NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 4 – Cold
As I stepped through the portal, my breath fogged in the cold air. I looked around, trying to get a good sense of where the game had placed my starting point. It looked like what one would imagine a stone tower to be. The walls and floor were all made of dirty grey stones. The only oddity was the large bell hanging just out of reach. Dents and scratches marring its bronze surface.
So, this had to be a bell tower or maybe the belfry of a local church. It didn’t matter which. Both were typically built in the center of towns back on Earth. Walking to the stone wall that blocked most of my view of the city, I realized the tower was not in the center of the town. A couple of blocks away stood the nearest section of the wall, separating the town from the softly rolling hills beyond. The hills continued as far as I could see, storm clouds in the distance warned that the snow would stay for at least a little longer.
Returning my gaze to the city, I noticed the population was made up of mostly humans, though a few other races were mixed in here and there. Kids of all ages, bundled up, were crying and laughing as they threw snowballs at each other. Others were racing and sliding across the small patches of ice covering sections of the road.
Parents and stall owners occasionally yelled when the children’s antics caused trouble. A breeze blew across the city, kicking up powdered snow in a wave. I shivered as the wind bit at my skin. Snow stuck to my skin, mostly melting as it made contact.
The cold broke me out of my awe. I had expected that wherever I spawned, the gear I started with would keep me warm for a while. Yet here I was, already shivering as the biting wind stripped away what little heat I had. My body turned as my eyes scanned for a way out of the cold. The portal that had dropped me off was gone. The only sign it had been here was a line of dry stone. A slightly rusted metal ring on the other side of the tower caught my eye. Moving carefully to avoid slipping on the smooth stone, I made my way across.
As I got closer, I realized that snow had covered a wooden trap door. A trap door that likely led down into the building proper. My hands burned as I yanked on the metal ring. Letting go, I stepped back, trying to think of another way down — but there wasn’t one. The trap door was the only way in and out of this tower unless I wanted to chance a twenty-foot fall to the roof below.
Reluctantly, I returned to the trap door, hoping it was frozen rather than locked. The freezing metal numbed my hands, biting into my skin as it cracked and bled. Drops of blood fell to the ground, sending bolts of fear through my mind.
If I didn’t get out of here soon, I was going to freeze to death. While it wouldn’t be the worst way to go as fantastical situations went, that didn’t mean I wanted to die. Plus, where would I respawn? Would I come back here? Was this on purpose to give new players a taste of death, or had the gods not been thinking when I was dropped here?
Fear sent adrenaline surging through my body. I yanked on the handle as fast and as hard as I could. A cracking sound made my heart skip a beat as the door finally lifted with thick, broken ice lining the edges.
I didn’t notice how soaked my pants were until I sat down. The ice-cold water drained the last bit of heat from my legs as I swung them over the edge. My hands, still shaking and bleeding, gripped the first rung as I climbed down into the dimly lit tower. I made sure to close the trap door as soon as I could to trap what little warmth I had left in this space.
Not that it was much warmer inside. My breath still fogged in front of me, but at least in here, there was no wind to steal more of my body heat. “Who goes there?” A rough baritone voice echoed up me from somewhere below.
I froze, weighing my options. Technically I was trespassing, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. Then again, maybe they would understand as I probably wasn’t the first one to spawn here.
Making up my mind, I resumed my descent and called out, “Just someone passing through.”
“Are you a new traveler?” he asked, his voice closer now. A soft flickering orange-yellow light filled the space around me. Looking down, I saw I was only a dozen feet from the ground. I had expected the ladder to go to the first floor it came to. Then again, stone was heavy, and it made sense to have the tower support its own weight rather than rely on the rest of the building.
I spaced out a little, focusing on the last few rungs. My soaked slippers squelched against the stone floor. Before I could answer, he spoke again. “Yes, you must be. Given the outfit. Come, Let me show you the way to the exit.” He sounded cold, like I was inconveniencing him.
Seeing as I was already annoying him, I figured I might as well try to get some information. “Where would you recommend I go for new clothes and gear? Maybe a place to stay? Also, is there somewhere I can earn some money?”
He grumbled as he led me through a door and into a hallway. The only decoration was some bare carpet. His candle was the only light for as far as I could see. “The guard’s barracks or the adventurer’s guild will have equipment and quests. As for a place to stay, ask the guild representatives.”
“Good to know. What city am I in, by the way?” I asked, wanting my AI to start researching and maybe message Xander if I wanted company for a quest or two.
“Are all of you adventurers so foolhardy? Do none of you look before you leap?” He sounded exasperated as we took turn after turn. “You are in the city of Proxima, located in the nation of Valoria. The Great Forest is to the east, the mountains far to the south, and the Middle Sea far to the north.”
That was more information than I needed, but he’d probably been asked these questions enough times that he answered them all at once. While I mentally filed the information away, I opened my interface. Looking for something that would allow me to take some notes, maybe even pictures.
The notes tab can be purchased through the Add-on store.
The notification randomly popped up, almost as if the system was reading my mind. How much money would I need to spend to get everything a player would have in a normal game? Scanning through the rest of the tabs, I found the one for the Add-on store. Selecting it brought up another notification.
The Add-on store is unavailable until you are registered with a governmental agency.
Why did I need to register with an in-game group to spend real-world money? That seemed backward. Plus, what counted as a governmental agency? Did the paperwork I filled out for the goddess not count?
As I tried to figure it out, we reached the end of the hall. The room we entered was expansive and well-lit. Orbs hovered across the vaulted ceiling and rows of pews filled the space. The room could easily fit hundreds of people, maybe more if they were willing to get close. Two large dark wood doors dominated one end of the room.
A few people knelt at an altar near the front, deep in prayer. Others wandered around, cleaning, replacing candles, or huddled together, talking. I didn’t realize I had stopped to look until my guide coughed from the back of the room.
Jumping at the sound, I hurried to join him. He opened a small door set into the larger ones, gesturing for me to go through. The wind I had felt up in the tower still blew, but now the streets funneled it. I shivered as it ruthlessly ripped away my body heat for the second time.
“This is the exit,” he said from just inside the door. “Any guard can direct you to the barracks. If you turn left and follow the street to the end, you will find the adventurer’s guild. Feel free to come back when you need to pray or make an offering.” With that, he slammed the door.
I had to decide which direction to go. The best place to find the guards would be near the gate. Based on what I remembered from the tower, the gate was to my right. Then again, that was where the guards were stationed, not where they slept. And who knew if they would be willing to let me stay.
Making up my mind, I turned left, speeding up to a light jog as my teeth began to chatter. Trying to warm my body up or at least reach my destination faster. I heard people laughing as I passed. A few even openly mocked me. One called out, “The misses kick you out in your underwear I see.”
I ignored their jabs. I didn’t have the energy or the time to waste. I was fairly sure I wouldn’t last long in this weather, not without something to insulate me from the cold wind and misting snow.
A giant, multistory complex came into view. There were several buildings made of dark stone and wood. Small halls connected some while others stood alone. The place took up the end of the road as every other building around it gave the place a wide berth.
People wandered around, clad in various types of armor. Quite a few of them were using the weather to their advantage. Practicing their skills and coordination as they trained on how to deal with a cold and frozen battlefield.
“Oh, we got some fresh meat,” someone called from a hidden set of tables under an overhang. Glancing over, I saw several people caring for weapons and armor. As I scanned over them, more turned to stare back.
“Just another weakling,” scoffed someone in full plate armor while cleaning a giant axe.
Another shiver wracked my body, reminding me of my need for heat. I ignored them, racing the rest of the way up the stairs. That didn’t stop them from taking bets on what path I would take. The most popular bet was on mage. While flinging magic around sounded fun, it didn’t sound right. Too bad for their bets.
My fingers were numb as I fumbled with the door latch. After the fifth failed attempt, I used my forearm to push it down. Using my body to shove the door open. Blessed heat rushed out as I hurried in.
The place was like a furnace. The heat hit me so fast that I started sweating almost immediately. It was enough of a change that my head spun. My vision blurred as my body struggled to adjust. Blood pounded in my ears as my panic kicked my heart into overdrive. I felt betrayed by the heat as it became a bigger threat.
Panic clawed at my chest as I fought to stay conscious, not noticing as the world started to tilt around me. Every sound grew muffled as the dizziness intensified. The way my mind started to drift as it found it hard to concentrate on anything felt like I imagined drowning would.
“Woah,” someone said, their voice muffled as an arm wrapped around my middle. I tried to wave them off and mumble that I was ok, but my body refused to cooperate. Suddenly, I was lifted off the ground and carried somewhere. Frantically I fought through the fog, trying to get my body to respond. I couldn’t so much as twitch.
The arms set me down on a hard surface as a voice cut through the haze, “Just lie here and relax. No one will bother you, not with me here.” The words brought about a sense of peace and calm as I waited for whatever was going on to pass.
