“Are you guys ready to go?” I asked.

Mors and Aurea both nodded, and with a final look back at my home, we began the journey to Ocaephis. I was carrying most of the heavy gear, like Aurea’s swords, the cookware, and my batteries. Aurea and Mors were carrying the tent and other miscellaneous items respectively.

The first day passed by quickly, with our little group only stopping for about half an hour for lunch. The rations of dried meats, nuts, and small berries were quickly devoured, and we were back on our way.

When the sun began dipping below the horizon, I suggested we set up camp for the night. Aurea and Mors erected the tent and pot while I went to gather wood. I made a simple yet filling stew using some meat and a few wild herbs I had brought along, and my companions ate their fill before going inside the tent to sleep. Seeing as I had no need for sleep, I had volunteered to keep watch. I sat outside and scanned my surroundings, and Eve kept an eye from above through one of the drones. The night was uneventful aside from a few nocturnal critters shuffling about, and by dawn the next day we were back on the road. We passed Aurea’s village, which I now knew was called Maplepost, not long after. The fields around the village were still barren, and the charred trees reminded me of what had occurred there. Aurea’s eyes grew solemn as she looked around her former home, and I knew what she was thinking about. Not wanting her to get caught up in the past, I made some light conversation, asking if she knew anything about Ocaephis.

“I’ve been there a few times, with…with my dad. We only went there when we needed something we couldn’t make or get at home, like certain medicines and stuff. I remember we used to get seared boar sticks whenever we went there. They’re chunks of roasted meat stuck onto little skewers, then lathered with a sweet sauce. Damn they were so good!” she said, reminiscing about the past. We quickly found the road leading out of Maplepost, which made traveling much quicker and easier. The road eventually led us out of the forest, and into a large flat plain. Stalks of yellow grass covered the landscape, and in the distance I saw Ocaephis.

It was a towering city, encircled on all sides by stone walls. The fortifications were menacing, and I saw quite a few ballistas stationed on top. The gates were enormous, heavy oaken doors reinforced with metal over 10 meters tall. There was a long line in front of the gates, which Mors informed me was made up of farmers and merchants from the surrounding area. Before we got any closer to the city, I had Mors and Aurea double check my disguise, making sure not an inch of my metal body underneath could be seen. I went to stand in line, but Mors stopped me and whispered “Follow me,” before walking towards the gates. Aurea and I confusedly followed, and let him take the lead in dealing with the guards.

“Halt!” one of them shouted. “Unless you have a permit, you need to get back in line.” I guessed that they didn’t recognize Mors once he wasn’t wearing his Deathwalker robes anymore. Mors pulled out a metal plate from his pocket, which he presented to the guard. Reading it, the guard paled, and quickly bowed. “I’m sorry Lord Deathwalker, please forgive me! Of course you may enter.”

Mors pointed his thumb at Aurea and I, saying “They’re with me.”

The guard nodded quickly, not even batting an eye at my strange appearance. They didn’t even search us before allowing us into the city.

“Well, I guess that's just one of the perks of having a Deathwalker as your student.”

Ocaephis was a bustling hive of activity. Merchants and shopkeepers hawked their wares, which ranged from food to jewelry to weapons and armor. “Cmon,” Mors shouted above all the noise, “I’ll get us some funds first!” He led us deeper towards the center of the city. I noticed that the further into the city we walked, the better the streets and buildings looked. I mentioned this to Aurea, who explained that Ocaephis was divided into 3 rings, the commoners ring, merchants ring, and the nobles ring. Each section was divided by a wall, with the outermost ring being the commoners ring, and the innermost one was the nobles ring. As suggested by their names, the commoners ring was where the commoners sold and bought their wares, as well where the peasants of Ocapehis lived.

The merchants ring was where the more reputable merchants and bankers operated, selling large amounts of goods. To enter the merchants ring, one would have to pay an entrance fee, or have a permit. The nobles ring was occupied by Ocaephis’s noble families and Governor, and were very difficult to get into. Only the nobles, their guards, and essential staff were allowed in, or so Aurea said. Using his permit once again, Mors got us into the merchant ring. Immediately, I could tell the difference between the merchant ring and the commoners ring. For one, the streets were properly paved, instead of the dirt and straw that littered the commoners ring. Another difference was there were no stalls around, and in their place were actual shops, with signs and receptionists.

Mors took us to a bank, and a luxurious one at that. The doors were inlaid with gold leaf in a vine-like pattern, and judging from the amount of guards, there were quite a few valuables that were being safekept here. Mors told us to wait outside while he went in, and within 10 minutes he came back out holding 3 small bags.

“Each of these has 300 gold coins. That should be enough for you both to spend comfortably,” he said, handing me and Aurea a bag.

Aurea’s eyes widened, and her hands trembled as she realized the value of the bag.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was her first time holding so much money.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“How did you get so much money?” I asked Mors.

“As a Deathwalker, I get an annual stipend of 200 gold coins, along with some other benefits,” he explained.

Aurea just stood there in shock.

“...Is that a lot?” I asked in confusion. Although I knew they were valuable, I wasn’t sure exactly how much money these gold coins were worth.

“Let me put it this way: 200 gold coins is enough for a large peasant family to live comfortably without working for about 15 years. Or, it's enough to buy a large house here in the merchant ring.”

“That’s a stupid amount of money…AND HE JUST GAVE 200 GOLD COINS TO EACH OF US?!?”

“[That is correct.]”

“So, where should we go first?” I asked Mors, controlling the urge to roll my eyes at Eve’s response. Since the Pithus military posted him here, I assumed he had the most experience in Ocaphis.

“I suggest we stay and shop here in the merchant ring. The noble ring is too hard to get into, and the commoner's ring doesn’t usually have very good items.”

“Ok then. Where can I go to get some raw materials for crafting?”

“I know a place that people say is good.”

Aurea stayed silent the entire time, and I suspected she was still trying to comprehend everything that was going on. I poked her in her shoulder, saying “Hello? You listening?”

“Huh?” she asked, apparently not having been paying attention.

“C’mon, we’re going to go buy some stuff.”

Aurea ran to catch up with Mors and I, and before long we came to a place called The Full Crate. Pushing open the door, I heard a small bell ring that alerted the shopkeeper that he had a customer.

“Hello there good sirs and madam, how can I help you?” he asked, addressing all three of us. The shopkeeper was a fit man, whose muscular arms suggested a history of carrying heavy things. A smooth and pale scar ran down the length of his right forearm, suggesting he once had a traumatic injury there.

“What do you sell here?” I asked him.

“Well, we mainly sell metals and other crafting ingredients sir. Whatever it is you’re looking for, I’m sure we have it. The Full Crate is an affiliate of the Cetus Shipping Company, so there’s not much we don’t have.”

“Alright then. I’ll take…” I proceeded to put in orders for several items, including zinc, lead, tungsten, tin, salt, limestone, and calcium. Some of the materials didn’t have names that were familiar to the shopkeeper, but once I provided detailed descriptions, he understood what I wanted. Just to be sure, he brought out small samples of different materials, which I verified to be the ones I wanted.

“That will be a total of 17 gold and 4 silver, sir.” he said once he finished calculating the price. I gave him 18 gold and he returned 6 pieces of silver to me. Each coin was worth 10 of the next denomination, so 10 copper equaled 1 silver, and 10 silver equaled 1 gold. The only exception were platinum coins, which were worth 500 gold.

“Would you like the materials now or would you like them prepared at the gate, sir?” the shopkeeper asked. I asked him to elaborate, and he explained that if I wanted, I could have my items waiting at the front gate. He suggested that I buy a horse and cart if I did not have one, as it would be difficult to transport the materials otherwise. I took him up on his suggestion, and gave him 11 gold coins, 10 to buy 4 horses and 2 carts, and 1 gold as a tip. I could see the tip meant a lot to him as he quickly pocketed the coin, which was my intention. If I could get on his good side, it would make future purchases easier.

“Now,” I said as I stepped out of the shop, “where can we go to get some information on current events?”

“Oooooh I know!” Aurea said excitedly. “There’s a bulletin board in the commoner’s ring that shows all the recent decrees made by the emperor. I’m willing to bet there’s one in the merchant's ring too!”

Asking a passerby, we found out the location of the bulletin board. It was nearby, and it only took us 5 minutes to walk there.

“Hmmmm…” I said as I examined the recent decrees made.

“I’m lucky Aurea taught me how to read.”

“[...]”

“...And I’m lucky I have you to help me translate too.”

“[You are correct.]”

Most of the papers weren’t very interesting, but a few stuck out to me. Namely, a decree that stated the truce between Aktosia and the Pithus Empire, as well as one that legalized the use of a drug called “uxia husk tea”. According to Mors, uxia husk tea was tea made from uxia tree bark, and had relaxing and hallucinogenic qualities to it.

“That sounds interesting. Maybe I should try a little bit if I have the chance.”

“[I am extremely opposed to that course of action.]”

“Oh calm down, I’m just messing with you.”

“[...Ok.]”

The most important one, however, was a decree that stated, “By his name Emperor Nonus, 37th emperor of Pithus, the following provinces are declared traitors: Merca Province, Agmen Province, and Corpor province. Any found aiding traitors will be declared traitors themselves, and summarily executed.”

The decree was recent, having been made only a week ago.

“Shit…that must have been why the army marched through the forest. They were probably on their way to attack a nearby province…”

“[That would make sense.]”

“So I attacked the goddamn imperial army for no reason?”

“[That appears to be the case.]”