The goal might have been to find the archives, but there was just so much to see and Bria could easily admit to being a touch distractable. Foodstalls lined the streets, and vendors sold all sorts of trinkets. None of them seemed magical, so she refrained from begging Neth-amii to buy anything. It was probably a good thing that the Shrine Priestess held onto their funds.
“Sorry I keep getting sidetracked,” Bria said after checking yet another stall that sold bracelets. “I’ve just never seen anything like this before.”
“Your island doesn’t sell mementos for visitors?”
Bria waved her hand slightly. “Kinda? The Miller family makes a bunch of that stuff, but I don’t know how much they manage to sell. Given they’re also running the imports for all the stores, it can’t be too much.”
Neth-amii hummed, then walked up to a vendor, handing over a single bronze core. The vendor’s eyes widened when Neth-amii just smiled and walked back with a few skewers of meat and vegetables.
“The archive isn’t far, and I imagine we might be there for some time,” Neth-amii said, passing two of them over. “May as well sate our appetites now.”
While she wasn’t quite hungry, the point was valid. After days of travel with Krow the flavor didn’t impress all that much, but she did enjoy them all the same. Soon enough, they were done and standing before a large building carved into the side of the mountain. Stone pillars stood firm, reinforcing the ceiling at staggered intervals.
“Glad I’m not claustrophobic,” Bria muttered as they entered.
“I’m not sure that’s the word for it,” Neth-amii said with a chuckle. “The archives are vast, and hold all the collected history and media that has come out of this city for at least the past thousand years. Finding what we’re looking for might prove difficult.”
Thinking back to how finding people in the game worked, Bria got an idea. “We could just ask around. There’s probably someone out there who is obsessed with the language and people probably hear all about it from them.”
Steps paused as Neth-amii turned to face Bria. She wasn’t sure if she’d said something odd or wrong, but she stood firm. Slowly, a grin spread across the Shrine Priestess’ face.
“That is brilliant!”
The next thing Bria knew, she was wrapped in a crushing embrace as she was picked up and spun. More than a few people took notice of them, and Bria didn’t like drawing so much attention, but she was too caught up in the absolutely thrilling moment. Feet touched the ground a moment later, but Bria was too busy staring into the purple eyes that sparkled just inches from her own.
“Come on, let’s find someone!” Neth-amii said, pulling her along.
“Do we even know the name of the language?” Bria asked, struggling not to stumble.
“We’ll figure it out as we go,” Neth-amii insisted with a giggle. “It’s exciting, you know? I expected us to need weeks just to get pointed in a general direction.”
They hadn’t even found the first hint and already Neth-amii was celebrating. It was funny, but also endearing, to see her so excited over just a suggestion that might help them in their search. Hopefully that didn’t turn to frustration once they actually began to question the staff of the archive.
Plus, it would give them a chance to see if someone was actually watching them. “I’d like to get a travel pass so we don’t have to keep paying at the gates.”
“Probably a good idea,” Neth-amii agreed. “They’re good for the entire island too, so that will be a useful purchase if we find ourselves in the outskirt cities.”
“We’ll need an appointment to visit the archives anyway,” Neth-amii said, tapping her chin. “May as well make our way there and get started. We can find a place to stay later.”
“Sounds good to me!” Bria said cheerfully.
The administration building wasn’t far from the city gates, and Neth-amii was quick to lead them to a short line. The amount of people continued to boggle Bria. What few movies they had always made cities look so alive, but to actually experience it was still such a new thing for her.
Neth-amii stepped up to the counter after a moment, all smiles as she began to converse with an older woman. Bria barely paid it any mind as her attention drifted through the various lines of people going about their days. What were each of them doing? What were their stories? It was one thing to enter a town full of NPCs, but these were people, all with their own lives.
It was just so exciting!
“Ma’am?”
Bria blinked, shaking her head as she looked up. Behind the counter sat an older woman who wore the most bored expression Bria had ever seen. Neth-amii was standing just ahead, shaking her head with a slight smile. Bouncing up to the reception desk, Neth-amii quickly began to ask questions, then set out her copy of the engravings. The receptionist took one look at it, then pinched their nose.
“You’re going to need a specialist for those,” the woman said. “Gil-hana is the only remaining expert on staff, and they’re currently handling a project for the Crown and is to not be disturbed.”
Bria’s heart dropped at the news.
“How long until they finish?” Neth-amii asked.
The clerk grimaced. “I can put a request in, if you would like. Do you have an address? I can send a message once we have a date for when you can meet with Gil.”
“We haven’t chosen an inn just yet,” Neth-amii said, pausing for a moment. “The Gilded Pie. I’ve stayed there before and recall the rooms being decent enough.”
“Very well, I’ll make the note,” they said. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“How booked is the Dungeon?” Neth-amii asked.
The clerk pulled out a bound set of documents and began to thumb through the pages. “I have a cancellation tomorrow, if you’re interested.”
“That would be lovely,” Neth-amii said with a smile. “Also, I’d like to get my friend here a pass for the city.”
“Annual or Monthly?” the woman asked, her voice growing just a bit tighter as her eyes flicked behind them.
Bria risked looking back, then paled at how many people were in line behind them. There were only so many receptionists handling questions and they were hogging one of them, stalling out the line for everyone else. Worse than that, Bria couldn’t tell who was staring at them in frustration and who might be watching them on behalf of someone else.
Another detail of note, not one person in line with them came back higher than level three. Many of them even lacked a level entirely! It was so strange for her to see it presented so clearly. Were most people truly that averse to danger, even when personal power was such a great motivator?
A firm nudge drew her out of those thoughts and back to the counter where the woman had set some forms out as well as a metal pass much like Neth’s own.
“Sorry, she’s new to the city,” Neth-amii said.
“Clearly,” the woman intoned. “Why else would she be seeking a pass?”
Neth-amii laughed. “You’ve got me there. Bria, if you would? They need you to channel some magic and finalize the pass.”
“Oh,” she said, stepping up to the counter. “Does it need to be any specific spell, or just mana in general?”
“Anything capable of targeting without destroying,” the woman said, writing something down. “Mana works just fine, if you can manage to channel it without a spellform.”
Nodding, Bria did exactly that, pushing her mana into the piece of metal. It began to glow, then sparked.
“And that is all,” the woman said, taking it back. She stamped it with something that surged more mana through it, then handed the pass over. She then continued, her voice drier than a summer drought. “I hope that the administration of Brookvale has served you well. Have a pleasant rest of your day.”
“We thank you for your time and effort,” Neth-amii replied, bowing slightly. “Come on, Bria, we still need to get some supplies.”
“Right!” Bria said, glad to get another opportunity to see more of the city.
As they left, Neth-amii’s eyes trailed across the room, pausing on one person or another. Bria hoped it was just paranoia, but the tingling on the back of her neck as they exited told her otherwise. They were as much a distraction for whoever was watching as they were legitimately gathering supplies.
As they departed, Bria and Neth both kept their eyes moving, watching for anything that might prove to be a danger. “Do you think they were just being paranoid?”
“Probably not,” Neth-amii admitted softly. “Knowing Ri-durak like I do, he’s not going to give up easily. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has people watching us already.”
“Then we should expect a visit from him at some point,” Bria said with a sigh. “Shame we aren’t strong enough to simply tell the man off.”
The Shrine Priestess grunted, hand tightening around her staff. “Not yet, but we will become so. That man has too much hold on my life for someone I barely tolerate.”
Such a firm statement resonated within Bria; the calm surety of it grounding her. Could she become someone mighty enough that nobody dared oppose her? Already she was stronger than most people she encountered. The highest level person she had seen outside of the guard was a level six man working a forge.
Level ten was growing closer, though she had a feeling that her leveling was about to hit a wall unless she started regularly fighting monsters as dangerous as the Shadow Demon. Power leveling wasn’t much of a thing in Dungeon Heroes, but there were a few places through the adventure where one could find monsters beyond the pale and gain quick boosts in levels.
Perhaps there were places like that on this island as well.
First off, Bria needed to see if the armor selection was better than what Kro-ahnk had to offer. The only reason they had held off on buying from him was his insistence that similar quality gear would be cheaper within the city proper. Checking the first leather-working shops, his assessment proved accurate, though a bit misleading? Prices were indeed much better, but the quality was hit or miss.
Bria stopped as a chest piece with steel reinforcements caught her eye. Everything about it appeared solid and protective. Neth-amii paused in her own considerations to give it a more thorough inspection.
“Could you reinforce the stitching here and here?” she asked the teen running this portion of the stall. He seemed a bit bored, but the actual craftsman wasn’t far, working steadily on a pouch not dissimilar to Bria’s own.
“I’ll ask pa,” the kid said, wandering over.
The man halted in his work, then came over to the counter a moment later. “Have a problem with some of my work?”
“Not quite,” Neth-amii said with a smile. “I just know from experience that this area tends to be quite stressed by frontline fighters. I am simply asking for some extra stitching in this pattern to ensure it doesn’t need repairs sooner than necessary.”
“Huh, you know your leather,” the man said, rubbing his chin. “I wouldn’t expect as such from a priestess.”
“My parents were most disappointed I didn’t follow the family trade,” Neth-amii said. “How long might the adjustments take?”
“Give me an hour,” the man said, his eyes flicking down to Bria’s pouch. “That’s lacking an expansion weave. Would you like my son to add one?”
“Father?” the boy asked.
“It would be good practice,” the man said, already sitting back down at his workstation. “I’ll throw it in with the cost of the armor.”
“Uh, thanks?” Bria said, puzzled by what had just transpired.
Neth-amii pulled her slightly as she once again bowed. “Your generosity is most appreciated. We shall return after procuring food for our coming journey.”
“Sure. Go check with Hel-ena down the street. Tell her I sent you and she might just throw in some extra.”
Laughing, Neth-amii bowed a bit deeper. “I shall do just that, thank you.”
As they stepped away, Bria leaned in close. “What would I do without you?”
“Fumble, most likely,” she said, voice laced with mirth. “You are steadfast and endearing, but merchants would take you for all the cores you had.”
Yeah, that was fair. Bria knew that without Neth-amii she would have been even worse about the sights of the city, and far too many would be pushing her to part with the few cores she might have found along the way. Assuming of course that she even knew to gather them. It wasn’t an obvious monetary system, but it worked well enough.
“You’ve got me there,” Bria said, laughing.
The woman in question brightened up when they mentioned the leather-worker’s recommendation. They bought a large amount of rice and beans of some sort, along with some root vegetables that would keep well enough in an expanded bag. They had plenty of smoked meat from Neth-amii’s hunting, but she still picked up several blocks of shredded meat and berries that seemed to be held together with animal fat.
“It’s pemmican,” Neth-amii said. “It simply does not go bad, even if it sits around for a decade, it can still be eaten. Most of the city’s food stores will consist of the items we have gathered today.”
“Interesting,” Bria said, wishing she had her pouch still. Her notebook was currently in her own backpack and not easily accessed. The logistics of how these cities functioned was just so intriguing, and yet, she couldn’t simply sit down and study it due to the urgency they had fallen into. “I’d love to find a book on all of this, when we have time.”
“Ask Gil-hana, I’m sure they would know a few to recommend,” Neth-amii said. “Now, let’s get back to the leather-worker and get your gear situated so we can depart.”
Several silver cores were handed over, and Bria took a moment to secure her new leathers. The old ones were handed over to the craftsman, more to save on space than for any potential value they might hold. Then, she got her pouch back.
“It should hold a lot more,” the kid said. “Really neat construction on that. I’d love to chat with whoever made it.”
Bria smiled, though it was a touch strained. “Unfortunately he passed some years ago. His grandson never quite learned all his tricks before taking over the family trade.”
“Shame,” the father said. “Hear that, boy? Best pay attention so if the gods decide it’s my time you aren’t left clueless and struggling.”
“Of course, pa,” the boy said, straightening up. “I’ll become the best leather-worker in Brookvale, just you wait!”
“Good lad,” the man said with a smile. “I hope that armor serves you well on your adventures, girls. Come back anytime you need more leather goods.”
This time, Bria bowed. “We will, and thank you.”
As they made their way towards the gate, Neth-amii bumped her with her hip. “See, you would have done okay in time.”
“If you say so,” Bria muttered, looking away as her cheeks warmed. “I still wish we could see more of the city.”
“We’ll stop at a few shops along the way,” Neth-amii said, doing just that at a vendor selling some pasta in a dark sauce.
Two more food stops followed as they loaded up on fresh cooked street fare, then they took a seat near one of the main squares. A fountain shot water into the air in fun patterns, dazzling several of the children who stopped to watch. Some even threw shards of cores into the fountain before bowing their heads as if in prayer.
“Want to send a prayer?” Neth-amii asked when she caught her watching.
Bria shook her head. “I’m just taking it all in. My island is small, and this is just so much more.”
“You lose the wonder of nature,” Neth-amii countered. “I love my shrine for that reason. I can sleep under good cover, and go out to the woods for fruit. And you know the best part of all?”
She’d gotten closer with each excited word, until they were almost nose to nose.
“What’s that?” Bria whispered.
Grinning, Neth-amii leaned even closer, her lips almost against Bria’s.
“It doesn’t smell like shit.”
The bark of laughter that followed had half the square looking at them, but Bria didn’t care. She’d made a friend that was genuinely fun to be with, and that was worth more than anything Mister Ruiz or that Ri-durak guy could ever buy.