The Dead King

The rest of the journey to Tarenfall had been one of peace. After a brief night in the inn at Navaren, Marin and Gus purchased a new map at the convenient store, and continued their journey south.

Leaving Navaren, they passed through rich farmlands, a few larger cities, and the kingdom of Kybervald. When dusk neared, they retired to the last inn that they would stay at before reaching Tarenfall.

During most of the journey, Marin continued to discuss with Gus the elements and other skill techniques – something he had not expected to do or ever planned for, but it was apparent Gus yearned for these practices, and they had a long journey of walking, with nothing else to keep them occupied.

Marin finally told Gus that if he was so inclined to master an element, he should join with Neo after this quest. He assured Gus that the National Elemental Organization would be the best place to learn, they had streamlined the process and taught excellent fighting tactics. There would be no better place to become a walking weapon. All he had to do was enlist and pledge himself to them for at least one term – that was four years from what Marin could remember.

Gus told Marin that it was out of the question. He was not planning on leaving his king’s service anytime in the future. He loved his King, and the loyalty he had developed for him thwarted almost everything else.

“Really, Gus. You should do it. You’re not transferring your loyalty to someone else. I know you’ll still support me, even from a distance. I know you’ll be back after training, and you will return as a much stronger man,” Marin explained.

“Nope. Not gonna do it.”

Marin grinned slightly from the answer. Gus was very stubborn.

This entire quest so far had taught Marin much. From all the townsfolk and travelers he met on the road, he was developing a better grip on this era’s society. Language was still fundamentally the same, but two hundred years worth of time had changed some percentage of words, phrases, gestures, even body language. Marin had come a long way to adjusting.

Gus helped him quite a bit in turn as well. Sharing information wasn’t just one-sided from Marin’s perspective, for almost every fact Marin told Gus about the elements, Gus shared with him sayings, phrases, and the do’s and dont’s of conversations with modern-day people.

They were now further south than they had ever been. The two of them were now out of the northern regions of the continent, and were beginning to near the heart-land. They had covered much ground in a short amount of time. Based on Marin’s readings of the map, they would reach Tarenfall at the end of the day. They had been traveling for four days now.

“Look at the kingdoms in the far south,” Gus pointed out near the bottom of the map. “I reckon it would take three weeks to get all the way down there.”

“That sounds about right,” Marin confirmed.

The map was rolled up and they walked on. Both of them were ready to finally reach the city. The traveling was a novelty to Gus at first – especially since he had never traveled in his life, but four days in, he had walked quite enough. Gus had also ran out of things to talk about – or rather, things that Marin was willing to share, and for that reason, things remained quiet for some stretches of time. Silence was broken occasionally when Gus pointed out a piece of greenery or chunk of land that he had never witnessed before, and would inquire with Marin on what exactly that was.

Without much else to do, Gus looked at everything he could, and pondered the long talks his King shared with him. His King – he didn’t look like much of a king at the moment. Gus reminded himself that he was still hauling Marin’s royal garments in his backpack, and in place on Marin’s body were the rags they had picked out from a second hand clothing store in Navaren.

He looked no more than a lowly peasant with a suspicious reason to hide his face. Gus realized the rich, royal garments he wore took hostility away of him being a rogue, since the clothes hinted at some form of wealth, but that was not the case anymore.

With his mask and poor attire, he looked ready to nab the coin of anyone walking by, and for that reason, Gus knew he’d fit right in inside the crime-ridden city of Tarenfall. Maybe that was his intention.

The monotony of Gus’s thoughts didn’t last too much longer than that. Before long, both of them reached the peak of a hill the road took them up on. At the top, they gazed outward to a large valley below them. On the other side of the valley, was a huge walled-in city. They stopped walking for a moment.

“Holy smokes! Is that it?!” Gus pointed out far in the distance.

“That has to be it,” Marin said, also relieved that they had finally made it.

“Tarenfall…” Gus said to himself in realization.

A minute passed as they stared off at the city.

“Are you ready?” Marin asked.

“I think so.”

“We have to be careful. Its a large city, its dangerous, and there’s bound to be powerful people there. Keep your wits about you.”

“Okay,” Gus gulped.

They both started walking again. It would be their final stretch of land they would travel.

This was going to be, by far, the largest urban setting Gus had ever been in. As he struggled with the intimidation Tarenfall gave from its size, he wondered how in the world Marin was holding up. Oh right, he’s a wizard-level elemental. There would be next to no one that could rival him in any fight. What did Marin have to worry about? Gus somehow had let himself forget.

“Any thoughts you want to share?” Marin finally asked after a time of silence.

“I’ve got to be honest with you, my King. I am nervous,” Gus admitted.

Marin nodded. “Me too.”

“Really?” Gus was shocked to hear that.

“Oh yes. I have to do some talking. Persuading, actually. I’m going to be recruiting potent warriors to my kingdom, and I hope I can communicate well enough to them.”

“Oh, you’ve learned a lot,” Gus assured him.

“I hope so.”

“You’ll have me with you, too,” he reminded him.

Marin looked over to him. He reminded himself that Loid pointed out Gus to him in their talk from days ago, and suggested that he should join. Gus indeed had been everything that Marin needed. He was young, charismatic, and a decent talker. He didn’t give himself enough credit for his capabilities.

“You have a lot of pep in you, that might be just what we need,” Marin analyzed.

Getting closer to the city, the sheer size and magnificence of it became apparent. Gus still fully believed Nocturne Castle was more impressive than anything else he had seen, but this was a close second. There were farmsteads spread out on the outside of the walls, with fields of crops surrounding them.

It was the obvious food source for the city. Carts full of various wares entered and left the city from the front gates. Above the walls, the tallest building’s heights were exposed, hinting at the density deep within.

The city of Tarenfall – Gus had never seen a burg of this size. The walls encapsulating the endless perimeter must’ve cost a fortune, more gold than even Marin could possibly have.

For Marin, it was a hard readjustment. The city met him with almost as much intimidation as Gus. When they were standing in front of the city gate, Marin looked over the arch of the entrance. It reached as high as his grand foyer in his castle. All around the two of them, citizens busily moved around them, quick to get to their destinations. Most carrying items, some stood around haggling and begging.

Wooden wheels turned against the road as wagons hauled food from the countryside. The city was everything Marin thought it would be, and to Gus, even more.

“Where are we going?” Gus asked in an elevated voice, battling the hundreds of other voices that filled their ears.

“We need to establish a base of operations. Let’s find ourselves an inn – and a good one this time.”

Marin had good reasoning for this. If they could set themselves up in one of the richer districts of Tarenfall, most crime could be avoided. They would also be in the city for a while, and that meant leaving their items unattended for hours at a time. They needed to get to an inn they could trust.

“But I’m not even sure where to start,” Marin admitted, scratching the back of his head.

“Hmm. Well, most cities have some sort of welcome building close to the entrance. Whitewood has one. This place is sure to have one as well. Let’s head in and look around,” Gus tried.

With that, they entered. They passed under the arch of the walls. When Marin looked above, he saw the wide iron gate suspended in the air, ready to drop down at a moment’s notice to defend the city. He wondered the last time they ever had to use it.

Inside was overwhelming to say the least. Their eyes scanned the buildings around them, reading wooden plaques above the heads of wandering cityfolk. Gus took note of a conveniently placed tavern, but remembered Marin wanted something more secure.

As Gus looked to the wall of buildings on his left, Marin looked to the right, and spotted the information center on his side.

“I believe that’s where we might find what we need,” he stated, getting Gus’s attention and pointing to the golden sign above the doors.

“Good job, King Marin. You beat me to it this time.”

Marin grinned under the mask.

They walked to the building, into the doors of the first floor.

The inside was welcoming enough. On the opposite wall was a counter with a woman sitting behind. In the center of the room was a large glass table. Beneath the glass was a map of the whole city layout.

“Hey Marin look at this,” Gus declared upon noticing.

They both walked up to it, and studied the easy-to-read map, showing an aerial view of the city, with all its districts and major buildings marked. The city was divided into six districts. The naming scheme on most of them made sense, but Marin wanted to be sure which district they needed to settle into.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Marin said to the woman behind the counter. “Which district would be the safest place to stay at for a while?”

“Taren Heights. Top left corner,” she responded in a blink, taking notice that they were looking at the map. “Don’t even think about it though, the cost of living there is higher than what most people can afford.”

Marin thought it was rude that she would make such an assumption about the status of their wealth. That was until, he again realized what he was wearing. That made sense.

“Thank you,” Marin offered.

She didn’t look back up.

Marin couldn’t believe it. He appeared as a rogue now. Maybe a beggar. A poor person. That was the first assumption of him. Now, everyone who saw him would instantly underestimate him. Marin began to wonder how he could play that to his advantage.

“I guess we’re off, then,” Gus stated.

They both walked back outside. Gus had done his best to burn the map to his memory. He explained to his King how long they had to travel on this main road before turning off to a different direction. As they walked, Gus guided his King and yelled at merchants trying to sell him a new sword or helmet, based on the warrior clothing he was wearing.

“Unbelievable. It’s just as bad here as in Whitewood City. Don’t people here know how to leave someone alone?!” He shouted the last part, aiming it at the abusive peddlers all around him.

No one tried selling Marin a thing.

At the end of the road, they turned off left, and deeper into the city. At the center of the city was the square, a large open ended area where performers and events took place. Gus took routes to avoid it, predicting it might cause some trouble.

It took sometime to walk – eventually they were out of the up-front trading districts of the city where they were constantly harassed. They now passed by residential blocks, run down buildings with suspicious persons making deals in alleys. Some warehouses employed workers who loaded and unloaded carts. They also saw a few restaurants and general stores. Gus pointed out a park with broken swings and rusty jungle gyms. This was not a nice area to be in.

None of the lurking denizens paid the two any mind. Marin looked to be suspicious enough on his own, and with the flashy claymore Gus wielded, it wasn’t worth any thief's time to case them.

“That was a smart move getting us to the heights district,” Gus whispered to Marin. “I don’t like these people.”

Marin didn’t want to respond. He wanted to keep talking at a minimum through the questionable districts, especially to not risk anyone hearing what Gus was talking about. He might’ve had to break out a few icicles if they caught wind of Gus’s distaste for the thugish locals. They kept walking.

Eventually they worked themselves to a wall, which Gus had stated was the border for the rich district. It was a sure fire way to keep the common rabble out of the more privileged individuals’ living spaces.

“You think I’m going to get in there looking like this?” Marin asked as they got near the gate separating the rich from the poor.

“Hopefully they won’t pay you any mind,” Gus responded as he studied a guard standing near the open arch.

It was a fat chance. Marin doubted with the way he looked that he wouldn’t draw attention once he crossed over.

“Halt!” The guard yelled as they approached. “Where do you think you two are going?”

Gus walked in front of Marin. “We’re travelers. What district is through there?” He asked, hoping that his feigned ignorance would gain them entry.

“Taren Heights is beyond here. And I’m afraid you’re not getting through,” the Tarenfall guard told him.

“We just want to sight-see, that’s all,” Gus tried again.

“Out of the question. Move along now.”

Marin moved Gus to the side. He produced one shiny gold coin from his ragged clothing. The equivalent of one hundred silver. It was enough money to have a decent night on the town. He flashed it in front the guard.

“We really mean no harm,” Marin coaxed. “I promise you we won’t cause trouble.”

The guard looked left to right, then held his palm open down to his side in a sneaky manner. Marin dropped the gold coin into it.

“Alright, I’m taking your word on that. Go ahead.”

Marin and Gus said not another word and walked by.

When they were out of ear’s reach, Gus leaned in.

“King Marin, did you just bribe that guard?” He whispered.

“No, no. Of course not. Think of it as a gift. A donation to the armed forces of Tarenfall. Lord knows they need it.”

Gus’s eyes narrowed. It seemed that his King was willing to do some shady stuff to see his mission through. Shady at least with money. How many gold coins did Marin have in his coin purse. How loaded with currency was he? It was dangerous to walk around town with a lot of money, Gus knew that much.

“I hope you brought enough money to stay here for a while, because I feel like that might need to happen a few more times,” Gus guessed.

Marin stroked the bottom of his mask. “Maybe. I guess there’s up and downsides to these peasantry clothes I’m wearing, huh?”

Marin fully believed if he had been wearing his royal dark blue robes with golden trim, the guard wouldn’t have stopped the two of them. Marin would’ve looked like a noble being escorted by his bodyguard. It was certainly a trade-off.

“There’s definitely downsides to being in this district with them on.”

Taren Heights was unlike anything they had seen in the city so far. Compared to the run-down apartments and buildings from their previous tour, the Heights boasted posh housing in excellent condition. The roads were tiled beautifully, not cracked and overgrown like the poor districts.

A few landscapers tended to the hedges and lawns of the villas, keeping them in perfect presentation. Some of the properties sported fountains, beautifully carved and spewing water. The architecture and designs reminded Gus of Nocturne Castle.

“It’s looking pretty good around here,” Gus stated as some retired denizens in fancy clothing stared them down. They rocked in chairs on their porches.

“A crude reminder of socio-economic disparity,” Marin grumbled to himself.

Gus wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded smart.

“Let’s go find the inn.”

They walked with their guards down, a relief to them. They were in a district where they did not need to worry about pickpockets being close by. It had taken them nearly two hours to get to this side of the city, a reminder to them that they were in place twice the size of Whitewood – and that amount of time was traveling the slender length of the urban zone.

Gus had to manage conversation with a few guards to find out where the best inn was. He tried his best to stand in front of and cover his tattered king. It worked half the time, the other times the guards were more interested in why he had such a ragged old man trailing behind him.

After that, Gus tried his hardest not to inquire with the law enforcement while being in this area anymore.

“I am pretty old, Gus. I don’t take offense to it,” Marin assured him.

“Yeah? How old?”

“Pretty old.”

Gus wondered if that was why Marin hid his face. He wanted everyone around him to see him as a capable and powerful ruler, not an old man who’s best years were behind him.

“Is that why you cover your face? So people don’t see how old you look?”

“Exactly.”

Gus nodded. He had finally figured it out.

It didn’t take much longer for them to arrive at the inn. It was indeed where the guard had given them directions to. A towering manor sat in the middle of a square, with benches and a fountain sitting in front. It looked like a former home of a vastly wealthy family, who had turned their dwelling into a business.

Gus pointed out the sign in the front, indicating it was what they were looking for. The inside of the home was even more impressive than the outside. The walls were lined in velvet, and hanging from there were expensive ornaments and picture frames. Not a single empty space was afforded – beautiful furniture and statues could not be avoided from being looked at.

For Marin, this was the closest thing to Nocturne he had seen since he left. Whoever owned this establishment indeed had earned quite the fortune. All Gus could think about was how much the room was going to cost.

A man behind the counter scoffed at the sight of the two of them.

“Can I help you?” He said in silky voice, with a hint of sarcasm involved. The desk clerk was a younger man. He sported jet black hair slicked back with oil. The suit he wore was as dark as his hair. His eyes narrowed at the common rabble who had just entered, who were gazing at the interior work of the manor.

Gus approached the counter, nervously, but trying to put on a false demeanor.

“One room, please. We will be staying for a while,” Gus tried, with a suave smile on his face.

The desk clerk gave a repulsed look to Gus, then leaned his head to Marin who was hiding behind him. He looked at any moment to grab his superior and have the two of them escorted out.

“You must be mistaken,” the man responded, trying to handle the situation himself. “Our rooms here start at a minimum of three gold pieces a night. This isn’t exactly the place for people of… your financial position,” he tried saying as lightly as possible.

Gus felt slightly offended. “You’re assuming we don’t have the money?”

The desk clerk chuckled. “No, not at all! I am just simply pointing out that this establishment may be a bit much for you and your, uh, friend, behind you.”

Marin walked besides Gus, and produced a coin pouch. He dumped a pile of gold coins onto the desk. It looked to be roughly fifty gold pieces, a five thousand silver equivalent.

The desk clerk looked mortified.

“We’ll take a suite. I trust your staff will take good care of us, seeing what a fine reputation this inn seems to uphold,” Marin spoke in his fancy wording. His vocabulary did not match who the clerk looked at, and that fact displaced the man for moment.

“Of-of course, we would. This inn has the finest reputation in the city!” The man gulped, still trying to decipher how these two lowly strangers were holding onto such money. He continued to stare at the coins stupidly, as if they might start to dance.

“We’ll stay for one week. And keep the change for you and your staff. Consider it an advanced tip, since I have such faith in your services,” Marin added.

The desk clerk finally shook himself out of his trance at Marin’s words. He brought his hands up, covered in snow white gloves. He dragged the pile of gold to his side of the desk.

“Very good, then,” he managed. When he stopped boggling at the gold, he looked up to them. “Can we take your bags?”

“No thank you,” Gus said, clasping at his backpack.

“Very well, then, sir.” The sir sounded forced. “Robin here will escort you to your room.”

Another man appeared into the room at the sound of his name. He gestured the two of them to a staircase in the hall to the right.

Marin and Gus followed Robin up the flight of stairs. He also wore the same suit that the desk clerk had on, with matching white gloves. They were taken down a hallway on the second floor. Beautiful red drapes covered the windows along the side, with gorgeous gold-plated furnishings in between each window. Fancy lamps burning a bright flame were mounted on the wall, giving off a comforting light.

At the end of the hall were two large, dark oaken doors with golden handles. Robin grasped one of them, and swung the door open. Not a single creak was heard from the door opening.

Inside, were two deluxe beds rivaling the quality seen in Nocturne Castle. Doors were on either side of the room, leading to a bathroom and closet, respectively. Everything was coated in luxurious materials.

“We hope you enjoy your stay. If you need anything, please let me or another staff member know,” he stated in a dull voice.

“Thank you, Robin. We appreciate it,” Gus said back while still studying the room.

Robin made his exit, shutting the door behind him.

“Wow, King Marin. Is this Nocturne Castle or what?” He said, still gazing.

“Feels just like home,” Marin admitted. He removed his traveler’s bag and placed it on the right-most bed.

“Man, if they had any idea who you really were, you would’ve gotten much more respect,” Gus pointed out, pulling his backpack straps off his shoulders.

“It’s probably best if they don’t.”

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing. Marin had suggested that they take the rest of the day off to relax and recover from the long journey, and they would start first thing in the morning on recruitment. The two of them lounged, played chess, and talked. Gus ate a posh meal that the fancy inn provided, while Marin studied some documents he had brought with him.

They had finally made it. Tarenfall was a spanning city, one rife with opportunities. Marin wondered to himself at dusk about how they would dive into finding strong elementals tomorrow. He had rented the room for a week – that gave him at least seven days to complete his task. He had made it this far. Marin hoped that Loid was running the castle alright in the meantime.

Hiding in the bushes of one of the villas in Taren Heights, a rogue had seen Gus and Marin enter the hotel earlier. Once he had confirmed that they were staying there, he jumped from the bushes at lightning speed and climbed the house.

He hopped from roof to roof, eventually clearing the wall separating the rich district from the poor. He continued to travel the roofs of the city, hopping from building to building. At such a speed, he looked little more than a blur to the commonfolk down below.

The rogue got to a run-down tower in the poorest district Tarenfall had to offer – one ridden with the most crime. He flew into the window on the top floor.

“Well?” A familiar woman said, wearing a red bandanna across her face.

“They’re staying at The Rose Garden, that fancy hotel in the Heights,” the rogue reported to her, gravely voice behind an identically red bandanna.

“Fine. They’re bound to leave that district at some point tomorrow. When they do, we strike at them hard at the first opportune moment,” she responded, instructing her other three lackeys.

“It’s time for us to get our revenge on that blasted ice elemental.”