The Start of Trouble

       The five returned to Aranis’s town, where it did not change much except some improvements. Ever since the elf’s risky job in purifying the swamp, the crocs who were living near the town had started to open themselves for the town, even letting their hatchlings to study with the orphans in a school made especially for them. The orphanage was bigger and expanded, with more children living in it than when Aranis was maintaining it.

       The most apparent change was the people practicing magic. The students that Aranis had taught had started to gather up more magicians to be trained to control their abilities. One year of travel had changed many of them, and mostly to a better personality.

       Leaving the others behind, Aranis went to meet with them while the other four tried to find some job and a place to stay. With the crocs helping the town in many ways possible, there were not much to find in the notice board for them, which was disappointing. As they walked towards the bar, however, Narati noticed how Karkas was trying to avoid some of the crocs nearby, even trying to get out of everybody’s sight. He wasn’t sure if this was because of hostility or his size. His curiosity got the better of him. Even if he knew Karkas hated him because he was a Fa’ar, he couldn’t deny someone in distress. It was something he discovered during the travel with his ‘pack’.

       He did not expect Karkas to acknowledge his attempt, and he was right to assume so. As soon as he asked about his actions, Karkas shrugged him off by saying, “What’s that got to do with you, rat?”

       “I’m trying to help…”

       “I don’t need help from the likes of you,” said Karkas while drinking. “And besides, I’m not your friend. Should you even care?”

       “The least I can do is to be your comrade, right?” said Narati. “You can’t deny my presence.”

       Karkas grunted and said, “Fuck off…” and did not want to talk anymore. Narati knew that the croc was reserved against Narati, or even the group for that matter. But, he wanted to know the croc’s story, even if he needed to risk himself to do it. He could not become a coward anymore.

       Narati turned towards Jek and Raine, who were drinking and discussing about what they need to do to refurbish their cart. Jek suggested some wood, but Raine said that wood was expensive and hard to find around there.

       “We are beside a swamp, right?” said Jek.

       “Even so, do you think those crocs will let us in? I know their bunch is very territorial.” Raine then took a glance at Karkas. “Very territorial.”

       “We can just ask.”

       Then Narati sat beside them and said, “Hey, I can help you with…”

       “Nah, I’m gonna pass,” said Jek bluntly. “There’s no way we can ask you for that.”

       “Hey, I consider myself a craftsman, okay? Is it because I’m short?!”

       “That and you make explosives, which is the opposite of building a thing,” said Jek. “Now get yourself a juice and let the adults do the talking, okay?”

       “I’m 16!”

       “Yeah, and I’m 30. Bother someone else, will you?”

       Narati said, “Really?” and walked out of the bar, looking for something to do. Unfortunately for him, he did not even find one. While the town was open for Fa’ars and the people did not segregate them, there were not that much trustworthy Fa’ars around and mostly because of their rodent appearance. Rodents were considered plagues (not all, though), so it was obvious that they did not have one for an honest Fa’ar like Narati. Other than that, he was just short.

       In frustration, he wanted to return to the mobile home and sit inside and do some tinkering. It was when he saw Aranis walking down the street with some of her pupils. It looked like she was very sought after, being 500 years old and all, but something’s strange. Their friendship for the past year meant that he knew that the elf was acting out of her character. She wasn’t as cheerful and youthful, but serious like when in danger. This time, however, she looked very angry. He wanted to approach her and ask what’s wrong, but he knew better than to meddle with someone’s problem, even if she was your friend.

       On Aranis’s side, she was incensed by the development of the problem she had been worried about since last year. As her trusted and oldest pupil talked to her about this problem, she listened as if it was a serious matter.

       “We know they are trying to stop us from teaching magic since some months ago, but we can’t stop them from stopping us by force,” she said. “The influx of people who are here were all refugees from the so-called ‘witch-hunt’ around here. I know you specifically told me to protect them, but we can’t protect them and go with the public demand. These…Agents...are going to be the death of us.”

       “So, they are getting restless…,” said Aranis. “Have you talk about this with the mayor?”

       “She tolerates us, but she can’t make those Agents leave without causing damage to the town. There’s always someone wearing a full set of mechanical armor threatening to burn down the whole town if we don’t surrender the members of the Collectives to them. The mayor kept reminding us about it, and we become restless.”

       “Who are these…Collectives?”

       “I don’t know for sure, but from what I heard, they are a doomsday cult or something that believed the end of the world is nigh and they needed to ‘ascent’ themselves. I do not care less for their belief. I mean, the world’s already ended.”

       “Have you talked with anyone in the school whether they are one of them or not?”

       “No one’s going to talk if they are in danger.”

       Aranis sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. How about the children?”

       “We want to move them somewhere from this town, but the free towns around here are shanty towns or full of bandits. We can’t get them there.”

       “This is going to be a problem, alright. Okay, I’ll let my companions know. I hope they understand the problem of this town. Just…tell the mayor this. They…we…are mercenaries. We will need compensation for helping the town. Let’s just hope they aren’t crossing their lines and take too much from you. I won’t let them.”

       “So, you’re going to help us?”

       “We’ll help you, for a price,” said Aranis with a smile.

       The young pupil, a ‘human’ mage, had her worried look turned into a cheerful, hopeful face and she turned towards the orphanage building to tell her friends. While she looked human at first, her digitigrade canine feet suggested a hybrid; a dog-girl, to be exact. Aranis’s mind was pre-occupied with the problem the town was facing. It had been a year since she parted with them, and she had supposed to leave everything behind. But, she knew she couldn’t deny any help, especially if it involved children. It was the reason why she wanted to help Narati overcome his mental problem and grow like a normal child. As a relic from a peaceful past, it’s her job to help the children who were born or hatched in a desolate, lawless world to have a decent childhood.

       However, she knew from experience that, with the world already ended and traumatized survivors lingered the land, cults would form from alike minds. Some cults were harmless and generally followed an old or new pagan tradition to preserve culture. Some were outright dangerous like cannibals and demonic cults that dealt with supernatural and corrupted black magic. Aranis just wished they did not last long, given the risk. Others were downright religious with superior complex. The rest were too preoccupied to try to survive.

       The elf once read about how cults were formed. The desire for a greater power to guide them was a factor, not because of mentality. In the pre-war times, elves would also hold pagan rituals that were mostly abandoned by the ‘city elves’ in exchange for knowledge. ‘Farmer elves’ like Aranis and her father followed this ritual. Aranis did not want to be involved, so she just watched her parents. Unlike the humans, an elf’s pagan ritual involved real magic and mostly supernatural, though not corrupted. It was mostly for blessings, so it was harmless. Some beast races also practiced these kind of rituals, albeit with different names. She knew the crocs in the swamp nearby had shamanistic rituals, and many others.

       The one she was worried about had started to become true, however. When she gathered her friends and comrades to tell them about the problem, she told them about the cult that was a problem: The Agents of Tomorrow.

       “The Agents believed that the world must be purged from magic, at all cost,” said Aranis. “In their minds, they thought that this world happened because of magic. Well, I cannot blame them for thinking like that, mostly because it was true. Magic was the first thing that caused this world to become mostly lifeless. But it doesn’t mean we can’t work without it! There are many people around the world as it is now who suppressed their magical potential for most of their life that in the end, it killed them like cancer. All elves have magical potential, even you guys. Except for Narati, who is a Chaos Race, most of you have some magical properties in you that you can exploit, yet not all had that much potential to utilize it in any way.”

       “Uh…Aranis,” asked Narati. “Why can’t a Chaos Race use magic?”

       “I…don’t want to talk about this, Nara, but the reason Chaos Races were made in the first place is to cause chaos,” said Aranis with a solemn look on her face. “So…they don’t need magic to do that since…most of you are created by dark magic.”

       “Oh…okay, then.” Narati never thought that’s the case.

       “But do not worry. Nowadays Chaos Races are no longer ‘chaotic’, though most are. I just wish this is not something we discuss.”

       “Then go on,” said Jek. “Why are you lecturing us about magic, anyway? Most of us can’t use them. Except Raine, of course.”

       “Because I need to know your standing on this. The Agents don’t tolerate magic and uses mechanical contraptions with fuel. It’s an easy and effective equipment, but it’s volatile and non-renewable. I know there are many renewable technologies aside from magic like the sun or plants, but they are hard to find, especially now. So, in conclusion, they hated magic, and they wanted to destroy it, so where do they target?”

       Aranis pointed down. “Here. This town is full of refugees of their target. The best we can do is to protect these people.”

       “Why don’t we destroy one of them, and be done with it?” said Karkas. “Easier than protecting, right?”

       “Are you suggesting we declare war with the Agents? There will be a blood-bath!”

       “Violence is going to happen anyway.”

       “I cannot endanger the citizens of this town, even if they have crocodilians with them!”

       “Let me give a suggestion,” said Raine. “Someone at the bar talks about the Collective refugees in your school. Is that a point of interest there? We might be able to talk to them.”

       “These Agents are hunting the Collectives like hunting heretics! They won’t talk unless we force them.”

       “Well, Aranis, there are many ways to let them talk,” said Jek. “You just need a little persuasion and…they break.”

       “I will not let you torture them!”

       “I didn’t say about torture. Besides, Raine knows his stuff. Right?”

       Raine looked at Jek in confusion, but seeing the wolf’s eyes made him said, “Yes, I think I know my stuffs.”

       Aranis sighed. “I’m worried, you know.”

       “We won’t do something nasty, okay? But, before we begin, there’s a matter of compensation.”

       “I should’ve known you’ve seen this explanation through.”

       “You look like you’re briefing a job. This is a big job with high risk involved. We can’t just take it without knowing the price. And besides, we need to know what we are trying to do, so we need more information gathering, and that is more muns.”

       “You can talk directly to her.”

       As soon as Aranis said that, another figure, a jackal beast race, came into the room they were renting. The elf stood beside her and said, “She’s the mayor of this town, and she will be discussing about the price.”

       “First, we cannot thank you enough for agreeing to take on this job,” said the mayor. “We will try to help give you the reward as best we can, but fair warning, Wanderers. We cannot promise you too much. This is a town full of children and refugees. I won’t bother to explain how much our financial problem is. We can only rely on trades and resources we gather from the croc’s village. Other than that, we can’t help you.”

       “Well isn’t that a shame,” said Jek with a smile. “We wanted to ask you to help us build our base settlement.”

       There was a gasp from the mayor. Yet, before she could protest, Jek laughed and said, “You’re thinking about the resources in the swamp, right? No, we don’t need those. We just need some honest people, preferably professionals, who are willing to travel with us and set up the foundations for our settlement. We can only take those who are willing and able to defend themselves. Also, we need some materials for simple camps. We also need some farming equipment and…”

       “Whoa, wait a second, Jek,” interrupted Raine. “You are making a settlement? I thought…”

       “I’ve been thinking about this. We are a group of mercenaries who needs a job. Why don’t we start one settlement where we can sustain ourselves and let the job come in instead of wandering around with a risk of getting ourselves killed? You want a decent home, right?”

       “But our names are the Wanderers!”

       “We can change them later. So, what do you say, mayor? Do we have a deal?”

       The mayor contemplated with this decision for a while. Aranis was also surprised by this demand. In their one year of travelling together, Jek would like to find more muns and Narati more scraps to make his trinkets. She had never thought Jek as someone who wanted to settle, given how he’s a wolfman and his kind always wander around.

       Narati was also surprised with the idea of building a permanent settlement. He had never thought about that since he was a Fa’ar who was rejected in many settlements just because of his race. He had not stepped in many settlements. The idea of a small settlement to live in, with a home for his own, wasn’t so bad for him, especially if there were a lot of people who tolerated him.

       After a while, the mayor looked at Jek and said, “Let me think about it. You do your job, and we will ensure your efforts be paid. Once again, thank you for helping us. Aranis, will you come with me?”

       Jek smiled towards the mayor as she left with Aranis. The elf gave a look of satisfaction towards Jek, who gave her a confirming look. After they had left, Raine said, “You really have changed, haven’t you?”

       “I thought you want to be a farmer.”

       “I didn’t think about it when I’m travelling with you.”

       “Well, now you are.” Jek then turned towards Karkas. “How about you?”

       “Hmph. If it doesn’t bother me, I don’t care,” said Karkas. “But believe me, you’re gonna need some scales for the hard work.”

       “Wanna volunteer?”

       “Ask those swamp people, not me,” said Karkas while walking to the door. “I don’t give a fuck about farming and building houses. All I want is that rat’s head on a spike.”

       Narati shuddered, thinking that it was him, but Raine put his hand on the rat’s shoulder and said, “Don’t get to intimidated, Nara. Look sharp.”

       He would if he could. Karkas looked like he was ready to eat him with that big maw of his. Being the shortest in the group and the youngest, it was easy to get intimidated. The croc’s hatred to Fa’ars was also a factor that it was meant to him.

       Meanwhile, Aranis and the mayor had walked out of the room and to the street below. After they were a considerable distance from the building, the jackal said, “Honestly, I’m lost at words. Most mercenaries would demand for muns or food, but they demand a settlement? That’s a lot to process.”

       “I’m sure they know what they are doing. So, do you agree?”

       “Hmm, yes, but there’s a bit of a problem on your side. Do you realize how hard it is to make a settlement?”

       “I can’t see why not? 500 years of experience might help them.”

       “Yes, I’m not talking about that. You do realize the treatment of Chaos Races around here, right? No, not this town, but other places. Starting a settlement with non-bigoted people is easy, but when it grows and more people starts building houses there, they will demand these people to leave. We cannot satisfy everyone.”

       “Well, that’s why they have me. I’ve seen how this place grow from being a closed, non-chaos race settlement into a free town that is free. I know how to deal with them.”

       “I hope you will, Aranis. You are friends with my father and his brothers and sisters, so I hope your influence can extend to them.”

       “They are okay. Our only problem is Karkas.”

       “The croc?”

       “Yes. He doesn’t seem to like a Fa’ar for some reason.”

       “He’ll change in no time,” said the mayor. “You can tell them that we have a deal. I’ll start gathering people to help them. Aranis, I don’t know about what is on that Loup’s mind, but I’m grateful that it is about our situation.”

       “I can tell you that he’s reliable.”

       “Reliable enough to be allies with the Red Rogue, I suppose,” said the mayor with a smile. “Let’s meet again, shall we?”

       They then went their separate ways, with Aranis smiling on the fact that things might work after all.

       Now it’s time to complete their end of the bargain. It would be risky and dangerous, but they needed to try.