Hardcore: Qi Worlds Chapter 20: Vaugend Trial 2

 By mid afternoon Benzhi arrived at the walled city. Vaugend. The landscape was the fairly flat steppes he had first encountered in the simulation. Some sandy soil, but mostly grass and rock with sporadic bushes and the odd tree. No other signs of civilisation were apparent until he arrived at the walled city. It was going to be an issue how close this city was to the forest, especially since the forest had grown. Benzhi would be able to run the entire distance in six hours if pressed. It was less than eighty kilometres from the wall to the glade, he estimated. It was possible that man-at-arms from this city could reach the border of the forest in a hard days march.

 Benzhi was becoming extremely concerned how he was going to deal with such a threat. The ferals were one thing. A village of sixty or so able fighters who were three foot high, armed with spears at best. Compared to a city which could possibly house ten thousand men. He must gather more information and find a way to protect the forest.

 The western wall had no obvious gate, Benzhi skirted around to the north. The western wall and northern wall were expansive over a couple of kilometres in length. There were only six towers on the north wall, Benzhi estimated, there was one at the corner, one midway along the wall to the northern gate and two either side of the gate. The wall itself was not much over twelve feet high, not that tall, where the towers were double the height of the wall. Both were made of sandstone, while weathered they were in good condition. The entire wall was walkable from the top it was probably five foot wide. There was a parapet which would give archers and spearmen some cover and sentries something to lean on.

 Outside the northern gate, there were four long spikes with heads impaled upon them. To Benzhi's untrained eye the heads looked fresh. He could make out the blood caked skin, which was intact. The eyes were fly ridden and the hair was long and matted.

 Benzhi approached the northern gate which was manned with two sentries collecting a tariff from most who entered. The gates were open and substantial. It consisted of two heavy wooden doors which were fifteen foot wide each. Benzhi approached the gate. 

 "How much for a traveller to enter, good sir?" Benzhi tried to be as polite as possible.

 The guard was already eyeballing Benzhi as he approached, his clothing was unusual, to say the least. Not to mention he had no pack, mount, cart or anything a regular traveller may have. "It be two silver for per cart for traders en two copper for one such as yerself to pass through the gate." the guard said, sounding bored.

 "There is another way to enter other than the gate?" Benzhi enquired.

"No there ain't. It be the gate tax. It be the Duke's way to tax traders and the like. Yer will be finding the same at the southern gate before ye ask."

There was not a bustling hive of activity at the gate. There was no long line of traders waiting to get into the city, the guard had plenty of time to answer stupid questions and sometimes they happened to alleviate the boredom. Sometimes.

 "I would be happy to pay the Duke's tax," Benzhi informed the guard, "Unfortunately I was almost killed by barbarians," Benzhi looked back at the heads on spikes, "when travelling through the mountain pass. I dropped all my possessions and ran. I find myself here bereft of all my wares but with my life." Benzhi pleaded with the guard's good nature.

 "I not be making the rules, yer not pay yer not pass through the gate." The sentry insisted impatiently.

 "I understand," Benzhi answered and nodded sullenly. "If I want to pass through the gate I have to pay."

 Benzhi walked back towards the heads on spikes. They probably were barbarian heads, he thought. Benzhi turned around and began to sprint towards the city. Before reaching the wall he engaged shunpo and leapt. He flew up over the wall easily, he had not surveyed the area behind the wall, however, it was a calculated risk jumping blind. There was a building with barrels outside a wall and Benzhi was carolling directly towards the edge of the building. Benzhi placed his foot on the edge of the wall as he flew over and engaged tree-running to enhance his grip and pulled himself back towards the wall and away from the building. With one step he was on the ground. The hard stone was not forgiving of such a forceful landing. Benzhi had sprained his ankles in the attempt. He needed to heal when he had a chance.

 Both the sentries walked inside the gate and looked at Benzhi.

"Oy," one shouted. Striding angrily up to Benzhi drawing his sword.

Pushing down the pain in his feet and ankles Benzhi spoke quickly, "Good sir, I did not enter through the gate."

The sentries looked at each other. One shrugged. It was only two coppers. "Don't be doin that again," said the first, "or we be throwin ye in the lockup fer breachin the wall." It sounded like a law he just made up on the spot.

The second sentry walked up to Benzhi. "How yer be jumpin that high?" he asked.

"Oh, I am an acrobat sir," Benzhi answered. "Look how I am dressed!"

The sentry nodded not showing understanding.  

"The heads, on the spikes," Benzhi asked before the sentry went back to his post, "are they barbarians, the scum that tried to kill me?"

"Aye, they be messin with our new mine. These came through this very gate," the sentry waved back to the spikes, "not sure what they be up to. Any ways, they got wot they deserved."

"Thank you, sir," Benzhi replied, "for being so kind and allowing me to enter." Benzhi was seething on the inside but kept up the act. The sentry went back to his station.

 Benzhi needed to find out more about the barbarians. On the little information, he just got from the sentry their plights were very similar. The barbarians lived in the mountains, the men just came and decided they would take whatever struck their fancy. It even looked like the barbarians attempted what Benzhi was doing right now, to parley. What happened was not even surprising to Benzhi but it was foreboding.

 Benzhi tried to find a well or some place with some clear water to wash off some dust, relax a little and heal his ankles. He wandered the streets, searching for the well and open space as well as taking stock of the city. The place stank, it was dirty, there was rubbish in the streets and the sewer was above ground. The rubbish stopped much of the crap from being flushed out through what drainage it did have. There was no way he could live here. The people were dirty, undernourished and not friendly in the slightest. Benzhi was now actually surprised how friendly the sentries were given the rudeness of the general population.

 Anyone who looked clean, outright ignored Benzhi. He had asked over ten people where a well might be found, only two answered and that was to say "feck off." Darkness was approaching and Benzhi found a cleaner part of town, he was almost immediately accosted by guards. 

"Oy, do yer live in the district?" The guard asked rhetorically because he continued, "I don't think so stranger. Best be off now unless yer has to be meeting someone who will vouch for ye."

 "Ah yes," Benzhi replied, "the sawmill owner asked me to come here." Benzhi handed him the deed that he stole from the sawmill.

 The guard looked at the document, like Benzhi, it seemed he could not read it. He handed it back to Benzhi.

 "I tells ye, I aint be knowin who owns the sawmill. What is his name?" The guard asked.

 "I don't know," Benzhi replied, "the foreman just sent me here with this document. Isn't he the same person who owns the mine in the mountains?" Benzhi had no idea, it was a long shot to gain information.

 "I be knowin him," the guard replied, "that be Master Gilford."

 Benzhi stood still, waiting for the guard to put two and two together.

 "I will take yer to 'im. Don't want yer to be wanderin around the district." The guard concluded.

As they walked the guard informed him. "If that document be no good, it will be no good fer ye."

Benzhi nodded.

 Compared to the poor quarter this part of town was fairly clean, but it still stank as far as Benzhi was concerned. There were a few gardens. More often than not, buildings were two or three stories and built against one another. Most homes or other buildings were built with high spiked fences out the front, barred windows or both. It seemed security was one of the primary concerns. Where the poor quarter had been mostly wood, the district was stone or brick.

 They arrived at one of the larger mansions with gardens and spiked fences. The district guard spoke to another manning the gate. Explaining the document and Benzhi's request.

The gate guard asked Benzhi, "hand over the document, we will be havin it inspected."

Benzhi shook his head. Contrary to the fact he just handed it to the district guard earlier he knew this could be trouble if he let it out of his sight. "I have it on good authority only to hand this document to Master Gilford" Benzhi stated matter of factly. If the person holding the deed was the owner of the rights, Benzhi wanted to talk to the Master. He could always run away if things went south. He doubted the guards could catch him if he used tree-run and scampered up walls and across roofs.

 The district guard looked confused but kept his mouth shut thankfully.

The gate guard asked speculatively, "Who's authority?"

"A man in service of the Duke is all I can say," Benzhi bluffed. 'That sounded good right?' he thought.

The gate guard went to the house and spoke to a butler of some sort at the front door. The butler peered at Benzhi scowling, looking him up and down. But finally, he nodded. The gate guard finally shuffled Benzhi into a waiting room near the front door. He did not leave Benzhi's side.

A house guard arrived, 'what was with all these guards?' Benzhi thought. The house guard relieved the gate guard and took over duty watching Benzhi. As the crucial moment was fast approaching when Benzhi may have to fight or run. Benzhi inspected the house guard carefully. Without qi sight, he looked much more professional than the district and gate guard. His status as house guard was higher it seemed. He had a short sword at his hip, a truncheon and a crossbow on his back. Benzhi closed his eyes and engaged qi sight. He wanted to detect if the house guard was talented at all. He looked him up and down, he had a normal qi core for a being his size, the circulation was average, Benzhi could not detect any abilities in effect. But that didn't mean he had none, just none active now. The only thing apparent to Benzhi was this guard was not talented like the guardians and especially inferior to Gisael. Although there were only a few wood elves they were on a completely different level of ability than men. The men made up for it in their sheer numbers.

 A middle aged man finally appeared, dressed in an elegant black jacket which reached his neck in a neat collar he wore matching black pants. This must be the Master. He had sharp eyes and otherwise mild demeanour. When he spoke it sounded like he was used to giving orders.

"This better be a worthwhile interruption," Master Gilford announced. There was another house guard behind him. It looked to Benzhi that this was the head guard. The head guard moved between the Master and Benzhi, they were extremely cautious.

"I have something to trade," Benzhi gambled.

Master Gilford raised an eyebrow. He looked Benzhi up and down and sniffed. Although Benzhi loved his clothes they must look strange to the men of Vaugend.

"Show me," he ordered. With that Benzhi handed over the deed.

Master Gilford opened it and read. He laughed and laughed. The house guards looked a little nervous and then went back to their stoic demeanour.

"This is the deed for logging of the Opehl Forest for a year. Issued by the Duke to the holder. It has only just been issued so it has almost the full year left on it. I know old Hershor purchased this deed for a tidy sum. How did you get it?"

 "Hershor," Benzhi replied, "should have kept it better protected." It was such a shame that Benzhi had not made better use of the deed than to bring it here to this man. The one with a similar operation in the mountains, a mine. If he knew perhaps he could have stopped the logging for a year simply by holding the deed. 'Idiot!' he thought to himself. Although enforcing it, and not been labelled a thief and murderer, were obstacles he probably wouldn't have overcome.

 "And what do you want to do with it, why are you showing it to me?" Master Gilford enquired.

 "I want to make a deal," Benzhi answered. "If I traded the deed to you, can you use it legally?" He asked.

 Master Gilford pondered. "No," he said finally, "once it was announced as stolen and without receipts tracing back to the original owner, I cannot use it."

 Benzhi sighed and his shoulders slumped. Time to get out of here he thought. Perhaps one question on the mines, although someone who stole a deed would look highly suspicious right now.

 "However," Master Gilford added, "I do dislike Hershor a great deal, so, I would love to hold this deed and ask him to present it at an opportune time. What is your price?"

 Benzhi had to think. First, it was good that this man did not just try and have him killed and take the deed. But that didn't mean he still wouldn't try. Second, what could he possibly gain that would assist the forest in their current plight.

 Benzhi was about to suggest an alliance against Hershor when Master Gilford asked another question.

"You do look strange, your ears, they are slightly pointy. You are hairless from what I can see. You have these strange vines on your chest. What are you exactly?" Master Gilford started to interrogate Benzhi.

 "I live in the place you call Opehl Forest," Benzhi replied.

 "Ahh," Master Gilford said and took a step back. His eyes narrowed.

 Benzhi knew that Master Gilford was about to order his guards to attack, it was moments away. The Master now viewed him as an animal, not a man, so would deal with Benzhi harsher than he would deal with the dirtiest beggar from the poor quarter. Benzhi realised this the moment the Masters' eyes narrowed.

 Benzhi engaged shunpo, he stood and pushed his chair back into the guard behind him as violently as possible. Moving forward he qi punched the head guard in the stomach with all his skill and strength. He was not trying to kill the guard just get past him as fast as possible. He hadn't had the opportunity to use qi sight on the head guard. He had no idea if he was talented or not.

 As the chair hit the guard behind he was rewarded with a loud crack, that would at least give him a few moments. His qi punch doubled over the head guard who was expecting to be on the attack in a moment, not be attacked at the very same moment. Benzhi moved past the head guard. In the moments this happened the Master eyes went wide, he probably thought Benzhi was going to attempt to kill him, a squeal left his lips. But it was for nought as Benzhi moved past him to the front door and shoulder charged it. He would have dived out the window, but he was sure it would be barred.

 Fortunately, the front door snapped open. Benzhi had no time to waste. He did not want to be surrounded by several guards with crossbows, or potentially hundreds. Engaging tree-run Benzhi ran up the wall of the mansion up to the roof. He did not look back to the gate guard and moved out of the line of sight as quickly as possible in order to avoid any crossbow bolts.

 The mansion was fifteen meters away from the building on the north, the closest neighbour. Benzhi could make that jump, especially since Gilford's mansion was taller. His ankles had not recovered from his escapade at the wall and they ignited in pain with the long jump. Benzhi did his best to block the pain out, he wanted to get out of this cesspool as soon as possible. He dashed madly.

 Jumping from roof to roof, smashing hundreds of roof tiles Benzhi did not slow down while in the district. After a few dozen roofs he started to move through a middle-class area and would arrive at the poor quarter in a few minutes. He began to slow down, being careful to make much less noise. The guards were not equipped to follow or manage someone who ran across roofs like he did. He thought he had lost them completely when he heard sounds of alarm from below. There were probably forty guards, from what he could see, running up and down the streets. From the noise, there were more elsewhere. Benzhi kept low, attempting to keep out of sight from the streets below. He would breach the wall well away from the towers, that would be safest.

 Master Gilford must be important, it seemed the city was awake with guards despite the late hour. Benzhi had waited for dark before crossing the wall and leaving the city behind him. He had some hard running ahead, after a quick snack, he headed for where Gisael and the other forest guardians were waiting.

 For the first time since entering this world, Benzhi was afraid, not for his life, but for the forest. He had just woken the beast that was man.

Chapter end