Leveling up the World

Chapter 398: Western Echoes

Dwarven citiesthe real ones, at leastwere different from what humans were used to. The best way to describe them was like land-icebergs: seven-eighths of the city was below ground, and those were the parts occupied by the wealthier individuals. Since ores, minerals, and food roots were valued far more than anything that could be found above ground, the powerful families lived close to their mines, while the less esteemed were further up, or even above the ground itself.

When the guard had warned Dallion and the hunting party not to go too deep beneath ground, he was in effect warning them not to trespass in the nobles neighborhoods. Fortunately for all concerned, the group had no intention of doing so. The plan was for everyone to spend a night at a proper inn, get some rest, a nice wash, then stock up on provisions before moving on to the last part of their journey. Plans, however, had a way of changing, especially after they tried to sell the cutling head.

It turned out that the majority of merchants above ground were only interested in exchanging ores and weapons for food and fabric. The single merchant above ground who dealt with any other type of product didnt have nearly as much money to afford the prize, nor anything worthwhile to barter with. The only thing he did was to give them the name of someone who might potentially be interested. While the name came for freemerchants didnt want to get on a hunters bad sidereaching the person in question wasnt. Apparently, the name belonged to a noble family that lived on the third underground level of the town, and reaching them was only possible by invitation.

Im going to find us an inn and arrange the supplies, Eury said upon leaving the merchants shop. Dal, coming along?

Sure. Dallion knew exactly what she meant, and after a long trip, he welcomed it as well.

Well search for a way to get the invitation, Largo said, utterly disinterested.

Ill search for a guide to the mountains, Jiroh said. Possibly a guide to take us part of the way.

Its your show, princess. Largo shrugged. Meetup at the gate at evening.

Without another word, the group split up. Jiroh disappeared within the second, while three went with the cutling head to seek an invitation. Eury and Dallion, on their part, headed to the center of town. With this being a trading town of dwarven design, the central area was the cheapest. Merchants needed to be able to come and go quickly, so their warehouses and representatives, as well as most of the expensive inns, were on close to the city gates.

Just a piece of advice, the armadil shield said. Dont touch the topic of her failing you.

She didnt fail me, Dallion replied, even if in all practical terms the gorgon had done just that. And I had no intention of discussing it.

Now you dont. But you were considering asking afterwards. Trust me, let it go. Youll have your chance later.

Whats the matter? Eury asked.

There was a time when Dallion would have immediately said nothing. Now, though, he had matured to the point that he didnt have the need or desire to hide that he was having conversations with his realm.

Just have a slight argument with my gear, he said. Nothing serious.

Youre doing that too often. You need to be more focused and not have voices distracting you all the time.

If you only knew, Dallion thought.

For the moment, the city was quiet, but it was only a matter of time before the local guardians found out that he had empathysomehow they always did. After that, a bubble of voices was going to surround Dallion every step he took. Fortunately, he had become much better at ignoring them.

Its been a while, Dallion said. We should spend more time in towns. Despite Eurys efforts, he could feel her passion thanks to his music skills.

Once were done with this, well head straight back for Nerosal. Well spend a few good weeks there before the next trip.

That brought some mixed feelings. While Dallion could appreciate spending some time to unwind and spend some quality time with Eury at a familiar place, he still preferred not to stay in the city for too long. It wasnt so much the events that had taken place, it was the people he wanted to stay away with. Seeing them reminded him of all the good times hed had as an inn awakened and an Icepicker guild member all of which belonged to the past.

It didnt take long for the pair to reach the first inn, and even less to reject it. The owners had made an effort to keep it clean, but not nearly enough to be suitable for awakened, even if they were hunters.

The next few inns were a bit better, but still not a place awakened would like to stay at unless given no choice. There was an option to go on the first underground layer, where some of the more expensive inns were located, but Eury refused outright. Instead, she kept on searching until something adequate was found.

The Scales of Lamia was a bit pricier than the average inn, but offered separate rooms. The reason it wasnt as frequented by travelers wasother than the pricethat the inn had been built by furies, who werent particularly known for their architectural excellence. Given that the few of their remaining cities were millennia old, and all the more recent ones, tended to collapse after a few generations, it was an understandable concern. The chances of something happening for one night, though, were extremely unlikely.

Three rooms? the innkeeper asked, wanting to make sure he heard right.

Are they all full?

No, its just he looked at Euryale. Even in her disguise it was clear that she wasnt human. However, for the most part, people preferred to believe that she was a scarred fury. People use this place as a warehouse. There are enough rooms on the upper floors, but are you sure you want to be there?

We just need to get some rest. Do you have a washroom?

Yes, but it doesnt have any water the man said. I can have someone bring some buckets, if you want.

Do that. The gorgon placed a gold coin on the counter in front of her. Will that cover it?

There was no response. The man looked at the coin, then back at Eury, an apologetic smile on his face.

A second gold coin joined the first.

And bring some food.

Okay, but the innkeeper hesitated. For that much money, you can rent a nice place underground.

This was unexpected. Dallion could tell that the man was trying to get rid of them, going so far as suggesting they go to his competition. One thing he didnt know was why. Taking a deep breath, he split into two instances.

You have something against my money? Euryale asked.

Its not the money or you. Merchants store things here all the time. They know the risk, so if something happens, they just lose some merchandise. With you if something happens, youll lose your life. Has anyone died here before?

No, but"

Well be fine, Dallion said, using his music skill to add some calm in his words. The effect was immediate. The innkeeper paused, as the sounds resonated with him, establishing a link. Nothing bad will happen for one night. Trust me, you wont risk a thing.

I suppose nothing can happen as long as youre here for a night, the innkeeper changed his tone. But youll be gone by the morning.

Of course, we will. Dallion pushed the two golden coins forward towards the man. Well be gone first thing in the morning.

Ill go fetch your keys. The innkeeper snatched the coins, then went to the backroom.

You didnt have to use music, Eury whispered.

He wouldnt have let us stay here otherwise, Dallion whispered back. He has a limiting echo. I split and checked him out with the kaleidervisto.

Here we go. The innkeeper returned with three large keys made of bronze. Each of them had a symbol on them. You have East, West, and North, all on the third floor. Ill send someone to get you some heated water.

Well be in North. Euryale took the keys. The rest of our group will join us later this evening.

Ill be sure to welcome them, the man said, slowing slightly. Now that he had given them rooms, his attitude had significantly changed. He was treating them as if they were his most valued customers, and as far as Dallion could tell, he actually believed it.

Dallion and Eury quickly went up the staircase to their room. Just to be on the same side, Dallion asked a few doors along the way about other visitors. As it turned out, there were none.

Once inside, Euryale locked the door and took off her blocker ring. Next, she kissed him on the mouth without warning.

ITEM AWAKENING

Reality changed, taking Dallion into a realm he had been before.

The RING is Level 23

You are in a vast metal domain.

Defeat the guardian to change the RINGs destiny.

The gorgon would usually invite Dallion to this realm to spar or practice his forging, though never for funshe strongly preferred to do that in the real world.

Sorry about that, Eury said, taking off her hood, so the snakes on her head could move a bit. As much as I want you, itll have to wait. Were there any echoes in the room?

I didnt check. Were the only people in the inn, other than the innkeeper. I know that much.

What was the echo like?

It looked normal. Like some old scribe Id never seen before. Each time the innkeeper thought of gaining some money, it filled up a new scroll, making him think itd be highly risky to have us here. Do you think we tumbled upon anything serious?

Might be a local version of the mirror pool. I havent traveled this far west before, so I dont know all the players.

By the sound of it, the group could kiss their invitation goodbye. Awakened criminal organizations didnt like others messing in their business. Normally, they didnt go against hunters, though one could never be sure. Of course, there was another option one which was significantly worse. The echo might have been placed there by the towns ruler. If that was the case, the noble in question would be sure to make his displeasure known.

Best thing is not to jump to conclusions. Once were back, split and check the room for echoes. If weve messed with something serious, theyll let us know. If not, well pretend nothing is wrong and continue on our way.

This didnt sound very comforting. Unlike in Nerosal, if the party got into a fight, there wouldnt be anyone to back them up.

Youre more reckless than I am, Dallion said.

No one is more reckless than you, the gorgon laughed. Im just very good at determining others pain threshold, and organizations are no different from people. There was a long pause.

Dallion didnt say anything.

I know what youre thinking, but it wouldnt matter, the gorgon continued after a sign. Someone was already unhappy the moment we entered town. Even if we picked another place, there's still a chance we'll get paid a visit.

Youre wrong, Dallion said. Well be given an invitation. People cant put an echo in the realm of an unawakened. Not without getting the Moons pissed. The only person who could do that is the town domain master. And if thats the case, he knew about us the moment we went through the town gates.

Nice, Euryale smiled. Youre catching on.

The conversation over, the two returned to the real world, where the gorgon finished her kiss. Less than a minute later, there was a knock at the door. The innkeeper had arrived, carrying a parchment with a wax seal stamped on it. The seal was the crest of Duke Montagneruler of the region.

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