Solo Wandering the Tents

[Kreig Messer]

52nd of Summer, 14th Bell. Its been a year Kreig realized since he was marked not by one but by two gods, two who decided to show up out of the blue after he had foiled plot against the Tent City, Sunberth’s own ‘slums’ which was a feat in itself Kreig couldn’t help but think. He liked to think he’d experienced enough of the world to know that Sunberth in itself was one massive slum so the very fact that Tent Town exists is something that boggles the mind. Its residents where downtrodden, forgetten and only remembered when its convenient or when the masses of Sunberth proper count their blessings that they’ve not been reduced to living there. An easy source of potential slaves yet hardly of good quality less the slavers are willing to invest in long term training. As such, it came as no surprise when a group of people had decided to pray upon their desperation and plotted to have the citizenry help in setting up their own demise. Luckily for the inhabitants of Tent City, Kreig had quickly put a stop to that and was thus ‘rewarded’ by being marked not only by Yahal, but also by the goddess of brigands and thieves herself, Yshul. It felt like a contradiction, and as he walked through Tent City on this misty day, he still could not believe it despite their marks present on his back and chest. Wandering through Tent City had become his own habit since that day as well, he couldn’t say he had the best relationship with the people living there though, but he could say they were used to his presence or so he hoped and none were dumb enough to mug him yet for any currency despite usually appearing weaponless. That either spoke good of their survival sense or they actually knew his reputation as a fighter, either way meant he didn’t have to knock some desperate idiots head frequently. Only once in a while. Baby steps he supposed. After a while his mind wandered back towards Yshul, how does one appease such a goddess? He didn’t even mean to appeal to her in the first place yet somehow he did, she had claimed Sunberth as hers hadn’t she? He did claim Sunberth as his own in his own way….is that why she marked him so? A gift as one protecting what she declared as hers? It gave Kreig a head ache thinking it, it didn’t help he knew so little of the Goddess. And so his head towards the children, the lifeblood of any city and thus the future. Kreig’s eyes fell upon a group of children now as they ran through the tight confines of Tent City, playing a game of tag in spite of the wear and tear in their appearance. It bought a smile to his face as they ran past, though part of his mind brought a memory of a different child who would have been a young man now had Kreig…. He let out a breath and shook that away from his thoughts, much as he regretted it there was nothing he could do to change that outcome…. He could only do better. But where to start?

[Kreig Messer]

Could he try to start a school? Kreig didn’t know how good that would do, oh sure it was idealistic to try and start one, bring education to the young masses but it stank of attempting to influence their minds, attempt to teach them opposite of what Sunbirth forced into their minds daily. Folks didn’t appreciate something trying to defy what they’d always known to be true, even if what they thought they knew was wrong. Kreig till this day still had reservations about magic after all, even though his fear of Magic and Sunberth’s fear of it were a lot more practical than most if overtly paranoid. He walked past the fortune teller’s ten, giving the old lady a polite nod as she nodded back. No words needed to be spoken, and to be fair he wasn’t sure he could handle her right now. It was ironic that sch a magic was held with such skepticism in Sunberth to be treated as nonsense, yet he wouldn’t be so surprised she’d have enough superstitious folk and folk in the know who frequented her. Knowledge of what could be is tempting knowledge. His eyes looked up to the fog hidden sky and he couldn’t help but compare the murkiness to that of the future, there was only one way to see what lies beyond a path hidden road. Now back to what he could do…. A school was out, in a city where cunning and might mattered he wasn’t sure he could keep that going and who would he get to teach a bunch of Sunbirth kids to sit still and learn stuff like history and philosophy? Those weren’t useful things in Sunberth and again would likely cause someone to burn it down, they’d barely accept reading and writing and only because it was useful. They were thugs, not savages. Though a school of reading and writing wouldn’t tolerated by the gangs maybe…? Then again they didn’t touch the orphanage and they’d tought simple reading and maths, so maybe it wasn’t as intolerable as he thought. But they’d certainly attempt to influence it. He let out an irritated sigh that had some poor sap who wandered by him startle and keep his distance away from Kreig. “maybe I’m goin’ about it all wrong..” He muttered to himself as he continued walking, eyes watching the poor folk meander about “If I can’t teach the kids all typical like, maybe I should be doin’ it like a proper son of the city?” And if there was one thing this city excelled and attempted to gain, it was power through violence. Should he attempt the same then? Be another gang on the field equal to the Three? If he was going to try and influence children he was going to be seen as an influencer no matter what he tried. A school of fighters, one where he taught people how to fight and tried to pass on his own ideals, would be another faction in this town. Alternatively there was taking over for the orphanage…. That was certainly a possibility. But who in their right minds would leave Kreig around infants?

[Kreig Messer]

And would it be worth it to disrupt an already chaotic balance by starting a new power? Something that could disrupt the gang’s balance, if he wanted to teach he would have to keep neutral…. His student’s would have to use the skills he taught how they saw fit; defense, justice, greed, vengeance, all these things were the right of a free-thinking soul. Those would be his students, yes. But what about those he would consider his disciples? It may sound similar to students since what he would teach them would be mainly what he taught to his students as well, but a disciple would be the one where he would truly attempt to teach his own philosophy, his beliefs, and his views on the state of Sunberth and how it needed to change. He knew, mentally of course, that he would leave them the same choice as a student; what he taught theym they’d be free to use how they pleased once they were released from his tutelage. ‘ But…’ the thought began as he fell upon a child who looked at him from a far with a look that he couldn’t quite read…. Envy? Curiosity? ‘ But it would hurt far more if what I taught failed ’ and he realized that no matter how he tried, there would be minds his voice couldn’t reach. It drew his mind to Sera Natasha back in Syliras, his patron, teacher, and most importantly a friend whose face he’d not seen in years. He wondered how she felt when he decided to leave, and he wondered if what he feared had become a reality for her? He also wondered how’d she feel if she learnt he was marked by her own patron god, he chuckled at the perceived reaction he conjured up in his head. Would he give all that he had to receive a sliver of advice from her right now, but part of him knew that it might not be the advice need for a city like Sunberth. An outsider’s perspective was useful yes, but when that persective came from what was Sunberth’s polar opposite…. He held more than a little fear that it would be biased. His other option included actually aiding one of the gangs to take control of Sunberth, but he imagined the people of Sunberth would not let one gang hold dominant for long, it was how the cycle went after all… Sunberth didn’t have rulers, no matter how much the Gang’s would attempt to do so they’d see their power crumble. Eventually he found himself wandering away from the Tent City, wandering into Sunberth ‘proper’ as it were as his mind pondered and pondered. Trying to formulate a plan while also pushing away distracting thoughts that couldn’t help but make itself stick in his mind.