Alden ignored the grinding of the stone door behind him as he stepped onto a large boulevard. Alden grimaced as thoughts of where the door was slid from his mind, a thousand other things jumping to his attention. He had suspected something like that would occur. Not bothering to hold onto the information he let it slip into the recesses of his mind and began to stride forward. The cavern was cast in a dull light, few people hustling to and fro. Tall poles, topped by softly glowing mushrooms, guided travelers forward.
Alden took in a deep breath, marveling at the city around him. Tunk’lan was a city build by persecuted people, who were used to hiding and fighting, and this place showed that. The boulevard he was on was wide enough for a wagon but not two, and tall enough for a wagon but not anymore. The mushrooms hung from those poles, but Alden had no doubt that they had some way to turn out the light. Instead of broad caverns and sweeping architecture, it felt cramped, solid stone surrounding him on all sides. Yet despite that beauty marked every inch of it. An intricate swirl there, a small depiction of the sun rising over here. A small series of images showing Tunari fighting different monstrosities that chased them.
He kept walking, the doors engraved with unique Tunari symbols. They kept their language secret-so secret that if you left the city, they stripped knowledge of the language from your mind. The building stones were thick and heavy, no doubt reinforced against any sort of violence. Every man or woman Alden saw had some type of weapon- whether that be a dagger or a small crossbow. Their gazes bore into him, watching the way he walked, the way he held himself. Alden ignored it. A stranger in every town was a stranger in no town. He mentally chuckled as he turned right at an intersection, more people collecting into the space.
Thick, towering doors stretched up to the height of the ceiling resided at the far end of the path, propped open by large stone blocks. Even from this far Alden could see the guards taking note of all who entered and left. Alden joined the queue, letting the flow of people carry him along. A bubble formed around him as the Tunari eyed him up, gazes suspicious.
Soon enough Alden was past those doors, the guards’ gazes burning several new holes into his back. He ignored them in favor of the room that surrounded him. It broke the mold the rest of the city formed- a large cavern, numerous tents and stalls spread out. Yet even here, Alden could see the way the roof remained low, or the dozens of small stone walls and hatches placed regularly around the room’s circumference. He had no doubt that this place could be turned into a fortress with little trouble.
As the small crowd pushed him along, he turned his attention to the stalls around him. The first step of blending in was proper clothing. Swiftly he made out his target and strode towards a small stall on the outskirts. It was placed in a very unfavorable position, yet Alden still noticed a steady stream of customers flowing through it. He came to the entrance, a small tent in front of which sat a table. Atop of it were various silks and clothing, more of those intricate patterns and designs woven through the fabrics.
Flanking the central table were clothes that were of lesser quality. Still, they seemed to be as good or perhaps even better than Alden’s current garments. A young lady stood behind the central table, numerous bracelets and earrings jingling as she glided towards him. She wore a long, flowing tunic into a puffed skirt that twirled around her. Her bare feet hardly made a whisper against the stone floor as she approached Alden. “What can The Wonderous Wears of Effie do for you sir?” Alden looked around the selection before pointing to a collection of tunics and pants that were off to the side. “I want three different pants and tunics, 2 robes, and at least one pair of sandals please.” The woman nodded, a brilliant smile on her face as she swiftly packaged the requested items.
In no time Alden had a pile before him, neatly folded and organized. He slung his pack off his shoulders and began to reach into it- before the woman’s voice interrupted him. “If I may make a suggestion sir.” Alden just shrugged and waved at her. Her smile didn’t flicker in the slightest. “If you are planning to blend in then you still need some more items. What you have currently is… sufficient, perhaps, but not enough. If you want, I can find you a complete wardrobe for every activity you might engage in. We have reading robes, or shopping tunics. We also have sparring wear if that is more to your liking.” Alden paused for a second- before bringing out his coin purse, although he paused before handing anything over. “For now, I suspect I will do just fine.” He hesitated for a moment. “But I will take a pair of sparring clothes if you have any nearby.” The woman spun around behind her, grabbed something, and spun back around revealing a tight brown weave with white accents.
“Here you are sir. That will be 3 silver shekels.” Alden peeked into his bag and handed her 4 silver coins. “Will this do?” The woman held them up to her eye, inspecting them- before biting one down. Nodding, she slipped them away. “These will be adequate, although I do have to warn you that you will not be finding many favorable deals if you continue to use these foreign currencies.” Alden just nodded and smiled. “Of course, I received a very favorable deal, no?” The woman threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, not at all. It’s still better than you’ll find elsewhere, however. Don’t hesitate to come back.” With that the woman swept over to another man who was currently browsing the cloth-armor and began gesturing enthusiastically. Alden shrugged, turned, and left. Time to pick up his other items.
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Alden bob ad weaved through the crowds, his pack heavy with acquired items. He had managed to pick up a sparring stick, a couple of meditation candles, a few books on local culture and philosophy, and even a carving of Bob, because why not? He had made sure, however, to exchange his foreign coins for the local shekels. While it may not be common for foreigners to enter Tunk’lan it was apparently not unheard of, because off the main market space a small room led to an equally small exchange counter. They had skimmed more off the exchange than he had hoped, but less than he had feared. After acquiring the local currency, throwing on a pair of robes and sandals, and changing his accent-a talent he had acquired on his adventures-he began to blend in. People still gave him looks, but those looks tended to be towards his strange assortment of acquisitions than any behavior he exhibited.
Soon after he managed to slip into his last store, a small tent built against the side of the wall. A sign hung down above, showcasing a cauldron with a hissing cat atop it. Alden smiled as he pushed through the flaps, a small jingle echoing out as he entered. A shuffle, mixed with the sound of something hitting the ground, echoed out before a short, stocky man pushed his way through a second set of flaps further back. Alden nodded at the man even as his eyes scanned the store around him. Various pre-made wards, enchanted items and more littered the area. Well, their placeholders did at least. Instead of the physical items themselves there were drawings and note cards describing what the items would do.
Alden took a moment to take in the store- before setting off toward the front table. He swept from table to table, coming closer and closer to his target. He pretended to be interested in a few things here or there- in order to throw the shopkeep off, hopefully- before coming to his target.
“Looking for something in particular?” Alden smiled at the man and shook his head. “Just browsing I’m afraid.” The salesman chuckled. “No one walks into my shop just to ‘browse’ my friend. What are you looking for?” Alden shrugged. “I may or may not need a couple of things. Like I said, I’m browsing.” The man clasped his hands in front of him. “Very well then. Do not hesitate to call on me, for I am but your humble servant.” Alden nodded as the man walked over to a chair in the back corner, sitting down and pulling out some type of ledger.
Alden circled the tables a couple of times, lifting and inspecting various items- before finally picking up what he needed. It was a small brown orb that resembled a crudely done pot. Alden could feel the mana reservoir within it, connected to the enchantments. Apparently the shopkeeper had deemed it low enough in power and value to leave it out instead of a notecard. He let his eyes sweep over it, seeing the threads and weaves of Aether. He grunted and lifted it completely before bringing it to the man. He also picked up a small dagger with a simple metal enchantment. It would keep the blade sharp and from rusting, a very useful thing. The man looked up from his seat, setting down his ledger. “Ah, you have found what you were seeking.” Alden nodded. “Indeed, I have.” The man grinned at him. “That is excellent. Just set them down on that table right there.” Alden did as he was bid, setting both magical items onto the table. The man lifted what looked to be some type of spectacle and closely examined each item, running his finger over them and lining them up on the ledger he was holding. Finally, he nodded and looked back up at Alden. “Looks to be in order. It will be ready to go soon.” He wrapped both items- but placed them under the counter and looked back up at Alden. “That will be ten gold shekels.” Alden took a deep breath and settled himself in for a long session of bartering.
In the end he managed to negotiate it down to 7 gold and 5 silver shekels. Still pricey, but not outside his funds, although he had a limited number of ways to earn it back. He strode down the main market way, quickly exiting the market cavern into the main boulevard. As he walked out, he took a right, opening another door to reveal another hallway. He walked to the midpoint of that hallway before taking another right into a small niche and popping open the hatch. Down he descended. Left, right, right, up, down, he twisted and turned his way through the labyrinthine city. He was very thankful for the painstaking instructions Mother had written to him in her letter.
After hours of walking through the twisting passages, going up and down hatches, and muttering unfavorable sentiments towards the builders, he came to a halt next to a door. It was a door like any other, except perhaps a tad bit more circular and with a few more inspiring images. It depicted a being holding up what appeared the world, while an eagle picked from its liver. Another detail was in some script and circled the door. Alden took a moment, just taking in the beauty of the place. Its natural construction may not have been beautiful- but what it was made into was.
Alden took a deep breath before knocking thrice, the sound echoing out into the silent hall. Nothing happened for a moment. Then, the door slowly opened, revealing an older man. He was tall- somewhere around 2 meters- with a thickly muscled frame. He had a slight potbelly although that didn’t diminish his presence in the slightest. He stared at Alden, a single eyebrow raised. “What do you want?” Alden shifted slightly on his feet as he met the man’s eyes. “I- well rather I am- um...” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I am the son of Martha Wilben.” The man’s eyes widened as Alden continued. “Daughter of Liben Frank.” His eyes firmed as the man’s hands went limp. “I’m your grandson.”