Escorting a Merchant

The journey to Qohor lasted a whole day. When they reached the city, Maximus guided the group to the edge of the forest where they secured their horses. Taking three Praetorian guards with him, Maximus left three others behind to watch over the horses. Together, they made their way to the main gate of Qohor, where they found a long line of people waiting to enter. Maximus and the Praetorians queued up behind the group ahead of them, drawing curious looks from the crowd who seemed interested by the sight of Praetorians as they were never seen before in this world.

After a few minutes, they were allowed inside without any issues.

Once Inside the city, Maximus received a system message

[First city discovered]

Reward: 10,000 coins

A pouch had appeared in his hand after he received the reward. Maximus felt the weight of the pouch as he placed it on his hip and continued exploring the city with his Praetorian guards. People stared at them as they walked by, intrigued by the strange armor that they wore and who the person was that these strange, armored men followed.

As for Maximus, he had no clue where he was going and was simply enjoying the feeling of being in a new world that was still in the medieval era. Though as he looked around, he saw many things that could be improved, such as the sanitation of the city, the welfare of the people, and the overall look of the city.

Bringing his knowledge of how a modern world looked, he planned to bring some of that modern culture to this world so that he could one profit off of it, and two enjoy the different types of music that the people of this world will be able to create utilizing modern instruments and such.

As he was walking through the city, he was approached by a well-dressed man who was being escorted by a few guards.

"Sir, are you mercenary?" asked the man.

As of now Maximus didn't know what they were but this looked like a good opportunity to gather some information. "Yes, we are mercenaries," answered Maximus.

"That fantastic, I am Jaqarro Maegyris, a merchant, and I was planning on travelling to Volantis to conduct some business and was looking for some mercenaries to hire as an escort. It seems fate has smiled upon us," Jaqarro continued, his lips curling into a smile.

Taking in the merchant's words, Maximus wondered if he should take up this opportunity. Joining a trading caravan was indeed an effective way to obtain more information about this new world. He also anticipated that it could allow him to broaden his network of contacts.

"We accept your offer, Jaqarro Maegyris," Maximus finally said, meeting the merchant's eyes. "But I hope you understand, our protection doesn't come cheap."

Jaqarro gave out a hearty laugh. "A mercenary who knows the worth of his sword! I appreciate that spirit, sir." said Jaqarro beckoning one of his guards to bring forth a small chest. "I hope this advance payment of 5,000 Qohor coins would serve as a token of my sincerity."

Maximus nodded in agreement as another system message popped up.

[Quest: Escort Merchant to Volantis]

Reward: 20,000 Qohor coins on safe arrival

-20x Roman legionary summon

-10,000 System points

The deal made, Jaqarro Maegyris clapped his hands together with a satisfied smile. "Excellent! We depart at dawn tomorrow."

Maximus nodded. "We'll meet you here."

Leaving the merchant behind, Maximus and his Praetorians retreated to the edges of the bustling city square and merged into a narrow alleyway. The sun was beginning to dip below the city's skyline, casting long shadows on the rugged cobblestones under their boots.

Dropping by a local tavern for food and lodging, they spent their first night in Qohor amongst local folks who eyed them curiously but kept their distance. Maximus used this opportunity to learn more about their destination, so he brought an information scroll from the system for 100 points and learned about Volantis, its history, customs, trading patterns, and any potential threats.

When dawn broke, they met Jaqarro Maegyris at the city gates as promised. The merchant had a dozen wagons loaded with goods, silks and spices from Qohor destined for Volantis' vibrant markets. They were guarded by a motley crew of hired swords, who seemed more interested in their own chatter than the safety of the goods they were protecting. As Maximus and his Praetorians joined the convoy, Jaqarro gave them a brief rundown on their route.

"We'll be passing through the Dothraki sea," he explained, pointing to specific landmarks on a hastily drawn map. "It's the quickest path to Volantis, but it comes with its own perils."

Maximus nodded, quickly memorizing the key spots on the route. The convoy set off, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them as they left Qohor and ventured into the wide expanse of the Dothraki sea.

Along the way, Maximus was joined by his warriors whom he left to guard their horses. Jaqarro was wary at first but upon seeing them wearing the same armor as Maximus he didn't pay them any mind as he had already made a deal with Maximus.

The journey was long and arduous. The blazing sun beat down on them during the day, and at night, bitter winds howled past them. The Praetorians never wavered in their duty though, always vigilant, always watchful.

Their travels were not uneventful. They found themselves under attack from wild animals and bandits who saw a convoy of wagons as an easy target. The Praetorians proved their worth in these battles, their disciplined formation and precise strikes neutralizing the threat with minimal damage to the caravan alongside the other mercenaries.

One evening, as the sun set and painted the sky a myriad of colors, they happened upon a nomadic Dothraki tribe, a khalasar, setting up camp. The group eyed them warily, but Jaqarro was undeterred. He approached them with gifts of wine and food, insisting on sharing a meal, that was considered both a gesture of peace and respect among the Dothraki. Maximus watched the exchange carefully in case anything happened.

During this time Maximus had learned a lot from Jaqarro about the customs of many of the free cities while using the excuse that he had travelled from Westeros to Essos. Despite the fact that Maximus could speak the language which was not common for most people from Westeros, Jaqarro didn't mind telling him about the culture and customs of the free cities.

Weeks passed like this, and slowly but surely, Volantis' majestic triple walls came into view on the horizon. Jaqarro breathed a sigh of relief at the sight as Maximus enjoyed the view of Volantis which is the southernmost and oldest of the Free Cities, it lies on the southern coast of Essos, where the mighty Rhoyne River meets the Summer Sea.

Upon entering the city, Maximus was paid by the Merchant with an additional 5,000 Qohor coins. Before they separated, Maximus had a brief talk with Jaqarro about a few things, mainly because Jaqarro was interested in hiring him again sometime in the future.

Once they went their separate ways Maximus got the reward for completing the quest:

[Quest Completed: Escort Merchant to Volantis]

Reward: 20,000 Qohor

-20x Roman legionary summon

-10,000 System points

Within his inventory, another pouch had appeared containing the 20,000 Qohor coins. During the weeks of travelling, he had discovered that while small, the pouch basically had another dimension within itself allowing for the 20,000 Qohor coins to be stored despite it's size.

It was certainly a handy feature which would prevent him from having to carry giant bags filled with coins throughout the city. He would just be inviting trouble to come to him.

Next was the 20x Roman Legionary summons that he had just received. A legionary was a citizen soldier of the Roman army that was recruited from people under the age of 45 who served a legion for 25 years before they retired.

Imagining the sight of Roman legions combined with other fantasy troops marching across Essos and Westeros would be a sight to see.

With the addition of the 10,000 system points, Maximus now had 19,450 system points to use which was enough to summon and equip 389 Gondor infantry if he wanted. But he didn't need such a large number of men at the moment, nor did he want to use all of his system points up right now.

Leaving that matter aside, Maximus and his men walked around the city exploring some of its places. Thankfully he could already speak the local language, when he asked the system, it explained that speaking the local languages was something integrated into his mind.

So whenever he was talking to someone who spoke another language, he would be able to understand them and speak the language. However, this did not work if he doesn't know what language the person speaks beforehand.

After exploring the city and spending some time at a few taverns throughout the city, Maximus rented some rooms for the group to sleep for the night until the next morning where he would decide what they would do next.