Trans-Aurelian Railway, en route to Aurelia, February 4901.... Caleb snaps back to reality, waking up from his sleep. He looks around only to spot [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTGRMpVg_-s]the source[/url] of the noise that woke him up. It was Joky, the other man sitting next to him who was resting his back on the timber, playing the guitar and using his wonderful voice. Joky was a vagrant, whom Caleb met just yesterday when he got on the train. Apparently, the locomotive conductors allow a limited amount of vagrants to ride the train in exchange of some bribery. Even though they met just yesterday, Caleb felt that Joky as his only friend in the world in these circumstances, after all it was due to him that Caleb didn't starve to death, for Joky had some spare food, so it didn't matter that the guy was reeking of booze and smiled with his only three teeths in his mouth. Without intrerruption, Joky sang his song until the final chord, then he placed his trusty guitar next to him, nodding as Caleb applauded... [b]"You still haven't told me why you're heading for the capital."[/b] said Joky, staring quietly at Caleb. [b]"Heading to find..uh..work, you know?"[/b] replied Caleb, knowing full well he just told a lie. Joky didn't want to insist no further, and decided to just change the subject. They kept the dialogue up until they reached Aurelia, finally. Caleb could not peek through the metal door properly, the only light in the wagon came through the small openings between the door and the structure of the wagon itself, which meant that he couldn't see the grandeur of the city as he approached it. Eventually, the train stopped and the conductor came while pushing a big trash bin with him. He had Joky and Caleb fall down into the trash bin so they could be hidden from view, and delivered the trash bin in the back alley of the industrial trainstation. After getting out of the trash bin, Caleb and Joky shook hands and departed, each heading towards his own destiny. Only after stepping out of the narrow industrial alley could Caleb see the splendour and grandeur of Aurelia in it's entireness, as the city's landscape rising from the mountain's valley plunges the rays of the sun. [hider= Aurelia's Central Park] [img]https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/hd/559dd432323709.567a6a1472799.jpg[/img] [/hider] It was an entire new world for him. Sure, he's been to cities before, but not the capital itself. None of the other cities had a much bigger population and a more impressive imperial presence inside. Aurelia had a composition the same of any other aurelian city, with dark elves concentrated mostly in wealthy neighbourhoods and around the better parts of the city, but Caleb wasn't going to see any of them for he was on his way towards the city's docks, as requested by his father; he had to meet that mysterious man his father told him about, Maverick. [hider= Dock Nr. 4, also known as 'The Yellow Dock'] [img]https://images2.alphacoders.com/913/913612.jpg[/img] [/hider] The day was wonderful, the sun's shine touched gently the various metal structures surrounding the mountains as the children were playing around with a ball, shopkeepers keeping up with the busy streets and the newspaper boys running around shouting. Caleb stops one of the boys and puts a coin in his hand, taking the newspaper afterwards in order to catch up with the world. He proceeds to unfold it and take a glance around the front page.... [hider= The Aurelian Cotidian] [img]https://i.imgur.com/zX291gm.jpg[/img] [/hider] [b]"15th of February already!?"[/b] said Caleb to himself, obviously shocked. Time sure flies when you are on the run from town guards and survive a forrest in the middle of the winter season, good thing he took that train when he could, must've certainly lowered the duration of the whole journey to the capital. The newspaper was full of gritty news, not only from across the Empire, but all across Aurelia. Caleb was shocked to see that civil unrest had begun more than a week ago. It seemed that just yesterday the Emperor died and he was just fishing on the shores of his village. Perhaps the biggest surprise to him was that the people did not rise up against the imperial administration after the massacre of the protestors. Blood was boiling inside Caleb. At that moment in time, he found himself enraged beyond his normal limits. There's no doubt that Caleb wasn't the only one feeling the same about the Empire, about the dark elves. Indeed, hate has been building inside most human subjects in Aurelia, as unrest was reported everywhere across the province. The Securitariat was working tirelessly day and night to counter the unrest, many ending up missing or dead in the night. Human rights advocates were imprisoned and the riot police deployed across the province, only serving to cement the hatred of the whole population. The imperial administration intensified airship patrols around the accesible and main paths of the Northern Range Mountains, and nationwide manhunts were carried for high targets of the resistance. This whole situation put a dire strain on the human and dwarven population, neighbours turned enemies on one another, loyalists snitching fellow humans just for a mere suspection, many were never to return to their loved ones; families disbanded or forced into hiding by the authorities and a censorship on non-imperial affiliated media outlets and businesses. Each day, in many cities, towns and villages, you could find public executions of 'treasonous rebels' by hanging. Indeed, the situation was becoming increasingly dire. After he was done reading, Caleb went to search around the area for the 'Gilweed Tavern', just as instructed by his father. Stalking around the streets, he managed to find the tavern in no time, especially since the owner had the pleasant idea of placing radio loudspeakers at the entrance, attracting clients with the help of [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rDVb8q8KWw]music[/url]. After entering the tavern, Caleb went straight to the bar, where he the barman for a man named 'Maverick'. The barman just pointed towards one of the wooden windows, where a man in ragged and tattered clothes was staying at a nearby table with a half-empty glass infront of him, a badly sewed hood covering his head. Caleb went to greet the stranger... Caleb did not even get to say "Hello...uh...Maverick? I'm here to deli-" before the guy gestured him to shut up and take a seat. Taking a closer look at the mysterious man, you could see his cheeks and jaw, devoid of any hair whatsoever. He had warm blue eyes, the only sign that could give away a hint of his old age specific wiseness. [b]"I need you to be quiet, son. I don't like loudness. Who are you?"[/b] said Maverick, seemingly surprised. [b]"I'm Caleb, son of Hallam. My father entrusted me with delivering you some sort of document. I don't exactly know what it is, for I did not open it. He said it is of most importance."[/b] The only thing Maverick could say was [b]"By Ayleis, you've grown up. You were just a little over 6 years last time I saw your father."[/b] As Caleb opens his satchel in order to grab the document in order to give it to Maverick, he said "How'd you meet my father?" Maverick smiles at the words spoken by the young man, seemingly venturing himself back in time with memory, his eyes narrowing [b]"I met him almost 50 years ago. We were both assigned the same room on the ship 'Emperor Nerzo', one of the first and finest ironclad class ships of the Empire at that time. He was the first fellow cadet I met."[/b] "My father was in the imperial navy? He never told us about that! He was a farmer all his life." replied Caleb, obviously surprised. Maverick opens his dirty leather wallet and places an old photo infront of Caleb... [hider= The old photo] [img]https://i.imgur.com/LbHLHTU.png[/img] [/hider] [b]"Do you recognise your old man on the left? I'm the one on the right. We were only 20 years when this photo was taken....it brings back so many memories..." [/b]said Maverick, contemplating back to earlier, happier times. Caleb looked in awe at his younger father...but he couldn't help but notice the pointy elf years of Maverick. [b]"You're an elf?" [/b]replied Caleb, changing his facial expression from curiosity to annoyance. [b]"I prefer the term 'half-breed'...I know what you're thinking. My mother was human, my father was a wood elf. I know you folks don't like elves too much, I've dealt with all my life. What saved me was the fact that I had human blood, and that I was not a dark elf."[/b] said Maverick in defense. Caleb calmed himself afterwards, allowing Maverick to resume his dialogue [b]"We've spent a good ten years in the navy. Of course, we weren't promoted to officers or higher ups because of our bloodline, but we were respected, at least among the crew. We had some good runs. We were among the ones who fought the pirates in their golden age."[/b] [b]"I wish father would've told us about that....now that I think about it, I hardly know him."[/b] replied Caleb, in a melancholic voice. [b]"He was the best seaman I knew...and a good friend."[/b] said Maverick, before snapping back to reality. [b]"We must get out of here, I have a safehouse a few districts from here, we're going to have to walk a while. Once we get somewhere safe, I'll explaing everything to you."[/b] The two got up and left.