Chương 38: Loser

As it turned out, fortified walls were pretty good at keeping people out of the city. Alexandra stalked around the wall, trying to find a spot where she could climb but after scanning the entire perimeter, she had to come to reason. It just wasn't going to work. The wall was too smooth, too high, the torches up on the walk too many. On the white stone, she would get spotted in no time. She stood some distance away from the ramparts, watching the guards patrol. There were not that many.

Three pairs of two men had split the walk in sections that they each watched over. But even discounting all her other concerns, she was worried about their skills. Alexandra had skills, and she'd only been there for eleven days. Granted, she allegedly had a very good class, but it couldn't be enough to make up for years of experience. She snapped her fingers, and walked away. This wasn't going to work. Thankfully, the walls didn't surround the city, only the northern half of it.

In the south, there was the sea, and on both flanks, tall white cliffs plunging directly into it. However, a short section of the cliffs dropped onto land. Taking a detour to avoid detection, Alexandra climbed up the eastern cliff. The view over Esmera and its harbor was perfect, though few lights illuminated the sleeping city. She stepped closer to the edge, and sighed. There was a reason why the cliffs stood unguarded. She was standing on an overhang that extended a good ten feet from the wall.

The altitude was so high that the buildings below didn't look real. There was no getting down there. Not in one piece.

"Maybe sleeping outside isn't that bad." She shook her head. It wasn't just about that. Her search took her further along the cliff. The water was hitting the rocky shore below. She was definitely more than a hundred meters up.

"I'm going to die if I do that." Then again, the Diving skill quest was asking her to jump. She gave her face a light slap.

"No. Bad. Alexandra. You don't need that skill." In any case, not before she was certain to survive the jump. Even Olympians didn't jump from that height. She expected to need a lot more points in constitution before she felt confident enough. She scratched her head. Finding another way down to the shore outside the city and swimming around the bay wasn't realistic either. She was better off waiting till morning, and using the door like a loser. Alexandra smiled, and crossed to the western cliff.

The drop was identical. Sheer white rock falling straight into black water, no ledge, no gradual slope to ease the transition. She got on her stomach and leaned over the edge, searching the cliff face for anything useful. Nothing. Well, not nothing, there were plenty of cracks, and spots where she could maybe climb down. The issue was getting to them in the first place. The city wall met the cliff edge a dozen feet from where she lay. She turned her head and looked at the place where they joined.

The builders hadn't bothered to smooth the transition. The fortification wall met the cliff. The difference in elevation was such that it didn't matter. She stood, brushed the dirt off her front, and looked out at the harbor. The sea was quiet.

"Guess I'm really sleeping outside tonight." She looked at the wall one more time before standing up. Alexandra found a secluded dip in the ground where the rocks sheltered her from the wind. Then, she quickly fell asleep. She woke up right on time for her quest reset. Quest Journal Daily Reset: 06: 00 | Streak: 11 Days | 1% All Stats Next Milestone: 25 Days Daily Quests: Unload twenty crates off a boat (0/20) She blinked. That was one of her most specific dailies so far. She got up, and looked down at the harbor.

The sun had yet to peek over the horizon, but the light was already rising. One of the two remaining vessels had left, yet a new one was approaching in the distance. Running down the slope, she made for the gate. It was open, and a steady stream of farmers were already streaming out, ready to tend to their fields. Alexandra pulled her hood up, and made herself small as she pushed through the crowd. The guards either didn't notice her, or they didn't care. She walked down the main street that was slowly waking up.

The merchants were setting up their stalls, sometimes glancing toward the approaching vessel, a glimmer shining in their eyes. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The harbor was already active. Fishermen took advantage of the first light to put their boats to sea, while a group of men and women were waiting down a larger pier. Alexandra walked toward them. She was stopped by a short woman looking at a ledger.

"Looking for work?"

"I'd like to carry stuff." Alexandra nodded.

"Strength?" Alexandra stared.

"Yes?"

"What's your strength attribute?" The woman asked again, looking up from her ledger.

"To calculate your pay." She frowned.

"Don't get any idea, we'll know if you lie."

"Erm… Fourteen…" The woman raised her eyebrows.

"Don't waste my time."

"I'm serious!" She shook her head.

"Fourteen strength is way too low to unload a ship. Maybe you can come back when they load it with herbs. The crates will be lighter." Alexandra winced.

"No, look, I'll do it for free. Just let me participate. For experience." The woman looked her up and down, then sighed.

"Fine, but don't get in the way." Alexandra stood at the end of the pier, arms loose at her sides, watching the vessel come in. Four masts. The hull was dark, almost black with tar and age, and it rode so low in the water that the freeboard was barely a meter. The thing was wide, wider than anything else in the harbor that it made the other ships look like toys. It came in under reduced sail, most of the canvas already furled, the water barely moved around it, as if there was no weight behind the massive vessel.

Around her, the dockworkers had stopped talking and watched.

"That's a Katori vessel," a bearded man said. He was standing just to her left. He had introduced himself as Rolf while they were waiting. A woman with knotted hair shielded her eyes with her hand, Ona.

"Haven't seen one of those in years."

"How far is Kator?" Alexandra asked. Rolf looked at her sideways.

"A month by sea. If the weather holds."

"Not for a beauty like that, though," Ona said.

"Katori vessels are fast. Probably half of that, if not less." Rolf grunted.

"I guess having the Keepers around helps with that sort of magic." The ship was close enough now that Alexandra could see the crew. There were a lot of them, moving with purpose and experience. Ropes came over the side, thick as her forearm. Four men on the dock caught them, and even then the bollards groaned when they took the tension. The gangplank went down. It was wide enough for two people walking abreast. A woman came off first.

She was perhaps fifty, her hair cut close to her skull, wearing a long coat despite the warmth. She carried nothing. She walked with her hands clasped behind her back, and her gaze moved across the dock, the gathered workers, the city and its walls rising white behind the harbor. It stopped on Alexandra. Then she walked on toward the city. Alexandra turned back to the ship. The hatch covers were already coming off. The smell reached the pier first.

Dried fish and brine and underneath it, something resinous and deep. A few of the workers made appreciative noises.

"What are they carrying?" Alexandra asked. Rolf shrugged.

"Hardwoods. Spices. Resins. Ores. Things that don't grow here." He tilted his head, and grinned.

"Drinks." The first crate came up on a rope. It was enormous. Three men guided it over the plank and lowered it by increments while two others managed the line from the pier side. It came to rest on the dock planking and the wood flexed under it. The supervisor appeared at Alexandra's shoulder.

"You. Take the middle position." Alexandra moved to where the crates were being staged. The next one came off the rope and she grabbed the rope handles on either side and pulled. It didn't move. She set her feet wider and pulled again. The crate scraped three inches across the planking and stopped. Rolf was looking at her.

"I've got it," she said. He walked to the other end, gripped it, and lifted his side off the ground without visible effort. She bent her knees, wrapped both handles around her fists, and stood. Her legs shook. Her lower back sent up an immediate protest. She took a step, then another, keeping the crate off the planking by sheer willpower.

"Are you sure it's fine?" Rolf asked. She didn't answer. She couldn't. They put down the crate at the edge of the pier with the others. She exhaled, stretched her back, and shared a look with Rolf.

"You grab the smaller crates alone," he said.

"I'm needed for the heavy ones." Alexandra nodded, and got back to work, making sure not to get in the way. The smaller crates were easier to move, but they were still a little too heavy for her taste. Still, she was moving them, and that was all that mattered. She was done with her sixth when Rolf appeared at her left side without being asked. Ona took the right. They lifted together, and the crate moved like it weighed nothing, and Alexandra kept hold of the middle brace and mostly kept it from rotating.

"Thanks," she said.

"Just follow our lead," Ona said.

"You're going to break your back at this rate." Behind her, the supervisor exhaled through her nose, and shook her head. The rhythm settled. Crates came off the rope at steady intervals. Alexandra placed herself where the others gestured, took handles when someone pointed, braced when a third point of contact was needed. The supervisor appeared at Alexandra's side.

"You're blocking the flow." Alexandra grabbed the next crate and pulled. It moved two inches.

"I'm working."

"Rolf isn't supposed to be covering your section." She made a short gesture and two other workers came and lifted the crate away in a single motion.

"If you can't manage the weight, take the small barrels."

"I can manage."

"You can't. Take the small barrels."

"But…" Alexandra opened her arms, ready to protest.

"Nevermind, I'll take the small ones." Her quest didn't specify the size she had to work with. By the time she was done, her arms, shoulders, and back were aching. She waved goodbye to Rolf and Ona, and walked toward the local temple of Fanon. She had to see what could be done about that sickness. On the way, she opened her journal. Unload twenty crates off a boat (20/20) -> Quest Completed: +10 exp, +1 STR Daily Quest Streak: 11 -> 12 The pain almost washed away. Almost.