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Chapter 4 - The City
With the ancient staff in your left hand, and The Mapmakers map in your right, you have walked and walked for days on end. But at last, you can see this part of your journey soon coming to an end. Just a short distance down the road you finally spot the massive walls with its high towers. And in the middle of it all, the castle stands tall, adorned by banners and flags in the royal colours. Without a change of pace in your steps, you walk through the tall gates into what you hope to be one of the final stops on your journey - The City
You look around you amazement as you walk through the main street of The City. Buildings in all forms, colors and shapes tower up all around you. It’s early morning when you come in, but the city has already woken up - that’s for sure. Noise from stables, markets, craftsmen and salesmen arise all around you, but despite the lively nature of the streets you walk along, you still do not feel at ease. Something feels… off.
Glancing down at the note the mapmaker gave you, you try your best to locate yourself. The only thing you have got as a guide is the scribble of the blacksmiths symbol - an anvil and a hammer. You try to get people's attention and show them the note, but it seems like everyone is in a hurry - barely giving a second thought towards the lost stranger beside them.
An hour has now gone by, and you almost feel like giving up. Noone - NOONE in this city has the heart to help you. You sit down on one of the benches that are placed along the main street, feeling sorry about your situation you sit there hunched down with your hands in your pockets. You start fidgeting with the notes, folding them inside your pocket. It takes a few seconds for you to realize, but suddenly you feel something odd. Didn’t you only have one note before? You pull the second note up, and see a message written on it:
“Hello my new friend! Here’s the directions to the blacksmith. Best of luck on your journey! - The Mapmaker”
He must’ve slipped it in there when you departed from his house! You instantly jump up from the bench and start following the notes directions - out on the main street again, walking towards the castle. A short bit up the road you see the general store, where you turn right. Now on a small and dark alley, you follow your new path until you reach the third turn. You round the corner, and there, you see the sign from the note!
The Forge!
You slowly walk towards the small building, looking up at the huge chimney blowing thick black smoke up towards the cloudy sky. As you approach, you can hear the continuous metallic sound of the blacksmith's hammer hitting the anvil - you feel relieved, at least you know that he’s in there!
You walk through the opening into the forge, into the ash filled room, lit entirely by the furnace standing in one of the corners. Chains are hanging down from the ceiling, and there seems to be tools and supplies on every single empty space in the entire forge. By the anvil in front of the furnace, in the middle of it all, you see a robed figure. He must’ve heard you approaching, as he stops his work, and turns around.
And now, finally. There he is, standing right in front of you.
The Blacksmith!
“Welcome”
That is all he says. You both stand confused for a few seconds, silently looking at each other.
He clears his throat, and hesitantly starts talking again, in a deep monotone voice.
“I am - just like you, it seems - not a huge talker. I’ve heard from far away about you and what you are here to do, so no explanation needed. So I say, let's get to work.”
He slowly approaches you, and hands you a small leather pouch. With a lower voice than last time, starts talking again.
“First of, I am here to give you the keys to the cellars. That is where you will get into the castle. Down there you will encounter some… let me just say failed experiments. You will see yourself, but I highly doubt you could take them down in combat.
He stares at you with a serious face, and you can feel sweat starting to drip down your face. Partly from the challenge that is in front of you - partly because the blacksmith seems to have zero problem with the fact that you are both standing just a few steps from a fully lit furnace.
This leaves us at a choice - If I start now, your armor can be done tomorrow at this exact time. You however will need to decide how you want it:
Either I can make you a light stealth robe, which will make it easier to get past both experiments and guards unnoticed. Or, I can make you a metal armor if brute force sounds more like your approach. You decide, but hurry up - I am urgent to start my work as soon as possible!
You need to make a choice, which type of armor do you want to be made?
68% Chose Stealth Robes
With hundreds of thoughts going through your head, you waited with your answer for what felt like an hour - which in reality was just a few seconds. But the blacksmith, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate even for a second.
“Come on, lets go! We need wool thread, mithril chains and grey dragon hide, and I know just where to get it.”
He storms out the door before he even finishes his sentence, and you follow him in a hurry to keep up. Your mission to infiltrate the castle has just begun…
•••
Finally, it is complete.
Apart from the few hours spent sleeping, you have been constantly moving around for the whole day and night - but now, your hard work has finally paid off.
In front of you hangs a grey robe, which at first glance might not look any special at all. And that, according to the blacksmith, is the whole point. Using materials gathered from what must be the shadiest businesses and alleys in the whole city, your stealth is now complete. Lightly grasping the cloak with your hand, you have never felt something so light, yet sturdy.
“Come on, put in on”
You turn around to look at the blacksmith with a surprised expression. You had almost forgot that this masterpiece that is hanging in front of you, was indeed, made just for you!
You slowly turn back to the cloak, and pull it down from its hanger. Putting in one arm at a time, careful not to leave any traces of use, you put the cloak on. And then and there, you feel… nothing! Really, really nothing. You have to check twice to make sure that you are in fact not standing completely in the nude.
And it is then that you notice the next attribute of the cloak. It is not only that you barely feel the cloak on your body - looking down at your legs, they almost seem to blend into the ground under you.
“A work of art indeed”
The blacksmith stands a few steps away, slowly examining the cloak.
“Now, we just wait for the night, and then it is your turn to do the work”
Feeling just a tiny bit hurt from the fact that the blacksmith hinted at your enormous amount of help not counting as any work, you hang back the robe, and start planning your next move. It’s soon time to strike.
Letting a few hours go by is not a hard task in the city, and before you know it, the sun has started to set. Before it gets too dark, you and the blacksmith sneak out the main gates with the cloak hidden in the blacksmith’s satchel. He leads you around the city walls, until you encounter a small hut on the side of the wall, leading down to a huge metal door, fully covered with cobweb. You keep some distance to it and he leads you away, behind a hill where you’re out of sight from the city towers
“Here, our stories part ways again. I need to get back until the gates close, but I truly wish you all the luck in the world. Here, you’ll need this to get past the guard towers unseen”
He hands you the cloak, and you put it on, handing him your old cape.
“I promise you will get it back after you’ve completed your mission. And I think you’re looking pretty content in your new rags”
