Overwhelming Firepower

The Capital of Norvaegard was far more alive than Alexander had imagined.

The moment they passed through the academy gates, the noise of the city rushed toward them like a wave.

Carriages rolled along the wide stone roads. Merchants called out from colorful stalls that lined the streets. The scent of roasted meat, fresh bread, and unfamiliar spices filled the air.

Because they had rushed to the academy earlier, Alexander had not noticed much of the city. Now the sounds of the Capital surrounded him from every direction.

New sights and unfamiliar scents surrounded him. Alexander slowed his steps almost immediately.

”This place really is huge.”

Mina nodded in agreement as her eyes moved from one sight to another.

People filled the streets in numbers she had never seen before. Some wore the uniforms of knights, others carried the robes of mages, and a few even had the strange attire of traveling merchants from distant lands.

”It’s truly nothing like the towns near the border,” she said quietly.

Unlike the two of them, Cael walked calmly, his expression unchanged. ”This is the central district; everyone passes through here to get anywhere in this city.”

Alexander looked around again after hearing that explanation. The wide roads seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, and every street was filled with movement.

The trio continued walking around, and it was then that Alexander noticed the items on the hips of a few people.

At first, he thought they were some kind of strange dagger, but the shape was different. The metal object had a short barrel and a rotating chamber behind it.

It rested inside a leather holster attached to the person’s belt. Alexander slowed slightly as he looked at one of the men passing by.

”Hey, Mina. Do you see that?” He said quietly.

Mina followed his gaze. A caravan guard walking beside a wagon had one of the same weapons hanging from his hip.

”I’ve seen those before,” she said after a moment of thought. ”I think I saw a few mercenaries in the border towns who were carrying them.”

Alexander tilted his head. ”Really? I don’t remember seeing anything like that.”

”They started appearing not too long ago. I heard they are some kind of new weapon. Many people probably know about them already, but we rarely see them near the edge of Norvaegard.” Mina replied.

”Huh... So that’s a weapon. What kind of weapon is it?” Alexander asked very curious about the unknown weapon.

”That’s a revolver. It’s something my older brother made and started selling to the public.” Cael spoke with a hint of pride which was more expressive than anything he had said before.

”A revolver? So how does it work? What kind of weapon is it? Does it need aura or mana to work?” Alexander suddenly bombarded Cael with questions.

”Those don’t need any form of aura or mana to work. Anyone can use it as long as they know how. With it even a child might be able to defend himself against an experienced soldier. As for how it works, it’s the same as a crossbow, but it fires faster and the range is much farther.”

”That’s amazing!” Both Alexander and Mina spoke almost at the same time.

Despite Cael’s stoic face, the two were able to catch a glimpse of pride in that almost immobile expression.

The trio continued walking through the busy streets of the Capital. Every few steps, there seemed to be something new to look at.

Shops selling enchanted equipment stood beside stalls filled with exotic spices brought from distant lands. Street performers entertained small crowds while traveling merchants loudly advertised their goods.

From time to time, the tall silhouettes of the Mage Towers rose above the rooftops in the distance, their towering structures visible from almost anywhere in the city.

While the three continued walking, Alexander noticed a strange tent tucked into a small corner of an alleyway. He did not know why, but he felt strangely drawn to it.

The tent looked out of place compared to the surrounding shops. While most stalls were brightly colored and openly displayed their goods, this one was made from dark cloth that hid almost everything inside.

The alley itself was quiet compared to the main street. The loud voices of merchants and the rumbling of carriages faded slightly as they stepped closer.

A faint smell of incense drifted from inside the tent. As Alexander slowly approached, his mind so focused he couldn’t hear a word Mina was saying.

His attention was completely fixed on the dark entrance of the tent.

”... Alexander?” Mina called his name again, but he still did not respond. Only when she lightly grabbed his sleeve did he finally blink and look at her.

”Huh?” Alexander finally looked back.

Mina frowned. ”I’ve been calling you for a while. What’s got you so distracted?”

”It’s that tent over there. I don’t know why, but I feel a strange pull.”

”That’s the pull of destiny.” A voice came from within the tent. The flap of the dark tent shifted as someone slowly pushed it aside from the inside, and an old man stepped out.

He wore a long robe that looked faded from years of travel, and several small charms and talismans hung from the cord around his waist.

His hair was white and long enough to reach his shoulders, and his beard was equally untamed. He then glanced at Mina, then at Cael, then finally at Alexander.

The second he saw Alexander, a small smile crept up on his face. He then started nodding his head. ”I see... How interesting.”

The old man then looked up at a certain rooftop, and unlike when he saw Alexander, his face this time looked truly stunned. ”Oh!... How peculiar.”

”Um... Who are you, old man?” Mina asked. The old man, whose attention was on the rooftops, glanced at Mina.

”Oh... Apologies, young lady. How rude of me.” The old man gave a small bow. ”I am but a humble old man who has travelled to many places. You may call me Ark.”

”Ark?” Mina mumbled the name to herself.

”I am a collector of random curiosities. I am also a fortune teller of some skill.” As he spoke those words, he looked at the rooftops, then at Alexander.

”A fortune teller? You mean like those that tell you random stuff like who you would marry in the future?” Mina asked as she took a quick peek at Alexander.

”I’m offended, young lady! I’m not like those charlatans. I see the ever-changing weaves of fate itself. Those with a stronger destiny have many lines, thicker than most.” As he said those words, Ark looked at Alexander.

”But then there are some that even I cannot see through, those who have no line of fate at all.” Ark then glanced at the rooftops once more.

”How about it, my little friends, would you want to come in? So that I may catch a glimpse of a bit of your fates.”

For a moment, none of the three answered. Mina was the first to speak. ”So, what do you guys want to do?” She asked as she looked at the other two.

”I’m really interested. I don’t know why, but I feel like I need to hear what Ark has to say.” Alexander answered honestly.

Mina looked at him for a moment before sighing softly. ”I had a feeling you were going to say that,” she muttered. ”How about you, Cael?”

”I don’t really care for fortunes and such. My older brother has told me that the path we walk is made up of the choices we make. There is no such thing as a set path. But he also told me that if I wanted to make friends, I needed to at least try the things they are interested in. Since friend Alexander wishes to hear what Ark has to say, I shall follow.”

Hearing Cael’s reply, Mina couldn’t help but shrug her shoulders. It would seem that this new friend of theirs was equally weird as Alexander.

”Fine, you two, if that’s what you want to do, then we’ll do it. I just have one question for Ark.” Mina glared at Ark and opened her mouth and was about to ask her question, but before she could speak, Ark spoke first.

”It’s a free reading, lovely little lady.”

Mina was stunned. ”So... Aside from fortune telling, can you read minds as well?”

Ark showed a gentle smile as he responded. ”No, little lady, unfortunately, I do not have the gift of mind-reading. But I have lived long enough to meet many people like you. Skeptics often ask that very question.”

Ark slowly stepped aside and lifted the dark flap of the tent. A faint golden glow spilled out from inside, along with the stronger scent of incense. Strange shadows flickered across the cloth walls as candlelight moved within.

”Come in,” Ark said calmly. ”Let us see what the threads of fate have to say.”

Alexander did not hesitate for even a moment as he stepped forward. Mina sighed from behind him and followed, and Cael entered last.

As the trio entered the tent, Ark once again glanced at the rooftops and spoke. ”If you wish to enter, you can do so anytime.” After saying those words, Ark entered the tent.

On the rooftop in the alleyway, Lucen watched as the trio entered the tent. He listened to the entire conversation and was quite surprised.

”A mysterious fortune teller, who seems to truly be able to see the strings of fate. Another character that didn’t belong in the original game I played. Is he another character in the new game plus?...”

Lucen once again stared at the rather shabby-looking tent in the corner of an alleyway that no one seemed to be going through. It truly was a very mysterious thing to see.

”How interesting, Ark the fortune teller,” Lucen spoke under his breath and smiled.