Alice kept walking through the dirt road for a few more miles. Her stamina was now getting low, and she was starting to worry. Just as she had that thought, she walked over a small hill and was able to spot a town in the distance.
The town was just like anyone would imagine a medieval town would look like. It was surrounded by stone walls with towers as tall as a small building guarding its borders. The entrance to the town had a huge wooden gate that would tower over most houses back on Earth. Alice was reminded of her vacation to Scotland she and her husband took, where she saw all those big castles. Tim said it reminded him of his video games. “I guess you were right about that, babe," Alice thought. She kept walking towards the gate for a couple more minutes. When she finally reached the gate, she was met by two guards.
“Hello madam, purpose of entry to Ambar City?" said the guard.
“Purpose?” asked Alice, somewhat puzzled.
“Yes ma’am, tourism, trade, work, what is the purpose of your trip to Ambar City, ma’am,” continued the guard.
“Oh, I was just looking for a place to rest for a few days,” said Alice hesitantly. Alice liked to travel all over the world back on Earth, and she remembered the kind of questions immigration officers would ask to determine whether they would allow her into the country or not. She was never denied entry to any country before, but those officers back on Earth still made her nervous.
“Tourism it is, please fill out your name and class in this piece of paper and I will let you in,” answered the guard.
Alice started to print her name and had to stop at the class field. She did not have a class yet. “Um, officer, what do I write down if I don't have a class yet?” asked Alice, a little nervous.
“You don’t have a class? You are already in your late teens, ma’am. Are you still at lvl 0?” exclaimed the guard, somewhat shocked.
Alice smiled at the fact that the guard told her she was in her teens, because what woman did not like being told she looked younger than what she actually was. “Sorry, officer, I am. I come from a small town with different customs, and I lived a somewhat secluded life until now” Alice lied. "Will that be a problem?
The guard stared at her for a while and said, “Oh well, I guess that's understandable, that explains the weird outfit you got on." Alice was still wearing her scrubs from the hospital. "Leave it blank for now, but once you level up and choose a class please go to the Immigration office in the market square to update your permit.” The guard stamped the permit and let her through.
Quest completed: Discover your first town.
10 gold coins awarded.
Quest completed: Reach lvl 1.
You can now unlock your class.
Alice was bombarded with the screens showing her completed quests and felt something appear in her pocket. She quickly reached down her pocket to find the 10 gold coins. No longer impressed about these types of things after magically being teleported from her car to a new fantasy world, she just went along with it and turned her attention back to the screens. She thought about a way to minimize them as she did windows on her computer at work. The moment she thought about it, it happened. All the screens went away to a small corner in her vision blinking with an exclamation mark. Big enough for her to notice they were there but small enough, so it didn't bother her having them there. With that taken care of, she started walking into town.
Stolen novel; please report.
Alice was not an expert at video games or board games like her husband was, but Tim talked enough about them that she did remember a few things. One of those things was that if you need information, the town’s tavern was the place to get said information. It didn’t take Alice long to find a small tavern near the entrance to the town and she walked right in. The tavern had four small tables in the middle and one long bar along the right side of the room. She sat at the bar and was approached by the bartender.
“What can I get you?” said the bartender in a growly voice. The bartender was a bald man. Medium stature with a huge bear-like build. He had a red long beard and was dressed in a simple medieval-looking shirt and leather pants.
Alice looked at the wall behind the bartender that had a menu of all the drinks the tavern served. To nobody's surprise they sold beer. "I guess beer exists in every world," thought Alice. “One beer please,” replied Alice. The bartender nodded and quickly filled a mug and gave it to Alice.
“That will be one silver,” said the bartender. Alice gave him a gold coin. The bartender grabbed the coin and gave her 9 silver coins back. Alice made a mental note about the currency system. 1 gold coin = 10 silver coins.
Alice started sipping her beer while thinking what to do next. She started making a list of the things she needed to do and started prioritizing. Alice had always been a planner. Ever since she was a child, she would plan and organize every aspect of her life. Which outfits to put on each day, homework, work, dinners, you name it. She always kept one of those yearlong planner notebooks and was somehow always filled with things she needed to do. Alice remembered how Tim used to make fun of her for actually enjoying filling up her planner and spending a ridiculous amount of time on it.
When she thought about the planner, another translucent screen appeared. It was an empty screen with the word:
Notes:
"Uhh, that’s neat," thought Alice. She then proceeded to start her list.
Alice quickly made a mental list of what was needed and in what order.
1. Find a place to stay tonight.
2. Figure out the currency system of this world.
3. Unlock class.
4. Find a new outfit.
5. Find a way to get more money.
6. Find a way home.
Alice finished the list and took a look at it. “Alright, looks good, now let’s get started, find a place to stay tonight,” Alice thought. “Excuse me, sir,” Alice shouted to the bartender.
“Yes, ma’am, how can I help you? Is the beer not to your liking?” asked the bartender somewhat concerned.
“No no, the beer is fine thanks. Would you be able to tell me where I can find lodging? I’m new to this city and any recommendations would be appreciated,” replied Alice.
“Sure thing, ma’am, you have a few options. You have the Green Luna Lodge a couple of blocks from here. It has a pretty decent kitchen as well, and it’s not that expensive. If you’re looking to save money, then I would recommend the Traveler Seis Inn. It’s not the best when it comes to hygiene or comfort but it's good enough for a few days if you don't mind the rats.” Alice discarded that option immediately when he mentioned rats. “And lastly if you’re looking for luxury, you can try the Diamond Club near Market Square.” Alice thanked the bartender for the information, made a mental note of the Green Luna and proceeded to finish her beer.
After finishing her beer, Alice went outside and started looking for the Green Luna. Alice walked a couple of blocks where she saw a few street vendors and people walking around. She quickly noticed that not every person looked human. She noticed a few other human-like races but couldn't figure out exactly what kind of race they were. Alice made a mental note to go to a library and read a book about the different races in Sfiraz. She really liked the Notes feature of this world. After a couple of minutes, Alice finally arrived at Green Luna. It was a two-story building made of stone with a wood accent keeping the medieval theme of the town going. Alice walked in and saw that the first floor was essentially a restaurant bar, and the second floor had lodging. Alice walked up to the bar and found a woman behind the bar. The woman looked human, long brown hair and in her 40s with a motherly look on her face.
“Hi dear, haven't seen your face around here before, my name is Luna, and I run this place. How can we help you?” said the woman behind the bar in a friendly tone.
“Hi Luna, I’m Alice. I was told to come here to get a warm meal and a place to stay for the night,” said Alice with a smile on her face. Alice had been trained to wear a smile at work back on Earth. Being a doctor meant meeting people and she quickly learned that a smile went a long way to putting people at ease.
“You were told correctly, Alice, we charge 5 silver a night and here is the menu for our kitchen,” Luna said, matching Alice’s smile.
“Great! I'll get a room and I will take a look at the menu. I’m starving,” replied Alice. Luna smiled and pointed her to a table nearby. Alice sat and ordered her food. Once Luna walked away, Alice opened her minimized notifications.
"Alright, time to see what unlocking a class is like?”