So, I just have a few things to say before you read this chapter. Number One: Those of you who pointed out the two active skills should have been passive. You are right. After looking them over, I realized that making them passive skills made more sense in how I designed the skill system. I went back and edited the skill explanations in the chapter that had them. Number Two: The content of my story is definitely not like the hack and slash of various other series. The leveling system is secondary to the story in mine. I’ve gotten more than a few posts indicating my MC isn’t getting skills or gaining power quickly or that he’s a wuss. I’ll be blunt: He is a wuss, at least right now, but I don’t plan on giving him anything freely…. He’s going to earn what he gets… even the skills he got from the ‘Shit Monster,’ he earned. Of course, he got lucky as hell in killing the damn thing but then again, that’s going to be one of the main legs supporting my MC during his adventures: luck. I’ll probably post an updated character attributes, skills, and inventory compilation a bit later to show you how he’s progressed.

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The sun was already setting by the time Haroken and Richard made their way to Haroken’s meeting place. The stable master had eventually calmed down and finished giving Richard the ten cent tour of the city, which had been a lot more developed than what Richard had expected. There were magnificent stone mansions, beautifully maintained gardens, dozens of market streets, a burgeoning crafts industry, ancient statues, a reliable sewer and water system, and a sizable population of almost 50,000 strong. In fact, the streets remained crowded even near sunset, with street lamps being lit to drive the darkness away. Richard could imagine this city matching the splendor if not size of ancient Rome in its heyday on earth.

However, like Rome… there was something... almost broken about the city. There was an insidious infection spreading through the city, and it was obvious after a few hours. It was the collars… everywhere Richard and Haroken went, there were collars. Women, children, elderly… it didn’t matter who… the collars made no distinction. It took a while, but Richard realized that almost every twentieth person had a collar of some sort around their necks, with many wearing rags or clothes that were close to rags. These people seemed half starved and almost hopeless, with their eyes appearing dead to the world around them. Richard didn’t need Haroken to tell him that these people were indentured servants, but to him, they seemed more like slaves than anything.

If that wasn’t enough, Haroken finally introduced Richard to the slums… or at least the poorer districts of the city. Here, the buildings were mostly built of wood, with many looking worn down with age or badly neglected. The streets were covered in a layer of unidentifiable filth that made Richard glad about still having his tennis shoes. From what Haroken explained, many of these poorer districts had suffered from years of neglect and depredation.

That became very obvious as Richard saw dozens of men loitering around, doing nothing but staring at streets. Many of them had pipes lit or were smoking something that looked like some primitive copy of cigars and cigarettes. However, the smoke curling around the blank faced people had a strong, almost lulling odor that Richard automatically reacted to. He kept his mouth and nose covered as much as possible as he recognized the signs and scent of some kind of narcotic.

He also saw large numbers of armed men and women drinking and soliciting scantily clad men and women, who hawked their services from alleyways and open windows. Here and there, small confrontations broke out, mostly among the armed people, with no one intervening to stop the brutality that unfolded. Haroken deftly led Richard through this new world, but Richard didn’t really need the stable master’s help. He felt like he was walking through a bit more crowded version of his own home.

Eventually, they reached their destination. “This here’s a fine establishment… a good place to pick up some news about work and get some splendid swill to fill yer belly.” Smiling, the stable master led the way into the well lit, raucous sounding, two story building.

Richard looked a bit dubiously at the ‘fine establishment’ and decided the place seemed like a ‘place of vice and iniquity’ from some random fantasy novel. He imagined the eye patched rogues, gap toothed drunks, and seedy eyed thieves he would meet inside and… just sighed. “Nah… it can’t be that clichéd…”

Thud! Crash… Splat.

Just as he was about to enter, a body… at least it looked like a body… came flying out the door and sprawled on the crud covered road in front of the tavern.

Richard stared at the filthy… person for a bit before slowly opening the door to take a peek inside. It was… about what he had expected. The crowded hall was filled with battered tables, flimsy chairs, harassed looking tavern maids, a smell as sour as unwashed underwear, what looked like… a green furred monkey, and patrons as vile and horrifying as any he had imagined. Thankfully, the clichéd scene of everyone turning around to balefully stare at the newcomer didn’t happen.

Richard quietly slipped in, while dodging a drunk, who was trying to get out the door but was too busy running into the tavern walls instead. Looking around for a bit, Richard spotted Haroken already at the far end of the hall and waving Richard over with an excited face. Squeezing through the crowded room was a bit of a pain and for some reason, some of the tavern maids kept rubbing up against him as he tried to pass them. Mind you, their low cut blouses didn’t leave much to Richard’s imagination, but Richard had to politely smile and turn down their advances. He was as healthy a male as any other guy, but the thick layer of makeup, prevalent sweaty smell, common pock marks, and generally gap toothed smiles of the hard faced women made him a bit put off.

Eventually, he made it to the table that Haroken was standing next to, only to find it already occupied. Well… there was a solitary person sitting at the small table seriously sipping at a mug that seemed to be filled with a yellowish liquid. The bald headed, old man had more wrinkles than a prune and was wearing what looked like spectacles that made his eyes seem as big as acorns through the lenses. Of course, those eyes were locked on the half empty mug which was gripped firmly in the old man’s hands. Richard was suddenly reminded of a child staring at his or her first sippy cup, wondering what he or she was looking at.

Haroken leaned over and spoke right next to Richard’s ears to be heard over the noise in the tavern. “This ‘es Master Mulfow. He’s a genius scholar with a large amount of knowledge about the World Labyrinth. More than that, he’s got an interest in Adventurers who’re brought to his world by the Gods, so you should be able to find some way to squeeze out what ya want to know if ya get lucky. He knows about ya. In fact, he asked to meet you when he found out that you were workin’ in the stables. So... I’ll leave you ta get to know him… I got some other business to attend to.”

Richard wanted to protest suddenly being abandoned, but then he noticed where… who the stable master was staring at: a middle aged, slightly gray haired woman, who seemed somewhat more properly dressed compared to the tavern wenches and was standing at the tavern counter/bar busily scolding a couple of men while waving around what looked like a spatula of some kind. The stable master noticed Richard looking and slightly blushed… “I… ah… well, Marie an’ me got a bit of a… ummm… date set up fer the night. I figured I can go… ah… well spend some time wih’ her while ya talk to Mulfow there.”

Richard smiled a bit slyly and said, “Take your time… I don’t think finishing quickly would be a good thing.”

The stable master loudly cleared his throat and blushed even more before quickly leaving. Richard watched him leave before turning back the senior citizen, who looked like he should have been in his rocking chair at home instead of a seedy place like this tavern. “Umm… Master Mulfow?” Richard tried to get the old man’s attention, but nothing happened.

“Master Mulfow!” Not quite shouting, Richard leaned over the table to tap on the old man’s shoulders.

Jumping a bit in his seat, the old man suddenly looked a bit frazzled as he looked up at Richard and squinted while biting his lips. After a few seconds of staring at Richard with his huge looking eyes, the wizened old man slightly adjusted his spectacles and said, “I’m sorry sir, but I am not interested in your services. I do not need anyone killed, and as clean looking as you seem… I don’t lean towards men…”

Richard was shocked for a second. A couple dozen thoughts and scenarios ran through his head. He wondered if the stable master tried to stick him in some crazy situation again, but quickly getting a grip on his thoughts, he said, “Huh?” a bit loudly.

The old man shrunk a bit in his chair and whispered loud enough to hear, “Oh… look what you’ve done now Mulfow. You’ve made the ruffian angry. We must apologize before something bad happens. Yes, yes.” Looking up at Richard, the old man said a bit more loudly, “I apologize young sir if I’ve offended you. How do say… ah yes… ‘knife work’ requires some decent skills I believe. So, you need not think it is a worthless profession... and if you incline towards the male persuasion for your amorous needs, well… there’s a creature in the Bartous Mountains that does so as well, and it’s considered one of the most ferocious monsters in our world. So, you see how you need not be offended by your… um… inclinations.”

Richard stared at the old man, wondering what just happened before he finally said, “Umm… I’m neither of those… ah… categories I guess. Master Haroken brought me here to meet you. He said something about you being able to tell me things about the World Labyrinth and that you’re interested in Adventurers or something. Umm… I hope that’s right…”

The old man’s worried frown suddenly changed to a bright smile, and he stood up a bit more quickly than Richard thought he would have been able to. Shuffling around the table, the old man grabbed Richard’s right hand with both of his slightly trembling hands and began pumping it vigorously. “Oh… Forgive me. Yes, yes… I was waiting for you to show, young sir. Mind you, I was worried you might be some kind of wicked looking villain based on Haroken wanting to arrange the meeting here. But seeing you, I’m glad that you’re just an average looking ruffian.”

Richard’s face, which up till now had been a bit relaxed, suddenly stiffened. “Average…”