《A Jump Into Fantasy》 Prologue: A Meeting of Four The robed man looked across to the three woman that kept him company at the end of the world. ¡°We arrived at the same result,¡± the one directly across from him said, the crystal embedded into her forehead blackened as if mimicking the frigidness in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t want to let it go unsaid, but I stood behind your decision. You know that.¡± Awoman clad in half-plate lamented as she took in the vista of the crumbling earth around her. ¡°But now, I can stand to see you do this to yourself no longer.¡± She continued as her gaze fell upon the man. ¡°Please. Once more.¡± The man pleaded. Just,¡± he looked around, ¡°one final attempt.¡± ¡°I am incapable of supporting such actions.¡± the woman with the crystal said, tapping on her forehead. ¡°I am on the last vestiges of my power. Continuing would be impossible in our current form,¡± she said as she settled into a serene calm. ¡°Then we just need more power. We have an hour, maybe two before it becomes unsalvageable. We can still think of something,¡± the man said as strength returned to his voice. ¡°My power is innate,¡± the crystal bearing woman said as she closed her eyes, ¡°and I have used up all I have.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Without the people to believe in me, I too am no use,¡± the armored woman said, her knuckles turning white from frustration. The final woman, clad in leather that seemed to meld into the shadows, looked over the rest. She had remained silent for she knew those three intimately and no words were needed for her to know what they wanted to say. She waited, watching for their attention to be drawn to the disappearing earth below them before she snuck away. ¡°But those are our people dying around us.¡± the man screamed as he pointed off into the distance. ¡°Those are people you have saved time and time again,¡± the leather-clad woman whispered, now far from earshot. ¡°We¡¯ve beat back danger after danger. Apocalypse after failed apocalypse,¡± the man continued. ¡°We¡¯ve lost too many friends. Too many allies," the woman spoke absentmindedly as she made her way to her destination. ¡°We won¡¯t be beaten now,¡± determination finally welling in his eyes as if his speech had beat away the despair. ¡°Then do what you refuse to do,¡± whispered the armored woman. ¡°You deal in souls, the power of others. You have some available right now, about to make their way to the lands beyond,¡± the crystal bearing woman explained. ¡°It¡¯s not the quantity of souls, I told you that,¡± the man harshly replied. ¡°You¡¯d have never agreed to this. Eve offered to be the one to do it but I couldn¡¯t let just anyone be the lynch-pin for the procedure you¡¯d though up. I couldn¡¯t have had it any other way¡± she thought as she plunged into the abyss below. ¡°Yes, but you¡¯ve just been offered one very powerful soul¡± the armored woman said, staring the man directly in the eyes. Not 30 seconds later, the world stood still. Chapter 1 - Bar Rats He stood there, the whites of his knuckles seemingly reflecting the shimmering red light emanating from the center of his otherwise lightless room. The shadows were dancing across his face and the walls, as various discarded wrappers and sheets of paper were thrown about. The shimmering portal standing in the middle of his cramped bedroom was already dwindling, but each step closer seemed to take more and more effort as the air seemed to push him back to normalcy. With one final gulp, the young man jumped into the portal and it closed with a rubbery snap. A mere hour earlier, the young man had woken up and he felt knowledge flow into his weary brain as he slowly rubbed his eyes. Within the hour you, and three others you know, will find a portal opening in front of your respective persons. Beyond it lies a world of swords and sorcery and of lost technology and wonder. Do be entertaining. It took a couple seconds for his mind to even process the information flowing in his brain and then he immediately snapped upright causing something to go flying off his bed. The room was cluttered and made it difficult to find whatever it was, but within a few minutes the young man found a suspicious golden ring sitting on top of a sheet of paper. So, weird message that I somehow just know is telling me the truth. Check. Weird ring that I¡¯ve never seen before. Check. ¡°Bets on the ring being on whoever else was invited to come along, anyone?¡± he asked the room. As he thought this, he quickly started scribbling down a farewell to everyone he knew onto the sheet of paper. It was short and to the point, though his hands faltered when he finally tried to address the letter to someone. ¡°To¡­¡± His hand unable to write what he wanted to convey, he started scratching his head in frustration. Damn it, I need to get my preparations ready. I don¡¯t have time for this. After thinking that, he quickly scribbled down the first thing he thought of. ¡®To everyone I know,¡¯ Soon, the room looked as if a tornado had hit it. Everything had been thrown onto the ground with no regards to cleanliness and nothing had been spared from the tornado¡¯s wrath. Even the young man himself looked completely disheveled as he inspected himself in the mirror. He was of relatively short stature, standing a centimeters or two shorter than the average person with a crop of short spiky hair that seemed to never flatten as each strand of hair seemed to refuse the call of gravity with every fiber of its being. He wore simple clothing, jeans and a black shirt, but on his back was a camping backpack filled to the brim with various tools. At his side hung a laptop bag and on his face a beaming smile as he appreciated his purchase of a solar charger. As he jumped towards the portal, time seemed to slow down. The closer he got, the longer the next moment took as his eyes started to rapidly dart around, absorbing as much information as he could. I¡¯m definitely moving forward. I mean, my foot¡¯s shadow moved slightly past that mark on the ground. Wait, could that have been the change in the light from the portal? Wait, that would mean that things are still going forward so thats a good sign, I think? What felt like an eternity suddenly collapsed into an instant as he fell onto the cold stone ground below and as another three bodies smashed together on top of him. ¡°FAAAGHHHH GET OFF,¡± he yelled out. ¡°Yeah, give me a moment,¡± replied another man¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate getting dug out, guys,¡± came a woman¡¯s. ¡°When whoever that is gets off me, sure,¡± replied the final man¡¯s voice. The area around them seemed to go quiet. Men, women, children and all sorts of humanoid figures had been suddenly interrupted in their day to day lives as these three had fallen into the middle of their busy street. ¡°Look momma.¡± ¡°Honey, don¡¯t poke fun at them.¡± ¡°Damn Crystal malfunctions. Those¡¯ve been happening a lot lately.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a conspiracy I say, I conspiracy.¡± ¡°Great, get out of my way. I need to get this stuff delivered yesterday.¡± Soon, their passing interest faded and business went on as usual for the locals as the crowded street continued to ebb and flow through the arteries of the large, sprawling city they called home. As he finally got up, the young man had quickly opened up his bag and checked its contents. Everything¡¯s fine. Wait, laptop check. Looks good. Phone? Check. No harm done. Good ¡°That¡¯s an elf¡±. The voice seemed to trail off in amazement. ¡°OH, and there¡¯s a dwarf!¡± the voice continued. ¡°What, the hell,¡± it gasped, accentuated with a long exasperated sigh. ¡°Oww,¡± one of the men said, rubbing his face. ¡°I fell face first. That is NOT cool man.¡± ¡°MIKEY,¡± proclaimed the first man. ¡°Good to see you here,¡± he continued.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, Charles. My name is Michael, not Mikey¡± he replied, awkwardly returned the hug. Michael looked to be almost completely mundane by modern standards. His facial features were very undefined, his height was about average and his hair was cut in a way that obscured his eyes. Charles on the other hand was half a head taller than Michael. He looked somewhat pale, but his body was lean. On his head was a ridiculous, neon pink elephant hat and he wore a goofy smile.. Both were dressed in similarly mundane clothing consisting of jeans and shirts of differing designs. They carried large bags, bursting at the seams with the amount of gear stashed inside of them. ¡°Guys, that bloody hurt. You weigh like a tonne ¡°Mikey¡±.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t call me that either, Stephanie¡± Michael replied, the irritation starting to seep in. Unlike the rest, Stephanie had dressed as if for a hike, her clothing rugged and decorated in camo patterns. Dirty blonde hair coming down to her waist and on her back, a small backpack. It was barely able to hold a textbook but it had been quickly modified with rope and duct tape to stop the various books and tools from falling. ¡°Hey, even Nathaniel¡¯s here,¡± exclaimed Michael as he tore away from the hug to pace over over to Nathaniel¡¯s side. ¡°Yeah, just checking to see if the laptop¡¯s fine,¡± responded Nathaniel in a weary tone. ¡°Worrying about a laptop when you could be worrying about where the hell we are. Look around you! Holy damn, there¡¯s fantasy stuff everywhere here.¡± Michael proclaimed in an excited tone as his eyes widened like an excited child¡¯s. ¡°Guys, look up¡± Charles whispers in awe. The buildings around them looked to be victorian-esque in their construction, but they each displayed impossible feats of architecture as they all seemed to extend well into the sky above them. It was almost impossible to see the sky above their heads as the towering structures blocked their view, save for the small patch directly above them. Stationed at regular intervals of 10 meters along the street and up the buildings seemed to hang lamp posts, illuminating the area around them with an unwavering flame. The sheer size and amount of buildings seem to have blocked all natural lighting, only the lamp posts illuminating their surroundings. ¡°Get yer asses off the road, ya dumbass taffers,¡± comes a voice from within the crowd. ¡°Woah, who said that,¡± Charles said as he started scanning the crowd. ¡°Who said what now?¡± questioned the other three. ¡°The guy who told us to move.¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s time to bloody move, people¡¯ve got work to get to.¡± The source of the voice strode towards the three as they find their attention placed back onto their mysterious surroundings. Before them stood a man of bulging mass, standing a head taller than everyone else around them. ¡°Uhh¡­ Hi?¡± waved Michael at the new arrival. ¡°You understand him, Mikey?¡± Charles asked as he quickly scanned the man. ¡°Yeah, you guys don¡¯t?¡± Michael said as he quickly looked around for an escape route. ¡°No bloody clue,¡± replied Nathaniel as he started fumbling around his pockets, looking for anything to use. ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t piss him off or we¡¯re leaving you as bait,¡± Stephanie replied while discretely trying to reach for something strapped to her bag. ¡°Yer accent¡¯s amusing, so y¡¯must be frontier bumpkins. Here¡¯s a tip, stop bloody gawkin or somebody¡¯ll make you and I¡¯m about to volunteer for that role¡± ¡°We, uhh, just got here so yeah we¡¯ll take that offer,¡± Michael said as he and the group began walking with the flow of people. ¡°Dammit, we shouldn¡¯t have been standing in the middle of the street, guys,¡± Nathaniel said as he started leading the group along with the flow of the street. ¡°Yeah Mikey, what made you think that?¡± replied Charles. ¡°And anyway, what¡¯s up with you understanding the language. Sounded like gibberish to me,¡± continued Nathaniel. ¡°No clue, I¡¯m just in the dark as you are.¡± ¡°Well then, did you get anything unique before coming here? I woke up with a ring in my hand.¡± Steph asked as she began rummaging in her pockets. ¡°You mean this ring?¡± Michael said as he brought up his arm to show the other two the golden ring on his right index finger. ¡°So, mysterious ring that you had no clue whatsoever would be beneficial and you wore it?¡± asked a dumbfound Nathaniel. ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s cursed?¡± ¡°Eh, what¡¯s the worst that can happen¡± Charles says as he slips the ring on. ¡°Oh hey, I can kinda understand what everyone¡¯s whispering about around us. Neat¡± ¡°Ughhh, fine I¡¯ll put it on my pinkie. I can at least bare to cut that off if it is cursed.¡± Nathaniel said as he follows their example. Stephanie looked at them in anticipation. ¡°You guys dead men walking?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been wearing mine since I woke up, it can¡¯t possibly be bad¡± Michael replied with a shrug. After walking aimlessly a couple blocks, Nathaniel broke the silence with a question. ¡°Guys, where are we going?¡± ¡°I dunno¡± ¡°No clue¡± ¡°Why are you asking me?¡± ¡°Ok¡­ Why are we even walking?¡± ¡°I dunno¡± ¡°No clue¡± ¡°Beats me¡± ¡°Ok¡­ I vote Michael for leader.¡± ¡°I dunno¡± ¡°Sure¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Three to one. Michael, if I die because of you, I¡¯m totally haunting your ass¡± ¡°What? Aw, c¡¯mon. Could you not? I don¡¯t need that kind of responsibility¡± ¡°Fine, Scissors Paper Rock for it?¡± Charles suggests. ¡°Uh¡­ I guess?¡± Michael says as he faces towards Charles. ¡°Ok, you two. 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Go¡± Steph said, refereeing the match as she shared a knowing glance at Nathaniel. Michael throws out a rock while Charles throws out paper. ¡°So I guess I get to haunt CHARLES¡¯ ass when I die?¡± Nathaniel said as he nonchalantly walked ahead of them both. Their back and forth argument lasted for quite some time and once it dies down, the group found themselves wandering into an alley. Unlike the roads they had left behind, the alley was deserted and seemed almost as if it had been ripped out of a modern day city as the various neon-looking signs flicker displaying letters they could not read. ¡°So, where does our glorious leader want to take us now?¡± asked Nathaniel. ¡°Maybe we could find ourselves a police station? Do they even have those here?¡± Michael suggests. ¡°I was thinking we find someone who doesn¡¯t look busy and ask them to give us directions¡± Charles said, looking around them. ¡°Directions to where, oh glorious leader¡± ¡°What about one of those places with the weird sign?¡± Charles said as he points towards a door nearby. ¡°Go for it, I¡¯ll be standing right¡­ uhh¡­ over here¡± Michael says as he begins distancing himself from the group. Charles walks towards the door without looking at the rest of the group and knocks on the door. As his knuckles meet the wooden door, it seems to be pushed back slightly and seems to be open ajar. ¡°Go for it, boss!¡± Nathaniel says as he joins Michael. ¡°Onwards, brave leader!¡± Michael says as he waves at Charles . ¡°Really, you two?¡± Steph said as she jogged up to Charles . Charles gave a small shrug as he walked in, finding himself in what seemed to be a rather well kept bar. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone around, except for the one small figure scurrying on the bartop. As Charles steps forward to inspect it closer, the lights illuminate its features and before him seemed to stand a large pale animal, with fur that seems to spark with erratic flashes of electricity. Not only that, but it stood on its hind legs washing cups in its small tailor-made tuxedo. Charles stood there, shocked and just stared at the creature as Michael poked his head in. ¡°Charles, you dead ye- WHAT IS THAT!¡± Michael said as he ran up, beside Charles. ¡°It¡¯s a rat... thing in a tuxedo¡± Charles slowly said. ¡°What the hell¡± ¡°Not dealing with this¡± Michael says as he walks back out the door. ¡°Can I keep it?¡± Nathaniel asked. ¡°If it lets you, I guess?¡± Charles responded as the creature turned to Nathaniel and gave him a stern look. It started muttering various sounds in what seemed to be some form of language, but the meaning was lost to the three still left inside. ¡°Ok¡­ we''re all new to this place. We just got here and are a bit lost. I was hoping you could help us out a little, with directions, or something similar?¡° Charles asked. It nodded and responded in the same language it was using before. ¡°Though,¡± Stephanie paused ¡±we don¡¯t exactly have any money to pay you with¡±. The creature merely shrugged before motioning for everyone to sit down. ¡°Mind getting us some water too? We¡¯re probably going to be asking you a lot of questions¡± Charles said as they took a seat. ¡°Mikey, get in here. Time to figure things out¡± Nathaniel yelled back towards the alley. chapter 2 - Of Guilds and Schools Michael walked in or, to be more accurate, he was lightly pushed in by a stockier man right behind him. "Well, get on in there. Burt doesn''t bite" the new man chuckled as he continued to prod Michael in. "Well, most of the time that is" he added before leaving Michael behind and walked up to the bar. "You lot are new faces, wearing funny clothes too" he mentioned as he took a seat next to Charles. "Ah. One of the usuals while you''re behind the bar, Burt" he said as he turned the seat to face the rest of the group. "Frobern" he said as he gave everyone a nod. "Hope you lot stick with Burt, he can be a bit picky but he''s a good sort" The group was quiet, slightly bemused by the man''s nonchalant attitude. "Well then, what''s your stories? I don''t think I''ve ever seen clothing like that you''re wearing and I''ve been through crystals from every sector. From the 000s to the 893 sector and what you lot are wearing is new to me" Frobern said as he patted Charles on the shoulder. "We, uhh, ended up in town by accident. We hitched a ride and kinda woke up here" Michael said as he took a seat on the furthest side from Frobern. "Pretty much as he said" Charles said as he offered a hand to Frobern. "Charles. This is Nathaniel, Stephanie and Michael" he said as he introduced everyone in turn. "You didn''t have to tell him our real names, idiot" Michael whispered. "Uh huh, woke up here. Right, what''d you do to end up here? Piss off the guys on high?" Frobern asked as he gave them a quizzical look. Michael returned the look before Nathaniel elbowed him in the side. "Ah, yeah you could say something like that" Stephanie interjected with a smile. "You look lost, kid. What, never heard of the Secluded, the Nine, the Ones on High?" Frobern asked in a joking manner as he looked over at Michael. "He had a rougher morning than all of us. Woke up with his face in the ground" Nathaniel said as he put an arm around Michael''s shoulders. "This is the part where we pretend to know what we''re talking about" he whispered into Michael''s ear. "Must have been one long night then" Frobern chuckled. "To wake up in a shitty bar like this, no offense Burt" he continued as Burt scuttled along the bartop, distributing drinks between the party. "Oh no, we woke up on the street" Michael said. "Yeah some huge dude got angry at us for blocking the road" Charles explained. "Seem''s like our ride," Michael paused as he tried to think of an explanation, "ditched us." "Ride, huh? What, like horses?" Frobern asked. "Like I said, we hitched a ride here" Michael repeated. "Honestly, none of us remember anything" Charles said. "What are you lot even talking about? The roads here aren''t wide enough or are too packed for the roads that are to fit a travel animal like that" Frobern replied. Michael facepalmed as he muttered to himself. "Right you got us. Rookie screw up on our part, we''re a little new at this" Charles said as he gave a slight laugh. "Right, we were teleported here. No idea why though" Michael said. Stephanie and Nathaniel both sighed as Steph berated him "You aren''t supposed to tell him that." "I have no idea which one is easier to believe" Frobern gave a sigh of exhasperation. "You ever seen one of these?" Charles asked as he pulled out some coins. "Really?" Michael asked with a deadpan expression as he looked over at Charles. "Or one of these?" Nathaniel said as he pulled out his phone. "Really?" Michael said, getting even more annoyed. "Or seen a book like this?" Stephanie said as she took out a basic survival guide from her backpack. "REALLY?" Michael said, his voice raised to a near scream. "You just said we were teleported here" Charles responded. "That doesn''t mean flash your valuables everywhere. We have no idea where we are and you''re all going to get us mugged and stabbed in the back" Michael sighed as he looked at the rest of the group. "Coinage looks a lot different, that''s for sure. That paper doesn''t look like any I''ve seen before and that box is clearly magical. What, you a wizard or something?" Frobern asked as he looked at Nathaniel. "And your friend? He doesn''t seem very accommodating" Frobern said, not giving Nathaniel any time to respond. "I know right?" "That''s for sure" Charles and Stephanie responded. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Charles took off the ring that he, and everyone else, had been wearing. "Now you can''t understand me, right?" Charles said, slightly unsure of himself. "And now he speaks a tongue I''ve never heard before" Frobern said, a slight look of amazement on his face. "Ok, you convinced me" ¡°Anyways, could you tell us where we are Mr...¡± Michael paused as he looked at the rest of the party for help. ¡°Frobern. As you can tell, we¡¯re kinda lost¡± he finished as Stephanie whispered the answer into his ear. ¡°¡®Where¡¯ he asks. Well, we don¡¯t exactly have some official name for this place. Guess we just know it as the Capital. Most people just call it home though.¡± Frobern said as he sat there contemplating the situation. ¡°Then what about its neighbours?¡± Stephanie asked, clinking two cups together as a demonstration. ¡°None of the islands float close enough to us here or into the housing blocks that stretch above us to really call them neighbours. Closest islands to us would be the 000 section¡± Frobern replied. ¡°¡®Float¡¯? What, like we¡¯re on some flying islands or something?¡± Michael joked as he elbowed Nathaniel. ¡°Exactly like that¡± Frobern replied. ¡°So what are we the capital of?¡± Charles asked. ¡°Collectively the scholar types have been referring to the landmasses as the Shards of Altera, though all the islands are pretty self-contained¡± Frobern said as he took his first mouthful of his drink. ¡°Whew, that¡¯s the stuff. You still make ¡®em good, Burt¡± Frobern said as he gave Burt a thumbs up. ¡°So hey, before we go and forget about it, is there any parts of town we should be worrying about?¡± Michael asked as he started thumbing the ring he had been wearing. ¡°Not really. If someone looks like trouble, just shout or run. Someone¡¯ll see it, almost impossible for nobody to see it around here.¡± Frobern replied with a shrug. ¡°So quite strict law enforcement then?¡± Charles asked. ¡°Not exactly. Either the ¡°law enforcement¡± gets to you or you throw the guy off the side of the island. Nobody¡¯ll report you for either¡± Frobern said, taking another swig. ¡°Great, sounds just like home¡± Nathaniel replied as his hand slipped to the hilt of his sword. ¡°Yeah, ignoring him, I take it that¡¯s not a fall you¡¯re meant to survive?¡± Michael asked. ¡°Eh, from what I heard it''s the starvation or dehydration¡± Frobern said as he belched out literal flames. ¡°So, the takeaway from this is we don¡¯t fall off the edge¡± Stephanie stated as she looked into her jug of water. ¡°Last time someone did, the poor mage tried to teleport back onto dry land. Too bad it didn¡¯t stop his momentum¡± Frobern said, a disgusted look on his face. ¡°Wait, let me clarify. There are wizards here, right? Like, magic and that sort of thing?¡± Michael asked, gradually getting more excited. ¡°Yeah¡± Frobern replied with a confused look. ¡°What, that a surprise? Your friend there seems to have some magic on him. You sure as hell didn¡¯t arrive here in no normal means too¡± Frobern chuckled. ¡°We told you, we got teleported. Didn¡¯t exactly have the time to register that in our minds as anything unusual yet¡± Stephanie replied. ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t us doing it¡± Michael replied. ¡°Don¡¯t like, wizards summon things from the ¡®Great Beyond¡¯? Maybe they were trying that and ended up with us?¡± Charles questioned. ¡°Right. Like WE were brought along like some stupid fantasy story to this place¡± Nathaniel replied in a joking manner. ¡°You never know, we¡¯re pretty good¡± Stephanie said with a grin. ¡°Good as we may be,¡± Charles shared the smile, ¡°but we¡¯re going to need a paycheck eventually. What¡¯s an honest man like you do, Frobern?¡± ¡°¡®Honest¡¯? Maybe at one point¡± Frobern chuckled. ¡°Mostly just a job from the guild every now and then. Mostly just take one of the higher paying ones, live off of the gold for a couple months before going back for another job.¡± he said as he shook a small pouch at his side. ¡°The guild?¡± Michael asked. ¡°Anyone who don¡¯t like the usual lifestyle tend to take up Guild work. Y¡¯know, merc stuff to expeditions to helping out on a farm temporarily.¡± Frobern replied, miming some farm-work. ¡°How do you sign up?¡± Charles asked, eagerness in his voice. ¡°Oh, and how do we get some training¡± he added on. ¡°Simple, just go down over to the Guild HQ on the Cilian landmasses¡± Frobern replied. ¡°The what? I¡¯m sorry, but we did just get here¡± Stephanie asked. ¡°Ah, sorry. Just go down to the Hall and take the crystal to Cilgard¡± Frobern explained. ¡°Gunna cost you a pretty penny though. 100 platinum for membership.¡± Frobern added on. ¡°Platinum, like the metal?¡± Michael asked. ¡°Ah, right. Gotta explain that too, don¡¯t I? 100 copper coins to a silver, 100 silver to a gold and 100 gold to a platinum¡± Frobern said as he took out a platinum coin from his pouch. ¡°Guys, they can use platinum as currency¡± Michael exclaimed. ¡°And?¡± Nathaniel asked. ¡°That means it''s common enough to do that. Imagine how much money we¡¯d make selling that stuff back home¡± Michael explained. ¡°Yeah, imagine how much that¡¯d be worth back home¡± Charles added. ¡°If we get home¡± Stephanie said as she motioned everyone to calm down. ¡°You know, if we want to go home¡± she said after quietened down. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s gunna be a hard sell¡± Nathaniel replied. ¡°OH. Do they have like wizard school, Frobern?¡± Michael asked. ¡°They¡¯ve got colleges associated with the guild for people wanting to learn stuff like that¡± Frobern said as he motioned at a small patch inscribed with various runes shaped into a sword on his shoulder. ¡°Ah. Damn tuition. The bane of my existence, even here¡± Michael said as the life seemed to leave him. ¡°No problem, comes as part of the registration fee and the Guild gives out loans to those who can¡¯t afford to pay it off. With interest of course¡± Frobern said with a grimace. ¡°Know a guy who hasn¡¯t paid it off 10 years later. Already retired from the life to take up baking¡± he said with a slight chuckle. ¡°That raises the question. How much actually is that?¡± Stephanie pondered. ¡°Yeah Frobern, how much does a gold get, for lodgings and such¡± Charles asked. ¡°Hmm, well it¡¯ll get you lodgings and food for at least a month. Maybe more, maybe less depending on where you eat and stay. I usually blow through a gold in a day or two, but I like to eat at the fancier places. Live life and all¡± Frobern said. ¡°If we fail at that, guess we can always use our skills to be some pretty good bureaucrats, eh?¡± Charles said with a grin. ¡°We¡¯re here, we might as well put ourselves in mortal danger. Not like that changes much, from what Frobern¡¯s said¡± Michael said with a small shrug. ¡°So I take it that Michael here wants to be a mage of sorts, what of the rest of you?¡± Frobern asked as he looked everyone up and down. ¡°Nathaniel, you look like a swordsman, eh? I noticed you going for it every time you felt a little scared¡± Frobern said, eyeing the sword. ¡°It was always a hobby of mine. Not exactly good at it though and,¡± Nathaniel drew the blade halfway out of the scabbard to reveal a slightly rusty and dulled blade, ¡°it¡¯s not exactly well maintained.¡± ¡°Ah, disappointing but I can understand. Most people don¡¯t even come close to that here¡± Frobern said with a slight nod as he looked over to Charles. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bit of training with a bow and a sword. Did some fencing before, at least. Always preferred a sabre though, but that¡¯s semantics.¡± Charles said with a shrug. ¡°Hope you do well. I certainly think you could do well with one¡± Frobern said as he took a closer examination of Charles. ¡°And you missy?¡± Frobern said after finishing his examination. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not exactly a fighter so I guess I¡¯ll end up doing magic too¡± Stephanie said. ¡°Hey, just because I got a blade doesn¡¯t mean I ain¡¯t gunna try learning magic too. You think I wouldn¡¯t?¡± Nathaniel replied. Hours passed as Frobern continued to explain the various types of training people in the guild offer. Michael had never once doubted his choice to be a wizard and had decided to fall asleep on a nearby couch as Frobern was talking. Eventually, Charles had decided to check out the Rune-Knights which Frobern was a part of and the Tamer¡¯s Assocation. Stephanie had also decided to join Charles in his journey to the Tamer¡¯s Association while Nathaniel had gotten very excited to learn of the Necromancer¡¯s Union. To repay him, the party had, in turn, answered Frobern¡¯s questions of their homeland. They explained to him the world of the mundane, where they used complex chains of reactions and their understanding of the world to create buildings that reached to the skies and flew through the air as he inquired further and further. Chapter 3 - By Claw And Blade The party decided to help Burt clean up the dishes as Frobern left to attend to other business. They eventually left the underground bar, back into the neon-lit alleyways they had left behind. ¡°Now that I look at it, it really is bloody tall¡± Nathaniel remarked as he craned his neck up. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t see the tops of the buildings around us.¡± Charles observed. ¡°Like mice in a maze¡± Stephanie added before she pushed the other three from behind. ¡°Come on, time waits for noone¡± she said. Five hours later, as even the artificial lighting around them started to die down, the party sat together in an alleyway, heads hanging in shame. They had made good progress, the streets thinning out in the afternoon, allowing them to see far off into the distance down the streets they passed. Even so, they had to admit. They were lost. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we didn¡¯t ask him for directions.¡± Michael said as he looked at everyone. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we ask him for directions¡± Michael sobbed. ¡°It¡¯s not like we were doing it on purpose, Michael¡± Stephanie replied, irritated. ¡°Yeah, but this is the mo-¡± Michael was interrupted as the party heard a large thud from further down the alleyway. Charles immediately stood up and looked around. He stared down the alley for a couple seconds before pointing at something crumpled next to a door, around 100 meters away. As everyone started noticing it, the crumpled heap slowly stood up and slammed their body against the door before using the wall as a support to stagger over to the next. ¡°Was that there before?¡± Nathaniel asked. ¡°¡®That¡¯ appears to be a person, Nathaniel. Come on, man¡± Michael berated him as they all cautiously moved closer. ¡°Hey, you never know. We¡¯ve got magic here, might very well be a ¡®That¡¯¡± Nathaniel replied. ¡°Maybe we should keep walking and get out of here?¡± Michael suggested. ¡°Nah, we should go up and ask ¡®em if they¡¯re OK¡± Charles said, leading the group forward. ¡°I¡¯ll stay right here while you do that¡± Michael said as he stood his ground. ¡°Come on, Michael. Don¡¯t be like that¡± Steph said as she passed him. ¡°Yeah, geez. All you gotta do is stand close to me¡± Charles added. Soon, the person collapse on the ground, no longer able to walk further. ¡°Look, they¡¯re obviously in trouble. We gotta help¡± Charles said as he and the other two started a jogging pace, leaving Michael behind. ¡®Hey! You OK there? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Charles shouted as he approached the figure, now convulsing in the ground and slowly curling into the fetal position. As they got closer, the smell of blood became quite clear and a small pool of the liquid was visibly forming underneath the figure. ¡°Even here you get random stabbings¡± Charles muttered under his breath as he approached a few steps away from the person. Underneath the torn clothing, seemed to lay a convulsing woman, dirt and grime making any finer features hard to identify. ¡°Look, you¡¯ll be ok. Just hang in there¡± Charles said. ¡°Michael, go look for someone on the streets to help out!¡± Charles shouted out. ¡°Charles? She stopped moving¡± ¡°Dammit, help me roll her over. We need to find out what happened¡± he said as he crouched down next to the woman. They quickly began looking her over for the source of the bleeding but couldn¡¯t find any external wounds. ¡°Umm, guys. Not to sound weird, but she¡¯s starting to get real hairy.¡± Nathaniel added as he looked at her hands. ¡°What do you- Oh. You¡¯re right, I can actually see her hair gro-¡± Stephanie couldn¡¯t finish her sentence before the woman started spasming on the ground again and the three stepped back in shock. The convulsions got more and more intense, her body twisting in impossible directions and before their eyes, her body grew larger. The three looked at each other and ran. ¡°What¡¯s it like, guys? I couldn¡¯t fin- NEVERMINDITHINKSHE¡¯SOK¡± Michael screamed out and joined the party as they ran away from the, now beastlike, woman. She ran at them on all fours, the sound of claws against pavement resounding in their ears. ¡°LEFT¡± Charles shouted out as they ran into another alleyway. ¡°AGAIN¡± ¡°RIGHT¡± ¡°DAMMIT. UHH. THAT ONE¡± Michael and Charles led the front of the party, knocking through obstacles to make way for the other two as Charles continued guiding them through the streets. Behind them, Nathaniel and Stephanie were throwing obstacles into the way of the creature behind them as it nimbly leapt over or powered through the debris. ¡°Hold still¡± Nathaniel said as he took position behind Stephanie. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Just keep running¡± ¡°I can¡¯t keep running if you tell me to hold still¡± ¡°Then get as close to it as you can¡± ¡°How about you try it¡± ¡°We¡¯re being chased by a werewolf and you¡¯re arguing with me?¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°We¡¯re being chased by a werewolf and you¡¯re arguing back?¡± ¡°Just keep running like that¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make me trip¡± ¡°No I won¡¯t¡± Nathaniel said as he finally managed to grab out a pack of nails from within Stephanie¡¯s backpack. He quickly sprinkled them behind him and, as he turned around, the beast tumbled and roared in pain. ¡°Keep on running!¡± Charles shouted from ahead. The party kept running. Through alleys, closed bazaars and even through a park clearing, they ran for what felt like hours. They emptied their lungs out and kept on pushing before finally one of them fell to their knees in exhaustion. Not long after, the rest followed. ¡°Told you, we¡¯re fine¡± Stephanie wheezed out with a grin. ¡°Not sure what your definition of fine is¡± Michael added, staring at the buildings above as he laid on his back. ¡°Still, it was a bloody river of people this morning but now we can¡¯t find a single soul? Give me a break¡± Nathaniel said. ¡°Break¡¯s over, we need to keep on going¡± Charles said as he motioned behind them. ¡°I can still hear it coming¡± he added as he re-adjusted the straps of his backpack. ¡°It¡¯s slowed down because of the injury on its foot and we¡¯re halfway down this alleyway. We can see it coming and still be able to get away. Let us rest or we¡¯re going to collapse mid-run¡± Nathaniel said, refusing to get off the ground. ¡°Nat¡¯s right. You watch that way and I¡¯ll watch this way.¡± Stephanie said, talking to Charles as they took up watch. Michael rubbed his eyes, the sweat and exhaustion blurring his vision. He looked over to his bag and got up off the ground. He started rummaging through its contents, training manuals, tools and clothing strewn aside as he pulls out a flintlock pistol, one that he caressed before drawing out of his bag and grabbing out the pack of gunpowder he had. ¡°Spent all this money on a working flintlock to play with before. Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d actually need it.¡± Michael thought as he slowly loaded the weapon. First the gunpowder. Then the ball. Now the primer. Where¡¯s the primer? As he reached for the primer, Michael noticed a shadow move across the ground below him. As he looked up, the beast fell and slammed into Michael, pinning him in place. The first to react was Charles, charging into the beast with a shoulder tackle with enough force to roll the beast off of his friend. Yet, the beast rolled with the blow, grabbing onto Charles with its other hand and using the momentum to throw Charles 10m away and rolling onto all fours in one smooth motion. Nathaniel drew his sword and lightly struck it across the ground, grabbing the beast¡¯s attention. It stared at him as he slowly advanced with clumsy movements, Nathaniel¡¯s eyes glued to the unmoving figure of Charles behind the creature. The beast seemed to be waiting and even Nathaniel could tell that one more step would trigger the beast as he stopped his advance. They stared at each other, waiting for the first move to be struck. While the beast watched, Nathaniel made the mistake of continuing to split his attention between his friend and the enemy in front of him and that was when it struck out. The claw raced up, slamming against the flat of the blade and throwing Nathaniel¡¯s right arm to the side with a resounding upward strike. Nathaniel saw the claw descend from the air in slow motion. He could trace the line it would take to rip into his chest as he slowly tried to raise his left hand to block it. Moments before the claw met flesh, he closed his eyes and he felt a giant impact from behind him. Wait. Behind me? ¡°Nice tackle!¡± Michael shouted as he fired the flintlock at the beast. A loud squelch could be heard and the beast took a step back as Stephanie pulled Nathaniel off the ground. ¡°Help Michael, quick¡± Stephanie said as she ran over to pick up Charles. Michael could barely see beyond the beast. To him, it looked as if the beast had doubled in size and taken up the entirety of the alleyway after he had shot the thing. He began backstepping and quickly changed grip on his flintlock, holding it from the barrel. It crouched down low, allowing Michael to see his friends safe and sound on the other side of the beast. He gave a small smile and lowered his stance. Just gotta hit it in the head as it charges me. No problem. Michael thought, preparing to strike. Even though he was preparing for it, the beast shot out faster than he could react. It ran up to him, kept its distance and struck a glancing blow across his shoulder, leaving a rather sizeable wound, before running past him and taking the same stance. With his friends at his back, Michael ran. Stephanie and Charles were already most of the way out of the alleyway. Nathaniel had stayed behind, sword drawn but looking ready to run as Michael passed him. Noticing the lack of footsteps following behind, Michael saw Nathaniel still there, keeping the beast at bay. Round two. Just remembering your training and you¡¯ll be good. Nathaniel repeated in his head. Footwork¡¯s fine. Stance is good. Blade angled right. Breathing controlled. Now watch that thing and stay focused. Even as he ran through the mental checklist, Nathaniel¡¯s panic was getting to him. Constantly having to re-adjust his footing, unconfident in each step and with a wavering blade, the beast a few meters away from him seemed to snicker. It began pacing closer, only to retreat and to get down low, ready to pounce only to uncurl and resume its pacing. It was toying with him, enjoying the reactions Nathaniel was giving it. Yet, it could hear the footsteps of the man behind its prey. Play time ended as abruptly as it started as it instead charged at Nathaniel directly. The sword swung wide and the beast merely slowed down to avoid the strike, preparing the strength in its hind legs to jump towards its target. Nathaniel managed to raise the blade fast enough to help take the impact of the beast as it pushed him back, throwing him head over heels backwards. The beast took a position above Nathaniel and looked prepared to strike before a voice rung out. ¡°Gotcha¡± Michael said, aiming the flintlock at the creature which instinctively ducked away and behind a nearby pile of furniture. Not wasting a second, Nathaniel was already scrambling to his feet and had his sword readied once again. Using Nathaniel to block the gun¡¯s path, the beast set upon the two yet again. They were slowly backing away, closer to the exit of the alleyway. As they got closer, the temptation to look behind them grew too large and Michael took a quick peek, seeing Stephanie and Charles motioning for the two to get closer. The beast moved almost instantaneously, rushing along the walls and landing right in front of Michael, avoiding a fatal strike with a last minute pull from Nathaniel behind him. ¡°SHOOT IT¡± Nathaniel screamed. ¡°I WAS BLUFFING¡± Michael screamed back. The beast sprung out yet again, but Michael was pulled even further back and tripped onto his backside as Nathaniel sidestepped the charge and managed to slice into the beast¡¯s leg as it charged past. The momentum of the beast and the weak power behind the strike left the sword half-buried in the creature¡¯s leg, twisting Nathaniel¡¯s wrist as he gritted his teeth in pain. Not missing out on this chance, the two shared a grin before bolting out the alley as the beast howled behind them. Nathaniel and Michael turned the corner and quickly backed up against the wall. Not far from them, Charles and Stephanie were standing slightly above, bear trap ready to drop in hand. The beast began to slowly limp out, peaking out the corner and howling in anger as it spotted Michael and Nathaniel a mere 5 meters away. As it turned the corner, a loud metallic snap could be heard as the beast recoiled in pain as its other leg was caught in the bear trap. The creature fell to its knees and Charles jumped down, grabbing a dagger from his bag and burying it deep into the beast¡¯s chest. It howled in anger, turning its torso to bite at Charles, attempting to use its hands to launch itself towards him. From behind, Stephanie dropped down and took the flintlock from Michael¡¯s hands and whistled. The beast turned around sluggishly, ready to bite out but was met with a strike from the wooden handle of the flintlock. It¡¯s attention grabbed, Charles then drew the sword from the beast¡¯s leg and stabbed yet another weapon through the beast¡¯s torso as it slowly stopped moving. ¡°Everyone good?¡± Charles asked, returning the sword to Nathaniel. ¡°I¡¯m bleeding fountains from my shoulder. Yes, I¡¯m just peachy¡± Michael said. "I''ll patch myself up, got a tincture in my bag" Michael muttered as he disappeared back into the alleyway. ¡°Screwed up my hand, but otherwise no problems¡± Nathaniel said as he showed the other two. ¡°Come on, let me see that¡± Stephanie said, pulling Nathaniel¡¯s arm towards her to inspect it. Even with the corpse remaining unmoving, the group dared not look at it. The slight twitches were ignored, the pained groans filtered out behind the focus of helping each other recover. Half an hour later, with their wounds bandaged up, they subconsciously walked down the alleyway, away from the now humanoid corpse.