The first thing I did after we landed and got some distance from the walking mountain we’d left behind, was to climb the tallest tree and try to get a good look at it. Even though the mountains were quite some distance from us, I could barely see them all just due to their sheer enormity. I could only just make out the fact that they were moving, incredibly slowly and steadily, carrying dwarvenkind from place to place.

The creature itself, from what little I could make out of it, was some kind of enormous tortoise, its legs large enough to be mountains themselves. In spite of its size there were no tremors as the creature walked, though I could make out small craters where its feet had tread. I wondered how a creature of that size impacted the world. Did some animals live where its feet fell, or move footprint to footprint in its wake. One thing I knew I could assume, was that the moving mountains were a deliberate choice by the world, the system, and the gods. Why they had made that choice though? For now it was completely beyond me.

It was another few days before we reached the city. Luckily they passed quietly, allowing me time to train, enjoy seeing the sun every day, and start planning for what I’d do next. I hadn’t received any more system quests, nor had Ren contacted me again for another office meeting. That meant my future was in my own hands.

The training over the course of the trip had led to some solid all around gains on my skills, which I was very happy with. I’d gained two points each in sword, dagger, and barehanded. I was continuing to feel more sure of myself and my style, though I was hopeful that I’d be able to add more spells to my repertoire, as a single spell had more impact for me then a handful of skill levels would. I also managed to gain a point in negotiation through regular talks with merchants and traders. It seemed that even just hearing other people’s in depth discussion on topics could lead to a boost. I doubted a lecture on swords would have the same effect, but for non-combat skills there was clearly some value to it.

When we reached the human city, it was no longer cold, and I was becoming grateful for the shorter dwarven clothing. Sure, a crop top and short shorts was more of an 80’s fashion for men, but I didn’t think that would matter so much here in Tu’reyne. The land had become swampy, and humidity choked the air. The dwarves among us didn’t take well to it, sweating and drinking lots of water as we went, but Zevrack was extremely content, sunbathing any chance he got and soaking in all the warmth he could.

I don’t know what I was expecting the city to look like, I suppose I was expecting wattle and daub huts, a castle in the middle, maybe some wooden walls. Peasants milling about, men in armor. What I most certainly was not expecting was a lake, on which were what looked to be dozens of islands, all of them modular, with great step stone pyramids, hundreds of houses, and boats ferrying people between them. The buildings all had a kind of mesoamerican vibe, reminding me of Aztec ruins, but these were new and clean.

I could see people walking around, in clothes not too different from my suddenly fashionable attire. Lots of bare skin to stay cool, though with plenty of decorative jewelry in gold and silver. Most of the men and women were carrying some kind of weapon. Along with the humans that were clearly residents were several other types of people. I saw men and women in what looked like togas and loose fitting robes, as well as smaller groups of people wearing black stuffy suits that were ill suited for the weather, along with simple black hats, looking like Amish folk back on Earth.

Geode drove the lead beetle down toward the nearest island, on which were rows of merchant stalls and buildings that looked like warehouses. A man in a loose fitting outfit, with large golden earrings was standing on the shore, flanked by two guards. Geode stopped in front of him.

“Horado.” He said nodding down at the man.

The man nodded up at him. “Geode. Arriving as a merchant caravan?” he asked, arms behind his back.

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“Yep.”

“See you at the Traveler’s Delight later?”

“Absolutely.”

The man nodded. "Go ahead.”

One of the warriors waved toward the island that was a short distance from us, and I felt a soft surge of magic. The island itself slowly drifted towards us, until the beetles were able to make their way onto it. We headed for what looked like a warehouse, and went inside. The merchants secured their goods, Geode and the drivers calmed the beetles, and Elle and Zevrack, found me.

“This place is incredible!” said Elle, her eyes, ears, and even nose glowing. She stared an almost uncomfortable amount at all of the people milling about, and I could practically hear the wheels in her head turning as she took everything in.

Zevrack on the other hand, was wandering about, and had stopped in front of a small statue of two winged serpents intertwined, seemingly in the act of mating.

I approached him and leaned down to tap him on the shoulder. He jumped when I did, and looked a little embarrassed.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“This…statue. Things like this should be private, I’d think.”

I suppressed a laugh. “Well, different folks have different standards. I guess.”

“Are all humans like this?” he asked.

“Oh, no no no no. Quite a few are the complete opposite. Humans are a diverse bunch. I’m sure different Kobold tribes have a lot of variance too.”

He scratched his chin for a moment. “Well, the Unknown Scale think that rope traps work better than spike traps. This disturbs us of the Buried Claw greatly. Is it like that?”

“Sure. Basically the same thing.”

Geode wrapped up whatever prep he was doing and found his way over to us. He handed us each a small pouch of silver, I strapped mine straight to my belt, while Zevrack opened his and began carefully counting it.

“Solid work boys. Aside from the bit where you both almost fell to your deaths.”

“Thanks, glad we could help,” I said.

“As am I,” added Zevrack.

He nodded. “Any idea what you’re going to do now?”

“Not sure. Find a place to sleep, find some adventures, get some clothing made.”

“Well, there’s some taverns around here that have a lot of travelers. I’m sure you’ll find something.” With that he held out his fist, which I gave a bump to, and walked back to his beetle. A simple man who liked his routines. I found myself a little envious, that was the kind of life I’d wanted before arriving here. Didn’t seem to be in the cards anymore, though maybe I’d be able to carve a little place out for myself.

A notification flickered in the corner of my vision and I pulled it up.

Congratulations! You’ve completed Class Quest: A Job is a Job

Reward: 500 XP, 7 silver

There was the answer I needed. A solid path forward. Whatever I did, whether finding my own way or doing jobs for the system and the gods, gaining XP and strength was going to be important. If the first thing Ren did was bring dragons into the world, then it was possible things could get even more dangerous as the other champions began completing their own quests and earning their gods' choices. I could only imagine what changes a god of Death or Life, would make when Ren, who didn’t even know what he was a god of, was bringing dragons into the world. Things could keep getting more exciting, very quickly. There was also the fact that the other champions came here with more of an advantage. Assuming Ren had told me the truth about that. In any case there was only one clear path forward. I’d have to quest, as much and as quickly as possible. Finding new weapons, armor, other magical items, leveling up, acquiring new abilities. I’d stack gold, make contacts, and see everything this new world had to offer. Now that I had a firmer grasp on things in this world, it was time to build.