"There it is."
Anisha's announcement reached Shawn's ears just as picked his last trait point. He quickly closed the floating menu and leaned over Anisha's shoulder to look out at the city they approached.
Central Maston Sprawled out across the land below. A large, relatively straight river split the city neatly down the middle. An intricate spider web of roads and highways weaved through the dense city blocks. Considering that he was approaching the city on a griffin, it threw Shawn off to see the city streets packed with old fashioned cars and buses. The baroque style of architecture and layout reminded Shawn of pictures he once saw of London in the nineteen thirties.
Cherry turned her wings slightly, and glided down towards the north end of town, over the river. The buildings on this side of the river seemed to be more spacious, well kept, and newer compared to the south side. As they continued their descent, Shawn spotted a number of flying creatures in the distance. They were too far off for Shawn to verify if they were griffins like Cherry but judging from their smooth movement and undeviating flight pattern, he had to assume they were some type of creature used for flight. Shawn hadn't spotted anything that remotely resembled an airplane yet, so he had to guess that this society used beasts to accomplish the same tasks that flying machines did in his own.
"Oh no." Anisha groaned as Cherry approached a gated entrance to a rather large estate.
"What?" Shawn had to lean around her to see what she was upset about.
In front of the large metal gates, a handful of military officials stood glaring up at the approaching griffin.
"Who are they?"
Anisha pulled her helmet off with one hand, allowing Shawn to see how nervous she truly was.
"The divine came to me in a dream last night and instructed me to go and find you with all due haste." Anisha grimaced. "I may have forgotten to receive permission to leave my house."
"You need permission to leave your house?" Shawn asked as Cherry landed heavily on the street a dozen feet away from the military officials.
Shawn glanced around but could see no one else near the T-intersection the gate sat in. The paved streets seemed unnaturally empty considering the bustling scene they had just flown over.
"Yes, I'm..." Anisha turned her face away, a shameful blush filling her cheeks, "I'm still technically in training and am not allowed to enter combat."
"Wouldn't they understand if you told them this... divine sent you to find me?" Shawn lowered his voice as the men began to approach Cherry.
Anisha shook her head and lowered her own voice. "I'll explain everything later. I promise."
"Lady Goldrin!" A balding man in his fifties shouted as he stormed forward.
Anisha sighed as she hopped down from Cherry's back. Shawn frowned but remained in place.
"Colonel Pierce, sir." Anisha tucked her dark helmet under her arm and snapped to a salute.
The colonel's eyes raked over Anisha, Cherry, and Shawn before uttering a single word.
"Explain."
Anisha finished the salute but remained at attention. "Sir. I received a calling from the divine. I was sent to the front to retrieve this young man and bring him to safety."
The colonel's eyes narrowed. "The divine? What nonsense is this?"
Shawn watched Anisha swallow before continuing.
"I... had a dream, sir."
The balding man shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. "And pray tell Lady Goldrin, what did you see in this dream?"
Anisha shot Shawn a sideways glance. "There was a bright light... I didn't actually see anything, but there were instructions to..."
"That's enough." The colonel lifted his hand and stopped Anisha.
It was Shawn's turn to narrow his eyes. This colonel's attitude wasn't winning him any favors.
"I received word that you went to the front?"
Anisha's gaze dropped to the street at the balding colonel's feet.
"Yes sir, but that was only to..." She tried to defend herself once more but was silenced.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" he began to raise his voice. "You are nowhere near ready to see combat, let alone go to the front!"
Shawn couldn't sit idle any longer. "That's not true sir."
The colonel's brown eyes flared dangerously as he turned to face Shawn as he hopped down from Cherry's back. The colonel spotted the rifle slung over Shawn's shoulder.
"Name and rank soldier." He barked.
"Shawn Driggs. I'm not a soldier." Shawn folded his arms across his chest.
"Is that so?" colonel Pierce scoffed. "Then you're a draft dodger. No one your age has completed their mandatory military service. Lieutenant!"
One of the other officers behind the colonel stepped forward.
"Sir?"
The colonel jabbed his finger into Shawn's face. "Secure this man's weapon and arrest him."
Shawn took a step backwards as the lieutenant unholstered his sidearm. Anisha's hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder forcefully. Shawn turned to her, surprised that she was holding him back.
"Don't run Shawn." Anisha insisted. "They'll kill you if you run."
Shawn felt a nervous sweat building on his lower back. This is not how he thought things would go.
"Smart move." The colonel commented as Shawn remained in place. "We'll take you to a holding facility where you're going to answer some questions for us."
A hard glint entered the colonel's eyes. "One way or the other, we'll know if you're willing to deliver intel to the Northern trench line."
Shawn blinked. "If I'm willing to do what?"
The lieutenant paused as well and looked to the colonel. "I thought that was sensitive information sir?"
Colonel Pierce's eyes widened. "Why did I say that?"
He looked angrily at Shawn. "We're going to ask you about where you came from and why you think you are above fighting for your nation's survival. A real patriot would head to my hometown and deal with the wyverns that have been threatening the farmlands out there. I'm concerned for my family's safety."
Shawn felt even more confused, and he clearly wasn't the only one.
"Sir?" the lieutenant placed a cautious hand on Pierce's shoulder. "Perhaps we should get you inside. Have you had enough fluids today? Are you feeling exhausted?"
The colonel blinked several times. "I, uh... Perhaps you're right. I'm not sure what came over me. Lady Goldrin."
He turned to the armored young woman with much less force than he had possessed a few seconds ago.
"I'd request that you return to your residence immediately for a debriefing."
The edges of Anisha's lips turned downwards but she gave another salute. "Yes sir."
Once the lieutenant handed off the colonel to another officer, he turned towards Shawn. "You!"
Shawn leapt back. "What?"
The younger officer approached him angrily. "You're not off the hook. There have been reports of reservists abusing their authority in the slums to the south. No one has been reporting these incidents internally, but I've heard numerous reports from outside sources that it's happening. I need you to find out who's behind this and what exactly is going on."
Shawn didn't have time to process the lieutenant's statement before a chime sounded in his ears.
A side quest has been issued: Dishonoring the Uniform.
See more information in the 'Quest' tab.
The lieutenant halted and shook his head violently.
"I.. um." The young officer looked dizzy. "I guess if you happen to see something. Any information would be appreciated."
Shawn nodded slowly and decided to test his luck. "I won't be able to do that if I'm locked up."
The lieutenant glanced back at the colonel that was slowly walking away. After a moment of consideration, the young officer sighed and gave a slight tilt of the head.
"Give me your gun and get out of here. Just lay low and I'm sure he'll forget about you."
"Thank you." Shawn nodded his appreciation to the lieutenant and handed him the empty rifle.
Before he made his getaway, Shawn turned to Anisha. Her wide eyes continued to bounce between colonel Pierce, the lieutenant, and Shawn.
"What just happened?" She hissed at him.
Shawn shrugged. "I honestly don't know yet. It has something to do with me being a traveler to this world, that I'm sure of."
"Where are you going now?" Anisha's eyes grew worried.
"Uh..." Shawn glanced around at the foreign city around him and answered honestly. "I don't know."
Anisha bit her bottom lip and looked over at the metal gates that led to her estate.
"Okay." She slapped her helmet with her free hand before pointing at Shawn. "Stay out here for a few hours and let me talk things over with the colonel. I promise you I can at least give you a place to stay."
Shawn smiled, he honestly trusted Anisha's sincerity. "Okay. I'll be waiting."
After one last nod of acknowledgment, Shawn took off down the street directly behind Cherry and ducked down the nearest side street he could find. Shawn took a few deep breaths before peeking back around the entrance of the side street. He watched Anisha, Cherry, and the military officers disappear behind the large metal gates. Before they shut completely, a pair of armed guards stepped out and took flanking positions on either side of the entryway.
Shawn turned around and leaned his back up against the cold stone wall.
"Now what?"
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