System Change

A light blue light flashed before Derek’s eyes. He blinked, and it was over. Derek looked around at his surroundings.

While he was still standing in a teleportation circle identical to the previous, the room was vastly different. Instead of a couple dull counters with a worker standing behind, Savannah’s teleport room was decorated lavishly.

The entire inside of the building was finely polished. Not a trace of dust could be seen. Turquoise banners trimmed in red with a golden scale in the middle hung around the building. It was quite impressive. The inside of the building itself was at least double the size of the one in Wilmette.

“Move off the platform, please.” A bored voice called out.

With the command, the group walked forward, down three steps, to stand on the base level. As soon as they were all off the platform, a young girl scurried behind them and started sweeping the platform. Derek did another take and realized that there were multiple boys and girls, all dressed in the same color as the banners, standing in different corners of the building.

No wonder everything’s so clean. Derek thought.

Soon, the same voice called out. “Please move to the counter.”

Stella led the group up to the closest counter. Behind it was a tall, skinny man, with a hooked nose and sharp green eyes. He was dressed the same as the children, with the exception of him wearing a beret-style cap on his head.

“Please be ready to answer any questions when asked.” The man said.

“I thought teleporting on the schedule took care of that.” Brandi said, confused.

Stella looked behind her and smiled. “Savannah isn’t quite like the rest of the cities. With so much trade taking place, it’s imperative for them to document everyone and everything.” She explained, then walked up to the counter.

“Please remove your cloak.” The clerk said, and Stella complied. Now, place your hand here. He touched a handprint shaped spot on the counter, then placed his hand on one at the opposite side. “This will record your features and answers.”

Stella smiled. “I’ve done this before. You can begin.”

He nodded. “Name?” He asked.

“Stella Brighton.” Stella answered.

“Place of residence?”

“Capital City Cydaria.”

The man nodded. “Previous city?”

“Wilmette by way of Torith.” She answered.

“Reason for coming to Savannah?”

“Escorting some friends and checking in on the Crown Restaurant.” She stated.

“Planned length of stay?”

“Undetermined.”

The man nodded and took his hand off the counter. “Thank you. Please stand to the side.” He motioned to an empty place next to the counter and Stella moved. “Next.” He said and Jacks went up.

“Name?” The clerk repeated the process.

“Jackson Herrett, no current place of residence, came from Wilmette.” He said all at once.

The man looked up at him, and Derek could almost swear the man was forcing himself to keep from cracking a smile. “Reason for coming to Savannah?” He asked.

“Traveling with a friend.” Jacks answered.

“Planned length of stay?”

“Not sure. Maybe a week, maybe permanent.”

The man nodded and removed his hand again. Jacks left without being prompted. “Next.”

This continued for everyone else. For the most part, all the answers were the same as what Jacks answered. Finally, it was Derek’s turn.

“Name?”

“Derek Hunt.” He answered.

“Place of residence?” The clerk asked.

“None.”

“Previous city?”

“Wilmette.”

“Reason for coming to Savannah.”

“Hmm… let’s see…” Derek muttered. “To meet Natalie… start a business… kill some things… change of scenery… get to know the locale… I think that’s it for now.”

The clerk looked at Derek oddly. “Okay…” He said. “Length of stay?”

“Dunno. Depends on how things work out.” Derek said.

The clerk nodded and lifted his hand. Derek went to stand to the side with the others.

The man turned to them. “Al…” He began to speak, but something exploded out of Thomas’s travel sack, causing the man to go silent.

Stella put her hand on her forehead and shook her head and Derek facepalmed. “And things were going so well.” Stella muttered.

In an instant, Silvi’s small body was sitting on the counter and her right paw was placed on the handprint. Her left paw was placed on a temporary communication crystal, and another was lying to the side.

“My turn.” Her childlike voice rang out of the crystal.

The clerk looked at the group, then at Silvi, then back again. Unsure what to do.

“Go ahead.” Derek said.

The man cautiously approached the counter and placed his hand on it. “Uh… name?” He asked.

“Silvi… uh… Hunt. Yeah, Silvi Hunt.” The voice chimed.

“Place of residence?”

“Kitchen.” She answered with such enthusiasm.

Derek couldn’t help himself and snorted out loud. Brandi began giggling in the back.

“Uh… okay… previous city?”

“Torith… no… that’s not right… is it still called that? What was the other one… Oh! Wilmeat.”

“Reason for coming to Savannah?”

“Ingredients and cooking!”

“Length of stay?”

“Until we leave.” She answered.

“Okay… you can go to the side.”

Silvi removed her paw, and the crystals shattered. In an instant, she was sitting on Thomas’s head. Then she looked around and hopped onto Stella’s shoulder. Still uncomfortable, she hopped over to Derek’s shoulder, where she finally settled down.

Finally, the clerk turned and walked over to the group. Everyone in the building had their eyes attuned to the odd commotion.

The man let out a breath, looked at Stella, and smiled for the first time. “Miss Brighton! It’s good to see you again and nice to have you back here in Savannah. You’ve brought… interesting company this time.”

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Tavors.” Stella smiled back. “And you don’t have to tell me about them.”

Mr. Tavors turned to Jacks. “And if it isn’t The Crimson Blade himself. What are you doing with this group, Jackson? You finally get off that leash, or are you just out running errands?”

Jacks scoffed. “It’s not really any of your business, but yes, I’m off my leash.”

The clerk snorted. “It’s not like that man to let go of his toys.”

“He didn’t have a choice this time.” Derek cut in.

“Derek Hunt.” The man said. “I’ve heard a few things about you. Do try to behave while in the city.”

Stella laughed. “Good luck with that.”

“So, what’d you do to get off your leash?” He asked Jacks.

Jacks glanced over at Derek before answering. “I’m sure you’ll find out soon.” Was his only reply.

Derek glanced over to the counter to catch a boy cleaning the crystal dust off it. “What’s up with all the kids?”

“Hmm?” Tavors looked around. “Oh, they’re orphans of previous residents in the city. If they want to work and make something of themselves, the city will help find them something. Don’t worry, they get paid well and aren’t made to do anything shameful. With a job like this, they can save up and buy equipment to start an adventurer’s life, or they can choose another route.”

“That’s awfully generous.” Derek said.

“It is, but it isn’t.” The man said. “The orphans here have to have a certain status. Like I said, previous residents, and ones in good standing with the city. An orphan can’t just wander in from the outside and expect special treatment. Plus, entry to the city costs, and it isn’t cheap.”

“Ah. I get it. Seems like another good reason to live in Savannah.” Derek said.

“Indeed.” The clerk agreed. “Speaking of costs.” The man pointed to a counter further in. “She’ll take your entry fees. I’m afraid I need to get back to work.” The man said as the teleportation circle began to glow. “Miss Brighton, always a pleasure. “Jackson, let’s get a drink sometime. You can tell me what happened. Silvi… it’s been interesting meeting you.”

Stella nodded, and Jacks waved. Tavors went back to the counter with his face deadpan as the circle flashed.

“Move off the platform, please.” The group heard as they walked to the other counter.

“Separate or together?” The woman at the counter asked.

“Together.” Stella said.

“You don’t have to keep paying for us.” Derek said.

Stella looked at Derek and chuckled. “Do you really think I’m paying for you?” She shook her head. “Every coin I’m spending will be deducted from your next payment.”

“Oh…” Derek said. “In that case, go ahead.”

“45 gold.” The woman said.

Stella tossed the gold on the counter. Rayna and Malorie raised their eyebrows, and Derek winced. An entry fee of five gold a person was not cheap. Tavors was right.

With the payment complete, the group continued out of the transportation building. When they got outside, everyone but Stella, Jacks, and Derek were struck with awe.

The surroundings were really impressive, but Derek had seen too many cities on Earth before the system, including New York, so it was easy for him to accept the city.

“So, what was up with that guy?” Derek asked Stella while the others were still stunned.

“Mr. Tavors?”

“Yeah. He was so robotic, then friendly all the sudden.”

“Oh, that. It’s his job. Everyone gets the same treatment. Once you’ve gained entry, his job is done and he can be himself.” She explained.

“You know him well?” Derek asked.

She shook her head. “Not really. We’ve met there five or six times.”

“What about you?” He asked Jacks.

“We did a few missions together back in the day, before he came here with his family.” He answered.

“I see.” Derek said. “Well, what should I do next? Where’s Natalie’s residence?”

“You can’t just go barge in like you did with Malcolm.” Stella said. “You’re going to have to get an appointment and unless she finds you or your proposal interesting, it will be a while before you’re able to see her. It would probably be better to go to the City Building and look for places to rent or buy. Until then, Mistress Swan has agreed to let you stay in our hotel until you find a place. I’ve reserved three rooms. I hope that will be enough. They are doubles.”

“That’s nice.” Derek said. “What’s that going to cost me?”

“You have a membership, so it’s heavily discounted. It won’t be much more than one of the cheaper inns in the city. Well, there aren’t really any cheap inns in the city.”

“Fine.” He agreed. “It’s late. Let’s go to your hotel first and we’ll work on getting everything sorted tomorrow.”