The four stepped beneath the marble archway. A long tunnel of white lay before them, the morning light reflecting off the walls. For a while, they walked in silence, their shoes clicking with each step on the pristine tiles beneath them.
Then the street opened up before them, and the world changed.
The air was fresh, the street was filled with life. Calls from market stalls, merchants shouting about fresh bread, spiced meats, leathers, almost anything you could imagine. Wagons rolled past, some pulled by horses, others pulled by teams of men.
"This place..." Ryn breathed in the fresh air, "It's alive"
"I do not know what I was expecting, but it wasn't a city like this. So clean, so busy. Who could even have built a place like this in this world?" Argent replied as he took it all in.
At the far end of the main street, they could see a massive five-story manor gleaming in the distance. Its facade is trimmed in gold. Crimson banners draped from the top floors, reaching all the way to the ground. A large emblem could be seen even from this distance, a set of perfectly balanced scales set above a rising sun.
"Guess that's the fancy end of town," Ward muttered. "Must be one of those factions, a big one I would imagine."
To their left, beyond the rooftops, loomed a pitch black tower that vanished up into the clouds. Around it were purple banners with silver trim, marked by a simple circle with a line splitting it in half.
"And another one over there it seems, let's hope they are better than the two we have met so far. Or we will be making more enemies." Argent offered.
"You did tell that last guy you were making a list though," Ferric smirked and let out a little laugh. "Plus, that tower looks cursed. I already shiver at the thought of towers, but that one just says, 'Hey, look at me, I am evil'."
Ward's attention was drawn elsewhere. His eyes lit up. "Hold up, is that....?" He pointed towards a street cart with heat waves coming off of a vat of oil, with the sizzle of food being fried carrying over the air. "Corn dogs!"
Ferric frowned, "Corn....what?"
Argent laughed, "How do you not know what a corn dog is? We are fixing that right now. Come on."
The four approached the cart; the air was now thick with the smell of batter and oil. The vendor looked up and grinned. "Four, eh? That'll be twenty merits, five each."
Argent nodded. "Sound reasonable, this is our first time here. How do we pay?"
The man gestured to a square blue tablet that was inset into his counter. "Just put your hand on there and think the amount you want to pay."
Argent pressed his palm down, and words formed in his head as he thought about the cost.
[Ledger Approved Transfer][Confirm Transfer of 20 merits?]
'Yes'
[Transfer Complete]
"Enjoy newcomers," The vendor smiled.
Ward bit into his first, groaning in delight. "Food that isn't stew made with ingredients unknown."
Argent looked around, acting serious, "Be careful with that, I am not sure, but I think that Mugwort can hear and see all. Never know what he would do if you talk down on the stew."
Ward looked up then around as Argent and Ryn laughed, mouths full of food.
Ferric had been hesitating, looking over his corn dog with suspicion before taking a careful bite. His eyes widened, pure bliss spreading across his face.
The vendor laughed. "Let me guess, he's from Lithryia? They always look like that the first time they have fried food."
Ferric nodded.
"Lithryia? What's that?" Argent questioned finishing off his corn dog.
Ferric looked puzzled, "Lithryia, the world I came from."
The vendor put his hand to hit his head, "You all are so new that you haven't figured out that people come here from two different worlds yet. There's Earth, and there's Lithryia."
Argent just shrugged, "You know I am not even going to question it. It wouldn't even remotely be the craziest thing about this place. By the way, what was that message about the Ledger when the merits transferred?"
The vendor pointed toward the golden manor at the street's end. "That's the Ledger Headquarters. Merchant faction, one of the six greats. They run this city, regulate trade between provinces, take their twenty percent of everything, and make sure everyone keeps buying. Try to do business outside their system too long, and you'll find your supplies start drying up."
Ward swallowed his last bite, savoring it. "You wouldn't happen to know where the forge district is, would you?"
"Two blocks up, then take a left, just follow the smell of smoke."
They thanked him and continued on their way. The air shifted as they walked, from the smell of spice to iron and coal. Sparks flashed from open forges. Blacksmiths hammered on anvils, their rhythmic strikes echoing like heartbeats. Shop signs hung from iron rods, swinging in the air.
Ward scanned the street. "We're looking for a sign with a hammer and a mountain. The place is supposed to be called 'Mountain Smithery'."
After a few minutes of looking around the streets, they were able to find the shop. It stood apart from the bustle of the outdoor forges. Sturdy stone walls, clean but unadorned. As they opened the door and entered, they could feel waves of heat rolling up from a set of stairs behind the counter.
Ryn wipes her forehead, "Feels like standing in front of a furnace."
Ferric grinned. "Good sign that real work is being done here."
The shop walls were lined with ready-made weapons and armor. Argent had just picked up a short blade as heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs. A short, broad figure emerged, wiping his hands on a blackened cloth. His arms were corded with muscle, his beard thick and stained with soot, goggles perched on his forehead.
"Oi!" he barked. "Customers, is it? Don't often get ones I don't already know."
The four froze. This man wasn't human.