Cradled in the handmade, delicately crafted mattress and blankets, Ramsey nestled into one pillow and embraced another. He couldn't remember his bed being so soft.
'…'
His eyes sprang open, abruptly confirming his location. Cozy room 6 of the Break-Inn.
Ramsey rubbed his face and sighed.
A part of him wished yesterday had been a dream. Perhaps he would wake up in the hospital, having just completed the biopsy.
Or maybe he had slipped into a coma and his consciousness was creating this world to help him keep his sanity. If that was true, nothing that happened here was real, and there would be no consequences for his actions.
"Nope," Ramsey slid out of bed and stretched, "that's too deep for first thing in the morning." He pulled the curtains, seeing the sun overhead, "...or afternoon."
He washed his face, ruffled his hair and finger-brushed his teeth. 'Avatar essentials my ass. Where's the toothbrush?'
Ramsey laid out his now dry clothes and assessed the damage. They were…a little better. The bloody areas were now a washed out red, resembling a faded tie dye shirt.
"System? Can avatar essentials clean the clothes I was given?"
Seconds without the lovely voice was a clear No.
After dressing, Ramsey was faced with a decision. Should he take his sword out for a day on the town? He tried to remember if anyone last night was carrying weapons.
Neither the drunkard Ryce, nor Armyn, Anya or their bouncer had been.
'I can always come back for it.'
Ramsey walked through the nearly empty tavern, stopping at the end of the bar. Behind it an older man was polishing a glass with a cloth, just like he had seen in movies.
"Excuse me. Could you tell me where I might be able to buy some new clothes?"
The old man rubbed his chin. "You're asking the wrong person, kid. I probably haven't bought new clothes since before you were born."
'Doubt it,' Ramsey thought as he smiled.
The old man tapped his chin as he looked Ramsey over, "I guess you could try Hamonn's, it's a few doors south of the guild office. Most new recruits go there for their guild coats."
Ramsey thanked the man and walked to the front windows, peering down the way to the right.
'Guild office, huh?'
Yesterday, before nearly taking a swinging door to the face, he had seen the hanging banners clearly. There were four in total, two on each side of the large double-doors, each a unique color, but all displaying symbols in brilliant white.
Starting from the left, there was purple with a warhammer, green with a clenched fist, blue with the head off a horned beast, and red with what resembled a compass.
'Guilds are for adventuring, right?
Is that something I want?'
He took a breath and pushed his way out the swinging doors.
Last Chance Supplies across the way was open now. A family had parked their cart beside the garage entrance, where a father and son were stacking bags of grain or feed.
Two younger kids chased each other around the cart, noticing Ramsey after a couple laps, they stopped and stared.
'Must be worse than I thought.'
He waved when the mother looked over, who then quickly collected her children.
'Yep.'
"Might as well start here." Ramsey crossed the way, smiling at the woman, and entered the shop.
A bell above the door must have alerted everyone of his presence, not that anyone could see him. He looked up in awe at aisles of tall tightly packed shelves filling most of the space. They were lined with food in glass jars, overflowing stacks of furs, reels of rope, tools, and what appeared to be strange novelties.
A taxidermied animal that looked like a squirrel with a husky mask stood on its hind legs, posed with its mouth open and claws extended. It was… comical, almost like it was saying "rawr".
"They're buy one get one free, you know?" A red haired boy about Ramsey's height poked his head around the corner of the aisle. "My dad says they're creepy, but you don't look creeped out to me."
"Did you make these?" Ramsey inquired.
"Me? Oh no, I'm not that talented," he confessed, "but there's a pretty girl on the west side who does, and I convinced my dad to buy some. I'm really hoping to sell a few."
"Thank you, but I'm actually looking for some new clothes," Ramsey said, gesturing at his woeful attire.
After explaining his nocturnal clash to the curious boy, he was led to the rear of the store where two crude wooden mannequins donned layers of varying color material.
"We don't have tunics or pants, but we do have hooded mantles and cloaks. Mantles are 25 silver, cloaks are 40." He looked down at Ramsey again, "and I think you'll need a cloak to cover that up."
"Is there anywhere else that sells clothes? Ramsey begged. "I heard about a place called Hamonn's."
The teen thought deeply for a moment, then his face lit up. "How about this? You buy one of those animal statues for 35 silver, and I'll give you some of my old clothes. They're a bit worn, but they should fit you just fine."
Weighing the alternative of parading himself to the locals and retelling his story to those that didn't outright avoid him, it was an easy decision.
Ramsey sighed after some hesitation, "Throw in a toothbrush and you've got a deal."
The excited boy swiftly disappeared through a door at the back of the store.
Moments later a young man exited the store in different clothes than he entered, carrying a bag and a rather macabre… art piece.
Of course he had chosen the comical masked squirrel-like creature. Most others were simply creepy, as the boy's father attested.
After returning to his room and finding a place for his new decoration, Ramsey evaluated his outfit in the mirror.
His tunic was replaced with a loose fitting cream colored shirt. The pants were similar, but of lesser quality, and a medium brown. Both were very worn at the knees and elbows. They appeared… common. In contrast, his original clothes were upscale. 'Just what kind of impression was the system trying to set?'
This was a welcomed change.
There was much to learn about Harkynn, the guilds, magic, and how to survive the next 5 years on Elorr. Doing so while blending in was ideal.
A much more confident Ramsey exited the Break-Inn in the direction of the guild office. The previously shuttered stalls were now open and attracting many customers. There were bins full of fresh fruits and vegetables, tables with jewelry, pottery, and handmade journals.
'It would be smart to take some notes. But I only have 1 gold and 65 silver left.'
Ramsey picked up a small blue leather bound book, about the size of a wallet. "How much?"
The rotund merchant leaned forward for a better look. "15 silver, 25 if you want a quill and ink too."
Relinquishing 25 silver, Ramsey collected his items and continued perusing. He passed a toy shop, a music store, and a couple more houses, before stopping at a corner stall at the end of the way.
'Breakfast!'
Skewers of juicy grilled meat that glistened with a spicy smelling sauce demanded his attention. A few silver poorer, Ramsey devoured the treat while examining the goings-on at the guild office.
Small groups of people entered or exited the building, all wearing coats matching the banner colors. They carried themselves with an air of confidence, but some also carried weapons.
Finishing the last bite, Ramsey built up his courage and headed for the regal building. 'I need a job. Let's just see what they say.'
Strolling into the town's center, he passed the spotlights he'd seen the evening before. They were currently off, but curiously just appeared to be large gemstones like quartz.
He walked up the steps to the large wooden doors, which were even grander up close, took a breath and entered. Expecting to see a spacious hall with vaulted ceilings and ornate decorations, Ramsey was quite disappointed, finding only a small entryway with another set of doors and a small window to the left.
Behind the window sat a young woman with dark hair and an even darker expression. Ramsey knew this expression well from his most recent employment on Earth. She had begun to dislike her job, a feeling that was perpetuated daily by a stream of continuously unfriendly people.
"Guild card?" She said very unenthused.
Ramsey approached the window and held up his hand to greet her. "Hi…
I'm new in town and looking for work."
"If you're a mage you can apply to join a guild here. There's no guarantees that you'll be accepted and no guarantee for your safety if you are." Her script memorization seemed on-point albeit severely monotone.
"What about non-mages?" Ramsey reluctantly asked.
Her forehead wrinkled as if to say "seriously?".
"This is a branch guild office. Even the maintenance staff here are mages," she explained with a bit more color in her voice.
"And I suppose you are as well?" He questioned.
A lift of her finger caused a current of air to swirl around Ramsey, up through his shirt and blew his hair up straight.
Finally though, the girl's face donned a half smile.
"I see," he fixed his hair, "thank you for the information." He smiled back and turned to leave, but added, "I hope to see you again soon."
"Oh?" She said curiously, unsure if he meant for her, or as a mage.
Ramsey descended the steps with purpose. Everything came back to magic - his safety, his livelihood. There was no reason to delay.
'It's time to update my attributes.'