The City of Arione

Finally, I had arrived at my first city in this medieval, fantasy world, Arione. I was somewhat excited to be honest. The feeling was similar to when I was about to pull the trigger on my rifle. A pulsating heart, an uncertain future, and the satisfaction of an accomplished mission, all in one shot.

Apart from exciting me, the city's appearance was surreal to my modernized eye. Rustic wooden buildings lined the streets while people and carriages wove or forced their way through the bustling crowds. I waded my way deeper into the never ending sea of sentient flesh, eyeing shops and listening to street vendors call out their wares. The signs were seemingly written in English, or I could at least comprehend them, and they advertised all sorts of wares and services.

As I proceeded deeper into the city, a looming wall marched closer towards me. I could only assume that this wall separated the wealthy district from the poor district. My curiosity drew me towards it, soon pulling me directly under it. A gaping hole lay embedded within the wall connecting the dirt path to the beautifully cobbled streets of the inner city. Fancy brick buildings lay across the barrier and the foot traffic thinned considerably. Noticing that the guards standing by the portcullis were eyeing me, I turned away and resigned myself to the city's outer ring. Although I will admit, curiosity almost convinced me to enter the inner wall through an unconventional method that I will omit.

Heading back into the city, the crowds began to thin and a quiet night life slowly crawled to the surface. Of course the view included drunkards, prostitutes, and shady gawkers so there were few differences from cities within a third world country back on Earth. It was somehow comforting. The air was nostalgic.

'Perfect time for information gathering. Wait, no… I'm not an assassin anymore. I need to find an inn.' [Dmitriy]

My first objective upon arriving in Arione had been set. Find a comfortable inn that is affordable. To me, it didn't matter if the inn was located in the slums since I was used to trapping door, bolting windows, and sleeping lightly. With this decided, I headed down a side alley to search for a sign that, even remotely, resembled the sign of an inn. Success.

A few twists and turns after leaving the main road, I arrived in front of a building with a sign that read The Olden Boar. Ruckus laughter and an occasional thump could be heard beyond the heavy oak door. Beyond this door, a room that was littered with tables, chairs, and people opened up. In fact, people were scattered everywhere; mugs of ale in hand, passed out, moving about, groping a passing waitress, or wearing animal ear headbands. The last option I chalked up to otherworldly social norms, completely neglecting the possibility of a beastman.

Wading through the turmoil, I reached a long counter with a busy looking man behind it. He glanced at me, hurriedly put on a horrendous smile, and spoke.

"What can I do for you sir?" [???]

"I'd like a place to stay the night at. You have anything in mind?" [Dmitriy]

"Well I'd say you came to the right establishment. Luckily enough, we have a couple of rooms open. The cost is 15 Meltos a night and you can pay for your food down here when you want it." [???]

'Geez that forced smile is creeping me out, but 15 Meltos… That was 15 small coppers I think. I can pay for that with 1 small iron and 1 large copper, should have enough for a few nights if I use the bandit's coin.' [Dmitriy]

"Alright, I'll take a room for 10 days then." [Dmitriy]

"You are room 25 on the second floor and a ten day stay will cost you 15 Frase. Please make yourself at home and come down when you're ready to eat." [???]

The barkeeper handed me a key when I plopped down enough money to cover the room. His unsettling smile also was maintained in an almost professional manner.

'Is it just my imagination or is he a little more annoyed now than he was before?' [Dmitriy]

"Thanks, I'll do that. But before I go, do you know of a place offering reliable work?��� [Dmitriy]

This question was vital for me. Unfortunately, I thought of it after Sylphie and Ronda parted ways with me so I never had the opportunity to ask anyone until now.

"Well, let me think. You could apply to a trade guild if you specialize in something, but assuming that you're asking this question you aren't qualified to be in one." [???]

'Trade guilds. I should have guessed that those existed in this world. After all, they existed in mine and I was a part of Russia's assassin's guild, but I should probably not bring that up.' [Dmitriy]

"You could also do manual labor, but the easiest option for anyone would be the adventurer's guild, especially for a greeny like yourself. That is a solution that will offer work for just about any job you could think of. You can usually find something there and join a specialist guild later on if you are any good at it." [???]

'Who is this man calling greeny? Is it because I look young or weak? Ah whatever.' [Dmitriy]

"Adventurer's guild, huh? Alright I'll try it out tomorrow. And thanks for the info." [Dmitriy]

An extra large iron slips out onto the table along with ample pay for the 10 days I'll be staying and the barkeepers smile finally shows some semblance of actual happiness, although his eyes gave away the greed he harbored. I left for the stairwell without another word. In fact, I was lost in thought and had completely forgotten about the greedy barkeeper I had just talked to.

'Adventurer's guild. That sounds like some fantasy bullshit alright, but I wonder what kind of general jobs they take? Maybe I should have asked. Ah well, I guess I can find out tomorrow. Wait, come to think of it, I don't even know where the adventurer's guild is. Guess I'll find that out tomorrow as well.' [Dmitriy]

Concluding my thoughts, I found myself in front of room 25. The key slid smoothly into the lock and the door swung open without a sound. Beyond the door, lay an airy wooden room with a window, bed, table, dresser, and two chairs. Everything appeared sturdy and clean. All in all, my impressions of this inn were fairly positive and I could see why most of the rooms were booked.

That night, I dined on wine and dried meat that the bandits kindly provided me before soundly falling asleep on the comfortable bed.