When Sam awoke the next morning it was still dark. He checked his pocket watch which read 5:15am. He had just over an hour until he needed to be at the Adventurers Guild to catch one of the long carts out to Hertz. Sam pulled himself out of bed and got dressed in his work clothes. Since he was travelling today he didn’t want to get any of his good clothes dirty. Sam pulled out the map and checked the location of the Adventurers guild. It was on the far east side of the city. Based on how long it took him to walk from the hotel to the centre of the city yesterday he estimated that he would have about 15 minutes to spare to get something to eat along the way.
Sam pulled on his boots and fastened his sword belt to his waist before leaving his room. Sam was about halfway to the Adventurers guild when he came across a food vendor with a windowed front counter. Sam eyed the food before checking the time on his watch. He was ahead of schedule and there was no one waiting in line ahead of him, so he decided to check it out. “Can I please have one of those omelet breakfast wraps please?” Sam said to the vendor. “Of cause, that will be 5 coppers” he said. Once again Sam was slightly taken aback by the price of the wrap. He knew he had to get used to it as it was surely going to get more expensive the closer to larger cities he got. Now he knew why the Academy gave him so much as a weekly allowance. Sam handed over the coins and sat down at the bench to wait for the wrap to be made.
Before long Sam was once again heading towards the Adventure Guild his breakfast wrap in hand. He decided he would eat it once he was aboard the long cart to Hertz. When Sam arrived outside the Adventurer’s Guild he was greeted by the sight of a large crowd of people carrying an assortment of weapons and wearing armor. Sam briefly took in the sight of the adventurers before he headed into the guild building.
Sam stood in a short line before speaking to a receptionist. “Good morning, how can I help you” the receptionist asked him. “Can I please book a trip on the long carts down to Hertz?” Sam asked her. “No bookings required for the long carts. They’re free for anyone who want to travel to Hertz” She answered. “Okay, thank you” Sam said thanking the woman before turning back towards the door and heading back out into the crowd of adventurers.
Sam waited for around 15 minutes within the crowd. He briefly chatted with some of the younger adventurers before the call to board the wagons rang out. Sam joined the line for the carts eventually boarding the one on the end. The carts could fit a total of 12 people, which were normally parties of five which appeared to be the most popular number as he had observed while waiting for the carts to board. On his cart there was a party of 6 and a party of five with him making up the final number. None of the adventurers were very talkative and Sam settled into his seat and waited for the carts to set off.
It was only a short wait as the carts all started to set off one after the other a short time later. Once Sam’s cart began moving he unwrapped his omelet wrap and tucked into his breakfast. It was a bit overly salted for his liking and he realized he should have bought one with other things inside other than the omelet, but you live and you learn he thought as he crunched up the wrapper and slipped it into his pocket.
It was a boring cart ride into Hertz. None of the other adventurers talked at all and kept to themselves not even talking to the other members of their parties. They either cleaned and did maintenance on their gear, or they slept. Sam didn’t quite know how they managed to sleep as the cart ride was fairly bumpy despite the road being paved the whole way. Sam assumed this must have had something to do with how long the cart was and that it must have made it feel bumpier because of the extra length and extra weight the horses were pulling.
When they finally arrived, the carts stopped just outside of the town walls. Sam studied the walled town his first impression being that it seemed … off somehow. Sam got out of the cart and followed the crowd through the gate which was when Sam finally noticed why the town walls seemed so weird. They were inverted as if the defenders were on the outside. Sam passed through the gate and turned around to look back at the wall and there it was. What looked like it should have been the outside of the wall was on the inside. How strange, Sam through as he turned back around following the crowd of adventurers further into the town. Sam looked around at the buildings as he followed the adventurers through the packed main street of the town towards what he assumed was the Adventurers guild or the dungeon.
As they got closer Sam noticed that there was another inverted wall. He continued to follow the crowd to a line for entry beyond the next wall. Sam joined the line while continuing to study the odd wall. As Sam slowly made his way to the gate he was greeted by two guards. “Adventurers or Divers card please” the guard on the right said. Oh no Sam thought as he came to the sudden realization that he must need to be a member of the adventurer’s guild to pass through the gate. “I um, don’t have one” Sam replied timidly. “Only members of the adventurer’s guild and members of the divers sub guild can enter past this point” the guard on the left said in a stern tone. “Oh, okay. Sorry” Sam said as he left the line. A few adventurers in the line behind him sent annoyed looks in his direction as he shrank back from the line and headed back for the centre of the town.
Sam found a bench near the centre square and sat down. It looks like I’ve wasted a whole day Sam thought to himself as he sighed slouching back into the bench. Sam sat on the bench for a while before deciding to get up and have a look around the rest of the town. There was no point moping about, he was stuck there until the long cart left in the evening so he might as well make the most of his time here.
As he wondered through the streets he noticed that the town consisted of mostly support shops for the dungeon divers coming into town. Other than that, there were a few large inns and a small cluster of residential buildings along the far wall towards the town entrance of which he discovered there was only one. The whole town was designed to cater towards the visiting adventurers and those who delved into the dungeon. Sam discovered through talking to the many shopkeepers that the inverted walls were to assist in the defense of monsters during a dungeon break, which was when the number of monsters in the dungeon exceeded the dungeon’s capacity, and they begin to spill out. Apparently no one knew what caused this to happen and that was why the town had a garrison of Pexicons city guards stationed here at all times.
Sam also learned that this particular dungeon was called Pexicon’s Peril as sometime a few thousand years ago there was a huge dungeon break that nearly destroyed the whole city. As a result, the dungeon was renamed from The Tangled Undead Labyrinth to Pexicon’s Peril. Something else Sam also noticed was that most of the Adventurers that travelled into Hertz all looked to be double or more his age. While aging is difficult to assess based on the fact that once someone reaches their physical peak their aging rapidly declines if their level is higher than their age but since they all looked like they were at peak or older, then this must be a difficult dungeon. No wonder it was Pexicon’s Peril when it went through a dungeon break Sam thought.
Sam spent the rest of his day perusing the various stores in the city. There were potion shops, apothecaries, enchanters, skill book shops, skill crystal shops, armorers and Weapons Smiths all throughout the town. There were also a few trade stores that bought items, potion ingredients weapons and other loot collected from the dungeons.
While spending his time in Hertz he had come to the conclusion that these system generated dungeons had two purposes. The first was to raise the levels and strength of those that delved into them. The second was to provide new system generated items into the world to further along its development. While Sam didn’t know much about dungeons one of the things he did learn was that there were other universes outside of his own all connected to the system. He didn’t know any of the details, but it was general knowledge taught to everyone which clearly wasn’t true as he hadn’t been taught it. Sam then wondered if he may be able to learn more about it at the royal academy. It did say he would have access to their library, and he was sure there would be plenty of books on the subject.
Before Sam knew it the day had passed by, and he started to notice adventurers leaving the dungeon and heading in the direction of the gates. Some of the adventurers had returned carrying loot while others carried nothing but the weapons and gear they walked in with. Sam pulled out his pocket watch to check the time and noted that it was nearly time to head for the long carts for the return trip back into Pexicon. Sam went to one of the food stalls along the main road and bought a couple of meat skewers to eat during the ride back as he didn’t think he would feel like eating once he got back.
Sam walked through the town gate and headed over to where the long carts were lined up. “Hop in kid” the closest cart driver said to him as he approached. Sam got into the cart and began eating his skewers. It took a while before the last adventurer boarded the carts which left them running about 10 minutes late. Sam noted there were a lot less adventurers that got on the carts for the return journey than there were heading there. He also noticed that he didn’t recognize any of them.
He assumed all those that had arrived today decided to either stay in town or were still in the dungeon. Once again none of the adventurers were in a talking mood and Sam sat there quietly watching the scenery go by as the sun went down.
The long carts entered through the Pexicon gate just before 7pm. When they stopped outside the adventurer’s guild it was past 7:30pm. As Sam disembarked from the cart he was glad that he had taken the opportunity to eat before heading back to Pexicon as he was feeling tired from all the bumping around. Cart trips seemed to tire him out and he wasn’t feeling like eating. Sam walked back to the hotel and removed his boots and sword belt before he collapsed down on his bed. He closed his eyes as his head lay down atop the soft silky pillow and before he knew it he was asleep.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Sam woke up the late the next morning and headed down for breakfast. He was feeling tired and decided he was going to spend time resting in the hotel, maybe go and find a bookstore and grab a book on his way back from the harbor which he had decided to visit to confirm the ship he was supposed to be travelling on to Vahlitice was on schedule.
Sam had another large breakfast, he thought that he might as well since it was all paid for and doubted he would eat anything too good during the next leg of the trip. Which also reminded him that he wanted to top up his travel food supplies before he left the city. What was going to be a rest day started to look a bit less restful.
After breakfast Sam made his way down to the harbor and went into the harbor’s reception office. He asked the man at the counter about the ship and apparently it had come into harbor late last night. The ship was still due to depart tomorrow but would be departing in the early afternoon rather than the morning in which it was previously scheduled to leave. That suited Sam fine as it would give him time for breakfast in the hotel’s dining hall again.
On his way back to the hotel Sam stopped at a small bookshop with a black wooden exterior. When he entered he found the store all but empty with only one other person perusing the merchandise. Sam wasn’t quite sure what to purchase, a lot of the books were quite high quality and therefore out of his current budget. After a look through what appeared to be a secondhand shelf he found a book that caught his interest. It was called “Age of the Mythics” and the cover was looking a bit worse for wear. When he asked the shopkeeper the price he said it was one copper which was really cheap for a book. Sam paid the man and took the book back to his hotel room. While the cover of the book was pretty beaten up the pages inside were still in fairly good condition. The shopkeeper must have sold it for so little because it had been there for a while Sam thought as he placed it down on the bedside table.
Once Sam had dropped the book off at the hotel he went out to purchase some rations for the journey to Vahlitice. Sam found a store near the adventurer’s guild that was selling travel rations. They were sold in bags which marked a certain number of days. Sam had enough remaining from his trip into Pexicon for a couple of days but decided to purchase 6 days’ worth as that would cover the full trip over the sea leaving him some left over for if the trip took longer than anticipated. The 6 days of rations cost Sam 3 copper coins. This seemed like a lot to Sam, but the rations did appear to be quite high quality so be supposed it was worth it.
Once Sam made it back to the hotel he decided to take a nap before diving into the book he had just bought. By the time Sam woke up it was already early evening with the orange setting sun flooding through the window lighting the room in a brilliant orange. Sam knew he was going to regret sleeping for as long as he had as he was likely going to struggle to fall asleep later tonight. I guess the delayed departure time is a good thing after all Sam through as he pulled his boots and shirt back on.
Sam headed downstairs to the dining hall to have something for dinner. This time he decided to go with the seafood option. He had never had any seafood other than river fish before, so he was interested to see what it was like. When he was served he received a rock lobster as well as a sea fish called a light skimmer. He had no idea what a light skimmer was, but he didn’t care as it tasted delicious.
Sam returned to his room after dinner and lay back on his bed. He picked up the book up off the bedside table and began to read. It was quite interesting in the fact that pretty much the entire book was based on guessing what had happened rather than any real actual facts. Apparently the age of the Mythics was a time in history that was forgotten which was odd because historical records were protected by the system so for there to be no records of the age of the Mythics was weird. The book guessed that something happened during the age of the Mythics the system wanted everyone to forget and therefore erased all traces of the history of that era. The age of the mythics was around 9 thousand years ago and spans a period of 567 years or rather the 567 year gap that is missing in history is consider the age of the Mythics. Either way it was a fairly interesting read that kept him engrossed in the book.
It had passed 11pm when Sam finally put the book down and decided to try to get some sleep. It was a challenge however as not only was he not really tired due to the nap he took earlier in the day but also the quiet excitement within him regarding the ship and his journey across the sea. The excitement was tinged with nervousness but all the same he was excited. He had read about ships in books. Their towering wooden hulls as high as a church spire lined with cannons to defend against pirates and sea monsters. Sam eventually fell asleep while imagining the magnificence of the ship that would take him to Vahlitice.
Sam had had a surprisingly restful sleep as when he woke up he found himself full of energy ready to take on the day ahead. He took the final opportunity to enjoy the luxurious breakfast in the hotel dining hall before packing his bags and preparing to check out. It was about midday when Sam headed over to the dock office to get directions to the ship that would be carrying him to Vahlitice. He was directed to the end of the stone pier farthest from the office.
Sam walked down to where he had been directed and stood in front of a huge ship with the name Mermaids Frenzy written on the side in black paint. The front of the ships had the figure of a mermaid with giant fangs and a wicked grin. As far as Sam knew, the Merfolk were a gentle race that interacted with the rest of humanity as little as possible.
Sam walked up to the gangplank that led up to the deck of the ship. It was a towing wooden board almost 6 metres high and on a sharp incline. Thankfully there were notches carved into the wood to hold your feet in place. Sam was very thankful for this as he was sure he would have slipped off of it without them.
Sam carefully began to climb the gangplank up to the deck of the ship. His boots thudded softly against the wooden gangplank as he carefully placed his feet between the notches, each step a mix of excitement and nervousness. The ship loomed above him like a sleeping beast with its masts towering into the sky, rigging crisscrossing like a web spun by giants. The scent of salt filled his nose, mingling with the faint aroma of fish and old damp rope. Sea birds flew overhead, screeching as they went by completing the scenes that had played out in his imagination.
Sam arrived atop the deck out of breath, climbing the gangplank was no joke he thought as he sucked in a deep breath of salty air. Just as he caught his breath a man that he assumed was one of the sailors approached him. “You one of de passengers that be traveling up to Vahlitice” the sailor questioned. Sam replied trying to stop his face from twisting in disgust at the smell of the man’s breath “That’s right, my name is Samuel Holdridge” he said politely. “Aye, my names Jack the chief deck hand. Follow me, I will take you down to the quarter master to get you settled in a cabin” he said as he turned and headed for a door in the side of a raised platform at the front of the ship. Sam quickly followed after him nearly forgetting to pick up the bag he had put down on the floor when he reached the deck of the ship.
Jack led Sam through the door and down a staircase which led to a hallway. He turned towards a door on the right side with a frosted glass window with the letters QM written on it. Jack knocked on it twice and waited until he heard a gruff muffled voice from behind the door say, “come in”. Jack opened the door and stepped into a small office, and when he said small he meant small. There was barely a metres space between the door and the desk which a grey hair man was sat behind. “Sam this is old man Haggard the quarter master. I will leave ya in his capable hands” Jack said before he left the office and closed the door behind him.
“Name” Haggard asked in a monotone and miserable voice. “Samuel Holdridge” Sam stated with a polite smile. Haggard flicked through a ledger on his desk his finger following the lines on the page before he stopped on Sam’s name. “Already paid I see, good”. Haggard leaned back and opened a drawer pulling out a key before tossing it at Sam. Sam reacted swiftly dropping the bag and caught the key in his hands. “Cabin four. Exit the office and take a right. The cabin door will have the number on it” he said before waving Sam away with a dismissive hand. Sam quickly picked up his bag, exited the office and started down the narrow corridor.
Sam passed multiple numbered cabins all of which appeared out of order. 5, 9, 2, 12, 15, 1 and then finally 4. He pushed the key into the lock on the door and turned it until he heard a loud click. He opened the door to a very, very small cabin. On his left there was a box with a door and latch to place his bags. Directly to the right of the door there was a small desk with a chair sitting on top of it. The chair was held in place by a rope tying it to a hook sticking out of the wall. Infront of him was the bed which made him very glad he was still growing as it looked like he would only just about fit on it. The only thing in the room that was half decent was the light on the roof. It was metal cup that when inspected further was removable and revealed a light magic stone to light up the room.
Sam sighed and put his bags away in the little cupboard before sitting down on the bed. Despite its size it felt fairly comfortable beneath him. Well, this is where I will be staying for the next week, no use in complaining Sam thought before he lay back against the wall before he closed his eyes and listened to the creaking of the wooden hull of the ship. Sam sat there for a while before checking his pocket watch. If still on schedule, they were going to be departing in the next 15 minutes and Sam wanted to watch as the city disappeared into the distance as they set sail for Vahlitice.
Sam appeared up on deck having to quickly jump to the side as a Sailor barreled towards him. ‘Ping’ “Watch where ya goin kid” the sailor snaped at him. Sam got himself out the way before taking a quick look at system notification. ~Natural Skill ‘Long Jump’ level gained. 'Long Jump' is now Level 3~ Would you look at that Sam said to himself as he read the notification, not what he would have expected but a level is a level he thought as he closed the system window and returned his gaze to the men busying themselves on the deck.
Sam watched as a few last passengers boarded the ship and were escorted down to the quarter master’s office below deck. Not long after the gangplank was raised the captain appeared behind a large wheel at the back of the ship. Sam watched as the captain drew a sword from a scabbard as his hip and shouted something Sam couldn’t quite make out. The captain’s call was returned by the sailors as they whooped and yelled before they busied themselves once again marking the start of their departure.
As the ship pushed off from the dock Sam climbed up to the raised platform at the front of the ship to watch as they sailed out of the bay and into the open sea. It was slow at first but once they dropped the main sail they began to pick up speed. Before long Sam made his way to the rear of the ship and watched as Pexicon quickly disappeared into the horizon. This was finally it, now it truly felt like the beginning of a new journey Sam thought to himself as he returned his gaze into what he assumed was the direction of Vahlitice.
