The village of Awerth was the largest civilized area between the capital of Telas and the main port of Harbortown. This meant that it was also a part of the largest trade route in the kingdom, as merchants and porters traveling along the Crown’s Road would pass through it regularly. This meant that the village was more likely the size of a small city at this point, so most simply referred to it as Awerth. Now that the Travelers had arrived, Awerth also became a significant hub for them, being the one notable spot of civilization before the great expanse of the fields and forests to the west, the tundras and ice fields to the north, the coast to the south, or continuing into Ragor Givli, the Dwarven kingdom to the east. Inns, taverns, shops, temples, and much more had been added to Awerth in the last year to compensate for the increase in people added to the already large amount of people that moved through daily.
Even as Grayson and Mikhail were approaching, Grayson noticed a partially built wall that encompassed the city from hundreds of feet away. It was made of stones, and he could see figures working and moving around. Some blocks were pulled up with large rope and pulley machines, while others seemed to be floating up as Grayson noticed people on the ground with the familiar glow of magic emanating from their hands. A line of carts, wagons, and other transports was waiting outside as guards lazily checked each one. Grayson and Mikhail walked past them as Grayson noted some of the drivers were squat figures, as wide as they were tall. Grayson realized that each one had a massive beard except for the few children that he saw, even the women.
“Dwarves,” Mikhail said in response to Grayson’s questioning looks, “We’re close enough to the dwarven kingdom that they cross the border to sell goods here. This is one of the best places in Avallone to find forged items. Might not hurt you to look into finding some armor. Healers can’t prevent scars.”
They continued to the city's entrance, where an iron portcullis pulled up into the arch. Flashing their Traveler guild tokens, the guards waved them through.
“Much easier than last time,” Grayson muttered.
“What?” Mikhail asked.
“I’ll tell you another time.”
They continued down a road before stopping at a crossroad in the cobblestone street.
“This is where we split ways,” Mikhail announced.
Grayson nodded to him, and they shook hands.
“You should reconsider joining the guild, but I will still wish you luck searching for your father,” Mikhail said.
“They can’t help me and I don’t need a job to slow me down,” Grayson replied.
“That’s not what the guild is about. They would be willing to work with you on your journey. Anyway, I would recommend you find a healer for yourself. They are cheaper than buying potions for yourself.”
“Won’t my hit points just regenerate over time?”
“Yeah, at maybe ten percent a day if you just sit on your ass sunup to sundown. Go hire a healer.”
Grayson nodded again and turned to leave.
“Oh, and Grayson?”
He turned back.
“Go buy some damn armor.”
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Grayson stood in front of an impressive sign hanging over a rather ordinary-looking door. The building itself was large, too, dwarfing its neighboring shops considerably, but it was the sign that drew all attention.
“‘The Curiosities of the Travelers,’” Grayson read before pushing open the door to enter.
The interior was a stark difference from the exterior. Inside was brightly lit with thousands of candles, lamps, torches, and wall sconces with small braziers. Scattered across rows and shelves were items ranging from cubes and spheres to pieces of monster and animal bodies. Weapons lined down an entire wall of all different makes and styles. He could see a massive sword, longer than any person’s body, leaning up against the corner, scorches marking the walls as the blade burst into flame for a moment before going back out. A large crate sat in the middle of the floor, full of orbs of different sizes and racks of more paraphernalia. A small chimed above the door as it closed.
“Welcome!” I’ll be out in just a moment!”
The voice came from a doorway with a curtain over it behind the shop’s counter. Grayson looked around at the menagerie of shelves for a minute before a man walked through the doorway. He was a tall, lanky man with a patchy beard and long, strung-out hair. Several minor cuts, burns, and bruises coated his bare arms as he appeared only to be wearing a pair of pants and an apron.
“My name is Mr. Nicolaus and I am the owner here,” The man said with a flourishing bow before holding out his hand, “I understand this is the traditional greeting from your home.”
“Umm…” Grayson said as he slowly extended his hand to shake.
Mr. Nicolaus looked down at himself.
“Oh my good gods, my apologizes.”
He rubbed his hands over his chest like he was trying to warm himself up, and Grayson watched as his apron transformed into a flowing set of deep lavender robes with tiny jewels sewn into the fabric like stars. His hair slicked back and groomed itself while his beard turned neat and trimmed.
“Sometimes I forget to change back from my experimenting attire,” The now fabulously dressed man said, grinning bashfully.
“But, you are not here for my fashion advice, great as it is. You are here for curiosities, no?”
“Yes,” Grayson said with a raised eyebrow, “I’m mostly just looking to see what kind of travel supplies you have.”
“Travel supplies, hmm? Let me take a look.”
With an exaggerated hand twirl, Mr. Nicolaus flashed bright white and disappeared. He reappeared across the store to look at something. He repeated the process a few more times before reappearing in front of Grayson at the counter, dumping a handful of objects on the counter.
“In terms of traveling supplies, I am a bit lacking, but I do have these items. These four stones are Fire Rocks, taken from slain Lava Wyrms. Take one and toss it in a pile of wood and it will ignite in seconds and can be collected again when the fire has burnt out. You’ll need to leave them in the sunlight again for time before they will start another fire though. This is an Everburn Lantern meaning any candle placed inside will burn until you snuff it out. This is a Compendium of the Wilds. Open it up and it will give you information about the surrounding area and any creatures that may be found therein. And of course I saved the best for last, a Traveler’s House. This wooden cube can be placed on the ground and activated to expand into a lovely house. I will warn you, while this one isn’t particularly large, you will want to take a few steps back when you open it and it will not open in a place where there isn’t enough space for it. So, what’ll you have?”
Grayson looked over the pile for a moment before nodding to himself.
“I’ll take it all,” he said.
Mr. Nicolaus laughed.
“This would all be north of two thousand gold,” he chuckled, “I don’t mean to presume, but you don’t seem like the type to have that much gold lying around.”
Grayson smiled and held his hand over the counter. Two gold bars flashed into existence and dropped onto the wood, a large one thousand stamped into each one. Mr. Nicolaus’ eyes widened as he grabbed the two bars and shoved them under his counter.
“My deepest apologies, my,” he raised an eyebrow, “Lord?”
“Just a Traveler,” Grayson said with a smile as he grabbed his new items and placed them in his inventory.
“Well, you will always be welcome to come back anytime you have a little too much gold weighing down your pockets,” Mr. Nicolaus said with a beaming smile.
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After asking around some more, Grayson made his way to a large, open-air forge. Heat visibly distorted the air as it billowed out from the scorching fires, and metal clanging on metal could be heard from around the corner. A large piece of cloth had been stretched over the area, tied to large posts at each corner, to give cover from the weather, but Grayson could already feel it was hotter in the shade than it was in direct sunlight. Two large men worked the forge, their aprons, and clothing coated in a heavy layer of black dust and soot as sweat streamed down their faces, leaving streaks through the grime. Burn holes peppered their clothing, looking like an army of flaming arrows from miniature people had attacked them. An acrid burning smell filled the air as one of the men dunked a glowing blade into a barrel of what appeared to be an oil of some kind. Flames leaped at the sides of the barrel as the man pulled the metal out. A woman was standing off to the side, surrounded by tables of armor and various blades, and she looked between a book in her hands and the objects on the tables around her. She was toned and muscular, Grayson could only assume from working the forge herself. Her hair was cut short above the shoulders, and Grayson could see old burn scars on her exposed arms. He made his way over to her.
“Arina?” He asked.
“Ay, half-giant,” she replied, “I didn’t realize they came as big as you.”
“I’m looking for armor.”
“Well, I have these,” she said, motioning to the pieces of armor around her, “But I’d imagine that nothing here is going to fit you. I do have a custom piece that a right big fella paid for and never came back. I’d have to imagine he died at this point, but that’s about all I’d have for you, half-giant.”
Arina walked around some crates and shuffled a few things around before coming back with a simple-looking steel breastplate with a strange diamond-shaped frame attached to the front, over where the chest would be. She had to get some longer leather straps and switch them out, but they eventually managed to strap the armor onto Grayson.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“This will work,” he said, “How much?”
“Think nothing of it. Big fella already paid for it before he left. Just make sure you come back to me for any other pieces you need made.”
Arina gave him a warm smile, and Grayson nodded.
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Grayson spent the rest of the day stocking up on supplies. He managed to find an apothecary where he purchased a few healing potions, renewed his rations, and even managed to get a small session with a healer in a large temple near the center of the city. Eventually, he found a reasonably cheap room on the edge of town in a tavern called The Blue Mountain Inn. He discovered that he could drop his breastplate directly into his inventory while it was on his person, and it would put itself back on when he took it back out. He sat in his room, looking through his new items. He ate a large chunk of meat from an animal he had never heard of and opened his stat page and notifications.
NAME: GRAYSON (TRAVELER)
LEVEL: VOID PRIEST 75 (RANK 3)
EXP: 475/60,000
STATS
STR: 58
AGL: 42
WLL: 64
ALR: 35
SAN: 95
SPECIALITY
NONE
ATTRIBUTES
RES: LIGHTNING
IMN: DARK
VUL: HOLY
AFF: BEAST - MONSTROUS
SKILLS
VOID BLADE TIER 1, VOID SHIELD TIER 1, VOID SERVANT TIER 1, EYES OF THE VOID TIER 1, VOID CALL TIER 2, DARKBOLT TIER 3, SWORD DANCE OF THE VOID TIER 5
A ONE-SIDED BATTLE (COMPLETED)
REWARDS: 100 XP & IRONBREAKER GAUNTLETS
SKILL INCREASE
VOID CALL HAS INCREASED TO TIER 2
TIER 2 DISTANCE IS 30 FEET
INVENTORY (36%)
BASIC BREASTPLATE
BASIC PANTS
BASIC SOCKS
BASIC TUNIC x2
BED ROLL
COMPENDIUM OF THE WILDS
DRIED RATIONS x18
EVERBURN LANTERN
FIRE ROCKS x4
FIRESTARTER
GOBLIN EAR x3
IRONBREAKER GAUNTLETS
MAP OF THE KINGDOM OF AVALLONE
RAZORBACK BOAR TUSKS
ROPE (25FT)
TRAVELER’S HOUSE
WEREWOLF PELT
GOLD: 862
Grayson considered why his Void Call had tiered up, but now, any of his other skills. He remembered the notification sound he had ignored in the woods during the Razorback Boar fight and assumed it was his Void Call improving, but why did his Void Blade not improve too? He had used it much more than Void Call in that fight. He understood Dark Bolt not going up a tier since it was already a tier three skill and would probably need a lot more. He summoned a Void Blade and looked it over for a minute. It looked like a piece of the night sky had been carved out and placed in his hand. It was pitch black with small star-like lights barely visible through the darkness emanating from the blade, like it was forming a shadow around itself. He stared at it for a few more moments before he sighed and dispelled the blade to move on.
He took the Ironbreaker Gauntlets out of his inventory. They were a set of metal gloves with studs riveted over the knuckles, each one looking like a metallic gemstone pressed into the metal. The gauntlets were bound in a heavy leather cord wrapping around them, almost giving them the look of a fighter’s hands after they had been wrapped. The fingers were interlocking pieces that seemed jointed together inside of the gauntlets. When he put them on, they covered halfway up his forearms. They were extremely light, and he watched them shift slightly to shrink and fit his hands better.
IRONBREAKER GAUNTLETS EQUIPPED
STR +10
“IRONBREAKER” SKILL (TIER 5) UNLOCKED
IRONBREAKER - ACTIVE SKILL
DELIVER A STRIKE WITH SUCH MIGHTY FORCE BEHIND IT THAT NO SHIELD COULD HOPE TO STOP IT. THIS SKILL WILL TEMPORARY BOOST YOUR STR STAT TO 200 FOR 1 STRIKE. ACTIVATING THIS SKILL IN RAPID SUCCESSION COULD LEAD TO BACKLASH, SUCH AS REDUCED STR STAT OR INCAPACITATION
Grayson stood off the bed and punched in the air, activating Ironbreaker. He could see visible energy gathering around his hand, and when he swung, his arm moved impossibly fast, the force of his punch in the air pushing the wind past him. He smiled and put the gauntlets back in his inventory before returning to his next task, summoning a new Void Servant. He had debated with himself if he even wanted to again. He had summoned Stewart, the astral squidling, who was a welcome travel companion. Still, he had not lasted more than thirty seconds against a tier five monster, and Grayson intended to hunt higher-tier prey to continue to level up. He had not seen what a mind demon or starworm could do, but they would not last long if they were as poor in combat as Stewart had been. The skill specifically mentioned the servant helping in combat, but Grayson was unsure if that meant actual fighting or something more simple and removed. He also needed to find out if he had some control over what he summoned or if there was a rotation of some kind.
“No time to find out like right now,” he muttered, activating Void Servant.
Once again, a hole was torn into reality itself as two clawed hands reached out to grab the side and pull itself through. Standing before Grayson was a four-foot-tall creature with purple-gray skin. A set of ram’s horns curled off of its slightly bulbous head, a set of solid black eyes set into its head, and no lips. It was entirely naked as it hunched over to rest its two extended front arms on the ground as it squatted on its haunches to look up at Grayson, looking almost like a miniature hairless gorilla with horns.
“Hello, boss,” it said with a slightly higher, gravelly voice.
“Do you have a name or do I need to name you?” Grayson asked him.
“Thog'thomos Megthoth Aromath, boss.”
“What if I just called you Thog?”
“If it works for you, it works for me, boss.”
“Thog, I’m assuming you're a Mind Demon.”
“I am, boss.”
“And what does that mean, exactly?”
“It means I’m a demon that affects the mind.”
“In what ways?”
“Illusions, distractions, general messing about, things of that sort.”
“You good at staying alive in a fight?”
“Very, boss.”
Thog suddenly vanished before reappearing a few seconds later. Unlike Stewart, who went translucent to the point of near invisibility, Thog simply disappeared from view entirely.
“That work, boss?”
“I think that you’ll do just fine. What kind of-”
Grayson was cut off as bells began to sound through the city, and a large horn was blown in the distance.
“The hell is that?” He said to no one in particular.
“Sounds like warnings of an attack, boss,” Thog replied.
“Go invisible and follow me. I don’t want anyone thinking you’re a part of something.”
Thog nodded before hopping onto Grayson’s back like a demonic backpack and disappearing. Grayson ran down the stairs, but the open floor that housed the tables and bar was empty. He ran out into the street, seeing people rushing towards their homes. Doors slammed, and shutters clicked into place over windows. Above, the sun had just finished setting as the two moons were becoming visible, surrounded by stars. Grayson shook his head at himself, wondering how he had failed to notice a second, more giant moon in the night sky. He took off down the street, heading towards the large section of half-constructed wall. Weaving through the streets and side roads, he eventually reached a mass of people crowding towards the wall opening.
“Everyone needs to go back to their homes and remain calm! Unless you are a Traveler, return to your home immediately!” A guard shouted over the shouting crowd.
The soon-to-be riot did not listen. They tried to push out through the gate until a new horn sounded in the distance. This one was not the deep bass of the warning in the city earlier but a higher-pitched horn that blew three quick notes from the treeline. The crowd panicked at the sound and turned to charge the other way. Grayson used Void Call to get to the roof of a nearby house to avoid the trample. Soon, all that was left was a large force of guards and roughly eighty people in various armor and robes. Grayson could see Mikhail and his group in the crowd and teleported down next to him.
“The hell is going on around here?” Grayson asked the armored man.
“You did not see the quest?” Mikhail said, “Open your quest menu and look for the city quest. Something is coming.”
Grayson mentally slapped himself again for not checking for a quest feature in the system's menus. He willed the screen to appear, and a window popped up.
QUESTS
PERSONAL
QUALIFICATION QUEST (TBD)
LOCAL
CITY QUEST - KRATHIKIAN INVASION
WORLD
TRIAL OF WORLDS
CITY QUEST - KRATHIKIAN INVASION
A FORCE OF KRATHIKIAN WARRIORS IS ATTEMPTING TO TAKE THE VILLAGE OF AWERTH. DEFEND THE CITY UNTIL MORNING LIGHT. FAILURE TO DEFEND THE CITY WILL RESULT IN TEMPORARY DEBUFFS TO ALL TRAVELERS.
REWARD: 100,000 XP SPLIT BETWEEN ALL PARTICIPATING TRAVELERS
ADDITIONAL REWARDS MAY BE PROVIDED DEPENDING ON INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE
The horn that Grayson now realized was a war horn sounded again in the woods. One long note sounded before silence. Then, shifting could be heard as skeletal figures began to appear from the trees.
“Something is here.”