Nova Terra: Guardian - A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Titan Series Book 4)

by Seth Ring

  “Where are the Elves?”

  No matter where he looked, Thorn had not seen a single Elf. The people hurrying around the town were predominantly Human with a few Dwarves, Beastkin, and Fae mixed in. Scanning through the crowds, Thorn began to notice some other details as well. The majority of the people passing by were either armed or they had obvious guards who helped them push through the crowds.

  “Uh oh.”

  Hearing Mina’s sharp breath, Thorn turned to follow her pointing finger, his eyes landing on a mixed group of Humans, Beastkin, and Dwarves struggling along. Their clothes were in tatters and thick chains looped through the metal collars around their necks, connecting them all together in a long line. Shuffling and stumbling along, they moved through the crowd, escorted by half a dozen Humans in armor with spears. The group was led by two fat merchants who were talking together, with no regard for the struggling figures following them.

  The thick crowds around them paid no attention to them, pushing past as if such chains of people were commonplace. His frown deepening even further, Thorn was about to step forward when he felt a hand tugging at his arm.

  “Something is wrong.” Velin was keeping her voice quiet and standing close to Thorn, trying her best to avoid attracting attention. “There are Maandell city guards escorting those slaves. They don’t look like prisoners though, so we need to tread carefully. Slavery is illegal in the empire, but it seems to be a common thing here.”

  Following Velin’s pointing finger, Thorn saw another group just like the first getting on one of the barges that had just dropped off a load of ore. The people of this group were chained together just like the first group was, but they all had larger builds. While it was not immediately obvious, there were half a dozen city guards standing around this group as well.

  Restraining himself, Thorn took a deep breath. Velin was right. If the group being escorted were prisoners then he would be jumping the gun by getting involved. And even if they were not prisoners, the fact that the guard were openly moving them through the crowd without attracting any undue attention spoke to a deeper problem.

  “Let's find a place to gather some information.” Baxby spoke quietly as well, seeming on edge. “I know of a good bar right inside the city walls where we should be able to get a sense of what is going on. Thorn, if you don’t mind leading the way? I think you’ll have better luck getting through than any of us.”

  With a nod, Thorn began to move through the crowd, making sure that the others were following closely. His imposing size and gleaming armor made it a simple matter, and the crowds parted naturally as he walked. It took a while to wind through the crowds to the city gate, but once they got there the line melted away, leaving Thorn facing the city guards who manned the gate.

  “Next!” Seated at a table by the side of the road, a dirty looking city guard sergeant spat on the ground and called for the next person in line. Alerted by the strange silence following his words that something was different, he glanced up, his eyes narrowing as he took in the strange group that stood in front of him.

  Baxby looked like the typical adventurer, though older than most. He was talking quietly to Mina, who had pushed her witches hat back on her brilliant red hair and was looking around with a wide grin on her face. Despite her relaxed demeanor, the gate guard’s experienced eyes saw that her hand was nearly holding the wand that rested on her waist. Behind the Ice Witch stood a robed figure, but the guard’s squinted eyes were immediately drawn to the War Construct behind them.

  Nine feet of bronzed metal towered over the group, its wolf-shaped head slowly scanning the surroundings, explaining the group’s relaxed demeanor despite the hard stares they were getting from every side. Perched on top of the construct’s shoulder was a red furred creature with three gently waving tails, but despite its cuteness, it did nothing to take away from the sense of danger the war construct gave off.

  “Do you have passes or do you need some?” Sitting up a bit straighter, the guard scratched his cheek as his eyes ran over the group. “Everyone staying overnight in the city needs to register and carry a pass. If you are caught without one, you’ll be sent to jail.”

  “We’ll need passes. A week, preferably.” Baxby took the lead, stepping up to the table and dropping a small bag of coins on the table lazily. Tipping to the side, a few silver coins rolled from the mouth of the bag, stopping by the ledger where the guard was recording the people who entered the city. Picking up the coins, the guard straightened the bag and dropped them back into it, confirming the weight as he did so.

  “Sure, but battle pets require special licenses, but I can cut you a discount if you buy another regular pass. You’ll need a regular pass for your war construct as well.”

  Thorn’s eyebrows twitched when he heard the gate guard. About to pat himself on the chest to show that he was not a war construct, Velin grabbed his hand first. Looking down at her, Thorn could see her hood trembling as if she was shaking her head.

  *ding*

  Thorn, keep pretending to be a construct please. I’ll explain once we’re in the city.

  The [Living Statue] curse prevented Thorn from sending messages, but it did not prohibit him from receiving them. Slightly confused after reading over Baxby’s message, Thorn still agreed and stood as still as he could while the old treasure hunter bought their city passes.

  Moving the coins around the coin purse, the guard counted them up and flashed a brief smile at Baxby before tossing it to one of the other guards who put it in a lockbox. Years of practice handling silver and gold at the gate had alerted the guard that there were a couple of gold coins in the bottom of the purse when he first picked it up. Conveniently, the war construct and battle pet this group brought were not commonly seen, allowing him to inflate the cost for entering the city.

  “No problem, no problem.” Baxby waved his hand, his strained smile making it obvious that he was only pretending that it did not bother him, causing a few of the watching guard to leer at him.

  “Alright,” stamping the city seal on a few pieces of paper, the guard handed them over to Baxby and gestured to Thorn’s armored chest. “These are your passes. Make sure you keep a tight leash on your pets and stick this pass on your war construct’s chest. Because of his size you have to keep a regular pass on him otherwise you might get into trouble. The rules are posted once you enter the city. I suggest you take a good look at them. Oh, and if your construct breaks anything you will be responsible for it.”

  Giving them one last look, the guard waved for them to leave and called for the next person in line. As they walked into the city, none of them noticed that the guard’s eyes lingered on them until they disappeared through the city gate. As soon as they were out of sight, the guard at the table waved one of the other guards over and gave him whispered instructions. With one last glance at the gate where Thorn and the others had entered, he turned his attention to the next traveler.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “Did you just bribe him?” Inside the town, Mina asked Baxby, her eyes glowing with interest. She had rarely encountered such things, even when she was with Ouroboros, and found them fascinating.

  “Nah,” Baxby waved a hand dismissively. “I paid the cost of getting into the city for four people and a battle pet. He just thought that Thorn here was a war construct. Which should, in theory, be free since they are items, not living creatures. Still, ever since the update at the beginning of the year there has been a lot more of this sort of petty corruption. It is easiest to just play along rather than making a scene.”

  “Haha, speaking of making a scene,” Mina’s voice trailed off as she looked around. The group had walked through the gate and immediately become the center of attention. Thorn’s armored figure was simply too eye-catching to miss.

  “We better get to the inn. I don’t like all this attention.” Shaking his head, Baxby led them down a street that ran along the city wall. Along the way he explained the message he had sent earlier. “Thorn,
I know it feels strange pretending to be a war construct, but this whole place is setting off my danger sense something fierce. I have a feeling that we are going to need all the strength we can muster, and if our potential enemies think you are a dumb robot we’ll gain a massive advantage. Thankfully, the guard forced us to buy a regular pass for you, so even if they figure out you are a person we shouldn’t get into too much trouble.”

  “Do you think the city is unsafe? Should we retreat?” Keeping her voice low, Velin asked Baxby

  “No, we can’t. We need more information and the only place to get that is in the city. Let's see what we can find out, and then we can decide what to do.”

  Though the streets inside the city wall were much cleaner than the squalid shanty town that ringed the city, there was a strange sterile quality to the city that was unsettling. There seemed to be few townsfolk on the streets and even fewer street vendors. Instead, as they made their way toward the inn that Baxby remembered, they passed by a number of small mercenary groups who were hurrying on their way, weapons held close.

  “Hey, did you hear about that eruption? One of the mountains in the Frosted Peaks blew up!” As they traveled down the street, Thorn caught a conversation between two of the mercenaries walking past.

  “Huh, really? I haven’t heard anything about it.” One of the mercenaries, a large barrel chested warrior shrugged as he looked at his friend.

  “Yeah, I heard that you could see it for miles. It was yesterday morning. The whole peak lit up.”

  “Eh, Are you sure about that? Wouldn’t we have heard the rumble? Or seen the ash? When volcanoes erupt they normally throw a lot of debris into the air. In fact, they can send ash over forty miles into the air. Once it gets up that high the wind can carry it really far. And wouldn’t we still see it up in the air?”

  “Alright, alright, slow down mr. scientist.” The thinner warrior rolled his eyes. “I don’t know if there was really an eruption, I’m just telling you what I heard. There was a ton of light coming from the peak and someone thought it was an eruption. Regardless, we should check it out. Maybe a new instance is opening up.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. Maybe it is a connection to that big Dwarven city underground. Rakkam? I’ve been hearing that it is a really fun instance.”

  “That is what my cousin was saying. He is a member of Aurum, remember? He said that their guild got to join in the final boss fight with Courdum, you know, the rock emperor. He said that they only beat it after that NPC baron joined the fight.”

  “And you believed him?” The barrel chested warrior sneered. “I heard that Eastern Alliance’s guild leader and all of their elites were the ones that beat the boss. On the first run too.”

  “Dude, I saw it! There is a video of the final fight. One sec, I think I saved it. Yeah, here it is. Baron Greymane destroys the Stone King. I’m telling you, it's epic. I don’t know how they got an NPC to join them, but I’m pretty sure anyone would die after getting punched by someone the size of a building.”

  As the two warriors passed by their group, Thorn could not help but take a glance at them. He knew that the video of the final boss fight with Courdum the Stone King was circulating, but this was his first time encountering players outside of Nova Luna that had seen it.

  “NPC, war construct. Haha, next they are going to be saying that Thorn is Eve’s kid.” Mina’s laughing voice rose from his other side, causing Thorn to sigh and shake his head helplessly. When they had reached the gate, Velin had told him not to reveal himself, and he had agreed. The slums outside the city had set his nerves on edge, and he was happy to hide some of the group’s strength by pretending to be a dumb robot.

  The inn that Baxby led them to was called the Drinking Giant, the freshly painted sign featured a large, hairy figure pouring a barrel of alcohol into its wide open mouth. A fresh coat of paint had been slapped on the outside of the building, but it did little to hide the years of grime that coated the walls of the ancient structure. The doorway was only seven feet high, and a flustered looking attendant rushed out just as Thorn started to duck his head to squeeze inside.

  “Hey, hey, whoa! You can’t bring that thing in here!” Waving her hands, the chubby young lady blocked the doorway and squinted up at Thorn’s towering figure. “We don’t allow war constructs in the building in case they make holes in the floor. Or ceiling.”

  “So, what? We’re just supposed to leave him on the street?” Hiding his smile, Baxby asked sarcastically.

  “No, we have a barn in the back. Battle pets and war constructs stay out there. The price is included with your stay, but any food is extra. I can lead you around if you want.”

  For a moment, Thorn considered taking off his helmet and revealing himself, but the sheer strangeness of the city made him hesitate. The city had an oppressed air, and the groups of chained people made him wary. For there to be such blatant disregard of the empire's anti-slavery laws could only mean that whomever was in charge of the island was in on it. Considering they had not seen a single Elf since arriving on the island, it was safe to say that something was very wrong.

  “Haha, sure. Lead the way.” This time, it was Mina who had trouble keeping herself from laughing as she patted Thorn’s armored side. “I’ll get old rusty here settled down while you get the rooms. It’ll certainly save us on space.”

  “Thank you, please follow me.” Relieved that they were not going to press the issue, the attendant led Mina into a small alleyway that took them to the back of the inn. Separated from the inn itself by a large yard, a big barn stood against the city wall. The barn was divided into individual stalls that could hold a variety of different animals and smaller alcoves where war constructs could be parked.

  Three of the stalls and two of the alcoves were already filled when the attendant brought Mina and Thorn into the barn, and after pointing to one of the empty spots, she hurried back into the inn, leaving the Ice Witch and Titan alone with the animals.

  “Ehem. Well, better get my war construct parked.” Coughing into her hand to hide her growing smile, Mina glanced at Thorn from the corner of her eye only to see a massive hand reaching for her, its fingers curled to flick her hat. Laughing, Mina vanished from where she stood, appearing across the barn, well out of Thorn’s reach.

  While Mina and Thorn were heading to the barn, Baxby and Velin had entered the inn to book a pair of rooms. A sparse scattering of patrons sat at the tables in the inn’s main room, and after entering, Baxby wove through them as he made his way toward the bar. Velin’s hood and cloak drew some attention, but for the most part the patrons did not bother with them. After getting two rooms and ordering some lunch, Baxby began to chat with the bartender while Velin carried some of the food out through the back door of the inn and into the barn where she found Thorn examining two metal figures with interest.

  The first was a quadruped with a tube extending up from the center of its back. Three flail-like arms extended from the tube, each ending in a thick hooked blade. A few gems were fixed at the top of the tube, flashing dully every few minutes. The other was shaped like a humanoid and carried a thick shield and a short blade. Standing seven feet tall, the metal construct was fairly blocky and obviously of Dwarven design and construction. Comparing his own armor, it was obvious why the guards at the gate had assumed that he was a war construct himself.

  One of the side effects of his [Living Statue] curse was a tendency to stand absolutely still which only lent to the confusion, and when combined with his thick armor, even Thorn thought he looked like a war construct. One would have to look really closely to tell otherwise, especially since he could not speak. Walking up next to him, Velin handed him one of the plates that was piled high with diced and fried potatoes, a thick slab of beef, and smothered in gravy.

  “Have you run across war constructs before?” Velin asked, settling down on one of the stools that stood against the wall. Taking off his helmet so he could eat, Thorn shook his head as Velin picked at her own foo
d with her fork. “Generally, you’ll find them in major cities on the southern continent. People fight them against each other in gladiatorial matches and bet on the outcome. It is a pretty big business.”

  “Illegal in most places though.” Mina chimed in, feeding Akira one of the pieces of carrot that topped her plate of food.

  “Well, it is only really illegal if they are doing mixed fights. A lot of places allow construct vs construct fights. The problem is that the money is not as good in that sort of fight since the constructs are rarely evenly balanced. The real money is in constructs versus beasts, or even people. Judging by the general environment of the city and the bloodstains on those constructs, I’d guess that the gladiatorial matches here are more the latter than the former.”

  Looking over, Thorn noticed the dark red stains that he had missed the first time he looked at the weapons on the metal constructs. A closer examination revealed a fair amount of battle damage as well, though it was obvious from the relatively smooth edges on the blades that they did not often attack other metal constructs.