Now that I am getting a second look at him, Bryan really fits the bill of a proper ‘adventurer’ from another world. He has on classic traveller gear that I see all the time in games – brown trousers and boots with a white shirt protected by a grey leather vest. To complete the look was a brown cloak and a sword with a sheath he had gotten when we stopped by his room. I can't lie. Even if this place is hell, I'm starting to get excited at the possibility of going adventuring.
Bryan was busy rummaging a few things into his knapsack by the exit of the inn.
“Looks like everything is ready,” he smiled. “There’s still a bit more time till noon hits, so we might as well get you some gear before we head out.”
“Gear?” I exclaimed.
“Yeah, you can't be thinking of leaving dressed like that. It's best to have some kind of weapon even if there are no demons in Limbo.”
Nice, adventuring shopping in another world!? (hell…).
“Sounds good to me, but I don’t have any money or anything, so I probably can't afford anything.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he shot me a double thumbs up. “Caesar pays us generously, so I always have a lotta cash to spare. A weapon and a vest won't cost much.”
I heard footsteps running at me from behind, so I turned around quickly. It was Sola, who was sulking slightly.
“Are you already planning on leaving?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I replied. “But I’ll probably be back tonight.”
“Ah, Sola,” Bryan beamed. “Thanks for the breakfast. Shi and I are just heading to the town square for a little bit. We will see you later.”
He gave her an overdramatic salute, clicking his feet together as he straightened his posture.
“Ha!” she laughed. “Alright, be back by dinner so you don't miss the soup!”
“Roger, Roger!” he replied, and we took off.
Citadel Castrum was now truly alive. The marble streets are filled with children laughing while playing tag and other such games. We also walked past street vendors selling exotic-looking goods to curious onlookers as bidding wars ensued. No matter where we turned on the narrow streets, there was always something interesting happening.
There was a crowd of people blocking the street we had just turned on to. At the center, I noticed an older-looking man standing on a crate holding cards in his hands. It looked like he was doing some weird magic trick with how they disappeared and reappeared.
“Come one, come all!” he spoke. “For just ten nummi, I will be your spirit medium and tell you why God sent you to Hell! Line up this way~!”
Bryan tugged at my shirt.
“Don’t pay attention to that stuff,” he muttered under his breath as we forced our way through the crowd. “People like him are scammers that got nothing better to do. They don’t actually know what God thinks or why we were sent here.”
He stopped in his tracks, turning slightly to face me.
“Plus,” he sighed. “Sometimes it’s just better to remain in the dark about such things. Not everything needs an explanation.”
Though Bryan had said that, a part of me was truly interested in what I did wrong to end up here. I do remember that motherly voice talking about how this place is the destination of all ‘Lost-Souls’. So does that mean there is an opposite like ‘Found-Souls?’ and what about my family and friends… or my dead relatives? Did they become Lost-Souls?
…
…
Ah,
So this is what Bryan meant.
“Well, we are here!” He smiled. “This is the central plaza, in other words, the town square!”
I finally got out of my head and took a moment to look around. I was expecting to be back where I spawned, but this was a completely different place.
The narrow streets opened up into what was a beautiful courtyard. I could see more children, vendors and shops that circled around the plaza. At the center was an extravagant stone statue of a man with balding hair in Roman robes. His arms were stretched outwards to the city as if he was embracing it, with a warm smile on his soft face.
“Looks like we made it with a bit of time to spare. Let’s check out my favourite weaponry shop to find you some gear.”
“Sounds good,” I replied. “But Bryan, I have a few questions.”
“Ask away.”
“Well,” I began. “How does this place get resources like food to support itself? Where did this ‘nummi’ currency come from? Why does-”
Bryan waved his hands excessively as he began to laugh.
“Hold it, hold it,” he chuckled. “For those first two questions, all I can say is I don’t know. Nobody knows.”
“What?” I frowned.
“Don’t forget, you’re no longer on Earth. This place doesn’t follow the same rules and laws. People don’t age, money somehow circulates, and food is always there. Don’t think too much about it. This is hell”
We stopped in front of a store named ‘Smith’s Smithy.’
“This is the place,” Bryan smirked. “If anything, going lower into the inferno will answer all the questions knocking at your head. For now, though, just take it one day at a time.”
“Alright.”
I’m not satisfied with the answer. It sounded just like what Plato had said. Why has everyone I’ve spoken to seem uninterested in the way this place works? All the answers I’ve been given have been far too vague.
We entered the shop, where a dark-skinned man with a sharp goatee and bald head stood examining a set of black armour off to the left. A little ‘jingle’ went off as the door closed, which led to him twirling his head around to greet us.
“Bryan!” he exclaimed before turning to look at me. “Ah, and a new friend! The name is Smith. Welcome to my shop, The Smith’s Smithy!”
Talk about a tongue twister…
“My name is Shi,” I responded. “Thanks for having us.”
“Of course! So how can I help you guys today?”
Bryan turned to face the many vests off to the right that lay on a nice wooden stand.
“We are looking for a leather vest and maybe a weapon for Shi. My budget is one hundred nummi. Think you got anything in stock that falls in that range?”
“Well, a vest will run you at least seventy nummi if you don’t mind the poorer quality. As for weapons…” he tapped his feet on the floor as he stroked his goatee. “I guess I could give you a discount for a dagger. Thirty nummi for a silver grade. Rumours say that it’ll cut down demons with ease.”
Bryan looked at me.
“What do you say, Shi? Fancy using a dagger?”
“No complaints here! I don’t mind at all.”
This is probably for the best. If I am considering my real-life capabilities, then I don’t even know if I'm able to hold a sword, let alone swing one. A dagger will allow me to move easily as well. It’s a win-win.
The purchase was complete, and I got to try out the weapon a little bit. Just as I had expected, it fit well in my hands. The black ridged grips were comfortable, and it required little to no strength to hold. The perfect first weapon~!
As for the vest, I chose the black colour to match my trousers. It was a tight fit to get it on, but I know it'll be useful. If this were a game, I wonder if this would count towards unlocking an achievement like [Rookies First Weapon] or [Leather for the Weather]. Or maybe I could just start keeping track of my own progress?
“Right, Shi, is everything good?” Smith smiled, placing his hands on his hips.
I gave one more three-sixty before flashing my most confident smile.
“Yup. Thank you so much. This is perfect.”
We were now back outside, and it was basically noon. A crowd had amassed in the central plaza. I could make out intrigued, worried, and even excited faces among the citizens. They were all gathering around a wooden podium that stood in front of that grand Roman statue. I guess that’s where Caesar will appear.
“Looks like everything is almost ready,” Bryan spoke. “Quite a big turnout as well. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“How many people usually come?” I asked.
“We don’t usually tally that kinda stuff, so I don’t really know. But what I can say is that this is one of our best turnouts in years.”
“Don’t you think it’s about time they stop doing this?” I heard one woman say. She was cuddling a crying infant in her hands. “it’s just too much!”
“I agree,” a burly man gruffed. “It's about time they put this little charade to rest. Who does this guy even think he is?”
“Julius Caesar,” another said tauntingly. “The Julius Caesar. So-called emperor of Rome, a brilliant strategist, and a man for the people.”
“For-the-people my ass!” the burly man laughed. “All we want is to go about our daily lives! This guy has some loose screws, I tell ya!”
I was half expecting Bryan to lash out at them or reprimand them, but he just stood there and nodded at all the insults.
“They're not particularly wrong,” he whispered to me with a smirk on his face. “We live in peace, so there's no need to put people in potentially dangerous situations. Nevertheless, humanity's curiosity always prevails among a select few. We represent an opportunity for those individuals. A chance for people like you to understand and learn more.”
“Well said,” I chuckled lightly. “Does Caesar usually take this long to arrive? I thought he’d be a more punctual person.”
Bryan's smile grew.
“Time changes everyone.”
Almost immediately after he spoke his final word, a chorus of gasps and boos rippled through the crowd. Now standing at the podium was a man of average height with balding grey hair. His most distinctive feature was a sharply pointed nose, which gave his resting expression a somewhat bitter air. He wore exactly what I expected a Roman general to wear. A glistening silver chest plate with artistically crafted designs. It rested atop his burgundy dress that fell to his kneecaps. He also had on brown sandals that wrapped up to his ankles. And to complete the look was a majestic red cape that flowed amid the grey backdrop. It was none other than Julius Caesar himself.
With him were three other people who stood on either side of the podium. He cleared his throat as he began to speak.
“Hello everyone,” he began. “It’s great to see that so many of you were able to make it today. As most of you already know, my company's annual expedition of Limbo is taking place next week. We are looking for new recruits who are comfortable acting as scouts. The pay will be generous, around thirty nummi an hour, and your family will be entitled to many benefits.”
“What benefits?” hollered the burly man from earlier. “We don’t need any of your stupid benefits, you geezer prince!”
“Yeah, we really don’t,” another chimed.
“True? What good has it brought anyone when we already live in peace?”
“He just wants to send more people into the Limbo to get lost for eternity!”
“Doesn’t he know how long it took me to get here!?”
The mood was souring quickly as the angry murmurs grew. I turned to face Bryan, who looked displeased as well.
“This time around, he isn’t even trying,” he grumbled. “I know we won't get many recruits, but he can at least put a bit more effort in.”
Caesar raised a single arm and stretched out his palm, signalling for everyone to quiet down. He closed his eyes and readjusted his shirt.
“Listen,” he uttered. “Rome wasn’t built in a day - ”
“Oh, shut up!”
“Stop with this tomfoolery!”
“Hey, everyone!” My attention turned to the direction of the voice who happened to be right beside me. “Come get your tomatoes! They are ripe and ready to be thrown~!”
Instantly, the burly man stormed his way through the crowd and in front of the seller.
“One tomato is one nummus!” Cheered the vendor. “I’ll even apply a discount for every dozen… how does ten nummi sound for twelve tomatoes?”
“Sounds like a steal,” the burly man grinned.
I could make out him rummaging through his pants as he pulled out the money. All I can say is that shit is about to go down.
More people joined in the line as Caesar continued to talk about the Roman Empire and a lot of nonsense. I wasn’t expecting him to be like this at all.
“HEY! Geezer!” Yelled the burly man, who was joined by many others. “Eat shit!”
They began to launch the tomatoes at Caesar, who just continued to speak.
“And once I considered greater Germania a threat-” he rambled. “I knew war was inevitable.”
A tomato splat right in his face that he wiped off quickly.
“My grandmother always used to say that things would be fascinating if I just considered doing a few more things, y’know.”
“Shut up!”
“Someone get this guy out of here!”
It was pure chaos at this point. A group of people who looked like delinquents stormed the podium from the right side. Caesar was forced to retreat as the companions who came with him held off the advance.
I had no time to see what happened next. Bryan and I were forced into pushing our way out of the frenzied mob. I got smacked in the chin, splattered by tomatoes and even felt some kind of warm yellow liquid touch me. People were now just using the chaos as an excuse to do whatever they wanted.
I don’t know how we survived, but we did. We sat just outside ‘The Smith’s Smithy’ panting for air. The crowd was all but gone except for a few good souls that remained behind to clean up the mess the incident caused.
Bryan was still shaking his head, and I could tell his spirits were low.
“Sorry about today. I know you were expecting more, but this… this was just embarrassing.”
“It’s alright,” I smiled. “I just wasn’t expecting Julius Caesar to be like that.”
“That’s the problem,” Bryan grumbled. “He isn’t like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“That wasn’t Julius.”
My eyes widened.
“Wait, what?”
