The Kingdom of Scavia #4

 The bloody day passed, the night rather restless for most of the caravan. Civilians thanked their benefactors, but kept most to themselves as the victory was not without a heavy cost. Adventurers buried their dead within the forest, soldiers noted down their casualties, and the healers were worked to the bone.

The situation was not normal, as even the civilians figured; it was much more than a bandit attack. Bandits were not that well-equipped, or even organized at that level; thus, it was not a bandit attack, but an assassination attempt. But for whom? and why?

“H-How dare they!” Kaiser held the reins tightly, the spotted-black steed complying in fear for its life. In his hands were documents detailing routes, stock of supplies, and battle plans. “There is information about every single one of the Heroes! Their names, their classes, their portraits– everything!”

The Knight understood the significance of the evidence he had in his hand, and he could only look at Akiro with a thankful look, despite looking quite stern in his current predicament. “Thank you, for your hard work today, Akiro.”

“It was nothing,” Akiro waved away, turning around to leave as he did; but not without Kaiser noticing his bandaged hands and blood-stained apparel, the reddish-black stains crusted on his coat. “It was something that had to be done, this was the kind of world this is.”

“That boy… He’s changed.” The knight felt guilty, his heart sinking slightly. “This cruel world has changed him…” He thought, looking down on the soil; but a soft, gentle hand held his gauntlets.

“It’s not your fault,” Olivia whispered, leaning against his tall frame, “It was only a matter of time before they would have blood on their hands. We did not summon these children, but it is our job to prepare them for their task.”

“I–I– You’re right…” Kaiser sighed bitterly, “It was only a matter of time, it was foolish of me to coddle them.”

“No one blames you, dear.”

“I sure hope so.”

After the night passed, the caravan packed and were on the move again, licking their wounds as they went. The air was much denser than before, even compared to the bitter desert, with everybody on edge from fatigue and restlessness. The stains and stench of blood and violence were still being scrapped off the carriage wheels and freshh on the minds of the living within the caravan.

Nevertheless, they carried on with speed and due haste, bearing news and revelation that puts both kingdoms at risk. Not a day later, the large convoy was stopped in front of the large outerwall’s gates of the Scavian Kingdom’s capital, Scav.

Akiro looked out of the widow, breathing in the cleaner, fresher air of the city. Across from him was Ayama, sleeping restlessly, nightmares plaguing him. “You can get through this.” He thought, suddenly feeling the carriage start again. “I know you can.”

"We are free to pass so everyone, get a move on!" Olivia huffed, flailing her arms around in exasperation. She was clearly affected by the rigorous journey to get to this point.

The caravan proceeded through the large gates and into the city. To the Japanese students, the sight was slightly tear-jerking. Many of the buildings were like Feudal-era japan, their styles bearing much resemblance to Wayo Kenchiku (Japanese-style architecture).

The caravan split up naturally, the escorting soldiers being led away to military bases for rest, the civilians re-integrating themselves with local society, and the Heroes brought aside by the Adventurer’s guild.

"Finally! after five days of hardship and effort, we finally arrived." Masashi cheered, causing everybody to celebrate as well.

"Wooohooo!"

"About Time!"

"I was getting sick of walking!"

Sebastian came to Kaiser's side at the forefront of the large group, and shushed him. "Alright, quell your excitement, the soldiers of the city might think it's a battle cry."

The celebrators immediately changed their tune, and apologized. "Sorry, sir." They replied collectively.

“Wow,” Akiro thought, looking around.

The sight around them was breath-taking, the familiarity tugging their hearts and homesickness. The buildings were elevated from the ground with large, solid stone bases; the roofs tiled with the iconic curvature by the corners. In between the paved roadways were string-connected posts, where unlit lanterns hung and swayed in the wind.

Akiro was busy being captivated by his surroundings that only the latter part of Kaiser’s stern reminded him back to focus. “ —And remember! Never show hostility to the local residents. We are guests of this country, delegates so to speak, be on your best behavior as we represent EarlsHide!" Kaiser finished his usual headcount on all the heroes.

"Yes sir!" the heroes replied.

Olivia took over, looping her arm around his, pressing herself against him. "Now children, use the money you earned in Oasis city for the inns. We are slightly late to the scheduled meeting, so there might be a delay before we can meet with the monarchy."

Sebastian let out a weary sigh, stroking his beard as he did. “Remember to report back to us, here, about your lodgings. When we’re allowed to enter the castle, we’ll call for all of you.”

When he finished his reminder, Olivia and Kaiser could be seen walking away; but not before she gave another piece of advice. "Take baths! or set yourself on fire! whichever works!" yelled out.

Akiro opened his mouth to comment about the surroundings, but when he turned to Ayama, he promptly pushed that thought behind, “H-hey, Y-You don’t look too good.”

Ayama slowly turned to him, his fatigue clearly weighing on his limits; but he still smiled, “W-what do you mean?--” Ayama yawned, clearly restless; the dark circles around his eyes having dark circles of their own, “I’m f-fine!”

Akiro shook his head, before looping Ayama’s left arm over his shoulder, “Okay, we’re going to find a nice inn, with a nice hot spring bath, with a massage parlor and good food—” He said, slowly trudging back to the carriage, “It’s about time we had a day off.”

After making sure Ayama had settled onto the cushioned seat, facing the magic-fueled air-conditioning unit, Akiro exited the carriage. Looking around the large plaza where the Adventurers were frolicking, Akiro waved to grab the attention of a nervous looking boy in leather armor.

“Hey, you!” Akiro waved, successfully catching his attention, “yes, you– come here for a second.” he called, in japanese

“Y-Yes!?” The boy gulped, intimidated by Akiro’s ominous, bloodstained attire, “W-What do you need me for? S-Sir!?” he yelped in broken, but manageable japanese, his accent greatly noticeable.

“I have a quest for you.” Akiro huffed, the exhaustion finally weighing on him too, as he reached into his pocket. The boy’s eyes widened at the shimmer of two gold coins, “Drive my carriage to the best inn in the area, one that has baths, good food and a massage parlor.”

Cling!

“A-Ah–Uh– Y-yes!” The boy stammered, catching the gold coin that clinked in his leather glove. The way his eyes glimmered at the sight of gold almost made Akiro laugh. “I will show you the best inns in the capital!”

“Money talks alright.” Akiro thought, “One for the down payment, and one after the job is done. Get to it.”

“Yes!”

“Was it really good to pay him a gold coin? Silver would’ve done the trick,” Ayama asked as Akiro boarded the carriage, which promptly departed from the parking space.

“It’s whatever.” The black-haired boy let out a long sigh, with a smirk at the end. "Then let's find a high-end inn first. I'm starting to feel like a scrooge, carrying this much unspent cash." Akiro chuckled, feeling the weight of the platinum starting to weigh him down.

The blonde gave him a wide, teeth-exposing grin. "Giving back to the economy, I like how you think!" Ayama grinned, giving Akiro a thumbs up.

“Now go back to sleep, you look like you’ve aged five years.”

Both boys continued through the busy streets, enjoying the scenery, the people, the atmosphere, and the smell of food. A particular vendor was seen pouring large portions into bowls, the contents stroking memories in Akiro’s mind.

Although the ambiance of the city was good, Akiro couldn't help but reminisce about his mother. "Will I ever taste mother's miso soup again? Will I ever see her again?" He thought, troubled. "I promise, Mom, I'll make it back."

Akiro returned to the beautiful scene in front of him, Pink, healthy, and lush cherry blossoms were in full bloom. They had arrived at a large Hotel complex, spanning a large area of protected forest near the edge of the city.

The roads had turned from cement and stone to red bricks with lanterns. The central building in front of them was three stories tall, with a thick rock foundation decorated by a clean moat holding koi fish.

"Whoa!" Ayama gasped, admiring the view. The roofs were tiled, and the walls were white and clean-- it was a premium resort overlooking a lake.

Cling!

“T-Thank you so much, sir!” The boy bowed deeply.

Entering the establishment, it felt like walking into a period drama set, except it was vivid and real for the two boys. As they were observing and marveling at the details, the desk clerk sneered.

''Rugged Adventurers, foreigners too. This place is not for the likes of you." She haughtily jeered in her mind. The two boys approached her. "Hello--"

bam!

The one with black hair rudely tossed a large sac of metal onto her desk. "Hey--" Before she could even complain, the bag ripped open slightly, letting a single platinum coin fall out.

The hold was not large, but she could see the platinum coins in the bag. "Best room, best view, best service, and the best food." The one in black interjecting, commanding more than asking.

"Y-Yes s-sir..."

"Also a better pouch."

"Yes sir..."

As the woman fumbled over her tasks, Akiro spotted something that interested him. “I change my mind, I want that," Akiro said, pointing outside of the Clerk's window. “It’s not a bad idea to invest in real estate, especially in a property in the middle of a beautiful kingdom like this.”

She turned around to see him pointing at the lake-side mansion. She could only gape and stutter for words as Akiro stared her down. "Well?"

"Pwuahhh!" Ayama sighed a long satisfied sigh as he stretched his tired limbs in the boiling hot spring tub. 

He combed his hair back away from his eyes to appreciate the view provided by the balcony tub overlooking the beautiful, crystal-clear lake and the cherry blossoms surrounding its shores. Just three days ago, they were camping in the wilderness.

"The view is awesome." He breathed. "The air is so clean too." He thought. Ayama relaxed his shoulders as he dropped them on the edges of the tub.

"Hey, Akiro! Are you planning to bathe first?" He asked, loudly.

Akiro hummed grumpily in response, his nose buried in his task in the large common room. "I'll respectfully decline!"

Ayama guffawed, slapping the water from the hilarity. "Alright then, don't complain later! I'll take my sweet time!"

The black-haired boy just scoffed. "Don't give me that bullshit, you take your time all the time."

Ayama doubled over in laughter. "That's true!" He agreed, turning away to the bathroom; and as he did, he still kept conversing, "Man, her face was priceless when we bought the lake house mansion" he said, recalling the interaction three days ago, prior to their acquisition of the lakeside house.

Akiro huffed, amused by the short and interesting interaction. "Sure." He replied. looking at the table with the harness spread out and taken apart, Akiro racked his brain."How should I improve this..."

Taking a separate bag full of spare parts, courtesy of the blacksmith, Akiro started to tinker, oblivious to the hours passing by. By the time Ayama finally stepped out of the bathroom, dried and dressed, he found Akiro slouched over the table full of papers and pens.

"You're busy." He said, taking a bite from a plump apple. "You should shower and eat, before continuing working. You look like shit."

Akiro sighed, tossing the pen down and crumpling a sheet of paper. "Sure." he huffed, stomping to the bathroom.

Ayama shrugged at his obviously disgruntled roommate and rolled his eyes. Looking out of the large sliding door patio, the sun had already set, and the fireflies had come out. "Tacky," he remarked.

Splash!

Akiro stepped out of the bath, refreshed and in shape. "I smell– something, did you make something?” He asked, before spotting the plate on his desk.

It was a large Ramen bowl full of handmade noodles, large cuts of meat, three eggs, and rich broth. The aroma would've entrapped Akiro if it weren't for the word spelled in diced green onion.

“Thanks, I guess?” Akiro rolled his eyes, the garnished green onions spelling: ‘Idiot, eat.’ He said, taking the chopsticks and eating.

Akiro began to feverishly work whilst eating, occasionally eating when he got stuck.

"Damn it, This won't work..."
"Fuck, It's been hours..."
"This little cog-- I've been losing my shit over you, you fuck--"

And before he knew it, the sun started to peak over the cherry trees. Akiro squinted at the sun's rays as they hit his eyes. He turned to the open patio and marveled at the view. "Oh wow, It's morning already?"

Just as he exclaimed, Ayama exited his bedroom to see him gaping at the view. "See, I told you, you wouldn't sleep." he yawned and clicked his tongue.

Akiro frowned, turning to Ayama with an irritated face. Although he wanted to dispute, he neither would win nor have the time to do so. "Whatever. Go take a quick bath, and I'll make breakfast-- we're supposed to meet Kaiser-sensei by the Palace's outer gate later, make sure to hurry up."

Ayama smirked, giving a mock salute. "Aye!" He said, still bleary-eyed. Picking up his towel, he immediately headed to the Bathroom.

Splash!