章節 35: Beckton
As Thirteen and his group set out from the Clarke Estate, every one of them was filled with bright, bubbling emotions. The further from the estate's primary mansion he travelled, the more trees and woodlands Thirteen saw.
'I barely remember the ride to the Clarke Estate all those years ago' He thought. 'It's all somewhat blurry. There was a man who brought me here. We rode in some sort of wagon or carriage. I remember he seemed very tall and strong at the time, but I cant recall his name or face.'
Of course, he still remembered the village and Helga, just not as much of it all as he would have liked.
After travelling for a surprisingly long time through a well maintained path, flanked on each side by dense trees, Thirteen could finally make out a very large and beautiful looking gate ahead of them. It consisted of a variety of metal bars and had decorative metal swirls running along it. It seemed that on each side of the large gate was an even larger fence running deep into the woods on each end.
Before they even reached the gate, someone was opening it for them. As Thirteen got closer he saw that it was a man in his forties, quite well built and armed, but wearing no protection. The man paid them little to no attention as the three approached by horseback, and without any ceremony or fireworks, left the estate, for the first time.
As Thirteen breathed in deeply, he could hear the gate being shut once more behind them.
He began to fantasize about the outside world. The thought of visiting Rehall even surfaced in his mind. Unfortunately though, Thirteen had no idea where the village was, and doubted he would be given a bounty in the vicinity of his home.
As his thoughts wandered, Nine rode up next to him.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Not much," Thirteen replied. "Just about home and what kind of places we'll pass"
"Did you live near Helbeck?" Nine asked, somewhat excited.
"I have no idea. I don't think I ever left the village. Atleast, not more than playing in its immediate surroundings."
"Oh. Well, we'll visit plenty of new places anyway. With the coin we were given, lodging won't be an issue, and I'm eager to see what the towns are like."
"You're already thinking about our lodging and budget?" Thirteen said with a chuckle. "But I agree about the towns. I can't wait to see what they're like."
At this point Ten too rode closer to join the conversation.
"I don't know why you're both so excited. There's nothing good about towns, especially for orphans and kids." She said.
"You lived in a town before the estate?" Thirteen asked.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. It definitely wasn't a village, but I don't think it was a city either."
"What was it like?"
"Horrible. Everyone is so mean. I couldn't keep any food for myself unless I hid it in dirt." Ten's face was one of resentment as she spoke.
"Even those with money are just selfish. They actually get angry at you for being hungry!"
Thirteen's excitement was gradually dying down as he listened, but Nine spoke up quickly.
"It won't be like that. We're not orphans anymore. Sure, we don't have parents per say, but we have money. What orphan has money?"
Pursing her lips, Ten replied. "I hope so."
The conversation came to an abrupt end at that, and they rode in silence for a few moments longer before Thirteen spoke in a faint, daydreamy voice.
"I wonder if we'll get attacked by bandits."
"You're still on that?!" Nine responded loudly.
"Haha, I can't wait" Ten joined, as the mood became cheerful once more.
Like this, they continued to slowly travel southeast of the estate for half an hour before the private road of the estate met the main trading road north of Beckton. Following that main road further south, they very soon found the Northernmost entrance of the town of Beckton, and spied a short queue of people waiting for entry.
Stopping at the rear of the line, Thirteen watched what was happening at the front. He had learned that most towns and cities of Demia were required to log the names of everyone who enters or exits the city, and to collect entrance and trading taxes, but this was the first time he had seen it.
At the front of the line was a rather large trade carriage, flanked by mounted riders who each seemed capable of guarding it. While town guards checked the carriage to confirm it carried the goods the trader had claimed, another guard with a ledger in hand redirected the next in line, who was not a trader, to himself.
It only took 5 or so minutes, before Thirteen and his group were at the front of the line, approaching the man with the ledger.
The guard was a man in his early 20's or so, wearing studded leather armor with an arming sword at his waist, the man directed strange looks to the three children, before turning his wandering gaze to the surroundings.
After failing to find what he looked for, the man asked in a soft voice "Are you... I mean, are your parents nearby?"
Thirteen was slightly confused, but responded normally. "We have none."
"O-oh. Then, a guardian?"
Tilting his head to the side, Thirteen replied "No? Can we not enter?"
"Ah, no. I mean, you can. I guess. Do you have 20 Pits? The copper coins, do you have any?"
Thirteen was truly baffled by the man's attitude. He seemed so confused and caught off guard. For a moment, Thirteen didn't know how to interact with the man, but thankfully Nine rode forward just a few paces and opened a small coin pouch from which he handed over two Silver Sails, each worth 10 Copper Pits.
"Right. Thanks."
Nine didn't speak, simply riding on. He seemed annoyed for some reason. The guard with the ledger quickly stopped Thirteen and Ten from following "Ah, hold on. I need each of your names."
"Oh." Thirteen said, realizing a problem.
"Umm.. Nine, Ten, and Thirteen." he said hesitantly.
The guard's face fell immediately "Listen here yo–"
"Alright, pass on through." He was interrupted by a much larger and older man who had been quiet and keeping watch over the line.
The guard seemed confused, but simply nodded to them and stepped aside.
'Well that was weird.' Thirteen thought, directing a glance at the older guard who had interfered as he rode past.
Beckton could be considered a medium sized town, but it was positioned well economically, serving as a good midpoint between the central region, where the capital of Demia could be found, and the Eastern region of the country. Due to unfavorable terrain, it was one of few towns that could be positioned in the region, and, if its position were more defendable, would have likely developed further into a city.
Instead, it fell under the jurisdiction of another city to the north.
As a prominent trade town, the main roads were all stone, while most others were of packed dirt. Along the sides of the main road were many stores, each with hanging lanterns outside that were unlit at the moment, as it was still light and early.
As Thirteen entered past the gate, he was shocked at the sheer amount of people moving about.
"By the spirits." He uttered.
Most wouldn't consider it too grand a number, but for the likes of Thirteen and Nine who had never seen even a small town before, it was truly quite intimidating.
"What's got you annoyed?" Thirteen asked as he rode up next to Nine.
"That man, the guard. He helped me realize something."
"What?" Ten asked as she joined the conversation.
"We're not going to be taken seriously. We need to be able to lodge at inns, ask about a wanted criminal, and acquire information on our surroundings. But if they treat us like that, how will we do any of it?"
Thirteen was surprised at Nine's conclusion. Such a thought hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Right." Ten said in realisation. "Most have parents that do all the important stuff, and those that don't nobody cares about. They might just ignore us."
Thirteen was stumped. He thought about what he could do to remedy the situation, but then, relaxed as he thought of what Four would say. "It's fine. Let's just do what we need to do. No one will go so far as to interfere if we just push ahead."
'There's no need to worry about the small stuff. It's not like they could or would stop us from doing what we need.' he thought.
"It's not like there's much else to do about it anyway" Nine added.
As the three rode down the main road, they eyed the storefronts on either side while making sure noone ran out infront of them. Anyone could ride slowly in the main roads, but you needed permission to take a horse down the narrower roads as there was far less room.
Looking at the sky and the position of the sun, Thirteen then turned to the others.
"The day's barely started, we could easily reach a village or two if we continue on, what do you want to do?"
Ten replied first "I'd rather not stay here. Its too crowded."
"We need to plot a path first. We can't just follow the roads and hope for the best" Nine said.
Looking at the somewhat disappointed and uncomfortable Ten, Thirteen cast his vote.
"Sorry Ten, Nine's right. Besides, I want to look around and see what all these shops are for. I've never seen so many in my life." The more he spoke, the faster the words left his lips as he grew excited.
Thankfully, the three had no need to ask for directions to an inn, as multiple could be found near every town entrance, along with a great many food stores.
The three approached the first Inn they saw, one with a large overhanging sign depicting a house within a full moon. Above the door, the words Haven Hearth could be found painted on a sign very neatly.
The building's first floor had walls of stone, while its second, which overhang wider than the first, had walls of wood. The roof was made of shingles and the building as a whole possessed quite the number of windows with glass clearer than most.
Tying their horses to the post out front, Thirteen left his things there, speaking to the others as he moved to the door.
"I'll sort out a room, you guys unattach the bags."
"No problem." Nine replied.
Opening the front door, Thirteen was met with the interior's warmth. It was a bit chilly outside, but within was a large hearth, many candles, and even a metal chandelier.
'A chandelier? Oh, we may have stumbled into somewhere expensive' he realized.
The lobby and lounge was empty as it was still early. There was a reception desk to his right, behind which a beautiful woman in her early thirties could be found. She looked at him with a smile, but didn't initiate any exchange, instead looking to the door as if waiting for something.
"Good morning. I was hoping for a room for three" he spoke politely as he approached the counter.
"Oh? You're getting the lodging while your family handles the horses is it?" She asked with a sweet smile.
"Yes, It'd be best if we could get three beds."
"Three beds? Okay, I suppose we could do that."
The woman seemed confused by the request, but moved on quickly.
"Will you be paying for it, or should I wait for your family?"
"That's fine, I'll pay"
She chuckled at the thought "Alright then, for the room, and to move in another bed would be eight Sails and five Pits."
'Damn, we definitely came somewhere expensive.'
Sorting through his coin pouch, Thirteen withdrew a Gold Crown, worth 10 Sails, and handed it to the woman.
"Thank you very much. Here you go, just give me some time to have another bed moved in." She said, handing him his change.
"Why dont you go let your family know they can leave their horses in the the stable."
Thirteen did just that, going back to Nine and Ten, as the three of them sorted out their horses next to feeding bins in an adjacent stable and then carried their heavy saddle bags back in through the front door.
The woman seemed surprised when he came back with his 'family', but Thirteen didn't pay it much heed, having already guessed the misunderstanding towards the end of their conversation.
"Could we leave these in the room for now?"
"Um, yes, of course. It's on the second floor, the backmost left room. I just need your names"
Empowered by last time's success, Thirteen replied immediately "Thank you, our names are Nine, Ten, and Thirteen."
As he spoke, Thirteen was already heading for the stairs and so did not see the utterly confused expression on the woman's face.
Ten minutes later, the three had left all their things in the room, all three beds now in place and claimed by each of them, as they left the inn to explore.
Most of the stores near the inn were food stores, taverns, and weapon stores. Ever since the appearance of monsters three centuries ago, the ability to fight and wield weapons had become almost mandatory for all people. Even the villagers in Rehall, though certainly unskilled, had all trained themselves in the use of whatever weapon or tools they had available to them.
Looking around the town now, Thirteen could see that most people openly carried weapons, much like the dagger at Thirteen's own waist. Of course, the moment a weapon was drawn there had better be a very good reason. The punishments for drawing a weapon unjustly were very, very severe.
As a side product of this however, appreciation of weaponry has become a trait among more than just soldiers, and dueling had become a more conventional method of settling disputes. Though Demia lacked the much more pronounced and common place dueling culture of the southern Toubia Empire
As they walked, the three each found their gazes drifting to the many food stores. It was quite impossible for anyone who grew up on the delicacies of monster and spirit beasts to not develop a somewhat gluttonous or even gourmet interest.
"Food?" Thirteen asked simply, to the immediate answer of "yes" "yep".
As they walked slowly past the many food stores, the three inspected each of them intently. "We can only eat once, so we need to do this right" Nine said.
"It's an important decision. We can't be hasty" Ten followed.
It seemed this area, so close to the northern gate, hosted some of the more expensive stores, as it was the entrance used by any coming from the capital's direction.
It took 20 minutes for the salivating group to make their choice, only for the inevitable result.
"This is..."
"It's kind of..."
"Disappointing."
They deflated.
創作者的想法 
Chalky
Chalky So, I've made a discord server but I've given up on getting auto announcements to work when a chapter is released. Just know that usually (today of all days being the exception), chapters release at 10pm GMT (8am for fellow aussies).
Link is here:
https://discord.gg/ya4GcxR
Let me know in the comments or on the server what it is you would like to use the server for, or what you want me to include.
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