The group finally boared the ship; in the commotion and arrival of Raphael (whose 'employment' Matilda commented with fiery voice), no one noticed dissappearance of Sakura. Her absence was noticed few hours later, but the captain had a schedule to keep... oh well!~~Chapter 3: Soot and Tears~~
The ship captained by Gustav Inara docked at the harbor of Tyll, the main trading and metallurgy hub of the Kretos, in the morning next day. The bleak green hue of morning's sky was shadowed by the thickness of black smoke coming from numerous chimneys in the city. Smelters, furnaces, casting workshops, shipyars and houses - all were producing smoke. From time to time, strings of white smoke, produced by steamworks, mixed with the darkness; Kretosians have been experimenting with steam power for a decade now, trying to create steam-powered ships, furnaces and such marvels. It was this 'nation within Empire', an island of tinkerers and smiths, that was Matilda's destination...
The young man cried when the whip smacked him over the back. He was slacking off, hampering the effort of his group to pull the newly repaired caravel, down the dock, into the water. Topless men were numerous; carrying, pushing and pulling heavy weights, whilst fat overseers yelled insults at them and whipped their bodies at the slightest sign of laziness.
Besides slaves working themselves to death, one other sight was common as well: beggars. Most striking was the fact that a large numbers of them; dirty, in tarnished clothes, as young as ten years old. One can imagine what kind of terrible things happen to them everyday...
Matilda disembarked with her mercenaries in tow.
"The only place I never hoped to visit." Raphael grumbled at the sights.
A young man in clean, white robe - a sight very much in contrast with the soot-stained, scar-decorated slaves passing nearby - moved up to Matilda and bowed his head in greeting.
"I assume you're certain someone from Mireos on certain important mission." He said enigmatically, making Matilda raise an eyebrow.
"I might be, indeed. Why do you ask, and who are you?""That's not important." He then reached into his robe and pulled out a small scroll, before handing it over to Matilda. She un-rolled it and read it slowly.
"Oh, are there any problems?...""Not at all. Just slight misunderstanding resulting in a tiny delay. Yonn will meet you on your way to the Red Palace of Knossos, m'lady. If you take the southern gate, the road shall take you straight there. There are few inns on the way, and your journey should be comfortable and not longer than a day." "Allright then. We will go immediatelly." She handed the scroll back to the man, who bowed, and then quickly walked off. Matilda looked to the side as a sound of whip striking flesh and someone's scream came from the left side.
"I of course heard that this place has its problems but... I don't think this is the price that people of this land should pay for abundance of resources. Do you guys need to do any shopping? From what I heard, weapons and other metal crafts on this island are dirt cheap."
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Topic: Fire Emblem on Forums 2 (FEF2) IC/Game Thread (Read 333199 times)