Chapter 2: Chapter 2 – Waking the Dragon

 

As morning came, Agham was all ready to go, while I was still hanging around in bed. Somewhere during nighttime, I read a bit from the guide about Casla. Knowing my surroundings was key, after all.

With deep shadows beneath my eyes, I slowly moved out of bed. It felt like tree trunks had been placed on my back. Agham patiently waited for me to get up, then took me outside and onto the streets.

A place for me to work at, right… We made a halt in front of some big show-glassy window. I tried to look inside, but saw nothing. There was no name plate next to the entrance, no chairs on the outside, nothing.

Agham said it would be a restaurant, nothing here indicated clearly to any normal person that this was a place where food was served, at least on the outside. If Agham didn’t tell me so, I never would’ve guessed it.

Agham took me inside, quickly going up to the counter. The room that we were in was very spacious, and the sitting space was arranged to make good use of it. Old wooden pillars were spread all around. The chairs around the tables were well-crafted, with particular animal designs featuring horses and bulls etched into the backs.

Because of their light complexion, they stood out from the otherwise darker furniture. The only thing you could smell in the air was the faint scent coming from the aged wood. Other than that, everything was sparkly clean.

Out of the kitchen in the back, a tall woman with black hair and black eyes wearing a chef’s uniform emerged. She was almost taller than me, and her short bangs were almost completely hidden behind her chef’s hat.

Overall, from what I saw on the streets before, she just looked out of the ordinary. Both her nose and mouth were small, and her skin had a porcelain tone, a big contrast to what was normal around the city.

She also had this rigid tone on her face. Anyone could tell she probably didn’t smile a lot in her day-to-day life. Well, running a restaurant is some difficult work, after all.

The two were having quite the back-and-forth, though I intentionally avoided listening in too much. They must’ve known each other for some time. After a few minutes, they came to some sort of agreement, and the chef then signaled me to come forward. Once before her, I noticed her sharp glare towards me.

“Name, Age, Height, Weight, Occupation, Address, Likes, Dislikes, Aspirations. Pronto.”

It took me a few seconds to process what she just said. Seeing another person talk in my language was reassuring. And now that I had the opportunity to get a better look at her, she really looked strange for someone around here.

During conversations, I would make a point out of looking into other people’s eyes. To me, that’s common courtesy. But this time was different. I didn’t want to look at all. Looking into her eyes was like looking into a black mirror. It created a very alien feeling.

Her arms were tightly crossed above her thin waist, and I could hear a foot repeatedly tipping against the floor. What did she say again? I quickly tried to remember.

“Uhhhh…Lenn, 22, I think?”

The sounds coming from her floor started to intensify. They became quicker and louder. My nervousness increased, too.

“A-Around 1,80 m and 70 kg, no job, no address. I like helping people. Really. I like cleaning, too. I want to work here to make the customers happy…?”

All of this was so half-assed. I wasn’t prepared for this at all. The words didn’t come out right. But I didn’t tell any lies, so that was a start. The chef’s demeanor certainly didn’t change for the better, though.

“Hey.”

She turned towards Agham.

“You better take responsibility. In the event, you’re the one going to the block.”

Agham remained completely unfazed by this.

“Trust me, it’s going to be alright. It’s only for around one month, anyway. Cut him some slack. Besides, maybe he’s actually good at it. You never know.”

She slowly walked right up to me, closer and closer. With only a few inches in between me and her, her eyes were completely locked onto my face. 

“Hands.”

Looking down, I noticed that she was pointing to my fingers. I didn’t know what it is, but something told me the best option was not to refuse her. 

As per command, I raised my hands. She began inspecting them with her own, running her fingers down every nook and cranny, pressing up against different spots on my palm and checking my fingers’ lengths, one by one.

It was almost like some weird massage. After she was done, she only had one thing to say.

“Hmpf. Average at best.”

Was I insulted just now? She went back to the counter, opening up the register.

“200 per hour. Take it or leave it.”

To that, Agham’s face started looking funny. He looked like he was treated to a joke.

“With that pay, he might as well go and beg on the streets. 1000 gan. It’s only fair. I recommended him. It’s the same pay as the other.”

They opened up a haggling session.

“250. Only his face does anything. And no one cares for guys, anyway.”

But there was a thought plopping out of my mind, combined with a dreadful feeling.

“800.”

What if…

“300.”

What if Agham made her so upset that I wouldn’t get the job, after all? That’d be a problem.

“700. That’s literally the minimum wage.”

“500. And that’s final. Even minimum wageworkers should at least have identification, or some skills to show. I’ve got a business to run.”

Giving me less than the minimum wage wasn’t too surprising. I was akin to a problem child they randomly picked up from the streets. I really had next to no value regarding the job. It would be a miracle to even get accepted. 

Agham held still for a bit. He didn’t look like he had a plan B in mind. Then, with a reluctant face…

“Alright, he’s all yours. 500 gan. 4 weeks or so. Treat him right.”

With that, Agham made his way out. Which solely left me and the chef in the room.

“First things first.”

She took on a more commanding tone again.

“I am Sofia Tallier. For you, that is Miss Tallier. You will take the morning shift from 8:00 to 12:00. You will begin now.”

“I am going to work right now?”

“No time for dallying. Come.”

Miss Tallier quickly showed me where everything was. The tableware, the spare tables and chairs, the kitchen, everything. I was to be a waiter, simple as that. Receiving orders and relaying them to Miss Tallier, who would be most of the time in the kitchen.

After work, I would also have to help clean the dishes and tables, as well as mop the floor. The typical work of a temporary worker.

“Wait, how do I even interact with the customers?”

But looking at the menu, both Angal and the local language were there. Great. It took about an hour for me to get accustomed to the whole thing. She then gave me my uniform, a simple black robe with no sleeves.

Now that the preparations were done, all I had to do was wait for customers. I didn’t want to embarrass myself, or Agham, or the chef. With every passing minute, the pressure grew. Still, no customers arrived.

I took the time to look through the menu, trying to remember as much as I could. 1 hour, 2 hours. I mopped the floor again and double-checked the furniture. Nothing.

I was still unsure of what even to say to any customers coming in, but Miss Tallier seemed so busy in the kitchen, I just figured that it wouldn’t be a problem.

Everyone I came across knew Angal, they just didn’t really speak it themselves.

At this point, it was just before noon. My shift would end soon. Miss Tallier was working on something in the kitchen. From outside, I asked.

“Miss Tallier, how come no customers have come yet? Surely, there must’ve been at least a few people coming in.”

What I received was a rather short reply.

“Less thinking, more working. Do the window, too.”

I looked towards the massive window next to the entrance. A big glass wall with a rather interesting feature. From inside, you could look outside just fine, but not the other way around. A passerby would only see the typical reflection of a brown and orange covered window. But it seemed spotless already, so what was there to clean?

But there was no arguing with the chef.

After I was done, I sneaked another look outside. Noon. But I had yet to be excused by the chef. She was still in the kitchen, doing her thing. I wondered what she was up to all that time. To find out, and also because I didn’t have anything better to do, I went into the kitchen.

I stopped at the doorstep. Miss Tallier was cooking…something.

“Excuse me, Miss Tallier, I believe my work shift has now ended.”

“Yes.”

She laid down her kitchen tools and went right past me, towards the counter, grabbing some money and handing it to me.

“4 hours. 2000 gan. See you tomorrow.”

Then, she went right back to her work. Did I do a good job? And, I’m going to be here tomorrow as well? With those questions in mind, I made my way back to the inn. There wasn’t really any other place to go to, and I was railed.

Luckily, since it was a room for two, Agham and I both had keys.

Going into the room, I immediately collapsed onto the bed. It was noon, and was laying in my bed. That made me kind of feel bad. Still, that didn’t stop me from taking a nap anyway.

When I woke up, the sun was still standing tall. I was asleep for two, maybe three hours. I didn’t have any breakfast, so my stomach started catching up to me. Because I was at work, I didn’t even think of asking Miss Tallier for food. And I had so many chances…

But now, I had some money, so I went back onto the streets again, taking great care in being able to find my way back home.

I headed down the main street. This time, there was no festival going on, so it was relatively empty. I stole some glances here and there, but it was time to get used to them. After all, I now had a safety net.

On my way through the city, I spotted numerous shops, looking through the different prices.

Fruits were around 100-200 gan per piece, bread was around the same range. Meat was obviously more expensive, but not by much. The payment I received from Miss Tallier seemed fair enough. It was enough to put food on the plate.

And if I had a good background in the first place, I probably could have gotten double the wage. 1000 gan per hour seemed pretty good for a waiter. 

Maybe later, she would give me a raise. In fact, with that kind of work-focused personality, I was sure she would do that. It all depended on my performance. 

To not get lost, I decided to backtrack a little. There was no point in from one end of the city to the other. But before I knew it, I was already back at the inn, hungrier than ever. I hadn’t even thought of buying one of the fruits or pieces of meat I checked the prices of. In the end, I could only ever concentrate on one thing at a time, and shut out everything else.

I figured I might as well go back to Miss Tallier and ask for some food. Maybe that would have made me the first customer of the day, anyway.

When coming to the restaurant, the scenery that appeared in front of me was…well…exactly what you would expect from a well-off restaurant, but maybe even more extreme. The tables were packed.

All of these people going about their day, having fun, spilling shit…And I had to clean it all up tomorrow, probably.

Seeing my cleaning work ruined like this was pretty saddening, but then again, what was cleaning for, anyway… The previously spotless restaurant took on a state as dirty as the customers coming in.

I assumed most of them were from the same department as Agham. Hard physical labor and the like. Their appearance attested to that.

As I went up to the counter, Miss Tallier appeared from the kitchen.

“Uhm, hi. Could I-”

Miss Tallier immediately grabbed a nearby staff robe and threw it at me.

“Come on, hurry!”

Her voice certainly did the trick. My body practically moved on its own. In such a short amount of time, I must’ve already gained some weird habits. And seeing the work in front of me made me realize I was no longer hungry.

This time, it was for real, and I had to be a real waiter. But serving the guests wasn’t all that difficult. Most of them just kept on saying “Beer, Beer!” or “Meat!”. I could also receive the occasional “I’ll have some wine.”, but that’s all there was to it.

Once I got used to it, I even specifically tested whether they would notice if I brought them different kinds of meat, but no chance. They didn’t care whatsoever, only coming here to fill their stomachs. 

With all of that work, I was happy I wasn’t the only one taking on the job. There was also a girl serving the customers, one who must’ve been sweating buckets underneath the robe. She had long, straight blonde hair that was really well-kept, really shining when you looked at it.

Her wide green eyes oozed a sense of comfort. It was like looking into the green of nature itself, the complete opposite feeling I had to Miss Tallier’s sharp stare.

What was also noteworthy was her height, or lack thereof. She was definitely on the shorter side. Miss Tallier and me were more than a head taller than her. She had a few freckles on her cheeks and carried a big, bright, cheerful smile.

With that kind of cutesy appearance, it was like she was made to deal with people.

Her actions and replies to the customers’ requests were so formulaic you could already tell she had been doing this job forever, being well-liked by everyone. They all called her by name, too.

“Hey Maya, over here! A beer over here, please!” 

The only looks I got whenever I went up to the customers were of pure disappointment.

“Why does it have to be this ugly-ass guy?”, is probably what they were thinking.

I was shown zero courtesy, not even hearing a “please” or “thank you” from anyone.  But still, having someone else take the attention away from me lessened my load overall. Not on a psychological level, of course…

The kitchen was rumbling all the while, making me wonder whether Miss Tallier was okay preparing everything by herself. Usually, you would expect a chef to have assistants in the kitchen, but she didn’t. No, she actively refused help, is the kind of vibe that I got from her.

Somewhere during nighttime, I could finally catch a break. My body was absolutely wrecked. When the last customer packed their things and stumbled outside, the shop was finally closed, at least for a little while.

I just wanted to sleep, but my stomach was quite upset from not eating all day. While I was slumped over a chair, I saw Maya take her leave, still full of energy.

“Well then, I’ll be here tomorrow, too. See you and good night!”

She was still carrying that sunny smile. What kind of stuff was she even taking? I wanted her to hand me some of that as well.

With Maya taking her exit, it was now my turn to go up to the chef. I went over to the counter, and from there, my awkward attempt at asking for food ensued.

“H-Hey Miss Tallier, I know the restaurant is now closed and all, but could I get some food for myself? Actually, I didn’t really eat all that much today, and I’m uncertain if any other places would still be open at this time…Would that be alright?”

Miss Tallier let out a big sigh. Out of the three of us, she was probably the most tired, even though she didn’t let anyone on. However, with only minimal hesitation, she went back to the kitchen, starting the rumbling all over, if only a little quieter this time around.

After a few minutes, Miss Tallier brought me not one, not two, but three different sized plates. All the tables were equally dirty at this point, so I just picked one at random, before sitting down and opening the lids. 

It was nothing like what I had seen on the menu. Miss Tallier must’ve brought me a few of her experiments, instead of the normal stuff served to customers.

“Eat. That’s your payment for today. Give me your thoughts, too.”

I was unsure whether to feel honored or not. The food looked… off. I couldn’t describe it any other way. There was no way for me to decipher the ingredients used for the dishes presented to me, nor was there any particular smell to them.

In fact, it smelled like nothing. The dishes’ colors were all some rainbow-like, slimy mess.

But that didn’t deter me from eating them.

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The consistency was squishy, like that of a squid. Chewing felt awkward as well as, sometimes, even unnecessary? You could just slurp it all down instead. But no matter which dish I tried, it all tasted like nothing.

My stomach was definitely filled, but my palate felt empty. I was feeling unsure about giving negative feedback, but Miss Tallier had a much better grasp on this topic, so lying wouldn’t have done me any good, either.

“It isn’t all that bad, but even without taste-testing the more regular dishes, I can tell that the normal stuff we serve is far better.”

“Hmpf. Obviously.”

With that, she took the plates with her, before reappearing behind the counter.

“Alright. You’re dismissed. Go home. Be back at 8:00 sharp.”

“Ah, okay. Good night, Miss Tallier.”

Categorizing her as being easy or hard to deal with was hard to do, but I started believing that she might have laid more towards the easy side.

I went back to the inn and met up with Agham. Walking up to the stairs to our room, I asked him how about his day. Apparently, after work, he was invited by his boss to go out and drink together.

It was there that Agham received some extra money from him, saying he would be happy to keep Agham under his wing.

Agham was actually thinking of quitting his job to get out of this city as soon as possible.

So essentially, his boss caught of wind of it, and was now bribing him. And what mattered the most was that Agham accepted the money.

“So, you’re giving up on the plan?”

The hostility in my words was clear as day. By pure chance, I got a hold of a lifeline that was now about to snap just as quickly as it was given to me. I had a job now, but so what? Agham was indispensable, still. I couldn’t just cut ties with him, and I hadn’t yet repaid the favor, either. 

But to that, Agham only had this to say.

“Obviously, I’m still leaving. But I can always use some extra bucks.”

Agham’s carefree nature was baffling. But in a way, he was right. If we were leaving the city, why not get some additional funds? His boss probably thought of that too, though…

Images of me staying in Casla came to mind. To be honest, working my way up in a restaurant didn’t sound too bad, but it wasn’t for me. It was also too dangerous considering the future of the city.

That is, if what Agham told me was even true. I had yet to actually confirm it with anyone else. So far, I just took it at face value, as if Agham was the most trustworthy person in the world.

But simply by walking through the streets, I knew. I needed to get out of here. That’s what my gut told me. 

Yet another day passed.

During the next few days, I got more accustomed to my new life. I woke up, split up with Agham, went to the restaurant, worked. Coming home from work, sleep, read a little, rinse and repeat.

Over the course of just a few days, my work hours were drastically increased. I was kept busy for the whole day, with Miss Tallier working me to the bone.

But ultimately, it all checked out. I got a raise of 500 to 600 gan in no time, and since I was working so many hours, the money kept rolling in. I even got free food as well, so with virtually no other expenses to handle, I could properly support Agham by paying for our room.

The restaurant quickly felt like a second base to me, and I got plenty of chances to chat with both Miss Tallier and Maya, learning more about Agham, too.

Miss Tallier and Agham apparently first met each other while they were both on their way to Casla. That was five years ago. Agham was an experienced mine worker from the west and Miss Tallier, who as expected had already been a chef at that point, came from Marin, the southern capital of Oulayn.

In other words, she came from far away to set up shop. They then met each other again when Agham first set foot in her establishment and from then on, they regularly met and did business with each other.

Maya, the other staff member, had also been brought in by Agham himself two years ago.  And since Maya was such a hard worker, Miss Tallier could put her faith in him. 

Maya was an 18 years old girl who lived alone with her sickly mother. She told me her dad died years ago, supposedly dying from an accident while working in the copper mines. She was supporting herself and her mom by working in this restaurant.

A lot of the regular customers knew of her story and always tried to tip her as much as they can. That’s how she was able to stave off poverty.

Upon hearing it, it caused me quite the heartache. And to think of what her daily life would be like, living alone with a diseased family member…From what she was saying, I could only deduce that her mother had it so rough she couldn’t even move out of bed.

<What kind of life even is that? Living in such an environment must be absolutely miserable.>

I couldn’t think of it any other way.

But, even after telling me that, of course our daily lives didn’t change. We were working as normal. A part of me was grateful that Maya willingly told me about her life, but it made working alongside her awkward.

She made sure to wear that bright, carefree smile all the time, like it’s nothing, but half the people around knew what was behind it.

Something about it made me sick. I wanted to distance myself from it, and I almost wanted to see in it another reason to leave the city. And when I came back to the inn every night, happy news wasn’t exactly what I was given.

Agham kept receiving bribes from his boss.

A few more days passed. By then, it had been a full week since I woke up in that mysterious, shabby room. Agham told me it wouldn’t be long until we could get out of Casla, thanks to his…bonuses.

On the other hand, Maya was saving up some money as well, as she told me. She wanted to buy some kind of expensive medicine for her mother. “Good luck”, is all I could tell her. Miss Tallier kept feeding me her experiments, but those became better and better by the day. Some even ended up on the official menu.

I amassed 10,000 gan while paying my fair share. Now I could, I don’t know, rent a carriage for a day or two? I still didn’t have that much of a grasp on how money worked around these parts. But it was better than nothing.  

During the evening, a little something strange happened. For once, there were too many people in the restaurant. The orders kept piling up. There were enough people waiting outside, too, waiting to get in.

As to what caused this, none of us three had any idea. The only fact that remained was our limbs were getting numb. Even Maya started having trouble keeping up her smile. The sounds from the kitchen were no longer like rumbling, but more akin to a full-blown tornado.

People didn’t seem to care all that much about looking at Maya anymore as before. Some even directly asked me to come to them as well. No small talk, nothing. Just the bare-bones orders. Not that I could’ve afforded small talk handling all these orders, anyway.

It must’ve been sometime after midnight that Miss Tallier decided to emergency close the shop. The remaining masses had to be kicked out. I was given a bonus for the day that, to be honest, I damn well deserved.

I then went right on home. Though, “stumbled home” might be more of a correct statement here.

The same went for the others, they were both on the verge of collapsing. Still, Maya made up her mind to go home, too, likely because of her mom, and Miss Tallier said she would accompany her on her way there. Speaking of which, where did those two actually live? I never bothered to ask.

Returning to the inn was no problem. Agham was already there, dead asleep. A few coins were sticking out of his pants. I sank into my bed, prepared to have a long, long rest. I was told by Miss Tallier that the next day, I could come an hour or two later than usual.

That thoughtfulness of her that sometimes stuck out was something I could really appreciate.

It was the middle of the night. The only source of light was that of an almost full moon, with no clouds in the air to block that silver luster coming through the open window. The air in the room grew a more pleasantly lukewarm tone.

During the day, it would be a little bit too warm, but now it was delightfully tepid. I was buried beneath thick sheets while wearing some light clothing.

Weirdly enough, despite all of these perfect conditions for sleep, I couldn’t do it. There was nothing wrong with my body, still, I couldn’t. Unease. A hint of dread. No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn’t find the cause for it. And it only grew stronger.

Without a moment’s notice, I began sweating profusely. My back grew cold and slimy. My eyes were widening. Keeping them closed became difficult. I looked to Agham’s bed. He was still sleeping in that same position I found him in.

I start feeling up my own body, attempting to calm myself down. My arms no longer wanted to leave my chest. Something hidden was pressing up against my heart, stabbing it. The pressure wouldn’t let up.

It only got worse. I felt sick to the point of wanting to throw up, reminding me of that first day. No matter what, I needed to reach the toilet. My body was still wrecked, but the sheer panic my body was in allowed for me to at least have the energy to get into a sitting position.

I looked towards the floor, unable to tell whether I was feeling hot or cold. Tunnel vision. It was hard to concentrate. My sense of time lessened. Minutes were like seconds.

In the midst of my impaired state, something entered my vision. I was still looking to the floor filled with moonlight. Then, something in it moved. A shadow in that same floor I was looking at. A shadow that moved erratically and quickly became bigger.

It engulfed the whole area the light was reaching towards to. Because of how it was moving, it was hard to make out what it was. But as the shadow became bigger, their features became more recognizable, too. Very, very recognizable. They grew arms and legs, looking almost like…a person?

I heard a loud clanking sound, so loud it almost made me jump. Something must’ve fallen onto the floor, right next to me. Something heavy. As I looked up to try and find that something, an unbelievable scenery unfolded right in front of my eyes.

There was a small, sharp blade coming right towards me, only a few centimeters away from my face. It came rushing and rushing towards me. There was no time to react.

My mind was still occupied with all kinds of other things. Yet, I was about to be skewered.

But before the blade could reach me, it was deflected by another. The arm that held the other blade was very familiar to me. An arm way bulkier than the norm, and very tanned.

The inverse of the arm stretched out to kill me. Agham was standing there, no longer in his bed, but right next to me.

Opposite of us, standing in front of the open window, were two people, hidden behind black cloaks. Assailants. Assassins. The reality of the situation slowly became clear to me. An attempt on my life had been made. And Agham was the one who saved me.

“Tch.”

The two in black quickly made their exit through the window, vanishing from our sight. I took a peek outside the window. They were gone completely. It was about 5 meters down to the street below.

We were dealing with superhumans, or something. The only thing they left behind was some round, black capsule, now laying on the floor.

“Lenn. LENN!”

Agham was all wound up. Dreary as my vision still was, I couldn’t see his expression. But for some reason, I was quickly grabbed by him. He really wanted to leave the room.

“My book…my book…”

It’s all I could think about. If I was going to be taken away, I needed that book with me. Luckily, I had the opportunity to catch it while Agham carried me. His grip was monstrous, and we were outside the inn in no time.

Once outside, he let me down. Obviously, I still needed to go to the toilet. That didn’t change, even as my behind got roughed up from the fall onto hard, cold stone.

I didn’t even know why Agham would so frantically carry me outside like that, but the answer to that came swiftly. As I looked up, a flash of light came from up above, and just a few milliseconds after, a shockwave followed, breezing over me.

“BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMPFH!!”

The ground rumbled. Shards of glass sprinkled onto the street. The walls were fully submerged in black smoke. My ears were ringing, and it was hard to breathe. Specks of smoke and dust entered my nostrils en masse, making me cough uncontrollably.

“*Cough Cough* Is this…for real? What the fuck?”

Only red flames and black burnt wood remained at the spot where I had just been resting at. My nice, temporary base from which I could go to work, reduced to nothing. If Agham hadn’t had taken me outside, that would’ve been it for me.

My legs were shaking uncontrollably as I stood up. Luckily, my savings were still there. I put them in the guide, just to be sure. Other than that, patting down my body, I noticed all the things necessary for me were still there.

Still, for this to happen…My eyes were still fixated on the hole put into the building in front of me. 

“Come on, get a grip. We’re going to Sofia’s.”

Agham’s words helped me come back to my senses. Yes, that’s right. The restaurant. We still had the restaurant. Miss Tallier would understand, probably. It was going to be alright. I was going to work there tomorrow anyway, so I might as well sleep there, right? Right.

As always, I tried to calm down.

We didn’t take the fastest route, but instead made circles here and there and took deliberate detours through the streets. That fueled my paranoia, but it was essential. If the people from before were still tracking us, Agham said this would help him know.

The adrenaline pumping through my veins had regulated all these bad symptoms I had before, but before long, they would surely come back again. The moment I would relax, it would come.

I had to make sure to get to sleep as soon as possible. We were in front of the entrance when it struck me.

“Is Miss Tallier even there? Surely, she has another place she sleeps at, right?”

“No, it’s fine. I have a spare key.”

He really had a spare. Agham put the key in the keyhole and turned it. Even after all of this, Agham kept a calm mind above anything. You could really tell this wasn’t the first time he’s been in a dangerous situation like this.

“CLICK.”

Thankfully, that was the right key. After entering the restaurant, we quickly looked around for anything useful. A kitchen knife and some other utensils that could be used for protection. We took some robes from the counter and bound them together, so we could use them as makeshift pillows.

Agham locked the door and made extra sure that no one found us. Thinking about it, this place wasn’t the best to hide at, but at least for one night it would do the trick. It even had a toilet, of course. Would you look at that?

I truly hoped that Miss Tallier wouldn’t rip my head off for sleeping here without permission. And even if I fell asleep, I felt like my mind wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it. 

After we were done with our preparations, we each picked a table away from the window and began sleeping under them. They were no beds in the restaurant, so this was pretty much the only option given to us.

The wooden floor felt extremely hard. My heart was pounding. The makeshift cloth pillow and my robe didn’t do much to improve my sense of comfort. Yet eventually, I would still end up falling into a deep sleep. Every body has its limits, and I reached mine.

Not too long after, morning came. 

 

-End of Chapter 2-

 

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Harc Manem: A tour around Oulayn, year 505

 

Pages 10-13: An Introduction to The Zenar Region

The Zenar Region is the name given to the land located all around Mt. Duke, except for the remote and empty northern side, following along the pale mountain range. Since the Region covers a sizeable area of the continent, you can expect to find all sorts of different vegetation, heights and people. It truly is a treasure trove for any tourist coming to Oulayn. Therefore, my exploration of this particular part of the continent will be split into different parts that have their own themes and are listed within this book accordingly.

You can find these other parts on pages 14-15 (The Zenar Outskirts), 17-19 (The Zenarian Duchies), 24-27 (The Zenarian Alps), 55-57 (A Deeper Look into Zenarian History) and 72-74 (The Zenar Region and the Pale Mountain). For anyone interested in Mt. Duke itself and not the surrounding area, I’ll begin covering that topic starting from page 75.

For this entry, I think it is best to first give an explanation on what makes the Zenar Region what it is, how its landmass is distributed and what people live in it.

The reason for the term “Region” used to describe this land stems from the fact that it’s a collective term for all the little Duchies found within it, each with a different Duke assigned to it. However, the Dukes themselves do not follow any given ruler. Within the Zenar Region, the name and title of Duke has merely been passed down by old generations and has lost some of its original meaning. Nowadays, being a Duke of the Zenar Region merely means having the right of ownership over a given amount of territory. In other words, ruling a province. But it has nothing to do with governing a duchy while also being under the rule of a given king. In the past, there have been numerous complaints from important business partners such as the Storzon Empire on how the dukes should have their titles changed to better suit their positions. This was because the Empire itself had appointed dukes of its own that naturally served the emperor and not just themselves, thereby creating confusion in the Storzon subjects on what the title of duke encompasses. Still, there has been an insistence coming from the Zenarian citizens themselves that the dukes should be continued to be called as such, as the name of that title is still perfectly applicable to what the role of duke regarding the Region has become and that it had already become a vital part of their culture. These kinds of terminological debates pertaining to the Zenarians are still frequently held today.

Because of the structure of the Zenar Region, each duchy may have vastly different laws to abide by. To combat this, a yearly conference between the dukes is held to ensure that reasonable laws within the duchies are established and kept, and unreasonable laws be removed or denied. This keeps a tight leash on potentially corrupt rulers, while ensuring safe travel and fruitful business between the duchies’ borders. It is said that shortly before agreeing on this conference, the individual duchies had such elementary dissimilarities that a normal form of trade between the mini-states simply wouldn’t work and that travelling between them was outright discouraged. However, it is true that these rumors are, to say the least, greatly exaggerated. Even so, they tell a great story of how the Zenar Region came to be what it is today.

The people of the Zenar Region are a very mixed folk thanks to the layout of the land. Humans have lived in these parts for at least a few hundred years, forming intimate relationships with the native Forn. The Forn are the natives living side-by-side with Mt. Duke itself. If you go anywhere near that Mountain, you will definitely find the Forn. They have a large body with pale, sometimes even blueish, looking skin that is as rough as the scales of a fish. The average male height lies at about 2 meters, while the female height is around 180-185 centimeters. Their ears resemble the pointy shape similar to an Illean, though their habitats are quite far away from each other. What is most intriguing about the Forn is their strength. A Forn can easily lift large logs and carry huge loads of stone. They seem to have nigh infinite stamina. It is for this reason that the Forn are regularly contracted by humans to work in the mines or doing other extreme physical labor. This holds especially true for the Zenar Region, as they have the largest percentage of active Forn workers in their midst. However, this does not mean that the Forn are just mere muscle and no brain. Over the past, the Forn quickly grew accustomed to speaking the human language, while the Forn language is still being explored at large. The Forn language seems to have an underlying set of concepts that is hard for humans to comprehend. The way the Forn communicate with each other appears to be largely different from how all the other races do it. Whether that is based on complicated emotions or a foreign string of logic, nobody yet is sure about what that difference is. Personally, I only ever had the chance to speak with a Forn native in passing. Therefore, I must regrettably admit that I am not too knowledgeable on this subject.

Next on are the Illeans, though they only play a minor role in this region. Their habitats lie much rather on the coastline of Oulayn, or the islands surrounding it. The Illeans have a very similar appearance to humans, except for their pointy ears. They are also a bit shorter than us. The average human male in Oulayn reaches a height of about 180 centimeters, while the females average around 170 centimeters. Both the Illean males and females are about 170 centimeters in size, making the Illean male quite short in comparison to the human male. The hair colors of an Illean range from platinum blonde to a light brown. Apparently, Illeans are rarely born with dark hair. Those few who are born with black hair are what is referred to as mediums of ill omens, but this does not lead to discrimination. Quite the contrary, those Illeans born with black hair are treated favorably to cast off ill omens themselves, as they believe that by offering gifts to the tainted, they can stave off evil and misfortune. It is a quirkily warm culture made up of traditions like this that makes Illeans quite popular with any race living in Oulayn. Within the Zenar Region, most Illeans living there can be found on the outskirts of the duchies living alongside humans in mutual, equal relationships.

Finally, another folk that isn’t mentioned a lot within literature is the elusive Maevos, who is believed to be the ancient ancestor of the Illeans and by my theory, maybe even the Forn themselves. The Maevos are technically a part of the Zenar Region as well, living in the few large, densely overgrown forests located more on the outskirts of the Region. The Maevos are short, averaging around 140-145 centimeters in height. They are also believed to have an extremely low weight, leading to stories of people in the forests flying about like feathers in the wind. With long, sharp, pointy ears and purple shining eyes, their appearance is quite unique. In fact, it is so unique that at the time of their discovery people took such a profound liking to it, they abducted any Maevos they found and brought them home. The eyes and ears of Maevos were treated as collector items and were bought for insurmountable prices. This sparked the indefinite retreat of the Maevos towards the very depths of the forests, never to appear before humans again. Various attempts have been made to enter these depths, but the parties made up of adventurers, mercenaries, scholars…They could never reach them. Either the forest grew too thick to traverse reliably, or the party lost their way in the midst of nature. Maybe it was the work of the Maevos to ensure they wouldn’t get caught by humans ever again. But no one would ever know. Talking about this whole affair can be a bit touchy depending on who you talk to, with good reason. Either way, just like with everything when talking about the Zenar Region, it all runs deep.

Whatever you search for, whatever past you want to dig up, whether hopeful or cruel, whatever adventure you want to go on, whatever you seek…All of it can be found in the Zenar Region.

It is very hard to run out of topics to talk about when it comes to this part of Oulayn, and I always need to make sure to stop at a reasonable point, so that I may start talking about it again some other time. If you want to read more, I urge you to consider taking up the time and going to the aforementioned pages, where I go into other details regarding the Zenarian landscape.

And if you haven’t noticed by now, I’m very passionate about this particular spot. If it wasn’t clear from the get-go, let me say this outright. If you haven’t gone to the Zenar Region yet while in Oulayn, you have been missing out!

 

With that being said:

Dear readers, good luck in your travels! 

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