Five days in this human city. Five days well spent Tarvek felt as he sat making notes in a local book, now that his translation ring and the wrist-comp had managed to translate the local language sufficiently to read it. Or, well, read more complex topics than recipes for cooking meals anyway. Not only that but his Compass, not just the Celestial Etherscope part but the energies itself, were renewed and recharged as this was an arcanely active realm, not just one with dimensional access-points. That was bad in ways too, as it was making mapping the realm with the Compass harder than he'd like, as there were mages, and that meant anything beyond the most passive of methods might be detected.
Yet the more he learned, the more problematic this world might be. Orcs invading from another world via portal. An Undead invasion that destroyed several kingdoms. What sounded disturbingly like a multi-versal daemonic invasion alongside the undead invasion. This 'Scourge' was marked on his wrist-comp as a potential danger, assuming it was the same force, or variant of it, as this dimension-world had several concerning overlaps. Perhaps, the locals weren't prone to large printing it seemed, and his knowledge was based too much on a few precious, expensive, tomes and general rumours of adventurers and sailors over drinks. Songs, drunken songs, held kernels of truth, but not always. He closed the book, placing it away as the suns fire hovered on the horizon.
Janet and Mayuko slept yet, or rather Mayuko did, and Janet stood watch and read too within the inn. He though had left afore well before dawn, to explore, and then to pray as he intended to now. Slightly earlier than he planned, having purchased local clothing and integrated it into his polymorphic disguise self. Still armoured, but in the guise of darkened mail, easier to move within as he slipped through the shadows without a sound, eyes scanning for any dangers. There was a fog down, aiding in his stealth, even as he had to project mass into the Compass so his weight was 'human' as his guise was, Muffle silencing his footsteps, his Lord's shroud his body in shadows. No thievery of course, but things, some things, needed to be explored and discovered at night.
Such as this city had vigilant defenders…yet, within…
'I won't say lacking, tis better than many places. But there is a dark market of sorts' he mused coming down the walls, near the docks, just overlooking as waves splashed against rocks, observing illicit smuggling of some sort if he judged true 'Nary a sign of goodness in such a bastion of this'
Still…he slipped away, passed such things to a more hidden alcove, just without, though perhaps technically within, the outer walls. More importantly it was close to a local ley-line equivalent, feeding into the wizard's tower as he understood it. Somewhere he'd marked out last night, carefully clearing the dirt he'd placed off the sigils he'd etched into the stone. A nice little bit of leeching of arcane energies, carefully hidden, and a spot Tarvek went to one knee upon, pulling out his blade and breathing in and out. Two hands upon the weapon's hilt, words of prayer upon his lips…reach out, carefully, silently, ever cloaked in the shroud of shadows and gloom.
There…
A faint whisper. Guidance. Light in the darkness like a distant lighthouse. Connection, however weak, however faint…
Threat. Threat. Beware.
Felt, heard, other whispers. Darker, those of foes and the twisted. Seeking…no, not them, but what they were…
Tarvek opened his eyes, renewed, refreshed in spells, faint runes shimmering on the false blade. Words of warning even as this was a bad realm, but one that must be travelled through to reach the true realms of his Lord, let alone those of the League of Aquitaine. Sheathing his blade, hand throwing down dirt again, the light of the risen sun gliding over his form, Tarvek rose, stealing back out into the rocks, then back up the wall-face above the docks, before gliding up a back alley. Prayer had opened his mind, clarified memories, and awakened him to possible trouble within this city…for them as he shifted stance, switching his cloak inside out, bright and cheerful now where moments ago it was night dark. Ruffled hair, hood down, pulled out and wore a hat, as he strode smiling out onto the slowly dawn illuminating streets of Theramore.
Something might be aware they had arrived on this plane. Something might seek then.
'Helpful, but not overly helpful' he could admit to himself, but there were….hints here, of something in the shadows within this city. Perhaps unseen to native eyes, fitting in so well, but clearer to his in some ways from training and how was supposed to act in such situations. As he was doing now, striding down the main street of the city, seeking out the early opening apothecary…
{Two days later…}
"I think we…starting to fit in, for lack of a better description" Janet murmured softly to him as they, and Mayuko, sat enjoying the sunset in the 'park' the local Lady had established "We can at least hold a conversation without sounding completely out of place. Or…eccentric"
"I dunno, still think its all freaky" Mayuko grumbled, but was relax at being allowed to carry her weapon around in public, though they were largely alone now, an anti-scry ward active "Boring too for super isekai world"
"Dangerous is what it is" Tarvek said back to them, watching the skies "But very useful, and that means perhaps travelling beyond the city"
Janet nodded, but looked him "But something is bothering you"
Tarvek paused, sighing as he sat forward in his human guise, hands together, frowning "Something is…off here, in that places one would seek out for solitude in the darkness are…disturbed. Not only that the guard are more active these last two days"
"Is that why you want to put off trying to leave another few days? More even?"
"In part" he murmured at Janet's words, softly, unhappily "We would travel by sea vessel after all…and something is wrong out there. I've felt it a few days ago during prayers, and sought to see with spyglass and drone…"
He trailed off a moment, frowning. There was magical active…holes and fog out in the marches, and Tarvek could only go on his drones crude sensors, and his own 'nose' for what it might be. Likely necromantic in origin, and that was something he did not want to sail through in a wooden sailboat. Cities were oft dangerous, but this one was a fortified outpost-city, with no graveyard, and a significant garrison and murder-hobo contingent. So a decent place to be should there be problems needing to blow over. There was one concern though, but he couldn't exactly say it "And there is something wrong with what is being smuggled in at night, then moved out of the city"
"Why does that bother you?" Janet asked curiously "Smugglers, ah…well, smuggling"
"Smugglers prefer to smuggle and make coin, and, yes, hiding from the guards is one thing, but the hurried movement out of the city is odd. Perhaps cultural, but this feels much like an operation in motion" he answered, sitting back with a sigh "Something that cannot easily be revealed"
"Yeah, can't go up to the guards Boss and say 'Hey, we've been sneakin' around and found others sneakin' around and they be more suspicious than we are!' right" Mayuko said, and Tarvek gave a snort of amusement at it. It was true after all. It was an issue as he could just be seeing something the rulers wanted to happen in response to the problems out to see. He'd read enough manuals to know this could one arcane nation sabotaging a new mage nations trade by interfering by throwing hazards into the waters. All while this one built up resources and weapons for expansion unnoticed by its neighbours – such as a secret strike against the orcs, or even making a deal with them as the Wizard-Queen had betrayed her father even to aid them supposedly.
"It is as Mayuko says, so best then we stay here and continue to research before making a decision to leave these walls"
Janet sighed "We could return to, well, the camp"
'Waystation' was what she meant, and he shook his head in the negative "No, that is steps back, and…such realms as this are, ah, prone to work in this manner supposedly. We stay, we learn, seek out places that might be best to travel forth from. There is no guarantee the next route shall be any easier…any safer"
Mayuko huffed, legs swinging under the stone railing she sat upon "So….stay in magic lady's city. Cool"
"I expect some news shall come forth in the next few days" he noted, because it was likely to be so as if trade was being interfered with then sailors would certainly talk about "This is a realm without such toys and tools as thine, and beyond the realms of mages and powerful beasts news travels slowly. And, no, there will be no…wiggling of fingers on my part as you call it. Too many more skilled than such as I exist here"
There were Liches and Dragons here, though, curiously, no established divine pantheon as best he could tell, and such tended towards powerful magic users. And that was without the local lord being a powerful female mage, so Tarvek really preferred to keep his head down for now and let whatever local trouble was brewing to blow over. If things went bad they could withdraw to the Waystation of course, but this plane offered a high reward, even if it had higher risks than previous ones, so it best investigated…
