Fell thought this wasn't that bad, though she was still hungry but she won't complain, not yet at least. She sighed and leaned back against seat. Without more time being wasted they finally arrived at the entrance of the town, the guards didn't bother to check the carriage and let them enter almost immediately.
After they parked at a nearby Inn and they stepped down. "Well then little Fell, I guess we would be meeting each other very soon and don't worry about us leaving you unhandled, we will give you a few coins bur make sure to register in the adventurer's guild"
Upon hearing Rynellia's kind words Fell frowned, she was grateful for their help...but she felt like a someone who accepted a favor and couldn't return it back.
"…Thanks," Fell muttered, awkwardly tugging at the hem of her shirt as her feet touched the stone road of Silick Town. The world felt a little too solid now—more real than she was ready for. Her stomach still ached, but less sharply now that she knew food was only a few moments away.
Rynellia handed her a small pouch. It clinked faintly in her palm. "It's not much. Enough for a room, a couple of meals, and the registration fee. Stretch it if you can."
"I will," Fell said, eyes down. She hated this. The feeling of being… pitied. Helped. Carried. Even if she needed it.
Maris, watching her from the carriage, leaned on the edge of the door. "Don't look so sour. You survived, didn't you?"
Fell gave her a small glance and nodded, but her lips stayed pressed in a flat line. She couldn't help it. Once upon a time, FallTheWall was the guy other players asked for help. He tanked world bosses, cleared raids as a solo wall of steel, gave advice on streams. And now she was this.
A kid with a card deck, a hunger pang, and a pouch of charity.
"I'll pay you back one day," Fell said, more to herself than them, but loud enough to be heard.
Rynellia simply nodded, her expression unreadable again. "Then we look forward to seeing what you make of yourself."
With that, the two noblewomen turned back toward the carriage, Rynellia giving the driver a light wave to move on. As the carriage pulled away from the inn's dusty lot, Fell watched it go for a moment before turning her gaze toward the town proper.
Silick Town was… quaint. Cobblestone streets, low buildings with tiled roofs, townsfolk moving about with baskets and goods. Market stalls buzzed further down the lane. The sky was getting darker, early evening, maybe, and warm lantern lights flickered to life.
Fell took a breath. "Right," she muttered. "Adventurer's Guild."
She moved through the crowd, trying not to draw too much attention. Not that she looked that strange, but her gear screamed "newbie," and she hated the feeling of eyes that lingered too long.
As she walked, her stomach whined again—less hungry now and more… expectant. She spotted a vendor selling meat skewers sizzling over a small open flame.
One coin. One stupid coin wouldn't hurt.
The skewer hit her hands with satisfying warmth, and the moment she bit in, she nearly groaned. Her mouth felt alive again, flooded with salt, spice, and texture that was more real than anything she'd ever tasted in-game before.
She scarfed it down embarrassingly fast and wiped her mouth with her sleeve before moving on.
The adventurers guild was easy to locate, a large building made of wood and cobblestone and a sign that was written in a language she could understand that said Adventurers guild. She pushed open the door and the sound of people talking entered her ears.
She Ignored everybody and walked to the receptionist's table that had a woman with fox ears tending to a few adventurers.
Fell waited her turn, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The adventurers in front of her were deep in conversation with the fox-eared receptionist, discussing quest details and potential rewards. From what she overheard, it sounded like a standard monster subjugation request—some overgrown rats in the sewers.
When the last adventurer finally stepped away, the receptionist's amber eyes flicked toward Fell. Her fluffy ears twitched slightly as she leaned forward with a professional smile.
"Newcomer?"
Fell nodded. "Yeah. Here to register."
The receptionist hummed, pulling out a parchment.
"Name?"
"Fell Drawn."
She dipped a quill into ink and began writing. "Age?"
Fell hesitated for a moment before repeating the lie she'd decided on earlier. "Twelve."
The receptionist gave her a long, skeptical look but didn't question it further. "Race?"
"...Human." At least, she assumed so. Whatever weird game logic had put her in this body didn't seem to have messed with that part.
"Class?"
Fell hesitated again. "Card Master."
That made the receptionist pause mid-scribble. She raised an eyebrow. "Card Master? Haven't heard of that one."
"Yeah, it's… rare." That wasn't a lie.
The fox-woman shrugged and kept writing. "Alright, Fell Drawn, Human, Card Master… Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild." She pulled out a small, round token and pressed it against the parchment.
A faint glow pulsed from the contact point, and when she lifted it, a bronze-colored emblem remained imprinted on the paper. "As a new recruit, you'll start at Bronze Rank. Low-tier quests only. Work your way up, and you can get better requests with higher pay."
She slid a small wooden tag across the counter. "This is your guild badge. Keep it on you if you want to take jobs. If you lose it, replacement fees apply."
Fell took the badge, flipping it over in her palm. It was lightweight, but the engraving of her name and rank made it feel… official.
"Thanks"
The woman nodded. "My name is Lynn by the way, seeing how you are tired I would advice you go to the Inn, take a long and nice bath and come back tomorrow for quests"
Fell blinked, caught off guard by the sudden kindness in Lynn's tone. Not the formal politeness from before, but something... a little softer. The receptionist must've noticed how drained she looked.
"Yeah…" Fell muttered, fingers closing around the badge. "That sounds like a good idea."
Lynn leaned her elbow on the desk and tilted her head. "It's not a race, you know. We get a lot of new faces thinking they have to prove themselves right away. Burn out, get hurt, or worse." Her amber eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't strike me as stupid. So don't be stupid."
Fell gave her a crooked, tired smile. "I'll try not to be."
Lynn smirked, tail flicking once behind her. "Good girl."
That caught Fell off guard enough to make her ears go hot, and she quickly turned on her heel before she could get teased for blushing. "Right. Thanks. See you tomorrow."
"Bright and early," Lynn called after her, already turning her attention to the next adventurer stepping up to the counter.
Fell stepped out of the guild building and back into the cool dusk air.
The town was slowing down, lights glowing warmly behind windows, conversations dimming into murmurs and laughter. She could see the inn Rynellia's carriage had stopped by earlier—nothing fancy, but it looked sturdy and warm, and more importantly, it had a sign with Vacancy scrawled across it.
She walked toward it, her boots clicking on the cobblestone. The ache in her legs was more noticeable now that she had nothing urgent to do. The moment she stepped inside, the innkeeper—a plump middle-aged woman with a welcoming smile—looked up from behind the counter.
"You look like you've had a long day, dear," the woman said. "Need a room?"
Fell reached for the pouch and counted out the coin amount listed on the sign. "Just for one night."
"Breakfast comes with it," the woman said as she handed over a small iron key. "And the bath's upstairs to the left. Heated, too."
Fell gave a quiet nod of thanks and made her way to her room. It was small, but the bed looked soft enough, and there was even a small window facing the street. She dropped her pouch and badge on the nightstand, slipped out of her boots, and stared at the unfamiliar reflection in the polished mirror on the far wall.
The girl staring back at her had orange hair, tired eyes, and a softness to her face that didn't match how heavy her chest felt. This wasn't FallTheWall. This was Fell. And she'd better get used to that.
The bath was steaming when she stepped into it—old stone and wood soaked with heat, and a few simple soaps and towels nearby. She hesitated for a moment and then slowly undressed, her clothes felt wet and sticky she should probably was them since she has no other clothes available.
When she was done, she could feel the warm radiating from the bathtub graze upon her body, She looked down and a weird thought came to her mind. She did not feel embarrassed she then slowly entered the bath.
If Fell could see her back, she would be slightly startled, on it was a strange mark that resembled six stars surrounding a card with a strange demonic language on it.
While she was enjoying her bath, a few buildings away a man with purple hair and black eyes stood atop of a building, on his waist were two card decks delicately strapped. "The princess is safe for now, I should report to the main family head after I buy a few clothes for her, Can't let the young miss walk around naked"
Fell would soon realize the lore she created for her character has become a reality in this world and has a very terrifying background.
The bathwater wrapped around Fell like a blanket she didn't know she needed, the heat sinking deep into her tired bones. For the first time since waking in this strange new version of her joke character's body, she allowed herself to relax—just a little.
She leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, the soft slosh of water the only sound around her. A strange calm settled in her chest, almost unnatural. She could feel her heartbeat—not fast, not slow, just… steady. A rhythm that wasn't entirely hers, like it echoed from somewhere else, syncing with something older.
That mark on her back pulsed faintly, almost like it was responding to the bath's heat.
Unaware of it, Fell exhaled and shut her eyes. "Just… one step at a time," she whispered to herself. "Guild, food, get stronger, figure out what the hell is going on. No big deal."
The bath helped. So did being clean. So did having a door she could lock and a bed that didn't smell like wet hay.
Meanwhile, just outside the inn, the purple-haired man dropped from the rooftop like a shadow cast too long. He landed without a sound, hands tucked in the pockets of his long coat. The merchants didn't see him. The townsfolk didn't feel him. But something—something in the air around him bent ever so slightly, like a ripple in calm water.
He made his way through the quiet streets, pausing only once as he passed a dress shop.
"Mm. Something simple, but elegant… with room for concealment if needed." He tapped his chin, then smiled faintly. "And orange. Has to be orange. The young miss was always particular about that, even before she knew why."
He turned his head, as if hearing a distant voice. Then: "Yes, yes. I'll return soon. But if we don't get her ready before the Heralds awaken, it'll be too late."
He raised an eyebrow. "Her seal is still intact, she will receive an Activator and unlock the form cards once she reaches level 10 also don't you think allowing her to come all the way to the Northern continent would make her think she is not being watched?"
The voice in his mind—or whatever it was—didn't respond immediately. Instead, a faint pressure lingered at the edge of his thoughts, like a whisper curling around his consciousness..
He sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Fine, fine. I'll be careful. She's already suspicious, though. That stubborn streak of hers hasn't faded, even if she doesn't remember why."
With one last glance at the inn's upper floor, he turned and disappeared into the night, his presence fading like mist on a warm morning.