Deciding to split up and cover more ground, Alex decides to follow the street south, leaving the north to G. Unsure of the layout of the city, they figured one of them would find a gate sooner or later.
While walking along the road, Alex took in the sight of the city. The people crowding the streets, not quite lively, but always bustling with a quiet purpose. The humble stone brick buildings with thatched roofs decorating the settlement, painting the picture of a city built to last rather than for one purely agriculture or room for citizens. The golden rays piercing the blanket of clouds above, giving an almost holy look to the whole city.
Despite the amount of people he saw, no one looked destitute from a glance. No homeless sitting hunched against the stairs of public buildings, no beggars crowding around those who look wealthy, and no groups of thugs lurking behind the shadows in the spaces between buildings.
'I've only been here for 10 minutes and it already seems better than home. I can't even imagine that dump without the muggers, pickpockets, and homeless. I guess that's what 100 years of war will do to a country, even when it used to be the top of the world…'
Letting out a wistful sigh, Alex continued walking. While he could have hailed a carriage, as he saw some coachmen standing beside empty carriages in the street, he both didn't have any money and preferred to take in the scenery. After all, Mosshaven would be his home away from home for a while.
'Web said I would have some additional menu functions here… I guess now's as good of a time as any.'
Drifting towards one side of the street, Alex approached a stone building that looked like it belonged in a fortress. A thick wooden door with iron bindings surrounded by the usual stone brick served as the entrance to the building. A sign hanging above the door depicting a hammer striking an anvil told him that this was likely a blacksmith's workshop. Seeing no queue for the door, he took a seat on the street beside the building.
'This'll do.'
"Menu."
At Alex's call, a menu opens in front of him. Displayed in the top right was a column of icons, the first of a communicator, the second of a group of 3 human silhouettes, the third of a sword crossing a shield, and the final a red elevator door. As he was looking at the icons, he noticed what was currently displayed.
Current Status:
Alias-(Alex)*
Species-(Batkin)1/20
Primary Profession-(Hunter)1/10
Secondary Profession-(Chef)
Skills: (Archery)1/10, (Dagger)1/10, (Tracking)1/10, (Echolocation)1/20, (Stealth)2/10, (Nightvision)1/10, (Dismantling)2/10, (Cooking)2/10
Titles: (Dreamer), (Realm Bound-Mosshaven)
'Oh, are these my stats? I guess the skills get upgraded like the profession…it looks like my alias is just my display name. I wonder how many other "Alex"s are in the Dream?'
After taking in his status, Alex pressed on the icon displaying the human silhouettes, causing the menu to shift. Now, he saw a mostly blank screen, with only a single letter in the top left of the screen; a bright blue "G".
'Is this the list of dreamers in your Loading Party? I hope so, otherwise this might just be depressing…'
Quickly dismissing the menu, Alex got up and continued to follow the road north. Having walked for about 15 minutes, it was hard to get a gauge for this city considering he had no idea how fast he was going, nor how large it was. Deciding it would just be faster to ask a citizen, even if it made him look like a freak for not knowing if you had to pay to leave his own home, he tapped the shoulder of the person in front of him.
As the stranger turned around, Alex saw what he assumed was the face of an elf. Narrow, noble features with straight blonde hair with almost a hint of green reaching the base of their neck, and clothes fit for travel in the outdoors. Looking a bit confused, they stop walking for a moment.
"Um, can I help you?"
Snapped out of his momentary pause, Alex quickly formed a thought.
"Sorry for bothering you, but I'm new to Mosshaven. Do you know if you have to pay when leaving the city? I was passed out in the back of a wagon when coming here, so I wasn't exactly present."
'That's the best you could come up with?! Damn it!'
Looking at Alex with a hint of disbelief, they let out a small sigh, then responded.
"No, you don't have to pay. Entering the city, you either show an ID from the city or get vetted by the guards if it's your first time. If that's all, I'll be going."
Alex, left standing in the street processing the information as the probably elf continued away, took a moment to collect their thoughts.
'Well, at least we can head out of the city. Too bad we've been walking in opposite directions, but that's how things go, I guess. We should probably meet back up and find the gates, then find somewhere to stay close to them, maybe an inn or something. I haven't seen any yet, but I know from the rumors for this Dream that each realm has at least one guild, so there has to be one here somewhere. That's for later though.'
Opening the menu to message G his findings, Alex turned around to go south in order to meet up with G.
***
Sitting at a bench outside of a pub, G looked over their shoulder to the towering, 30 foot tall wall that wrapped around the whole of the Mosshaven. The wall was covered in moss and vines, and despite the crumbling edges of some of the larger bricks, the wall radiated an ancient might. The wall shared the same sort of semi-holy look of the city, like some ancient ruin from the real world, only it was fully populated and still functional.
The road leading to the wall was much more worn down then near the center of the city where they and Alex first appeared, likely due to the increased foot traffic from the massive gate in the wall. Reaching ⅔'s of the way up the fortification was a towering, metal door carved with ancient symbols like a mural. The gate was currently open, allowing a steady stream of people and cargo into and out of the city. Seeing that it was slowly approaching dusk, the bustle was likely to die down soon, and the gates would close.
Feeling a slight thump, G brought themselves back to reality, and looked to the other side of the bench.
"Sorry it took me so long, I didn't expect Mosshaven to be so big."
"Could have called my name at least, Alex. Anyway, there is a tavern across the street from here, but it seems pretty busy, I assume because of how many travelers see it first when entering the city. We could probably get a room by paying a bit extra, but that's a problem for when we come back. Here, take this."
Handing Alex a roll, G grabbed their spear that was resting by the side of the bench, and got up.
"Where'd the roll come from?"
"Some guy in this pub said I looked hungry and gave it to me, but I haven't felt any hunger since becoming Stoneborn, so I might not need food. I'm sure by the time I have worked up an appetite, we'll have killed something edible."
"Fair enough."
Taking a bite from the roll, Alex couldn't help but take a second to appreciate the "taste" of "real" food. Compared to the government rations he had in real life, this was several tiers above.
"Man, you're going to regret feeling hunger."
Quickly finishing the roll and getting up, Alex caught up to G and joined in the line of people heading out of the city.
***
Here is G's status:
Alias-(G)
Species-(Stoneborn)1/20
Primary Profession-(Spearman)1/10
Secondary Profession-(Stonemason)
Skills: (Spearmanship)2/10, (Evasion)1/10, (Masonry)2/10, (Stone Body)1/20, (Lesser Stone Affinity)1/10, (Armor)1/10, (Architecture)1/10
Titles: (Dreamer), (Realm Bound-Mosshaven)
Skill Description:
Echolocation-A special sensory type available to few. Utilizing sound, typically the voice, one can create a mental image of their surroundings. While this obviously cannot see colors, or even really see, it is not impaired by poor visibility conditions like fog or low-light levels.