Verlon took a deep breath, tasting the fresh air as he stepped through the gargantuan gate of the Rhinegard wall. Every time he left the imperial lands behind and entered Endenheim, he was always astounded at how fresh the air was just a couple dozen feet from the pipework of the city. The constant winds of the plains surrounding this part of the Rhinegard helped such freshness, to be sure.
He had dropped his sister off with Nicole, their neighbor who was kind enough to look after Robin while he was away, shortly after leaving the Sekorium's building. Of course, he first took her by Seer’s Chocolatier, the most famous - and expensive - candy shop in all of Preshen. He could only afford to get her a couple of pieces since a single finger-sized square cost almost as much as a meal. Maybe he was in the wrong business…
While he was by the house, Nicole literally being across the hall from their apartment, he also snagged his gear and rations. He only planned on being out for a week at most, but he still doubled up just in case. Anything could happen beyond the wall and he had long learned the usefulness of extra rations even if they increased his pack's weight.
Of course, he was wearing his armor, the dark luster of the pieces blending in seamlessly with his shirt. His Booster Boots were as comfy as usual. The relics of the ancient civilization were well made as his boots hugged his feet like a cloud. He also had his backpack full of useful things and yet left with enough space to carry anything of interest back to imperial lands. His trusty pickaxe and shovel, freshly picked up after repairs by a smith, were strapped to the sides of his bag along with his Kar98 rifle. A dagger and his sword rested on his hip in their sheaths, ready to go at a moment's notice though he much preferred ranged attacks. And, to top it all off, he had his trusty - albeit worn out - M89 Rodeo revolver in its holster.
“Oi! Get outta the way!” A nasally man shouted from behind him.
Verlon let out the breath. No matter where he was, people were still people it seemed. He turned about as he moved, a sneer rising to his face as he saw the telltale red cross around the man’s neck. The man had some nerve to be yelling at him. Although Seekers weren't nearly as strict as the Legions of Dawn, most still showed respect to the ranks above them. The rude man was just one among the many moving through the gates, and yet he stood out.
The man was… portly. His belly protruded almost as far as his manicured beard, and he seemed to shout tenderfoot with his cheap three-piece suit and shiny shoes. His shoes were almost as new as the sparkling silver pickaxe hanging from his backpack, probably freshly bought. The man obviously didn’t do any research before he bought it, as it seemed to be more of a tourist item than an actual tool. There was no doubt in Verlon’s mind it would break after a couple dozen swings.
He was familiar with the man, or at least people similar to the man. They were the kind of people who heard tales of striking it rich in Endenheim and set off to become a brilliant new Seeker. Armed with their ‘trusty’ tools, they strike out into the wilderness, braving it just like the adventurers in the stories. They ventured into the “land of fortune” to become rich and gain endless fame.
The issue is they tend to overlook the danger beyond the walls, believing it was a paradise to make money scot-free and do the bare minimum preparation. There was a reason Endenheim, since ancient times, was also known as “Death’s Home.” Coincidentally, this type of person was most likely to become injured or die. It was an unfortunate fact that survival rates were directly correlated with preparation and caution.
It sounded brutal, and it was. But the brutality couldn’t even compare to some of the corpses Verlon had seen out there. Oh, and tenderfoot came from the typical complaints about their feet hurting after they have to walk a whole day just to maybe find something of value. Ironically, mobility was one of the most important survival tools a Seeker could lean on, and they were severely lacking.
Speaking of mobility, it was vastly required around these parts. Tier one contamination zones, as the closest to the Empire of Dawn, were already picked clean the closer one got to the walls. Especially outside of Preshen where the walk to even enter a true contamination zone was a day out compared to some border cities where it was just a few minutes. The trade-off was near infinite resources in the Craggy Chasms, so it wasn't too bad all things considered.
“My apologies, sir,” Verlon said as he moved to the side. There was no point in getting mad at someone who might not even see the next sunrise…
The bulky man saddled up closer, his blubber swaying under the weight of his backpack. He critically looked at the yellow cross pendant. “Hmmph, it can't be that hard. I’ll be an orange cross in a week!”
Verlon took a calming breath, careful to not let his irritation spike. “Sir, might I suggest finding a guide or group to travel with? It can be dangerous out here-”
“Pfft! Hahaha! Good joke, brat. You’re by yourself, so it can’t be that dangerous.” The man pulled at his chest, moving aside some of his fat so he could reach a holster that had been hidden from view. The pristine handle of a revolver shone in the morning light. “Annnd, I have this. I’ll be fine, now buzz off.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Verlon punched the man in the face, causing a spray of blood from his nose as he recoiled- or at least, that's what he wanted to do. Nothing irritated him more than trying to help someone just to get spat on. He wanted nothing more than to put the cocky man in his place with a-
Breathe. In. Out. With a sharp release of air, the young man stepped away and began to walk further away along with a large group of red ranks. He had been working on his anger for a few years now, and the pudgy man provided practice if nothing else.
The land outside of the Rhinegard was a flat plain, with hills and trees popping up far off in the distance. Edenheim was rather bland for the first couple of miles, just empty fields with the occasional mounds of rock or military outpost. This first jaunt was known as the Seeker Killer. Not because Seekers actually died out here, but the vast majority of potential Seekers grew disillusioned after not seeing anything in the “land of fortune” and turned back.
Verlon was one among the hundreds of Seekers heading out for the day. Most red crosses were part of mining groups or other harvesting groups. The smaller groups all had large backpacks they would fill with goods before returning to the city to sell them for a profit. The larger companies had carriages and horses to haul back their loot. Ironically, the companies with carriages would probably take a couple of days out in the wilderness before returning whereas the backpackers would usually return after a day. Or at least that's what he did back when he was a lowly Red Cross.
Times were changing though. There was a frontier boom town that sprang up after he became an orange rank. He had never been to it since the town catered to miners specifically. It was just outside of the red zone, which was quite daring considering the potential for a monster wave to move through at any moment.
The walk was painfully dull and monotonous, allowing him to think of other things. Why did he try to warn the cocky prick back then? No one ever listened to his suggestions, so why did he even still make them? And yet, if he didn't he would be denying the teachings of his parents, may they rest in peace.
He was so bored, he was even starting to second-guess his decisions. If only the travel could be quicker. He had heard some other border cities had set up steam locomotives out to frontier towns at the edge of the red zone, cutting down the travel time drastically while improving haul rates. How he wished Preshen was one of those cities. It would cut off a day of travel from the week it would take to enter the tier-three zone.
And so he walked down the trodden path of those who came before him, listening to the pleasant sounds of birds chirping and the occasional sound of chatter as he passed by groups. He paid attention, of course, but there wasn’t much to threaten him. The dangers of Endenheim only really made themselves known about a day’s walk from the city past the roving grassland. This place had such a low miasma count that only normal gophers and assorted rodents made this place their home.
By the time the sun had begun to fall from its zenith, the first official contamination zone of Edenheim this side of Preshen snuck up from the horizon. It was known as the Craggy Chasms and was the first time a newbie Seeker would actually have somewhere worth exploring. It was the “land of miners” due to the sheer amount of ore either on or near the stone surface.
The Craggy Chasms consisted of jagged rock formations that pierced out of the earth like the talons of a massive beast. From afar, they looked like cloud-peaked mountains, though up close one could see the thousands of canyons and crevices made from the jutting rocks. Together, the chasms of the red zone formed a labyrinthine network of confusion.
Thankfully, the danger was still quite low. Since it was a tier one contamination zone, meaning there was low miasma polluting it, the place was quite tame. By comparison that is. There were still the miasma-mutated creatures that stalked the shadowed depths of the chasms, but they were relatively weak. The creatures more resembled slightly mutated animals than anything and could be taken out even by an inexperienced Seeker with a firearm.
Ironically, more people died or were injured due to accidents rather than the creatures of the Craggy Chasms. With so many miners, cave-ins and rock falls were common even without the crazy number of earthquakes. Oh, there was also a fair amount of “accidental” deaths in the lawless canyons too.
The earthquakes and cave-ins made the Craggy Chasms ever-changing; the paths shifting as some filled up while others opened. This also brought resources and ore to the surface all the time, allowing a constant stream of miners to come in and still have a place to mine even after years of being in the same area.
By the time Verlon walked to the edge of the Craggy Chasms, most of the people walking with him were gone. He had walked off the beaten path a couple of hours back, trying to avoid the high population of Klippestein, the frontier town at the end of the main ‘road’. The majority of people would pass through Klippestein before heading into or out of the shadowed depths of the canyons, and he wanted to avoid the hassle. That, and he already had a path routed out from his previous passes through the red zone.
He took one last look at the sun, enjoying its rays for the final time. He wouldn’t be able to see it after he entered the tier-one contamination zone due to a combination of the chasm walls and the weather. Toxic clouds clung to the peaks of the Craggy Chasms, choking out anyone who attempted to simply climb up and over instead of passing through the maze of canyons. They blocked the sun almost entirely, causing the rocks to be in a constant state of dimness even with the sun shining brightly.
Even now, standing slightly far back from the canyons leading further into the depths, he could see almost a cut-off point where the sun didn’t reach. The shadowy boundary used to intimidate him back when he was a red Seeker, though now it was just another unsettling sight of Endenheim.
Verlon reached into his satchel, pulling out one of several notebooks. He flipped through the pages, passing by sketches and notes from past ventures until he arrived at a mess of lines covering a sheet. It was the most recent map of the Craggy Chasms he had drawn out. It was a nice and easy path he found a couple of weeks ago after his last one disappeared under a collapsed canyon.
He looked around at the nearby canyons, matching one of his drawn pictures with the jagged entrances until he found the one he was looking for. After storing his notebook, he pulled his rifle from his back and walked in. The shadows immediately embraced him as the last ray of sunlight fell behind the sharp walls of the chasm.