The guards standing outside of Tian were dressed impressively. They wore dark leather and iron scales, intricately layered and polished to a near-mirror sheen. The budget for the guard seemed a notch above the other cities. However, when compared to Correndin and Derrum, there didn’t seem to be as many beyond the gates. The guards here were not nearly as impressed by his arrival without caravan and stopped him duteously for a brief interrogation. They were official, but polite. When they learned that Dakkon was there looking for adventurer work, one suggested he head to the south end of town to join the krimmer hunts. Dakkon thanked him for the suggestion and with nothing more to bar his passage, continued into the city. Once inside, he expected to see a barracks area for soldiers near the gate, but instead saw a sizable queuing area and side-by-side temples, with another, smaller temple across the street.
From the closest temple, Dakkon could hear the rhythmic shouts of devoted physical training. “Monks,” thought Dakkon. He was familiar with the class from other games. They were highly agile, often unarmed, combatants tied to a strict set of doctrines. For instance, he had never seen one with hair aside from a bit of facial stubble. Dakkon wondered if the fast-paced fighting style of a monk would be a good fit for him. He did have an open class slot, and he did need to find something combat-focused—but, no. For now, at least, he would wait until he mastered thermomancy. That way, he would have the chance to become any rare class he happened upon. Also, holding off would give him a chance to see what the classes from this region were capable of.
From the grounds surrounding it, the smaller temple across the street from where the training shouts emanated looked to be in charge of stabling horses. Dakkon figured it best to keep Nightshade stabled while he was in town, and found that although there was no additional grooming service to pay for here, the cost would still be triple what he had been charged in Correndin. Dakkon promised Nightshade that he would visit him within the week and was advised by a none too kind monk that after a month without payment, the stables would acquire his horse and any equipment left with it. He decided to pay for the first week up front to give himself some peace of mind.
His horse seemed pleased by the guarantee of respite that comes from seeing stables, and after a goodbye pat, Dakkon left the temple for the promised land of good food and fast experience. For once he wasn’t hungry. He had only known Letis for a short period of time, but felt responsible—in part—for his death and subsequent downtime. If they hadn’t needed to leave in such haste, any number of things could have gone differently.
Dakkon traveled toward the south side of Tian, following the guard’s recommendation. As he walked, he took in the alluring sights of the city. The landscaping was well thought out. Everything looked planned. The route was straightforward. The design—immaculate. Tian appeared to be quite the wealthy city. The streets were lined with flowering trees, their leaves an array of reds, pinks, and white. Each tree was matched by a nearly identical sister tree of the same size and color on the opposite side of the road. The largest intersections were each home to a massive hardwood with unique leaf colors and patterns. The trees served as natural roundabouts, breaking up the flow of traffic. Dakkon was certain they couldn’t have grown naturally to look as striking as they did. The intermittent use of natural beauty to punctuate man’s design made for a flattering scene. Dakkon wondered why this wasn't the capital. Wouldn't the royal family prefer to live here instead of being so close to the slums?
The streets were clean. The architecture was that of elaborately embellished stone and woodwork. There were no street vendors hawking their wares as far as Dakkon could see, and most passersby were dressed in silk or linen fineries. It was no great task to spot non-locals who stood out by wearing starkly contrasting traveling clothes. This all made finding his destination in the south simple. He just walked, in a straight line, to where he saw a collection of shoddily dressed individuals standing around like beggars while they formed groups. Dakkon walked up to one, asked where he should head to participate in the quest, and was pointed in the direction of a circle of wooden stalls manned by men and women wearing white suits and puffy hats. Dakkon watched as a raggedy adventurer handed a stall attendant a massive hunk of meat, receiving compensation. The hunk of meat was then immediately loaded onto a cart then hastily hauled away by an attendant.
Dakkon approached a stall without a queue, attended by a woman in white, and asked, “I’m new to the region and am looking for work. Is there anything for me here?”
“We’ve got enough running boys already. As for the stalls, they’re all manned by experienced cooks like myself, proving we know how to properly appraise ingredients. That’s a position you’d need to be appointed to,” said the woman with neatly tied-back black hair, holding out one hand in a sign of apology. “Sorry.”
“Ah, I meant more on the ingredient procurement side of things,” said Dakkon.
“The gathering business around here can be pretty dangerous. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“I’m sure I’d like to try,” replied Dakkon. He had a suspicion that this might be the NPC’s way of telling him he wasn’t at a high enough level to take part.
“In that case, there’s a bit of a craze for krimmer meat and glands right now,” said the woman.
“What’s a krimmer?” asked Dakkon.
“A krimmer is a large black, demon-like boar. They’ve got big tusks for goring anything that threatens them. They smell worse than old milk, but at the hands of a talented chef they’re transformed into something incredible that gourmands will pay top dollar for. I won’t lie to you, it’s a tough animal to hunt. That’s why you see so many people figuring out who to group with over there,” the woman explained.
“How much is krimmer meat worth?” asked Dakkon.
“Hmm? That really depends on the quality. The freshness, the cut, and then not all animals are created equal. You can count on a fair price from any of these stalls, though. The competition of making good appraisals keeps us honest.”
“Thank you for the help, ma’am,” said Dakkon.
“No problem at all. Remember, krimmer are dangerous. Also, aside from the meat, someone from these stalls will buy the tusks, fur, and the glands too—they’re delicacies. They turn quick once they’re taken out of the body though, so some like to bring them back after only gathering a few of them. If you find yourself a seasoned group, they should know what to bring back and when.”
“Thanks again,” said Dakkon, “and good luck with the appraisals,” then he turned to seek out a group.
As Dakkon walked toward the other players, he felt a tug of excitement to meet new people, see new abilities, experience new fighting styles, and ultimately choose one he liked as a new ‘secondary’ class.
“Looking for a tank,” he heard a player call out. Dakkon watched and saw that groups of two to four players would sit together talking while another player went around asking the more standoffish individuals in the area if they wanted to group up. There were even a few NPCs sitting among the groups, differentiable thanks to their lack of blue nametags which should be visible in town.
One player approached Dakkon. “You’re not a tank, I take it?” he asked.
“Not even close to one. I’m a damage dealer.”