7 The City of Yorn and the Child of Gears.

Darren waked up wen the carriage came to a sudden stop, letting go a long yawn and stretching his stiffened muscles for sleeping in the hard wood.

To his surprise, Elias was still in the same position, sitting motionless like he was during most of the journey.

"Elias, i think we stopped, it seems we have arrived"

There was no answer, as Elias sit still like a stone, with his soft regular breathing and his only arm resting upon his cane.

-Maybe he fell asleep- Thought to himself considering the option of shaking him awake, but he didn't feel close enough to take such liberties.

He spent some several minutes hearing the coming and going of the peasants outside before Darren gathered the resolution to shake the old man off.

Wen Darren touched the old man's shoulder, he was surprised to find that Elias was firm and static like an oak, almost like if the old man had become a statue of sort. Before knowing him, he may have fallen in panic, not knowing what was happening: But after talking with Elias during the journey about their many magical and historical knowledge, he think he might know what was happening, though he hoped it wasn't the case for the sake of his inner child.

"Mendacium Negare"

Simple said with a sigh. They where some simple words of power that didn't needed Mana to work. Their only function was to break an illusion placed with a minimum amount of Mana.

The image of Elias, sitting motionless with a mysterious semblance seemly vanished from existence, revealing an Elias who was snoring like Darren haven't heard anyone snore in his life, drooling on his own lap with his head resting on his cane which apparently was keeping it's balance with the help of another spell.

-Should have known. Nobody can remain in that position for that long. He most have been snoring like this while i didn't notice-

Darren make the decision to wake the old man before he embarrassed himself any longer, shaking him softly from his good arm hoping to not disturb whatever was the magic holding the cane in place. Unfortunately for them, he failed miserably, sending the old man head first into the ground of the carriage.

"¡Oh crap! are you ok? Elias?"

"¡Oh! In Draco's name, have some care boy, I'm not old enough to not turn you into a toad"

"¡I'm not the one using a cane hold in place by prayers as a pillow!"

Answered Darren while clutching down to help him get back on his feet, but Elias shake his helping hand softly, reaching his cane to get on his feet by his own.

After a while he managed to get back on his feet using his cane and his only leg to stand with difficulty and making some adjustments on his mechanical leg to get up right.

"Very stubborn for "the wisest man in the kingdom" Darren said while letting the old man catch his breath. Once he recovered, he looked at Darren with a patient and nostalgic smile on his face.

"If i depend on someone else to get on my feet i will not be able to walk my own steps. There's nothing wrong with accepting help boy, but you shouldn't grow use to it. There are two things every man most be able to do if he pretends to accomplish something. The first is been able to get back up for himself wen he fell, the other is been able to think for himself wen he doubt. Otherwise, he will not get far in the path of life"

After his speech, Elias walked to the end of the carriage, limping with the use of his cane to solve his prosthesis's weaknesses. Once in the exit, he accepted the helping hand of Darren to get out. His point was already proven, there was no need to push the mater any further.

The carriage have stopped at one side of road, in the exterior of the mighty walls of Yorn's capital. Darren stared at them open mouthed in aw.

This was his first time visiting the kingdom's capital; The books didn't make any justice to those walls. An appropriate description would have been "The perfect middle ground between opulence and efficiency".

The walls where abnormally tall, getting thinner the higher they went so they didn't collapse under their own weight, the battlements however faced outwards, avoiding the use of ladders from the invader while allowing the defenders to shoot arrows from above, protected for the merlons, while at the same time trow objects from the trapdoors.

The stone however was polished with care, giving the walls an eye catching smooth surface. The merlons where perfectly spaced at equal lengths between each other giving it a symmetry that Darren found beautiful to watch.

After watching the walls, Darren put his luggage on his back and walked besides Elias towards the city entrance.

Elias walked coordinating his steps with his cane to not loose balance, suggesting he was use to his estrange prosthesis by this point.

"I see this is your first time in the capital, what brings you here, boy?"

"How do you know that?"

"Only the newcomers get so impressed with the walls alone" Answered Elias with a smile. Darren get flustered and embarrassed by his transparency.

"Oh don't get ashamed boy, at my age you get an idea of almost everything. Is hard to hide things from an old man, not to talk from an old mage"

"I received an invitation i couldn't reject" Darren said, trying to not reveal too much of the matter.

"I see" Was all what Elias said, walking with his eye in front and a devious smile.

Went hey arrived to the city entrance, they where welcomed by a long row of people getting inspected by the city guards.

Most of them where elementals of bronze, carrying a buckler of the same element attached to their arms along side a sword hanging in their belts.

They where asking simple questions to everyone trying to enter the city and inspecting their luggage. Judging by Elias expression, this was the usual sight.

Several rows ahead, Darren behold something rather unusual. A young woman, younger than him at least, was being inspected like everyone else.

She had auburn long hair, with light brown eyes and her factions where small and delicate. However this wasn't the unusual thing, the thing that draws Darren's attention was the fact that she didn't have legs.

Her tights ended abruptly wen her knees should be, with rounded stumps with no scars or marks in them, like if the absence of legs was the most natural of things in her body.

She moved with the help of a strange machine that looked like anything Darren haves ever seen. It appeared like a chair with wheels attached to it, but it's design was full of pipes, cogs, gears and springs which purpose Darren couldn't quite figure out.

Her right arm was covered by a thick iron armor that covered from her shoulder to her finger tips, whose where making a constant metallic sound while she tapped the arm rest of her chair in a gesture of impatience.

She was wearing a white shirt with with short sleeves and short pants. Her shoulder looked narrow and fragile, but her hostile eyes and impatient gestures conferred her an aura equally elegant and menacing, like a snake.

Apparently, the guards where having trouble cataloging and inspecting the machine she used to move in her absence of limbs.

"What's the matter boy? the row seems to have stopped" Asked Elias, who being some inches shorter than Darren, couldn't see above the crowd like him.

"They are having problems inspecting some kind of... Machine? from one of the visitors. It looks like a chair with wheels, full of gears and things."

Wen Darren said this, Elia's eye opened up in surprise and started walking getting ahead in the row with a terrified expression.

"Oh for the love of Draco, i better go and settled this before she blow us all up" Said walking as fast as he could between the crowd with his cane.