gates of the city were impressive. At least twenty feet tall and wrought in beautifully decorated iron, they were set into a wooden frame carved with symbols and pictures that likely had some religious meaning. There were eight metal images of people on the gate doors, each with a symbol imprinted next to them. Old memories of an incomplete education came back to me, helping me recognize what the images on the gate were representing. The gods. At this time of day, the gates were just being swung open, revealing the city and keeping it accessible to anyone who wished to enter. With both me and Jerric being Crystalborn, there was always the risk of Hunters, but I was confident those could be dealt with now. Besides, the glowing in our eyes wasn't overly noticeable. Jerric's were a deep hazel, making it even more difficult to tell he wasn't human. The dark emerald tones of my eyes were far less usual and would be risky to leave uncovered. Not like anything short of blinding me could be done about it, though. I needed to see to fight at my best, so that was not an option. Once me and Jerric began walking down what seemed to be the main road, I was forced to take out the map and consult it again. It went into great detail, each road and alleyway sketched out precisely. Lost in the lines of the paper, I lost track of what I was doing and promptly collided with an unassuming citizen. A younger woman, likely not over the age of twenty-two, dressed in high quality clothing. Fabric dyed purple and deep red, it practically screamed riches and entitlement. Her hair was a pale shade of blue for some reason, against the norm. Any lighter colors were considered strange and abnormal, while shades of dark brown were normal and accepted. Colors like my blond hair and this woman's blue hair caused problems. I tried to offer a quick apology and keep walking, but she wasn't happy with that.
"Ever learned manners, kid? They're generally helpful." She raised an eyebrow at me but still looked more amused than disapproving. I met her eyes with a dead look, searching for the quickest way to get this over with.
"Manners indeed. Such as the apology I offered. Is that not considered to be manners enough?"
"You're in the Ridgelands now, boy. That's nothing."
"Care to elaborate, or will you simply continue to speak without explanation?" Maybe I was being overly harsh, but from my point of view, I'd done what was socially acceptable, and this didn't need much further conversation. Slowly sliding my hand to the hilt of my sword, I began to prepare for conflict. The woman sighed.
"Uncultured children...never mind. Here, if you meet a stranger, it's necessary to offer help to them. You two must be foreigners, though, so I'll let it slide."
"If you'll let it slide, I assume we are free to go?" I said while I glanced towards where Jerric was watching and laughing quietly. Way to avoid drawing attention.
"Absolutely not. It's my responsibility and right to help you out now. Where are you headed? The name's Wyrril, by the way." Random people were difficult to deal with, and this was only supporting that view. Before I could reject Wyrril's offer of help, Jerric stepped into the conversation smoothly.
"We'd love your help, but we've got to move fast. No free time these days." He smiled apologetically and was surprisingly good at talking to people, although that didn't work too well in this situation. Rich people always get what they want-Just like the ones who watched kids fight to the death in the Arena.
"Don't worry about that," she waved off Jerric's comment with a painfully bright smile, "I can keep up. What's your first destination?"
Jerric waved an arm at me while talking. Looks like I'd been levered out of this talk. Fine by me. "We need some new clothes. Important things to attend, and this won't do."
Only then did I realize how conspicuous I looked walking around with my clothes and body shredded. Between the whip of Yviss and the lion attack, my appearance wasn't in great condition. We would also need more formal clothes for the sake of the celebration we were attending. If it had a guest list as the Emperor had said, it was probably high end. My thought train was cut off yet another time as Wyrril responded.
"There's a clothing shop not far from here. Just this way a little." Wyrril spun on one heel and began purposefully striding away, looking back once to make sure we were following. Jerric didn't wait, falling into step with the lady. I was tempted to try and detach to complete this mission on my own, but it would be more effective to go with the others.
Wyrril wasn't kidding when she said the clothing shop wasn't far. Hardly ten minutes of slow walking had passed before we turned up at the storefront, looking in at all the different outfits and styles. If we were going to do this, we may as well do it quick, so I pushed through the glass door and started perusing the aisles. Suits, jackets, pants, robes. All the things one could want, lining the walls and shelves on display. Excitement betrayed itself in Jerric's eyes and quick movements as he scanned the shop, using his hands as well as his eyes to inspect everything. Feeling the fabric was apparently just as important as looking at it for him. For a while, I merely watched Jerric to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, then began searching for clothes myself. All the while, Wyrril's bright eyes chased us around, as if we were some sort of specimen to be studied. Seeing an opportunity, she approached me while Jerric was across the store, looking purposeful.
"Why are you all beat up?" Quick to the point, the woman began what she thought would lead to an interrogation of me. With a raise of an eyebrow, I stepped around her and kept walking, ignoring the question.
"Don't want to admit you lost to someone?"
"Interesting that you would assume I lost."
"Okay, so you won. Who was it? Give me a description." The lady had pulled out a notepad and pen, as if she was going to sketch it. I didn't feel the need to talk to her any longer, and the fastest way out would be to give Wyrril the answers she wanted. It wasn't dangerous information anyway. Nothing like why we were here.
"Mountain lion."
"Oh, really? You're lucky to be alive, then. Not a lot of people survive a run-in with a lion." She looked at me with some slight admiration, probably impressed by my youth and success. I smirked.
"Six, actually."
"You-six?! That's impossible."
"The corpses remain on the mountainside if you wish to inspect them. For now, I am a busy man." Hardly could call myself a man, as I was only fifteen years old at the time, but it worked. As one of the Crystalborn, living past fifteen years was impressive when I could legally be hunted. Leaving Wyrril behind, I rapidly finished my browsing of the clothes, finding a plain black suit. It would work. Along with that, I located more casual clothes to replace my ruined ones and silently moved back to Jerric, standing behind him without making a noise to indicate my presence. When he turned, he jumped, apparently not expecting me.
"Hi Vite! Looks like you've chosen your clothes already. Go try them on!" He reminded me of the part that is supposedly vital to clothes shopping. Wearing the clothes. With a sigh, I left him to locate a changing room, passing Wyrril on the way. She was headed towards Jerric. Good, the two annoying people could distract each other. Rapidly changing out of my torn-up clothing, I switched to the suit I was about to purchase. It would work. On through the rest of the clothes, I was satisfied with all of them and returned to the main area of the store. The celebration or festival or whatever it was called was the next day, as far as I knew, so I needn't wear the formal stuff until then. Upon my return to the main section of the store, I passed Jerric, who had also changed ridiculously fast. And he was now wearing deep blue formal wear, appearing more confident than before in his steps. Strange how clothing could have such an effect on someone. Him and Wyrril were deep in conversation, so I slid past to wait at the front of the building. Jerric had the money with him, so I could hardly leave. Through the window, I looked out and fully took in the environment. Dusty streets, colorful and well-built structures, and countless people of all sorts. Rich, poor, foreigners, and locals. There were even a few Crystalborn, from what I could tell. A slight glow in the eyes, and even some fear in their movements. With the constant threat of being imprisoned and forced to fight, that was fair. I remembered being like them. I wasn't any better now; working for the other side to preserve my life. A traitor to my species without them even knowing.
Weighed down by things they had bought, Jerric and Wyrril made it to where I was after some time. Before even allowing Jerric a chance to get out his money, the woman had tossed several coins onto the counter near the cashier's hand.
"That should be plenty. I'll pay for these two as well." She gestured towards me and Jerric. The cashier was obviously skeptical as to what a relatively young woman was doing buying clothes for two teenagers, but money is a universal language. He nodded and took the coins, which were more than enough. Once outside the store, I voiced my objection to Wyrril's actions.
"You should not pay for those who will be unable or unwilling to return the favor. Nothing comes free."
"I'll pay for who I want, thank you. Besides, hospitality is a part of the culture. You won't have to return any favors of any sort." Smiles were often fake, but Wyrril's somehow didn't seem that way. In her eyes there was an actual joy in helping; rare among the rich. "And we couldn't have you two going to a party looking like street urchins, honestly."
I shot a glare at Jerric. What had he told her? Idiocy was far too prevalent in his character. People were not meant to know our job here, or anything about us. He smirked back at me, enjoying my reaction thoroughly as if he knew more than I did on the topic. While that wasn't unlikely, it remained unpleasant.
"I suppose Jerric has told you about our purpose here, then." Fixing a cold stare on her face, I predicted I'd need to get rid of her later. The lethal way. It didn't matter if it was right or not in this situation. The Emperor must be satisfied.
"He has. You're going to the festival of the gods, apparently," Tilting her head a little, she smiled at Jerric. "How funny that I'll also be there."
"That's cool. I doubt we'll see you, though, if it's as popular as you say." Smooth as ever, Jerric took over the conversation. Again. Newly aware that he'd been getting information from her rather than the other way around, my opinion of him shifted. The more useful he became, the better company he was.
"World's a small place, Jerric. I'll see you around," The gaze of Wyrril flickered between me and Jerric, "And don't worry about the money. It was my pleasure to help you both." That was her final statement before she strode away, expensive fabric and hair flapping around her in a slight breath of wind.
"That was nice of her," Jerric offered a bright smile in my direction, "I got some good information as well. Yviss gave us the wrong day. The festival is tonight."
All things considered, that should have been the first expectation from the Emperor. He'd want us to figure things out for ourselves or suffer the consequence. I hated that man. While it may be the best way to improve our skill set, it blocked the efficiency of any plan when inaccurate facts are given.
"Tonight. How pleasant. And I assume you also extracted the place, guest list, and food on the menu?" I rarely used sarcasm, but this felt like an apt moment to throw some into my words.
"Yes, to the first one. Can't say I got the other two. I'm confident that we'll have fun, though." He adjusted the lapels of his suit jacket before grinning down at the bag of clothes dangling from my left hand. "You should get used to those now, so that you're ready tonight."
With a sigh, I quickly re-entered the clothing store, changed into the new suit, and came back out, looking slightly disheveled. Rushing while putting on clothes is not ideal. Coming into Jerric's vision, I certainly didn't expect the reaction I got.
"Whoa...You look hot." Jerric looked me up and down, eyes roving across my body.
My unamused stare said more than any of my words could have, but that didn't prevent me from speaking along with it.
"If you wish to joke, do it with someone else." There was no way he was serious, and I made it very clear that this was not the time. We had a job to do, and we were not friends.
"I wasn't joking. Have some fun for once, Vite." Somehow it felt like I was being scolded, even with Jerric's playful tone. Putting that aside, I showed the map to Jerric and asked him to mark the location of the celebration for later in the night. In case we got separated. In case I left him and finished this alone. Indicating at the palace in the center of the city, Jerric mentioned that it would be open for the next several
days. Our target would be there only on this one. From his subtle interrogation of Wyrril, Jerric had learned more about the man we were here to kill, giving the lady a description and asking about him. Supposedly he was quite famous here and was paying for the festivities. Several thousand people were going to be cycling through, and he was providing food, entertainment, and renting the most lavish building in the city for all of them. That kind of money was ridiculous and usually only came through greed and crimes. His generosity was impressive, but I felt slightly better about killing him now. His name was a prominent one. One that told the world he was powerful. Jerard Wartarrer. That particular family was considered the most influential in these parts. We had a few hours to burn, as the palace would open at nightfall. Jerric kept pointing out people he found attractive, mostly men, and it was getting annoying, so I sent him off to restock provisions and buy medical supplies. I took the opportunity to get myself further into the city, alone.