Lone: The Wanderer

Book 2: Chapter 3: Entrance Inspection and The Rusty Sprocket

"This is like something straight out of a video game..." Lone muttered. "It\'s amazing... Look at all of that detail... Soph, these massive doors are telling a story! Can you see those murals carved into them? What an amazing piece of historical artwork."

Soph glanced up at Lone\'s eyes which were shining with excitement and enthusiasm despite the heavy bags sitting underneath them. "Mmm. It\'s gorgeous."

Lone stared for a good while longer before he finally collected himself. Reining in his inner history buff, he muttered, "Okay, so Grimsley said they aren\'t very fond of humans but they aren\'t outlawed so we just need to behave and we shouldn\'t get mistreated... Now, where\'s the lesser entrance?"

Every gateway to a krieg had a smaller set of gates in one of the two ginormous doors to let people and merchants pass through. It was that entrance which Lone was looking for.

"Uhm, Mast- em... Lone. There," Breena fumbled as she hesitantly pointed forwards.

Following her arm, Lone spotted a small queue in the distance leading towards a point at the base of the door. "Ah, great. Thanks, Breena."

The Crimson Foxkin nodded mutely in response.

Very quickly, the three of them plus Kyuubi whom Soph was carrying entered the line which was filled mostly with dwarves though he could see a few other species of demihumans and one or two humans in the queue.

Immediately, Lone could hear murmurs spreading through the queue when eyes fell upon his group.

"A twice-awakened beastkin? How rare. Must be recent awakenings too since I don\'t see any wrinkles," a man with rock for skin said.

One of his kin nodded. "More importantly, isn\'t that the 9-tailed Golden Foxkin from Milindo? I heard he caused a commotion over there."

A lady with three arms on either side of her body added, "Indeed. He killed the summoned hero of Milindo in an annual tournament after crippling the crown prince. He was then locked up for months. Do you think it\'s really him? How did he get out and end up here? I didn\'t catch wind of him being officially released yet..."

"Serves the fookin\' \'umans right. Oi, Ninetails, if ya pass the entry inspection an\' ah see ya in ah pub, yer drinks \'re on me!" a short ginger-bearded dwarf yelled.

"Aye! Fookin\' too right! Ya did us demis prood," another dwarf chimed in.

Lone smiled wryly and nodded kindly to everyone but didn\'t answer or respond beyond that. For a start he had no idea what species the rock-skinned men were nor did he recognise the woman\'s origin so he didn\'t want to accidentally offend them.

The dwarves were hardy and stubborn people who usually spoke with grunts and head gestures anyway when it came to strangers, well, that or incessant swearing, so they appreciated Lone\'s taciturnity.

Perhaps an hour later it was finally Lone and his group\'s turn to be inspected and judged if they were worthy of entering the stronghold, something Grimsley had briefed Lone on during their conversation.

They were brought into a building that had been situated right outside and to the side of the massive set of doors where everyone hoping to gain entry first went. It was carved into the side of the mountain and actually quite hard to detect without being close to it.

"Names an\' occupations," the Stone Dwarf demanded a bit rudely but such was the way of the dwarves.

Lone responded, "Lone Immortus. I\'m an adventurer by trade, a scholar at heart and apprentice blacksmith by skill."

Soph smiled sweetly and answered, "Sophie Vladimirovich. I\'m a housewife!" She quickly got a bit of a look from both Lone and the inspector which made her curl up a bit as she held Kyuubi. "And, uh, I\'m an adventurer too..."

The inspector nodded though his eyes seemed distrustful and a lot of that distrust appeared to come not from Soph\'s words but something else. Lone assumed her species.

"An\' you, lassie?" the man asked as he stared at the Crimson Foxkin of the group.

Breena looked down as she replied, "... Breena Redtail. Adventurer."

"Nae much of a loud speak\'r, huh?" the dwarf said to himself with a grunt. "An\' the fox? It\'s nae a secret Divine beast or somethin\', is it?"

Soph shook her head. "She\'s called Kyuubi Immortus. Her occupation is... uh, daughter? Sleeper?"

Lone smiled wryly. "She\'s our pet, Sir."

"Okay. An\' yer purpose of visit?" the dwarf asked.

"We intend to stay in Krieg Moor for a few months to a year to rest and plan out our future journey. We intend to return this one to her clan, you see," Lone explained as he patted Breena\'s head, causing her to jump a little.

The inspector raised an eyebrow. "Doesnae seem \'at fond of you, laddie."

He removed his hand and sheepishly stated, "She\'s a former slave and isn\'t the biggest fan of being touched by others."

"Fair \'nuff," the inspector said as he looked down at his notes and seemed to write something down. "An\' how exactly will you be fundin\' this extend\'d stay here? Assumin\' you pass an\' we let you in."

"We\'re adventurers. We\'re all still pretty low ranked but we\'re confident enough in our... unique talents to work hard enough to earn a good supply of money while helping the people of Krieg Moor," Lone answered. \'Best not mention how much gold I have stuffed away in a dimension unaffected by the laws of time and space, huh? Also, this guy is trying to hide his natural accent but he isn\'t trying very hard... Is that to make himself easier to understand for foreigners?\'

"Fair \'nuff." The inspector wrote a few more things down before he lowered his notes and glanced up at Lone. "Ah think you\'ll be fine gettin\' in on Limited Beastkin Adventurer passes. Limited Human Adventurer pass fae the wee human lassie."

"That sounds great," Lone answered.

Grimsley had mentioned such things during their conversation a few days ago. If they made it through a series of practical tests for safety reasons then the full restrictions of their passes would be explained in detail to them. There were too many variations to count since almost every single one was unique to the individual.

A world full of powers and levels made such a thing a requirement in more advanced civilisations according to Grimsley.

"Perfect. Now, ah need tae have your ranks confirmed by a B-rank\'r an\' if everything checks out then ah\'ll just need you tae sign a contract statin\' what you can and cannae do while in our krieg. Ah do also need tae make you aware that if all goes well, you\'ll need tae wear ardartian bracelets. Magic ah any kind is illegal tae use in Krieg Moor without a permit," the dwarf explained.

Lone, Soph and Breena all agreed. Without delay, they were brought to another room and quickly had their ranks confirmed; Lone and Soph being D-rankers and Breena being an F-ranker.

They even confirmed Kyuubi\'s strength. To no one\'s surprise, the plump fox was only an I-ranker, the lowest possible rank.

They then performed a series of simple physical tests to see if they would be of any use to the krieg in the case of an emergency.

Lone saw no issue with that, personally. It was their city and their culture, so it wasn\'t unreasonable for them to expect visitors to at least be an option for defending that city and culture in the very unlikely case of a dire catastrophe.

After all, when would such a thing realistically happen? Lone felt it was more of a formality than anything else.

Their group was soon brought into the outskirts of the city to another official office and a few more hours passed before they were handed their entry passes.

"Now, some rules I need to state," a tall for his species dwarf said as he looked at Lone. "First, curfew. All non-dwarves are to return to their accommodations before the ninth evenin\' bell."

"Second, all humans are banned from partakin\' in any alcoholic beverages. I know she\'s a child but we also know how much intelligence humans lose when under the influence. That reproductive racial skill of theirs makes \'em a bit... pushy."

\'Did this guy seriously just suggest that Soph would try to rape dwarven men when under the influence because of her racial skill?\' Lone didn\'t know if he should be offended or humoured. \'Well, they must have a precedent to base this law on.\'

"Third, any usage of a combat-oriented skill is prohibited without a permit. Cannae exactly seal that stuff with ardartian since not all skills use MP and most folks don\'t even have Magic Power tae start with."

"Fourth, get in any fights whatsoever, and I mean any, and there\'ll be consequences. The krieg\'s on edge as it is already what with all the strange happenings of late."

Lone nodded when he saw that the dwarf was done. "What strange happenings, if you don\'t mind me asking?"

The dwarf shrugged before dropping his forced accent now that he was done with the official stuff. "Weeuns nae cryin\' fae days on end, folk goin\' missin\' only tae come back... changed, darker an\' more moody. Buildin\'s disappearin\' in the middle ah the night. Nothin\' unmanageable but still, be careful. Wouldnae want travell\'rs like yerselves gettin\' caught up in whatever mess this Krieg of oors is endurin\'."

He looked down and pulled out a few stacks of paper from the desk he was sitting at. "Now, time fae yous tae sign a magic contract."

The contract was simple enough. It just bound them to follow the laws of the krieg. Upon failing to do so they would be issued with fines or get exiled from the krieg. In extreme cases, death was the punishment but that was only for committing the most serious of crimes.

Lone, Soph and Breena carefully read through the paperwork before signing and then Lone found himself being recommended to immediately find a place for some rest since he seemed so tired.

Lone thanked the worker and then entered the stronghold proper. He then saw a sight he\'d never forget for his entire life.

"This is... incredible," Lone gaped in awe as he witnessed the underground city before him and basked in its glory.

For a start, the ceiling of the place was easily 500-meters high. Lone knew they\'d travelled down quite a bit during the inspection process, however, he didn\'t expect the place to be so... roomy.

Every building his eyes could see was a beautiful amalgamation of carved stone and steamforged machinery, giving it all a very earthy and rustic vibe.

The streets were paved and filled with dwarven murals while they were edged with glowing orange tubes which Lone assumed funnelled a power source of some kind like some sort of exposed piping.

Dwarves and species of all kind wandered the streets or rode around on what Lone could only describe as steamforged bicycles.

"I need one of those," Lone said in awe as he subconsciously reached into his pocket and began fiddling with the steamforged glasses Grimsley had gifted him.

It was at that moment that something unexpected happened; Lone gained a new skill.

The host has developed the passive skill: Historical and Cultural Appreciation.

"What?" Lone was shocked. He immediately pulled up the skill\'s information to see what it was about.

Passive Skill: Historical and Cultural Appreciation

A skill that allows the host to gain knowledge and sometimes permanent power from observing or creating history and matters of culture.

Ordinary moments and sites of history witnessed or created

Exiled elves of the Western World Tree | Ranton\'s Grand Colosseum | The death of a human summoned hero | the Estoplian Wasteland.

Extraordinary moments and sites of history witnessed or created

None.

Miraculous moments and site of history witnessed or created:

None.

Ordinary moments and sites of cultural significance witnessed or created

The beauty of the Stone Dwarves underground stronghold city, Krieg Moor.

Extraordinary moments and sites of cultural significance witnessed or created

None.

Miraculous moments and sites of cultural significance witnessed or created

None.

Permanent bonuses granted: 20 Luck | 5 Charm.

Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1

Lone\'s eyes widened as he felt knowledge of the listed historical and cultural moments which he didn\'t know enter his mind. "That is a lot of info and I\'ve never seen a skill like this one before..."

"Hmm?" Soph glanced up at Lone curiously.

"Uh, it\'s nothing. Just a skill with a big description and lots of details," Lone said dismissively as he took her hand in his and started walking with Breena not far behind the two of them. \'So skills like this exist which give you stat bonuses and extra information on things... I wonder how rare they are?\'

Regardless, Lone was happy to have been rewarded for his enthusiasm towards architecture, steampunk-esqe technology and history.

As they walked Lone waved at a cycling female dwarf to get her to stop.

"Whacha wan\', sonnie?" she asked with a sweet voice despite her thick accent and grumbling tone.

\'I\'m so glad female dwarves don\'t have beards, still, their faces are quite angular, aren\'t they?\' Lone thought in passing as he said, "Sorry for stopping you. We just gained entry to the krieg. Would you be so kind as to possibly point us in the direction of a good inn or home up for rent?"

"Oh. Sure." She raised one of her stubby arms and pointed down the street before saying, "Down at\' road, turn right, third left down an\' ye\'ll find the Rusty Sprocket. Expensive place despite the name but it\'s a good place tae rest. Ya look like ye need it, sonnie."

"Haha, thank you," Lone laughed half-heartedly. "You wouldn\'t also be able to tell me where I could buy one of those, could you?" he asked as he gestured to her bike. "It seems like a fantastic invention."

"A steam-wheeler? Aye, \'at ah can do." She then described which direction to go in to buy the intriguing mode of transportation. "Ye look after yerself, sonnie. Krieg\'s nae as peaceful as it used tae be. Ye\'r a good lad. Rare tae find people as kind an\' respectful as ye amongst travellers."

Lone thanked the lady and they then parted ways.

Soph glanced up at him and asked, "... Rival?" with a troubled expression on her face as she squeezed little Kyuubi.

Lone smiled wryly and patted her head. "No, you dummy. That was a middle-aged woman."

"She was shorter than me," Soph said with a pout. "You like short girls."

"What? No I don\'t," Lone protested as they walked towards the mentioned inn, the Rusty Sprocket.

Soph stared at him in disbelief. "I\'m short."

"Yeah, and you\'re also Russian. Doesn\'t mean I like all Russians," Lone responded with a sigh.

The two bickered for a while about this meaningless subject until, finally, they and Breena had arrived at the Rusty Sprocket.

Lone booked two rooms with a double-sized bed, one for him and Soph and the other for Breena. With that done, they immediately retreated to their new accommodations.

Lone was now sitting at the end of his and Soph\'s new bed with the mana orb Sophie had taken from the dead crown prince of Milindo. "I wonder if you\'ll help me remove my MP seal..." he whispered to the orb before chuckling, "I\'ve not had great luck with orbs thus far but I can still hope for the best."