by Troy Osgood
Hall glanced at Roxhard and Sabine, seeing them equally surprised and confused.
Even scared.
As immersive as Sky Realms Online had been, it had still been limited by the game mechanics and processing ability of the servers as well as the programming ability of the developers.
What they were looking at should have been impossible. No game, not even non-VRMMORPGS, had a city that looked this true. No game had a city of this scope and size. How much processing power would a city of thousands take?
“You three act like you’ve never seen a city before,” Leigh said with a chuckle. “Come on, we need to hustle if we hope to find an Inn with enough vacancy.” She started down the road leading to the city.
With a shrug to the other two, Hall followed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
They passed through the gates unquestioned. Guards stood on the outside and on the inside, armed with sword and spear, dressed in the standard Essec tunic. Hall wondered what level they were, figuring they had to be higher than the ones at Grayhold but were they maximum level? Which now appeared to be twenty.
Using Identify, getting a gain, he saw that they were level twelve.
Their small group were the only ones walking through the East Gate, the Grayhold Road empty for now.
Once through the wall, the noise of the city erupted. It came from almost nowhere. There had been no warning, the walls of stone blocking out most of it. Merchants, horses, people yelling and arguing. The noises of a city. There were mostly Gaels in the city, but some of the other races were spread throughout the crowds. Elves, Wild and Highborn. Nords and Arashi. Firbolgs and Bodin. Dwarves and even their rare forest dwelling cousins, Gnomes.
Land’s Edge Port had never been a huge city, or a diverse city, just serving as the Port where lower level players could get airships to the other islands. It had shops and trainers, everything a low-level character would need. But this? Hall was amazed. This was a true city.
And a bustling port.
Which made some sense, he thought picturing Cumberland’s location in the world of floating islands. It was pretty central to the rest of the world, a buffer between parts of Essec and the unclaimed islands like Edin. Land’s Edge Port would be a way stop for ships traveling from the islands to the east on the way to the west or the islands above and below.
They pushed their way through the crowded streets, heading toward the central square where most of the inns and taverns were located. Pike sat on Hall’s shoulder, squawking at anyone that came too close, screeching each time Hall got bumped. Sharp talons would dig into Hall’s shoulder with each collision, and there were a lot of them.
Leigh seemed to be having less problems. Angus walked ahead of her, the cow pushing people out of the way. Roxhard used his bulk to push a path while Sabine followed close behind in his wake.
Hall kept a watch for other players but saw none. Just NPCs, or what he assumed were NPCs. There were plenty of people dressed in arms and armor, mercenaries and guards most likely, but none that he could identify as another Player.
Was Sabine right that the number was low? There had been a dozen or so at the Laughing Horse. They should have been seeing some others. But in a city of thousands, other Players would be easy to miss.
They passed shops that catered to people with real lives, not adventurers or Players. Book shops, dress makers, bakeries. A true city filled with people that had their own lives.
He was finding it hard to believe that all these random people were computer generated.
It took over an hour to push through the streets and get to the market, which was even more crowded. The market was in a large open area, cobblestone pavers with a large fountain in the middle. Round, fronted by many buildings on the perimeter and all the roads leading into it, the market was filled with organized rings of stalls and tents. The outer ring faced the buildings, back to back with a second ring that had a wide space between it and the third ring, which was back to back with a fourth. It continued like that until the last ring that faced the fountain. There were gaps between every ten or so stalls that formed lanes to pass from ring to ring.
All the stalls and tents were full, people yelling and hawking their wares. All the shouting turned into one massive noise, no way to pick out individual sellers. The stalls they could see sold a collection of everything imaginable. Carpets, books, cloaks, belts, and even food. It was if every shop in the city was represented here in the central hub. And somehow it was even more crowded.
“This way,” Hall said, turning the group to the left.
The Land’s Edge Port, he remembered, had two inns: one near the market, which was not even a quarter the size of the one they were walking through, and the other near the docks. He pulled up his map to check to see if they were going in the right direction.
City maps had always been stylized but what he was looking at now was not. It seemed as if every building in the city was represented, most unlabeled. There were no labels at all, no streets, no special features. Just blocks for buildings and lines representing streets.
So much for the Cartography skill, he thought as he scanned the wooden signs hanging over the doors of the buildings. On a whim, an instinct telling him to do it, he opened up his internal map again and saw that the buildings along the market ring were starting to get identifiers.
Skill Gain!
Cartography Rank 2 +.2
He glanced up at a sign, reading it as the Carl's Family Butchery. The words were along the top and bottom of the wooden sign, faded letters that were barely readable. They encircled an image of a meat cleaver stuck inside a rack of ribs.
On his map a small dot appeared on the same building. Concentrating on the dot, it brought up the name of the business. He checked some of the other buildings with dots, seeing the names of the business he had passed pop up.
Apparently, the skill did come in useful.
Halfway around the ring, almost directly opposite of where they had entered the market, they finally found an Inn. The Market View had a set of double doors facing the market, glass filled windows on either side. It was a three-story building, an alley to the side leading to what Hall assumed would be the stables. A couple of teenage boys leaned against the wall near the alley. They were well dressed and attentive. As the group approached the doors one of them stepped forward to meet them.
“Begging your pardon, sirs and madams,” he said, well-spoken along with dressed. Had to work for the Inn, Hall figured. “But your, uhm... cow and bird can’t go inside,” he finished and pointed toward the doors. “We can lead them out back to the stable.”
The boy looked down at Angus with a worried expression, not sure if he could actually do what he said he could. He would try, no way would he risk his job. He looked up at Pike, the dragonhawk returning the glance with a glare of his own. Pike opened his beak, showing off how sharp it was.
Now the boy was visibly nervous.
“How much?” Hall asked.
It took a moment for the boy to register what Hall had said, still staring at Pike.
“3 silver a day,” he managed to get out.
The price shocked Hall. It was expensive. That kind of coin would have bought almost a week at Grayhold or even River’s Side. There had been plenty of horses when they first entered the city but he had noticed less and less the deeper into the city they walked.
“The nearest public stable is almost at the wall in the Trades Quarter,” the boy said helpfully, most likely hoping they would take the animals there. He pointed toward the southeast.
Hall had no desire to walk through those crowds again only to turn around and come back. They were only there for the one night, hoping to fly out in the morning. Fishing the money out of his pouch, he handed it to the boy.
Stepping up to Angus he looked for the lead rope. Leigh chuckled.
“Follow him,” she told the cow, who looked up at her and mooed with annoyance.
Reaching his hand up, Pi
ke stepped from shoulder to wrist, and Hall transferred the bird onto Angus’ back. The cow grunted as Pike’s talons dug in as the bird secured himself.
“Stay with Angus,” Hall told Pike. The bird just squawked.
The boy laid his hand on Angus’ side and nudged the cow forward toward the alley.
“And no biting,” Hall told Pike.
The boy looked back, really scared now as he moved his hand away from Pike.
“I was talking to the cow,” Hall said with a laugh.
The boy didn’t look amused.
Hall woke up refreshed.
First thing he did as he lay on his back looking up at the post and beam ceiling with wood decking was to check his stats. His Vitality was fully restored. A good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed, a full meal, and a lot of the small accumulated aches and pains were gone.
He got out of bed, stretching and feeling completely healthy for the first time in weeks.
Roxhard was still snoring away in the other bed. They had rented two rooms, the women in one and them in the other. The Inn’s common room had been full but they still had a couple vacancies.
Even with magical healing, the various wounds he had picked up had still hurt and hampered. His side, where the Caobold had cut him, had been stiff and tight, preventing full movement. Even without the wounds, just the wear and tear on the body from spending weeks in the wilds had started to take its toll. After just one night he felt renewed.
Congratulations!
You have achieved a Full Night’s Rest. All Vitality has been restored.
Leigh had said the airship from Edin to Cumberland had been a three-day trip. If the trip from Cumberland to there was the same, that would be three more days of decent sleep and meals. As long as they had no random encounters while in the air.
“Get up,” Hall said, nudging Roxhard as he pulled on his armor and cloak.
The Dwarf grumbled, one jet black eye opening up and staring at Hall with annoyance. He closed his eye, but another nudge from Hall, this one a little harder, and Roxhard finally sat up. Yawning, stretching, he climbed out of the bed.
“Look at that,” he said.
“Full Vitality?” Hall asked, and Roxhard nodded. “Meet you downstairs.”
Grabbing all his gear, Hall walked out into the corridor, closing the door behind him. He could hear Roxhard stumbling about the room, grumbling as he struggled into his boots. Turning toward the stairs, Hall headed down into the common room.
Mostly empty, the room was filled with round tables and a long bar on the right wall, a door leading into the kitchen. A large fireplace was directly opposite the stairs, the doors to enter on the left. A bartender, different from last night, was behind the bar wiping it down. The lone barmaid was moving around the tables making adjustments to the placement and seating. Only three tables were occupied.
He found one with four seats leaning his spear against the table, noticing that one of the men at a table of three was watching. The man was older, gray hair and beard with a few streaks of black. Functional but well-made clothing. Thin. He was seated with his back to the bar. Hall figured him to be a merchant of some kind. The other two were obviously bodyguards. They wore leather pants with chainmail shirts, swords strapped to waist and shields leaning against the table.
Taking the harness that held his javelin off, setting it down besides the chair, Hall sat down in a seat where he could see the door as well as the man that was studying him. The merchant didn’t try to hide his interest. Hall tried to pull the man’s name and class, hoping for a level reading at least but there was nothing. His Identify must not have been high enough, something else new to worry about. Hall stared at the merchant, wondering what he wanted. The man smiled and turned back to talking to one of the two guards.
Shaking his head, Hall motioned to the barmaid.
She had just set down the drink he had ordered when Sabine walked down the stairs. She was fully dressed and carrying her staff. Asking the barmaid for a drink, she sat down opposite Hall.
“Leigh was up early,” she told him. “Said something about checking on Angus and Pike.”
He nodded. Using his bond, he had checked on Pike already this morning. The dragonhawk had spent a restful night in the rafters of the stable, a building behind the Inn. There were a half dozen fewer mice now as well.
“What’s the agenda for today?” she asked.
“Sell some stuff,” he answered. “Empty the packs, and then see if can find a Witch to Scry the items for us. I need to get some level three training. After that, hitch a ride on an airship to Edin.”
Sabine was quiet for a moment, staring out the window at the activity on the awakening street. People could be seen walking past, getting an early start on setting up for the day’s market. During the brief time, more patrons had come into the Inn seeking breakfast.
“What’s the plan once on Edin?” she asked, looking over at him.
He shrugged.
“Go to Leigh’s Grove and see what’s going on,” he answered. “After that, don’t know.”
“No long-term plan?”
“Not really. Not at this point.”
“Roxhard going to tag along?”
“Probably,” Hall answered. “Hadn’t asked him but don’t see why not. Someone needs to look out for him.”
Hall studied the Witch. She was nervous about something, hesitant.
“You’re more than welcome to come along as well,” he said, taking a guess at what was bothering her.
She smiled.
“Sure,” Sabine replied with some of her usual confidence back. “Didn’t have plans of my own, and the more the merrier.”
At that moment, Roxhard finally came downstairs, lugging his gear, and Leigh walked in through a back door.
“Let’s get some breakfast and then head out,” Hall said, signaling the barmaid.
They didn’t have to go far to find everything they were looking for. Hall decided to hold off on selling the jewels, especially the Sun Emerald. The others agreed. They didn’t end up needing the money from the jewels as they were able to sell the excess gear they had acquired and repair their own without hitting their coin funds.
Hall knew that wouldn’t last. Their next stop was a Witch.
Out early enough in the morning, there wasn’t as many people, and they didn’t have to fight the crowds. Which also allowed them time for a bit of haggling.
Sabine turned out to be a natural. Equal parts flirtatious, knowledgeable, demanding, and begging. It was masterful to behold. They left the merchants thinking they had gotten the better of the party but Hall was satisfied with the deals they had gotten. He wondered if she was raising the Negotiation skill.
Following directions from the leatherworker that had done his best to repair Hall’s tunic, they left the market ring and turned down one of the main roads that cut the city into segments. Taking a side street, they soon found the shop they were looking for. The first floor of a three-story building with two large windows covered by black curtains and a single door, The Crystal Seer had a very small sign over the door. The only thing that indicated a shop there at all.
Entering, they found a small room; shelves filled with books, scrolls and wands along one wall and a curtained door in the back. A single table sat in the middle of the room on a circular carpet made of elaborate shapes in gold on a red background. The table itself was plain, stained oak, with nothing on top. Two chairs sat across from each other. The space was dark, lit by oil lamps set in the corners. Just enough light to see by.
“Hello?” Hall called out.
A woman walked out. Dark of skin showing her to be from Arashi. Older, with long, wavy gray hair. She wore a blue robe, cinched at the waist and cut up high on the sides. She wore large hoop earrings and a smaller hoop through her nose. Dark blue eyes surveyed the group, appraising them. They made an interesting group. Three Gaels; a Druid, Witch, and Skirmisher. A Dwarf Warden. A cow and a dragonhawk.
“Adventurers,” she stated more than asked, no hint of an accent. “I am Idita. What can I do for you this fine morning?”
“We’d like a couple Scryings done,” Hall answered.
“Your Witch not high enough yet?” she asked, sitting down at the table and motioning for Hall to sit across from her. She didn’t wait for an answer. “I charge 10 silver for the spell regardless if it succeeds or not. Another 5 silver for each attempt after the first.”
“We have five items,” Hall said, taking the bracer out of his pouch and placing it on the table. He thought about including the Redcap’s leather helmet that Roxhard had, but that could lead to questions. There was nothing wrong with having it, but it was not a typical item one would carry. For some reason, he thought it best to not advertise they’d found a Redcap’s stash.
From what Leigh had said, the ability to read a treasure map was rare and he didn’t want to be bombarded with questions that he couldn’t provide answers to.
Following the bracer, he pulled out fifty silver and set it on the table, wincing as he did so. It was a good amount of coin. But he had known it would be costly. Scryings always were. Even once a Witch learned the spell, they sometimes still had to visit higher level Witches. The spell rose in power with the character’s level. Lower levels, it could only identify the quality of an item. Higher levels could reveal more information. Only a max-level Witch could fully identify Artifact quality items.
Sliding the silver across the table, counting it with her eyes, Idita picked the pile up and quickly made it disappear in the folds of her robe. She laid a hand over the single bracer. Her smooth skin took on a golden shine, brighter at the fingertips and flowing up her arm. After a couple seconds, she lifted her arm up and smiled.
“Orange,” she said in surprise, glancing at Hall who had to fight back a smile.
He acted like it wasn’t a shock to have a Rare item. He picked up the item, studying it.