Gate : Thus The World Was Changed

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Manga. I'm just taking a few coins from the creators fountain of ideas, and throwing in some stones for the fun of it.

Chapter 8

Once the evening meal was winding down Staff Sergeant Yamada broke out the bag of candy. A part of him knew it was a cruel thing do. The children would be getting a sugar rush that would likely make them difficult to get them ready for their beds. It was a strategic decision though. He wanted to get more information about the local region, and the lands further to the south. The adults watching over hyper children were likely to not think about what maybe shouldn't be shared quite so much.

"I am curious, Elder Agrico," The staff sergeant heard his civilian talking openly with the old man. "Who is the the healer or midwife for you people?"

"That would be Mother Ruu," The old man answered. "My sister had a way with animals as a child, so she apprenticed with old Mother Lelow down river at Tor's Landing." He gave a laugh. "Ha. Listen to me go on. As if such names meant anything to you."

"Names always have meanings," Mark said pleasantly. "If don't know what it is, then we just don't have an understanding of the placement of it."

"Spoken like a true story teller," Agrico nodded with another laugh. "But tell me, why do you ask for a healer?"

"Professional curiosity," Mark replied. "I make a study of the treatment of injuries and illness."

"A scholar are you?" The old man's eyes went wide. "Traveling as a soldier? What interesting times we live in."

"Interesting indeed," Mark agreed. "If you will excuse me." He gave a seated bow to the old men before getting up from the table and moving away.

"You have a pleasant home here," Staff Sergeant Yamada said to the old man before any distractions could arise.

"It is nice of you to say so," Agrico nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking," Hito went on. "But I cannot help but wonder what has happened to this place. We didn't see any livestock today, and there are almost no men here."

"Ahh yes," The old man sighed. "You have sharp eyes. The Grand Duke in Est Port levied our men when the emperor summoned the armies. Most of the livestock went with them, to help feed the army of course."

"I am sorry for your loss," Staff Sergeant Yamada said earnestly.

Hundreds of thousands of troops had died because the emperor had chosen to strike through the gate at Japan. First had been the invaders. Then there had been the attempts to retake Alnus Hill. Just like medieval armies back on Earth, most of the fighters had been peasants, drafted or conscripted, commanded by lords and trained up quickly by the career soldiers.

It was one of the reasons why wars of a few hundred years ago lasted so long. The armies were only free to fight when it wasn't the right seasons for planting or harvesting. The troops had to be mustered after the planting in spring, moved to the battle fields, and then returned home in time for the late summer harvesting. Only the career soldiers were available all year round, and it was expensive to keep a standing army. The men called up, levied, because they were not career soldiers, did not have the best equipment or training. Because they were not the career soldiers that spent their time preparing for battle, the peasants suffered the greatest number of casualties.

The staff sergeant couldn't help but feel some of the responsibility for the settlement's predicament. While he had not been among the defenders of Alnus hill, it was likely that the men missing from the settlement had died there, under the guns of the Japanese defending the gate. The settlement had been endangered because of the greed of a throne that did nothing for them, and the ambitions of career politicians that would only care if there was something for them to gain by it.

"I thank you for your kind words," Agrico said in a tired voice. "But it is always the rule. The common man must suffer the will of the mighty. And here, as in many lands, the mighty are humans that think nothing of the rest of us that they rule over."

x

The following morning, Exploration Team C-3-2 rolled out of the settlement. Several children chased after the vehicles, but were forced to give up in short order. Before leaving the settlement Cho had raised the base on the radio and Staff Sergeant Yamada gave a comprehensive report. He suspected that the people in charge would find something useful in knowing how some areas were likely suffering following the raising of levies by the emperor.

The radio report would help fill in details about the world of the 'Special Area.' The settlement's location was reported, along with the status of its inhabitants. Lacking any other designation, at Mark's suggestion, the short people of the settlement were cataloged under the race of 'halfling.' They had enough elf-like features to differentiate them from humans, but were very human in their ways of living and acting.

The staff sergeant decided that they would follow the river down to the town called Tor's Landing. It was a port town, so there was bound to be a lot of information to be found there, but it was not a capitol city like Est Port. Their mission was to continue down the southern peninsula, and Tor's landing was on their way, more or less.

It was just shy of two hundred kilometers from the river side settlement to Tor's Landing. For the indigenous people that would have meant taking a week to reach their destination. For the exploration team, it would a day and a half. One day beyond the settlement, a road from the west joined with the one the team was following. Where the two came together an enterprising man had build up an inn.

Setta's Inn had been built without a clear design. The common room was large enough for a hundred people to be served with room to spare. Above it were the apartments of the inn's owner and their family. Long wings extended from the common room, with bends in them where they had been extended over time. Above the larger bunk rooms and the smaller private rooms were loft rooms used by the staff. The crooked wings nearly encircled an area that was now a stable yard.

The inn was a place for merchants to stop over coming to and from Tor's landing. The traffic passing by on the two roads made sure there would always be customers. When the team approached the inn in the late afternoon, they were ready to be the center of attention.

In full tactical gear, the team rolled up to the inn in low gear. The light armor was in place on the vehicles, to help keep the team members safe, and to make it easier to keep the vehicles and their cargo secure. It was already decided that someone would have to be on watch at all times.

As soon as someone at the inn got a good look at the Coyote and the Mule approaching, word spread. A crowd was gathering outside the inn as the team rolled to a stop. Merchants, caravan guards, and inn staffers all gawked at the horseless wagons that rumbled like thunder from within. The innkeeper had stepped outside to see what the commotion was about. Seeing the strangers he knew right away that they could be important. And by important, he meant that they could be good for business.

The innkeeper pushed his way through the crowed to get to the strangers. As much as he wanted to gawk at their wagons he had to take care of business first. The first order of business was getting all the people in front of the inn to go inside the inn. Nobody would be spending their money gawking out at the side of the road.

"Welcome far travelers to Setta's Inn," The innkeeper called out in a loud and merry voice. "Please be welcome here and refresh yourselves with the comforts we have to offer."

"Thank you for your warm greeting," Staff Sergeant Yamada called back cheerfully as he climbed out of the Coyote. "You inn is a welcome site after a day on the road."

"Well now that you have arrived, follow me with your wondrous wagons," The man beckoned. "I will personally show you to the stable yard where they may be safely kept during your visit here."

x

Once the vehicles were in the stable yard, with Corporal Yuji standing guard fully armed and carrying a radio, the rest of the team followed the welcoming innkeeper in to the common room. Because theft of customer property would be bad for business, the inn had some guards of its own. Though they were more often used as bouncers, the innkeeper sent two of them out to the yard to help keep an eye on things.

The common room was a large, roughly oval space. A bite was taken out of the floor space, nearly a quarter of it, at one end, opposite from the main entrance, in the form of a long, curved counter. Behind the counter was the kitchen. Half way between the counter and the entrance was a cold fire pit.

"Please, be welcome. My name is Josh. I and my staff will see to your every need and comfort," The innkeeper introduced himself as he encouraged the strangers to a large table near the center of the common room.

"We are glad for your hospitality, Innkeeper," Mark spoke up. He was standing tall, taller than the rest of the team, or any other human in the room. Somehow, in full tactical gear and armed up, he looked confident and comfortable as he strode over to the table and pulled out a chair. "I am Master Markus Wright." He sat with an air of authority and gestured to Hito. "Staff Sergeant Yamada will inform you of our needs. But for now, bring us cool water and bread."

"As you say, Good Master," Josh gave a bow and hurried to the kitchen.

"Be seated," Mark said with a gesture. "Let us relax."

"What are you doing?" The staff sergeant demanded in a hard whisper as he pulled out a chair and sat beside the civilian.

"Setting precedent," Mark answered in a low voice. "And playing to their expectations. We are the confident travelers that know our way in the world, and our importance above the common people. What we are not is a batch of tourists and easy marks."

"Why did you call yourself a master?" Cho asked as she settled into he seat on the other side of the researcher from her sergeant.

"Because I am a master," Mark gave her a smile. "I have a Master's degree and everything."

"But that doesn't count here," Hito insisted.

"It counts everywhere," Mark corrected. He leaned in, placing his elbows on the table. "What I just did was armor us in their social constructs. A master has political clout. If an inn were to let a master come to harm it would be shaming. If any place got a reputation of letting masters be victimized, word would get out and masters would avoid the place. Now image a town that had to do without its blacksmiths, coopers, carpenters, and all other master craftsman. Being a master of a craft is the next best thing to being some kind of lord, and that will help protect us from people that may think it worth the risk to see how much all of our fancy equipment is worth."