Magical After: Dark World Book 1 Part 1

by David Gunter

  He sighed and looked up and the sky and lost himself as he looked at a beautiful sky with numerous foreign bodies. A large planet was close to this one. He realized that it must be Atsia Minor as this one was called Atsia Major, he reasoned musically. He was surprised to see how large the planet looked and how close. Between the planets, he saw sparkling lights that seemed to be moving high above. It was a wonder. Somehow the sight of the city in the distance was enough to pull David out of his stargazing and fill him with enough to look forward to. If the conversation with the voices in the book had been true or not would be something he would discover the truth of sooner or later.

  As he came over another hill and looked towards the city once more, he saw that a rider on a horse was riding full speed down the dirt road. The dust was flying high behind the rider as the steed hit the road hard for maximum speed.

  David felt that he should hide but standing on top of the hill, he knew he was in clear view of the rider. The rider would be upon him soon, and hiding or running wouldn’t work with anything in sight to hide behind and the woods being too far behind him to make it in time. Without any options, he decided to simply keep going and meet the rider along the way. He walked down the hill and walked for about five minutes and then saw that the rider was a fully armored Knight whose shiny armor was glittering in the morning light.

  The site of this armored warrior coming his way made him once more wish he had a place to hide, but he knew that option had long expired. He paused for a brief moment as he fought the urges to run, but he continued forward once more, and two minutes later, the knight began to slow, and both came together on the road.

  “Hey there!” David waved to the knight that came to a stop.

  The knight said nothing at first but then raised his right hand and gave a slight wave. He held the reins of his steed with the left and pulled on the reigns to pull back the horse that wanted to keep going. The horse made a few grunts and snorts and calmed down a bit more. Then the knight spoke through his closed visor.

  “Hi there, fellow traveler. I am on a quest to find a beast that has been reported to walk through these lands. Have you seen a monster in these parts in your travels?”

  “A monster?” David exclaimed. He was about to launch into the whole tale of running into the creature and how it had looked at him and just walked into the mist, and as the knight’s short tale went through his head, something didn’t feel right. His pause was long enough to look like cluelessness to all except those that knew him. So the knight continued.

  “It is said to appear and wipe out entire villages. Travelers have been found half-eaten too. The emperor of the Opal Kingdom has ordered that the beast be destroyed, and I, an ordained holy knight, will see the end of the creature and others like it.”

  “You’ve been offered a choice. The Holy Knight called John Taney has asked for information on the whereabouts of a creature of moonlight called the ‘Blue Wolf.’ Your special connection to moonlight touched creatures has activated, and you know this ‘Blue Wolf’ is a creature of good and that it is more than what others perceive. Do you tell the Holy Knight that you saw the creature in the forest, or do you deny it? A choice can lead to a quest, a battle, or an unknown life-altering event.”

  - Nature.

  David got the notification and understood then that what he had seen that night and the recognition the wolf creature had displayed had been a sort of understanding between the two. They were ‘moonlight touched,’ whatever that meant. The ‘Old Man in the Sky’ had said that he had been awarded this because of his playing a musical game with the lights. He hadn’t realized how that choice, to which he had given no thought, had led to this choice he was about to make. He knew that whatever happened, he couldn’t betray a creature that was of his own kind.

  “Sorry, I wish I could help, but I slept like a rock all night in the forest behind me. I think a creature that has slaughtered entire villages would’ve probably made my night more memorable.” David said this, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the forest behind him and following it with a shrug, all the while smiling with what he hoped was a genuine expression of ignorance.

  The Holy Knight looked at David for a bit longer than David thought was comfortable, but the steed broke the silence with a snort and stomped the ground with one of its hooves. This broke the knight out of his apparent thoughts, and then he once again looked in the direction of the forest, clearly preparing for another ride. He gave David one more look and then, as if a thought had occurred, said, “Was there a ravine somewhere in these woods? Some have noticed the creature’s prints on the ground near a ravine that is supposed to go through the forest.”

  Before David could answer, though, another prompt appeared, and reading it, he was surprised to see that he was being addressed by the moonlit creature though he didn’t know how.

  “This knight will not relent in finding me. I will await the knight in my keep deep within the woods and for any adventurer who thinks themselves strong enough to face me. You have served your moonlight touched brother well, David. You are not yet strong enough to face an opponent such as this. Let the knight know that you heard a commotion in the morning while crossing the ravine towards the south of the forest. This should be enough to make him curious. I have left my prints on the banks of the ravine, so this should lead him to me and to his doom.”

  - The Blue Druid.

  The pause David took to read the prompt was enough to grab the knight’s attention once more, and when David answered, his words were received with eagerness. Then David watched as the knight gripped a large spike weapon tighter and launched his steed full force towards the southern side of the road and in the same direction David had come earlier.

  The knight was soon out of sight over the hills. David stood in place thinking about the wolf creature and the look it had given him the night before and its most recent message offering himself up to face the knight in order to ensure that nothing would befall David. He began his walk towards the city off in the distance but, while doing so, continued to wonder about the message and how he had seemingly befriended such a powerful creature.

  If he wanted to, would he be able to send a message to the wolf creature? And if so, what sort of message would he send. A message, thanking a creature such as this seamed trite coming from him. Would the creature take it as an invitation to invade his life? He didn’t really want that thing anywhere near his person or his family, and yet its message had seemed almost as if the creature was concerned for his well-being. It occurred to him then that the creature had known that he had just met the knight on the road and had even been privy to their conversation. How was this possible. He wanted to know more about his moonlight touched status, and he remembered that when he’d arrived at the crossroads, he’d received a notification about some kind of moonlight effect, but he hadn’t really seen much in the way of an explanation.

  He was going to close his eyes and try to remember the words, but then another message appeared, and it did the work of explaining the meaning.

  Moonlight Touched

  This buff adds special abilities to an effected being or object. This effect becomes active on a players first interaction with the moonlight or another effected by this buff. The buff can lead to clues about surroundings or can lead to unique item traits. The possibilities are endless.

  Rank 1: +50% chance to find secret quests

  Rank 2: +75% chance to find secret quests

  Rank 3: Rank2 + Friendly with other buffed beings and extra stats on buffed items

  Rank 4: Rank 3 + 10% stats on all buffed items

  Rank 5: Rank 4 + Kinship with other buffed characters. Kinship is a special trait which can unlock additional buffs, rewards, and legendary quests.

  Rank 6: Rank 5 + Moonlight Sight buff. Moonlight Sight allows a character to find the truth under the moonlight.

  Rank 7: All previous rank
s and the ability to grant this buff to other beings.

  Your rank is Rank 3. To find higher ranks you must become more aligned with this buff. This is also considered a being’s alignment.

  Seeing this amount of information startled David. He wasn’t sure if he had received all this information because he had this buff or because this was simply how things worked, but he was going to have time in the city to find out more about what was normal and what wasn’t. The information he received had the effect of making him feel good about the state of things, however. In some ways, the idea that he could get quests that others might not could be something useful and perhaps even something he could capitalize on when the time was right. He was certain too that having this was something that could get him into trouble if he let the fact known. Perhaps, he thought, it was like ending up on the wrong side of town with a million dollars in his wallet, risky if anyone found out. It would be difficult to hide this buff as he didn’t know what signs might give it away.

  These thoughts continued to play back and forth in his mind as he attempted to be more self-aware and acquire caution. But David knew he was hopeless. He imagined walking into the city with a large target on his forehead or a sign on his back that said ‘I’m fair game.’ So as he walked closer and closer to the city and its walls started to come into focus, his worry also grew.

  Nearing the city he saw another road leading to the city gates. It was a much larger road, and on it, he saw many travelers. Some travelers looked more like he did, with simple gowns or plain clothing, while others wore much more elaborate outfits and had large weapons of all assortments and sizes. There were many caravans as well, and some were parked by the side of the road open for travelers to be tempted by.

  David looked at the wears as he walked by them and slowed as he passed a caravan with numerous clothing items in a vast assortment of styles. A fairly plump-looking woman was standing in front of the caravan folding some items of clothing when the man standing to the side and who was clearly the owner gave a slight cough and tilted his head, directing his eyes back to David. The movement was obvious to David, but it had the desired effect on the woman who put her hands on her hips and turned quickly to face him with an expression practiced to make sales.

  “Hello there, sir! Is it is your delight to simply stand there looking at my attractions, or are you looking to try a few of them as well?” (giggles)

  “Um, well, if by attractions you mean clothes, then I believe I am interested. How much for a pair of pants and a t-shirt? Oh, and some socks, shoes, and undergarments too?”

  “Oh! You’re one of those men who like to get down to business (giggles). Well, Sir! You aren’t the first to ask if we had ‘pants’ and a’ t-shirt.’ We don’t believe we have exactly what you’re looking for, but others have mentioned that our trousers fit the description of ‘pants’ and we do have linens and outer garments which could fit your build, after a little fitting of course (giggles). Although I have to say, and I’m sorry to ask this, but from the looks of your current clothing, would you have a way of paying for the clothing?”

  David hadn’t considered the payment aspect of the exchange, and he hadn’t considered what would pass for money in this world. He shook his head and opened his mouth to say that he had only just arrived from another world but stopped himself. So far, he’d been reacting to every new situation without a plan or without any real system. When things had gotten bad, he had just run, but he was about to enter a city with tall walls all around and no way to escape easily. Not only was he in desperate need of real clothing but, even more importantly, a way to fit in with the people of this city and of the world at large. What he needed to do that, though, was information. How did these people trade, and what was valuable or common place? He needed time to observe and learn things and where making friends and being social could help some he had always met people through work. He needed to find work and then acquire both money and the information to use it.

  Noticing that David needed time to think about the question of payment and that there were a few other possible customers approaching, the caravan lady turned and started attending others. As David came finally to the decision of work as a means to solve a number of problems, he looked up and saw that he no longer held the lady’s attention, but he saw too an opportunity to learn by watching.

  As he watched the exchange between the potential customers and the lady, he saw that she would hold out various clothing items and that the travelers would look at the seams and the colors in the light looking, perhaps, for discolorations or defects. After a number of items had been collected on a pile on one of the caravan’s window shelves, the subject of money came up. The caravan lady asked for seventy silver or five opals. At this, the other travelers laughed and asked the lady if they looked like royalty. The caravan lady giggled awkwardly and said she had to ask in case they were royalty traveling in incognito. Then the travelers added that the correct conversion of silver to opal was one opal to two gold and one hundred silver to one gold. Apparently, there had been a decree the week before, they also added, which had recently corrected the value of opal to gold conversion and that all the businesses inside and outside of the city were required to use a five gold to one opal conversion unless they could show the imperial merchants seal. The travelers paused as if waiting for the caravan lady to produce the seal, but instead, the caravan owner walked over and quietly apologized on behalf of his assistant and attempted to pull the travelers further away from David’s listening proximity. David, however, moved lightly and confidently around the group and positioned himself right behind the caravan owner, staking a claim to hear anything that was said.

  The caravan owner gave a slight look toward’s David and then attempted to move the group in the other direction, but the other two travelers, a tall woman and a man with pale skin, refused to move. Instead of moving with the caravan owner’s prodding, the woman let her hand fall from the man’s arm, and she instead walked around the other side of David and put her arm around David’s. The reaction of the caravan owner and the caravan lady were of sudden shock, David noticed. It was clear from their reactions that they understood the gesture to mean that David was, in fact, a close associate to the two other travelers and should be treated with whatever courtesy they deserved.

  Whatever shock the caravan merchants displayed was mirrored on David if only for a brief moment. He quickly realized that he wasn’t simply an eavesdropper pretending to be a bystander, but instead an integral part of the two travelers and whatever plans they had for acquiring the goods from these caravan merchants. As suddenly as he realized these things, he also understood that he had a unique opportunity as the shock clearly visible on the merchants could be something he could use to his advantage and also that of the travelers.

  “Ehem,” David cleared his throat. “I am afraid that in addition to the changes my associates have described, the emperor has also asked that any violations to his decree be reported and that those who continue to devalue the imperial coin be subject to fines and intense scrutiny and even harsh punishment.” He said these things growing with intensity and finally ending the last words with enough presence so that other caravan merchants would be curious to take notice.

  As David started to speak, he felt the tall woman tense but then relax as the direction he took the conversation was in line with the narrative she and her companion had begun. More interestingly, the moment he had said the word ‘emperor,’ she had squeezed his arm briefly but intensely. David filed that away but he suspected that there was a lot more to the two travelers and their association to the Opal City’s royalty than they had let on earlier. For the time being, he decided to simply act natural and see where things might go.

  David, feeling that the woman had something to say, turned to her and let her take the conversation further. So she added.

  “We will be observing your business and that of other caravans through va
rious associates in the coming weeks, and if we see any more abuses or misrepresentations of the royal mint, these will be met with swiftly and without the compassion shown here today!”, The woman added.

  This was said with such an emphasis that it made the caravan owner’s eyes, and that of his assistant’s, open wide, and both looked down at their feet as if awaiting some sort of sentence. David had been merely putting on an act, but the way in which the woman spoke gave him the sense that she was someone who was very comfortable with authority and with prescribing punishments.

  David looked from the man to the woman while attempting not to show any signs of discomfort, and then he looked at the clothes that had been placed on the shelf awaiting purchase. Something felt a little odd to him, and then the caravan merchant’s assistant suddenly reacted to his glance.

  “Oh! Good sirs, and madam, I see that these clothes were for your companion all along. I didn’t realize this at the time, but I hope you know I meant no disrespect when I asked you, good Sir, for a form of payment. I understand now that your associates handle all your business for you. Let me also add that your associates know your measurements well, Sir, and judging from their clothing and yours, it couldn’t have been more obvious that these had always been intended for you.” She bowed slightly as she handed David the pile of garments and awaited any words he had for her.