The Citadel (Mirror World Book #2) by Alexey Osadchuk

forget about them, they just have more important things to-"
    "Oh."
    "So you see. It's not just a fancy piece of fiction."
    I shrugged. What could I say? I'm not the one to teach others how to live their lives. And what's more, I hate forcing my opinion on anyone. "Thanks for the tip. Any other advice?"
    The gnome kneaded his beard, frowning. "Going there is not a healthy idea for zero levels. But seeing as you have to... My advice would be: keep your head down, don't play the hero but don't shirk the service either."
    I nodded. This was exactly how I'd planned to go about it.
    "Another thing," he added. "Lots of NPCs there. Warriors mainly. Don't try to buddy up to them. They aren't gonna like it. There's always some smartass trying to cadge a bonus quest out of the local NPCs. I shouldn't envy them. Just forget it. If a Citadel NPC decides to bestow a quest on you, he'll do it anyway. But he'll do it in his own time and at his own discretion."
    "I see. Sounds rough."
    He chuckled. "It is what it is. No one forced you to come here."
    "You could say that."
    The wasteland had ended. Kosma pulled us onto a wide cobbled road. A new system message popped up,
     
    We welcome you, O traveler, to the glorious Maragar Citadel!
    Would you like to install our free app: the Maragar Citadel and Its Environments?
     
    It was followed by another message,
     
    Warning! This location can be too dangerous for players of your level!
    If you still want to proceed, remember to touch the altar in Central Square in order to make the Maragar Citadel your new resurrection point.
     
    "They're pretty strict here, aren't they?" I chuckled, rereading the message.
    "That's game developers covering their butts. They warned you: by touching the altar, you create a new respawn point. To preclude any potential complaints."
    "How strange," I said. "As if I might get killed the moment I get there."
    "Not you, no," the gnome grinned. "You're a zero level. You might get injured, that's all. But talking about the altar... you did read the contract, didn't you? It says that the caravan undertakes to deliver you directly to the square, right next to the altar. And let me put it this way: a five-minute drive through town is more dangerous than the hour' ride through the Wastelands."
    "Oh. Did you say through town?"
    "Sure. The Main Citadel is a fortified town. About the size of five Drammens. Further along the wall there're five more fortresses located from south to north. They have their own garrisons. They all make up part of the Maragar Citadel location. It's enormous. Didn't you read the forums?"
    He asked me all the right questions. I shrugged.
    He stared at me as if I were an idiot. "More free advice," he added grimly. "Set up your bot now, entering whatever places you need to visit in the Citadel into it. Remember this isn't some cute sunlit new location. Try to move through open spaces as fast as you can. Don't stray away at nighttime. And one last thing. Keep an eye on the sky. Seven times out of ten, what kills you will come out of the sky."
    It might be a game but the shiver that ran down my spine was perfectly real.
    For the last ten minutes, the wagon had been shuddering over the rocky road. But as the shaking increased, I began to realize: this wasn't a bumpy ride but an earthquake.
    The closer we came, the gloomier Uncle Vanya grew. He kept peeking out of his cab, shouting at somebody and nervously pulling at the reins. He paid no attention to me now, too busy doing his job. Only when the wagon jumped from an especially large jolt did I hear him cussing under his breath. I didn't dare annoy him by asking what was wrong. I knew how it felt when someone distracts you when you're busy.
    He was nervous. And for him this was just another trip after possibly a hundred similar ones. Me, I was just doing my best to keep my wits about me without betraying how scared I really was.
    The wall loomed closer with every minute. A giant of a wall; a behemoth monster.