Chapter 17: Tanzan Town

At the edge of Tanzan Town, morning fog lifted gently as sunlight touched the central square, casting a peaceful glow. Tanzan was a remote town on the outskirts of Cecil's territory, surrounded by lush forests and rivers. The townsfolk, mostly farmers, led simple lives, but lately, a sense of unease seemed to linger.

Gawain, Heidi, and Amber led their group cautiously into the town. The townspeople watched them curiously yet warily, with a few strong men holding farm tools standing by.

"These people don't look too friendly," Amber muttered, her eyes scanning for any threats.

Heidi nodded and murmured to Gawain, "Ancestor, it seems they're very wary of strangers. Perhaps the recent troubles are making them cautious."

Gawain surveyed the scene. Though calm on the surface, he sensed an underlying disturbance. "Perhaps the dark forces rumored to haunt these parts have left their mark here."

An elderly man, the town's mayor, approached them, accompanied by several young villagers. His expression was tense. "Are you… soldiers from the Cecil territory?" he asked, voice trembling slightly.

Gawain nodded with a friendly smile. "We're from Cecil. We're investigating reports of unusual occurrences here. We've heard that the villagers have experienced some strange things?"

The mayor hesitated, then spoke in a low voice. "Yes, strange things have been happening. Weird noises come from the forest at night—whispers, and villagers say they've seen shadows. And… our livestock has gone missing more than once."

Gawain exchanged looks with Heidi and Amber; they understood the potential gravity of the situation.

"Could you show us where these shadows have appeared?" Heidi asked gently. "We need to understand to find the source."

After some hesitation, the mayor agreed and led them to a dense section of forest at the town's edge. Here, the trees were thick and shadowed, giving an eerie sense of isolation. Amber shivered slightly, muttering, "This place feels wrong. No wonder people are scared."

A sudden cold breeze rustled the leaves. The mayor stopped, pointing at a clearing ahead. "This is where the shadows appear."

The words had barely left his mouth when a shape moved in the distance, like a pair of unseen eyes watching them from the darkness.

"Stay alert," Gawain murmured to Heidi and Amber, grasping his sword.

A dark figure suddenly darted across their vision. It seemed intangible, yet it radiated a chilling aura, dropping the temperature sharply. Amber yelped, pulling her dagger and looking around, tense.

"What is that?" Heidi's face grew serious as she tried to detect it with magic, only to find nothing. It was as if the shadow didn't belong to this world.

"It appears the dark forces have crossed into our realm," Gawain said, his voice calm but firm. "This is no ordinary spirit. It carries a unique power."

As he spoke, the shadow appeared again, rapidly approaching. Gawain struck with his sword, his blade slicing through the air with a flash. Yet, it missed as the shadow dissipated like fog, reappearing nearby.

Heidi cast a beam of light to dispel it, but the shadow evaded her magic, darting about as if mocking them.

The mayor, pale and trembling, whispered, "This… this is the thing that haunts us at night, keeping everyone indoors…"

Gawain frowned, realizing that this shadow was no simple spirit but something far more dangerous. "We need to find its weakness to drive it away."

"Maybe fire or strong light would work," Heidi suggested.

Gawain nodded. "Amber, gather some torches and oil to light up the area. Heidi, keep using light magic to weaken it."

They quickly lit torches, and Heidi focused her magic, casting a bright light toward the shadow. The creature shrieked, its form twisting as it struggled to escape the glow.

Gawain took advantage, charging with his sword. Supported by Heidi's magic, he finally managed to drive it out of the forest's edge, where it dissipated with a final wail. The woods fell silent.

The mayor and villagers watched in relief, gratitude evident on their faces. The mayor grasped Gawain's hand. "Thank you, brave warriors. You've saved our town."

Gawain nodded gently, patting the mayor on the shoulder. "This is only the beginning. The dark forces still linger. Stay vigilant, and report any further signs to the Cecil territory."

After bidding farewell to the townsfolk, Gawain, Heidi, and Amber left Tanzan Town. As they walked, Heidi mused, "Ancestor, this is more complex than we expected. The darkness is spreading beyond isolated areas. The entire Cecil region might be at risk."

Gawain looked determinedly ahead. "Indeed. This shadowy force could conceal a much larger plot. We need to find the source and eliminate it quickly."

With that, they resumed their journey, prepared for the challenges that lay ahead, aware that they had only scratched the surface of the mysteries surrounding the shadow realm.

As Heidi finished speaking, everyone swallowed nervously, feeling the weight of their situation.

Only Betty seemed unaffected, her young mind not fully grasping the gravity of the encounter.

Rebecca, meanwhile, couldn't help but think of the monsters that had devastated their lands. They had assumed these creatures were wanderers from the ruins of the Gondor wastelands, breaching the grand wall and entering Anzu territory. Cecil's lands lay along the kingdom's southern border, close to the wastelands. If there was a breach in the Sentinel Tower and the wall had weakened, it wasn't unreasonable for creatures to break through.

Yet now, Rebecca was struck by a worse thought: what if the monsters hadn't come from Gondor but were born naturally within Cecil itself?

Could these creatures signify a new magical tide?

"…Are we overreacting a little?" Amber broke the silence, forcing a nervous smile as she pointed to Heidi's notes. "A wild mage's journal, full of unclear records, and we're jumping straight to magical tides?"

Gawain didn't contradict her, instead nodding thoughtfully. "You're right. I might be too cautious."

He'd just relied on memories handed down from his ancestors, recounting centuries-old events. Though it felt good to recite history, even he recognized it sounded a bit alarming.

"Exactly," Amber exhaled in relief. "You've been gone for 700 years, Ancestor. Maybe your mind's still stuck in the past—so much so that… ow!" she yelped as Rebecca hit her with a staff, frowning.

"Don't be disrespectful to our ancestor!" Rebecca scolded.

Gawain raised an eyebrow, amused. He remembered how Rebecca had recently wielded her "repose staff" against him with no such reservations.

"No matter how credible these things are, they should be reported to His Majesty when we reach Saint Sunil," Heidi said, handing the journal back to Gawain. "It'll be up to him to decide what to believe."

Gawain silently put the journal away, pushing his concerns aside for the time being.

He looked up, gazing at the enormous "sun" in the sky.

The treetops cleared above, revealing a vast sky where the great sun rose to its peak. Its intense crown of light showered this world with warmth and magic.

Gawain's eyes searched its surface, studying what seemed like gas giant storms. He looked for any ominous red marks, but they had vanished, perhaps only fleeting.

The sense of urgency, however, hadn't left him. He silently planned his next steps, realizing he would need a strong foundation in this world.

At least now, he had something—a struggling old family—to build on.

After they crossed the woods, the journey smoothed out. They encountered no more strange phenomena, eventually reaching a trade route and meeting a small caravan. After a fair negotiation, Gawain's group secured a place in one of the wagons, sparing them from the grueling trek on foot.

The caravan leader, a plump northerner, traded regional goods and medicinal herbs. He had planned to travel to Cecil's land but had turned back after hearing of the disasters. Initially, he was wary of Gawain's armed group, but Heidi's offer of two gold pieces won him over, even securing them a separate wagon.

Gold, after all, is a universal negotiator.

On the seventh day, they finally saw the gates of Tanzan Town.

It was Gawain's first close-up view of a human settlement here, and he found himself… underwhelmed.

The town's size was impressive, at least to Rebecca. Situated on fertile plains with access to the river, Tanzan was one of the most populated towns in the south, home to nearly 10,000 residents. The Whitewater River flowed from the west, splitting at the town and providing a vital irrigation and transportation route. To the east, a mountain offered the town a valuable mining resource.

But despite its favorable location, what greeted Gawain upon entry were haggard peasants, dilapidated huts, and unclean streets.

With civilization still far from taming nature, magical creatures roamed freely, and border towns frequently saw conflict. A low wall surrounded the town, with a slum-like residential area clustered within. The shanties seemed barely capable of shelter, while the main road to the center offered little more.

From the caravan, Gawain observed townsfolk in short

 clothes walking along the street. Only a few wore shoes, most had rags around their feet, and the poorest wore nothing at all. In the road's center walked the cleanly dressed "citizens," along with merchants and mercenaries who could afford the taxes.

Though they lived in the same town, it was as if they were from different worlds.

Gawain sifted through Cecil's memories for context but found nothing of use. In the prosperous Gondor Empire, where Gawain Cecil grew up, poverty of this kind was rare. Later, during the great magical tides, Cecil had led survivors northward through shared hardship. In Anzu's founding days, even nobility knew the value of shared work. Now, it seemed that those values had faded.

He turned to Heidi for an explanation of this peculiar order on the road.

"Those on the sides are serfs and miners," she explained. "The poor free folk are also there—they couldn't afford the donations required to walk on the main road. In the center are the 'citizens' and outsiders, like merchants and mercenaries. They pay taxes, so they're allowed on the main path."

Gawain recalled the coins the caravan leader had given the guards at the gate—likely the entry tax.

Then he remembered the soldier they had buried—a serf's son.

The privilege to die for his lord was a gift from Rebecca, yet even in death, he was denied a warrior's burial. He hadn't yet "redeemed" himself, nor even his sword.

"Ancestor, is something wrong?" Heidi asked, noting his frown.

"No, nothing." Gawain shook his head, casting a final look at the streets.

As a foreigner here, his instincts recoiled from this inequality, but he knew it wasn't time for criticism or reform. Not yet. He didn't understand this world well enough.

After some thought, he looked at Heidi. "What's the next step?"

Heidi already had a plan. "We'll meet with the local lord, Viscount Andrew. He's reasonable and should help us connect with Knight Philip. If all goes well, we'll reunite with our forces. Then, we'll decide whether to settle or head to the capital. The situation in Cecil needs to be explained directly to the King."

Gawain nodded. It sounded reasonable.