Romulus wasn’t sure what he had expected, but what he discovered felt… off.
Despite the dark beauty of the walls and gate, Blackstone’s architecture left much to be desired. Many of the buildings were seemingly built from timber or cheap stone, and more still were barely habitable—and that was after discounting the ruined and abandoned ones. The people he passed on his way appeared to mostly just putter along in their state of existence, as if the city were itself in a fugue, and even the most enthusiastic hawkers and criers seemed to be fighting some kind of burden on their souls.
Romulus took note of the grim faces, hard eyes, and general sense of despondency as he walked. Blackstone was a city in suffering, though he couldn’t begin to wonder at how to fix it, nor what was causing it. It did not appear like they had enemies, nor a siege at the gates, nor any real shortage of food—all of which ruled out the major possibilities.
He did acknowledge that was no longer in the world he knew, with easy access to basic essentials and human needs. Eternus was its own reality, and the VRMMO did medieval fantasy well—so much so that he could even detect the nose-wrinkling, pungent musk of manure, urine, and feces in the air. That was a first for any game he’d played, and not an addition he was particularly fond of, though it did wonders for immersion.
His history professor had taught him that cities in the dark ages had smelled awful.
Whatever else he might have thought of her, she had not been wrong.
Romulus continued walking for several minutes in silence while he examined his surroundings, allowing his feet to guide him until he came to a large crossroads. The population was growing steadily denser as he moved deeper into the city, and he began to see more than just sallow and unhappy faces.
Some people even looked downright content in some cases!
A glance up at a signpost told him he wanted to turn right to reach the Grand Bazaar, and Romulus smiled in relief at the easy directions. The fact he could read the signs, despite the clearly foreign nature of the language, also told him that the game was offering some level of ‘ease of access’ for the players.
At least, to some degree.
Romulus turned into the river of people streaming back and forth along the road to the Grand Bazaar and within moments felt at least three different hands brush along his belt. His lack of coinpurse, however, made the efforts futile. He almost laughed when someone even tried to filch his sword, only to hear a voice yelp in surprise at the result. He settled his left hand on Lightsbane after that, and murmured “good job” under his breath.
A pulse of smug satisfaction was its response.
As he walked, he noticed another oddity: nobody seemed to care that he was covered in blood. It wasn’t that nobody noticed, since he saw and felt eyes on him while he walked—it was simply that no one that paid any heed seemed to care. Even the few guards or watchmen he saw spared him a glance, and then looked away as if it was beneath their notice.
It was puzzling, but he was not about to ruin a good thing.
Romulus was thankful for his decision to increase his height as he walked, for it allowed him an unobstructed view over the heads of most of the people traversing the street. With Romulus standing roughly a head or more above the average citizen, he could clearly see his destination in the distance. The canvas sheets and distant roar of voices were hint enough, but the colorful streamers and throngs of moving people were even more telling.
Abruptly, a new alert filled his chat box and he paused to read it.
Congratulations, you have learned a new skill!
Skill Name: Perception
Skill Type: Passive
Skill Rarity: Uncommon
Skill Function: You will gain a bonus chance to identify things of interest in your surroundings, increasing with every level of [Perception]. (Current Awareness Bonus: 1%)
Skill Level: Novice 1
Skill Description: You have started to understand the local world around you and the various peoples and creatures within it. As you hone this Skill, your ability to pick up on things that are out of place, or sense when something isn’t quite right will grow in tandem. A master of [Perception] need never fear ambush, surprise, or even the stealthiest of assassins!
Now that’s interesting. He ruminated while observing the Skill Effect.
He had thought perception as a concept would be tied to something else, but to be its own Skill was an interesting take. It made a kind of sense, he supposed, especially given that none of his Attributes affected it directly.
Making spatial awareness its own thing certainly opened up interesting possibilities—and the last line of its description definitely piqued his interest.
Satisfied with his new acquisition, he continued on.
Romulus stepped into the chaos of the market a few moments later, and once again thanked his desire for height. He’d very likely have gotten instantly lost if not for the advantage, and it was also what allowed him to spot the map-marked banner near the far end of the bustling bazaar.
Threading his way through the crowd proved easier than he’d suspected it would, and before long he was standing before a stall manned by the single most flamboyant individual Romulus had ever seen. Every one of the man’s clothes was a different color, from his mustard yellow beret to his lime green tunic, bright red shirt sleeves, and vibrant blue leggings. Even his shoes were different colors: one white, the other black.
When his eyes met Romulus’, the eccentric individual grinned. “Hello!”
“Hi,” Romulus responded after a few moments of surprised silence. “Uh, I’m a Traveler and I was told to—”
“A Traveler?!” the man demanded as his eyes widened. “REALLY?”
Romulus leaned back a little in surprise at the man’s enthusiasm, but nodded. People around them paused at his exclamation, and murmurs of surprise and interest spread through the crowd—a reaction Romulus did his best to ignore.
“Yeah. I just arrived on Eternus and I need—”
“I never thought I’d get a fresh Traveler!” the presumed Wayfinder cut in excitedly.
“Yeah…” Romulus said while reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “I didn’t think I’d end up here to start with either, honestly.”
“You get a choice?!”
“Something like that,” Romulus said with a bemused smile. “Listen, I don’t want to be rude, but I really need to take care of some—”
“Oh! Right! RIGHT!”
The man flapped his hands at Romulus in a gesture that seemed a mix between ‘calm down’, ‘one moment’, and ‘get lost’. “I have it here somewhere…”
Romulus glanced once more at the slowly building crowd, offered the gathered a polite smile, and decided to wait quietly.
The Wayfinder, as he clearly appeared to be, busied himself with rummaging through the eclectic collection of random junk that seemed to populate his stall: from the strange masks, furs, and nicknacks hanging along the canvas walls; to what appeared to be several chests of varying size and elegance. The man was muttering to himself as he quite literally threw shirts, pants, and what Romulus thought was lacy female underwear to the other side of the stall—all while searching for something frantically.
A surreptitious glance at his immediate area told Romulus that, other than the people looking at him, no one seemed to find the Wayfinder’s behaviour odd. He couldn’t decide if that was a relief or a concern, though it begged the question as to what strange would qualify as if this behavior was considered normal.
“Are you…?”
“Yes! Yes! I am quite certain I put it—AHA!”
The Wayfinder suddenly straightened mid-sentence, clutching a package with an exclamation as if he’d overcome a great foe.
Romulus watched in bewildered silence as the Wayfinder marched back to the counter and slammed the package down, a manic grin on his features. “I’ve got what you need!”
“Uh, thank you?” Romulus ventured warily as he reached out toward the package.
“You’re very welcome, Traveler!” the Wayfinder said with the same manic glee. “You should find everything you need in there. Homestone, local area map, and a Traveler’s License. I’ll need to inspect the last one before you leave, however!”
“Yeah, sure, no problem,” Romulus said with still-present confusion as he unwrapped the package to reveal a simple wooden box. The lid wasn’t nailed on, and so he lifted it off to reveal a rolled up scroll, an oval stone, and what appeared to be some sort of card or plaque made out of copper.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Romulus grabbed the scroll first, unfurling it and immediately receiving a prompt.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-style: double; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto">
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<td style="text-align: center">
SYSTEM MESSAGE
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You have found a map of Blackstone, Stormwatch Bay, The Dusklight Plains, and Darkwood Forest.
Would you like to add the map and its landmarks to your map?
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YES
</td>
<td style="text-align: center">
NO
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</table>
With a tap of the ‘YES’ option, the map in his hands burst into motes of energy and threaded into his torso without warning. A ping on the border of his circular map window caught his attention, and the words ‘MAP UPDATED’ flashed over it before fading away.
“Huh. That’s useful,” Romulus said while staring down at himself curiously.
“Isn’t it just?!” the Wayfinder asked excitedly while resting his chin on his hands and his elbows on the counter. He seemed to be staring with rapt attention as if Romulus were the most interesting thing in the world. “Try the homestone. Go on. Do it. Dew it.”
Shaking his head at the Wayfinder’s antics, Romulus focused on the stone and reached out to take it in his right palm. For several moments nothing happened, and then the stone abruptly melted into a runic tattoo which appeared on the back of his hand. Romulus stared at it in momentary confusion, until he realized he could recognize what the rune said.
‘Traveler’.
A murmur of appreciation and a smattering of enthusiastic clapping echoed from the watching crowd, and Romulus glanced at them to give an embarrassed wave, which only emboldened their clapping.
At the same time, his chat log flashed, and a new tab appeared in the top left of his HUD titled ‘Social’. Beneath it were the categories ‘Friends’, ‘Party’, ‘Guild’, ‘Alliance’, and ‘Nation’.
“Huh,” Romulus said with interest, “that was—”
“Fascinating! I know!” the Wayfinder cut him off happily. “I’ve always wondered how that works. Gosh, the System sure is thorough with what it prepares for your lot!”
“It’s definitely an experience,” Romulus said with a wry smile.
He couldn’t help it, the Wayfinder’s weird manic glee was somewhat infectious.
“Now the license! Go on!” the Wayfinder said eagerly while making the same odd flapping motion with his hands again.
Romulus let out a genuine chuckle, and then reached out to take hold of the license. The copper card was light in his hands, and Romulus blinked at the blank slate when he took it.
A moment later, another pop-up appeared.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-style: double; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto">
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SYSTEM MESSAGE
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You have found a Traveler’s License. These items are your way of identifying yourself in Eternus, and cannot be destroyed or stolen.
A license will evolve in appearance to reflect the power and fame (or infamy) of its holder, and you will be required to show your license to gain entry to most major cities.
Would you like to bind and activate the Traveler’s License now?
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YES
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NO
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Romulus selected ‘YES’ and the copper tablet rippled, suddenly populating with his name, level, and sex—only for the second to blur itself a moment later. A perfect rendition of his face also appeared on the left side of the copper card, as if it were a photo fused to the metal. As a final touch, tiny threads of obsidian wove their way along the edges card in elegant patterns, though Romulus had no idea what that meant.
He had a suspicion though.
Once the license had been activated, he looked at the Wayfinder, who was watching him with wide eyes. “You… you’re not just any Traveler, are you?”
Romulus’ heart skipped a beat, and Lightsbane pulsed a warning. “What do you mean?”
The Wayfinder opened his mouth, then cocked his head as if listening to something. Romulus waited in silence, left hand resting on his sword, until the man abruptly grinned as if he knew a secret. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Something you’re not allowed to say?” Romulus pressed carefully.
The Wayfinder simply smiled.
“Right, that figures,” Romulus said with a sigh, and a glance at the watching crowd. “I guess I’ll go explore the city for a bit, then. Can I ask your name before I go?”
The Wayfinder brightened at the question, and his silence broke immediately. “Of course! My name’s Dave.”
“...Dave?”
“Dave!”
“That’s so—”
“Formal?” Dave asked. “I know. Ugh. You’re right.”
He tapped one of his fingers to his lips, and Romulus noticed finally that all of the Wayfinder’s nails were painted different combinations of colors. “Well, I used to use a different name during my days as a travelling bard!” he said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
“I can use that, if you’d like,” Romulus responded as he picked up the hint.
“Sure! Call me Ziggy, then,” he grinned. “Ziggy Stardust.”
Romulus felt as if he should have known the name, but it didn’t quite register. Instead he gave the Wayfinder a friendly smile. “Ziggy it is. It was, ah, a unique experience meeting you, Ziggy.”
“And you, Traveler Romulus!” the Wayfinder responded with a winning smile. “I have a funny feeling we’ll be hearing your name quite a lot in the days to come.”
Romulus’ eyebrow rose, and he wondered what exactly it was that the strange Wayfinder knew. Perhaps he was some sort of special NPC in Eternus Online, or otherwise very well informed. Whatever he was, he obviously recognised something about Romulus and it might have had to do with his [Brand of the Dark Lady].
It was probably best not to press that particular point in public, though.
As the silence between them grew longer, Romulus made the decision to turn away instead of prolonging the sudden awkwardness, until a thought occurred to him. Almost cursing his own stupidity, he refocused on the Wayfinder and spoke quickly. “Ziggy, before I go, you wouldn’t happen to know how I can get access to the—” he glanced at the crowd and lowered his voice “—citadel, would you?”
Normally it went without saying that telling random strangers about your plans was a terrible, terrible idea. With Ziggy however Romulus had the unshakable feeling he could ask the Wayfinder without being betrayed. The eclectic bard had kept his other secret, after all. There were obviously rules in place.
Ziggy’s smile widened and he even appeared pleased.
“I do, but I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.”
“Of course you can’t,” Romulus said with a sigh.
“Not because I’m disallowed, but because our time is up,” the Wayfinder clarified.
“What do you mean?”
Ziggy nodded at something behind Romulus.
When he turned to investigate, Romulus blinked at seeing a squad of well-dressed, green-and-black-attired soldiers approaching. Before he could do more than raise his eyebrows in surprise, the lead soldier came within five feet and stopped—left hand resting warily on her sword hilt. A tabard bearing a silver sword over a rearing white horse adorned her chest and was sewn from surprisingly modern-looking material.
Well, this can’t be good. He thought warily. Is this some sort of event?
The woman’s face was uncovered, and her blonde hair was tied back into a neat ponytail. Romulus could already tell she was beyond his abilities to deal with, given both the quality of her gear, and the fact that she looked like someone had taken a Valkyrie from the old stories, removed the wings, and plonked her into Eternus.
Her blue eyes were piercing, she was at least 6’1 and looked like Wonder Woman’s younger blonde sister.
“Traveler Romulus?” she questioned in an elegant and distinctly ‘aristocratic’ voice.
“That’s me,” Romulus answered cautiously. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” the woman said, though her voice was about as warm as an ice cube. “I am Isolde Argent, Captain of the Duke’s Wardens. I’m going to need you to come with me, please.”
Romulus glanced at the six men fanned out in a crescent formation behind her, all of whom she was taller than, and realized that fighting his way out was definitely not an option. He also noticed an even bigger crowd growing around the spectacle, with more than a few people murmuring among themselves as they watched.
Lightsbane pulsed its bloodlust at his side, but he wisely ignored the runeblade.
“Have I done something wrong, Captain?” Romulus asked instead with a polite smile.
“No, Traveler, but the Duke is curious as to how a Traveler of your particular…” she paused and eyed his bloodied clothes “...disposition appeared so close to Blackstone, especially when it was reported you were coming from the direction of the Darkwood.” Isolde’s expression never changed, but Romulus thought he detected curiosity and professional caution in her cool voice, not actual hostility. “He’d like to ask you some questions personally.”
“I see,” Romulus said as his mind raced and he looked between the Wardens.
There was no easy way out, no way of earning crowd sympathy enough to matter, and likely no chance of evading capture even if he did get away. He was neatly backed into a corner. His uncle had always told him that when someone was out of options, especially when such happened due to a potential enemy, then the only option left was to turn the negative situation into a positive.
The Art of War also stated that knowledge of the enemy was imperative.
If the Duke was going to become a complication, then Romulus figured he might as well take the chance to do some intelligence gathering. After all, he was immortal. The Duke was not. At worst, he’d just die and maybe even resurrect somewhere more hospitable. The delay would suck, but he doubted it was outside of Lilith’s expectations.
He suppressed a smile as he thought it over.
If he managed to really twist the situation and make the Duke a friend, as crazy as the idea sounded, then his quest in Blackstone would become a whole hell of a lot easier.
“If you’ll kindly follow us, sir?” Isolde asked without actually asking and gestured with a hand toward the west away from the market.
“Very well, Captain,” Romulus said as he schooled himself not to betray his churning thoughts, and tapped into his uncle’s tuition on social niceties. “I am in your capable hands.”
For a moment, he could have sworn her eyes tightened in anger. However, the emotion—if it had been there at all—was gone between eye blinks.
“Thank you. Follow us,” Isolde said a little more stiffly while turning to walk away with a clear expectation that Romulus would do as requested.
With a plan in mind, he fell in behind her while waving goodbye to Ziggy.
The Wayfinder’s only response was a cheshire grin.