Eternal Rest

It was dawn when the first adventurer emerged from her tent.

"Morning, Mr. Jones."

"Morning, Less. Had a good night's sleep?"

"As if! I've never slept well camping in the forest, surrounded by who knows what lurking. The formation we had set up wards most creatures away but not ones with powerful senses. How about you? Have you had any sleep?"

" 'fraid not. I have a lot on my mind. I'll get some rest when we reach the town."

Less didn't respond, just nodded her head. Slowly, the rest of the group joined them, and after a brief breakfast, they started packing their tents. Meanwhile, Bones found a secluded place to take care of some "business," took off his boots, and from the sleeves of his lower garments, he expelled the half-digested breakfast he had. Once he returned and everyone packed their belongings, they headed in the direction of the town of Westbrook.

Not many beasts crossed their path after sensing their levels. Only a few courageous and bold ones tried to ambush them from the back. Unfortunately, the one following the group from behind was Bones, still asking Nica some questions. He sensed them dozens of meters away and dealt with them as soon as they made themselves visible.

"You're good with weapons! You won't have any problems joining a guild and finding a group! You do - plan to join?"

"I have it under consideration, yes, and thank you." Bones politely replied, but considering his disposition, there was a fat chance he would join a guild anytime soon.

Bones figured it would be best not to use a Bone Spear or display Bone Manipulation skills so as not to raise even more questions. Until now, he had learned a Basic Spear and, for some reason, Hand to Hand combat mastery. He used the crude spear he picked up from one of the goblins and dealt with any ambushes swiftly and with precision.

The rest of the trip went uneventfully, and like they said, half a day later, he was standing at the edge of the forest, looking at high walls stretching far and wide, blocking the sight inside. Only the top of the buildings and the faraway tower were visible beyond the walls. The town walls were made of stone, reaching around ten meters high and were structured in a decagon manner, encompassing a whole town. Bones counted four watchtowers on his side and a large entrance to the town bustling with activity. He couldn't see the details even with his mana vision, from this far away.

The party stepped out of the forest and onto a cobblestone road leading straight to the entrance of the town. The road was wide enough to accommodate carriages heading in both directions with a sidewalk used by people.

“Surprised?” Nica asked. No doubt the sight of the town would be impressive for someone coming from a small village.

“I am. Wasn't this supposed to be a small town?”

“Hm? It is small. What would you consider a big town or a city?”

“Uh, towns with a population of ten thousand, and cities over ten thousand?” Bones naively replied. In his time, a population of ten thousand was a lot!

pffft "Not even close! Villages have a population of up to five thousand, towns on average around twenty thousand, and cities up to a hundred, maybe two hundred thousand. Our capital has a population of half a million!” Nica was practically gloating now, smiling at Bones' "naive views" of the world.

I expected cities would be bigger than before but not by this much. I dislike crowds…

“Come on, you two, keep up!” Yelled Norris from the front.

The group joined a line of people heading for the town gates, and as they got closer, they observed a lot of traffic in and out of town, with carriages lining up at the gates, awaiting inspection of goods.

The town's gates were made of stone and usually wide open, closed only in emergencies like a monster surge. The iron gates behind the stone doors remained open during the day and closed for transport carriages at night. Side doors in the walls on both sides of the gates were used to admit people, and that's where the newly joined group headed.

Bones expected to wait in line but was pleasantly surprised as people willingly made way for his group. They reached the side entrance and waited behind another group of adventurers, where guards were stationed to inspect incoming individuals.

Adventurers received different treatment, enjoying a quicker passage with no detailed explanations or questions. It seemed like a perk of being an adventurer, Bones guessed. Each adventurer in a group showed the guards their adventurer badge, and they were allowed entry without much hassle. When it was Bones' turn, however, he was asked to state his purpose for entering. Just as he was about to respond, Less stepped forward and spoke on his behalf.

“He is with us and is here to register at the Adventurer's Guild.”

The guard nodded, made a note in his notebook, and granted Bones passage.

“Thank you, Less.”

“No problem, Mr. Jones. Guards here can be strict with strangers entering the town, sometimes even hostile. On more than a few occasions, letting strangers in with ulterior motives resulted in people dying, so guards can be edgy with who they let in.”

“I see, then I am even more thankful now.”

She just smiled and nudged him to follow. The cobblestone road continued after the gates and further into the city. Immediately after the gates was an intersection with signs directing transport to the left and right towards warehouse districts. The road ahead, leading to the city center, transformed into a promenade, restricted to any kind of vehicles.

“As you can see, this street leads all the way to the main square and is restricted to anything but walking. This street is also the most popular shopping district, so don't get too distracted and watch your money. A lot of pickpockets 'work' in the district,” Less explained and warned.

Bones, however, didn't respond. His mind went numb as he looked at the crowd of people walking, talking, shouting, and pushing each other. He almost turned around and walked out.

“Hey! You alright over there?”

The waving of a hand in front of his face snapped him out of it.

“Huh, yes - yes, I'm alright. I'm just not used to big crowds.“

“I see, I guess it can be a bit overwhelming. Take your time, and if you lose sight of us, just keep going straight until you reach the steps to the square. We'll be waiting there.”

“Thank you, I'll see you there.” They're a good bunch. Too polite to a complete stranger, though, he thought.

Bones watched them leave ahead and slowly continued to stroll through the crowd. On the sides of the road were stands filled with all sorts of goods and an occasional food stall selling meat grilled on a stick alongside different kinds of beverages made from unknown sort of fruit.

Closer to the square were fewer stands and stalls, and more shops selling armor, weapons, and other adventurer necessities. He had to say, they weren't kidding about pickpocketing. Four times so far, Bones was the target of pickpockets. He wouldn't even get angry even if they had something to steal from him. All his items and currency were safely stashed in his inventory. Now that he thought about it, he forgot to ask Nica about the storage space.

Bones' musings were interrupted by the loud chatter and people crowding in front of one of the shops selling jewelry - rings, necklaces, and bracelets, to be more precise. Why they would attract such attention, he couldn't imagine. Bones approached the crowd, peeking from the side, then from above, even from below, but couldn't see anything. Annoyance was showing on his skull, and he started poking people in random places with his bony fingers. Eventually, the crowd parted ways enough for him to get to the front and see what the fuss was about.

In the window of a shop, special transparent containers displayed several rings, necklaces, and bracelets. Apart from overly decorated attachments on the jewelry, what immediately drew his gaze was what was written next to each piece and what Identify told him.

Spatial ring of minor holding

Spatial necklace of minor holding

Spatial bracelet of minor holding

Each came with a price tag of a hundred gold.

"Now I definitely have more questions about storage space."

Bones squeezed out of the clutches of the crowd and continued down the street toward the steps to the square, where Less and Nica were waiting for him.

"Saw anything you like?" Less asked when he approached.

"Yes, right over there." Bones pointed in the direction of a shop with enchanted jewelry.

"Ah, spatial accessories! Yes, quite convenient and a necessity for any adventurer. They’re expensive, though. Even ones with minor enhancements cost what we earn in a month!"

"Could you tell me more about them? Are they storage devices like Inventory?"

"Yes, they are exactly like an inventory but with a set amount of inventory slots - I’m surprised you know about inventory at all!" Less confirmed with surprise.

"'Only adventurers around silver rank, with a few exceptions, have a soul strong enough to withstand a dimensional space within their core. Until then, adventurers use spatial accessories to store items. Hold a spatial ring long enough, and you’ll develop a low space affinity, one of the requirements to unlock your own Inventory. Many don’t get to that point and use spatial accessories so they’re always in demand, hence the price.'

'I see, and a hundred gold is a lot? How much do guild contracts pay on average?'

'Come on, let’s meet others in a coffee shop, and I'll explain on the way.' Less softly chuckled and motioned for Bones to follow.

Apparently, pay at the guild is piss poor but still more than what common folk could earn. At least for adventurers at a lower level. Oh, and coffee shops are a thing!"

The Adventurer's Guild was an enormous, four-story building, with a large sign on top of a substantial door frame that read Adventurer's Guild. In front of the building, a few adventurers grouped up, talking to each other, and on both sides stood boards with notes and papers attached to them. From time to time, someone would come up, take a paper from the board, and then enter the Guild. These were contracts issued by the Guild, ranging from monster subjugation, wanted posters to help wanted.

The outside of the guild doesn't give a proper sense of how big of a building it actually is. In front of the entrance stood guards, one on each side, fully armored with halberds at their side. Across the guild was the tallest building in town, not including the tower, with the appearance of a nicer-looking inn stacked on top of an inn on top of another inn, called a hotel.

In front of the entrance to a hotel, a small coffee shop was situated. Bones sat alone at the small table, sipping on a coffee when he felt something stir his mana flow. It felt wet and - hot? As he stared at a coffee cup in his hands, a realization hit him. He was sipping coffee down his non-existent throat and getting coffee all over the insides of his clothes.

Unable to partake in the simple pleasure of drinking, Bones leaned back in his chair, gazing at the azure skies. A drawn-out, weary sigh escaped him, contemplating the worth of immortality if it meant forsaking such mundane yet cherished experiences.

A sudden gasp interrupted his musings. "My wine!" he exclaimed, shoulders slumping in disappointment. Swiftly shifting the mood, Bones continued sipping on his coffee, determined not to appear foolish to anyone but himself.

The rest of the group dispersed to pursue their individual activities, and Less went to meet with a client to discuss the next assignment. Bones felt a sense of gratitude toward the short-lived party for the experiences they shared. However, the time spent with them only solidified his decision not to join the guild. There was no inherent duty within him to protect others, and he harbored a belief that he might bring more harm than good.

Reflecting on the recent events, Bones mused, "I've been in a tavern and seen tavern fights break out. I've participated in quite a few as well, but I've never seen or heard about coffee shop brawls before. I've always had my coffee in the comfort of my home."

Shortly before the group departed, a disagreement in a matter of opinion had escalated into a quarrel, much to the amusement of onlookers. What surprised Bones even more was the reason behind the altercation—a dispute between a bartender and a customer!

Taking note of the amusing incident, Bones added to himself, "Note to self, if ordering a large coffee, don't ask for large but grande!"