The rest of the walk back to Fort Gideon took a little under an hour. The landscape stayed consistent with occasional groups of trees amongst a grassy field and a slight increase in the low-level vegetation. The town came into view about fifteen minutes before they arrived. Sam had been anticipating a true fort or even a castle from medieval times. Instead, Fort Gideon was a small town surrounded by a large ten-foot stone wall. There was one main gate at the front of the wall that contained two enormous wooden doors that were currently held open leading into a courtyard. The small hills he had seen started to rise about two hundred yards past the back of the town. A rampart ran along the inside length of the wall with an occasional sentry posted above. There were four armored men standing above the open gates. One of the middle sentries hailed the group as they approached and Azuriel gave them a nod as the group moved through the gates into the village. There was a stream of soldiers moving through the gates alongside the team. The entire group looked either exhausted or injured, in some cases both. Just inside the walls were another two guards on each side holding spears. They formed fists from their unarmed hands and moved them to the center of their chests in a sort of salute to the group, or maybe just Azuriel. Behind the guards to the left was a long three-story brick house with windows facing the group. The front of the building had several more windows set into the brick with bright blue doors halfway down its length. Alannah narrated a tour as they moved into the village. This building was the barracks where most of the troops lived. To the right was another smaller orange brick building that also went three stories up. There were several small balconies coming off each side and this was the local inn. Fifty yards in front of the group, a small open market was framed by a few shops. This seemed to be the busiest area of the town at midday. Sam could see close to a hundred people moving within the stalls and shops of the market. Their group started moving left past the barracks. Just beyond the barracks, there was a training yard for the soldiers. On the right were several smaller homes, still in the orange brick fashion. Ahead of them, the street continued for several hundred yards with townhomes filling both sides of the walkway. The road turned to the right near the edge of the town wall with a larger home at the end of their current street. They moved this direction and then turned left into one of the townhomes. This one was three stories high with a window on each floor facing the street. The third floor jutted above the outside wall giving the top floor a view of the surrounding area. There were several three-story townhomes like the one they entered positioned against the town wall. There were smaller homes on the right side of the street that were more specialized housing. Azuriel stayed in one of these as well as some of the elites of the army. Azuriel parted with them as they entered the home. He continued down the street toward the larger home at the end.
Inside the building, there was a small entryway followed by an eating area and kitchen on the left. The table was a simple wooden slab with seats for eight. To the right of the entrance was two bedrooms on the ground floor. The stairs were at the end of the main hallway. Lucas and Bard stayed on this level. The second floor was sparsely decorated with three more bedrooms and a bathroom. Alannah walked him to the third floor where he found one more bedroom, another bathroom, and a large office. Alannah stayed on the third floor so that she could have her own wash area. After completing the tour of the house, they let Sam take one of the rooms on the middle floor. Sanders also stayed on the middle floor and there was an empty room that held any extra loot they had collected. The crew settled back into the home quickly and lunch was produced from the group’s dimensional storage spaces. Individual houses didn’t keep their own food. It either traveled with the group or could be picked up at the mess hall in the barracks. After a quick meal, everyone started to clean themselves up after the past few days travel. Sanders grabbed some of the gear from the unused room and told Sam to accompany him back toward the center of town.
They stopped at the barracks first and went inside. The majority of the first floor was made up of the mess hall with long tables filling the space and over fifty chairs bordering each table. To the right was a large kitchen that was producing plates of food and setting them on a counter that separated the kitchen and eating area. At least thirty soldiers sat at the tables eating with a handful more standing at the counter waiting on food. He could see another four or five people behind the counter cooking and moving finished plates to the counter. To the left were two rooms at the far end of the hall. The first room was for the officer in charge of the barracks. This door was closed. To the right was a longer rectangular room with another counter spanning two-thirds of the wall. There was one figure leaning against the counter and behind her were racks of armor and weapons. Sanders moved in her direction.
“Anything we loot or find while out on missions can be used or sold. The team that finds it gets priority. If they don’t claim it, then the quartermaster gets to look next. It doesn’t sell for much if she chooses to buy it but that also keeps the prices down when perusing items brought back from the other teams. Finally, if the quartermaster isn’t interested, we’ll take it to the market square and sell it off to the merchants and shops there. They usually pay a little more and will take almost anything off your hands,” Sanders explained as they walked up to the counter. “Hey Lily. Got another haul for you to look at.” The quartermaster behind the counter was a short woman standing just over five feet. She had short, cropped hair of a sandy brown color. Despite her short stature, she was solidly built with muscles rippling down her arms. She wore a small leather vest over a white cloth short sleeve shirt. She had white cloth pants that went down below the counter. She smiled as Sanders and Sam approached. Somehow, she looked even sterner while smiling. It was almost like she was told she needed to smile more instead of being all business at her job. Sanders didn’t hesitate and started unloading gear from his storage space. He had collected all the gear from this mission that the team didn’t want. He had also collected some gear from the house that hadn’t been sold yet. She looked over the array of armor, weapons, and items. She walked from one end of the counter to the other, pointing at different items as she walked. If she skipped over an item, Sanders would add it back to the storage pouch he carried. Once she had walked the length of items, she stood looking up at the ceiling muttering to herself.
“Two hundred and fifty soul credits,” Lily said after finishing her mental calculations. Sanders looked down the row of goods and nodded to himself.
“Sounds good. Thanks, Lily. Oh, this is Sam. He’s new to town and has a few items as well.” Sanders said nodding toward Sam.
Sam greeted Lily and moved his sack onto the counter. He unloaded everything inside other than the axe. Sanders immediately snatched the rings off the counter and handed them back to Sam. She looked over the rest of the goods, including the hides and the meat. She pointed at the meat from the razorbeasts and the bracers.
“Fifteen.” Lily said after a moment. Sam turned to Sanders who confirmed that it was a good price. She took the bracers off the counter and handed Sam three thin rectangular blocks that looked to be made of glass. A small five was etched at the top of each piece of glass. He thanked her as he took the credits and placed them in his pouch. She pointed at the meat and said, “drop that off with the cooks on the other side of the hall.” Sanders thanked Lily again, getting a curt nod in response and moved Sam back toward the exit.
“We need to have a wee look at those two rings before we sell ‘em. Focus your energy on the ring. You can tell what it does. Some rings are just for show, but on soldiers, rings usually have a purpose. Your armor is good for now and that axe will suit you fine in the short run. Let’s move to the marketplace and sell off the rest of this stuff.” Sanders said as they left the barracks and turned right toward the open market.
“So how do these soul credits work?” Sam asked, pulling out one of the glass rectangles.
“The cards contain refined energy. The amount of energy reflects the amount of soul credits in each card. It’s a way of blocking fake money.” Sanders said. “I don’t truly understand how the details work but it allows us to buy and sell goods a lot easier than carrying tons of gear around and having to barter for everything. I also know you can’t siphon the energy off the money and into yourself. I heard it has been tried before, but there is some natural law that prevents it from happening.”
The market was still quite crowded as they moved to the edge. Most vendors were set up with small tables or stalls. Most of the merchant’s wares were stored in dimensional spaces and could be produced upon request. The food vendors, however, had most of their items on display trying to tempt the other market goers into purchasing. Sanders noted that most of the stalls in the middle were lower-level stalls and usually not worth their time. He moved them through the market weaving between stalls and other patrons. He was aiming at the back left corner of the market square and stopped in front of a small brick shop. “Hopper’s Arms” was painted across the top of the entrance which was just an opening in the brick wall that arched slightly at the top. Sanders led them inside where a dwarf was rearranging a sword and shield hanging from the wall. The dwarf was exactly as Sam would have pictured from movies and video games. He stood at a little under four feet tall. His hair was black with grey streaks and matched the beard that was braided to the level of his chest. He wore a dirt-stained tan tunic with slacks covered by a thick black apron. Despite his diminutive size, his chiseled face and thick arms left no interpretation as to his ability to handle any would be shoplifters. He smiled at Sanders as the pair entered, showing off a set of yellowing teeth that were missing a couple on the top and the bottom. Behind the counter was a younger human woman that stood taller than the dwarf but could only be in her mid-twenties. Her hair had a golden hue and fell around her shoulders. She wore a similar tunic and slacks, but hers remained relatively unstained.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Sanders,” she said with a smile.
“Good afternoon lass. You know you don’t have to be so formal around me.” Sanders said in reply. He also nodded toward the dwarf, “Afternoon Hopper.” The dwarf nodded in response and Sanders moved to the counter. “A few items for sale,” Sanders said unloading the remains of his dimensional sack. While they examined the party’s items, Sam pulled the two rings out of his sack. Both rings were a simple worn silver without distinct markings. As he focused his energy on the first one, a function of the ring presented itself in his brain. This ring was a lesser shield token. He asked Sanders about it.
“Shield tokens can be used to block incoming blows depending on the strength of the attack,” Sanders said as he watched the store owner sort through the loot. Unfortunately, this shield token had already been expended. Sam started to ask Sanders how to re-charge the ring, but he had started talking again with the dwarf. He turned his focus onto the second ring. His lips spread into a big smile as he realized this ring would give him night vision. That would be extremely useful in the future. He slipped the night vision ring onto his right hand but didn’t really notice a difference. He focused his energy on the ring and his head rocked back in agony. Night vision increases the light your eyes pull in to help you see in the dark and he had just activated it mid-day. He focused on the ring again to turn it back off. Even after blinking for a minute, he was still squinting from the sting of the bright light earlier. His vision finally cleared, and the other three in the store were giving him an odd look.
“One of the rings gives night vision.” Sam said trying to explain the situation. “Turns out, activating it during the day is not a bright idea.” Sanders gave a small chuckle, the girl shook her head, and the dwarf didn’t catch the pun. Sanders had finished selling the remaining gear and started to move back toward the market.
“I’ll give you a hundred credits for it,” the dwarf called out before they could leave.
“Not a chance, Hopper. He’s gonna keep that one.” Sanders retorted. They moved into the market, “A night vision ring is actually quite rare. That’s a good find during your first looting experience. And a shield token ring too.”
“But the charge has already been used. Is there a way to replenish it?”
“There is. You can either infuse it with an energy stone or take it to an enchanter’s shop. We can stop by there on the way back to the house. Lucas told me we’re to meet up with the commander just before dinner to discuss your arrival and the information from Annbellath.” Sanders led them to the opposite side of the market square. They entered another shop that reminded him of a jewelry store. There were glass cases along the walls filled with rings, bracelets, amulets, and earrings. Another glass countertop separated the two halves of the shop. Behind the counter to the left was an old man sitting at a small workshop. He appeared to be engraving an item. He looked toward the patrons as the two entered the shop and gave them a nod. He had stark white hair that was neatly combed to the side. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to use the longer hair to hide the bare sections of his scalp. He also had a bushy white mustache that billowed out under his oversized nose. On his nose sat a pair of red rimmed spectacles with lenses that made his eyes appear twice their normal size. He rose off the stool that he was on, slowly putting down his engraving device. He was a short man, and the counters came to the height of his waist.
“What can I do for you fellas today?” He asked in a congenial voice.
“We need to recharge a lesser shield token ring.” Sanders said indicating for Sam to hand over the ring.
“Five soul credits please,” the shop keep said holding out his hand for the ring. Sam handed him the ring as well as one of the glass cards that represented five soul credits. This will be ready in one hour or you can pick it up tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks. Quick question, a friend of mine has an engraved bow that lessens the draw weight. Is that something you can do here if I bring you a bow?” Sam asked the old man.
“It is. That costs two hundred soul credits and will take a day to complete.” The shopkeeper said.
“Thanks. We’ll just come back tomorrow for the ring.” Sanders said starting to exit the shop.
“Very well. Very well. See you tomorrow.”
“So how do the merchants improve their souls? Surely, not everyone is a fighter.” Sam asked as the pair exited the shop and headed back toward the house.
“They can gather more energy the same way as us, through the beasts and monsters of this world. Energy can also be gained by creating something. Whenever a craftsman uses spiritual energy to create a sword or piece of armor, or really any item, the energy is transferred through the craftsman and into the item. A small amount of that energy is left behind when the item is completed and is absorbed by the craftsman’s soul.”
The hour grew late and was moving closer to late afternoon. They would need to go back to the house to get ready for the meeting with the commander. Sam asked about obtaining some gear and clothes for himself. Sanders recommended holding off until the meeting with the commander. He indicated that if he got paired with the group, the army would supply him with some basic gear for free. They returned to the house to find the rest of the crew ready to go. Sanders cleaned up quickly and Sam borrowed some cleaner clothes from Lucas. His clothes were two days in and covered in sweat, dirt, and blood.
The team left the house a few moments later, turning left toward the house at the end of the street. Azuriel joined them from one of the private residences halfway down. Their destination, the larger house at the end of the street, served a dual purpose. It was the private home of the army commander as well as the strategic war room. The building itself was still made from the orange stone and stood four stories tall. It was about as wide as three of the buildings the teams were housed in. Steps rose from the end of the street and led to a large double door made of black wood. Columns stood on either side of the door that rose to the roof. Windows were symmetrically placed on all four floors spaced to either side of the columns. A balcony jutted out from the top floor. Two guards stood at the bottom of the stairs dressed in leather armor and holding spears. They saluted Azuriel again by closing their free hands and holding it against the center of their chest. He returned the gesture and the group moved up the steps and into the residence. The entire first floor was the war room. Several large tables were positioned around the ground level covered in maps and documents. A few desks stood at the edges of the room, also covered with documents. The only organized table was directly in front of them and had one large map of the area spread out across it. An imposing angel stood opposite them. Two men and a woman flanked the angel, and all four were huddled over the table. The foursome stood at the sound of the approaching party and locked their eyes on Sam. Azuriel and the team gave the same salute to the angel who replicated it but did not take his eyes off Sam.
“Samuel Phoenix, may I present Commander Hyperion.” Azuriel said stepping back so that Sam was front and center. While huddled over the table, the commander had been imposing. Once he stood to his full height, he towered over the rest at nine feet tall. His physique was all muscle covered by a white cloth base layer with overlying shinning plate mail. His wings were folded but were large enough that they stuck out to either side by a foot. The wings were formed from stark white feathers. The commander’s skin matched Azuriel’s and had a silver tint to it. His hair was also white but cut short like a military buzz cut. He held out his hands in a welcoming gesture.
“It is nice to meet you, Sam. It’s not every day a myth enters my home.” Hyperion said in a lighthearted tone. His voice carried a weight of authority with a musical quality mixed in. “Please join us. We have many things to discuss.”
