Tale of The Broken Sword

Chapter Fifteen : The Grand Passage

15th July, AD 1656

City Of Jyona, Aurelia

A loud gunfire made Everent jumped instantly from the bed. It came from the streets below and it sounded so terrifying that it echoed along the narrow walkways and alleys in the district. Then there is a shrill female scream and the crowd panicked. He peered through the wide-open window and stared towards a group of people gathering around a lying body. Greatly alarmed, he readied himself and went down to the lobby.

Rushing past the receptionist and bolted past the guards of the hotel, he went outside into the once lively streets turned into a view of pure grief and horror among the patrons.

Working his way into the crowd, he finally reached at the centre of the group. He saw a man sprawled onto the ground with a fat purse on his blood-lathered palms. The hole on his chest crawled out little tendrils of smoke rising into the stale air. The gunshot was fresh, Everent knew.

A figure stood behind him and shoves him away. Everent fell onto his back and glared at the figure. It was a man, somewhat in his late-thirties, compact build and a scar on his left cheeks. He wore a military uniform similar to the ones used by the Shock Troopers. He was an Inspection Officer. He aimed his pistol towards the lifeless man on the floor.

“Get the hell out of here, boy.”He said gruffly. “It’s none of your business.”

After rummaging through the pockets in the man’s jacket, he pulled out a wallet. With a hint of satisfaction, he folded his hands in the shape of a megaphone and exclaimed to the public:

“There’s no need to be afraid of! This man here is a thief and he stole another man’s wallet! Please, continue on with your daily routines!”

Seconds later, he motioned for the patrol guards to carry the dead man’s body. Everent could count at least three of them were needed just to lift the fairly large-size man. He looked around him and there were whispers all around in the crowd. Perhaps they were doubtful of the officer’s motives, or perhaps that they were too shocked to find that a man was shot and killed at broad daylight.

“What a bloody commotion in there,” A voice behind him spoke. “Burglars and thieves are rampant these days.”

“Yeah,” Everent replied silently but loud enough for the person behind him to listen.

Everent worked his way across the local markets. The ambient of this part of the city is lively. Like at the markets in Esmerelda, this one too sells things that are a rarity or things like ornamental items. Makes sense though, since that Jyona is a thriving trade city, almost every trading lines meets up in here. He would say that it’s smaller compared to the ones in the capital or even in Esmerelda. A shocking fact for him. But it was considerably big enough to make him lost track of time. The lively atmosphere of people haggling and bargaining for the right price and sometimes, prostitutes hanging around in the streets looking out for customers, it all bring comfort and distraction to Everent. Except the prostitutes, obviously.

But above all else, he was hungry. He looked around.

“Roasted pork! Hot kebabs and baked potatoes!” a swarthy trader was standing nearby, waving two sticks of the delicious kebab skewers.

It was pork, alright, and it was familiar to Everent. Kebabs and roasted pork are the country’s favourite delicacy and he liked them too. Everent looked at it tensely and stared hungrily at the smoking grill for a long time.

Finally, he was overcome by his appetite. He asked the trader the cost of one kebab skewer.

“Two chromarks for a skewer!” The trader replied happily.