The Age of Chaos Ch. 19 (Original Fantasy)

A/N: Arriving at Goldriver and getting the lay of the land.

-x-X-x-

There are camps outside of the city. Oren stiffens up a little bit when he sees this, quickly relaying the information about what he’s able to makeout to Sophia. From the look of things, Goldriver was dealing with something of a refugee crisis. Suddenly, he was less than confident about their ability to slip into the city undetected.

As they get closer, Oren clears his throat and speaks up.

“Goddess… we might want to consider entering the city through an alternative means of egress. From the look of things, they’re being rather picky about who they let into Goldriver these days.”

Sophia frowns at this, eyeing the situation herself for a moment.

“And how exactly would we go about doing that? I can’t just pop us in this close to such a huge population center. If the God Hunters are in the city, they’re likely to pick up on it.”

Oren inclines his head in acknowledgment of that, before eyeing the walls of Goldriver quietly for a long moment.

“… I believe I can jump us over the wall, Goddess. We just need to find a section that’s unmanned.”

Goldriver was a true city. That meant unlike Amberwell and Oakvale, which were both barely a quarter of its size, the city had walls made of stone. Those stone walls were around twenty to thirty feet tall from what Oren could see, built atop earthen ramparts and lined with a ten foot deep ditch. Nothing at all insurmountable for someone like him. With a running leap and perhaps a single bounce off of the wall itself, he could have the both of them up and over quick as can be.

Unfortunately, there was a single glaring issue with that plan.

“No. We’ll go through the front gates. This will allow us to assess the situation from the very beginning. If there are God Hunters working alongside the City Guard, then we’ll know we’ve come to the right place. If there aren’t, we can ask some probing questions to find out if our plan is still viable or if we need to move on.”

The Minor Goddess’ logic is impeccable but Oren privately suspects that she’s just making excuses. He’d watched her react to his suggestion out of the corner of his eye and seen how she balked at the thought of having him jump them over. She didn’t like the idea of anything that involved them touching… and truth be told, Oren got it.

It was one thing for her to let him manhandle her when the situation was dire and she saw him as her protector and savior. It was another entirely for her to allow him to lay his hands on her when she knew him for what he really was.

Oren doesn’t call her out on it though. He simply bows his head in wordless agreement and follows Sophia up the road to Goldriver’s front gates. There’s a line of people and carts trying to get entrance to the city, with just as many being turned away as are being let in. However, while it’s almost an even split between people getting in and people being turned away, it’s rather obvious to Oren’s eyes what makes a visitor ‘worthy’ of entrance to Goldriver. Namely… wealth.

Those without any sort of goods to sell, or coin to spend, those who cannot prove that they will in some way contribute to the city’s economy… they’re being sent to the shanty town quickly building itself up outside of the city’s walls. Meanwhile, those with carts filled with products, while usually subject to close inspection, can almost always expect to get in.

He and Sophia don’t have any goods to sell, but they also don’t look poor. And, even though it’s been quite a while since Amberwell, they still have a sizable amount of coin from his gambling against Gentleman Grays. Man, if that doesn’t feel like it took place a lifetime ago. Still, eventually they reach the front of the line… and Sophia doesn’t hesitate to take charge.

“Name and purpose in Goldriver?”

Stepping forward, the Minor Goddess offers the City Guard manning the gate a simple smile that nevertheless draws his eyes.

“I am Lady Sophia of House Goldencourt. Currently traveling with my bodyguard to meet my betrothed. Goldriver is just a stopover for us, though I assure you we have the coin to spend the night in the best inn your city has to offer.”

She’s laying it on a little thick, but with the sort of blockheads who are put in charge of gate duty like this, you kind of had to go all out sometimes. Indeed, Oren can see the Gate Guard already nodding along by the time Sophia is done speaking. Meanwhile, the Otherworlder takes the time to look over the rest of the guards. None of them really give him the feel of a God Hunter though. One of them DOES have sharper eyes than the rest, however.

“Your bodyguard seems to be unarmed while you have a dagger at your side, milady. A strange arrangement.”

While the first Gate Guard gives his fellow a frowning look, probably for ‘daring to harass the beautiful noblewoman’, Sophia doesn’t miss a beat.

“Yes. His sword was lost fending off a rather large bear that attacked us on the road as we journeyed here. He was able to chase the beast away, but not before it ran off with his weapon buried in its thick hide. I have already chastised him most severely for this failure, and our first stop upon being allowed entrance into the city will be at the nearest blacksmith.”

Again, the guards manning the gate look to be eating up Sophia’s bullshit. A third one even enters the conversation with a derisive snort and provides them with the perfect opening.

“Heh, doesn’t surprise me. The wilds grow less and less safe by the day because of THEM. Honestly surprised you lot didn’t run into anyone who decided to ‘confiscate’ your jewelry and belongings for possibly being ‘religious paraphernalia’. You-ow!”

SMACK!

The first guard, perhaps the Guard Captain in fact, doesn’t hesitate to reach over and slap the other guard upside the head.

“Quiet, you. Still your damn tongue lest someone decides to relieve you of it.”

That right there already told Oren so much more than he’d expected. For one, it was obvious the guard was talking about the God Hunters. For two, it was also obvious that his superior feared the God Hunters. And that likely meant they were already here in the city.

Oren exchanges a meaningful glance with Sophia and can tell that the Minor Goddess picked up on the exact same thing. He wonders briefly if she’ll push for more information, but the goddess remains quiet. An awkward beat of silence later and the one Oren has pegged as the Guard Captain clears his throat.

“Ahem. Alright you two, go on through and enjoy the city. We appreciate your patronage, Lady Goldencourt.”

Sophia smiles and nods and just like that, they’re in. That was practically painless… and yet, the situation is obviously not perfect in Goldriver. Between the refugee camps outside no doubt putting pressure on the region and the chilling effect brought on by the God Hunters’ presence in the area… they might just have something they could work with here.

-x-X-x-

Back at the refuge, Oren had been ready to never wield a weapon again for as long as he lived. And yet, as he steps out of one of Goldriver’s blacksmiths with a new sword sheathed at his side and a pair of cheap vambraces around his forearms, he has to admit… part of him feels whole again. There’s a certain relief in being armed once more, even if it’s just normal steel and not Celestial Metal.

With one hand on the pommel of his new sword, Oren nods to Sophia as he hands back the rest of their funds. He hadn’t had to spend much, thankfully. Full armor would have been wasted on him really. Even the vambraces are more for show than anything else, so nobody finds it strange that a noblewoman’s bodyguard was walking around vulnerable.

“Where to now, milady?”

Sophia hums for a moment.

“Well, I told the guards back at the gate that we would be staying at the best inn the city had to offer. I certainly wasn’t lying.”

Oren winces at that. They weren’t hurting for money yet, but if they made unnecessary purchases, they might be soon enough. There was a world’s difference between staying at a tavern in Oakvale and staying in the fanciest inn in a city like Goldriver. And yet… it wasn’t really his place to question it, now was it?

“As you say, milady.”

Within fifteen minutes they’ve ascended to the wealthier part of Goldriver. Oren keeps expecting to see God Hunters posted up on a corner or even patrolling the streets like they had been back in Oakvale, but he doesn’t see any other groups of armed men outside of the City Guard.

Coming to an inn, they wind up at a small table on a second floor balcony overlooking the street, where Sophia splurges for a full-blown tea service. Again, Oren finds himself internally wincing at the expense… but to her credit, Sophia DOES have ulterior motives when she quickly befriends the waitress serving them.

“What is your name, by the way?”

“Ah… it’s Anna, Lady Goldencourt.”

“Please, call me Sophia.”

“… As you wish, Lady Sophia.”

Sophia pouts and Oren honestly can’t tell if she’s pouting for effect or actually pouting for real. Either way, Sophia waits for Anna to come back again with the next part of their service before continuing to build a rapport with the young woman.

“Tell me Anna, my bodyguard and I couldn’t help but notice things on the road to the city were… less than stellar. I was sure that would change once we made it back to civilization, but even now that we’re in the city itself, there seems to be a strange tension in the air.”

Anna hesitates briefly, her eyes seeming to linger on Sophia’s accessories for a moment.

“Ah, w-well… I would never speak ill of t-them you see… b-but…”

She trails off, clearly second guessing herself. Reaching out, Sophia lays a hand atop one of Anna’s, giving the waitress an encouraging smile.

“You don’t need to fret. I am a young, unmarried noblewoman. Gossiping and rumormongering is in my blood. You can rest assured that no matter what you tell me, I will never speak on who exactly gave me the information.”

Funnily enough… that actually seems to work. Anna relaxes and after glancing around to make sure she wouldn’t be overheard, she leans in and whispers to both of them.

“Its those God Hunters, Lady Sophia. They came into the city a few months back now. Goldriver isn’t a secular place… it never has been. My father has always said this city was built off of the back of a god’s generosity… specifically the River God Aureo. Father said, back when the God Hunters first showed up, that they wouldn’t stick around for long… but he was wrong.”

Anna bites her lower lip, looking around again for a moment before continuing on.

“No one’s seen Lord Aureo since shortly before the God Hunters arrived. And… within a week of their arrival, there was an announcement that Goldriver would no longer allow the worship of any gods and goddesses. The priests and priestesses over in the temple district protested, but they were all gone by the second week… and by the third week, the God Hunters had moved into the Temple District, making it their own.”

Taking a deep breath, the young waitress looks down at the ground.

“Now, nobody goes in or out… a-and I’ve heard stories about entire towns nearby being put to the sword by the God Hunters. Or f-forced to give up everything they own including their homes. Father says that’s why there are so many refugees outside of Goldriver. Because they’re running from the God Hunters. I just… I dunno why they’d come here. Not like the city is much better at this point.”

Silence falls with the end of Anna’s explanation. Sophia hesitates for a moment, clearly parsing through everything that the young woman has just told them. Oren has to admit, there’s a lot to unpack there. Still, if the God Hunters have taken over an entire section of the city… that had to be the largest concentration of the organization that they’d found yet. Perfect for their purposes, even if the overall situation sounded quite dreadful for everyone involved, whether they were residents of Goldriver or not.

“Anna!”

A voice from inside of the inn calls out for their waitress all of the sudden, causing Anna to jolt. She blushes, bows, and makes profuse apologies that Sophia waves off before sending the girl on her way. Soon enough they’re alone, just the two of them. Oren looks to Sophia curiously, even as the goddess seems to be thinking rather hard.

“What do you want to do, milady?”

Sophia takes a long draw of her tea, letting out a content hum as her eyes drift shut for a moment. Oren waits quietly until she finally speaks again.

“It seems to me that the God Hunters have been very busy here in Goldriver over the last few months. Perfect for our plans, really.”

Oren nods as she unintentionally repeats his thoughts.

“… They should have what we’re looking for, if nothing else.”

When Sophia doesn’t say anything more for a moment, Oren hesitantly puts forward his own plan.

“I could slip in under the cover of night while you stayed here, maybe. Infiltrate them and bring back what information I can glean in the process?”

“… No. I have a better idea.”

Oren raises an eyebrow at that, but Sophia just smiles at him somewhat vindictively.

“You’re not going to like it.”

Oh. Oh no.

-x-X-x-

A/N: "Did you think we had forgotten? Did you think we had forgiven? NOW IS THE TIME OF THE FORSA-!" oops, wrong setting. But Sophia is definitely enjoying toying with Oren far more than she probably should.

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