Drakengard Anomaly: The Tale of an Angel and an Intoner

The city of Cagliamola came to life in the morning, men worked in the fields, merchants opened their shops and prepared to travel, and vendors went to their stalls to carry out business, filling the streets with the sound of commerce. 

In an inn, two peculiar guests slept, a man wearing strange clothes and an exotic-looking girl.

-Inside the Inn-

You know, it's nice to get a good night's sleep. You wake up in a good mood and ready to take on the world! At least that's how I would have felt if I'd gotten a good night's sleep. 

Who knew that a girl so small could snore so loud? It sounded like a choking pig sleeping next to me.

I don't know how she didn't wake up with her snoring. Now I'm here, looking at the ceiling and regretting my life choices. 

Looking to the side, I saw Rose moving, it looked like she was waking up. She rolled from side to side on her bed and covered her head with a pillow, trying to block out the street noises. 

However, it didn't work very well. Muttering irritably and letting out a string of insults, Rose stood up, stretching and yawning audibly.

"Good Morning." Rose said with a smile upon seeing me.

Don't give me that good morning talk! While you slept like a rock, I had to hear your television static snores!

"Good Morning." I answered, smiling too.

We left our beds and readied ourselves for the day.

"Hey, here is your coat, you can have it back." Rose said, returning my coat.

I looked Rose up and down, analyzing her dress and frowning at how revealing it was, I think she should keep wearing my coat.

"Know what; keep the coat until we find better clothes for you." I replied, gazing away.

Rose looked at herself, blushing a little, and quickly put on my coat, looking away soon after.

It seems she understood what I meant. With that done, we went downstairs, with me carrying my backpack with Noir, Rubrum, and the money inside.

We sat at a table in the tavern and talked for a while after ordering our food. 

"Alan?" Rose asked me.

"Yes?" I replied.

"What are we doing today?"

Good question Rose. What are we going to do today? I would like to know more about this land, Midgard.

"How about we explore the city? We still have a lot of money; we can do some shopping, and visit interesting places. I, for example, would like to visit a monastery."

It's true; I would like to visit a monastery, not for tourism but for its library. If my memory serves me right, there were only three places in the middle Ages where I could find a library.

Private ones were out of option; I doubt that a noble would let a nobody like me into his library. 

University libraries were an option, but I doubt I'll be able to get into one.

This left me with one last option, the Monacal libraries developed inside monasteries and abbeys, and I hope the monks will let me in.

"I didn't know you were religious." Rose asked annoyed; it seemed like she didn't like religion.

"And I'm not, I just want to visit the place, I'd like to make the most of my stay here, by the way, Rose, what can you tell me about Midgard?" I asked, taking advantage of the opportunity to learn more about Midgard without having to threaten anyone.

"Aren't you from Midgard? Where are you from exactly, Alan? You are well dressed, you can read, you can speak well, and use complicated words that only nobles would use. Are you a noble?" Rose asked curiously.

Well, I think it was time for her to ask some questions, I can't be mad, as I didn't exactly try to be discreet.

"For starters, I'm not from Midgard; I'm from a land located in the Far East, known as The Land of the Rising Sun. My clothes are normal where I come from, and the reason I know how to read and speak with a vast vocabulary… Well… My parents gave me a good education. I'm not a noble, but my family wasn't exactly poor either. Now I'm looking for a way to return home." 

Hope this is enough; I don't want to reveal too much about myself right now, after all, I'm in unknown lands.

"Looks like the place you come from are a lot better than here, since you answered my questions I'll answer yours, but I don't know much, nobody thought it necessary to educate me. Midgard is divided into Lands, The Land of the Sands, Land of the Seas, Land of the Forests, Land of the Mountains, and finally Cathedral City. Each of these lands is ruled by a lord except Cathedral City, these lords rule with an iron fist, raising taxes, carrying out public torture and executions of people who went against them, and they say that every lord is capable of using magic."

Great, magical lands, evil lords who rule like dictators, and more magic! What is that, an anime?!? Where did I end up?!? I think I'll be fine as long as I don't attract the attention of the Lords. 

Therefore, Rose and I talked, answering each other's questions, eventually, our food arrived, and after eating, we left the inn.

The streets were busy, full of people coming and going. It's going to be hard to get used to it, but at least it's better than the total silence of my apartment. 

As we walked, I noticed Rose looking around curiously.

"Would you like to explore a little?" I asked her.

"Yes." Rose answered smiling a little.

We explored the city for some time, seeing the various buildings and businesses, until I saw a 'Seamstress' sign hanging above a door further ahead. I think it's time to get Rose some new clothes.

"Hey Rose, would you like some new clothes? There's a seamstress right there." I asked her, pointing at the two-story wooden building, with a sign hanging above the door.

"No, I'm fine with what I'm wearing." Rose replied hesitantly, it was obvious that she wanted a new outfit, but was too embarrassed to ask for it.

"Come on, I insist! We have a lot of money, don't we? What's the point of having all that money if you don't spend it once in a while?" I asked, slightly pushing Rose forward, she threw all her weight back but didn't do much to stop me.

We entered the store and looked around; there were several rolls of fabric and cloth mannequins scattered everywhere with ribbons and needles on a table in the corner. 

We also saw a woman sleeping on the counter with her face lying in her arms. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head, I smiled at Rose while putting my finger in front of my lips and she just gave me a confused look.

I tiptoed closer to the counter, opened my arms with open palms, and clapped, with all my strength, making a loud sound echo throughout the store.

CLAP!

"AAAHHH!" The woman screamed, falling to the floor while spilling fabric and papers that were on the counter. 

I laughed at her reaction and I saw that Rose used all her strength to not laugh too; it was good to see her having a little fun.

"What was that idea? How can you treat a frail lady like that?" The woman at the counter said with her face red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry! You were sleeping and I couldn't resist pranking you! But going to the point, my name is Alan and that's Rose, we need new clothes for her." I said to the woman while pointing at Rose who waved slightly.

"At least you two are customers; my name is Maria by the way." Maria answered, offering a handshake.

"It's nice to meet you!" I replied, accepting it, but being careful not to squeeze her hand too hard.

-XXXXXX-

When I walked into this store, I thought that everything would go smoothly. I would introduce Rose to the tailor, she would make Rose new clothes and we would go on our way. 

What I didn't expect was Maria, as soon as she laid eyes on Rose, hugged her as if she were a doll.

"Look at her! She's adorable, so cute! Is she your sister? Can I use her as a model for my clothes?" Maria exclaimed, holding Rose in her arms and rubbing her cheek against Rose's head. 

Rose had a blank look on her face while staring at nothing; slowly she looked at me and whispered.

"Help me."

I just laughed aloud, a villain's laugh that echoed through the city.

"Maria, make yourself comfortable."

Rose's eyes widened and she tried to escape the deadly embrace.

"With pleasure." Maria replied, smiling at me.

-Streets-

We left the store with Maria at the door waving at us.

"Thank you and come back again!"

"Leave it to me!" I replied.

"And bring Rose with you!"

As soon as Rose heard this, she grabbed my hand and ran while pulling me until we entered the town square and sat on a wooden bench. 

Rose wore white dress, black shoes, and white socks with her hair tied back by a black bow tie, better than what she wore before, and she still wore my coat.

"So did you like the clothes?"

"Yes, thank you." Rose replied, smiling brightly.

"You're welcome." I smile back.

Suddenly, a group of children approached Rose, and looking at her admiringly, a little girl left the group and took Rose's hand.

"Hey, pretty lady, come play with us!" The girls said, pulling Rose's hand.

Rose looked wide-eyed at me as if asking what to do, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't worry, Rose will play with you, won't you Rose?" I said, pushing Rose forward, and making her stumble slightly.

"Let's go, Lady." The little said happily, pulling Rose away. 

Rose looked at me, begging for help, but I just nodded and smiled, and then the two of them played with the other children as I watched.

"Noir, what do you think of this place?" I asked the book inside my backpack.

"I've no opinion of these lands, Lord Alan. I just follow you wherever you go." Noir replied politely.

I figured he'd answer that.

"This land is livelier, people are smiling, birds are singing and there are forests everywhere. It's a nicer place than Tokyo; the city was practically abandoned with cloudy skies every day."

"Do you wish to live in this place, Lord Alan?"

"Good question, do I want to live here? I wonder if this is a place I would like to live, but there are people I care about back home, I wonder how they are." I answered, looking at the sky.

"No matter what Lord Alan chooses, I'll follow you to the end of the world." Noir replied determinedly.

"Thank you, Noir."

-With Rose-

I was worried when the children called me to play; I had never done it before. I stood like a statue for some time, but soon I got the hang of it, I don't think I've ever had so much fun.

I stopped for a moment and saw Alan talking to himself again, weird, everything about him is weird.

On second thought, our conversation from before didn't reveal anything about him. I only got evasive answers.

However, before I continued this line of thought, one of the kids, the little girl, approached me, hiding something behind her back.

"Here, this is for you Lady." The little girl offered me a beautiful flower.

I don't know what to say. No one gave me a flower before, but I'm happy that I someone offered me one. I accepted it with a simile and petted the little girl on her head, making her laugh.

"Thank you, I loved it, but it's getting late, I've to go now." I smiled at the girl and she smiled back, but frowned upon hearing the last part.

"Do you have to go?" The little girl asked, hugging my arm, making me jump a little in surprise.

"'Yes, but we'll see each other again."

"You promise?" The girl asked with shining eyes.

"I promise."

The little girl hugged me one last time and left, going towards her friends.

"Goodbye Lady!" The girl said, waving at me.

"Goodbye." I replied, waving back.

With the child gone, I walked towards Alan and saw him smiling cockily at me.

"Have you had fun?" Alan asked.

"Yes, are we going back to the inn now?" I asked, sitting beside him.

"No, we have one last stop, the monastery; I need to get into their library."

Why does he want to go to a library?

"And where is this monastery?"

"According to the inn's owner, there is one in a remote part out of the town. Monasteries are usually built in isolated places, but this isn't always the case." Alan replied, getting up and walking away.

Nevertheless, Alan stopped before I followed him and turned to me.

"Give me a minute." Alan said taking the flower the little girl gave me from my hands and putting it on my hair.

"Better" Alan smiled, raising his thumb in a strange gesture.

I didn't say anything, I just punched his arm.

"Ouch" Alan screamed, rubbing his arm.

"Stop it, I doubt it hurt you. Didn't you want to go to the monastery? So let's go!" I said, walking past him in a quick step. 

That idiot, what he was thinking? However, I couldn't hide the smile on my face.

-On the road to the monastery-

Monasteries are usually far away from civilization, but this isn't always the case. The monastery was a few minutes' walk from Cagliamola.

We passed through a narrow dirt road, in the middle of the forest, the monastery was in a clearing just ahead. The monastery was huge, with buildings forming a stone square two to three stories high and a bell tower. 

I stopped in front of the monastery door with Rose beside me, and by the look on her face, she was impressed.

I knocked on the big wooden door but I quickly pulled my hand away when small cracks formed on it, I hope no one noticed. 

A few minutes passed until a man opened the door. He was what you would expect from a generic monk in the middle Ages, he wore brown robes and had bowl-cut hair. 

"What do you want?" The monk demanded, looking at us suspiciously.

How rude! Aren't you going to wish me a good afternoon? At least I'm polite!

"Good afternoon my good sir, my name is Alan, and this beautiful maiden beside me is called Rose. We came here to humbly ask to use the monastery library if it isn't a problem." I said politely bowing slightly.

I hope he falls for my Oscar-worthy performance.

"Go away!" The monk exclaimed trying to close the door, but before he could do it, I put my foot in the way, preventing it. 

It hurt a little.

"Wait, my good sir! Would you, by any chance, let us use the library if we made a small donation to the monastery?" I said smiling from ear to ear, taking four gold coins from my pocket, holding them between each of my fingers, and showing them to the monk.

I prefer that strangers not know about the money, so I put some coins in my pocket for convenience while carrying the backpack full of money with me. Let's just say I don't trust leaving the gold in a place I can't see.

The monk's eyes widened while his mouth dropped open, and then he looked around and inside the monastery.

I still don't quite understand the value of bronze, silver, and gold coins here in Midgard, but by the look on his face, the amount I offered must be absurd. 

"My vow of poverty can go to hell! Welcome to our humble monastery." The monk exclaimed accepting the coins and bowing politely right after, letting Rose and I enter.

Now the monk was being much more polite, surprising how well people treat you when you have money, right? Thinking about it… My God, I just bribed a monk and the monk accepted it! We're going to Hell!

We walked through the corridors of the monastery, where we saw monks carrying out their daily tasks. 

They took water from the well in the center of the monastery garden, wrote incessantly on sheets of paper, and prayed in sync inside a chapel. 

Rose looked around curiously until we stopped in front of a large wooden door.

"This is our library, make yourself comfortable." The monk said, opening the door for us and leaving right after. 

We saw shelves and more shelves full of books, scrolls, and parchment inside the library; I approached one of the shelves and read the book titles.

"The Great Cataclysm."

"The Bestiary of Midgard."

"The Story of Midgard."

"Maps of Midgard and Its Lands."

"The Legend of the Watchers."

"A Study about Dragons."

"Theories about the Old World."

I took all these books, put them on a table, and sat down to read. 

"Hey Rose, sit next to me, and let's read together." I said to the girl who watched me silently all this time.

She looked at me reluctantly before averting her gaze.

"Rose, can you read?" I asked calmly, trying not to offend her.

"No." Rose replied ashamed.

Honestly, I'm not surprised. This is a medieval society; education of the common people isn't exactly a priority.

"Come here I read to you." I said, patting a chair beside me.

"Really?" Rose asked hopefully.

I nodded with a smile; Rose ran to my side and pulled out the chair, sitting down as I read the books to her.

I didn't know what to think, Midgard was Europe upside down. Take the map of Europe, turn it upside down, and you will have Midgard! 

However, according to the books, it wasn't always like that. Approximately a century ago, a huge city appeared in the Iberian Peninsula, the emergence of the city caused a devastating earthquake that shook the continent.

In addition, all kinds of creatures that only existed in stories, elves, centaurs, golems, fairies, dragons, and more, came with the city and spread across the world.

Amid all the chaos, Europe lost the concept of nation and became Midgard. Scholars fled to the city that appeared out of nowhere and called it Cathedral City, named after the giant cathedral in the center of it.

The most accepted theory is that the city came from a place called the Old World; some believe it's the Land of the Gods. 

Scholars studied magic in Cathedral City, and thanks to this magic, they ruled Midgard as tyrants. The current Lords are descendants of these scholars.

One of the strangest things about Midgard is how the ecosystem changed. Iceland, the UK, and Scotland became the Land of the Seas, full of sea monsters and pirates, with maritime trade being the population's main form of income.

Ukraine, Poland, and Finland became the Land of the Mountains with a compact population and few places to live. Mountains that didn't exist before appeared overnight thanks to the great cataclysm, barely leaving any flat terrain to build a house on.

Italy, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia, became the Land of the Forests, imagine all these countries taken over by a dense forest with trees of the size of buildings where most of the non-human population lives, elves, centaurs, fairies, orcs, trolls and other beings.

Elves particularly were neutral towards humans, while fairies hated them, but according to the book, fairies hated anyone who wasn't a faerie.

The Czech Republic, Germany, and France became the Land of the Sands, a desert full of ruins. Life in this land was difficult, with little water and food and being the place where the strongest monsters lived.

Finally, Spain and Portugal became the Cathedral City, a flat land with smaller towns around it, one of them being Cagliamola.

The book said that Cathedral City was full of strange buildings, a library with books that no one could read, and a great gate called the Mercury Gate. According to the book, whoever opens the gate will gain great magical power.

Great magical power, I've watched enough movies to know what will happen if someone opens the gate. 

There must be some world-destroying monster or a curse that kills whoever opens it, that would be ironic.

Maybe there's nothing inside and whoever opens it will discover that the real treasure was the friends we made along the way, but I bet on the world-destroying monster or the One Piece. 

Maybe I'll become Pirate King before Luffy.

The last book I read was about the Watchers, the information was contradictory. They sounded like angels and demons, saviors and destroyers, servants of God, and creations of the Devil. They also could appear in various forms, humanoid, abstract, or conceptual. 

I stopped reading the book, too much conflicting information for my taste.

"So Rose, what did you think of our reading?" I asked the girl beside me, she hadn't said anything while I read to her.

"Thanks for reading to me; I didn't know Midgard was so complicated." Rose answered happily.

"You and I Rose, you and I, I'm glad that you had fun but it's getting dark, let's go back to the inn." I said, closing the book, still processing all the information.

-Back to the Inn-

We arrived at the inn where we saw a commotion inside the tavern. There were several men around a table, screaming and cheering. 

A huge man, easily two meters tall and looking like a pile of muscle, was on the side of the table in an arm wrestling match with a smaller man who was losing badly. He put all his strength into it, but the giant wouldn't budge.

Therefore, the giant man smashed the smaller man's hand against the table in just one motion, followed by the smaller man's pained scream. 

Some of the men cheered louder, while others screamed in frustration, it seemed that there were bets involved.

A short man stepped from behind the giant, well-dressed and with a top hat on his head; he talked while collecting the money from the bets.

"Come on ladies and gentlemen; is there no one else to challenge the great Brutus?!? Is there no real man here?!? Are you going to arm wrestle Brutus and take the grand prize or are there only cowards here?!?"

The shot man said, swinging a bag full of money, probably the grand prize, but I won't get involved, I'd rather not draw attention. 

I walked towards the stairs to go to my room but stopped abruptly when I heard Rose scream.

"He can do it!" Rose said, pointing at me.

What was she thinking? I was going to refuse, but I changed my mind when the whole tavern laughed at me.

"HAHAHAHA!" 

Laughter echoed throughout the place, the worst part was when Brutus opened his mouth.

"Can this skinny boy beat me? Come on boy are you scared? Are you afraid I'll break those sticks you call arms?" Brutus mocked me with a shit-eating grin.

I breathed deeply, trying to calm down. Come on Alan, be the adult here, count to ten. One, two, three... 

"To hell with it, bring it on!" I screamed, passing Rose's side where I heard her whisper one word. 

"Revenge."

Therefore, that is for what happened at the tailor, good to know, good to know... There will be a payback, Rose, when you least expect it. 

I sat down facing Brutus and extended my left arm and he extended his right one.

"Looks like only the boy has the guts, too bad, you'll lose that arm in front of your girl over there. Hey girl, how about you come with me after I'm done with him? I promise I will take care of you." Brutus said to Rose.

Seriously, she mustn't even be half your age! Oh, medieval society, I forgot it! 

I looked at Rose and she grinned from ear to ear, I saw the evil behind that smile. She just told me one thing.

"Fuck him up."

With pleasure Rose, with pleasure, we grabbed each other's hands, and the short man with the top hat spoke.

"I feel sorry for you boy, but since you accepted the challenge I better explain the rules. The objective is to beat the opponent's hand on the opposite side of the table, if you win, you take the prize, but I'm not responsible for the wounds you will get. Good luck." The short man said, waving the moneybag in front of my face.

Motherfucker, it won't stay like that! I want an extra prize!

"Hey shorty, when I win I'll keep your hat." I said to the short man.

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your top hat, when I win I'll keep it, do you understand?" I said grinning, showing all my teeth in a smile so big it hurt my face.

"Y-yes, it's a deal, finish him off, Brutus!" The short man said patting Brutus's arm. 

"Very well, are you two ready? Three, two, one, GO!" The short man screamed.

The people around the tavern cheered as soon as the competition started.

"Come on Brutus!"

"Finish this boy!"

Poor bastards, they will lose all their money.

The arm wrestling started and Brutus was strong, he moved my arm, but I wondered what would happen if I put a little more strength, so I pushed back Brutus' arm, returning to the starting position.

Brutus struggled, his face red and with veins popping out, I just smiled arrogantly, enjoying the moment.

"C'mon Brutus, what's the problem?" The shot man demanded.

"That's right Brutus, what's the problem? Where's all that bravado? Can't you beat a skinny kid with stick arms? You know what; I'll make it easy for you. You can use your other hand." I said, mocking my opponent.

He accepted my challenge and I loved it! Now he used both hands, and my arm went downward again. I think it's time to end this.

I put even more strength, and both of Brutus' hands went down, the process was slow, I'm not going to lie, he was strong, but I was stronger.

"No Brutus!"

"Come on!"

"You can't lose, I bet all my money on you!"

The tavern screamed, what a sweet melody, this is a joy to my ears!

"AAAHHH!" I screamed slamming Brutus' hand on the table with such strength that he fell to the floor; I raised both arms in victory soon after.

"NO!" The short man screamed.

It's time to take my prize!

"Give me the money!" I said to the short man, outstretching my hand.

The short man gave me the money with shaking hands.

"And give me your hat!"

"T-the h-hat, of c-course, here it is sir." The short man muttered, giving me his hat.

I put it on my head it fits like a glove, now let's help Brutus. I approached the fallen man and extended my hand to help him up and he accepted it.

"It was a good match, but now I've to go." I said, walking toward Rose.

"You are a strong boy; I hope to face you again someday." Brutus replied.

I nodded and returned to Rose who still smiled evilly.

"So what do you think of the hat? I look more stylish don't I?" I asked, striking a pose.

"To me, you still look like an idiot." Rose replied, still smiling.

What a way to end my joy.

"Come on idiot I'm starving, buy me dinner." Rose said, punching my arm playfully.

Good thing I'm the one who takes care of the money, she has the appetite of a lion.

-Room of the Inn-

We were getting ready for bed when an idea popped into my head "Hey Rose would you like me to teach you how to read and write?"

"Are you going to?" Rose asked, slowly turning towards me while looking down.

"Yes." I replied with a smile.

"Thanks." Rose answered, smiling back.

This vision warmed my heart and with that done, we went to sleep, at least today, we didn't have to worry about anything.

-Fool's March-

Louis walked through the streets of Fool's March with his right arm visibly crooked; it seemed that medieval medicine wasn't good at taking care of broken bones.

He crossed dark alleys and streets until he reached a familiar building, a brothel. He entered the building and the prostitutes inside led him to a room at the back as if they already knew what he wanted.

There Louis found three men, one with a crooked leg in the knee area, the other with the jaw held by a cloth tied around the head, and another with his nose crushed.

"Hello gentlemen, it looks like you are in a difficult situation. You were robbed of all your money by a white-haired girl, and beaten by an abnormally strong boy, weren't you?" Louis asked smugly.

"What do you want, Louis?" The one with the crooked nose demanded.

"Gentlemen, I have a proposal for you." Louis said smiling evilly.

END OF CHAPTER