Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 55: The Duchy of Newport

The coastline curved out and around Newport, and the brown waters of the river flowing in from the southwest mixed in with the refuse cast off from the many ships that were moored in the bay.

There were all kinds of ships within the harbor, some were wide bellied cargo ships that lay low in the water, others were tall, narrow and had an almost vicious look to them. Kothar even noted a ship towing the carcass of a sea beast, which they towed into the harbor behind them, the long coils of its carcass rolling sinisterly in the water behind them, with a spiked fin sometimes breaking the surface of the water.

All the while, the duke's black painted galleys patrolled the waters, slicing through the water as they watched to ensure no cargo or people left the ships without them being aware of it.

Most of the houses within the city were built of mud bricks, which made it hard to distinguish where the reddish earth of the surrounding plains began and Newport ended. There were largely buildings of wood and stone, indicating the houses of wealthy merchants or businesses.

Unlike many cities, Newport lacked a keep, rather, the Duke kept residence in a mansion of stone that was located on one side of the bay. The jam packed buildings of the coyote noticeably thinning out closer to the Duke's mansion.

This was where Kothar was headed, and he slowly rode into the city from the west gate, if it could even be called that. It was a wide street with a rusted and twisted metal gate which looked as if it hadn't moved in the past twenty years.

As he rode in, Kothar got many confused looks from passers by. Most visitors to the city came by ship, and those that came by road came by the north from the Phintus federation, or south from the Empire. It was rare to see anyone brave the barely visible dirt tracks and harsh landscape of the plains, and not only to that, to do that in order to come to Newport.

AS he rode, Kothar noted the multitude of tongues being spoken in Newport, Silane had her hands full trying to translate the chatter from so many different people. For the first time, Kothar began to note that Newport did not have the same homogeneity in its people that Ursten did. There were tall slender people, covered in fine scales which would be barely noticeable, if not for the blue tinge to their skin and their webbed hands.

[Mer!] Silane called out excitedly, she had been excited to see the unique biology of Eclat ever since Avn' Dur had finished it.

A Mer woman wearing a silk wrap, looked up from the greengrocer's stall she was shopping at, and noticed Kothar's curiosity. She gave him a toothy grin, revealing her mouth filled with hundreds of small pointed teeth.

Kothar rode carefully, there were small Dwarfs and even smaller Gnomes, rushing about with their arms filled with blueprints or tools, he was so focused on stopping his horse from trampling one of the smaller people, that he almost rode into a hulking furred man.

The man stood almost as high as the mud brick houses on either side of the streets, and he slowly walked onwards, his massive leather boots creating an audible thump with every step.

"Watch your horse there, young lad." The booming voice sounded out.

"Oh, sorry! Excuse me." Kothar apologized and pulled on the reins. His eyes slowly travelled upwards, coming to a stop at the Ogre's broad face, framed by his thick black hair and even thicker sideburns and eyebrows.

"No problem, you look surprised. Have you not seen an Ogre before?" The Ogre spoke slowly, carefully shaping the words of the Ursten language, which was also spoken in Newport, given their shared heritage.

"No, I haven't, sorry for any offense." Kothar tensed up, in case the Ogre decided to attack.

"Ha ha ha. You're alright, young man. So long as you don't gather up some friends to pelt me with stones, I won't be offended even if you stare at me all day long." The Ogre had an odd laugh, making a loud settled barking sound.

"Just keep your eyes up ahead of you, you won't trample any Dwarves on that horse of yours, they're nimble creatures and tiptoed about them would be a disservice to them." The Ogre added, before turning away and continuing on his slow journey through the city.

[Silane! Why didn't you warn me?} Kothar called out, confused.

[Sorry Kothar, I've got my hands full with trying to translate all these languages, and even though I've seen so much alien biology before, it's strange how there are so many different humanoids here.] Silane sounded almost excited, with all the new sights and new information she could gather.

[Yes, but aren't you a super computer. This isn't something that should give you trouble?] Kothar asked her, a worried tone creeping into his voice.

[Mmhmm. Yes. Sorry kothar, it seems that along with my newfound emotions, I can also become distracted. Don't worry, it won't happen during a battle.] Silane reassured Kothar, before going silent as she returned to her curious examination of their surroundings.

The ride to the Duke's mansion was uneventful, and both Kothar and Silane were immersed in taking in the sights of all the unique people in Newport, seeing stranger and stranger individuals.

Occasionally, they would notice an individual that looked like one of the alien races on their home plane, and Silane would document them for further investigation, since any link to home, however tenuous, had to be investigated.

Kothar dismounted from his horse outside a promising inn, and pulled the finery that Jonas had packed for him from his saddlebags. The innkeeper was happy to show him to the baths, especially for a customer with Ursten gold.

Washing the grime from his long journey, Kothar mulled over what he might say to the Duke, and how their meeting would go.

Once he was ready, and dressed in the finely embroidered dark blue tunic with the bear of Ursten picked out in silver thread across the front. Kothar continued his journey to the mansion, ignoring the innkeeper's pleas to book a room for the night. The innkeeper had gotten a taste for Kothar's gold and was eager to keep the free spending customer around.

"State your business!" A dour face guard stopped Kothar as he rode up the paved rode that led to the low rise on one horn of the bay, where the duke's mansion awaited.

"I've come from Ursten, with a message for the Duke." Kothar said pompously, familiar with the kind of speech common to bureaucrats, ambassadors and politicians. He handed the guard a folded piece of paper, sealed with red wax with Rotan's own seal..

"Wait here." The guard looked to his companion, who nodded and fixed Kothar with a ansty glade. Meanwhile, the guard trotted off up the road to the mansion.

Unlike the surroundings, the Duke's mansion was surrounded in the vibrant green of bushes, trees and flowers. Kothar watched as servants walked about the gardens in the cool evening air, tending and watering the gardens.

The mansion itself was as different to the rest of the city as the gardens were. It was reminiscent of the buildings in Balin, but tall windows and the wide open walls of the courtyard.

Even the stone of the building was unique, using granite that resembled that of the keep in Balin, without the glowing threads of Magesteel within. All in all it made for a bizarre but beautiful sight, with many balconies and walkways about the higher floors.

"Please, follow me, your lordship!" The guard called out as he returned in a hurry, sweating slightly in the salty, humid ocean air.

Kothar rode up to the mansion, the rune inscribed doors wide open in welcome.

"You can leave your horse with me, the Duke awaits you on the rooftop gardens, just make your way to the top of the staircase." The guard bowed slightly and took the reins.

Kothar thanked him, and entered the mansion, immediately impressed by the airy foyer, which somehow had a cool breeze flowing through it.

The staircase was directly ahead of him, and twisted up through the many floors of the mansion, which somehow was able to seem open and spacious while also feeling like a maze.

Kothar passed floor after floor of curious sights, massive crystal sculptures, paintings of far off landscapes, and even spotted a multicolored furred creature peering at him while clutching a large fruit.

At the very top of the stairs, a small door led to the rooftop garden, which Kothar pushed open slowly. The rooftop gardens were more impressive than those around the mansion, and Kothar breathed in, taking in the scent of flowers that reminded him of the springtime in Balin.

There, at the edge of the rooftop, a tall man stood, in a heavy black cloak, with long silver hair that hung down his turned back.

"Welcome to Newport, rat." The man quietly murmured, before turning to face Kothar.

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