Adventures on Terra - Book 2: Escape Page 4

  I motion for Vrax to go around to the back of the wagon and I follow him. The vehicle is covered with cloth, pioneer wagon style. When I get to the back, I can finally see what’s being transported. It’s people. To be more precise, a group of six goblins with neck collars are chained and sitting on the bed of the wagon. They’re all different shades of green and look almost emaciated. None of the goblins look at me as I unhitch the wagon gate and load Vrax in. They all keep their eyes firmly pointed down, unchallenging. They remind me of my goblin friend Dyblex, and I feel a familiar angry burn in my chest. My smile only falters for a moment when I see them, then I remember the role I’m supposed to be playing. I hitch up the gate and walk back to the front of the wagon. The driver has moved over to give me room to sit, and I climb up onto the driver's seat. On the outside, I act happy to be able to sit in a wagon instead of walking. While on the inside, I want nothing more than to hit this guy.

  Once I adjust the axe at my waist and sit, he puts out a meaty hand and says, “I’m Aarron.”

  I shake Aarron’s hand and respond without thinking, “I’m Ar...” I interrupt myself by pretend to cough. Darn it, I almost gave him my real name. I look at Aaron and see that he’s wearing a green rough spun shirt and brown pants.

  I continue, “Sorry, got a little road dust caught in my throat. I’m Avocado. Pleased to meet you.”

  Shit! Is that the best alias I can come up with? Avocado, the color of the guy’s shirt? This is why you shouldn’t try to sneak into a city when you’re hungry.

  I stare at Aarron expecting him to denounce my oh so obviously fake name. However, Aarron just nods, cracks the reigns, and the grey draft horses start to move forward. The wagon lurches then begins to move forward too.

  Guess they don’t have Avocados here. I give a mental cheer that earth fruits don’t exist on Terra. Man, I could go for some guacamole about now. No! Focus Armon, focus.

  As soon as the wagon gets moving, Aarron turns to me and asks, “How long you been in the service son?”

  “Pardon me, sir?” I answer, not sure if he’s trying to test me or just make conversation.

  He smiles genially at me, “I asked, how long have you been in the army? Don’t mean to pry or nothing. I finished my mandatory term with the empire twenty years ago myself. Worked a variety of jobs after that but ended up transporting workers for the army eventually.”

  I panic a little inside. We hadn’t actually planned a detailed backstory for me to use with my soldier persona. Guess I’ll have to use my improvisation skills.

  I look at Aarron with big eyes and smile lopsidedly, “Oh, well I haven’t been in the army too long. Still pretty green. Just finishing a mission.” Then I look around as if checking to make sure no one else is listening and continue, “Secret one. Real hush-hush.”

  “That Restrian business?” He asks with a laugh.

  With wide eyes, I ask, “How’d you know about that?”

  Aarron waves away my mock surprise. “Not much of a secret. That little dungeon town was ripe for the picking. They were pretty foolish not allying with us when they were first established. Thought they could stay independent, huh?” Aarron slaps me on the shoulder like I’m an old comrade and continues with a gap toothed smile, “Guess we showed them.”

  I scratch the back of my neck as if embarrassed someone had found out I wasn’t really on a secret mission.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about it. I’m not one to get someone in trouble,” he assures me. Aarron glances backwards for a moment then continues, “I do have to wonder what you’re doing with that kobold though. Not too many of them around these parts. Real valuable property to the right buyer.”

  My gut tightens a little at the first test of my cover story. I shrug nervously and answer, “Oh, well, since you know about the mission, I guess it’s ok to tell you. My unit was tasked with clearing out a nest of kobolds near Restrian. The rest of my unit’s already in Valse with most of the captured kobolds, but I was left behind to find any stragglers.”

  He looks at me disbelievingly, “They wanted you to bring them to Valse from Restrian on foot? That’s an awfully long walk.”

  I look a little guiltily at him, “Well, I also might been left behind as a kinda punishment. See, I sort of had a fling with my C.O.’s sister.”

  Aarron guffaws loudly then says, “With his sister? Bet he didn’t like that did he?”

  I smirk slightly and shake my head in the negative.

  Laughing again he continues, “Had my share of fun times too. Never with a C.O.’s sister though. You’re lucky he didn’t order you to crawl to Valse on your hands and knees.”

  I shrug and look forward.

  “How was it going up against the kobolds? They put up much of a fight?”

  Images of the destruction of the kobold den flash through my mind, and the familiar angry burn in my chest intensifies.

  While I try to repress the sudden emotional flare, I must not have been able to keep them from my face because Aarron’s expression becomes more serious and he quickly adds, “Oh, that bad? Sorry. It’s always better for everyone when those monsters just surrender. But at least you came out of it with a bit of battle experience.”

  The images of the kobold’s den keep flashing before me unbidden, and I can’t trust myself to say anything right now, so I just remain silent.

  Aarron takes my silence as confirmation of his guess, “It’s hard when you lose comrades. But each fight makes you stronger, and you learn how to deal with the monsters of the world a bit better.” Glancing back into the wagon he adds, “At least you captured one of the kobold filth. You’ll get a nice bonus when you turn him in and the empire auctions him off. Maybe it’ll even be enough to pay for some extra skill training or a new weapon? I know all that standard gear you’re wearing is fine. But trust me when I say you need to go the extra mile and learn as much as you can on your own if you want to advance in the ranks. Better gear and better skills will get you special missions, and that’s where the real money and opportunities are. Wish I’d done that when I was enlisted. Could have saved up enough to start a business or learn a craft.” After the last statement, he sighs regretfully.

  I look at Aarron and try to imagine his life up to this point. Early army service, then out into the world on his own only to end up back working for the military again. Then a life of transporting goods from one place to another. No better prospects, no hope of change. Must be lonely.

  “Thanks for the advice. I’ve often wondered what I’ll do after my terms up. Maybe I’ll save up to apprentice as a blacksmith or something.”

  “No, blacksmithing is hot and dirty work. Though you can make a pretty penny if you focus on weapon smithing. No, I’d advise you to do something like tailoring or maybe printing. Then you can sell your goods to the wealthy nobles or mages. That’s where you make real money.”

  “Thanks, I’ll think about it.”

  The two of us ride in silence for a while until we get closer to Valse. As we approach on the wagon, the city walls seem to take up much of the horizon. The walls look much more intimidating up close than they did from that hill. I hope Mary can get over them tonight without being noticed.

  Aarron gestures to the cityscape before us and says, “There she is, Valse, the city of commerce.”

  Chapter 1.6

  As we approach the gates, we enter a line of wagons waiting to declare their goods and enter the city. A massive portcullis stands open, and two large wooden gates mark the entry way into the biggest city I’ve yet to see on Terra. Aarron has described Valse as the city of commerce. A place where just about anything can be purchased. This includes the lives of slaves.

  We move forward in line and a pair of bored looking gate guards approach the wagon.

  One guard yells perfunctorily at Aarron, “Papers!”

  Aarron reaches into his shirt and pulls out a set of papers wrapped in a protective leather case and hands it over to the waiting guard. The guar
d takes it and moves to the back of the wagon. He looks at the papers in his hands and compares it to what he sees. He comes back to the front, points at the papers in his hands with a fat finger, and looks curiously at Aarron. “Says here there are supposed to be seven goblin slaves. Not six goblins and one kobold. Care to explain the discrepancy?”

  Aarron glances over and gestures towards me with his thumb, “That kobold there belongs to this soldier. He captured it over near Restrain and is supposed to turn it in for the bounty. I started out with seven goblins, just like it says on the paper, but lost one along the way.”

  The guard looks from Aarron to me. “Yeah, we had a couple wagons come in a week ago with prisoners from there. Some of them were kobolds if I recall correctly.”

  The second guard comes wandering over to my side of the wagon and adds, “That’s true, but I have to ask why you’re only coming in now if you were with that outfit?”

  I nod. I’d expected the guards to question this part of the story. “Well, I was left behind on special duty. My orders were to find any kobolds that had escaped our pacification and bring them here.”

  The two guards look at each other, not quite believing my story.

  Aarron motions for the guard nearest him to come closer and then whispers something in his ear. The guard's eyes go wide, and a grin appears on his face. He looks at me and asks, “His sister? Why didn’t you just steal his horse? It would have been less trouble.” Then Aarron and the guard laugh and I pretend to look embarrassed and lower my head. The other guard doesn’t quite understand what’s going on, but I see him relax his stance.

  “Well, we don’t want to keep you from reporting in soldier. Go on in with Aarron here. Everything seems to be in order.” Then he hands Aarron back his papers and waves us on. The second guard doesn’t question his comrade’s decision but moves towards him. As we drive into the city, I can hear the two of them laughing loudly.

  As we pass through the gates of Valse, I’m assaulted by a series of pungent odors. The smell of unwashed bodies combines with the smell of spices, perfumes, horse manure, and food being cooked outdoors. The mixture is slightly nauseating.

  Aarron chuckles when he looks at me. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the smell. Every large city has its own unique bouquet.”

  I nod at the comment. It makes sense that such a large group of people would exclude many unusual smells as they worked and lived together. I wonder if every city I visit will have these kinds of issues. Maybe I’ll just stick to smaller towns like Restrian.

  As we drive through town, I see shops and stalls everywhere. Just about everything you can think of is being sold here. I see a knife sharpener pressing a blade against a grinding wheel. Next to him is a baker and a candlestick maker. Then a fruit merchant is hawking his merchandise right next to a sword swallower. Buildings line every available space. Most are made from adobe bricks and timber. The roads in the city are cobbled, and the wagon wheels clack against the stone as we travel. The main thoroughfare is wide enough for two wagons to pass next to each other without touching but the roads are crowded with people walking. The wagon has to go slow or risk running someone over.

  I feel like it would be faster to get out and walk but one look at Aarron and I know this is just the pace of life here. He almost looks nostalgic as he drives the wagon through the city. I decide to take the opportunity to ask him about the layout of Valse.

  Even though I have to practically yell to be heard over the hustle and bustle around us, I ask Aarron, “Can you tell me about the city? I’ve never been here.”

  Aarron looks suspiciously for a moment, and I add, “My unit came down from the North to hit our target, we never came through here.”

  Aarron nods and tells me, “The city is roughly laid out in two parts. The first is the merchant district where slaves and other goods are sold or auctioned off. A variety of rare items appear here, are sold, and are quickly replaced by other things. This place acts as a kind of purchasing and shipping port for the empire. The second part of the city is entirely devoted to the military. Garrisoning and transporting soldiers. There’s also a small training facility, but the section is mostly used to house soldiers until they’re sent somewhere else.”

  I think about what I should do next. We hadn’t really planned past the ‘sneak into the city’ stage. Should I head to the military section of the city to see if I can find out where the prisoners from Restrian and the kobold's den are? Or should I hide out somewhere in the merchant district and lose my military disguise?

  I’m still considering my options when the wagon comes to a stop. I realize I haven’t been paying attention to where we’ve been going and look around. We’ve stopped in a back alley behind some buildings. The sounds of the city are slightly muted, which tells me we’ve moved off the main road.

  “Well, this is where we part ways. I have to deliver these goblins here,” Aarron says while pointing to a tall building in front of us with thick wooden gates.

  I nod and hold out my hand to him, “I appreciate the ride into town. You saved me quite a walk. Thanks for the advice too. Hadn’t really thought about what I’d be doing after my term was up.”

  Aarron takes my hand and shakes it firmly, “Happy to help. Wish someone had given me advice when I was your age. Would have saved me a lot of trouble. Good luck lad. ”

  As I let go of his hand, I smile at the man’s genuine desire that I do well. I wonder how a person can be so kind to me, yet so callous as to transport slaves. I look around as I hop off the wagon, my feet hitting the cobbled backstreet, and see we're surrounded by two and three story buildings. People are watching us from both the second and third stories.

  I’m making my way to the back of the wagon to collect Vrax when I hear someone call, “Hey Avocado, hold on a second.”

  It takes me a moment to recognize the alias I gave Aarron. When I do, I stop and turn to see him walking towards me and ask him, “Hey, did I forget something?”

  “Nah.” Then rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, he continues a little hesitantly, “Since you’re going to need extra money if you’re going to get that extra training. Thought maybe you’d be open to a little side deal?”

  Not exactly sure what he’s offering I ask, “Depends on what you mean. What kind of side deal?”

  “Well…let’s say you didn’t turn that kobold into the army. Perhaps I know a guy who knows a guy who’d be willing to pay good money for a kobold? You’d make quite a bit more than you would from that bonus for capturing it for the army.”

  I pretend to think about the offer. I mean I’d never trade my friend in for money, but Aarron has to think I’d at least consider it.

  I sigh deeply, “No. Sorry. Wish I could, but my C.O. would have my head if I showed up empty handed. Not much point in making some extra money if I’m not around to spend it.”

  “True, true. Well, maybe you could make a bit of money another way.”

  Curious where he’s going, I prompt Aarron to continue, “Go on.”

  “Come inside, and I’ll introduce you to my friends. They’ll offer you good coin for any special artifacts you may find while you’re in the field.”

  I gesture towards the wagon, “What about the kobold?”

  A man walks out from between two parked wagons to my left. He’s wearing a brown leather jerkin and carries a spear. Aarron says, “Don’t worry about the kobold. He’ll be safe enough while we’re inside. The guard here will watch them all.”

  I’m curious about what Aaron’s friend of a friend is offering. Besides I need as much info about this city and how things work as I can get.

  I nod at Aarron, and the two of us walk in front of the horses and up a ramp that leads to the back of the building. At the rear of the building, men move crates through a large set of double doors. It seems to be an area used for loading and unloading cargo. Aarron and I enter the building through a side door.

  Chapter 1.7

  The inside of
the building is surprisingly well lit considering there are no windows. We walk through a spacious hallway, and Aarron opens a door at the end of it. The door opens up into a spacious room with a high ceiling. Along the white walls are a series of red doors and some sort of artificial lighting, something similar to what Dyblex had in her shop. The floor is wooden, and there are large colorful carpets spread everywhere giving the space a very comfortable feeling. It feels like a warehouse was converted into some type of showroom. A man in a well-tailored silk outfit stands in the middle of the room, his back to us. His outfit is black silk with red trimming, and has a collar that reminds me of a type of Asian inspired design. Even from this distance, I can see that his shoes are well made and probably cost a fortune.

  I look down at my worn black leather armor and feel drab and dirty by comparison.