Lucullus stepped off the boat onto the dock, and before he was a great sprawling harbor. And behind it was a great city that stretched into the horizon with many buildings towering in the distance. He looked down at the map to check the name of the city once more. “Inselhauptstadt,” he sighed, “what a name.”
Aela, with some assistance from Lucullus, got off the boat. “I’ve heard worse names from reading Immergrun’s history.”
Lucullus looked at her.
“What? I’m not lying.”
“This is the strangest place I’ve ever been to.” He sighed once more, and looked down at his map. “I guess we should start our search for an inn. I get the feeling it’ll be a while before we find the help we need.”
“I don’t doubt that. Charging into a room full of Chaodites is dangerous enough when it’s just a group of novices. We’re bound to see a master, maybe even two, if Olivia is being held there. Hopefully we can find an army of our own.”
“I hope we can find a Mystic.”
She scoffed. “If you find a real Mystic around here, I’ll be impressed.”
As they talked, they navigated through the dense crowds that blanketed the harbor. Sailors shuffled around, moving cargo on and off of boats, hurrying to climb aboard before the ships depart. Merchants bickered with buyers over prices, some seeing who could be more miserly than the other. All the noise and chatter of the crowds became almost unbearable to Aela as she tried to block it out. Lucullus seemed to be hardly affected by it, and was weaving between merchants, sailors, and all manner of people to get out of the harbor.
When at last they reached the city streets, much to Aela’s disappointment, the crowds only seemed to increase. It was early in the evening, the sun was low in the sky, and everyone seemed to be in a hurry to go somewhere; given the time, they were probably going home for the day. Finding an inn became easier once they found a large map in the center of one plaza. The two squeezed between the many locals huddled around it, and scanned for anything that might be an inn. The map was littered with symbols, which was a relief to Lucullus, that ranged from a mug of ale to a sword; a red cross marked the location of the map. They looked at each other, and decided to try one of the places marked with the mug of ale; if nothing else, it would at least be a place of refreshments.
With Lucullus leading the way, they navigated the streets with much difficulty, but came upon the destination, marked with the same symbol on a sign above the door, with a small amount of light left in the sky. As they entered, they were greeted by a portly man carrying a large plate of smoked fish. He spoke to them at a hurried pace, of course, in his native tongue.
Aela handled the talking, and after a few brief exchanges the man held up four fingers on his free hand. Aela nudged Lucullus and whispered, “Four silver.”
Lucullus begrudgingly gave her the money, which went straight into the man’s hand. The man pointed in a certain direction while rattling about something, which Lucullus could only assume had to do with their lodging for the night. It wasn’t long before the man shuffled off, and Aela was leading Lucullus by the hand through the many drunken patrons to reach their room.
Aela laid her things on one of the beds, and sat down on a cleared spot. She let out a sigh of relief. “Aeras be praised! This place has thick walls. I never knew how much I could miss a quiet space.”
Lucullus piled his things beside his bed, and took off his boots. “I just hope we don’t have to do much more sailing. I miss being able to travel on a horse.”
“I certainly don’t miss horseback travel,” she laughed.
“Anyways… How many nights did you buy us?”
She held up two fingers as she reclined back on her bed. “I figured we might be here for a little while, and I didn’t want to chase that man down any more than what I had to, seeing that he is quite the busy man.”
“What all did he say? That was quite the exchange.”
“He just asked what our business was, and how many nights we were staying.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I just told him that we were travelers coming to see a friend.”
He laid down on his bed. “Oh. I guess everything sounds harsh in their language.”
“Perhaps it’s from their maritime culture. I’ve heard that sailors tend to be very harsh in their speech.”
He shrugged. “I guess. Well, I suggest we say our prayers, add an extra one for some peace and quiet in the common area tomorrow, and get some sleep. We’ll need to be up before dawn if we want to find a quiet spot.”
“Maybe all those rowdy drunkards will be passed out by that time,” she mumbled as she cleared her things onto the floor.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Lucullus and Aela enjoyed a moment of quiet in a little corner of the common area early in the morning as they sipped their ale. The keeper still managed to keep busy, even with the significant downtick in activity. Much to Aela’s dislike, Lucullus opted for them to stick around until it became busy, reasoning that a sellsword may appear in the crowd if they waited long enough.
“So, have there been any other major splits among Savronites, besides with Immergrun?”
She nodded. “There have been two other major schisms.”
“Two?”
“One in Mahjur, and another in Kentro.”
“There are Savronites in Mahjur?”
She nodded with a hint of melancholy. “A hundred years after the Great Savra appeared before man to show us the true path in life, there was a terrible rift that had formed between Dayiran Mystics and the Mystics in Kentro.”
“Why did they have such strife?”
“The sect in Kentro, they are often called Fantasmites, broke off on moral grounds. Or I should say, immoral grounds.”
Lucullus gave her a confused look.
“The Fantasmites believe in a more relaxed interpretation of moral law. They think modesty is not important, which is clear by the way they dress. I shudder to even think of their horrid outfits… It was also partly theological reasons that drove them off. They began to be influenced by the religions and cultures of their neighbors. I’ve heard that many practices and philosophies from Lucium’s state religion had the biggest influence on them. Needless to say, many Savronites don’t even feel the Fantasmites are even worthy of being called Savronites at all; some think it’s an insult to Fantasma, one of the Great Savra, to name the Fantasmites as such.” Her expression turned to that of annoyance as she saw the patrons pouring in, and the noise increasing.
“What happened with Mahjur? Why did they split?”
She sighed. “That’s a story for another time. I prefer to have these meaningful discussions in a quieter area.” She turned her attention to the many patrons taking seats at the tables around them. “Let’s focus on looking for help in our current objective.”
Lucullus nodded, and silently observed the people, looking for anyone who looks capable in a fight, whether by sword or by spell. His attention was caught by a man sitting at a table with some well-armored men in his company. The man carried a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and sported a long ponytail. He was much leaner than his companions, but still looked strong. Lucullus leaned over to Aela. “Let’s try that man over there.”
She scanned around the room. “You’ll have to be a little more specific, Lucullus.”
“The one with the ponytail and the quiver of arrows.” He stood up, and started toward the man.
“His men seem to be quite sturdy, hopefully they fight well.”
The man raised his ale in some kind of greeting as the two approached him. “Prost!”
Aela led the conversation, but after some time, the man stood up and chuckled.
Aela and Lucullus looked at him with confusion.
“If your outlander friend understands Dasosan, then I can speak it. I’m not familiar with the Altum language, but I can speak Dasosan fluently. My northern dialect is not as good as my southern dialect, but as long as I don’t have to talk to a scholar in the northern dialect about anything academic, I should be fine.”
“I can understand you just fine,” Lucullus declared.
“Good. So outlander, what is it that you want from me?”
“I’m hunting Chaodites, and I seek to destroy their central hideout in Immergrun.”
“Quite ambitious. Where do I fit into all of this?”
“I would like to hire you, if at all possible. Just name your price, and I will try my best.”
The man laughed. “Your ways are strange, outlander. In my country, we typically wait for a price before agreeing to hire a mercenary. I would love to join you in such a noble quest.”
“A fool’s errand,” Aela interjected.
“But I am not for hire.”
Lucullus sighed. “Do you know of anyone who might be willing to help us? I need all the help I can get.”
“I can take you to my boss, if you’re interested. I think his goals are closely aligned with yours. But I must first ask, what is your name?”
Lucullus considered his request for moment. “I am Lucullus of Agros. And the woman I am traveling with is Sister Aela.”
The man put his hand out and shook Lucullus’s hand. “Well met, Lucullus. Can’t say I’ve heard of Agros, but I assume it must be a village in Lucium. I am Johannes, a native of this city.”
“Well, Johannes, when shall we meet your boss?”
“Straight to the point, then.” He sat back down. “My men and I have returned from quite the adventure, and we won’t be returning to the boss for another two days. You’re welcome to travel with us when we leave if you wish to see the boss.”
“We’ll be sitting in the same spot every morning. Just come by to let us know when you’re ready to leave on that day, and we will follow.”
Johannes nodded. “One more thing you should know before you see the boss: he does speak Dasosan, but only the southern dialect.”
Aela questioned him, “Why are you able to speak northern, but your boss can’t?”
“The northern dialect is not widely known in Immergrun. I’m more well-traveled than most around here, but my boss isn’t. He’s still traveled to much of Immergrun, but I, being one of the many men he sends to the far reaches of the kingdom, have come in contact with plenty of merchants from Emporikos who spoke in the northern dialect.”
“I didn’t know many northerners came down this way,” Lucullus replied.
“Plenty of the aristocrats of Emporikos sail to the outer islands of Immergrun for trade. Duchess Matilda still believes that trade with our sister race is beneficial. The point is that I’ve learned through experience, and my boss hasn’t needed to learn the northern dialect.”
“My friend is fluent in both dialects, and in your native tongue, as well as mine, so I don’t think language barriers will be a problem.”
Johannes looked over to Aela. “Impressive. You must be of a scholarly background, then. I don’t know anyone who is fluent in so many tongues.”
“I am of a scholarly background of sorts, if that’s what you wish to call it.”
“Well, I guess that resolves the language barrier problem. I will find you again in two days, and we will be off.”
With a final handshake, Lucullus departed from Johannes, and returned with Aela to their room for prayers and meditations. Aela felt a great sense of peace as soon as she closed the door, and the boisterous noise of the common area was blocked out. When the prayers and meditations were finished, she made notes in her journal about all she had discovered about Immergrun in the conversation with Johannes.