It’s a strange thing waking up in the city, something deep and fundamentally different and I can tell the second my eyes open. Mostly it’s the smell, even with the advent of magic it seems as though the concept of waste disposal never progressed beyond the standard hole full of water. Stiff joints pop in places I didn’t know I had joints and a full pain radiates throughout my entire being.
Standing has become a chore recently but with Oliver being the age he is and Emma being a child I have little to no choice but to act as the in-house maid. I don’t mind it one bit, it's just tedious with my side being mostly ground meat. Every step now has to be slow and cautious or a wave of pain will send my ass to the floor.
As I enter what I tentatively call our living room I’m greeted by a notable lack of both Oliver and Emma. In their place is a small note atop our small dining table clearly intended for me, It’s written with a few very simple words as I’m still far from literate. It reads.
‘Xavier, Emma with me, finding family.’
Assuming he’s not taking her back to the village he must be hoping she has some relatives here in town and while I would be distraught at her leaving neither of us are ideal guardians. This has inadvertently cleared me of most of my schedule as ninety percent of my usual day is watching over Emma while Oliver looks for work. From what he’s told me, blacksmiths of his level are rarer than gold and just having him as an advisor would be enough for most places to hire him.
Segwaying into a related topic I’m pretty sure we’re broke at the moment. The inn was paid for in advance of the next three months and food is ridiculously cheap in town so it’s unlikely we’re to starve or go homeless any time soon. However, I highly suspect that we won’t find ourselves in a hole sooner rather than later. This leads to another aspect of the town I wasn’t quite expecting, there are a lot of homeless people.
Oliver has assured me that the district we live in is safe and far’ish from the slums but even so the town has me concerned. The homeless people here don’t beg despite how many there are and while this might be biased as my only experience with homeless people is those of the twenty-first century it’s still unnerving. They seemed scared to even look at me, so much so that when I had to cut through an alley they actually fled rather than be close and they were everywhere. Anywhere you look you can find a few just loitering, averting their gazes, and staying as far from the main streets as possible.
There’s nothing I can do but it doesn’t paint a good picture of the city. For now, I’ve got bigger issues, pain shoots through my abdomen, mainly the fact that I’m still bleeding and Oliver is wholly incapable of making another flower. I need medicine, bandages, the works but medical supplies aren’t cheap doctors even more so. For the time being infection isn’t likely. I'm not swelling nor do I have a fever, Oliver said it’s a miracle the arrow that hit me wasn’t poisoned.
My legs wobble a little as the pain fades and once again I can move at my zombie-like shuffle. The room is locked behind me and my key is neatly tucked away, today's shopping list includes bandages, books for Emma, and information. The city layout is rather simple in design and I find this rather interesting. Earth history would show medieval cities radiating in a circle-like pattern away from the center, here the city is one giant concentric diamond. There are two layers of walls: an inner district for the nobility and an outer meant for the rest, At each of the corners, rests a plaza and an entrance into the next wall with streets between forming a pattern like a chain link fence. Each of the outermost plazas is surrounded by curved walls while the rest are straight lines.
The inner plazas are heavily guarded with entry and exit being only by vehicles of some sort; all else is turned away, sometimes violently. The outer plazas are large as in a full half-mile of cobblestones and fountains in every direction. The occasional park adds some greenery and there are dozens of little markets filled to the brim with stalls. Our inn sits right on the rim of the eastern plaza giving access to both the inner city shops and the many markets. As much as I’d love a cheap roll of bandages Oliver not so subtly hinted that any medical supplies from the plaza would be secondhand at best, fucking dark ages.
The little shop I purchase from feels less like a doctor's supply and more like a florist’s wet dream or a D&D potion vendor. The door creaks open to the chime of a small bell and instantly the stank of the city is obliterated by a wave of herbs. If you’ve ever been into a store that sells incense and nothing else you would understand immediately, I’m not sure I can even call the smell pleasant, it's so overwhelming.
Greeting the clerk I go about my purchase as quickly as possible when another chime fills the small shop. The shop has wall-to-wall shelves just above chest height with the counter in the back able to see down every row but not vice versa. This is why I find myself staring at the back of a guard's metallic head. They're talking to the clerk who seems more nervous with every passing second and while I can’t hear the hushed conversation I can see the clerk sweating. A sack is dropped to the counter with a loud thud that startles me and I suppress the wince that follows.
Two vials of black liquid are handed to the guard who then exits at a much faster pace than they entered, We make brief eye contact through the helmet and I can tell they’re frowning hard. My new roll of bandages sets me back a day's worth of food and I quickly exit eager to avoid any more run-ins. Outside the store is chaos with half the street being blocked by a row of guards and the wave of people trying to observe the scene behind them. For a brief second while exiting the store, I can see over the tops of a few heads the street behind the guards is blanketed in blood.
Unfortunately, that's the way back to my inn, and judging by the crowd’s reluctance to get any closer to the wall of iron I’m going to need a new way home. Shit. I’ve never been deeper than a few blocks and for good reason, like the plaza the city is mind-bogglingly large and very easy to get lost in. So options, either I wait out whatever murder scene is going on or I try to circle around it. Seeing as I'd like to avoid standing out loitering around a crime scene seems a good way to get some odd glances. Time to explore I guess.
The closer you get to the inner wall the nicer and more expensive things get until suddenly you're standing in the slums under the shadow of the inner walls. Knowing this ahead of time is the best defense against getting mugged or worse. My new route has me lost in about an hour and I’m not sure which towering wall is the inner or outer anymore. Both are identical until you get right up against them and again one of those would be very bad for my already shit health.
Another hour passes, I think, and I’m somehow more lost than I was before. The constant rows of shops are now replaced by shady bars and some shadier-looking restaurants. Slowly my options are thinning and if the lowering sun is any indication it should be afternoon giving me even less time to get home. On a whim, I decide to enter a bar and ask for directions. I hope for the best and push open the door to the largest one I can find.
Regret settles in instantly as the room goes silent and a crowd of people in mismatched armor suddenly turn to stare at me. No turning back now I suppose. There’s a counter opposite the sea of tables and staring faces a woman in a simple apron is standing behind it with an awaiting gaze. The first few steps are met with more of the deafening silence but almost as fast as it happened the room returns to overly loud conversations and excessive drinking. The woman has a small name tag pinned to her shoulder that I can’t read, behind her sits a wall of liquor, and the counter is lined with what I assume is a dozen or so menus.
“Excuse me, I was hoping you could help me?”
Before I can explain how lost I am her face settles into a wide and clearly forced grin, and then comes the papers. With one hand and what must be years of muscle memory she slaps a small stack of papers onto the table.
“Of course! We offer extensive benefits over our competing locations including both life and health insurance; you won’t find that just anywhere!”
“No, I was-“
“Don’t fret good patron! We know you have concerns over your safety but know that not only will we provide training should you need it, for a modest fee, but we also act as a great intermediary for recruits looking to form a party! Now how would you like to pay for the signing fee? We accept coin, parts, and trades should you not be able to pay we will gladly let you pay through your first few contracts!”
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“What?”
She wasn’t remotely winded by that insane spiel and throughout maintained that insane grin. What the hell did I just walk in on?
“I was just gonna ask for directions, They blocked off a road a ways back and I’m lost.”
Her smile dropped in an instant replaced by a scowl and a gaze that could kill a charging bear.
“So you're not joining the guild?”
It was like I was a kid again and my mom was questioning how I got that toy car from the store knowing for damn sure I stole it. I'm not sure how but every word leaked that venom and I wasn’t sure if my response would get me jumped by this frankly terrifying woman. I’m no stranger to an aggressive sales pitch but this was the first time I didn’t even know what was being sold.
“I’m sorry but I don’t understand, I thought this was a bar?”
I was trying to play an idiot despite being pretty close.
“Ugh, yes we have a bar but it’s intended for members to unwind after their contracts. We are not a bar for normal people, did you not see the massive Shield symbol outside?
So are you going to sign up or not?”
“No, I’d rather not I’m not sure what Shields even are.”
She somehow looked even more pissed at that.
“Well, then I can’t help you. We restrict information gathering to our members and contractors only.”
The room ignored me as I limped out of the building but two very important details stopped me from leaving entirely. The fact that it was now dark outside and I couldn’t see the other side of the street despite the street lights being lit. As well as the pairs of guards patrolling in both directions something that hadn’t occurred in nights previous. My walk back to the counter was met with a smug grin.
“Second thoughts sir?”
“Could you tell me the benefits of joining again?”
Her smile widened.
“Of course!
First is our life and health insurance, in the event of injury or death we are prepared to pay up to eighty percent of associated fees related to treatment as well as retrieval and burial. We also offer a steep discount with affiliated apothecaries and doctors should you need supplies!
Next and what I assume you need most is our info brokers, for an appropriate fee, we can find any info you may need from a general location to the exact route of a noble!
And lastly, should you need training or other help we will gladly assist you in whatever way we can whether it be finding a teacher or a party looking for new members!”
Slowly I sigh and shove a hand into my pocket counting what few coins I have.
“How much does it cost to join?”
The stack of papers from before is quickly divided into three parts but just as fast she stuffs the bottommost section back under the counter.
“Joining as a Blue Shield is our most popular choice and while it costs twenty Steel most are able to pay it after their first contract. As one you can expect to be fighting monsters or otherwise hunting down wildlife that’s threatening people and villages. Some use the opportunity to scavenge ruins for old equipment but while we can’t stop you we ask that you not mention your guild when selling said equipment.
Becoming a White Shield is cheaper at only ten Steel but as most don’t make very much coin we don’t recommend choosing this unless you have a down payment of some kind ready. Most choose this for the benefit of becoming a Shield and the honor that follows without the risks. You can still take contracts as you see fit but under duress, the city requires you to help.”
“What about that one you put away?”
She turns her head with a small frown and I can swear the crowd behind me just got a little quieter though I can’t hear anything specific with so many talking at once.
“W-we don’t recommend the last option.”
“Well at least tell me what’s different about it, I’m not exactly from here and could use the help regardless.”
She turns back to me but is doing everything she can to avoid my gaze. Her hands are fidgeting almost constantly.
“Black Shields, fight. They uh, don’t have to help the cities if something attacks and that’s about it. If you don’t want to be forced to help, go with the Blue Shields.”
“How much to become one?”
“It’s, uh, two iron.”
“What was that?”
“T-two iron, listen I’ll just tell you where to go for an iron how about that don’t worry about joining the guild.”
Well, that’s not suspicious as all hell.
“I’d like to hear more you said Black Shields fight but don’t they all at some point, what is the difference?”
She wasn’t practically shaking now and I could see a bead of sweat forming on her neck before it soaked into her shirt.
“They fight people, bandits, mostly.”
“What about Nomads?”
Rigid, all her movements stopped and slowly she met my gaze. If I was allowed to hunt those pillaging fucks I would, especially if they were willing to train me.
“Yes, they ‘fight’ them as well. Sir please I’m not supposed to say this but reconsider joining the Black Shields is highly dangerous!”
“Well I’m not incapable of fighting and you did say you offer training right? And well I’m not exactly rich right now so I’d like to avoid any debt.”
That and I’m pretty sure any real contract would get me killed seeing as how the wildlife is all razor teeth and stone skin.
“If I really can’t convince you otherwise, then here.”
The last of the papers was returned alongside a quill pen and a small vial of ink. One by one she points to three blank lines.
“Sign here, here, and here. That’ll be two Iron Coins. Training is every morning until lunch and costs one Iron, other service costs are case by case. Should you need further assistance, don't hesitate to ask.”
I sign and hand over the papers along with the coin and the clerk, with visible effort forces a smile. She puts everything away and reaches a hand out toward me slowly a black cloud forms around it, gently she places the hand on my arm. My shoulder explodes in pain and only my other hand still above the counter saves me from collapsing entirely. Resting on my shoulder and visible even through my shirt is the faint outline of a shield its color blacker than a moonless night.
“Congratulations sir, on becoming the first Black Shield of the southern guild.”
—{}{}{}{}{}—
Fredrick.
Paperwork, well over a hundred forms each needing a signature and all to force one man into my guild. Tracking him without mana is easier than this, literally, I found him in a day without using magic in a city of a few million.
Fucking hells I hate this job.
As if on cue my assistant bursts into my office without so much as a knock. He’s not a Shield just a regular employee but I trust him far more than even my equals so the lack of etiquette is ignored. He looks harried and in panic but that’s his normal state so I ignore that as well.
“What is it Harold, I'm busy.”
“Sir the southern guild just reported a new Black Shield!”
“What?”
“The report came around just a minute ago!”
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck, he’s dead.
My target’s fucking dead and if he isn’t he’s gonna panic and do something that’ll get a lot of people killed.
In my admittedly delirious state, I find myself waking out of the guild, my gear somehow already on and my weapons clenched in place.
“Sir, wait!”
I’m moving before he can reach me.