Ch. 12 - Ryūganaru (I) (Patreon)

The ascent was rapid, and as they crested the Tier’s edge, they found themselves amongst rocky crags in a mountainous region. Terraces were carved out of some of the rocky faces to provide for farming, and forts dotted the tops of some of the rocky escarpments. They were immediately confronted by guards at the top, but at the sight of Felix’s sealed document, they were let past and directed to travel along the main road.

The long hours passed without event until the duo arrived at a mountain pass that had been carved and sectioned out – an enormous quarry. The road that passed through the center of town was still unimpeded, and several structures were carved out of the rock faces. Men carrying pickaxes and other mining tools went about carrying out business, while a line of workers carrying bowls towards a soup line shuffled forward. They were skinny, and for some, their ribs were visible against the taught skin.

There was a single wooden building that stood off to the side of the road, and the style was completely different from anything they had seen on any of the tiers. It was a gaudy, two-story building, made of dark, stained wood. On the front door there was a name in paint: William and Sons Inc.

A short man dressed in minimal armor and carrying a spear approached the two, “You aren’t from here. Business?”

Felix held up the sealed document, “Heading to the Court.”

The guard looked at Tinuriel and leaned forward as if trying to peek under her hood, “That lady with the big sword.” He glanced at Felix, “You two looking to make some coin?”

Felix glanced at Tinuriel, and she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. He turned back to the guard, “If its quick, while we’re passing through.”

The guard waved for them to follow him, and they were led to the wooden building, shown inside, and introduced to a portly man who was bedecked in gems and gold. “Who’d you bring me Won-Too?”

The guard stood aside, “Two travelers who look like they can handle themselves. They might be able to help with our…problem.”

The overweight man stood up, “I’m The Mayor, Eustace Williamson.” Felix shook his offered hand and the man sat down, gesturing for Felix and Tinuriel to do so as well. “If you’re interested in lending a helping hand, we have a bit of a problem.” He leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers, “There is a group of miners who are giving me a bit of an issue. They’re trying to unionize!” He shook his head and made a disgusted noise.

Wow. Okay, so I queried the System. This guy is from Mercantus, the second Tier. And he is rich. Well, his family is rich. They have contracted to the Northern Court and pay poverty-wage labor to provide jade from the quarries. The more that Lucifer spoke in Felix’s head, the more upset and angrier he grew. Instead of helping this asshole, why don’t we help these miners with their strike?

Felix silently agreed and stood up, Tinuriel taking the hint and standing as well. “Sorry, Mr. Williamson. Not interested.”

Mr. Williamson stood up and sighed, “Well, it was worth a try. Avail yourself of the Jade Serpent Inn while you’re here! The only natural hot spring within miles.” He grinned and winked an eyebrow at Felix, “Plus, there are several beauties that may catch your attention. We must keep the workers placated somehow, eh?”

Felix turned on his heel and stormed out, Tinuriel just a step behind. He went over to the soup line and activated Beacon of Free Will.

An invisible shockwave emanated out from him, and every single person looked at him, their eyes widening slightly and their posture growing more confident. “Alright, listen up. I know what some of you are planning. I want to help. Who do I talk to?”

The guard that had taken them to the building ran up and held his spear at arms-length from Felix, pointing it at him. “Your writ does not allow you to interfere with Court business!”

Felix turned on the man and looked into his eyes. Fallen Flight.

The spectral wings manifested behind him, and the guard dropped his spear. “I will do as I please.” He turned back to the line of workers, some of whom fell to their knees, and asked once more, “Who is trying to fight for your rights?”

A young man ran up and bowed slightly at the waist, “Aikiro. He’s in the mines right now.”

“Take us to him,” Tinuriel instructed.

They passed through small mountain trails as they wound their way to an enormous mine shaft entrance. There was a rope that descended on some type of pulley system, and buckets filled with green jade chunks came up from the depths before they were dumped into carts. A group of guards stood nearby and glared at Felix and Tinuriel suspiciously. One came over to him and gestured for them to stop. “Only workers in the mines.”

Felix once more activated Fallen Flight, and the men cowered at the sight of the spectral wings that seemingly marked him as an Angel. They made no complaint as the two were led deeper, down a corridor to a cross-section. An elderly man, covered in dirt and grime with a bald head, was sitting at the crossroads on an upturned bucket, looking over various diagrams of the mine. “Oh, who is this, Jeshiro?”

The young man leading them bowed and introduced the two travelers. The old man stood up, “I am Aikiro. An emissary of the gods, here?”

Felix shook his head, “Not quite. I’m a Versewalker. But I heard what was happening, and I can’t abide the way you’re being treated.”

Aikiro nodded curtly and waved Felix over, tilting a lantern to provide more light. “We have signed a petition, and plan on submitting it. More wages, more food. We are prepared to strike and – if necessary – fight back.”

Tinuriel peered over their shoulders, “How many guards do they employ?”

Aikiro smirked, “Fifty. I don’t want bloodshed, but we can’t keep working for these wages. Most of us can never go home – too expensive to buy rations, let alone buy out our contracts.”

Felix frowned, “How many workers?”

“A little under two hundred.”

Tinuriel shook her head, “Just armed with mining equipment? If worst comes to worst, they’ll be slaughtered.”

Aikiro turned to her, “I’m open to ideas. We just want to strike, but the guards will try to break it up.”

Felix smirked, "I’ve got an idea. And I really want to mess with that fatso. Here’s the plan…"

Tinuriel walked out of the mine as Felix dipped to the side, and activated Ghostwalk, scurrying away along the cliffs above the Quarry.

Tinuriel shouted, “Alright! Listen up! The Versewalker has declared that he is aligned with these miners!” As she shouted, the miners led by the elderly Aikiro came up behind her from the mine shaft, wielding pickaxes. The guards leveled their weapons and formed a semi-circle around them. “You, go tell your boss to come here, now! We have demands that need to be met!”

Shouts were exchanged but soon enough Felix was out of earshot, having circumvented the group. He shadowed one of the guards that split off from the mine entrance and ran towards the town. As he got into the main avenue, he shouted and another twenty guards poured out of the brothel and grabbed their weaponry, exchanging information before they ran off towards the mine. The one guard whom Felix was still shadowing went to the building, and the fat Mr. Williamson walked out in his ostentatious gear, grumbling, and yelling profanities.

Shadestep, Felix thought, activating the Skill as soon as the door opened...

...and he had glimpsed a shadow inside. He warped inside the building.

The door shut, and he crept to the main office. Felix held up his hand. I want to find the contracts and all his money. He used Detect Object twice in rapid succession.

The golden lines shot out from his vision, and he quickly found the hidden compartments under the floorboards. There was an enormous sack of coins, another sack of gems, and a set of wooden boards that were bound together with cord, compressing sheaves of paper together. Felix grabbed all of the items and quaffed the <Rank 5> Vigor Elixir. A surge of energy washed through him. Those mushrooms were good for something.

He went to the front door and tried to open it. Damn, locked. Well, I’m going to fly back anyway – stealth isn’t a factor until I get back to the mine. He took a step back and kicked with his heel – hard – and the door exploded off its hinges, clattering into the street. The main avenue was empty, save for a few women and delicate looking men who were peeking out from the brothel’s windows.

Felix activated Fallen Flight and flew back to the mine entrance, ensuring that he landed out of sight, and activated Ghostwalk until he was just around the corner from what had become a galvanized situation.

Tinuriel was standing, sword drawn, and huffing from exertion as several guards lay on the ground. She had a few minor cuts and scrapes, but it appeared that the small skirmish did not result in any deaths. The guards were merely knocked unconscious – probably with brain damage – but that wasn’t Felix’s concern. What he was more panicked about was the fact that the miners were pushed back toward the mine shaft itself, seemingly quivering in fear, as the guards’ numbers swelled. The group Felix had outpaced with his flight joined the semi-circle surrounding the mine entrance, and the fat man walked up behind them.

“Aikiro! Get out here!”

The older miner walked forward with shaking legs but firm hands, standing next to Tinuriel. “We deman-”

“I don’t give a damn what you demand, old man! I have your contracts. I own you.”

Oh, please, let me incinerate this fool. Lucifer’s anger was palpable and Felix felt it tinge his own emotional state. He was infuriated at the treatment these people were suffering. He slid down the small slope, garnering several glances, as he joined Tinuriel. He reached into his inventory and pulled out the papers, handing them to Aikiro, “Your contracts.”

“Wha- But those are mine!” The fat man shouted, trembling with anger as his jowls quivered.

Felix smirked, “Not anymore. I believe whoever holds them, owns them.” He looked to Aikiro, “Make sure they get back to each man.”

Aikiro nodded and bowed slightly, “Thank you, Versewalker.”

Tinuriel planted her sword point-first into the ground, “You took your sweet time.”

Felix chuckled and pulled out the bags of gems and coins, but to the chagrin and increasing fury of the man who called himself The Mayor. “The rest of you working for this guy. This is all your pay, right? I’ve got an offer. Just leave. Take a cut, and leave.” Felix threw the two bags on the ground so that the precious coins and gems scattered about. The guards exchanged glances before it became a full-on brawl, as they scoured the ground and hurried off with their plunder.

“Get back here! I own you!”

Tinuriel grinned and put a hand on Felix’s shoulder, “Good job, you two.”

We ruined him. Now let me kill him.

Felix felt the palpable rage coursing through him. I can’t. I’m not a murderer.

Then let me take control, just for a little.

You can do that?

Only if you let me. And you can reassert control at any time.

Felix felt conflicted. The fat man deserved death for effectively enslaving people and treating them horribly. But at the same time, even if he wasn’t controlling his body, it was still him doing it. It felt…wrong.

Tinuriel seemed to pick up on his turmoil and turned him to face her, “You are a Versewalker. Whatever you want to call it. You have power. Use it to do what you think is right.”

Are you okay with a more poetic punishment?

…I’m listening.

A few hours passed and the whole town had cleared out of the guards. They had taken the gold and gems, a few killed each other over portions, but they had left shortly after. The miners asserted control over the mines and Aikiro stepped up as the new Mayor. The old Mayor was put to work in the mines, having to pay off a contract that would cost him many, many decades of labor.

“My thanks to you two,” Aikiro bowed along with the rest of the miners. “You have given us our lives back.”

Tinuriel smirked, “You’re welcome.” She pulled her hood back up and nudged Felix as the two departed.

[Experience Awarded = 30]

[Congratulations! You have reached the Experience threshold to level up! Speak with your Versewalker Core when you are ready to Choose your next Class.]

Another level of Fallen Angel.

[Selection Made: Fallen Angel]

Finalize. Felix’s vision coursed crimson and gold for a moment as if he was seeing everything in infrared before it cleared.

The duo made their way out of town and down the road towards the capital of the Northern Court of Ashiyoko. As night fell, they found a small dell in the landscape, and Felix spent four hours focusing before they went into the VBV. Lucifer unmerged with Felix and grinned, “We did well today! Freed a bunch of basically enslaved people.”

Tinuriel smiled gently, “It felt good to help those people out.”

“And” Felix added as he went towards the Shop, “We didn’t have to kill him.”

Lucifer scoffed, “I would’ve liked to at least inflict some pain or torment.”

Tinuriel shrugged, “He will probably die in those mines. A man of his constitution will collapse and not be able to pull his enormous mass back up.”

Lucifer chuckled at the mental image and cracked his knuckles, “Well, I’m off to celebrate with some booze.” He joined Felix at the Shop, and whispered, “Give me some ‘Verse Coins.”

Felix did so and Lucifer purchased several bottles of wine, handing one to Felix and taking one in either hand for himself as he went to the Recreation Room. Tinuriel came over and leaned against the wall as Felix perused the shop. “I see your heart.”

Felix glanced up at her, “Hmm?”

“Who you are. Kind. Concerned. Willing to do what must be done. Not afraid of violence.” She smiled gently, “I need more convincing, but you are potentially worth the while.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ll keep trying to impress.”

She walked off, and Felix looked through the Shop until he found a tab for Affinities. I can purchase these?

Yeah, but they are really expensive.

He wasn’t kidding. The cheapest ones were simple, like Fire, Water, and Earth, and those were 10,000 VC each. Can’t afford that. Felix sighed dejectedly and went to his house, lying down as he stared up at the dark ceiling. There was a knock at the door, “Come in.”

Tinuriel opened the door. She was clothed in a simple shirt and pants, and sat down in the corner, on the floor, staring at him. “Go ahead, sleep.”

Felix chuckled nervously and turned to face her, “You are going to watch me sleep?”

She nodded with resolve, “Yes. I need to know your sleep habits.”

Felix pushed himself up onto his elbows, “Seems weird. Wait, do you even sleep?”

She nodded, “For short periods. Two hours of rest for an Elf is the same as eight for a Human. Do not worry, I will not be tired as we travel tomorrow.”

Felix nodded and turned over in bed, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but ultimately pushing the feeling aside as he tried to fall asleep.

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