Chapter 5: A Brief Journey to Gremory and a Shocking Discovery
Personal System Calendar: Year 0009, Days 15-28, Month II: The Imperium
Imperial Calendar: Year 6854, 2nd month, Days 15th-28th
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Towards Gremory
It had been nearly four months since Maya's Traveling Mercantile had last made the journey to Gremory City. The previous trip had occurred before winter's grip had closed fully around the region, back when the refugee crisis was still fresh and the beast folk had not yet arrived at Maya's gates. Much had changed since then, both in the village and in the wider world, though the members of the trading caravan could not yet know how much.
The accumulated goods for this expedition represented the productive output of an entire winter season. Despite all the challenges, the crises, the integration struggles and housing shortages, Maya Village had continued to produce trade goods of exceptional quality and impressive quantity.
The preserved forest beast meat came from the hunting families who had worked tirelessly throughout the cold months to prepare and process. Fifty tons of the finest quality, a combination of game hunted in the deep forest and livestock slaughtered from their growing domestic herds. Each cut had been carefully processed, smoked and preserved using techniques that had been refined over years of trial and error. The meat would command premium prices in Gremory's markets, sought after by wealthy households and fine restaurants alike.
The hides and processed leather represented another ten tons each, the product of skilled tanners and leather workers who had learned to make use of every beast that fell to Maya's hunters. Nothing was wasted in the village. The philosophy of careful resource management had been ingrained into their culture from the desperate early days when waste meant the difference between survival and starvation.
But perhaps the most remarkable product was Theresa Peerce's soap, the unexpected success story that had grown from a simple personal project into one of Maya's most profitable exports. The current shipment included 120,000 bars of regular soap, formulated with limited scenting to keep costs affordable for common folk. These sold for prices that undercut most competitors while maintaining quality that exceeded anything in their price range.
For the nobility and wealthy merchants, there were 80,000 bars of premium soap, crafted with rare essential oils and botanical extracts that gave each bar a distinctive fragrance. Lavender and mint. Rose and chamomile. Cedar and pine. Scents that evoked luxury and refinement, packaged in wax paper printed with elegant designs that Michelle Ross had created during her time as the village's resident artist.
The soap's success had exceeded even Theresa's optimistic projections. What had started as batches she gave to August and Andy to test as traveling hygiene had become a market viability that became a phenomenon that had now reached beyond Gremory's walls and into other regions of the Kingdom of Ogind. Baron Kirka and the Fernando household had proven remarkably effective at marketing and distribution, creating demand that Maya struggled to satisfy.
The fundamental problem was production capacity. Soap making required time, attention to detail, and raw materials that were not always readily available. The village could only dedicate labor to soap production when other critical tasks were complete. During planting season, harvest, or construction projects, soap making ground to a halt. The current stockpile represented months of work by dozens of people during the winter lull.
Theresa had proposed a solution to the Elder Council the previous week. They needed to expand their labor pool, either by hiring workers specifically for soap production or by seeking additional refugees and settlers willing to relocate to Maya. More hands meant more production capacity, which meant more trade goods, which meant more currency to invest in the village's continued growth.
The Council had been hesitant, primarily due to food security concerns. They were already drawing down their surplus stores earlier than ideal, and the winter population increase had strained their agricultural output. The breeding programs for livestock had been expanded, but those investments would take months to yield results. And the beast folk population, while invaluable in many ways, consumed food at rates that still shocked the human villagers who managed the stores.
A single beast folk individual required approximately twice the minimum survival calories of an equivalent human, and that was just to survive. To maintain health, energy for labor, and the physical capacity their larger frames demanded, they needed even more. Feeding 372 beast folk was equivalent to feeding nearly 750 humans in terms of raw food requirements. The mathematics was daunting.
The hunting families had adjusted their practices to account for sustainability concerns. They took only a few forest beasts each day, carefully avoiding mothers with young and species with low reproduction rates. Only solitary animals or members of highly fecund species were considered fair game. The philosophy was long-term thinking, maintaining the forest's beast populations rather than depleting them for short-term gain.
Of course, if a hunter's life was threatened, all conservation rules were void. Safety always took priority over environmental concerns.
The rare herbs represented perhaps the most impressive accomplishment of Maya's agricultural development. Five thousand kilograms of carefully cultivated medicinal plants, grown in Theresa's expanding gardens and in plots that other households had dedicated to herb cultivation at her instruction.
The yield was frankly astonishing. Multiple farming families had commented on it during Council meetings, expressing amazement at productivity that exceeded anything they had experienced in their previous settlements. Crops grew faster, stronger, and healthier. Harvest yields routinely came in at two to three times what comparable plots should produce based on traditional agricultural knowledge.
No one could fully explain it. Some attributed it to the soil quality in Maya's valley. Others suggested the forest's ambient magic somehow enriched the land. August privately wondered if his Personal System's presence had some subtle effect on the area, optimizing growth conditions in ways that seemed natural but were anything but.
Whatever the cause, the result was that Maya Village could feed far more mouths than their territory size and population should allow. It was this agricultural abundance that had enabled them to survive the winter with an unexpected 40 percent population increase. It was this abundance that would allow them to continue growing even as they pushed the limits of what seemed possible.
When the preparations were complete, the caravan roster was finalized. Andy would lead the expedition as the nominal head of Maya's Traveling Mercantile, with Marcus Fernando serving as their financial manager and liaison to his family's estate. August would accompany them as muscle and decision maker on any unexpected situations. Angeline Ross would attend, eager to experience the city after months confined to the village. Theresa naturally had to be present as the creator and quality controller for the soap shipments. Milo Stone would drive the wagon, his skills with draft beast had become invaluable on the roads. Nina Simone would accompany them, both as an apprentice accountant to Marcus and as additional support security.
But the most interesting additions to this expedition were Axel and Helga Martin. The couple had not left the village since arriving several years ago, making this their first return to Gremory since they had chosen to make Maya their permanent home.
Their presence on this trip served a specific purpose. The military restructuring had revealed critical gaps in Maya's industrial capacity. They had warriors, but inadequate weapons. They had troops, but insufficient armor. They had guards, but their tools were outdated or irregularly maintained solely by August, which meant that the boy couldn't be everywhere at the same time. They wanted to help out ease his burden even if it was just a little. The village desperately needed craftsmen who specialized in military equipment: blacksmiths capable of forging quality weapons, armorsmiths who could produce protective gear suited to both human and beast folk physiology, and general tool makers who could keep equipment maintained and functional.
Helga Martin was key to this recruitment effort. In her past life, before the Martin family's fall from prominence, she had been known as a Master of Blades, a practitioner of weapon-focused combat magic who had trained with the finest smiths and armories in the kingdom. She maintained connections in those circles, relationships that had survived the family's political decline because they were built on professional respect rather than social status.
If anyone could identify and recruit the craftsmen Maya needed, it was Helga. And Axel's presence added weight to the recruiting effort, the head of one of Maya's founding families personally extending an invitation to skilled workers seeking better opportunities.
After three days of careful packing, loading, and final preparations, the caravan departed. The village watched them go with a mixture of confidence and mild concern. These expeditions had become routine over the years, but routine did not mean risk-free. The roads between Maya and Gremory were largely safe, but largely was not the same as completely.
Still, those remaining behind had little to fear for the village itself. Master Ben Flameswrath had announced he would remain in Maya for the foreseeable future, continuing Benethar's training and pursuing various magical experiments. The presence of a Grand Master-level mage was reassurance enough for most concerns.
Aetherwing and his mate had also chosen to remain in the area in the foreseeable future, as their expanding family and new young offsprings have greatly settled down in the village. The family of divine-tier Great Peregrine Eagles represented aerial superiority that few threats could ever challenge.
And of course, the beast folk had fully integrated into the village's defensive structure. Chief Tamba's warriors were enthusiastic about their new roles, eager to prove their worth to their adopted home. Rakatan coordinated between them and the human Security Division with diplomatic skill that continued to impress everyone involved.
Surely the village could manage without a handful of key individuals for a week or two.
The journey itself was uneventful, because Kirpy' and some of his siblings carried the massive wagon close to their first way point which was exactly how they preferred their travels through the good stretch of their territory.
When they touched back on land they made good time on roads that had dried considerably with spring's arrival. The custom-built wagon Adrianne carried their goods smoothly, her reinforced suspension and magically enhanced wheels making even rough patches of road feel almost comfortable.
They traveled under partial concealment, using the cover of forests during daylight hours and only emerging onto more traveled roads as they approached Gremory's sphere of influence. It was only a few hours of good on road travel so that they may look weary when they arrive at the place. It was standard practice, maintaining the fiction that Maya's Traveling Mercantile came from somewhere vague and unspecified within the general southern region rather than from a specific hidden settlement.
As they drew within a few kilometers of Gremory City proper, they made for a familiar location that had served them well over the years.
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Maya's Travellers Cove
The stable had started as a simple necessity years ago, when August and Andy had first brought Rexy and Kirpy to Gremory. The young Grimfang beast and Peregrine Eagle had needed secure shelter outside the city during their stay there, someplace safe and discreet where unusual companion beasts wouldn't attract unwanted attention.
What had begun as a basic walled stable had evolved into something considerably more ambitious nowadays. Maya's Traveler's Cove, as it had been formally named, now functioned as a proper waystation for traveling merchants. It offered boarding for beasts of burden, secure storage for wagons and goods, and basic accommodations for merchants who preferred to stay outside the city proper.
The business had proven surprisingly profitable under the management of the caretaker family that August had hired three years ago.
Esmay was the first to greet them as the caravan rolled into the Cove's courtyard, her young face breaking into a genuine smile of recognition. At sixteen, she had grown from the desperate refugee child they had first encountered into a confident young woman who had helped manage the Cove's day-to-day operations with impressive competence.
"Good evening, sirs and madams," she called out warmly, already moving to help secure the wagon. "I'll prepare the usual accommodations for you."
Theresa dismounted from the wagon with a grateful sigh, stretching muscles that had grown stiff from hours of travel. "Thank you, Esmay. I hope you and your family have been well?"
"We have, ma'am. Very well, thanks to your generosity. We're grateful every day that we're able to put food on our table and care for our family."
The story of how Esmay and her family had come to work at the Cove was one that reflected the broader refugee crisis that had affected the entire region. They had fled their village when war and banditry had swept through their homeland, like so many others. They had made their way to the Principality of Gremory seeking safety and opportunity, only to discover that survival in an unfamiliar city was brutally expensive.
Her father had died during their flight, a common tragedy among refugee families. Esmay, her mother, three brothers, and two younger sisters had found themselves struggling to survive in Gremory's lower districts, the younger children often going hungry despite their mother's best efforts to find work.
They had been begging along one of the main roads when Milo, traveling with the caravan, had stopped to offer them coins. The orphan boy who had himself been saved by August's mercy had recognized their desperation and wanted to help in whatever small way he could.
August had been with the caravan that day, and when Milo had mentioned the family to him, he had made a decision that changed their lives. The Cove needed proper caretakers, people who could maintain the facility and develop it into a legitimate business. Esmay's family needed security, income, and a purpose beyond mere survival.
The arrangement had benefited everyone involved. The family had stable employment at wages that were generous by regional standards. Ten local gold coins per month, nearly double what most unskilled laborers could command, plus room and board and a percentage of the Cove's profits. In exchange, they maintained the facility, managed its operations, and provided excellent service to the traveling merchants who increasingly chose to board there rather than deal with Gremory's overcrowded inns.
It was the kind of practical compassion that defined August's approach to leadership. He helped people because it was the right thing to do, but he also ensured that help came in forms that built long-term sustainability rather than mere dependence.
Esmay's family kept the separate sleeping quarters meticulously clean, knowing their primary employer could arrive at any time and wanting to ensure everything met standards. Within minutes, they had the spaces ready, fresh linens on the beds, water basins filled, and a simple but hearty meal being prepared in the Cove's modest kitchen.
The night grew dark as the two groups shared a meal together, the travelers and the caretaker family gathered around the Cove's common table. It was a tradition that had developed over the years, this mixing of employer and employee in a way that would have been scandalous in more formal business relationships. But Maya's culture rejected such rigid hierarchies, at least within their own extended community.
August and the others had brought gifts as they always did. Preserved meat from the village stores, better quality than anything available in Gremory's markets. A new dress for Esmay's mother, sewn by one of the village's clothing makers. Wooden toys for the younger children, carved during winter evenings by craftsmen who took pride in their work. Small things, but meaningful things that reinforced the relationship between them.
After the meal and the evening's socializing, the travelers retired to their quarters. Tomorrow would be a long day in the city, and they needed rest.
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Morning Routines and City Gates
Dawn came early, as it always did for those trained in Maya's disciplined culture. August rose with the sun, as did the other members of the caravan. They moved through their morning exercises with practiced efficiency, the rigorous physical conditioning routine that had become second nature over years of consistent practice.
Esmay and her family had learned to join them in these morning sessions. August had insisted on it when they first took employment, explaining that everyone connected to Maya needed to be capable of basic self-defense. The roads were dangerous, and the Cove's isolated location made it a potential target for bandits or worse. Even if constant patrol from the city was a thing they could never be too sure with what lies ahead.
So the young woman and her siblings trained alongside seasoned warriors, learning basic combat forms and conditioning their bodies to be stronger, faster, more capable. It was an investment in their long-term safety and an opportunity that few people of their social class would ever receive.
After the exercises came breakfast, prepared with the premium forest meat that the caravan had brought. The meal was substantial and delicious, the kind of food that would draw attention from other patrons of the Cove when they tasted it. Word would spread, as it always did, that Maya's Traveling Mercantile was in the area. The quality of the Cove's meals served as an unofficial announcement of their presence.
Finally, as the morning grew toward mid-day, the caravan prepared to enter Gremory proper. It was approximately an hour's travel from the Cove to the city gates, time spent reviewing their story, checking their documentation, and ensuring everything was in order for the scrutiny they would face.
The city walls appeared on the horizon, massive fortifications that spoke to Gremory's importance as a regional trade hub and border region. The gates were busy as always, merchants and travelers queuing for the mandatory inspections that controlled entry into the Principality.
Maya's banner fluttered in the wind as they approached, the distinctive emblem that Michelle Ross had designed years ago. Some of the guards recognized it immediately, the regulars who had processed their entries dozens of times over the years. But recognition did not mean exemption from procedure.
The head guard approached with professional courtesy. "Good day, sirs and madams. Welcome back to Gremory. I trust this is your usual business?"
August smiled easily, projecting the relaxed confidence of a merchant who had nothing to hide. "It is, Captain. We have goods for Baron Kirka's warehouses and some personal business to attend to while we're in the city."
He gestured to Andy and Marcus, letting them handle the administrative details. The two men were practiced at navigating the bureaucratic requirements, presenting manifests and tax documentation with efficient professionalism.
The guards conducted their inspection with thoroughness but not excessive suspicion. They checked the cargo against the declared manifest, verified the quality stamps on the preserved meat, ensured the soap shipment quantities matched the paperwork. It was routine, the kind of inspection that every merchant faced.
After a few minutes, the head guard nodded approval. "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome to Gremory, and may your business prove profitable."
The gates opened, and the caravan rolled into the city proper.
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The Fernando Estate and a Warning
Gremory City bustled with its usual energy, the streets crowded with citizens going about their daily business. Markets called out their wares. Craftsmen worked at their trades in open-front shops. Children dodged between adults in games of chase. Life in all its chaotic vitality.
The caravan navigated the familiar routes toward the Fernando estate, located in one of the city's better and quiet districts where successful merchant families maintained their compounds. Marcus had expressed a desire to visit his mother before proceeding to the business district, a reasonable request that everyone supported. Family connections mattered, especially when operating far from home.
Baron Kirka's estate was nearby, and they hoped to pay their respects to their primary business partner as well, assuming the Baron was not occupied with his various regional ventures. The last time they had visited, he had been traveling to another part of the Kingdom of Ogind on business, and they had missed the opportunity to meet with him directly.
The Fernando estate appeared unchanged from their previous visits, its well-maintained walls and gardens speaking to the family's stable prosperity. Guards at the gates recognized Marcus immediately and waved them through without question.
But something was off. August felt it immediately, a subtle wrongness that set his combat instincts on edge. The guards were more alert than usual, their eyes tracking the surroundings with heightened vigilance. The servants who met them at the entrance moved with unusual tension.
Lady Susan Fernando greeted them with warmth, but August's keen observation caught the worry etched subtly into her expression. It was the kind of concern that a mother might show, suppressed beneath social pleasantries but unmistakable to those who knew what to look for.
After the formal greetings, she pulled them away from the public areas, leading the group to the estate's private study. The room was warded against eavesdropping, magical protections that the Fernando family had invested in years ago when sensitive business discussions required absolute privacy.
Once the door was secured and the wards activated, Lady Fernando's composed facade cracked slightly. She looked around the room as if checking one final time that they were truly alone, then began to speak in a voice that carried genuine fear.
"I'm afraid I must share troubling news with you. The situation in Gremory has changed in ways that put all of us at risk."
She paused, collecting her thoughts before continuing. "There are people making inquiries about your group throughout the city. They're subtle about it, working through layers of intermediaries and disguises. But I have extensive contacts here, and patterns eventually become visible to those who know what to look for."
August leaned forward, his full attention focused on Lady Fernando's words. "What kind of inquiries?"
"Questions about supply sources. About where Maya's Traveling Mercantile originates. About the quality of goods you provide and how you maintain such consistency. They're patient, methodical, willing to spend months gathering information rather than moving precipitously."
She turned to look directly at August. "Child, I believe the day we've long feared has finally arrived. Someone powerful has taken interest in your operation, and they have the resources to pursue that interest with professional thoroughness."
Axel Martin's expression darkened. "Imperial Intelligence."
It was not a question. The old noble recognized the patterns from his family's past experiences with Imperial scrutiny.
Lady Fernando nodded grimly. "That would be my assessment as well. Our estate guards are on high alert. We've implemented additional security measures, and I've required every member of the household to take binding oaths of secrecy. Information security is now our highest priority."
She looked around at each of them in turn. "I don't know what these agents hope to accomplish, but we must assume the worst. They're looking for your settlement. They're building a case to present to higher authorities. And we have no way to know how much they've already learned."
August's head suddenly snapped toward the door with such speed that Angeline gasped. His hand moved to his weapon as his expression shifted from alert concern to combat readiness in an instant.
"Someone was listening," he said quietly, his voice carrying absolute certainty. "Professional. Already moving. It seems he noticed."
His armor manifested around him in seconds, the advanced storage enchantment on his dimensional pouch allowing rapid equipment. The earthly and beastly plates covered his body with practiced efficiency, transforming him from merchant to warrior in the space of a few heartbeats.
Andy, Marcus, Milo, Helga, Angeline and Axel drew into combat positions immediately, their own weapons appearing as they moved to protect the non-combatants. Axel's hands began weaving spell patterns, defensive magic that would neutralize any immediate magical threats in their vicinity.
August reached the door and flung it open, moving into the hallway beyond with the fluid grace of a master combatant. But the corridor was empty of threats. Instead, he found a now young Mick, no longer a wee baby, Mick was one of Milo's old neighbors from their village, running toward them with the breathless energy of a child engaged in some game.
The boy stopped, startled by August's sudden appearance in full armor, his eyes going wide with surprise and a touch of fear.
"Sorry, uncle August," Mick stammered. "I was just, we were playing and I thought I heard, I'm sorry."
But August barely heard him, his senses tracking the fading magical signature that had been present moments before. Someone had been there, listening to their conversation despite the wards. Someone skilled enough to penetrate the Fernando family's security measures. Someone who had fled the instant they realized August had detected their presence.
"Whoever it was is already gone," August said, his voice tight with frustration. "But they heard enough. We need to identify any new members of the household staff immediately."
He turned to Lady Fernando, who had followed them into the corridor. "How many people have you hired in the past few months?"
"Three," she replied immediately, her mind already working through the implications. "A cook's assistant, a stable hand, and a gardener. All came with references that checked out, but..."
"But references can be forged," Axel finished grimly. "And Imperial Intelligence has the resources to create convincing backgrounds for their agents."
The trip to Gremory City had just become far more dangerous than any of them had anticipated. The net was closing around Maya Village, and they had walked directly into it without realizing the trap was already set.
The question now was whether they could escape with their secrets intact, or whether the shadows of the Empire had finally caught up to the hidden settlement that had managed to remain invisible for so long.
Time would tell. But the clock was definitely ticking.