The World Which Is

Chapter 31

[note: A reader has pointed out I forgot about Dennis' class quest about cataloging monsters by fighting them. Going over that readjusts Dennis' level to 5. Which means he has 4 ability points to assign, 3 attribute points, and 9 skill points to assign. I am proceeding as if Dennis made a conscious decision to wait until he was in Toronto before assigning any of them. This will certainly change when I write the second draft)]

The city node building is impressive, white stone with a dome on top, columns on each side of the entrance, which are doors tall enough to accommodate the giant exiting. I catch myself staring as he steps around people then force myself to stop.

He isn't like in the stories my dad told me when I was a kid, where giants could touch the cloud and were vicious monsters. He's maybe 4 meters tall, dressed in well-made craftspeople's clothing. As I head for the entrance, an orc gets into an argument with a woman and I've taken three steps in their direction when she flips him the finger and he barks laughter. Then they head away together.

I need to remember that not everyone who looks inhuman is automatically dangerous, or up to causing problem. This isn't court. I'm bound to come across more of them, even if in the grand scheme of things they are in the minority. Base said that according to information he gathered on the way to reaching Court, humans, or human-looking races make out nearly seventy percent of the population. He's the first to say the number is thirty years out of date, but that for it to change significantly, it would take a system like change again.

Inside, it is loud with conversation, and busy with people coming and going. The room is vast, and the whistle that escapes me has some people chuckling. There is nothing like this in Court. The largest structure is Base, and that's only true if you consider his area of influence as being the building. Other wise, his wall doesn't qualify, and then it's just regular sized buildings spread around within the wall.

Even the command center isn't all that big, and I don't think he's ever made the inside anything close to this large. He made it large enough, a few years ago, to have a town meeting, but it wasn't like this.

How am I supposed to find where to go?

"You look like you can use some help," a woman said, and I turn in her direction, only to step back with a start. A ragged ear at the top of her furred head tilts and she cants her head. "New to the city, I take it?"

I nod dumbfoundedly.

She's dressed in a leather armor uniform close to those of the guards in court. It's died a deep blue for the chest and lighter for the arms, giving the impression she's wearing the chest over a shirt. On her shoulder, there's a crest, crossed swords over a rendition of the Tower. Toronto's crest. The name Liona is engraved on the left side breast of her armor. Instead of a sword, she has a baton at her belt and a hand resting on its pommel.

"I'm sorry," I mumble, then straighten and force myself to look at her face, the wide muzzle that I have no problem imagining hides vicious looking teeth. The fur's light brown, with streaks of black going around her ears. "We don't have anyone looking like you in Court, and I was attack by a Warg. It wasn't a fun experience."

She nods like that wasn't the most idiotic thing I could have said, comparing her to a Warg. She doesn't even look like one, being on two legs and in a uniform.

"I can imagine it would be a harrowing experience. What are you looking to do here?"

"Get skills."

"Points or money?"

"Both, maybe. I don't know yet. It's going to depend on if I can get everything I need with my points." I shut up at the quirking up of her lips. I'd rather not see her teeth.