章 12: Arrival at Dandarah Fortress

"Kuh-chaa-hhhh…"… The crack of a whip was the first sound young Hugo heard when he and Tracy alighted from the carriage.

"Hurry up you poor suckers! The full moon is almost here. I swear if you don't pick up the pace, I will blast your heads with my whip." Then he heard someone swearing in a hoarse voice.

Hugo was held firmly in the embrace of his aunt Tracy, his head covered with a white baby towel, and thus, couldn't see what was going on around him. But he could imagine what was happening after processing the sounds that were coming through to him.

[Someone's whipping workers or slaves to push them to work faster. What a cruel world! Aunt Tracy is probably trying to protect my innocent mind from such a horrible scene.]

"Ali-Baba! We are leaving. I will meet you here again after the full moon." Hugo heard his aunt say to the caravan's captain.

"Okay, take care… And be safe. See you in a few days." He heard Ali-Baba reply.

"Aladdin and Mustapha, watch over the carriages. The rest of you are coming with me to meet the heads of the fortress. It's time for some serious work. Be sharp." Ali-Baba's voice continued.

"Hahaha… Ali-Baba you are back again… How are you doing my friend?" Hugo soon heard the man with a hoarse voice from before. It had now turned mellow.

"Kuh-chaaa-hhhh. …Kuh-chaaa-hhhh." Another two cracks of whips were heard.

He heard the same voice swearing again. "You pieces of dog crap! Hurry up and make way for my friend. I shouldn't have to babysit such suckers. …What did I do to deserve such treatment!?" He now heard the man sighing as though he was the most unfortunate man in the world.

"Lewis! Take over the supervision. I want the defense towers completed as soon as possible. Whip any idiot who dares to take a breather… Otherwise… Hehehe."

"Aye Major." Said another voice.

"Ali-Baba my friend! Let's go to the colonel's office. By the way, did you bring me any goodies?" The former voice had now regained its warmth. "I have collected several beast cores that I can use as payment."

[Such mood swings! … The owner of this voice must be suffering from bipolar disorder?] Young Hugo assumed.

"Yes. Major Florian. I have a few things you'll be interested in. But what kind of beast cores will you use for the exchange?" He heard Ali-Baba inquire.

"Don't worry. We shall have all the beast cores you need after the full moon." The voice was getting fainter… And soon it was crowded out by a lot of other chattering voices.

Hugo could tell that he and his aunt were now moving through a crowd of people. He wanted to look around, but he was firmly held in place by Tracy.

After a few minutes, the chattering noises diminished… They seemed to have entered a building.

"Hello, 'Sister'! How may I help you?" He heard a new unfamiliar voice. Hugo could make out that it was from a female.

"I need a room. Are there any unoccupied?" His aunt replied.

"We have some singles left on the top floor. 6 gold coins for one with breakfast included."

"That's expensive! When did you increase to a such scandalous price? …That is a whole month's rent even in Melekar City!" Tracy exclaimed.

"Sister… You should know that it will soon be the full moon. Some of the money we charge will pay for the soldiers and mercenaries needed to defend the town."

"…If you want a discount, you can sign up with the Town patrol to help defend the city if the need arises. You may even get free accommodation that way."

[Seems like the full moon here comes with great danger. This is eerily similar to European myths about werewolves and witches back on Earth.] Young Hugo mused.

"I'm just a nun. How am I supposed to help defend the city?"

"You have to sympathize with me? I even have this baby that I found abandoned on the way to take care of. I've had to spend on his clothing. I couldn't leave the poor soul alone."

"…How will I survive these next few days." Hugo heard his aunt seemingly close to breaking into a sob.

[What a shameless woman! Using an innocent baby as a bargaining chip! What a shameless brat.] Hugo added this new label to his aunt's profile.

"Hush… Hush… Sister, I can give you a room in the basement. But you still have to pay 2 gold coins. That is the cheapest you can get a room in here in Dandarah at this time of the year."

"No! The child may succumb to sickness if we don't stay in a well-ventilated area." Tracy pleaded.

"I only have 2 gold coins left. I will settle for one of the rooms on the top floor if you promise to provide me with a bottle of mystic-beast milk three times a day."

"As a devout servant of 'Erebus - the God of Darkness', I can easily go without food for three days. However, this poor soul can't. It is a sin to not pity a poor and innocent soul like this one. He needs milk to sustain him otherwise he will have to return to the embrace of darkness."

"…Mrs.… Ah… Sorry I didn't seem to get your name." Tracy's voice sounded apologetic.

"You didn't ask." The other voice countered.

"I go by the name Agnes Morani."

"Mrs. Morani! I now have your full names. You know our matriarch takes a dim view of people who don't take pity on young souls like this one. If you don't agree, I will report to my matriarch that you didn't take pity on the child." Tracy now sounded threatening.

"Okay… Okay, sister. I will give you the room. But we can only provide you goat's milk. If you want 'mystic-beast' milk, you can ask the military." Mrs. Morani's voice now sounded firm.

"Okay, I will take the room. Poor soul! Not able to even drink some beast milk." Tracy sighed while caressing young Hugo's back.

"May the Darkness be with you," Tracy said warmly.

"Thank you. And here is the key. Go up the stairs to the third floor… your room is the first on the left. Can you pay the 2 gold coins now? Someone will come up to bring you the milk later." Morani's voice was now clearly strained with impatience.

"Okay… Okay. Here is the money. I won't run away with it you know." Tracy said in an anguished voice.

[Poor soul. This lady has been driven insane by the antics of this shameless brat.] Hugo sighed.

Very soon, he could feel a slight jostling indicating that he was being carried upstairs. Then he heard the sound of a door opening and closing… Promptly, Hugo was placed on a huge bed.

What came into his sights was the face of his aunt Tracy smiling at him.

"Sorry, little Hugo! I had to make sure that we appeared unremarkable. So, I borrowed your identity to get us a discount."

"Ah… It's not like you care anyway." She sighed while gently caressing Hugo's head.

"I will now set up a concealment formation to shield us from all those bad guys. Let me show you how great a mystic your aunt is." Tracy said excitedly.

Very soon, Hugo heard his aunt fumbling with a few things and after a few seconds, a green energy field was set up around them. This was the same concealment formation he had seen after arriving in this new world.

****

Concurrently in Melekar City…

It was a warm and breezy day.

The occupants of the Manroe family castle - located at the westernmost end of the city were busier than usual.

In the unrelenting glare of the afternoon sun, brawny men could be seen pulling dozens of wagons into the Black Ghost Castle. The wagons creaked as they moved on the cobbled path towards the basement of the castle.

The wagons were entirely covered with black pieces of cloth to conceal their contents from any prying eyes. But occasionally, you could hear a painful grunt coming from one of the wagons, however, everyone around just ignored it.

"Move it, you morons. Can't you see we are nearly out of time! The sun has nearly sunk below the horizon. Hurry up… Faster." Members of the Manroe household could be heard shouting at the sweaty muscled men.

Within the castle…

The current head of the Manroe family - Count Monte Manroe was like an angry ox, pacing around the great hall of the Black Ghost Castle.

His wide shoulders thrown back, his chin pointed towards the sky, coupled with dark hair that was slicked back with expensive oil, gave the surrounding Manroe family elders the impression that Count Monte was a confident and savage leader.

"The full moon is today. It is much earlier than we expected." Count Monte announced. He was radiating a sweltering intensity that fit his reputation as a no-nonsense family head. His dark, ghostly eyes were flickering around seeming to scorch every living being around him.

"Are you sure? It seems to be very early indeed." Elder Valentino - one of the mystic-kings of the Manroe family inquired.

"Miss Fox used the divination platform. So we are sure." Count Monte replied with an affirmative form.

"It doesn't matter if the full moon comes earlier. We have already prepared sacrifices." Elder Valentino replied while stroking his white beard. The deep-wrinkles on his pale-forehead seemed to carve a map of his life.

"Have you tracked down the Medici girl yet?" Count Monte inquired.

"No! But she should still be here on the Eastern Continent. So it doesn't change anything. We won't lose anything even if she escapes. We have enough sacrifices this time around." Maria Manroe, an old woman and the only female among the six presents, replied.

"Okay. Let's all go back and prepare for the ritual. Inform all the 'chosen' to be ready by nine. We shall start the ritual then. Dismissed." Count Monte closed the short meeting.

The five mystic-kings and single mystic-queen nodded and dispersed.

****