The Fall of Everything [Rewrite]

The city of Sorbaj was protected by walls made of makeshift logs. The city had three entrances. They were to the east, north and south of the city. The convoy approaching the city arrived at the southern gate. The young man at the front of the convoy and another man with him approached the guards guarding the entrance. The young man was saying something in Adler language and the man next to him was translating it to the guards. The guards understood only the words 'Corvus ' and 'Tiamat' .
"The young man with me is Belisarius, crown prince of the Kingdom of Adler. He has brought some materials requested by Corvus Tiamat."
The guards worked for the Tiamat family and they didn't feel the need to check the convoy after hearing Corvus' name. They also didn't ask for the 'tax' they charge the merchants entering the city.
"Go straight ahead. When you approach the mountain, you will see a big house made of red rocks. You will find Corvus there."
The guards made no difficulty, so the interpreter handed the money Belisarius had handed him to the guards and made a signal for the convoy to move off.
As Belisarius entered the city, he agreed with Corvus' description. He had entered the city with a large convoy without even being checked. It seemed easy enough to sneak into the city, given the city's lopsided walls, but to enter so easily through the front gate made him question the city's security. The roads of the city were as crooked as the houses in the city. At some points in the city, the roads were so bad that the convoy could not move forward. There was no order in the city at all.
Another thing that caught Belisarius' attention was the merchants in the city. Most of the merchants were not from Rhazgord. They were immediately recognizable by their appearance. Moreover, the goods they sold were of very poor quality and expensive. Nevertheless, there were long queues in front of each of them.
As Belisarius rode through the city, an old man holding several swords approached his horse. Belisarius' bodyguards had been on edge since the moment they entered the city and they gripped their swords at the unexpected event. Belisarius' interpreter immediately turned around to calm the soldiers who were reaching for their swords. Then he turned to the man who was trying to show Belisarius his swords and listened to what he wanted to say.
"The old man wants to sell his swords, Your Majesty. The Rhazgordians are very skilled blacksmiths. Are you interested?"
The old man's gaze was not that of a warrior, as Belisarius had expected. The only thing in the old man's eyes was helplessness. The old man's gaze caused Belisarius to feel a deep, strange sadness. Belisarius dismounted to take a closer look at the swords the old man was selling. He examined all three swords at length. The swords were too heavy for Belisarius, but they were of a quality that the best blacksmiths in the Kingdom of Adler could never dream of making.
"All three are very fine swords. I would like to buy all three. Would you ask the price for me, Perze?"
Belisarius' translator spoke briefly to the old man.
"My lord, they are worth 200 Rhazgord coins. That is almost five silver Adler coins. You can pay in Adler coins."
Belisarius was stunned by the price. "Five silvers? Are you sure it's not gold?"
Belisarius' astonishment alarmed the old man. He looked at Belisarius with pleading eyes and made the sign of four with his hands.
"I'm sure I translated it correctly, my lord. In fact, he says you can have it for four silver coins if it's too expensive for you."
Belisarius was surprised not because the price was high, but because it was so low. Four pieces of silver was less than the daily income of the most menial laborers in the Kingdom of Adler. These swords could easily have been sold for several Adler gold coins each. One Adler gold coin was worth a hundred Adler silver coins. The price the old man quoted was dozens of times cheaper than it should have been.
Belisarius took five gold coins out of his money pouch and handed them to the old man. When the old man saw the gold coins, he didn't want to take them. He looked a little angry.
"Your Majesty, the man says the money is too much and that he is not a beggar. He has sold swords for that price before."
Belisarius knew how proud the Rhazgords were. "Perze, I want you to translate exactly what I say."
"I know you are not a beggar. I gave you what your swords were worth. Whoever it was who bought them from you at that price before has cheated you. If you have other swords of this quality, I would like to buy them too."
Belisarius' statement shook the old man. He said something in anger and then quickly calmed down. He took only three gold coins from Belisarius and said something else.
"Your Majesty agreed to take only three gold coins because you told him the true value of the weapons he made.Unfortunately, he said that he had run out of the ore needed to make weapons and that he only had these three swords..." The old man intervened and said something. "As I was trying to tell you, he only has three swords left, but if you wait a week or so, he can get the materials and make some more weapons."
Unfortunately, Belisarius had no time. After telling the old man that he would definitely buy the swords the next time he came to Sorbaj, they continued on their way. Along the way many people, like the old man, approached the convoy and tried to sell something. Almost everyone who came offered a much lower price than they should have. Belisarius tried to buy everything he could use, but he had no intention of spending money on useless things.
Belisarius wanted to see the city, but he couldn't leave the convoy. They had wasted a lot of time with the sellers they met on the way, so they decided to speed up. As they approached the Rhaz mountain and the 'palace' of Sanguinar, they noticed a crowd gathering at the foot of the mountain, but they did not dwell on it and headed towards the palace. It was getting dark and everyone in the convoy was tired.
They were close to the palace when five warriors blocked their way. These warriors were big men, very well equipped. Even the shortest of them was two meters tall. The biggest warrior stepped forward and began to speak in a booming voice. The interpreter translated what was being said instantly.
"No outsiders are allowed to approach the Red Mansion or Mount Rhaz from here without Sanguinar'spermission! If you try to cross from here, we will use force! Turn back!"
The interpreter became alarmed. For a moment he even considered turning back. When he remembered that the cargo they were carrying belonged to Sanguinar's son, he was a little less alarmed.
"The man with me is Belisarius, crown prince of the Kingdom of Adler. He is a friend of Corvus Tiamat. The cargo we are carrying consists of goods belonging to Corvus Tiamat and gifts for the Great Sanguinar Sakhaar."
After the warriors had spoken among themselves, one of them left and started to hurry towards the Red Mansion. The interpreter leaned into the prince's ear and said , "They have gone to summon someone named Kaelyra. Even if they don't let us pass, I know a place to stay." Belisarius nodded to the interpreter.
It seemed strange to Belisarius that Kaelyra had been summoned instead of Corvus, but he didn't poke around. He remembered Kaelyra and knew she was an important figure. While waiting for Kaelyra, small talk passed between the interpreter and the warriors, but the interpreter did not translate it.
Soon Kaelyra and the man who had gone to summon her emerged from the Red Mansion and headed for the convoy. Kaelyra was tall, but not a large woman. She wore her black hair in a single braid down to her waist and her green eyes shone. She was a woman any man would want to get close to, but the big axe on her back and the leather armor she wore made men think twice. Kaelyra's anger was evident in every part of her body. She was a walking fireball. Soon she was in front of Belisarius. She began to speak in Adler language. She had a thick accent, but it was clear that she knew some Adler language.
"What brings you all the way here, prince of Adler?"
The interpreter interrupted and tried to speak, but Kaelyra's booming voice shut him up.
"First of all! I am not talking to you, I am talking to the prince!" She grabbed the reins of the interpreter's horse and pulled him down. Both the interpreter and his horse fell to the ground. "Second! You will get off your horse when you talk to me! I don't like to raise my head when talking to my inferiors!" These words were directed at the interpreter, but everyone in the convoy, including Belisarius, dismounted. The Razgord warriors laughed, but their amusement was interrupted by Kaelyra's sharp gaze.
"Now for you, prince! I have a lot on my plate because of Corvus. I have no time for you. Tell me what you want."
For the first time in his life, the prince was being treated like this, but his fear overcame his pride. The woman in front of him was breathing fire.
"We bring the goods Corvus bought from us and ..."
His words were interrupted by the screams of several men coming down from Mount Rhaz. Everyone turned to the man carrying a badly wounded youth on his back and a few others with him. Kaelyra's face turned pale at the sight. "Bastard! He has sworn to turn the whole city against him!" she said in Rhazgord. Belisarius understood that Kaelyra was swearing. It was one of the first words Corvus had taught him.
Kaelyra looked worried. Belisarius was about to ask what had happened when Kaelyra turned to him. Immediately she turned to the largest of the warriors.
"The prince has an important message for Corvus. I need to take him to Corvus immediately, brother."
It was her eldest brother Kaelyra was talking to. He was the head of the soldiers responsible for protecting Mount Rhaz and the Red Mansion. He understood his sister's intentions and nodded. Before Belisarius knew what was happening, Kaelyra was dragging him towards Mount Rhaz. Belisarius' bodyguards did not make a single sound, they just watched as Belisarius was dragged away.