Perhaps I should…
Before I know it, I stop walking. I glance behind me and watch that male, Teras, leave dejectedly.
He’s a few steps behind me, when I suddenly turn.
“Excuse me,” I say hesitantly.
He looks up and mutters something under his breath. He doesn’t seem to be interested in what I have to say so I quickly add, “About that mercenary work?—”
Immediately, his face brightens.
“Interested?”
The knowledge that I’m about to embark on something dangerousandillegal makes me want to say no and move on. Instead, I reply, “Please tell me more.”
24
The building is a nondescript grey. Three stories.
There is a guard at the entrance, giving anyone who approaches a mean look.
Taking a deep breath, I gather the courage to go forward.
He looks me up and down. “Password?”
“Kresva,” I answer, a bit apprehensive about what I’m getting myself into.
When I’d asked Teras about mercenary jobs, he first tried to direct me to some rundown shady building where apparently those deals went down. As much as I needed the money, I couldn’t afford any legal issues that might reveal my identity.
When I confronted Teras about the lack of safety involved, he said that’s the only way I can make quick money and that the jobs are usually for low levels and not that dangerous. Of course, I refused. It was during those conversations that he first mentioned Utopiya—but as something far-fetched that he thought was more myth than reality.
After some back and forth, I found out it was an invite-only institution and there were rumors that one could get an invite if they were deemed worthy. For that, one must go to the Bridge of Gorres at the exact time the two moons were diametricallyopposite. If deemed worthy, you get a password. If not deemed worthy….nothing happens—which is why it is considered a mythical place since most people do not pass the test.
Now that I’m here, though, I have to wonder if perhaps I should have just gone to Teras’s gathering even if it proved to be more dangerous.
The password is approved.
With a nod, the guard steps away and allows me to enter. “Welcome to Utopiya.”
A masked male greets me and guides me down a dark hallway, into a small room. Inside, the room is bare save for a red wall.
“Please step through the red wall.”
I frown at the command, but do as he says. Tentatively touching the red wall, I note how it swallows me whole. The next time I open my eyes I’m in a different dimension of sorts. In front of me, thousands of round silver tokens swirl in the air.
“Please choose one and press your thumb onto the center,” the voice of the masked male echoes.
I do as told, and the next time I blink I’m back in the room, next to the masked man.
“This will record your identity and trigger a glamor spell so no one inside the meeting can see your true appearance. You’ve probably been told already, but our institution prides itself on full privacy and anonymity. Every transaction will be done using this token.”
I glance down at my token, and note that after touching it with my thumb, a new symbol appeared on its surface.
The masked male manifests a token in his hand as he proceeds to explain the intricacies of this technology.
“Should you wish to participate in any of the exchanges, you can scan your silver token at the time of the transaction. Eachtransaction will create a liminal space where the exchange of goods takes place. We call those liminal spaces proto-realms.”
He demonstrates by pressing his thumb on the token. Within a second, ten bubbles appear above. “For multiple transactions, you simply click on the one you desire. Once the transaction has concluded, that specific proto-realm disappears.”
