Upon the union of the three tribes as the country of CANDEMARO, Usor architecture continue to improve over the decades. Much of the existing designs in a lot of landmarks within the territory were erected upon the standards set by the Usors themselves, and eventually, these designs will dictate the overall recognition of whether a building is owned or operated by a Usor.
As of today, Usor establishments are meant to stand out due to its large scale; usually a building sporting more than two floors. Often made out of fine smooth lumber and concrete, such buildings offer multiple purposes, hence the multiple open spaces within it. Contrast to Digma establishments, where each place specializes in a business, Usors prefer to have everything done under the same roof.
For a traveler visiting one Usor establishment such as Aiden, it cannot be helped if the setup will be confusing. By the time Gayat's carriage pulls across the wooden doors of the Southern Postal House, Aiden has his head up to the sky, staring at the magnificent concrete awnings chiseled with decorative faces. It baffles him that even with his head almost bending backwards, he is unable to see the top of the building, the shadows of which casted upon the Digmas' carriage.
Gayat and his companions laugh at the Encanto's gestures, fondly relating how many of their youngins have the same reaction when arriving at the Southern Postal House for the first time. Aiden chuckles as he disembark from the carriage, swinging his blue pack around one of his shoulders before drawing both of his arms as the Digmas gently place the wooden crate and the leather bag of food from Old Lady Pacifica. Gayat, still by the driver seat, sighs softly as Aiden looks up to him.
"May K'raas bless you and your journey with fortune." he says.
Grinning, Aiden returns a firm nod. "All the best to your commerce, too." He watches as Gayat and the carriage traverses the path to east, with the Digma companion shouting for Aiden to return to Mado soon.
Aiden turns to the Southern Postal House's entrance, pondering as he walks towards it, on how he'll be able to push it open without breaking the usual Encanto greeting. There was nothing to worry about, apparently, as the door effortlessly swings open with a little nudge of a foot. As he steps inside, Aiden was unable to take his eyes off of the grand stone pillars that lined the way to a magnificent staircase in the middle of the lobby. Several people make their way across the polished floor, some like Aiden, who carry a few belongings in their arms. A few steps further, he was able to take a peek at the area beyond the staircase; lines of shelves filled with books, illuminated with several chandeliers. Was that the Usor archives he had heard so much?
Too many things are happening in the area and Aiden is more or less enticed by anything he lay his eyes on. He shakes his head in an attempt to reorganize his purpose within the building: to search more of the Project CONDE detailed in the Usor Sorcerers' logs. Unsure where to settle to begin his search, Aiden makes his way to the wooden counter nestled in front of the great staircase, where a big overhead sign reads, "Reception".
As he arrives, Aiden places down the crate in front of the receptionist, a lady with fair complexion, sporting a dress of dark earthy tones. She speaks with a grin, though strangely, her attention is not focused on Aiden, but on the item by the counter.
"Welcome to the Southern Postal House." the lady bellows with a friendly tip of her head. "Will you be availing a chest for this parcel?"
"Eh? Well, uh, maybe... but,"
"Great one! Let's have you fill the registration for an identification card first," the receptionist pulls out a set of bound papers from under her desk and presents it to Aiden, along with a quill. "that way, it'll be easier for you to apply for a storage chest here or in the other postal houses!"
Though still unsure of the proposition, Aiden accepts the quill out of politeness, and he begins to scan the papers, most of the information within it are obscured by the receptionist's messily painted hand, which sits atop of the bound papers; maybe as a way of keeping the wind from blowing it away.
"Umm, I simply wish to ask where the tables are..?"
The receptionist's expression quickly changed. "Oh? Then, were you not going to actually sign up for a storage chest?"
Aiden takes the wooden crate off of the counter and settles it to the ground with a sheepish laugh. "Apologies for the misunderstanding. I do not wish to sign up for one yet."
"That's too bad, but please take these papers with you." the receptionist's smile returns as she raises her hand towards the balcony on the second floor. "If you take the great staircase and turn left, you will arrive at the study area."
Aiden picks the crate up to cradle and smiles at the receptionist, still feeling sorry for the confusion. He has not taken a couple of steps away from the wooden counter, when another person placed their items; a long pointed metal spear and a large wool string pack among other things, on the countertop with a sharp "thunk!", startling the other receptionists and Aiden.
"I'll take one regular barrel please!" the woman's voice was clear and rings with youth, Aiden thought as he stumbled backwards, careful not to drop the contents of the wooden crate. As he looks up to the woman who had rudely blocked his way, he immediately noticed the wool poncho loosely hanging around their neck. The recognizable Encanto motifs stitched across it surprised Aiden, as it is his first time to have encountered an Encanto outside of Hele.
Hugging the crate tightly and adjusting his knapsack away, Aiden listens some more as the receptionist and the Encanto woman argue whether their items will fit the barrel-type storage or not. It had gotten to the point were voices were raised, and the receptionist was forced to relent and hand over the documents for the Encanto woman to fill out. Peeking at the counter, Aiden leans over to the receptionist and asks about the matter.
"Barrel-type storages are as they are: Wooden kegs litter the space between the shelves of chests to accommodate more storage space. It is the cheapest one we offer, but because it is merely a keg, it has less security than the regular chests. It'll be risky especially if you will leave long weapons like a harpoon."
Humming, Aiden glances at the Encanto's possessions, musing whether such a quantity will fit in the barrel. His thoughts were interrupted when the Encanto woman retrieves the knapsack, purposefully hitting Aiden as she walks past him. At that point, Aiden perceived the action rude, moreso when she turned over her shoulder to give Aiden a disgusted look.
Aiden finds the Encanto woman's straight long ebony hair tinted with purple at the ends beautiful, but their actions seems to cancel that quality out. As such, the Water's Son sadly remarks, "That's not very friendly..." as he turns to the great staircase.
It seems that his voice was louder than a whisper, for the Encanto woman stopped on their steps, and, as per the receptionist's recounting, the Encanto woman twirled on her heels with such a prodigious force that it must have collected the air around her and contributed to the intense whistling of the whip she had produced from her pocket.
Aiden's back was already facing the Encanto woman by the time the air-splitting shriek of the lasso sounded in the area and there must be no opportunity to sense; even avoid the impending attack. The Encanto woman, as well as everyone who was there to witness it, was aware that there was not sufficient time to dodge it. Imagine their disbelief to witness the absence of a wounded body as soon as the whip lashed on the wool poncho.
The crowd's jaws drop, the receptionist's scream failed to escape her lips, and the Encanto woman profusely blinks, looking around frantically in a failed attempt to search for the owner of the poncho, which, as she stares at its disintegrating fabric, bears hues and motifs familiar to her.
"Forest's Keeper..." the Encanto woman murmurs under her breath, begrudgingly turning to the storage area of the Southern Postal House.
Sensing that the guest might cause more ruckus, the receptionists got out of their counter and to the Encanto woman's side, pleading, "Miss, it is inappropriate for you to cause a ruckus here!"
"Huh? What makes you think that?"
"Please keep the lasso away! Or we will summon the Postal House's elders!"
The commotion continue downstairs, much to Aiden's distress. Even as he stumbles up to the second floor through its wooden rails, he still finds the unexpected action surprising. The only Encantos he knew who were capable of brute strength such as the one he witnessed earlier were the Valazian Encantos, most of their lives were dedicated to elemental training and combat. Peeking in the wooden crate, Aiden found the leather bag intact and free from any signs of spills. As a precaution, he unslings his backpack and places it on the crate, sighing at the thought of his destroyed poncho. Finding a table in one corner of the floor, right next to the large window, Aiden traverses past the other tables and immediately sinks on the chair. Looking out to the country sun. He wishes to begin looking over the archives of the Postal House, but the more he thinks about his poncho, the more his shoulders seem to sink.
In the midst of his depression, Aiden reaches for the gem on his choker, the smooth, cool sensation over his fingers seems to relieve his worry and exchange it with snippets of memories of his time in Hele with Rai, his mother, and most importantly, Mirano. A smile eventually creeps on his lips at the thought of one competition he and Mirano did, the subsequent recollection of its results has made him chuckle. Finding his mood a little better, Aiden stands up, carrying his crate of belongings around the towering book shelves, retrieving a few documents to read and copy in the middle of that late afternoon. While finding adequate motivation to begin his studies, the information with regards to Project CONDE are quite the elusive ones and not finding any of it within the archives has slowly annoyed the Water's Son. The few pieces of loosely related information he had gathered and read throughout the remains of sundown were about the details of Usor Sorcery's main source of power: Sagra, thought to be the remains of energies left by CANDEMARO's divine children when they initially purged the earth of the evils.
Aiden slowly inhales, taking a few moments to process the information on the scroll he was reading. According to the research detailed in the scroll, titled, "An Extensive Timeline of Usor Sorcery and its Future Implications", the art of Sorcery was developed approximately six hundred years ago and has been relying on the "wells of Sagra" discovered across CANDEMARO since then. Aiden shifts to the thin sewn leather notebook he found among the Usor Sorcerers' possessions and flips to the pages logging several map coordinates. Pulling a copy of the country's map, Aiden traces each of the coordinates, squinting his eyes at arriving at his expected conclusion: The coordinates accurately locates these "wells" across CANDEMARO, now more commonly known as Gyamats. Retrieving other materials in relation to Sagra and the gyamats, Aiden reads on as the Postal House soon glimmer with its indoor lighting. Despite reading more and more, Aiden cannot wrap his head on how this is related to the Usor Sorcerers' attack of Mado. The Water's Son throws his hands in the air at the last scroll, frustratingly copying every information he thinks is relevant on the remaining pages of the thin leather notebook. As his frustration slowly subsides, he ponders on the possibility of the Project as something supposed to be hidden. Looking back to the mess of materials on his table casting soft shadows to the empty chair across him, he scrunches his nose, considering the idea.
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Aiden eventually spends a few more minutes finalizing the notes, then another couple of minutes returning the scrolls and books back to its respective places. With his table now clean, he flips through the sewn notebook once more, labeling it properly. The pages are not enough to write some more and the Water's Son purses his lips at the lack of available extras within the vicinity, as he plans to send the item back to Hele so his mother and the Sequoia Council can investigate it. With another sigh, Aiden concludes his task for the day, gasping upon finally recognizing how late it is across the night. He keeps the notebook in his blue knapsack and collects the other items in the wooden crate. At the same moment, his stomach rumbles loudly and his face flushes at the embarrassing gesture. He was partly thankful that the study area was empty when it happened, and he decides to descend back to the reception area to inquire about lodging. As he makes his way to the great staircase, however, he finds the Encanto woman was waiting by one of the beams, her concerned expression visible within the furrow of her brows.
Aiden immediately recognizes her, as well as the cloth she was tensely hugging across her stomach. He approaches her with the cordial greeting, "Corde ioi K'raas jahn". The Encanto woman tenses upon listening to the familiar greeting, but her posture soon relaxes as she approaches Aiden.
"Umm, listen, Forest's Keeper..." the woman begins, combing the tinted purple highlights of her ebony hair as she speaks. "I-I realized the folly of my hasty actions earlier a-and, uh," with a long whine, the woman swings forward to bow, much to Aiden's surprise. "APOLOGIES!!! I DID NOT REALIZE THAT YOU WERE A MARIS!!"
As much as Aiden appreciated the gesture, part of him was mildly disappointed that his family name might have been the deciding factor for her to apologize. While he is aware that, due to his mother's position as Agua Carina of the Encantos has made their family name prominent among people of CANDEMARO, the idea that it can be a leverage for people to exploit is a bit frustrating.
"I'm pretty sure a hasty attack will warrant an apology; a Maris or otherwise," Aiden says with a small chuckle as he assists the woman to stand.
The Encanto woman nods her head profusely and offers the poncho back to Aiden. "Of course, but the idea that I have sullied a member of the Agua Carina's family... unforgivable!" Her gaze shifts to the side. "I believe my actions are not to be let off so easily, despite taking accountability for the damages."
"Did you manage to repair my poncho all by yourself?" Aiden asks as he takes his poncho. The woman nods, draping her arms to take the wooden crate from Aiden, which the Water's Son subconsciously handed over so he can unravel the wool poncho to wear over his shoulders. He gasps upon marveling at the repair.
The Encanto woman smiles softly at the positive response, placing a palm over her clavicle. The several beads decorating her right wrist gently rattle. "I have taken on the responsibility to learn many of the housewives' skills. It is enjoyable, but my family thinks that it is useless in the face of combat, so I also took upon the duty to develop my elemental fighting abilities."
"That is promising. Did you come from Valaz, then?"
"I am. My name is Catherine Nobles, and I am on a pilgrimage to be of service in the Western Encanto Capital." the Encanto woman replies, handing back the wooden crate to Aiden and procures a letter which bore her family seal; which includes a delicate purple bow.
Aiden chuckles, finding his situation very similar to Catherine. "What a coincidence! I am also on a journey to Valaz to become a student!"
"A member of the Maris family to become an academic and elemental student?" Catherine clasps her hands, her eyes brimming with excitement at the statement. "Oh the joy! But it does not erase the fact that I became extremely rude to you! Please, allow me to be of service to you as a way to repay my sins! Consider this as my first act of true service to the Forest's Keepers!"
Aiden was not able to ponder at the suggestion, for his stomach grumbled once more. With a laugh, he invited Catherine if she was willing to talk over the topic at dinner. She happily agreed and the two descended to the dining hall, which was at the far end of the building, past the great staircase. As they walk to their destination, Aiden notices that Catherine's gaze, which was so soft as they talk, now morphed to something more sturdy; almost as if glaring at everyone they meet. Aiden asks about it with worry as they sit at a table.
"There is no room to trust any Usor, so I exercise extreme caution whenever I am in any of their establishments." Catherine replies as she takes out some of the rations she had.
The sentiment rings with Aiden, as he recently had a run-in with Usor sorcerers tormenting the town of Mado. He purses his lips, unsure whether his experience was sufficient for him to be wary of all Usors. "How come?"
Catherine, already beginning on a hard bread, leans in and whispers ever so softly, "They are messy cheaters!"
Aiden's confused frown prompted Catherine to tell more.
"At one point or another, they will try to extort more coins or services from you! Unlike the Digmas who do business righteously, all the Usors wish is to gain then subject anyone to the unruly repercussions! For one, the storage system? It is completely unnecessary! Simply rent a lodging!"
"If that was the case, why do you still purchase one earlier?" Aiden asks as he begins on a savory bun he found in Lady Pacifica's rations.
Catherine groans, as if reminded of a bad experience. "Because I have no other choice. I heard that the Western Encanto Capital might not have sufficient amenities to accommodate a visitor, so I wish not to intrude by bringing only the essentials."
"That's partly true, we do not really have separate tents for visitors since the only ones who come to Hele are the Digma traders and rarely do they stay!" Aiden remarks behind a gulp of Tipsy brew. "You might end up sharing a tent with another family!"
Catherine whines at the affirmation of her premonition. "It will take a while for my belongings to stay with these heathens, but for the fulfillment of my pilgrimage, I shall endure it!"
Chuckling, Aiden finishes his bun and, once he had washed down the morsel with more Tipsy brews, leans forward: "Catherine, do you mind if you take upon a humble request as you traverse the path to Hele?"
Catherine nods twice, as her mouth was full of bread at the time. In the dim light of the overhead oil lamp, her eyes seem to regain its enthusiastic glimmer.
Aiden takes out the small notebook, wrapping it in a spare cloth within his possession at the time. "Part of my purpose in Valaz is to develop the academic skills that have been passed on to me by the elders and academics of Hele. This notebook holds details of a topic I am not particularly well-versed in yet, and I wish for it to reach Agua Carina and the Sequoia Council."
Catherine gulps at the thought of meeting the prestigious Council that governs all Encantos. "The Sequoia Council..." She glances on the wrapped parcel, then to Aiden. "It must be a very important document."
"It is." Aiden nods as he finishes tying the knot. "and I believe they can disclose more information, if you so wish to hear it."
Planting her palms on the table, Catherine, whose lips are still littered with crumbs from the bread she was consuming, locked gazes with Aiden. "It will be an honor to be of assistance to a Maris!"
Aiden waves his hand dismissively. "Aiden will be sufficient."
"Y-Yes, Aiden, right?" Catherine returns to her seat, wiping her face. "Will there be any other things with which I can assist you?"
"Hmm... do you have a map of the East? I wish to borrow it for the rest of my journey."
Complying, Catherine retrieves a folded copy from one of the bags attached on her belt. She unravels it on the table. Aiden carefully looks at the landmarks he will be arriving at on the way to Valaz. Icons for inter-tribal towns dot the area between the thinning forests and the lush meadows leading to Valaz. Aiden thought it would be a good idea to arrive at these landmarks before finally arriving at the Eastern Encanto Capital.
"Thank you so much." Aiden reaches into his pocket, retrieving the ring he had received from the Old Lady Pacifica back at Mado. Prompting Catherine to come closer and offer one of her palms, gently places it down. "A sign of our truce."
"It is an honor," Catherine bashfully whispers as she stares at Halli's profile on the ring.
"The people of the Digma town of Mado have given it to me. You may stop by at Pacifie to let them know that I am doing well. They will recognize it immediately. Please include it in the parcel to hand over to Agua Carina upon your arrival at Hele."
"Well and understood." Catherine replies with a grin. "I wish to go and arrive in Hele as soon as possible!"
Turning to the busy dining hall, Aiden watches as several people happily eat and chatter through the night. He returns to look at Catherine. "Isn't it dangerous to traverse the path westwards during the night?"
"Alone, yes," Catherine points to some of the diners at one table, many of them are adorned with numerous leather accessories and their sturdy builds have reminded Aiden of Sir Gayat and the Digmas from Mado. "but if I hitch a ride with any of the Digma carriages bound to Mado, it will not be a problem!" Patting the parcel Aiden has given her, Catherine adds, "With a mission in my hands, I will surely succeed!"
Giggling, Aiden stands up, retrieves his wooden crate. "Then it will be the same for me." He cocks his head to the side, and the two Encantos made their way to the stables, opposite of the dining hall, where many of the carriages and wagons are parked, to negotiate with the merchants to hitch a ride west. Many of the merchants present were unaware that Mado is already accessible and they were equally enthusiastic to arrive in the Digma town at daybreak to begin business with their artisans.
Finding their success great but also mildly confused about the merchants' anecdotes about the Digma town sustaining a "curse" of some sorts, Catherine asks Aiden about the matter as she sits at the back of one merchant's wagon, awaiting departure.
Aiden's sea gaze drops on the ground, pondering whether to share the happenings to the Valazian Encanto. After a moment of silence, Aiden looks up to her. "Catherine? Do you believe that Usors are out and about to do something horrible?" he softly asks.
Catherine purses her lips. Looking around the stables, as if wary, Catherine leans close, she replies. "I think they might have begun."
With a gasp, Aiden withdraws, staring at Catherine in disbelief, but the Encanto woman prompts him to come closer once more. "Seek out the Digma rogues. They are more knowledgeable about the topic, but due to ISoS' persecution, they have been hiding within the shadows of the country."
"The Rogues?" Aiden repeats, almost dubious. "Didn't ISoS mention they were spreading misinformation which ultimately leads to their current endeavor of purging them?"
Catherine almost throws one of her palms on the Water's Son, but she sneers, stopping herself from harming the Maris. She simply sighs. "The Rogues believe that the Usors in ISoS are hiding something from plain sight and whatever is known to CANDEMARO right now is nowhere near the truth. Why do you think they were initially kicked out of ISoS in the first place?"
Aiden raises one of his brows. ISoS had a Digma official before? The information rattles him to the point of silence, but the possibility of ISoS doing any misconduct is somehow aligned with the treachery the Usor Sorcerers had committed back in Mado. Gazing at Catherine, as if convinced, Aiden asks, "How do I find them?"
The neighing of the wagon's horses interrupt the Encantos' hushed conversation, and Catherine panics, almost falling from the wagon as it embarks West.
"Have your footwear repaired at Pela's upholstery!" Catherine's hollers dissipate through the night as the glow of the wagon's lamp disappears in the horizon.
As much Aiden wishes to shout back another inquiry, he simply waves goodbye to Catherine until he cannot see the wagon any further. His head hangs in the night air. An upholstery shop will know the whereabouts of Digma rogues? Aiden rubs a thumb on his left temple as he goes to the open fire pit near the stables, dumping the contents of the wooden crate on it, pondering how complicated the details he had just discovered as the flames consume the papers and bury its contents to ashes.
Academic Rogues has existed for as long as ISoS began licensing expeditions across CANDEMARO. As of late, the people of CANDEMARO has been made aware that these Rogues, mostly Digmas, aim to spread false information in an attempt to twist the country's history, which makes it the major reason for ISoS to hunt them down. Aiden has not validated any of these claims before, given that he hasn't had the time to ask about it during his academic studies with his mother. Still, it seems that the Sequoia Council, albeit securing a position in ISoS as an official, does not engage in this persecution. Aiden sighs as his blank gaze follows the trail of smoke flying up to the decorative awnings of the Southern Postal House. It might take a while, but it's a mystery worth solving, the Water's Son muses. Looking at the barely illuminated path leading East, Aiden treks forward, hopeful that the resolution of such a task will also lead him to knowing more about his Duko'o.
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To be Continued...
