Sultanhani

I'm dying.

Everything hurts.

EVERYTHING!

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MORNING REPORT Time: 06:24

Weather: 17°C, clear, windy

Humidity: 28%

Sleep quality: MEDIUM (New environment + ground hardness)

Active conditions: DOMS.

>I recommend light exercise, a hot shower and protein-heavy meals.

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Where am I going to find a hot shower?

Defne comes over to me. "How much longer are you planning to lie there? We need to go."

I try to stand up. Since I don't have the strength to sit up I flail like a turtle flipped on its back.

I roll to my right. There's a bit of energy in my arms, I manage to get onto my knees.

But there's no more than that. Defne and I meet eyes. She looks at me with pity.

"I need help!"

She lifts me by the scruff of my neck like a cat.

The word pride lost its meaning for me a long time ago.

"I need to get protein."

"What?" Defne says.

"I'm hungry."

"You'd have eaten if you'd gotten up early."

"Defne!" the old man calls.

He comes over to us with quick steps.

"We put something together for the young man. Let him not set out hungry."

"There was no need," Defne says, looking at me out of the corner of her eye.

"Thank you," I say and take the bundle from the old man's hand. "Thank you very much."

"Go on," the old man says. "The traders are waiting for you." The old man walks us to the gate.

The children circle around Defne saying, "Come again."

The old man waves and says "Clear roads," as we leave.

Clear roads… I think it means something like "Godspeed."

"Where are the traders?" I say to Defne.

"They went ahead to get ready. Don't worry, it's not far."

I hope it isn't like yesterday. We walk for about ten minutes. Then train rails appear in front of us. And on the rails there's something like a sailing box…

I think this is a handcar. When they said traders, horses and donkeys had come to mind.

"Are we ready?" A middle-aged man with a thick mustache comes out from behind the box. Linen shirt, linen trousers and a wool jacket with wide pockets. His clothes are old but cared for and clean.

"We're ready," Defne says.

The man raises an eyebrow and looks at me. "This friend doesn't look much like an adventurer."

"Because he isn't."

"What does he do?"

"Nothing. He just whines."

I don't say anything.

"If he's setting out with us he'll take hold of some part of the work. No free transport." Then he turns to me. "Can you drive a pumper?"

"What?"

"You can, you can. There's wind anyway."

A thin tall man comes out of the box. He sizes me up quickly and shakes his head. "We're missing the morning wind."

We quickly get on the 'pumper' and set out.

As I guessed, this thing is a handcar. The kind from old films that runs on muscle power. But this one's design is a bit different. It's closed in with tall panels of mixed wood and leather. A tarpaulin is pulled over the top. There's a tiny window at the front. Defne is sitting on a locked chest looking out the window. In the back part there are a lot of sacks and wooden boxes.

Much faster than walking. But much louder and shakier.

AH!

My whole body hurts.

TUNK... TUNK... TUNK... TUNK...

Is this normal?

I’d seen rail-vehicle components being manufactured. But rail systems are a separate engineering discipline.

Nobody but me finds the situation odd.

While the tall man works the lever in the middle rapidly up and down, the old trader adjusts the small sail above us that's patched everywhere.

"The wind is with us," the old trader says, turning to me. "You're lucky." Then he comes and sits next to me. "Where are you coming from, where are you going?"

I look at Defne involuntarily. She's busy watching outside.

"You're from the domes, I think."

I wonder what would happen if I said yes to this question. "I don't know the domes. I came from far away."

"If you’ve never heard of them, you must have come from very far away."

"I don't remember much, actually. I have a memory problem."

"That’s rough. I also fell out of a tree when I was little. Since that day my ears ring in the evenings. But I'm used to it now."

"Yes…"

"Defne said he's not an adventurer, but you have a watch. Are you an official or something?"

"An official?"

"You know, the Ankara lot. You don't know them either?"

"Ankara? The Ankara we know?"

"Is there an Ankara we don't know?"

An Ankara official… Is he talking about the government?

"Where did you find this one?" He turns to Defne, laughing.

"I'm taking him to the guild," Defne says. "Apparently he's going to be an adventurer."

Even the silent trader, who neither talks nor reacts throughout the journey, snickers.

"Haha! Adventuring is hard, friend," the talkative trader says. That's how I'll refer to him from now on. "It's not like in the old ones' tales. Don't trust the watch on your arm either. I've carried the corpse of a level thirty-six man to Ankara."

"For a respawn?" a stupid question comes out of my mouth.

"To take the watch off."

"Why do they take the watch off?"

"Hah! To put it on another sucker, obviously."

So it ends when you die…

"What level are you, by the way?"

"Well… Zero…"

The talkative trader laughs again. Then he turns serious all at once. "Adventuring is dangerous but wearing a watch is more dangerous. Find a way and get it off while you're at the start of the road."

"What's dangerous about it?"

"Didn't they tell you when they put it on? The watch affects you. It takes over your brain. Don't tell me you haven't heard of the Obur."

"The Obur?"

"A railman's appeared," Defne says.

The tall man lets go of the lever. He takes a small bundle out of the sacks in the back. Then he comes to the door and shouts.

"What's happening?" I say to the talkative trader.

"We've come to the railman," he says. "We have their provisions."

"A railman?"

"Where in the world are you from? Across the sea?"

I wish I could tell him.

"Railmen, that's all. The people who handle the maintenance and security of the rails. Since they live alone far from the villages we meet their needs this way."

The tall man throws the bundle in his hand out the door. Outside, in front of a small hut, someone with a long beard catches the bundle. Then he shouts "Clear roads!" after us.

The information bombardment keeps coming one on top of the other. Can this world introduce its mechanics a little slower?

Speaking of needs… I open my own bundle. There's bread, cheese, eggs, dried meat and fresh vegetables. Thank you, old man!

Everyone but me is full. While I'm having my breakfast the talkative trader tells me about the journeys he's made with adventurers and the difficulties of this work. Then he and the tall man swap places. The tall man isn't very talkative. Luckily the old trader can keep talking while he works.

From what I understand watch users are rare and the watch has a number of side effects. I want to examine the watch as soon as possible but there's never an opportunity.

After we've gone about an hour Defne says there's something on the rails. We stop.

"Animal corpse," Defne says. "Could be a trap."

"If it's bandits don't take the risk," the talkative trader says. "We pay our tribute and pass."

"If you're going to pay tribute why did you take me along?"

"Goods can be replaced, a life can't."

Defne doesn't answer. She draws the machete at her waist and slips outside quickly.

The silent trader takes two weapons out of the back. A single-sided axe with a long handle and a long pole with a pointed metal tip. He hands the axe to the old trader and moves in front of the door.

"Stay inside," the talkative trader says to me. He also moves to the back of the vehicle.

I look outside through the hole at the front. We're surrounded by scrub. It's hard to see anything through this small hole either. A deer carcass is lying on the rails. It looks like an animal attack.

Defne advances carefully with the machete in one hand and a knife in the other, looking around her. By the way, unlike her knife converted from rebar, her machete is quite beautiful.

Defne stops all at once. She raises her weapons forward and pulls back with quick steps. "Jackals!"

As she says it three jackals leap out in front of us from among the bushes.

"They've surrounded us!" one of the traders says.

"There are too many!" the other trader says.

"The alpha is here!" Defne says. "Keep the others busy." She comes back to the front. She shouts toward the big jackal in the middle and bangs her weapons together. Big sparks come off. The jackals don't come closer. But they don't move off either.

They're waiting.

The traders in the back shout too, they hit things around them and make noise. I can hear the jackals growling. They don't look like they're leaving. I need to do something. I can't stand here doing nothing while everyone is fighting outside.

Grace! What do I need to do?

Grace: Calculating… There is not much you can do with your current skills.

What kind of military watch are you!? Do some tactics or something!

Grace: The GRACE system does not work that way. Besides, if I solve every problem, what will you do?

Ugh! Though you're not wrong…

Think, Orhun! What can you do?

While I'm thinking, the two flanking the alpha make a move toward Defne. She springs to the side, spins on her heel and hits the back of the jackal nearest her. Then without losing speed she makes a move toward the alpha. But the other jackal turns quickly and cuts her off.

Although the jackal Defne hit groans in pain, the wound it took doesn't look serious. It takes position to attack again.

I've understood Defne's aim. Take down the alpha and break up the pack. We can't fight all of them.

I need something that will break up the pack…

Something that will frighten animals…

Fire!

I open my bag quickly. Lighter, and I tear a few pages out of my notebook for tinder. But what am I going to burn?

I try to break one of the wooden crates in the back.

Damn it! I'm too weak. I take one of the empty ones. I put the papers and my cloth food bundle on top of it. Then I light all of it.

I managed to get the papers and the cloth going. But the wood doesn't burn. The oily rags on the floor catch my attention. Oil is essential for the vehicle's mechanism. But I don't have time to look for it. I throw the oily rags on top of the box and go outside with the box.

"Heeeeeey!"

Defne and the jackals look at me in astonishment. I put the box between me and the jackals and throw all the dry grass I found on the ground onto the fire.

Damn it! I smothered the fire. "Come on little fire."

Defne takes the box and blows hard. Everything goes up in flames at once. Smoke starts pouring off the box. Then she approaches the jackals step by step. The jackals pull back growling.

Defne shouts at me, "Drive the pumper, I'll clear the way!"

I run to the back. The traders are dealing with three jackals.

"We have to go," I shout. The tall trader says he can hold the jackals on his own. The other one jumps inside. Together we get the vehicle moving.

"Check the road!" the talkative trader says.

I look through the hole. The wooden box has started to burn. Defne has reached the deer carcass and is dragging it to the side. The jackals haven't gone but they're waiting.

"The road will be clear by the time we get there," I say.

He turns to the tall one. "Jump in! We're opening the sail."

With the sail opening we speed up.

"Will Defne be able to get on?" I ask.

At that moment Defne comes flying inside. "They're following," she says and takes a long pole and moves to the door.

The traders haul on the levers with everything they have. We keep speeding up. The gap between us and the jackals opens quickly. At a point where my arms have gone numb they disappear from sight.

Yesterday my legs, today my arms gave out.

I quietly move to a corner and collapse.

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END OF COMBAT

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Kills ............. 0

Assists ........... 0

Damage ...... 0

Healing …...0

Direct combat contribution: NONE

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But: Resource use ... fire [improvised]

Deterrence ........ successful

Team protection ... indirect

Vehicle security ....preserved

Cargo security ..... preserved

Assessment: Conventional combat contribution zero. Also the protection duty was not assigned to you, but you were a good team player and thanks to you nobody died.

XP: +25

Total: 50 / 100

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Better than nothing...

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BESTIARY UPDATE

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Entry #002: Mutant Jackal Data quality: ████████░░ 78%

Species: Canis aureus [mutant]

Mass: 22-28 kg (normal: 8-15 kg)

Pack: 6-12 individuals, led by an alpha

Tactics: Encirclement, deception

Weak point: Temporary dispersal when alpha is killed

Weakness: Fire

Danger: Low individually, high in a pack

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"Look at the bastards!" the talkative trader says. He hadn't spoken at all while we were fleeing. "They've learned to set traps."

"There were rumors at the guild," Defne says. "So they were true."

"As if bandit jackals weren't enough, now these animals have come down on us too." He takes the handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes his forehead. The man is covered in sweat.

"If you see Yonca, report it. Let her take precautions."

"Seeing Yonca is a miracle. She's nowhere around these days."

"She's busy with the train." Defne moves to the front and starts watching the road again.

"The train's work never ends! She dropped trading, it's all train and nothing else."

"Thanks to the train you can go back and forth on these roads."

"I have absolutely no objection." He fans himself with his handkerchief trying to cool off. "We eat bread thanks to her. May her work go well. But now she's gone mad over the train. They say she even neglects her family."

"She's trying to expand the train network, is that a bad thing?"

"Let her protect the road we have, we'll look at expanding later."

I wonder what kind of train they're talking about? Passenger or freight? The nuclear war must have set humanity back quite a bit. Given that there's a train, at least 1800s technology exists. But what else is left over from the old world?

150 years is a very long time. People must have hidden in shelters or in places far from the big cities during the war.

So when did they come out? When was the train network set up? How wide is it?

"Lighting the fire was clever!" the talkative trader says, cutting into my thoughts. "Good thinking."

"Yes… It came to me all at once."

"You don't have muscle power but you have head power. Your hands are skillful too. Lighting a fire in a short time isn't everyone's business."

Hmm… I guess lighter technology doesn't exist.

"Though if you come from the dome they have their magic devices. Do you have anything like that? I could buy it."

"No… I used your oily rags. They catch flame quickly."

"Clever boy. Cleverness gets work done in adventuring too. If you find a party you can get work done. But my opinion on the watch is fixed. Watches are dangerous."

I look at Defne out of the corner of my eye. She's somewhere else entirely.

We go for another hour. When the wind starts blowing from the side they close the sail. Apparently there's a risk of the vehicle tipping. Onward with arm power. Luckily they don't ask for help from me.

The sun rises. The air gets well warmer. I've gotten quite used to the shaking and the noise by now. I watch outside through the door. Wide steppe. Building wreckage in the distance.

Before long the building wreckage gets closer. And its numbers increase. Then small settlements appear. Stone and wood houses and tents. People start appearing. There are a lot of people outside. Far more than in the village. Like a small city.

"We're here," Defne says.

The vehicle slows down.

"Thank you very much," the talkative trader says. "If it weren't for you we'd have died. Especially you, young man."

"Thanks," the tall one says to me.

Something stirs in the grave where my pride is buried. "Ehe… Don't mention it."

When I get off the vehicle my body keeps shaking. The tunk sound is still in my ears.

We're at a big station. More accurately we're at the small part of a big station. The place is swarming with people. Everyone is rushing somewhere. Two handcars stand in front of us. They're loading goods from a cart hitched to enormous donkeys. Another handcar moves onto the other train rail. There's more than one rail line. I think this place is something like a hub.

Another cart approaches the station. What's pulling this one isn't a donkey but a dog. A Kangal dog. Much bigger than the ones I remember. Almost as big as a horse. And… two-headed.

Are you serious?!

"Welcome," a voice says behind me. A big, heavyset man. Not like an adventurer. His clothes are cloth and linen. But different from the traders too. He has a formal air. A green badge on his chest, two parallel lines with a dot in the middle. And a short sword hanging at his waist. He must be someone with authority.

"How was the journey?"

"Terrible," the talkative trader says. "Jackals set an ambush, the animals."

"The animals? So the rumors were true. The animals are getting smart."

"The roads have become thoroughly dangerous. If you see your boss, pass on our complaint, chief."

"I'll definitely pass it on." Then he turns to Defne. "Welcome to you too. Who's the friend?"

"He came from far away. His memory is wiped. So I brought him to the guild."

"Interesting. I won't keep you then. Welcome again."

We say goodbye to the traders and leave the station. There's a long avenue in front of me. The right side leads to an area like a market. The left side consists of widely spread buildings. The smell of fresh bread comes from the first building.

Defne drags me along without letting me look around. We cross the avenue quickly. At the end of the avenue a huge stone building waits. This place…

I know this place. I've been here before, on a university trip.

Sultanhanı Caravanserai. The biggest caravanserai in Anatolia. We're in Aksaray!

When they said guild center not much had come to my mind. Maybe an old university building. Because 150 years is a very long time. Most structures wouldn’t last fifty years without maintenance. The only exception is stone buildings. Stone's superiority over metal. No corrosion. No fatigue. No joints.

The tour guide had explained that this place was built in the time of the Seljuks. This structure has been standing here for almost a thousand years.

I'm in my own country's nuclear dystopia. We even have our own structures and our local mutants…

Even if they're knockoffs…

My eyes have misted over…

"Don't stand around gawking, walk!" Defne says, pushing me.

We approach the door. Neither time nor war has affected it. It still has the same magnificence. Even the motifs on the stones are still there. Only the door has changed. It says 'Adventurers Guild' on the door and there's a d20 symbol.

"Easy watch," Defne says to the guard at the door.

"Welcome," the guard says. There's an iron badge on his chest. "I hope the quest went easy."

"The quest was easy. We had a bit of trouble on the journey."

"Bandits?"

"No, animals. And they've become more dangerous than bandits."

"I've heard similar things from other adventurers too. Outside is getting more and more dangerous."

"We'll find a solution."

"True." Then he turns to me. "Who are you?"

"He's with me," Defne says. "According to what he says he came from far away. He doesn't remember anything. But he has a watch. I brought him to Master Hakan to question him."

"You did well. Go on, go inside."

As we go through the wooden door and pass behind the two-meter stone walls my watch vibrates.

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NEW REGION DISCOVERED◈ SULTANHANI

Trade Center + Guild Center

Estimated population: 500-600

Discovery reward: +100 XP

XP: 150 / 100

LEVEL UP! Level 0 → 1

Congratulations! You leveled up. You gained one skill point.

WARNING! Spent skill points cannot be refunded.

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