Chapter 45

The hustle and bustle of the city was surprising, so much so that it practically froze Lily in place as she took it all in.

This was supposed to be an MMO type game, but this? This was way more than she ever could've imagined.

So many people trailed past her, yet now she was curious, were there any actual players here? Could someone else have made it here yet?

Quickly she pulls out her journal, navigating to the socials page and flipping to nearby players… though her hopes were quickly crushed as she saw not a single player nearby.

Then it hit her, that means that everyone in this city, every lively person… they were all NPCs.

How was this possible? Even for the biggest budget games something like this would be impossible without cutting some corners.

Like some NPCs to just stand around or have no dialogue, reusing models with slight changes, or even having some that use the same dialogue.

Yet from here alone she could tell they were all "Alive" just like Eleanor and Yuria, it was impossible.

So many different interactions all happening in real time.

A knight talking with an adventurer about some monster in the woods.

An Alchemist happily advertising their potions.

Children running and playing around the plaza before darting off down one of the streets.

There was even a bard happily playing music for a decently large crowd.

"Never seen a crowd this big before?" The stranger asks as he looks around, a bittersweet smile painting his face as he watches everything.

It was an agonizingly painful smile, one Lily didn't like to see.

"I guess you could say that." She responds curtly, still processing everything she was seeing. "I only ever had to deal with small groups at a time."

"Well guess we have that in common then." He lets out a tiny little laugh under his breath. "I rarely deal with crowds this large, so it's still strange to see them… yet it's beautiful to see life flourish in such a way, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah… I guess so." She quietly responds, now looking closer at the stranger who keeps a strangely calm and wise air about him.

She wished to know more, but something told her she wouldn't get anything right now… he likely had many more barriers than she could ever imagine.

Suddenly the cart comes to a dead halt as Vonder lets out a sigh of relief. "Alright, we made it in time!" He happily says while disembarking, Aida quickly following behind him.

Not wanting to be left behind in this strange place Lily quickly follows behind them, the stranger close behind her.

Calmly they enter what seems to be a tavern, or perhaps a guild? Maybe both even… Lily couldn't rightfully tell.

There were plenty of tables, booths, even a bar.

Yet at the same time there were several boards on the wall with job postings, as well as plenty of banners hanging up all adorned with some strange symbol that looked like a Shattered Moon.

Despite being midday the place was pretty packed, people of all sorts packed around tables and in booths, merrily chatting away and drinking.

It was hard to believe this was all really happening still, there was no way this was a game any more, it felt more like a dream.

Vonder moved quickly over to the only open space at the counter, happily greeting the woman behind it.

She had messy black hair that reached down to her shoulders, golden eyes that shone like the sun, fair skin that bore a couple battle scars, and had two fluffy wolf ears atop her head.

Just from a glance Lily could tell she was strong, she seemed to be mainly muscle and could probably easily lift anyone here.

"Night! I didn't think you'd be back so soon!" Vonder happily says, his excitement was a bit infectious as it seemed to lighten the atmosphere a bit. "When I heard you were on the hunt I figured you'd be gone way longer."

Night lets out a low, smokey laugh, her deep voice was enthralling and held a natural charisma to it, hooking Lily in an instant. "What can I say? It was an easy hunt, something most of the members could've easily dealt with."

Without even needing to hear a request for it she easily slides Vonder a drink that looked like apple juice.

"Really, why'd they give the request to you specifically then?" Vonder politely asks while picking up the drink and handing it to Lily without so much as a glance.

Quietly she took the drink and sniffed it… it didn't smell like alcohol.

Then she took a sip… and it was in fact apple juice, not what she'd expect to be served here.

"Ah they thought it was going to be a leviathan class creature, turned out to just be a really loud Chrysall." She says while laughing once more. "Helped get the poor thing out of the trap it got stuck in and that was the problem solved."

"A Chrysall was the thing causing that uproar?!" Vonder has to practically hold back his laughter, clearly imagining the scene unfolding.

"I know right? They would've known if they actually went in to check." Night shrugs a little before looking at Lily. "So, what's your story? I know the tomato head here doesn't normally travel with anyone aside from his feisty companion."

"Oh uh… It's a long story, but they found me passed out in the river and brought me here." Lily admits, a bit intimidated by Night's slightly imposing figure.

"Figures, it would've been too strange for you to be a new companion or apprentice." Night nonchalantly states while looking back at Vonder. "So, why bring her here?"

"Well, aside from having to complete the delivery, I figured she'd be safest here." Vonder admits a bit sheepishly, now breaking eye contact with Night. "I mean, she doesn't seem to have any other contacts here and it's impossible to leave right now-"

"Wait, it's what?!" Lily asks, feeling her blood run cold, her fear building until she feels the stranger's hand on her shoulder calm her down.

"You don't know?" Vonder's eyes widen a bit before he sighs. "All of Resovult is stuck in this magic barrier, we can see the outside world but we can't cross over… according to Flann and Shara it's the work of a new Lord Candidate, one using their power to create this barrier for reasons unknown."

"So, that's it then? I'm stuck here until something is done about that barrier…" Lily mumbles now, feeling her mood worsen further. "What am I supposed to do now…"

"Stay calm, there's still much that we can do." The stranger calmly says, helping Lily relax a bit. "For now just focus on adjusting to the area."

"Well, if Night allows it you can stay here for the time being, the guild usually always has extra rooms to spare." Aida chimes in, now landing on Lily's free shoulder. "And though she seems tough she's actually a big softy at heart."

Night sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "You don't have to go around telling everyone that… I would've let her stay either way."

"Oh I know, I just wanted to make sure she knew you weren't as scary as you looked." Aida lightly replies, a rather smug smile on her face.

"Sure you were." Night looks back to Lily now. "Well, I'll show you the way to your room so you can rest up and gather your thoughts for now, if you're ready."

Lily pauses, considering her choices as she looks at Vonder, his smile a bit more reassuring.

"Go get some rest, I'll personally show you around tomorrow." His uplifting voice calms her nerves a bit more as she now nods to Night.

Night walks out from behind the bar now, revealing a surprisingly fluffy tail as well.

"Come on, this way." She says, leading Lily through a door and into a surprisingly long hallway.

All of the doors were surprisingly well made and taken care of, not as dingy as she expected from it.

Each door had a number on it, seeming to go from 1 to 10.

Lily happened to get room number 10, right at the very end of the hallway.

The room was surprisingly nice, clean and well put together, it's a place she felt she could stay in with ease.

"This will be your room, if you need anything up front." Night says while handing Lily her room key.

Lily carefully takes the key, feeling the cool brass metal on her hand. "Thank you for this."

"Ah think nothing of it, just rest up, I imagine tomorrow will be a big day for you." Night says with a small smile before turning to leave.

Lily watches her go before taking a seat on the bed, finally letting herself fully relax as she sighs a bit.

There was so much to process, so much to figure out, how did all this happen?

Where was everyone else?

Why was The Stranger now in her room with her?

"What are you doing here?!" Lily shouts, surprised by his presence.

"I can't leave." He calmly states, taking a seat on the ground across from her.

"Why not?" She stares at him warily, a bit concerned now.

"Because we are soul bonded, you're the only one who can see me, hear me, and interact with me." He replies while crossing his arms. "And currently there's no way to force my way to leave."

"Wait, so then you mean…" Lily begins, now putting the dots together.

"Yup." He sighs and looks her in the eyes.

"We're stuck together."