On his approach to what Romulus was realising was quite a large city, the gates had seemed both menacing and powerful: Built with a black stone that seemed bereft of seams or visible masonry marks, it was as if the wall and gate were part of one massive slab of onyx stone. The battlements had been equally terrifying, with vicious spikes angled downwards in intermittent rows five high along the wall itself to deter climbers, and battlements of an equally sharp nature protecting the theoretical guardians upon the high wall.
At a quick estimate, the height of the walls was easily in excess of thirty feet, and the closer he’d gotten the harder it had been to chance a look to see if anyone had been walking the top. The gate itself was even higher, which no doubt provided a vantage point for the defenders in the case of an attack or siege.
When he’d reached the colossal maw of the gate, his surprise had been compounded. Given the beauty of the wall and the evidently masterful nature of its construction, he’d expected to be greeted by some manner of royal guard or soldiers in equally impressive attire. Instead he’d found two roughly attired guards who looked and smelled as if they had never heard of a shower.
“Halt.” The larger of the two said in a gravelly tone, waiting until Romulus complied before continuing. “State yer business.”
Romulus reminded himself that Eternus Online had been advertised as a living and dynamic world. He’d read enough theoretical novels about such a thing to understand that treating the non-player characters as actual NPCs was probably a god-awful idea.
“Uh.” He hesitated as he opened his mouth. Did the game have Travelers in its Lore?
“You tryna be funny or summat?” The guard asked, eyes narrowing in dislike.
“No!” Romulus said hastily. “No, no. I’m a Traveler. I recently arrived in Eternus, and to be honest I’m a bit lost.”
Both guards straightened at that, and the pair exchanged surprised glances before the bigger one squinted analytically at Romulus. “Yer a Traveler?”
“Yep.” He responded with his best smile.
“Well, yer certainly not runty.” The guard said as he looked Romulus over.
“Uh, thank you.” Romulus said after a moment, silently thankful he’d beefed himself up in character creation.
“Didn’t expect t’see none of yer lot fer a while yet.” The big guard continued, voice edging with suspicion.
“Yes, well, I had a bit of a mix-up in my, uh, transit to Eternus. Spat me out a ways back, near the forest’s edge.”
The smaller guard snorted at that.
“Aye.” The bigger guard said with a snort of his own. “Mix-up’s right. Them divines plunked yer arse into an area far beyond yer level.”
Okay, so they know what levels are. The System is probably part of their normal lives. That makes sense, and it’d help with player immersion as well. Not like a LitRPG setting is anything new for a lot of gamers. Smart call on the Developers’ part.
“I assumed something like that had happened.” Romulus said ruefully. “Truth be told, I’m just looking to try to get my bearings and understand what the hell I’m doing.”
Both guards barked a laugh at his words, and Romulus smiled in return.
“Aye, as are we all.” The big guard agreed.
“I don’t suppose you have any advice or tips for me? You know, to help me survive?” Romulus tried to appear casual as he asked, but some of his concern at his situation might have slipped into his voice, because both guards seemed to soften. Or at least, they didn’t appear as wary as they had.
“First thing yer gonna wanna do is speak to the local Wayfinder. He’ll get ye sorted with a map of the local area, a homestone, and a traveler’s license. Yer gonna need the last one quick-smart, else yer likely to be mistaken fer a vagrant.”
“Or a deserter.” The smaller guard added, eyeing Lightsbane’s hilt.
Romulus nodded as he listened, filing away the information. “May I ask why neither of you suspected that?” He asked cautiously.
“Ain’t no deserters nor vagrants hereabouts.” The taller guard said with a shrug. “Anyone halfway useful with a weapon is in the guard, with the King’s garrison, or part of the Duke’s wardens. Only two ways into Blackstone: The docks or the forest. Ain’t nobody come through that forest in my lifetime, and I been alive ‘least forty winters.”
“And ain’t nobody who gone in come out neither.” The smaller guard added, spitting to the side. “Bloody cursed, it is. If it weren’t fer them docks, we’d have all bloody starved. Only food we get is from the blasted ocean.”
“Fish, fish, and more bloody fish.” The taller guard agreed sourly.
Romulus looked between them in surprise. “Wait, docks? This is a port city? I thought it was on a plain.”
The guards squinted at him, and then both started laughing. “Get a load of this’un.” The taller guard cackled. “He’s a bloody traveler alright.”
The shorter guard shook his head in amusement as he elaborated. “Aye, Blackstone opens up to the plains and the forest, lad, but it’s built with its back to the sea on the edge of a peninsula. The walls go all the way ‘round to the mouth of the bay. Ye ken?”
Romulus nodded, not wanting to interrupt as he listened.
“The bay itself is full of all manner of nasty shit what predates the claiming of the city. Dozens of ships were sunk tryin’ to find the path to the harbour. Nowadays it be the Duke’s tugs what bring them into dock and guide them out.”
“Couldn’t people just walk onto the beach to get around the walls, then?” He asked curiously.
Both guards guffawed. “Get a load of this’un.” The taller guard repeated before answering. “The peninsula ends in cliffs, lad. Sheer cliffs. The only way to access the city is thirty feet below in the dock, and the dock’s built down and along the cliffs into the bay. It’s an entire fakel bloody island joined to the cliffs. Ye’ll see for yerself.”
“Aye.” The shorter guard agreed. “And the peninsula ends in what most folks call the Jaws. They be angry-lookin’ cliffs what form the natural barriers of the bay. Two kilometres long. Whoever built this city knew what they was doin’.”
“Aye, that’s fer certain.’ The taller guard said with a nod.
“And what about the big building I saw near the back of the city when I was coming in?”
The guards looked at each other and then back to him, expressions grim. “That be the old Citadel.” The taller guard answered darkly. “Nasty place. Gates are open, but there be no light inside the place, and them what go in never come out.”
“Never.” The shorter guard confirmed. “The Duke tried to hire adventurers to clear the place of whatever evil haunts it, once. Whole city gathered to watch.”
The taller guard shivered. “Was silence fer the first quarter hour, then… screaming. Screaming so horrid yer dick would shrivel and yer blood would lose its warmth. Whatever happened to them adventurers, it was something awful.”
“Citadel’s been ignored ever since. No one’s tried to get in for the past twenty years.”
That sounds exactly like what I’m looking for. Romulus thought grimly as he nodded.
“Good to know.” He said out loud. “So where would I find this Wayfinder?”
“Marketplace in the outer city. Look fer the fella with the big map banner.”
“Outer city?” Romulus asked automatically.
“City has the inner ring and outer ring.” The shorter guard responded simply. “Invasion failsafe, I s’pose. Not enough people fer there t’be actual segregation, so folks are allowed back’n’forth ‘tween inner and outer rings. Only the real posh can afford to live in the inner, tho’.”
“That’s good to know. Thanks.” Romulus said with a smile.
“Yer welcome, lad.” The taller guard responded with a smile of his own. “I hope all travelers be as polite as ye. Have a good time in Blackstone, mind the laws, and watch yer purse always. Small as our population is, we’re still afflicted by cutpurses and scoundrels.”
The shorter guard spat. “Nearly two hunnerd years since we claimed this place on order of the crown, and we still ain’t got enough support to make it a proper home.”
Romulus nodded to both guards as the taller of the two waved him on and stepped through the looming entrance of the portcullis, glancing up at the menacingly thick steel winched above him nervously.
He had no doubt that the spikes above could obliterate him in an instant if dropped.
He didn’t manage to relax until he was fully through the gate and walking down the main thoroughfare of the city. Life blossomed around him sporadically as he did, showing a city that was at the very least alive. Blackstone was clearly far larger than its population, as the endless amounts of unused or ruined buildings revealed.
“I need to make it a point to look at this place from a vantage point later.”
Despite the dark beauty of the walls, Blackstone’s interior left much to be desired in the way of architecture. Many of the buildings appeared made from timber or cheap stone, and more still were barely functional — and that was after discounting the ruined ones. Even the few shops and people he passed as he walked appeared to mostly just putter along in their state of existence, as if the city were itself in a fugue.
Romulus took note of the grim faces, hard eyes, and general sense of despondency as he walked. Blackstone was a city in suffering, through he couldn’t begin to wonder at how to fix it. He was no longer in the world he knew, with easy access to basic essentials and human needs: He was in Eternus, and the game world did medieval fantasy well. He could even detect the nose-wrinkling, pungent musk of manure, urine, and feces in the air.
His history professor had taught him that cities in the ye olde days had smelled awful.
Whatever else he might have thought of his teacher, she had not been wrong.
Romulus continued walking for several minutes in silence as he examined his surroundings, letting his feet guide him until he came to a large crossroads. The population was far denser deeper into the city, and he began to see more than just sallow and unhappy faces. Some people even looked downright content in some cases!
A glance up at a signpost told him he wanted to turn right to reach the Grand Bazaar, which he assumed was exactly what he was looking for. The fact he could read the signs despite the clearly foreign nature of the language also told him that the game was being nice to him. At least, to some degree.
Romulus turned into the river of people calmly, and within moments felt at least three different hands brush along his belt. His lack of coinpurse, however, made the efforts futile. He almost laughed when someone even tried to filch his sword, only to hear a voice yelp in surprise at the result. He placed a hand on the blade after that, murmuring a “good job” under his breath.
A pulse of smug pride was its response.
He was thankful for his choice in height once again as he walked, as it allowed him an unobstructed view over the heads of most of the people walking the street with him. With Romulus standing a good head of height above the average man or woman, he could clearly see his destination in the distance. The canvas sheets and distant roar of voices were hint enough, but the colourful streamers and throng of moving people were even more telling.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Congratulations, you have learned a new skill!
Skill Name: Spatial Awareness
Skill Type: Passive
Skill Function: You have begun to understand the local world around you and the various peoples and creatures within it. As you hone this skill, your ability to pick up on things being out of place, or sense when something isn’t quite right will grow massively. A master of spatial awareness need never fear ambush, surprise, or obvious betrayal! You will gain a bonus chance to identify things of interest in your surroundings, increasing with every level of Spatial Awareness. (Current: 2% Bonus Awareness)
Skill Level: Novice 1
Skill Description: Keep one eye open at all times!
Romulus stepped into the chaos of the market a few moments later, and once again thanked his desire for height. He’d very likely have gotten instantly lost if not for the advantage, and it was that very thing which allowed him to spot the map-marked banner near the far end of the marketplace.
Threading his way through the crowd proved easier than he’d suspected it would, and before long he was standing before a stall manned by the single most flamboyant individual Romulus had ever seen. Every one of the man’s clothes was a different colour, from his mustard yellow beret to his lime green tunic, bright red shirt sleeves, and vibrant blue leggings. Even his shoes were different colours; one white, the other black.
When his eyes met Romulus’, the eccentric human grinned. “Hello!”
“Hi.” Romulus responded after a few moments of surprised silence. “Uh, I’m a Traveler and I was told to—”
“A Traveler?!” The man asked as his eyes widened. “REALLY?”
Romulus leaned back a little in surprise at the man’s enthusiasm, but nodded. “Yeah. I just arrived on Eternus and I need—”
“I never thought I’d get a fresh Traveler!” The Wayfinder said excitedly.
“Yeah… I never thought I’d end up here to start with either, honestly.”
“You get a choice?!”
“Something like that.” Romulus said half-heartedly. “Listen, I don’t want to be rude, but I really need to take care of some—”
“Oh! Right! RIGHT!” The man flapped his hands at Romulus in a gesture that seemed a mix between ‘calm down’, ‘one moment’, and ‘get lost’. “I have it here somewhere…”
Romulus hesitated and decided to wait quietly as the Wayfinder busied himself with rummaging through the eclectic collection of random junk that seemed to populate his stall; from the strange masks, furs, and nicknacks hanging along the canvas walls to what appeared to be several chests of varying size and elegance. The man seemed to be muttering to himself as he quite literally threw shirts, pants, and what appeared to be lacy female underwear to the other side of the stall while rummaging for something.
A surreptitious glance at his immediate area told Romulus that no one was staring or seemed to find the Wayfinder’s behaviour odd, which was a relief, though it begged the question as to what strange would qualify as if this was normal.
After what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, the Wayfinder suddenly straightened, clutching a package with an exclamation of ‘ha-HA!’ as if he’d overcome a great foe.
Romulus stared in bemused silence as the Wayfinder marched back to the counter and slammed the package down, a wicked grin on his features. “I’ve got what you need!”
“Uh, thank you?” Romulus ventured warily as he reached out toward the package.
“You’re very welcome, Traveler!” The Wayfinder said with a kind of manic glee. “You should find everything you need in there. Homestone, local area map, and a Traveler’s License. I’ll need to inspect the last one before you leave.”
“Yeah… Alright…” Romulus said with still-present confusion as he unwrapped the package to reveal a simple wooden box. The lid wasn’t nailed on, and so he lifted it off to reveal a rolled up scroll, an oval stone, and what appeared to be some sort of card made out of copper.
Romulus grabbed the scroll first, unfurling it and immediately receiving a prompt.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
You have found a map of the city of Blackstone, Stormwatch Bay, The Dusklight Plains, and Darkwood Forest.
Would you like to add the map and its landmarks to your own?
YES NO
With a tap of the ‘YES’ option, the map in his hands burst into motes of energy and threaded into his body. A ping on the border of his circular map window caught his attention, and the words ‘MAP UPDATED’ flashed over it before fading away.
“Huh. That’s useful.” Romulus muttered.
“Isn’t it just?!” The Wayfinder asked excitedly, resting his chin on his hands and his elbows on the counter. He seemed to be staring with rapt attention, as if Romulus were the most interesting thing in the world. “Try the homestone. Go on. Do it. Dew it.”
Shaking his head at the Wayfinder’s antics, Romulus focused on the stone and reached out to take it, holding it in his right palm after he did. For several moments nothing happened, and then the stone abruptly melted into a runic tattoo which appeared on the back of his hand. Romulus stared at it in momentary confusion, until he realised he could recognise what the rune said.
‘Traveler’.
At the same time, his chat log flashed and a new tab appeared in the top left of his HUD: ‘Social’. Beneath it were the categories ‘Friends’, ‘Group’, ‘Guild’, ‘Alliance’, and ‘Nation’.
“That’s…”
“Fascinating! I know!” The Wayfinder cut him off happily. “I’ve always wondered how that works. Gosh, the gods sure are interesting, aren’t they, with what they prepare for you lot!”
“Uh, yeah, for sure.” Romulus said with a smile. He couldn’t help it, the Wayfinder’s weird manic glee was somewhat infectious.
“Now the license! Go on!” The Wayfinder said eagerly, making the flapping motion with his hands again.
Romulus gave him a bemused smile, and then reached out to take hold of the license. The copper card was light in his hands, and Romulus frowned at the blank slate as he took it. A moment later, another pop-up appeared.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
You have found a Traveler’s License. These items are your way of identifying yourself in Eternus, and cannot be destroyed or stolen.
A license will evolve in appearance to reflect the power and fame (or infamy) of its holder, and you will be required to show your license to gain entry to most major cities.
Would you like to bind and activate the Traveler’s License now?
YES NO
Romulus selected ‘YES’ and the copper tablet rippled, suddenly populating with his name, level, and alignment. A perfect rendition of his face also appeared on the left side of the copper card, as if it were a photo fused to the metal. As a final touch, tiny threads of obsidian wove their way along the card in elegant patterns, though Romulus had no idea what it meant.
Once the license had been activated, he looked at the Wayfinder, who was watching him with wide and stunned eyes. “You… You’re not just any Traveler, are you?”
Romulus’ heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”
The Wayfinder opened his mouth, then cocked his head as if listening to something. Romulus waited in silence until the man abruptly grinned, as if he knew a secret. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Something you’re not allowed to say?” Romulus enquired.
The Wayfinder simply smiled.
“Right, that figures.” Romulus said with a sigh. “Well, I guess I’ll go explore the city for a bit. Can I ask your name before I go?”
The Wayfinder brightened at the question, and his silence broke immediately. “Of course! My name’s Dave.”
“...Dave?”
“Dave!”
“That’s so—”
“Formal?” Dave asked. “I know. Ugh. You’re right.” He tapped one of his fingers to his lips, and Romulus noticed finally that all of the Wayfinder’s nails were painted different combinations of colours. “Well, I used to use a different name during my days as a travelling bard!” He said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
“I can use that, if you’d like.” Romulus said as he picked up the hint.
“Sure! Call me Ziggy, then.” He grinned. “Ziggy Stardust.”
Romulus felt as if he should have known the name, but it didn’t quite register. Instead he gave the Wayfinder a friendly smile. “Ziggy it is. It was great to meet you.”
“And you, Traveler Romulus. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing your name quite a lot in the days to come.”
Romulus’ eyebrow rose, and he wondered what exactly it was that the strange Wayfinder knew. Perhaps he was some sort of special NPC in Eternus Online. Whatever he was, he obviously recognised something about Romulus and it likely had to do with his [Mark of the Dark Lady] effect.
As the silence between them grew longer, Romulus made the decision to turn away instead of prolonging the sudden awkwardness, when a thought occurred to him. Almost cursing his own stupidity, he refocused on the Wayfinder and spoke quickly. “Ziggy, before I go, you wouldn’t happen to know how I can get access to that cursed citadel, would you?”
Normally it went without saying that telling random strangers about your plans was a terrible, terrible idea. With Ziggy however Romulus had the unshakable feeling he could ask the Wayfinder without being betrayed. The eclectic bard had kept his other secret, after all. There were obviously rules in place.
Ziggy’s smile widened and he appeared pleased. “I do, but I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”
“Of course you can’t.” Romulus said with a sigh.
“Not because I’m limited, but because our time is up.” The Wayfinder clarified.
“What do you mean?”
Ziggy nodded at something behind Romulus.
When he turned to investigate, he blinked at seeing a squad of well-dressed, green-and-black attired soldiers approaching. Before he could do more than raise his eyebrows in surprise, the lead soldier came within five feet and stopped, her hand resting warily on her sword hilt. A tabard bearing a silver sword over a rearing white horse adorned her chest, the tabard itself made of rich green material.
Well this can’t be good. He thought warily.
The woman’s face was uncovered, and her blonde hair was tied back into a neat ponytail. Romulus could already tell she was beyond his abilities to deal with, given the quality of her gear, and the fact that she looked like someone had taken a Valkyrie from the old stories, removed the wings, and placed her before him. Her blue eyes were piercing, she was at least 6’1, and had quite a pretty face in the ‘warrior princess’ kind of way.
“Traveler Romulus?” She asked in an elegant and aristocratic voice.
“That’s me.” Romulus said carefully.
“I am Isolde Argent, Captain of the Duke’s Wardens. I’m going to need you to come with me, please.”
Romulus glanced at the six men fanned out in a crescent formation behind her, all of whom she was taller than, and realised that fighting his way out was not an option. He also noticed a crowd growing around the spectacle, with more than a few people murmuring among themselves as they watched.
“Have I done something wrong, Captain?” Romulus asked carefully.
“No, Traveler, but the Duke is curious as to how a Traveler appeared so close to Blackstone, especially one coming from the direction of the Darkwood.” Her expression never changed, but he thought he detected curiosity in her voice as she spoke. “He’d like to ask you some questions personally.”
“I see.” Romulus said as his mind raced, looking between the Wardens. No easy ways out, no way of earning crowd sympathy, and likely no chance of evading capture even if he did get away. He was neatly backed into a corner. His father had always told him that when someone was out of options, especially when it came at the hands of a potential enemy, then the only option left was to make the negative situation into a positive. The Art of War also stated that knowledge of the enemy was imperative to conquering the enemy.
If the Duke was going to become a complication, then Romulus figured he might as well take the chance to do some intelligence gathering. After all, he was immortal. The Duke was not. He suppressed a smile as he thought it over. If he managed to really twist the situation and make the Duke a friend, his quest in Blackstone would become a whole hell of a lot easier.
“If you’ll kindly follow us, sir?” Isolde asked without actually asking, gesturing with a hand toward the west, and away from the market.
“Very well, Captain.” Romulus said as he schooled himself not to betray his churning thoughts, and tapped into his father’s tuition on social niceties. “I am in your capable hands.”
For a moment, he could have sworn her eyes tightened in anger. However the emotion, if it had been there, was gone between eye blinks.
“Thank you. Follow us.” She said a little more stiffly, turning to walk away with a clear expectation that Romulus would do as requested.
With a plan in mind he fell in behind her, nodding goodbye to Ziggy as he left.
The Wayfinder’s only response was a cheshire grin.