Chapter 25:The City
Peter walked in silence, lost in thought. A few steps behind followed Selene. Just thinking about her made Peter uneasy—he had never been good with interpersonal relationships, and the one between him and Selene was complicated.
In theory, they were just travel companions, connected only by a shared goal.
But in practice, the longer Peter spent in her company, the more Selene reminded him of his younger sister.
In her behavior, in the way she viewed the world, and even a little in appearance. Peter hadn't asked her yet, but he was nearly certain she was younger than him. Not as young as his sister had been, but still younger.
All of these similarities made it difficult for Peter to treat her as anything other than he had treated his sister.
And yet, Peter knew full well that she was still a stranger. They'd known each other for barely two days, and already he was being overprotective. Just minutes ago, he had held and comforted her while she cried on her knees.
He had reacted on instinct, and now, with discomfort tightening in his chest, he hoped Selene wouldn't take it the wrong way.
Peter sighed inwardly and hoped Selene would ignore his odd behavior. Then he refocused on the path leading toward the city.
They had been marching for about fifteen minutes. Peter, as always, was attentively scanning the surroundings, while Selene walked with her head down, visibly burdened by something.
They traveled in silence, which suited Peter just fine. At the same time, he kept watch for the group of creatures that had nearly stumbled upon him during his night watch. From experience, he knew all too well how easily distant threats could become catastrophic.
The lack of trees helped, but there was no sign of the mysterious group. They walked a few more minutes until Peter suddenly felt a chill crawl down his back—as if he were being watched.
At that same moment, his enhanced senses detected a presence. But nothing was in his field of vision. Trying to remain casual, he turned slowly, pretending to glance at Selene, while scanning the terrain behind them.
He expected to see the same empty horizon as in front of them—punctuated only by a few low bushes, far too small to hide anyone.
Peter continued the turn, spinning in a full circle, returning to face forward. To his left and right, there was nothing either.
His mind raced, trying to locate the unknown entity watching them. Then he realized—there was one direction he hadn't checked.
Tilting his head lazily upward, he scanned the sky—and saw a black dot circling overhead.
'Damn that bird,' Peter cursed inwardly, realizing that the source of his anxiety was the same raven that had accompanied them since the very first day of their journey.
Despite the distance between the bird and the ground, Peter could clearly see its obsidian-black eyes staring back at him.
He thought his behavior had been subtle enough that a potential human observer wouldn't have noticed his scanning—but even though it turned out there wasn't one, someone had noticed Peter's change in demeanor.
Selene, who had been marching with her head down, now looked up at Peter with visible confusion. She didn't see the raven circling in the sky, but she had clearly picked up on his sudden shift in behavior.
Peter ignored her look and kept marching. After thinking for a moment, he realized what had given him away: he had been staring straight ahead the entire walk. Suddenly looking around, no matter how casually, must have seemed suspicious.
He made a mental note of this, then glanced at Selene, who was once again staring at the ground, her face unreadable.
Peter sighed quietly and continued walking. Part of him hoped something would happen to break the awkward silence—another part hoped nothing would.
As he walked, his nose picked up a scent that was completely out of place: burning wood. A few moments later, after they reached the top of a small hill, he saw the fortifications.
A wooden palisade stretched ahead, broken occasionally by stone watchtowers. At the center was a large gate made of thick logs, flanked by two small stone towers.
Smoke from campfires drifted up from within the walls, and the roof of a taller building could be seen rising above them.
Peter stopped, and Selene nearly bumped into him, startled by the sudden halt. When she looked ahead, a quiet gasp escaped her lips.
The further the wall extended east and west from the gate, the more the defenses curved outward—suggesting the structure formed a circle. The gate was open, guarded by four sentries.
Peter scanned the area and noticed a western branch splitting from the path they had followed — its end vanishing behind a cluster of trees.
A few people moved along that side road — two pulled a heavy cart toward the city, while several others guided a similar, empty one in the opposite direction.
A few more followed behind, carrying tools. But something else caught Peter's attention—what was pulling the carts.
Each was harnessed to a creature that looked like a hybrid between a boar and a dog—only much larger.
Peter quickly realized they were Ether creatures, which raised even more questions. How had the locals managed to tame enemy creatures for labor? Was this the result of someone's Aspect?
With no immediate answers, he turned to Selene and said:
"Come on. Let's go. We don't know if the people here are friendly, so let's try not to piss them off."
Selene nodded silently, though it was clear she was excited. Without another word, the two of them headed toward the gate.
As they approached, Peter took a closer look at the city's defenses. It was obvious these walls were a different league compared to the northern palisade.
They were taller, reinforced with stone towers, and protected by a wide moat filled with sharpened stakes angled upward. The wood looked well-maintained, coated with tar to prevent rotting.
Watchtowers were spaced about a hundred meters apart, each manned by a guard armed with either a bow or another ranged weapon.
From a tactical standpoint, Peter assessed that this city would be extremely difficult to conquer without siege equipment.
The only real weakness was the use of wood instead of stone—but judging by the landscape, it was likely hard to find good stone in the region.
By the time Peter and Selene reached within thirty meters of the gate, the first cart they had seen had already arrived there. To Peter's surprise, it was filled with stone blocks roughly the size of bricks.
The guards gave the cart and its drivers a quick inspection and let them pass. At the same time, the guard furthest from the others spotted Peter and Selene, watched them for a moment, then turned and shouted something to his comrades.
When Peter and Selene finally reached the gate, they were greeted by an older man with a black beard streaked with gray. He wore a chainmail shirt with metal pauldrons and forearm plates. At his side hung a short sword and a dagger.
A few steps behind stood the three younger guards—one in full plate armor holding a halberd, and the other two in light leather armor with bows.
As Peter finished his quick evaluation of the group, the closest guard spoke.
"Well, well, what have we here? Didn't expect more unfortunates showing up this early in the year."
The guard's words confused Peter. Raising one eyebrow, he responded:
"Unfortunates? How do you know we're new here? And how do you even know what time of year it is in the real world?"
The man scoffed and smiled, then answered:
"You're coming from the north. The only people who'd come from there are either hunters or the squad guarding the palisade. I know every hunter by face, and I used to spend evenings playing dice with the current squad on duty."
"And you don't look like anyone I know, which leaves only one possibility—you were unlucky enough to end up in this part of Ether."
He looked Peter over carefully, then glanced at Selene before continuing in a less cheerful tone.
"As for the seasons—we know it's early spring because there's someone in town who arrived here on January first about three years ago."
"And since time seems to pass at roughly the same pace here as in the real world, that person just started marking a tally on a beam every day until they reached 365. And that became our calendar."
"It's not perfectly accurate—doesn't account for leap years—but it's good enough."
After he finished, there was a moment of silence. Peter didn't know what to say or ask—and Selene seemed equally lost. Seeing their uncertainty, the older guard spoke again:
"Looks like you two don't really know what to do with yourselves. I suggest you head to the inn and ask for a room. Think things over there. I'd also recommend listening to what people say while they eat—it'll help you get a feel for what's going on."
"Speaking from experience—when I first got here, that's exactly what I did."
That finally brought Peter back to himself, and he replied:
"Thanks for the advice. I'll think about it."
He paused, then asked an important question:
"Wouldn't renting a room cost money? I assume that's the case, and... well, we don't have any."
Peter's point was valid, but the older guard just smiled and replied:
"Don't worry about that, young man. Just tell the innkeeper that Thomas Whitlock sent you. That'll buy you enough time to figure out how to earn a room. Worst case, you'll end up washing dishes."
He added with a grin.
"If you need anything, ask the innkeeper where the barracks are. Then ask for me—if I can help, I will."
He waved toward the city and added:
"Now go. You've still got plenty of daylight left, but I'd suggest making good use of it."