Chương 49: Mayor of Ichoris

Evel followed the river eastward for over ten minutes before the skyline began to thicken. The path widened as purple-grey forestry gave way to rows of double-layered homes. Still in the Growing season, the sun was overhead at this time, and residents were on their evening walks with their families. The sight lacked the rough edge of Yosten; here, the only thing people seemed to worry about was the heat. Just ahead, an older couple held hands as they discussed their finances.

A young girl darted through the gaps in the crowds. From behind came the giggling of a young woman. Evel shifted the weight of the crossbow at his hip. The holster felt heavy and conspicuous against such a domestic backdrop, yet no one spared him a second glance. Despite this, his mind remained on guard, constantly scanning his surroundings for any threats. His eyes, darting between the crowd, eventually got pulled to a fixed point.

A hooded figure with a glass emblem with the symbol of a knife was mid-conversation with an elderly man. Evel tensed. They're not after me. He kept walking, forcing his breath to remain steady. Only after another minute of walking did he allow himself a quiet sigh of relief. He had to adjust to his new reality. His focus settled on a sign ahead: Steven's Store. Taking one more glance at his pouch, he pushed inside, the bell chiming softly over his head.

"What can I get for this handsome young man?" The voice boomed from behind a counter cluttered with glass vials and folded silks. Evel did a quick scan around the store to confirm they were alone before meeting the shopkeeper's gaze.

"Me?"

"Who else! Your face is already quite sculpted, but if you were to buy these muscle-strengthening pills, you'd be irresistible to the ladies!"

"I'm just looking for clothes…"

"Steven," he added, pointing to the sign behind him.

"And of course! A dashing young man such as yourself needs equally dashing threads!" He began rummaging around through a shelf before taking out an expensive looking linen set of male clothes. Evel shook his head, "I only have 20 Riak." The shopkeeper's movement stopped abruptly.

"Oh…" Steven nudged his head to the corner of the store, "All the inexpensive goods are over there, good luck." He sat back down and opened up the newspaper once more. Evel shifted through the clothes before settling on a plain white shirt, a black coat, black pants and a tophat. Compared to the previous material, these were of the poorest quality and seemed to be used, but it was of no consequence. For another Riak, he bought undergarments. After handing over the 20 Riak, Evel slid over the slip with the address.

"Could you direct me to 300 Ferwood?"

"Just five minutes across that way," Steven muttered, pointing with his chin without looking up from his papers.

"Thank you." Satisfied, he continued his journey, carrying his folded new clothes in a bag. Soon, he found his building, with brick walls and two stories tall. Entering his key, he walked in. The house was big. And empty. The kitchen, the living room, a guest bedroom, and the house even had a fireplace. He poked his head into each room for a quick look before moving on to the next. Finally, he reached his bedroom.

"Hm?" Atop the bedside table was some sort of metal machinery. It was small, the length of Evel's forearm, and was filled with layers of buttons Evel didn't understand. As Evel reached forward to press a button, a small notebook caught his eye: A Simple Guide to Video Transmission (VTR) Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Quickly scanning through the pages, Evel got the gist.

The machine, the VTR, was to be used to send snippets of video through the air, as well as connect to the Imperium's store. The sun is still high up, so I should learn as much about the city as I can. Evel changed into his new clothes and left his house, only carrying the key and the remaining Riak. Right now, he needed to blend in. In the distance, a tall clock tower pierced the skyline, a strange tube running through it in the sky.

As he drifted towards it, the quiet of the neighbourhood was replaced by a low rumble that grew into a roar. A crowd was formed at the base of the tower, and a single voice projected outward, the air itself carrying his words.

"Stratite has increased in price by over 20% in just a year, a historic high for the critical mineral! That's on top of the increasing gains in the past few years! As we import more workers, we'll continue to dig up more stratite and fund even more local projects!" A cheer travelled across the crowd. Evel slipped through the groups of people to get closer to the sound.

"Just four years ago, we funded Project Luminescence, and the city was able to defeat nighttime!" Another round of cheers. A strange feeling washed over Evel as he approached the center. He couldn't describe the exact emotion, but he knew it wasn't something bad. A mix between excitement and pride, perhaps.

"Under my leadership, Ichoris has been prospering! It will continue to do so!" Evel finally made his way to the front of the line and was finally able to see the speaker. He had an average build and short white hair. His movements were exaggerated with every word, matching his passionate eyes. One other thing in particular caught Evel's eye. A ferrum dagger emblem was fixed on the man's chest, indicating his level was of the same rank as Arlo and Monique.

"With our increasing economic might, we'll further contribute to the Majesty's defence of our nation, and produce talent like the world has never seen!" The cheers increased in intensity.

"Glory to Tempor!" He cried out.

"Glory to Tempor!" The crowd returned his chant, as the weird feeling began blossoming in Evel's chest. Initially, Evel had tried to push off this feeling, but now it felt welcoming. Safe, even. And the man who was speaking so passionately seemed to know what he was talking about.

"Down with Ultor!"

"Down with Ultor!" Their fervour increased. Evel's voice fought to escape his throat and join the chants. Ultor was evil, far too evil. They didn't spare prisoners, killed all on sight and were constantly trying to expand their borders. It was logical for him to want them to go down. Perhaps, if it weren't for them, there would even be enough resources to ensure every mouth was fed.

"Glory to Ichoris!" The man in the middle cried out. The man in the middle was making a lot of sense, Evel decided to join in on the chant.

"Glory to Ichoris!"

"More workers!"

"More workers!" This time, Evel pumped his fist as he joined the chanting, as an excited gleam appeared in his eyes. How could more workers ever be a bad thing? More labour would mean more things get done! Yes, this person was right! Yet in the back of Evel's mind, a strange headache nagged at him. He ignored it and continued the cheers.

"More prosperity!" The cry from the center continued.

"More prosperity!" Evel screamed, this time a bit quieter. The nagging at the back of his head was getting really annoying now. Evel just wanted to cheer! He wanted to bring glory to the nation! With a few more workers, they'd be able to become even more prosperous and be able to finally take down the violent aggressors! Why shouldn't he celebrate prosperity? The headache intensified. His chanting stopped, and he clutched his forehead with a groan, but the crowds around him continued in their cheers.

The world blurred into a haze of white hair and shouting as Evel's headache intensified to higher levels. The cheers around him continued, but the chants all meshed into a stream of noise Evel couldn't make out. Something was wrong. Really wrong. He didn't know what. But something needed to change. The pain just kept getting worse and worse! Finally, Evel could no longer deal with the pain. It was too much! A blood-curdling scream thundered from his throat.

Every head turned toward the scream, a sea of faces suddenly stripped of their fervour. The square was filled with an absolute, suffocating silence. Evel dropped to his knees, taking ragged, heavy breaths as he pushed back against the throbbing of his head. What was happening? Why was he on the ground all of a sudden? Why did his head hurt so much?

"Come back next week," A familiar voice rang out, suddenly calm.

"We'll hold another." Evel remained motionless, his vision swimming. Through the blur, he saw a pair of polished boots approach.

"Don't come to these rallies," The man spoke as he approached Evel.

"They're for the Laymen and the untrained Core staged citizens." He paused, squinting. He lay out his palm flat facing the air and with a small burst of Energy, a small glowing blue orb flickered to life. Then it rushed into Evel's chest like a cooling spark.

"Interesting, you're still early in your Core, yet you broke through…" Evel forced himself to look up, his mind still a scrambled mess of pain and confusion. Rally? Untrained Cores? Broke through?

"What's your name?" Evel froze. Albert hadn't given him a proper fake name yet. Was he about to jeopardize the mission on the first day? He tried to quickly think of something, but his mind felt blank. In his jumbled mind, no new ideas came to mind.

"E-Eth." He mentally winced, but kept his face a mask of weary exhaustion.

"Just Eth?" He nodded.

"Hm. I don't think I've seen you around, and I'm pretty good with faces. You're new around here?" Evel had mostly recovered from the earlier shock and looked up to match his gaze.

"Yes, I came here in search of an opportunity." Not a complete lie. The mayor nodded slowly, "I'm the Mayor of Ichoris, and you can call me such. If you're interested in working for me, my estate is further north. Don't come to the city squares on Tuesdays." He paused, his face turning to a scowl, "And calm down your heart. The sound is annoying."

Evel blinked, but by the time he looked up to respond, the Mayor's back was already shrinking into the distance, the coat hanging over his shoulders fluttering in the wind. He wiped the cold sweat off his neck, his heart still hammering against his ribs. At this moment, all he wanted to do was get some rest. The mental strain had all but disappeared, but the emotional toll of the experience was a lot to handle. Unfortunately, there was simply too much work to do, and Evel didn't have the time to slack off.

He reflected on his new identity as he pushed off the ground. Eth.