In front of the evenly spaced limestone and wood buildings are market stands adorned with colorful pieces of cloth. Simply by focusing on a few faces, Elijah was able to discern the people here enjoyed their lives.
The weather was perfect, and aided by a small breeze fluttering the cloth underlings that the many varietal baskets of produce sat in.
The smells of meat, eggs, roots, niche herbs, and dairy entered Elijah's nostrils in continuous waves — bringing back the memory of a honey-sweetened chocolate milk shake…
Richter suddenly noticed one less pair of footsteps… "Elijah? What are you doing? People are staring at you with questioning looks."
"…Oh. Sorry…"
While Elijah was trying to figure the reason for Banum's name popping up, Niko looked at the currency many of the customers were using: light and dark brown with an aged gradient, in the shape of a rectangle.
The morning rush was surely a sight to see!
Especially when noticing the many people who stood on the tall balconies!
In this area, limestone was used as a base with the construction technique Richter had mentioned. The second story was mostly made from the limestone, but was contrasted far more with carved wooden planks and accents. Lastly, the gable roofs aligned almost perfectly next to each other with small amounts of space left for the dark alley's.
"We will stop here for food. I've been coming to this market before hunting to get dried beef and fruit. While I don't hunt very often, it helps pay the bills and makes the taste even greater." Richter handed several bills to the market attendant, and grabbed a mixed array of berries, mangoes, and dried beef as they call it.
After twenty minutes of walking, the group had finally made it to a resting point.
The flavors of dried beef and the combination of spices reminded Elijah of biltong. Actually, this dried beef was biltong, just without the fancy name. The fruit on the other hand, brought back the senses to Elijah's lack of emotion. Mango that created a river of flavor when bitten into.
Satiation, while not totally, gave both Elijah and Niko a warm feeling of hope. Hope that this Kingdom could treat them in ways Astraea could never. However, when Niko heard the tab of fifteen genny's begin, he sighed as he knew he wasn't as strong as Elijah.
It was evident they would be hunting beast cores for genny based on the many stands offering to buy beast cores.
A stop not too far away was made inside the the bottom floor of what Elijah assumed was a home.
Limestone base with a wooden second floor and pointed roof. However, Elijah was not allowed to go inside per Richter as a precaution.
"Illegals are very uncommon, but have consistently been showing themselves over the course of this kingdom's history."
When Elijah heard Richter's explanation, he was quite beside himself with pity. However, this charade would all be over soon.
Richter soon exited the store… "I got you guys the same clothing but with different colors. I suggest you go in between these houses and change quickly without anyone noticing. You have already gotten a few stares, and we aren't even in the center of Tavenas."
Niko took off his cloak and damaged tank top and replaced them with loose-fitting black pants and a blue short-sleeve shirt adorned with white buttons that brought the shirt together. Also, a simple and thin black jacket with different pockets, likely meant for a beginner adventurer, which Niko stuffed the two large runic knives into.
Elijah quickly slipped on the exact same outfit: Gray loose-fitting pants and a tightly knit white cotton shirt, except for a dangerous belt that was wrapped around his waist. Immediately, he buttoned up the black jacket to hide his belt. Richter had yet to notice it.
The trio finalized their new life by making a stop at an old bar. A limestone base with a pointed wooden and stone roof over the first floor. Then, on the back right corner of the bar was where the second story stood as if it was an expansion after completion.
"Gyfolt Tavern"
Ding!
Upon taking their first steps into the unknown, all eyes stared their way. At least a dozen people were sitting or standing, taking up half of the capacity of the tavern. Wooden walls, wooden floor, almost everything was wooden besides the bar — meant for smashing heads in when a tab is unpayable.
Thankfully, within seconds, normalcy returned with the chatter and shouts for another beer.
Beer, a delicacy that Elijah had not enjoyed in his past life, and a delicacy that was not present in Astraea due to the simple array of resources.
Richter led Elijah and Niko slowly up to the bar. A just barely overweight man with a black beard and bald head stared at them like outsiders.
After asking to meet with Banum, the man scoffed in their faces without a care in the world.
"We will leave if you tell Banum one single word." Elijah said with overbearing confidence.
"Ohohoh! I will appease you just this once child. What is it?"
"Amaris."
Immediately, the man coughed on his drink as if electrocuted from the simple word. Elijah saw his reaction and gave the man a fake smile.
"Who knows the word Amaris here?" Stepping through the swinging double door without a worry that they slammed into his face, was a tall and muscular man dressed in loosely fitting green and black garments.
"I have some information on Amaris. I would like to speak to you privately about it." Elijah calmly said while staring into his eyes.
Banum had to redirect his attention as he never would've expected a child to so casually utter the name of someone very dear to him.
Questions and hope began to make its way into Banum's head as there are very few people in this kingdom that know of the truth.
The office gave off a feel of a rustic room filled to the brim with clutter — acting as decorations and added to its "vibe". Banum slowly sat down on the chair as if he had bad hips and quickly asked what Elijah knew of Amaris.
"Wait Elijah, this is a trade, not a gift."
"I know Richter." Elijah paused and took a deep breath. "In exchange for everything I know about Amaris, I want you to create me and my friend identities."
Barnum's hand went to his chin. "Hmm… I'll bite, but it depends on if this information is any good. What do you know of Amaris and who is he to you?"
"To start, Amaris was sent to a different Kingdom to investigate an issue. To be honest I don't believe he was sent but forced into a possible death…"
Barnum quickly butted in to explain he already knew that, which pissed Elijah off. The last thing he wanted to do was explain how Amaris died, but deep down, he knew it would eventually come the moment he stepped inside this office.
"Amaris was my mentor inside of the kingdom he was sent to, Astraea… He took care of me, trained me, and even allowed me to help him investigate. But… Whenever we found out the truth, or at least most of it, and realized it would be in our best interest to somehow escape… He died, protecting me… I escaped the kingdom and came here, and now I am just trying to start a new life…" Finally, visible tears to everyone in the room cemented Elijha's statement as true.
Even with their being small amounts of doubt in Banum, he chose out of the goodness of his heart to believe Elijah as Banum himself had taken in Amaris and took care of him.
Now, Amaris had followed in his footsteps and took care of this child — exactly how Banum had…
Banum agreed without hesitation after taking a few moments to clear his head. It seemed what he wanted was closure after his adopted son was harshly taken from him and sent to god knows where.
"What was your relationship with Amaris?" Elijah hesitantly asked.
"He… I took him off the streets of Sontiad as I saw a ruthless spirit in him. His father and mother died, and they were already poor… That was back in my hunter days. I watched him grow up while teaching him everything I knew about life whether that be combat, woman, or even how to cook… I never got the chance to have children, so I took the opportunity when it came." Banum slowly stood up, and rapped the table as he paused.
"… Well, it's over now. I finally have closure… Come back tomorrow before sunset to pick up your emblems. For now, write down your full name and birthdate. Richter can hopefully answer any questions you have."
Banum was an interesting fellow to Elijah. A tall man not just in stature, but also in the way he carried himself — who also had a soft side when it came to children.
"Also, Don't worry about having your past revealed. It will be as though you have always been within this kingdom." Banum said just before Richter left with Elijah and Niko following behind.
Thankfully, everything had gone according to plan, albeit, Elijah revealing how he truly feels about everything.
"Actually, There is one item I wanted to give you. It was Amaris' treasure, something he kept close to him at all times… Although, please don't go waving this thing around as it is very dangerous. A runic-engraved revolver unlike any other your will see that hasn't been made in some time due to how dangerous the process is… "
Elijah was shocked and walked back inside. He had already received so much from the dead bodies he had unceremoniously looted, and now this?
The revolver was more of an oversized pistol with what looked like a hell of a lot of fire power. The body was completely black with a long and rigid barrel that spelt silencer in Elijah's head.
Knowing the complexities of magic, Elijah knew it wasn't for that purpose…
On the hammer and both sides of the chamber of the revolver was a deeply engraved rune that looked like a spiked circle inside of a star. Its glossy black pattern shined against the burning beeswax candles.
"I've never used it before, but I do know the runes relate to the element of ice. However, it is quite expensive to maintain as a single shot requires a battery replacement… You could call it a last resort, something that won't rely on your own mana if you are that kinda guy… Don't go waving it around like Amaris did, it got him in all kinds of trouble as he wished to live the life of an adventurer…"
After walking outside into the cobblestone road, Elijah noticed how there were far more people walking around now. With the time of day being just before sunset, it was likely the jobs the people of this kingdom were working had come to a close.
While Elijah had escaped the "9-5" in his previous life, he was not completely against the idea. It created a consistent life of improvement in combination with healthy habits and goals.
But… This is a new life in a new world. What matters is what Elijah makes of this change.
Live in peace? Or create a name for oneself?