Rebellion: Prince of Dawn

Chapter 9.1: The Mining Town of Rockbell

---

ILIAS VAN PAYNE

Before I headed into Tally Hall to take the State Jynxist Exam, the colonel gave me instructions on what to do after.

   "We'll be in an inn called The Green Dragon. Just tell them our names."

   The Capital was a large circular city that spanned just under three hundred and fifty square miles and housed a population of over two million souls. The city was divided into five districts: northern, eastern, western, southern, and central—the Iron Keep was right in the middle of the city, atop a hill. Cutting through the upper half of the northern district was a canal that led into the Mizu River.

   That river was a way for fast travel and trade and the reason why the Capital was built here. The river started at Crimson Bay by the Eastern Sea. The estuary was guarded by Port Town, a city specifically built to prevent pirates from going through the river and disrupting the flow of trade. Port Town was under the jurisdiction of Brigadier Czeslaw Clegane—a close childhood friend of Mother and the colonel. The river slithered through the continent and ended in The Mouth in the Northern sea by a town called Norden—whose purpose was the same as Port Town. If I remember correctly, it was under the jurisdiction of a General Louis Armstrong.

   The dusty streets of the Capital were rather spacious, with enough space for three wagons to fit. The spaces between the buildings were nonexistent as they were packed tightly to maximize the space within the city walls. The buildings themselves were made of brick and mortar and decorated with window panes and paint—something they lacked back in my day.

   I headed in the direction Heloise, Camaro, and his unit went to after they dropped me off at Tally Hall. There were so many inns and taverns in the city that it'd take a decade to sleep at every one. A cobbler noticed I was lost and was kind enough to point me towards The Green Dragon, which was only three blocks away from Tally Hall—in the opposite direction.

   No workers were at the front counter when I arrived. They were all busy attending the lunch rush in the tavern that was connected to the inn.

   A blunt-faced lady carrying sheets climbed down the stairs, throwing them into a bin. "If you're looking for a place to eat or spend the night in, Boy, you'll have to find yourself another place. We're full."

   "Umm, I'm here with Colonel Camaro."

   "The colonel?" the lady flipped through a book behind the counter. "You must be Iliad."

   "It's Ilias."

   She grinned. "I'm just making sure it's really you." She washed her hands in a bowl of water and dried them off on her apron. "Follow me."

   The lady led me into the tavern, which was filled with the roaring noises of multiple conversations, entertainment from the bard on the inclined stage, and angry shouts from the kitchen. Servers hopped from table to table, making sure patrons were taken care of.

   Along the wall farthest from the bard was a table that hosted familiar faces I longed to see. They hadn't noticed me yet.

   Camaro sat at the end of the table with Heloise and Hendrik adjacent while Gama, Rudolf, and Kaiser were in the following seats. The lady pointed to their table and left to continue her work.

   "Hello, everyone," I said, approaching the table.

   Camaro was in the middle of drinking water and choked a bit. "Ilias? We've been expecting you any day now. How have you been?"

   Heloise smiled. "Welcome back."

   Camaro's unit was more ecstatic at my appearance. They all yelled out, "Ilias!" in unison, bringing the attention of the tavern to our table for a few awkward seconds.