08-10-2017, 10:49 PM
The ocean spray was nice, but it was difficult not to notice the many contraptions along the docks meant for submerging victims beneath the sea, torturing them or outright drowning them below the wake. The fishy smell of the ocean was tainted with the sour-sickly smell of decay from the bodies that had been pulled from adrift the shallow sea shelf. They were to be given a proper pyre come this evening, along with many unburried bodies the old king left lying about, to discourage treason among his people. Their ashes were to be filtered and compressed.
It was a tradition of Yorheim. There were no graveyards. The dead were burned and mourned, then celebrated as the carbon and other materials are filtered from the ashes. They are then compressed into a diamond by magic and machine in a shape that symbolized their life. King Meloth promised the Red Kingdom a grand jewel that would be the heart of the red kingdom. The people were hesitant, but who were they to deny the king? Zi felt it was a beautiful gesture. His mother still carried her parents with her.
Meloth really was a good man. This was not the first time Zi was happy that it was Meloth that contracted him to a Blood-Oath. Bailoth was too calculating, doing simply what must be done with facts and reason - not empathy. Redglaive would have put his abilities to use for war, to kill or die. Take the oath or die. Meloth's deal would never be on the War-King's lips.
But the deal did exist. Meloth had proven his word and elevated a simple artisan caste family to Noble status. Zi's father forged solely for the Magesmiths for a nice salary. No more long periods without work, no struggles with hateful higher-ups upturned noses. Even those that disliked them now envied his paid days off, and the luxuries he could afford crafting strictly for the Magesmiths.
And here Zi was, at the pinnacle of elevating them to a whole new caste, yet again. Parents of the King? The creators of the prodigy sorcerer? They would be known through the ten nations, his father's maker's crest would become common place upon everything from armor to swords to candelabras. That little mark would triple, if not quadruple the value of whatever it is on. Just being a noble doubled the value of everything he made. Father of the infamous Ziyadah.
Mother... She would feel it too. As a noble she could finally afford to further her education. In the two years Zi had been working for the king, she attended the College of Medicine, studying to be a Healer. Her magic was not as naturally potent as Zi's, but she proved to be a real natural at mundane medicine and alchemy. When she finishes, his parents will have no money problems ever again. Even with their second child on the way.
"Woah, kid! Watch where you're going!" Zi had almost stepped right into a hole in the docks, before a man grabbed him by the belt and yanked him back.
A heavy thunk had Zi turning around quite swiftly. A much larger man had swatted his savior upside the head. "Respect your superiors, Jial... Our apologies, my lord. Some of the common folk were unable to read more than the big picture of your face. Most of us, in fact." The large man had bowed his head and offered a truly apologetic smile.
Zi just laughed it off. He righted his belt then pushed the Men back to their full height. "You've got me wrong. I'm not worth a bow. I'm just a smith's son."
"You are Ze-ee-duh right?" The large man pulled one of the large papers from his back pocket and unrolled it to show the front page. "You killed Redglaive, and now King Meloth is cleaning up the city."
"That's what that says?" The slimmer, blond headed man inquired, grabbing the paper to look it over. He clearly had no idea what he was looking at.
With a heavy sigh, Ziyadah nodded. "That's me. The king-slayer..." He was not even the one to make up such a nickname, sadly. "I think Meloth is planning on implementing a school here, with classes for the young and old. For children it'll be mandatory, for adults it'll probably be optional. Primary school is basic and free, teaches you basic sciences, math, history, how to write and how to survive on your own. Secondary focuses on a special job and is optional to those who want to be better." The two men take on an eager expression.
"Hear that, Jial? Yer going to learn to read like one of them fancy pants nobles!"
"Actually," Zi cut in, "in Yorheim, even peasants are required to go to school. Reading and writing is commonplace. That thing you're carrying around is called a Newspaper. Along with books, it helps people learn of recent and past events of important. They're much cheaper than AD's, and because of magic they're not that slow anymore."
"AD's?" The larger man knew enough of his ABD's to know that AD was possibly an acronym, even if he did not know the word itself. HE knew it might stand for something else.
"Arcane Devices. General term for magic things that preform a task. If the people accept Meloth and his people, they'll probably become pretty common. Like that guy." He pointed to a coincidental Servant Drone unloading a large crate from one of the ships. The man following it was carrying naught but a clip board and a small bag. "They make lives easier. Meloth's already dropped about fifty of them in the town to help the clean up."
The blond man's brows rose. "Oh. I thought they were soldiers..."
Zi chuckled. "No. Our soldiers are bigger and meaner looking. Yorheim doesn't have a lot of them, and I don't think Meloth brought any with him. Show of faith and friendship and all. I mean, I didn't see any when I saw him this morning." This stunned the men into silence. Perhaps they did not think, or maybe forgot, they were speaking to a man so close to the King. Zi spoke too casually with commoners.
A woman clearing her throat caught his ear. He turned to meet an older, wrinkled faced woman. "Excuse me, dear, did I hear you correct? You said you knew the king?"
The larger man spoke up, his baritone almost reaching clear across the docks. "This man right here is the Hero of the Red Kingdom, he is! The King-Slayer! Said we're getting schools and news papers!"
"Oh, I see. In that case..." It all happened in a flurry of motion. The old woman had drawn a dagger and sought to pierce Zi's heart. Before the old woman could blink, the dagger was out of her hands at her own throat. Zi's other hand slammed into her gut.
The facade broke. As the spell shattered, the assassin was revealed to be a much younger woman, Zi's age. Her fiery red hair and ivory skin matched that of Redglaive. Zi made a possible connection, but he hoped he was wrong. He whispered it in his head over and over, a prayer that his assumption was false. "Would you care to explain yourself?"
The men were dumbfounded. They said nothing, suddenly aware of the sorcerer's unassuming power. The fiery redhead, on the other hand, was not impressed. "I am Kendra Redglaive! Crowned princess of the Red Kingdom! You killed my FATHER!"
Zi had called it. He knew the consequences of his actions would bite him in the ass sooner or later.
It was a tradition of Yorheim. There were no graveyards. The dead were burned and mourned, then celebrated as the carbon and other materials are filtered from the ashes. They are then compressed into a diamond by magic and machine in a shape that symbolized their life. King Meloth promised the Red Kingdom a grand jewel that would be the heart of the red kingdom. The people were hesitant, but who were they to deny the king? Zi felt it was a beautiful gesture. His mother still carried her parents with her.
Meloth really was a good man. This was not the first time Zi was happy that it was Meloth that contracted him to a Blood-Oath. Bailoth was too calculating, doing simply what must be done with facts and reason - not empathy. Redglaive would have put his abilities to use for war, to kill or die. Take the oath or die. Meloth's deal would never be on the War-King's lips.
But the deal did exist. Meloth had proven his word and elevated a simple artisan caste family to Noble status. Zi's father forged solely for the Magesmiths for a nice salary. No more long periods without work, no struggles with hateful higher-ups upturned noses. Even those that disliked them now envied his paid days off, and the luxuries he could afford crafting strictly for the Magesmiths.
And here Zi was, at the pinnacle of elevating them to a whole new caste, yet again. Parents of the King? The creators of the prodigy sorcerer? They would be known through the ten nations, his father's maker's crest would become common place upon everything from armor to swords to candelabras. That little mark would triple, if not quadruple the value of whatever it is on. Just being a noble doubled the value of everything he made. Father of the infamous Ziyadah.
Mother... She would feel it too. As a noble she could finally afford to further her education. In the two years Zi had been working for the king, she attended the College of Medicine, studying to be a Healer. Her magic was not as naturally potent as Zi's, but she proved to be a real natural at mundane medicine and alchemy. When she finishes, his parents will have no money problems ever again. Even with their second child on the way.
"Woah, kid! Watch where you're going!" Zi had almost stepped right into a hole in the docks, before a man grabbed him by the belt and yanked him back.
A heavy thunk had Zi turning around quite swiftly. A much larger man had swatted his savior upside the head. "Respect your superiors, Jial... Our apologies, my lord. Some of the common folk were unable to read more than the big picture of your face. Most of us, in fact." The large man had bowed his head and offered a truly apologetic smile.
Zi just laughed it off. He righted his belt then pushed the Men back to their full height. "You've got me wrong. I'm not worth a bow. I'm just a smith's son."
"You are Ze-ee-duh right?" The large man pulled one of the large papers from his back pocket and unrolled it to show the front page. "You killed Redglaive, and now King Meloth is cleaning up the city."
"That's what that says?" The slimmer, blond headed man inquired, grabbing the paper to look it over. He clearly had no idea what he was looking at.
With a heavy sigh, Ziyadah nodded. "That's me. The king-slayer..." He was not even the one to make up such a nickname, sadly. "I think Meloth is planning on implementing a school here, with classes for the young and old. For children it'll be mandatory, for adults it'll probably be optional. Primary school is basic and free, teaches you basic sciences, math, history, how to write and how to survive on your own. Secondary focuses on a special job and is optional to those who want to be better." The two men take on an eager expression.
"Hear that, Jial? Yer going to learn to read like one of them fancy pants nobles!"
"Actually," Zi cut in, "in Yorheim, even peasants are required to go to school. Reading and writing is commonplace. That thing you're carrying around is called a Newspaper. Along with books, it helps people learn of recent and past events of important. They're much cheaper than AD's, and because of magic they're not that slow anymore."
"AD's?" The larger man knew enough of his ABD's to know that AD was possibly an acronym, even if he did not know the word itself. HE knew it might stand for something else.
"Arcane Devices. General term for magic things that preform a task. If the people accept Meloth and his people, they'll probably become pretty common. Like that guy." He pointed to a coincidental Servant Drone unloading a large crate from one of the ships. The man following it was carrying naught but a clip board and a small bag. "They make lives easier. Meloth's already dropped about fifty of them in the town to help the clean up."
The blond man's brows rose. "Oh. I thought they were soldiers..."
Zi chuckled. "No. Our soldiers are bigger and meaner looking. Yorheim doesn't have a lot of them, and I don't think Meloth brought any with him. Show of faith and friendship and all. I mean, I didn't see any when I saw him this morning." This stunned the men into silence. Perhaps they did not think, or maybe forgot, they were speaking to a man so close to the King. Zi spoke too casually with commoners.
A woman clearing her throat caught his ear. He turned to meet an older, wrinkled faced woman. "Excuse me, dear, did I hear you correct? You said you knew the king?"
The larger man spoke up, his baritone almost reaching clear across the docks. "This man right here is the Hero of the Red Kingdom, he is! The King-Slayer! Said we're getting schools and news papers!"
"Oh, I see. In that case..." It all happened in a flurry of motion. The old woman had drawn a dagger and sought to pierce Zi's heart. Before the old woman could blink, the dagger was out of her hands at her own throat. Zi's other hand slammed into her gut.
The facade broke. As the spell shattered, the assassin was revealed to be a much younger woman, Zi's age. Her fiery red hair and ivory skin matched that of Redglaive. Zi made a possible connection, but he hoped he was wrong. He whispered it in his head over and over, a prayer that his assumption was false. "Would you care to explain yourself?"
The men were dumbfounded. They said nothing, suddenly aware of the sorcerer's unassuming power. The fiery redhead, on the other hand, was not impressed. "I am Kendra Redglaive! Crowned princess of the Red Kingdom! You killed my FATHER!"
Zi had called it. He knew the consequences of his actions would bite him in the ass sooner or later.