The duo went to work gathering testimonies. Once they had a certain amount of against a guard, they went to arrest or confiscate their permit. The stories they heard were worrying. And quite a few resisted the arrest so they ended up beating the permit out of them. This repeated a few dozen times until word got out about what they were doing and some folks purposely sought them out and the crowd dispersed for the day.
By the time the sun was low in the sky, Yarro and Kael were well worn out. “Will this really be enough?” Kael asked as they headed back to the eastern gate that they had entered. Yarro was starved by this point, but to get out on time they had to skip the food. Judging by the stories here, he did not want to be caught here after dark.
“This is the last of the people assigned to this district. Factor in those who weren’t on duty or who we never even saw and--” Yarro sighed. “It’s too many people.” He didn’t want to believe it, but the more guards they ran into, the more he wondered about his own co-workers. He thought back to the guards close to his home that night Kael walked with him on his first night back. How many were just like that, but he didn’t know because of his station? Yarro shuddered at the thought. Guard Captain Lisa had some explaining to do.
“Hopefully now people will be able to get some rest from their torment. We did some good work today," Kael smiled.
"Yea. Let’s get back quickly. It’s quickly getting dark,” Yarro said. The night creeped on one end of the sky towards the fading orange light on the opposite. Even past the height of the walls that surround them he could tell it was soon to be night.
“Yes. Judging by the exemplary guards we encountered in there, I’d rather not know what they think is sun down,” Kael said.
They made their way to the entrance they first came through. The night stars appeared one by one. It looked like the party on this side of the city was just getting started. The streets were getting crowded enough for Yarrow to have to push people out of the way. Loud, festive music could be heard all around and people held plates of food as they chatted in groups standing around or sitting at tables.
At the gates was a rather long line to leave, and none to enter. They looked ready to close, and some in line seemed nervous that it would close while they were still in line. A guard strolled up to them mere moments after they got in line, whistling a tune coming from a nearby bar. It was the same one who let them in. “I remember you two. Crown business, right?” He asked.
“Yes,” Yarro said. The guard held out his hand. Yarro stared at it for a moment before realizing he was asking for the seals from before. He must've been more tired than he thought. He went to fish out the permit from his pocket, but it wasn't there. He tried his other pockets, but it wasn't there either. He only found the permits he had taken from the other guards.
The man with his hand still out raised an eyebrow. His hand slowly dropped. "I can't let you out without that permit," he warned.
Yarro gulped, and glanced at Kael. Perhaps it was all the time spent together but he knew what had happened. And Yarro could tell the look on his face too. Even if Kael had his own permit, no way would he leave him alone in the southern district. Both looked absolutely horrified. He turned back to the guard. There was no way they were leaving the southern district once they left this line. "We'll... be back tomorrow," he choked out.
The man stared between the two of them. He seemed to know what happened and gave a small nod. "Be careful," was all he said before he turned around and started ushering for last call out the gates.
The two turned around and speed walked back the way they came. "Quick. Where was the last place you know you had the permit?" Kael asked.
"How should I know?! I was too busy catching corrupt guards!" They were now running. Eyes kept to the ground. Any paper they found, which wasn't much, was turned over and inspected. The light had left the sky by this point and it was difficult to see much of anything that wasn't in the torchlight. Especially as they went further and further from the festivities. Of all the items to lose. He was sure the Queen would have his head if she ever found out.
Yarro couldn't believe it. He did the one thing the Queen asked him not to do. "Don't lose the permit," she had said. "You won't get another one," she had warned.
Well, he lost it.
"Yarro. Use your eyes," Kael said.
He shook his head. "Those eyes only let me see the elements on things and people."
"Well, you know Her Majesty's element right? Could a permit with her signature also have her element on it?"
They came to a halt as it dawned on Yarro. "And in a place so devoid of elementalists, it would be easy to find." He tried to close his eyes but he could barely focus. His heart beat in his ears. His lungs screamed for breath.
A hand clasped over his eyes just then, and another on his shoulder. "Slowly. Calm down. Do what you did in the office."
Yarro took a deep breath. In and out. In and out. His mind slowly came to clarity. He had already felt hot. He just needed to focus and direct the heat to his eyes. His hands and legs felt cool as the heat withdrew from his whole body and flowed to his eyes. When Kael pulled his hands away he opened his eyes.
They felt a little warmer than the last time he used them. But that was it. Kael was right. Back in the palace, he could see and feel the elements all around himself. It was everywhere, to an overwhelming amount. But here, not even the torches seemed as radiant as they were. Perhaps the world distinguished between a fire lit forcefully, and one lit elementally. "Ok. I don't see anything just yet. Let's keep looking."
Kael nodded and they continued on, slower this time. Yarro tried his best to feel out an elemental presence in this area abandoned by the Deities. Time passed slowly as they wandered. The moon came into view above them but it looked no different in his eyes than it did before. They were well into the southern district when he felt it. A small glint of elemental power. Yarro held up his hand to notify Kael.
A few more careful steps and he saw it. Wispy, feint white lines that flowed in the wind rounded the street corner. The air element. The Queen's element. "There." Yarro pointed and ran off to follow the lines.
The wind took them through the shadiest back alleys he had ever seen. It was cramped and even more dilapidated than he had seen when they searched the area during the daytime. And people lived here. These were all residential buildings. He followed the wind until it led them into a building clearly abandoned and nearly falling apart. It looked like one strong wind would knock the whole thing down. Off to the side was a well, lucky for him. And although dirty and almost dry, he was able to command some of it to him. Now he had a way to fight.
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Water circled his forearm, ready to be used at a moment's notice. He turned to Kael. His eyes silently asked if he was ready, to which the man replied with a quick nod. The wind went through the front door, but they had no idea what they would be walking into if they went that way. Instead, there was a nicely broken window they could peer into and jump through.
This room used to be some expensive study, but now bare. The door was wide open. Carefully peering around the corner revealed a long hallway, with dusty floors and more open doors torn open. It's previous tenant must have left in a hurry. Laughter carried from the eastern side. The duo bent down and crept closer until the reached the room with the thieves.
"You did good getting this permit. This will get us anywhere we want! They don't just hand these sorts of papers out, y'know," one of the men said. There were four of them huddled around a fire. Three of them wore the Rylin guard breastplate. Great. Even more people to report to the captain about.
"So we're good now? I don't need to do your dirty work anymore?" asked the one in plain clothes.
"Not so fast. You're still good for a lookout. Here's what we're going to do." And thus began their stupid plan of breaking into the treasury. Which, from Yarro's point of view, wouldn't have worked if they were relying on some guards and a servant from the southern district who had no business being in the castle.
He stepped forward. "So. Is this a fighting group, or a talking group?"
"Eh? Who's there? What do you want?" They all looked at them.
"That's my permit, given to me by Queen Illa. And I want it back. So you can either nicely hand it over, along with all of your work permits and a testimony on your treason, or we can fight, and I take it anyway."
The glint of a sharp metal object sped his way. Yarro hurriedly leaned to the side, and aided the object's direction away from him. A kitchen knife dug into the wall behind him. In retaliation, spikes of earth jutted from the floor, sending the four men to scramble. Holes filled the floor as Kael tried to guesstimate their location and impale them.
They were quick, he would give them that. In that case, Yarro would only need to slow them down so Kael could take care of them. He dashed forward, one hand extended. The water lept from his arm, and swept across the floor. Those who weren't looking at him tripped. Only two of them, which Kael promptly smashed them against the ceiling with a blunted spike. They groaned out in pain.
The other two began to panic. The last one in the guard uniform rushed to him while the plain clothed one tried to escape. Kael rose the dirt below them to block off all the exits. Yarro commanded the water forward. Another sweep attack. This guard had seen the others and was able to dodge it. Just as he was in air, Yarro changed it's direction and flung the man upwards. He hit the ceiling just as a blunt spike sandwiched him into place.
Then there was only one man left. Shaking and whimpering in the corner. Arms held up defensively. "P-please. I don't want to fight. I didn't want to do what they asked but they made me. Please spare me!"
"Where's my permit?" Yarro asked.
The man peeked one eye open. He looked around at the carnage and pointed to one of the guards held up. "I gave it to her. Please, sir, let me go."
True to his word, the guard he had pointed to had the permit in her pockets, as well as her own work permit. "He was right. Let him go." On his word, Kael opened a space for him to leave. He left the moment he was sure he wouldn't be attacked. Bolted straight out the door and didn't even look back. Yarro fished out the work permits of the other 2 guards.
"Now that we got that back and some extra permits, why don't we enjoy the festivities until morning?"
Yarro shook his head. "As much as I would like that, I'm afraid I'll lose my permit again with all of those people. Let's just find some food and a safe place to sleep in."
"That's... certainly the safer option," Kael said with a shrug.
They figured it would be easiest to find something close to the gate. They picked some random tavern that wasn't bursting at the seams, and took their food up to a room.
Yarro's thoughts drifted towards what they went through today as he ate. "Those protesters... They're in so much pain. Do you think the Deities really care about them?"
“Doubt it. If the deities did care, everyone would have the power over the elements. And not just one element either. All of them,” Kael said. He raised a hand to one of the lit lamps, and moved his fingers, as if he was attempting to manipulate the fire within. “None of this Demideity nonsense,” He sighed.
Yarro absentmindedly nodded. He sure would like to control any other element besides water. Back with the first bad guard they encountered in the southern district, Kael was easily able to keep his elemental abilities a secret while also still using them. Yarro wasn’t able to do that. Even if he had a source it would become obvious the moment he used it.
“If everyone had this manipulation, then maybe there wouldn’t be such a hard class divide,” Yarro said.
“There will always be a class divide. As long as power and wealth exist, as long as human nature still rules our emotions and actions, there will always be someone who thinks they’re better than everyone else and have the means to enact their beliefs.”
Yarro stared at Kael. “Wow, you’re a real pessimist aren’t you?”
Kael looked back at the other and chuckled at his observation. He smiled softly at him. The kind of smile that made Yarro’s heart skip a beat and forget all words. “We'll need to leave early if we want to beat the line out. And we have outfits to get," Kael said.
“Right. But first we need to tell the Queen of our findings.”
Half of Kael's face became hidden in shadow with a tilt of his head. “You think we found the corruption the Deities wanted us to clear out? The guards in the southern district?” He didn’t say it in a matter that was accusatory or mad, more like he was looking for a direction.
Yarro hesitated. Secretly, He just wanted to leave and go find the Master Earth Elemental and those of Dawic. He didn't care for any of this supposed corruption and it had nothing to do with him. But he knew Kael wouldn't like that answer. “It’s… what the Queen was looking for. It’s the answer she wants. You also pointed towards the guards as the problem.”
“But it’s not the quest the Deities gave you.”
“If we just... just give her what she wants, then we can actually investigate.”
Kael crossed his arms. “If we give her what she wants, then she’ll take away the seals. What will we investigate if we can’t get into anything that actually matters? I want to help you, Yarro. I want to help you succeed. It shouldn’t matter what I think. ”
Yarro knew he didn’t think his excuse through. “But how will I tell the Queen tomorrow that we didn’t find anything drastic enough that warrants the Deities’ attention? We would have to lie to her.”
Kael's lips pursed in thought for a few moments. “I’ll go with whatever you say, but just know I don’t think we’re done yet.” With that, Kael turned and made himself comfortable in front of the door. Yarro internally groaned. Totally butchered that conversation, all right. Way to go, Yarro.
They left after breakfast, fighting the aches and pains from the fights yesterday. Thankfully they were first in line and could leave as soon as the guards arrived.
"Has anyone seen Gene? He hasn't come in yet." Yarro overheard a conversation from the guards at the still-closed gate. Gene must have been one of the people without a work permit now. No permit, no guard work.
"Knowing him he must've partied too hard!" The rest of the guards laughed. "Oh. You two again. Found your permit?"
Yarro pulled out his permit, and Kael produced his as well. The guard inspected it for a moment and handed them back. A moment later the gates opened and they were free to leave.
They began making their way back to the castle. Sunrise peaked past the clouds and over the city. People just beginning their day strolled by. Yarro spoke up first since their conversation last night. "Kael, aren't you religious? Why do you care so much about the Deities and their quest for me, when it seems like you also hate them. Last night you seemed pretty adamant about their lack of doling out the elements."
Kael laughed, to Yarro's complete surprise. He expected him to be offended, at the least. "I'm religious because I hate them. I hope my prayers reach them for them to listen to the people who worship them for once, and to make a change. It was the only thing I could do, up until now. Do you think I'll get a reward for helping you with the quest?"
And just like that, his heart sunk. Kael wasn't helping him because he like him, or to clear our the corruption out of some sense of duty to his country. He was doing this to get a favor from the Deities. Granted, it was a nice wish, one that would help all of Listhua if they succeeded. But he couldn't help but feel hurt from this declaration.
"I... I see. It's possible. It's possible." Yarro forced a smile and they continued onwards.
"Yarro, look!" Kael pointed to the north. First he only saw clouds. Then they became darker towards the mountains until he saw the tip of one such mountain peak was the one spewing out such black clouds. Was that a volcano?