Chapter 7 - Of Politics and Great Big Sobs
"Now, why would you believe that? I assure you, I am a commoner –– at the moment.”
He smiled benignly, "Of course. Of course. But, a strange feeling has me compelled to ask. I've very rarely seen a fine man such as yourself and I would love to offer you employment.”
"I thank you, sincerely, for your generous offer. But, I'd rather not. See, I have some pressing business in Rhid at the moment, and I would like to complete my agenda, before deviating."
Enough to be firm, yet respectful. If you demand, Lords will pounce on your disregard. If you are meek, they will sweep you into their arms with cajoling and threats.
"Of course, of course. I wouldn't want to impose, but I must insist."
I straightened up. "What Lordship do you occupy?" My voice cold. I didn't need to tell him to show him he was hitting way above his station. Bastard or not, there are enough feuds that a slight provocation is sufficient to whip up an excuse for retaliation.
His eyes took on a wary cast. Something shifted in them as his back stiffened up.
And here's where the politician will come out. There are two aspects to being a "good" politician. One, knowing when to hightail it out of a situation. And two, always speaking in double meanings. Every venture a politician will support is binomial. So they have their bail-out card if something goes awry. I was playing on Number 1. Hopefully, he'd realize he was hopelessly outclassed.
A smirk wormed its way onto his face. A false visage, he was still worried. "I hold lands over the territories Ulna and Radis. I'm sure we could find suitable work for you there."
"Now, on Boreyan soil, you wouldn't be trying to force me into any position?"
His eyes widened, everyone knew that the current minister of Borey was a staunch advocator of rights. And with his governing over one of the largest trade hubs in the Cumulative, he was influential. "No, no, I am offering you a position."
"Why, I decline. And I've alluded to my extreme disinterest multiple times."
"Oh? That is unfortunate." A dangerous glint in his eye.
And then it hit me like a fucking sledgehammer. The same twitching of cheek after the glare. A small rounded scar where he must have gotten a ReShaping. He wasn't here for leverage against some opposing Lord or some higher-tiered noble! He wasn't even a Lord!
'I thought I was finally free.' I felt like crying. My composure was so close to crumbling, but I held it together with my last quivering threads of self-control. I'd be damned if he knew that I knew.
My face hardened and set. I set a single goldback on the table before standing up. "I will be refusing your offer. That is the third and final time I will say so."
His face blanched at the bill, but knowing what I knew now, it was poorly executed and terribly exaggerated. In other terms -- fake.
"I..." His eyes were wide. Only the upper echelons of society could ever hope to hold one of those. Here I was throwing it out in a middle-class inn. Yet, the reaction, was still fake. It was all off. And it confirmed my suspicions, which were already bordering on certainty. Despite his 'surprise', his sight barely lingered on it.
My eyes cold and hard, looked at him in complete disdain.
Before I lost it and flew at the man, I left. Without a bow, without any farewell. The pinnacle of disrespect. But the only thing I could think of was that my meal was untouched. And that the man I just met was ––
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Inside the Brewery & Stewery. "Lord".
I watched as my nephew stomped out. It had taken some careful use of intelligence to find him. His simple ReShaping was not adequate. It looked like he was incredibly squeamish about changing anything more than hair and eye color. His skin hue was different and jarring to see on him, but it did little. Not taking a Transfer Formation, however, was something we had overlooked.
It was strange, feeling bad. I liked my nephew, the only one with any spine in the royal family. His situation was unfortunate, but I still remembered when mother was the same. When the great Immortal Blizzard had been nothing greater than ordinary. I was her first son after all. I had been conceived when she was still a human. Mother, seemed all too keen on forgetting the fact, that she too had once been powerless.
I shook my head. The pecking order was there for our safety. Barbaric -- yes. Inefficient -- no. Safe -- yes. It was a necessary evil. It was a type of thinking that usually led to tyranny, but the option to think otherwise wasn't available to anyone. Not to the highest of Ascenders and never to the lowest. They barely have rights in any case.
I chuckled slightly. My nephew thought he was so controlled, he thought he had perfect rule over his expressions. But he forgets that the Immortal Blizzard runs strong in the royal family. Almost every single one of us has similar expressions and masking of those expressions. It was laughable, really, that he thought he could hide them. But it was a valiant effort and the ReShaping did throw me off.
It was easy enough to deduce, that he found out who I was. The same logic applied to my face too, after all.
As the door closed and my introspection ended, a 30-second buffer passed in complete silence. And then everyone got up with chatter erupting throughout the inn. Food was thrown in the trash and the bribed employees filtered back in from the kitchen picking up plates and such. The owner took a heavy 5 minutes thanking me for my patronage. The sycophantic douche.
One of my agents stepped up to me. "Hey Boss. Want us to follow him?"
"Never mind that. He knew who I was. Always sharp. Keep track of him though. Do not invade his deluded little bubble. He thinks he has separated himself from us. The silly fool."
"Done, Boss."
I waved a dismissal.
Either I helped from the shadows or I didn't help at all. Neither of those options were appealing, but a choice had to be made.
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Exiting the Brewery and Stewery. Rale IlemSmith.
I tried to keep my steps measured, but the minute I stepped out of the inn, my steps grew louder and louder, grinding into the ground as my anger, my rage, started to warp out of me. Fury worn on my sleeve, I knew I needed to purge it. Taking a sharp turn into an alley and yanking a PrivacyBuffer out of my ExtensionCube and throwing it against the wall behind me, where it stuck, I let the tears fall. Fat globules that dripped down my face. And then my sorrow changed from tears to sobs. I wept. Deep heaving breaths as I wept.
I screamed aloud. I wasn't free. I thought I finally had some breathing room. What a joke. They stomped right over the entire thing. They wouldn't let me leave, they wouldn't care if I stayed.
"WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM ME!!?!?!!" I roared to the sky. Veins in my neck pulsed as every muscle in my body grew taut and my head bowed upwards.
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As quickly as the rage came, it left. Crumbling into something more choking. I whimpered as I crumpled. I knelt down on my knees and pressed my forehead to the ground. Snot and spit whistled around my mouth as I half-gasped and half-laughed in helplessness. How could I be so naive?
Minutes passed in sniveling silence. A little pit at the base of my throat and another at the bottom of my sternum wormed to life. I couldn't get rid of the sinking feeling there. Each tear seemed to fill them up a little bit, but they kept deepening.
Minutes passed before I finally picked myself up off the ground, my energy spent and wasted. Some presence of mind came back and the rage quickly filled in. Rage plugged the holes. Rage plugged my head. Rage plugged everything.
I saw the pitiful state someone from my family put me in and the pure emotion of rage warped into something ugly, and I welcomed it. I accepted it. And it swirled into the base of my personality.
Like a hydroelectric power, the rage, all my rage, a piece of the architecture of my soul, fell and spun the turbines of fire. Spinning and spinning until resolve, a trembling determination was fanned to life. At least my family's presence did one thing. They gave me that extra kick up the ass to keep on trucking.
'"Fuck you", I whispered, my voice sinister and filled with dangerous warning, to the Immortal Blizzard, 'Fuck you.’ And then I collapsed, asleep, completely spent, energy wept and swept away by sorrow.
The black encasing of the PrivacyBuffer shielded me from the rain that quickly followed.
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I woke up after hours. After I collected myself and made myself as presentable as possible. Sweeping dust off my clothing from the cobblestones and tar, and running a slightly shaking hand across tear tracks on my cheeks. I shook my head a couple of times and hopped in place. They were useless movements but they helped with the 'out of mind, out of sight' thing. My eyes came up dim but quickly brightening. I'd find my way. The family was just another obstacle. One that would be pushed away. Or stomped on.
I turned around and walked briskly out of the alley I had broken down in, the PrivacyBuffer snatched and set back in my ExtensionCube. Seeing the telltale signs of Uncle Erast's influence in the surroundings that weren't obvious before, I hightailed it as quickly as I could. I would be out of the district soon enough, and if someone received a subtle letter that mentioned something about forces of the Immortal Blizzard Empire that were occupying areas in the Raging Flame Empire, any control my uncle tried to set, would be eradicated.
I consulted my HoloDisplay and took off east. The sun behind me and my shadow long, it was quickly setting and I needed to reach the Advanced Stables before sunset. The caravan I was taking was already booked, so all I needed to do was show up on time.
I ran, displacing dirt as I pounded down the roads. Fortunately, I didn’t kill myself against the trampling of the in-city commutes. I reached the stables just as the crew was hooking the Advanced up. The Advanced that were pulling the carriages were large felines and their coats rippled with lithe muscles, but looking at them now, I couldn’t help but think that these were worse than house cats. Mewling and purring against one of the crew members of the caravan, they looked like large furry…well, cats, but more satisfied, if possible, and like a dial went up on their docility.
I shook my head, bemused. I walked up to the man directing the workers. He seemed to be in charge, probably the right person to ask and show my pass for boarding. I walked up to him and waited quietly as he yelled at a worker piling boxes in the back of the carriages.
“Luggage?” The man asked irritably.
“Nothing I can’t carry myself.”
“Where?”
“On my back and in my pocket.” Referring to my EquipmentKit on my back, and my ExtensionCube stuffed into the flap pocket on my thigh.
“Give.”
“Why?”
“I check.”
“No.”
“Fine.”
“Pass?”
“On my Display.”
“Get in.” He held open the door to one of the carriages.
It was possibly the laxest conversation I’ve ever had and the laxest security, but I didn’t think too much about it. Hopping into the carriage, I got settled on the long wooden bench. Something that would, no doubt, hurt my ass within minutes. Especially, traversing the terrain, the carriage would rock up and down. I shivered.
‘My condolences, dear ass.’
Letting a small chuckle out, all thoughts of family and hurt away in the wind, I got nice and uncomfortable on the hard, wood seats.
As a couple other members piled in, a few recognizable from the Shuttle, the caravan was off. A total set of four carriages pulled along us. The Advanced shooting off, their paws whipping dust into the air, and the careful engineering that provided support, weathered the speeds.
I looked out as we passed cities and towns alike as mere steps. The scenery was too brief to appreciate, but the glances I caught, were beautiful. The Raging Flame Empire was beautiful. As was the Immortal Blizzard Empire, but the realm was riddled with memories of its rulers, so it was always skewed opposingly.
Great big torches ignited the roads and the stars that acted as Sun for this planet, cast gorgeous golden hues across the landscape. Apparently, grey, sun covering, skies were not common. The smooth roads beneath weren’t as torturous, but the speeds made up for it. My bum was getting its share of pain.
As twilight deepened into dusk, and dusk deepened into night, I nodded off. The perfect temperature from the warmer air outside and the cooler shadows that cast themselves inside the carriage. I dreamed of croissants running marathons. Humorous thoughts and dreams cascaded through my mind. I needed that release in the alley. It hurt, to feel that caged, that trapped, as they shit on your plans. But it was that extra kick in the ass to keep on trucking. You never got anything without idiotic and head-first belief in what you wanted to do, and mine had frankly begun to wane. Running away is never easy, no matter how unwelcome you may be. But this pushed me forward. And I had enough momentum to really move now. And, boys and girls, I would hurtle down my path.
I awoke with a jerk as the carriage started to slow down, before it screeched to a halt. The Advanced had been uncinched a while back and were running alongside us. The momentum they had produced enough to sustain us through the final stretch, and going that fast, for over 1400 miles was burdensome. The last 300 miles were traversed mainly through accelerating with the energy the Advanced had produced and with the speeds they had already generated. The cats ran their own-some through that distance.
The brakes clamped down screeching, the thing had probably been lubricated last century. I covered my ears as it’s pitch persisted. I gazed at my lap as the seconds ticked by, bringing my plan to the fore front of my mind and fanning some of that sweet fire of resolve and determination onto it.
It finally waned off and I uncovered my ears, looking outside. The carriage had stopped in a large expanse of green grass that was enveloped inside a cluster of trees that lined the circumference of the grassy scape. The trees were filled with chirping birds yet to settle in, and the grassy expanse was filled with laughs and yells. Large torches, with the top flame heads thick as braziers. They cast large circles of glow that lit up the entire area. Carriages were filed in neat rows on the far left and cargo piled near them. Men and women crowded around fires, and everyone had a bowl of something that looked like thick stew, and a glass of something that had to be booze.
It was a sight of easy comfort. I jumped out of the carriage after the others did so. I nearly rammed into someone but dodged to the side in a bout of Reaction Essence that had long since pushed my reflexes to the pinnacle of human capability. It wouldn’t go any further because my other Medians wouldn’t channel Essence to support that movement, but I take what I get and I use what I have.
I walked to the front as Bob, the caravan owner/manager/driver, started talking.
“Alright! Listen up. We’re around a quarter-mile from the city proper. We passed the borders a while back so no need to worry about security. Now, Rubb over there,” He pointed to the guy whose dialogue amounted to one word and his security check amounted to nil, “is pretty lax when it comes to security. Barely even checks it! Now, personally, I don’t care what y’all do, but if you get caught in flagrante, you came in with the Diamond Crew. Explicitly mention that it was Billy who checked your shit.”
I snorted at that.
“That’s all for me. You guys have been absolutely lovely and try to keep us as your first choice for interplanetary travel. We’re local for the moment, so nothing outside of the Empire, but we’ve got platforms in the entire central and western sectors.” His marketing finished, he walked off to find alcohol and a companion.
I chorused a ‘Thank you!’, with the others before walking off towards the foliage, searching for the path towards the city.
I quickly found to it. It wasn’t disguised or anything, just the lights it illuminated the path were dull and partially covered by said foliage. I quickly swept past the leaves that hung over the path and walked quickly down the path towards the city, hearing rustling all around me. I may grow to be the greatest Ascender with my plans and the amount of Essence I hope to accumulate, but fuck, I’m still scared of gloomy forests with slithering beasts. I had an unearthly fear of snakes.
My feet took me quickly towards the increasing sound of bustling and shouts, the city grew nearer. It was large, very large. The redwoods had shielded it from view, but it was massive. The entire city was encased in large stone walls and had brooks and rivers running throughout. The brochure said this place was built to weather sieges and it was a sprawling 50,000 mile2. One of the largest cities in the Cumulative and one of the wealthiest.
The openings in the wall were large, airplane-wing-span large. The houses, even from here, were large and rich. Colorful stores and shops lined roads. Houses lived together like neighborhoods, but on massive scales. Roads were neat smooth. Vehicles were few and gondolas in the sky frequent. The center of the city was a collection of skyscrapers that pierced the clouds and stubbed, stout buildings. Despite it’s metallic and concrete-jungle like sight, nature was not sparse. Flowers decorated every house and trees lived in every corner.
It was beautiful. “Wow,” I breathed.
The air tasted sweet.