Another hour later the wagon drove through the City's gate. They had finally arrived in Siellous.

Goldie could barely contain his excitement. Its buildings were up to three times taller than any in Flousshire and there were people everywhere. Those people weren't just silently walking through the streets or exchanging brief words of smalltalk either, they were constantly chattering. It was incredibly loud when compared to the nearly silent streets of Flousshire and Goldie couldn't be happier. He'd known how little social contact he had, but this sight made him realize just how large that void was.

"This is incredible"

Incredibly loud if anything. People in rural areas are so annoyingly talkative.

Rural? This place is huge!

How about you take out your notebook and remind yourself to think back on this conversation when you get to Khiziel.

No matter how much larger Khiziel is, I will not take back my words.

We will see about that one my friend.

Grumbling about Xander's lack of excitement, Goldie added another reminder to the ever-growing list in his notebook. Were he not as tired, he'd have been tempted to go out and meet some new people. Finding a comfortable place to sleep, however, proved to be a more immediate concern.

Ah shit.

What is it?

I totally forgot you have no ID. I'm sorry to say you won't be able to go to sleep quite yet.

Can't this wait?

You need it for the adventuring license.

*Sigh* So how do I get ID?

Remember when you said you didn't want to be a crook? Regrettably, you'll need to illegally acquire it.

Can't I legally get some?

You'd need to do some serious explaining then. Identification is another one of those things we Sahíl get at a very young age. You need to go somewhere where nobody will ask any questions.

Well then, at least it's a victimless crime. Where do I need to go?

Following Xander's directions, he absentmindedly autopiloted to a rather shady part on the far side of town. It was almost midnight by the time they arrived at the desired location.

Now remember: The codeword is "bird man". The guy you're looking for is called Nox.

Goldie still felt a bit uneasy about this plan, less because of the legality and more because of the less than reputable nature of their supplier. Unfortunately he did not have much of a choice.

To be allowed into a guild, or any non-public places really, it was necessary to have personal identification. Forging a fake required a skilled forger, and the ones that had managed to avoid the law were in high demand. On a positive note, he at least didn't need to get a fake name, which greatly cuts down on the cost, according to Xander

Here we are, Oluda's Inn.

To Goldie the entire building smelled of trouble. Most of the clientele was made up of small time crooks that gathered there to spend their recently 'earned' money. There was a mix of loud and aggressive, but also calm and calculative persons. This so-called "Nox" was one of the latter kind and according to Xander spent most of his time in the backroom, which was guarded by a rather fearsome looking bouncer. He was tall and wore a mix of dark leather armor with metal bracers and shoulder pauldrons. His eyes glumly scanned the room and the poor lighting added to his oppressive aura. That aura was definitely natural and not just a byproduct of high Charisma.

Xander telepathically nudged Goldie along towards said imposing character.

"Uhh, excuse me...", he managed to mumble.

"Hmm?", the bouncer unamusedly said. His eyes seemed like they could drill two holes straight through Goldie's head.

He gulped down before giving his best smile: "A nice evening is it not?"

"S'cuse me?", the bouncer dumbfoundedly responded. "What the fuck you on about?"

Goldie's smile faltered a bit at that. "I'm here for, uh, mister Nox. To talk about the recent sighting of a bird man."

"A client ey? He's busy and doesn't have time for lowborn muck down on their luck". The bouncer chuckled at his own rhyme.

After some telepathic 'encouragement' from Xander, he handed over a couple gold coins.

"Perhaps this will smooth things over?", Goldie inquired, internally wincing at the waste of cash.

The bouncer hesitated for a moment, but eventually took the money.

"I'm sure he'll be free at some point tonight. Make yourself comfortable until then mister moneybags."

After hearing the bouncer's words, Goldie breathed out a sigh of relief and wandered over to a table at the far end of the room. He didn't feel comfortable enough to sit around without anything to do, so he ordered a drink.

After what felt like an hour had passed, Goldie was too nervous to take out his clock, the door behind the bouncer swung open and some shady looking fellows came out. As Goldie got out of his seat, the bouncer motioned him to wait and went through the door. It was another twenty minutes before Goldie was finally let in.

It was surprisingly difficult for him to walk straight. Whatever drink he got had a huge amount of alcohol. Nonetheless he made it in and was greeted by a smiling man sitting at a small desk. He wore a dark blue suit and had brown hair. His face was nothing special, except he was perhaps the first person in this place that didn't have any visible scars.

"Good evening to you kind sir, what crimes have we been committing today? Any specific reason you require a false identification? I can already tell that with your curious eyes it would be quite difficult to disguise yourself; even with a professionally created forgery. I hope whatever crime you committed wasn't too terrible, or we might need to fully alter your appearance."

Goldie's inebriated mind went into overdrive to be able to parse together what he just heard and what this person wanted to hear from him. Years of experience running his shop were not of perfect use in his current state. Nonetheless, Goldie figured it was safe to assume that nobody would rather deal with a criminal than with a law-abiding citizen.

"Uhh, I haven't actually committed any crimes, I just need-", he was interrupted via Xander's telepathic link and then continued: "you don't have to worry about any crimes I've committed since I'm not from around here, I just need a new identity so I don't raise any flags".

What the fuck! I didn't say that, what are you doing Xander!?

Saving your ass! You don't want anyone to find out about your Gemeen past! You'll probably get caught and tortured or worse!

"Well then mister, does this mean you require a false name? Or would a change of code suffice?", Nox asked, stealing a glance at Goldie's overly stuffed duffel bag.

"A change of code suffices", Xander said through Goldie's body, making him severely uncomfortable.

"Very well, that is far easier to handle. I only need a sample and payment of 350 gold if you were so kind".

Xander wanted to accept, but Goldie took back control and stopped him: "Make it 200 gold. 100 now, and the rest when the forgery is completed."

"300, with 200 paid in advance", the man retorted.

"250, final offer. I'll give you 150 in advance and the rest after completion. You aren't the only forger capable of creating new code."

Goldie obviously didn't know whether there were other forgers around, but it was safe to assume so.

Haggling in the underground huh. You're a real risk taker, aren't you?

It's not a very large risk honestly. Even if they aren't legal, these dealings are just a different kind of business.

Your mercantile skills are truly incredible. Too bad you suck at everything else.

Goldie pretended not to hear the sarcastic undertone Xander praised him with.

"Alright I yield", Nox quipped. "It shall be done by tomorrow morning. I'll need that sample now."

Xander told Goldie to stretch out his hand and he hesitantly did so. Nox stabbed a needle into his arm with practiced ease and filled a small vile with blood. After having finished, Nox held out a hand, which Goldie absentmindedly stared at. After Xander 'tugged' his arm, Goldie placed the 150 gold in the forger's palm.

"Thank you, sir. Be here tomorrow at eight. Feel free to come early, but don't expect to be let in" the man explained. "If you come over twenty minutes late our contract will be void and the forgery will be destroyed. We wouldn't want to leave any evidence lying around for the guard to find. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course", Goldie curtly responded. The men bode each other farewell and Goldie finally left the shady building. It was already nighttime and Goldie decided he'd just sleep at the first place he found. It wasn't very comfortable, but at least it beat sleeping in the far end of a cargo wagon.

He dreamt of the man called Nox. His face was just like he remembered, except it seemed to be peeling off his head ever so slightly. The man was limp and unmoving, and Goldie was even able to pull off the entirety of his face. As soon as he did so, Nox's body turned into a lifeless wooden doll. The face had turned into a glowing mask.

Goldie opened his eyes.

"What in the world was that?"

It seemed as time went on his dreams became more and more bizarre. He reached into his pocket and remembered that his watch had been stolen. Instead he got dressed and checked his replacement clock. It was 7:39.

"Oh shit!"

At least he had the foresight of paying in advance the day before and rushed out the door. The inn was rather close to Oluda's, so he managed to arrive on time by jogging the whole way. He tried to look as dignified as possible, but the bouncer from yesterday still raised an eyebrow upon seeing him out of breath and sweaty.

"You ain't bringin' any trouble with you are ya?", the bouncer asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No, of course not. I merely woke up a little late is all."

The door behind the bouncer swung open as a slim bespectacled woman looked out.

"Ah, you're here. Come on inside", the woman spoke, while waving Goldie towards her.

She's cute. Why don't you ask her out?

Very funny Xander. Maybe if she weren't working for a criminal.

It's your loss if you mind it.

There wasn't much going on at this hour. The only people around were sleeping at the tables, likely having spent the night drunkenly unconscious.

Nox sat at the same spot behind his desk as yesterday. It seemed all the people he met were greeted this way.

"Please, sit", Nox said gesturing towards the seat across him.

After Goldie sat down, the forger pulled out an injector and reached for Goldie's arm.

"I was quite surprised to see absolutely no traces of your old identification in your blood" he began. "I know a bunch of people who would pay your weight in Soleilum to get a full cleanse. But it also makes me wonder if you truly didn't do something terrible. Why go through all that effort?".

Once again Xander seized control of Goldie's words: "I'd rather not talk about my exact background. Just know that I'm from far away and definitely won't be recognized here without my old identification. People here don't even know who I am."

"Indeed..." Nox supposed. "I guess it makes sense with that last name and large bag you were carrying. Have fun with your new identity mister Jefferite."

"Of course. My most gracious thanks."

Nox jabbed the injector into Goldie's arm and the slightly luminescent liquid entered his bloodstream. Nox then pressed a turquoise sheet of paper against Goldie's skin, upon which a list of his most basic information was displayed.

Name Xandon Jefferite Age 33 years Level 10

After the effect had been displayed, Goldie delivered the rest of the promised payment.

Now that he had an official identity, it would finally be time to inscribe himself as a professional adventurer.