Book 1: Chapter 38: Return to Ansan

Name：A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands Author：
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Book 1: Chapter 38: Return to Ansan

The sword is a truly noble weapon for the traveler. A good blade is perfectly balanced for both offense and defense and is the symbol of an honest man. A man is judged by the quality of the weapon on his hip.

- The Fanciful Travels by Beron de Laney 376 AC

My dreams were of a different flavor this time. The tentacled creatures of the void did not disturb me. Nor did the susurrations of the cruel whispers that promised an eternity of suffering intrude upon my sleep. Instead, I endured a frustrating dream of battling, swift-moving, hooded elves that moved like bottled lightning. I tried attacking them with my shortsword, but my limbs felt like they were moving through thick molasses. Again and again, the wicked creatures would harry me, stabbing and slashing with their evil shining blades. My frustration was building up to a berserker rage until Kidu shook me awake, freeing me from my nightmare.

Groggily, I took over the watch, looking over at Elwin’s sleeping form. I was physically refreshed but mentally exhausted, thanks to my recent dream. Anger, more than fear, was my primary emotion, and a small part of me hoped to encounter those elves again, to rend yielding flesh from their delicate bones. However, in the deeper parts of my soul, I knew that this was just an idle fantasy. If we met them again in our current state we would not be nearly as lucky. It was a humbling and abject lesson in the difference of power. Staring out across the sea of grass, I whispered to myself, “One day...” and began my watch. A cool night breeze made the shimmering blades sway softly under an argent moon in agreement to my vow.

*

During the long hours of watch, I had busied myself by cycling Entropic Aura on and off during to prove that I and not it was truly in control. So engrossed I was with my magic, that I chose not to wake Elwin for his watch which left me a little more tired than usual. However, as a result of my focused esoteric practice, I had increased the level of my Entropic Aura and, more importantly, was now better able to command its rebellious energies.

The next morning found our party in low spirits. Fear stalked at the back of my mind, as I nervously looked over my shoulder for any signs of pursuit. The previous night’s encounter brought to the fore feelings of impotence, akin to those felt when the collars were around our necks. The sun shone and the birds sang their sweet melodies in the crisp morning air, but none of this could lift the pall of our close brush with the end.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

After we had a simple breakfast of lightly-salted traveler’s bread, with not even a single word of thanks from Elwin, I decided to broach the topic of our next move, “Gentlemen, I believe it is time for us to discuss what to do next.”

“Well, we certainly need to get out of this forsaken wilderness. Simple travelers aren’t nearly as friendly as they used to be,” replied Elwin sarcastically, hiding the worry in his voice.

“Just a few more enemies for the tribe,” rumbled the big Hunter threateningly, as he took a swig of water from a canteen.

“I say we stick with our own kind, better the devil you know. Best we make our way into the city and join up with a caravan. Or, get some supplies and gear, and find a group traveling someplace else, once we get the lay of the land. Don’t know about you lads, but I could do with a roof over my head for a little bit. A quick drink would not go amiss either,” Elwin suggested strongly.

“Better to be free in the forest than in chains in the city...” grumbled the big man.

A small black-haired girl, in the awkward stage between girl and woman, was carried like an imperial icon on a palanquin by slaves, from inside the city to the gate. She began to speak to the guards in an imperious tone in the local language of the Tides. I could not hear the conversation directly, but I saw her doll-like features crease in annoyance as one of the guards at the gate knelt before her palanquin and presented her with an intricately knotted silk string. Fuming in anger, she ordered her slaves to carry her quickly back off into the city.

Unable to stem my curiosity, and ignoring Elwin’s warning glare, I asked an old farmer wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat to explain what had just unfolded before me. The old man turned to give me a look over, no doubt questioning the discrepancy between my local clothes and my quite obvious ethnicity. One glance at Kidu, however, made him visibly gulp in fear and answer my question.

“That be an Honoured One, young man, those of the city who are strong in the Gift,” he answered, removing the straw hat from his head and clasping it to his chest. “Best not to draw the attention of the high folk, only trouble for those of our station,” he said, eyes downcast.

I wanted to ask more, but Elwin was shaking his head, so I stilled my questioning tongue and the old man turned, now ignoring us.

“You don’t want to be asking too many questions, looking like that. In fact, its best you don’t ask any questions at all. Don’t want to draw any more attention to us,” the Rogue said in a quiet voice, pointing to my clothes and the dull stains around my neck, “If you got any questions, let's ask them once we’re safely inside.”

Taking his advice, I kept quiet until it was finally our turn. As I prepared to enter the city where the yoke of slavery had been forced upon me, my thoughts became filled with trepidation. Would anyone recognize me? Or was I already considered dead, yet another victim of the system that fueled this city’s wealth?

Suddenly, Elwin walked with a confident swagger to one of the bored-looking guards at the gate. His target was clad in an ill-fitting suit of piecemeal armor and armed with a crudely fashioned mace that showed signs of neglect. A terse exchange ensued between the two men, causing the guard's features to come alive with a spark of interest. Then, with a furtive glance cast in our direction, the Rogue surreptitiously passed a few coins into the guardsman's open palm.

Moving up the gate, for a moment I thought our plan had failed, or that Elwin had sold us out and we would have to fight our way free. I was soon disproved of this notion when the bored-looking guard offered, “You lot stink too much of the road. My cousin Taper runs an inn with a good bathhouse, just down this way, the Twisted Boar. Tell him Dagesh sent you,” he said with a quick wink, obviously pleased by his take this afternoon.

We passed the gates of the solid wood palisade, and I had to fight a sense of foreboding as my eyes caught the sight of the great monolithic Ark at the center of the city in the distance; It was the seat of power and governance of the Children of the Tides. My nerves played merry hell with my heart and I was worried that I would be recognized by one of my former enslavers. The stench of the pressed humanity hit me and my eyes furtively scanned everywhere, searching with dread for any familiar faces. To me, the local people all seemed to resemble my initial captors near the shrine of Avaria with their shifty slanted Asian eyes that promised deceit or violence. Still, luck or divine provenance was on our side and our party drew no real notice.

Picking up our pace, we walked along the hard earthen packed street. It was the main eastern thoroughfare of Ansan and it felt odd walking here for the first time as a free man. I rationalized my good fortune with the fact that, in this barbaric and backward society, being a slave had made me all but invisible. To them, I must have been just one face in thousands, quickly forgotten. I had weighed the risks of returning to the city against the life of a brigand in the wilds. I convinced myself that this choice, though undoubtedly risky, allowed for potentially greater gain. Also, the lure of civilization was too great to ignore.

The mistake I had made was that of a modern civilized man. I thought, in my error, that I was the center of the world and that its events and people revolved around me, the protagonist. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even here in this brand-new world, I existed in a place of astonishing indifference to almost everything I was. Everything that I thought. Everything that I did.

Unbeknownst to me, a more sinister impulse had guided me back to the city. One aspect of it was a recklessness born of youth, a rebellious fire that eagerly courted danger. Yet the other facet was far more ominous, a pledge of vengeance made in what seemed so long ago, now grown cold and festering in the recesses of my mind with the passage of time. A means to etch my existence upon a cruel and callous world.