Chapter 224: Freehaven.

Chapter 224: Freehaven.The Droskar Dominion wasn’t your typical empire.

According to everyone Lee met on the way to the capital, Freehaven, it was the only country in this world. At the first glance it might’ve seemed impossible, but remembering Ashland and Lunax, and taking into account the surrounding savage wilderness, Lee had to assume the possibility it was founded by an elemental lord, either out of ambition or as a refuge, fleeing some greater power.

By now Lee knew it wasn’t as hard to travel to other worlds. All he needed was a set of coordinates and a capable spatial elemental lord, ready to provide their services. Of course, the latter part was not as easy as finding a regular village blacksmith, but for now it wasn’t Lee’s main problem.

He arrived to Freehaven with a single task – to track down the overlord’s whereabouts. He knew that his chances weren’t that great, considering the strict military rule in Dominion. On the other hand, if an entity like overlord resided in this world, this was the place to look for information.

Freehaven didn’t have the structure Lee had gotten used to during his last two lives. The city didn’t have the inner and outer parts, but in it’s center, on a tall, seemingly artificial cliff next to a lake, was built a stone castle.

Lee had spent over half a year in this world had never seen a crystal clear lake like this one, and surprisingly, it’s waters were available to public. This was the spot where everyone came to fill their bottles and gourds with drinking water, paying attention to not soil it with anything. Some even called it the Sacred Water of Freedom, but while Lee didn’t care about the sacred and freedom parts, water itself was sweet and refreshing.

No one was allowed to swim in the lake, though, and no one dared to try – the city had almost as many soldiers patrolling around as there were regular citizens. That was the obvious reason for the order and cleanliness on the streets, and while it felt oppressive, one couldn’t complain from the safety point of view.

***

The first thing Lee did, even before refilling his water reserves, was to sell the hides he had skinned on the way. Dante didn’t have a clue on the prices in the capital, but Lee wasn’t in a rush. He eavesdropped the conversations of merchants, in the end selling most of the wolf hides in the market.



The bear hides he brought directly to a couple of workshops where he got a better price, but that had a downside. Pretty soon he realized he was followed by a couple of separate individuals who each had no clue they weren’t the only ones trailing him.

Lee wasn’t worried, though. If anyone dared to raise their voice at him, much less a weapon, they would get arrested within moments. It was strange someone would eye his earnings in a place so well guarded, but in the end he decided to not care.

He found a relatively cheap inn to stay at and payed for a month in advance. His needs weren’t that expensive in the first place, and in case he ran out of money, he knew he could simply go hunt again.

He left after the nightfall, the best time for information gathering. No matter the world, this was when people were getting drunk and their tongues loosened, and Lee, full of expectations, stepped out of the inn.

Turns out that the two people were waiting for him, hidden in shadows. Lee noticed and ignored them, but one of the two finally realized his pray was targeted by someone else.

The next part was surprising and quick. Without a giving it much of a thought, the second man rushed up to the first, and openly stabbed him in the back. The guy soundlessly collapsed to the ground, and Lee only noticed the result of the attack after throwing an inconspicuous glance over his shoulder while cutting corner.

He didn’t have time to register the implications, because a blade’s tip nearly sliced his neck. Purely on instinct, Soulcleaver appeared in his hand, and the following slash cut the attacker in two.

Without looking, Lee stabbed behind him as he rolled to the side. The person who had trailed him all day and took out the other tail a moment ago, howled in pain, but still rushed forward, clutching the bleeding abdomen.

Lee had killed hundreds of wolves during the past few months, and had to give them the necessary credit. The beasts were much smarter than humans and knew when to retreat. This guy, though, was clueless. He lost both legs first, and was decapitated right after he fell to the ground.

’What the fuck is going on?!’ Lee though the moment the short skirmish was over.

He could hear occasional scrams of agony in the distance – clearly people were assaulted in other places as well, but it didn’t make sense with how many soldiers were patrolling the streets. But then again – he couldn’t see any! It was almost like the law enforcement didn’t exist at night!

Since he wasn’t suicidal yet, Lee rushed back to the inn, where he was met with the grinning face of few patrons and the innkeeper.

"Welcome to Freeheaven!" The innkeeper said and poured a cup of alcohol. Then he passed it to Lee, and said, "On the house!"

The blood splattered on Lee’s clothing made it clear the youth had just gone through a life and death struggle. Lee couldn’t tell whether the innkeeper feared he might lash out, or was genuinely happy he survived the incident. Either way, it didn’t matter. Lee wasn’t about to refuse the olive branch, and took the cup.

"Mind explaining?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"There’s nothing much to explain." The innkeeper shrugged, "This is Freeheaven. Everyone is free do do anything they want. Where do you think the name came from?"

"What happens to the soldiers during the night?" Lee asked, "Do they transform into bats or something?"

"Hahaha! A good one!" The innkeeper forced a laugh, "No. But you can meet some of them on the street if you want to. They don’t wear the uniforms, though."

"How come Lord Duvant allows this to happen?" Lee asked.

"Beats me!" The inkeeper shrugged again, "And if I were you, I wouldn’t ask too many questions."

’So these basically have to be some kind of scare tactics.’ Lee thought to himself, ’By formally keeping the order during the day, and letting the hell break loose during the night, the citizens of Freeheaven have nowhere to go and live in constant fear. But that would imply that there’s an unwritten rule that forbids to break in anywhere.’

"Are we safe here?" Lee asked, faking a troubled glance at the door.



"Mhm. Don’t worry, kid. Indoors is safe." The innkeeper confirmed Lee’s guess, "Why did you come to Freeheaven? You seem like a nice boy. Why would your parents send you here to stay a whole month?"

’Turns out I could’ve started to gather information here!’ Lee reprimanded himself for the oversight. The innkeeper was bored and the young outsider was clearly the best source of entertainment.

"I’m looking for my master." He said, "The old man went missing a while ago, so I came here ..."

"I’m afraid you came here for nothing. Care for another one?" The innkeeper said.

"On the house?" Lee asked, but seeing the host shake his head sighed, and said, "Fine! But only one! Master doesn’t allow me to drink."

"Buddy, you saw it for yourself!" The innkeeper said while filling up Lee’s cup, "If your master got lost on the streets of Freeheaven, he’s lost forever."

"That’s impossible." Lee resolutely shook his head, "The old man could devastate the whole city. The scum on the streets couldn’t hurt a strand of his hair, to not speak about taking his life."

The innkeeper’s expression changed for a split moment, and Lee pretended to not notice it.

"In that case you should go and ask around in the castle." The innkeeper said, "All the lords are there, to not speak of His Excellency, Lord Duvant."

It was highly likely that the man was sending Lee to his death. On the other hand, to ask about whereabouts of an overlord on the street was moronic. Obviously, the only people who could know such information were elemental lords. In fact, if anyone, Lucien Duvant, the leader of the Droskar Diminion, might be the only one who knew.