Healer Arc 2 -- Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“So where exactly is the—” Thaden began to ask as they rounded a corner after passing through an incredibly busy street in the city, but he cut himself off as his vision caught the sight ahead of him.  So far, beyond the walls protecting the city, the buildings hadn’t appeared too different from the ones he’d seen in Felith or Purbooth, though on a grander scale; the streets were remarkably clean for such a large city, especially near the docks, which he somewhat expected to be dirty based on its location.  They were relatively narrow close to the gates, which wasn’t entirely unexpected, though with the press of people all around him, he felt immediately closed-in and slightly claustrophobic.

When they reached the corner of the street they were traveling down, approximately 500 feet from the gate, he figured it would just be another passageway leading further into the Teglir – but that was far from the truth.  His breath caught in his chest as he took in the massive thoroughfare spread out in front of him, as where they moved around the corner from the previous street was slightly elevated, and he estimated that there were tens of thousands of people walking through the enormous space.  The new street, road, or whatever it was called was approximately 1,000 feet wide and was miles long, leading to an enormous structure in the distance that was difficult to comprehend at first glance. 

At first, he thought it was some sort of palace based on how large it was, but with the quantity of people moving in and out of it, which he could see even at a distance, it was more akin to the world’s largest mall than a residence for royal individuals.  Standing at what he estimated was about 200 feet tall, he could see the building’s stylized roofline that made it look like sharp teeth, and it extended so far to the east and west that not even the major thoroughfare could see it all.  The only reason Thaden could see it at all past where the buildings lined the street was because of its height, which far exceeded everything around it, and its pale white stone contrasted greatly with the darker grey, red, and brown stone and wood materials in the buildings around it.

Thousands of windows dotted the exterior of the structure, so many that he couldn’t possibly count them all, and there was a shine to the white stone that had it glittering in the swiftly fading light of the day, like some sort of giant pearlescent teeth emerging from the bowels of the planet.  It was both beautiful and intimidating, given that it seemed almost as large as some of the cities he’d seen back on Tarth, and there was an unidentifiable feeling of strength that came to Thaden when he was looking at it.

“Impressive, isn’t it?  I remember my first time seeing it,” Garney said by his side as he moved next to Thaden, speaking just loud enough to be heard over the sheer number of people that filled the city.  “I stood just about where you are right now, looking down Glory’s Passage at the local Coalition Headquarters located at the end, thinking that it had to be the most impressive sight in the entire world.  And while it’s certainly amazing, I’ve seen a few other things in my life that not only beat this, but make this Coalition branch seem like one you’d find in any small town.  That doesn’t take away from the majesty that it presents, of course, but I want you to know that this is just the beginning – there is a whole lot more out there for those who want to find it.”

“He’s surprisingly cultured for an Adventurer who seems to have spent the last few decades protecting ships running up and down the local river.  I wonder what he did before he settled down here.”

Thaden wondered as well, but now wasn’t the time to ask.  Even as he stood there absolutely floored by the sight spreading out ahead of him, he could feel and hear the frustration and anger from people needing to go around him and the Party of Porcerean showing him the way.  He started walking again, which got Garney and the others to lead the way again, and soon enough they joined the thousands of people walking down what he’d been told was something called Glory’s Passage – a relatively ostentatious name for a street, but at the same time it wasn’t out of place.

Apparently, Glory’s Passage was a combination of residences and a commercial district, as hundreds of tributary roads branched off from it to either side of the thoroughfare, with those on his right leading to what appeared to be large apartment complexes and – further down the roads – individual townhomes, each of them built in a way that reminded him somewhat of modern Earth with how they were packed together.  The lefthand-side of the large Glory’s Passage street appeared to be shops and services, ranging from general goods to armor and weapons, though they were too far away from where they were walking to see them too clearly.  He made a note to check them out later, however, as he was hoping to find more equipment suitable for his Class; he figured that a large city like Teglir was much more likely to contain gear for a Support Class, unlike his experience in Felith.

No one spoke as they made their way down the thoroughfare, as it was enough of a distraction just avoiding the people that moved in and out of the nearby offshoots, making it feel more like a highway with hundreds of exits and the people moving at chaotically different speeds as they merged into the flow of traffic.  Every once in a while, he would see a group of Teglir City Guards stationed along the way, both down the center of the Passage and along its edges, looking out for anyone that seemed to be causing trouble.  What kind of trouble people could make in the city, he didn’t know, because he doubted pickpockets were too much of a problem to a population that had the ability to contain their valuables in their personal Inventory, but he could be wrong. 

On Tarth, personal Inventories weren’t necessarily lootable by others even when they were killed, though there were some exceptions that were made by the System; it was possible that it could be different on Plangea.  If that was the case, then killing someone for their stuff might even be common – which made him feel instantly wary of everyone he saw slinking down a few alleyways here and there, wondering if they were filled with muggers and murderers.  At the moment, he didn’t exactly have the best protection against someone trying to kill him, especially if he was surprised and couldn’t prepare; he could use Enthrall, of course, but a fatal headshot by an attack he couldn’t see could one-tap him into oblivion.

Fortunately, surrounded by so many people and somewhat protected in the company of the Porcerean Adventurers, he didn’t really have anything to worry about.  In addition, his current state of dress, which was basically a pair of loose, brown pants and a tan shirt with ties down the front that he’d quickly purchased in Purbooth before he fled the town, didn’t exactly pinpoint him as a valuable mark to kill and rob.  Any of the Adventurers around him appeared to have much more coin on them, as well as their valuable equipment, and while he might look like a rube gawking around at the city as he walked and potentially someone who could be taken advantage of, no one accosted him.

Along the way to the Coalition building, which Garney said was some sort of Coalition Headquarters, he saw even more Adventurers moving up and down Glory’s Passage than he saw outside on the docks.  He knew they were Adventurers by the way they were dressed and the fact that they were armed, as well as many of them being of other races than the majority of the Netherines that comprised the majority of the residents of the city.  He also witnessed a fight in between two Charee Adventurers right in the middle of the Passage, which didn’t have a chance to more than begin before a contingent of Teglir City Guards appeared to break it up – which told him that the Guards’ presence wasn’t just for show or potential pickpockets.  An armed force inside the city, even if they were Adventurers and dedicated to helping to make the place safer, was potentially a security and safety risk.  He’d had enough experience with hot-headed and unsavory individuals back on Tarth to know that if it hadn’t been for the native Guards there to keep order, there would’ve been any number of horrible—and deadly—situations that might have arose.

On the whole, however, the people he observed seemed relatively happy, and any disorder was kept to a minimum.  They were simply people going about their everyday business, even if there were potentially hundreds of thousands of them along Glory’s Passage, which was something that he equated to the bustling city of New York back on Earth – though on what seemed like a larger scale.

It felt like it took both hours and seconds before they arrived at the massive Coalition structure at the end of the Passage.  Thaden did his best to keep himself from gaping at the two entrances into the building, each of which were large enough to pass a double-decker commercial jet through, but he could tell that he hadn’t succeeded from the glances of amusement he received from the Porcerean Party leading him there.  Regardless of his reaction, they didn’t stop and led him right up to right-hand entrance, only halting right on the threshold as they moved to the side to stay out of the way of the constant stream of people moving in and out.

The impression Thaden got from peering inside the building was a sense of vastness and open space that he imagined an airplane hanger must have.  The Coalition lobbies that he’d visited on Tarth, as well as the ones in Felith and Purbooth, had all been impressive in their own ways, either with their luxurious appearance or efficiency, but the Teglir Coalition lobby was in a category of its own.  While it wasn’t particularly luxurious, as in there weren’t crystal chandeliers or waterfall installations, there was a sophisticated tone to the materials and form of what was actually there.  It looked like a 5-star hotel lobby back on Earth, though it was lacking the ostentatiousness that would’ve made it feel like only high-brow, snooty visitors should be visiting.  Instead, it was warm and inviting without it being too much – a difficult mixture that was quite different than what he was expecting.

Soft rugs lined a marble flooring, showing a comfort and practicality that contrasted with the high ceilings that were decorated with tasteful artwork that was more “modern” than he figured it should be, and the dark wood accents everywhere gave a completely different vibe from the pearlescent stone exterior.  Magical lights illuminated the entire lobby, showing that it extended in either direction with a length that somewhat reminded him of some of the fancier airports he’d visited in the past, and there were comfortable-looking chairs, loungers, and couches in a variety of designs, which seemed to be able to accommodate pretty much any race that wished to enjoy them.

And there were quite a few different races that he’d never seen before, along with some that were becoming quite familiar.  There were too many walking around to pinpoint any at a glance, but he did see that while it appeared as though 90%+ of the city’s residents were Netherines, they only comprised about half of what he saw inside the Coalition building.  He wasn’t sure why this was, given that every single Adventurer in Felith had been Netherine, but he could only assume that as this was a major hub, more races were likely to travel to the city than to make their way out to some of the smaller towns scattered around the country – or the “Aroxis Empire,” as he’d recently learned. 

“This is where we leave you,” Garney announced after giving Thaden a few seconds to look around.  He waved toward the right side as he said, “We need to report what happened during the Quest and have it rescheduled for tomorrow.  You, on the other hand, need to head to the ‘New Arrival’ desk and check-in.”  Garney followed up this statement by pointing in the opposite direction.  “From there, they can see about finding you another Party to join, as well as assigning any Quests that you might be interested in.  If you need anything from us, just let the Coalition team here know, as they know how to get in contact.  Otherwise, I wish you the best and I hope to see you around sometime.”

“Thank you again for saving me back there on the river, Garney.  I really do appreciate all the help you’ve given me.”

Garney nodded, but didn’t say anything as he turned away with the others, before quickly disappearing within the crowd of Adventurers filling the lobby. 

Now that he was by himself, or at least with just Sadia in his head to keep him company, Thaden felt both relieved and vulnerable; he was used to going about the world by himself, as he’d learned on Tarth that he preferred to go solo, but since he didn’t have the same kind of defensive and offensive abilities on Plangea, that made him feel less… “whole”.  Until he had them back, he would need to join some Parties to grow stronger – which was why he was there in the Coalition building in the first place.

With a deep breath, Thaden made his way towards the direction that Garney had pointed, trying to look around or over the heads of the other Adventurers in his way.  At the same time, he couldn’t help but notice the wide variety of races he passed, which ran the gamut of fantasy races from mythology to those that were a bit more exotic; on the whole, though, everyone appeared “humanoid” with a number of arms and legs, a torso, and a head.  There weren’t any “crazy strange” races such as formless elementals, blobs of intelligent slime, or anything too “out there” – though someone that looked like a cross between a shark and a spider came close to being hitting that threshold.  Still, even though they had 6 arms and 2 legs, with a shark head on a chitinous body, they stood upright on those 2 legs, wore the armor of an Adventurer, and wielded a staff that it held with 4 of its claw-like hands.

He received some strange looks in return even as he observed the vast array of people in the Coalition lobby.  Most of it was probably because he was a Human, which he saw absolutely none of anywhere, but a part of it was probably because of his plain outfit, which stood out amongst the well-equipped Adventurers around him.  Even the clear Support Classes that he saw walking around, which – as he experienced on Tarth – were fewer in number compared to the other Classes, were usually wearing some sort of magical robe or other gear suitable for them.  Thaden was also by himself instead of grouped with a Party, which stood out as something unusual; there were very few people wandering around that seemed to be by themselves, and those that were, appeared quietly confident and visibly powerful.

Eventually, after about 15 minutes of looking around, Thaden finally found himself in line that led to a counter with “New Arrivals” in bold silver letters emblazoned along the wall.  Thankfully, while there were approximately 50 people in front of him, the line went quickly, which he learned was because they had a half-dozen Coalition receptionists working the New Arrivals desk to help get through the influx of people. 

“Hey, are you new here, too?” he heard from behind him as he slowly shuffled forward as the line moved.  Glancing back at who seemed to be talking to him, he had to look slightly down as the speaker was shorter than he was. 

Blinky {Densartis Faction}

Grome

Level 16

Standing at about 4 feet tall, Blinky the Grome looked like a short, old man that had thin, wispy hair that was combed straight back on his head, which only seemed to emphasize the long, pointy ears that stuck out to the sides approximately 5 inches from his head.  Upon closer inspection, he deduced that Blinky wasn’t actually old despite his first assumption, as the tanned, wrinkled skin covering his face appeared to be normal, and there was a youthful energy that emanated from his eyes.  The enthusiastic smile on his face completed his assessment that the Grome was actually fairly young.

Flicking his eyes down Blinky’s outfit, Thaden quickly determined that the Grome was likely a Scout Class of some sort, with the close-fitting, dark-grey cloth and leather armor he was wearing, along with the daggers sheathed at his sides.

“Of course he’s new here,” said another voice with clear exasperation, and he looked up to see an Aelveen standing behind Blinky.  Thaden panicked for a half-second before he realized it wasn’t one of the Aelveen from the Local Legion he’d been forced to meet in Purbooth, especially as this one was only Level 15 and didn’t look like either of them.  Rel’ba’shet was also decked out in full chainmail armor underneath with what appeared to be iron plates attached to hardened, dark brown leather.  A Fighter Class.  “He’s in this line, after all.”

“I know, Rel, but I was trying to be polite,” Blinky responded, his enthusiasm clearly not depleted by the words that came from the Aelveen.  “So, Thaden, where did you come from?  Rel and I decided to transfer to Teglir for a while because we’ve heard that this is the best place to grow.  While the Westfold Plains can provide quite a few Quests to complete, they’re not very diverse and are more suited to those under Level 10; Teglir is known for having Quests up to Level 100, as well as appealing to Badge Holders higher than Wood Rank.  Oh, and we also need to find some more Party members after out last one… fell apart.  They didn’t die, thankfully, but when Fienna got preg—”

“You don’t need to tell everyone our history, Blinky,” the Aelveen cut him off, and Thaden had to stifle a chuckle.  “But he’s right, we’re looking to join a new Party, as there weren’t any back in Hoprun – the town that we’re originally from, far to the north.  Does your Party need a Fighter and Scout Class?  We’re also willing to join a Raid Party for a while, if it’s necessary.”

Thaden shook his head.  “I don’t have a Party.  It’s actually why I’m here, as well.”

“Oh?  No Party?  Well then, why don’t you join us—”

The taller Aelveen cut Blinky off once again.  “No, Blinky, we need to join an established Party, not… a random ‘Human,’ whatever that is.  And especially not one that doesn’t seem to have any gear.  How many times do I have to tell you, we can’t be picking up every stray Adventurer we come across—”

“But he’s a Support Class!  We didn’t even have one in our last Party, so having him in our Party would be a good incentive for others looking to join!”

Thaden inwardly smiled at the back-and-forth between the two, even as he took another few steps ahead as the line continued to shrink.  He didn’t blame the Aelveen for not thinking he was a worthwhile Party member, as he didn’t appear competent without any visible gear, though he wondered how Blinky knew he was a Support Class.  It could be because he didn’t have a weapon on him, as every other Adventurer – other than Support Classes – had one accessible, either on their hip or in their hands, but without any other gear, it could be that he was simply storing it away.  Regardless of how the Grome knew he was a Support Class, he wasn’t wrong.

“How about this, Blinky?” he interrupted.  “If you two find a Mage and a Control Class that also need a Party, I’ll come along with you.  Otherwise, I’m going to rely on the Coalition to help me find what I need.”  He wasn’t sure why he said that, as he’d probably have better luck having the Coalition find him an appropriate Party, but he had a good feeling about these two Adventurers – despite the lack of confidence in Thaden that the Aelveen displayed.

Blinky didn’t hesitate.  “Deal!”

“Now just wait a moment—”

Before Rel’ba’shet could finish his protestation, Thaden heard, “Next!” – and found that it was his turn at the New Arrivals desk.

He nodded back at the two Adventurers as he made his way up to the Coalition receptionist that had called for him.  As he walked up to the counter, which he was pleased to see was at a much lower height than the ones he was used to in the Netherine branches, the Netherine receptionist wasn’t even looking at him, but was instead filling out the last of some paperwork, which Thaden figured was from the previous Adventurer. 

“Badge?” she asked with a bored voice, the word likely spoken so many times throughout the day that it barely had any meaning to her anymore. 

“Uh, I don’t have my Badge.  I need to get it replaced.”

“No Badge?  You need to go to Coalition Registration first, and only then come back here to New Arrivals.  NEXT!” she shouted, never once looking up from her paperwork.

Thaden didn’t move, however.  He had no intention of waiting in another line, only to come back to this one.  Instead, he cleared his throat.  “Actually, I believe I need to speak to whoever your Teglir Adventurer’s Coalition Branch Leader is.  I have something that they need to do for me.”

“You what?  Our Branch Leader, as well as our Vice-Leaders, are very busy individuals, and they don’t just talk to any Adventurer that comes in demanding that they do something for them.  You can always try to arrange a meeting at the Appointments desk, but I can’t help you here.  Now, if you don’t have anything else, there’s a long line of New Arrivals behind you, and I don’t have time to waste talking to a—” she finally looked up at him, “Level 15 Human.  Now, as I said before—”

Thaden saw in her eyes the moment she seemed to see his Coalition Badge Rank, which he’d been told in Felith was visible only by Coalition employees.  She froze stiff, with even her breathing stopped, as she stared at him as if he was some sort of ghost. 

“How about that meeting?  Do you think that’s possible now?” he asked.  When she nodded and started to open her mouth, he continued before she could say anything.  “I would appreciate it if you don’t cause a scene.”  Another nod was all he got before she stood up from where she’d been sitting down on a low chair.  She then turned and walked through a doorway behind her and was gone for only about 20 seconds before she was back, trailing another Netherine member of the Coalition behind her.  The newcomer looked annoyed, but a single look at Thaden caused him to jerk backwards for a moment, before he quickly composed himself and sat down where the first receptionist had just vacated her spot. 

A gap in the counter was abruptly raised and the original Netherine beckoned him forward.  A glance out of the corner of his eye showed that Blinky and the Aelveen he’d been talking to were at the receptionist next to him, and at their confused looks, he just winked in their direction before following his guide to the Teglir Branch Leader.

“For once, you didn’t cause a scene that’ll have the entire lobby talking.  Hopefully, you’ve reduced it to just a few people.”

He chuckled lightly at Sadia’s observation, agreeing with her.  See, I can learn. 

Now he just had to ensure that his relatively unusual arrival stayed only a minor curiosity rather than a full-blown mystery.  Thankfully, the Branch Leader should be able to accomplish that – whoever they were.