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His Soul is Marching On to Another World; or, the John Brown Isekai

Reader mode
Shinasi deciding to follow John Brown was unexpected. Good, but unexpected. I just hope that this is a true offer of aid and not the setup for a betrayal.
 
Awesome story, inspired me to write yet another version of John Brown's Body:

John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave
While mourn the sons of bondage, who he ventured all to save
But though he lost his life while struggling for the slave
His body marches on!

[Chorus]

John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true, and brave
And Kansas knew his valor when he fought her rights to save
And now, though the grass grows green above his grave
His body marches on!

[Chorus]

He captured Harper's Ferry with his nineteen men so true
He frightened old Virginia till she trembled through and through
They hung him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew
His body marches on!

[Chorus]

The stars above in Heaven are looking kindly down
On this sacred soul now martyred that calls itself Jo(h)n Brown
Let Heaven ring with anthems, and his soul his mission crown
For his soul yet marches on

[Chorus]

John Brown's body wakes a-savèd from his grave
The stars of Gemeinplatzer herald justice for this age
His first fight was won by others, but this world yet builds the cage
For he yet marches on

[Chorus]

He rises in his wisdom, his craftwork saved his life
He harbored young Ayomide, for to slavers he is strife
He marches now for Freedom's sake, he defends it with his knife
For he yet marches on

[Chorus]

Tremble now O slavers, who worship traitors fell
They but cut away his weakness, they now take strolls deep in Hell
He will Free you from your treason, and Forgive you with a knell
For he yet marches on

[Chorus]

---

I leave the Chorus up the reader - I myself generally use:

Rise, rise sons of Freedom!
Rise, rise sons of Freedom!
Rise, rise sons of Freedom!
His spirit calls to you!

---
Of course, more verses can be added as his legend continues...
 
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Chapter XII – Blessed are the freemen.
  • Threadmarks
    • Acheroraptor said:
    You'know John Brown is very fit 60 year old, like man has a lot of stamina
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    He worked on the farm and as a shepherd when he was a young'un, and Brown travelled and fought alot in his older years. I think it's reasonable that he has kept fit, not to mention all that fervour keeping him highly motivated, though years of stress might begin catching up to him eventually. For example, Brown's hair became noticably gray, along with other signs of aging, during the lead up to the raid on Harper's Ferry; you can pretty clearly see this change when comparing contemporary depictions.

    Daguerrotype of Brown in 1856 (left) vs. daguerrotype of Brown in 1859 (right). There's only three years between these two photographs.​

    Hopefully his liberation plan on Gemeinplatz doesn't take too long. Old John Brown's future prospects in physical wellbeing don't look too great.
    ​

    Ayomide was walking in a circle around the forest, waiting for Brown to return. She couldn't move much: she and the old man had agreed to meet up in this spot outside of Azdavay.

    "May this holy spirit, the holy father, or holy whatever, that leads the old man bring him back safely." It was getting late. Too late. The old man should have wrapped up his surveying and shopping by now.

    Just as Ayomide began considering packing up and returning back to the cave, he heard a small crowd chittering and chattering while getting closer to her spot. She got one of her spears ready, in case she needed to make a last stand.

    "Young lady? Are you here? For the sake of your Maker, please put down that spear for we need no further bloodshed today." Brown hadn't actually come into view of Ayomide; he had just made a correct guess.

    One of the freemen, who had been subject to Brown's grand speeches for the last few hours along with the rest of the group, sighed. "Geezer, who you talking to? Holy spirits, lords, and now young ladies? What screws loose in your mind?"

    "I think he's correct about this young lady." Shinasi, who had followed the group outside, replied. He was greeted with a spear landing an inch off his foot, Ayomide following suit.

    The voice of Shinasi had seemed familiar to Ayomide. "Alright, old man, what business does this lightskin, slave-hunting son of a donkey's prick have with you? And…" She noticed her former colleagues from the maid café "…what's with the sudden reunion?"

    "Ahem! Firstly, those words about a donkey's you-know-what is not a suitable word to be used by a young lady or any couth man." Brown cleared his throat. "Secondly, I believe that Shinasi has seen the grace of the Almighty and had his steps directed in a more righteous direction. Lastly, young lady, we have had an unexpected exodus."

    Ayomide didn't look too nonplussed by the mention of an exodus. "Right, and were there any suspicious hooded figures in this exodus of yours?"

    "Indeed, young lady. How would you happen to know? Did- Did you happen to get a vision or revelation or-" Brown was still convinced that Ayomide might be blessed by the Almighty after her 'miracle' of healing Brown's arm.

    Ayomide was sure that she wasn't blessed by anyone though, for her entire life looked far from blessed. "No, no! I had some hooded figure, named Kyauta, come visit me yesterday night. She said that 'Moses' was planning an exodus, and I told her that Moses should be at Kanein and not at Casamonu."

    "I'm happy that you are keeping up with your Bible study. 'Have time for the Lord, and the Lord will have time for you', young lady. I think the Almighty gave his time for us today." She wasn't keeping up with anything, the constant Biblical references made by Brown made it hard to not pick up something or another. "If there is another abolitionist society operating in this area, then I think it is of upmost importance that we meet them."

    While Brown and Ayomide were conversing, the freemen had divided the loot from Jacob's establishment among themselves. After this dividing was done, seven of the freemen split from the group to continue on their merry way. Two of the freemen had already left the group, taking the hostage gentleman with them, while on the road. By the time Brown ended his conversation, he had only two (plus Shinasi and Ayomide) apostles left.

    Brown decided to address the remaining two men. They hadn't gotten the chance to properly converse to each other on the road. "Gentlemen, I'm happy to see that you have stayed around. My name is John Brown, of Connecticut. I'd be glad to have your names and occupations."

    ​

    The first to reply was a man that was equally as tall as Brown (somewhere around 6 feet / 1.82m tall). He still carried the axe he had used to chop off the plank that blocked the gate. "Hakim, sir." He took of his hat in salute, revealing his hair, or lack thereof. "I used to be cooking in the kitchen, until your folks came around. I know the plants of this area well. Reckon I can give a hand in that."

    "Glad to have you." Brown then turned around to a young man who was somewhere in his early teens. "And you, young man?"

    "I… don't have a name, but they call me 'Tater', 'cause I carried taters. Guess I could carry anything, if need be."

    "You're a young man Tater, you'll learn anything quickly, God willing." Brown seemed to be satisfied with the potential applicants. "Gentleman, I extend my invitation for you to join me in the fight against slavery. You are now free as the Almighty intended, and there's nothing nobler to do with your freedom but fight for the freedom of one's brothers and sisters!"

    Hakim and Tater looked at each other, trying to gauge each other's opinion. They didn't exactly desire to be stuck in what sounded to be a long war against slavery, but they also didn't know what else they'd be stuck with. Would it not be better to die fighting than live and then die running?

    "I- I'd join, sir." The first one to make up his mind was Hakim.

    "I'm no sir, Mister Hakim. Call me captain, mister, Brown or anything else that is not discourteous, but don't call me sir. There's no one above you but the Lord now." He extended his hand toward Hakim.

    "Understood, captain." Hakim shook hands with Brown, finalizing his membership.

    Tater grabbed hold of Brown's hand as well. "Captain, I'm in too!"

    A surprise third hand entered this cluster of hands, this newcomer belonging to Shinasi. "Guess I already made this choice when I ran towards you back there.

    Brown smiled at his new recruits. "May our Heavenly Father grant us victory!"

    "So… Who's this heavenly father?"

    ​

    After having greeted Brown, Hakim and Tater approached their former coworker, Ayomide. She had been standing in the corner, warming herself near a fire that she had started.

    Hakim spoke when he was sure that he was in a safe distance from Brown. "Total bonkers, this old man of yours. Holy spirits, fathers, lords… And he referred to all us darkskin as 'Mister' and 'Lady', never seen any lightskin do that before."

    "When I'd hear you being called 'young lady', I thought we were going to be seeing some haughty, lightskinned noble, not the old waitress. You ain't dead? Seems that you'se enjoying the lady life."

    "Course I am not dead." Though, I almost was. "How's the master after I ran? Hope he didn't treat you too badly."

    "He was fine with yelling a bit, thankfully." Shinasi did his best to imitate Jacob's voice. "'Damned harlot! She owes me two thousand libra for her worthless, dung-filled head!' and stuff like that."

    "And now he's dead, isn't he? Wish we all had something to celebrate with…" Ayomide had been drinking water and slime for the last few months. She desperately needed something that tasted different.

    "Well, I don't have bad news, 'young lady'." Tater had been part of the quartet that raided the kitchen. He had been carrying a pot, opening its lid he revealed the pot to be full of oranges and a filled wineskin. "Take whatever you need."

    "You're too young to have that wine over yonder. Gimme that, boy." Ayomide took the wineskin, and drank half of it. She handed over the rest to Hakim, and took some oranges with her freed hand.

    "Young lady. We need you a new name, for the fancy new title you got." Tater tried to think of something, and his eyes stumbled upon the oranges currently consumed by Ayomide. "What 'bout 'Lady Orange'?"

    Hakim burst out with laughter at this ridiculous proposition. "Lady Orange? I think you've found the best name for our young lady."

    Ayomide stood up, and did her best to curtsy as if she was the long-lost daughter of the royal family. "Greetings, ye filthy peasantry, My name is Lady Orange, from the illustrious House of Crappingsburg-Scheissenstein. Umm… O-ho-hohoho!" She began playing with her hair, assuming the position that could rival the haughtiest of the haughtiest. "What d'ya'll think?"

    "You're gonna steal the princess' jobs if you keep this up." The trio laughed in thought of princesses being left unemployed by Ayomide.

    The conversation went deep into the night like so, Ayomide and her coworkers finally getting to bond with each other.



    61st of Spring, 5859
    Mount Curry, Azdavay / Casamonu    ​

    Tater groaned as the mountain path winded and winded further. "We there yet, Lady Orange?"

    Ayomide sighed. It seemed that this silly nickname was going to stay. "We ain't far. See, it's there."

    Brown raised his hand, to signal to the group that they should halt. "Alright, up that cliff and our journey is going to be over for today." The group followed him up the small cliff leading to the headquarters of the organization yet-to-be-named. "Welcome to our humble home. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here."

    The group entered the cave, which was mostly empty aside from piles of soap and pottery. "As you can see, there are many things that can be improved, with your and God's help of course."

    "That's an understatement if I ever seen one…" Hakim wasn't exactly sure where they'd even begin with. Nobody was exactly sure. Still, they held on to the vague hope that they things might work out fine.

    "Now, if you'd please sit down and listen." The group sat down on the cave floor, and Brown joined them. "I'd like to begin the First Session of the Provisional Council of… Curry. This cave is equally all our home, so I think of it best to choose our plan of action in a suitably democratic fashion."

    Hakim raised his hand. "Captain! What's a 'democratic'?"

    "It means that we all get an equal say as to how things are going to be run around here. I am no king or lord, nor shall I aim to be a king or lord, nor shall ye accept any mortal kings or lords."

    Tater was the one who raised his hand this time. "Who decides stuff then?"

    "As I said, we all have an equal say. We discuss with each other what we want to do, and then take a vote to decide whose suggestion we go with."

    "Ah! I heard of that. The big folk in the town meet in their town hall to do something like that. Though, of course, we ain't gotten a chance to see any of that." Hakim had heard of Jacob complain about meetings in the town hall.

    "Yeah, I've visited one of those meetings once. Not as a participant, just as security. It seemed a bit boring, but it wouldn't hurt to try." replied Shinasi.

    Ayomide nodded in agreement. "That seems reasonable to me. Never liked those lords anyways. Let's not have one, for a change."

    "Alright, then let's take a vote. Who agrees that we should all convene as a council to make decisions? Raise your hands if you agree, don't if you don't." Everybody in the room raised their hands.

    Thus, the Provisional Council of Curry was born. Everybody in the room then fell silent and idle, unsure of what to do. They weren't exactly ready for this moment.

    Shinasi broke the silence. "So, when do we meet again?"

    "Uhm… Every day?"

    "That too much, clearly. Every… ten days would be better."

    "Let's go with a month?"

    "No, that's too sparse!"

    A different idea sprouted from every head in the room. Thus, democracy was born.
     
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    • Democracy is the art of getting your people to agree to do what you want, Diplomacy is the art of getting your opponents to agree to do what you want, and Compromise is the art of getting some of what you want done after realising you not going to fully suceed at either Diplomacy or Democracy.

    Great chapter, Cabbage.
     
    Chapter XIII – Ye who art bummed.
  • Threadmarks
    • So, the John Brown Isekai has got its first piece of fanart and it's a really awesome one of Jacob being Brown'd. Check it out!

    This piece was made by u/Leading_Discount_562 (a.k.a. Ewfino) and posted to the John Brown Isekai subreddit. Thank you for reading, and thank you so much for appreciating the John Brown Isekai so much that you'd make artwork inspired by it!​


    I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now that I was free. There was such a glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in heaven.

    - Harriet Tubman, as quoted in Harriet, The Moses of Her People (1886) by Sarah Hopkins Bradford

    70th of Spring, 5859
    Azdavay, County of Casamonu    ​

    A group of guards, garbed in most fashionable attire, flanked an equally fashionable carriage. "Make way! Make way for the count!" The crowd moved like a sea being parted in twain, making way for someone who looked way too important to be in Azdavay.

    ​

    This group of upmost pompousness stopped in front of the Azdavay town hall, and a man came out of the carriage. He was a middle-aged man, bearing a blood red cloak that'd put actual blood to shame. His hoses were made of famous Prusian silk, his hat bore the feather of some exotic bird he couldn't even pronounce the name of. A servant, dressed sharply but of course not as sharply as his lord, followed the lord out of his carriage.

    "This place really is one giant pigsty filled with adventurers." The lord spat on the ground in contemn. "Let us make haste, lest the mud of these pigs soil us." They entered the town hall, being met with a bubbling crowd packed tightly into a room that was probably not larger than an actual pigsty.

    ​

    The crowd calmed down once they noticed who had stepped into the room. The servant following the lord called out to the room to make sure everyone got the memo. "Ladies and gentlemen, His Excellency Leon Satō-Wang, Count of Casamonu." Everybody in the room got up from their seats to bow down out of courtesy. Who wouldn't want to be a sycophant when faced with a man who has enough money to buy himself a servant, whose only job is to call out his name?

    The mayor of the town quickly ran toward Leon, bowing down again and again as he made his plea. "Your Excellency, you have most likely heard the slave uprising in our town…" Leon had heard all about it since the mayor had specifically mentioned this event multiple times in his letter. "…it's terrible, Your Excellency! Many fine men were slain."

    Leon slowly walked over to his seat while conversing with the mayor. "How severe is the damage?"

    "It has only been a week since the uprising, we haven't yet had enough time to compile a complete report of all the damages. But, a report by the operator of the slave market reported over thirty items from his stock missing, and the local Adventurer's Guild has had twenty-one reported cases of missing slaves. And…" The mayor shuddered at the thought he was about to convey "One of the knights in the city was found dead, most likely killed by slaves. An Awmereighkan otherworlder named Sir Jacob Smith of Florida, may his soul rest peacefully in an Otherworld."

    "Are you serious? A dead otherworlder?" Leon sat on the seat, which sat in the center of the room, reserved for him. He heaved a deep sigh of concern. Someone daring to kill an otherworlder? That was quite an upset especially to a man who had otherworlder blood like Leon.

    Lightskins ruled over darkskins and the otherworlders ruled the lightskins. That's how things were ideally supposed to work. Darkskins going against otherworlders constituted a complete toppling of the pyramid that was Gemeinplatzian society.

    "Don't worry sir, we've already found the perpetrators of this vicious rebellion. They've already been hung, maybe you've seen their bodies while passing the gates?" Of course, they couldn't have found the perpetrator. The mayor had targeted one of his rivals' beloved slaves and used them as convenient scapegoats.

    "You have done a good job, mayor." Leon could guess that the perpetrators wouldn't have been found so easily as well; he didn't care. Hanging a few of those darkskins to calm the populace was a win-win situation for them. Though, it was not like the officials needed to do the hanging, for the populace had already hanged a few of the slaves themselves.

    With their lord seated, the crowd had gotten rowdy again.

    "Your Excellency, please send some of your men to help us!"

    "We need money to stay afloat! My family is in a tight situation since our slave escaped!"

    "Yeah! We should even get the Adventurer's Guild of Casamonu to help us out."

    There wasn't much that Leon could do. Sending some men after the uprising had already happened wouldn't help, nor could he command any of the guilds of the city. The town itself was under supervision of the mayor anyways, this wasn't Leon's job. He turned to his servant standing beside him. "Just go with Plan B." The servant took out a piece of paper from his pockets, and unfurled it.

    The servant read the paper with the most serious voice he could muster. "Ahem… His Excellency says that his thoughts and prayers are with the people of this town. We send our condolences to the loved ones of the brave knight Sir Jacob who fell during this incident. His Excellency will do all he can do on his end to eradicate any organizations that may be behind this uprising." The people in the town hall seemed to be pleased with this answer; a few pleased murmurings could be heard in the room.

    The mayor clapped his hands to grab the attention of everyone in the room. "We have eternal gratitude for His Excellency, and we ask for forgiveness for having taken him out of his precious duties. Now, as to what Azdavay will do…"

    Leon's thoughts drifted away from the town hall as their mundane discussions began once more.





    71st of Spring, 5859
    Aroghlie / Zon'guldac, Union of Dwarves    ​

    On the coast of the Dark Sea sat the grand port of Aroghlie, the largest in Northern Gemeinplatz. Sailing merchant ships went to-and-fro, delivering and taking goods as fast as humanly possible. The port and the settlement around it were mostly inhabited by humans, while the heart of Aroghlie lay in the Curry Mountain range.

    There, inside the mountains, lay the true Aroghlie of coal, steel, and industry, of dwarven industry with no rival.

    ​

    The territory of Zon'guldac was abundant with coal, and most of it was extracted here by the dwarves. Dwarven live was dedicated and shaped by coal: They wore simple clothes that were easy to wash coal dust off of, had physiques that made it easy for them to navigate the tight mineshafts that lead to veins of coal, their lungs had evolved to be resistant against the negative effects of inhaling coal dust 24/7.

    The dwarves had gathered, like they usually did every season, at the Supreme Council of Dwarves. The council room was shaped like a dome, with a grand round table sitting in the middle of it. Around this table sat the representatives of dwarven industry, who were all elected yearly by the workers of each industry to represent them. Flanking these representatives were the ordinary dwarves who wished to observe the proceedings.

    These representatives were mostly discussing ordinary internal issues like steel production, income from trade and mining accidents. Except for their elven neighbors that lived alongside them in Zon'guldac, the outside world rarely bothered the dwarves and the dwarves didn't bother the outside world. Dwarven trade with the outside world was mostly based on getting resources that couldn't be easily gathered in the their part of the Curry Mountain, such as wood, iron and crops.

    Tangible goods weren't the only import however, for the port also imported rumors from the rest of Gemeinplatz. Today, something that seemed relatively minor to the dwarves had been imported from Casamonu. The one tasked with delivering this news was the Lord of Trade incumbent Whitebeard Er'temirr.

    In front of every seat in the council lay a small hammer used to call attention. After waiting for an opportune time when discussion slowed down, Whitebeard hit the stone table with the hammer to calling the attention of every dwarf in the room. "Everyone, I have interesting news to share from the east."

    The dwarves quieted down and began listening intently, as changes in the outside usually meant that changes were needed in all branches of industry. "Today I had a meeting with newly arrived refugees: two humans who had newly escaped from slavery."

    One of the representatives replied. "So? Refugees come here to escape something pretty often. It's not an unusual thing, I think." Aroghlie wasn't a part of the Gemeinplatz Empire, nor did the dwarves practice slavery, meaning that it was a safe harbor for those needing to escape.

    "The unusual thing was that these refugees hadn't escaped alone. They claimed, and I have verified claim with other merchants coming from Casamonu, that an uprising of slaves had broken out in the town of Azdavay." She searched her great white beard, finding nestled within it the notes she had taken for the council. "Apparently the leaders in this uprising were two humans, one whose name I do not yet know and the other named… 'Isaac Smith'. They're either part of one organization or are two organizations that worked together, I have been unable to get clarification on that part. That is all the information I have as of now, the events have only developed last week."

    Another one of the representatives tapped the hammer on the table. "Since you've brought this up, am I right to assume you have a plan for action?"

    "Right." Whitebeard nodded her head. "I believe that this event might be the harbinger of a shift in the political situation of Northern Gemeinplatz, or Gemeinplatz as a whole if it comes to that. This is one uprising, a successful one at that, that might inspire others to commit similar acts once the news spreads out of Casamonu."

    She hammered the table again, to draw the attention of some of the representatives who had drifted away in boredom. "Thus, I think that this esteemed council will agree that it is of upmost import that we keep close watch and prepare to realign our policy. I'd like to request permission to send humans from the port to actively relay the events happening in Casamonu, and make contact with the organizers of the uprising if possible."




    7 May 2023 / 72nd of Spring, 5859
    Seoul, Republic of Korea    ​

    Far, far away from the dwarven city of Aroghlie, or any city in Gemeinplatz for that matter, stood the capital and soul of (South) Korea: Seoul.

    Under the scraping skyscrapers and enlightening lights of the city sat a young man, one certain Kim Seong-Min. Of course, he was no usual young man, or else he'd not be mentioned in this story at all. This young man was a millionaire (in terms of US dollars) and CEO of the Isegye Company, dealing in business of the otherworldly kind.


    His story was one of tragedy followed by great success. He had begun his life as the son of an office worker, a nobody. Unlike other rich people, who made their money thanks to their family already having money, Kim had to crawl his way to success with the hardest of work. Hard work, of course meaning 'stumbling upon a portal that leads to another world'.

    There, in that new world, Kim had worked hard slaying mobs (with an overpowered magician girl he had found, she did most of the work), opening a business in another world (a dark elf he hired did most of the work on the business front), and generally enjoying life (by spending money to flex on his acquaintances in Korea).

    Of course, he also had a sick sister with a vague disease, who he had paid for the treatment of, along with a large debt of a couple hundred thousand won that he had also paid off. What kind of Korean main character would he be if he didn't have those?

    Interrupting today's important work in his office, important work being an online MOBA game that Kim was obsessed with, was his secretary entering the room. "Mister Kim, there is an urgent report from Gemeinplatz." The secretary was a dark elf, standing six and a half feet (2 meters) tall. His skin was dark, not the type of natural black color that was formed with melanin, but a deep black that resembled burnt ash. Along with his crimson eyes, Nirmal looked to be a very intimidating figure.

    ​

    Kim groaned in annoyance as he had to disconnect from his match. "What is it, Nirmal? This better be something really important."

    "There has been an incident in Casamonu, where an uprising happened in the town of Azdavay. I do not have any details on the nature or numbers of this slave uprising, but I do know that the flow of goods has been directly impacted." He placed a sheet filled with dull financial figures on the table. "Merchants and porters have been staying inside towns and cities, along with charging higher fees, due to fearing an ambush by the fugitives. We estimate that we won't be able to complete our deliveries in time and in the right price this season, on this sheet are a summary of the estimated effects that this'll have on us."

    Kim was bummed at the prospect of losing profit. "So, cut to the chase. How much money are we talking about?"

    Nirmal reluctantly gave the figure he had been trying to avoid giving. "A loss that sits somewhere between a hundred million to eighty million won. We'll be losing a lot of perishable stock, not to mention having to call of deals we've already agreed to."

    Kim was even more bummed now. "Pay some adventurers to escort the ones complaining. If there are any more rumors of any more uprisings, then I authorize my company's intervention." He turned back to his computer. "Now, if you're done, I'll be back to pwning noobs."

    "U-Understood, sir…" Nirmal bowed down and left the room. He'd be busy tonight.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • CabbagePreacher said:
    "This place really is one giant pigsty filled with adventurers." The lord spat on the ground in contemn. "Let us make haste, lest the mud of these pigs soil us."
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    Odd that he'd say that since I'd assume adventurers and other Isekai'd are pretty high ranking

    CabbagePreacher said:
    That was quite an upset especially to a man who had otherworlder blood like Leon. But rich snobbery is a thing I suppose.
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    Yeah, seems a bit odd that Leon would be so Anti-Adventurer then. But rich snobbery is a thing I suppose.


    CabbagePreacher said:
    His Excellency says that his thoughts and prayers are with the people of this town
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    Ha!

    CabbagePreacher said:
    Supreme Council of Dwarves
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    I take it dwarves are not known for their creative naming of things, then?

    CabbagePreacher said:
    "I believe that this event might be the harbinger of a shift in the political situation of Northern Gemeinplatz, or Gemeinplatz as a whole if it comes to that. This is one uprising, a successful one at that, that might inspire others to commit similar acts once the news spreads out of Casamonu."
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    That seems a bit presumptious. One successful slave uprising does a wholescale set of them make.

    I'm very mixed on that last section. Not sure I really care for the implications that has for everything we've seen so far - a stable portal between South Korea and Gemeinplatz? A dude with a fucking Dark Elf secretary just... existing on Earth? Feels very sudden to throw something this radically out of the norm for Isekai at us.
     
    >Dwarves being abolitionists.

    I approve. Mahal frowns on exploiting others for their labor, but loves those that achieve greatness from their own industriousness.
     
    SpacePaladin said:
    Though given how gold obsessed dwarves tend to be in fiction, I could totally see an evil dwarven subrace being basically the Conquistadors.
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    I mean, the Dragon Age dwarves had the Indian caste system, complete with untouchables. Written pretty well too. Dragon Age dwarves are traditionalists, and every single one of those traditions subtly drive them closer to extinction.

    As for these ones... we'll see. Throwing money at an insurrection in a neighbouring country has far more pragmatic causes than abolitionism.
     
    JoshuaSweetvale said:
    As for these ones... we'll see. Throwing money at an insurrection in a neighbouring country has far more pragmatic causes than abolitionism.
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    Only if they have any geopolitical reason to want to mess with that country. As described in the story, the dwarves seem to be largely left alone.
     
    Chapter XIV – Ye who art freed.
  • Threadmarks
    • Sorry for the untimely chapter release today - I wanted to release the chapter at an earlier time so I wouldn't forget to do so today; my mind will unfortunately be occupied by many things ("things" in this case being elections) that don't involve "John Brown" or "Isekai" on this and next day. Apologies for the inconvenience and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.


    73rd of Spring, 5859
    Mount Curry, Azdavay / Casamonu    ​

    As summer slowly came to Casamonu, so did even more rain. The elevated position of the freemen still kept cool however, and the rain was less of a bother now that there were more hands to do work that could help mitigate the effects of rain.

    Hakim and Brown were laboring in the cave during noontime. "Captain, just… yes, right yonder." It felt surreal, to Hakim and the other observers in the cave, to see a former slave give commands to an otherworlder. The newcomers had been cautious and timid around Brown the first few days, but they had quickly grown relaxed in their interactions with the old man.

    Brown had been dragging a freshly cut log that was around his height. He put the log down, and called over Ayomide who was waiting to help them. "Young lady, do your thing."

    Ayomide crouched next to the log, and put her hand over its surface. "[Wind], [Wind], [Wind]…" She scanned over the surface with her hands, drying the log that had been subject to the rain. Thankfully, casting [Wind] was much cheaper compared to disinfecting an old man's arm, otherwise Ayomide would have ceased living by now.

    After the log was dried, it was Hakim's turn. He was physically the strongest in the group, meaning that it was up to him to cut the logs. He had only been tasked with making the firewood up until now, but Hakim and the others wanted to try something special today. "Now, Tater come help us out if you could. My back isn't suitable for this job. Just keep this log as straight as possible while Hakim cuts it."

    Tater stood up to hold the log as requested, and Hakim slowly began cutting it into a long plank with his axe. It was a long process that took about half an hour, and the end result was a highly uneven plank that'd cause all other planks to feel shame due to being associated with it.

    "This is the best we can do with what we currently have." Brown seemed content. "A couple more of those, and we can all stop sleeping on the floor." Sleeping on wood would probably feel much better than sleeping on stone.

    Ayomide had another idea. "You know, while we were travelling to Azdavay, there were plenty of bales of straw that were left unattended. I don't think anyone is going to notice if some straw went missing."

    "Do reckon we can get some of that straw." Hakim seemed pleased with this idea too. "Could get even more, stuff other than straw."

    Brown didn't seem all to pleased with the idea of stealing anything from the peasants. Still, the idea of raiding places wasn't all to displeasing. "I think it'd be better if we didn't anger the common people of this realm. But your suggestion did give me an idea that I think would be a more reasonable course of action."

    The people in the cave seemed intrigued. "What'd that be, captain?"

    "You are all long-time inhabitants of this land, so probably know this better than I do. Are there any farms or plantations, where only slaves are made to work?" The only farming that Brown observed in Gemeinplatz were the peasants and the occasional slave that he saw in the roadside.

    Tater raised his hand. "Yes, I been there, in a sugar beet plantation. Made me work as a farmhand, when I was a lil' kid. Kept me in the shed along with the others. The master then sold me to Jacob."

    "Then instead I think it's better if we target those sorts of plantations instead of the peasantry. Making an enemy of the people would only make our lives harder, don't you think?"

    Shinasi, who had been tasked with keeping watch from the mouth of the cave, replied. "Eh, we're going to be looting someone either way, captain. Better to target the peasants who are closer to us. It's just a bit of straw."

    Brown seemed a bit distraught at Shinasi's suggestion. "But think of stuff beyond straw, young man. Think of the future, we'll need the populace to support us if we intend to enact any sort of liberation. 'Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth', it is better if we are kind to the meek."

    For everyone in the room except Brown, the prospect of a full-on rebellion or revolution seemed as distant to them as Earth. Ayomide also raised a point that the former slaves had been considering themselves. "Ain't those peasants lightskins? They'd enslave us like any other if they had the money to, they don't seem 'meek' to me. I think it is more than fair if we take a bit of straw from them."

    Brown seemed offended at Ayomide's remarks. "Yet, aren't those peasants meek and oppressed under their lords? Am I not an otherworlder and a 'lightskin', am I to enslave you like you say so? Directing your anger and desire for revenge against the peasants, and not those who lead them and crush you and them under their boot, is a grave mistake, young lady. We're making war on slavery, a system, and not on any men."

    He ended his short yet fervent speech not with Bible quote but a quote from Philip Doddridge's The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. "He is a barbarian, and deserves not to be called a man, who can look upon the sorrows of his fellow-creatures without drawing out his soul unto them, and wishing, at least, that it were in the power of his hand to help them."

    "I…" Ayomide and the others, while being touched by Brown's heartfelt speech, weren't exactly convinced. "I thought we were going to fight the slavers? What's this about the peasants?"

    "Yes, and the peasants live another kind of slavery under their lords. One who lives under a lord, other than the Lord, also lives under a form of slavery in material and in mind. I know not and cannot know what you, or ye, truly fight for, but I myself fight for all of God's Creation and that Creation includes all of humanity."

    Hakim also intervened in this discussion. "'side from that, we escaped from Azdavay recently. I think they'd be on high alert." This point seems to have convinced the others more than Brown's words that no one really got. "It'd be better to attack the plantations. Raise your hands if you wanna go with that."

    Everyone in the room raised their hands, showing that they had come to a consensus after arguing.

    "Well then, we'd better get ready gentlemen… and young lady." Brown was ready to go back to doing his thing (of fighting slavers). "Then I think we better get ourselves armed and ready." They had been too busy with settling down to the cave and gathering supplies for the newcomers. "We also need to scout out these plantations, and find out where they are."

    "I can help with that." said Shinasi. "There have been a couple of times where I had to deal with monsters threatening these places. Most of them are somewhere up the Tilia Stream, I vaguely remember where they're located. Shouldn't be too hard to spot these plantations." He raised his spear. "I don't need to be training much for combat, anyways."

    "I'd like to join you." Tater stood up and pointed to himself. "Those siddity folk ain't gonna suspect an adventurer and a darkskin. I can pretend to be your hand."

    "Alright, then Shinasi and Tater shall be on their way to find us a good plantation or two. The rest of us, me, Hakim and Ayomide, should be busy preparing weapons for ourselves and any slaves that we rescue." Brown was pleased of this arrangement and his team's initiative. He smiled as he clapped his hands together to signal that they should be getting into action. "Now, let us get ready to fight the Devil with fire!"

    ​

    It was night, after their big decision. Ayomide was a equally worried and excited, making for a hellish mix that prevented her from catching one wink of sleep. She had decided to get a whiff of fresh air, hoping to calm her nerves.

    Ayomide sat on the clifftop, watching the stars. She knew not that they were just giant balls of hydrogen, functioning as giant fusion reactors floating in space. To someone like her, from a pre-industrial society of generic fantasy magnitudes, these bright dots in the sky were a whole lot more mysterious to something mundane like magic or dragons.

    She hadn't had much of a chance to stare at them back when she was stuffed in a shed. Ayomide wanted to stare at the stars as much as she demi-humanly could for the rest of her free life. Perhaps this 'holy spirit' of Brown lay on these stars, watching over the old man. That's the most likely place such a holy spirit would rest, or so thought Ayomide.

    "Oh, you're awake too?" Ayomide turned around to find Shinasi greeting him. She wasn't too pleased.

    "Right…" The old man would probably get mad if she beat up Shinasi like she wanted to. Ayomide calculated that it wasn't worth it. "What are you doing here, looking for fugitives?"

    "That was just a one-time job that the old man, another one who's not the captain, coerced me into doing. I haven't actually caught any slaves in my life."

    "You were pretty close to catching one. I was under the bear pelt when you first visited Brown." added Ayomide sarcastically. "I'd be dead, and you probably wouldn't care."

    "That's all a 'probably'. I didn't catch anyone and I'm grateful for that." Shinasi sat down next to Ayomide. "'Blessed the merciful are, they will obtain mercy too.', or something like that. That's something the old man said, anyways. We're on the same boat now anyways, I don't think I can ever safely return to Azdavay." He extended his hand toward Ayomide. "So, truce?"

    "Fine… For the sake of the old man." Ayomide reluctantly shook hands with Shinasi, Awmereighkan style. "There's something I've always been wondering, what got you to help Brown during the uprising?" She had heard all about the uprising in Azdavay already.

    Shinasi looked far away as he reminisced. "Well, you see, my mom and dad worked as porters in the Casamonu. We never had anything more than a few libra in my life while all those nobles and merchants they worked for lived in their mansions without breaking any of their backs. I was very young when I kind of realized…" he made a stomping motion to emphasize his point "…that slaves, darkskins and lightskins are all equal under the boots of those higher up than us. My parents weren't much different than the slaves; they either worked or died, and die they eventually did."

    Ayomide scoffed. "At least you had parents and a few libra to your name." She did have something serious to add after a moment of deliberation. "Though, I guess we do have common enemies to fight."

    "Well, I didn't say my situation was exactly the same as yours." Shinasi paused for a moment, as if gathering courage to speak further. "Oh, and there was something else that inspired me." Shinasi was playing around with something in his pocket while talking. "While we were walking to Azdavay with Brown, a fugitive came and saved our life when we were ambushed by a weaponnapper. A- And I though she looked pretty beautiful and cool while doing it…" Shinasi took out the object he had been playing with in his pocket: a red ribbon. He looked pretty nervous while he continued to speak. "I- And… I thought that it'd- I'd give her this if I ever saw her again."

    Ayomide tilted her head in confusion. Does he not know that it was me? Why does he look so nervous? She decided to clear up this misunderstanding. "You know, the one-"

    "Yeah, yeah… I- What a coincidence it'd be if I ever got to m-meet her again, right?" He laughed in a manner that was obviously fake. Ayomide could easily see the man's face lose any semblance of composure. "A- Anyways, I- I'll go to sleep now, goodnight!" Shinasi had lost his cool, Ayomide could easily see the young man's flushed face in the dark. He finished the sentences with lightning speed and got up to go God-knows-where.

    "Wait, you forgot this!" Ayomide now held the ribbon, which Shinasi had dropped in flight. He had already disappeared far away.

    …was this an attempt at courtship?

    Ayomide had no romantic experience whatsoever, but one didn't need keen eyes to see the obvious.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Awww, that's adorable.

    And good on the group for realizing the problems of turning the countryside against you. No real better way to strangle your revolution in the cradle than that
     
    Chapter XV – Ye who art armed.
  • Threadmarks
    • You can read up to twenty chapters of the John Brown Isekai (and ten chapters ahead of my other work) ahead on my Patreon. I'm about quarterway to my first goal, of earning minimum-wage through writing (hurrah)! Your help is greatly appreciated, whether it is through your feedback or through Patreon!


    (The next chapters of the John Brown Isekai was brought to you by the fine folks over from my Patreon:

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    ​

    Brown, Ayomide and Hakim were currently busy in the forest outside of Azdavay, looking for wood that could be converted into weaponry.

    "Captain! I have great news!" The one shouting with great excitement was Hakim, who was holding a bundle of plants which looked very similar to the cattails that Brown had seen back in the wetlands of America. He also carried a couple of chestnuts in his pockets.

    ​

    A chef like Hakim could separate the rest of the forest from the trees. He had just stumbled upon a small lake formed from the constant rain, where these cattail-like plants had grown.

    "Is that food that's not slime?" Ayomide was the one who was intrigued the greatest by the introduction of these new plants.

    "Yes, it is. These are 'shepherd reeds', that's what they were called in my hometown." Hakim peeled the rind off of two of the plants and handed them over to Brown and Ayomide. "Try them out, you can eat them raw." He then peeled himself a shepherd reed to eat with the others. The white core of the plant tasted similar to asparagus. Eating it raw definitely wasn't the tastiest thing, but it tasted like the clouds of Heaven to Ayomide who had only consumed slime for almost an entire season.

    "And we can… Actually, I'll leave what I can do with the rest as a surprise for later." Hakim looked full of excitement as he examined the reeds he had harvested. "These the best during late spring, we arrived at the perfect time." He'd definitely be back in the forest for another harvest.

    "Actually, couldn't we just use these plants as straw?" said Ayomide upon examining the reeds. "Get rid of the heads, and we can easily lie on them I'd think."

    "I reckon. The straw from these plants were also made into hats and other stuff back in my hometown. I don't know how they did it, I was young when I got separated." Hakim secured his bundle of shepherd reeds with his hands, and looked at Brown and Ayomide. "So, you found good sticks?"

    Brown nodded. "I think these should be enough. Let's go back then." He and Ayomide were carrying a bundle of wood in their hands. Brown was also carrying, in his pockets and a knapsack that had been taken from Jacob, small stones he had found along the road. "Ayomide?"

    "R-Right. Let's go." Ayomide turned back to face the path to the cave, and the others followed.



    ​

    While Brown and co were busy with reeds and wood, Shinasi and Tater were exploring the mountain path.

    Captain Brown and Shinasi had only headed the path between Curry toward Azdavay, he hadn't had the chance to go up the Curry path it to see what lay there. So, they had decided that they'd first survey their immediate area first, before beginning their journey to survey the faraway plantations.

    The mountains were largely peaceful, like any area near human habitation. The residents of Azdavay had long cleared anything scary like dragons or wyverns. All that was left were man-bears, man-wolves (not to be confused with werewolves) and generic slimes, who Shinasi could take on his own with his spear and pavise. Young Tater only had a combat knife to his name, he hoped that he would soon get a new weapon for himself when the team back at the cave got to crafting them.

    "'Tis cold, isn't it, mister?" Tater, and the rest of the former slaves, only had rags to their name. Thankfully, Brown had let Tater borrow his coat for this expedition.

    "Mm. Totally… Yeah." Shinasi seemed to be more focused on staring at the sky and contemplating idly, which was unusual for a former adventurer like him.

    Thinking was not for adventurers, or so thought Tater who had only heard of adventurers through random tidbits. "What got you think so hard?"

    "It's adult business, my boy."

    "Adult business?" Tater quickly went through his mental list of what constituted as 'adult business'. "Booze?"

    "No- I mean, yeah… lack of drink is a problem. Right now, it's not that." Shinasi hadn't had anything to drink since he had escaped Azdavay.

    "Uhm… crippling debt?"

    "That was a problem. However, I have the slightest hunch that the debt collectors might not want to visit a cave full of fugitive slaves."

    "Then… love?" This was his last. Tater had exhausted his list of 'adult business' that didn't involve his juvenile ideas about acts of interhuman copulation.

    Shinasi instinctively turned his head away from Tater to avoid his gaze. "Y-yeah, it's totally not that either. Nuh-uh."

    Shinasi's love life had caught the interest of Tater. Such topics seemed like they were of utmost importance for a young boy like him. "Mister, who's the special one?" He poked Shinasi mischievously, hoping to drag out an answer.

    "Oh, shut up." Shinasi continued avoiding the relentless psychological attacks from Tater as the duo marched on the road. They hadn't seen anything interesting, until they came upon a small village, actually a large estate housing an open mining field, in the mountains.

    "I think this is one of the copper mining villages." commented Shinasi. "Plenty of copper up in these mountains." The Curry Mountain was famous in Gemeinplatz for its bountiful veins of copper, and the towns in Casamonu were famous for manufacturing goods from this copper.

    "So, this where they got the stuff they make our pots out of." Tater's eyes were fixed on a line of slaves carrying pickaxes who were coming out of a wooden shack next to the mine. They were flanked by two overseers holding whips and carrying swords.

    It wasn't a plantation, but these mines did fill the critical criteria of 'having lots of slaves' "We found the kind of thing the old man's looking for."

    "Think we did. Let's give them a greeting, shall we?"

    "Right." Shinasi and Tater kept marching on, until they were in range to speak with the overseers. "Top of the morning to you, gentlemen."

    ​

    The trio of Brown, Ayomide and Hakim had returned back to the cave. They quickly got to work, each of them holding a kitchen knife (courtesy of the late Jacob) and the items that they had foraged.

    Brown and Ayomide were doing their best to carve shafts out of the sticks, which was a painful process as they both weren't experienced with carving of any kind. Meanwhile, Hakim was preparing the shepherd reeds for culinary use by peeling the rinds and cutting them off from the strawy bits. He wasn't doing this just to make food; the straw would be useful as rope for the makeshift weaponry.

    After an hour or two, Brown and Ayomide had constructed shafts of acceptable quality. Now came the experimental part. Brown had been carrying large stones he had foraged during their travels. Both of them also had cut small pieces of wood, around ten inches (30 cm) long, to use as a hammer for shaping the stones.

    This wasn't an exact science; this was just what the people in the cave had come up with after a long brainstorming session.

    They spent some time, knapping the stones, trying to find out which were hard and which were soft. Eventually, after another ten minutes of experimentation, Brown and Ayomide had a good idea as to the characteristics of the stones they had. Then they began knapping the stones, slowly carving a vaguely spear-like shape. After enough knapping, they used the small wood hammers to carve smaller, more intricate chips off the stone. To finish it all off, they scraped these spearheads to the floors of the cave to polish them the best as they could.

    Now the only thing left was to put up the finishing touches. They took the straw that Hakim had prepared in the meanwhile, and they attempted to use the straw to bind the spearheads with the wooden shaft. The first one to do this successfully was Ayomide, who now had a complete spear. Then followed Brown in success, who happily looked upon the fruits of their labor.

    Today, on the 74th of Spring 5859, John Brown and Ayomide had entered the Stone Age.

    "You know, I bet I can make an axe or something with this." Ayomide seemed to be enjoying knapping. She put her newly spear aside to tinker with stone.

    Brown, who was now a couple days off of being exactly sixty years old at this point, couldn't stand long sessions of sitting down and working. He stood up, to take a break, and to observe what Hakim was up to.

    Hakim had been occupied with further processing the shepherd reeds. His job hadn't been done when he had peeled the rinds off the cores, he intended to use every part of the plant. He was grinding the starchy roots of the plant with a large rock, which produced flour. This grinding process was largely done by the time Brown had come to the scene.

    "Ah, captain. Could you hand me one of your spears?"

    Brown didn't know why Hakim needed a spear for cooking, but he obliged and handed the man one of the newly crafted spears. Hakim proceeded to dump the flour he had made into a pot filled with a thin layer of slime and plants unknown to Brown. To Brown's surprise, Hakim began violently beating the mixture in the pot with the shaft of the spear. The mixture eventually coalesced into a solid lump with a consistency similar to soft rice cake.

    "Sorry for dirtying your shaft, captain." Hakim gave back the slime-stained shaft to Brown. "These 'spear cakes' could be useful as provisions. They won't rot easily, and their taste is better than pure slime slop." He picked a lump for himself, and handed Brown another.

    "Thank our Heavenly Father for providing us with this meal." Brown obliged by biting a lump out of this strange spear cake. "Mmm… They have quite the minty taste."

    "It's just a bit of this-and-that from the forest to get that mint taste. Even troops on the march could cook this without extra effort, I reckon. Living off the land, and all that."

    Ayomide was about to request some of the spear cake, before she was rudely interrupted by Shinasi and Tater entering the cave. "Captain, we have some good news."

    "Welcome back, young men. What'd your good news be?" Brown was ready for some good news, being stuck on a mountain did that to a man.

    "You see, Tater and I found a copper mining village up on the road. It's pretty close to where we are." He pointed to the vague direction of the village. "Just up there. It's lightly guarded, just some overseers for the slaves and nothing much more."

    Ayomide raised her brow. "Wait, weren't we going for plantations?"

    "It don't matter, do it?" The one to reply was Tater. "There're plenty of slaves, and plenty of loot up in copper land."

    "As the boy says. I of course don't have a full account of what they have, but one's gotta assume that they'd not have nothing. Not to mention, they hired me as a temporary guard after I told them that I was an adventurer. Apparently, they're scared by the uprising in Azdavay."

    "Good thing we started on the spears then." Brown looked at Ayomide. "We'll have to work extra, young lady, to get arms for us and the slaves as soon as possible."

    Hakim interjected "And food as well, we need to have food for when they're at our cave."

    "Then it seems we're at a consensus." Brown was excited to get back to doing what he did best. "Our first target for liberation shall be the copper mine!"
    In this episode of the John Brown Isekai: John Brown rejects modernity and returns to the Stone Age.

    And, in this episode, the author also uses their special double shilling technique to remind the reader once more that their Patreon is 20 chapters ahead, and that you can support the author and get yourself blessed by Brassicus Prime*!

    *actual blessing not guaranteed, The Cabbage Preacher is not responsible for the whims of the cabbage god.
     
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    • CabbagePreacher said:
    Today, on the 74th of Spring 5859, John Brown and Ayomide had entered the Stone Age.
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    :rofl:

    CabbagePreacher said:
    "Sorry for dirtying your shaft, captain." Hakim gave back the slime-stained shaft to Brown. "These 'spear cakes' could be useful as provisions. They won't rot easily, and their taste is better than pure slime slop." He picked a lump for himself, and handed Brown another.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Hard-tack. *clickclick*
     
    Chapter XVI – Ye who art employed.
  • Threadmarks
    • ​

    "Ahh… That feels good… Right there, right there… Ooh… Thank the Lord…"

    "Old man, could you be a bit quieter while I'm doing it?"

    It was right after bath time, and Ayomide was busy with drying everybody's hair as usual. "[Wind], [Wind], [Wind]…" A lack of towels and hairdryers made her magic essential in making sure nobody got a cold. The wind also doubled as a sort of massage, which was why old man Brown was making those odd noises of pleasure as written above.

    Tater, who had been the first one to get his hair dried, was watching the two while he himself was trying to light a fire for the night. It wasn't an easy process, he had to strike a steel kitchen knife to a piece of flint in hopes that the kindling would catch fire, which it sometimes refused to do. "Lady Orange, can't you cast some fire for poor old me?"

    Ayomide answered without thinking. "No, I cannot."

    "Why not? Ain't you a magician? I thought you could do all kinds of stuff." Tater had heard tales of magicians comitting many wondrous acts, yet Ayomide's job of being a glorified drying machine seemed too ordinary.

    Tater's question had ignited Brown's curiosity as well. "I've been wondering the same thing, young lady."

    The old man's encounter and reckoning with 'magic' had not been easy, 'thou shalt not suffer a witch to live' made it pretty clear what the Lord thought about magicians. However, the 'magic' of Gemeinplatz didn't have much to do with acts of magic mentioned in the Bible. Brown had concluded that this 'magic' was most likely a highly malleable, misnamed natural force of some sort (which could be used benevolently or malevolently like any other force) that hadn't been present back on Earth. Thus, he himself avoided using the word 'magic', though he hadn't yet found any other word to replace it.

    "Right… I got taught this stuff by an old lady around ten years ago, so take this with a grain of salt." She wasn't exactly the best authority to give the obligatory exposition on magic, but Ayomide would have to give it a shot. "So, the world is apparently made of seven elements. Earth, water, air, fire, aether, light and dark."

    "I know earth, water, air, fire and aether to be elements, young lady, as devised by Aristotle. What might be the other two?" Brown had died around the time when the atomic theory was slowly gaining mainstream acceptance. The four (plus one, aether) elements were the best that Brown, an avid reader of the classics, had in terms of knowledge in physics.

    "Right. The names of the other elements explain themselves. Light is, well, light. You know, the stuff that gives life to plants and animals, hence healing stuff is in the domain of light. Like what I did with the old man's arm. And dark is, dark. The opposite of light. Disease, death, mind control, all that stuff." Ayomide scratched her head, trying to think of more couth ways to elaborate on the elements. "Well, as I said, I heard about it all when I was a kid. So that's all I've got on the elements."

    Tater seemed unsatisfied. "So, what's that got to do with you being unable to light a fire?"

    "I was getting to that point, kid. So, with this magic stuff, everybody's attuned to different elements at different levels. That's why you see different folks casting different things. Far as I've seen, I'm attuned to wind and light."

    "Interesting…" Brown's mind was more at ease. It seemed that this 'magic' didn't have any relation anything ungodly like the Devil himself or any other demons. A question popped up in his relaxed mind. "And why do you have to shout 'wind' every time you need to blow wind?"

    "You don't actually have to shout anything. Watch." Ayomide paused, thinking really hard. Wind, wind, uhh… Let there be wind. Wind, wind, wind… [Wind]! A sudden breeze blew towards Brown's face. "You need to envision what you want to bring forth. Shouting what you want to do just makes it easier."

    "We have to be careful around people then. Just gagging them might not do the job." Brown seemed satisfied as he got up. "It's getting late. You know what they say…"

    Tater finished Brown's sentence. "…early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. We don't need to hear it for the umpteenth time, captain."



    76th of Spring, 5859
    A copper mine atop Mount Curry, Azdavay / Casamonu    ​

    Shinasi hadn't expected to get himself employed again this suddenly and so soon. Of course, he wasn't going to the copper mine just to get employed, he was under Brown's orders to scout out the facility and formulate a plan to help the slaves escape with minimal casualties.

    He had gotten on the road as soon as he had bid his farewells to the people of the cave. The road from the cave to the copper mine wasn't too long; it was only around an hour's walk. Shinasi found himself at the mine before the sun had properly risen.

    One of the overseers tipped his hat in greeting. "Good morning, Shinasi was it?"

    Shinasi tipped his helmet in return. "Morning. Yes, that'd be me."

    "The boss wants to see you, before you begin working." The overseer pointed to the biggest building in the area. "He should be in the mansion."

    ​

    Shinasi parted ways with this overseer, making his way to the door of the 'mansion'. It was a pretty small building for a mansion, with only two floors. Guess this is the best you can get in the mountains. The noble who lived here probably wasn't the richest. Shinasi proceeded to knock on the front door. He was greeted by a maid opening the door.

    "I'm the new guard that Sir Algernon's looking for." All this formality had already made Shinasi begin to feel sick.

    The maid took a disinterested look at Shinasi. "Leave your weapons at the door please." Shinasi obliged and parted ways with his beloved spear and shield. "Come in."

    Shinasi was greeted by an indoors that, while definitely affluent, wasn't too rich in decoration. Most of the items were made or decorated with copper, probably with the copper that had been gathered in the mine. There was even a bust of what Shinasi assumed to be the owner, he couldn't read the inscription below it, of the mansion. The maid opened a door, wherein lay a thirtysomething in a sharp one-piece suit and bearing an even sharper mustache. Shinasi removed his helmet and held it over his chest, which was the standard way to greet a superior in Gemeinplatz. "Greetings, sir." He even bowed down a bit to add a extra bit of sycophancy.

    ​

    Sir Algernon looked pleased with the actions of Shinasi. "Welcome, I see that you are a well-bred man Shinasi. It's rare to find such adventurers." He gestured towards a seat that sat in front of him. "Here, you may sit down. I am Sir Algernon Satō-Wang of Curry, and this is my wife, Leila. We have two children as well, though they're currently a bit busy being tutored upstairs." Shinasi had missed the woman sitting on the other side of the room, he bowed down to her as well.

    Leila was fanning her face with a paper fan as she spoke. "I'm happy that he seems to be different compared to the other adventurer we called up, dear." Shinasi noticed that her abdomen was greatly swollen, signaling that she was pregnant. Her outfit was equally as sharp as Algernon's.

    Algernon nodded his head in agreement. "Indeed, I have high hopes for him."

    ​

    That's a bit too much for a temporary worker, isn't it… "Sir, please, you do not need to spend so many words of praise someone coming here temporarily." Showing humility was a great way to warm up with the nobles, or that was what Shinasi had learned anyways.

    "Temporary? Right, that's what was told to you. After seeing you however, I believe you could have permanent employment. It's hard to get good retainers up in these mountains." Algernon switched to business mode, extending his hand toward Shinasi for a handshake. "Two libra a day, with accommodation and food taken care of and one day break every decameron?" He was a master at blitzkrieg, his krieg being flattery and business.

    Two libra wasn't bad, it amounted to somewhere around four loaves of bread. Shinasi didn't think too hard about it while shaking hands with Algernon however, for he wasn't here for a job. "Thank you so, so much sir."

    "Well, let's celebrate with something to drink, shall we?" Algernon clapped his hands as loudly as he could muster. "Ekene! Ejike!"

    The young maid that had greeted Shinasi at the door returned with a tray with teacups, along with a butler that looked to be her brother who carried a pot of tilia tea. Ekene, the sister, set the teacups while Ejike, the brother, began pouring tea into them without saying a word. While pouring Ejike's hand slipped and the tea from the pot flew onto Algernon's oh-so precious suit.

    "What the- Damn you, dog!" The calm, businesslike demeanor of Algernon suddenly shifted to that of a savage. He was about to stand up to enact physical punishment, before Leila tugged on his suit. "Dear, be calm."

    Ekene and Ejike were watching their master in fear as he went back to business mode. "Right, I probably shouldn't damage the slaves too much. But this is the kind of actions these uppity darkskins pull off when you don't let me tutor them properly, woman. He paused to think of a punishment that wouldn't make his wife too mad. "No food for you today. Now git!"

    The siblings obliged and left the room posthaste. Algernon turned toward Shinasi to address his new employee. "You see, these darkskins are like dogs. You need to use brute force to get them to understand anything, or else they get uppity like they did just now. Don't hesitate to get physical, as long as you don't kill or permanently damage them. Got that?"

    Shinasi tried his best to keep a poker face. "Yes sir." He had never seen how masters treated their slaves. Algernon's behavior seemed no different to how Shinasi had seen lords treat their underlings, to how they had treated his parents. "I'll be sure to give them a good whack if they step out of line."

    "Good, good. I think we'll get along well." Algernon smiled toward Shinasi, with genuine warmth that seemed out of place after what he had just done and ordered to be done to his slaves. He seemed to genuinely value his retainers. "You should report to the head overseer, he's the one responsible for you."

    "Understood sir. I'll be taking my leave, then." Shinasi added a few more words of gratitude and flattery as he got up and left the room. His heart was weighed down by heavy emotions as he did so. He had initially joined Brown mostly on a whim, intending to escape from Azdavay. The words he spent at the night encounter with Ayomide, they were mostly points he had copied over from the captain's speech without much personal elaboration.

    Now, however, Shinasi was slowly beginning to understand why he must do what he'd do. He made his way to the head overseer, with newfound determination slowly budding in his heart.
     
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    • Chapter XVII – Ye who art determined.
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    • ​

    Shinasi entered a room in the basement of Algernon's mansion, in which lay a musty dungeon (not the fun RPG kind of dungeon). There were instruments meant for unsavory business, the whip and a cane, hung up on the wall. Two cells lay in this dungeon, he walked over to the one he was assigned to 'attend' to.

    In this cell were the two siblings, Ekene and Ejike. Their eyes followed Shinasi with fear. Not a word, other than a few whimpers from the siblings, were exchanged between the two sides.

    Shinasi spoke slowly. "The boss says that I'll have to punish you for your impudence." He snickered. "He says that I should get to do it so that… so that you learn to fear me. For fuck's sake!" Shinasi leaned one the dungeon wall as if he was sick. He couldn't really stand straight. "What type of person would actually go lock people up in a dungeon and beat them up?!" And I had accepted to help that kind of person search for their slave!

    The siblings weren't sure what Shinasi was up to. They watched, waiting for this odd, angry man to calm down. "You're not going to-"

    "Of course, I'm not about to do anything!" He straightened himself back again. "I'm just- You know, you don't need to listen to me yapping. You probably need something to eat instead." He took out, from his pockets, two small loaves of bread he had stolen during meal time. "Here you go."

    "Won't the master get angry?" Ejike accepted the bread anyways, followed by his sister. They hadn't eaten today, as per Algernon's orders, so they weren't in a position to reject food.

    "Well, I'm not going to be staying here for long." Shinasi sat on the floor, to come eye-to-eye with the siblings. "You won't be staying here for long, if we're successful. Have you heard of the Azdavay Uprising?"

    "Yes, the big man was shouting about it." replied Ekene. "He personally pledged one of his men to help the count with searching for the fugitives."

    There's a search for the fugitives headed by the count? That's good to know… "I'm with the people who organized the uprising." Or a few of them, anyhow. "My comrades back at the cave will be arriving here by the early summer, and they need all the help that they can get."

    The siblings seemed rightfully hesitant. They weren't sure if Shinasi was just toying with them by giving them false hope. There wasn't much hope for anything left in their hearts.

    "I don't really need an answer. If you want to help, then you can do so by supporting them when the time comes." He got up from the dungeon floor. "Just pretend that I beat you really badly, okay?" He promptly left the dungeon, having fulfilled his mission for the day.





    80th of Spring, 5859
    Estate of Sir Algernon, Azdavay / Casamonu    ​

    Shinasi woke up, as usual for the last four days, with the ringing of the bell at his barracks. This barracks, unlike that of the slaves, was quite spacious with enough breathing room to feel comfortable. Shinasi wasn't the only newcomer here, ten or so more people had been employed by Algernon since he had signed up.

    Sir Algernon was, most correctly, worried about his slaves emulating their brethren in Azdavay. In total Shinasi counted fifteen overseers for around fifty slaves, which was a ratio that was unusually skewed to the overseer side. Thankfully Algernon seemed to be satisfied with this amount, he hadn't hired anyone for the rest of the week.

    The head overseer, a fearsome man of equally fearsome physique, personally entered the barracks as he continued ringing the bell. "It's payday, line up. Line up at the yard! Quickly!"

    The men didn't need much encouragement to wake up to get paid. All of them were already up, and running to get lined up at the yard. An unorderly line of was formed, overseers of slaves weren't exactly military grade, waiting to be called by name.

    "Kasim! 20 libra." A man came to the front to receive his pay, which was handed over personally by the head overseer. "Melissa! 20 libra." This time a woman came to the front, receiving her pay. "Shinasi! 8 libra." Shinasi stepped forward, receiving ten coins for his efforts (of doing as little as he could for four days).

    "Alright, today is holiday for the second squad. Come back by night, now git!" Thus dissolved the line of men.

    Shinasi was among the second squad, comprised of the newcomers to the estate. He parted ways with his 'comrades' to meet with his comrades.



    80th of Spring, 5859
    Mount Curry, Azdavay / Casamonu    ​

    "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever."

    …old man, your food is getting cold. Ayomide thought so as she slowly chewed her daily bread, made by Hakim from shepherd's reed flour.

    Brown was continuing to pray while standing up, his head bowed down and hands clasped together. His prayer was mostly focused on asking the Lord for the salvation of his dear father, Owen Brown, the salvation of his many children who had perished back on Earth, and for the salvation of his heathen comrades on Gemeinplatz. He then pleaded the salvation of the people on Earth, on Gemeinplatz and on any other realms unknown to him that the Maker might have created before finally pleading for himself. Brown was a pro at prayer, with a brief and comprehensive style of prayer honed with years of piety. Praying for all of the aforementioned only took him two minutes.

    "I would bear thy strokes, not merely because I cannot resist them, but because I love and trust in thee. I have no objection against being afflicted; against being afflicted in this particular way. Only be pleased, O Lord, to stand by me, and sometimes to grant me a favorable look in the midst of my sufferings. Amen." Brown concluded his prayer, and calmly sat down with the others to eat.

    Before he could have one bite of bread however, the cave had a visitor. "Captain! I've returned." It was Shinasi, with a look of triumph mixed with that of complete exhaustion.

    "Glory, hallelujah!" Brown handed his bread to Shinasi without much thought. "You must be hungry after all of that travel, young man." He was excited to see his mole come back alive.

    "Thank you, captain. I have much to tell you." He began munching on the bread, which tasted no better than the food back in the Algernon Estate. Still, the blood and sweat of the enslaved tended to ruin the taste of bread, Shinasi had found out. "So, do you want me to start?"

    "Of course, if you aren't too tired. Everyone, gather around!" Everyone in the cave, which was Ayomide, Hakim and Tater, gathered around Brown and Shinasi. "Now, this young man will tell us the situation in the estate…"

    "…and we'll formulate a plan?" intervened Tater.

    "Yes, you're a clever boy, aren't you?" Brown picked up a solid rock from the floor. He carved (in Gemeinplatzian translated to Latin script) "ESTATE MAP" on to a high point on the cave wall. Of course, nobody in the room could read what he had written, but Brown did so anyways. He had intended to begin teaching them Latin script, but the people in the cave had been too busy with the necessities of life (like food) and the necessities of emancipation (like spears).

    "Oh, we're drawing a map? One second, captain." Shinasi took the stone off of Brown's hands. "I've patrolled the estate extensively, and made a map in my mind. This is how it should look like…" He made a sketch of the estate's surroundings to the best of his capabilities, which weren't much in the case of cartography. Shinasi gave the stone back to Brown, and helped him with labeling the buildings on the map.

    "Now, in terms of people…" Shinasi quickly gave a summary on the number of guards and slaves. "The mining slaves sleep in the shed near the mine, and the guards sleep at the barracks with rotating shifts. There are also two personal servants who sleep in a room of the mansion. I have made connections with those servants, keep that in mind when making your plans."

    "Excellent job, for a man like you anyways." commented Ayomide. "What about the master of this estate? Anything we could use against him?"

    "Of course, I can't really make a judgement about a man's character in only four days." replied Shinasi "From what I've seen of Algernon, the type who's quick to anger, especially against anyone who's not a lightskin. His wife Leila is the only one holding him back from massacring all the slaves in a fit of anger, I feel. He also has two children, but I haven't had any chance to interact with them."

    "Those who are quick to anger are also quick to be defeated, young man." Brown made a notion towards the main building on the map. "Perhaps we should provoke him so that he'll lower his defenses."

    "Umm… there was a proverb about how you have to cut heads off of stuff if you wanna kill them." Tater scratched his head trying to remember it, but gave up halfway through. "Reckon we can capture him first so that he cannot order his goons around?"

    "Separate him from Leila somehow, and we have a very angry man." said Hakim, briefly reminiscing on the untempered temper of Jacob. "Maybe the servants you mentioned could help?"

    "That might be a good idea, yes." Brown had clasped his hands together on his back, as he did when thinking. "Hmm… Ahem, let us each deliberate on our own and gather together again to finalize a plan. We needn't be brash unless it's the right time for brashness, and now is not."

    The people of the cave agreed on this course of action, and they dispersed to their regular duties while hatching a plan for their first raid.
    Hopefully this raid goes better than the one on Harper's Ferry, otherwise I might have to write the John Brown Isekai Isekai (a.k.a. His Soul is Marching on to Another World from Another World; or, the John Brown Isekai2).
     
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    • CabbagePreacher said:
    "Shinasi! 8 libra." Shinasi stepped forward, receiving ten coins
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    ...They have 4/5 libra coins? Huh.

    Oh, we're drawing a map?
    Click to expand...
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    How did Shinasi know they were drawing a map, when the previous paragraph said that no one except Brown (well, technically it did include Brown too, but I"m assuming that it meant nobody else) could read what Brown wrote?
     
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