Bold=Character speaking.

Italics=Character's thoughts.

[_]=Item/Spell/Ability.

A Fateful Encounter

The entrance to the city went without any issues, which came as a surprise to Kalman, who half expected to be asked to pay the "visitor's tax" or some other form of bureaucratic nonsense. But there was strangely no sign of any corruption at all, though that did not mean it did not exist, for no human society existed without corruption, they just became better at hiding it.

As for the city of Vheria itself, it was certainly impressive. Bustling crowds, clean paved streets, shops and stalls everywhere, no beggars or thieves and guards keeping watch over everything. It was orderly, beautiful and one could see the intelligent design of the craftsmen and stonemasons everywhere.

As the riders made their way deeper into the city towards their destination, they easily drew the attention of the common folk. The sight of soldiers being muddy and bloody, while escorting a foreigner in strange armor, rumors and speculation began popping up like spring weeds. The guards, for the most part, took their duties seriously, and quickly dispersed any crowds that blocked the riders' way, while also attempting to gather any information they could. Savastian however, simply told them that he had to report to the Head of the Knights, and they left him be. After some time, they arrived at a kind of barracks, tall and fortified, with flags portraying a golden sun on a green background swaying in the wind. Fully armed and armored knights were guarding every possible entrance and exit, while others were patrolling since before the crack of dawn. Their discipline was commendable, as Kalman noticed that none of them were slouching or attempting to take a nap, and for this reason they exuded an aura of professionalism and gravitas. When the riders attempted to approach further, one of the knights came forward and asked.

"Greetings. Papers and reason for your visit, please." -Said a young knight who wore helmet that did not expose his face. He was of average height but clearly had a good build, as he clearly had no issues wearing full plate armor, and his left hand carried a heater style shield which depicted a mace and a sword crossed, while surrounded by a golden laurel. Kalman noticed the two distinct symbols he saw so far, and assumed that one of them belonged to the Kingdom, and the other to the order of the Knights.

"Yeah, sure thing pal. Here you go." -Savastian quickly replied, as he then proceeded to bark orders to his subordinates to produce their papers and hand them over.

"Thank you. Now let me see…" said the young knight to himself quietly, before quickly looking up and saying "I see three papers, but four of you. And this one doesn't look like a guard. May I ask why?" again said the knight, being both threatening and polite at the same time. He was probably well-educated and the son of at least a somewhat wealthy man, or a noble.

"He's a foreigner, so he doesn't have any papers. But we do need him to see the boss." -Said Savastian while also shrugging.

"Foreigner you say? Very well, you may enter, just make sure he doesn't cause trouble."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Said the masked warrior who had been silent so far, though his words appeared to do little to dissuade the knight's suspicions.

After leaving their horses at the stables, the four men alongside a knight escort made their way inside the headquarters of the knights. The inside was spartan yet beautiful, as weapons and paintings of battles alongside busts and statues of famed men flanked a beautiful red carpet. Kalman felt his heart rate slowly rise as he was guided through a completely unknown place into a meeting which he was not prepared for, yet he knew he had to endure nonetheless. A few minutes of walking through the barracks walls later, Kalman's group arrived in front of an expensive wooden double gate. The knight said to the group that only the fortress guards would enter to meet the Head of the Knights, while the foreigner would have to wait before the door. Kalman however, would have none of it.

"No."

"No? No to what?"-Asked the knight, genuinely surprised that someone would disobey him.

"No, as in, I won't wait outside. If it weren't for me these men would most likely not be here. Therefore, I refuse to wait before the door like some dog."
As Kalman said those words with confidence, the knight that had escorted them reached for his sword, and then said quite loudly that Kalman would have to wait outside or else he would be encouraged to do so.
A pathetic attempt at a threat, and it did not faze Kalman in the slightest. Going by what he had seen so far, his sword would probably break if it struck him.

Before the situation could escalate further, a voice was heard from inside the office.

"What's all that racket!?"-Bellowed loudly, and the rage could be felt across the entire barracks.

A second later, the door was then opened from the inside by a young brown-haired lad with bags under his blue eyes, and he clearly looked like he had not gotten any sleep the night before. He had quite a hollow look on his face, as if he was used to dealing with stressful situations every day and had become numb to it. Further behind him, in a rather opulent office, behind a mahogany desk sat a middle-aged man. He was tall, strong, bald, with a grey moustache and a scar across his left cheek.

"Savastian, what are you doing here? Why do you look like you just fought a dragon? Who's the foreigner? Speak!"-Barked the baldie, and his very words sent fear into Savastian's spine.

"Yes sir! I was sent here by my captain to deliver news." Replied Savastian.

"News? What kind?"

"Dire news sir. I am only allowed to deliver the news to you sir. I request that we enter."

"Alright, enter with the foreigner."-Said the man behind the desk, before looking towards the other two guards. "The two of you, head to the canteens and grab a meal."
"Yes sir!" Saluted the two other soldiers with genuine joy.

Savastian and Kalman entered the office before the young office clerk closed the doors.

"Well, Savastian, I'm waiting. What is this dire news?"

"Qila Rhea has fallen to demons. I alongside my men were sent by our commander to escape Qila Rhea and deliver news of its fall to you. This man here – Savastian was quickly interrupted by the bald man.
"Wait just a second! You said Qila Rhea has fallen? How? When?" -Asked the lord of the fort, clearly shocked.

"Well sir, it was demons. We saw some frontier villages burning in the horizon, so we sent patrols to investigate. They never returned. Commander Julian ordered us to prepare for a possible invasion from the elves. The reality was way worse. Come nightfall, we were attacked, and the fort was suddenly surrounded. Flying devils attacked us from above, imps and other ghastly things climbed the walls, while a giant hell-bull ran straight through our gates. Once that happened, the rest of the fort fell quickly. My superior wrote this letter quickly, and gave it to me alongside six other men and horses and told me to ride here as fast as possible."

The silence in the air hung heavy, and Savastian used this moment to take out a small letter and handed it over to the young lad. He read it, made a quick nod to his superior, and then left the piece of paper on the desk.

"By the Gods…If that fort has fallen there's nothing stopping an army besides this city. We, we need to prepare for a siege."

"Sir, while we were riding here, we were being chased by some giant demonic dog that killed four of our men. The man standing before you saved us from certain death."

"So that's why you are here. Well, it explains a lot." -When the lord of the barracks heard that the men were alive due to the actions of one man, his mood softened by quite a bit.

"Indeed. My name is Kalman Alexander, but I just go by Kalman."
"A noble? I have not heard of your house. I am Luka Ronion, currently serving as Head of the Knights of Kosalia's base here in our fair city of Vheria."- Said the bald man who seemed to have somewhat calmed down.

"Now, back to the matter at hand. Savastian, it seems I have to thank you and your companion that we are even aware of this calamity."
"It is my sworn duty, sir."

"Neighboring countries and those further beyond have been practically on fire for the past few months. Even the Beastman Commonwealth has practically collapsed. And now this cursed business has come to our borders. We must send word to the capital, among other things."

"Sir, according to Kalman here, the demons have already razed a village further beyond the fort. It seems their invasion is in full swing."

"A village? Truly? Another complication. So how did Kalman save your life, and that of your men, might I ask?"

"Well, I'm a traveler that happened to come upon Hessau village. It was destroyed and filled with demons. I killed those I could, drove off the rest. And after that I saw Savastian here and his men being chased by a demonic beast, so I helped them out. Then, I followed them to this city, and here we are are."

"Here we are…Well, that's quite a story, but we can talk more about it another time."
Said Luka before turning to Savastian.

"Savastian, I need you to make a detailed report. What type of enemies you saw, where they broke through, the numbers, any commanders and spellcasters, everything. Once you do that, we'll send a letter with The Email to the capital."-The sudden detailed order shocked both Kalman and Savastian, though for different reasons.

"The Email?"- Asked Kalman, who was suddenly shocked at an Earth word being used in a medieval setting. And now that he thought about it, he noticed that for some reason, everyone spoke English, and they could all understand him perfectly. The strange part was, the writing system, from what Kalman could glance so far, was not the Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, or any other writing script from Earth. It was completely native. So why did these people speak English? And why did their lips not match up to what they were saying? One question is answered and two more take its place.

"Yes. It's a system that uses two connected magic items designed to quickly and securely deliver letters over vast distances. It was introduced by The Great Conqueror Emperor Kim Jin, and we have been using it ever since, though I'm afraid no one besides the Royal Family knows how the exact mechanics behind how it works. All I know is, you put the letter inside the box, and it arrives in the capital instantly." -Said Luka to Kalman.

"Fascinating! Can you tell me more?"-Kalman said with vigor, who had a hunch about a question he knew must be answered.

"Sure, it's all common knowledge here anyways. Around a century ago, a man with black hair showed up to the Southeast and was proclaimed the Lord of a small village after saving it from a beast man attack. He renamed the village to Serun Doshi, and proclaimed it his capital city. After that he went on his spree of conquest. It took him about five years of warfare, but he had conquered the entire Sakamir Peninsula, which is itself a massive landmass with plenty of geographic diversity, and home to both humans and demi human races. After he was finished with that conquest, he cast his gaze towards other lands, conquered some more, then got sick of war and then settled into ruling and fathering many children with his large harem of over sixty wives and concubines."

"Over sixty!?"-said Kalman, and he felt genuinely impressed and disturbed that a man would want sixty women. He himself could not handle one.

"I know, and it's caused quite a ruckus over there. His death shattered The Empire. The infighting and wars and intrigue have gotten so bad, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters are all fighting each other and waging war to see who gets to sit on throne. Because of the mountains, we managed to reassert our independence swiftly and bloodlessly 25 years ago when he died, but other regions have not been so lucky."

"So that's how it is…"-Thought Kalman to himself, who gradually saw his fears come to life.

"At any rate there is work to do, so I must adjourn this meeting for now. Savastian, I need you to stay for a bit, Sir Kalman, we will speak again at another time, I am sure. Hopefully you will remove your mask when that day comes."-Said the master of the fort, who managed to end the meeting when he noticed that the topic was getting off-track in a most respectful fashion.

As Kalman was turning around and preparing to walk toward the door, he was interrupted once more by the somber voice of Luka.

"Oh, and before I forget. Sir Kalman, I thank you once again, I will make sure that you are properly rewarded once all this business is behind us. You may continue on your travels, or remain here. The Kingdom always needs strong warriors and nobles to help defend the realm." -Said Luka like a true salesman.

"I thank you. I shall take my leave now. Until we meet again."

"Until we meet again."

Before Kalman walked out of the door, he gave a quick nod to Savastian. The man was so tired he probably didn't even notice, seeing as how he looked half asleep already, and would probably collapse as soon as he was finished with filing paperwork, one could not blame him.

When Kalman finally left that office, he followed an escort that took him outside the barracks, before heading onto the streets. Then he walked forward and forward, aimlessly, his mind swimming with thoughts, before finally noticing a wall and deciding to lean against it.

"Ughh, so much information to digest. It's early morning now, and 24 hours ago I was getting up for work in a completely different world… I can scarcely believe what's going on. "Kalman said to himself while glancing at the people just going about their lives, with not a facemask in sight, breathing clean air and enjoying the sunshine. He found it completely unbelievable, as the pollution of his home world had reached such a state that most people assumed that it was only a matter of time before the planet could support no life at all.

"Plus, there's the whole end of the world Demon God thing going on. Potentially other Players, and God knows what out there. And worst of all, I'm completely clueless!"

Stress began to bubble up inside Kalman's skull, as he nervously tried to deduce his next smartest move based on what he knew so far.

"Let's think for a bit. What would be the best places to gather information for a complete novice. Taverns, adventurer's guilds, libraries, churches and markets. Those all seem like good options, I should probably visit them all as soon as possible."

"Then again, I don't have a lot of money but it'll do for now. Question is, how do I get more, and what happens once I do? There's no way in hell I'm going back to life as a wage slave. No, I'll be my own boss. As for the money, for now if I run out, I can probably just steal some from the nobles in their mansions. Going off what I know from Earth, they're parasites who don't even contribute to society, so I'll probably put it to better use anyways, though I am loathe to reduce myself to a common thief. Still, I doubt they'll have security measures I can't deal with, so I should keep that option in mind."

Kalman began to formulate plans inside his head, and it took him a while to notice that he was drawing too many looks from the citizens. This was his cue that he should start moving and find a base of operations, for now at least. A better one would follow.

"I should make my way towards an inn to start things off, maybe go to sleep, that might help me think. I don't feel tired physically but I do feel tired mentally, but perhaps that's just stress. Time will tell. For now, I should find an inn."

Kalman walked through the streets of the bustling city, looking at various shops and establishments, and remembered something. Functionally speaking, he was illiterate. He could not read the language of this land, and he wondered even if he learned the letters, how exactly that would work with the built-in translation system this world had. Would he just read nonsense letters that meant nothing to him? Or would he automatically know what those letters meant when he learned how to read. Luckily, there were ways to get around this weakness, but for now there was an easy fix. He would simply ask for directions. A tried-and-true method.

After receiving directions towards an inn called "The Wooden Rooster", Kalman made his way through the streets until he arrived at his destination. The inside was archetypical of what one would expect. It didn't look dirty, but it certainly wasn't clean. Wood was the material of choice for everything, though the fireplace was built of stone, and there were men sleeping on some of the tables. Most likely passed out from drunkenness, nothing remarkable. The innkeeper was a gruffy looking man with short hair and a stubble, he was fairly ordinary, and nothing memorable. Though he did look surprised that he had received a patron so early in the day.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"I'd like to ask how much it would cost to rent a room here."

"Ten coppers a night, food costs extra."

"I'd like to rent a room all to myself for a week, I won't need the meals."

"Sure, that'll be a seventy copper pieces."

"Here's the money." -Kalman said as he pulled out seventy copper pieces instantly from his pocket and placed them on the bar top.

The innkeeper counted them fairly quickly, before looking up towards Kalman and asking.

"You a foreigner?"

"Yes, will that be a problem?"

"Nah, money is money, but if you wanna keep yours, you need to learn how to haggle. Plus, you stick out too much, should blend in if you wanna stay out of trouble."

"I'll keep it in mind."

The innkeeper then pointed his thumb towards the stairs on his left.

"Your room is just upstairs, it's the second on the right. If you're heading out let me know so I can lock your room, we don't give customers keys."

"Understandable. May I ask you a question?"

"You may, but I may not answer."-The innkeeper said with a wary voice.

Kalman merely pulled out a rather worthless green gem from his inventory, though he pretended to pull it from one of his pockets, and placed it before the innkeeper. His eyes instantly widened, as he lost all hesitation. The gem itself was a mere cosmetic item, and did not have any combat value whatsoever, but it looked shiny, and that was all that he needed.

"You can ask me a thousand questions if you want mate."

"Lovely. So, what's the news around town?"

"Things are bad. City may look clean and shiny, but it's just a mask hiding the chaos within. The king is in a coma half the time, the other time he's not even sane anymore. The death of his wife and sons probably broke him."

"The king's wife and sons died?" -Replied Kalman with interest, who hoped to finally attain at least a semblance of general information.

"Yeah, it was a real tragedy. The queen died in childbirth alongside the young prince, and resurrection magic didn't take. The older prince then died in a freak accident when he was praying for his mother and brother in one of the chapels in the capital. There was an earthquake and the whole thing collapsed. Other buildings were affected as well, but the chapel had it the worst of 'em all. Crushed him and dozens of others. Officially, they said it's an accident, but some people are saying it was planned. Or maybe it was an act of the Gods, punishing us for our sins. Who knows?"-Said the innkeeper while cleaning one of the mugs.

"Hmm, I imagine having not one, but multiple members of the royal family pass away in quick succession would be considered as a bad omen, at the very least. What about things abroad?"-Kalman replied.

"Trade with the Sakamiri has completely stopped because of the mountain passes being blocked, that evil forest to the southwest keeps growing by a few feet every month, and countries all across the continent are having issues with demons and undead and The Six know what else. Some have even already been destroyed, based on what the merchants are saying. We're pretty safe cause of the mountains, but if refugees flood these lands, we'll all starve to death and turn on each other. This kingdom produces a lot of food, but not enough to feed millions more people."

"And where would one go if they wanted to earn money while also being a stranger here?"

"Best bet is the Adventurer's Guild. There's not a lot of work going around because the Knights deal with most monsters, but I'm sure you can find something."

"Thank you for your assistance."

The innkeeper made a quick nod to his generous patron, but before leaving to go upstairs, Kalman left another gem, this time yellow in color, and left it next to the other gem.

"For your discretion."-Kalman said to the innkeeper, a subtle understanding between the two of them. He knew people liked to talk, and he hoped that this little bribe would stop the other man's tongue from saying things he shouldn't.

"You were never here."

Kalman then made his way up the stairs and towards his room, though he didn't plan on staying long. The room itself was barebones, and the floor was made out of hardwood, and the walls were thin. It lacked in comfort, having only a bed with a nightstand next to it, wardrobe, small desk and chair, and a chamber-pot near the corner. The window appeared to open outward, towards the busy streets. Kalman could only shudder at the thought of trying to sleep in this room during summer. If the noise didn't keep him up, the heat would. That, or trying to sleep while someone in one of the neighboring rooms had sex. Either way, this was not a place you'd want to stay in long.

As for the technology level, it was expectedly low. There didn't appear to be any sign of running water, as there was no sink of any kind, merely a bucket of water near a primitive bathtub in a makeshift bathroom. There was also only a single oil lamp, and no electric or magical ones. Looking back on it, Kalman was probably ripped off, but he didn't mind at all. The information he got from the innkeeper would prove far more valuable, plus by setting up in an inconspicuous location, he would better protect himself.

Though most people would fall upon the bed and drift into a deep slumber, Kalman's [Ring of the Blessed Unicorn King] provided him with all the benefits of a standard Ring of Sustenance, so he did not feel tired at all. Nor did he feel hungry or thirsty, but he still wanted to try out some of the local foods. Then again, trying out local delicacies would come by its own in due time, so there was no need to rush it, as Kalman had important work to do.
Kalman approached the door and then cast the 2nd tier spell [Arcane Lock]. This would ensure that no one entered his room unless he invited them to do so. Afterwards, he took out a mirror from his inventory, which was enchanted to allow one to also see themselves from the back or from either side with the mere press of a button. Seeing as he was not in Yggdrasil anymore, this would come in useful.

And then finally, he stripped. First the boots, socks and pants. He threw them on the bed for now, and then took off his gloves, chest piece, scarf and shirt, and threw them on the bed as well. Everything was off, except for two things. The boxers, and the mask. Kalman decided to keep the boxers on, merely taking a quick peek. He saw that it was good, and sheathed his sword. Then he took off the mask, and for the first time since coming here, saw his face. Not the pale skinny face he was used to, but the face he crafted for his human form back in Yggdrasil.

Dark brown hair, voluminous but short, with a short ponytail on the back of his head. Through icy gray eyes he looked at his handsome and clean-shaven face, noticing that, apart from his face being able to move, it was unchanged from Yggdrasil. All in all, he looked like he was supposed to, and apart from the surprising detail in the musculature, Kalman was not too shocked, having already spent half a day in this form. Still, looking at it was something else, and he thought that he probably would not have too much of an issue picking up women, based on looks alone. But stupidity can easily kill that ambition, as it often had before. It was best not to hope too much. After all, it would not be the first time Kalman screwed up a potential relationship because of something he said or did.

After flexing in front of the mirror like an Olympic bodybuilder, making weird faces and using the [Fly] spell to make the Superman pose while levitating a few inches off the ground, Kalman eventually got tired of the shenanigans, and decided to start planning his next steps. Before he did so, he thought about quickly using his transformation to assume his demonic form, but remembered that he might end up blowing up his entire room, so he wisely decided against it. Truly a brilliant decision, not to assume the form of a terrifying scion of destruction in the middle of a crowded city.

The inventory space of an Yggdrasil player could hold literal tons of materials, so it was not a challenge to find clothes that would suit Kalman's plan, the challenge was to make them work. Wearing a black business suit and tie was all he was used to wearing, so the sudden myriad of choices was a rare problem that he had to deal with, but one he was grateful to have all the same.

To enact his plan, he needed to follow specific steps. First, he would need money. Luckily, he had gems, actual Yggdrasil gold he could melt down, and rather worthless magic items he could trade for money, other magic items or information. So that part of the plan was settled.

Then, he needed to dress like a noble, act like a noble, and enter the city as befitting of one of high status. After that, he would need connections and knowledge. Religion dictated the life of humanity for millennia back on Earth, as secularism was a relatively recent concept. Thus, he had to learn about the faith of this land while also hiding his own ignorance, thus he would head to the religious establishment, stating that he wished to learn about the Gods and possibly convert.

After that, he would need to learn about magic, all the different types here, and what was considered strong or weak. Therefore, he had to go to the Magicians Guild or Mages Guild or whatever these people called it, to learn more about how exactly magic worked in this world.

Next step would be simple. He would head to the Adventurer's Guild, to learn more about that place and the general power level of the people inside this city. Common sense dictated that while common guards were stronger than normal citizens, trained knights would be stronger than them, and mercenaries would be even stronger. Much like how things were back on Earth, when mercenary armies of smaller numbers could rout and even destroy larger forces of peasant levies.

And finally, he would rent a room at a completely different inn, in a different part of the city, so that he would avoid all traces connecting his new persona to that of Kalman. One that was cleaner and served good food.

By following all these steps, he hoped to hide himself in plain sight, and gain connections and knowledge that would allow him to learn anything related to Players, while also heading out as Kalman into the field to gather intelligence himself and make moves in the shadows. Luckily, none so far had seen his face, so he would be a complete newcomer as far as the people were concerned. If all things went as planned, he'd stay in this city until daytime, and come night, he'd teleport back to Hessau village, and destroy the demons that took the fort before they could run amok across the countryside.

After Kalman put on some RP style high-fashion Yggdrasil clothes, with leather shoes and gloves, white pants and a brown coat, over a formal black shirt, Kalman examined himself in the mirror, and thought he looked rather dashing, as fitting the part of a travelling noble. He additionally prepared a pair of [Magic Glasses], a magic item that would allow one to translate all written languages instantaneously, a [Golem Horse], and a sword made from Adamantite, a rather weak metal by Yggdrasil standards. After mentally preparing himself for a day of acting, he gathered all his things, placed what the [Golem Horse] and his [Magic Glasses] back inside his inventory, opened the window, before proceeding to cast [Complete Invisibility], followed by [Fly].

After leaving his room, Kalman went on the rooftop, hoping to get a better view of the city, before soaring into the air to find another gate from which to pretend to enter, his plan carefully prepared and soon to be executed to perfection. But there was a slight issue.

There was a red-haired woman in black leather assassin clothes, crouched right upon his rooftop. She was beautiful, and her clothes were both expensive, magical in nature and they showed off a bit of skin, and on her waist was both a dagger and a curved katana. When Kalman exited the rooftop and saw her, he froze in panic. And she too seemed to freeze, and somehow, she stared right at his face. She saw through his invisibility, and Kalman saw through whatever measures she had been using to hide so far. Both knew they were looking at each other, and they stared in absolute silence for what felt like ages. The assassin woman had a look of pure panic on her face, and she broke under the pressure first. She reached towards one of her back pockets and pulled out a crystal. A brilliant crystal that shone sky blue, and it was as big, no bigger than the woman's hand. She pulled it out, and lifted it to the sky. Kalman knew that what this woman held in her hands, was a spell-sealing crystal that held high-tier magic. It could hold magic even up to the 10th tier, though having faced Rogues and Assassins before, Kalman saw this trick a thousand times before. He knew what she would do, before she even did it.

The woman held out the crystal towards the sky, and prepared to shout [Greater Teleportation]. At least, she thought she would.

Too slow.

Kalman said only two words before she pulled an escape.

[Time Stop].

That's it for chapter five guys! It took a while, but I wanted to do things right. As always, all your support is appreciated, and make sure to leave any thoughts you might have in the review section, and follow/favorite the story if you enjoyed it. Next chapter should come sometime in the middle of the next week if things go well, and our protagonist will finally meet someone from the "Thirteen Heroes."

Until next time!