I arrived at Alkenstar, and thank Cayden Cailean that the news did not reach the city yet. I passed by uncle's unit and he left a note that he is reassigned at Cloudreaver Keep, so the unit is mine to hold for now.
Little crash course on Alkenstar's two districts- Old Ironside and Beggarton: When the Mana Fever was first appearing in Alkenstar, the first to be hit was the Ironside District, and as a result, they evacuated the district. When the outbreak worsened, they had to deal with it in some way, so the government had a bunch of Dwarves plant bombs underneath Ironside and detonate it, sending the entire district a hundred feet in the ground. They also had a new wall constructed around the giant crater now called Old Ironside and had snipers stationed on it because of whatever monstrosity may come out- some say Barghests, others say crazy mutants, and others say trolls. Now if we are talking about Beggarton, we are talking about the most dangerous district Alkenstar has, the second one is Hellside. Also known as "Undertown," they are a network of sewage systems underneath Alkenstar, and is home to criminal gangs, beggars, thieves and sewer trolls to name a few. Because the sewers are underneath every district, they are also connected to Old Ironside.
To continue, I went to Hellside because it's the only way to Beggarton, but I had to go through the tough people who hate law enforcement- beggars and thugs alike. In the middle of the travel downward, I was able to disguise as a mere cutpurse and get no challenges (because I was wearing my Gunmarshal uniform, and the people living in Hellside hate it. I was able to get through a warehouse still posing as a cutpurse resident of Beggarton and I was able to get in. But once I got in, I threw up my lunch because I was walking through sewage waste- rotten food, excrement, dead animals, name it. I was able to get to some auction house, where a Ratfolk (some sentient rat) was about to prepare for some auction. He introduced himself to me as Triptwitch, and I stayed behind for the auction. For his auction, he brought out three things: A wand with the symbol of Sarenrae the Everlight, some boots with leaves and foliage known as "Boots of Elvenkind", and a necklace. I only bought the necklace, and it gives me natural armor. Some other dude bought the wand and the auction was finished after, and I don't know why. Triptwitch also told me that he also owns an inn, to which he led me to a hidden inn room and there I slept for the night.
The next day, I went outside the room to get whatever breakfast they serve in Beggarton, only to be met by thugs who want me beaten up. Obviously I had to decline by drawing my rapier out and fight them. After finishing them all, I saw Triptwitch running away as if he had a part in this. I chased him to a storeroom and I caught him pleading for his life, saying that there is now a bounty on my head, meaning the news reached Alkenstar. I don't like double-crossers, so I ended his life in one shot. I was able to get the boots for free (because I looted it) and I also got another healing wand. As I went out, a man wearing black clothes and a black hat was waiting for me, clapping his hands in a smug fashion. You know what happened next, in usual Wallace Noble fashion- I faced the guy, got him out and looted his gear: his black clothes, a better gun than what I have, bullets and armor, plus his nice hat. Since I wanted a good change of clothes, I decided to change and continue to the sewers, where one kid guided me for a gold coin to the Old Ironside area. As I arrived there, I saw a Sewer Troll coming at me, so I had to fight it, plus there's some trapdoor and he has the key. It was a hard fight, but I was able to kill the troll and go up.
Upstairs, I saw Kuzma and Fedira and some guy clad in black. I think I heard the guy speak Garundi or Osirian and Kuzma translated it for me, saying that Mr. Cannot-Speak-Taldane congratulates me for making it alive to their hideout in Old Ironside. After which, Kuzma gave me a rookie mission of my own- get a box of gunpowder and not just ordinary gunpowder, but the ones made by House Blackburne, the originals. He got out an hourglass that measures for three days and he told me that I must be able to accomplish the task within three days because Hourglass is an organization that does missions within a specific time frame. He brought out a bigger hourglass and gave me a side mission- silence Lawrence within 5 days in any way possible. I had no other choice but to accept.
As I got out of Beggarton, I decided to stay at one of the low-level inns near the Western Gate. I decided to eat dinner and send a letter to Tordek via a courier, and the letter simply states that he meet me in the inn I am staying in. After I had my food digested after a small walk around the Western Gate area, I went back to the inn and go to sleep, but before I went to sleep, I saw the courier I sent with a dagger pointed at me and a bounty poster on his other hand. Apparently, the bounty on my head is 500 gold pieces- a relatively high amount. As usual, I had to fight with this desperate guy, but as I was about to fight him, a crossbow bolt flew from the window of my room and hit the guy. After I ended the poor sod's life for good, I saw a silhouette of a Dwarf. When the light hit him, it's Tordek. Who knew Mr. Pariah Dwarf who had no combat experience can still fire a crossbow? He told me that if this is the kind of life I wanted to live, I should have told him in the first place. We both made our escape, going through some Alkenstar Militiamen (the security wing of the military) and left the city.
Thequestion that ran on our heads: Where to go?
YOU ARE READING
The Plights of Wallace Noble: A Memoir Alkenstar's Most Wanted
AdventureSome called him "the Reaper." Some called him a criminal. Some called him a traitor. But some called him "Liberator," Others called him a man who lives his last name, And others call him "Lord Mayor." Based from the simple pen-paper-and-dice Pathfin...
