Bog Standard Isekai-Chapter 46Book 4.

The evacuation was news enough, but Brin was more interested in why.

"What do you think?" Cid asked Brin.

"I don't know. There's a lot about this situation that doesn't make any sense."

"You're right." Cid nodded. "We need more information. Let's go."

The two of them hopped back on their horses and rode towards the center of town, but when the crowds began to press in Cid worried about bringing their horses into a potential riot so they elected to leave them in the care of a nice hotel and made their way on foot.

Brin sent commands to the rest of the Lance to do the same, and they grouped up again before Cid and Brin got to the square. Together, the entire Lance set off to find the Herald.

In the city square, the people of Canibri were in a panic. The chaos was only short of a riot because of the three day timeline, but they shoved and shouted, all trying to move in every direction. The Lance was a solid barge of steel, pushing their way through the mass of humanity in a straight line. Up ahead, a line of soldiers were pressing back a mob of citizens who were trying to demand more information from the [Herald]. They mostly used shields, but now and again someone would push too hard and then the clubs would come out, beating the offender down and leaving them on the ground to be trampled by the rest.

Cid pushed straight through the mob, and the soldiers stepped aside to let them through before closing ranks again.

The [Herald], wearing polished armor and a winged helmet held a hand up as if to order them to stop. "Foreign knights, Lord Mordelet invites you in the name of the Kingdom of Prinnash to depart back to your homelands at your earliest convenience. Your service to Prinnash is appreciated but no longer required, and unfortunately, internal complications require us to immediately close our borders to foreign agents."

"Foreign knights? How dare you! I am a true man of Prinnash!" Rhun said, quivering in outrage.

"A true servant of an Ollandish organization," the [Herald] said.

"We were ordered to join the Order of the Long Sleep!" said Rhun.

"And now you are ordered to depart," said the [Herald].

"You--!" Rhun began to draw his sword, but Cid stopped him with a hand on his arm.

Cid said, "We'll take your suggestion under advisement. But I must say, I lead a Lance made up from the sons of three nations and none of them answer to anyone called Lord Mordelet."

"This is not a suggestion, but an order. Any foreign agent who remains in Prinnash will be counted as a bandit and treated accordingly," said the [Herald].

"I'm an honorable man, a [Knight], and the son of a lord, and you call me a bandit?" asked Cid.

"I have not called you a bandit. I only deliver the orders of Lord Mordelet. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have the work of the kingdom to be about," said the [Herald]. Then he made a quick escape. Technically, he didn't run away; he strode away with purpose, but the movement Skills he used made sure that he was gone before Cid could decide if he felt insulted or not.

Cid frowned after the man, and then glanced at the rest of his Lance. He said, "Let's find some place quiet to decide our next steps."

"If they think we will flee like dogs with the tails between our legs..." Rhun said, still fuming.

"Peace, Rhun. No one said anything about fleeing," said Cid, and though many of the other men wore matching expressions of anger, that appeased them for now.

The Lance made their way out of the main square and towards the edge of town where the mood wasn't quite so tense and the people weren't so panicked. They went towards the upper-class district, which looking at it now was oddly empty, almost as if many of them had been warned ahead of time. Cid led them towards the inn where they'd left their horses. It was a nice place, though nothing like the extravagant inns that Hogg always took him to.

As they entered, a woman carrying a large armchair stopped in her tracks and said, "Oh! Excuse me, sirs, but we were just about to close up."

"No apologies necessary, madam, we won't get in your way," said Cid. The Lance made their way over to what furniture still lay in the lounge and Cid sat though the rest of them stayed standing, feeling tense.

He saw a silent conversation pass between members of the staff, a series of consternated frowns and meaningful glances before they collectively seemed to come to a decision and a man approached. "Excuse me, sirs, but can we offer you some refreshment? I'm afraid our kitchen is closed, but I can offer meat, bread, and cheese, and perhaps a cold cider?"

"That would be most agreeable," said Cid, and flipped the man a silver coin. "Now Brin, what are your thoughts?"

"This whole thing stinks. The only thing that would make any sense is if there were a goblin army on the way here, right on the doorstep, but we've been scouring the countryside for months without finding any more goblins. How are they all suddenly here in numbers large enough to threaten an entire city? The only thing I can think of that fits is that there's someone working with them," said Brin.

"Impossible," said Rhun. "No true man of Prinnash would ever--"

"It might not be a man of Prinnash," said Aeron. "Remember how the [Herald] wants all foreigners out of the country? They must have some evidence that foreign infiltrators are directing the goblins. Yes, it all makes sense!"

That sounded pretty far-fetched to Brin. If there was a traitor, it would almost definitely have to be a native Prinnashian, but instead of arguing he said, "Let's go with that. My second question is why an evacuation? Sure, the army might be gone, but this is Prinnash, isn't it? Nearly every adult man I've ever met in this country has some sort of combat variant Class. Do they really not think they could mount a defense?"

"That's a really good point," said Hedrek, scratching his beard. "Ever since I heard the evacuation all I've been thinking about is fighting whatever it is that everyone's so scared of. Even if it's just the ten of us, I want to stay and fight."

"All true men of Prinnash feel the same," said Rhun. "Lord Mordelet is a cur!"

"The last possibility is that there is no goblin army. This could all just be the political maneuvering of the nobles. Someone doesn't like Lord Mordelet, or someone doesn't like this city being here, or there's an industry here that they want to undercut," said Brin.

Rhun said, "The lords of Prinnash are [Warriors] and fighting men. They would never--"

"Are you stupid? Of course they would!" Brych snapped.

"I'm hearing a lot of questions, but few answers," said Cid. "I'll require more information before deciding on a plan of action."

"That's just what I was thinking," said Brin.

"We'll split up and gather information," said Cid.

"Excellent," said Brin. "Hedrek, I want you to talk to the soldiers. I'd want to hear why they think the evacuation is happening, and I want locations. Where did the [Herald] come from, where is Lord Mordelet, and for the love of Solia, where is Lothar? That last question is for all of you."

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Hedrek nodded. "I can get them talking, sure enough. Remembering what to ask about, though..."

Brin said, "Aeron, go with him. Rhun, Meredydd, and Cowl, I'd like you to go incognito in the inns and the main square. I want to hear what people are saying in public, what the news is saying, and the things that everyone knows that we haven't heard yet. Brych and Anwir, I'd like you to focus on what people are saying in private. Especially here in the rich quarter, I want to know when they left and what they were told. Govannon, someone will need to stay here and coordinate. We need to keep our home base."

Govannon scowled. "Why me? What will you be doing?"

"I thought I might call on Lord Mordelet. If he's at home, we might be able to get all our answers straight from the source," said Brin.

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Marksi chirped to indicate that he’d be joining Brin as well.

“Yeah, you’re going to be great at this!” said Brin.

"I'll join you as well," said Cid.

Brin paused. "Oh, uh, I wasn't actually going to..."

"What I mean is, I'll actually call on the Mordelet household while you sneak around," said Cid.

"Perfect!" said Brin.

The plan of action decided, the Lance split ways. There was a minor shuffle as the men who were going incognito needed to change out of their armor and into more normal-looking clothes. The staff of the inn relented and gave them a few rooms for their use.

Without any more delays, the Lance set off, going their separate ways. Brin kept an Invisible Eye on each of them as well as some for his half-siblings and a few to scout around town.That many Invisible Eyes made a noticeable impact on his sense of time. That was fine for now, but it meant he wouldn't have a lot of space left for his own work. He split off a quarter of his mind and let it handle monitoring the Lance, keeping the rest of his consciousness for himself.

He and Cid also shed their armor in favor of formal attire and went towards the governor's fort on foot. Cid didn't think they'd be allowed to bring weapons into the building, but Brin could handle that much with his illusions. He stashed his Bog Standard spear in his storage ring, and then wore Cid's sword at his belt and turned it invisible. There were Classes that could sniff out invisible people, but turning one cold, solid object invisible was much less of a risk.

With no armor and no Lance behind them, it was a little bit slower going. They didn't have much to fear from the commoners scurrying around, but no one went out of their way to avoid them, and neither of them wanted to get their nice clothes messed up before they arrived.

The governor's fort was massive seeing it up close. A pristine white edifice rising into the air, seemingly untouched by the chaos of the people around them. It was like a giant middle finger to the rest of the town.

Brin tried to send an Invisible Eye inside, but some sort of magic on the walls rebuffed it.

"We'll have to go inside," he said.

A ring of guards surrounded the structure and they called out warnings to Cid, telling him to turn back.

That was no barrier to Marksi, who turned on his camouflage and scampered straight through the line of guards, completely unseen.

Cid picked out the one who looked most likely to be an officer and stepped forward.

"I am Lord Gurthcid Trevorrow and I demand to speak to Lord Mordelet! You there, fetch him at once!"

"The town is under evacuation orders. Haven't you heard? And Lord Mordelet is no longer in residence," the officer shouted back.

"This is outrageous! I won't be treated this way. I only arrived today to find the city in upheaval. Who is in residence? I demand to speak to your superior," said Cid.

Brin didn't think demanding to speak to the manager was a tactic that worked outside of American department stores, but it worked here. The officer eyed the beginning of a mob starting to rally behind Cid with alarm and said, "Come through. Just you and your man. The rest of you get back! Clear the premises!"

Cid and Brin rushed through the line of soldiers and entered into the tower.

Inside, no one stood in the front hall to greet them. The marble floor was crisscrossed with dirty footsteps, there were empty plinths where statues might have once stood, torn wallpaper on the walls, and nails where paintings might once have been hung.

The building wasn't completely empty, however. He heard voices and the sounds of people moving around on the higher floors.

"We'll split up here," said Cid.

"Right," said Brin, and covered himself in Invisibility. Cid went straight for the main staircases, shouting for someone to explain what was going on, and overall acting like a lost, dimwitted noble.

Brin went through a door that looked like it went to a servants hallway and rushed through. With no one in sight, he paused for a moment to summon a half-dozen Invisible Eyes to swim through the fortress and see what could be found.

He found servants and guards moving up and down the stairs and most seemed to be in the process of moving furniture and things down the building and into a tunnel in the basement. Following the tunnel, he saw it lead under the entire city and then out of town. There was a wagon caravan waiting there. The Lord Mordelet residence was moving out, and from the looks of things they were nearly finished. Of course if they planned to empty the town they'd move themselves out before letting anyone else know.

Anything expensive and easy to move, such as art, was already gone, and now the servants looked to be in the process of trying to move large pieces of furniture, things one might leave for last if they didn't know how much time they had.

There were also two different types of livery; some servants wore purple and gray, and others wore green and black. The majority of the guards were green and black, and while at first glance it looked like everyone was working together, the cracks didn't take long to show. The purple and grays looked a lot more fearful and discouraged, and the green and blacks were very open with shouts and insults in their direction.

Which of these groups represented Mordelet?

The fifth floor had a group of the purple and gray servants huddled together in a storage room, perhaps seeking safety in numbers. A couple of them sat with their backs holding the door closed, and a few were laying straight on the floor, asleep.

Brin's eyes couldn't get to the sixth floor. Enchantments blocked him from snooping further.

Brin started upwards and soon realized that invisiblity wasn't going to cut it here. Several of the soldiers openly wore their [Rogue] Classes, and he saw a [Watchful Guard]. He could silence himself and stay invisible, but [Rogues] had a bunch of other senses that would give him away.

He dismissed his Invisibility and used light magic to paint himself in the purple and gray of the "loser" servants. He also used magic to scrub all the scars off his face and hands, trying to make himself look as normal as possible.

Yes, he could probably use Copy Light to put a servant's face over his own, but it would be frozen in place. He wasn't good enough with that yet to make a face move realistically. He'd have to hope changing the color of his clothes was good enough.

Looking in a mirror, he wasn't quite satisfied with the results. He'd shot up a whole six inches in the last few months, so the unassuming little servant boy disguise he was hoping for wasn't as good as it would've been before he'd come to Prinnash. He rubbed his eyes hard with his fists, irritating them enough that they turned red to look like he'd been crying. That would have to be good enough.

He started up the stairs and few people glanced in his direction. A guard in green barked at him to move faster when he walked by. A woman in purple told him, "Don't worry. We're going to be just fine."

While he walked, he saw through an Invisible Eye that Cid had found someone to talk to, a [Steward] in the unfortunate purple and gray.

"What's that? You're the [Steward] of Lord Mordelet? How grand, that's just who I was looking for. And you say that those others in the green and black are the servants of High Lord Prima."

"That's correct, sir," said the [Steward].

"As you know, High Lord Prima belongs to the Prinnashian High Council, and his holdings are located in Gonwy, which is the closest major city to Canibri. I'm sure you are well aware that the [King] is sometimes seen as a figurehead in Prinnash and that the real ruling body here is the High Council," said Cid. Of course the [Steward] would be well aware of all of that. He was saying this for Brin's benefit.

"Yes, I know that," said the [Steward], looking confused.

“So what’s going on here? Why is Lord Prima ransacking this place?” asked Cid.

“We’ve been ordered to evacuate. As you can see, we’re in the process of moving out. Lord Prima’s men kindly offered to… assist,” said the Steward.

"It looks to me that High Lord Prima is robbing Lord Mordelet blind here. He's using the evacuation to subsume the citizenry of Canibri into his own holdings, and now we're witnessing him pilfering poor Mordelet’s possessions," said Cid. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were no goblin army at all!"

"Goblins? Is that what people are saying?" said the [Steward], looking sick.

This was beginning to look more and more like what Brin had guessed was happening; a noble was using the war as cover to launch a sneaky invasion of one of his neighbors.

“Are you saying it’s not goblins? Then why are you evacuating?” asked Cid.

The [Steward] answered with the defeated sigh of someone who was just saying whatever he could to get Cid to leave him alone. “Of course it must be goblins. Of course, no one would ever order the evacuation of a city unless there was real danger on the horizon.”

"Where is Lord Mordelet?" demanded Cid.

"I'm not at liberty to say," said the [Steward].

"Meaning you don't know," said Cid.

"I don't know."

"Then I'll keep looking until I find someone who does!"

Brin took that as his cue to keep looking as well. He didn’t see Marksi anywhere, but that didn’t mean anything. Marksi would reveal himself when he found something worth showing off and not before. Brin went up another flight of stairs until he got to the fifth floor. While he walked, he checked in on the servants who were hiding out in an empty room. The ones on the floor weren't just sleeping; they looked sick, or maybe injured though there wasn’t any visible blood and no bandages.

He had to switch his attention back to his physical body because a mean-looking guard in the green and black stood in front of the staircase leading up from here, but something else called out to his attention.

Brin felt his [Monster Sense] go off. It was rare to feel anything from [Monster Sense]; for whatever reason neither undead nor goblins counted as monsters in the eyes of the System.

But something that did count was in the building with them. Right above them on the sixth floor, there was a monster.