Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Need to Act

The streets were barren and the townspeople carried little to none produce in their baskets. The hawkers and food sellers were not present. A herald weakly brought the news to the townspeople, reading the decrees given by the King.

An effeminate peasant pulled a cart, coughing as the dust blows from the west. In a district where the houses are made of stone and bricks, a finely-dressed nobleman looked at the sky. He watched a man in padded clothes and a tricorn hat cross the paved road leading to the castle.

Two guards with spears on each hand looked at the man. The man in padded clothes with the tricorn hat entered the hat and crossed the corridors leading to a throne hall. The throne hall was without retainers or noblemen prancing socializing to their peers. A man with a crown, a toned body, and held a scepter gazed upon the man in padded clothes. He winced at the sight of the man with the crown, before regaining his composure.

"King Terill," said the man in padded clothes. He looked at the man standing near the King. "Lord Gideon, it is my pleasure to be in your presence."

"So you are Diego?" said King Terrill. "You are the one that sent this petition to us? To grant you this ancient route that has been explored by a Two Sigil Walker?"

"I am," he nodded.

King Terrill sized Diego from top to bottom. He looked at Lord Gideon who was stroking his chin. "What is your opinion about this 'petition' Lord Gideon?"

"I think that it is well-timed. Ten noblemen died and the next two days someone hands over a solution to our problems. A big solution that might help us passes this famine. I believe that this Diego knows. So tell us, Diego. What your reasoning's are."

Diego gulped. His jaw tightened. His hand shook for a moment. He calmed himself down and looked at the King and his Right Hand. "I believe that this petition will allow us to secure a route that is much safer. I am here to ask the King to give me the rights to all trades and lead a caravan. I do not know what Lord Gideon says of what I didn't do. But I can say that if you reject me and put my head into a sword. This city will suffer harder than it is right now."

"Is that a threat?" the King squinted and raised his head.

Gideon shook his head. "No. I have no courage to speak to you two. I find myself cornered and shaking but my father, and my father's father, and his ancestors have lived their lives in this City. The Walker that gave me this route told me of a horde of Shadow Trekkers. Man-Beast that is protected by the shadows, unable to be hurt by blade or cannon fire. I am a humble caravan master, of a humble trading company. My Lords, a tide of beasts is coming, we are going to need the arcane to defeat them. The Bleak Walkers aren't enough to fend them off, the Royal Guard, and Guardsmen of Throes however brave they are won't be enough to kill these beasts. So I implore you to give me this right so we can gather the funds."

The Right Hand of the King clasps his hands. "You speak of your ancestors and saving this city. How can we believe that you are telling the truth?"

Diego's face hardened. "I am willing to lead the caravan myself. I'll be taking my guards and I will import goods from the Inner Lands and bring them to you within four weeks! Let someone come with me and witness this route!"

The King pushed his cheek with his right hand. His eyes stayed on Diego as he locked gazes with him. The King rose from his seat and took his scepter and pointed it at Diego. "I will allow you this 'right'. Bring me the proof within four weeks, don't even try to escape for I will have you hunted down, Diego. You will be monitored by one of my guards. Don't try escaping."

"I will not!" said Diego.

"Good. I shall believe you and this 'route' of yours for now. I am willing to overlook whatever is happening behind the scenes and whoever is the puppeteer of yours," declared the king. "Go to my Censor, tell him the King has granted you all the rights of trades temporarily!"

Diego stood up, he bowed his head. "I will not fail you, my King."

"I hope so," the King said. He sat back on his throne and watch Diego walk out of the throne hall. Lord Gideon stood right to the King and glanced at the door.

"You believe him?" said Lord Gideon.

"I do," replied the King. "He faltered and his body told me that he was telling the truth. No man would face me with an absurd demands to all trades unless they are desperate or they know that they have to. I might be wrong and this man might be lying. But Gideon, this City stood tall and fended off mighty beasts to protect the Inner Lands. They call this City and Oasis, but it is nothing but a border that protects them from the threat behind the barrens lands."

"I am no fool. That man wouldn't have reached my throne hall if he didn't utter the word Walker within his petition. The route was discovered by a Bleak Walker, and he warns that the beasts that are coming cannot be harm by our steel and cannons. You know how Bleak Walkers are, Gideon. They do not involve themselves in politics unless they have to. The Ten Men he killed were parasites, but they were nobles and I would have protected them even if they died and had that man's head cut off. But he brings us opportunity and warnings. How can I ignore that? Bleak Walkers have nothing to lose. They speak bluntly because of their beliefs and they do what's needed to be done."

"But a Bleak Walker with two sigils," said Lord Gideon. "Can we really trust that?"

"We have to." King Terill shook his head. "We have face monsters and saw magicians bringing down spells. A Bleak Walker with Two Sigils in both eyes is no surprise. For now, we just have to see what lies ahead."

Lord Gideon silently nodded his head. There was nothing needed to be said. He too wanted to believe that such route really does exist.

...

Diego walked into his company and home. He looked. A man with grey hair and a woman with green hair sat on the table he uses to entertain customer and guest. They both sat still as if they were statues. Their movements were so little that you mistake them for dead. It was a habit of Bleak Walkers to stay still and relax as if they are dead.

"You two are like statues!" Diego said while placing his tricorn hat on the hangar. "Are you always like that, you two?"

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Nolan blinked. "Not always. But it is our habit to stay still and save our energies."

Vie turned towards Diego. She bowed her head and kept brooding face. She stayed still like a statue. Nolan stayed his gaze at Diego until he sat down and faced him.

"How did it go?" said Nolan.

"The King allowed me passage." He took a decree with a seal of the Censor of the King. "He will hand me all the trades of the City."

"I see." Nolan narrowed his eyes. His brows arched. "It looks like the King is a reasonable person. I thought that he would have beheaded you and served your head on a platter. I expected you to fail and sell me out. But I doubt that he'll need to do that much to locate me."

Diego frowned. His eyes slanted. "Then I am glad that he didn't. The King seemed to have seen through us. He knew but he stayed his hand. I thought that he would force to me speak of you. How did he understand, Nolan?"

"The King's not a stupid person." He rubbed his thumb. "He understands. He knows that no one is stupid enough to want all the trades in the city and ask for it directly after ten noblemen of trades just died. It is so absurd that the King has to believe you. No one speaks in the name of the Bleak Walkers easily. He knows that we rarely involve ourselves in politics unless we want to. He knows how we act. If this was the Inner Midlands you would have been dragged to the dungeons and we would be cellmates. But King Terill practices misfortune, he expects bad things to happen, and he knows that a word of a Bleak Walker cannot be taken lightly."

Diego wiped his brows. He held a pen between his forefinger and thumb. "I was scared but the thought of these beasts wrecking this whole city scares me most. Is that why you were lying that in the desert wounded?"

Vie eyed Nolan. Nolan ignored Vie's gaze and lied. "Indeed, that's why I had to hide among your caravan incase the beast have sniffed me."

Diego smiled lightly. "You were feeding my camels and I thought you were some well-experienced adventurer. You Walkers really do strange things."

Nolan said, "We do, it is our habits. But anyway, my fellow walkers will accompany the route. I have given them the maps and the details of this route."

"That's a relief." Diego heaved a sigh. "Having Bleak Walkers and Adventurers and Royal Guards eases me."

Diego stood up. "Well, I shall be taking care of the caravan. I have to contact my peers and hire men willing to take this route."

"You do that." Nolan stood up and Vie followed. "We shall take our leave."

...

Nolan and Vie walked out of the company and walked along the market district. The markets were empty and there were no stalls selling food. Townspeople who were holding their stomach eyed the stalls and can only leave dejectedly. Vie walked side by side with Nolan.

"Men and Women are starving," said Vie.

"I know," said Nolan.

"Are you sure that Shadow Trekkers are coming?" said Vie.

"Yes, if they weren't I wouldn't have done all of this. I killed ten parasites that would do nothing to their wealth. They will not do anything. They will only fill their coffers and when the time comes they will surely die," Nolan retorted.

"You are so sure," said Vie. "Why?"

"Because I learned how much of a parasite these bastards are. I saw villages and towns and cities go to hell because of their greed and inability to look at the bigger picture. This City was clogged by these ten parasites. Killing them was the only way to unclog this city," said Nolan.

"And to do it you starve an entire city and sowed chaos among the nobles who want to get the rights of trade for themselves. While they are busy scheming at this chance you move your piece while they are distracted. You gave a King an offer he cannot refuse or take lightly. A new route and a word of a walker, even I could see the merits of this," Vie confessed. "But the blood that has been shed on this chaos will be on your hands, Brother Nolan."

"I know that," he said with a grim smile. "There are thousands of people living in this city. Most are now starving while some still have food on their table. This city stood tall for generations and I believe it can hold the beast horde. But by the time help comes thousands would have died. Many men and women would have to witness the death of their children. This city will burn and will smell of blood and corpses. Carcasses will rot and by the time the enemy is defeated what would be left behind is a city of cadavers and ruins."

He stops and looked up. "I could just ignore this mess. I could continue my path and walk until I see my end. I could have told the King about the threat but I know they will argue and debate what to do first. Therefore I can only force them through this. The new route will open a path for both soldiers and caravans while giving them enough time to send help. The King could do that but like I said they think too much and act too slowly. Diego will deliver the warning and I know that those who receive it will come. They will not ignore the fall of this city."

Nolan knew that his actions will change the events that will happen. He wasn't that arrogant to think that everything will go his way. But he cannot cover his eyes and do nothing. How could he allow this city to be destroyed again without doing anything about it?

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