The Ride to Cansite

My tears had dried up, and I gazed forward vacantly.

Mr.Dorothy's cold voice felt far and distant like an echo, "Get this child to the wagon, with this month's batch. We've wasted enough time."

A giant hand grasped my arm tightly and pulled me, but it didn't matter. His hand felt rough, like sand on the street.

It was as if the strings controlling my limbs had been cut loose and all I had was my mind.

Everything was a blur. 

How did I get here? My feet moved without thought, pulled along like a puppet. The world around me was vibrant—shouts of merchants bargaining, the scent of roasting meat wafting through the air—but it felt far away, as if I were walking through a dream.

I was standing in front of a 4 wagon manned by two horses. There were 3 men inside waiting before I arrived.

One middle-aged man and the other two looked young and full of youth.

Dragging my feet, I hopped into the wagon, sitting and hugging my feet. The middle-aged man didn't even glance my way, and the two young men glanced at me with amusement.

Not too long after, a tan-skinned old man was held in both arms by two men wearing the uniform of the Civic Enforcement Association.

He was shouting curses and flailing his arms," You dog-like bastards! Unhand me, I can walk by myself!"

The old man's gray hair, styled into a ponytai,l swayed back and forth as he escaped their grip and jumped into the wagon.

Seeing our gazes on him, the old man smiled while smoothing out his weathered leather coat made of rough fabric, wearing a leather satchel on his back. His pants were tattered with frayed edges at the cuffs, with a stitch across the waist where it had been torn along with scuffed boots.

"Hello, Gentlemen." The old man's demeanor changed instantly from his first appearance. Sitting on the cold wood of the wagon, he took out a piece of bread from his satchel and began chewing. Somehow sensing my glance, the old man broke his bread in half passing it to me, "C'mo,n lad, I know you're hungry."

This man was weird, although he was old, he had more spirit than I. Grabbing the bread, I bowed my head slightly and ate. I would've rather shown a smile of gratitude, but my face felt numb like my body.

 I hadn't eaten since yesterday because I was unable to gather money. The bread was hard and grainy, but low-quality bread was normal to me. It tasted bland and was hard to chew.

He turned away from me, crossing his legs, and closed his eyes. He stayed motionless as if shutting the world out, I longed for such a state of mind. I could no longer put on a brave face because I was so tired and battered.

I heard sounds of footsteps, and officers of the Civil Enforcement Association(CEA) came, preparing for the journey to Cansite.

The officers moved with mechanical efficiency, showing their experience with the process, their heavy boots crunching against the dirt as they tethered the horses to the wagon.

One officer, tall and slim, walked around the wagon, double-checking the harness on the horses. Her hands were steady as she adjusted the ropes.

Her uniform, with its dark fabric and emblem of a shield stitched onto the shoulder of the short-long sleeved jacket, with the gleam of steel upper body armor, along with a white undershirt.

She glanced at us within the wagon, turned to Mr.Dorothy's grunt, and said, " This is all for the batch, eight workers from two wagons?"

The man responded quickly, tripping over his words, "Uhm, Yes, Captain, This ere batch is uh smaller than usual."

The Captain nodded at his words, her eyes lingered on me slightly, and she grimaced as if unsure how to react.

 "Why is a kid here?" she muttered under her breath and glanced at me.

Shaking her head, she adjusted the sword at her waist while shouting to her officers, "We leave soon. Get ready", before walking away.

The wagon jerked forward as the convoy began its slow journey toward the outskirts of the city. The uneven roads made the wooden wheels groan and creak with each bump, and the sound of hooves striking the ground echoed through the air. 

The officers had contained the two wagons containing the workers, with each wagon at the end of the line being manned by them, I assume it was so they could keep eyes on us from the front and back positions.

The city stress was just as alive as it had been when I was present, my disappearance would make no difference in the grander scheme of things. Vendors shouting over each other, children weaving through crowds, and the occasional brawl breaking out. It was as if I were watching through a window.

I tighten my grip around my knees, leaning further into myself. After we passed the city gates, a deafening silence prevailed in the caravan. It went on for hours after we left the city. I couldn't sleep, only my ears, which heard the tweeting of birds and the wind swaying the trees, were working.

"Let us stop the down mood, none of us has died yet." The old man who had been meditating spoke up from his long silence. 

"I'm Jack, can I ask you all to share your names?"

The old man Jack looked towards the middle-aged man with a wrinkled smile as if asking for help. 

The serious man sighed to himself as he responded, " Call me Maten."

As if taking that as a sign to speak, one of the two young men spoke up, He hesitated before speaking, his tone a mix of defiance and unease. "I'm called Bren. My brother here—" he motioned to the other young man beside him, "—is Eren."

The old man looked at me last with a questioning gaze. There was no harm in playing along, especially since these are the people I may be working with.

"My name is Kuire."

The old man's eyes widened a bit, looking flabbergasted, and he chuckled to himself. 

"Ah! You're related to those lunatics? Do you come from the Solvarian Kingdom? The naming sense they have is very weird."

"My parents left the Kingdom when I was very young." I don't remember it well. It was when I was nothing but a toddler who could barely walk, my father often lamented my mother's death before leaving for weeks. I couldn't share his feelings as I didn't even remember her face.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked down at my neck, gesturing towards the steel sun necklace,e "Hoho, do you believe in Luminaris?"

This old man must love talking, somehow though I could feel my body relaxing slightly, "My father often prayed to Luminaris and encouraged me to be guided by her."

"Those Solvarians simply love passing their religion onto their children. In my traveling days, after I left the Ijin Empire, I lived in the Kingdom for quite a bit of time." The man looked up as if remembering better days.

The light in Bren's eyes shined when he heard this, he gushed "So you've been traveling all over the world Mr.Jack?"

"Ever since I was a youth!" He replied.

"Can you tell me about it, the world?"

Jack nodded his head at his request, although he seemed restrained in his demeanor, he struggled to keep his lips from curling from excitement. "Ah yes, In my younger days. I was a little rebellious rugrat who dreamed of being blessed by gods like Luminaris, Septia or Gaphe. Although I was from the Empire, as a commoner from a small village with no relatives nothing was tying me down! After joining the Imperial army, I was sent to war to Erath."

Everyone was attentive and listened to his story in the silence of the wagon. Bren's eyes " How was the war?"

Jack no longer smiled. " The war was terrible. You are not aware of Erath since you are so young but it is a fog-covered wasteland filled with man-eating people and creatures.

I thought I would die in that battle when I was captured by an Erathian priest, he looked like he was possessed by a demon and after screaming, surprisingly, he let me free, and I escaped. After that, I deserted the Empire."

Silence prevailed on the wagon. Jack shook his hand " I'm afraid I made the mood heavy. No need for silence Bren, this is nothing but a story from a crazy old man. Would you like to hear of another tale?"

The young man sat in silence but reluctantly nodded.

Jack scratched his goatee thinking of what came next.

 "Ah yes, After some years of moving from place to place, I arrived at the Solvarian Kingdom, I insulted their god, by mistake of course haha, they wanted to stone me to death, thankfully a shifty-eyed priest saw this injustice, and saved me"

"They sound more aggressive than I'd believe them to be." responded Bren.

Jack chucked, " They are only aggressive while speaking badly of Luminaris. They're too religious for me, the women don't even let you touch them before marriage, ridiculous! Unlike Solvarians, the Aevan Commonwealth has its charms—freedom, wealth, and women who don't preach scriptures when you're just trying to share a drink. Though here, it's coin they worship more than gods."

The middle-aged man nodded his head and smiled like he had heard a relatable joke.

Suddenly, there was a female shout from the front of the caravan. "We make camp in two hours before sunset!"