The Heavenly Host

Gadius shrugged; in most places, it was their striking appearance as individuals or as a pair that garnered the attention. Although if either of them was mounted, the attention was always on the mount. He grinned; this was the one place where he was not sure of the source of the stares. All Oorstemothian soldiers were immaculately uniformed in expensive outfits. Given that all civilians seemed remarkably unarmed, the presence of well-armed knights not of Oorstemothian origin should be unique as well.

They turned the corner on the designated street and continued on silently for a block before coming to the door of the recommended tavern.

“The Unicorn’s Tale,” Gadius observed sourly, reading the sign.

Gaius laughed. “Well, at least it’s a story and not a tail.”

“Such jokes are not funny; nor are such plays on words,” Gadius stated firmly.

Gaius laughed again and slapped Gadius on the back. “You really should not take everything so seriously or personally. Do you think anyone in Oorstemoth has even seen a unicorn? Unicorns are merely myths here.”

Gadius gave him a dark grin and a stare. “So you are saying it is good we entered the way we did, so as to continue the myth? That would seem to do nothing but perpetuate stereotypes. Better to let people understand the reality, to accept it.”

“How many times must we argue this? Yes, the truth is best served by openness and honesty, but sometimes more good can be served if there is some mystery left in the world,” Gaius said.

Gadius smiled. “Neither of us will win this argument. I am too pragmatic to force any such issue in the real world prematurely, so we are where we always are.”

“Where almost everyone has been for centuries. Fortunately, scarcity makes the choice effectively moot,” Gaius said as they walked up to the bar. He made a small motion with his hand to end the discussion now that others were present. They had noted the posted time of day during which alcohol was sold at the door’s entrance. It was still a bit early, but the tavern was open for alcohol now, and they had been travelling the aether for several days.

“Ah, my good barman, might we purchase one of your fine libations? An ale perhaps?” Gaius asked.

The barman nodded in greeting at the two. “Certainly; two ales it is then?” Gaius nodded.

Smiling, the barman reached down below the bar and pulled up two sets of documents bound by a small string loop in the upper left corner. The documents appeared to be some form of contract. “I just need you to sign the waiver of liability, the acknowledgement of the health dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other substances within our foods, along with the absolution of responsibility for any actions taken by you after partaking in food and beverage within these premises.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Just the standard stuff you have to sign everywhere these days. Nothing unusual, all on the same old eight pages.” He shrugged. “Oh, and of course, an ID to verify the name and signature.”

Gadius shook his head and grinned. He had heard stories, but no one seriously believed them. He now believed. These Oorstemothians were something else. He found it amazing that Oorstemoth could maintain such an efficient and flexible army and navy with so much paperwork. Normal soldiers everywhere else could barely read, let alone understand and sign contracts. He frowned. Oorstemoth must have a very highly educated population if they were all expected to sign and understand legal contracts for everyday activities. After they had signed the documents, the barman handed them each a small bracelet with an odd charm on it to wear on their wrists.

“These indicate that we have your paperwork on file. You can add charms from other taverns and bars if you need to,” The bartender said.

“Interesting... quite useful, it would seem,” Gaius noted to the man.

“That’s the advantage of the strong guild system here. The Tavern Keeper’s Guild ensures that all inns, bars, taverns and other similarly licensed establishments all cooperate to ease the overhead cost in ensuring that all patrons are properly informed and up to date on their agreements with the establishments.”

“Curious,” Gaius said, looking at the charm and ensuring it was not too magical. Simply a small, inscribed runic symbol with an object link back to a centering piece in this tavern.

While the two knights were fastening on their bracelets, the barman poured each of them a house ale from a cask. Gadius raised his eyebrows in surprise as the barman set down two frosty glass mugs of ale. He was not sure if he was more surprised by the glass mugs, or the fact that they served their beer cold. He and Gadius generally preferred cold beer, but as Knights Rampant they were often adventuring in backwaters without the resources to chill beverages.