《Classroom Caravan》


 New Beginnings, Except Not Really

    4th period study hall wasn¡¯t anything to be proud of. It was a small class of 13 people stuck in a small classroom doing nothing but wait around for the period to end. Why would anyone take such a boring class full of nothing but seemingly endless amounts of time? Well, to screw around, of course. Yes, some actually did their homework, but most just slept, chatted, or played games on their phones.


    The teacher wasn¡¯t anything to be proud of either. He had a major in psychology and had come to be the school counselor, but ended up as the teacher of a variety of electives. Study hall was just the easiest one where he sat around and did nothing like his students. He¡¯d been called teacher so many times that nobody really knew his name. In fact, he¡¯d kind of forgotten about his name. He really didn¡¯t interact with his fellow faculty, so he just got used to being called teacher.


    The students weren¡¯t an exceptionally talented bunch either. They were just a bunch of kids from varying grades, though calling them kids was perhaps a bit dismissive. They ranged from freshmen to seniors, though the teacher would never stop seeing them as kids despite him being sensitive about his own age.


    Teach, who accepted with a resigned sigh long ago that his name would forever be as such, didn¡¯t even bother looking at the class list as he did roll call. Ruffled his short hair a bit, scratching his scalp, and readjusted his glasses before saying, ¡°Pepe?¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Jack ¡®Pepe¡¯ Peperoncino raised their hands, sitting at the very front of the classroom. The sun itself shone through the glass windows to highlight golden hair and a cheerful young man. From Teach¡¯s observations, he used the class in order to do his schoolwork. He¡¯d taken enough summer courses to have quite a few free periods in his final year.


    ¡°Echidna?¡±


    ¡°Echidna, lord of darkness, and destroyer of the world, is present!¡± Echidna Von Tyranicus, yes that was actually her name, somehow made the most and the least noise out of the entire class. Whenever talked to, the freshman could be heard by everyone, but until then she was as quiet as a mouse. After settling down, she pulled out her phone and boredly tapped away, immediately taking off the eyepatch that hid her heterochromia.


    ¡°Jello?¡± There was a pause. ¡°Jello?¡± Teach said it again. ¡°Jello, I know this is a formality, but could you please respond to roll call?¡±


    ¡°Huh-Oh. Yes.¡± Jello Neruoka was jabbed in the side, bringing him out of his stupor. He was an artsy sophomore, using the class period to draw. While he did plenty of landscapes and tried to rope some of his classmates into being his models (to no avail), he also did a bit of modern art. Such enthusiasm for his craft seemingly came at the expense of enthusiasm for anything else, though.


    ¡°Carmen?¡±


    ¡°Yo.¡± Carmen Rolgen didn¡¯t bother to hide how she was playing games on her phone and chewing gum despite the ostensible rule against such a thing. The junior was supposed to be in study hall in lieu of an elective in order to raise her grades, but in reality she just used the time to play on her phone. Teach, whose enthusiasm for his job had been curbed by a dwindling wage and the harshness of reality, couldn¡¯t find it in himself to go through the slog of convincing her to do anything else.


    ¡°Mina?¡±


    ¡°H-here.¡± Mina WItherspoon raised her hand, though it quickly fell down afterwards. She was a freshman who was taking study hall for reasons Teach couldn¡¯t fathom. He¡¯d had a look at her records and saw that she was a straight A student and was taking math courses far beyond her years. She did do homework in the period, but it wasn¡¯t an egregious amount or anything, she could¡¯ve very well done it at home while leaving 4th period as a relaxing elective. Whenever she wasn¡¯t doing work, she was buried in a book, which would¡¯ve led Teach to worry over her social life if it weren¡¯t for her tablemate.


    ¡°Veni?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Vinny Vinci, or as he preferred it, Veni Vidi Vici, was a problem child sophomore dumped into study hall so nobody had to deal with him. He¡¯d gotten into several fights over the past year and Teach could¡¯ve sworn that he¡¯d shown up to class with a new bruise or bandage every other day. He was seated next to Mina, which was somehow the best and worst combination somehow. ¡°Hey, Mini, the stuff you lent was good.¡± It was rocky at first, but eventually Veni and Mina became acquaintances of sorts.


    ¡°Hailey?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Teach accepted the raised hand as a good enough response. Hailey Menage was an absolute giant of a junior, taller and stronger than everyone in the class. Apparently, it came from being raised on a farm and doing a lot of work in the field. She was silent most of the time, but from the looks of it her grades were fine.


    ¡°Talle?¡±


    ¡°Teacher.¡± Talle Bleu was a sophomore who exuded a sort of cool confidence. They were a theater student and had study hall since they were taking what normally would¡¯ve been their 4th period class as an online course. Even then, their grades were middling and often spent the period watching something on their phone rather than doing their homework.


    ¡°Gallows?¡±


    ¡°But what if, he-oh yeah whatever Teach.¡± Gallows Huli stopped their sales pitch to acknowledge the count. He was short, short enough to look a grade or two younger than he really was, and was a bit obnoxious in Teach¡¯s opinion. Still, it couldn¡¯t be denied that he was lively, which was a better quality for a kid to have than being depressingly tired.


    ¡°Yolk?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool, it¡¯s cool.¡± Yolk Arisato was the other senior in the room and contrasted heavily with Pepe. Where the latter was dressed prim and proper, he dressed casually whenever possible. He had sunglasses on inside and was putting his feet up on the table for god¡¯s sake! Still, he was relaxed and didn¡¯t do all that much, just using the time in study hall to look at his phone.


    ¡°Pin?¡±


    ¡°Present.¡± Pin Sue was a bit out of place among his classmates. Then again, everyone in the 4th period study hall was a bit out of place. Where at most Pepe wore a sweater vest, Pin had on a suit and even wore a golden watch. The sophomore spent much of his time in the period working on something, though he¡¯d never gotten a good look at it.


    ¡°Aurum?¡±


    ¡°Got a cig, Teach?¡± Teach promptly ignored the request from Aurum Saltine. It was audacious and obscene to ask for drugs from the teacher of all people, but Teach had just gotten used to the junior¡¯s tendencies. She was somehow dressed formally and informally, as she was clad in a suit yet it was so frumpled that it appeared as if she was a door to door salesman or shady loan shark who had lost their job.


    ¡°Rosa?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Rosa Mariana Heironius Gambino Mehmed Molik, and yes that was her actual full name, was the final member of the class and also the least remarkable. Seriously, she was actually napping. Teach was pretty sure that she had taken the class to have it as a nap time where she wouldn¡¯t be yelled at for sleeping. She wasn¡¯t a bad student, she was passing all of her classes, it was just that she insisted on entering the realm of dreams any chance she got.


    ¡°Ok, whatever.¡± Teach sent the roll call through, confirming that the entirety of class was present. ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful Monday morning, I guess.¡± He hadn¡¯t had his coffee and it showed, with how tired he felt. Seriously! His other classes were just pure suffering and he couldn¡¯t help but feel that getting into education at all was a mistake. ¡°Huh?¡± Teach looked at the screen and saw how, for some reason, the roll call wasn¡¯t being sent. It seemed that there was a connection error. Before he could say anything else, the screen suddenly turned black, and he felt the temperature rise significantly for some reason.


    He looked up from his computer screen to see something straight out of fiction.


    Everything around him was fine. He was still in his chair, the classroom was still there, and everything else was still in place. It was what was out the windows that freaked him out. Rather than a pretty good view of the school campus and whoever was sneaking off to the restroom in order to skip a lesson, there was desert. Actual desert. The sun was making the dunes glow.


    ¡°What.¡± Teach couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself as reality set in. It didn¡¯t feel like reality, though, it felt like he was dreaming. He numbly pinched at his own cheek, trying to wake himself up from the weird nightmare.


    ¡°Huh? Where¡¯s my connection?¡± Carmen began irritatedly tapping at her phone.


    ¡°Huh-What!?¡± Pepe almost fell out of his chair as he turned to the side and noticed his view out the window was replaced by the dunes.


    ¡°...¡± The easy smirk on Yolk¡¯s face was momentarily replaced by a frown as he took off his sunglasses, staring deep out the window. He wiped his eyes and then the lenses of his spectacles, trying to come to terms with what in the world just happened.


    The others followed suit quickly. All of them noticed the changes, even Rosa woke up to see what the fuss was about! She didn¡¯t pay it much mind at first, but after a second her eyes bolted open and she was wide awake to see what the hell had happened while she was asleep. Everyone was asking questions and confused and emotions were high.


    ¡°Ok!¡± Teach knew what he had to do. Training that hadn¡¯t been put into use for years suddenly found an outlet. ¡°Everyone, be quiet, and try to remain calm. It seems like us and the classroom have been transported for some reason.¡± They heard the roof above them creak. ¡°Everyone file out, one at a time, no crowding. I don¡¯t think this room will hold much longer. Get all of your stuff, alright?¡±


    A combination of authority present within his voice and being knocked off kilter by the situation lead to everyone following his directions, walking out of the classroom in a single file line. As soon as they made it out, the classroom suddenly collapsed in on itself, having been plucked out of the building and as such it didn¡¯t have the support on its own to hold its own weight.


    ¡°Ok.¡± Teach took a deep breath in and out to calm his racing heart. They were in the middle of a desert. One moment, they were in 4th period study hall, and the next, they were suddenly thrown into the middle of the desert. ¡°Does anyone know what happened?¡± Nobody dared answer, for the situation was just so absurd that nobody had a rational explanation.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.¡°I know!¡± Well, nobody except one. Echidna, putting the eyepatch back on, amped up the theatrics as she said, ¡°We¡¯ve been summoned by an otherworldly order in order to repel an invasion of monsters!¡±


    ¡°I would normally call such a notion foolish and absurd.¡± Pin spoke up, tugging at their suit in the desert heat. ¡°Except this situation has already torn apart much of convention.¡± He began to take off his clothes, stripping down to a dress shirt and pants. ¡°Still, I do believe there is a more rational explanation for this series of events.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Like what!?¡± Carmen was incredulous and stress was starting to build as the implications of what had just occurred were starting to set in. ¡°Were we fucking teleported by some science experiment gone wrong!? This is god damn insane, that¡¯s what!¡±


    ¡°Everyone, calm down.¡± Both Pepe and Teacher said it at the same time. ¡°Oh, sorry Teach.¡± Pepe backed down, allowing him to speak.


    ¡°Guys, I know this is a weird situation, but we need to start going. Even if someone is coming for us, we can¡¯t just sit here. We need to keep moving or else we¡¯ll bake under the sun, alright?¡± Everyone nodded and grumbled in agreement and Teach could see others take off jackets and excessive layers, putting them in their backpacks. ¡°And what are you doing?¡± Teach looked down at Gallows, who was doing something with the wreckage.


    ¡°Stealing the wires!¡± Indeed, Gallows was stealing wires from the walls of their classroom which had been plucked out from reality and cast into the desert with them in it. ¡°Copper is useful, might as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡± A part of Teacher wanted to chastise his student for doing something so blatantly immoral, but he was also right. For one, the classroom had been taken from the school, and nobody was going to use it anyways. They might as well make use of stuff that would go wasted otherwise. ¡°There should be some umbrellas in there as well, Hailey, Veni, Pepe, you guys help me find them. We¡¯ll need them for the heat. The rest of you, get on top of a dune and look for a river or somewhere we can go, but don¡¯t go too far to scout, alright?¡±


    Everyone nodded and split up to start working. Where Gallows continued to take the wires, the three students Teach called for worked with him in order to dig up the rubble to find the umbrellas. It was in a large bucket that he¡¯d borrowed in order to carry the things during the rainy season, except a few students just didn¡¯t take theirs back home. In the end, they had eight umbrellas, which necessitated a few of them sharing the bigger ones.


    When they finished digging them out and shaking off the dust, Gallows had finished quickly snatching all the wires from the walls while the others were done scouting the horizon. Luckily enough, Talle spotted a great river in the distance. So, the group of 14 began moving forward towards water like a snake made up of a variety of colors. Teach was at the head at first, but slowly made his way to the back.


    He had to check up on his students. They were in an unfamiliar situation and as such, he needed to gauge their mental state. It was his duty to make sure they were alright, even though the sheer shock of what happened should¡¯ve numbed their reactions a bit. Still, it''s better to be safe than sorry.


    ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± He talked to Hailey first, who was at the back so she didn¡¯t block anyone¡¯s view. That and she wanted to make sure nobody fell behind.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She spoke softly and nodded, eyes focused ahead. Teacher didn¡¯t get offended at her refusal to meet his gaze, it was probably a good idea to focus on what was in front of them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Her voice carried gratitude, for while she hadn¡¯t let panic sink in just yet, she still appreciated his attempt to make sure she was ok.


    ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll get back soon, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He moved up the chain to Mina, who was definitely not ok. She was mumbling to herself as she wiped sweat off the sides of her head. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± It had been but barely an hour since they were cast into the dunes, yet it seemed that Mina was already winded.


    ¡°J-just perfect, just great, absolutely not freaking out at all.¡± Mina was on the verge of a full blown panic attack, it seemed.


    ¡°Woah, woah, calm down, calm down.¡± Teach took a second to ruffle through her backpack and pulled out one of her books. ¡°What about you read this as you walk, alright? Just try to focus on the pages instead of the heat. Just keep on going, we¡¯ll be back home soon enough, just stay strong, I know you can do it.¡± Empty platitudes, but necessary to keep her calm, and he hoped she could exceed his expectations.


    ¡°... Alright.¡± She muttered to herself and buried her nose in her book.


    ¡°Just focus on it.¡± Their chain of umbrellas was fairly widely paced, they weren¡¯t crowding them together or anything, but the lack of anything on the sands meant it really didn¡¯t matter. If it was a jungle, just a few feet of distance in the thick greenery could lead to them getting separated, but they were on the sands. ¡°Hey, Veni?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Teach?¡± Veni was with Talle, though neither of them seemed to be talking to each other. Veni was just grumbling to himself about how hot it was.


    ¡°Could you go make sure that Mina doesn¡¯t stray and carry her umbrella? Plus, it¡¯d be good if she has someone to talk to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± He handed the umbrella over to Talle and turned back to join Mina. Teach saw how his backpack sort of sagged with something heavy in it, but he didn¡¯t want to pry.


    ¡°And how are you doing, Talle?¡±


    ¡°Not great.¡± Talle wasn¡¯t handling the heat especially well either. Their decision to wear all black clothes was really biting them in the ass, it seemed. ¡°I assume you don¡¯t have a fan?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you¡¯ll just have to wait until we get to the river.¡±


    ¡°Oh woe is me.¡± They sighed, but they weren¡¯t panicking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be back soon.¡± He wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but how far could they have gone? Even if they were thrown into the Sahara, they just had to hitch a ride to an airport and then they¡¯d be back without a problem. At most they¡¯d be gone for a month, but that wasn¡¯t all too long considering they could be halfway across the world for all they knew.


    Next up, he walked up to Aurum and Pin, who were chatting.


    ¡°So, are you sure you don¡¯t make lingerie?¡± Or, more accurately, Aurum was talking while Pin held the umbrella.


    ¡°Even if I did, you don¡¯t have the figure.¡± Pin had been suffering Aurum¡¯s questions for a while. She somehow had the worst qualities of a curious child and knowledgeable adults.


    ¡°Well fuck you too! I¡¯m just saying that you¡¯d probably make a bit of money if you made stuff other than suits.¡±


    ¡°What brings your presence, Sir?¡± Pin saw Teacher and immediately latched onto him as an escape from Aurum, privately praying that he was there to relieve him of his duty, but expecting nothing but disappointment.


    ¡°I¡¯m just here to see how you two are holding up.¡±


    ¡°Oh just peachy!¡± Aurum, even without the blazer and under a umbrella (which, to be fair, wasn¡¯t made for thesun) was sweating quite a bit, but she took her mind off of how miserable she felt in her pseudo-formal wear (though it was more like business attire) by thinking about other things. ¡°Do you think the people here wear skimpy clothes? That¡¯d be awesome! I can¡¯t wait to see some desert beauties!¡±


    ¡°Your hedonistic obsessions speak so much of your character.¡± Pin had taken off and folded his clothes, stuffing them neatly into his backpack. Like Aurum, he wasn¡¯t doing all too hot in the heat and seemed to be suffering due to the sweat even more than Aurum, who was somewhat used to it.


    ¡°And you¡¯re a prude! C¡¯mon, don¡¯t tell me you aren¡¯t excited to see what the locals are wearing!¡±


    ¡°Normal clothes? I wouldn¡¯t be excited unless we come across a place where everyone wears bespoke suits of a variety of styles. Perhaps I may find a new fabric that¡¯s to my liking.¡± Just as Aurum was focusing on her more base thoughts to stave off the stress, Pin let himself focus on his hobbies in order to not think about the ramifications of what had just happened.


    ¡°Bah, boring!¡± Aurum dragged out the word to really rub in her disappointment.


    ¡°Alright you two, just keep on going. We¡¯ll get you some better clothes for the desert soon enough.¡± By that, Teach meant t-shirts. Sure, it probably wouldn¡¯t fit with Pin¡¯s style and standards, but if he had to choose between being unfashionable and being drenched in sweat, Teacher hoped that he¡¯d choose the former.


    Next up was Pepe and Rosa. Or, more accurately, Pepe, who was carrying Rosa on his back while she lazily held the umbrella and both of their backpacks. Luckily, Pepe had a strong build and Rosa was a light girl, so it looked more like Pepe was giving his little sister a piggyback ride more than anything, though the two didn¡¯t look even remotely related.


    ¡°You two okay?¡± Teach had a small smile as he approached the two of them.


    ¡°We¡¯re alright.¡± Pepe gave a sunny grin, but kept his voice a bit hushed for the sake of Rosa. Though, Teach was pretty sure that girl would¡¯ve slept through anything short of the apocalypse, but it was the thought that counted.


    ¡°Are you sure? I wouldn¡¯t blame you for freaking out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have training. I¡¯m used to being thrown into weird situations. I¡¯m pretty sure that if we¡¯re trapped in the wild, my boy scout experience will help.¡± Pepe had an optimistic outlook.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re in the desert.¡± Though Teach was sure plenty of those skills would still transfer over. ¡°Still, I¡¯ll rely on you for that, alright?¡± In situations like this, it was good to make people feel useful. Giving someone a role lets them feel satisfied with a job well done, it gives them something to do and focus on.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    For the 7th umbrella and last pair, it was Carmen and Jello. The latter wasn¡¯t spacy enough to need to be carried, but it seemed that he was focused on the bright desert landscape and had to be occasionally dragged back into the shade by Carmen. As for the girl herself, her jaw was liable to get sprained with how much she was chewing her gum.


    ¡°Interesting-¡±


    ¡°I swear if you die of heatstroke walking into a mirage to sketch it I will kill you myself.¡± Carmen was irritated, though whether Jello or general stress was the major cause was a mystery to all. ¡°Hey Teach, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Just checking in on my students.¡± At least she wasn¡¯t bottling it in. It was better for Carmen to be irritated at the moment, when they were alone and just walking through the desert, rather than at a time when such an attitude would lead to problems. Plus, if she held it in, it¡¯d only come back with a vengeance later.


    ¡°Why ya worrying so much, Teach? We¡¯re not babies. Well, most of us aren¡¯t, I swear I feel like I¡¯m reprimanding a toddler when I¡¯m with him.¡± Carmen sighed as she resolved to simply hold Jello by the collar.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m your teacher. I have to make sure you¡¯re fine. Even if you¡¯re all high schoolers, this is the sort of thing a lot of adults aren¡¯t able to handle.¡± He was lucky he managed to prevent them from spiraling in the beginning, focusing their efforts on something productive rather than freaking out.


    ¡°Hello, Teacher.¡± It seemed that the artist only noticed Teach¡¯s appearance just at the moment. ¡°This is quite the odd predicament, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is. Try not to wander off, alright?¡±


    ¡°I cannot guarantee anything.¡± Well, at least he was honest.


    Teach walked off and made his way to the front of the line. There was also the matter of water to consider. Only Pepe, who had a canteen full of water, Rosa, who had a thermos full of tea, and Mina, who had a water bottle from a vending machine had any sort of containers. That meant they wouldn¡¯t be able to travel very far from sources of water, lest they fall to dehydration. Still, there was bound to be somebody near rivers, if only because other people needed water as well.


    Finally, he was at the front of the line, where Echidna walked.


    ¡°Ah, if it isn¡¯t our Teacher!¡± She was in her theatrical mode, what with the eyepatch covering her red eye.


    ¡°Hey Echidna, how are you doing, what with all of this?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if her explanation straight from a novel was a method of coping or a genuine delusion, though it could¡¯ve been both. Still, the girl was a bizarre mix of dedication to her image and flagrant disregard for it. She wore an eyepatch and spoke in a bizarre accent, but there were also moments where she just openly didn¡¯t care about it. Teach had a hard time believing she was faking it if she also let the facade drop so easily, but couldn¡¯t find any other reason behind her behaviors.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say? This is simply fate¡¯s call! I must go forth and fulfill my great destiny!¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± Teach held the umbrella for the two of them against the beating desert sun.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple!¡± There was no elaboration for a moment as it seemed that not even Echidna herself considered what exactly she was supposed to do.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re close.¡± He turned around to the rest of the class and called out, ¡°Alright, we¡¯re near the river! We¡¯ll rest there for a while and take stock of what we have. After we have a break, we¡¯ll begin moving up the river until we find somebody to help give us directions!¡±


    ¡°...¡± Everybody seemed to be alright with that, but in a moment their eyes weren¡¯t on him. Jaws dropped to the floor and everyone was speechless as they looked behind Teach.


    ¡°Hahahahhahahahaha! It seems we have returned to my home plane! I knew there was something familiar about this place!¡± Echidna¡¯s laughter prompted Teach to turn around, whereupon his jaw also dropped to the floor. The large river was quite normal, mundane even, but that wasn¡¯t what caught their attention.


    No, it was the fish the size of a school bus jumping out of the waters as if it was a whale or something. Now that they were closer, they could see a variety of other peculiarities. A beast of flames was clashing with a mound of grass and stone, a large winged cat was bathing in the shallow portion of the river, and in the distance they could see a giant sand worm tunneling through the dunes.


    They were no longer on earth, at least no part of earth they knew of.

 Really, in Media Res?

    It was dark. It was grimy. It was utterly miserable. To those who¡¯ve only lived in the modern era, where even the poorest of people have comforts, a dungeon is something unimaginably painful. It was a place where no graces were given. There was no light, for it was underground, and only the dim reflection from a crack in the roof gave the slightest of outlines to the cell. The smell was awful, a mix of excrement, sweat, blood, and other unpleasant things. It was thoroughly uncomfortable, with the prisoners toiling in agony as they were shackled to the walls until their wrists turned purple while their rears became numb with how long they were seated on the rough stone.


    ¡°So, another one has come?¡± An old and decrepit voice spoke out. It reached out like a creeping root through the dirt, trying to connect to another. ¡°It is a very sorrowful day indeed, for another is here. Alas, perhaps I may find company in my demise? Heeheehee, heeheehee.¡±


    ¡°W-w-w-w-w-w-w-where am I?¡± A broken voice stuttered out, pain and the aftertaste of blood and bile causing such a vocal break. ¡°W-who are you!? W-what happened? Where is everyone?¡±


    ¡°Heeheehee, heeheehee, a prisoner who knows not where they are? Interesting, intriguing!¡± The raised voice came with a series of hacks and coughs that caused the new prisoner¡¯s skin to curl and their muscles to tense in wincing horror. ¡°To answer, we are on death row.¡±


    ¡°Death row!?¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP IN THERE!¡± A hale and hearty guard¡¯s shout rang out from around the corner, where he was sitting and playing dice with his companions.


    ¡°Heeheehee, heeheehee, yes, yes, yesyesyes.¡± The older prisoner whispered and laughed. ¡°If you are in my cell, you are on death row. Should I ask what dastardly crime you committed? What did you do to end up in this cell? What action did you take? Oh, how rude of I. What is your name, esteemed newcomer to the crypt? Mine is Akaka, though how long I¡¯ve been here means it means nothing at all.¡±


    ¡°I-i-I¡¯m-¡±


    ---___---___---___---


    Study hall quickly recovered from their shock out of necessity. For one, the heat had worked up quite a thirst, so they didn¡¯t have all that much time to just sit around dumbfounded. They had to attend to their base needs: The topmost priority of which was water. So, they all carefully made their way to the riverside and began drinking, with Pepe and Mina sharing their containers with the rest of the group.


    They remained on edge. The appearance of fantastical creatures completely annihilated any of their assumptions. Anything could be a tripwire to a deadly encounter, anything could be lethal. Likewise, they were all thinking the same thing.


    They might never see home again.


    ¡°...¡± Teacher was in a thinking pose, hand on chin. They had seen a lot in a few minutes. Numerous fantastic beasts and many more mundane organisms had been spotted and the group considered for a moment that they were hallucinating. Alas, that thought vanished when they all confirmed with each other that they were seeing the same thing. ¡°Way I see it, there are two possibilities.¡± He spoke up, earning the attention of the entire group. ¡°One: We¡¯re somewhere on earth with a bunch of previously undiscovered species. Two: We¡¯re in a different world with a ton of fantasy creatures.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    There was silence as the class considered which of the two incredibly unlikely occurrences were actually true.


    ¡°We are in the realm of Ner, an epic plane of fantasy where the great lord Mir rules with an iron fist! We are-¡±


    ¡°How ¡®bout we just find some locals and ask where the hell we are?¡± Veni spoke up, eating a bit of his packed lunch as he looked up the stream. ¡°I mean, that was the plan, wasn¡¯t it? Go up and find a village. If we find totally normal people who say we¡¯re on planet earth, then we¡¯re good. If we find goat people or some shit, then we¡¯re fucked.¡±


    ¡°A sensible plan, but what of food?¡± Talle looked at Vinny¡¯s packed lunch with jealous eyes, but shook it off to say, ¡°Not all of us have food and there are no guarantees what we have will last.¡±


    ¡°I can hunt.¡± Veni pulled out a compact bow from his bag, causing most of the students to back up in panic, shouting at him to put the weapon away. ¡°Oh be quiet you big babies!¡± Peaking into the bag, Mina noticed that he also came packed with some arrows. ¡°I was going to do some hunting after this, looks like it¡¯ll come in handy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cruel.¡± Hailey seemed a bit more disturbed by Veni admitting what they were going to do with the bow than their ownership of the weapon itself. ¡°What if they¡¯re endangered?¡±


    ¡°Well we need to eat and I don¡¯t see any veggies.¡±


    ¡°I think those roots are edible! And those berries! I also think those herbs are good-¡± Pepe was pointing out various pieces of Flora, really putting his experience to good work.


    ¡°More importantly, what if these animals¡¯ flesh don¡¯t mix well with our stomachs?¡± Yolk spoke up, looking at some of the fauna with curiosity and admiration. ¡°Food poisoning¡¯s a bitch, take it from me. It¡¯s not as simple as cooking out the crap either, what if their flesh is just too tough and we can¡¯t process it? What then? Who knows what new stuff like that could do to our immune system?¡±


    ¡°Got your point, got your point.¡± Veni conceded, putting away the bow and zipping up the bag. ¡°Think there¡¯s enough stuff in the grass to feed us?¡±


    ¡°Well we have water and people can last a while without food. If we ration what we have, we should last for a while.¡± Pepe was muttering to himself, taking up the task of making sure they were fed for the time being.


    ¡°And what food do we have?¡± Yolk spoke up just as his stomach began rumbling. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a bit hungry.¡±


    ¡°I have some snacks.¡± Mina opened her backpack to pull out a bag of chips and a bag of gummies.


    ¡°Chocolate bar.¡± Aurum pulled it out of her own pack, though she took a moment to ruffle through her sweaty blazer to get it. Though, there was no doubt that it was half melted due to the heat.


    ¡°Gum, but none of ya are getting any.¡± Carmen continued to chew on her current stick, even though it had lost its flavor and was becoming less and less flexible.


    ¡°Jerky.¡± Pepe opened his bag to reveal four unopened bags full of jerky. He noticed the peculiar and incredulous stares he was getting and said, ¡°Always be prepared! I also have a swiss army knife, a pocket knife, rope, and a pillow!¡±


    ¡°Have a hand grenade in there as well?¡± Gallows was half expecting Pepe to confirm the joking statement. To be fair, the others wouldn¡¯t have been that surprised if he actually did have an explosive.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important.¡± Teach spoke up. ¡°What¡¯s important is that we continue moving. We¡¯ll have to ration out the food-¡±


    ¡°We can go about five days if each of us only eats one piece of jerky per day.¡± Mina barely took a second to answer the unsaid question. ¡°We can stretch it out a bit by rationing more and adding stuff we forage, but there¡¯s no telling what could be poisonous.¡± Though she was muttering, everyone was quiet already to listen to Teach.


    ¡°I¡¯m not 100% sure of any of the plants being edible, really.¡± Pepe sighed in disappointment, but added, ¡°Just to be safe, we¡¯re not going to eat anything bright. Poisonous plants are vivid in order to tell animals that they¡¯re poisonous. Makes it more likely they¡¯d be avoided.¡±


    ¡°Ok, we have a plan, let¡¯s get moving. Keep the umbrellas up and don¡¯t go too close to the river.¡± The greenery by the water wasn¡¯t too dense, far from enough to make getting separated easy, but there was no telling what forces were present in the woods.

 Walking Woes

    ¡°A band of outsiders now walk the dunes, how interesting! Plucked from your reality and placed here, intriguing.¡± The older inhabitant of the dungeon croaked out. ¡°Are your companions aware of your predicament? Do they care not?¡±


    ¡°Dunno.¡± The newcomer¡¯s voice had recovered, though the same couldn¡¯t be said about their wounds. The myriad bruises across their body ached in incredible pain from being beaten over and over again in acts of unrestrained and callous sadism. ¡°They¡¯re probably worried, not like they¡¯ll find me down here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Many a companion have sought to free me of my shackles. Many a companion have fallen, unfortunately. I am still awaiting my end, as there are no companions left to try and free me.¡± Akaka let out a tired sigh. ¡°Still, my crime was minor enough to be left here for a while. The ones above have things better to do than kill a crow like me.¡±


    ¡°Do you always have to speak like an old man?¡±


    ¡°Excuse you? I am but a young hatchling of twelve!¡±


    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re fifty.¡±


    ¡°How rude, after all I¡¯ve done to make your stay comfortable-!¡± Akaka sounded like a disappointed mother yelling at their kid.


    ¡°You cackled ominously and talked about how I¡¯m going to die.¡±


    ¡°Would you rather I talked about the weather?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± Akaka let out a long sigh before saying, ¡°Look, we are both condemned to die. Either through a very short and painful end or long and painful end. We can¡¯t pick which we are given. The only thing we can choose to do is whether or not to let it end with regrets or not.¡±


    ¡°And how do we do that?¡±


    ¡°We talk. Is it not imperative for those on death row to bear their soul and make closure with their fleeting lives?¡± Akaka brought up a good point, no matter how creepy they sounded. ¡°Would you rather hear my story? Of a young crow who picked too many pockets and was caught in a theft gone wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°I know I have implied it earlier, but you are quite the rude cellmate.¡± Akaka let out a long sigh. ¡°Very well, very well. If that is what you wish, then so be it. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t already talked to death and back about myself, so please, go on. Even if the sun and sky have abandoned you, I won¡¯t, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Despite herself, the new prisoner felt a bit of comfort in that assurance.


    -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-


    The group of thirteen students and their teacher continued to walk beside the river for hours, taking a break every so often to drink some water and let Pepe pick out roots and fruits to try and eat. The hungry were given a single piece of jerky to chew on, which they had to make last. Sure, they had four bags of the stuff, but there were fourteen of them.


    Slowly, they began to talk with each other, for lack of anything else to do. There was no signal at all and there was no point in wasting their batteries, after all.


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    ¡°Hey, ¡®Chidna.¡± Veni approached her in the afternoon a few hours into their walk.


    ¡°State your business with me.¡± She was at the head of the group and, while she didn¡¯t have directions, it really wasn¡¯t hard to walk down a river.


    ¡°You said you knew this place, right? Mind telling us where we are?¡± Sure, on any other day nobody would¡¯ve taken her even slightly seriously, but that day was not any normal day. They were only starting to consider that she may actually have an idea of what happened and Veni was the first to swallow his pride and open his mind.


    ¡°Fufufu, now you see the wisdom in heeding my words, very well! As I said, we are in the realm of Ner, ruled by the overlord Mir.¡±


    -/-/-/-


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Akaka had a rare showing of genuine confusion as the new prisoner spoke. ¡°Ner? Mir? An overlord? What in the world are you talking about? How could this land even have an overlord? It¡¯s not been united for ages!¡±


    ¡°I know, right? Ugh, she¡¯s so full of shit.¡± There was relief and kinship found in sheer disbelief of how utterly ridiculous the claims were. ¡°Just, like, go along with it for now, alright?¡±


    ¡°Very well, very well. Continue, please.¡±


    -/-/-/-


    ¡°Cool, cool. I mean like, what are we dealing with? Are there dragons and stuff? I mean, we saw a giant sandworm, who the hell knows what¡¯s around.¡± Veni was also wondering how the sandworm would taste. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t consider trying to eat what was effectively a giant burrowing snake, but he¡¯d only had a single piece of jerky to eat in the past few hours as they walked miles through the heat with only umbrellas made for rain to protect them. ¡°And are there people here? Are they hostile and stuff or like, what?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, fair concerns indeed. The land of Ner is an ever changing one. The land constantly shifts and there is no certainty that where you walk will lead to where you wish. There is only one way to be sure: By following the paved roads. Sustaining these roads are the great walled cities-¡±


    -/-/-/-/-


    ¡°Again, none of this is true.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, can I tell the story now?¡±


    ¡°Fine, yes, but if you would, please may we skip the incessant prattling of faulty information?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair. I was getting, like, super annoyed with it anyways.¡±


    -/-/-/-/-/-


    ¡°I see.¡± Veni had been chewing on his allotted piece of jerky as Echidna went into great detail explaining the world. ¡°Ok.¡± He walked off to contemplate if he wanted to believe any of the insane things Echidna had espoused and, if he did, the implications of everything she had said. Echidna smiled, obviously proud that someone actually listened to her.


    ¡°So, how much of that was bullshit?¡±


    ¡°Hmm!?¡± Echidna almost bit her tongue in surprise. ¡°How did you sneak up on me? Are you secretly an assassin sent by the-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Carmen gave Echidna an unamused look as she took a sip from Pepe¡¯s canteen. ¡°I¡¯ve played enough poker to know when someone¡¯s bullshitting and played enough RPGs to recognize bog standard ass fantasy worldbuilding. You were about to say the whatever brotherhood, some random murder cult dedicated to murdering for the god of murder or some shit, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°So you are!¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Carmen rolled her eyes and kept on chewing. Despite it becoming harder and harder as her teeth worked more and more out of it, the gum kept her mouth occupied so it¡¯d stay in. ¡°Don¡¯t make shit up and lie. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here and giving them the wrong idea could kill us.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you speak as if I¡¯m lying.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Carmen¡¯s gaze drilled into Echidna¡¯s eyes. While the self proclaimed destroyer of worlds had been obviously, or at least obvious to her, making up many parts of her exposition, in that moment she couldn¡¯t find a hint of anything other than delusion in her words or soul. She was either a brilliant liar or absolutely convinced of her own lie. ¡°Nevermind. Still, be careful, we could be in a different world from the one you talked about.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps, but I think not!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±

 First Contact

    ¡°Do you actually know who imprisoned you in the first place?¡± Akaka was feeling awfully chatty, all things considered. ¡°You¡¯ve admitted that you have essentially no knowledge on this world or any of its workings, so I can only assume you don¡¯t know the authority that imprisoned you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, I heard and saw some stuff.¡±


    -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-


    ¡°We¡¯ve reached a walled city! Look!¡± Echidna called out to the rest of the class, who all raced forward to see what she spotted. Relief and joy spread amongst the group as they saw what she did: A massive walled city with architecture reminiscent of medieval Arabia. It was still quite a distance away, with farmlands in between them and the city that siphoned water from the river to sustain their crops.


    It had been a handful of days, about three. Though they technically did have food, one piece of jerky per day wasn¡¯t exactly a sustainable amount to go with. It was below the bare minimum and only barely satiated their hunger. It was helped a bit by Pepe¡¯s foraging and at the end of every day, when they started a campfire, he¡¯d cook the roots and berries and whatever else he collected on a stick until they looked good enough.


    They tasted horrible, but they hadn¡¯t poisoned any of them yet.


    As for other matters, like that of using the restroom, they let pairs go out and do their business out in the wild. They used papers from their backpacks to wipe. On the second day, they took turns in groups using the river itself for a bath.


    Teach had to go last, staying with whatever group wasn¡¯t going to make sure they didn¡¯t peak.


    Eventually, the group made their way to the city itself, but were stopped at the gates by a guard who caused everyone to go silent.


    ¡°Halt!¡± A guard had approached them, seeing their bizarre clothes and deciding to hold them up out of suspicion. ¡°State your name and your business.¡± But the act alone wasn¡¯t what caused them to stop in their steps, no, it was their appearance. Namely, the guard looked like a humanoid cat. They were their size and standing on their own two legs, but rather than skin their had fur the color of sand and eyes without whites. Feline ears twitched with the cacophony of the city behind them and they had a fluffy and flexible tail just swinging about. On their body, they wore a mix of chain armor, weathered cloth, and plate mail. They also held a spear, the wood well worn with use.


    ¡°We are just a lowly band of travelers from a faraway land seeking shelter in your fine city.¡± Talle Bleu was the first to recover and the first to speak, adopting an exaggerated accent and speaking in vague terms in order to avoid divulging more than they had to. There was no telling what could set someone off, after all.


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    ¡°That¡¯s business, not name.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯s mean, is it really business? It¡¯s more of a purpose.¡± An absolute goliath of a woman with myriad tattoos over their body walked out, clad in similar armor as their feline companion, though obviously fitted for her own body. ¡°Business implies coin, but I¡¯s heard not of coin yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an expression, Yehil.¡± The cat-person sighed and turned to face their coworker. ¡°And you¡¯re taking business too literally.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯s using it too loosely.¡± The giant, who stood even taller than Hailey at around eight feet, rolled her eyes before noticing the band of thirteen sweaty kids and their teacher. ¡°My¡¯s God! What are we¡¯s doing holding up suffering children?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not children! But even if they were, they¡¯re odd children.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 29.¡±


    ¡°Odd not-children and someone positively ancient!¡±


    ¡°Not everyone is a Feline like you¡¯s, who¡¯s members birth by the hundred and fall by the dozen.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re like, uh, well I¡¯m seventeen.¡± Aurum tried to remember who in the group was what age, but gave up after remembering she had no clue.


    ¡°And not everyone is born a Gargant! You consider those from one to forty Mournstorms a child!¡± The feline guard let out a long suffering sigh as they took a moment to make sure the fourteen were still there. ¡°Fine, may we agree that the people in front of us are reaching the cusp of adolescence?¡±


    ¡°Very well, you¡¯s have an agreement.¡± Yehil and the feline shook on it before remembering they had a job and there were people with carts they were holding up. ¡°Oh, yes. The mask is not detecting any odd objects on them¡¯s, correct?¡±


    ¡°Nah, nah, they¡¯re clear.¡± The feline looked at a small wooden mask charm on their neck, which seemed to be mundane. ¡°But I still thought they were¡¯s odd, you know? The clothes, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. You¡¯s have a point, I know, but they¡¯s are still clearly suffering! I mean, they¡¯s are sweating so much I fear they¡¯ll collapse any minute.¡± Yehil pointed it out with remarkable cheer despite the self admitted fact that it looked like they¡¯d collapse from heatstroke.


    ¡°Whatever, whatever. They can come on through, only cause it seems like the next merchant ahead wants to have our head for wasting so much time.¡± The guards parted and allowed the class to file through. They had been passing around Pepe¡¯s canteen while the senior provided shade with his body and the umbrella for Rosa, whose sleeping form left no indication if they were in danger or not of being damaged by the heat.


    Though it had already been confirmed by the appearances of the guards, they were totally floored as they entered the city. Water ran through the streets in smaller canals, a system of flowing water with boats acting as a sort of public transportation. There were fountains and even a palace with a waterfall in the distance, the water contrasting greatly with the dry brick and stone floor and walls.


    But it was the people, wearing robes and turbans and other items, that truly confirmed how bizarre the world they were cast into was. There were men with green skin that stood as tall as Hailey, a giant bird person flying in the air, a person with goat horns dancing merrily as they acted as a bartender in an open walls establishment, and an actual freaking Centaur giving a ride to a person clad in silk and jewels!


    They were in a fantasy land.


    -/-/-


    ¡°So, you weren¡¯t aware of the land¡¯s peoples?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s all just humans back on earth. Well, I mean, I guess we do have animal people if you really want to stretch it.¡±

 Finances

    From there, the group took a moment to recuperate before beginning to talk. Their outfits were getting some odd stares here and there, but the rule of the street was to walk past anything that wasn¡¯t trying to gut you with a knife. Plus, many had seen odder. At least, that was how it was in the cities on earth and most of the students assumed that was also how it was in this other realm.


    ¡°So, it seems like they use coins here. Guess paper cash is worthless.¡± Teach sighed, it seemed that the already meager amount of cash in his wallet wasn¡¯t going to get very much use.


    ¡°And we shouldn¡¯t bet on our coins being worth anything either,¡± Yolk said. ¡°Seriously though, I am starving. Today¡¯s roots were nicer than usual, but I really could use some actual food.¡±


    ¡°Fufufufu! I think it¡¯s my time to shine, using my ten arcane rings, quality materials of sorcery and my grimoire of dark arts, I shall bless us with food, gold, and other boons from the beyond!¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use it earlier?¡± Carmen was still skeptical, peering deep into Echidna¡¯s words and eyes to gauge if she was pulling something out of her ass.


    ¡°It requires us to be in civilization, for that is where the connection is greatest. Now, let us-¡± She reached into her backpack and gripped nothing. ¡°Hmm? Where are my flasks? Where is my grimoire?¡± She reached a bit deeper and her gripping became a bit more frantic, until eventually she turned it over to reveal that there was nothing in her backpack except school books and classwork. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh. I think we used a few books as kindling for the fire while you were all out by the river.¡± Pin spoke up, looking a tad embarrassed. ¡°We were just grabbing things at random.


    ¡°Were those spices and herbs yours?¡± Yolk had that same easy confidence, though it was hard not to hear the audible gulp that came before. ¡°Well, uh, sorry. I used them to spice up today¡¯s roots. Sorry Pepe, not all of us can chow down cardboard every day without end.¡± Pepe didn¡¯t take any offense, it seemed.


    ¡°It tasted good, thanks.¡± Hailey gave a thumbs up to Echidna.


    ¡°I-I-¡± Echidna let out a long sigh before saying, ¡°I am out of ideas, then.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is a city, right?¡± Aurum spoke up, looking at the streets and where people went. ¡°These farmers are going somewhere, aren¡¯t they? I¡¯d bet that at least one is heading to a market to sell their stuff. We dunno what¡¯s valued here but, there¡¯s some stuff we can try. Right, Pinny?¡± She looked to Sue, who rolled his eyes but relented.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He held up his hand, showing his gold watch. ¡°Though I¡¯m hesitant to part with it, I¡¯ve been on the cusp of starvation long enough to care not for its luster.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. How about this, you kids go to the market in order to get us some money and food. While you do that, I¡¯ll try and get some information on where we are and all that stuff. Stick together, no telling what danger¡¯s around.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Teach!¡± Aurum set off first, dragging Pin with her. The others gave various agreements, all going forward as a group. None of them knew each other particularly well, being somewhat pleasant acquaintances at best, but they felt much safer next to each other than alone. It was the same with Teacher. Sure, he didn¡¯t do anything on Earth to really earn their loyalty, but he was older and they deferred to his experience, especially since his instructions usually made sense.


    The thirteen teens walked through the streets of the desert city, their eyes moving from one pedestrian to the next as they saw bizarre sight after bizarre sight.


    ¡°Is that a lizard person with their pet velociraptor pulling a cart of grains?¡± Rosa woke up for a moment, still on Pepe¡¯s back, only to see exactly what she described. ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m probably dreaming, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Nope, you¡¯re wide awake! Do you want me to put you down, Rosa?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, uhhhhh, nah. I¡¯m going to go back to sleep. Thanks, though.¡± She immediately fell limp once more, earning a resigned sigh from Pepe.


    ¡°Hey, guys, look, I got a perfect way to make money, watch this!¡± Gallows, ignoring the cries of, ¡°Hey!¡± and ¡°Wait!¡± and ¡°What are you doing!?¡± walked forward to a human merchant on a long snake bearing the goods of a caravan, wearing jewelry and fine silk. ¡°Now, my fine sir, may I interest you in a golden opportunity to invest in a fine and upcoming enterprise started by me?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god he¡¯s doing a startup scam.¡± Aurum realized first what he was doing and facepalmed. ¡°Nope, nope, we¡¯re not doing this.¡± She walked forward and dragged him back to the group. ¡°Sorry sir, he¡¯s touched in the head.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s of no trouble.¡± The merchant took it in good stride, they¡¯d seen weirder.


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    ¡°While we have you here, may you be interested in this novel timepiece?¡± Aurum looked behind her, giving Pin an impromptu cue to show off his watch. He relented and walked forward, knowing that they had a golden opportunity, getting the attention of a clearly wealthy potential buyer for their goods. He took it off his wrist and handed it over to her for her to show the merchant. ¡°It has all the power of a sundial with much more convenience!¡±


    ¡°My! This is quite the amazing thing, are you a sorcerer, perhaps?¡± The merchant marveled at the watch, especially enjoying the gold.


    ¡°Nope, this thing is free of magic! That¡¯s right, no need to go to a wizard for repairs or power. You just need to wind it up!¡± Not mentioning the fact that if it did break, it¡¯d basically be impossible to repair.


    ¡°Hmmmm. For strangers walking on feet, you bear a peculiar amount of precious goods. Are those gold rings I see on those fingers?¡± The merchant pointed towards Echidna. ¡°I¡¯m impressed with the designs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an awfully fine eye for someone so far away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m blessed with them. Now, perhaps if you throw in those rings, I will buy both that and this timepiece for thirty fingers of silver!¡±


    ¡°You have a deal!¡± Aurum knew when to haggle and when to just accept what she was offered. They were in no position to argue, really. She perhaps was also maybe a tad giddy over the prospect of handling real, honest to god silver.


    ¡°Wait, wha-!?¡± Echidna was not amused.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Pin, with remarkable dexterity, finangled Echidna¡¯s rings from her fingers and handed them over to the merchant.


    ¡°Very good. Here you go, the promised thirty fingers.¡± The merchant pulled a small bag from their robes which was dropped into Aurum¡¯s palm with a weighty punch. ¡°Now, I must say farewell. It was a pleasure doing business.¡± The merchant¡¯s caravan began to move further into the city, leaving the students with a fair amount of funds.


    Aurum, with hands shaking with greed, loosened the cloth pouch to reveal thirty honest to god fingers made of silver. They weren¡¯t exactly human fingers, no, they were draconic fingers. Perhaps it was more accurate to call them claws or talons? Whatever the case, they were there and they were quite heavy. Aurum had to wipe away the drool that started to drip from her lips, her greed being a bit too on display.


    ¡°What was that!?¡± The group were torn from their shock from the hasty deal by Echidna, who was radiating anger and was on the verge of tears. ¡°First, you doubt my knowledge. Then, you burn my belongings. And now you steal my rings and sell them in front of me!? Have you no respect for I? Well I¡¯ll have none of it!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in another world and have no clue how long we¡¯ll be here. These fingers can save our lives, y¡¯know? If you want, you can take half of them and try to barter for them back.¡± Aurum dug her fingers into the pouch. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t understand where Echidna was coming from, it was just that they did need the resources. Though the jerky and roots kept them from starvation, they were extremely hungry since even with all of Pepe¡¯s efforts he couldn¡¯t forage enough to keep fourteen people full every night.


    ¡°It¡¯s the principle of the matter!¡± Echidna denied Aurum¡¯s money and turned around. Pin and Yolk looked a bit guilty but simply averted their gaze. ¡°I will have no more of this! If I must cease my destiny alone, then so be it!¡± Without a word more, she ran off,  startling the group.


    She was fuming as she slipped through the streets and crowds of people, ignoring how they called for her and tried to reach out.


    ¡°Of course I was excited! A new world! A new realm! A new plane for adventure! How could I not be excited to share such an odyssey with my contemporaries?¡± She muttered under her breath, wiping away disappointed tears. ¡°Fantasy? Fantasy? You speak as if I am delusional when we are walking among bipedal cats, dogs, lizards, and more! Did you not see the snake the size of a large tree trunk slithering down the street?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°But I am chosen. You are proof enough, proof that there is something within me, something special. Didn¡¯t you hear what mother and father said?¡± In her grief and haste, Echidna didn¡¯t notice where she was going, and stumbled out of the crowd and into armor. ¡°Huh?¡± Echidna fell over, as did the other person. When she looked up, she saw the person she bumped into.


    It was an absolute mountain of a man, human in most regards and standing at around six feet. He wore nothing but a loincloth and jewelry as he walked through the desert. The one bizarre thing about them was their right arm, which was elongated and oversized, and also draconic. It had numerous scales that glimmered red and several sharp claws the size of her own hand.


    It was with their left arm that they had held up a palanquin, which was held by three other similarly enhanced individuals wearing few clothes.


    As she bumped into him, the mobile platform had fallen over, and she could see who was inside, behind the curtains. If the merchants she occasionally got glances of were resplendent, the one being held up was dressed in absolute gorgeous clothes. They had flourishes and styles that were flashy and beautiful to the point of being impractical to wear. The colors were so vivid and rich that it seemed like they¡¯d never been so much as touched by a single speck of dust. The jewelry they wore was similarly exorbitant, with gems that glowed despite only a handful of dim rays entering through the off kilter curtains.


    More than anything, it was their head that caught her attention. For while the rest of their body was too clad in clothes for her to see anything odd, their head was bizarre. It was what could only be called a smaller dragon¡¯s head on a humanoid body, with red scales shimmering like the plethora of jewels they wore. She¡¯d later learn that it was similar from the neck down.


    They spoke in a foreign tongue and gilded claws furiously pointed in her direction, repeating the same phrase over and over again. Echidna didn¡¯t know what was happening and before she could say anything, something hit her, and she fell asleep.


    )-------)(-------(


    ¡°I see, I see, so that¡¯s what you did?¡± Akaka listened to the end of the new prisoner¡¯s tale and nodded. ¡°Peculiar, quite peculiar. Two souls in the same body, one now sentenced to death for the crimes of the other!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s bullshit.¡± Faffy, as she¡¯d been dubbed by her parents and her body-roomate, let out a long sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who the fuck I bumped into! And what was he saying? I thought the folks here spoke English as well.¡±


    ¡°The city¡¯s lord, it sounds, yes, yes! Clad in clothes and carried by four, yes, it seems he still does it even now.¡± Akaka cryptically chuckled. ¡°Your other inquiry, I must add. The Draconic Lords who rule the sands speak a higher tongue than common. They speak and write Ibalban, the old tongue of their ancient progenitors.¡±


    ¡°Great, cool, whatever.¡± Faffy never really bought into Echidna¡¯s fantasies. Sure, they couldn¡¯t deny that they were in another world, but that didn¡¯t mean the other things Echidna said were true.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Air rapidly ran from her lungs as another voice outside the cell made itself known. She looked to the side to see the silhouette of a guard, she could see it with how the dim light reflected off of their chainmail armor. ¡°You¡¯ll be heading to the chopping block now.¡±

 Execution

    Faffy von Tyranicus never thought she¡¯d find herself on death row. She never thought she¡¯d be executed at all! The death penalty was for supervillains and stuff, wasn¡¯t it? It was for those who deserved it, not her! She didn¡¯t want to die and felt herself getting closer and closer to the end with every step forward.


    She tugged at her chains but nothing gave way. She tried and tried to use more of Echidna¡¯s strength to resist, but she couldn¡¯t. She was only piloting the body since Echidna was unconscious. It wasn¡¯t hers. Sure, that wasn¡¯t a problem when she texted friends on the internet or watched Youtube videos, but now it was pretty vital.


    Not that she thought Echidna¡¯s body was strong enough to do anything. She just didn¡¯t want to die without trying to, that was all.


    ¡°H-huh?¡± Suddenly, control was yanked away from her as Echidna slowly drifted her way to consciousness. She groaned and winced as she felt the pain that Faffy had been bearing for what felt like an eternity as she told her sorry tale to Akaka.


    ¡°Oh, who is this?¡± Speaking of, apparently her cellmate was a crow person, with talons instead of fingers and feathers instead of hair. He was similarly bound in chains, though seeing him under the light didn¡¯t help much, Faffy still couldn¡¯t tell how old he was. She just didn¡¯t have a frame of reference and was pretty sure feathers didn¡¯t go gray.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m Echidna von Tyr-¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± The guard who was escorting them slammed the flat end of their halberd into Echidna¡¯s back, driving the air out and forcing them to the floor. They then yanked her by the chains, forcing her up before saying, ¡°Get up.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Echidna, rather than growling at the show of impudence before someone great, whimpered and did as told.


    They were silent as they walked out of the dungeon and onto a courtyard. It was remarkably beautiful, with streams of water flowing to provide sustenance for the flowers. The tulips were a sight to behold and a small part of her, whether that be Echidna or Faffy, couldn¡¯t help but feel a smidgen of relief that they¡¯d die somewhere scenic.


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    They were brought before the draconic lord of the city and their four retainers, holding up the palanquin for the noble. Besides them and the guards escorting the two, there was also another draconic humanoid. Unlike the lord, they stood on their own two feet, and their scales were pitch black. They wore similarly black robes and, by their side as the only thing of a differing color, was a large sheathed sword.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to die.¡± Both Echidna and Faffy said it at once, their wills united. The fact had only then fully set in. It was a blur as their knees were struck by the guard and they were forced to kneel. The black humanoid dragon yawned as they walked up, unsheathing their sword and letting them see the blade that would spill their blood.


    ¡°Yes, as will I. Thank you, Echidna, Faffy, for giving me a bit of company in my end.¡± Somehow, they could tell that Akaka had a somber smile. ¡°For little as its worth, I assure you, the next world shall have something for you.¡±


    ¡°...¡± But that was cold comfort for both Echidna and Faffy von Tyranicus. Two people with ridiculous names who were on the chopping block. For Echidna, she still had a destiny to fulfill, she still had so many things to do. And just maybe, she wanted some simpler things. Perhaps she wanted a companion by her side to tackle the challenges of the world. Perhaps she wanted to share a moment of triumph with another person, to share the strife and struggle as well as the blue sky after the storm parted. But she¡¯d never have that. She¡¯d die before she could ever be hugged. She¡¯d die before she could ever grow up. She¡¯d die before any of that.


    As for Faffy, she had numerous mundane things she still wanted to do. She wanted to watch so many movies, to play so many games, to see so many places, she was being greedy in wanting so much, yes, but she couldn¡¯t help but want it all.


    For a single moment, right before the black dragon¡¯s sword fell, the two souls were united. A great power, long dormant, left asleep for so long that it couldn¡¯t be sensed at all, was awoken. It surged from within and began pumping out, the gate opened for just a moment. It took the opportunity and burst out with incredible power as they shouted out, ¡°I DON¡¯T WANNA DIE!¡±


    None present were expecting such a cry to come out. Suddenly, everyone except Faffy and Echidna fell to the ground, unconscious.


    ¡°W-what?¡± Her eyes were closed, awaiting the painful surge to take her. But when she opened them, she realized that death had not come. No, it seemed that it was sleep instead that arrived, not to bury, but to rescue. ¡°Oh my god.¡± She knew that, whatever happened, it wasn¡¯t going to stick. She looked around and saw Akaka and, with shackled hands, managed to help him up with a bout of hysterical strength.


    With her fellow prisoner, she began to run from the draconic lord¡¯s court.

 Fleeing

    ¡°Caw!¡± Akaka sputtered to life. The last thing he remembered was praying for his fellow death row inmate, but he clearly wasn¡¯t in the afterlife. No, he felt too much like himself for that. When he fully came to, he realized that he was running alongside his fellow prisoner through the large halls of the local lord. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°H-hey, something happened and now we¡¯re running and stuff and do you know the way out?¡± There was desperation in Echidna¡¯s eyes as they looked to Akaka for advice and instructions. The crow who continued to insist they weren¡¯t old quickly picked up what was happening and looked around, trying to test their memory to see if they knew anything.


    ¡°Yes, yes, perhaps we may find respite in that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Sure, whatever, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Look out the window.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She did so and only then did she notice where the keep of the draconic lord was located. They were in a pretty big city and as such, the keep of the lord was located high up. As in, it was literally flying. ¡°What the-!?¡± She knew of the flying building but didn¡¯t know they were in it!


    ¡°Yes, yes, it would be very hard to go down. There are many methods, but most are limited by experience or security. But there is one way to descend: The waterfalls.¡±


    ¡°Huh!?¡±


    ¡°Below this fort is a lake, larger than even this entire complex and the floating land it was built on. From that lake, water is drawn for the sake of the plants. They rise like a reversed waterfall.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t there be guards?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Guards are aplenty in this place! But they are there to prevent anyone from rising, not descending. If we dive into the waters with a weight of sorts, we shall fall fast enough to prevent anyone from catching up, but slow enough to not kill us when we land!¡± Akaka quickly came up with the plan and looked around. ¡°Perhaps some armor? If we wear enough, we should be heavy enough to negate the force of the rising water.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, sure, let¡¯s find some armor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, follow me. I was once an accomplished thief, so do as I.¡± Akaka proved he wasn¡¯t lying soon enough as they snuck through the halls of the castle. They only had so much time before either one of the fallen woke up or they were found and subsequently woken up. When that happened, the alarms would be rung, and they¡¯d be hunted down swiftly and mercilessly.


    Until then, Akaka and Echidna snuck through the halls. They avoided patrols and sentries, with Akaka even forgoing thieving habits in lieu of helping the person who saved his life.


    ¡°Well, this is quite the adventure.¡± In Echidna¡¯s mind, Faffy spoke.


    ¡°Yes, yes, it is. Not the start I would¡¯ve preferred, but suitable for someone such as I!¡± In her mind, it was easier to maintain the gravitas without wincing at how dry her throat was.


    ¡°What? Get thrown in jail and have to bust out with a mentor?¡± Faffy was blase about the whole thing, but quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t let him die, alright? He seems pretty cool and probably could help us after we get out as well.¡±


    ¡°Of course! What destroyer of worlds would let their faithful fall? That is the folly of so many frauds and posers, for they know not the worth of the loyal!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, whatever.¡± Faffy wasn¡¯t fond of Echidna¡¯s theatrics, as they shared a body and indirectly gave her a bad name, but in this instance she wouldn¡¯t chastise or try to argue.


    ¡°These shackles are irritating.¡± Akaka let out a grunt of irritation as their bonds both prevented moving much of their arms and also rattled with every step they took, giving away their position. ¡°Here!¡± Inside of an armory there was a pile of cannonballs, free for the taking. ¡°Grab one of your own.¡±


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    ¡°Oomph!¡± Echidna winced at how heavy it was, but it would be better than breaking every bone in her body on the fall down or somehow rising up with the waters to a bloody death. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Onwards, friend!¡± They continued to run, Akaka taking the lead still. They ran down stairs and slipped past guards until they reached the very base of the fort, where the rivers were largest. They couldn¡¯t just walk upstream the entire way, they had to slowly trek their way to the base, where it was blocked by a gridded gate. ¡°Irritating.¡±


    ¡°Here! I saw them go in there!¡± Distant cries alerted them to the fact that they had been spotted. They couldn¡¯t try and find another path, they were far slower. They couldn¡¯t fight, they were in chains. But they couldn¡¯t go forward.


    At least, not yet.


    ¡°Please, please, please, open, open!¡± Echidna cried and tried to force whatever happened before to happen again, asking for a miracle. Suddenly, a burst of power shot out of her eye, blew off the eyepatch, and pried the gate from the bricks, letting them go free. ¡°Yes! YES! I KNEW IT! I AM ECHIDNA VON TYRANICUS! AND I AM-¡± Whatever she would¡¯ve said next was cut off as Akaka grabbed her as he jumped down the reverse waterfall.


    -------11111-------


    ¡°Ok, so would someone like to tell me why Echidna is not here?¡± Teacher had come back with a bit of information. In the time they were separated, he mostly just walked around asking basic questions to anyone who¡¯d answer. He got bits and pieces that he stuck together to form a rudimentary picture of the world.


    Essentially, the land was split up by many different dynasties, called Dracontonies, which were all united in claiming descent from some dragon gods from ages ago. Of course, these Dracontonies ruled over many different peoples. Just to name a few, there were Orcs, Felines, Gargants, Satyrs, Aviana, and even straight up Fairies.


    Magic was also a thing, the flying island in the sky probably should¡¯ve cemented that but it didn¡¯t hurt to have confirmation. He saw a street wizard doing tricks for tips, making wooden spoons float and other such things. It wasn¡¯t very impressive to most, but to him it was quite surreal seeing such a paranormal feat being treated as subpar.


    Anyways, when he came back, he didn¡¯t expect the students to immediately tell him that, while they did get some money and bought some food, that came at the cost of having an argument with Echidna and for her to run off, with none of them able to find her afterwards.


    He felt a heart attack coming on but resolved to power through and was starting to organize a search party, splitting up the class so nobody would be alone. At least, he was starting to do that in his head, physically speaking, he was currently chastising a few of his students.


    ¡°First of all. While I understand that you¡¯re also on edge about everything, that is not a reason to antagonize a classmate.¡± Carmen didn¡¯t really do all that much. She acted a bit jerkish, but it was a minor slight.


    ¡°Second of all, don¡¯t use things without someone¡¯s permission.¡± He turned to Yolk, who nodded glumly as they took off their sunglasses to face the music.


    ¡°Third of all, don¡¯t steal someone¡¯s stuff and sell it without asking!¡± He didn¡¯t know why Pin or Aurum thought it was a good idea in the slightest to do such a thing. Sure, they needed money, but they could¡¯ve at least made a case for the sale instead of resorting to thievery!


    ¡°And finally, you guys should¡¯ve done something instead of watching it go on.¡± He turned to the rest of his students, refusing to let them go without being addressed. ¡°We¡¯ll apologize to Echidna when we find her and I¡¯ll tell her to not make up information, because we really don¡¯t need any misunderstandings here. Alright?¡± The class collectively mumbled various ascents. ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s start-¡±


    ¡°Teach, Teach!¡± Everyone looked to where the crowd was parting to see Echidna in soggy clothes and manacles running towards them with a similarly bound Aviana. ¡°We have to run, now!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Teacher was a bit confused, what was happening?


    ¡°Get them!¡± Suddenly, guards appeared, racing around the corner that Echidna and the Aviana appeared from.


    ¡°Oh.¡± He could guess what had happened. While he didn¡¯t know exactly what she did, he knew enough to say that he¡¯d trust his student over some people he didn¡¯t know at all. ¡°Alright class, nevermind, we¡¯re running!¡± But standing with his student came with a cost. Namely, being guilty by association. The students caught on quickly and immediately began running, though some began lagging behind.


    The guards were gaining ground and their weapons were sharp. Teach winced as he imagined being run through by a rapidly approaching halberd. Suddenly, the Aviana stopped and turned around, placing their hands forward and letting the halberd hook into the chain, and snapped it.


    ¡°Run, friends of an esteemed friend! I will hold them off, flee as far as you can!¡± With free hands, he ripped the rusty manacles off his wrists and stretched his talons. ¡°Now, let us fight!¡± He swung his arm and suddenly, an otherworldly power emanated from them in the form of black strings. Suddenly, in their hands was the halberd of the enemy guard,


    The class of 13 and their teacher would flee from the city on foot, managing to hide from their pursuers and escape.

 Fleeing, or: How We Became Fugitives In Another World

    Turns out that, when pushed, people could run pretty far. Also turns out that the guards had guns, who knew!? Echidna couldn¡¯t see the guards armed with rifles on the walls, but they were definitely there and it was terrifying running from them. Turns out that guns, in this world, didn¡¯t fire bullets! They fired magic!


    Fucking magic!


    Yes, the reload time looked like a nightmare, but it didn¡¯t matter when it all came in an unyielding volley of lasers. Lasers that could pierce through solid walls with frightening amounts of power left to spare. Their one saving grace was that they were in the city, a small band of rats inadvertently using the buildings as shields that couldn¡¯t just be torn down without reason.


    Echidna tried to mount a counterattack, but was eventually swayed by Faffy¡¯s words of encouragement to join their classmates in running the hell away. Plus, she was feeling a bit winded whenever she tried to pull out her magic. Not in the physical sense, it didn¡¯t seem her physical stamina and her magical stamina were linked, but in the sense she just couldn¡¯t pull out any more.


    Anyways, it turned out that people could run for hours without end if it meant that they lived. A sustained manic energy, in short. Of course, they took breaks, ducking into dingy alleys in order to catch their breath, silent as a mouse besides the sounds of their own breathing just to make sure the guards weren¡¯t closing in on them. Nobody had the air or energy to ask Echidna what she did, but they knew that they¡¯d probably be shot since they ran with her.


    It was a mess as Jack carried Rosa, who had fainted due to shock when the gunshots began, his own fitness and fight or flight inspired hysterical strength being the only reasons that he didn¡¯t collapse from their accumulated weight. Jack never complained about having to shoulder the sleeping girl, though, he just bore it all with nothing more than a slightly pained grunt as they fled through the hot sandy streets.


    Meanwhile, Veni was shaking in shock from the abrupt sounding of gunfire, trying in vain to pull out his bow just in case they had to resort to self defense. Behind him was Mina, who he looked back to just to make sure she didn¡¯t collapse due to being out of breath.


    Jello, for once, wasn¡¯t letting his artistic focus get the better of him. No, he was running with equal vigor and fear as all of his classmates. Besides him was Carmen, who decided to ditch her own backpack and its unnecessary weight to help carry some of Jello¡¯s supplies. She didn¡¯t mind too much, they were in a new land and there was no telling how hard it¡¯d be to replace, and Jello very clearly was attached to it. All she cared for was light and fit in her pockets, so she bore with it.


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    Gallows, who had been audibly complaining due to the understandable stress of having to constantly play catch-up and thus risking being shot, was abruptly forced to shut up by Hailey. She picked him up bridal style, unfettered by the extra weight, and ran all the way to the front.


    Aurum and Pin weren¡¯t exactly calm. Though the latter kept a cool demeanor, it was quite hard to keep such a face up when facing gunfire. They were both panting and shaking, both of them having faced a few close calls as they fled from the gunfire. They were silent, especially when they took breaks in the alleys. Not a single quip from Aurum, nor a complaint from Pin.


    The two calmest were Talle and Yolk, who were simply running forward with grim determination. Though neither were visibly the buffest in their class, that honor would go to Jack and Hailey, they definitely had a lot of endurance. They continued forward without complaint and matched each other¡¯s pace as they were near the head of their little cluster of fugitives from the law.


    Finally, at the front, was Teacher, who was also fairly calm. At least, on the outside, he was. On the inside, he was having a god damned panic attack. How could he not!? He was a freaking teacher for god¡¯s sake! He never signed up for this bullshit! Who would willingly walk into a situation where they¡¯d be shot at!?


    Oh yeah, soldiers, but they sure as hell weren¡¯t soldiers!


    So, he ran. He wasn¡¯t the fittest member of their group, but he was at least doing exercises regularly enough and was young enough to have enough stamina to keep up. He was only at the front because the rest of them trusted him to lead them, instead spending the excess energy they saved in slowing down to meet his pace making sure that the others weren¡¯t getting left behind. But he sure as hell didn¡¯t know what in the world they were doing or where they were going! He was never trained in this!


    He recognized the panic and calmed down, taking deep breaths. It took a couple rounds as they huddled in a small corner, sweat glistening from the small amount of light that made it into their shady area. He repeated to himself that he had to be calm, if not for his safety, but for the sake of his class. He couldn¡¯t let them place their trust in someone who was unstable. He had to be calm for them.


    He peeked out of their little corner and looked out, eventually widening his eyes as he noticed a trail of caravans.


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± They had been hiding for a few minutes, occasionally holding their breath as they heard the sounds of the guards running by, their armor making a distinct sound as the chainmail rattled with every heavy step. In response, they all gave various quiet or silent ascents. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    As one and despite how soaked in sweat they were, Teacher led the group by following the tread of caravans back to its source, one of the city¡¯s gates. Coincidentally enough, it was the very one they entered from, with the Gargant and Feline chatting as they let Caravan after Caravan pass through, with the occasional halt to ask about something.


    Without stopping just in case they were hostile but without harming them either, the group of fourteen blitzed by them, running too fast for either of the two to even register what happened.


    ¡°Yehil?¡± The Feline blinked before turning to look at their comrade.


    ¡°Yes, Muskoin?¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Eh, probably the wind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± The two of them ignored how, as the ¡®wind¡¯ ran by them, the mask charm in their possession had been warped into a horrified expression, before reverting back to normal as it disappeared.

 Respite, or: An Interlude Between Fleeing as Fugitives and Finding Sanctuary in Another World

    4th period study hall immediately found the error in fleeing on the desert, which was a mostly flat and barren plane. The forces sent after them were a tiny fraction of the city¡¯s total barracks, but even one horseback soldier had the capacity to kill them all. So, they immediately ran to walk by the greenery of the river, hiding in the lower parts of the incline. It wasn¡¯t perfect and none of them spoke, too paranoid to do anything to impede their sense of hearing, but it let them survive, even if for just a moment.


    Their run slowed down to a methodical crawl interspersed with occasional breaks by the river to hydrate. Even after they¡¯d gone past the point where they couldn¡¯t see the city anymore, they set up watches out of paranoia that they¡¯d be ambushed. Nobody wanted to let their guard down entirely, though they did loosen up a bit.


    Of course, as the immediate worry of being found by a soldier and being shot at subsided, the longer term worry of hunger began to crop up. What were they going to do? They had money, yes, but that was worthless if they couldn¡¯t spend it anywhere. They had some food from the market, but that wasn¡¯t going to last forever. Plus, there was no telling if they were going to be hunted in other cities as well.


    ¡°Hey.¡± During one of their breaks, Aurum and Pin walked up to Echidna. Before the latter could say something abrasive or walk away, Saltine said, ¡°Look, I¡¯m just going to say sorry. Teach was right saying that taking your stuff to sell was a dick move. I know it won¡¯t make up for anything, but here.¡± Aurum handed over an iron necklace with a glowing gem. ¡°It¡¯s enchanted to protect, hope that makes up for it not being gold.¡±


    ¡°I must apologize as well for my actions in aiding her. For that, I must give you this. It surely fits someone of your gravitas.¡± Pin gave a formal bow while presenting his gift: A black cape made of durable fabric.


    ¡°...¡± Echidna silently took the gifts before cracking a smile. ¡°Your apology is accepted, mortals! Of course, I must reflect as well. I did not act as was befitting of my stature and I know you were merely hastily capitalizing on an opportunity! Such behavior is to be encouraged, not resented! For that, I offer my own apology.¡± Of course, she did nothing without the dramatics.


    ¡°Oh, uh, yeah. So uh, let¡¯s start over?¡± Aurum gave an awkward smile.


    ¡°I would wish the same.¡± Even if only to preserve the peace.


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    ¡°Yes!¡± Echidna accepted it with gusto.


    Meanwhile, Teach was consulting with Jack, who was obviously the expert in survival, about where the hell they were heading at the moment. He was actually still carrying Rosa, who was still sleeping.


    ¡°So, it looks like there¡¯s going to be going near the mountains soon.¡± Teacher sighed. ¡°This is a mess. I should probably ask Echidna why she was being chased, but that¡¯s honestly not important at the moment. She can tell us later.¡±


    ¡°If we want to survive in the long term, we should probably begin hunting animals. Though Hailey has a distaste for it, Veni would be willing, and ultimately I do not think Hailey¡¯s love of animals is strong enough to let us starve.¡± Jack didn¡¯t like that they¡¯d have to step on her toes like that, but it was ultimately out of their hands.


    ¡°Only a few of us can eat the meat, though, so tell him to get something small. We want to see if we can digest the animals here.¡± Now that they weren¡¯t being fuelled by adrenaline and the desire to not get shot at, Teach was reckoning with the fact that they were going to have to contend with the wild once more. They¡¯d had plenty of close calls in their previous trek, though they were lucky enough to avoid any actual confrontations. Hailey managed to scare off any animals that came by by making a lot of noise and being large. But the greenery became denser as they went further and there was no telling what would come next.


    Meanwhile, Mina, Gallows, and Yolk were all talking as they kept watch.


    ¡°It seems that many people can read, but paper isn¡¯t too common. I see more tablets and stuff.¡± Clay and heavy to carry far less content, which was just an awful trade-off, in her opinion.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s also the guns that those soldiers had!¡± Now that they weren¡¯t being shot at, it was much easier for him to get excited over the prospect of magic firearms. ¡°I mean, imagine the things you could do with one of those! A laser musket, think about it!¡±


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s pretty cool, but what about a laser revolver?¡±


    ¡°Ooh, now that¡¯s awesome!¡±


    Ok, it was more like Gallows and Yolk were talking while Mina muttered to herself, unable to make her voice louder than a mouse¡¯s squeaking out of timidness partially created by how loud the other two were.


    ¡°Hey! Guys!¡± Veni suddenly ran in, bow on his back, followed by Hailey. The two of them had gone ahead, deciding to act as scouts. Veni because he had and was proficient with the bow while Hailey was simply strong and durable. ¡°We found something up ahead!¡± Hailey nodded excitedly in agreement.


    ¡°Really?¡± Teach walked up, confused at what could make them act like they were. Veni wasn¡¯t exactly happy to be paired up with Hailey while Hailey didn¡¯t have a high opinion of Veni either. But now the two were practically in sync! ¡°What did you find?¡±


    Hailey spoke first. ¡°A farm.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Everyone went silent upon hearing the news. They¡¯d expected to be stranded in the wild for another few weeks before finding anything even remotely close to civilization. But now, they had another chance to get back on their feet! They might even sell them some more food since they had gold!


    ¡°Yeah! I saw the farmer tending his fields. He looks friendly enough.¡±


    ¡°Alright class, we will be heading out immediately! Veni, Hailey, lead the way!¡±