Nameless

Chapter 1 - Christopher

A boy was slumped over, laying in a ditch, quietly thinking to himself about big things, things he knew he could never accomplish. His demeanor was lacking in the courage department and his stomach in the food department.

Formal introductions... a thing I, as Recorder of Memories and Recanter of Epics, need to improve upon. This young specimen, oh, about 8 or 9, is named Christopher Toland. Unfortunately, he is Nameless. You must be confused by now, my apologies. The Nameless are simply a group of people who have the lowest social status, like the Untouchables in the Hindi caste system on your world of Earth. Nameless people have names with none of the primary letters in them. The primary letters consist of K, G, V, B, and J, and these letters control the entire hierarchy of people in all of the kingdoms of the continent Baja Kavag. A name like Jovin Kabal, for example, has 4 different primary letters to it and therefore grants that person a status of knobleman and/or knight (both words have the primary letter of K inserted into them to give their titles more prestige). A name such as Christopher, on the other hand, is an atrocious name that defiles the mouths of those who utter it. If it were Kristovair that would be a different story, but it's not. His name is Christopher and he is stuck with that name... At least for another year or so. At age 10 every child has the "opportunity" to change their name. This is a fantastic chance for peasants who have recently picked up a trade to boost their child's status or merchants who have scrounged up just enough money that they can buy land and therefore a title, other than that, it pretty much is just a big waste of money to buy a name. Peasants have to break open their copper-reserves just to keep their lowly names and knoblemen extort money from their vassals more than usual (which is no sweat off the knobles' backs).

Back to Christopher, the things he was thinking of were dangerous, treasonous, even slightly murderous. His destiny was to become the Namemajesty of all of Baja. He wouldn't go for Kavag, way too many assassins and mercenaries. Nope, Baja was definitely enough for Chris. Too bad it was impossible for him to achieve. His mother always told him "if you can think it, think away, but if you can dream it, don't get your hopes up for Name's sake." He kept on dreaming anyways and left his hopes up to fate. Today fate was not going to pay him kindly. He had two guards under Knoble Vasicek heading his way clearing out faminers (what most worlds call beggars doesn't quite fit on this world for the word beggar has two unique primaries and three primaries in total) to make the city streets look more presentable for Namelord Gejbekov.

Jakgovich Gejbekov owned all of Belagovakia and simply lent his land to lesser lords like Knoble Vasicek. Of course, Jakgovich himself wasn't appearing in this city, it was actually his third eldest son Kamov who was making his rounds to the Eastern cities of Belagovakia.

Anyways, Christopher was deep in thoughts when the two guards kicked at him, grunting out a slight chuckle as they did. Christopher, startled into reality, quickly pulled a knife out and held it up defensively. This was the right move if there was food on him that other children were trying to get at or there was a drunk father bearing down on a random child thinking they were his own. However, this was definitely NOT the right move against two armed guards trying to clear the streets. The guards raised their spears quickly and efficiently. They looked like a couple of menacing juggernauts to this young boy not even into the double digits of his life. Christopher should've run away, but something in him wanted to stay and fight, no, to decimate his opponents like a wild snake engulfs a mouse whole. That part of him was quickly overridden by his fear of imminent danger from the mistake he had just made.

"Why do you have that knife?" one of the soldiers growled. "You know the rules," the other uttered begrudgingly.

'The soldiers seem to almost regret the fact that they have to kill me,' Chris thought, 'better do what I do best... winging it!'

"Um, Iwasbringingthistomyfather. Hetoldmetokeepithiddenexceptunderspecialcircumstances." Chris basically spewed the words out, butchered and sped up 3 times.

"What in Name's sake did you just say boy?" one of the guards.

"I was bringing this to my father. He told me to keep it hidden except under special circumstances." Chris repeated more slowly and collectedly.

"Huh, I'll take that answer with a grain of salt, kid," Twig (Chris decided to give them names, only in thoughts of course) said.

"But this kid ain't a danger to us, we should just let 'im go," Loafer interjected.

"You know we'd go through Famine's Hell if he were an informant," Twig whined.

"He's like 8, he ain't no informant!" Loafer rebutted.

"Whatever, just let the kid go then," Twig said reluctantly.

"Alright kid, it's your lucky day! Don't let us see you with that knife ever again." Loafer said cheerfully.

"Thank you so much, sirs!"

Chris broke away from the two guards and ran back to his 'home'. He lived at a less-than-refined tavern in Kashmer, a slum in the city. The tavern keeper, who pays Chris for his work around the tavern with meals and diluted ale, allows Chris to stay at his inn when there aren't many people coming into the tavern.