Chapter 38

  Silver Springs was a proper city. I’d expected a small town, considering how Cogni had felt sparsely populated and minimalistic. Less town, and more steampunk, industrial village. Silver Springs however, felt like a city. Sure, it wasn’t as large as a major city back home, but for all intents and purposes it looked to be much closer to what I’d grown up around, rather than not.

  As we walked along the dirt path to it, the city itself, which sat on either side of the massive river of water, sprawled out before us. It looked like the outskirts of the city was residential, far as I could tell, the buildings looking like single-story homes, well, townhomes. Multiple units connected together, stretching off into the horizon. At the city’s limit, the dirt path became proper roadway, and further into the city, larger and larger buildings rose up.

  It reminded me in a way of a pyramid, cut down the middle by the river, the center point of the city consisting of the tallest, towering structures. Within the very center of the city, floating within the sky itself, suspended by who knew what, was a large, glowing crystal. And as we neared the city, I noticed from it a shimmering energy, which arced out in all directions, creating a dome around the city’s footprint.

  “Welcome,” Guy said as we paused, so I could take in the view for myself. The crystal had to be the size of a car, easily, and it pulsed like a heart, “to Silver Springs.”

  “Do all the major cities have floating crystals like that?” I asked, stupidly, as I pulled my gaze away from the gem, eyes trailing down the six or seven story buildings at the center of town. The streets were filled with people walking too and fro, there Mun following happily after them. Some people moved with the obvious speed enhancement of things like Pep Step. Others peddled bikes, while others zipped too and fro on motorized, in some way, contraptions. Here and there, I spotted transportation in the form of carriages pulled by Mun, as well as autonomous things that reminded me of buses.

  “They do,” Guy answered with a nod. “I’m not sure if the Old Man back at Cogni mentioned it, but every town has a ward.”

  “That he actually did, surprisingly,” I commented, adding the last bit as a biting remark, considering the man had apparently forgotten, or chosen, to not tell me quite a bit it seemed.

  “Well, with small towns, their wards are powered by the crystal within the Mun Center.” He pointed to the massive floating gem, “for the Major cities, that is the nine cities where the Keepers Reside, the ward is powered by a much larger crystal.”

  “So, that’s not the crystal within the Mun Center,” I said with a smirk, “good, because I was worried about how I’d go about touching it.”

  Guy laughed at that, before he continued. “It is still in the center of the town. Directly below the Guardian Crystal, which is what those massive, floating crystals are called, is the Mun Center. The Mun Center of Silver Springs is actually built over the river, and it’s crystal juts upwards from the water, with the building built around it. It’s actually rather impressive to see in person.” He smiled at me, as if the thought of showing it to me excited him.

  “Since they’ve got a special name,” I began, glossing over the potentially pretty architecture he’d mentioned, “are the Guardian Crystals special? Like,” I motioned around the city’s edge, “obviously Silver Springs is much larger than Cogni, but… what else?”

  “For someone keen on just training up Mun, you’re awfully keen Taylor,” Guy said softly, his smile betrayed by his moustache, “but yes, they do offer additional perks. Guardian Crystals prevent anyone from starting a Mun Battle within the city, save for in the Keeper’s Hall. Additionally, within the city, the Guardian Crystal will ensure any Mun, no matter its level, will not rampage against its owner or cause any issues. Furthermore, obviously, the barrier it emits keeps wild Mun at bay. And,” he began walking, directing me to follow him. I did so, all my Mun put away for the moment, including my brand new Graven, and the mysterious Glimmer-ish, the golden Shimmer-ish I’d recently acquired. “Guardian crystals ensure each city has the perfect environment for human habitation at all times.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  I shivered as I passed through the barrier, the tingle of the mystical power rushing over my skin, as if I’d walked through a warm shower. Immediately I noticed the air was crisp and clean and fresh, in a way that even exceeded the air outside of the barrier. The temperature was perfect, and just as Guy said, it felt… perfect. I received a bit of a tingle to my mind and left hand, and saw a new message in my vision.

  Welcome to Silver Springs

  The message said. I closed it, and a new message appeared.

  Guardian Crystal Integration commencing…

  My gauntlet heated up more, and I winced as a slight pressure built in my skull. Like an oncoming migraine. Guy waited, watching me. It was clear he knew this was going to happen. Why hadn’t he warned me? I flinched as the pressure hit a crescendo, and then subsided.

  Guardian Crystal Integration Complete. Access to Silver Springs Public System now available.

  “Should I even ask, or just try it out myself?” I asked Guy.

  “It’s worth looking at later, though kind of pointless right now, since I’m here. Essentially you can use the public system to order transportation, or call forth an invisible guide arrow to take you to the various shops, restaurants, temporary lodging facilities, etc within the city limits. It will show you a list of all such buildings, which you can filter as you choose, along with descriptions if the shopkeepers or such decided to add them. There’s also ratings given to the various locations by well, everyone, which helps not only guide your decision, but also encourage those with shops or services within the city to provide top quality goods and services.”

  “So, I’ve got a built in Yelp, neat.” I answered, more than a little impressed with the feature of the world, and doing my best to keep my mind from pondering how all of this was possible. Rule number one I had for myself within this strange new world. Do not try to deep dive into the magical system, because that was almost certainly a sure way to confuse myself and cause unnecessary headaches.

  “I do not know what a Yelp is, but, I’m going to assume it’s something from your world.”

  “Pretty much did what you said this Public System does, minus the whole in my mind bit. Honestly,” I glanced at Guy, “you have no idea how convenient your world has made so many things.”

  “If you think that’s convenient,” Guy replied, “I can only imagine how terrible the world you’ve come from actually is.” He shivered at the thought, “this is such a basic thing, all things considered.”

  “Yeah, don’t think too hard about it,” I said, giving him the same advice I had for myself, “just know I am really happy to be here, and excited for my life far away from the world I came from.”

  “Do you figure the rest of the Travelers from your world will feel the same way?” Guy asked, his eyes suddenly sparkling in that ‘business’ kind of way. “Are there any special things you can think of now, that may especially peak the interest of others? Anything you think us Traveling Guys should make sure to mention, or offer up, when we run into Travelers new to Mutopia?”

  “Well, I can’t speak for the others,” I said, wondering then just how many had come here from my world. Would I run into them? Were they spread across the world? Would one of them, as the Mayor had claimed, defeat Liz and bring down the Disciples of Grand Nox? Not my problem, either way. “But,” I continued, “guiding them to the nearest large town, and,” I stressed, “the nearest Mun Center, as well as where to challenge the Keeper, would likely go a long way to earn good will.” I gave him a knowing grin as he shot a look at me. “And, you know, just all the sorts of things you’ve been teaching me over the last few days. It’s been extremely helpful, and, well, it means a lot.”

  His smile was soft as he looked at me, kind eyes staring down into mine, in a way that almost felt… fatherly.

  “It’s been my pleasure, Taylor,” he said gently, before he looked towards the center of town. “And, now then,” he cleared his throat, “I’d be a terrible tour guide, if I didn’t lead you to your preferred destination. There’s time for more stories and such after you take on the Keeper, after all. Perhaps over a celebratory dinner, my treat, once you advance your Tamer’s Gauntlet up to Tier 1.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I answered, excitement fighting to turn my steps into hurried skips. This was it. I was finally here. And, soon, very soon, once I healed up my Mun, I’d get to challenge the Keeper. Defeating the Keeper would not only ensure my Mun listened to me up to level 30, but also, would give me access to the next bit of being a Tamer. And I was more than a little eager to find out what exactly Augmenting Stones would do to my battle plans. Not to mention… I thought as I looked at my gauntlet, I was just looking forward to adding a bit more sparkle to the magical gauntlet that covered my left hand. Because who didn’t like shiny things?