Chapter 01 – Imperial Capital Randall
Imperial Capital Randall.
It was an independent sovereign state with its half surrounded by water and the other half by land and mountains of Mistral. This state was also known as the jewel of the Mistral continent with its tall buildings of sturdy stones and concretes. It boasted the most beautiful man-made floating city in Grand Gaia. Although it was country under the Monarch rule, many believed that the Akras Summoner's Hall held the true power, hence the summoner's were above if not equal to royalties in the palace.
A capital surrounded by water. Looking at it on the map, the city was like a ring, divided into three rings actually and joined together by a bridge. Called the Akras Summoner's Hall, the center of this island-like city hosted the proud tower of the Akras Summoner's Hall Survey Office. Though many called it a tower, it doesn't resemble one with its sheer size alone that no incoming visitor of the capital would miss it, unless intentionally.
It won't be an exaggeration to note that the Akras Summoner's Hall Survey Office used to hold everything of what was now in the outer and middle ring of Akras. And so, it was like a small country on its own.
The middle area or Randall Nobles Hall was reserved to summoners and nobles. Whatever was inside were denied to the view of the public. Only nobles, summoners and people with special privilege like rankers in the Akras Arena were allowed.
The largest part was the Hall of Masses which encompassed the outer ring. Most of the commoners, people with no noble blood, or to put simply deprived of money, occupied this area and so this place was pretty much a lively place with festivals all year round. Today was no exception and the street was crowded as usual.
"Imperial Capital Randall is amazing isn't it?"
"Yah, so big…and there are a lot of people too."
"Today's the arrival of [Rebel Lance] right? I wonder what's so special about them."
"Ooooh! I can't wait to see Karl-sama."
The girl said opposite the boy. She was a bit taller. Her unkempt somewhat-pinkish hair waving along with the wind was envy to those around them.
He, on the other hand, already has grey hair despite looking so young. He does have a descent face and so bystanders would give him a look from time to time checking his lean frame that spoke of stamina.
Of course, the stamina the old ladies with perverted gazes were different from the stamina that the boy trained so hard for.
"What's wrong, Leon-kun?"
"Uck! Let's go Liza." He guided her companion hurriedly away from the place.
Here and there were packs of people roaming the street while waiting in anticipation of the arrival of the heroes of Elgaia. The most talented summoners in the whole continent of Elgaia gathers in Akras, but today was most special, as the most promising of them all whose been picking-up achievements one after another, the Demon Slayers division, particularly the 24th Regiment, also known as the Rebel Lance was bound to arrive any moment now.
Today was their expected arrival to accept lip service from the guild but most importantly to rest their bones for the next battle to come. This also presents an opportunity to parade them to the public, to show their gallantry and to once again remind the citizen of the on-going war between the gods and the humans.
But for merchants, this was one of those days when business was at peak. Among the goods found in the streets were armors and weapons for the adventurers and soldiers as a bunch of them were mixed in the spectators awaiting the parade of the [Rebel Lance].
A grey-haired thug-like young man was among the onlookers in the weapon shop. His hands were crawling into one of the knife on display but a hand was suddenly on his wrist.
"Leon-kun, what are you doing?"
The girl beside him was somewhat displeased at his modus.
"Wha! Liza… come." He dragged the girl outside, back into the street after he saw a glint in the eye of the owner of the weapon shop. That was undoubtedly a lost cause since he's already been marked.
"Now is not the best time for your thieving…do you want to be chased out of Randall?"
"Yah, yah… you just want to see the Rebel Lance that bad."
"Nope, just Karl-sama… oooh! I can't wait, we better pick a good spot now."
Aside from the weapon shop and armor shop, there was also a number of food stalls. Leon and Liza stopped by one and bought two sticks of takoyaki and just as they were taking it easy a loud noise started from the gate.
That was the signal they've been waiting for, the arrival of the Rebel Lance and their leader, the blue haired knight, Karl.
"Kya! Karl-sama…"
"It's Karl-san."
"Karl-sama!"
Liza was among those cheering loudly for the captain of the Rebel Lance. He was truly magnificent leading his squad on their way to Akras Summoner's Hall. Even Leon nodded at him, acknowledged him to be a great man and that halberd on his back made him look tougher.
Karl smiled at the crowd showing his pearly white teeth while waving his hand at the girls. He would occasionally nod at spectators and his targeted group would go wild, yelling louder. He has the charisma and looks, from his build alone, Leon knew he was of strength-type warrior.
Blue hair and eyes that commanded calmness and power, Karl was outstanding as rumors said but there was no way Leon would say that in front of Liza.
"What do you think? Isn't Karl-sama, amazing? You should become like him instead of being a petty thief." At that comment, Leon just kept on eating his takoyaki and broke the stick in two.
"What? I can also do that."
And Liza did the same with her piece of takoyaki stick.
"Oooh! Seria-chan…"
"Is that Seria?"
"I love you Seria-chuwaaan!"
Shiver ran on the skin of the one called Seria. She's a swordswoman with red armor that speaks aggressiveness and brutality. She was known to be second only to Karl so not many can talk back to her and the fierceness of her tongue was well known within the regiment.
"Who said that? I'll murder you."
"Eeek!"
"Seria, you shouldn't yell at your supporters and you should act more lady-like."
"What lady-like are you spouting… clean your neck Karl, I'll kill you one of this days."
Not many heard those exchanges between Karl and Seria so the effectiveness of the crowd was almost still in full power regardless of yelling from Seria but without her knowing she gained another set of bewildered gaze.
"Leon-kun, snap out of it. You can't match that Seria."
"What do you know? I will become a great man and she will undoubtedly look at me at that time."
"Yeah, keep dreaming…huh, what's that?"
On the other side of the road, Liza noticed a stage almost at the same height as the horses of Karl and his regiment. Karl and Seria also noticed this but looked away. It was not a good sight to see, specially a young man in tattered clothes and chains.
"Hm, oh – don't Liza... Those are slaves."
"Slaves?"
"What? You don't know what slaves are?"
"Of course, I do. It's not like they don't exist in Agni Empire but still…"
Leon looked away. Liza proceeded, her feet light and soon she was in front of the slave market.
"Come on Liza, Karl was almost out of sight." He tried to get her attention but he knew it was a lost cause when she was like that. Her eyes piercing at the chains of the slaves, she went ahead without waiting.
"Hey, Leon-kun, can't we buy his freedom? Look his even younger than us."
There were pity in the eyes of Liza but Leon knew that this was part of life. He too almost became a slave at some point of his life.
"What are you talking about-"
"Didn't you say we needed companions?"
"Ya-yeah, but a slave that was so easily captured, look even his eyes are dead..."
And so Leon looked up and saw the slave's miserable state. Clothes that almost cover nothing, bleeding wounds that was too much to look at and particularly the young lad in the middle who was a bit younger than him was in much appalling state. It was no wonder that Liza felt that much pity that she'd likely throw all she had to ease his suffering but there was something else in his eyes that intrigued Leon.
He initially thought that his eyes were dead, but they're not. It was actually cold. Almost ready to kill, but Liza didn't saw that. She was preoccupied of the wounds that the boy have.
He saw many detestable people even slaves before but this was the first time for him and looking at his age. That much rage should be impossible. This slave has so much reason to live.
"Liza, this slave is good."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
But Leon didn't answer but went inside to his objective. He wiped the bloody curtain with his forearm and found the owner.
"Slave #30. What happened to him? Why does he have that much wound?"
Without Leon noticing, Liza had followed him. She was still bewildered at the sudden change in Leon's behavior.
The stout pig of an owner looked at Leon and was almost measuring him with his gaze. But Leon had experience of this kind of animal. He glared at him and showed authority.
"Oh that, we found him wounded walking in the Mistral forest."
The owner was startled.
"Walking in Mistral forest? That's not a place you can simply stroll in. Are you just trying to raise his price? And to impale his chest, he looks to be dying?"
Leon noted the large wound on slave#30's chest the size of fist.
"No, we didn't inflict that. But it took five of my men just to tie him up."
"You mean those cuts on his arms and legs?"
"Aye, he tried to cut them with his teeth or using brute force. I don't know what to do with that. How about it, I'll give him to you for 1000zel. That's cheap already usually 5000zel is the price for younglings."
Leon looked at the product, the owner grimaced at his reaction.
"Okay, 500zel." The owner must have realized the good was overly damaged. Not to mention the cost for cure, it was next to impossible to make it usable.
"Here's 300 zel. Take it. I don't even know if I'll have to bury that after this." His voice grave and his eyes were almost lost. This was a ploy of course, Liza knew better at the sight of his wink.
The owner of the slave market took the money without second thought. At least, it should be enough for the expenses caused by slave#30. He nodded at his confidant and slave#30 was taken inside.
Slave#30 was wet and unconscious when he was shown out and there was a new bump in his head that made Leon snarl. Leon asked for the slave delivered into their inn instead as payment for their mishandling and warned that any more damage and the slave's for free.
In their inn, after paying the fee for the slave, Leon showed the guy to Liza.
"What now?"
Leon asked his female partner while looking at the unconscious boy.
"I'll stitch up his wounds and put bandage on him. Can you keep watch and hold him? I don't think he'd be able to handle this."
It took a while but even when the kid opened his eyes, he didn't move and just stared at the eyes of Leon. The part that Liza thought won't handle the pain doesn't even exist. There wasn't even in the slightest of a reaction from him.
"Leon-kun, keep holding him still."
Leon on the other hand was agitated and nervous despite being an infamous thief with a hand not innocent of crime. He hasn't killed anyone yet but when it comes to inflicting pain, though not an expert, he was in no way deprived of experience. But the young lad before him gives off the scent of a mass murderer. It didn't help that he was staring at him without any reaction while being stitched-up.
"Uh, Leon-kun, how come you changed your mind?"
"Huh?"
It didn't register to Leon at first though he understood the question. It took a while but he did come around. The slave must have really tossed him out of balance.
"You mean about him?"
"Hmm..." The current nurse gave Leon a nod before stitching-up another wound. When he doesn't seem to be responding she added. "You're not the type to change your mind so I was thinking maybe I need to barter using my naked body."
"Na-naked?"
There was a visible drool that begged to be released from Leon and gawking at the cleavage of Liza.
"You're really the worst… you know."
Liza glared at her friend as though she was looking at a cockroach.
"Eh!"
Disregarding the 'wasted chance' look in the face of Leon, Liza found a satisfying smirk on another's face.
"Alright… all done."
"Whew!"
Beads of sweat run down on Leon's forehead. Perhaps he was more worn out than Liza who dressed the slave's wounds but what send shivers to his spine was the smirk on the slave's face while looking at Liza and Leon.
"Whoa! Is that a… smile?"
The hardened impression Leon had for the slave was suddenly broken into pieces but the smile he had on was bit awkward as only the left part of his lips moved.
"Fufu~" Now it was Liza's turn.
"Ehem~ ah, since we'll be working from now on, at least an introduction."
Cough, Leon took the attention of both. The slave seemed to have calmed down and wasn't glaring at anyone but there was the weird smirk that he was worried about.
"Sorry… uh Master! You two reminded me… of my friends."
"You're friends? No, don't call us master. I hate that!"
Liza responded nonchalantly to the squirms of the slave. The slave sat properly over the edge of the bed to face his benefactor.
They were now able to have a better look of the slave. His most notable wound in the chest was in full view almost about the size of a fist that was akin to a small sun. There were traces of deep scratches that looked like the ray of the sun only it wasn't a beautiful sight knowing it was carved on his flesh.
Aside from the wound on his chest there were also deep cuts here and there. Some of it may have been caused by the slavers but it was hard to imagine where he got the piercing wounds. It didn't hit any vital spots which might've saved his life but for that many, it was hard to believe he didn't die from blood loss.
"What were your friends like?" Liza added refusing to go back into the awkward atmosphere.
"They were… ugh!"
The slave was suddenly holding his head in throes curling down. Liza tried to calm him down but Leon stopped her. He was still wary of the condition of this slave.
"Liza, be careful, we still don't know his condition."
Once again Liza bit her soft lips while looking at the slave and his current condition. Leon knew the soft side of his friend, even with her sharp tongue, that doesn't change the fact that she was a sweet girl deep inside.
"…sorry. And you don't have to worry. I won't attack my master… uh, I mean my saviors… I am after all indebted to you for buying me off that place."
He remembered what Liza told him. He was no dumb as well.
Leon and Liza studied him for a bit. He reverted back to his somber demeanor. Smiling back at them, albeit forcefully or maybe he wasn't use to this.
"Give it to me Leon-kun, we won't be able to talk freely when his bound."
"Ah! Liza."
Unable to bear the sight of the bound slave, Liza took to herself to release him despite the reluctance of Leon. He didn't argue with her though. He realized that at some point this was needed. It wasn't like he bought the slave for manual labor but as companion for their quest.
*sigh*
This was draining the three of them.
Leon gave her the key and sat to the chair in the corner of the room, his right hand on the hilt of his knife sheathed behind him. He wanted to be ready just in case.
There was a sense of relief in the eyes of the slave when Liza finished releasing his hands and feet bound by chain. The slave bowed his head, water in his eyes when he uttered his gratitude.
"Thank you. I don't know what was happening to me… until I was already bound by chain."
"You mean amnesia."
"I don't know… but I remember everything except… when I try to recall things before I was captured by the slavers. My head begins to hurt and I was confused by all that was happening."
"I see… so you don't even know what happened to you. Hu? What's that on your neck?"
Leon noticed the mark on the right side of the slave's neck. Right below his ear, there was like a surgically implanted mark which reads G-10.
"It looks like a tag for slaves."
"But those scumbags don't mark their slaves like that… it will depreciate their value so usually it's in the chains." So Leon showed the two of them the mark that was in the chain. There was a number that reads XX1984XX. The number makes more sense and so they concluded that this was maybe part of the lost memory of the slave.
"Still it won't be convenient. Don't you know, maybe, at least your name?"
"My name… I know but I don't want to be called that anymore. I guess I wanted a new life and really forget about everything. I am afraid of what I may remember…"
Liza stood understanding that recent exchange. "So how about we just call him G for the time being?"
"G?"
"Hmm! It's short and easily remembered." She nodded while humming eyes closed.
"Then G it is." Leon concluded. There was no use getting hung over the name anyway and the slave smiled at his new name.
"I think it suited me. G, just a single letter, but that is so I can make a restart."
What he said carried a lot of meaning. Leon and Liza understood that there was more to this slave but decided not to pry on his past. He doesn't seem to have any inclination to remember his past as well.
Leon must've felt that was for the better. That feeling he got from him, of G having a bloodlust of a murderer or maybe even a mass murderer, but it doesn't matter now. At least not anymore… that was not needed.
The three of them needed this however… a fresh start.
Thanks for reading… I know I have a lot to work on
My idea of using the name "G" for my protagonist is because it's seventh letter in the alphabet and supposedly in many literary fiction, 7th of the 7th of the 7th is the strongest…blah blah… but also because I want to name him Galahad which is to me the strongest knight in the round table.