“Anabelle, what the actual fuck?” Rayne angrily stormed through the room.

"What? YOU. ARE ANGRY. AT ME?” Belle shouted back. “How THE FUCK do you start an interrogation with the sentence: "are you a monster"? Also, cahoots? Really Rayne? Where did you even find the word cahoots? How old are you?”

“ENOUGH ANABELLE!”

Belle flinched and clenched her jaw tightly. She knew she overdid it. “Sorry.”

“Never mind about that, what do you think?”

Belle thought it over. “It fits, Horus and all, but this guy, Bones, is definitely hiding something.”

“I agree. I couldn't get a proper read on him."

"What? Seriously?" Belle thought she was the only one not getting any info with Identify, but for the gold ranker to fail…

"Are we really letting him go?"- she asked in disbelief. Rayne sympathised with her but orders came from above to let Bones go.

"Any news on Guntar?” Rayne changed the subject.

"Yes, he was last seen in Nightingale Row"

"Of course he was, he is practically untouchable there." Rayne added, feeling defeated.

"Yes, unless you want to sneak in and grab him out of there." *chuckles*

Rayne chuckled along but started thinking…

…?

"Rayne no!"

So that was the former guild leader Rayne. Revealing myself to be an undead worked out just in time. If I hadn’t and crossed paths with him…

"Took you long enough! Interrogation eh?"

As soon as he left the guild, someone spoke to him. Bones looked up and saw a young man in mid-twenties smiling at him. He turned to look around and take in his surroundings, then turned his head back to the man.

"Relax, I was ordered to come meet you alone."

"I don’t remember ordering anything though?" The young man took a moment to process before he burst out laughing, drawing attention to both of them.

"You're funny. Silva sent me to get you as soon as he heard a certain undead was escorted by guards back to the guild."

"Right, Silva…?"

"Yeah, you know…Silva? Don't tell me you don't know who Silva is? He told me he invited you to visit us if you ever came to the capital!"

"I think you might have the wrong person. I'm not familiar with any Silva." Bones said while descending the stairs and walking past the man.

"Wait, that can't be right! Oh man. The old man's gonna nag me again."

Bones stopped and turned, a familiar face coming to mind. "Old man? Silver goatee? Silver hair, fashionably combed? The librarian?"

"The librarian? Wait! Yeah, the old man was the librarian I guess. That does sound like Silva. He never introduced himself?"

"No, he did not."

"Senile old man. Don't tell him that! So…are you coming with me?"

Seeing how he would be taken to the destination he was heading to anyways, he didn't see the reason not to follow the stranger that had yet to introduce himself.

"Sure, lead the way." Bones said and pulled the hood over his head, covering most of his skull.

"Great! Come, we need to ride on public transport for a while."

"We need to ride on…what!?"

Bones didn't like riding public transportation. He didn't like it in Stonefalls and he didn't like it here either! It didn't feel natural and he could walk just fine! Sure, it would've taken him an hour of walking to get there instead of fifteen minutes, but he had all the time in the world!

The only advantage he could see in using public transportation was…well, actually - none, now that he thought about it. It was crowded and it moved at jogging speed at best.

At the second stop, they left the carriage and went down the platform that marked the station and into an alley. One thing that really stood out to Bones when looking at the view through the window, was that the buildings were similar to the ones he had seen in Stonefall and Westbrook. "Do all the buildings look similar?"

Solin, as he finally introduced himself, stopped and looked around at the buildings before turning to Bones. "They should be similar! I don't remember the details as it was before I was born, but after the damages caused by the last monster surge, the King had consulted with the construction guild to plan the cheapest and most practical way to build and repair the buildings. They use mold to shape and make the stone blocks in advance. The stone blocks you see were all made from the same mold.”

“The king did? Wezar?

“That’s the one. The man rules with an iron fist, but no one can say he didn't pave the path to prosperity. Anyway, with increased monster attacks in the last few centuries, especially the last monster surge, the king walled up most of his citizens. As you can see.”

Bones followed Solin’s hands as he gestured to the high walls seen in the distance.

“With the city walled up and population growing, there wasn’t enough space to accommodate everyone. So, instead of houses, he provided everyone with a place to live in the buildings. Of course, over time and as the population grew, more floors were added.”

“Everyone?” Bones asked in disbelief. “What about the poor and homeless?” One thing Bones had seen plenty of in his old life were the poor and homeless. Solin’s answer, however, surprised him.

“There are no homeless people here and those that couldn't afford to buy a place were rented a space to live in.”

Bones stopped walking and repeated “No homeless?”

“No homeless. Is that so hard to believe?” He confirmed to which Bones nodded and said it really was hard to believe.

“Why? I mean, I get it, to some extent. We did have problems in the past, but the king dealt with them after the last monster surge around a hundred years ago. He didn’t like what he was seeing in his city, in HIS kingdom! Besides, how hard is it for a high level earth mage to construct a building?"

“Wait, the last monster surge was a hundred years ago? Also, wasn’t king Wezar supposed to be a tyrant of a ruler?”

“Woah now, you don’t want to be belittling the King like that in public. Yeah…he is, man. You have no idea how many so-called noble houses and even guilds fell because of him in the past. He is The King and he makes the rules”

“Oh? Do tell me about houses and...guilds? Like an adventurer guild?”

“No, not like an adventurer guild. I’ll tell you about it over drinks when we get to the tavern. We’re almost there.”

Bones noted many shops, bars and restaurants occupied the streets and alleys they were going through. People need to earn a living I suppose. After crossing a small square and entering another alley, Bones saw a sign above the entrance of an establishment on the end of that alley that read “Horned Dog”. They walked over and stopped in front of the tavern where people were sitting outside having a drink. “What do you think?” Solin asked.

“It’s a nice looking establishment.” Bones answered and meant it. The tavern wasn’t too big, it had two floors and a mix of stone walls with wooden frames. A mix he saw plenty of times by now and was getting used to it being the norm. Without stalling, they entered the tavern.

A dimmed light, smoke and the pleasant sound of blues assaulted Bones senses the moment he entered. The atmosphere suited him. As he was looking around, people turned to glance at the newcomer but quickly averted their gaze, continuing what they were doing. The place was crowded even though it was barely past noon.

“Come.” Solin said and led Bones past the bar and through the back door where Solin stopped and knocked on the wall at the end of the hallway. The unassuming wall opened and a burly man, two meters high, welcomed them inside. “An orc?” Bones blurted out.

“Huh? What was that?” asked the burly man, with his deep voice.

“Ah, nothing my good man, I must have mistaken you for something else.” Bones replied and quickly followed past the man, leaving him puzzled.

Behind the wall there was a short hallway with pictures on walls that led to a grand hall and what appeared to be a gambling den. The smoke thickened and more blues played in the background of a crowd murmur and chitter chatter. An old man sat at the table, holding two drinks in his hand and looking at Bones with a stupid smile plastered on his face. Taking the hood off, Bones couldn’t help himself but imitate the smile. “Stop that, you’re scaring the customers away”. Silva said jokingly. “So, this is the real you?”

“Surprised?” Bones asked as he was approaching the bar and taking the second drink out of Silva’s hands. Silva shook his head. “Not really. I am surprised to see you so soon though."

“Really now?” Bones said. "After the mess you made in Westbrook, there was no reason to stay there any longer.”

*cough* “Yes well, it’s good to see you again. As you can see, this is our little hiding place and you are welcome to stay with us. The invite still holds if you wish to accept it.”

Bones turned to take in the sight of the casino, watching the neatly dressed crowd gambling. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but what would you want with me?”

Silva cracked a smile. “I’d be disappointed if you hadn’t asked. I want nothing more than for you to join me. I’d like to help you out, help you start on your new path. We can offer you a place to stay, a party to level with, possibly do dungeon runs with and anything else you might need…within reason.” Before Bones could ask a question, Silva continued, answering what Bones wanted to ask. “It’s because you are different from others. You don’t belong, just like us! If you stay, you’ll come to see that everyone has a story to tell, a reason why they are here and doing what they do. Besides, I take it you don’t have any long term plans?”

Bones took a moment to answer. “No, nothing long term.”

“Great! Then stay for a while and decide if you want to stay or not! If you do stay, Bones, I’ll try and answer any questions you have about who we are and what we do. Do we have a deal?”

Bones would be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted to take on the offer immediately. He wasn’t sure what he expected to find here, he just wanted to come and visit if anything. “You said something about a dungeon? The Tower?”

“Yes, you don’t know much about the Tower I take it?” Bones nodded in confirmation and accepted his proposal. “Then I’ll shamefully accept your proposal to stay.”

“Great! Welcome Bones, or is it Mr. Jones?” asked Silva, while lifting his glass.

“Bones will do.” Bones smirked while lifting his glass. "Cheers!" *clink*

Bones figured Silva kept tabs on him since he decided to send someone to meet him the moment he stepped out of the guild. He couldn’t help but be doubtful of Silva. Who wouldn’t be? Nothing is ever free in this world. Behind the silver hair and the wrinkled face hides an intelligent persona full of hidden motives! He was sure of that. As to what they were, Bones had no clue. Regardless, he would gladly stay and take every opportunity he can to advance himself. Starting with the slow leveling pesky skills.

“There’s a room for you on the upper floor. Just ask for a key at the bar, it will be waiting for you there. Now, let’s switch seats to somewhere more comfortable and private.” Silva stood up and led Bones to a separate, private booth.

“This establishment is owned by Defiant Hounds and if you haven’t heard from Solin yet, it’s what our little organisation is known as. Don’t ask about the name. It was named by someone else, but that’s a story for a later time, when you officially join us. Now, let’s talk. Do you have any questions?”

“Sure, a lot.” Bones answered and they both chuckled. “Since you mentioned it, could you tell me about the Tower first?”

"Of course." *sips* "The tower you see is not a dungeon."

"Oh? Interesting…do tell!"

"Don't interrupt!” *smirks* “Around 900 years ago, there was a mountain in this place right here and a natural dungeon manifested right inside of it."

I knew there used to be a mountain somewhere around here… thought Bones.

"The dungeon was massive and as you might have guessed, people quickly crowded to get in. One of the people queuing to enter was an adventurer named Wezar together with his party. However, soon the need to conquer the dungeon turned from competition to war. That war lasted almost 200 years. Wezar eventually conquered the dungeon and established the city Hagos. It wasn't hard for the city to prosper with riches gained from the dungeon.”

“Fast forward a few hundred years and it was confirmed that the dungeon was still growing. The massive entangled roots that made the outer walls of the dungeon were covered by the dark shade blocks of greystone you see today. The walls covering the dungeon were inscribed with a formation to isolate the mana signature the dungeon excludes."

" What do you mean by…" Bones was about to ask when Silva's hand motioned him to stop.