Main Gates
"None of this makes sense. What's the point of fighting against someone who can't be defeated?" Yoichi asked, referring to Emperor Nishiyama.
"I've already told you, Yoichi. Our faction is not just fighting for victory. The moment Tentochu stops fighting, our honor will be lost forever," Enatsu stated, uncompromising in that speech.
"That Valgoth you talked about... you called it 'ancient demon'. What's the difference between him and Nishiyama's four-winged tiger, the Torasagi? Is Gonshiro's Oracle really that strong? I'm sure it too has a weakness!"
"The Torasagi is an epic demon. It is the Oracle of the Supreme Emperor Nishiyama and no one else in the world besides him owns it. Or at least, none that we know," Enatsu explained. The trader began to touch his beard, thinking deeply about Yoichi's question. "Although Gonshiro is immortal, Kamakiri's army is not. As I've already told you, Nomi Island, the island between Tentochu and Kamakiri, has recently become the scene of bloody battles between the two factions."
"So, you mean that... as long as the wars are only fought on that island, there is no risk that Gonshiro's army will attack Tentochu, right? I vaguely remember the world map. Nomi Island is the only junction between the eastern and western continents," Yoichi replied.
"Mmh, let's say yes. The guilds scattered throughout the territory have precisely this task. Training tamers and sent them into battle in that hellish place, hoping that sooner or later the war will come to an end" Enatsu confessed discouraged, looking up at the sky. Sora fluttered in a circle above their heads.
"Don't train them, but send them to die," Yoichi corrected, setting out his considerations. "Emperor Nishiyama is a selfish man. Sacrificing thousands of lives on an island doesn't seem like a good way to win a war lasting from hundreds of years."
"Shhh! Yoichi! Do you want to get killed?!" Enatsu trembled in fear. He approached his friend and looked around, verifying that there was no one nearby. "When we enter Goldhaven, never insult the Emperor again, or you will find yourself hanging from a rope in the central square! The guards in the capital are really intransigent about this, try to remember that!"
Yoichi's astonished expression became deluded after a few seconds. The image of the one who in his mind was a just and courageous ruler had turned into that of a selfish and proud tyrant.
Emperor Nishiyama was worshipped as a god by all the inhabitants of Tentochu. If he really wanted a say, Yoichi would have to climb the ranks of that society still bound to ancient and empirical laws, totally based on the absolute monarchy.
"I think it's time to get into Goldhaven. As always, I thank you for your story, Enatsu. I told you, I need someone like you by my side. Think of my proposal," the young tamer said, beginning to walk.
The merchant stood still for about ten seconds, thinking back to those words.
The sun had now set behind the city walls, diving into the great ocean of the west.
The two adventurers, looking for luck, joined another group of travelers, who arrived at the same time at the foot of Goldhaven's massive iron gate.
The main entrance to the capital was guarded by dozens of guards, neatly arranged in a single file next to the two heavy gate wings.
Metallic armor with golden edges, equipped with helmets with showy red feathers above the head gave those warriors armed with halberd a solemn appearance. Their gazes were pointed forward as if they were ready to fight at all times.
Two at a time, dozens of newly arrived travelers walked through that corridor of guards, reaching the gates. Yoichi and Enatsu closed the line, witnessing the procedure to get through the entrance.
A guard more muscular and taller than the others was stationary in the middle of the door. His equipment was slightly different from those of the simple guards, with two huge pauldrons of heavy steel to strengthen his shoulders and a double-headed axe popping up from behind his back.
That man in his fifties was not wearing any helmets and his expression instilled fear. His face was covered in scratches and knife wounds, which made his sulky expression irregular.
Like a true military man, he had no beard and no hair. On his head, a black tribal symbol-like tattoo stretched from his forehead to his neck, continuing under the armor.
"We are travelers from Edgemere, who have come here to meet distant relatives" the first of the travelers stammered. He was a middle-aged man, dressed in humble worker clothes. He was holding hands with a blond-haired little girl, probably his young daughter.
Behind him, a woman and two other youngsters, a boy and a girl.
The older guard slightly cocked his head, verifying his interlocutor's statement. His eyes framed the entire family, focusing on a detail in the rear: the older boy, probably the firstborn of the man who was talking, held a rope attached to a donkey.
On the back of the workhorse, several straw containers and objects wrapped in cloth sheets were meticulously tied, so as not to disperse the load.
"Anything to say? What's in there?" the guard inquired, in a deep and rude voice.
"Nothing, sir. There are supplies and little freebies for my sister's family. She lives with her husband and two children not far from Demon Cathedral Square", the traveler responded with conviction, evidently prepared for those kinds of questions.
"Go," the guard replied, moving sideways and letting the whole family pass by. The man, his wife and children, thanked with a movement of the head.
"Next!" the bald-headed warrior yelled, making a gesture with his hand.
Another couple of people approached the door. This time they were a younger man and woman.
"Psst! Enatsu!" Yoichi whispered in his companion's ear, trying not to be discovered by the watchful eyes of the dozens of guards that surrounded them.