Chapter 29: 29. Fort Defal
CHAPTER XXIX: FORT DEFAL
Fortress Anfield. It is a term I yearned for in my time on earth playing FIFA. You see I am a huge football(soccer) fan. It's just natural for everyboy in the neighborhood play football with whichever kind of ball we can get. From tennis balls to baskeball balls we played football with.
In football when a teams goes on a long undefeated home run like for more than a season, their home ground is called a fortress. My favorite team is Liverpool FC from Liverpool England. Our home stadium was Anfield and we were known for our very intimidating stadium. Don't get me wrong. Anfield wasn't the biggest or even the most modern or the most beautiful. It just had this aura about it.
Even when our team wasn't that good to be honest. Anfield was still a safe haven. Just recently we went 68 home games unbeaten in the league. Thats 3 and half years without a defeat at home in the most competitive league in the world. Hence they coined the term Fortress Anfield.
Right now I'm standing in front of another type of fortress. Fort Defal as it's known. From the distance it looked like a black abyss extending endlessly over the horizon. Made of pitch black walls that rose some 25 meters. Towers and an impressive array of long range and magic weapons on the terrace. Watch towers that rose a further 5 meters from the top of the walls. Meaning they can see even beyond the grass plains. I can sense thousands of soldiers patrolling the walls and stationed in the towers. This entire structure is a show of the power that Rostalio wields.
"Next!" A guard by the entrance calls.
With my horse I walk over. I've seen how the others do things so I immediately emulate them. On the desk is a crystal like red orb twice the size of a tennis ball. I place my left hand on the orb and it turns a clear white white glow of a colour.
"How long will you be visiting?" The guards asks.
"A week!" I answer.
For the next few minutes he asks me questions about myself. Just basic questions to ascertain my identity. After which I lift my hand. For a few more seconds the orb remains crystal clear. A black smoke like substance forms inside it and expands to its entirety. Then like it was never there, it vanished and returns the crystal to its original red colour. Next to the orb is a permit made of some kind of black paper. It's like my guild card but thicker and seemingly indestructible. Like my guild card it has all my information and the duration of the visit. The soldier hands me the permit to which I give him 10 coppers.
A day is about a copper. A week is 10 coppers. A month is a hundred coppers or a single silver. The card will automatically disintegrate upon expiry. As for the orb. It's known as a truth orb. While your hand is placed on it, you cannot give the guard falls information. The orb also records your magical signature to be traced or used to detain to you should you be identified.
"Enjoy Fort Defal!" He adds as I make my way in.
As soon as I step in I am met with a magnificent sight. The city is simply magnificent. The droves of people walking the cobblestone streets. The organization of the road system is very reminiscent of cities on earth. The brilliant architecture of the buildings is exquisite. A style combining of medieval Europe and late Victorian era western England.
Even the street vendors with a wide array of foods and different goods. Torak was a real mess with I think a fool of a city lord but this is truly marvelous. There's places for the horse drawn carriages and the roads only for the people. The magnificent plaza with a giant fountain. The park filled with greenery of plants and blue of water. From the exterior this place seemed like a place focused on war efforts. Maybe it is looking at the ridiculous number of soldiers that outnumber the civilians 2-3.
Did I mention the food, especially the smell. The juicy steaks on the grill. About 30 cm long and 15 cm wide. I can feel my mouth watering from just picturing biting into them. I tie my horse up in a nearby stable and walk over to the vendor. The place is quite nice. Some sort of outdoor restaurant. There's the real one inside but also chairs and tables outside. This place seems to be a luring plot for customers.
"How much!" I ask him.
"Ten Pele per steak." So fucking cheap.
"Give me all ten! Do you have any drinks as well!" The vendors eyes widen with happiness.
"Of course… we have beer, sake and wine." He answers with wide grin.
Beer? For real!? This place feels like home.
"Alright bring a glass of beer as well!" I order.
With haste he prepares an empty table. Two rather comically large plates with 5 steaks on each. When I sit he signals to the inside. He turns his attention back to another batch of juicy steaks on the grill. A few moments later, a rather beautiiful young woman with a slightly small chest comes out. She holds a tray with large glass of a certain foamy liquid. She's not as pretty as Freya, not even close to Helena who is the typical blonde royal bimbo.
I immediately take a sip of the cold foamy beer that cools my insides. No where near as good as earth but the taste is very familiar. Certainly more familiar then that weird tasting sake. After that I turn my attention to the mountain of steaks in front of me.
With a large metal fork I clamp the first. With the juices still running and the almost glow like shine of the fat. I starting biting into the steak. Oh my god! I am in heaven. The taste, the tenderness. The flavour and spices. There are no words to describe this taste. Not even on earth did I ever taste something like this.
The next few minutes are a blue. I don't know how but I did it. In the span of an hour I finished all the steaks the vendor was going to sell today. In total there were 50 if them. Plus a barrel of cold beer.
"So what brings you into town!?" David asked. He was the vendor. It seems the steaks are his specialty for the restaurant. After I finished all his steaks he joined me to chill.
"Me? I'm on a quest." I answer.
"A quest? You must be an adventurer."
"Yes, just following the client around here." I answer.
"So you must have seen the world huh? I'd like to visit a certain place on the west myself." He gets a distant look with that little reveal. Yeah sorry but I'm not interested in your past bro. I'm here to prevent the wrath of the gods.
Even as I sit now I can sense Freya in the city centre. Tark and Helena are close to her. Those Beastkin from yesterday are keeping their distance for now. Since yesterday my radius has almost doubled. They're at the edge but I can tell it's them. I remember their signatures very well for some reason.
"So tell me David. Is there a library here. Like a place with lots of books about magic, history and really anything?"
"Of course. Due to the Fort and it's formidability. The scholars and mages have built the second largest library on the continent."
"Second largest?"
"The largest is in the capital of the Empire, Virma. If you want I can take it to you right now. Since you ate everything my day is free."
He does bring up an interesting point but it's already noon. Even though the day is longer here I am a bookworm. If I get there right now I won't live for the entire day and will easily lose track of time. It's easier to just maximise my time there tomorrow.
First I must get a room at an inn. After that I'll look around the city and get my bearings right. See all the points of the city. I also have to keep an eye out for Freya and the rest of her party. Of course I can sense Freya, Helena and Tark but the servants and guards are just a mixed in blur at this moment. I can't tell them even if we are together but they can easily recognize me. They still think I'm after Helena at this point. But first things first.
"Can you recommend an inn?"
[A/N: Read from 10 up to 20 chapters on my patron page. With the start of the third volume starting next week for the second tier.]
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