Humanity's Hero Of Despair

The ride to the capital of the Veltharian Republic is quite bumpy.

That is an understatement.

The wheels of the carriage keep the Tarondar Diplomatic Party and I jolting up and down as they chug forward over the loose stones of the cobbled road. All of us are numb to the feeling by now. It has been a couple of weeks since we left the Tarondar Palace on our journey.

The magical knights have protected the entire party from robbers several times. Matteo and Zephyr wanted to get in on the action but were prevented from doing so as they were told to conserve their energy for any upcoming major threats in Veltharia.

Estes and Neve both were there to help defend and heal anyone in our party who has gotten injured over the past couple of weeks.

Our carriages roll slowly into the town of Goturon.

Goturon being a Veltharian village near the capital. We have to stop through Goturon and get clearance from the Mayor there before we are allowed to leave for capital, which is called the city of Vexa. From what Quillen told us on our journey here, the Republic has been on edge since they have also been experiencing monster attacks.

The chilly wind adds to the unsettling feeling of the atmosphere of the town.

The streets are fairly crowded even though you wouldn't of known if you just went by the sound. People talked in hushed voices to each other and they kept glancing at our fancy carriages and entourage. Merchants operate their businesses cautiously and all around us were numerous Veltharian soldiers.

Even in a town fairly close to the capital, it should not be this guarded.

Scorch marks stain some of the walls, suggesting this city was already targeted. Some strange symbols were carved into the side of houses. The extra military forces are probably meant to fight off the magical beasts as well as provide extra security before anyone reaches the capital.

Our carriages came to a halt in front of the city hall.

In order to not intimidate everybody, Quillen and I were chosen to be the ones to speak to the Mayor.

The Veltharian guards stepped aside to let us in through the main entrance of the city hall, which was a lot more modest than the entrance of the Tarondar Palace. The two large wooden doors shut behind us with a soft thud.

Someone who appeared to be a secretary lead us to the Mayor's office. We waited for three minutes before we were let inside of the office.

"Welcome to Goturon! Please have a seat."

The mayor says as we sit down.

"You may refer to me as Mayor Wexford. We got word by mail a couple of weeks ago from the King of Tarondar that they are sending a diplomatic party to establish some sort of alliance, right?"

"Yes, that's right." I start to say more, but he cuts me off.

"We wrote a letter back to the King stating we did not need any offer of an alliance. Yes. We are being attacked by several groups of goblins and even a few dragons. However, we were able to drive them back through our military might. I believe we are fully capable of defending ourselves."

"If we established an alliance with Tarondar, it may jeopardise our diplomatic relations with the Oriventh Empire and Seylora Theocracy."

I don't know what to respond back with, as this is my first time in this situation without any backing from King Grey. Thankfully, Quillen chooses this moment to speak up.

"Is it true Mayor Wexford, that even though you were able to drive back the goblins and a couple of the dragons, your village has endured a lot of damage to it and injuries to the people?"

"Did you know that the marks on the side of some of the buildings suggest that, for some odd reason, the goblins are organizing themselves into groups?"

"We are not asking straight away for an alliance. We are asking to simply be cleared to head to Vexa so we can speak to the President about these major issues as I know for a fact if the attacks keep increasing your military won't be able to protect all their cities at once."

"You may be a town close to the capital. However, right on the other side of Vexa is a large city. Who do you think the President is going to choose to protect if it came down to it? I do not want the people of your village to be hurt, and we are not asking for any final decisions.

"We would simply like to talk to the President to see if we can work something out."

The mayors slightly slumps back in his chair and sighs while shaking his head. He looks back and forth between Quillen and I while saying, "I thought you both would of given up or been disheartened enough to head back home after hearing what I had to say but I suppose I will give your request a chance.

"Just no promises on a treaty being signed."

"I am only saying this because I know some of Quillen's family because of some international debates. I know how capable and trusting the House of Martin can be. We would not want to upset the Kingdom of Tarondar more than we would want to upset Seylora. Your party may proceed ahead to Vexa."

"Please present this envelope to the guards at the gate of Vexa."

He hands over the envelope to Quillen.

"Thank you, Mayor Wexford."

Quillen speaks with genuine thankfulness in his voice as he gives a slight bow.

We all stood up from our chairs. The mayor waved goodbye to us as we exited the city hall. I turn to Quillen, stunned at how easily he was able to persuade people.

"Has your family always been this badass?"

That got a small laugh out of Quillen.

"They have worked hard for our reputation over many generations. I am just glad to be of service to Tarondar, as all the Martins greatly respect King Grey."

On that note, we hop back into our carriages and head toward Vexa.

Little did we know, shadows in the alleyways were watching us depart.