It was bright and hot. Luckily, there was a breeze coming from the South.The caravan was along the road to the capital. Its escort marched alongside it. Surge was wingman to the left of the escort. May rushed up to him."Nice breeze, innit?" asked Surge. "Yep." May answered. "We should be arrivinng at the capital in a few days, right"
"We could get there faster, but I suppose we won't be late if we keep this pace."
The caravan continued with its escort. About four hours into the trip, the caravan halted. "Everyone take a break!" yelled Corp. Sato. The soldiers heaved a sigh almost in unison as they set aside their equipment along the road. Sato held a map in his hand as he rode toward Surge and May. He then got off his horse and greeted them. "Such a nice breeze, eh?" he declared. The two nodded, gladly. "Sir, what's our travel status?" asked Surge. Sato read the map, squinting his eyes in the glare of the sun. "From what this tells me, we are making good time! We are getting close to the Alderas Mountains, after all. The capital isn't much further after we pass through there."
As he said this, Sato turned and pointed down the road to where the Alderas Mountain Chain ly ahead of them. "What are those mountains like?" asked May. "I've been there once." recalled Surge. "Thankfully, I made shelter before nightfall. Everythin' gets a little spooky at night... at least up there"
"I hear tell of a myth about those mountains." added Sato. "It wasn't a bad place at all until about fifty years ago. Strange stories about demons born of dark magic. This ancient magic is said to be very powerful, though it awoke about 100 years ago. Could be a coincidence, although no one knows who awoke it to this day, as far as I can tell. I do however hear stories of encounters every now and then from the Royal Monthly News." A few soldiers overheard their conversation and nodded in agreement.
Surge took this break to use a bush, secluded nearby. He looked to the mountains before them, pondered as he relieved himself. "We depart for the mountains at 1300 hours! Take this time to get some rest!" ordered Sato. (Good. I need a nap.) thought Surge. He took his seat next to a tree and relaxed.(1300. That means we have an hour... nice breeze...)
Surge was back at his hometown. He could smell food cooking in his small house. (Mother?) He opened the door and a ray of light blinded him. Then... he was back outside. It was dark. He could smell smoke. He turned toward town to find it under attack... by what, he couldn't tell. As he ran back into the house, he could see his mother. She was impaled by a monster's claw. The screaming sounded familiar as he heard his name being called several times. The strange creature dropped Surge's mother, looked to him... and then-
"Surge? Surge! Hey!" May shook him as he regained consciousness. "Wha... what time is it"
It's time to get your ass up! Sato's ordered us to continue to the mountains... I didn't see you"
"Ya, I fell asleep it seems. Thanks, May"
May acknowleged as Surge got up and they hurried to join the caravan.
As the two ran ahead, a man appeared out of hiding nearby. In a Summoner's guise he was a sight to behold. "Sire, this is unlike you. I should be out here spying. Not your grace..." came a man behind him. "I wanted to see for myself. That little army may pose a threat to our plans even after the damage we inflicted last night." "You may punish us for not doing enough, Sire"
"That would be a waste, but in any other situation youd've been dead already. Be thankful I'm in a forgiving mood today"
"Yes, Sire"
"That young one... has a strange power. I can't tell what it is"
"Sire"
"...Get the men ready. I'm going to summon THEM tonight"
"Yes, Sire." The hooded men left the scene in the dense foliage.
Ch. XIII: Status lvl9
The caravan paused at the entrance to the Alderas Mountains. Corp. Sato rode up ahead and peered further up the peaks and into the sky. It was getting dark. He then reset his view on the wilderness of the mountains. "Alright, troops. Let's continue 'till we find shelter up there. Keep a weather eye." he ordered in a slightly nervous tone. "Yes, sir!" The soldiers responded, ready. And so they entered the mountain road. Already Surge could feel the incline taking them up. The horses pulling the caravan began to strain. May sensed a strange presence, but shrugged it off.
Hours passed, the darkness beginning its decent upon them. A soldier looked up, could see the stars. The air was fresh, though there was a small stench about it unlike what they've considered normal. Sato then ordered a halt at the foot of a cliff where they parked. He looked into the distance, saw a few houses ahead. He then saw what they were a part of: a small village. "There is our shelter, ladies and gentlemen." he declared, relieved. Surge joined Sato, looked ahead and concentrated. "Hm! Not bad!" May startled him. "Gaah! How long were you behind me"
"Long enough." She grinned.
"This place gives me the chills"
"Can't blame ya. Don't like the darkness myself." Surge replied.
Sato turned around. "Regardless, we're almost there. That village is bettern' out here in the open." The two nodded in agreement.
The caravan made its way to the village, escort in tow.
"Welcome, travelers! Haven't seen a turnout like this in a while." greeted the village magistrate. "Thank you. So, how much?" asked Sato. "For the lot of ya I'd say 300 Credits"
"Credits... you don't take gold"
"Currency around here is circulated to the State, since this is on a major route to the capital. Therefore, we use Royal Credits as a primary currency. However, we do still use Gold. That'll be 900 gold, then"
"Alright. 1.000 Gold is something we can handle"
"Good. Well, just get it to us before you leave, eh"
"Will do"
"Incedentally, we have a few houses available. Just built 'em for travelers about a week ago. Didn't expect to use 'em for... how many of you are there"
"Collectively, I'd say we were close to 500"
"Hm! Makes sense. Most of you will fit, but the rest will have to sleep outside. We only have room for 450, as each house holds at maximum 25 and there are 18 houses"
"We'll manage"
"Alright. Well, other than lodging you all are welcome to the food here. Real cheap. The baths are free, but the hot springs cost extra"
May overheard their conversation.
"Hot springs, sir? How much?" she piped up.
"Umm... well, Cliff changes the prices around a lot according to demand, but last time I checked it was 15 Credits/45 Gold"
May was overjoyed. Sato then re-entered the conversation.
"May I ask your name, magistrate"
"I'm Fenix. Felix Zanz"
"Ah, I see. My name is Corp. Maximillian Sato of the 17th Royal Militia Division. These are my advisors and over there are Surge and May, my friends"
May and Surge nodded and greeted Fenix in their own manners. "By the way, Felix, what is the currency ratio again? I believe it was 1 Credit 2 Gold, no? What happened?" asked Sato.
"Well, foreign affairs hasn't been working out very well on account of the new strain bandits are putting on us. The ratio's gone up 1 Credit 3 Gold since two months ago"
"Damn... well I hope this reform the King is pushing will help eliminate our complete dependency on foreign markets. Zillara's been growing and hogging more and more resources, despite their surplus of products. Bought a few weapons from Zillara last year and after only my third battle they broke"
"I guess you get what you pay for"
"Tell me about it. Jeez"
"Well, at least here you won't be paying for crap. Our baths aren't the best, but it beats any I bought from them"
Surge was curious, too. (I have some Credits. Never thought I'd be using 'em)
He walked up to the two men.
"Excuse me, sir, but where are these springs"
"Just down the vilage. You can't miss the sign." Felix answered.
"We're not going anywhere 'till we set up, you two." Sato told May and Surge.
"Mr. Zanz, here's two hundred Gold in advance. My men will help scrounge up the rest along with me." he smirked. Surge took a double-take.(Huh)
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