A Gentleman’s Guide: Chapter 10 (Patreon)

A Gentleman’s Guide: Chapter 10

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Commissioned by Citino

Wordcount: 2500

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For the first time in my new life, I looked upon a forest. It was still in the distance, set before a massive mountain range that utterly dwarfed it. Not only that, but it was a small forest, composed of merely decades-old saplings, instead of towering towers which covered all in their shade. To compare it to those I looked upon in my past life, it was a measly scattering that I would barely take note of, however in this life I allowed myself to be awed by the sight of it.

Perhaps, if not for the darkened sky and the perpetual night that has fallen, I would’ve felt a greater connection to the sight.

As it was, my heart was not in the least swayed by the sight, as we traversed way towards the trading post, which was situated between two mountains guarding a pass between the Great Desert and the verdant lands beyond.

The outpost was in fact a castle with towering, sheer stone walls, two towers upon which trebuchets sat, and with a gate composed of sturdy wood and iron. Beyond it, past perhaps layers of defenses, was a tall fortress with many arrow slits upon its wall.

None of the tribes of the Dessert would’ve been deterred by the defenses. The trebuchets would have bounced off the hardened shell of the most immense beetles, after the buildings were removed from their backs. They massive horns would’ve smashed through the entire, first wall, not just the gate. The arrow slits on the fortress, as well, were pointed upon where an army would stand as they assaulted the gate… and were poorly made in regards to allowing archers to shoot down the swarm of horse-sized hornets and wasps upon which warriors of the Great Desert rode. 

The defenses were laughable at best to the As’Kari, as such they deemed it an outpost, and cared not at all for the weapons and men within it.

The Knight who rode beside me, however, breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the outpost. 

“They stood their ground. Many feared those beyond the reach of the light would try to flee from their posts.” The Knight’s logic was sound upon the surface, but only at the surface. It is more reasonable to retain an entrenched position, rather than abandon it, especially one as well-protected as this. Embedded within a mountain range, perhaps even with veins of ore to access, and a forest beyond… such a position can be held indefinitely by a well-prepared commander. “We should make haste, and announce ourselves.”

There was grumbling amongst the former slaves, and I paid them no heed evenas  the Knight glared at them, until the Dwarf spoke on behalf of them all. Their arguments were constant, so I sought only to pay attention when something of importance was about to unfold. 

Over the course of their journey, I dissected and learned much of their language as I could. The Knight took my quick learning of their language in stride, while the Dwarf and others felt far more cautious at me as I steadily, speedily learned. 

My ability to comprehend and communicate with their language was passable at best, but I could eavesdrop well enough as I guided my beetle towards the outpost.

“Your word, Knight of the Empire, has been heard. However, we all still desire either an oath or your word made binding with ink and blood.”  The former prisoners were promised much for their assistance in traveling back to the capital. Not only would their sentences be lifted, but they would also gain renumeration. If they worked for coin, I would’ve paid them no heed, but instead they worked for something else beneath the everlasting, night sky. “Safe passage and housing for our families into the capital, and you have our lives at your command forevermore.”

The weight of such a promise in these times was more than apparent. The capital of the Knight’s nation sat beneath the immense tree of light that loomed perpetually in the distance. Beneath its branch’s plants would be able to survive and grow, as they would be nourished by its light. Thus, the prisoners bargained with their lives to ensure that their families will be allowed to live in a place where light is guaranteed. 

A place which would only fall if the entire world fell. 

“Honor must be lost to you all, if none of you understand that all my words are oaths sworn.” The knight spoke calmly, but the way her hand drifted to the pommel of her sword spoke of how affronted she was at having her honor questioned. I did not understand her people, their traditions, and what they valued, but I knew humanity well enough after living one life and beginning another. The former prisoners would be dead if not for my presence. “Fine, then, I swear to you that I shall do all in my power to see each of you come under my command, and that you shall be allowed to gather your families and bring them to the capital.”

The ensuing amount of chaotic chatter form the five was too much for me to discern anything from. 

Yet I knew what the former-slaves all asked as the Knight spoke with the faintest semblance of amusement in her voice. 

“All the peoples of the world are flocking to our kingdom’s greatest gift to life. To be granted a home, to have a place to stay, at the foot of its trunk is a miracle. One that none of you or your families deserve.” The Knight spoke harshly, allowing her true thoughts of her former prisoners to emerge, as we stopped before the gate and as she dismounted from the beetle’s back. “They will find their way to the capital by their own merit, and when they reach it, they shall be provided a place to call home, where they can work, and so they shall live. Unlike all the others who shall be turned away, either by the word or by the sword.”

The former prisoners were all silent for a moment, until one spoke decisively for each of them.

The same one that called me a monster.

“Bitch.”

The word was different, but it was similar enough to the feeling that it was readily applicable. 

I decided to stop the ensuing argument by speaking to the Knight. 

“Eland.” In an instant, the woman’s demeanor completely changed. Gone was the terse, controlled warrior. In her stead was a subservient guide, looking upon me with a fervent, unsettling gaze. Upon my agreement to aid her people, she treated me as though I were a prophet that promised her salvation. The ease with which she shifted from both masks was frightening. So, I uttered the words none of the six accompanying me wished to hear. “I hear nothing behind those walls.”

In the shifting sands of the Great Desert, it is necessary to be able to increase one’s ability to detect foes. Children are taught how to use even their miniscule power to search for dangers and avoid them. All warriors of the desert do their outmost to cultivate the skill, as knowing the presence of a foe can be the difference between life and death. 

Kan’Is is rumored to be capable of discerning individuals amongst groups of hundreds, easily discerning those who he must fight, and those who he can leave to his trusted companions. His daughter, meanwhile, can discern where a single individual is amongst the entire Tribe. Both push the pinnacle of the craft to the limit, and I can barely be compared to the average warrior of the As’Kari.

But at the foot of a mountain range, surrounded by soil instead of shifting sands, and with far lesser creatures than those I was used to capturing and dissecting… I had to grit my teeth and dull my senses. There was less to account for, therefore all that there was became far more fearsome. 

The mask I wore shielded me somewhat from my mistake, allowing me to speak relay my findings to the Knight.

A Knight froze in shock at my words, as the Dwarf cried out in alarm.

“Empty!? How could it be empty!” His gaze was directed towards the sky above the outpost. He searched for evidence against my words. A palor overtook his face, as he dismounted and stood beside the knight, and strained as a toddler amongst the As’Kari would the first time they would empower their senses. “The boy is right… there’s nothing behind those walls!”

“But the torchers are lit, and the trebuchets are unbroken, so how!?” The Knight burst into action, striding towards the gate. She was right. In the darkness, there was light besides that cast by the luminous construct crafted by her people. It took the form of torches, many of which lined the top of the wall, and the fortress beyond it. As she looked, and before she could reach the gate, she suddenly burst into action and leapt backward whilst drawing her sword. “To arms! The stone lives!”

I knew not what the knight spoke of, until the individual bricks of the wall began to writhe, to undulate, and to slough towards us.

It was a sort of liquid, amorphous creature that took on the quality of what it was upon. The moment they fell forth from the wall they cast aside their rocky camouflage in favor of the coloration of the soil. They grew in speed as they discarded their stony shells, each one surging towards us like a living wave of amorphous mass mud. Within them I spotted faces knit in horror, skulls and bones of men digested, as they were still consumed the remains of the garrison.

My steed skittered back at the sight of the creature, with speed that made my companions cry out in surprise, as they dismounted fearing that it would be slow. 

Cornelius, of course, was only slow when he needed to keep a pace and ensure that none of my belongings were unmade by his movements. Otherwise, he could easily match half the speed of one of the immense wasps used by warriors, thanks to his numerous, strong, and powerful legs. 

If I stayed upon him, I would be perfectly safe, so I allowed him to take me back and protect me as I attacked the monsters.  

I wound my threads tightly upon my tools, and threw them at the strange, seedlike things within the amorphous masses that wound tendrils around the corpses they held within their bodies.  

It was my standard tactic when I came across an unknown monster. From afar, I would bind their limbs and break any appendage which seemed as though it could pose a thread. Mouth, stinger, and limbs went the order of my choice, if the beast in question had no obvious way of ranged attack. Such a thing is naturally easier if they cannot move, and if they are hemmed in by hunters of the As’Kari.

But I am not with As’Kari hunters, so instead of using my threads alone, I used my tools for dissection as well by throwing them forward and guiding them with my control over my string.

Much to my surprise, my guess as to what was the “true” monster was correct as the gelatin-like substance which coated the creatures and corpses fell off, while what was in actuality an incredibly advanced nervous system was suddenly pierced through. 

Still to my dismay, however, the weight of my tools suddenly vanished after they pierced through one or two of the creatures. 

Their amorphous, translucent shells were incredibly caustic. Bones were somehow resistant, as well as my threads composed of As’Kari silks, but not tempered iron. 

Leaving me with the slower method of attack of wringing the creatures and crushing them within their shells.

However, with thirty of the creatures already dead from my initial attack, it hardly mattered.

There were only a handful left and each of them perished soon enough by my hand, thus leaving me with new creatures to study, as Cornelius ceased fleeing, and as the prisoners just began to draw their weapons. 

…

We made camp a good distance away from the outpost. It was the same affair as every camp we made in our journey. I wound my threads through perimeter, spinning them much like a spider, to create a network of detection and began to tend to my needs. Typically, foolish monsters would try to break through the thread as I slept, only to lose their limbs, maws, or lives trying to reach us. 

I only needed to awaken or pay more attention if a monster could break my threads, thus I was able to attend to my needs, feed Cornelius, and sleep until I was needed.

I was just setting a bowl of grass and leaves for Cornelius when the Dwarf approached me with his meal in one hand and mine in the other. 

It was the creature within the amorphous existence. Their bodies were cleansed with water, after their strange shells dissipated in the breeze. The tendrils were cast aside, which I took to study later, while the “cores” were set near an open flame. They were like a pile of stones within a fire, until one by one the organism within expanded from the heat and broke through the thin shell. 

They were eating the creature with gusto, and I overheard something about it being a dangerous delicacy to acquire fore ever nobility, as they supped on one after the other. 

So, I took the one offered to me, and began to eat it as he looked upon me. 

“How?” The flesh within the orb-like thing reminded me of cooked oyster, but without the familiar taste of brine. The flesh gave way within singular chews, providing a good mouthfeel without becoming chewy, and resembled the taste of mushrooms the more one chewed it. Was it an animal, or some sort of living fungus? I did not know, but I also felt that it was undeserving of being called a delicacy. “What is within the thread?”

As I rescued them from the wreckage of their airship, they knew how I fought with my threads, but they did not know how metal melted while my threads remained strong. 

Unfortunately for the Dwarf and his fellows, I did not know, so I shook my head. 

Confusion filled his features for a second, before the Knight suddenly spoke.

Not in the As’kari tongue, but in the one they shared. 

“It is not the thread, but what is outside it.” She held one of my spare spools of needle-thread and threw it at the Dwarf, who caught it, and looked upon it with great focus, before turning to me with great surprise. “He wreathes it in his soul, and with his soul, he cuts through the wickedness of the world.”

The Dwarf trembled and an ominous feeling welled in my stomach, as the Knights words verged on rapturous. 

“Do you not see, Dwarf? Why I am so willing to forgive all your transgressions, and give you all you ask? This boy, untrained, has talent that rivals that of masters of magic… he is a blessed, divine existence, and one that shall all with his power and might!”

The words were that of a fanatic with an addled mind, but I faltered mid-bite as the Dwarf began to nod at the words with great fervor.

For a moment, I wondered if I should stay quiet and leave my ability to listen to them unknown, but I dashed away those thoughts after a mere moment and spoke to them with their own tongue. 

“I am not. I am me. Only me.” They froze as I spoke, both due to my refusal at accepting their madness, as well as the fact that I spoke to them with their own tongue. I rose up, to leave them to consider all the words they shared with one another as we traveled within my earshot, and began to tend to Cornelius. “And, I want to be alone now. Leave me for the night.”

It took them a moment before the regathered their wits, but I let out a breath as they did as they requested. 

At last, after all this time, peace and quiet.