Feyre

  I hated the acting skill. It was making me make up a massive pile of horse. On the spot no less! My only saving grace was that I had read enough fantasy genre to make a reliably bland backstory that also implied that the country or republic or whatever I came from no longer existed. Yippee! I could have been a professional bull-shitter! I am so so happy about that... Totally.

  I got my answers though. Para-Knights, also known as Pseudo-Knights, depending on the Knightly Order they were in, were more like a really skilled squire, than a direct disciple to a knight. They would have all started as normal soldiers or noble scions of some sort and then gone to a specific Order's academy in order to learn their creed and weapon specialty.

  Because of course each knight order had a different specialty of weapon. Not at all cliche System. Not at all. I frowned and Mel, I had learnt her name from an offhand comment by Greofth, looked concerned. Of course she would. She seemed like a nice lady. Far too nice for this muscle brained idiot to have any right to be interested in her.

  Was I becoming more ditzy? I felt a lot less... stick up my ass, than I did before. I shook my head and smiled at the two.

  "It was a pleasure to meet you both, but I must be on my way. I was informed that I should sell off some wares once I got to the City by my sister and that she and her escort would make it here at some point."

  That got a reaction. Greofth seemed to be wondering if my, made up, sister was anything like me. He nodded and smirked again. He was obsessed with smirking or something.

  "Alright, well you got a map now Dame Lea, if I am not asking too much shall I make an attempt to keep an eye out for your sister?"

  I nod smile. I feign a look of slight wistfulness.

  "She's a bit of a handful, but she's a good person... As good as a younger sister can get anyway... Her name's Feyre so keep your eyes and ears out if you wouldn't mind."

  I decide to punctualise the request with another salute and bow.

  "I'll be on my way."

  I span and left as quickly as I can without it being suspicious. Acting, had redeemed itself in my eyes.

  The street was still busy, but I just walked and people parted. That might be because I was walking with purpose and wasn't hiding my sword. Resting my hand on the pommel was just so comfy that half the time I forgot I was doing it. Whether it was my posture, my sword, or some other reason that everyone wasn't bothering me, I didn't really care. I got to enjoy the views of the long streets bustling with people, stalls, shops, and homes. It was kind of refreshing to see a community where while definitely medieval, didn't seem to be chucking their excrement out of their windows. Always a bonus, that.

  The city was lad out pretty haphazardly, every now and again there'd be some random cut-off or fork in the road that made no sense geographically, but then I would look at the map and just continue onwards. I liked the roads, cobbled and full of life that was quite different to the isolationism of what I was used to. People stopped on the street to greet a friend's cousin's neighbour as if it were normal to them, so it probably was. It just brought a smile to my face when I was walking around.

  A couple people, both men and women got... distracted... by me as I walked past them. I really didn't want to have to find a binder because that would be such a hassle in a medieval setting. It wasn't my fault [REDACTED] or some other person who works with or in the System gave me such a stunner body! I didn't mind the stares that much, quite a few of them were appreciative but not lecherous. Those that were bordering on just straight up indecent usually ended up in the man responsible getting hit by either another man or by a woman. I guessed stats and the like meant that there were a lot less cases of sexism and the like. That would be nice, even if it was only in the city it was a good start.

  I wasn't the only one being oggled by passers by, of course. There were a few occasions where absolute mountains, that pretended to be men were being equally stared at by women, who also seemed to get hit on the head. Maybe that was a common thing here. Disrespectful looks got you hit in the back of the head by whoever was closest.

  I really wanted to find a book on culture or something now, but that would have to wait. I finally reached a place where I might be able to sell some stuff and so I opened my storage into my belt pouches and put whatever would fit into them. I was so smart for this. I bet any other protagonist or whatever would just pull stuff out of the storage right in front of the shopkeeper and get exposed as someone special. Specially stupid maybe. Hah!

  I entered and smiled in greeting. They of course gave a proper one.

  "Ah, hello hello! Look around, peruse, or if you're here to sell... Then come on straight up to the counter! I've got a little magic toy over here to know how valuable everything is. Won't find a deal as good as mine anywhere else in the city... unless you're selling to Tyrril the Merchant King hah!"

  He was a very old man, jolly and clearly this store was the love of his life. It looked so cared for that I paused in the doorway as I looked around. It was a small building but he'd made the most of the space, filling all the possible orifices of the wall with trinkets useful and not. My smile grew more real and I walked over to the counter, gently angling my sheathe so I didn't accidentally knock anything over. He noticed and the slightest curve graced his lips before he went all serious and businesslike on me.

  "Lass! Come closer, got some stuff to sell aye?"

  I open a pouch and take out some of the smaller items that the Kuryuk had in their pockets and the like. I had tried to choose the ones that were the cleanest but unfortunately the Kuryuk weren't very good at cleaning their stuff. Or they couldn't be asked.

  He grinned up at me and then back to the trinkets. I knew it was the right idea to got to a collector first. He looked so excited bless his soul.

  "Good condition these... Considering they're Kuryuk make anyway. Usually the adventurers who hunt Kuryuk are so bestial towards the trinkets and shove them roughly into their bags and the like! Unsellable junk it becomes. But you, You clearly know the best way to an old man's heart dearie."

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  I laughed politely. This little old man was a right character. I always did love role-playing with the eccentric people back on Eurani's Dedicated Servers. They had the best quotes. The man brought out a little device looking thing that seemed to hum when I leant over the counter to get a better look at it. I handed over some of the things I knew I definitely wouldn't want to keep and then watched as he popped open a lid and gently placed the junk into a compartment in the machine. After a couple seconds a small System screen appeared and showed me the same sort of results I would get from an identify. That was cool.

  "Oo hoo? An Elite Kuryuk's loot eh? You from a Knight Order or something miss?"

  I faked a wince and he looked slightly apologetic.

  "Sore subject aye? Well, you certainly ain't from Errol... Ah well, isn't my place to question why is it dearie?"

  I snorted and roll my eyes, smiling genially. This old feller hadn't been trying to be mean or anything, just a nosy old man.

  "I would hope not sir, I am not particularly fond of interrogators."

  He let out a hearty laugh at that and my smile grew again. It was easy to talk to people like this. A lot easier when I wasn't trying to hide too much from them. Unlike how it would have been had I showed Greofth these trinkets, this guy wasn't trying to find out my past or the sort. He just wanted the trinkets and I just wanted the coin.

  After completing the trade, I left with a good amount of silver and bronze coins of various sizes. Luckily they all had different carvings on them so I could tell which were Huntresses, Knights, and Kings. I found the naming system weird but I guessed that if not everyone could read then making them different jobs that everyone would have heard of would be pretty smart. I put the coins in a pouch and then transferred them into the storage while I was walking. I wasn't going to risk my first payment in this world to some pickpocket.

  My next stop was a blacksmith's I was hoping that if I went there they might find a use for the Kuryuk weapons. I had put those in the large rucksack I got and thankfully they all fit. As long as no one had been tailing me the whole time it probably wasn't weird that I had the rucksack on. I'd made sure to find the public ladies' room (there wasn't even a queue!) and put it on and the stuff in it in there while also getting rid of nature's call. Never again would I have to do it in the bushes while some asshole with a sword, the sword I currently have on my waist mind you, is standing nearby.

  When I finally found the blacksmith, I had heard it quite a bit before I saw it. There were a lot less people out now, as the sky was darkening slightly. The constant clanging of metal on metal was kind of nice. I liked sonorous sounds and this was definitely one. I walked over and a woman, probably early twenties greeted me.

  "Howdy! Welcome tah the bes' blacksmif in tahn!"

  She grinned at me and I grinned back.

  "Are ya lookin' tah buy or sell?"

  Her eyes must have seen a glint of metal in my bag because she cleared a space for it and I plopped it down with a clank. That got the main smith's attention or something because a man built like a brick house walked over to see what I was offering.

  "So, I'm going to apologise in advance."

  A slight pause as my face didn't change from it's grin.

  "After all, a master smith like yourself might be mentally assaulted by such poor craftsmanship as the Kuryuk."

  He laughed. A bellowing and booming sound that reverberated in the room like thunder. I opened the bag and he did pretend to visibly recoil, which I found hilarious of course. His assistant or apprentice, whatever she was, found it funny too but was trying to look cool and not laugh.

  "So, how did you get so many? You didn't rip off your party did you?"

  He grins at me and I grin back. I wasn't gonna lie to him, but that didn't mean I had to tell him the whole truth.

  "No sir, hopefully no ripping off today. I was wondering if you wanted to take these and melt them down for something better?"

  He hummed thoughtfully, looking over some of the machetes and a few other things that the Kuryuk had been using. They weren't very well made but the actual materials probably weren't absolutely terrible, I hoped. That would be so unfair.

  "I'm sorry Ma'am. Kuryuk weapons use a pretty cheap metal that I would usually just send straight to the scrapyard. However since you have done the city a good favour if all of these weapons are no longer in Kuryuk hands I'm willing to give you a Silver Knight for the lot, considering I can probably turn these in for slightly more than that at the Crafter's Guild."

  I sighed. The System was so unfair. I nodded and poured the weapons out. In one of the pouches I emptied a couple crossbow bolts and took one out.

  "In that case do you know where I could find a fletcher to make more of these? I don't want to assume but you make bolt heads too right?"

  He nodded sagely and took the bolt I offered, looking it over. He spent a couple seconds looking at the metal work of the head of the bolt and nodded to himself.

  "Definitely a System Bolt, it's reminiscent of a repeater bolt but it's too large for that. Good stopping power I'd reckon. Yeah, he's probably closed right now but there's definitely a fletcher who could make some more of these and I would be the one he comes to for the head. It's quite unique, as everything about the system seems to be."

  He chuckles lowly at that and his apprentice, I had decided she probably was, handed me the Silver Knight before I bid my farewells and watched her take the machetes into some sort of storage cupboard.

  I had one last stop to make. An inn! Ser Greofth and Mel had a couple recommendations and also gave me the prices so I knew I had enough to stay for at least a few nights even in the most expensive one they told me about. I walked through the noticeably quieter streets until I reached a homely looking place which had a couple voices and sounds of laughter drifted out from it's interior.

  I pushed the door and entered, a serving girl who couldn't be older than twelve walked over to me and smiled professionally up at me. She only paused briefly on my sword and gear as well, clearly well trained as she was.

  "Good evening miss! Would you like a table or a room? Or both?"

  She sounded quite chipper and so I asked for the prices, out of politeness rather than necessity. Her reply was slightly delayed and she stuck her tongue out a bit as she focused, trying to remember the prices.

  "Uuuuhh... I think a room for a night is two Silver Huntress and a meal is three Copper Kings... I'll go check just in case!"

  She scampered off like a bullet fired from a gun. I giggled as she went. The people in this city were so funny. She came back with an older girl, probably late teens, and also probably her older sister. Then she scampered off again at a quiet command. This one was a lot more tentative with her approach towards me. I deliberately raised both my hands so that they weren't near my sword or pouches.

  That turned out to be the right move as she visibly relaxed before speaking.

  "Good evening ma'am, a single room for one night is indeed two Silver Huntress, but if you got that then the meal would be discounted to a Copper King and 20 Copper Knights. Otherwise just a meal on it's own is two Copper Kings and 30 Copper Knights."

  I nodded.

  "I'll have both please. Do you do room service or should I come back down?"

  She shook her head.

  "Food only served at the restaurant section except for breakfast which costs the same."

  I smiled and clapped my hands together, reaching into a pouch and pulling out a Silver Huntress.

  "On second thought, just the room for now. How much longer are you offering meals?"

  She furrows her brow in thought.

  "Probably got a few hours before we close up downstairs, but we can't guarantee that everything on the menu will be available as time goes on."

  I nod again, patting her shoulder and place the Silver Huntress in her hand.

  "Alright."

  She hurries off, and returns with a key.

  "Here you go Ma'am!"

  I smile and start to make my way up to the rooms, looking at the number engraved in the key in order to work out where I was going. I opened the door and instantly a massive, stupid, and goofy smile broke out on my face. I finally had a real bed!