"Evenin',... sir."
Anzu stuck his staff into the sandy ground and instinctively pulled out his puffing pipe from a thin, long pocket on his robe. The pipe was equipped on his person in the keepsake slot. Good thing he managed to hang on to that at least.
In a practiced fashion, he turned the pipe upside down and began tapping the bowl to remove any old leftovers of ash. The best approach to the kind of specimen this guard represented was to let them stew in their own juice for a little bit. Filling his pipe and lighting a bowl seemed just the right type of approach to take.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to go through with the routine. The pipe wasn't enough. He needed to fill it up with something to smoke, and puffing leaf was always stored separately in the inventory. The latter was empty, of course; he just remembered.
'You wouldn't happen to have any puffing leaf on you, eh?' Anzu pointed at the quiet guard with the stem of his pipe.
"Nah, .... sir. Only some chewing leaf."
Anzu just slowly began pushing his pipe back into the keepsake pocket.
"Ah, that's okay."
Making sure no button around the pipe was undone in a slow and careful way was visibly driving the guard crazy, but he still remained silent.
"So, my fine fellow, I take it we have an understanding, you and I?"
The guard nodded several times adamantly.
"Oh, yes, sir."
"I didn't see you, and you didn't see me."
Anzu was about to walk away when he turned on his right heel and pointed at the guard with his staff.
"But your... extracurricular activities. Best to not make a habit of that. Find a nice hobby perhaps."
The guard nodded very enthusiastically again.
"Of course, sir. What a good idea."
Back when this was actually a game, Anzu wasn't as charitable. But concessions had to be made if this was a real world. It certainly felt like it. And smelled like it, too, especially in the close proximity of that guard.
No matter how he chose to look at it, though, he had to make sure that bandit didn't spill the beans about his Blood Magic practice. At least that is what he thought gave him that Bounty Karma increase. It definitely didn't occur after he used the simple telekinetic spells on the lizards. But it was impossible to tell, so erring on the side of caution was to be his modus operandi for now.
"Anzu? You coming or what?"
Itani was waiting for him at the edge of the Ningirsu Bridge, the formal entrance into the city of Lagash. Its stone foundation pieces had the same appearance as ever, while the decorative brickwork on top, so typical of Mesopotamian architecture, looked somewhat decayed and generally unmaintained.
A sensation awoke in Anzu, stemming from the Anni-side of him. He didn't consider this before, but this world would be more interesting to him than he imagined. As Anni was a historian by education, specializing in ancient Mesopotamia, witnessing this historic architecture, the world itself, but be an absolute joy. That was one of the reasons why he'd chosen to play the Age of Menhirs in the first place, all those years ago. But experiencing it in-person? Well, that was something else.
The fired bricks on the bridge he was observing were made from clay in the usual Sumerian fashion. They'd lost their usual shape and were beginning to acquire a rounded look at the edges; the eventual fate of all clay material when exposed to enough rain. It wasn't quite the Lagash he remembered from the game. It looked more aged.
"Sorry. Here we go," Anzu gestured at Itani to proceed across the bridge.
"That guard seemed familiar."
"Yeah. That's why I stopped to talk to him. It was the bandit who attacked us before."
Itani's brows furrowed as she took on an angry expression.
"By the gods. The saddest thing is that it doesn't surprise me at all. Corrupt guards. What a blasted treat."
Anzu couldn't agree more. Though something was bothering him.
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"You know, he spoke Akkadian, that guard. I was expecting Sumerian," his right eyebrow lifted as he scratched his beard.
Another morsel of historical goodness. Anni had studied Sumerian, as well as Akkadian, and could read the mysterious jagged symbols they were written in, usually termed as cuneiform. But he was expecting everyone to speak Sumerian. The game was based in Sumerian times, after all.
Itani's face lost all seriousness, and her mouth widened.
"Wait, what? Where have you been for the past two hundred years? It's mainly Akkadian you'll hear in cities now."
So, over two centuries have passed since he was in this world. A trip to the archives will be a must. He desperately needed to know what was going on. And this wasn't just a matter of practicality. It was Anzu's planning side rearing its head again; a little too much so, perhaps, as the absence of any plan made him feel uneasy.
"Which part of the country do you hail from, by the way?" Itani quickly changed the topic, apparently not wanting to grill Anzu over his background.
"It's a small town to the south-west of the country. Larsa."
"Ah, Larsa. Nice place, yeah. I suppose they do still speak Sumerian over there."
She was trying to fill the silent pauses in their conversation and smooth over any awkwardness. It was much appreciated, since he wasn't the sort of conversationalist to do that.
"But you don't seem as tanned as the people from around here...or Larsa."
Ah, of course. He absolutely knew that creating a character that resembled his tan, a Caucasian tan, would come to haunt him at some point. But most people do that, except they don't need to physically live in that world then.
"Oh, dear, I've put my foot in it again, haven't I?"
"No, it's fine," Anzu managed a brief smile this time. "My parents weren't from around these parts. But, otherwise, I'm Sumerian born and bred. Well,... at least bred."
He was saying awkward things because he hadn't prepared for this conversation. But who considers their origin story as soon as they're transported into another world? Itani, at least, enjoyed herself. He could see her grinning widely, trying not to laugh.
By now, they had crossed the bridge of Ningirsu and approached the city walls. They seemed significantly taller than in-game and more imposing. Anzu's breath hitched as he observed the intricate Mesopotamian brickwork, especially the jagged, tooth-like merlons on the battlements, a classic hallmark of ancient Middle-Eastern wall design. He never thought he'd get to see something like this in person. It didn't matter at all that they were slowly decaying; presumably again due to lack of maintenance.
"So, what's the plan? It's not night yet, so the merchants' stalls should still be open. And I might need to pop over to the Ranger's Guild."
"Yes, I need to go to the bazaar, as well. To sell these skins you gave me and look for some more supplies."
"Alright. How about we go to the bazaar together, and then we can regroup at the Salty Date to plan the grinding session we spoke of earlier?"
"Oh, the Salty Date's still there? I used to love that place."
The images of a warm tavern on a cold desert night immediately curled Anzu's mouth into a faint smile. It's true he didn't do that often, and wasn't the most sociable of people, but the corner spot in the Salted Date, and a pipe-full of Utu's Leaf blend was his idea of a good, relaxing time. Add an ancient scroll he hadn't read yet to the mix, and you have, well, a very happy Sage.
"Oh, yeah. The regime shift hasn't affected it at all. At least not in a bad way; the place is more popular than ever."
"Do they still brew that Sage Ale? That was my usual drink there."
He could see Itani grinning, evidently liking how he opened up at the prospect of beer in a tavern. Usually, that sort of thing would bother Anzu, as he inherently disliked it if people could in some way figure out what he was thinking. It came off as antisocial. But he was just a very private person, and his thoughts were his temple. One that couldn't be entered without a complex key. On this occasion, though, it was the first thing that he was actually looking forward to, especially after the weirdest and longest day he had ever endured.
Besides, the dark she-elf seemed okay. Anzu didn't know enough about her to fully trust her, but it was necessary to just take your chances sometimes, he thought.
"Oh, yes, they do! And they've got a new brew now. Dark Rosemary Ale. It's nice and malty with a fresh herbal finish. Super sessionable."
"I take it you're into all things beer, then?"
"Yeah, you could say that. I'm not sure if it's a Ranger thing or not. But dodge-rolling and shooting a bow just makes me thirsty."
By now, they had reached the bazaar, which lay just a few minutes' walk from the city walls. Anzu knew this place well, but the in-game experience didn't offer any of the non-visual sensations that were present here. It was an olfactory cocktail of fish, fresh and dried, dust, hot air, and something more unpleasant, probably akin to cattle dung. Not a place Anzu would usually want to go to, but he thought of this as more of a live history lesson than anything else. Besides, he really needed to sell those skins.
"Any recommendations?" Anzu checked with Itani.
"Let's speak to the woman here. I often sell skins to her stall. She gives a fair price."
The woman was a typical merchant from these parts, wearing simple grey garments stained with oil and dirt, adorned with a single brownish pendant. Her stall offered everything from dried fish, herbs, animal skins, to various metal tools, which were mostly made of bronze, as far as Anzu could tell.
"Good evenin', my fine master. Has anything caught your eye?"
"Well, I'm mainly here to sell some animal skins. My friend here tells me you pay fairly for them."
"Oh, aye, for sure. I'll give you the best price in Lagash."
The interaction was fairly swift, as Anzu produced his stack of lizard skins, while the merchant pushed a pile of thirty silver coins towards him.
DING! You have received 30 [Silver coins].
However, he couldn't keep his eyes off the bronze tools. It was a wide selection, and it included a few sickles. He could try to buy a mana potion somewhere with the money he just got. That was the first matter he had to settle. But, as an alternative, he could try to find a golden sickle and, with it, perform the [Blood meditation ritual] to regenerate mana. That would be a more sustainable option, though a pricier one, but he had to check.
"How about sickles. Do you have any golden sickles?"
"Golden sickles? Uff, I don't think so. I've got some lovely bronze ones here, though. For golden sickles specifically, you ought to probably check with the blacksmith."
A passer-by guard stopped his patrol and pricked up his ears, clearly catching the drift of what was being discussed at this stall.
As soon as Anzu started the golden sickle discussion, Itani pulled him back quite forcefully so they got mixed in the bazaar crowd and were moving together with them now.
"What hell, Anzu? Golden sickles? Are you completely crazy?" she half-whispered into his ear.