The crowd was made up mostly of humans, with skin colors ranging from the palest whites to the deepest blacks. Then there were the demihumans. The most common of them among the throngs of people were extremely similar to humans with small animal characteristics: The ears of a cat, dog, or rabbit with a matching tail, short tusks below the nose like a boar, or plumed wings sprouting out where the shoulder blades would be. Beyond that, I caught a glimpse of what looked like a lizardman, standing like a human would, but fully covered in scales with a large tail dragging behind him. I thought I saw a hulking bear-man at one point, but as I approached, it turned out to be a large human man wearing a bear pelt cloak.
Every discovery as I passed through the market left me feeling...nothing. It was all new to me, but I felt no sense of wonder, no thrill of discovery. This place might be new, but the experience isn’t. I scowled at the thought. How many times had I found myself in this exact situation? Wandering a world I know nothing about, taking in the sights like some sort of vacationer, like it’s some sort of amazing adventure?
Three. Three times. Three, god damned, wretched fucking times. I stopped to lean against the post of a fruit stand and rubbed the bridge of my nose in agitation. Why should I wonder at what an amazing world I’m in, when it’s just going to be taken away, and replaced with a shiny, brand-fucking-new world to wonder at again? What does it matter what I do, if I’m going to be reset back to square one in the end?
I sighed deeply and took a moment to center myself. No. Not square one. I’ve still gained...something, through all this. I shook my head and kicked off the post as I began my trek through the market again. I have my gear. I still have my enchantments. Once I have a room, I can see to thoroughly checking over the rest of my kit. Most importantly though, I have knowledge. I know what to do now that I’m here, and I know what NOT to do.
I noticed the crowd around me had begun to shrink, and I realized I had reached the edge of the giant market square. I’ve spent long enough moping, at least for now. Time to take care of the essentials: food, drink, and shelter. At this end of the pavilion the tiling transitioned into a more commonplace cobbled road leading off towards the center of the city. Various signs hung at the transition, but the writing was completely foreign to me. Great. Another alphabet to learn.
Picking a random person out of the crowd, I approached a slight wolf-eared woman in a red dress doing my best to smile pleasantly. “Excuse me, miss? Perhaps you could help me out, I seem to be a bit lost. Is there an inn nearby?” She eyed me suspiciously, no doubt off-put by my out-of-place attire.
“Uhmm, yes. Right up the road, the second corner on your right.” She gestured towards a sign hanging right next to me. “That one. Trader’s Pavilion Inn. You’re...not from around here, are you?”
I chuckled amiably. “You caught me. What gave it away? The clothes, or the illiteracy?”
“Actually, it was the inquiry about where to rent a room. Most people from Yoria don’t need to rent rooms, because they...live here?” She grinned wryly, her playful sarcasm plainly written on her face. Her eyes were a bright green, blazing and alive in the late afternoon sun.
Oh, I like this one. I scratched the back of my head and laughed. “I hadn’t considered that, but I suppose that’s a better tell.” I turned to leave and waved over my shoulder. “Thanks for the help, miss!”
“Uhmm, sir?” Her voice called out from behind me. I turned, eyebrow cocked slightly from curiosity. “Tell the innkeeper that you’re a friend of Melrose. That’ll probably save you a copper or two on ale.”
Taken off guard, I stammered an awkward response. “Oh, uh, thanks for that...Melrose? I presume?”
“That’s right.” She smiled sweetly, then turned and headed towards the pavilion. “Enjoy your stay in Yoria!” Her slim silver tail wagged in what I assumed was a happy motion as she left.
I’m glad to see that not everyone in this world is like the gate guards. With directions to guide me I started down the road towards the inn, a small smile on my face. As I walked, enjoying the warm clear weather, I eventually realized I was grinning like a fool and shook my head to reset my face to its default expression: scowling. I know what NOT to do.
I began to worry as time passed that I had somehow missed the turn to the inn. The instructions had been so simple that I expected to find a row of buildings just over the first hill, but after walking for fifteen minutes I was instead entering a beautifully manicured garden. The flora I passed as I continued onwards was fascinating. Slender stalked flowers with dual bulbs at the end, each a different vibrant color. Fruit bearing bushes weighed down with perfectly spherical, glossy green fruits. Trees with trunks so intricately curved and twisted that they were almost certainly designed artistically.
As wonderful as the garden was, I breathed a sigh of relief when it gave way to a wide paved street leading to a city block. Buildings totally unlike those at the trader’s gate were aligned neatly along the main road in the distance, with well crafted, intricately shingled houses and boldly lettered signs. Foot traffic increased dramatically as I reached the first intersection and I began to find it difficult to proceed at the leisurely pace I had grown accustomed to in the gardens. Crossing the first intersection, I
