Broken Tower Saga: The First Swordsman

          The inside of the old building was well maintained. The ground floor was a bar-cum-restaurant, though few people were there. A couple of people were playing board games at a side table. Their clothes told them they were not nobles, but still well off. As for customers, there were a few people, but none could be called one. One was sited before the keeper, enjoying his drink in the morning, while the keeper was cleaning the deck, whistling in no care.

        "Yo, Balat," Ryat said to the keeper. "I brought a couple of kids."

        The middle-aged keeper looked at them, and similarly, they looked at him. Balat was like Ryat, not good-looking enough, but stood out in the crowd. He was not bald like the shady merchant, had fine black hair mixed with a good number of whites.

        Ryat introduced them together. The innkeeper was named Balat, Ryat's old friend. Even though the bald man did not indicate anything, Wrik could guess, by friend, it could mean a lot of things. Business partner or crew member, for instance.

        "And this is Nirab," Ryat said, gesturing towards the Youngman enjoying alcohol in the morning.

        Nirab saluted at them as a greeting and both nodded.

        "Balat, get them something to eat, while I go upstairs to check something." Ryat moved his way towards the staircase. "You two fill your stomach first and then move to the first room on the right on the first floor."

        Balat went to bring their dish as the two of them moved to an empty table. The hall was quite broad and could hold half of a hundred people together. Tables were decorated in rows and columbo. Nothing extravagant, but they were well placed and clean—told him, they take care of this place every day. It was not just a place of business, but a home as well.

        Abruptly, the door of the house opened violently. And a tall lady with a voluptuous body walked in as if she owned the place. The others gave her a look and shook their heads before continuing in their business.

        "The wind told me that cheapskate Blady came," the voluptuous lady said. "Where is he?"

        Anton chuckled out, and Wrik frowned, looking at the newcomer.

        "He's upstairs," Balat, the keeper, said, bringing in their plate.

        The lady seemed to finally notice the two of them, and her eyes shone a little. She came towards them and sat at their table without asking for permission.

        "Are you two the new chicks that baldie brought in?" She asked, and did not wait for them to answer. She eyed the keeper and told him, "Give me a plate too, have not eaten anything last night."

        Balat looked at her for a prolonged view and moved to bring what she asked.

        "So, what do you two called?" she again moved to the two of them. "I'm Rosie. Now that you are the members, tell me if someone messes up with you, this big sister will take care of them."

        "You are the only one that was messing up with them, Auntie," Nirab shouted at the voluptuous woman.

        "Little Nirab, you need beating again?" Rosie yelled back at the youth. "What did I tell you not to cross my words again? And you already started just as the sun rose again?"

        "At least, I pay for it," Nirab sneered at the woman, his voice holding no fear at the words Rosie wasted on him. "And they are not members yet, Ryat brought them for a show."

        "Oh," Rosie looked at them again. "Well, they will be today or tomorrow."

        Wrik and Anton conversed a little with the woman while eating, until the meal finished. The food was not anything extravagant, like the place, but satisfying. They moved as Ryat told them to.

        Anton knocked at the door to find it was already open. The two of them moved inside and found Ryat was sitting at a table wearing a glass. He was inspecting some papers, written in the runic language. Wrik peeked at them and found it was not the usual Elnin, but something more complicated.

        "Sit down," the bald man said and rested the papers and glass. He looked at the two of them and to Wrik carefully. "You should know why I brought you here."

        Wrik nodded and Anton was not suspicious as Wrik already mentioned a few things to him about what he would be expecting.

        "I have news that a rebellion will rise soon," Ryat said, flexing his shoulder. It made a cranking noise as the bald man continued. "It would fail."

        Wrik arched his eyebrow, and so did Anton. "Do you want it to succeed?" he asked.

        "Even if I ask, it's not that easy," Ryat said. "Bringing down the nobles with the rebellions where most of the people did not even have enough food to fill their stomach. Do you think such a rebellion will succeed? All that can succeed will kill some nobles and change the structure a little, but after a few years it will still be the same."

        "Do you want the rebellion to purge the entire Gala and destroy the hierarchy entirely?" he asked again.

        "Something similar."

        "Ryat, do you hate Nobles?" Wrik looked straight at the bald man's eyes.

        "Not all of them," Ryat answered dryly. "But most of them. To make Gala a better place as much as we needed the peasant, we needed the nobles as well. It's hard to admit it, but they were the most important pieces to bringing the lost glory."

        Wrik nodded, finding no wrong in it. How could anyone expect the rebellions to take care of the entire city that held millions of people? What Ryat said was true, but he did not mention another colossal piece in it. The Council. If the council disregards anything, then everything will turn to dust. It did not matter how many rebellions died or how many innocents died.

        "Are you thinking about the Council?" Ryat asked, and he did not deny it. "Your thoughts are not invalid, but you have to consider other places as well. I think the council would not mind, if they got their share, and it didn't matter if it came from peasants or nobles."

        "Are you a Rebel then?" Wrik asked again.

        "No," Ryat denied instantly. "Even though our goal is quite similar, we are different. If I use the liberty of the words, then pioneer would be the word to describe us."

        Wrik blinked once.

        "What I want is not the rebellion to succeed, nor I want the nobles to do what they kept on doing," Ryat said. "I want this place to turn back in the way. Maha wished for it too. The way it is going to keep on, then they might have to abandon this place again."

        Ryat brought out his omega cube and blue light flickered out of it and a map appeared on the table. The bald merchant did not explain what it was and waited for them to ask a question.

        Wrik looked carefully at the map and found some part of it familiar. It was the map of Gala in some part, but other than that, there were a lot of spots in red. While the dome was in green, the slums in yellow, and the factories in orange. Almost 70 percent of spots were in a red while, green was about 7%, 18% slum and the rest were factories or other areas.

        "What are the red spots?" Anton asked in confusion.

        "The red spot is the land that was abandoned from the last millennia," Ryat said and gestured at a big chunk of the area in red. "This was abandoned after the infector calamity 700 hundred years ago, and after that it seemed to become a tradition to abandon the land.

        "If this continues on, I think, they have to abandon almost all of it when the storm arises."

        "I hear you mention the storm," Wrik asked. "What is it, actually? Another invasion of the infector or something else?"

        Ryat smiled. "It isn't for you to know," he said. "When the storm will gather, you will know."

        Ryat then showed a few more images, such as the mining sites, the slaves, and many others. Both stomached everything without a word.

        "I am preparing something. Something, I have been planning my entire life and waiting for the right moment to come. Ryat said and rested the device. "Something that would start the uprising, but to do that, I need the two of you. I may not have many things to offer, but you can always count on me for any help. I. .. our group, do not just look for recruits, but new people who could be our family and we all die for our family."

        Ryat almost teared up when saying all that, though the bald man controlled his motion at the last moment.

        Anton looked at him, his expression telling him what he had decided. Wrik sucked in a deep breath and released it as his lips parted.

        "I agree."

_______________

Fooo.. .