Chapter 19: Civilization

It was midday the next day before Bon called back to the trio riding in the wagon. Stretching, they all exited the still trundling wagon and jogged to catch up with the driver’s seat.

“Almost there dearies. Should be over this next rise. Get yourselves a look. I love approachin’ the Keep from here,” the Inlon said happily.

She was right; the view was amazing. Over the next ridge, they saw the city and its remaining lands spread out below them. It was miles and miles wide. Annita struggled to get a proper scale for the city. A black stone wall surrounded the outskirts. From their vantage point, several districts could be seen, all made from wood and the same dark stone as the walls. It gave the city a bleak, dark appearance against the brilliant snow that surrounded it. Nearer the center of the Keep, the buildings of commoners faded into industry. Warehouses and large workshops were visible even at this distance, their smoke billowing into the air as their wares were crafted.

Past these was the Keep itself. A large, black castle set upon the hill at the center of the sprawl. Its walls were, of course, black stone, but capped with white crenelations and towers. Eight of these towers surrounded a central building with a steepled roof that reminded Annita of a church. She couldn’t see much else from this distance.

Despite the imposing visage of the city, it seemed active, with a good amount of people coming and going from several gates in the walls. To the west, Annita spied the telltale tracks of the train she’d been told about, though it did not seem to be present at the moment.

“Welcome tae Graven Keep,” Kat said, clapping Annita on the back. “Center of martial might in the Korvan Kingdom. It’s a rough and tumble place, but it’s got heart. Let’s get ourselves movin’! Thanks fer the ride you two. Been an absolute pleasure.”

“Y’all stay safe now, ya hear?” grunted Jessamy. “Eas guide you on your travels.”

“And to you as well,” returned Bren. “Let us gather our things and be off.”

A short time later, the trio was walking ahead of the wagon; they reached the line of other travelers waiting to be cleared for entry. It was long and appeared like it’d take the better part of the day to get through.

Now much closer to the walls, Annita saw why the city had its name. First off, the walls were massive. Each easily a hundred feet high and purely carved from black stone. Carved being the operative word here, since each wall was inlaid with intricate patterns. Each section had a different pattern, and all were seemingly ancient. Their weathered faces polished by the seasons. Each shimmered with an illusion that she could only guess was magic of some kind. Annita decided to ask Bren more about that later.

“C’mon, we’re not hitched to a wagon. We can go through the other line.” Kat beckoned Ann and Bren to follow. They waved to Bon and Jessamy as they headed to the much smaller line of travelers on foot. At the gate, a guard stopped them.

“Halt,” he said with a bored voice. “Name, citizen badge, and purpose in visiting Graven Keep.”

“Katlyn Farragher. Here tae check in with the General about some confidential news and tae report to the Mercenary branch.”

The guard stiffened immediately at her name. “Apologies Your Majesty!” He cried out, saluting.

Eyes turned to them from all angles at his proclamation. Whispers rippled through the crowd as the other travelers came to the realization of who was at the checkpoint.

“Gods damnit,” Kat groaned. “Wish ye’d kept it down, but that’s that. Anythin’ else?”

“No, Your Majesty. I’ll just need to verify your companions,” the guard stated stiffly. The poor man was practically shaking in his boots.

“Bren Hedera,” Bren introduced himself. “Accompanying Katlyn in her business in the capacity of healer.”

“Understood. Welcome, Lord Hedera.” Bren was ushered past quickly without further questions. “And you ma’am?”

“Annita Kronforst. I guess I’m with Kat as well. Here to register at the Mercenary headquarters. Guess we’ll see after that?” Ann said awkwardly, glancing at Kat, who gave her a quick thumbs up.

“Understood, my Lady,” the guard continued. He checked her badge, noted the lack of heraldry on the opposite side, and handed it back to her. She was then similarly ushered through to where Kat and Bren were waiting.

“But, I’m not a… oh nevermind,” Annita sighed.

“Now ye see why I don’t like talkin’ about who I am all the time,” Kat grumbled as she looked around at their growing crowd of observers. They kept their distance, but it was clear they were the center of attention. “Feck, not gonna get out o’ this easy. Ann, sorry, but I hope ye’re ready tae be in the spotlight. Let’s head tae the Merc’s first, get our report an’ some rooms reserved, then head up tae the General. She’ll be aware o’ us by the time we’re done. If she ain’t already.”

Their walk was obstructed just from the press of people as the city learned of Kat’s arrival. People chattered ceaselessly as they watched their progress toward the Merc branch. Along with the people on the ground, there were kids and several more enterprising individuals that skipped across the flat roofs of the city. It was because of them Annita noticed that the roofs were used as further dwelling space for the inhabitants. With various items and several platforms connecting them, it was easy for the citizenry to track them from above. The streets were thankfully wide, so there wasn’t travel overhead, but the grid-based setup of the residential area afforded ample alleyways between the main roads.

The buildings themselves were well kept. All made of the same black stone as the walls, they appeared to be sturdy structures. Most were single storied, but several had two. Each consistently had a piece of signage embedded into the front of the building, indicating the building’s number and resident. True to its mentioned rough nature, not much was around in the way of decoration. Some enterprising people had taken to painting the exteriors of their homes, and Kat spied one which had inlaid veins of wood that spidered across the surface. It was a unique take to modify a utilitarian design.

The attention wasn’t all on Kat, either. Annita felt eyes boring into her. Several men and women looking at her with keen interest. It made her fur bristle. She wasn’t ready for this, but here she was. Most of the attention she noticed was from other Vulhardrin. She saw a wide variety of ears, eyes, tails, scales, fur and other assortments. True to how Kat had described them, they stuck to one or two parts of their bestial kin. At one point she thought she even saw a woman with a snake tail instead of legs.

The idle thought of whether that counted as one or two body parts entered her mind, but was chased away as she saw one of the variances caused by the Warp on the people. A large man stood above the rest of the crowd. A Thrundol, judging by his lanky limbs and long tusks, but instead of the usual two arms he had three. Two were where they normally were, and an extra was sprouting from his left side. It looked fully functional from the quick glimpse that Ann had caught. Looking closer, she noticed other oddities in those surrounding her. An extra eye or two there, more fingers than is normal. It seemed that about a quarter of the populace had some kind of mutation they lived with.

It took the better part of an hour to get from the gate to the Mercenary branch. Kat was waylaid more than once with greetings from several people Annita assumed to be Noble because of their demeanor towards the Princess. Without fail, Kat brusquely greeted them and moved on. They attempted to keep conversation with her, but she ignored them.

Bren kept tight to her side, and Annita followed suit. “Gonna have tae wear a fuckin’ mask around ‘ere now.” Ann heard Kat grumble at one point over the roar of the crowds.

The Mercenary’s branch was a large building, and one of the few buildings with a large amount of wood used in its construction. Oak lined its corners, with the usual black stone forming the walls of the first floor. Several windows with diamond patterned glass panes were spread out to provide light to the first floor, and several more could be seen in the wooden walls of the second to fourth floor. The roof was steepled, with a large sign hanging off the front of the roof, a shield and two axes emblazoned upon it. Heavy doors were set into the stone for the front of the building, flanked by lanterns and two guards.

As the trio approached, the guards stationed moved out and began to clear a path for them. Once inside, the noise died out. Annita was met with a familiar lodge looking entryway. The ceiling was high and crossed with several large logs that provided structural support for the floors above. Hanging from these beams were several chandeliers with candles burning brightly, giving the place a warm glow. Trophies scattered the far wall. Several skulls with strange antlers, hides of beasts, claws, and other things Annita couldn’t recognize. Below the assortment was a long desk.

The right-hand portion was partitioned off into several booths attended to by secretaries of some sort. The left half was a bar serving drinks and food to the patrons of the establishment. A smattering of tables was scattered around the open space, comprising both round tables, longer bench tables, and several smaller square tables. Rugs covered the floor in a patchwork quilt of various colors. Several other mercenaries were loitering in the area, drinking and talking amongst themselves.

“Ah, finally here. Bren, let’s go get the report done. C’mon Ann.” Kat beckoned as she headed to the receptionist section.

“Greetings, and welcome to Graven Keep’s Mercenary organization. Are you already registered with us?” the receptionist, a mousy woman with long black hair, greeted them as they approached the counter.

“Yes,” Bren replied. “Bren Hedera and Katlyn Farragher. We’re here to report several Warped slain as well as a Seed Guardian.”

The woman’s eyebrows went up at Kat’s name, but she remained a consummate professional and moved on. “Understood. Please take this form and fill out the details of your claims. Use the section on the second page to describe the size and location of the Seed you encountered, the type of terrain contained within, and any dangers expeditionary crews may expect. Once complete, I will review the information and provide compensation. Is there anything else I might assist with?”

“Aye,” Kat stepped in. “Gonna need two rooms. Preferably with thick walls if ye can. Not sure how long we’ll be, but we’ll pay a week out fer now.”

“As you wish, Your Mag-” the receptionist was cut off by Kat clamping a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening at the quick movement.

“None o’ that shite now. Call me Kat, ma’am, or whatever else ye like. I don’t want the attention here as well as in the streets. Ya ken?” She released the woman, revealing her red cheeks.

“Of course, Your, er, I mean, ma’am.” Annita couldn’t help but think the way she stumbled over her words, the brief break in the professionalism, was adorable. “Two rooms. Will that be three beds?”

“Hrm, aye, three beds. Two to one room, one tae the second.”

“Very well. You will be on the third floor, end of the hallway. That will be five silver a piece, per room, however for such distinguished guests, the rate will be cut to two per room. Please be sure to let us know if you have any needs during your stay. Once again, welcome to Graven Keep.” The woman stood from her chair and bowed as Bren took the paperwork, and the trio made their way to a table.

Bren laid out the forms required to report their adventures and got to work on the main report of the Seed. He handed Kat a couple of other forms for the Twinwolves and Snowcat they’d fought. “Here’s some coin, Ann. Be a doll an’ grab us some drinks an’ grub? Whatever the special is should be fine.”

“Oh, uh, ok?” Annita asked as she took the silver offered by Kat. She headed over to the bar and was greeted by a tall, well-built human with a dark moustache at the counter. Despite his height she still had to look down to meet his eyes. “What can I get you for, friend?” he asked cheerfully.

“Um, actually, I’m not entirely sure. What do you have to drink?” Ann asked.

“All sorts of things. We’ve got water, various wines, ales, fruit juices, liquors. Depends on how you want to end up in an hour.” A glint shone in his blue eyes as he spoke.

“Definitely still have a lot to do today, so I’ll go with three ales, and three of whatever the special is today.” Ann decided.

“Comin’ right up. Hey Jer! Three of the special!” the barkeep yelled back into a door behind him. “So, you new here?” he asked as he grabbed three flagons from under the counter and began to pour from a keg behind him.

“That obvious?”

“With you gawking around the room like you were? Yeah. That, and I’ve never seen a Vulhardrin quite like you. You kinda stand out for more than your height.” He chuckled as he set down the first flagon and started the second.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m one of a kind. Still having to adjust to that a bit,” Ann sighed as she leaned on the counter.

“Being different can be hard. You’ve gotten a pretty good lot from the looks of it, though. Just hang in there. People’ll get used to you soon enough. At least you’re not like one of my friends. He has a literal third leg.” He set down the second mug and started on the third. “Poor bastard has to pay for custom work whenever he needs new pants.”

That got a chuckle out of Annita. “Sorry for laughing. Sounds rough.”

“Nah, he’s always making fun of it. He’d be glad you found it funny. Name’s Ron, by the way.”

“Annita,” she returned as Ron set down the last drink.

“Well, pleasure meeting you. You staying here while you’re in the city?”

“Yup, not sure how long we’ll be here, though.”

“That’s not an unusual story around here,” Ron said. “People come and go all the time. Well, that’s your drinks. Jane will bring the food out when it’s ready. That’ll be eight copper.”

Annita put down the silver, which Ron whisked away and quickly returned two copper.

“Do you all take tips?” Annita asked.

“Tips? Not sure of the meaning, to be honest,” Ron said, with his head cocked to the side.

“Uh, gratuity? Extra money for service? Like, if you received excellent service, you give the waiter a little extra?”

“Oh, I’ve got you. No, not here. There are establishments that encourage as much, but not here.”

“Good to know. Thanks, and have a good one!” Annita called as she gathered the mugs and returned to the table.

Bren was still writing, his quill scratching feverishly over the parchment. Kat, meanwhile, was buried in her own papers, though hers were more tedious.

Annita set the flagons down next to each of them, taking her own seat. “Can I see one of those?” she asked as she tried to get comfortable on the normal sized chair which was now too small for her.

“Oh, thanks. Yes, here. This one is complete.” Bren said as he handed her a filled out form.

The thing was fairly straightforward. It was a standard form, which indicated either someone was very good at copying, had a Path that helped with that, or they’d figured out the printing press. It started with some identifying information. The name, the member number for the Mercenary Association, date, and additional claimants. Below were fields to describe the Warped killed, behavior, the approximate area it was slain, and details on the disposal of the remains. At the bottom was a section for a signature as well as a stamp from the Association, confirming the document’s validity.

The date jumped out at Ann. “Hey, so it’s the year 583 F.R.? What’s the F.R. stand for?”

“Farragher’s Reign,” Kat explained. “Since the royal family can have a couple different branches o’ names, generally it goes by the name held by the current ruler. Ma, grandpa, an’ his ma ‘ave been around fer a bit. If some other family comes through, an’ takes over by coup or some other means, the date starts over. Before me great grandma, it was a Bultrong family that didn’t ‘ave an heir. The old king had a likin’ fer great grandma, an’ named ‘er the next ruler.”

“Gotcha. Inheritance system is fully online.” Ann mumbled as she read through the details of the Twinwolf encounter, as written by Kat.

“Online?” Bren perked up from his writing at the odd word.

“Oh, uh, modern word. Actually, I guess it’s ancient, isn’t it? Anyway, in this context, it means running, or in operation. Should I call my language something? I’m not going to get the hang of changing how I speak that quickly.”

“Eh, just play dumb. Or don’t acknowledge questions. Easiest to ignore ‘em.” Kat said as she took a drink. “It’s how I handle the politicking bastards.”

“Yeah, saw that on the street.” Ann chuckled.

They spent some time there while Kat and Bren filled out the paperwork. After some time, their meal was delivered by an adorable waitress. A shorter Alfhindurn, with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a white apron over a brown working dress that didn’t do anything to hide her prodigious bust. She set the three plates down, looked around the table, blushed when she caught Annita’s gaze, and scurried off. It was a rustic fare. A meat pie to each of them, steaming hot with a crispy crust. It came on a lipped plate, so when Annita cut into it, the gravy that spilled out was caught. Digging in, Ann’s mouth was filled with savory delight as the meat and what she assumed was potatoes filled her mouth. Kat and Bren took the time to eat while finishing up their work and quickly they were sitting around the table with full bellies and a completed stack of papers.

“I will go hand this in. Why don’t you two go get our things into our rooms, and meet me back down here?” Bren advised.

“Sure thing. See ya in a few.” Kat waved him off. She groaned as she stood, hoisted her pack and weapons up, then took Bren’s pack as well.

Annita and Kat made their way up to the third floor and got to the end rooms of the hallway.

“Wait, we didn’t get a key. How do we?” Annita trailed off as Kat held her badge up to the door. A soft glow emanated, and the door swung open. Kat looked back with a smug grin.

“Keeps it simple. They took the readin’s downstairs. Guess I forgot tae tell ye that these have a small, unique magical signature embedded. Helps for shite like this.”

“Magical RFID chips. Huh.” Ann said under her breath as she followed Kat in.

The room was large, easily fitting the two decent sized beds, their side tables, an armoire, a table with some chairs surrounding it, footlockers, and a door that led to a washroom. Off to the side, there was a vanity for female guests who might need it as well. The windows were larger than Annita had expected. Not floor to ceiling, but nearing it. She pulled the heavy curtains back and took in their view of the city.

While she looked at the view, Kat had put down the burden she was carrying and had snuck up behind her. Feeling the strong arms wrapping around her sides, clasping in front of her, Ann’s heart quickened.

“Enjoyin’ the view?” Kat asked softly.

“Yeah, it’s gorgeous. Better with you here,” Ann admitted. At the words, she felt the arms around her squeeze a little tighter.

“Careful, might have me thinkin’ ye’ve caught feelin’s.” Kat teased as she lifted Ann in her strong grasp. Ann giggled and struggled futilely against Kat’s grip before Kat unceremoniously deposited her on one bed.

Before Annita could reply, there was a knock at the door. Sighing, Kat backed off and left Annita blushing on the bed as she answered the door.

It was Bren, who entered casually once the door opened. “Sorry to interrupt, but the General has summoned us to a meeting. She would like to speak with us before the day is out.”

“Argh! Fine. Bastard can’t wait one night? Feckin, sure,” Kat groused. “C’mon Ann. Ye’ll need tae be here fer this too. Guess ye’re gettin’ registered as a Merc tonight.

They headed downstairs, and a pair of guards with the symbol of Graven Keep on their heraldry greeted them. It was a simple symbol, a black castle on a plain background. Easily recognizable.

“If you’ll come with us, we will make sure this trip is expedient. A carriage is waiting for you outside.” One of the guards said with a sweeping bow. She straightened quickly and held the door open.

“I’m too tired for this,” Kat complained as she walked out the door.