NOVEL NEXT Sacrifice – Chapter 28: Into The City
Stepping out of the carriage, Aperio was assaulted by the noise of hundreds of people talking to each other and the guards at the gate. Ira immediately went to talk to a guard himself while the rest of their group stretched their limbs from the long journey. Switching into a new and intact dress had been the correct choice; the amount of people around was not really what she had expected. The capital of the Empire had been fairly exclusive and it never had such a flood of people trying to enter. She wanted to ask why so many were attempting to basically storm the city, but a big, ornate banner hanging over the gate answered that question for her.
Festival of Life? ...A harvest fest, maybe?
The only festivities the Empire had had were centred around the royal family or their various conquests, nothing as trivial as a harvest. Her concentration was shattered by a burst of noise coming from somewhere nearby. Gritting her teeth, she tried repeatedly to resume her trip down memory lane, but each time she almost began to make headway the noise seemed to grow bigger. It felt like it was taunting her, staying one step ahead and remaining larger than what she was capable of handling at the moment. Finding the reason for the commotion, though, was as easy as looking at the world through her aura. Two people were circling each other, obviously intending to fight. Aperio could not care less about what they did as long as they did it silently, but that did not seem to be possible.
The noise levels of the crowd, despite her mental pleas, continued to rise and now their sounds were so vast that they were physically hurting her, buffeting her brain and body with each cheer, each taunt, each cry. When what felt like the entirety of the nearby crowd began to roaringly chant in unison in response to the two people beginning to clash, Aperio's frayed patience snapped. She could no longer bear the sound's grating of her very soul.
"Silence!"
Aperio's aura flared with her voice as it echoed across the gathered masses and sound ceased in its wake. An eerie quiet settled and those who remained standing slowly turned their attention to the angry looking Elf. The two that had been fighting shrunk under her gaze, unwilling to further anger the woman. The group she had travelled with fared better than most, probably having anticipated her reaction or already accustomed to her liberal use of mana. Laelia and Arden had shown almost no reaction to her outburst, the former just giving her a weary look.
"What are you doing?" Aperio toned down the force of her voice, as she hadn't really thought about her initial outburst. She had simply wanted – needed – the noise to stop. Her wish had been granted, and despite the amount of power her words had carried no-one had been harmed. None seriously, at least. A good number of people were forced to take a seat on the ground. Maybe it had been the wrong choice to act, but she simply could not have borne the noise any longer. So much for not attracting attention.
The two did not answer, either unwilling to or simply too scared to do so. But neither did they have to; a group of guards was already making their way through the silent masses. The one that was still talking to Ira – who looked like he would keel over any minute now – seemed to be amused more than anything. Aperio simply eyed the approaching guards and did nothing else. Her past experiences with their likes had never ended well and at least appearing to respect them probably was for the best. Not that they could force me to comply. But they probably know that already.
Not having to be scared felt nice, certainly something she could get used to. Probably shouldn't, though. With a bona-fide God out to kill her, assuming she was some invincible force was probably not smart. Just because her encounters thus far had been laughably easy did not mean it would stay that way. But then, she had this itch to fight someone who could challenge her; where she could let loose.
As the guards approached the still-frozen rabble-rousers, one split from his colleagues and came her way, cutting her reverie short. His steps were unsure and he looked like he would prefer to be anywhere but here. Aperio couldn't fault him, as if she were in his shoes she would not be comfortable either. So why not let the guard Ira is talking to handle this? He seems to be fine.
The guard came to a stop in front of her and bowed rather stiffly before speaking. "While we appreciate your intervention, we have to ask you refrain from doing so again and let us do our job."
While he might have appeared to be scared, or at least uncomfortable, he spoke with confidence. Aperio just squinted at the man. "Then keep them quiet."
The man looked confused but nodded nonetheless before joining his colleagues again. Aperio soon noticed the source of his confusion; the guard that had been talking to Ira was coming over after all. His boss, maybe? To her the guard did not look different from the others. He wore the same armour, the same sword, and looked just as unremarkable as the rest. No, not quite. A closer look revealed that he had slightly pointed ears, hinting at some Elven heritage further down his line.
Once he was closer, she turned to face him more fully which caused him to slightly bow as well. Is this a thing now? What did Ira tell him? "Yes?"
"Captain Lerendil," he said while straightening himself again. "We did not expect someone of your stature to arrive today, Lady Aperio."
Would be weird if you did. More interesting than his statement was the fact that he showed no reaction to her voice or presence. Not that he should. Only Thaddeus had problems with the aura. And those stupid wards. The thought of the runic defences caused her to glance at the wall, but she was unable to spot anything that would hint at wards being employed in them. Hidden maybe?
"I am here to see the [Grandmaster]. I did not know it was required to announce my arrival."
"It is by no means required, just a courtesy we appreciate to prevent incidents "– he gestured towards the two men being led away by his subordinates. –" like this. Will you be participating in the festivities once you have concluded your business?"
Aperio raised an eyebrow at his question. "Does that matter?"
"Dignitaries are entitled to a personal guard provided by the city."
What did Ira tell him I was? "I can take care of myself."
He looked at her for a second before sighing. "Undoubtedly. But I would like there to be a city left at the end of the week."
"And what will you do should I refuse?" Aperio asked. She did not like the idea of being watched by guards all day, as she already had a lifetime of that behind her. Neither did she have any desire to participate in the festival's goings-on. She had no idea what it was about, and – perhaps more importantly – she had no coin with which to buy anything on offer.
"Nothing." He sounded exhausted, probably having to deal with a lot of people that did not want to be stalked by guards.
"Then I will decline your offer. I think there are enough people following me around already." Ira, Laelia and the adventurers were more than enough for her.
At her words the guard captain looked at her entourage and shook his head. His behaviour was not like that of the guards she remembered, but those had been vastly different circumstances. Offending a noble or even a guest would often end with an execution, after all. Aperio hoped that was not the case anymore.
Rubbing his temples he motioned for her to follow him. "I have been given to understand that this is your first time visiting Ebenlowe and that you lack proper identification?"
"Yes." Aperio had nothing that could prove who she was. Or who Ira claimed I am.
Passing the old man, and trying her best to ignore the noise that was rising again, Aperio followed Captain Lerendil into a small house that had been built next to the gate. Once inside the man pulled an [Appraiser's Stone] from the lone shelf, only to put it back after looking at her again.
"I assume those won't work on you?"
All he got in response was a curt nod. The last time she had used one, all it had produced was a garbled mess. Nothing useful. It felt nice to be strong enough to break one of the stones, but she still wanted to know what titles she had received. The exact values of her other stats were not something she desperately wanted to know – a curiosity at best – but she had a feeling that she wouldn't see those anytime soon. If ever.
The man mumbled something about hating paperwork before he seated himself behind a desk and prepared a sheet of paper. Aperio found that she liked his attitude the most, as he didn't seem to be intimidated by her or try to treat her like some high and mighty noble. To him she was just a nuisance that created more paperwork. A small part of her was screaming and kicking for his head again, but she continued to ignore that. Does every Divine feel like they have to kill mortals for any perceived disrespect?
Aperio saw him scribble her name onto the first line before he faced her to ask a question. "Surname and age?"
She tilted her head at the question; she did not have a surname nor did she know how old she was. "None and I do not know."
He just rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Can you at least take a guess?"
"Over a thousand." Probably. That's what Ira and that imposter said at least.
The captain dropped his pencil when he heard her reply. Leaning back he stared at the ceiling whispering a quiet, "Why me?"
Aperio wanted to reply, but she was very sure she was not meant to hear his whisper. She would at least attempt to not make his day any worse. Not through more of my actions, at least.
After writing down her age he paused at the next blank space on the paper. He then skipped over it, as well as another few lines. They were all likely things he assumed she wouldn't know, or wasn't willing to answer, or they simply weren't all that important to begin with. For all the time Aperio had spent catering to nobles, she had had little experience with bureaucracy. It was simply not required in the Empire. At least not for the lowest of the low like she had been.
"One last thing," he said, turning the paper around so she could read it and pointing at a dotted line. "Sign here."
Taking the offered pen, Aperio signed her name in the excessively cursive script she had learned. Satisfied with her signature, captain Lerendil held it face down against a stone. There was a brief flash of blue light, and a tiny card replaced the piece of paper in his hand.
"This"– he pointed to the small card –"will serve as your identification until the [Grandmaster] or other official makes a permanent one, but given that you are here to visit her I would assume she has made one already."
Does he think I am friend of the [Grandmaster]? It certainly seemed that way. Instead of correcting the false assumption, she very carefully took the card off of the stone and safely stored it in her Void. For a moment she considered asking him about Natio and the fanatic that had attacked her, but she quickly dismissed that idea. Better ask the [Grandmaster], unless… she is also part of it?
Following him outside again, she saw that the crowd was lively once more but a lot quieter than before. They had been quiet enough that she had not heard them inside the house, a fact she was pretty sure had something to do with the building itself. But it did not have any wards, those would've broken for sure.
A few people in the crowd looked in her direction, their expressions ranging from what she assumed to be awe to undisguised disgust. She knew how to deal with the latter, the former was something quite foreign but still pleasant.
It was only a short walk back to her group, and as soon as they arrived the captain informed Ira that they were free to enter the city. He also told him to make sure keep Aperio out of trouble, a statement that caused both the woman in question and Laelia to stifle a laugh.
Once the guard had departed Ira approached, obviously very uncomfortable with the entire situation. "I hope he did not bother you too much, but it is the only way to get you into the city without attracting even more attention."
She had almost expected him to be mad at her for her earlier outburst, but it seemed he was still quite intimidated by her. "It was quite refreshing. I wish everyone was a bit more relaxed."
"That… is easier said than done," Ira replied. "You don't a–"
"I get it. All I ask is that you try; I am not here to deliver punishment to everyone who mildly upsets me."
She got a small, hesitant nod in response. "Then please, follow me. The [Grandmaster] will be expecting us."
Following Ira's words, the small procession moved through a small gate into the city proper.