His large pack fell to the ground with a thunk as Tormacc raised his arms above his head, stretching them behind his back before they fell back to his sides. It has been over six months since he had entered The Tower, and he felt he was finally ready to leave the starting zone. He had actually found the exit portal a little over a month into his time here, but the plan in the message left by his previous self necessitated him accruing as much Essence as he could, so the rest of the time was spent grinding Essence and searching for treasure.

He hadn’t gotten very lucky with the treasure part, likely because the dangerous areas where the treasures were located required him to invest in his Fate Wheel to explore, but he had managed to accrue over four hundred Essence. 468 in fact. It was a decent sum, or he thought it was. Not having anything to compare it to made him a little worried, but that was why he was planning to leave the starting zone.

There was a lot more he could do here, he was sure of it. The problem was information. Would he even know if he stumbled across a legendary herb? Unless it was glowing seven different colors, likely not. His previous self agreed. The final part of the message told him to seek out an organization called Curtain in the First City once he had accrued a decent amount of Essence. Presumably the First City was where the portal out of the starting zone would take him.

But before he left, he had his Fate Wheel to light up. Closing his eyes and going into his mind Tormacc stood before his Fate Wheel and in quick succession he lit up both Ability Boost followed by Beginner’s Gift. His Essence quickly drained forty points, twenty each for the two sections, going down to 428. Then Beginners Gift started to kick in, and he felt Essence being sucked into him as the number in his Fate Wheel shot up, eventually stopping at 1,712.

If before his Essence was like a lantern, now it was like a blazing fire, both the warmth and light it generated on a whole different level from before. Feeling that clear increase in power, Tormacc was satisfied with all the time he had spent grinding. It hadn’t been easy, and multiple times he had been severely injured and needed to take time off to heal, but it was worth it in the end. And even though the Essence was his main reward, he had still found some other crystals.

Two more of the glowing white crystals had dropped, the first netting him some leather armor and the second a stiletto. He had also gotten a glowing white sphere, although that only gave him five essence. Not a bad haul, although he was disappointed he didn’t get another blue crystal. His tattoo had shined, only increasing in utility as he got better as using it. The rainforest would have been a death sentence without the increase in perception.

But all that was behind him. Limited as he was in not spending Essence on his Fate Wheel, each day had been a struggle, his power level not increasing as he hunted, meaning each new foray was a life-threatening experience. But it had forged him, granted him a new perspective on combat. He wasn’t sure what he had gone through before entering the tower, but it was hard to imagine it was anything close to what he had just experienced. Knowing he only had himself to rely on gave him a whole new perspective, one he wasn’t sure he had outside The Tower.

Shaking off thoughts of the past few months, Tormacc picked up his pack and prepared himself to enter the exit portal. It was time to graduate from the starter zone.

Stepping into the portal, he prepared himself to get transported elsewhere. But as soon as he affirmed his desire to enter the portal, he was through it, the grasslands surrounding the portal gone, replaced by wide streets and tall buildings. Confused, Tormacc took a second to adjust, only to realize he didn’t need it. One second he had been in the starting zone and now he was out of it, except it didn’t feel that way. As he glanced around at the buildings surrounding him it didn’t feel like he had moved at all. Rather, it felt like he had been here the whole time.

“Hello there! Welcome to the First City!”

Turning his attention to the voice that called out to him, Tormacc spotted two guards walking over to him. A woman and… something else. He assumed they were guards by the tabard they both wore, which had “Guards” written across it in bold letters. It was the woman that spoke to him.

“First time in the city? Of course it is, since you came out of the beginner’s portal. The name’s Tabitha, and that’s Oolg. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“My name is Tormacc, and likewise,” he said as he shook Tabitha’s hand.

“As you might have guessed, we’re both guards. Pretty easy to spot us by these tabards here. Some friendly advice: don’t fuck with us. All the guards are empowered by The Tower, so if you ever want to break the rules, don’t.”

“What are the rules, exactly?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. No murder, rape, stealing, and all the normal stuff. Just keep to yourself and you should be fine. But if you have any questions you’re welcome to come bother us. Us guards are tasked with protecting the peace in First City, and that means entertaining questions from newbies like you.”

“I see. Thank you.” He didn’t really see, a bit overwhelmed by Tabitha’s rapid speech, but if she could be believed, he shouldn’t be at immediate risk of being targeted by murderers or thieves, which was always a positive after entering a new environment.

“Glad to be of service! You wouldn’t happen to have any questions for us, would you? Of course you do. You newbies always have questions.” She then stared at him expectantly, waiting for a question. “Come on, out with it then.”

Tormacc certainly hadn’t expected his first experience out of the starting zone to involve being ambushed by an overeager guard so it took him a few seconds to collect his thoughts, but it was true that he did have questions. Even more after her speech.

“Yes, I do have a question. You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find the organization called Curtain, would you?”

“Curtain, eh? Not a bad choice. If I recall they offer free information to newbies like yourself. Not sure why they bother, but maybe they’re just nice guys. Let’s see, pretty sure they’re in the 6th District. Just go over to that portal over there, you see the one that says 6th District on top, yeah, that one. Once you come out look to your left and you should see a giant clock tower. That’s Curtain’s headquarters. Just head towards the clock and you should be right as rain, right Oolg?”

Tormacc watched in fascination as Oolg nodded, his whole body rippling. While Tabitha looked Humen, Oolg was definitely not. He looked vaguely humanoid, with two arms, two legs, and a head, but he was made out of some viscous slime substance. He was yellow and mostly transparent, and looking through him felt like it would give Tormacc a headache if he didn’t look away occasionally.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Tabitha said. “Portal’s right over there.”

He barely managed to squeeze out a “thanks for the help” before Tabitha herded him over to the correct portal. Coming out on the other side, he stood there for a minute, not quite sure what to make of the rather pushy guard. Shaking his head, he decided to ignore the whole experience. He got his directions, and that’s what mattered.

Looking up and to the left he could indeed see a clock tower. It would be hard to not see it, as it towered above the buildings around it, sticking out like a sore thumb. Setting it as his destination, Tormacc started walking, taking the time to scope out the city as he went.

He couldn’t actually remember what a city looked like, but he had a feeling they shouldn’t be this chaotic. Small two-story cottages sat next to towering structures of steel and glass which stood next to buildings made out of red brick and tiled rooves. If he had to guess, each building’s owner brought their own aesthetic sense to bear, resulting a collage of different styles, all mashed together to form a surprisingly cohesive whole. That might have been helped the individual beauty of each building. There were no run-down structures, meaning everything had a certain standard to it, one that caused each individual style to complement each other rather than detract from the overall picture.

If he didn’t have a destination Tormacc could have spent hours just admiring the architecture, but he had places to be, and after an hour of walking he found himself in front of Curtain’s headquarters, the clock towering high above him. Curtain HQ: Please Enter Here it said right above the entrance. It seemed they welcomed visitors, an idea also corroborated by the steady trickle of people entering and exiting the entryway.

The large double doors were propped open, so Tormacc was able to walk right into a large entrance hall where he was immediately confronted with a giant sign. A lot of the sign was incomprehensible, the language full of terms he wasn’t familiar with, but at the top there were clear directions for first timers, so after only a quick glance at the rest of the sign he followed the directions, standing in a queue behind two other people, waiting his turn to see a man at a counter.

He didn’t have to wait long, and soon he was being motioned over.

“This is your first time here, correct?” The man barely glanced at Tormacc as he asked the question, his eyes directed at a large box, hands tapping at a grouping of buttons.

“Yes.”

“Standard package, or do you have a coupon or recommendation?” Seeing Tormacc’s questioning look the man continued, “Standard package it is then. And do you have a preference for your agent? No? Then if you would please enter through the door on your right and take a seat someone will be with you shortly.”

Tormacc followed the instructions, going through the door and finding a seat in a waiting room. He should have been glad at how quickly he was accomplishing his goal, but everything seemed to be moving too fast. First the guard and now the receptionist. It seemed like everyone finished their conversation with him before he even started speaking.

Glancing around, he was the only person in the waiting room, the other two who entered before him already gone. Maybe everyone in The Tower knew something he didn’t and he was the weird one? Maybe they actually knew why they were here, unlike him, and were anxious to get about whatever it was they were supposed to be doing. It was something to ponder, but there was no use worrying about it right now. He was here to get information. After he knew more he could start worrying and hurrying right along with them.

Before he could even fully settle in to his chair someone came to collect him, leading him through various doors and hallways, up two flights of stairs, down another, until finally Tormacc was left in another waiting room. The attendant had barely shut the door behind him when another door opened, and a woman walked in. She was green, but not an artificial green. Her skin looked like leaves, the shades of green blending together, managing to look just at natural as the brown and tan skin tones he was more used to.

“Hello! My name is Stella and I’ll be your agent if you decide to stay with us,” she said, extending a hand. “If you would please follow me into my office we can get started.”

Tormacc followed Stella into an office that was much more personable than the rest of the building. There were pictures in the waiting rooms, but the office felt much more lived in, with small things out of place and books slightly askew on the bookshelves. After Tormacc and Stella were seated on either side of a large desk Stella restarted the conversation.

“So, what can I help you with today?”

“I was actually hoping you could tell me that,” Tormacc said. “I just got out of the starting zone, and I have to admit I’m a little lost.”

“Well you’ve come to the right place. Even if you don’t decide to stay on with us, Curtain offers complementary beginner’s guides to all newcomers.” Stella opened one of the draws on her desk before taking out a small book and presenting it to Tormacc. She then turned to look at a large box similar to the one his intake person had.

“Says here you didn’t have a referral,” she said. “Do you mind telling me how you found us?”

“Uh, self-referral?” What was he supposed to say here?

“Starter Kit then. And did the message you left yourself have any specifics?”

Tormacc paused, unsure of how much to tell her. Could he trust Stella? The message he left himself only said to find Curtain, not what he should do once he got here.

“Ah, worried about how much to say?” Stella then reached into another drawer in her desk and pulled out some documents. “All conversations in Curtain fall under our privacy policy, which can be found on page 79. Even the initial free intake session is covered, although you’ll need to sign up for our program to get further sessions. Feel free to browse the contract at your leisure.”

A bit intimidated by the stack of paper, Tormacc flipped to page 79, glancing over the contents. It was a bit hard to understand, but if the helpful summaries in the margins were to be believed, Stella was under a magical oath not to divulge any sensitive information from their sessions. He knew he could debate whether to trust Stella and Curtain for hours, but his previous self had to have a reason to direct him here. Stella seemed as good a choice to trust as any, and he could really use someone to confide in.

“Yes, I heard about Curtain in the message from the Starter Kit. There wasn’t much honestly, just that I should come here. The rest was other stuff.”

“Do you mind telling me what the other contents were?”

Tormacc then briefly related the contents of the message, also giving a brief overview of his time in the starting zone. Stella thought it over for a bit before finally responding.

“I can’t say you had a bad start, as it sounds like you got a nice power boost from the ritual, but to be blunt, you fucked up.”