Touch of Fate

Mike felt a chill run down his spine, and he quickly glanced around. Not seeing anything particularly concerning from his vantage atop Barley, he returned to examining the two secondary skills he had picked up recently.

- Basic Haggling (Tier 1, Rank 1) -

There is an art to making the perfect deal, and you have taken your first steps down the path of that art. Minor increase to charisma for the purposes of buying and selling goods or services.

- Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Tier 1, Rank 2) -

You have learned the proper method of controlling your breathing and coordinating your fingers to create music with wind instruments. Minor increase to system correction when playing a wind instrument.

After much deliberation, he concluded that neither skill had any real combat application, with the possible exception of some kind of music-based magic, nor was it related to production in any way.

He was forced to accept that the system had in-built skills that covered more than just fighting.

He was not sure why this surprised him, since there were more than just warriors and mages living in this world, but he felt that it cheapened the whole process somehow if he could just acquire musical talent. He concluded that it was just another strange aspect of the new world he was living in.

The first of the two new skills had popped up after his meeting with Anton, but the second had shown up recently. Mike had been learning how to play the flute after one of the young women in the caravan had offered to teach him.

In an effort to stave off some of the advances he had been receiving from the females they had been traveling with, he had brought up the topic of music.

Surprisingly several of the caravan members seemed well versed in musical instruments, so he randomly selected one to become his teacher.

With a single night of practice he had already acquired the skill and increased its rank. He was once again reminded how much of a cheat his class was.

They were scheduled to arrive in Wyrport today, and Mike was already able to notice some major changes in the surrounding landscape. Most prominently was the road, which had become paved with blocks of grey stone, and nearly twice as wide before he noticed. The plains they had been traveling through had given way to gently rolling hills. Small farms and ranches seemed to cover most of the countryside, and traffic had increased, with numerous carriages and wagons.

Mike was surprised to see more than just horses being used as mounts and beasts of burden. Large, shaggy bovine animals that stood nearly 3m tall at the shoulder, giant lizards, a few varieties of herbivorous dinosaurs, and even horse-sized wolves could be seen moving down the road. One group of short yet solidly built humanoids, which Mike assumed were dwarves, was riding a metallic contraption that vaguely resembled a stripped down automotive. Judging from the way they were arguing with one another while the machine started belching black smoke and ground to a halt, they had not yet perfected the technology.

Speaking of the people, Mike had mostly seen humans, typically dressed as peasants and commoners, going about their business. However, every now and then he'd see a dwarf, beastman, elf, and even a group of scaly, humanoid lizards. Seeing all of these different races moving along, side by side, got him thinking.

"Hey, Morris. What sort of racial discrimination goes on around here?"

The older man poked his head out of the back of a nearby wagon, a confused expression on his face. "Racial discrimination? Uh…. None, I guess. At least not officially."

"Really?"

"Well the Kingdom of Almir is somewhat unusual in that regard I suppose. We are a predominantly human nation, with only small populations of other races. Government policies are in place to protect most minorities, but they usually aren't needed. The people of Almir tend to think highly of non-humans ever since the kingdom was saved by a multiracial coalition during the War of Ashes about two hundred years ago."

Once again, Mike found himself with a slew of new questions, but refrained from asking them, vainly hoping that Morris would avoid entering another of his lengthy lectures.

"That said, there is always some degree of tension, and isolated incidents of racial conflict are a fairly common occurrence in the larger cities. There are several scholars who point to ancestral conflicts during the Second Pyrathien Empire period….."

Mike sighed, already regretting asking his question. Ever since Dewey Glen, Morris seemed to have taken it as his sworn duty to educate Mike on the complexities of life in this world. He couldn't count the number of times he'd have to feign interest as the bard lectured him for hours.

Thankfully, they had just crested a hill giving them a view of the city.

It was much larger than Mayde. In fact, Mike was hard pressed to really guess at the size of it. Thick walls, tens of meters high stretched for kilometers in each direction. They blocked off most of his view, but he could see the tops of several towers and spires in the late afternoon haze. A vast stretch of blue was visible behind the city. Mike guessed this was the famous Wyrmrest Lake.

"Hey look. You can see the city."

Morris paused in mid-lecture to glance around the side of the wagon. "Ah, yes. The second biggest city in Almir. Pretty impressive, right?" Mike nodded in response.

Morris continued. "Not only is it located on several important trade routes, but it is one of the few cities with a full fledged dungeon located inside the city walls. This enables a steady supply of resources from the local adventurers. Which in turn, has led to the development of extensive crafting services in terms of magic items, weapons, and armor. In many ways it can be considered a paradise for adventurers."

"Wait, run that by me again. A dungeon? As in a the type with dungeon cores, respawning monsters, and treasure chests?" Mike new that he had basically reincarnated into a plot line, but was astounded that such a convenient thing could exist in reality.

"Well, yes something along those lines. If I recall, there is a beginner's course in the Wyrport Adventurer's Guild that takes you down to the dungeon. If you want to know more about it, that would be the best way."

Mike made a mental note to do so as soon as he got to the guild.

The caravan continued until it was close the walls, before splitting into one of five lines forming on the right side of the gargantuan gates. In a short period of time the Hugh, the caravan master, had negotiated with the gate guards for passage and the group passed through. With little thanks, and much under the breath muttering, Hugh paid Mike and Morris for their escort duties.

After bidding farewell to the caravan members, the duo walked into the bustling city of Wyrport.

"So, where to first?" Mike asked while leading Barley, the steadfast mare placidly following along with little to no encouragement.

"Well, I'd suggest finding an inn first. Somewhere with a stable for your horse. Then I'm not too sure. You'll probably want to stop by the Adventurer's guild before heading down to one of the local markets to get yourself some gear. As for me, I plan on getting good and drunk tonight, before looking for work tomorrow."

Mike sensed a despairing undertone in Morris's words. "Do you want to join the Guild, too? We could form a party, adventure together."

The other man sighed. "No, but thanks for the offer. Honestly, with your current abilities I'd likely just hold you back. No, it be better for the both of us if I settled down for a less adventurous lifestyle."

Deciding to hold the discussion for a later time, Mike chose to remain silent. The pair found a respectable inn that charged reasonably for both rent and stabling. They paid two weeks in advance, coming to the mutual conclusion that a more permanent situation can be worked out by then.

Morris led them with his unerring sense of direction to the local Adventurer's Guild branch, all the while lecturing Mike on important details about how the guild functioned in this city.

"This branch is actually one of two, but the one in the northern district deals more with wealthier clientele. They tend to have less work for lower ranking adventurers. They are also located closest to the dungeon entrance, so most of the delvers, as they are called, use this one." He was explaining as they walked towards a large, multi-floored building.

It bore the Adventurer's Guild seal in the form of a large, raised crest. A motley assortment of men and women of various races entered and exited through a set of double doors, seemingly permanently left open.

Feeling a little nervous, Mike took his first steps into a real guild hall. The interior seemed to be laid out in three distinct sections. Directly to the front was a long countertop where lines of adventurers waited to talk to one of several receptionists. He noticed that almost universally these receptionists were attractive, young women and he mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Anton and Don back at the Mayde branch office had left him dreading the quality of guild personnel.

To either side of the long countertop were four posting boards, for a total of eight. Judging from the number of adventurers looking over the contents of the posts, he suspected that these were requests.

The left portion of the guild hall seemed dedicated to a series of shops. Armor, weapons, equipment, and even some potions and esoteric items were on display. One of the stores seemed to be a sort of turn-in location, as several adventurers carrying various materials waited to speak to the clerk behind another countertop.

The right side of the hall was dominated by a large common room with several tables. Food and drink was plentifully visible on them. Rowdy adventurers, evidently set on enjoying themselves despite how early it was, were singing a merry drinking song.

Mike paused to savor the environment. [Yes! This is what an Adventurer's Guild should be.]

"Excuse me, this hall is off limits to non-members. Unless you plan on joining you'll have to leave."

Mike was startled out of his revelry by a guard dressed in plate mail standing to one side of the doorway. He realized that all of the adventurer's he had seen so far were prominently displaying their guild marks.

"Ah, sorry about that. I'm actually already a member." He said while showing the guard his hand.

The armored man nodded before turning towards Morris. Mike looked at him apologetically.

"It's alright. I'll be waiting outside."

The guard looked back at Mike. "Is this your first time here?"

"Yes, actually. It's my first time in the city. I wasn't trying to cause any trouble."

The guard chuckled, "No trouble, just guild policy. They had issues with non-members trying to take advantage of adventurers in the past. If it's your first time here, I'd recommend checking in at the main desk. If you look, you'll see that there are 16 lines, two for each rank."

Mike noticed the numbers hanging from the ceiling. "Usually, you are expected to enter the line associated with your rank, but they are pretty flexible here, so if there isn't any line you can go to any receptionist."

"Thank you, mister." Mike replied gratefully. He had gotten used to low level hostility from other men, so the guard's good treatment came as a surprise.

"Please, call me Talin. I work as the door guard here, three days a week, so if you stay in town we'll be seeing each other again.

"Thanks again, Talin. I look forward to working with you." Mike stepped forward looking for his line at the desk.

- - - - - - - - - -

Talin continued to smile until the youth was a good distance away. He shuddered, a cold sweat still soaking him inside his armor. That boy couldn't have been more than 14 or 15, but his aura terrified the veteran adventurer.

He had a rare skill called Aura Sense that stemmed from his unusual class, Silent Sentinel. It allowed him to judge the relative strength people and creatures when he focused on them. Just now he had turned his attention on the young, newbie looking boy, long enough to get a glimpse at his aura. What he saw left Talin terrified.

Aura Sense was different from other detection skills in that it not only measured the existing strength of the target, but was able to gauge the relative strength of the target's soul.

The newbie's aura strength was terrifying in itself, seemingly coming in layers that varied from a high Tier 2 to a low Tier 4, but even that was nothing compared to the boy's soul. Talin found it difficult to even describe, but the closest analogy he could come up with was a snake pit or an insect swarm.

It felt like thousands, if not millions, of souls twisted and twining into a giant mass. The sheer force of their combined presence made him feel like a pebble next to a mountain. He was torn between the need to inform the guildmaster of this event and watch the terrifying youth.

Much to his horror, while he was deliberating, he saw the young man get into an argument with a group of adventurers.