We were all allowed to pass through the gates but were met with another door and wall leaving us in a room with an open ceiling.
I felt uncomfortable knowing that we could get bombarded to death with projectiles from up there, and by the looks on people's faces, I was not the only one.
The door opened and a man walked up to us dressed in light blue iron armor, the good stuff.
"Welcome to the Village, some of you don't understand what I am saying but to the ones who do open your ears because I will only say this once".
Everyone perked up at this, "This settlement has a tax of one mana stone every twenty days.
You can work at the mines and gain one mana stone a month or you can register with the hunter's guild and you can exchange your game for mana stones either way you have twenty days to deliver one mana stone to me at this wall."
"There will be no fighting inside the Village except for the designated area in the center where personal disputes and prisoner matches are held, you can even fight there and make some extra income".
"We have other merchants and artists that you can explore at your own time you can get more information at the respective sites, if you are a merchant stay with me so we can inspect your goods".
"If you are caught violating the rules like stealing, murder, or assault not only will the guards come after you the Village leaders will put a bounty on your head at the hunters guild and all of them will be after you as well".
He let his words sink in before walking through the doors, without turning back he shouts, "Follow me". as soon as everyone was past the double doors there were crowds of people shouting at them.
"Come join our mining team we will give out an extra mana stone every year and one for starting". Others shouted, "Need a group that can provide housing"!
It looked like a high school club day but the people shouting out were all Olim and they all had dirty rags.
I could tell from the look in their eyes, the next meal depended on how many people they could bring in.
Most of the people found groups that provided housing at least all the Olim did.
Isla and I along with a few others that could read went into the building with a sign "Hunters Guild".
Walking in we are greeted by a thin man with grey hair and beard with sunken eyes drinking what I presumed to be alcohol from a tin mug.
Behind the counter was a woman almost as old as the man in a plain gray dress she was wiping the countertop with an already dirty rag.
"If you are part of the new group come on over and line up before we get our morning rush" We all lined up me and Isla in the back.
The first man was tall and built like an ape with muscles jutting out of his arms like boulders. Slamming a boar hide from his pack he asked, "How much"?
The lady seemed almost used to this rude behavior and said, "You need to register first that will be one mana stone, since this hide is in perfect condition, I can give you one mana stone for it".
The man "Tsked" and brought out another boar hide from a duffel. "What's your name"? She asked him "Ubren" the man replied, annoyed with the exchange he retrieved his mana stone and a card that the women stamped before he walked out.
This went like this until I reached the counter at this point there were a few people who walked in standing behind me.
I reach into my duffle bag and pull out a wolf pelt, boar hide, two rabbit hides and the jungle cat hide. Isla reaches into her back and brings out her two boar hides along with four rabbit hides.
The room is quiet. Everyone is staring at us wondering how these kids hunted those beasts.
"The Owen pelt I can give you two mana stones for, the Noben hide one, for the two Avram hides your better off selling them to the tailor".
"I can give you one mana stone and I can do seven mana stones for the Damanta along with processing that is ten mana stones".
I nod my head and accept the small cloth pouch.
"Name"? She asks me. I ponder this Isla stares at me from behind, for as long as she has known me, I have been called Runt.
"Ambrose" I reply, she stamps a card and hands it to me I look down to see "Hunters Guild" Written on top with the name "Ambrose" stamped below it.
She turns and does the same with Isla, she hands me her three mana stones in front of the old woman.
We walk out of the tavern in silence, I am sure if we were not in the town others would try and rob us before we even set foot outside.
We walk around looking for a place to stay.
Most places where one mana stone a month and one place refused to house Olim.
As we are walking around, we keep heading west until we spot a sign that says "Olim only" We head there.
We entered the establishment and are hit with a scent that instantly made both our stomachs grumble.
A short girl walked out from the back of the kitchen with a bright smile and said "Welcome" and before waiting for our response she screams loudly "Mama we have customers"!
A beautiful woman with olive skin and brown eyes came out of the back also along with a man who was just as handsome.
"Hello how long will you be staying, the rent is one mana stone every month and a half, and meals will cost one mana stone a month it includes two meals a day in the morning and at night".
"A meal first please" I respond to him tossing him a mana stone.
The man catches it and asks for our cards stamping them he walks back into the kitchen.
Shortly after the little girl who was about my age or a little younger came by dropping off a salad and some bread.
I reach out to grab some bread and she sees the callouses on my hands a look of surprise on her face.
She quickly covers it and rushes back to the kitchen bringing back a bowl of hot meat stew.
It was delicious and we scraped our bowls clean.
As we finish our meal the man comes next to our table "May I please sit" I nod to him as he brings a chair over.
"If you would like seconds you're more than welcome… me and my wife noticed you're so young but still travel alone, where do you come from"?
"We come from the southeast near the Olim border" A look of horror crosses his face, and his shoulders droop as he hangs his head "You poor things…" he whispers.
He hands me back the mana stone and says, "We will not take your stones for this meal and will let you stay here until you can make enough stones to get on your feet".
"Why"? I asked him flatly.
He seemed hurt by this but then softened his gaze another look of pity crosses his face.
"I know what the south is like… we escaped ten years ago when the war was at its climax… they were already taking people then… even other Olim sold each other like game…"
I let him collect himself "I just want to help, discrimination is still alive, they target us here also".
"It got so bad that others started targeting Terra hunters who stayed here when they left the Village, we were forced to put that sign up for our customer's safety" he explained as he pointed at the sign.
I could tell he was sincere.
I open my pack and hand him eleven mana stones along with the one he returned.
"I would like to stay here for the year I hope I could get a discount on the meals since I am paying all at once".
The man looked shocked his mouth hung open for a good minute before stammering "…how" I looked him in the eye and smiled "I hope that's a yes".
The man laughed loudly even his wife came out to check on him.
She was also shocked to see the man's stones on the table. "Yes, yes, yes of course it is a yes Undean prepare two rooms for our guests". "One room," Isla said interrupting his laughter.
The girl blushed and her mother went up the stairs to the right.
"My name is Algom my daughter is Undiora and my wife is Undean it is nice to meet you" he reached out his hand in with his palm facing upwards.
"I am Ambrose, and this is Isla" I look at his hand confused.
"You do not know the Olim greeting"?
I shake my head "No we were born in the south" This shocked him even more "And you escaped… just the two of you? Alone?" I smile and change the subject.
"Do you have a place where I can bathe"? I asked.
"Yes, we have a bath house in the back and an outhouse about twenty yards behind it".
"Thanks," I said getting up and Isla following behind.
If he knew the kind of lives, I lived it would drain his bleeding heart.
We bathe together washing off the grime of our trip before putting on clothes and heading to our room to sleep for the whole day and night.
I check the room with mana vision finding nothing amiss.
Exhausted from our journey we head to sleep.
I keep my mana sense up; I notice the couple holding their daughter tight at night.