The Keeper's Codex: Ashen Memories

by A. D. Wills

  “I can hold on to it, if you want,” Sappo offered up.

  “Suit yourself."

  “Where do you suppose we can find a contract?” Snillrik inquired.

  “There's supposed to be a guild somewhere in the city,” Caden mentioned.

  “We should've probably asked him about where the adventurer's guild might be...” Sappo mentioned.

  “Yeah, I guess we should've eh?” Caden laughed at the realization with a gleeful skip in his step toward entering the city. “There's probably no way we can miss a place like that though, right?”

  The three of them marched into the city, and their eyes froze in marveling at Tortsia's magnificence. Not in their wildest dreams could they have imagined this. The wide polished marble streets congested with hordes of people of all races from all over, going in and out of the busy market strip. Little canals cutting throughout the city, and under quaint connecting bridges from one section to the other. Fancy fountains shooting off in carefully arranged elaborate designs, thanks to Vessi trinkets imported from Avara. Detailed buildings as if they themselves were pieces of art—all capped with diamond rooftops, and some so fortunate as to be draped in rich green ivy. Tortsia wasn't at all averse to flaunting its vast riches. Lyndenwell might be the envy of all cities, but Tortsia put it to shame with its exuberant extravagance.

  As amazed as they were, they couldn't see anything much past what's immediately in front of them. The city layered around, stacked in on itself, and packed with people. There wasn't much room for anyone to get a clear view of anything.

  “There's no way we can see the guild from here...” Caden sighed.

  Sappo tried spotting out anyone who might be able to help, but there weren't even any guards nearby. “I'd say we ask someone, but they all look too busy to bother stopping to help...”

  “Hmm, there must be some kind of guide we can find,” Snillrik reasoned.

  Snillrik, and Sappo turned when they didn't hear a reply from Caden, only to notice he was already up ahead, trying to climb onto the roof of a nearby shop—flailing his feet around in failing to get any sort of footing.

  “What are you doing up there?” Sappo rushed over beneath Caden's dangling feet to stop him from falling.

  “There you are, I tried to get your attention, but I guess you two couldn't hear over the crowd. Mind giving me a boost?” Caden asked with a bashful grin.

  Sappo looked around to see if anyone was about to stop and catch them in the act, but no one cared. No one even looked their way on the way into the City much more than a passing glance. Even as an Ursine, and a Vessi, between the amount of other creatures and people Tortsia attracted, and tending to their own business, they didn't care much past a fleeting curious glance over Snillrik and Sappo's way. From half-ogres, giants, even some avians—sentient humanoid birds of all kinds of variations. They could have fallen flat on their faces, and the crowd would have kept going, threatening to trample them over.

  Sappo clasped his hands, and launched Caden up on the roof with ease.

  “Here, this might help a little.” Snillrik took their scope out, and tossed it up to Caden who barely managed to catch it.

  “Do you see anything up there?” Sappo tried hurrying Caden along, still a little concerned with an aching feeling in his stomach he tried ignoring.

  Caden stretched out the scope, and scanned all over the city. “Not really, but I see one path blocked off by guards, and then another bridge that a bunch of others are walking over. Oh, and there's a little dock down a set of stairs leading to some boats, and no one's waiting in line either.” Caden hopped back down.

  “Maybe taking a boat would be our best way of getting around. It seems like we might be able to get a better look at the city moving around there,” Snillrik suggested.

  “I was hoping you'd say that, let's do it!” Caden relished at the thought, and ran ahead—bumping into everyone he possibly could in the crowd.

  Sappo and Snillrik kept up as best they can, trying to not cause as much of a disturbance.

  Just ahead, they spotted a boatman leaning against the wet cobblestone steps that led to his makeshift dock below one of the arching bridges. Caden didn't waste time running down the steps, and leaped off with Sappo and Snillrik soon catching up.

  The boatman poked his floppy hat up from his tired looking eyes, glancing the three of them up and down. “Escort or delivery?” he asked with a cracked smoke-laced voice, pushing off the wall and reaching down for a wooden pipe to stuff full of laef; a plant that did well to relax one's nerves with a mild dose, and full-blown bend it with anything much stronger.

  The three of them looked at each other, not knowing what to say at first.

  “Uh, can you take us to Tortsia's adventurers guild?” Caden asked with a heightened confused pitch.

  “So, you three are adventurers eh...haven't seen your like around here in a little while. Least not any legitimate ones,” the boatman mumbled with the pipe stuck in his mouth.

  “Really? Then we probably have a bunch of contracts to ourselves.” Caden clenched his fists, eager to hop on the little boat and get going.

  “Yeah, sure...” The boatman rolled his eyes. “You got any coin?” He held his hand out.

  “How much do you need?” Caden asked, looking through his sack of coin in front of the boatman.

  “First rule here for new folk like you three; Never show how much you've got before the price is set, especially not here among the sharks. Anyone who's been here before 'ain't dumb enough to show their coin to a stranger in this city.” The boatman took two coin from Caden's palm to put it in his pocket. “Get on, I'll take ya to the guild.”

  Caden, Sappo and Snillrik hopped aboard into the back. Along the way, they peered over the edge of the boat, enchanted by the colorful fish swimming right beneath them. Golden, orange, blue, purple—all kinds of colorful fish perfectly in view in the crystal clear canal.

  Sappo hadn't seen such colorful fish before, and looked around before he dipped his big paw into the water to try and pluck one up and take it to eat later. He just couldn't resist the chance of getting a rare ingredient.

  Just as one of the fish was about to slide into his paw, the boatman took a sudden swerving turn down a branching canal, jostling Sappo from his balance—nearly whipping him overboard.

  The boatman looked back to see what all the moving around back there was all about, but they all quickly shot upright, looking away as if nothing had happened, with painfully obvious looks of guilt.

  They carried on before appearing out from underneath another bridge, and into another section of the city where they spotted a building that stuck out from all the rest.

  With pearly pillars propping up a golden awning roof reaching over the steep marble steps leading up to the wide solid silver doors. It looked richer—more lush and extravagant than anything else they had seen thus far in all of Tortsia, and that was already quite the high bar to clear.

  Without warning, those heavy doors violently swung open, and a couple of brutes threw a beaten broken man down the steps, while everyone else in the streets just kept going about their business.

  The two brutes stalked him down, relishing the look of his tear covered emaciated face, wearing scraggy clothes and all—a glaring contrast to the two brutes who wore gold trimmed clothing, well suited for a royal presence.

  “Please...please I beg you to give me some more time—one more chance, is all I ask.” The broken man couldn't run away with his leg twisted the other way around from the fall, and with the two brutes now lurching over him.

  Even in that state, he prostrated himself, bowing his head as far down as it could go, clenching his fists tight, while his entire body shook riddled with nerves and pain shooting throughout.

  The brutes didn't speak back. They looked satisfied enough watching him grovel before their feet—grinning down at him with disgusting pleasure.

  “We have nothing to eat in the slums, please, I know I can win so
me back...tell the Baron I'll double my services—”

  “Quiet,” one of the two brutes kicked the man in the face, sending a few teeth flying loose, and a splash of blood that painted the once perfectly clean street. “You're to wait for the Baron's decision.”

  “Of course, yes...my apologies.” The broken man pathetically went back to prostrate himself, as a puddle of tears began to gather on the ground.

  A few moments later, a portly man with a trimmed beard creeping down his neck, in snobby flashy garments with puffy sleeves, wearing a purple feathered cap, revealed himself at the top of the steps. He bore a pretentious smarmy smirk, and made his way down the steps.

  “Baron Von Weiss,” the brutes spoke in unison, followed by a bow.

  “Yes yes, that's quite enough you two, well done.” The Baron nonchalantly waved them off, speaking in a haughty tone. “Goodness, I can smell that horrid stench from here,” the Baron pinched his nose, further humiliating the broken man, quivering at his feet. “Do you lot not bathe in the slums? If I didn't know any better, I would think there to be an animal laying here at my feet. Then again, at least an animal would know better than to displease me.”

  “My apologies Lord Baron,” was all the broken man said, but was only met with Baron Von Weiss reaching out his foot beneath his face, wiggling it around for him to kiss. Without any choice, he puckered up, and kissed it.

  “Oh how pathetic are you? Not so much of a spine, showing just how worthless you are. I'm sure this family of yours you mentioned is so proud to have a man of your stature among them. Perhaps I should get a good look at your wife, and see if she's worthy of joining my humble harem so I can show her what a real man is like. But then again, I wouldn't wager someone like you would be able to wrangle up anyone remotely appealing.”

  “I've had enough—” Caden ground down on his teeth, and shot up to his feet in a fury. Before he could say another word, the boatman shoved him right back down to his seat with his paddle.

  “Shut your mouths, unless you want to join him,” the boatman spoke. “Look away if you have to, but I'm not getting' involved with the Baron. But you're probably better off looking to get a glimpse of how everything works around here."

  “Lucky for you, one thing I'm known for is I'm a generous man—a forgiving one as well, so I will give you one last chance. Now, go on then, plead your piece, tell me why I should pardon you and your egregious debt,” the Baron snickered down, reveling in his desperation.

  “Please...Lord Baron...my family and I haven't eaten in days and all I need—”

  With the slightest of nods from the Baron, one of the brutes lopped his head clean off with a heavy ax.

  “Pity, he should have cut to the point quicker than that.” Baron Von Weiss kicked the man's head away, and into the canal, leaving his body there to rot on display. “Oh, clean this mess up, will you? I would rather not have those filthy rags of his touching my streets any longer than they have to.”

  “Of course, Baron.” the two brutes bowed, and proceeded to haul the headless corpse away.

  “No one's going to do anything?” Caden seethed, tightly gripping the side of the boat in a fit of rage, as he watched everyone in the street simply go on with their own affairs. If anything, they laughed, and snickered among one another.

  “How can they all just stand there?” Sappo asked, rattled and sick to his stomach.

  “There must be some sort of proper authority here...” Snillrik looked around.

  “Those were them. They all work for the Baron,” the boatman groaned with a solemn expression. “Looks like the guy owed the Baron some coin, so he can do whatever he wants about that."

  “Come on, all that just for some coin he owed?” Caden refused to just let this slide.

  The boatman looked around, just in case anyone was standing close enough to the edges over the canals to hear them.

  “It's just how things have always been 'round here. All of Tortsia belongs to the Baron, so he can do what he wants. It's not just the gambling house either, he pretty much built this place into what it is today. So whether anyone likes it or not, he's the reason this place is so successful. Problem is, unless you're nice and wealthy, or renowned, you're not getting very far here. Sure, you can try your luck at the gambling house, and maybe you'll win a little at first too, but it never ends well. The poor are stuck in a vicious cycle of growing debt, unable to escape, while the rich feed off of it. This place is both a trap, and a haven. Sometimes that's just how it is, so you best learn to get used to it.”

  “It's horrible, the very top controlling every single aspect of living. Keeping the poor in check, and under their thumb rather efficiently...” Snillrik was all too familiar with the way things were done in Tortsia. Even if it was their first time here, it felt like being back home in Avara.

  “See, they get it,” the boatman carried on in calm striding paddling.

  “Things shouldn't be like that though. I mean, shouldn't the King help, or what about anyone else—they've got to know about all this right?” Caden continued to press the boatman.

  “You really don't know anything do you? No one in power would want to ruin what's a good deal for themselves,' the boatman began. “They all know about the Baron, but almost all trade goes through Von Weiss with his reach being so wide. Cheap goods, cheap labor, cheap everything. It's all enough for them to turn the other way, and convince themselves it's not so bad. Even if anyone bothered trying to do something, he's as untouchable as they come, working for the divines.”

  “Divines...” Caden tapped his chin, trying to remember where he heard that name before.

  “...They're the ones who chased us back in Kirilia,” Sappo cut in to give Caden an assist.

  “Oh yeah, that's them!”

  “You were chased by them?” The boatman's voice cracked in surprise.

  “Yeah, a couple of them want to take Snill back to Avara, but we got away no problem,” Caden pressed his thumb to his chest, proud as ever.

  “Then you better keep moving. If you're already in trouble with the Divines, this is one of the last places you want to be,” the boatman's voice hurried in tone, as did his paddling.

  "What's the big deal with them?" Caden asked.

  “All we common folk know are the three divine family names, Judocus, Zephyros, and Verdain. Catch wind of those, and run the other way is the best advice I could give you. If you get caught up in their business, you may as well sign your life away right then and there, and I promise no one would bother helping you either," A sense of familiar dread seeped through the boatman's voice.

  “We're only passing through here anyway, right?” Sappo answered, and turned to Caden.

  “Yeah, we just want a contract. And there's nothing to really see here other than the guild anyway,” Caden curled his fists, and turned over to the gambling house. Even he knew he couldn't go there, not yet.

  “About that,” the boatman began. “There's not much of a guild left.”

  “May I ask where you're taking us then?” Snillrik felt a growing lump in their throat.

  “Oh, sorry, it's there. Didn't mean anything shady by it. But anyone you'll see in that guild works for Von Weiss, or they're even his damn kids who linger around there when they're bored. He scoops up all the contracts for himself, and pays people to do them for him while picking and choosing the rewards as he sees fit. I wasn't going to say anything, but call this a bit of pity for a few rookies.”

  “Wait, he just sits and waits for the reward!?” Caden blurted out. “Why would anyone want to do that? What a waste...”

  “...Thanks for the advice,” an embarrassed Sappo nodded to make up for Caden's lack of manners.

  Turning down one more canal, Caden, Sappo, and Snillrik saw a dock up ahead at a dead-end which had to be their stop. Above the canals though, a big stretching wall blocked everything off. They couldn't see anything up ahead, but once they passed under the bridge, it was as if they entered another city altogeth
er.

  “What is this...” Snillrik gazed, stunned at the stark contrast between where they were just seconds ago, and here.

  All of the buildings above on the streets were rundown, dirty, and more or less abandoned with only smatterings of people walking around in a slumped depressing daze. No kind of bustling market, with only a few mostly barren food-stands around, and cries of hungry children echoing about the slums.

  “Told ya, it's different for most people here,” the boatman grumbled, all too used to making this trip—numbed by the sight, as he pulled into the dock.

  Caden's face sank for once, seeing a sight he was all too familiar with, having grown up in Stonehill. He knew these people didn't even have a chance.

  “Alright, that's it then. Good luck to ya, you three will definitely need it." The boatman held the boat close to the dock.

  “Well, thanks for everything...” Caden and the others hopped off, while he fished for a name.

  “Name's Daunton,” he yelled back, as he pushed off the dock to slowly depart back down the canals.

  “Caden,” Caden shouted to Daunton, drifting away.

  “Snillrik.”

  “Sappo.”

  “If you three make it back here someday in one piece, I'll take ya around again.” Daunton turned away. “They might be naive, but it's nice seeing there're still some out there like that,” Daunton muttered to himself with a growing grin.

  “Did he have to say it like that?” Sappo asked aloud.

  “No worries Sappo, even if we're not here in one piece, he still said we'd make it back,” Caden reasoned, blitzing up the stairs on their way to find the guild.

  “I'm not so sure he meant it like that...” Snillrik corrected.

  “I can feel it now, we're so close to our first contract! Even if they work for the Baron, no way they can just take all them for themselves, right?”

  Snillrik and Sappo caught up to Caden up the stairs, keeping up to chase down and find their target amid the sketchy slums, the adventurer's guild.

  Chapter 7: The King's Tournament