Chapter 12 The Last Human City

I did not bring anything with me besides the clothes on my back. I had no need to collect anything so my journey to the human city of Bastion was ready to begin at any time.

The King was so happy that I was a reasonable human that he gave me a nifty little silver toy. About the size and shape of a pen from my world. Holding it in between both hands with open palms would transform the Will of Memory object into a mid-sized one-hand sword. Trinkets like this with WoM were so rare that it was almost considered a treasure of the entire tribe.

I made a stop by Atouk's house to let him know what I was doing and to have him tell Mery, if she didn't know already.

"I am going with you."

Atouk stated.

"I requested a guide. You don't have to go. You can stay here with Pinyola."

"No, I 'am' the guide, I 'am' going with you."

At that, It was settled. He removed what little jewelry he had. He was already devoid of any paint markings.

"I will not stop before we get there, I will follow you the entire time."

"Uh, I think they will notice you."

He was ready to go.

"They won't. I was a shadow before I became a warrior."

I followed him out of the house.

"What is a shadow?"

He looked behind me.

"That dark shape that follows you where ever you go."

"Hah, funny."

He chuckled a bit.

"You think I joke? My people who got Princess Mery out of her cage. How long were they there before you noticed?"

"I don't know, I heard them playing with the lock before I realized they were even there."

He wagged his tail a couple of times.

"Exactly. Who pays attention to their own shadow all the time? Shadows are rarely seen, especially in the dark."

So, like a ninja? I thought.

We stopped by Berthri's blacksmith stall.

"Atouk! Lake! I have something for you."

Berthri saw us before we could get close.

"Atouk, are you shadowing again? I thought you were done."

"One last time. Lake Is going to look for Princess Delicia. I am his guide to the human city."

Berthri shook his head in disbelief.

"Atouk! Be careful, not for yourself, but for your brother and your wife!"

He then turned his gaze to me.

"You watch out for him, It's dangerous for us around humans. Here, this is for you."

He handed me a bronze bracelet.

"And one for you, Atouk. This is one that can be hidden. Wear it on your arm when you don't need to hide it. Press it up in your mouth around your upper teeth and it should have a good fit to hide when you don't want to be seen."

I put the bracelet on, It was small and comfortable.

"It is bronze to lower the interest of thieves. There is a groove under the middle that you can pull out."

I began to pick at it.

"Hold on, not yet. It could interrupt the businesses here."

I let it go and continued to listen to instructions.

"When you close it, the life detection will activate. I managed to make a new prototype with two other stones to combine effects. The stone you gave me will spread out the lights. The lights gather more on sources of life. The second stone I added Amplifies the effect. A wider area and more lights on living things. The third stone will add different colors based on the intentions of any nearby life. If there is anything near you that wants to kill you, the lights that gather on that hostile life will be red. There are a few other colors but, not as important as knowing about the red. I'll let you figure those out."

He then pulled out a small sack of coins and handed them out to me. I grabbed them.

"Thanks."

"That's the coin for the rock I sold for you, I managed to upsell even, I got you 55 gold for it. You two be careful. Come back safe."

Atouk and I wandered out of the village on a different path than the one we arrived on. We arrived from the south and we are leaving from the east.

"Hey, Atouk. Is 55 gold a lot?"

"My house was 22 gold."

Damn. I was not expecting prices like that. Is it roughly the same everywhere?

"How long do you think this will take to get there?"

He continued to walk.

"Eight days or so."

He seemed to be a bit short with his words.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Let's just continue."

I was curious but I didn't want to pry.

The first few days were quiet. We found shelter off the path later in the night and got up earlier in the morning to speed up our task.

At the six-day mark, we were able to see the carved mountain. It was no small thing, It had to be hundreds of feet up. It had a large overhang on the west side. Kinda like a question mark. It looked like there was something underneath the overhang but, I could not tell what it was.

Atouk was still quiet.

"What's bugging you, man? This is getting old."

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at me.

"I don't understand a thing you just said."

"I just want to know what's wrong. You've been quiet this entire trip. It's not good to keep your feelings bottled up."

Atouk's ears perked up. He looked away from me. In a flash, he was gone into the forest.

"What the fuck?!"

I walked a bit more forward. I realized that he ran because there were humans coming. I figure he is still watching me. I may as well keep walking. I saw a caravan headed this way. At least three covered carriages and several horse-mounted units.

They were far away still. They turned right onto a path that I could not see until I got closer. After I had passed the split in the path and it was a good ways behind me, I spoke aloud.

"Where do you think they were going?"

I could not see him but I heard him.

"Probably attempting to create a new settlement. They will fail in that direction. Ignore them and continue."

That was the most words I've heard from him in several days. I'd rather not find a surprise hunting group while talking to him so I kept my quiet.

It was getting near sunset. I heard some sounds behind me. One of the carriages I saw earlier in the day? I kept my pace. The carriage caught up to me. It stopped right next to me so I halted my walk too.

The covered transport door opened and some kind of noble stepped down to the lowest rung. He began to introduce himself.

"I, am Sir Butkis the Third."

As dignified as that introduction was, It was one of the most difficult things in my life to not laugh. The open admittance of such a name was killing my composure.

He was thin and had pink fluffy hair. He wore a suit that was mostly white with light blue trim. The first hair color I've seen that seemed to be unnatural in this world. I could see no traces of dye.

"Uh... I'm Lake."

I kept my words short to prevent accidental laughing. A breeze began to blow.

"Oh, how unexpected of the weather. We do not get much wind around here. Well, before we pass you up. If you have the coin, I Sir Butkis the Third, can transport you back to Bastion. If you wish."

I looked down as I snorted from almost laughing.

"Oh, Uh. How... How much?"

I almost snorted again.

"One measly silver is all that I ask!"

Crap. All I have is gold. He is probably overcharging me anyways. Maybe I should sacrifice a whole gold coin to get on the human's good side. I have no reputation to speak of so, this may be a good start.

"My good sir, I happen to have a gold piece with your name on it should you grant me passage on your noble carriage!"

I hope I'm not overplaying it. I reached into my left pocket where I kept only a few gold coins to hide the fact that I have over 50. Now that I think about it, I probably should have left some with Berthri while I'm traveling to keep my coin purse lighter. I pulled out a single coin and showed it off like a prize.

"An entire gold coin! You, Sir, shall receive the most prestigious treatment for a customer. Come!"

He opened the door wide to reveal only one other passenger aside from himself. The other passenger wore a long dress and a dark veil. I could not see a face. The insides were covered in velvety pink cloth. A perfect ride for royalty.

I handed the man my gold coin, climbed into the carriage and sat down. He closed the door behind him and sat across from me.

"What brings you all the way out here? All alone too?"

His weird pompous voice and attitude were annoying. I guess you gotta take the annoying with the laughable name. Who calls their kid that? Butkis... I snorted out loud.

"Is there something the matter?"

He knocked on the wall behind him to signal the driver to continue.

"No, I was just thinking about something a friend did in the past that was funny."

"OH! What was it? I would love to know anything of interest from such a generous customer!"

Ack! Backfire.

"Mmm well, it was kind of an inside joke. I would have to explain the nature of my relationship to my friend for you to understand. Much longer than it would take to get back to Bastion."

"Well. I, Sir Butkis the Third shall take you all the way there and try my best to entertain you all the way."

I swear I'm gonna pop a blood vessel at some point holding in my laughter every time he says his own name. As annoying as he is, I gotta admit he takes his job seriously. I can't fault him for that.

"Can you please be quiet? I just want a quiet ride."

The other passenger spoke for the first time. She sounds grumpy, middle-aged.

"Oh! But, Madam, I, Sir..."

"My good man, If she would prefer quiet, let us humor her. It won't be such a bad thing for a while, Right?"

"I suppose that would not be a problem, As you wish."

The rest of the ride was quiet. The strange-looking man stared at either the woman or me most of the ride. I liked that there was a window to look through. It kept my mind off of the man and his name.

We arrived at the city of Bastion late in the evening. Butkis opened the door and helped the female passenger out. I managed to get out on my own. We were in a slum. Old, nasty and rundown wooden and clay buildings. Slum rats all over. Human and animal.

"This way sir!"

I heard Butkis call out from behind me. I turned around just as the carriage moved out of the way. I was met with a building of lavish coloring and fine trim. This building is cared for. Two stories and well lit.

"For such a generous patron, I, Sir Butkis, offer one of my luxury rooms for 40 days. This hotel, bar and carriage service is my legacy and you are one of its finest patrons. Be welcome!"

His pageantry was actually quite impressive this time. He led me inside. The woman was already gone. I have no idea where she went. The building was more impressive than I would expect without electronics and the technology I had previously known. The lower floor was a bar and diner with well-dressed staff. From the lower floor, I could see the walkways that followed the edges of the wall on the second floor and the doors to the rooms they led to.

"This way to your suite."

Butkis led me through the outer hallways on the first floor. There were inner rooms to be rented that were hidden from the bar and diner. Mine was one of the more well-hidden rooms. The door was practically invisible.

"It has a WoM lock."

He showed me the method for opening the door. I had to trace a symbol with my finger on the door. It opened for me. I walked into a picture-perfect room. A large king-sized bed with a bug net. Comfortable-looking chairs. A stationary workstation with a quill and inkwell. More blues golds and reds than I'm used to. Thankfully no pink like the carriage. He showed me another door within the suite. Almost hidden but no WoM mechanism to get in

"This here is a combination bath and throne room. If you need help with drawing a bath or bathing, one of my staff will assist you happily."

Lastly, he led me back over to the front door.

"This will let us know you need assistance. Just pull this thin rope and we will be with you shortly."

He lifted both hands open palm up to make sure I understood what he was showing off. I felt like I was on a popular tv game show.

"I will leave you to your own devices for the night. One last thing."

He dropped his pompous act for that last line and leaned in close to me.

"We have... extra... services of all kinds. If you have the coin, we can do almost anything for you. Women, men, and many other unmentionable services. If you are need of one of these services, ask the barkeep for a 'broom and dustpan.'"

He pulled back and put his theatrical face back on.

"Before you go."

I prompted him. His face brightened up even more.

"Yes! How may I be of service?"

"I heard a rumor that a black cat was captured recently. I've never seen one and I would really like to view it in person. If possible..."

"I know exactly what you need and I will do my best to find any information on the mentioned subject. I do not know any details at the moment so it may take some time to get back to you. Would that be agreeable?"

"Yes, that would be a huge help."

He is going over the top for me. Maybe I should sweeten the pot to keep his eyes on the money. I reached into my left pocket and pulled out another gold coin. I flung it at him and he caught it like a pro baseball player.

"For your time and effort."

I didn't think his eyes could open further. It was creepy.

"I do not know what to say! I, Sir Butkis the Third, shall aid you to the best of my abilities. I pray that you sleep well tonight."

He left quietly. I began to explore the room. There was one window. I looked outside to see what I could. To my surprise, my room was at the edge of a cliff. Being a secret room, this must be how the guest can get privacy from the slums across the street. I could see a lot of the forest that I see much of nowadays.

Down below the cliff was more structures. I was up higher than I thought. I was daydreaming on the way here. I had no idea that we were in town until the carriage stopped.

I was getting tired. I thought about a bath, but I decided not tonight. I was too tired. I just made use of the throne and went to bed.

Darkness again. I was getting used to this now.

"... you come ov.. .. ...."

I still could not hear the origin of the voice. I found the light in the darkness again. I stood dead center. It felt like forever before the light turned red. I backed away, what does the red light mean?

"Can you come over t. ..."

I heard more. Is it closer or louder? Both? It sounded like a young boy.

"Hello? I can't hear you. Where are you?"

Nothing. Not even the shadow I had seen the edges of before. I was about to stand in the light when something caught my attention.

I felt a tickle on my nose. I tried to rub my nose to make the sensation go away. It stayed. Like something soft was flicking around my nose.

"Wake-ee wake-ee."

I opened my eyes. Atouk's tail was in my face. I pulled away but it was too late.

"AHH-CHHH."

"What was that? Was that supposed to be a sneeze?"

Atouk teased.

"Uhg. In my homeworld, I held my sneezes back so I wouldn't get spit and snot all over the place. That was a sneeze that I was able to half hold back."

"Haha, you are strange."

"You seem to be in good spirits, Atouk. Any reason why?"

He walked over to the window.

"I like this view. No one can look in. I spent the night on that chair by the work desk. It felt wonderful."

"How did you get in if the window is by a cliff?"

"Very carefully."

I guess some jokes are the same in both worlds.

"Any leads on Delicia?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing yet. I looked around a bit before I came in here. I got a lay of the land, so to speak. How about you?"

"Be careful Atouk. I came here to rescue one panther, Not two."

"Do not worry about me. I am good at what I do. Did you find anything?"

"No, nothing yet. I gave the owner two gold coins and he was bending over backward trying to help me with anything. I think he even offered his servants for sexual favors and other assorted favors of I'll repute."

"Two gold coins? What for?"

"The first was for transport on the carriage."

"Yes, I saw you show that one off."

"The other was to give him the incentive to find Delicia for me."

"You told him about her? What have you done? He could betray you. You know nothing of this human!"

"Relax. I made it sound like I was a rich tourist. That I wanted to see her as if she were some sort of oddity to stare at and quell a curiosity."

"I hope you are right. If that works, He may do most of the searching for us."

"That's what I was hoping for."

Atouk walked over to the bed and hopped up, only to lay down next to me.

"How long have you rented this room for?"

"He said I could use it for 40 days since I paid for the ride with a gold coin. So, 39 days left?"

"I hope we do not need it for so long. If you don't mind, my skills are best used at night. I will sleep here during the day and go out at night."

"That's not a bad idea. We can keep coverage around the clock."

"What is a clock?"

"Oh yeah, Uh. It's a device that could tell the time of day or night without the sun. I just meant that we have someone working day and night."

"Oh, Okay. You had some strange devices in your homeland. Were they made of magic?"

"No, My home is very different from here in several respects. Humans are the only people on the planet. All other living things are pets and wild animals. No elves, no trolls and no fairies."

"No panthers?"

"Actually, there are panthers but, they are as wild as animals. They do not have tribes or war paint. They can't talk and they can't shapeshift."

"Maybe they don't want to."

I got out of bed and began to get dressed.

"Maybe. In my world, we have many objects that you might think are magic. These objects are used by consuming electricity or burning fuel."

"What is, eelektricty?"

"Oh my turn to help, Atouk? Eee Leck Trih Sih Tee."

He moved his mouth like had a cotton ball stuck in it before attempting again.

"Elec-trici-ty."

"Good. Only the second try and you got it."

He grinned. For a panther, that sight was almost terrifying.

"The best way I can describe electricity is... Have you ever been in a storm where bright zig-zag shaped light travels across the sky? Almost too fast to see?"

"Yes. Many are afraid but, I am not."

"My people have found a way to harness that light and use it to power many small and large things to make life easier. We have tools that do things as simple as give information, like the clock I mentioned. We also have tools for more complicated things like cooking dinner without lifting a hand more than twice. We have carriages that don't need horses to draw them and they can go faster than any land animal."

I looked over at him. I could not tell if he was in awe, disbelief or just trying to come up with a reason to call "bullshit." These cat faces are hard sometimes.

"The tools you speak of, they sound too good to be true."

"Well, my world also never had magic. Or, If it did, we never figured out how to use it. We made use of our surroundings. Rocks, metal ore, trees, plants, liquids. They all interact with each other in different ways and give different results. Some results can make something new entirely that helps make other tools. Through refinement and experimentation, my people created everything we had from the world and its resources. My people are inventors and innovators. If all the other races here died out and allowed the humans to run free, these humans may become inventors too."

"These humans are too simple. They could never be so intelligent."

"You may be right. Anyways. I'm off to go looking around. Sleep well, Atouk."