The city of Thelmova. Big, loud and exciting beyond words. That's what Raka felt. It was not like he did not live in large cities in the real world. Bangalore or Bangluru as it was called now and where he was staying was one of largest and busiest cities in India. Certainly much bigger than his hometown. But then, it did not have the fantasy like setting in the game.

Raka was walking down one of its streets. The first thing Raka decided to do was explore the city. The various shops, the various buildings, the various streets and ofcourse the dockyard. He saw shops of all kinds. Food, clothing, armor, weapons, expensive gems, jewellery, exotic items and what else. There was the library housed in a beautifully designed building and a humongous palace where the queen would live surrounded by more walls. There was the large training grounds, where troops and horses trained. A huge and broad tower which he soon found out was the Magic Academy. And several large and small beautifully designed buildings of which he had no idea. Some were even restricted, and some he was denied entry to.

Then there were the homes, a lot of them simple looking like in Gurrow village, close to the dockyard. But as you go up the hill, the homes improved in design and the quality of its materials. With a variety of gardens, and statutes and fountains and....what else. Some even seemed to have birds in them. Painted in pale or deep colors they looked exotic.

And then there were the people. Raka did not think he had much of a fashion sense, but even he would stare if you were covered in a dress made of colorful feathers. The feathers ruffled as the wind blew...almost as if the fat lady wearing the dress would fly the next moment. She was walking, what looked like a pet alligator or something similar, kept on a leash. Or atleast the small sized version of it. A real alligator would be quite big, but this one was like half its size.....and tame! It waddled on its small feet, waving its tail as it walked making impressions on the ground. It was eagerly eating the bits the fat lady was throwing to it. 'Chipper' he heard it being called. So that thing had a name as well.

She wasn't the only one though. As he walked around the rich neighborhood, he found several people wearing fancy dresses, though the one with feathers was still the most weird. And they had pets. All kinds of animals, some he could recognize as being similar to something in real life. Others he hadn't seen. There were all kinds of two-footed or four-footed.....wait a sec..was that a three footed creature as well! Or did it injure and lose one of its leg.

'Any era, any age...you still have the filthy rich!' Raka sighed.

Raka kept moving his eyes at everything as he walked around the city observing, sometimes gawking with his mouth open, excited like a kid visiting a new place, where everything is brand new and unique and fun! He had looked a little of the city at night, but the view in the sun was something else. The normal part of the city, as Raka liked to call it, was much more similar to Gurrow village. No feathered ladies or pet alligators here. Normal people wearing normal clothes, not that it wasn't fashionable or beautiful. And no pets.

'Maybe the pets are expensive. That's why only the rich can afford having one! But there are pets, so there must be a pet shop as well....I should check it out later.'

A few times he saw important people passing. Riding on chariots they were followed by guards running behind them. Oblivious to the happenings around them, they had a look of concern or thoughtfulness or something similar. The chariot drivers yelled loudly to have the people on the street make way and skillfully guided their horses to lead these important people to places. A few of these important people were dressed in armor while a few others seemed to be wearing the same kind of dress, the people of Magic Institute wore.

After spending enough time going around the city, he finally decided to head out to the dockyard to meet with Dock Master John at pier 4 for one of his quests.

The dockyard was even more loud and exciting. People were yelling in top of their voices, shouting loudly and yelling some more. Stuff was moving around everywhere every second. The streets were full of horse carts carrying the stuff unloaded, big boxes stacked on top of each other at the side of the dockyard towards the street. Cranes moving loaded boxes, materials even animals and livestock. And so many people moving around doing stuff.

Raka had to be careful as he walked, not to get in the way of all the things happening around. Also he did not want to be crushed by all the stuff happening around.

He looked around for some signs but there seemed to be none. He asked for pier 4 from one of the men shouting instructions loudly to one of the crane operators. He was pointed to a small building. Raka headed there and knocked. Maybe it was too noisy around but his knock did not seem to have an effect. He simply pushed the door and it opened. It was a small office with a chair and desk with lots of papers on it. Some chairs were also placed on the side by the window. No one was in the office right now. 'Should I wait?' thinking he went inside and sat on a chair on the side.

The chair was on the side of the window with a good view of the dockside. He watched the happenings as he waited for whoever worked in the office to come back. A couple of hours later, the door was flung open and a big, bald, burly man came in all smelly and drenched from the waist down. He wiped his hands and face with the cloth hanging on the side of the door and wiped his boots on the mat. Then he started opening his pants.

Raka coughed to let him know he was there. The man looked at him,

"Wait a minute!" and resumed what he was doing. Thankfully it did not turn out that he took down his pants. It was more of a cover worn on top of it which was probably to keep the water out. He spread the pant cover thingy on a hook at the wall and went to sit behind the desk.

"So what's your business?"

"Um...I am Raka and I was asked to meet with dock master John by Lady Altia."

"Oh I'm John. So you know Altia do you...Lady Altia she is now but always a brat to me."

Raka thought John did not look that old to call Lady Altia a brat. But then Lady Altia was quite young as well.

"So how do you know Altia?"

"Um...she's my teacher. From Battle school."

"Really! So she got herself a student did she?! Hmmm how soon kids grow up! One day you are training with your first wooden sword, then next you have your own student."

Raka listened quietly to his reminiscing.

"So what weapon did you learn from her? Not the sword, I think."

"No sir, I was taught the staff."

"No sirs here lad. Only get to be called a Sir or Lady when you get knighted. Call me by my name!"

"Yes, John!"

"So nice to have met you Raka."

Quest "Meet with Dock Master John at Pier 4" complete.

"So when did you arrive in the city?" asked John.

"A few days ago. I was just going around the city looking at stuff."

"Oh! so you got any plans?"

"Not really...I will just see what I can do around here, you know maybe learn something or get a job to make some extra money" Raka replied hoping that the increased intimacy with John might lead to one of these.

"Hmm...A job you say! Well I can probably give you a job working on the docks but I don't usually hire people who I meet for the first time. Working here, you require a lot of strength but more importantly you need a good brain. Dock work is dangerous, you always need to keep your wits and your eyes open. One snap of rope and your done."

Raka nodded.

"Even more important than that is being precise. Everything we do here works off a plan and it should work like clockwork. A delay at any step and ships have to stay longer in the dockyard costing money. No ship captain worth his salt is going to tolerate delay. They are working off slim margins anyway. And it affects the reputation of the dock as well."

Raka listened attentively.

"Well I can't give you a job unless I know what you're capable of now! Say what...lets test you. Come out."

Raka followed John outside.

"There is pier 4. Right now a ship just finished unloading and people are preparing to load stuff. You see all those cargo around and those people moving here and there right?"

"Yes I do!"

"Good, simple test. How many people are working there?"

'Eh.....' Raka was a bit confused but...

[p=center]John's test[/p]

John the Dock Master at Pier 4 intends to test you to find out if you are capable of working on the docks. Identify the number of people working on pier 4.

Difficulty: E

Reward: A job offer.

Raka looked carefully at all the people working. He counted them on his head....trying to keep sure he did not miss anyone or count anyone twice. The only problem, people kept moving. They kept appearing and disappearing behind the cargo or on top of the ship and Raka had to really concentrate to remember some of their details just so that he would know he was counting correctly.

A little while later...

"I count around 25 people!"

"Around?....be sure boy!"

"Um...I count 25 people" Raka quickly repeated.

"You sure this time?"

"Ye...yeah. Pretty sure that's it."

John looked at Raka for a bit.

"You are wrong. There are 31 people working there."

You have failed John's test.

Raka was dumbfounded. He had counted carefully all the people he could see.

"You seem confused. Want me to tell you who you missed?"

"Yes please."

"You see the crane. The crane has an operator which you could see. The crane is lifting a box but do you notice those ropes heading down over the ship?! That is used to control the waving so that the wind does not move the ropes holding the box too much. You can see there are 4 ropes there held taught, by 4 men who you cannot see. Now do you see that satchel lying over there...just in front of the cargo there. Why do you think its lying there? If its someone's they would have claimed it already. If it was unattended, they would have moved it to the side to keep it away from their feet! Its there because someone is using it, hidden behind there doing something."

Raka nodded understanding. He counted there was still one missing.

"And where is the last one?" he asked.

"The last one is down in the ship's hold. Any cargo being loaded goes into the ship's hold or luggage area. One man shouts out instructions on exactly where to place each piece of cargo based on the balance of the ship. After all if it is heavy on one side it will start listing or tilting, which is not a good thing. That guy is called the load master by the way. But I would have forgiven if you couldn't have identified him. Only the people who work with ships know about the load master."

Raka nodded understanding.

"I am sorry Raka. I cannot offer you a job on the docks. Its noticing these little details which keeps us and the others safe."

Raka nodded again. Well it was a bust here but atleast he got increased intimacy. Maybe that will lead to something else in the future.

"Can you handle horses?" John asked out of the blue.

"I don't know. I have never handled them before."

"Hmmm...well it would be rude to Altia if I do not help you. But its also certain I cannot put you on the docks. I thought if you could handle horses maybe you could work one of those carts. Hmm...what should I do.......Oh right! I can give you to old man Salmon! He has always been asking for more men. So what do you say? Salmon handles repairs on ships. He is a crude but honest worker. If he likes you, you can work for him. Would that do?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

"Alright! Head down over there to that large warehouse. Its number 5. Tell him I sent you." And John turned around and headed back to his office.

Raka headed down over to the warehouse number 5, a large building situated on the street just behind the docks. There was a large door, which was open now. Lots of things were lying around here and there, loads of wood planks, blocks of metal, bundles of rope and what else. All sorts of hammering, clanking, thumping and other sounds came from the inside as everyone was engaged in manufacturing or repairing or doing other stuff.

Raka walked in. Loud noises grinded his ears, coming from all around him. He doubted that if he screamed, anyone could hear it. Now how to find old man Salmon among all this ruckus. He looked around but everyone was busy in whatever they were doing. No one had noticed that a man not belonging here had come up from the street, unannounced. So much for security!

He decided that waiting will serve no purpose. He approached a guy who was greasing the ropes. Dunno what the grease was made of, but it smelled revolting. Holding his nose Raka approached. The guy seemed like he was done and was preparing to move.

"Excuse me, Can you tell me where I can find Salmon.....SALMON!!" Raka tried to shout his voice over the din.

The guy simply pointed to the back of the warehouse to an old person.

This old guy was shaving wood and making planks it seemed. Even though he was old, his taut muscles remained firm as he ran the shaver all across the wood.

"HELLO!!" Raka shouted.

The old man did not notice.

"HELLLLOOO!!" Raka shouted a little louder.

The old man did not notice. 'Was he deaf...can't blame him though.' Raka walked in front of him and started waving his arms around. The old man finally noticed. He looked at Raka questioningly.

"JOHN SENT ME!" he waved and shouted at the same time.

The old man simply made a sign to follow him. The walked to the back of the warehouse, where a small door lead out. They went outside to a small patch of grass covered by walls and then the old man shut the door to the warehouse. The sound died down.

He removed something from his ears....ear plugs by the look of it...

"Yes, what do you want?"

"HELLO I Am raka...." Raka started shouting but slowly realized and toned down.

"No need to shout. I am not deaf." Salmon replied.

"Sorry. I am Raka. John, the dock master sent me to you. He said that maybe I could help you."

"Oh he said that did he. So what do you work with...rope, wood, iron, copper or some other metal?"

Raka was confused. Was there a requirement to be a blacksmith or something for this!

"I am sorry. I don't work with any of these."

Salmon sighed. "An amateur. All that I need and I get an amateur."

Raka simply added, "Um I am not sure what it is that you would want me to do. But I am a quick learner and hard worker so you won't be disappointed."

"So you say. Well alright, I guess you are better than nothing. I am very strict so listen well and work diligently. I don't pay for laziness."

"Yes. Thank you."

"Lets start you off with working on wood."

You have been offered a job. Salmon will pay you for every hour of work you put into helping him. Salmon insists that you learn woodworking to help him. Refusing to learn will reduce intimacy with Salmon and may rescind the job offer.

Pay will vary depending on work quality.

Skill Woodworking: You can now learn how to work with wood. Wood is a versatile material used in many ways and as part of various things. Knowing how to handle it, treat it and make it usable is important. Salmon insists that you learn this skill.

Requirements: Impress Salmon with your woodworking.

"Alright...move your bum! We ain't got all day!"

Saying which he turned to head inside. Raka followed but...

"No, you stay here. In the noise inside you won't hear a thing I say. I will come back with the tools."

And he left Raka standing there while he went inside, grabbed some wood and tools. He made a second round to bring a work table outside.

"Alright listen closely and watch even more closely."

And then he went on to show how to cut wood to size, shave it to make planks and then shape them according to requirement. No it doesn't end there. Then he showed how to treat it, how to repair broken planks, how to waterproof it, how to oil it...and a lot of other things. He explained what each tool does and how it does it. And then how to maintain them. Blades were usually made of iron or steel with a wood handle making the tool.

"When the blade becomes too dull to use, take it to one of the guys working with metal. They will sharpen it for you."

And then he explained how to fix broken handles....its made of wood right!

The most Raka had ever done with wood was work with it in high school, as part of class in real life. Carpentry, an optional subject, was one of the least popular as it required hard physical work. But then again, the teacher was generous with grades. Raka had taken it in high school so he understood some of the stuff Salmon said. Ofcourse in class, he handled electric tools. Using your own brute strength to do this.....well lets just say its in another dimension.

..........

..........

..........

"No not like that you ass! Be gentler...you are murdering the wood! Do you see the thickness of these shavings? Its like your fat fingers!! Make it thinner....jackass! Why me.....God!"

Salmon was definitely crude!

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After many hours of working with wood, which ended kinda like....

"That's enough for today!! I don't have any more patience to teach you. Learn faster, you fool of a gun! I got loads of work to be done! Come back tomorrow!!" as Salmon stormed back inside.

Extricating himself from that loud and noisy warehouse Raka took a deep breath. There were so many times he wanted to scream at that guy, Salmon, but he had kept himself in check. Now he headed down to the sea and screamed without restraint. Even the birds sitting on the rocks took off hearing his scream. But it felt better.

NOW he understood. Npcs having their own personalities means that they will have all kinds of it. And Raka had ended up with one of the least compatible ones ever. He was a quiet kind of guy and he had met up with the loudest, noisiest person in the game, atleast that's what he felt.

Anyways now he was stuck with him. 'Well I hope I can learn this woodworking skill fast. I don't want to hear his screaming anymore....its torture!' But who knows when he would actually learn it.

Raka sighed. 'Well now that I am out, better see if I can meet Sambal. Should I ask for him at the magic academy....or the palace, I wonder!"

He decided to check out the magic academy first. He walked to the tallest tower, which was the Magic Academy. Raka had tried asking the difference between an institute and an academy. He expected that there might be more advanced magic taught here. However the only difference he had found by asking around, was simply more number of teachers and students. Lady Verina, who's the head of the Magic Institute at Gurrow village, was actually a magic researcher and a teacher for intermediate or advanced magic. So learning more advanced magic was more a question of finding a suitable teacher rather than an institute or an academy.

The other odd thing he observed were lots of foreign looking people. He did not know much about demographics, but looking at them he could tell that they did not look like they were from the island. They wore the uniform of the Magic Academy though....which was the same as the one at the Magic Institute.

'Maybe the academy attracts students from other places...which seems possible. Or it may be a foreign exchange program..is that even possible. Anyways, lets go inside.'

The inside of the tower betrayed the look from the outside. It was huge from the outside. Only inside he realized it was more than huge. The tower had almost 10 floors, each smaller than the one below. And the lowest was the largest. He walked in to a spacious reception area...which again had a bell rope. Raka swung the rope and the bell sound was deeper ...somehow more grander this time. A man and a woman stepped out.

"Welcome to the Magic Academy. Please state your purpose" the shorter woman said, who had short black hair and looked almost tomboyish. The guy who had broad shoulders and light black hair stood silent and strong almost like he was a body guard.

"Um...I came from Gurrow village magic institute. I would like to meet with the Advisor for Magic Sambal please."

"Oh...do you have an appointment with him?" they lady continued.

"No. Is it required to make one?"

"It is advisable. The Advisor is a busy man, please understand, and cannot meet everyone. If you can make an appointment you may have a better chance to meet him."

"Oh! so can I make an appointment to meet him then."

"Unfortunately at this moment you cannot. The Advisor's assistants are not here today, and they take care of his affairs. Only they can schedule a meeting with him. I am sorry but you will have to come another day."

"Oh so do you know when they will be available?"

"I am sorry again. They move along with the Advisor and its only when the Advisor visits the magic academy that they are available. Due to his busy schedule, I am not sure when he will visit next."

'Hmmm so I may have to try everyday.' Raka knew that it was not easy to meet the Advisor for magic. Even Lady Verina had said so.

"Alright, thank you. I will visit again to check." and Raka left.

Thinking what he should do next, he decided to sell the things in his bag first. He had skin and bones of the rabbits and wolves he had killed. Also the meat which he wanted to sell. Also the couple of armadillos, he did not know how to skin them so he had brought the dead bodies with him. He had very early found out that all food have an expiry time after which it goes bad. Even during training with Lady Altia, she had buried the animals in the ground not only to keep it safe from other animals but to preserve the meat as well. Players bags served the same purpose. So after some time, the stored food will go bad.

'Lets find a place to sell them.' Roaming around he had identified several stores, food shops, tailors and other shops which could be places where this could sell. Now he had to go around determining where to sell them. Neona's lessons about business..."Always know the prices of what you are trying to sell."

Raka went around visiting each store, asking for prices of different things. Including meats, skins and other stuff. He did not know where to go sell dead bodies though. He simply tried asking subtly, what do novice hunters do if they don't know how to skin an animal! And the answer was simply....find a hunter who can! Raka sighed.

Raka's accounting skill was improving as he kept records of all the prices of items. It was the single most important skill to have if you are involved in trades. Even if you do not plan to be a full time merchant. It could also be one of the few under rated skills in the game with not a lot of people interested in the boring account work. On the other hand, he knew people had a new appreciation of the so called boring fields and classes. Gone were the days where people would look down on artists and sculptors and architects and merchants and what else. They still thought these classes were weak in fighting but they did not underestimate their ability to greatly influence the game.

In this game, with no classes, you could find a fully qualified fighting merchant! Or an artist launching AOE attacks....or whatever combinations you could think of. It remained another issue, however, if they willingly want to learn those boring skills.

'Hmm, so this store has a 1.3% profit margin. That last one had only 1.2. I could negotiate but there is no demand of rabbit or wolf skins. It seems the local hunters supply them regularly. It will be a fixed price sell.' Deciding to sell here he asked the lady at the tailor store, whose name was Jenny.

"I have 120 rabbit skins and 100 wolf skins I would like to sell."

"Oh...hmm I will give 66 silvers 85 coppers for the rabbit skins. 60 silvers 78 coppers for the wolf skins total."

Raka brought out all the skins and sold them.

"Thank you. I also have the animal bones. Do you know if someone wants those?"

"Oh if you want to sell the bones, the bow makers or medicine makers use those. You can sell to them. Though if you have bones of wolf and rabbit, only the bow makers use those."

"Oh thank you. You wouldn't happen to know a bow maker would you?"

"Two streets down on the right. The guy there makes bows. Though I will warn you, rabbit and wolf bones don't count for a lot."

"Also do you know someone named Cassian?"

"No never heard of him!"

"Alright thank you very much...I will be sure to visit you again!"

"Please. Thank you for visiting Johanna's tailor shop. Come again."

Raka found the bow makers store easily. For one the directions were pretty accurate. For another, there was this drawing of a bow and arrow on the sign.

With a clinking of bells he entered.

"Please wait, I will be right there..." the voice of a man came from inside.

Soon a young man stepped out saying..

"What can I do for you?"

"Hi, I have some rabbit and wolf bones to sell. Are you interested in buying?"

"Hmm...an unknown person coming to sell bones eh! I am sorry if I don't trust you, but selling bones is tricky business."

"What do you mean?" asked Raka.

"It takes a keen eye to actually determine which animal the bones come from after all. A lot of cheap imports of bones have come which actually claim to be high end bones of rare animals. But usually these are bones of similar sized low-end creatures. Infact even human bones have sometimes been used. Its terrible but true. To counter that, there has been a policy in effect that we should not buy any bones from people we don't know and don't trust! Sorry no one will buy your bones until you prove yourselves trustworthy."

"Oh I am sorry I didn't know that. I didn't know bones are that important!"

"Ofcourse they are. I am a bow maker and bows are made of different types of wood and bones. Bones not only provide strength but add magical properties as well. Bones of rare magical creatures sell for hundreds of thousands of gold. Some bones even have healing properties as well so medicine makers are always looking for them. Ofcourse the bones can also be used to put magic in other items too."

"Oh so rabbit and wolf bones can be used too...."

"Nah...they got no magic in them. Only used to for basic bows. Haven't made those in a while now."

"Well thank you for telling me. How do I get to be trustworthy?"

"Get known man. People trust people they know after all. Or become famous like a celebrity...your choice." the young man laughed.

"Oh by the way do you know a Cassian?"

"Never heard of him."

Raka stepped out pondering about everything he had heard. The lack of basic bows made sense. After all the users of the basic bows were still stuck in Gurrow village. But the information about bones was interesting. Ofcourse he still hadn't found anyone who knew Cassian.

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The next day he logged in, Raka was lucky. He had just visited the Magic Academy on his way to Salmon trying to see if Sambal had visited. And he found that he was...Infact he was in there right now.

"Excuse me, could I ask if Advisor Sambal is visiting?" he asked it to the young tomboyish woman who stepped out again. This time accompanied by another tough looking man.

"Ah..its you again. Well you are in luck, he is visiting. Please wait while I ask for his assistant to come."

A little while later, a middle aged woman wearing thick glasses and her hair in a tight bun came out. Raka thought she looked like a strict person.

"I am Gayle. I am Advisor Sambal's assistant. I heard you have business with him?"

"Yes. I am Raka. I came from Gurrow Village. Lady Verina recommended me to meet with him."

"Oh Lady Verina did eh. Well I am sorry he is busy today with some other things. Would you like to make an appointment for a future time?"

"Yes please."

"Alright. Please wait here while I confirm with him." She went back into the academy. This time it took a bit longer.

"I am sorry but he is extremely busy on some other matter for next few weeks. The earliest I can set up an appointment is next month. Would you be interested?"

"Yes please!" It was not like Raka had any other plans.

After setting up his appointment, ofcourse on a day he would log in, he started heading back. As soon as he reached the door, he bumped into someone.

"Please pardon...." the other guy started when "Its you!"

Raka looked up to see the guard captain Emilius and some other people in armor.

"Please pardon me too. I did not look!" Raka said as he stood up.

"What are you doing here young man?" Emilius asked.

"Um...I came to meet with the Advisor Samball, sir."

"You were, were you?" Then he turned around to the others and said, "He is the one who brought us the news!"

The other people suddenly looked very interested in Raka now. One of them an old guy wearing a kind of robe and having a white beard asked,

"Young man, why did you want to meet the Advisor?"

Raka wasn't sure whether he should answer his questions but he noticed the way the guard captain was treating him with respect. 'Maybe he's an important official or something' thinking that Raka simply told the truth.

"Um...Lady Verina recommended me to meet him!"

"Oh so you know Verina as well. How do you know her?"

"She taught me at the magic institute!"

They looked at each other and then,

"Well may I know your name young man!" the old guy asked.

"His name is Raka, Lord Holtimius" the guard captain replied.

Raka nodded as well.

"Well Raka, we are on our way to meet with the Advisor right now. And I would like you to accompany us?" the old guy asked.

Raka had no problems with it and somehow he felt that it wasn't wise to refuse this.

"Yes sir. If it lets me meet the Advisor!"

"Alright that's that then, lets go!"

And all of them headed into the depths of the magic academy.