Chapter 10 - Easton Return

City of Easton, Nespia, Therian Continent

One thousand union crowns was a lot of money. Ulfric had been on a few bounty hunting trips before, but never any that paid even half as much. They split it four ways, and even that was more money than he'd ever held at one time. It turned out that bounty hunting, especially for dangerous criminals, was a dying occupation and yet one still in extremely high demand. With more than enough money in hand, the party couldn't spend it quick enough it seemed. Before they could start a meaningful shopping spree though, they encountered shocking news in the Easton Press, halting them in their tracks.

"Father's been arrested!?" Naomi exclaimed.

Ingram's face was still in utter shock from reading the news out to them. Julie, behind Ingram, looked as if she might be sick. Ulfric said nothing. They stood in the middle of a busy Easton street, gathered around the newspaper like mice to a breadcrumb. Halting the flow of traffic, they forced angry passerby to loop around them, some with massive carts of goods; angry shouts flew in their direction, but they seemed deaf.

"I have to go to Lancaster. If Father's been imprisoned, it must be some sort of mistake!" Ingram said, his face scruffed up and angry. He spun on his heel and took a step away.

"No." Ulfric said firmly, catching Ingram's wrist. "If you go there and fight, you'll only get yourself killed. Come on, let's get out of the street."

This time in the interior of the Central Easton Cafe, the place they'd gone to before setting out on their journey, they once again huddled over the newspaper. Seeing how the cafe was filled with normal folk, their outfits that were lightly stained with blood and their heavy weaponry stuck out like a sore thumb. Completely oblivious, they took a seat at the oval shaped bar that ran around the center of the room.

The building was quite small, with bright white tiled flooring that contrasted with the dark colored walls in an ugly way. Booths ran along each side, the room further sprinkled with tables and finally the bar in the center at which they sat. Two waitresses moved back and forth with drinks and refills, paying the party no mind at first. Music could be heard faintly in the distance, but no one knew where it was coming from; maybe some street performer out on the main road.

Submitting orders quickly just to avoid being kicked out, they pushed shoulder to shoulder so they could each read. The lights were low and the atmosphere was quite dull, so it took all of their focus to read and balance on the shabby stools at the same time. Seeing the interior of the place, they all thought in unison that perhaps sitting on the outside was a preferable choice.

"A new Chairman? That and Ellis was supposedly attacking an elf?" Julie said, perplexed.

"And look at this," Ingram said. "Lance Lightswift was here. An elf tried to assassinate a governor."

"Could it be…" Naomi scratched her chin. "Perhaps that bounty was intended to distract Easton's manpower?"

"True. A mage simply staying put and waiting in such a spot is a little bit bizarre after all," Ingram said.

Ulfric said nothing, but suddenly it all made sense in his head. The assassinations of many political officials, then his father was imprisoned. It wasn't a coincidence. He recalled the guest list at Granny Haji's, and knew that Naomi's theory made the most sense. Without the sudden arrival of Lance Lightswift, it could've been that the enemy would've had their way with Easton, too. Even with the new chairman's identity not revealed, Ulfric would have bet money that it was an elf. Likely, they found some way to beat the rules of godly interference, seeing how convicting his father for a crime first would make the rules void.

Even with so much running through his head at once, he still said nothing. Naomi was young; this was not a discussion to have with her. As for Ingram and Julie, it could wait until they arrived in Lancaster. Ulfric wasn't stupid enough to think he stood a chance against the government itself, though. From where he stood in that very moment, the war was lost. After all, their most powerful soldier was locked away in a dungeon somewhere. In order to first discover the truth, freeing Ellis Englund would be necessary. If elven kind, the one and only true enemy to humans, had returned, there was no precaution that shouldn't be taken.

"We'll be leaving back to Lancaster before we know it. Putting a rush order on the journey should not be necessary, in my opinion," Ulfric said.

Ingram grew more distressed as he too had time to gather the situation. "You intend to let Father rot in a dungeon for all of that time?"

Ulfric slammed his hand on the table, hoping to bring his brother back to reality. "What the hell can we do against a hostile takeover, Ingram?"

Ingram's movement was quick, he grabbed Ulfric by the shirt collar and pulled him in. Julie jumped forward instantly to try and break them up. "Whatever we can! It's better than nothing! Isn't it?"

"I won't allow you to throw your life away, brother," Ulfric spat, returning to his seat. Beside them, the waitress awkwardly waited on the other side of the bar to pass over their drinks. They all let out a nervous chuckle before receiving the mix of coffees and teas. From there on out, they drank in utter silence. Ulfric blew on his tea a few times before taking slow and deliberate sips. Each sip jogged his mind, with more and more possibilities rushing in.

Seeing that the news was the equivalent of a declaration of war from elven kind, Ulfric was shocked that the state of Easton wasn't in more of a panic. Then again, this news was a day old by the time they got to it, so it had time to set in. No doubt that most government institutions and cities in general would be on maximum alert from here on. This matter, in reality, was not his job; this was in the Dragon Guard's capable hands. The best they could do now was work hard to get stronger in the background, and hope they'd be able to help before the fight was lost.

Father… Just hang in there. I'll save you, and then you'll have no choice but to acknowledge me.

* * *

Ulfric had bought a magic item that he'd neglected entirely to use before they'd left. A protect ring, a magical ring imbued with a simple protection spell. Magical rings of this variety allowed the user to cast a spell without expending their own mana, though they were only single use. After being used once, however, the ring absorbs mana from the surroundings to recharge itself, taking differing amounts of time depending on the power of the spell; for protect, it's about a minute cooldown.

Of course, this was incredibly useful for someone like him, but he didn't know if it was even allowed at the academy. Even so, with an unmarked ring costing him ten union crowns, it seemed a good investment even if it turned out he couldn't use them at all. One ring for each finger could be cumbersome, though, and finding out which spell he should bind to each ring was also a problem. Something simple might not have been enough firepower, but something advanced would take far too long to recharge.

Easton's magic store had lots of other interesting things too, namely spell books and other arguably useless magic items. Swords with useless enchantments, helpful in only specific scenarios. A sword that deals more damage against spiders, and another that cuts rope especially well. If there was a sword with a more helpful enchantment somewhere among the shelves, Ulfric was dedicated to finding it. Everything was so dusty though, and it was impossible to read half of the faded detail tags and even the prices. Ulfric was sure that the owner of the store would've given away half of the stuff for free.

The slowly dying lights swung overhead as he and Julie walked between the shelves, examining a library's quantity of things. Before they'd left, they vowed to have a full look around the place when they returned; half an hour in, it felt like they were making little to no leeway. There truly was an impossible amount of stuff, as if the shop itself was enchanted with magic. Seeing the nutty shopkeeper, Ulfric wouldn't have been surprised.

"This place is intriguing," Julie said. "The one in Lancaster is nothing like this… The dust and spider-webs, I mean."

"Mhm. I'll bet. You better take me there."

"Oh but of course. I can't help showing people my favorite things."

Ulfric left Julie in the book section to further look at the swords. More helpful blades like ones that nullify magic or set themselves aflame were obviously way out of his price range. He needed something simple, a cheap trick that would help against mainly human opponents. Something others would deem useless so as to bring the price down for him. He stood there and scratched his scruffy chin.

Then he saw it, a blade with the ability to grow smaller. Compact for travel, and a tricky weapon to fight against. He'd be able to thrust forward and extend it at the same time; similarly, he'd be able to generate much more force with the small blade and switch forms at the last moment. One hundred union crowns. In Ulfric's eyes, seeing the utility of such a blade, that was a steal. He took it into his hands.

The sword had a cheaply wrapped handle, and the blade had inscriptions on it for the enchantment in what was called Elysia, the language of mages. He felt it connect with him, prodding at his mind as if waiting for a command; it was a dizzying and strange feeling. He flipped it around and swung it a few times anyway to get a feel for the weight. Simply sparing a thought was enough to make the sword condense, and now it was a mere dagger. He swung the dagger around quickly, practicing switching the forms. Afterwards he nodded to himself, satisfied. The dagger form would be easy to clip onto his belt, dangling as if it were a lantern.

With that, and at ten crowns per ring, he wondered how many he should really buy. Surely having one ring on each finger wouldn't be nearly as efficient as it sounded in his head, plus, it would make him look like some kind of gangster from Eisendrach, only missing the tattoos. One hand would be enough, five rings, but he'd buy six just in case. After all, he'd be using Julie to embed the spells, and he didn't want her slaving over ten rings all night; it would be best to remain a little bit considerate.

"Julie. Look at what I found."

"Ulfric, come here. I found a spell that may help." She spoke in an urging tone that told Ulfric his dagger wasn't nearly as important. Holding a book, she turned it towards him.

"Some mages can absorb mana from the environment passively. Those who can't will sometimes use a spell like this. Mana Bank absorbs mana from the environment and bestows the collected mana upon the user when turned off."

Ulfric raised a brow. "So what? You think this will work on me?"

"If you put it in one of those rings, it might. After all, your body doesn't lack mana pathways, only the ability to produce your own mana."

"Hmm. Worth a shot, certainly. Something tells me that might be incredibly taxing on the body, though."

Julie shrugged. "Well, I never said it would be an easy feat to pull off. Using mana in a body that's never used it might actually just kill you. That being said, if anyone could take that kind of punishment, I'll bet it would be you."

"You think far too highly of me."

"Maybe, but only because I haven't been proved wrong. What's that you got there?"

"A sword. It changes size."

"Eh? Like it changes from a dagger to a normal sword?"

"Yeah."

"Why would you want garbage like that?"

"Trust the process, sis."

"Right…"

They doubled around the store, which took another fifteen minutes and Ulfric's repeated insistence that Julie hurry it up. The shopkeeper tipped up her massive witch's hat from the book she was reading; Ulfric caught a glimpse, and it was in some bizarre language he'd never seen before. Each time they arrived, the old woman just seemed to get weirder. He hesitantly set his items down, and she moved instantly, taking them into her hands and examining them with a devilish smile.

"Ah, yes. I knew you'd choose these ones. Written all over your face."

"Sure, granny," Ulfric said, sparing a confused glance at Juliem, who didn't offer much in the way of explanation. "What's the total?" He asked.

"Two hundred and twenty five." The keeper said confidently.

"Hm? That's way too much! The sword's one hundred and the rings are ten each!"

"Not anymore. War tax."

"War… Tax?" Ulfric asked.

"Mhm," Julie replied from behind him. "Seems like the Nespian government may be gearing up for war with Alterion. I suppose they'll start taxing extra to gear up for the conflict."

"Is that so…"

The shopkeeper stuck her hand out and made a face. "Well? Pay up!"

"Agh. By the blade! Fine! You and your stupid war tax."

"I don't make the rules, kid."

Ulfric grabbed his items and made way for Julie to set her book down. "Yeah yeah, see you around, granny."

A few minutes passed by, and Ulfric was outside of the store twirling his new dagger around. Julie stepped out, book in hand. She immediately collapsed against the wall, mumbling something about bad energy inside. Ulfric wasn't sure what to do to help, so they just sat and waited, watching the crowds pass by. It wasn't long before he too was lost in his own thoughts.

"War tax? War with Alterion?" Ulfric thought aloud.

Julie shook herself out of a trance. "Seems like it. Apparently the king is set to make an announcement any day now." She leaned against the wall still, the book tucked under her arm.

"Yeah? How'd you find out all of this?"

"Asked around."

"You asked around? You asked random people?"

"What of it? I'm shy, not socially inept. Besides, I was curious."

"You're a weird one," Ulfric huffed.

"Oh, I'm weird? Pfft."

Ulfric twirled his dagger around some more and then sheathed it. "Shall we go find Ingram before he gets too drunk?"

Julie smiled. "Certainly."

* * *

"Wow, bro. What happened?" Ulfric asked.

Ingram's eyes slowly opened. Julie and Ulfric stood over him, confused looks on their faces. His back was cold, soaked through with something like mud. He couldn't recall anything that had happened, but it seemed like he'd been in some sort of brawl, at least judging by the blood all over him and the soreness in all of his joints. The day he remembered had grown dark, so he wondered just how long he'd been lying in the middle of the street.

"Ugh…" He slurred. It seemed that he couldn't even manage a word.

"Ingram, come on now. At least tell us where Naomi is." Julie angrily crossed her arms. Ulfric thought that she perfectly suited the part of an angry housewife in such a pose.

Ingram smelt of alcohol and blood, clearly still intoxicated. He was lying in the mud out front of some tavern in the dingier area of town. Naomi had been with him when they'd split up to shop, so maybe she was still in the tavern? Somehow, Ulfric doubted it, hoping his sister, as stupid as she usually was, had learned her lesson from the last time they were in town. He silently slipped away and left Julie to bicker with the drunkard.

The tavern looked like something you'd see in the south of Nespia, rather than so close to the border. It was built entirely out of logs, with cheap wooden gates instead of doors that swung on rusty hinges. Ulfric pushed inside; with the train station only a block or two away, heavily guarded, he was confident that it wouldn't be a big pot of criminals. Anyway, it didn't hurt to be on guard, so he kept a hand on his dagger.

The inside smelt of booze and rot, with a slight mix of cooked meat. A rat scurried along the floor, and lanterns set here and there served to keep the room alight. The floor was made of squeaky boards, and the room was filled with shabby tables with rickety legs. There was no one inside but a group of gentlemen at a table in the center of the room. Four of them had pistol holsters slung on the chairs, and one had a rifle. Reg bounty hunters often had to rely on such dishonorable things as firearms for a fighting chance, so this sight wasn't exactly a surprise; though, anyone with even slightly adept magic could counter a bullet easily, which meant that firearms weren't exactly a common weapon of choice.

They threw cards down on the table, each man had varying reactions to this particular round. Ulfric recognized the game, Farka. The person he saw joining them at the table was shocking though. Naomi sat at the foot, in fact, heading the whole game. Ulfric didn't even know that his sister could play Farka, let alone contend with a group of ruffians. Judging by the distressed look on her face though, she wasn't contending well.

"Hmm? Who's this?" One of the men asked.

"Ah. Just my brother. Here to ruin the fun I suppose," Naomi sighed.

"How many brothers you got, lady?"

"Only two," Ulfric replied on her behalf. "You the punks who threw Ingram out on the lawn?"

The man who appeared to be the leader of their group tipped his hat up. "Yer brother was cheatin', flooped the piggie four times in a row."

What the hell does that even mean?

"Listen. I know your type. My sister is new, and surely incredibly easy to win money off of. She doesn't know how to play, and by her blushing face I'd say she's also intoxicated. Just give back whatever you won off of her, and we'll be on our way."

"Like hell! So what if she's drunk! We won fair and square!"

Ulfric vanished and reappeared. To the untrained eye it was as if he didn't even step at all, simply appeared in another place. He punched the leader across the face and sent a tooth bounding across the table. In the next movement, threw his hat off and grabbed him by his curly hair to slam his head into the table once and then twice. He pulled and threw him back into his chair, which tumbled over and sent him bounding to the floor.

"Not exactly high on patience today. Let me cut to the chase and explain in a language you'll understand," Ulfric said.

Everyone in the room had already pulled their gun on him, but he was a step quicker. He'd pulled the boss' gun off of the chair before it fell, and now had the sight trained on the head of the crying man. Ulfric had no clue how to use a six shooter like the one he was holding, but it didn't matter. The air went still. The barkeep, who Ulfric hadn't even noticed until then, now stood at ready with a shotgun. The situation had become troublesome.

"Drop the gun or you're dead, kid."

"Yeah yeah. You fancy your chance of killing me before I blow your boss' face off?"

They said nothing.

"Set the money on the table. However much it was, I want it all."

More silence, no one moved. 

"Just give him the damn money, boys! One hundred crowns," the boss said. "It ain't worth dyin' for."

"Oh ho. So reasonable. That's why you're the boss!" Ulfric mocked.

Ultimately, Ulfric marched out of the tavern, or rather shuffled very slowly, with Naomi slung over his shoulder. The second she'd stood up, she fell unconscious into his arms. He took with him the gun, assuming he'd have enough time to escape the scene of the crime before they noticed it was gone; he was right. A sigh escaped him as his muscles stretched themselves to the limit. He wondered when on earth Naomi had seemingly become so obese while looking so thin.

Julie was standing with muddied boots in a similar position. Mana emanated from her body, powering up her muscles just to hold Ingram on her shoulders. She noticed Ulfric coming and gave a half hearted thumbs up. Together they set off down the night time streets of Easton, searching for the nearest inn. With only the odd drunkard passing by, finding a place to sleep in such a massive city seemed hopeless, especially since sleeping on the roadside would end them up in a cell by morning.

Ulfric kept moving, even with his tired legs, knowing that the men from the bar might catch up at any moment. Julie didn't know why she kept moving, but something in her pride told her to keep pace with Ulfric. They each said nothing to each other, just sporting disappointed faces. Each of them were thinking the exact same thing, but neither wanted to express their anger. Ulfric went first.

"Next time they do this, I say we leave them here."

"Agreed," Julie said immediately.