From what Sunshen heard from Bert, he imagined Berthil to be a great giant anthill, with lit up tunnels. Just a hill riddled with moving humans, hauling things from or to the city. All musky and dirty, working.

What he did not expect were the great walls that surrounded the city, along with the giant buildings that dotted the mountainside. Even from this distance the great gates leading into the heart of the mountain were perfectly viewable, reminiscent of a red maw leading straight to hell. They were circular in shape and their extensive lighting adding an effect that seemed almost like lava. An uphill bridge connected the road they were driving on to one of the bigger mountain gates, forcing the horses to climb at least fifty meters up the mountain. And what a mountain it was. If not for the fog, maybe you could have seen the peak all the way from Kitva. It must have been high at least a thousand meters above the road that the caravan took here.

"It's beautiful." Sunshen said slowly, lost in awe at the city before him.

"I'd say so." Bert held the reins with a frown. "But be careful, things here are too alike to Kitva, even if they may not seem like it."

"You mean?"

"Kitva may not be the only place with Nataniel's fingers in it."

"Nataniel? You know something about him? I thought that he is just a bishop." Sunshen tried to act coy, but he felt his voice go unnaturally high as he glanced back at Bert. This was just a transportation deal. It should only be in the name of house Gureth. Did Bert know more than Sunshen thought? About the rebellion?

"He may seem like it. He has the front of a well-meaning bishop. The holy hands that grasp the mother's light. I expect him to approach you, like he did your dad. Do not conduct business with him boss. That is my advice. I encountered multiple people that did not mind making steps out of corpses to reach their goal. I have a feeling he is one of them." Bert's eyes did not leave the reins and horses, but his mind was somewhere else.

"Thank you, I will keep that in mind." As if the list of things Sunshen has been troubled about wasn't long enough. Thankfully, Bert had only suspicions about Nataniel. Sunshen only hoped it would stay that way. He did not want Bert to end up stuck as a chess piece for the board. Like him. But he had to give it to Bert, that man's instincts were right on the money. At least in the sense that their beloved bishop really was a part of an underground movement aiming to overthrow the current government...

Sunshen really was out of his depth.

"Stop!" One of the guardsman yelled at the caravan. "Identify yourselves!"

"We are haulers. Coming to the mining depot for number 345." Sunshen said as he was told to.

"Present your permits."

"Permits?" Sunshen asked. "We have not been told that we would require permits."

"I am afraid that I cannot grant you entry without such permit."

Of course. We sacrifice all our men to get here, yet we cannot even get inside. Sunshen's theory that the world hated him gained yet another piece of evidence. He won't argue, why should he? Laws such as these were there for a reason.

"On what grounds do you dare forbid entry to the head of the house Gureth?" Bert shouted, the intensity of his voice making the guards flinch. "Tell me your identification numbers, we will have to have an unpleasant chat with the quartermaster."

"House Gureth?" One of the guards said, his voice quivering.

"The Sunshen Gureth, the current head of house Gureth." Bert announced with dignity, pronouncing his name with a sort of reverence reserved for lords of the highest sort...which, come to think of it, Sunshen actually was.

The guards suddenly bowed deeply, removing their helmets.

"We humbly apologize for the misunderstanding. Please, overlook our ignorance."

Bert flashed Sunshen a look, it was still stoic and serious, but Sunshen could see the hidden amusement behind it.

"You are forgiven." Sunshen said in a tone that was almost sarcastic.

The guards straightened up, though they still held their helmets.

"We are grateful for your cordiality. Please, accept a warm welcome to the city of Berthil honored guest. We will personally make sure to prepare lodging for you. Can I ask how long you might be staying?"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Two nights. We are in a hurry."

"Then I will make sure to inform the Grand Hotel. Are you familiar with the city, or should we arrange for a guide?"

"No need, we are familiar." Bert answered, cueing the reins.

As they got closer to the maw, the redness gave way to the yellow glow of the vast number of niatra's. At least forty hanged around the giant entrance, fixed to the rock of the mountain. A lantern inspector hanged on a rope above them, slowly and carefully appraising the condition of the niatras as a giant cog moved him from one to another. He wore a thick coat, glasses with big black lenses and was covered in long cloths from head to toe.

So they even check them periodically. Even when they had so many. If Kitva did that... Sunshen was reminded of the dead family he had seen. Their purple skin, the dried out faces stuck in their last grasp of air. One faulty lantern, that is all it took to kill them. And they were few of many.

Suddenly he might have sympathised with Herner yet again. Because if nothing else, the regime had to change. Although the idea of Herner sitting in the highest seat of power scared Sunshen.

The inside of the tunnel was even, but void of any attempt to beautify the stone walls. Practical.

But that was only the entrance, once their wagon reached the first intersection and the first square has been revealed to them, Sunshen could not believe his own eyes.

A tall fountain shot water high into the air, short one meter to hit the very ceiling. Lush cave greenery was well-maintained and kept at a hip height. the center of the square laden with benches, the walkways of light grey stone, with small streams accompanying them. Stone fronts of houses where meticulously shaped and many pictures and reliefs were carved into their surface. Mostly signs of the one religion, along with names of the family's and numbers probably used to identify the housing.

The Rushmoors, 12B23, For the fewer we do most. Were written in The front of one of the houses.

Bert lead them through the plethora of tunnels, reading the number's on signs and taking them through out multiple similar beautiful places of living.

The whole way, Sunshen had not seen one person seem scared, malnourished, not even troubled. Every person held a smile, talked with their neighbors, even those that were just preparing to go to work seemed content.

There also seemed an abundance of faith-workers. Priests and nuns were aplenty, as well as symbols of the Great Mother. The banners for here were everywhere, on houses, on community buildings.

First, They stopped at the place they were supposed to stay. The Grand Hotel was a lodging leasing center and the name fit very well for it. The front span from one corner of it's square to the other, bathing it in an attracting light.

"I will find a place to leave this empty thing, so please go ahead. As long as you tell them your name, they should know what to do." Bert said as Sunshen and Naheila jumped from the cart.

Sunshen had felt even more uncomfortable next to her than he did before, although she did not seem to mind.

The clerk looked at them suspiciously at the beginning, but once Sunshen introduced himself, there was no need to talk anymore. They were led to a comfortably big room, fitted with five beds on each side and a giant table in the middle to dine on. The staff brought plates with food before the two could even choose their spot and drop their luggage. Naheila threw her bag at the bed furthest in the room, before sitting down at the table. Sunshen could not sleep anywhere next to her - since he could not but imagine her slitting his throat - so he made himself comfortable on the other side, in the middle.

All the while, Sunshen did not know what to say, nor did Naheila tried to talk. So they ate in silence, the kind that made the situation feel even more awkward for Sunshen.

What's taking Bert so long? This is killing me. Sunshen thought as he stabbed into the hoard of peas. As Sunshen continued playing with his food out of frustration, he noticed how

Naheila ate. She took very small bites and bit them slowly and carefully. Taking her sweet time. Even though Sunshen had been hardly eating since they sat down, she still had a lot more food on her plate.

He decided to let it go.

"Does it bother you?" Naheila asked.

"What? That? No!" Sunshen yelled in an almost comically high note. "You eat at your own pace."

"That I pushed him." Her gaze moved from the food to him, making him gulp emptily.

"I had to," She continued when Sunshen could not answer. "They would have followed us. He was a liability even during the fight. He stayed alive only for his cowardice, as he hid in the storage." Her face had not shown any sign of regret, only the cold calculative reasoning. Sunshen's golden hand grabbed the table out of instinct. Grounding him.

"You don't mind at all? That you killed him?"

"No. If I didn't, something else would have. The fog, the beasts, anything. This way, his death was at least it was for something this way. He died so we could continue."

"What if I was a liability?" Sunshen answered from somewhere deep within him. He felt no fear towards her at the moment. There was only something else.

"You aren't. You are a key component to Herner's plans."

"If I wasn't?" Sunshen dropped the fork and turned to her. "If I was of no name and station. Only someone paid to guard it as the others, would you have dropped me then?" Sunshen felt anger rise inside of him and his golden arm increased it's hold on the table, bending it.

"If I had to." Naheila answered calmly and continued eating her food without a care.

Sunshen stood up, put on his hat and coat and walked out. This conversation left him far angrier than he should have been.

Looking at it from the perspective of anyone, when it came to fog, there were no friends. But it still hurt him more than it should have. He was a cripple still, even with his shiny new arm. The last weeks of his existence were only here to prove that.

Sunshen decided that a walk was the best way to calm his mind.