Chapter 27: White Harbor (Part 1)
[POV AQUILES VIRIDIUM – YEAR 276]
The days passed monotonously as Aquiles rode along the winding road snaking downhill towards White Harbor. It was now midday, and the sun was high in the sky, vividly contrasting with the gray Northern sky. On the horizon, White Harbor began to majestically reveal itself amidst the trees lining the path.
Even at a considerable distance, the first signs of White Harbor materialized in the distance, allowing Aquiles to see the beauty of the city. The thick, towering white walls, adorned with imposing towers also made of white stones, rose towards the sky like spears. The walls completely encircled the city, while it stretched along the coast, a remarkable sight from the high and privileged position the road traversed.
On each of the wall's towers flew the sigil of House Manderly, fluttering in the wind on flags atop the towers. The sigil of House Manderly is a white Merman holding a trident against a blue-green background.
Seen from a distance, where Aquiles was, the city's houses appeared to be constructions of whitewashed stone, with steep roofs of dark gray slate. These houses only added to the city's beauty, reminding Aquiles of Santorini, a Greek city from his ancient world. In the center of White Harbor, atop what looked like a small hill from afar, stood a castle much larger than all the surrounding structures and entirely made of white stone, emphasizing the city's wealth and, consequently, that of House Manderly.
An expression of admiration formed on Aquiles' face as he gazed at the distant and beautiful White Harbor. "Seems like House Manderly isn't lacking in gold," he thought, giving his horse a gentle tap on the belly with his heels to urge it forward.
As Aquiles approached the city, the salty breeze from the Narrow Sea began to caress his face, carrying with it the sharp scent characteristic of the sea. As he drew nearer, he also began to hear the characteristic buzz coming from a bustling city, leaving Aquiles slightly anxious, feeling a slight knot in his stomach at the thought of encountering people again. After all, it had been five years since he had seen another human.
As he passed through the iron gate of the city wall, people around him began to look at him, some children even pointing their fingers in his direction. For a moment, he didn't know the reason for such a reaction, but it didn't take long for him to realize the cause. "They're not pointing at me, they're pointing at the 2.5-meter-tall brown horse, muscular as a bull," Aquiles thought as he glanced sideways, toward the other horses nearby, and noticed the striking difference.
The horse closest to Aquiles barely surpassed 1.60 meters, displaying a slender and bony body, while the other mounts in the vicinity, observed during his ride through the streets, showed no significant differences. It was for this reason that Aquiles' equine companion stood out so much, its size being nearly 1 meter taller than any other, at 2.5 meters, and sometimes more muscular. "This fellow's size attracts too much attention!" Aquiles conjectured with a hint of discomfort, not wanting to draw so much attention.
As Aquiles slowly made his way through the streets towards the city's port, an itch in his beard caught his attention, reminding him that it had been over 5 years since he last trimmed it. Due to his neglect, his beard now extended beyond his neck, making him appear much older than he actually was.
While scratching his beard to relieve the sensation, Aquiles glanced towards a beggar on the corner of the sidewalk, begging, striving to receive some coins from the passing people, and made a decision. Aquiles pulled the reins and guided his horse towards the man. When the man turned to him, Aquiles inquired, "Sir, have you been in the city for a long time?"
"Since I was born," replied the man in a dry tone, showing little interest in Aquiles' presence, then promptly returning to begging from the passersby.
Aquiles didn't mind the man's attitude. He knew how money could be persuasive and promptly reached out towards the bag of gold hanging at his side. "Take me to a place where I can cut my hair, and this will be yours," Aquiles proposed, withdrawing a golden dragon from the bag hanging at his waist.
Upon catching sight of the gold coin between Aquiles' fingers, the man's face lit up, and an expression of euphoria took over his face. He quickly got up, ignoring the apparent injury to his leg that prevented him from working. Awkwardly limping towards Aquiles, the beggar approached. However, he wasn't the only one to approach.
Some passersby who also heard Aquiles' proposal and saw the gold dragon in his fingers promptly began to gather around, eager to obtain the valuable gold coin, offering to guide him anywhere Aquiles wanted to go.
As they approached Aquiles' horse, the beggar cursed and swore at them and even pushed two of them back, saying that Aquiles had chosen him first. The two men pushed back, knocking the beggar over. "Sir, let me guide you, I know every inch of this city, I can take you anywhere you want to go!" One of the men shouted.
But another quickly approached, shoving the man aside as he said, "Don't believe him, he's a thief and will lead you into an ambush. I can take you, and I'll accept payment in just half a gold dragon."
As the men argued amongst themselves, the beggar quickly rose from the ground, kicked them with his injured leg, spat at them, and cursed, and soon another fight broke out. "How much is a gold dragon worth to make so many people fight like this?" Aquiles wondered as he watched the scene unfold before him. Having read the books, Aquiles knew the coin was valuable, but he still didn't have a precise notion of how much.
Aquiles was forced to intervene when the beggar was once again knocked down, and the men around began to kick him. Moving his horse towards the fight, Aquiles activated {Extreme Human} and positioned himself between the fighters to interrupt the conflict, pushing some of them easily and throwing them away from the man. Some of those thrown to the ground looked at him with obvious resentment, but upon seeing how easily Aquiles tossed them aside, they realized that facing Aquiles would be a daunting task and merely glared resentfully in his direction.
After the fight ended, Aquiles stated that the beggar would keep the job. The rest of the crowd did not seem pleased, but facing Aquiles' imposing presence, with his exact two meters, robust build, thick golden beard extending past his neck, and his golden eyes shining with mana staring at them like a predator eyeing its prey, fear overtook them, forcing them to retreat while cursing.
As the people dispersed, the beggar took the lead of the horse, walking awkwardly. Obviously, his leg was hurting a lot, after all, he had received many kicks, and some had hit his injured leg.
"Hey, wait." Aquiles said, and the man turned to Aquiles with confusion.
"Have I done something to displease you, sir?" Asked the beggar in a fearful tone.
"Come here..." Aquiles said, and the man quickly approached. When he did so, Aquiles looked around and, seeing that no one was looking in their direction, Aquiles touched the beggar's head and activated the ability {Gift of Healing}. Upon doing so, the man's face changed completely to a shocked expression. Aquiles withdrew his hand from the man's head and said, "Stop that expression now!"
Despite Aquiles' command, the beggar did not obey, quickly looking towards the leg that had been crooked and wounded before, realizing it was completely healed. He turned repeatedly, looking from the leg to Aquiles and from Aquiles to the leg, until he finally spoke, "You, sir, you... Are you some kind of Saint?"
"I'm just a Septon... Now shut your mouth and continue guiding me. If I hear your voice again, I'll withdraw my blessing from you, boy." Aquiles stated in a stern tone. The man's reaction ended up attracting more attention than necessary.
"Oh, yes. Please, me follow. I mean, follow me..." The man seemed unsure of what to say and quickly shut his mouth, hurrying forward with Aquiles following. Occasionally, the man would turn towards Aquiles; his eyes shining with adoration. Whether due to fear of Aquiles withdrawing the blessing that had healed him and returning him to his previous state or for some other reason, he did not speak again for the entire journey.
About 10 minutes after the beggar began guiding Aquiles through the gray stone streets of the city, they reached an imposing two-story mansion, built of white stone. The construction was grand and stood in a wealthier area of the city. Additionally, it had a white stone wall surrounding the house, the gate of the wall was wooden, adorned with some carvings on the wood.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone