"Alright, and just how is… this… special..." Claymore asked, trailing off as he stared with wide eyes at something. His friend nodded as he too eyed the artifact that the woman was holding with wonder.
"Because, sir… this is something that nobody has ever seen before," he pointed out with a slow nod. Claymore walked slowly up to the table and leaned closer as the woman held the object out for him to see.
"Where… did you find this?" he asked carefully.
"Deep within the mine, sir. We didn't find anything else around it, but are still searching the surrounding tunnels as we speak. It was buried under the rocks, it was only by a lucky strike from a digger that we uncovered it," his friend answered with a shrug. Everybody watched as Claymore slowly reached out and took hold of the artifact, holding it up in the light while his eyes examined it with amazement. His friend glanced to him then back to the object.
"Should I inform the council about this?" he asked softly. Staring at the artifact with unblinking eyes through his glasses Claymore slowly nodded.
"Yes… yes, tell them at once. This… is indeed a great find," he said with a hushed tone of amazement.
In his hand was a unique object, something of the likes that he had never seen before. It looked to be a fraction of a sphere, an eighth of one, which was made of a strange metal that appeared dull and dark. The rounded side of it had strange etchings and lines carved across while the flat edges had a few angular lines etched into them as well. It weighed almost nothing at all as the man tilted it in the light, the tip being pointed and giving off a faint blue glow. He ran his other hand along it slowly, admiring the object which was nearly the size of his hand. As he examined it closely the etchings seemed to glow a soft blue light, the man watching as the light traveled around through the etchings briefly before going dark again. The artifact gave off a slight pulse, the human feeling the resonating wave through his hands as he stared at it with wonder.
"It's magical of some kind, it has to be," another researcher claimed, looking closely at the artifact.
"You think it was made by the monsters?" a woman asked curiously.
"I doubt it was made by a human, the pickaxe that struck it got chipped digging it out. But that thing… not a scratch on it," another man said shaking his head.
"What do you think it is?" the woman sitting at the table asked curiously. The researcher holding the artifact shook his head slowly as he examined the strange relic closely.
"Whatever it is… it is truly a great treasure," he said softly with an intrigued tone.
*****
Walking down a street in the city Triska was carrying her duffel bag over her shoulder with one hand, holding a bag of gold given to her by Alyssa in the other that also held the reins to Lucky, and was looking down in thought as she led the horse towards the stables near the eastern wall.
"I come to Ashwood hoping for some alone time with Daniel since Squeak and Alyssa can't go near him, and what do I end up doing? I go shopping with Squeak while Daniel heads off to the library alone," she said shaking her head. With a sigh she then looked ahead with a calm gaze while Lucky trotted along behind her.
"It's not like I didn't want to be with Daniel, it's just… I couldn't leave Squeak alone in the city. She was scared, and wouldn't have been safe with all those people around her," she reasoned to herself. She blinked then looked up with a thoughtful expression.
"Wow, I chose to be with a monster girl over Daniel in the city, what's up with me?" she asked softly. She smirked slightly and shook her head while she and Lucky made their way through the streets, no longer receiving any glares or cautious glances from the people around her now that she wasn't being accompanied by a monster.
"I chose to help a monster girl who was alone. Just like Daniel would have done if he were in my shoes," she said softly. After a pause she laughed slightly to herself and glanced back to Lucky.
"Guess that proves my point huh? I'm dedicated to Daniel's cause just as he is, I really am the right choice as his girl, aren't I?" she asked playfully. Lucky snorted as he shook his head slightly. Triska looked at him curiously then showed a dull smile.
"You think Alyssa is the better choice for him, don't you?" she asked flatly. Lucky nodded with a small neigh, walking calmly behind Triska as she just looked back ahead with a dull expression.
"You really are loyal to your witch, aren't you?" she said with annoyance while leading Lucky towards the stables in the city. They were wooden barns built against the surrounding wall, the buildings being painted a soft white with red shingles. Outside were large pens with wooden fences, with a few horses trotting around while stablemen were walking around dressed in dirtied clothing and leather boots. To the side were several carriages set near the wall, with some ranging from small two-seater carts while others were larger enclosed caravans. There were a few stagecoaches off to the side which were being painted while a few muscular men were putting a new axel and wheel on another that was on its side.
"Alright, Lucky, let's get you a new set of wheels," Triska said walking up towards a few men who were near the side of the stable. She led the horse up to them as a few smiled at her.
"Good day, miss, that's a fine horse you have there," one of them said politely.
"Thanks, but he's not mine, just getting him a new carriage for the owner," Triska said with a shrug.
"Well we have them in all shapes and sizes, what are you looking for?" the man asked glancing to the rows of parked rides. Triska looked them over with a curious eye.
"Well, we have four in our party, and are going to be out in the outerlands for a while. Something with a bit of room would be nice," she said casually.
"I see, well if you're thinking of traveling out in the outerlands I wouldn't recommend traveling light, it's a long trip to any other city from here. Provided you have the necessities, I would say one of our caravans would be a better fit, especially if you want to have four people traveling comfortably," the man said, gesturing over to a few parked caravans in the row. They were larger carriages, larger than Alyssa's even, and would reasonably fit the four travelers and their belongings inside. They all had slightly rounded roofs, with the top being painted brown with the body having a soft white coating, and no windows on the sides. The front had a seat for two passengers and it had four wooden wheels, all of them thicker than Alyssa's carriages had and larger as well. Inside the cabin was enough space for the travelers to move around, at least while ducking down slightly, with the back being closed off with a small square window in the middle.
"Now that's a decent ride," Triska said looking over a caravan curiously. She walked over to it with a slight smile then looked towards the man that was nodding in agreement.
"So, how much?" she asked.
"Well, these here are a great choice for going out into the world, but they don't come cheap," he said with a smirk. Triska nodded then shook her bag of gold with a curious expression.
"Hmm… I think I have enough," she said looking back to him with a smirk of her own. He chuckled and walked over to the caravan.
"I don't mind selling one to a young lady willing to pay, but these rides here may be a tad too large for your horse. You might want to get another steed to pull them for you. If you want I can show you our horses here," he said looking over towards the ranch.
"Trust me, Lucky here will be fine. He's got a lot of stamina," Triska said confidently. The man looked at her curiously, then to the horse. It looked to be an average horse; however it seemed unlikely that it could pull the large caravan all on its own, especially with four well-supplied travelers aboard.
"Lucky, huh? Well alright then, if you think he can do it on his own. This ride here is priced at 200 gold coins, a very good deal considering they’re all brand new," he said with a chuckle. He motioned his friends to head over and ready the caravan, with two stablemen promptly running over and giving it a quick check before it was sold. The man smirked and looked back to Triska, the girl nodding and
opening the bag of gold to count the money. She dropped her duffel bag to the ground as she gathered some coins in her hand, the large bag slamming into the dirt and kicking up a dust cloud. The men all stopped and stared with wide eyes as she casually counted to herself while plucking out some gold coins from the smaller bag that wasn't lying on the ground with a large crack under it.
"What… the…" the man said with surprise as the teen kept casually counting quietly to herself while she sifted her hand through the bag of gold. The ground under the duffel bag cracked some more while the men around the area stared at the sight with wide eyes. After a while Triska dumped the coins in her hand back into the pouch then handed it over to the stableman.
"Here's 180, I have the rest in my duffel bag,” she said casually. She blinked then saw the strange expression on his face as he just stared at her.
"What's wrong?" she asked simply. After a long pause of silence he looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"What are you trying to pull, just what kind of monster are you?" he asked sternly.
"What? Monster? I'm not a monster, I'm human just like you," Triska said confused. The man reached down and grabbed the strap to the duffel bag, then strained and grunted as he tried to lift it up. The other men around the area watched closely while Triska watched the guy with a raised eyebrow.
"What the… how the hell is this thing so heavy?" he asked in disbelief. Triska glanced to the bag then to him as he let it go and shook his head with discontent.
"There's no way you're human, no human girl could carry that thing with one hand," he accused sharply, pointing to her with a glare. She looked at him with puzzlement then down to her bag.
"What are you talking about? It's just my duffel bag, it's not that heavy," she said shaking her head.
The ground under the duffel bag cracked apart some more, then gave away slightly as it dropped down into a small rut. The man stared at it with wide eyes then back to Triska with a glare.
"Like hell it's not heavy. Now beat it, we don't sell these to monsters like you. Go to the marketplace if you want to buy something," he scoffed, waving his hand away. Triska looked at him with a bit of surprise then glared at him.
"Hey, hold on a second here. I'm not a monster, I'm a human girl. Just because you're lacking upper body strength doesn't give you the right to make such wild accusations," she said sternly.
The duffel bag dropped down another foot into the ground as a dust cloud rose up, the area around the small hole cracking more as the men looked down to it with wide eyes.
"Furthermore I'm a paying customer, remember? I got the gold you wanted for the caravan, I'm paying for it in full without any complaints," Triska continued as she glared at the man still, not seeing the bag dropping down yet another foot as a loud crunching sound was heard in the now deep hole in the ground. The man glanced down to it then back to the girl as she pointed a finger at him with a narrowed stare.
"And I resent being called a monster, I'm a human being and damn proud of it! So don't go running your mouth about me being a monster of Eden, I may not have my sword with me but I can damn well kick your ass with my fists alone!" she yelled out. The man blinked then looked down to the bag that was deep in the hole between them. Triska grunted then reached down and grabbed the strap of the bag, hoisting it up and slinging it over her shoulder with one hand.
"I know how you people treat monsters that do come through here; even though this is a neutral city you still overcharge them and treat them like crap. It's despicable, it's no wonder they treat you like cattle out there in the world," she said loudly. The man opened his mouth to speak before Triska dropped her duffel bag next to her, the ground again cracking and crushing in slightly as the men around the area looked at it with wide eyes.
"I mean, yeah, I get it. They're monsters; they steal men away and use them to breed with. But you're the ones that decided to allow them in here to trade with, to buy their stuff that's of much higher quality and value than your own junk. If you want them to come here so you can get their stuff, then I suggest showing a little goddamned hospitality. You want to bash their skulls in when you see them outside, that's your choice. But in a neutral city you show them some goddamned equality!" she yelled out.
Over in the courtyard Alyssa and Squeak were sitting at the edge of the fountain, the two monster girls waiting for their companions to return. After a pause Alyssa blinked then glanced off towards the eastern side of the city.
"I don't know why, but I feel like Triska's screwing up," she said flatly.
Back at the stables where a loud girl's yell was heard the stablemen were just staring at Triska with stunned expressions while she was glaring at the man in front of her. Lucky just stood quietly behind her still, casually looking around as his tail swished about behind him gently. Triska reached into her duffel bag and pulled out the remaining gold coins for the purchase, dropping them into the small carrying pouch and then chucking it at the man with discontent. He caught it with a surprised jump as she pointed to him accusingly.
"If you want to do business in this city then you can start by showing some respect for your customers. There's your money, 200 gold coins for the caravan, and I'd appreciate it if you would keep your outrageous accusations to yourself," she said sternly. The man glanced down to the bag then back to the girl as she put a hand to her hip with an annoyed expression. She grabbed her duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder then grabbed Lucky's reins.
"Well? Are you going to help a young lady hitch up the ride to her horse or not? What kind of men are you anyway, where are your manners?" she demanded, looking around at all the stablemen that were just staring at her.
"Uh…" the stableman holding the gold said unsurely.
"You people are unbelievable. I can understand your resentment towards monsters, but show a little goddamned class in the presence of a lady," Triska said shaking her head with a scoff. The man glanced to the other stablemen then back to the girl with a bit of concern.
"But…" he said nervously.
"But nothing! This is horrible service, what are you trying to pull here? Do I need to get the city guard here to straighten this out?" Triska threatened with a sharp look at him. He jumped a bit and shook his head nervously.
"No, no that won't be necessary. Really, I'm sorry… about saying…" he stuttered as he saw the girl somehow carrying the bag with one hand behind her back. She raised an eyebrow at him as he stammered something, the man then pausing for a moment before smiling nervously.
"Ah, never mind. Forget I said anything… miss," he said as he motioned for the two stablemen nearby to resume getting the caravan ready. They glanced to each other then proceeded to get the ride set while Triska walked Lucky over towards it. She stopped and glanced to the man as she passed him.
"If I were a monster, I wouldn't bother trying to take you away out there. I would want somebody who isn't so thickheaded that he can't tell the difference between a monster and a human girl," she stated with discontent. The man opened his mouth to speak as she walked past him, and then closed his mouth as he watched her carrying the duffel bag without any issues whatsoever. The two stablemen helped hitch Lucky to the front of the caravan while Triska climbed aboard, the girl setting her duffel bag down inside the cabin. She sat at the driver's seat and took the reins, then glanced to the men as they just stared at her with wonder.
"A pleasure doing business with you," she said dryly before snapping the reins. Lucky started trotting off down the street with the caravan in tow, the single horse pulling the larger wagon with little problem. The stablemen just stared with wide eyes as the man holding the bag of gold dropped it with a stunned expression.
"Wow… that’s… a strong horse," he said quietly.
Triska watched as Lucky pulled the caravan down the street at a calm pace, the horse moving along while she had a dull expression on her face.
"What's with everybody doubting that I'm a human anyway? I just don't get it," she questioned quie
tly to herself. Looking back ahead she shrugged with a calm smile. She had their ride out in the outerlands now; all that was left was to regroup then set off into the world.
*****
Daniel rubbed his eyes a bit then looked back down to his guidebook, glancing over to the monster book that was from the library next to it then back to his as he compared the entries with the ones in the other book. He had been making sure his current records were accurate while also adding in a few others that he hadn't known of. He set down his pen as he rechecked his writing again then smiled curiously.
"I didn't realize there were so many different types of monsters in this world, I wonder how many are in this region alone," he asked himself quietly as he looked through the book from the library.
"Quite a few actually," Specca said from behind him. He looked over to see the nixie smiling at him with a curious expression.
"Were there any in particular you were hoping to meet first?" she asked.
"Oh, hello, Specca. Well, I didn't have any in mind, I guess any I can find will do," he said looking back to his book.
"Oh, but you must be careful out there, Daniel, not all monsters would be so willing to talk about such ideas as coexistence. Some of them can be rather… unpleasant with their men," Specca cautioned as she walked over beside him. Daniel nodded then glanced to her.
"Well, what about your race?" he asked quietly. She looked around to make sure nobody was nearby then shrugged slightly.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 43