"Watch the coat! Hey-- Hey!" There was a commotion inside the local tavern of Kain'Tus, now only known as Kantus, that grew to an almost threatening point. The apparent resolution for the problem inside was a male human flying through the door frame of the tavern, he covered his face as he landed roughly in some mud that stank to feces. After he had landed in the mud and tried to recover himself as fast as he could a group of Draconian Imperial soldiers formed around him, tall, burly, still dressed in their grays and carrying their service guns. "I told him I would pay him later!"
"That's not what he is saying" The Sergeant, the figure was easily recognized by the Imperial Dragon etched on the helmet with a roman numeral two in the middle, pulled his sword from the sheath, an old officer saber from the pre-Imperial days, a rare sight in this time and day, then pointed at the human with it, the cleanliness of the artifact of heydays partially reflected back at him to the point he could see himself, his neck, reflected on the blade. "Our Lieutenant has patience and confidence in you but I say you are just a scoundrel looking for a quick tap and run"
"Sir, I feel offended!" He quickly rose up and stood as tall as he could, at that point he barely reached the Sergeants shoulders, and cleaned what he could with his bare hands, his face specially, spreading mud everywhere, even to the other soldiers who grunted back at him. "A man of my level would never do such a lowly thing. I wish that you apologize for that!"
"I owe no apologies to your kind, scum" The blade moved closer to the human, it flashed quickly and it stood a fingers distance from his chest.
"I demand to be recognized for what I am, as a citizen of the Empire!" The Sergeant have him a cocky smile.
"Your papers then, citizen" The man rushed through the many pockets of his coat and pants which only provoked laughter from the soldiers, he had to be careful though since there was too much inside the pockets that he did not want them to found out, it had been a highly productive night and the interception by Lieutenant Dael soldiers put a heavy strain on his work. "You left them on your other coat, citizen?" He played for a few more seconds and rapidly produced the papers from within his coat. "Hmm"
"Inner lining pockets, I always forget about those" The Sergeant carefully placed his sword back into the sheath and examined the papers.
"Name"
"Carlo Belruso" The human clapped the back of his shoes, heel with heel.
"City"
"Taer'Sin, bay city of the green kingdom"
"That is Taer now, citizen, Capital of the state of Sindoru. Remember that" Carlo
"I will Sergeant, I will also take my papers to the Office of Citizenship for correction"
"Good. Fair enough that I need not remind you of this" The Sergeant examined the papers again and the small booklet in which they came inside. "What class is your citizenship?"
"Human, Second Class non-Imperial" The Sergeant gave a couple of nods as he continued going through the papers.
"The Empire processed nineteen thousand Third Class licenses and one thousand Second Class licenses. What exactly was your profession during the Elvish occupation?"
"Why I was a tailor!"
"A tailor..." The Sergeant looked at the men around him who were just waiting the order, or a signal of any kind, to beat the man where he stood and take him to the pen. "And exactly who did you serve?"
"The former King. I was one of the many tailors at his service and so was my father and his father" The Sergeant gave a slight nod as he walked to a place with more light to examine the papers with even more detail. "If you need proof I can give you some?"
"I have enough proof as it is"
"Ah. See, nothing to worry, it is just that I am running with a bad streak of luck, with the war and all"
"Yes the war" He turned his attention from the book towards the Human. "One final question"
"Sure, go ahead Sergeant" The calmness in the voice of Belruso was breaking, he knew there was something going on with the Sergeant but he could not rush unless he wanted to be filled with lead then choking for air on the ground.
"How do you spell your last name, with an s or a z?" Belruso hesitated for a second, drinking put a strain on his memory and he found himself doubting which papers he had delivered to the Sergeant, he had to play it smooth even if he missed it.
"With an s my good man although they misspell it with a z, another thing I have to correct at the Office first thing in the morning" The Sergeant gave a nod then ripped the papers apart and threw them to the mud, the soldiers rapidly raised their guns and cocked them for firing. "What?"
"Hard to misspell that when your last name is Balru, isn't it?"
"A common misunderstanding from the Office my good man!" The Sergeant unsheathed his sword again and pointed as Belruso with it.
“To prison with you!”
“Come now Sergeant, be reasonable, it is a mistake on your end not mine”
“Mistake was to give you a second chance, our Lieutenant has been very patient and kind with you but I do not share his sympathy for you, the gallows sound like a more fitting place for you”
Shit, Belruso thought about the situation but he found himself in a hard position to escape, it would be better for him, as he had played all the possible scenarios, to be taken to prison and work from there than try to make a run for it.
“Fine then, I will pay for a mistake made by you, your Lieutenant will not let this pass though, remember that”
“Shut up and walk”
"That's not what he is saying" The Sergeant, the figure was easily recognized by the Imperial Dragon etched on the helmet with a roman numeral two in the middle, pulled his sword from the sheath, an old officer saber from the pre-Imperial days, a rare sight in this time and day, then pointed at the human with it, the cleanliness of the artifact of heydays partially reflected back at him to the point he could see himself, his neck, reflected on the blade. "Our Lieutenant has patience and confidence in you but I say you are just a scoundrel looking for a quick tap and run"
"Sir, I feel offended!" He quickly rose up and stood as tall as he could, at that point he barely reached the Sergeants shoulders, and cleaned what he could with his bare hands, his face specially, spreading mud everywhere, even to the other soldiers who grunted back at him. "A man of my level would never do such a lowly thing. I wish that you apologize for that!"
"I owe no apologies to your kind, scum" The blade moved closer to the human, it flashed quickly and it stood a fingers distance from his chest.
"I demand to be recognized for what I am, as a citizen of the Empire!" The Sergeant have him a cocky smile.
"Your papers then, citizen" The man rushed through the many pockets of his coat and pants which only provoked laughter from the soldiers, he had to be careful though since there was too much inside the pockets that he did not want them to found out, it had been a highly productive night and the interception by Lieutenant Dael soldiers put a heavy strain on his work. "You left them on your other coat, citizen?" He played for a few more seconds and rapidly produced the papers from within his coat. "Hmm"
"Inner lining pockets, I always forget about those" The Sergeant carefully placed his sword back into the sheath and examined the papers.
"Name"
"Carlo Belruso" The human clapped the back of his shoes, heel with heel.
"City"
"Taer'Sin, bay city of the green kingdom"
"That is Taer now, citizen, Capital of the state of Sindoru. Remember that" Carlo
"I will Sergeant, I will also take my papers to the Office of Citizenship for correction"
"Good. Fair enough that I need not remind you of this" The Sergeant examined the papers again and the small booklet in which they came inside. "What class is your citizenship?"
"Human, Second Class non-Imperial" The Sergeant gave a couple of nods as he continued going through the papers.
"The Empire processed nineteen thousand Third Class licenses and one thousand Second Class licenses. What exactly was your profession during the Elvish occupation?"
"Why I was a tailor!"
"A tailor..." The Sergeant looked at the men around him who were just waiting the order, or a signal of any kind, to beat the man where he stood and take him to the pen. "And exactly who did you serve?"
"The former King. I was one of the many tailors at his service and so was my father and his father" The Sergeant gave a slight nod as he walked to a place with more light to examine the papers with even more detail. "If you need proof I can give you some?"
"I have enough proof as it is"
"Ah. See, nothing to worry, it is just that I am running with a bad streak of luck, with the war and all"
"Yes the war" He turned his attention from the book towards the Human. "One final question"
"Sure, go ahead Sergeant" The calmness in the voice of Belruso was breaking, he knew there was something going on with the Sergeant but he could not rush unless he wanted to be filled with lead then choking for air on the ground.
"How do you spell your last name, with an s or a z?" Belruso hesitated for a second, drinking put a strain on his memory and he found himself doubting which papers he had delivered to the Sergeant, he had to play it smooth even if he missed it.
"With an s my good man although they misspell it with a z, another thing I have to correct at the Office first thing in the morning" The Sergeant gave a nod then ripped the papers apart and threw them to the mud, the soldiers rapidly raised their guns and cocked them for firing. "What?"
"Hard to misspell that when your last name is Balru, isn't it?"
"A common misunderstanding from the Office my good man!" The Sergeant unsheathed his sword again and pointed as Belruso with it.
“To prison with you!”
“Come now Sergeant, be reasonable, it is a mistake on your end not mine”
“Mistake was to give you a second chance, our Lieutenant has been very patient and kind with you but I do not share his sympathy for you, the gallows sound like a more fitting place for you”
Shit, Belruso thought about the situation but he found himself in a hard position to escape, it would be better for him, as he had played all the possible scenarios, to be taken to prison and work from there than try to make a run for it.
“Fine then, I will pay for a mistake made by you, your Lieutenant will not let this pass though, remember that”
“Shut up and walk”
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