Yulinh finally came into view, the early afternoon sunshine painting it’s grey walls a pastel shade. Like a cat ready to pounce, the high-walled fortress squatted over the road that ran along its base. Even from miles away it was completely obvious just how massive the fortifications were, the guardsmen on the top of the walls like ants. Kalamedra’s footsteps slowed as he took in the impressive sight.

“Out of the way, dumb shite! I need to get these rutabagas to market afore they start sweating!”

Kalamedra looked back over his shoulder at the rumpled farmers leading a donkey-drawn wagon behind him, and stepped off the side of the road. He casually motioned the man to keep moving as his eyes roved the fortress-city’s verges. He had seen the city that was here during Alpha, and this version of it was insanely larger and more imposing.

Man, we really fucked them up. They built this place back like Fort Knox and Alcatraz had a love child. They must have spent every moment the first few years building like the Travelers were going to come back any minute. Best I not arouse any suspicions of being one of those folks while I am here. At the same time, there has to be a decent amount of Travelers here by now, the game has been up about 9 hours now, or almost 9 days in-game. This is a good place to show up, get resources and start developing a character without being too obvious about not being from here. The transient population of a large city like this has to be quite impressive. Now, let’s get down to business.

Kalamedra stepped back into the road, and the flow of traffic, up to the city gates. The gates themselves were huge, at least 60 feet high and 120 feet across, and flanked on either side by towers. The bottom edge of a portcullis could be seen hanging down like a set of teeth, ready to bite down on any who might invade the sacred ground of Yulinh. Well-armed and alert guards were stationed at the gates, looking through carts as they entered and exited, and questioning travelers.

“Name.” The words came out gruff, but in a way that had obviously been repeated thousands of times. The guard was an old human, clearly a longtime member of the city watch.

“Kala.” Kalamedra had never been more aware of how young his voice sounded.

“Just Kala?” The guard asked questioningly, but with scant interest.

“That’s right, just Kala.”

“Hmm, Kala, where are you from and why are you entering Yulinh?” The guard was now peering down at him over the top of his pedestal on which he wrote records. He was clearly taking in this young-looking elf, all by himself except for a sword.

“I’m from the barbarian lands out west, beyond Far Westburg. It’s my first time to the big city.” He tried to sound enthusiastic as well as naïve. It wasn’t hard to sound impressed with Yulinh.

“And why are you here? Don’t think I heard an answer to that part of the question…”

“Looking to get some training, both in swordsmanship and magic, and sell a few items that I have collected.”

“Are you sure that you aren’t here to steal from the good people of this city? All you elves seem to get up to trouble, no matter what kind you are.” The words came out with a sneer.

Kalamedra felt his eyes close as he mastered his feelings. Of course he wasn’t actually an elf, of any kind, in “real” life but this world was becoming his home more and more. Compared to the life he lived outside of Koral, it wasn’t shocking that this felt even more real than “real” life. That said, when he was slighted for his race in the game, he couldn’t help but take it seriously, and personally.

“Nope, I’m pretty sure. I’m just looking to learn a little, and do a little trading. Is there some kind of bond I have to post?”

“Not yet, not yet.” The old man sounded grumpy about this, and so Kalamedra had to suppress a smile.

“Alright, so I can enter then?”

“Stay out of trouble, knife-ear.”

Kalamedra walked into the city, past the guard station. He made special note of the guard’s features, in case he should ever run into him in a darkened alley. Once he passed the outer gate the roar of the city vastly increased, clearly having been dampened by the thick stone. He followed along with the crowd that was traveling in to the city, the road they were on seemed to be a main thoroughfare leading towards the city center.

After walking perhaps 10 minutes he came across a small market in a square that the road crossed. It was obviously a low-level trading area as most people were selling simple goods in small lots; alchemical plants, raw skins and leather, sacks of ore, and basic equipment. Pausing at what was obviously a stall meant to equip new adventurers, he sold the mundane arms and armor he had taken from the bandits. None of it was especially good, he was wearing the best maille shirt, but he did manage to get 5g23s47c for it. This exchange led him to believe that the money he had acquired would go quite far.

I guess those bandits were more successful than I thought. They had a lot of trade goods but I didn’t realize the coin they had gathered was quite so much. I better hold on to it until I see prices for training and equipment though.

He still had the necklace that granted Darkvision, which he expected would probably be quite valuable to the right person. The idea that you could acquire the skill he planned his whole race choice around as simply a buff from a necklace was pretty shocking, actually.

The merchant who purchased his mundane items explained a little about the city’s geography to him. Actually, he seemed a little concerned that such a young elf was going around by himself, and was trying to help him avoid some of the bad areas. The merchant explained that the city has various areas called Quarters, even though there were more than 4 of them. The Noble Quarter, Merchant Quarter, Martial Quarter, Magi Quarter, Sacred Quarter, and Worker Quarter. The Magi Quarter contained several Mage Guilds, the scriveners and bookbinders, alchemists and other people who worked in esoteric areas. The Martial Quarter contained Sword Schools, blade merchants, armorers and the like, as well as the Adventurer’s Guild.

Before heading to the Magi Quarter, he flipped his hood up over his head, and raised the front part of it to conceal everything below his eyes. It would perhaps be seen as a little suspicious by some, but it was starting to get annoying to get hassled for his age.

If I knew it would be this much trouble to be an elf, and to be this young, I might have made some different decisions, but here is where we are now I guess. Let’s go see what I can learn from the Magi Quarter for now.

“Watch my back, will you? I am sure this city is already full of thieves, no matter that guard thought I was trying to come in and steal their jobs.” He quietly said to Xyl as he made his way through the bustling crowds.

When he got to the Magi Quarter he was definitely impressed. The streets were well-maintained, the people looked reasonably well-off, and there was a palpable vibe of energy. It was surprisingly easy to see where the Mage Guilds were as their members seemed to like lounging out front. They were all wearing badges, tattoos, or other items that showed they were members of a particular group. They were joking amongst themselves, or squabbling with other groups. As he entered the area he saw two young mages dueling with spells in an area that was clearly set off for that purpose, a violet ring was set into the ground and there was a perceptible shield of force around them as they tossed spells at each other.

They may be older than Kalamedra, and know more spells and more of magic in general, but I get the feeling they haven’t had much experience using their magic in a life-or-death situation. I bet you find the mages that are experienced hanging out somewhere else. This is like middle school!

He watched them for a few moments before making his way over to what was evidently a merchant who specialized in magic objects. “The Bell and Book” it was titled on the elegant signboard set up outside the two-story brick building. The first floor had actual windows, with many small panes of glass, and inside could be seen shelves full of books and magical reagents. When he opened the door and entered, a gentle chime sounded.

“Come in, come in. I assure you, we are open!” The voice came from the back of the building, behind several towers and drifts of books. Kalamedra could hear someone shoving furniture aside to get back to the main foyer, and after a moment a decrepit elf came forward, brushing dust off his robes.

He looked down at Kalamedra, and after examining him for a moment, a look of mild distaste came over his face. “Well, what do we have here. Something new, but not something desired, I think. Not a Dark Elf, no, but with the aura of one related to my fallen kin. You have a taste of something else though, something dark and shadowy. Oh well, Persil is too old to be making new enemies. What can I do for you, young elf?”

Kalamedra was shocked. Yes, with his build and pointy ears and such it was relatively easy to see that he was an elf of one kind or another, but he had never expected for some random person to be able to divine so much of his character with such ease. From the way the old mage acted, he was likely a High Elf. Haughty and proud, they were especially down on Dark Elves.

“Oh, I’m new to Yulinh, and magic. Just looking to get some information, and maybe some spells. I have money.”

“Oh, I’m sure you do. Your sort always does. Spells can be bought, I am a For-Profit business after all, but information. Well, that depends. I tend to like to trade information. It ensures that I never run out of something new to know, and sell.”

“My sort? Pardon me…sir, but I don’t think you have ever met my sort before.”

The old elf raised a withered eyebrow, and a slight smile rested lightly on his shrunken lips. “Maybe not, but I was implying that you are the sort of elf who takes what he wants, and so always has resources. Not touching on your other attributes, per se.”

“Hmmph. I’m no pushover, if that’s what you mean. In any case, I have stumbled into a legacy, of a sorts, which has granted me some magical Affinity and I need to learn how to use it. Through unfortunate circumstances, I don’t have anyone I could turn to, so I am looking to get some books on the basics of magic to start.”

“Intriguing. Tell you what, I will trade you this book on magic – hard to find I assure you! – if you will tell me what sort of elf you are. I have never seen one quite like you, yet I can tell you are descended of the same ancient kin as we all are.”

He held up an old book, one which Kalamedra could see was written, “IMPERIAL AGELASTAN MAGE CORPS : MAGICAL PRECEPTS”. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized it as coming from the same source group as his grimoire. He had to have that book.

“I couldn’t interest you in gold?”

“No, my curiosity has been raised, I have to know.” The old elf’s eyes had a glimmer of obsession in them. Clearly his desire to know everything was all-consuming. If Kalamedra did not tell him what he wanted to know, not only would he likely be unable to acquire the magical book, he might not leave this shop alive.

Kalamedra sighed heavily. He remembered the old adage, “Three can keep a secret if Two are dead” but his secrets would likely not last forever anyway. By releasing the VOID he had put wheels in motion that were a long way from coming to rest. “I’m a Shadow Elf. It’s like a Dark Elf, but not. I’m as much of an elf as you, but my nature also partakes of the nature of Shadows as well.”

Wordlessly the old elf handed the book over to Kalamedra, his cloudy old eyes alight with the pleasure of knowing something others did not. He started rubbing his hands together and turned to walk back the way he had come.

“Hey, we aren’t done yet! I want to look at your scrolls and equipment!”

“Come back after you read that book, if you can understand it. I guarantee it will make your task a whole lot easier.” The reedy old voice faded as the elf squeezed past Mount Manuscript to get into the back of the store again.

Having clearly been dismissed, Kalamedra left the shop. The Quarter was the same as before, the same people doing the same things. He couldn’t help feel though that he was different in some way, and that events had just taken another unexpected turn.

Oh well, the only protection in this life is to stay on step ahead of everyone else. I guess I better find an inn for now and study this book. Might as well wander over to the Martial Quarter before that though and see if I can find a sword teacher for a few lessons. I may have magic now, and the potential for much more, but that black blade has saved my life an awful lot of times.

He moved off towards the Martial Quarter, not noticing the three figures following him a ways back. He definitely didn’t get the sense of being magically scryed.