10 Chapter 10: The Human Quarter

The Gemini twins led the way, and the dwarf Kevin followed directly behind them without saying another word. Luca wasn't sure where his spot was until Dominic dipped his hand, ushering him into formation. "My responsibility is to keep up the rear guard. You can walk in front of me."

He did as he was instructed to do and followed directly behind the three co-leaders of the Legends Guild. Luca watched as the bookish looking man split off from the group heading straight towards the arrival portal and stepped through it.

Where does the gateway lead? Back to the surface, I guess. I had thought it was a one-way trip. That seems odd. What's he even doing? Luca thought to himself, suspicious of the man's actions. "What about him? Shouldn't we wait for him to be finished or to come back?" Luca asked as he turned to look over his shoulder and ask Dominic.

Dominic reached forward and grabbed Luca on the shoulder with his alien-like hands and pulled him close, whispering the answer. "It is said there is no such thing as a dumb question, and I'm usually prone to believe it, but there are questions with dangerous answers. Leave this one be and stay in your lane. For all our sakes. Let's just say he's off to go look for prospects on the surface."

Luca discreetly nodded and thought to himself, That seems more like a warning than a threat. I'll go with that bit of advice for now, before responding. "I understand, thanks for clearing that up, Dominic." That seemed to be the correct answer as the devil-man released his grip on Luca's shoulder, letting him go.

The five of them walked away from the arrival platform, heading in the opposite direction that Luca had tried to go earlier when following the female elf he saw. Heading down a different sloped path that led to a poorly paved road. The road leading clearly away from the highrises and stone buildings towards the more mundane and rough looking. I'm heading to the wrong part of town, I'm guessing. Luca mused to himself as he mentally prepared to enter what he assumed would be a ghetto.

One of the twins, Keira, looked behind to make sure that Luca was keeping up and must have seen the disapproving and disappointment look on his face. She spoke up, her tone filled with anger towards him. "None of these are ours. Our destination is a two-story compound our guilds share with each other. It's in the southern quarter, but still within the walls of the Hometown, so it is not as bad as it could be."

Layla turned around and joined her sister in the explanation, almost as if in apology. "We've only been able to seize one of the minor guildhalls so far, so the perks are limited. Its part of our expansion plan to work our way into one of the four prime guild halls near the dungeon portals. You wouldn't know where they were unless somebody pointed it out to you. Those belong to the elves. At least for now."

Kevin interjected, trying to be helpful and pointed a gloved pointed hand. "If you look over at those four Greek styled looking pillars, you might be able to see a sort of downward-looking staircase. Those lead to the Halls of Justice. But as my cousins said, those belong to the elves. If you value your life, stay away from them."

"He means they delight in taking any opportunity to kill us," Dominic interjected from behind, his voice low and deep, commanding all of their attention. "Understand young Luca, even as strong as the four of us are, it is beyond our ability currently to take over any of the prime guilds. The elves have no interest in giving them up, and such an endeavor will be paid for in lives and blood. When the time comes, make no mistake, we will take one. The prime guild halls offer unique advantages that help make this hellish life in the dungeon a little more bearable."

Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

Bearable? Just how bad are things down here? Luca thought as he made mental comparisons of the sprawling city life he had seen to the imagined medieval hovel he guessed they were heading towards. "What kind of perks? Is it really worth it? Asked Luca, his stomach uneasy at the thought of fighting like that, while also strangely thrilled at the prospect of it.

"Not really sure to be honest." Replied Dominic. "I've been here since the beginning, and it was never revealed in a notification. I do know, though, that the Halls of Justice are just that. They help to keep law and order within Hometown. You'll see what I mean, I'm sure. If that's any indicator, the rest will have similar uses. It's not just enough to survive. We all want to thrive."

"I think that's all of us," Luca muttered under his breath. A question lingered in his mind, something that had been nagging at the back of his thoughts. "Just how long have you guys been here?"

Kevin, the dwarf, titled his head sideways, thinking of the answer, trying to gauge the time accurately. "Not really sure, man. It's been months, at least, maybe a year. Time moves a little differently here, but not always. The last couple of prospects we picked up couldn't agree on how long it had been since emergence day, but both agreed it had been months. It's not impossible to go back to the surface if that's what your wondering, but…" His voice trailed off.

"But why would you want to." Layla finished. "Up there from what I hear has turned into literal Hell on Earth. Hometown has its issues, but at least the monsters only attack us when we're on a dive."

With all the talking, Luca didn't notice that they seemed to have changed their route a bit as they took a b-line back towards a city block more civilized than the one they had been heading towards. "Get tight everyone. Let's get out into the middle of the street. Try to not get mobbed. Were passing through their territory. Luca, I know your new, but don't do anything stupid here. Don't do anything except follow us unless Dominic or I tell you to. " Commanded Keira with a stern voice that demanded complete obedience. .

The group of five collapsed in on each other. Making sure to push Luca into the middle as Dominic brought up the rear. The devil-man's head constantly on a swivel. I imagine if we didn't look so nervous, we might seem to be pretty intimidating, Luca thought as he noticed the concerned glances that were thrown their way. In front of them, the scores and scores of demi-humans that cluttered the streets moved out of the way as the humans begged for help, and the elves glared in opened hospitality as they passed.

Luca knew then that the relationship between the two races or at least between the guild leaders and the elves was worse then he guessed when the elven shop keepers who were advertising their wares began to shout out progressively higher price points, and individually tailored promotional deals aimed at anyone who wasn't originally human. Every single elf keenly watching the group with eyes that showed more than just hostility but also greed and opportunism.

The sensation of so many eyes watching his every movement was new to Luca. I don't like this at all. This is absolutely crazy. He shuddered at the thought as his thoughts mixed with a dread forbidding sensation, as if somebody had walked over his grave, a wave of unease spreading through his body. Luca tried to figure out what was causing the feeling and looked around.

Notification: Spell Resisted – Scan

Details: Due to your higher perception status, you have resisted the spell Scan. Details about your status page have been hidden.

"Runners. Collecting information on you. You're the only one you know. The only one with wings, change makes them nervous," Explained Dominic tapping Luca on the back as he motioned with his eyes towards the small elven children weaving in and out of the crowds. "They relay information and orders to the many of the elven leaders, especially the ones unfriendly towards us, but not much to be done about that. They all do it. The shop keepers, the kids, all of them coming and going on everyday errands, they all keep tabs on us. Wouldn't want the humans to step out of line.

"Why would they need to keep track of us? Actually, why are they even here to begin with? Where do they come from?" Asked Luca in confusion, uncomfortably noticing the intensity of the stares of some of the elves around him."

"I'm not really sure." Admitted Dominic, "But I think it's far more complicated then it seems. I know at the least they act as what you might refer to as NPCs, but make no mistake their real, their blades kill, and they hold grudges.. They generally resent our presence here."

To emphasize the point, one of the youths around them, an elven boy appearing to be the age of thirteen or fourteen, picked up a piece of the cobblestone road that had broken off and threw it. The rock hit Luca in the face, splitting his check open as the rock-cut into his skin.

"Ouch, that hurt." Complained Luca as he riped away the blood. "Why didn't I resist or dodge that one?"

Kevin snickered. "Because it's a rock dumbass. You're supposed to dodge it. Or wear something or use something to protect yourself from getting dommed." The rest of the group nodded mockingly in agreement. Great, Luca complained to himself. I really do look every bit the part of a new guy.

As if to empathize with the point, another rock went sailing through the air and struck Luca. His response was immediate and unconscious as his black wings unfolded by themselves. A portal opening and a creature of shadow began to pull itself out from the nightmare plane. With an angry snarl, Luca turned to the boy who had disappeared into the crowd, walking away.

Luca had to fight back the desire to lash out at the humans who were running away in fear. His blood puled with rage, feeling an impulse to harm them as they ran away, a desire that was hard to resist. Similar to the unconscious bite of an animal, the hackles of a dog, or gooseflesh on a man. The impulse was harder to resist when another rock hit him, splitting open his forehead as blood gushed freely.

He lost control, and the ground beneath him started to pulse with crimson energy, and the pavement turned dark black. Around the group, the crowd gasped and turned to look towards the portal. Every elf stopped moving, giving the group their undivided attention. The air had become rife with tension. The few humans mixed in with the crowd as well as the demi-humans quickly scattered, running away to safety.

"Aw Christ, now you've done it." Complained Kevin, as he hit his gloved fist to the shield he was carrying, causing a sort of metallic hue to come over his skin adding layers of protection as the angry crowd directed the rocks his way, each of the stones hitting him solidly across his body without doing any damage. Kevin gave a quick look at Luca and explained. "I'm using a tank skill if your wondering." Luca felt immediate relief, and the magic that opened the portal to the nightmare realm dissipated.

Unlike the rest of the party, the twins had some measure of protection granted to them due to their elven appearance, but they didn't want to linger. Calmly they sped up their pace, anxious to leave this area behind them.

Dominic put a steadying hand on Luca's shoulder, the devil-man trying to settle him down as he leaned in and whispered. "Don't do anything rash." He explained. "They're trying to provoke you. You do anything rash here, they'll have all the reasons by whatever covenant binds them, to strike out and kill you, and none of us is strong enough to fight them off or get you out of here alive if you do." With a quick motion of his hands, Dominic cast a spell that spread a shield over the group, explaining as he did, "The dwarf might be able to incite them to attack him, but the ability doesn't prevent them from missing and hitting the rest of us."

Luca nodded in understanding, not liking it a bit, but understanding what Dominic meant. Looking at the crowd, Luca scanned every single face that gloated and mocked him, remembering every single person who threw the rocks. I'll remember all you, and your time will come. Luca promised this was a debt he would remember to repay.

Eventually, the rocks stopped coming as the crowd began to thin and eventually disperse. Happening long before the cobblestone road, they had been walking on transitioned into broken tiles, and those tiles giving way to dirt pathways. The stone buildings of superior masonry replaced by the wood boards of a makeshift shantytown. I haven't seen anything this bad since doing night strikes Luca told himself, remembering the homeless cities he used to drop off supplies with during the holidays.

"What's all of this" Asked Luca scanning his surroundings, seeing people mired in filth, much like the situation at the arrival platform, but worse. The sheer sprawl of the misery he saw made him uncomfortable, and it was everywhere. Even more so, it made him self-conscious, watching all the miserable people leaving their shacks and their hovels to come and take a look at him and the Guild leaders. "I thought we were heading towards your compound."

"This is where the magic happens," Replied the Gemini twins, finally speaking. Clearly comfortable enough to let their guard down now that they were back among humans. "This is the human quarter, and our guild headquarters is in the middle of it."

"Oh, I was afraid you'd say that this is just about what I had imagined," Luca admitted, his voice trailing in embarrassment. "I had imagined it would be you know…" had assumed it would be well." His voice trailed off, embarrassed.

"A shit hole?" Asked Kevin a knowing grin on his very bruised face. That's good to know. He can still get hurt in that from, thought Luca as he examined Kevin's face for a second before answering, deciding to be blunt.

"Yeah, a shit hole." Replied Luca, "I haven't seen anything like this outside of pictures my mom used to show me from her time with the Peace Corps. She made a big deal of wanting to be thankful for what we had. "

"Cool story," replied Kevin as he pointed out the to story compound in the middle of the quarter surrounded by wooden fencing. "That's us other there."

"Kevin, don't be a jerk." Yelled Layla, hissing at the dwarf before looking towards Luca. "Where is your mom anyways? Just how old are you? Did you come here alone?" Asked the twins, their voices comforting. Warning bells were going off in Luca's head, but he didn't know why.

"I don't really like to talk about it. My parents passed away recently." His voice heavy with emotion faked emotion. It surprised him. He had never had to pretend his feelings before and certainly not sadness.

"Hey, no problem; we've all lost somebody. Let's go inside and get comfortable; I'd like you to meet everyone, and maybe when we're done, you might want to check out the memorial we've set up. It helps to mourn and remember the people;le we've lost." Interjected Dominic sensing Luca's mood souring.