73 Gaddi
1523 Words
His thoughts were cut short, however, as a carriage arrived bearing some news. It wasn't Master Roban, who was scheduled to arrive at the end of the week. Instead, this carriage was something of foreign design. It was escorted by the village guards and a few scouts leading it by the front. It stopped by the road near the Library. An old man climbed down, wearing an attire that looked similar in cut and design to Haruna's work clothes.
Haruna gasped. "Oh no. That's Delmoire, one of Father's Emmisaries."
The old man spotted them and walked towards the balcony.
A few other soldiers disembarked from the caravan looking worse for wear. They had their arms and heads wrapped in bandages, with dented armor and broken weapons on their waists. They seemed to have followed the roads on their own to get here, which was not an advisable thing to do, considering the dangers that lurked on their borders.
They took too much risk to get here. Janus sensed that the men weren't here for a leisurely stroll.
Delmoire stopped by the steps and bowed courteously.
"My Lady, It's good to see you again. I came bearing bad tidings. The Plague Rats are on the move, Civil war is about to break. Your father wants you back in Gaddi immediately." The man said, before collapsing and falling to the ground.
The guards and the emissary were all sent to the infirmary. They were all healed and attended to by Father Galvan while one of the scouts briefed Janus on the situation.
"Your highness, a band of Merrimen who were in an expedition happened to find these groups being attacked by a large troll on the way to the village. They had soldiers with them, but they didn't have the necessary equipment to hold such a large creature. The Merrimen intervened and saved them, but not without casualties on the Gaddi side. We were called out to help escort them here and I was bullied--err tasked by Mistress Jundra to send you a report." The young scout said. He was a new recruit who was but a farm boy when Janus first met him in Gracewood.
"Grisham was it? You've done a great job, but you better not have the Merrimen bully you into doing your jobs right? Scouts are under different leadership."
"It is my pleasure Prince Janus. Although I admit I still owe them from losing too much at dice."
"Well, that explains it then. Anyway, do you know the group who accompanied Master Roban during his previous trip to Gaddi?" he asked.
"Yes, the previous trip was led by Pazeem's crew, and she probably knows the security detail on that as well."
"Have them come here. They have the information I need. And one more thing... call Commander Arthan while your at it. I'll meet them at the Lakeside council hall in an hour."
The scout bowed and took his leave.
"Delmoire stop! You're gonna hurt yourself." Haruna yelled.
The old man was struggling in his bed, he was trying to sit up, but his knees were failing him. According to the healers, the man had a few shattered bones in his feet and possible cracks in his knee.
"Must get up. The rats. Gaddi needs us, my lady. We must get back immediately."
"Stay in bed Delmoire, please. What happened? Tell me the extent of it."
"Looting and Pillaging. The Plague Rats have somehow sensed your absence in the palace, and so they took the opportunity to mug our citizens and burn down a few establishments. They're getting bolder by the minute, and our intelligence suspects that their numbers are also growing. The taverns and docks are all rife with rumors of a revolution. The Earl wants you to help quell the incoming attacks."
"Right, but what he really wants is for me to show them a piece of my power."
"Well, my lady. I'm afraid it's our only hope for peace. Our other allies on the east aren't faring much better, and the guards are being outclassed by the rats at every turn. You stopped them before, and the people need you now."
Haruna sighed. "Just as I had found a way to break my block, this happens."
"Haruna? Forgive me for interrupting, but is there anything that I can help you with?"
"No Janus, I'm afraid I'll have to go back there and settle things by myself. Father is not one to act with discretion, and if I leave him alone to do his bidding he will soon sacrifice the lives of our people or be killed in a revolution."
Her hands tensed up as she held the old man's hand.
"Master Delmoire, we'll get back to Gaddi as soon as you and your guards feel better."
"No time my Lady, go now without us. There's no knowing when the rats will attack the palace. We've received more threats than we've ever had before."
"Damn it. We can't go back there ourselves. We'll get killed on the roads. Prince Janus, can you lend us an escort, please? I promise I'll pay you back once trouble in Gaddi subsides. I'll even sell Cornelia to you as your permanent teacher. I know she won't mind."
"Don't be silly Haruna. Of course, I'll send an escort with you. I'll even accompany you myself." He said.
Haruna's head snapped back.
"What? No, you can't do that. What about the village? I thought you'd never leave it."
"I have an idea. We have talented soldiers and scouts. If we can solve the issue of Gaddi, then we'll have better trade relations with them. You can come and go as you please to alleviate the blocks on your power."
"That sounds great, but it seems a little too much sunshine and rainbows to me. How do you think we'll manage that?" she asked.
"Master Roban has intelligence on the insurgents in your country. That's just in the nature of his business. I've called out a meeting with his scouts, they will be here in an hour. You and Mr. Delmoire will have to tell me everything. I'm starting to think the Plague Rats you're both referring to is not a simple vermin infestation. Let's check our options, and go for the best outcome. I don't think sunshine and rainbows are out of the table."
#
They left in the break of dawn. They looked like a small army marching to war. Janus had armed his guards lightly, with Sir Arthan's band of knights on the vanguard and the Merrimen on the flanks. The scouts were all on foot. They were dressed as civilians and craftsmen, but they had hidden knives on their boots and leg straps, with concealed tools for espionage.
Their meeting went along for hours.
Haruna described the Plague Rats as a group of non-human craftsmen who were refugees that were accepted into Gaddi's society after several decade-long wars that broke on the eastern fronts. They were composed of orcs, goblins, and dwarf laborers who worked for armies from the losing factions. Once their respective cities were conquered, they were thrown into exile. They journeyed across the desert wastes and found Gaddi as the only acceptable option. Other cities would have them enslaved, Galedon outright shunned them.
Now Haruna's Father wasn't really the tolerant type. He accepted them out of their skills in crafts and labor. The orcs were a lot stronger while the dwarves and goblins excelled in mining and crafts. But in terms of living comfortably in society, they had little options. Their taxes were more than 50%, some establishments like taverns and inns would reject their kind and would constantly report them for petty crimes. They were often homeless and hungry, while still having long hours of work each day.
The people started calling them Rats because they lived in the underground sewage system. A place where they were safe from the ire of the regular citizens. Unbeknownst to the Earl, they had dug down tunnel networks underground, which led to different entrances in the city walls and docks. They used these passages freely and started trading with foreign merchants which severely undercut the honest citizens of Gaddi.
When the Earl caught wind of this, he immediately sent troops to put an end to it. After a night of bloodshed, thirty guards were dead as well as twenty rats in a brutal encounter. The guards were flooded in sewer water, which was controlled by goblin contraptions underground. The rats had essentially hacked their sewage system.
Haruna called an end to this by setting up peace talks with their leader, Clanchief Gragosh. She offered food and provisions, as well as a designated building for them to live in. Haruna herself shattered the devices in the sewers with her magic, and the talks ended with both sides promising peace.
But Haruna knew that it wouldn't take long before issues started cropping up again. The noble merchants who were hit by the underground operations were already scheming to take the rats out, calling them a plague to society. That's when they started calling themselves the Plague Rats, Clanchief Gragosh himself painted the name on their wall for everyone to see. From this act alone it was clear that trouble had just started.
She had since lost sight of Gaddi's troubles, getting distracted her stay at Wayward Home.
- Writer
