Chapter 6

The stone floor of the guard station felt cold under Elara's bare feet as she finished scrubbing the last of the forest grime from her skin. A basin of lukewarm water and a rough cloth had done wonders, but the reflection in the polished metal mirror was still a shock. Her hair, once a matted nest of twigs and dried mud, now fell in damp waves, though the hack-job she'd done with a knife to clear the worst tangles left it looking a bit jagged. She pulled on the new traveling clothes she'd acquired. The brown fabric was sturdy, smelling faintly of cedar and old wool, and the leather armor fit snugly over her chest and shoulders without pinching. It was a massive upgrade from the urine-soaked pajamas she'd been wearing since her arrival in this world. She sat on the edge of the cot, pulling on the old boots she'd found in the temple. They were stiff but solid. For the first time in days, she didn't feel like a victim of a shipwreck; she felt like someone who belonged on a road. A heavy knock at the door preceded Kevin's entrance. The guard leader stopped in the doorway, his eyebrows shooting up as he took her in. "Oh, morning," Kevin said, scratching at his beard while a slow chuckle built in his chest. "Sorry, you look... different. Very good, actually." He leaned against the doorframe, grinning. "Guess we won't have to check your magic for witchcraft after all. You actually look like a person now, not some swamp ghost." Elara smoothed out a wrinkle in her tunic, offering a lopsided smile. "They hold some sentimental value, though otherwise I'd agree. The 'swamp ghost' look is hard to maintain without the proper humidity." She stood up, her movements feeling lighter. "How can I stay out of trouble in the city? I'm hoping to blend in a bit better today." Kevin reached into a pouch at his belt and pulled out three shimmering coins. He stepped forward and pressed them into her hand. "Three silver, as the standard fee for a healer in the employ of the city. Consider it a thank you for the ambush. You saved a few of my boys some nasty scars." Elara looked down at the silver. It felt heavy, a tangible proof that she could survive here. "Any plans from now on?" Kevin asked, his tone turning curious. "What about the gear?" Elara asked, gesturing to the leather armor and the knife at her belt. "The stuff I... picked up from the rogues. Do I need to turn that in?" Kevin's expression went blank, a masterpiece of feigned confusion. "What gear? I'm not sure what you're talking about, Elara. The things on your body are yours. Always have been, as far as my report is concerned." Elara nodded, appreciating the gesture. "Thanks, Kevin. As for plans, I think I'll check out the city for a while and then leave again for a couple of weeks, or maybe months. I might be back for the festival, though. Three months, right?" "Don't get yourself killed out there, Elara," Kevin warned, though his eyes remained friendly. "Yes, the city festival starts in three and a half months. It would be nice to see you there. Maybe you can join the tournament and run around a bit. Show the local recruits what a real healer can do." "I'll keep it in mind," she said, waving as she headed for the exit. The morning air in Stonegate was crisp and smelled of woodsmoke and baking bread. The city was slowly coming to life; merchants were unrolling awnings, and the rhythmic clop of hooves on cobblestone echoed through the narrow streets. Elara stopped a guard stationed near the station gate. "Excuse me, could you point me toward the main library?" she asked. The guard grunted and pointed a gauntleted finger toward the center of the city. "Follow the main thoroughfare past the fountain. Look for the big stone building with the arched windows. Can't miss it." Elara navigated the streets with a mix of awe and tactical observation. The architecture was solid, heavy stone and dark timber, built to last centuries. The market square was beginning to bustle with people in tunics and breeches, a far cry from the university campus she should have been walking across back home. She kept her head down, avoiding eye contact as she wound her way toward the library. The building was massive, a temple to knowledge that felt appropriately intimidating. As she stepped inside, the transition was immediate. The noise of the street vanished, replaced by a heavy, hallowed silence. The air was significantly cooler, smelling of parchment, dust, and old leather. A man sat behind a high mahogany desk, peering through small spectacles at a ledger. Elara approached him, keeping her voice low. "I'm not from around here and need information on the wildlife, the geography, and some about the city itself," she said, trying to sound like a wide-eyed newcomer. "I'm looking to be an adventurer someday." The librarian didn't even look up. "What?" he snapped, his voice a dry rasp. "Information," Elara repeated, her patience already thinning. "On the world. Maps, monsters, that sort of thing." "Another life... wasted to adventure..." the man mumbled, sneering at the ledger. He finally looked up, waving a hand dismissively toward a younger girl standing near a shelf of scrolls. "An attendant will tend to you. Five coppers per hour for her time. And now, schsh." Elara rolled her eyes as she turned away. *At least he doesn't pretend to be nice,* she thought. The girl approached with a bright, almost frantic energy. She looked to be about sixteen, with blonde hair tied back in a neat braid. "Hi! I'm Sophia. How may I help you? Oh, it's five coppers an hour if you need help finding books or information about anything. Oh, and welcome to the Stonegate library!" Elara smiled, finding the girl's enthusiasm a refreshing change from the sour librarian. "I'm Elara. I just arrived in the city. I grew up in a small village so remote that nobody has ever heard of it, and we weren't really taught much. Only my grandfather traveled outside the village, and he died when I was little. I learned some things from the books we had, but as I said... very little." Sophia's eyes widened with sympathy. "Oh, that sounds so isolated! Don't worry, I can catch you up on the basics." "How does the money system work?" Elara asked, getting straight to the point. "I got some money from my village to help on my travels, but I have no idea how much a silver coin or a copper coin is worth." Sophia tilted her head, her expression becoming slightly condescending, though she seemed to be trying to hide it. "Basically, it's one-to-one hundred. One hundred copper being the lowest, then silver, then gold. Wait... do you... know numbers? Basic math?" Elara resisted the urge to sigh. "I do, don't worry. Can you tell me a couple of things that would convey the general worth of money? Like, how much does an iron sword cost, or a piece of bread?" "Oh! Well," Sophia began, ticking points off on her fingers. "A basic meal at a decent tavern is two to ten coppers. A full set of leather armor—like the one you're wearing—would be about ten silver. A minor healing potion is usually one to two gold, and a full set of city guard armor is at least a gold or more, depending on the smith." Elara did the math in her head. Her loot—the armor, the knife, and the clothes—was worth significantly more than the three silver Kevin had paid her. However, considering the price of a single healing potion was double what she had in her entire pocket, her ability to heal herself for free felt like a literal fortune. "I got the idea. Thanks," Elara said. "Now, what big countries are around the continent... how do you call the continent, by the way? And in each, what are some big organizations I should know about?" Sophia led her toward a large map pinned to a wooden board. "Well, we're in Veridian... that's the continent. There are a ton of books on the geography. Very, very broadly put, the east is occupied by mostly human kingdoms up to the sea. There are many places on the other side of the ocean, but few have returned, and the ones who have spoke of strong monsters and very harsh terrain." She pointed to the top of the map. "Northwards is the great Silverpeak Range. There are some cities there and many different species living in it. The higher up you go, the climate gets harsher, and powerful monsters occupy the place. Beyond that is mountains as far as one can see. News of adventurers pushing further reaches us every couple of years, but not a lot of it is charted yet." Sophia moved her finger down slightly. "Of course, before that is the Whisperwood Forest. Again, many different species living there. Directly north, it's mostly monsters, though. After many years of skirmishes between elves, humans, and dwarfs, it was kinda unofficially declared that nobody gets the place. Few travel through it anymore. The lack of regulation means a lot of strong monsters and supposedly even cults and practitioners of forbidden magic. That's only rumors, though." "And the elves?" Elara asked. "The western part of the forest is basically elven territory, although there isn't a lot of trade going on there, so we know little," Sophia said, her voice dropping an octave. "The war is, of course, still going on. You know about the war, though, I hope?" Elara shook her head. "Like I said, remote village." Sophia made a face. "Elves are at war with basically everything else. Because they're bloodthirsty and crazy. There aren't many, though, so the other races could push them back into the forest. Many tried to go in there and attack their villages, but nobody made it back alive. It's their domain, and most humans at least are fine with that, it seems. Other species still try, though." Sophia turned back to the map. "This is Stonegate. We're an independent city, just like seven or so more directly south of the forest. Should I get into the kingdoms and bigger cities in the east, or continue with the independent cities here?" Sophia paused, squinting at Elara. "You're weird... wait, sorry! I didn't mean to insult a customer... it's just..." "It's fine," Elara interrupted, offering a small wink. "My knowledge is only bits and pieces of whatever I could get. That's why I'm here. I'd be thankful, though, if you just tried to answer the questions as simply as possible. I promise there'll be something in it for you, too." Sophia beamed at the hint of a tip. "Alright! What's next?" "That's enough geography for now, thanks," Elara said. "Another thing I'm very interested in is levels and skills. You see, I'm a healer from my village, and nobody else really trained to be a warrior or mage there. Can you talk about that a little?" "Well, there are an insane amount of classes, obviously," Sophia said, her hands moving excitedly as she spoke. "If you reach certain requirements, you can choose one. A person can choose two classes; if there are any ways to gain more, I don't know them. Just tell me if I'm too basic here..." "No, keep going," Elara urged. "Well, every class has certain related skills, either active or passive. I'm sure you have some, too. They level up by you using them. You can level your class and skills up by killing monsters, or even other sapient beings. The stronger the better. Of course, you could just use the skills a lot, but it's way slower that way. You want to become an adventurer, right? So you should know this too: to join the guild, you need to be level ten at least. For higher ranks, you'll need higher levels. At least ten for each rank." Elara processed that. Level ten was the threshold. She was currently level five in her [Emerald Enclave Restorer] class. Halfway there. "What's the highest known level of a person or skill?" "Well, here in Stonegate, there are several adventurers known to be over level one hundred," Sophia said. "Some elite guards are in that range as well. Some old mages are said to have similar or higher levels. Skill-wise, I've heard about people having skills in the second tier at level twenty or even higher. If you didn't know, once a skill reaches level twenty and levels again, it goes into the second tier. They change slightly and become more powerful, of course. There are generally probably people with higher levels or skills, but already low-level adventurers are reluctant to share their stats. It's not everything, but you know a lot about a person if you know their stats." "Alright, I see. The last thing I wanted to know is about levels anyway—of humans and monsters. Let's say, for example... a Wyvern." Sophia shivered. "Well, a level one person with a high enough leveled skill could hurt or even kill a level one hundred adventurer. It's unlikely, but levels don't mean everything. With monsters, it's even more apparent. The Wyvern you mentioned is a very strong beast, having dragon's blood in its veins. A level five Wyvern could be a tough challenge to a level thirty adventurer." Elara's stomach twisted. She had run from one of those. If it was level five, it could have swiped her out of existence without trying. "There have been sightings of them only a week or two to the north, by the way," Sophia added, "so be wary of that place. So, a level thirty Wyvern could probably take a level eighty wolf, but there are so many factors involved in fights it's hard to say really... as I said... levels are just a base number. If one beast is ten times as fast, it can kill the slower beast even if the slower one has one hundred levels more." "Speed kills," Elara muttered. "What about gear? Generally weapons, armors, and clothing. Are there ways to enchant them with additional powers, maybe even status points?" Sophia shook her head. "I've never heard of armor with stat improvements, honestly, but it wouldn't be too weird. The best things I've heard of add some special ability to the wearer, but they're very rare and people tend to be super secretive about them. Mostly adventurers wear that stuff because they found it in a dungeon. Hope that answers your question." "It does. The last thing... you mentioned dungeons. What are they exactly?" "Well, there are places where the natural magic is very strong," Sophia explained. "Monsters tend to gather there, and whenever there are enough, some form of evolution can happen. Nobody really knows yet about the process. A boss monster is born or evolved, and the monsters in the dungeon will turn more aggressive and unite under the boss. Sometimes they even leave to attack villages or cities. They also breed faster and sometimes even drop rare loot when killed. Adventurers like to go there to strengthen themselves and find better gear. Or simply to make money." Elara took a deep breath. It was a lot to take in, but the picture was becoming clearer. Knowledge was power, but it was also terrifying. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a silver piece, handing it to Sophia. "That's for your help," Elara said. Sophia's eyes went wide. "A whole silver? But it's only been an hour!" "Keep the change," Elara said with a smirk. "I appreciate the honesty." She walked out of the library, the warm sun hitting her face as she stepped back onto the street. The city felt different now—less like a backdrop and more like a training ground. She spent the next hour wandering the market, buying skewers of roasted meat and heavy bread from various stalls. She eventually found a quiet park with a stone bench beneath a sprawling oak tree. As she sat down to eat, a sudden realization hit her, making her frown. *Dammit,* she thought, chewing on a piece of seasoned pork. *It's barely been an hour and look at all the people... and I completely forgot to ask her how to actually see my own stats without just guessing.* She leaned back against the tree, looking up at the leaves. She had the class, she had the skills, and she had the gear. Now she just needed to figure out how to use them without getting eaten by a level five dragon-mutt. [Health: 150/150] [Mana: 100%] [Class: Emerald Enclave Restorer - Level 5] [Gold: 1 | Silver: 3 | Copper: 25] ════════════════════════════════════════