Chapter 4: 3. Dreams Within a Dream

[The 14th day of Diligence, 996AP]

“Mats? Mats, you’re up!” a young man’s voice says. “I almost thought you were dead.”

Mattias Richter opens his eyes to see a hazy yellow circle. As his eyes begin to focus, he sees that there is hovering above him a young man, close to him in age, with sharp facial features and a head full of bright, blonde hair.

“Oh it’s you, Leo,” Mattias says. “What happened?”

“One of the miners found you passed out on the street,” the young man says. “He told me to tell you that he put the log where it should be, whatever that means.”

Mattias observes his surroundings. He is lying on a warm and cozy bed with red blankets. The room is tiny and there are no windows. The walls are plain, and there is an empty table to the side.

“Are we in grandma and grandpa’s house?” Mattias asks.

“Yep, your old room,” the young man says. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten it already. Really, Mats, why did you move into the tavern? Even Lam and I got to stay here. It’s not like anyone else will need this room.”

“Ah… Well, anyway,” Mattias says in order to change the subject, “who was the miner that found me?”

“I dunno.”

“Leo, we’ve lived here our whole lives, and there’s only like forty people and, like, ten miners.”

“He was wearing a mask, OK?”

“Still…”

“Well, anyway,” the young man also says in order to change the subject, “let’s get going before it gets too late.”

Mattias bursts out of bed. “Oh no! What time is it?” he asks.

“Calm down, buddy,” the young man says. “We have plenty of time.”

The two young men walk out of the house. It is an old two-story house made of logs from the nearby woods, and it is kept in good condition. It is the second largest building in all of Seelenfeld apart from the tavern, where most of the working adults reside.

In front of the house is a dirt road that stretches through all of Seelenfeld. The road starts at the merchant’s house, goes past the woodcutting shed and the house with the chicken coop, then goes past the tavern, finally leading to grandma and grandpa’s house. Beyond that, the road splits once it reaches the small lake. The north road leads to the schoolhouse and the schoolteacher’s cottage while the south road leads to the hunter’s cottage and the entryway into the mines.

It is mid-afternoon, but the village is dark under the overcast sky.

“Leopold Goldfa-a-a-a-arbe!” shouts a high pitched voice.

Standing at the fork in the road, in front of the lake, is a tall teenage girl and a young boy.

“Oh God, Leo,” Mattias says. “What did you do this time?”

“Heh. You know, I’m not sure,” Leopold says with a squint in his eyes. “Should I run?”

The tall girl and young boy make their way over to Mattias and Leopold.

The girl is a few inches taller than Mattias. She has a head full of long, silky, dark blonde hair and large hazel eyes. She has a pointed nose, a skinny face, and a long neck—an overall attractive look.

The young boy is much shorter, not having yet reached puberty. He has light brown hair and large hazel eyes. The boy looks young—even for his age—but he has a mature aura due to his pensive gaze.

“Leo!” the girl yells. “You have some real nerve stealing from my brother! On his birthday, no less!”

“I didn’t do it, I swear!” Leo says. “I think.”

“Who else would have stolen it if it wasn’t you!” the girl yells again.

“…You have a point,” Leo says.

“Oh, it’s OK, Heidi,” the young boy says. “I probably just lost it somewhere. Leo wouldn’t lie about that.”

“Hmm,” the girl says. “Yeah, he does look pretty sincere.”

“Yes, Lady Adelheid,” Leo says with a deep bow. “The sincerest of sincereties.”

“I’m going to smack you,” Adelheid says.

“What did you lose, Yohan?” Mattias asks the young boy.

“It was my favorite die,” Yohan says. “The black one with forty sides.”

“Oh, woops,” Leopold says as he reaches into his pocket. “Is it this one?” Leopold pulls out a 40-sided black die and hands it to Yohan who receives it gladly. “I totally forgot to give it back after last night’s session.”

“Leo!” Adelheid yells as Leopold flinches. “Ugh, never mind.” She turns to Mattias. “Hey, Mats.”

“H-hello. Heidi,” Mattias says with a forced but kind smile.

“Boys!” The group hears a manly voice from a distance. “And girl!”

At the end of the road where Seelenfeld begins, stands a bearded middle-aged man towing a large wooden cart.

“Niccolo!” Mattias and Yohan yell as they run to the man. Leopold and Adelheid quickly follow after them.

“Welcome back, Niccolo!” Mattias says, catching his breath. “How was your trip?”

“Dandy as always,” Niccolo says. “Did you finish the task I requested?”

Mattias looks over to the woodcutter’s shed nearby. In front of it are twelve wooden logs, neatly arranged on the ground.

“Yes!” Mattias answers. “Ten like you asked for, plus two more.”

“OK,” Niccolo says as he pulls out a small bag. “Twelve at 50 gil each is six hundred.”

Niccolo takes six small gold coins, each about the size of a thumbnail, and hands it to Mattias.

“600 gil for your efforts,” Niccolo says. “Pleasure doing business with ya.”

“Thank you, Niccolo!” Mattias says.

“And how have you been, Yohan?” Niccolo says as he shifts his attention to the boy.

“Good!” Yohan responds. “Were you, by chance, able to find any of the newer editions of Creatures and Caverns?”

“I couldn’t find one…” Niccolo says with a frown.

“Oh… Ah.” Yohan says. “Don’t worry, it’s OK!”

“I found four!” Niccolo says as he reaches into a bag on his wooden cart. Niccolo pulls out four large paper-bound books and holds them in front of Yohan.

“Wow!” Yohan says. “Thanks, Niccolo!”

“Think you got it?” Niccolo says. “They’re heavy.”

“I’ll hold onto them,” Adelheid says as she extends her arms. She takes the books from Niccolo’s hands.

“And one more thing for the birthday boy,” Niccolo says as he reaches into another bag. He pulls out a black, egg-shaped object, about the size of an infant’s head.

Yohan extends his arms as he receives the gift into his hands. The egg is black and shiny with a glossy finish. It is comprised of thin, interconnected horizontal discs, and there are intricate engravings all-throughout. Yohan fiddles with the object and notices that the discs are able to rotate independently from one another.

“What is that?” Leopold asks.

“Not sure,” Niccolo says. “Looks like a puzzle of some kind. Got it from a vendor. Thought Yohan would enjoy it.”

“I do!” Yohan says. “It’s very shiny.”

“How old are you now, Yohan?” Niccolo asks.

“I turned thirteen yesterday!” Yohan says. “Thanks so much, Niccolo!”

“Yeah, thanks Niccolo,” Adelheid says. “You’re the best.”

“It is my pleasure, kids,” Niccolo says. He turns to Mattias and Leopold. “The weather doesn’t look great. Are you still planning on going to the city?”

“Yes,” Mattias responds. “Of course.”

Leopold shrugs and nods in agreement.

“You should get going now if you want to make it by sunset,” Niccolo says.

“Yeah, lets get going,” Mattias says to Leopold.

The two young men begin walking toward the forest as they wave goodbye to their friends.

“Bye, Mats! Bye, Leo!” Yohan shouts. “Come back safely! I’ll have a lot more cool quests for you when you return!”

It is about half a day’s journey to the city of Sudwasser—four miles west to escape the forest, then twenty miles north to reach the river that runs through the city. The travel may be long, but it is quite safe, as the nobles who rule over this area of the Renascentian grasslands have made it their priority to keep it free of bandits.

Both Mattias and Leopold are familiar with this route, having joined the merchant Niccolo on his excursions to the city on many occasions. On their walk there, they exchange jokes and idle talk, interspersed with moments of serious conversation.

“You didn’t have to go with me,” Mattias says. “But thanks.”

“Nah, thank you,” Leopold says. “You gave me a reason to take a day off and leave that suffocating place. Heheheh. Why are we going to the city anyway?”

“There’s something I want to buy.”

“What’s that?”

“A blue pokiri feather,” Mattias says. “Heidi told me that where her family’s from, it’s a tradition for the man to gift a blue pokiri feather to the woman he loves as a way to ask for her hand in marriage.”

“Heh. And why would you—” Leopold pauses and looks at Mattias with wide eyes.

Mattias smiles and nods.

“No…” Leopold says in unbelief, shaking his head. “No, no, nonono.”

“What?”

“Mats, are you insane?” Leopold says. “You’ve just barely become a man, and you want to throw it all away? You’re gonna wake up to that girl yelling at you all the time and—”

“Heidi’s never yelled at me,” Mattias says.

“Oh. Really?” Leopold says. “…Strange. But still, Mats, there’s a whole world out there, filled with things you couldn’t even imagine. Even in Sudwasser there’s hundreds of beautiful women.”

“I don’t really care,” Mattias says. “It seems like everyone in the village is thinking of leaving one day, chasing after some dream that only exists out there. But there’s so much to look forward to in Seelenfeld. I mean, it’s our home. I just wish everyone could see that.”

“Heh. Yeah, whatever. It’s your life,” Leopold says. “As for me, I’m leaving that dump as soon as I make enough money to join the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Oh, what? You never told me that.”

“Yep,” Leopold says. “Going on dangerous quests with the crew and making tons of money. That’s the dream.”

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The sun is beginning to set by the time the two young men approach the city gates.

“Now where’re you folks comin’ from?” asks a guard stationed at the gate.

“From Seelenfeld down south,” Leopold says.

“Ah, yes,” the guard says. “A merchant left headin’ there this morning. D’ya meet him?”

“Yes,” Mattias says. “He arrived safely.”

“Good,” the guard says. “Welcome to Sudwasser.”

The city of Sudwasser is situated on the southern plains of Renascentia, surrounded by large castle walls with outpost towers spread throughout. It is settled around a wide river that flows westward and cuts directly through the heart of the city. As such, the city of Sudwasser is divided in two, connected by one large bridge at its center.

The southern half of the city—where Mattias and Leopold make their entrance—is where the lower classes reside. Artisans, laborers, merchants, and traveling adventurers make up most of the population of the lower city. The bustling activity of the city streets seems to be dying down as the citizens prepare for sundown.

“The streetlamps are lit already,” Leopold says.

“Probably because of the clouds,” Mattias says.

Mattias looks around to see that most of the merchants have already either vacated their stalls or are packing up for the day.

“Oh, no,” Mattias says as he sprints down the street.

“Hey!” Leopold says as he chases after Mattias. “Wait up!”

Mattias barges into a small, dingy shop.

“We’re closed,” the shopkeeper says with a deep, raspy voice. The shopkeeper is an old man with a stout build. He is wearing a sleeveless shirt and smoking a fat cigar while reading the newspaper.

“P-please,” Mattias says as he catches his breath. Leopold runs in the shop and bends over, also catching his breath. “I need to buy something.”

“Oh, yer Niccolo’s kids,” the shopkeeper says. “How can I help ya?”

“I need a blue pokiri feather,” Mattias says.

The shopkeeper raises an eyebrow. “A what?”

“A blue pokiri feather,” Mattias says. “You deal with exotics, right?”

The shopkeeper puts down his newspaper, and puts out his cigar. “Right… And how much are ya willing to pay?”

Mattias reaches for his pocket and takes out the six gold coins that Niccolo had given him earlier that day. He picks up five with his other hand and offers it to the shopkeeper. “500 gil.”

“Bah!” the shopkeeper laughs. “Bah! Hah! That’s the most insulting offer I’ve got today! Did Niccolo send you to do this? Bah! Hah, hah!”
“What?” Mattias says. “But the pamphlet Niccolo gave me said it was 500 gil…”

“Oh, yer being serious,” the shopkeeper says. “Did it, perhaps, have a ‘K’ behind it?”

“What?” Mattias says.

“K! 500K! That means five hundred thousand! Gah!”

Mattias stands there in utter embarrassment and disbelief.

“Gah! Hah, hah, hah! A commoner like ya will have to save up thirty years to buy something as rare as a blue pokiri feather!”

Mattias and Leopold walk out of the shop as the shopkeeper’s laughter fills the street.

“Don’t worry, Mats,” Leopold says. “It was probably for the best anyway—no, actually—it definitely was for the best.”

“Ugh,” Mattias grunts. “I’m such an idiot.”

“It’s fine, Mats,” Leopold says. “Look, we’ll go find a tavern, eat a good meal, sleep the night, and it’ll all be a funny memory.”

“Ahhhhh!” Mattias yells. “…But yeah. You’re right. We should find a place to stay for the night.”

After walking down the street for five minutes, Mattias and Leopold find themselves standing in front of a large two-story tavern. The lights are on, and the loud chatter that penetrates through the walls makes it plainly obvious that it is packed with patrons. A tall, heavy-built man stands in front of the entrance.

Mattias and Leopold walk toward the door, but the man puts out his hand. “No children,” he says.

“Sir,” Mattias says as he advances toward the door. “I can assure you, we are not children.”

The man places his hand on Mattias’s chest and forcibly pushes him back. “No children.”

“Let me take care of this,” Leopold says as he takes out a gold coin from his pocket. He places the gold coin on the man’s sternum, which stands higher than Leopold’s eyes.

The man covers the gold coin on his chest with one hand, hiding a grin, and he opens the door to the tavern with the other.

Leopold tilts his head at Mattias with a smile, slightly raises his eyebrows, and walks into the tavern.

Mattias quickly follows after him. The tavern is packed with tables full of visitors, whose boisterous conversations carry throughout the room. Leopold spots two empty stools at the bar, and the two young men proceed to walk through the crowded lounge and sit at the bar in front of the barkeeper.

“What’ll it be, boys?” The barkeeper says.

“I’ll have a glass of your finest mead,” Leopold says.

“Same,” Mattias says as he places a gold coin on the table.

The barkeeper picks up the coin and walks to the side to prepare the drinks.

“What should we eat?” Leopold asks.

“I’m not in the mood to eat anything,” Mattias says.

“Cheer up, buddy,” Leopold says. “Think about it. What did the shopkeeper say? Thirty years? It’ll go by in a flash. If you really love Heidi, thirty years of grueling manual labor is nothing.”

“Hmm, yeah…” Mattias says as his eyes fill up with determination. “You’re right!”

Leopold looks down and slaps his hand over his face. “Mats, you’re the smartest person I know. But how are you also so stupid?”

As the barkeeper returns to place two large glasses of mead before the two young men, a shrill man’s voice greets them from behind.

“Hey boys,” the voice says. “You interested in buying this? Only 500 gil.”

Mattias and Leopold turn around to see a short and lanky man, dressed in commoner’s clothing, holding up a large black, egg-shaped object.

“No, thanks,” Mattias says immediately.

“Hey,” Leopold says, turning to Mattias. “Isn’t that the puzzle Niccolo got for Yohan?”

“Yeah,” Mattias says. “Looks like it.” He looks at the man, who is trying his best to force a smile. There is a subtle desperation in the man’s eyes, and Mattias has a bad feeling about this.

“I’ll tell you what,” Leopold says with a smirk. He pulls out a gold coin from his pocket. “Heads, I win. Tails, you win. If I win, I get whatever it is that you’re holding there—if you win, you get 500 gil.”

“Deal!” the man says without hesitation.

Leopold flicks the gold coin into the air. After spinning in the air for a brief moment, it falls and lands flat on Leopold’s palm, head facing down.

“Godammit,” Leopold says as he hands five gold coins to the man. “Not again.”

“And you call me stupid?” Mattias says.

“I’m not stupid,” Leopold says. “Just unlucky…”

The man snickers as he walks over to an empty table at the corner of the tavern. It is far from where Mattias is sitting, but close enough for Mattias to observe what he is doing. The man sits down and fiddles with the mysterious object by rotating the thin discs around.

“Leo,” Mattias says. “Didn’t you say you were saving up to join the Adventurer’s Guild? How much do you need, anyway? Should you really be throwing money away like that?”

“200 gil for the application,” Leopold says. “But it’s just a formality for the paperwork. If you can get into a clan, most will sponsor that fee and feed and house you.”

“What? Then why haven’t you started already?”

“I’m in the hole. I need to at least make back what I lost.”

“What are you talking about?” Mattias asks.

“Well, it started with Zuri,” Leopold says. “She made a bet with me because she wanted drinking money.”

“OK…”

“After that I was 50 gil down, so I made another bet with someone else so I can make my money back.”

“Right.”

“Then I was down 100 gil total, so I did it again. And so on and so forth.”

“What?” Mattias says. “How many times did you lose?”

“Uh, counting this one?” Leopold says. “Nine. But it’s practically impossible to lose ten coin flips in a row. So I’m pretty much guaranteed to win the next one. It’s just simple statistics.” Leopold smirks as he taps his finger on the side of his head.

“I don’t think that’s how that works…” Mattias says. “Well, I guess it could work up until you—”

Mattias notices a light glowing in the far corner of the tavern. The man who was fiddling with the mysterious black egg just moments earlier is now staring at the object, eyes wide with amazement. The inscriptions on the egg are glowing a bright purple light, progressively growing brighter while producing a buzzing drone. Everyone in the room soon notices the strange spectacle and turns their attention to it. The egg levitates off the mans hands and hangs in the air in the now silent tavern. Its discs begin to rotate, faster and faster, and the lights from the inscriptions begin to project cryptic seals into the air around it. Everyone—especially the man—is enraptured by the sight.

Suddenly the egg disappears, and in its place rushes forth an endless stream of gold coins that begins to flood the table in front of the man.

“Aahh!” The tavern doors fling open, and the tall, heavy-built man who was guarding the door flies in and gets knocked to the ground. Two armored men, fully covered from head to toe in bright, reflective suits of metal armor, step into the tavern. They rush to the corner table, where the man is frantically trying to gather all the gold coins that are falling to the floor and filling the room with the sound of clinking metal.

One of the armored men holds out his hands and creates a magical barrier in the air where the egg had disappeared. Meanwhile, the other armored man seizes the man who, with knees on the ground, is stuffing as many gold coins into his pockets as fast as he can.

“Stop right there,” the armored man says as he pulls the man to his feet, holding onto his arms that are now secured behind his back. “You are under arrest for unsanctioned use of the arcane arts.”

“What?” the man says. “No, no! I didn’t do anything! It was the egg!”

Out of nowhere, Mattias starts to feel lightheaded. He looks around. His vision is blurred, and the room seems to be rotating around him. He loses his balance and falls off the stool, landing on his back on the floor.

“Mats! Are you OK?”

Mattias Richter sees a hazy yellow circle hovering over his head as the rest of his surroundings fade away. Soon the patch of yellow also disappears, and he sees all the memories of the day play before him in reverse. The events run through his mind progressively faster and faster.

He sees himself chopping wood early in the morning. He walks backwards into town, into the tavern, into his bed. He gets out of bed late at night and a group of people walk into Heidi and Yohan’s house, where they are celebrating Yohan’s birthday. They celebrate for hours by playing Yohan’s favorite game, Creatures and Caverns.

The rest is a blur, as his memories are now playing through his mind too fast for him to recognize. Mattias Richter’s entire life flashes before his eyes, and—

Darkness.

***

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