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25. Burned Remains in Another World
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Wexel guided the carriage into line as we got closer to the city. It was becoming more congested as the entrance came up. Before, other travelers were pretty well spaced apart, but now every carriage or sole horse rider was an inch apart.
Over the great road, the city had built a giant archway to serve as the gate into the city and at the arch, guards were checking each carriage and asking each rider about their business. Wexel pulled out the piece of paper from the guild with the address and delivery instructions and handed it over when it was finally their turn.
The guard signaled Wexel through after pointing the way to the eastern side, saying it's the easier side to follow as there were signs to follow everywhere, unlike the western. I jumped up and peered out as we began moving into the city scape.
Vulgus was packed with people left and right! Many more people than I've ever seen. But not just people. A bulking brown humanoid ox strode by carrying a bag over his shoulder. The beastfolk!
I started spotting tons of different humanoid-like animals that were walking, talking, buying, selling! From cats and dogs to birds and turtles. All human sized and walking on two legs! This world truly was amazing!
Lyra seemed to be amused at the passerbys as well. She hasn't been here before, so maybe she hasn't seen this many beastfolk either. I looked back to Bea to see her reaction, but she was zoned out again.
There was alley after alley for turn offs before Wexel finally perked up seeing the one he was meant to take, but Bea couldn't take her eyes off the western side.
"Hey, slow down, I'm gonna just check something out really quick," she said cracking the door.
"But the delivery," said Lyra.
"I know. I know what I said. It won't be long at all. You go on ahead," Bea said stepping out.
I watched her go and then looked at Lyra, who I could tell was worried, but she also didn't hear what Bea had told me. This was something more personal than she's letting on. I looked back at the door and then to her again and Lyra nodded, then cracked it as I slipped out following Bea.
I wasn't getting as many weird looks as I would have thought, walking through the alleyways and in between the stalls that Bea was passing through as I trailed her. The more we went on, the worse the city started to look. What started off as clean laid white bricks with bronze and gold highlights near the great road, became dark, stained, and muddy. Even the seller stands and buildings looked to be barely holding it together.
Where we were currently looked like a shopping district, but almost all the wood was old and rotting or cracked, but even so, people were still out and about shopping. No one was dressed very well compared to near the great road and most of the things they were buying looked to be scraps compared to the big stalls stocked with things that we drove by on the way in.
I kept getting caught up by the surroundings, but Bea quickly passed on through everything. She was going somewhere specific. It seemed the closer we got to whatever her destination was, the more she hurried. She quickly rounded a corner and I thought I lost her, but when I came around, she was standing there, just staring.
I walked up beside her to see what she was looking at when she noticed me, "This, this was my home," Bea said with a tear rolling down her cheek.
Before us were the remnants of a building. The space looked small even to me, but it was a charred wood pile. Whatever happened here, that's all that remained.
"Plume. Plume. I rattled my brain so hard, trying to figure out where I heard that before," came a deep gravely voice from behind as Bea turned white.
"Mm. You look like her. My sweet... mm," the male voice seemed to stop himself as we both turned to look.
It was a beastfolk. A white with black stripes tiger one. He was large, muscular, and imposing, wearing a white business suit with a black tie. His eye drew my attention quickly as it had a prominent scar across it.
"But aha, yes. That damn Aeden. Whined like a child. Crying for his already dead beloved in his final moment. What was it? Delia Plume?"
Bea was shaking and clenching her fists as she stared down the tiger man, "Aeden? My father?"
"Oh, that's right. You believed his death was an accident," said the tiger man pulling at his tie to loosen it a little, "What did we say? A tree fell on him or something silly like that. So, I brought his little hatchet and told you about his big debt to me."
He killed her father?! What's going on?
"I remember Lazaris," said Bea still shaking, as if waiting to hear more.
"I thought it'd be more profitable to have two young girls to throw in the brothels," Lazaris sighed, "But then you were so sick you couldn't do a damn thing but stay in bed. And your sister. The fire in her. Now she was worth it. You know, until she wasn't."
Bea stepped forward towards Lazaris as if getting ready to attack, but he held up his hand to stop her, "But to go by Bea? Beatrix Plume? Childish. Chelsea."
Bea was about to lunge forward when another voice came from behind her, "I still cant believe it."
I turned to look and it was an elf walking up on us. After being in the elven kingdom, I would say he looked pretty ordinary, but his clothes do look different compared to the other elves I saw daily. He was dressed in all black and sported a crossbow over his shoulder. The elf was tall, skinny, with shoulder length blonde hair and most notably a notch of skin missing from the top of his left ear.
"Hired for a different job and couldn't place your face for so long. Then they said the name whenever you were getting that little sword for your friend. I had been watching your group since you got there. But of course, you wouldn't notice an elf among elves," said the elf smugly as I turned back to see Lazaris smirking and Bea slowly reaching down for her hatchet.
Then I felt the swift presence of another, "Ah ah ah," said the figure in disapproval, already on Bea with a katana's blade at her back. It was a cat beastfolk with black fur and a face that resembled the sphinx-like cat breeds from my world wearing a black suit like a security guard.
"I actually don't know if you were ever properly introduced to Azelfor," Lazaris said gesturing to the elf and then back to the cat on his right, "And Xernus. They used to work with your sister. In fact, Azelfor there was the one that lit your tiny hovel on fire."
Bea was seething with rage and I could tell. These guys were big trouble and I knew it. As I prepared for the fight that was surely ahead, my back was still turned to Azelfor. He dashed forward catching me off guard, throwing a sack of some sort over me and picked me up.
"Quack!" I shouted in surprise.
"Duc!" Bea growled holding herself back as Xernus pushed the blade slightly into her back to remind her he was there.
The bag seemed ordinary enough. Tan and brown, but easy to see through. I warmed up my bill and blasted fire, but it just engulfed me, doing nothing. Azelfor laughed, "Sorry little duckling. I have been watching you a while now and knew you would be trouble. This is an anti-magic sack. You're trapped."
Anti-magic?! That exists? What the heck! What am I supposed to do now? What...
My mind was racing, but my thoughts were broken as someone else approached, clapping his hands slowly.
Another one? How many of these guys are there?! What's going on?!
I froze when I spun around in the sack to see the new face to the party, but it wasn't a new face. It was someone we knew! You?!
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End Part 25
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-𝐓𝐡𝐞 ֶָ֢ 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰ᝰ.ᐟ