As I walked towards the city I thought to myself "hopefully this will be just a mite bit safer than the woods". I've always had a bit of anxiety when dealing with people, nothing major, just your run of the mill anxiety. It's not that I'm afraid, I just find the situation extra tense and generally uncomfortable. But today, that all ends! I'm going to march right up to the first person I see and ask for directions around this little city!

The walls are built in a kind of gothic construction, simple but sturdy. The closer I get the more imposing the walls seem. From a distance they struck me as maybe 10-20 feet tall (yes I'm american) but upon closer inspection they appear to be much taller than that. I'd wager they appear to be around 50 feet tall at least. Hopefully I'm not walking into some stronghold with tight security or something, I'd really hate for my adventure to end so soon.

As I walk towards the city I found a kind of rough path and decide to follow it. SHIT, what if they have security? What should my backstory be? I'll just say I was camping in the woods or something. Wait, does camping exist in this world? In a world full of monsters camping just seems suicidal. I'll say I was robbed, that's why I look so downtrodden. Yeah, I was robbed and they stole my money, or most of it. I think whatever those little glowing bead like things I took from the goblins were was in fact money of a sort. Great, deception level, TO THE MAX.

Well, fuck me, there is a guard, and he's just standing there, menacingly. Well, ok, not menacingly. The man looks like he's about to fall asleep on his feet. He isn't intimidating either, about average height, a bit portly looking, wearing ill fitting armor and a longsword strapped to his hip. The sword by itself could probably cause more damage than him wielding it, but that's besides the point. Looks can be deceiving, and he might be a secret master of tiger fist or some shit. Best to stay on guard.

Nice and slow like, lets play this cool Justin. I can do this! I run through the possible lines in my head. Hello fine sir, could you give me directions around this town perhaps you could me directions to the nearest inn? No, shit, that's too fancy and formal. But I can't just say, yo, guard where's the closest inn? I guess I'll try and take the middle ground.

I approach the guard at my own pace, I wouldn't call it slow, but I wouldn't call it quickly either. Some would say I was dragging my feet, but I prefer to think of it as a kind of shuffle. Yeah, that sounds fancier, a nice shuffle. So, I shuffle up to the guard and ask him for directions. Hey, can you give me some directions around town? I asked. Sure, straight down this road is the market, around the market you'll find pubs and inns scattered and that big blue building is the guild. He replied. See? That was easy, simple, now thank the man and move on. Thanks! I state. Alright, time to get some info. But first I need to scope out the market a bit.

After hours of surveillance, I finally figured out what I need to know. Monster parts are indeed sold, and it appears that each of these little blue orbs I have, called mana orbs, are worth about 1 silver, 1 silver is worth 10 copper and 1 copper is worth a bit. I assume that gold is 10 silver, but I didn't see any bigwigs doing high volume trading out here, so I'll just have to go on guesswork here. Seems I can sell my slime cores and trade in my mana orbs to the same guy. He appears to be running an all purpose shop around here. Monster parts, general goods, all in all, a pretty prosperous little stall. I don't understand the writing, but from my talk with the guard I can assume that I speak the right language, or It's being translated somehow. Anyway, down to business!

I've played many rpgs, from tabletop to videogames, and the one thing they have in common is loot. Killing and selling is the simplest way to get xp and gold. However, I dont' know enough about this world yet. Are there enchantments, is there skill levels, do the prices fluctuate from day to day. Damn, I really should have asked Mister some more about this world. Oh well, I might as well just bite the bullet and ask him, nonchalantly of course, smooth like.

So I walk up to the man at the stall once I notice he appears to be free of customers and ask him a few questions. The man himself is well, weaselly. He is kind of skinny and has a sort of beady look to him, but he seems friendly enough. Would I trust him with my life savings? Probably not, but I wouldn't trust my grandma with that. I ask him quickly, How much will you give me for these slime cores? He tells me he'll give me 5 copper per, and I quickly agree. However, I notice a change in his attitude, am I missing something. FUCK ME, haggling, I'm so used to buying things at a set price that I never learned to properly haggle, well, not irl at least. I should keep an eye out for little things and try to blend in with the general population. Though I doubt I can pull that off. I didn't spend half my time at high school, half my time in the C.I.A. or something.

Regardless of how suspicious it makes me look, I need to fish for information and this guy seems worldly enough. So, what do you know about magic? I ask. He states simply, not much, though I do have some books that include the basics. SWEET, exactly what I need, easy Justin, don't look too eager, calm down. How much for the book on the basics, I ask. 1 silver he states, obviously waiting for the haggle. This time I'm ready dammit. 5 coppers, I fire back. 9 coppers he sends my way, 6 I say, 8 he says, 7 I say. He gets kind of a wry grin and says, fine, 7 coppers it is. Success, and it wasn't that expensive either. I then ask him to exchange my mana orbs, and he agrees readily, at 1 silver a pop. I quickly look in my purse and count out how much I have. 2 silver - 7 copper + 4 silver. 5 silver 3 copper. Hopefully thats enough for room and board for a night or so.

I ask him for directions to a cheap inn, and he points me to a smallish two story building squeezed between two better looking buildings, but hey. I might as well check this place out. As I walk inside the first thing I notice is the smell. Stew, god damn I love stew. Red meat and me have a long and happy history. It smells like meat, potatoes, onion, and I don't give a fuck what else. I decided right then and there, as long as I got some stew, I wouldn't mind dumping even half my moolah on a room for tonight. The lady working behind the bar is a bit of a looker too. She isn't anything to write home about, but she's got curves in the right places and a pretty smile to boot. Who cares if she's twice my age? At least she'll have some experience!

Alright man, calm yourself. You are just extra horny because it's been days since you've seen anything resembling tits. Tense up your calf muscles, redirect the bloodflow, great. Now I can approach her without giving myself away, or well, mostly. Hello ma'am, how much will it cost for a room for the night? 2 copper a night or a silver per week, lunch and dinner are included, breakfast is extra, she says. DEAL, as long as I get some of that stew right now I exclaim. I give her a silver and she shows me to my room and gives me a key. I try not to stare too much at her rear end as she unlocks the door. I thank her and she gives me kind of a look. Not a bad look, more of a knowing look. It's like she can see through into my mind and knows just where my eyes were a few seconds ago. Damn, and I thought I was stealthy!

Alright, time to settle down down, unpack my spears and meager belongings. I'm pretty sure the bread and cheese aren't going to make it. That doesn't matter though, I have stew downstairs, and I'm going to violate that with all the energy I can muster. I quickly rush downstairs, ask for a bowl, receive one, and get this. I have a spoon, real cutlery, what more could a man ask for? Hot food, a warm bed, and there's even a pot to piss in up here! Time for me to get some shut eye.