Pride. That was what she felt at that moment. That feeling came in droves as she stood above the corpse of the man who mercilessly hunted humans as if they were sport. It was justice, she told herself.
Then fear came.
Like a lightning bolt, it hit her what would happen if people found out it was she who killed him. No, she had to hide the body. No point, someone would question where he would be and then she would have to deal with it. Then it hit her. She had to run.
Chelsea was bored. Very bored. She had spent the last two weeks on the same wagon that was heading towards the city of Anthemius and in that time, she had done everything she could to entertain herself. Count the trees, look at the clouds, and all of it did nothing but make her feel the time pass even slower than it should have. And to make things worse, she was almost out of lollipops.
"Do I really not have anymore?" She dug through the back of the wagon, pouring out the contents of her bags and even one or two crates she had been ordered to deliver. What was in them was none of her business but if she didn't have anymore left, then she was really going to die of boredom.
"No, no, no, I thought I packed one more." Finally with a huff, she sighed and went back to the front of the cart. The horse seemed to sense disappointment and without Chelsea needing to do anything, continued to move down the road towards the city.
This assignment sucks. Haven't even met my group and I know it will. Contrary to what most people thought about her, Chelsea was a very thin skinned woman. It was easy to tick her off and being alone and bored was a very easy way. Being bored also bought back unwanted memories.
No, I promised myself. No more thinking about them. She slapped herself, making the horse neigh in concern and look back at her. She quickly calmed the horse but then noticed something in the distance. A series of wooden shafts it looked like to her.
She drove her horse to go a little faster and soon discovered what they were. Six crucifixes with people nailed onto them. Judging by appearance, they seemed to have been there for only five days as she could spot one or two of them still breathing. A wooden board hung from each of their necks and Chelsea knew what it was. Revolutionaries will be hung. You have been warned.
Pretending not to be disturbed by them, she offered a silent prayer and continued, eventually seeing the city gates.
A large stone wall with soldiers patrolling the top and the Imperial banner flying high above, it was every bit as intimidating as it was normal for a city of this size. Outside the gate, a line of travellers, some merchants and others country bumpkins, waited as a pair of guards walked down the line with clipboards.
"Alright people! I don't want to be stuck outside either so get your tags out or we'll have to make this longer than it should be!" The whole line moved at once as everyone scrambled to get out their tags. The wealth gap was obvious with some (usually merchants) having tags shaped from hard metals and embroidered with beautiful inscriptions while others had a stone with their name and village carved in.
Chelsea herself had a simple one, a little steel tag, that had been given to her by the Oarbeurghs before she left. She smiled at the thought of the odd yet caring group she had stayed with until she saw the guards begin to get closer to her.
"Identification and purpose." One of the guards gruffly said, clearly the older one of the pair.
"Just here to meet an old friend and deliver some supplies for his shop." She handed her tag to the other guard, shooting a quick wink at the younger man who fiercely blushed.
"Mind if we check the back to be sure?"
"Sure." The man gestured for his partner to come with him to the back as she waited for them to finish up the check. Even if they did find anything, it would be useless as the papers in the back had to be soaked in water before the real words began to appear. An invention someone had thought of to ensure secret orders weren't discovered by anyone although she did suspect that person was long dead by now.
"Alright, you're clear. Move along." The young man with her tag quickly handed her tag back and she shot him a smile that seemed to give the man a leap in his step although that was quickly put down when she saw his partner cuff him on the head and seemed to laugh at him. She smirked and nudged her wagon along, moving into the city of Anthemius.
For being a provincial capitol, Anthemius was quite big. The streets were completely crowded with waves of humans crowding the streets as vendors announced their wares towards other people, hoping to draw in customers. Houses were built close to each other, with only a small trench between each unit with some of them having small flower pots in front of them. What separated Anthemius from most cities now was its prosperity and colourful buildings. The people seemed to be well fed and laughter permeated through the entire street. Instead of languishing around and bullying some beggar, the guards were fully alert and patrolling the streets to watch for any sign of trouble. Every shop, house, and even the walls were lined with some kind of drawing, whether that be one showing the grandness of the Emperor or "special arts of the body"
Of course that didn't matter when the people themselves were stupid. Chelsea navigated through the waves of people and followed the main road down towards a resting stable, almost running over several children and adults who crossed in front of her without looking twice.
"Hey, Missy! You on the cart!" She looked down to see a small boy with a dirty tunic and a tag dangling on his neck with his hands out.
"Fifty Folles and I'll take your horse to the stable and give it a good spot. It's way cheaper than what old man Bib charges. Deal?" Chelsea took one look at the endless crowds of people and gave the boy her answer.
"How about I put in an extra twenty Folles and you make sure he stays clean and fed for a couple days?"
"Deal!" The boy began to guide her wagon through the crowds like way easier than she did, giving her time to review what she did know about her new team which was to say, almost nothing.
Right, seven people in a cell that I know nothing about. They've been active for at least four years, don't have any Teigu or Shingu, and apparently have some pretty nice connections with the higher ups
It wasn't really her fault though. When she had been given the assignment, she had asked the man who delivered it some more info but he hadn't known anything as well which only added to her confusion. She had tried to tap into the vast Oarburgh network to find out more but all she found was the number of assassins and the time they had been active for. Not the most useful information but at least it was something.
She stopped her thinking once she reached the crowded stable with hundreds of men with their own business rushing to nab a spot. She had been nervous until the boy squeezed through the crowd and got her wagon into a stall before quickly hanging up a red sign at the top.
"Biff! Where the hell did you go?" A young man with messy brown hair ran up to the boy and grabbed his hands. "Whatever, come with me! Old man Bib is dying from all those leeches so lets get over there and help."
"Wait! Let me finish this first!"
"Finish it later! Our heads are stuck deep in the mud!"
"But-"
"Hey, little boy!" The boy turned just in time to catch a small sack with something jingling on the inside. "Remember to take care of him, okay?"
"Okay! Thanks missy!" The boy happily waved at Chelsea before disappearing into the vast crowd of travellers.
"Now then, let's meet the new team."
~Line break~
A wide field. Terrible for any prey and perfect for hunters. This meant there was nowhere prey could hide and gave them only the option to run. And run they did.
Small little sticks darted around the field, visible to anybody as long as they looked hard enough. Thin yet quick, they provided a challenge for any hunter but she wasn't anybody. With a quick leap, she caught one of the sticks in a swoop. Slowly, she raised the stick and placed it in her mouth, relishing its addicting sweet and refreshing tast-
"Hey lady, wake up." Chelsea felt a quick slap and shot up to see the bartender giving her an annoyed look. "Don't bum up my place if you're not gonna do anything. Plenty of other places for you to sleep."
She groggily shook herself awake and glanced outside the window to see the sun beginning to set and the lamps slowly began to dot the streets. "Ugh, how long have I been sleeping?"
"At least four hours if what Asel tells me is correct." Like a lightning bolt, a needle came to her hand and she found herself pressing it against a tanned man with grey white hair and a casual relaxed look on his face.
"If you don't mind me asking, who are you?" She asked in her more threatening tone.
"Can I answer that after you remove the poisoned needle?" The man lightly requested, as if he wasn't about to die.
"Ah, ah, I asked first so you answer me."
"Well Asel and Awer do have a lot of energy to them so it's in both of interest to stop this." She took a glance back at the bartender and saw him holding a pistol and felt the tip of a spear poke her back. With a sigh, she removed the needle and relaxed a bit once she felt the spear move away although the bartender still held his pistol up.
"Asel, put the gun down. She's not a threat that you need to watch. I think she knows when to quit when it comes to situations like this." The bartender wavered for a moment before hiding his gun and continuing to clean glasses like nothing just happened. Before Chelsea could say anything though, he stopped and began talking quickly
"Let's get the most important things off. First, I'm sorry for being late. We had some business to wrap up and it doesn't help that traffic was especially thick and monitored so closely today. Second, yes I am part of your new team and you will be introduced to the team later once we get some papers and supplies loaded. I know you have questions and I promise that they will get answered but its getting late and I want to be back in my bed soon."
"Oh I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Reik. Good to meet you….. Chelsea right?" He asked as he held his hand up.
"Uh, yes. Good to meet you too, Reik." She took the hand in a firm handshake but she noticed something off. His skin was hard and she could feel the calluses on them but they felt more like scars than just the mark of an experienced worker. Deep scars too and some of them felt fresh as well.
"Well then, let's get moving. Time's short and we have to cross the city in five minutes. Awel, make sure to distribute her wagon."
"Wait, what?" Before she could process anything, Reik leaped over the bar and lifted her up bridal style. The bartender, Asel, opened the door leading to the alleyway and Reik dashed out with Chelsea in hands still very confused.
"Wha-What are you doing?!"
"If you don't wanna fall, hold on!"
"Fall?! Fall where!?"
Chelsea considered herself to be a calm person. Someone who found it hard to be surprised or scared by a lot of things but she would be lying if she didn't feel a very small amount of shock and fear when Reik somehow leaped over the houses and began running so fast that she found her eyes beginning to dry.
But even she couldn't deny how good everything looked from up there. Even the highest towers in the city couldn't compare to how breathtaking everything was. The sun slowly lowering to allow the bright street lamps that illuminated the main streets, the squares of filled with dancing figures and different coloured lights, the red tiled roofs with the occasional lamp visible from a window and the moon rising in a half crescent behind the cities keep, casting a light blue shade over the city, made her briefly forget how high up she was and only admire the beauty of the view.
"And here we are!" With another leap, he landed with a surprisingly small thud and she promptly fell down with a yelp.
"Hey Reik, is our new member still okay?"
"Don't worry, she's only got some dry eyes and wobbly feet. Nothing that too bad." Chelsea looked up to see a girl, maybe fifteen, with pinkish blond hair and pale skin wearing a red headband, an oddly thick white jacket and a big grin on her face walking towards them.
"My name is Excel but Ex is easier to say! Nice to see new things once in a while." She gave her a hand and gave her another big smile.
"Chelsea, nice to meet you too." She gave her smile and handshake with her but her mind began to analyze her as she was taught to do. Faint scars that were partially covered by the headband, long cuts that have seemed to extend from her wrists to her shoulders if she were to guess, and some kind of chain that hung outside of her pockets.
"Hey Ex, you know what Kokora is doing?"
"Yeah, he's just giving out pay to the couriers. Probably in the tally room."
"Alright, you go introduce Chelsea to Onze and get the wagon ready. I'll get Kokora so we can get back home soon."
"Okay! Come on Chelsea!" She gave her a hand and gave her another big was beginning to notice a very annoying trend with the group and that was their addiction with moving very quickly. Ex had grabbed her hand and was dragging her into a warehouse with an older man in a multicoloured coat inside moving and checking crates.
"Mr. Onze, Reik bought our new recruit here!" Ex excitedly called.
"Good, go help with the wagon and check if we're missing anything. Lots of villages are counting on them."
"Yes sir!" He dashed off and left Chelsea alone with Onze. At first glance, Chelsea would say that his choice of clothing was…. questionable. The colour of his clothes looked like someone decided to dye it like a leopards skin but instead each spot was a different colour and he wore so many bracelets that she could barely tell any difference between any of them.
"I apologise for the fun ride you received when you came here. Reik tends to forget what normal is for people when it comes to rushing things." He said in a grandfatherly voice.
"It wasn't that bad. I actually found the view up there to be nice. Not that I would do that again."
"I doubt any normal person would. We will be using more normal routes if that makes you feel better."
"It'll be more boring but at least my legs will feel better."
"If it helps, I can give you some of my personal stash for travel sickness. Helps me get by for long trips."
"You're a doctor?"
"Retired although the knowledge and memories rarely leaves you in this field."
"If that's true, then you can share all the memories and stories you want back home." Reik walked in carrying some normal looking books but it was his spear that Chelsea took note of. It looked criminally normal, a wooden shaft with some engravings on it and a metal tip that was crafted into the wood, but she could tell by the way he handled it that it was far more than just a normal spear. "We have some missions we need to start on soon."
"Good, lets get moving then. Have you finished today's business?"
"All cleared up, no need to worry. Couriers know what and where to deliver the supplies."
"Supplies?"
"Medicine, drugs, and some papers. Don't worry about it, nothing illegal or too harmful for most people." Chelsea would have asked more questions but she could see how anxious Reik seemed to be to leave so she held off for now and boarded the wagon. Excel was already sitting inside, doodling on some papers that Chelsea couldn't make out too clearly.
"Alright, group check! Say something once I call your name. Excel!"
"Here!"
"Onze!"
"Beside you."
"Chelsea!"
"Already in."
"Kokora!" A snore came out of nowhere and Chelsea instantly went on guard until she looked more carefully and saw a man close to her age in dark clothes with some cloth covering his eyes, snoring away. Looking back at her memories, she realized she never actually saw anyone else other than her get on board
"Good enough I guess. Oh and Chelsea, that's Kokora. Don't worry about him, he's just tired.I'd recommend you do the same actually. It's gonna be a pretty boring trip and sleep helps make it go faster." With a small yip, the wagon began to move forward and Chelsea usually would already begin to dread the journey but her curiosity of Kokora grew. Everyone else in the team seemed nice and very open while this one seemed more.. aloof.
"Hey Ex? Can you tell me a bit about Kokora?"
"Hmmmm, I think he's very nice! He always lets me help him with his range but I think he just doesn't like to talk that much!" Ex leaned in with Chelsea and cupped her hands to her ear something. "I think he's shy about other people. He always looks like he's nervous when he sees strangers."
Shy? That might be useful in the future.
"But that doesn't really matter. Garm will tell you more once we go home."
"Garm?"
"You thought Reik was our leader didn't you?"
"He isn't?"
"No, he's says he's too dumb to be leader. And I don't think he likes being one anyways."
"Wait, so this other guy called Garm is the leader?"
"Yep!"
"Then where's Garm then?"
Deep within an unnamed mountain range was one of the Revolutions primary hospitals. Constructed in an unknown time, it was used to treat important officials who had received mortal wounds or needed a more private area to heal their wounds. As such, it had all of the most advanced medical techniques and drugs available and had a large amount of security to ensure the safety of the staff and their patients.
"I thought I said I didn't want anyone in yet, Lubbock." It was in one of these rooms a woman with white hair and one arm was resting in.
"Our apologies general Najenda, but your guard is currently unavailable at the moment. It seems that he has been called away to deal with some troubling patients." Najenda flicked on her guard and turned her head to see a man with a mask that was designed to only have small slits to let the vision go through.
"Our condolences for your…. losses. We would have sent more reinforcements had we known that enemy legions would arrive so quickly."
"Thank you. Now who are you then and what do you want?"
"My name is not important right now. However, what we want is simple. We want to know why you joined the Revolution."
"Not this bullshit again. I already told your agent why I-"
"Yes, I read the reports but I want to hear it straight from your mouth. A sort of …. guarantee that we can trust you." She stared at him as if to burn his entire existence for even doubting her loyalty to the Revolution. If losing her entire army, friends, and even her arm wasn't enough for them to trust her, then she might as well just give them the usual B.S.
"The Empire is corrupt, evil and is a failing state. I've taken part in so many battles and seen how they treat both citizens and enemies. It's evil in its purest form and I couldn't stand to be a part of it."
"Such as?"
"How we treat everyone else. I've seen children starve to death in front of men feasting on whole chickens, women who look more like shattered glass than human, and entire cities wiped out just for holding a Revolutionary. If that isn't evil, then I don't know what is."
"Interesting. Then why not try to change it from the inside? Surely reforms would have eliminated this."
"Reforms?" She said incredulously. "Reforms are just fancy words for the aristocracy to move people in and out positions. Nothing will change if all we did was reform. The rotten foundations will stay if we don't destroy them and rebuild from backup. All they would do is give it a new paint job."
"Reforms have been effective before though. How many times have the Tagmata or the Carian reforms saved the Empire and its people from death?"
"And how reforms before that failed and destroyed more than what they saved? Reforms are a bandage solution. The wound will fester and wrapping some cloth on it will not save it. If we want to save the people, we should cut off the wound and end it."
"There, I've told you my reasons for joining the revolution. Can you trust me now?" She said with a clear tone that this is over.
"Yes, the Revolution would be happy to receive such a noble and genius general into her ranks." He held out his hand to her and she took it with a harsh looking signaling him to leave now.
"Good, then if that's all please leave. I want some peace and quiet to myself."
"Just a final question. A personal one."
Najenda looked back at the agent at the door but now he was leaning against it and holding a red book.
"What?"
"If by some accident, you were faced with a…. Dilemma for your goal. You could either keep what you love but lose the chance at completing your goal or you could let go of your.. attachments and complete your goals. I should also add that the goal in question, when completed could save millions of lives. So, what would you choose?"
There was a moment of silence there as Najenda paused to consider this question. Her mind was wracked between questioning the point of this and what to answer, all the while the agent leaned against the door and silently took out a pencil.
"Is this another test of my loyalty or-"
"Don't worry, it's just something I wanted to know. Of course, you can choose to not answer." Yet his tone seemed to imply how disappointed he would be. Najenda stared at him but that damn mask blocking his face gave the perfect image of impassivity. Finally, she gave her answer.
"The first one."
"Even if it means letting millions potentially die?" With the steadiness and conviction that came with hundreds of battles and decades of guilt, she gave her answer
"Yes." She stared back at the agent, daring or waiting for him to do something that would either call shame or chastise her until he finally moved. With a quick rip, he set down a page beside her with a small map and times written on it.
"Once you recover, come to this location. I will debrief you on a special mission." With that message, he opened the door but held for a moment
"Also, if anyone else comes, don't tell them I asked you this. It would be best for all parties involved." And just like that, he disappeared.
Imperial Currency
The Empire boasts a powerful currency that serves as the standard for all manners of affairs and is maintained by a robust network of allies and trading guilds. Each coin is minted in several important mints around the land with all coins being either silver or gold with copper coins slowly being created by new provincial mints. Each coin has one inscription for the current emperor and the other for the Imperial flag.
Follis is the average coin used by most imperial citizens and is the backbone of the Empire's currency but its value and purity has significantly declined since the days of the Fifth Emperor and any reforms attempted by later emperors have been largely unsuccessful. A new reform aiming to revalue and revamp is being conducted by the new financial minister with the primary target being to solve the issue of the Follis. Currently only 15% purity.
Solidus is the official gold coin. Not commonly used by lower classes, it is primarily used as a backup for the imperial treasury and to ease tax collecting and tallying. While its official use is for the administration, it also serves as a means to dominate over weaker kingdoms. Foreign kingdoms often pay tribute with Solidus coins and have copied it for their own currency. Currently 95% purity.
Nummus is the new copper coin being issued. A new wave of provincial mint has allowed the Imperial bureaucracy to mint a lower valued coin to meet inflation and stop the continued debasement of the Follis. Purity level has not been confirmed.
Relative values
Solidus = 420 Folles
Folles = 10 Nummus
Nummus = unknown relative value
In recent years, the quality of said coins have fallen drastically. Mines have begun to dry up, straining the supply and devaluing the coin, not helped by Emperors and other nobles using the limited supply to increase the military and their own greed. Precious metals used to mint purer coins are being diverted to supply their Jewellery and other expenses, slowly degrading the power of the Imperial currency and driving poverty up as wages have become stagnated.
Oof, sorry this took so long. Math is currently kicking my sideways so I haven't been writing as much as I like. Things might clear up in the next couple months and I might be able to write more
While I do love world building, I am not an expert on many aspects of nation buildings. This snippet is sort of my test to see how well can and did I explain my currency for AgK. Please give me suggestions on where and how I can improve on writing in general. More snippets like these will be appearing at the end of each chapter and will expand my take on the AgK world.
Please leave a review for me and thank you so much for reading!