Critical Misclass

CHAPTER 28 - Gray Day

"Well... glad we got all the fun out of the way."

I lifted my spoon, filled with the tasteless gray oatmeal, considered it for a moment, and brought it back down to the bowl. I enjoyed a nice bowl of oatmeal once in a while, especially with some cinnamon, sliced banana, maybe even some syrup, if I was feeling especially wild. The stuff being served at the inn, though? Not only was it the worst, blandest, oatmeal I'd ever had, they didn't offeranythingto add to it. There weren't even any other meal choices or side dishes.

My stomach grumbled. I had worked up an appetite with our morning activities, so I needed to refuel at least a little. With a sigh, I grabbed the spoon again and forced down a few quick mouthfuls of oatmeal. That was my limit. I washed it down with the inn's signature beverage: room-temperature water.

Thia's bowl looked pretty much untouched. "You sure you don't need to eat?"

She looked down at her bowl with disgust. "I will need to find another option later. This is inedible."

Meanwhile, Ves had managed to finish most of her bowl. Thia and I looked at her with a mixture of surprise and concern.

Thia gently touched Ves's arm. "Are...willyou be alright?"

Ves dropped her spoon into the bowl, the noise feeling amplified in the too-quiet dining room. "Eh, it's not that different from stuff I've had to make during really lean times."

Not wanting to dwell on the difficult part of Ves's past - for her sake - I spoke up. "Okay, before we do anything else, I'd like to return the money we found to the bank. How does that sound?"

The others agreed, and we returned to our room to gather the sack of coins, as well as anything else that we thought we might need. It was freeing to not have to haul around my entire pack, especially after the difficulty of the last leg of our journey. Thia chose to wear her breastplate, and removed it from her pack of plenty so she could begin the minutes-long process of donning it.

Ves helped her with some of the straps. "Are you expecting us to run into some kind of trouble here?"

"No, but I have been taught that one's armor allows one to be more easily identified as an adventurer at a glance. Although... that may not be as important to us, as we are not members of a guild. Regardless, there may be benefits to 'looking the part.'"

We placed the sack of coins into Thia's pack of plenty, to avoid carrying it in plain sight. On the way out of the inn, I asked the innkeeper for directions. It came as a surprise to hear a much deeper voice than I had the previous night, and took me a second to realize what was happening: this wasn't the dwarven woman who checked us in, but a dwarven man.

Their facial similarities were likely because they were siblings or some other kind of relative, but on closer inspection, the man had more lines around his eyes and his beard was a bit longer. Another thing they shared was a disinterest in small talk. That was fine with me.

We stepped out of the inn and back onto the main road leading into the city. The sky was still overcast, but at least the clouds weren't nearly as dark as they had been on the day of the storm.

Despite seeing more people moving about than in Perrenbrook, the residential district wasn't much louder. While I could hear the usual clopping of horses and chirping of birds, there wasn't a lot of chatter. Most people seemed to be minding their own business.

Now that it wasn't dark out, we could more easily see the city walls in the distance. Beyond that, I was able to make out a few towers. It definitely wasn't the kind of city I was used to, but it was a massive difference from Perrenbrook. Not too far past the inn, the road began to be paved with cobblestone.

I took Ves's hand in mine and squeezed it lightly. "What do you think so far?"

"It's... bigger than I thought it'd be. At first, I thought that this area here was the city, and even that was kinda impressive."

"And you, Thia? How does this compare to your home?"

"Karneissdran does not have any districts outside of the city walls, which are significantly taller than these appear to be. Despite the more intimidating exterior, the people are somewhat... warmer than the people here have been."

I nodded thoughtfully, and looked ahead, towards the wall. It was constructed out of grayish-blue stone, and I estimated that it was probably 15 feet high, at most. "Well... I get the feeling that the wall is more symbolic than it is for actual defense. In any case, I guess we're all strangers here, so maybe the vibe is different inside the walls."Not gonna hold my breath, though.

We soon reached the open gate, which had a female guard on one side and a male guard on the other, as well as another male guard inside of a small booth nearby. They were wearing breastplates, not unlike Thia's, but these were made of thinner metal and the design was simpler. They also wore metal helmets that only covered the tops of their heads, and each had a scabbard on their hips, complete with sword.

The guards next to the gate held out their hands to urge us to stop, which we did. The woman on the left side looked us over.

"Adventurers, eh? Are you aware that there is no Network in this city?"

It took me a moment to realize that she was referring to the Adventurer's Network. "Really? I thought there'd be one in every town. Even Perrenbrook has one."One that shares its space with other city services, but still...

The guard stepped closer. "Are you accusing me of lying?"

I held up my hands in a peaceful gesture. "Whoa! No, I'm just surprised. Did either of you know that?"

Ves and Thia shook their heads "no". I turned back to the guard. "We're not here for anything like that, anyway. We're here to study."

Still eyeing me suspiciously, the guard eased up a bit. "Fine. Don't cause any trouble while you're here." The other guard was just staring at all of us, his eyes narrowed.

We entered the city quickly... but not so quickly as to be suspicious, just enough to put some distance between us and the asshole guards. I could feel an immediate difference upon crossing the threshold into the walled city. Not so much physical, but it was more than just a feeling; the generalvibeof the place felt... colder.

I was still trying to understand just what was going on with the guards, and why they had been so rude right off the bat, until I heard Ves gasp.

She was looking down the streets at the city of Vanndrenvar, which must have been mind-blowing to someone who likely had never even seen pictures of a place bigger than her tiny village. Not that it was unimpressive to this guy from Earth!

There was a stark difference between the buildings on either side of the wall. These weren't small, wooden, buildings with thatched roofs; the buildings were larger, sturdier, and constructed from stone. While the size difference wasn't massive - I don't think I saw a building more than three stories tall - there were towers scattered throughout the city as far as I could see. Their purpose was unknown to me, but there always seemed to be one within view as we moved through the streets.

Above all, Vanndrenvar wasgray.

"Ves, I'm starting to understand why Tabur is, uh, the way he is."

She nodded, her head still on a swivel, taking in the sights of the city.

I had to wonder if at least some of my impressions of the city were the result of my Rogue senses, or for that matter, any combination of abilities I'd been picking up without knowing exactly how to use. Just when I thoughtHey, there doesn't seem to be any kids here, we'd pass by another street and see a small group of children playing. Sure, they were being a bit quieter than I would expect kids to be, but there they were.

Thia just looked uncomfortable. "We should request directions to the bank before we are utterly lost."

I agreed, and attempted to ask the next person who passed by. They fully ignored me, continuing on their way without further disruptions.

"Huh. Maybe we'd have better luck with a bartender or something. But how do we even find a tavern?"

"Any establishment that serves food will do." Thia placed a hand on her stomach. "I do not regret turning down the oatmeal, but Iwillneed to eat something before long."

We walked further into the city, sticking to the main road to prevent losing our way. I tried asking a few more people for help, but the most I got was when an old woman physically brushed me off and muttered something under her breath.

That was the last straw for poor, hungry, Thia. She slapped a hand down on the woman's shoulder and turned her around, giving her a death glare.

"Ibelieve... this man wasinquiring... as to where we might purchase ameal."

The woman stammered and pointed at a street ahead and to the right. "I-- wh-- S-S-Saint Ager's Pub..."

I expected passersby to, if nothing else, stop and stare at what was going on. Other than a few disapproving glances, no one paid us any attention. Thia released the old woman quickly, making her stagger back and nearly fall over. "Thank you." Ves and I both moved to catch her, but she managed to keep her balance... just barely. She went back to muttering under her breath, but didn't turn away.

Ves slapped Thia's back, hitting her armor. "Damn, that was good! Hungry Thia doesn't play around."

Thia ignored her, and I ignored the voice in my head telling me to introduce Ves to the portmanteau "hangry". The aevrana moved with purpose, in the direction that the old woman had pointed. I kept close, but looked around to make sure that there weren't any guards tailing us.Guess there's one upside to everyone minding their own business.

It was easy enough to spot the pub once we turned down the side road, thanks to the sign hanging out front that read "St. Ager's", along with a crude image of a green fist. However, nothing indicated if it was actually a business, or place of worship, so we could have easily passed by it if Thia hadn't managed to get some info.

On the other side of the street, and a few doors down, I saw a few people standing next to a building. There were two women wearing identical dark puce outfits, complete with feathered caps. One was talking to the third person, a furious-looking older man who was barely containing his rage. One of the women was using a hammer and chisel on the stone wall of the building, as the man argued with the other woman and occasionally pointed at the spot that was being chiseled.

I only caught a glimpse of the section being chiseled before I followed Thia into the pub. Something had been carved into the stone; some kind of symbol or graffiti.

The bell above the door jingled as Thia entered, with me and Ves right behind her. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light of the pub, I noticed that there were only a couple of other people inside, probably because it was barely past breakfast. Two men, a halfling and an elf, were at a table in the back. They looked miserable, as if they had spent all night thinking about the ways their lives had gone completely wrong.

It turned out that there was a third person in the pub, when the barkeep climbed out from behind the bar. He was a middle-aged goblin, with slicked-back black hair with a few flecks of gray, wearing a buttoned shirt that had the same green fist as I saw on the sign outside sewed onto the pocket. The shirt had seen better days. It was kept clean, but its buttons were stretched over the goblin's round belly. The barkeep gave us a nod and a grunt, then went back to whatever he was doing behind the counter.

Thia sat on a stool in front of where the barkeep had shown himself. I sat to her left, and Ves to her right. "Excuse me, sir, but would it be possible to order a meal?"

The goblin replied from behind the bar, without revealing himself again. "Depends." His voice was gravely, and made me want to clear my own throat. "What d'ya want?"

"Might you have any remaining breakfast? Bacon, sausage... mayhaps some steak?"

His head popped up, complete with a sharp-toothed grin. "We've got the same kind'o tastes, m'lady. But yer in the wrong city if its meats yer lookin' for."

"I-- I beg your pardon?"

"Meats has got big fees attached to 'em 'round here. S'not impossible to find, but if yer just visitin', it's prolly not worth payin' so much extra."

Thia looked absolutely devastated - I'd never seen her so pale. She lowered her head onto the bar, burying it in her arms.

"Tells you what. I'll make yer the next best thing. How's you like yer eggs?"

Her reply was muffled. "Surprise me."

CHAPTER 29 - Provincial Views

Over the next ten minutes, we learned two things about the barkeep: his name was Grumzzak, and he was only able to prepare eggs one way.

"Wuz hopin' yer'd say 'scrambled', cuz thenIcould say 'do I have a surprise ferya," an' make yer the best damned scrambled eggs this side o' Old Cendriss. But I hopes yer like'm anyways."

Thia swallowed her mouthful of egg. "It's... excellent. Thank you, sir." With a quiet sigh, she scooped another forkful.

I reached for my coin pouch. "What do we owe you?"

"Put that away." The goblin crossed his arms over his belly. Much like Mrs. Zurax, Grumzzak had a stool to help him be at eye level with some of the customers, and his belly was currently resting on the edge of the bar. "Th' poor girl wuz in need. But yer better be back ta' buy some drinks later. An' I won'ts turn down a story."

Ves's eyes narrowed, and one ear lowered. "A story?"

"What brought yer all here. Don't see much adventurers."

Her other ear lowered. "Not surprised, with the way they were treating us at the gate. What's the deal with that, anyway? And there's no Network branch here?"

Grumzzak shook his head. "Dunno. Don't pay much attention t'things outside th' bar, other'n what I hears about in stories. So..."

My eyes met Ves's for only a split-second before I spoke to the barkeep. We both knew we shouldn't saytoomuch to him: namely, specific details about the rune. Just in case. "Not too much to say. We were hired by a guild to do some research for them. It's not really an exciting story, but we're just starting out, so we're still building up our reputation."

"Ahh, maybe I oughta charge yer after all. Y'think I could do this job fer years an' not tell when yer holdin' sumthin' back? Saw that lil' glace yer gave each others." Grumzzak made a dismissive wave.

"Well... some stuff did happen on the way here." I turned to my party. "What do you think? Should I mention the, uh, big fight we got in?" Our encounter with man we were calling "Red Gauze" might be of interest to the barkeep, but it was really up to Ves if she was comfortable with that story being told.

Ves grinned and pumped a fist. "Yeah! Maybe he knows something about that guy."

"Alright, then." I faced Grumzzak again, then told him about our fight with the undead wolves and the arrival of the mysterious, bleeding, old man. Of course, I didn't shareallof the details, and left out everything about my special ability-sharing power, like when I cast the flame spell on my daggers. As for me managing to cast a healing spell, I said that we were lucky to have a single potion that was able to heal Ves enough that she could take care of the rest with her own magic.

"If I didn't deal with liars ev'ry day, I might not believe yer." The goblin scratched his chin. "Still dunno if I believe th' whole thing."

I sat up straight. "Have you ever heard of anyone like that old man?"

"Nah. Hope he don't follow yer here, though."

"Yeah, same. Alright..." I looked over at my party. "We should probably go to the bank, then we need to figure out where we can start our research. I feel like the less time we spend in this city, the better."

Ves and Thia agreed, and both of them muttered complaints about the little time we'd spent in Vanndrenvar. Grumzzak spoke over them. "Not much of a scholar, m'self, but yer could try the library fer research."

"I mean, sure. I was hoping there would be one here. Would you be able to tell us where it is?"

"Somewhere in th' Academic District. Dunno where, exactly, but I can tells you how t'get to the district, anyways."

"How about the bank? Could we please get directions there, too?"

"What, any bank?"

"No, sorry, uh... it was..."

Thia helped me out. "The Imperial Bank of Vanndrenvar."

Grumzzak gave us the directions, and we got ready to leave. I remembered something else I felt I should ask him first. "By the way, can you recommend a decent inn here in the city walls?" Something told me that any available options wouldn't be much different than the inn in the Residential District, but it would at least be nice to stay closer to any sources of information and spend less time walking around.

"Y'can just stay here. It's no proper inn, but I've gots a spare room upstairs, and I'll charge ya less. And th' meals'll be better."

Thia nodded thoughtfully. "Your eggs were actually quite appetizing."

The barkeep pointed at her and raised his scraggly eyebrows.

"You're sure? You've already been a huge help."

Ves shrugged. "He had me at 'charging us less'."

Grumzzak clapped his hands together and chuckled. "Two 'gainst one, and th' ladies are always right! Ahh, lemme check if th' room is decent enough."

He hopped off his stool with a grunt, and scampered through a door behind the bar with surprising swiftness. The patter of his footsteps could be heard as he dashed up the stairs, but none of us expected to be able to hear his footsteps so clearly when he was directly above us. It was as if there wasn't a ceiling between us and him. We could make out every sound: every grunt, every muttered curse, every deep breath. We all flinched when Grumzzak scraped a piece of furniture across the floor and it echoed in the mostly-empty main room of the bar.

The three of us looked at each other, wordlessly, as Grumzzak continued making loud and obvious sounds upstairs. I knew we all had the same thought: we'd have to put a pause on any... dalliances while we were staying there. That, and we needed to figure out what classes could create the noise-blocking enchantment, so that I could learn the ability.

Prior to leaving the bar, we decided to leave most of our belongings in the upstairs room and only take what essentials could fit within Thia's pack of plenty. I offered to carry the pack, since it seemed like the right thing to do as leader, even though it weighed almost nothing thanks to its magic interior.

The Imperial Bank of Vanndrenvar had a few branches across the city, which was a relief. The nearest one was more-or-less along the way to the Academic District. I thought for sure that we'd have to go in two completely separate directions and spend even more time walking around the city.

As with most of Vanndrenvar, the buildings in this part of the city mostly looked the same, only differentiated by the simple signs out front. I correctly guessed which building belonged to the bank, because a city guard was standing by the entrance.

Much like the guards at the city gate, this guy got into a defensive stance with his hand on his sword hilt before we even reached the bank. When it became clear that we were headed towards him, he called out to us. "State your business."

I stopped in my tracks, still a good dozen feet or so away from the guard. My party members stopped, each one standing on either side of me and a few feet back. "We found a bag of coins with the Imperial Bank's marking on it, and wanted to return it to its rightful owner."

"Wait right there." The guard went inside the building, and returned a minute later with an elven woman. She was wearing a shapeless black dress, like she was attending a funeral, and while she looked like she wasn't much older than me, her facial expression and body language gave me the impression of a much older, worn-down, person.That's elves for you, I guess.