by R. A. Mejia
I turn my head and give Mary a quick kiss on her head, “Really Mary. Thanks. I always get so emotional when I think of what happened to the kobold tribe. I know I’ve been trying to distract myself from dealing with it by throwing myself into crafting, training, the mission to rescue the Restrians, and getting through the dungeon.”
“I know. But you have to deal with the pain at some point, or it’s going to become a real emotional issue for you.” She says.
“Yeah, I know that. I’ll have to deal with it at some point, but I just can’t do it now. We still have a lot to do, including finding whatever remains of the Red Claw tribe.” Looking ahead of us, I see the main road through the mountains. Behind us, is a wagon traveling in the direction of the Monstrum. I point at the wagon and continue, “The first step on our journey is getting a ride to the border.”
Mary looks ahead and also sees the wagon I’m pointing at, “Ok. But when you’re ready to talk about it, remember that you have Vrax and me to help you. OK?”
I feel a hand reach out and touch my shoulder and turn to see Kitsune looking at me, “You have me too. I know what it’s like to lose the people you love. If I can help you get through it, I will.”
I give a small smile and nod at the gesture. “Thank you Kitsune. I may take you up on that.”
I feel a small fist hit my head. Thankfully, my scales protect me from any real damage, but I hear Mary say, “And what about me?”
My smile broadens, and I quickly add, “Thank you, Mary. I never doubted that you’d be there for me. Not for one second.” Mary crosses her arms and harrumphs, but I can tell she’s only putting on a show of being perturbed.
Kitsune’s hand withdrawals from my shoulder as we move onto the main road and wait for the approaching wagon.
As the wagon gets close, I make sure our group is out of its path, and I raise my fist in the air and stick out my thumb. I look around and see Kitsune and Vrax doing the same. The wagon gets closer and closer, and my hopes rise that we’ll be in Monstrum in no time. Unfortunately, the wagon driver is in a rush, or he doesn’t want to pick us up because he doesn’t even slow as he passes us by, kicking up dust that I have to spit out of my mouth.
Our first day out on the road two more wagons pass us by without even slowing down for the four of us. I double check with Mary to make sure that sticking out my thumb means the same thing on Terra as it does on Earth. She informs me that it does and that it’s a universal signal that you’re looking for a ride. The next day we’re passed by three wagons. It’s not until our fourth day out on the road that we’re finally picked up by a caravan of wagons slowly moving through the mountain pass. The caravan is composed of six wagons, guarded by three mounted bowmen. The wagon leader tells us that they’d heard that there were bandits in the mountains using a devious ploy of a stranded traveler to lure suckers off the road, only to be robbed by their waiting compatriots. I look pointedly at Kitsune after being told this by the wagon driver, but she avoids my gaze. Still, we’re grateful for the ride and promise to help out as much as we can.
It takes another four days to reach the border of Monstrum. During the day, the group rides in the wagons, talking to the drivers. We take turns riding in front and back on lookout duty. When we stop for the night, Kitsune and I help unbridle all the horses, curry them, and feed and water them. I’m able to increase my [Animal Care] skill by a couple of levels with all the work. Additionally, I help prepare meals at night. Vrax sets snares at night to catch fresh meat for breakfast. Mary summons Mr. Snuggle Butt, and the two of them help on the night watch. At night, I’m able to talk with the crews manning the wagons and practice my skill with [Crystal Programing]. So far the skill hasn’t increased a single level, but that may be because I haven’t done any programming yet, only crystal mapping. I guess that would be like expecting your home building skill to increase when you’ve only drawn up the blueprints.
Anyways, now that I’ve mapped the internal structures of the practice crystals, I experiment with modifying those structures. It’s a fascinating experience using my mana and visualization to move the matrices of the crystals around. It reminds me of playing that game KerPlunk, I move one and shift different parts of the crystal matrix and hope the entire thing doesn’t come crashing down on me. I accidentally destroy two of the practice crystals by creating unstable matrices. Still, even when I fail, I learn something. The last night before we reach the border I’m finally able to change one of the structures in the crystal to increase its hardness and raise my [Crystal Programming] skill by one level.
The next day the caravan finally reaches the Monstrum border. We shake hands with the nice wagon drivers and give our thanks to the wagon caravan master for picking us up in the first place. We would have spent weeks in the mountains otherwise. The four members of my group walk ahead of the line of wagons and approach the border stop.
Chapter 5.2
Two distinct lines are waiting to get into Monstrum. There is a line of wagons and a line of travelers on foot. The line of wagons ahead of us are all waiting to be cleared by Monstrum border patrol. We line up with the travelers on foot. Ahead of us, I can just make out a massive stone wall that marks the border between Xican and Monstrum. The wall is at least thirty feet high and wide enough for two men to walk abreast. I know that because I can see at least half a dozen archers on top of the wall, scanning this side of the border for trouble. At the base of the wall is a massive wooden door that stands open and is tall and wide enough for two-way traffic to pass through. Guards with long polearms man the gates and question travelers attempting to cross into Monstrum.
As we wait in line for our turn, I figure we can talk about our game plan once we’re over the border.
I motion for everyone to get closer and tell them, “We’re coming up on the border, and I just wanted to reiterate our goals. We’re here to get away from the Imperare army and work on decoding the ledgers, that will tell us who our kidnapped kobold tribesmen were sold to. Lilliandra already gave us a lead on someone in Trinitarian that may be able to help us. Once we’re across the border, we need to look for ways to get there and ways we can get stronger. Even if we can figure out where the kobolds are, I don’t think that it’ll be easy to take them back.”
Kitsune adds, “We should visit the Adventurers’ Guild as soon as we can then. We have those letters to turn in, and we can look for quests that pay money there.”
Mary lands on my shoulder and whispers to me, “It’ll also give you a chance to send letters to Lilliandra, Rex, Keans, and Sonya. They’re probably worried since they can’t contact us by message tablet anymore.”
Oh, that’s right. I’d forgotten about my friends since we’d been running for our lives the last couple weeks. However, I can’t let Mary know that I forgot again and tried to play it off, “Uh, of course, I was planning to write to them. I’ve already drafted the letters in my mind. I just need some paper and a pen to put words to the page.”
“Oh, is that all you were waiting for?” Mary says, then she taps an invisible screen and a piece of paper and quill appear in her hand, “Here you go. I wouldn’t want you to have to wait anymore.”
“Uh, where’d you get the paper from?”
“I took it from those bandits when we were searching that room.”
I grudgingly take the paper and pencil and try to think of what to write. I don’t have a solid surface to write on, and I take the excuse, “Oh, look. Nothing to write on. Guess I’ll have to wait till we stop at an Inn or something.”
She rolls her eyes and smirks, “Sure. Sure.”
The line we’re in moves forwards and I see four well-armed guards talking animatedly to a group ahead of us. They have one human in the group, a hulking blond figure wearing furs and a bastard sword strapped to his back. I don’t know what they’re arguing about, but the human suddenly shouts, “What do you mean you won’t let me through? I have a quest to complete in Monstrum.”
One of the guards, a tal
l figure with broad shoulders wearing leather armor and a helmet that covers the upper half of his face, raises his voice, “What about ‘No Humans Allowed’ don’t you understand. Now turn around and leave or we’ll arrest you for breaking the peace.” Even from where I’m standing I can see that the human is turning red from anger. I see his hand twitch towards the sword on his back. However, another big fellow, who is at least seven feet tall, with slate gray skin and a single eye walks over to the group. He has to lean down to speak to the human in furs, but he says, “Is there a problem here human?”
The blond human, who looks like a child next to the towering gray skinned creature, looks up and answers weakly, “Uh, no. No problem. We were just leaving.”
The human and the rest of his group quickly back away from the guards and walk back down the road away from the border. The man with the leather helmet shakes his head and motions for us to move forward. My group of four approaches and I notice, now that no one is blocking my view, that in front of the four guards is a table. Behind the table is a short fellow with pointed ears and a sickly yellow skin tone. He has a long pointed nose and sharp teeth. He wears dark leather armor like the rest of the guards but doesn’t bear a visible weapon. I stare at the man, and it clicks. He’s a goblin. He reminds me of Dyblex. Looking at the goblin's ears, I see what Mary meant by male goblins having short pointed ears. Dyblex had ears so long they went past the top of her skull and drooped a little. I wonder if her having green skin is also an indicator of her gender or if it has something to do with a region she was born in? Or maybe it’s just a genetic variation like skin color is for humans?
The yellow goblin breaks my speculative train of thought by asking, “Do you speak Xican or Reptilian?”
I decide to play the species card and answer the goblin in Reptilian, “I speak both sir, although my Xican is less refined than my speech in Reptilian. How may I help you?”
My eyebrows raise as the goblin also switches to Reptilian and asks, “What is your name and purpose of visit in Monstrum?”
Well, well. This goblin is rather interesting. “I’m surprised to hear a goblin speak Reptilian. What’s your name and if I may ask where did you learn my language?”
The goblin raises an eyebrow but answers, “My name is Glots, and my father used to be a trader. We visited the lizardmen of the Azure salt marshes yearly, and he taught me the language. Now, let’s get back to my questions. What is your name and what is the purpose of your visit to Monstrum?”
I have to remember what name I gave in Valse, wouldn’t do to use the same alias. Then again why do I need to use an alias? I doubt the guards will be checking the records of anyone in Valse.
“I’m Armon. The Imperare army has recently started taking territory in Xican, and my group thought it might be a good idea to look into moving into Monstrum. We heard that humans aren’t allowed in the country.”
Glots spits on the ground when I mention the Imperare army, “Damn Imperare. We’d heard about them taking over the dungeon town of Restrian. Shame too. We had a few trade caravans headed that way that we had to redirect. Those bastards get bolder every year.” Then shaking his head he continues, “Yeah, you heard right. We’re not letting humans in anymore unless they have special permission from the government. Too high a chance of infiltrators from the Imperare Empire. We’ve already had to turn away a couple of merchants today. I told them they could make arrangements with the merchant’s guild to have their goods transported into the country by non-human drivers or they can take their goods somewhere else.”
I nod in understanding. I’d been wondering how trade worked with Monstrum if only non-humans could get across the border. It would figure that someone would start a transportation business specializing in non-human drivers to fill the need. Commerce must continue after all.
Continuing to talk in Reptilian I smile and ask Glots, “You mind if I ask you for a recommendation for a place to sleep tonight? We’re pretty tired of sleeping on the hard road.”
He considers the question for a moment, “If you have the coin to spend, I’d say the Pretty Pony has the best rooms available. If you’re looking for the best value, then I’d say the Backwards Gobstopper is the place for you.”
“The Backwards Gobstopper?” I ask, trying to hold in a laugh.
The goblin smiles, showing off rows of sharp teeth, “I said it was the best value, not that it had the best name.”
Glots asks a few more questions about who else is in the group, and what we have in our inventories. I answer the questions as best I can, and he asks to inspect each of our inventories. We each change the permissions for our [Inventory], so he can see what’s inside. The goblin and the other guards quickly scan through our meager possessions before clearing us. They wave us through, and as we pass the through the gates leading to the new country, the high pitched voice of Glots calls out from behind us, “Welcome to Monstrum.”
Chapter 5.3
Crossing the border into Monstrum, I feel a tension in my shoulders lift. The constant fear of the Imperare army finding us or some assassin appearing and trying to kill us is just gone. I know we’re not safe, but we’re at least safe from the Imperare Empire for now.
Like most well-used border crossings, a town exists to provide support to travelers and help them part with their gold before going into a new country. Behind the wall that marks the border between Xican and Monstrum is a group of buildings that serve as barracks and stables for the soldiers that protect Monstrum. Beyond that is a thin forest that leads to a river; another natural barrier and likely reason that the nation of Monstrum decided to build a fort here. A wide wooden bridge capable of allowing two-way traffic spans the fast moving river and leads to a town that is roughly the same size as Restrian; though the inhabitants are much different from that town.
As we cross the bridge, the sounds of the river are drowned out by the sounds of the town. Full of life and vigor, the town is bustling with activity. Just outside the town proper is a vast array of facilities that will house and care for all manner of draft animals. Kitsune seems to know her way around, and she leads us past the horse stalls and the people trying to attract business from the wagon drivers into the town proper. The border town is at least as large as Restrian, though it lacks organization and the high wooden wall of the dungeon town. Instead, buildings seem to sprawl in every direction; some of the buildings made of wood, others brick, and still others stone. The dirt roads that snake between buildings are packed with people. As we walk along them, I see a small rickety shack selling fried meat on a stick sitting right next to a fancy looking clothes shop made out of brick. Shops are selling general goods, weapons, armor, and sundries. However, most of the buildings are dedicated to the pursuit of worldly pleasure. There are a lot of bars advertising ‘live entertainment’, a few places with signs outside them that offer rooms rented by the hour, and there are also quite a few regular hotels and inns. I guess with all the traffic going through the mountains; this might be the last chance people get to sleep in a real bed. Gods know I could use a good night's sleep on a soft bed myself.
Kitsune leads us through the streets, past buildings until she suddenly stops in front of a large two-story stone building in the center of town. The building has stone steps that lead up to thick double doors with black iron door handles. There’s a sign next to the door with the image of a sword and shield with the capital letter A on top. Kitsune walks up the stairs, away from the stream of people, and the rest of us follow. Outside the doors, she turns and says, “We’re here. The Adventurers’ Guild.”
“Do we need to be members of the guild to go inside?” I ask.
Mary answers before Kitsune can, “Nope. Everyone is welcome inside.” She then flies to the door and tugs on the massive handle of the heavy door. She is unable to budge the door that likely weighs one hundred times her weight.
Vrax casually walks up to the door and with one hand pulls it open. The fairy gives him an ‘I didn’t need yo
ur help’ look and flies in ahead of him. The rest of the group follows her inside. The large double doors open to a long narrow waiting room, decorated with vertical pinstripe wallpaper. My boots clomp against the hardwood floors as I walk inside and I notice that there are small globes of light placed along the ceiling and walls that light up the room. There’s a line of people waiting to talk to one of the three tellers waiting behind a wide counter and on the far side of the room are two large bulletin boards covered in papers.
Mary, taking the role of teacher again, informs us that the bulletin boards are for job postings from the community and that the tellers are the ones that answer questions and help adventurers turn in quest specific items to get paid. I pull the three letters we were given by that nice family in the woods from my [Inventory] but can’t seem to recall any of their names. I have to pull up the quest details.
Mailman
You’ve been asked to deliver a letter from Samiahle of the Black Bear Clan to the first adventurers guild you come across; may be the first step towards a father reconciling with his son, Sebastian.
Reward: Improved reputation with Samiahle, and 5 XP.
That's right. The names were Sam, Sarah, and Suzy. The S family. Well, that’s not their real family name, but that’s what I’m calling them in my mind from now on. I tell the other members of the group that they should look over the job boards for something that will make us some quick cash while I wait in line to turn in these letters. While I move to the back of the line in the middle of the room, the other three members of the group walk over to the job boards. While I wait, I look around at the other people in line. I see all manner of creatures waiting for their turn to talk to the adorable looking beast lady tellers. There are orcs, goblins, beastmen, and there’s even a tall, lanky fellow that reminds me of Grumph. He must be a troll. It’s amazing how universal bureaucracy and waiting in lines are.