by Dakota Krout
“Guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.” Hans happily chattered, clapping Dale on the shoulder. “Feel like getting a hot meal halfway across the world? If I recall correctly, you get free access for yourself~ and friends!” He finished with a broad wink.
“Why not? You’ll show me around right? I’ve never been off the mountains.” Hans suddenly contemplated what he would be able to see soon.
“You know it! Get your money, I know just the place to bring you.” Hans grinned, a worrisome glint coming into his eyes.
They went and prepared themselves, then regrouped and joined the rather long queue that was slowly moving into the portal. Dale spotted Father Richard ahead, nearly bouncing as he waited his turn. Dale had to laugh at the man's antics.
“Think he is going to go find some stone masons?” Dale casually looked over at Hans, pointing at the powerful priest.
“Who?” Hans peered about.
“Father Richard, over there.”
“Oh. Most likely, I guess. Ah, Dale, about Father Richard, I’ve heard some-”
A bellowing voice reached them abruptly, “Dale! Dale wait, please!”
They turned toward this voice to see James, the portal maker, running toward them. He stopped, panting, face flush and eyes wild.
“Oh. Hello, James.” Dale spoke coolly, “How can I help you?” Dale was still rather displeased with James, his insults still fresh in his mind.
“Dale, please, I want to apologize. I wronged you and acted like a buffoon, holding prejudices for no reason other than to have them. Please don’t make me leave.” James begged. “This place… I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“Oh, now we get to the crux of it.” Hans interjected snidely. “Realized how profitable this area is going to be? How the dungeon has been churning out Runed items like a merchant churns out turds?”
Dale looked at Hans, startled at this unforeseen attitude. Hans, mistaking the look gave an explanation, “They churn turds out frequently. Because they eat so much. Dale? You ok?”
Dale's face was beet red, abruptly he erupted into laughter. Hans looked a bit confused, until he also started laughing. James looked shocked, then affronted, assuming they were calling him names, laughing at him for some reason.
“You don’t have to be cruel about it. I’ll go. The enchantment is already pulling me toward the portal, I may as well just...” James decreed sharply. He turned and started to pace away.
“W-wait!” Dale snorted around his laughter. “You’re fine, James. You don’t have to go, just try not to be an ass to everyone. It isn’t too fun when someone has so much power and you can’t do anything to stop it, right?”
“No. It. Is. Not.” James enunciated bitingly.
“Well, that's what you were trying to do when we met. I hope you can see the parallels in the situation. Bullying me and being pushy, with no regard for my opinion, simply due to your overwhelming strength.” Dale smiled to soften the insult. “Let’s meet up and talk sometime, I’d love to hear about portal making. Plus, I would really rather have you as a friend than an enemy.”
They left James standing there with a shocked look still on his face, as they walked over to the open portal, which they stepped through after a brief talk with the attendant, who marked something in a ledger book.
~Twenty-One~
Dale dropped to the ground heaving.
“Ah, the best and worst feeling in the world.” Hans chattered, glancing fondly at the portal.
“The… Worst… Ye-blargh.” Dale didn’t puke, the long distant breakfast being the only reason. The dry heaving wasn’t fun though.
“Oi! Move it, you’re about to be trampled!” The attendant on this side of the portal shouted.
“Oops. Forgot to tell you to close your eyes when you came through.” Hans grasped Dale, moving him forward as more people appeared in the spot they had been. Luckily, the design of the portal made it like walking through a door, not creating matter in the same area, else portal magic would have quickly gone out of style. With the exploding people and whatnot.
Dale looked around, quickly forgetting his nausea. This was a beautiful area, and the trees and flowers gave off a heady fragrance. A tang of salt was in the air as well, reminding Dale that the Lion Kingdom Capitol was adjacent to the ocean. The whitewashed stone of the surrounding buildings gave off a glare where the sun struck them, making him quickly avert his eyes. His clothing, thick wool under the armor he wore constantly, was already beginning to accumulate sweat as his body registered the heat and humidity of the region.
“This is…” Dale breathed.
“Hot, beautiful, and filthy.” Hans supplied cynically.
Dale looked at him askance, “Filthy?
“Under all that paint and rosy perfume, this is still a city. Last year, the shit piled so high in the streets that the King finally noticed, since his daughter's horse slipped in it, and she got a bit… messy.” Hans quieted near the end of his tale, “Don’t go telling that story too loudly, they’re still a bit, hmm, sensitive about it here. Anyway, the Kingdom paid off the Guild, and hired water Mages to flood the worst of the streets. This allowed careful flushing of everything foul off and away. Even the homeless that lived in the streets.”
“That's… good? Getting rid of the poop at least… Seems a bit temporary though.” Dale ventured. “They just washed people away?”
“Right, good head on those shoulders, boy-o. Well, he also bought most of the earth Mages in the city, their services at least, and they’ve been building an elaborate sewage system under the city. Have been for the better part of a year.” Hans grimaced with finality. “And yes, they don’t particularly care about people that refuse to work for a living. To be homeless in the city, you need a license from the Beggars Guild, which is not a Guild approved by the Realm.”
Dale decided he didn’t really want to get into a political discussion, so he returned to the sewer system, “Why does building it take so long? Seems like it wouldn’t be too hard to make a tunnel with Mana...”
“Ah, now you come to the crux of the matter, stonework is hard, and expensive, but when it is done right, it stays in place pretty much forever. Stone Mages convince the stone that this is the shape they’ve always wanted; it would take intense destructive power to convince them otherwise.” Hans sagely imparted wisdom, “The King does care about his working citizens though, which is the only reason this project is being successful. Since the cost is so high, short term planners don’t really see the worth of the idea, as the common citizens are the main beneficiaries of it.”
“Oh, well I guess I don’t really see why it's such a big deal if they can just cheaply wash it away every once in a while.” Dale suggested.
“There is the argument of the uneducated, my friend. Filth in the streets like that causes unrest, disease, and is a strong blow to morale. Not to mention, who likes shit on their feet?” Hans intently made eye contact, “The sewers will make the place healthier, wealthier, and happier for everyone. More so for cultivators like us, who may live here a very long time.”
Dale was quiet, considering Hans’ words. “Hans, why do you know these things? I mean, I know you’ve been around for a longer time than me but…”
Hans was quiet a short while, a considering look passing along on his face. Finally, he began softly, “Dale, I… Don’t want you to think poorly of me, but I’ll tell you a bit about myself if you’d like.”
Dale nodded, eager to learn about any of his tight-lipped squad mates.
“Alright, well, I grew up here.” Hans started as they walked along a palm tree lined street. “I was the lowest of the low, basically an orphan for how much I saw my father, my mother died before I ever knew her. Undisciplined, wild, and hungry, I joined the street gangs that roam the streets. Kids my age, governed by usually just one adult, someone who survived in the gang long enough to be called an adult at least. The guards are not... kind... to thieves if they are caught.”
Dale gazed on in surprise, he had never expected these revelations. He remained quiet, knowing an interruption might stop the flow of information.
“I… distinguished myself a little too much. I was careless, and boasted of my success. A thief, a real thief, from one of the hidden Guilds, approached me and offered training. It is not an offer you say no to - not if you plan to live. Soon after, I was being taught everything you would expect, stealth, legerdemain, better ways to pickpocket.” Hans glanced at Dale, to see if he had his attention.
“Anyway. Then I was suddenly learning things I didn’t expect. Numbers, letters, politics, current events, etiquette. They had a plan for me, to make a big haul. I ended up in the Guildhall, of all places, at a fancy dinner for the sons and daughters of nobility. We talked, danced, and ate fine food. They never suspected a thing, but always walked away with less jewelry, or coins.” Hans reminisced fondly. “Such easy marks.”
“But my real target was a cache of memory stones locked in the same rooms, the cultivation techniques of the great houses of nobility.” Hans caught the surprised look on Dale's face and grimaced. “Not all cultivation techniques are equal. The royal family draws Essence in as a raging river compared to the trickle of most commoners’ slow dripping. If someone had access to this outside of the royals, it would allow for even cultivation all around the Kingdom.”
“Why isn’t that the case then? Do they just like to subjugate their populations?” Dale spoke with heat in his voice.
“What? No!” Hans yelped, surprised. “The lifespan of Mages and above is measured in centuries. The entire time, they are capable of siring children. Can you imagine what would happen to us if we had hundreds of millions capable of living for that long? They keep their abilities so they can rule wisely, and justly, as well as being the last line of defense for their Kingdom. Their minds don’t wander; their bodies are strong.”
Dale was confused, all he had ever heard was that royals and nobility took and took and never gave aught back. Hans was saying that it was actually because they were trying to preserve their reliant citizens.
“Dale, everyone can cultivate, but as you know it takes time and effort. Also, lots, and lots of pain. People still go off to adventure, but a large portion of them die quickly. What if everyone was a full-time cultivator? No other professions would flourish, and civilization would stagnate. We need everyone, from the lowliest cleaner, to the mightiest warrior. Without all of what we are, we would all likely die off.”
Dale finally nodded in acknowledgement. “I see. So if we had no farmers, because they were more interested in becoming fighters, people would starve for their neglect. No clothing makers, no chefs, no cleaners.”
“Exactly! In fact, that happens when war breaks out, other jobs get forgotten, and the entire Realm suffers for it. It is a sad fact of life as a human.” Hans told Dale, clapping him on the arm with a happy smile. “Now, back to my story. I had opened the drawer with the memory stones, and was taking my leave of the party when a flesh Mage showed up.”
At Dale's incomprehension, Hans informed him, “A flesh Mage is a water Mage who specializes in changing, distorting, all around altering of bodies. Usually human ‘flesh’, you see? They can find anyone, anywhere, if they have even a drop of their blood. They can also follow people from the imprints they leave on the world. Since I had opened the cabinet last, they somehow followed my trail back to the thieves Guild.”
“They sound horrible.” Dale thought about what kind of a person you would need to be to willingly work on living people.
“They are actually rather popular. They are very good healers, and can make people look however they want, given time. Women go to them to remove blemishes or supposed disfigurements, or just to enhance their natural beauty. Men go to them for similar reasons. In my case though, they were coming for revenge.” Hans explained, looking a bit despondent.
“When they found it was a den of thieves, they carelessly massacred everyone there, but finding all the memory stones intact, they stopped caring about me and left, the only reason I am alive today. Instead of blaming them for the deaths of my ‘friends’, I was impressed by their ability to do whatever they wanted. I joined the Guild as soon as they would take me, years later.”
“When did that all happen?” Dale queried.
“Oh, forty-ish years ago, maybe forty-five? Who remembers, besides, we are here!” Hans exclaimed, pointing up.
Dale looked away from his friend and saw they were standing outside a garishly colored building, with suggestive yet refined paintings on the walls. His face got red as he made the assumption as to what kind of establishment this was.
“Hans-” Was all he got out before he was pushed inside by his grinning friend.
***
“Ok Hans, you were right.” Dale groaned as he exhaustedly waved a hand at his friend. “I never knew this could be so… amazing.”
“I told you this was the place to be.” Hans purred.
Dale moaned. “I will never not come back here. It could never be better.”
“What if you were married, would you tell your wife that?” Hans teased.
“Yes, she would have to accept it. Or I could bring her here and she could try it for herself.” Dale sighed contentedly.
“I don’t know, she may like it too much, and that could get expensive.” Hans winked at him. Just then, a busty lady walked over to them.
“Hello, I hope everything was as pleasurable as possible for you today.” She softly addressed them in a husky voice.
“Madame, everything was as wonderful as it could have been.” Hans heaped praise on her, “There is no better place to have a meal than at the Pleasure House. I don’t know how your cooks do it, but it is worth every copper.”
“I will send your compliments to the chef.” She laughed with a smile, “It has been too long, dear Hans. Visit again soon, I’d love to get to know your friend better.” She looked at Dale, considering. “Actually, I have a granddaughter about your age, and if I know Hans, you would be a good match for her.”
Dale was blushing as hard as Hans was laughing. “Ha! You always know how to tickle my sense of humor! No, Madame, he is a cultivator, and has no time for relationships. Maybe in thirty years.”
“Mm. A cultivator? So young! And already nearly into the D-rankings. Quite a catch indeed.” She murmured, glancing at him solicitously.
Dale was still too tongue tied to babble anything, so Hans again took over, “Such a gracious host! Maybe the next time we visit we can meet this lass?”
“When might that be?” She challenged archly, expecting him to say something fancy and disappear for years again.
“Ah, when the wind blows us back to this fair city.” She *humphed* and started walking away when Hans surprised her, “Luckily, that may be soon, as a portal just opened to this young man's home.”
“A new portal? So you are training at the new dungeon, is it true that it is… unaffiliated? The Essence? Anyone can absorb it?” She seemed suddenly nearly desperate, which she tried and failed to hide.
“Yes!” Dale finally loosened his tongue and responded too loudly. He coughed, “Uh, yes, it is. So far.”
“Do you know any way that I could send my granddaughter there to train as a cultivator?” Madame demanded.
“Uhh.” Dale looked at Hans for help.
“Also, I could not send her there alone, I would need to establish a restaurant there myself. I am sure you all needed to work out land management there, have you met the owner? I hear he is allowing businesses to set up for a beastly amount of money, but I would still go.”
“Where did you hear that from?” Dale thought he was being fair to people.
“Members of the Mage Guild eat here regularly, some of them were the first through the portal, and they came here with their gossip.” She proudly announced. “I hear that the landowner is even making the church pay a tithe to him. Then he refused the services of the portal Guild until they gave
into his outrageous demands. Bet you didn’t know that, did you?” She finished a bit smugly.
“No. No, I didn’t.” Dale dejectedly replied.
“I’ve met him, and I think he was being more than reasonable, Madame. The Mages tried to browbeat him into submission, and the Church offered up a small percentage of its profits for prime realty.” Hans admonished her, “In the end they both got fair deals based on what they could pay.”
“Oh! So you actually do know him then? Do you think he would welcome the idea of a Pleasure House in the area?” Madame inquired, not seeming to notice Dale’s introspective look, “Or a team that would allow a young lady to train with them?”
“He’d go for the restaurant if you fed him and offered a fair deal.” Dale muttered hollowly. “I don’t know any teams but my own so…”
Hans cut in darkly, “Madame, you know that to get on a Guild team you need to be in the Guild. I wouldn’t trust another team with the proper care of a Lady in a place where there are ways to make a body disappear, without worry, in a way no one will question.”
“You are right of course. I’ll start with the dining house then. Who is in charge there right now? Jeffrey?” Madame seemed to understand that these two wanted to be left alone, so tried to hurry the conversation along.
“Frank.” Dale droned monotonously, all happy thoughts of food long past.
“Well, that’ll make this easy then.” She laughed, “He can’t resist me at all, and the landowner will assuredly want good food available for his tenants.”
“I’m sure he will.” Dale mumbled, earning an elbow to the ribs and a glare from Hans.
As Madame walked away, Hans turned curiously to the usually cheerful young man, “Dale, what is the matter with you?”
“Does everyone think so poorly of me?” Dale blatantly questioned him.
Hans eyed him, finally deciding not to lie, “Only those who don’t know the facts, or you.” He admitted reluctantly.