A smile played on Nathan's lips as he finally spotted a village in the distance. After leaving the forest, the landscape transformed into hilly grasslands, with enormous mountains visible far off on the horizon.

Though they barely pierced the skyline, Nathan knew those peaks were larger than anything on old Earth. He vowed to keep his distance from them, aware of what slumbered beneath the seemingly natural formations. The thought made him shudder briefly.

Redirecting his gaze to the village he started walking again. Despite climbers referring to these places as villages, it would be more accurate to call this one a town. It wasn’t just a small cluster of huts with farms on the outskirts; this was a walled settlement, complete with multiple guild branches and regular merchant caravans setting out to other locations on this floor.

As Nathan pondered, he made his way toward one of the gates, where a couple of bored-looking guards stood. They observed him silently as he approached, taking in his unusual attire. If he had to guess, his arrival was probably the most interesting event of their day; guard shifts, he knew from experience, were mind-numbingly dull.

“Howdy, fellas,” Nathan greeted the guardsmen, making sure to put on a cheery front despite his exhaustion. It always paid off not to appear suspicious when dealing with law enforcement.

“Greetings, stranger,” answered the younger guard, a man who seemed about 18 years old, outfitted in chain mail slightly too large for him, worn over a gambeson that must have made the heat unbearable. In his hand, he held a spear he clearly had little training with, though it was notably better constructed than Nathan's own.

“Haven't seen you around here. You looking for rest after a hunting trip?”

“That I am,” Nathan replied, exposing the bandages around his stomach to the guardsmen. “Got scratched in the forest and figured now's as good a time as any to find a warm bed and claim some of my bounties.”

This was when the older guardsman chimed in. “Aye, being wounded and alone in the forest is just askin' to get eaten. You'll find the hunters' guild just along the main street. As for an inn, there's one right next to it.”

Nathan gave the guard an appraising look. His equipment seemed custom-made, and from the way he stood, it was clear he wasn’t new to his job. Nathan didn’t doubt he spoke from experience when talking about the forest.

Each floor in the tower was essentially a self-contained world, though the laws of logic were bent in places to accommodate climbers.

Dismissing the power of the natives was a mistake a foolish few had made the last time he entered the tower, and it usually didn’t end well.

Nathan nodded to the guardsman. “Thank you for the directions.”

The guard waved him through the gate, and Nathan followed the main street, soon swept up in a steady stream of people going about their business. While the architecture seemed ripped straight from the Middle Ages, magical street lights lined the road, and many wealthier citizens carried magi-tech devices.

Nathan's eyes were caught by a beggar, the man missing his right leg. A bowl was placed before the man, though hardly any money was present in it. Feeling a bout of kinship, Nathan reached for his money on instinct, wincing when he remembered his current lack of ressources.

It took a few more minutes before he found the building the guardsman had described: the local branch of the hunters' guild.

It was one of the more opulent buildings to be found, constructed entirely of stone and adorned with pictures of humans fighting monsters. Compared to the surrounding structures, it's facade was kept clean and the street in front of it seemed swept.

Upon entering, Nathan noticed a few boards full of missions, surrounded by diverse groups of people. For now however, he ignored them. All he wanted was to turn in his bounty and finally get some rest.

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He made his way to the counter, where a gruff man stood. He was missing an ear, and multiple scars criss-crossed his face. These organizations often employed veterans of the job; it wasn’t uncommon for violence to erupt where money was involved, and few were better suited to deal with that than those who grew old in professions where most died young.

Once Nathan reached the counter, the man scanned him from head to toe and let out a snort. Nathan wasn’t sure if it was meant as an insult or if this was just the general greeting everyone received, but he simply put down his backpack and pulled out the ten goblin ears he had brought from the forest. He laid them on the counter, where the man glanced at them before tossing them into a bin and counting out thirty rectangular chips that Nathan promptly stuffed into his pocket.

He and the man exchanged nods before Nathan turned and left the building.

That was, all in all, a pleasant interaction, Nathan thought.

The currency he had received was simply called credits, one of the peculiarities of the tower. No matter where or on which floor you found yourself, credits were the main currency.

With the last of his stamina, Nathan located the nearby inn, "The Rabid Hog," it was called for some reason. He smirked at the sign in front of it, a charging swine depicted artistically on it, and entered the establishment.

Few patrons were seated in the small room, but it seemed generally clean and the atmosphere was relaxed. Good enough.

Behind the bar, a portly innkeeper was polishing dirty glasses with an equally dirty rag. Nathan let out a sigh of relief at the sight; it was a well-known rule that innkeepers had to be at least a bit overweight, or nothing good would come from sleeping in their establishments. Anytime he had ignored that rule, he had almost ended up as an offering to a demonic ritual or the next meal of a cannibalistic cult.

“I need a room for two days. A warm bath for tomorrow morning too,” Nathan said.

The innkeeper took in his exhausted appearance, his dirty clothes, and the bandage across his stomach, correctly concluding that this guest probably just wanted to fall asleep. “That's eight credits for the room, plus two for the bath. Food and drink are extra.”

Nathan agreed without haggling, exchanging a handful of credits for a key and information on which room to take.

Already half asleep, he stumbled to his temporary accommodations, locked the door behind him, and let the key fall to the ground. Nathan knew he should check to ensure the place was secure or at least stay up for a while to make sure no one was trying to rob him, but the chance was slim, and he was simply far too tired.

Still fully clothed, he staggered toward the bed and fell into a blessed sleep.

----------------------------------------

Nathan shot awake, breathing heavily. He couldn’t quite remember his dream, but it came as no surprise that it involved hellfire and burning flesh. It took a while for his breathing to calm, and his hands were still shaking minutes after he woke up.

He took stock of his physical state. While not fully rested, he felt far better than yesterday. Standing up, he walked to the window, where he threw the shutters open. Since the sun never set on the first floor, they were completely sealed when closed, and the sudden breeze made him shudder.

Getting a grip on himself, Nathan lit a cigarette and simply appreciated that he had made it to a village. Now that he had a relatively safe space to rest, he could allow his body and mind some time off while finally making strides in his plans. “Status,” he called out to see the progress he had made thus far.

Name: Nathan Andrews

Title: None

Class: None [2]

Stats

Con: 11

Per: 11

Reg: 10

Ref: 10

Skills

Perks

Lone Wolf - The User can no longer form or join any parties, clans, or organizations. The user’s stats are reduced by 50% if not alone in combat. Upon death, the user’s soul is erased in all timelines.

A mere two levels, but this early into the tower, every bit counted.

Soon after, he was soaking in a bathtub full of warm water, eagerly scrubbing off the dirt and grime he had collected during his little adventure in the forest. His wound didn’t seem to be infected, and it was healing marginally quicker than it would have on Earth, courtesy of his increased constitution.

While thoroughly cleaning himself, Nathan organized his thoughts and planned his next steps.

I need access to a class stone, so I could either go to the church or contact the local branch of the brokers. I don't think it's worth the time to fulfil the church's demands—they’d send me on half a dozen fetch quests before I even got a whiff of that class. As long as I have enough money, the brokers can get me anything in a few days. Once that's done, I just have to get Identify and Inspect before leaving this floor.

I also need more money to live; my funds won't even last a week at this point. Reckon I should see what the hunters' guild would pay me, then knock out as many quests as possible over the next few days.