The walk to Valenta was calming. No monsters bothered us as we continued north towards the city. The closer we came to the city the more traffic we encountered, people of all races slowly making their way towards the surrounding villages, their wagons loaded with goods to be transported to contracted destinations.

Shiza had elaborated on the structure of the merchant’s guild while we walked. As one progressed through the ranks of the guild more autonomy was given to the individual merchant. At the lowest rank, one was only permitted to take delivery commissions. Shiza showed us the copper medallion she wore around her neck and explained that for every rank there was a different medallion. Without the proper medallion any merchant carrying large quantities of goods not contracted to be delivered to a village or city would be taxed on the overall value of those goods. If one didn’t carry a Merchant’s medallion at all they were forbidden from setting up stalls in any town under the guilds authority.

She explained that at the lowest rank of copper she’d be charged 50 percent of a goods value if she tried to sell it in the city and she could be kicked out of the guild if she tried to smuggle anything in. Hence the reason she’d returned without any goods to peddle. Although seemingly unfair the reasoning was sound, an inexperienced merchant was likely to lose money trying to transport unknown goods. By starting them off with delivery tasks they gained valuable knowledge about the pricing of certain goods as well as information regarding what kind of towns buy and sell different items. It still seemed to favor wealthier merchants and the already established but also provided a safety net for those who would otherwise lose everything on bad trades. If you were terrible at bartering or recognizing opportunities you would be stuck as a copper merchant which, although not lucrative, would still enable you to put food on the table.

The merchant ranks followed a predictable pattern of copper, bronze, iron, silver, and gold. Iron merchants were allowed to trade between villages without a tax while silver was allowed to trade goods between cities. Those belonging to the highest rank of gold were given exclusive rights to trade subsidized goods between cities and were also given special permission to trade across any nation’s borders. It sounded like a highly lucrative job as subsidies offered stable guaranteed profits with minimal risk.

The conversation made me reflect on the early economies of Earth. In my previous life I had learned that organizations for controlling trade hadn’t really exerted much influence until about the 11th century. But this world seemed to have a radically different story, where these guilds dominated regional trade and exerted specific economic policies despite their lack of economic development. As far as I had seen, there had been no evidence of any metallurgy past simple iron working and casting so either economic theory had advanced faster in this world or military technology had advanced slower.

As the conversation began to drift away from talk of the merchant guild my mind started to wander. I had been surprised initially by the number of humans we’d passed on the road. It had been surreal staring at them across the end of a muzzle, specifically remembering a lifetime of different experiences. Those who caught my stare either averted their gaze or scowled at me, a clear testament to the blatant racism Orion had warned me about in the forest.

There were a few other races that traveled the roads though, the most prevalent of which were the small, caracal like bipeds. Usually traveling in groups, these short cat-like creatures didn’t receive the same looks that passing humans gave us, at least not to the same degree. Around some of their necks even hung silver medallions, raising the question as to whether the merchant’s guild was simply not as racist as the rest of society or whether this race was generally less looked down upon.

Another less common sight were the slaves. Usually shackled at the hands these slaves were drawn from races of all kinds; mice, large tiger-like cats, and even the occasional Ferrin. All were escorted by human merchants and armed human guards. Each one had been marked with red paint and was bound around the neck by a slave collar. Neither Shiza nor Orion seemed to pay much attention to the slaves that walked by us. To me the sight was horrendous, a completely antithetical approach to the kind of society I was used to. In my previous life I had learned about the conciquences of slavery as a practice in both an ethical and an economic sense but here, it seemed to be an everyday part of life. I could only hope that the institution of slavery in this world was kinder to those who suffered under it than it had been on Earth.

We’d finally made it to the city gates as the sun reached its midpoint in the sky. The walls were blinding as their white/sandstone color reflected the majority of the sun's rays directly into my eyes. I could feel the skin under my black fur beginning to sunburn under its intensity. Atop the walls, guards patrolled back and forth, surveying the steady flow of people entering and leaving the city. The wall was thick, its towers protruding into the sky, filled with arrow slits cut into carefully positioned locations alluding to the fortification’s intended purpose.

As we approached the gate we were funneled into a line containing all sorts of non-human beastmen. Staring towards the gate I could see a much shorter, quicker moving line containing only humans. In the line we had been placed I looked ahead to see what slowed the process down so significantly. The number of guards occupying the human line was near double the number that occupied the other. In stark contrast to the human line, full pat downs were taking place and weapons were being checked ahead of us. Thankfully, weapons that had cleared inspection were handed back to their owners but it still made me nervous. Systems like this were bound to have people who would take advantage of them and I really wanted to avoid getting my weapon stolen today.

We finally reached the front of the line as the sun was beginning to set. There had been a few delays throughout the day that had slowed us down significantly. What looked like a raccoon had come from inside the city and had completely forgone the use of the lines, dashing past the bewildered guards as they flailed their arms trying to halt his escape. He’d nimbly hopped over the barricades and past the slew of guards until he was well beyond the crowd. The guards had halted all entry from the line while a few of them were sent off in pursuit, about an hour later returning unsuccessful. The situation had left me to stare in envy as humans continued to be permitted entry into the city merely a short distance away. Sometimes their line even emptying completely, leaving the guards standing there not doing anything!

Orion had caused another delay when he informed the guards of the attack on Fenroot. The guards turned and debated what he’d said before sending two off in the general direction of the village to check for survivors. Neither of these two men looked pleased as they started jogging south, glaring at Orion until they had passed. We were told that clearing the area completely would require informing the Warrior’s guild. The guild would scout the area and hunt the monsters until they’d pacified the area. Then the temple would take over the search for the rift.

After that I’d had to wait for the replacements for the two guards that had left. By the time we were searched and permitted to enter I was indignant, grabbing my sword from the guard I sauntered over to Orion and Shiza who were patiently waiting for me. Apparently, I was visibly upset because Shiza voiced her thoughts on the matter, “Haven’t ever been to a city before huh? You’ve got the same look that everyone has when they enter the first time. It sucks not being human most of the time huh?” She giggled as she started walking, “Better get used to it. Humans basically control everything and I don’t see that changing for a while. Ever since their war with the Elves they’ve been the most dominant race on the continent.”

I was still angry but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn a bit of history, “I haven’t heard that story.” I grumbled under my breath.

“Really?! Wow, I thought that was taught to everyone!” She’d motioned for us to follow her to a nearby building. We went inside and sat down, beastmen sitting all around drinking from flasks I’m sure contained some kind of alcohol. As a thanks for escorting her back to town, she ordered a round of drinks for the table from one of the waitstaff. After the waiter had walked away from our table Shiza started to relay the story, “300 years ago the Elves ruled over the continent. They built a great civilization through the use of magic and slavery. The other races toiled under their commands, erecting monumental structures which the Elves used to enhance their power. The Elven civilization was able to use the power they acquired to level themselves higher than any other species could hope to reach. In doing so they were able to exert control over the other races to an even greater extent than they had before. One hundred years of slavery passed where they would slaughter any slave that became too strong. Any slave that reached level ten was sacrificed to the contraptions they had helped to build. Before long, a Human rebellion rose up in the west to challenge the Elves led by an extraordinarily powerful human. No one knows where the great hero Aaron came from nor how he achieved such power but through uniting humanity he was able to create an army to oppose the Elven overlords.”

She paused as the waiter returned with three cups of yellow-brown liquid. A large cat-like beastman had slipped and hit his head on a far off table. After the incident he was lying unconscious on the ground next to his friends who were all sitting at the bar laughing. Both Orion and Shiza took a swig of their drinks, looking down and then back over at the unfortunate soul I decided I’d rather not. When Shiza had finished her draw she continued her tale, “People of all races flocked to his army, his promises of freedom and equality drawing on the hope of all the races supressed by the elves. Together, the coalition of races was able to drive back the Elven armies and slowly, one-by-one their cities and monuments fell. The armies of Aaron pushed the Elves back to their last city, their former empire now scorched and burned as 300,000 former slaves besieged their capital. When the last of the Elven armies rode out to meet Aaron and his legions in battle the clash was bloody. Greatly outnumbered, the Elves fought hard but to no avail. Wielding his mighty longsword Aaron cut a path to the enemy king with his bodyguards killing anyone who got close. As the hero was about to strike the enemy down his bodyguards turned on him and stabbed him in the back. He had been guarded by the strongest soldiers of each race, the elite unit was supposed to be a symbol of unity and trust between the different races. But that trust between humanity and the beastmen was shattered by the blow that left the great hero dying on the battlefield. For their betrayal the other races were never forgiven. The new leaders of humanity had pledged to not imitate the elves through domination of the other races but could not forgive those that had struck the hero down either. Humanity’s reign over the continent had begun and for all races except the elves the world had become a better place.” Upon finishing her story she downed the rest of her drink, being careful not to spill any of it, “So that’s why beastmen are second class citizens. All because our stupid ancestors killed the hero.”

It truly was a fascinating story and would explain the discrimination against non-humans. Shiza had finished her drink and was looking desperately at my cup, still sitting full in front of me. I slid the liquid across the table and she cheerfully scooped up the glass and started chugging it. This world had a storied history dominated by strength. Even the magic of the Elves was just a more complicated way of gaining power. That strength seemed to stem from a person’s level and the skills they chose to use. As Shiza finished her second drink she pointed us in the general direction of an inn we could stay at, she had to head to her guild hall to collect her commision. We parted ways with a wave and a promise to come visit her at her guildhall sometime.

As we watched her walk off down the road Orion turned to me, “Maybe we should join the Warrior’s guild?” I raised my eyebrow at him, we’d both nearly collapsed from fear after fighting an alpha Tardog and now he wanted to seek out that kind of situation? He continued before I had a chance to respond, “Hear me out! I can’t do it again. I can’t start over knowing that it can all be ripped away from me again. I want to get stronger, I want to protect the people I care about and there’s only one person left who I know I can rely on to have my back. I can’t do this alone.”

His face fell as he said the last word. I could feel myself wanting to empathize with him. Over the last few days, the stress and fighting along with the journey from Fenroot to where we were now, I wanted to empathize with him. For a brief moment when I focused hard enough, I could feel it again. The thoughts and emotions behind putting myself in his shoes flooded over me as I realized what it must have been like to lose everything. And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, those emotions vanished, replaced by the Wrorine mind’s resistance against empathy.

I remembered what I’d felt however and my mind started to justify my decision to itself. The fact of the matter was that I needed to get stronger if I wanted to survive in this world long enough to make a meaningful difference. I had an extra 20 percent experience modifier and every day I wasn’t using it was a day I was wasting it. Seeing all of the hate directed at beastmen today I had figured out how I could make the biggest difference.

If I trained hard I might be able to make up for the mistakes of the past. I would become stronger and I would prove to humanity that the other races deserved as much respect as they’d given themselves.

Looking Orion in the eye, I nodded. Tomorrow I would become a warrior.

Alyx

Wrorine (Level 2)

79/200 Experience

50/50 Health ----

60/60 Stamina ------

20/20 Mana --

30/30 Spirit ---

‘0’ Stat Points Available

Racial Ability - Locked

Skills: (Rapid Experience) (Dagger G) (Botany G) (Healing G) (Activation Detect)