Chapter 199 – Helping Hands

“If we are hearing this word salad, what the hell are they hearing from us?” – Val after they passed a merchant haggling with a customer

Kurt was trying very hard to not flip out over getting shanghaied by some monks and given a task with almost no oversight or direction. “Step one, figure out where we are.” He grunted, mostly to himself.

They had found themselves in a large building that looked like it had once been a warehouse but was cleaned up and converted into some sort of portal facility like the Order had. The portal they had come through had the words ‘The Seat’ on it, which clearly wasn’t a way back to the Order.

The floor was made of large, polished tiles while walls were made of brick that had been painted white. The lofted part of the ceiling had windows which were cracked open, letting in fresh air along with the light. Hanging from the rafters of that ceiling were strange lights that looked like eyeballs due to the way they were mounted and how the shutters worked to close them off.

“Take your time, I have us covered by an illusion.” Val was also looking around and scanning the crowds that went to and from the portals.

“What is in the pamphlet?” Kristi asked. She was still holding onto Rindi’s arm while the tigress caught her breath after having another godly encounter. She was barely standing and seemed groggy as she swayed on her feet.

Opening the pamphlet, Kurt unfolded it like a map. He saw a plethora of information, all written in English and seemingly typed, based on the very consistent font. There were even pictures, showing various things like coins, several types of lights and depictions of the local military uniforms.

Kurt quickly absorbed the information before handing it off to Kristi as he and Val kept an eye out. “It seems to be a crash course on this world, or at least this city and its culture.”

“Anything remarkable?” Val asked.

“The money is base twelve instead of base ten or one hundred.” Kurt shook his head. He had seen that the currency was a small bronze coin, which the pamphlet said was called a Tulra. It would apparently buy the equivalent of a small loaf of bread or piece of fruit. “Also, the city is called El ’Mahair, which is part of something called the Prosperian Protectorate and we are on the World of Kepris.

“It is a sort of archipelago made up of mostly large islands separated by a shallow sea. Each island is its own sort of country or dukedom. They all report up to some council called the Council of Prosperity. Population is made up of humans and Nalk’To as the native species with a few others scattered in.” Kurt rattled off some information. Most of the other information in the packet was pretty high-level stuff but there was some on local customs and sayings. All that could wait for after they got their bearings.

Kristi nudged Kurt. “Well, step one is complete. What are we thinking for step two?”

“Find a place to hole up for a little while. Study the land and get our bearings while we form a plan.” Kurt saw what looked like an information board with a map in the middle of the open area. “To do that, we should figure out where we are in relation to things and then get some local cash.”

Val pointed to a few of the groups walking through the area. “We should also change our clothes. We don’t have what they are wearing but nobody here is wearing modern clothing from Earth.”

Indeed, the people wandering around were wearing a sort of billowing shirt and trousers. The garments had a sort of long cuff over the wrist and ankles that looked like it held the fabric in place. Wide sashes seemed to act as a sort of belt, but he couldn’t be sure.

Some of the women wore dresses but they seemed to be few and far between, mostly on the people coming through the portals. In fact, the only consistent clothing appeared to be light fabrics and light, leather shoes or sandals. Both of which were a far cry from what the team was wearing as they were dressed for the cooler climate of Talth.

Many people carried bags, duffle bags and backpacks with frames being rather common. A few seemed to have a few small satchels which were likely bags of holding. Other than that, only a few hand carts with boxes or barrels were moving through the area.

“Let’s change. We have those tunics and trousers which should look close to what everyone else is wearing. And our leather boots won’t stick out too much.” Val weighed in and began the process of switching clothes with her storage ring.

Everyone else did the same and withing a minute, they were wearing much more rustic clothing. The only shoes they had were modern leather boots but there wasn’t much they could do about it. Regardless of footwear, they would blend in much better now than they would before.

While Rindi was wearing a long skirt, the rest of them had donned sturdy trousers and linen shirts. The clothes were dyed in pale, natural colors which were surprisingly vibrant given the humble origins of the dyes.

“Alright.” Kurt tugged at his cuffs before deciding to push them halfway up his forearms. “Looks like that board has a map, let’s try to find a place to pawn some things and get settled in.”

They made their way over to the board which had a sort of 3-dimensional map made of small, carved blocks. Each block appeared to represent a building and showed not only its size but was also color coded based on business or function. The tops of the blocks had a symbol which correlated to the sub-type of business within the category. The entire thing was like a beautifully hand painted version of a theme park map.

It also became apparent that they were in a multi-part city which seemed to be two cities connected by an earthwork that acted as a wall to shield a road between the two. The one they were in was the larger one but was land locked. The smaller one located on the coast seemed to be a port city built specifically for trade and fishing. Unfortunately, the map didn’t show the full island, and they couldn’t get an idea of the regional landscape.

“Looks like the green ones are what we are after.” Val mumbled and pointed to an area with a lot of little green blocks representing ‘places of wares’ as their translation devices had provided. “And we are at this blue one?”

“Yes, it says that the blue is the ‘place of current occupation’?” Rindi frowned. She had recollected herself and was now watching their backs warily as they studied the map.

Kurt nodded. “Good enough. It’s a little close to the city center but it has a lot of ‘accommodations for hire’. Ugh. I am not looking forward to the translators learning this language but I hope it’s fast.”

The translation devices were already hard at work, absorbing and learning the languages as they were fed a more and more accurate translation. They were actually loitering a little and listening to the crowds of people, trying to pick up not only information, but a better understanding of the local language.

“Let’s go then.” Kristi said. “I don’t think we will get much more out of this place.”

Turning toward the large opening at the other end of the building, they set out. It was mostly smooth sailing as they followed the crowds that moved freely in and out of the portals. The people never pressed too close to them, each group allowing others ample room as they walked. There were many suspicious glances being thrown around by everyone and Kurt bet there were a lot of people keeping hands on purses.

When they approached the entrance, they noticed that the people leaving before them shivered slightly as they stepped out of the building. It was a consistent phenomenon across the board and only the locals seemed to be resistant to it, though still affected.

When they made it to the front, they got firsthand experience with the strange effect. A tingle ran up their spines, not completely unpleasant, but reminding Kurt of having something crawling on him.

“Uhwa, that was weird.” Val commented over the implant.

“I wonder what it was. I didn’t get anything from it to clue me in.” Kurt replied.

They turned left, heading further into the city. The portal hall had been set along a main road which seemed to be an extension of the one connecting the two cities. As they stepped onto the street, they got their first look at the civilization they had been cast into.

The street was wide, easily fifty yards across, and was paved in the same wide bricks that the inside of the building was. These particular ones were not polished and had a texture like any other man-made paving stones. The length of the street was bordered by a slight, slanted curb which likely was for drainage and he saw some grates in the ground to confirm it.

Buildings along the street were a mix of brick, wood and plaster. The plaster was always whitewashed but Kurt noted that the wood around it was typically painted in bright colors. From what he could see, it was all rather well maintained and clean.

The people on the street were a mix of races, but he quickly picked up that most of the locals, or who he assumed were locals based on clothing, were human and Nalk’To. The human population had darker skin, like he would expect in the Middle East or the Mediterranean region. The Nalk’To had the familiar blue-green skin tone he had seen before, but their hair was lighter, typically silver-blond in color.

They passed a lot of people on the street, moving both ways along it on foot with a few carriages or wagons being pulled by large, quadrupedal bird things that reminded Kurt of the shoebill. The carriages and carts pulled by animals kept to the middle of the road, turning slowly to cut across the foot traffic when needed.

Kristi subtly pointed out what appeared to be the local guards or military, who were a mix of human and nalk’to. They wore leather backed chain mail sections of armor on their torsos with maces and sabers belted at their waist. The uniform seemed to be tan versions of the loose clothes that were common, but they wore a tall boot rather than the thin leather shoe most others wore.

The group continued walking, taking in the sights and sounds of the seemingly nice city. Kurt began to wonder if they ended up in the right place since everything seemed rather… perfect. Even for a lower technology world, and an island nation, things looked to be rather pleasant as they moved into an area with a lot of shops.

“Let’s try that one.” Val pointed across the street. “The sign says ‘designed equipment’ which might be what we need. I think… probably.”

“Worth a shot.” Kurt said and followed as Val led the way.

They approached the open door and noted that the windows had a selection of clothing displayed along with footwear. There were also accessories like bags, coats and hats on display which all looked to be built for a place with a lot of sun and rain.

When they stepped inside, they were almost instantly greeted by someone putting an armful of bags on a shelf. “Greetings, patrons.” The tall, thin human said. “Can elder Hukan assist in selection?”

“Uh, hello.” Kurt said, stepping forward after he figured out what the translator was saying. “Do you purchase wares from people off the street?” He didn’t know if he had to be formal in his speech but figured it couldn’t hurt.

The man calmly finished putting the satchels on the shelf and turned to face them. “Methods of arrival should not dictate terms.” He smiled. “Of what are you offering?”

Kurt made a gesture to Kristi, and she summoned one of their trade items, disguising the motion by reaching into her duffle bag. When her hand came out, it was holding one of the rings that Kurt had made which gave a small boost to perception. She passed it to the man who took it with a curious expression.

Hukan turned the ring around in his hands. “Comprehension evades me. What is the purpose?” he looked to Kurt.

While miming to put it on, Kurt explained. “It will aid in your sight, hearing and other senses.” He was hoping the translator was working and just tried to be as clear as possible.

“Ah, a device of emplaced cultivation.” Hakan’s tone changed to one of great interest, and he turned the ring over again. “Am I allowed to test?”

When Kurt nodded, Hukan put the ring over his thumb only to retry with his index finger when the band was a little too small. His eyes widened a little as he looked around and walked in a circle around his shelves. Shaking his head, he returned to the group and handed the ring back to Kurt.

“Artifacts of this nature are beyond the scope of my wares.” Hakan sighed. “Yet, knowledge of those who would be interested do not elude me.”

Kristi nodded. “Could you give us directions?”

Hakan smiled. “Indeed, maiden. But, do you seek to sell many or few?”

“Few.” Kurt answered. “Only two, possibly three.”

“In this instance, I endorse Expert Findal.” Hakan pointed out the window and down the street. “Opposing buildings, perhaps five-and-twenty doors landward. Two story building with ochre painted wood. His marking is a necklace and hammer.”

Kurt took that to mean that they were looking for the white and orange two story shop across the street and about twenty buildings down. “Thank you, mister Hakan.” He said with a little half bow.

The shopkeeper waved them out with a smile and wished them luck. Or they thought he did since they didn’t know if ‘blessings of the stranded’ was good or not. Going from his tone, it was good.

When they reached the next shop, they discovered that Expert Findal was a Nalk’To woman. She was quick to examine the ring and eventually declined. Her reasoning was that she wanted to avoid secondhand items and only worked with her contracted suppliers. She was kind enough to send them to another shop, just around the block from hers, where she promised a ‘equitable transaction’.

“Third time is the charm, huh?” Kurt asked.

“I hope so.” Rindi grumbled. She had been in a rather odd mood since they had left the portal facility. Kurt couldn’t tell if it was general irritation or if it was something else but hoped they would get a chance to rest sooner than later.

Val stopped in the middle of the road, the motion causing all of them to nearly run into her. “Is it just me or is that…”

Kurt looked at where she was pointing, to the building that they had been told to look for. At first, he wasn’t sure what had caught Val’s attention. The store looked like any other they had passed that day. The colors were bright and friendly, being nicely painted and the window displays were neatly arranged behind the glass. In fact, other than the camouflage netting hanging around as a backdrop, he thought it looked like…

“An army surplus store?” He had to ask once he realized what he was seeing.

Kristi nodded. “Looks like that one corner in Hamlets or how Renee used to decorate.”

When Kurt looked up, he saw the sign matched what they were told to look for. “Well, the feather and shield make sense now.”

They pushed into the store, noticing it was significantly dimmer than the previous two. Kurt assumed that was partly because of the netting acting as a backdrop in the front windows but didn’t mind. The sound of a hand saw could be heard from the back as they took in the store.

The walls had been covered in pegs and shelves that held a wide variety of things, all of which seemed to be arms of some sort. There were bundles of arrows set like scrolls in a library. There was a rack holding a bunch of round shields like they were plywood at the hardware store. There was an entire section of wall dedicated to spear shafts of various length and size. All that was only the front entrance area.

“I shall attend in a moment.” A male voice called from the back of the store.

As a group, they moved toward a counter set near the back. Behind it was a selection of metal stacked and stood upright on shelves. Spearheads, arrow heads, knives and swords were all present along with some other exotic items. The strange lamps that hung from the ceiling were now necessary for a human to see in the darkened interior and cast strange shadows over the wares.

Before Kurt could really get a good look, a dark-skinned human man came wandering out of the back. He was tall, with broad shoulders and well-muscled arms that stuck out from behind a sawdust covered apron.  “I am known as Vander. How may I assist?”

“Hi, we have some things we would like to sell, and you are our third stop after the previous two pointed to you.” Kurt explained as he pulled out the ring.

Vander nodded and watched as Kurt put the ring on the counter. “And this is the item you wish to sell?”

“Yes.” Kurt explained what the ring did and watched as the man put it on and went for a little stroll behind the counter. He was also glad that his translation device was getting clearer after a few hours wandering.

Placing the ring back on the counter, Vander looked back to Kurt while brushing a curl of wood shaving from his beard. “A ring to enhance perception. Fixed magic like this isn’t common, though I have sold some things like it.”

Taking another look at the ring, Vander chewed his lip for a moment. “Single unit?”

“Three, if you can.” Kurt corrected and pulled another two rings from his ‘pocket’ to put on the counter. “Looking to sell, not trade.”

“Hmm, I would accept two for seven hundred and eighty Tulra, each.” Vander knocked on the counter to punctuate the offer.

Kurt thought about it for a moment. That would give him a good start to at least finding lodgings to get their bearings. They had passed a few inns and rates seemed to be two dozen Tulra per room for a night, based on the signs near the doors.

Not knowing how barter was seen in this city, Kurt decided to accept. “Deal.” He knocked his knuckles against the counter, mimicking what Vander had done. When the man didn’t react, he assumed that he guessed right on the bartering.

Vander left the rings on the counter and went to the back room again. When he returned, he was holding a metal clad, wood box and a paper envelope like a bank would use. He opened the box to reveal a neatly ordered tray of coins.

Watching carefully, Kurt saw him pull out a small variety of coins. There were some small silver ones, large bronze ones and a few small bronze ones. He counted them out and Kurt recalled that the money was based around twelve for some reason. A dozen small bronze coins would equal one of the large ones. Twelve of the large bronze coins would equal one of the small silver ones. He knew there was also a small gold coin but that wasn’t very common according to the pamphlet they had gotten.

When he was done counting, Vander slid the coins into the envelope and handed it to Kurt. “Good transactions. Return later and we may bargain again. This is much appreciated.”

Taking the small envelope, Kurt handed it off to Val. “Thank you. May we have a recommendation for lodgings?”

“Not sure.” Vander tilted his head in this world’s version of a shrug. “I live within the city and haven’t used one.”

“Well, thanks again. Have a good day.”

“Stranded’s blessings.” He said to their backs as he returned to his work.

Kurt and the girls left the building, almost stepping on a group of people walking toward it and having to go around. They began making their way back along the street, hoping to find vacancy in one of the inns they had passed.

“Next stop, let’s find a place to stay then some food.” Kurt said. “It’s getting late and I don’t want to be out after dark in a strange place.”

Kristi walked to the front of the group. “I think on the next block there is an inn that offered both. It looked ok when we went past it.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Kurt began to follow her as she led the way but stopped a moment later.

“Excuse this interruption.” A voice said, causing Kurt to turn around.

“Hmm?” Kurt saw a younger Nalk’To who was looking rather nervous. Kurt wasn’t great with ages, let alone those of other races, but guessed he was in his late teens still. He also wasn’t exactly well dressed and wore the common style of clothes, but they appeared to be a little too baggy, though clean and in good condition.

“Regret to overhear… I can provide directions to an-an inn.” He stammered, his eyes darting from Kurt to the girls then back to Kurt before landing on the ground.

“Sure. Do you know a good place to stay the night?” Kurt asked. The girls had stopped a couple steps after Kurt and turned to look at him and the stranger.

The boy nodded and gestured, pointing with his finger. “G-go ssss-straight that w-way fo-“

Kurt turned to glance in the direction the kid was pointing, hoping the stammering would end soon and wondering if it would be appropriate to give him a coin. He still planned to check the inn Kristi had spotted but it couldn’t hurt to have a line on a backup. As soon as his head was turned, Kurt felt a tap on his arm and the kid’s tone changed completely.

“Initiate!” He said in a clear and triumphant tone.

Before he could react, Kurt felt like a rope had been looped around his waist and he was jerked off his feet as the world around him went black.