Machinist of Mana

My carriage dropped me off just outside the gate to Bamblebrook, this choice was made because the streets inside were apparently painfully small and while they could be taken I didn't have anywhere in particular I wanted to go. Since it was easier on everyone involved I'd opted for this measure, and as an added bonus I got to see the little town from the point of view of any other visitor.

The walls were aged, and well built if a bit old in style. It always surprised me how many places here had walls, but the reasoning was clear. This world had monsters of all varieties, and even a moderately sized one could prove quite dangerous to a town. Small monsters popped up here and there and were dispatched with ease, but mid-sized to larger ones could be a real problem, so every settlement of note had some form of wall, even if it was a smaller one people could flee back to during emergencies.

The main street was beautifully cobbled, and so thin it was clearly built for pedestrian traffic in anything other than emergencies. Surely the carriage that had deposited me hadn't been the only one to make that decision, something likely encouraged by the local population at large. My feet clacked against the smooth, rounded stones as my eyes drifted this way and that.

Each side of the street had a number of small restaurants, with coffee and tea served along with light pastries to the early morning guests, and I watched as a girl in a pink apron came out to put out the sign that her little institution was open. I liked the look of that one in particular, with an awning to keep the sun away covered in little flowering vines, and so I decided to be her first morning customer.

“What can I get for you this morning sir?” the waitress asked as she seated me.

“Something light I think, and some tea. What would you recommend?” I asked, seeing what she'd offer.

“The house special is the best,” she assured me.

“That then.”

As it turned out the house special was two eggs and a bun served with a gently whipped cream and orange marmalade. The flavors balanced perfectly, with the cream unsweetened, as well as the milk bread roll, which was perfectly light and fluffy, and the eggs providing a much needed infusion of protein without too much fat. Even the tea matched it well, giving credence to the idea that this might be one of the better cafes in town.

I of course ate alone, with few others yet choosing to be at any of the little shops this early. Military schools, like mine, had a military schedule, and as such food was served early in the morning, but for most of the upper classes this wasn't the case. Well off people often ate their morning meal late, very late, because of course they did, the servants needed time to prepare such things in the morning. Your staff really only could wake up so early if they were going to be working all through the day, so there was a sort of hard limit on how early breakfast could be had. For example, at the summer house we seldom ate a meal before about ten in the morning.

After I finished I bid the nice girl good day and continued on my way. The town's little brook, for which it was almost certainly named fed right through the local park, so I decided to head there next. It seemed a good place to relax and enjoy the morning if nothing else.

There were lovely little path through the park, leading me on a quick little walkabout for much of the morning. Taking my time to enjoy the flowers and little statues here and there I strolled, in no rush since I didn't have anything else planned for the morning. Eventually this led me to a little stone bridge that crossed the stream and gave a near perfect view of the whole park.

“It's a lovely view isn't it?” a voice asked beside me.

I turned to find a man beside me smiling. He was slightly taller than myself, with pale white hair pulled back in a ponytail and porcelain skin women I knew would kill for. He also had deep shadows under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days.

“Yes sir, it is.” I didn't know the man, and while I didn't want to be rude it seemed off to talk to such a stranger.

“If you don't mind my saying, you seem troubled. Whatever could there be that would cause such a young lad to look so stressed?”

“Is that not the pot calling the kettle black? You're not much older than I am.” It was true too, he looked to be perhaps in his twenties, and quite sickly.

He laughed. “I assure you I've aged gracefully, though it's true that I've not been myself for awhile. Haven't been out in some time you see. In fact my daughter forbade me from coming here, can you believe that? Ah, she'll live though.”

“She probably just wants the best for you,” I assured him, at his age his daughter had to be at most about ten.

“Perhaps, but you still haven't answered my question.”

“Many things, it just feels like I don't have the time I need to get as strong as I need to.”

“Ah, I'm afraid I can't really understand that one, but a bit of advice from an expert, don't go seeking power. That road leads only to pain and heartbreak.”

“Pfft, I don't want power for the sake of power, I want to keep the ones a love safe.” I already knew not to seek something like that to the exclusion of other things.

“A noble desire, but my statement stands.”

“What about you? What has such bags under your eyes?” I snapped, quite tired of this man's unsolicited advice.

“A friend of mine died recently, one of many over the years.”

“Oh, my condolences,” I bit my lip, sorry now for losing my temper with a man in mourning.

“Murdered too, and I haven't the slightest idea why, it's quite frustrating. Though I don't suppose a youngling like you has ever seen such a thing.”

“I have actually. Awhile back I met an old lady who was betrayed by someone who should have been on her side. I couldn't do anything to help either, it... was so wrong.” I didn't go into specifics, but there was nothing wrong with telling him such a broad story.

I could see his jaw clench out of the corner of my eye, perhaps the story reminded him of his friend. “And the killer?”

“She got him back, old spitfire that she was, might've missed some of his friends though.”

“I see.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, neither looking at the other until he spoke again, pointing.

“Do you see that?”

He pointed at a large descending bird, easily the size of a horse with a wingspan wider than some storefronts. Without thinking I jumped the rail, drawing my sword from my cane as I did, for it looked to be going towards a pair of children playing in the park.

On a hillside overlooking Bamblebrook a few seconds later.

“Should we have done something about that?” my companion asked. Even with his hair cropped short we could pass as brothers.

“No, the boy has it well in hand.” Sometimes it was good to let the young take care of problems, built character.

“So was it him?”

“I don't think so, no. He did however give me an interesting tidbit. Let's go back to that city, do a bit more digging around, maybe break into their morgue.”

He laughed heartily. “Ah, just like the old days, traveling around, doing things we're not really supposed to, damn I've missed it.”

“You never did grow up did you?”

“Of course not, why would I?”

It was my turn to chuckle. “Come on, let's get moving while it's still early. Let's find our culprit, so I can teach them why I was feared.”

“Sure thing boss.” He continued, a whisper under his breath, perhaps thinking I couldn't hear. “It's good to have you back.”