Chapter 58 Into Hominopolis

Once I felt I was truly out of sight, I moved to get in a position to see who these people were. There were about twenty people in total, each scanning their surroundings. The group I had initially seen upon coming out of the Dungeon were a group of normal shield and spear type warriors, while further behind them was a group of archers.

Standing between the two groups was a towering man with a bushy reddish-brown beard, his broad shoulders and commanding presence exuding quiet authority. His sharp gaze scanned the area with an intensity that suggested he missed nothing, as though he could strip away deception with a single look. Everything about the way he stood spoke of experience and leadership, this was a man accustomed to command, and he expected unquestioning recognition of that fact. He stood at least six and a half feet tall, his massive frame suggesting raw strength capable of crushing boulders with his bare hands. "I know you’re still out there. There’s nowhere to run within a hundred miles of here. This Dungeon belongs to the Munchingham family." His voice was deep and resonant, carrying an unmistakable Scottish lilt that made his words all the more imposing.

Looking around more carefully, I did not see any signs of a coat of arms or something that would distinguish this place as being owned. Though the kobolds that had been here before did do a thorough job of destroying the place. And nothing that the people wore looked like a uniform of any kind. In fact, I would have been more willing to say that they were bandits based off the fact that they wore more patchwork armor.

Deciding that Evelyn might be the better person to deal with this situation, I opened my Void Nexus off to the side and messaged her through party chat. Hey Evey, there are some people out here that say they are with the Munchingham family. Does that name mean anything to you?

After a minute without a response, I assumed she had drifted into a deep sleep. Rather than disturb her, I chose to stay put and observe, waiting to see what their next move would be. Moments like this made me appreciate the long hours I spent on watch in the Navy. Standing guard at an entry point for foreign visitors, where only a handful of people passed through each month, had taught me patience, discipline, and the ability to stay vigilant even in the most uneventful situations. Without that experience, the monotonous hours spent observing this group as they set up camp and patrolled the area might have been unbearable.

Without having experienced things like that, the hours I spent just watching the group of men setting up camp and dividing up watches and what not, might have been more than I could handle. There were even a few times that scouts had gone out and searched the area. Whether for signs of me or for something else I did not know.

As evening settled in, Evelyn finally stirred, groggy but alert. I quickly filled her in on everything I had observed. She frowned, clearly unfamiliar with the Munchingham family. After a moment of thought, she suggested we follow the group and see where they were headed, it was the best way to gather more information without revealing ourselves.

So, that’s what we did, I reshaped my nexus so that Evelyn could just stick her head in and wake me up if need be and we followed the group. It took several days before they left the Dungeon, it would seem they had come out here to run it themselves. That would explain why Evelyn and I did not receive a bonus for being the first to clear the Dungeon. We did get a small bonus of +5 each to our luck for completing an overflowing Dungeon.

They split their group almost in half, the group with the big man having two less people than the other group. They each took about a day and a half to complete the Dungeon and when they were done, they rested for another day before heading back out.

Following the group was relatively easy. I used Arcane Step to keep myself either hidden in the mountainous terrain or perched high up in the trees, staying out of sight while keeping pace with them. Whenever they stopped, I would stop. The only real downside I faced was that Evelyn could not open my Void Nexus, this meant that during the day I had to be the one doing the travelling. However, Evelyn was nice enough to sleep while we travelled and stood watch till early morning hours.

It took us three weeks before we were able to get to a small village. There were no distinguishing marks in the village. At least none that Evelyn nor I could see. The ragtag group of men only stayed in the village for a single night. When they made it to the town there was a small tavern that the entire group went to, they ate and drank for the night and as far as we could tell they paid.

Evelyn and I chose to not go into the village, as we figured being outsiders, we would be noticed in such a small town. Again, Evelyn stood watch and again I slept till early in the morning, where I then went about following the group some more.

This pattern continued for two more weeks, each village blending into the next with the same unsettling sameness, only humans, no hint of other races. The longer this went on, the more uneasy Evelyn and I became, a creeping sense of wrongness settling over us like a storm on the horizon.

By the end of the second week, an unshakable dread had settled over us. Every uneventful village, every uniform encounter had been leading to this moment. As we crested a hill, our fears crystallized into reality, the sight before us confirmed everything we had been dreading. We came into sight of a massive walled city. One that was larger and grander in scope than even Magnon. If I had to guess I would say that it was twice the size it was gorgeous to look at.

It had eight massive spires with an open top that was hundreds of feet in the air. The far side of the city was near the ocean and while we could not see it from where we were, I knew that there was a massive port that led to the wall on that side of the city. Almost, as large as Magnon on its own.

While the walls were already massive in scope the city had a tiered system about it. Each district having its own walls leading into the innermost portion of the city. Along with the palace made from a white granite type stone only found here. The palace itself was large enough that hundreds of people could live there comfortably with the staff to support it.

The road that we were on led us down a stone pathway that had a bridge going over the moat that surrounded this side of city. Moat might not even be the correct word; it was more of a man-made river. The waterway had to span over fifty feet with more brick walls on the city side of the moat. The bridge was built of stone as well, though it was not very wide, only wide enough for three carts and maybe a little foot traffic.

Far off to the Western side there was another bridge, much smaller though much more ornate, only large enough for a single wagon to travel it at a time. The sides of the bridge were carved with ostentatious things such as men fighting a dragon, or men standing over defeated enemies.

On the Eastern side, much further away, was another bridge. This one only barely wide enough for two people to walk across side by side. This one was wooden and looked extremely worn. While the ostentatious bridge did not have a single person on, and the main bridge had the group we had been following as well as a couple wagons, that bridge was full of people passing back and forth. Or I should say slaves, Elves, Dwarves, Beastman, and more.

Before the group got so far ahead, I would lose them, I spoke with Evelyn. Well, Evey, unless I am completely mistaken, I do believe we are in Heirarchon. Furthermore, I don’t think even I have enough food for us to try and make it from the capitol all the way back to Magnon. If I remember correctly that trip would take almost a year by foot.

I heard the sigh in her voice as she spoke, Oh gods we are in so much trouble. I don’t know if the guards here will know who I am on site as my family never mentioned me, but it’s not as though my family went out of their way to truly hide my existence either. You should be able to enter just fine and find an adventurer’s guild hall. We don’t need an inn as we can just stay in your nexus space.

Nodding my head, even though she could not see me I marched down the bridge full of confidence. I crossed through the gate and entered into Hominopolis, the capital city of Heirarchon.

The moment I passed through the gates I started trying to find the group of guys we had been following. It was not hard to find the massive man making his way down the street clearing everyone out of the way as though he was a carriage himself. Unfortunately, they quickly passed through the next gate, and here they were taking down names and looking for identification of some form. Sighing myself in defeat, I decided to wander and see if we could find the adventurer’s guild hall in the lower district.

Navigating the streets tested my patience at every turn. Every few steps, someone bumped into me, some clumsy, others blatantly trying to pick my pockets with laughably poor subtlety. The sheer density of people made it impossible to move quickly, and the city felt like it was bursting at the seams, overcrowded beyond reason. Every few feet I was being grouped or bumped into, obviously they were trying to steal from me, but they could have at least put in the effort to not make it so obvious. I also found that there were way too many people for this city.

It took me three frustrating hours to locate the adventurer’s guild hall, even after stopping multiple times to ask for directions. Each time, I was met with disdainful glares, as if not knowing my way around marked me as some kind of lesser being.

The moment I stepped inside, it felt like I had been transported back to Magnon. The layout was identical, the reception desk, the bustling tavern area, and the well-worn quest boards standing proudly off to the side of the room. A sense of familiarity washed over me, comforting in its predictability. Slowly, a grin spread across my face. This was it. I was about to become an adventurer!