Steel and Mana

Chapter 108 – The Grey City

Walking around the city of Greyback, Pion felt increasingly disgusted by what he saw. Although it was built of stone, just like Avalon, the vibe here was completely different. Back home, people were encouraged to decorate their houses, paint their walls, and make them colorful and lively; here, everything was a tinge of grey. No wonder everyone he came across looked gloomy and lifeless. There were no fighting or ambitions within their eyes, only acceptance that this was it; nothing would change, no matter what. 

"Not a bush or tree... where is the green? Just that bit of life could make a difference..." He murmured, shaking his head, seeing no trees or flowers while walking through the streets. Even though he was young, he vividly remembered how it was before his Sovereign was born, growing up in a backward, wooden, and stinky town. He couldn't be happier... When he finally has his children, they will know how good life could be. Filled with fun and colors.

"Hey!" shouted a male voice at him while he passed along a narrow street, "Want to experience some joy?"

Stopping and turning towards the source, he saw a man leaning against a rundown wooden door. He had an ashen-blonde girl with him, looking a bit ruffled. She was wearing almost nothing but a rag and a faded butterfly pin stuck in her messy hair. Her eyes were clearly clouded from something she had injected, who knows when, while her skinny body had marks all over her ankles, knees, and wrists.

"I can suck like no others, don't go elsewhere~!" She commented, lifting her rags, flashing her shaven crotch that was redder than the rest of her pale body. "You can go deep, big man!"

"You are sick." Pion commented, making the two laugh.

"She can give you the sickest fuck you could want in the city!" The man nodded with a wide grin while the girl began twisting her hips, "And she is cheap; the first round is only two silvers!"

"No, I meant she is sick." He repeated, pointing at the woman's vagina. "I'll pass."

"Fuck you!" Shouted the girl, while the man's smile quickly disappeared, but neither of them actually dared to say more to Pion, who was towering over them by physical presence alone.

"What a mess..." Pion added, shaking his head as he left. His steps echoed between the stone walls coming off the cobblestone road as he disappeared from view, sighing sorrowfully.

He was glad of his training and sad to see something like this happening to someone before his eyes. Since water became freely available in Avalon, every child has learned about correct hygiene, why they should care greatly for their bodies, and how to keep their privates clean. Washing hands was something that became almost mandatory before everything, not to mention cleaning yourself after a day of hard work. As a soldier, they were doubly prepared, so they had lectures about what kind of diseases could be waiting for them on a battlefield and what they may bring back to the people they were sworn to protect if they were not cautious enough.

When in training, they asked why they were learning about it; the answer was always the same: It was the Sovereign's orders. When his General, Oleg, after receiving the same questions a million times, finally had enough, he made everyone stand in attention and listen to him.

"Listen well, bastards!" Oleg shouted with anger, feeling aggravated, "Medicine is rare and hard to get by! If everyone continues to live like a pig, poor Marca will die from overworking herself! Are you aiming to infect the city you are protecting?! Then stop asking questions and accept it! To prevent sickness from striking our home, we must learn about what causes it and how to prevent it! Don't you dare sabotage Avalon... because you know damn well what happens to saboteurs!"

No questions were asked after that day, and Pion and his friends ensured that their hands and bodies were sparkling clean after every exercise. He couldn't help but smile and chuckle, shaking the image of that poor girl out of his mind and replacing it with his current mission. He was refocusing his thoughts just in time to arrive at a square where a crowd was already gathering, watching a dozen or so people being beheaded, accompanied by loud shouts between their sentences.

"So many bandits..."

"It is the Red Scorpion gang, mister!" commented a young boy standing close to him on a box, trying to see what was happening. Maybe because of Merlin's presence, Pion didn't consider the youngster strange, being out here, watching people getting slaughtered and jeering on with the rest of the citizens.

"Who are they?" Pion asked, crossing his arms, unable to hear what the soldier on the stage was shouting, reading from a parchment before the executioner swung down his axe and a head rolled off to a metal bucket.

"They were mean sons of bitches, mister! They killed my Pa and Ma, and today is the day they finally end forever! I didn't want to miss it!"

"What were they doing?" He pressed on, wanting to learn a little bit more while watching the people around them, realizing how many of them wore a relieved look on their faces.

"You new here? It must be because you are so big... You would have stood out before!" The kid hummed, taking a second look at Pion's body. "We just got a new City Lord who began cleaning up the streets the moment she arrived! As my father always said, the previous rulers squeezed us dry... well, not anymore!"

"Yeah, those bastards were happy to let the gangs rule over the people!" Another voice added, filled with anger and frustration, letting it all out.

"These gangs took away all we earned and then more, acting like kings on the streets! Finally, dregs get what they deserve!"

"I see."

Pion wasn't sure what to say about it. He understood their anger; he could feel it in the crowd and their reaction. Then... What was he troubled by? He understood it quickly as a question surfaced within his mind: Would Avalon turn out like this? Will gangs appear there as well? If Saboteurs did once... who says people won't try to form their own gangs in the future? Not that he would let it happen, not with how the future generations are being raised in his beloved city. 

"Why have you come to the city, mister?" Asked the boy, and when he got off from his crate, he barely reached Pion's waistline. He was thin like a fallen branch, wearing dirty trousers and a shirt that was way too big for him, tucked halfway in and buttoned up in the wrong order.

"I am a wandering mercenary who came here to look for work," he answered calmly, not in a hurry to meet the City Lord the first day. He was already making a report within his mind and wanted to be ready for any questions his Sovereign might ask after returning home.

"Good timing, mister; I can show you around for a meager price!"

"Oh really?" Pion smiled but didn't say no, following the boy after there were no more heads to chop off on the big stage.

"Just for five coppers, I can guide you to the cheapest taverns that won't rob you blind!"

"Ahaha, I see!" He couldn't help but laugh and pressed a silver into the kid's palm, who almost tripped over his own foot seeing it... but he wasn't complaining. Without thinking, he pocketed it hurriedly, grinning, clearly not keen on returning it. "First, let's grab something to eat. I want to hear about the city, what it was like before, and what it is like now. Sounds good?"

"Super good! Follow me, mister!"

Polo, Pion's newest friend, wasn't lying because the kid knew the streets like the back of his hand. An hour later, they arrived at the Wheelbarrow Inn after showing Pion where he could buy food and herbs and maintain his sword for a reasonable price. The inn was two stories tall and converted from an old home, where a room was relatively cheap and clean compared to other places. Sitting at a corner table, eating bread and dunking it into milk, Polo was like a starving chipmunk, solely focusing on eating and nothing else.

"Mister, are you sure you don't want it? You are so big; you must be eating a lot! I will eat your portion, too... There will be no complaining afterward!"

"It's fine. You talked so much, you are out of breath, and your lips are cracking. Eat, but do it slower! Nobody will come and take it away from you. I will think while you do so."

Leaning back on his chair, crossing his arms, he was going through all that Polo had told him. The city was mainly about mining, and those who weren't working in the belly of the mountain were the ones keeping the Greyback running. As for what were they mining? CC. Although Polo didn't know it, it only described the stones they were always looking for; for Pion, it was unmistakable. 

"This is huge," he thought, excited, no longer bothering to measure whether Greyback was safe or not. His Sovereign needed this city; if nothing else, they could take it over. He knew Leon was looking for a source of CC, never giving it up, but the mountain ranges were way too vast, and their mages numbered way too few to send out searching. "I will have to make sure I keep my cool when I meet with the City Lord. They can't know we want CC, or they may begin asking for more and more..."

"Pheeew! Thanks, mister! This was really nice! Where do you want to go next? I can take you to the place where mercenaries go... but it is quite rundown. Few people come here... Instead, it is about people leaving all the time! When I get enough money saved up, I am also going to leave!"

"And where would you go?"

"I don't know." Polo answered, tilting his head, "Maybe I will be a wandering mercenary like you! It pays well, no?" He asked, pressing on, slipping his hand into his pocket, holding onto his first silver coin in his life.

"Maybe. Who knows..."

"Mister, are you trying to be mysterious? You can tell me I can hold a secret!"

"Hehe, we will talk about it later, kid. Today, I am staying here, and you are staying with me because when morning comes, you will have to take me to the place where the City Lord is staying!"

"Ugh... eh? W-why?" He asked, flinching, looking around in the empty, dim, and desolate tavern where the old barmaid was busy sleeping on the counter. "I don't think we will be let in... The new people are scary. I am not blaming them! They kill all the baddies! But... they are scary..."

"Don't worry about it. You just take me there, and everything will be fine."

"If you say so... hey! Tell me, what is it outside? Did you fight with bandits? Did you kill a lot of them?"

"I did fight with some." Pion nodded, recounting a few of the encounters he had while coming over, mesmerizing the young boy who couldn't stay put while listening to him.

...

....

.....

"What is it?" Asked Elena, feeling tired; her eyes closed while she was lying back in her armchair. She thought she could retreat for the day and rest, but the moment she put her butt down and took a deep breath, the head of her maids appeared in her room.

"Captain Borbossa has said that you have to read this report. It came in late..." Iria explained, gently bowing her wrinkled head, being there since Elena was born, through her first steps, and even now.

"Thanks..." She murmured, reopening her eyes and looking at the old but kind face, someone who was like a grandmother to her.

After taking it away and beginning to read, she couldn't help but slowly sit up, furrowing her brows. The changes in her expression didn't escape Iria's eyes, keeping watching her silently. It was not her place to ask, but it had to be important news for her to react like this. Was there another gang rise-up? Will it be another all-nighter for Elena? That won't do; she must preserve her youthful beauty and not let a place like this wear her down!

"Tell the captain to monitor this person but ensure he does not interfere. If he comes forward, arrange a meeting with him for me, and don't be rude to him!"

"I will do so, Miss... but..."

"Just do it; it is best if nobody asks why..." Elena grunted, looking towards her desk, where the letter for Avalon's agent was waiting for his arrival. 

Since taking up residency here, nobody has come to visit or trade with the city. She felt like she was stranded on a desolate island, as in the stories she had read as a child. But this was simply worse... because it was occupied by rats, and no matter how many she trapped and killed, more would surface. Would this be the Rat King? Or has the one she was waiting for finally arrived? 

"Please be the latter... I need some good fucking news..."