Chapter 60- The Road To Endrell

Session Three

Two days later, they were on the road again. The wagon, bruised by the Hokoni assault, had only received the most essential repairs. The ride was bumpier now, with miniscule holes in the frame making for a drafty interior. They were heading north on a cool summer day and everybody wished they had brought jackets.

This time, they were told to bring additional provisions. Unlike the previous mission, Frank gave very few details about the operation. The implication wasn't that this was something overly secretive or dangerous, only that it was important that they be in Endrell, and the city itself would answer why. Still, not knowing made it a tense trip.

It was clear that all of this stemmed from Frank's interrogation of the Hokoni captive the day before. The troop could only speculate on his exact methods, but he came out of it convinced that they needed to visit Endrell as soon as possible. Other than Frank, nobody had seen the demon prisoner since their return to the compound and there was no reason to believe the MST had any line of communication with the Hokoni to discuss his release.

As they drew closer, Frank started to open up. “There are many presumptions about how the Hokoni are building support in Endrell. It's time we take a look at their tactics ourselves.”

“Doubting the intelligence already?” Meg asked, smirking.

Frank stared forward, neither angry nor happy about the retort. “There may be a few unknown variables we need to look into.”

“Such as?”

“Such as whether anybody's listening. The Hageshoni have a far bigger mark in Endrell, but sometimes people don't realize they're being oppressed.”

“Well... are they?” Kathryn asked. “You've been here long enough. You should know.”

“Of course they are. They're very cruel to the locals. Slave wages, no freedom, unhealthy living conditions. It's terrible. Just a question of whether anyone cares.”

“Why wouldn't they? Sounds like it's ripe for an uprising.”

“That's the logic, but...” Frank pointed out a porthole. “Well, see for yourself.”

They crowded around the portholes and could see the city in the distance. And it was still in the distance, probably two miles away. Still, a row of functioning smokestacks were in sight. Closer to them, a tower of scaffolding surrounded what looked like a coal plant under construction. That is, if they didn't know any better.

“Wait... I thought this place was medieval fantasy...” Renee said.

“That's how it started,” Frank mumbled. “When you're in the business of war factories, things get streamlined quickly. They've managed to introduce centuries worth of industrial technology in about a decade.”

“But Uriel said the demons like this world because it was the best setting for old school weapons,” Meg turned back to Frank. “He said factories didn't get them right.”

“Modern factories don't. But the folks here remember what a good sword feels like. Tell you what, the local blacksmith is a zillionaire.”

“So the factory owners make all the money, the government gets all the weapons and the people starve?” Molly made it sound like a pretty common scenario. She was looking away, barely paying attention.

“Exactly,” Frank made it sound like the most dire thing in the world.

“So I'm guessing the Hokoni are just going to progress things a little further and introduce the concept of socialism.”

Frank was taken aback. Then he grinned. “Now that's my girl. Did you figure that out on your own? Took me forever to get that out of the prisoner.”

“Seems like the most obvious tactic.” Molly turned to him. “Why haven't we tried it?”

“So they're trying to start a people's revolution against an well-armed militant government...” Meg's eyebrows flared. “That'll end well.”

Yuki was confused. “So... do we want them to succeed or not?”

“It doesn't matter because they won't,” Frank said. “Problem is, now that the Hokoni know we're involved, we may be part of their narrative.”

“What?” Troy leaned in. “They're going to make us out to be the bad guys too? How?”

“That's what we're here to find out. We're here to observe their methods, see how successful they are, and make sure we're not part of it.”

They stopped the wagon at a stable on the outskirts of the city. Even before they stepped out, the smell of factory smoke and garbage overwhelmed them. The sights weren't any more encouraging. The path into the city was a single cobblestone road that probably wasn't always black. Despite the evolution of their industry, the houses were still stuck in the past, many with thatched roofs that didn't handle soot very well. Furthermore, it was the middle of the afternoon and the place was silent.

“Everybody must be at work,” Frank said. “Let's get into town and find somewhere to settle in before rush hour.”

Everybody set their bags in a circle on the street, where Giles whisked them away to some dimensional portal. Frank didn't want to create any impression that they were visiting. He directed the group to act like they've been there before, that they knew where they were going, and that nothing about this foreign city from a bygone era was surprising. Renee was awful at this.

While she darted her head around, wide-eyed, Kathryn turned to Molly. “Is it me or is this sounding worse and worse?”

“Probably depends on the level of squalor. It's entirely possible that this is like the

Puurxan village and life here isn't half bad.” Molly stopped to let a rat cross the street. “But I'm betting it's as advertised. And in that case, I'm interested in seeing how this plays out, at least from a societal aspect.”

Renee nodded. “Yeah, it's like the Russian Revolution with demons and magic and stuff.”

Straight-faced, Molly replied, “You're implying that the actual Russian Revolution didn't involve demons and magic.”

That raised an eyebrow. “Wow... so maybe that Anastasia cartoon was historically accurate after all.”

“It was up until the part where she lived through it.”