After the Cores had organized and fought back, however, that balance changed. Fred thought that it was only due to his dual origins that he was able to see it for what it was. His Core heritage gave him the ability to visualize the long term; the power shift between the two species was gradual, but inevitable. Without the humans’ ability to “cull” the herd, there was nothing stopping the Dungeon Cores from exploding in population.
Although it took quite a while for a “baby” Core to be born and raised up to the point where it could go out on its own, there were likely hundreds of thousands of Dungeon Cores around the world that were using their newfound safety from destruction to repopulate themselves. And after a thousand years or more, they had “repopulated” so much that they were now overcrowded – especially as they got stronger and had larger territories. He figured this was what led to the alliances between the factions and the wars between them, which would only get worse as time went on. The humans would just be another casualty, because they were forbidden from fighting back.
And they would continue to not fight back against the rising number of Dungeon Cores, because humans were quite short-sighted. While their lives extended the more powerful that they were, they still only tended to exist “in the moment” and weren’t really concerned about the future. As long as the Adventurers could fight and get stronger and richer, that was all they really cared about; the thought that the village, town, city, or even Kingdom might not exist in five to six hundred years probably would never occur to them. The non-Adventurers were even more short-sighted, because they typically only lived a short amount of time and things were always “normal” to them – they didn’t remember it being better or thought about how the future might be worse.
But what could Fred do about any of that, though? He…didn’t know, but he knew something had better change soon before it was entirely too late. It was entirely possible that many of the older Dungeon Cores could see the inevitable coming as well, but the status quo was likely too ingrained in them now to do anything about it. That, and those in positions of authority like the Supreme Council were probably alive when they had to fight for their survival against the humans, so the thought of giving up some of their power over their livestock was doubtless unthinkable.
Fred didn’t know if he was the one who could or even should try to do anything to change the way things were – especially since he was currently just trying to survive. Regardless of the answer to that question, he thought that it was something to consider for a different time.
His musings were interrupted as the line they were in to enter the city finally approached the gates, and a bored-looking guard stopped them before they could pass through. “Do you have a permit for your bonded pet? We only allow permitted Beastmaster pets that are bonded inside the city, as they are too dangerous to allow to run around otherwise.”
They all looked at each other in surprise; the Beastmaster class was a new one for Fred, as he hadn’t heard of it before. Regnark, fortunately, was quick with a response – though Deecy expressed her slight displeasure through her Mana Communication. “I’m sorry, sir – I just became a Beastmaster and just bonded my pet recently; I was just coming back to the city to get her permit, but I seem to have forgotten where I need to go for that.”
The guard looked skeptically at the bigger man and said, “They didn’t tell you to come back to the Syndicate building? I don’t know what they’re teaching these people nowadays…” The guard muttered under his breath. “Fine, I don’t want you clogging up the line anymore, so go on in – but you must get your permit as soon as you can! Any unpermitted bonded pets found in the city after dark are subject to imprisonment and a hefty fine is placed on your Syndicate account. If you refuse to pay, your pet can be terminated without warning.”
That seems harsh, but they probably have a reason for it. “We will definitely be heading there soon, but I was wondering—” Fred started to ask, but he was almost negligently interrupted by the guard with a seemingly rehearsed speech.
“Any questions can be answered by the information booth just inside the gates for a fee; Gate Guards are not permitted to answer any questions, as it would severely interrupt the flow of traffic both into and out of the city. Now, be on your way,” he said while waving them forward, before turning towards the next people in line with his bored expression back on his face. “Next!”
Rather than potentially call even more attention to themselves, they hurried through the gates and stepped inside one of the largest cities in the world.
Chapter 35
If Fred thought he was overwhelmed by the large amount of people standing outside the city, he practically lost his mind at the sheer number of people walking, running, shouting, and generally assaulting his senses. It took putting some mental blinders on his eyes that blocked out anything past his immediate area to function with so many people around. It was almost like when he first activated his territory back in Gatecross and was overwhelmed by his Territorial Sight – which looked at everything – and he had to learn how to focus on whatever he was specifically looking at.
All of that was done within a couple of seconds, fortunately, so he was able to keep up with the others as they moved off to the side to avoid the hustle and bustle of people going every which way.
“This is almost worse than getting undead flesh in my mouth or being carried by those disgusting Goblin Gnomes; there are just too many people and too many scents here – it’s overwhelming.”
The fact that Deecy was experiencing similar feelings of being overcome by the press of people made Fred feel a little better for not being the only one to suffer. He sent his agreement and checked with the others; they seemed much better accustomed to the people, but he figured it made sense – they had been to much larger towns and cities compared to the small town of Gatecross.
“I think that’s the information booth over there; let’s go check it out,” Eisa said, leading the way confidently toward one of about half-a-dozen small stands set up near the wall next to the gate. Only two of them were actually staffed by anyone, and of those two, only one had someone actually getting information. Fred watched Eisa walk up to the other booth and asked the bored-looking – hmm, everyone working around here seems bored for some reason – petite woman behind it a question. “Hello there, I was wondering if you could give me any information about—”
“Welcome to Allroads, the most spectacular city in the entire world,” the woman droned out in a very slow, monotone voice. “Here at the information booth, for a price we can provide you information about the rules and regulations to follow while you are here. It is everyone’s responsibility to know these rules and regulations before you step foot past the front gates; ignorance is not an acceptable defense if you violate one of these rules or regulations.”
That…is strange. Fred figured this was some sort of rote response to anyone looking for information, and apparently Eisa thought so too; she began to ask about those they were looking for, but was immediately cut off by the bored woman, who didn’t even appear to really see who she was talking to.
“Each verbal rule or regulation I can recite to you can be purchased for 5 copper pieces each, or you can purchase a printed copy of your own for the low, low price of 50 silver pieces. Please decide quickly, there are many people who would like to learn the rules and regulations of Allroads before entering,” the woman continued in the same sluggish, bored voice she had used before.
Fred looked around at the “many” people looking for information and didn’t see anyone even near them; in fact, the other person had left the other booth looking frustrated, so they were the only ones partaking of any of the “information” at the time. He glanced over at the other booth and saw the man standing behind it looking even more bored than the woman talking to them – which he thought would’ve been impossible, but it appeared to be true.
“O…kay. Look, we’re searching for some friends of ours—” Eisa tried to ask agai
n but was immediately cut off by the woman’s repeated speech, which started over at the beginning and didn’t stop even when the others tried to interrupt her. Regnark looked to be on the verge of strangling the woman, so Fred took over and Conjured 1 gold and 50 silver pieces to purchase three of the written “rules and regulations”. The woman actually looked surprised for a fraction of a second before her bored expression came back, as she took the precious metal pieces he offered and placed it in a box underneath the booth. She then handed him three cheap paper booklets that were at least 6 pages long filled with cramped writing.
He was hoping that actually purchasing what she was selling would let her loosen up afterward, but as soon as anyone tried to ask her another question, she just repeated her spiel from earlier. Now Fred was starting to get annoyed, so he had them leave before he did something he would likely regret.
They stopped to the side of the wall just past the information booths in an out-of-the-way section of what seemed to be a major pedestrian thoroughfare. Each of them stared at the booklets they had received to make sense of them, but Regnark tossed his away within moments. “Useless drivel – let me know if there’s anything worth knowing in there.”
Fred honestly couldn’t blame him, because there seemed to be countless rules and regulations, though many of them didn’t really apply to them. Over half of them were in reference to what merchants could and couldn’t sell, the prices they could charge, and even the time of day that they could sell them. Another third of them had to deal with Syndicate regulations regarding the acceptance of jobs, the completion of said jobs, and about the conduct that Syndicate members had to adhere to while in the city. And then, finally, there were some that were pertinent to everyone and were actually quite important – enough so that violating them could send some trouble their way.
Adventurers are prohibited from using any skills or abilities while in the city; violation of this rule will result in heavy fines, jailtime, or exile depending upon offence
Touching, interacting, or vandalizing any of the unique elemental structures outside of the city will result in heavy fines, jailtime, or exile depending upon offence
Loitering for long periods of time (which includes sleeping on the street if you can’t afford a place to stay) results in heavy fines, jailtime, or exile depending upon offence
Theft, assault, or murder is strictly prohibited and is thoroughly prosecuted; most crimes are given the minimum penalty of at least 1 year of jailtime, all the way up to and including execution, depending on the severity of the crime
While there are four major sections of the city – The Syndicate Quarter, The Government Quarter, The Merchant Quarter, and The Residential Quarter – only those with business with the Allroads Government are permitted to step foot in the Government Quarter
The government is operated by the Allroads Council, the four-person leadership team that is comprised of one representative from each Quarter; any petitions regarding anything in Allroads (in the city or the nearby environs) need to be submitted to the Allroads Council for approval
It was only the barest amount of information that actually pertained to them, but it was important, nonetheless. Especially the rule about using their skills or abilities in the city; that was an easy one that could result in trouble for them rather quickly. The other information was good to have, however, as they didn’t want to inadvertently do something that could result in jailtime or whatever the “exiled” punishment was. Fines were no problem, of course, but anything that would delay their mission was something to be avoided.
The most important part of the booklet, however, was a relatively simple drawing of a map of the city on the back cover. It showed the six different gates – the west, northwest, north, northeast, east, and southern gates (the mountain range to the south blocked most access from that direction) – as well as the four separate Quarters in the city. The Government Quarter was by far the smallest and in the center of the city, whereas the Residential Quarter was the largest in the southern half. The Merchant and Syndicate Quarters were approximately the same size and lived up to their “Quarter” name, as they each comprised about 25% of the city; it appeared as though they had entered near the Syndicate Quarter, which was located in the northeast corner of the massive metropolis.
And it sure seemed that was indeed where they were, especially as Fred started to look around cautiously; everywhere he looked, nearly 80% of the people he saw were Adventurers of one type or another. Just like he had seen outside, they ranged from G to A-Rated members of the Syndicate, though he thought he saw a small group of S-Rated Adventurers in the distance, but they were gone so quickly through the doorway of a building that he wasn’t quite sure if he saw it correctly. There was so much information being thrown his way as he looked at people that he had to stop after a while – his head was starting to hurt again.
“Ok…so don’t use any abilities, commit a crime, or touch the stuff outside – got it. Now, where do we begin?” Regnark finally asked, as Fred and Eisa summed up the information on the booklet for the other two.
The regulation about having a permit for a Beastmaster’s bonded pet was in the booklet as well, and one that they had to take care of before they started looking around for their people. He didn’t want to get into the same situation as Death’s March, where they’d be chased out for doing something wrong – even if they hadn’t done anything.
“Well, we need to get you a permit for your pet – sorry, Deecy, but it’s probably the only way you’ll be able to walk around in here,” Fred said, looking apologetically at the large Dire Wolf.
Eisa threw in her own advice. “But you’ll probably have to go alone, as I don’t think it would be smart for Fred or me to attract too much attention to ourselves. I don’t know how extensive the Syndicate’s communication system is, but I know that they were able to relay messages fairly fast in the Craytion Kingdom; if word about what happened in Gatecross has reached here, it may have included our descriptions.” She seemed to think about something else, because she added, “And I would avoid asking about the ones we’re looking for in there as well.”
“What? Why?” Regnark asked, confused.
“Because it was a high-Rated Syndicate group that marked them and left them to be ravaged by the Dungeon Cores nearby as punishment. It’s highly doubtful that they would look for help from the Syndicate after that; more likely, they avoided them entirely and are hiding out somewhere else in this nightmarishly large city. Asking about them would be akin to painting a target on their backs, which is the last thing we need.”
Deecy and Eisa had thought about it more than Fred had, because he didn’t even consider that. He naturally assumed that at least the Core Power Guild would go to the Syndicate for help, but what the Dire Wolf said made sense. Even though they were marked by the members in the Craytion Kingdom, their appearance would likely raise some uncomfortable questions if they were corralled by the Syndicate there in Allroads.
“They’re both right. You’ll have to go alone to get Deecy permitted, because it wouldn’t be smart for Eisa or me to go with you. Here, I don’t know what it costs to get a permit, but this should hopefully cover it,” Fred said, while Conjuring a large bag of 200 gold pieces with his Power and handing it to the big man, who immediately hid it underneath his bulky bear furs. “While you’re doing that, we’ll look around and see about getting us someplace to stay for the night,” Fred told him.
Looking up at the sky, the sun was already making its inevitable way towards the horizon, which meant that they needed to find some place to sleep that wouldn’t violate the “loitering” regulations he had read about. Besides, even though he and Eisa had gotten some sleep during their journey while being held by giant Goblin Gnomes, it was in no way comfortable or restful. If she was feeling as tired as he was, then they needed to get some sleep before they really began their search.
“Ok, I guess I can do that. Let’s go, my little pet.” Regnark patted th
e Dire Wolf on her head and took off deeper into the crowd, heading toward a massive building that had “Dungeon Adventurer Syndicate” in huge letters attached to the side of it. It nostalgically reminded Fred of the first time he had seen the DAS building in Gatecross and had marveled at how large it was compared to most of the others in the town. The same size difference was modeled here, as well, except instead of the Syndicate building being a large two-story structure, it was at least six stories high and spanned nearly 20% of the entire Syndicate Quarter. Frankly, it was huge; Fred estimated that it was larger than his giant Rock Beetle he had created and the Emerald Dragon it had fought combined.
Deecy hesitated before she followed after the big man, though she caught up to him quickly.
“If you ever call me your pet again, I’m going to rip a big chunk out of your butt.”
Fred chuckled a little at that, watching as they – despite their size – quickly disappeared in the crowd. He wasn’t really worried about finding the two later, because over the last week he had noticed that he had a tiny, little, miniscule connection to Eisa and Deecy; there was nothing he could do with it other than acknowledge that it was there, but it allowed him to pinpoint a general direction of where they were in relation to his position. He couldn’t tell how close or far away they were, but he figured that it would help them find each other again. It had been a bit crazy since he had been able to bring Regnark back to life as a Shard – which still amazed him that it had worked – but he could tell that the connection also existed with him.
“It’s just you and me now, Eisa. Shall we look around?” Fred asked the woman next to him. “I don’t know how long they’ll be, and I don’t feel like standing around here all day. Besides, we need to look for someplace we can stay tonight.”
Dungeon World 3: A Dungeon Core Experience Page 29
